Jessica Verotis' earliest memories were of her father training the students at his academy. His shouting of commands and the students immediate reaction to them. Also standing out in her memory was the large wooden eagle on the wall in the main room of the family villa. She always imagined it staring down at her, the pair of gladius clutched in its talons, watching over her and the household. The large wingspan was wider than she was tall. The eagle was the symbol of their city state, New Pompeii. At every meal she would sit with her back to that eagle. As she ate, she imagined it was watching over her and protecting her and her father while they ate.
In her younger days, her father would have been happier if she would have spent her time learning to sew or cook or weave or any other "ladylike" skill. Instead she spent her days watching him train with his men, swordsmanship, tactics, unit movement, she would just sit on the balcony overlooking the courtyard and watch. What the men down there didn't realize was that she wasn't just staring down at them, she was studying them. Trying to learn what they were learning. Every day she was out there without fail in both blazing sun and pouring rain.
One day she wasn't on the balcony anymore. Her father had been looking up every so often and there she was. Then one day he looked up there and she wasn't anywhere to be found. He felt a bit of relief that maybe she had found something more appropriate to do then after a while he began to get a bit panicked when he remembered who he was thinking about. This small stubborn girl who had grown up without a mother. She had only ever known her father's way. He gave the command and his men took a minute to go and rest. He hurried to the house to find where she had gone. After questioning the servants and searching her room thoroughly he stormed back to the inner courtyard to have his men form search parties to begin searching the town. As he entered the courtyard he let out a short laugh. There she was this little nine year old girl changed out of her normal dress and into a light and worn working clothes, the kind of thing she would use to work in the gardens. She was carrying an arm-full of the wooden gladius swords and was walking them to the corner of the courtyard that held the storage area for the equipment. He smiled gently at his daughter and asked her what she was doing.
"Father, you and your boys never clean up after yourselves. You make a mess with your shields and swords leaving them all over the place when you are finished training. What this place needs is a woman's touch to make things organized." she was saying exactly what she needed to say. She knew if she said that she just wanted to watch up close her father, he would have sent her away. But this way he wouldn't have a choice but to let her be, because what she said was true and it made it at least seem like she was trying to act like a lady.
Her father stood a little taller and told her to carry on. He had a sneaking suspicion she had some ulterior motive, she always did when she spoke like that with him. But when she had made up her mind there was no changing it.
She took the training swords and began putting them in the rack on one of the walls, She was happy to just be allowed in the training area finally. She looked around the square courtyard. In all about 40 young men in their 20s stood in a loose formation as they were waiting for her father to begin the training again. Broken wooden swords and other equipment littered the corners of the yard. As she scanned the courtyard it was then that she noticed it. Under the balcony where she always sat, a small shelf with a small carved figure on it, only about 6 inches tall. She had seen figures like this elsewhere in the house. She had visited her friends at their houses and none of them seemed to have anything like them at their houses. She finished putting the unbroken swords into the rack. Then she went around to the corners of the yard picking up the pieces that were littered all over the place. She had not been moving with any real determination. She was busier watching the men training.
Her father stood as he always did just in front of the balcony with the formation in front of him and facing him and the balcony. She liked the feeling of being up on the balcony all alone up above all the strong warriors. She imagined herself as a commander would when viewing his troops. But now she was on even ground with them, there she was this little nine year old girl walking around the formation of warriors. She watched every stroke and swing of their sword. When she had finally cleaned up most of the courtyard she found a small stool and set it up against a wall and sat and watched the training. Whenever they paused to rest she would look like she was busy and would bring them water or food. Whenever they asked for something they would always say it to her but loud enough for her father to hear and then would look at him for a response before looking for her to go get the items. He would nod and then she would run off and get the water jug or food. When the day was over she went inside before he dismissed the men. She changed back into her dress then got ready for dinner. She was surprised her father didn't mention her disappearance or her sudden appearance in the training area. It was a fairly quiet dinner that night. The next morning after breakfast she changed once again and was in the courtyard before the men had started arriving. As they came in she would hand them their training weapons. As the first man grabbed the sword from her, he stopped looked toward the balcony, and said in a loud voice as if he was speaking to someone up there, "I thank you for this gift, may I serve you with my strength."
