Arthur II Chapter 3

3.

The lady dressed in the plain dirty smock stirred the contents in the big pot. She had dropped in the scraps from the leftovers and there were the growths they picked up along the walk kicking at the mudded trails dug up the wagon wheels. It was her life as a slave for over a year. She was picked up during a raid at the village on the eastern side. She was with her mother then. It started so fast and before she could run, she was captured. Since then, she was taken into the camp, treated like dirt before she was made to stand on the auction block.

The slave was sold for one denarius.

 

Her new owner was Auric Augustus.

“Put her to work with the others.” Auric had commanded.

“Auric, you know me. It’s me, Lady Igraine. I was the companion of Lord Pendragon.” Lady Igraine had identified herself then.

“Hold your tongue, slave. I knew of such Lady and she is not you. You are impersonating her to get my attention. More to it, she won’t be seen in a remote village where you were captured.” Auric ignored her words.

“They raided my home, where my mother still stays. I was taken captive. Send words to Lord Pendragon. He will attest for my name and release.” Lady Igraine pleaded to the other.

“Be away, slave. I regret that I spent a denarius for you? It’s coin badly spent by me today.” The lady was taken away and placed with the slaves. Unknown to her, Auric had left instructions that she was not to be the harm in any way.

“Anyone who does so will be suffered the wrath ten times more.” Auric cautioned his servants.

“She is old.” Alain the Servant overseer spoke. “She won’t fetch coins.”

“Hold your tongue, old man. Harm or peddler her, and I will have you and your family do with the same fate.” So, it was not the beauty they needed her for. She was past her prime. They won’t even ravish her or auction her. She was not sure but they kept her busy doing the works. She did not fight or try to escape for she was sure she will be rescued one day. She also knew when to fight and when to yield. Her name was Igraine and born with royalty blood. Her breed knows when to bid their time.

“Hey lady!” The lady heard the call but she ignored it. She continued with the stirring. The hand that grabbed her arm was hard and tight. “I am calling you.”

Igraine looked up at the one holding her arm. The figure was the keeper of the slaves; a fat frame covered in the knee-length tunic held loosely with the waist belt that holds the dagger.

“I heard you, Alain. What do you want of me?” Igraine glared at the keeper. “If I stopped the stirring, the broth will go bad and the others will have nasty words to say with you.”

“I….” Alain somehow feared the lady although he had punished her with the whip and the stick, the lady held a stance which he felt intimidated. He had seen it among the witches and he was unsure if she was one.

“My Lord asked for his hot bath. Pass your chore to Alison.” Alain told Igraine. “And be quick about it.”

Soon Igraine held up the bucket to pour the hot water into the tub. She heard the tent flaps moved but she was not looking back. She moved her hand to the water in the tub to check the suitability.

“It’s not the same as back then.” Igraine heard the comment. She knew the voice. It was an old one and from there, she straightened up and moved to place the bucket to the side. She heard then the next comment.

“Do you know we are at the Wall?” Igraine paused in her works while the other was still talking. “I thought you want to know.”

“I do, my Lord,” Igraine replied. “I am near my land. And I won’t thank you for it.”

“Igraine, how can I make it up to you?” The arms went around Igraine’s waist. “I did not know. It was all…”

“A mistake? The almighty Lord Pendragon can make a mistake?” Igraine laughed. “I am truly sad if age has eroded your mind but anger prevails in me for the betrayal you did on me. I remembered your voice the moment I hear it. Why have you now come for me?”

“I am truly…” The other named Pendragon replied. It was then Igraine pulled away from the man. She turned to face him before smacking him on the face.

“Don’t be coy with me. This is not the first…” Igraine stared at him. “I maybe …”

“I know. That’s why I came back…” Pendragon was cut off.

“You came back? You left me with the bandits and then auctioned to the Augustus. Who are they? Are they friends of yours?” Igraine snapped at the other. “You had me kidnapped from my village, sold as a slave and now you want to bring me back. That’s a long trip for me.”

“I would have come earlier but I was away. When I knew, I told the Augustus to ransom you.” Lord Pendragon replied. “He did me the favour.”

“Some allies you have. I was ransomed and kept as a slave.” Igraine spat at the other. “Let me go back to …”

“You can’t. The village is …. No more. The Vikings had done it.” Pendragon told the lady. “I only knew when I returned here.”

“I liked your tales. It ranged from my village to your rescuers.” Igraine replied. “Would it be the length of this curved wall?”

“No. the Augustus has released you back to me. I am here to take you back to my castle.” Lord Pendragon told her. “We will raise our children there.”

Lady Igraine looked at the man who was to be her Lord.

“If only you agree to one request, Lord Pendragon. The Augustus will suffer from my indignity.” Igraine told him. “Now leave me. I will take the hot bath and get me fresh clothing.”

“Your wish is mine to perform, my Lady.” Lord Pendragon left the lady he loved into the care of the warm waters. For him, he was relieved for it was a new start to his life.

It was also a fresh start for the Meleagant family who was looking at the lush lands before. Master Babel Meleagant sat there on the chair facing the long table laid out with the foods and drinks under the huge tent. His son, Young Octavia Meleagant sat to his right holding the goblet of wine.

“Son, we have come a long way to reach here/” The Lord looked to his son. “Here we will make our new home. It will be a huge villa and household of slaves, with land providing us the revenue to grow the army of ours.”

Master Meleagant held a small army fifty men who had followed him from across the channel of the sea. His previous home was destroyed by the Normans whom he betrayed to Rome. They did destroy his home and killed all his slaves. Master Meleagant fled to Rome and there he requested the parcel of land across the channel.

“It will be a new beginning to my family, Senate.”  The Senate gave him the right to occupy the land in Britannica. Master Meleagant packed his remaining items including the caskets of gold. He vowed to return to Normandy when he has a bigger army and reclaimed his old land there.

“I dread the land here, father. It’s desolate and cold.” The younger Meleagant lamented on the surrounding. “I liked our…”

“It will be back to us soon, my son. Our stay here may be short and in time, we will make our treasury piled with gold.” Master Meleagant assured his son. “Here we are not alone. We have the Romans to assist us. We are protected by the wall here. Like the one further south of us, Hadrian Wall. It prevented the barbarians from invading the land. This one will do the same.”

“I was told but the slaves said the blood of the slain have cursed the wall.” The young Meleagant looked to the looming wall at the far distance. “I…”

“You are a warrior’s son. What is a splash of blood to one like you? You will be great one day. You will marry a noble daughter and owned many more tracts of land. The wall is just a … piece of land to you.”

“Yet the wall will be our defense against the barbarians.” Young Meleagant looked to his father. “I hear they have recruited the local people to help. They are the local warriors and peasants. The peasants want the wall more than the others. They want the wall for it will protect them from the barbarians.”

The peasants were the ones toiling the land to hold the harvest. They are not warriors and their only fights were with the creatures that feed on their farms. They pay their dues to those warriors to fight their battles with the other warriors. It was the way of life there.

“Yes, they warrant it. I had seen wagons of woods sent there. The peasants are building palisades on the wall. And it will be manned.” Master Meleagant smiled. “We may yet to get better sleep now.”