Book 1: Chapter 6 | Sagittae Cupidis

“I ask you for leaves, yet you return with a box.” Pliny begins to walk towards her. “Were you able to find them?”

Barbara expected Pliny to be eager for the samples, but was surprised to see Arachna was watching too.

“Yes I got those too, she held the box awkwardly hoping for someone to take it from her.”

Pliny offered his hands to take the box, but Arachna ran ahead and grabbed it.

“What’s in it?” She asked excitedly about the shake it. Barbara panicked.

“No don’t Gentle! Its a beehive” She almost shouted. Arachna froze, almost dropped it, before pliny took it from her.

“You found a beehive?” Plinius looked both impressed and surprised.

It was Barbara's turn to bounce and be excited. “It still has some bees and larva in it. Perhaps we can…”

“We can certainly try., and even if we can’t the wax itself will be of great value for more candles and tablets.”

“And the honey!” Arachna added,

Pliny held the box, Arachna, grab a potshard, and make a request to Julius to meet with us, we need to make the specifications for a beehive, and we will need to find a space to place the bees. They have to be relatively far away from the village, but close enough to regularly gather…”

“Father, the samples!” Arachna interrupted him.

Pliny stopped for a moment,

“Of course, I didn’t mean for my mind to wander.”

He turned away from the two and looked back at the table near the window.

He then gestured to Barbara to the table.

“Place what you found here.”

She nods and with Arachna’s eager stare, and Pliny’s nonchalant expression. Barbara provides him with a collection of whole plants and leaves.

“Which one is it?” Arachna looked impatiently at the collection on the table as if it was a puzzle. “I thought it was going to be a berry.”

Pliny turns to one of the piles of small plants with tiny yellow-white buds, and red roots, still caked with dirt. He grabs one and shows it to her.

“Ohhh, so the flowers, we use those to make “Naples Yellow?”

Pliny responds quickly. “No and No, Naples Yellow is not suitable for clothing, and is made from lead.” He sets the box down gently, then shows the roots to Arachna. Barbara is looking from a distance.

“These roots, when we boil them, will produce a dye that can be either a strong yellow, orange, or light red, depending what we add to it.”

Arachna takes the tiny plant with her hand, and looks at it carefully. “That sounds like it will take a lot of plants.”

Pliny nodded. “Which is why for now you are only going to make a few threads, as a sample. “The others will be grown in the fields. Near our new bees.”

“I’ll get the pot and some water.” Arachna turned on her heels and she started to walk off, before her eyes met the a curious Barbara.

“We are experimenting with Spider silk and yellow dye.” Arachna beamed.

“That sounds like it would be very pretty.” Barbara suggested, trying to compliment her. Arachna almost looked hurt.

“Its not just pretty!” Arachna responded. “If I can make different colors, we can start color coding our threads. And ropes. It will be really helpful for…”

Arachna caught herself, especially as she noted the door behind Barbara started to open.

“Stuff.”

Et tu Arachne?

“Ah -ha!” Barbara pounced. “You are in on it too! What webs are you weaving with The Pompaniani…”

Arachne put her hands over her mouth.

“She can’t answer that, Barbara, she is sworn to secrecy…you can wait like everyone else.”

The deep rich voice of Pompanianus bellowed through the door. He opened it with one hand and walked in. Wearing a long cloth he folded into the traditional toga, his status demanded of him. He strode past the girls and embraced Pliny, and the two exchanged Pleasantries. While Pompanianus helped himself to a glass of cider from Pliny’s table.

Barbara was about to walk off herself, she would like to change into fresh clothes, until another figure entered the room.

Alexander.

He walked in wearing his father, Pompanianus’ metal armor and cloak. His father’s sword sheathed along his belt and leather skirt pointing down to his sandals.

Amazing that he is trusted with such rare equipment. And that it fits him so well.

While most of the elves, had been growing from thin wispy things to more durable types, none had taken to the Roman tradition as Alexander. Barbara noted, that she could see his figure, thin for a human, but large for an elf.

She also noted he lacked the hairiness, of his Adopted father, who while clean shaven was covered in black hair, while Alexander’s body like all elves was smooth.

Like a girl…No!

No elf would ever mistake his long legs between the leather skirt and the boots as feminine, given their sturdy masculine shape and…

Suddenly Alexander turned and crouched down to meet Barbara’s downward glancing eyes. He smiled with a big toothy smile like he just caught an animal.

“Salve Barbara, Good to see you too.”

“Ah!”

Barbara jumped her face beat red as she staggered and fell backwards. Arachna caught her and snickered at her.

“Sorry, Alexander, I think she was lost in thought.”

Barbara’s face was beet red now. Pompanianus laughed a rich hearty laugh, and Plinius shook his head.

“Cupid has fired upon our village, old man.” Pompanianus smiled while looking at the flustered elf.

Pliny feigned irritation. “Yes, a whole accursed volley of them. And yet we march on unshielded.” “The whole town stinks of youthful longings. I can't trust a single one of them to go fetch something without them sighing and idling to make glances at each other.”

“Why do you speak of this like it's a problem?” Pompanianus looked at Alexander, Barbara and Arachna. “For the first time in their lives they are well fed and well cared for. We should treat their “extracurricular pursuits” as a sign of our success, my friend.”

Pliny threw up his hands and balked. Alexander moved towards the conversation.

“No Pliny is right, Father, there is so much left to do! We do not have the iron needed to make swords and nails, let alone armor. We should be chasing glory, not each other, right Barbara!

He turned to her with a warm smile. Either the irony was lost on him or he was teasing her.

You could never tell with him.

She just nodded quickly. Trying to ignore the hypocrisy in her ascension.

Pompanianus changed the topic. “Now speaking of well fed bellies. I was hoping to ask your help Barbara, to help prepare for the feast.” He turned to offer Barbara a glass.

Barbara was eager to change the topic. And accepted the vinegary drink, realizing her throat was parched. She took a sip.

“Oh, is this for your little project that no one can tell me about?”

Pompanianus nodded.

“I would like you and Alexander to go and capture a live Blemmiye.”

What!

It wasn’t that bizarre of a request, she has had to do so twice before now, but usually with a team, and Pompanianus or Pliny present.

“You want us to go? Alone!”

“Do you not think you can?” Pompanianus asked, letting the soft intonation of disappointment reverberate.

“No of course we can…I’m just surprised…why?”

“All in good time.” Besides pompanianus walked towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder turning her away from Alexander and the others. He spoke softly.

“I need to finish preparations, and Alexander, he’s …. Expecting a little too much excellence from his kinsmen. I would hate to see such a promising son die of fratricide so young.”

Barbara nodded. “I don’t think my horse is rested enough for a blemmiye.”

Alexander interrupted them. “Use your flight suit, you can ride back with me on Bucephalus, when we finish.”

“Oh…don’t you need me for anything right now, father?”

Pliny shook his head, and turned back to his work. “No, you have already helped me. Now go, remember you are coming back with a Blemiye, not a baby!”

Barbara choked.