The Spartan Empire - Part 2

Jack and John were pushing a cart up the hill on a rough road. They were in a line of other carts heading in the same direction as them. Their task when working the fields was pulling or pushing carts up to wine pressers and down to the palace storehouse. Their carts were either filled with either fresh grapes that were just plucked or barrels of wine that were freshly pressed. Suddenly there was an audible crack and their cart dropped down, the two boys looked under to see what caused the damage.

"What's the holdup?" demanded the field master when he saw the two boys stop pushing.

"Our axle broke, sir." reported Jack while John continued to assess how bad was the damage.

"And that stops you from continuing forward?" asked the field master. The two turned and looked at each other. They knew delays were bad for any business but a broken cart was not avoidable. "Each of you takes two barrels, the rest will be loaded in other carts. Now move!" ordered the field master.

"Yes, field master!" acknowledged Jack and John. They loaded all but four barrels in passing carts as they took the remaining ones and trug up the hill.

"How bad was the axle?" asked Jack when they were given a break while the grapes were being pressed. They got themselves a new cart and were just waiting to be summoned to fill their cart.

"We knew it was going to break anyway, it broke by the wheel. If we had time, I could have made a brace to hold it till we got back down." stated John.

"Wish we had time," sighed Jack as they looked down the hill they climbed. Besides their broken cart, there were a couple of others that broke as well. The field master didn't want any delays and had slaves carry the barrels from the broken carts just like theirs.

"I could have rigged something up in less than two minutes to get it back on his feet." stated John.

"Yes, but we'll be punished for delaying the load if we do." stated Jack.

"I know, and the fact that we haven't seen Zhōng since we were bought, tells me he's doing something different than us." said John, they looked up towards the sun, it was past high noon when they were called to fill their cart.

"Let's hope we see him at dinner." sighed Jack as they got up to get their cart loaded.

"So you girls are the new slaves that his majesty purchased." stated the master chef, he paced back and forth in front of the girls. They were lined up by a wall in the kitchen as the master chef inspected them. They were nervous and tense as they didn't know what he was thinking. "Relax, there's no need to be frightened unless you did something wrong." he assured.

"What would you like us to do, master?" asked Xing with nervousness in her voice.

The master chef laughed before answering, "Please, I am no master, call me master chef from now on."

"Yes, master chef," replied Xing with more confidence.

"Now I am not just in charge of cooking, I'm also in charge of housekeeping. You girls are hereby assigned to tidy up the palace, ensuring all private and public rooms are neat and clean. If the king has guests, you are to help them organize and get comfy staying in the palace. There's only one other person besides me who can give you orders to clean. That's the butler and your fellow slave, Mr. Abdelmalik." stated the master chef.

"What happens if we fail?" asked Hannah, she was trying to follow her sister's lead. 

There was a sudden crash of pots and food dispersed all over the floor. "You again," sighed the master chef as he looked at the girl responsible.

"I'm sorry master chef, I didn't mean to be so clumsy." pleaded the girl. The master chef signaled two guards nearby to grab her. She cried and pleaded as they dragged her to the master chef who took a stool and sat on it in front of the girls. "No please, show mercy." The girl continued to cry as the guards lay her on his lap.

"If you fail, you receive what I call strikes." explained the master chef, ignoring the girl's cries. In his hand was a paddle and he struck it down on her behind who screamed and jerked from the impact. "The first is a scolding and warnings, if that doesn't work, we move to strike two. I paddle you till your bums are red and if that doesn't work, we go to strike three. I will whip you after I paddle you and if I see you enjoy the pain, you'll be removed from my service and chained to the wall your mind and body will waste away into nothing." he stated over the girl's cries. Just like he promised, he stopped when her behind was deep red, the girl still had tears and whimpered from her punishment. "Do you understand?" he asked the girls whose faces were pale from the demonstration.

"I thought slavery was a lot worse than this." stated Silica as she dusted a desk in a room. After the demonstration they witnessed, the master chef assigned the girls to tidy up one of the superior rooms.

"How could it be worse?" asked Kotori, who helped Silica with the desk.

