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pokibal2001 · 6 years ago

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Convergence: Nicktoons Drabbles #1 and TATD Random Headcanons # 4

So apparently, my crossover fic is threading dark territories soon and I felt the urge to write something light for once. So here it is! A collection of drabbles featuring the Nicktoons when they are not fighting maniacal supervillains or otherworldly vengeful spirits in their spare time. This will be a fused post of both series for now, and the next two posts will the separate the two.

Spoiler warning though, some of these drabbles can go either pre-C:TATD or post-C:TATD. So there might be moments of OOC among the heroes due to what they had been through in the crossover or unexpected characters that hadn’t debuted yet in the main fic.

Regardless, I’ll just continue anyway. Let’s start with the headcanons first, pre-C:TATD and Spongebob’s variant!

---

Out of all the worlds the Nicktoons came from, everybody in the group agrees that Bikini Bottom is the safest out of all of them.

Retroville and Dimmsdale are constantly filled by accidents of either magical or scientific origins, Muckledunk and Petropolis are often terrorized by persistent racists and mad scientists and last but not least, Amity Park is infested by violent ghosts.

So everyone preferred hanging out together at Spongebob’s world, mostly at the Krusty Krab because of the delicious krabby patties. Even if it means having to use Jimmy’s Neutronic Air Gum to visit Bikini Bottom the rare few moments they managed to get in their free time.

While Dudley, Tucker, Cosmo and Bunsen loved the undersea burgers the most, Sam refused to eat them due to her being a vegetarian. Spongebob, who wants to make up for it, quickly cooked up a vegan variant of krabby patties called the Vegan Patty

To Sam’s surprise, she actually likes the Vegan Patty and she was very grateful to Spongebob for respecting and even catering to her tastes.

On the other side of the spectrum, Timmy, Chloe and Wanda were overworked to clean up the magical farts left behind by Cosmo’s overeating of Krabby Patties.

Poor Kitty also ended up being dragged into cleaning up Cosmo’s mess as well.

Meanwhile, Jimmy was at the corner pondering how on earth are steaming hot burgers that are edible to eat without being soggy are possible at all underwater.

Had Sandy been there (unfortunately, she was busy with her own stuff to hang out at the time), she would have sympathized with him because she has the same confusion about the peculiarity of the non-existent underwater physics.

Danny simply enjoyed watching the chaos unfold from afar, only stepping in when things get a little too far.

The Nicktoons meet Mr Eugene Krabs properly this time (This was Dudley, Kitty, Bunsen and Mikey’s first time. The rest met him during the Syndicate invasion)

While they were somewhat caught off-caught at how obsessive Mr Krabs tend to be with money, they managed to at least kept a friendly interaction with him but with Sam being the most grudging.

They decided to go out into Bikini Bottom.

Spongebob introduced everyone to his best friend Patrick. While Dudley, Cosmo and Bunsen were completely taken with him as fellow best buds, everyone else were not amused. Kitty was the most wary of him.

Timmy wondered out loud why they can’t just swim up in the open water and every sea folk in the near vicinity stared at him like he was crazy.

If there’s one thing that Jimmy and Timmy can agree on despite their bickering nature, is that the underwater physics of Spongebob’s world are way too confusing even by their standards.

Spongebob had offered them a suggestion of visiting Goo Lagoon, everyone was flabbergasted that underwater water lakes are even possible.

However, none of them were expecting Jimmy’s reaction at all. The boy genius simply heave a sigh of relief at the Goo Lagoon’s existence.

“Finally! Something that makes sense in this world! Brine pools are actually real in the other oceans of our worlds too. They form because of the high salinity content-”

“We get it, fudgehead.”

Another infamous argument between Jimmy and Timmy occurs, and everybody worked their asses off calming down the two boys. This is Spongebob’s day, not theirs.

They met Squidward along the way as well. While the Nicktoons were a bit put off and annoyed by his petty behaviour, they can’t deny feeling bad for him when they realize Squidward has been a victim of Spongebob and Patrick’s astonishing ignorance of personal boundaries.

Danny and Kitty made sure to keep Spongebob and Patrick in check if they went too far in bothering Squidward.

Squidward, although not expressing it, was inwardly glad that he’s surrounded by people with common sense.

They passed by the Chum Bucket, and a wary Plankton was observing them with binoculars. Danny, Jimmy and Kitty were the only ones to notice but decided not to call him out since Spongebob assured all of them that Plankton was not causing trouble for now.

By the time they left Bikini Bottom and back into their home worlds, the Nicktoons are left shocked at how drenched they are despite the fact they felt dry back in Spongebob’s world.

---

Here’s the actual drabble at last! The Nicktoons are both equally disturbed and fascinated by the bizarre underwater physics and structure of Bikini Bottom.

“You know? I don’t think I could ever get used to this. It just doesn’t make a lick of sense,” Tucker gestured his hands at the open waters of Bikini Bottom.

“You said it, Tucker. How the heck are we standing on the floor and not floating in the air-water-thing, whatever!” Timmy ranted, throwing his hand up in the water.

“Be careful with you say, Timmy!” Wanda, in her goldfish form, turned to him with an admonishing tone, “We don’t need more fish people staring at us.”

“Yeah, Timmy!” Cosmo chimed in, “One of them kept giving us a stink-eye.”

“What, that old man-fish?” Timmy scoffed, “Like I care what he thinks. At least in my world, magic is the explanation for everything weird that happened there. Bikini Bottom has no magic!”

“You and me both, Timmy. You and me both,” Jimmy muttered loudly, walking alongside Timmy with his arms crossed as he glared at the sea-sky.

“Really?” Bunsen tilted his head curiously before smiling affirmatively as he skipped a step, “It’s not that bad though. At least we can walk here just like on land!”

Kitty shuddered, “Hate to break it to you, Bunsen but the fact that the seawater around us is not weighing down on our fur is a disturbing sensation,” the cat agent glanced to the side with half-lidded lime eyes, “... And to clear my case, look at Dudley.”

Said dog agent was standing on a sandy dune not far from them, jumping around in frenzy as soft grains of sand were sent flying slowly into the open waters. His paws were reaching out wildly, hoping as if he could swim out in the water above.

“Come on, come on!” Dudley hollered in pure frustration as he pulled his long ears, “Why can’t I swim!?”

“See, guys? Even he gets it,” Timmy fumed bitterly, huffing out an air bubble.

“Eh... I think I agree with Bunsen, Timmy. Bikini Bottom is kinda a nice place to hang out at,“ Danny smirked cockily as he floated above the buck-teethed boy and looking down at him, “Besides, do you know how great the water currents feel? They’re just like wind on land, except it’s more watery and it’s cool!”

“Says the superhero who can fly,” Timmy retorted back at the older boy with a twitching right eye.

Spongebob, who was piggybacking on Danny since the halfa offered the ride (it helps that the sea sponge was quite light), peered over his best friend’s shoulder and put on a wide cheerful smile.

“I never fly, or swam, this high up in Bikini Bottom before! And Danny’s right, being up here is so cool!!!” The sea sponge exclaimed happily and the unlikely duo laughed together as they flew around above the group, even going as far as to perform loops in the sea-sky.

Timmy groaned loudly, covering his face with both of his hands. Chloe, who had been quietly admiring the sight of the sea so far, decided to take pity on Timmy and patted his back comfortably.

“It’s okay, Timmy,” The perky blonde told him gently, “Maybe the science of this world doesn’t make sense but at least, we can enjoy the sight here! Ooh, look at the clouds, they’re shaped like flowers!”

“I’m more curious about the aquatic botany around here,” Sam commented bemusedly, observing the floating green kelp and polka-dotted coral near the walking path the Nicktoons were moving on, “It’s hard to believe that some of the plants here are just mimicking corals and not actual corals themselves.

“You’re not going ask if they’re edible or not, are you?” Tucker asked with wide eyes, a nauseous expression on his face.

“Uh, eww. No,” Sam raised an eyebrow in disbelief with an equally disgusted look, “Tucker, only specific types of seaweed and algae are safe for eating. If you don’t know that, I can’t imagine you camping in the wild.”

“Then you don’t see me going near the ocean back home because I’m fine staying home eating sea-I mean, meat,” jested Tucker, nearly stumbling on a taboo subject that the Nicktoons have no desire in discussing.

Dudley, who looked rather disappointed after failing to swim in the open waters of Spongebob’s world, mingled back in the group just in time to overhear the last few words of Tucker’s retort.

He and Kitty shot each other a panicked glance followed by a brief wary stare at the sea folk walking among them, before looking away in the opposite direction and whistled innocently.

“I wll lose my mind if we can actually lit a fire underwater,” Jimmy muttered.

“Sure, we can,” Came Patrick’s unexpected reply.

Everyone halted right in their tracks, all of them giving the blinking sea star varying stares of shock and disbelief. Even Danny was curious enough to float back near the group with Spongebob in tow to see what was going.

“You’re kidding,” came Tucker’s flabbergasted reply.

“You mean, we can?” Bunsen perked up, notably excited at the prospect.

“Yeah,” Patrick tilted his head in confusion, “Me, Spongebob and Squidward went camping that one time and we managed to make a fire.”

“Ugh,” Squidward, who was the least social of the group, grimaced, “Don’t remind me.”

“Oh, yeah!” Spongebob exclaimed as he clicked a finger, peering from above Danny’s head, “I remember that time. Boy, those were fun times!”

“Seriously? You can make fire underwater? For real?” Danny blinked his neon green eyes owlishly, “Wow, you don’t hear that in a spoken sentence everyday.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Spongebob sheepishly smiled, “Really? I don’t know what’s normal in making fire for land critters, but I’m sure we can ask Jimmy for an opinion. Right, Jimmy?” A brief silence, “... Uh, Jimmy?”

Every Nicktoon looked at said boy genius, whose entire body was shaking like a leaf and manic blue eyes twitching. Timmy and Chloe immediately backed several steps away from him as everyone went on guard.

“J-Jimmy?” Chloe asked nervously.

“Are you... feeling well?” Kitty furrowed her brow in concern.

“Oh, I’m just peachy,” Jimmy seethed through gritted teeth, his wide blue eyes kept twitching, “The mere idea that fire can be kindled underwater is absolutely a thing in the realm of possibility. How wonderful.”

“G-Guys....” Dudley stammered, “He’s doesn’t l-look okay...!”

The manic grin on Jimmy’s face grew wider, “Absolutely possible. Possible...!”

“That’s it, fudgehead has lost his head,” Timmy stared at his rival in wide-eyed horror, quickly grabbing his fairies in one arm while holding Chloe in the other, “Sorry, guys! But we’re heading straight to the Krusty Krab first, see yah!”

In a puff of air bubbles, Timmy was seen running for the hills with his fairies and Chloe in tow.

“What about you guys, huh?” Jimmy’s head twitched as he turned to the rest, “Care to kindle a fire with me underwater?”

Danny gulped before yelling, “Hey, don’t forget about us!” as he made the same decisions as Timmy by grabbing a rather shocked Sam and Tucker with both of his hands before flying towards said buck-teethed boy with a yelping Spongebob on his back.

“Don’t leave us behind!” Dudley squealed as he dumped both Kitty and Bunsen over his shoulders, “Dudley!” “Yay, free rides!”

The only ones left behind with Jimmy were Patrick and Squidward, in which the latter was slowly tip-toeing his way out of the scene.

“So, Patrick...?” Jimmy asked with a gritted smile.

“Yep!” Said sea star replied eagerly.

Clapping his hands hands together, Jimmy giggled, ��Ready to prove your point?”

Patrick’s black eyes gleamed in excitement, “Sure! Let’s go find some wood and make a fire!”

The manic smile on Jimmy’s face grew wider, “Agreed.”

—-

“Spongebob?”

“Yeah, Timmy?”

“Fudgehead is going to kill your best friend.”

A massive gasp, “OH NO! We must sent a rescue team right away!”

“Too late about that, they’re already made a fire,” Squidward deadpanned, “Look outside.”

Danny’s dumbfounded voice echoed, “... Is that smoke? Is that even possible underwater?”

Timmy groaned, “I give up. Spongebob’s world does not make sense.”

—-

So yeah... Let’s just say, Jimmy and Patrick caused a lot of underwater fires, as oxymoronic as that sounds. Hope you enjoy reading this post!

#nicktoons #nicktoons unite #danny phantom #headcanon #convergence #fanfic #hope you like it #spongebob squarepants #drabble #jimmy neutron #fairly odd parents

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justinewt · 6 months ago

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Pugna Inter Fratres - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter Five

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (08/30/2024)

Summary: Being reunited with her brothers was the best gift Aldea could have ever asked for. Some tensions here and there rose amongst them after things didn't turn the way they expected, especially between Elia and Fonsoa. They disagreed over the way to handle things after something happened to their horses and Andria and Aldea were kind of in the middle of it, but the latter would soon move on from that after that - though momentarily - after the arrival of two numidian women in her home.

Words: 6.9k

Warnings: title means "fight between brothers" // Those about to die spoilers (episode 2 "Trust None"), fluff

The moon was higher in the sky when they reached Aldea’s house. No one was standing outside the front door. Tenax must have dismissed Dacia and Noro already. She and Scorpus climbed a flight of stairs, his toga slightly slipping off his head as he began pounding on the door. Aldea joined her hand at her waist, looking around, waiting for Tenax to come open the door and they finally heard the lock slide open on the other side. They leaned back in surprise when they came to face with Tenax brandishing a butcher knife. He realized it was just Scorpus and Aldea and he lowered the blade, stepping away from the door.

“By the Gods. What are you doing?” The charioteer walked in, looking at his friend as the latter put away the knife. Aldea followed Scorpus inside. The door creaked as she pushed it behind her, and she quickly went in the bedroom to put her cloak away and combed through her hair with her fingers, proceeding to braid them for the night as she glanced at the two men.

“What do you want?” Scorpus pulled out something to show him and she heard a thud as he placed it on the table. Tenax shrugged. “What’s this?”

“One cotter pin, cut halfway through. My racing partner is dead, and I would be if I hadn’t switched rigs.” Tenax walked towards him, picking up the cotter pin to take a closer look. “Was this one of your fixes? Scorpus loses, you collect big. I break a few bones or my neck to make it look real.”

He frowned, putting down the pin, “No, of course it’s not. I told you; I have much bigger plans for the both of us than a few more rigged races.”

“Then find out who sabotaged my rig and kill them.” Tenax acquiesced, letting out a quiet sigh. Aldea slowly approached them upon hearing Scorpus pick up something else from the table, noting how it apparently looked a lot like his horse Incitatus with a chuckle. She saw her husband took a little gold horse figurine from the driver’s hands and dismissing him, telling him to take his winnings on his way out. “Aldea.” He gave her a nod and as he put one foot on the landing, he turned towards Tenax, pointing at him. “Don’t take me for granted.”

“I don’t.” He replied with a tight smile before locking the door and turning to Aldea, shooting up his eyebrows, spreading his arms open in despondence, urging her to explain herself and she knew he wanted to know where she had been and why she was coming home so late. And yet, she still asked a stupid question as if she hadn’t understood. She didn’t think before speaking. “Well?”

“What?”

“Where have you been?”

“I told you. My brothers are in Rome, so Nica took me to them. We attended the race, and I spoke with them before Scorpus offered to walk me home.” She got closer to him and slid her fingers over the collar of his tunic, locking eyes with him. There was a bright smile stretching her lips. “I never thought I’d see them again, and they’re here, in Rome. I can see them everyday now.”

“That’s great, Aldea. I just want to make sure that you’re safe.” He placed a gentle hand on her stomach, and she put her hand on top.

“I am as safe with my brothers as with Dacia and Noro. And Gavros and Scorpus were there too. I'm alway well surrounded.” Their faces had gotten close to the point of being mere inches apart, the tip of their noses rubbed together. They shared a tender kiss, and she went to bed while he left the apartment, having to take care of Scorpus’ sabotaged-rig problem. She slept soundly that night, with no nightmare, dreaming of her youth. She was around 6, compelling a then 8-year-old Fonsoa to play mom and dad with toddler Elia. He had always been such a sweet, angel-looking boy, even more so then with his big eyes, staring at her and following her and Fonsoa everywhere. In the early years of her brother’s life, it was more of an innocent game for her, but she realized over time that ever since he was born, even though she was only 4 then, she had always taken her role very seriously and loved taking care of him. There were only two things she truly loved doing, caring for her baby brother and being with their horses. She was happy with living this life forever.

The memory she relieved in her dream changed, it was a few years later, Elia and she were laughing bubbly, rolling in the tall grass to go down the hill and she woke up. She felt as though she was on cloud nine as she took her time to get out bed and put on her stola and cloak. Those memories put her in a state of absolute peace of mind. She was so used to Tenax being gone the whole night that she didn’t even notice he still wasn’t home, and she left for the Circus Maximus, to meet with her brothers at the stable. It wasn’t the afternoon yet, she would have some more time to spend with the three of them before they had to show the horses to Scorpus later on, and she would be with them then too. She didn’t have to work today as there wasn’t any races or fights, and in any case, if she didn’t want to work one day, Tenax wouldn’t actually care. He only let her work because she wanted to keep herself busy. If she felt like spending the day at home or at the bath or the theatre, she could.

She arrived at the Circus during hora undecimal, about half an hour before noon and they walked together to Tenax’s tavern to eat together. They got quite a few glances as they exchanged in Spanish the whole time, speaking at a fast pace too, as they asked their sister about her life in Rome, how she came to know Tenax – whom they still had yet to meet – and she told them the whole story. She told them how she followed this young sailor she thought she was in love with and got stuck on a merchant’s ship and was sold as a slave upon arriving in Rome, bought by Tenax and made a freedwoman a couple months later. She said the merchant never returned to Rome, keeping it to herself that Tenax had the later killed because of what he had done to Aldea. They would get scared for her, knowing Tenax’s doing, and she would have to reveal details she wanted to keep secret. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to know that she was forced to have intercourse by and with the merchant for over a week and that he broke her collarbone because she tried to fight back. She wasn’t hiding the latter under a cloak for nothing.

“You were sold as a slave?” Elia reacted instantly when Aldea said it, raising his eyebrow in a mix of utter shock, worry and anger.

“It’s okay now, I’m free. Tenax lets me work and do basically anything I want. He only asks me to be careful where I go. Rome can be dangerous.” She took a sip of her wine, looking down at her plate. “But he has over a dozen men working for him, and I know that he asked them to keep an eye out for me so I’m safe anywhere I go.”

“He seems to be a good husband.” Andria noted while Elia squinted his eyes, slightly frowning. He still doubted that whoever was her husband was a good enough husband for his sister and it made her smile amusedly. She gave her older brother a nod. Tenax proved to be a good husband indeed. She went on to tell them about their time as a married couple and it was enough for Fonsoa and Andria to hear that she was happy and well treated, or they wouldn’t have let her go back to Tenax, maybe even dragging her back home to Baetica if she needed to be saved from her marriage, but there was no need, and they could see that. Even Elia understood she was happy in her relationship. And now she had her family with her. It felt as though life was smiling on her once again. Ever since she became her own woman again at the end of summer 75 CE, four years ago, almost only good things happened to her; she eventually got into a relationship with Tenax, they got married and now she was expecting a child, and she was reunited with her brothers. She let it slip, during the conversation, that she was pregnant and the shock on Elia's face, his eyebrows raised as high as possible and his wide eyes, made her burst out laughing. He let his cutlery fall on the table, clattering against the wood.

“What— estás realmente embarazada?” He exclaimed, asking her if she was actually pregnant, grabbing her arm. Fonsoa and Andria chuckled, proceeding to congratulate their sister. Fonsoa, sat next to her, giving her a broad, proud smile, putting his hand on her back.

“Your child will be blessed to have you as a mother.”

“You were a natural.” Andria added, a soft smile on his face.

“You see, Elia, we’ll become uncles. You need to grow up.” He teased him, stretching his arm behind Aldea to push his brother’s shoulder with a chuckle. Elia dodged his hand, leaning to the side and let out a groan, annoyed to het pushed around by his brother. Fonsoa gently squeezed Aldea’s shoulder, insisting that she will be a great mother, and they finished their meal. A few minutes later, during hora quartadecima, a couple hours after they started eating, they met with Gavros at the Blue faction’s stable and prepped the horses for the try out on the tracks. They geared up four of their dozen Andalusians, attaching them to a rig and Andria warmed them up, making them run for a round in the arena. Fonsoa leaned against the door, his arms crossed while Elia, his hands on his hips, was growing impatient and aggravated by Scorpus’ delay. He still wasn’t there, and they had been waiting for what felt like an eternity. Aldea looked at the sun, up in the sky, indicating it must have been hora sedecim, and if she wasn’t home by the next hour, she thought that Tenax was going to wonder what she was doing out there that was making her so busy that she was missing dinner.

“Where is he?” Having to wait so much made Elia snappy. Gavros put his hand on his shoulder, assuring the driver was coming and he did a few seconds later. Scorpus appeared behind them as the chariot was approaching and Andria brought the horses to a halt.

“They’re small, your Andalusians.” He walked past Andria and stepped on the rig.

“It is not their size that makes horses fast. And no whip. They run better without it.” Scorpus still picked up his whip and Elia glared at him as the charioteer drove away. The horses went gradually faster and within seconds they were full on galloping. They saw Scorpus give a few snaps with the whip but eventually putting it away and instead only snapping the reins, his dark curls blown in the wind. Elia’s angry face gave way to a cheerful smile.

“They’re fast.” Gavros noted. After a full drive around the spina, Scorpus slowed down the horses and got off the rig, letting out a sigh of relief. He was clearly more than satisfied with the beasts and immidietaly made an offer to the brothers.

“Twenty thousand serteces for the ten. But… the three of you stay on as stable hands to get the most out of them.” Elia’s smile faded after getting excited at the price he had proposed. While Fonsoa and Andria agreed to it, he didn’t seem that excited anymore and looked upset.

“We agreed to go back!” Aldea’s head twitched. She didn’t know they were supposed to go home. They hadn’t told her yet.

“Elia. Look around. Do you really want to go back?” Andria asked.

“Yes!”

“We’re in Circus Maximus, and this is Scorpus, he’s trying to buy your horses and hire us. And we got out sister back.” Fonsoa stepped towards his brother. Aldea held her arms, crossed over her chest and kind of looked around, seeing Fimbria watching them in the distance. He crossed her gaze as he was leaving and she squinted her eyes, wondering why he had been staring at them. Elia kept on arguin, insisting Scorpus wanted to trap them in Rome, which he called “a sewer of a city” and the high price offered to them for their horses didn’t seem to make him budge.

“I will take the money, but we agreed to come here, sell the horses, find our sister and go back! We found Aldea, we can go back.” She bit her lips, listening to him. She would have gone back with them in a heartbeat if she hadn’t met and fallen in love with Tenax, and she was married now, it wouldn’t feel right to simply ditch him after years together.

“We could really be someone here. Make a name for ourselves.” Andria tried to convince him to change his mind. Elia shook his head, briskly licking his lips. “Horses, as many as you want.”

“I have all the horses I want, back in Baetica.”

“Boys. Scorpus is waiting.” He rose his voice, drawing attention to him. Andria gave him a nod, briefly turning back to his brothers, proposing to vote on the matter. Fonsoa was in, of course but Elia, unable to stay put, restless, refused to vote and walked away, nudging Fonsoa as he left. The latter called out his name and took a few steps after him but stopped himself and turned back to Andria.

“I’ll go talk to him.” Fonsoa softly grabbed his sister’s arm.

“He’ll be fine. He’ll come around.”

“We have a deal.” Andria then declared to Scorpus. The latter extended his hand towards him.

“The little shit stays as well, yes?” Andria acquiesced, giving his hand a firm shake. As he was leaving, he looked over his shoulder at Aldea. He was going to see Tenax at their home and waited for her to decide whether she was coming with him. Fonsoa comfortingly rubbed her back, reassuring her about Elia. She gave her brothers a hug and walked back to the Suburra with Scorpus. He jumped up the stairs and pushed the front door open. It had been left unlocked and he directly went inside. Aldea closed the door behind them. He had basically run down the street and was out of breath.

“I have just driven… the fastest horses in my life.” Tenax glanced over at them, sitting in the kitchen at the dinner table while Claudia served him something to drink. He tilted his head, looking at Aldea as she made her way to the table and sat across from her husband before the plate set up for her. Claudia gave her some food.

“Are you sure?” Scorpus leaned on the table and sighed.

“They’re the horses of Aldea’s brothers… they fly with the wings of Pegasus. So, I bought them. Well, with your money.”

