Caeli's POV

The following morning, after breakfast, Marius led us down to his village; which lay outside the wall that enclosed the large house. The village was made up of small huts, that when we first arrived, I thought were for storage. This concerned me, and by the look on Dwyn's face, it worried her as well.

"Is it safe for the villagers to live outside the wall?" Dwyn questioned Marius.

"Of course!" He scoffed.

"What if the Woads were to attack?" I asked.

He laughed softly, and then said, "I assure you, my noble guests, that my villagers are safe here. The Woads are not wise nor bold enough to attack a Roman fort."

I looked over at Dwyn doubtfully, the Woads had no concern, Roman or not, they attacked who they wanted. It was then that I noticed a small, yet increasing group following us with interest. Dwyn and I smiled at them kindly. I suppose that it was different for them to see Britan nobles here.

Marius followed dour gaze and called to his guards, "Get them back to work!"

At that, some of the villagers returned to their work, but most didn't move. Marius looked enraged and yelled to his guards again, "I said get them back to work!"

The guards started to push the crowd back, causing some to fall. I rushed forward to help an old woman to her feet again, as Dwyn stepped toward Marius and yelled,

"You cannot treat people in this manner! They are not animals with no minds nor emotions."

I again joined her and glared coldly at Marius.

"These are my people, and by Roman law, I can treat them how I see fit!" Marius yelled back at Dwyn.

At this, I tightly closed my right hand into a fist and punched Marius in the nose, knocking him to the ground.

"You are no longer in Rome!" I told him coldly as he glared daggers up at Dwyn and I while holding his most likely broken nose.

In the firmest and coolest tone I'd ever heard Dwyn use, she said, "There is no way I can protect such a tyrannical being if your estate is attacked. No man or woman who believe in God truly, can treat the people they are supposed to protect in the manner you have. You have feigned caring and kindness over the past two days. I lament that these people have to be under your subjection!"

(Translation: Shove that treaty up your ass!!!!)

With a look of shocked disbelief and rage, Marius did the only thing he could think of. "Guards, seize them!" Four Roman guards rushed forward and grabbed Dwyn and I by our forearms. "Take them to the pit!"

There was a gasp from the crowd and the guards looked uncertainly at each other. "To the pit!" Marius repeated, and at that, the guards started to drag Dwyn and I, kicking, off to a small stone building I had not seen upon our arrival to this awful place.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Marius told his villagers as he got to his feet.

Seeing that it was useless to say anything, I focused on kicking and fighting the guards all the way to the stone building.

Once inside, the guards pulled us down a long staircase. The smell was overwhelming, it smelled like death itself. At the bottom of the stairs, we were pushed into a small, dank room with tiny cells all around the walls, and the only light was from candles. Two monks were the only sign of life.

"Who are these two?" One of the monks asked. "They're not woads…"

"Well spotted!" Dwyn snapped.

"Shut it." One of the guards said. "They are here because Marius bade it to be so."

"Well, then may God have mercy on your souls…the two cells on the end don't have anything in them." The monk said.

The guards nodded, and dragged Dwyn and I to the other end of the small room. They unlocked the chains that held the barred opening of the last cell closed, then threw Dwyn in and relocked the chains. They did the same to the cell to the right and threw me in.

I looked around the tiny cell, it had a low ceiling so I could only sit or crawl and nothing else but dirt and cold, wet stone. I leaned against the wall that was between Dwyn and I and watched the guards leave with all haste.

I looked down at my pale blue dress and wished that I had worn a tunic instead. "Well, this was a fine day to wear dresses." I said aloud.

"At least you're not in white!" Dwyn called back. "This is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves in…"

"'Tis my fault, cousin…I should have kept my temper."

"No, you did the right thing." She laughed half-heartedly. "I wish I would have done it."

"Thanks…"

After a long silence, Dwyn called out to me again, "Caeli…we will get out of here."

"I pray that you are right."