THE AFTERNOON SUN filtered through the budding branches of the aspens, silver shadows snaking over the carpet of last autumn's leaves. The cold, damp ground kissed my bare feet as I skipped out of our village, but I scarcely noticed.

As I wound my way up the last hillrise that lay between our valley and the fields, my curiosity only grew. What did Telyn wish to tell me so secretly? Most of my guesses involved some sort of passionate declaration, but I could only wait to discover what it was.

'Thou hast come early.' Telyn's voice sounded over my shoulder and I whirled to see him approaching, the neck of his tunic darkened with sweat from working in the fields.

I smiled awkwardly, unsure if he was jesting. 'At least I came.' I felt my response foolish. My heart was racing faster than a horse on open moorland and I could do nothing to calm it.

He smiled warmly as he reached my side. 'Aye.' Then he glanced around, as if to assure himself that we were alone.

'What didst thou wish to tell me?' I prompted, when he did not speak.

Telyn's face flushed. 'First, Enid, thou must promise not to speak of this to anyone. Nothing is certain yet, and should word of our meeting be known, it might prove harmful to our reputations, regardless of our innocence.'

'I promise,' I vowed solemnly, more curious than ever.

The corners of his mouth twitched upward in a smile. 'I know thou wouldst not tell, but I wished to be certain.' He paused before continuing, looking at the ground as if to avoid my gaze. 'My father has given me freedom to choose my own bride.'

My heart leapt into my throat and I clenched my hands, trying to calm the turmoil within me.

Telyn raised his dark head and smiled again, but the playful light in his eyes became something deeper. 'I have yet to ask thy father, but I wish to wed thee.'

My world came to a standstill, hearing nothing but my pounding heart. My mouth fell open. 'Truly?' I forced out at last, my ears burning at my lack of a swift response. The silence crescendoed into birdsong and windless rustling among the bracken, but I only cared about the dimpled smile on Telyn's face and the sunlight shining in his grey eyes.

'Aye, Enid, truly.' He placed his hands on my shoulders and I could hardly contain my excitement. I never knew such happiness would be possible for me. Of course, he would still have to ask my father for my hand, but the time for thinking about that would come later.

'I can scarce believe it,' I whispered, feeling as though my face would break from smiling.

He laughed, not in mockery, but from joy that we both shared.
The laughter died in his throat as he caught sight of something behind me. The color drained from his face and his hand flew towards the sheathed dirk on his hip, his other arm drawing me protectively towards himself.

I spun around as Telyn's arm enveloped me, but the elation that had filled my heart only moments before vanished like mist beneath the sun, terror taking its place.

Four men stood before us, all dark-skinned and dressed in strange clothing, speaking to one another in a clipped language that sounded harsh in my ears. Within moments, Telyn and I were surrounded.

They had to be Roman slave traders, of whom I had heard spoken in hushed whispers when Dalwyn's child disappeared two harvests before. But why were they here now? And what did they want?

That last question hovered eerily in my mind, and I was too afraid to answer it.

'Enid.' Telyn's breath was hot against my face. 'When I give the signal, thou must run swifter than the deer. Go towards the fields and raise the alarm.'

'And thee?' My voice quivered in fear.

'Never mind about me. Now run!' His hold on me loosened as they advanced on him, leaving me free to escape their clutching hands and plunge down the hillside.

Though I was nimble and used to the terrain, my footing slipped in my haste. I slid midway down the steep hill before I grabbed hold of a young sapling, halting my descent. Glancing behind me, I saw Telyn fighting hard, his blade red in the sunlight. Only one slaver was visible, and I hoped the others had already fallen—though that seemed an impossible hope, for even Telyn could not defeat four men at once armed only with his dirk.

Swallowing hard, I regained my feet and set off again towards the fields, praying to any of the gods who might be listening to keep Telyn safe. There was little hope of either of us escaping the slave traders without aid.

But I was too late.

Strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me above the forest floor and carrying me off. I screamed and kicked my unseen captor, hoping someone would hear me, but he squeezed me until it hurt to breathe. Stars danced in the back of my vision and the world turned as dark as night. I heard Telyn's voice shout my name from somewhere above, but when I tried to catch sight of him, something hard hit the back of my head and I knew no more.

~~~

When I came to my senses, I noticed first a gentle rolling movement, a subtle rise and fall that made me queasy. I opened my eyes to darkness and struggled to regain my bearings. For a brief moment, I entertained the horrid thought that my captors had blinded me. The next instant, the memories of what had happened came flooding back like the rushing of the stream by our village when it was swollen by the spring rains.

I attempted to move my hands to my eyes only to discover they were tied, as were my feet. My eyes, too, were bound, and my mouth gagged. A scream rose in my throat, but it could not escape. I could not begin to fathom where I was, for even the sounds I heard were foreign to me—a rhythmic beating of a drum with corresponding splashes. Voices spoke in a strange tongue, the same harsh language that my captors had used.

A moment later, large, rough hands loosed my bonds, save those around my wrists and feet. I squinted against the dim light of a wooden space and found myself staring into the weather-beaten, dark-haired face of a man who proceeded to untie the ropes around my ankles.

'Where am I?' I asked once my gag was removed, realizing a moment too late that he probably could not understand me.

The man rose to his feet and shouted at someone. Another voice answered him from somewhere above and he left me, closing the door to the tiny room. Glancing around in panic, I realized that I was among several other persons dressed in British garb, most of them bedraggled and worn. All of us had our hands bound.

'What is happening?' I ventured, my voice trembling.

Only one of them raised their head—a young woman cradling a bairn. Her face was like a mask, dull and dejected, and in her lifeless eyes I saw hopelessness. 'We have been enslaved by the Redcrests and are bound on what they call a ship. They will take us to their capital city and sell us as bondservants.'

Horror filled my heart. A voice inside me screamed against reality. This had to be a nightmare or cruel joke. 'But why?'

She shrugged, her shoulders barely moving. 'Who can say? To the Romans, we are barbarians fit only for slavery. Thy only hope is that thou wilt drown before we reach their "Eternal City."' Her final words were spoken with such deep loathing that I spoke no more.

Her child began to cry, a pitiful wailing that aroused compassion from the others. A few of them looked at the mother with pity and sympathy in their eyes. The woman began to sing softly, but a voice from above commanded silence and the mournful melody ended as if cut through with a knife.

Tears filled my eyes at this cruelty and I turned my gaze away. Most slept; others stared with dazed eyes at nothing in particular. A wave of shock and desperation swept over me and I looked down into my lap, the queasiness welling up inside me. My stomach growled for food, but bile rose up in my mouth all the same and I struggled to keep it down.

I tipped my head back against a wooden pole that ran from floor to ceiling, gasping at the dull pain of the bruise on my head hitting the wood. I leaned back more gingerly the second time, closing my eyes as hopelessness overwhelmed me in depressingly dark waves.

Would this nightmare ever end?

~~~

'Enid!'

It was Telyn's dear voice, and for a moment I wondered if my captivity had truly been but a dream. I saw the familiar sun-dappled woods surrounding our valleys and sighed with sweet relief, turning my head to see Telyn walking towards me with a smile lighting his face.

'Telyn, why didst thou call?'

Much to my surprise, he took my hands in his and replied, 'Come, the celebration hath begun and I wish to dance with thee.' He set off for our village, my hand still in his, and I followed him, laughing.

Within moments, we reached the firelit circle where couples whirled and stepped in perfect time to the lively music of the flute and drum. Those not dancing clapped along with the rest, watching those in the center with eager interest.

Before I realized it, I was swept into the throng and soon was matching the footwork of the others as Telyn led me around the ring. I could not begin to guess how long that dance went on, for it seemed to go on forever and yet finish too soon.

Telyn walked out of the circle as another dance began and I followed him, trying to catch my breath. Still holding his hand, I moistened my parched throat with the sweet, fire-hearted mead.

He lifted the cup to his lips and swallowed, his eyes twinkling in merriment. 'Ah, that is much better,' he said with a satisfied sigh. Then, 'Shall we go again?'

I smiled in response and we rejoined the encircling ring, now moving at a slower tempo, the bittersweet melody echoing up to the sky and then down again. Amidst the dancing, I heard a strange thumping that was not from our drums, and oft I turned my head to search for the source of the sound.