“So you’re in?”

“Of course, I’m in.” Aldea followed him with her eyes, not really knowing what they were talking about as Scorpus walked behind her and grabbed a piece of bread from a bowl. Tenax looked aside, leaning his elbow on the table, bringing his hand to his face, thoughtful. Scorpus eventually left, leaving the couple together to finish eating.

“You were with your brothers?”

“Yes. I spent the day with them. I’ll go see if they’re at their place after. I need to check on Elia. He wasn’t too happy about having to stay in Rome.”

“Elia, that’s your…”

“My little brother. I hope he’ll come around… I’ll try to convince him to stay. He doesn’t like Rome, to say the least.” She sighed through her nose, chewing on her food. Tenax didn’t say much else on the matter of her brother being unhappy in the city. She knew he didn’t want her to leave, but he loved her and no matter how reluctant he would be, he would let her go if she chose to go back, but put down her fork and held his hand, hopefully letting him know she wasn’t planning on leaving. She was set on convincing her brother to stay. She wasn’t about to let go of the boy she raised and watched grow into the handsome young man he was today. “What were you talking about, with Scorpus?”

“Come. I have something to show you.” He stood up, wrapping his fingers around her hand and slightly pulling her towards him. She got up in turn and he led her to the bedroom. After pressing on one of the tiles on the wall, he pushed the hidden door open with his shoulder and briefly let go of her hand to go fetch something in the criss-cross shelves at the back of the small, secret room where he kept all his most valuable items and property titles. There were hundreds of those in those shelves, but Aldea knew about all this and had known for a while so she was a little puzzled what he might have to show her. He grabbed a tube and turned to her with an excited smile.

“What’s this?” Unscrewing one of the ends, he showed a scroll inside.

“500 shares of the Blue Faction.”

“500—” She was shocked. they grabbed onto each other’s shoulder. “What? How did you get your hands on 500 shares of the Blue Faction?”

“Rufus made a round bet at yesterday's race, betting his wife's shares on Scorpus to win in the last to second round.”

“Oh, that’s why he pulled back in the middle of the race and stayed behind until the last round? I knew there was something like this going on but, well,” She chuckled in disebelief. “I didn’t know this was what was at stake. What will you do with it now?”

“I’ll sell it to the highest bidder, and with the money, Scorpus and I can start our own faction.”

“That’s great news.” She caressed his cheek, the tip of her finger brushing of his beard’s hair, and she softly pressed her lips on his. He then closed the secret door and they both left home. She headed for her brother’s place, a couple streets away, while he headed for the Esquiline Hill to go negotiate with Consul Marsus over the 500 shares. They weren’t the lead owners of the blue faction, and he knew they would want to have this advantage over the woman who he and his wife had lost the position to, Caltonia. By buying those shares, they could retrieve their position as lead owners and he was going to use this fact to get the consul to buy those shares, giving him enough money to fund his ambitions. He would still need to get approval from the Aedile Ludi, who was no other than the emperor’s youngest son, Domitian. She wasn’t too worried about it. Her husband could be cunning and had a certain way with words, he would probably get Domitian to approve a fifth faction by the time the next race came around.

Aldea went to see if her brothers could be found in the room, they were renting but the housekeeper apologizes to her and told her she hadn’t seen them come back yet. Aldea returned to her apartment and Tenax returned in the first hour of the night. She wasn’t going to wander around town, pregnant and on her own so she would wait for either of her brothers – she hoped it would be Elia – to come to her instead.

“So? How did it go?” She asked, as Tenax walked in the room. He went straight to grabbing her face and kissing her, letting her know it did go as well as hoped.

“I sold the shares to Consul Marsu, nine thousand serterces.”

“And Domitian? What did he say?” His fingers sipped into her hair, his thumb caressing her cheek.

“I piqued his curiosity. I told him he would have half ownership over the faction, in secret, and that a river of money awaits us.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll approve your faction. He needs money. He’s been spending the empire’s fortune in every single betting tavern across town. With all the money he’d earn from this, he wouldn’t have to care about his debts anymore.”

“Yes.” He kissed her again, more strongly, as he was thrilled by the thought of finally being able to set his plan in motion and get his own faction. It would get them more money and allow him to sit next to his very own faction’s banner and be somewhat at the same level as the patricians that owned the other four. She didn’t share his ambitions, as she had no such ambitions to begin with, but she supported him in his endeavors and he needed and wanted this, to elevate himself socially, though he would probably not say it in so many words. After all he had been through at the hands of the powerful patricians of the roman empire, it felt, to me, as being a rightful revenge and she would be by his side throughout it. That was one reasons, if not the main one, as to why she couldn’t leave. It felt wrong to abandon and give up on him after the life they had built together, and all they had shared. And they were expecting a child. She couldn’t possibly deprive him of his child, and right to be a father.

She moved away from him, approaching the window as she heard quick steps outside their house. She saw the old woman who watched over Tenax’s property where her brothers were staying. The housekeeper was about to walk through the front door until Aldea called out to her, making her look up.

“You wanted to know when your brothers came home.” Aldea gave her a nod and left, after telling Tenax she wouldn’t be long. She walked to the other insula and as she entered, she could hear them argue in the distance. Because of how clear their voices sounded; she guessed their door was opened. She slowly walked up the stairs.

“Elia, how many times do I have to say it? It’s not forever. We’ll all go back together soon.” Andria tried to calm him down.

“When, exactly? A—After you’re grooms instead of stable hands? After you start driving?”

“Give it a chance. One fortnight, then decide.”

“No.” He was quick with his answer. His mind was still very much made up and he was dead set on leaving Rome. He felt betrayed and lied to, and he told them as much. “You’ve lied to me. Both of you. You never intended to go home. Did you? We said, we come here, sell our horses, find Aldea and go back home.”

“Elia…” She heard Fosnoa sigh. “We sold our horses, and found Aldea. You've been talking about finding her every hour of the day for years. We found her.”

“Yes, and I’m sure she wants to go home too.” She quietly sighed, her hand on the railing as she paused in her tracks.

“Elia, she has built a life here.” Andria said. “She’s married and happy, and she’s with child. You can’t expect her to leave it all behind? Don’t you want to stay here, be close to her?”

“You can’t say that’s not all you’ve wanted, ever since you were a child.”

“Take good care of Ferox.” Elia ignored Fonsoa, turning away from him as he finished packing his things, but he must have seen movement from the corner of his eyes because he turned his head and saw Aldea coming up the stairs. She saw him, mouthing her name and he looked down at his bag, almost shameful of the fact he was getting ready to leave.

“Elia.” She spoke softly, but he avoided looking directly at her, darting glances her way.

“You never intended to go home.” It almost sounded like an accusation. She sighed.

“I never expected I could go home one day. And I met people here, in Rome, that made me love my life here. Elia… please look at me.” She put her hand on his back, and he finally made eye contact with her.

“Do you know how much father’s missed you?” Fonsoa spoke his name, but it didn’t stop Elia from speaking. “First he lost… our mother, and then you. Do you know how much your disappearance destroyed him?”

“Elia. Enough.” Fonsoa rose his voice again, grasping his shoulder, and this time, Elia shut his mouth and went quiet, slightly flaring up his nostrils and shaking his head, freeing his shoulder from Fonsoa with an abrupt shrug. Aldea could see on his face that he felt awful for being mean to her but also that how much he felt hurt and let down by his siblings overshadowed the love he had for them, and especially for his sister.

“Please, Elia. Sleep on it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He wouldn’t look at her and she couldn’t the hurt in her eyes before she turned on her heels and left. As she walked down the stairs, she locked eyes with Fonsoa, still standing in the middle of their room and his eyes told her he was sorry about this. She gave him a soft smile and went back to her home. Tenax opened. He had been waiting for her to go to bed. Seeing she looked down, he stared at her worriedly, caressing her cheek. She took his hand and kissed it. She just wanted to go sleep it off, hoping Elia would at least stay in Rome for the night, or even better, change his mind altogether. The day had started off well and did not end on a high note.

Tenax and Aldea woke up the next morning, got dressed, ate some breakfast quickly and then left, heading together for the Esquiline Hill, hoping to find Scorpus there. But he wasn’t home and so began a search of the neighborhood to find their friend. Aldea stayed on the other side of the street while Tenax went to check if he was in the brothel he frequented but again, he came out of there alone and shrugged, exchanging a glance with his wife. They kept looking and found him at a tailor’s shop, looking at colorful pieces of fabric. Tenax ordered the tailor to get out and he snatched the fabric away from Scorpus after he drapped himself with it and threw it back on the table at the center of the room. Aldea, her hands joined by her waist, waited right by the entrance and could hear them even though Tenax was careful to speak quietly.

“Is this what you call discreet?”

“Word will get out, once we get Domitian’s approval.

“If… we get approval. Come. He’s meeting us at the stables to look at the Andalusians.” Scorpus smirked at the news, patting his shoulder on his way out. As he walked past Aldea, he, as Scorpus does, gave her a flirty look and smile and she shook her head amusedly. Looking back at Tenax as he followed him, Aldea saw his eyes briefly widen in annoyance. They then heade towards the stables of the Circus Maximus and got there about a dozen minutes later. The Blue faction stables’ doors were opened ajar, and they were unpleasantly surprised by what they saw inside. Elia was crouched next to Ferox, Fonsoa and Andria standing nearby. In all the other stalls, the horses were lying on the straw, barely breathing and lethargic. Aldea looked at them in worry while Tenax swore through his gritted teeth.

“Gavros went to get a physician.” Elia told them.

“Why didn’t someone tell me?” They turned around upon hearing Felix’s voice behind them. The young boy came running towards them.

“Domitian, he’s here! Outside!”

Tenax sighed heavily, “As I said… Fuck!” He turned to the brothers. “All right. I’ll divert him. Aldea, I want you out of here.” She wasn’t going to argue with him. He had other other fish to fry – bigger fish. She followed him outside and walked to a piller against which she leaned, seeing him talk with Domitian from the corner of her eyes. He tried to slow him down, to give everyone in the stables, just a little more time to find a quick solution to keep up appearances. On her way out, she heard Scorpus tell everyone to close the stalls’ curtains so they would find a short-term solution. Domitian wasn’t buying whatever Tenax was telling him to keep him out of the stables and he walked inside. She saw Felix come out and Aldea approached but when Domitian turned back to left, she stepped aside, hiding behind the large door. Plebieans bowed as the emperor’s son walked past, followed by Tenax and Scorpus. Before he turned to the other two, all three had their back to her so she slipped inside to go to her brothers. Fonsoa held out his arm, placing his hand on her back, drawing her towards him. Gavros arrived with thr physician and the man with the white beard knelt near the horse, holding a small flame to his eye to take a closer look.

“Augendus, the best there is.” Gavros spoke. “He was once veterinaries for the Greens.”

“You were right, Gavros. Most definitely nightshade.”

“What can you do for them?”

“Bury them.” He shrugged, shaking his head and looked up at Tenax.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“There’s little you can do. A magnus might say put crows in their stalls for three nights… and use bells to call out the Orci spirits from their livers.” Tenax smirked in disbelief.

“I’m not gonna bet my life on that one. Do what you can.” He then took a step towards the Corsi brothers, glaring and poiting a threatening finger at them. Elia stood up. “No one has seen this. If you tell a single fucking person, you will die in ways you cannot imagine. Do you understand?” Aldea stayed silent as he addressed her brothers. It wasn’t her place to speak, even less to cut him off. She shouldn’t even be in there and was mainly allowed to be present because of her link to the six men inside. Even simpler than that, as his wife, she stayed out of his business, and this was business. The fact it involved her family didn’t matter. she wasn't going to undermine his credibility by speaking when she should remain quiet. “Don't believe my threats to be empty just because you are my wife's brothers. Remember… the only person you have to fear more than Domitian… is me.”

“We understand, sir. We have seen nothing here.” Andria acquiesced. She could tell he was intimidated and took Tenax’s words very seriously, and he was right to do so. A faint smile appeared on his face, like a ray of sunshine managing to break through the clouds momentarily. This was as much a friendly “nice to meet you” smile as it was a threatening “if something happened to Aldea, I’ll kill you” kind of smile. He then motioned for Scorpus and Gavros to follow him outside and left the Corsi in the stables. The poor horses groaned at their feet. Leading his sister along with him, Fonsoa called to his brothers to go talk in private in a stall a little further in the stable.

“All right, little brother, you win. This is getting too dangerous. I say we play along until dark and then slip out of the city.” Aldea frowned, slightly shaking her head. She held her arms, looking around. Elia took his eyes off the ground and glanced at his brother.

“To go where?” Andria asked.

“Anywhere other than here. Home?”

“I’m not gonna leave our horses to die.” Elia argued.

“Now he wants to stay?” Fonsoa smirked in disbelief.

“We have reared these horses since they were foals.” He insisted. “I love them. And I’m not going to leave them behind.”

“The Emperor’s son has seen us.” Andria added. “How far would we get if we run? We have no option. Fonsoa, you said it yourself last night… we can’t expect Aldea to leave the city either. She’s married and with child. I say, we throw in with Scorpus and Tenax.”

“It will be fine if you listen to what Tenax says, Fonsoa.” Aldea then spoke, following Andria as the later walked away. She looked over her shoulder when she heard something slam against wood. Elia was still in the stall, with Fonsoa following in his siblings’ footsteps. She sighed through her nose, quietly. He had been shoved by Fonsoa into the wall of the horse’s stall. She watched her brother walk past her and turned back, going straight to Elia.

“I’m fine.” He said under his breath as she grabbed his shoulder and made him look at her, putting her finger under his chin to lift his head. He softly pushed her hand away and she took a step back to give him some space and sighed before walking to the door where Andria was peeking out, looking at Scorpus, Tenax and Gavros. She arrived as Tenax pointed at her brother, ordering him to keep someone safe and since Scorpus led him away with him, pretending to go fetch some fresh horses, she understood he had sent Andria with Scorpus to go get something. She crossed eyes with her husband after he sent Gavros to get guards to stand.

“Where is my brother going with Scorpus?” Tenax looked around, bringing her towards the wall.

“We’ll talk about this later. Right now, I need to deal with this. I want you to go home.” She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding with a sigh. He saw she wasn’t really pleased to leave so he gave her a comforting look and she walked away. Before she even left the area of the circus, she glanced behind her, thinking of her two brothers and she was surprised to see Fonsoa, carrying a sack, leaving the stables. He didn’t notice her right away, staring into space angrily. She stopped in her tracks and waited for him to look at her which he eventually did as he came closer. He came to a halt.

“Where’s Elia?” At her question, he looked away with an annoyed snort and kept on walking. She called his name and walked with a brisk step to keep up with him. Seeing her struggle, he apologized and slowed down his pace. “Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I’m not spending another night in this city.”

“Fonsoa…” He turned to her, stopping suddenly and grabbed her shoulder.

“You’ve been living with this man for four years? We’ve been here for two days and it’s already getting dangerous. He threatened us.”

“I told you; everyone will be fine as long as you keep this situation to yourself. His threats weren’t empty, but he won’t harm you. He has to be like this. Life in Rome is quite unforgiving.” She tried to explain but he shook his head.

“No. I won't let this be my life, or yours, or my nephew's.”

“You can’t make me leave.” She argued with a scoff, leaning back, starign at him in incredulity.

“Aldea, this man is dangerous.”

“I’m the one living with him, Fonsoa. I know him. I get to say if he’s dangerous. Please, just trust me when I tell you that he’s not.” She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with him in the middle of the street and switched to Spanish mid-sentence. They argued all the way home until they stopped by the front door of Aldea’s insula. She looked desperate to convince her brother to change his mind and tired to fight with him.

He sighed, apologizing, “Lo siento, Aldea.”

“Please, reconsider.”

“I’ll see you later.” He gave her a kiss on her temple, and she watched him as he walked away and stood there until he disappeared from her sight, and only then did she enter the insula and get into the apartment where she got to cooking to keep herself busy while Tenax wasn’t home. Claudia came out of her room and proceeded to help her cook, cutting the foodstuffs together in the kitchen by the candlelight. Not long after, the two women stopped when the door suddenly opened, and a young Numidian woman was pushed into the room. Aldea looked at her, squinting her eyes in confusion. Tenax came in after her, closing the door behind her. He asked Claudia and Aldea to leave them and the Spaniard didn’t move for a couple seconds while the housekeeper went back in her room, but after a second look from Tenax, she walked past him and the young woman, glancing at her from the corner of her eyes and she closed the doors behind her, leaving them slightly ajar, peeking out. Tenax stretched out his hand towards the chair, asking the girl to sit but she glared at him, somehow reminding Aldea of herself when she first stepped in his home.

“I said sit.” He pointed at the chair again, with his index finger, the light making his signet ring shine.

“After you take me, sooner or later you will fall asleep, and when you do, I will slit your throat.”

“You’re going to still my throat?” He nodded his head, and she could feel him shoot up his eyebrows in skepticism. The girl gasped as he took a step towards her and grabbed her by the throat. Aldea carefully pushed the door, so as not to make any noise, though she wouldn’t have been punished if he saw she was listening – he expected she would and knew she was – and she approached her ear from the opening as Tenax lowered his voice, speaking closer to the girl.

“I own you. You are my slave.” Aldea frowned, not understanding why he would buy a slave, after not doing so ever since he bought her. He didn’t actually need a slave then; she didn’t know why he would need a slave now. “I can do whatever I want with you.” Someone started pounding on the door. The loud knocking interrupted him and Aldea grabbed the doors handles and opened them entirely, stepping outside of the bedroom as he pulled out his dagger before unlocking the front door and came face to face with another Numidian woman, standing on the landing. Tenax exhaled, seemingly exasperated. “You don’t give up.”

“I’m her mother.” He sighed, inviting her in with a gesture. She rushed towards her daughter, and they threw themselves into each other’s arms. Tenax glanced over his shoulder upon feeling Aldea come up from behind her. The look she gave him was asking for an explanation, but he responded with a wave of the hand, meaning he would deal with her later and he turned to the newcomer as he put away his blade.

“I already told you. She’s not for sale.”

“Everything is for sale. At the right price.”

“Not her.” She stood before her daughter, as if shielding her while Aldea watched Tenax from behind, puzzled by what was going on.

“Why did you buy her?”

“I need to know things about the person who bought your other daughter.” Aldea joined her hands at her waist, nodding to herself, now understanding why he bought a slave out of nowhere.

“I see. You seek to use this daughter as a go-between to my other daughter to spy on your enemy. I have an alternative.”

“I’m listening.”

“I will be your go-between.” She offered. Her daughter parted her lips, about to protest but her mother continued. “But you don’t touch her. And when this is over, whatever it is, you allow me to buy her… at your cost.”

Tenax scoffed, taking a few steps in the woman’s direction, “No. When all this is done, I will consider selling her to you for whatever price I like.”

“I need lodging.” He smiled, amused and chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at Aldea and showed the room at the back of the flat.

“You can stay with your daughter for a couple of nights.” He stressed the last few words and turned around, slipping his hand from Aldea’s shoulder to her back as he led her to bedroom with him. They would finally have some time to talk, just the two of them. Aldea had a lot of things to ask him to clarify the situation. The last thing they heard before he closed the doors behind them was the woman telling them her name, Cala.

[To be continued…]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (SOON)

Published (08/20/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 4 months ago

Text

Finis Vitae Sed Non Amoris - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE FANFICTION Chapter 10

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (SOON)

Summary: Aldea's entire world had tumbled down, giving in on itself after her brother's death and after another tragic loss, it was as though Aldea's heart was ripped out of her chest. She felt like she had lost everything, and Tenax wasn't there. She felt completely alone, if it weren't for Elia, the only family she had left, and the son she was to have.

Words: 5.3k

Warnings: title means "the end of life but not of love" // Those about to die season 1 spoilers (episode 9 "The Die is Cast" & episode 10 "Let the Games Begin"), angst, grief, blood

Aldea hadn’t seen or spoken to Tenax in already two days, sleeping in Fonsoa’s room at the other insula, which also belonged to him. She didn’t sleep soundly, not only because she was so heavily pregnant but also because she knew Fonsoa was going to race, and so would Elia. Her thoughts were spiraling in her head. She was terrified of either of her brothers getting in a shipwreck. She couldn’t help but imagine the worst-case scenario and imagining her brothers to die as well made her feel so desperate and scared. The foundation of her whole world had been shaken and destroyed when Scorpus, a man she considered her friend, murdered her older brother for the sake of his ego and personal glory, and now she had lost her footing. It was as though a part of her had been torn off. She was anxious as she walked towards the Circus Maximus and felt as though her stomach was tied up in knots. She had no idea where Tenax was and didn’t really care at the moment, or maybe she wanted to convince herself she didn’t care, in order not to think about it. Her mind was far from the tension that had risen in their relationship. She wore her cloak over her head, passing her fingers on her necklace, a piece of Tenax’s love for her that she didn’t have the heart not to wear, despite being angry with him. She joined Gavros and Elia in the staging area of the Blue faction. Her brothers were in the very first race of the day. She breathed shakily. The stablehands were going back and forth, left and right, getting the rig ready before letting its driver and horses parade on the tracks before the race.

“Elia.” She put her hand on his arm, looking up at him, worriedly. He was softly pulling on the reins, taking deep breaths and turned his head towards his sister. He clenched his jaw nervously. She glanced over at Gavros from the corner of her eyes. He probably didn’t know that Elia wanted to avenge their brother, meaning beating Scorpus at his own game and the driver was right on the fact that it was a dangerous game. She couldn’t care less about it being dangerous for Scorpus. She wanted him to get his due and that was why she wasn’t warning Elia against going forward with whatever plan he might have to get Scorpus killed but she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t need to ask him what he was going to do. He was going to get him in a shipwreck. That would be the only way to kill him on the tracks. “Be careful, hermanito.” She breathed shakily, squeezing his arm, asking him to not get himself killed, “Por favor, no te dejes matar.”

He bent forward, putting his hand on top of hers, “It’s okay. Vengaré a nuestro hermano.” They held each other’s gaze, looking very serious and she nodded. He was going to avenge their brother. He wanted to and promised her as such, and she trusted him, but she still showed a certain apprehension about what might happen to him, or Fonsoa.

“Elia. It’s time.” Gavros walked behind Aldea, and along a couple stable hands, headed for the doors leading to the tracks. The siblings exchanged a last meaningful look, and the young woman stepped back and watched him give a shake of the reins and drive away. She took another shaky breath as she went to sit on the bench on the opposite side. The doors closed. She was left alone and waited until, caressing her stomach, staring into space until the horns sounded in the arena and she rushed to the doors, stretching her neck to look out the opening at the top, to see the race as the drivers were unleashed onto the tracks. The crowd cheered. Getting on her tip toes, Aldea tried to keep her eyes on Elia and Fonsoa. The bell dinged the end of the first round and soon after, the first shipwreck happened. She was somewhat relieved. It wasn’t her brothers that got hurt. She squinted her eyes, trying to see what was going on as she noticed Elia driving close to Scorpus and she understood he was trying to trap him. The stablehands on the tracks ran away when the drivers approached but they hadn’t had the time to move all the debris from the first accident and Elia and Scopurs were on the front line.

Elia blocked him, only pulling the reins aside at the last moment and Scorpus went flying, crashing on the ground. But the satisfaction was short-lived. Fonsoa was right behind him, and she slammed her hand on the door, crying out his name. His Andalusians jumped over the debris, but his rig flipped, and he fell over. Aldea walked away, falling on the bench and whimpered as Gavros came running, urging a stablehand to get the physician. She stood up, stepping aside and watched Elia dragging Fonsoa inside, and with Gavros, they carried him, setting him down on the bench. She kneeled down, taking Fonsoa’s hand in between hers, sobbing. His eyes were half-closed. Her voice was trembling as she begged him not to die, speaking to him in their mother tongue. He faintly squeezed her hand, swallowing harshly. Aldea looked over her shoulder when she heard hurried footsteps and someone gasping, it was Salena. She had come with her son. She let go of the child’s hand and rushed to Fonsoa’s side, already crying as well.

“Please. Don’t give up, please.” She begged him to stay with him and seeing the hurt in her eyes, and how much she must have loved her brother, Aldea’s heart shattered even more. Fonsoa’s breath was strained. It seemed as though talking was hurting him but still, he called for Elia. He slowly approached, sitting on the side of the bench and wrapping his hand around his siblings’.

“Do you remember when I broke my leg?”

“Of course. Foolish thing.”

