Agnes Smith AGNES & THE INFIDELS Part II Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against them. God is high, supreme. - The Quran, 4:34 You shall not force your slave-girls into prostitution in order that you may make money, if they wish to preserve their chastity. If anyone compels them, God will be forgiving and merciful to them. -The Quran, 24:33 Prophet, We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have granted dowries and the slave-girls whom God has given you as booty.... - The Quran, 33:50 My enemy came nigh, And I Stared fiercely in his face. My lips went writhing back in a grimace, And stern I watched him with a narrow eye. Then, as I turned away, my enemy, That bitter heart and savage, said to me: "Some day, when this is past, When all the arrows that we have are cast, We may ask one another why we hate, And fail to find a story to relate. It may seem to us a mystery That we could hate each other." Thus said he, And did not turn away, Waiting to hear what I might have to say. But I fled quickly, fearing if I stayed I might have kissed him as I would a maid. -James Stephens, "Hate" 846 A.D. Tunisia ..... Carthage is a bustling port city, with more Saracens than you've ever seen in your life. Palermo is larger, but the fact that Europeans were mixed in the population made it seem less completely Saracen. Here, you spy only a very rare European face, and most of those you do spy appear to be slaves, like you. You and Antonella feel as if every man's eyes are on you as you step off the boat. Kemal leads you to a nearby row of stalls selling various goods made of fabric, such as tents, dresses, robes, and blankets. With a mournful expression, he fishes into his pouch and retrieves a few silver coins. This buys a pair of long, dark robes, headcoverings, and veils, and Kemal sends the pair of you to a small tent behind the fabric market to change. When you emerge, you're covered in the concealing garments, and while part of you resents this first step in your subjugation to Islamic mores, you do find that being hidden beneath a veil and cowl is liberating, in a sense; now you are anonymous, and immune to the scrutiny of all the infidel men surrounding you. He also stops at another booth, and purchases sandals for the two of you. "Do you know the history of this city, Agnes?" Kemal asks you, in almost a friendly tone as you walk on. "It was utterly destroyed, many centuries ago, in a great war with Rome. So great was the Roman hatred for their foe, that they slaughtered nine-tenths of the city's population, sold the rest into slavery, razed the city to the ground, and sowed the land with salt." "But a few decades later, they rebuilt it, as a Roman city, and it has stood here ever since, though never more than a shadow of its former glory. The Byzantines held it for a few centuries....still thinking of themselves as Romans." He snorts. "But we took Carthage....oh, about a hundred and fifty years ago, and after Uqba ben Nafi's military base became the new capital, Carthage declined still further." He gestures at the old buildings lining the streets. "There are many ghosts here." He's quiet then, as you walk along. Antonella looks around and shivers. At some sort of government building, Kemal speaks to an officious- looking Saracen soldier, and you and Antonella are obliged to sit on a bench, in a shaded corner of the courtyard, while Kemal goes inside. Antonella leans towards you. "We could make a run for it," she whispers. "That arrogant bastard didn't even leave anyone guarding us!" That arrogant bastard would, of course, know the instant he feels your Quickening fade that you're running away. You can't blame Antonella for not knowing about that, but you're tempted to ask her how she would get the two of you out of Carthage...whether she fancies she'll talk a kind infidel sea-captain into taking you back across the Mediterranean, or whether she'd rather take her chances with the fierce-looking desert tribesmen than with Kemal. Kemal emerges a short time later, still speaking to the government official. You've rarely felt so completely ignored in your life. A pair of veiled women seem to simply not exist, except for when the men choose to take notice of you. Kemal finally does, as he leads you to a stable, and says, "I am sure Agnes knows how to ride. What of you, Antonella?" The girl hesitates. "Just a little...Master. I....I've ridden ponies...." Kemal sighs. "See if you can keep her on the saddle, Agnes. I'd rather she not break her neck and add to our complications." "I will try hard not to complicate your life by breaking my neck, Master!" Antonella can't help retorting, resentfully. Not realizing just how complicated such an event would be. Kemal looks over his shoulder at the impudent slave-girl, with a frown, but chooses not to remonstrate her. You're afraid this may embolden her, and while Kemal has been somewhat kinder to the two of you since disembarking, Antonella surely won't take long to exhaust his patience again if she keeps this up. There are three main populations in Ifriqia, as the Saracens call the region; Arabs, like Kemal, who conquered North Africa two centuries ago and converted it to Islam, and now form the Aghlabid ruling class; the original coastal dwellers, descendants of Byzantines and before that, the ancient Punic settlers; and the Berbers, desert tribesmen who have supposedly converted to Islam, but still raid coastal farms and cities now and then, and occasionally need to be suppressed by the Aghlabids. Kemal tells you this as you ride out of Carthage, just the three of you on horseback. The mention of Berber raiders makes you wonder if he's being overconfident in riding alone with two women cross-country; you certainly wouldn't want to make such a trip back in Italy or Carolinga. Antonella, despite her griping and squeals of discomfort, is staying on her horse fairly well, though she's going to be very tired and raw when you arrive in Tunis. That's a blessing you've taken for granted all these years, you realize- immortals never get saddle sores. <><><><><> [Agnes] From her arrival in Carthage, she started out by noting the types of ship and where they are moored, the smallest getting the most attention; but soon they are in the town itself and the quayside was no longer visible. She kept track of the twists and turns, and a merchant's eye on the merchandise on sale, and it was these activities that had delayed the realisation that almost everyone she has seen was a Saracen male. There was no chance at all that any will be sympathetic to her cause. Escape, if it were to happen would have to be by their own devices. Kemal had spoken in an almost friendly manner, as he spoke with pride of the history of the Saracens in this land. Agnes had responded politely as appropriate, but listened not at all. She watched an alien world pass before her eyes as they walked: and despaired. As she sits in the shade with Antonella, she feels relieved at first that she is no longer the subject of constant lusting stares, but only until she realises why. They are indeed viewed as having status below the level of a horse. A horse owner would show off his steed and revel in the admiring looks it received. She was now on a par with a cart or a barrow, something a man might take to market, but only if their was a need, and no-one would pay it any attention at all. Were it not for the fact they could walk, their status would probably be on a par with the bench on which they sat. Antonella suggests her bid for freedom, and Agnes puts a restraining hand on her arm. "I have given my word Antonella. That I can do such a thing is all that distinguishes me in the eyes of men here, from a dog in the street. Please let me keep that distinction." Were it not for her word, Agnes knows that despite the quickening, and the near certain impossibility of getting away, she would have agreed to try. When Kemal asks her to keep Antonella in her saddle, and Antonella makes her quip, Agnes can't but feel sympathy for her. Agnes feels so full of despair, and she knows that for Antonella it must be worse. Seeing Kemal's frown, Agnes thinks, **She's just trying to remain human and sane.** "As you command, ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud," she replies without emotion. **And so am I.** Kemal talks on through the ride, about his barbarian land and its politics. All she registers is the distance and the terrain, and it adds to the impossibility of escape and her level of despair. What matter that she will feel free to attempt to escape - with Antonella of course - in thirty days. Where will they go? That Kemal mentions raiders concerns her not at all. It is his land, he will know what he's doing, and if he gets it wrong? So what? It wouldn't be as if things could get much worse. Even death would bring no escape from this foul land. <><><><><> [GM] 846 A.D. Tunis ..... The city of Tunis doesn't differ much from Carthage as far as you can tell, except that Carthage is obviously older, and Tunis is inland. Kemal hasn't deigned to tell you exactly why he has come to Ifriquiya, but apparently he does so under commission by the Aghlabid government. He told you he has spent the last twenty-five years in Europe, except for brief trips to the African coast, so the "household" he mentioned must not be one he's resided in before. And it turns out that it has been set up for him in anticipation of his arrival. It comes complete with three house-servants, one of whom is an attractive young native girl that you suspect will be serving other functions than dusting and cleaning. Antonella, thinking the same thing, whispers "Better her than us." Antonella still hasn't quite realized how sharp Kemal's hearing is. He turns and scowls at her, but once again, refrains from verbally disciplining her for the moment. You and Antonella are given a room to share, in the slave quarters wing. The house is quite large, and obviously intended to have many more occupants. Kemal may have spent everything he had to buy you and Antonella, but he won't be living a life of poverty on whatever subsistence the government is giving him. Then, to your immense relief, Kemal leaves you completely alone for the next two days. You aren't required to wear your veils