(Not entirely sure where I'm going with this exactly. It started off as a roleplay intro, but I fell in love with the character and wanted to take a new direction for it. Will probably develop it some into an original story. It's set in Greek times and really the first I've ever written of anything in an era like this.)
There was never a dull moment for Babis of Eliades. While the maids scurried here and there and the priests to their chambers to pray, the young boy found only excitement in the turmoil that ravaged the halls of his massive home in the City of Midas. From the blocked windows he saw scrambling ants, swarms of people racing to the docks. In their arms they carried various crates, led goats by ear and tail and rope, and dragged their screaming children behind them if their tiny legs couldn’t carry the pace of their guardians. The lightning was ominous in the sky and in the clouds one could sense death coming to wake the drunk and down in the gilded city that lined the mountains and the sea. The vast ocean view was easily seen from the towers where Babis had spent the entirety of his childhood, but now the ocean was turning into a massive wave. Its foam gaped wipe like a hungry lion pushing its way towards the shore. There wasn’t a single bird fluttering in the darkened sky. They had all found refuge hours before the slightest sign of a storm could be seen from the shore. They felt death miles away and if Babis could only speak their language he would have sensed only fear.
However Babis wasn’t one to fret over the looming threats of Mother Nature. His blue eyes twinkled against the froth of the ocean as it plunged its way fiercely, inching closer and closer to the shore. It looked so far away but the distance of the waves would only allow for the ride to roll itself harder and faster into the bustling city. The wave rolled like a silk carpet and Babis could only see himself riding along the waves as a warrior of Poseidon on the back of a finned horse with a mermaid’s tail. His childish imagery could see nothing but a valiant battle as an army follow close behind him as if he were storming onto the unknown lands for the better of his House. He would be the first Gladiator of the Sea. Babis of Eliades. Gladiator of the Sea of Midas. Behind him Boreas, God of Wind, would help him flow into battle and sweep the remainder of his enemies to bow before House Eliades.
However this was not some daydream of a war. The Gods were not with Babis. Babis was not a Gladiator and certainly not yet a man. The sea was angry and its wrath aimed hungrily for the Kirakles islands. Within the hour the shore would be splashed with pounds of frothy waters that had traveled days to reach the unsuspecting filth of the lower class that lived closer to the shore. Babis was luckier than he believed to live in such luxury. His House lived high in the city of Midas and far away from the wrath of Boreas. The boy couldn’t help himself. The excitement flooding the streets of his city brought energy into his veins. He could feel the rushing waves calling to him.
But where was Aras? Where was his partner in crime, his other half, his twin? There wasn’t time. If Babis was to see the waves as their mighty strength crashed he would have to sneak away at this very moment. The ruckus of nuns and slave girls screeching around the marbled floors would provide him enough cover to slip away. His mother and father were elsewhere, likely aiding with evacuation orders and other such nonsense such as procuring the goods from the ships that managed to escape the crushing waters. They may have landed on the shores of Kirakles safely but their hulls would soon feed the deep.
Babis used the divine chaos to slip out of large estate. If anyone had indeed seen him, they were far too busy obeying their own orders to tend to the small lord. In addition to that, Babis had a way with slipping between the cracks. He was as sly as he was mischievous and exiting the grounds without being seen was as innate to him as suckling on his mother’s breast had been as an infant. He knew a safer route behind the gardens and a small path that led down to the lower sections of the city. Babis often saw servant girls sneaking through to visit the lonely rooms of guards at night, their skirts often soiled as they returned to their homes below in a rush. The coin slinging around in their pocket made it obvious of their adultery but that wasn’t any of his concern or care.
After exiting the grounds it was a straight shot to the docks. Babis was easily recognized and faces turned despite their rush to higher grounds. Seeing a royal flopping through the streets unfazed was a cause for cocked heads and dropped jaws. The boy didn’t care though. Their reactions only colors his face with amusement as he giggled excitedly, brushing his hands along the scratchy walls that were occasionally draped with overgrown ivy.
He could hear the shouts of burly men yelling through the claps of thunder and buckets of rain that poured down on the salted rocks. Articles of clothing flew through the air in every direction and scattered about were clips that had once hung them to their lines. Broken branches and wind plucked fruit littered the cobblestone with their bright mixture of colors. Babis dodged them with fumbling feet until the docks were in clear of his blue eyes. Dozens of drenched men unloaded the last boat. The thunder was becoming louder and the rain now refused to choose a single direction to mind. The large, heavy drops fell flat, crossing their paths like the scurrying maids back at the estate on higher ground.
