Vengeance of a Slave

by V. M. Sang

  The day arrived that Adelbehrt had anticipated with both dread and excitement. What were their new owners going to be like? Where was their new home going to be? Would they like it? Would it be at all like their home by the Rhenus? All these questions passed through his head as they readied themselves for the journey.

  At last, with everything prepared, slaves loaded a wagon with the goods the Dominus intended to take to the villa, and hitched the oxen to it. Paulus climbed onto the driving seat. Only one wagon was to travel to the villa and so Marcus sat in the wagon with the children, with the little pony tied to a rail behind.

  They passed out of the yard behind the domus, and left the city of Londinium and travelled westwards. The journey seemed long to the two children and it took a couple of days, but eventually they arrived outside a large complex of buildings.

  A wall surrounded the buildings, and the Dominus paused outside the gateway. He said something to Marcus, who was now driving, and he stopped the wagon. The Dominus told Paulus to wait and watch the children while he and Marcus entered the gate and passed through a short passage into the villa.

  The children heard a cry of pleasure and small feet running. Adelbehrt strained to see if he could pick up anything of what the people said, but he was too far away to hear. He heard childish laughter followed by a woman’s voice.

  Marcus appeared through the passageway and beckoned to them.

  Once in the yard on the other side of the passageway, Adelbehrt saw two children crowding around their father, and a woman holding his arm and smiling up at him.

  The Dominus gestured towards the pony Marcus led into the villa and the boy, who had his father’s dark hair, and looked about a year older than Adelbehrt, ran towards it with a whoop of pleasure, making the startled pony toss its head. Adelbehrt managed to pick up that the Dominus had told his son he thought he should have a proper horse, not one of those native ponies.

  He beckoned Avelina and Adelbehrt forward, and pointed Avelina out to the little girl, who had even darker hair than her brother. The girl was about the same age as Avelina and she clapped her hands with pleasure at having her own slave.

  “Take her to your room, Claudia,” the woman told her. “She’ll sleep on a pallet at the foot of your bed since she’s your own personal slave. I’ll get someone to bring one into your room soon. I’ll help you to train her but, for today, just take her and show her where she’s to sleep and you can play for a while.”

  “And here is your present, Annwyl, my love.” The Dominus beckoned Adelbehrt to come forward.

  “What beautiful children,” Annwyl responded excitedly, “and such light hair! Where did you find them? I’ll be the envy of all my friends with such a beautiful little slave.”

  The Dominus smiled at his wife. “I was, purely by chance, in Mogantiacum when they were having a slave auction. I was a bit worried because I hadn’t been able to find you a present, but then someone told me some children were going to come up and that they were most unusual. When I saw them, I just had to have them for you."

  “They’re the most perfect present you could have bought for us. It’s time Claudia learned how to treat a slave.” She stood on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you so much, Lucius.”

  The Domina called Marcus over. “Take the boy and find him a room. I’ll let him rest for today and I’ll see him first thing in the morning.”

  Adelbehrt could now gaze round for the first time. He found himself in a large courtyard with grass and a fountain in the middle. On three sides, a colonnaded walkway with a roof surrounded it. Several rooms and buildings opened off the walkway. The fourth side seemed to be where they kept the wagons and carts.

  Marcus led him toward a cluster of rooms to the left of the entrance, one of which proved to be an office of some kind. A woman worked in there and she stopped to regard the newcomers.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “A new slave just arrived today,” Marcus answered with a smile. “The Dominus bought him in Gaul for the Domina. He thought she’d like him as he’s so pretty. There’s also a little girl, about four. She’s to be the personal slave of the little mistress.”

  Adelbehrt found this conversation difficult to follow, but picked up a few words here and there, so he knew they were talking about him and his sister.

  “I suppose I’d better find him somewhere to sleep then. What about the little girl?”

  “As she’s to be the personal slave of the little Domina, she’ll sleep on a pallet in her room.”

