Her eyes grew wide. In her shock, she hadn’t noticed the man was wearing only mud. He was naked beneath all that dirt! Her eyes were drawn to the part of him no longer covered by clothing. She’d seen naked men before, but they’d always been in the sickbed, not standing over her.

After looking at the stranger for a moment, she waited for him to pounce. He didn’t. He stood there, shivering while pretending not to and continued to look down on her. An amused smile playing about his lips. She was relieved to realize he wasn’t going to grab her and do any of the shameful things that had run through her mind upon first spotting him. Nor was he going to help her to her feet, it seemed. In somewhat of a snit, she rose and began to brush off her skirts, ignoring the large presence before her.

Avella glanced at him from under her lowered lids and noticed he was watching her movements with great interest. Her earlier fear was quickly leaving as she continued to brush her skirts with one hand. In the other, she held her knife. She knew she would lose in a fight against this man, but if it came to it, she may be able to use the element of surprise to buy time for escape.

The stranger said something in a language she didn’t quite recognize. It sounded like the garbled language of some of the traders from across the sea. Then in Greek - a tongue she did know as their physicians had visited her small village and the healers within - he said, “I say, can you direct me to the Forum Romanum?”

She frowned at him. What was he blithering on about? Here he was cold and naked, yet he was asking directions to something in Rome? Maybe the cold had gone to his head? She’d seen people hallucinate before from being out too long in the elements, perhaps that is what happened here? Wonderful, she thought, now I have a crazed foreigner on my hands. I cannot waste time on sick foreigners. I need to tend my brother.

She bent to once again to brush her skirts and silently cursed herself for having another glance at his naked body. She felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment and turned slightly to hide them.

“You missed a spot in the back there.”

Avella only heard him with half an ear and continued to brush the mud and dead grass from her skirts. She supposed she should take the stranger to the village and see to his chill. Lera could see to him, she decided, while she saw to her brother. But first...

“Why are you here?” she asked. She wouldn’t bring this man into her home if he was a danger to friends and family. She’d sit here and watch him die from the elements first.

The stranger obviously felt the inclination to put his words into action and stepped forward. His hand was still outstretched and reaching for her derrière when she spun around and slapped it away. “I can do it myself.” She still had her knife in her other hand, hidden by her skirt. If he wanted something from her, he’d have to fight for it.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d heard me before.”

“I heard you.” she snapped. “Did you hear me? What business do you have here. You aren’t from around here and I’d like to know why you are on Iceni lands.”

Instead of answering her right away, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at her. He looked relaxed, however, and not like a man caught where he should not be, on lands that were not his. Maybe her first assessment of him was wrong, Avella thought. She also felt the press of time once more. Her foot began tapping in impatience as she waited for his answer.

“I am but a simple trader. I’m wandering these lands in order to better gauge what is needed and where the best trade can be found.”

The answer would have been believable if he hadn’t been standing there wearing nothing but mud. She was becoming very annoyed with the man.

“If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll leave you here to die.”

He chuckled at her statement. Chuckled! The man was likely freezing to death and...she gave an exasperated snort. The man didn’t know what was good for him. She belted her knife, picked up her precious bag of herbs and started to walk away. Maybe it was better if he died? She didn’t want to bring a mad foreigner into her village.