Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! And now, at long last, the final chapter of the saga.
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.
The theme song for this chapter is "Into The West", by Annie Lenox for "The Lord Of The Rings:
The Return Of The King".
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:
******************************************************************************
Sailor Moon
Roman Legends
by Scorpinac
Chapter 13: Farewells
The next morning, Damris came into the bedroom where Georgio had been sleeping, the
boy asleep on the bed, his brother and sister on a pair of straw matts on the floor. She quietly
moved over to the eldest boy, and kneeled beside him. He sported several bandages now, Tatius
and Ami having treated his wounds well, and he was expected, hopefully, to make a more or less
full recovery.
Damris stared at him quietly for a moment, questioning herself. From the moment she'd
first seen him, she'd felt a stirring within her, deep within, but his infatuation with Serena was so
clear, she had ignored it then. But now, with Serena having clearly given him his send-off, and
after battling so hard and being so badly hurt for her afterwards despite it, Damris's heart had
suddenly screamed its wishes aloud to her, and she knew the truth.
It was a rectangle now. Serena and Darien were very much in love with each other, and
Georgio still loved Serena to some degree. And she, Damris, had also opened her heart, and she
believed now that she, too, was in love.
In love with Georgio.
"Seems we both fell in love with someone who didn't want us," she whispered.
"Hmm? Who?" Georgio stirred. He rose slightly, and looked at her. "Oh, it's
you...uh..."
"Damris, sir," she said. "I am Damris."
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No, just...seeing how you were..." she replied. "Um...I was wondering...now that Serena
has...well...dismissed you...as a suitor...um...would you ever consider...maybe...me...?" The last
few words had come from her lips as a just barely audible whisper, her eyes falling to focus on the
floor. He stared at her for several moments before speaking again.
"What?" he asked.
"I ...I ...I believe...that I am in love with you..." she finally found the courage to look back
up at him. "I'll be twelve in two months, and by law able to be wed, if my lady, Hrisoula, allows
it. And...I was...hoping...never mind..." Her eyes fell again as she lost her voice a second time in
so many minutes. He just looked at her again, then lied back down. To Damris's surprise, he
took her hand in his.
"I'll think about it," he said quietly. At the doorway, Zacharias watched quietly, all
smiles, then quietly zoomed away back to the room he shared with Iosif, who had just awoken
and stepped out. He stared down at the little boy.
"What're you doing, Zacharias?" he asked.
"Damris an' Georgio are talking 'bout gettin' married," Zacharias answered. "Told ya'
she liked him, just like you like Ami."
"Really? Huh? What do you know?" Iosif mused. Just then, Ami came up.
"Zacharias, could you leave me and Iosif alone for a moment?" she asked, and the little
boy quickly went into the bedroom. Iosif stared at Ami, who quietly swallowed.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Iosif, about what you said yesterday, when you killed those slavers who tried to grab
me..." Ami started.
"I said what is in my heart," Iosif cut in, laying a hand gently on her arm. "I love you,
Ami, and if you would, I would like you to be with me for the rest our lives, as my..."
"And that's the problem," Ami cut back in, feeling herself begin to tear up a bit, her voice
starting to get slightly choked. "I never meant for something like that to happen, for someone to
fall in love with me, or for me to feel...the way I fear I'm starting to feel for you..."
"Why?" Iosif asked. "What is wrong with it? Am I not 'pleasing' to you?"
"No, of course not," Ami replied. "You are very handsome...but...you deserve to know
the truth, before this goes any further...because...I don't think I could live with myself if I left and
you didn't know the _real_ reasons why...Iosif...I'm not who you think I am..."
* * *
Rini sat quietly, watching the sunlight enter the room through the window. After her
"talk" with the Caesar, she had been tossed in this room, a guard placed at the door, and orders
given for her not to be let out until further notice. She now feared her honesty would cause the
end of her life, either by being fed to the lions, or, worse, on a cross.
Just then, the servant who'd been cleaning vegetables with her the previous afternoon
came in with a plate of bread.
"I 'magine you must be hungry, dearie," she said. "By the way, they call me Veneria, just
so's you know."
"Rini," she replied, and began nibbling at the bread.
"So what you do this time? Brag about netting the Prince's lips all to yerself?" Veneria
asked.
"No..." Rini answered quietly. "Caesar wanted to know if I was afraid of him, ordered me
to be honest, so I said yes, because...I think he's going insane..."
"You told th' Emperor of Rome he's nuts?!" Veneria stared at her. "Not that I think yer
wrong on that..."
"Not in those words," Rini whispered back. "Just that I thought he was...sick...in the
mind...do you know what's gonna happen to me?"
"No idea," Veneria said. "He might just forget about you, if he lives..."
"Lives?" Rini blinked, feeling a surge of hope. "What do you mean?" Veneria glanced at
the guard, who'd been partly listening. He glanced around the halls, then nodded to Veneria to
continue.
"He's at the Colosseum," Veneria said. "An' I hear tell he's gonna fight Maximus
hisself!"
"He is?" Rini stared, then her face got very serious. "Then, for both my sake and the sake
of the Empire, let us pray to whatever gods lay in Heaven that Maximus wins, just one more
time..."
* * *
Salina stirred as the morning light entered the room, and rubbed her eyes. Thankfully, the
pain in her arm from where the arrow had grazed her was far less now, and she could move it
without trouble. She glanced to bid Rini good morning...except she wasn't in her bed.
*Huh?* she thought. *She must be up already...*
"Are you the other slave who was...bought...with Rini?" a small, female voice, whispered
to her from the shadows.
"Yes...?" Salina whispered back, before noticing that Lucius was gone, too. "I'm Salina...
who are you? Where are you?"
"I'm Diana," the voice replied. "I'm a friend of Rini's, and I need your help."
"But where...?" Salina's eyes kept scanning around for this "Diana". Could it possibly be
the Goddess, herself? Could Rini be a...
"I'm right behind you," 'Diana's' voice replied, and as Salina started to turn to look, it
snapped, "NO! Don't look, please. Just listen. The Caesar was talking to Rini last night, scaring
her, and he had her put in another room with a guard on it. I'm scared he might be planning to
hurt her after he gets back from the Colosseum. He's crazy!"
"A lot of us feared as much," Salina agreed. "Even Rini. What do you want me to do...
Goddess?"
"Well," 'Diana' said. "For starters..."
* * *
Darien straightened the blue tunic as he came down the stairs and helped himself to a loaf
of bread on the kitchen table. He noted that Serena, Ariadne, Felicia, Galea, Vivian, Delia,
Hotaru, Damris, and Hrisoula weren't about. *Already at the baths, I guess,* he thought. He'd
gone to the Roman public Baths of Trajan the previous afternoon with the other males of the
household, and while cleansing himself with sweat and massaged in oils was definitely different
from what he was accustomed to, he had to admit it did work...sorta.
Past that, and the fact that women simply bathed earlier rather than having their own
"side" of the baths, it wasn't all that unlike attending a Japanese public bath back home, really.
Per se. *Who am I trying to convince?* Darien asked himself. He would like some good old
fashioned soap, but that could wait. At least if he smelled at all, it was of the same oils as
everyone else in the city.
"Morning, Darien," Thernacius greeted him. "How fares you?"
"Oh, same ol' same ol'," Darien replied. "How's Georgio?"
"Recovering, he's resting upstairs for now," Thernacius replied. "Thank you."
"Hey, he's a good ki...man," Darien said. "Even I believe he truly loves Serena now,
going through that many armed and well trained guys to help her an' all."
"Yes," Thernacius agreed. "Now if I could just think of a way to mend his heart as well
as we did his body..."
"I think," Darien commented quietly, "Only time can do that."
"Possibly," Thernacius agreed. "Possibly." Just then, Iosif came downstairs, looking
dazed and perplexed, followed by Ami, who looked like she felt she'd just made a great error.
She glanced at Darien a moment, then shuffled out the main door.
"She's going to catch up with the others at the Baths," Iosif commented offhand, then
turned and stared at Darien.
"She told you, didn't she?" Darien asked. "We all told her it was a bad idea..."
"What are you?" Iosif whispered. "Are you really...from days not yet to dawn?"
"Excuse me?" Thernacius blinked. "What's all this?"
"It is..." Darien searched desperately for the right words. "As she said it is. No more.
No less. Whether you believe it...is your decision."
"What?" Thernacius stared between them. "What'd she tell him? She already have a
fiancee waiting for her? A hint? A clue? And what was that about days not dawning?"
"I don't know what to think..." Iosif commented quietly, ignoring Thernacius. "Or what
to believe..."
"Actually, I think I'd call that the right start," Darien smiled warmly.
"Could someone please let me in on the secret?" Thernacius beseeched.
* * *
Salina moved through the palace quickly, and found the room where Rini was downstairs,
the guard there looking very bored. Salina went over the plan that 'Diana' had outlined for her,
and waited for the goddess's agent to come and distract the guard. She wasn't completely sure
what form it would come in, but she waited all the same.
A moment later, a small grey cat wearing a red piece of cloth around its neck with a tiny
gold bell hooked to it jumped on the guard's head, and started scratching at his cheek. He
winced, batted at it, trying to knock it off, and then it bit his finger. He roared, and the cat
jumped to the floor and ran as the guard, momentarily blinded by anger, chased after it.
*Okay, my turn,* she thought. *Thank you, goddess!* She moved forward quickly, and
saw Rini sitting inside the room, staring towards the window.
"Rini! It's me!" she called, gaining her friend and fellow slave's attention. "The goddess
Diana has sent me to take you to freedom. Come on!"
"Goddess?" Rini blinked, then groaned. "That stupid little...I thought I told her to go..."
"You told a goddess to go?" Salina stared. "No matter, we must fly!"
"We can't!" Rini replied, standing up. "We promised!"
"And the Goddess says that Caesar is threatening to kill our master, Lucius, if Lady
Lucilla does not do all that he bids, and he may decide to kill us soon as well! The Goddess has
told me of a way we can get out unseen, Rini, hurry!"
"NO!" Rini snapped forcefully. "I'm not going! I won't break my promise!"
"But Rini..." Salina pleaded, feeling sure their time was running out. The goddess's agent
couldn't keep the guard distracted forever.
"The last time we tried to get away, we got caught, _whipped_!!" Rini answered, her eyes
brimming tears. "Do you _really_ want to have that happen again?!"
"At least we tried!!!" Salina screamed, finally losing herself. "It was your idea to make a
bid for freedom then, remember!!"
"And I was wrong!!!" Rini yelled back. "I never should have talked you into it!! Aren't
you mad at me?! It was my fault!!" Her eyes were now actively beginning to leak tears.
"You didn't have to talk me into anything!!!" Salina yelled. "I _wanted_ to escape, to be
_free_ again!! I still do!!"
"But if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been flogged!!!" Rini screamed. Now they
were both starting to cry, though for opposing reasons.
"It was worth it!" Salina snapped back. "It would have been worth a hundred, nay, a
_thousand_ lashes, _because we tried!!!!_" Rini stared at her friend for a moment, and finally
rubbed her eyes dry and moved forward.
"If they catch us, they might kill us this time, rather than the twelve lashes Cephiro
originally promised us," she warned.
"We don't belong to Cephiro anymore, and as far as I'm concerned, we never _did_."
Salina replied. "Are you ready now?" Rini stared for a moment, then smiled.
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she replied. She still felt very nervous about this, but she
didn't want to argue about it anymore, either. Together they scooted out of the room...and right
into the returning guard, who looked as though he'd been watching for a while now.
"There's a balcony over there," he gestured. "I think you can almost get a view of the
action from it, if it's the Colosseum you two are wanting to go to, as that's where your master is
right now."
"Uh..." Salina gulped.
"If you wouldn't mind," Rini said quietly, and the guard walked them over. As it was,
they could almost make out the action, but only of a white and black blur batting back and forth
against each other in the middle of a distant ring of purple...
"The Goddess will not be pleased..." Salina whispered quietly to herself.
Behind them, Diana poked her head out from behind a pillar where she chose for the
moment to hide. *Darn it, Rini! Why'd you have to stall?! I just wanna make up for failing you
before...*
* * *
Lita had become somewhat accustomed to being in a cell, even under the Colosseum, but
this time was different. Things were extra tense, and not in a good way. It was early afternoon,
and Caesar Commodus had just entered the arena with Maximus, one-on-one! The only others in
the arena being a ring of Praetorians directly around them.
