Greeks and Romans: A Medieval Journey

Chapter 5 ~ Aloah

It was early in the evening on the fifth day of travel for Kendra and her companions when they finally were close enough to the ‘Special Way’ that Kendra had to blindfold the prisoners. Within the hour, the group came to a wall of rock with vines hanging on it.
Moving the vines away, Kendra found what she was searching for—a door. After Kendra pounding on the door three solid times, a rough and gravelly voice yelled, “Who goes there?”
She replied sweetly, “It does not matter who approaches, but only who goes. Isn’t that right, Albert?”
“How do ya know ma' name? Wait... ya sound like... Kendra ma’ darlin,’ is that you?”
“Sure is!” Kendra replied, with one of her rare smiles appearing on her always-stern face.
“Well, why are ya standin’ out in the wind then? C’mon in! Rena’s just made tea.”
“Afraid I can’t stay as long as I want to, Albert. I got prisoners with me and I darest not let them set their eyes on this place or it’ll be swarmed with troops come spring. Do you have a place for them-a locked room or something?”
“Alrighty then, we have just the place. Actually, me and ya nan captured two of those blasted troops ourselves. We built a whatchamacallit into the rock fer em’. Ya prisoners will be safe there, and without a chance to escape as it’s holed in on all sides save one by sheer rock. I’ll show ya now if ya want.”
Showing another award-winning smile, Kendra replied, “That would be very decent of you Albert. Thank you.”
“Oh... ya needn’t mention a thing. It was nothing compared what ya father did for me all those blasted years ago.” Albert said gruffly.
“Well, I would welcome that tea, but the prisoners need to be fed and watered, then sent down to your keep. Can you do that for me Albert?”
“Sure thing missy. Don’t mention it.” Albert then led Heru and the others to his keep. He returned a few minutes later, alone. “They’ah ya go! All set!”
“May I go see them and your two prisoners later?” Kendra asked.
“A’corse hon’! Now, what about that tea?” Albert asked, ushering Kendra into the room where his wife was waiting with the tea.
After the tea Albert’s wife Rena made cakes. They were so good! Before Rena could get Kendra to eat another cake, she excused herself from the table, saying she was going to check on the prisoners.
When she arrived at the keep, Kendra saw the prisoners were chained to the wall. Albert’s prisoners looked as though they were half-starved and could barely talk and Kendra’s prisoners weren’t much better. After feeding them, giving them water, and taking off their gags, as Albert should have done, she attempted to get them to talk with her. As much as she tried, however, she couldn’t get them to say a word.
Eventually after about twenty or so minutes of trying, Kendra finally succeeded in getting Sethon to talk. He whispered in a slightly rasping voice, “H-he b-beat one of his prisoners. I-I don’t think i-it was p-punishment, but t-t-torture. Y-you won’t do anything like that t-to us, w-will you?”
Turning to one of Albert’s prisoners Kendra asked if it was true or not. She didn’t reply. Determined not to give up, Kendra tried again, this time offering more food and water. The prisoner looked at her with pleading eyes but Kendra wouldn’t give the food or the water until the prisoner spoke to her.
Thankfully, Kendra’s tactic worked and the prisoner spoke at last. “My name is Aloah. Is that what you want? My name? Why would you care enough to want to know that? Your friend tortures me every day without even caring that I didn’t do anything to him but you don’t care about that do you? You just care that your friend is alive and well.”
Kendra lost her ability to speak for a second. When she found her tongue again, she replied, “Well, I am going to put a stop to your torture, and meanwhile you need to stop saying these things. It is not going to get you anywhere, especially with me because I have known Albert since I was young and he doesn’t do anything without reason. Have you done anything that might make him offensive towards you or something? Maybe you didn’t do anything, but maybe one of your former colleagues or relatives did. Do you remember any such occasion, any at all?”
“Well, he does claim that my father killed his grandfather, but my father died when I was a child and my mother was taken captive by the Greeks a year ago, so I can’t know for sure. Could you ask him for me?”
“I can.”
“Thanks. This means a lot to me,” Aloah said with a smile touching the corners of her lips.
Kendra replied, “You are very welcome.” With that, she exited Albert’s keep and joined him and his wife once again. Once Kendra was with them, she wasted no time getting down to business. “Albert, did you torture the prisoner downstairs because you think her father killed your grandfather in battle?”
“How did ya know that?! Did she talk to ya?! What did she tell ya?!” Albert roared. He tried to make a move to the keep, but Kendra blocked his path. “Move!” he roared once again. “I need to get to the prisoner so she can learn her lesson!”
“No you don’t. Calm down Albert. You are not focusing right now. Your prisoner is not your enemy, even though she might have been at one time. This is what I try to do: clear my mind and try to forget all of the troubles that the Romans or whoever the enemy is did to me. It helps.”
“Nothing can ever make up for what her father did to me! He took away the only family I had, by killing my grandfather and selling the rest of my family into slavery. I was away in the army at the time and when I got back, my life was ruined. She deserves at least the same!”
“Well,” said Kendra. “I believe that you should at least listen to her. I did anyway. If you do go listen to her and you still want to beat her up, I will take her with me.”
“If she refuses to do what I say time and time again, I will let ya take her with ya, for if she stays here I will continue to beat her. Let her make her choice but let her know that if she doesn’t do what ya say ya will beat her. I don’t care either way, s’long as I don’t have to deal with her anymore. Clear?”
“Yup. I’ll ask her what she wants to do. If she can’t decide, she’ll come with me, alright Albert?” Kendra asked.
“Yea’. I’m getting tired of her anyway. See ya.”
“Okay, but what about her colleague? Should he come with me as well?”
“Um... sure. They cause nothing but trouble fer me. Take em’. Take em’ and don’t bring em’ back.” With that, Albert went back to the lounge and Kendra headed inside the keep to tell Aloah and her colleague their options.
As soon as she spotted Kendra entering the keep, Aloah asked, “So did you do it? Did you ask him? What did he say? Did he say that I did something horrible to him and he’s not going to stop torturing me if his life depends on it?”
“No, no, nothing like that. He said that you and your companion would be allowed to come with me as long as you obeyed me. So, do you want to come with me, or stay here?”
“We would like to come with you. Oh, and by the way, my companion is my brother, Oscar. He is really shy, and both being beaten and seeing me being beaten is taking a toll on him. I don't know how much longer he will last if we keep being beaten like this. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I thank you for saving my brother.”