Disclaimer: I own nothing except Aurelia, the plot, and any other OCs in this story.
"When will you leave?" Aurelia questions suddenly, interrupting the peace between herself and Vulpes. The man sighs, clearly wishing to avoid this topic. Impatient as ever, Aurelia repeats her question.
"I am not deaf, woman," Vulpes growls. When she cringes slightly, he sighs. "Tomorrow morning we head out. The trip to Nipton should take 2 days. I will return before the week is over."
Aurelia nods, rolling onto her stomach. The two fall silent again, unmoving against the rocks overlooking Fortification Hill. Down a ways, boys not even 10 train harshly, their grunts and battle cries carrying up to Aurelia's ears. She sighs as she watches a slave drop a heavy box full of tools and metals.
"Why are women treated so awful, Vulpes?" Aurelia whispers, turning to watch him.
"You know why," he responds automatically, eyes remaining closed. His arms rest over his stomach and he looks almost peaceful. But the woman knows better. Vulpes is never at ease.
"Yes, but why?" She questions, not expecting an answer. Resting her head on her folded arms, she gazes at her friend, eyes half-closed. "Would we still be friends if things were different?" Aurelia doesn't go into specifics— she doesn't need to. Vulpes always knows what she means.
"Perhaps," the fox answers. "If anything, you'd be chained to my bedpost," he smirks. Aurelia laughs.
"I often wonder though—"
"You wonder a lot," Vulpes interrupts, earning a light smack on the arm.
"As I was saying, I often wonder why it was Lucius that took me in after… after my father died."
Vulpes opens his eyes then, icy gaze tearing through her, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He sits up suddenly, facing her. "Do not trouble yourself with the 'what ifs', Aurelia. Your father was a good man, but Lucius is better." He silences the woman when she goes to interrupt. "Aurelius of Phoenix was a good man for the Legion, but Lucius is better for you. Look at your life, Aurelia," Vulpes says firmly, slight irritation seeping through his words. Perhaps it's because he doesn't want to deal with her after another nightmare. There have been so many already.
"He raped kids," the woman says quietly, pressing her forehead to the cool stone, unable to face Vulpes. "He raped my mother. Only Mars knows what else he did."
Vulpes suppresses a sigh. "That is my point." After a few seconds of silence, he can tell the woman beside him is still thinking dark thoughts, so he stands silently, removing his dog hat, belt and shoes. Quickly and easily, he picks Aurelia up and sprints for the edge of the cliff, Aurelia screeching and kicking the whole way.
A moment later they fly off the cliff, plummeting toward the water below. Seconds later, two loud splashes can be heard and the shrieking is cut off. Aurelia surfaces first, coughing water and shivering. She looks down at her white dress with annoyance. Now she has to go speak to Ambria about another set of clothes. Without warning, Vulpes surfaces, dunking the woman under again. They splash and swim for the first time in years, all previous thoughts forgotten.
Ambria, Aurelia's personal slave and friend, smiles kindly at her mistress, helping her unfasten the ties of the soaked dress. She listens quietly as Aurelia explains what happened, shushing the Legion woman every time she tries to apologize.
"'Tis no trouble, miss," Ambria reassures the woman for the hundredth time. "You do own half a dozen dresses," she reminds Aurelia.
"Yes, but now there's more work for you," Aurelia sighs. "Stupid Vulpes," she mutters threateningly.
Ambria chuckles. "You don't mean that, miss," she says knowingly. "Would you like the red dress or the black one?"
"What I would like is to be out there, fighting NCR and seeing the world," Aurelia mutters. "You choose." As the slave slips the black dress over the woman's head, the woman continues. "I wish things were different. I wish there were no slaves, no rape, no abuse… I just want everyone to be happy."
"Darlin' I know you've been with these people all your life, but sometimes you gotta accept things for the way they are. This wouldn't be the Legion if women weren't treated like livestock."
"But no one treats me that way," Aurelia interjects in confusion.
Ambria sighs, tying up the dress tightly. "Your dad is the head of the Praetorian guard, Caesar is practically your grandpa— shit, you've got the head of the Frumentarii around your finger. No one would dare treat you like a slave; you're practically royalty."
