Annales Imperii - I. Ostiia

by Ted Mayes

  As Jon helped her from the limo, he said, “I talked with Dr. Andrews and got permission for us to have a few dances at your prom, well, what would have been your prom. You’ll have a chance to see some of your old friends and maybe say a few good-byes, and we’ll have a few dances. We won’t stay too long, because we don’t want to cause any problems – you being so famous and all (she took a mock swipe at him) – but George tells me nobody seems to be aware that we’ve left Ostia yet. That’s why we took the limo that that Hollywood person had come in, so we could sneak out unexpectedly.”

  It was so surprising that at first she really didn’t know how to react. Then she found that a few tears were running down her cheek. She had completely forgotten about the prom in the midst of all the new duties at Ostia, and she couldn’t believe how thoughtful Jon was to have remembered, and set all of this up for her.

  “Are you okay?” Jon asked, handing her a handkerchief to dry the tears.

  “Yes,” she said, trying to blot the tears without ruining her makeup. “You are so nice – and so sneaky – to do this for me.”

  “Hey, what can I say,” Jon said. “You won’t let me give you ‘planetary treasures’ anymore, so I had to do something.” He waited a moment or two. “Are you ready to see your friends and dance at your prom?”

  Her heart was too full and too ‘melting.’ She clung to his arm and he escorted her into the gym. There her friends crowded around and she heard all the ‘news’ about what had been happening at school after she’d left. Eventually they made it out onto the dance floor and she got a little breathless and giddy when she and Jon had the opportunity to show off some of the swing and two-step moves they’d learned. They took a break and got some punch. One of her better friends, Susan, excitedly whispered that she’d landed a job, at least for the summer, at one of the small clothes stores in Ostia, and Beth promised to try and drop in and see her.

  They managed to get a few more dances in before Jon whispered that they’d been there long enough and should probably leave before they wore out their welcome as guests. They thanked the sponsors and said goodbye to her friends. On the way out, Beth hugged Dr. Andrews and thanked him for allowing her to ‘visit.’ Then they were back in the limo and on their way back to Ostia. She curled up next to Jon, amazed at how happy she was and marveling that Jon had arranged all of this for her.

  19 – May 1994

  The day had finally arrived. She came to consciousness slowly, reviewing in her memory some of the scenes of the past week. She had finally gotten a tour of the master suite at the residence and had been both charmed and appalled. It was a large suite that could be made into something stunning. Unfortunately, Michael was not the person to bring that about. The suite that Michael lived in was almost bare - ‘Spartan’ was too generous a description. She spotted a single bed, a small, messy desk and a battered office chair.

  At least Michael recognized the situation. “I’ve lived too long in marine barracks,” he’d said, “to be able to make a room look nice. So, as far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want in here.” So, she had used what Samantha called an Interior Design Module to see a three dimensional view of her ‘future’ suite. She’d decided to use most of the things from her apartment, but had ordered a queen bed, soft linens, a spread and decorative items, and a larger desk. Then she’d gotten to wondering what they would do at the end of the year when he ‘retired’ from the consul's job.

  “Well, I hadn’t thought that far ahead, yet. Do you want to stay in Ostia for the time being, or head up to Capitol, or what?” It was decided that they’d stay in Ostia only for a while, and then move up to Capitol. Michael had mentioned the apartments over the Bear’s Den, so she’d gone to look at them (a surprising number were empty) and then talked to ‘Imperial Realty’ about renting her favorite, starting January 1st. She’d started doing some thinking about what furniture she might want for the apartment, but then decided to deal with it after the honeymoon.

  Then her father and her friends from New York had arrived and she had made sure they were comfortably installed in the Ostia Hilton. The last few details of the wedding were finished, and then had come the wedding rehearsal. Mrs. Harrison was on hand, along with some of the other ladies, to handle any last minute details. The chaplain ran everything though, lining up the wedding party at the front so that everyone would know where to end up after the procession. Then everyone positioned themselves for the procession and they quickly ran through the whole service, playing only parts of the music and skipping over the words of the ceremony. After the rehearsal was done, they exited the Imperial Chapel and strolled down the street to the Bear’s Den.

