Artrenos

4: Weakest Link

The night I told Aurum about Beau, I snuck into the servant housing located right outside the temple I resided in. I pulled on his blanket and he awoke.

"A-Athena? Wha-What are you doing here?" He whispered.

"Come with me."

He nodded quickly and I headed to the entrance of the building. Beau got dressed and we exited together. With our hands intertwined, we entered my room. I jumped on to my bed and he quickly followed.

"Where are you from?" I asked, cupping my hand on his cheek.

"The city of Brow." He smiled, his hands in his lap.

"What's your family like?"

"My father runs the city and my mother grows flowers of great beauty. They aren't nearly as beautiful as you," He smiled.

"Why are you a servant here?" I questioned, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"I ran away," He answered, still playing with my hair.

"Why?" I asked, letting my hand fall into my lap.

"I was considered the weakest link between my siblings and I overheard my father telling some one to kill me," He laid down and looked at me. I laid down beside him and fell asleep to the sound of his heart.

I awoke at sometime in the night to feel that Beau was gone. I felt saddened by his presence missing, but I forced myself to fall back asleep.

The next time I woke up, Beau was tapping my arm. He sat down on my bed and whispered, "I have bad news."

"What?" I replied, rubbing my eyes and sitting up.

"I just found out that you're going to marry someone else."

"How do you know?" I asked him.

"I overheard your father," Beau handed me a piece of paper with small writing on it. "I wrote down what your father was talking about. It's my older brother."

The note said that I was to be with a man named Arcus when I come of age. Two tears streamed down my face as Beau pulled me in and held me. I held on to his shirt and sobbed. I pulled away and wiped my tears. Beau and I kissed, then I left, taking the note with me.

I approached my father's room with precaution. Soldiers, advisors, and servants popped into his room at random times.

"Father?" I said sweetly.

"Yes my child?" He answered, turning to face me.

"What is this?"

"What is what?"

"This," I stepped up to him, flashing the paper about his face. He took it from my hand and read it. "when we're you going to tell me I'm getting married?"

"I forgot about this," He stated handing it back to me. "Don't worry about it too much."

"How am I supposed to not worry about it when my heart belongs to another?"

"To who? That servant boy from Brow? He is worthless Athena! Arcus comes from a great and rich family." My father argued.

"Beau comes from the same family." I stated. My father laughed and looked up at me.

"Beau was killed off for being a weakling in his father's eyes."

"Beau is a servant here."

My father chuckled to himself. "You're wrong as always. Don't let you little heart believe what others say."

I calmly walked out of his room and once I was out of his sight, I ran. I didnt know where I was running, or where I was trying to go, but I ran. I swiftly turned corners and started to climb up the houses and ran on the rooftops. I tripped and started slipping and turning off a roof. I caught myself at the last second and pulled myself up from the edge of the shingled top. I sat down and laid on my back. I remember my mother telling me about what the Americas used to be like. The inklings and remains of it are mostly found in the east. The monuments they built are barely standing, but they're there. The cities of the civilization are different, but I try to image what it was like. It's hard to paint in my mind because there's little evidence they existed. Books of a different language are difficult to decipher.

I got off of the roof by sliding down and hanging myself off the edge. I let go and landed on my feet. I walked through the large crowds who were returning to their homes and I, like the tired workers, returned to mine. I skipped dinner and went into my room.

"Athena? You should really eat. I brought you some dinner," Aurum stated and set the dinner on a small table.

"Don't return to my room ever again Aurum."

"Why? What did I do?" Aurum asked in a concerned tone.

"You know."

"I'll be out of your way." She started to leave but turned around. "Be careful with what you're doing."

I ignored her weak warning. If she was trying to scare me, I didn't work. I looked at the tray she brought in. I didn't want to eat, so I took the tray down to the kennels. The golden furred dogs barked at me with hungry mouths and I gave them each a piece of the cooked meat. I returned the tray to the preparation area and went into my room. I went to sleep with thoughts of everything that was happening to me. Ever since the celebration, my life has been abnormal. Maybe it would always be so erratic, maybe not.