Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Conversation came to a uncomfortable lull after that, like Kailen had remembered who he was speaking to and wished to snatch back his words from the air between them. It couldn’t have been easy to speak of his dead brother and, while Aurelia would not forget what she had so recently learnt about him even if she wanted to, she wanted to move to a safer topic and ease the discomfort that had fallen over the hut.

“So now I’m here,” she ventured quietly. “You’ve succeeded in challenging Aquilla and taking me hostage. You’ve safely got me back to your village and showed me off to your leader and your High-King like the hostage i am. What do you plan to do now?”

Kailen poked at the fire with one of the sticks that wasn't alight, sending sparks and embers up into the air, the logs crackling merrily. “A very good question. One that I don’t have a firm answer i can give to you without making it up.”

Aurelia blinked rapidly, not knowing what to make of the sudden turn in conversation. “You’re saying you don’t know what to do with me?” She asked him incredulously.

Kailen smiled a smile that caused her to blush deeply. “Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that-“

“I have an intended,” she hissed angrily.

“But yes, you’re right. I hadn’t thought that far ahead quite yet.” He answered. “It was fate that led us to you, you know. Not calculation. I knew from the moment i knew who you were that you would be precious to my High-King’s cause, and that I had to get you back to my village for safe keeping with my tribe. But other than that…” He shrugged with one shoulder. “I never had a War Prize under my charge before. I find myself in new territory.”

“I’ve heard you and your men call me War Prize before.” Aurelia said. "I don't understand the term. What does it really mean?”

Kailen sat back, situating himself comfortably. “War Prize is what we call those who were taken in battle and placed under our care, people of noble blood or of great importance to their own tribe that are used as hostage negotiation or as a peace settlement between the two tribes.” He explained.

“You mean War Prizes are used as slaves?” she wondered aloud.

He shook his head. “Not slaves in the literal sense, no. Slaves are used for menial labour, owned by their masters, to do with as they see fit. They have no rights, no say in their own lives. The lowest rung in a tribe’s hierarchy, lower than that of livestock. War Prizes stand apart from all of that. They may be claimed by a person, but they are not owned as property. Their purpose is not for labour but for the greater good of the tribe. In your case, you are here to right the wrong done to my people.”

“So a War Prize is a glorified trophy.” She said bitterly.

“If you wish to see it in those terms, then yes. To my people, you are something to celebrate.” Kailen said softly.

“And yet you had me In chains on the journey, threatened me and frightened me into submission.” Aurelia accused.

“This is true.” Kailen agreed readily. “You stand for a lot of things to my people, but you still stand as Roman. My people understand what is expected of them if they were ever to be taken as a War Prize, to be submissive and acquiesce to everything that is asked of them. To not do so could result in a grave retribution being exacted on their family and their tribe. In my experience, Romans do everything in their power to cause chaos with no rela thought to those around them. "

Aurelia scoffed at his words.

Kailen ignored her. "I couldn’t risk it with you.” He gave her an arch look. “And you certainly didn’t prove to me you would be submissive to any of my requests.”

Aurelia returned the look. “As you keep pointing out, it isn’t in the nature of a Roman to submit.”

Kailen smiled. “As you say.”

Aurelia looked away first. “I understand the purpose of why I’m here, but what is expected of me? What do I do now?”

Kailen watched her for a time before noding to himself, as if he finally decided on something he had been turning over in his head. “You are to stay with me in this hut. If you want to go anywhere in my village, you will be accompanied by me or another of my family. While you may not be a slave, you will be expected to help the community in whatever way you can.” He scrutinised her for a moment. “Renna will probably be the best fit for you at the moment.”

“Renna?” She asked with her head cocked to the side.

“Our healer,” he elaborated. “The woman you saw tending to our leader in the hut.”

Aurelia’s mind flashed back to the pretty woman in the hut and nodded. “Alright, I can do that.”

“Don’t mistake me, you may not be a slave here but grave consequences will happen if you try to escape.” He warned. “It will be in your best interest to do as I say and keep your head down.”

Aurelia swallowed and nodded again. “I understand. And what happens when… when you and the Roman soldiers fight?”

“When we fight?” He smiled again, only it wasn’t from amusement. “When we win, you are then welcome to leave with the other Romans and return to Rome to live out your days with your family.”

“And Aquilla?” She ventured to ask.

“Aquilla will be no more.” Kailen said with finality.

Aurelia shook her head. “How can you be so sure about that? I’ve seen him fight, he is incredible.”

Kailen watched her with a bland expression. “I have to be. It was how I brought up.”

“But what if you’re wrong? What if you do lose? What happens then?” She persisted.

