The Fallen Empire (closed)

[TheAntiRebel]

(Continues the story from this thread)

Having made his ultimatum to Senator Crassus, General Marcus Tiberius excused himself from the dinner table and walked away, his head held up. He had lost his appetite, both for dinner and the chess game that was known as Roman politics. He was growing increasingly sick with the entire establishment. Roman Senators, appointed to their position because of family connections, laid around in the sun all day, eating olives and drinking wine, occasionally making deals and pretending to be the contributing something to the greatness of Rome.

He led himself back into the Emperor's bedroom and went to the marble balcony. He hadn't intended to spend any time here until he was wed to Aquilina and named Emperor, but he needed fresh air and a place to think. From here, he got a view of Rome at night. The greatest city in human history sat quietly in the twilight, lantern light burning from windows across the city.

Marcus sighed and took a deep breath. He had to keep in focus why he had the old Emperor killed and put this entire plan in motion. Rome was falling apart, overextending itself in every direction, starting pointless wars on all fronts that were costing more lives and money than the Empire could replenish. Despite his frustrations with his political enemies, this was all done for the sake of the Empire and Marcus needed to remember that. He was a Son of Rome, and the Empire needed to outlast everybody - himself, Crassus, Fenix, even lovely Aquilina. The late Emperor's daughter was supposed to be his ticket to legitimatize his appointment as Emperor, but he had found himself smitten with her, and genuinely wanted her love.

He stared up at the full moon above the palace, and let himself imagine a lifetime with her by his side. For a longing moment, all the concerns of the world seemed to disappear around him. When suddenly, a thick black cloud of smoke blocked out the crystal white moon.

"The hell?" Marcus said, looking around. There was stench of burning in the air. In the distance, large columns of smoke were billowing from Rome. Flashes of open fire flickered as whole buildings went up in flame. Rome was burning, out of control. Marcus turned heel and quickly exited the Palace, mounting his white stallion and heading for his military command tent on the outskirts of town. Somebody had attacked the city, and he needed to save it. Little did he know, this was just the start of...

The Fallen Empire​

By summergal21 & TheAntiRebel​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three weeks later, Marcus found himself walking through a thick, untamed forest somewhere in Germany. The Germanic barbarians who the previous Emperor had declared war on had refused Marcus' peace treaty days earlier and instead used the interregnum to launch a daring attack on Rome. 200 barbarians, disguised as slaves, farmers and sheep ranchers had snuck their way from the Germanic homelands to Rome, and once there, started fires and slaughtering people. It took three days for the city to put the fires out.

The sneak attack had united Roman politics for the time being. Everybody wanted the barbarians to be slaughtered to the last man, and even his political enemies agreed he was the man to do it. Marcus' announcement at the Roman Forum that he would personally lead the counter-offensive into Germany was met with roaring applause by the Roman Senate, and after a brief farewell with Aquilina, he was off again.

Now, deep in Germany, the Roman legions had been pounding the barbarians. The fighting was intense and they had taken losses, but the Romans were slowly gaining on the Germanic tribesman and pushed them further and further back. Now, the massive legions had rested for the night and Marcus walked through the muddy, downtrotten forest to his command tent. His top commander and close friend Legate Anthony Vitallion marched behind him, reporting on what their scouts had found the night before.

Marcus said goodnight to Vitallion and retired to his tent. He sat at his small wooden desk, which didn't stand straight on the muddy, uneven terrain of the forest. He pulled out a piece of papyrus and an ink quill and quickly began to write a letter to the woman who had occupied his every thought since his departure.

Dearest Aquilina,

It is been nearly three weeks since I last saw you, and not a day or night goes by where I don't think about you. My heart aches every moment we are away. I find my daily thoughts occupied with you, wondering what you had for lunch or if you were sitting by the pool reading in the sun at that exact moment. The brief days I spent with you seem like fleeting serene dreams from a lifetime ago. Returning to war seems like I have woken up. I wish I could bottle our time together and take them with me.

I know you still despise me for what I did to your father. Truth be told, I deserve that. I wouldn't be madly in love with you if you were a wilting wallflower who did whatever men told her. You are a beautiful, honorable, independent woman who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I cannot bring back your father, but I can promise that I will never hurt you again.

The scouts say that we are nearing the barbarian's biggest village. With every battle, we are fighting more and more old men and young boys, which leads me to believe they are running out of men of fighting age. This war will soon be over and I will be able to return to you.

Every time I doubt my resolve here, I think about returning to you in Rome. I very much wish I could return to Rome and let my generals lead the war effort, but a strong leader never asks his men to do what he won't. My men have wives to return home to as well, and I can't ask them to stay here while I return home to your side. Every caveman we slaughter here brings me closer and closer to coming home to you.

Ave, my love. Rome prevails.

General Marcus Tiberius

Marcus rolled up the scroll and sealed it with a wax seal adorned with the logo of the Roman Legion on it. He called for their fasted messenger and ordered it delivered to Princess Aquilina at the best possible speed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks later, Marcus rode on his white stallion through the Roman Forum. Behind him were Vitallion and the XVI Legion of Rome. Red banners with the symbols of the Roman Empire hung from buildings. People clamored around them and hung from windows, screaming and cheering.

Rome had prevailed, and Marcus Tiberius and XVI Legion had returned to the capital has the conquering heroes.

Vitallion managed to fight his horse through the adoring mobs to ride next to Marcus.

"By the gods, Marcus, have you ever seen the city like this?"

"Can't say that I have, no," Marcus said to his old friend. He could barely hear him through the roar of the crowd. The people on their feet pushed against his horse, trying to get a glimpse or reaching up just to get a fleeting touch of the great General's armor.

"They say that Pacuvius is already writing a new play about the campaign. You are the hero, of course. You end the war by fighting off five blood drinking barbarian chiefs with your bare hands."

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Leave it to writers to exaggerate the truth."

"You know in 100 years you'll probably remembered as a god."

"Romans love their stories, especially the ones where Rome wins. I'm no god, but I am thinking about returning to my goddess."

Vitallion sighed. Every woman in Rome would lift their skirt happily for a night with the great general. But, Marcus wanted the only one who hated him.

It took him nearly two hours to fight his way through the horse. By the time they managed to reach the outer walls of the Imperial Palace, the horse was exhausted. Marcus rode up to the grand marble doors of the palace and climbed off. His shoulders sagged, his body was sore and tired. Weeks of sleeping in tents on the hard ground had taken it out of him. He slowly trotted up the stairs into the palace. He looked up and saw Aquilina standing there. He was as beautiful as he remembered. He stood there for a moment, letting himself enjoy the first sight of her after five weeks apart.

He walked towards her and then stopped, letting three feet between them. "The war is over, my love. We won."

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina’s eyes grew wide as she saw Marcus for the first time since he left for battle. He looked exhausted. The war had taken a toll on the handsome soldier, yet he also looked leaner. It was evident that Marcus was not only a strong and smart leader but also a skilled warrior as well. A chill ran down her spine as she was reminded that despite Marcus’ words of adoration and commitment to her, he was still a man that made his name on the battlefield, he’s a general, a warrior, a killer. He was responsible for her father’s death, the man responsible for placing her in her current state as being engaged to him.

When she first heard that Marcus would be going out to fight the German intruders, she was relieved as it would delay their wedding. She was frightened and worried for her Empire, but she had faith in the strength and the power of her army. The Roman Empire was known for their strength and power, there was no way, even with the current instability in the Roman politics they would allow the Germans to put any dent in their borders.

Was Aquilina frightened and worried for Marcus? That, she wasn’t sure about. A part of her wanted him to fail in his quest to defeat the barbarians. Of course she still wanted the Romans to be victorious, Aquilina always only wanted the best for her Empire but she wouldn’t have minded if Marcus failed. Did she want him injured or worse, to have died in battle? That would be cruel, yet there was a part of her that wondered the possibility or even hoped that he wouldn’t come back to the palace as she had no desire to marry the man responsible for her father’s assassination.

Desite Aquilina’s unsure feelings toward Marcus, it was evident that Marcus’s absence from her side had taken a toll on her health as well. Aquilina had lost a stone or two which was well hidden with the fabrics of her red colored hued stola and palla. Portia, Aquilina’s main servant quickly noticed that Aquilina was barely touching her food after her fiancé’s departure for war. At most she would eat the fresh fruits, possibly a slice of bread or two, about half of the soup at every meal and of course the sweet sorbet that now usually accompanied her every meal. Leaving any of the main portion of any meal, eggs, meat, fish and the like untouched. Portia quickly requested to have the soup be the main part of the meal to the kitchen staff as she always worried for the well being of Aquilina.

When Aquilina’s mother, the past Empress, overheard about Aquilina’s change in diet she assumed the worst and thought her eldest unwed daughter was already pregnant by General Tiberius. The past Empress once scolded Aquilina in being too cold to Marcus and warned her that her whole family’s fate was in Marcus’ hand. Marcus made it very clear that he was in love with Aquilina from the start, yet Aquilina barely showed any affection to the soldier. Her mother feared that Aquilina, who despite being stubborn and independent for her sex always put her family first and thus, allowed Marcus to take her virtue in order to please him before he left for battle as a means to ensure her family’s safety during his absence.

When Aquilina was confronted by her mother about her assumed pregnancy, Aquilina quickly corrected her mother and told her that she was just exhausted from the new changes around her and assured her that she was still pure as a vestal virgin. Her mother was more than pleased to hear this as she saw Marcus’ departure for war as a possibility in finding a new suitor for Aquilina and thus a new ally for the imperial family. Aquilina’s mother had no desire to have her eldest daughter and her most valuable pawn marry Marcus, a man she had no respect for as he wasn’t from an aristocratic family or held blood relations to any foreign royal families.

During Marcus’ absence, Aquilina’s mother tried to procure Aquilina a new husband, forcing Aquilina to meet eligible bachelors as they visited the Palace. Aquilina attempted to decline any visitors but going against her mother’s wishes especially after her big assumption in her being pregnant with Marcus’ child seemed like the last thing she would want to do, at least while Marcus was absent. And even a part of Aquilina was curious to see who else she could marry. She was never particularly that fond of Marcus. He was always gentle with her, showered her with words of adoration and was never cross with her even when was cold to him. He even offered her the summer palace in Sicily as her main residence after they marry so that she could live away from the capital, allowing her the comforts of a royalty without little of the responsibilities. General Marcus Tiberius was a good man, Aquilina knew it well, even the past Empress knew it, yet the latter was still very keen in finding a new more suitable husband in her eyes despite the news of Marcus’ return from war.

The whole city was abuzz with the return of the victorious XVI Legion of Rome and the return of their leader General Marcus Tiberius. The last time the people of Rome had filled the streets was to pay their respects to the deceased Emperor, Aquilina’s father. His funeral occurred a handful of days Marcus and his men left for war. Aquilina was the only Imperial royal family member in attendance for the whole event, her mother, the past Empress was in attendance for some of the funeral’s processions but grief and heartbreak over her husband’s death was too much too bear for her for the whole day. There was a slight desire in Aquilina to have Marcus by her side on that day she buried her father. Yet now with him standing in front of her she had no words to tell him.

Aquilina’s chestnut brown eyes kept staring at Marcus. His words echoed in her ears…

“The war is over my love, we won.”

Aquilina wore a full red palla and stola with a gold pendant with an aquila, an eagle, illustrated on it with a ruby for its eyes. She wore the pendant daily ever since Marcus’ departure as if it was a good luck charm. As Aquilina was named after the eagle, the Roman Army’s symbol, she was frequently gifted items with eagles inscribed on it especially from her now deceased father the past Emperor.

Aquilina gently chewed on the inside corner of her mouth, trying to find the right words to say to her fiancé after his long absence.

“I expected nothing less.” Aquilina said coldly as she stayed standing right at the spot Marcus first spotted her, unwilling to shorten the distance between them. She had picked up the habit of fidgeting with her engagement ring when she was nervous. A ring that she had chosen herself from her deceased eldest brother’s belonging as Marcus never offered her one. The ring was right next to the ruby ring sitting on her middle finger on her left hand gifted to her by the late Emperor.

She gently sighed as she recalled the letter Marcus wrote to her while he was still in battle. A letter that she always kept by her bedside or tucked in the fabrics of her stola. She wasn’t sure why she was so attached to the letter when she cared so little about the man who wrote it. His words were always comforting to her, they were warm and always so admiring. But now with him back, their wedding would be imminent. She would be tied down to him, the man she still saw as responsible for her father’s death.

What if Marcus never helped in her father’s assassination? What if her father was still living?

If she and Marcus had met in different circumstances would their relationship be different? Would Aquilina allowed herself to truly accept and feel the words of love and admiration he continuously told her and allowed herself to accept her feelings toward him as well?

If so then maybe she wouldn’t have said the next words from her lips.

“I hope you don’t mind but I went over to your estate while you were gone. I would have sent a servant but, I wanted to stretch my legs.” Aquilina said speaking with a cold voice. “I wanted to offer your whores some assistance if they were there, since I’m sure they were worried about their source of income. I didn’t see anyone except your house servant. When you leave next, just let one of the servants know where your whores are and they can make sure they’re taken care of too. Of course they will come out of your funds, not the Empire’s, but they are also citizens of the state and do need to be taken care of.” Aquilina added. She wasn’t even sure why she brought up this tidbit at this very exact moment yet it slid right out of her mouth easily and perfectly. It had been five weeks since she last saw him and the first thing she brought up were the women she assumed he was hiding from her.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus sighed pleasantly as he gazed at her. She was still as sour with him as when he had left, but even that was comforting to him after the long marches of war and a time away from her. “I told you before, Aquilina. I don’t want any whores. I don’t want any woman with fickle enough loyalties that can be swayed by a few denarii. I need a headstrong woman by my side, which why I fell in love with you,” he said.

He longed to put his arms around her in an embrace but decided not to push his luck. The few moments where they had touched, like their encounter in the palace bath chamber or the kiss at his home’s garden were precious to him. During his long nights alone in his tent, they replayed in his mind like actors performing a play over and over again.

“I hope you got my letter,” he said. “Sometimes messengers didn’t get through from the front lines. Roving barbarian scouts would find them on the road and pick them off.”

((OOC: Assuming she answers in the affirmative.))

“I meant every word of it, you know. I’m a soldier, not a poet, but I hope I found enough words to convey what I meant. Our time away only made me even more of how I feel about you. I want to be man and wife.”

((OOC: Leaving space for her reply, if any.))

Marcus changed the subject and looked up at the crystal blue sky above the palace. “How is your mother? And your siblings? I hope they weren’t frightened by the sneak attack. We heard it took the city guard a few days to put all the fires out all over the city.”

Marcus’ trip through the city to the Palace had reminded him of the damage done by the barbarians and only made him more proud that they destroyed their enemies. Such landmarks as the Roman Forum, the Palace and the Coliseum were intact, but a lot of buildings weren’t so lucky. Entire city blocks were gone. The poorer wooden buildings were piles of ash while marble buildings had been stained black by the flames’ lips. Walking through the scarred and charred city was like a trip through Hades.

“Maybe we should release some of the Imperial funds to the common people, to help them rebuild some of their homes and businesses. It will look bad if we have a lavish royal wedding while half the city is living outside, covered in soot,” Marcus suggested.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina rolled her eyes as Marcus told her, again, that he had no need for any women other than Aquilina and more importantly that he had fallen in love with her. She didn’t know what love meant and a part of her wanted to question Marcus regarding his affirmation of love towards her, but this didn’t seem the right place nor the time to do so.

She listened to his words and gently nodded her head when he asked about his letter. The letter which was still perfectly hidden in the fabric of her stola.

“I meant every word of it, you know. I’m a soldier, not a poet, but I hope I found enough words to convey what I meant. Our time away only made me even more of how I feel about you. I want to be man and wife.”

Aquilina furrowed her perfectly manicured brows. She still couldn’t understand why, other than the fact that she was the ticket to Marcus’ seat as Emperor, he would want to marry Aquilina. She wanted to marry for love not for duty as she felt as she was in her case with Marcus.

Aquilina listened to Marcus speak as she had no reply for Marcus in his early statement. She quickly approached him and placed a finger to his lips when he brought up the word, “siblings”.

