Clarestes. Chapters 9 and 10.

Chapter 9 - ““I have heard of people like you…”


The next few days were ones of relative ease for Clarestes and Mera, as not only was Gaia soaked through, but Apollo became gentle, and so the heat was greatly lessened as well.

Nevertheless, they worked more leisurely, rested often, and ceased their labors earlier. Mera’s appetite returned, she put her weight back on, and her strength and health were recovered.

Clarestes slept soundly upon the cool floor on the common room, and in short time his body ceased to ache ws well.

One day he showed her how to fish from their creek, then left her there as he went off to the fields. That day she did nothing but this (other than tending to the animals). There by the creek, she came to realize that Clarestes often threw to her soft, fun jobs she preferred, while he attended to the tedious drudgery. She smiled as she fished and thought about this, as no one had ever done such thoughtful or generous things for her in the past, to say the least

When she came home that evening she had but a few, large fish. When Clarestes asked her if the fishing was poor, she hesitantly said no. She said she had thrown many of them back, especially the little ones that were the cutest. Then she had grown concerned about this, as she thought those fish released might not be able to survive the shock of being caught. So she just stopped trying to catch them completely. She grew sheepish and then admitted she spent some time swimming and bathing herself. She finished, telling him with shame, that afterward she fell asleep on the creek’s shady bank.

She thought Clarestes would grow resentful and angry at this, a wasted day of self-indulgence she engaged in while he toiled, but he laughed and laughed.

“Good!” he cried. “Apparently you are human after all!”

He often surprised her by doing or saying such things.


That evening as they cleaned, cut, spiced and salted the few fish that she had brought back for drying, he said, “This will not be enough for our winter’s store. We will need to catch more.”

Mera nodded her head in agreement. She said, “True, but you will not need as many as you think. We will need to catch only as many as you will eat this winter.”

“You are thinking of leaving?” he asked quickly and in concern. “You are welcome to stay this winter and after as well. And know that not only are you welcome here, know also that it is my wish.”

Mera smiled and she said, “I thank you with deep appreciation. I think I will accept your offer of hospitality and stay this winter.” She continued in slow measure, “Nevertheless, I have been thinking. I will now forgo eating mutton or goats’ meat or pork. I can no longer eat the sheep, goats and pigs that I have cared for and become attached to. It pains my heart too much. I am ashamed of this strange weakness...”

Clarestes was not completely surprised by this as he had taken a curious note that Mera in the last many days had been eating less and less meat. Now, as he looked upon her, her face was grave, as if she was concerned about his judgment of her decision. He smiled and said, “I don’t think that is weakness, I think that is admirable. We will plant more beans, lentils, chickpeas and such for your health. We will raise more peacocks so you can eat their eggs. And we will increase our goats’ numbers for added milk and cheese.” To this Mera nodded her head and she was relieved.

“And I will follow in your diet as well,” he said.

Mera was stunned by this. She shook her head and said, “You need not do that.”

Clarestes said, “I follow you easily, as I too, at times, have been troubled and thought the same as you, that it is not right to eat the goats that give us their milk and the sheep whose fleece we take. And it is wrong to eat the animals that have greeted us warmly, laid their heads in our hands in affection. So I follow you willingly. I needed only your bold leading of the way for me to come as well. We give our sows to Nycius. And forthwith we let our goats, sheep and peacocks live out their lives in whole, then bury them when they die.”

To this Mera smiled broadly and she was joyous. She so wanted to unleash her tongue and say both in elated humor and in truth - You are so smooth. I have never liked anyone in the least, and you I like so much. If you are doing this to get into my skirt, then you’ve succeeded in complete. Our shared blood means so very little to me now, you are so there!

But she couldn’t bring up the courage to say this, especially as she was afraid he’d say no.

So she thought for a moment and she decided that she would just be normal for once in her life. She would tell him the simple truth, that his kindness to her had, in time, warmed her heart to him. And this warming of her heart had only increased through more time, by all he did and said that was good..

