I awoke from my sleep by the same tingling feeling that came when I awoke from my unnatural sleep. For a moment I was frightened, remembering what had happened to me the day before- the last time I had woken. My breaths became more relaxed as I waited for my body to feel again. I made an experimental fist, marveling at how quickly the movement happened this time around. I figured I must be getting used to it, the unusual freezing at a certain day. I knew I was certainly becoming used to it.

I sat up, stretching my arms over my head. My white sheet slipped down from my barren chest, and I immediately felt the cold draft that came from through the window. I shivered and pulled the sheet back over me while I remained in my position. It was no wonder I was cold, for I was wearing only my loincloth. The room felt empty of all life, save for Kaius' snoring from above me. I leaned out over the side of my bed, craning my head to look up at the top bunk. Kaius had his arm hanging over the side, his fingers twitching slightly as he slept. I smiled, recalling our childhood days, when I, being the younger brother, would sneak into his bed when I was five after having a bad dream. He would always pretend to be angry, but I knew he liked the company. Now that we were older, I did not find sharing a sleeping space as nice. Especially since he snored.

Looking around, I felt a sudden stab of loneliness. The room, which was of an average size, was empty save for Kaius. Back when I was in the actual Rome, I had shared a room with seven other men- and I had always grumbled about the inconvenience. Now that the numbers had been cut, it was much more quite. I sighed and felt a small pang in my heart. I did not want to admit it, but I was lonely. And bored. Bored and lonely. I was not sure if anyone else was up yet. Many of the citizens had decided to fall asleep, as they had usually done, before the "freezing time", as it had been referred to, came to claim them. They hoped it would save another panic, and make the process of waking up more comfortable. I did not know if it had helped other people, but it had made little change for me.

After a few moments of squandering in my bed, I decided to pay Athena a visit. She had been kind to me, although I had been rather difficult. Perhaps she would be of some company. I did not admit it, but a large part of me was also eager to check on Lucios. Among the other worries I had, I was also concerned for him. I still knew very little about him, but I had begun to feel a sort of connection with him- something drawing me, urging me to be around him. Besides confusing me, it also gave me a warm feeling inside. One that I found to be rather comforting in the world of mine that was ever becoming cloudy.

Slipping my feet out of the covers, I made myself ignore the chill and walk over to the large chest at the foot of my bed. I quietly opened it, grabbing out my tunic. I was not on duty today, so I did not need to haggle with putting on my armor. I slipped the tunic over myself, pulling at the bottom hem to unbunch it from around my shoulders. I bent down to put on and tighten my sandals. I smiled to myself, the small thrill of doing something with my time making me happy. My stomach growled. I softly padded over to the table, breaking a piece from the leftover loaf Kaius and I had eaten for supper.

Shoving it in my mouth with ravenous bites, I glanced over my shoulder at Kaius. He was still soundly asleep, and I knew he would not wake for another long while. I quietly slipped through the door and set off across the camp.

There was little commotion in the camp, with only a few soldiers and the men who had been put on sentry duty were up. I heard the sound of voices from the General's headquarters, more than a few, and figured he was briefing the duty officers on their next assignment. As I passed by the entrance to the camp, I saw a few citizens milling about aimlessly. Some were out to buy breakfast, while some were simply out enjoying a nice walk. I looked up at the strange light emanating from above us and sighed. I missed the usual, soft glow of the early morning sun. It gave a man's eyes time to adjust to the change of light. But this new Rome did not have any such sun. It was a shame; I would have given anything to sit and watch a sunset.

With that thought, I reached the medical block and rapped on the door. My ears were greeted with an irritable mutter as the door opened to reveal Lucius. He looked tired, his eyes drooping and his body still clothed in a night cloak. I offered a cheery smile and bowed slightly.

"Good morning, sir. I have come calling for-"

"Go home, soldier." Lucius yawned, reaching out to push me away from the door. "It is too early for you to be here."

I could not help but feel a twinge of disappointment, and I tried again to plead my case. "Sir, I simply wish to visit Lucios-"

"No," Lucius answered sternly. He was scowling, and I knew he meant business. "Lad, it is too early for him to be stirring. It is too early for you to be stirring. Go back to bed."

"But, sir-"

"Be gone I said!" Lucius boomed angrily.

I flinched, and instinctively shrunk back. Lucius slammed the door shut, which probably woke up at least half the city. I was infuriated. I balled my hands into fists, preparing to kick down the heavy wooden door if I had to. I had come to see Lucios, and see him I would. But I knew an angry fit would do little good. Lucius was a stubborn old man, and I knew he would not yield.

"Psst, Rufus!"

I turned at the sound of my voice, looking around for its source. For a moment I could see nothing to suggest who had called me. Then, I picked out the shadow of a person leaning out from a side door in the medical block. I frowned and slowly approached.

