"Zachary! No! You can't take him, Zachary!" The guards ignored my screams as they pulled my brother out of the holding pens and into the arena. He held his head high and didn't look back as I cried out for him. I threw myself at the bars trying to reach out to him, screaming his name as tears ran down my cheeks. A pair of strong arms plied me away from the bars and I turned and buried my head in his chest. He shh'd me gently, rocking me ever so slightly.

"Come on now, remember what we promised." But I didn't want to remember because I had never thought it would actually happen. I never thought he would actually be called forward to fight to the death. Not him, not my brother.

Esca stroked the back of my head as I cried into his chest. I could hear the crowd gasp and cheer and feel myself shaking in response. A final roar from the crowd and the sharp intake of breath from Esca told me that was it and my knees collapsed beneath me, failing to support me anymore. Escas arms were all that were keeping me from falling. I clung to him for dear life, my fingers shaking against his tunic. I could hear Esca saying something but the words didn't make sense, they were all jumbled around. I just shook my head and buried it further into his tunic.

Esca was one of my best friends since coming to Rome with my brother. He was Brigantes and we were Almec, our lands bordered each other's in the north. My brother and I had escaped from the same battle that had killed both Esca's parents and our own. Esca's father was the chief of his tribe and our father was the chief of the Almec's.

Zachary and I had been captives for nearly a week before Esca arrived. He was in such a bad state that I nearly didn't recognise him. It was the tattoo's that gave him away, similar to my own but with that definitive Brigantes style about the swirls and dots in the pattern.

Our father's had hoped that we would marry one day, at the time we both laughed at such a ridiculous notion. I didn't want to marry; I wanted to be a warrior with a heart of stone, except for the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of blood. I remember being chased around our lands with a liver on a stick by Esca as a child. I had screamed so loudly that my mother thought we were being attacked. Things were so simple then.

It had been three days since my brother was taken and I had become even more inseparable from Esca then before he was the only family I had left. We fell asleep clutched tightly to one another.

It was just before dawn, the sun had yet to make an appearance and I could hear the gates to the holding pen open. Footsteps on the ground wandering around but ignoring them I just buried my nose further into Esca's neck. He made a small noise in his throat and his arms tighten around me briefly before relaxing again. It wasn't until a pair of cold callous hands gripped my arm and yanked me away did I register who was there. I screamed out for Esca, scrabbling for his hand as the guard called for more assistance. Esca launched himself at the guard, knocking him off balance slightly but not enough to release his hold on my arm. The guard punched Esca hard and he fell down and the guard began to drag me away. I screamed and screamed Esca's name. Struggling with all my might to get out of the guard's clutches and I could hear Esca's every response. Tears streamed down my face as I continued to claw and bite at the guard, scrabbling in any way I could to get away. The guard carried me out away from the holding pens and dropped me in front of a pair of feet, seizing the opportunity I decided to make a break for it but as if the man sensed it I could not even take one step before a hard blow struck my temple and I knew no more.

Esca screamed and beat against the doors. He watched what he thought was a fatal blow striking her head and he fell into a stunned silence. He was alone. His tribe were gone; his only friend was gone and the girl he intended to marry was gone. What did he have to live for now?

"Now!" My master screamed and so I ran, keeping my head bowed as I did so. When master wanted something he wanted it then and would not wait. If he was made to wait there were always consequences. He was not a fair man or overly cruel. I had gained a selection of scars since I had come here and I did not wish to add to them. There were important guests arriving for dinner. The two gentleman who were coming were said to have recovered the Eagle of the ninth. The lost roman standard. The table was laid and the cooks had been working hard all day to prepare. Normally Georgiana and Mila would serve the tables when important guests came to dinner but Mila was incredibly ill and could not serve so I was being called in. I had but five minutes to change into a clean dress and tidy my hair before they would arrive and we would be needed. Georgiana was already ready so came to help me prepare, she was a sour woman but she was excellent at her job. Once I was clean we went to the kitchen to bring up the drinks for the guests. The Master loved to show off his power to his guests, he was a boastful man, power hungry and quick to anger but working for him was better then the whore house.