Then she was ashamed even more, as she realized she was too cowardly to even say this as well.

So her smile receded and she simply said quietly, “I have heard of people like you…”

Clarestes looked at her questioningly, so she said, “People who are good…”

Clarestes laughed and said, “Hey, you’re the one who started this all.” She smiled at this..

“But what about fish?” he asked as he pointed to the drying fish.

Mera wrinkled her nose and she said, “I will eat them no longer as well. But not because I care for them as much as the other animals. It is more because fish smell foul and taste yucky.”

To this Clarestes laughed and he said, “Then there we will depart in our eating of meat, for I find them delicious and not yucky in the least, especially on a chill winter’s night.”


Chapter 10 - “Whose bed is it then?”

The next day Mera was in a strange mood. She was not as talkative by nature as Clarestes, but this day she was downright silent. They worked the fields together in silence, and when they brought the animals in for the night as well. When done working, they returned home and ate, and then that night she began to drink their strong wine in excess, which was something he had never seen her do. She became drunk, and her words emerged to him. They were somewhat slowed and slurred, but their meaning was clear.

“There are things that have been bothering me. I have not always been truthful with you. With anyone else I would not care. But with you, these lies weigh upon me,” she said.

Clarestes nodded his head but said nothing.

Mera thought for a time then she said, “I will start with the worst and most shameful lie. I told you that when Ares came to rape me, I stabbed him and sent him into flight. That all is true, but I deceived you with what I left out. I made it seem as if that was the first time he tried to rape me. He took perhaps a dozen times before I built up the plan and courage to stab him. Make no mistake, I certainly fought him all of those previous times, but he is so strong, my resistance was not enough and he overcame me. He is such an evil wretch...I know my fear and cries of heartbreak only pleased and excited him more.”

Clarestes’ blood chilled and he sat stone still as he listened to Mera’s words. His heart would have ached for anyone sharing such, but as he imagined these cruel acts upon her, this was numbingly woeful to him.

She looked at him and she said, “I am so afraid of him. I am frightened that he will return some day and kill me, or worse, that he will rape me again, for I’d rather die than have that happen again. All this bothers me every day, but my lie to you, that I implied I bravely stood against him right away, has burdened me more. This omission of truth has plagued me, because to you I am in debt for your kindness. I respect you, and so that has made my lie to you all the more shameful.”

Clarestes said, “I have given you nothing, so your shame is mislaid. As far as Ares returning again, I do not know if that will occur. But if that happens and I am present, we will stand against him and we will defeat him, or both die trying, before he harms you again.”

Mera broke down at this and started to weep and shake, and Clarestes knew her torment was deep. He said, “Rise Mera, and we will make that pact. If Ares returns we will defy him and if need be, die doing so.” But Mera could not stand because she had fallen apart too much. Clarestes was very alarmed by this, as he had never seen her cry and shake so.

He went to her and put his arms around her. This confused her and she tried to pull away and out of his arms, but he had already closed his hands behind her. “What are you doing?” she asked through her sobs.

He said, “It is called a hug. It is known to all people around the world, save yours. It is supposed to make you feel better.”

Mera said, “It feels strange. I do not like it.”

Clarestes said, “Well, it’s making me feel better and I like it, so please bear with me for a time.” To this Mera surprised him by laughing.

Clarestes released her and he said, “Perhaps this embrace will comfort you more.” He retrieved a knife and cut his palm and his blood issued forth.

He said, “Stand Mera, Defier of Ares and Slayer of Amazons. Rise and be resolute and open your hand to me. Now we will seal this pact. Speak the words that if Ares dares tread here, will stand against him and prevail over him, or die trying. Let our mixed blood etch those words in our minds. Our vow will put your mind more at ease, as good plans always do.”

Mera was able to stand now. She gave Clarestes her hand and he cut her palm. Their hands clasped and their blood was mixed. They took their oath together. Slowly she began to feel better.