She watched intently with the others from the barred windows around the base of the
arena, which didn't help much with several legs between them and the action. Her own interest
was personal. After all, if the Caesar knew she'd been hired to kill his nephew, or believed
Barvus Cephiro wanted her to kill him, then she could very well be next!
"Are you all right, Lita?" Vassos asked. He and Urian stood next to her to her right,
along with Semon to her left. Both the gladiators of Theophilus's camp and Proximo's, who
rumor had it was killed in the night, shared the area, everyone on heavy edge.
"Yes and no," she replied, and a thought, a burning one, crossed her mind. *Well, may as
well ask now, I could be permanently dead soon!* "Vassos, Urian, Semon...do you guys...love
me?" she asked, a little more timidly than she honestly meant to. Vassos quietly took her hand in
his own, and smiled.
"I think I first became enchanted when you stood up for yourself and Adara back in
Derorium," he told her. "Nothing has dissuaded me since." Urian laid a hand on her shoulder,
also wearing a smile.
"The moment we first sparred," he said. "And then confirmed and flamed to full during
your very first arena battle. I can no longer imagine my life without you in it, Lita the
magnificent." And then Semon laid his hand on her left.
"I'm not sure when I began to care for you," he said. "But well before we left to Rome,
that, my love, I am sure of."
"Almost seems moot now, though, don't it?" Lita asked, finding herself smiling as well.
"To be honest," Vassos said, "We'd be lying if we said we hadn't been speculating on
which one of us you'd eventually pick, if any..."
"And each of us hoping quietly it would be our own self," Urian added.
"And each wondering how the others would react when you did decide," Semon threw in.
"Thanks, guys," Lita said. "For everything..."
And then suddenly, all went deathly quiet.
As she and the others waited, Maximus said something they couldn't quite hear, and then
called out that;
"There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus
Aurelius."
"Free the prisoners! Go!" the lead Praetorian, Quintus, commanded loudly. A few
moments later, the cell doors opened, and all were released. Following the flow, Lita walked up
after them into the arena, and took a deep breath at what she saw there. The war, such as it was,
between Commodus and Maximus, was over.
"Is Rome worth one good man's life?" Lucilla, who had also entered the arena, asked
Gracchus, who was nearby. "We believed it once. Make us believe it again." She then turned to
the whole crowd and stated loudly, "He was a soldier of Rome! Honor him."
"Who will help me carry him?" Gracchus called out, and every gladiator there, including
Lita, and even little Lucius, who had also come down with his mother, moved forward to form the
procession...
* * *
In the third level of seats of the Colosseum, hidden in among the still stunned and silent
crowd, three people were musing on what they had seen. One was a white male with curly red
hair and brown eyes, one was a woman with straight black hair tied off in back in a pony tail, and
the third was a young man of Native American descent with short black hair and black eyes. All
were dressed for the era, but if one looked closely, one would quickly realize that _none_ actually
belonged in it.
"Well, that was thrilling," the first male commented.
"We done here? I'm tired of this silly dress. It's just not me," the woman asked.
"And this was supposed to happen?" the second male queried.
"In order of asking, just about, Carol," the first man replied. "And, yes, Sentohanta, this
event was well recorded in your people's history. 'Course, someone later mangles it, says it was
thirteen years later and in his bed by pillow smothering, but..."
"Okay, I'm going back to the TARDIS," Carol stated. "This dress is killing me!"
"I've had enough, too, John," Sentohanta added as he and Carol got up. At that moment
much of the crowd was getting ready to leave.
"Okay, fine, holiday's over, happy?!" John asked as he rose himself.
* * *
A couple of hours later, Lita was in the palace, before Lucilla and Lucius, answering
question after question about the incident with her arrow the previous day. With Commodus
gone, Rini had been released from her guard, and she and Salina were also present.
"And you swear it was only an accident?" Lucilla asked for what felt like the thousandth
time.
"Yes, ma'am," Lita replied. "And might I add, if I _ever_ see Barvus Cephiro again, he
won't be walking away from the encounter, at least not intact."
"That would be a moot point now," Lucilla stated. "Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian
Cavinus are dead. Barvus was killed by a commoner while attempting to capture two women
from the residential district, and Darvinian and several of his men were killed by the group of
Praetorians who were stationed at the outskirts of the city where my brother had been expecting
them both to try and escape through. Those men who survived have been incarcerated until
further notice. In the meantime, his business has been turned over to the charge of the man who
let us in on Cephiro's plots, Paulius Firandos."
"Well, I guess that ties up that little loose end nicely," Rini couldn't help but smile at
learning her enslavers' final fates. "Losers!"
"That's enough," Lucius decided. "So, now what?"
"I suppose we return her to Theophilus," Lucilla commented. "Nothing else to do with
her."
"You could..." Lita took a breath, then continued. "Free me..."
"That we could," Lucilla agreed. "But give us one reason."
"I can think of none," Lita admitted. "Out of curiosity, I am told that Barvus and
Darvinian had families. What happened to them?"
"Families?" Rini blinked, then her mind flashed to the one time they had "visited" her
while she was still imprisoned at Cephiro's compound. "Oh, yeah....them..."
"They are also being held, for now," Lucilla said. "Quintus, take Lita back to
Theophilus." Lita nodded quietly, smiled at Rini, and followed Quintus out. Once back at the
compound, she was greeted merrily by her friends, including, to her surprise, Serena and the other
Senshi. Quintus bid them adieu, and left. Belen and Christos came up with Theophilus, all of
whom grinned happily.
"We almost thought you lost, my dear," Theophilus greeted her. "Welcome back."
"Me, too," Lita replied. "Fortunately they believed me. Why are you all here?" The last
was to her fellow Senshi.
"When we heard what happened earlier in the Colosseum, we all came right here to see if
you were okay," Rei answered. "Too bad, really..."
"Yeah, he was one in a million," Lita agreed. "So, Theophilus, now what?"
"As a matter of fact," Theophilus smiled, and withdrew one hand from his shirt, holding
something out to her.
Her wand.
"What?" Lita stared.
"By the General's final command, we are all free, my love," Vassos explained. "And
apparently Theophilus was having this returned to you, anyway."
"Huh?" Lita blinked. She knew about the last command, but getting her wand back was
something else. And up till now she wasn't even sure if Theophilus was going to honor
Maximus's words or not.
"Yes, though Theophilus could have chosen to ignore it," Semon continued. "But in his
memory, he has decided to honor his requests. As to your bauble, I was bringing it to you last
night, on Theophilus's own request, when the Praetorians came in and took us."
"And your friend's offer of seven hundred and fifty gold also sweetened it for him," Urian
added slyly.
Lita digested it all for a moment longer, and then finally reclaimed her transformation
wand. The power to become Sailor Jupiter was her's once more.
"So...I'm free to go?" she asked.
"I'm hoping you'll stay on," Theophilus said, a wistful look in his eyes. "You still have so
much potential..."
"But I am..." Lita took a deep breath. "Am I really...?"
"Yes, my dear," Theophilus said. "You are free. Will you...hug an old man goodbye?"
Grinning, Lita moved forward and wrapped her former master in her arms. "If the gods had
granted me children," he said as he released her and stared into her eyes, "I don't think they could
have given me one more wonderful than you."
"Thanks," Lita whispered, and gave him a quick kiss on the head.
"The planets," Theophilus whispered.
"Huh?" she blinked at him.
"The symbols on your baubles aren't for the gods, they're for the planets, aren't they?" he
whispered again. She stared, then smiled warmly.
"You're smarter then I gave you credit for," she whispered to him. "And you're
absolutely right, but don't tell anyone, okay?" He nodded assent, and then handed her the red
leather armor vest she had made her own.
"I'd like you to keep it, to remember us," he said, and she took it into her hands
gratefully.
"I'll treasure it," she told him. She then went over to Semon, Urian, and Vassos, and
gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek, telling them all that they would always be like brothers
to her, before rejoining her friends.
"It's almost over," she said.
"We just need to get Rini," Serena agreed.
* * *
As the afternoon wore on toward evening, Rini noted a restlessness among the peoples of
the palace. She wasn't quite sure what was up, but something told her it probably wasn't good.
*of course,* she thought, *I could be just imagining things...*
The Senators were all over the palace, talking and discussing the ramifications of the days
events. Namely, who was to rule the Empire now. From what she heard, they didn't feel
generally comfortable with putting Lucius immediately on the throne, since he was still a child and
not yet a full Roman citizen. And she caught on pretty quick that since she was a woman, there
was no chance in hell of Lucilla ever being placed on the throne, not even as a regent while Lucius
grew up.
*I hope it works out okay,* she thought as she headed to Lucius's room with a tray
holding a platter of food for him, as well as a second one for herself, as he had asked her to eat
with him that evening. The thought had occurred to her that the Senators might decide to appoint
a new Emperor ad litem. But if they did, she worried whoever they appointed would never let go,
and maybe even decide to kill Lucius to keep him from challenging the man's reign after he came
of age.
"Problem, Rini?" Lucius asked her as she came in. She walked over to his bed and set
down the tray, and served him his meal quickly and efficiently.
"Just wondering what the Senators are gonna decide," she replied. "I guess I'm a little
worried they'll decide to get rid of you and put a new grown-up in charge."
"I'm kind of worried about that myself," Lucius admitted. "And I'm even more scared
about being the Emperor. I mean...I'm just a boy...I don't know how to be in charge of people...I
mean...you and Salina and the other slaves is one thing, but the Empire...the whole of Rome
itself... I... I just don't..." Rini raised one hand and placed a finger on his lips, hushing him. She
smiled warmly.
"I understand," she said. "Maybe more than you can imagine..." And she wasn't lying to
him, either. There were many times she wondered if she'd be really able to take control of Crystal
Tokyo if her parents were suddenly struck down somehow before she had reached full maturity.
And many times she didn't think she could, at all! For the second time in the last two days, she
felt herself drowning in his eyes, and wondering if she'd still have the strength to leave even if she
was freed.
"Rini... I..." Lucius stuttered, also slipping away into the reddish-brown orbs before him,
and wondering if Venus really cared much about when she sent her son, Cupid, to make a match
with his majestic arrows. Because if she didn't, then he was sure this was their work in
progress...and somehow he didn't mind that too much...
Or maybe they were both just reading far too much into this moment...
"Lucius?!" a voice cracked through their moment, and they turned to see Salina at the
doorway, looking very apprehensive. "I just overheard one of the Senators saying there's gonna
be an emergency meeting...to choose a new Emperor! And I think one of them said something
about you and your mother not being here in the morning!"
"What?!" Lucius shrieked, then calmly thought it over, and made a quick decision.
"Salina, go and tell my mother. Rini, we need to eat, quickly...."
"Right, we may not have much time!" Rini agreed, and as Salina took off for Lucilla, she
and Lucius quickly, but neatly, finished their meal and set the plates on the tray, deciding together
quietly not to worry about them for the moment.
Just then, they heard heavy shuffling and moved to the entrance of the room to see the
shadows of guards heading their way. Feeling panic chill her blood, Rini grabbed Lucius's hand
and drug him out of the room and into the shadows in the hall. As they watched from relative
safety, the guards came around the corner and marched into Lucius's bedroom.
"Where is he?!" one of them snapped. "Senator Borias wants him in the dungeon before
morning!" *Yep, total usurpation!* Rini thought.
"What they gonna do with'em?" another voice asked.
"Lucilla may possibly be tossed in a brothel," the first voice commented as the sounds of
Lucius's things and furniture being tossed around willy nilly reached their ears. "As for the
'Prince', I think Borias said something about the galley slaves?" This brought sinister chuckling
all around. Rini felt her blood become like ice at this. She heard what galley slaves were - men
chained in a boat and forced to row it onward when there was no wind, constantly whipped
and/or beaten to keep them going. The thought of Lucius sent to that disgusted her, and her lost
courage was rekindled.
At long last, the will to attempt a full escape was reborn to her! Holding Lucius's hand
tightly, she drug him through the palace, intent on slipping out the main entrance and heading to
Theophilus's compound, hoping that the man who "owned" Lita would give them a place to hide!
As she charged forward, Salina reached them on her way back.