The woman turns to face the slave. "I don't want to be treated like I'm better. I'm not! You and the other women do more work in a week than I've done my whole life!"
Ambria sighs. "That's not true and you know it."
The women stand in Aurelia's private tent in silence. "Things will be different. I'll change everything," the golden-haired woman promises with such ferocity and hardness that the slave instinctively flinches.
"You already have, sugar."
The next afternoon, Aurelia sits in Caesar's tent beside Vulcan, a charming and polite Praetorian guard. Silently she reads a book about herbs and which ones can be used to heal. Growing tired of the book, she crosses into Caesar's personal tent when her father isn't looking. Picking up a book from the wide bookshelf, Aurelia slips back into her seat just as Caesar and her father enter the personal tent.
"You play with fire, young one," Vulcan says with a slightly reprimanding tone.
"Would you like to read a book about herbs for 3 hours straight?" Aurelia asks sarcastically.
"If it pleased Caesar," the guard replies. The woman hmphs and settles into the chair, opening her newly acquired book about science; specifically, computers.
"I've always wanted a computer," Aurelia comments with a sigh.
"Have you now?" Caesar asks curiously, voice a lot closer than the woman would have thought. Jumping slightly, she looks up to see the mighty Caesar a few feet away. He raises an eyebrow at the book on the table and Aurelia looks down.
"Forgive me, my lord," she says guiltily, closing the book. To her surprise, Caesar opens it again, pushing it toward her slightly.
"I was young once," he says with a laugh. "I won't tell you dad if you won't."
A bright smile lights up the woman's face and she nods. "Thank you, my lord," Aurelia says gratefully, eagerly going back to the book. She'd take science and fighting techniques over medicine and priestess lessons any day, even if technology is along the lines of forbidden. When Caesar returns to his personal tent, Vulcan lets out a quiet laugh, more out of disbelief than anything else.
"Did you see the new slaves brought in from Searchlight?" Emericus asks as he sits down beside Aurelia. When Vulcan shakes his head, the younger and more outgoing guard continues. "Caesar made a smart move by flooding the town with radiation. There were too many of those dissolutes wandering around."
"It was an NCR-based town," the woman points out.
Emericus wrinkles his nose in distaste, annoyed with the woman interrupting him. He wishes he could teach her a lesson or two about silence. "They have no business this far East," he continues, still thinking about how good it would feel to lock the royal bitch in a slave pen.
Vulcan nods in agreement. "They do not. But one little town is no match for the thousands of troops here."
Lucius calls his daughter over to question her about her studies, fighting a smile when he sees she's reading a book about computers instead. He would expect nothing less. "You know you need to study the herbs and recipes," he reminds his adopted daughter. She bows her head slightly. "When Siri requires help, what use will you be to her if you do not know half the things she talks about?"
"Yes father," Aurelia says quietly. "I am sorry."
"Run along," Lucius says, waving her away from the table full of marked maps of the land. "The fights are about to start."
Without being told twice, Aurelia slips outside, sitting down on the rocks just outside the tent. Otho stands in the center of the empty arena, waiting for it to quiet down. Legionaries and guards alike gather, all cramming around the metal walls to look through the large gaps that serve as windows of sorts.
"Remember the rules: light armor and machetes only. And, of course, to the death!" Otho cries as the spectators erupt into cheers and shouts. Otho exits the arena as two young legionaries who look no older than 14 step in. When Otho begins the fight, the first boy lunges at the second, swinging his machete. The second boy swiftly dodges the swings, twisting away and out of reach. He begins to taunt the first boy, jerking around and jumping to confuse his opponent.
"I'm betting on the kid with brown hair," Antony as he sits beside Aurelia. "Today the winner will receive their Legion name, a great honor indeed," he continues, watching as the first boy ducks away from a careless swing. His brown hair sticks to his forehead and when the second boy charges, he sidesteps him easily.
