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Even though he was a Nikolaos through and through, Hyla’s presence in the Antonis household was not an unfamiliar one. For the past six years, Hyla worked as Alehandros’s retainer and was often seen running up and down the halls he knew like the back of his own hand.
So, when he came bounding into the kitchens, no one was truly all that surprised to see the young nobleman. He was a familiar, though perhaps unwelcome face based on the few sideways glances he received as he weaved his way through the space. There was little doubt in his mind that the whole lot of them knew how much of a troublemaker he could be, having not spared anyone from his pranks over the years… all done behind Alehandros’s back of course. Hyla wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the Lord would ever approve of this impish side of him. Though, it wasn’t like his antics were that bad anymore. He had certainly mellowed out over the years and if you asked him, the pranks he did pull nowadays were far more refined than the ones they were all remembering.
No one would ask him though and Hyla didn’t really have any intentions of pausing though as he weaved through the staff, trying to specifically find someone in particular among the dozen or so people there.
Lucky for him, they found him there first.
“And just what do you think you’re doing in here? Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” A large booming voice called out among the din, causing Hyla to turn on his heels towards the woman who had barked out these words. Despite the scolding message, Hyla couldn’t hide the grin on his face as he moved over to her so neither of them would have to shout over the chaos.
“Oh, you know Kynth. Nothing, but trouble.” His answer was accompanied by a mischievous grin, earning an eye roll from the older woman as she turned back to the vegetables she was dicing in front of her. Hyla leaned against the countertop. It was almost strange given how casual the whole scene was; a nobleman chatting with a House slave no differently than he would converse with his own friends. It was improper in every sense of the word, but Hyla didn’t really care. He and the significantly older brunette had known each other since Hyla first joined the household. The boy had been nothing more than a homesick twelve-year-old at the time who felt as if he was drowning in the new life he was expected to lead. Kynthia, a house cook, had found him upset in a stairwell and quickly ushered him to the kitchen in order to have him calm down out of sight of the others. Hyla didn’t have the words to describe how grateful he was for her actions as he knew full well that it wasn’t her place to do such a thing, but she did it, all the same, to bring some comfort to an overwhelmed boy.
Since then the woman had become sort of a surrogate mother to the lad, keeping an eye on him and making sure that he had the sort of familial guidance he was missing out on by living in a household that wasn’t his own. After all she had done for him, it was only natural that this kind of light and airy banter filled their friendship, as frowned upon as it might be.
“As always” Kynthia hummed in agreement, knowing full well the extent of chaos that the Nikolaos boy could cause. He had never done anything to her, his respect for her was too great for him to do that, but the woman had to deal with the fallout when the other cooks were the victims instead. The gods only knew how many times she had to save his rear when that happened. As lighthearted as she was, a small glimmer of confusion continued to stay plastered on her face as she considered the fact that Hyla most certainly had other places to be at this hour.
She didn’t need to say anything though as Hyla could read it quite plainly on her face. He set this curiosity to rest as he quickly quipped, “Alehandros is meeting with one of his barons. He didn’t want me lingering and I was hungry, so here I am.” He finished with a small shrug as he made no attempt to move his wandering gaze away from whatever was boiling over the fire. The, of course, pulled another eye roll from her. Of course, Hyla would want to eat right now of all times. That was seeming all that boys his age did; sleep and eat.
Though, Kynthia was happy to oblige with a small smirk of her own as she said, “Just as long as you don’t ruin your appetite later… but then again, you could probably eat an entire horse and want seconds with how many times you’re in here.” This pulled a laugh from the eighteen-year-old as the older woman motioned towards a pantry area and told him, “Go fetch that spice you’re so fond of. I’ll throw it in for you.”
Hyla didn’t need to be told twice as he pushed himself off the counter, eager for this fetch quest of hers. He quickly made his way over to the closet space just absolutely filled with ingredients to feed the massive dynestia. For a second he was overwhelmed with how much there was until he heard her voice shout out to him, “Orange powder! Fat bottle! Second shelf!” Although she couldn’t see it, he sheepishly smiled as he followed her instructions and quickly found what he was looking for.
After plucking the little stout bottle off of the shelf when he noticed something… odd up a bit further. His tall stature let him see that there was something tucked away in the back, clearly meant to keep it out of sight from the shorter staff nearby. Not being able to resist the mystery of whatever it was, Hyla carefully set the bottle down as he reached up and pulled the black box out of it’s hiding place, bringing a cloud of dust down with it and right onto him
Coughing as the putrid air assaulted his lungs, Hyla moved to wipe away the grime, intending to see if the box was marked in any way. It didn’t appear to be beyond the small silver handles, crudely hammered into place. The whole thing appeared to be handmade and clearly didn’t belong in the kitchen like this. With his curiosity piqued, Hyla glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure no was looking at him before he flicked open the latch.
What on earth could this be? He silently thought as he tugged the lid up.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Even though he was a Nikolaos through and through, Hyla’s presence in the Antonis household was not an unfamiliar one. For the past six years, Hyla worked as Alehandros’s retainer and was often seen running up and down the halls he knew like the back of his own hand.