Elia chuckled sadly, “You carried me home. Grandfather… He was gone. You held me while Andria set my leg. Aldea and you, you helf me all night long while I cried.”

“It must have hurt.”

“Not like this.” He shook his head, apologizing quietly, in between sobs and Aldea stifled a cry. Fonsoa was struggling to keep his eyes opened. His head rolled to the side, and he stopped moving. Aldea’s head fell forward, the tears washing down her face. Elia sobbed, benting over, his hand on his sister’s shoulder, her head resting against his chest, and she wailed. It wasn’t just a part of her that she had lost, it was worse than that. Her entire heart had been ripped out of her chest and she felt as though she was left bleeding out. She couldn’t stand up. She couldn’t move at all and was just sobbing hysterically in Elia’s arms. There was a part of her that longed for Tenax’s reassurand and support but the overwhelming sadness that washed over her just clouded her mind. She couldn’t think about anything else but Fonsoa’s death.

“No— No sé si valió la pena, Elia.” It really got her wondering if their whole craving for revenge had been worth it. They had avenged Andria's death, killing Scorpus, but it cost Fonsoa his life. Aldea's worst fear came true. She clinged onto Elia, tightening her grip, as if she feared he would be taken away from her too.

She followed them as they carried Fonsoa’s body to the funeral grounds. Elia refused Gavros’ help as he spent the whole afternoon digging their brother’s grave. Aldea sat to the side, her eyes were closed and red from crying and her head tilted forward. For hours she had been pressing her lips shut, frowning. She was in more discomfort than she had ever been in her whole pregnancy. She was also puzzled as to why she was feeling such strong cramps and this low, dull ache in her lower back that came in waves. The sun was setting and the pain she was in only grew stronger, but she sucked it up. She sniffed, opening her eyes and looking at her brother without moving her head as she heard him repeatedly kicking the dirt with his shovel, in frustration and throwing it away, whimpering. She followed his gaze as he looked ahead of him. Salena and her son had joined them.

“Were it not for my rage there would be no grave to dig?” he was panting, his face blackened with dirt and dust.

“Blame the Fates,” Gavros spoke. “not yourself.”

He jumped in the hole Elia had dug, picking up the shovel and handing it to him and grabbed a second one to give him a hand. They stopped again, looking up at Salena’s boy as he approached, giving a kiss to a toy he carried in his hands before crouching down and putting it in front of the candles set by the edge of the grave. Aldea blinked, unleashing tears onto her cheeks. The toy represented a charioteer on its rig. He then returned to his mother, and they left quietly. Aldea stifled a groan. A strong cramp started suddenly, lasting a few seconds before fading away. It wasn’t very different from what she had been feeling the past few hours but the next time around, she gasped and groaned loudly, and Elia widened his eyes, alerted, jumping out of the hole and rushing to his sister as she breathed sharply.

“Are you alright? Aldea, are you okay? Are you hurting?” He was anxiously shooting questions at her, but she just gritted her teeth because of the pain, unable to answer.

“Elia. Get her home quickly.” Elia looked over at Gavros and acquiesced, helping his sister up. She was had her eyes closed, her face briefly relaxing as she breathed in and out slowly and they walked away. It took twice as long as it normally would to get back to the Suburra and during the half hour it took them, Aldea was going back and forth from groaning and moaning from the pain and sighing of relief when it faded away. She had no idea what was going on. She didn’t understand why she was feeling this way. Last time this had happened was when Claudia had made her a sort of abortion tea sometime after she had first gotten to Rome. The cramps were the same, but it was so early on in the pregnancy, there had been only blood coming out of her and yet it had felt as though she was literally giving birth. She stopped in her tracks. They were halfway there. Her eyes were wide open in horror at what she had just come to realize, or at least suspect.

“What is it? Aldea? Are you okay?”

She resumed walking, gulping, “I think— I think I’m giving birth. No—no, no, no, it can’t be…” They arrived on the street to Tenax’s insula. If she was giving birth, she had to go to Claudia, and hopefully, Cala would be there too. The Numidian woman had had three children. She could help better than any midwife. Breathing in, and out, Aldea climbed one step at a time. Elia pounded on the door, urging anyone inside to open the door quickly and a second later, Cala appeared behind the door. The confusion on her face was soon replaced by fear and concern. She let him in, closing the door behind her.

“Take her to the bedroom. Quickly.” He nodded and took his sister to the bedroom while Cala turned to Claudia, standing behind her in the kitchen. “Get me the birthing chair, right now.” The old woman rushed in and out of their room, giving her the chair. “Soak some cloths in warm olive oil, and then pour it in a bladder and bring it to me.”

Elia was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his sister’s hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. He looked over his shoulder, watching as Cala set the chair in a corner of the room. She bent over, caressing Aldea’s face with concern. The latter was panting, clenching her jaw and wincing, moaning and groaning at the contractions, squeezing her brother’s hand hard.

“Where’s Tenax?” She asked through gritted teeth, letting out a sob. She had put her anger aside and just wanted him there with her, but he was nowhere to be seen. She needed him.

Cala sighed and spoke quietly, “He had business to attend to. He will be home before the sun comes up.”

“Will she be okay?” Elia was greatly distressed.

“She will.”

“Cala…” The middle-aged woman turned her head back to Aldea as the latter called her name. “our mother— our mother died in childbirth.” Her voice broke, “I don’t want to die...”

“You listen to me, Aldea. You will not die.” She cupped her face with her hands and caressed her cheekbone with her thumb. When Claudia came in the room, Cala told Elia to go wait outside and he was so reluctant to leave that she had to repeat herself and closed the doors behind him. Aldea’s breathing quickened and she cried out in pain. Claudia and Cala helped her get up and walk to the birthing chair. She sat down with a groan, grasping onto the armrests.

“I will go fetch the midwife.” Claudia said, standing up. There were this Greek midwife that they had found in the early months of her pregnancy. Despite being low-borns and plebeians, Tenax wanted to ensure a smooth birth for his wife, and he had the money to do so.

“Go quick. Drag her from her bed if you have to.” Claudia nodded and rushed outside, running out of the apartment. The midwife lived on the other side of the Suburra. While she was gone, Cala placed the bladder full of hot olive oil by her side and applied the warm, soaked cloths to her abdomen to help with the pain and breathed along with her to help her calm down. She squeezed her hand, talking to her softly, making her take deep breaths in, and out, until Claudia returned with the two midwives.

They joined them inside the room, conversing with each other as they took their places around the chair, checking on Aldea’s state. One of them sat opposite and below her for the delivery. The pain and discomfort she had been in the whole afternoon was actually labour pain. She was in labour, but even the midwives spoke, with a quite noticeable Greek accent, “she shouldn’t be giving birth for another two moons.”

“Well, she is, so it doesn’t matter anymore.” Cala declared. The woman gave her a sidelong glance but didn’t say anything else and did her job, while Aldea groaned and moaned continuously, crying and screaming through her teeth as she was felt the urge to push. Claudia helped by gently keeping her in place so that she wouldn’t sway with the pain. She held her breath so much that the women around her had to remind her to take breaks and breathe but even merely breathing was extremely exhausting and she thought she was dying and that her body was being torn in half. She constantly lamented, saying she couldn’t do it and sobbing and having to be encouraged and reassured by Cala but after an hour of this, Aldea felt completely out of her mind with pain and exhaustion. She was shaking from the effort and covered in sweat.

“I can’t do this—ugh, I can’t— I can’t do this." She shook her head and sobbed, crying out for Tenax. She needed him more than ever. Cala cupped her face with her hands.

“He will be home soon. Keep going. You’re doing great.” Aldea nodded, trying to catch her breath as she kept on pushing as hard as she could.

Cala turned her head upon hearing the door open and close, Elia talking to someone and hurried steps approaching the doors. Tenax came in, ignoring the disapprobating stare of the midwife as men weren’t supposed to be present at births but he didn’t care and neither Aldea nor Cala cared for that Roman convention. The Spaniard looked up and followed him with her gaze as he rushed to her side, sitting down next to her after Claudia brought a stool. He took her hand, placing a kiss on it. They locked eyes, pressing their foreheads together then she turned her head and continued to push for a while, until the midwife let her know that she could see the baby's head. She was almost there, and fortunately so, because she felt herself becoming very dizzy and light-headed. And then, finally, it was all over. Aldea let out the biggest sigh known to man and caught her breath, throwing her head back. Her tears weren’t only from the pain of the birth, she was crying because of the exhaustion and thinking about Andria and Fonsoa, her beloved brothers who she had lost in the span of a couple of days, and because she was frightened. She was scared to die after witnessing her mother literally bleed out after giving birth to Elia. Aldea was just 4 years old when that happened. But she didn’t die. She was still alive, and it took her a second to realize it was over.

After a few seconds of silence, Aldea heard a piercing cry and groaned as she straightened her neck. The midwife had stepped away with the baby and was washing it with Cala while Claudia left the room. Cala glanced over her shoulder at Aldea and Tenax, “It’s a boy.”

“He was born two moons early. He’s quite small, but if the gods will it, he will live through childhood.”

“They will.” Cala said, firmly. Claudia then returned with woollen bands and before wrapping them around the baby’s limbs, Tenax stood up and approached them to see the child. He had had many months to prepare for the fact he was going to be a father but the look on his face made him look like he couldn’t believe it, like he couldn’t believe that he was an actual father, with a child of his own. They then swaddled the infant in the wool, limb by limb and, holding him carefully in his arms, Tenax turned around and walked over to Aldea, crouching before her. Slowly, she held out her arms and he handed their child to her.

She was staring at the baby’s face and just started crying, “Amatus.” It was the name she had picked for their child, were it to be a boy. His name came from the verb amare, meaning to love, and meant beloved. Aldea couldn’t stop crying. She was a complete mess, and her emotions were all over the place, taking quivering gasps. The small baby in her hands opened his round, blue-grey eyes every now and then, looking at the tired faces of his mother leaned over him. Aldea smiled tenderly, softly caressing his cheek with the tip of her finger. She felt such a sense of happiness take over her heart and was completely overwhelmed. Tears flowed non-stop down her face. She heard the three other women in the room talk, catching a few words from the midwife telling Claudia and Cala what to do and Cala mentioning she had three children of her own and they left the room, leaving the new parents alone. Aldea lifted her head, looking up from her baby and meeting Tenax’s shiny eyes. There were so many emotiong going on on his face that she was unable to tell them apart, joy, regret, guilt, adoration and love.

“Aldea.” He spoke her name in hushed tones.

“We’ll talk later. We just had a son… our beautiful baby.” She looked back down at their child. Now was not the time to talk about all that had happened. She was way too tired to think about anything. “He has your eyes.” Tenax chuckled and acquiesced, kissing her lips.

“Aldea, give him to me.” He said softly after Aldea tried to stand up. She handed him their son and leaned on his shoulder to get up. He caught her as she stumbled, losing her balance because. She was dizzy and her whole body felt sore and bruised as she took a few steps towards the bed. Tenax called Claudia and the housekeeper came in, followed by Cala and the two women helped her lie down on the bed. Elia stood in the doorway, holding his hands in front of him, nervously. The concern on his face was almost too cute. Aldea watched through her half-opened eyes as her little brother slowly approached Tenax.

“Can I hold him?” He asked shyly. Tenax carefully handed the baby to the young Spaniard, and he took him, looking down at his nephew with a candid smile dawning on his face. Aldea grinned, amused, and closed her eyes to rest them a little and ended up falling asleep. It would have been physically impossible for her not to. For the rest of the morning, she was dozing off, coming out of sleep and falling asleep again right after. She didn’t know when, but she was woken up after a floorboard creaked under someone's foot. Her eyes were not completely open, her eyelashes blurred her vision, but she thought she recognized Cala's silhouette. Aldea mumbled her name, and the woman stopped in her tracks, turning towards her. She walked around the bed after grabbing something from the nightstand. She brought a cup to her lips. Aldea had no idea what she was drinking but it seemed to alleviate the pain. She grabbed her wrist as she went to leave.

“Where’s my— Where’s my baby?” She asked, her eyes closed. Cala caressed her hand.

“He’s with Claudia. Now, rest.” She put her hand on her chest and left the room, but Aldea was so tired she didn’t even realize it and kept on mumbling inaudibly until she fell asleep again. She came out of her slumber again when it was already dark outside. Aldea groaned as she stood up on her own, leaning on the chair by her side and on the wall as she pushed the door open ajar. She was hearing muffled voices coming from outside the bedroom. Cala was standing there with her younger daughter, Jula, and Elia. Claudia was sitting at the kitchen table, holding Amatus in her arms.

“How will you provide for her?” Cala questioned.

“I am riding for the Blues. I am their lead charioteer now.”

“Hmm. And when you are killed?”

“We drivers have a club for that. We save for, uh… well, just in case.”

Cala looked at her daughter, “Do you love him?”

“Yes. I do, mother.” She said quietly, the corners of her mouth lifting as she locked eyes with Elia.

Cala sighed, “Love, a weak basis for marriage. But it will do for now.”

“Thank you.” Jula wrapped her arms around her mother. Aldea smiled softly and walked out of the bedroom, putting a hand on her brother’s shoulder. He looked behind him, just noticing his sister.

“What are all those happy smiles for?” She asked with a smile on her face as well.

“I am getting married, sister. And I will be a father.”

“What? Really? Oh, hermanito.” She drew him into a hug. She was so proud of him and the thought of their children being so close in age meant they would be able to grow up together and be close cousins and it was such a sweet thought that warmed her broken heart. They all broke their embraces when the door opened. Rufus came in, glancing at Cala and Aldea.

“Tenax wants you to come.” Cala nodded, kissing her daughter’s cheek and hugging Elia.

“Take good care of her. Or you will answer to me.” She spoke in his ear, “And to the Gods of Numidia.”

Aldea smiled amusedly, “Don’t worry, Cala. He will take good care of your girl.” Claudia came up to her, giving her back her son, who was sleeping soundly and Aldea left the apartment with Cala. As they walked down the stairs, she refused Rufus’ help, rather letting Cala help her and the man led them all the way to the Esquiline hill. Aldea recognized Scorpus’ house. She was a little confused at first as to why they would be brought here but she figured that maybe, since the driver was dead, Tenax might have made this luxurious home his own – their own. Rufus opened the door for them and let the two women inside. Aldea looked up. The ceiling was so high, and the the entrance of the house was about as large as their apartment in the insula. Even her family home in Hispania wasn’t that big, and it was her great-grandfather that built it. Rich roman houses like Scorpus’, on the Esquiline were beautiful and grand but quite ostentous. They showed off the wealth of the people living in this neighborhood. She was brought out of her contemplation when she heard Cala's voice raised, breaking the silence of the house.

“Your new home?”

“Scorpus isn’t using it. Anyway, he hated it.” His voice echoed in the high-ceilinged room. “He preferred brothels. Domitian, our new Emperor, has made me Aedile Ludi. You know what that means? Julius Caesar, himself, served as Aedile Ludi during his rise.”

“A deserved prize. For putting our new Emperor on the throne.” Aldea frowned as she listened. She had no idea what Cala meant by that.

He chuckled, “Now we both know that, but it’s not to be said out loud. Especially to Domitian. You understand…” his voice moved through the room. “that I need to kill you, don’t you?”

“What?” Aldea asked herself, in a whisper.

“I understand… that you believe that.”

“No surprise then. I expected you to try and bargain your way out of this.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s only through dumb luck that I’m alive.” The tone of his voice grew sharper. He spoke abruptly, sounding like he was scolding Cala. “Had that scroll reached Titus, I would be dead and Domitian as well. What then of Aldea, and my son? They would have nothing.”

“Then you should thank your Roman Goddess, Fortuna.”

“I do!” He paused. “I take no pleasure in killing you. But you’ve given me no choice.”

“I betrayed you. But did I ever lie to you?” There was another silence. “You are from the gutter. Your money, your betting, your allies, all your allegiances, your very beek all reek of the sewere. But you live on the Esquiline Hill now. You need someone honest… to manage what you leave behind. Without an endless flow of money, all this will fall apart, and the senators will roar with laughter as they kick you back to the gutter. And then, Aldea and your son will, indeed, be left with nothing.”

Upon hearing Cala take a sharp breath, gasping, and Aldea approached the door, looking into the room, the flame of the candle shining in the corner of her eyes. Tenax had his hand up to Cala’s neck. She had struck a chord with those words.

“Why should I trust you?”

She slightly shook her head, “Who else?” She grabbed his hand firmly and softly pushed it away, “For my children… I will betray you in a second. But beyond that, I will never lie to you. I never have. Who else can offer you that? Aldea? Yes. Do you remember, what I asked you at Andria’s funeral?”

“You terrify me.” He was staring at her, clenching his jaw, and Cala’s eyes invited him to answer her question, out loud and it took a moment before he spoke, “That I should seek Aldea’s forgiveness, not yours.”

“And?”

“If her love for me was greater than her love for her brothers.”

“What did I say to that, before I left?”

He swallowed harshly, “That it wasn’t.”

“I still wonder whether I was right to say that, or not. But I would advise you to tread carefully. She loves you, so much, and has a son with you, but her brother Elia is already like a son to her. You better make sure nothing happens to that boy, or I might prove right.” She patted his shoulder, and walked away, “You know where to find me.”

Cala stopped by the door, glancing back at Tenax and left, walking past Aldea standing in the hallway. She caressed the young woman’s cheek, in this motherly manner she had with her. Aldea then walked through the doors with a slow step, closing them behind her and locked eyes with Tenax, standing on the other side of the grand, main room. She walked around the three couches set up at the center, looking around her. It was even bigger than the entrance.

“So, it will be our home now? How could Scorpus live in such a big house alone?”

“He was rarely alone.”

“Yes. That was a stupid question.” She stopped in front of Tenax and met his eyes again. They looked at each other’s face in silence and she was the one to break it, “I am not going to pretend that I am sad that Scorpus died.”

“I know.”

“He had it coming. But I am sad for you, he was your good friend.” She caressed his cheek softly. “His death cost me my other brother. Fonsoa died because of Scorpus too.” It didn’t matter to her that it was Elia who got Scorpus killed and indirectly led to Fonsoa’s death, but she would never place the blame on her baby brother. To her, it was all Scorpus’ fault, and the dead cannot defend themselves so, who would ever say the opposite.

“I am sorry, Aldea.” She closed her eyes for a second, turning her head to the side. Tears fell down her cheeks and she wiped them off with her thumb. She couldn’t tell him that she forgave him, because for now, she didn’t. That didn’t mean she didn’t love him but hearing what Cala mentioned earlier, whether or not her love for her brothers was greater than her love for Tenax and it got the both of them thinking and now that her brothers were gone, she couldn’t think that she could ever love someone more than them. There was going to be a lot of work to get their relationship to how it was before her brothers came to Rome that summer, but she loved Tenax and their family, as well as the family that Elia and Jula were building together, was more important than anything else to her. She couldn’t risk losing any of them.

“Scorpus’ ego killed my brothers. And it almost killed our son.” She stressed each word and stepped closer to him, their faces mere inches apart from each other. “You’re Aedile Ludi now. And Domitian is Emperor. You’re an ambitious man, Tenax, but you need to be careful, or your ambition will get us all killed. You can’t afford to make mistakes with him.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you, our son, or your brother. I promise you.”

“That’s really up to Domitian. I do not trust him.”

“Trust me.” He took her face in his hands, speaking quietly.

“Then do not betray my trust again.”

He kissed her.

The future wasn’t as bleak as it might seem, but it wasn’t going to be a nice walk in the park. The threat of Ursus had been replaced by a much worse one, Domitian as Emperor. They had the sword of Damocles dangling over their heads.

[To be continued…]

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Published (09/22/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 6 months ago

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Familia Mea Mihi Omnia Est - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter Four

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

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Summary: 5th of Augustus, 79 CE. Another food riot in the city led to chaos in the city and the only way to distract the roman citizens were games. A chariot race was called and Tenax and Aldea got ready quickly. There wasn't supposed to be race that day but it meant they had to go set up for betting. Aldea didn't expect who she would see at the Circus Maximus, right before the race even started.

Words: 4.3k

Warnings: title means "my family is my everything" // Those about to die spoilers (episode 1 "Rise or Die" and one scene from episode 2 "Trust None"), fluff

It was very late that day of Augustus, the sun had set when Aldea saw Tenax come back to the tavern after leaving with his right arm, Dacia, one of the most loyal men that worked for him. Tenax trusted him to the point that he was the one he asked if he needed someone to watch over his wife. She knew that, but she didn’t know that Tenax hadn’t just asked him to keep an eye on her. He had given word to every single man working for him, making the betting tavern the safest place she could be at, which was why he let his pregnant wife keep on working – because she liked working, yes, but also because she was safe there.

Once the betting tavern closed after the last race ended a while ago, she went to the orphans they had under their care. She had known them for about as long as she known Tenax, and even longer than they had been a couple. She quickly saw the two men leave the tavern and she knew where they might be off to now, while not knowing anything at all at the same time. Tenax was off doing what Tenax does – dealing with people. Whether that meant only threatening or killing them. She had grown accustomed to his business and though she didn’t like it – she knew he didn’t either – but she knew who she had married, and she was surprised with how easy it was for to turn a blind eye to his actions. His business was what allowed for their comfortable life, despite being plebeians. They rarely spoke of it anyway, but he didn’t keep her in the dark either. If she asked about it, he would tell her certain things, keeping quiet on his actual crimes to preserve her, but if she really didn’t want to know, she just didn’t ask. And she often simply didn’t ask about where he had been the previous night. She loved him, knowing very well he was considered a criminal – the king of the Suburra. Aldea herself had gotten a nickname, which came from Scorpus’ habit to call her Spanish princess.

She had cooked dinner for the kids while laughing because of how impatient they were to get food from her and ask about her baby. She was about four months pregnant at this point, but still barely showing, especially dressed in her tunic and toga. They always argued with each other on whether it would be a boy or a girl. It seemed they were taking their older siblings’ role very seriously. It was beyond funny and adorable to her. By the time she was done cooking for them by the torches’ light. The children had moved out of the way to let Tenax pass. She put down the pot on the table and looked over her shoulder, locking eyes with him as he gave her and the children a smile. As she served the food to the children, she watched Tenax walk away, two of his men lifting the curtains to clear the way for him to the betting counter. She had also worked at the counter during the day already, as she did almost every day whenever there were races or gladiator fights, there were several of one or the other every day. The gambling tavern of Tenax was the largest and most profitable in all of Rome. People knew Tenax, though it wasn’t his real name, and they knew her too, from afar. Tenax was the only plebeian roman of all the Suburra to have married a former Spaniard slave.

Tenax then came back and once the kids had finished eating, he took them with him to the ludus beastus at the other side of the Circus Maximus. She went to the stables to meet with Gavros, whom she sometimes helped caring and prepping the horses. She grew up with horses and it only made sense for her to hand around the beasts, in the absence of being able to ride them. The couple was awakened from their sleep the next morning by the screams and shouting of the mob in the streets of the Suburra. Aldea turned on her back, leaning on her elbow after Tenax sat up with a start. He stared at the window before pushing the blanket aside and getting out of bed.

“What is it?” She asked quietly as she joined him by the window. People were running down the street, shouting to go to the Palatine – the emperor’s palace adjoined to the Circus Maximus. Another food riot probably, but they saw, right outside their house, three young men standing there and letting everyone run past them. One, with red hair, put pouches of what Aldea assumed to be coins in the hands of his friends and they left in the opposite direction. They started this riot for some reason and both Aldea and Tenax understood this, though they had no idea what was going on with those three. Maybe Tenax would find out eventually, but Aldea would just go on about her day. About 20 minutes later, they heard the rumbling of drums echoing through the whole city, meaning there was going to be a race today. It was clear that it was to distract the mob and interrupt the riot because there wasn’t supposed to be a race today, but now there was. Dacia and Noro came in the apartment, looking a little concerned and anxious.

“Drums.”

“I’m not deaf.” Tenax was fastening the large leather belt at his waist as he walked up to them. Aldea stood in the back of the bedroom and threw her cloak over shoulder, securing it right above her broken collarbone with a brooch. She never went out with just her beige stola, which was sleeveless.

“Scorpus is nowhere to be found. Fimbria has looked everywhere.” Noro said.