The longer the fight goes on, the more restless and loud the soldiers become. The second boy trips, landing in the dirt, giving the boy with the brown hair a perfect opportunity to attack. Everyone falls silent as he jumps toward the first boy, eyes wide and dangerous. As if in slow-motion, Aurelia watches as his sharp machete pierces the second boy's throat. Crimson blood spills out around the knife, onto the brown-haired boy's fingers, then down to the ground. Spectators clap, holler, and cheer, congratulating the victor. When Otho comes in, he holds the boy's arm high, letting everyone know the newest soldier among would forevermore be known as Bittor.
"It means 'victor'," Gregorius explains as he approaches the two. Antony excuses himself to prepare the mongrels for their upcoming fight, and the two are left alone. "Your friend left this morning," Gregorius comments idly, making small talk. Aurelia nods, thinking of Vulpes and wondering what awful things are in Nipton's future.
"He did," Aurelia says, looking up at Gregorius. They exchange a look and as the next fight begins, the two slip away, back to Aurelia's quarters. Good thing Vulpes isn't here to scold me, the woman thinks in relief as she tugs Gregorius's armor off. They do not leave until the following morning.
News of Nipton's fate reaches the Fort nearly 3 days after Vulpes' departure. When the fox himself is seen half a day away from Cottonwood Cove, Aurelia rushes down to Lucullus before he departs. "Ave, Cursor," she greets, looking up at the tall man. Lucullus looks down at the woman who reaches just above his shoulder and nods in greeting, stepping through the gates with Aurelia close behind. They step onto the raft and begin the long journey to Cottonwood Cove in silence.
Not many things are known about the secluded Cursor, except that he is a strong believer in Legion ideas and customs. Still, even though he looks at women as livestock, Aurelia believes the quiet man thinks more of her, even if only a little. About a half hour away from the Cove, the woman leans back to look at her silent companion. "Do you ever think of courting?" She wonders aloud, knowing it's a touchy subject for any member of the Legion, but asking anyway.
Lucullus is silent for a few minutes, long enough for Aurelia to resume her original position on the raft. His calm voice breaks the silence, surprising the woman. "Courting is an optional path for a Legion man. Pointless, really,'' he says, making Aurelia frown.
"You don't believe in love?"
The ferryman lets out a noise that vaguely resembles a chuckle. "Love is an idea for the weak."
Aurelia turns to face him, eyes narrowed. "Are you calling me weak?"
A corner of his mouth turns up as he replies, "all women are weak, daughter of Lucius." He looks down at her briefly before speaking again. "To answer your question properly, I believe courting is simply a way for a soldier to keep a slave all to himself."
"But some soldiers court because they love the slave," Aurelia interjects, drawing her eyebrows together.
"Perhaps," the Cursor replies indifferently. "It does not change the fact that a woman's sole purpose is to continue the survival of our species."
With Cottonwood Cove in sight, Aurelia begins to get excited, jumping up suddenly. The raft rocks but soon steadies. Turning back to the ferryman, the woman replies, "you don't think a woman could hold her own in combat?"
"That, my dear," Lucullus replies after tying the raft to the dock, "is a different matter entirely."
Ignoring his words, Aurelia leaps off the raft, shoes hitting the wood of the dock loudly, startling the nearby recruits. The woman skips the rest of the way to the entrance of the Cove, smiling brightly. Men grumble about her as she passes, but not loud enough for her to hear for fear of being strung up on a cross or tossed to the dogs. Patrols coming in stop and openly stare at the daughter of Lucius as she passes, earning shouts and glares from their commanders.
When Aurelia reaches the sign, she stops beside an Explorer. "Ave. True to Caesar," the Explorer greets when he sees her. "Ignore the recruits; it's not every day the daughter of the head Praetorian Guard comes to visit," he explains with slight arrogance. Aurelia suppresses a shiver when she sees the group of Legionaries eyeing her.
"I am here to personally greet Vulpes Inculta after his trip to the town of Nipton," Aurelia says, folding her arms behind her back, chin up. Not many know how close the woman and head of the Frumentarii are, though most do know they are more than acquaintances.
The Explorer snorts, earning a cold glare that startles the man into silence. After a few minutes, he gives the standard "true to Caesar" line before scurrying off to boss someone around. As Aurelia stands unmoving, eyes scanning the hills and hair blowing in the wind, the setting sun warms her bare limbs.
