| Fantasy Fiction posted October 6, 2020 | Chapters: |
...8 9 -10- 11... 
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Explanations
A chapter in the book Another Life
After the Beatdown
by lancellot
| Background Paul brought Crista home and explained his actions to his parents. Father and son engaged in a knock down fight/lesson for Paul's reckless actions. Paul lost. |
Again, his father shook his head. “I am a captain in the City Watch. Do you think I would not have trained my wife in self-defense? You are fortunate she wasn’t out here instead of me. When she gets going, she doesn’t know when to stop, and she seldom tires. I still don’t know how or why she didn’t take you as a demon and kill you the first time you... um fed yourself at her teat.” He immediately started laughing again.
Paul could not believe what he was hearing. Rosetta had never shown any sign of aggression or anger. “I didn’t know.”
His father’s face became still. “No, you didn’t, and that is the problem. You are here, but you’re not. You behave like a man on holiday, like a tourist who expects to go home at the end of the week. Paul, I do not pretend to know how your - reincarnation happened. I am not well versed in such things, but I do know you are here. And I see no reason to believe you will not remain here until you die unless you know of another way to return to-. What did you call it, Murica?”
“America, and no, I don’t know how to return. I’m sure my old body has long been buried and turned to dust, so-.” Paul looked around and then at his torn robes and bruised hands. “Well, at least there was no harm done.” As soon as he said it, he knew he was wrong.
Dominic sighed deeply. “Perhaps, perhaps not. You murdered two people, Paul.” Before he could protest, Dominic raised his hand, cutting him off. “As far as the King’s law is concerned, that is what you did, and you have no witnesses to say otherwise.”
Paul could not let that slide. “There is Crista. She saw…”
Again, his father shook his head. “Your woman does not count.”
Paul stared at his father with a blank look on his face.
“Slaves have no voice in the Kingdom,” he continued.
“Slave? I didn’t...” he couldn’t finish. The look in his father’s eyes and his words echoed in his head. Of course, I didn’t know.
“And that’s your problem. You don’t know. You probably didn’t know slavery existed here at all. You didn’t know about the youth gangs. You didn’t know that as our minor child, you can not be held responsible for your actions. Your mother and I would be held accountable for the lives you took today.”
Paul’s eyes opened wide, and his swollen lips parted in silence. He wanted to protest, but his father was right. He didn’t know one meaningful thing about Valeria, not a single law, nothing at all. No wonder father was so angry. Only one thought has been my mind. My God, what have I been doing?
They sat in the silence for several minutes before Dominic rose and extended a hand down to his son. “As your mother stated, what’s done is done. Fortunately, there were no witnesses, and I am a Captain in the City Watch, so suspicion should not fall upon my son. I trust you at least concealed the bodies?”
“Yes, I put them…,” Paul lowered his head. “Well, I put them in a trash bin.”
Dominic nodded and led Paul back to the house. “Good, perhaps it will be days before they are found. That, at least, will make it look like a robbery, and you would be nowhere near the scene. Tomorrow, we will go to the town hall and register your woman. I will scribe you a bill of sale with Joqumoe’s mark on it. Thank the three gods, I’ve seen it enough times over the years.”
Paul did not argue as it was clear he was more than a little ignorant, but he was so confused he had to get some clarity. “What do you mean, register my woman? If Crista is a slave, can’t we just free her?”
For the third time that night, his father broke out in laughter. This time it was so boisterous that Paul laughed too briefly before his swollen lip split, and he realized he didn’t know why he was laughing. Dominic laughed to the door where Rosetta stood, holding it open for them. She didn’t say anything, just pulled the robes off them both, leaving them only in their kilts. She sat them down and began tending their wounds. Dominic had only a scratch on the bridge of his nose. Paul appeared to require most of her attention.
As Rosetta worked on her boy, Dominic turned him, “Son, when you carried your… Crista on your back through town, did she say anything to you?”
It was an odd question, and Paul had to concentrate. He remembered Crista was mostly silent. “Yes, I think she asked me if I was sure and where I was taking her.”
“And your response?” Rosetta asked, dabbing ointment on his split lip.
Still, not seeing the point, he answered, “I told her yes, and that I was taking her home. I may have said something about you accepting her or something. I couldn’t leave her, and I didn’t know where else to take her.” Paul looked up at his mom, who strangely had a small grin on her face.
She finished up by washing his puffy face and kissing him on the forehead.
Dominic sighed again. “This isn’t your fault alone. I should have taught you this long ago. When your mother and I were betrothed, I was but two years older than you." He looked up his wife. "I knew she was the one for me a year earlier, but I was too afraid to say it. I was proud to carry her weight through town for all to see when I got the chance.”
Paul still didn’t get the point, and a part of him didn’t care. He was minutes from collapsing, and his entire body throbbed like his fat lip. He looked from his father to his mother.
