A Rogue on the Prowl

As the great gathering continued their revelry, a young girl walked out into the vineyard her grandfather owned. The girl, Iphis, and her betrothed were set to wed tomorrow by her grandfather. Her father died during a defense against Spartan forces during their last attack on her home city-state of Thebes. Now she resides with her grandfather who betrothed her to a powerful Theban general though the man was 30 when they were promised and now he is 40 to her 15.

The marriage is meant to give her grandfather some security not just for her but for his vineyard which he held more dear in his heart. Iphis walked to the edges of the cursed vines to a small handmade statue of Artemis she made not long ago. She fell to her knees as the full moon shined above her, face turned towards the heavens as a single tear ran down her cheek.

“Oh Lady Artemis, I know I was not born a gifted huntress like many of your promised but please if you would have me, end this cursed betrothal and I shall promise myself only to you till my dying breath. End my betrothed whether by beast or blade and I swear my life to you, Lady Artemis.”

As soon as she finished her plea, a sheer cry was heard in the distance. She spun on her heels and shot up from her praying to see the flickering torch light of the party wavering then dying out one by one. Another cry and she swore that was her husband-to-be’s voice as an elderly voice cried out, “My lord! No!”

Again, just as sudden as the voice called out came a gurgled cry of blood. More voices cried out in the growing darkness of the night until finally the voices were distant from the vineyard. All was quiet save a group of guardsmen who ordered for light to be made and a set of quiet footsteps that came closer to Iphis. All at once the footsteps ceased, there was no sound save the guardsmen but she swore she heard a small voice curse.

“Hello?” Iphis called out quietly. She kneeled down as she heard the whisper around her ankles. It was too dark for her eyes and the light of the moon barely shined in the midst of all the vines. “I will not hurt you.”

A hand reached out from the darkness for her throat, “Silence.”

As Iphis coughed and choked, she saw tan skin and a bronze grieve as the man asked, “Are you going to call for vengeance?”

She croaked out, “I wanted him dead!”

As consciousness began to fade from her eyes, the man released her. He looked her over with a cold glance as he stood to his full height, he had to be taller than her grandfather and her former betrothed. He wore dented bronze armor and grieves with a short sword attached to his hip, his sandals were barely holding together but it didn’t seem to bother the man. “Are you a mercenary?” Iphis asked fearfully as she rubbed the base of her neck where she was sure there’d be marks in the morn.

The man turned towards her for a moment, “I am an exile of Sparta, I do what I do best for money so I can keep living.” It was said without any tone or expression but said very factually as if the man was stating the answer to a mathematical problem. Iphis didn’t understand, Spartans either died on their shields or with it in their hands, she’d never heard of a Spartan Exile.

“I’m sorry but I don’t understand. I thought Spartans were Spartans or they were corpses. Exiles were killed I thought?”

“Theban, you know not of the Spartans so don’t try to understand them.” The man muttered as he turned to leave.

“Wait!” She shouted as she walked after him, “Please take me with you! You are my savior from Lady Artemis!”

The Spartan rolled his eyes as he continued to walk, “I am no instrument of the gods. They do what they will without our help.”

“I am still indebted to you, killing those men saved me! Now I can be a Huntress!” She smiled and laughed.

The man turned once more as she walked into him and fell into the dirt, “I killed a general and his accomplice who killed a poor farmer so his widow paid me to kill them back, it’s an endless cycle. I only make things worse, I can’t help you.”

Iphis cried out, “You can’t put yourself down like that! I am here and my promise intact to my Lady because of you. Please, let me help you on your travels.”

The man chuckled, the only sound that wasn’t serious for him, “If you wish to follow me into death then go ahead, I don’t think your lady wouldn’t like that much.”

She stood to her feet as he continued to walk away to a random pack by a tree, “Say what you will but now you have Lady Artemis on your side! I am her Huntress so tell me, mercenary, what is your name?”

“Nikias.” He uttered quietly as he lifted the pack then grabbed a shield from behind the tree and finally a mighty spear. “I warn you, the path I walk will end only in death so if you truly wish to die with me then that’s your business but I won’t save you again.

Iphis scoffed at the man, she was a Huntress of Artemis now so she had nothing to worry about. She could handle things on her own just like the mercenary, there is nothing she couldn’t do that he could.

………

“Why are you still walking?! We’ve been going on for so long! Can’t we rest!” Iphis cried out to her companion who continued his slow march even into the noon. It must have been hours since they had found his pack but he refused to rest and would only turn his head to give her a hardened look at her whining.

“I once heard a Huntress could stay in a march for days, I once even heard stories of a Huntress who marched further than one of our smallest units. She got further only because she refused rest to prove a point to many of the men, she could do anything she desired as we could.”

“What happened to her?” Iphis became curious having never heard many stories of the Huntresses herself.

The man turned his head a moment to spit, “She was killed a day later when said unit caught her, believed her to be an Athenian spy.”

