A/N- This will not be updated as frequently as you all would like because unfortunately, my time is often not my own. However, I will never abandon this story.
It was early morning and the day had barely begun, the slaves were still making their way through the villa, but the Emperor was already at work in his study, sorting through scrolls of parchment and studying the map that showed the location of Rome's armies.
Wondering whether he needed to issue a decree if he ever wished to see Caroline again.
How many times had he requested to see her now?
He hadn't had to chase after a woman like this since Esther.
He hears a familiar footfall in the hall and smiles as his son approaches, easing his way into the room, with unusual tentativeness, he had always burst into the study like a gust of wind, bringing life to an otherwise dull room.
"One begins to suspects that Caroline has left Rome," Ansel gripes, as he scrawls his name across the parchment,
"And that you are all conspiring to keep this news from me."
"She has not left Rome, father," Niklaus' voice is hesitant and Ansel frowns,
"Then why must I go to such lengths to obtain an…what happened?!"
Half of his son's face was a riot of colors, blues, greens and purples splashed across swollen skin and Ansel lurches towards him, dragging him to the light so he can see the injury better.
"Nothing is broken," Niklaus reports, tilting his head back obediently but he does not take comfort in this fact,
"Was there another attack?" he demands, "Where were your guards? Should I have them whipped or sent to the stairs?"
Niklaus takes his hands, lowering them, "I am well, I was not attacked…as such."
His son has a guilty look in his eye and Ansel steps back with a frown, "Explain."
His tone brooked no refusal and his child sighs before giving him what he assumed was a greatly altered and redacted version of the events that had taken place.
Yet he still failed to make himself the hero or injured party in his telling.
"The Emperor's only son brawled outside a brothel in the streets of Rome?!" Ansel cried,
"How am I just learning of this now?"
Niklaus shrugged, "Perhaps we were unseen?"
He snorted and turned to his table, "Believe me, Niklaus, a man's actions never go unseen, if naught else, the gods watch over us."
He picked over the information in his mind, "You said the man mistook you for a thug, that he thought Caroline in danger?"
His son looks to the ground and squirms, but he does not lie, "Yes, father," he admits, glancing up quickly, "But it was not his fault."
"Dare I ask what reason he had to fear for Caroline?" he demands,
"And in what position he found the pair of you?"
"I was trying to get Caroline back to the Palatine," he begins, "She refused to go because her soldiers were there and she did not think it wrong to drink with them…" he pauses to clear his throat before continuing, "I had brought a litter to carry her and was trying to get her into it when her men found us."
Ansel rubs his forehead, "And are the men aware that there was a misunderstanding? Or will the rumors state that you attempted to dishonor a daughter of Rome?"
Niklaus nods eagerly, "Yes, Caroline assured them she was safe with me."
She should not have had to, but Ansel lets that pass, "I hope the man who hit you suffered no ill in spite of his actions?"
His son hurries to assure him that he had offered the man his friendship and favor were he ever in need of aid and Ansel sighs with relief.
If nothing else came from the disaster, at least his son had managed to comport himself well in one respect.
With a sigh, he sinks back into his chair and considers his boy.
He did love him dearly, and though he was not blind to his faults, he could freely admit that he was a son of which he could be proud. Intelligent, well versed in the necessary studies and an intelligent man, well versed in the necessary studies, he had a talent for sketching that Ansel suspected could have made him an architect were he not destined to be consul of Rome.
If only he were not so impulsive and foolish when it came to matters of the heart.
The first time he had seen Caroline after those long, cold years, he had himself been stunned by the beautiful woman before them both and to see her with his son, he could not help but admit what a pair they made.
And with Caroline as his wife, Niklaus would have the support of the army, which- as he was not a soldier- he had yet failed to win. But the boy was going about the matter foolishly, Caroline had no mother or father to ascertain the situation and urge her into flirtations with him, she was a female warrior who had spent her life surrounded by powerful men, men who had earned their position, not been born into it.
Ansel considered the situation and wished he could apply the same cunning and prowess that had made him consul and Emperor of Rome, a man who had survived numerous plots to overthrow him, and even more attempts to see him married after Esther's death.
Yet, even as many a play and ploy run across his manipulative mind, he strongly suspects that to have a hand in the union of his son and Caroline would have the opposite result of what he intended.
The two of them were both stubborn and headstrong in their own way, if they thought they were being pushed together, they would likely throw themselves apart.
Therefore, he sends his son away and returns to his less interesting work, the running of an Empire.
And takes comfort in the knowledge that, if all else failed, he could order the pair of them to marry.
Elijah was famous for scorning of rumors and gossip, refusing to ever allow his ear to become audience to such tidings.
It was a virtue for which Caroline was grateful that morning as they broke their fast, for years in the army had taught her how fast bad news could fly and she dreaded anyone hearing about the scuffle that had taken place the night before.
Not for her sake, or even for Niklaus', but she worried that fanatics or those seeking to earn Ansel's favor might seek to harm Enzo.
Instead, Elijah murmurs about the weather and his intention to visit the temple to Isis, inviting Caroline along almost absent-mindedly and seeming pleasantly surprised when she expressed her intention to go.