  She had been somewhat surprised to find a large banquet room on the second floor over the Bear’s Den, and Michael had said it was a new development. More and more groups were having parties at Ostia for some reason. It had been a wonderful evening and Michael had spared no expense, choosing steaks and/or lobster for everyone. She had enjoyed watching the interplay, if that’s what it could be called, between New York and imperial society.

  The New Yorkers had been unsure what to make of the praetorians all around, but had finally accepted them as some type of body guards and had ignored them. She had watched with a smile as her friends serving as bridesmaids had been questioning Beth – probably about everything. She’d seen them apparently discussing Beth’s dating ring, and then her friends had been checking out Jon. She’d seen them apparently asking questions about Michael’s groomsmen. Michael had selected Tommy Mills, someone she didn’t know, a quaestor, and the last one, James Radebe, to walk with Beth. Jon was sitting with Mrs. Radebe and the children.

  When the meal was over, the visiting and celebrating continued. The presents for the bridesmaids and groomsmen were unusual. Amanda had been so busy with the wedding and the IP that she’d just decided to give the three girls gift certificates to Morton’s, and let them pick out what they wanted. Michael had given his groomsmen, all Marines, large knives (‘Bowie’ knives, he said they were). They were beautifully made, but it was still something the New Yorkers obviously thought was unusual.

  Michael (and his escort) had walked her home after the rehearsal dinner was over. It was … interesting. This was the last night, hopefully for a long time, that she would be separated from him. She had been eager to come back to Ostia and eager to be with him again, but from now on it would be different. Oh, she was eager to live with him, even sleep with him – and the fluttery feelings of expectation made thinking difficult. However, she was able to recognize that that this was one of those ‘turning points’ in her life. Nothing would ever be the same again, and her life would be different than it had ever been before.

  When she kissed him goodnight, he may have felt something different because he looked at her carefully. “Wedding jitters?” was all he had said.

  “Something like that. I was just realizing what a big change this is going to make in my life.”

  Michael had smiled. “Anything I can do to help?”

  She had smiled at him. “Just make sure you’re at the chapel for the ceremony!”

  “Well, besides the fact that I do want to marry you, do you think Tommy would let me escape, even if I wanted to?” He had kissed her again, deeply and fiercely, and after he had gone, she was surprised how difficult it was to fall asleep, dreaming about the days to come and trying to calm down after that kiss.

  She must have drifted off to sleep finally, because Samantha woke her, and she headed for the shower. Samantha was going to get all of her ‘gear’ - dress, shoes, etc, - to the chapel for her, so Amanda dressed quickly, and left the apartment, picking up a breakfast sandwich from a chain restaurant on her way to the salon to meet her bridesmaids.

  The salon event was refreshing, and she and the bridesmaids got the full treatment, but the most amusing part of the morning was when Regina and Kellyanne, her two ‘media’ bridesmaids attempted to pry information out of Beth, her ‘imperial’ bridesm
aid. She had always been impressed by Beth’s self-assurance, but she could only smile as Beth ducked questions like a seasoned press secretary.

  Oh, I met Amanda soon after she arrived and introduced her to Ostia. No, I’m no one important – I just shuffle papers at work. No, I was in high school last year, but I’m taking some time off before going to the University in the fall. Right now, I’m thinking of majoring in business, but I may change my mind. Yes, I read that article but I couldn’t figure out who that female Marine was supposed to be. I didn’t ask Amanda about it because she had said that Marine didn’t want any more publicity. Yes, that’s what the dating ring means, but I’m trying to figure out whether out whether I want to take a step like Amanda’s taking. No, I don’t think that marriage and family would affect my career. From what I’ve been told, parents are encouraged to take their children to work, unless there’s some danger, of course, and on-site child care is available everywhere. No, I haven’t done much. No, I think Amanda has gone a lot more places and seen a lot more things than I have.

