Chapter 1: initium

He woke with a start. Nasir! Nasir! No! Nasir! The voice of Adad rang in his ears. Every night it was the same. Every night he woke up from dreams of home. It always started out with his mother's embrace and her loving face smiling at him, placing a kiss on his head, with stories told by his father in his deep, monotonous voice that you could not stop listening to and laughs shared with his brother, playing games behind the house, chasing dogs down the street. If only the dreams would stay this happy. But his mother's smile turned into crying as she fell to her knees imploring the men not to take her son, his father trying to comfort her and Adad desperately calling out for him as the men dragged Nasir from the village. While he was glad to have the memory of his brother's smile and breathless laughter as company in this lonely place he longed for a full night of sleep. He looked around at the other boys who were sound asleep and knew he would not join them again this night. Slowly as not to wake the others he sat up. Back against the wall, arms around his knees he stared at the moon. It was the only thing that looked like it had done at home. Everything else was so different here: the language, the people, the air, the sun, even his own name. Tiberius they called him. "Tiberius," he whispered to himself, tasting the word on his tongue, heavy and foreign. "Tiberius, Tiberius, Tiberius."

They had tried to explain it to him but no one spoke his language well enough and he only just started to learn theirs. So he still did not understand why he could not remain Nasir and why no one told him when he would see his family again. He missed the songs his mother used to sing to him and his father ruffling his hair. Most of all he missed his brother Adad, who at twelve was only a few years older and acted all grown-up. Adad who had taken the blame for a broken vase and invented funny stories. Once he had shattered his leg while rescuing Nasir from a tree he had climbed on a foolish whim. His brother had never shown the pain he must have been in and even though he had retained a limp he never spoke of the day with anything other than pride for getting his little brother home safely. Adad surely could have made him understand it all. Why he had been dragged on to that ship and why they had bound his ankles and wrists, why he had to wear that collar day and night. What the words Dominus and Domina really meant. He had so many questions that no one ever answered in a way that made sense to him.

"Tiberius, Nessus!" The other boy was up in heartbeat, Nasir followed with a little delay. It had only been three months and it took a while for the name to be identified as his. The woman whose name he could not recall smiled kindly at them. "Come, services are needed."

A guard opened the door and closed it quickly again, firmly locking it behind them. She led them through the villa that was just beginning to wake up. Nasir marvelled at the luxuries around him. The little house at home had barely had any decorations, the most valuable possession being the tableware the village had given to his parents for their wedding. Here every other corner was ornate and soft draperies hang in the chambers. He had never seen anything like it before and was so mesmerized that he almost bumped into the woman when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Dominus!" She sounded surprised and frightened. Nasir did not understand why. The man she addressed looked nice enough. He stole a glance at Nessus but the other boy kept his head down, staring at his feet. Nasir did not see a reason to do the same and took in the man he was supposed to call Dominus. He was tall but then everyone was tall for the boy. The expression on his face was stern but not angry. He reminded him of his uncle who had carved a little dog out of wood for him. Nasir could really not see why the woman looked as if she wanted to flee. "Tiberius and Nessus are to help with washing. We will be quieter. Apologies. We did not mean to disturb. Apologies, Dominus."

"You did not." He dismissed them with the wave of a hand and the woman instantly hurried along, Nessus following at her heels. Nasir hesitated and he could hear the woman hiss something under her breath but he ignored her.

"Brother see again? When?" The words tumbled from his lips, struggling with the foreign tongue. The woman gasped and in the corner of his eye he could see Nessus shuffle uncomfortably but he did not care. He needed to know. "Brother. Adad. See?"

Nasir gestured, trying to make himself be understood, a hopeful smile on his lips. This man who was called Dominus would surely have an answer. The blow came so sudden he did not even make a sound although his head hurt instantly, his vision blurred and the taste of blood was on his tongue.

"You do not raise fucking voice absent question, slave." The man practically spat the last word at him, striking him a second time. Harder even and Nasir fell to the ground. The kick that followed robbed him of his breath. Tears were now streaming down his face. He did not understand what had just happened. "Know place, boy."

"Apology," Nasir mumbled. That was a word he had learned very quickly and he hoped it was the right one.

"Dominus," the woman whispered at him while Nasir struggled to his feet. Barely able to stand straight he bowed his head and gathered his breath.

"Apology, Dominus," he finally said in the firmest voice possible, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Find him heavier collar and no food for two days." Another blow made Nasir sway but he managed to keep standing. "Now fall from sight."

Back in the cell when he stared at the moon again his head was still pounding and his ribs hurt. His hands felt raw from washing fabrics and scrubbing floors all day. His stomach growled with hunger but as he could do nothing about this feeling he tried his best to ignore it. Instead he conjured up the faces of his mother, father and brother but since today had made him realize that they were lost to him forever they brought little comfort. When the sun showed its first rays and all his tears had been cried he made a decision and silently vowed to never mention Adad or anyone else of his family again.