Chapter Text
For the first time in what seemed like many days, Makaria woke up in a good mood today.
She opened her eyes slowly and sat up on her bed of leaves and grass. She looked around her shelter and, seeing nothing unusual, simply sighed and got up to prepare for the day.
She tidied up a little and checked her food supplies: there wasn’t much left, except for hundreds of lotus flowers, so she just ate some leftover fish from the night before and left her shelter to gather more food. Before heading into the island, she checked her small boat again, which had shipwrecked only a few days ago. With torn sails and broken wood, she made a small mental note to get more wood soon and then ventured into the forest.
She walked for a few minutes until she came across an apple tree. She set her basket on the ground and began carefully knocking the apples down.
The day seemed peaceful; the wind blew softly, and a few clouds made the air cooler. Makaria kept gathering apples with a stick, thinking it would be a good day… until it wasn’t.
—Hey! You, girl! —a voice shouted from afar, up on a steep hill.
Makaria froze; her heart started pounding faster as she slowly turned toward the source of the voice. There she saw two men running down toward her. They were wearing somewhat elegant clothes, but more importantly, they were armed with large, sharp swords.
Makaria’s instincts reacted first—she pulled out a dagger from under her clothes and aimed it at the strangers, who, noticing this, stopped in their tracks and looked at her in confusion. Immediately, the shorter one drew his sword and stepped in front of the other man.
—Listen, woman, we don’t know who you are, and we don’t want a fight, so I recommend you lower your weapon —the stranger said coldly; his eyes scanned the girl, looking for any other threat—. I am Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and right now we’re in a bind. I have six hundred men waiting, starving, on our ships. We came to this island searching for food, and the lotus-eaters guided us to you.
The man’s words and stance didn’t waver; he stayed firm and alert while watching the girl. Her stance didn’t change either—she gripped her dagger tighter, eyeing the two men with distrust.
—Kings who don’t seek battle —she replied dryly— don’t arrive armed in foreign lands.
The tension was suffocating. They kept studying each other, neither willing to give in, until the other man spoke.
—Whoa, whoa! Why don’t we all relax a bit, friends? No one has to get hurt! —the second man said cheerfully, raising his hands in peace and stepping between the girl and the king—. My name is Polites, fair lady, and though my foolish friend doesn’t know how to show it, we come in peace —he said, locking eyes with the girl and offering a reassuring smile.
—We’ve been through a lot on our journey. Right now, our friends are hungry, and we need to find food soon. Do you know if there’s any other place or island where we can get some? —The soothing tone Polites used made the girl lower her weapon just a few inches, though she remained alert.
—There’s no feast here —she said—. This island doesn’t have enough food to feed six hundred men, but I know of another that might help you.
That made Odysseus sigh in frustration.
—Where is that island? —he asked in a grave, threatening tone.
—Watch your tone, king —the girl said coldly—. On this island, I’m the one in charge.
The air grew tense again in a heartbeat. The three held each other’s gaze until Polites spoke once more.
—Captain, please, lower your weapon. You’re making things harder than they need to be! The girl’s harmless; we just need to earn her trust —he said, turning toward the other man, while the girl only gave them a stoic look.
Odysseus stared at him for a few seconds before deciding to sheath his sword, and Makaria followed suit. They stood in awkward silence until the girl spoke.
—Follow me. —She said nothing else. She picked up her basket of apples and began walking toward her shelter without waiting for them. In the distance, she heard the man with glasses let out a relieved laugh and say something to the other about life and greeting it with open arms. She didn’t focus on that, only kept walking as the two men followed.
The girl led them through the forest, walking in silence and admiring the scenery. She thought she would have peace for at least a while until the man with glasses came up beside her and spoke.
—Thank you for helping us, fair lady —he said with a smile—. If I may, I’d love to know your name—of course, only if you’d like me to stop calling you “fair lady.” —His grin turned teasing and playful; the girl looked at him blankly.
—My name is Makaria.
—What a beautiful name! It suits you well. May I ask what it means? —Polites’s eyes lit up so brightly that the girl thought they might burn her. She was about to ignore him when another voice interrupted.
