I do not own any of the characters or basic story material, all rights belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Thank you very much to all who reviewed! I was not expecting this sort of feedback, and I'm pleasantly surprised! Just to clear a few things up, Bella is actually 18 years old, she was sold to the Archanos Villa when she was three and lived there 15 years. And I understand that the names don't quite correspond to the Roman time period, but if I tried to change them, well, this really wouldn't be a Twilight Fanfic, and there'd be the whole messy issue of plagiarism. I'm sorry, it bugs me too, but life is what it is. Alright I'll quit yakking and start in on the next part of the story…Enjoy!
Chapter Two: Fresh Roses
I was escorted away from the fountain square, toward the quiet recluse of the bath houses. The olive-skinned man nodded to one of the girls beside him, she left her parasol with her fellow, and walked toward me, head high, eyes gentle.
"Welcome to the household, you can call me Thia." she took my hand and led me into the women's section of the baths, kept separate from the men's section. "Watch your step, it can get slippery around here, and your back's in poor enough condition as it is. We'll get some salve on it after the bath." I tried to speak, to introduce myself to this kind girl, but I found myself crying silently, strange fat tears rolled down my cheeks. I slumped forward, my strength, which had held strong, was now ebbing.
The girl, Thia, rushed forward to help me, dismay in her blue-brown eyes. "Oh you poor dear, you're worse off then I was when Itterion bought my bond! No, don't move, I'll walk you forward myself. There's a good girl, just lean on me, good, it's not too much farther." I pressed much of my weight on her slender figure, she must have found me heavy, but if she did, she didn't complain.
A question broke through my cracked lips, "Itterion? Is he master Cullen?" My voice scared me, it sounded weak and hollow, how severe were my wounds?
Thia turned her head to glance at me, her face still kind. "Itterion isn't our master, he's their broker. You know, he's the man who manages their money and processions, not that the master needs him!" A chuckle played in her voice. Apparently my new home wasn't in dire need of gold and silver. The floor became a bit damp, a few puddles lay here and there. Steam and heat blew at my face, and I could detect a hint of jasmine and mint in the breeze. Along the walls colorful frescoes depicted various scenes of roman life. Here a girl swam nude with dolphins, over there a fish leapt out of lapis -lazuli waves in the painted ocean. I sighed, at my old Villa there hadn't been many frescoes, my master had preferred fine textiles to wall paintings. Truth be told, this was my first time to the public baths of Pompeii, and I was enjoying the change in scenery, it kept my mind away from Philo.
"Here we are! Just undress yourself here and slip into that pool over there, the hot one. Don't wash yourself to harshly, your back's bound to sting when the soap hits it. Just relax and soak for a while, it's been a trying day for you. I'll be back in an hour or so. Take your time." Thia kissed my forehead and walked back towards the entrance. I stood stupidly for a few moments, just trying to clear my hazy thoughts. It occurred to me that I could escape now, no one was watching. But with my back torn, and my gown bloodied, just how far would I get? I groaned, no, there was no way I could leave my newest masters until I healed, and my attire was cleaner.
I slipped into the shallow end of the hot bath, not bothering to take off my gown. The stones were hot underneath me, and the steam caressed my cheek. Warm water massaged my aching muscles and lulled me toward sleep. I might have nodded off, if not for the searing tang of the whip mark on my back. It cut and bit into me like a freshly-forged knife; white hot embers scalding my peace. I held back a scream and tried to wash the filth from my body, alarmed at just how red the water grew when it rushed over my flesh. The sting in my back settled after awhile, and I was able to scrub myself down with cheap lotions, their smell stuck in my throat but they did their job. I sank under the water and lavished the feeling of hot water on my scalp. As the minuets ticked by, my body grew pliable in the hot bath, my thoughts grew even muggier along with it. Time to enter the cold bath and clear my head.
"Oh!" I gasped when the icy water slunk up my gown. It wasn't as pleasant perhaps as the warm water, but it cleared my head and gave me some power back in my limbs. I stayed put until my teeth chattered and my spine shook. Lucky for me, Thia came back bearing gifts, a fresh gown, and a bottle of creamy salve.
She helped me from the bath and onto a stone slab nearby. "Lay facedown first and I'll have that cut bandaged up in no time. The salve might sting a little, but there's no better cure for a cut then Master Cullen's. He's a doctor you know, owns the largest practice in Pompeii. Master Cullen's sons own the fishery offshore, they specialize in red snapper, I've never had it, but the stable boy claims it's positively divine!" She chattered on like that for a long while, telling me this and that about the Villa while she smeared salve on my back and bandaged it with fresh cotton. It did sting a little, but afterwards there was a marvelous sensation of warmth. I hummed quietly and absorbed the details of my new home.
Thia told me first of the Cullen family, there were many of them, 7, not an unusual number, but still large for a single Villa. My new Master called himself Carlisle, and his wife was Esme. Their son's were three in number, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward, the youngest. Emmett had a wife whose name was Rosalie, while Jasper's wife was Alice. Thia briefly informed me that Edward had yet to take a bride, but many of Pompeii's finest women had their eyes on him. I mouthed their names silently, they were so strange! Not Roman in the least, much like mine. When I asked Thia about their namesakes, she only said that the family wasn't Roman, but had moved to Rome two years ago from a faraway land in the North.
They were wealthy, extremely so. Master Cullen had made a goodly sum of money working in the Emperor's court. They had a fine Villa right by the seaside, overlooking the great Mediterranean. The household was well known for it's extravagant, yet elegant, parties. Mistress Alice was the head of most of them, always donned in the latest fashion, but wearing no makeup or jewelry. When I asked about the family's appearance, Thia's eyes grew dreamy, and her voice full of awe.
"They look like the gods incarnate. All of them are slender, except Master Emmett, but he's mostly muscle. Their skin is alabaster, and their lips are roses, Mistress Rosalie is the prettiest, but she terrifies me so! Where was I? Oh yes, their looks. You really have to see them to understand it, but they are beautiful, terribly so." She paused, a slight look of concern crossing her face, "But their eyes are so strange, some days they all look like polished amber, but others, they look blacker then the new moon." Thia helped me to my feet and threw the new gown over me, shoving the torn and stinking one over to the slop pit. I shuddered with pleasure at the feel of the new garment, it was soft and smelled of lavender. Much more preferable to my course older gown, which had always smelt of dust and dye.
"Thank you, Thia. You don't know how much your generosity means to me." I bowed my head slightly to her, feeling warm and comfortable. I had an inkling that I could be friends quite easily with Thia.
Her heart-shaped face looked flustered and pleased. She smiled at me and grasped my hand to lead me out towards the town square. "That's so kind of you to say! I don't even know your name yet and I already feel as though we're friends." I could only smile a bit at her words, it was wonderful knowing that I'd have at least one friend in my new household. And at the same time, my heart still weighed heavily with grief, the knowledge that my former family and friends would not have so much luck with their new lives bit into me.
Thia led me toward a waiting cart in the middle of the square, the sun was setting at an odd angle, throwing everything into a red relief. I curled up in the soft hay as Thia hunkered down beside me, murmuring something to the olive-skinned man, Itterion. The horses protested softly against the weight of the cart, but soon it was moving southward, towards the sea. I managed to get one sentence out before I fell into a deep slumber; "Thia? I never told you my name, just call me Bella." and with that, I sank into the realm of dreams, where I was free, and Philo sat beside me.
Congratulations to all who guessed the "Gladiator" as the origin of the quote, you're correct! I thought it make sense, what with this being set in Rome and all. Anyways, thanks for reading, review if you wish.