  The woman nodded briskly.

  Marcus left Adelbehrt with the older woman, the housekeeper as he discovered. She looked at the boy. ”Turn around.” She twirled a finger to demonstrate.

  His Latin was good enough for him to understand and he turned slowly on the spot.

  The housekeeper eyed him up and down. “You’ll need more clothes. I’ll see to that, but first you need a bath. I don't suppose you've even had a proper wash since goodness knows when, if ever. Come with me.”

  Adelbehrt did not fully comprehend what she had said, but she beckoned him to follow her out of the office and back into the courtyard. They crossed to the other side where she entered a room with a pool in the centre. Steam rose from the hot water and the housekeeper indicated to Adelbehrt that he should strip and enter the pool. This he did, and she told him to wash himself all over while she went to find a clean tunic.

  Adelbehrt learned there were other bathing rooms that the family visited each day but, as a slave, he only had the use of this one pool. As he discovered later, the other rooms comprised of a cold pooland a very hot, steamy room. He did not fancy either of them and so he felt grateful for only being given the use of this one, hot pool.

  Shortly, the housekeeper returned with a fresh tunic and told Adelbehrt to put it on. When he had dressed, she took him across the courtyard to a small room.

  There were two beds in there and she indicated one to the boy. He gathered it was to be his. At the foot of each stood a small chest for any articles he possessed. It remained empty for the moment.

  The housekeeper informed him that he would share this room with another boy a bit older than Adelbehrt, himself. When he had looked around, she escorted him out of the bedroom and to a room near the back of the courtyard, but still on the same side as his bedroom. This turned out to be the kitchen and it stood next to a villa exit.

  Once in the kitchen, he met the cook, a short woman of many years. She and the housekeeper passed a few words and then the cook said something to Adelbehrt that he did not understand.

  She turned to the housekeeper. “Doesn't he understand Latin?”

  “No. He’s picked up a bit, but he’s finding it difficult. He needs to learn quickly if he’s to please the Domina. I’ve put him in with Titus. I hope the older boy will teach him some words.”

  “I’ll ask Titus to do just that when he comes in from his duties.”

  The housekeeper left and the cook looked at Adelbehrt. “What’s your name then?”

  The boy understood this and stammered in response.

  “What? Speak clearly boy! Did you say Adelbehrt? What sort of name is that? Well, I’m Anna and I’m the cook here. Go and sit down over there. I need to get on with preparing the meal.”

  Adelbehrt did as she told him and spent a rather boring few hours watching Anna and her helpers prepare the meal for the family and the slaves who worked in the fields and villa.

  Eventually, time passed and the slaves began to return to the villa for the evening meal. Anna introduced Adelbehrt to Titus, his new roommate, a boy of eleven years who worked in the stables with the horses. Titus agreed to help Adelbehrt with Latin, and eagerly began pointing to things and saying their Latin names.

  That evening, Adelbehrt went to bed and muttered his litany of hate under his breath so as not to disturb Titus.

  The next morning, Adelbehrt’s training began. The Domina called him into one of the triclinia, where the family took their me
als and entertained guests. She instructed him to stand at one side and showed him how to pour wine and how to pass things to guests and family before they asked.

  He learned how to deal with people who were not dinner guests as well. He passed bowls of fruit and nuts to imaginary visitors and kept those imaginary guests’ wine goblets filled.

  He managed to understand what the Domina asked him because she accompanied her instructions with demonstrations. After all, Adelbehrt could not be expected to know all the intricacies of Roman life, being a barbarian. She showed him how to behave and what to do, and Adelbehrt simply mimicked her actions.

  The Domina had him sit at her feet while she told him how she expected him to behave. Adelbehrt frowned at the strange words. How could he possibly know what to do if he could barely understand the language used?