"My mother?" Lucius asked.
"I couldn't find her!" Salina said, tears filling her eyes.
"It may be too late to help her!" Rini stated, and grabbing Salina by the hand with her free
one, began once more heading through the palace corridors. "Right now, we have to worry about
ourselves! C'mon!"
"Where are we going?" Salina asked.
"Out the front! And then to Theophilus's!" Rini said. "From there we'll see about
reaching my mother, she can help!"
"But they'll expect us to try the front entrance!" Lucius snapped, bringing them to a halt.
"We need another way out!"
"Salina, do you still remember that hidden way to get out of here you mentioned before?"
Rini asked her friend. She presumed it was also the same exit Diana had mentioned the previous
night to her.
"Uh...uh...uh..." Salina stammered. "I... I... I think...I think it's..."
"Meow!" a small voice floated up to them, and they all looked down to see Diana at their
feet, looking up at them happily.
"Diana's agent!" Salina beamed happily. "She helps us still!"
"The Moon goddess?" Lucius blinked. Rini tried to keep from groaning, but then Diana
meowed again, and started to trot away.
"She wants us to follow her!" Salina stated, smiling. "Diana has sent her to guide us to
the safe exit!"
"Then let us do so," Lucius decided, and the three quickly followed the cat through
further corridors, behind drapes, around corners, past large pillars, and finally to a giant red drape
that covered almost an entire wall. While they had moved, Salina had filled in Lucius about her
earlier 'visitation' and attempt to save Rini from Commodus's madness. Both girls were relieved
when Lucius forgave her for the attempt, since it was under the guidance of a goddess. The cat
nudged one end of the drape, and Salina lifted it, revealing... nothing...?
"What?" Salina stared, dumbfounded. "But...? Has the goddess abandoned us? Is she
punishing me for failing her before?"
"I think not..." Lucius said, staring at the wall carefully. Rini also stared, and then felt a
tug at her heel, and glanced down to see Diana tugging at her with her teeth.
"Yes?" Rini asked quietly, expecting Diana to tell her what to do.
"Meow!" Diana meowed loudly, then turned, trotted over to a pillar with a bust on it, and
hopped up to the top of the bust and started batting at the tasseled pull rope hanging just above it,
seemingly intent on 'killing' it.
"I think I have an idea," Rini said, and walked over to the pillar, stood up on tip-toe, but
was still off by about a few inches or a foot...maybe two... So she jumped up, and grabbed it, and
let gravity do the rest. A moment later, a six and a half foot door opened in the seemingly blank
wall, and Diana hopped down and pitter-pattered inside. Salina stepped in next, and Lucius and
Rini started follow together when a voice was heard behind them.
"Hey! They're going through some kind of secret passage! Get them!" the voice yelled,
and they turned to see some of the guards coming. One had a bow and arrow set, and knocked
one bolt, aimed...
"LUCIUS!!" Rini screamed, shoving him aside, just as the arrow flew, and landed with a
sickening _THUNK_...in Rini's side. She felt herself go quiet for a moment as her body
processed what had happened to it, feeling the wetness of blood leaking out around the arrow and
blemishing her beautiful white dress, oozing down her side and onto her leg, heading resolutely
for the ground below...
"RINI?! NO!!!" Lucius screamed himself, catching her in his arms as she flopped from
shock right into them. At the same time she felt a rage boiling within her, even as the other
guards drew ever closer to them. And a power...a power she hadn't felt since the last Droid in
the Time Gate, since the two Droid brothers who attacked her school, who attacked Melanie,
who attacked her friend...
*But the Crystal's not...or...did it ever really need...to...be...* her mind pondered, and then
pure instinct took over as the crescent moon symbol returned to her brow, and she turned and
fired with almost deadly ferocity a burst of energy that blew all the guards, even the one with the
arrow set, who had just finished knocking a second one, back down the hall into a mass of
crumpled heaps! A yell of rage escaped her lungs as she did so, and the burst and symbol
subsided, and she drooped limply in Lucius's arms.
"Rini?!" Lucius stared, trying desperately to comprehend.
"How did she?" Salina stared in shock from the passage, having stopped and turned back
to look when she heard Rini's yell.
"I... I... I don't...I don't know..." Lucius breathed, his own mind still muddled.
"It's...something...oh... I...don't...think...you'd...believe..." Rini moaned through the pain,
not even sure where or how to begin.
"Hurry!" Diana's voice called from the darkness. "Take the passage out of the palace,
and then follow my agent! She will lead you to Rini's mother, and there you will find a girl born
with a gift from me and the other gods, a gift that will let her save your friend before she dies!
Hurry, before it is too late! When you find Serena, ask for Hotaru, and tell her what I have said!
Now go!!"
"Yes, oh goddess!" Lucius and Salina agreed, and together they took hold of Rini and
carried her through the passage, which suddenly closed behind them, Diana was able to operate
the corresponding mechanism, and they quickly moved forward.
"That...little...genius..." Rini breathed to herself, a smile returning to her lips. Whenever
they felt they were turning the wrong way, Diana would meow, and they would follow the sound
of her small voice. After what felt like too long for their young minds, they emerged out onto a
side street, and saw Diana sitting just ahead.
Without hesitation, they followed her through the streets of Rome, sometimes passing
through back alleys and side streets to avoid attention, until finally they moved into the residential
district, and to a relatively simple two story home. Before they could reach the door, Diana
hopped up to window, worked open the wooden shutter, and slipped inside...
* * *
"Okay, we've freed Lita, though it cost us a chunk of change," Serena mused. "In theory
there's enough left to get Rini, but right now the whole palace will probably be on high alert while
they figure out who's now in charge."
"Won't it be the Prince?" Hotaru asked. "Isn't he next in line?" They were sitting in the
lounge area after dinner, and talking about the current remaining problems. The current priority
was freeing Rini, though they had Hrisoula saying she planning to leave for Tercham on the next
caravan north, which be passing Rome in only four days. This, of course, meant that they would
have to talk with Hrisoula about buying Ami and Hotaru's freedom sooner than they had honestly
hoped that they would have to.
All the Senshi were together for the moment, Hrisoula was upstairs, and the slaves, minus
Ami and Hotaru, were either in the kitchen or the laundry. Georgio was still recovering,
physically and in all other ways, and his mother and sister were currently looking after him while
his grandparents discussed the family's plans with Thernacius in the dining room. Mikhail and
Zacharias were also in the room, playing with some old toys to burn the time before bed, though it
was clear that both were getting very tired. Luna and Artemis were snoozing quietly in Serena
and Mina's laps, respectively, and there had still been no sign at all of Diana all day.
"I doubt he's any older than Rini, possibly even younger," Ami stated.
"So?" Hotaru blinked.
"If I remember my history classes," Mina said, "Boys were made official citizens of the
Roman Empire when they turned fifteen, and girls upon their wedding, which was permissible as
young as twelve."
"Twelve?!" Hotaru screeched. "Are you saying that when Eleutherios tried to grab me..."
"There was a relatively lengthy courtship tradition in this time, Hotaru," Trista said
calmly, though her own hate of the man who dared to try to steal her adopted daughter's
innocence and womanhood was just barely hidden underneath. "If not all parts were completed
satisfactorily, the marriage was considered null. But yes, he considered you a full woman in the
law, as well as in his twisted lusts..."
"And think of the time we're in," Serena pointed out. "It's a miracle if any of these
people live to see past fifty or above. Marrying young and reproducing quickly was necessary for
maintaining the survival of the human species!"
"Okay, that proves it!" Rei stated. "You've been lying to us all this time, Serena! You've
been playing dumb just to torture us!"
"Please, Rei, you give me far too much credit," Serena waved her off with a faux haughty
air.
"Hey, it doesn't take brains to notice the clearly obvious," Amara pointed out.
"After all," Michelle commented, "How many people in the city have you noticed that are
pushing fifty? Or sixty? Or seventy?"
"Not many," Hotaru admitted.
"Because they're in the minority here," Ami stated. "It's just the way it is."
"Okay, so he's not fifteen or a full citizen yet," Hotaru accepted. "How would that stop
him from..."
"Arguably it shouldn't," Serena agreed. "I mean, I know if something eliminates me and
Darien before she's come of age, you guys will make sure that Rini is firmly placed on the
throne...with certain temporary restrictions, of course."
"Of course!" Mina agreed.
"You doubt us?" Rei faked, rather badly, being emotionally wounded, then chuckled
lightly.
"Heaven forbid she have too much power too soon," Darien stated. "And that's what the
Roman Senators will most likely be afraid of. They may name someone Emperor ad litem until
Lucius Verus comes of age and is named a full citizen, or they may...uh...you know..."
"Sudden, mysterious disappearance?" Amara grinned. "It's what I'd do."
"What about his mom?" Hotaru asked. "She could be regent!"
"And she's a woman," Trista sighed. "And women, sadly..."
"History sucks..." Hotaru slumped on the floor. Just then, a meowing reached their ears,
and they turned to see Diana looking excessively pensive.
"Hey, where on earth have you been, young lady?" Serena asked crossly.
"Making up for my previous failure, majesty," Diana replied quietly. "Hurry, the door!"
"Huh? What about the door?" Mina asked, and then a heavy knocking came, causing
them to jump slightly.
"I'll get it!" Ami called aloud, and rose and walked into the main entrance hall and opened
the door to see who could be there at that hour. "OH MY GOD!! SERENA!! DARIEN!!
COME QUICK!!" she screamed loudly, and everyone poured into the area to see what us up, the
cats snapping awake. As they reached the area, Hrisoula, Vivian, and Delia came down the stairs
from the second floor, Thernacius, Tatius, Ariadne, and the four slaves emerging from the rear.
"Hurry, get inside," Ami cried as she moved out and helped their visitors in - Lucius
Verus and the red-headed slave girl carrying an injured Rini, who had an arrow sticking out of her
left side. Serena and Darien gasped loudly at the sight, and shot forward.
"I didn't do it!" Lita shrieked. She was still feeling some guilt from what had happened
the day prior.
"What happened?!?!?!" Serena grabbed the boy and yelled at him.
"We were betrayed," Lucius stated. "Rini saved my life...again...the Moon Goddess
Diana sent an agent to guide us here."
"The goddess sent you an agent to guide you?" Mina blinked. "Who...wait, Diana? Why
you..." She couldn't help but grin down at the small grey kitten at her feet.
"Yes, that!" Lucius pointed at the kitten. "She said the gods had given someone here a
gift, a gift that could save her. Please, where is this Hotaru?"
"Yeah...she actually...did...something...right..." Rini breathed slowly. "Is it...cold...in here
...or is it...just...me?" she started to go even limper in the other two children's arms.
"No! Rini! Don't leave us!" the red-headed girl cried out.
"RINI!" Galea and Felicia cried out, despite themselves.
"I'm here!" Hotaru bolted forward before anyone could stop her, and she stared at her
small friend who now looked so frail, her face beginning to pale, her side below the arrow
seemingly saturated with blood. Darien grabbed the wooden shaft without a thought, and pulled
it free from his daughter.
"But what...?" Thernacius and Tatius started to say, and then Hotaru rose her hands over
the wound, and they began to glow. They glowed for several tense moments, sweat beading
down Hotaru's brow as she focused her mind, her heart, all that she had on saving her dearest
friend. *No!* she mentally swore at Death. *You can't have her! Not today! Not _ever_!!! I
won't let you have her!!*
"What is she...?" Ariadne started to move to get closer, but Iosif and Damris cut her off.
"It's alright," Damris whispered.
"She's helping," Iosif added. "She's saving her." They waited a few moments more, and
then the color was restored to Rini's cheeks, and Hotaru fell backward into Trista's arms, who
had moved up to sit behind the young girl. A moment later, Rini blinked, and sat up again.
"Huh?" she blinked. "Is this Heaven?"
"Not yet," Serena choked out as she held her daughter's hand tightly. Behind them, Ami
quickly shut the door and latched it.
"Momma?" Rini stared widely, "Is it you?"
"Yes, sweety, you're safe," Serena replied through happy tears. Rini smiled, and began to
cry too, staring at all her friends around her.
"Is Hotaru...?" she asked slowly.
"Just exhausted," Trista smiled. "She'll recover with a little bed rest."
