Regina: I can't think of anything to say, really. Nothing much except, I don't own anything, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Rome Reversal.
Rome Reversal
Chapter Three: The Soldier and the Princess
Jean was the first to recover from the arrival of the four guests. "Excuse us," she said, before dragging the others away.
In the privacy of the next room, the X-Men could vent their feelings.
"What the hell was that?!" demanded Evan, as Kurt muttered something under his breath that no one could understand as it was in German. Perhaps that was a good thing.
"I don't know," replied Kitty, "but I don't like it."
"It looked like Professor Xavier, Magneto, Pietro and Wanda," said Scott. "But there's no way that it could have been them, could it?"
"Maybe they've been reincarnated," suggested Evan.
"You aren't reincarnated backwards!" replied Kitty.
"Well then what do you think happened, brainiac?!"
"Hold on," said Forge. "Think about it for a minute before you kill each other." Kitty and Evan stopped glaring at each other, and looked at Forge. "Maybe they have been reincarnated, but from this form into their present day ones."
Everyone stopped to think about it. Some took a little than others.
"So what do we do about this?" asked Scott when everyone had shown signs of understanding, which had took a while in some cases.
"Nothing," said Jean. "We are going to go back out there, and act like we don't know anything about the future. We can't let them know who we are, or give them any information that they may become who they will in the future."
"But what if they're mutants?" asked Rogue.
"That's highly unlikely," replied Forge. "Almost all of the cases of mutants have only just begun in our time. Although it is possible, the idea of a mutant here in this time period in highly unlikely. So don't worry."
Everyone nodded, taking the idea of this in. Then they all went to go back into the dining room. Until Kurt was struck with an idea.
"Hey, guys? If these four are here in this time, what about everyone else?"
Everyone stopped. Jaws dropped.
"Oh, crap."
X X X
Dinner was an interesting experience. First, the Romans did not seemed to have heard of sitting up to eat. They lay on their side to eat. The food was the second thing. The X-Men politely refused food such as stuffed dormice, and stuck to foods they were familiar with, such as eggs, which the meal had begun with, and apples, which it had finished with.
There were many courses, and when a course was finished, slaves would enter and remove the entire table, and return with a fresh one, all laden with food.
And, of course, there was the conversation that had made the dinner interesting as well. As well as giving the X-Men a glimpse into Roman life, it also revealed interesting things about Xavius, Magnus, Petrus, and Wanda.
Xavius and Magnus appeared to be good friends, although they tended to argue on certain things, and Marcus would have to intervene.
There was hardly any difference between Petrus and his future self. His attitude towards Horatia proved that, but she knew how to handle him ('touch me and the Pontifex Maximus will have your head').
Wanda, however, was quite different. Although much more restrained than her future self, she was still a fiery person. She tended to defer to her father and brother, although they listened to her and respected her. The most interesting thing they discovered was that she was engaged, to someone called 'Janus' who was a rising member of the army.
Finally, the dinner ended, and Xavius, Magnus, Wanda and Petrus left.
X X X
"It's getting dark out," commented Jean as she looked out of the window of Horatia's family's townhouse.
"Yes," Horatia said quietly behind her. "Phoebus Apollo has driven his chariot across the sky, and now his sister Artemis will decorate the sky with stars."
"That's really pretty," said Kitty, who was standing next to Jean.
"Soror," said Horatia's brother Gaius as he entered the room. "Now that our father's guests have left, will you please introduce me to yours?"
"Of course," replied Horatia, in the same formal tone she had used since the X-Men had first met her. Turning to the X-Men she said, "My friends, this is my brother, Gaius Horatius Flaccus, but he prefers to be known as Gaius. Gaie, this is Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, Evan and. . ." Horatia trailed off, looking at Forge with a look of confusing on her face. "You never told me your name," she said to him.
"Forge," he replied.
"Just as peculiar as your friends'," Horatia said with a smile. Turning back to her brother, Horatia asked, "Am I able to speak to Mater and Pater? I wish to speak to them about providing these travellers with hospitality. I am unable to, as I am in Vesta's service, and it would be improper for me to do so."
"I find nothing to be wrong with that," replied Gaius. "But what are you plans for tomorrow?"
"My plans?" asked Horatia, confused. "Why would my plans - lethe has clouded my memories. Janus is returning from his command in the far lands. He has defeated the people there, and captured their princess. Pater asked me to ensure that she has been - and will be - treated well. Will you be able to entertain our new friends if I am unable to?"
Gaius nodded. "I was planning on going to the Circus tomorrow. The Wolf will be there tomorrow. Your friends may accompany if they wish."
Gaius nodded. "I was planning on going to the Circus tomorrow. The Wolf will be there tomorrow. Your friends may accompany if they wish."
"Thank you, Gaie," said Horatia. "May the gods favour you for your kindness. I must return to the temple, but first I must speak to our loving parents. If my duties tomorrow are completed sooner than expected, I shall perhaps join you at the Circus. I also wish to see the Wolf. His feats are legendary." She shook her head. "If I were not devoted to Vesta. . ."
