It was drawing close to a time of the day that Vasia looked forward to, when the family would come together after their individual pursuits and reconvene over dinner. It varied of course, who was present and who was not. Her father and brothers were oft out of town, in fact it was a rarity for everyone to be in the same place at the same time, but she enjoyed it still.
This night she knew it was just to be a small affair, her and her middle brother, and Vasia found herself all the more appreciative for the fact that she would get a chance to properly catch up with Stelios. A stern man was her brother, intimidating to many, but Vasia knew him for the unflinchingly loyal and honest man that he was underneath. He had idiolised their father, and of them all, Vasia thought learning of Lacides’ indiscretion had shaken Stelios the most. That and the death of their Mother had changed him, and she was not sure it was for the better.
She sank under the water of the tub she lounged in, let the water close over her and smother the cold she always felt when thinking of her mother, a loss that still felt as weighty as it if it were yesterday. She held her breath as long as she could, until her lungs burnt with that instead of the grief that had pressed their before.
When she surfaced, spluttering a little, she waved off the concerned expression on her maid’s face. “ I am fine, Lsyeth. Bring a towel will you”
In losing their mother, she thought Stelios had also lost touch with the part of himself that she knew was there, the softer part. He had thrown himself into his career as a soldier, carved a path for himself that made her proud, but it was Vasia who was determined not to let the fire and fury burn away everything else. So yes, she decided, as she stepped out of her bath and allowed her maid to wrap in her a soft bath sheet, she was glad that she would get a chance to speak with him this night.
She dressed simply, there was no need to affect any pretense of glamour for her brother’s benefit after all, and did not even let her her hair dry before she twisted it up into a knot at the nape of her neck, it was far too hot to wear it down. There was no point in formality either, so Vasia instructed that dinner be served in the cooler chamber that faced onto the garden.
She waited there, sitting upon a carved stone bench, one hand wrapped around a cup of crisp white wine, the other trailing idly in the waters of the fountain that bubbled along softly beside her. The scent of tuberose was heady from the blooms that sprung up around her, for there was no breeze to carry the fragrance, not with the heavy,still heat of summer that sat upon them all. Even with the sun sinking towards the horizon it had not really dissipated, and Vasia thought she would not last much longer before she would move inside to wait for her brother instead. He was not usually one to be late though.
His body was slick with sweat; mud and blood emblazoned his tunic; his hair hung down in his eyes, plastered to his forehead with mud or blood, or maybe a mixture of both. Fresh from training and with a slight limp, that's how Mateos arrived home since spending a long day supervising the training of the Antonis cavalry unit. It had been a hard but productive day; the boys got better with each ride, with each spar, and, under Mateos' watchful eye, were slowly beginning to shape up into a potentially devastating war unit should the need to call upon their services ever arise.
Whether they were truly needed was the question he mulled over as his servants met him at the gate; he didn't even have to leave his thoughts as the reigns of his horse were taken from his hand, his body inspected and washed of most offensive clumps of muck that clung to his skin, and his armor taken away for polishing and cleaning as he was led straight to the baths. Mateos' personal servants were quite used to this routine, for he started his training long before Helios rose and didn't come home until it was too dark to see his hands in front of his face, let alone fight in the lowlight. Albeit, he was home much earlier than usual today, and word was sent to the kitchen staff to set a place at dinner for the unexpected arrival.
Mateos washed silently and quickly, aided by his servants, and soon enough he had been dried off and had had both his wounds and his body dressed for dinner. One of the kitchen servants waited outside his chambers, and he allowed the boy to lead him down towards this evening's chosen dining room. As he walked towards the gardens, he ran a hand over his smoothly-shaven face, still contemplating the progress of his cavalry unit. He knew of their value, and he was certain that keeping such a trump card up his sleeve would ensure Athenia's triumph in any land war that threatened her people. However, the unit was a drain on many resources, not quite to the extent that a charioteering battalion was, but chariots were known for their potential to decimate infantry whereas it was unclear as to whether the cavalry's payoff would be worth the initial investment. With the recent heatwave, the horses could not be pushed as hard as Mateos wanted, and the boys got sloppier the hotter they were. The cavalry unit required more armor than charioteers, as they had no defensive structure to protect their bodies from attacks, and they were more prone to overheating and exhaustion from the extra protection.
Mateos forced air through his teeth and ran his fingers through his hair in the midst of his internal dialogue, frustrated by his having to cut training short for the day. It was simply too hot, and the unit was too small to lose any men or horses due to exertion. At least he was home in time for dinner with his siblings this afternoon, a luxury he rarely had the opportunity to indulge in due to his rigorous training schedule. Even though he would never intentionally allow himself a night off, he was quite exhausted from weeks without rest, and a part of him was inwardly relieved to have the evening to enjoy a hot meal with his family.
The servant led him to the courtyard before disappearing into a neighboring chamber, where he could see wine and dinner platters being brought to prepare the table for the family's evening meal. Mateos stepped out into the gardens in silence, walking quietly as he moved towards Vasia lounging at the edge of the fountain. He stood behind the bench, hands clasped behind his back, watching her hand as it gently skimmed the surface of the pool, sending tiny wakes trailing behind her fingers like a small armada heading out towards sea. "Evening," he said quietly, not wanting to startle her. "Waiting for someone?"
