QUO VADIS, LUCIUS?
by Iejasu
Chapter 7
Some time later they were in another building on the opposite end
of the city. It was the house of an old Roman General, who sympathized with
new believers. Lydia tried to occupy his mind by talking about her
friends, their beliefs, their principles, but Lucius hardly listened. He
followed her without a word.
There was only little space with all those refugees in the house, and so Natalie
and Lucius were forced to share a room again. He had not spoken a word
until the death of Gaius, and Natalie certainly did not intend to force him. She
helped him silently out of his armor and pressed him down onto the cushions.
'Get some sleep, Lucius. You must be exhausted.'
He stared at the ceiling. 'I wish I were. I have the feeling I
have lived too long. I have seen my friends die as well as my enemies. My
daughter, Janette, died as a mortal, Nicholas is away and I have no idea of where he
went. And now I am stuck in this strange dream. Are you a dream, Natalie?
Are you my dream or am I yours?' He looked at her in the darkness.
She sat next to him and took off her rica.
'I do not know, Lucius. Maybe we are both dreaming, and everything will fade
when we wake up.'
He reached for her hand and she allowed it. 'Do you wish this dream to fade away?'
She felt his warm hand upon her own. 'No, Lucius, I don't...'
He drew her into his arms and kissed her passionately.
Natalie woke up. For a second she was afraid that the dream had ended, but
then she felt the warm and breathing chest below her cheek. She smiled.
They had made love more intensely than Natalie had ever thought possible. She
blushed slightly at the memory.
He sat up in the bed at grinned at her. 'Good morning, Natalie. You look definitely stunning...'
She laughed at his statement, her hair was a mess and she probably had still
dark spots from the ashes all over her face and body.
'Yeah, yeah... this dream must have ruined your sight, too!' Natalie teased him softly.
'Quite the contrary, my dear. It has enhanced it.' He kissed her hand in adoration.
Natalie blushed again. He definitely had the gift of making a woman feel
wanted, adored, utterly female. She moved closer, longing to feel his embrace.
He draw her into his arms again, and their lips joined in the blaze of passion.
***
Lucius let his mother know that they were well but he was staying with
Natalie and his sister. He was helping the others to clean up the rubble
while Natalie used her knowledge to treat the many injured.
He had to keep a low profile; someone might have recognized him when he
had killed Gaius.
'Lucius, you look so distant...' Natalie sat next to him.
'How different things can turn out. I remember this time, but I was at Nero's
court, indulging myself in pleasure and trying to ensure my career. Gaius had
introduced me and I did my best to make a 'good' impression. When Rome
burnt, I was right at the balcony next to Nero, watching the destruction and
drinking wine.'
'But this time you are on the other side, helping the Christians.'
'Yes, I am...and maybe...maybe I will be able to save my sister... this time.'
'You did not know that she was involved with Christians?' Natalie inquired softly.
'No, I did not. I was too occupied with my own career to acknowledge
anything besides what I wanted until it was too late, until I saw her burning on
the cross.'
Natalie drew closer to him. 'I am sorry, Lucius.'
***
'Lucius Seianus, I wanted to thank you for all you have done. Without your
help, a lot of innocent people would have died.'
Lucius turned and looked at the old man.
'I did nothing for you. I did this for Natalie and my sister. I am not interested
in your strange religion.' He sneered at Petrus.
'Still you love her and through your love, you might encounter a greater love.'
'I care nothing for your "god".' Lucius tried to turn away, but the old man
held him, but suddenly let him go, as if the touch had burned his fingers.
'Lucius, great darkness surrounds you. But even if you deny God, God does
not abandon you.'
Lucius glared at him. 'Your almighty god has brought nothing but pain and
suffering upon my family and my children. I will fight him for as long as I
exist, even if I might not win. But I will survive, and I will fight again.'
He would have had fully vamped out if he would have still been in possession
of his vampiric nature.