“I can guess, I’ll go get him. You two get set up for the betting.” They followed him to the door, giving a nod to Aldea to greet her as she walked through the apartment with them and went to Claudia, their housekeeper, in the kitchen. The latter still stood by the front door. Upon noticing Aldea come out of the house with them, Tenax glanced at her – she knew he wanted her to stay home because of the riot but she wasn’t about to sit on her ass the whole day – and Dacia directly told him she would be safe with them and not to worry so he just ordered to keep her away from the stables and he left on his own to go find Scorpus, where he was always found, in a brothel. She wouldn’t risk venture around the stables until after the race because once people saw Tenax bringing Scorpus around, they would definitely get followed by a crowd and it would be dangerous for her. She stayed at the betting counter, working with Dacia taking the bets. It was already set in her mind that she would go to the stables once everyone had gone to watch the race.

“Aldea! Aldea!” Nica, one of the kids came running in the tavern, calling out to her. She took a bet, motioning for her to wait a second and she walked out from behind the counter, kneeling in front of the little girl to be at her height.

“What’s going on?”

“I was at the stables, helping Gavros with Incitatus. I saw three Spaniards standing in front of the blue faction stable.”

“Okay. You’re telling me this because I’m a Spaniard? I don’t know them all, you know?” She chuckled with a shrug, an amused grin on her face. Her mind instantly started thinking about her brothers, but she didn’t know what they would be doing in Rome years later, and tried not to take the kid’s words seriously to not get her hopes up and end up disappointed and sad, as she usually did when thinking about her family. She missed them terribly. Her brothers had always been her best friends, and their absence definitely left a large hole in her heart. “Are you sure they’re even actually Spanish and not just a little tanned?”

“You’re from Baetica, right? One of them said he had a letter of, uh, of introduction from Baetica.” No words left Aldea’s mouth. She felt a little stunned, wanting to believe it and not wanting to believe it at the same time. She didn’t know the kids remembered everything she had told them about her family, how she was from Hispania baetica and had three brothers. She told them about her family in the beginning, but it was hard to talk about them after a while, feeling like she would never get to see them ever again and she stopped talking about it, but they might be there, and she was having conflicted thoughts over it. Maybe they were just three random Spaniards, that happened to be from the same region as her but were totally unrelated. Maybe it was the case, and maybe they knew the Corsi family name but not the actual family. They weren’t the only ones to raise horses in the whole region. She quickly sent the kid away, telling her they would go back to the stables after the race had begun and the stables would be less hectic. The bell was ringing loudly as Tenax came in, letting them know Scorpus was racing, and the name was added to the slates on the wall behind them.

“Blue Faction!” He exclaimed, slamming his hands on the counter. “Nine to three odds, driver… Scorpus!”

Hearing this, betters clamored to the desk, rushing in droves to place more bets. There was twice as more work once Scorpus’ name was announced and Aldea couldn’t exactly slip away to go check who were the Spaniards that Nica saw at the stables. What she did instead was to ask her to run back to the stables, see if they were still there, and ask them their names. The little girl remembered Aldea’s brothers’ names and darted across the tavern. She counted the seconds that passed until she came back, some 5 minutes later. Nica was positive, excitingly telling her that the names of the three men were indeed the same as those of her brothers: Andria, Fonsoa and Elia. Aldea took a shaky breath, shocked and looked around, unable to think clearly for a brief moment. Nica was pulling her arm. Tenax saw the trouble in her eyes and came up to her, a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you feeling all right? Do you need Dacia to walk you home?” He probably thought that because she was pregnant, she was feeling tired or ill, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. The shock and excitement were such that she was just straight up stunned.

“My brothers are here.” She finally said before letting Nica drag her to the stables. She didn’t take the risk to run so they walked with a brisk step, but Aldea stopped in her tracks midway, staring in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw them at the end of the hallway. She could only see Andria and Elia. As the latter took a step aside before turning around, she saw Fonsoa walk away in the opposite direction. Elia was the first to see her and make eye contact with her, and his heart definitely skipped a beat as well. He took big steps, soon sprinting towards her and almost throwing himself at her, wrapping his arms around her, both sobbing as they repeated each other’s names. None of them could believe it. She couldn’t believe she was reunited with her brothers, minus Fonsoa who would join them later.

“Oh, mi querido hermanito—” She sobbed. “Mi precioso hermanito… My precious baby brother, Elia.” The bond between Aldea and Elia was even more special since she and Fonsoa had raised him from birth since their mother died in childbirth, and Andria was always off with the horses. They had their father and their grandfather, great male figures present in their lives, but she was the sole and only maternal figure Elia ever had. He cried in her arms, mumbling in Spanish, articulating so little she couldn’t understand everything he was saying. She wasn’t surprised he had gotten so emotional; he was her little, sensible brother. Andria joined them, putting his arms around his younger siblings and held them tightly, gently cradling his sister’s head in head. They took a step back, not fully breaking their embrace, all three of them wiping their tears with smiles on their faces. “The race is about to start. We should go get our tickets if you wanna attend. You’ll see, the Circus is so big. It’s great.”

“Yes. We’ll talk later, when Fonsoa comes back.” Andria acquiesced, giving her a kiss on the temple and they walked to the entrance. Aldea was about to get coins from the pouch she carried under her cloak, but Elia was adamant as to buy her the ticket and they squabbled in spanish at the ticket office and she laughed, sharing an amused look with Andria, letting her little brother pay for her. They climbed the stairs and found themselves nice seats. Elia was so happy to see his sister again, he clinged onto her hand. The crowd was cheering, waiting for it to begin. Now that she was sat and no longer in the heat of the moment, she realized she hadn’t told Tenax where she was going but she figured one of the kids, or someone around them must have seen her leave with her brothers. Three Spaniards hugging and crying, talking in Spanish in the middle of the Circus Maximus’ stables shouldn’t didn’t really go unnoticed.

The siblings giggled, looking around them. Elia was so excited to be there, it was adorable to see. Aldea took it upon herself to explain it all to them, pointing at the factions’ booths, showing the consuls and senators sitting in the colors of their factions, and she showed the imperial platform. The emperor, dressed in his bright white robe was already sitting there with his younger son, Domitian. Their attention quickly went to Passus, the games’ master, as he addressed the crowd, his voice echoing through the sports’ arena.

“Citizens of Rome.” Lots of people in the crowd cheered louder, standing up. Passus held out his hand towards the gate behind which the drivers waited. One behind the other, they paraded around the spina. “I present to you: the contestants! Four factions, eight chariots and eight drivers! Try or die! For… victory! The Greens, seeking a win, after loss, after loss… after loss… And the Reds, is it painted red or is it blood from the last seen shipwreck? And the White Faction, with Xenon, their lead driver. The Adonis of the Esquiline!” Aldea laughed, seeing all the women giggling and cheering and covering their faces. But they weren’t the only fans of Xenon’s. Lots of people were screaming his name. “And wiping up the rear! The Blues, with Kirko and the Great Scorpus!”

“Scorpus!” Aldea cheered, raising her hand and Elia’s up in the air as she shouted her friend’s name joyfully.

“Ah, you see, Elia? She gets it.”

“I get what?” She lowered their hands, turning her head towards Andria.

“We saw Scorpus in the stables. Elia said he didn’t seem that special.”

“He still doesn’t.” The young man shrugged.

“Oh, he’s great. I know him well. He’s a friend of mine and my husband.”

“He’s your friend?”

“You have a husband?” Andria and Elia’s talked over one another, their questions overlapping but she could tell who asked what. They both heard her despite the loud crowd, but they didn’t pick up on the same detail. She wasn’t even surprised to hear Elia ask about her husband, staring at her, looking somewhat upset. Aldea had always been amused by how expressive her brother was. They weren’t even listening to Passus at this point.

“Yes. You’ll meet him later. He owns the largest betting tavern in all of Rome. We got married last year. I was really sad not to have you, my dear brothers, with me. But now you’re here and I couldn’t be happier. How I’ve missed you!” She sketched a large smile, grinning from one ear to the other, as she playfully rubbed her little brother’s hair, putting her arms around his shoulders to hug him before turning back to the arena. The drivers had returned behind the gate, waiting in their lanes until Passus let a white handkerchief fall to the floor and the stall doors opened, unleashing all the charioteers onto the tracks. Aldea loved watching the races. Her eyes followed Scorpus the whole time. Xenon’s supporters cheered for him as he took the lead during the first few rounds. At some point, Scorpus’ peer, Kirko, got into an accident and he went flying in the air, landing on the tracks.

“Shipwreck!” The crowd was chanting. Aldea frowned slightly. It was the only thing that didn’t amuse her at all when it came to chariot racing – the death aspect of it. It was a dangerous event afterall and there was at least one shipwreck per race.

“Aldea?” She turned to her left and looked up, seeing someone stand next to her. She had recognized Fonsoa’s voice, and they locked eyes. He was as shocked as Andria and Elia had been back at the stables. He drew her into a hug and pressed his cheek against hers. They could feel each other smile broadly. He grabbed her shoulders, taking a good look at her. He was in disbelief but couldn’t stop smiling and shook his head, chuckling. Fonsoa kept his arm around her back, holding her shoulder – thankfully the good one or he would have been wondering why there was no bone. They turned back to the race as bell chimed. “What did I miss?”

“Not much.” Andria told him as they watched people come out from the stalls under them, rushing to come and collect the fallen drivers and horses after the shipwreck. Kirko managed to stand up, clearly disoriented. He walked in the middle of the tracks after everyone had cleared out because the chariots were coming back. Aldea closed her eyes, turning her head towards Fonsoa and sighing through her nose when the young driver got ran over and strampled by the mounts and the wheels of the rigs. As the second to last round came, Elia pointed at Scorpus with his hand. He was behind in the race.

“Look at those two centre horses, they’re barely pulling.” He complained. Aldea knew why that was the case. He wasn’t doing it for no reason, there must be some money to be made from doing this, making someone’s bet fail on purpose perhaps but she kept quiet. Elia was unimpressed by Scorpus and didn’t seem to like him, probably because of his arrogance and the way he carried himself like the celebrity he was. Those two things were very funny to Aldea and were the reasons she liked Scorpus.

“He’s famous for his come-from-behind victories.” Aldea said. Then the last bell rang as they entered the last round of the race. It would be over in a minute or so. She laughed and cheered when he raced past his contestants, taking the lead within a dozen seconds. Xenon came up next to him and the two drivers were neck and neck and with one snap of the reins, Scorpus was first again and won the race. Aldea jerked to her feet, Fonsoa’s hand falling off her shoulder. She cheered loudly in excitement at her friend’s victory and sat back down. The solemn trumpet called the end of the race and people began standing up to leave. The Corsi siblings eventually left as well. As they walked, they came by a bunch of prostitutes standing to the side and Fonsoa was drawn to them like moths to a flame and she chuckled, shaking her head. Elia didn’t shake his head for the same reason, frowning. He looked upset and quite annoyed by their brother ditching them for a harlot. Andria playfully punched his shoulder.

“You brought horses to Rome?” She asked.

“Yes, do you wanna see them? Ferox has missed you. Come.” Elia’s smile returned and he grabbed her wrist. She didn’t flinch or wince, but she blinked as a reflex when he pulled on her wrong arm. She subtly switched the arm he held, and they walked to the stables. She was excited to see Ferox again, it was one of the horses she took care of back home and her and Elia’s favorite. She saw the way Andria looked at her after Elia took her arm and she knowingly ignored it. She wouldn’t be able to lie to her big brother and had no desire to get into all that she went through before coming to Rome. She didn’t want to stain the memory they had of her, as if she was the one who had done something wrong. Though she knew it wasn’t, she still couldn’t stop putting the blame on herself. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind when she saw ten Andalusian stallions, white as snow; Beautiful beasts. She observed them and recognized Ferox and went to pet him first.

“Aldea?” Gavros’ voice rose as he approached the three Spaniards. His eyes were going back and forth between her and the two brothers he had surely met earlier.

“They’re my brothers. I told you about them, you remember?”

“Oh, they’re your brothers?” He seemed pleasantly surprised and smiled, nodding.

“Where’s Tenax? I didn’t see him when we walked past the tavern.”

“He must have gone to see Scorpus in the drivers’ changing room if he wasn’t there.” She acquiesced, looking back at the horses happily, petting them.

“Who’s Tenax?” Elia asked.

“That’s my husband. You’ll meet him soon enough.

“It is getting late; we should get you home.” Andria spoke. She nodded in agreement and stepped away from the horses. Elia noticed Gavros walking by the stables and bringing Incitatus inside the blue faction’s one. His siblings followed him in there. Elia walked up to the seasoned stablehand while his three siblings stood by the door.

“How do you know Andalusians?” Elia enquired.

“I drove them. A long time ago.”

“You raced? Well, there are no horses out there to equal our Andalusians.” Scorpus walked past the siblings, marching with a quick and assured step into the stable. He saluted Aldea upon seeing her, giving her a friendly and jokingly flirty smile. She laughed.

“How are they?” He asked, passing by Gavros and Elia, going to see Incitatus in the stall at the very end of the stable.

“Sorna and Sista got their legs cut from the debris. We’ll have to rest them for a week.”

“Andalusians, huh?” Scorpus then walked back to Gavros and Elia. He leaned on a stall door and chuckled. “Gavros, and Aldea, have a high opinion of Andalusians. I think they’re pigs.”

“They’re faster than your bays, sturdier and more nimble.” Elia crossed his arms, facing the charioteer, ready to throw hands with him if he kept on criticizing their horses. Gavros watched the young man as he walked around him. “If they’re pigs, what does that make your Bays?”

“Listen to the boy, who does he remind you of?” He smirked, looking at Gavors.

“I was thinking me. But now… I’m thinking you.” Aldea chuckled at this comment.

“Tomorrow afternoon… I’ll take a look at your Andalusians.” Elia excitingly reached for Gavros’ arm. Fonsoa and Andria went up to them while Scorpus stopped by Aldea.

“I’ll walk you home. I have to go see tenax for something. Does he know you’re still here?”

“I told him I was with my brothers.” He stopped, raising his eyebrows and looking over his shoulder at the three Spaniards around Gavros, pointing at them with his thumb. He was surprised, to say the least.

“They’re your brothers? The brothers you’ve been telling us about? I see where the little one gets his temper from.” He scoffed, softly poking her shoulder with his fist.

“I’ll say goodbye and we can go.” He nodded and stood right outside the stable, grabbing onto his large leather belt. Elia saw her and immidietaly jogged towards her, almost taking leaps instead of steps. He seemed sad and almost worried to let her go, and she laughed quietly with how urgedly he took her in his arms and how tightly he held her against him, as though he feared to let her go. She smiled, closing her eyes and rubbing his back, cradling his head in her hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I won’t disappear overnight again.” It broke her heart to have to promise that. She wished it never happened to begin with. She felt a deep sens of guilt for having already disappeared on them years ago, and maybe making them think she was dead all this time and having to grieve a living person. Or maybe they still had the hope she was somewhere out there, all this time. She was convinced that Elia had refused to believe she was dead, no matter how long it had been since she had gone missing. It took a good minute for Elia to break the embrace, and she caressed his cheek tenderly as he stared at her with a sad frown. He just wouldn't take her eyes off her as if she was going to disappear into thin air, right before his eyes. She then hugged her two other brothers as well and walked out of the stables with Scorpus.

[To be continued…]

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Published (08/18/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 5 months ago

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In Extremis - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter Eight

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

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Summary: They were restless, with the threat of Ursus hanging over their head like a sword of Damocles. And it almost felt like it fell, about to cut off their heads when Tenax was rescued from a fire, his leg broken. Aldea was in great distress to see him in such pain but they were far from being out of the woods.

Words: 5.1k

Warnings: title means "in an extreme situation" and/or "at the point of death" // Those about to die spoilers (episode 6 "Blood Relation" & episode 7 "Death's bed"), angst, broken limb, blood, murder

The next few days were greatly anxiety inducing. After Ursus killed the Felix, they were waiting to see what he would do next, if he would do anything at all because since bringing the money to the corner room in Tenax’s insula on the Cispian Hill, things seemed to quiet down, or maybe he wanted them to think so. Tenax wasn’t reassured if Aldea stayed home, rather wanting her to be either at the tavern or at the stables with her brothers, as long as she was out of Ursus’ reach because he couldn’t bear to find her dead like the young boy, nor could he bear to imagine what Ursus might do to her before killing her. The thoughts going through his head must have been pretty nightmare inducing as he barely slept, waking up in the middle of the night, at the slightest sound whether it be a random citizen walking down the street or the wood flooring cracking. At home he was restless, always on alert. At the betting tavern, he went about his day, working, acting like nothing was going on and those not in the know would never suspect a thing. She tried not to think about it, but it felt like Damocles’ sword hanging over their heads and it put such a pressure on their shoulders. It was hard to completely ignore it.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted, at the end of the month of Augustus, the ground violently shook under their feet and everyone panicked, running around to go get cover. Aldea was at the tavern when it happened and at first, she didn’t know what was happening. Dacia was about as confused as he stood in front of her to shield her. The earthquake lasted quite a long time, so much so it was hard to keep her balance and she clinged on Dacia’s arm. It eventually stopped, but was quickly followed by thick, white and grey ashes washing over the streets of the city of Rome. People covered their mouth and nose with their veils and cloaks, and the streets had emptied out completely. The ash had covered the tables and other pieces of furniture in the tavern. She coughed, holding her cloak to her face and helped sweep the ashes off every surfaces.

Dacia took the hand broom she was using, and she watched as he shoved it into the hands of a man who had recently begged Tenax for a job. She stared at him. He had gotten down on his knees and begged, and from what she understood, he was the man who had bet – and lost – his wife’s shares of the Blue faction which had allowed Tenax to have enough money for the Gold faction. Dacia then urged Aldea to go sit down and she sketched a faint smile, acquiescing. He pushed the other man in the same direction, his tone of voice much less friendly, ordering him to clean a seat for her. She didn’t want to sit on her ass and do nothing while others worked but being bent over made her back ache. She stood up when she saw Jula rushing in the tavern. The young girl embraced her older sister. A second later, Tenax turned up and Cala, Aura and Aldea watched from a distance at the two talking behind the curtains. She had a new piece of information for him it seemed.

“We have been away for too long.” Claudia said once Tenax sent the girl on her way. He stood by the curtains, his arms crossed over his chest. Aldea walked over to her husband. He turned his head towards her, watching her approach while her eyes followed Jula as she and Claudia left urgently. The girl had to be back before her mistress noticed her absence.

“How are you?” He asked, softly. She met his gaze.

“I’m all right.”

“When Cala goes home. Go home as well. I don’t want you to linger at the stables. You’ll see your brothers later.”

“I understand. What did Jula come to say?” He took her arm in his hand and squeezed gently.

“I’ll tell you later. For the moment, I need to go meet with Domitian.” And on those words, he left the tavern. Aldea stuck around until Cala and Aura went home and she followed suit, as asked from her by Tenax. With the threat of Ursus hanging over their heads, she didn’t want to wander in the streets on her own and she only knew of Elia being at the stables with Gavros. She didn’t know where the two others were. It didn’t matter. She would meet with them at some poing in the following days. She must have fallen asleep before he came home because when she woke up the next morning, he was beside her in the bed. “You seemed to be sleeping well.

“I was.” She smiled, leaning on her hand to sit up and press her lips on his before lying on his chest, resting her head in the crook of his neck. “So, why did you go meet with Domitian last night?”

“Consul Marsus and some senators were planning a coup to destitute the emperor.” He explained. “I had to go tell him, so he could win back his brother’s trust and reinstate our Gold faction. Titus had them all arrested for treason.”

“When will know if you got your Gold faction back?”

“I’ll have to wait until Domitian calls for me, but I’m sure it will happen soon enough.” They cuddled in bed a little longer, until Cala said she was going to go open the tavern and he got out bed, got dressed, kissed Aldea goodbye and left. She eventually got out of bed as well, ate some breakfast and had Claudia walk her to the stables of the Circus Maximus. As they walked throught the streets, they heard people talking about what had happened, Mount Vesuvus erupting and all the refugees it led to Rome. She stayed with Elia, chatting and brushing the horses, doing light work around the stables, leaving the heavier things to the actual stablehands. When she went home with Tenax at the end of the day, he seemed quite content and told her how his discussion with Domitian went. It went very well. The Gold faction would be reinstated and on top of that, he talked Domitian into letting him lead the preparation of the inaugural games of the amphitheatre he had been building for years and whose work was finally nearing completion. She always thought she couldn’t be prouder of him, and yet he continuously showed her how cunning and smart he could be. He now needed to get Scorpus back on their golden chariots and out of his contract with the Whites, but she wasn’t too worried. He would handle it easily.

By the next race the following day, he had gotten his hands on new chariots and got Andria and Scorpus back on the tracks. She went to sit by his side, the gold faction’s banners set on either side of them. The crowd was cheering, chanting Scorpus’ name and she smiled, following her brother’s progress in the race with attention and an excited smile stretching her lips. Both White faction’s driver got into shipwreck and a bunch of people from the audience just got up and left, as did Tenax, holding Aldea’s hand proudly once Scorpus crossed the finishing line, victorious. She returned to the tavern with him, but they would soon part ways as she really wanted to go see her brother and congratulate him.

“Ah, the victorious faction owner, and his beautiful wife.” Cala exclaimed, coming up to them. Tenax gave Aldea a nod and she let go of his hand, walking in the opposite direction, heading for the stables. His brother, Andria, must have been in the drivers’ changing room still but she was obviously not going to walk in there. She waited and hugged him as soon as she saw him. She then went home with Tenax. The door was unlocked. Cala was standing in the kitchen thoughtful, holding her arms to her chest.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“A dark day.” She said with a sigh, shaking her head.

“Agreed… at the moment.” She walked around the table and stopped, starign at him, letting her arms hang along her body. “What is that look?”

“I’m reconsidering my association with you.” He turned around as she closed the door to her room behind her. He shared a glance with Aldea, and he looked quite taken aback and disappointed to hear those words. They sat down at the table to eat and drink something before going to bed but just a moment later, they heard running in the stairs at the center of the insula and Woola’s voice rose behind the door, urgently calling Tenax’s name.

“Big man, whip scars on his face.” He was panting. Cala came out of her room and walked across the kitchen as he told her to lock the door and followed the young boy. Aldea could feel her heart beating faster. She had stood up only to sit back down and nervously take a sip of her wine. She had a bad feeling about this and feared that something would happen to Tenax when he encountered Ursus again.

“What if he kills him?” It was clear in her sentence that she didn’t mean Tenax killing Ursus, but rather the opposite. She was frightened. Cala sat in front of her, wrapping her hands around hers, making her look up at her, giving her a nod that was meant to be comforting but it didn’t shake off the sickening feeling of worry that turned Aldea’s stomach upside down. The moment Tenax stepped out of the apartment, this feeling washed over her, overwhelming her to the point she couldn’t stand up. Her legs felt weak, even while sitting. Cala didn’t reply. She wasn’t sure that Tenax wouldn’t die that night. She couldn’t say anything. They stayed there in silence for almost an hour, when one of the kids came running back to the insula and pounded on the year, shouting, calling out Cala and Aldea’s names. The two women immediately stood up and Cala rushed to the door. It was Tenax. Something did in fact happen – a fire happened. The insula where he was supposed to find Ursus had been set on fire. Her husband was stuck in a fire, who knows in what condition she would find him. She thought he was dead. Aldea took a couple shaky breath, her lip quivering and a hand compulsively rubbing the base of her neck and her broken collarbone. Claudia gave Aldea her arm, to give her some support as they all went after the child, briskly climbing down the single flight of stairs and ran down the streets, quickly reaching the Cispian Hill. Cala and Aldea let out gasps and the latter’s eyes widened in horror.

“A physician, go quick!” The Numidian woman turned around, gesturing at Nica and the girl ran off. Cala stood in Aldea’s way, blocking her sight but she had seen him. He was unconscious. They carried him to a cart. Aldea sobbed. She took sharp breaths with difficulty, gasping as though no air was going into her lungs. The man pulling the cart behind him ran while everyone followed. Cala and Claudia had their arms around Aldea. By the time they came back home, the sun was rising and Tenax had woken up, in utter pain as Cala and Claudia took him to the room and helped him on the bed. Aldea walked back and forth in the kitchen, a hand to her forehead, concerned, and the other resting on her hip. She forced on her eyelids, closing her eyes shut with a sob as she heard Tenax grunting and yelling. She opened her eyes, letting her hands fall along her body before joining them at her waist, fidgeting with the tip of her index finger and looked towards the bedroom when it got quiet. She saw the physician and his assistant enter their home and, taking a deep breath, she followed them but stayed outside of the room. Tenax’s leg was broken, the bone sticking out. it wasn't so much the sight of the wound that affected her but rather feeling Tenax's pain. Every inch of her body ached from knowing he was in pain, and imagining how much pain he was in. She had been in quite a state of distress when Elia broke his leg when he was younger, and she was beyond distressed now.