Aurelia is no longer alone as Severus, the head Centurion at Cottonwood Cove, stops at her side. "Ave, Aurelia of Phoenix," Severus greets, using the woman's true name. Only a select few call her that, for not many realize where she truly comes from. Aurelia shivers at the reminder of her real father. Severus served as Aurelius' second in command for years, taking over his close friend's position when he died. He spent many hours with the toddler Aurelia before her father died and Aurelia was sent off to the Fort to be with Lucius.
"Ave, Severus," the woman greets coolly, turning around to greet the man who helped raise her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asks, face blank. Give nothing away, Vulpes' instructions ring in her ears. Show them nothing.
Severus chuckles. "I can't come talk to my favorite niece?" He asks, dark skin wrinkling around his eyes.
"You are not my uncle," Aurelia reminds the older man, a small smile on her lips. "But I appreciate your efforts nonetheless."
He ruffles her hair before resting his forearm on the top of her head, laughing. "You've changed so much, girl. And those manners! I never thought I'd see the day you acted like a proper Legion woman."
"It took many years of training and patience," a cool voice interjects, making Aurelia break out into a grin. She and Severus turn to Vulpes, who stands near the sign that marks the entrance to Cottonwood Cove. Without hesitating, she crosses the distance and throws her arms around her friend, smiling brightly.
"Inculta, are you wounded?" Severus asks curiously. At his question, Aurelia steps back to survey Vulpes for anything unordinary. Her eyes widen as she takes in the bandage wrapped around his bicep.
Vulpes waves Aurelia away, turning to Severus. "Nothing serious. A radscorpion got lucky while we were on our way back." Nodding in farewell to the two, he turns to his troops and gives them instructions, which Aurelia promptly tunes out.
She turns to Severus and they walk towards the raft. "How are you managing here at the Cove?" Aurelia asks, subconsciously inching closer to the man as a Legionnaire gives her a heated look.
"It's been nothing short of stressful, dear girl. Your father was far better than I am," he replies, stopping at the dock. Lucullus stands patiently at the other end, arms folded and face turned to the waves. "He would be interested to see the woman you've become, Aurelia," he continues, eyeing the tall girl. She looks like the same little toddler that was always causing mischief, but he can clearly see the proper woman she's become. "He'd be happy to know you became a priestess."
Aurelia narrows her eyes slightly, staring at the mountains in front of her. "I cannot imagine my father being happy about anything concerning me," she says coldly. "And I am not a priestess yet," she reminds Severus, glancing up at him to find his observant eyes already on her.
"You did not know your father like I did, girl," Severus scolds, shaking his head. Aurelia mentally scoffs and thanks Mars that Severus is right. "But even now, I can see how alike you two are."
"What?" Aurelia exclaims quietly, eyes widening a fraction. Severus nods, smirking victoriously. She curses herself silently for letting her guard slip. "I believe you are wrong, Severus. I am nothing like Aurelius of Phoenix."
The dark-skinned man shrugs, still smirking. "Believe what you will."
Aurelia follows Vulpes to his tent, eagerly waiting for him to tell her of his latest adventure. His stories are always better than the ones in the Pre-War books. While he unpacks, Aurelia kicks off her boots and sits cross-legged on his mattress, eyes drinking in his movements. Without Vulpes Inculta, Aurelia would not be the same. She wouldn't be so lively, cheerful, snarky or any of the other things people have praised her for.
Vulpes would not be the man he is today if it weren't for the golden-haired woman sitting on his bed, though he'd never admit it. She brings out the fierce competitive side in him, as well as a searing want to protect her and everything important to him. Her annoying and bubbly persona that he knows she only shows to him tries his patience countless times over, which he swears will be the death of him one day. But as she openly stares at him with her big blue eyes, he finds that he doesn't really mind that much.
"Story time will have to wait," Vulpes breaks the silence as he places his dog hat and glasses on the table. "I must speak with Caesar." Ignoring Aurelia's groans and complaints, he leaves the tent, knowing she'll follow.