and heavy robes indoors, and Kemal gives you no orders. The house-slaves seem a little resentful that you and Antonella apparently aren't going to be sharing in the household duties, and there is a lot to do, as they begin bringing in furnishings and making Kemal's house more of a home. None of them speak any languages that you or Antonella can converse in (Antonella speaks only Vulgar Latin, and a smattering of Spanish and Greek, the last, she proudly tells you, owing to her highborn, educated status.) Kemal is absent for most of those two days. Finally, one of the servants comes to fetch you, indicating with gestures and the word "Sayyid", which you take to mean "Master", though you've heard Kemal and other men who seemed to be of equal status using it between them, that Kemal is home and is requesting your presence. [You can describe what you're doing for those two days...you have the run of the house.] Kemal is dressed more casually than you've seen him since leaving Palermo, wearing just a loosely bloused silk shirt, trousers, and soft sandals. He does still carry his slightly curved sword at his hip, though, and a dagger thrust through his sash. He's smiling, as he indicates a pile of fabrics, cosmetics and jewelry laid out on the floor of his foyer. "I received an advance for my living expenses," he says. "The esteemed governor was very understanding when I explained my...unexpected expenses. So I had Nadi go to the market and buy some nice things for you." Nadi, the tiny slave-girl, stands nearby, looking demure and obedient. He tugs at his neatly-trimmed beard, and his expression becomes slightly more serious...even a bit concerned. "If you don't like any of it....you may go to the market tomorrow, and buy things more suitable." Antonella looks interested in spite of herself, at the colorful silks and baubles. But then she looks up at Kemal with narrowed eyes. She clears her throat, hesitates, and finally says, "Master?" Kemal tries to look patient and kindly. "Yes?" "Why would you buy all this for us? To make us happy? As if nice clothes will make us forget we're slaves? Or so we can look pretty for your enjoyment?" Kemal's face falls, slowly. You're not sure exactly what he had in mind, and Antonella's thoughts may echo your own...but you recognize that in his own mind, Kemal really was trying to please you, at least with a token gesture. <><><><><> [Agnes] The two days are a relief from the buzzing in her head. She had grown so accustomed to it that she barely noticed it, but now that it was gone, the calm was intense - except for Antonella's effect, but that was immaterial, Agnes felt, one of the two had gone. They had spent the two days exploring the house, finding out where things were kept, trying to establish the relative status of the house servants, and their respective duties. In their explorations, Agnes finds some parchment, and some charcoal, which she takes. In the evenings she works on them. On the back of their door she fixes a piece, on which she has drawn a grid of 30 squares. After they have said their prayers at the end of each night, she crosses one off. On the other piece she creates a callendar. Opimistically she only creates one month in detail, and leaves another six in outline. Between the two of them, they try to work out what day of the month it is - and day of the week. Then they try to remember what each of the Sundays are, and then the Saint's day for the other days. Here Agnes' many years of association with a monastary prove more useful than Antonella's much vaunted education. During the day, they don their "habbits", as Agnes has taken to calling them, and make short explorative forrays away from the house to get to know the area in which it stands. They return well before the noonday sun and heat take their toll on their unaclimatised bodies. Agnes can tell that Kemal has returned, but says nothing, and waits to be called. Faced with the display of goods, Antonella voices Agnes' own unspoken thoughts. That Kemal's face starts to fall comes as no less a surprise. Agnes surepticiously stands on Antonella's foot, as she says, "Ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud is most kind in thinking of his humble slaves." She steps forward with the foot that had been on Antonella's and continues, "May we take your generous gift to our room that we might give careful consideration to what to wear, ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud?" She makes a mental note to tell Antonella that next time she should just accept the gift - even if she has no intention of ever weaaring it. And that life will pass more smoothly with such little deceptions. [OOC: are the house-servants slaves, or free?] <><><><><> [GM] Since you can't talk to the house-servants, you aren't sure what their status is. They seem to serve Kemal with equinamity, but that could come from being born slaves, and thus knowing no other life. Emboldened by Kemal's silence, Antonella seemed on the verge of saying a great deal more. She barely restrains herself when you step on her foot. Kemal, looking disappointed, nods. "Yes....please yourself." With a sigh, he dismisses you back to your chambers. Antonella keeps track of your countdown eagerly. "How shall we escape?" she asks, taking it as a given that you will make the attempt as soon as the promised month is up. The next evening, Kemal summons you again...but only you, not Antonella. He receives you in a sitting room that's had a divan, a pair of couches, and a fine carpet added to the decor, and gestures for you to sit opposite him in front of a low table. A servant you don't recognize, apparently added to the household in the last day, brings you tea and some dates. Kemal holds his cup and looks at you with a neutral expression. "I trust you are not finding the accomodations too unpleasant?" he asks. "I brought both of you here for your own benefit, you know....mostly the girl's, but yours as well. Even had I set you free, your chances of getting away from Palermo without being intercepted by Ali ibn-Jaffar or Joshu ben Naru or one of my other less compassionate brethren would have been slight." Seeing no immediate positive reaction to this, he shifts and clears his throat. "The girl needs to be trained. It may not be her time to die yet; only God can decide that. But she may as well begin learning to use a sword now. I suppose there's no way to explain why we are having her learn such skills without telling her why. No doubt she will be disbelieving." He looks away again, clearly feeling awkwardness at consulting with you. "Besides never training a woman before, I've never actually trained someone before who was not *yet* an immortal. My own master said that when he discovered the occasional predestined one, he would usually stay in the area for as long as it took for the future immortal to die, so as to be on hand to initiate him...or her, into their new life. But, he is an extraordinarily patient man, and he has few worldly interests anymore, so settling down in one place just to wait for a mortal lifespan to end would not bother him." He looks back at you. "I....would like to know your thoughts on this, Agnes." <><><><><> [Agnes] Agnes pointedly wears none of the finery that Kemal had brought them. She carefully unfolds each garment in turn to examine its workmanship, and unconsciously estimate its worth in London. Then she re-folds it and carefully places it on a shelf in their room. The jewels she likewise appraises, and then places on the shelf. The perfumes and soaps she simply places on the shelf. "You may have the choice of them, and wear them if you want, Antonella. For myself, I shall not bother. I am unused to wearing such fine things and see no reason to start wearing them now. You, with your fine upbringing may find them less chaffing on your skin." She knew that inwardly Antonella wanted to wear them, and wanted her to feel that she could without Agnes herself doing so. For herself, Agnes starts to work on one of the spare "habit" to turn it into something like the monk's attire she had worn in the past. With the moslems going to prayer so many times a day, she marks a cross on their wall with charcoal, and begins to adopt the routine of the monks of Lindesfarne once more. As to the chart, when it quickly becomes obvious that Antonella is expecting them to do something the day after the final box is crossed off, Agnes takes it down. "When I have a plan, I shall let you know. There is no point in getting your hopes up just because I am crossing boxes off a chart. There is a world of difference between crossing off boxes , and even the first step to getting home: which at the moment would appear to be horses and weapons." When Agnes is called to Kemal the next night, she assumes it is to tell her that she must teach Antonella to keep her tongue in check. Knowing that she had already given the girl advice after her last outburst, she was comfortable that she could reply favourably. She sits silently and impassively across from him, ignoring the tea and dates. When he tells her that she may as well learn to use a sword now, Agnes responds in her usual cold manner, "As you command, ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud." If Kemal wishes her to be a slave, then she shall be one. When he asks her for her thoughts, she replies, "I am but an infidel, a woman, and a slave. How can my thoughts assist you in coming to a wise decision. You are, after all, a man, a Moslem and free. I have trained no-one, and was trained myself by a man. I am sure your choice is wise." She pauses for a bit, considering whether to say more. For the sake of Antonella she adds, "I'm sure Antonella will cope with the fact that her only companion in this alien land will turn out to be some form of deranged daemon, one who will insist that she herself will in time become one too. As you take great pains to point out to me, ibn-Hakim, our chances of getting safely away from Palermo were slight. Thus our chances of reaching Christendom from here must be infinitessimally small. It would appear therefore, that I have as much time to wait as you are gracious enough to grant me. Forgive me if I misunderstood your earlier command, ibn-Hakim, but I thought you had absolved yourself