It was the rain that woke her. Pounding, torrential rain, the drops falling so fast and thick that it appeared the lattice windows of her room were solid, grey filling in the gaps between the sand coloured slats. And the noise. Like the drumming of a thousand battle shields, growing louder every minute. It tore a hole through her mind, ripping back the blanket of sleep that lingered still on her brain, forcing her to think, to feel, to take in. The dull numbness of slumber had been so comforting.
And yet...something glimmered in the mists of rain and morning and cold. A faint spark, gaining in brilliance as she forced her mind to begin working. Was it today? Had it really come at last? Excitement built in her chest. She counted slowly. Yes. Today was the Ides of October. HE was coming today. And when he left, it would be with her heart.
Flavia Gemina smiled lazily. She'd want his in return.
With a groan, Jonathan Ben Mordecai slumped down beside Nubia in the courtyard. "Great Jupiter's Eyebrows!" he grimaced, "you'd think the Emperor was coming to tea!"
Nubia nodded. "Except that Flavia would never have the Emperor over for tea. Not after he almost got her killed."
Jonathan laughed "True. But you know what I mean. She's like a thunderstorm! Apparently I was 'just getting in the way' unloading the boxes. I ALMOST dropped ONE and she was on me like the Furies! So, I was ordered by Miss Neuroticism over there to come here and help you." He smiled affectionately down at Nubia, who was twirling garlands of autumn flowers over the branches of the quince tree.
Nubia allowed herself a small giggle. She had managed to contain herself during the course of the morning, but now Flavia's constant shouting was becoming tiresome. She longed for him just to arrive and put them all out of their misery.
"Where is the Lupus?" she asked Jonathan.
"Oh, he went out to run some errands for Mother. The sneaky devil. He managed to get himself out of ANY work!"
Nubia was about to reply, when a sudden loud crash echoed through the house. They both leapt up and bounded through to the kitchen, just in time to see Alma, the household slave who acted as cook, cleaner, nurse and confidante to everyone in it, and many out, frantically trying to wipe boiling hot soup off a howling Caudex's torso. The big door slave sobbed like a child as the soup burned his flesh.
"Well don't just stand there!" shouted Alma at the gawking Jonathan and Nubia, "get some water you fools!"
Jonathan seized the bucket standing by the door and, not really knowing what else to do, hurled it at the man. Caudex's cries were cut short as water filled his mouth, and silence fell. For a split second, all that could be heard was the dripping of water onto the floor. Then:
"What in the name of HADES is going on!?!"
Flavia Gemina stood framed in the doorway, the picture of stress, anxiety and fury. Her light brown hair was loose and wild, falling over her eyes and sticking out in odd places. She was not properly dressed, having simply pulled an old tunic on over her night clothes, and her eyes were like chips of granite, flashing angrily.
Everyone looked at Alma, who was heaving the scalded Caudex to his feet. She glared at them. "Dont look at me! Ask this great lummox here! Blockhead by name, blockhead by nature!"
Caudex whimpered in pain, ugly red marks already blooming over his face and arms.
"Are you walking into the soup pan, Caudex?" asked Nubia gently.
He nodded, tears still running down his face. He looked like an overgrown schoolboy.
"I think you better go and see my father about those burns Caudex" said Jonathan, biting his lip, "they look nasty."
Caudex shuffled miserably towards the door but Flavia advanced and forced him back inside the kitchen.
"What?!?!?" she said incredulously to Jonathan, "he cant LEAVE! Not now! He's needed to put up decorations, and unload boxes, and...and..."
"Flavia, stop shouting, he's hurt! For goodness sake, calm down!" Jonathan said exasperatedly.
"Calm down? If anyone needs to calm down it's Caudex, its only a burn..."
"FLAVIA!" Jonathan almost roared, "Will you PLEASE think about someone else other than yourself for one moment?! I know this is your big day, but you are driving everyone insane! Let Caudex go. I will help as best I can, Lupus will be back soon and he will lend a hand. Everything will be fine, but you have to stop being such a bossy little madam. Yes?"
Flavia stared at him in shock. Nubia smiled inwardly to herself. Jonathan had grown up so much in the last few years. At 17, physically he looked much the same, except that he had grown taller, leaner and harder. But it was mentally that he had changed. Authority and calm emanated from him in waves, washing over everyone in his presence. He struck an imposing figure, even standing in a soup soaked kitchen surrounded by neurotic women on either side. Looking at him that day, Nubia had a sudden feeling that he was bound for great things, that he would have some huge part to play in his lifetime.