“I came as quick as I could.” The man said, walking to the other side of the bed, where Tenax was lying. The assistant set up their portable box on the dresser and followed his master’s requests. And at one of his requests, Cala and Claudia untied the laces of his sandals and took them off. Tenax exhaled and groaned. He shook his head when the physician brought a cup of tincture of poppies to his mouth but ended up drinking it reluctantly. His breathing was laborious. They pulled the bedcover. “When I say “pull”, slowly and steadily, when I say “release”, very slowly.”

They hadn’t even done anything yet, Aldea was already turning her back to them and sped walk to the kitchen, sitting down and cupping her face with her hands, gasping and crying when she heard Tenax screaming at the top of his lungs as they were setting the bone back in his leg. The yelling subsided. Tenax exhaled rapidly, grunting. Aldea’s heart sank. She held her breath, straightening up and looking towards the bedroom when he went quiet. Dacia barged in, crossing eyes with Aldea – she was a mess, breathing shakily, her eyes red and cheeks wet from crying – and turned to Woola standing nearby while the rest of the orphans waited anxiously outside.

“What happened?” He enquired.

“It was that shit, Noro… He set him up.”

Claudia went to the door, to close it, “He is alright. Go.” She then prepared the hot water and Cala went to Aldea, taking her in her arms, rubbing her back. The young woman desperately tried to steady her breathing. They broke their embrace, going up to the physician when he and his assistant walked out of the bedroom. They anxiously looked at him.

“If he moves at all, it will unset the splint and he’ll lose the leg. Tie him down if you have to. Three balls of resin with wine, morning, noon and night.” He put the resin in Cala’s hand. “He’ll want more. Don’t give it to him.”

“I understand.” Cala nodded.

“If there’s a hint of rot, come get me at once.” A hand to her stomach, Aldea took a deep breath, quietly this time and exhaled, while Cala closed the door.

“Noro, that treacherous dog. I should have known.” Dacia frowned worriedly, looking at the bedroom, taking a few steps towards Aldea, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. He was deeply loyal to Tenax but to her as well and felt for her.

“Well, he’s dead now.” Cala spoke. “But the one who did this to Tenax lives, and if he hears he has survived, he will come back for him.”

He turned towards her, “I’ll post guards. Men that I can trust.”

“Well, keep them hidden. Let the one who did this think he’s dead. Now… go to the apartment on the Cispian Hill, where he’s been putting the gold. See if it’s still there.” She spoke as though she was in charge, giving orders to Dacia, and something about her really made Aldea want to listen to her, despite wanting to go to Tenax’s bedside. The latter held her hands at her waist, standing by quietly but as Dacia argued, and Cala walked to the kitchen, she turned around and went to see Tenax. His chest heaved with his breathing, regularly. She carefully sat on the edge of the bed, softly taking the hand resting on his chest and stared at his bloodied face. She looked over her shoulder when Cala came in, carrying a bowl of what she assumed was the hot water prepared by Claudia.

“He will be okay.” She whispered as she set the bowl on the nightstand. Aldea’s only reaction was a sigh through her nose. She took the cloth she was being handed and began to clean his face after soaking it in the water, gently cleaning the blood off his face. She stopped, and they both looked in the same direction – towards the door. Footsteps were approaching. Cala took out the pin from her hair. It was long and pointy. She gave Aldea a look and walked to the door with light steps. Someone started knocking. She heard Aura’s voice from afar and relaxed, resuming what she was doing, cleaning Tenax’s face. Once she was done, she put away the piece of cloth and sighed as she went to stand near the window, holding her arms to her chest, peeking out in silence until she heard Tenax’s voice.

“Stop.” His voice was faint. She looked over her shoulder, wondering what was going on. It was a nightmare. “Please… stop.” He repeated himself, faintly and fearfully, the hand on his chest twitched.

“Shhh, Tenax… Tenax, wake up.” Cala came in at the same time, to check on him. Aldea sat by his side again, taking his hand, wrapping it with hers. He woke up and as he set his eyes on Aldea, his face relaxed and he calmed down and squeezed her hand, swallowing harshly.

“You were in a dream.” She added, sitting on the other side of the bed. “You’re in your room. You’re safe.”

He rolled his head on the pillow, looking at Cala. He seemed somewhat out of it as he spoke, maybe a mix of how exhausted he was and the tincture of poppies. Aldea listened quietly. He told Cala about his past, how he lived with a great family when he was a boy, just as he told her, some time after they had met and gotten closer. He went on to talk about the master of the house he lived in, and how he liked boys, such as himself, but mostly Ursus.

Cala cut him off softly, “Stop. This is tincture of poppies talking.” She stood up, stepping towards the open bedroom doors.

“No. It’s me.” She stopped in her tracks. “Ursus and I lit a fire to escape. I got away… but Ursus was caught… because of me. He suffered… but I…”

“You did what you had to do.”

“That is what I always tell him.” Aldea spoke in hushed tones, locking eyes with Cala.

“I don’t know what I’ve done. He needed me…” His voice cracked. “…and I left him there.” He then waved his hand around, pointing next to hime, asking for more tincture of poppies and grabbed Aldea’s forearm as she let go of his hand to get him some tincture in the small cup. She slipped her hand behind his head to help him gulp down the drink. “More.”

“That’s enough.” Cala spoke. Aldea put down the cup, she heard the physician too. She wasn’t to give him any more of it, not right now. He began to argue with Cala, trying to get Aldea to give him more.

“You work for me, not the physician—"

“She works for you by obeying the physician, and I care for you by obeying the physician.” Aldea said, taking the hand he was pointing at Cala. The way he was looking at her, it was as though he stared into the depths of her eyes, hanging on to her every word. When she glanced at Cala, she saw a subtle smirk lift the corner of her lips. The woman seemed amused and happy to see her speak up and as she could see, her husband was actually listening to her. She was so used to being quiet and letting others speak in her place, listening and staying in her place, she didn’t think her words had any actual weight to them, at least with Tenax, because of course, outside of these walls, it was very different. She did still need someone to speak for her out there.

Dacia walked in, interrupting them, “It’s gone. And no sign of this Ursus.”

“I sent him to see if the gold was still there.” Tenax rolled his head on the pillow, looking at Cala. She then left the apartment with Dacia, to go open up the tavern, as usual. Aldea stayed home. She didn’t want to leave him alone and she planned to stay home, to care for him, until he didn’t need her to anymore. She did as the physician told her and Cala, giving a ball of resin two more times that day, with a cup of wine, and a small amount of tincture of poppies to help with the pain when it became too much. Because of the medication, he fell into exhausted slumber and slept through the whole night. Aldea woke up with a start the next morning when he started yelling, terrified at the sight of his leg in a sling. Cala was alarmed by the screaming and barged in to check on him. He urged the two women to help him up.

“No, no, no! Do that now, and you lose the leg.” Cala rushed to his side of the bed and warned him.

“Poppies.” He requested, frantic. Aldea held his hand, and he squeezed, breathing heavily. “Come on!” He waved his hand around so she would hurry up and drank the tincture with a grunt.

“More at midday.” She said before leaving to go set up for betting. He winced, letting himself fall back on his pillows, his fists to his eyes. Aldea followed Cala with her eyes when he put his hand on her arm, making her look at him.

“Go with her. Go see your brothers. There’s a race today.”

“But—”

“Go. Come back with Cala at midday.” She acuiseced, leaning forward to place a kiss on his lips and she called Cala’s name as she heard the latter open the door, urging her to wait for her while she quickly got dressed and then followed her outside. As they neared the Circus, they heard the drums that always sounded, echoing through the city of Rome, before a race. As she was about to head for the entrance to the stands, Cala stopped her.

“Aldea, you understand that some of his enemies need to think him dead, and some need to think him alive?”

“Yes.”

“Your behavior needs to keep them guessing. Do not look too relieved, but do not look too worried either.” Then she let her go and they parted ways, Cala went to the tavern while Aldea didn’t go sit by the golden banners of Tenax’s faction, not wanting to be seen there on her own, when she wasn’t even an actual faction owner and not wanting the patrician or Domitian to see her up there, she went under the stands, watching the race through the openings at the top of the doors. The two Gold faction drivers would stop by this door when the race was over. She couldn’t wait to see Scoprus and Andria race together again. This was the only thing that brought her some happiness today. She was glad to see Andria as expected but was surprised not to recognize Scorpus on the second rig. She squinted her eyes, trying to see better and recognized Fonsoa. She gripped the edge of the opening, quietly cheering them on. A large smile stretched her lips when the horn sounded Andria’s victory. She chuckled, listening to the crowd clamouring. The stablehands present opened the doors, running to the rigs while her brothers stepped off them. She waited in the shadows, her hands at her waist, with a smile that she was now trying to contain. She noticed something moving from the corner of her eyes and looked over her shoulder, crossing Scorpus’ disenchanted look. His eyes were wide.

“Scorpus, where—” She cut herself off as he swung around on his heels and left, probably heading for Tenax’s place in the Suburra. She wondered where he had been, leading to Fonsoa taking his place in the race but she didn’t think too much about it and turned back to her brothers as they approached, congratulating them and embracing them, prouder of them than she could ever imagine. She went back with Cala after the latter had collected the winnings from the race. Aldea pushed the bedrooms’ doors open and walked around the bed, sitting on the edge, next to Tenax. He had unwrapped the bandage around his leg, exhaling painfully, breathing heavily.

“Shhh, lie down. Let me do it.” She said, gently pushing away his hands. She used some water to clean the wound, tapping around it very lightly before grabbing a new roll of bandage while Cala spoke.

“Hasn’t gone black, which is good.”

He sat up, “Where’s the tincture of poppies? I tried to find it.”

“Which is why I hid it.”

“Bring it to me.” He demanded, speaking through his gritted teeth as Aldea lifted his leg, inhaling sharply. She carefully and slowly wrapped the bandage around it.

“No.”

“You overreach yourself.”

“That I do. And… I overreached myself at the races today, as well. We took bets after the bell.”

“What?” He punched the mattress. “They’ll shut us down.”

“Calm down. We weren’t caught.”

He frowned, and glaring at her, “I can’t afford the risk.” At the same time, he finished his sentence, Aldea tied the bandage. He inhaled through his teeth, with a grunt.

“Perhaps you’re right.” She said with a sigh, before bringing her fingers to her mouth and whistling. The kids walked in the bedroom, one by one putting down half a dozen of small sacks on the bed. Coins jingled inside.

“All from today?” He asked. “All right. Well, just don’t get caught. And go and see Claudia. She’ll give you some rewards.”

“Yes!” Aldea smiled sweetly at the sight of the children’s joyful reactions, cheering. They left with the homekeeper, leaving Cala standing there, her arms crossed.

“We will need to renegotiate our deal.”

“I’m ill. Come back later.” She turned around and left and he let himself fall on his pillow, leaving it to Aldea to put away the bags of money. She pressed the tile on the wall by the bed and opened the secret door, storing them there. A few minutes later, Nica came back, holding fruits in her hands and jogged to Aldea.

“Want some? It’s good.”

“Why thank you, mi hija.” She returned Nica’s smile and took the fruit. Aldea looked fondly at the girl, caressed her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead before she took off running. Aldea took a bite of the fruit, walking to the other side of the bed to lie down next to Tenax. She spoke, imitating the accent and voice of her brother Andria with a chuckle, “You’re such a natural, Aldea.”

“He’s not wrong.” He raised his eyebrows, putting his arm around Aldea as she lied against his chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck. They napped and cuddled. She later gave him some more tincture of poppies for the pain and night came around, and in the blink of an eye it was morning – three days had passed since the fire. That day, there were some more drums sounding throughout the city, but it wasn’t a race, it was a gladiator fight, which didn’t interest Aldea, and never did so she stayed home, caring for Tenax as she had done since the incident. She brought him some food in the evening and went to lie down against him, quickly dozing off while he stared at the ceiling, taking in the restful silence. She slowly came out of her sleep, with a sleepy moan, when she felt Tenax move. In a whisper, he told her to wake up and she rubbed her eyes, confused, until she heard the heavy footsteps climbing the stairs of the insula. Her confusion was soon replaced by worry, thinking it was Ursus coming for him, which it probably was. He exhaled, puffing out his cheeks and grunted when he put his feet on the ground. Aldea swiftly rolled off the bed and he held onto her for support.

The loud footsteps grew menacing as they approached the front door. Tenax hoped towards the window and Aldea brought her hand to her mouth, muffling a shocked gasp at the sight of the man lying on the ground, with his throat slit. He was one of the men Dacia had put on watch around the insula. She was startled when the door was kicked opened, slamming against the wall. Tenax tightened his grasp and led her to the other side of the room, to the secret door. As they turned around, a floorboard creaked under Tenax’s foot and Aldea held her breath for a second, but they managed to hide before Ursus burst inside the bedroom, shouting, calling Tenax by his birthname. He held his knife in front of him, Aldea behind him, and they waited until Ursus’ footsteps receded, and they heard him leave the apartment. Only then did they come out. Aldea swept around the room with her gaze and saw the way Tenax stared at the bed. She let out a cry at the sight of Dacia’s severed head. Tenax sighed and held her, exhaling sharply. Ursus was going to kill all of them if they didn’t stop him.

Aldea glanced at the head with wide eyes, “Cala. She’s at the tavern… He’s gonna go look for you there. She—”

“I need to get there.”

“But your leg—”

“He is going to kill her.”

“Be careful. Please...” He kissed her and she let go of him. He went to get his crutches and quickly hopped away. It would take him longer than Ursus in order to get to the Circus. He had to hurry. Aldea anxiously paced around the apartment, breathing heavily, fearing once again for Tenax’s life. She exhaled audibly, relieved, when he did return almost an hour later. Cala’s face was covered in blood, and she stared at her in concern. The latter gave her a nod, to reassure her and Tenax drew her into a hug.

“He’s dead. It’s over.”

[To be continued…]

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Published (09/06/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 6 months ago

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Meet Aldea Corsi - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE OC

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE-MASTERLIST]

Do not use my character without my consent thanks <3

warning: any arts and pictures you’ll see are not mine (I found them on pinterest or used AI) and I also chose Spanish actress Inma Cuesta to portray my oc, Aldea is a character 100% created by me, Justine but the style of the bio has been inspired by bios made by director Guillermo Del Toro <3

words: 2.2k

ALDEA CORSI bio by me <3

INFORMATIONS

NICKNAME: the Spaniard princess (by Scorpus)

DATE OF BIRTH: sometime in 56 AD

AGE: around 24yo (AD 79); 20yo (AD 75 - when she first got to Rome)

SEX : Female

ORIGINS: Spanish (Baetica // Andalusia)

OCCUPATION: farmer (formerly); slave (formerly)

STATUS: low-born // plebeian

HOBBY: anything to do with horses (from riding to tending to them), caring for her little brother

FAMILY

PARENTS: Her parents are unnamed, but her father is alive, while her mother died in childbirth. The siblings also lived with their grandfather but she doesn't know if he's alive or dead at this point.

SIBLINGS: She had three brothers, the youngest, Elia, aged 20, Fonsoa, her fraternal twin, aged 25 1/2, and Andria, the eldest of the four children, aged around 28. (ages as of summer 79 CE)

LOVER: Unnamed Andalusian boy from her village (71-72 CE // same age as her so 16-17); Roman sailor, Aelius (74- july 75 CE // aged 21-22); Tenax (january 76 CE-??) // also, not related to their relationship but I headcanon him as being in his mid 30s in 79 CE, he says Felix is him "20 years ago" aka in 59 CE after he escaped the fire and reached Rome when he was his age, and Felix is around 11 or 12 (age range 32 to 34) so he was around 28-30 in 75 CE)

(Aldea, aged 17-20 on the picture, just ignore the bangs alr XD)

EALRY LIFE: Aldea was born sometime in AD 56 in the south of the Baetica region, after two brothers, Andria, the eldest, born three years earlier, in AD 51, Fonsoa, born just a year and a half before her, in AD 54, and their younger brother, Elia, born in AD 59. Unfortunately, their mother died giving birth to her youngest son. Only Andria was old enough to remember her well and after she died, he had even more responsibilities that fell upon him. He had to help his father around the farm and care for his younger siblings, but he never complained. But as he was always off with the horses, it fell to Fonsoa and Aldea to take care of their younger sibling. He was especially spoiled by Aldea, who became his sole mother figure. They lived a modest life, with these 5 mouths to feed, along with their grandfather, but they made do with what they had, living in the middle of the hills, and were quite self-sustaining with their crops and horses, sometimes riding to the nearest town to sell some things at the market, and buy others.

As a young child, Aldea wanted to do everything like her brothers. The siblings were an inseperable group. One couldn't go anywhere without the others following suit. Her father, having lost the only other woman in the house, had no idea how to deal with a girl so for most of her life, he didn't really treat her any different than his sons and though he wasn't especially desmonstrative in his affection, he loved her and his sons a great deal. She grew up around horses and came to know everything there was to know about those beasts. Her father saw his wife in her and was very protective of her, always repeating to the boys to protect her whenever they were going to town. She, overall, had a modest but good and happy childhood. She was very lucky in that sense.

At the age of 14, in AD 69, she bled for the first time and was terrified. She thought there was something wrong with her as she had no idea this was something that happened to all women. Luckily, she didn't bleed through her tunic and her period was rather light and she realized it only lasted a few days. She would use a wrapped cloth and figured out a way to make it stay in place and would attempt to wash it at night. She hid from her father and brothers for half a year but eventually he found one of the bloody cloth and confronted her about it, thinking she had gotten hurt or something like that. He was as clueless as her when she told him she began to bleed every month but she assured she could deal with it on her own and he trusted her. He had no other choice anyway. People in the village also began telling him to marry her off, saying she was grown enough but he wouldn't do it.

From the age of 16 to 17, AD 71 to 72, she had a teenage romance with a boy from the village and his father began to wonder whether to marry them or not but one day, the teenage boy fell from his horse and got trampled, dying less than an hour later. Then, two years later, in AD 74, as they were doing business in town as usual, she ventured around the port and saw a great ship moored there, with over two dozens sailors busying themselves around the docks. She asked about it and was told that it was the ship of a Roman merchant. It got her thinking of Rome for the first time. She had never given it a second thought before. She crossed the gaze of a young sailor, probably just a couple years older than her and he came to talk to her before she left. She returned to see him a couple times that week but then one day the ship was gone. She was told he had gone back to Rome. So she waited, hoping they would return and they did, a little less than a year later, and there he was. They saw each other again during another one of her trips to town, in AD 75, with her brothers, and then one night, she took a horse and ran off to see him. He was there, standing on the docks, waiting for her. He sneaked her on the ship's deck and they watched the stars, eventually sharing a kiss and sleeping together.

Eventually they actually fell asleep, cuddling in a corner. They woke up abruptly, a bucket of water thrown at them, as they still slept in the shadow of piled up crates and sacks but they had been caught together by other sailors and the merchant. They were upset to see this unknown woman on their ship, which was already moving, going back to Rome. All she could think about was her family, who would be looking for her everywhere. She begged the merchant not to throw her off board, and after she asked if he could take her back and he refused, she affirmed she could be of use until they reached Rome. She didn't have in mind the same use as he did, she thought she could help fixing things around the ship etc. The merchant, towering the 20-year-old girl, asked what she would even do when they reached Rome and why he should agree to give her a free ride just because she happened to be there. She said she would do anything to be useful until then and she didn’t understand what king of devilish contract she signed when he agreed to let her stay. He later asked if she was intact, and she didn’t understand at first but he rephrased it and she understood and lied, telling him that she had never shared a bed with a man. He asked about the sailor, and she lied again, and said they only watched the stars. It seemed she was good at manipulating the truth as he always seemed to believe her, or maybe she wasn't and he just didn't care that much.

He told her she would sleep in his cabin and she was almost relieved because she didn’t want to stay with the dozens of sailors under deck. All those foreign men intimidated her. But that night, and almost every single one of the 8 nights until they reached Rome, he forced himself on her. She tried to fight him at first but after he hit her so hard he broke her clavicle, she was rendered helpless and in utter pain. The trip lasted about 9 or 10 days. She could barely move her arm and her shoulder looked out of place and drooping, as if she was dragging along a ballchain, but she was never given anything for the pain and had to endure. She cried and thought only of her family. When they arrived to Rome, the merchant, who had no further use for her, sent one of his men to sell her at the market. She could only hide her pain so much, and gritted her teeth to keep her composure. She had this defiance and anger in her gaze as she glared at the crowd, and even tried to get out of the seller’s grip but he unknowingly grabbed her bad shoulder and she pressed her lips, closing her eyes shut for a second, letting out a low groan of pain as she was forced to stay still. Some bidders were uninterested in her because of the fact that she wasn’t intact, as well sexually as physically but to her luck, a man who owned one of the betting taverns in the city, happened to walk across the street, stopped by for a second and crossed her gaze as she glared at him but he got intrigued, seeing an anger-fuelled strength in her eyes and bought her to get her off that stage. He had more compassion and sympathy for her that he cared to admit.

(AI depiction of the kind of clothes she might wear during the story)

PERSONALITY: Aldea was always a good-natured girl, ever since she was a child, she had always been sweet and well-behaved. Her brother, Fonsoa, wasn't even 2 years older so they were extremely close in age, while Andria was already 4 or 5 when she was born (the three children were mostly taken care of by their mother while their father and grandpa worked with the horses). By the time he was 6, Andria began working with the horses as well and Fonsoa helped his mother take care of his little sister. She was, obviously, very relient on Fonsoa in the early years of her life and they shared a very close-knitted bond. She followed him everywhere for the next 4 years, until Elia came around, their mother died and their 8-year-old brother, always away with the horses, left them to care for the newborn. She was a "natural", incredibly maternal with Elia, probably subconsciously copying her mother as she took that role in Elia's life, creating an kind of "mother-son" bond with him.

This serious role she took upon herself at such an early age and for the rest of her life definitely shaped her into the woman she later became. An empathetic and caring young woman, who contented herself with what life gave her and she was happy. She's also somewhat of a "woman of her time", meaning she took in all the codes of conduct of the women she encountered, 90% of those mannerisms coming from her mother, meaning even if she doesn't like it, she "stays in her place" in certain situtations where she is ought not to speak her mind, unless in private settings. If she feels as though she is supposed to stay silent, she will. She's also incredible patient and resilient, the latter of which was exacerbated after she was basically traffiked to Rome and sexually/physically abused. She was already this way and it didn't make her any stronger but it forced her to "push through it" in order to survive, which goes on to show she's the embodiment of resilience.

When it comes to her relationship with Tenax, all her personality traits shine through her behaviors and how she interacts with him. She stays on her guards at first but she's observant and quickly realizes she can trust him, so it doesn't take much time for her to let herself rely on him in her everyday life. She sees through him and his façade and especially so when she meets the orphan that he took under his wing. She has taken care of a child since she herself was one - she knows that if those children look up to him so much, there's a reason and she then sees the way he cares for them. Again, she's quiet but observant and speaks her mind when they're alone. In more serious situations, she can tell when it is not her place to speak, because she shouldn't undermine Tenax's credibility in front of others by cutting him off or questioning him (especially as a woman in a machist/patriarchal society that is ancient Rome). She's also extremely patient, even more so when she knows and trusts the person with whom she is being patient. If there's something she doesn't understand right away and she's not in a place where she feels she can just straight up ask Tenax, she'll watch and wait for him to give her the answers to her questions, without her asking anything and then they'll talk about it in private.

APPEARANCE: i'm too lazy to write a paragraph lol just look at the pics (only comment i'll make is she's the spitting image of her mother)

For most of the story, except flashbacks, she wears a light beige stola and tunic held together by a brown leather belt and regular sandals, and a toga or cloak around her shoulder held with a brooch, but she also wears a specific necklace (see description in one of the prologue chapters). At some point, later in the series, she begins to wear all black atire.

