Rome does not remember his birth.
His earliest memory is sitting with a woman spinning wool. It memorized him, that soft roving, turned into something with a structure. Periodically, she had to stop and wrap more of the yarn around the spindle. He reached to touch it, but she pulled away, laughed, and said something, in a language he didn't understand.
He had siblings too. His sister would hold him so gently.
He does not remember his birth, but he remembers the feeling of nothingness, of the universe, or the gods, being ready to kill him as fast as they created him. He remembers falling from a wall, but also being the one that pushed himself down.
He met gods that were not related to him. They looked at him with pity, or anger, sometimes. He doesn't know how he survived.
X
"Roma?" A vestal virgin—her name was Sextilia—touched his shoulder "You don't look well"
He almost laughed, but her sad little face stopped him. His army destroyed, fleeing to Caere, and in a shitty cart overpacked with relics and money, he'd be more surprised if he didn't look horrible.
"When something happens to the city—he gets sick," Claudia Major spoke for him "Let him rest."
"Oh, sorry," She looked away. He felt bad for her. She'd only become a vestal four years ago.
"Don't worry," He smiled, "I'm fine."
X
Claudia Major didn't stick to her words. When they stopped an hour later, to reposition a statue falling off, she cornered him.
"Roma, I know you don't want to be here, but listen, you can't go back and fight. Do you know how bad of an omen it would be if you died? Even if we know you'll come back, the people will not be sure until you do . That could be what, a month, a year? You might as well commit suicide."
He frowned, "I was not going to-"
"Don't lie to me, I'm not stupid. I've known you for 20 years now. Dying by gaulish hands might make you feel better, but you're more holy than everything here, combined. Too holy to risk"
He didn't respond. Gods, If you did not know Claudia was a virgin, you might confuse her for his mother.
X
He slept the rest of the two days it took to get to Caere. He had no dreams, but apparently had a seizure the second day. Sextilia had been convinced he was going to die.
"No, no. Something must have happened in the city—Remember, I feel it."
X
They were welcomed to stay.
He liked Caere, at least more than Veii. Or rather, he had been given no reason to dislike it. There had been a few small conflicts between them in his earlier history and they had sheltered Tarquin when he was exiled, but recent relations were more than adequate. Roman boys were often sent to learn there. Rome himself never went, but he might as well have. He's pretty sure he adapted his writing system from Caere. Either him or Veii, one of the two adapted it from Cumae. He preferred to think Caere did.
The god of the city carried himself controlledly and precise, but not unnaturally. He was physically about four years older than him, although it was impossible to tell exactly. He offered to let Rome stay with him. He declined, opting to stay in an unoccupied villa on the edge of town.
"Are you sure?" He furrowed his brow. "Ruma, you would be much more comfortable with me, I really don't mind—and besides, if you get sick, it'd be easier to take care of you there." He spoke in his etruscan language, no Os.
Rome already felt sick, and could not meet his eyes. "It's fine. I like being by myself, and it's your home, I'd hate—"
He laughed, "You'd refuse to let me host you? My home is open to anyone that needs it. Ruma, I remember when you were a little village on the tiber. I can't allow you to stay in any random villa."
This was a battle he would not win. He signed. Objectively, he knew Caere was doing this out of hospitality, but Rome wanted to punch him. "Well, if you insist."
"Great!" He leaned in, then spoke softly, "You know, you did the right thing, trying to help Clevsin—it is such a shame what happened up there to her."
Caere—or Cisra, what he called himself, was kind. He was gentle. He was nice. They had always been allies, and Rome should have no reason to distrust him. But the suspicious, irrational part of him thought if he died, Cisra would be the first to offer congratulations to the barbarians. He pushed that idea down.
Author's note/history context: The battle of the Allia was pretty serious for Rome. The army was routed and fled to Veii, but miscommunication meant that the romans thought the majority were killed. Livy writes that the vestal virgins packed up with a lot of sacred stuff, and to me it makes sense that a personification of the city would be considered sacred, so he's going with them. Plus also you know, shipping (but thats a little far off, for now there will only be friendship/sexual tension on rome's end lol).
The Etruscans were the major players in italy before the romans, and I'm sad that they're often ignored. Orginally I was going to have only one personification for them, but I just couldn't work it lol. They had a common culture but there were many independent city states. And Rome was on good/bad terms with different ones. Hetalia is very biased towards nation states, so it's hard to project back before there were any.
For the Etruscans you could definitely portray them as like a sibling to Rome, but in here I've decided that Rome's siblings will only be other latium city states. Not sure how long this will be, so no planned chapter number. But time wise I hope to go the first century ad, for sure some flashbacks too.
Also I've decided in prose Rome will be referred to as Rome, but in dialouge as Roma/Ruma/whatever. But if it's annoying/werid let me know and I'll change it. He's supposed to be a teenager right now, around 16/17.
Also also, I'm not a historian or anything. Just a nerd. If anything is historically inaccurate please let me know. (Depending on what it is though I may or may not change it though... Artistic license!)
I've decided to resurrect my old account and post on here... this is also on ao3 at helen_the_tired. I have this is my profile, but please don't take anything previously made/said on this account seriously XD
Hope you enjoy! Reviews are very appreciated!