  Then Amanda’s friends started to ask her questions. She was happy to answer those questions that she’d already written about, or matters of general knowledge. When her friends hinted that they wanted more, she simply stared. When they’d realized that they’d asked questions that simply weren’t going to be answered, she changed the subject. Finally they dropped interview mode and things went much easier. After an early light lunch at the salon, they gathered up their belongings and headed for the Imperial Chapel.

  The chapel looked a little different today, because already there was a praetorian guard in front of the building. Beth was quiet going through the cordon and her two friends looked a little concerned, but Amanda smiled and greeted several of the men she knew. Samantha guided them over to one of the classrooms to the side of the chapel where they would dress, and the feverish activity began.

  Amanda and her party were all ready forty-five minutes before the ceremony was about to start, and, after contacting Samuel to see that Michael was in place, she found herself, along with her two friends, watching Beth’s Molly display the movements in the chapel. More praetorians were posted at various places in the chapel, keeping a close eye on everyone and everything. People were starting to enter the chapel – a few imperials to sit on Michael's side, a few outsiders to sit on hers. As she sat and tried to relax, she began noticing that her father's connections were still as strong as ever. As more people began coming in and sitting down, she noticed that some were very recognizable – journalists, media personalities, people from the publishing industry, a few of the movers and shakers of New York society.

  They were all visiting among themselves and casually examining those who were sitting down on the other side of the chapel. On Michael's side were all sorts of Imperial dress uniforms, and the number of rank stripes on display was becoming truly amazing. There was one oddity. Beth pointed to a group of Native Americans in brightly colored ceremonial dress who came down the aisle and sat in the front row. The Imperials around them greeted them and small conversations broke out.

  In reply to Beth’s questioning glance, Amanda said, “That’s Tommy’s, the First Centurion of the praetorians, family. Because of Michael's background, he asked them to be his family today. Oh, and you might be interested, Beth – the man sitting right behind the family? Michael says that he’s one of the ‘chief men’ of the Lakota, and he’s here to see First. Something about a tribal ‘promotion’ for him. And the young woman at the end of the row? She’s a surprise, too. Michael said that First is supposedly going to be told it’s time for him to take a wife, and she’s the first candidate.” She grinned at Beth. “I can’t wait to see Tommy’s reaction!”

  The time slowly ticked away and finally everyone had taken their places for the procession. The wedding music commenced, Beth and James Radebe began the walk down the aisle and Amanda's father took her arm. “How are your nerves?” he asked softly.

  “Not too bad,” she said smiling back at him. “Oh, I have some jitters, but mostly I just want the waiting to be over.” The other bridesmaids and groomsmen marched down the aisle and then it was her turn. The bride’s procession music began and everyone in the chapel rose and turned to look at her. It was a little daunting, but not because of the celebrities on her side of the chapel. No, the mass of rank stripes and honor bars on Michael's side gave her a feeling like the one she’d experienced when Michael knelt to propose to her. It gave her a shiver – the officers and leaders who were directing the outreach of humanity off Earth into space were standing to honor her.

  The thought came to mind, though, that they were not really honoring her, or rather, they were honoring her because Michael had chosen her. She looked down the aisle to the front of the chapel and saw Michael, standing there, waiting for her with a broad smile on his face. There was a brief moment when she wanted to run down the aisle to get to him as quickly as possible, but too much was going on, and she could only continue what she was doing. Then she was there with him, or he was there with her. Her father gave her a kiss, and to her surprise there was a tear in her eye when she hugged him and returned the kiss. Then she was moving forward with Michael.