The tedium of morning court required release afterward and Stelios had found it amidst one of his favorite pastimes ... in taxing the pleasurable resources of one of the city's most exquisite brothels into shuttering its windows, closing its doors, posting a sign apologizing but they'd be open tomorrow and the application of water-cooled towels to an unruly pile of female courtesans left spent and himself finally sated. That was the measure of the man, and as near as he could comfortably find to a true outlet for the riotous passions that ruled his life. How was it that these diversions had to be kept at arm's length from home? As he'd bathed and dressed and left after footing an eye-wateringly expensive bill he couldn't say, only that to acknowledge his needs and weaknesses under his father's roof would have constituted weakness. And that was something Stelios would never let show.
This lambent son of the House of Antonis drew nearer to home, and every step made tension coil in his breast all the tighter. He loved this place for reasons that were confined to his siblings and the respect still owed to his father. It ceased to feel like a place he belonged long, long ago. Little joy had been found behind the estate walls since the death of his mother and with her the sensitive lad Stelios had been. Among the boundless passions Marisa had instilled in her second son had been that to love unreservedly. But his father's reservations had hemmed in his offspring, too. There were ghosts now in this place, Stelios reminded himself as he entered the courtyard, padded across it towards the gardens where instinct assured him dinner would be waiting.
Any spectres had to draw back from the blessed sight of Vasia already seated and grave Mateos joining her at the fountain. Stelios stopped, stood beneath an archway and was content to simply look on for a breath, the corners of his mouth upturning into an unbidden smile. These were the people he cared for; those who mattered and whose faces he saw as he charged into every battle, fought every foe, and placed his life upon the line every time. He sighed, happily, and then made towards his siblings, eyebrows arched in curiosity.
Leave it to Stelios to be too much, kicking a small stone into the fountain and mussing its peaceful, rippling idyll. "So what's for dinner?" he inquired lustily, clapping his hands together and sniffing at the air, descending upon a bench beside his sister. "How goes training, Mat? And Vas, you're looking well. Too well for the likes of the noble mongrels in this town. You should come back to Illoclis with me when the Spears are next on manoeuvers. A nice, quiet countryside without a man for miles." His pious sentiment might have made more of an impact if in turning to wink at Vasia he hadn't exposed the side of his neck that still bore the hickey applied by a hetaera's lips this morning.
Lost in thought, Vasia startled at the sound of a voice that much closer than she had anticipated, despite Mateos’ best efforts to the contrary. The wine in the cup she had been cradling sloshed dangerously. Still, her face broke into a wide smile when she turned to see him, and the woman rose from her reclined position, standing and turning to embrace her eldest brother. “ Not you, brother, though I am glad to see you” she said, stepping back and smiling up at him. She had never let his grim countenance deter her from expressing her affection, in fact, she often wondered if it was the only affection Mateos received. Which of course made it doubly important.
“I am waiting on Stelios” she informed him. “ You will join us for dinner? I was just expecting it to be the two of us, but it will be all the better for your company” That was not strictly true perhaps, her eldest sibling could be a little hard work to shake from seriousness sometimes, but Sia would always try. She ran a critical gaze over the man, always so rigid and tense. So proper was her brother.
“How goes it with your horse soldiers?” the woman asked, sitting herself back down upon the edge of the stone bench and taking a sip of wine. It had warmed slightly and Vasia wrinkled her nose. There was little chance for Mateos to answer though before a stone plopped into the fountain and sent a fine shower of water droplets over Vasia’s bare feet. She scowled and raised her eyes to where Stelios stood, leaning over to flick a retaliatory splash at her buffoon of a brother. But still, she moved so he could sit next to her, leaning into the man and giving his shoulder a bump. “For you? Bread and water” she replied tartly, and then gave a snort of laughter at his following words. Well used to the over zealous protection of her siblings, Vasia gave a shake of her head, exasperation plain upon her face.
“Fear not, brothers mine, I am quite sure there is not a single noble man left in Athenia who has not been suitablywarned off even speaking to me” she grumbled. “Perhaps I shall have better luck when we travel to our neighbouring kingdoms though, Stelios? I hear the Taengeans are very hospitable”
Turning her gaze toward the younger of her brothers, Vasia’s eyes widened and she gave him a shove. “ You are such a hypocrite. Look at the state of you.”
One brother who seemed to have no interest in a love life, and another who was fast building a reputation for keeping all the whore houses in Athenia in business. Vasia could only hope that Patreos found something of a more even keel.
Stelios was spared - for a moment at least - from the tongue lashing he could feel coming, by the quiet clearing of a throat as the siblings were alerted that the meal was ready. Vasia stood gracefully and shook out the simple gown she wore before wandering through to where a table had been laid and an elegant spread set out, waiting for her brothers to join her before she was seated.
And when they had all filled their plates, she smiled and tipped her glass towards Mateos and then Stelios in turn.