Tales Of Eleutheros

by S D Huss

  “Oh, your highness!” She said, flustered. “Welcome, welcome! Please, come inside.”

  She gestured for several of her slaves to come. “Go prepare the royal room!” She yelled at them, “And hurry, or I'll have your fingers.”

  The Doulos ran up a set of stairs as fast as they could. The other patrons of the business gawked at the new arrivals. It looked like any time one of the royal houses came into town, it was a big deal. Oros gave her a pleasant smile, he knew the woman, it clearly wasn’t his first time visiting.

  They made their way up the stairs and two slave girls took the cloaks from both Oros and Daniel. As Daniel handed his over, the slave took a closer look at his face as his hood was removed. Her eyes widened and she began to shake. “S… Spirit-Sent…” She stuttered.

  Daniel gave her a genuine look of confusion as she brought her hands to cover her mouth and saw tears welling in her eyes. The cloak fell to the floor, and the owner of the establishment began to scream at her.

  “Look what you’ve done! You piss-filled Cro’Kan! Get downstairs, NOW!” She screamed.

  Daniel was taken aback by the extreme outburst and looked at the older Dae woman with anger of his own. “What the hell?” He growled. “Relax, she just dropped a piece of cloth.” He bent down to pick it up and held it out to the Doulos girl. She looked at it, and then back to Daniel’s eyes. She fell to her knees and wept. Ragged sobs escaped the woman, and left Daniel puzzled as to what he had done.

  The owner stormed over to the disabled girl and grabbed her wrist. She didn’t resist, only let her arm get yanked upward. “Get up!” the woman snarled.

  “Hey!” Daniel said, stepping closer.

  “Daniel!” Oros called from behind him, already sitting at the table. “Leave her be, do not waste your efforts on that one.”

  “What?” Daniel asked, looking back to the sobbing girl. “Waste my… I’m not wasting my effort on anything, she just dropped my cloak, and this crazy bitch just started yelling at her.” He gave the woman an irate glare. “Is this how you treat your servants?”

  “She isn’t a servant.” Oros continued, eating bread from the table he now sat at. “She’s a Doulos. And like I said, not worth your time.”

  Daniel stood there for a moment, stunned at the words coming from Oros’ mouth. “This… is one of your slaves?” The thought churned grotesquely in his mind. He wasn’t keen on the idea of such things. Then again, he was in a foreign land and knew he probably shouldn’t involve himself in a crusade for the morality of their culture. He looked at the girl, and she finally looked back at him again. Her yellow eyes glowed with admiration and gratitude. -Why did she start crying like that?- He thought to himself. -She looks like she's happy to see me now.-

  “Gronda,” Oros said to the older Dae woman, not looking up from his meal at the table. “Give this one to my squire, he seems on a mission to defend her. I’ll pay you for her.”

  Gronda bowed her head graciously. “Of course, my Prince, my apologies again.”

  Oros swallowed a mouthful of bread that he washed down with a gulp of wine. He wiped his mouth, looked at the Doulos girl, and frowned. “Listen to me, you wretch.” She flinched, bowing her head to him. “You are the property of the Spirit-Sent now, serve him as you would me. Do you understand?” She nodded her head. “Y… Yes, my Prince…”

  “Good.” Oros went back to eating and gestured for Daniel to sit. “Come on.” He spoke around another mouthful of food. “This establishment has the best meat in Vul De Rah, I would hate for you to miss it over this nonsense.”

  ◆◆◆

  As Daniel finished his food with Oros, he noticed the Doulos girl was standing quietly behind him, her head hung, staring at the floor. He listened to the Prince’s woes as attentively as he could, considering the hideous pit he felt in his gut after the altercation earlier. How could this man, a good one, be completely content with the Doulos?

  After dinner, they made their way back to the Ignos keep. Oros bid him farewell, stumbling up a large flight of stairs to his tower, a bit weak at the knees after a few too many bowls of wine.

  Daniel made his way up to his chambers as well. Looking behind him, he saw the Doulos girl was following him, her face still down, staring at her feet.

  “Hey…” He said, causing her to jump. “Sorry about that.” -Great.- He thought. -How the hell did I end up with a slave? Son of a bitch.-

  He turned to one of the many Doulos servants who walked the halls, carrying a plate of food down the hall. She was an older woman, in a simple dress.

  “Excuse me?” He asked her. She jumped at the words as well. -Why do they keep doing that?- He thought. “I need her cleaned up and clothed. Can you do that for me? Have her brought to my quarters when she’s finished.” The other servant bowed her head. “Of course, my Lord. Come with me, dear.” She said to the girl. She scurried behind her, and Daniel finally entered his room.

  He pulled off his boots again, falling to the soft mattress the way he had earlier in the Day. -What the hell is going on?- He thought to himself. His blood began to boil with the Doulos now on his mind. The very concept was disgusting to him, owning another person, dictating the lives of people. In his world they had struggled with this as well, hell, it still existed in many parts. He contemplated this for nearly an hour before finally standing to remove his traveling clothes. He went into the strange Dae washroom, used his Dunamis to will the water to emerge from the tubes, and washed his face. There was a knock on his door, and one of the guards outside entered with the Doulos girl in tow.