Yet Clarestes himself was saddened by all this; at Mera’s tale of pain and of what she described. And he was saddened at the pledge of defiance he took with her. He thought that it would have been much, much more pleasing to have taken her hand within his to make an entirely different vow with her.

She, meanwhile, her mind less troubled with her deceit now unburdened, began to “celebrate” by drinking yet more strong wine. Clarestes worried about this as now she was unsteady while just sitting. He attempted a couple of times to take the wine jug away from her, but she became angry and upset, and so she clung to it desperately with one arm as she lashed out at him with the other.

Eventually she became very drunk. Her words slurred more, her accent became thicker, and it became hard for him to understand her. He thought that perhaps she also admitted to not actually trying to kill him when they first met, but her words and thoughts were such a mish mash of her alluding to being sleep deprived and starving at the time, and him being so stupid and weird that she thought could not have brought herself to do that - maybe. But she did say something along the lines of her definitely wanting to punch him is his know-it-all face and kick him nice and hard in the balls. Anyway, it was hard for Clarestes to make clear sense of her message now.

As she slumped further and further upon the table, she rambled on about how life was strange, and for her whole life she did nothing but train and fight; with javelins, spears, slings, swords, shields, bows and arrows. Wrestling, kicking, boxing... fighting with some of the nastiest, heartless and most vicious people on Gaia, not to mention the Amazons’ actual enemies themselves. Then one day you find yourself milking goats, shearing sheep, collecting eggs and making wine for the first time in your life...on a peaceful, beautiful, farm in the middle of nowhere...with a very sweet, super kind and surprisingly handsome boy…

Clarestes’s head spun around as she mumbled this. Had he heard her right? He asked her what she had just said, but her words meandered into incoherent nonsense in response. He, of course, pressed her, but this angered her (his stupid questions) and then she began to ramble on about what an annoying, wet-behind-the-ears and know-it-all horse’s ass he was most times...and then she was quiet for quite some time...and then she started to snore.

He smiled. He picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He thought he heard her mumble something about “and amazingly strong too,” but then she went right back to snoring.

He placed her in bed and arranged all so that she would be comfortable and safe. After, he left her room and got into his makeshift bed in the living room and he thought of her. He imagined her as he thought she might have looked when she was a girl, and how awful it must have been for her to live among the fierce, cold, and unrelenting Amazons, to have hated your mother, and to have been raped by the person you loathed and feared the most. It angered his heart as he thought of all of these things happening to her. And then he realized why it bothered him so. He knew then that he had fallen deeply in love with her. After, he thought of nothing else but this for a long time, until he too fell asleep.


In the morning when Mera awoke, she went out to the living room to find Clarestes making breakfast. She sat down on her log beside the table.

Clarestes greeted her and then let her be. He finished making the food and filled their plates. He placed one in front of Mera and then he too sat down. He thanked all the gods and goddesses for their blessings (save Ares, Mera noted) and then he began to eat.

She did not touch her food as she was not hungry. She raised her cut hand and she said, “I remember much of last night and I thank you for all you did and said.”

Clarestes said, “No thanks is needed.”

She smiled a little and she said, “You, of course, are not bound by a drunken vow.”

Clarestes said almost angrily, “I was not drunk, and even if I was that vow stands. It stands until I die.”

Mera’s smile grew. After a time her brow furrowed and she said, “I do not remember going to bed though…”

Clarestes’ voice softened as he said, “I had to help you get there.”

Mera said, “Thank you for helping me into your bed.”

Clarestes said, “It is not my bed.”

Mera thought and she said, “Well, then thank you for helping me into your parent’s bed.”

Clarestes said, “It is their bed no longer.”

Mera’s mind was foggy and she could not put this together and so she asked, “Whose bed is it then?”

“It is your bed now,” he answered.

She sat on her log for a time and thought about this, and then she smiled.