***
'The speakers at the corners declare that it was not Nero that burned Rome,
but the Christians.' His voice was dry.
'What?' Natalie could not believe her ears.
'Well, Nero needs a scapegoat. With this statement he can get rid of the
Christians and regain the sympathy of the Romans.' He knew this would
happen. He himself had had the idea and had whispered it into
Nero's ear. He wondered who had done this task in this world. Maybe Nero had
accomplished it himself. His mind was surely twisted enough.
Suddenly Praetorian Guards were entering the small yard.
'There he is, the murderer of our Captain. He is with those Christians!'
Lucius realized that someone had denounced him.
***
'A Roman Legatus in conspiracy with the Christians. What shame to the
Roman public and the state.' The senator stared at Lucius with disgust.
'Are you a Christian?' The judge looked at Lucius Seianus.
'No, I am not a Christian and I will never be one, but I am not a traitor. You
are a traitor to Rome and her citizens because you know that these people are
innocent, yet you condemn them to die the death of traitors.'
Lucius was roaring in anger.
He and every Christian nearby had been caught and jailed. He knew what
would happen. He knew that there was nothing he could do. For the first time,
he felt helpless, utterly and totally helpless. It was a feeling
he did not enjoy.
'I am a citizen of Rome and it is my right to demand "PROVOCATIO"!'
'You are a traitor to the emperor and Rome. Your rights as a citizen are
therefore denied.' Lucius felt the urge to slam his fist into the
judge's face, but his wrists were bound.
'That is not possible. None can deny those!' Lucius argued violently.
'Nero has proclaimed that his divine person is above the law, and he has
announced that traitors lose their rights as citizens of Rome.'
Lucius stood erect and proud. He denied giving in to fear and desperation.
'THAT IS AGAINST THE LAW!'
'Nero is the law and we are his subjects.'
'Nero corrupts Rome and Roman Law! We were the leaders of the world and
now we allow vile tyrants to rule us. I am ashamed to be Roman!'
They dragged him out....
by Iejasu
Chapter 7
Some time later they were in another building on the opposite end
of the city. It was the house of an old Roman General, who sympathized with
new believers. Lydia tried to occupy his mind by talking about her
friends, their beliefs, their principles, but Lucius hardly listened. He
followed her without a word.
There was only little space with all those refugees in the house, and so Natalie
and Lucius were forced to share a room again. He had not spoken a word
until the death of Gaius, and Natalie certainly did not intend to force him. She
helped him silently out of his armor and pressed him down onto the cushions.
'Get some sleep, Lucius. You must be exhausted.'
He stared at the ceiling. 'I wish I were. I have the feeling I
have lived too long. I have seen my friends die as well as my enemies. My
daughter, Janette, died as a mortal, Nicholas is away and I have no idea of where he
went. And now I am stuck in this strange dream. Are you a dream, Natalie?
Are you my dream or am I yours?' He looked at her in the darkness.
She sat next to him and took off her rica.
'I do not know, Lucius. Maybe we are both dreaming, and everything will fade
when we wake up.'
He reached for her hand and she allowed it. 'Do you wish this dream to fade away?'
She felt his warm hand upon her own. 'No, Lucius, I don't...'
He drew her into his arms and kissed her passionately.
Natalie woke up. For a second she was afraid that the dream had ended, but
then she felt the warm and breathing chest below her cheek. She smiled.
They had made love more intensely than Natalie had ever thought possible. She
blushed slightly at the memory.
He sat up in the bed at grinned at her. 'Good morning, Natalie. You look definitely stunning...'
She laughed at his statement, her hair was a mess and she probably had still
dark spots from the ashes all over her face and body.
'Yeah, yeah... this dream must have ruined your sight, too!' Natalie teased him softly.
'Quite the contrary, my dear. It has enhanced it.' He kissed her hand in adoration.
Natalie blushed again. He definitely had the gift of making a woman feel
wanted, adored, utterly female. She moved closer, longing to feel his embrace.