The green and white ocean was raised higher and Babis climbed a rock towards the edge of the docks. His eager eyes looked out at the ocean, his brown hair now sitting flat down on his head and shagging into his face and eyelashes. At the top of his lungs the boy yelled, challenging the ocean to fight alongside him as he had imagined in his day dreams. “Wooooohooo---ahhh” A strong gust of wind knocked against him and the wet of the rock forced the grip of his feet to lose hold. Babis tumbled down the waters claiming him. The water rushed at him from all sides and the force of the waves pinned him on the rock where he once stood.
The water held him under for a solid time and the force knocked his breath from his chest. He could feel himself being dragged away as the water receded and from above the water one could see a bubbled, childish arm grabbing hold of the wood of the docks. Babis’s brown hair barely held above the ravaging waves and his lips curled upward in an attempt to grasp air before the water took him under once again. “Help!” Again the waters claimed him but his scraggly arm managed to hold tight to the wood. “Someone help!”
A face stared down at him from atop the wood of the docks. His grip was beginning to fail him and his head felt fuzzed with the lack of air he was able to receive from the rising tides against his small body. Babis could not afford to let his grip of the wood go. If he tried to grab the hand that reached out for him, surely he would be carried away into the deep waters. His blue eyes stung from the salt of the water and it rinsed the inside of his mouth as he tried to gasp for air. The idea of fighting alongside Poseidon was now the farthest things from his mind as the fear of the Gods now struck him.
The boy felt a strong hold of an arm grab him from around the waste. He felt the cool of steel armor against his flesh but the warmth of skin on the arm that grabbed him. The two variants of temperature played with his mind like ice and fire but he wanted only to grab hold of the warm and secure his safety. Babis held tight, slinging one arm over the neck of the soldier and the other across their chest. His face buried into their neck and a small whimper escaped him.
Babis often prided himself in being as brave as any soldier, but that did not ever take away from that fact that he was still a child. Death was something he feared just as any other person would but his ability to contain his emotions before Death were not yet something he had a control over. He felt himself being pulled onto the docks and the rain still poured down hard against his back as he clung to the warm body of the soldier.
The ocean water had been cold and ruthless and even though the steel armor was just as cold the soul beneath it was all Babis needed to instantly feel safer than he once had. The young boy refused to let go of the one who had saved his life, his head still buried in neck of his savior. The quivering lips of the young lord couldn’t manage even a word, but they formed the inaudible words of “Thank you…”
Being pulled from the waters did not change the dire circumstances around him. The thunder still roared angrily and the waters still continued to rise against the wood of the docks, snapping at his feet like angry dogs. Babis pulled himself closer, tightening his grip to somehow make him feel safer. Once they were away from the immediate danger, he loosened up slightly, his blue eyes peering up to the face of the one who had saved his life. His eye lashes clumped together as well as the light bangs on his forehead. It would be hard to tell if there were salty tears or if it was just the remnants of the ocean that had tried so hard to swallow him. His lips continued to quiver through a clenched jaw.
There was obvious relief on his face but Babis simply could not find the strength in the words. It had not mattered whether he was royalty or not. He knew this. This man had saved him for his life alone. The air still smelled heavily of salt and the young lord could taste it strongly in his mouth. He laced his fingers together, as the man who held him carried him away from the danger of the gluttonous waters. The two said nothing over the roar of the tides and thunder, but once they reached the safety of higher ground the steel plated figure set him down, lowering his eye level to meet Babis's blue eyes. There was a stutter in his expression as his eyes widened. The life he had saved was no longer one of simplicity. A life was a life, but Babis's would have high reward.
The child stared blanky, expecting both something and nothing to be uttered in his presence. His small hands reached out, removing the heavy helmet from the figure's head. Babis paused as the one who had saved his life grasped his hand. It wrapped two times around his small wrist. There was fear in the grasp, but it eased and Babis continued to remove the helmet. It was no man at all...it was a woman. The young boy smiled. Their was an innocence about him, but the fear on the woman's face he knew all too well. Women were not allowed to work as hands of the King or as mercenaries. Death was certain punishment. A small finger rose to his lips, and through a quiver he shushed, raising the helmet and placing it back on the head of his savior.
