Authors: L. M. Roth
The September
morning was chilly, and the morning mist that had rolled in from the sea
enveloped the surrounding landscape in a shroud of fog, obscuring the dirt road
and swathing the trees in a ghostly veil of white. The sunlight peeked through
at intervals, giving a momentary beam of illumination to those who attempted to
fumble their way through the vapor.
Maelys tripped
over a rut in the road that had been hidden in the mist. She fell headlong but
was not injured. She lay for a moment, temporarily stunned by the suddenness of
the impact. Finding that nothing was broken, she rose to her feet and dusted
the dirt of the road from her cloak, thankful that it was not mud.
It was the
second day since she left home. Judoc had bade her goodbye with tender tears
and many embraces. Maelys had permitted herself the luxury of snuggling close
in her mother’s arms, uncertain when she would see her again. How she longed to
bring her comfort after all the trials of the past few months! But it was to
bring Judoc comfort that she set out, so she resolved to go on with her plan
and kissed her mother in farewell.
The first day
had been uneventful: the day was fair and she had not traveled very far from
her home village of Leith. Here there was still a modicum of peace, and a sense
of safety. It was not so as she traveled further from her home territory…
The afternoon
of the second day she paused to rest by the road in a little copse of oak trees
that looked inviting in the warmth of the day. For the early autumn clime
turned hot once noon was past, and Maelys felt the sun beat down on her head.
Without a breeze the heat was stifling, and the trees promised shade and
refreshment as they seemed to beckon her from the path.
She entered
them and flung down her heavy parcel under a stout oak. She whipped back the
hood of her cloak and dropped to rest under its branches. She took off her
shoes and wiggled her toes down into the cooling grass, and slowly exhaled a
sigh of utter bliss. She closed her eyes and remained thus for several minutes.
Then suddenly
she heard it.
It began as a
low murmur, so faint that at first she thought she only imagined it. She
shrugged her shoulders and returned to her repose. Her eyes flew open as the
sound grew louder. And then without warning it rose to a crescendo.
She jolted
from her reverie and jerked to her feet as if pulled by an invisible string.
She looked frantically about her. There was no one there.
It was then
that she noticed that the branches of the copse of oak trees were moving, up
and down and back and forth. Yet there was no breeze blowing in the sultriness
of the September day…
Maelys grabbed
her bundle and scrambled out of the trees and back on to the road. Her heart
seemed about to burst from her chest into her mouth so great was the fear that
fell on her and threatened to paralyze her. And she noted that here on the road
no breath of wind stirred, but all was still and quiet.
She stood in
the road and fought the urge to panic. What to do? She would not go back in
that copse of trees for the world!
But what lay
further ahead down the road? Were there terrors greater than this invisible
wind that set the trees dancing and murmuring? For she had heard voices in the
trees, speaking in a tongue she had never heard before. All of her life she had
heard the old stories of the Tuadan, how they were banished from the heavens
and took up abode in the hills and trees of Eirinia. Were the old stories true,
then? Was it the Tuadan she had heard murmuring in the trees?
And then just
as suddenly, Maelys heard another voice; the voice of her mother. She recalled
Judoc speaking of the old legends and how the Eirini had been warned to stay on
the path and never leave it. The path. That was it. She must remain on the
road. For had not the voices stopped as soon as she returned to the road? Here
all was still and quiet.
She bowed her
head for a moment and quietly prayed.
What must I
do, Dominio? Do I go back, or do I go forward? she asked silently, and waited.
Peace suddenly
flooded her soul and words formed in her mind: remain on the road and go
forward.
And with that
warning in mind, she resolved to continue her journey, nevertheless casting an
uneasy glance over her shoulder as she traveled on, careful to keep her feet on
the path.
The sun was
beginning to set and Maelys was nervously contemplating seeking shelter for the
night. But where could she go? She had spent last night off the road under a
maple tree but after the unnerving encounter with the Tuadan in the afternoon she
was reluctant to take shelter under
any
tree!
She pondered
on her dilemma when she suddenly heard the sound of horse’s hooves approaching.
She turned around and saw that a small wagon covered with a hood of white
canvas was drawing near. On the seat sat an old woman who seemed possessed of
uncommon vigor for one of her years. She held the reins firmly in her hands and
pulled up abruptly when she saw Maelys standing in the road.
“Here now,
what do you think you be doing? I could have run you over, I could have. Be off
with you now; either stand aside or take the consequences!”
Maelys came to
her senses and rushed to the side of the wagon.
“Please,” she
entreated the old woman as she flung back the hood of her cloak and revealed
her face framed by the short crop of curls that had been a flowing fall of
locks, “I am traveling alone and do not want to take shelter in the woods for
the night. Will you please let me ride with you for a while, at least until
daybreak?”
The old woman
crinkled up the corners of her wrinkled eyelids and stared at Maelys. It was
clear that she was suspicious of a young girl who traveled alone. Such was not
done in Eirinia, or anywhere that she knew of. A maiden who traveled alone was
clearly up to no good in her opinion!