"But you are," replied Gaius. "But perhaps the gods will reward you when you pass by the Styx, and into Pluto's dark realm, to brighten it in a way not seen since Proserpina."
Horatia laughed. "Henricus has taught you well in the art of poetry. Which girl shall you grace with your ambrosial words next?" Gaius laughed, and so did the X-Men - those which understood what had been said. Finally Horatia made her farewells, and left.
"Evan? Is something wrong?" Jean asked suddenly, noticing how uncomfortable Evan was looking.
"Um. . . I think I had a bit too much wine. Where's the bathroom?"
Forge whispered something in Evan's ear, causing him to go a bright shade of red.
"What? You're lying!"
Forge shook his head.
"Oh, crap."
X X X
Early the next morning, while the X-Men were still asleep, there were still a few people up and about, getting ready for the day's business.
One of those was Horatia, and she was fulfilling the promise she had made to her father, to ensure that the Janus' enslaved princess was being treated well.
The slave who was at the door opened it for the young priestess, allowing her entry into Janus' home. This was the same Janus that Wanda (the Roman one) was betrothed to, and had been spoken about at the dinner the previous evening.
"Good morning, Janus," Horatia said briskly, her voice cold compared to what she had sounded like the previous night, when she had been talking to either her family or the X-Men. "I pray that we can complete this as quickly as possible. You and I both know that we would rather that we would not have to do this, but we must obey the Senate."
Janus nodded. He was much taller than Horatia, and, oddly enough for a young Roman man, his hair, though still quite dark, had bright patches in it, as if part of it was red, and part of it not.
"Have you seen the girl?" asked Horatia.
"No. My men have kept her under close watch while she was being brought here. I left the day before she did."
"May the gods have mercy on you if she is injured in any way," Horatia said harshly. The guard in front of the door bowed as Horatia and Janus approached. Then he opened the door to the small room where the princess was being kept. Horatia entered the room first.
The princess was huddled in the corner. Her once bright robes were now covered in dirt, and her hair was a mess of tangles. But the princess' natural beauty still shone through, and Janus, standing behind Horatia, could see.
"Such beauty," he breathed. "A Venus here on earth, to walk amongst us mere mortals."
"She is no goddess," Horatia replied. "Stay there,' she commanded Janus, and walked over to the girl. "I am Horatia," she said slowly. "I am a priestess. What is your name?"
The girl looked confused.
Horatia gestured to herself, and said, "Horatia." She repeated this several times, until the girl seemed to understand.
The princess touched her chest in the same way Horatia had, and in a frightened voice - but still with regal undertones - said, "Amara."
Rome Reversal
Chapter Three: The Soldier and the Princess
Jean was the first to recover from the arrival of the four guests. "Excuse us," she said, before dragging the others away.
In the privacy of the next room, the X-Men could vent their feelings.
"What the hell was that?!" demanded Evan, as Kurt muttered something under his breath that no one could understand as it was in German. Perhaps that was a good thing.
"I don't know," replied Kitty, "but I don't like it."
"It looked like Professor Xavier, Magneto, Pietro and Wanda," said Scott. "But there's no way that it could have been them, could it?"
"Maybe they've been reincarnated," suggested Evan.
"You aren't reincarnated backwards!" replied Kitty.
"Well then what do you think happened, brainiac?!"
"Hold on," said Forge. "Think about it for a minute before you kill each other." Kitty and Evan stopped glaring at each other, and looked at Forge. "Maybe they have been reincarnated, but from this form into their present day ones."
Everyone stopped to think about it. Some took a little than others.
"So what do we do about this?" asked Scott when everyone had shown signs of understanding, which had took a while in some cases.
"Nothing," said Jean. "We are going to go back out there, and act like we don't know anything about the future. We can't let them know who we are, or give them any information that they may become who they will in the future."
"But what if they're mutants?" asked Rogue.
"That's highly unlikely," replied Forge. "Almost all of the cases of mutants have only just begun in our time. Although it is possible, the idea of a mutant here in this time period in highly unlikely. So don't worry."
Everyone nodded, taking the idea of this in. Then they all went to go back into the dining room. Until Kurt was struck with an idea.
"Hey, guys? If these four are here in this time, what about everyone else?"
Everyone stopped. Jaws dropped.
"Oh, crap."
X X X
Dinner was an interesting experience. First, the Romans did not seemed to have heard of sitting up to eat. They lay on their side to eat. The food was the second thing. The X-Men politely refused food such as stuffed dormice, and stuck to foods they were familiar with, such as eggs, which the meal had begun with, and apples, which it had finished with.
There were many courses, and when a course was finished, slaves would enter and remove the entire table, and return with a fresh one, all laden with food.
And, of course, there was the conversation that had made the dinner interesting as well. As well as giving the X-Men a glimpse into Roman life, it also revealed interesting things about Xavius, Magnus, Petrus, and Wanda.
Xavius and Magnus appeared to be good friends, although they tended to argue on certain things, and Marcus would have to intervene.
There was hardly any difference between Petrus and his future self. His attitude towards Horatia proved that, but she knew how to handle him ('touch me and the Pontifex Maximus will have your head').
