The Cove

Twelve years later

Rising from the cold of winter, springtime had brought back with it a revitalization of life. Wildlife, fauna, and flora woke up from their slowed states of hibernation to bask in the warmth and joy brought back with the return of the Sun. Safe to travel, business and recreation had returned to the Empire, no longer having to fear the various dangers that lingered the frigid terrain of the season prior.

In the years since her exodus to the East of the Roman Empire, Calliope had involved herself in the textile industry, which boomed in light of the region being a natural hotspot for trading between the land of the Orients and the Empire. Being able to masterfully craft and weave various cloths, be it in the form of clothing or decorative drapes, her business was small, but highly valued by those who knew of her skill. Her son, Adam, now a strong young boy of twelve years, served as her delivery boy, acquainting himself intimately with the people of the town, as well as the many traders that often passed through.

Unknown to the public, Adam had possessed an inhuman level of physical prowess, to which his mother had told him was a blessing from the gods and was not to be taken lightly. People of extraordinary ability were uncommon in this time, though many had gone out to make names for themselves as wandering adventurers or brave soldiers. This being said, the boy's mother had made it very clear to him that he was not to display his ability to anyone as to draw attention to himself. When he first discovered this aberration, he was reluctant to comply, but having complete faith in his loving mother, he grew to understand the risk of doing so.

Calliope and Adam lived on the outskirts of the market, living quiet lives away from the noise. With complete trust in her son, Calliope allowed him to spend time in the market alone when she was busy with work to explore the vast area and play with the other children he could find. Unbeknownst to her, Adam was quick to fulfill the occasional order he was tasked with delivering, but spent the majority of his time taking on odd jobs to help the only two real friends he had. A girl two years his younger by the name of Elladria and a boy his age named Titus.

Titus was a deeply tanned boy that was well-built for his age due to the harsh labor his father forced upon him. A dark brown, shaggily-haired, green-eyed child, his father was a struggling blacksmith in the market who blamed everyone but himself for his ineptitude. Beatings cast onto his wife and young son were frequent and cruel, leading the two to fear and avoid him when they could. For Titus, it meant wandering the market, begging for scraps so he would not be forced to return home for food, which was almost always followed by a beating. Somehow, he always ended up back home, as it was still a place to lay his head.

Elladria was a small girl, even for her age, with long, straight, jet-black hair and delicately hazel eyes. She was a peasant of the time, living off of the handouts from passersby who couldn't help but give in to the innocent child. Despite her condition, Ella was well-mannered and kind. Many had tried to adopt the tranquil child, but as quickly as she appeared to them, she would disappear. Nimble on her feet, every attempt to seize her by the Roman foot soldiers was unsuccessful as she continued a life of peaceful poverty.

In his rounds through the market, Adam had befriended the two and picked up the odd jobs to support his unfortunate companions. He never had to worry about food, since he had a loving home waiting for him, so every little bit he earned went to both Titus and Ella. Every so often, Adam would extend his home to the two, but be it in fear or humility, they would decline. Adam had given up on trying to bring them home with him, so instead, he found other ways to provide for them. In doing so, he picked up many trades in the odd jobs he took upon himself, be it fishing, hunting, basket weaving, farming, and so on.

Being a hand for hire, he always made a deal with his temporary employers that they would not tell his mother. As much as he trusted her, he did not want to burden her with the truth, knowing in her protective nature, she would not want him to be constantly overworking himself. The occasional times where he'd come home late or exhausted for his mother to question were dismissed by him, usually using the excuse that he was invited for dinner with a friend or played a bit too hard. In these times, Calliope would comfort and tend to her son lovingly.

As Adam strolled into the marketplace, he was quick to find Ella sitting by herself at the foot of a statue, contently eating grapes from a bunch. Adam let Ella hold onto the money that he acquired so his mother would not be suspicious when he brought it home, though he did take small amounts back home to put into a savings he had accrued. He knew it would be the safest in her hands due to her elusive nature and Titus' father would easily confiscate it from him.

"Adam!!" the young girl cheered from her place, waving her free hand at the approaching blonde boy.

With a toothy grin, Adam jogged up to his friend and jumped last second, landing besides her to take a seat.

"Good afternoon, Ella! How are the grapes today?"

Ella smiled cutely as she offered the bunch to him, "Very good. They're fresh and so juicy!"

Immediately intrigued, Adam peered his head closer to the bunch to admire their shine. Indeed, they looked better than most grapes they buy.

