Calliope Njo: End of the War

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End of the War

Calliope Njo

I was sent to find a new place for a retiring army. The king explained that he no longer needed a detachment at every point. He also told me that chances were that there were abandoned castles or landowner manors scattered about. It was my duty to find one and prepare it to be lived in.

I had been searching for about three suns and haven’t found any. If I did, they were too crumbled to be fit to be lived in. Even for a servant like me. The change of seasons meant a lot of wind and with a structure like that, it wouldn’t do any good.

About to turn around and face three lashings for failure, I found something. It was on the outskirts of the defined area but still within the bounds of the empire. I rechecked the map, and as I guessed, it was right outside the specified border. Not a complete failure because I did find something.

It hadn’t been empty for long. Sure, there were leaves and tree branches lying around, but the windows were still intact. The staircase that led up to the top floor was usable as well. It looked like it needed a good cleaning. I knew if I told the king, he would get together at least a handful of other servants to clean the place. This would be good.

It was near the end of my allotted time when I returned to the castle. I got five lashings for not returning sooner. I told the king what I found and he smiled. As I expected, he gathered five other servants, and we left to clean the abandoned house. Since I found it, I got to choose to stay as a reward. If I fail, it would be ten lashings with a bullwhip. That was the one that left a lot of pain and a lot of marks. Everything was left up to the king’s discretion. I might have thought I was successful, but it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t think so.

The five of us worked day and night to clean. The only area we couldn’t clean was the top floor where the lord of the manor would’ve been. Someone somehow dragged a fallen tree inside and laid it across the stairway. About to finish, somebody walked through the door. His shoulders sagged, and his eyes were downcast. The sword dragged on the floor. The sun was up, and it burned away the morning chill. I could tell, though, that he shivered. He dragged himself to me, took off everything he had on, and dropped them at my feet.

I learned early on where to look instead of the naked body in front of me. I didn’t dare ask him anything. I let him pass before I ran to the kitchen to heat the water. The fireplace in the main room wouldn’t be large enough to hold the large metal cauldron filled with water. When the water had bubbles on the top, I gathered the others, and we dumped the water into the bathing tub. Well, the original purpose was to hold material to be washed, but the original tub was in ruins.

I guided the man, and he climbed in. He said something, I think, but I couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. He lay back and closed his eyes. I left him alone and shut the doors. It would be a while before he would emerge. Most did.

I went back and picked up his things. The markings on the shoulder told me he was a commander. An elite fyrd if I read the markings on the other shoulder right. He wore the outfit long and hard. The smell and the sweat marks proved that. Once stained they are no good to use. I sent one of the servants to search for new garments.

The sword and dagger was taken to the nearby village to be redone. I didn’t know what the drawings on the handle meant but they had to mean something. It wasn’t my place to decide to destroy them. That was up to our visitor.

My station in life was as a servant and messenger. That was my right. As such, it was my right to decide what to do and how to go about getting it done.

I checked on him every now and again and he was still in the bath. The water had to be cold. I couldn’t change the water while he lay in it. His skin would be scorched.

At the same time the servant returned, he emerged from the bath. I went in and gave him a wrap. He looked up and gave me a bit of a smile. Not quite a full smile and not quite a straight face either.

I retrieved the garments from the servant and brought them to him. He cocked his head and smiled. I nodded as I heard the silent, please help.

I held out the underwear to be put on first. It wasn’t cold but sometimes it was comfortable. The shirt was a dark green the vest and pants were a dark brown color. The boots he came in with were stained with more than sweat. I found a pair in a village nearby and hoped they would fit. After everything was put on, he looked much better.

The rain started and that meant nothing could be done outside. He walked up the stairs and I followed. There was a room on the second floor and he went inside. He turned around the room once before walking to the corner and picked up various items.

“Sir, that is for us to do. You need to rest, as it has been a long journey.” When the king found out, he would beat me beyond a simple lashing.

“I might as well do something. See if there’s something to put all of this in, so when it stops raining, I can drag or pull it along with me outside.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Before you go, what’s your name? I am Levi, from the eastern areas. Commander, that is former Commander of the elite fyrd in charge of securing the royal family.”

I knew that, but I couldn’t say anything. “My designation is 138B. I was given a name once, but I couldn’t keep it.” I pointed to the area where it was burned onto my skin.

