Chapter Six
ROME, 79 AD
Androcles was back at her door by morning. Araceli did not wake for a few more hours. Her slaves brought food about an hour before noon. Androcles was excited that she was awake and he would see her soon. He had dreamed about her the whole night long. Some dreams were happy. His other dreams were more disturbing. In one, he dreamt of fire and ash and found himself searching for her.
It was before noon when Araceli opened her doors and popped out her beautiful head. “I want to go to the market,” she said in her usual tone.
“Yes, domina,” said Androcles. “When shall we leave?”
“Now,” she said stepping out of her room. She was dressed in a long-sleeved blue stola. She covered her head with a sheer blue palla.
Androcles couldn’t help but think she got more and more beautiful every time he saw her. He stood there awkwardly as he remembered one dream when he kissed her.
“Do you know your way?” Araceli asked, eying him curiously.
“Yes,” he replied, snapping out of his reverie. Androcles turned around and led her through the corridors all the way out of the large estate. “Is your litter ready, or shall I fetch one?” he asked.
Araceli put on a dark cloak. She handed him one as well. “No litter today,” she said. “We go on foot.”
“But domina,” he started to protest. “No litter, no slaves…”
“That is correct. Is your leg well enough?” she asked, suddenly worried when she remembered his injury.
“You should not be so concerned about me, domina,” he said. Her concern for him amazed him. “Ladies always travel by litter.”
“I don’t want to be seen,” Araceli said mysteriously.
“As you wish,” said Androcles as he covered himself with a cloak.
She wanted them to look ordinary and not like a lady with her guard. They walked silently away from her home and through various streets of other large, wealthy estates. Araceli would look over at him occasionally to admire his handsome profile. She caught herself daydreaming he was her husband and not her guard. Androcles could feel the burn of her stare, and he would look at her and smile. Araceli would smile and blush and then look straight ahead again.
She turned another corner, and they were on a street filled with shops. Araceli led them past several shops.
“Mmmm, that smells divine,” she said as they passed a baker. She stopped and went inside.
Androcles followed her in. It did smell good. The food the guards ate was perfectly adequate, much better than what he ate in the legion, but he hadn’t eaten bread fresh from a shop since he was very young.
“How may I help you?” asked the baker.
“I would like two loaves of this bread,” she said pointing to a long, fat loaf. She handed the baker a few coins, and he wrapped up the bread.
Androcles watched her silently. She was very independent. She must resent having a guard, he thought. He wondered if she often snuck away from home and walked about the shops. This was probably why her father had employed him.
Araceli thanked the baker, and they left the shop. She headed for the next shop on her list. He followed her silently as she went to a shop that sold wine. Araceli purchased a small jug of wine. Androcles wondered why she did not just send servants out for these common items. Did she just want an excuse to get out? he wondered.
They passed by some outside vendors selling fruits, goat cheese, meats, fish, and other goods. Araceli stopped in front of a fruit vendor. She plucked a grape off a bunch and popped it in her mouth. She grabbed the bunch of grapes and handed some more coins to the vendor.
“Try this,” she said, holding a grape up to Androcles’s mouth.
He opened his mouth, and she put the grape in his mouth. His lips brushed her fingertips. Androcles was shocked at how comfortable and natural she acted around him. He forgot his place momentarily. “It’s very sweet,” he said after he chewed it. “Thank you.”
Araceli smiled. “Come with me,” she commanded playfully. “I have one more place I want to go.”
“Yes, domina,” he said dutifully. He followed her to a small shop. They went inside, and Androcles saw that it was shop that made and sold sandals and boots.
“May I help you?” asked the shopkeeper.
“Yes. My brother needs new footwear,” she said as she pointed to Androcles’s feet. His boots were old and worn.
“Araceli, no,” he protested.
“He needs a pair of boots and a pair of sandals. Preferably a sandal that doesn’t lace up the leg too high,” she said, remembering his injury.
