Twelve years ago, the Year of Claudius, in the city-state of Eretria, under the reign of Caesar Claudius.

For three pieces of gold I sold myself to the legion

Quit the wager not gonna sell my kora to the Romans

Show sir centurion I can build bridges and pave causeways

So arrange me not in the frontline to my dismays

Let all the glory of the empire goes to the crows

Just want to retire after twenty-five years brawl

Give me a small farm in the wilderness to live

Keep me alive I return to my lovely wife no grief

The Eretrian man put on his armour, carrying a heavy bag on his back, he was about to leave his family behind. His wife handed him a barley bread covered with clean but rough woven cloth, in exchange, he handed her three pieces of gold. It was his viaticum, the travel money he received after he signed himself up to the Roman Legionary.

With that money, he secured a small piece of farmland and a hut for his family. The villagers called him a fool though, he could have sold his adorable daughter away to the temple for a good price. After all, they believe his beautiful daughter could have a better life under the care of the Goddess Aphrodite.

But he insisted not to do so, for he knew clearly she was still too young and vulnerable. She was six, but her wavy golden hair and her large amethyst eyes had captivated numerous rich men trying to offer them lucrative dowers, some even tried to abduct her.

He renamed her Pryne, the ugly name means toad. Her mother dyed her hair black, wiped some cattle dung around her and used the charcoal powder to paint her face black. Attempt to keep her away from those lustful eyes of men.

They heard about the story of another 8 years old girl who was living nearby. She was abducted to the temple and the tragedy happened on her first day of service as a hetaira. The girl was found dead, discarded by the temple guards to a dumping ground. With her ruptured rectum, zucchini and parsnip stuffed inside her womb. Bruises and wounds all over her tiny frame her parents barely recognise. Shattered, heart broken, they screamed and cried, beating their own chest, knocking their own head against the ground in deep agony.

When beauty is a curse, that was the fate of these delicate girls in Eretria. The woman hugged Pryne tightly and covered her eyes. Preventing her from seeing such cruelty in the world. She swore to protect her own daughter with all her might, until the day he returned from the battleground.

Ten years had passed, she gathered wrinkles on her face and her hands roughened by the farm she worked day and night. Yet she was still waiting for her husband, gazing at the sky, hoping for a pigeon with a letter that carried good news from him.

The sun was setting, Pryne collected the barley and tied them up with straws, carrying the harvested at her back, she had to go back to her hut for a day was over.

“Dinner is ready.” The woman took two bowls of plain barley porridge and placed them on the table next to a small basket of dried raisins. Pryne washed away the mud on her body, with a bucket of water. She grew into a fair young lady.

The woman set her eyes on Pryne, her daughter in her sweet 16, working on the barley farm, hiding her elegant face with mud. Taking a deep sigh, she prayed for a good young man who could care for her, but she despised the goddess of love. There were two young men in her mind, Aster the son of a soothsayer and Hephastos son of a blacksmith. She favoured the later though, but Pryne was getting friendlier with the talkative Aster.

“Pryne my dear, let’s pray… Give thanks to the goddess Demeter, for providing us food…” paused, she wanted to pray for her daughter but unsure of which god or goddesses would listen to her prayer about love other than the Aphrodite she disdained.

Taking a big gulp on the porridge, Pryne finished her dinner before her mother finished the prayer.

“I’m done! I’m going to the city square.” Pryne said while cleaning up the bowls hastily.

“You need me to buy anything from the market?” She continued.

“It’s already late! You shouldn’t go out at all!” Her mom nagged.

“Don’t worry, mom! Aster’s with me!” After wiping her wet hands, she grabbed a cloak and eagerly left the hut.

“Wear some charcoal powder!” her mom shouted, worried. But she already left her home towards the bustling city of Eretria.

Entered into the crowded city-square at Eretria, Pryne was amazed by the lights and various items sold in the market. People are shouting and calling for attention. But some passerby leered at her, covering their nose and mouth while walking past her. It must be the cow’s dung she wore, she immediately patted the dried dung on her cloak. But the dust angered the nearby people.

“Hey, you dirty scum, go away!” the nearby merchant shooed her away.

“Hey, Pryne!” A young man waved at her when he saw her entering the city gate. He was wearing a temple guard’s attire.

“Aster! What’s up? What's with that armour?” She asked.

“I got hired by the temple!” Aster replied.

“Are you kidding me? They hired a con-man like you?” She smirked.

“Hey, by the grace of the goddess, I’m turning over a new leaf now!”

“Well, I’m glad to know about that! How about Hephastos?” she asked with a smile.

“Hephastos? He just inherited the workshop. He’s fully a blacksmith now!”

“That’s great!”

She smiled, knowing all her friends were having great lives, she felt happy too.

“Hey Pryne, are you interested in joining the temple?”

“Nope, I already belong to Demeter! And my mom hates Aphrodite.”

Aster walked closer to Pryne and whispered to her ear.

“Pryne, but you gotta take a look at the Temple!”

“Aphrodite is the most respected and the popular goddess of Eretria.”

“Every woman dreamt about getting into the temple and becoming the priestess!”

“Look at those ladies there…”

Aster pointed at a group of women. They were all wearing beautiful silk garments, extravagant jewelries and makeup on their faces. The merchants surrounded them, with big smile etched on their faces and they politely bowed towards the ladies.

“Those are some of the less popular priestesses from the temple.”

“Yet, they are able to make about 100 pieces of gold shekels a day.”

“All they need to do is to be devoted to the goddess Aphrodite.”

Pryne’s eyes were attracted by the shiny jewelries. She never had those things before. She could never able to afford those no matter how much barley she sold. Those were luxury items that she could only dream about. She had never been to the temple before, but those ladies seemed happy although with all the thick pearl powder covering their faces.

“Imagine living in the most beautiful temple of Eretria.” Aster whispered.

“Rub shoulders with the most powerful man, the demigod Heracle.”

“Amazing isn’t it? Pryne!”

“Imagine, you will have servants and maids to serve you and they will call you ‘Lady Pryne’!”

Aster kept feeding Pryne with fairy tales. Hypnotized by those blinking jewelries, she tried to shake away those shiny imaginations.

Aster tapped her shoulder and instantly brought her back to the state, and he said: “Once you become famous and rich, you will be able to afford her a better life.”

Her eyes set on the nearby fruit stall. Figs and olives, those are some expensive fruits her mother loves. They were hardly able to afford them. But if she could earn 100 gold shekels per day, she would buy as much figs and olives as she wanted to! And she knew her mom loves figs.

“How do I get into the temple?”

[What if…]

[What if I can buy as much figs and olive as I want! And poultry, some meat, some grapes, some wine…]

[The merchants will be polite to me… Mom, we don’t need to work on farm. I don’t have to cover myself with muds, I will smell great!]

The temptation slowly took away her thoughts.

To be continued…