The Danube River Delta on the western banks of the Black Sea, moving south towards the Euphrates River, the Middle East
Valeria fanned herself to abate the growing humidity and ordered two more lengths of fine linen from the merchant. The trade center was unbearably full since several ships and caravans were in town simultaneously. Watching the merchant cut the cloth from the bolt, fold it and hand it to her servant, Valeria felt along her waist for the leather purse attached to it. Opening it quickly, she produced two smaller coins and pressed them into the merchant's hand. He bowed and thanked her graciously, but Valeria could tell from his expression that he was not very pleased. She could haggle prices with the best of them and the traders knew it.
Giving a silent call for her servant to follow, Valeria secured her purse once again and walked off to the next stand she had to visit in the bustling market. Altogether it had been a productive day as she restocked on many necessities for the coming year, but her heart was heavy and her mind was troubled. She could barely concentrate on the shopping spree, an event she normally looked forward to every year. The fact that she had met with the trader whom she sold Mari to that morning did not help either. It was first on her agenda that day. When the Roman convoy arrived the day before and settled just outside of town, she immediately rented out a house for her girls and began preparations. The first was a long talk.
Of the thirty-seven girls that were brought to her, only twenty-two were to be sold at market, the others having quickly been taken to service other camps. Of that twenty-two, only seventeen survived the cruel journey to the trading post. It was not significantly more or less than previous years, but unlike any other, Valeria knew she could no longer do this task. She was tired, achingly tired deep in her soul and for once in her life, she was ready to leave it all behind. Unfortunately, she was not entirely free to do so. The tattoo that crossed her face was a reminder to anyone that although she was dressed well and carried a heavy purse, she was property of the Empire and that was a mark she could never wash off. So even though she did most of her year's sales for a significant profit that morning, Valeria felt miserable.
Mari had been the hardest. Valeria had wisely avoided her the past few days in order to help people forget that she had tried to escape, but once out of their cages and alone in a house with the girls, she was free to be with them without worry of Aerius or soldiers asking too many questions. She explained to them that their month long trek had finally ended and that they would each depart to separate corners of the world.
Most cried, a few were hysterical, but to Valeria's great surprise, Mari had simply nodded and stood silent and tearless. Valeria ended up crying for her and in a move that silenced all the other girls, Valeria wrapped her arms around Mari and begged for forgiveness between frantic sobs. It was the most vulnerability Valeria had ever shown in her entire life and Mari understood this. She did what she couldn't do that night she tried to escape - she comforted her with soft words and even sang to her old Germanic songs she used to sing to Danea. All other sixteen girls watched them with curiosity and sadness, until Valeria was composed enough to resume her preparations. She left them in the good hands with the woman who owned the boarding house to be bathed, while she went to market to secure them suitable clothing and early sales.
The first merchant she went to see was Sheik Battam, who was to take Mari to Arabia. He was an old friend who had negotiated with her for years and Valeria felt confident that Mari would be in good hands with him. He paid a fair price, but unlike other times, Valeria did not try to alter it. The thought that she was putting a price on someone she cared about was too great. In the end, she separated her share of the profits and returned it back to him. She gave it to Battam with a strange quiver in her voice that the Sheik had never heard before or even thought possible. She told him it was to secure Mari's safety and ensure that she would be treated well. The old merchant understood fully. Valeria left before he could refuse the payment and before she broke down and cried again. Feeling the weight of the purse in his hand, Battam couldn't help but be curious about his new acquisition, a girl who had apparently breached the infallible Valeria. The transaction was set for the following day and he was content, being eager to move his convey out of the crowded delta and into the quiet of the deserts soon. He had stayed to meet with Valeria, and now that his task was accomplished, he had no more business left to conduct.
Now almost done with her shopping as the day came to a close, Valeria stopped to acquire some fruit for her girls to add to their dinner. They were incredibly thin; and since they survived so much already, deserved to be indulged now that they had access to fresh products. Taking a bushel of figs herself to ease the burden on her servant, Valeria walked slowly past the haggling buyers to her rented house. Halfway there, she heard her name being called and looking up, felt her heart sink when she saw Aerius approaching her through the crowd.
