Special thanks to my Beta, Belgaris. I'd be lost without her.
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own These Characters. They Belong to J.K. Rowling
and Are Her Intellectual Property. I am Not Receiving Any Profit From
This. I Think. Meh.
This is set in an alternate universe where before the middle ages, the continents moved, sooo... Not our world.
The empire comprises of cultures and religions derived from ancient Egypt, Rome, Sparta, Mesopotamia and the ancient Celts and Germans, as well as a bit of personal elements. I went all out. Ehe.
There is a significant amount of Latin in this fic. You have been warned!
Mea Domina- My Lady
Mi carissi- My dear
Gens- In ancient Rome, a gens, plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor.
Iunior Dominus- Junior Lord
Imperator- Emperor
Nobilissimus Caesar- Most Noble Caesar
Agoge- The agōgē was the rigorous education and training regimen mandated for all male Spartan citizens, except for the firstborn son in the ruling houses, Eurypontid and Agiad. The training involved learning stealth, cultivating loyalty to the Spartan group, military training (e.g. pain tolerance), hunting, dancing, singing and social (communicating) preparation. The word "agoge" meant in ancient Greek, rearing, but in this context generally meant leading, guidance or training. My agoge differs in quite a few ways though.
Materno Avus- Maternal grandfather
Turma- A turma (Latin for "swarm, squadron", plural turmae) was a cavalry squadron in the Roman army of the Republic and Empire.
Proavia- Great-grandmother
Aurigae- Charioteers
Palatium- Palace
Princeps Iuventutis - The first amongst the young
Imperator Destinatus- Destined to be Emperor
Chapter Warning: Rape/Non-con
Angua Venenosa collapsed against the side of her bed in exhaustion, gazing down at her newborn child with pride. Her handmaid wiped the sweat from her brow and gave her a smile full of joy and equal pride.
"My congratulations to mea Domina for giving birth to a healthy son."
Angua paid the maid no mind, focusing only on her son and regaining her lost breath. The birth had gone well, as had the afterbirth. She had survived, there was still strength in her body and the child was seemingly healthy, if a tad quiet. Instead of wailing as most babes do, her son was sniffling and whimpering, clenching and unclenching his tiny fists. He was still covered in the substances of birth, with a shock of black hair on his head. Angua smiled with affection. Her son would survive, that she knew.
After thanking the earth for her gift and apologising for separating her from her newest child, Angua lifted her son to her breast. She finally regarded her handmaid, her face void of the affection she held for her new son.
"Bring the wine; I must see if he is strong."
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"Come to me, mi carissi, my precious Angui."
Angua stretched her arms out towards the toddling child before her. His small face was scrunched up in concentration as he tried to put one foot before the other.
Nitens Nox, her husband's grandmother, exhaled a mouthful of smoke from her position; reclining in a swinging cushioned bench nestled in the room's shadows.
"Walking already. He's growing so fast, even for a child of his gens."
Angua smiled as Anguius teetered for a second before regaining his balance.
"My son will always be two steps ahead of his peers."
"So be it."
Nitens fell silent.
"You've become a seer now? Another one of your many...talents?"
Maria chuckled and popped another grape into her mouth.
Angua ignored the gibe from her husband's mother, not wishing to fight and upset her son.
"Mea Domina."
"What?"
"A slave of Clausius of the gens Nigrus has delivered this."
Angua finally took her eyes off of her son to regard the female slave.
The slave held out an elaborately carved box made of ebony.
Angua took the box, ignoring the slave as she bowed and left the room.
"What is it?"
Maria leaned forward in her seat, trying to get a better look at the box.
Angua opened the box and once she saw its contents, sighed heavily.
"What? What is it?"
"Another torque."
Maria leaned back, most of her interest gone.
"Oh, another. Is it bearable?"
Angua lifted the torque from its cushion of silk to examine it. It was made of fine silver, expertly carved, beautifully embossed, elegantly twisted and delicately inlaid with black onyx and black diamond. Its terminals were carved silver dogs. Simple in its design, but grandiose in its execution.
"Quite."
Angua took out a piece of paper.
"There is also a note."
"Read it."
Angua obeyed.
"Greetings, mea Domina,
I give this in honour of the birth of the Iunior Dominus. My sincerest apologies for not giving it to you sooner, I wished that it be the embodiment of perfection. I hope it is to mea Domina's liking. Long live the Imperator and the Nobilissimus Caesar.
Sincerely,
Sirius Nigrus Clausius."
"Give it here. Let us see if it was worth the wait."
Maria held out her hand for the torque.
Angua let loose a low sigh of exasperation, called a slave to her, handed her the torque, then went back to watching her son. The slave gave the torque to Maria.
Maria brought the torque closer to her face so she could inspect it better.