He humoured her. “If we lose, then the Silure tribe will be no more. Aquilla will see to it that every man, woman and child will be cut down and you… Well, what will happen to you I wander.” He bit his lip, deep in thought. “It could go one of two ways. Aquilla could come riding in, sword swinging, and save his intended from the savage brutes that took her.

Or, at the height of the fighting, he sees you surrounded by our warriors and think to himself that an intended taken by the British is a stain on his shining reputation. Who knows what has been done to you. In the heat of battle, when blood lust is set upon a soldier, strange ideas are born. Like, ‘wouldn’t it be so much easier if you died right here, right now’.”

“He would never think that,” she whispered.

Kailen leant forward, his eyes searching her face. “Wouldn’t he? How can you be so sure? This is the same man who can give the order to have children put to the sword. Can you be sure he will want you alive?”

She opened her mouth, ready to defend Aquilla, but was at a loss for words. They had met only a handful of times before he left Rome, and even then it was always amongst mixed company. He had always been cordial towards her, very gracious, but was it with the warmth of affection? Was what they had, what they could have in the very near future, strong enough for such a test like this?

I don’t know, she suddenly realised. I can’t be sure of anything anymore.

“He is my Intended,” She offered feebly.

Kailen stopped his persistence. “You of course know him better than i. I will take your word for it.”

He stood up and collected the bowls of half-eaten stew and left them o the table. He turned back to her. “The journey back has been long, especially for someone who is not used to such a distance on horse. I expect you are exhausted.”

Aurelia’s body needed no other encouragement. Her aches and pains let themselves be known with vengeance, her muscles feeling like they had turned to stone. She smiled weakly. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

He pointed to the bedstead. “You can take the bed tonight. We’ll work out some arrangement tomorrow.”

She frowned up at him. “What about you? Where are you going to sleep?”

The corner of Kailen’s mouth lifted up. “Is that a noble woman’s way of inviting a man to bed?”

Aurelia narrowed her eyes at him. “Not unless you want to be hit in the head again for your troubles, Silure.”

Kailen laughed, long and loud. The sound almost startled her, she certainly hadn’t gone for an amused reaction from him. “As I said,” he guffawed. “I can never expect you to play the submissive role.”

“Exactly.” She said, pushing herself up on her feet. Her legs violently protested at the movement.

“I’ll be sleeping here.” He pointed to the firs she had just vacated. “So you won’t have to worry about being alone.”

“I wasn’t worried about being alo-“ Aurelia choked on her words as Kailen gripped the end of his shirt and pulled it over his head to stand bare chested in front of her.

There wasn’t a force on this earth that could have stopped her eyes from persuing his form. He was incredible, his body looked like it was carved from rock. Long, lean and strong. There were markings on his upper chest, a swirling pattern of raised skin that looked like a form of tribal markings. Her fingers reached out to touch, but she quickly clamped down on the urge and spun around to face the wall of the hut.

“A little warning next time.” She said through gritted teeth. Gods, her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

“You act like you have never seen a half-dressed man before,” He laughed lowly, the sound rubbing against her skin.

She did not reply, not knowing how to answer his question without sounding defensive or telling a lie. The face was she hadn’t seen a half-dressed man that wasn’t a member of her family or a slave. Men were always in military uniform or wearing the traditional toga. She had once seen a gladiator spectacle as part of the Emperor’s birthday celebrations, but that hardly counted as an intimate affair.

Because this did feel intimate to her, far too intimate. It was like a moment between man and wife as they prepared for bed.

There was a pause behind her, an absence of movement. “You haven’t seen a half-dressed man, have you? Not even your intended.” He sounded genuinely shocked.

Aurelia’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “It’s not permitted until we are wedded.” She muttered.

“So what you’re telling me is I’m the first man you’ve seen like this. Your very first.” There was a definite smug tone to his voice now.

Aurelia rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to act so happy about it, it’s hardly an achievement.”

“That’s a matter of perspective,” He said cryptically. “If you don’t hurry with your own preparation for bed, you’ll soon see the whole of me.”

His laughter followed her as she barrelled past him and dived into the firs, disappearing from view.

~

Aurelia woke the next morning feeling worse than she did when she went to sleep. Whilst she had slept soundly through the night, the lack of movement had caused her muscles to seize up to the point that she felt she had aged a good sixty years. Groaning loudly, she turned onto her side and peered out from under the furs, surveying the hut for any sign of the infuriating Briton.

Nothing.

The fire had been tended to, the firs he had used for bedding were back in place and the stew pot was set out for her use but no Kailen.

She sat up gingerly and the furs fell from her. She had slept in the tattered remains of her stolla, hardly ideal, but it couldn’t be helped. The alternative was unthinkable. Looking at it now, she couldn’t believe how badly it had fared throughout the whole ordeal.

Or how I am still wearing it, she thought glumly.

“I hoped you were up by now,” came a woman’s voice and Aurelia’s head shot up.

