Hazel POV

The rope was starting to become unbearable. It had been around my neck and hands ever since we left port.

Oh, I should probably back up a little. My name is Hazel Levesque, and I am to soon be a slave in Rome.

'How did that happened?' you might wonder. Simple. When Rome took over Egypt, which a few miles west of my village, they stumble upon my home. So of course, after a big success in battle, you conquer a helpless village and take everyone prisoner. Makes sense.

I probably would've felt worse if the village cared for me, but after my mother died, my only family, I basically became a servant to the entire town. So, I guess, not much is changing.

Fast forward, I was getting pushed off the ship that carried me, and was immediately pushed into a cart. The road was long and bumpy and almost seemed endless.

I couldn't take it anymore and I asked the driver, "Where are we going?" He looked back to me with an expression of annoyance and confusion. "I can't understand what you're saying, slave. So, quit your talking!" Now, I got annoyed. I could understand him, but he couldn't understand me? "Where are we going," I asked, gritting my teeth. He looked more surprised than confused this time. "So you can speak Latin, eh? Well, now you're more valuable." Latin? I never heard of the language, so I didn't know how I knew it. The man continued. "To answer your question, we're heading to where all roads lead to, Rome."

After a few days of traveling we entered the city of Rome. The city was spectacular! There were gleaming white marble temples, lavish palaces, and the most beautiful Oasis I had ever seen. Wait, no, not Oasis, gardens. Then, we turned a corner and I saw the City's market place. In the distance, I could see where the poor lived. In the market place food, fabric, jewelry, pottery, and even people were being sold.

The cart stop by a wooden stage and the driver pushed me out, and into a registration room. There was another man. He was younger than the driver. He had lighter skin, he had brown eyes and hair, which was cut low.

"Hello, Bobby," said the driver. "Hello, Michael Kahele," said Bobby. So, I guess that's the name of my driver. Okay. Anyway, Michael wrote something on a tablet, possibly information about me. He then gave the rope leash to Bobby and Bobby pulled me along.

(*If you don't know, Michael Kahele was one of Octavian's biggest supporters.)

Bobby started to read the tablet. "Slave, female, 14, healthy," he read. He scanned the text and froze when he saw a line. "You can speak and understand Latin?" I nodded. "Well, you're worth even more," he remarked.

I was lined with other females, old and young. After that, I kind of zoned out. I could vaguely sense Bobby calling information and asking for a price. I thought of my childhood, and wondered what would happened when Bobby called out my information. He never did.

He passed over me like I was invisible. After all other females were sold to their new masters, a girl a few years older than me, came up to me.

She had Orange hair and blue eyes. When Bobby saw her, he sighed. "I know you needed a new slave, so I saved you the best." He pointed to me. "She is fourteen, healthy, and can speak Latin already." The girl smiled "She's perfectly perfect. Here's 10,000 denarii for her." She gave Bobby a pouch filled with what I guessed were denarii.

Bobby pulled out a knife from his belt and held it to my throat. I will admit, I was a little scared. But then, he just the rope. The young lady took my wrist and pulled me along.