I'm sorry for the delay, but I have an excuse, have any of you had a stitch in your ribs and it gets worse every time you try to breathe? Well, that's what happened to me, and until now I've had quite strong pains in my ribs, and they happen to me especially when I'm sitting. So, I haven't been able to write for a long time. Even this chapter isn't complete as it should be, but I didn't want to leave you without one, so well, I'll leave you with the chapter, enjoy it.
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"How many are there now…", I asked, a little tired. It had been fifteen days since I gave my orders to everyone, and while my fellow gladiators were on their best behavior, the more 'enthusiastic' Dothraki had done some pretty… stupid things.
"...there were three during the night, your grace", Haela replied, while trying, along with some of the Dothraki and freed girls, to comb my hair as best they could, despite my protest.
"Ah!", one of the girls cried, after my temper made my forte manifest slightly.
"…I'm sorry about that…haaa….", I said to the girl who was holding one of her hands in surprise and fascination, another thing that had happened among the slaves, apparently, according to them, my 'unleashed form', resembled that of a goddess and for some of the slaves who came from a land called YITI, I was their maiden of light or something like that.
Honestly, I let it go. Religion wasn't our thing, Septimontians, and I had more important things to manage, like food, lodging, and the conflicts brewing in the khalasar.
'And now this...' I thought, almost weary. I was a little mentally exhausted from the more daring men's continued attempts to 'come with me', which had begun three days ago.
After my speech that Haela had helped me understand, the Dothraki had generally behaved well. There had been fights, some over wanting to sleep with a willing woman, something we made sure to ask about after finding out, and some mistreatment against the former slaves, nothing that couldn't be controlled with a simple separation.
But this 'good' behavior lasted only a few days. After the fear passed, the instigators, the older ones, started the bigger problems, like murders in fights and some rapes, and their large numbers made things difficult for us.
'I'd already reached out in peace, it was time for the sword', I thought, and not only had they not even lasted a few weeks, but I'd given my word, and I would keep it.
The sound of the tent flapping brought me out of my thoughts. An angry Vanessa had entered, creating a small, harsh breeze.
"Your Excellency, we just stopped another rape, this time involving three men against a teenage girl", she reported harshly, her brow furrowed and her green eyes flashing with violence.
My companions stopped when they saw her enter and stepped back from me with their eyes lowered, giving us space to talk.
"...did you send him with the others...?" I asked, though I already knew the answer from her face. Her jaw clenched in annoyance. None of them had liked being left to live for the crimes they had committed, but they still listened to me, because they knew it wasn't out of kindness that I had separated them.
But to serve as an example.
This was the last chance, because from now on, everyone had to behave as I'd ordered. Otherwise, only my sword and that of my gladiators would speak, because I wouldn't let such beasts run free, ever.
"…yes, Your Grace, we'll leave them in the corral", Vanessa replied, to which I nodded.
The pens had been my idea. I wanted the others, seeing them imprisoned, to realize that we would punish them.
"...well, tell everyone, freedmen and Dothraki alike, that they will be tried this afternoon", I told her, causing her frown to soften considerably as she learned what awaited the rapists.
She, along with the others, had been the most affected by the information I had gathered.
That same day, after Haela helped me give my orders, I had her accompany me so she could continue to inform me about the types of societies these "free cities" were, and so on.
She spoke of Myr, the Triarchy or "kingdom of the three daughters", which was where she came from.
Everything she told me was unpleasant to hear, and even more so for my companions, especially when she explained what was happening in the city of Lys.
'An entire city of slaves, who are subjected to prostitution, and many times the age of the slave did not matter for them to carry out their 'work', was what I had to tell them.
A redacted version, leaving aside some of the most grotesque things.
I had been quite meticulous in having Haela tell me the truth about each city, no matter how crude it was.
But if Lys left me dismayed as a woman, the three cities of Slaver's Bay—Mereen, Yunkai, and Astapor—made my vision of what it meant to have humanity almost shatter. The cruelty of these 'slave masters' was so vile that I thought I'd vomit just thinking about the things Haela had said to me.
'That's why I won't let slavers loose, if I have any choice'.
"Understood, Your Excellency, with 'arakhs' and their horses, right?" she asked.
This had also been a somewhat contentious topic because even though there was a group of these wild troublemakers against us. Others, like the group of young men and women and teenagers, including children and mothers, had followed my instructions almost religiously.
And If they had doubts about anything, they would come and ask.
It was…gratifying to see, it showed that they could improve as a society.
For them, I had ordered to respect most of their non-violent traditions, from 'adopting' blood riders, or Qoi Qoyi which meant blood of my blood, which symbolized a deep loyalty and brotherhood.
Their funeral rites and some other things, like the braid with rings, which symbolized the victories of each Dothraki, although I had little or no success with these braids.
'...damn my hair...' I thought with annoyance, Haela and the other girls had tried to make it look good, but they had only been able to make one that looked relatively good.
