Blossoming Love (a Frazel Fanfic)

Frank's Grandmother

Since Frank's enlistment into the army, his grandmother had taken over his goat-herding duties. Hazel missed Frank. She longed to hear him playing his panpipes and see his shy smile, but she found that she loved the company of Frank's grandmother. She was very complimentary towards Hazel and liked to tell stories. Hazel's favorite were the ones about Frank, but it was cool to learn anything new about his family.

"My father moved here when I was a little younger than you," Frank's grandmother said one day. "We lived a long way away in a land where people worshipped different gods."

"Where?" Hazel asked. "Egypt? Crete? Sicily? Babylon? Persia? India?"

Frank's grandmother shook her head. "I live in a land beyond India."

   Hazel's eyes grew as wide as drachmas. "The world is that big?"

   She had heard that Dionysus had matched to India, but she had not known that the world stretched even farther then that. Just how big was the world? "I lived under the Zhou dynasty," Frank's grandmother explained.

"Why did you decide to move?" Hazel asked.

"Our ancestors told us to," Frank's grandmother said simply. "So we listened to them."

As Hazel listened to her tale, she wondered how hard it would be to have to adapt to a totally new culture with different customs and a foreign tongue to master. Even living in Athens or Sparta would be a big change for Hazel — let alone moving to Egypt, Persia, or India. "Coming here and learning a language, that was hard," Frank's grandmother said, "but it's harder to see my grandson not familiar with the traditions of his ancestors."

Hazel nodded. She herself knew little about her mother's side of the family. She had heard the Egyptians worshipped gods with animal heads and she knew they wore white linen, but that was about it. Frank's grandmother looked sad, so Hazel put a hand on her shoulder. "The ewes are looking sleeker," she said. "I think they're expecting. The nannies too."

    Frank's grandmother nodded. "We'll soon have more milk."

    "My ewes are already producing more," Hazel said proudly.

   Frank's grandmother smiled. "I can see why Frank likes you. You'd make a good wife for him."

    Hazel blushed and looked at her sandals. It was warm enough now that she didn't have to wear socks underneath them. "Frank needs someone strong and sure of herself like you," Frank's grandmother continued.

   Hazel looked up in shock. Strong and sure of herself? Was that really how she saw her? If Hazel could choose two words to describe herself she'd choose guilt-ridden and fearful. She felt guilty about being the only child at home and fearful for her siblings and Frank. What if the war went badly? What if they were wounded or captured? What if Nico and Frank were killed and Bianca was sold into slavery? Hazel's mind reeled at the very thought, but she knew it was a possibility; war hurt everyone.

    Frank's grandmother seemed unaware of the turmoil in Hazel's mind. Or maybe she did know, but decided not to draw attention to it. If so, Hazel was grateful for that. "Frank's father was a soldier," Frank's grandmother said.

Hazel looked at her. "Didn't he die in war?"

She nodded. "He was a brave man. My grandson is cut from the same cloth, though he doesn't know it."

Hazel smiled, remembering how he's helped fight the wolves off. "He doesn't recognize his own strength or courage."

Frank's grandmother nodded. "And that's where he differs from his father. That and his lack of ambition."

She sighed and rubbed her temple. Hazel cautiously patted her on the back. "I don't think Frank lacks ambition," she said slowly. "I think — I think his dreams are just different from yours."

Frank's grandmother met her gaze. "Perhaps you are right. Sometimes youngsters teach their elders a thing or two."

***

Hazel was late coming home that evening. The sheep had wandered and one of them had gotten stuck in a bramble thicket. It had taken ages to untangle the poor animal and Hazel was ready to bed down for the night.

She stepped inside her house. Hades looked up. "There you are," he said. "I'm sorry. We ate dinner already."

"It's okay," Hazel said. "I must be an hour or two late."

Maria looked up from the peplos she was mending. "There's a bowl of leek soup and some barley cakes for you."

"Thanks," Hazel said.

Hades stood up. "Would you like to eat outside and talk?"

Hazel blinked at him in surprise and then nodded. She grabbed her dinner and followed her father outside. The sun was almost gone now and shadows spread over the earth as they sat down beneath a tall olive tree. Hazel began eating.

"Your mother," Hades finally said, "wanted you to be a free woman."

He sighed. "So far I have only accomplished that for Bianca."

"It's okay," Hazel said. "I know you've tried. You've been a good father."

"But your mother," Hades said and then broke off, choking.

He hadn't been married to her, so Hazel was technically illegitimate but as a slave, it arrested not. "Your mother would be proud of you," Hades said, "as I am."

Hazel blinked back tears. Her father had so rarely said that. She replayed his words in her head and she found a bubble of warmth growing in her chest. "Oh father," she said. "It's not your fault. None of us were born free."

"But your mother wanted you to be happy," Hades said.

"I am happy," Hazel insisted, though she missed her siblings and Frank dearly.

"Your brother and sister are in Mytilene," Hades said. "I fear — if they don't make it, you'll be my only child left."

The thought made Hazel's heart twist in her chest. "That won't happen."

"But if it does," Hades said. "I want you to be happy, so I have decided that whomever you'd like to marry, you can."

Hazel threw her arms around her father. "Oh thank you! Thank you!"

"I'll speak to Athens and convince her to let you marry whomever you desire," Hades continued. "I want you to be happy, Hazel."

She smiled. If the ones she loved survived, she couldn't be any happier.