He took the sword and walked to the center of the courtyard. It had surprised her she had never heard them say that before. She had normally waited till the training had started to go to the balcony. But now that she was in the courtyard with them she was out there much earlier. The next man entered the courtyard, took hold of the sword that she held out and same as first faced in the direction of the balcony and repeated the same words. She didn't know what force drove them to do it or who they were speaking to maybe it was her father or maybe something or someone else. Then the next and the next after him all did the same. She didn't show surprise and acted as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The men lined up just outside the gate and one at a time came in and received their sword from the young girl, speaking those words then gathering in formation in the center of the yard. Once they had all filed in she got her stool and sat and watched them.
So it went for a couple days, It was right after the midday meal in the week after she had just appeared in the training area. The instruction had just restarted, her father was pulled aside by one of the servants. He told the men to pair off and spar for a while he was to go into the city and meet with the council. The students paired off as her father left the yard. Jessica knew this was the chance she had been waiting for. The pairs of men were busy sparing and wouldn't notice her. She pulled one of the training swords off the wall and walked to one of the far corners of the yard. Her heart was pounding in her ears, she was so excited that no one had noticed her. She faced a wall and brought up the sword just like she had seen the men do so many times before. She swung the sword and it felt heavy in her small hands. She struggled to keep a hold of it at the bottom of the swing. She gripped it harder and swung again this time a upward stoke from ground to above her head. She was trying to repeat the movements she had seen the students and her father do so many times before. Then another stroke and another, she liked the feeling, finally being able to do what she had seen her father do so many times. She was starting to get into the flow of it. She stopped after a few seconds when she noticed the commotion of the men sparing starting to die down. She turned to see why they were stopping. She spun around on her heel and saw they were staring in her direction and smiling and murmuring to themselves.
"Maybe there is someone to carry the Verotis sword." said one.
"Not bad for one so young, regardless of the fact that she is a daughter." said another
"There is a child of the Empire." chimed a third in jest.
She stood there bashfully, putting the sword behind her back. She stood there for a second considering what to do then as best she could imitate her fathers voice and tone. "You had better get back to training, that is why you come to this place after all, is it not? What would my father say if he returns to find you all just standing around?" laughter erupted from the men for a second then they turned back to each other and began again. She thought it was odd that they had listened to her. She smiled sheepishly to herself and laughed under her breath as she thought that maybe it had been the imitation of her father's voice that had them listening to her. She went back to what she had been doing. Training with the rough hewn wooden sword just like all those men around her. She started to really get into all the swings and thrusts and blocks that she had seen performed a thousand times and a thousand times again. She lost herself in her movements. She lost track of the movement of time until she heard the bell sound, the signal that it was time for the evening meal. She had been at it for several hours. How had she not noticed. She let the sword tip rest on the ground and looked toward the center of the plaza and saw the men start filing their way toward the exit. She turned to head to the weapon rack to start putting the weapons back in their places.
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"Getting in a little practice I see." her father's voice echoed in her ears.
She froze in her steps.
She knew she was caught. He had been standing right behind her and she had not noticed, she was not sure how long he had been there. She hoped it had not been long but there was no way for her to be sure, short of asking him and that seemed to be a bad idea to her. She looked at his face and saw a dishonest scowl like he was trying hard to sound as upset as he was supposed to be. She knew she needed to respond but she did not know how. She stood there quietly with the wooden gladius in her hand. He stared at his daughter as if he was studying her. She was just frozen in her step, caught in the act.
He took pity on her position and gave her the much needed escape she was looking for. " you had better get over there before the men just start piling up the gear."
She was so relieved that she wasn't going to get scolded or punished. She ran over to the rack and started putting the wooden swords, shields and spears that had been removed back into their place. Once they were all returned to their proper place she headed back into the villa, through the main room and into her room. It wasn't until she started changing back into her dress for dinner that she realized just how tired she was, how much her young body ached. She was not used to the exertion. But she was happy beyond reason. She had finally been able to train. To actually pick up the sword and swing it. It had felt great, she felt strong and powerful with it in her hand, certainly none of the other girls she played with, her friends, had ever been able to do that.
The next day she woke up early and started getting ready for the day. Her father stopped her after breakfast as they were about to enter the plaza. She had known this was coming, She would have preferred to put this off of that she was certain.
"Jessica, It seems like you found something you enjoy." He said with a fatherly smile on his face.