There was never a dull moment for Babis of Eliades. While the maids scurried here and there and the priests to their chambers to pray, the young boy found only excitement in the turmoil that ravaged the halls of his massive home in the City of Midas. From the blocked windows he saw scrambling ants, swarms of people racing to the docks. In their arms they carried various crates, led goats by ear and tail and rope, and dragged their screaming children behind them if their tiny legs couldn’t carry the pace of their guardians. The lightning was ominous in the sky and in the clouds one could sense death coming to wake the drunk and down in the gilded city that lined the mountains and the sea. The vast ocean view was easily seen from the towers where Babis had spent the entirety of his childhood, but now the ocean was turning into a massive wave. Its foam gaped wipe like a hungry lion pushing its way towards the shore. There wasn’t a single bird fluttering in the darkened sky. They had all found refuge hours before the slightest sign of a storm could be seen from the shore. They felt death miles away and if Babis could only speak their language he would have sensed only fear.
However Babis wasn’t one to fret over the looming threats of Mother Nature. His blue eyes twinkled against the froth of the ocean as it plunged its way fiercely, inching closer and closer to the shore. It looked so far away but the distance of the waves would only allow for the ride to roll itself harder and faster into the bustling city. The wave rolled like a silk carpet and Babis could only see himself riding along the waves as a warrior of Poseidon on the back of a finned horse with a mermaid’s tail. His childish imagery could see nothing but a valiant battle as an army follow close behind him as if he were storming onto the unknown lands for the better of his House. He would be the first Gladiator of the Sea. Babis of Eliades. Gladiator of the Sea of Midas. Behind him Boreas, God of Wind, would help him flow into battle and sweep the remainder of his enemies to bow before House Eliades.
However this was not some daydream of a war. The Gods were not with Babis. Babis was not a Gladiator and certainly not yet a man. The sea was angry and its wrath aimed hungrily for the Kirakles islands. Within the hour the shore would be splashed with pounds of frothy waters that had traveled days to reach the unsuspecting filth of the lower class that lived closer to the shore. Babis was luckier than he believed to live in such luxury. His House lived high in the city of Midas and far away from the wrath of Boreas. The boy couldn’t help himself. The excitement flooding the streets of his city brought energy into his veins. He could feel the rushing waves calling to him.
But where was Aras? Where was his partner in crime, his other half, his twin? There wasn’t time. If Babis was to see the waves as their mighty strength crashed he would have to sneak away at this very moment. The ruckus of nuns and slave girls screeching around the marbled floors would provide him enough cover to slip away. His mother and father were elsewhere, likely aiding with evacuation orders and other such nonsense such as procuring the goods from the ships that managed to escape the crushing waters. They may have landed on the shores of Kirakles safely but their hulls would soon feed the deep.
Babis used the divine chaos to slip out of large estate. If anyone had indeed seen him, they were far too busy obeying their own orders to tend to the small lord. In addition to that, Babis had a way with slipping between the cracks. He was as sly as he was mischievous and exiting the grounds without being seen was as innate to him as suckling on his mother’s breast had been as an infant. He knew a safer route behind the gardens and a small path that led down to the lower sections of the city. Babis often saw servant girls sneaking through to visit the lonely rooms of guards at night, their skirts often soiled as they returned to their homes below in a rush. The coin slinging around in their pocket made it obvious of their adultery but that wasn’t any of his concern or care.
After exiting the grounds it was a straight shot to the docks. Babis was easily recognized and faces turned despite their rush to higher grounds. Seeing a royal flopping through the streets unfazed was a cause for cocked heads and dropped jaws. The boy didn’t care though. Their reactions only colors his face with amusement as he giggled excitedly, brushing his hands along the scratchy walls that were occasionally draped with overgrown ivy.
He could hear the shouts of burly men yelling through the claps of thunder and buckets of rain that poured down on the salted rocks. Articles of clothing flew through the air in every direction and scattered about were clips that had once hung them to their lines. Broken branches and wind plucked fruit littered the cobblestone with their bright mixture of colors. Babis dodged them with fumbling feet until the docks were in clear of his blue eyes. Dozens of drenched men unloaded the last boat. The thunder was becoming louder and the rain now refused to choose a single direction to mind. The large, heavy drops fell flat, crossing their paths like the scurrying maids back at the estate on higher ground.