“General Marcus.” Aquilina said with a gentle sigh, her eyes frightened, worried to see if anyone else could be overhearing their conversations. Her slender finger still resting on his plump lips, the lips she once embraced.

The world knew about her youngest sister Cloelia who had just turned 8. But the Imperial family took great lengths in hiding the youngest Caesar, Gnaeus. Gnaeus had just turned 6, and would be eligible for the seat of Emperor except for the fact that he was frail. He was born with a genetic abnormality leaving with with a flat face, a flat nasal bridge, a protruding tongue and a short neck. It was customary in the Empire to discard children unfit to live and even the Emperor pushed his wife to abandon the newborn Gnaeus, yet he lived on the exception that he was to be hidden from the world and never be known that he held the Caesar bloodline.

She hoped her eyes would convey enough, but when she looked into Marcus’ warm brown eyes she felt her chest tighten and took a step back as she quickly released her finger from his lips.

“My mother and my sister were fine.” Aquilina quickly said as she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She had become so protective of her whole family, that just the possibility of anyone finding out about Gnaeus made her worry.

“We always have faith in our army.” Aquilina quickly added.

She quickly eyed the guards that were at the front gates and at the doors of the palace. Their eyes had glanced over when Aquilina stepped forward at Marcus. One was still gazing at Aquilina and when their eyes met, he quickly bowed at the princess and made sure his eyes were far away from the couple.

“Are you heading back to your estate? Or would you like to come in? Or do you have another parade in your honor to attend? Its not nice to keep a princess standing so long.” Aquilina added as she glanced at Marcus. With her feelings towards Marcus unsure, she never knew how she should interact with him thus her words towards him usually bordered the line of insults.

"Oh and regarding the Imperial funds...I'm just a girl, how should I know how the money should be handled." She said with a loud sigh. Aquilina was actually very thankful for Marcus in asking her opinion about this, she was worried about the wellbeing of her citizens. She had visited the Forum during Marcus' absence and hoped to be of some use to the Senate as the voice of the Emperor but she was quickly disregarded as she was the inferior sex. Instead of being welcome with open arms by Senators who usually showered her with gifts and compliments when they visited the palace, she was met with the equivalence of house arrest with the reasoning as the Senators were worried about the safety of the future Empress.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus felt his heart start to race when she stepped closer to him and put her finger on his lips. To be so close to her, and to smell her, he wanted to take her in his arms so badly. He settled for gently putting on hand on her waist. Even though her stola, touching her ran a thrill through his heart. He locked his eyes on her as she ‘corrected’ him.

Marcus was ashamed of himself. When he had first discovered the Emperor had a male son, young and sickly as he was, he immediately felt hatred for the child, realizing that the boy could be a threat to the throne. He managed to suppress his hatred in the moment, for the sake of not offending Aquilina. In the time since he was introduced, accidentally, to the boy, he grew to feel sorry for him, having to grow up hidden away from the world and shunned by his father. He was disgusted in himself for despising the child when he first saw him. He wanted to be better than the previous Emperor and he hadn’t been.

Aquilina took a step back and Marcus let his hand slip off her waist as she moved away, “My mother and my sister were fine. We always have faith in our army.”

“Are you heading back to your estate? Or would you like to come in? Or do you have another parade in your honor to attend? Its not nice to keep a princess standing so long.” Aquilina said. Lately, she seemed unsure of herself around Marcus. Her pure spite seemed to have been replaced recently with quite and uneasy around him. The general wondered if he was finally making an impact on her, if she was finally starting to feel something for him or if she was just getting exhausted with resisting his advances.

Marcus chuckled and gestured towards the front doors of the palace and followed the lady inside. “I’ll stay for a bit, if you don’t mind. I had never planned for the parade, actually. It’s kind of hard to hide 85,000 men returning from war. The city noticed and mobbed us in the streets,” he explained as they headed inside.

"Oh and regarding the Imperial funds...I'm just a girl, how should I know how the money should be handled,” she added with a heavy sigh and sarcasm.

Marcus laughed again as he let her lead them through the palace. “That’s nonsense, Princess. You’ve been around government officials your entire life. I told you once that I needed your help in running this Empire, and that was the truth,” he said, following her closely. His armor and weight shifted around him as he walked.

“We’ll release 1 million aurei. 5 aurei for the first 200,000 people to apply. That should help ease the cost of rebuilding the city,” Marcus suggested. “Then we won’t have to worry about a mob coming to chop our heads off while we have a wedding while the rest of the city is still smoldering.”

“Speaking of the wedding,” Marcus said. “I don’t suppose you’ve given it any further thought while I was away. Have the plans been progressing?” He looked down and picked at one of his finger nails. “And I don’t suppose you’ve decided that you’ll stay here with me afterwards instead of moving to the Imperial Retreat in Sicily?”

Aquilina had voiced concerns about the safety of her family at the height of her disgust with him. In return, Marcus had offered to let her, her mother and her siblings live out the rest of their days peacefully and safely in the Imperial summer palace, located next to the on the pristine white sand beaches and crystal blue waters of Sicily. He had made the offer genuinely, but he hoped that she would reconsider and stay at the Palace with him.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina’s steps were heavy as she walked through the halls of the Imperial Palace. When she walked alone in the Palace halls, she was well known for her soft steps and thus startled many guards when it seemed as though she would appear out of nowhere. But instead at the moment it was as if she wanted the guards and everyone in the Palace to know exactly where she was and who she was with, and of course the two were far from being coy about being together. His voice was loud and booming in the halls and the sound of him walking in his armor echoed through the marble lined hallway.

Aquilina finally stopped her feet and headed inside one of the sitting rooms nearby the entrance of the Palace. She would have preferred to head back to her private wings of the Palace yet she wasn’t keen in having Marcus follow her especially when he was still dressed in his armor.

The sitting room was lined with colorful plush pillows for guests to sit on, paintings depicting bountiful feasts, joyous dancing and praising of the past Emperors decorating the walls, and a skylight in the middle allowing the natural light to enter into the room.

As Aquilina walked into the room, Portia was quick to offer a seat for the Princess with an extra cushion. Aquilina gave Portia a half smile, she was thankful to have someone that looked out for her well being and always made sure that she was comfortable. Aquilina knew very well how lucky she was to have such a loyal and caring servant by her side. But it wasn’t difficult for Portia to be loyal to Aquilina.

Aquilina was the fairest master in the Imperial family. She always made sure the people caring for her were taken care of nicely. She has raised her voice here and there to them, yet she had never been violent to them unlike her parents who were both well known to be abusive to the help not only during times of frustration and anger but whenever they found themselves in wanting to show their power.

Portia was not even a handful of years older than the Princess and many times she found herself jealous of Aquilina’s extravagant, lavish lifestyle. Yet Portia knew very well that Aquiilna’s life wasn’t the carefree and luxurious lifestyle most imagined, it was stressful with many responsibilities especially since her father’s assassination. Aquilina had even attempted to end her own life shortly after she and Marcus visited the Forum to announce their engagement. Portia knew it was her duty to make sure that Aquilina would never feel the need to do such an act again.

When Portia walked by Marcus, she quickly recognized the stench of sweat and dirt surrounding him. She quickly motioned another servant to burn the candles scented with jasmine in the room so at least there was one less thing for Aquilina to complain about the man she was intended to marry.

As Aquilina sat in the spot designated by Portia she gently placed her hand on her lower belly, making her elbows touch her hips over the fabrics of her stola. She was reminded of the gentle hold Marcus had on her waist earlier. When Marcus did have his hand on her waist, her mind was more occupied in trying to relay the information about keeping Gnaeus a secret that she brushed off his hold on her. But now, as she replayed it in her head she realized that she wasn’t repulsed by his touch as she assumed, instead she found it comforting…

“I might have had a hand in the parade…I wanted to make sure you and your men were welcomed home…in a fitting way.” Aquilina mumbled as she took a deep breath of the air away from Marcus, trying to fill her lungs with the scent of jasmine.

“You and your men risked your lives for the Empire. You deserved to be welcomed home in a….” Aquilina started to say but her voice trailed as she couldn’t find the proper word to finish her sentence.

“Oh and of course you are free to go to your favorite brothels or be with whatever slave girl you brought back home with you.” Aquilina added, “Or I’m sure the women of Rome all want you in their bed as well… so since you’re back, celebrate in whatever way you please.” Aquilina added.

Her voice wasn’t cross nor sarcastic, she said it matter of factly. She knew Marcus was far from being pure. He had even told her that during a campaign in Greece he spent days where he made love so much with many different women to the point he grew tired of the act. She wanted him to be pleasured, she fully thought that he deserved it and since she had no desire to pleasure him, she wanted it to be known that he had the right to act on any sexual impulse with any women he desired…other than her of course.

“I know you said that you don’t want any whores…but you have needs and since I’m not going to fulfill them…do what you need to do.” Aquilina said with a shrug. She always wanted a faithful husband, but with her knowledge of her father’s philandering ways, the letters she’s received from her elder sisters about their own respective husband’s lists of mistresses, she knew that when it came to loveless marriages men ran to the arms of other women for pleasure and comfort.

A fresh plate of fruit filled with oranges, apples, grapes, berries and even cherries appeared in front of the couple. Aquilina smiled at the servant and looked for Portia who was standing nearby the door. Aquilina knew that this plate of fruit was brought by a request made from Portia as she’s been trying to get Aquilina to eat whenever she sat. A small bowl filled with water and a slice of lemon was placed in front of Marcus along with a dry linen cloth. Portia knew very well that Aquilina preferred cleanliness and having his dirty hands touch the fruit would make her uninterested in it.

“I wouldn’t lightly talk about a mob coming off to cut off our heads…” Aquilina said sharply. “My father was the Emperor and he was murdered in his sleep in his own Palace.” Aquilina made sure to look into Marcus’ eyes as she spoke, letting him know she had not yet forgiven for his hand in her father’s death. “And even though I’ve been around politicians my whole life, I’m the inferior sex…” Aquilina said disgusted at this truth. “You only need my help to ensure that you have support from the other Senators…I know that whatever I say will never be taken seriously.” The princess said as she took an apricot in her mouth.

“Oh and the wedding…” Aquilina said with a sigh. “You went to war. Why would I continue to plan a wedding when there was a possibility that you would not come back?” Aquilina said coldly, as she placed a linen cloth to her mouth to catch any apricot juice that might leave her lips. “But I’m sure now that you’re back people have started planning again…” Aquilina commented, completely disinterested in her own wedding, an occasion that was supposed to be one of the most happiest moments of her life.

“Have you put any thought about our wedding?” Aquilina casually asked, assuming his answer would be in the negative she quickly answered his next question.

“I haven’t thought much about Sicily…” Aquilina added, her tone more serious with a hint of vulnerability as she finished eating her apricot. Her eyes glanced at Marcus as her lips opened, “But…I think it would be nice for the rest of my family to go…I think the capitol is too much for them.” Aquilina said as she looked back into Marcus’ eyes. “We are all living in the Palace where my father was assassinated, its not a place with happy memories anymore.” Aquilina said with spite.

“Oh and as a reward for leading the Roman army during this victorious campaign you will be awarded quarter of a million aureus, from the Imperial fund. Sorry I couldn’t offer you more, I tried but after being placed on house arrest by the Senators I can’t exactly negotiate with the treasury.” Aquilina said with a heavy sigh.

Aquilina was frustrated about many things but she was most frustrated about not being taken seriously by the Senators. She had been stuck in the Palace for almost 2 months, ever since her father’s death. Although she had a handful of times exited the palace and the palace grounds itself were more than suffice to keep anyone happy, Aquilina felt like a prisoner surrounded by the tall marble columns of the Palace. She longed for an adventure, she actually wanted to ask Marcus about his journey to Germany, but she wasn’t sure if it would be proper for a lady to ask about life as a soldier.

“Thus I hope the quarter of a million aureus would be enough for you. And now that you’re back…I’m sure you can negotiate with the treasury to make sure the men that served directly under you would be rewarded handsomely as well.” Aquilina added. Despite her cold demure towards Marcus she couldn’t deny the fact that he did do an honorable duty by defeating the barbarians in this campaign. Without him there was the possibility that her own Empire would have fallen into the hands of the Germans. But it was Marcus who saved them all from that horrible fate. He was a hero in the eyes of the Roman citizens.

Was he a hero in Aquilina’s eyes?

She wasn’t sure, the more she thought the more her feelings towards Marcus became conflicted. He wasn't a cruel and evil man as she assumed he would be, instead he was always kind and gentle towards her, even his touch was always filled with warmth. His words towards her were only words of adoration and kindness. He only showed her actions of love and care. It was evident he never wanted to make Aquilina upset.

But at the end Aquilina could only still see him as the man responsible for her father’s death…

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus leaned against one of the marble walls of the sitting room as Aquilina sat down. He listened to her and looked at her feet as she spoke. “Well, thank you for the parade. I’m sure the men appreciated it. It was unexpected, to us at least.”

He wanted to sigh when she implied that he was free to spend a night with another woman. “Aquilina, I have told you so many times, you are the only woman I want. If I can’t have you, then I don’t want any one. If you really don’t want to be man and wife with me, then I guess I’ll have no choice but to castrate myself. Which would be a shame,” he said with a boyish smirk. He wanted to say that he only received compliments about the way he used it, but Aquilina didn’t seem to react well to the news that he had laid with other women before and he didn’t want to bring it up again.

He smiled when the servants brought the food out. He hadn’t eaten since midmorning and was starving. But, he almost chuckled when Aquilina’s servants brought water and cloth towards him. Weeks in the field, one tended to forget polite society’s rules about personal hygiene. Living with 100,000 men in dirty tents on muddy ground, you got personal hygiene where you could find it. It wasn’t uncommon for hundreds of soldiers to shed their clothes all together and rinse off together if they camped near a river.

There was something cute about Aquilina and her cleanliness. As he washed off his hands, Marcus glanced up at Aquilina and smiled to himself. He wondered what she would be like after her first time. Two lovers, embracing each other, covered in the other’s bodily fluids, their hands all over each other.

He grabbed a fruit and bit into it as she complained about not being taken seriously. “I would take you seriously. You’ve been around these animals in the Senate your whole life. Even in my role as a General, reporting directly to the Senate, it’s only been a few years for me,” he said, swallowing a piece of apple. “I’m a soldier. I tire of the games played in the Senate. I need your advice. I told you once, I want a partner, not just a woman to keep my bed warm.”

Conversation turned to the wedding. “Oh and the wedding…” Aquilina said with a sigh. “You went to war. Why would I continue to plan a wedding when there was a possibility that you would not come back?” Aquilina asked, “Have you put any thought about our wedding?”

Only about the wedding night, he wanted to say. But, while his flesh craved for hers, he had no intention of raping her, and even was turned off by her comments weeks ago that she would lay with him just to get herself pregnant with an imperial heir. He decided not to poach the subject of consummating it, and instead said, “Just a little bit. You’re better versed in court style and culture than I am. The wedding can be your first area of total responsibility. Though I do expect you to give my advice in more important matters beyond the wedding. I would just roll out some cheap barrels of wine in the back courtyard if you would let me. I’m assuming you’ll want a little more pomp and circumstance than that.”

He grabbed a handful of cherries from the plate and put one into his mouth. “And you never have to worry about me not coming home. I’d cross Hades itself to come home to you.” He locked eyes with her, “I told you, I’d never hurt you again.”

He nodded quietly as she discussed his reward. “It’s more than adequate, thank you,” he said. He had never lacked money. His parents, successful merchants, had left him enough to provide for a comfortable lifestyle. Generals in the Roman Legion were also well compensated, and various other spoils of his previous successful military campaigns had left him moderately wealthy. Besides, the Imperial Funds would be his once they were wed, as well. It was nice of Aquilina to reward him for the military campaign, but he doubted he would survive any outcome where he didn’t wed her. If his enemies in the Senate managed to stop the wedding and install somebody else as Emperor, he would likely be nailed to a cross and left to die, rotting in the sun.

Maybe, since he successfully led the campaign to get revenge for the burning of Rome, instead of crucifying him, they would strip him of his Roman citizenship and send him to fight as a slave in the Coliseum. The story practically wrote itself. The hero general, hopelessly in love with the Emperor’s daughter, saves Rome from barbarians, then thrown to the Coliseum dungeons and fights heroically to the death.

