Quo Vadis, Lucius?
by Iejasu
Chapter 2
Weeks passed and Natalie's Latin improved considerably. She lived
with Sabina and her family, merchants coming from Judea, and was slowly getting used
to the different lifestyle. She helped with the daily work and followed her
profession as a healer. It was fascinating to witness those ancient times.
But she observed something very strange. Sabina and her friends
often went away during the evenings. She had seen them going in the middle
of the night and coming back hours later, chatting in their native tongue,
Aramaic, which was a dialect of Hebrew.
She decided it was not her business because those people were
kind to her and did not deserve being spied upon.
Natalie was filling some wine from 'amphorae' into smaller
'ampulla' when an older man entered the yard. He was obviously no Roman -- he dressed
differently and was wearing a beard.
'What can I do for you?' Natalie inquired amicably.
'Is this the house of Sabina of Hebron?' the man asked her in a warm and friendly
manner. He had kind eyes and was radiating something that Natalie would have
described as being fulfilled or simply totally content with life itself.
And he had a strong charisma.
'Yes, this is the house of the Hebron merchant guild. May I ask whom I shall announce?'
'My name is Paulus. I am a friend of the family.'
Natalie smiled. 'Yes, I thought you were not Roman. Where do you come from?'
She was happy to get away from refilling the amphorae. Her back had started to hurt.
'You will not know the place. I come from Asia Minor. Tarsus, to be exact.'
Natalie blinked for a couple of seconds. Paulus? Of Tarsus? THE Paulus of Tarsus?
She swore inwardly that she had always slept during religion classes.
Natalie decided to be bold....'Paulus of Tarsus?.... Are you a teacher?'
The man chuckled slightly as if he found the question amusing.
'Yes, yes, my child. You might say so. I am a teacher....I teach philosophy.'
Natalie gulped. Suddenly the young coroner understood a lot more.
She understood why her friends left in the middle of the night and why they acted
occasionally very strange. Christians...this was an early Christian community. She
grinned slightly. She knew another secret community and she was quite sure there
were some similarities.
***
Lucius held his head and moaned. This was certainly no fun. He
had the most annoying hangover in the last 2 millennia. Last night he
was out with his friends and had roamed though the taverns next to the Tiber
and the last ampulla of wine must have gone bad.He chuckled slightly,
despite of the nauseous feeling he had in his stomach.
'Lucius, may I talk to you?' His mother was standing on the threshold of his room.
She had a worried look on her face.
'Certainly, dear mother. What is it you would like to discuss?'
'Lucius, since your father died when you were quite young, you were head of the family,
and so it is now your duty to look out for your sister.'
'What is wrong with Lydia?' He had the faint feeling this discussion happened a long
time ago.
'I discovered that she was out last night. She came back shortly
before sunrise. I am worried. It is not proper for a young Roman woman
to leave the house without proper attendance. And if somebody discovers
what she is doing, our family will be shamed.'
He nodded slowly.
'I will look into that matter, Mother. Do not worry. She will not leave the house again.'
'Thank you, Lucius. It is good that you are home again.'
This time he would proceed in a more cautious manner.He went straight to the room
of his little sister but reminded himself not to lose his temper.
***
'Lydia, I need to talk to you.' He tried approaching her as if
she would be Janette.Politeness was a far better weapon than aggressive outbursts.
He stood in the doorway and looked at her as the servants did her morning makeup.
Lydia released the servants with a wave of her hand.
Only calm on the outside, he waited until the servants had left
the room. He knew they were neither blind nor deaf. It was not necessary
to give them more to gossip about.
He made sure nobody was near, only then did he sit next to his sister and look at her.
She smiled at him, and he could not help himself and smiled back.
'Lucius, somehow I have the feeling you have changed. Your eyes have changed.'
Absent-mindedly he brushed a lock of her blond hair into place. She was beautiful.
'What makes you think that, little sister?'
She smelled of lilies and roses. He realized that his sense of
smell had decreased; he could not smell her blood, but he also felt no unease in the
close proximity of a human, no pang of bloodlust always fighting his control like a caged
animal fighting the bars of its dungeon.
