Dies Irae

~~~ DIES IRAE ~~~
Nona Charta: Pactum


Motto: Occasionem circumspice: hanc si videris, prende.


"Get the fuck away from me, you sorry excuse for a bear!" Aemilia growled at the animal under her.


The bear roared and swung its paws at her, making the tree both of them were climbed on ripple. Aemilia screamed and tried to climb higher, but the branches in the top were too thin to hold her. She had never been more afraid in her life….or maybe just once or twice during the training with her father.


"Oh, come on pulchrus ursus, be a good boy and leave me alone…..if you leave right now, I am not going to hurt you!" she promised in a solemn voice only to broke into screaming as the bear swung its clawed paws at her, this time leaving four red lines on her leg.


Aemilia looked down from the high branch she was currently residing on and pounded on the results of a fall from that height. Whatever it would be, one thing was obvious: it was going to be painful!


Snapping a twig, she threw it at the large, brown bear, succeeding only in enraging it further. The beast growled and showed the girl a perfect set of sharp teeth, while Aemilia let out a blood-curling scream.


"Daaaaaiiiiiizzzuuuuussss……….fuuuckkkk you….this is all your fault! ….I am going to die because of youuuu!" she screamed herself hoarse, almost forgetting about the bear. "You idiot! I hope you die in horrendous pain! The vultures should eat your eyes out! Your flesh ought to be banquet material for the worms! I…I…I..hope… " the echo brought her yelling back to her.


"Are you done yet?" an amused voice under the tree stopped her tirade, though if we are to be honest she was on the verge of loosing her voice on her own.


"Why you little!" she growled, looking down at the sparkling eyes of Daizus. "Don't just stand there, do something! This..this thing wants me for lunch!"


"Sorry, puella, you brought this upon yourself..I specifically told you not to leave the house.", he countered.


"Bebe, bene, I am sorry…" she babbled as she moved a little further …"it's not like I have to die because I decided to get out."


Daizus lifted his hands in defence


"Hey, what do you want me to do? Have you seen the size of this bear?"


"I actually have a better view than you have…." , she was beginning to hyperventilate again. Her heart had been filled with hope as she had spotted Daizus, but, instead of courageously fighting to save her, he was just standing there, explaining calmly that there was nothing he could do about it.


"Please, please help me..I'll do anything, just, just don't let it eat me! I am too young to die!"


"Tell you what: I'll make you a deal!"


"Whatever, whatever it is , I'll take it!" she cried out.


"After I get rid of this "little" problem, you have to spent an entire night with me!" he stated in a calm voice.


"By Gods, you've lost it! I've been spending every night with you for some time now!" she yelled back


"Sex, puella, I'm talking about sex. Consensual and I want you an active partner, make that a wild one" , he mocked.


"I would rather'…" she started, full of indignation.


"Die?" , he continued, raising an eyebrow.


She growled, then screamed as the bear, which had stood relatively calm, decided to remind everybody that it was still there, angry and hungry.


"Ok, ok, I'll do it!" she cried out.


"Do you promise?"


"I promise, I promise!"


"Very well. I am counting on you! Now jump!"


"Are you crazy? I am going to break my neck!" she babbled angry and scared.


"That sure would spoil my reward, wouldn't it? I'll catch you, come on, now, don't be a coward!"


Aemilia cringed as he remembered her father reproaching her the same thing.


"I am not a coward!" she cried out. "Catch me!" she yelled and let herself go.


She whimpered as the branches hit her body as she was falling, leaving little cuts and bruises on her body, while also ripping her clothes. Daizus, however caught her firmly in his arms, as the girl mentally screamed as she bit on her tongue.


"Run home and stay there, all right? When the horse arrives, put it in the stable near by and close the doors, do you understand?" he spoke in a calm voice. "Go now!" he ordered, putting her down and smacking her soundly on the bottom.


Aemilia started running, though her feet were trembling so hard that it was a wonder she coulen sen stand. Glancing back, she saw him pulling his sword as the bear roared, and rapidly climbed down the tree.


***


For the first time in her life, Aemilia did what she was told. She had never been completely submissive, even her father had failed to rule her completely as she had never stopped doing her childish pranks, and yet, now she dared not to refuse what he had demanded.


It was not as much as the fact that she was afraid of him, oh, no, she was attentive, that's the word, but not scared. Now, she had realised that it was much better to listen to him, he knew this territory like the palm of his hand, while she was a complete stranger.


She had her back against the door, the heart pounding in her chest. Her legs finally gave up and she slid until she was sitting on her butt, hugging the knees to her chest. What was going on in the woods? Was Daizus still alive? Did she care? And why?


