Opportunity brought by a new arrival arises for several in the House of Monroviatus.
Notes:
Venus, Eros and Priapus: Roman love/sex gods; the last usually represented in art as a handsome man sporting a large erection. He was seen as a sign of good fortune.
Dimachaeri: gladiator who fought with two swords, one in each hand
Sagittarius: gladiator who fought with bow and arrows on horseback; the most trusted since they could easily kill spectators as well as those in the arena; often used for wild beast shows to "hunt" the animals
viride: the color green in Latin
rudius: ceremonial wooden sword awarded when a gladiator champion is granted his freedom
"Kindly Ones:" the 3 Fates; the title often used ironically, because to quote Benjamin Linus, Fate is a fickle bitch.
In the Trojan War, the Greeks tricked the King of Troy into letting them inside the city walls by secreting themselves inside a huge wooden horse given in tribute to the gods. Waiting until nightfall, the Greek heroes, led by the originator of the scheme, Odysseus, jumped out of the horse and attacked, defeating the Trojans. "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" became a popular saying, symbolizing hidden dangers, even among ancient Romans, who traced their culture's origins back to Aeneas, a Trojan prince who escaped the slaughter.
"Tara! Were you being punished for helping me? Apologies if—" Carola said, all in a rush, when she opened her door to find the Domina's body slave standing there with her two Custos standing behind her.
"I was on an errand for Domina." The girl said importantly, handing her the cloth wrapped bundle in her arms. "I bear gifts."
"As you we are not in Troy and you are not Greek, I will accept." Carola said with a smile, looking back and forth between the package and the slave.
"Open it." Tara ordered, making Carola raise an eye brow questioningly, but did as she was told, holding up a beautiful deep cerulean gown shot through with thread of gold that made it shimmer in the sun.
"My mother's wedding gown!" Carola gave a little cry of astonishment. "You went to city to bring it to me?"
"Your aunt wished you to have it, but in truth it is lesser gift." Tara said with a smile and turned, motioning the Custos to step to the side, revealing what or rather who she also had been sent to fetch.
"Andrea!" Carol cried, rushing forward to embrace her body slave and friend in tearful joy.
"Calm yourself, little one." Andrea soothed, rubbing her mistress' back as she held her.
"But everything is horrible, Andrea!" Carola sniffed, her face blotchy from the tears she'd already been indulging in before their arrival. She'd been shut up in the small bare room since the search for the vipers had begun hours ago and she thought she would go mad wondering what had happened with Merlonius and his plan to ask for her hand. If Darolus found out, she was terrified of what her love might do.
"Leave us." Tara commanded the Custos, stepping all of the way into the room and drawing the door closed in their faces before they could even open their mouths to protest.
Andrea led Carola to the lone piece of furniture in the room, a reclining couch, and sat down next to her, taking the blue dress from her and handing it to Tara.
"I did not believe you would grieve loss of Edgelus so." Andrea said in mock sincerity, and the jest struck home.
"Viper should have immediately died from biting into evil man's foul flesh." Carola snorted back through her tears, helping to slow them, but then shuddered, "Yet it was horrible... watching him die... unable to breathe..."
"Still too easy a death for monster. He is gone. Let us not speak of him again." Andrea said stoutly, handing Carola a handkerchief. "So dry eyes and tell me all about Darolus."
Instead of giving her a happy topic as she'd thought, Andrea's question sent Carola into a fresh bout of tears, hiding her face in her hands.
"Did young Dixus harm you, little one?" Andrea asked, growing angry, "I'll slice cock from boy's –"
"No! His brother!" Carola got out, "He inherits Edgelus' lands! Will ask father for my hand. When... when we were alone, he thought to take me against my will. If father and Uncle would not have come in when they did, he would have!"
She couldn't tell them the true depth of Merlonius' perfidy—that he had killed her fiancé to steal back his birthright and wed her himself—Darol's life might depend on her silence.
"You cannot tell enslaved younger brother what the older has done." Tara said solemnly.
"He would kill him, a bond slave taking the life of a citizen." Andrea agreed.
"For which he would be put to death." Carola sobbed. "What am I going to do?"
"We should make offerings to household gods," Andrea advised, searching for something to give Carola hope.
"And Venus, Eros and Priapus..." Tara said, tongue in cheek, teasing Carola with knowledge of what had happened between her and the handsome young gladiator, "To thank them for their great blessings to niece of Dominus."
Andrea turned to Carola expectantly.
Her tears turned to a heated blush of remembrance of her time in Darol's arms.
"Was he kind?" Andrea asked, worried, taking Carola's hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. "Was he gentle with you? Did he give you pleasure?" her tone indicating she would have vengeance on him if he hadn't.
"He gave me love." Carola sighed, leaning her weary head on Andrea's shoulder and wondering if she would ever know such bliss as that again.
"Old friend, I am sorry to hear of the malign events of this day—I wished only to collect my new gladiators to complete our bargain and perhaps offer blessings upon the fair Carola, daughter of Callicus and niece of Dominus, before her nuptials." the handsome Nubian man said with warm sorrowful dark eyes.