"But how?" Vivian asked, still dumbfounded. Lucius glanced at Rini's wound, which now
no longer existed.
"A healing touch," he said with a smile. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
"No...problem..." Hotaru gasped for breath. She felt utterly spent!
"Hey?!" Rini blinked as she saw the others in the back as she was carried toward the
lounge, as was Hotaru. "Salina, isn't that Felicia and Galea?"
"Huh?" the red-headed girl turned, and for the first time noted their presence. "Hey,
you're right! What are you two doing here?!"
"We live here now," Felicia smiled.
"Lady Ariadne bought us," Galea furthered.
"Rini," Lucius spoke up, intruding on the reunion as Rini was set down on a couch. "You
have saved my life twice, and I have only one I can truly repay you..." He reached into his tunic,
and pulled out a small, gold key. Rini gasped as a broader smile came to her lips, and her spirits
soared. Lucius placed the key into a slot in the gold bracelet on Rini's right wrist, and twisted,
bringing a long awaited "click-clack-pop" sound, and the bracelet opened. "I return yours to
you..." Lucius said.
"I'm free..." Rini felt the happy tears flow freely. "I'm finally free..."
* * *
The next morning Rini stepped up to a window, opened it, and breathed deeply. It
smelled nice...free. *I'm really free!* her mind sang. Rini, Salina, and Lucius had spent the night
in Darien and Serena's Room, Ami migrating to Hotaru and Damris's room for the night. Rini's
bracelet currently sat on a dresser, as she had decided to keep it, as a memento.
Hotaru had spent the night recovering, after telling their "hosts" that she hadn't revealed
her special "talent" for healing before out of fear that they would have her burned as a witch.
They had told her they understood her fears, and forgave her, and then Amara, Michelle, Trista,
Rei, and Mina had left for the night, cleaning up much of the blood trail as they went, as far back
as nine blocks away, leaving them with enough breathing room to avoid detection. Lita had also
gone with them, as she felt it best to be somewhere "neutral".
Rini glanced behind her, confirming for the umpteenth time that her parents were really
there. She wasn't sure why, but the air smelt so much nicer now that she wasn't a slave anymore.
Maybe it was just the thrill of being able to breath it in as a free spirit, able to choose her own way
in life once again.
"Rini?" Serena's voice called up, and she turned to see her mother extricating herself from
the bed and Darien. "Is something wrong?"
"No, momma," Rini replied. "Everything's wonderful!" Serena smiled, and hugged her
daughter one more time, then blinked as she ran her hands across her back.
"Turn around," Serena said. Rini blinked, but did as she was told. Serena lifted up her
dress to look at her back, and gasped.
"Is it that bad?" Rini asked, feeling a sadness reach her eyes at the reminder of her one
unwanted keepsake of Rome. She had glanced at the reminders of her "punishment" from
Cephiro in a mirror a few times, but even that wasn't a perfect view of what he had his men do to
her for trying to run away.
"No...Rini...the scars...they're gone!" Serena ran a hand over Rini's once again perfectly
smooth back.
"Huh?!" Rini's eyes became plates. "But how...?"
"Hotaru..." Serena sighed. "She did more than we thought. No wonder she was
exhausted...."
"Oh, Hotaru..." Rini sighed as well. "Thanks..."
* * *
At breakfast, Thernacius said he was going to take his wife and children back home, to
Tarria. He offered Lucius and Salina the chance to come with them, for their safety. If anyone
asked, he would say he found them abandoned on the roadside, and took them out of kindness.
After a few moments of thought, Lucius agreed, and Salina was only too happy to go that
direction away from Rome.
"Maybe..." she said. "Maybe someday I can find my home...and find my brother, if he's
still alive..."
"Rini...come with me..." Lucius asked her. "Please?"
"Lucius, I...I'm not headed that way..." Rini replied, a small sob in her throat.
"Where...where are you..." Lucius replied back, a sob in his throat, too.
"We're heading west," Serena said. "I hear Fra...Gaul is nice this time of the year. And
right now we want be many, many leagues away from Rome."
"When...when do you..." Georgio tried to ask, but couldn't quite get himself to say it.
"Hopefully, today," Darien said. "Just as soon as our five friends rejoin us...and we take
care of one final piece of business..."
"What kind of business?" Hrisoula asked.
"Yeah, what?" Rini piped up. "I'm free, Lita's free, what else is there to do other than
pack our few belongings and souvenirs and go?" Serena smiled warmly, and patted her daughter
on her shoulder. Just then, Hotaru came up behind Georgio and rose her hands, which
immediately began to glow. A moment later they stopped, and she lowered them, Georgio
suddenly looking much refreshed. It had taken most of his current energy to get downstairs, but
now he looked better than ever. He pulled off one of his bandages, and stared at the flawless skin
beneath it.
"Thank you..." he breathed as he began removing the rest.
"That's okay, I felt I owed you, since I could've done this before...but didn't..." Hotaru
said, lightly blushing.
"You already explained that, your fears were not invalid," Tatius said. "But thank you, all
the same." Breakfast was finished quickly thereafter, and everyone came out to help pack up the
Rex's cart, and see Thernacius and his family off. First the family said goodbye to Tatius and
Ariadne, saying they'd come visit again in due time.
Then Damris said goodbye to Georgio, telling him she'd come see him again...someday...
After that, Georgio and his family turned to Serena and her family.
"Goodbye Serena," Georgio said, tears in his eyes. "I'll miss you...Darien, if you _ever_
make her sad again..."
"Expect a sword in my back?" Darien grinned. "Got it, no problem."
"Goodbye, Georgio," Serena kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for hurting your heart,
but I believe there is someone out there, waiting for you. Or maybe," she glanced toward Damris,
"already within sight..."
"Maybe..." Georgio said.
"Goodbye, Georgio, Mr. and Mrs. Rex. Thanks for taking care of my mom..." Rini said.
"It was an honor," Thernacius told the child, smiling. Rini turned to Salina and Lucius,
and gulped back a sob.
"Lucius, Salina, I...I don't know what to..." she felt the tears brimming in her eyes.
"Me either," Salina said, also starting to cry. She had already said her farewells to Felicia
and Galea, and wasn't sure what to think anymore. "I...I hope that...someday...we can..."
"Me, too," Rini said as she hugged her friend. "Me, too."
"I'll never forget you, Rini," Lucius smiled, and she took his hand and slipped something
into it as she gave him a hug, too. He glanced at it, a smile filling his face - a single lock of her
hair.
"Me neither, Lucius," she replied. "Thanks for everything..." With that, the Rexs climbed
aboard, Thernacius aiding Lucius and Salina up, and they departed as the Outer's, Mina, Rei, and
Lita strode up.
"So, everyone's getting ready to go, huh?" Lita asked. She lifted the somewhat heavy
looking bag she carried with her. "We're all packed and ready to split, too. You guys?"
"Me and Darien sorted all our things out and they're, along with what few things Rini has,
packed and ready," Serena nodded.
"Only one thing left," Darien agreed.
"What?" Rini asked. "What's left?" In answer, Serena and Darien went back inside, and
a few moments later he came down with their own bag, which he set down for the moment, and
she held their moderately heavy money bag, which Rini had been informed had been earned
originally for her benefit, to buy her back. Serena turned to Hrisoula, opening the bag carefully as
she did so.
"Lady Hrisoula, how much of this would I have to give you...to buy Ami and Hotaru's
freedom?" she asked.
"HUH?" Rini felt her eyes super-enlarge for the second time that day. Hotaru quickly
leaned into her friend and whispered into her ear about how she and Ami were house slaves
owned by Hrisoula. "What?!" Rini screeched, turning and grabbing her friend by her dress.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
"I guess I...didn't think it was important..." Hotaru admitted. "I mean, we had it easy,
simple servant stuff only, never gave her a reason to give out lashes or anything...pretty much no
trouble at all, except for Eleutherios trying to rape me an' all. But Amara killed him, so that's
water under the bridge now anyway..."
"Huh? Who? Wha?" Rini blinked, totally not following.
"You want me to free them?" Hrisoula ignored the two girls for the moment. "Why?"
"Because they're my friends," Serena said. "Even if you aren't being cruel to them, I
want them to be free, and...I want them to come with us..." Serena felt herself faltering, unable to
find the words to properly express how she felt about this, why she wanted this. Hrisoula stepped
up, glanced inside the bag, and took out forty gold.
"This should be enough to get me and my remaining staff and ward," she glanced the last
to Zacharias, "back home to Tercham. Though I think I'm being robbed of the best help I've ever
owned in my life. Ami, Hotaru, you have paid your debt several times, and I now release you.
Unless you'd prefer to stay in my service?"
"Really?" Hotaru's eyes glowed. "We're free?!"
"Yes," Hrisoula nodded. "But I would like you to continue serving me, if you like?"
"Thank you for the offer, Hrisoula," Ami replied as Hotaru bolted inside, "But our rightful
place is with Serena and our friends. I'm sorry..." She then turned to Iosif, who smiled sadly.
"I know," he said. "I'll miss you..." Ami walked up to him, and handed him a lock of her
own hair, giving him a brief kiss as she did so.
"I'll miss you too, Iosif..." she said. Rini made her farewells to Felicia and Galea, who
once more congratulated her on her freedom, as they'd been doing almost ever since her bracelet
came off. Serena and the others said goodbye to Tatius, Ariadne, Hrisoula, and Damris, then
turned to the small Zacharias.
"Do you have 'ta go?" he asked.
"Yeah, sweetie, we do," Serena replied. "I'm sorry..." Zacharias gave her a big hug, then
gave hugs to the other girls, and even gave Darien a squeeze.
"Thank you for 'tecting me," he said.
"No problem," Darien replied. "No problem." Hotaru then reappeared with her and
Ami's bag, all packed and ready, set it next to Darien, Serena, and Rini's, then turned and said her
own goodbyes, giving Hrisoula and Damris each a hug as she did so.
"I knew you were a witch," Damris whispered to her. "Take care, my friend."
"I will," Hotaru grinned. "Just don't make me hex you." They both chuckled lightly. She
then rejoined her friends, Ami and Darien picked up the other two bags while Serena took Rini's
hand, planning to keep a death grip on it until they were back in the twentieth century, and
carrying the still heavily loaded money bag in the other, and together they walked through the city
until they emerged onto the fields, then turning west, they departed the city of Rome forever.
Some time later, when the city was out of sight and it was as safe as it could be, Trista summoned
the Garnet Rod, and transported them to the Gates of Time, and then back to the future...er...
present...whatever....
* * *
At the same time, at the palace of Rome, the Senators appeared before the crowd, who
were waiting expectantly.
"Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your ears!" one proclaimed. "We, the Senate, have
met over the night, and have chosen a new Emperor, in lieu of the young, unready Prince Lucius
Verus! We now present him to you. We give you...CAESAR PERTINAX!!"
A man walked forward, ready to address his people.
But that is another story...
The End.
******************************************************************************
I can't believe I finished it! Has it really been two years since I started? My god...where did the
time go? I thought it would take so much less time to do... Oh, well, it's done! My masterpiece
is COM-PLE-TED!! Okay, now restraining inner Dexter...
Little note here: There really was a Commodus and Lucilla in the history books, and
Commodus was in fact suffocated in his bed after reigning solo for thirteen years(he thought he
was Hercules near the end!). As for Lucilla, she's mentioned in Commodus's entry in the
encyclopedia, but has none of her own, therefore I have no idea whatsoever as to what happened
to her after her attempted conspiracy to dethrone her insane brother(probably executed for
treason...) And the only Lucius Verus in the books is the one who co-reigned with Marcus
Aurelius for about ten years before he died. I have no record of him ever having a son... And
Pertinax was the next guy who ruled after Commodus...for three months...
And yes, the Johnathan who appeared in the brief side scene _is_ the same man who
helped Trista previously. If you don't know about Doctor Who and Time Lord regeneration,
look up the Doctor Who pages on the BBC website, it'll tell you all you need to know. But in
short, that's why he didn't come with the other Senshi, he knew he was already there,(Okay he
didn't know _exactly_ when they would arrive in Rome, but why take chances?) and didn't want
to risk "running into himself".
I hope you all enjoyed this piece de resistance, despite minor errors, and maybe someday
I'll risk an equally long marathon...just not anytime soon...
Well, R&R, please! Thank you for reading!
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.