That one had been in the middle of my hair, a braid with a bracelet from the bottom of my head to the middle of my back. It was small, and it stood up a little when I used my Forte, but it was there, visible, which made many more Dothraki accept me.
"Yes, Vanessa, and may they be well-fed".
"...one last meal… understood, Your Grace", she said goodbye with a punch to her chest and left the tent.
"...Khaleesi? Why not just finish them off? Easier", said one of the girls, Karra, daughter of a slave who came from Naath, in slow Dothraki, the way I had instructed them to speak. So, I could learn it, as I had begun to do since we faced them.
"No, I am, cold, murderous, warrior people, die, Arakh, hand", I told her in broken Dothraki, because while I roughly understood her point, I had in mind to respect them as warriors, and warriors died with a weapon in their hand.
Besides, I still hadn't learned many words to explain it better, but I was able to make myself understood for the moment, given the nod she gave when she understood my words.
After a while, most of the teenagers left, leaving me with Haela and some of the older girls chatting until after midday.
When Avidius opened the flap of the tent with Arsinosa, who galloped happily in with some pieces of hard leather and scrolls, and had her helmet dematerialized, leaving her face uncovered.
"Muña! Look!", she said, passing them to me.
I took them with a smile and carefully unwrapped them. Inside them were letters—well, attempts at letters—in English, the language Avidius had begun teaching the children inside the Khalazar.
This had been his idea. He wanted these children to be better off, and he was giving them a safe environment in which to learn and play with each other.
An idea I wholeheartedly supported, since within the 'rules' I had decided upon, the heaviest work was not to be done by children under 11.
Even after that, we only allowed them to help with small tasks or begin their training.
"This is great, Arsi. They turned out excellent", I told her. That was my true feeling. Ever since we learned she could talk, we had taught her everything we could, and now with a space for her to learn with more people, she could function better socially.
And as for the "Muña" thing, mother, it didn't bother me at all, given my connection to her. If I had to give her a name, that was one of the best and simplest, even though the reaction from some locals was…exaggerated.
"Well done, Arsi. Why don't you sit down and eat? You must be hungry", I said after stroking her head, slightly ruffling her long red hair.
"Yes, muña, I'm hungry!", she replied with a cheerful smile.
"Wait a moment, my princess. This will be right there", said Haela, who immediately got up to prepare her lunch: roasted horse meat with some tubers and sausages.
"Hmm, thank you!" Arsi replied, settling down on the floor near the low table we had in the middle of the tent.
I looked at her with a smile as I watched her hum while waiting for her lunch with all the innocence a child should have, 'and thinking about the children...'
"How were things with the rest, Avidius? Any problems?".
"...just a few, but everything's been getting better so far", he replied with a tired smile, but his eyes reflected the joy of being able to do something for the young people.
"And those are the little problems?" I persisted, because I didn't want them to get bigger.
"...it's just a bit of what we went through the first few days," he finally replied, "it's their stereotypes. It's much more common with boys, that only weaklings practice letters and such, but they're getting used to it. A couple more weeks of this routine, and maybe some demonstrations, could help soften that mentality."
"That's something easy to do".
"And… the girls? Something important?" my question was shaped by concern. What many of them had been through had left its mark, not just on them, but on us too. That was partly the reason for the bubbling anger many of us felt.
"...there is...progress..., the little ones are much better, they are already beginning to talk a little more and play in the company of the other children and adult women who help us", he responded with tiredness and bitterness, "...but the older they get, the harder it has been for them to open up, to have fun, I don't know what to expect, your excellency, none of us are psychologists, it's just that their responses vary a lot, some who moved like machines are now giving themselves over to training with fervor, Valeria had to stop two girls who had their hands bleeding from so much practice with the spear, it's...overwhelming not knowing how to help them correctly" he finished speaking.
There was a helpless sadness in his gaze. Not being able to help them more, not being able to send them to competent specialists, was eating at him. He had taken on this burden, and the more he saw the scars on the children and adolescents, the more he blamed himself for it.
But we couldn't do anything, it was just us, all warriors and no one who could be of help in these things, and what's more, it didn't seem like there was anywhere that could guide us on that path in this world.
"You've already done more than they could have hoped for, Avidius. Don't focus on the help they can't receive, but on the help we can deliver", I told him clearly. There was no more beating around the bush. He would only get more stressed if he continued to think about what he couldn't do.
"…I know, Your Excellency, it's only my own helplessness that discourages me", he said with a broken smile.
"…I understand, but you have to understand that if you get hurt, they'll get hurt too, so try not to get hurt. They're already counting on you, Avidius. Don't let them down".
He remained silent for a moment, reflecting, while I focused on Arsi, who was quietly eating her lunch.
"...thank you, Your Excellency", he said after several minutes. He looked a little lighter, and the defeated look in his eyes was gone.
"Well, I can't allow my second-in-command to be taken down so early", I nodded decisively, causing him to smile gratefully at me.
"Of course, Your Excellency, I'll do my best".