It was all so confusing. She was alone in her room, her door shut against her parents fighting. She could still hear them from here, but she didn't understand what they were saying. While she tried to busy herself with the one book her poor family could afford, shouts about Templars, Assassins, and something called a Piece of Eden reached her. None of it made sense, so she tried to close them out.

She was in the main room when they came. The soldiers. They kicked down the door and came in, torches aflame and swords pulled out. They tried to grab her and her family, but her father fought them off with the best of his ability. He wore the same uniform as the men he was fighting.

Mother grabbed onto her and tried to pull her away from the soldiers while screaming for Father. A sharp blow to his head made him crumple to the ground. The soldiers picked him up and surrounded the two girls, and then in walked that man. She had never seen his face before, but she knew he was very important.

"Where is it? You found what I want, didn't you?" the man said, smiling nastily into her father's face.

"No." her father said, staring at the ground.

"Don't play games with me. I can have you tortured, and while I wait-" he took a step toward her and her mother.

"No!" her father exclaimed wrestling in the soldier's grips.

"Then tell me what I want to know." the man insisted.

Her father looked at a certain spot on the floor. It was obviously unintentional, as he flinched afterward. The dark man, however, seemed pleased and motioned for his soldiers to prize open the floor. Her father flinched away, closing his eyes tight.

Something exploded. If the explosion had not caught the house aflame, the torches dropped from the impact would do it. In a few moments, they were in a giant pyre. Something hot had hit her in the back, and she screamed as clothing and flesh burned. She heard her mother gasp and cry, and soon rough cloth aggravated her angry back as her mother tried to cover her up with what was left of a coat. Quickly, they fled from the burning building. Even in the confusion, however, the soldiers still found them.

Father was dead. In the haze, she still registered this. Mother cried a lot as she was forced to answer questions she didn't know the answer to. Father had only told her where the item was hidden, and it had exploded. That man decided to wait until the fire had calmed down, and then his soldiers would dig through the rubble. In the meantime, mother and daughter were separated, and she slept fitfully, passed out in pain.

Numb with shock and pain, she woke up. The one soldier who stood before her turned and made as if to say something angry at her. Then he stopped, looking almost dumbfounded as she struggled up to her feet. Her back felt as if it was ripping apart with every movement, but she clutched the too-large coat to her and stared at the man.

She walked away from that corner on the streets and the fire and the pain. Then there was only darkness and running. Lots of running.

She woke, groggy and stiff, but fine. It took her a moment to realize she was not home. Her roof did not look like this. Curious, her heart pounding, she looked about and immediately caught sight of a young girl, about her age, that was wringing a cloth of water. The girl turned to see she was awake, and smiled.

"Good morning." She smiled. "Nice to see you're awake. You've been in a fever all night."

The girl took off the dry rag on her forehead and replaced it with the cool one. The guest didn't even flinch, instead watching the girl cautiously. Laying carefully, she was almost eerily still.

"It's alright. My name's Lucilla. What's yours?"

Still, she was silent. The most she did was blink, for not another part of her moved. Was she scared? Startled?

"Do you have a name?" Lucilla asked curiously.

Still no answer. Finally, the girl sighed. She put the dried cloth into the bowl of water next to the bed and stood.

"Are you hungry? Come on, you've got to at least nod. I can't help you if you don't let me know what you want."

The silent one looked down at the ground. Then she looked up again and nodded. Lucilla looked pleased, as she smiled.

"Good! I'll fetch you some stew."

Lucilla turned and moved quickly to the fireplace, in which was hanging a large pot. She stirred it and ladled some into a bowl, and then came back to her guest. The quiet one sat up and accepted the bowl. She took a sip from the stew, but couldn't help flinching.

"There's something wrong?"

She shook her head hurriedly.

"Oh, don't lie. It's the onions. I put too many in, right?"

Again, she shook her head.

"The vegetables? The meat?"

More shaking. Lucilla thought for a few moments. Then her face lit up, having apparently dawned upon what had spoiled her stew.

"Too much garlic!"

She hesitated, but then nodded slowly, eyes communicating that she didn't wish to upset Lucilla. Lucilla smiled, happy that her guest was not only capable of some form of communication, but was willing to do so. It would make things a lot easier.

