The wounded soldiers were the last to receive food because they couldn’t move on their own, and those taking care of them had to deliver the food instead. However, today the line was longer. Thanks to Eutostea’s medicine, those who had regained their strength could stand and move with the help of a cane, and they had come out to get their food themselves.
There were many mouths to feed, and the food supply was limited, making it impossible for everyone to eat their fill. However, a woman whispered that today’s situation was better. Macaedes had gone hunting and caught about five birds, so the soldiers could taste a meaty soup with some chunks in it for the first time in a long while.
“Eutostea, please have some.”
A full bowl of soup was delivered to her.
When she stayed at the temple, she used to eat the food prepared by Mousai, which was mostly composed of fruits and vegetables. When Apollo brought hunted prey, they had meaty soup, but only a small portion. Eutostea felt full even with small amounts of food, as if her body was slowly rejecting it or as if she could survive without eating at all.
The soup the woman gave her was the first meal she had since she crossed the Paktolos River. Eutostea took a spoonful and gave the rest to a girl who was munching away.
“Are you not going to eat any more?”
On her way back to the stable, Eutostea ran into Macaedes. He asked her that question, seeing that she had no food in her hands.
“I’ve had enough. But it seems you finished your meal quite quickly, Commander.”
“I didn’t have much of an appetite.”
“I thought you’d be more tired than the others, having fought in battle and then gone hunting afterward.”
“No, I’m fine. There will be a tactical meeting until dawn, and some simple food will be prepared to match that time.”
He was also on his way to the stable to check on his horse. The two walked side by side.
“Staying with the villagers would be more comfortable for you. If you find a woman named Hellonia, she’ll provide you with a room. She was the third woman in line among those distributing food earlier. Just call her name and she’ll recognize you.”
“Thank you.”
Because of Dionysos’ leopard, Eutostea didn’t feel cold at all even when sleeping on the frozen ground. She wasn’t worried about a place to sleep, but it seemed Macaedes was concerned about finding her a proper place to stay, as she couldn’t stay at the fortress.
“You changed your clothes,” Macaedes said.
“Yes, my robe was stained with blood, so I borrowed clothes from a village woman. It stands out less than the priestess’s robe.”
Eutostea wore a gray dress with sleeves that covered her shoulders and went down to her wrists. Seeing her barefoot, the surprised woman also lent her leather sandals, which had ribbons crisscrossing and tied up to her calves. Her attire was similar to that of the village women, but the golden circlet wrapped around her forehead and temples, and the short hair dangling from the nape of her neck made her stand out. As Macaedes’ dry gaze fell upon her circlet, Eutostea lowered her eyes modestly and adjusted the leaf decoration.
Macaedes opened the stable door and went inside. The stablekeeper seemed to have gone to eat, as he was nowhere to be seen. Although two wooden planks were used to block the wind, the stable was still not warm enough due to the limited number of horses. The pungent smell of livestock stung their noses. Macaedes carefully checked his black horse, which would play an important role in tomorrow’s expedition. The horse greeted him with a swaying, heavy body.
“Where are you going?” he asked as she turned around to leave the stable. Eutostea stepped into the area illuminated by a lantern and revealed her face.
“I left something in the forest when I went to do laundry earlier.”
“Do you know the way? Should I send a soldier with you? It’s getting dark, and it might be dangerous for you to go alone.”
“It’s alright.”
Eutostea smiled and politely declined the offer. Macaedes narrowed his eyes, not understanding what she meant by “it’s alright.” However, the priestess had already disappeared before he could even stop her. He paused stroking his horse and looked at the spot where she had been for a moment.
***
The reason Eutostea had quietly left for the forest was that she had seen Apollo and Dionysus disappear there with the two leopards. Eutostea trudged through the snow-covered path, using the camellia grove as a guide, descending into the grove. The large red flowers looked deep purple in the darkness. When she arrived at the stream where she had been doing laundry, she found two leopards lying down side by side with their heads touching on a round patch of melted grass, warmed by the campfire.
Dionysus was sitting hunched against a tree trunk nearby. He had let his garment drape like a tail behind him, leaving his upper body bare. His flat stomach and the bulging contours of his external oblique muscles, along with his magnificent chest, shone in the moonlight. Eutostea found it strange that Mousai was not beside him.
“You came?”
Dionysus looked at her.
“Apollo went hunting. Artemis’ mayflies got tangled again. Now, it seems they’ve even messed with the wasps’ nest. Eonia and Mariad had a good romp trying to catch the wasps.”
Eonia, confirming Dionysus’s words, licked her swollen front paw, stung by a wasp. Eutostea stroked the leopard’s head apologetically. She then approached the tree Dionysus was leaning against and sat down, pressing her hip against it.
“Do the humans still doubt you?”
Dionysus’s thin eyes looked at her. His words carried a hint of indignation. The implication was ‘how dare they.’ Eutostea shook her head.
Recalling Macaedes’s attitude towards her at the stable, Eutostea said, “I was granted permission to stay in a civilian home. They were worried about my safety when I said I was going to the forest. They’ve also given up suspecting me as a spy.”
“Ah, the man called the commander.”
Dionysus recalled the man with black hair who handed him a helmet adorned with plumes as a makeshift drinking cup. The man had an imposing height and a muscular build, but his face was surprisingly sharp and lean. The women of the village admired him with stolen glances and whispered about him, which Dionysus found quite interesting. It was commendable that a man of his age led a force of several hundred and protected the lives of defenseless women and children. However, as a warrior, he was not on the same level as Ares.
“What is the god of war like?” Eutostea asked at that moment.