He has to suppress his smirk when she falls in step beside him, barefoot. They reach Caesar's tent, stopping for a moment while Gregorius opens the tent for them. His sharp eyes do not miss the way the guard smirks and winks at Aurelia. He also doesn't miss the playful and seductive look she gives him from under her lashes. Pushing down the powerful urge to string Gregorius up on a cross, Vulpes carries on ahead to Caesar, leaving Aurelia a few paces behind. She frowns at his stiff and tense back, knowing he saw her exchange with Gregorius.
Aurelia rolls her eyes at his annoying habit of making sure she sleeps with literally no one— something he cannot control while out in the desert. Lucius beckons her over, so she takes her place at his side, eyeing the stack of notes on the table. "Aurelia, sweetheart, I was wondering if you could go deliver these notes to Alerio." He sees the look on the woman's face and quickly explains. "Everything we know about the Courier is on these papers and I don't want some idiot losing them."
"You're trusting me with this heavy burden?" Aurelia jokingly asks as she accepts the heavy stack of papers. "I'm pretty sure we know more about the Courier than the Courier himself does," she scoffs, making her father and a nearby guard laugh.
"Hurry along, Alerio needs these as soon as possible so he can brief the rest of the Frumentarii," Lucius says, shooing his daughter to the front of the tent.
She slows her steps. "Wait, why isn't Vulpes—"
"Aurelia, go. I'll explain it all when you get back," he says sternly before walking back to his cluttered table. Aurelia glances once more at Vulpes' kneeling form before leaving in search of Alerio.
"Alerio, you're one hard jackass to find," Aurelia complains nearly an hour later, arms protesting at the weight of the stack of paper in her arms. Alerio looks up in surprise, clearly not expecting to see the golden-haired woman.
"Frumentarii, remember?" He mumbles, eyes raking over her. "You know what else is hard?" He asks boldly, meeting her annoyed blue eyes.
"Save it, Alerio. Lucius asked me to personally deliver these notes on the Courier to you," Aurelia says with an eye roll, thankful no one is around this part of the camp to hear their conversation. Though her mouth does start to water at the sight of the built Frumentarii, and all the memories of the deliciously muscled body that go with it, the woman cannot suppress her annoyance.
The man looks into the fire beside him before meeting her unflinching gaze. "You could accompany me to my tent and put the papers there—"
Aurelia cuts him off. "Or I could toss these into the fire and say you lost them," she challenges, unflinching.
He sighs in defeat and smiles slightly, standing to take the papers. Aurelia drops her arms to her sides in relief, feeling the blood begin to flow through them properly. Alerio appears unaffected by the weight, however, and continues. "My offer still stands, regardless…"
"Thank you, but I'll have to pass. You know that's not how I am."
He nods, looking disappointed. "I'm aware of your methods. I had hoped you would change your mind for me, however."
Aurelia raises a brow, not surprised at his words. She wants to tell him she's heard that line before, many times actually. But she bites her tongue and says goodbye before turning and walking back to Caesar's tent.
About halfway there, she hears crying. Stopping immediately, the woman follows her ears and hurriedly comes to the source of the gut-wrenching noise. Inside a closed tent, a woman cries in despair. Aurelia goes to open the tent's flap when a sharp smack! fills the air, silencing the crying.
"Quiet, bitch!" An angry masculine voice commands and the crying is reduced to quiet whimpers. Aurelia flinches at the man's grunts and the woman's muffled crying. She's tempted, oh so tempted, to barge in and beat the shit out of the man who thinks rape is acceptable, but she stops. Interrupting that would mean her ultimate demise, regardless of her status.
Selfishly, Aurelia backs away from the tent. As she walks further away, the second hard slap does not make her flinch. It makes her angry. Pushing past Gregorius wordlessly, Aurelia charges into Caesar's tent, heading straight for Vulpes. His eyes lands on her the second she enters the tent and he shifts, sensing her fury.
She ignores her father's calls and Caesar's curious stare. She ignores the whispers among the guards. All she sees is red, pun intended. Not caring who is watching, Aurelia throws her arms around Vulpes' neck, holding him tightly as she presses her face into his armor. With her arms in a death grip around his neck, she can't move. She can't go back to that tent and help the slave. She can't get anyone, herself included, hurt.
It's better this way.