I poured out the glasses, careful not to spill a drop and handed them out to the guests. I had two left to serve but as I turned to move to them my heart stopped in its place. This man standing next to a roman was an exact replica of Esca, slightly taller and definitely more muscular, and more handsome but the eyes, the smile, the hair, the ears it was all so similar that I couldn't catch my breath. It wasn't until Georgiana slapped the back of my hand sharply with the flat of her serving knife did I jump back to life and continue. It couldn't be Esca, he was sent into the arena and no one survives the arena. Holding my breath I served the last remaining roman and the Esca look a like, I kept my head down, focused on my hands and my job. If I had looked up I don't think I would have ever been able to look away.

Having someone like that at the table made me nervous, I couldn't get my hands to stop shaking or my mind to stop thinking of ways in any way that it could be him. I didn't want to give myself false hope but it was so hard not too when he was so close, only meters away, all I had to do was reach out and touch him. I'd know then, straight away by the touch, the feel of his skin on my own.

During the interval in courses when we had refreshed drinks we were to retire to the kitchen unless called but as I walked back I couldn't help but hear one final sentence. "So, Esca. How does it feel to be free?"

Free. He was free. Of all the things I had imagined, this was not one. Seeing my face, Georgiana made me explain my unusual behaviour. So I told her the whole story, how we had once been betrothed though not officially, how we had vowed we would stay together and help each other escape and how he now appeared at the table a free man.

She took a moment to consider all I had told her then firmly slapped me in the face. I gasped in shock and stared at her indignantly. How dare she, I was no liar.

"He is a free man and you are a serving girl. He is free, he can marry whom ever he wants and it wont be a serving girl, men say stupid things when they want something. Remember your place girl, the master wont have it. Any misbehaving and you'll end up in the whorehouse with all the other little sluts who can't remember their place. Do you hear me!" She turned on her heel and disappeared into the throng of the kitchen.

Soon enough the next course was ready to be served, as we stepped out of the corridor into the main room she gave me a hard stare, I nodded briefly and dropped my head. Acting like the humble serving girl that I should be. After all the men had their serving we retreated to the side of the hall to await further instruction.

"That slave girl, the red head one. She's a fine sort, how've you managed to keep that one from Flaour?"

"Oh believe me, it wasn't easy but she was a right mess when she came here, the fool Rulnd put her up for the arena can you believe it?"

"For the arena, a little thing like that? Where's the sport in that?"

"Exactly, well I paid barely pittance for her but she was feral. It took a while to break her in mind. I often thought about cutting my losses and sending her to Flaour."

"Do you keep her for personal use then or is she loaned out?"

The master laughed loudly. "My dear boy, I have no such use for such things anymore." The whole table laughed loudly except for Esca and the roman he was with. "She is unspoilt." There were loud exclamations around the table at this and I could feel my heart in my mouth, my stomach had dropped out of my body and my face heated up like the sun.

"Child, come here." My feet betrayed my body and moved me forward toward the head of the table. I kept my eyes focused on the floor, trying to keep the flames from my cheeks, trying to hide my humiliation. The master made me stand beside him at the head of the table so the men could admire. I could not look up, I feared if I looked up I would only see him and nothing else.

The rest of the meal passed without incidence for which I was ever grateful but where ever I went I could feel more then one pair of eyes watch me go.

Marcus and Esca soon became regular visitors to my master as well as another gentleman, Pictorious. They had all requested with the master that I would be around to serve them for their visits.

They had each visited a number of times since the feast and so far I had managed to avoid spending time alone with them all but I knew it wasn't going to last. I was hurrying down the corridor carrying fresh cloths for the tables when Esca arrived. He was heading in the opposite direction to me and the there were no branches off the corridor that I could slip down and I did not have time to turn and take a detour. As I stepped to avoid a collision, he stepped too, again we stepped in unison, "excuse me" I said as I made to go around him but an arm blocked my path. I took a step pack, keeping my eyes firmly on the bundle of cloth in my arms.