"Ella! You polished them, didn't you??"

Ella giggled as she nodded her head, "Yes, Adam! I know you like them polished, but are too impatient to do it yourself."

Adam's mouth began to water as he plucked off several grapes from the vine and shoved them into his mouth, closing his eyes and leaning his head back in content.

"Theez ur dalishuss..." he muffled through the mouthful of grapes.

"I'm glad you think so," Ella politely responded, setting the bunch on his lap, "How are things at home?"

Adam took his time to enjoy the grapes, but turned his attention to his friend once he finished, "Good! Sorry I couldn't make it to town yesterday. Mother wanted to spend the day together."

Ella smiled softly, her eyes squinting slightly, "That's good to hear. I only wish Titus was here, he usually finds us by now..."

The corner of Adam's lips scrunched as he looked to the side, "Yeah... I hope he's ok today..."

"Hey guys..." a young boy's voice called lowly from behind the statue. Titus dragged his feet as he rounded the base and slumped besides Ella, hanging his head.

"Titus..." Ella soothed, rubbing his back lightly.

"Hey Ella... Hey Adam..." his shaggy brown hair covered his face, but through strands, his friends could see sweat and soot riddled his face from working the forge.

"Hey Titus..." Adam said, glancing at him but looking back away. It was hard for him to see Titus in such a downtrodden state, he found it easier to look away at times.

"I'm sorry to ask, but do you guys happen to have any more food...? My father said I could eat after I finished working, but he ate my food while I did so. I ran out before he could get to me..."

Adam, mustering the strength to face Titus head on, looked over to him and tossed the rest of the grapes into his lap. There was only about a third left, so he felt bad in doing so, but knew it was better than nothing. Instead of letting Titus' air bring him down, Adam had a brilliantly idea and shot up to his feet, pumping a fist into the air.

"I have an idea! Let's have a picnic by the beach!"

Ella, who was slightly disheartened at Titus' broken arrival, cheered up as Adam so boldly made his proposition. She smiled and stood up, grabbing Titus' hand as she did to encourage him. Titus was a bit slow to follow, but rose to his feet with the grapes in hand. He took his hand back from Ella and shyly scratched the back of his head, making an effort to smile.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that, Adam..." he let out a small chuckle before lowering his hand.

"I knew you would, Titus! Nothing like a relaxing afternoon on the beach, right?"

"Yeah... but what about the guards watching over the merchant vessels? They always run us off..."

Adam flashed a mischievous grin, "Don't worry about that, I found a new spot where they can't find us. They can't have all the beach!"

Adam marched off deeper into the market, leading Titus to various food stands to gather food. Ella had left Adam the satchel of money she kept on her to acquire the goods while she ran off to her secret hiding place, which even her friends knew not where it was, to obtain a basket. Titus' mood lightened up as he and Adam wandered the marketplace, enjoying the air of prospering business and travelers wandering about. Ella came just in time for the boys to empty their near-full hands into the basket that she had brought back, Adam taking charge with carrying it for the rest of the way. After acquiring all the foods and snacks they could wish for, Adam once again led the way down towards the beach. They followed along a dirt-paved road for the majority of the walk, only to deviate once the harbor came into view, veering off to left towards a hill. Adam and Titus has no issues with scaling the steep cliff, but Ella struggled with the task. Noticing that she had stopped, Titus back tracked a few steps to offer a helping hand.

"Looks like you can use some help, Ella," Titus reached his arm for the girl to take, which she took with an exhausted smile.

"Thank you, Titus..."

Adam smiled to himself as he watched his friends make their way back up to him, Ella's arm wrapped around Titus' as he provided support for her.

"You guys are so cute!" Adam hollered as he began to jog further up the cliff with a cheery laugh.

"Wha-? Adam! Nooo!!" but Adam was already far ahead of the two to care about Ella's flustering.

Titus looked off to the side as he continued to walk side-by-side with Ella, "Yeah... Adam's being weird..."

The two made it up to the top of the hill in an awkward silence, only to be greeted by Adam, who sat near the precipice of the cliff with the basket of food open besides him. He gestured for his friends to join.

"Come, come! We can take a little break here before we head down to the water. It looks like you could use it, Ella!" Adam dug into the basket and pulled out an orange, tossing it up to her to catch, which she barely did after pulling away from Titus. Ella stumbled forward and collapsed at Adam's side, face down, however, the boy was able to catch her last second, easing her descent. Ella huffed laboriously and peered her head up to view the expansive sea that lay in front of her.