Ava looked up from her work as she heard a knock at the front door. From where she stood in the large house's kitchen she could not see the door, but heard it open. She quickly returned to her work, preparing food for the head cook who would make it into a fine meal. She heard conversation in the entrance hall, but could not make out any words. One of the voices she knew to be that of Pelitha, her mistress; the other voice she did not recognize.

As she was just about to begin pitting a pile of olives, she heard footsteps enter the kitchen and looked up to see Pelitha. Her mistress was an upper-class woman of Athens in her late forties, with long brown hair and fine clothes. Beside Pelitha walked a man who, by his breastplate and the sword he wore sheathed at his waist, Ava guessed must be a member of the Athenian Guard. She stopped her work, glancing hesitantly from one face to the other.

“Ava,” the soldier began, “you have been chosen to join the Athenian Guard.”

Ava was silent, not quite sure she wasn't dreaming.

“Am I going to have to hire a new servant girl?” cut in Pelitha. “What hours will she have to be in training?”

“Worry not,” said the soldier, “she will only be required to train for three hours every day; the rest of the time she will be here carrying out her duties.”

Pelitha seemed content at this and the soldier turned back to the still speechless Ava.

“You will be required to show up at three hours past noon tomorrow,” he said brusquely, “understood? No excuses. You're part of the Athenian Guard now.”

Ava remained silent.

“Well?” asked the soldier impatiently.

“I'll be there...” Ava managed to reply.

“Good,” said the soldier as he turned to leave, “Pheros will be expecting you.”

*   *   *

Ava arrived at the training grounds, a large stone-paved area near the northern end of the city. She noticed four other people standing nearby, whom she guessed were other new recruits. She walked over and greeted them hesitantly. One of them, a tall wiry man with a grim face, nodded in greeting.

“Alydectes,” he introduced himself.

“Ava,” she replied. “I suppose you're something more glamorous than a servant girl?”

“Here, we're all Athenian Guard,” Alydectes said dispassionately, “what you are in your off-time doesn't matter. If you must know, my father is a prominent statesman.”

“I guess we're all here for the same reason?” continued Ava, glancing around at the others.

They all nodded.

“Yes, and I hope we all understand that to be part of the Athenian Guard is to die!” shouted a woman with long red-brown hair, younger than Ava.

A few moments of awkward silence passed before she said, “I mean, to be in the Athenian Guard is to risk death.”

Her second outburst was rather less fierce and dramatic.

“Errylis,” she added quietly.

“This is my sister, Aelynda,” said Alydectes, introducing a gaunt woman, tall and wiry like her brother, “we are here to do our absolute best for Athens. We hope you are too.”

“Well, I didn't choose to join, you know,” explained Ava, “I just got drafted.”

“As did we all,” replied Alydectes humorlessly, “but that is not going to make us serve our beloved city any less passionately than if we had chosen this duty. I hope you feel the same way.”

“I'm going to spit twenty-five Spartans on my spear for just one building of my city!” shouted Errylis enthusiastically, drawing strange looks from the others. “Then I'm going to invade Persia alone and kill every one of the scum who live there!”

“Thankfully you are not a diplomat for our beloved city,” said Aelynda wryly.

“And... who are you?” asked Ava to the black-haired man who had not yet spoken.

“Oh, me?” he said as if the question was unexpected, “Narsus. Just Narsus.”

“And your occupation?”

“Just a bread-maker's son.”

“I'd make ten-thousand loaves of bread if only to please a single citizen of my beloved city!” yelled Errylis, causing the others to exchange bemused glances.

Suddenly, a strong, hard voice called from the opposite side of the training grounds, “Welcome, recruits, to the Athenian Guard!”

All five of them turned towards the voice and saw a large, intimidating man in full battle gear walking towards them across the grounds.

“I am Pheros, your trainer and commander,” the man said as he walked up to the five recruits, “you shall obey my every instruction if you wish to serve your city well. Failure to do so will result in severe consequences. Any questions before we begin?”

Alydectes and Aelynda straightened their backs but remained silent. Narsus was about to open his mouth when Errylis cut him off.

“When can we spill the blood of the enemy?!”

Pheros looked at Errylis quizzically.

“Are you just here to shout at your commander?” he asked quietly.

Errylis was silent for a moment, then stammered, “Well, no.”

“That's good. BECAUSE WHILE YOU ARE HERE I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S GOING TO BE SHOUTING!” Pheros screamed, causing Errylis to draw back in shock. “Now stop asking stupid questions.”

“May I ask,” put in Narsus, “how many hours we are required to train as members of the Guard. You know, my father needs me in his-”

Pheros stopped him with a raised hand.

“A good question, whoever you are. You five have been chosen for the Athenian Guard, the militia force that protects our beloved city. You are free to remain in your usual stations of life, but duty commands that you spend three hours of every day in military training. You will show up promptly this time every day, excluding festive days.”

“We don't even get a day off out of every ten or so?” asked Narsus.

“No days off, save festive days,” replied Pheros. “Are there any other questions?”

Ava stepped forward and asked, “Firstly, what shall we call you?”

“Another good question,” said Pheros. “You will call me 'captain', save in particularly formal situations where you will call me Captain Pheros.”

“Captain,” continued Ava, “is it actually not against the rules for servant girls to be recruited into the Athenian Guard?”

“No, what difference does it make whether you are a servant girl or a fisherman or a bread-maker or even a statesman. You all have similar military experience.”

Ava wanted to ask why she specifically was chosen out of all the servants in Athens, but guessed that the captain would categorize that question under 'stupid'. She simply nodded respectfully and stepped back. Pheros looked around at the other recruits for questions, but none were forthcoming.

“Very well,” he said, “we shall begin your first day of training. To start with, you shall be presented with your weapons and armor. Follow me.”