He draw her into his arms again, and their lips joined in the blaze of passion.
***
Lucius let his mother know that they were well but he was staying with
Natalie and his sister. He was helping the others to clean up the rubble
while Natalie used her knowledge to treat the many injured.
He had to keep a low profile; someone might have recognized him when he
had killed Gaius.
'Lucius, you look so distant...' Natalie sat next to him.
'How different things can turn out. I remember this time, but I was at Nero's
court, indulging myself in pleasure and trying to ensure my career. Gaius had
introduced me and I did my best to make a 'good' impression. When Rome
burnt, I was right at the balcony next to Nero, watching the destruction and
drinking wine.'
'But this time you are on the other side, helping the Christians.'
'Yes, I am...and maybe...maybe I will be able to save my sister... this time.'
'You did not know that she was involved with Christians?' Natalie inquired softly.
'No, I did not. I was too occupied with my own career to acknowledge
anything besides what I wanted until it was too late, until I saw her burning on
the cross.'
Natalie drew closer to him. 'I am sorry, Lucius.'
***
'Lucius Seianus, I wanted to thank you for all you have done. Without your
help, a lot of innocent people would have died.'
Lucius turned and looked at the old man.
'I did nothing for you. I did this for Natalie and my sister. I am not interested
in your strange religion.' He sneered at Petrus.
'Still you love her and through your love, you might encounter a greater love.'
'I care nothing for your "god".' Lucius tried to turn away, but the old man
held him, but suddenly let him go, as if the touch had burned his fingers.
'Lucius, great darkness surrounds you. But even if you deny God, God does
not abandon you.'
Lucius glared at him. 'Your almighty god has brought nothing but pain and
suffering upon my family and my children. I will fight him for as long as I
exist, even if I might not win. But I will survive, and I will fight again.'
He would have had fully vamped out if he would have still been in possession
of his vampiric nature.
***
'The speakers at the corners declare that it was not Nero that burned Rome,
but the Christians.' His voice was dry.
'What?' Natalie could not believe her ears.
'Well, Nero needs a scapegoat. With this statement he can get rid of the
Christians and regain the sympathy of the Romans.' He knew this would
happen. He himself had had the idea and had whispered it into
Nero's ear. He wondered who had done this task in this world. Maybe Nero had
accomplished it himself. His mind was surely twisted enough.
Suddenly Praetorian Guards were entering the small yard.
'There he is, the murderer of our Captain. He is with those Christians!'
Lucius realized that someone had denounced him.
***
'A Roman Legatus in conspiracy with the Christians. What shame to the
Roman public and the state.' The senator stared at Lucius with disgust.
'Are you a Christian?' The judge looked at Lucius Seianus.
'No, I am not a Christian and I will never be one, but I am not a traitor. You
are a traitor to Rome and her citizens because you know that these people are
innocent, yet you condemn them to die the death of traitors.'
Lucius was roaring in anger.
He and every Christian nearby had been caught and jailed. He knew what
would happen. He knew that there was nothing he could do. For the first time,
he felt helpless, utterly and totally helpless. It was a feeling
he did not enjoy.
'I am a citizen of Rome and it is my right to demand "PROVOCATIO"!'
'You are a traitor to the emperor and Rome. Your rights as a citizen are
therefore denied.' Lucius felt the urge to slam his fist into the
judge's face, but his wrists were bound.
'That is not possible. None can deny those!' Lucius argued violently.
'Nero has proclaimed that his divine person is above the law, and he has
announced that traitors lose their rights as citizens of Rome.'
Lucius stood erect and proud. He denied giving in to fear and desperation.
'THAT IS AGAINST THE LAW!'
'Nero is the law and we are his subjects.'
'Nero corrupts Rome and Roman Law! We were the leaders of the world and
now we allow vile tyrants to rule us. I am ashamed to be Roman!'
They dragged him out....