I never could discover what it was, though it grew ever louder and louder, drowning out the music and laughter and the warmth of Telyn's hands holding mine....

~~~

Icy-cold water poured down upon me and my eyes flew open as I gasped in shock. The compartment was dark, yet I could still make out the shadowy shapes of men, women, and children huddled in the depths of the ship. Gone was the full moonlight, gone the leaping flames of celebration, gone the warmth and familiarity of home. In its place was cold darkness, abandonment, and loneliness.

Thunder crashed outside, and the ship's timbers creaked and groaned beneath the strain of being tossed about on the sea. Every surge of water that slammed onto its decks sank through the cracks in the wood, raining down on us below. The stench of sick and human filth was overwhelming—within moments, I could no longer keep the contents of my stomach where they belonged and they mingled with the other putrescence on the floor.

At that moment, I cared for little but the heaving of my insides that seemed to rise and fall with the motion of the ship. I wished to die. Any fascination I once had for the Roman kind had long since vanished, and I wondered that I had ever cared about them.

The words of the woman I had spoken to earlier came back to me and I whispered them amidst the crashing of the storm around me. 'Thy only hope is that thou wilt drown before we reach their Eternal City.' I closed my eyes to better concentrate on something besides the nausea and the storm raging above my head.

Would life as a slave in Rome truly be so terrible that death was preferable? I had heard many times how the daughters of Boudicca had been treated at the hands of the Romans—were slaves handled any better? I knew little about these people beyond rumors that made their way into our valleys. What were they like?

More importantly, would I ever win my freedom? Would I ever see my family again? And Telyn—!

Tears trickled down my face as a wave of grief washed over me, stronger than those that threatened to wreck the ship.

Had Telyn managed to escape from the slavers unharmed? Had the village sent out a search party for me, or had they given me up as lost? I did not think Telyn would easily abandon me after his declaration of love, but here in the midst of the darkness and the storm, I could almost believe I was forgotten. Was there any hope of ever seeing the people I loved again?

My broken heart cried out in silent anguish, but there was no longer anyone who could calm my fears.

~~~

Shouts awoke me the next morning and I opened my eyes to see a grey light shining through the tiny windows. The men who governed the ship walked among us, giving orders that most of us could not understand and using force to make their meaning clear.

They took us above deck one by one and splashed us with buckets of water from the sea—a pitiful excuse for bathing—and gave us hard bread and fresh water. Then one of the slavers, a thin man with a face like a weasel, translated into the Celtic tongue that we must clean the area where we were kept. We remained silent as we mopped up the filth from the wooden floor, none of us daring to question our captors.

Despite the outward submission, I felt a surge of hot anger bubble up inside me, and it took all of my strength to control it. That would bring punishment to all of us, but most of all to me. The injustice of the situation enraged me bitterly, and in my mind I screamed and cursed all of them—the Romans, the traders, even the very ship on which I was travelling. Having always been allowed great freedom, I gritted my teeth against this sudden yoke of bondage. I would not give up hope—not yet.

My father had often warned me against my fascination of the Roman kind, calling them instruments of evil. My brothers had never understood my feelings, and neither had Telyn. It was only now that I understood why my people detested the Redcrests, and oh! how I hated them, loathed them, despised them all.

In the days that followed, the child of the young mother who had spoken to me sickened in the crowded quarters of the ship's hold, dying before we reached the harbors of Rome. I watched in mute horror as the sailors casually wrapped the small form in canvas and tossed it overboard, ignoring the grieving shrieks of the mother. She cried her bairn's name over and over until they silenced her with threats of punishment. Then she sat in the corner, rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around her body, the name Ewen escaping her lips in a whispered lament as tears streamed down her face.

No one dared comfort her, as we were forbidden to speak to one another, but more than one person looked at her with unspeakable pity in their eyes. Only I remained motionless, in shock at the mindless cruelty.

It was then that I knew Rome was a force beyond reckoning. I was only a girl, soon to be a slave, powerless against the enemies of my people. All that I had loved had been taken from me and I had little hope left in life. I could not fight for my freedom—I could not even save myself from my fate. I could do only one thing against those who had enslaved me: resist the temptation to let go of life entirely.

That was why I held on. Deep within my heart, even as I nurtured my hatred of the Roman people, I hoped that it would be better someday—that I would, against all odds, return home.

Bitterness and hope. A strange combination, but it was the only thing that sustained me—for it was better than nothing at all.