of her training anyway." She rises, and bows. "Is there anything else, ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud? I shall start her training tomorrow morning." <><><><><> [GM] Kemal becomes increasingly restless throughout your short speech, and finally exclaims "Damnit!" as he rises to his feet, shaking his fists. "Have I mistreated you, woman? Have I been disrespectful to you? Have I not been patient with you and especially with that spoiled brat!?" "I am trying to speak to you as one immortal to another. If I thought your thoughts were useless, I would not have asked for them!" He stomps back and forth, fuming. "If you choose to refuse my gifts, and reject my offers of generosity, so be it, but do NOT insult me with this false meekness! Do you think I can't recognize feigned obedience? Or sarcasm? Obstinate woman! Why, why did almighty God make women immortal as well as men?" He glares down at you. "Is this how it is going to be as long as you are in my house, woman?" <><><><><> [Agnes] She stands impassively, waiting for him to finish. "Ibn-Hakim has been the most kind, patient, and generous master I have ever had. And both Antonella and I are grateful for your forebearance. I am sorry that you think my meekness is false, and my obedience feigned. Please tell me where I have strayed, for I thought I had obeyed my master and been suitably submissive at all times. I certainly did not intend to insult, ibn-Hakim. As for speaking one immortal to another, that would imply some sort of equality, _Kemal_. I am obviously not worthy of such a thing. For as long as I am a slave in your house, this is how it is. Almighty God has been pleased to make this sinner immortal, and also to test her by making her a slave. Or perhaps He is testing you, ibn-Hakim." <><><><><> [GM] Kemal stares at you, many thoughts running across his face, but you can't guess what he's thinking, exactly, nor do you particularly care to. Finally he gestures, with a frustrasted wave of his arms. "So be it! Go then!" He looks at you, while you stand where you are. "You're free!" he shouts. "Since you find slavery so intolerable, I release you! Leave if that is what you desire!" He stomps around some more, kicking a pillow. You see his house- servant hurry into the room, then cringe at his master's display of temper. "Reject my hospitality! Refuse my protection! Insult my honor! Why should I put up with this? If you believe you and the child would be better off alone, then take her and depart!" <><><><><> [Agnes] "Thank you.", she replies quietly, without displaying any emotion, and leaves the room, his display of temper echoing in her ears. She walks purposefully to her room, enters and shuts the door behind her. As she throws off her habit, she says to Antonella, "That was an interresting meeting - and not over yet." She tosses her baldric and dagger onto her bed, and crosses to the shelf. She takes down the finest of the garments, that she had noted earlier, and slips them on. "It appears that I am going to be allowed to tutor you, Antonella, in whatever subjects I wish." Around her neck she places a finely crafted silver necklace, and upon her wrists matching bracelets. "I must confess that there are some things that I would like to teach you, if we are to survive off the land, fend off potential captors, sail home. There is much I will have to teach you, before we are ready to leave. I shall tell you more later." She walks out, and walks quickly to the room where Kemal still fumes. She enters, returns to her seat, sips some tea and eats a date. She continues the conversation as if it had never stopped, only now spoke with confidence, and warmth. "There are things that she can be taught that do not involve revealing our immortality. I would propose to start with skills that will allow her to survive, before we move on to learning how to fight. The problem with us both staying here overly long, however, is that she will have no opportunity to die, other than from old age." <><><><><> [GM] You almost hit Antonella with the door as you entered, since she was leaning against it, trying to figure out what the shouting from the main room was about. She looks at you with wide eyes, as you put on the finery you'd ignored before. Back in the main room, you find Nadia kneeling in front of Kemal, holding up a plate with fresh fruit of some sort, saying something in a soothing tone and trying to entice him to eat. The immortal is sitting on his couch, elbows on his knees, with a dour, grumpy expression, picking at the dates in front of him. She looks at you with surprise as you reenter- as does Kemal, his gaze moving up and down your elegantly-clothed figure. He sits up warily, and waves a hand at Nadia, saying something dismissive in Arabic. The slave-girl (?) scurries out of the room. He looks at you silently for a moment, after you finish speaking. Finally he says, with a touch of disbelief, "You're staying, then?" He leans back into the plush couch. "Survival skills...yes, I think I see what you're getting at. How to remain in society without being discovered as an immortal. How to avoid trouble when kingdoms decline and fall. Such social skills are very different for men than for women, and that is precisely why I felt I needed you to help train her. Swordsmanship I could certainly teach her myself...though I admit I would feel....odd, teaching a woman to fight." He takes a piece of fruit from the plate Nadia dropped before fleeing. "Education is invaluable. Does she know how to read? For that matter, do you? Al-Qayrawan, a few days ride from here, is one of the greatest centers of learning in the world. It contains knowledge you will never find in the much-vaunted courts of Charlemagne's heirs. I *might* be able to gain you admittance to some of the libraries...female scholars are not completely unheard of. Of course..." he emits a low chuckle..."you would have to learn to read in Arabic." He clasps his hands over his stomach, thinking. "I have *never* encountered an elderly immortal, nor ever heard of one. We seem to inevitably die of some other cause, before reaching an advanced state of age. No doubt it is part of God's plan. We should not seek out opportunities for Antonella to experience her first death....God will no doubt choose the proper time." And that, you believe, is the first time you've ever heard him use the girl's name. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Of course, I'm staying." she replies, beginning for the first time since Rome to relax. "You granted me my freedom and gave the option of leaving. My freedom was all I desired, and as a free woman I have _chosen_ to accept your hospitality, and to wear the fine gifts that you bought." She narrows her eyes at Kemal's questioning her literacy. "I'm not _stupid_! I can speak, read and write seven languages ... and count!" She swings her feet back off the couch, and sits stiffly facing him, "Just because I am a woman, there ..... " And she realises that it is just because, despite the finery, in his mind she is still on a par with a cart... "Forgive me." She had thought to explain all that she could do ... but now? What was the point? She would just be a rather special cart, or a dog that could do tricks. The warmth that had been in her voice had gone. "I would be pleased to learn Arabic, ibn-Ha ... Kemal" A silence descends as if a door that had been swung ajar, had swung shut in the wind. "I had been intending to leave as soon as the period of my word ran out." She says matter of factly, and continues in a businesslike mannner. "I decided not to as Antonella would not have survived if I had been seperated. As she knows that that had been my intention, I thought that I might start on those skills that would be useful for that plan - cooking, sewing, watching for things, hiding things, brawing, perhaps mock fights with sticks as swords. She too should learn Arabic. She will see a need for her to be taught such things. But she will be expecting to return to her former life when she gets home. It will be more difficult to get her to want to learn all the things that she will need to survive as an immortal" "So, I will stay with her in our room, so as not to make her feel that I have abandoned her. Our earlier loud words were when you conceded that I was free, but that I had to work for you to pay off our or her price. I am to do what in the way of work? Run your household? You appear to have no wife to that for you. Should you take one, then of course my position becomes awkward, and I think that might be an opportune time for Antonella and I to leave. What do you think Kemal?" <><><><><> [GM] Kemal senses the change in your tone, and blinks in surprise as you sit indignantly upright. "I did not say you were stupid," he replies, with surprising mildness. Then, as if the next statement is more difficult, "I...apologize, if I implied that." "I have known many wise and learned men who could not read. Even...some wise and learned women. Not many people can read, and I have met immortals older than myself who have never bothered to learn; how was I to assume you had?" He sits back again, breathing slowly, regarding you carefully, as if deciding what tack to take with you now. "I have never taken a wife," he says. "Since it is not given to our kind that we should reproduce, I have always felt it would be unjust to condemn a mortal woman to childlessness." He sips his water. "I do not understand you, Agnes. I rather liked your brief moment of warmth, but everything I say seems to offend you." He sighs, and shakes his head. "Now that I have given my hospitality to both of you, as a free women, you are part of my household for as long as you desire. Your status will be rather mystifying to others, as neither my wives nor my relatives nor my slaves, but I will deal with that. I have been forced to adopt unconventional practices before." Carefully, he says, "It would be...