Alright, I just got back from the scariest part of my day: driving. But Guys, sorry I didn't do much yesterday, but I sent most of 12- 8 or something like that researching dates and times, but guys- I need someone. Not a beta reader, just someone to privately PM about this story with and to help. I kinda just need SOMEONE who knows what I'm talking about, and is willing to help me with a bit of research. That's it. Someone to rant to and have help with general storyline. (P.S.: Friend, who I will not name unless you want me to, if you're reading this, I don't want to bug you too much with this, you get it enough, thanks, and sorry... I just don't wanna bug you too much...). Also, I need various names for some cultures. No name is too odd or weird or whatever, but I'm aiming for accuracy and meaning.
Italian
Latin (Because ROMANS)
Mandarin Chinese (Because HANS)
Note: Edited (12/1/16)
Fortuna blinked as she held a sleeping Veneziano in her arms. "What? Didn't Antoninus Pius already send an envoy?(1)" Rome quirked an eyebrow.
"Fortuna, how would you know that? And no, I'm just going to mess with them. Do you wish to go? I know you've been itching to see the world, and I don't trust anyone more than you to make sure this goes well!" He said, dancing around her. Romano huffed as he entered the room as he munched on a peach and tossed one to Fortuna.
"What's going-a on?" He grunted as he stood by her and watched his grandpa dance around embarrassingly.
"Rome wants me to go to China to mess with him," She said, shifting the boy in her arms to one side as she chomped into the familiar food. Romano grumbled.
"When would you be back?" He asked, leaning against her leg. She ruffled his hair, avoiding the curl, as she had finally asked Rome a few decades ago. Romano took another chunk out of the peach as he looked up at her.
"She would be back after a few years!" Rome sang happily, and Romano nodded.
Fortuna swallowed and sighed. "Alright, I'll go, but when is the envoy leaving?" Rome grinned largely, taking Veneziano into his arms.
"You're leaving tomorrow. You're already packed and everthing you need is all ready to go, and you can say your goodbyes!" He said, spinning around in a circle. Fortuna and Romano shared a look, and then she looked at him.
"What?"
The man danced and spun once more before winking at her. "Toodle-loo!" He said and took a ballerina-like jump into another doorway. Fortuna shook her head and looked down to Romano, who was staring up at her.
"Roma?"
"Ragazza, come-a back soon, si?" He asked, looking down at his peach. He trotted outside, but she only stared after him. She had spent 90 years with the family, being able to comfortably say she were a part of it now. Fortuna knew he wanted to be alone, so she let him be. She walked to her room and at the foot, a small bundle of fabric. Unfolding it, she found two long tunics and... two pairs of braccae. Fortuna grinned rabidly.
Braccae were a form of woolen trousers or pants and were not well liked. They were a clothing of the barbarians, a law even being decreed to ban the article.
Fortuna's smile dropped and she left out a pair of both. This really was goodbye. It was 166 AD, the year a Roman envoy of ambassabors reached China during a good time of the Han dynasty. She would not be able to leave until maybe 189 if she were lucky, based on the Yellow Turban Rebellion. She sighed and sat down on the bed. It hadn't changed one bit since the night she arrived, but she had begun sharing it with the brothers.
Fortuna rubbed her temples as she looked at the pair of clothes before her and a slight stitching on the right sleeve caught her attention. She clutched it and looked over it carefully. The threads were too uniform to be... Her eyes widened and smiled shakily. Fortuna scrambled for the bundle and all ut ripped it appart. Similar stiching on the left left her crying. Small scraps of her old shirt were sewn into the two tunics and she rubbed her fingers over both, each dyed a different color. The left sleeve was dyed a bright red, the right, an even brighter green.
Fortuna laughed bitterly and wrapped the other set of clothes up and threw herself back onto the bed. "Sorellona(2)?" Veneziano called from the doorway. She sat up and looked at him. "Is it-a true that you're-a leaving?" She sighed as tears appeared in his eyes.