"Is it so bad that you can't eat it?"

She shook her head.

"Good. I don't want to starve you. When I found you, you looked tired and starved already."

She couldn't help it. She smiled her thanks. Lucilla smiled back.

"I still need a name for you, though. Don't you have one?"

She shrugged.

"You don't know?"

She shook her head 'no'.

"Well, that's troublesome. You can't go without a name. I'll just have to make one for you!"

She furrowed her brow. Lucilla seemed happy about this. Was she always smiling, even when she found someone fainted and starving?

"So, what should I call you?" Lucilla stood and walked about the small shack. Finally, another idea dawned on her, and she came back to the bedside. "This'll fit you: Tacita."

She frowned. She didn't understand entirely, but it was alright, she supposed.

"It stands for a person who's mute, who can't talk."

She made as if to say "oh", but no sound came out. The gesture seemed enough, however, for Lucilla stood up happily. She seemed to think there was some purpose in proclaiming this new decision, for the next thing she said was: "There! So I am Lucilla and you are Tacita! They don't exactly flow together, but they fit us."

Tacita smiled. She found this truly funny and soon bunched up in a fit of silent laughter. Although it was strange for Lucilla to watch silent laughter, she couldn't help but join in, giggling in triumph.

It was slow work, nursing Tacita back into health. It was at first difficult for her to take only a few steps around the small, one-room house, but with enough rest and food, she was finally able to stand and walk for long periods of time without Lucilla's help. Lucilla also used Tacita as a guinea pig, testing out new ways of cooking food while Tacita was confined to her bed. Some tests were a failures, others utter successes, shown by the look of contentment that would soften the guest's face.

Since Tacita didn't talk, for even later she felt no inclination to try, she spent a lot of time watching, listening, and thinking. In a couple of short weeks, she learned a lot about her hostess. She learned Lucilla used to have a mother, but she died, and that her father had never been part of the picture. Lucilla lived at the very edge of Rome, right next to a large expanse of forest land. Often, she had to leave in order to ride her horse into Rome to fetch supplies. Lucilla said Rome was a big place, but Tacita couldn't picture it. Every time she tried to think of what a city might look like, the only picture she got in her head was one of a very small village, with the barest houses and people there. What would a city look like, she wondered?

Lucilla was fond of cooking, but not very much of cleaning. Tacita was bothered on her first night over by the smell of left out food. It was strange to think that Lucilla hadn't grown up on much, because she often wasted a lot of food merely by leaving it out too long. Perhaps her mother had always cleaned, and so Lucilla had never learned.

The hostess was also very respectful. After Tacita was first given her name, she fell asleep quickly. Her strength was failing her, and whatever she had been through had caused her to be incapable of staying awake for too long. When she woke up again, tortured by dark nightmares she didn't remember, her eyes opened to see Lucilla sleeping in the chair that was right next to the fireplace. It made sense. After all, Tacita was laying in the only bed. Still, Lucilla didn't force Tacita out of the bed during her entire stay. the girl felt thankful, but also somehow burdened.

When Tacita could finally rise from the bed without help and walk around on her own, not falling or faltering once, Lucilla seemed to think herself accomplished. She puffed out her chest for effect, and then jumped about and outside, shouting that Tacita had finally gotten strong. Then she teased Tacita about not being able to run, at least. After all, Lucilla would have been in trouble if Tacita had been able to catch up.

Tacita's response was to race after Lucilla, pelting forward headfirst without testing whether her legs could handle it. Lucilla screamed and ran, turning at wide angles. Tacita was surprised to find she could follow her hostess, and was also quite fast, though she stumbled now and then. Lucilla then pulled a very nasty trick. She headed straight into the forest and turned sharply when Tacita was close, forcing Tacita to halt into a tree. Tacita got back, of course. She pretended to be knocked out, and when Lucilla was close, she tripped the girl onto the ground and tried wrestling with her. Unfortunately, she had stayed still so long that she still hadn't the strength to win in a contest such as that.

