— Then I'll take that one — I know that's what the man said. The marked man cut part of the rope to separate me from my other two sisters and handed me over to this man — August, my name is August, and you''l come with me — he said with a smile. He put me on his horse and took me to his house. A couple of women and three men were waiting for him in a line at the entrance.
August dismounted and began speaking with the women. They looked at me and smiled as if welcoming me. I learned that I had been confined for the entire second and third months of the year. I spent the fourth month at Count August's house, eating and going for walks with his mother and sister every afternoon. They combed my hair and offered me dresses like their own. They never left my side, especially when they showed me off at the social gatherings he held at his home.
One day, these two unbearable women dressed me in a white dress with sleeves that covered even my fingertips. I had to wear my hair up and a golden piece on my head that held a golden veil covered in bird embroidery.
As night fell, the man approached the room where I was and lifted the veil from my face, saying something like, "You will always be here," or something similar. He seemed curious about the chain that adorned my neck— Yai sei mes myrne — I said. This man slapped me so hard that my lower lip bled. He was offended that I spoke my language, offended that he didn't understand what I was saying. I reached the table and stood up without him even offering to help me up. Then, we went down to the main hall where I saw other sisters from my tribe dressed similarly. After the ritual, the men left with the others, as did August with me.
The man began untying the dress's laces behind me, but I was already determined to the fact that I wouldn't have his seed inside me, so I bent down to take the gold feather I had taken from that table, from my shoe and quickly thrust it into his eye.
The man screamed and began to stagger, trying to pull the feather out and prevent me from leaving the room, so I removed the feather from his eye, and before I could encrust it into his neck, he stopped me, grabbing my wrist.
In the midst of the struggle, a soldier broke down the bedroom door and three others entered. I tried to escape, but a soldier put me over his shoulder and carried me out of the house.
— I'll take her — said a voice I recognized instantly. I tried to fight back, but it was no use. And it all started again.
The second man who bought me was older, stout, and blind in one eye. That time, I plotted all the way to his house to kill him in his sleep to prevent him from screaming.
This man, Gerald, lived with his wife, Lorens. She taught me to read and write the common language in their home until the middle of the sixth year of the third century. I was free to go out and shop in the city, so I took every opportunity to find out what had become of my sisters. When the woman had nothing more to teach me in her library, they registered me with the city as Dotea Arteneses, gave me money, and sent me to the castle in one of their carriages.
And that's how I was able to see my mother and Nayah again, who told me about the events that erased our tribe. King Emer had invaded several of King Fortis's lands, massacring the people in his wake. This prompted King Fortis to retaliate, returning to Valgon to gain the favor of his in-laws and acquire more soldiers and ships for the attack.
Survivors from other tribes were welcomed by several families within the walled city, so many that they could not keep up and the king agreed to receive many in the castle as servants or soldiers of the guard.
My mother was fine staying at the castle; she only had to help in the kitchen, she'd have food all day and a good place to sleep. Besides, with the arrival of more young people at the castle, the kitchen became her domain, which reminded her of her role as leader in the tribe. But I didn't want to keep cleaning floors and washing clothes. During the eighth month of the third century, my mother noticed the decline in me and offered to feed the soldiers at the Grey Keep, a war castle built of dead coral and black stone in 1219.
— Ore turu geme sish tas taryeme'o mij deirie. Esh turu maj-rer e shivet, ei cone tas Myrne amys quer sish esh - We will go to the fortress to serve, so that you can become a warrior. I know that The Mother wants that for you. —My mother said.
We were allowed to live among the servants of the gray fortress. Every morning, I swept the floors and cleaned the shelves in the library of the war study hall while the soldiers were training in the fields. I helped my mother serve meals and dry the wooden plates after washing them to prevent mold from growing. In my free time, I read a few books to learn combat techniques and strategies.
— Excuse me, may I know your name? — a male voice said from behind me. I was cleaning the shelves that morning when one of the soldiers surprised me.
— Sorry, I'm not authorized to read this. I'll finish cleaning and leave — I replied.
— I didn't mean to scare you — he said, getting close enough for me to recognize his face —Dorothy?
— No, I think you're confusing me with someone else — I said, lowering my gaze so he wouldn't guess correctly.
— But you're the daughter of the Stones. Don't you remember me? — he insisted.
— Dais?
— That's me. And what are you doing here, Dorothy? — he asked.
— I wanted to stop being a burden. Well, it was nice seeing you. I have to get back to work — I said.
— Do you come here every morning?
— My name is Dotea — I said and went back to my chores. The next day, he showed up in the classroom again, so I picked up the bucket of water and left. By the fifth day, he was back in the classroom, but I couldn't leave without cleaning, so I stayed. — How about I help you clean so you have more time to read? — he suggested. From that day on, he cleaned the shelves while I read and took notes as quickly as I could, until he started borrowing books to give to me for a set period of time.
— Thank you, Daís. You're a very generous boy for letting me read these books — I told him one night when he came to collect them.
— A boy? But I'm twenty-one — he said with a curious smile.
— I'm sorry, I think I used the wrong word.
— It's not your first language, is it? — he said, to which I didn't reply — It's not mine either. My family comes from a tribe in the mountains outside the city. My parents died, so I was sent to live with my uncle's family.
— Rest well, Daís — I said, and closed my bedroom door.
The sun hadn't risen when I heard a knock at the door. It was Daís, who led me to an open field behind the trees that border the fortress to teach me how to use the sword and bow. — It's heavy — he said — you have to hold it with both hands and bend your knees slightly to maintain your balance. Like this — he demonstrated — this is the stance to receive the first attack.
— Okay— I said. We practiced different forms of self-defense until the bell rang, signaling breakfast for the soldiers.
One day we were practicing with the bow when I finally managed to hit the bullseye on one of the makeshift targets we'd painted on the trees. Dais grabbed me by the ribs, lifted me into the air, and spun me around for several seconds. — You have excellent aim! You hit the bullseye in less than two weeks of bow practice!
— I used to hunt deer. My mother always told me I have a good eye — I said.
— What's the name of your tribe? — he asked, and I knew I'd said too much at that moment. — Mine was called Tika'an. It doesn't exist anymore…
— There are only three of us left from mine — I said — My father was the leader of the Ettary. All we can do now is believe that he has a purpose for all this death.
— You're right — he commented — Sometimes I'm afraid of forgetting my language, the language of my ancestors. My uncles don't speak to me with it anymore.
— How old were you when you came to the walled city?
— Twelve.
— Teach me, Master. That way I can keep company with those who feel lonely — I said, taking both his hands.
— At your service, Princess — said Dais with a smile and gesturing with his hands.