Title: Amor Perpetuus

Author: AoN (bellalinguista)

Word Count: 3,100

Genre: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T

Summary: (AU) They met each other thousands of years ago, in an ancient Roman city under extreme circumstances, and tragically parted ways, but true love always has a way of reuniting two bounded people.

Chapter One

The low flame flickered light against the stone wall, upon which was etched letters, strung together into words that were vaguely foreign to her still, even after years of constant exposure to the language that was not originally her own. Pursing her lips together and narrowing her eyes, Ruby leaned over the slumbering man in her bed, carefully as not to wake him. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the potent smell of alcohol from wine drunk earlier in the evening, emitting from the stranger's breath.

SUSPIRM PUELLAM CELADUS THRAX, the wall now read. A frustrated, low growl grumbled from the back of her throat. Although Ruby did not understand it in its entirely, she did comprehend the meaning and she detested having to now sleep under such lies.

Ruby turned her head over her shoulder, as a loud moan from down the hall caught her attention. She looked back to the sleeping drunk, tilting her head to the side as a wolfish smirk tugged on the corner of her lips. "Oh, Celadus," she said, although softly, with some bite. "I want to assure you, it's not out of pleasure that we moan, but to inflate the egos of men like you. It keeps you Roman pigs coming back and paying more."

The man did not budge, not that Ruby expected him to at the very slightest. She rolled her eyes before delivering a swift kick to Celadus' side. He awoke with a loud snore. Ruby crossed her arms over her chest.

"This is not an inn," she reminded sternly as Celadus sat up groggily. "Go home if you won't pay the fee again."

Celadus stumbled forward as he rose from the bed. Ruby took a step to the side and winced. She looked down to discover that she had stepped on a small hammer. The chisel was close by. Annoyance growing, Ruby swept both aside with her foot just as Celadus reached out to cup her cheek with his hand.

"Such a fiery temper from such a foreign beauty," he slurred. "All hail Caesar and his conquest," he grinned, patting her cheek.

Ruby did not pull back. "Your drunkness has caused you to step back in time, hasn't it? Caesar's long dead," she pointed out.

Celadus chuckled, pulling his hand back. "But he laid the way!" he nearly bellowed with a laugh. "Who brought you here? Under who's command? Vespasian? One of the four emperors from that single year? Or Nero, perhaps?"

"I wasn't brought, I was taken," Ruby corrected. "But none of it matters, I'm here now, aren't I?" she replied with a fake smile, pulling herself closer to him. His glazed eyes grew slightly. "I'm here to please mighty Romans such as yourself," she whispered into his ear. With his body pushed against hers, she felt his bulge against her thigh.

Men, she thought to herself with a genuine smirk. They were all the same. They were all predictable. With her palms pressed against his chest, Ruby pushed him away from her, towards the open doorway of the bedroom. "Follow that little tail of yours home," she teased.

He stumbled into the hallway. Had it been a different establishment, he probably would have attempted another round, but their matron would not have allowed it, not with his empty coin purse. No one dared disobey their matron, even the worst of customers.

Ruby stepped into the hallway herself, just in time to see the shadow figure of their matron standing at the opposite end of the hall direct Celadus out of the building. Even though Ruby could not see her face, she knew Matron was giving her a rightfully earned glare. There was no need to be so harsh with the customer, Ruby could almost hear her say.

"He vandalized my wall," Ruby protested.

"You're done for the night, dear," she replied. "Before that temper of yours gets the better of us all."

Before Ruby could think of a cleaver remark, the Matron turned around and disappeared into her own room. Adjacent from the now closed door, a woman laughed, a laugh Ruby easily overheard from the muffled sounds of the evening. Ruby rolled her eyes.

"It's no laughing matter, Emma," Ruby growled as the woman came down the hallway towards her. "How am I supposed to be convincing at my work with that blatant lie above my head?"

"You'll learn to ignore it, like the rest of us," Emma answered, peeking her head out of the window at the end of the hall. "We all have markings in our rooms-"

"No," Ruby sharply replied. "Now there are only two without any writings or… or one of that gods of yours."

"Priapus," Emma informed. "Although I believe the drawings are of these sad little boys endowed with Priapus – in reality, they are all a far cry from their works of art. Be glad you don't have one of those."

"I'd rather not have any at all," Ruby protested. "It's bad enough I have the smallest room."

"But you are next to the window," Emma pointed out, turning from it to flash Ruby a smile. She then gestured over her shoulder, towards the room across from Ruby's. "Speaking of unfair room sizes without markings, is she in?"

Ruby bit back a laugh and shook her head. "Private client," she replied.

"It's always a private client," Emma detested. "She's hardly ever here yet she's treated like royalty."

"The Matron has her reasons," Ruby said with a shrug. "You should get back to your room before you find your own new marking."

Emma smirked. "I no longer leave my quarters unattended. I sent that man off on his way-"

"With your moan still ringing in his ears," Ruby finished for her. "As you always do."

"Always leave them wanting more," Emma pointed out. "More money means you're that much closer to leaving this place, Ruby."