The theme song for this chapter is "Into The West", by Annie Lenox for "The Lord Of The Rings:
The Return Of The King".
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:
******************************************************************************
Sailor Moon
Roman Legends
by Scorpinac
Chapter 13: Farewells
The next morning, Damris came into the bedroom where Georgio had been sleeping, the
boy asleep on the bed, his brother and sister on a pair of straw matts on the floor. She quietly
moved over to the eldest boy, and kneeled beside him. He sported several bandages now, Tatius
and Ami having treated his wounds well, and he was expected, hopefully, to make a more or less
full recovery.
Damris stared at him quietly for a moment, questioning herself. From the moment she'd
first seen him, she'd felt a stirring within her, deep within, but his infatuation with Serena was so
clear, she had ignored it then. But now, with Serena having clearly given him his send-off, and
after battling so hard and being so badly hurt for her afterwards despite it, Damris's heart had
suddenly screamed its wishes aloud to her, and she knew the truth.
It was a rectangle now. Serena and Darien were very much in love with each other, and
Georgio still loved Serena to some degree. And she, Damris, had also opened her heart, and she
believed now that she, too, was in love.
In love with Georgio.
"Seems we both fell in love with someone who didn't want us," she whispered.
"Hmm? Who?" Georgio stirred. He rose slightly, and looked at her. "Oh, it's
you...uh..."
"Damris, sir," she said. "I am Damris."
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No, just...seeing how you were..." she replied. "Um...I was wondering...now that Serena
has...well...dismissed you...as a suitor...um...would you ever consider...maybe...me...?" The last
few words had come from her lips as a just barely audible whisper, her eyes falling to focus on the
floor. He stared at her for several moments before speaking again.
"What?" he asked.
"I ...I ...I believe...that I am in love with you..." she finally found the courage to look back
up at him. "I'll be twelve in two months, and by law able to be wed, if my lady, Hrisoula, allows
it. And...I was...hoping...never mind..." Her eyes fell again as she lost her voice a second time in
so many minutes. He just looked at her again, then lied back down. To Damris's surprise, he
took her hand in his.
"I'll think about it," he said quietly. At the doorway, Zacharias watched quietly, all
smiles, then quietly zoomed away back to the room he shared with Iosif, who had just awoken
and stepped out. He stared down at the little boy.
"What're you doing, Zacharias?" he asked.
"Damris an' Georgio are talking 'bout gettin' married," Zacharias answered. "Told ya'
she liked him, just like you like Ami."
"Really? Huh? What do you know?" Iosif mused. Just then, Ami came up.
"Zacharias, could you leave me and Iosif alone for a moment?" she asked, and the little
boy quickly went into the bedroom. Iosif stared at Ami, who quietly swallowed.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Iosif, about what you said yesterday, when you killed those slavers who tried to grab
me..." Ami started.
"I said what is in my heart," Iosif cut in, laying a hand gently on her arm. "I love you,
Ami, and if you would, I would like you to be with me for the rest our lives, as my..."
"And that's the problem," Ami cut back in, feeling herself begin to tear up a bit, her voice
starting to get slightly choked. "I never meant for something like that to happen, for someone to
fall in love with me, or for me to feel...the way I fear I'm starting to feel for you..."
"Why?" Iosif asked. "What is wrong with it? Am I not 'pleasing' to you?"
"No, of course not," Ami replied. "You are very handsome...but...you deserve to know
the truth, before this goes any further...because...I don't think I could live with myself if I left and
you didn't know the _real_ reasons why...Iosif...I'm not who you think I am..."
* * *
Rini sat quietly, watching the sunlight enter the room through the window. After her
"talk" with the Caesar, she had been tossed in this room, a guard placed at the door, and orders
given for her not to be let out until further notice. She now feared her honesty would cause the
end of her life, either by being fed to the lions, or, worse, on a cross.
Just then, the servant who'd been cleaning vegetables with her the previous afternoon
came in with a plate of bread.
"I 'magine you must be hungry, dearie," she said. "By the way, they call me Veneria, just
so's you know."
"Rini," she replied, and began nibbling at the bread.
"So what you do this time? Brag about netting the Prince's lips all to yerself?" Veneria
asked.
"No..." Rini answered quietly. "Caesar wanted to know if I was afraid of him, ordered me
to be honest, so I said yes, because...I think he's going insane..."
"You told th' Emperor of Rome he's nuts?!" Veneria stared at her. "Not that I think yer
wrong on that..."
"Not in those words," Rini whispered back. "Just that I thought he was...sick...in the
mind...do you know what's gonna happen to me?"
"No idea," Veneria said. "He might just forget about you, if he lives..."
"Lives?" Rini blinked, feeling a surge of hope. "What do you mean?" Veneria glanced at
the guard, who'd been partly listening. He glanced around the halls, then nodded to Veneria to
continue.
"He's at the Colosseum," Veneria said. "An' I hear tell he's gonna fight Maximus
hisself!"
"He is?" Rini stared, then her face got very serious. "Then, for both my sake and the sake
of the Empire, let us pray to whatever gods lay in Heaven that Maximus wins, just one more
time..."
* * *
Salina stirred as the morning light entered the room, and rubbed her eyes. Thankfully, the
pain in her arm from where the arrow had grazed her was far less now, and she could move it
without trouble. She glanced to bid Rini good morning...except she wasn't in her bed.
*Huh?* she thought. *She must be up already...*
"Are you the other slave who was...bought...with Rini?" a small, female voice, whispered
to her from the shadows.
"Yes...?" Salina whispered back, before noticing that Lucius was gone, too. "I'm Salina...
who are you? Where are you?"
"I'm Diana," the voice replied. "I'm a friend of Rini's, and I need your help."
"But where...?" Salina's eyes kept scanning around for this "Diana". Could it possibly be
the Goddess, herself? Could Rini be a...
"I'm right behind you," 'Diana's' voice replied, and as Salina started to turn to look, it
snapped, "NO! Don't look, please. Just listen. The Caesar was talking to Rini last night, scaring
her, and he had her put in another room with a guard on it. I'm scared he might be planning to
hurt her after he gets back from the Colosseum. He's crazy!"
"A lot of us feared as much," Salina agreed. "Even Rini. What do you want me to do...
Goddess?"
"Well," 'Diana' said. "For starters..."
* * *
Darien straightened the blue tunic as he came down the stairs and helped himself to a loaf
of bread on the kitchen table. He noted that Serena, Ariadne, Felicia, Galea, Vivian, Delia,
Hotaru, Damris, and Hrisoula weren't about. *Already at the baths, I guess,* he thought. He'd
gone to the Roman public Baths of Trajan the previous afternoon with the other males of the
household, and while cleansing himself with sweat and massaged in oils was definitely different
from what he was accustomed to, he had to admit it did work...sorta.
Past that, and the fact that women simply bathed earlier rather than having their own
"side" of the baths, it wasn't all that unlike attending a Japanese public bath back home, really.
Per se. *Who am I trying to convince?* Darien asked himself. He would like some good old
fashioned soap, but that could wait. At least if he smelled at all, it was of the same oils as
everyone else in the city.
"Morning, Darien," Thernacius greeted him. "How fares you?"
"Oh, same ol' same ol'," Darien replied. "How's Georgio?"
"Recovering, he's resting upstairs for now," Thernacius replied. "Thank you."
"Hey, he's a good ki...man," Darien said. "Even I believe he truly loves Serena now,
going through that many armed and well trained guys to help her an' all."
"Yes," Thernacius agreed. "Now if I could just think of a way to mend his heart as well
as we did his body..."
"I think," Darien commented quietly, "Only time can do that."
"Possibly," Thernacius agreed. "Possibly." Just then, Iosif came downstairs, looking
dazed and perplexed, followed by Ami, who looked like she felt she'd just made a great error.
She glanced at Darien a moment, then shuffled out the main door.
"She's going to catch up with the others at the Baths," Iosif commented offhand, then
turned and stared at Darien.
"She told you, didn't she?" Darien asked. "We all told her it was a bad idea..."
"What are you?" Iosif whispered. "Are you really...from days not yet to dawn?"
"Excuse me?" Thernacius blinked. "What's all this?"
"It is..." Darien searched desperately for the right words. "As she said it is. No more.
No less. Whether you believe it...is your decision."
"What?" Thernacius stared between them. "What'd she tell him? She already have a
fiancee waiting for her? A hint? A clue? And what was that about days not dawning?"
"I don't know what to think..." Iosif commented quietly, ignoring Thernacius. "Or what
to believe..."
"Actually, I think I'd call that the right start," Darien smiled warmly.
"Could someone please let me in on the secret?" Thernacius beseeched.
* * *
Salina moved through the palace quickly, and found the room where Rini was downstairs,
the guard there looking very bored. Salina went over the plan that 'Diana' had outlined for her,
and waited for the goddess's agent to come and distract the guard. She wasn't completely sure
what form it would come in, but she waited all the same.
A moment later, a small grey cat wearing a red piece of cloth around its neck with a tiny
gold bell hooked to it jumped on the guard's head, and started scratching at his cheek. He
winced, batted at it, trying to knock it off, and then it bit his finger. He roared, and the cat
jumped to the floor and ran as the guard, momentarily blinded by anger, chased after it.
*Okay, my turn,* she thought. *Thank you, goddess!* She moved forward quickly, and
saw Rini sitting inside the room, staring towards the window.
"Rini! It's me!" she called, gaining her friend and fellow slave's attention. "The goddess
Diana has sent me to take you to freedom. Come on!"
"Goddess?" Rini blinked, then groaned. "That stupid little...I thought I told her to go..."
"You told a goddess to go?" Salina stared. "No matter, we must fly!"
"We can't!" Rini replied, standing up. "We promised!"
"And the Goddess says that Caesar is threatening to kill our master, Lucius, if Lady
Lucilla does not do all that he bids, and he may decide to kill us soon as well! The Goddess has
told me of a way we can get out unseen, Rini, hurry!"
"NO!" Rini snapped forcefully. "I'm not going! I won't break my promise!"
"But Rini..." Salina pleaded, feeling sure their time was running out. The goddess's agent
couldn't keep the guard distracted forever.
"The last time we tried to get away, we got caught, _whipped_!!" Rini answered, her eyes
brimming tears. "Do you _really_ want to have that happen again?!"
"At least we tried!!!" Salina screamed, finally losing herself. "It was your idea to make a
bid for freedom then, remember!!"
"And I was wrong!!!" Rini yelled back. "I never should have talked you into it!! Aren't
you mad at me?! It was my fault!!" Her eyes were now actively beginning to leak tears.
"You didn't have to talk me into anything!!!" Salina yelled. "I _wanted_ to escape, to be
_free_ again!! I still do!!"
"But if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been flogged!!!" Rini screamed. Now they
were both starting to cry, though for opposing reasons.
"It was worth it!" Salina snapped back. "It would have been worth a hundred, nay, a
_thousand_ lashes, _because we tried!!!!_" Rini stared at her friend for a moment, and finally
rubbed her eyes dry and moved forward.
"If they catch us, they might kill us this time, rather than the twelve lashes Cephiro
originally promised us," she warned.
"We don't belong to Cephiro anymore, and as far as I'm concerned, we never _did_."
Salina replied. "Are you ready now?" Rini stared for a moment, then smiled.
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she replied. She still felt very nervous about this, but she
didn't want to argue about it anymore, either. Together they scooted out of the room...and right
into the returning guard, who looked as though he'd been watching for a while now.
"There's a balcony over there," he gestured. "I think you can almost get a view of the
action from it, if it's the Colosseum you two are wanting to go to, as that's where your master is
right now."
"Uh..." Salina gulped.
"If you wouldn't mind," Rini said quietly, and the guard walked them over. As it was,
they could almost make out the action, but only of a white and black blur batting back and forth
against each other in the middle of a distant ring of purple...
"The Goddess will not be pleased..." Salina whispered quietly to herself.
Behind them, Diana poked her head out from behind a pillar where she chose for the
moment to hide. *Darn it, Rini! Why'd you have to stall?! I just wanna make up for failing you
before...*
* * *
Lita had become somewhat accustomed to being in a cell, even under the Colosseum, but
this time was different. Things were extra tense, and not in a good way. It was early afternoon,
and Caesar Commodus had just entered the arena with Maximus, one-on-one! The only others in
the arena being a ring of Praetorians directly around them.