"Well, we have a roof over our heads, food to eat, and beds to rest." pointed out Xing as she and Hannah took care of putting new sheets on the bed.

"We could be whipped while working and as long as we do what we are told, we wouldn't have to be." added Cortana as she and Pina worked the curtains.

"Okay, okay, you're right, it could be worse." accepted Kotori. "But there must be masters that do make it worse."

"Why are you bringing this up?" asked Hannah, curious as to why she wanted to continue the conversation.

"Well if slaves were treated like this, then why were they banned from our empire? We could have them take care of our places and we don't have to pay them as long as we cover their basics." suggested Kotori.

"You do have a point, there must be a solid reason why they aren't allowed in the Ninja Empire." said Pina.

"Because slaves aren't people, they're cattle or property." stated a masculine voice they turned around to see Zhōng was standing in the doorway from where they entered.

"Brother," exclaimed Xing.

"Slaves may live a comfy life like we are right now, but they have no voice to speak their opinions. They are to comply with orders without arguing or challenging them. Another reason is if slaves were allowed, the masters might not treat them well and make their lives miserable that the slaves might kill themselves. But the master won't care as he'll buy another slave to replace it." explained Zhōng, ignoring his sister's greeting.

"So what did the king have you and princess doing?" asked Hannah, the girls were curious as to why both Zhōng and Zhen were pulled aside from the rest of them.

"Let's just say you girls don't do anything rash, let me handle a way for you guys' freedom. Stay out of trouble and whatever you do, stick together and don't stand out." said Zhōng, he looked at each of the girls before staring at Hannah. He made her uncomfortable as she knew how strong he was.

"We won't get you any trouble, brother." assured Xing, trying to see if she could break her brother's sad glare.

"I know you won't." said Zhōng, he turned and walked away, taking with him the awkward and cold aura. 

Hannah once he was gone, though she was used to Zhōng being cold to her, she wished he'd see her as he does with Xing. "You have to remember, Zhōng never had anyone from outside of the family be there for him." assured Xing.

"But I am part of the family, why does he treat me coldly?" asked Hannah.

"You're not the first person who is close with Zhōng but he distances himself from." stated Cortana.

"He was chill like ice when we first met him while they worked at the blacksmith." added Pina.

"That's probably the only time you met him before his real name was discovered." said Xing as she tried to remember the memory.

Jack and John pushed their cart aggressively, they were able to talk with Zhōng quickly and he told them to stay low. Their cart dropped after another loud audible snap from the axle. John cheeked under the cart for the damage and nodded indicating it was the same as their first. Jack sighed and turned to see if the field master noticed their halt. "You know what Zhōng said, let's not cause trouble." warned John, he knew what Jack was thinking.

"Is Zhōng out hauling carts up and down this hill? Is he taking extra barrels from those whose carts broke down like ours? Is he going to be exhausted and stiff from today's work like we are?" questioned Jack with each question, he became more angry.

"I don't like this either, but if we cause trouble that affects him, we put ourselves in slavery for perhaps another couple of years." argued John.

"We are going to be out of carts at that time anyway if nothing changes. Start pretending to put barrels in the passing carts." stated Jack. John followed his gaze and saw the field master was looking at them. 

"We better make this quick then," muttered John as he and Jack prepared to unload the barrels while the field master watched. "Now," he said once the field master moved his gaze away from them. He lifted the cart up and Jack crawled underneath.

Jack immediately got to work, he started by checking how severe the break was. Judging by the speed at which they tugged their cart, the axle was almost split in two. "Give me something that can brace it." he requested. John scanned quickly inside the cart and found two boards and gave them to Jack. "Now I need something to tie it." he requested.

"We don't have anything like that." stated John.

"Well, we got to use our imagination." stated Jack.

"You do that, I got a bigger problem." stated John, he noticed the field master was coming towards them.

"What's wrong with you?" demanded the field master as he approached.

"I'm exhausted, I'm thirsty, I can't go on in this condition." stated John, leaning back on the cart while lifting it.

"Where's your partner then?" asked the field master.

"He went to get water for me." replied John. Jack had to admit, John was an excellent liar and actor as he tried to figure out what he could use to tie the brace together.