'Your eyes are so sad and angry.'
It was hard not to react to the innocent blue of her eyes. A rush
of brotherly affection flashed though him. His little baby sister.
He embraced her instinctively.
'Don't worry about me, Lydia. I am fine...I will always be fine.'
'But every night you are going away with your friends, coming
home when the sun is almost up again. You seem to lunge at life, but it runs though
your fingers like the water in an Egyptian water-clock.'
This little one definitely saw too much.
He recalled why he was here and that sobered him considerably.
'You were out last night.'
'How do you know, Lucius? You were out last night, too.'
He felt her defiance and in a way, he understood it. The
difference between what a man was allowed and what was appropriate for a
woman was vast. But this was the past, and he had no intention of reforming it.
'Mother saw you leaving the house.'
Lydia looked down.
He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, hoping what he asked
now would be the truth. It would be so much easier.
'Is it a man you visit? Do you have a lover?'
She blushed instantly. 'Oh, no! Lucius!'
He witnessed her embarrassment but continued.
'Lydia, you know it is not proper for a young woman to know a man
until she is married. The wenches in the tavern may do such a thing,
but you are from a noble family. You may not disgrace yourself or your family.'
She put a hand on his arm and looked into his eyes.
'Lucius, I would never disgrace our family or our house.'
'Do you promise not to leave the house again without proper
company? You may take Severinus as a bodyguard.'
'Severinus...' She seemed upset. Obviously she was not very happy
about his request. The course of events that had led to her death were already
happening.His throat tightened in pain and helplessness.Lucius grabbed both her
shoulders and shook her.
'You will not leave the house again!' he announced, growling.
He would not allow her death, not now, not again!
'Lucius! You are hurting me!'
Lucius released his firm grip on her arms and with one fluid
motion was standing near the doorway.
'I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt you, but my word remains. You
will not leave this house again without my consent. I will not allow it.'
She rubbed her upper arms and nodded obediently.
'Yes, brother. I promise.'
He nodded and tried to cheer up but succeeded only on the
outside. Lucius desperately hoped that she would obey. But he was not sure.
'Good, little sister. I am glad we understand each other,' he replied curtly.
The following night he stood guard and was relieved when Lydia
seemed to do as she had promised. Nothing entered the house and nobody went out.
***
Natalie was beaming in joy. This was so interesting, even if it
was only a dream. She had started reminding herself continuously because
ever so slightly she tended to forget that it was nothing more than a dream.
The coroner had convinced Sabina that she was trustworthy and was
allowed to join her newfound friend when she went to the meeting.
Natalie desperately hoped that her Latin had improved enough to understand
what Paulus was going to preach. But the mere thought of actually standing
there, witnessing such a secret meeting, was something historians dreamt about.
The secret meeting place was somewhere next to the Tiber, hidden
between the exit of a sewer and the roof of a bridge covering them from
suspicious eyes. She watched more and more people come in silence and
approach Paulus, talking to him, seeking his advice or simply requesting his
blessing. The torches reflected on the black water. She knew
that there were guards posted by the community to look out for any intrusion.
Natalie sat on a stone and watched the scene.
The majority of guests were of poor origin, but not all of them.
A young blond woman caught her attention. Blond was not a usual hair
color for a Roman if she was not wearing a wig. But her hair was blond by nature,
not by the help of some skilled Roman hairdresser. And it was also obvious that
she was not a slave or a barbarian....
Paulus started to pray....
'PATER NOSTER QUI IN CAELIS ES SANCTIFICETUR NOMEN TUUM.
VENIAT REGNUM TUUM FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA SICUT IN CAELO ET IN TERRA.
PANEM NOSTRUM SUPERSUBSTANTIALEM DA NOBIS HODIE ET DIMITTE NOBIS
DEBITA NOSTRA SICUT ET NOS DIMIDUS DEBITORIBUS NOSTRIS ET NE INDUCAS NOS
IN TEMPTATIONEM SED LIBERA NOS A MALO.. '
by Iejasu
Chapter 2
Weeks passed and Natalie's Latin improved considerably. She lived
with Sabina and her family, merchants coming from Judea, and was slowly getting used
to the different lifestyle. She helped with the daily work and followed her
profession as a healer. It was fascinating to witness those ancient times.