The latin was a little stiff, the accent slightly off, but Aurelia could understand her perfectly well. It was the woman from the clearing, Kailen’s relation. She stood just inside the hut by the door, staring at her with wide curious eyes. She was wearing a soft looking dark blue dress that was synched at the waist with cord and comfortable looking boots. She had a bundle of fabric in her arms, presumably clothes.

“My name is Elwyn.” She said, pointing to herself. “I am Kailen’s sister.”

Ah, the younger sister Kailen had talked about last night. She had been right on the relations part. “I’m Aurelia, the er, the War Prize.”

Elwyn smiled softly. “I know who you are. The whole village is buzzing about you.”

“Um,” Aurelia didn’t know what to say about that.

Elwyn motione for Aurelia to stand up. “Well, come on, let me have a good look at you.”

Aurelia felt self –conscious of her appearance all over again. She stood up on wobbly legs. She must have looked a state, her hair wild, her dress ripped and stained, and skin smudged with days of travelling. She didn’t exactly paint the picture of a woman of noble blood. She looked more like a desperate beggar woman.

Elwyn sized her up from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. When Aurelia was almost squirming under the scrutiny, Elwyn smiled brightly. “No wander Kailen wanted to keep you as War Prize.”

Aurelia fidgeted in confusion. “Keep me?”

Elwyn nodded, moving to the table where she had laid down the clothes. “Caratacus demanded you for his own share of spoils, but Kailen denied him.”

Aurelia felt a rush of cold sweep her body. That dark man had wanted to take her for himself. She shuddered at the thought. Close call, and all thanks to Kailen feeling what? Like he was now responsible for her?

“Will that cause problems?” She forced out through clenched teeth.

Elwyn shrugged as she began sorting through the clothes, holding out each dress and inspecting it before laying it back down. “Not unless Caratacus wants to incur Kaile’s wrath, but I don’t need to tell you about that, do i?” She threw over her shoulder.

No, Aurelia thought, she certainly didn’t.

Elwyn made a triumphant sound in her throat, holding a dress of a deep burgundy. “This should fit you perfectly.”

Aurelia looked down at her own dress again, suddenly reluctant. She was wearing a Roman dress, albeit at torn stained one, but it was still Roman. Changing it for a British dress felt like an act of betrayal. “Is there any way that we could just salvage it?” She asked in a small voice.

Elwyn regarded her for a moment, before shaking her head. “The material wouldn’t be any good for our weather. Not warm enough or durable enough.”

Aurelia knew what Elwyn was saying was right, but it was still hard to part with it. Reluctantly, she nodded. “Alright.”

Elwyn beamed. “Okay, let’s get you cleaned up. I’m sure you are longing to be clean.”

Aurelia returned a small smile. “More than you know.”

She followed Elwyn out of the hut and down through the village to the river bank that was protected by large green shrubbery. There were women and children bathing and washing clothes. After a cursory look at Aurelia and a nod to Elwyn, they didn’t pay any mind to them.

Aurelia felt shy all over again. “Is there any way I can bathe in peace?”

Bailey grinned. “I thought Romans loved bathing together.”

“As a family,” She grumbled. “Not with strangers.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have anything we haven’t seen before,” was her only reply.

Get it over with.

Aurelia huffed out a breath and then dropped her dress in one go and took the plunge into the river. Cold. Cold cold cold cold cold. She surfaced with a splutter nd a small shriek. The women were all grinning and the children clapped their hands in delight.

“Not the same as the Roman baths is it?” Elwyn called gleefully.

Aurelia cursed before dunking her head back under the water again and began scrubbing the dirt off her skin and hair. If she ignored the freezing temperature of the water, it almost felt good to be clean again.

Standing as much as she could, Aurelia climbed out of the river and was vigorously dried by Elwyn and a coarse robe. She was helped into the dress, a beaded cord wrapped around her waist.

“You’ll have to wear your sandals for now, until we can fit you for new shoes.” Elwyn said as she stood back and surveyed her work.

Aurelia rung her hair out the best she could and then tied it back with a strip of cloth that Elwyn gave her. Refreshed for the first time in days, they headed back to Kailen’s hut to find Kailen sitting in the furs with his sword and a whetstone, sharpening the blade edge.

He looked up and then did a double take of Aurelia, hands stilling in their movement. It felt like he had reached out and touched her with the concentration of his stare. Her skin was on fire and not just from the cold. It was intense and she had never been on the receiving end of such a look.

“Do you like it, Brother?” Elwyn asked endless amounts of amusement.

His throat worked but he didn’t seem inclined to answer her. He kept on staring.

“Right. Well, I’ll leave you two to it. I have a husband and a demanding two year old to get back to.” And with that she sashayed out of the hut without so much as a look back.

~

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