"Ooh. Why, it *is* lovely. Venenosa, you simply *must* put this on Tuscus. Besides, it would be an insult to Clausius if Tuscus is seen not wearing it. It would not be wise for Tuscus to alienate such a powerful man, at such a young age."
"Then many people shall be insulted, for my son cannot wear so many torques around his neck!" Angua gestured to the ouroboros torque Anguius was already wearing. The one her father had gifted to him before his death.
"Nonsense."
Silence fell over the room as the Nitens spoke once more.
"When I was a child, wearing many necklaces was the fashion. For both males and females. In fact, I wore more necklaces than Anguius has received. Up until I was wed."
"Well, that may be so, mother-in-law, but we cannot have the Nobilissimus Caesar walking around looking like a giraffe with so many adornments!"
Maria bit her cheek as she tried to keep her tone respectful. Her husband's mother had always disliked her. Over time the feeling became mutual.
The room became slightly cold, which was odd for there was only one window and it was closed. Nitens sat up properly and leaned forward into the light. Eyes blacker than the night sky stared coolly at Maria.
"Do not be foolish, daughter-in-law."
She moved her considerably warmer gaze to Angua.
"It is a simple matter. Choose the best of the torques and put them on Anguius' neck. Not all at once, mind you. Gradually, so that he may grow into them. The rest, turn them into accessories. Bracelets, armlets and the like. Make it happen, you *are* a sorceress,-"
Nitens leaned back into the bench.
"- are you not?"
She blew out a mouthful of smoke.
Nothing more was said on the matter.
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"Angui."
From his seated position on the papyrus mat, said child looked over at his mother where she was preparing the tools needed for the ritual.
"Yes, mother?"
Angua gave her son a smile, the one that was for him only. Her prediction was correct. Not only did her child survive, he thrived. He was sharp, smart, fierce and strong. She couldn't have been more proud.
"You remember why we are doing this?"
The boy nodded.
"So one can harm me."
"Correct!"
Angua gave the contents in the pestle a particularly harsh grind with the mortar.
"Not just for your protection, but also to preserve your heritage. You come from a long line of powerful people, my son, you must show it! But."
Angua looked him dead in the eye, seriousness radiating from her whole being. He met her gaze unflinchingly. She nodded in approval.
"You shall not depend on them. For even the best protections aren't impenetrable. You will become strong on your own, through hard work and dedication. Understood?"
"Yes, mother."
"Good. Also, make sure you tell no one of how much protection you have. This is important, Angui. Never reveal your weaknesses. Tell no one. Understood?"
He nodded.
"Excellent. Now, let us begin. Lie down."
She picked up an instrument greatly resembling a needle, but oh so very small and delicate. She leaned forward and looked him in the eye once more.
"This will be immensely painful, it is acceptable if you wish to scream."
Anguius raised his chin in defiance.
"I will not."
Angua smiled indulgently then began the long process of carving spells into Anguius' mind, body and soul.
Eventually Anguius did begin to scream. When Angua began to carve and file his teeth. To his credit, he didn't flail about.
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Angua slowed the yoked horses into a trot, tying the reins around her waist to give her hands a rest. She put her hands on the warm leather edge of the chariot basket and looked out to the plains of the Seth desert. All of this would belong to her son in the future. She will make sure of that.
She looked down to her left at her young son of just six and a half years. He was eying the horses, studying their movements, clutching the whip she had given him to hold. His pale skin was glistening from the ointments applied to protect it from the harsh sun, the colour permanently marking him making a sharp contrast. Sidelock blowing in the wind, causing the beads and amulets to make a light tinkling sound. She smiled as pride filled her. She had birthed such a beautiful child.
Angua wrapped her hand around the boy's sidelock and tugged, gently to make sure she didn't dislodge the eagle feathers and other ornaments.
"Marce."
Eyes lined with black and green met hers.
"You shall soon be seven years of age. You know what that means, don't you?"
He nodded.
"Yes. I will be sent to the agoge, so that I may train to become even more powerful than materno avus."
Anguius raised his chin with obvious pride at the thought.
Angua smiled at his enthusiasm, moving her hand from his hair to his neck, which was nearly completely covered by torques of different materials and styles. She idly fingered the one in the shape of an ouroboros.
"That's right. You come from a long line of powerful sorcerers and warriors, make sure you honour them."
She laid her left hand on his shoulder and with her right, pointed to the north.
"Over there, in the north, that is where your materno avus comes from. A harsh place covered in ice and snow, filled with fearsome beasts. My father descends from a long line of barbarian warriors, nearly as savage and deadly as the beasts with which they share their land, just as cold and harsh as the lands they inhabit."
She pointed towards the south.
"My mother comes from the south, near the coast. She descends from a people once called the Lacedaemonians. A fierce people who were renowned for their military prowess."
Angua pointed west, all pride gone from her face.