She watched intently with the others from the barred windows around the base of the
arena, which didn't help much with several legs between them and the action. Her own interest
was personal. After all, if the Caesar knew she'd been hired to kill his nephew, or believed
Barvus Cephiro wanted her to kill him, then she could very well be next!
"Are you all right, Lita?" Vassos asked. He and Urian stood next to her to her right,
along with Semon to her left. Both the gladiators of Theophilus's camp and Proximo's, who
rumor had it was killed in the night, shared the area, everyone on heavy edge.
"Yes and no," she replied, and a thought, a burning one, crossed her mind. *Well, may as
well ask now, I could be permanently dead soon!* "Vassos, Urian, Semon...do you guys...love
me?" she asked, a little more timidly than she honestly meant to. Vassos quietly took her hand in
his own, and smiled.
"I think I first became enchanted when you stood up for yourself and Adara back in
Derorium," he told her. "Nothing has dissuaded me since." Urian laid a hand on her shoulder,
also wearing a smile.
"The moment we first sparred," he said. "And then confirmed and flamed to full during
your very first arena battle. I can no longer imagine my life without you in it, Lita the
magnificent." And then Semon laid his hand on her left.
"I'm not sure when I began to care for you," he said. "But well before we left to Rome,
that, my love, I am sure of."
"Almost seems moot now, though, don't it?" Lita asked, finding herself smiling as well.
"To be honest," Vassos said, "We'd be lying if we said we hadn't been speculating on
which one of us you'd eventually pick, if any..."
"And each of us hoping quietly it would be our own self," Urian added.
"And each wondering how the others would react when you did decide," Semon threw in.
"Thanks, guys," Lita said. "For everything..."
And then suddenly, all went deathly quiet.
As she and the others waited, Maximus said something they couldn't quite hear, and then
called out that;
"There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized. These are the wishes of Marcus
Aurelius."
"Free the prisoners! Go!" the lead Praetorian, Quintus, commanded loudly. A few
moments later, the cell doors opened, and all were released. Following the flow, Lita walked up
after them into the arena, and took a deep breath at what she saw there. The war, such as it was,
between Commodus and Maximus, was over.
"Is Rome worth one good man's life?" Lucilla, who had also entered the arena, asked
Gracchus, who was nearby. "We believed it once. Make us believe it again." She then turned to
the whole crowd and stated loudly, "He was a soldier of Rome! Honor him."
"Who will help me carry him?" Gracchus called out, and every gladiator there, including
Lita, and even little Lucius, who had also come down with his mother, moved forward to form the
procession...
* * *
In the third level of seats of the Colosseum, hidden in among the still stunned and silent
crowd, three people were musing on what they had seen. One was a white male with curly red
hair and brown eyes, one was a woman with straight black hair tied off in back in a pony tail, and
the third was a young man of Native American descent with short black hair and black eyes. All
were dressed for the era, but if one looked closely, one would quickly realize that _none_ actually
belonged in it.
"Well, that was thrilling," the first male commented.
"We done here? I'm tired of this silly dress. It's just not me," the woman asked.
"And this was supposed to happen?" the second male queried.
"In order of asking, just about, Carol," the first man replied. "And, yes, Sentohanta, this
event was well recorded in your people's history. 'Course, someone later mangles it, says it was
thirteen years later and in his bed by pillow smothering, but..."
"Okay, I'm going back to the TARDIS," Carol stated. "This dress is killing me!"
"I've had enough, too, John," Sentohanta added as he and Carol got up. At that moment
much of the crowd was getting ready to leave.
"Okay, fine, holiday's over, happy?!" John asked as he rose himself.
* * *
A couple of hours later, Lita was in the palace, before Lucilla and Lucius, answering
question after question about the incident with her arrow the previous day. With Commodus
gone, Rini had been released from her guard, and she and Salina were also present.
"And you swear it was only an accident?" Lucilla asked for what felt like the thousandth
time.
"Yes, ma'am," Lita replied. "And might I add, if I _ever_ see Barvus Cephiro again, he
won't be walking away from the encounter, at least not intact."
"That would be a moot point now," Lucilla stated. "Barvus Cephiro and Darvinian
Cavinus are dead. Barvus was killed by a commoner while attempting to capture two women
from the residential district, and Darvinian and several of his men were killed by the group of
Praetorians who were stationed at the outskirts of the city where my brother had been expecting
them both to try and escape through. Those men who survived have been incarcerated until
further notice. In the meantime, his business has been turned over to the charge of the man who
let us in on Cephiro's plots, Paulius Firandos."
"Well, I guess that ties up that little loose end nicely," Rini couldn't help but smile at
learning her enslavers' final fates. "Losers!"
"That's enough," Lucius decided. "So, now what?"
"I suppose we return her to Theophilus," Lucilla commented. "Nothing else to do with
her."
"You could..." Lita took a breath, then continued. "Free me..."
"That we could," Lucilla agreed. "But give us one reason."
"I can think of none," Lita admitted. "Out of curiosity, I am told that Barvus and
Darvinian had families. What happened to them?"
"Families?" Rini blinked, then her mind flashed to the one time they had "visited" her
while she was still imprisoned at Cephiro's compound. "Oh, yeah....them..."
"They are also being held, for now," Lucilla said. "Quintus, take Lita back to
Theophilus." Lita nodded quietly, smiled at Rini, and followed Quintus out. Once back at the
compound, she was greeted merrily by her friends, including, to her surprise, Serena and the other
Senshi. Quintus bid them adieu, and left. Belen and Christos came up with Theophilus, all of
whom grinned happily.
"We almost thought you lost, my dear," Theophilus greeted her. "Welcome back."
"Me, too," Lita replied. "Fortunately they believed me. Why are you all here?" The last
was to her fellow Senshi.
"When we heard what happened earlier in the Colosseum, we all came right here to see if
you were okay," Rei answered. "Too bad, really..."
"Yeah, he was one in a million," Lita agreed. "So, Theophilus, now what?"
"As a matter of fact," Theophilus smiled, and withdrew one hand from his shirt, holding
something out to her.
Her wand.
"What?" Lita stared.
"By the General's final command, we are all free, my love," Vassos explained. "And
apparently Theophilus was having this returned to you, anyway."
"Huh?" Lita blinked. She knew about the last command, but getting her wand back was
something else. And up till now she wasn't even sure if Theophilus was going to honor
Maximus's words or not.
"Yes, though Theophilus could have chosen to ignore it," Semon continued. "But in his
memory, he has decided to honor his requests. As to your bauble, I was bringing it to you last
night, on Theophilus's own request, when the Praetorians came in and took us."
"And your friend's offer of seven hundred and fifty gold also sweetened it for him," Urian
added slyly.
Lita digested it all for a moment longer, and then finally reclaimed her transformation
wand. The power to become Sailor Jupiter was her's once more.
"So...I'm free to go?" she asked.
"I'm hoping you'll stay on," Theophilus said, a wistful look in his eyes. "You still have so
much potential..."
"But I am..." Lita took a deep breath. "Am I really...?"
"Yes, my dear," Theophilus said. "You are free. Will you...hug an old man goodbye?"
Grinning, Lita moved forward and wrapped her former master in her arms. "If the gods had
granted me children," he said as he released her and stared into her eyes, "I don't think they could
have given me one more wonderful than you."
"Thanks," Lita whispered, and gave him a quick kiss on the head.
"The planets," Theophilus whispered.
"Huh?" she blinked at him.
"The symbols on your baubles aren't for the gods, they're for the planets, aren't they?" he
whispered again. She stared, then smiled warmly.
"You're smarter then I gave you credit for," she whispered to him. "And you're
absolutely right, but don't tell anyone, okay?" He nodded assent, and then handed her the red
leather armor vest she had made her own.
"I'd like you to keep it, to remember us," he said, and she took it into her hands
gratefully.
"I'll treasure it," she told him. She then went over to Semon, Urian, and Vassos, and
gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek, telling them all that they would always be like brothers
to her, before rejoining her friends.
"It's almost over," she said.
"We just need to get Rini," Serena agreed.
* * *
As the afternoon wore on toward evening, Rini noted a restlessness among the peoples of
the palace. She wasn't quite sure what was up, but something told her it probably wasn't good.
*of course,* she thought, *I could be just imagining things...*
The Senators were all over the palace, talking and discussing the ramifications of the days
events. Namely, who was to rule the Empire now. From what she heard, they didn't feel
generally comfortable with putting Lucius immediately on the throne, since he was still a child and
not yet a full Roman citizen. And she caught on pretty quick that since she was a woman, there
was no chance in hell of Lucilla ever being placed on the throne, not even as a regent while Lucius
grew up.
*I hope it works out okay,* she thought as she headed to Lucius's room with a tray
holding a platter of food for him, as well as a second one for herself, as he had asked her to eat
with him that evening. The thought had occurred to her that the Senators might decide to appoint
a new Emperor ad litem. But if they did, she worried whoever they appointed would never let go,
and maybe even decide to kill Lucius to keep him from challenging the man's reign after he came
of age.
"Problem, Rini?" Lucius asked her as she came in. She walked over to his bed and set
down the tray, and served him his meal quickly and efficiently.
"Just wondering what the Senators are gonna decide," she replied. "I guess I'm a little
worried they'll decide to get rid of you and put a new grown-up in charge."
"I'm kind of worried about that myself," Lucius admitted. "And I'm even more scared
about being the Emperor. I mean...I'm just a boy...I don't know how to be in charge of people...I
mean...you and Salina and the other slaves is one thing, but the Empire...the whole of Rome
itself... I... I just don't..." Rini raised one hand and placed a finger on his lips, hushing him. She
smiled warmly.
"I understand," she said. "Maybe more than you can imagine..." And she wasn't lying to
him, either. There were many times she wondered if she'd be really able to take control of Crystal
Tokyo if her parents were suddenly struck down somehow before she had reached full maturity.
And many times she didn't think she could, at all! For the second time in the last two days, she
felt herself drowning in his eyes, and wondering if she'd still have the strength to leave even if she
was freed.
"Rini... I..." Lucius stuttered, also slipping away into the reddish-brown orbs before him,
and wondering if Venus really cared much about when she sent her son, Cupid, to make a match
with his majestic arrows. Because if she didn't, then he was sure this was their work in
progress...and somehow he didn't mind that too much...
Or maybe they were both just reading far too much into this moment...
"Lucius?!" a voice cracked through their moment, and they turned to see Salina at the
doorway, looking very apprehensive. "I just overheard one of the Senators saying there's gonna
be an emergency meeting...to choose a new Emperor! And I think one of them said something
about you and your mother not being here in the morning!"
"What?!" Lucius shrieked, then calmly thought it over, and made a quick decision.
"Salina, go and tell my mother. Rini, we need to eat, quickly...."
"Right, we may not have much time!" Rini agreed, and as Salina took off for Lucilla, she
and Lucius quickly, but neatly, finished their meal and set the plates on the tray, deciding together
quietly not to worry about them for the moment.
Just then, they heard heavy shuffling and moved to the entrance of the room to see the
shadows of guards heading their way. Feeling panic chill her blood, Rini grabbed Lucius's hand
and drug him out of the room and into the shadows in the hall. As they watched from relative
safety, the guards came around the corner and marched into Lucius's bedroom.
"Where is he?!" one of them snapped. "Senator Borias wants him in the dungeon before
morning!" *Yep, total usurpation!* Rini thought.
"What they gonna do with'em?" another voice asked.
"Lucilla may possibly be tossed in a brothel," the first voice commented as the sounds of
Lucius's things and furniture being tossed around willy nilly reached their ears. "As for the
'Prince', I think Borias said something about the galley slaves?" This brought sinister chuckling
all around. Rini felt her blood become like ice at this. She heard what galley slaves were - men
chained in a boat and forced to row it onward when there was no wind, constantly whipped
and/or beaten to keep them going. The thought of Lucius sent to that disgusted her, and her lost
courage was rekindled.
At long last, the will to attempt a full escape was reborn to her! Holding Lucius's hand
tightly, she drug him through the palace, intent on slipping out the main entrance and heading to
Theophilus's compound, hoping that the man who "owned" Lita would give them a place to hide!
As she charged forward, Salina reached them on her way back.
