Written for Liza. I really hope you will like it.
Prompts used: Historical AU!ancient civilization: the Romans; labyrinthine, sempiternal, lissome, mellifluous, propinquity, happy ending and Rest in peace song
Also they have just met.
Word count: 2425
Also for the writing club. Write about Remus Lupin.(sorry that was no chocolate)
This was betaed by Sam. Thank you very much.
Remus looked around. So much blood, so much death. Was there any hope that this sempiternal, bitter war would ever end? Why Father wanted this land he would never understand. There was nothing here. Just barbarians who were decided to fight until their last breath. And it seemed that his people would have it before them.
"Centurion Remus!"
Remus turned around. Centurion Quintus was looking at him, displeasure clear on his face.
"What do you want Quintus? Is there any problem?"
Remus had lost track of this man's labyrinthine plots and counterplots to make him look bad in front of the others. He had no idea what he had done for Quintus to hate him so much; they used to be friends. But Remus had stopped caring a long time ago. The war had killed everything that made him human.
I died
So many years ago
"We got a slave for you, Centurion. After all, you're the only one who hasn't had the pleasure of a woman warm your bed. And it's a good one tonight. Bring her!" he said to a soldier sitting near the tent.
Soon, he came back with girl, no older than eighteen in Remus' opinion, holding her arm tightly. The soldier looked disgusted by their close propinquity; the girl was dirty and bloodied (Had they beaten her?!), but she was beautiful. Very beautiful.
The soldier threw her at Remus's feet and exited the tent.
"Have fun!" said Quintus before he left too.
Remus stared at the girl. What was he supposed to do? If he told them that he didn't want her, they would take her, for fun, as Quintus had said. And as he looked at the girl, he knew he couldn't do this. She deserved better. But at the same time, if it appeared he was too easy on her, the same thing would happen.
He bent down and lifted her up from the ground. So beautiful. Seeing her had awakened feelings long gone for him. It really had been a long time, but this girl didn't deserve what his traitorous body wanted to do.
The girl had a broken look on her face. Her eyes shone too brightly; she had been crying. He felt his heart break at the sight. Usually, he was not taken in so easily, but the girl had touched his heart in a way no one had ever done.
But you make me feel
Like it isn't so
"Are you alright?"he asked in a gentle tone.
To Remus's surprise, the broken look disappeared and defiance took its place.
"Do I look fine to you?"she asked him with a glare.
And Remus understood why she looked so beaten up even if she was 'his prize' (he shuddered at the notion); the others had tried to break her spirit and it seemed they hadn't succeeded.
He took a deep breath. So that was she was given to him.
And why you came to be with me
I think I finally know
Mmm mmm
To break her.
Because he had stopped caring, Remus was known to be a cold man, with no conscience; but Remus did have a conscience, even if it didn't show too often. That was why he didn't take slaves. He could kill if that was what was required of him. He could torture if that was what was needed for him to do, but to force himself onto another human being, girl or woman (and unfortunately, there were more and more girls), he could never do. He would never stop so low.
"No, you don't," he replied, taking her hand in his."Come on. We need to clean you up. And see if you are hurt."
The girl looked at him suspiciously. "Why? You're disgusted to be near me too. Like the soldier that brought me here? Do not think I hadn't noticed how all the other Romans looked at me."
Remus was going to be in for a hard night. "No, I'm not. You're beautiful. How could I be disgusted to be near you? I just thought that you would feel better if you were clean and..."
"Thank you," she whispered, staring at him.
Remus looked into her eyes. They held such an intensity, he got lost in them.
...
"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked while exiting the bathtub.
Remus quickly turned around, but it was too late. He had seen. "Yes," he managed to say. Her image would forever be burnt in his mind.
She chuckled dryly. "You must be the only Roman to turn around in moments like these," she mused. "Now you can look."
Remus turned cautiously. She was wrapped in a towel, her hair wet. He stared at her, unable to tear his eyes off of her.
"Possibly," he conceded.
"But why? What stops you from taking me? You say I am beautiful, but..." She looked down.
In two steps, he was near her and took her in his arms. "Do you want me to? Because if you say it, I will, but I won't be able to let you go. You will see why they've brought you to me," he whispered, looking into her eyes, searching for her response.
"I...don't know," she said, "My family..."
But Remus knew. He had seen that she was afraid. All of the others girls were allowed to go back to their families after a while, but he was never going to let her go, not after seeing her naked, lissome body. If she said yes...
But even if he did, what could she say? That she was willingly sleeping with him?
The look at her eyes betrayed her.
You're scared
Ashamed of what you feel
And you can't tell the ones you love
She looked down. "I'm sorry. I can't..."
Remus nodded. He was expecting that. "I see. Well, I'll ask for some clothes. I'm afraid you're going to stay with me for a while at least. They expect me to tame you. They can't do it and since I have no conscience in their opinion, I will break you." He looked away.
"But you do have conscience," she whispered, hugging him. She forgot the towel that was wrapped around her, and it fell to the floor.
And suddenly, Remus was hugging a very naked and attractive young girl. He forced himself to look away, while she wrapped herself with the towel once more.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Whisper in a dead man's ear
It doesn't make it real.
That's great.
Remus only nodded and exited the tent. He needed some fresh air.
He came back much later to find her waiting on his bed, dressed in nothing but a cloak wrapped around her.
"Where are your clothes?"he asked.