"Oh, do come faster." The voice whispered. "If you walk so slow, he will be asleep before you even make it inside."

I felt a smile pull the corners of my mouth as I recognized the voice. "Athena?"

"Yes, yes." She replied quickly. "Now come, quickly."

I did as I was told, and walked with a longer stride over to the door. She stood there in the doorway, dressed in her usual work tunic, beckoning me inside with a quick flick of her wrist. I looked around before I entered, and she closed the door behind me. The room went dark, and there was no light. A candle flared in front of me, illuminating Athena's face. She smiled and gestured for me to follow her.

"I thought I heard your voice at the door," She explained in a hushed tone as we passed the beds of sleeping patients. "I knew you were here to see Lucios. I had to let you see him somehow."

"Is he awake?" I asked, more urgently than I had anticipated.

"Oh yes, he is now," Athena said. "He woke just a little bit ago. He is more aware than he was the first time he woke yesterday. I actually managed to get him to eat about half a bowl of broth, and even a small bit of bread." I gave a soft sigh of relief, causing Athena to chuckle. "You were worried about him?"

"Yes," I nodded. "I was...concerned about him."

"Concerned, worried- it matters not. All that matters is that you cared about him." Athena hummed cheerily. "He will be happy to know that there is someone who cares about him."

I frowned. "Has no one come to visit him?" I asked, feeling pity for the poor man.

Athena shook her head, her hair aglow in the candlelight. "Octavius was supposed to come and visit him yesterday- but he fell ill, the poor man. I visited him earlier this morning after I was sure Lucios was stable enough to be left alone. He was much better when I got there. And in quite a decent mood. Marcus had been talking with him when I came in. They both seemed cheery."

"I heard the voices of more men inside headquarters on my way here," I told her.

"Yes, they were arriving as I left," Athena replied simply. "The General was talking about leading another patrol from the city. He wants to see if he can locate the location of those strange men you all encountered. He also wants to explore beyond the large room our city is in."

"His last patrol did not go well," I grunted, not too keen on another doomed ride out from the city. "Lucios was hurt- and the rest of us could have followed him, or have been killed."

"He knows," Athena whispered softly. "But he has little choice in the matter. The Senate has been pressuring him to do something. They claim that Rome will run out of food if we do not push forwards into new lands."

I snorted. "Silly thought, that." I knew the claim was logical, but coming from the Senate it seemed like a load of bollocks. "The Senate thinks they can scare us into submission. They always have. That is how they rule over us."

"The Senate use to be the ruling power, so it makes sense why they would envy Octavius so. Especially since he is the son of Caesar. Alas, the poor man. He has enemies on all sides" Athena stated. They stopped in front of the white curtain that blocked Lucios from the other patients.

"You pity him, do you not?" I asked, curious why she kept bringing him up.

She did not look at me and cleared her throat. "I feel for him, yes. But that is beside the point. Lucios? Are you still awake?"

"I am," A voice croaked back.

Athena pulled open the curtain, allowing the candlelight to spill over Lucios. I entered after her, taking in his appearance. He looked pale, his cheeks gaunt and his eyes sunken. His arms were folded over his chest, his head leaned back, slightly propped up against his pillow. He was still covered in many blankets, although some had begun to slip to one side, revealing his bandaged wound. There only a light crimson stain on the linen. The one good thing I could see, besides the fact that he was awake, was that his breathing was less labored than it had been the day before.

I smiled. "Lucios," I said with a greeting tone. "It is good to see you up and not asleep for once." He returned the smile, but his dull eyes looked rather confused. "I came to see you yesterday, but you were unconscious."

"You must forgive me," Lucios pleaded, his voice low and weak "I hope you were not disturbed by my image."

"No, of course not," I reassured him gently. I took a seat on the wooden stool beside his cot. "I was rather concerned, I will admit."

Lucios look surprised. "You were...concerned about me?" He asked.

"Of course I was," I let my arms fall into my lap as I spoke. "Honestly, if you truly want to know; I am just as surprised at why I was worried." Lucios was silent for a moment, looking down at himself. For a moment I feared I had offended him, and I quickly attempted to reword what I had said. "I mean, yes, I was worried, but-"

A deep inhale of breath and a wince from Lucios interrupted my words. "You...really did care?" He asked, his voice tinted with disbelief. I nodded. "That is...very kind of you. Few people really bother over me."

I raised an eyebrow. "No one?"

He weakly shook his head. "No. Only Athena. She takes really good care of me. Whenever I need her she has been there. She is very kind."

"She is," I agreed. "But, you really have no one? No, no friends? No comrades?" He shook his head. "No family?"

"No."