Androcles wondered why she was being so kind to him. He’d never expected such generosity. He knew it would do no good to protest and went along to make her happy. The shopkeeper fit his foot in a new sturdy pair of boots and lightweight sandals. Araceli paid the shopkeeper almost all the money she had left. Androcles wore his new boots out and left his old ones with the shopkeeper. His injured leg already felt more stable and easier to walk on. Androcles carried his sandals and the wine, and Araceli carried the food as they walked through the crowded, muddy streets. She headed in the direction of her home, but then she turned another way. They walked away from the streets of small homes and shops, past the large estates, and off to a small wooded area.
“Domina, where are we going?” he asked, a little confused and a little curious.
Araceli stopped under a tree. “Right here,” she said. She looked around and sat down.
“Here,” he repeated. He watched her sit down and take out a small wine cup from the bag she had been carrying when she left home. Androcles handed her the wine jug and watched as she poured some wine and broke pieces of bread off. He stood there and looked around into the trees. They were alone.
Araceli looked up at him and laughed. “Why don’t you sit down, Androcles?” she said, stretching her hand out at the spot next to her. Androcles sat down a few feet away from her. He positioned his leg where it would be most comfortable. She handed him some bread and grapes.
“Well, take it,” she said, urging him.
He reached over and accepted the food from her. He felt like the most unprofessional guard ever, but how could he resist her? She was so sweet and generous. “Thank you, domina,” he said. He ate in silence, looking around the field and the trees. He could still keep a look out for trouble and please Araceli.
“Please call me Araceli,” she said. Araceli looked at him and chewed her grapes in silence. “What’s wrong, Androcles? You don’t enjoy my company?” she teased.
Androcles turned to look at her. He never thought he was there to keep her company but was delighted as he realized that was why she’d brought him minus slaves. “I’m sorry, Araceli,” he said.
Araceli noticed the look of surprise on his face and giggled. She placed her lips on the cup and took a sip of wine, and then she handed it to him. He took the cup from her but instead of drinking from the opposite side of the cup he deliberately turned it and drank from the same exact spot she had. Araceli smiled flirtatiously. He handed back the cup. “Tell me how you were injured,” she said.
“It happened when I was with the legion in Britannia,” he said.
“You went to Britannia?” she said, her eyes wide with interest.
“Yes. I had been there for a few years already before it happened. There was a rebellion at one of the Roman occupations. It was supposed to be an easy victory. We were in the woods on a patrol, and they surprised us. I was knocked off my horse and hit the ground hard. Before I could draw my sword, I was struck in the leg,” he said, pointing to his calf. “As I tried to get free, the man tried to get his sword free, and it dragged up the length of my leg.”
Androcles looked at Araceli, who was covering her mouth with her hand in shock. He looked back down at his leg. “I was able to strike the man down, and reinforcements came soon after. Unable to walk, and not sure if I ever would again, my general discharged me. Now I am back here.” He
was quiet again. Androcles watched her as she studied his frightening wound. The wind was blowing the loose hairs around her face. Araceli looked back to find him watching her. Her body seemed to tingle all over when he looked at her that way. He reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him. Androcles was afraid he had overstepped his bounds. He was already overstepping them sitting here with her.
“How long were you in the legion?” she asked, trying to clear the awkwardness.
“About ten years. I had just been promoted to centurion, but I was a weapons trainer for many years,” he said regretfully.
“Will you teach me sometime?” she said with childlike interest.
“Of course,” he said, surprised. “Thank you for the boots and the sandals, Araceli,” he said softly as he gazed into her eyes.
“It was my pleasure, Androcles,” she said, almost breathless.
Androcles felt strange, like they were being watched. He broke his gaze from Araceli’s beautiful face and looked around in the trees. He didn’t see anything, but his instincts told him they were being watched. It could be thieves, or it could be an innocent passerby. Androcles stood up quickly and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“What is it?” she asked worriedly.
Androcles reached down and helped Araceli stand up. “I’m not sure. But I have the feeling we are being watched,” he said. Araceli looked around the trees. “I think we should head home now, domina.”