He turned around to face me as he stood. “Designation? Servants with designations were done away with because of the conflict. It was an easy way to get more people into our troops.”

“Only the men and the useless ones were sent out as a means of controlling the servant population. As the King ordered.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” He scratched his head. “Uh… I’ll come with you, and we’ll finish this discussion about designation while we’re looking.”

It wasn’t normal for things like this to happen. He was an unusual man. He didn’t even look to see if I was telling the truth.

There was still a bunch of things left in piles around the property. With everything piled in them, it often took a long time to clear them. Dirty pieces of cloth were put into one pile, rotten food into another, rotting corpses and bare bones in another, and so on. An easy task, yes, but everything was dumped all at once.

I was following behind him, as was my duty, when the sentries signaled someone approaching. I called back out for one of them to give me any details.

One of the young boys came to me. “We saw a man coming here. About as tall as our guest. Too dark to see what he looked like. He wore a cloak or a cover and traveled on an old steed.”

“Where did you see him?”

“Coming from the Western areas, about half a distance. Somebody said that those areas are empty. Nothing there. No life.”

I nodded and shooed him away. I felt breath on my neck and I turned around. It was our guest.

“What’s the report?”

“Sir, it is not of interest to any guest. It is for me to deal with.”

“How about if we decide now that any visitor we have I will be made aware of. Hm?”

I nodded. “A strange man approaches. They don’t know who the stranger is or even what he may look like. He doesn’t have any markings.”

He nodded. “All right. The war is done but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be cautious. I’ll keep him out here until I can determine who our visitor is.”

I called out to the sentries to be cautious. I saw them scatter among the trees as they waited on the branches. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I watched the approaching stranger.

The closer he came, the more I grew wary. “I don’t know, Sir. His ride drags.” A person who doesn’t care for their steed or dragorse couldn’t be good.

“Do we have any food?:

“Yes, sir. Would you be needing some?”

“For two. Do we have anything to drink?”

“I know that there is a village not far from here on the other side. Some of the other servants went to see about getting some. Sometimes a simple trade will get us what we need. They should be back soon.”

The closer the stranger came, the more a smile crept on the commander’s face. They might be war friends. I heard the different words exchanged between them, and that was the only thing I could guess. With hard shoulder pats mixed with laughter, it confirmed that guess. The gatherers brought back food, while others brought back mead from a neighboring village.

I spent time in the cooking area with other owners, so it didn’t take much to figure out what to cook and how. Men such as these would be interested in a good ale. Problem was though, it wasn’t the season for it. Plus I heard they could only produce a half crop of the grain necessary to make the ale.

Once the food finished cooking, I sent the other servants to take them the food. I knew the servants were hungry, but our time would come when everybody else was fed. The younger ones brought the dirty dishes while the rest cleaned the eating area. It wouldn’t be good for a lot of bugs to creep around.

I stood and watched the little ones. I couldn’t believe they were abandoned. They didn’t have to stay but they did. One of them told me they did because they didn’t have anyplace to go.

Enough of that, I needed to watch the visitors to be sure everything was indeed all right. They laughed and drank well into the night before they collapsed on the ground. Former owners would hit me if I didn’t take care of them. However, they also hit me when I did take care of them. Drunk or not. I opted to take care of them.

I kept the fire going and blanketed them both. I touched their forehead to cheek to see if they had any heat. Since both of them seemed all right, I continued to clean up around them. It was only a little bit before dawn would break when I finished. The commander was the first to be aroused.

He groaned as he sat up. “Uh… Maisie, I need a bath, I think.”

I heard the name, but I didn’t know who he was referring to. “Maisie?”

“It sounds a lot better than the given designation. Start a bath for me, would you? See about getting some food for the morning feast.”

“Yes, sir.”

It would take a while, but I could boil the water while I prepared the food. The warm morning brew would have to wait, though. I covered the food with a cloth to be sure they would be all right.

I went to check on our guest, but a hand covered my mouth, and I was pulled backwards. Someone slapped my face. “I need a little satisfaction. You are, after all, a servant. You can’t say no.”

I couldn’t kick or even bite, I had to give in. He pulled up my skirt after he lowered his pants. Another hand reached over my shoulder as I moved my head out of the way. The visitor fell to the floor.

“To think, we once fought side-by-side during the war. Now, you take a woman without question. Huh? Are you a dog?”

“You didn’t see the whole incident. You don’t even know what I had to do to get here. I was promised things.”