He stared again at Aquilina and wondered if that was what she wanted. Maybe he should have died during the Germanic campaign. Then, the other Senators would make a play for Emperor. She would either be wed to one of them or sent off to some other arranged marriage. Whoever her future husband would have been probably would have taken his way with her, regardless of whether or not she wanted it. And after a child or two, they would have moved on to some slave or prostitute themselves, leaving her hurt and broken, another Empress left to sit beside an unfaithful Emperor. Marcus gazed at her and realized he had another reason to success in his quest to secure the Emperorship for himself. He would protect her. Not just physically , but emotionally, from the worst outcomes of her being married to some other bastard who would treat her just as poorly as other Emperor’s wives have been treated for centuries.

“I heard the playwright Pacuvius is already penning an epic about the Germanic campaign. I’m the hero, apparently,” he said, smiling at her and shrugging his brow. “If you don’t want to marry a famous general, maybe you’ll want to marry a famous character from the plays.”

He took an apple and knelt down on the marble in front of the pillow that Aquilina was sitting on. He liked being close to her, it made his skin tingle. “Maybe you’ll be a character. After all, the world knows about our engagement. The worrying fiancé, nervously wondering if her husband-to-be will ever return home from the dangers of war. Though I’m not excited about the prospect of a man pretending to be you. They better get a cute boy from one of those bathhouses in the city,” he said with a smirk, hoping she liked his joke.

“I should return home and bathe before your servant runs out of candles,” he said. “Let’s have dinner tonight. Just the two of us, no family or other guests. Okay?” he asked, hoping she accepted.

Once they were done, Marcus stood up and gave her a slight nod. “Milady, I will see you later. I hope your afternoon is pleasant,” he said, before excusing himself and returning his estate.

((Post #2,000! ))

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina listened to Marcus speak, his voice was deep and soothing to her as if letting her know that he was there to always protect her and not harm her as her mind assumed when they first met. She watched him lean against the marble walls, she wouldn’t have minded having him sit next to her but with him still in his armory and most likely not have properly bathed in weeks she didn’t complain about their distance.

Aquilina quickly commented that the parade was customary for all returning victorious campaigns and that even without her push for it she was sure it would have occurred anyway.

She wanted to make several remarks as Marcus continued speaking regarding his comment of not wanting any other women except her and that he would castrate himself if she would never bed him. Her only reply regarding his statement was rolling her eyes as he said this as she assumed this was a rehearsed line that he told all his bed companions. She wanted to counter with a comment but she knew that all he would say was that he loved her and possibly even talk about his previous bed companions only singing high praises, a subject she had no interest in listening to.

Aquilina brushed off the comment of him taking her seriously. He had promised that they would be a partner and that she would be included when making decisions regarding the empire. But she assumed that this promise was only made to satisfy her, to keep her agreeable for the wedding and once General Marcus became Emperor Marcus she assumed that she would be cast aside as just the pretty Imperial Empress who smiles and waves to her citizens. Growing up in politics, she knew that words were easier said and agreed upon than the actions they were to actually garner.

Aquilina did mumble, “Whoever said I would keep your bed warm…” She had put some thought about their wedding night. She knew it would be her duty to consummate the wedding, to legitimize Marcus as the next Emperor and most importantly carry on the Caesar name with heirs to the throne. She wasn’t looking forward to the consummation and in having to make heirs with Marcus. But she wasn’t fearful of it either, he was always gentle with her and never gave her a reason to fear her despite his name as a general, a soldier who made his name by being a valuable leader on the battlefield.

The only time he ever showed any kind of violence in front of Aquilina was when the two went to Forum to announce their engagement and Senator Pamprepius said vile words towards Marcus’ new fiancé. Pamprepius likened Aquilina to a whore, assuming that she had already given her virtue to Marcus prior to their wedding and placed her in the same categories as the working girls in the brothels. This made Marcus very angry and he stiff-armed the Senator. Aquilina was surprised and even more honored to see Marcus guard her honor, in such a public way, but it was a reminder to her that he was a man capable of great physical harm and violence.

She had no comment about their wedding. She knew her mother was doing both the wedding planning as well as trying to find a new more, in her mind, suitable husband for Aquilina. At the moment Aquilina had no opinion about her wedding, only that it would be suitable for a Princess and more importantly for the next Emperor and Empress of Rome.

Aquilina stared deeply in his eyes as he said,

“And you never have to worry about me not coming home. I’d cross Hades itself to comes home to you.”
“I told you, I’d never hurt you again.”

The two locked eyes and she quickly looked away, her cheeks burning red with…Aquilina wasn’t sure if it was anger or if she was flattered. She wanted to quip and say, “You don’t have to cross Hades for me,” or “You not coming back wouldn’t matter to me.” But both seemed terribly rude, especially to a man who just risked his life to serve his country. Despite the fact she wanted Marcus to feel pain, he deserved some sort of punishment for having a hand in her father’s death, right now wasn’t the right time.

A slight smile appeared on her face when he thanked her for his reward. As Aquilina never handled money on her own, she had no idea what a quarter of a million aureus could buy or if a million aureus would be enough for her citizens to rebuild their homes. She knew very little about Marucs’ background, a subject she knew her mother was well versed in but refused to tell any details except, “He’s not from royalty, he’s not from aristocracy.” She was curious but she worried that if she got to know more about him, that she might actually learn to love him an act she saw that would be disrespectful to her father’s deceased body.

Aquilina listened to Marcus speak joyfully about being written in a play. She was happy for him, as she knew he deserved the attention. She longed to ask him about life as a soldier, the places he’s visited, the things he’s seen. She longed to know what life was like outside of the Palace walls. She knew she lived a privileged life and she had no reason to complain despite the fact she was being forced to marry a man responsible for her father’s death.

Aquilina watched Marcus as he approached her and knelt at her feet. She felt her chest holding a breath in, as if her mind was worried that he might try to attack her even though she knew fully well that was the last thing he would ever do. She knew she was safe, guards were right by and outside the door and Portia along with two other servants were watching the couple’s every move with Portia carefully studying every single one of Aquilina’s facial expressions.

She raised her perfectly polished right eyebrow when he mentioned that she might be written in the play as the “worrying fiancé, nervously wondering if her husband-to-be will ever return home from the dangers of war.”

Aquilina was far from the worrying fiancé.

Right?

She never truly thought out the reason why to her lack in appetite. She attributed to the stresses of losing her father and then deciding to marry the man responsible for his death to ensure a stable and peaceful Empire. She never thought that Marcus’ absence, her possibly worrying about his safe return had anything to do with it. Why would it? She had emotional attachment to the man, or so she kept telling herself.

Aquilina didn’t understand his comment about needing a cute boy from one of the bathhouses to act her part. She knew that males were the only sex allowed to act on stage, yet the comment about the bathhouses was foreign to her and all she could do was relax her raised brow and not look too clueless as Marcus studied her face. She had never visited the public bathhouses in the city as she had her own private one in the palace. Growing up in her own royal bubble, Aquilina rarely understood a joke told by a commoner. She once again realized how different she and Marcus are, their background, their personalities, and most importantly the feelings they held towards each other.

Aquilina gently nodded her head when Marcus invited himself for dinner. She generally ate dinner alone unless there was company. Marcus wasn’t her first pick when it came to a dinner companion, but he was someone she felt she could speak her mind to, so that made him a formidable companion compared to most.

Aquilina watched Marcus leave, she saw that Portia was occupied with one of her mother’s servants. Aquilina quickly knew what this meant.

Another one of her mother’s possible suitors for Aquilina had come calling to see Aquilina. Aquilina assumed that her mother would stop finding possible suitors for her after the return of Marcus, yet it seemed that her mother was intent on finding a more suitable husband for her best pawn. Aquilina would have rejected such an invitation, since Marcus had returned and it would be improper for her to do such a thing. Yet she knew rejecting the invitation would be useless, her mother would find a way for the potential suitor to meet Aquilina.

Once Marcus was far from sitting room and on his way to the foyer of the Palace, Portia smiled big at her Aquilina in hopes that her smile would make Aquilina more likely to agree to the meeting.

Before Portia spoke, Aquilina sighed loudly as she took a grape and placed it in her mouth, feeling the sweet juices of the grape squirt into her mouth. She gently chewed on the hard skin and felt the soft texture of the inside meat of the grape.

“Princess Aquilina…” Portia said carefully.

“Is he already here?” Aquilina asked as she shook her right wrist making the gold bracelets stacked her wrist jingle.

“Yes, out back in the outer courtyard.” Portia replied.

“Outer courtyard?” Aquilina said intrigued in his location, guests were either greeted at the door, in a sitting room or the throne room.

“Yes.” Portia said with a big smile.

“So does that mean I need to go out there too?” Aquilina asked, taking another grape in her mouth, frustration starting to rise in her voice.

Portia nodded her head, “Only if you wish, I can tell him that you are unwell if need be…”

Aquilina shook her head, “No, do you know who he is?”

“Yes, a prince from the Persian Empire.”

Aquilina raised her right eyebrow, “A prince?” Aquilina asked as she slowly stood up and started to make her way to the location of her guest. It was a long walk as there were multiple courtyards in the palace and her guest was not at the one closest to entrance.

Aquilina wouldn’t have minded the walk if she was walking on her own recognizance but since it was to meet a potential husband, her steps were heavy.

When she finally arrived to her location she was met with a handsome young man, a man not even a handful of years older than her, compared to Marcus who was more than a decade older than her. He introduced himself as Prince Darius. Darius was tall, an inch or two shorter than Marcus, but his height was accentuated by the fact that he was slender compared to the leaner and muscular Marcus. His skin, due to this ethnicity was dark and mysterious, his eyes and hair were black like the backdrop of the starry night skies and he held a thick Persian accent yet he spoke Roman with flair and ease.

He was dressed in the traditional Persian clothing with dark purple hued silk wrapped around his body with yellow stars decorating the long fabric.

“Princess Aquilina, or should I say the future Empress Aquilina.” Prince Darius said with a smile as he bowed to the Princess.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Aquilina, it was evident that Aquilina’s reputation as being the beauty of Rome had held up in his eyes.

“A gift for you.” Darius said as a black stallion which had been snacking on a bowl of oats was brought to her by one of Darius’ servants.

Aquilina smiled big at the gift. It wasn’t unusual for the males in her family to receive horses as gifts, but for a female, it was rather unheard of.

“I heard that you liked horses and were a keen rider.” Darius said as he watched Aquilina gently pet the horse.

Aquilina blushed, she was a keen horse rider but it wasn’t a fact well known by the public. She knew that her mother must have told him about it, which was annoying in some respect yet it was one of the best gifts she had received from any potential suitor.

Aquilina and Darius then spent the rest of the afternoon together chatting as they rode through the fields of green on the Imperial ground property. Darius chatted about his family, his father is the current King of Persia and he’s the third youngest out of nine children. He grew up knowing there was only a slim possibility of becoming King of Persia and he’s never felt the need nor the desire to attempt to take the throne from his brothers. He admitted that he’s never fought in battle, hence his body structure, but instead took pleasure in his studies.

Darius also admitted that he had his eyes on Aquilina for quite some time. Her eldest sister, Maximiliana had married Darius’ eldest brother and was in line to be the next Queen of Persia. But when the marriage occurred, Aquilina was far from marrying age and since the travel was long, only one of her brother’s accompanied Maximiliana to her new home. Because of Aquilina’s and Maximiliana’s age difference, the two were never close but sice Maxilmilana’s departure corresponded every so often with letters.

Darius held the pomp and formality she grew up in but was not rigid and uptight as many of her previous suitors. The two had similar upbringings, Darius was never groomed to take the throne of Persia nor did he have any interest. Aquilina herself was never groomed to take the throne, only to be the perfect wife for any royalty or aristocrat. The two took their studies seriously and were well versed in philosophy and history. He knew the right jokes to tell her to make her smile.

Despite Aquilina’s naturally reserved personality to strangers, she allowed herself to enjoy Darius’ company. He was well educated and never during the whole afternoon did he ever ask about her father’s death, about her readiness to become Empress or even about Marcus. All other suitors always questioned her about the Emperor’s death, some even asking if she saw the scene of the crime. Many were worried about her preparedness to become Empress and proclaimed that it was they, that the Empire needed to ensure its stability. And of course many were curious about General Marcus, the man Aquilina was engaged to be married. Most seemed to be threatened by him but many seemed to assume that he would not return from war.

But now Marcus had returned and Aquilina was to marry him…or so she thought. She never thought she would meet someone that she would find intriguing enough to go along with her mother’s master plan in finding Aquilina a new husband. A marriage with Darius, would be fruitful for the Roman Empire as it would make the alliance with Persia more concrete. With Darius being a Prince, he would also bring riches of the kingdom along with him as well. He wasn’t a strong warrior like Marcus, but being well educated and growing up in politics Aquilina was sure he would make a good as Emperor as anyone else could have, or so she thought at the moment. Of course it was difficult for one to decide if someone had the right credentials to be Emperor or more importantly for Aquilina, the right husband, but she enjoyed his company and unlike Marcus he had no hand in her father’s death.

Aquilina glanced at the sky and saw that the sun was slowly setting, announcing that the day was coming to an end. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that Marcus would be arriving any moment for their dinner date. Darius caught on to Aquilina’s surprise in how fast the time went as they spent together.

“Is something wrong Aquilina?”

With a polite smile, Aquilina shook her head, “Well I just had no idea that we’ve been outside for this long. I should really head back to the Palace.”

The two then took their horses and made their way back to the Palace. A part of Aquilina wanted to invite Darius to stay for dinner, yet she knew Marcus wanted only the two at dinner and she wasn’t interested in having Marcus meet Darius. When the two returned back to the foyer of the Palace, Darius gave Aquilina a big smile.

“I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you.” Darius said with is Persian accent mixed in his speech.

Aquilina smiled, “I did as well.”

“I’m staying with the Persian ambassador, I was hoping I can see you again, perhaps tomorrow?” Darius asked blushing.

Aquilina smiled and nodded her head, “I would like that.”

“Good, any maybe one of these days we can be together when the stars are out, I would really love to see the stars here in Rome, although I’m sure none is as beautiful as you.” Darius said bashfully he then quickly added, “I’m sure I can name more constellations than you.” He said with a smirk.

Aquilina smiled big, “Maybe…” She would have continued but she heard a ruckus from outside and footsteps approaching the Palace. She felt a pang in her stomach, she knew Marcus had arrived for dinner.

“Well I hope so.” Darius then right hand and placed a long and affectionate kiss on her hand. “Thank you for spending the afternoon with me.”

Aquilina blushed, “And thank you for the horse.” She knew Marcus would be approaching the foyer any second, yet she wanted Darius to know that she enjoyed their time together. So she quickly leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek. Darius and even the servants and guards surrounding the foyer seemed to be surprised at Aquilina’s public show of affection toward Darius, especially Portia. When Aquilina took a step back, she was sure she saw Marcus had seen the exchange, but she was unsure as she quickly hid her face with the fabric of her palla. She then rushed away from the foyer, making her way back to her private wings as she needed to change for dinner with Marcus.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus had returned home quickly on his stallion. He rode quickly and alone, the most famous man in Rome was able to avoid any more admirers or mobs on his way. At his estate, some well-wishers had left baskets of fruit and salted meats outside his estate’s front gate, and some had hung red banners with the golden olive branches of Rome on the outer walls. There was another banner, white, with red letters stitched on it. “The God Among Us – Marcus Tiberius, Savior of Rome” was written in Latin.

He was becoming embarrassed by all the show of support from the people, and quickly opened his gate and let himself into his estate before anybody spotted him. Once inside, he found more food from the people on his dining room table. His house servant quickly shuffled over.

“General, welcome home. People have been leaving gifts for days,” she explained.

“I noticed,” Marcus said, unstrapping his golden armor chestplate, revealing the white toga he wore underneath. He handed his armor to the servant. “There’s no way I can eat all of this food. Take what you want for yourself, then I’ll have some of my legionaries distribute the rest to the beggars outside the shops.”

“Yes, General,” the servant said.

“I’m going to take a bath.”

“Do you wish me to draw it for you?”

“No, I’ll manage. Please go and get the rest of those gifts inside. And get those banners in, please.”

After Marcus took a long bath in his bathing chamber, he dressed himself in his dark red toga he wore for social occasions. He had just slipped on a new pair of sandals when there was a knock on the door.