"My mother?" Lucius asked.
"I couldn't find her!" Salina said, tears filling her eyes.
"It may be too late to help her!" Rini stated, and grabbing Salina by the hand with her free
one, began once more heading through the palace corridors. "Right now, we have to worry about
ourselves! C'mon!"
"Where are we going?" Salina asked.
"Out the front! And then to Theophilus's!" Rini said. "From there we'll see about
reaching my mother, she can help!"
"But they'll expect us to try the front entrance!" Lucius snapped, bringing them to a halt.
"We need another way out!"
"Salina, do you still remember that hidden way to get out of here you mentioned before?"
Rini asked her friend. She presumed it was also the same exit Diana had mentioned the previous
night to her.
"Uh...uh...uh..." Salina stammered. "I... I... I think...I think it's..."
"Meow!" a small voice floated up to them, and they all looked down to see Diana at their
feet, looking up at them happily.
"Diana's agent!" Salina beamed happily. "She helps us still!"
"The Moon goddess?" Lucius blinked. Rini tried to keep from groaning, but then Diana
meowed again, and started to trot away.
"She wants us to follow her!" Salina stated, smiling. "Diana has sent her to guide us to
the safe exit!"
"Then let us do so," Lucius decided, and the three quickly followed the cat through
further corridors, behind drapes, around corners, past large pillars, and finally to a giant red drape
that covered almost an entire wall. While they had moved, Salina had filled in Lucius about her
earlier 'visitation' and attempt to save Rini from Commodus's madness. Both girls were relieved
when Lucius forgave her for the attempt, since it was under the guidance of a goddess. The cat
nudged one end of the drape, and Salina lifted it, revealing... nothing...?
"What?" Salina stared, dumbfounded. "But...? Has the goddess abandoned us? Is she
punishing me for failing her before?"
"I think not..." Lucius said, staring at the wall carefully. Rini also stared, and then felt a
tug at her heel, and glanced down to see Diana tugging at her with her teeth.
"Yes?" Rini asked quietly, expecting Diana to tell her what to do.
"Meow!" Diana meowed loudly, then turned, trotted over to a pillar with a bust on it, and
hopped up to the top of the bust and started batting at the tasseled pull rope hanging just above it,
seemingly intent on 'killing' it.
"I think I have an idea," Rini said, and walked over to the pillar, stood up on tip-toe, but
was still off by about a few inches or a foot...maybe two... So she jumped up, and grabbed it, and
let gravity do the rest. A moment later, a six and a half foot door opened in the seemingly blank
wall, and Diana hopped down and pitter-pattered inside. Salina stepped in next, and Lucius and
Rini started follow together when a voice was heard behind them.
"Hey! They're going through some kind of secret passage! Get them!" the voice yelled,
and they turned to see some of the guards coming. One had a bow and arrow set, and knocked
one bolt, aimed...
"LUCIUS!!" Rini screamed, shoving him aside, just as the arrow flew, and landed with a
sickening _THUNK_...in Rini's side. She felt herself go quiet for a moment as her body
processed what had happened to it, feeling the wetness of blood leaking out around the arrow and
blemishing her beautiful white dress, oozing down her side and onto her leg, heading resolutely
for the ground below...
"RINI?! NO!!!" Lucius screamed himself, catching her in his arms as she flopped from
shock right into them. At the same time she felt a rage boiling within her, even as the other
guards drew ever closer to them. And a power...a power she hadn't felt since the last Droid in
the Time Gate, since the two Droid brothers who attacked her school, who attacked Melanie,
who attacked her friend...
*But the Crystal's not...or...did it ever really need...to...be...* her mind pondered, and then
pure instinct took over as the crescent moon symbol returned to her brow, and she turned and
fired with almost deadly ferocity a burst of energy that blew all the guards, even the one with the
arrow set, who had just finished knocking a second one, back down the hall into a mass of
crumpled heaps! A yell of rage escaped her lungs as she did so, and the burst and symbol
subsided, and she drooped limply in Lucius's arms.
"Rini?!" Lucius stared, trying desperately to comprehend.
"How did she?" Salina stared in shock from the passage, having stopped and turned back
to look when she heard Rini's yell.
"I... I... I don't...I don't know..." Lucius breathed, his own mind still muddled.
"It's...something...oh... I...don't...think...you'd...believe..." Rini moaned through the pain,
not even sure where or how to begin.
"Hurry!" Diana's voice called from the darkness. "Take the passage out of the palace,
and then follow my agent! She will lead you to Rini's mother, and there you will find a girl born
with a gift from me and the other gods, a gift that will let her save your friend before she dies!
Hurry, before it is too late! When you find Serena, ask for Hotaru, and tell her what I have said!
Now go!!"
"Yes, oh goddess!" Lucius and Salina agreed, and together they took hold of Rini and
carried her through the passage, which suddenly closed behind them, Diana was able to operate
the corresponding mechanism, and they quickly moved forward.
"That...little...genius..." Rini breathed to herself, a smile returning to her lips. Whenever
they felt they were turning the wrong way, Diana would meow, and they would follow the sound
of her small voice. After what felt like too long for their young minds, they emerged out onto a
side street, and saw Diana sitting just ahead.
Without hesitation, they followed her through the streets of Rome, sometimes passing
through back alleys and side streets to avoid attention, until finally they moved into the residential
district, and to a relatively simple two story home. Before they could reach the door, Diana
hopped up to window, worked open the wooden shutter, and slipped inside...
* * *
"Okay, we've freed Lita, though it cost us a chunk of change," Serena mused. "In theory
there's enough left to get Rini, but right now the whole palace will probably be on high alert while
they figure out who's now in charge."
"Won't it be the Prince?" Hotaru asked. "Isn't he next in line?" They were sitting in the
lounge area after dinner, and talking about the current remaining problems. The current priority
was freeing Rini, though they had Hrisoula saying she planning to leave for Tercham on the next
caravan north, which be passing Rome in only four days. This, of course, meant that they would
have to talk with Hrisoula about buying Ami and Hotaru's freedom sooner than they had honestly
hoped that they would have to.
All the Senshi were together for the moment, Hrisoula was upstairs, and the slaves, minus
Ami and Hotaru, were either in the kitchen or the laundry. Georgio was still recovering,
physically and in all other ways, and his mother and sister were currently looking after him while
his grandparents discussed the family's plans with Thernacius in the dining room. Mikhail and
Zacharias were also in the room, playing with some old toys to burn the time before bed, though it
was clear that both were getting very tired. Luna and Artemis were snoozing quietly in Serena
and Mina's laps, respectively, and there had still been no sign at all of Diana all day.
"I doubt he's any older than Rini, possibly even younger," Ami stated.
"So?" Hotaru blinked.
"If I remember my history classes," Mina said, "Boys were made official citizens of the
Roman Empire when they turned fifteen, and girls upon their wedding, which was permissible as
young as twelve."
"Twelve?!" Hotaru screeched. "Are you saying that when Eleutherios tried to grab me..."
"There was a relatively lengthy courtship tradition in this time, Hotaru," Trista said
calmly, though her own hate of the man who dared to try to steal her adopted daughter's
innocence and womanhood was just barely hidden underneath. "If not all parts were completed
satisfactorily, the marriage was considered null. But yes, he considered you a full woman in the
law, as well as in his twisted lusts..."
"And think of the time we're in," Serena pointed out. "It's a miracle if any of these
people live to see past fifty or above. Marrying young and reproducing quickly was necessary for
maintaining the survival of the human species!"
"Okay, that proves it!" Rei stated. "You've been lying to us all this time, Serena! You've
been playing dumb just to torture us!"
"Please, Rei, you give me far too much credit," Serena waved her off with a faux haughty
air.
"Hey, it doesn't take brains to notice the clearly obvious," Amara pointed out.
"After all," Michelle commented, "How many people in the city have you noticed that are
pushing fifty? Or sixty? Or seventy?"
"Not many," Hotaru admitted.
"Because they're in the minority here," Ami stated. "It's just the way it is."
"Okay, so he's not fifteen or a full citizen yet," Hotaru accepted. "How would that stop
him from..."
"Arguably it shouldn't," Serena agreed. "I mean, I know if something eliminates me and
Darien before she's come of age, you guys will make sure that Rini is firmly placed on the
throne...with certain temporary restrictions, of course."
"Of course!" Mina agreed.
"You doubt us?" Rei faked, rather badly, being emotionally wounded, then chuckled
lightly.
"Heaven forbid she have too much power too soon," Darien stated. "And that's what the
Roman Senators will most likely be afraid of. They may name someone Emperor ad litem until
Lucius Verus comes of age and is named a full citizen, or they may...uh...you know..."
"Sudden, mysterious disappearance?" Amara grinned. "It's what I'd do."
"What about his mom?" Hotaru asked. "She could be regent!"
"And she's a woman," Trista sighed. "And women, sadly..."
"History sucks..." Hotaru slumped on the floor. Just then, a meowing reached their ears,
and they turned to see Diana looking excessively pensive.
"Hey, where on earth have you been, young lady?" Serena asked crossly.
"Making up for my previous failure, majesty," Diana replied quietly. "Hurry, the door!"
"Huh? What about the door?" Mina asked, and then a heavy knocking came, causing
them to jump slightly.
"I'll get it!" Ami called aloud, and rose and walked into the main entrance hall and opened
the door to see who could be there at that hour. "OH MY GOD!! SERENA!! DARIEN!!
COME QUICK!!" she screamed loudly, and everyone poured into the area to see what us up, the
cats snapping awake. As they reached the area, Hrisoula, Vivian, and Delia came down the stairs
from the second floor, Thernacius, Tatius, Ariadne, and the four slaves emerging from the rear.
"Hurry, get inside," Ami cried as she moved out and helped their visitors in - Lucius
Verus and the red-headed slave girl carrying an injured Rini, who had an arrow sticking out of her
left side. Serena and Darien gasped loudly at the sight, and shot forward.
"I didn't do it!" Lita shrieked. She was still feeling some guilt from what had happened
the day prior.
"What happened?!?!?!" Serena grabbed the boy and yelled at him.
"We were betrayed," Lucius stated. "Rini saved my life...again...the Moon Goddess
Diana sent an agent to guide us here."
"The goddess sent you an agent to guide you?" Mina blinked. "Who...wait, Diana? Why
you..." She couldn't help but grin down at the small grey kitten at her feet.
"Yes, that!" Lucius pointed at the kitten. "She said the gods had given someone here a
gift, a gift that could save her. Please, where is this Hotaru?"
"Yeah...she actually...did...something...right..." Rini breathed slowly. "Is it...cold...in here
...or is it...just...me?" she started to go even limper in the other two children's arms.
"No! Rini! Don't leave us!" the red-headed girl cried out.
"RINI!" Galea and Felicia cried out, despite themselves.
"I'm here!" Hotaru bolted forward before anyone could stop her, and she stared at her
small friend who now looked so frail, her face beginning to pale, her side below the arrow
seemingly saturated with blood. Darien grabbed the wooden shaft without a thought, and pulled
it free from his daughter.
"But what...?" Thernacius and Tatius started to say, and then Hotaru rose her hands over
the wound, and they began to glow. They glowed for several tense moments, sweat beading
down Hotaru's brow as she focused her mind, her heart, all that she had on saving her dearest
friend. *No!* she mentally swore at Death. *You can't have her! Not today! Not _ever_!!! I
won't let you have her!!*
"What is she...?" Ariadne started to move to get closer, but Iosif and Damris cut her off.
"It's alright," Damris whispered.
"She's helping," Iosif added. "She's saving her." They waited a few moments more, and
then the color was restored to Rini's cheeks, and Hotaru fell backward into Trista's arms, who
had moved up to sit behind the young girl. A moment later, Rini blinked, and sat up again.
"Huh?" she blinked. "Is this Heaven?"
"Not yet," Serena choked out as she held her daughter's hand tightly. Behind them, Ami
quickly shut the door and latched it.
"Momma?" Rini stared widely, "Is it you?"
"Yes, sweety, you're safe," Serena replied through happy tears. Rini smiled, and began to
cry too, staring at all her friends around her.
"Is Hotaru...?" she asked slowly.
"Just exhausted," Trista smiled. "She'll recover with a little bed rest."
