The Roman Invasion
When the rivers of fate meet, the waters of destiny are rippled. In the highlands of Ethiopia where the sun set on the horizon and paints the sky gold, a small family’s serenity was crushed by the tyranny of the Roman eagles. The Roman eagles descended from above, their claws outstretched, and the children of the highlands were dispersed like fallen leaves on a windy night. But in this darkness of brutal siege was a spark, a flame that would burn the treacherous streets of Rome and drive the dwellers out of the city of seven hills, throwing a young, cunning thug to the apex of power, where the gods themselves would shiver at the mention of his name: Tenax, the invincible!
Aziza and Nola, two beautiful sisters as radiant as a peacock that roamed through the savannah, took a walk down through the quietude of the city market in Jijiga, the commercial hub of the highlands of Ethiopia. The Baye family, known for their hunting bravery and commercial savvy, had lived in the highlands of Ethiopia for several generations. Aziza, the younger of the duo, was particularly stunning. As they strolled, a Roman soldier, drunk with power and wine, approached the two sisters and summoned them to a halt.
The soldier circled round Aziza drooling all over her glowing skin as he tugged playfully at her long braid. The two girls were not comfortable with the harassment from the soldier.
“Sire, we have deals to broker in the store,” Nola said sharply dashing in between the soldier and her younger sister, Aziza. Nola grabbed her sister’s hand and made to drag her away from the scene. Infuriated, the drunken soldier grabbed Aziza’s hand back and pushed Nola away with his other fist. He lunged at Aziza and tore her clothes and hair. He pressed her close to his body and caressed her neck with his lips while Aziza whined defiantly under the soldier’s pressure.
Meanwhile, Nola picked herself up from the ground and strived to pull the soldier apart from her sister to no avail. The drunken soldier was stronger, almost unmovable and had firmly clasped Aziza in his clutch as he continued to harass the young teenage girl. Out of sheer instinct, Nola dashed to a nearby butcher’s store and fumbled around for tools until she laid her hand on a wooden mallet. With a swift reflex, she struck the soldier’s nape with the mallet, surprisingly dropping him in the course of shielding her younger sister.
The two sisters watched in a mix of horror and triumph as the soldier dramatically crashed down to the ground unconscious. Their triumph was short-lived as a small squad of Roman soldiers appeared out of the blue responding to the chaos.
“What have you done?” The leader of squad snarled in anger as he marched towards the girls who were still nervously tucked in each other’s arms.
“Sire, H-he was drunk...,” Nola stammered in a bid to tender explanation, “we warned him not to t-touch…”
“She killed a Roman legionary,” snapped the leader of the squad, cutting Nola short. “This is treason. Cease her!” The sisters were quickly overpowered and taken captive by the Roman soldiers.
The life of every Roman citizen was considered sacred, and it was a serious crime to take it without due process, but killing a legionary in such brutal circumstance was considered a treason and grave offence against the noble throne of Rome. The legionaries represented the Roman empire and the strength of its military forces. Without ado, the sisters were dragged to Bait al-Rahma, the once bustling hub of commerce and trade, which had become a s*****y port and a gateway to hell for most inhabitants of the Ethiopian highlands.
The Baye family had once been depleted through civil battles and territorial strife by superior powers of the Roman invaders who forced their socio-political way of life down their throats on countless occasions. Little was known of the Bayes today. However, this small family, a descendant of the Baye, in the city of Jijiga, still clung to the vestiges of their heritage. The family had two dashing daughters, Aziza Nola and a son, Kwame, who were left of the descendants Baye. Kwame was a small, athletic, and agile young man who did the bidding of the Roman imperialists in the wild. He hunted wild animals for them for fun in exchange for gold and brass depending on the size of his game.
Like their mother, Alem, who headed the family, Kwame would readily stake his life for the protection of his two sisters and mother. As the sisters were forcefully taken away, words reached the ears of their brother, Kwame, who just finished helping his Roman masters to trap a white lion on the Nadia mountain.