Looking around to see plenty of Roman breastplates and scarlet robes, but none that she could trust, Valeria swallowed tightly and waited for him to reach her. She already knew what he was after and reached for it under her drape with her free hand. Without saying a word, she waited until he was right in front of her before taking his share of the money from the sale of the seventeen girls and throwing it to his feet. The silver and gold coins bounced off his sandals and the stone paved market square with bright twinkling sounds. The lively market paused in deep silence and she smiled haughtily into his face before sidestepping him and quickly walking off. She did get to see his fists tighten at his side, but knowing he would not be stupid enough to touch her again in a market full of witnesses, Valeria left Aerius to angrily bend over and pick up his share of the money before quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Looking back occasionally to make sure she wasn't being followed, Valeria reached her destination wearily. Asking her servant to unpack her things and set them up for the girls, she fell into a chair woven from dried reeds and palms and closed her eyes. Unable to go upstairs and face her deplorable task again, she brooded over her life and the feel of the heavy purse resting on her lap in silence. Lost in thought, she failed to hear the sounds of Mari's footsteps until she was right alongside her.
"You're back. I was worried."
Valeria jumped and swung around. It was Mari, but without the skins and matted hair she had grown used to seeing her in. Her skin looked even paler now that it was scrubbed clean and her hair hung heavy all around her. She was beautiful and so painfully young.
"W-why?"
Mari shrugged, making the chain connecting her hands twinkle.
"I was taking my bath and I heard Aerius. He came here and was asking for you."
Valeria sighed and looked back out over the open window to the busy port.
"He wanted his money…umm…you look better."
Mari looked down and colored slightly. Her dress was not as fine as Valeria's, but she never dreamed of being in anything so soft. It was even clever how it was designed, one long column, held up by roping bound tight to her body. It was cool and ideal for the weather, which strangely enough, was more like spring than winter. She had asked the landlady that morning how that was possible and she simply said that different places had different seasons and she would get used to it. Mari thought about that all morning since it confirmed her previous sentiment, that she had seen nothing of the world yet.
"It is too much."
Valeria smiled at the girlish need to blush at every compliment. Strong as she was, that's what Mari really was. Just a girl. She looked down at her own hands for a second and wondered if she had ever been as innocent as to blush. That had been so long ago. Too long. Mari saw her expression sadden and settled down next to her. She had a question and it was their last evening together. If she didn't ask now, she would lose the chance forever.
"Valeria, can I ask you something?"
The older woman smiled slightly at Mari's pronunciation of her name. She had caught a few words here and there, but Latin was still difficult for her. She had never heard her name pronounced quite that way before and maybe never would again.
"Did you ever have children?"
Without looking up, Valeria nodded. Mari could see the memories awaken in her eyes.
"A long time ago……a little girl……she, umm,…… she was taken from me and sold. I never even got a chance to name her."
Mari waited, knowing Valeria was gathering her thoughts to finish. She watched intensely as the tears bordered her lashes and slowly went over the edge.
"I should have fought harder to keep her, I tried, I really did, but it was a hard birth and……and I was so young. I wasn't able to have children after that and was sent north with this seal."
Mari glanced at the purple tattoo on Valeria's face. It occurred to her that she had never seen her touch it before, and even now, her finger hovered over it, not really making contact.
"It was to show that I was barren and it made me a good commodity to have in the camps. Many of the girls with me had many children or died in childbirth, but I stayed the same……I guess you can say it allowed me to rise in the ranks and become a keeper quickly. That was all a very long time ago and I never heard about my daughter again."
Mari nodded as she absorbed this new information. Somehow she had known all along. Valeria just seemed like a mother. Even though she never had one, Mari knew what a mother should be and ironically enough, Valeria fit that mold perfectly.
"My mother died birthing my sister, Danea. I was a year old and never knew her either."
Valeria blinked at Mari, whose hair was still damp from her bath. The long, dark brown tendrils left wet marks were they touched her new linen dress. She never would have imagined such a sweet girl growing up without a mother. It didn't seem possible. No wonder she was so close to her sister. She must have meant the world to her.