Tacita enjoyed her newfound freedom. Though skinny and underworked, she had a strong will. She'd stand and move until she couldn't anymore, and Lucilla had to drag or carry her back to bed on more than one occasion, much to the stinging of Tacita's pride. However, persistence allowed Tacita to help with things around the house, starting with small tasks like gathering or bringing in a couple of pieces of firewood at a time. She learned the basics of cooking and saw how Lucilla took care of the place, from cutting the firewood to gathering the food. Again, the only thing Lucilla wasn't so good at was cleaning. Tacita took that job as soon as she could.

In just a few short weeks, Tacita could run and move with no problem. She still wasn't that strong, but her muscles were enough to perform simple tasks around the house, and certainly never caused problems because she wasn't strong enough to do something. It felt good to be functional again, and being around Lucilla allowed Tacita to recognize the goodness of nature and the warmth of the sun. Simple pleasures became a staple in her life, and Tacita enjoyed every bit of it.

If there was one thing Tacita enjoyed the most, it was how close she and Lucilla had gotten. They traded off with the bed now that she did not need it anymore, and neither became upset when one would take it, because there was always a silent agreement as to who's night it was. There's seemed to be a quiet understanding between the two, and the daily jobs were done with all swiftness. Not but a glance was needed between the two, since they learned how a look could carry an entire conversation. That wasn't to say Lucilla stopped talking- not by a long shot. Instead, Tacita and Lucilla understood each other perfectly, even when not a single word was uttered. It was wonderful, because even after a month of time together, Tacita still didn't talk.

Eventually, Lucilla thought Tacita was strong enough to go to town with her. They both sat on the horse and rode slowly up to the city's walls. As they started looming before the two, Lucilla stopped at a house and walked inside, a bag of goods to trade in her hand. Tacita just stared at the walls. They were tall and huge, extending out of view and somehow proving to be very intimidating.

"Sorry." Lucilla said when she came back. "I can't get a better deal on some things compared to the woman who lives here."

Tacita wasn't paying attention. She was staring at the walls. Lucilla looked, understood, and got back on the grey mare.

They walked slowly to the walls and then under an arching gate, which Tacita watched with all fascination. And then she stared hungrily at the houses and stores, all crammed close together with hardly any room for the crowds that walked through. There were beggars and courtesans, guards and thieves, messengers and politicians, all through these populated streets. Tacita looked around her with all her interest, noticing the clothing types and the way certain people acted. Everything here was new to her.

The rough clacking of the mare's hooves on the cobblestone stopped, and Lucilla jumped off the mare. She motioned to Tacita, and Tacita got off slowly, feeling safer on top of the horse. Lucilla handed Tacita the reins, and then the two walked over to a trading post.

Tacita watched closely, ever silent. She saw Lucilla offer something for something else. A bag of herbs for a slice of meat or for a good pelt. Then the man behind the counter would refute the offer and give one of his own, usually asking more from Lucilla or giving her less. The two would barter this way, back and forth, and finally settle upon something, followed by exchanging the agreed-upon items. It was a confusing thing to understand, but Tacita was sure that if Lucilla did it a few more times, she would catch on.

Unfortunately, Tacita didn't feel Lucilla had bartered enough before they moved on. Fortunately, they found other places where Lucilla would perform the same ritual, but offering different items. When Lucilla caught Tacita's wondering gaze, she smiled and laughed.

"I can get better deals for different things, depending on where I go. Some people value herbs more than pelts, and others value pelts more than meat on certain occasions. It all depends on what business they're into."

Tacita's gaze moved to the small pouch that was still on Lucilla's hip. It was a patch of some special herb that Tacita was certain was not only rare, but also valuable. Why had she not traded that?

"This is for someone else." Lucilla smiled. "Come on."

Tacita followed, leading the calm mare behind her. They wove through a few more streets, making their way deeper into the city of Rome. Tacita was beginning to get used to it, but certain sounds and smells took a while to adjust to. Perhaps it was a matter of time. Perhaps a public eruption between guards and rebels would always rattle her.

Finally, Tacita and Lucilla made it to a small house. Lucilla motioned to a post, and Tacita tied the horse there. Then Lucilla knocked. When the door opened, Tacita briefly saw a little boy at the door before he jumped on Lucilla and disappeared into her embrace.

