Truth and Sparta (23 page)

The same elder
that had questioned her the day before returned, “Take her back,”
he ordered the soldiers guarding her.

“
Wait,” the General said with a malicious gleam in his eye. “As
you are so willing to use Spartan men, the Spartan men will have
their turn. Every man in Sparta will have his chance to use you.
Chain her to the steps,” he ordered. “That way she will be
accessible to anyone in Sparta who wants to exact revenge
personally. Practically a state duty,” he said narrowing his eyes.
“Unless of course you see fit to repair the damage you have
caused.” He waited for her to respond and smiled when she refused
to give any response at all.

Chara felt
revolution rise in her throat, but as she had so little in her
stomach there was nothing to come up. She looked around at the
others and noted that they were going to let him have his revenge
on her. Nicias wouldn’t look at her. Chara tried desperately to
hold herself together as they led her away. They took her out to
the stairs facing the square and chained her to one of the
pillars.

She stood
there with her head held high and refused to acknowledge any of
them as they passed by, leaving the building. She watched them as
they walked away without looking back. The air wasn’t any colder
than inside the building, but she still trembled slightly. She was
afraid, probably more so than she’d been when there were just
threatening to kill her. This was far worse than just dying; maybe
she would die in the process. The square was deserted so for now
she was safe, but she knew that would change any minute.

Nicias stood
in the shadows watching. He could see her on the stairs and watched
as she eventually sat down and leaned her head against one of the
pillars. He felt pure relentless agitation and he couldn’t stand
still. He felt distressed, the very same feeling as when the battle
was heading to devastating and painful losses. He walked back and
forth in the shadows trying to think of what to do. He’d been
tearing himself apart thinking about her being killed, but this was
much worse. Imagining the fate that lay ahead of her was sheer
agony. She was a traitor and she deserved to suffer, but this was
too much for him to bear.

He knew that
women fared badly in warfare as a rule, but this was different.
This was someone he’d known, someone who he had wrongly sworn to
protect. He could still see her bright eyes smiling at him whenever
he closed his own. Seeing the suffering and anguish that she was
about to endure was too much. He didn’t know what to do. Doing
anything for her, even killing her would be acting against his own
state—the state he had dedicated his whole life to.

He could not
rescue her, even if he turned his back on his state and ran with
her, they would never get away. They would be hunted down before
dawn, and killed. Although he was starting to think it might be
better than standing here waiting to see men approach her—men, his
comrades and countrymen, men he fought with. No one had come yet
and he didn’t know what he would do when it started. He’d felt his
heart twist when Barrias had uttered her punishment, but there was
nothing he could do to avert it.

He would have
to kill her, or else he might kill one of his own
countrymen—something he had sworn never to do. But he could not
stand by and watch her being raped repeatedly, and he found it
impossible to leave her to that fate, no matter how deserving she
was of it.

He cursed the
day he’d ever laid eyes on her. The act he must do now would be the
complete ruination of him. He should go and kill her now, but he
just couldn’t bring himself to do it just yet. He could see her in
his mind, the look she would give him as he approached. He expected
she would know why he was there, maybe she would even welcome him
if she had any sense. He just couldn’t bring himself to take the
first step as there was always just another moment for her yet to
live and breathe.

He could hear
her crying gently across the square, it only twisted his insides
more. He needed the push of someone coming, someone approaching her
to do it. He’d walk over quickly and slay her—he wouldn’t think, he
would just do it. He waited.

A man
approached her early in the morning. She tucked her knees in
tightly, making herself as small as possible. He was an older man,
but wasn’t a Spartans, so she wasn’t sure what he wanted.

No one had
approached her throughout the entire night. It appears that the
people of Sparta had not heard the General’s decree yet, because no
one had come. Except this man, who held his hands out in a gesture
of reassurance.

“
I have brought food,” he said looking around at the still
deserted square. The light had barely brokered the horizon and
darkness still clung to the corners and alleys off the square.
“Here,” he said placing some bread and cheese next to
her.

“
Do you have water?”

“
I will bring some,” he said and hurried away. He returned with
a cup filled with water, which she eagerly accepted. “I know who
you are. There have been rumors of your capture. I will attempt to
bring you food when I can. It is dangerous to approach you; it may
not look it, but they are very cautious. I would love to say I
could break this chain and get you out of the city, but I can’t,
I’m sorry—my family, you understand. They are searching everything
that leaves the city.”

“
It’s alright,” Chara assured him. “I don’t expect such
assistance. It would be futile anyway, even if I could make it out
of the city, they would hunt me down before I’d get
far.”

“
It is true,” the man said with sadness. “But you have them
very worried, more than you know. I hear things. It is said that
they have sent an envoy to Athens to offer peace, but they have
been turned away.”

“
They are offering peace to Athens?”

“
Yes, they have tried, but Athens is not listening.”

This was news
to Chara, she hadn’t known that they were worried enough about the
war to justify a peace offering. She couldn’t even get her head
around the idea that she had in any way brought this about, but she
guessed that the threat of the Spartan food source disappearing
would be quite a worry. And now they were trying to end the war so
they could attend their growing problems at home.

“
I must go,” he said. “I will try to bring you some more
later.”

“
Thank you,” Chara called after him. She had a little more
insight into General Barrias anger now, but she still couldn’t
believe it. Surely her part in this was minimal; there were lots of
reasons why Sparta would want peace. Nicias had said there was
disagreement in the Assembly about how to proceed with the war. If
they were not going to win the war, then at some point, peace must
be made. Perhaps worries over food were just another burden on the
state. Chara had never even thought her activities would have such
profound impact. She’d thought it might get their attention, but
she didn’t think it would actually make a real
difference.