"I'm sorry."
Mari fiddled with her chains and shrugged almost imperceptibly. Her voice fell down to a whisper.
"It's okay……I think she would have been like you. I would have liked that."
Valeria stared at her for a long while, unable to talk or make sense of what she was feeling. She had not cried so much in her life and it was just all too much. Luckily, Mari understood and hearing the landlady call for dinner, slowly moved to take her hand. Valeria stared at them, both in chains whether you could see them or not. Getting up slowly, she wiped at her face and followed her out. She turned the idea in her head. Mari thought she would have made a good mother and Valeria's heart soared at that. No one had ever assumed as much and wondering if her child was still alive, prayed to the gods that she was happy and free somehow.
That night, they all ate together at a table. Valeria tried to make them as happy about their leaving as she could, but her eyes betrayed her true feelings. The first of the girls left right afterwards, among them Mari's former cellmate. She was still a strangely silent girl, but she was faring better and as the servants of her new master took her away, she looked back at Mari. She couldn't say anything of course, but still managed to convey a silent thank you. Their numbers down to eleven, the girls went to sleep over three beds that night, wondering what their new homes would be like. Valeria spent the evening talking to Mari and then later, the night crying in the General's arms. The next morning she woke up heartbroken but with a promise.
It turned out that the General was also weary of his life. Campaign after campaign, The Empire had consumed most of his years in one exhaustive battle after the next. Finding that Valeria felt the same way, he made a promise to her. After the next two scheduled stops in their trade route, he would ask to be retired to his homeland. His children would welcome him and he was sure they would come to accept Valeria in time. Valeria agreed. Even though the brand on her face labeled her as property, time had worn down the pain it carried. She could live with the stigma if it meant not having a life that depended on the sale of others. She wasn't as sure as the General, but in time maybe his grandchildren might grow to love her. Mari had shown her that it was possible and even worth it to care for others. Valeria would chance on a life with the General, not because they were madly in love with each other, because they were not. They would try because they had to. The cold indifference of war had crept into their bones a long time ago and if they stayed any longer, it would kill them for sure.
Waking early, Mari dressed in her new clothes and waited by the open window for Valeria to arrive. She was worried for her friend, but looking to the beautiful sunrise, felt that she would be okay. She would find her way and maybe someday they would meet again. As for herself, she didn't hold as much confidence but she tried. Remembering her uncle's words, Mari decided that trusting in destiny would just have to do. Valeria had explained where she was headed before leaving the night before and it sounded like a fair place.
For hours they spoke about what she had seen of the world and what Mari was to expect. It all seemed terribly strange to Mari and in a way she was curious to see what Valeria called the desert. It was supposed to be a harsh land, but she was ready for anything. Life in Battavia had also been harsh, but it was so much more beautiful than the muddy, filthy camps that the Romans called civilization. Even this land was better. It was odd with its humidity, tall lanky trees, hard stone houses with separate floors and its dark, draped people, but it was beautiful. Even if it meant moving further away from Danea, Mari would go into desert, whatever that meant, and still be on the look out for opportunity. Valeria emphasized that she would have the finest of everything, but that enthusiasm was hollow to Mari, since she already saw that finery ultimately meant nothing when you were still chained. And chained she was. Looking down at the metal that connected the cuffs surrounding her wrists, she sighed.
From what she understood, her carriers moved fast and even though she was only one fourth to her destination in over a month of travel, she would cover the distance remaining in a lightening quick pace. That appealed to Mari since nothing was more inefficient than three hundred soldiers laden with armor trying to march in straight lines through forests. What she had seen of what Valeria called `camel traders' intrigued her. They were quiet people and intense in their actions, with none of the haughtiness that the Romans carried. She was curious and looked forward to knowing them.
Looking up again to see the magnificent orange and pink sun bathe the still sleeping market, Mari figured at least some things never changed. Memories of watching the sunrise through the slats of their log home filled Mari with nostalgia. Mari regretted not having ever woken Danea up to see one with her. Things that great were eternal and set in their rhythms. The sky would not change and Mari took comfort in the idea that Danea and Valeria would look up and see the same stars she was seeing no matter how far the distance between them was. It was a small comfort to her anxious mind.