So, when he came bounding into the kitchens, no one was truly all that surprised to see the young nobleman. He was a familiar, though perhaps unwelcome face based on the few sideways glances he received as he weaved his way through the space. There was little doubt in his mind that the whole lot of them knew how much of a troublemaker he could be, having not spared anyone from his pranks over the years… all done behind Alehandros’s back of course. Hyla wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the Lord would ever approve of this impish side of him. Though, it wasn’t like his antics were that bad anymore. He had certainly mellowed out over the years and if you asked him, the pranks he did pull nowadays were far more refined than the ones they were all remembering.
No one would ask him though and Hyla didn’t really have any intentions of pausing though as he weaved through the staff, trying to specifically find someone in particular among the dozen or so people there.
Lucky for him, they found him there first.
“And just what do you think you’re doing in here? Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” A large booming voice called out among the din, causing Hyla to turn on his heels towards the woman who had barked out these words. Despite the scolding message, Hyla couldn’t hide the grin on his face as he moved over to her so neither of them would have to shout over the chaos.
“Oh, you know Kynth. Nothing, but trouble.” His answer was accompanied by a mischievous grin, earning an eye roll from the older woman as she turned back to the vegetables she was dicing in front of her. Hyla leaned against the countertop. It was almost strange given how casual the whole scene was; a nobleman chatting with a House slave no differently than he would converse with his own friends. It was improper in every sense of the word, but Hyla didn’t really care. He and the significantly older brunette had known each other since Hyla first joined the household. The boy had been nothing more than a homesick twelve-year-old at the time who felt as if he was drowning in the new life he was expected to lead. Kynthia, a house cook, had found him upset in a stairwell and quickly ushered him to the kitchen in order to have him calm down out of sight of the others. Hyla didn’t have the words to describe how grateful he was for her actions as he knew full well that it wasn’t her place to do such a thing, but she did it, all the same, to bring some comfort to an overwhelmed boy.
Since then the woman had become sort of a surrogate mother to the lad, keeping an eye on him and making sure that he had the sort of familial guidance he was missing out on by living in a household that wasn’t his own. After all she had done for him, it was only natural that this kind of light and airy banter filled their friendship, as frowned upon as it might be.
“As always” Kynthia hummed in agreement, knowing full well the extent of chaos that the Nikolaos boy could cause. He had never done anything to her, his respect for her was too great for him to do that, but the woman had to deal with the fallout when the other cooks were the victims instead. The gods only knew how many times she had to save his rear when that happened. As lighthearted as she was, a small glimmer of confusion continued to stay plastered on her face as she considered the fact that Hyla most certainly had other places to be at this hour.
She didn’t need to say anything though as Hyla could read it quite plainly on her face. He set this curiosity to rest as he quickly quipped, “Alehandros is meeting with one of his barons. He didn’t want me lingering and I was hungry, so here I am.” He finished with a small shrug as he made no attempt to move his wandering gaze away from whatever was boiling over the fire. The, of course, pulled another eye roll from her. Of course, Hyla would want to eat right now of all times. That was seeming all that boys his age did; sleep and eat.
Though, Kynthia was happy to oblige with a small smirk of her own as she said, “Just as long as you don’t ruin your appetite later… but then again, you could probably eat an entire horse and want seconds with how many times you’re in here.” This pulled a laugh from the eighteen-year-old as the older woman motioned towards a pantry area and told him, “Go fetch that spice you’re so fond of. I’ll throw it in for you.”
Hyla didn’t need to be told twice as he pushed himself off the counter, eager for this fetch quest of hers. He quickly made his way over to the closet space just absolutely filled with ingredients to feed the massive dynestia. For a second he was overwhelmed with how much there was until he heard her voice shout out to him, “Orange powder! Fat bottle! Second shelf!” Although she couldn’t see it, he sheepishly smiled as he followed her instructions and quickly found what he was looking for.
After plucking the little stout bottle off of the shelf when he noticed something… odd up a bit further. His tall stature let him see that there was something tucked away in the back, clearly meant to keep it out of sight from the shorter staff nearby. Not being able to resist the mystery of whatever it was, Hyla carefully set the bottle down as he reached up and pulled the black box out of it’s hiding place, bringing a cloud of dust down with it and right onto him
Coughing as the putrid air assaulted his lungs, Hyla moved to wipe away the grime, intending to see if the box was marked in any way. It didn’t appear to be beyond the small silver handles, crudely hammered into place. The whole thing appeared to be handmade and clearly didn’t belong in the kitchen like this. With his curiosity piqued, Hyla glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure no was looking at him before he flicked open the latch.
What on earth could this be? He silently thought as he tugged the lid up.
Even though he was a Nikolaos through and through, Hyla’s presence in the Antonis household was not an unfamiliar one. For the past six years, Hyla worked as Alehandros’s retainer and was often seen running up and down the halls he knew like the back of his own hand.
So, when he came bounding into the kitchens, no one was truly all that surprised to see the young nobleman. He was a familiar, though perhaps unwelcome face based on the few sideways glances he received as he weaved his way through the space. There was little doubt in his mind that the whole lot of them knew how much of a troublemaker he could be, having not spared anyone from his pranks over the years… all done behind Alehandros’s back of course. Hyla wasn’t foolish enough to believe that the Lord would ever approve of this impish side of him. Though, it wasn’t like his antics were that bad anymore. He had certainly mellowed out over the years and if you asked him, the pranks he did pull nowadays were far more refined than the ones they were all remembering.