*easier*...to allow my friends and neighbors to believe certain things....but if that will offend your sensibilities, then I will simply tell them you are free women living in my household, and that the rest is none of their concern. There will be questions, but I think I can contend with any legal problems that might arise." "All I ask is that you not flagrantly violate our customs. Women are not the abused creatures you seem to think they are in our society, but we do have strict standards of modesty and decorum, and religious prohibitions, for men *and* women, and if you flaunt those standards, you will make things very difficult for me." <><><><><> [Agnes] "We are from very different lands, Kemal. I shall try not to take offence at what you say." She slips her feet back onto the couch, and tries to adopt her relaxed pose from earlier. "I can guess what you would find 'easier' for others to believe, and I suppose I could live with a charade. But having been given my freedom today, I have no intention of relinquishing it. As to Antonella's reaction ... you can guess. I have no desire to embarrass you or make things difficult, by my behaviour, nor to break your customs: I am your guest. But you will have to tell me what they are first." She tries to speak freely to him, to forget what he probably thinks of her because she is a woman, and in that she is partly successful. She tries to lighten up the conversation. "Where were you born Kemal, and when? What is this called in Arabic? What is your job here?" <><><><><> [GM] Kemal frowns. "You will not have to relinquish your freedom. I have freed you; I do not go back on my word." "Very well, I will simply try to deal with nosy neighbors as best I can. I will probably be accused of fornication, and you and the girl will not be regarded as honorable women." He smiles thinly. "You see, slaves do not have such a low status in our society. Many honored and respected individuals have been slaves. We are all slaves to Allah, after all. And in the eyes of Allah, all believers are equal, from the Caliph himself to the lowliest slave." "I was born in the city of Medina, which is in Arabia. The year...by your Christian calender, six-hundred and one, anna domina." His eyes take on a far-away look, his expression reverential. "It was my great privilege to meet the Messenger of God, blessed be his name, face-to-face, and to join him on his holy pilgrammage to Mecca. I was one of the very first converts to the new faith." "After the Prophet died, I joined the armies that spread out to convert the unbelievers. And in the year....six-hundred and thirty-four, anna domina, I fell in battle under Omar, Ruler of the Faithful, in his campaign to take Syria. And thus learned how God had chosen me, above so many other men, to be blessed with life eternal on this Earth." "I knew not of other immortals immediately, of course. I believed that God had chosen only me, for reasons I could not fathom. I assumed that I was meant to carry on the work of converting the infidel, and remained in Omar's army. We took al-Dimashq...you call it Damascus, the next year." "That was where I met my master...the man who taught me about other immortals. A man I respect above all other men, save the Prophet Muhammed himself." Kemal does not elaborate about his master, however. He goes on to your other questions. "I am here in Ifriquia because I was charged, almost fifty years ago, with safeguarding the faith by Harun al-Rashid. When the Aghlabids broke away to become an indendent state, he was concerned that splinter sects of Islam would cause the word of the Prophet to be corrupted. The Shi'a are gaining influence in some areas of Ifriquia, particularly among the Berbers, and some of the inland tribes are taking up even more heretical practices. I have seals from the Caliph that transcend generations, granting me certain privileges and responsibilities. Soon I will probably be traveling south to investigate the Quarayl tribe, which is rumored to be engaging in idolotry, among other things, and they control the trade route that skirts the desert." He pauses, and looks at you oddly, as if surprised to find himself discussing all this with you. "And you, Agnes?" he says, trying to adopt a lighter tone himself. "Now you know my history. How did a Briton come to be a traveling tinker in Carolinga, and then Rome?" He pauses. "I was really not in favor of that raid, by the way. Initially I supported the attacks on Italy and other southern states, because they were to be campaigns of conversion. But now they are quickly degenerating into mere sacking and looting expeditions, with the words of the Prophet spoken only in lip-service." He sighs. "Your Church is much the same way. It seems no matter how pure the original message, eventually mortal men will corrupt it and use it as mere justification for temporal greed." His eyes shine brightly. "That is why it is the duty of immortals, such as...ourselves, to preserve the Word of God and make sure its true meaning is never forgotten. So long as I live, there shall be at least one man who heard the Prophet's words first-hand. My greatest fear is that if I ever lose my head, it be to an unbeliever." <><><><><> [Agnes] "Forgive me, Kemal, I did not make myself clear. I _am_ willing to allow others to think that I am your wife." She struggles within as he tells of himself. Not only was he a muslem, but he was one of those responsible for spreading the faith ... She manages to say nothing and forces herself not to place any more obvious barriers between them as he continues his description of his life. When he asks of her, she replies, "I have had a much more humble existance. I am the daughter of a blacksmith, and I was the wife of his apprentice." Despite herself, she gives him a cold stare as memories she hadn't remembered for some time, wash back. "One day pirate raiders arrived on our shore, killed the men I loved, and captured me to take me into slavery. I chose to kill myself rather than suffer that fate, and threw myself into the sea." Shivers run down her spine as she remembers that day. She stops speaking as she remembers the good times at Marham, the picnics, and the walks with Kai, her caring father looking after his little girl, and then his not so little girl ... Her eyes go moist, and her voice catches as she continues, "That was on the 8th of June 793. I was 23. I always will be 23. I drowned. I was found and looked after by an immortal monk who left his monastary to teach me. He passed me to an immortal merchant in London to continue my training. My mentor understood your 'honour' he returned to his monastary knowing that to do was to die at the hands of another immortal. I settled in London, and became a woman of means. Your gifts, by the way," she indicates her clothes and jewelry, "they would have been worth about 167 silver pennies in London. I left London after Gerald challenged me. He wouldn't fight on the ground of my choosing, and he was scared of staying in case my new mentor caught him. I married a sea captain soon after and spent the next few years trading down the coast of the Frankish Empire and Galicia. Gerald met me in Bordeaux, and we had an inconclusive duel, where I couldn't finish him due to us both trying to drown in a river at the time. He did provide the opportunity for me to let my husband think me dead. I too now think that marrying a mortal is wrong - denying him the opportunity for children." She smiles as she thinks of a scene. "He remarried and has children from his new wife, when I saw him from afar. I continued to trade, alone. and met you and Gerald in Acquitaine. His is the only head I have taken. then it was more trading, and as things got more dangerous for lone traders, never mind a woman, I teamed up with an immortal called Sancho, who runs a large caravan. One day he decided to go to Rome, and my story comes full circle." <><><><><> [GM] "Sancho?" Kemal muses. "A Spanish caravan trader, no? I believe I have heard of him." "167 pennies?" He laughs. "That is a good price. I paid less than half that for the entire lot. Silks and dyes are much cheaper in our land. We control much of the trade. I am not unfamiliar with mercantilism myself, you see." He looks at you speculatively. "So, here we are." He waves a hand to indicate his home, and the city outside. "As you say, we are from very different cultures. No doubt there is as much you dislike about my culture as there is that I dislike about yours. As you have kindly agreed to conform to my culture as much as possible, I will try to forbear from commenting about infidel practices I find distasteful." His face twists into a slight grimace at this statement, as if it is truly a difficult concession for him to make. The concept, of which Agnes has only a cursory understanding and Kemal probably has virtually none, is 'tolerance', and it is a difficult one to swallow, for both parties. No doubt more difficult for the Muslim, who believes he has been personally charged by God. "If you would pretend to be my wife, you must also pretend to be Muslim, as it is unlawful to take unbelievers as wives. That will not be as difficult as you think...you would have to conform to most Muslim standards in our land anyway, whether or not you are a believer. There are none of the formal rituals in our religion that you Christians are so fond of...you will not have to do anything that will give the appearance of rejecting your Christ. Jesus Christ is also a revered prophet in our religion, you know. We respect him second only to Muhammed." "Any lapses you commit can easily be explained by your being a new convert to the faith." He looks down the hallway, towards the room where Antonella is no doubt straining her ears again, listening for more raised voices. "If the girl would be willing to pretend to be another wife, that would convenient." He actually smiles at you with ironic amusement. "But I grant you are probably correct, highly unlikely." "Perhaps we could manufacture another explanation for her....she has some relationship to you, and I granted her her freedom also, as a favor to my...cherished wife." "Now....exactly what skills do you think she should be taught first, and what will you need?