"Your father and his father come from the west. Filled with fertile grasslands and dense forests. They come from a family full of dictators. Tyrants! Raised in the lap of luxury! A domineering people who sneer at the poor yet do Nothing to help them! Proud gluttons who care for no one but themselves!"
She bared teeth and her clenched her fist as the rage her father had driven into her surfaced. But- Angua looked at her son. He was gazing up at her with his brows furrowed in concern. -She couldn't lose herself. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the Turma guarding them. They were good soldiers, undoubtedly they'd heard her. And undoubtedly they would inform her husband.
"But, they are a mighty people. Their pride is well placed. They did found an empire after all."
Angua gave her son a tentative smile. She moved her hand from his shoulder to the crown of his head. She ran her fingers between the rows of braids tight against his scalp, tickling it and causing him to hiss at the sensation, making her laugh.
"Besides, there are some good people who are a part of your father's family. Such as your proavia!"
A smile bloomed on Anguius' face at those words.
Angua pointed toward the east.
"She is from the east. Descended from a proud people as well. Proud and grandiose in their ways. But, a kind people nonetheless, who make efforts to help their poor."
Angua ran her fingers over the shaved left side of her son's head, feeling through the enchantments there the spells she herself had carved into his flesh. She smiled as pride filled her once more. Her son had screamed very little during the process.
"You know... I believe that you have her eyes."
Anguius gazed up at her in question.
"The same shape, the same deep, black colour."
She paused and then before he could stop her, lightly pinched his nose.
"The same glint of equally deadly curiosity and sharpness!"
Anguius hissed and swatted her hand away.
She laughed and tugged lightly at the ring in the nose piercing his proavia simply insisted he got.
"So you see, mi carissi, you have quite a name to live up to. I am sure you will make me and your ancestors proud. You are a wonderful child, I'm sure you will grow up to be a glorious man and Imperator."
Angua unwound the reins from around her waist to bend over so that she and her son were on eye level.
"And between you and I, I think you will be a much better Imperator than your father."
She put her right forefinger to her lips to imitate silence.
Anguius gave a bright grin at her antics.
Angua leaned in and gave her son, her precious son, a feather light kiss on the side of his shaven head, then straightened.
"Now, let's if we can outrun our guard."
She held out her hand for the whip.
"Mother...?"
"Hmm?"
She looked down to see him clutching the whip tightly.
"I wish to try, may I?"
Angua blinked at her son in slight surprise, but then thought to herself; 'He had to learn sometime.'
"Alright, if you think you can."
A scowl came over Anguius' face. One so like his father's it sent chills down his mother's spine.
"I know I can."
Then, Anguius swung the whip in a way though lacking much power, certainly had enough speed for a large crack rent the desert air and the horses were off!
Angua stared in shock at the galloping horses, how could he even...? She looked down at her son who was wearing a smug smile, looking mighty pleased with himself.
"Angui, how did you know how to do that?"
"I watch you and the Aurigae and I have practised many times."
"My brilliant son! I will reward you later."
She looked back to see the guards gaining on them so she turned to her son once more.
"Angui, do it again."
Anguius cracked the whip again and the horses ran even faster, making his mother throw her head back in a laugh. The indignant shouts of their guard were lost to the wind.
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It was a quiet and tense affair at dinner. All conversations were stilted and didn't last long. Angua glanced at her husband from the corner of her eyes. He was watching her, downing cup after cup of wine. Subtly of course. It shouldn't get out that the Imperator was a drunkard. That look in his eyes... It never bode well for her. She tried her best to ignore the stare and focused on making sure her son had enough to eat.
After dinner, Inflatus left without a word to anyone. Angua didn't dare hope. She led Anguius to his room, but before she could take him inside, a slave came forward.
"The Imperator has summoned mea Domina to the study."
"I will be there."
As soon as the slave left, Angua sank to her knees and caressed her son's head.
"Go into your room and get into the bed. I will return later to sing to you."
Anguius stared at her dubiously for a moment, but soon nodded and ran into his room, closing the door behind him.
Angua stayed kneeling for a few more minutes before standing. She then turned her attention to the guards on either side of her son's doors.
"Let no one enter. I will return within the hour."
'Hopefully', Angua added to herself.
"Yes, mea Domina.", was the guards' brisk reply.
Unbeknownst to Angua, Anguius was not in fact stripping down to sleep, but was by his door, waiting for his mother to leave. As soon as she did, he sped for his balcony. He opened the heavy hidden trapdoor and climbed down the rope, landing nimbly on the cool grass and then quickly hiding in the shadows before anyone could see him. He crept around the main building trying his best to avoid being seen by guards and slaves alike. He barely managed. He had studied the pattern of the guards in the week he'd been here and knew that currently there was a lull in the patrols as the guards on nightshift took their post and the ones on day shift left theirs. He should be able to- Anguius held his breath as a slave walked right by the spot in the shadows where he was hidden.