  The Domina noticed his frown and sent for Marcus. “This boy can’t understand the instructions. Arrange for someone to teach him more quickly. We’ll be going back to Londinium in three months and he’ll need to be able to understand what I want of him. I want to be able to show him to my friends there and it will be no use if he can’t obey simple instructions. I’ll be a laughing stock instead of the envy of them.”

  Marcus took Adelbehrt under his wing once more. This pleased Adelbehrt because he liked and respected the older man. In between his duties as accountant to the Dominus, Marcus taught the boy the main words he would need to know. He also recruited Titus to help whenever his duties allowed.

  Titus worked in the stables and was very good with the horses. He took Adelbehrt inside one day and introduced him to the animals.

  Adelbehrt patted a big grey stallion. The horse turned his head to look to see who was stroking him. Adelbehrt smiled as the stallion let out a soft whicker.

  “He likes you,” Titus said, smiling.

  As Adelbehrt learned many new words from Titus, Marcus continued with somewhat more formal lessons; his Latin improved quickly, much to the delight of the Domina.

  His lessons in how to be a house slave resumed. He found them rather boring. He sat at his mistress’ feet for what seemed to be long ages.

  When bored, he amused himself with thoughts of the grey horse in the stables, imagining himself leaping onto the animal’s back, scooping up his sister, and galloping towards the coast where he would find a friendly captain and take a ship back home, across the extensive Oceanus Britannicus.

  Some months later, when Adelbehrt had learned more Latin, Titus asked him about his mutterings before going to sleep. “Are you praying to the gods of your people? What gods do your people worship? You aren’t one of those Christian people, are you? If you are, you’d better keep it very quiet. The Romans don’t like them much. They refuse to worship the Roman gods and the emperor, so the Romans throw them into the arena with wild animals.”

  Adelbehrt thought he had better be a little careful with his reply. “No. I’m not a Christian, whatever that is. I pray to my god, Wodin.” As soon as he said that, he realised he told the truth. His litany each night was a prayer to Wodin.

  He asked Wodin to help him get revenge on the Romans. He knew Titus could not understand him as he always said the little speech in his own language; nevertheless, it paid to watch his step.

  One morning in mid-autumn, the Dominus called for Adelbehrt. As he left his room, he noticed everyone running around, much busier than usual. He saw Avelina across the courtyard and called out to her.

  The little girl answered him quickly. “I can’t talk to you now, Adelbehrt. We’re going to Londinium for the winter and we must get everything ready.”

  He noticed she had responded in Latin. It saddened him that she seemed to be forgetting their own language. He tried to speak to her in it as much as he could, but the last time he did so, she asked him to speak Latin. That had upset him, but he realised she spoke Latin all the time and her vocabulary in her native language was very limited, with her being only four years old when she left. She probably felt more comfortable with Latin now.

  The next few hours were busy indeed. People sent Adelbehrt on errands to gather things, to ask people various questions, and to take messages to yet others. Soon, though, they had packed everything into the wagons, and they set off.

  The group travelled the same route as the one the children used when they arrived at the villa. Adelbehrt watched the road more carefully this time. If he saw a chance of escape at any time, then he wanted to know where he was and where to go. He knew he would not be able to escape soon, though. Maybe not for many years, but he was determined he would one day get away.

  Perhaps he would be able to get revenge on the Romans in Britannia … and maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to cross the Oceanus Britannicus and find his mother again. Whether Avelina would want to come, he really did not know. She seemed to like her little mistress and appeared to be forgetting her previous home. She was very young, after all. Adelbehrt thought back to when he had been four. He could remember a few things before that, but not much.

  That night, in an inn, Adelbehrt managed to speak with his sister. “What do you remember of Mamma?” he asked.

  “She smelled nice,” the little girl answered. “She had soft skin and was kind.”

  “Can you remember what she looked like?”

  “Did she have light hair like us?”

  “No, her hair was brown. And so were her eyes.”