But she observed something very strange. Sabina and her friends
often went away during the evenings. She had seen them going in the middle
of the night and coming back hours later, chatting in their native tongue,
Aramaic, which was a dialect of Hebrew.
She decided it was not her business because those people were
kind to her and did not deserve being spied upon.
Natalie was filling some wine from 'amphorae' into smaller
'ampulla' when an older man entered the yard. He was obviously no Roman -- he dressed
differently and was wearing a beard.
'What can I do for you?' Natalie inquired amicably.
'Is this the house of Sabina of Hebron?' the man asked her in a warm and friendly
manner. He had kind eyes and was radiating something that Natalie would have
described as being fulfilled or simply totally content with life itself.
And he had a strong charisma.
'Yes, this is the house of the Hebron merchant guild. May I ask whom I shall announce?'
'My name is Paulus. I am a friend of the family.'
Natalie smiled. 'Yes, I thought you were not Roman. Where do you come from?'
She was happy to get away from refilling the amphorae. Her back had started to hurt.
'You will not know the place. I come from Asia Minor. Tarsus, to be exact.'
Natalie blinked for a couple of seconds. Paulus? Of Tarsus? THE Paulus of Tarsus?
She swore inwardly that she had always slept during religion classes.
Natalie decided to be bold....'Paulus of Tarsus?.... Are you a teacher?'
The man chuckled slightly as if he found the question amusing.
'Yes, yes, my child. You might say so. I am a teacher....I teach philosophy.'
Natalie gulped. Suddenly the young coroner understood a lot more.
She understood why her friends left in the middle of the night and why they acted
occasionally very strange. Christians...this was an early Christian community. She
grinned slightly. She knew another secret community and she was quite sure there
were some similarities.
***
Lucius held his head and moaned. This was certainly no fun. He
had the most annoying hangover in the last 2 millennia. Last night he
was out with his friends and had roamed though the taverns next to the Tiber
and the last ampulla of wine must have gone bad.He chuckled slightly,
despite of the nauseous feeling he had in his stomach.
'Lucius, may I talk to you?' His mother was standing on the threshold of his room.
She had a worried look on her face.
'Certainly, dear mother. What is it you would like to discuss?'
'Lucius, since your father died when you were quite young, you were head of the family,
and so it is now your duty to look out for your sister.'
'What is wrong with Lydia?' He had the faint feeling this discussion happened a long
time ago.
'I discovered that she was out last night. She came back shortly
before sunrise. I am worried. It is not proper for a young Roman woman
to leave the house without proper attendance. And if somebody discovers
what she is doing, our family will be shamed.'
He nodded slowly.
'I will look into that matter, Mother. Do not worry. She will not leave the house again.'
'Thank you, Lucius. It is good that you are home again.'
This time he would proceed in a more cautious manner.He went straight to the room
of his little sister but reminded himself not to lose his temper.
***
'Lydia, I need to talk to you.' He tried approaching her as if
she would be Janette.Politeness was a far better weapon than aggressive outbursts.
He stood in the doorway and looked at her as the servants did her morning makeup.
Lydia released the servants with a wave of her hand.
Only calm on the outside, he waited until the servants had left
the room. He knew they were neither blind nor deaf. It was not necessary
to give them more to gossip about.
He made sure nobody was near, only then did he sit next to his sister and look at her.
She smiled at him, and he could not help himself and smiled back.
'Lucius, somehow I have the feeling you have changed. Your eyes have changed.'
Absent-mindedly he brushed a lock of her blond hair into place. She was beautiful.
'What makes you think that, little sister?'
She smelled of lilies and roses. He realized that his sense of
smell had decreased; he could not smell her blood, but he also felt no unease in the
close proximity of a human, no pang of bloodlust always fighting his control like a caged
animal fighting the bars of its dungeon.