Smiling, Rosetta said, “You see, Paul, by carrying Crista through town and to your home, you were declaring to all that she was yours, and you would bear her weight in the world from this day to your last day. You told everyone Crista was your wife.”
Paul gasped. He had briefly wondered why Crista did not struggle as he carried her. He simply assumed she was in shock over what she witnessed. It also explained the people’s weird behavior. “But… wait, you said she was a slave.” Paul understood he was grasping at straws, but he couldn’t help himself.
Rosetta simply shrugged.
His father winced as Rosetta tended to the small cut on his nose. He then looked at Paul. “When you were beating Joqumoe, did he ever ask Crista for help?”
The image of Joqumoe begging Crista for a knife flashed in my mind. “I do, but she…”
“Did nothing, right? You were proving your dominance over her master. She was a piece of property that went to the winner. Not only did you win, but then you took her in marriage. It is a great day as far as she is concerned.”
It was too much. Paul shook his head in denial but immediately stopped as a wave of dizziness washed over him. “I don’t want a wife or a slave.”
This time both his parents shrugged.
His father put his hand on his shoulder. “You are of age, Paul. You took her from her master by trial of combat. You then, ignorant or not, told the world she was to be your wife. By law and custom, you cannot sell Crista. She is your slave until you formally wed. She can only be free upon her death or yours.”
Rosetta completed her pretend doctoring of Paul and picked up her supplies. “And, as this is your home, so it has become Crista’s home. She is now a part of this family and your responsibility, as you are ours.”
Dominic stood, wrapped his arm around his wife, and they both headed towards their room. They stopped at the door, and then Dominic said, “Go, wash yourself up and get to bed.” He raised a finger into the air. “Go to sleep, Paul. You need to recover your full strength, for tomorrow, your apprenticeship begins.”
Rosetta then raised her smaller finger. “You are still our child, and our rules still govern this house. Crista is fifteen, and I do not know if she is ready for the full duties of a wife yet. I have already spoken to her. She will do as you command, so long as those commands are in line with our rules. There is one important rule you two must not break until I am satisfied she is ready. I don’t think I need to tell you what that is, do I?”
“No, Mother,” Paul answered, remembering his father's words about his mother's fighting abilities.
“Good night, Paul,” they said as they entered their room and shut the door on his second childhood.
Paul could not believe what he was hearing. Rosetta had never shown any sign of aggression or anger. “I didn’t know.”
His father’s face became still. “No, you didn’t, and that is the problem. You are here, but you’re not. You behave like a man on holiday, like a tourist who expects to go home at the end of the week. Paul, I do not pretend to know how your - reincarnation happened. I am not well versed in such things, but I do know you are here. And I see no reason to believe you will not remain here until you die unless you know of another way to return to-. What did you call it, Murica?”
“America, and no, I don’t know how to return. I’m sure my old body has long been buried and turned to dust, so-.” Paul looked around and then at his torn robes and bruised hands. “Well, at least there was no harm done.” As soon as he said it, he knew he was wrong.
Dominic sighed deeply. “Perhaps, perhaps not. You murdered two people, Paul.” Before he could protest, Dominic raised his hand, cutting him off. “As far as the King’s law is concerned, that is what you did, and you have no witnesses to say otherwise.”
Paul could not let that slide. “There is Crista. She saw…”
Again, his father shook his head. “Your woman does not count.”
Paul stared at his father with a blank look on his face.
“Slaves have no voice in the Kingdom,” he continued.
“Slave? I didn’t...” he couldn’t finish. The look in his father’s eyes and his words echoed in his head. Of course, I didn’t know.
“And that’s your problem. You don’t know. You probably didn’t know slavery existed here at all. You didn’t know about the youth gangs. You didn’t know that as our minor child, you can not be held responsible for your actions. Your mother and I would be held accountable for the lives you took today.”
Paul’s eyes opened wide, and his swollen lips parted in silence. He wanted to protest, but his father was right. He didn’t know one meaningful thing about Valeria, not a single law, nothing at all. No wonder father was so angry. Only one thought has been my mind. My God, what have I been doing?
They sat in the silence for several minutes before Dominic rose and extended a hand down to his son. “As your mother stated, what’s done is done. Fortunately, there were no witnesses, and I am a Captain in the City Watch, so suspicion should not fall upon my son. I trust you at least concealed the bodies?”
“Yes, I put them…,” Paul lowered his head. “Well, I put them in a trash bin.”
Dominic nodded and led Paul back to the house. “Good, perhaps it will be days before they are found. That, at least, will make it look like a robbery, and you would be nowhere near the scene. Tomorrow, we will go to the town hall and register your woman. I will scribe you a bill of sale with Joqumoe’s mark on it. Thank the three gods, I’ve seen it enough times over the years.”
