Story to be Told
~One~
“Tell us the story again, Hadrian,” said the eight little children that sat on the dirt floor of my small clay house that resides in the middle of the town called Athens.
“Okay,” I replied with a soft chuckle, because of the eager looks on the children's faces, “but, you have to promise to only ask questions when you absolutely need to.”
“Okay!” they shouted cheerfully, eagerly awaiting the story that has been told to them since the day they all met me.
“There once was a city long ago called Dion. This city is located near Mt. Olympus, in northern Greece. This is where I met the girl called Achyls and her master, Petros.”
“Master,” said Achyls quietly not to anger her handsome and cruel master, “where are we going?”
Her master looked at her softly and replied, “We're going to Athens to visit one of my old friends, and Achyls?”
“Yes, Master?”she asked quietly not looking up from the ground underneath her.
“Don't call me Master when we're alone. Just call me Petros, and you don't have to be scared of me.”
“I would never hurt you again and I don't know why I did in the first place.”, he thought, truly questioning himself.
They kept walking till they made it to a small creek that was only a half mile to Athens. They both rested, tired from the three day walk which they had both done with little food and water. Petros had
watched Achyls out of the corner of his eye the entire time. He watched as she struggled to keep up, and he slowed down for her benefit and his misfortune. If he had walked faster they would have been there in two days and a couple hours to spare. He stood from the place which he was once seated moments ago and grabbed his small torn bag, now dirty from the desert and dirty roads. Achyls also rose from where she was once seated and grabbed her small bag also torn and dirty from the journey.
They walked until they reached the great city of Athens; its market place filled with many a people. Petros walked till he was in the middle of the city where he saw a huge crowd filled with many types of people. The people were dirty, dressed only in rags, such as Achyls. Petros towered over most of the city's people, being born of parents whose villages were known for their tallness. In the middle of the crowd stood a young boy around the age of 9 and what looked like his older sister or mother holding his hand.
“Get away from my brother!”screamed the girl dressed in slave clothes. A man in a long white tunic and golden sandals laughed at the girl, finding this so very amusing. She watched the shorter fat man as he walked closer to her while pulling out a silver chain attached to a cuff, big enough to fit around the girl's neck.
“You, a slave, telling me, a high, rich nobleman, what to do. You make me so very amused, so I'll let you off the hook this time,” said the short man. Petros and Achyls watched as the man inched closer to the girl and young boy. The siblings backed away cautiously, awaiting the short man's attack. Achyls watched with sad eyes because she remembered when she was once in this state. So she decided she could not sit and watch fellow slaves go through what she went through so she did what she thought was right.
“Sorry, Master,” she said quietly and ran at the man punching him across the face, causing him to skid across the ground and into the closest house. Achyls was not done, she was just getting started. The man rose from the place he had landed and grabbed onto the wall. He fell to his knees and was
screaming in pain from the small punch. Achyls turned to the siblings and smiled slightly, nodding her head in manner to say “run, get out of here”. They nodded in thanks and ran towards the crowd fighting the hands and feet from people who were trying to stop them.
They eventually made it to safety and ran out of the town never to be seen again, by the towns people. Achyls turned back to the man kneeing him in the face and then side kicking him. He fell to the ground his nose bleeding and cried out in pain, whimpering slightly. Achyls chuckled the hair covering her eyes. When she looked up her eyes were slightly widened, and she was smirking evilly. The man crawled away slowly, staring into her eyes. Fear had overtaken him, and he jumped from his spot and began running, screaming about a monster. That man was screaming about the monster inside Achyls, the monster they call Kakoi meaning “evils”. She watched the man laughing.
“The scared, old man ran away to go and live another day,” she sang laughing menacingly. The man was so terrified that he tripped over many things on his way. Achyls walked to the man laughing as he ran and tripped. The towns people were frozen in place watching the scene in front of them.
“Aw, come on, old man, can't you stop running. I just wanna have a little fun,” she said in a baby voice and laughing. Petros also watched the scene in front of him and the town's people. He watched his faithful servant plunge a wooden rod into the nobleman's shoulder to keep him in place. She jabbed a few more wooden rods into the bald nobleman and laughed as she did it, cracking small jokes about how his head was so shiny with blood on it and that he wasn't looking to well, asking if he was sick or something. She laughed constantly throughout the ordeal.