Looking down in time to catch Valeria, her servant and a draped man walking across the plaza, Mari straightened out and prepared herself. A few minutes later she was taken to Valeria and reminding herself that she was not supposed to cry, walked over to meet her new carriers. Sheik Kalu al Battam was his name and he would take her to a city by the sea, she had been told.
The first thing that struck Mari was his big white beard. It wasn't as impressive as her father's, but it made him look like an older, darker version of him and that too was comforting. She was nervous but quickly forget how much as she observed the stranger's unique headdress and hanging robes quietly from Valeria's side. It was only when he turned to look at her that Mari realized she was staring. Mari blushed and quickly looked down and only then noticed that Valeria's hand was in hers. She swallowed at the warmth in it, tightened her fingers around it and tried to keep it hidden in the folds of her dress. Trying to not think too much about the eminent farewell, Mari tried listen to what was being said. Unfortunately, it hadn't occurred to her until that moment that they were talking in yet another language. Just when she was beginning to somewhat understand Latin, she would have to learn something completely different. They spoke for a short while before Valeria turned to her.
Mari's eyes watered quickly and respecting that they needed privacy, Battam went to wait outside. With that gesture alone, Mari decided that she liked him, but her thoughts were on the tall, elegant woman holding her hand.
"I am so sorry."
Mari nodded softly, the action making tears fall down her cheeks.
"Please don't be. You've been wonderful."
Valeria sniffed and moved forward to embrace her. Mari held her back, wondering just how it was that her keeper had worked her way so deep in her heart.
"Mari, after this Claudius will retire with me and I won't ever need to do this again."
Mari stepped back and considered Valeria carefully.
"You mean he will marry you?"
Valeria snorted in surprise and wiped at her face.
"No Mari, he can never do that, but we need each other and want to start a new life. A life away from all this."
Mari smiled a little more.
"I'm am glad for you. You deserve better."
"So do you."
"Please, don't worry about me. I will be fine and I have you to thank for that. I am trusting destiny and you should too."
Valeria sniffed and shook her head.
"You're right. It led me to you and you've taught me how to feel again. I wish you the best of luck and you can have this to remember me."
Mari looked down at the bracelet that Valeria pressed into her hand. It was a thick gold band carved with extraordinary detail. It was covered in animals and gods that Mari understood to be constellations of the stars.
"It is beautiful, but this is too much for me to take, Valeria."
"Take it. It is a map of the sky and when you look up you will know that I see them too."
Mari snapped her gaze to Valeria, amazed that she had thought of the same thing as her. Taking it slowly, Valeria lifted Mari's sleeve and pressed it around her upper arm. She understood immediately that it was to keep the metal cuffs from scuffing it. Mari ran a finger along the intricate engravings and slowly looked up again.
"I had a local artisan inscribe where I'll be staying on the inside."
Mari looked and indeed, there were Latin symbols on the inside.
"I can maybe see you again."
Her voice broke and Mari sniffled.
"I will see you again, you'll see."
Valeria nodded sadly, almost sure that Mari would. She was strong and Valeria had little doubt that she could.
"I will miss you and remember you always, Valeria."
Valeria smiled at the pronunciation of her name and hugged Mari tightly again.
"And so will I, the gods protect you on your journey."
Saying the last part with a sob, Valeria pressed a kiss to Mari's head and stepped back. Giving her friend a last tight smile, she bent down to pick her small bundle of things that the landlady had packed for her and walked outside into the bright sun. Battam bowed slightly, took the chain connecting her wrists and started walking off. Mari followed crying softly. When they were a short distance away, she turned around and gave another smile to Valeria, who was still watching them from the doorway. Turning around with an unbearable ache in her chest, but with more hope than she had ever had before, Valeria walked inside and closed the door behind her.