No one would ask him though and Hyla didn’t really have any intentions of pausing though as he weaved through the staff, trying to specifically find someone in particular among the dozen or so people there.
Lucky for him, they found him there first.
“And just what do you think you’re doing in here? Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” A large booming voice called out among the din, causing Hyla to turn on his heels towards the woman who had barked out these words. Despite the scolding message, Hyla couldn’t hide the grin on his face as he moved over to her so neither of them would have to shout over the chaos.
“Oh, you know Kynth. Nothing, but trouble.” His answer was accompanied by a mischievous grin, earning an eye roll from the older woman as she turned back to the vegetables she was dicing in front of her. Hyla leaned against the countertop. It was almost strange given how casual the whole scene was; a nobleman chatting with a House slave no differently than he would converse with his own friends. It was improper in every sense of the word, but Hyla didn’t really care. He and the significantly older brunette had known each other since Hyla first joined the household. The boy had been nothing more than a homesick twelve-year-old at the time who felt as if he was drowning in the new life he was expected to lead. Kynthia, a house cook, had found him upset in a stairwell and quickly ushered him to the kitchen in order to have him calm down out of sight of the others. Hyla didn’t have the words to describe how grateful he was for her actions as he knew full well that it wasn’t her place to do such a thing, but she did it, all the same, to bring some comfort to an overwhelmed boy.
Since then the woman had become sort of a surrogate mother to the lad, keeping an eye on him and making sure that he had the sort of familial guidance he was missing out on by living in a household that wasn’t his own. After all she had done for him, it was only natural that this kind of light and airy banter filled their friendship, as frowned upon as it might be.
“As always” Kynthia hummed in agreement, knowing full well the extent of chaos that the Nikolaos boy could cause. He had never done anything to her, his respect for her was too great for him to do that, but the woman had to deal with the fallout when the other cooks were the victims instead. The gods only knew how many times she had to save his rear when that happened. As lighthearted as she was, a small glimmer of confusion continued to stay plastered on her face as she considered the fact that Hyla most certainly had other places to be at this hour.
She didn’t need to say anything though as Hyla could read it quite plainly on her face. He set this curiosity to rest as he quickly quipped, “Alehandros is meeting with one of his barons. He didn’t want me lingering and I was hungry, so here I am.” He finished with a small shrug as he made no attempt to move his wandering gaze away from whatever was boiling over the fire. The, of course, pulled another eye roll from her. Of course, Hyla would want to eat right now of all times. That was seeming all that boys his age did; sleep and eat.
Though, Kynthia was happy to oblige with a small smirk of her own as she said, “Just as long as you don’t ruin your appetite later… but then again, you could probably eat an entire horse and want seconds with how many times you’re in here.” This pulled a laugh from the eighteen-year-old as the older woman motioned towards a pantry area and told him, “Go fetch that spice you’re so fond of. I’ll throw it in for you.”
Hyla didn’t need to be told twice as he pushed himself off the counter, eager for this fetch quest of hers. He quickly made his way over to the closet space just absolutely filled with ingredients to feed the massive dynestia. For a second he was overwhelmed with how much there was until he heard her voice shout out to him, “Orange powder! Fat bottle! Second shelf!” Although she couldn’t see it, he sheepishly smiled as he followed her instructions and quickly found what he was looking for.
After plucking the little stout bottle off of the shelf when he noticed something… odd up a bit further. His tall stature let him see that there was something tucked away in the back, clearly meant to keep it out of sight from the shorter staff nearby. Not being able to resist the mystery of whatever it was, Hyla carefully set the bottle down as he reached up and pulled the black box out of it’s hiding place, bringing a cloud of dust down with it and right onto him
Coughing as the putrid air assaulted his lungs, Hyla moved to wipe away the grime, intending to see if the box was marked in any way. It didn’t appear to be beyond the small silver handles, crudely hammered into place. The whole thing appeared to be handmade and clearly didn’t belong in the kitchen like this. With his curiosity piqued, Hyla glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure no was looking at him before he flicked open the latch.
What on earth could this be? He silently thought as he tugged the lid up.
Diamond in a Box Key Hunt Prize
Small enough to balance on the pad of a thumb, the blue jewel is of exceptional quality and, to the eyes of a trained jeweller, clearly a diamond. Though small, the item is worth exceptional amounts of gold and lays nestled without mooring or anchored metal, naked on the silk cushioning of the box. It's only accompaniment is a scrap of parchment, so old it risks snapping when unfolded that bears only an unfamiliar crest of arms.
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Small enough to balance on the pad of a thumb, the blue jewel is of exceptional quality and, to the eyes of a trained jeweller, clearly a diamond. Though small, the item is worth exceptional amounts of gold and lays nestled without mooring or anchored metal, naked on the silk cushioning of the box. It's only accompaniment is a scrap of parchment, so old it risks snapping when unfolded that bears only an unfamiliar crest of arms.
Diamond in a Box Key Hunt Prize
Small enough to balance on the pad of a thumb, the blue jewel is of exceptional quality and, to the eyes of a trained jeweller, clearly a diamond. Though small, the item is worth exceptional amounts of gold and lays nestled without mooring or anchored metal, naked on the silk cushioning of the box. It's only accompaniment is a scrap of parchment, so old it risks snapping when unfolded that bears only an unfamiliar crest of arms.