Frowning, Ruby glanced down at the floor before nodding. When Ruby did not respond, Emma continued. "I need to go to the forum in the morning," Emma went on. "I was wondering if you'd join me, perhaps?" she asked.

"You'd rather not deal with the hecklers by yourself?" Ruby teased.

"Ah, they're hecklers now? Not Roman pigs?" Emma teased right back. "Even in the dark and shadows, the Matron was able to deliver one of her warning death glares – 'for the sake of your own will, behave, Ruby.'"

Ruby half shrugged her shoulders as she turned to head back into her room to rest for the remainder of the night. "Perhaps I've learned to hold my tongue for my own interest."

Emma stifled a loud laugh. It was almost bitter. "You've finally learned how strong the Matron's grasp is around us."

"Not for much longer," Ruby commented. "I'll see you in the morning."

xxxx

At least within the Matron's walls, no one stared or sneered in the same manner the people in the streets did. Ruby watched as Emma tugged at her own toga, making sure it was secured on her shoulders. Just a couple street blocks ago, a stranger had grabbed a handful of the cloth. In return, Ruby had grabbed the stranger's wrist, threatening to break it. Emma would have done the same thing had she had noticed first, before Ruby.

It was the same garment Emma adorned, as well as Ruby, that made them targets of unwanted attention, but there was little to be done in regard to the matter. Any other form of clothing would not be socially acceptable – raiding towns and kidnapping innocent bystanders was fine. Ruby wearing the same outfit as Roman woman, however, was crossing a line.

Not that Ruby wanted to, but she had to admit it would make wandering the forum easier, until one of her clients would, inevitably, spot and identify her. In that scenario, she would never be able to leave the city.

They barely made it to the forum and Ruby was ready to leave. There were too many people and Ruby rather preferred much more open spaces. When she was bumped for what felt like the umpteenth time, with a glare, Ruby turned towards the offender and growled.

"Please tell me you're almost ready to go," Ruby grumbled, looking back to Emma who hovered over a merchant's stall.

"Here's the thing, Ruby," Emma began, shuffling through different sheets. "When it comes to material goods, I don't have a lot nor do I ask for a lot, if anything at all, but now I am."

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"A blanket without any holes or rips," Emma continued. "No rags. An actual warm blanket."

"You've put some thought into this, I see," Ruby teased. "Maybe you should stitch your name in the corner so no one steals such a treasure."

Even though Emma had her back turned to Ruby, Ruby knew she was rolling her eyes.

"Not to mention, the weather will soon turn cold," Emma pointed out.

"This place does not understand what true cold is," Ruby remarked.

"Is it colder where you're from?" Emma asked, glancing over her shoulder towards Ruby.

Ruby quickly looked down to avoid Emma's gaze. She did not answer. She never did when it came to her homeland. It was not that Ruby did not trust Emma, but Ruby had had so much taken away from her over the years. The Roman invasion had been traumatic enough and her home had been special – no, it was special. It was her motivation to continue. She would be able to go back one day. It kept her going. It was one of the few things Ruby had and she was not going to share it with just anymore.

"I'm from a bit north of Rome," Emma went on, when she was met with silence. "At least, that's what I was told. People like us, Ruby, we have to stick together-"

"I need… fresher air," Ruby interrupted, wrinkling her nose in slight disgust. "I'm going to go see if the politicians are shouting non-sense at the Temple of Giove."

"But the temple's under restoration, hardly anyone will be there-"

"Excellent, then."

"I'll find you there after?"

"Yes, in the back."

"Near the celebratory arches or the forum bathes?" Emma asked for clarification, holding up a blanket which she examined with a frown – clearly not what she was looking for.

Even though Emma was not looking, Ruby smirked slyly and shrugged her shoulders in response. "Maybe even the macellum for some fruits or vegetables," she answered as she began to move away from the stall Emma was still perusing. Ruby heard Emma call out her name. In response, Ruby found herself silently giggling – a rare occurrence.

xxxx

As Ruby made her way to the end of the forum, both the stalls and crowd of people thinned out. Usually, the temple would be surrounded by its own crowd, but not today. People were more interested in the shops this morning instead of a temple currently under construction. There were, however, as Ruby spotted, rogue politicians standing on the steps of the temple, each with their own small group of intrigued listeners. Ruby was far from one of them. As she past, she overheard disgruntled rants about the emperor in Rome, about the Roman advances to new lands, and about a corrupt senator in the southern islands.

Rage forming in the pit of her stomach, Ruby forced herself to walk faster, away from hearing distance. One day, Ruby would be far from these heretics. She wouldn't have to listen to any of this. It would all be behind her. Yes, one day soon, but today… Today, Ruby just had to deal with her surroundings.

Ruby rounded the corner of the temple and continued along its side, down along the celebratory arches. As others passed her, they spoke in hushed voices, their eyes scanning her up and down. The hushed whispers no longer bothered her like they once did, when she first arrived.