"I do not have clothes. The man that brought me here said that it would be better if I didn't have them. Easier to play, he said."
But I don't wanna play
Quintus, always the one to oppose him. If he knew who Remus really was, he wouldn't defy him. But, he did not.
"I am sorry for this. I will give you some of my clothes."
"I take it you don't wanna play then," she said with a smile.
Something in the way she said it made him nervous, made him feel in a way he had never felt before.
'cause being with you touches me
More than I can say
"I do not think you want it, either," he said, throwing one if his shirts and a pair of trousers at her and turning away.
"I do not know. You say you are a cold person, that you won't let me go, that you have no conscience even if I say you do. Only the dead have no conscience and people with no heart. I think you have a heart. Are you dead?"she asked, staring at him.
The same insecurity as before. Just a different way of showing it.
And since I am only dead to you
I'm saying stay away and
Let me rest in peace.
Why couldn't she leave him alone? Was he dead? He might be. He didn't know. He only wanted this to end. He wanted to sleep and forget. He wanted peace. He wanted to go home, to Rome. And most of all, he wished for her to leave him alone.
Let me rest in peace
Let me get some sleep
Let me take my love and bury it
In a hole 6-foot deep
I can lay my body down
But I can't find my sweet release
So let me rest in peace.
She didn't see how much he had changed in the few hours he had known her, how he had done everything for her? How he would do anything. He felt like he was trapped, like all of this was part of a plot to give him a weakness, to make him her slave.
"I don't know. I might be," he answered, not looking at her.
You know
You got a willing slave
"You've never asked for my name," she stated, getting up and coming closer to him.
"I didn't think it was necessary," he answered stepping back.
And you love to play the thought
That your might misbehave
"But I know yours."
Remus stared at her. If she came any closer—that cloak didn't cover her—he didn't know what he would do. What he could do. He wasn't known as the man without a conscience for just any reason.
He took another step back. What was she doing to him?
But till you do
I'm telling you
"I'm Hermione."
The way she said it...
She was going to be the death of him.
"Stop!" he managed to whisper, forcing himself to look into her eyes.
"But why? Why does this bother you?" she asked with a frown.
"Darling, if you come any closer, you will see a part of me I wish you wouldn't see. How you see me now...the me you see has died some time ago. You woke me up. So please, dress yourself and let me be."
Stop visiting my grave
Let me rest in peace
He looked at her and something in his eyes convinced her of the truth of his words. She took few steps back and dressed.
Remus looked away.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have pushed you." She sat on the bed and put the cloak around her, covering herself and putting her face in her hands.
He turned and walked towards her.
I know I should go
But I follow you like a man possessed
She looked up and he could see the fear in her eyes. He hadn't meant to scare her, just for her to understand.
"Hey!" he said."I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry, but you had to know. I'm not a kind man; it's been long time since I have been. But I promise I won't hurt you. I will do my best. I promise."
He knew he didn't make much sense, but he had to do something. He didn't want her to be afraid.
There's a traitor here beneath my breast
And it hurts me more than you've ever guessed.
She looked at him and he could see that she had retreated into herself again. She had the same defiant look in her face.
What had he done? What had she done for him to feel this way?
If my heart could beat, it would break my chest
But I can see you're unimpressed
"Really? Now you promise that you won't hurt me, but minutes before, you said you would if I came any closer."
"You're right," he said.
So leave and
Let me rest in peace
Let me get some sleep
Let me take my love and bury it
In a hole 6-foot deep
She continued to look at him, her eyes daring him to come closer.
He turned around. "I'm going to take a walk. Go to sleep if you want. I meant what I said. I will not hurt you. I know I gave you no reason to trust me. But please..."
I can lay my body down
But I can't find my sweet release
So let me rest in peace
"Wait!"she shouted, stopping him from exiting.
He turned to look her.
Why won't you
let me rest in peace?
"You did give me a reason," she continued, getting up and walking towards him. This time he didn't step back.
"You were kind to me when everyone else wasn't and when I didn't deserve it. All the others Romans would have forced themselves on me by now. You only wanted me to leave you alone. But I didn't. And still, you are the one to leave. You say I have no reason, but I say that I have more than one reason. I do trust you. And more than that, I think I feel something for you." She gulped."It's not right, I know. But I ..."
He closed the distance between them and hugged her tight."I feel something too," he whispered in her ear.
She smiled. "So, what are we going to do?" she asked him.
"I don't know. But I no longer want you to leave me alone." He winked at her.
Hermione laughed. "Well, that's good because as you have seen, I cannot leave you alone."
Remus smiled. He was right about how he could try to be a good man for her.
He wasn't sure, but as he listened to her mellifluous voice, he believed that what he was feeling was love.
"Welcome back, Son."
"Thank you, father." Remus said, looking around him. He missed being home.
"I'm glad to see that you are yourself again. And here is the young lady I have to thank for this."
Hermione blushed. "Thank you, your Highness." She squeezed his hand.
"You also should thank Quintus. If he hadn't given me her to me.."
His friend had done it on purpose. He hadn't sent her to him to break her. But for her to fix him.
"I will. Now, when should we have the wedding?"
Both Remus and Hermione blushed.
"And I do not want to hear any complaints. I am the Emperor. You have to listen to me."
Everybody laughed. And Remus smiled. He hadn't believed in happy endings as he hadn't believed he could be a good man .Until he had met her. Hermione. His light in the darkness.
She had made him good again. She was his happy ending.