Chapter Ten: Mark: In which Father makes a choice and I'm not there to see it
I was going home. I'd drawn the short straw so I was going home. I was very glad about that. I hadn't liked the army so it was a relief to be going back to Reme. Although I was bringing Flavia back with me. Father had bought her. I didn't like the practice of buying and selling people but I didn't have a say in anything.
Flavia didn't like me. Maybe that was just because I was a Remen and she was a Gaul. She was the girl that had been with Marcus and Liza. Maybe she was the sister to one of them. Probably Marcus. She looked a little like him.
"How much farther?" Flavia asked. I stopped and turned to face her. She was riding my donkey, Jethro, so that she wouldn't run away.
"It's about a four day's walk to Reme." I said. "You've asked me every half hour. Surely, you can count." She shook her head. I started leading Jethro again.
"I ain't done well with times." She said. "Some numbers I's fine with. But times ain't one of 'em." She went silent.
"You okay?" I asked.
"No." She said. "Papa was gonna teach me times after the war."
"Maybe he still could." I said.
"He was killed in Alesia." She said.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"You didn't kill 'im did you?" Flavia asked.
"I didn't kill anyone." I said. I led Jethro with us both in silence for some time.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Why is you so interested in my business?" Flavia asked.
"I'm just curious." I said.
"Eighteen." Flavia said.
"Twenty." I said.
We arrived in Reme four days later like I'd said. At first, Flavia was taken aback. She stared for a few moments at everything around her before remembering that "all Remens were slimeballs and everything they made was rubbish." I smiled.
I introduced Flavia to Peter, the house servant, and Mary, the cook. Flavia helped with whatever needed to be done. Peter and Mary were happy that I'd drawn the short straw. They liked me better than Father or Julian.
Flavia liked caring for Jethro. She would spend hours "taking care" of him. I never bothered her. She needed time to get used to things. She liked to talk to Jethro. She acted as though he were a real person and not just a donkey. I ever let her see me watching her.
After Flavia had been here for a few weeks, a messenger arrived from the camp bearing news: Father and Julian had turned on Grandfather and the Gauls had been subdued by Reme. I went pale at the news. I couldn't believe what Father and Julian had done. I told Mary and Peter because I needed to tell someone. I didn't tell Flavia at the time.
