Thanks so much for the review Elizabeth! Hope that you all enjoy this next installment!

Maximinus did not see the young woman until the next morning, when she placed his breakfast before him on the table. Although he attempted to keep his eyes from roving over her delicious form, he could not help noticing that the soft blue of her robe enlivened her fair coloring so that she seemed to be as a nymph rising from the crest of an azure sea. Her long golden hair was delicately braided away from her face, and it resembled a rope with its curling thickness as it fell to her knees like a waterfall of bright sunlight. As she reached past him to place the bread by his plate, Calliliana caught him gazing upon her and she blushed hotly. "Is this all, Milord?" He reached for her hand and drew her to the side of the table.

"I asked you to call me by my name, Calliliana. And no, this is not all." He rose and pulled out a chair for the girl, and gently forced her to take a seat. "I wish you to dine with me." The maiden cast her eyes upon the table and fidgeted with the cloth covering it.

"If you wish, Mil—Leander." The young man watched her intently as she ate, noting how like a nervous nestling she was. She merely picked at the sumptuous food before her.

"You are not hungry?" She started at his voice.

"No…not really." Leander leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes soft as he contemplated her.

"What can I do to make you smile again?" the question started from his lips as soon as it formed in his mind, and the girl looked at him, startled.

"You have saved me from a life of utter misery. That is enough. But please," her voice broke, "Please, do not ask me to smile. I cannot as of yet."

"Fair enough." The young man knew that it made her extremely uncomfortable to have him watch her as she ate, so instead he stood and paced about the room. He was unaware, of course, that the sight of his strong body moving before her only made the girl more eager to escape—she knew not what the feelings were that swayed her mind and her heart. He is so handsome, she thought, so wonderfully handsome, and so noble! Leander turned and looked at her then, and she hastily lowered her eyes as a bright flush overspread her snowy face.

"I…I am finished, Mil…Leander. Is there ought else that you wish this morn?" She rose quickly and glanced about her, attempting vainly to discern some work to do. Maximinus smiled in spite of himself at her obvious discomfiture.

"No, Kalyca will take care of everything." He moved near to her slowly, as if afraid that she would startle and bolt like a wild hare, and laid a hand on her slender arm. "I do, however, wish you to walk with me. Will you give me that pleasure?" The maiden dipped her head in acquiescence.

"Of course."

The gardens of Maximinus' home were renowned throughout Rome for their exquisite beauty. Flowers from all over the world had been brought to fill the gardens with their lush loveliness; creeping vines of flowering, verdant green covered the walls as a rich tapestry more beautiful than anything man could invent; and priceless statues of had been imported to fill the gardens with their strange exoticism. All of this, though great in quantity and matchless in quality, was lost upon Leander—it was nothing to the beauty of the maiden beside him. She, however, appeared nearly intoxicated with the splendor about her. Forgetting her shyness for the present, she darted from Leander's side and flitted from flower to flower in a state of near hysterical joy.

"How beautiful!" she crooned, cradling a rose blossom, "How exquisite!" Before he could stop himself, Leander was at her side. He slipped his hand gently beneath hers, cradling bother her fingers and the rose at the same time.

"Yes. It is lovely." He nestled his face in her hair, inhaling the pleasant scent of her still-damp tresses. "So are you, Calliliana. Matchlessly lovely." The damsel seemed to stop breathing, so great and so deep was the emotion that constrained her heart. Leander kept one hand on hers, and gently encircled her slender waist with his other. "Do you see this rose?" he murmured, his face now against her blushing cheek. Calliliana forced herself to breathe.

"Yes." In…out…in…out…

"It is the color of your cheeks when I speak to you." Leander let fall her hand, and in one fluid motion, reached out and plucked a creeping vine from above their heads. "This stem here is the color of your eyes. Lovely eyes they are, Calliliana, eyes the color of the sea on a clear day."

In…out…in…out…

"This flower is the color of your robe, the color of a sapphire gem." Leander dropped the vine and placed his other arm around the girl's waist, then slowly turned her to face him. "You are beautiful, My Darling." Calliliana gasped.

"Milord," she murmured, tears gathering in her eyes, "You are so good. So noble. You saved me from a life of infamy and torment, and I owe you everything." She looked down, as if embarrassed. "Do I…do I truly please you?" The young man placed his hand beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.

"More than anyone. More than anything." Before he could contemplate his actions, Leander leaned forward and kissed her. The feel of her lips beneath his was a feeling of unmatchable beauty. He was afraid at first that she would pull away…but instead, she leaned more closely against him. Calliliana wound her slender fingers through the young man's hair, pulling his face closer to hers, and lost herself in the beauty of his kiss. The two did not know how long they stood thus, nor did they care in the least—it seemed as if a splendor grander than anything else contained in the garden…in the whole world…suffused them with it's glorious glow.

In…out…in…out…

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