Flavia was regaining some of her composure. She glared back at Jonathan's patient face: "Excuse me Jonathan, but in case you haven't realised, Gaius is arriving in THREE HOURS, and the dinner isn't made", she shot a withering glance in Alma's direction, "the house is not decorated, I am not dressed and now my slave is out of action! AND the carpenter hasn't delivered the new table for Gaius' present!" she took a step towards him, squaring up, "So I think I may have some claim to being a little bit stressed!"
"Oh for the love of Jupiter, Miss Flavia!" exploded Alma from across the room, where she was soaking a rag in water for Caudex to hold to his burns, "I'm sorry to speak out of turn, but you have just crossed a line. You are behaving like a child. Act your age and go and get dressed. Truthfully, I think your father is a fool letting you marry now. Clearly you are not mature enough."
Tears welled in Flavia's eyes as she gazed around angrily at the four of them. "You're all so horrible to me! None of you wants me to be happy, none of you! You're all against this marriage!" and she turned on her heel and fled upstairs.
"Unbelievable." sighed Jonathan. He glanced at Caudex. "Get over to mine, Caudex, I'll take care of things here."
"Oh Master Jonathan..." sighed Alma as she pushed Caudex out of the kitchen in the direction of the front door, "if only Miss Flavia was as level-headed as you and Miss Nubia here. But she hides behind books and useless knowledge and pretends its maturity. I can't think what her father is doing allowing her to marry that young man, he's just like her. Neither of them is grown up enough. Books and poets and romance is all they have in their heads."
Jonathan nodded his ascent, then turned to Nubia, who had been standing quietly at the edge of the room. "Perhaps you better see if she is alright...or at least bring those boxes of ornaments down. Flavia will have another fit when she calms down if they aren't done."
"Yes, Jonathan" Nubia said meekly, and started up the stairs.
"And tell her to get dressed," he called after her, "Not that Floppy will care what she's wearing-he's here for her, not her clothes. In fact I'm sure he'd rather she wasn't wearing any!"
There was a thump and a groan of pain from the kitchen, and Nubia knew Alma had just cuffed Jonathan over the head for such a crude remark.
It was just typical of Flavia, she thought as she walked slowly towards their room. She always got so wound up by little things. Jonathan was right, Floppy (strange how they still called him that after all these years) wouldn't care what she looked like. They were in love, and, much to the horror of Alma and most of society, their impending marriage was based on love. If Flavia thought love was merely based on looks, she was sorely wrong. Love cut deep. It burned like a forest fire on a dry afternoon, but when there was always the threat of rain. Nubia should know. She had been in love.
One quick look into their room told her Flavia was sobbing into her pillow like a little girl. Nubia knew better than to try and engage her with reasoning and sense right then. Let her cry it out, and when she had calmed down they would talk.
Reaching the store room, she set about collecting the ornaments for the dining room and packing them. One, two, three, four boxes were filled and there was still more to take downstairs. Captain Geminus was anything but stingy when it came to decoration and showing off his wealth.
Nubia threw the last few items into the box, gathered up the other six, and staggered out of the room. Swaying slightly, she made her way to the top of the stairs, constantly shifting her load to ensure she dropped none of them. Flavia would skin her alive if anything got broken.
The stairs yawned before her like the gaping mouth of a giant; sharp teeth ready to bite into her flesh if she slipped. Carefully, cautiously, she put one foot down, gripping the edges of the boxes hard. The top one wobbled alarmingly. Holding her breath, Nubia set the other foot down. The tower shuddered again, and Nubia tightened her grip. "Come on," she told herself, "you have just walked up these stairs, and you have walked up and down them almost every day since you were eleven. Now you just have to do it with seven heavy boxes. It is not hard. Besides, they are no heavier than your heart today...."
Slowly, inch by inch, she descended. The boxes moved at the slightest touch, and all her balance and concentration was needed. But she was nearly there, she could see the last few steps...then her stomach lurched, and suddenly she was falling, down, down the giant's throat. The stone floor was rushing up to meet her at an alarming speed, she couldn't bring her arms up to protect herself as she was still holding the boxes. Grey swirled in her vision and then....
She found herself hanging inches from the floor. Nubia stared at the slabs of stone that would almost certainly have cracked her skull open and felt slightly sick. Then, slowly, it occurred to her that people did not simply stop in mid-fall. That was when she realised that she was not only still holding the boxes, but someone else was holding her. A pair of strong, warm arms were wrapped tightly around her torso. She raised her head to see who her saviour was.
And found herself looking into the most beautiful pair of deep blue eyes she had ever seen.
"Hello." said the voice behind the eyes softly. "You look like you need saving."