"It does heart well to see you, noble Ezekias." Regulus exchanged the arm hold greeting of friendship with the other man, a fellow Lanista with a large ludus near Herculaneum.
"Has viper that took life of Edgelus been found?" Ezekias asked, "If not, I would see it done by my hand."
Ezekias was a beast master, specializing in the procuring and training of animals for the arena and the men who fought them.
"Yes—good Merlonius discovered and killed the poisonous asp." Regulus said, his relief evident.
"Was it male or female?"
"What matter is that?"
"As beast master I know much about such things. It is spawning season for Vipera Aspis. If female it should be checked to see if it had yet given birth. If it had, there could be several young still lurking in villa."
"Dis Pater!" Regulus swore. "The snake has already been put to the fire!"
"Then you need to evacuate, Regulus, for the safety of all who dwell within. Return to Callicus' house in the city... or may I extend invitation to your family to return with me to my latfundia while villa Monroviatus is cleansed?"
"I would not presume—" Regulus began, but Ezekias put his hand on his friend's arm.
"It is already done! The laws of hospitality forbid me to do any less, dear friend." Ezekias insisted, "And we should leave as soon as possible, with nothing brought from here except persons—vipers seek dark and hide in storage. Even packing clothing and food could be deadly to slave and master alike."
"By Jupiter, I had not realized the extent of our predicament. Gratitude for your timely arrival! I will gather household immediately—taking care to sweep carriages and wagons before loading precious ones."
"While you make ready, I would go meet with Doctore to vet candidates." Ezekias said, nodding with a smile and exchanging another arm embrace with his host.
"Doctore?" Tyresius said from behind the closed doorway, "Apologies, but you have a visitor."
Micha looked up from where she reclined on her bed, setting aside the orange she was peeling and sighed.
"I told you I did not wish to be disturbed until time to prepare for oath." she said, clearly annoyed. She was without her armor, dressed only in a sleeveless short robe, open all the way down the front, her long slender toned arms and legs gleaming with the remnants of the oil from her earlier massage.
"It is Dixus, Micha." Tyresius told her, "I think you need to talk to him."
After a long pause she sat up and swung her legs off the bed.
"I will meet him in armory after I am dressed. Have him wait there."
"Yes, Doctore."
She heard his heavy footsteps moving away from the door and looked over to her companion in the bed.
"I must go."
"He is one of whom you spoke?" Ezekias asked, stretching out across the bed so he could run his hand down the length of her shoulder and arm.
"Yes."
"Feel him out about position. Regulus has already agreed. I would have him come with us today when we leave if he is willing." he used his hold to pull her closer, trapping her underneath him, "I would have you come with us as well..." he nuzzled between her breasts and then moved lower still to run his tongue around her navel.
"Dominus needs me here to supervise his viper hunt." Micha laughed in a low earthy chuckle, pushing at his head until he looked up at her.
"I should bargain with Regulus for you—you would be my queen, finest Doctore of the finest ludus in the south there to warm my bed and share pleasures every night." Ezekias said, his voice seductive and silky.
"What would wife say to that?" she asked archly. "Another queen in your little kingdom?"
"I have no wife." he scoffed, lowering his head again and kissing her smooth mound.
"So you have no motive in welcoming niece of Dominus into your home..." she said, rolling her eyes and pushing him off her to sit back up, reaching for the heavier tunic worn under her breastplate and canvas lined leather kilt.
"I give shelter in a storm to dear friends." he said, shrugging innocently.
"A storm of snakes is a bad portent. The girl is trouble." Micha warned, "Already one of her suitors has met a bad end. The Fates have a match in mind for her and unless it is met, woe to all others."
"Are you sure about this?" Doctore asked, canting her head to the side and raising an eyebrow at Dixus as he stood at attention in front of her.
"Fighting style is too similar." Dixus said stoically, looking straight ahead, no hint of any sort of emotion showing in his face. "I need someone who will challenge me, force me to develop new strengths and strategies. My bout with Tyresius brought point home. In arena I will not always have luxury to study opponent beforehand."
"Is Aaronus in agreement with this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"It is my decision." Dixus said flatly.
Doctore huffed out a grunting breath, her mouth twisting sardonically.
"Frankly I thought this would happen sooner."
That brought Dixus' eyes to her, his forehead creasing in a frown.
"You were originally paired together because you were both the least able, weakest, smallest arrivals in the last batch of ...trainees..." she told him, pulling no punches. "You both became competent Dimachaeri and having to keep up with you has increased his wind and heart, but you have far surpassed him in pure ability. He is a good gladiator—you could be a great one."
Dixus jaw tightened. Where once he would have objected and defended his friend; it was telling that today he did not.
"You have let your... friendship... your emotional attachment to him hold you back. You pull your punches in sparring because you do not wish to harm him. It serves neither of you well."
"Why have you not rotated us to other sparring partners before now then?" he asked her.
"After Paulus died, we almost lost Aaronus as well. Dominus and I decided that ludus would be better served if your bond could keep him from taking his own life. We knew that it would only be a matter of time before you would move on." She said matter of factly. "Aaronus is in love with you; but knows you love another. Change must occur."
