Truth and Sparta Read Free

but even amongst them, they were universally
despised.
    “ Their arrogance will be their own downfall,” Della
said.
    “ Unless the Athenians decimate them.”
    “ With them being struck by the plague endlessly, I am not sure
they have the capabilities to defeat them.” Della looked around to
see that they were still unobserved. Even in their own village,
they had to be careful. The Spartans killed anyone who was too
vocal in their dissent, and there were always ears around that you
weren’t sure you could trust. There were many Helots who’d grown up
with their Spartan masters, and they were sometimes more loyal to
their master than to their own kind.
     
    “ We must go to the Menares estate and collect wood for the
bridge he wants built. We might as well drop off the barley in the
process. You will both have to help,” Chara’s father urged both her
and her brother up on the cart. They trundled along the road to the
Menares estate as the slow pace of the oxen’s leisurely
stride.
    Chara took a
moment to relax in the warm breeze on top of the cart. For once
there was nothing to do but to wait for the oxen to reach its
destination. The Menares estate was on a hill overlooking the
surrounding countryside so they could keep an ever-present eye on
the village further down on the plain.
    They finally
arrived in the courtyard at the center of the house. It was busy
due to the harvest, there were villages unloading a good proportion
of their harvest as they were required to, while house servants
were taking count and informing the elder Menares of the crops that
were coming in.
    The Helots
that served the family were generally no friend to the Helots that
served the fields—they saw themselves as better. They also had the
possibility of being freed as recognition of good service, which
was a fate that was never extended to the Helots in the fields.
There was no love lost between the two forms of slaves on the
larger Menares estate—there was suspicion on both sides. The
divided loyalties of the house serving Helots were always
questioned and resented by the villages, as they served in many
capacities, including as companions and lovers to the Spartans.
    “ What are you bringing?” a deep demanding voice stated behind
Chara’s back—making her jump. Chara turned to see what could only
be the son—Nicias. His bearing proved it if nothing else. He had
long golden hair that curled and is flowed down to his shoulders.
His skin had seen many hours of sun and his soldier’s physique
showed through the plain tunic he wore, a new, clean tunic, but not
a highly decorated one of a married man.
    “ Barley,” Chara’s father answered as the Spartan eyed their
harvest suspiciously. He looked them over before waving them toward
one of the courtyard’s corners. They were obviously supposed to
unload their barrels of barley there. Her father complied without
pause. Chara kept her head down throughout the encounter, silently
urging her brother to behave. She could feel his tension rising the
moment they’d been approached by the soldier.
    Chara knew
that the man that had just interrogated them was an accomplished
killer, and he had served in the Spartan army for many years. He
could probably take on everyone in this courtyard and be the one
that walked away. He had his sword in his belt, but he would likely
be just as deadly without it.
    Doros put his
anger into the work of unloading their cart. A servant was counting
the barrels while Menares sat in a chair and kept record. The son
had returned to a spot in the shade where he was eating some fruit
in his hand and observing the activity in the courtyard. Chara
busied herself helping her father. The sooner they could get out
the better. It was not pleasant coming to the Menares estate, and
there was always the risk that the residents would take offense to
something and enact punishment.
    Chara felt
like she was being observed; it was an uncomfortable feeling. She
felt the eyes