He had not been sure at what time the two of them had returned home, but Axel woke in his bed with an aching back.
Terra slept soundly in his bed, as if he had not ventured out at night at all.
The thought of Ventus finding out about Terra's affair with Aqua settled heavily in Axel's stomach. If Terra let slip that Axel had tagged along, then Ventus would punish Axel as well. Of course Terra had said all the other slaves knew of the affair, so he might use another name to ease the burden.
Still, Axel did not want to consider the possibility. He glanced around at the other slaves, all sleeping. Even the head slave, who was to wake the others at sunrise, was fast asleep. From the thin window, Axel could see Aurora spreading her fingers out across the blackness to herald Sol's arrival.
The only deities of the Romans Axel truly knew of were Sol, Luna, and Aurora, the brother and sisters whom brought night and day. He knew there were three miniature statues of gods in the shrine in the atrium, but he was unsure of who they were. Perhaps he would ask Roxas.
At the exact moment of sunrise, the head slave sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He grumbled, "Get up, get up" at the other slaves, rustling their blankets and pushing their shoulders to wake them.
Axel watched as he pushed Terra the hardest of all. If Terra had weighed any less than he did, he would have fallen off his bed.
The personal slaves of the household were assigned to wake their masters and mistress at this hour as well.
Axel pushed open the door to Roxas's room, which was shrouded in darkness from the curtains draped over the windows.
He slipped past Roxas to open the curtains, drawing them back and letting Sol's approaching light wash over the boy.
In the light, Roxas's hair shone like the rays of the sun god's crown. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, as clear as the sky. The boy almost seemed radiant, like a descendant of the sun god himself.
"Good morning, Axel," Roxas groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning, Master," Axel bowed his head a bit. "Shall I help you into your morning robes?"
"Yes, that will be fine," Roxas agreed, sliding out of bed and trudging over to his dresser. Axel was supposed to choose a tunic for him, but when he opened the closet he became so infatuated with the lavish fabrics he had never seen before.
"Is something wrong?" Roxas asked.
"N-nothing, Master," Axel shook his head, choosing a simple tunic for Roxas to change into.
He stripped his clothes off him, dressing him in the new tunic.
"Shall I fetch your morning meal?" Axel offered.
"Bread and fruit will do," Roxas decided, taking his seat at his desk.
As Axel hurried off to the kitchens, he knew his day would become much less entertaining.
"Pardon me, Master, but would you tell me the other kinds of deities you worship?" Axel asked.
"Of course," Roxas gave him a faint smile, sitting down on the floor of his room. He unfurled a scroll, the letters just senseless splotches to Axel. He began listing off many of the deities, which did not stay nearly organized in Axel's mind.
"Which ones are in the shrine in the atrium?" Axel continued.
"The one on the far left is Janus, the god of doorways and new beginnings, to guard our house. In the middle is Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, to keep us warm and safe. On the far right is Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, to ensure my father always stays as wise as he is and grant us the knowledge he possesses." Roxas explained.
"I see..." Axel nodded. He gazed at the scroll, trying to make sense of the useless scribbling.
"What's the matter?" Roxas furrowed his brows.
"Nothing, Master." Axel decided.
"Are you trying to read?" The boy wondered.
Axel could feel the punishment arriving before it even began. "N-no, Master."
"Oh...do you know how to read at all?" Roxas continued.
"Of course not, I've been a slave all my life." Axel answered, as if it should be obvious.
"Right, I should have known..." He faltered, as if pondering something.
After a long silence, Roxas asked, "Would you like to know how to read?"
Axel felt his skin turn cold. What punishments would come to him if someone found out he could read? "No, Master, it's quite alright..."
"I'll teach you," Roxas offered, "there's no harm in knowing how."
"For a slave it is," Axel pointed out.
Roxas pondered that thought and replied, "Then I shall take the blame for it."
He rolled up the scroll containing the names of the Roman deities on it and exchanged it for a writing tablet. He placed a piece of parchment on it to write on, then brought it back to Axel.
Using a stylus, Roxas drew out each letter carefully, explaining the name and the sounds one by one.
"You know, you're lucky to be taught how to read. Most slaves are never this fortunate." Roxas said once Axel had gained a loose grasp of the alphabet.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you Master Roxas, for teaching me." Axel nodded.
Again, Roxas seemed to let the word chafe against his skin.
"Is something the matter, Master?" Axel wondered.
"Please...don't call me 'master' when it's just the two of us." Roxas decided.
"Why not?"
"I don't like being called that. Ventus says I have to get used to it if I ever want to inherit the house and the slaves properly, but I just don't think positions of authority are for me." Roxas explained. "So when we're alone, please just use my name."
Having called anyone above his status "master" or "mistress" for years, Axel was unsure of this new command.
"Roxas..." Axel let the word settle in the air. It felt foreign to use his first name, but at last it lingered sweetly on his tongue.
Translations
- Scientia Ipsa Potentia Est - Knowledge itself is power