It was around
midday and the market was full when Chara saw Menares Senior
approached the stairs to the Assembly building.

“
You’ve caused a great deal of trouble, girl,” he said pausing
a few steps down from where she was sitting watching the activity
in the square. She didn’t want to speak to him; she didn’t like him
or trust him in any way—not that she expected him to rape her in
front of the entire crowd. She didn’t know what he wanted, but she
wished he would go away. She tried to ignore him.

“
So much bravado,” he said airily. “But it’s time for you to do
what you’re told,” he said in a more serious voice.

She didn’t say
anything, continuing her refusal to acknowledge him.

“
See you’re not as clever as you think,” he said stepping
closer to her. “You might say that there is no leverage on you to
force you to do as you should, but we both know better, don’t
we?”

“
I don’t know what you are talking about,” she
stated.

“
Where is your mother, Chara? You thought no one would notice
that she disappeared.”

That got her
attention and her eyes snapped to him.

“
You were pregnant and then your mother disappeared. You didn’t
think it would be noticed, but I noticed.”

Chara was
shocked. She’d been sure her mother’s absence had gone without a
hitch. Nicias certainly hadn’t noticed. Who notices an older woman
who normally never leaves the house or the fields? She had not
brokered on Menares noticing.

“
Begs the question, what are you hiding in Attica? With all
those spies running around, I am sure it would take no time at all
to find out.”

Chara bit the
inside of her lip trying to stop herself from displaying any
reaction. Things would be much worse for her if they knew about
Elphia, it would give them leverage. They might not be able to
march on Attica due to the prisoners that Athens kept, but they
could steal away a baby without anyone noticing. Although they
didn’t have to, the threat was enough and Menares knew it. She
could see in his eyes that he knew he had her.

“
So you better start bending to your superiors,” he said
nastily. “Little whore like you, it’s what you do best—runs in the
family.”

Chara wanted
to hurt him as he walked away, but she knew it would be no use. He
might be older, but he was still stronger and an experienced
soldier. His last sentence reverberated through her mind. He was
saying something about her mother, which indicated that he knew of
some history there, something she hadn’t known. Chara closed her
eyes and let the nausea wash over her. He’d known her mother, that
was why he noticed her departure. They had some kind of history and
she could well imagine what. She wondered if her father knew. It
must have been something that happened before they were married. If
her mother had lost a baby to a Spartan, that might have explained
why she would so readily agree to leave her life and husband behind
to protect a tiny child—perhaps she knew the loss that would come
otherwise. She wished she’d known, but she could understand why her
mother wouldn’t want to burden her with such knowledge,
particularly as she had fallen into the same situation.

And now that
they knew of Elphia, they had leverage over her. She prayed that
the gods would strike her dead, it was the best solution. It was
the only thing that would keep Elphia safe, unless she did what
they wanted, which put her people in peril.

Nicias slept
during the day. It wasn’t something that was encouraged, but people
stayed clear of him now. He’d watched over Chara all night while
she’d slept, but no one had come. He didn’t know why and he
couldn’t ask. He knew she was safe during the day in view of the
whole marketplace. No one would interfere with a prisoner unless
sanctioned to do so. For whatever reason, the elders had not given
sanction to Barrias’ punishment. That did not mean that the stay
would continue this coming night.

His father
sought him out in the mess; Nicias didn’t want to talk with him. He
didn’t want to think, let alone discuss it. Whatever advice the man
had, Nicias was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear it. He had found
no solutions to this situation. The only thing he could do restore
some peace was to kill her and it would save her suffering as well.
He’d just been too weak to do it.

“
We must repair the damage that this girl has caused,” his
father said.

“
I will avenge my honor,” Nicias said with his exhaustion
evident in his voice.

“
No, the girl will be more cooperative, I have spoken to
her.”

Nicias closed
his eyes. He had no idea what his father had said to her or what
he’d threatened her with, he didn’t want to know. “It won’t work,
she is adamant on protecting her people.”

“
There are things she will protect, things you don’t know
about.”

“
Like what?”

“
It doesn’t matter, but trust me—she will do as she is
told.”

Nicias didn’t
believe him. It didn’t matter what it was, there would be pain and
suffering in her future no matter what she did or didn’t do.

“
You will have your vengeance,” his father continued, “but she
will repair damage first. You must do nothing until the time is
right.”

Nicias knew
his father thought he wanted to kill the girl to avenge his honor,
and he should want that, he just didn’t feel it himself. There
would be no outcome here that would please him, but he knew his
father was trying to save his citizenship, and he should care.
Whatever he felt now would pass over time and his feelings were
irrational, he should not lose sight of his life.

Two days
passed and nothing happened. No one spoke to her, not even the
Helot man who passed quickly just at dawn and provided her with
food and water. She could see curiosity amongst the people in the
market, but more so amongst the Helots. They didn’t approach her,
but she could see some of them watching her.

The nights
told her it was getting close to the full moon and the next
Assembly meeting. She was certain at this point that her fate would
be decided there. None of the Spartans approached her. She would
have expected more aggression from them, but it was like they were
not allowed to engage with her. Or perhaps they didn’t know who she
was, which was one possibility, or else they might fear some taint
from her, she wasn’t sure which. Maybe it was quite common for
Helots to be chained in the square, a sight no one raised an
eyebrow to.