"Venie..." She whispered and climbed off the bed, rushing to him. "I'll be back. I might not be around, but you'll see me again someday, I swear, alright?" The boy nodded, and climbed into her arms.
"I-I-a don't w-want you to-a leave. F-Fratello d-doesn't w-want you-a to leave e-either!" He said, bawling into her stomach. Fortuna pried him away gently and grasped his shoulders lightly.
"Veneziano, look at me," She whispered, wiping away his tears. He didn't 'open' his eyes, but she gave him a small smile. "Venie, open your eyes," Fortuna laughed lightly. Large amber orbs stared at her sadly, and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Italy Veneziano, I swear on all the luck in my body, I will see you again someday," She declared, opening her eyes. Matching eyes searched each other for anything missing or lying within the other. "Wait here a second," She said, pulling away. Approaching a small corner of the room, there sat a pugio (a short sword), a gladius (a sword with a two foot blade), and a bow. Grasping the pugio in her hand, she sliced a small lock of hair from her mid-back tresses.
"Here, I'll tie this up in the corner, but I'll always be here, alright?" She asked, sheathing the small sword again. Replacing by the other weapons, she found a ribbon out of nowhere, she anchored it to the leg of the bed.
"Sorellona- y-your hair!" He said, running over and grasping her leg. "W-Why?" He asked.(3)
Fortuna kneeled and picked him up. "Because, I might not be with you ever part of the day, but I'll always be there when you go to bed. I promise, alright? Now, let's go find Roma and play tag, si?" She asked, smiling.
"Si!" The boy's sadness was forgotten, and she put him down. He raced off and shouting was heard outside a moment later.
"LEAVE ME ALONE, IDIOTA!" Romano's voice echoed, but Veneziano chirped a reply she couldn't hear, but he came in bawling a second later, a lump on his forehead. The auburn-haired boy ran up to Fortuna and she picked him up.
"H-He-a h-hit m-me!" He cried, and Fortuna began hushing him, bouncing in her arms lightly.
"Shh, shh, I'll go talk to him. Calm down, it'll be all better in a bit, I promise," She whispered, and kissed the lump. She placed him down, and pointed towards the kitchen. "Why don't you go get ready for dinner? I bet Grandpa Rome is waiting. I'm going to speak with Roma, alright? Go on," She said, and waved him away. He nodded and trotted way happily. She sighed and walked outside. A small but rapid scrapping sound came from around the corner. She edged along the side of the building and looked. Romano sat there rubbing something against the concrete.
"Idiota, I thought I told you to leave-a me alone!" He yelled, without looking up. Fortuna smiled and leaned against the corner. "Dumbass, I thought I-a told-a you to le-" He began again, but looked up. "Ragazza."
She smiled and sat by him. A large pile of sawdust sat by him, and he grasped the item tightly in his hand. "I'll be leaving you soon, don't worry. As for the idi-"
"I didn't mean that about you," He said quickly, looking down again. "I don't want-a you to leave. Then it'll go-a back to the way things-a were."
Fortuna nodded in understanding. Romano had been able to actually have intellenget conversations with her, whereas his grandpa only spoke about food, women, and war and Veneziano couldn't be serious to save his life. "I understand. What are you making?"
Romano paused, and looked at his hand. "It's a present. F-for you..." He trailed. Fortuna leanedaway and blushed lightly.
"R-Romano, you didn't have to do that!" He looked up at her.
"It's just so you don't forget! You better be back in 13 years..." He whispered, looking up. His hazel eyes glistened in sadness, and she scooped him up. He whimpered and crawled into her stomach.
"I'll try, but Romano? Can I trust you with something?" Fortuna asked him, looking at him sadly. His eyes bore into her own, and widened.
"No, no, you-a helped me through it when you-a first came here, why can't you a do it 100 years-a later?" He cried. He began pounding into her stomach, and she laughed sadly.