Paul did not argue as it was clear he was more than a little ignorant, but he was so confused he had to get some clarity. “What do you mean, register my woman? If Crista is a slave, can’t we just free her?”
For the third time that night, his father broke out in laughter. This time it was so boisterous that Paul laughed too briefly before his swollen lip split, and he realized he didn’t know why he was laughing. Dominic laughed to the door where Rosetta stood, holding it open for them. She didn’t say anything, just pulled the robes off them both, leaving them only in their kilts. She sat them down and began tending their wounds. Dominic had only a scratch on the bridge of his nose. Paul appeared to require most of her attention.
As Rosetta worked on her boy, Dominic turned him, “Son, when you carried your… Crista on your back through town, did she say anything to you?”
It was an odd question, and Paul had to concentrate. He remembered Crista was mostly silent. “Yes, I think she asked me if I was sure and where I was taking her.”
“And your response?” Rosetta asked, dabbing ointment on his split lip.
Still, not seeing the point, he answered, “I told her yes, and that I was taking her home. I may have said something about you accepting her or something. I couldn’t leave her, and I didn’t know where else to take her.” Paul looked up at his mom, who strangely had a small grin on her face.
She finished up by washing his puffy face and kissing him on the forehead.
Dominic sighed again. “This isn’t your fault alone. I should have taught you this long ago. When your mother and I were betrothed, I was but two years older than you." He looked up his wife. "I knew she was the one for me a year earlier, but I was too afraid to say it. I was proud to carry her weight through town for all to see when I got the chance.”
Paul still didn’t get the point, and a part of him didn’t care. He was minutes from collapsing, and his entire body throbbed like his fat lip. He looked from his father to his mother.
Smiling, Rosetta said, “You see, Paul, by carrying Crista through town and to your home, you were declaring to all that she was yours, and you would bear her weight in the world from this day to your last day. You told everyone Crista was your wife.”
Paul gasped. He had briefly wondered why Crista did not struggle as he carried her. He simply assumed she was in shock over what she witnessed. It also explained the people’s weird behavior. “But… wait, you said she was a slave.” Paul understood he was grasping at straws, but he couldn’t help himself.
Rosetta simply shrugged.
His father winced as Rosetta tended to the small cut on his nose. He then looked at Paul. “When you were beating Joqumoe, did he ever ask Crista for help?”
The image of Joqumoe begging Crista for a knife flashed in my mind. “I do, but she…”
“Did nothing, right? You were proving your dominance over her master. She was a piece of property that went to the winner. Not only did you win, but then you took her in marriage. It is a great day as far as she is concerned.”
It was too much. Paul shook his head in denial but immediately stopped as a wave of dizziness washed over him. “I don’t want a wife or a slave.”
This time both his parents shrugged.
His father put his hand on his shoulder. “You are of age, Paul. You took her from her master by trial of combat. You then, ignorant or not, told the world she was to be your wife. By law and custom, you cannot sell Crista. She is your slave until you formally wed. She can only be free upon her death or yours.”
Rosetta completed her pretend doctoring of Paul and picked up her supplies. “And, as this is your home, so it has become Crista’s home. She is now a part of this family and your responsibility, as you are ours.”
Dominic stood, wrapped his arm around his wife, and they both headed towards their room. They stopped at the door, and then Dominic said, “Go, wash yourself up and get to bed.” He raised a finger into the air. “Go to sleep, Paul. You need to recover your full strength, for tomorrow, your apprenticeship begins.”
Rosetta then raised her smaller finger. “You are still our child, and our rules still govern this house. Crista is fifteen, and I do not know if she is ready for the full duties of a wife yet. I have already spoken to her. She will do as you command, so long as those commands are in line with our rules. There is one important rule you two must not break until I am satisfied she is ready. I don’t think I need to tell you what that is, do I?”
“No, Mother,” Paul answered, remembering his father's words about his mother's fighting abilities.
“Good night, Paul,” they said as they entered their room and shut the door on his second childhood.
Characters so far:
Derrick Williams, former soldier. reborn as: Paul Escamilla , 16 yrs old
Dominic Escamilla. Paul's new father, Soldier, 36 yrs old
Rosetta Escamilla. Paul's new mother, Seamstress, 35 yrs old
Duke Reinhard. Ruler of the Southern district. 50 yrs
Joqumoe and Ben Garven. Teen thieves and robbers in town.
Crista. Paul's 15 year old slave/wife (sort of)
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Derrick Williams, former soldier. reborn as: Paul Escamilla , 16 yrs old
Dominic Escamilla. Paul's new father, Soldier, 36 yrs old
Rosetta Escamilla. Paul's new mother, Seamstress, 35 yrs old
Duke Reinhard. Ruler of the Southern district. 50 yrs
Joqumoe and Ben Garven. Teen thieves and robbers in town.
Crista. Paul's 15 year old slave/wife (sort of)
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