Hyla didn’t know what he was expecting when he opened the box, but it certainly wasn’t this.
The eighteen-year-olds eyes lit up in amazement as his eyes settled on the tiny gem in the center of the box. Carefully, the Nikolaos boy reached in and picked up the jewel so that he could get a better look. It was smaller than he was expecting, barely big enough to fit on his thumb and it was clear in color. Being a nobleman with numerous sisters, Hyla wasn’t a stranger to the various types of different gems… but this was a bit different. The clear nature of it wasn’t something that Hyla was used to seeing, but the quality of it told him that it was very expensive, whatever it was. Even he could tell that only a jeweler would be able to identify it and inform him of it’s worth.
That was dependent on if he took the gem though. After all, this box was clearly not his own nor was it meant to be found by him. If he decided against putting it back, he could risk angering whoever it did belong to. That was the bit that gave Hyla pause. Granted, due to his own rank and status, being the third son of one of the king’s barons, he was unlikely to face any major consequences for taking the gem if it belonged to a member of the kitchen staff. If it had been placed here by the Antonis family though? That was an entirely different matter. He would easily be dismissed from his position and the boy very simply couldn’t risk that given his limited prospects outside of his work here.
Yet, he could tell that it was worth quite a lot of money and he knew that having such an easy cash supply on hand wouldn’t hurt him necessarily. Plus there was his own curiosity about the folded up bit of parchment that was with it in the box. He hadn’t picked it up yet, but he could see that there was some sort of drawing on it. Maybe it would be a clue as to who owned the box?
“Did you find it yet?” Kynthia’s voice called out from behind him, pulling Hyla out of his own thoughts as he considered what to do. Glancing back at the kitchens, he knew he needed to make a decision, quickly.
“Yeah, I think so.” Hyla called back, trying to keep his voice steady as he shoved both the gem and the parchment into his pockets. Clearly, his own innate selfishness and curiosity won out over the possible risks that came with him taking the gem. From behind him, he could hear the cook grumbling something about him taking too long as he shut the lid of the now empty box and put it back where he found it. To his horror, he could see that the box was no longer completely covered in dust and the imprints of his fingerprints could be seen on the sides of the chest. There wasn’t any time for him to fix this though as he was already missing for far too long.
“Coming!” Hyla shouted out as he made sure that both of his treasures were not going to fall from his pockets as he picked the small orange bottle back up from the shelf and hurried over to the impatient cook. “Sorry, they all looked the same.” He cooly lied when Kynthia’s intimidating glare bore into him. Having known the boy for years, it was clear to see that she did not fully believe him, especially as she would know that there really weren’t many bottles in the pantry space that would have looked like the spice.
For a moment, Hyla internally panicked over what he would do if she decided to press him further on his lie. To his relief though, she seemed to let it go with a shrug as she truly had no reason to believe that this had been anything more than Hyla getting distracted again by all that the pantry had to offer… which in an odd sort of way, was exactly what happened.
She took the bottle from the boy’s outstretched hand and motioned over to the small table space in the room as the older woman said to him, “Have a seat, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
Without needing to say another word, Hyla listened to her instructions meant to keep him out of the way for a few moments and settled in at the table. Once her back was turned, Hyla breathed out a small sigh of relief.
As far he was concerned, his secret was safe. For now at least…
---
Hyla carefully slipped out of the kitchens an hour later with a smile on his face and a stomach filled to the brim with a good hearty meal. With a few words of gratitude to his adoptive mother figure, the young boy knew that he needed to quickly scurry back to his mentor’s study before Alehandros began to question his absence.
With a quickened pace, he made his way through the web of halls that made up the great estate and without meaning so, his mind began to wander back to the small trinkets he had found. His brain churned with all the mysteries of its origins. The more he thought about it, the stranger it was that there would be a small box with a priceless gem in the Antonis kitchens of all places. It seemed far more likely that this sort of thing would be found in the library or one of the family member’s studies. Not a space where any slave could find it and use it to buy their way to a better life with it. No, it seemed so incredibly stupid for a member of this great Athenian family to have placed this there. Though it was just as unlikely that a member of the staff owned it as well as it would easily catch them a pretty penny in the marketplace.
Whatever the truth was, Hyla sensed that it had something to do with the parchment he had found with it. As he entered the part of the household that was the private quarters of the Antonis family, Hyla fished it out of his pocket in order to inspect it further. Turning over the cracking, aged paper in his hand, he could tell that it was at least twice as old as Alehandros was, if not older. The few inked lines that were visible were heavily faded with age. This made it hard for him to see what the drawing was depicting, especially as it folded into the paper wad, but a large curved shape could be seen across the two squares he could see.
He wanted to pry the rest of it open, but its brittle nature made it difficult for his large, calloused fingers to complete the delicate task. His brows furrowed in concentration as he forgot about the rest of his surroundings, focusing solely on the task before him.
Needless to say, this was a terrible mistake.
That much became clear to him as he turned a corner and nearly ran into another person. The almost collision shook poor Hyla out of his thoughts and instinctively he cupped the small paper wad in his hand and tried to hide it behind his back as he glanced up at the other person. However, he was too late in his action and the noblewoman in front of him surely would have seen what he was trying to do.