I again felt that same pang of pity, as well as a feeling of guilt. It seemed weak of me to become sentimental over a stranger's loneliness, but there was a sort of sadness in his dark eyes that touched my heart. I thought back to my own feelings of loneliness a short while ago and made my decision then and there.

"Well, let us change that," I said, smiling.

Lucios looked confused. "Change what?"

I gave him a small laugh and spoke in a joking tone. "Oh, you naive soldier- let us change your friendless demeanor. I will keep you company this morning. I do believe you could use it, as could I."

"Really?" Lucius gasped softly. "You would...you would do that for me?"

"Why not?" I said, giving my shoulders a careless shrug in an attempt to preserve some of my professional attitudes. Lucios smiled. We stared at each other for a moment, an uncomfortable silence growing between us. I cleared my throat. "So...how are you feeling?"

Lucios tried to shrug, but failed miserably and slipped further down his pillow. I leaned forwards and helped him reposition himself, and he nodded a thanks to me before answering. "I suppose I have been alright. I have been better, as you can see." I knew he was referring to his wound, so I nodded. "I have been less tired than I had been earlier, and I do not hurt as much."

"Not even an ache?" I asked, to keep the conversation hurting.

"Well, an ache or two," Lucios answered truthfully. "It does hurt here and there, but I think it is just the stitches tearing at my skin. Athena says in a few more weeks I should be well enough to walk. And then she will have me stay for a short time longer, and then I can go back to the army."

"You must be excited about that," I pointed out.

"Well, to be honest…" Lucios hesitated. "Can I...can I confide in you?"

"Sure," I said.

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I am not a soldier. I am a failure. I am so frightened of everything….the rush of battle may flow within your blood, and the blood of my comrades, but it does not flow within me. I feel I am not up to the challenge of soldiering, and that I am nothing but a coward." He paused, then added with a whisper, "Nothing but a coward to Rome."

"You are not a coward," I scolded. "So do not go thinking that. You do not have to enjoy fighting to be a soldier. Your dislike of it is understandable, and a natural part of man's nature."

"No," Lucios shook his head. "It is not man's nature, it is my nature. You see, I am a man who can enjoy the little things. A good book, a sunny day, a friend's company, for example. You see, life is such a precious thing- and I am lucky to still have it. I do not wish to throw it away for a lost cause. I know that is cowardice, but it is how I feel."

"I do not think it cowardice to fear for yourself," I replied gently.

"It is not myself I fear for," Lucios explained quickly. "No, not myself, completely. I fear for those I might hurt. Nicodemus use to always say, 'Do not think about them. They do not matter. Just keep stabbing.' He would call me a coward sometimes, too. But I understood what he was saying."

"Nicodemus can not hurt you anymore," I whispered.

Lucios frowned. "But he never did-"

"Nicodemus is dead," I concluded. I was not sure how Lucios would take the news, but it had to be said sooner or later.

For a moment he did not move or speak. I sat there awkwardly, trying to figure out what I might have said wrong. After a long few moments of quiet, he took a slow, measured breath, and spoke.

"Poor Nicodemus," He whimpered. There was a sadness in his tone, which confused me. "He was a good man, he really was- he was just going through so much, it made him angry, and bitter….what happened to him?"

"He...fell over the cliff edge."

Another sharp intake of breath. "That poor man…"

We were silent again before I thought of a new discussion topic. "Lucios, you like to read, do you not?"

"Why...I suppose," He answered. There was still a sadness to his tone that I did not fail to miss. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I read a lot too," I replied. "What do you read?"

Lucios thought for a moment before answering. "I read poetry a lot, and the histories sometimes. I also like to read the works of the playwrights."

I smiled. "I do too. Have you read Plautus' The Swaggering Soldier and The Persian?"

Lucios' face lit up immediately, and I knew I had struck a point. "Oh yes, I love his works! He truly was a talented man. I have seen The Persian performed before. I want to see his play, Stichus at some point. Which one do you favor?"

"Personally, I liked Curculio. But the others were good too."

Lucios smiled widely. "You are the first person I have met who speaks so fondly of such plays."

"Well, I am not as uncultured as I might look." I shrugged.

"Yes, well, it is nice to find someone who-"

Lucios' words were cut off as a trumpet sounded outside. "That would be the call to morning attendance," I sighed. "I suppose the General is getting us all back on schedule."

Lucios smiled. "Then you must off before you are missed."

I stood, and gave Lucios a small salute. "I will return again later, today or tomorrow. And then we can discuss more of Plautus."

"Yes, I would like that." Lucios agreed.

I gave him a small wave and left through the curtain. I passed by Athena, who was busy looking over another patient. I had not even noticed she had parted our company. We exchanged a smile, and I left through the same door I had entered. I felt happy, and I knew then that I rather liked Lucios. It would be nice to have a new friend like him, and I swore I would see him whenever I could.