Truth and Sparta by Camille Oster Page A

find and she should have guessed as it was
the wealthiest looking villa in the village. She had to wait in
line outside with other petitioners before she was given admission
into the villa’s offices.
     
    She dutifully
passed on the note the Athenian administrator had given her to the
man. He looked much kinder than the writer of the note, which gave
her hope. He heard her plea and seemed to think it over before
suggesting a property that was currently occupied by an elderly
woman with no family left. They could settle there provided they
were willing to care for the woman who was frail and alone. The man
looked a bit uncertain about his own suggestion, but she quickly
agreed before he could think of a reason to change his mind. She
would care for a garrison of elderly women if it was a pass to a
safe future. She felt like jumping and clapping, but she contained
herself until she got outside. She still couldn’t believe she had
pulled this off—they had a place, a place where Elphia could live
and grow. There had been times when she thought nothing would come
of this mad venture and it had all come to fruition.
    She had the
crude map that the man had drawn for her. He’d assured her it was
three hours walk from the village and they set out immediately in
the direction they’d been shown.
    They found the
farm as it had been described and it was a site of devastation. The
olive trees had all been felled and the vines had been burnt. As
far as Chara could see, there was nothing actually growing on the
farm apart from weeds. This was the handiwork of the Spartans and
the woman here was clearly incapable of managing it.
    There was an
uncomfortable moment when Chara explained to the woman that they’d
been sent to manage the farm. The woman wasn’t entirely welcoming,
but the sight of Elphia seemed to soften her a bit. It turned out
that the woman’s family had suffered greatly with the plague and
she alone had survived its ravages. She eventually invited them
into the modest stone house she lived in.
     
    Chara only
spent a few days in Archernae before having to return to her
father. The shorter her absence, the less likely it would be that
it had been noticed. Her mother and Elphia settled into the room
they had been allocated as the elderly woman slowly accepted
assistance around the house, alleviating some of the burden on the
woman’s severely arthritic knees. Chara was sorry to leave Elphia
again, but hopefully this would be for the last time. They would
all be here soon, starting their new life as free people away from
the tyranny of the Spartans.
    She knew that
she could get Doros to pay attention now that they had a farm that
desperately needed them. She suspected he’d dismissed her claims
and intentions outright, but she’d proved him wrong—she’d gotten a
farm for them and there was no reason for any of them to stay in
Sparta now.
     
    It took her
awhile to get back and she had to traverse the village before she
reached her father’s farm. It turned out that many in the village
were happy to see her back; she hadn’t realized how many had known
she’d been gone, but they all reassured her that her absence had
been well hidden. Chara sought out her friend.
    “ I’ve found a place for us,” Chara confessed to Della after a
quick embrace.
    “ Truly?” Della said disbelievingly.
    “ A farm. It requires a great deal of restoration. It will be
hard work and it may produce little to begin with, but once it
comes right, it will be a good life.”
    “ And what if they take it back off you when you have restored
it?”
    “ There is no one to give it to,” Chara explained. “They would
have restored it already if there was someone to do it. It has been
close to a year since the Spartans stopped their assaults on the
place and nothing has been done to the place since that time, and
many others as well.”
    “ I hope you are right, I worry so much about you—and your
brother.” Chara realized that Della