The Price of Freedom: Innocence Lost

Stranger in the night

"He's still here." A voice tells you as he repeatedly shakes your shoulder, trying to rouse you from your sleep. "Andreas!" He calls your name in a strange combination of shouting and whispering. "The man's still here talking to father. I can hear them."

"Ughh." You groan, opening your eyes to see the face of your little brother hovering over you. "Go back to sleep Alexius." You tell him as you roll onto your side on the cold stone floor, facing the wall and trying to get some rest.

"They're talking about us." Alexius tells you. "Really strange things. He was asking father if either of us ever had the pox or a fever when we were younger."

"Why would he care if we ever had the pox?" You ask in annoyance.

"That's what I want to know." Your brother replies, heading back to the door and putting his ear against it. "They're talking about money now." He whispers to you. "Probably something to do with father's debts. Come and listen!"

It was too late for this. Your father had already woken you up in the middle of the night to meet some creepy old man that claimed he was an old friend of the family, despite the fact you'd never seen him before in your life. The man had a strange Roman accent and spent about half an hour poking and prodding you and your brother, feeling how strong your arms were, making you open your mouths and counting how many teeth you had. It seemed like forever before your father sent you back to bed, and you'd only just gotten back to sleep before Alexius woke you up again.

All you want is to ignore your brother and get whatever rest you can before morning. Still, Alexius seems to think the conversation is important. Maybe you should hear what they're talking about for yourself.

"Okay, fine." You grumble reluctantly before crawling away from what little warmth your itchy old blanket provided and heading to the door next to you brother.

Alexius gives you a slight smile. "Thanks." He whispers you. "I swear I'm not making it up. They're talking about us Andreas. Just listen to what they're saying, you'll see."

The two of you fall silent and you open the door a crack to see what's happening. Your father is still sitting with the stranger in the main room. They are talking quietly and most of the time you can't make out what they say, but they seem to be talking about money. You catch your father mentioning how strong you are for your age, and assuring the man that Alexius will catch up in time.

Suddenly the conversation is interrupted when your mother walks into the main room. For a second, she just seems confused by the presence of a stranger in your home so late at night but after a few hushed words, she lets out a horrified scream and lunges forward, trying to attack the stranger. Your father jumps in to hold her back and Alexius throws the door open and rushes right into the heart of the chaos.

"Mama!" Your little brother wails, looking terrified. "Mama, what's happening?" It's true your brother's nearly eight now, and too old to be crying to his mother, but honestly, you can understand his panic. You've never seen your mother like this before and it scares you. It's not until she stops her wordless screams and starts yelling something audible at the stranger that you understand.

"No! You can't take them! Please, you can't do this! They're my boys! You can't take my boys away from me!" Your mother is crying hysterically, but your father's face is cold and unwavering. There's no chance for compromise. It's already done. He'd promised your mother he'd find a way to clear his debts, and look what he's done in the space of a few short hours. Now your father has a pouch full of money and two less mouths to feed. The perfect solution... For him.

Suddenly Alexius wails helplessly as the Roman stranger grabs him by the hair. "Come on now boy. Say goodbye to your mother." The slaver says with a cruel, amused tone. "Now, where's the other one?"

You can't let him take you. If you could just get to your mother! She has always been there to protect you. She'll never let anyone take you away from her. But what about Alexius? The slaver has a tight grip on his arm and your brother can't seem to wriggle free. Maybe you should help him. Then again, why even try? You see the detached look on your father's face. The deal's already been made. There's nothing that you or Alexius or even your mother can do about it. Why fight when your fate's already been decided for you?

Rushing towards the slaver, you yell a furious battle cry, as you throw yourself onto his arm, grabbing him tightly and biting his hand so that he's forced to let Alexius go. The Roman gives out a yell of pain, releasing his grip on your brother's hair. You catch a thankful expression on your brother's face before the slaver backhands you and Alexius runs towards your mother.

Now your nose is bleeding and the slaver wraps his arm around your neck, holding you firmly so that you can't break away. "Mama!" You hear Alexius cry. "Mama please don't let him take us! Don't let the man take us away!" Your mother is desperately trying to hold on to him, but your father is stronger, and manages to pry her hands away.

"Come here you little brat!" The Roman yells, grabbing Alexius by the collar and dragging you both away.

"No!" Your mother screams, reaching out towards you as your father pulls her back and she finally realizes that there's nothing she can do. "No, please! Please!" She begs, before collapsing on the ground and breaking into hysterical sobs.

You and Alexius are both crying out for your mother, struggling against the slaver's grip, but your efforts are futile. The man drags you out of your home, your mother's sobs growing more and more distant until the pair of you are thrown into a donkey-drawn cart. He uses his weight to hold you down, while tying your brother's hands together with a thick rope, and securing the end of that rope to the cart. Once Alexius is tied up, the slaver makes a start on binding your hands, laughing as you repeatedly manage to struggle free of his grasp before he can tie your hands together.

"Looks like your father was right! You're bloody strong for your age." He taunts you as he finally manages to secure the rope around your wrists. "I'll get a decent price for you!"

Once you're securely tied up, the Roman slaver makes his way to sit in the front and shakes the donkey's reigns to urge it forward. Still angry, you pull against your bonds with all your strength, which of course only makes them tighter. Giving up on that, you start trying to chew through the rope, but don't make much progress since it's so thick. It's then you notice that unlike you, Alexius isn't fighting anymore. He's sitting in the corner of the cart, crying quietly to himself. "Alexius!" You yell his name, scolding him since he's not looking for a way to escape. But it only takes you a second to realize there's no point in yelling. Your brother's already given up.

"She's gone." Alexius sobs, desperately trying to catch his breath. "Mama's gone and we'll never see her again!"

"Shut your mouth or I'll come back there and shut it for you!" The Roman says, urging his donkey to go faster.

You want to keep fighting. You want to tell your brother it's not true, that you'll both get away if you just keep fighting, but the longer you struggle against the ropes, the further you get from home. Even if you were to break free, the slaver would only catch you and drag you back again. There was nothing you could do.

Turning back towards your house, you see it slowly fade into the distance until just a small light in the window is the only thing you can make out. "I love you Mama." You whisper into the wind. A last goodbye that no one will ever hear.