The Peacekeeper

by Jess Steven Hughes

  Candra was very protective of Eleyne when anyone, especially men, were present. Although the Indian viewed me like the others with suspicion, I gained his respect after the raid on Sabinus’s home. At times, I wanted to grab Eleyne by her graceful shoulders, take her into my arms, and make love to her. I restrained myself as long as the dark Indian giant was present.

  Nevertheless, I grew more drawn to her, and my thoughts and desire became stronger with each passing day. I needed to confide in someone about the fire raging in me before I did something stupid. Then Aurelia Severa came to mind. Each time I was in her presence, this wise, sympathetic woman placed me at ease. If anyone could give me advice, it was she.

  *

  I sent a slave with a sealed note to Aurelia one morning, asking to see her about a personal matter.

  That evening, after Sabinus had gone for his bath, Alexias came to my room. “The mistress wants to see you at once. She waits in the tablinum.”

  I proceeded to Sabinus’s office, located at the rear of the atrium. Nine or ten sputtering candles lit the brightly painted alcove where the senator greeted his guests and Aurelia kept his finances in order. She spent much of her day in the room. Two walls, covered from floor to ceiling with cupboard shelves and stacked with brass, circular book containers, held Sabinus’s voluminous scrolls. Sitting on a pedestal in one corner was a small bust of Virgil. His works, especially the Ecologues, were the senator’s favorite. Two chairs and a plain but highly polished hardwood table filled the rest of the room. Reed pens, papyrus scrolls, and two finely wrought inkwells made with bronze and gold casings were neatly arranged along one edge. A smoky brazier rested on a small tripod in another corner, failing to generate enough heat to ward off the spring evening chill.

  Dressed in a warm, white stola covering her matronly body, Aurelia sat behind the table. A red-and blue-trimmed palla draped her shoulders. She wore her hair curled into several neat, half-circular rows from the front to the back of her head and tied into a number of curving braids and a bun. Large, gold dolphin earrings dangled from her ears.

  She greeted me with a friendly smile, revealing a slightly double chin in her plump but attractive face. “Come in, Marcellus. I have been expecting you. Please have a seat,” she offered with an open palm.

  “Thank you, Lady,” I said, bowing slightly.

  I drew up the other chair facing her across the table. A few minutes of small talk set me completely at ease. Those perceptive, wide, brown eyes searched mine as if she knew what I wanted to say.

  “I’m flattered you sought my counsel instead of my husband’s,” she said. “How can I help?”

  “I came to you, Lady, because it’s a rather delicate matter.”

  A devilish smirk crossed Aurelia’s mouth. “Oh? Then it must involve a woman.”

  “Yes, someone we both know.”

  Aurelia Severa leaned forward, placing a fleshy hand on her chin. “Who?”

  “Well . . .” I hesitated, thinking perhaps I shouldn’t say who it was, wasting my time and hers.

  “Come now, Marcellus. If you want my advice I must know her name. Are you having an affair with her?”

  My hands grew clammy, and my mouth became parched. “No, Lady, that wouldn’t be proper. It’s Eleyne.”

  She nodded slowly. “So I was right.”

  For a second, I stiffened, my eyes grew wide. “How did you guess?”

  She chuckled. “My dear young man, I’ve seen the way you have watched her at dinner, and in the atrium when speaking to her.” She paused. “After the night you saved her life, it became all too obvious, don’t you think?” She pulled her hand from her chin.

  “I didn’t realize it was so evident. I didn’t think I felt so strongly about her until that night.” Her comments had jolted me. Was I making such a fool of myself?

  “It’s difficult to hide one’s thoughts when you are in love.”

  I stiffened, my heart stuck in my throat. “But, Lady, I’m not in love.”

  She shook her head as if scolding me. “Nonsense, Marcellus. I’m old enough to be your mother, and I have raised two sons of my own. I know the looks, the yearnings.”

  “But I swear!” Heat rushed to my face like boiling sunlight.