The slave passed by unaware. Anguius released the breath he was holding and set his sights once more on the window of his father's study. He had one chance. He waited until the guard had turned the corner and then sped across the courtyard and leaped for the window. He managed to grab onto the ledge and climbed up onto it. He peeked into the room and all he saw was his father drinking a cup of wine while pacing. He then carefully climbed into the room, trying his best to jostle the curtains as little as possible. Once down from the ledge, he hid behind the bust of his great-grandfather. When he heard the door open, he decided to peek from his hiding spot. What he saw made his eyes widen.
As soon as Angua stepped foot in the tablinum, her hair was grabbed and she was dragged over to her husband's work table.
"Dictators, are we?! Tyrants, are we?!"
Angua yelped as her head was slammed unto the table's surface.
"You, *dare*?!"
A loud rip rent the air. Angua started to struggle then. She would *not* allow this man to take her again! Just as she was about to be free, Iner grabbed her head and slammed it on the table once, twice, thrice more.
Angua lay limply on the table as she was thrust into harshly. She gazed dimly before her, trying to form coherent thought. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. What...?
Iner grabbed her hair once more and pulled her head back, stretching her neck and causing her to feel discomfort bordering on pain.
She began struggling once more, but compared to the fierce struggling she did before, this was on par with a child's.
Iner slapped away her feeble attacks and thrust even harder into his "wife", pushing her face down into the table's surface.
"Know your place, *bitch*! Do not teach my son to hate his noble lineage! That which is much more noble than yours! Barbarian *whore*!"
Angua closed her eyes as shame worse than any she'd ever felt came over her. She turned her face and hid it in the crook of her elbow. It was the most humiliating thing she ever had to endure. When she felt him finish, she shivered in revulsion and tried to move away. He merely pressed her down further.
Iner leaned forward and whispered harshly in her ear;
"Hear me *wife*. Learn your place or it shall be taught to you. Remember, I can easily take away that which brings you most joy."
Angua felt her heart stutter in her chest at his words.
He pulled out of her and righted his clothing then grabbed her hair and threw her onto the floor.
"Cover yourself, then *get out*."
Angua did so, but not before giving a weak glance at the bust of the 14th emperor.
Anguius sat in shock for what seemed like hours. He knew his parents weren't close, but for his father to treat his mother in such a manner...
As soon as he had regained his senses and his father's back was turned, Anguius discreetly left the study and sped across the villa to his room.
When he finally arrived, it was to the sight of his mother lying at his bedside. He rushed over and fell to his knees.
"Mother? Mother are you alright? Answer me!"
She turned her face to him. It was tear streaked and there was a large bump forming on her forehead.
"Angui...?"
"I'm here, mother!"
Anguius moved closer. He watched as she tried to raise her hand and not wanting to cause her any more suffering, he grabbed it and put it against his cheek.
She rubbed her thumb on his right cheekbone and gave him a weak smile.
She whispered softly, "Such lovely cheekbones."
Anguius felt confused, he didn't know what to do. So he did what he always did when he was confused; he asked his mother.
"Mother? What should I do? How can I help?"
All she did was smile at him and mumble about what a good boy he was, and such an amazing son she had, then she went silent and stared at him. Just, stared for many moments. Then as her eyes began to close, she called out to him.
"Angui?"
"Yes, mother?"
"Call for your proavia."
She went limp.
Anguius felt something shift inside him then. Rage and hatred in equal measures fought for dominance. And worse, an overall crippling fear that had him frozen to the spot as he looked at his mother's white face. Suddenly he jerked into action and ran to his great grandmother's quarters, his heart pumping painfully and his throat so constricted it felt as if it was choking him.
That day, Anguius began to truly *HATE* his father.
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Sirius Nigrus raised his drinking horn as silence fell over the greater dining room of the Palatium.
"I bid you all welcome, on this most joyous occasion! Tonight, we celebrate the birthday of the Nobilissimus Caesar! An intelligent and handsome lad who has a bright future ahead of him! May he live longer than ten times his current age! To the Princeps Iuventutis, Imperator Destinatus!"
Similar shouts echoed throughout the hall, for even though both his parents were disliked, Anguius was beloved among the people.
Angua was pleased, in the least. All her years of preparation, of endurance. Anguius would be leaving for the agoge tomorrow, to go through years of pain and hardship, out of her protecting reach.
'But, -' Angua thought as she glanced over at where Anguius was dutifully eating his meat and drinking his milk with ladies of the north cooing over how much he could consume at such a young age, '-he will be just fine.'
The next day, before the dawn, as she prepared Anguius for the day, for the final time, she told herself that, over and over again, to reassure herself. And after sending him off with the elders, crying into the shoulder of her grandmother-in-law, she reassured herself. He would be fine.