“Very well,” she said as she followed him away from the trees. They walked quickly. Androcles kept his hand on his sword the whole way back.
Later that evening Araceli was in the atrium playing her lyre. Androcles stood at attention along the wall just a few feet away. There were other guards and slaves milling about. Androcles watched her hands move fluidly over the strings as if they had a mind of their own. He felt like he could watch her play forever. He noticed movement out in the courtyard. Elek was coming out of his little two-room building. He headed over to Araceli. She noticed him coming and stopped playing.
“Elek!” she said. “How are you today?”
“Very well, domina,” he said in his old raspy voice. “I came to apologize for frightening you today.”
“What are you talking about, Elek?” she asked, confused.
“I was out today collecting herbs. I saw you and your guard, but you left before this old man could come over and talk to you,” Elek explained.
“Oh, that was you!” she exclaimed.
“Yes. You must be careful. What you are doing is dangerous,” he warned.
“Elek, I go to market all the time,” she argued.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said as he looked over at Androcles, who was listening to the whole conversation.
“I’m not sure what you mean, Elek,” said Araceli. She picked up her lyre and began to play again.
“Yes, domina,” said Elek in a defeated voice. “Good night.” He took one last look at Androcles, who was staring him down, and walked away.
The next morning, Araceli’s slaves came with food. He assumed they came to bathe and dress her as well. Before noon a servant came to her door with a note from her father. He knocked on her door, but there was no answer. He decided it would be within his duties to enter unanswered. Androcles walked in to find Araceli in her private bathing pool. It was long and shallow, maybe two feet deep. The bath was surrounded by statues. There were a lot of fauns, he noticed. They smiled at him devilishly. Some were playing pipes and some holding a thyrsus. Araceli was swimming slowly through the water, not startled at all by his unexpected arrival. He stared momentarily at the back of her naked body and then averted his eyes.
“Yes, Androcles? What is it?” she asked, not the least bit worried he had seen her.
“Um, I have a message from your father,” he said. Androcles could hear water dripping and turned to look as she was stepping out of the shallow pool. Her slaves were waiting with a robe, but he caught another glimpse of her before they covered her. They slowly rubbed her dry and then removed the robe. They poured scented olive oil from a jar into their hands and began to rub it into her skin. Araceli stood with her back to him. He watched as they massaged the oil into her skin and felt desire stirring inside.
“Well, what does it say?” she asked, turning her head slightly to look at him. She noticed him watching. Her lips parted into a mischievous smile.
Androcles blushed and looked away, focusing on one of the statues of a faun nearby. Is she teasing me on purpose? he wondered. “He requests your presence in twenty minutes,” he said as he read over the note. “And you are to make yourself presentable.”
“That’s not much time, is it?” she said, standing right next to him now.
Araceli was covered in her robe again. It clung to the curves of her oiled body. She might as well have been naked for all the good it did her. Araceli smiled at him. Androcles stared at her mouth and wondered if her lips were as soft as they looked. She took the note from his hands. Her fingers brushed his hands as she grabbed it. Androcles felt warm throughout his entire body with her touch. Araceli turned and went to sit down. Her ladies followed her and began to brush her wet hair.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” he said quietly and turned around on his heels. He left the room and shut the door behind him. His heart was pounding in his chest. No woman had ever had this effect on him before.
Araceli opened the door more than twenty minutes later. He wondered if she wanted to make her father angry on purpose.
“I am ready,” she said, walking out of the room.
Her dress was not colorful today, just plain white, but a cut similar to the one the night before. Oil still glistened on her bosom. She smelled like sweet flowers. She wore gold jewelry on her arms, neck, and ears. Her slightly damp hair was pulled back and had gold strands braided throughout. It was a struggle to look away from her, but he managed to turn around and lead her through the corridor.
Araceli found herself admiring Androcles’s strong body from behind as he led her to her father. She noticed when he limped. Androcles turned another corner and then another until they were at the room where Androcles had first seen Araceli. The guards opened the door for them, and they walked inside.