The pictures below show Tenax and Aldea's son, Amatus Corsi (idk Tenax's last name so I just put Aldea's) - He is portrayed by spanish model Daniel Illescas, but here on the pics he's like in his 20s or something, it's just to show what he will look like, having his mother's wavy dark brown hair, olive skin color and his father's clear eyes, his eye shape also kinda reminds that of his late uncle Fonsoa and his face shape/bone structure is similar to both but his jaw is even more like Tenax's. When he's done growing and is an adult, he will be around 177 cm, taller than both his parents (and he will remain the tallest of all the children they might have after him, despite being the only one born preterm)

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE-MASTERLIST]

Published (07/27/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 6 months ago

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Semper Ad Meliora - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE Chapter Three

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

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Summary: Time passed, weeks turned into months and months into years. Soon the year of 75 CE was of the past, as so were the next three years, 76, 77, 78... bringing it all to summer 79 CE. A bond grew between Aldea and Tenax. They cared for each other. She trusted him and he made sure she was safe, and soon there was even more than mutual respect. Love, was the thing that first led Aldea to Rome, but still the last thing she thought she would actually find there.

Words: 4k

Warnings: title means "always towards better things" // Those about to die (appropriation/repetition of lines of dialogue from episode 7 "Death's bed"), 1st person (somewhat unreliable narrator - doesn't mean that she lies about the events, just that it's her recollection/perception of them), fluff

I was a freedwoman, though I wasn’t too sure that I was a Roman citizen, because of my short time as a slave but I didn’t feel Roman anyway. I was proud to be a Spaniard woman and while my people had been made Roman citizens, I didn’t care about it. I came to realize that women had no role in Roman politics – all the consuls and senators were white- or gray-haired men. But I had no “political” ambition and tried to be content with the life I had now, living with Tenax and working for him. He began to offer me to sit with him during meals and eat with him. We bonded even more during that time. The first time he told me to sit across from him at the dinner table was a few days after he made me a freedwoman and I cooked a Spaniard dish for him. He looked at it, not knowing what it was and looked back at me. I smiled and he tasted it.

“Spanish.” I said, waiting for his reaction.

“It’s good.” He then nodded and motioned for me to take a seat, which I did after a second. He told Claudia to grab a plate for me and I ate with him. He made it quite easy for me to not overthink all this. I was always busy too, so time flew by rather quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was already the end of the year and about 6 months since I arrived in Rome. The festival of Saturnalia came around, starting with a public ritual on the first day, the 17th. A sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, which I didn’t attend. Work came to a halt for an entire week – most of the shops closed and Romans spent their times gambling, playing music and singing and giving each other gifts. I saw people take to decorating their houses and I brought it up to Tenax. Though we didn’t work, we still went to the betting tavern to take care of the kids – these orphans he had taken under his wing. They were always happy to see me, and it warmed my heart. Tenax spoke with his men while I began making wreaths with the kids, singing to them in my mother tongue.

They tried to sing along, and I taught them how to pronounce the words and on the second and third day, the tavern got very lively as we all sang, putting up the wreaths and evergreen branches around the betting tavern, lighting the candles and torches on the walls. I don’t think these romans had heard so much Spanish in their whole life, but they cheered me on. We also danced. Nica, one of the kids, made me a wreath with pretty flowers and put it on my head, like a crown. They held hands, in a circle around me and we danced and sang and laughed, a bright smile on my face. I danced as I did in Spain, swirling around, gracefully, holding my dress as it flowed around me with each step I took. I felt home. These people had become my family. I crossed eyes with Tenax as he drank wine with Scorpus and saw the latter nudge him. It made me laugh but I didn’t think much of it then.

In the final days of the festival, I gave cerei – wax candles – to Tenax and he let me set them up on the small altar he had in a cabinet. I never saw him pray – maybe he did while Claudia and I were asleep – and it was the first time I properly prayed the Roman Gods. We stood there, at the dead of night. I watched the flames dance softly and looked at him – he had his eyes closed and I watched his face, bathed in the warm orange light of the candles. When he opened his eyes, he met my gaze and I got embarrassed for staring and looked back at the altar. I quietly said I would go to bed and walked past him. As I brought the door behind me, I looked over my shoulder and locked eyes with Tenax. I closed the bedroom door, my back to it and stared into space for a minute. Claudia was sleeping in her bed, and I slipped into my bed, a little confused about what I was feeling. It got me thinking the whole night. I never liked Tenax that way. I had quite forgotten about my little crush on Scorpus and whatever bond was growing between Tenax and I was overshadowing it entirely. On the final day, Tenax came home holding something in his hand – something in a leather pouch. I was confused when he told me to open it and slipped my hand in the pouch. I felt something cold, a few thing chains and slowly pulled it out. It was a gold necklace. I tilted my head forward to look at it more closely. I had never been gifted a piece of jewelery and I was so focused on looking at it that I was yet to ask myself why Tenax would give me something like this. The chains I felt were four thin braided chains, gathered and passed through beads and pendant coins and the way they overlapped each other gave the impression there were more than 8. When I looked up, I wanted to ask how much this had cost him, but he didn’t let me. He asked me to allow him to put the necklace around my neck – not in so many words though.

“Allow me.” He quietly said. I turned around, gathering my hair in my hand and glanced at my neck as the cold metal touched my skin. I felt shivers run down my spine when his fingers brushed the back of my neck. I let go of my hair and passed my fingers under the necklace, looking down at it. It was really pretty. Back in Hispania, I didn’t have that kind of stuff. Neither did I need it, nor did we have the money for it. I did remember some jewelery that must have belonged to my grandma, but it was nothing such as this, and we ended up having to sell them anyway. The question of the cost came back in my mind. The necklace was all gold, with fine braided chains, nice beads and half a dozen literal aureus gold coins as pendant. The gold was probably his anyway, and he probably negotiated the price, but it still must have cost him.

“It must have cost you… I can pay you back, or just, don't pay me for a while—” He cut me off.

“I won’t be doing that. And you don’t need to pay me back, just take it.”

“Why this gift?”

“Blame the kids. This was their idea.” He then said, softly. I could tell he wanted to smile but kept his lips tight, the corner lifting slightly. I could also tell that while it was maybe indeed partially the kids’ idea, he had not been forced to commission it. No one could force Tenax to do anything, let alone give such a fine gift. He never gave anyone gifts, except for a few coins, and those were to pay salaries.

I chuckled, “Blame them? I like it. Thank you, Tenax.”

I wasn’t sure why but looking at him then, I thought about how pretty his eyes were – such clear blue eyes. I surely had noticed they were this colour, but it was just my whole perception of Tenax that had been shifting lately. We were both looking at each other differently but life went on and the year 76 CE came around. I wore my necklace everyday. The first time I did after the week-long festival of Saturnalia in December, the kids commented on it with excitement, and I got a compliment from Gavros and Scorpus as well – though the latter gave Tenax a smirk. One day, less than a month after receiving the necklace, I woke up in the middle of the night. I hadn’t had a nightmare about what happened on the boat in quite a while now, but it returned to me and it felt like a violent slap to the face, reminding me of something I wanted to put behind me and forget and with how busy I was everyday, I never had time to be alone with my thoughts, except at night. And I did think a lot then but for some time, it didn’t trouble my sleep. I got out of bed quietly to not wake up Claudia, taking light steps and softly pushed the bedroom door open. Looking up, I saw light coming from the altar’s cabinet and saw Tenax standing in front of it. I stopped in my tracks, not even realizing I was holding my breath and watched him from afar. He had his eyes closed, his head slightly tilted forward and was shirtless, with only his bracae on – his pair of trousers he wore under his tunic and toga – while I was just standing there in my off-white night tunic. I eventually took a step further, to close the door behind me. I initially walked out of my room to go get a cup of water – my throat felt dry – and so I did, and that’s when he saw me, as I poured myself some water.

“Trouble sleeping?” He asked.

“Just had a nightmare. It’s fine.” I brushed it off, not really in the mood to talk about it and he didn’t ask anything else. He closed the cabinet and walked over to the kitchen to sit at the table. I sat across from him, and we both kind of stared into space. I was playing around with my cup, making it roll in my hand. I was the one to break the silence and he looked at me, “I hadn't had a nightmare in a while – probably a few weeks.” I chuckled but my smile dropped quickly as I remembered said nightmare. I buried my face in my hands, pressing my fingers on my temples. “I was back on the ship…” I let one of my hands rest on the table and looked at Tenax when I felt his hand on mine. When he pulled away, unsure about his gesture, I stood up and came to stand next to his bench. He stood up as well and our faces were mere inches apart. It felt as though we were staring into each other’s soul. His hand found my shoulder, holding my arm gently. I was the one to initiate the kiss. My lips brushed off his, softly, delicately, like butterfly wings, just long enough that he could inhale my breath, feel the warmth of my skin, and the taste of my lip balm, a sweet mix of olive oil and beewax that I started wearing at night. He pressed his lips to mine and I closed my eyes, losing myself in the intimacy of this kiss, my hand finding his chest, resting right above his heart. I felt it pounding under my palm, as was mine.

I slowly pulled away, pinching my lips to contain my smile and whispered, “I should go back to bed.” His hand slid along my arm, and I walked past him, my head low as I smiled to myself. I slept well the rest of the night. No nightmares. I actually dreamt of Tenax – of our kiss. The next days, in public, we acted as if nothing had happened between us, though it seemed the kids saw through us and understood the glances we exchanged, as they sometimes giggled and whispered to each other, their hands covering their mouths as they looked at either of us from afar or then ran in different directions when we spotted them, giggling louder. At home, we shared meals as usual but at night, we met at his altar, not even to pray – he was in fact praying quite rarely – but rather to talk, eventually sitting at the table, when we couldn’t sleep, and look at each other under the moonlight coming through the window.

Eventually, I came to share his bed, and our relationship wasn’t a secret to anyone anymore, although we remained undemonstrative in public, but it seemed to be the norm among the Romans, and that suited me. I liked to keep things private. And though we shared his bed, it would be long before we would actually get intimate. I was still not ready for such things, and it seemed he understood, and I appreciated his concern and consideration. It also seemed he was rather more interested in us living together as a couple than sleep together. One night, he awoke in the middle of the night with a start, reaching for the blade he kept by his side. He was panting, scanning the room. I straightened up, looking at him worriedly, my hand going from gently squeezing his shoulder to caressing his upper cheek in an attempt to comfort him with my touch. I knew he had nightmares as regularly as I did but I was yet to know what they were about. I waited for him to be ready to tell me about them, and about his past, as I came to realize the two were related. I noticed something I had not seen the first time I saw him shirtless – an old burn scar spread across his back. He did tell me it was from a fire he escaped when he was a child, before he came to Rome, but I felt he wasn’t prepared to tell me more of the story as of yet, so I waited for him to be ready to share his past with me.

“The fire again?” It wasn’t the first time he had woken up like this since we began sleeping in the same bed.

“Yes.” Putting down his knife, he caught his breath. The apartment was silent, as was the street. The whole neighbourhood if not the city was asleep but us. Closing his eyes, he took a sharp breath, his head tilted forward. He told me about how he kept dreaming of a fire – the fire where he got those scars on his back – but he never elaborated, until then. “I haven’t told you… about my past. And I have lied to you. My real name, is Quintus. I lived with a great family when I was a boy. The master of the house… he liked boys.” I let out a quiet sigh, slipping my fingers between his, the palm of my hand on the back of his. “Myself, but mostly – Ursus. We were—” He cut himself off and continued. “Ursus and I lit a fire to escape. I got away. Ursus was caught… because of me.”

“Did he die in the fire?” I asked softly.

“Yes.” That’s what he believed, but I could tell from the tone of his voice he wasn’t totally sure and was haunted by what he had done. I caressed the back of his neck, squeezing his hand under mine.

“You did what you had to do.”

“I didn't know what I’d done.” My hand slid upwards along his neck and brushed his hair.

“Maybe. But you were a child… you didn’t know what else to do. You rarely pray, but is that what you ask for when you do? Forgiveness... for leaving him behind?” He slightly turned his face towards me, looking at me from the corner of his eyes. There was sometimes such vulnerability shining in his eyes, with his lips parted and a mix of emotions washing over his face – guilt, remorse and regret. “What happened to him isn’t your fault.”

“But it is.” He said under his breath, almost as if he didn’t want to be heard, insisting that he was fully to blame for the incident, but I disagreed.

“You – and Ursus – started the fire. It’s not your fault. You were a child, Tenax. If you want the gods to forgive you, try to forgive yourself.” His eyes twitched. It got him thinking. He didn’t believe that he deserved to be forgiven, let alone forgive himself. We closed our eyes, taking in the peace and quiet of the night, as I rested my forehead against his temple, gently kissing his cheekbone. I felt him relax against me and we lied back, holding each other. Despite the nightmares we often had, I grew to love these intimate moments, cuddling and opening up. I loved Tenax. I loved him a great deal. By this point, my heart belonged to him, and his heart to me. I even began to envision a future together. Getting married, supporting each other, maybe having children of our own – though the latter would come later. I dreaded the idea of that kind of physical intimacy, although we were both very attracted to one another. With both our pasts, it was understandable why we were uncomfortable with it. I had had experiences in the past, teen romances, almost got married when I was 17 or so, to a boy my age from my village, but he died unexpectedly and the long distance romance with the sailor, Aelius, didn’t turn out for the best but my relationship with Tenax was what I needed, and I couldn’t have expected to find it here in Rome with him, but I did and I was glad for it. I could share all the love I had, and I received just as much. I liked to see the impassible and unwavering façade he put on everyday and think to myself how he truly was on the inside. I was one of the only few to see him for who he truly was.

Summer arrived quickly, the month of Junius soon beginning with the festivals in honor of the goddess Vesta, the virgin goddess of hearth, home and family, along that of the goddess Mater Matuta, goddess of female maturation and also of dawn. As the month advanced, I thought about how I had been in Rome for 9 months. My arm was still somewhat stiff, and it could hurt if I forced it up too much, but it was more or less healed, and I had no need for the sling any longer. I had taken the habit of moving it carefully and using my other arm more and even without the sling, I kept wearing, over my stola, a palla – my cloak, which I fastened around my shoulders with brooches. I didn’t want people to notice my drooping shoulder. I was embarrassed by how out of place it looked, and I realized it was stupid. I couldn’t do anything about it. Maybe I wanted to preserve my dignitas, as Romans called it. In any case, with my arms almost fully healed, I could help around the stables more. Gavros was kind enough to let me stick around and gave me easy tasks to not use my arm too much still. Being able to move both of my arms helped at the betting tavern as well and sometimes there would be Spaniard coming to place bets and I took great pleasure in being able to talk in my mother tongue every now and then. The days succeeded each other, busy with work and regular festivals, and games and races at the Circus Maximus. I witnessed some food riots every month and avoided the crowds when they happened. They were usually diverted by races.

The year of 76 CE eventually came to an end, with another week-long festival of Saturnalia. I couldn’t believe it when I realized I had lived in Rome for almost a year and a half – 15 months, to be precise. 13 months of which I had been a freedwoman and a dozen of them of Tenax and I living as a couple. I didn’t dream of a grand wedding, if we one day got married and had heard that after a whole year of two people officially living together as a couple, it was possible to simply declare ourselves married, given they were able to provide proof of the duration of their relationship. And we could, though it wasn’t a whole year, but it was a lie Tenax couldn’t have cared less about. In the first days of Saturnalia, a year after gifting me the necklace I wore every single day, he put a ring on my finger – a gold ring with two hands holding each other engraved on top. He wore one two, as well as the signet ring he had on his index. We had a small feast at the betting tavern, with the curtains closed and no one but us, the kids, Tenax’s men, even Gavros and Scorpus were there. The children and I had already decorated the tavern with wreaths and evergreen branches, and Tenax knew of my taste for music, so he had paid a few musicians to play some music in the background as we celebrated. I sang, of course and danced with the children. It was the most beautiful day of my life and Saturnalia became my favorite festival of all. Being with Tenax, loving him and feeling loved by him, it made my homesickness and longing for my brothers more bearable.

At the dawn of the new year, I was a married woman, and a working woman still. Tenax didn’t care about my occupations as long as I was safe and though he didn’t tell me, I knew he had asked Dacia and Noro, some of his most loyal men, to keep an eye out and watch me from afar. I was well liked among his men, and I didn’t mind their protection. Life in Rome was often times dangerous, especially when associated with the underworld and a criminal such as Tenax. He had detractors, and as his wife, I could have been a target to one wanting to take revenge or take a blow at him and he refused to let that happen. He ensured that I was as safe as could be. I had to come to Rome as a slave, became a freedwoman and got married to the one man in Rome who didn’t care to subdue me. I had become aware, as I spent time in this city, that women’s freedom was all but guaranted and quite relative, with not so many rights and I was among the lucky few to have a good husband, treating me as his equal, or at least having the decency of giving me that impression. I didn’t care about politics in Rome. I still didn’t feel Roman and would never feel that way. I was a proud Spaniard woman. The only Roman I had true respect for was my husband. I had learned that Scorpus, who I knew was about as Roman as me, was actually Syrian, and Gavros wasn’t Roman either. He was from Numidia.

It was only on the kalend of the month of Martius of the year 79 CE, two months and a half away from the four-year anniversary of my rather traumatic arrival in Rome, and two years and a half since we married, that Tenax and I took our intimate moments further. I was actually the one to initiate it, not stopping at just a kiss and a few tender caresses. And he showed to be just as tender, as we laid together for the first time, though it was not my actual first time. Aelius was, and I wished he hadn’t been. I wish it had been that boy from my village. He was actually sweet and fond of me – way more deserving of such a moment with me, but the past didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was the life I built with Tenax. I remembered well that night with him, new year's celebrations, the sacred fire of Rome was renewed and the fire in Tenax and I's hearts was lit up as well. I felt both fear and excitement when a month and a half later, in the midst of Aprilis, I found that I was with child – his child. And that time, the thought of getting rid of it as I did years prior didn’t even cross my mind. I wanted it, and already loved it, and so did he. We were in bed when I told him and he didn’t expect such news at all. He approached his hand, but I gently took it and placed it on my belly, putting my hand on top of his and he pressed his lips against mine, sliding his hand across my back and grabbing onto my waist to draw me closer to him.

“How long have you known?”

“About a week or so. I wanted to be sure before telling you.” He kissed me again and I smiled, our faces a mere inch away from each other. “I’ve thought of names.”

“You have?” He chuckled, grinning amusingly.

“Fortuna, or Aeliana, if it’s a girl. After the goddess, or my sweet brother, Elia. Luck, or sun.”

“I like these options. And if it’s a boy?”

“Amatus – to love.”

“It’s perfect.” He then said in a whisper. And it was, indeed, perfect. The night I told him that I was with child, that I bore our child, was almost just as perfect as the feast we had with our friends to celebrate our union. Maybe it was true that time healed all wounds, even if not completely. Bad things happened all the time, but good things happened too – perfect, and beautiful things even.

[To be continued…]

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Published (08/09/2024) by Andrea

#oc #original character #those about to die spoilers #those about to die oc #those about to die fanfic #those about to die #tatd #tatd spoilers #tenax #iwan rheon #ancient rome fanfiction #series rewrite #fanfiction series #fanfic series

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justinewt · 6 months ago

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Infortunatus Eventus Seriem - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter One

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

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Summary: Aldea had everything she wanted and needed in her homeland of Baetica, in the south of Hispania. She never fantasized about other places, until she met this young roman sailor who got her dreaming of Rome. She never thought she would ever be leaving her family, and certainly not in the way that she did and in the series of unfortunate events that ensued, she was lucky enough to found the one person in Rome who she wouldn't suffer at the hand of.

Words: 4k

Warnings: title inspired by "a series of unfortunate events" which is the title's translation lol // Those about to die (no spoilers yet), 1st person (somewhat unreliable narrator - doesn't mean that she lies about the events, just that it's her recollection/perception of them), slavery, broken bones, mention of abduction and captivity, mention of sexual assault

The year, 75 CE. The place, Rome.

I started dreaming of seeing this city for myself about a year ago, but I didn’t think the fates would play such a cruel trick on me. I had everything. A modest but rich life, richer than the lives of most high-borns. My mother died giving birth to my younger brother, but my father was good, and we lived with our grandfather too, and I had three brothers who were – are – my best friends. Andria, the oldest, was the spitting image of our father both in appearance and spirit, and my brother, Fonsoa, just a couple years older, was kind-hearted. And the youngest, born 4 years after me. My sweet baby brother, Elia, whom I nurtured as a mother and cared for with Fonsoa. I believe he looked up to me, like his big sister but like a mother too, all while it fell to Fonsoa and I to raise him as our older brother was always off with the horses. We lived in the rocky hills of Baetica, in the south of Hispania. We had horses – Andalusians. I loved those beasts. I loved to ride bareback, clinging to their manes, muscles contracted, and thighs pressed against their sides, my own mane flying behind me, waving in the wind like the tall grass in which I loved to lie die and watch the sky, often lying down at the top of a hill and letting my body roll to the bottom with Elia. I would always hit a couple of stones on the way and get bruises all over my arms and legs, but I couldn’t have cared less about it. I loved the freedom of such a life, but I had no idea this was freedom. It was just my life. I had never known anything else. And I wish it had stayed that way. We often rode our horses to Portus Magnus, the Great Harbor. To sell meat or things that we grew. Over time, I began to wander by the port, looking at the boats moored at the docks, and I noticed this great ship, bigger than all the others. I asked around, curious to know whose ship this was, as I looked over my shoulder at the Roman soldiers walking by, stumping the grounds all at the same time.

“Es el barco de un romano – un rico comerciante de Roma.” The old fishmonger had told me. The boat, that of a rich roman merchant, from the great city of Rome. I didn’t know why, but I began to think about it. About this roman ship, and this city. I had never lacked anything, never dreamed of elsewhere, and yet, I thought about Rome. I began to dream of it, wanting to see it for myself, with my own eyes. I remember that day, this young sailor, his blond hair shining in the sun and the creases around his eyes as he smiled at me. He told me his name – Aelius – and greeted me in Spanish, uncertain and shy, but our conversations were mostly silence. I understood latin but had a long way to go before being able to speak it fluently. Eventually, I got there. I was always a quick learner, smart. Now I can speak it, but not then. He took a liking in me, and I did too. I returned to Portus Magnus a couple other times this same week and went to see him everytime. He had told me they were leaving by the end of the week, but that the man he worked with often had business in Hispania, so they would return. 19-year-old me promised herself that she would be able to speak better Latin and by the time I saw him again, and I did, a year later, 75 CE, when I would finally see this city, I dreamed of and I won’t ever be sure why, but I kept these meetings a secret and hid them from my brothers. I could have told them – I should have told them. They could have found me sooner and brought me home. But that didn’t happen. I was a fool.

“Aldea!” He called out my name as I was jogging back to my horse to go find my brothers before they came to find me. I turned around and he held me in his arms, whispering in my ear; “come back tonight”. And I nodded. I left and went about my day and when the night came, my father went to sleep, my brothers went to sleep and, even though the four of us shared a room, I somehow managed to sneak out. I was so excited, looking forward to this forbidden meeting, my heart beating so fast and I enjoyed the sweetness with which the wind caressed my skin and played with my hair, riding under the moonlight. I arrived in town and found him by the docks, as usual. I had never seen Portus Magnus by night. It was so quiet – peaceful. His fellow sailors were sleeping too. It was just the two of us as we lied on the ship’s deck and looked at the night sky. I loved the stars. Not more than horses, but I loved them. They fascinated me and I wished I could touch them, stretching out my arm high in the hair. As a child, I often asked Andria, or my father, to carry me on their shoulder so I could try and touch them. I wanted to hold one in my hand – these little shining balls. And we kissed. I had never kissed a boy before. He wasn’t the first I liked, but he was the first I kissed. The first boy I really liked lived in the village down the valley, where I often went with my brothers. I was 16 when I met him, and we did grow fond of each other rather quickly. At the time, people began to tell my father he should marry me off to a man, but he wouldn’t. I remember then, he had asked me if I loved this boy. I thought I did – and I most likely did – and he was actually considering marrying us but then, one day, he fell off his horse after it got spooked by a snake in the high grass and he lost control. He got trampled and died, less than an hour later. I was shattered but I didn’t want to cry in front of my father and my brothers, so I didn’t. This all happened two years prior to my first meeting with this sailor, and I felt this was different. He wouldn’t die like this. Maybe we could get married. Maybe my father would say yes, and I could go to Rome with him. We kissed, and this perfect scenario went through my head, and it seemed so possible, so real, as if it was already happening. My first kiss, but the first time I ever laid down with a man. Then we heard noise, and we hid and fell asleep in the shadows of piled up crates and sacks.

“Oy!” We were woken up abruptly, sitting up with a gasp as a sailor threw a bucket of water over our heads. We were pulled away from each other. That was when I realized we were already far from the coast. Aelius was flogged for his misbehavior – bringing a woman on the boat. And I was dragged towards the edge and thrown to the other side, clinging to a rope, feet dangling in the air. I ended up in this position after asking if they couldn’t just send me back to Portus Magnus, that I wouldn’t cause them more trouble.