Iphis became quiet then, as she looked past Nikias and further up the road she saw a large building. It was decorated delicately with vines and flowers adorning the house itself with the storage buildings being covered in a shiny new coat of paint that shined brightly in the midday sun. As the pair approached, a child called out from just a few feet away then scurried into the main house but as Iphis looked around she realized all the fields were once a vineyard. It seemed as though everything was burned down and the workers were doing their best to clear out everything so they could begin planting again.

“Nikias I don’t understand where we are,” Iphis uttered quietly, “I thought you said a poor farmer was your client?”

“No, his widow.” Nikias sighed, “The woman paid me to kill her husband’s killers and to destroy their field so I killed all the workers so no one could attend to the fields.”

“How will she know you’ve done the deed?”

“She told me to return with one of the men’s sacred articles. It was supposed to be a ring but the man in question used it for other things I’d rather not discuss currently.”

Iphis was more confused but before she could ask more questions a javelin almost struck her but flew right past her head and into the dirt behind her as a shout rang out, “Stop! Move another muscle and I shall end you! Dirty Spartan dog!”

Before them was a young man not much older than Iphis herself who held another javelin in his hand, “Boy, bring out your mother.”

“She has no time for your tyranny, dog! So I shall say it again, leave!”

Before he could throw the javelin at Nikias, an older woman with greying hair and a weathered look that would haunt the shades placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder, “Enough, Pelagon.”

“But, mother!”

“Boy, I shall strike you down and give your mother another burning to plan for if you do not leave my sight. We shall see then who is the dog.” Nikias threatened with a voice like cold steel and a stare that burned through any mortal man.

“Pelagon, help the others clear the south fields for me. I will not repeat myself, you can train more another day.” The old woman said dishearteningly, “And you, come to the main house with your friend.”

Nikias nodded as Iphis watched the trio disperse as if it would only take a single breath to initiate more bloodshed. The boy, Pelagon, stared daggers into Nikias and Iphis but he ran towards the southern borders of the property quickly. Nikias and the old woman entered the house as Iphis watched the woman turn quickly and strike the Spartan across the face but instead of the ring of skin hitting skin, there was a muted sound. Nikias had grabbed her hand before she made contact and as Iphis was about to admonish the pair she saw tears streaming down the old woman’s face as the look of pure agony cut into Iphis like a knife, “Don’t you dare threaten my son! I swear if you were not the rogue I needed then I’d have done what he did and impale you upon that javelin!”

Nikias simply stared blankly at the old woman, “I am sorry, Irene. I could not allow that boy to believe he had a chance in Tartarus that he could strike me down. If he did that to an official entourage of Spartan officers he’d already be dead.”

She yanked her hand away and spat at him, “Where is it? Where is your proof!”

Nikias went into his pack, a simple piece of cloth tied together to hold a variety of small things until he tossed a ring at her, “There the glorious ring you desired, you don’t want to know here I had to pull that off of.”

The woman stared deliriously at the ring in her hands, there was silence until a hiccup came from her then a sob and finally she began crying like she had lost her husband once again, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“I did only what you paid me to, I will take my leave now.”

The old woman on her knees clutched to the leather skirt around his armor, “Please let me pay you with something else!”

“Pay me in information, where have the Spartan patrols been seen so I may avoid them.” Iphis could only stare in disbelief, since the end of the Peloponnesian War she’d never seen anyone fall so quickly to a Spartan in gratitude.

“Ma’am, please. Get back on your feet.” Iphis implored the old woman as she walked beside her and tried to grab her arms.

“Get off me, knave girl! Your grandfather did this to us and you dare to say what I should do in my gratitude to the only man who would dare strike against that cursed man and her sickly dog!” The old woman made to lash her fingers across the girl’s face. She struck true but before Iphis could hit the ground, Nikias caught her swiftly and turned her to the door and barked an order at her, “Stay outside! You are only making this worse!”

Iphis quivered as her face stung intensely, “I just meant-”

“Go!”

She quietly turned and walked outside then stood by the road they had walked to the property on. Iphis heard another commotion as she saw two workers cursing at each other, “I told you that Spartan dog will kill us too if we don’t do something!”

“Silence, you old fool! He is a rogue, do you think he won’t strike us down too?”

“I will not let him take our women too! Our children or wives! Do you not fear?”

“I shall cut your tongues out if you continue this nonsense.” Nikias coldly stated as he walked towards Iphis.

“Where are we going?” Iphis muttered softly as she rubbed her face which still stung intensely.

“We shall follow this road and head north through the woods, we may be able to reach a good spot between here and Athens before sundown. Come. I don’t have time for this anymore.”

Iphis was curious for a moment, “What is in Athens, Nikias?”

“Old debts I need to pay.” He said in the coldest tone yet like a shade that has seen nothing but death and blood in his former life. Whatever they were going to do, Iphis was fearful but she swallowed her fear and followed closely behind him as they marched on.