Happiness
Chapter 6
Her eyes widened in fear, but she, nevertheless, nodded and grabbed the reins.
Damon approached the man. �Good day, sir.�
The man nodded, looking at him askance.
�May I assume that you are the captain of this magnificent vessel?�
The man grinned, �My name is Titus, sir. And, yes, I am the captain of Mercury. What is your business?�
�Where are you headed, sir?� Damon asked, ignoring his question.
Titus squinted, �I will be stopping in Tyre to get some Persian goods, and then return here to sell them.�
�Would you mind taking passengers on board Mercury?� Damon asked bluntly.
Titus� eyes slowly scanned the man in front of him, noting every little detail � the tattered clothes, the bruises, the still visible traces of whip lashes and red scars from the ropes around his wrists � and came to rest on his face, burning through Damon like two black coals. �A couple of guards were walking around here today,� the ship owner droned finally without taking his eyes off him. �Apparently, two slaves have escaped from around the Palatine Hill. You wouldn�t know anything about it, would you?�
Damon felt cold fangs of fear close in on his heart. His voice did not falter, however, as he replied in a very matter-of-fact manner, �No, sir. Actually, me and my little friend there have ourselves been approached by those guards with that same question. Unfortunately, we could not give them any useful information.�
Titus bared his teeth menacingly. �Apparently, the guards have not been quite satisfied with your information,� he said, nodding somewhere to the side. Following that motion, Damon saw one of the Roman soldiers standing next to the tiny figure of a twelve-year-old girl who shrank back in fright.
***
Leila watched the interaction between Damon and the ship�s owner from afar. She could not hear the words from that distance, but she could clearly see the face of the other man. Something cold and unfriendly was in the stranger�s face, and Leila frowned in consternation. She didn�t like him. She was almost ready to run up to Damon and tell him not to trust that man, when, suddenly, she felt someone�s hand grab her roughly by the shoulder. She turned around, and her mouth opened in a silent scream � a huge figure of the guard towered over her, a vicious smile on his face. Leila�s heart sank, and she drew back in fear. Then someone�s fist swooshed through the air above her head, and suddenly the guard released her shoulder and staggered away, his hands covering a bloodied face. A second later that same hand gathered her up, and Leila found herself dangling face down in the air under Damon�s arm. For a few moments all she could see were her feet swinging back and forth and the ground below, as Damon cut with her through the crowd. Her whole being filled with indignation at such a disrespectful treatment.
�Put . . . me . . . down,� she heaved in between his hurried steps, beating his leg. Soon she found herself on the ground with Damon pushing her down and crouching himself next to her behind some pile of wood.
�Quiet down, you little wild cat!� Damon hissed at her, rubbing the injured spot.
�Well, you could try to be more polite next time,� she hissed back. �I do not like being picked up like some sack��
�You will forgive me, your majesty,� he cut her off in a scathing voice, �but I did not have much time to worry about my manners.�
She fell silent, realizing that he was right. He saved her, and, instead of being grateful, she yelled at him. Leila lowered her head, and her eyes caught the sight of a small bruise on Damon�s leg. She must have really hit him hard. Suddenly she felt ashamed. In her upbringing, people always gave curtsies to her. Never once was she treated with disrespect; never once did she feel the need to apologize to anyone but her father for her behavior. And now she wanted to do just that, but Damon already turned away from her, peeking carefully from behind their little refuge.
�We have to get out of here,� he turned to her. �The guards are coming.�
�Where?� she whispered.
�We will get on board that ship,� he pointed in the direction of Mercury that already finished loading and was preparing for departure.
�But the captain,� she protested mildly, �I do not trust him.�
�Neither do I,� he grinned. �We will ride as stowaways.�
Leila smiled and suddenly reached up and kissed him on the cheek. �I am sorry for hitting you,� she whispered, pulling back, and almost laughed out loud at the expression of utter bewilderment on his face.
***
To get on board as stowaways, in Damon�s terms, meant to dive into the water at the back of the ship before anyone could notice them and then climb up the slippery side that faced the sea, hanging onto the rope with a hook on one end that Damon stole on the way. Together they crept slowly and carefully into the hold of the ship. They found a comfortable cozy spot between the piles of Titus� merchandise that included jars, swords, dress fabrics and carpets. They were both dripping wet, and the combination of cold water and the dark coolness of the hold left them almost freezing. Leila sat down and clasped her knees, her teeth chattering from cold, her skin was covered with goose bumps. Damon, whose own teeth were playing a musical accompaniment to Leila�s, glanced at her tiny shivering form and, without saying a word, began rummaging through one of the piles. He finally pulled out something that looked like a blanket and wrapped it gently around the girl�s shoulders. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening gratefully in the semi-darkness. �Th-than-nk . . . y-you,� she stuttered through half-clenched teeth. He nodded and turned back to the pile. Having dug out a piece of cloth for himself, he threw it around his wet rags and stretched himself out on the floor beside Leila. Almost as soon as his head hit the rolled up carpet that they used as a pillow, he felt the wave of fatigue rush over him, shadowing cold, pain, and hunger. His eyelids suddenly grew heavy as rocks, and a moment later he was sound asleep. All the worries of the day were gone into oblivion.