"Really, is that the reason why he's below your cart? Do you think of me blind?" enraged the field master.

John turned around with his back facing the field master. "Jack, you better hurry." he muttered, he could hear the field master's steps getting closer.

"Drop the cart, slave!" ordered the field master, he pulled out his whip and struck John's back.

Jack could hear the cracks and scrabble to find something to use on the ground. "Hang in there, John." he pleaded.

"I said, drop the cart!" repeated the field master, whipping John's back a few more times.

"I can't hold it much longer," groaned John as his back was in terrible pain from the lashes.

Jack looked around again, there was nothing long or strong enough to brace the axle than I thought came to him. He quickly ripped the part of his exomes that went over his left shoulder and tied it around the axle and the brace. The cart thudded down and Jack thought he was going to be crushed. When he realized the brace hold, he quickly began crawling out before being pulled out by two guards.

"You two are in serious trouble." stated the field master after Jack was pulled out and pinned by the guards.

"You alright?" asked Jack he noticed some blood trickling down John's back.

"Next time you hold the cart." said John he breathed heavily knowing his friend was alright.

"Silence! Slaves!" shouted the field master cracking his whip.

"Field master!" shouted someone behind him.

"What?!" growled the field master who spoke out to him.

"Their cart, look," stated the guard, everyone turned to see the cart was still standing.

The field master approached it and checked underneath the cart to see cloth wrapped around two wooden boards that braced the axle. "Was this what you were doing underneath there?" asked the field master to Jack as he noticed his clothes were ripped.

"Yes, field master," confirmed Jack.

The field master looked at the two men in front of him, he turned to see the other slaves had stopped moving and watched what he was going to do. "Back to work!" he barked at them and the slaves began to move again. "As for you two, you are to push this cart for the rest of the day. If it breaks again, you are to carry the same amount of barrels it can hold." he ordered.

"Yes, field master," acknowledged Jack and John. The two friends looked at each other and knew if this cart held, the field master might give them a different punishment and a new station.

The girls returned to the kitchen for a short break, their food was going to arrive as soon as the king and queen received their meals followed by those who worked the fields and those of higher rank than them. The girl from earlier was scattered brain and was in a hurry to finish, she suddenly left her station to get something and perhaps was never going to return. Hannah frowned as she knew before she could smell that the food the girl was making was terrible. She cautiously stepped forward making sure no one noticed her advancing towards the pot. Suddenly her arm was grabbed and she saw her half-sister was holding her back.

"You can't be serious." stated Xing, shaking her head.

"I am serious, why not try." replied Hannah.

"Our brother told us to do what we are told and don't stand out." argued Xing.

"Your brother, my half-brother." clarified Hannah.

Xing sighed and then said, "Our father was a terrible man for killing off the people he was sworn to lead and protect, but Zhōng looked up to him as a man with honor and loyalty. The fact he discovered you're our half-sibling shattered his view of him. He isn't angry at you, he sees you as our father's failure and shattered honor."

Hannah looked into Xing's eyes, they showed no signs of her lying to her. In her heart, she knew Xing was right as she turned back towards the station left by the girl. "Maybe so, but perhaps I can change his view of me if given the chance." she said as she turned back to face her sister. Xing sighed and nodded knowing better than to argue with her. The two sisters approached the station and began fixing the dish.

Half an hour went by as the girls waited for the leftovers of the meals. They weren't expecting much but were hungry. They were glad that they weren't going to eat dried-up meat that the boys caught and preserved during their travels. Suddenly, the master chef entered the room and stared at each one of them. "Which one of you cooked in my kitchen?" he demanded. Xing and Hannah knew they were in trouble as they stood up without saying a word. 

The master chef was surprised and then asked, "Do you know how I know it was one of you girls?" Both girls shook their heads and bowed them lower knowing they would soon be punished. "Because the girl from the station couldn't possibly cook something that delicious." he said with a chuckle. Xing and Hannah looked up to see the anger on his face was replaced with a grin. "Tell me, did you have two experiences in the kitchen before?" he asked them.

