Reclaim

Chapter 11: Escape

Chapter 11: Escape 

Tanafriti

The cold wind bit at my face as I ran. My feet numb from the freezing cold, wet grass. I stopped for a brief moment to look behind me. Soldiers? Dogs? Clear, I thought to myself as I held my tattered and mud stained dress up and started running again. I need to make it to Italia and meet up with Miko and Glykeria.

"Young Maiden, where are you headed?" A man announced. He was behind my trail.

I turned to him. I wasn't impressed at all. He was the natural Roman soldier. The golden armour brown leather skirt that covered his red knee-length toga, and a gold Roman protective hat, sword and full-length shield. He was mounted on-top of a white chariot-horse.

"My apologies." The man acknowledge, dismounting from his horse. "My name is Sir Emericus--and you are?" He held out his hand for me to take.

I curtsied slightly, denying his hand. "My name is Tanafriti of Ægyptus. May you and your horse take me to, uh" I racked my brain for the Latin word of where Rome was. "Italia?"

"Of course," Emericus mounted back on his horse and offered me his hand.

"I can do it myself, thank you," I waved his hand away and grabbed the back of the saddle, placed my bare foot on the stirrup and pulled myself onto the horse, and swung my leg around. "Ready?" Emericus asked glancing sideways at me. I nodded.

After four days of traveling to Italia, we were there. Right as I had said, but he was being too, literal. He had actually stopped his horse so I could get off at the entrance of Italia. I scoffed slightly, "You're not going to take me to Rome?"

"Hm?" He side glanced. "Well, you did not ask of me to take you to Italia, Rome...just Italia, and you're here."

"Jackass," I muttered under my breath as I swung my leg back around from the horse to get off the saddle. "Such language should not be said of a lady." Emericus announced.

I stopped in my tracks, turned to him and lifted up my middle finger. "Should this be used by a lady?" I turned back on my heels, lifted my dress and started to walk my way into the capital of Italia, Rome.

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"Oh gosh, Tana, you look like the bottom of the Mare Tyrrhnum Sea. What did you to get here?" Miko asked placing her hands on her hips. 

"Uh" --I rubbed my arms in the silky, rose smelling oil-- "I took horse-back with a insufferable Roman soldier." I scrubbed the oil across my dirt-layered skin and sank in the water and came back up. Taking a breath and pulling my hair back, out of my face. 

Miko huffed to herself. She grabbed a towel and handed it to Me. "So--I'm guessing that he was--" 

"Haughty, and too literal," I took the towel and wrapped myself in it. 

"Well, no need to dander about this, right?" Miko tapped her comb on the seat for me to sit in. I needed to get ready, for Miko's pre-wedding ceremony. Miko grabbed bundles of my hair and pulled her comb through it, detangling my black mop of hair.

"Tana?"

"Hm," I licked my lips.

"...When are you going to find your Emperor?" Miko suddenly stopped raking through my hair.

I closed my eyes going back to the time where I had actually loved--pained...

I opened my eyes and slightly shook my head. "I do not know, honestly." I turned in my seat slightly. "And if I do not find a suitable man for me, then...I'll watch over your twelve kids and teach them to dance very ill." Miko and I laughed.