"I think I have, father"
"If you really want to train with the men I will allow it. But there are going to be some caveats."
"Like what father?"
"First off you can't think so, if you want to do this you have to be totally dedicated, not just think it is something you want."
"Then this is want. I want to do this I want to train to be like you."
"Second, you are my daughter, a Verotis, and the daughter of your mother, if you are going to join this training then you have to be the best. I know you are going to start behind these men by several years worth of training even though you are a child and these men are adults. I expect you, my daughter, to surpass them. You must be better than any man I have ever trained."
"I can do it Father, I will do it, I will surpass them. I am your daughter I will become the greatest warrior you have ever trained."
"Lastly my daughter, and possibly the most difficult amongst these, you must know that women who become warriors are often shunned in the Empire. They struggle to get married, and most times never find love." He paused for a second, let out a sigh and with sadness in his eyes he continued. " I would be proud for my daughter to join the warrior ranks. I have struggled with how to raise you, ever since your mother lost her life bringing you to me."
Jessica's breath quickened, her father almost never spoke about her mother. She had known her mother was no longer around but she never really pressed her father for information about her.
" I do not care what others might think of me. I will follow in the footsteps of my father, I will become a warrior. I will carry the name Verotis into the next generation. I will bring pride and honor to my name and to yours as well father."
"Very well then you start your training today. As is the custom before we start the training we will hold the small ceremony to induct you and then you will start to learn, but remember you must learn quickly."
"thank you father" She had seen the ceremony before when some of the new men had arrived to start training. She knew what was expected so no explanation was required.
"And, a favor, my daughter"
"What is it you request of me, father"
"When we are in training call me by my name like the others not father. When training is done you can call me father once more. We have to keep discipline on the training field."
"Of course father"
He rose from his knee that he had sunken to while speaking so that he could speak with his daughter face to face and walked into the plaza. She looked around the yard as if for the first time. Everything seemed new and different. It wasn't different and yet it was. It wasn't just the plaza in her family villa anymore it was her training yard. Where she would learn to be like her father. Strong like him, wise like him, revered like he was.
As she scanned the training yard the statue under the balcony caught her eye again.
"What is the statue for father?"
"This old man's faith, It is a statue of Mars. We train before him that we can please him and he will bless us with strength and skill."
Mars, she had heard this name before from old men and women and their stories. They were always talking about how the younger generations were forgetting the gods and forgetting the faith that had built the Impire. There were whispers that it was why nothing new had been created in a hundred years. No great thinkers had arisen and no one had built things never seen before. They were all happy with life just as it was.
"You still follow the old gods, Father?"
"Yes, I never forced you to do the same because I believed unlike some others that a child should decide for themselves if they wish to serve the gods"
With that she walked over to the racks and opened the gates that led to outside and the first man entered and she handed him the sword. He spoke the phrase and took the sword. The words echoed in her head as she tried to really understand it. " I thank my master for this gift. May I serve him with my strength." She shuttered for a second with the realization that it wasn't her father they were speaking to it was that statue of Mars on the shelf.
When the last man had entered she stood there as her father strode to his place in front and the center of the formation. "Today we have a new warrior amongst us" The men recognized the phrase as the start of the induction ceremony. They all looked around for a new face, yet none could find one. They looked at each other in confusion. "Any who would come forth to claim the title Warrior come forward now." Again the men looked back and forth. For a moment she hesitated she knew this was the moment of her decision, that after this there was no turning back. She had made a promise to her father and to herself. This was the moment of truth where she would give up her normal life to be like her father to make her father proud.
" I would claim the title!" her voice sounding more shaky than she had hoped for. She marched her small nine year old form to the front of the formation. Standing in front of the assembled men she felt so much smaller. She fell to one knee before her father, and bowed her head. Now was her chance to give her declaration in her own words, as was the custom. She realized all to late she should have thought of what she was gonna say before now. Here she was a small young girl kneeling in front of her father at the head of the formation of forty plus young men all warriors in their own right.
"From this day on I dedicate my days to becoming one of the warrior class. Until the day I earn my own sword all my days are yours. You are now my brothers. I will not be lax on any of you and I expect the same from you."
She looked up into her father's eyes, a look of pride and almost to the point of tears if just almost. "For service to the Empire, For New Pompeii for you my brothers, and for you Markus"