“Lady Vasia!” Hyla said with some of the shock of running into someone clear in his tone. Hearing this, he forced himself to clear his throat before he spoke again, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, almost as if he didn’t just possibly steal from her family an hour earlier, “I didn’t expect to see you here” He offered her a sheepish smile, a signature look for the young Nikolaos ward that her cousin brought into the estate, as he hoped that she wouldn’t question him further on it.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Hyla didn’t know what he was expecting when he opened the box, but it certainly wasn’t this.
The eighteen-year-olds eyes lit up in amazement as his eyes settled on the tiny gem in the center of the box. Carefully, the Nikolaos boy reached in and picked up the jewel so that he could get a better look. It was smaller than he was expecting, barely big enough to fit on his thumb and it was clear in color. Being a nobleman with numerous sisters, Hyla wasn’t a stranger to the various types of different gems… but this was a bit different. The clear nature of it wasn’t something that Hyla was used to seeing, but the quality of it told him that it was very expensive, whatever it was. Even he could tell that only a jeweler would be able to identify it and inform him of it’s worth.
That was dependent on if he took the gem though. After all, this box was clearly not his own nor was it meant to be found by him. If he decided against putting it back, he could risk angering whoever it did belong to. That was the bit that gave Hyla pause. Granted, due to his own rank and status, being the third son of one of the king’s barons, he was unlikely to face any major consequences for taking the gem if it belonged to a member of the kitchen staff. If it had been placed here by the Antonis family though? That was an entirely different matter. He would easily be dismissed from his position and the boy very simply couldn’t risk that given his limited prospects outside of his work here.
Yet, he could tell that it was worth quite a lot of money and he knew that having such an easy cash supply on hand wouldn’t hurt him necessarily. Plus there was his own curiosity about the folded up bit of parchment that was with it in the box. He hadn’t picked it up yet, but he could see that there was some sort of drawing on it. Maybe it would be a clue as to who owned the box?
“Did you find it yet?” Kynthia’s voice called out from behind him, pulling Hyla out of his own thoughts as he considered what to do. Glancing back at the kitchens, he knew he needed to make a decision, quickly.
“Yeah, I think so.” Hyla called back, trying to keep his voice steady as he shoved both the gem and the parchment into his pockets. Clearly, his own innate selfishness and curiosity won out over the possible risks that came with him taking the gem. From behind him, he could hear the cook grumbling something about him taking too long as he shut the lid of the now empty box and put it back where he found it. To his horror, he could see that the box was no longer completely covered in dust and the imprints of his fingerprints could be seen on the sides of the chest. There wasn’t any time for him to fix this though as he was already missing for far too long.
“Coming!” Hyla shouted out as he made sure that both of his treasures were not going to fall from his pockets as he picked the small orange bottle back up from the shelf and hurried over to the impatient cook. “Sorry, they all looked the same.” He cooly lied when Kynthia’s intimidating glare bore into him. Having known the boy for years, it was clear to see that she did not fully believe him, especially as she would know that there really weren’t many bottles in the pantry space that would have looked like the spice.
For a moment, Hyla internally panicked over what he would do if she decided to press him further on his lie. To his relief though, she seemed to let it go with a shrug as she truly had no reason to believe that this had been anything more than Hyla getting distracted again by all that the pantry had to offer… which in an odd sort of way, was exactly what happened.
She took the bottle from the boy’s outstretched hand and motioned over to the small table space in the room as the older woman said to him, “Have a seat, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
Without needing to say another word, Hyla listened to her instructions meant to keep him out of the way for a few moments and settled in at the table. Once her back was turned, Hyla breathed out a small sigh of relief.
As far he was concerned, his secret was safe. For now at least…
---
Hyla carefully slipped out of the kitchens an hour later with a smile on his face and a stomach filled to the brim with a good hearty meal. With a few words of gratitude to his adoptive mother figure, the young boy knew that he needed to quickly scurry back to his mentor’s study before Alehandros began to question his absence.
With a quickened pace, he made his way through the web of halls that made up the great estate and without meaning so, his mind began to wander back to the small trinkets he had found. His brain churned with all the mysteries of its origins. The more he thought about it, the stranger it was that there would be a small box with a priceless gem in the Antonis kitchens of all places. It seemed far more likely that this sort of thing would be found in the library or one of the family member’s studies. Not a space where any slave could find it and use it to buy their way to a better life with it. No, it seemed so incredibly stupid for a member of this great Athenian family to have placed this there. Though it was just as unlikely that a member of the staff owned it as well as it would easily catch them a pretty penny in the marketplace.
Whatever the truth was, Hyla sensed that it had something to do with the parchment he had found with it. As he entered the part of the household that was the private quarters of the Antonis family, Hyla fished it out of his pocket in order to inspect it further. Turning over the cracking, aged paper in his hand, he could tell that it was at least twice as old as Alehandros was, if not older. The few inked lines that were visible were heavily faded with age. This made it hard for him to see what the drawing was depicting, especially as it folded into the paper wad, but a large curved shape could be seen across the two squares he could see.
He wanted to pry the rest of it open, but its brittle nature made it difficult for his large, calloused fingers to complete the delicate task. His brows furrowed in concentration as he forgot about the rest of his surroundings, focusing solely on the task before him.