“Please!” cried out the nobleman in a shaky breath, “Save me! Somebody!” No one moved from their spots except Petros. He walked calmly over to Achyls and grabbed her arm before she could stab the man with another wooden rod from the many wood shops. She tried to pry her arm from his grasp, but he was too strong. She growled, hating that she was in this place, she wanted to be the one in control of herself.
“Let go of me,” she growled out greatly angered. Petros chuckled softly and kept his iron grip on her skinny arm, that contained some muscle from her labors as a slave.
“No”, he answered simply, angering her more, to his delight.
“Let me go,” she repeated through clenched teeth.
“No,” he replied with a smirk, angering her yet again.
“Why not?” she asked annoyed.
“Cause, I don't feel like it, I'm too lazy,” he replied full out smiling now. She growled in annoyance, she knew she had to get him off and finish off the man she was keeping in place by her foot.
“Ok, how about we play a game?” she asked, hoping her plan would work. He looked at her curiously.
“Ok, what's the game?” he asked to his own downfall.
She chuckled answering, “This one.”
She kicked out his feet from underneath him making him fall and loosen his grip slightly. She took that opportunity to pry her arm from his grip and punched him in the face. He spit out some blood and a tooth, coughing as he did. She stabbed the bald nobleman, in the heart, with her wooden rod. He gasped screaming and then all fell silent.
Petros looked at the man sadly, regretting that he could not save him. He looked up at Achyls and saw that her eyes were back to normal and she was looking at the man regretting what she'd done. She sighed and kept her eyes on the man. She slowly looked at her hands, but soon regretted it. Her hands had the man's blood dripping off them. She looked at them in a daze and then tears started to fall.
“Monster! Freak!”screamed the village people.
“What have I done, Master?” she asked her master, looking at him for answers.
“You killed a man,” he replied short and sweet, well not so sweet. She looked at the ground.
ashamed of what she'd done. Her master rose from where he had fallen in the fight. She turned away from her master and looked at the town's people as they screamed awful words at her. Many of them had picked up rocks and thrown them at her, while she raised her arms to cover her face. All of a sudden, she didn't feel the rocks hit her anymore. She looked up to see Petros standing in front of her.
“Are you alright?” he asked Achyls.
“Yes, Master,” she replied.
“Good,” he replied smiling. The town's people proceed to throw rocks at him, even though he did nothing wrong.
“What's going to happen to us now?” screamed some of the people.
“He was our only hope!” screamed others.
“We're free!” screamed the slaves. Petros turned and pulled Achyls into a hug, shielding her from the people.
“Praise the gods!” screamed the slaves as they rejoiced over this minor victory. Petros chuckled at their screams of praise. He looked down at the still Achyls that was in his arms. Her eyes were glazed over and she didn't seem to actually be in this world.
“Achyls? Are you ok?” asked Petros in a low voice filled with concern. She didn't reply, she just stared off into space.
“Achyls?” he asked shaking her, “What's the matter?” There was still no response.
“Come on answer me!” he yelled at her shaking her. She still didn't answer him.
“Achyls!” he shouted slapping her. She head was pushed to the right by the blow. She looked at him and still didn't reply. Her eyes glazed over.
“M-Master,” she said shakily, “H-Help.” He looked at her worryied.
6
“What's the matter?” he asked.
“C-Can't see,” she replied reaching to touch her eyes.
“W-What?” he asked gasping for breath.
“Can't see,” she replied. “Where are you Master?” He looked at her with wide eyes and took in a shaky breath. He put his hand on her cheek rubbing off the tears that now ran down her cheeks.
“Who did this to you?” he asked, angered that someone dare to hurt his precious Achyls. She reached up to touch his hand taking it in her own. She pulled him along as she started to walk in a direction which she thought was the right one to get out of the town.
“I don't now,” she replied before she fell to the ground with a thud.
“Achyls!” screamed her master, and that was the last thing she heard before she slipped into the darkness.
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Pic of Petros On side