  “Don’t bother with denials,” she said. “You are only deceiving yourself. I saw the same mooning eyes in my son, Sabinus the Younger, when he was in love with a slave girl. The foolish boy wanted to marry her. Besides being impossible and against the law, the family would have been ruined. I broke up the affair by selling her.” She sighed. “More the pity, because she was an obedient girl and a good worker.”

  “Naturally, you did the right thing,” I sputtered, not caring at the moment for the problems of others.

  Aurelia nodded. “Lord Sabinus said he felt the same about me, even though our marriage was arranged. Fortunately, the moment I set eyes upon him, I knew he was the only man I would ever want.”

  She smiled again. “Of course, you are in love. Now, tell me—from the beginning.”

  I took a deep breath, and everything poured from me. “Eleyne. I can’t stop thinking of her . . . those times I’m in her presence at dinner and our eyes touched . . . I can’t stand to be near her . . . and I want to kill that eunuch guard . . . and take her away . . . and it’s all impossible. It has grown worse since the raid on your home. After I rescued her, I almost told her how I felt about her, but Lord Sabinus entered the room. I said nothing. What am I going to do?”

  I confessed to an accidental meeting late one night on the balcony above the moonlit garden when we were alone. It happened about one week before the assassins raided Sabinus’s home.

  “I should have left,” I said, “but I was captured by her warmth and of sharing the starlit beauty of the garden with her.”

  My thoughts and words must have seemed totally unrelated to Aurelia, but I sensed a concern and understanding from her. I continued, confessing more than I meant to, adding that our passions nearly overwhelmed us when Eleyne turned to leave and her arm brushed mine.

  “We seemed to inhale the night,” I added, “and when our eyes embraced I knew that other women might momentarily possess me, but none could ever own the part of my soul that she had claimed with her gaze.”

  As soon as I spoke those words, I felt that I betrayed the memory of Kyar. But she was gone. I prayed she would want me to go on with my life.

  I looked at Aurelia, who nodded for me to continue.

  “Just for a few seconds,” I said, “yet in those seconds . . .” I glanced at Aurelia to see if the ramblings had made any sense. Her eyes were locked on my sweaty, fidgeting hands, which I forced into a false state of calmness. Then I recognized I was putting into words feelings I had only thought before. Aurelia was right, but I refused to admit it to myself.

  “What should I do? I realize because of Eleyne’s position as a hostage, the political ramifications make our situation impossible.”

  “At least you have the sense to recognize her delicate position.”

  I nodded.

  “I have been married to Lord Sabinus,” she explained, “for over twenty years, and privy to many of Rome’s intrigues. I have seen men far greater than you lose their lives for much less. You are wise to restrain yourself, but don’t despair,” she added in a more comforting voice, “things could change.”

  “I don’t see how.”

  “Anything can happen in Rome and does,” she said, lowering her voice. “Intrigues take many strange paths. It has happened before and will again, especially with an emperor . . .” She looked to the curtain-covered door and leaned over the table and whispered, “. . . as mad as Claudius. In the meantime,” she said, sitting back and speaking once again in her beautiful low voice, “you will have to wait.”

  I took another breath. “If I must, but then again, she may not think the same of me.”

  “Don’t worry. She has . . .” Aurelia broke off the conversation and eyed the doorway’s flimsy curtains flut
tering faintly in the still room. Outside came the sound of light footfalls scurrying away.

  “Be a darling,” Aurelia asked, “and see who was spying on us.”

  I raced into the hallway and saw Eleyne scampering down the corridor, but without her Indian guard. I called to her and quickly caught up. I grasped her elbow as she stopped and whirled around, trembling.

  “Is Aurelia right?” she demanded. “Do you really care for me?”

  I looked into her eyes and answered slowly, “Yes, I do.”

  “Didn’t you guess I felt the same about you, especially the night you rescued me?”

  “I guessed it, but wasn’t sure. You said you wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to me. But I believed it was said in the heat of the moment. I had no idea.”

  She flinched. “You’ve saved my life three times, what did you think?”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  “No, but it won’t work,” she said in voice full of resignation, “not now. Not as long as I’m a hostage. Besides . . .” She turned away, tears filling her eyes.