“Why should
I?” she snapped at Maelys. “What are you doing traveling alone? No decent
maiden would do such a thing.”
“I have no
choice,” Maelys answered, in a voice so forlorn that it arrested the attention
of the old woman. “My father left home on a journey many weeks ago, and we have
not heard from him, which is unlike him. My mother is at home with the
children, and so I asked permission to go in search of him. I know where he was
bound, but we begin to fear he did not reach his destination.”
And with these
words a single tear traveled down the cheek of Maelys, a tear of such weariness
and misery that it moved the old woman to pity. She studied Maelys through
narrowed eyes; then she unexpectedly relented.
“Very well,”
she said as she patted the seat beside her. “Hop up here and travel with me for
a bit. I have linen to take to Valerium, where the merchants will pay me well
for it. They will sell it to the seamstresses who make splendid robes for the
fine ladies of the Empire. You will see something of the world in Valerium, a
sight that a simple farm girl like you has never glimpsed I’ll wager.”
Maelys sprang
up beside the old woman and merely nodded her head, relieved beyond words that
she need not spend another frightening night in the haunted woods.
The old woman was
known to the guards at the border, having made this journey many times, and
they permitted them to pass at once. Indeed, Maelys was astonished at the terms
of friendliness she enjoyed with the guards.
“Ah, Wenna!” a
guard cried out upon spying the old woman. “Wenna is here!”
The guards
along the wall all clustered together, and they jumped down from the wall and
quickly surrounded her wagon with smiles and greetings, to the surprise of
Maelys, who had always been told how cold the Valerians were. But these men
greeted the old woman by name and bade her welcome without giving Maelys so
much as a glance of curiosity.
The answer to
the puzzle of this unexpected hospitality was soon provided, however, when
Wenna drew a small wooden cask from under the seat of her wagon. So well was it
hidden that Maelys had been unaware of its existence until this moment. The old
woman’s face lit with a smile of cunning as she presented it to the guards.
“Oh, what have
we here?” the first guard inquired as he smiled impishly at Wenna.
Wenna cackled
and rubbed the side of her long nose where a bony bump protruded on it.
“Some of my
finest blackberry, bottled myself. That should keep you lads warm on a chilly
autumn night.”
The guards
gave a rousing shout and laughed in hearty appreciation. Then they bowed to
Wenna and waved her through the gate.
After they had
passed through the gate and traveled along the road a mile or so, Wenna turned
to Maelys with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
“Lucky you
came with me, you are,” she chuckled in a low voice. “I hear the guards have
been stopping everyone else; letting no one leave or enter Valerium’s borders.
But they know old Wenna, that they do! I reckon I’m the only one you could have
entered Valerium with unmolested. No one else can come through.”
Maelys looked
about with trepidation at the men loading crates and baggage from the dock to
the small vessel that would soon draw anchor. She had taken leave of Wenna soon
after they arrived in Valerium that morning. She thanked the old woman for
sharing her wagon, but she must continue the rest of the journey alone.
Now as she
prepared to embark on the sturdy little craft before her, she felt a momentary
qualm at the sight of the men who loaded the ship. How many there were, and how
tall and powerful. She did not take pleasure in the thought of traveling alone
and unprotected in the presence of men like these. What would happen to her,
should someone discover that she was a girl?
She had not
hidden her identity from Wenna, and when they passed through the wall on the
border of Valerium she had drawn the hood of her cloak over her head. Although
she had taken the shears to her hair before setting out, cutting it to just below
her ears, she feared that her delicate features betrayed a feminine cast
despite the masculine cut of hair. But the voyage to Lycenium would take many
days, and she was uncertain how long she could maintain her masquerade.
The arrival of
new passengers caught her attention, and she saw a family approaching. It
consisted of a tall but quiet man, his attractive wife, and a young woman of
about her own age. They were clad in garments of a finer texture than any that
Maelys had ever seen, and she became conscious suddenly of her robe of flax
with the light woolen cloak, and her heavy shoes that encased her feet. The
strangers wore sandals such as Marcus Maximus had worn on his recent visit to
Erinia, and they looked fine and elegant compared to her own clumsy footwear.
The other girl
spotted Maelys at once and gave her a friendly smile. She approached to speak
to her, but Maelys gave a slight shake of her head to discourage her.
This bit of
byplay was noticed by the young woman’s mother, who cast a curious glance at
Maelys. And then she gave Maelys a long and meditative look that made the girl
uncomfortable. Why should a complete stranger stare at her so intently?
And then
Maelys realized with a start that the other girl had quickly penetrated her
disguise, otherwise she would not have dared to speak to her. The girl would
never have shown such friendliness toward a strange young man; it was
absolutely forbidden. Maelys was now forced to admit that Judoc had been right:
no one would mistake her for a young man, no matter how well she attempted to
disguise herself.
It was not a
comforting thought just when she was about to undertake a voyage with a ship
full of men who were starved for the sight and company of a woman…
To her
surprise, however, the other girl sauntered over to her and held out a hand.
“Hello,” she
said as she bestowed a warm smile on Maelys.