"I may have no option, Roma. But I have already made your brother a promise, and I'm going to tell you the same one," She whispered, hugging him tightly, and therefor preventing his attacks. He began crying silently into her shoulder, clinging tightly to her neck. "I may not be back as soon as you want me, but trust me when I say that we will see each other again, alright, Italia Romano?" The boy sucked in a breath and began sobbing even harder, but nodded nonetheless. "Look at the foot of your bed tonight. Venie can explain, alright?"
"S-si. H-Here," He whispered and pressed a small trinket into her hand. A smooth ring with the color of hazel that matched the eyes of the boy she held in her hands sat in her hands and she bit her lip to try to hold back tears. "You-a taught us how-a to make them so long ago, s-so..."
"Yeah..." The peach pit ring slipped perfectly onto her finger and she left some of the tears fall. "Come on, let's go get some dinner. We need some normality. But one more thing Roma?" He looked at her and growled as he spotted the tears, wiping them away.
"Take care of Veneziano, alright? I'll try as hard as I can, but there's only so much I can do. Some nations only need my presence within their clutches, and their luck with instantly get better. They don't need to treat me as well as you all have," She whispered, closing her eyes. Small arms closed around her neck as she hugged him back.
"Always. Take-a care of your-a-self, Carina."
Dinner was an awkward affair, and it was silent. Rome as the first to break the silence. "Boys, head up to bed, I need to speak to Fortuna for a while."
"But!" Romano started, but Rome gave him a look. He put his head down, grabbed Veneziano's hand and walked out. The two shot her a sad look, and she nodded. She'd be fine. When it was clear the two weren't by the door, Rome looked at her. "You're not coming back, are you?"
She shook her head, and he smiled remorsefully. "I'm going to have to stay for 23 years, about. But it's not eiter of our decisions, is it?" Rome shook his head, and stood up. The empire crossed around the table and pulled her into a crushing hug.
"You'll be fine, Fortuna. You have luck on your side, and things will always get better. You survived living with the Roman Empire! You know why?"
She managed to twisted her head around, "Because we're all crazy?"
"Because you're my granddaughter," He said with a light smile on his face. She froze.
"Haven't I already gone through enough today? Why? Why are you all doing this to me?" She whispered. He pulled her up, and stroked her hair.
"Just let it out, Fortuna, just let it out," He whispered, and she began crying. 87 years of memories filtered through her mind and she soon began to fall asleep.
Rome woke her early the next morning and she nodded in thanks. The brothers clung to her sides like normal, but she managed to slip out and change into her clothes. It had been decades since she had worn anything resembling pants as she pulled on the braccae and tied the drawstrings tightly. Wrapping her weapons around herself, she slipped by the kitchen and grabbed three peaches. Chomping on one, she left the other two at the foot of the bed. She kissed the brothers on the head and walked out and Rome guided her to the meeting place. The sun wasn't even up yet.
The men she traveled the seas with were actually rather nice, especially after a group of pirates showed up one night and tried to kill them and take their supplies. They proved to be quite interesting, and they were equally intrigued by the woman who wore barbaric braccae, sliced her hair off (it tangled in some brush after the first week and she got frustrated.), and was a few decades their senior, even the oldest. She told them about Vesuvius and the fire that destroyed half of Rome, and how Hadrian built the his wall on the northern side of England from 122-128.
They day they arrived in the south, where, Fortuna forgot, but she helped them unload the cargo. It was normal for ambassies to bring various items from their land. They began the trek up to the Han capital of Chang'an, and they were brought before a large court, and at the center of which, sat a thin man who worn elegant robes. "State your purpose, men from the west," The man in the throne called. Several of the men shared various looks of confusion at the odd language, a few whispered that they had heard something similar, but most looked to Fortuna, who stood at the center of the group. She was rather short compared to the 5'7" men and the emperor grew impatient. "I repeat, state your purpose!" He commanded in a harsher voice.
Fortuna stepped forward and bowed to a single knee. "Forgive the men. They do not know of the language of the Han Dynasty. We come from Daqin(4), an envoy with greetings to Emperor Huan from Antun, King of Daqin(4). We also bring special gifts from the West." The entirety of the courts' eyes were upon her, but two people caught her attention as she kneeled.