“Enter.”

Legate Villation walked in.

“General.”

“Anthony. I hope you weren’t coming for dinner, I have plans with the Emperor’s daughter. But, help yourself to the fruit and meats downstairs.”

“General, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Marcus felt his heart stop. After the brief military retribution against the Barbarians, he was hoping for a few weeks of peace and quiet. “Get out with it, then.”

“Our spies at the Imperial Palace got some troubling news out to us,” his friend said. The servants who were closest to the Caesar family were loyal to the death, but the ones who tended to the gardens and worked in the kitchen were less so. The Imperial family’s decision to use servants instead of slaves meant they were already beholden to a workforce who was loyal to the coin. And, Marcus and his allies had managed to find a few who could use a little more coin.

They had been key in getting his Dacian assassins into the Palace to murder the Emperor. Bribing servants was hardly uncommon in the Machiavellian game that was Roman politics. He was almost sure of the fact that some of his political enemies had contacted his own servant about sharing what happened in his estate for a few extra coins a month.

Marcus’ first fear was that Aquilina had once again tried to take her own life. But, the real truth somehow made him feel worse.

“The Empress has been arranging for visits from suitors while you were away. We just found out now, the spies had no way of getting information to us while we were on the front. Foreign princes and sons of Senators, Governors, that kind of thing.”

“That fucking bitcho f a mother,” Marcus shouted in a brief moment of pure outrage. Blood rushed to his face in rage. “I ought to crucify her.” Though, putting Aquilina’s last parent to death would probably not be a good idea for his personal ambitions. “Isn’t it our men guarding the palace?”

“On the outside, yes. They have their own guards inside the Palace.”

“No more unaccompanied men get into the Palace. We’ll call it a security risk. If anybody asks, somebody made a threat against the Empress.”

Anthony smiled coyly to himself. “Well, there’s more. A man of Persian descent has been there all afternoon, apparently.”

Marcus wanted to punch a hole through the stucco walls of house. For a proud Son of Rome, there was something more egregious about a foreigner courting the woman he was in love with. It hadn't been that long ago since Rome's last dust-up war with the Persians. Peace and regular diplomatic relations had been established, and now apparently, one of them had their eyes on Aquilina.

"I should cut the fucker's head off and send it back to Tehran in a wool sack," Marcus said.

Vitallion said nothing, letting a quiet moment pass between the two old war companions. Finally, he broke the silence. "What do you want to do?"

Marcus considered his options. "Nothing. I want to see what Aquilina says about it. But, no more suitors. The Empress can smuggle them in with the wine delivery if she wants."

Marcus finished getting ready, and finished his ensemble by fixing a leather belt with a sword sheath around his waist, and sliding his Roman longsword into the sheath so it hung from his waist. Now dressed for what was supposed to be a quiet romantic dinner with Aquilina, he departed on his horse.

He arrived at the Palace and got off his horse and went inside. He threw his horses' lead rope of a post and headed for the front steps of the palace. One of the stableboys tried to head him off by stepping in front of him.

"General, can you please wait out here for a-..."

"Out of my way, boy," Marcus said, and with a big hand, pushed directly on the boy's chest, sending him to the ground. Marcus stepped over him and headed into the Palace.

Once inside the grand entrance chamber, a servant tried to greet him and lead him to the dining room, but he shrugged them off, saying that he wanted to see Aquilina at once. The servant hesitated for a moment, but after a nervous glance at Marcus' bulging arms and the forty-inches of Roman steel hanging from his waist and the servant recanted and led him down the white marble hallways.

They headed to the courtyard, Marcus was still in the building, hidden deep in the corridor, most likely just out of sight of them. Aquilia and a Persian young man. Standing together. Marcus grabbed the servant's shoulder to keep them from giving away their presence to Aquilina. Intentionally or otherwise.

"Don't make a noise," Marcus whispered to the servant in a low, deep, aggressive tone. The servant nodded. Marcus though he could almost feel her knees shaking. From the discretion of the Palace, Marcus watched as Aquilina and the Persian talked, then he took her hand and kissed her. Her body language, she was receptive to the interaction. She reacted towards him in a way that she never had with the General. Then, she bent in and kissed him on the cheek.

He could almost feel his world crashing around him. The gaping hole in his heart was deeper and more painful than any wound he had received on the battlefield. Aquilina would never love Marcus. Marcus was conducting a military occupation of her heart. She would marry him, but she would never feel anything for him.

The Persian left, and Aquilina scurried off somewhere. "Take me to the dining chamber," Marcus commanded, and the nervous house servant agreed. There, the table was set for two, and Marcus sat down. The servant asked if he needed anything.

"Wine, and then leave me until she arrives." The servant complied with the orders.

Marcus sat alone for a few minutes until Aquilina arrived. He stood up and nodded to her. "Princess," he said, coldly. He quietly walked around the table and pulled out her dining room chair for her. "Lovely to see you, as always."

He took his seat at the other end of the table. "I heard about your visitor," he said, in a stiff monotone fashion. "I hope the sand didn't bother your soft skin. I hear Persians get sand everywhere."

Before she could say anything, he continued. "I saw you two, together. Kissing. A lesser man would have taken his hand for touching his betrothed. But, don't worry, I won't have the Persian crucified or scream and smack you around this room. For the first time in my life, I don't think the careful application of violence will solve this problem"

He took a gulp of wine. "Pray tell what your mother's plans are? The Senate will not allow foreign blood to be the Emperor of Rome, no matter how many of them you called uncle. You'll be sent off to live in a tent in some desert with your foreign lover. Rome will destroy itself fighting over the throne. There won't be a Roman empire left by the time your sister comes of marriage age. Besides, by then, the Caesar bloodline will be all but forgotten."

He sat back in the chair and crossed his hands, his voice remaining calm, low and steady. "But, what bothered me the most about spying on your little discreet encounter with that sand jockey was the way you looked at him. The body language. The little touches, the looks, the inflection of your skin. Women aren't as discreet as they think, at least to some men. You enjoyed his company. And what bothered me the most is that you have never acted that way around me. You hate me. My heart is hopelessly anchored to a woman who despises me." His chin quivering, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"You know, I feel like there is so much between us. My political enemies in the Senate. Your mother. The war and being thousands of miles away from here. I feel like I am constantly running over hurdles to be by your side. I have thought about nothing but you since I first saw you. And, you don't even want to be with me."

"Our fates are tied together. Without you, I cannot be Emperor. And without being Emperor, somebody else will become Emperor, and I'll either end up on the cross or sent to fight to my death in the Coliseum pits. Is that what you want? Would you like it if I were nailed to a cross and left to die in the sun next to a thief? Or struck down by gladiators in the Coliseum to a roaring crowd? Or maybe your new Persian friend strikes me down in a sword fight, and then you run into his arms."

"Do you hate the time we spend together? After all this, nothing in your heart stirs when you see me? It does for me. I wish I could describe the flutter in my heart and stomach when you walk into a room. Even now. Or when our eyes meet and I feel like we're the only people in the universe. Tell me that nothing moves inside of you when we are together," he said intently and calmly, his eyes staring at her.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina quickly left Darius’ side and made her way to her own private chambers and changed into the purple hued stola and palla Portia had already laid out for her, for her dinner with Marcus. She kept the same brooch, the one depicting an eagle, the symbol for the Roman military, the symbol on the standard of a Roman legion.

Aquilina would have liked to indulge in a bath as she spent all of the afternoon outside on a horse, yet all she was able to do was douse herself with rosewater and cool off with peppermint oil. Her long hair was kept in a braid and pinned to the crown of her head as there was no time to change it and with her head covered by her stola, the only thing Aquilina was worried about was keeping the General waiting.

As Aquilina was changing she wondered if Marcus did see the exchange between her and Darius. In a vindictive way, Aquilina hoped he did. Looking back she didn’t know why she kissed Darius on the cheek, she had given Marcus the same affection before and they had even embraced on the lips. The kiss she left Darius was nothing more than a thanks for the horse and the afternoon, it was the least she could do for a man that traveled many nights to see her and even gifted her a horse. She never thought her feelings towards Darius would amount to anything.

At the moment to her, Darius was a friend, someone that kept her entertained while she waited for the people around her to make their decision in what she should do next. Aquilina had been bored, she had been cooped up in the Palace for months and no one to keep her proper company. The potential suitors that arrived at the Palace usually repulsed her and made her wish that her marriage with Marcus had taken place.

If Aquilina could have everything her way, she would become Empress herself, without Marcus or Darius. She would take the role and lead her Empire. She knew she was more than capable if the Senators took her seriously. Despite being the inferior sex, she was the most educated out of her siblings when it came to politics. She was well versed in philosophy, in Roman history and from her mother knew the ways of manipulation.

She knew she was naive when it came to a lot of things yet having to marry a man she barely knew seemed less sensible than having her just become Empress on her own and having her be the new Imperial leader of Rome. But of course, Rome needed a male Imperial leader…and that was why Marcus asked her hand in marriage and why her mother had practically advertised her eldest unwed daughter as a special package- marry her and you also get to be the Emperor of Rome. Aquilina despised feeling this lack of control over her own life.
In many ways Aquilina felt like a rag doll, other people controlling her fate, no one asking about how she felt about everything and everyone assuming what they were doing were the “right thing.”

Dressed in her purple hued stola and palla, rose and peppermint lingering on her skin, large pearl drop earrings on her ears, gold bracelets with little colored jewels that sparkled when it caught the candlelight, and her fingers adorned with her engagement ring and the ruby ring from her father on her left hand, Aquilina entered the room. She gave Marcus a cordial smile as he helped her in her chair.

She was surprised when he told her he knew about her visitor. She knew it would only be wishful thinking to keep Darius and the other suitors who had visited the Palace while Marcus was away a secret from Marcus since it was his men that was guarding the Palace walls. Yet, she still wished she could keep it hidden from him. She knew that he cared for her and even though all the interactions she’s had with the other men were nothing more than friendly she knew he would be hurt to know they were courting her and she accepted their meetings.

Aquilina slowly raised her right brow as he made the comment about Persians getting sand everywhere, but she kept her mouth shut. At the moment she wasn’t ready to start an argument with Marcus.

Servants brought out the appetizers, a plate of fresh fruit with cheese and a fresh salad. Aquilina quickly took a grape in her mouth, quickly squishing the juice into her mouth as she curbed her desire to stand up and leave the table. She had no desire to listen to Marcus complain about her seeing Darius, which she was sure that was all he would do.

“I saw you two, together. Kissing.”

Aquilina bit the inside of her mouth. She thought it was a harmless act and even wanted him to see her interact happily with another man, yet having Marcus acknowledge that he saw it made her stomach queasy.

Aquilina waited for Marcus to finish talking, she would have interjected comments, yet she knew more food would be coming out and she wanted to wait to speak till the two would be alone. By the time Marcus had stopped speaking the soup and their entree, roasted chicken with orzo was set in front of them as well.

Aquilina glanced at the door, which quickly prompted Portia to come to her side.

“Have everyone empty the room, no guards nearby.” Aquilina told Portia.

Portia raised her brow, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, General Marcus and I are in love, we want some privacy since its been five weeks since we last saw each other.” Aquilina said carefully, she had to try her best not to sound sarcastic as the other servants and guards were listening to their conversation.

Portia nodded her head, “As you wish.”

And soon, it was only Aquilina and Marcus in the room and a red satin curtain covered the door.

Aquilina then carefully took a sip of her wine and gave Marcus a small smile.

“First of all, my mother’s only wish is to have the best for her eldest unwed daughter. Prince Darius was to come see me before your arrival back to Rome, we had no idea when you were coming back. You can’t be upset at my mother who was just trying to make sure her daughter had a husband and her Empire had a proper Emperor because the Emperor that we did have was MURDERED.” Aquilina said, raising her voice at Marcus for the first time. Once the words left her lips, she gave Marcus a cordial smile as if to sarcastically apologize for the inappropriate behavior.

“You went to war, not everyone comes back from war and despite you saying you would cross Hades for me…thats not a guarantee you would come back. My mother acted on my behalf.” Aquilina replied, lying through her teeth. She never asked for her mother to bring in suitors yet, she knew her mother only did it for the Imperial family.

“To her you’re a nobody, you have no royal blood, you’re not from an aristocratic family. We would have no one to go to in crisis. The Imperial family doesn’t marry just commoners. I am a Princess!” Aquilina added. Her posture was still pristine in her chair, her eyes steadfast on Marcus.

“And thus because I am the Imperial family, I shall marry whoever I want to marry. The Senate will listen to me. The Caesar bloodline will never be forgotten. You nor no one else has the right to tell me who I will or will not marry. You already played your hand with my fate when you orchestrated my father’s assassination, I will not have you tell me who I can or cannot marry.” Aquilina carried on, her fingers now in a tight fist as she tried to contain her anger.

“And yes I did enjoy Prince Darius’ company. And of course I hate you. Of course I despise you. You put me here. You…” Aquilina said, a tear of her own falling from her own eye.

“Did you ever stop to think that the bed that we are to become man and wife in…as you seem to be so invested in…” Aquilina said with a loud sigh, “Is the same bed that my father met his death. So no I do not want to become man and wife with you, I don’t even want to think about it. I only agreed to your proposal since I only want what is best for my Empire. It is MY Empire, not yours. You are just a General who killed…” Aquilina said her chest rising fast as she caught her breath, “You killed the Emperor and for that you should be punished. You should be sent to the Colosseum, you should be crucified for what you did.” Aquilina said in anger, all the vile things she had ever wanted to tell Marcus leaving her lips all at once.

Aquilina then sighed deeply as she took caught her breath again. “You’ve given me no reason, other than just mere words to believe and trust you. You are a good soldier, a good leader on the battlefield, but a good soldier doesn’t mean a good Emperor. My family and my Empire rely on me to marry the best partner for both.” Aquilina said carefully, her voice not as stern as it once was.

“You shower me with words of adoration but they are just mere words. You only want to be Emperor, you went as far as to arrange my father’s assassination for that. How in the world could we ever be a good Emperor and Empress if you got your title by killing the person who had it before you? I never asked for any of this…” Aquilina said with a heavy sigh.

“My siblings miss their father…what am I going to tell them whey they find out that I married the man that was responsible for their father’s death? Or worse, if we ever have children…would you be able to tell your own offspring that you were the one that killed their own grandfather? That you killed the great Emperor Caesar before you?” Aquilina said, her chestnut brown eyes filled with tears.

Aquilina took in a heavy sigh. “I’m merely just a girl trying to do what is best for her Empire and her family. And you deserve someone whose first thought is not wanting to stab you in the chest every time they see you…You’ve done our Empire great deeds. We were only victorious in the Germanic campaign because of you…so thank you…” Aquilina added, she wanted him to know that she didn’t just have negative feelings toward Marcus since that was far from the truth. Truth was, the feelings she felt towards him were complex.

The more she thought about Marcus the more likable he was. Yes he was responsible for her father’s death but she also knew that her father had it coming. He wasn’t the most liked Emperor and she had long disagreed with many of his actions. Marcus was a patriot and a son of Rome, with his military background he was the perfect Emperor for the citizens. He wasn’t the most popular pick with the Senators since they liked old money and blue blooded Senators, yet he had his allies and she knew that with her backing the Senate would have to listen to him. And most importantly whenever the two were together she felt safe with Marcus. She even had the courage to say what was on her mind, even if that meant yelling at Marcus. Despite all this, she was too fearful to admit that she might have any positive feelings toward General Marcus, the man sitting right across from her at the dining table, the man she’s labeled as responsible for her father's death.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus sat and listened to Aquilina speak. Once she started shedding tears of her own, he couldn't stand to look at her, and he looked at the floor, though he kept listening. Slowly, he felt nub allover as she went on and on. He had practically forced her to say she hated him, but now that she had, he couldn't feel anything anymore. He felt like the shell of a human being. Something was sitting opposite the table from Aquilina, but it wasn't Marcus Tiberius anymore. That person died when his heart was ripped out. Literally, figuratively, emotionally, there wasn't much distinction anymore.

"I see," was all he could muster to say for what seemed like a few minutes. His mind contemplated what to say next, but he felt lost and adrift.