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "We could say that she is my cousin. That is far enough away, and yet close enough to explain my affection and concern for her." "I will need to learn how to run your household - to your satisfaction, of course. My guess is that she has never had to organise anything in her life before. That would seem to be a simple start, to help her fend for herself rather than being pampered. Our cultures do not differ in that the womenfolk are expected to be able to cook. I suspect she cannot. As a social skill, and as one to survive on her own it will be invaluable. Once she becomes immortal, I have no idea down what path she will go, but being able to count would appear to me to be invaluable. I know I have not yet mentioned anything that will keep her alive yet. I though that perhaps some brawling with me, and some work with wooden swords might be appropriate to begin with." After a pause where she is obviously thinking of how to put something, she says, "Kemal, I have no sword, shield nor armour. Supposing 'someone' was to come whilst you were gone ... You could keep them with you whilst you were here in the house, if you feared treachery on my part, but it is a long time since I have so long without a weapon within my reach. After an even longer pause she asks the question that she obviously found more difficult that the last, "If I am to be as your wife, is it appropriate for Antonella and I to remain in the slaves' accommodation - not that *I* mind, but you put so much emphasis on appearances earlier. And if not, where are we to sleep? And," she looks at the floor in embarasment, "would a muslim man such as you, normally 'take an interest in' the likes of Nadi whilst under the same roof as his wife?" <><><><><> [GM] "It would be nice having a woman to run my household, whether or not she is really my wife," Kemal says, smiling. He grows more serious when you bring up the subject of arms. Serious, but not hostile. He thinks for long moments, then says, "I will get a sword for you. And a shield. Armor for you will be more difficult, but I do not foresee you needing it while you are here in Tunis. You will have to leave your sword and shield behind when you go out in public." "You are right, the slave wing is no longer suitable for you. It is not necessary we share the same room; no one but the other servants will see our bedchambers, so no one needs to know of our sleeping arrangements. The servants...well, even if they do gossip with other slaves, at worst rumors will circulate that my relationship with my wife is...difficult." He smiles another of his ironic smiles. He does look a bit embarrassed when you bring up Nadi. "It is lawful for a man to have relations with his wives and with slaves," he says slowly. "Not always accepted with good grace, and some consider it a practice of dubious morality, but..." He clears his throat, looking more embarrassed. "A man who does not share a bed with his wife would certainly be expected to seek comfort elsewhere." <><><><><> [Agnes] "Very well, I shall say no more on it then." she replies to his embarrassed response, and she sips some more tea. A silence follows, as she wonders what Kemal is really like. It was all very well this politeness now, but would it last? More to the point, for how long could she take this place? She had only been here a few days, and despite the fact that she was now free she felt sure she would continue to hate it. She looks back at him, and realises that his eyes are roving slowly over her body. She shivers at the thought, and stands. "Good night, then Kemal. I shall not detain you. I shall see you in the morning when you may explain how you prefer your house to be organised. For tonight, it would be easier if Antonella and I remained in the same room. No doubt by the morning Nadi will have informed the others of the change in our status." She walks out and returns to her room, being more careful with the door this time. She embraces Antonella. "Oh, Antonella. We are free!" With a little pause, she continues, "Unfortunately, that does not mean that we can go home. Given that we can be taken as slaves from the vicinity of St Peter's Square, what chance do you suppose the two of us alone would have starting from here?" As she speaks, she realises that Kemal's plan tassitly assumed that Antonella would be a part of the deception. That might have been true had she been an immortal, but she wasn't yet, and Agnes didn't want her to find out about such things until it was absolutely necessary. She too would have to be deceived. "I have, ahem, agreed to become Kemal's wife. I told him that you were my cousin, and that I would require you to be freed too if I were to marry him." Seeing Antonella's shocked expression, she continues, "But it gives us the the time and the freedom to prepare ourselves. Did you notice in Carthage that there virtually no Europeans? Can you speak Arabic? I certainly cannot. Even assuming there is a boat, how are we going to buy provisions? We don't know even know what things are called never mind know how to ask for them, or have any money to buy them. In the meantime, whilst we learn some Arabic, you can help me keep his house, and I can teach you some of the things that you will need to know, how to cook, how to fight, how to find your way by the stars." Agnes takes note to tell Kemal that she has not included Antonella in their deception. <><><><><> [GM] Actually, Kemal has never looked at you in a lascivious fashion. His roving gaze when you entered the room wearing the fine gown seemed inspired more by surprise than lust. Which is not to say he might not be appreciating what he sees...but he's never given the impression that he was mentally disrobing you. Antonella is indeed shocked, to say the least. Initially she is excited, and returns your hug enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting her aloof, haughty demeanor (actually, it's been slowly deteriorating ever since you arrived in Ifriquia.) Then she listens to you wide-eyed, interrupting you with a hundred questions. "How?" "Why?" "When can we leave?" "Why not!?" "We could sell the jewelry he gave us and buy passage back to Italy!" "You WHAT!?" "I'm your what!?" "You're really going to marry him?" "Well, how hard can it be to learn Arabic? I already know Greek!" "We can save up food from here..." Wrinkling her nose: "Keep house? For *him*?" "Cook!?" She looks a little more enthusiastic at learning how to fight, but also startled. "You know how to fight? With a sword? How did you learn?" Finally, she says, "Butbutbut...what in God's name made him change his mind about keeping us as slaves and marry you instead?" Then her eyes go wide, and she asks a question that you didn't think of, but should have expected: "Oh, Agnes! You didn't purchase our freedom by giving that filthy heathen your body, did you?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "Maybe I misjudged how much my previous acquaintance accounted for. Or maybe he just wanted to wait to see what I was really like. Maybe that's why he waited before setting me free. Well, we'll see about giving him my body. I'm sure I can be a reluctant wife, one that seems 'oh so cold' compared to, say, Nadi. We will move out of this room tomorrow, into better, more appropriate, ones. Yes, I can use a sword. That's what caused me to be raped I suspect. I killed two of them before they captured me." She smiles a genuine smile. "I think you will survive to see Rome now, don't you? Now lets get some sleep." The new day dawns, and Agnes wears another of Kemal's gifted outfits as she moves about the house with a new confidence, selecting the room next to Kemal's as her own, and the next along as Antonella's. Once she has accounted for all of the rest of the household, she knocks at Kemal's door, and goes in. "Good morning, Kemal. I trust you had a good night's rest?" she says as she walks in. "I have told Antonella that I told you she is my cousin, and that I am marrying you to gain her freedom. I have not told her that this is a deception on both our parts. I would rather she wanted to stay, and wants to learn what I teach her, and I think this is the way." She sits on the edge of his bed. "Apart from that, things are we we agreed. Now, I have chosen rooms for Antonella and myself, and when you are ready I would appreciate you telling me yyour likes and dislikes with the layout, items of furniture, food, timekeeping ..." Agnes is like a wound spring that someone has released, eager to _do_ things... <><><><><> [GM] Antonella is almost too excited to sleep, but does eventually. When you enter Kemal's room the next morning, he looks startled that it's you- apparently he thought the knock was one of his servants. Perhaps Nadi. (You don't see her at present.) He seems very flustered at the way you simply walked in. You can't see why his modesty would be offended, as he's fully dressed. To your polite inquiry, he replies, "Yes, I slept well. And you?" But his eyes bulge when you sit on the edge of his bed. "Don't *do* that, woman!" he snaps. Then raises his hands, trying to calm himself. In a milder tone, he continues. "It is my understanding that you wish our role as husband and wife to be a...fiction, yes?" "If we are not really to engage in conjugal relations, it is not proper for you to be entering my bedchambers, sitting on my bed!" The last seems to particularly offend him. Then he turns about, and exclaims "Ya Allah! Of course if others are to believe we are wedded, then it is entirely proper you would do so. Aaargh. Forgive me, Agnes, I am not accustomed to these...deceptions." He sits down on a small pillowed stool opposite the bed, with a frustrated look, and finally gives some consideration to your more important questions. "More deceptions. We must keep the girl ignorant, not only of why she is here and why she is being taught skills, but of our...arrangement, as well?" He sighs. "Very well." He spends some time discussing with you the proper management of a Muslim household. Now that you are "married", the servants are yours to command. He tells you that they will help you keep things orderly and proper, and he will also instruct them to facilitate your and Antonella's learning of Arabic. When you're done, he stands and says "Prani should have prepared breakfast by now. Let us go eat. Then I have business in town today, and I shall leave you and the girl to begin your work." <><><><><> [Agnes] She makes another attempt to explain why Antonella ought not discover her destiny, and how consequently she too must believe they were married, but gives up. "To the rest