'Your eyes are so sad and angry.'
It was hard not to react to the innocent blue of her eyes. A rush
of brotherly affection flashed though him. His little baby sister.
He embraced her instinctively.
'Don't worry about me, Lydia. I am fine...I will always be fine.'
'But every night you are going away with your friends, coming
home when the sun is almost up again. You seem to lunge at life, but it runs though
your fingers like the water in an Egyptian water-clock.'
This little one definitely saw too much.
He recalled why he was here and that sobered him considerably.
'You were out last night.'
'How do you know, Lucius? You were out last night, too.'
He felt her defiance and in a way, he understood it. The
difference between what a man was allowed and what was appropriate for a
woman was vast. But this was the past, and he had no intention of reforming it.
'Mother saw you leaving the house.'
Lydia looked down.
He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, hoping what he asked
now would be the truth. It would be so much easier.
'Is it a man you visit? Do you have a lover?'
She blushed instantly. 'Oh, no! Lucius!'
He witnessed her embarrassment but continued.
'Lydia, you know it is not proper for a young woman to know a man
until she is married. The wenches in the tavern may do such a thing,
but you are from a noble family. You may not disgrace yourself or your family.'
She put a hand on his arm and looked into his eyes.
'Lucius, I would never disgrace our family or our house.'
'Do you promise not to leave the house again without proper
company? You may take Severinus as a bodyguard.'
'Severinus...' She seemed upset. Obviously she was not very happy
about his request. The course of events that had led to her death were already
happening.His throat tightened in pain and helplessness.Lucius grabbed both her
shoulders and shook her.
'You will not leave the house again!' he announced, growling.
He would not allow her death, not now, not again!
'Lucius! You are hurting me!'
Lucius released his firm grip on her arms and with one fluid
motion was standing near the doorway.
'I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt you, but my word remains. You
will not leave this house again without my consent. I will not allow it.'
She rubbed her upper arms and nodded obediently.
'Yes, brother. I promise.'
He nodded and tried to cheer up but succeeded only on the
outside. Lucius desperately hoped that she would obey. But he was not sure.
'Good, little sister. I am glad we understand each other,' he replied curtly.
The following night he stood guard and was relieved when Lydia
seemed to do as she had promised. Nothing entered the house and nobody went out.
***
Natalie was beaming in joy. This was so interesting, even if it
was only a dream. She had started reminding herself continuously because
ever so slightly she tended to forget that it was nothing more than a dream.
The coroner had convinced Sabina that she was trustworthy and was
allowed to join her newfound friend when she went to the meeting.
Natalie desperately hoped that her Latin had improved enough to understand
what Paulus was going to preach. But the mere thought of actually standing
there, witnessing such a secret meeting, was something historians dreamt about.
The secret meeting place was somewhere next to the Tiber, hidden
between the exit of a sewer and the roof of a bridge covering them from
suspicious eyes. She watched more and more people come in silence and
approach Paulus, talking to him, seeking his advice or simply requesting his
blessing. The torches reflected on the black water. She knew
that there were guards posted by the community to look out for any intrusion.
Natalie sat on a stone and watched the scene.
The majority of guests were of poor origin, but not all of them.
A young blond woman caught her attention. Blond was not a usual hair
color for a Roman if she was not wearing a wig. But her hair was blond by nature,
not by the help of some skilled Roman hairdresser. And it was also obvious that
she was not a slave or a barbarian....
Paulus started to pray....
'PATER NOSTER QUI IN CAELIS ES SANCTIFICETUR NOMEN TUUM.
VENIAT REGNUM TUUM FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA SICUT IN CAELO ET IN TERRA.
PANEM NOSTRUM SUPERSUBSTANTIALEM DA NOBIS HODIE ET DIMITTE NOBIS
DEBITA NOSTRA SICUT ET NOS DIMIDUS DEBITORIBUS NOSTRIS ET NE INDUCAS NOS
IN TEMPTATIONEM SED LIBERA NOS A MALO.. '