He pushed his plate of food away from himself and took a sip of wine. "I want immunity for Legate Vitallion and Senator Geta. They were only following my lead in the plot to assassinate your father. Nothing would have happened if not for me. I was the leader, the mastermind and the catalyst behind the whole thing. You must speak with Senator Crassus to secure their safety."

"Once you can assure their safety, I'll turn myself in to the Senate and admit I ordered the assassination of the Emperor. And you'll be free to do whatever you want with your life. You're smart, wealthy and beautiful. You shouldn't let your mother or any man define the terms of your life. Myself included."

"They'll probably sentence me to death by gladiatorial combat. People would outright riot if they crucified the Savior of Rome like a common street criminal. Although honestly, you just carried out my sentence right now. I'd rather be dead than live without you. Your words might as well of been the final nail in the cross."

He stood up from the table. "I'm sorry about your father. I truly am. I will regret doing that for the rest of my life. However short, it is. I wish we had met before all this happened."

"Send word by messenger when you've secured the safety of my friends. I'll head to the Forum and make my confession straight after that," he said solemnly.

"Goodbye, Princess." He smiled at her, knowing it was probably the last time he would see her, and turned and headed for the door.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina carefully studied Marcus after her long ramble about how much she detested him. She felt a sigh of relief after she had said all the negative things that had been lurking in her head about the man in front of her. She had kept majority of her feelings toward him bottled inside of her as all she could express was hate. Yet his snide comment about her flirting with Prince Darius and his continued desire to know how she felt about him made her lips loose. Making Marcus believe that she truly detested him, while in truth she barely knew if she liked him or not.

Aquilina had no idea the weight of her words until she heard Marcus speak. She quickly cursed her loose lips and waited for Marcus to stop speaking, her head preoccupied in thinking of the right words to say to try to contain the chaos she had just created.

But before she knew it she saw Marcus stand from the table and say the words,
“Goodbye Princess.”

“Wait, stop!” Aquilina quickly said as she stood up from her own chair. She knew that if she let Marcus leave now that there was a chance that she would never see him again and that was not her intention.

“Please, don’t go.” Aquilina quickly added as she met Marcus’ eyes, her chestnut brown eyes filled with both fear and vulnerability. Her chest rising up and down as she was determined to make the General stay.

“I can’t have you leave without finishing your food. I’ve sent a lot of food back uneaten since you’ve been gone. It even made my mother assume I was carrying your child since I was being picky with my food.” Aquilina said looking down at the marbled floor. She then looked back at Marcus, “And for the first time in months I’m actually hungry…and I’m tired of eating alone.” Aquilina added, admitting for the first time her loneliness. “Portia said that there would be pomegranate and orange sorbet for dessert…if you like sorbets…” Aquilina clumsily added trying her best to persuade the General to stay.


“So…please stay…” Aquilina said again her large brown eyes meeting Marcus’s eyes. Perhaps this was the start of Aquilina being truthful and accepting her romantic feelings towards Marcus and realizing that she does indeed want him in her life.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus was a few steps from the door and had intended not to stop, no matter what she said. But, when she did cry out, he did stop.

“Wait, stop!” she said frantically, standing up. He turned around and their eyes locked again. Something changed in her demeanor. She didn't seem as cold to him as she did before.

“Please, don’t go. I can’t have you leave without finishing your food. I’ve sent a lot of food back uneaten since you’ve been gone. It even made my mother assume I was carrying your child since I was being picky with my food.” She said, “And for the first time in months I’m actually hungry…and I’m tired of eating alone. Portia said that there would be pomegranate and orange sorbet for dessert…if you like sorbets… So…please stay…”

Marcus felt a little bit of life return to himself. She seemed so vulnerable than before, afraid maybe, that something would happen to him. Maybe all his hopeless efforts in winning her heart hadn't been entirely... hopeless.

He smiled at her. "Very well, if you wish." He headed back over and sat at the table. He cut off a piece of the roasted chicken and put it into his mouth, the spices and rub illuminating his tongue. He ate in silence for a few moments before breaking the silence.

"Who taught you how to read and write? For me, it was my aunt. Aunt Paccia. My father's sister. She was wed, but childless. She tended to me while my parents tended to the family business. We would spend the mornings going over the alphabet. Reading and writing. I would get a fruit candy if I finished all my studies. Then we would go down to the hippodrome and watch the racers get their horses ready for the evening," he said, pausing to take another bite of chicken. "In those days, all I wanted was to be one of those men who raced horses. I thought they had everything. To a little boy, they probably did."

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina smiled as Marcus accepted her invitation to stay for dinner. Earlier she had allowed her lips to speak without any consideration as to how Marcus might interpret her words and she never thought he would leave their dinner. She wouldn’t admit at the moment, but she enjoyed his company. At the very least he made her feel protected, at most he made her feel loved and cared for.

Aquilina searched for the right words to explain her earlier outburst. The last thing she wanted was for Marcus and his allies to pay the price for their crime. She knew that even if she asked Senator Crauss immunity for Legate Vitallion and Senator Geta that his promise would be meaningless. Of course Crauss would agree to Aquilina’s request, he was one of her father’s closest friends both privately and publicly and someone Aquilina grew up calling “Uncle”. Yet Crauss was both a manipulative and revengeful man, she wouldn’t trust any promises made by him when it came to the people responsible for her father’s death even if Crauss didn’t always agree with the Emperor. And of course she didn’t want Marcus to go off to the Colosseum. Even with his skills as a soldier, it would be his death warrant. Even if she despised him for being responsible for her father’s demise, she didn’t want death to be the punishment for his crime.

And even so, most of the Senate already knew that Marcus was the one behind Aquilina’s father’s death. But without any hard evidence and no one to ever officially charge him with the crime, Marcus stood as a freed man. No one in the Senate would admit, but most were thankful to Marcus for his act. They saw the aging Emperor in having become overzealous and abusive with his power and thus forcing the Roman Empire into unnecessary wars, spending money that the central government didn’t have, and passing laws that favored the rich yet made majority of the Romans poor and upset. The Senate knew they needed a new leader and talks of assassinating the Emperor had been brought up before. But without a rightful heir to the Caesar throne, no one was up to the task, till Marcus.

Once Aquilina saw Marcus start eating his dinner, Aquilina felt relaxed and started to eat her dinner. She took her fork and started to eat the orzo on the plate with the chicken as she picked at the salad, only eating the greens and vegetables she favored.

She glanced at Marcus who was eating in silence, she waited for him to speak as she still couldn’t find the right words to say. An unexpected smile formed on her lips as Marcus finally spoke, but she couldn’t help but be perplexed by the topic.

Out of all the things the two could talk about, why on Earth would Marcus ask who taught her how to read and write?

“Royal Imperial tutors.” Aquilina quickly replied as Marcus finished speaking. Her tone was condescending, almost harsh, as she still tried to grasp as to why Marcus lead this as their dinner topic. But she took a bite of her chicken as she studied Marcus and realized her response was insufficient. For the first time he had talked about his own childhood, about his family, a topic the two had never openly conversed about. She was curious and wanted to know more, yet for him to open up she knew she would have to divulge information abut her childhood.

“We were never given fruit candy when we finished our studies.” Aquilina said with a gentle smile as she finished the chicken in her mouth, “That was very nice of your aunt to teach you.” Aquilina added, trying to find the peace in her voice again. “I think its a crime for girls not to know how to read and write. I was told once that most families favor the boys in getting an education and at times girls aren’t given the opportunity to a proper education. I would love to…change that..” Aquilina mumbled, she had more ideas regarding the education system but she didn’t think this would be the place to talk about it nor did she think that Marcus would want to hear about it.

“Well I along with the rest of the Empire are very glad that you became a solider and a general instead of a horse racer at the hippodrome.” Aquilina said with a half smile, her voice sounding sincere.

“I mean, I’m sure you would have made an excellent horseman.” Aquilina quickly added, she didn’t want to insult the General anymore. “But…you’ve done far greater good for this Empire as a General. The campaigns you’ve lead in the name of our Empire…for Rome…its not something every horseman can do.” Aquilina added as she unknowingly lovingly looked at Marcus.

She felt her cheeks red and she quickly took a sip of her wine, “If you don’t mind me asking…” Aquilina said carefully, making sure her words were placed carefully as she didn’t want to offend Marcus.

“For a man who knows a lot about my family…” Aquilina said, without adding the tidbit that he even helped orchestrate the death of one and the fact that it was his men that had been guarding hers for the past couple of months. “I know nothing of yours.” Aquilina added. She knew that by now her mother knew all of that there was to know about the Tiberius last name, yet Aquilina was kept in the dark.

“I told you I went to your estate to see if you had any…” Aquilina bit her lips, she didn’t want to bring up the word again, but she had to or at least something similar in meaning, to complete her sentence, “lady companions, but in truth. I wanted to see if I would maybe, perhaps…” Aquilina started to stumble her words, a cue that she was struggling to tell the truth.

“Perhaps I might see someone from your family. I wanted to make sure they were okay…offer them assistance. I didn’t want to snoop around too much but…” Aquilina said as the heat from her cheeks were becoming unbearable again.

“I worry about things…and if we are to be family…I want to make sure they are taken care of.” Aquilina added.

“I thought about sending an invitation to the Palace to your parents, at least your mother or any female relative you might have while you were gone. But…I didn’t think my mother would like it. I heard your family were merchants, was it?” Aquilina said, trying to string together the information she did know about Marcus and his family.

“You do know they are welcome to visit. I would have made the visit myself but…” Aquilina said with a sigh. “Since I’ve been practically placed on house arrest by the Senate, no one lets me outside of the Palace walls.” Her voice obviously annoyed.

“But umm…yes I would like to meet them before the wedding. If thats not too much to ask.” Aquilina said, completely oblivious to the fact that his parents were both deceased. Yet she was allowing herself to know more about Marcus and thus the opportunity, the chance, in having an attachment to him that was more than just an accepted marriage proposal based on the needs of her Empire.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus smiled as Aquilina asked about him. Little by little, she seemed to be dropping the stern demeanor she had with him previously. "I'm afraid there isn't much to say about my family history. It isn't as impressive as yours," he said, tasting the orzo.

"My family was from here in Rome. We were fishermen on the banks of the River Tiber. That's where our family name came from - Tiberius, as far as any one can remember."

"My father and uncle were fishing on the docks one day when they agreed to use their homes to house some fine cloth and fabrics for a trader who can come down from Terni. The trader never return and they sold his goods for a healthy profit. They quit fishing that day and started buying and selling fabrics from the outlying provinces and selling them in Rome for profit."

"By the time I was born, the business was booming. We weren't as wealthy as your family, or the high-born nobles, but we were wealthier than most Romans. My uncle had past away previously, and by the time my father was struck with illness, I was already an officer in the Roman Legion and rising fast. My parents sold the business and retired to Antium, on the coast," Marcus said, pausing a moment to consider. His father had very rapidly been struck with migraine headaches, seizures and fits. The best healers in Rome and the latest techniques in modern medicine like bloodletting were powerless to help his condition. His parents had sold the business with little warning and moved to the warm coastal beaches of Antium so his father could die in peace. He did, only a month later. Marcus had been away, a young Prefect in the Legion, training in Apulum at the time.

"My father passed away after they moved. My mother still lives in Antium. I haven't seen her in years, actually. We'll have to send word to her. I can only imagine what she thinks of the news coming from Rome," Marcus said, considering. "Partly, I have avoided contacting her so the spies of my political enemies don't know where she is."

"I've been so singularly focused on my goals, I haven't been close with my family since I joined the Legion. Plenty of Legates and Generals have wives and families, I didn't think it was fair to take a wife when I could be away for years at a time. Our campaigns against the Greek isles, I think we were away from the homeland for three years, total, including the time there and back. I always thought it would be hard to subject a wife and children to that kind of time away. Though, some tried." And those often ended up with children who were mysteriously born halfway through their trips. Besides, it wasn't like there was a shortage of women while you were at war - but considering Aquilina's reaction last time, Marcus thought it best not to broach the subject again.

"Did you spend much time with your siblings when you were younger? You seem close to your younger ones, but were all of you raised together?" Marcus asked, taking another bite of food afterwards.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina listened to Marcus speak. She scoffed when he said,

"I'm afraid there isn't much to say about my family history. It isn't as impressive as yours,"

Of course it isn’t. Aquilina thought as she bit the inside of her mouth. She was the daughter of a Roman Emperor, the great Caesar bloodline ran through her veins, there was no greater family than hers.

Aquilina was surprised to hear that Marcus’ family started as fishermen and it seemed that their path to wealth was only by chance. She assumed that he was brought up in a military family due to his strong leadership and military background. But it seemed that his greatness as a military man was achieved solely by the actions done by Marcus. A trait she found rather admirable.

When it came to the people Aquilina was associated with, they all had their careers because of their last names, because of who their parents’ knew, because of how much money they were able to pay. Knowing that Marcus made his name as the great General Tiberius all by himself made him even more alluring.

Aquilina carefully listened to Marcus speak about his past and the illness that plagued his father as she slowly started to eat the chicken on her plate. The chicken was moist in her mouth, but it felt dry as he told her that the illness had taken his life and that he had not been in contact with his own mother for years. She found the last tidbit quite unsettling as she was so close with her own mother.

Aquilina took a sip of her wine, as she listened to Marcus speak about his lack of intimacy between his family since he became a solider.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father’s death.” Aquilina said as she watched Marcus eat again, knowing that it was her cue to talk. It was the one thing the two shared in common, both of their father’s no longer existed in this world.

Aquilina gently cocked her head to the side as she pressed her lips together, “But I can’t understand why a man like you, a man who wanted to be Emperor so much, to the point you killed my father., Aquilina said matter of factly with no harshness in her voice. “Why, you haven’t told your mother yet. Do you not think she would be proud that you are to be the next Emperor?” Aquilina asked slightly confused. “I would never force you to do such a thing, yet…she’s your mother.” Aquilina added.

Growing up in the Imperial family, even if the only milk she had ever suckled on was from the Imperial wet-nurse, even if as a child she spent most of her time with the Imperial tutors, even if she despised her mother with her constant manipulative ways and remembers her father as a power-hungry, abusive, disloyal man who had little care for his marriage vows, she was still close with her family. She couldn’t think of a life where she would be incommunicado with her family.

“If your mother is happy in Antium and if you’re worried about her safety then theres no reason to call for her…” Aquilina quickly added, she wasn’t about to dictate Marcus’ life.

She found it odd that Marcus seemed to shun all intimacy, any possibility of a relationship with the opposite sex till now, till he had met Aquilina. She was sure that he had multiple chances with other women previously and his excuse of not wanting to put a wife & child through the stresses of a long absence seemed nonsense.

“Then why now? I mean…why do you think you’re ready now to be with a woman? To marry? I’m sure you had a whole harem full of women wanting to marry you in the years past…you must have had at least couple of serious you know relations here and there…” Aquilina asked and commented, she was allowing her natural curiosity to come out. A trait her mother cursed and her father praised privately, as he knew that was what made her a strong student. Often her father wished that Aquilina was born the superior sex to Roman standards, the male, since he knew that she would made a superb Emperor.

“I get that you need to marry me to become Emperor. But even aside from that…don’t you think it would be unfair to me if you have to go to war again as you did with the past Germanic campaign?” Aquilina asked and then she sighed as she realized she had allowed her tongue to move again without proper consideration.

“I’m sorry…” Aquilina said quickly as she looked down at her food.

“Its just…” Aquilina sighed as she looked into Marcus’ eyes.

“I know that you’re only marrying me for the title of Emperor” She knew Marcus would quickly deny this fact, so she quickly spoke up again. “No matter how many times you tell me you’re marrying me because you’re actually in love with me…it will never matter. You can never be Emperor without me and that’s your goal. I know that, you killed my father for it, you can’t deny it.” Aquilina added, her posh aristocratic accent laced in her speech.

“I never want you to think that you’re forced to marry me.” Aquilina said as she took a sip of her wine. “If you want out this mess, just say it.”

“Being Emperor will not be easy. I assure you the people around me will not make it easy for you. You have the money, both from your family as well as what I’ve offered you from this past campaign. If you want to escape to Antium to be with your mother or wherever I will arrange it for you.” Aquilina said with a smile. Her words weren’t harsh, instead they were of consideration and of worry towards Marcus.