Needless to say, this was a terrible mistake.
That much became clear to him as he turned a corner and nearly ran into another person. The almost collision shook poor Hyla out of his thoughts and instinctively he cupped the small paper wad in his hand and tried to hide it behind his back as he glanced up at the other person. However, he was too late in his action and the noblewoman in front of him surely would have seen what he was trying to do.
“Lady Vasia!” Hyla said with some of the shock of running into someone clear in his tone. Hearing this, he forced himself to clear his throat before he spoke again, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, almost as if he didn’t just possibly steal from her family an hour earlier, “I didn’t expect to see you here” He offered her a sheepish smile, a signature look for the young Nikolaos ward that her cousin brought into the estate, as he hoped that she wouldn’t question him further on it.
Hyla didn’t know what he was expecting when he opened the box, but it certainly wasn’t this.
The eighteen-year-olds eyes lit up in amazement as his eyes settled on the tiny gem in the center of the box. Carefully, the Nikolaos boy reached in and picked up the jewel so that he could get a better look. It was smaller than he was expecting, barely big enough to fit on his thumb and it was clear in color. Being a nobleman with numerous sisters, Hyla wasn’t a stranger to the various types of different gems… but this was a bit different. The clear nature of it wasn’t something that Hyla was used to seeing, but the quality of it told him that it was very expensive, whatever it was. Even he could tell that only a jeweler would be able to identify it and inform him of it’s worth.
That was dependent on if he took the gem though. After all, this box was clearly not his own nor was it meant to be found by him. If he decided against putting it back, he could risk angering whoever it did belong to. That was the bit that gave Hyla pause. Granted, due to his own rank and status, being the third son of one of the king’s barons, he was unlikely to face any major consequences for taking the gem if it belonged to a member of the kitchen staff. If it had been placed here by the Antonis family though? That was an entirely different matter. He would easily be dismissed from his position and the boy very simply couldn’t risk that given his limited prospects outside of his work here.
Yet, he could tell that it was worth quite a lot of money and he knew that having such an easy cash supply on hand wouldn’t hurt him necessarily. Plus there was his own curiosity about the folded up bit of parchment that was with it in the box. He hadn’t picked it up yet, but he could see that there was some sort of drawing on it. Maybe it would be a clue as to who owned the box?
“Did you find it yet?” Kynthia’s voice called out from behind him, pulling Hyla out of his own thoughts as he considered what to do. Glancing back at the kitchens, he knew he needed to make a decision, quickly.
“Yeah, I think so.” Hyla called back, trying to keep his voice steady as he shoved both the gem and the parchment into his pockets. Clearly, his own innate selfishness and curiosity won out over the possible risks that came with him taking the gem. From behind him, he could hear the cook grumbling something about him taking too long as he shut the lid of the now empty box and put it back where he found it. To his horror, he could see that the box was no longer completely covered in dust and the imprints of his fingerprints could be seen on the sides of the chest. There wasn’t any time for him to fix this though as he was already missing for far too long.
“Coming!” Hyla shouted out as he made sure that both of his treasures were not going to fall from his pockets as he picked the small orange bottle back up from the shelf and hurried over to the impatient cook. “Sorry, they all looked the same.” He cooly lied when Kynthia’s intimidating glare bore into him. Having known the boy for years, it was clear to see that she did not fully believe him, especially as she would know that there really weren’t many bottles in the pantry space that would have looked like the spice.
For a moment, Hyla internally panicked over what he would do if she decided to press him further on his lie. To his relief though, she seemed to let it go with a shrug as she truly had no reason to believe that this had been anything more than Hyla getting distracted again by all that the pantry had to offer… which in an odd sort of way, was exactly what happened.
She took the bottle from the boy’s outstretched hand and motioned over to the small table space in the room as the older woman said to him, “Have a seat, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
Without needing to say another word, Hyla listened to her instructions meant to keep him out of the way for a few moments and settled in at the table. Once her back was turned, Hyla breathed out a small sigh of relief.
As far he was concerned, his secret was safe. For now at least…
---
Hyla carefully slipped out of the kitchens an hour later with a smile on his face and a stomach filled to the brim with a good hearty meal. With a few words of gratitude to his adoptive mother figure, the young boy knew that he needed to quickly scurry back to his mentor’s study before Alehandros began to question his absence.
With a quickened pace, he made his way through the web of halls that made up the great estate and without meaning so, his mind began to wander back to the small trinkets he had found. His brain churned with all the mysteries of its origins. The more he thought about it, the stranger it was that there would be a small box with a priceless gem in the Antonis kitchens of all places. It seemed far more likely that this sort of thing would be found in the library or one of the family member’s studies. Not a space where any slave could find it and use it to buy their way to a better life with it. No, it seemed so incredibly stupid for a member of this great Athenian family to have placed this there. Though it was just as unlikely that a member of the staff owned it as well as it would easily catch them a pretty penny in the marketplace.
Whatever the truth was, Hyla sensed that it had something to do with the parchment he had found with it. As he entered the part of the household that was the private quarters of the Antonis family, Hyla fished it out of his pocket in order to inspect it further. Turning over the cracking, aged paper in his hand, he could tell that it was at least twice as old as Alehandros was, if not older. The few inked lines that were visible were heavily faded with age. This made it hard for him to see what the drawing was depicting, especially as it folded into the paper wad, but a large curved shape could be seen across the two squares he could see.
