1. Lessons
Meri
Meri wished she could be anywhere but here, mostly she wished she could be back home. No doubt her cousins were doing a whole bunch of cool stuff today. Mako and Bee were no doubt having fun at hidden swimming hold Bee said she found. They said they wouldn’t go without her but it was so hot that they might have gone anyway.
“Meri” the young creator heiress tore her gaze from the window. Her teacher was waiting patiently, waiting for her to reply to a question Meri hadn’t heard.
“Who started the nation of the amazon’s and where is she from” High Priestess Aspen repeated the question.
“Um…” Meri racked her brain. She had been taught about the ancient amazons. Well ancient by her standards. Those old queens had died about a hundred or so years ago. That was like forever ago.
“Aegea was the first queen and they are from Themysara?” Meri guessed. So many of the ancient amazons names blurred together and out of the all the ones she learned Aegea had stuck out. Mostly because her name was simple and she was named for the sea.
“Close, the first amazonian queen was Otrera.” she corrected. Meri tried to hid the embarrassment as she hear Sarai cackling behind her. Meri hated Sarai. She was so horrible to everyone. The daughter of a new tribe’s creator Sarai acted like she owned the world. She was such a nasty person, everyone hated her. Well almost everyone. Marcella didn’t hate her but Marcella didn’t hate anyone.
“Tell me Sarai, what is the name of Otrera’s daughters” the high priestess questioned. Meri suppressed a smile. Outside the classroom Sarai tried to get away with everything. Meri had seen her steal items from market stalls and lie about it. Sarai also took pleasure in being a bully, mostly to Meri. The school is the one place she never got away with things. The high priestess was very perceptive and tried to keep everything civil.
“I don’t know” Sarai finally replied.
“Try to think. You know the answer” High Priestess Aspen encouraged.
“I don’t know and I really don’t care!” Sarai snapped. “Who cares about a bunch of dusty old bones and what they did in life!”
“History can teach you to avoid past mistakes. There are many creators who have been removed from their position due to being terrible leaders.” Aspen replied. “Now can anyone tell me who the daughters of Otrera are?”
“Hippolyte and Penthesilea are the daughters of Otrera” Marcella replied.
“Very good” High Priestess Aspen smiled. “There are many women who have been named after past queens. In hopes the goddesses will bless them in life like the past queens”
The lesson on past queens continues for a few more hours until they were allowed to leave.
Meri exited the building, grinning widly at who was waiting for her outside. Levi and Chrysippos. They were the only non family members living on in the tribe who wasn’t related to her.
Meri made her way over to them. The smile slowly dimming as she noticed Sarai had made it outside before her. That wouldn’t have been a problem if she wasn’t standing by Chrysippos and Levi. Meri had been hoping she could just leave without dealing with Sarai.
“Good Afternoon Creator Heiress” Chrysippos greeted. Levi just looked over at her. He was ignoring Sarai but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Hi” Meri greeted. Her aunt had insisted that she have someone escort her where ever she went, saying it was for her own safety. Meri at first didn’t agree with this. She didn’t need to be babysat. She was a child, well she was but she wasn’t a helpless one.
“I am ready to go home” Meri said, noticing that neither of her escorts seemed to be effected by the sweltering heat. Unfortunately as they headed towards the docks Sarai also lived on a island and she also had to take a boat to get home. Sarai was long gone by now. Today she seemed to be waiting or bothering Levi and Chrysippos. Neither of those options were fun for Meri. The more time Sarai was around the more Meri was miserable.
Sarai had draped herself over Levi’s shoulder. At least it was Levi and not Chrysippos. Chrysippos was her best friend and Meri didn’t want Sarai to be mean to or make her best friend uncomfortable.
“I will be Creator in a few moon cycles. My mother says I can choose one man to be my personal servant. It should be you, you are the most handsome man and you should be with the most beautiful amazon” Meri overheard Sarai saying to Levi. Meri nearly gagged. Sarai was so far off from being a creator, she was only four lunar cycles older than Meri. Creator Heiresses became creators when they reached young adulthood. Sarai was not going to be a young adult for several years. Plus Meri knows that Sarai’s mother had stated that Sarai was not ready to take over the tribe.
“By the gods will you shut up. Your shill voice is giving me a headache ” he snapped.
“Aw come now handsome I know you are angry because you have to go home with such an annoying shrimp” Sarai was cut off by Levi.
“I am angry because you are obnoxious. You insult the creator Heiress of Helike, who is child, more dignified than you. You drape yourself over a me like some girl from the brothel. Even if I was interested I would not was to work for some spoiled brat like yourself” Levi snapped. He turned and ushered Meri to the boat. She had stopped to watch Levi yell at Sarai.
“You stood up for me” Meri stated looking up at him as they walked onto the dock. Levi could be a huge jerk. He would brush her off when she asked him to do things with her. He told her to go away when he was busy. He would complain when he was forced to take her to school.
“Did I?” he shrugged. “I was more trying to get rid of her”
“if you say so” Meri grinned. Maybe Levi wasn’t a total jerk.
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