Aquilina wasn’t sure why she kept on trying to push Marcus away from her, it was as if each time she felt Marcus get too close to her she had the need to push him farther away. There was something resting inside of her, a feeling she was not yet ready to confront yet, a fear that she could fall in love with Marcus.

She glanced at Marcus, recalling the question he had just asked.

“Oh and to answer your question…” Aquilina said, as she didn’t want to be rude to her guest. “I spent adequate time with my siblings. We all lived at the Palace.” Aquilina said, taking a bite of her food.

“Unlike you I have a relationship with each of my living family members. I am part of the Imperial Royal family of Rome…they aren’t that many of us.” Aquilina commented.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus smiled at her. "I told you, I am in love with you. And, yes, at first I needed to marry you for my political ambitions, but I fell in love with you because you were the woman I never knew I was looking for. Smart, beautiful, educated, headstrong."

"Besides, don't think all those princes and sons that have been visiting you aren't interested in you for their own political advantage. You're the eldest unwed daughter of the late Emperor. The crown jewel for your family in the game of political machinations," he said with a smirk.

"And, as much as I appreciate the offer, you wouldn't be able to offer me much protection if I tried to resume a normal life, I'm afraid. Whoever the next Emperor would be would surely see me as a threat. Even if they didn't, putting me to death would be an easy way to make friends of my enemies. The only way this ends is if I'm Emperor, or ."

He took another bite of food. "Either that, or I'm dead. That's why I offered to turn myself into the Senate. I'd end up in a prefect's court either way. Besides. I broke Rome when I had your father assassinated. I should be the one to put it back together." He put his fork down and slid his hand across the table, putting his hand over hers. He could feel her soft skin under his heavy calloused hand. The sensation sent tingles up his spine.

"I've started down a path I cannot go back on. Your father is dead, by my order, yes, and I've lost men in my struggles with Senator Fenix over controlling this city. Don't let all that bloodshed be for nothing. I need you to help me create a more perfect Rome. Not just your last name, but I need your mind. Surely, you have ideas on how things should be run. And I have no patience or mind for the political games of the Roman court."

He gazed into her eyes. "And... I need you in my heart. I know I promised that once we were wed and I was Emperor, you could go with your family and live in the Imperial retreat in Sicily, but I want you here, by my side. If we aren't together, not just physically, but emotionally, I don't know what I'd do. I can't imagine doing it without you. I find myself imagining a life together with you," he said sincerely to her.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina raised her brow when Marcus declared his love for her, again. She never understood why a man, a man who barely knew her in her opinion could declare his love for her based on her qualities. Of course with her title, with her being the late Emperor’s eldest unwed daughter and the promise of becoming the next Emperor for the man who weds her, any man would declare his love for her.

Aquilina never knew who was only after the title of Emperor and who actually loved her, who would actually be gentle enough to care for her needs and desires as they become husband and wife, especially on their wedding night. She was very weary about her wedding night and the necessity of consummating her marriage.

Ever since she became a woman, she knew that a man’s virility both prior and even during the marriage was prized in Roman culture. While a woman’s virtue prior to her marriage and then loyalty to her husband was the epitome of the perfect wife. And of course as the Emperor’s daughter, Aquilina was groomed to be the perfect wife for whomever that may be granted the honor of marrying into the Imperial Royal family.

Aquilina kept on eating her food as she felt fully satiated for the first time in almost two months. She never fully understood why she suffered from a lack of appetite during Marcus’ absence. It was easy for her to blame it on the stresses of her father’s death and his subsequent funeral yet she knew it wasn’t a coincidence that her appetite returned with Marcus’ return.

Aquilina saw Marcus slide his hand across the table. Her eyes carefully studied it, as if warning her that he was about to break the lack of touch between the two. Her head told her to move her hand away, to reject his desire for intimacy, yet she allowed his strong calloused hand to touch her soft delicate hands. When his hand touched hers, she thought she would feel repelled by his touch.

Although the touch of a calloused hand was unusual to her, since her own hands never knew the difficulties of hard labor, only the pleasures of playing the cithara, rolling scrolls with her favorite words written on them, and the occasional holding of the horse reins. And of course her hands, along with the rest of her skin was moisturized with the finest jojoba and rose oil in the Empire every night, ensuring Aquilina to always have supple and soft skin.

Aquilina felt no repulsion by Marcus’ touch, yet she wasn’t ready to admit that it felt comfortable, that it felt right. Despite Marcus’ occupation as a General and bearing responsibility for Aquilina’s father’s death, his touches were always gentle, always soothing and brought peace to the overtired Aquilina.

With Marcus’ hand still lingering on to of hers, her chestnut brown eyes staring back into his brown eyes, the tip of her tongue gently wetting her lips, Aquilina started to talk.

“I will never understand why you’re so stubborn about telling me that you love me. Do you even know what love means?” Aquilina asked as she rolled her eyes. Aquilina believed in love, she wanted a romance that would be immortalized in the history books, be told of in plays, and be the epitome of all true love. Her goal in life was to marry for love, not for duty like she was to do in marrying Marcus.

Growing up as a princess in the Imperial Royal family, surrounded by marble pillars, she had a comfortable & luxurious life yet it was boring for the adventure seeking Aquilina. She knew she would never get the chance to travel the world as she so desired, she knew being born into the Caesar bloodline meant that she would always lead a sheltered life. So she craved, she lusted, she needed a love that would be her own adventure, her own fairytale story. And she didn’t think, or more so she refused to admit that the man responsible for her father’s death could be the man of her dreams.

She slowly pulled her hand away from Marcus’ and placed her hand back on her lap, away from the dinner table.

“I’m not an imbecile, I know that any suitor that has ever approached me has wanted my hand in marriage for the reason that I am…a Caesar. I am the late Emperor’s daughter, I am a princess, I am…” Aquilina said as she gently bit the inside of her mouth as she pondered for a second, “I am a woman and due to societal norms I am subjugated to being treated like a second class citizen when it comes to some of my rights…and I know that men only want me for my title, to have access to the great Caesar bloodline, of course I know that…but you’re the only suitor that holds any responsibility, any ties to my father’s death.” Aquilina raised her voice again at the end.

She was taken aback by her own sudden increase in volume and change from bitterness to anger.

“And I assure you that if I tell you can I provide you a safe passage to Antium if that is what you desire, I can…don’t underestimate that power that I have.” Aquilina said raising her right brow and glaring at Marcus. Even though Aquilina grew up in the back-stabbing, manipulative and often corrupt world of politics, she believed and desired for a peaceful Empire, she despised the strained relations she held with Marcus even though he was far from being a saint.

“But…I’m assuming thats the last thing you want.” Aquilina said glancing at Marcus, her tone less strained, less bitter. From what Aquilina knew about Marcus he would prefer going to the Senate and turning himself in for her father’s death and take responsibility for his actions even if that meant his death, than fleeing Rome with her assistance. In her eyes, Marcus was a fighter and a protector, not a coward unable to face his consequences.

Aquilina sighed, letting Marcus know her conflicted state.

“I’ll be honest…” Aquilina said as she allowed herself to stare into Marcus’ eyes, allowing him to read her,

“You’ve given me no reason other than murdering my father to give you any hate. Yet…I’m not sure if I can ever see past that.” Aquilina said disappointingly, her eyes shifted away from Marcus for a second.

“You promise me great things, promise me a life where I can do more than just plan events, accompany you to dinner functions, bear heirs to the throne…to actually have a voice, to have my opinions heard and used for the betterment of my Empire.” Aquilina’s lips plush lips moving carefully, her eyes looking back into Marcus’, “But as I’ve said many times before, words are easy to say, promises are easily made, but rarely are they ever kept.” Aquilina gently sighed, her chest rising high.

“And you talk of matters of the heart as if you’re an expert. But you’re a man whose been with many women…I’ve learned a lot over the years…from watching, from listening to stories, from my sisters’ courtships. You’re a man with great power with many women admiring you, wanting you, desiring you, even more now because you’re the great General Tiberius who defeated the barbarians. And then once you become Emperor more women will want you, actually I’ll want you to have…”

Aquilina hesitated, she wanted to use the word, ‘whores’ but she refrained .

“Mistresses, ladies who will keep you company during the nights. As I said we will consummate the marriage, we will make heirs, but thats all I want to keep our intimacy at…” Aquilina stated, “Thats if we end up marrying.” Aquilina quickly added clarifying her words.

“You might be marrying me for love.” Aquilina said, her voice light and airy, believing that Marcus doesn’t truly love her but only says the words in hopes to seduce her.

“But if I am to choose you, it will only be because I think it is what is best for my Empire, nothing more.” Aquilina commented.

“I’ll assure you that I will only lay in bed with my future husband.” Aquilina said with a sigh, already accepting the fact that she will never fully have the chance to enjoy the act of sexual intercourse. She was curious about it as she had heard tales of great euphoria for both sexes during the intimate act. But now with her marriage partner being someone not out of love or true desire, but because of necessity, despite if she were to marry Marcus or Darius or any other suitor she didn’t expect an absence of adultery from her future husband.

Her father, the late Emperor, had a harem full of girls at his beck and call to keep his bed warm long before Aquilina was born. A marriage for an Emperor was never out of love, but always out of necessity. With love and true romance being absent from a marriage, as Aquilina expected her marriage to Marcus or any of her other suitors, she knew would have to accept a less than desirable private life when it came to her marriage.

Of course in the public they would play the perfect couple, the perfect Imperial couple out to save the Empire, out to keep the Empire in peace. But privately, she had already accepted a life of quiet or perhaps solo dinners, lonely nights where they only spend at most an hour together in bed just to ensure offsprings and soon afterwards she would leave the bed so she could sleep in peace and he could continue the night with any woman he desires.

Her only solace would be that if she did marry Marcus at least he had promised her a life where she wouldn’t be cast aside as “just the late Emperor’s daughter”, as just the beautiful woman accompanying the new Emperor. Marcus assured her that she would be given the opportunity to voice her thoughts, her opinions and have them be enacted upon the Empire.

But were his words enough for Aquilina? Words she refused to trust, enough for her to go along with their wedding?

She wasn’t sure.

“Whomever my future husband may be…” Aquilina said as she raised her brow. She had to admit, she liked having power over Marcus, she knew that the thought of Aquilina marrying another man drove Marcus to a tizzy. Despite enjoying the thrill of having power over a powerful man, she had no intention of discrediting her acceptance of Marcus’ wedding proposal.

Yet going along with marrying the man known to be responsible for her father’s demise, even if this knowledge was only to a select few, wasn’t something she was comfortable with…not when she had the possibility of being happy with another man who could offer her and her Empire both land, money and most importantly a stronger alliance with a foreign country. Without having a reason that her marriage had to be with Marcus, she had no plans in putting up a fight with her mother and political advisors in the event it be deemed that General Marcus Tiberius was the wrong match for her marriage. Aquilina knew very well that both her family and her Empire’s wellbeing and future were dependent on who she married.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

When Aquilina pulled her hand back, Marcus felt a void. Not only under his hand, under his skin the physical sense, but he felt a void somewhere else. Every time she rebuffed his advances, even slightly, or raised her voice to him, or questioned his intentions, he felt like he was shrinking smaller and smaller.

He yanked his hand back from her side of the table and helped himself to another sip of wine while he listened to her questions. “First of all, you’re right. I’ve done a lot of bad things. I wish I hadn’t ordered your father assassinated. The thought of you unhappy is almost more than I can bear. Even if you had never met me, I wish I hadn’t taken him away from you. But, if I can’t make our Empire a better place as Emperor, then I want to face punishment for my crimes. Like a man, and on my feet, not running like a coward.”

“And, I promise again, ordering his death was the last time I will ever, ever, hurt you. I’m not a poet so I can’t express the words for it. It’s like a force in my mind, pushing against the inadequacy of my mouth in trying to express how I feel about you. I don’t want any other woman but you. I can’t imagine life with any other woman but you. I knew the moment I saw you that you were, something special. You weren’t afraid of me. You’re headstrong and smart, plus beautiful. If you want to marry me, it should be because you want to. Not just for political reasons, although I want you to rule the Empire with me. Some one as special as you should marry for love,”

Marcus sighed and reached around and starched the back of his head. “And, I wish I could go back in time and live in a world where I didn’t order your father killed, or I wish I had a year to spend courting you. Going with you to the beach, spending afternoons outside on a blanket drinking wine, counting to the stars together. Falling in love the way people are supposed to. But…” he paused and took another sip of wine. His cup was getting empty.

“An interregnum is unstable by definition. The Empire was already shaky as it was before your father’s death. The barbarian sneak attack will be just the start. Our spies in Tucsan say that Pido is planning something again, now that the action against the Barbarians is over. We’ll know more when a messenger arrives in a few days from Florentia.” Marcus sighed, rubbing his forehead.

He had, for the most part dealt with the threats from Senator Fenix, here in the city. And, the external threat of the Barbarians had been dealt with, chasing the cavemen back to their holes. They wouldn’t be a threat to Rome again for another 200 years. But, Pido wasn’t really internal or external. Florentia was a few days horseride from Rome, but still in the Empire. Pido wasn’t involved in the daily politics of the Imperial Palace or the Senate. Yet, the governor of a province that was mostly nothing more than olive fields and vineyards had the gall to challenge for the throne. And Aqulina – don’t forget about the wedding proposal, Marcus told himself. He would probably make himself Emperor and take her in bed whether she wanted it or not.

Marcus strongly wanted to nail Pido to a cross if he came within a stone’s throw of Rome. But, Senator Geta, his ally in the Senate, had cautioned tact when dealing with Pido. The Romans outside of Rome valued their independence from the central government (or the appearance of independence from the central government) and Geta warned that sending an army, unprovoked, from Rome to dethrone a governor could make things worse in other provinces. Geta had also asked, in return for cooperating with Marcus’ scheme to become Emperor, that he be named governor of Siciliy, the sunkissed island to the south. Marcus partially wondered if Geta was trying to set a precedent, should they have future deals as provincial governor and Emperor.

Marcus continued, “Besides, there’s always the threats of foreign powers. We need a ruler, now, more than ever. And, I hate to say it but we need to wed sooner, rather than later. Unless you’re planning to wed someone else…” he trailed off. Again, he felt sad even thinking about the possibility.

“If you do decide to wed someone else, then all I ask is some warning. And arrangements for my friends to be spared in return for my life. But, if your acceptance of my proposal still stands, then we should get to it soon. Within the week. I’d appreciate it if you managed the arrangements. I intend to pick your brain for more than party plans once we rule, but in this case, I don’t think you want me planning the wedding,” Marcus said with a sly smirk.

 

[summergal21]

“But if I can’t make our Empire a better place as Emperor, then I want to face punishment for my crimes. Like a man, and on my feet, not running like a coward.”

When Aquilina heard Marcus say those words, a slight smirk appeared on her face. She assumed this would be his reply. She never thought he would take her offer and run to Antium where his mother resided. Marcus was a bold man, he was the one that planned and ordered the assassination of the late Emperor not a man that would run away to his mother when he found himself in trouble.

Aquilina couldn’t help but roll her eyes when Marcus promised her that ordering her father’s death would be the last time he would ever hurt her. From a young age Aqulina learned that promises were easily made yet were rarely ever kept. She wanted to believe Marcus’ words, yet she refused to trust him, he gave her no reason to trust him.

Although she wasn’t sure what else Marcus could do that would enact such great pain to her than killing her father and taking away her opportunity for a fairytale love story. Aquilina knew her bachelorette days were coming to a close even before Marcus had placed her in the position of letting go of her love story. She wanted a proper courtship, like the one Marcus talked about…spending sunny days together at the beach, chasing the waves together, enjoying an afternoon together drinking the best wine in the Empire conversing whatever lingered on their minds, looking up at the night sky and admiring the work of the gods…

Aquilina glanced at Marcus, she wondered if she could imagine herself happy with Marcus. If she could ever see him aside from the man that ordered her father’s assassination.

Aquilina was afraid to answer her own question, she worried that her female brain would be swayed easily by the perfect words Marcus promised her…Aquilina felt it necessary that to honor her father, to honor her heritage as a Caesar, as the late Emperor’s daughter it was her duty to always despise Marcus, the man responsible for her father’s death. If she did marry Marcus and the union resulted in heirs- what would she tell her own children if they asked about their grandfather?