  “Your… entertainment for the night, my Lord.” The guard said.

  Daniel looked at him in confusion, noticing the girl again, looking at her feet, her white hair down around her face. “What the-- No, you… get out, it’s nothing like that.”

  The guard stared at him blankly for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “As you say, my Lord.” He left the girl standing in the doorway but closed the door behind him as he left.

  Daniel sighed deeply and pointed at a large chair in a little meeting area at the corner. “Sit, please.” She listened to him, moving as quickly as she could. He finished washing his face and went to sit down across from her. She made no attempt to look at him, still looking down, staring at her feet.

  She had been bathed, her hair still slightly damp, and had been given a fine silk dress to wear. It was short, in fact, it looked more like lingerie of some kind. The thought of what they expected him to do with her crept into his mind slowly. -Good God.- He thought to himself. “Hey, you don’t have to be afraid of me, I won’t hurt you; what’s your name?” He asked, attempting to make her feel a bit more comfortable.

  She didn’t speak, only clutched her short skirt tightly.

  Daniel coughed intentionally, something he always did when the tension was high around people. He could fight in a battle, watch men die, and still maintain a cool focus. Put him in an awkward situation with normal people, and he was a mess.

  “My…” She said with a fragile voice. “My name is… Rin, my Lord.” She glanced at him, her hair falling to the sides, revealing her face.

  “Great.” He said, giving her his most convincing smile. “My name is Daniel. I’m a human, as you’ve probably guessed.”

  She was silent for the next few moments, Daniel adjusted himself, ready for another question. “So, Rin. Why did you burst into tears the way you did earlier? You got into a lot of trouble for it.”

  “You… are a Spirit-Sent…” She whispered.

  “Yeah…” He said, nodding dubiously.

  “Spirit-Sent…” She said, again. “You… you’ve come… just as they said you would…”

  Daniel cocked his head at her. “Who said what now?”

  “To free us… the Doulos.” she finished.

  Daniel felt a stab at his heart. He was in no position to help anyone in this world. He felt much the same when he was in Iraq, watching the people there do terrible things to one another, unable
to interfere. He was told by his platoon commander that they were not conquerors, so they couldn’t impede on the culture of that country. Here, he was a refugee; just trying his best to survive.

  “I’m…” He said, trying to find the words. “I’m new to your world still. I don’t think I have the influence to free the Doulos… I’m sorry.”

  Rin stared at him blankly. “My Lord?”

  “Who told you that we were going to free you?” Daniel asked.

  She licked her lips, eyes darting around the room. -She doesn’t want to say.- He thought.

  “You can trust me. I am not here to make your life more difficult, I can help you if I know more.” He said.

  Rin took another few moments, then nodded her head in determination. “Our… King.”

  “Your King?” Daniel looked puzzled.

  “King Alektor… he… he told us that the Spirit-Sent would save us from the Lokkadonians. That… we would be free.” Rin’s eyes widened as she spoke, and her voice was slowly getting more confident. “Many of our elders were saying that when you arrived… we watched you enter the city… and...”

  “Rin,” Daniel said. “Were you in the street the day we got attacked?”

  She looked at him, slightly confused. “My Lord, we were not attacking you. The Doulos were celebrating your arrival… some of us have…” She hesitated.

  “Go on.” He said, leaning forward.

  “Some of us were sure you would bless us… it was worth the danger… worth being killed by the masters… I suppose they just got a bit overzealous.”

  “I’ll say.” Daniel stood and walked to a large basin, filled with fresh water. He filled two large bowls and handed one to Rin. She hesitated again, clearly not used to being treated so well. She shied away from it as he pressed it a bit further. “It’s fine, Rin. Take it, you must be thirsty.”

  She took it finally, bringing it to her mouth and drinking it all down in one gulp. She handed it back to him, using her hand to wipe some water that had dripped down her face. Daniel chuckled and went to fill it up again, bringing it back to her.

  “I’m going to be honest with you Rin, I don’t know what to do with you. I don’t like the idea of owning someone, so I am going to free you.” Daniel said, sitting back down.

  “My Lord.” She said, with fear, not surprise, in her voice. “That is not possible. The Lokkadonians would not accept this.”

  He looked at her, confused again. “But… you just said I was here to free you. So that’s what I’m going to do. Oros will listen to me if I ask it.”

  “No, my Lord… it is against their laws for a Doulos to be freed without proving themselves in battle. Even if I was freed for some reason… I wouldn’t survive in the city. There are groups of Dae that hunt us… make sure we stay in our place.”

  “What’s the deal with the Doulos anyway?” Daniel asked. “Why are you slaves in the first place?”

  She shifted her legs, nearly bare. -She must be cold- He thought. Daniel lifted his hand and created a small orb of fire in the air above her, to keep her warm. It was a small display of power, but her face was one of wonder.

