Chapter 5: Siles Chapter 5
8 months later
Every day I train with my father Darius after he does his own training in the barracks outside our town to continue the Corinthian war. It is a blessing that he made it back home. The year should be 393 BC meaning there is a year of no fighting between the city-states so both sides can regroup.
This war started only 9 years after the Peloponnesian War, Sparta obtained hegemony over Greece through its aggressive imperialism encouraged by Lysander. In the Peloponnesian War Corinth and Thebes allied with Sparta under the Peloponnesian League against Athens due to its own imperialism.
Once the Peloponnesian league won the spoils majorly favored Sparta leaving her allies with little causing a bad taste in every city-state's mouth. So with the sway of coins from the Persians to the disgruntled city-states, they found it suitable to gang up on the aggressive Spartans.
If the main timeline holds true the Spartans will hold off against the Corinthians, Thebians, and Athenians as Persia flip-flops sides for their own benefit.
Thus allowing the Greeks to grow weaker and the Persians always being the deciding factor in their affairs. Once my wish to grow in notoriety and become a leader holds true I am sure I will need to vanquish any ability of the Persians to contest my plans.
Today is just another normal day as I dart to breakfast with Father already heading out the door to go back to the barracks to eat with his communal group of syssitia as required in Spartan law. Laurel rubs her belly now already being 6 months into her pregnancy meaning I will have a younger sibling.. like I did back in my past life.
I quickly eat breakfast and Anastasia gives an approving nod to my eating habits. My diet mainly consists of eggs, cheese, and bread but I also venture outside to find any herbs which my father told me are good to eat, giving me a well-rounded diet.
"Mother, may I go out to play with Nikolaos?" She gives me an approving nod as she knits and so I run out to find my hard-nosed friend.
Despite chronologically being in my mid-twenties I would admit I mentally have not grown past 18 and physically I am 6 1/2. So being friends with a 6-year-old is a necessity since there are no boys my mental age to befriend as they are all in the agoge plus it's just being like an older brother to Nikolaos.
"What's up, Nikolaos!" I wave at Nikolaos and he runs over. I expect a handshake or a chest bump but instead, he gives me a nice push to the ground. We go at it for a while testing out different moves on each other ranging from double leg, single leg, sweep the leg, and other moves that cause a lot of abuse of the legs, specifically the knees.
"Hey, can I play" a little red-haired boy walks up to us and Nikolaos scratches the back of his head.
"What's yur name and age boy? Nikolaos looks him over and spits on the ground.
"I'm Georgios and I'm 6 years old but I'm turning 7 pretty soon."
"You can join, we should be attending the agoge the same year so it's good for us to get to know each other." I go up and shake his hand with a comforting smile.
"Are ya sure we should play with him, Damon? He is quite small, I reckon he can break easily." Nikolaos chuckles at the redhead making him blush.
"Yes I'm sure and all about you test your theory out!" I playfully push him to the ground and he scrubs the dirt off. The three of us all go to war with each other to no end and eventually add sticks to our combat. With the added weaponry I easily dismantle both Georgios and Nikolaos.
"Woah how are you that good?!" Georgios turns wide-eyed and even Nikolaos can't hold in a stoic face.
"My father trains me whenever he can, all about your fathers?" They both quickly look down, making me regret my question.
"My father died during the battle of Haliartus, he died a spartan death and died the best way a Spartan could ask for. I like to believe he died fighting right beside Lysander against the nasty Thebian traitors!" Nikolaos beats his chest and picks up his stick, slashing at what seems to be a Thebian.
"I'm sorry for his absence" I pat him on the shoulder wishing to tell him it all could be avoided if either side had any true respect for human life.
"How about you Georgios?" I look at him up and down his appearance being akin to a rabbit instead of a future bloodthirsty warrior.
"Well I've only ever seen my father a few times. My mother tells me he has been enjoying mentoring an Agoge boy so that's where he spends much of his time." Georgios begins to twiddle his thumbs while looking down away from us.
"Hey, all about we continue playing" I playfully punch both of them and we all continue until the day ends. I feel ignorant for asking the question, history doesn't popularize telling personal stories of sadness.
The lack of father figures should be expected as there was little to no father figure presence in Spartan life. I walk home alone feeling drenched in sweat and soreness.
"Hey kid" I look over and see a very old preacher approach me.
"Yes sir?'
"I just wanna tell you that I foresee great things ahead for you. I sense you will become a warrior for the gods and accomplish all you set out to do!" The old preacher gives fanatic hand expressions and grabs my shoulder.
"Thank you, how many people have you told this to?"
"Just you but I plan on telling all that will listen."
"Your visions will prove not wrong preacher, I promise you that." I wave goodbye to the preacher and then enter my home drained from the busy day. I fall asleep quickly being put to ease with my routine life of playing and learning.
The next day no one greets me leaving to wander into the dining room with no breakfast apparent. Seems as though everyone decided to stay in? I then hear groaning from my parent's room and venture off into it.
"Oooh" Laurel groans holding her belly as she tries to release my little sibling to the world. Anastasia is right in front of her being ready for anything at play.
"Your okay honey" my father reassures her passionately rubbing his hand against her.
"Get him out I don't want him seeing me like this!" My mother yells in agony pointing at me and my father gives me a worrisome look. I exit the room and use up my time by heading over to play with Georgios and Nikolaos.
I then travel back to the house once the sun sets and once I enter my house my father is in the corner holding liquor in hand. "Ya know boy I tell ya-your uh-mom was the prettiest- *burp* woman I ever laid my eyes on." he slurs his words together and has dried tears in place.
"What happened, father?"