"I've acted the fool." Dixus looked away, wondering how he had been so blind to what others saw so plainly. He'd let Aaronus lead him to betray Carola's trust with a drunken moment of lust that had ruined so many things.
"Who amongst us has not?" Micha said more kindly, briefly touching his forearm before resuming her more formal posture and mien. She spoke next with brisk efficiency, "How skilled is your horsemanship?"
"Very. Our latifundia had prime grazing lands for many fine horses. I rode from infancy." He said confidently. It was one of this things he missed most about his choice to enter this bondage. Slaves didn't ride, they walked.
"And you learned the bow as well?" she pressed, moving to the armament wall next to them and lifting up a Parthian bow. Smaller than the longbow used by field troops, it was meant to be used by horsemen.
"The Dominus has need of a Sagittarius?" he asked, surprised. These mounter archers were rarely seen in the smaller arenas like Alexandria's and were considered more of a specialty act.
"Ezekias returns with a shipment from Nubia—great cats, mostly, though some even more exotic creatures that we have not yet seen. He wishes to have a beast hunt: games in celebration of the completion of the rebuilt arena in Pompeii." She told him. It had been damaged in an earthquake several years before. "Dominus and Ezekias have reached agreement to supply the gladiators, but need someone trusted implicitly as Sagittarius. You will protect both the men and the crowds from any unfortunate untoward mauling."
"And as a Roman, I would not turn bow on Masters." Dixus said dryly, understanding his place.
"You would have to leave the ludus; we do not have the horses or facilities here for specialized training you will need." She told him, wondering if that would change his mind or if it would be a relief.
"Where—where would I go?" Dixus asked, trying not to show how stricken he was at the idea of leaving the ludus; the idea of losing any chance to even see Carola bringing a clutching pain to his chest.
"Ludus at latfundia of Ezekias near Herculaneum. He has extensive stables and his riding master was once Sagittarius in arena of Rome itself."
"Hershelius Viride? He is a legend!" Dixus said with awe. Viride had won his freedom, earning the rudius through his great success in the arena.
"Then this is something for which you would wish?" Micha asked.
Dixus let his indecision show on his face, finally looking away when Doctore' calculating gaze became too intense.
"Perhaps it would help decision to know that the House of Monroviatus travels to Herculaneum on Ezekias' invitation as well."
Dixus head snapped back to her, his eyes wide.
"Beast master informed Dominus that more vipers may infest villa. They also wish to have this house cleansed of malign energy from Edgelus' death." she said, and gave him a tiny smile. "And so Dominus and Domina decamp for Ezekias' latfundia, bringing Callicus and Carola on his express invitation."
"Ezekias presses suit for niece of Domina." Dixus said, understanding her meaning, his heart throbbing painfully again. The man had an excess of everything a bridegroom would need.
"As does your brother." Micha nodded.
Dixus went cold. Merlonius?
"He has nothing to offer for her hand," he denied. "Our House is bankrupt and landless."
"He has land and coin." Micha shook her head. "Edgelus' land and coin."
The impossible revelations just kept coming. Dixus reeled from the shock of that news.
"However neither man has what is most important." Doctore said, drawing his attention back to her. "How did clever Odysseus win the fair Penelope when she had over 108 suitors vying for her hand?"
Dixus thought back to the epic poem he had learned as a child.
"The test of the bow?" he said, looking at the one in his hand. Odysseus had succeeded in stringing, drawing and then accurately firing a long bow when none of the other men could accomplish the first task.
"That was not true test, merely a ruse to give him hands on lethal weapon to kill his rivals." Doctore shook her head at him, "Think, warrior. What advantage did Odysseus have over all those other suitors? The same advantage you now hold."
Dixus shook his head in puzzlement; Like Odysseus, he came to queen of his heart with only the clothes on his back. He had nothing to offer her. Nothing but how he felt about her and how she...
"She loved him." Darolus said, giving Micha a small hopeful smile.
"Do not lose heart, Dixus." Doctore nodded at him, pleased that he took her meaning. "Trust in Fates to bless and guide your path."
"Then I would say path leads toward Herculaneum." Dixus said, adding a bit ruefully, thinking of all that had gone wrong in his life thus far, knowing losing Carola to another would break him. "Let us hope Kindly Ones improve on their blessings to Darolus Marcus Dixus."
I had to give Darolus his bow back!
This Andrea is a bit older and worldlier than Carola, acting as a surrogate maternal figure for her after the death of her mother. She is very protective of her mistress and very distrustful of men.
Ezekiel and Michonne had a thing in the comics so it seemed appropriate.
The Romans were very superstitious on the whole, believing in Fate and portents. They had altars in their homes to the Lares & Penates, household protector gods and when something, (such as an invasion by snakes), went wrong, they had to be appeased with prayers & sacrifices and the house cleansed by incense and ceremonies to rededicate it to the gods.
Thanks so much to all who have favorited and followed this story. I don't have much time to answer individual reviews at the moment, but I do read and appreciate every one of them. It gives me a nice push to keep writing when I get stuck! Thank you!