“You can swim home if you want to, girl.” The merchant said, looking down on me. But I didn’t know how to swim. I had never swum a day in my life, and I looked beneath me with terror in my eyes and felt my hands slip down the rope, the palms of my hands growing warmer and sweaty, and begged. I didn’t cry, but I begged them to let me stay on the boat, that I would do anything to make me useful until they reached Rome. “And what will you even do in Rome?”

“I can work.”

“I have no use for a girl like you—” he cut himself off mid-sentence, thinking. They pulled me up and dragged me to his cabin, keeping me from going to check on Aelius who lied on the deck, still, but not dead. He was groaning in pain. I could hear him, until the merchant closed the doors. “You’ll stay here until we reach Rome, then I’ll see what I’ll do with you.”

“Thank you—” He left me alone. The trip lasted 9 days – I counted. Everyday, I spent my time curled up in a corner of his cabin, I watched the waves, the ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. That was all I could do. I wish I didn’t remember what happened on that boat. When the first night came, I saw what my life would be until we reached Rome. He tried to force himself on me, which he successfully did – after shoving me in a piece of furniture when I scratched his face, and then grabbed a gold candle holder and swang it around as I dodged his blows, until he finally managed to strike me – a violent blow to the shoulder – and I fell, letting out a sharp scream. I felt my collarbone break. My heart was speeding. I couldn’t catch my breath. The pain was so intense I thought my heart was going to explode. Tears poured down as he grabbed my face, firmly, and threatened to break my entire arm, and the other one as well, if I kept being “ungrateful” after he allowed me to stay on his boat, using my own naïve words against me. I shouldn’t have said I would do anything. I believe the sharks would have been less cruel. That night, he left me to cry and whimper, quietly, in a corner while he slept, but the other nights, he did whatever he wanted with me, and I couldn’t possibly fight back.

The pain was unbearable and yet I endured. I genuinely thought all hope was lost at this point. I was hurting, isolated. I cried. I desperetaly wanted to return to my father, my brothers, my horses, my sweet life. Going to Rome didn’t sound like such a dream anymore. When I looked out the porthole, I watched the waves, but I watched the birds flying around the ship too. I was like a bird, with its wing broken, and kept in a cage. Eventually, we reached the harbour of Ostia, Rome’s port. I was put in chains and sent to be sold as a slave at the market. This was not what I had dreamed of. But after 9 days and 8 nights of hell, I was there, with a chain going around the back of my neck from which a wooden plaque hung over my chest. I was forced to stand straight but my shoulder was drooping to the side. My arm felt so stiff and I could hear a sort of grinding or crackling sound when I did move my shoulder. It made me sick. On the plaque could be read my country of origin, and my name along with roman numerals which I didn’t know the role of.

“HISPANIA

ALDEA

XX”

The big man that was taking care of the sells – “offerings” he called us – yelled the names, making diminishing and belittling comments on the dozen slaves lined up on the stage. I listened with one ear, too busy trying to keep my composure and not let my pain show. I felt my eyebrows furrow as I stared at the crowd. A couple thousand serteces here, a few hundred there. I had never seen slaves being sold and never in my wildest dreams would have I thought I would be one of them. Then it came to me.

“Look at this one.” the man pulled me closer to him, luckily, he grabbed my good arm at first but then I tried to slip away, and he smacked his hand on my broken shoulder and squeezed. The broken bone moved, and my eyes got teary. I couldn’t help but hold my breath. I let out a low groan through my gritted teeth, closing my eyes for a second, my head slightly falling forward. I sighed through my nose, like a horse. “Andalusian beauty straight from Baetica. Well formed. As sturdy as their horses, she knows all about them, and can cook you all kinds of wonderful meals.”

The vendor moved his hand off my shoulder and lifted my head, showing off my features to the crowd. I sighed heavily; the pain lingered but without the pressure of his hand on my injury. That’s when I reopened my eyes and crossed his gaze. While everyone was mumbling to each other, shaking their heads as they looked me up and down, mentioning my shoulder, showing disapproval and disinterest but he was looking at me with curiosity, slightly squinting his eyes. I couldn’t help but stare at him in surprise when he offered a few hundred serteces to buy me. I was led off stage and they removed the plaque from my neck and pushed me towards the man they had called Tenax. I approached him as he bent over to talk to a small child next to him. The boy ran off. Tenax turned back towards me and stretched out his arm, but he didn’t grab my arm, he just put a hand in my back to lead me to move forward and glanced at me as I wouldn’t stop staring. He brought me to a building, we entered through the front door, climbed a couple flight of stairs and walked in an apartment – his apartment, obviously. I stood there, my eyes scanning the room, but I quickly started staring at him again. He was his back to me, moving a bunch of things on a piece of furniture by the door.

“Do all Spaniard women stare in silence, or is it just you?” He leaned on the cupboard and locked eyes with me, eyebrows slightly raised. I parted my lips and looked down, but still held my head high. I’m not sure he heard me when I mumbled an apology under my breath, but he spoke again anyway. “I called for a physician, to take a look at your shoulder.”

“Thank you.”

“She speaks.” His tone was light. I wondered why he would have someone look at my injury, but he answered my question on his own, and if I had thought about it for longer than a second, I would have figured it out as it was fairly obvious and reminded me of my status once more. “I own a betting tavern in town. I’ll let you work there, but you won’t be of any use to me if I leave your injury untreated.”

“Sí – uh, yes.” I caught myself as I first answered in my native language and I caught him smiling, and I caught myself smiling too. I thought, maybe, he wasn’t as bad as the merchant. I thought I didn’t trust him, that I was just not too wary, not scared but I actually began to trust him when he said he called a physician for me. I always thought my brother, Andria, was wrong when he said I trusted too easily but he was right, and this quality of mine was a double-edged sword, sometimes cutting me deep, like with the merchant.

“How did it happen?”

“I fell.” I could tell he didn’t believe me, looking me up and down, doubtfully, but someone knocked on the door before he could voice his suspicion. Tenax straightened up and went to open. The physician, an old man with a short beard, came in, opening a box on the table as he exchanged a few words with Tenax. In his box, I saw a bunch of herbs and ointments among other things. He turned to me and when he raised his hand to take my arm, I flinched and noticed Tenax watching me like a hawk. His gaze wasn’t harsh though. I saw in his eyes the same curiosity as he had back at the auction. He gave me a nod and I lowered my sleeve, letting the physician look at my shoulder. My collarbone was red, and swollen, and looked about as bad as it felt. He asked if I could move my arm at all, and I said no. He slowly pushed my arm upwards and brought his ear closer, and no matter how much I contained myself, I couldn't hold back from crying out. I felt as though my bone was grinding.

“It’s the shoulder. The collarbone is broken – here.” He circled the swollen area and showed a lump sticking out and I sighed through my nose, letting out a chimper, digging my nails into my palm. He then advised my arm be put in a sling for the next few months and he gave me a sip of tincture of poppies, telling Tenax not to give me more than three times a day. As it wasn’t the arm itself that was injured, he couldn’t do much. He and his assistant then left them alone and an old woman, whom Tenax referred to as Claudia, helped set up my arm into a sling.

“I’m going to ask again. How did it happen? It’s all right. You can tell me, Aldea.”

“The merchant who brought me to Rome. He—” I took a shaky breath. I wasn’t going to tell him all that happened. I didn’t want to, but mostly, I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t leave my lips. “I struggled... I barely scratched his face and he – he struck me with a candlestick.”

“I see.” He looked away for a second. Maybe he was touched by my story, maybe not. I couldn’t really tell. He then showed me the door from which Claudia came out, telling me that I would sleep in that room. He had her cook me some food and I watched him leave as he returned to work to his betting tavern, adding that I should rest and that he would show me around tomorrow. I ate a good stew, warm in my belly. And then I lied down on my bed, doing as he said and had some rest. I woke up a few hours later, breathing frantically after having a nightmare where I was back on the ship, and I was quickly brought back to reality when I rolled on my wrong side and sat up with a whimper. I tried to catch my breath as I got up from the bed and Claudia came in, having heard me making noise. She gave me some more tincture of poppies.

“Where’s Tenax?”

“He’s already at the tavern. I will bring you to him. Come on.” I thought I had only slept for a few hours and woken up during the afternoon, but it seemed it was already the next day. Little did I realize I had been this sleep deprived during my stay on the merchant’s ship. I was in such pain; I didn’t even realize I was this tired. She walked me through the streets, and we reached the betting tavern a few minutes later. There were so many people in the same place, so much noise. People arguing, talking, laughing and thinking about their bets for the next race. Large curtains, left half open, divided the tavern’s space. On one side, there were tables and on the other, there was a desk with the space Claudia went home, pushing me forward. I walked through the curtains, glancing over my shoulder and stepping aside as a man walked past me. There were slated up on the wall with names written and beads haning on threads stretched from one side to the other of rectangle wooden frames. Tenax was nearby, talking to a man in a blue tunic. He had seen me but wasn’t done with his conversation, so I wandered around the betting desk and took a closer look at the frames, sliding my finger on a bead to make it roll around the thread. I had no idea what it was. I felt someone come up behind me and saw Tenax appear in my field of vision.

“That’s an abacus – a counting board.”

“How does it work?” He walked behind the counter and proceeded to explain to me the ins and outs of the abacus. I watched him carefully as he accompanied his comments with gestures, to illustrate his words and I nodded when I understood and began to speak up, making his explanation interactive.

“Good. You’re a quick learner.”

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen one, Spaniard princess.” The man in the blue tunic chimed in, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a thick accent, rolling his r’s. not Spaniard, I thought. The nickname he had given me made me chuckle. Either Tenax told him I wasn’t roman, or he could tell from my olive skin and accent. I heard how differently I spoke from the Romans around me. If they weren’t sure I was a Spaniard from looking at me, my pronunciation would betray me. The name Scorpus left Tenax’s lips as he introduced him to her. He was a charioteer whose fame was ever-growing. “The most famous one” he corrected Tenax. He looked and sounded proud, holding his head high with a cocky smile. I found him funny, and I liked his accent.

“No, I’d never seen one. I didn’t need this to take care of horses.”

“You took care of horses back home?”

“Yes, with my brothers. I always loved horses.” I followed Scorpus’ gaze as he turned his head to Tenax. The latter waved his hand, motioning for us to go before leaning on the counter.

“Go.”

“After you…” He held out his hand in front of him, inviting me to move forward. We left the betting tavern and walked to the stables. There was a dozen of them, most of them closed, people coming in and out of them, glancing at us. As we approached an open stable, he took off his hood – I didn’t even realize that he had put a hood over his head in the first place. There I met a man, Gavros, one of the stable hands. He was nice from the start. Scorpus eventually left and I spoke horses with Gavros. He was a former charioteer himself.

“I prefer riding bareback.” I spoke. “Helps to create a stronger bond between the horse and its rider.”

“You rode bareback? That requires a lot of strength.” He declared, looking me up and down.

“I guess.” I had gotten so used to it; I had no idea if it made me strong. I wasn’t sure I was strong at all.

“Is that how you hurt your arm? You fell?”

“I, uh, I did – fall, but not because I rode bareback. Do you think I could work as a stablehand too?”

“I wouldn’t be against it. You sure know your way around horses.”

“I’ll ask Tenax later. He—” I was cut off midsentence, before telling Gavros that I was Tenax’s slave and turned around when I heard his voice behind me. He was standing by the stable’s doors.

“Ask me in a few months, when your arm isn’t in a sling anymore. Then we’ll see.” He had a faint smile on his face. I went back to the betting tavern with him, and he showed me around, telling me I’d work there, helping with whatever I was able to do. I met a bunch of small kids too, a little over a dozen of them. I noticed straight away that they looked up to Tenax, though he justified it by the fact that they were exactly just that, young children, and they would look up t anyone who gave them food and coin. But seeing all this, and the good opinion I already had of him, only further strengthened my initial thought – I could trust him. Maybe he wouldn’t keep me as a slave for very long. I wouldn't actually mind working for him anyway, even if i wasn't forced to.

[To be continued…]

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Published (07/28/2024) by Andrea

#original character #oc #those about to die oc #those about to die fanfic #those about to die spoilers #those about to die #tatd #tenax #fanfic #fanfiction

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justinewt · 4 months ago

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Familia Ante Omnia - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter 9

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

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Summary: With Ursus gone from their lives and no longer lurking in the shadows, they could take a breath and relax. They spent a good few weeks. Aldea's belly grew as time went on, time she spent with her brothers. She enjoyed having them again and being able to see them everyday. She was getting used to their presence but this peace was disturbed when one man's ego took over his reason.

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: title means "Family over all" // Those about to die spoilers (episode 8 "All or Nothing"), angst, grief, mention of blood

Aldea rolled on her back. Her belly had grown significantly bigger, being now just a couple days away from her 8th month of pregnancy. She had become quite the insomniac the past few weeks and didn’t get much sleep. She would be able to sleep for a couple hours, then wake up, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling and thinking, thinking and thinking to the point of falling asleep again and this time sleeping until first light and waking up as Tenax would get out of bed. She was always in some sort of discomfort with the coming and going back pain, the leg cramps and the heartburn, along with feeling her baby moving around and kicking so she didn’t go back and forth between their insula and the Circus Maximus as much as a month or so ago and Tenax wanted her to rest as much as possible so she obliged because she really didn’t have the energy to go run around anyway but still, sometimes she went out for a walk, to stretch her legs, sometimes going to Circus Maximus when Andria and Scorpus would race. She wanted to be there for her brother, and seeing Elia and Fonsoa was always a pleasure as well. The three young men were always asking her if she was feeling okay and Elia was asking her questions about how she was feeling every other minute, and she often dismissed his worries with a chuckle and a smile and a rub on the shoulder. She would be fine if she was with her brothers and her pregnancy was not going to be stopping her from supporting her friend and brother on the tracks.

Aldea opened her eyes and squinted them as daylight penetrated the room. She hadn’t even realized that she had fallen asleep again after waking up in the middle of the night and she glanced over at the window as she sat up in the bed, listening to the drums announcing today’s race, which had most likely been the one thing to pull her out of her slumber.

“Is there a race today?” She asked, as if it wasn’t obvious but she was still kind of sleepy and yawned, closing her eyes and covering her mouth with her hand.

“Yes.” He had a slight smirk, amused, looking at her with a soft gaze as he put on his toga and tightened his belt. Aldea quickly got out of bed and with one hand supporting her lower back, she made her way towards the dresser to get her clothes. When he insisted, she needed to rest, she looked at him over her shoulder.

“If there’s a race, then my brother is racing. And if my brother is racing, then I will be watching the race. Simple as that.” She shrugged, and he let it go. There was no convincing her not to come. He knew being there for her brother was very important for her. They left the insula, walking to the Circus. They held onto each other’s arms and Tenax walked stiffly because of his leg. He didn’t need clutches anymore, but it was still a little difficult so he used a cane. It would get better in the months to come, she was sure of it, just as her shoulder got better and it didn’t hurt anymore, despite the bone being broken, like his. He forced himself to try and walk faster, to get to the Circus quicker but Aldea pulled back on his arm, telling him to take it easy. They would get there in time, there was no need to rush, the race had just been announced to the city. Right now, plebeians were probably just arriving to the arena and getting their tickets. Cala must have been taking all the bets too as she was already gone when the couple had woken up earlier.

They went straight to the entrance, and she walked by his side, as she had been doing at every race since the first time they walked together in front of the patricians after the Golden faction’s debut on the tracks. Aldea wasn’t intimidated by those people anymore and stood proud anytime she encountered them. Tenax and Aldea sat on their seats, with their faction’s banners on each side of them. The Gold of the wall hangings nicely brought out the lightly tanned color of her southern Spaniard's complexion, just as the golden jewelry she had been gifted by Tenax did, the coins necklace around her neck, and recently, the fine snake bracelet at her wrist. There was a certain glow about her that arrived since she passed the mid-point of her pregnancy. According to Tenax, she was more beautiful than ever before. His hand resting on hers on the arms of their chairs and her other hand on her round stomach, they watched as the crowd cheered loudly when Titus appeared on the imperial platform.

“I, Titus Caesat Vespasianus…” he spoke, loud and clear. “Give you this day’s games, on building civic baths! Already two months under construction. And I announce that I am giving our belived Rome… an heir!”

The drivers then paraded around the spina on their chariots, waving to the crowd. As they passed by the White faction’s booth, Andria looked over to his sister, waving his hand higher and she chuckled with a big smile, waving back happily. She felt such a sense of pride, thinking of what her brother was accomplishing in Rome. She could feel he was going to become an as successful charioteer as Scorpus’ was and she was so excited for him. Passus exclaimed, getting the drivers ready before they were unleashed onto the tracks and he let the white cloth fall to the ground, starting the race. Aldea eyes were glued to her brother’s back – she knew where he was on the tracks at any given time at any round. Andria’s horses looked like they were literally flying. Right at the beginning of the race, a shipwreck happened, putting Xenon and one of the Whites’ drivers out of the game. She let out a heavy sigh, holding Tenax’s hand tighter, relieved that it wasn’t her brother or Scorpus in that accident, especially so early on. When she then heard the crowd chanting Andria’s name, she looked around and smiled. He was making a name for himself. That was her big brother’s name that people were chanting in the arena – her beloved hermano mayor. Her eyes wouldn’t leave him.

She frowned slightly, squinting her eyes, confused as to why Scorpus was started to pull his reins to his left, towards the spina. She leaned forward. It was even more puzzling because he kept leaning to the side, pulling his reins inwards, because Andria was in between him and the spina and if the famous driver kept doing this, he was going to box the Spaniard in and trap him. But she couldn’t believe he would deliberately do this, until she saw the look on Andria’s face as the latter looked at Scorpus, his face straining as his lips mouthed his name before his rig rolled over the debris of the previous shipwreck and Andria went flying off the chariot. She let out a strangled cry, shouting her brother’s name. She instantly let go of Tenax’s hand as she jerked to her feet, her heart sank, and her stomach dropped. Aldea’s chest was heaving quickly, and she turned on her heels, ignoring Tenax as he called her name, and ignoring Cala who was standing to the side of their seats, walking past her without a glance and going as fast as possible, her hand to her stomach as she whimpered, unable to take deep and full breath. She prayed to herself, mumbling in Spanish on her way, hoping Andria would be fine. She didn’t even realize she had tears in her eyes until she began wondering why her vision was getting blurry and she couldn’t see where she was going anymore, but she was so used to going to see her brothers, she knew she was almost there. She even began running.

When she reached them, she could hear Andria’s labored breathing and weak and faint voice. She rushed to his side and stifled a cry as he set his half-closed eyes on Aldea, the corner of his lips stretching softly at the sight of her. He lifted his hand towards her, and she bent over, taking his hand and bringing it to her cheek, feeling his thumb caress her skin.

“You look so much— like our mother…” He parted his lips, swallowing harshly, and he looked at their brothers, “Take care of each other… Take care— take care of our sister…” His breathing quietened and they witnessed the life leaving his eyes and his limbs softened. His thumb stopped moving against her skin, his hand almost falling off her face if she wasn’t holding it up with hers and she gasped, choking on her tears, as her brothers weeped uncontrollably. Elia called out to him faintly. Aldea sobbed. She wouldn’t let go of his hand, her tears rolling down her cheeks and falling on his fingers. She sniffed, wiping her tears and turned her head, looking over her shoulder as Elia stepped towards the doors leading to the tracks. She realized the race had just ended and Scorpus had stopped his horses by the doors, proudly waving at the crowd cheering for him. He had won. The only thing that crossed Aldea’s mind was that he had won, at the cost of her brother’s life. He killed Andria. He killed him and she because she knew Scorpus well, she knew why he did it. He killed Andria because his inflated ego couldn’t take seeing people cheer for someone other than him. Her brother was good driver, a fresh face in Rome, and it was taking the spotlight off him. She gave him a death stare, glaring at him, as she watched him proudly getting off his rig. The moment he stepped through the doors, taking off his helmet, Elia threw a punch at his face, making him lose his balance, catching himself on the wall. He grabbed his clothes, shaking him up and shouting, confronting him with what he had done.

“You fucking scum! You killed him.”

He pushed him away, forcing him to let go off him, “he chose his line.”

“No, it was you. You pulled to the left.” He was restless and Gavros and Fonsoa held him back, keeping him from lashing out on Scorpus again. Aldea stood behing him, pressing her lips against each other to keep them from quivering, her eyes slightly red and shining from the tears. Fonsoa made his little brother face him, urging him to tell him what he saw. “He pushed Andria into the wreck. He boxed him in!”

Scorpus pointed at Elia, pissed, but never as angry as either of the Spaniards in front of him, “Touch Scorpus again, I’ll have your head.”

“And I yours for killing my brother!” Tenax walked around them, stepping in front of Elia, putting his hand on the latter’s shoulder.

“Andria is dead. It was an accident.” Aldea lips relaxed but not in relief and rather in disappointment as she stared at her husband without even blinking. It was no accident. They were sitting next to each other up there on the stands. She couldn’t believe that he didn’t see exactly what she saw – that Scorpus killed Andria. She had been watching her brother like a hawk and she knew Elia wasn’t exaggerating. He frowned, shaking his head. Tenax met Aldea’s intense gaze, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, his hands joined, one on top of the other on the pommel of his cane.

“I offer my condolences.” Scorpus said, quietly, drawing Aldea’s stare to him. “It was a… tragic accident.”

“No, you lie!” Elia was walking back to Andria’s body and turned back, shouting. Fonsoa stopped him, his head down.

“Ours is a dangerous game.” Scorpus argued. “Your brother knew that.”

Aldea flared her nostrils, glaring at Scorpus. He met her eyes and looked at her sideways, taking a step back when she spit at his feet, “Que te jodan— maldito gilipollas.” her voice shaking from the anger and frustration, and she yelled, “Me cago en tu puta madre y en tus muertos.”

“Aldea.” Fonsoa spoke her name, rather firmly, because of the profanities she was throwing left and right at Scorpus’s face, who was looking at her having no idea what she was even saying, but he was smart enough to understand she was insulting him pretty badly.

“No me des sermones, Fonsoa. Andria— Andria está muerta… because of him.” She urged him not to lecture her and stifled a sob, pointing an accusing finger at Scorpus, “Andria is dead because of him.” She saw, from the corner of her eyes, Scorpus shaking his head and parting his lips but Tenax stepped in, trying to grab her arm but she smacked his hand away, breathing sharply, her eyes getting teary again and she shook her head, backing away from him, speaking quietly, “do not touch me.”

“No, Aldea…” Fonsoa looked her before glancing over at Elia, “He’s right.”

He turned back to them, his eyebrows pulled together in a concerned frown, “you don’t believe us.”

“I just didn’t see what you say you saw.”

“He forced Andria into the shipwreck! He boxed him in!”

“No.” Scorpus stood his grounds and shook his head, refuting Elia’s every accusation. Aldea was watching Tenax and saw the latter look at Scorpus from the corner of his eyes. She frowned. She knew he was lying, backing his friend when he knew what he had done. She felt betrayed. She couldn’t think straight, she couldn’t understand why he would let Scorpus get away with this. She wished he was on her side – on their side – and support her and her brothers but it wasn’t what had happened. She was disgusted and looked at him in a different light, maybe it was the anger and the grief that were causing an inner turmoil.

“Aldea saw it too.”

“Neither of you can be sure.” Fonsoa insisted. Elia tilted his head forward, clenching his jaw, before looking at Scorpus and Tenax.

“I will have nothing more to doo with you… or this Gold faction.” Aldea couldn’t even look at Fonsoa and she followed Elia, kneeling with him by Andria’s body. Hearing the crowd cheer in the background made her stomach turn as she looked at Andria’s face, covered in blood. Her eyes filled with tears in mere seconds, and she pressed her forehead against Elia’s shoulder.

Tenax approached and sighed, “Elia, Aldea… it wasn’t Scorpus, it was a shipwreck. It happens…”

“You are just as bad as he is.”

“Maldito mentiroso.” Aldea mumbled and stood up, stepping towards Tenax, getting up close, shaking her head, looking into his eyes, “why do you lie…”

“It was an accident, Aldea.” They spoke to each other in hushed tones.