Would she be able to tell them the truth? She would never want to lie to her own children, but telling them truth, that their own father had a hand in the death of their mother’s father, is that something Aquilina would ever be able to them? Is marrying Marcus truly the right thing to do for her Empire? Could it be possibly dishonoring her father, her family if she married Marcus? These questions ran through her head as Marcus kept on talking.

When it was time for Aquilina to start talking she first finished the food on her plate, making a plate spotless for the first time in months. Aquilina was relieved to have her appetite back as she knew her lack of appetite had worried Portia and even her mother. Aquilina took a sip of her wine, used her cloth napkin to wipe off any remaining food or wine on her lips carefully and then glanced at Marcus.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I really don’t want to hear about you making me promises. Promises are easy to make but to actually keep them are impossible. I would rather not be even given the false hope than live in a pretend fairy tale and hope for the impossible.” Aquilina added, her voice had a hint of bitterness.

“And would you please stop with the words of flattery about me?” Aquilina said with a sigh, “They are unnecessary.” She said as she gently shook her head from side to side.

“And I know I should be given the right to marry for love…” Aquilina said with a heavy sigh, “But that right was taken away from me when you killed off my father making it a necessity for me to marry right away since…” Aquilina adds with a heavy sigh, “We don’t exactly have an Emperor right now in Rome.” Aquilina comments half sarcastically, half placing the blame of Marcus.

“And I know that the Empire was shaky prior to my father’s death…” Aquilina commented, she wanted Marcus to know that she wasn’t one of those princesses who lived obliviously or naively when it came to everything outside of their own private life.

“And for the last time stop showering me with compliments when you barely know me.” Aquilina added, her voice rising but her tone not in anger, she was clearly frustrated with Marcus but not angry with him as she was earlier at dinner.

“I can take honesty, but I refuse to be with someone who spins fables around me…” Aquilina added.

“And I understand the necessity of formally implementing an Emperor on the throne…” Aquilina commented. “Its truly a pity that I can’t just take my father’s title and become Empress.” Aquilina said as she sighed loudly.

“I might be just a woman, but I intend to keep my word in accepting your proposal.” Her voice was calm and steady.

“But…you need to remember that when you marry me…you’re not just marrying…me…” Aquilina said carefully, enunciating every word in her sentence. “My marriage is my family’s only hope for their safety and the Roman Empire’s hope for stability and a prosperous future. Do you, General Tiberius a man who grew up outside of politics, a man whose family only came to wealth through chance, a man who fought courageously in many campaigns yet…ordered to take my father’s life when he was most vulnerable…really the man to become Emperor?”

A heavy sigh left her lips as she finished her words, “I will have my ladies plan the wedding, do whatever is needed to ensure that our Empire is with a proper leader as soon as possible…I will do my part. Believe me, I will not let my heart dictate this matter…” Aquilina said as she rolled her eyes, cursing her duty to her Empire.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus finished his meal about the same time Aquilina did. He put his utensils down and sat back in his chair and crossed his hands in front of his face, and looked at her intently while she talked. When she had finished, Marcus cleared his throat and started. “Princess, I have never broken a promise to anybody of my word. I’m not a slimy politician. I’m a soldier and a man of action. When I say something, I mean. Every promise, every commitment, every oath-…” he trailed off.

When he had become an officer of the Roman Legions, he had sworn the Sacramentum Militare – an oath of loyalty to the Emperor. The one he later ordered killed. The language of the oath said that if broken, the oathbreaker faced the negative will of the Gods and Roman judicial punishment. He wasn’t religious, but couldn’t help wonder if being falling hopelessly in love with a woman who despised him was some sort of punishment from a higher power. He swallowed hard. “Well, there was one oath I broke.” He couldn’t think of anything to say, letting a pregnant silence hang in the air. “Which I’ve said I wish I could take back. But other than that, I have never broken any oath, promise of commitment to anybody.”

“And I think you’d make a great Empress. You’re kind and considerate. You have the temperament for it. But, I don’t have to tell you the Senate would never accept it. Women can’t even vote or hold political office in the Empire by law. I’m afraid if you tried installing yourself as Empress it would just lead to more instability throughout the Empire. This is why I want you by my side, not to move with your family and sit on some beach 250 miles away. I need your council, a constant voice in my ear, a check in my power. I want you to be my co-ruler. You’ll be a true Empress in name, not just a title given to the Emperor’s wife,” Marcus explained.

“And…” he looked down and stared at his finger nails. He felt like such a needy, desperate child begging for her affection. But, he knew he needed her. He felt like he spent almost every waking moment thinking about her. “I know you don’t believe me, but I feel quite strongly about you. I wish there was something to do to convince you of this.”

He looked up at saw out the window behind Aquilina. It was dark outside. Moonlight illuminated the horizon. “It’s getting late,” he said. “I should be off. I have meetings with my allies in the Senate tomorrow morning.” He stood up from the table and walked around to stand over her. He bent over and leaned into her, gently kissing her on the cheek. A bit of daring, but if the damned Persian got to kiss her, so he did, he reckoned.

He stood back up. “I’ll be in touch. Send word to my estate or my legion’s command tent outside of the city if you need anything. Somebody will find a way to get ahold of me and I’ll come at once. Good night…” he stopped himself. He wanted to say my love, but she seemed infuriated by his displays of affection, “…princess.”