"But how?" Vivian asked, still dumbfounded. Lucius glanced at Rini's wound, which now
no longer existed.
"A healing touch," he said with a smile. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
"No...problem..." Hotaru gasped for breath. She felt utterly spent!
"Hey?!" Rini blinked as she saw the others in the back as she was carried toward the
lounge, as was Hotaru. "Salina, isn't that Felicia and Galea?"
"Huh?" the red-headed girl turned, and for the first time noted their presence. "Hey,
you're right! What are you two doing here?!"
"We live here now," Felicia smiled.
"Lady Ariadne bought us," Galea furthered.
"Rini," Lucius spoke up, intruding on the reunion as Rini was set down on a couch. "You
have saved my life twice, and I have only one I can truly repay you..." He reached into his tunic,
and pulled out a small, gold key. Rini gasped as a broader smile came to her lips, and her spirits
soared. Lucius placed the key into a slot in the gold bracelet on Rini's right wrist, and twisted,
bringing a long awaited "click-clack-pop" sound, and the bracelet opened. "I return yours to
you..." Lucius said.
"I'm free..." Rini felt the happy tears flow freely. "I'm finally free..."
* * *
The next morning Rini stepped up to a window, opened it, and breathed deeply. It
smelled nice...free. *I'm really free!* her mind sang. Rini, Salina, and Lucius had spent the night
in Darien and Serena's Room, Ami migrating to Hotaru and Damris's room for the night. Rini's
bracelet currently sat on a dresser, as she had decided to keep it, as a memento.
Hotaru had spent the night recovering, after telling their "hosts" that she hadn't revealed
her special "talent" for healing before out of fear that they would have her burned as a witch.
They had told her they understood her fears, and forgave her, and then Amara, Michelle, Trista,
Rei, and Mina had left for the night, cleaning up much of the blood trail as they went, as far back
as nine blocks away, leaving them with enough breathing room to avoid detection. Lita had also
gone with them, as she felt it best to be somewhere "neutral".
Rini glanced behind her, confirming for the umpteenth time that her parents were really
there. She wasn't sure why, but the air smelt so much nicer now that she wasn't a slave anymore.
Maybe it was just the thrill of being able to breath it in as a free spirit, able to choose her own way
in life once again.
"Rini?" Serena's voice called up, and she turned to see her mother extricating herself from
the bed and Darien. "Is something wrong?"
"No, momma," Rini replied. "Everything's wonderful!" Serena smiled, and hugged her
daughter one more time, then blinked as she ran her hands across her back.
"Turn around," Serena said. Rini blinked, but did as she was told. Serena lifted up her
dress to look at her back, and gasped.
"Is it that bad?" Rini asked, feeling a sadness reach her eyes at the reminder of her one
unwanted keepsake of Rome. She had glanced at the reminders of her "punishment" from
Cephiro in a mirror a few times, but even that wasn't a perfect view of what he had his men do to
her for trying to run away.
"No...Rini...the scars...they're gone!" Serena ran a hand over Rini's once again perfectly
smooth back.
"Huh?!" Rini's eyes became plates. "But how...?"
"Hotaru..." Serena sighed. "She did more than we thought. No wonder she was
exhausted...."
"Oh, Hotaru..." Rini sighed as well. "Thanks..."
* * *
At breakfast, Thernacius said he was going to take his wife and children back home, to
Tarria. He offered Lucius and Salina the chance to come with them, for their safety. If anyone
asked, he would say he found them abandoned on the roadside, and took them out of kindness.
After a few moments of thought, Lucius agreed, and Salina was only too happy to go that
direction away from Rome.
"Maybe..." she said. "Maybe someday I can find my home...and find my brother, if he's
still alive..."
"Rini...come with me..." Lucius asked her. "Please?"
"Lucius, I...I'm not headed that way..." Rini replied, a small sob in her throat.
"Where...where are you..." Lucius replied back, a sob in his throat, too.
"We're heading west," Serena said. "I hear Fra...Gaul is nice this time of the year. And
right now we want be many, many leagues away from Rome."
"When...when do you..." Georgio tried to ask, but couldn't quite get himself to say it.
"Hopefully, today," Darien said. "Just as soon as our five friends rejoin us...and we take
care of one final piece of business..."
"What kind of business?" Hrisoula asked.
"Yeah, what?" Rini piped up. "I'm free, Lita's free, what else is there to do other than
pack our few belongings and souvenirs and go?" Serena smiled warmly, and patted her daughter
on her shoulder. Just then, Hotaru came up behind Georgio and rose her hands, which
immediately began to glow. A moment later they stopped, and she lowered them, Georgio
suddenly looking much refreshed. It had taken most of his current energy to get downstairs, but
now he looked better than ever. He pulled off one of his bandages, and stared at the flawless skin
beneath it.
"Thank you..." he breathed as he began removing the rest.
"That's okay, I felt I owed you, since I could've done this before...but didn't..." Hotaru
said, lightly blushing.
"You already explained that, your fears were not invalid," Tatius said. "But thank you, all
the same." Breakfast was finished quickly thereafter, and everyone came out to help pack up the
Rex's cart, and see Thernacius and his family off. First the family said goodbye to Tatius and
Ariadne, saying they'd come visit again in due time.
Then Damris said goodbye to Georgio, telling him she'd come see him again...someday...
After that, Georgio and his family turned to Serena and her family.
"Goodbye Serena," Georgio said, tears in his eyes. "I'll miss you...Darien, if you _ever_
make her sad again..."
"Expect a sword in my back?" Darien grinned. "Got it, no problem."
"Goodbye, Georgio," Serena kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for hurting your heart,
but I believe there is someone out there, waiting for you. Or maybe," she glanced toward Damris,
"already within sight..."
"Maybe..." Georgio said.
"Goodbye, Georgio, Mr. and Mrs. Rex. Thanks for taking care of my mom..." Rini said.
"It was an honor," Thernacius told the child, smiling. Rini turned to Salina and Lucius,
and gulped back a sob.
"Lucius, Salina, I...I don't know what to..." she felt the tears brimming in her eyes.
"Me either," Salina said, also starting to cry. She had already said her farewells to Felicia
and Galea, and wasn't sure what to think anymore. "I...I hope that...someday...we can..."
"Me, too," Rini said as she hugged her friend. "Me, too."
"I'll never forget you, Rini," Lucius smiled, and she took his hand and slipped something
into it as she gave him a hug, too. He glanced at it, a smile filling his face - a single lock of her
hair.
"Me neither, Lucius," she replied. "Thanks for everything..." With that, the Rexs climbed
aboard, Thernacius aiding Lucius and Salina up, and they departed as the Outer's, Mina, Rei, and
Lita strode up.
"So, everyone's getting ready to go, huh?" Lita asked. She lifted the somewhat heavy
looking bag she carried with her. "We're all packed and ready to split, too. You guys?"
"Me and Darien sorted all our things out and they're, along with what few things Rini has,
packed and ready," Serena nodded.
"Only one thing left," Darien agreed.
"What?" Rini asked. "What's left?" In answer, Serena and Darien went back inside, and
a few moments later he came down with their own bag, which he set down for the moment, and
she held their moderately heavy money bag, which Rini had been informed had been earned
originally for her benefit, to buy her back. Serena turned to Hrisoula, opening the bag carefully as
she did so.
"Lady Hrisoula, how much of this would I have to give you...to buy Ami and Hotaru's
freedom?" she asked.
"HUH?" Rini felt her eyes super-enlarge for the second time that day. Hotaru quickly
leaned into her friend and whispered into her ear about how she and Ami were house slaves
owned by Hrisoula. "What?!" Rini screeched, turning and grabbing her friend by her dress.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
"I guess I...didn't think it was important..." Hotaru admitted. "I mean, we had it easy,
simple servant stuff only, never gave her a reason to give out lashes or anything...pretty much no
trouble at all, except for Eleutherios trying to rape me an' all. But Amara killed him, so that's
water under the bridge now anyway..."
"Huh? Who? Wha?" Rini blinked, totally not following.
"You want me to free them?" Hrisoula ignored the two girls for the moment. "Why?"
"Because they're my friends," Serena said. "Even if you aren't being cruel to them, I
want them to be free, and...I want them to come with us..." Serena felt herself faltering, unable to
find the words to properly express how she felt about this, why she wanted this. Hrisoula stepped
up, glanced inside the bag, and took out forty gold.
"This should be enough to get me and my remaining staff and ward," she glanced the last
to Zacharias, "back home to Tercham. Though I think I'm being robbed of the best help I've ever
owned in my life. Ami, Hotaru, you have paid your debt several times, and I now release you.
Unless you'd prefer to stay in my service?"
"Really?" Hotaru's eyes glowed. "We're free?!"
"Yes," Hrisoula nodded. "But I would like you to continue serving me, if you like?"
"Thank you for the offer, Hrisoula," Ami replied as Hotaru bolted inside, "But our rightful
place is with Serena and our friends. I'm sorry..." She then turned to Iosif, who smiled sadly.
"I know," he said. "I'll miss you..." Ami walked up to him, and handed him a lock of her
own hair, giving him a brief kiss as she did so.
"I'll miss you too, Iosif..." she said. Rini made her farewells to Felicia and Galea, who
once more congratulated her on her freedom, as they'd been doing almost ever since her bracelet
came off. Serena and the others said goodbye to Tatius, Ariadne, Hrisoula, and Damris, then
turned to the small Zacharias.
"Do you have 'ta go?" he asked.
"Yeah, sweetie, we do," Serena replied. "I'm sorry..." Zacharias gave her a big hug, then
gave hugs to the other girls, and even gave Darien a squeeze.
"Thank you for 'tecting me," he said.
"No problem," Darien replied. "No problem." Hotaru then reappeared with her and
Ami's bag, all packed and ready, set it next to Darien, Serena, and Rini's, then turned and said her
own goodbyes, giving Hrisoula and Damris each a hug as she did so.
"I knew you were a witch," Damris whispered to her. "Take care, my friend."
"I will," Hotaru grinned. "Just don't make me hex you." They both chuckled lightly. She
then rejoined her friends, Ami and Darien picked up the other two bags while Serena took Rini's
hand, planning to keep a death grip on it until they were back in the twentieth century, and
carrying the still heavily loaded money bag in the other, and together they walked through the city
until they emerged onto the fields, then turning west, they departed the city of Rome forever.
Some time later, when the city was out of sight and it was as safe as it could be, Trista summoned
the Garnet Rod, and transported them to the Gates of Time, and then back to the future...er...
present...whatever....
* * *
At the same time, at the palace of Rome, the Senators appeared before the crowd, who
were waiting expectantly.
"Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your ears!" one proclaimed. "We, the Senate, have
met over the night, and have chosen a new Emperor, in lieu of the young, unready Prince Lucius
Verus! We now present him to you. We give you...CAESAR PERTINAX!!"
A man walked forward, ready to address his people.
But that is another story...
The End.
******************************************************************************
I can't believe I finished it! Has it really been two years since I started? My god...where did the
time go? I thought it would take so much less time to do... Oh, well, it's done! My masterpiece
is COM-PLE-TED!! Okay, now restraining inner Dexter...
Little note here: There really was a Commodus and Lucilla in the history books, and
Commodus was in fact suffocated in his bed after reigning solo for thirteen years(he thought he
was Hercules near the end!). As for Lucilla, she's mentioned in Commodus's entry in the
encyclopedia, but has none of her own, therefore I have no idea whatsoever as to what happened
to her after her attempted conspiracy to dethrone her insane brother(probably executed for
treason...) And the only Lucius Verus in the books is the one who co-reigned with Marcus
Aurelius for about ten years before he died. I have no record of him ever having a son... And
Pertinax was the next guy who ruled after Commodus...for three months...
And yes, the Johnathan who appeared in the brief side scene _is_ the same man who
helped Trista previously. If you don't know about Doctor Who and Time Lord regeneration,
look up the Doctor Who pages on the BBC website, it'll tell you all you need to know. But in
short, that's why he didn't come with the other Senshi, he knew he was already there,(Okay he
didn't know _exactly_ when they would arrive in Rome, but why take chances?) and didn't want
to risk "running into himself".
I hope you all enjoyed this piece de resistance, despite minor errors, and maybe someday
I'll risk an equally long marathon...just not anytime soon...
Well, R&R, please! Thank you for reading!
