CW- sexual harassment
The presence of soldiers at the temple only made Damalia’s absence more intolerable. The soldiers seemed to be everywhere, never giving the women a moment alone. It was under the guise of protection, but all of the maidens knew better. Most men had selfish desires lurking in their hearts.
Ava had always viewed Damalia as a protector as well as a friend. In hindsight, it was probably unfair to put that burden on her, but how could she not? Damalia had been very defensive of her. Each time Ava had spoken of the harassment she faced, she could hear the fire in Damalia’s responding voice. Damalia had a physical and emotional strength about her. Ava had felt her muscles under her cloak; flexing and tensing beneath her fingers each time they had embraced. She pictured her using those muscles to fight for her, to fight for them.
Not only had Ava lost her closest companion, someone she dearly loved, she had also lost any sense of safety she’d once felt in the temple, her only home.
Weeks passed and the men only grew more bold in their interactions with the maidens. They had taken to dining with them, which was strange enough, but more recently some had even decided to bathe in their hot spring.
Every maiden and servant saw it as a complete affront to their safety and privacy, but what could they do? Kalliope would not listen to their pleas, and all were too afraid to discuss their concerns with Timone, the village leader.
Ava peaked into the bathhouse to make sure it was empty before entering the humid room. She breathed a sigh of relief; no one was there. She dropped her towel and waded into the fragrant, sudsy water. This was the only place she seemed to find enjoyment now. Her muscles relaxed as she slid in deeper, letting the heated liquid wash over her. She tilted her head back and let her eyes close. The memory of Damalia’s last, unfinished story echoed in her mind.
She tried to imagine what the ending would be. Would the pair of star-crossed lovers ever meet again? She found it unfair that she could never read the tale on her own. Now, she could only ponder on their eventual outcome.
With her eyes closed, she didn’t see the soldier enter, but she could hear him. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his wet, heavy footsteps. The man was still approximately 20 feet away from her when she spotted him, but only a small towel covered his groin.
She instinctively brought her hands up to cover her breasts, but it was a futile effort. He had already seen everything and her petite fingers left nothing else to the imagination.
Never before had a man seen her completely naked body and he stared at her unashamedly; as if it were nothing.
Neither spoke for a long while, but all the time his eyes raked over her.
“Please, please give me some privacy,” she asked in an unsteady tone.
The responding man's voice was deep and husky with lust. “Should I not be able to wash myself?”
She cleared her throat, attempting to speak louder. “You should, but I would ask that you come at a different time.”
He shook his head in response and took a step forward. “This is my only time off duty during the day. I would be unable to come back later.”
“Then…. then at least have the decency to avert your eyes, sir.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you ever get lonely? I thought you might enjoy the company.”
“No, I most definitely would not!”
“Hey, hey, calm down,” he said silkily. “You have nothing to worry about.” He dropped his towel and moved towards her, hands up in a placating motion.
The space between his legs looked different than she had seen on other men. It’s shape and direction pointing towards her. She found it revolting.
“What are you doing?” she gasped, unable to control the panic rising in her throat.
“Would you not like a friendly embrace? I would like us to be friends. We could spend some more time together. I do not know many people here and—“
A loud clattering noise emanated from outside, stopping the soldier in his tracks. Ava took his momentary distraction as an opportunity to run. She leapt out of the water and took no time to re-dress into her robes. She wrapped a modest towel around her torso as she charged through the halls, not even taking the time to look behind her. She had made her escape; she supposed that something divine was still watching over her.
The air was cold on her wet skin and her ears rang with the whistling and cat calls of other soldiers as she ran with so little clothes on.
She didn’t stop until she reached the sleeping quarters. She collapsed on her bed to catch her breath before changing into her spare clothes with trembling hands. Her dramatic entrance, and lack of clothing, gained the attention of every woman in the room.
“What’s happened?” a concerned maiden asked.
Ava explained the horrible ordeal, sparing no detail. She no longer had Damalia to confide in, and she needed a place to vent her concerns and frustrations.
“Yes, a similar thing happened to me,” the other woman whispered solemnly. “I was lucky to leave as well, but I worry I will not the next time.”
Other maidens and servants nodded in agreement. All had faced similar harassment, though not as overtly. All of the women in the room had come to gather in a circle around her. It felt comforting to be encircled by so many women, even if they were not close friends. It gave her a sense of solidarity.
“We have to do something,” an older maiden choked out desperately. “I’ve been here for twenty years and I’ve never experienced such horrible treatment!”
The solemn, broken expressions on the other maidens’ faces clawed at Ava’s heart. She cleared her throat and spoke again. “
“There will be another group meeting this evening when Timone and Kalliope give updates on Zoe’s whereabouts. Maybe we could voice our concerns then?”
Redheaded servant shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. “I feel that there is no point in giving updates any longer. Zoe has been gone for so long….”
“Don’t lose hope!” another woman swatted at her arm. “If we pray and have faith in Eupheme, maybe she will return to us!”
Ava just bit her lip. Now was not the time to speak of Zoe. She needed to decide what she’d say to Timone that evening.
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