This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. I was a servant messenger. That was it. That was all. No one was supposed to protect me.

They pushed each other outside, and the fighting started again. Something about it being a better place to work out their differences. I needed to clean everything up. There was still a lot of work to do.

I went all the way up to the uppermost floor and threw out everything that was in it. I found a piece of parchment on the floor by the window but nothing to write with.

I started to clean out the fireplace when I realized a small piece could be used in place of a quill. That would be perfect.

I made many trips up and down the stairs to finish cleaning that area, but the arrival of the Commander put that to a halt. Heavy breathing, bloody nose, split lip, bruised face, and more on his body that I couldn’t see at that point.

I had an owner once, that taught me what to use, and how to apply a healing rub. The ingredients grew all around so it was only a matter of putting it together. It took time, but I got it done. I remembered watching the sun go from its highest point to about midway down.

He found a seat that didn’t collapse. There was also a table that I could use to set things down on. It took only four trips instead of the eight I thought it would take. After washing the areas caked with blood, he put his head on my chest.

“Sir?”

“Levi. I didn’t miss the fighting, but I had no choice.” He looked up at me. “How did he know you were a servant?”

“I still am, and he probably saw my owner’s emblem tattooed on me or my designation number. I don’t know.”

He nodded. “The sun hit the right spot, and I saw what you were trying to tell me. It doesn’t change anything.” He put his arms around me. “Jessen and I…. He and I formed a bond. We were war friends. In the middle of this great battle, the king decided to split the forces. I was ordered to stay here. Jessen and about ten men left us to travel to the south to prevent the foemen from coming. He was hothearted when he received the orders. I remember he threw the scroll so hard it put a hole in the wall. It was an unprotected area, so the king felt another army put in that area would help. The battle is done, it’s finished. He finds me and tells me I should know better than to befriend a servant. That was not the man that was.”

He wept on me, and all I could do was rub his back. His heart hurt from such a loss. Should he have known this might happen? I suppose he should have but that didn’t excuse the feeling of betrayal he had to be feeling.

He stood and left the room while I returned outside to find out why the call. The sentries must’ve saw or heard something. I went outside and our new guest had taken one of the other servants that came to assist.

I couldn’t arm myself, but I could use any object that didn’t have a blade or a killing tip. I picked up a large scoop and hit him over the head with it. He fell to the floor.

He stood by me. “All right, two of you, pick up the body and take it as far away as you can. He should be out for a while.”

I looked at him before I bowed my head. “I am sorry, Sir. However, you wish to—”

He covered my mouth with his hand. “Shh.” He removed his hand. “You did what you thought you had to do. I heard the Sentries’ call and thought I would find out what happened. Please call me Levi. Sir, is gone. He’s retired. All right?”

This situation was getting strange. I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

“Good. Oh and Maisie, I saw his ride. It might be better off if it was dead.”

I nodded and told two of the other servants to take care of it. I turned around and watched as he returned to the manor. Strange man that was. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but not that.

The old warriors still barked out orders even after their time was done. I thought all the warriors did that. I was wrong.

With things getting better outside, I returned inside and went back to cleaning the uppermost room. I made a list of things that would help me to remember what the room needed. I drew a picture only to help keep things in order. I left it behind because it was nearing time for the last meal of the day.

I thought about where to get the supplies. There was a caravan of craftsman that traveled from the nearest point to the farthest. What that meant nobody knew, only that they did.

There was still some food left over, so that was used to create the upcoming meal. I went around the house to pick up some wood, and that was where I saw the blood. I wasn’t sure from who, so I hoped that both fighters learned something.

“Maisie?” I heard the voice but couldn’t locate where it came from. “Maisie?” Levi stuck his head outside from the room upstairs and waved me towards him.

I told the other servants to continue with preparations while I went upstairs to find out why he needed me. I stood in the doorway while he looked at the list.

“Oh, Maisie. I see the list, but I think you’re missing something. According to this diagram, there is one sleeping cushion on here. There’s enough room in here for two.”

He could read Old World. “Sir. Levi, I wrote that in Old World, the language of servants.”

He laughed. “Yes, you did. Despite what others might think, the servant class is not uneducated, as they found a way to communicate. That and I learned Old World when I was a trainee along the Western coast.”

“I see, Levi. Uh… the meal will be ready in a little bit. Would you like to bathe?”