"Rise. All is forgiven. May I ask how a single woman knows our tongue, but an entire envoy of men remains ignorant," He asked, but a man to his left whispered in his ear. Fortuna rose, and managed to catch a glint pass through the men's eyes. The man to the emperor's left wore an elegant red silk robe with bright patterns dancing across it as it caught the light. "May I ask, how old are you, Fu Jun?" The Italian raised an eyebrow at the name: Teacher and truth.
"I begin to fear too old. I am 107 years old as of September," The court instantly began muttering, but the man with the dancing robe's facial expression didn't change, even though a variety of emotions flashed behind his eyes.
"Didn't Antun, King of Da Qin die several years ago?" A court member called, and several other joined in their protests. The romans' itched towards their weapons uneasily at the angered shouting.
"Quiet!" Emperor Huan shouted, and the court stilled. "Fu, why is there a recent envoy from a dead man? Do you actually mean us harm?" The guards across the courts drew several varying weapons, preparing to charge if necessary.
"Men, drop your weapons. We need to show we mean no harm," She called over her shoulder, her gaze never breaking from the Emperor, and began removing her swords, bow, and quiver of arrows. She needed to be calm, or this could end in disaster. Several clatters, alerted her of her followed orders.
"Is this not proof enough, Emperor of the Han Dynasty?" She asked. He narrowed his eyes and nodded. "I will reveal the reason behind this confusion, but I request that only two people hear it. Yourself and a trusted member of court of choice," She said, looking at the man in red. The emperor looked at man and nodded.
"China greets you, Romans," The man greeted and bowed deeply. Fortuna bowed back equally low, and they both rose.
"The Roman empire also sends his greetings, China," She replied. They rose and she stared at him in his eyes. "The Roman Empire loves a good joke and hoped to gain a laugh from this. He also sent me to prevent an incident in court. May we bring in the gifts?" China bowed without giving her an answer and walked up to the Emperor. They chatted for a moment, and the man seemed to have a smile cross his face for a split second and it was gone. China nodded quickly to her.
"Men, bring them in." The men grunted and stepped over their weapons and began bringing in the rhinoceros horns, ivory, and tortoise shells.
"So, Fu, may I ask how a woman manages to get men to listen to her," The emperor asked. China had taken his spot next to his leader once again, and he stood by patiently.
Fortuna smiled, "I have learned a lot in the past 87 years. I have earned some respect in that time."
The emperor nodded, "Tell the Antun from Daqin that we accept his gifts. You may return. My men will escort you out," He said. Fortuna translated quickly, and her men got their weapons back. She went to join them, but two guards cut her off. "I said I accept all gifts. Were you not one as well?" The Emperor asked. Her men were looking at her and their hands were at their swords. They wouldn't make it, and neither would she if she attempted to leave. She shook her head at her men, and they tensely released their weapons.
"My apologies, Emperor. There was a slight misunderstanding. The men will leave and return to Rome. Our greatest thanks," She said. The men were escorted out and she was pulled in front of the emperor.
"So little Jun, you are to remain here, until you are no longer needed. You shall remain until deemed unnecessary, or you will be put to death. You will learn our customs and our culture. Is that understood?" The man asked.
"Yes, Emperor," She said, bowing her head. One day down, 23 years to go.
Alright. yadda, yadda, yadda, end A/N, but mostly, I just need help with various research, especially regarding Han dynasty customs and culture. 166AD-220AD. Anything that could be helpful, please PM. And if I got anything wrong.
(1)Antonius pius. Roman emperor from 138-161 AD. When he died, his (adopted?) son Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD) took all of his titles as well as his own.
(2)Sorellona- big sister in Italian
(3) Roman Women's hair was very special to them. It served to show class and personality. It could be dyed, and apparently got rather long.
(4) Daqin is what the Han Dynasty called the Roman Empire before it was separated in 395. yay.