She changed quickly into her uniform, grabbing her sheath and short sword, reminding herself that she could not use her weapon on the damn snake as she hurries to the street, where Elijah stood awaiting her.
It was early, the streets were not yet as filled as they would be a midday, yet Caroline still had to keep close to Elijah, lest she lose him in the crowds and they had to bend their heads together, so she could hear him as he explained the Egyptian goddess to her, her myth and how it all supposedly related back to the Pharaoh.
The temple was close to those that honoured the Roman gods- the real gods- in the Campus Martius, a fair walk from the Palatine, and to the east from the Saepta Julia, the entrance they used was marked by a triumphal arch and as Caroline stepped inside, she noticed that it was a double temple, one to the goddess Isis and one to Serapina, separated by a plaza with obelisks and a strange mixture of Egyptian and Hellenic architecture.
The walls were decorated by motifs that evoked Egypt with a skill that had Caroline remembering the sand under her feet and the heat of the sun on her neck.
When they had stepped into the shadowy interior, the asp slid down from Elijah's arm and hung precariously off his wrist until he lowered his hand to the floor and allowed the creature to slither off out of sight.
"I hope snakes are sacred to this goddess," Caroline quips, "Otherwise, it shall quickly be crushed under heel."
Elijah gives her a pointed look, "I am sure it has gone to seek out the priestess."
Caroline crosses her arms and moves towards the altar, noting a daily offering must have already taken place, because the marble was still wet from having been scrubbed clean afterwards.
She takes another step forward, adjusting her footing, suddenly aware that she is being watched and her hand drops to the hilt of her sword, as if resting there.
"There is no need for that," states a voice from the shadows,
"It is forbidden to shed blood of the unwilling in the Iseum."
Caroline turns to the direction from which the voice spoke and holds up her palms,
"Then I thank you for your assurance of safe passage for myself and my friend."
The disapproving silence speaks volumes, there is the rustle of silk on stone as the priestess emerges, her hair braided and the religious knot known as the Buckle of Isis tied around her waist.
"This hallowed ground is the safest place in Rome for the consort of our Pharaoh," the priestess bows her head to Elijah who returns the gesture. She holds a hand out to Caroline, "And to those who seek our aid."
Caroline frowns in confusion, about to point out that she has no reason to seek aid from a foreign mythical being, not when she has Neptune and her soldiers at her back yet, before she can speak, Elijah and the priestess are moving away, towards another room and she hurries to follow them.
They are in a garden, filled with plants she did not know grew in Rome, lotuses growing in vast numbers around a pool of water that she spots the asp lying by, on a rock bathed in sunlight from the hole in the roof.
Nor was it alone, what she had thought to be a skilled carving was in fact a sleeping crocodile.
Caroline can admit to herself in that moment that the reason she had followed Elijah to the Iseum was that she had feared if she had remained in his villa that Niklaus would seek her out.
She could still feel his lips against hers and had spent a sleepless night wondering if he would not try to come to her couch and if she would turn him away if he had.
Now, with a crocodile alarmingly close to her rather edible form, she thinks that a deity- Venus perhaps- was chastising her for having denied the Emperor's son.
It cracks one eye, observing her calmly and she raises her chin defiantly, hoping that if it does choose her for its next meal, it will at least eat the asp first. Yet, perhaps the creature had already fed on some other unsuspecting fool, because it merely closed its eye and went back to sleep.
She wonders whether she should not be offended to have been dubbed inedible by the ugly mud dweller, yet, decides to take her victories where she found them and joins Elijah and the priestess sitting on the right side of the pool, far away from the creature and by a table where three goblets of beer were placed.
"The Pharaoh bids you to remember her love for you and your vows of fidelity to her," the priestess is saying as Caroline finally joins them, and Elijah is nodding along agreeably,
"She further instructs you to practise caution, for your enemies gather around you and yours."
Caroline had been reaching for her beer, yet at those words she pauses,
"Does the Pharaoh have names for these enemies?" she asks,
"Or perhaps, the one who wished to kill Elijah's brother?"
The Priestess waved her hand, taking her own goblet and draining it to the dregs,
"She suspects yet cannot accuse, for even a Pharaoh dares not lay blame at the door of one who lives outside her lands."
Caroline huffed and drank her beer, "Seriously?! What is the point of knowing the guilty party if you cannot…"
Words fail her and she takes a slow breath, eyeing the goblet warily,
"There was more than beer in this," she says, glaring at the priestess accusingly, yet the woman merely shrugs,
"Mandrake, to ease you towards your future."
She gags on the sweet taste and stands, "Elijah, I will await you outside."
Their voices are quickly swallowed up by the shadows as she seeks the streets of Rome, noting when she exits the archway that the despite the sun that had warmed their skin in the Iseum, the day was overcast.
She does her best to brush it from her mind and searches for the Circus Flaminius knowing that the Temple to Neptune was nearby.
She should have thought to bring an offering, to pay for a bull to be sacrificed, or perhaps one of the many conch shells she had collected during her various campaigns over the years.
Her skin feels heated, despite the chill of the day and while she does not believe the priestess would have been so arrogant as to poison her in the very heart of Rome, she does not believe that the woman only knew the arts of wisdom and healing.