Marcus was sitting in a chair behind his large table. Two other men were standing in the room. Androcles recognized them from the party. There was the young legatus and the senator who he and Araceli had witnessed violating a female slave. He looked back at Araceli.
Araceli looked back and forth between the men, looking at the senator last. When she saw him, she blushed and looked away. The senator took this as encouragement, though her blushing out of embarrassment of the memory rather than an attraction to the senator.
Androcles had a sinking suspicion why the men were gathered here. He felt like his hopes had been tossed into the fire. Marcus spoke first.
“My dear, you remember Senator Gaius and the young Legatus Antonius,” he said, pointing to each of the men.
Araceli smiled politely at the men and nodded her head yes. She couldn’t look Senator Gaius in the face.
“They have both come to offer a proposal of marriage,” her father said, smiling as if this were the best news in the world. “You will choose one. If you cannot decide, I will make the decision for you.”
The smile vanished from her face. Araceli felt her stomach knot up. The legatus wasn’t all that bad. They had been flirting for months, and he was very handsome. She had even let him kiss her a few times. She’d once thought she could marry him, but that was before Androcles came into her life. Araceli felt nauseous as she remembered Senator Gaius and the slave girl. That would never be her. She would die first. “Do I have to decide today?” she asked in an uncharacteristically shaky voice.
“No. I’ll give them time to…woo you,” he said, looking pointedly at the men.
Androcles knew that meant he was giving them more time to offer her father more thi
ngs in exchange for his daughter. He felt sick. He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry.
“Father, may I speak with you in private for a moment?” she asked.
“Of course. Senator, Legatus, if you would excuse us for a moment,” said Marcus.
The two men headed for the door. Senator Gaius stopped by Araceli first.
“Take this as a gift of my devotion, beautiful Araceli,” he said as he placed a necklace around her neck. It was gold and had several large, colorful jewels.
Araceli said nothing. The senator smiled and left. The Legatus Antonius came to her next and grabbed her hand. He put her hand to his lips and kissed it. Then he slipped a large diamond ring on her finger.
“This ring has been in my family for generations,” he said as he smiled at her. Androcles glared at him. Antonius noticed and gave him an odd knowing look. Then he smirked arrogantly and left the room.
Araceli was feeling so overwhelmed that she could almost cry. She’d never thought she would be forced to marry without love. She wondered if her mother and father loved each other. It had always seemed as though they did.
“Father, I can’t marry either one,” she said sadly.
“Why not?” he asked angrily.
“I don’t love them,” she said.
Marcus laughed. “Araceli, don’t be a child. Do you really think marriages come from love?” he asked. Araceli looked down. “Marriage is a contract. Senator Gaius is very powerful and would make a valuable ally for my cousin, the emperor, although he is a little old for you. That is why I have allowed Antonious’s proposal. He is young and handsome, and his family is very wealthy. He will no doubt make the senate one day in the future.” He walked over to Araceli and put his hand on her shoulder. “So you see I am trying to consider your happiness, daughter, as well as my own. Choose by midsummer, or I will do it for you.”
Araceli glared at her father for a moment and then stormed out of the room without a word. Androcles gave Marcus one last look before he followed after Araceli. How could a father be so cruel? he wondered. Araceli’s fast stride turned into a run. It hurt, but he ran after her. She ran downstairs and then outside to the courtyard. It was raining hard. Androcles looked up at the sky. There was a large black storm cloud hovering above them. It was the middle of the day but dark enough to be night. She ran quickly across the courtyard, and he followed. They ran past Elek’s little building and over to a crumbling guard tower. Araceli went inside the door and climbed the stairs to the top. Androcles had to take the steps a little slower. When he got to the top, he saw her looking out over the edge. Her dress was splattered with rain and her hair damp. Her back was to him, and her shoulders were shaking. He knew she was crying. She was a strong girl, but this was too much.
The Immortal Scrolls Page 5