"Why wont you look at me?" The voice was not what I was expecting. I expected anger or joy but not hurt. His voice was so soft and quiet, anguish laced every word.

"I- I don't…" I began but I couldn't get the words out.

"Look at me, please." Again the pain that laced the words made me want to cry. "Look at me and tell me I'm not going crazy, tell me that the girl I have thought was dead is really alive here, in front of me now, tell me please because I can't stand it any longer." His voice cracked slightly and I couldn't stand it any longer. Taking a deep breath I looked up.

"You're not crazy." He smiled and opened his mouth to say something but before he could speak I ducked under his arm and ran down the corridor, tears flooding from my eyes.

Things got easier each time they came, it was easier to talk and my heart began to skip a beat when I heard they would be coming to dine. I looked forward to the few minutes we got together each time he came but I still had to remind myself of my position. The presence of Pictorious soon brought me down to earth with a bump, he had a lot of meetings with the Master lately, in private. I had mentioned my worries about this to Esca but he had simply told me not to worry about it, that I was seeing too much into it but the next day the Master called me into his office and I emerged bruised and broken hearted.

I sobbed as I packed my things I couldn't help it. It was awful news. I was being sold on to be a mistress. I didn't want to be a mistress, I want to be someone wife, to be loved, taken care of. Surely I deserved that much.

My small bag packed I began the walk to the front gates, my new master would be arriving soon. With a heavy heart I stood waiting for my fate to arrive. Galloping hooves could be heard approaching quickly, and when the rider pulled up it was Esca.

"I came as soon as I heard." I ran to him the minute he landed on the ground.

"I can't bear it, I just can't" I cried into his chest. It felt so nice to be in his arms again, I no longer belonged to the Master so until my new master gave me orders I could hold Esca and not let him go.

"Sh. Don't cry, it'll be alright, it'll be alright."

A chariot was approaching in the distance. So with great effort I pulled away from him. Drying my eyes. I looked up to him, preparing to say my final goodbye. "One day, I will have saved up enough to set you free, and I will marry you, I will find you and I will marry you, just like they always said, I have always loved you, know that, no matter what, I always will."

"Oh Esca… I have always loved you."

"Then promise me, promise me you'll wait for me, no matter how long it takes."

I nodded in reply, not trusting my voice.

The chariot reached the gates and drew to a halt, I couldn't bring myself to let go of Esca, not yet. My hand still desperately grasped in his. "Step away from my slave boy" came a deep voice from inside the chariot, and an old man stepped down. From the look on Esca's face he recognised the old man stood before us but more then that I could not read. Marcus stepped down beside the older man.

"Well don't just stand there get your things loaded slave and don't waste any more of my time!" I jumped at the edge in the mans voice and hurriedly did as he said. I stole one look back at Esca as I stepped into the Chariot with Marcus and the older man and then we were away.

It did not take long to reach my new home and Esca was there waiting for the chariot, what was going on? I brought my things down from the chariot and stood back as soon as Marcus got down from the Chariot Esca launched himself at him, screaming profanities. Marcus easily held the upper hand for his bulk and height and subdued Esca.

"Calm yourself, come inside, we have a few things to discuss."

We sat at the table, myself, Esca, Marcus and the old man. He explained how he had bartered with my Master hard for weeks after Marcus had told him of Esca and I.

"So now child, you are free."

"Free?"

"Yes free, now I am going to retire for the night all this excitement has worn me out."

I turned to look at Esca, tears brimming. "Free?"

He too looked like he might cry, "Marry me?" I was too stunned to answer straight away, my head too filled with happiness.

I looked from Esca to Marcus, the words not reaching my mouth.

"Well answer the man" stated Marcus laughing

"Marry me" he said again, his face very serious. His eyes hard.

"Of course I will, yes, a thousand times, Yes"