The Earth Monarch

Chapter 23: The Wolf King

I sat on a wooden bench, overlooking a golden field of wheat that stretched far over the rolling hills. A stone and wood cabin stood tall behind me, smoke coming out of the chimney. 2 children—a black haired boy and a blonde haired girl—played in the grass.

19 dark-skinned slaves, in rags, worked the field. I too wore rags, my stone scythe resting at my side, and the black iron chains tight on my wrists and ankles, like the others in the field.

The mistress was inside, either cleaning the house, or working on food, or fixing the clothes. The master was far in the city state, working as a guard for Lord Romulus.

"Get back to work, Slave! Otherwise you'll be deeply punished!" The mistress called from the kitchen window. I smiled at her, and got up slowly. I popped my back a bit, and took my scythe to harvest the golden fields.

"You really shouldn't undermine the Lord and Lady. They give us our food, water, and work. You disobeying will get us all in trouble," one of the workers called to me, slicing the weeds.

"I'm sorry that I have a love for Mother Nature's Beauty. The Fields of Gold are beautiful under the sun, waving in the breeze," I replied, sighing in content. "It is beautiful, but we get time to see her beauty in Dawn and Dusk. Now get to work, we don't want the Lord to see us slacking," he returned.

I rolled my eyes, and began slicing up the wheat. "You smell weird," a hiss of a voice said, coming from my right. "I'm an Immortal, I wonder why," I replied sarcastically to the Karpoi, the Grain Demon.

"An immortal working as a slave for Mortals? Surely not," the demon said. "Yeah, well...the world is a strange place," I replied, before harvesting the patch of wheat. The demon burst into dust, returning to the Pit. A bell rang, and I frowned. Then I realized it wasn't an internal alarm, and I made my way back to the cabin.

"Alright, Slaves. It's your lucky day. Lord Romulus is visiting us, and will be choosing some of you to go work for him. Be on your best behavior. Slave with the Grecian Name and good culinary skills, go help my wife set the table for the Lords arrival," the Mortal Master ordered.

I nodded, and bowed respectively. I broke from the line, and entered the fairly large house. It was fancy, with marble, dark wood, silk, and bronze materials. A few weapons were on the walls, too high from the young children. The kitchen was quite advanced, with 3 Kilns, many storage containers, preparation stations, etc.

"Good. Now, do you know how to cook?" The mistress asked. I nodded simply. "Who was your teacher?" She questioned. "My mother at youth. She was a priestess of Lady Vesta," I lied smoothly. The mistress gained a look of surprise, before masking it.

"Good. Come, show me what a blessed champion of Lady Vesta can do," she said. "Don't know where she got the idea I was blessed by Vesta from?" I mentally asked rhetorically, confused.

For the next 3 hours, I cooked/baked expertly, preparing a fine feast for Romulus, his accompanying guards, the house owners, the staff, and hefty leftovers. "Milady, Lord Romulus has arrived. Our Master is greeting him," a maid announced.

"Prepare the dining hall, Perseus. Quickly now," the mistress ordered. She ran off to greet the King of Rome. I lifted all of the food with water discs underneath, and carried them to the dining hall unnoticed.

I was placing the last few silverware, when the guests entered. "Leave at once! You dare disrespect Lord Romulus with your presence," the Lord hissed, grabbing me by the shoulder, and "painfully" dragging me out.

"Nonsense. He can be a waiter, Avitus. Leave him be," Romulus stated, waving off the lord and I. The master didn't look happy, but didn't argue. I returned to setting up the silverware, before moving to stand in the corner. "What a wondrous meal, Avitus. Who made this?" Romulus asked, striking up conversation.

The lord and lady shared a look. "That would be our slave, Lord Romulus. Specifically the one whom you've temporarily made a waiter," the lady answered, bowing respectively the whole time. A look of annoyance flashed on the Demigods face, before disappearing.

"Interesting. Tell me, what is your name, and where did you learn such divine cooking?" Romulus asked. "My name is Perseus, Lord Romulus. I learned to cook from my mother, who was once a priestess of Lady Vesta," I explained.

"Fitting. The Home Goddess must be an excellent cook, any meal this good must be her recipe itself," Romulus replied, a look of recognition upon hearing my name.

"Tell me, do you know how I came to be?" Romulus asked. "You were a prince, Son of Lord Mars and Lady Silvia. You and your brother, Lord Remus, we're abandoned on the banks of the Tiber by your paranoid Stepfather, Amulius. Lord Tiberinus saved you, and carried you to Lady Lupa, where you were raised with her pack..." I retold.

"That is enough, thank you. You are quite knowledgeable, Perseus. Avitus, I believe I found all that I need. I will be taking Perseus from your custody," Romulus announced.

Avitus seemed pained, and smiled at Romulus. "Of course, milord. He owns little, so he may leave whenever you do," Avitus replied cheerily, clearly faking it. Romulus stood, and everyone followed.

"Thank you for your time, and the food. Perseus, follow me," Romulus ordered. I nodded, bowed in respect to the family, and left with the Emperor. "I know whom you are. Took me a while, Lord Perseus," Romulus whispered to me.

"You will speak none of this, Romulus. My identity will be kept secret," I whispered back sternly. "Yes, Lord Perseus. Of course," Romulus agreed.

And that's the beginning of my long line of service to Rome, it's Army, Empire, and then Government. I was a General at one point, a Royal Guard for a few decades, a Centurion during Nero's Genocide, and the start of the Roman Democracy. I was a Senator, a Leading Senator, and a Praetor for a few years as well. Then came the crash, and England rose to power, whilst Rome fell.