of the world, then, I am now your wife? Not even a priest's involvement? How ought I, as your wife greet you, my husband, if we meet - in the street, or on your return here? What about farewells?" After breakfast, She and Antonella tour the house again, but this time with a different eye, not just to note where things are, but to decide whether that is where she actually wants them to be. As they go about the house she chats to Antonella, carefully slipping in the questions that she really wants answered: "What do your family do? What role did you play within it? Can you read and write? Can you count, and write down numbers? Navigate by the stars? How are you at cooking? sewing? Can you entertain guests with small-talk, with singing or a musical iinstrument? Can you haggle for a bargain? Smooth-talk your way out of a difficult situation?" As well as finding out what she can and cannot do, Agnes hopes to impress upon her by suitible examples how little of the wolrd she actually knows. <><><><><> [GM] "We have no priests," Kemal says. "All men are equal before God. No one is qualified to intermediate with God on behalf of another." "If I say we are married, then it is so." He looks mildly amused. "You would greet me much as I imagine Christian wives greet their husbands. You would say, 'Good morning, Husband', or 'Welcome home, Husband,' or 'Farewell, Husband.'" His smile broadens slightly. "Of course, a wife who truly loves her husband might show more warmth in her greetings and partings." "Yes, you may call me by my familiar name, even in public. But embracing, kissing and other physical displays of affection are not suitable in public. We also do not hold hands, and you must walk behind me when we are together." Kemal leaves after breakfast, donning more formal garb first (and buckling on his sword.) Antonella follows you around his home, looking resigned. Her family name is Gallini. They are wealthy nobles from northern Italy, though they moved to Rome when she was a little girl. Antonella was in her father's small villa a few miles from the city when the Saracen raiders swept through it. She knows that her father is very wealthy, and owns some ships. She has only a vague idea of what exactly he does. You have a much better idea; he would have to be one of those merchants who does business across the Mediterranean, even conducting business with the Saracens, as one must do by necessity if one sends shipping through waters controlled by them. The irony of a trader who has probably bought many of his goods from the infidels, having his daughter captured and sold to them, is lost on Antonella. She claims to be able to read and write well, but she also claims to be fluent in Greek, from reading old Greek texts a couple times a week. When you contrive to test her, by having her read from a list you've made, and asking her to add to it, you learn her literacy is not as high as she seems to believe. The poor monk who had the job of teaching this impulsive girl her letters must have had his hands full. She can count on her fingers, and write down numbers. Navigating by the stars is a strange new concept to her. She makes a face at the notion that *she* might have ever cooked, and her sewing has been limited to the dainty embroidery that all high-born, wealthy girls do in their idle moments. You doubt she has the attention span to have done that very well either. She believes she can talk to people just fine, but admits she's never "haggled" in the marketplace. She knows no musical instruments. Just what her days were filled with, you're not sure. Probably driving her nanny and tutor to distraction. Translating all this into a lesson in how much she has to learn will take a while. She is still interested only in skills that she thinks might directly lead you back to Rome, such as riding and swordfighting. "Planning" is another difficult concept for the girl. Peter never had it so rough with you. <><><><><> [Agnes] Agnes decides upon a range of things to start with, as she doubts the girl will have the attention span to handle only a few. Some mornings they will go to the souk, and other parts of the town, and although she cannot understand the traders' language, she will explain to Antonella what it going on, with the postures, gestures and reactions. After a few days she will get Antonella to try to predict what will happen. A sale or not. Once they understand the language, Agnes will get her to predict the selling price. Other mornings, in the quiet of the courtyard, Agnes will start to show her the rudiments of brawling, and with suitably cut down broom handles swordplay. Nothing too taxing or likely to inflict injury on either party, but a start. In the heat of the afternoon, they will stay in the cool of the house. Agnes herself will help prepare some of the meals, and Antonnela will help. She recons that if she does a few simple meals often enough, even Antonella will remember how to do them. She picks some that are applicable to living rough, like rabbit and fish. Other afternoons she concentrates on writing. As an excuse, she starts a ledger, detailing all the household expenditure, in which she hopes to eventually get Antonella to do some arithmetic. She gets Antonella to start a journal. After all, when they get back, it will be useful to have a record of what they did, so that they can recount their tales knowing nothing is missed out. Each day, they will take turns reading out the previous day's entry, and then writing the next. That way Antonella will have to read Agnes' entry, and Agnes can check . In the evening when Kemal returns, Agnes forces herself to embrace him and kiss him on the cheek. **No doubt after a while, it will be mechanical, or she'll have stopped thinking of him as a muslim.** she muses. After dinner, Agnes works on some useful handicrafts, trying to show how useful the end product would be, and how easy it is to do to induce Antonella to learn. The first night, she starts with a sling, and then some snares. Engrossed in her work, she sings little songs from her childhood. She had thought about teaching Antonella to sing, but the only Latin songs she knows are from the church, and she doesn't really want to offend Kemal. She plans on retiring to her room before him. Allowing him to see Nadia without embarrassment. <><><><><> [GM] Antonella whines, complains, and gets bored easily, but she does learn. She has plenty of natural affinity for brawling, once she gets over her feminine reserve, and she's already bigger than you, and nearly as strong without the benefit of growing up a blacksmith's daughter. She may someday be quite a formidable fighter. Kemal is surprised when you greet him with a kiss and an embrace. Hesitantly, he returns the gesture, his eyes searching yours, his face impassive. The first night he comes home, he brings you a sword and a shield. The sword is a thinner, lighter blade than you're accustomed to. But the edge is very sharp, and it's made of high-quality metal. It's definitely capable of cutting off heads.... The shield is very small, little more than a buckler. After several days, you notice the servants have been making a point of preparing a bath for you and Antonella each morning, which strikes both of you as a bit excessive; regular bathing is not common in Europe, and many believe that it is unhealthy, especially for women. However, Kemal mentions casually that Muslims who can afford it bathe every day, when possible. He doesn't say anything more, but the implication rankles. <><><><><> [Agnes] Agnes tries to show the friendly face that a wife should show her husband when she embraces him on his return. **It is but part of the charrade.** she thinks as she akes to do so. Unfortunately as she starts to embrace him and kiss his cheek there comes the realisation that apart from when Kemal cut their bonds on the ship, the only other times she has recently been this intimately close to a muslim man was when they captured her, and when they raped her. A shiver runs down her spine and it is all she can do to restrain herself from pushing herself away from him. "Welcome home, husband." she manages to struggle out. As he looks her in the eyes she turns them away, trying not to show the fear and distaste that have suddenly struck her. Once she has stepped away again, her composure returns, and once more is friendly to him in voice and manner. **Foolish woman!** she chides herself She is pleased with the gifts he has brought her. the shield is looked at askance for some moments, but she decides it is better than nothing. The days pass by, and Agnes slowly starts to pick up the language. At times she goes with the servants to the souk, taking Antonella too, to ensure they buy what she wants at a price she thinks is reasonable, and to have assistance when she struggles for words. Her new sword spurred her to start swordplay with Antonella earlier than she'd planned, still with sticks when they sparred, but practicing individually with the real thing to finish each session: both her and then the girl. Slowly, over the weeks, it was obvious that she'd changed. Despite the diificult nature of her pupil, Agnes was enjoying teaching Antonella. She was enjoying learning the language. She was enjoying running the house. She simply avoided puting herself into the situations that she knew she would find distastful or objectionable. She had already decided that when her grasp of the laguage was up to it, she'd arrange for a small forge to be built, so that she could practice silverwork. She knew that Kemal would probably draw the line at his "wife" wielding a hammer on an anvil, to produce herself and Antonella asome chainmail, so she set that ambition to one side - after all, Peter's sword was still in Rome with Sancho, so there was no real urgency there. He might object to her crafting silver, well, she'd only tell him after the event. Another long term goal she set herself and Antonella was to craft armour of some form, even if only gloves and a jerkin. Her experience with Gerald was not one to be forgotten. The things she wanted to teach Antonella, and wanted to do herself, started to stretch well into the future. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal never attempts greater intimacy with you. He is always polite, occasionally even warm, and manages to keep his promise to avoid criticizing "infidel practices"...even though you notice now and then when you or Antonella have done something that irritates him. His eyes bulge slightly, and he presses his hands together and bows his head for a moment, in a gesture like a prayer (and Antonella believes that's what he's doing, though you're pretty sure it's just his way of biting his tongue) when you disagree with him (however politely and diplomatically) in front of the servants, or forget to maintain a proper distance behind him in public (he only goes out with you on a few occasions, to the market, or to show you and Antonella some of the sights of the city, after you point out that you both really do need to know your way around a bit more, and wandering around sightseeing, unescorted, is not something Muslim women do...), or when he comes home and finds you and Antonella wrestling in the courtyard, rather enjoying yourselves but presenting an appearance that must seem very undignified and unwomanly to his Muslim sensibilities. For her part, Antonella finally stops goading him, and even emulates your courtesy. Kemal becomes much less tense around both of you once the girl stops flaunting her infidel manners, and he starts to believe she's not going to seriously embarrass him. Antonella really likes swordfighting, though it takes a long time to get her to start taking it seriously. You feel like you are bonding with the younger woman, though she remains extremely frustrating. In your younger years, when you were first starting to be chased by the boys in Marham, you went through an unruly phase, loving the sudden attention and the strange new feelings that came over you. Your father lost a lot of sleep and a lot of his hair over the next two years, and you're beginning to understand a little of what he must have felt. Antonella can't stand being kept inside Kemal's house, and she hates having to wrap herself up whenever she goes outside, in the dry, scorching heat. She wants to travel, and she wants to dress like an Italian noblewoman of marriageable age, and no matter how interested she is at first, she never wants to learn what you're teaching her for more than about half an hour at a time. And she still complains a lot, and has taken to bossing the servants around needlessly. And she starts asking about your husband, and how you met him. And whether you liked him or had to marry him because your father said so. She wants to know more about where you're from, since you're not Italian and you don't sound like a Spaniard or a German or a Frank either. And if you think Kemal is handsome (which he is, somewhat, if you can forget that he's a Muslim), and has he ever made demands on you, and what would you do if he does? She also asks why he lets the two of you learn to fight, if he thinks women belong wrapped up in robes, meek and subservient? And is he really going to let you leave Ifriquia, or will you have to escape, and how long will it be either way? And is Kemal a good fighter, and do you think you could beat him? (She's already convinced you are a warrior the equal of Roland, having seen you demonstrate your swordsmanship.) And what other parts of the world have you seen, and how did you learn to do all these things? She also starts asking questions about sex. Not what's imvolved- she seems pretty worldly in that regard- but about your experiences. You see warning signs that she's going to start becoming *very* difficult if you can't do something about her growing stir-craziness. She's only a few years younger than you were when you became an immortal, but still very much a teenager. Not even close to being ready to survive as an immortal. You've been in Tunis for almost two months, when Kemal comes home one evening, and tells you he will be leaving tomorrow for the south, and might not be back for several months. Apparently there is some unrest among a group of Berber tribes. <><><><><> [Agnes] She realises that she will have to compress her life, if she is to still appear to have the experiences of one only in her mid twenties. She summaries it as: Marham and the death of her husband and father, quickly moving to London, marrying a ship's captain, couple of years at sea, he dies, she leaves te ship where he dies, teams up with an old acquaintance Sancho, meets Kemal, trades across France goes to Italy for the first time, gets captured. And she tries to consistantly stick to that story. Agnes explains that the things she can do are just the things she needed to learn or were useful to learn along the way, a way that has included much of the Frankish Empire. That's why she's trying to pass on her knowledge to Antonella, so that she too can make use of them in her life. Obviously, Kemal believes that women need to be able to defend themselves in some circumstances, like for instance defending his home when he is away. Agnes admits to being from Northumbria, and having married the man she loved - both times. Although there were other advantages in both matches without a doubt. As for Kemal, Agnes admits to Antonella, (and herself), he is a good man, a man of his word, a man who would not make demands. .......... Agnes does not retire first after this news, but waits with Kemal until everyone else has retired. She sits, relaxed, and speaks to him in Spanish to make it hard for the servants and Antonella. "Kemal, Antonella needs to get out. She's getting worse in some ways. She is at that age where she needs the strong hand of a mother to keep her in check. I cannot do that I have to stay her friend and tutor. If she stays, she may do something that causes embarrasment to you. I take it that if she were to sleep with one of the servants, or somehow someone else, that would cause embarrasment. She and I need to get out of the house, and put into practice some of the things that I have tried to teach her. Now, while you are gone, we could take our time riding from here in a big circle back again, or along another safe route: or we could travel with you. Not with you all the time of course, but if you are away three months you must plan on being based somewhere. If nothing else it will teach her to ride." "There is possibly another option. She no longer riles you. Much of the problem arises, I suspect, from her becoming aware of her body. Her attitude to you has changed enough that perhaps it would be worth asking to make her your wife. This time though it would be a proper marriage with all the conjugal rights." She watches him for his reaction. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal puts a hand over his face, muttering his favorite phrase, "Ya Allah!" Then he lowers his hand and faces you with a pained expression. He starts to say something, then stops himself. And finally asks "This is typical behavior for a young woman of your culture?" He sighs. "Riding around in a circle....well, that would *probably* be safe, Tunis is well-defended and not likely to attract raiders. But it is possible that you might encounter a Berber tribe, and I cannot predict exactly how they might react to coming upon two women traveling alone. They might be as respectful and hospitable as our faith demands...." he pauses. "Or they might not." "Coming with me would place many more constraints upon your behavior than what you must live with here. It would not be considered too unusual if I brought my wife and her cousin along, since as you say, we will have a base camp that should be well away from any possible hostilities. Some other men may be doing the same. But except for when you are in my tent, you would be under the scrutiny of Muslim men almost every moment, and there would be very few other women around for you to socialize with. Your behavior would have to be exemplary, and hers. I can promise you that no one in our army will molest either of you, but I cannot promise that some scoundrel might not attempt to obtain you by other means...such as seduction." He looks increasingly uncomfortable. "I am sure you are capable of withstanding such entreaties, Agnes, but if the girl is as you say, then might she not succumb to temptation? And if she does, at the very least I would have to have her whipped." Finally he comes to the most awkward of your proposals. "Do you truly think she would be amenable to such an arrangement?" he asks. He looks away, very uncomfortably, clears his throat, and without meeting your eyes, says, "The truth is, she is a very pretty girl, I'll grant you....but it is not her for whom I actually feel desire." <><><><><> [Agnes] "It's not untypical that a girl of that age gets rebellious and flirtatious," she replies, blushing with an embarased smile. "But usually there are family, friends and reputation to keep one from going too far. I don't know how the merchants in North Italy usually deal with such things though. And here there is little peer pressure to get her to conform." She nods sagely at the notion of a whipping, "Perhaps that threat should be made at the outset. But that could be avoided ... " she continues leading to her more delicate suggestion. At his embarrassed response, he feels butterflies in her stomach, and the glow from her flushed cheeks. "Forgive me, Kemal. I hadn't realised. I had thought ... I had thought that you were content with the charrade, and 'saw' one of the girls as you had done before our arrangement ... I see now that I have been cruel and selfish. I ... we ..." She stands and walks to his couch, and takes both his hands in hers, she gets him to stand in front of her. She realises that now, and from some time ago, she sees Kemal, her friend, and not an Arab. "You are one of the most generous, gentle, and patient men I have met, Kemal, rivalling only my mentor." With a smile she adds, "who had to endure me and my blindness for many years. I have been inflicting hurt upon you with my feinged wifely affection, and my apparent coolness otherwise. I thought I was doing things for the best ... I hadn't realised. " "Kemal, ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud, Hajji, the charrade is over. I shall be your wife in name and deed." She leads him to his bedchamber. As his wife, she will accompany him on his journey. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal smiles wanly. "Content, I suppose. I assumed you would not welcome an attempt to consummate our marriage. At first I felt no great desire to do so..." He grows silent as you gently pull him to his feet, and looks into your eyes with surprise, and delight. "Cruel, no," he whispers. "I understood why you were distant..." Then he says nothing more, just brushes his lips against yours, containing his passion while you are standing in the den. Ever-proprietous, he waits until you are ensconced in his bedchambers... Kemal is wonderful. For all his modesty and religious strictures, he definitely hasn't spent a lot of the last two hundred years being chaste. He is more skilled than any of the men you've been with before. Even if your feelings for him aren't quite what they were for Kai, or Brian, or Sancho (who was a pleasant, but unexciting lover), he generates feelings that none of them did. He'd certainly be a better way to initiate Antonella into womanhood, than the awkward, fumbling, eventually-pleasurable manner that you and Kai figured out what you were doing. He brings this up indirectly, as you lie next to him afterwards, spent and drenched with sweat. His arms are wrapped gently around you, and he kisses your shoulder. "I still must leave tomorrow," he says softly. "Now, of course, I would be far more willing to bring you along...but what I said remains true, I think you and Antonella would find it a very difficult life, living in an army camp. Especially her." "And I would have trouble justifying a separate tent for her." He clears his throat. "If you are still amenable to that other suggestion....in light of the fact that you and I are no longer chaste with one another.... It would be quite acceptable in our culture, but that is one thing that I know Christian women have very different attitudes about. Would she be willing to share a husband, and would you?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "It might be difficult, but she would see how harsh the real world outside this house and her parents' can really be. It would be a powerful lesson. She would have to endure the rigours of travel, as she will in the future. Although three months is longer that I would have chosen for a trip pfor her such as this, it is an opportunity not to be dismissed lightly. However, it all comes down to her choice. If she declines to marry you then we will both stay, and we will limit ouselves to rides near this local." She starts to carress him seductiively, "As to sharing you, I had best make the most of tonight." "I have shared my life with her since being brought here. Before tonight, I had denied myself having any part of you. I could not countenance such a sharing were it not Antonella we were discussing." She distracts him from further discussion. In the morning, refreshed, she approaches Antonella, and sits her down so they can talk. She does so bluntly. "Antonella. Your mind has been on sex for the past several weeks. There is any easy solution for you : marry Kemal and become his wife with me. You will not find a better lover, nor will you find such an opportunity where a man's wife reccommends her husband's prowess to the woman she would dearly love to have as her partner. I ask you now, and so bluntly as Kemal will only take wives with him. If you marry him now, we go with him to travel the land with him for the next three months. The traavelling won't be easy, nor the conditions, but then again, neither will our journey back to Rome. This would let you see what our journey would be like, without the risks we would run if we were on our own. If you choose not to, then we shall remain here, with limited opportunities to get out and about. Well?" <><><><><> [GM] Antonella looks shocked, but after her initial flush of embarrassment, she seems to be considering what you say. She is full of questions: "How do you know how good a lover he is?" And after watching you a moment longer- "Agnes!" "What changed your mind?" "You mean...you and I....both....?" "Surely not at the same time?!" "But what about...." She stammers, thrown into complete confusion. "Isn't this a sin?" "Where would we be going?" "Would we have to share him with Nadi too?" "What if he takes *other* wives?" She wrings her hands, looking anxious and uncertain, and a definitely more than a little curious. Finally she calms down, and speaks to you in a calmer voice. "This is really what you want, isn't it? I mean, if I say no, and insist we stay here, you won't soon forgive me...." She gulps, and in a small voice, says "He always seems so severe, and I don't think he likes me very much....and I...I've never done this before...." "Will he be gentle with me?" "What if I don't like it?" "What if he grows tired of me?" "What happens when one or both of us gets with child....then how will we go back to Rome?" Despite struggling valiantly to hold back tears, the suddenly timid and frightened girl begins crying. <><><><><> [Agnes] "What changed my mind? I saw past the stereotype I had imposed, and saw the man: a good, kind and caring man. No. Not at the same time, although we will all be in the one tent. No - it is not a sin." Agnes was sure that it was, but the Lord would know that she was doing it for Antonella's good. "We would be going withhim and his army. Discipline in an army is strict, and we too must be careful not to step out of line more than deserving of an admonishment from Kemal. I doubt he will look at Nadi now, with you to hold and love. And I doubt he will want other wives: he will have us - what more could he want? Yes, to be honest, I would like it if you agreed, but I would not think any the less of you if you said 'no' or 'not yet'. I wouldn't hold it against you - there would be nothing _to_ forgive. Nor would Kemal take offence. He will be very gentle, and loving, and you will enjoy it. Despite all your goading, has he ever lifted a hand against you? Trust me, we will neither of us get with child." Agnes embraces Antonella, and hugs the young scared girl that she is. <><><><><> [GM] Antonella sniffs, allows you to comfort her for a while, and then finally regains her composure. Wiping her eyes, she smiles hesitantly at you, and says, "All right...I'll do it." <><><><><> [Agnes] "You will have to tell him yourself. I can't say the words for you." She stands and leads her to Kemal. "Antonella?" <><><><><> [GM] Antonella follows you nervously, and grasps your hand for support. Her usual cocky demeanor seems to been overwhelmed by the sudden change in your status...and the imminent change in hers. She does manage to ask you with some of her old haughtiness, "Isn't *he* supposed to ask *me*?" Kemal is already dressed for travel, and his other slaves are preparing his baggage. He turns to regard the two of you as you enter. You can't tell whether he heard Antonella's question, but a glance at your face, and hers, tells him what he needs to know. He strides forward, wearing his usual serious expression. Antonella takes a deep breath, and stands up straight, trying to regain some of her proud bearing. Kemal takes your hand (the one Antonella isn't grasping) in his, and kisses it lightly. "Antonella....you know that I have taken Agnes as my wife. This union has proven...much more beneficial than either of us dreamed." He glances at you with a small smile. Then he looks back at the girl. "We discussed this, and agreed that both of us would be most pleased, if you would also become my wife. And if you do, I would like to bring both of you with me, on my expedition south. It is good for a man to have his wives with him when he travels, not so good to leave them home alone." Antonella swallows. "Married and carried off into the desert, all on the same day," she murmurs. She glances at you. "So...if we become married, is there a wedding? I always wanted a big, fancy wedding. My father promised he would throw a major party, with a feast to feed an entire neighborhood, and there would be white ponies and acrobats and jongleurs and musicians...." Kemal raises an eyebrow and sighs. "I can hardly provide those things to you, Antonella. We are about to become part of an army camp." "That's not very exciting," Antonella says, wrinkling her nose. Kemal seems torn between exasperation and amusement. Amusement wins. He picks up Antonella's free hand and squeezes it. "Wedding feasts are rarely so ostentatious among our people," he says. "But I promise to make our wedding night exciting enough." Antonella blushes, and Kemal continues, "I will also throw a party in your honor, when we first camp, if that is what you desire. Or a larger one when we return to Tunis, in a few months." "All right," she agrees, in a small voice. Kemal raises her hand to his lips and kisses it. "Good girl. Now let us prepare to leave!" He releases both your hands, after a final squeeze of yours, and turns back to his preparations. "Well, that was a short courtship," Antonella sighs, still looking a bit dazed. <><><><><> [Agnes] She turns and hugs Antonella. "Congratulations!" Still holding her by the hand, Agnes leads her off. "Let's get ready." She packs: for herself, and then helps Antonella: Not they have many personal things to pack. Then Agnes goes to watch the mules being packed. She freezes at the door, her fingers gripping the wall for support, as she comes face to face with some huge monster. It brays at her and tries to bite her. She has no sword! It's all she can do to swing the door shut in the monster's face, bar it and lean her back against it. Ashen faced, she says to Antonella, "There's something out there! I'll hold the door shut; you fetch Kemal." More noises of the breying creatures **more than one!** caame to her, along with the shouts of cursing men, obviously trying to fend off the beasts. **What horrors of the desert are these!" ------------ That Kemal laughed was bad enough, Antonella laughing at her too was just ... embarasing. "Camels." He'd said. "Whatever - I'm not riding one. A horse or I'm staying." Real fear showed through her eyes, and she'd go nowhere near the 'camels'. Kemal would no doubt disapprove when he found out, but she hid her buckler and sword in the blanket at the back of her saddle. The camels had rattled her. She still didn't trust them.