He wanted to pry the rest of it open, but its brittle nature made it difficult for his large, calloused fingers to complete the delicate task. His brows furrowed in concentration as he forgot about the rest of his surroundings, focusing solely on the task before him.
Needless to say, this was a terrible mistake.
That much became clear to him as he turned a corner and nearly ran into another person. The almost collision shook poor Hyla out of his thoughts and instinctively he cupped the small paper wad in his hand and tried to hide it behind his back as he glanced up at the other person. However, he was too late in his action and the noblewoman in front of him surely would have seen what he was trying to do.
“Lady Vasia!” Hyla said with some of the shock of running into someone clear in his tone. Hearing this, he forced himself to clear his throat before he spoke again, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, almost as if he didn’t just possibly steal from her family an hour earlier, “I didn’t expect to see you here” He offered her a sheepish smile, a signature look for the young Nikolaos ward that her cousin brought into the estate, as he hoped that she wouldn’t question him further on it.
It had been a long day. All of the days seemed long when the heat was so relentless. They bled into one, even when Helios’ chariot had led the sun beyond the horizon there was barely any relief. Vasia knew she was blessed, the Atonis estate boasted plenty of shade, the house itself was cooler than many of those others would have to endure, but still, the excessive heat left her weary.
There had been fights, she had heard, in the city over the freshwater, and it was always a worry. Like dogs, men grew short tempered in the heat, and with so much tension as of late it could be no surprise that it ran over at the slightest provocation.
She set aside the book she had been trying to read, feeling the prickle of a headache behind her eyes, and pressed her fingers against her brow in an attempt to stave it off. They plagued her more often in the hot summer months, but she thought had escaped lightly thus far this season. Perhaps she counted her blessings too early. Thinking she ought to go and lie down for a while before it could take hold Vasia made a move. Gathering the folds of the simple gown she wore about her hand so they did not catch about her feet, she rose and wandered over to replace the book upon the shelf that lined the wall. A collection built up over time, it made this one of her favourite rooms in the manor, and the doors that opened onto the gardens meant that it would catch any stirring of a breeze that Apollo saw fit to favour them with. The woman paused there a moment, looked out hopefully but there was nothing. Only dry, still heat and the chirping of the cicadas. With a sigh, Vasia moved off.
It was as she rounded the corner into the passageway through towards her own chambers that Vasia narrowly avoided being mown down by someone coming the other way. Her breath caught but she did not otherwise flinch, rather took a step backward to take herself clear of the other person, it was was when she recognised the Nikolais ward that the blonde relaxed a little.
The Lady Vasia let one eyebrow climb as she looked upon the young man who had nearly just sent her flying, a wry sort of smile upon her face as she answered him. “Didn’t you Hyla? I do reside here.” There was a certain sort of indulgence offered toward the young retainer of her cousin, whom Vasia knew was oft up to no good. And as she looked at the rather shifty way Hyla was behaving, she wondered if that wasn’t the case.
“What has you so distracted then, Lord Hyla?” Blue eyes were merry as she glanced at where his hands had stolen away behind his back “ What do you have there?” Sia thought only that he was plotting some mischief or other, it would not have crossed her mind to consider that the youth might have taken something he ought not to have. He was trusted by her cousin, and had been with the family many years now. But when the boy did not respond and would not meet her gaze, Vasia frowned, tilted her head consideringly. "If you have taken something that does not belong to you, my boy, then it is best you return it to me now and we can say no more about it. But being deceitful is not a habit I would encourage you to get into if you wish to stay within this house."
She held him in the grip of her gaze, a fleeting disappointment that her suspicion was well founded when the youth dropped somthing heavy into her palm, followed by a folded piece of parchement. Vasia frowned at Hyla before flicking her gaze away, the.boy reading the dismissal for what it was and scarpering before he could be further interrogated. The blonde was left to turn a blue gemstome over in her hand curiously. Were she to guess, she might say it was a pale sapphire, but she couldnt be certain. And the parchment looked old. Whatever had Hyla been up to? Clasping both treasures tightly, she made her way towards her father's study so as to store them somewhere safe until she could find out what they were and where they had come from.
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It had been a long day. All of the days seemed long when the heat was so relentless. They bled into one, even when Helios’ chariot had led the sun beyond the horizon there was barely any relief. Vasia knew she was blessed, the Atonis estate boasted plenty of shade, the house itself was cooler than many of those others would have to endure, but still, the excessive heat left her weary.
There had been fights, she had heard, in the city over the freshwater, and it was always a worry. Like dogs, men grew short tempered in the heat, and with so much tension as of late it could be no surprise that it ran over at the slightest provocation.
She set aside the book she had been trying to read, feeling the prickle of a headache behind her eyes, and pressed her fingers against her brow in an attempt to stave it off. They plagued her more often in the hot summer months, but she thought had escaped lightly thus far this season. Perhaps she counted her blessings too early. Thinking she ought to go and lie down for a while before it could take hold Vasia made a move. Gathering the folds of the simple gown she wore about her hand so they did not catch about her feet, she rose and wandered over to replace the book upon the shelf that lined the wall. A collection built up over time, it made this one of her favourite rooms in the manor, and the doors that opened onto the gardens meant that it would catch any stirring of a breeze that Apollo saw fit to favour them with. The woman paused there a moment, looked out hopefully but there was nothing. Only dry, still heat and the chirping of the cicadas. With a sigh, Vasia moved off.