She catches the eye of a slave standing across the street and frowns that the man is so bold, scornfully she turns her back to him, knowing she can't challenge the man in public lest she be deemed mad or terrified of what enemies she must have.
Elijah joins her shortly, tucking a scroll into his robes and with the snake curled around his neck, and they begin walking up the now busy street, fortunately, their clothes mark them as people not to be pushed aside or knocked into.
"We are being followed." Caroline whispers, but her companion does not seem the least bit worried.
"I recognize the slave," he remarks, "He belongs to Senator Martell, the same man who accused you of attempting to assassinate Niklaus and me of being the mastermind."
He finishes his sentence with a yawn and when he is done covering his mouth, rubs the head of the asp, "Truly the man is no reason to be concerned, he is so open about his pathetic attempts of spying nobody cares to be worried."
Caroline accepts this with surprise, in the army, being caught spying on your own men rendered you a black eye, being caught spying on other men rendered you dead.
"It is a shame however, that he and I do not get along," Elijah sighs, "They say that Martell has collected letters and recordings of Senate meetings for the last thirty years, he would have a greater understanding of current events than even the Emperor himself, he would be a fascinating man to speak with."
Caroline snorted, she made a point to burn every letter she received that was not an order.
Still, she takes Elijah's arm and leads him on a roundabout way through Rome, until she is sure that they have lost the spy and only then sets their path to the Palatine.
Elijah's villa has the Praetorian guard standing out the front when they return and they make their way through to see the Emperor standing in the atrium and looking down at the floor.
"You are having work done," he notes as they approach and Elijah grins, "Yes, I was hoping to have a mosaic of the world placed here, with the water," he gestures to the pool, "To signify the seas."
The Emperor looks impressed as he glances up at Caroline, "I had not thought to see you again."
Caroline pales and puts her hands behind her back so nobody can see them shake,
"Am I not supposed to be here?" she manages and Elijah appears confused at the quaver in her tone but Ansel only shrugs,
"I had wished to speak with you after the attempt on my son's life, yet every time fate seemed destined to part us."
She forces herself to smile, recognizing that the man was attempting a joke, yet she still murmurs an excuse to take her leave, moving out to the poorly tended garden.
Elijah had once attempted to grow various plants from around the world in this soil and once it had failed, he had not bothered spending a great deal of time there, and the slaves- noting their master's disinterest- had not cared for the garden beyond keeping it neat.
Despite this neglect, an apple tree was growing in the center, its roots having stretched out to threaten the structure of the tiled path.
Niklaus was standing under its shade, stretching up to pluck one of the fruits from a branch and bite into it. Caroline watched as he sank his teeth into it just to pull back with a disgusted expression and toss the fruit to the ground before resuming his search amongst the branches for a riper piece.
The ground was now littered with ruined apples.
She tries to cover her amusement with a snort, covering her mouth with her hand as she moves to join him, reaching up to stay his hand as it stretched out for a particularly fat fruit.
"You cannot assault this poor tree," she chastises as he smiles at seeing her,
"It is not yours, besides, you have not liked any of its offerings yet, why would you like this one?"
He shrugs, "I cannot know unless I try it," he tells her, reaching for it again but she catches his wrist and draws it down, holding it firmly between them, shaking it once with feigned anger,
"Perhaps it is simply sweetness I crave?" he suggests, stepping closer and forcing her to raise her eyes to meet his, heat and tension sparking between them, "Something sweet and succulent to lose myself in?"
She draws a ragged breath and though he's already moving, she sees his intention and moves faster, capturing his mouth in a passionate kiss.
She releases his hand to grab his shoulders and then runs one hand through his hair, turning them both and leading him backwards, until he was pressed against the bark of the tree.
When they break for air, she presses her lips to his neck, nipping at the flesh and he hisses as his hands grip at her armor, moving over the leather, down to the skirt, trying to reach the bottom of her tunic and she grins, capturing his hands and putting them firmly on her waist. He groans, but settles for kissing her again, his tongue exploring her mouth as he holds her against him as tightly as possible.
Caroline is breathless and light-headed from passion, wondering how she could have denied herself this before, wondering why she had denied herself this before.
"Sweet," he whispers in her ear, nipping on the lobe and she shivers, "And succulent."
She moans as he slips a knee between her thighs, "Come to my bed tonight," she orders,
"I want you to."
He pulls back slightly and his lips are red and swollen from their kiss, "You are certain?"
"Niklaus!"
Both of them gasp as Elijah's voice echoes through the garden, and Caroline steps back, running her hands through her hair and ensuring her uniform was correct.
"I do hope you are not laying waste to my apple tree," he calls, "As I have reminded you every summer for the last fifteen years, you do not like the taste of apples."
Niklaus rolls his eyes and Caroline clears her throat, noting with dismay that her armor had left imprints against his bare arms. They were behind the tree, sheltered from the villa yet she moves forward any way, determined to cover up their transgression but he catches her arm.
"Tonight?" he asks, his eyes entreating and she nods, "But do not get caught."
A/N- Thanks for reading
