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The town was bustling with
activity. Women trying to control their children and haggle with a greedy
vendor, men yelling at the top of their lungs or singing because they had
one too many ales, and the clucking of chickens to be butchered and sold.
Iolaus loved the action of the marketplace. It was so lively and showed
humans in their most true form- busy, somewhat greedy, sometimes nice and
sometimes not, but ever moving and forever noisy. Hercules was standing
near the bar and trying, to no avail, to make a deal with the woman innkeeper
for two rooms. Iolaus shook his head, almost laughing. Hercules never could
argue with a lady. Certainly not a pretty, but nonetheless ruthless, woman.
Herc had insisted on doing the bargaining, though. So they would end up
paying a few more dinars than they should have. That was all right.
Iolaus was still chuckling
to himself when a man caught his eye across the tavern. He reminded Iolaus
of someone. Someone from a long, long time ago. He was definitely older
now- he was in his fifties, Iolaus supposed- and his eyes were sunken from
a lack of sleep and too much alcohol. But if he were a little younger...
Suddenly, Iolaus leapt from
his chair. He rushed over to the innkeeper, cutting into whatever Hercules
had been saying. "Who is that man?" Iolaus demanded, pointing.
"Who?" the innkeeper responded,
somewhat bewildered.
"That man right there!"
Iolaus pointed again, angrily.
"Oh. Him. He comes in here
every six months or so. A wanderer of sorts, I think. I'm pretty sure his
name is Tobias."
At the sound of the name,
Iolaus snarled, ran across the tavern, and punched the man he had pointed
at right in the face. The older man was sent sprawling and partially gagging
on his ale.
"Iolaus!" Hercules exclaimed.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't seem to hear.
He picked up the man and punched him again.
Hercules, recovering from
the shock of his best friend's seemingly senseless violence, rushed to
hold Iolaus back just as he was getting ready to throw another punch. The
older man looked in fear at Iolaus, turned, and all but flew out of the
inn.
"Iolaus!" Hercules struggled
to hold his friend, who was still fighting to be released. "What's wrong
with you?!"
"He's getting away!" the
blond hunter shouted.
"Stop it!" Iolaus seemed
to come to his senses somewhat. Hercules repeated himself. "Stop it, Iolaus.
What's gotten into you?" As Iolaus stopped struggling, Herc let go but
kept a wary eye on him. "What's the matter with you? Who was that man?"
The golden haired man hesitated
before responding. "That was him... He killed the love of my life..."
They were outside, sitting
at a table. After assuring the innkeeper that it wouldn't happen again,
she finally agreed to allow Iolaus and Hercules to eat outside and each
have a room for the night. But they had to be gone by tomorrow. That was
fine for Iolaus. He didn't plan on staying long.
A barmaid brought over a
tankard of wine for Iolaus and a cup of water for Hercules. As soon as
she left, Iolaus spoke up. "I don't even know why I'm just sitting here.
I should be chasing after this guy. He deserves to die, Hercules."
"And are you planning to
be the one to do the deed?"
"If necessary."
"Iolaus..."
He paused then sighed. "I
know. You're right, like always, Herc. But he should at least be brought
to justice. I owe her that much."
"It can wait until tomorrow,
when you're thinking a bit more rationally. Don't worry, we'll catch him."
"We'd better. I'll search
forever if I have to. He will get what he deserves."
Hercules cleared his throat, hoping to turn the subject away
from whatever retribution Iolaus had hoped to give this man. "So? Who was
she? Did I know her?"
Iolaus shook his head no.
"It was a long time ago. You were away from the Academy. I think your mother
put you to work again. We were on vacation."
"What was her name?"
"Aria. Her name was Aria."
He looked down into his glass. "She was a singer. She said that she wanted
to move all of Greece with her singing." He smiled fondly. "I thought she
could do it too. Her voice was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard
in all my life."
"I heard once that singing
is the language of the heart."
Iolaus nodded. "We met in
the forest, not too far from Corinth..."
Iolaus had been practicing
with his bow and arrow when he heard a voice, not too far away. A woman
singing. He was about to loose an arrow when he heard it. It was the most
beautiful thing he had ever heard. Putting the arrow back in its quiver
and slinging his bow over his shoulder, he walked slowly deeper into the
forest. He was sure it was some celestial being, created by the gods and
meant only for them- the music was so beautiful. With a voice like that,
it couldn't be human.
He walked in almost a trance,
compelled by the music and completely surrounded by it. It seemed to fill
the very core of his being. Moments later, he reached a pond with water
from a small waterfall rushing into it. At the edge of a rock that outstretched
over the water sat a young woman of about 17 or 18- not much younger than
him. Her hair was black, but seemed to shine with a golden red wherever
the sun touched it. Her simple blue dress matched the color of the water
almost exactly. Her back was to him and her feet were dangling just above
the water. She didn't seem to notice his presence.
Iolaus stepped closer to
her, still drawn by the music. And suddenly, a loud snap penetrated the
air. The girl twisted around instantly, but not without losing her balance.
The singing stopped abruptly and the girl fell into the water with a shout.
Iolaus looked down at his feet. He had stepped on a large stick and snapped
it in two under her foot. He mentally berated himself and ran to the edge
of the water. "Are you okay?" he asked the soaking wet girl swimming in
the pond.
"You startled me!" she exclaimed,
sputtering profusely.
"I'm sorry! Here, let me
help you up." He offered her a hand.
She smiled. "Uh-uh. You
don't get off that easily..." She took his outstretched hand and pulled.
Iolaus fell head first into the water.
She was laughing as Iolaus'
head popped back up above the water. He coughed a little before bursting
into laughter as well.