He gave her a slight bow and headed out of the room, his sandals flapping on the marble floor as he walked.

~~~~

Three days later, with the sun at high noon, he head out from his command tent on horseback and headed for the Imperial Palace. Four men sworn to him, not the Imperial family, now guarded the front gate instead of the only two that were there before. Seeing the show of force outside the Palace made him feel cruel. He was certain that any other rival for the throne would marry Aquilina by force and force themselves on her in the bedroom in an attempt to produce an heir and solidify their claim to the throne even more with a son who was half-Caesar.

Part of him felt like he was protecting Aquilina, because he never intended to do anything to her physically that she didn’t want. She had conceded conjugal visits to him (her words), but he didn’t intend to press the issue with her. He didn’t want to be with her unless she loved him (a likelihood that seemed less possible every time he saw her), and knew that his rivals wouldn’t be so courteous. But as he approached the gate, and saw his spearmen guarding the front gate, keeping Aquilina, her mother and her siblings inside, he wondered if he was any better than the politicians who were plotting for the throne themselves. The Imperial Palace had become the world’s most expensive prison.

The more he thought about it, the more it worried him internally, but he needed to be strong externally to everyone around him. Legate Vitallion and Senator Geta had put their lives on the line by helping his attempt to become Emperor, they didn’t need to see the man they risked their lives for wavering. And although he admitted remorse in even starting this, he didn’t want Aquilina to see any cracks in his resolve to become a better Emperor than her father.

His men stood at attention and gave a formal Roman salute as he approached. Marcus returned the salute, and they opened the gate for him. Once open, he rode his horse up the palace and got off. His golden chestplate had been cleaned and polished since his return to Rome. It shimmered in the sun, and covered up his red toga he wore under his armor. His sword swung from his hips.

Once inside the Palace, he asked to see Aquilina, and a servant agreed and led him to her room. He knocked on the marble doorframe before entering. “Hello?” he called out, hoping she was decent.

“Hello, my…. Princess,” he said. “I have news from Tuscany. Our fears were confirmed, Governor Pido is again training his Legions, and it looks like he intends to march on Rome. To ‘rescue’ you from me, and then marry you himself, as far as we can tell. He has a knack for rooting out our spies, so were aren’t positive,” Marcus explained.

“But, the idea struck me that we could invite him to the wedding. I don’t think he’ll refuse an opportunity to attend something that’s being attended by everybody in the Roman power circles. Then, maybe we can find out his true intentions. But, I think the invitation should come from you, by your hand. If I write it, he might think I intend to harm him or something. From you, maybe he’ll let his imagination wonder and start to wonder about your true intentions,” Marcus said. Am I entirely sure of her true intentions? he thought to himself. “Of course, it’s up to you.”

 

[summergal21]

I need your council, a constant voice in my ear, a check in my power. I want you to be my co-ruler. You’ll be a true Empress in name, not just a title given to the Emperor’s wife”

“I know you don’t believe me, but I feel quite strongly about you.”

Marcus’s words replayed in her ear ever since the two had dinner on the eve of his return from his victorious Germanic campaign.

She was most surprised by the kiss he placed on her cheek. Since the arrival of the many suitors during Marcus’ absence, she had exchanged several kisses on the hand and some were bold enough to attempt to kiss her on the cheek which she always rejected. Prince Darius was the first man, next to Marcus she had openly kissed on the cheek who had hopes to marry her. She was still unsure of what a kiss meant, whether it was on the cheek or on the lips. But she knew that when Marcus kissed her on the cheek on the eve of his return, Aquilina wasn’t upset, she wasn’t revolted at the touch of his lips, instead she felt protected and comforted.

The two had already shared a kiss on the lips prior to his departure in confronting the barbarians. The kiss on the lips was most unexpected to Aquilina who had never been kissed in her life prior to Marcus. She thought she would be revolted by the outward affection by Marcus, possibly even slap him across the face. Yet instead she was intrigued by it, the kiss wasn’t Marcus placing a possession over her or trying to force her into marrying him. Instead that kiss was gentle, soft and most importantly well received by Aquilina’s lips. She would never tell a soul but she was longing to feel Marcus’ lips on hers again. Despite her constant rebuttal to Marcus’s words of affection, she always felt protected in his presence. And whenever he initiated any physical contact instead of rejecting right from the start, she always allowed it to occur and despite her initial desire to feel disgusted by it…she never was and instead she always felt comforted.

The morning after her dinner with Marcus, Aquilina assumed Prince Darius would call for her again. When Darius asked her if he would be welcomed for a second visit, she not only confirmed it with words but showed it by placing a kiss on his cheek. Despite the rashness of that action, which rooted from her desire to make Marcus jealous she had enjoyed his company and looked forward in spending more time with him. From Aquilina’s naive view of Darius, even though a marriage between the two was unlikely she hoped to keep him as a friend.

Aquilina had Porcia dress her in a lavender hue stola and a dark purple palla. She also had a pearl brooch fasten her ensemble together. She wanted to look as regal as possible for her royal counterpart. But it was useless as her guest never arrived. Her mind ran through several scenarios for the reason to his absence. It seemed most likely in Aquilina’s mind that as a Prince of Persia his schedule was not always in his control (like hers). It seemed highly unlikely that Darius would purposely not show up to the palace after the enjoyable afternoon the two shared the day before.

Unless…word had gotten to Darius that Aquilina had renewed her intention in marrying Marcus. But Aquilina had never officially made a statement to Marcus nor anyone else regarding who she intended to marry. She herself was unsure…she truly enjoyed the time she spent with Darius. She knew his royal blood and his wealth was favorable to her mother and would be beneficial to her Empire.

But her original engagement was with Marcus, would she not be a disloyal, dishonorable Roman if she didn’t go along with her word? Marcus was the perfect candidate for the role of Emperor, he was a man of the people and well liked by them, the people saw him as a victorious and the courageous General who would do anything for his Empire, he had lead victoriously in several campaigns which gave him credibility to many of the Senators. He as far as Aquilina knew didn’t have any big scandals that made him hated by anyone…other than the fact he was responsible for her father’s assassination.

Aquilina hoped that Darius would visit the next day, but again, she spent the day alone and without any other visitor which she found very odd. Knowing her mother she assumed their would be other suitors vying for Aquilina’s hand in marriage despite the fact Marcus had returned from his campaign. Even if word had gotten to her mother that she enjoyed spending time with Darius, the fact that he was a foreign prince, which was a perk, yet a curse as Marcus pointed out that would cause chaos in the Forum as the Senators would never agree to place a foreign prince on the Emperor’s throne, Aquilina’s mother would want her eldest (still) unwed daughter to meet as many possible bachelors as possible as the Empress detested Marcus.

In many ways the only reason why the Empress was still breathing and had not taken her own life due to the grief of losing her own husband, was because she was driven to not have Aquilina marry Marcus. The Empress didn’t see Marcus as suitable for the role of Emperor and especially as the husband for her best pawn, Aquilina. She wanted someone with royal ties, aristocratic blood, not a man who was born as a commoner.

Aquilina was very curious as to why there were no visitors, there were moments when she even thought about writing to Marcus, in hopes to have some company. Yet she didn’t want to seem needy nor did she want Marcus to think that she thought favorably of him.

Aquilina finally solved the mystery to the absence of any potential suitors as well as Prince Darius’ return to the Palace when her mother came to visit her part of the Palace on the eve of the second night after Marcus had returned from his campaign. Aquilina’s mother, the Empress, generally kept herself to her part of the Palace, which was comforting to Aquilina as she was never close to her mother. Thus the unexpected visit from her mother was unwelcome and made Aquilina know that something was not right.

“Aquilina, what on earth did you tell General Marcus Tiberius?!” Her mother shrieked at her as she entered Aquilina’s bedrrom where Aquilina was having her hair braided by Portia as she was getting prepared for bed.

“I told him nothing…” Aquilina replied carefully as she glanced at her mother.

“Did you know that there we now have four guards guarding the Palace, all General Tiberius’ men and they aren’t letting anyone in this Palace?” The Empress said annoyed and frustrated.

Aquilina breathed heavily through her nose, “I was not aware of that…” Aquilina quickly replied.

“We are prisoners in our own Palace.” The Empress added.

That was one thing she agreed with her mother on, she despised feeling like a prisoner in her own palace and was annoyed in her own way with Marcus in adding more guards to the Palace. She knew Marcus wasn’t happy with the visiting of potential suitors, especially Prince Darius the other day and by adding more guards to the Palace this gave Marcus full control of who could visit and who were to be kept out of the Palace.

“Prince Darius supposedly tried to visit the other day, but he wasn’t allowed in…”
The Empress continued to mumble of her frustrations.

Aquilina rolled her eyes, she knew that unless there was a reason for Prince Darius not to visit her he would have returned back to the Palace, they spent a pleasant afternoon together. Now that he as well as no other potential suitor had the ability to visit the Palace, it was as if saying that the Palace and the Imperial family all belonged to the hands of General Marcus Tiberius. Most importantly, sending a sign to everyone in Rome and other nations that the eldest unwed daughter of the late Emperor was not, available to meet any potential suitors, she was indeed engaged to be married to General Marcus Tiberius.

Aquilina instinct was to be furious and upset at Marcus, yet as she thought more about it, her anger was replaced with…indifference.

When Marcus came to visit her the next day, she was at her desk in her room. A lavender hue stola was wrapped around her body, but she lacked a palla as she didn’t expect any guests. A single braid was placed at the crown of her head and then the rest of her long light brown hair flowed freely past her breasts. A pair of pearl earrings rested on her ears and her gold bracelets, along with the ruby ring once gifted to her by her father rested on her ring finger. Aquilina was without the ring she had chosen as her engagement ring. She was penning a letter to her sister in Persia, Maxilmilana. Aquilina still held her pen when Marcus entered the room and just glanced at him, acknowledging his presence, with her eyes mainly on her paper as she stayed sitting at her desk.

Aquilina furrowed her brows as she listened to Marcus speak. At the moment she wasn’t interested in politics, or she had become indifferent to the world around her as she was annoyed in having people around her attempt to control her every move.

“If that is what you wish, I will write a letter to Governor Pido…although I don’t know if he will attend our wedding…he still might be bitter that I rejected his proposal.” Aquilina replied, her tone was cold and she made sure her voice was full of pomp and her thick aristocratic accent was laced in her speech.

She then sighed loudly, “Oh and I thought being placed under house arrest by the Senators would be the worst thing possible, of course they said it was for my safety…but now you’ve made it so that no one can come visit the palace unless they’ve been approved by you.” Aquilina commented her voice on the border of sarcasm and frustration.

“I was supposed to spend more time with Prince Darius but your men have kept him out and supposedly my mother had other men she wanted me to meet…” Aquilina’s voice was bitter but the bitterness wasn’t toward Marcus, it was toward her mother.

“I appreciate the protection.” Aquilina added, half lying half telling the truth. “But I’m not sure how killing me will be any beneficial to the Empire.” Aquilina said as she looked into Marcus’ eyes, “Not everyone liked my father, we all know that…but I’m well liked by everyone around here.” Aquilina said looking around her room. “There are enough people inside the Palace that will protect me, your men are unnecessary.” Aquilina replied.

“I wasn’t even allowed to go outside to our fields out back yesterday…I wanted to ride the horse Prince Darius gifted me…but no…I was told it would be dangerous. I’ll tell you what is dangerous…a princess who has been stuck inside the palace walls for two whole months…you’re lucky I love my Empire enough that I haven’t thought of a plan to escape this prison…” Aquilina muttered the last words. She had never expected herself to call her home, the Imperial Palace a prison, but ever since her father’s assassination and then Marcus’ departure to fight the barbarians Aquilina had been kept safely away in the Palace walls.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus sighed when the conversation went south and stared at his feet. He watched his stubby toes through his sandals. He had hoped for a normal conversation with Aquilina. At first, she had been so shy and reserved around him. Then, she had been openly hostile. He threw himself on her mercy and had offered to condemn himself to either the cross or the life of a slave-gladiator and she seemed to accept his humility and open up a little to him. He had hoped that today, this conversation would be completely normal between them, without any hostility, or, dare he think, maybe even with hints of lovingness.

“I apologize, Aquilina. I really am sorry. I made the decision at the height of my… frustration when I heard about you and the Persian. But, you know I….” he started to say he did it to keep her mother from bringing other suitors in, but realized that was obvious. He wanted to keep her from other men, but realized he would have to trust her. She still seemed like she wanted to accept his proposal, and he decided that he didn’t want to start his Emperorship by keeping women and children under guard.

He came honest with her. “I, uh. Well, I’m embarrassed by ordering that. I didn’t realize until just now. I’ll send them away when I leave. But, I don’t…” he scratched his hair and struggled for what to say.

“You were right, the other night. I guess I don’t love you. It’s been a while since I felt this way about anyone and I guess I feel like a school boy again,” he explained. “I am infatuated, or whatever you want to call it. I have strong feelings for you, this isn’t just a political maneuver for me anymore. And I know you don’t love me, in fact, you’ve voiced quite the opposite most of the time, but I just can’t tolerate the idea of another man seeing you, or touching you. When I saw you kiss that Persian, I felt a moment of pure jealous, like he was stealing your affections from me,” Marcus said, struggling to explain. He felt so exposed to her right now.

“I know I have no right to claim you like that, especially when you have made it clear you are accepting my proposal with the least amount of enthusiasm possible. I’m sorry, and I’ll send the men away as soon as I leave. It’s not the kind of way I wanted to start our life together. It’s not the kind of life I want to have together.”

He brought the subject back on topic with what he had originally intended to discuss with her. “As for Pido, I’m sure he will attend. Aside from being the Roman political event of the century, with everybody who’s anybody in attendance, men have a way of hoping they’re still in contention for a woman’s heart, even when they’ve been told otherwise,” Marcus said to her with a sly grin, then chuckled to himself as he again looked at his feet and realized the same could be said about the way he feels about Aquilina.

“I’ve made arrangements for my mother to arrive. Her letter seemed, nervous. I don’t think she’s ready for what I’m trying to do. Becoming Emperor and all. But, I’ve promised to arrange for her safety. She’s being brought to Rome under full guard. And back to Antium, if she wants it. I may have to think up a more permanent security solution once she’s the mother of the Emperor.”

“How are the rest of the wedding plans? Going well, I hope,” Marcus said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been involved in any of the arrangements. My good will from the Senate following the barbarian conflict is starting to wear thin. Trying to run the Empire without being Emperor is becoming tiring.”

Immediately after the assassination of the Emperor, Marcus declared himself Protector of the Empire and seized control for himself. Immediately from the start, starting with Senator Fenix, there were challenges to his authority as he tried to keep the Empire running smoothly, replacing the Emperor’s central authority with his own. But, the bureaucracy of Rome wasn’t set up to take orders from a Legion General in a command tent outside of Rome, so commands to far away provinces and territories were often ignored, or responses delayed. Tending to an Emperor-less Empire had become a full-time job for Marcus and most of his day consisted of reading and sending messages when he wanted to be here, spending time with Aquilina.

 

[summergal21]

Aquilina listened to Marcus’ words, she despised that her head wasn’t covered with her palla. But with her knowledge that no guests were allowed to enter into the Palace, unless they were approved by Marcus she didn’t think anyone would be visiting her, not even the always busy Marcus.The only men that had ever seen her without a palla were family members, even then it was very rare for Aquilina to not have her head covered. Her palla was far from being able to hide from the constant public peering eyes and her mother’s constant glaring looks, but it at least allowed her to keep an aura of mystery from everyone else.

Aquilina stayed sitting at her desk, she had no desire to put in the effort to stand up for Marcus no to offer the comfort of sitting for him. She did carefully study him as he spoke. She used a portion of papyrus that she had used to practice her penmanship prior to penning her letter and Aquilina had sketched Marcus with a general depiction of his face. It was a rough sketch, with primarily focusing on Marcus’ golden chest plate and his sword, along with the folds of his toga.

Not many knew, even in her family, but Aquilina was a keen artist. A hobby she took up during the many days and at times months she spent cooped up in the palace walls. One day she found herself sketching an outline of a pottery in one of her sitting rooms which then lead to sketching other things around the palace, still life, the marble columns and haughty architecture of the place, fruits, her collection of jewelry.

She later graduated to sketching people, she got her start from sketching her guards and Portia. When she was really in need of subjects to sketch she would sketch the other servants of the Palace doing their daily tasks- cleaning and folding the multicolored silk palla and stolas, the kitchen servants making the daily meals, the gardeners trimming the shrubberies.

She enjoyed sketching her family members, her father the late Emperor always looked regal and strong, her younger siblings were always happy, even her mother on occasion looked cheery, especially when she was accompanied by her husband, the late Emperor.

Nevertheless Aquilina knew that the cheeriness her mother emulated in public was always only for the public, only to show the image of a happily married Imperial Royal couple. Aquilina’s desire to marry for love was because she refused to be in a sham marriage like her parents. But now with her duty to her Empire she had no choice but to marry not for love but for what is best for her beloved Rome. Aquilina glanced at Marcus and she allowed herself to think about the future they would have together as the Imperial couple. They would perpetuate to the public a happy and united front, with Aquilina always smiling and laughing with Marcus always on her side….yet in private she would be alone and isolated while he would have his own harem full of beautiful woman, all readily available to pleasure and please him at his beck and call.

Aquilina scoffed at Marcus' apology. She didn’t expect for his apology to have any weight to it. He did as he pleased and she was sure he did not actually care about her feelings or her annoyance in this whole situation.

Yet…something seemed odd as he kept on talking,there was a long pause in his speech and he stumbled with his words. He even admitted he was embarrassed with his decision and scratched his head.

Aquilina gently shook her head.

“You’re going to be Emperor. Once you make a choice, stand by it, don’t ever apologize. The last thing you want to be is embarrassed.” Aquilina told Marcus, scoffing at the end of her sentence.

Aquilina then breathed heavily and put her pen down. “And anyway…” She gently bit the inside of her mouth as she decided to be honest with Marcus. “I didn’t mind it too much…but my mother, the Empress is very upset about it. You really shouldn’t give her anymore reason to despise you.” Aquilina said carefully. She would have liked to see Prince Darius again, yet it was mainly because she was feeling lonely in the Palace. She had no desire to meet any new suitor and for her siblings sake, she liked having the palace fortified with guards.

“Although I thought it was too much that they wouldn’t allow me to go out in the fields out back. I’ve been cooped up in the palace for about two months, I would like to go out, be able to stretch my legs..if that is alright with you.” Aquilina said looking at Marcus, she despised that she had to ask the man responsible for her father’s demise permission to leave the palace, yet without his approval she was a prisoner in her own place.

She furrowed her brows when Marcus told her that he wasn’t in love with her, that he was merely infatuated with her…she wasn’t sure if this made her feel better or it made her feel worse but her lips quickly snarled as she spoke, “Well if you are merely infatuated with me…” Aquilina paused for a moment her right eyebrow raised, and now relaxed, “Then doesn’t infatuation wear off eventually?” Aquilina gently shook her head.

Something about having Marcus take back his word about loving her, hurt Aquilina even though she had argued with him so many times that it was impossible for him to love her. Since Marcus had entered into Aquilina’s life she was experiencing all these emotions for the first time which made her raw and vulnerable, a feeling she detested.

“And you were supposed to feel jealously when I kissed Prince Darius.” Aquilina bluntly admitted to Marcus. Her lips spoke before her head was able to process what she actually said, she waited at first, unsure if she said the right thing but it was too late for her to try to change the subject.

“But I don’t really care…” Aquilina replied coldly. “You will have your harem, so at least let me enjoy what I can…as I will never enjoy your touch.” Aquilina’s words were bitter yet there were far from the truth, which she refused to admit.

“And of course you have no right to claim me. I am Aquilina Caesar, the daughter of a great Roman Emperor. You are only getting to the throne because of me…do not EVER forget that.” Aquilina’s hand had turned into fists.

Aquilina heard her own voice and saw Portia from the corner of her eye, who looked shocked at the rise of her voice. Aquilina did not want to start a fight with Marcus, she was tired of arguing with him. By now she just wanted the wedding done and over with, Marcus crowned as Emperor and bring stability and peace to her beloved Empire.

“Your men are fine.” Aquilina trying to find the peace in her voice. “They shall stay where they are…but I would like to be able to go out in the back fields…or do I need to be accompanied by you for that?” She asked raising her right brow. A heavy sigh left Aquilina’s lips as she gently wetted her lips.

“Then I shall write a letter to Senator Pido, but as I said I don’t think he thinks of me highly. I did slap him when he tried to kiss me.” Aquilina said as she gently shrugged her right shoulder.

Senator Pido was very insistent in winning over Aquilina’s affection and attempted to kiss her couple of times on the cheek, she was able to maneuver away from many of them, accepted one but when he tried to kiss her on the lips she instinctively slapped him across the cheek. The incident became talk in between the Palace walls and Aquilina got a very long lecture from her mother in how to properly to interact with male suitors. Her father, the late Emperor, on the other hand thought it quite amusing and even proudly told the story to his friends in the Senate.

A small smile did form on Aquilina’s lips when Marcus spoke about his mother. Aquilina had been very curious about Marcus’ family and even went to the trouble to visit his estate in hopes to meet a family member during his absence. She wasn’t sure what she would talk about with Marcus’ mother, but she was very intrigued and wanted to meet her.

“Well I wish your mother safe and happy travels to Rome. I can’t allow the usage of our Imperial guards when she comes to Rome…but if she chooses to return back to Antium, then you will have the means to use the Imperial Army and guards to your liking as well…you could then use our emblem, or have a flag or what not with the…aquila or with our phrase, the Senate and People of Rome…whichever you prefer. It might cause people to stare…but people don’t bother Imperial family…unless that is they want to assassinate the Emperor so they can be Emperor themselves…” Aquilina said with a scoff as she glanced at Marcus.

“If she decides to stay here, in the city then I’m sure we can think of something. The Palace has many wings. I really would rather have my mother and siblings in Sicily rather than here once we’re married. If your mother would like to stay here…I wouldn’t mind it. We could always find her a place in the city as well.” Aquilina added. Her predicament with Marcus had nothing to do with Marcus’ mother, more so it seems she’s worried if he could take on the task, thus it would Aquilina’s duty to make sure she would be comfortable in becoming an Emperor’s mother.

“Wedding plans?” Aquilina gave a cynical chuckle. “I’ve only been involved in the wedding dress…I’m sure theres some kind of Imperial Royal wedding template that we always follow or something…no one has really told me anything and I haven’t really asked.” Aquilina replied, her voice showing zero interest in what should be one of the happiest days in her life.

“My mother has been planning all of that. She knows that we need a new Emperor soon, so don’t worry she’s quite the excellent party planner. I would say the best in the Empire.” Aquilina said with a gentle scoff. A part of her wondered when she had become so cynical and indifferent about her own wedding. If her partner was someone she was hopelessly in love with, she was sure she would be planning every single detail of the wedding, from the flowers, to the food, to the fabrics that would be draped along the marble…yet she currently had no interest in her wedding with General Marcus Tiberius.

“Maybe you should have thought about things more before you planned to assassinate the Emperor and marry his eldest unwed daughter to become Emperor yourself.” Aquilina muttered after she heard him complain the difficulties he faced in attempting to run the Empire.

“Is Senator Crauss not helping?” Aquilina asked as she bit the inside of her cheek. A part of her wanted Marcus to fail but she knew that would only bring her more problems to her Empire, something she couldn’t afford right now.

“Why don’t you try to do some work here, for today at least. My mother will yet at me if I allow you to use his office, but I will accompany you to his wing. You can use one of his sitting rooms. Use his messengers…you can even use the Imperial seal. I’ll sign below, after your name, for the time being. Theres a lot of weight attached to the Imperial name…people tend to respond to it.” Aquilina said with a smirk. She didn’t care too much about Marcus, but she was very keen in keeping her Empire running smoothly.

 

[TheAntiRebel]

Marcus listened to Aquilina get angry at him once again and he sighed. She seemed so angry, so frustrated with him. He wished there was some way he could put her mind at ease. He walked up behind her, sitting at her desk, so just barely an inch stood between their bodies. She didn’t just hate him, but it finally dawned on him that she was unhappy too, and that was hard for him to realize as well.

“Shhhhhhh, Aquilina, dear, why are you so upset?” he tried to ask in a low, soothing voice. “Why does every visit between us have to become a fight?” he said, looking down at her. He appreciated being able to see her without her palla on, taking in the full shape of her hair, her head and shoulders. He put a strong hand on her shoulder, feeling the soft fabric of her stola under his fingers, and he gently squeezed and massaged her. “You’re always so tense. You have so many parts to play, around your mother, your siblings, your father’s old allies, your servants, even around me. So many Aquilinas you have to be to so many different people. Just relax, let your guard down when we’re alone. You can be yourself around me.”

He put his other hand on her other shoulder and knelt down to her ear and whispered to her as he continued to massage her shoulder blades with his big calloused hands. “Maybe after the wedding and everything calms down, we could get an escort of Praetorian Guard and head up to Lake Bracciano. It’s just an hour from Rome by horse. Close enough that we could be away for the day. We could have a beach cleared out for us,” he said softly, as he tried to paint a picture for her. “We could bring wine, sit in the sand sipping it, let our feet out into the water, feed each other grapes and olives. Not a care in the world for a few hours, the sand between our toes, the water lapping against the shore.”

Marcus almost lost himself in the fantasy, as he pictured a happy Aquilina by his side on the beach, giggling at something he said. He places an olive in her mouth. She grins and intentionally lets her lips rub against his fingers as she takes it. She places a hand on his bare chest and leans in to kiss him, he puts a hand on her slender waist and pulls her on top of him…

He snapped back to reality and stood up, letting go of her. “Well, it’s just a thought, anyway. I think you need time away from all of this. Away from everybody competing for your attentions,” he said, realizing that he himself could just as easily be included amongst that list.

“I don’t know where my mother will want to live. She’s somewhat of a simple woman. She wed my father before he became wealthy. I was going to offer her my current estate in the city. It’s close enough and easier to protect than her little beach house in Antium. I haven’t seen much of her since my father died. They were very close. They were husband and wife. Where I came from, husbands didn’t keep harems,” he said, hoping to make a not-so-thinly veiled comment.

Marcus walked over to one of her windows and looked out over the Palace grounds. “And…. Crauss is helping, but slowly. The entire Empire seems to be crawling to a stop. Things that should take hours are taking days. And things that take days are taking weeks. Taxes are slow coming in. Payments to local governments are slow going out. Provincial governments are taking days to send messengers back to us I think people are waiting to see if you stick a knife in my back before we are wed. Or if anybody else tries. There’s a great uncertainty in the realm right now. Things are very unstable without an Emperor right now,” he said, gazing outside. The view seemed to indicate almost the opposite. Rome seemed so peaceful, the perfect midsummer day. Although, if you took a deep enough breath through your nose, you could almost still smell the stench of burnt lumber – a reminder of the scars on the city left by the barbarian sneak attack.

“And I appreciate your offer, but I wouldn’t feel right doing that until we were married. Don’t worry, I can manage things from my Legion’s camp for a few more days,” Marcus said. He hoped she offered because she wanted him close, but after so many meetings during into her scathing comments, he knew better by now.