—Where are you taking us? —Odysseus asked suspiciously—. We’ve been walking for quite a while, and I still don’t see anything.
The girl didn’t turn to look at him and replied coolly:
—I’m taking you to my shelter; there we can talk more properly.
As soon as she said that, they reached the shore, where a small hut stood surrounded by lotus flowers and a few butterflies.
Before entering, the girl stopped and turned to them, saying:
—Look, but don’t touch. —She turned and entered the hut.
The two men followed, staring in awe at the place: there were all kinds of tools, instruments, pots, and flowers. Odysseus and Polites explored with curiosity while Makaria stored her apples in a bag, until the king of Ithaca spoke.
—Who are you? Where do you come from?... How did you end up here alone? —Odysseus’s posture finally relaxed, and his voice sounded calmer. When the girl finished putting the apples away, she turned to face him and said:
—I come from a distant island, from a community that still lives isolated from the outside world. I lived a peaceful life there, but I always felt curious about what lay beyond the sea —she said, looking at Odysseus with a hint of nostalgia—. My family always told me that freedom was out there, so one day I simply decided to leave and explore the world on my own. But during a storm, my boat was damaged, and I ended up on this island for a while.
The two men were stunned by her story, exchanging glances in disbelief. What Makaria said seemed impossible, but seeing her situation, they finally understood.
—That’s… admirable, I must say —the king muttered—. How old are you? How did you learn all the skills you need to survive? It seems impossible, especially since you’re just… —Odysseus realized too late what he had said, because the girl cut him off.
—What? Because I’m just a woman? —Makaria’s voice was venomous and cold as ice—. Well, that’s not something I’d like to discuss right now. I’ll be twenty-two in a few months. —She let out a tired sigh and closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself.
—Well, I think Miss Makaria is very brave! —Polites chimed in, trying to lighten the mood—. Though I believe there’s always something new to learn every day, right? —he said with a sweet smile. Makaria looked at him for a few seconds before averting her gaze and returning to reality. She looked at Odysseus and began to speak.
—The island you seek is five days and four nights from here, to the northwest. I’ve passed near it before, so I know the route, but the island remains unexplored, so I don’t know what dangers await there. Even so… are you willing to go? —she asked sternly.
Odysseus looked at Polites for a few seconds before replying:
—It’s our only option. —Still looking at her, he spoke again—. Makaria, would you come with us and guide us to the island?
The girl’s expression showed surprise and some confusion.
—King Odysseus, are you listening to yourself? What makes you think I’d travel alone with six hundred men? Do you realize how many things could go wrong? —she said, frowning.
—I can promise you, Miss Makaria, that if you travel with us, you’ll have nothing to fear. I will keep you safe, and the order will be that everyone treats you with the respect you deserve —the man said, staring firmly at her.
—Don’t worry about that, fair lady! I’ll protect you every second you’re on that ship; you’ll have nothing to fear! —Polites said dramatically, stepping forward—. I assure you that all our companions are good people, and though it might feel strange at first, eventually we’ll all get used to it. —He flashed that radiant smile again; for a moment, Makaria thought she saw stars around him, until Odysseus spoke once more.
—If it helps you decide, when we reach the island, you can choose whether to stay or come with us back to Ithaca, where you’d be warmly welcomed. —For the first time since they met, Odysseus gave her a reassuring smile—. The choice is yours, Miss.
Makaria stayed silent for a few minutes, her gaze shifting between Odysseus and Polites, who both smiled at her.
—I’ll accept your offer, King Odysseus, but under two conditions —she said firmly—. First: I will not tolerate any lack of respect toward me from any of your men —her gaze sharpened even more—. And second: if at any moment I wish to leave the ship, you will stop at the nearest land and let me go without hesitation.
Odysseus only needed ten seconds of eye contact before saying:
—Deal.
—Woo! We’ve got a new member on the crew, how exciting! —Polites shouted joyfully, hugging Odysseus, who looked like he wished the ground would swallow him whole.
Makaria prayed to the gods that the decision she had just made was the right one.