had happened to Anselm, half knowing the answer herself.
“Anselm . . . was taken prisoner by the Sporoi. He might be a slave, or he might be dead. He was beaten and taken away, but I don’t know where. He looked very bloody when I last saw him. I don’t know whether he survived. As for his brothers and mine, I know some were slain, and perhaps, some were taken as slaves. I fell and was wounded by the Sporoi, either Antes or Sclavene . . . hence my blindness . . . so I know nothing more. I am sorry that I don’t know more of what happened that day. I hope someday you will discover the truth. If you do, I hope you’ll tell me, as I’d want to know.”
Vilocia held Gerulf’s hand. I wished that it was my hand he held. As we left, I promised him that we would return, to tell him if we ever found Anselm. If found, we would surely ask Anselm what had happened to the brothers. Sadly, we left Gerulf, thanking Tota for her hospitality, and Elduara, for her helpfulness. I smiled at Vilocia and asked that she take good care of Gerulf. I hugged Gerulf for the last time. I took the scent of him with me.
We left for the village blacksmith to find our companions. Rochus, Roderick, and Evorik had spoken to the blacksmith and many merchants during the day. It was getting late; we wanted to make camp and discuss what we had learned from our visit.
As we rode out of the village to make camp, Saskia and I traded information about what we had seen being sold in the marketplace. There were items for sale that we had never seen before. Many items were unique—of Roman design; some were grotesque and unimaginable as goods that would be bought for daily use, or of decorative value. There were mounds of skulls and tables filled with animal parts. When I came across a table covered in eyeballs, I cringed. I couldn’t focus on thinking of these wares, being preoccupied with thoughts of seeing Gerulf. My heart sank at the thought of losing him forever, but I was grateful for his life and to know he was happy.
“Ermentrude? I think that Gerulf . . . if he could have seen you, he would have fallen in love with you. You looked so radiant standing there with him. He would have seen your beauty and would have come away with you. I know he still cares for you,” Saskia said, in a consoling voice. She knew I was aching for the loss of him—my first love.
“Saskia, thanks for saying that. I feel empty and alone right now, but I will feel better with time.” We left the village after the men returned, not finding any new information.
We decided to visit the second Naharvali village the the next day, to see if anything turned up there. I wondered whether we would ever find Gerulf and Anselm’s horses, as well as my bronze mirror and grandfather’s sword. Perhaps, we would discover where Anselm was being held against his will as a slave. Slavery was common, and there were thousands of slaves in Middle Earth, where people lived. It might take a lifetime to locate him.
The next morning, we rode to the Naharvali village by the Viaduna River. It was a splendid day. The sky was a luminous blue, such as Gerulf’s eyes, before he was blinded. Tears streamed down my cheeks again. I wiped them with my sleeve.
“Are you okay?” Eiriks asked, noticing me wiping my tears. He leaned over and patted my leg. It was a comforting gesture from someone I was getting to know better.
“Thanks, Eiriks. I am still in shock from our visit yesterday. Gerulf was a new love of mine, when he disappeared. I finally see him for the first time; I find out he is married, but alive. I can’t even see his blue eyes anymore!” My eyes streamed more tears. Eiriks leaned over, took my hand, and held it tightly. He wanted to comfort me, and this was the only way he could, riding our horses. “Thanks for comforting me, Eiriks. You are a wonderful friend.”
Saskia sadly looked over at us. She was sorry that I learned about Gerulf’s marriage so unexpectedly yesterday. She was despondent herself, at hearing that Anselm was probably a slave on someone else’s land. Even worse, he might have died from his serious injuries. I closed my eyes, and chanted a saying that would relieve me of sorrow and give me strength. When I opened my eyes, I smiled at Saskia. She knew the words I was chanting and was saying it with me. I hoped it gave her courage to find Anselm.
Before us lay a picturesque village beside the Viaduna River in the lowlands. We divided up, as we did the previous day, searching the marketplace where goods and services were offered. We visited a stall with housewares and jewelry, and sorted through many combs, mirrors, wooden and metal boxes, as well as charms that would bring someone good luck. I did not find my bronze mirror. I had hoped to find it here. Saskia suggested that we search elsewhere in the marketplace. I decided that it must have been broken or hidden back at the farm. I would never find it again. We left and headed over to the stables, where horses were sold or traded.
“Ermentrude, do you think we are foolish to spend this much time searching for the horses that once belonged to Gerulf and Anselm?” Saskia asked.
“Maybe we are foolish, but we did find your ax, Brunhilda, and Gerulf. Who knows . . . we might find one of the other horses. Let’s look and ask at the stables,” I said. We walked over with our horses in tow. The man at the stables looked over at our horses and asked if we were trading or selling them.
“Ne . . . we are only asking if you have seen two horses that have markings such as . . .” I glanced over at a horse that looked identical to Anselm’s horse. Saskia saw it as well. We hurried over to the horse and looked at it more closely. We noticed that it limped a bit. Its left hind leg had a bandage around it. Saskia asked the man what was wrong with its leg.
“The man who sold it to me said it was injured during a battle; he wanted very little money for it, so I bought it. I figured it could still be useful as a pet for a child. No one has wanted the poor thing. I may have to dispose of it soon, if no one buys it. I could just give it away. It eats more than it’s worth keeping around. Do you have an eye for it? Perhaps you have a son who would like it?” he offered.
Saskia looked at me with unbelieving eyes and said with joy, “I would love to have this horse! It once belonged to my friend. Now that it’s lame, I know my . . . uh . . . son would love to have it as a pet.”
“Then, it’s yours, to do with as you please,” he said, “especially since it once belonged to your friend.” He smiled and got a rope for the horse, so we could take it with us.
“Thanks!” Saskia said, as she tied Anselm’s horse to hers. I described Gerulf’s horse to the man and asked if he had seen this horse, but the man said that he had not seen it anywhere. He wished me luck in finding it and said good day.
We headed back to the men who escorted us to the village. They had gathered at the entrance to the village, where we said we’d meet at the end of the day. I asked each of them if they had heard or seen anything, but they hadn’t. Saskia showed them the horse that once belonged to Anselm. She thought she would give it to the son of Rochus, who loved horses. He was a very young boy, and couldn’t yet ride a horse by himself, but he would enjoy sitting on its back, with guidance from his father or mother. The horse would be loved for the little time it had left in its life.
I rode with Saskia and Eiriks on either side of me, smiling at the luck we had on this journey. We talked about visiting other villages throughout Middle Earth, on a quest to find Anselm. That would have to be our next inquiry. He must be close, in a nearby village. We eliminated three places where we didn’t find him—the farm belonging to the Sporoi and the two Naharvali villages. I hoped that he wasn’t sold to the Romans as a gladiator, or to fight in their army. That would make it impossible to find him.
He could be anywhere in the Roman Empire. I hadn’t seen it, but I had heard it was vast. I knew that it stretched from the western regions of Middle Earth to the far southern shores of the Black Sea. It had more riches than the Gutthiuda and the other tribes of Germania (Roman name for the