They emerged out of the
water, their clothes and hair dripping small pools around their feet. "Oh
no... I hate wet boots!" she said in dismay, sitting down immediately to
unlace her shoes. Iolaus sat down next to her and unlaced his boots too.
They set the boots aside and sat in a spot in the sun.
"I'm sorry I startled you,"
Iolaus apologized again as he squeezed out his shirt.
"That's okay." She began
ringing out parts of her skirt. "What are you doing way out here anyway?"
"I was practicing with my
bow and arrow when I heard you singing. I followed the music, and found
you here." He paused. "And I could ask you the same thing."
"I come out here sometimes
to think. And sing, of course. Music always sounds great by that pond.
I don't know why." She looked at him strangely. Then smiled. "What's your
name?"
"Iolaus." He extended a
hand. "And you?"
The girl shook his hand.
"I'm Aria."
Iolaus gave her a funny
look. "A girl who sings named Aria? Really?"
"Really. So, is this how
you meet all the girls? Startle her so she falls in a pond then make fun
of her name?"
"No!" Iolaus almost blushed.
Aria laughed. "I'm just
teasing you. Don't worry about it."
There was an awkward silence
for a moment.
Iolaus cleared his throat.
"So what were you singing? It was beautiful."
She smiled. "Really? Thank
you. I made it up actually."
"It was incredible."
She blushed.
"When are you-" Iolaus began
to say, but he was cut off by a voice in the distance.
"Aria!" a man's voice called.
"Aria!"
"Oh, gods, it's my father."
Aria hurriedly picked up her boots and stood. "When he finds out I came
here alone again, he'll have a fit!"
"When can I see you again?"
Iolaus asked, not wanting to see her go.
"I don't know. I'll try
to meet you here again tomorrow afternoon." She was already taking off,
barefoot. "It was nice meeting you, Iolaus! I'm glad you liked my music!"
Aria called over her shoulder.
"Bye!" he shouted.
Iolaus sat with his tankard
halfway emptied, not feeling like drinking too much more. This was the
first time he had told the story since it happened. "We saw each other
almost every day by that pond. We mostly just talked. She would sing for
me sometimes. All her songs she composed by herself. And she never wrote
any of them down. They were stored away in her head... We would have the
best time together, even if we were doing nothing. Sometimes we would go
into Corinth and just stroll around the marketplace..." He paused and looked
up at Hercules. "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you."
"Not at all, Iolaus. Go
on. Please." Hercules was amazed that he hadn't known about such an important
aspect of Iolaus' life. It just went to show that as much as you thought
you knew somebody, there was always more to learn.
"I met her family once,"
Iolaus continued. "Her mother was dead, but she had two brothers- one older,
one younger- and her father. I don't think they liked me much." Iolaus
laughed softly, almost to himself. "Especially her father..."
"Father," Aria said carefully,
"this is the young man I was telling you about before. This is Iolaus."
Her father glared at Iolaus
as he chopped wood. "Hello." The word was almost lost in the crack that
sounded as the axe swung into the wood. Why her father was chopping wood
in the middle of summer, Iolaus had no idea.
"Hi." If he was ever nervous,
he was then. "It's nice to meet you... Sir."
"What makes you think you're
good enough for my daughter?"
"Well," Iolaus began with
a gulp, "I know I'm not good enough for your daughter. She's perfect."
Aria smiled at him, blushing. He smiled back.
"Don't give me some kiss
ass answer, boy," Aria's father snapped.
"Yessir."
"Are you planning for a
betrothal, or is she just some fling to entertain you for the month?"
"Father!" Aria exclaimed.
"Don't interrupt, Aria.
If he cares anything for you, he'll tell the truth."
"I love her," Iolaus said,
and he meant it too. He never felt anything like the way he felt for her.
"And, if some time in the near future, she wants to get married, I couldn't
think of anyone else I would want as my wife."
Aria grinned. Her father,
however, was far from satisfied.
"You're a student at the
Academy, right?"
"Yes."
"It's run by a centaur,
is it not?"
"Father," Aria interrupted,
"please don't get into this now. You've met Chairon. He was a good person,
wasn't he? Honest? Noble? You know centaurs deserve just as many rights
as we do."
"I will not debate with
you now, Aria." However, he changed the subject slightly. "They teach you
to fight at that Academy?"
"Among other things. We
learn history and literature and philosophy-" Iolaus began.
"Exactly why do you learn
how to fight?" her father interjected.
"In order to be able to
defend ourselves and those we care about."
"Is that so? ...I never
liked Academy boys."
"Father..." Iolaus could
see the frustration on Aria's face. She looked cute when she was angry.
Aria's father took an armload
of firewood and glanced briefly at her over his shoulder. "Aria, come in
the house in a little bit to help me make dinner. Don't take too long."
He entered the house without another word.
Iolaus let out a deep breath.
"I'm so sorry. He's like
that every time I meet someone I like even just a little. He's especially
hard on you because he knows just how much I love you." Aria smiled sweetly.
"He's just being a father,
I guess," Iolaus answered, smiling despite the butterflies still beating
at the lining of his stomach. He hesitated for a moment, turning slightly
red in the cheeks. "I meant it you know."
"Meant what?"
"That I'd want to marry
you." His face turned even redder.
She grinned and kissed him
on the lips gently. "I know you did. I'd like it too. Maybe someday soon.
We've only known each other for a month and a half."
He smiled. "You're right.
That's not long at all." He kissed her on the forehead and took her into
his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder.
"Aria! Come inside now!"
"By the gods, that man has
the worst possible timing!" Aria hissed. She started for her house. "I'll
meet you tomorrow at the pond?"
"I'll be there."