Wanda, however, was quite different. Although much more restrained than her future self, she was still a fiery person. She tended to defer to her father and brother, although they listened to her and respected her. The most interesting thing they discovered was that she was engaged, to someone called 'Janus' who was a rising member of the army.
Finally, the dinner ended, and Xavius, Magnus, Wanda and Petrus left.
X X X
"It's getting dark out," commented Jean as she looked out of the window of Horatia's family's townhouse.
"Yes," Horatia said quietly behind her. "Phoebus Apollo has driven his chariot across the sky, and now his sister Artemis will decorate the sky with stars."
"That's really pretty," said Kitty, who was standing next to Jean.
"Soror," said Horatia's brother Gaius as he entered the room. "Now that our father's guests have left, will you please introduce me to yours?"
"Of course," replied Horatia, in the same formal tone she had used since the X-Men had first met her. Turning to the X-Men she said, "My friends, this is my brother, Gaius Horatius Flaccus, but he prefers to be known as Gaius. Gaie, this is Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kurt, Kitty, Evan and. . ." Horatia trailed off, looking at Forge with a look of confusing on her face. "You never told me your name," she said to him.
"Forge," he replied.
"Just as peculiar as your friends'," Horatia said with a smile. Turning back to her brother, Horatia asked, "Am I able to speak to Mater and Pater? I wish to speak to them about providing these travellers with hospitality. I am unable to, as I am in Vesta's service, and it would be improper for me to do so."
"I find nothing to be wrong with that," replied Gaius. "But what are you plans for tomorrow?"
"My plans?" asked Horatia, confused. "Why would my plans - lethe has clouded my memories. Janus is returning from his command in the far lands. He has defeated the people there, and captured their princess. Pater asked me to ensure that she has been - and will be - treated well. Will you be able to entertain our new friends if I am unable to?"
Gaius nodded. "I was planning on going to the Circus tomorrow. The Wolf will be there tomorrow. Your friends may accompany if they wish."
Gaius nodded. "I was planning on going to the Circus tomorrow. The Wolf will be there tomorrow. Your friends may accompany if they wish."
"Thank you, Gaie," said Horatia. "May the gods favour you for your kindness. I must return to the temple, but first I must speak to our loving parents. If my duties tomorrow are completed sooner than expected, I shall perhaps join you at the Circus. I also wish to see the Wolf. His feats are legendary." She shook her head. "If I were not devoted to Vesta. . ."
"But you are," replied Gaius. "But perhaps the gods will reward you when you pass by the Styx, and into Pluto's dark realm, to brighten it in a way not seen since Proserpina."
Horatia laughed. "Henricus has taught you well in the art of poetry. Which girl shall you grace with your ambrosial words next?" Gaius laughed, and so did the X-Men - those which understood what had been said. Finally Horatia made her farewells, and left.
"Evan? Is something wrong?" Jean asked suddenly, noticing how uncomfortable Evan was looking.
"Um. . . I think I had a bit too much wine. Where's the bathroom?"
Forge whispered something in Evan's ear, causing him to go a bright shade of red.
"What? You're lying!"
Forge shook his head.
"Oh, crap."
X X X
Early the next morning, while the X-Men were still asleep, there were still a few people up and about, getting ready for the day's business.
One of those was Horatia, and she was fulfilling the promise she had made to her father, to ensure that the Janus' enslaved princess was being treated well.
The slave who was at the door opened it for the young priestess, allowing her entry into Janus' home. This was the same Janus that Wanda (the Roman one) was betrothed to, and had been spoken about at the dinner the previous evening.
"Good morning, Janus," Horatia said briskly, her voice cold compared to what she had sounded like the previous night, when she had been talking to either her family or the X-Men. "I pray that we can complete this as quickly as possible. You and I both know that we would rather that we would not have to do this, but we must obey the Senate."
Janus nodded. He was much taller than Horatia, and, oddly enough for a young Roman man, his hair, though still quite dark, had bright patches in it, as if part of it was red, and part of it not.
"Have you seen the girl?" asked Horatia.
"No. My men have kept her under close watch while she was being brought here. I left the day before she did."
"May the gods have mercy on you if she is injured in any way," Horatia said harshly. The guard in front of the door bowed as Horatia and Janus approached. Then he opened the door to the small room where the princess was being kept. Horatia entered the room first.
The princess was huddled in the corner. Her once bright robes were now covered in dirt, and her hair was a mess of tangles. But the princess' natural beauty still shone through, and Janus, standing behind Horatia, could see.
"Such beauty," he breathed. "A Venus here on earth, to walk amongst us mere mortals."
"She is no goddess," Horatia replied. "Stay there,' she commanded Janus, and walked over to the girl. "I am Horatia," she said slowly. "I am a priestess. What is your name?"
The girl looked confused.
Horatia gestured to herself, and said, "Horatia." She repeated this several times, until the girl seemed to understand.
The princess touched her chest in the same way Horatia had, and in a frightened voice - but still with regal undertones - said, "Amara."