Mari, on her part, began the second leg of her journey that very same day. After briefly introducing her to his associates who were waiting at the market, Battam lead her across the town on foot. Arriving late at a dock, they boarded a boat, something Mari had never seen before. It was wide and very long and propelled by over thirty men, rowing beneath the deck. She was fascinated by how swiftly it cut through the water, but quickly understood that it was only through sweat and lashings from the men below deck that it moved.
Sitting huddled to herself in one corner, Mari looked up at the night sky once the dock was no longer visible. The water was beautiful, but not like the sky. Touching the gold band around her arm, Mari fell asleep among the cargo with tears in her eyes and with the steady rhythm of grunts from the men beneath her. She didn't think it was possible, but she missed the Romans. Most of all she missed Valeria. Falling asleep with her head against a sack of grain, Mari awoke the next day to a gentle prod. Battam was talking to her and quickly on her feet, Mari was shocked to discover that they had stopped moving and were at another port.
She followed him and his two helpers off the boat and ignoring the looks she got from everyone seeing her in Roman garb and chained, followed timidly as they moved through the less crowded town to a place to that served food. Still feeling miserable, Mari could not bring herself to eat, figuring that she was finally at the city by the sea that Valeria told her about. This worried her keepers and soon afterwards they called a woman out to feed her. Having grown used to nothing more than dirty water and gruel with the Romans, Mari was stunned to see that the enormous woman came to her armed with fruits and milk and flat salty breads. Mari still had trouble with all the new tastes, but she could not refuse the draped woman, who laughed as she felt along her collarbones and with complete disregard, continued to stuff Mari's mouth with food.
Completely stuffed an hour later, Mari followed Battam as they bought a few more sacks of wares and products. They seemed very odd to her, because even though she was a slave, they let her walk freely among the crowds. Not that Mari was confident enough to be even a foot away from them in the strange market, but she appreciated the fact that they did not seem to be too engrossed with keeping her on a short leash. Several times, she thought of sneaking off, but she was too scared and could not begin to imagine how to get back. That and the fact that her keepers seemed too nice to give them trouble, kept Mari in place.
By midday, they were walking back to the dock and Mari understood that they were still not at their destination. Falling asleep by the grain sacks just a short way from her new keepers, Mari surrendered to the tiredness that a full meal brought on her. That night it was cloudy and the stars were hidden anyway. Like the previous day, she was woken by a little jab at the side and like the day before, they went to a market and came back with more things. This time, she ate willingly; not wanting to incur the wrath of another forced feeding at the hands of anyone. But when they came back to the boat, she was confused. It seems that she was not at her destination yet and thinking back to the long weeks she traveled with the Romans, Mari figured she was in for another long trip.
True enough, they traveled over water for another three more days. They were skimming the edge of an enormous lake and every day, they stopped at a trading port by the shore. With every stop, there were fewer traders and less people. She was also starting to notice that the air was drier and hotter. Most disconcerting was the fact that she was increasingly one of the few light-skinned people around. Valeria had told her that she was acquired because she was different, but walking through markets where no one looked like her anymore and everyone stared at her for a half minute was awkward. True, they did not point or laugh at her, but Mari did not like drawing attention to herself at all. In their last stop, when she was gaining some familiarity with words, Mari pulled at Battam's sleeve and pointed at a long black robe hanging with two dozen others in a stand that catered to women's clothes.
"Anabbayah."
Battam smiled at her pronunciation and feeling unsure of herself, Mari looked at her sandals. Battam was a generous man, however, and he quickly traded some small copper balls for the garment. Mari had not expected him to buy it for her, just wanted to point out that she would like covering, but took it gratefully. Unfortunately, she could not put it on with her hands secured together. Without a moment's hesitation, Battam saw this and withdrew a key he had tucked away in his robes and unlocked the cuffs. Without taking her eyes off him, Mari rubbed her wrists slightly before slipping her arms into the wide armholes of the anabbayah robe, bringing the hood over her head and knotting the sash around her waist.