“Later. OK? I have to go back to the castle in a little while, and I’ll bring this list with me. Not too much needs to be modified. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you.” That never happened.

“Promise to keep the place for me while I’m gone?”

I didn’t know how to explain this, but it was necessary. “Levi, unless special permission has been granted, this land could be occupied by another during your absence.”

“Yes. I know. This property is part of the reason why I have to go. The other is you.”

“I am his property. He would not sell me and might laugh at you for suggesting something such as buying damaged goods.”

“You let me take care of that while the cleanup continues. All right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He looked at me and smiled. “You know, the aroma from the cooking area is very enticing. We could experience a good meal with good mead. Huh?”

It was his orders. so I had to comply. I appreciated the offer. However, it was not normal. It wasn’t how things were done. Could it be a leftover feeling from the ending of the war?

As time went by, the area got cleaner and Levi did leave for the castle. It would take a while before he returned. The castle was at least three days away in one direction. I remembered counting the suns on my way back.

A lot of wiping, sorting, and a few repairs here and there, the house did look a lot better than when I arrived. Thanks to the sentries, I found out we needed to redo the roof. Too many holes up there. I didn’t check after the recent rain, but before the summer storms arrive, we needed to patch over the holes.

The other servants went to work on fixing that roof. I went to the village to see what I could find that I could trade for. A cow that somebody said was done providing milk, but I found out it wasn’t done quite yet. I got one bucket the following morning. A few pieces of material that they couldn’t find a use for, and some grain sacks that could be used as a headrest.

The shed off to the side of the house, I could use to stay in as servants were never allowed in the main house unless it was for the owners. I heard the sentries’ call for attention. I thought it would be Levi but it was a group. It was hard to tell with them being far away. The dust concealed their exact number.

They could be either the traveling caravan or a raiding party. They needed to be kept under observation. The wind blew a little, and in it, there was an unknown energy. It couldn’t be explained other than that. A sort of other thing that was often called one’s vision after a good night of ale.

I stayed up that night waiting to see what would happen. There was an unknown group out there, and it made me feel uneasy. We didn’t have weapons. We had what we had, and that wasn’t much.

I sat on a big rock in the back of the house. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see who it was. “Sir?”

“I haven’t been gone that long. What are you doing back here?”

“There’s an unknown group out there and nothing to say what they want. We don’t have anything.”

“Around this time, various groups will set out in search of something. New land, new dwelling, new hope. That could be it.”

“I don’t know, Sir. I don’t know. I can’t send anyone out there with the risk of weapons. They haven’t moved any.”

“I wouldn’t worry. I have some news from the king that I need to discuss with you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Levi.”

I followed behind him. He went upstairs and into his room. There was a messenger bag by the door, which seemed filled with scrolls. He pulled one out and opened it. “This one is a note to me reminding me that a new addition to the family must be approved by the parents. That one was from my mother.” He put that one away and pulled out another one. It took a minute before he put it down. “Maisie… I talked about this property and you to the king. He told me that as long as he owned the property, he owned you as well.” He circled the room. “Not what I wanted. I tried making a deal with him, and I was able to. I could keep the house and you, but I had to send back the others. What he sent was what he wanted back, and that was five. I counted eight, though. Where did the other three come from?”

“Sir, the last three were children left on the side of the road They stay here because there is no where else for them to go. They are the ones that stay up in the trees and watch.”

“All right. We will send back five which leaves this property and you and me with three potential full sentries. That will come later. The items on the list you made will be here in about three days. Along with that my parents will be here. Were you able to clean up the rest of the house?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Levi. Then we’ll put them in my current room, putting them closer to the main part of the house. Father doesn’t move around as well as he should.”

“Yes, Levi.”

He smiled. “Any questions?”

“No, Levi. Not just yet.”

“All right. When something arises, you let me know.”

“Yes, Levi.”

He laughed. “I’m going to go see about what sort of changes have been made. We’ll worry about the group later.”

“Did you find a ride?”

“Yes. There’s a band of keepers in between us and the castle. I got one from them.” He patted my shoulder and walked out.

Maybe he didn’t see it yet, but I did return the sword and dagger to him. I laid them on his sleeping cushion. It was not up to me to retire them. It was up to him. A new day arrises later, maybe then, we will find out who our distant visitors are.

Please visit Calliope on her blog: https://calliopenjosstories.home.blog

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