  “What else?”

  “You know I’m betrothed.”

  “You’re what!” My shoulders tightened, and I swallowed bile.

  “Don’t you remember? I was betrothed to Bodvak.”

  I swore softly. “That no longer binds you. He’s a rebel, and Rome won’t let him live.”

  “I know, but until I hear otherwise, I must honor my father’s wishes. I can’t do anything else. I can’t.” She grimaced, her alabaster face growing pinker with every tear flowing down her cheeks. Covering her eyes with her palms, she turned away.

  “Oh, Marcellus, what are we going to do?” She wept softly.

  I took her in my arms, a move she didn’t resist, and said in a soothing voice, “It’ll work out, you’ll see. Alliances are broken every day, and in Rome, anything is possible.”

  She uncovered her tear-stained eyes and searched mine; for what, I couldn’t say. “No, it’s impossible. If ever I’m released as a hostage, I’ll be sent back to my people.”

  As she nestled in my arms, I looked about searching for her guard, Candra. There was no sign of him. I said gently, “Be patient. My heart tells me things will change for the better,” although not really convinced myself.

  Eleyne wept a little longer and stopped. She pulled a lilac-scented handkerchief from within her waistband and wiped away the tears staining her cheeks. “Gods, my face must be a fright.”

  “No, it isn’t.” I smiled. “It’s beautiful.”

  Eleyne blushed and turned away. She twisted around, and our eyes met. Holding her tightly, I pressed my lips to hers. A gentle first kiss, and then from within a stirring deeper than my passion erupted. A feeling that my soul had touched hers somehow, a warmth I had never known before. Nothing mattered but our moment together. She sighed and yielded momentarily. I realized I was taking advantage of her confused state, and reluctantly, with great control, forced myself to turn my lips from hers. In spirit, nothing could keep us from one another. Not Verica, her father. Not Rome. No living thing. Not even Kyar.

  She placed the side of her delicate face against my chest. “What now, Marcellus?” she whispered.

  I was at a loss for words but had to say something reassuring. “Nothing can change my feelings for you.”

  “I know, I pray to the gods for help.”

  “As do I.”

  Then she tightened. “Someone might see, what if Sabinus . . .?”

  “He’d break me, and I’d be transferred back to Britannia.” What irony. To return to the land of her people, and despite her earlier protestations, she could never go.

  “Oh no. I would never see you again,” Eleyne cried. She pulled away and asked softly as to herself, “What’s the use? It won’t work, Marcellus. Why did I have to fall in love with you?”

  I felt hope in her words. “Then we will find a way.”

  “No! We can’t! It’s impossible. I’ll always love you, but . . .”

  “What?”

  “I never want to see you again.” She turned away from me.

  I grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards me. “Impossible! We live under the same roof.”

  “Then you’ll have to stay away from me. I won’t speak to you again—ever.”

  “After what we’ve confessed to each other? Aurelia knows my thoughts. Gods know how many others must suspect,” I answered calmly trying to control my emotions. I was angry and hurt at the same time.

  She wiped the tears again with her cloth and placed it back in her waistband. “I don’t care—it doesn’t matter.” She gave me a knowing look. “Go back to your slave girls. They’ll take care of you. You don’t need me.”

  For the length of a heartbeat my shoulders tightened. No slave could ever take Eleyne’s place.

  Before I could respond, Eleyne broke away from me, whirled, and fled down the hallway. It was all I could do to keep from swearing. When I glanced about, I saw Aurelia standing at the door, her eyes filled with concern. Only then did I realize she had heard everything.

  “Both of you are fools,” she called softly. “But so am I, and I will do what I can to help.”

  *

  June, 46 AD

  One humid morning, Crispus and I joined Sabinus prior to meeting with his clients in the atrium of his home. Sabinus nodded to the scroll he held in one hand at the side of his thigh. Then his gaze brushed mine for a moment. “Eleyne’s father, King Verica, is dead.”