"Lucilla!" The boy exclaimed.

"Albus! It's good to see you again!" Lucilla smiled.

"Albus? Who's at the door?" A voice from inside called.

"Mom! Lucilla's here!" Albus exclaimed, parting from Lucilla's embrace. He looked excitedly into the house.

"Then come inside and get back into bed." His mother said. " Lucilla, you can come in."

"Yes, mom..." The boy sighed, but he flashed Lucilla a quick grin before heading past the door.

Lucilla smiled back at Albus. She hesitated before entering, looking at her friend. Tacita looked reluctant to enter, but also curious. Who was Albus, and why had Lucilla come here? Was it safe to enter?

"Come on." Lucilla motioned, stepping back to let Tacita slowly enter first. "I brought a friend!"

"Oh, is that so?" The mother responded.

Tacita watched Albus' mother come out of the kitchen. This house was larger than Lucilla's, and it looked like there as a kitchen, a living area, and two bedrooms. The mother was a bit short and slightly portly, but her face was kind. Tacita shifted nervously in the woman's gaze, noticing how her eyes were slightly guarded and critical, as if she was just as worried about Tacita being a threat as Tacita was worried about her being a threat.

"Who are you, then?" The woman asked.

"Her name is Tacita." Lucilla said, a bit of pride still evident in her voice.

"Tacita? Well, pleased to meet you. What brings you to be a friend of Lucilla's? Come now, don't you speak?"

"No, she doesn't." Lucilla answered while Tacita shook her head, trying to stay patient. "She doesn't speak, and she doesn't remember a thing from before I found her."

"Well," Albus' mother sighed. "somebody must love you up there, Tacita. There's no one better to take care of you than Lucilla. She's a bit scatterbrained, and she's still got growing to do, but her heart is bigger than anybody's I've ever seen."

Tacita smiled while Lucilla blushed. Tacita nodded at her friend while she was looking, showing that she approved of the woman's description. Lucilla was certainly the kindest, most understanding person Tacita had ever known. That might not be saying much, but it meant a lot to the mute girl.

"Oh, Aurelia, I brought a bag of herbs for you today!" Lucilla said, as if just remembering. She walked over to the mother and handed her the special pouch from her belt. Aurelia looked inside, and her face softened with a smile.

"Do you see what I mean?" Aurelia looked at Tacita before turning into the kitchen. "My daughter caught a rare sickness that only these herbs seem to stave off, and she died. Now my son has the same thing, and despite the rarity of the herbs, Lucilla always manages to bring them here. She is a kind soul."

Lucilla's face was all red now, and Tacita listened fondly to the woman. It was horrible that her first child died, and now her second one might. The thought must loom over her every day, threatening her. The mute wondered if Lucilla was always such a ray of hope.

Aurelia got straight to creating a salve out of the herbs. As she worked, she talked with Lucilla and did her best to communicate with Tacita. Lucilla ended up being a middle woman, translating Tacita's smiles and frowns into long, specific sentences. Albus eventually got impatient, and he ventured out of his room to join the group.

Now that Tacita got a good look at the boy, she saw that he was actually very pale, and his legs shook as he walked. Ruffled hair signaled that he stayed in bed most of the time. A pang of pity hit Tacita in the stomach. How did Aurelia deal with this?

Albus was really quite fond of Lucilla, jumping around a little bit before he was scolded for being too energetic in his state. While sitting safely, he talked for endless minutes about what Tacita considered to be absolutely nothing- the color of the sky in the morning, a butterfly almost landing on his finger before flitting away, and the unusual amount of energy he'd had today. The boy even tested the waters with talking with Tacita, asking her simple questions she could nod and shake her head to at first. When he ended up asking more complicated ones, the girl found her eyes darting to Lucilla for help, and Lucilla explained.

All in all, the day was very tiring. Albus and Aurelia were very good people, and she enjoyed their company, but Tacita felt she had come too far away from home and seen and done too much, so she was eager to go back. The many lights of Rome dwindled into the outer huts that were scattered outside the walls, and then darkness became the hostess, guest, and steady mare. They made it home just as the half moon was rising above the tree line, and took the time to put the mare in her pasture before going back inside to rest.