"I used to work in a tavern and cook meals for my brother and uncle." explained Xing.

"I learned from my adopted mother, she taught me numerous recipes." stated Hannah.

"Well perhaps, the king should try some of them if you two are willing to cook regularly." praised the master chef. The other girls looked at Xing and Hannah with smiles on their faces assuring them it was okay. Both Xing and Hannah nodded in agreement and the master chef clapped his hands before inviting them back into the kitchen for a lot of food left for them.

Zhōng was soon walking back to King Alexios's study, he had delivered lots of messages throughout the day and fetched jugs of wine for King Alexios to drink with a few of the council members. They came when they heard of the money he pulled from their finances and got into huge debates. His mind was so blank and numb that he almost didn't he almost ran into someone. "What are you doing slave?" rebuked the man.

"My apologies, sir, I didn't mean to." stated Zhōng bowing down to him.

"You're new, aren't you?" asked the man with a puzzled sound in his voice.

"Yes, sir," replied Zhōng, his head still bowed.

"Do you want to know how I know?" asked the man lifting Zhōng's head up. Without waiting for Zhōng to reply, he continued, "New male slaves have their hair almost cut back till there's left. When they get it cut again, they can ask to leave less than a half inch left on their heads." Zhōng looked at the man he almost ran into and saw his haircut was exactly how he described a veteran slave's hair look. "I'm Abdelmalik, butler of the palace" he greeted, reaching his hand out.

"Zhōng, King Alexios's personal slave." replied Zhōng as he shook Abdelmalik's hand.

"So you're his majesty's new delivery boy." stated Abdelmalik as he inspected Zhōng. "If you want to be free from him and slavery, I suggest you tell him everything. Your secrets, your knowledge, your information, anything, and everything, till you have no identity left that's a secret." 

"Is that guaranteed?" asked Zhōng as they let go of their hands.

"Maybe it's worth a try, I'll see around." stated Abdelmalik as he left Zhōng.

Zhōng sighed before realizing he was standing in front of King Alexios's study. He entered to see the king as still eating his meal. King Alexios looked up to see Zhōng's head bowed down and his hands folded waiting for his next instructions. "I assume you already ate." he stated and saw Zhōng slowly nod his head. "Then you are relieved for tonight, I'll need you bright and early tomorrow morning. Would that be a problem?" he asked.

"No, your majesty," answered Zhōng.

"Then have the guards at the end of the hallway going west escort you to your chambers." he stated while tapping a letter with his fork. Zhōng nodded and grabbed the letter he departed. When he was gone, King Alexios sighed and looked at the Ninja Sword which happened to catch Zhōng's as well but didn't last long as he left with a dreadful and sad expression on his face.

Zhōng entered his new chambers and noticed it was big. Alone it could fit twenty to thirty people comfortably lying down as noticed a firepit in the center. There were logs and flint and steel on one side of the circular walls and one set of sheets to keep warm. Knowing the ground would be cold, he took the logs and started a fire, and wrapped himself in the blanket. He stared at the flames thinking back to the past couple of weeks where their supplies were dwindling and the weather felt like it was getting harsher. 

Zhōng soon thought even further back a couple of months earlier as they journeyed through the Ninja Empire and Iarnă Mountains on foot as they fear of his brother chasing them and news of the war reaching their ears. This in turn had him think back to the day when the skies above the Ninja Empire's capital were glowing orange from the flames and the sounds of artillery firing down and his last stand before being stabbed. 

The cycle of the memories continued as he stared into the flame before hearing the door he entered from opening and closing. He turned around and saw Zhen who looked frightened and on edge as she looked at him. He got up and approached her, her eyes shut as he was close before opening again after he wrapped the blanket around her. "I'll ask King Alexios for another one tomorrow." assured as he guided her to the fire.

"What's going to happen to us?" Zhen finally asked as she laid down on Zhōng's lap. Tears of fear and uncertainty began to form on her face as they watched the fire dance.

"You let me worry about that, princess." assured Zhōng as he petted Zhen's head before she fell asleep. "It's my fault we're in this mess." he said before returning to look at the fire.