Maelys cast
beseeching eyes about her as she frantically sought a way of escape. The older
woman noticed and suddenly strode over to her.
“Why look,
Charis!” she exclaimed. “It is your cousin, the one you have not seen for so
long. How long has it been?”
She asked this
last as she put an arm around Maelys and drew back the hood of her cloak,
exposing the crop of copper curls. Just then one of the men loading the dock
passed by and stopped when he beheld Maelys’ flaming crown of glory. He let out
a low whistle and Maelys made haste to get away from him. The older woman took
the hint and led her away from the dock to where her husband still stood
waiting for the signal to embark.
She presented
Maelys to him, and he openly stared at the sight of the strange young woman
whom his wife had taken under her wing. Maelys felt shy under the examination;
she had never left the confines of her village, and the sight of people from a
culture so different from her own made her feel like an ignorant country girl
who knew nothing of the world.
Now that they
were out of earshot of the sailors, the older woman introduced herself and her
family.
“I am Thais
Archippos, and this is my husband Herakleios. You have already met our daughter
Charis. We have been on an errand in Valerium and are enroute to Lycenium, our
home. And you?”
Maelys
hastened to return the woman’s gracious kindliness with a friendly greeting of
her own.
“I am Maelys
Adalbart. I am from Eirinia and I am also bound for Lycenium,” she answered
with a grateful smile.
“Well,
Maelys,” the woman answered with a voice so warm and gentle that it nearly
reduced Maelys to tears of relief, “you shall travel with us, for your own
protection. It is not wise for a young woman, especially one as comely as
yourself, to travel alone.”
She said this
with a little frown, but whether one of sternness or puzzlement Maelys was not
certain. In exchange for their generous offer of protection she felt the need
to be honest in regards to her circumstances.
“I do realize
that, but am forced by necessity to travel alone and disguised as a boy,” she
explained. “I seek news of my father who left on an errand of importance
several weeks ago. My mother has young children at home and cannot leave them.
I insisted on going in search of him, although she warned me that my disguise
would fool no one.”
And here she
sighed ruefully and shook her curls in frustration. Thais burst out laughing
and impulsively hugged Maelys about the shoulders. Then she sobered and did a
curious thing.
She glanced
about her furtively from the corners of her eyes and fumbled in the sleeve of
her cloak with a casual air. From her sleeve she extracted a small object, which
she briefly displayed to Maelys, so briefly that at first she wasn’t sure
whether she had truly seen what she thought she had. That the object was of
some importance was evident by the sudden tension in Thais’ manner, and the
intensity of the gaze she cast on Maelys.
The small
object was a pearl. Somewhere in her memory there lurked a tale her father had
once told her when she was a small child. She grasped for it, certain that it
had some bearing on the present situation. Then she remembered.
“Oh!” she
gasped, and regarded Thais with widened eyes. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
Thais visibly
relaxed.
“At first, I
thought that was perhaps the reason for your attempt at a disguise, that you
were in danger in Valerium and needed to hide your identity.”
Thais drew
closer to the girl and lowered her voice to a whisper.
“But no
Alexandrian is safe in Valerium any more. The Emperor is punishing all those
who call on Dominio, and the sooner we leave for home the better.”
The days
passed quickly and pleasantly at sea. Maelys was surprised and pleased at how
quickly the Archippos family put her at her ease. She soon ceased to see the
difference between their attire and her own, as she became aware of the deeper
refinement of their natures. True Alexandrians they were, and as Judoc had once
remarked, in Alexandros there was no difference between rich and poor, Valerian
or Eirini, but they were all one family of believers.
But Judoc had
said that based on her own experiences with Dag and his friends in the days of
their youth when she had known these people from different lands and cultures.
For her daughter, the only people she had met from distant lands were her
sisters-in-law, one whom she loved, and the other whom she despised. It was a
new and rewarding experience as she bonded with these strangers, understanding
fully what it meant to be one family, and in one accord.
It was almost
too soon before they came to Lycenium, the fabled city where East meets West,
as Cort had told her. She bounded on deck the morning of their arrival, eager
to see the place which according to legend, Lysandros had built to win the hand
of his true love. It was now October, and the cold crisp air of the elevation
of this mountain metropolis was invigorating as it stirred her blood and
brightened her eyes.
As their ship
passed slowly down the river and into port, Maelys savored the glimpses of
bustling activity that she spied from her place onboard. Never had she seen so
many people, all engaged in some pursuit, whether of business or pleasure she could
not tell at this distance. But the sounds and sights thrilled her. At last she
was going to see a real city!
She took leave
of the Archippos family with genuine reluctance. She had so enjoyed their
company and realized she would miss them greatly. To her surprise, however, she
would not be parted from them for long.
“Oh, you seek
the Maximus family, do you?” Thais exclaimed. “Well, we can take you to them,
for they are some of our dearest friends in the city. But first, come home with
us and we will send a message of your arrival to Tullia.”
And that was
how Maelys came to the home of Marcus Maximus, which would prove to be a
providential meeting for her. Very providential indeed.