A heavy pounding at the door startled her and she quickly jumped to her feet and opened the door quickly, almost pulling it off her hinges.


As soon as she opened it, a heavy body came down on her, pinning her to the ground. She panicked for a moment, before recognising his smell.


"Ah, Daizus, get up, you're heavy!" she murmured, almost crushed under his weight, her fresh wounds stinging harder.


He just made an incoherent sound, tensing his body slightly.


"Daizus! Get off me!" she cried out, frowning as she felt her chest wetted. "What is wrong with you?"


"Puella.." he whispered in her ear so softly that she wasn't even sure it had been anything but her imagination.


He raised a little and she managed to scramble from under him. She gasped as she saw the large stain on her chest and touched it with the tip of her fingers. The smell and colour was unmistakable: it was blood.


Sitting on her knees, she shook him slightly, and rubbed his broad back soothingly. Bending down, so that she was near her ear she whispered his name. As she got no reaction, she sed sed shaking him harder, until, after what seemed to be an eternity, he let out a harsh moan.


Grabbing tightly on his arm, Aemilia pulled up with all her might.


"Daizus, come on, get up..let's go to bed!", she begged.


He seemed to have come a little to his senses as he made an effort and stood up, though massively leaning on the girl.


Letting out a deeuckluckle, he whispered:


"I knew you dn'tdn't resist me!"


"I can't believe you can joke in times like these! What happened?"


"Stubborn bear, stubborn Daizus…"


They slouched towards the bed, and as they reached it, Daizus collapsed, taking Aemilia with him, but this time he was the one under. After many efforts from her part, the girl managed to place him properly in the bed and started to undress him, wincing as she discovered a large wound on the shoulder and the upper part of his chest. It looked like biting wounds and they were the most important as they were bleeding heavily. She bundled up a rag and pushed it into the wound. Fortunately, by that time he had lost consciousness.


Aemilia sprung from the bed and hurried to a corner of the room where she had earlier spotted an iron spike. It was the plan B, after the laurels, yet a dangerous plan B for Daizus was always on alert and she would have had to use pure physical strength.


She placed it into the fire and went back to the bleeding Daizus and moved on with the stripping process. Reaching his pants she stopped, decided he was quite under-dressed for her liking. She took another rag and wetted it into a jug full of water, which was laid near the bed.


As she cleaned the smaller cuts, he noticed that he had regained consciousness and loo looking at her through slanted eyes. She arched an eyebrow and huffed.


Standing up, she walked to the fire and slowly lifted up the hot iron spike, carefully wrapping the part outside the fire with the wet rag. Even if it hadn't been directly into the flames, it would still burn, and boy, had she found out this little truth the hard way.


Carefully straddling his stomach, she warned:


"This will hurt."


"It usually does", he growled


Taking a big gulp of air, she pressed the hot iron into his flesh, wincing as the smell of burned flesh filled the room. Daizus clenched his teeth and let out a half moan, half wince as his forehead shined with sweating.


She pulled it out of the wound throwing it to the floor and putting her arms also on each side of him as they both panted. As if in a daze she rea up up and grabbed a small dagger that he used for carving wood and skinning small animals and which had been carelessly thrown on the bed while she had undressed him.


She placed it at his neck pressing it softly against the tender flesh.


"Now, I have you under my power, barbarian…what do you think, should I kill you?" she asked in a cold voice, the hatred of being held against her will resurfacing.


"I saved your life!" , his voice was rough


"You endangered me in the first place, I wouldn't have been here if it weren't for you!" she countered.


"So, kill hat hat will happen next? My horse will not obey you, you have no idea about living in the forests.."


"I know more than you might think…"


"Maybe….but I have a more reasonable proposal."


"What makes you think I would listen to your proposition? Deals are made between equals, which is not the case.". He huffed, and she continued "Speak"


"You will cure me, and see to my health and well-being. And I promise you I will personally take you to the nearest Roman town. Don't be a fool, it's a great deal! Serva me, servabo te "


"Don't you dare calling me a fool, you stupid barbarian!" she growled, pressing the knife harder and drawing a bit of blood. Inside, however, she knew he was right, she had no chance of finding her own way down. And how in Gods' name did he know Petronius?


Looking into his cerulean eyes she nodded softly, removing the knife.


"It's a deal"


~~~~


pulchrus ursus = pretty bear


pactum, -i= the deal


Occasionem circumspice: hanc si videris, prende =Wait for the opportunity to arise, and when it does, seize it!


Serva me, servabo te. Petronius, "Satyricon", 44 = Save me and I shall save you