This is the third part of “Sign of the timez”. It is recommended to read the other parts first.
I was in some cage on a wagon entering a town. People were standing at the side of the road cheering at us. I could see that some Roman soldiers were escorting me. The problem was that I was in chains in a cage. I felt tears going down my face as I realized that I was not home yet. It was still as if I was in some Hollywood film.
There was another girl in the same cage next to me. She looked very afraid. I wondered who she was in this world, and why were we being paraded through some ancient town. I wanted to ask so many questions, but this was impossible as people were jeering at us and throwing rotten fruit at us. I had to sigh thinking that this was not the greatest start to the new adventure that I was being forced upon.
We arrived at what looked like to be a palace. The guards opened the cage and dragged the two of us out. We were dragged through some dark passageways. The girl that was with me shouted at the guards not to treat me like an animal. This made me mad at the magic book that sent me here. I was finally a princess, but I was in chains and about to be thrown in some dark cell.
The guards laughed as we were thrown into the cell. They called us animals and barbarians. I sat in a corner as I could not help but cry. Ever since I was sent by the magic book, I have been in the worse situations ever and my life was always on the line. It is no surprise that I was once again in a dangerous situation.
I asked the girl what her name was. She told me her name was Frida and then asked me how I could forget that? I said I must have hit my head or something because I could not remember who I was and how we got here.
"You and I come from Caledonia (Scotland). You were born a princess and lived in the big hut. You and I were best friends since I could remember. I knew you were the daughter of the chief and this was important, but you did not care about status. We both liked being friends and had many fun games and experiences!
We lived in peace and never thought the Romans would invade the North. I remember that the elders would tell stories about Romans. They were great warriors but was ruthless and never showed any mercy. We were afraid of them but believed they would never come to the North.
They did however and the chiefs in the north met with your dad. You and I heard them speak that the Romans were preparing to come to the North. The other chiefs wanted to unite and in this way, they could defend everyone against the Romans. Your dad did not agree and tried to persuade the others that the Romans just wanted some money. If we paid them some gold, they would leave us alone. The whole idea of uniting together fell apart. This did not make your father very popular in our tribe. Even your mom was mad at your dad, calling him a weak coward. This was hard for you as your parents were fighting and your father was so unpopular.
The Romans did invade, and slowly one tribe was defeated and then another one. We heard of one massacre after another one. This worried your dad, so he did what everyone did not want him to. He surrendered to the Romans and offered them gold and animals to be left alone.
The Romans accepted the surrender and gave your dad permission to continue to lead the tribe. Of course, this means he is only a puppet for the Romans. The tribe now has to work harder than ever to give the Romans food and gold. I heard my Dad say that we are nothing more than slaves now.
The Romans wanted more. They wanted you as a hostage. You would be taken to Rome and they said you will be a Roman. Your mother screamed and cried about this. She pleaded to your father to have the courage and say no to the Romans. However, your Dad agreed and gave you to a Roman officer. You were confused and started crying and begging your dad to go. Your mother supported you by saying you were only 11 seasons old and still to long. Your Dad did not even answer.
I was crying too and did not want you to be alone in Rome. So I begged your mother to let me go with you. Your Dad and my parents didn't like this idea, but your mom pushed me to the Romans. The officer said he would take me as well.
Do you know remember anything?"
I lied as I nodded. I hugged her and said I was happy that I was not alone. I told her that we just had to do what the Romans wanted and show we were nice girls that did not cause any drama and were not brats. At the same time, I was trying to remember from my history classes about the Romans. All I could remember was that lions ate Christians. This made me think that I should not mention God or Jesus.
Then I thought about my dad here. How could he give up to his daughter to the Romans? I know that my real dad from 2020 would never give me up. I shed a tear as I remembered my real mom and Dad. They must be so worried about where I was. They would never understand that I was being thrown through history. Who would ever think that? The best thing I could do was pray for my parents and believe that one day I would see them again.
Now I was a princess from some primitive tribe. I was a prisoner in Rome. I was now a princess that was surrendered to the Romans as a prisoner or hostage. I could feel both anger and fear. I never wanted to meet my dad that was the king now as I would give him a piece of my mind. I hated the man for giving up his daughter.
My thoughts were interrupted by a man visiting the cell. I was told that he was the Emporer himself. He looked very small and very fat. He looked ugly. I quickly bowed when he came in as I wanted to show him my respect. He just stood there and looked up and down at me. The only thing that he said was that it was a shame that I was not a boy. He told the officer that was with him that he needed time to think about what should be done with me. Before he left, he said that we should be given Roman attire.
So Frida and I were given some white togas. Frida's was plain white and I could see the cloth was a bit coarse. The toga I had some gold embroidery and a woollen belt. We now looked Roman and even the guard said we did not look like Barbarians.
We had to wait for the Emporer to see us again. We were still kept in the dark cell which had a small window. Frida said she wondered what would happen to us. I did not say anything as I started thinking. We would most likely be slaves for the Romans. This would be a hard life, as it meant that I would be owned and could do what I wanted to do. I would be doing chores all day and I would never get any rest. I also wondered if my owner would be nice or mean. I did not want to be whipped or starved.
The other option was death. I could be crucified or fed to some lion. The magic that got me here could bring me home. Maybe death would be the best option as it would only be a short time that I would suffer. The problem is what if the magic did not help? I did not want to die yet. I did not even want to be here. I wanted to be in 2020 with my parents!
Two guards came to get us. They told us the Emporer wanted to speak with us. I could feel my heart beating quickly and I was shaking.
To be continued
ns 15.158.61.51da2