"Walk with me?" Vulpes whispers, his liquid silver voice calming her somewhat. She says nothing; she doesn't need to. Vulpes always knows. They walk, her hands around his wrist in an iron grip. She's worried she'll hurt him. Leaving everyone in the tents behind, they walk down the path, towards the training area. Children spar relentlessly, instructors barking out techniques and orders. Vulpes sneaks a glance at Aurelia when she starts shaking slightly. Obviously something is wrong, but what could have spooked her this much?
Gently peeling Aurelia's fingers off his wrist, he guides her to stand in front of an unoccupied training dummy. He wants to ask, but knows she'll tell him eventually, so he chooses to wait it out. After a moment of far-off staring, Aurelia instinctively changes her stance, as Vulpes showed her ages ago. He watches as she punches the dummy with all her strength, even knocking it over a few times. While he observes her, his mind runs through the millions of scenarios that could cause the woman beside him to act with such… ferocity. Even when Aurelia's knuckles begin to get red and start bleeding, she doesn't stop.
With a slight smirk, Vulpes notes that she must have read more about unarmed combat recently, as he sees her perform some techniques he knows he didn't teach her. "The instructors will come over and make us run laps around the camp if you hit the dummy any harder," Vulpes taunts, gesturing to the instructor nearby, who nods in agreement. Aurelia lowers her fists, glancing between the two, sweat on her forehead. Pushing her hair back, the woman sighs.
"Fine, fine, I'm done," she pants, walking away. Her anger still remains, but is only slightly simmering, quite a feat considering it was searing not twenty minutes ago. Vulpes catches up to her, pulling her gently to a stop. He sees the lost look in her eye and knows now isn't the time to tell her about Caesar's most recent plan.
Sighing, he pulls her up the path, heading for her tent. Aurelia looks down at her feet as she kicks at the sand, not wanting to see the looks the Legionaries are giving them as they pass. She does everything she can to not think about that tent, taking any distraction she can get. That's why she snatches the cigarette out of Damarcus' mouth when they pass him.
Two tents down, they stop and Vulpes pushes her inside. When she turns around to face him, he takes the cigarette from her mouth and throws it back out the door. "You know, someone might think we're sleeping together if you keep acting like this," Aurelia smirks, heading over to her table. She sits and stares at the Pre-War wood blankly.
Vulpes scoffs. "If anything, they'll think that because of the way you act." When he realizes she didn't hear him, he sighs, sitting across from her. "Where is your servant?"
"Ambria." Aurelia hisses.
Narrowing his eyes, Vulpes corrects himself. "Where is Ambria?"
"Hell if I know," she responds, glaring at the table. Vulpes begins to get irritated at her lack of cooperation. As Aurelia stares at the table, she can practically feel Vulpes' stare burning holes through her. She doesn't see the point in telling him what she heard. He won't change anything. Can't change anything. Why bother him further?
Vulpes stares at Aurelia, unblinking. The blood on her knuckles is beginning to harden, so he stands and crosses the tent to stand over the tin container full of warm water. Taking a clean cloth, he dips it in the water before returning to the table. Gently and carefully, he picks up Aurelia's hand and begins to clean it of blood.
When he finishes cleaning her first hand, he moves to the second, stopping to pry Aurelia's fingers from her palm, where small bloody fingernail marks mar the skin. He looks up when she shivers. "I heard a slave get raped, Vulpes," she whispers so quietly he wonders if he imagined it. Her pained look tells him otherwise.
Everything clicks together at her confession and for a moment Vulpes is not sure what to do. Rape is a touchy subject, something no one talks about openly. Most of the soldiers are above that and take willing slaves, but the others like Aurelius of Phoenix who get off from the pain they cause are still among the Legion. And Aurelia, a product of rape, had to be reminded of the scum woven into their ranks.
Aurelia glances up at Vulpes when he doesn't respond. His icy eyes are cold, his face a perfect mask. Damn him. She inhales sharply when his knuckles turn white, fingers gripping her bloodied hand tightly. Pain courses up her arm, but she ignores it, continuing to watch the spy until he does something, anything.
"Call for Ambria," Vulpes commands, suddenly up and crossing the room. Aurelia blinks and he's gone, leaving her alone and confused. Did she just make a serious mistake?