  After this conversation, Adelbehrt lay down on his bed and wondered how long he would remember what his mother looked like. Would he forget her, as Avelina appeared to be doing? He hoped not, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to picture the woman who had given him life.

  Eventually, they arrived in Londinium at the town house of the Dominus. The family entered through the portico, of course, but the slaves and wagons went round the back through the entrance they had used previously.

  Adelbehrt had been pleased when Titus told him he would accompany them to help look after the horses. The two boys had struck up a friendship, in spite of the differences in their ages.

  One day, Adelbehrt looked at the older boy, wondering what would it have been like to have an older brother? Perhaps a bit like his relationship with Titus. He seemed to have a slight memory of his father, once referring to an older child who had died, but he could not really remember very well. He thought that no one had mentioned the child again. Perhaps they had, but not while he had been listening.

  Would his mother speak of him and Avelina, or would she try to forget them? He hoped she would cherish their memory as he cherished hers.

  5

  A few days after arriving in Londinium for the winter, the Domina invited a few of her friends round so she could show off her new pet. Adelbehrt wondered just how long these friends of hers would stay. Would they pat and stroke him as if he were a puppy? How much would he have to wait on them? This was the first time the Domina had entertained her friends. Adelbehrt’s stomach churned as he wondered what would happen.

  She led him through the passageway leading from the peristylium. Curious, the boy looked around. He had not been here when he had previously come to the domus and was interested to find out what lay through the passageway.

  The atrium was open in the centre, surrounded by high-ceilinged porticoes. A sunken area lay in the middle, beneath the opening. It caught the rain as it fell, and Adelbehrt found out later that the water drained into a cistern beneath the house. This water would be used for washing and drinking by the family.

  Some statues stood around the edges of the atrium and marble mosaics surrounded the impluvium. As he looked, he heard women’s voices and the arrival of the Domina's friends caught his attention. They crossed the atrium to where she stood. The slave who had brought them bowed and withdrew, leaving three ladies with the Domina and Adelbehrt.

  The Domina and her guests exchanged excited chatter about what they had been doing that summer. As the weather was still warm, the ladies elected to sit in the atrium, under a pat
ch of sunlight filtering through the compluvium. Then the Domina told Adelbehrt to serve wine.

  The boy carefully poured it into the fine goblets and handed them to the four ladies.

  “Oh, Annwyl,” exclaimed one of the three visitors. “Is this the boy you told us about? He’s quite beautiful, and I’ve never seen hair that colour before. Where did you get him?”

  Adelbehrt saw Annwyl smile at the praise. Why is she so pleased that I meet the approval of these ladies, he wondered. It seemed strange to him that someone so poised and in charge of herself in her own home should be concerned about three other Roman ladies and their opinions.

  “He’s not a Briton, is he?” asked one. “I would be surprised if you had a Briton slave, with you being a Briton yourself.”

  “No, he’s not a Briton. But why would you think I wouldn’t have a Briton as a slave? Britons take slaves just like we Romans do.”

  Adelbehrt sensed tension in the air. Here was something to ponder Why did the Domina emphasise her Roman citizenship? Why was she not proud of being a Briton? He was proud of his Germanic origins.

  The Domina spoke to him and he roused himself from his thoughts.

  “Come here, Adelbehrt. My friends want to see you properly. We’ve all got drinks and fruit now, and so you can come and sit by me.”

  The boy wandered over to where the ladies sat and knelt at his mistress’ feet. One of the ladies reached over and felt his hair.

  He resisted the urge to flinch, as he knew it would evoke the wrath of the Domina. Probably a slap. Not much more, as this family did not treat slaves cruelly. He tried to smile at the woman as he had been told, but he found it difficult. He did not like this petting, especially by Romans.

  The Domina spoke again and so he listened. “Lucius brought them from Mogantiacum. It was pure luck. They’d been captured in a punishment raid on a village across the Rhenus. He saw them and was lucky enough to outbid another man.”