"She died during childbirth son, she failed her duty as a Spartan woman to bear as many Spartan warriors as the damned state wants."
He throws his bottle across the room and stands up. "Anastasia bring me my son!" he growls and Anastasia slithers in appearance with a newborn baby.
"The Gerousia are waiting to inspect the baby. I alerted the local Spartans about his birth; they can come any minute to take him." Anastasia looks up at the drunken man in worry, the same as I do.
"They will try." Darius leaves and enters his room once he comes back into sight he is fully in his uniform and equipment.
"Father, whatever you plan to do, please be rational. What would happen if the baby has no parents?" He ignores my question, whatever he is planning is not going to be good for my little brother.
Eventually, the local Spartans knock on the door waiting for it to be opened. Father readies his spear as Anastasia and I stand at the side with my newborn brother.
"Open up, Darius, we are here for the new Spartan youth and to transport your wife to a proper resting place. She won't have a proper burial though due to her death in childbirth" an old-sounding spartan speaks and my father's face pours into anger.
"This is MY family. None of you will take any more of them from me."
The Spartans kick the door down and ready themselves for battle against Darius my father. Darius launches at them thrusting his spear without reason against them.
Each attack does nothing as his breaths become more and more rugged and strung out.
The Spartans then turn to the offensive first striking deep into his leg and then into his arm. The last thrust aimed for the neck leaving Anastasia to break her silence.
"Please spare him!" She yells with tears coming down and my own face having a tear fall.
"By the love of Aphrodite shut the hell up, helot!" One of the Spartans yells and he finishes the thrust into his neck. The Spartan then pulls out his spear and remains calm with the large scar across his face showing his warrior past. Darius dies instantly at the strike, and the baby cries being unsettled by all the chaos.
The Spartans take turns spitting on the dead man that was once named Darius holding no sympathy for their brother in arms.
"He never was a good soldier."
"Yeah, he always lacked tenacity and was always so quick to leave our syssitia."
"Yup, still a shame he went out this way, what do you think Atlas?"
"It's because he couldn't hold his liquor and have self-control. Just turned into a womanish Athenian. Boy," the man with the scar points at me "let this be a lesson don't ever be like your father. Now we are going to take your baby brother and see if he is proper Spartan material. So far it isn't looking so good based on... your lineages now flawed history of following Sparta.'' The old scarred Spartan speaks gruffly, his leg on top of my dead father's chest.
The Spartans enter and take out what are now two dead bodies and take the baby to Gerousia, a group of old and respected Spartan leaders to see if he fits the criteria.
They leave Anastasia and I alone to our thoughts and our thoughts alone.
"Young master Damon I shall follow you in any way you need me to." She hugs me and I fully accept allowing myself to sink into her small arms.
"Anastasia I know I can't just live with you as that would make me revoke my Spartan hood and I need it for what I plan to do down the road. I'm going to try to live with one of my friends' families for the last few months and I want you to return to your family." Anastasia nods.
"What about your little brother?"
"If he gets passed by the Gerousia I'll see if he can be adopted by one of my friends' families but if not would you be willing to adopt him as a helot?"
"Yes, but are you really willing to let him live his life as a helot?"
"Yes, I do because I'm going to become the leader of Sparta one day. I will free the helots of their non-citizen status and take away the discrimination they suffer from the ruling minority."
"Are you really sure you can do that? Your not even 7 years old master Damon!"
"Yes! Just trust me!"
"...If he doesn't get passed by the Gerousia we should be able to find him in the woods. When the Spartans reject their spawn they don't kill them they instead allow Mother Nature to have its way with them. Helots have found and taken Spartan rejects before."
I thank her as we await for when the Spartans will arrive to bring news of the result. As we wait we both clean up the house perhaps as a coping mechanism either way it gives us something to do as we wait for the same Spartans that have killed Darius. The blood on the floor needs to be scrubbed as I help Anastasia with the task we both take turning trying to keep down our stomachs. Eventually, a loud knock on the door occurs and we open it to see a new sole Spartan standing. The same one that pointed at me as Darius lay dead.
"The infant was much too small to pass so we have released him." the Spartan coolly replies and walks away.
"We need to go now!" Anastasia loudly demands ignoring her supposed inferior helot status. I follow Anastasia in the woods and we don't discuss any worry about the potential dangers other than the loss of my sibling.
1 hour goes by and we continue searching anywhere and everywhere for him.
We need to find him! I would never forgive myself if not... I have already lost this world's mother and this world's father.
.
.
2 hours go by and we claw our way into every place he could possibly be with desperation.
Anastasia begins crying as each moment passes by. We run and run to find him eventually splitting off from each other. I fall multiple times but waste no second in getting back up. I can't fail!
.
.
.
3 hours go by
"Where is he?" I yell in the deep darkness of the night as Anastasia wipes her tears. Then we fall silent trying to regain our composure. A small crying noise then enters our ears.
"Do you hear that?" Anastasia eyes pop out waiting for my response as she already starts to walk over.
"Yes, I do." We both dart to the noise and spot his fragile figure covered in his dirty blanket. I pick him up and he shivers into my arms and so I place him under my shirt with his head above my collar.
"Poor baby! We need to head home before all else!" Anastasia rubs his face and I nod in agreement. We both chase our home now aware of the pitch-black darkness no child or woman in their right mind would place themselves in our location. Eventually, we head home without trouble and realize the lack of a name for the baby.
"What do you want his name to be?" I place my hand on Anastasia's arm.
"No, I mustn't, he is your blood."
"Yes he is my blood brother, but he is your son Anastasia."
"Damon... His name shall be Silas"
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