Tacita slept long and well, and in the morning, the smell of food woke her. Blearily, she realized Lucilla was already cooking some of the food she had bartered for the day before. Despite the girl's attempts to fall back asleep, it was worthless, and so she rose from the chair to look at Lucilla.

The sun was at that point where its light slanted sideways through the windows, giving everything it touched a golden halo. Lucilla's hair was already a kind of golden brown, but now she almost looked angelic. Tacita thought back to the day before and smiled. Yes, Lucilla was a kind of angel, wasn't she?

Lucilla looked up from her cooking and smiled back.

"Good morning." She said pleasantly.

Tacita nodded her head in response.

"You know, I was thinking about yesterday. You really don't know how to interact with anyone other than me, and I think you need to learn."

Tacita hesitated. She was mute, so communicating would be difficult. However, if she were to be helpful to this house, she would have to learn how to barter and communicate without speaking, and without just blinking. She nodded.

"So I'll have to teach you that. Also, you haven't had a proper bath since I took you in. I shouldn't have taken you into Rome like that, but I didn't realize just how bad it was until I saw the looks people were giving you. I can't stand them looking like that, so we have to get you all clean today!"

Tacita leaned a bit away from Lucilla, giving a nervous look. Lucilla was speaking and cooking with a new fervor, so she had quite a bit of passion about this. It was almost emanating off of her, and the mute wondered if her hostess looked a little insane.

"So, we're going to the falls today, after we eat!"

Lucilla mounted some of the food onto a plate and handed it swiftly to Tacita. The girl looked at her plate for a moment, and then up at Lucilla almost suspiciously.

"I haven't poisoned it." Lucilla said as she made her way back to dish herself up. "And if you don't eat it, I'll still take you to the falls. You're strong enough to make it there and back without food."

It was with a sort of suspicious reluctance that Tacita ate her food, watching Lucilla warily for some sign of insanity. Of course this didn't mean Lucilla was insane in any fashion. However, the idea of having a bath with Lucilla was just... odd. Logically, they were both girls, and therefore it shouldn't matter, but no matter how logically Tacita tried to think about it, she still felt shy.

Slow was the only pace Tacita could bring herself to when she followed Lucilla into the woods, carrying towels and a new set of clothes that Lucilla had chosen for her. The mute's reluctance did not go unnoticed, as Lucilla gave constant encouragement.

"It's just a bath." Lucilla said. "Honestly, have you never had one?"

It took a long time for Tacita to realize that it wasn't necessarily the bath that was troubling her. Instead, it was the forest that bothered the mute. There was something dark and familiar about it, both reminding her of the feeling she got from her nightmares and a certain sense of strength. The way Tacita kept her head low, it was almost as if she was returning to some place where she was a felon, and she was waiting for someone to call her out at any moment. Of course, she couldn't muster up any reason why she should feel this way, so she put forth effort to ignore it.

Eventually, the pounding of the waterfall became deafening, and the woods cleared to show a vast area filled with nothing but green grass and the powerful river. Lucilla led her guest to the water, and after a bit of persuasion, slowly convinced Tacita to strip in order to bathe.

The scars on Tacita's shoulders weren't frightening. After all, she had been found passed out in the woods, dirty and apparently looking like she hadn't been around civilization for a while. But when Tacita finally- however grudgingly- pulled the shirt off her back, Lucilla responded by gasping.

"Oh my God." Lucilla breathed. "What happened?"

Tacita turned to look at her friend, a worried expression on her face. Lucilla's eyes were wide with horror, and a hand was covering her mouth. Had the mute done something wrong? She wasn't sure.

Lucilla walked forward, a hand outstretched. Lightly, she touched Tacita's back, and Tacita leapt way, frightened for a moment. She couldn't figure why a simple touch had frightened her.

"How did you get those scars?" Lucilla asked.

Shieb: I hope nobody minds the large use of narration, but it's difficult to otherwise set up interactions when the main character is, well, mute. Either way, I think some people might be able to sense what's going to happen in the next chapter.

If there's something wrong that you see, drop me a comment. I always enjoy improving.