She lingered at the entrance to the macellum, across the street, and peered inside to momentarily watch the fruit and vegetable vendors as they packed away the remains of their produce while the rest of their customers left the area. Her nose wrinkled at the stench of rotting fruit. Hopefully, Emma would not waste her time looking for Ruby here – not that it mattered if Emma wasted time anyway. After all, Ruby had agreed to accompany her to the forum, but Ruby did hope that Emma had enough sense not to look for Ruby around the smell of rotten fruits or vegetables. With her sensitive nose, Ruby could barely stomach standing this far from the macellum.

Coming up to the intersection, Ruby rounded the corner once again and walked along the back of the temple, passing the public bathhouse, which was across the street. Her nose wrinkled in slight disgust once again. She continued along the back of the temple, wondering if she should have decided to meet Emma elsewhere, or if she should have simply stayed with Emma and avoided all the lovely aromas the city of Pompeii had to offer.

Looking up, Ruby spotted a small, gathering crowd towards the farthest corner of the exterior of the temple. Normally, Ruby would not have bothered, but the jeering she had heard time and time again sounded different this time. The jests were harsher, not the usual heckling one would hear walking pass such groups in or around the city's forum.

Frowning, Ruby came up behind the group, just as a couple men laughed and then departed, no longer wishing to waste their time listening to the woman struggling to keep her audience of four, not counting Ruby herself.

Ruby soon found herself getting lost in the stranger's sweet voice, which never faltered, despite the displeased crowd. As the story went on, Ruby found herself looking over the novice, she assumed, traveling bard. Ruby also assumed traveling based on the worn, dirt covered ends of an otherwise pristine dress. Her brown hair with a gentle curl, although pulled back, was tasseled – perhaps from wind or from travel, Ruby could only guess.

Another man left, thinning the crowd, but the bard, committed to her story, continued on. Ruby would have given up by this point, but they all had their reasons to be strong willed in certain situations and less in others.

Ruby folded her arms over her chest as she leaned on her left leg, her head tilted to the side as she listened. Another man departed, leaving just two left and Ruby listening – in reality, it probably was only Ruby listening. The other two struggled to keep their sneers at bay. Ruby wished that they would turn around to face her glare. She was certain it would have silenced them immediately. Instead, they continued to scoff, but they departed before the story ended, leaving Ruby as the sole listener to learn how the boy king survived thanks to a couple of wandering warriors who were making their way through Greece.

As the bard finished her tale, she met Ruby's eyes, forcing a weak smile. "Thank you for, uh, listening, even if it wasn't very good-"

"Is the child really safe?" Ruby interrupted.

A bit taken aback, she nodded. "Yes," she answered. "He was safely returned to his family."

"And what of the warriors?" Ruby pressed on, curious.

"What of them?"

"What happened to them after they saved the child?" Ruby clarified.

"Oh, they had many more adventures," the bard answered. "In the empire and beyond. I'm sorry, I know I'm rather terrible at this. I just started and-"

Ruby shook her head. "No," she stated. "It's a good story. The people here, they don't appreciate anything good," Ruby tried to explain. "I would give you coins, but I didn't anticipate-"

"That's alright," the bard interrupted. "Your feedback is most valuable, actually."

"I didn't really-"

"The story's good, but there's room for improvement on the delivery," she pointed out. "I wasn't able to keep an audience."

"I wouldn't worry about not keeping this audience," Ruby replied. "Everyone here has their mind on one thing."

"And boy kings is not it, I understand," the bard acknowledged with a faint smile. "Perhaps I'll find better audience south of here, as I continue my own travels."

"Why south?" Ruby asked, finding herself prying.

"There's an island in the south I wish to see," she answered. "It was once Greek. I don't expect to make it to Greece."

Ruby tilted her head to the side, arms crossing over her chest. "Is that where you're from? Before the Romans took you away?"

The bard mimicked Ruby's stance. It was now her turn to be curious, but she did not ask any questions. Instead, she answered. "No. No, I just want to go – so many great bards came from Greece. I'd like to see it, but… it's a far-fetched dream."

Ruby nodded along slightly and then cleared her throat. "I hope you find what you're looking for," she said, starting to turn on her heel.

"W-wait!"

As Ruby looked over her shoulder, she saw that the bard had taken a step forward, a step closer. Frowning lightly, Ruby turned to face her once more.

"I've traveled so far and you're right, the audiences here have not been in my favor," the bard began, speaking quickly. "Maybe – maybe you don't have any coins to offer and that's okay, but perhaps you can offer me something else?"

Ruby raised her eyebrows, waiting for the request.

"I, huh, I don't have a place to sleep tonight," she confessed.

"And you want me to offer you one?" Ruby finished.

The bard fell silent for a moment before nodding her head slowly in response. Ruby silently watched her, glancing up and down. She could have easily said no. She could have easily walked away. There was no obligation, no contract. There was no reason for it to be this difficult, but Ruby couldn't get herself to walk away.

"For the night," the bard repeated.

"Can I at least know the name of the storyteller to whom I'm offering a room?" Ruby asked.

"Belle," she answered. "My name is Belle."

"Ruby."

"Does that mean-?"

"One night."

To be continued