With her linen dress underneath, she thought she would be hot, but on the contrary, she was cooler and no longer exposed to the sun. Thankful to be partially covered from curious onlookers, Mari stretched out her hand to be chained again, only Battam had already tossed her chains into his sackcloth. Speaking words she could not understand, he smiled at her and continued trading his way through the stands. Mari stared at him in amazement and only when his white robes disappeared in the crowd, did she run to catch up to him.
It turned out that that was their last stop on the lake. Instead of walking back to the docks, Mari followed her keepers to the outskirts of the settlement. There were many people camped in the fields and clusters of camels everywhere. Mari had seen the beasts at the markets, but the over two hundred resting in the hills was surprising. Realizing that Battam was walking to a particular cluster of about forty people and over seventy camels made Mari balk. Weaving through the parked animals, they where almost there when the people working there recognized them and ran out to great her three companions. She knew they were all family by the simple look of relief and love they all shared.
Watching the joyful reunion and how Battam picked up his kids, planting a big kiss on their heads, reminded her so much of her father's homecomings. It hurt deeply and crossing her arms, Mari turned and stood a little ways off until she heard her name called. Approaching the cluster of people slowly, she hung her head as Battam explained who she was. She was sure many of them would think she was worthless for being nothing more than a prostitute, but if they did she did not care. Keeping her head low, she stared at the ground until she felt Battam walk over to her. He picked up her chin and Mari blanched at the gasps and looks of surprise they all had. Battam motioned to her eyes and Mari blushed profusely. She was different from the others. Very different and for the life of her, she couldn't understand why anyone would want her because of it.
After the shook wore off, some of the smaller kids ran up to touch her. Mari stood immobile as they tugged at the hem of her long robe. Eventually Battam moved away and after the others herded their kids off, Mari could breathe again. A few people threw curious looks in her direction, but she was pretty much left to her own devices as the group broke into a flurry of activity. Mari marveled at how efficiently they moved to pack up. Before her eyes, the entire congregation was in a straight line in less than two hours. It was only as people began to board the camels, that it dawned on her that they were tame enough to ride like horses. Still in awe as everyone scurried onto one, Mari didn't react to her name being called.
Ultimately, a woman came to fetch her and led her to a camel of her own. Mari blanched at the thought and approached the tall, wooly animal with trepidation. The woman was giving her instructions she didn't understand but and helped push her up. After several tries, Mari managed to climb on and feeling terribly off balance, grabbed at the animal's fur to prevent from falling off the lumpy harness. It answered with an earsplitting bellow and terrified, Mari almost fell. It wasn't until she regained her balance again and held onto the reins for dear life that she noticed that everyone was laughing at her.
Turning a complete shade of red at her ungraceful display and pulling her hood even tighter over herself, Mari thanked the gods when Battam gave the instructions to move out. With a sharp switch to her camel's hide, the lady that helped her climb on, sent Mari's camel walking and scrambled to get to her own. Mari watched in amazement as the entire troupe started moving forward and swaying in her harness, prayed that she didn't fall off. It was less bumpy than traveling in a cage, but required a lot more skill.
Eventually, Mari began to loosen her tight hold on the reins as it became obvious that the camel knew how to follow the others without her interference at all. Gradually gaining the ability to sway against the direction the camel was stepping into, Mari relaxed and took in the scenery. To her surprise, it was vastly different from what she had been seeing in the ports and she had to take a few minutes to recognize that she was in a different world altogether, what Valeria had called the desert. The trees were sporadic and very tall reaching. The shrubs lacked leaves, instead having thorns and tight, shiny leaves. The ground was soft and sandy in nature. Everything seemed drier and hotter and by the looks of the small hills in the horizon, they would only get drier as they moved further from the coast.
Feeling the gold cuff on her arm, Mari wondered if Danea and Valeria were watching the sun set. She didn't have an answer, but as she entered what was supposed to be her new home, Mari desperately hoped they were. It helped her feel better and despite what Valeria had said, Mari had a feeling she would need that comfort soon enough. What she had seen of the desert so far was strange, but it's hardy, simple people she had observed for days. They told her all she needed to know and no matter what their features were, they shared one thing in common. They looked like survivors and she was sure that to make it back to Danea and Valeria one day, she would have to be one too.
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