The green and white ocean was raised higher and Babis climbed a rock towards the edge of the docks. His eager eyes looked out at the ocean, his brown hair now sitting flat down on his head and shagging into his face and eyelashes. At the top of his lungs the boy yelled, challenging the ocean to fight alongside him as he had imagined in his day dreams. “Wooooohooo---ahhh” A strong gust of wind knocked against him and the wet of the rock forced the grip of his feet to lose hold. Babis tumbled down the waters claiming him. The water rushed at him from all sides and the force of the waves pinned him on the rock where he once stood.
The water held him under for a solid time and the force knocked his breath from his chest. He could feel himself being dragged away as the water receded and from above the water one could see a bubbled, childish arm grabbing hold of the wood of the docks. Babis’s brown hair barely held above the ravaging waves and his lips curled upward in an attempt to grasp air before the water took him under once again. “Help!” Again the waters claimed him but his scraggly arm managed to hold tight to the wood. “Someone help!”
A face stared down at him from atop the wood of the docks. His grip was beginning to fail him and his head felt fuzzed with the lack of air he was able to receive from the rising tides against his small body. Babis could not afford to let his grip of the wood go. If he tried to grab the hand that reached out for him, surely he would be carried away into the deep waters. His blue eyes stung from the salt of the water and it rinsed the inside of his mouth as he tried to gasp for air. The idea of fighting alongside Poseidon was now the farthest things from his mind as the fear of the Gods now struck him.
The boy felt a strong hold of an arm grab him from around the waste. He felt the cool of steel armor against his flesh but the warmth of skin on the arm that grabbed him. The two variants of temperature played with his mind like ice and fire but he wanted only to grab hold of the warm and secure his safety. Babis held tight, slinging one arm over the neck of the soldier and the other across their chest. His face buried into their neck and a small whimper escaped him.
Babis often prided himself in being as brave as any soldier, but that did not ever take away from that fact that he was still a child. Death was something he feared just as any other person would but his ability to contain his emotions before Death were not yet something he had a control over. He felt himself being pulled onto the docks and the rain still poured down hard against his back as he clung to the warm body of the soldier.
The ocean water had been cold and ruthless and even though the steel armor was just as cold the soul beneath it was all Babis needed to instantly feel safer than he once had. The young boy refused to let go of the one who had saved his life, his head still buried in neck of his savior. The quivering lips of the young lord couldn’t manage even a word, but they formed the inaudible words of “Thank you…”
Being pulled from the waters did not change the dire circumstances around him. The thunder still roared angrily and the waters still continued to rise against the wood of the docks, snapping at his feet like angry dogs. Babis pulled himself closer, tightening his grip to somehow make him feel safer. Once they were away from the immediate danger, he loosened up slightly, his blue eyes peering up to the face of the one who had saved his life. His eye lashes clumped together as well as the light bangs on his forehead. It would be hard to tell if there were salty tears or if it was just the remnants of the ocean that had tried so hard to swallow him. His lips continued to quiver through a clenched jaw.
There was obvious relief on his face but Babis simply could not find the strength in the words. It had not mattered whether he was royalty or not. He knew this. This man had saved him for his life alone. The air still smelled heavily of salt and the young lord could taste it strongly in his mouth. He laced his fingers together, as the man who held him carried him away from the danger of the gluttonous waters. The two said nothing over the roar of the tides and thunder, but once they reached the safety of higher ground the steel plated figure set him down, lowering his eye level to meet Babis's blue eyes. There was a stutter in his expression as his eyes widened. The life he had saved was no longer one of simplicity. A life was a life, but Babis's would have high reward.
The child stared blanky, expecting both something and nothing to be uttered in his presence. His small hands reached out, removing the heavy helmet from the figure's head. Babis paused as the one who had saved his life grasped his hand. It wrapped two times around his small wrist. There was fear in the grasp, but it eased and Babis continued to remove the helmet. It was no man at all...it was a woman. The young boy smiled. Their was an innocence about him, but the fear on the woman's face he knew all too well. Women were not allowed to work as hands of the King or as mercenaries. Death was certain punishment. A small finger rose to his lips, and through a quiver he shushed, raising the helmet and placing it back on the head of his savior.
