Spirit Tether

Chew, Chew! The sounds of teeth meeting food when eating and swallowing. Monare sat on a small wooden stool, eating the meal that was on the table slowly and steadily. The last thing he wanted was to choke to death when he ate the first delicious dish in a long time.

He ate with dignity, imitating how the Arthesians handled tools such as spoons, forks, and knives. After he finished drinking the soup with the spoon without even getting any bits of it on his mouth, he chopped up an apple with a knife and then put it in his mouth with a fork.

Asterios, his bodyguard Quinn, his daughter Flora, and his wife Hera were all watching Monare eat while their mouths were still gaping, as if the shock had not yet finish hitting them.

When Monare finished, he got a napkin and wiped his mouth with it. He also repressed a burp by putting four fingers on his mouth; he smiled at the three people and said:

"You have questions I presume?"

Asterios awoke from his daydream and wanted to ask, but his wife beat him to it.

"Just who are you?"

Monare reacted with some sarcasm:

"I am slave who just told his name is Monare and also Glove"

"I understood that part well, I am just…"

Monare responded to Hera's perplexed unanswered query with a raised eyebrow "Confused".

"Yes, I am astounded by your ability to converse with us Arthesians so fluently. How is that possible? It took Quinn nearly five years to learn how to speak to us properly.

Monare looked at Quinn and murmured something to him in the common language of the Southerners, with which he was stumbling:

"The child does not need to hear this or are you ready to tell her that her people took my homeland from us?"

Quinn nodded, and Asterios asked:

"What did he say?"

Quinn remained silent for a second in consideration before saying:

"Flora can you go get the chicken into the pen, Mommy, Daddy and your new friend need to talk… okay?"

Flora stared at her parents, who nodded in response. She smiled again and left the adults to their conversation.

Monare took a breath and said:

"I had an Arthesian adopted father"

Hera inquired immediately:

"Who was he, were you formerly a slave, and didn't Arthesian embark on this slave trade around a month ago?"

"To answer your question, I never inquired for his name; instead, I addressed him as Father or Uncle. No, this is the first time I've been sold as a slave, and indeed, the Arthesian began the conquest about a month ago and is still struggling to conquer the northern kingdoms."

Hera paused for a bit before Asterios interjected and asked:

"Didn't the slave merchant say you are prisoner of war?"

"No, I am not, they just caught me when I was heading somewhere"

Asterios simply nodded and inquired, his expression going dull and sad:

"What of your adopted father and family?"

Monare provided an answer:

"My adopted father abandoned me when I was nine years old, and I had to fend for myself for nearly five years with the knowledge he left me with. This includes the languages of the Arthesians, Northern barbarians, bone-scavenger tribes to the east, and so on."

Asterios was astonished and saddened at the same time, gesturing for Quinn to leave and care after Flora, who was outside, which he did.

When Asterios motioned for Hera to sit close to the slave, Monare realized that Asterios had figured out what he was going to do in Onskeard. Monare, despite being a spy, had a rationale for allowing torture for information. He worked for himself.

He intended to take action here since he knew that his father had left him a treasure in the Onskeard ruins. A spiritual treasure that will help him stabilize and improve his tether.

Asterios took a breath and inquired:

"You came here for information about your father, right?"

Monare assumed Asterios was not far away, and he responded:

"That is one way to put it"

Hera then asked:

"You are not here for revenge right?"

Monare had visions of children throwing stones at him, being leashed for stealing food, and being chased out of the hamlet for speaking in a tongue they believed to be of witches and devils.

Monare scoffed and wanted to laugh out, but he controlled himself and responded:

"Not really, my people believed that I was a demon sent to curse them all," he laughed and continued:

"An Arthesian was my only family; my mother died during childbirth." I know who my birthfather is. I simply refuse to go to him or see him. That monster," Monare murmured, his face veiled in shadows cast by the fading sun, his eyes dull and empty.

Hera and Asterios exchanged glances, a chill going down their spines, as Monare closed his eyes and added:

"But I want to be a slave, and I will regard you as my masters. Even if you want to treat me like a regular employee with a salary, I don't want that. I will be fine being feed table scrubs like a dog, I am used to it. Also, I will continue posing as your daughter's bodyguard until you are ready to inform her what is going on, so what do you think of these terms?"

Hera grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"I was not going to treat you differently even if you spoke Husband's mother tongue"

"Hey," Asterios said, feeling bad, "Are you sure about us treating you like the rest of the slave?"

"Just because I was reared by an Arthesian does not distinguish me from any other slave. My skin color determines my position in Onskeard's food chain. Sir, please treat me like your wife would. understood, sir.

Asterios was quiet and melancholy; he had experienced slavery himself. He was one when the Arthesians attacked and fought for his native country, and he was seized to become a gladiator slave. After fighting for his release, he became wealthy and established a farm. To establish his thesis, he married an Arthesian woman and bore children with her.

Nonetheless, that fairy-tale was shattered when the woman cheated on him and took everything he possessed; the gods punished him for his greed and pride; and he was forgiven when he was given a woman who loved him simply for his personality and being himself.

He then had Flora with that woman, who was from high society. Hera recognized that Monare had more Arthesian in him than any other slave she knew, with the exception of those who were bastards for the nobles who couldn't control their lust.

She wanted to treat the child like a son, and she knew he was correct: he was acquired as a slave, not as an orphan. She hated the judging eyes of everyone in this metropolis, and she knew gossip spreads quickly, especially among women.

Monare rose from his seat and inquired politely:

"What is you need me to do, masters?"

Hera got into character, stood towering over Monare, and added:

"What else, Slave? After cleaning the bowl and the utensils you just used, tidy the back room where you'll be sleeping in, and then take over Quinn's duty tonight to guard the livestock.

Monare was surprised that it did not take much coaxing to persuade her to do her part, so he grinned and bowed:

"Yes milady"