Page 14 of Odette's Vow

“Because I find myself missing the sweet world I once knew. I miss my wife.”

With that, he stood, already in his armour for the day, and left the tent.

If his intention had been to make me feel guilty for neglecting the duties expected of me, his blow landed. I stared at the goods Τ?ιλορ?α had given me yesterday and wondered if I should get up, unpack and put away the goods that Odysseus hadn’t.

He had dealt with the fish, no doubt salting it. There would be a bucket of brine somewhere the fish was immersed in. The meat would need to be cured too, and the cheeses stored in a amphorae?3. The list of all the things I would have to do today grew in my mind, just as it had when I had been in that modest marriage bed Alcander’s parents had gifted us. Long before the sun had risen, before Lykas would wake up crying for hisbreakfast and my husband still snoring gently beside me. They had never needed to worry that things were done, and they never would again.

Legs heavy, I slid back down under my blankets and rested my head on the pillow.

Back to the madness.

1 Meaning girl, maiden, lassie, maid, etc.

2 Pronounced Tay-lor-ee-a.

3 Ceramic jar.

5

Odette

Hypnos

Morpheus

Eos

Lupe?1

Hypnos

Morpheus

Eos

Achos?2

Hypnos

Morpheus

Eos

Ania?3

Hypnos

Morpheus

Eos

Algos.?4

1 Pain and grief.

2 Sorrow and anguish.

3 Distress and suffering.

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