She could not sleep, the thought of tomorrow kept her wide eyed and trembling. The russet tent loomed high above her, trapping her in what seemed to be her impenetrable doom. Belle knew what was to come, for she would rather be put an unmarked tomb than leave the tent.
The shadows of two guards crossed the flap, she knew it would not be long before her scurrilous 'husband' stormed in. Scorn quickly washed upon her face, darkening her hazel eyes, the tenseness in her jaw, and pursed lips. She pulled slightly at the binds on her wrists, panic erupting in her stomach.
She closed her eyes tightly, forcing her mind to wander.
Images of her lovers face came, but there was no warmth. His face was ridden with worry, anger, and indefeasible vendetta. He was mystical, taking her hand and leading her to the river with a warm smile. There was glow about him that soon engulfed her. Belle took a deep breath, the ghost of a smile upon her lips.
But there was a dark smell of sulfur, not the clean air she was expecting. A rumbling of harsh laughter filled the space around her, and her eyes opened wide in horror.
The notable legate stood in front of her, bearing the golden panoply of his power. His helmet was off, revealing his cruel visage. She longed to spit in his face, to lunge and beat him into the ground, sending him back to where he had come from.
The legate must have noticed, because he smiled devilishly. "Calm yourself, woman." She sneered in response, pulling at her binds once again. "It would be in your best interest to heed my words."
He grabbed her by her hair and drug her towards the door.
"Get off me! She screeched, trying to pull from his iron grip.
Legate Lanius pulled the handful of hair to force her to look into his eyes, "You are a stubborn woman Belle, I suggest you tread lightly, wife." He spat the last word before pushing her out of the tent.
The two frolicking guards grabbed her arms once she was thrown out and heaved her forward onto her feet. She looked forward and nearly fainted from anxiety- before her was the entire Legion.
"No!" she screamed, her feet giving out below her as the guards dragged her on. Was she to be executed before her most trusted soldiers? Before the augured Caesar?
She threw a quick glance behind her to see the legate following close behind, adorned with his feathered helmet.
One guard tugs her arm, drawing her eyes forward to men they past as she was dragged through the crowd.
These were her men; she would not look weak in front of them. These men had venerated her. She would not make a fool of herself and them. She caught her feet and held her chin up, looking at every soldier that met her eyes.
She will keep her facade until death, she swore on it. Even though she almost tripped on her long white dress while strutting up the stairs to the scaffold, she never blinked. Once facing the crowd, she scanned it for a familiar face. She longed to find him, the man who tried to help her escape this slavery she was caged in.
The air around her fell silent as Lanius walked on the scaffold, standing so close behind her, she could hear his breath.
"I call you here, men, to see this ignominy of a woman. Do thou not see the sin lingering in her face? This woman besmirches on the victory she had led us to. She led our troops, fought alongside the strongest frumentarii, scouts, and veterans, but could not fill her duty as a woman. She fell back on her degenerate ways, whoring-"
He was cut off by a strong force slamming against him. The rage in Belle had risen to her throat; she tackled him to the ground. Grasping at his mask and helmet to get at his face to maim him. In an instant hands grabbed at her, prying her off.
Her husband got up quick to brush it off as she struggled against the guards holding her back.
"Do you see these lurid acts? This pitiful woman has revoked her sacred vows, and would smite her husband!"
"I was never your wife! I was sold to you! Forced to become this pathetic object of you desires!" She shouts over him, earning a sharp glare from the legate.
"You were mine!" He roared. "Until that fox had soiled you!" His voice went very low, "It was my intention to execute you. But due to Caesar's extended mercy, you only have to suffer public humiliation, stripping of your title, and loss of rights because you couldn't control you impulses. However," He booms once more to the silent audience, "Your paramour won't be given the same mercy. Whether he dies at my hands or the gods' will, matters not." He turned to her again, "You act like a profligate, and you get treated just the same."
She exhaled deeply as a Golden 'P' was placed on her chest. It almost burned the flesh of her bosom in a preternatural way. No one could save her from this heartache. The man she loved was on the run, away from his love and home. He was once a high ranking soldier in the Legion, but her feelings tore that from him, and it stung even more than the golden letter pinned to her chest. Belle longed for nothing more than to see Lanius' pride stripped away and crucified along with his body. But as she stood on the scaffold, she feigned confidence and strength.
Until she felt Lanius' hand grab her jaw almost tenderly. "Do not forget you're still mine," he whispers darkly. It left Belle trembling with anger. She was going to open her mouth to throw an insult at him, but the sound of shifting feet made her look to the crowd below her.
"Get your hands off her," growled a man who stood in a clearing of the crowd in a red tunic and brown leathers, wielding a familiar machete.
It was him, looking rugged, but handsome nonetheless. His presence made her smile.
Vulpes had come home, home to her.