  Crispus and I glanced at each other. My friend knew how I felt about Eleyne, and my first thought was for her. Now, she had lost her value as a hostage to Rome. What would be her fate? “How did he die?” I asked.

  “Assassinated by his bodyguards while on a hunt.”

  “Who put them up to it, sir?” Crispus asked.

  The senator shook his head. “We shall never know. Followers, loyal to Verica, fell upon the assailants and instantly killed them all.”

  I snorted. “Conveniently silencing the lot. Who is replacing him as king?” I knew the answer.

  “Togidubnus, Verica’s advisor, was appointed by the emperor,” Sabinus said.

  “I can guess who was behind Verica’s assassination.” I rubbed the itching scar on my face.

  “Undoubtedly, you’re right, Marcellus, but all further inquiries have been squashed like poisonous insects,” Sabinus said.

  I cleared my throat and swallowed. My mouth went dry. I couldn’t understand why I found it so difficult to ask the question. I said in a rasping voice, “What about Eleyne? Her father’s death will come as a terrible shock to her.”

  Sabinus’s dark eyes pierced mine as if looking into the heart of my soul. Does he know about my love for Eleyne?

  “Since she is my responsibility,” Sabinus answered, “it’s my duty to tell her with my wife beside me. The two have become very close, you know. Aurelia considers her to be the daughter she never had.” He paused and nodded. “I feel much the same way.”

  “Sir, may I be allowed to be present when you break the news? Eleyne and I are friends, and I would like to offer my condolences.”

  “Of course, Marcellus. With both of you under my roof, you’re almost family.”

  I pondered Eleyne’s future, our future. “What’s to become of her now that Verica is dead?”

  Crispus winced. No doubt he thought I was going to get myself in woman trouble—again.

  “It’s too soon to think about the matter,” Sabinus replied thoughtfully. “Although it’s the emperor’s decision, he’ll entrust the matter to me because Eleyne is my ward.”

  *

  Since the day we first expressed our mutual love, Eleyne never passed me in the halls without a look of yearning. Then one afternoon back in April, I saw her strolling through the garden, with her ever-present and powerful Indian bodyguard, Candra, following at a discreet distance. Slowly, I approached her, not knowing if he would block my way. He glared and started moving in my
direction. Eleyne spotted me and then turned to Candra. She motioned with her head for him to back away. He frowned but stepped back. A smile graced her delicate face when I halted before her. The smell of roses and lavender drifted on a light wind, and birds chirped in the nearby bushes and trees. Eleyne and I exchanged a few pleasantries before she quietly remarked, “I know I said I never wanted to see you again,” she sighed, “but I know that’s not practical, we live under the same roof. Can we . . . you and I still remain friends?”

  I smiled. “Of course we can.” Inwardly, I knew and she must have known it was a lie. Her eyes said she still loved me as I did her. I would be content with being a friend, but I didn’t know how long that would last. Fortunately, Candra’s presence made it easier for both of us to control our longing.

  Eleyne exhaled, as if relieved. “Thank you, I’m so glad we still have that.” Eleyne glanced about checking the garden, seeing if anyone but Candra was near. She trusted him.

  “You know, Marcellus, there is something I have been meaning to ask you.”

  “Tell me.” My forehead creased, curious about what was on her mind.

  “I’ve told you before how much I miss my father.”

  “I know the feeling.” My own father was dead, but I still remembered him fondly.

  “I have only received official reports that he was alive and well, but never any personal messages. Are they true? I don’t know what to believe.”

  “If there was anything amiss with your father, Lord Sabinus would be the first to tell you. He is an honorable man. He has told me he has great respect for Verica.”

  “I hope you are right. In the meantime, all I can do is pray to the gods, especially Mother Goddess, to watch over him.”

  *

  That evening, Sabinus consulted Aurelia, who sent a slave to fetch Eleyne.

  Dressed in a scarlet-trimmed, gold chiton, Eleyne came to the triclinium. Her jet-black hair was braided and curled on the top of her head in the latest Roman fashion. She seemed puzzled by the little gathering in the study of Sabinus, Aurelia, and me. “You wanted to see me, Lord Sabinus?”