It was as she rounded the corner into the passageway through towards her own chambers that Vasia narrowly avoided being mown down by someone coming the other way. Her breath caught but she did not otherwise flinch, rather took a step backward to take herself clear of the other person, it was was when she recognised the Nikolais ward that the blonde relaxed a little.
The Lady Vasia let one eyebrow climb as she looked upon the young man who had nearly just sent her flying, a wry sort of smile upon her face as she answered him. “Didn’t you Hyla? I do reside here.” There was a certain sort of indulgence offered toward the young retainer of her cousin, whom Vasia knew was oft up to no good. And as she looked at the rather shifty way Hyla was behaving, she wondered if that wasn’t the case.
“What has you so distracted then, Lord Hyla?” Blue eyes were merry as she glanced at where his hands had stolen away behind his back “ What do you have there?” Sia thought only that he was plotting some mischief or other, it would not have crossed her mind to consider that the youth might have taken something he ought not to have. He was trusted by her cousin, and had been with the family many years now. But when the boy did not respond and would not meet her gaze, Vasia frowned, tilted her head consideringly. "If you have taken something that does not belong to you, my boy, then it is best you return it to me now and we can say no more about it. But being deceitful is not a habit I would encourage you to get into if you wish to stay within this house."
She held him in the grip of her gaze, a fleeting disappointment that her suspicion was well founded when the youth dropped somthing heavy into her palm, followed by a folded piece of parchement. Vasia frowned at Hyla before flicking her gaze away, the.boy reading the dismissal for what it was and scarpering before he could be further interrogated. The blonde was left to turn a blue gemstome over in her hand curiously. Were she to guess, she might say it was a pale sapphire, but she couldnt be certain. And the parchment looked old. Whatever had Hyla been up to? Clasping both treasures tightly, she made her way towards her father's study so as to store them somewhere safe until she could find out what they were and where they had come from.
It had been a long day. All of the days seemed long when the heat was so relentless. They bled into one, even when Helios’ chariot had led the sun beyond the horizon there was barely any relief. Vasia knew she was blessed, the Atonis estate boasted plenty of shade, the house itself was cooler than many of those others would have to endure, but still, the excessive heat left her weary.
There had been fights, she had heard, in the city over the freshwater, and it was always a worry. Like dogs, men grew short tempered in the heat, and with so much tension as of late it could be no surprise that it ran over at the slightest provocation.
She set aside the book she had been trying to read, feeling the prickle of a headache behind her eyes, and pressed her fingers against her brow in an attempt to stave it off. They plagued her more often in the hot summer months, but she thought had escaped lightly thus far this season. Perhaps she counted her blessings too early. Thinking she ought to go and lie down for a while before it could take hold Vasia made a move. Gathering the folds of the simple gown she wore about her hand so they did not catch about her feet, she rose and wandered over to replace the book upon the shelf that lined the wall. A collection built up over time, it made this one of her favourite rooms in the manor, and the doors that opened onto the gardens meant that it would catch any stirring of a breeze that Apollo saw fit to favour them with. The woman paused there a moment, looked out hopefully but there was nothing. Only dry, still heat and the chirping of the cicadas. With a sigh, Vasia moved off.
It was as she rounded the corner into the passageway through towards her own chambers that Vasia narrowly avoided being mown down by someone coming the other way. Her breath caught but she did not otherwise flinch, rather took a step backward to take herself clear of the other person, it was was when she recognised the Nikolais ward that the blonde relaxed a little.
The Lady Vasia let one eyebrow climb as she looked upon the young man who had nearly just sent her flying, a wry sort of smile upon her face as she answered him. “Didn’t you Hyla? I do reside here.” There was a certain sort of indulgence offered toward the young retainer of her cousin, whom Vasia knew was oft up to no good. And as she looked at the rather shifty way Hyla was behaving, she wondered if that wasn’t the case.
“What has you so distracted then, Lord Hyla?” Blue eyes were merry as she glanced at where his hands had stolen away behind his back “ What do you have there?” Sia thought only that he was plotting some mischief or other, it would not have crossed her mind to consider that the youth might have taken something he ought not to have. He was trusted by her cousin, and had been with the family many years now. But when the boy did not respond and would not meet her gaze, Vasia frowned, tilted her head consideringly. "If you have taken something that does not belong to you, my boy, then it is best you return it to me now and we can say no more about it. But being deceitful is not a habit I would encourage you to get into if you wish to stay within this house."
She held him in the grip of her gaze, a fleeting disappointment that her suspicion was well founded when the youth dropped somthing heavy into her palm, followed by a folded piece of parchement. Vasia frowned at Hyla before flicking her gaze away, the.boy reading the dismissal for what it was and scarpering before he could be further interrogated. The blonde was left to turn a blue gemstome over in her hand curiously. Were she to guess, she might say it was a pale sapphire, but she couldnt be certain. And the parchment looked old. Whatever had Hyla been up to? Clasping both treasures tightly, she made her way towards her father's study so as to store them somewhere safe until she could find out what they were and where they had come from.