The wounded soldiers were the last to receive food because they couldn’t move on their own, and those taking care of them had to deliver the food instead. However, today the line was longer. Thanks to Eutostea’s medicine, those who had regained their strength could stand and move with the help of a cane, and they had come out to get their food themselves.
There were many mouths to feed, and the food supply was limited, making it impossible for everyone to eat their fill. However, a woman whispered that today’s situation was better. Macaedes had gone hunting and caught about five birds, so the soldiers could taste a meaty soup with some chunks in it for the first time in a long while.
“Eutostea, please have some.”
A full bowl of soup was delivered to her.
When she stayed at the temple, she used to eat the food prepared by Mousai, which was mostly composed of fruits and vegetables. When Apollo brought hunted prey, they had meaty soup, but only a small portion. Eutostea felt full even with small amounts of food, as if her body was slowly rejecting it or as if she could survive without eating at all.
The soup the woman gave her was the first meal she had since she crossed the Paktolos River. Eutostea took a spoonful and gave the rest to a girl who was munching away.
“Are you not going to eat any more?”
On her way back to the stable, Eutostea ran into Macaedes. He asked her that question, seeing that she had no food in her hands.
“I’ve had enough. But it seems you finished your meal quite quickly, Commander.”
“I didn’t have much of an appetite.”
“I thought you’d be more tired than the others, having fought in battle and then gone hunting afterward.”
“No, I’m fine. There will be a tactical meeting until dawn, and some simple food will be prepared to match that time.”
He was also on his way to the stable to check on his horse. The two walked side by side.
“Staying with the villagers would be more comfortable for you. If you find a woman named Hellonia, she’ll provide you with a room. She was the third woman in line among those distributing food earlier. Just call her name and she’ll recognize you.”
“Thank you.”
Because of Dionysos’ leopard, Eutostea didn’t feel cold at all even when sleeping on the frozen ground. She wasn’t worried about a place to sleep, but it seemed Macaedes was concerned about finding her a proper place to stay, as she couldn’t stay at the fortress.
“You changed your clothes,” Macaedes said.
“Yes, my robe was stained with blood, so I borrowed clothes from a village woman. It stands out less than the priestess’s robe.”
Eutostea wore a gray dress with sleeves that covered her shoulders and went down to her wrists. Seeing her barefoot, the surprised woman also lent her leather sandals, which had ribbons crisscrossing and tied up to her calves. Her attire was similar to that of the village women, but the golden circlet wrapped around her forehead and temples, and the short hair dangling from the nape of her neck made her stand out. As Macaedes’ dry gaze fell upon her circlet, Eutostea lowered her eyes modestly and adjusted the leaf decoration.
Macaedes opened the stable door and went inside. The stablekeeper seemed to have gone to eat, as he was nowhere to be seen. Although two wooden planks were used to block the wind, the stable was still not warm enough due to the limited number of horses. The pungent smell of livestock stung their noses. Macaedes carefully checked his black horse, which would play an important role in tomorrow’s expedition. The horse greeted him with a swaying, heavy body.
“Where are you going?” he asked as she turned around to leave the stable. Eutostea stepped into the area illuminated by a lantern and revealed her face.
“I left something in the forest when I went to do laundry earlier.”
“Do you know the way? Should I send a soldier with you? It’s getting dark, and it might be dangerous for you to go alone.”
“It’s alright.”
Eutostea smiled and politely declined the offer. Macaedes narrowed his eyes, not understanding what she meant by “it’s alright.” However, the priestess had already disappeared before he could even stop her. He paused stroking his horse and looked at the spot where she had been for a moment.
***
The reason Eutostea had quietly left for the forest was that she had seen Apollo and Dionysus disappear there with the two leopards. Eutostea trudged through the snow-covered path, using the camellia grove as a guide, descending into the grove. The large red flowers looked deep purple in the darkness. When she arrived at the stream where she had been doing laundry, she found two leopards lying down side by side with their heads touching on a round patch of melted grass, warmed by the campfire.
Dionysus was sitting hunched against a tree trunk nearby. He had let his garment drape like a tail behind him, leaving his upper body bare. His flat stomach and the bulging contours of his external oblique muscles, along with his magnificent chest, shone in the moonlight. Eutostea found it strange that Mousai was not beside him.
“You came?”
Dionysus looked at her.
“Apollo went hunting. Artemis’ mayflies got tangled again. Now, it seems they’ve even messed with the wasps’ nest. Eonia and Mariad had a good romp trying to catch the wasps.”
Eonia, confirming Dionysus’s words, licked her swollen front paw, stung by a wasp. Eutostea stroked the leopard’s head apologetically. She then approached the tree Dionysus was leaning against and sat down, pressing her hip against it.
“Do the humans still doubt you?”
Dionysus’s thin eyes looked at her. His words carried a hint of indignation. The implication was ‘how dare they.’ Eutostea shook her head.
Recalling Macaedes’s attitude towards her at the stable, Eutostea said, “I was granted permission to stay in a civilian home. They were worried about my safety when I said I was going to the forest. They’ve also given up suspecting me as a spy.”
“Ah, the man called the commander.”
Dionysus recalled the man with black hair who handed him a helmet adorned with plumes as a makeshift drinking cup. The man had an imposing height and a muscular build, but his face was surprisingly sharp and lean. The women of the village admired him with stolen glances and whispered about him, which Dionysus found quite interesting. It was commendable that a man of his age led a force of several hundred and protected the lives of defenseless women and children. However, as a warrior, he was not on the same level as Ares.
“What is the god of war like?” Eutostea asked at that moment.
