After a heated discussion with a woman the visitors decided must be the wife of the leader, Varro was taken from the horse and into the nearest house. Inside it was warm, in the centre was a fire with an A frame, a large pot hanging from it. Towards one side of the large room there were beds raised off the ground on relatively well carved wooden foundations, there was a wooden frame near them where bows hung, a few swords and cooking pots on the floor. On a rudimentary table there were clothes and on another vegetables; carrots, onions, lentils and barley. The man spoke and Lita translated his words.
“He says we are welcome to stay here,” she raised her hands to the roof where there was a hole allowing the smoke to escape, “he has another roundhouse next to this one where his son lives,” she looked at a young man of about twenty summers, “he says if our being here helps to stop his son from fighting, the hardship of a few days will be worthwhile.” He spoke again.
“He says that they have medicine that will help the soldier, herbs, they will prepare some and bring them here. In the meantime we,” She looked at Grattius, “are all to stay here. We are not to go outside, to do so could be dangerous. Whilst we are his guests we are to abide with his wishes and rules at all times.”
“We got that already thank you.” Grattius said taking off his soaking over garment. The Briton came forward and took it from him and walked to the tables, he leant down and picked up a few poles from behind and quickly put them together, Grattius smiled, “A clothes frame, who’d have thought it?”
The Briton laid the garment over the frame and dragged it towards the fire and gestured for the females to remove their clothes. He spoke to Lita.
“He says we can use these clothes on the table, or the blankets while our own dry.” Lita said. The man then turned and left the roundhouse talking to Lita as he did so. “He’ll bring the medicine once it’s been prepared.”
“Well I for one am desperate to get out of these clothes, I don’t know about you two?” Grattius said removing layers of clothing and placing them on the wooden frame the Briton had erected. Brenna and Lita exchanged looks and began to undress, “That’s right ladies, get them off or you’ll be next just like the centurion here.” He stripped down to his loin cloth and looked around, “Ugh even these are soaked, ah well.” He said and whipped them off, placing them with the other wet clothes. He then walked straight to the fire and began rubbing his hands. Brenna and Lita smiled at each other admiring his white bottom.
“Enjoying the view I hope ladies?” He asked without turning, “Don’t worry I’m sure we’ll all get to know each other quite intimately, all living in here together, no need for shyness eh?”
The women stripped down, dropped their wet garments and quickly fetched blankets from the table where the other clothes were located and wrapped them around themselves before placing the wet clothes on the frame to dry.
“Don’t get your hopes up Optio Grattius and don’t expect anything else to be raised either.” Brenna said joining him by the fire and looking down at his groin, Lita smiled approvingly.
“So where do I take a piss?” Grattius asked, “Surely you people don’t do your business in your homes?”
“Of course we don’t.” Lita replied, “There will be a place nearby, if it was the summer you would have already found it or your nose would have, be thankful its winter.”
“I don’t know how they’ll react if we go wandering off.” Brenna put in, “You heard what he said about others seeing us.”
Grattius picked up a blanket off the table and wrapped it around himself and then looked at the clothing the Briton had referred to and bent forward to sniff it, “Smells fresh enough I suppose.”
“We aren’t quite as barbaric as you imagined then?” Lita asked.
Grattius pursed his lips and looked around the interior of the roundhouse, “No, not really.” Lita frowned, he continued, “I’m not being insulting but we moved on from living in huts a long time ago that’s all, I didn’t mean to offend you, again.”
“Don’t worry we’re not so easily offended.” Brenna said smiling. She turned and looked at Varro who was still asleep. “I hope he’ll be alright, I knew it was stupid for him to leave the Garrison so soon after being ill.”
Grattius walked to his friend and knelt down, “He’s tough, he’ll be fine, just needs some rest to get it out of his system.”
At that moment the Briton returned with a wizened old woman, they were both carrying pots, the male spoke to Lita.
“He’s brought some food for us and the old woman has some herbs, he says she’s a healer.” Lita translated as she watched the woman go to Varro and usher Grattius away with a wave of her hand, as she muttered something totally unintelligible. She touched his brow and then put a hand inside the blankets feeling his torso. She turned and spoke to the male.
“She says he has the fever chill and will need to be kept warm for a few days and drink plenty of the brew she’ll make.” Lita said as the old woman went back to the pot she had left on the table and began grinding its contents.
“What’s in it?” Grattius asked.
Lita asked her but she shook her head, “She says she can’t tell you, the ingredients are for healers not for outsiders.”
“Mm okay,” he said, “can you ask your man here where we are to perform our bodily functions.”
Lita spoke to the man who turned and left the roundhouse, he returned a short while later with a large bucket that he placed near the door skin.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Grattius said, “I’m not taking a…..well you know what I mean, in front of you two, it’s not right.”
“We’ll put something up to hide your modesty, don’t worry.” Brenna said, “How do you think we feel?”
Grattius muttered to himself clearly unhappy and then walked to the bed next to Varro’s and sat down, “Ah well, may as well make myself comfortable I suppose.” He looked at the old man, “So what did he bring in his pot?”
Brenna looked inside, “The ingredients for a chicken stew by the looks of it.” She smiled at their host, “Thank you.” He nodded and left.
Once the old woman had finished grinding her herbs she spoke to Lita and told her how to prepare the potion that they were to feed to Varro, she then looked at them all in turn, smiled briefly and left the roundhouse.
“I’ll sort a cover out for the, you know what.” Lita said as she made preparations to hang a cover from the slanting roof near the door. Brenna put the stew pot into the iron frame above the fire and began stirring the contents with a wooden ladle. She looked over at Grattius who was now lying down flat on his back with his hands over his eyes.
“Don’t worry we won’t be here too long Optio, in a few days as soon as he’s well enough, we’ll be on our way.” Brenna said.
“We have to make sure he’s actually recovered this time though, there’s no point in us leaving to find Caradoc and him collapsing again.” Lita said. “Does he always get this ill?” She asked Grattius.
“I’ve never known him to be ill before, not like this anyway.” He said, “Coughs and colds you know, the usual but never to be knocked off his feet. He’s as fit as any of them in the legion and stronger than most, must’ve just got this one bad I suppose.”
“I’ll see if I can get some of this inside him.” Lita said staring into the pot of ground herbs. She poured some water in and began heating it over the fire and removed it just as it started to bubble.
“Smells like cow shit that stuff.” Grattius remarked now covering his nose. “I prefer the smell of the stew.”
“I’m sure it will help,” Lita said, “healers usually know what they’re doing with such things.” She placed the pot on a low table. “I’ll let it cool down and then try and wake him.”
“Don’t you think you should just let him sleep?” Grattius asked, there was silence, no reply. He removed his hands from his face. “What?” He asked, “I’m just saying that while he’s asleep, shouldn’t we let him be, it’s supposed to be the body’s way of healing itself after all.”