  “We are descendants of the Rexunii rulers and loyalists of this territory…” She said, staring at the fire in astonishment. “They say we must suffer for the sins of our ancestors.”

  Daniel looked at her in bewilderment. “That's it?” he said. “How long ago did this happen?”

  She thought for a moment. “Perhaps, six hundred years ago? I’m not quite sure, my Lord.”

  “Holy shit…” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s a long ass grudge to hold.”

  They sat for a few minutes in silence, she fidgeted while holding the bowl of water. “What would you like of me, my Lord?” she said finally, breaking the silence. “I have been trained as a barmaid mostly, I am not studied in the art of pleasure… so I do not believe I will be enjoyable in that regard…”

  “What!?” He asked, nearly spitting water out of his mouth. “No! No, no, no, nothing like that is necessary. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that at all.” He coughed again, uncomfortably. “Do… ahem, excuse me. Um, do you know where the Doulos quarters are?”

  She nodded her head slowly, unsure of why he was reacting so strangely

  “Well, it's uh, getting late. You can meet me here tomorrow morning.”

  She stood from her seat and bowed to him, then turned and left his room with a slow creak of his stone door.

  He fell into his soft bed again, letting out an exasperated sigh. “What the hell…” He said to himself.

  chapter 38

  Katrina held a fine velvet gown up, looking over the material with a raised eyebrow.

  “So?” Illya said, leaning back and sipping on a bowl of wine. “What do you think?”

  “It’s… really nice.” Katrina said, laying it on her bed.

  “It’s the latest fashion in Torre’, and I wanted to make sure I looked presentable.” The Dae princess smirked.

  “What’s the occasion?” Katrina asked.

  “Well, tonight's ball, of course.” Illya started. “Honestly Kat, you can’t seem to keep your head from drifting away on the clouds lately. It’s my brother, isn’t it… I knew it. You shouldn’t take any offense from Boros’ confession, if I reacted in such a way every time a young and handsome noble attempted to court me, I’d be undoubtedly brain-dead.”

  -Here we go again…- Katrina thought. “It isn’t Boros, Illya. Trust me. That was a week ago, why are you still on that?”

  “Because! As soon as my poor brother returned, he told me all about it, and I know that he’s sensitive about such things. The poor boy was so angry at himself. I told him that you would come around eventually. Spirits… you humans are strange, infuriating creatures.”

  Katrina sighed, sitting on her bed.

  “Did you know that Daniel got a slave from the city?”

  Katrina perked up. “Daniel did what?” The words didn’t register in her mind properly.

  “Oh yes…” Illya continued. “He went to a bar with Oros and came back with her a few nights ago. Even slept with her that night! Can you believe it!? He refuses me, then takes some filthy Doulos trash from the streets. It’s maddening, I tell you…”

  Katrina sat up, looking her in the eyes. “Wait… Do you mean to tell me that Daniel, ‘OUR’ Daniel, got a slave? And slept with her!?”

  Illya sat up in excitement. This is what she loved about gossip, spilling information and getting a good reaction out of people. “I know, right? It’s so disgusting.” She said, though not with as much anger as she had when she first had said it.

  Katrina held her forehead, shocked at the news. “Wow… that’s pretty crazy. I didn’t think he had it in him.”

  “You aren’t repulsed?” Illya asked. “I was mortified when I heard.”

  “And who told you this, exactly?” Katrina smiled.

  “Oh, just… people. I have many eyes and ears in Vul De Rah.” She began to stir her wine with a finger.

  “You are having him watched.” Katrina jibed. “That’s so bad.”

  “Perhaps.” The princess grinned.

  Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Katrina called for them to enter, and one of the guards stationed outside her quarters poked his head in. “My Lady, Prince Boros is here. He wishes to escort you to the Ignos Palace, there’s a meeting of some kind.”

  “Finally,” Katrina said, standing to grab her cloak. “I’m going to the Keep, I’ve been waiting for days to hear what’s next.” Katrina grabbed her incisor, placing the sheathed blade on her hip.

  Illya stood up as well. “Well I’m going too, I can’t miss an opportunity to hear all the latest gossip straight from the source.”

  The two met with Boros, who bowed his head but made very little attempt at conversation. He had been this way ever since he confessed his attraction for her in Torre’. The issue was incredibly frustrating to Katrina, she did like talking with him, s
he just wasn’t ready to have ‘that’ conversation yet. They made their way across the city, flanked by several dozen guards, and into the Ignos palace above. They found Daniel and Oros, having just returned from Baa’Yega clan territory, sparring in the practice field near the gardens, and Katrina walked right up to the sidelines. Illya came up behind her, panting, but still holding her bowl of wine. “Spirits.” She huffed. “You move so quickly.”

  Katrina folded her arms, watching the two men duel. Daniel was fast, and aggressive, using impressive speed and control. She remembered her own duel with the man and shook her head. Standing on the other side of the small field, she saw a Doulos girl, holding Daniel’s officer cloak, folded in her arms while she sat. -That must be the slave.- She thought to herself.