  It probably would have been helpful to have been more aware of what was going on during the ceremony, but it was beyond her. She repeated the right words at the right time and was aware Michael was doing the same thing, but anything else was out of the question. Just knowing what they were doing made her feel so full of emotion that she was vaguely surprised she was able to remain standing. They were pledging their very lives together, as soul-mates who had finally found each other. Then, too, hearing Michael say his words with such a ring of authority seemed to make everything rock solid.

  She came back to awareness when she heard the chaplain say, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” She started to turn towards Michael, but he moved faster than she had expected and swept her into a kiss. She’d thought his kisses before were something beyond any expectations, but now she could see he’d been holding back. However long that kiss was, she finally became aware of applause and cheering – and she wasn’t a bit embarrassed. In fact, on the way down the aisle she began speculating that her honeymoon might be more than she had expected as well.

  They left the chapel and even before they reached the street, there were two decuries lined up facing each other in the lobby, making an arch with their swords under which she and Michael could walk. She felt a twinge of hesitation and glanced at Michael, but he stalked under the swords as if there were no sharp pieces of metal anywhere in the area. Ahead of them the regular bodyguard formed up and led the way to the reception.

  Said reception was, in one sense, the wildest party she’d ever been at. Oh, everyone behaved themselves. What else could be expected with the praetorians present (and they all looked at least as tough as First)? But there were so many entertaining things going on. There was a general background of the curious media and celebrities from her side trying to talk (or was that investigate?) the tight-lipped Imperials from Michael's side. Then there were a number of men trying to hit on Beth and Amanda couldn’t decide what was more enjoyable – Beth shooting them all down, or Jon glowering at all of them and apparently contemplating some form of mayhem.

  But, by far the most entertaining was what was happening with First. Amanda had the chance to talk a little with Tommy’s family and had been absolutely charmed. Michael, though, had pointed out the interesting ‘dance’ between Tommy and the young woman, Susan Gray Hawk, who had come with his family. Although Tommy was almost painfully courteous, he had slowly tried to move away from her, and she had slowly followed him without seeming to.

  Then Michael had motioned Tommy over to him. Only two brief things had been said. “Running away from a girl, First?” Tommy’s face, smiling up till then, turned to blank, unresponsive stone. Michael had added, “The empress approves.” Tommy had stared at Michael for quite some time, then turned a
nd looked across the room at Susan. Then he had crossed to her and they had begun talking. Yes, it was a very entertaining reception and it helped keep her mind of how long before they could leave on their honeymoon and how much she wanted to be alone with Michael.

  * * * * *

  Strange as it might seem, Beth was actually looking forward to the trip to Capitol, even the possibility of an overnight stay. It didn’t really have anything to do with being away from Jon, because she was missing him already. A little bit of it had to do with seeing her sister and the kids – even staying a night with them, in the apartment over the lunar Jordan’s. A large part of it had to do with having some time to do some hard thinking.

  She was sure that Amanda didn’t really need to have her as a bridesmaid in her wedding. She was almost certain that the reason for that ‘duty’ was so that Beth would then be thinking about the whole concept of weddings and marriages. If that was the idea, Amanda's plan had worked, very effectively. Who could not be effected by Amanda’s unexpected eagerness to marry the boss? Who could remain unaffected by Jon’s growling at all those who had tried hitting on her at the reception (and dodging those guys got tiresome, real fast)? Lastly, who would not be moved to anger (and possessiveness) by all those females who had tried to hit on Jon?

  After the wedding, things had calmed down again, but she found herself thinking about Jon, thinking about marriage, a lot. Since they were both decurions, there was no problem with being able to afford being married – their combined 6 denarii a week would easily take care of their expenses. Their college tuition was taken care of, and they had learned that ‘studying’ together was not only comfortable, but they were able to get their work done more quickly. The second apartment over the Ostia Jordan’s was still empty, and she was pretty sure that her parents wouldn’t mind ‘renting’ that apartment to them. What was really needed was some time ‘alone’ to think through some of these things.