“Repeating something will not make it any more true.” He finally crossed her gaze and for half a second, she thought he was going to take back what he had said and if he did, she knew she would have forgiven him, but he said absolutely nothing and she shook her head subtly, in disappointment. He held out his hand to her, wanting to touch the hand she had on her stomach, but she backed away from him, again, “I said, do not touch me.” She was bitter and angry and wanted to be as far from him as she could. Never had she felt like this about him, and it was breaking her, heart, as though someone was tearing it to pieces with their bare hands.

“Aldea.” She lifted her head, looking at Elia. “No vas a volver con ese hombre. No es un marido digno de ti.” She couldn’t help but sob more. He was telling her things she didn’t want to hear, things she didn’t want to be true. She loved Tenax and it made her s ad to hear her brother say those words, telling her how she wasn’t going back to that man, basically that he wouldn’t let her, and that he wasn’t a husband worthy of her. She loved Tenax so much and didn’t want it to be true. She was all over the place and felt so conflicted. On one side she desperately needed him in this moment of great loss, but on the other side, she would rather be on the other side of the world than in the same vincinity as him. She couldn’t look at her husband’s face as he disappeared from her field of vision, the sound of his cane tapping on the ground fading as he walked away. Elia gently grabbed his sister’s shoulders and pulled her up along with him. “And you, brother? On what side are you on?”

He looked up at them with a sad look on his face but stayed quiet. Later that day, at nightfall, they met outside the city wall, on the Esquiline hill, to bury their brother. Insects were chirping, and the flames of the candles crackled as they lowered Andria’s body into the grave they dug. Elia had his arm around Aldea’s shoulder, their heads low.

“May the winds take you to Elysium, where the Gods will it… we will meet again.”

“Nos volveremos a encontrar—” She repeated his words, slowly, under her breath and cut herself off as she whimpered, breathing sharply. Elia drew her closer to him, cradling her head with her hand. She was the only one audibly crying but she couldn’t help it. Her brothers had always been her entire world since she was a little girl. They were her best friends, her protectors, the only three people she knew she could rely on no matter what and losing either of them made this entire world of hers crumble. She left the funeral with Elia, and they walked back to the Suburra. He brought her to the insula where he shared a room with Andria and Fonsoa and angrily began to pack his things.

“Aldea, you do not go back to that man. You will stay here, with Fonsoa, and I will come and get you to go back to Baetica. I’m done with this hell of a city.”

“What are you going to do?” She instantly got worried.

“No se preocupe. Don’t worry about it. I have something to do, and then we can go home. Fuck those Romans. You will find a good husband— a good Spaniard.” She lowered her head with a sigh and sat down on the opposite bed, looking up when she saw Fonsoa step in the doorway. They glanced at each other as he addressed their brother.

“We used to chase you by the river Baetis when you were young, now I do so again?”

“We’re no longer playing children’s games.”

“The last thing Andria would have wanted is that we are divided.” He grabbed his arm, stopping Elia as he picked up his bag. He threw it over his shoulder.

“So come with us.”

“Us? You mean you want to drag our pregnant sister back to Baetica? Elia!” He rose his voice as the latter walked past him and rushed down the stairs and went after him, calling out to him. “You would deprive a boy of his father? And if I were to walk away with you, what of Salena and the boy?” Aldea slowly walked out of the room, watching them from the top floor.

“Says the man who never walked past a brothel with a few coind in his pockets?”

“That was before.”

“And this is now!” He yelled in his face and Fonsoa grunted, gritting his teeth, following him downstairs.

“I can’t turn my back on her.” They stopped in their tracks.

“Go on. What else?”

“Scorpus and Tenax offered me a second driver with the Gold faction.”

“This city has twisted you in such a way that you would drive with the man who killed our brother.”

“Says you alone.” He hit Elia’s chest.

“Y yo. I saw it all too. I tried to tell you, Fonsoa.” She slowly walked down the stairs as they looked up at her. Elia breathed fitfully, staring at him.

“Scorpus has taken two brothers from me. Take care of Aldea until I can come back for her.”

“Elia!” He grunted, slammed his fist against the wall and rushing after Elia as he exited the insula through the front door. Aldea sighed. This was the worst day of her life. She didn’t even look forward to going home. She didn’t know what she wanted, and she felt lost, and alone but she would rather feel like that than face Tenax, for now. As she was going back to the room, she stood in the middle of it, looking at the two beds, imagining her brothers coming in there as they first arrived in Rome, excited and happy to be here. Fonsoa joined her, waving towards the bed on her left, the one she had sat on a moment ago.

“That was Andria’s bed. You can take this one.” He gently squeezed her shoulders, and she stepped away and lied on the bed as he blew out the candles, plunging the room in the dark. She hadn’t had such a bad night in a long time. After weeks of everything going well and getting used to having all three of her brothers back, it was all taken away from her abruptly, again. Spending years without them, but knowing that they were alive in Hispania, proved to be way easier than knowing that she would never get to see Andria ever again. She cried. So much so that Fonsoa came to sit with her on the bed and held her and comforted her for over an hour until she eventually managed to fall asleep. The next day, she woke up with the worst headache she ever had in her life. Fonsoa gently rubbed her back, telling her he was gonna go get something at her place, maybe Claudia, her housekeeper would have something to ease her pain. He returned, a little less than an hour later, with a cup which he covered with a piece of cloth.

“She prepared some willow bark tree tea. She said it would help.”

“Thank you.” He helped her sat up and she took the cup in her hands, bringing it to her lips. After drinking it, she put the cup aside and he left her to rest. She slept, she had no idea how long, but she did, unlike the previous night. She woke up when someone lightly knocked on the door.

“Aldea?” Elia called her name, and she stood up quickly and went to open the door for him. He was panting as if he had been running.

“What’s going on?”

“I know who can back us up.”

“Back you up – as a woman, my voice wouldn’t count in court anyway. But who would that be?”

“Xenon.” He exclaimed. “He was on the tracks. He saw everything.”

“Okay. Let’s go then.” He took her wrist and dragged her along with him, rushing down the stairs and speedwalking through the streets, all the way to the Esquiline hill where Xenon’s home was, as well as Scorpus, but the latter didn’t interest either of them. Half a dozen people were gathered, standing here and there in the small courtyard in front of the house. They arrived just as Scorpus stepped out.

“It’s a… terrible thing. Xenon… is dead. A loss for all of us.” The driver walked past the two Spaniards, glancing at them but only when everyone had deserted the courtyard and went inside, did he turn to them and stare back at them. They held his gaze, glaring at him. He wasn’t even trying to lie to them anymore. He probably felt untouchable now. A woman, who could never testify against him, despite having seen the whole thing, and a young man, Spanish, and a mere stable hand.

“What will you do now?” She wondered.

“I will go find Gavros. I can do what I sought to do now. Kill Scorpus.”

“Kill—” She looked over one shoulder and the other, fearing someone might have heard, but they were alone. “How are you even going to do that?”

He sighed, “Right now, Gavros and I will go to the Blue. I will drive for them.”

“And how are you going to take revenge on Scorpus by driving for the Blue?”

“I can defeat him on the tracks. Aldea, go rest. I will come fetch you when all this is done.” She watched him walk away and she breathed out through her nose. She prayed nothing happened to Elia, her little brother, her baby brother. She wouldn’t survive losing another one of her brothers, or both of them.

[To be continued…]

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Published (09/21/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 5 months ago

Text

Audentes Fortuna iuvat - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter Six

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: Tenax had brought home a young Numidian slave which sparked some confusion in their household and Aldea was even more taken aback when the girl's mother came pounding on their door but as usual she quickly got the answers to her questions and they went back to their routine, daily life, all while Tenax got his Gold faction ready to make its first appearance on the tracks of the Circus Maximus.

Words: 4.2k

Warnings: title means "Fortuna favors the bold" // Those about to die spoilers (episode 3 "Death's door"), fluff, mention of physical abuse

Tenax knew that the moment he closed those doors, he would probably get shot at with questions. He was standing his back to Aldea and turned around as he spoke, “Ask.”

“Where did you send my brother and Scorpus?” He stared back at her. He probably thought that she would have asked about the young woman and her mother, but it was obvious that her first thought, what would be the priority in her mind, would be for her brother. She still didn’t know where he had sent him off to with the famed driver, and to do what. He exhaled, taking a few steps in her direction. She was one of the few people she would ever agree to explain himself to, and it involved her brother, so he owed her an answer.

“I sent him and Scorpus to get yellow ash for the horses.”

“Yellow ash?” She frowned, tilting her head slightly. She had no idea what that was.

“A poison. But it might be the solution we need to save those horses, and my head, Scorpus, and that of your brothers. I told Andria to keep Scorpus safe.”

“Where are they going to find this yellow ash?” She was growing worried for her brothers’ safety, both regarding the threat that was Domitian’s impredicable behaviour and that was whatever trip the duo had been sent on.

“Pompeii.”

“How far is it?”

“It’s a 2-day horse ride.”

“Two days?” She looked away, thinking. Her brother had left with Scorpus earlier today so that meant he would be back in around 3 days. She wouldn’t hear from Andria for 3 days. She briefly closed her eyes, pressed her lips together in disapprobation. It seemed awfully difficult after having been reunited with him, Fonsoa and Elia just a few days prior. Bringing one hand to her belly, she sighed. It felt as though because she was so worried, she couldn’t express her anger. She was still keeping her composure and calm, but in truth, she almost never could get angry even if she wanted to. She did bicker with her brothers when they were children, especially when it came to Elia, but never real arguments that would escalate. Her brothers and father always stood as a kind of shield between her and people outside their family. When people from the village began telling her father that she should get married, he would tell them off, she would not. She learned not to speak in public settings and let her father speak, and she never thought much of it, not that there was a lot think to think about. Her father was very protective of her, and he wanted the best for her, so she didn’t really care to let him speak in her place but maybe that was because she got used to this that she had trouble expressing anger or things like that. She was taken out of her thoughts by Tenax coming closer, their bodies almost touching. He gently grabbed her shoulders. Shivers ran down her spine as he touched her collarbone, or rather lack of collarbone. She tilted her head to the side, the corner of her lips brushing over his hand. His hand migrated to her face, cupping her cheek I his palm, caressing her with his thumb as she lifted her head and looked at him.

“Your brother will be fine. I sent him to keep Scorpus safe.” The conversation had turned into an exchange of whispers in the dimly lit bedroom.

She couldn’t help but scoff, “To keep Scorpus safe. It is true that if anything happened to Andria, it wouldn’t pain you. What purpose does he serve to you? But if Scorpus didn’t return, who would be the lead driver of your faction?” She was surprised by the passive aggressivity of her comment, but she let herself be overwhelmed with the anxiety and concern she felt for her older brother. She moved away, walking to the window as she held her arms against her. She felt Tenax approach from behind and put his hands on her shoulders again. She spoke again, “That girl.”

“I’ll let her mother buy her freedom when I don’t need her anymore. Let me handle this.”

“When will that be?”

“Let me handle this, Aldea.” He repeated himself and she just nodded as she looked at the empty street. She turned toward him, their faces a mere inch apart, the tip of their noses touching, and they shared a tender kiss before getting ready for bed. In the few days that followed, she didn’t interact much with the girl, whose name was Aura, or her mother, Cala. She saw them looking at her but, thinking about it, Aldea wondered if they ever even heard the sound of her voice. She would only speak to her husband behind the closed doors of their room. She didn’t take kindly to having two stangers in their home and acted as though they were outside, not speaking her mind in front of them. But on the third morning, she woke up knowing her brother must have returned to Rome. She prayed that he and Scorpus were back, safe and sound and she shared those thoughts with Tenax as they got dressed. She approached the door and heard Cala speak in the kitchen.

“His wife, Aldea, is very quiet.”

“She is like this around strangers. Kept to herself but,” Claudia paused and Aldea opened the door ajar, seeing her, turned to the table, nodding. “she is a strong, young woman. She has come a long way.”

“Where is she from?”

“She came from Hispania, a few years ago.”

“I see.” Tenax went to open the double doors of their bedroom, and she let him walk out first as she followed suit. Cala was now asking about him. “Tell me of this man, Tenax.”

“Better than some, worse than others. I saw a subtle change in his character since he met Aldea. He lets her work at his tavern, go wherever she wants. He does business, betting at the Circus Maximus, buying, selling, doing things I don’t see… and would not speak of even if I saw them. I sometimes hear him tell her about it, if she asks, but I don't listen to their conversations. I wouldn't.” The old woman went quiet and seeing the other two look behing her, she looked over her shoulder and saw Tenax and Aldea standing there. The two glanced at each other and sketched a friendly smile before continuing to walk in their direction.

“Take her to the house of Consul Marsus and make sure she contacts her daughter.” He walked to the other side of the table to go sit and Cala moved aside to let Aldea take her seat opposite him. “I need ears on Marsus and Antonia.”

After breakfast, Tenax and Aldea left home and walked to the stables of the Circus Maximus, where they would find the brothers and Scorpus. Aldea immidietaly went to hug her brother, and he chuckled, reassuring her, telling her he was fine. They didn’t waste any more time and were joined near the poor Ferox at the end of the stable of the blue faction. Two horses had already died from the nightshade. The veterinary that Gavros had fetched earlier was resistant to try this last resort solution.

“This is madness.” He glared at them. “I will have no part of this.”

“Go then.” Tenax wasn’t about to fight with him. He didn’t care and showed the door with his hand. The old man was taken aback, clearly offended and he scoffed as he stepped away angrily. Ferox groaned and Elia caressed him, trying to put him at ease. When Scorpus got up, having finished to crush the yellow ash, Elia stood up and stopped him.

“He sait it could kill them.”

“And what else can we do?” The charioteer asked. “Put crows in their stalls? Bells to scare away the spirits?”

“Gavros?”

“They’ll die… if we do nothing. With this, perhaps they have a chance.”

After a second, Elia held his hand out to Scorpus, “Let me do it.” He gave the pot of yellow ash to the young Spaniard while Tenax rolled his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. Elia and Gavros kneeled on either side of the horse’s head as he swooped some yellow ash with his fingers, applying it on his gums. Hopefully it would work. They would know soon. Aldea would be there for her brothers no matter what, especially Elia, who would be particularly affected if his precious horses all died. For dinner that day, Cala cooked them a meal with Claudia’s assistance. Usually, it would be either just Claudia who would take care of the cooking, or Aldea but even before Cala came around, she had kind of stopped. Cala had prepared them a quite large dish for lunch, which she placed at the center of the table. Aldea and Tenax looked at it, having no idea what it was and glanced at each other. Shooting up her eyebrows, Cala encouraged them to try it and they grabbed their fork, picking some of the food. It was pretty nice and Aldea knew that Tenax liked it as well, though he downplayed it.

“African.” She then said, with a content smile. Aura served some water to Aldea as her mother crossed her arms and went on to ask her daughter’s owner for a wage, and some work. As he told her of his betting tavern at the Circus Maximus, saying she and Aura could work there, they heard loud knocking on the door. “Pay?”

“We’ll see about that.” He turned his attention away from her as Felix ran in the apartment the second Claudia opened the door. Aldea followed his gaze and stared at the young boy. He came to tell them about the horses. She went with him to the Circus. They sped walk through the city and when they found Scorpus, Elia and Gavros, watching as the two other Corsi brothers tested the freshly recovered horses around the spina.

“Back from the dead.” Tenax exclaimed as he walked up to his old friend. Aldea stopped by Elia and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the grin that stretched his lips. He loved his animals, and he shared a quick, but nonetheless comforting and sweet, hug with his sister and she rubbed his hair. “I owe Neptune a sacrifice.”

“They are weak.” Andria and Fonsoa pulled the horses to a full stop in front of the group.

“But getting stronger.” Elia added, holding onto his cloak, looking at Gavros.

“How much stronger? We race tomorrow.” Tenax enquired.

“Stronger than the nags we bought.” Gavros commented.

Scorpus turned his head toward Tenax, speaking in hushed tones, “You find me a second driver?”

“No one else is as foolish as you and I. No one wants to shove their thumb in the eye of tradition and join a fifth faction.”

“2-horse gigs, huh?” Aldea noted how Scorpus was looking at her older brother as he got off the rig leaving it to another stablehand to take the horses back to the stables.

“And fours.” There was a silence, the four siblings standing next to each other, in a practically perfect straight line, as Scorpus seemed to kind of nod to himself, gauging Andria with his eyes. He took a step forward, holding out his hand for him to take, to Andria’s confusion. Even when Scorpus spoke the words, “you’re in.” Andria shook his hand and just stood there. He couldn’t believe it.

“Oh, mi hermano…” Aldea chuckled and the Corsi embraced each other tightly, Elia and Fonsoa patting their brother on the back, proudly. They were so proud of him. After what happened to the horses, which they overcame, their lives were taking a great turn. Aldea took a good look at her brothers, caressing Elia’s cheek tenderly. She couldn’t describe how happy she felt in this moment. No word could be enough to describe what she felt as she looked at them. It felt so good to have them here with her, in Rome. She was blessed by the Gods, and she was more than grateful for it. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Tenax talking with Scorpus a little further and the two eventually left together because she wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon with her dear brothers. There was so much time to catch up. She enjoyed hanging out together, all four of them, like the old days, chatting and strolling through Rome. She laughed when Andria and Elia teased Fonsoa as they came across a bunch of prostitutes offering their services and the latter barely looked at them, when he used to always leave with one. Aldea could tell, from the look in his eyes when he crossed her gaze, that that was because he had met a woman. She held his gaze with a knowing smile. Fortuna was really smiling upon the Corsi.

When the sun set and the sky’s blue tint got dull, Andria returned to the Circus while Fonsoa and Elia walked their sister home. The latter clinged onto her arm, giving sidelong glances to anyone coming close to them, especially the drunkard wandering the streets outside the taverns, as if he was protecting his pregnant sister from them and it made her smile. He had always been the sweetest boy – and now young man – that she had ever known. They arrived in front of her insula and Elia instantly wrapped his arms around her as they were saying goodbye to each other. She chuckled, cradling his head in her hand and rubbing his back. After he broke the embrace, she hugged Fonsoa and the two walked away and as she turned around to go through the front door, she noticed a young Numidian girl in a cloak, staring at her. She frowned, gauging her. The girl reminded Aldea of Cala and Aura, but she wondered if there was a link between them or if the only resemblance only lied in their skin colour, but she might be Cala's second daughter, the one she offered to be a go between for.

“Are you here for Tenax?” Aldea watched the expression in the girl’s eyes, and they twitched a bit. She didn’t know who that Hispanic woman in front of her was.

She acquiesced and spoke quietly, “I have something to tell him.”

“Come.” Aldea waved for her to come into the insula with her and they went up to the first floor. She knocked at the door of her apartment and a few seconds later, Claudia opened the door. “She’s here for Tenax. Where is he?” The housekeeper pointed at the bedroom on the other side of the flat. Aldea put her hand on the girl’s back, softly leading her to the bedroom. Aldea stayed outside and glancing over to the kitchen, she noticed Aura and Cala standing there, watching the girl from afar.

“Did anyone see you leave?” Tenax asked.

“No.”

“Good. What do you have for me?”

“They said they are going to kill someone.”

“Who?”

“Could be something with an S.”

“Scorpus?”

She took a second to think about and nodded. The second she confirmed, he briskly walked out the door, commanding Cala to get her back and to make sure no one saw her. Before leaving, the girl, whom Aldea learned was named Jula, went to hug her older sister. Her mother than quickly led her outside and Aldea retreated to her and Tenax’s room, closing the doors behind her. She wasn’t especially hungry, but she was in fact quite tired, and she knew that Tenax would be gone the whole night so there was no need to wait for him. She undressed, only keeping her tunic on and slipped under the blanket. Turning to her side, her cheek crushed against the cushion, staring into space, she smiled. She smiled thinking of her brothers and she smiled thinking of her and Tenax’s unborn baby, as she put her hand on her stomach. She was blessed with an easy pregnancy so far and couldn’t wait to welcome their child. Their family would be complete. Never did she ever think that she would look forward to having her own child so much. She spent her whole raising Elia. He was basically already her child, but this was so much different. This baby was the product of the love she shared with Tenax, and she cherished it so much. She fell asleep, imagining their life together, the three of them.

She was woken up the next day by the drums sounding through the whole city, announcing the games. But she fully opened her eyes when the floor creaked under Tenax’s foot, and she sat up in the bed. He stood by the window, his back to her, as he tied his belt around his waist. He turnd around when he heard her get up.

“I’ll go see my brothers before the games begin.” They shared a swift kiss. She stepped away, quickly swapping her tunic for her beige stola and the cloak she tied with a brooch over her shoulder.

“Stay with them until the end of the gladiators’ fight.”

“You know I will. It is too violent – too much blood. I don’t like it.” She pensively brushed her fingers over the coins adorning her necklace, which she always wore it, so much so she sometimes almost forgot she had it on. The violence of those combats had never been her thing and violence, and blood had never been her cup of tea in general. She had always been a pretty peaceful and calm person and even more so after being so viciously abused by this Roman merchant. She was maybe even more kept to herself than ever before. She didn’t realize how much these events actually affected her, she wasn’t too sure why, but she didn’t have the time to figure it out now, they had to go. He saw how the expression on her face changed as those thoughts raced in her head and he came up behind her, turning her around and caressing her arm as he held her gaze. Just looking in his eyes brought her peace. He was staring at her so deeplu as if she were some incredible works of art that he didn’t dare touch too hard so as not to break it.

They made their way to the Circus, parting ways upon getting there with Tenax going to fetch Scorpus – it made her think how she literally forgot to ask him about whatever happened the night before, but it didn’t really matter to her – while she went to find her brothers at the stables. She embraced Andria before he had to leave to go get ready with the other charioteers and she stayed with Elia and Fonsoa while the gladiators fought in the arena. It took a while but eventually it was over, and Nica came running to her and led her to the entrance. The other factions would definitely not like to see a new one appearing, seemingly coming out of nowhere. As they walked down a flight of stairs to the factions’ section of the stands, they walked past the White faction’s booth, with Felix tapping with a solemn rhythm on a drum and a couple other kids carrying golden banners. All the Whites and Blues turned around, looking over their shoulders in confusion upon hearing the drum and watched as Tenax and Aldea sat in their seats around the corner. They were both getting stared at, but it seemed the patricians were even more curious about Aldea, who clearly didn’t look like a Roman woman, but she was obviously Tenax’s wife as she sat beside him and he placed his hand upon hers, intertwining their fingers, all without giving one glance to the wealthy right behind them and simply listening to Passus while Nica poured them some wine in golden cups.

“Today, just literally four factions are running for victory. For the first time in history, we present to you…” the immense doors at the other end of the arena opened, revealing the new faction’s drivers with Scorpus on the leading rig. “The Gold faction!” the crowd got excited at the news and cheered loudly. “With driver, none other than the great Scorpus!”

It seemed that seeing Scorpus right there greatly shocked Consul Marsus and his wife. Senator Leto, lead owner of the Whites began to shout that the rigs Scorpus and Andria were driving were theirs and Aldea pinched her lips, forcing them into a tight smile but she couldn’t help the corners of her mouth to rise amusedly as she glanced at Tenax from the corner of her eyes. He crossed her gaze. He was pursing his lips, smirking, and softly squeezed her hand and raised his cup at Scorpus as he drove past, waving at the crowd and at them. She knew he had somehow taken Leto’s rigs and made them his. He was always such a cunning an ambitious man and she loved him for it.

As people in the crowd realized Scorpus was alive – which gave Aldea all the answers to the questions she might ask herself about the whereabouts of her husband last night – dozens of them left the stands to go back to the betting tavern around the Circus, including Tenax’s to place bets on the driver who now raced for the gold faction. Aldea held his hand tighter as the drivers were unleashed on the tracks, the bells ringing as the rounds passed. She watched her brother and Scorpus with great attention and anxiety. She was anxious about something happening to Andria and him, but they fared beyond well, with Scorpus taking the lead and winning the race, beating Xenon in the last round. A large smile dawned on Aldea face as she chuckled happily. She got up after Tenax and followed him to go collect his winnings. She wanted to go celebrate with her brothers as well, but Tenax wanted them to appear together before the other faction owners. She wasn’t an owner of the gold faction, but it wasn’t anyone’s business. They were glared at and looked down upon, but they marched forward, confidently holding their heads high and looking ahead of them, Aldea’s arm wrapped around Tenax’s. She wasn’t particularly comfortable with being watched so much by so many people but tried to portray herself as more poised and self-assured than she actually was.

People – and in this case the patricians – would talk, no matter what. It was unthinkable to see a plebeian man and his foreign, Spaniard wife owning a fifth faction. Tenax smiled, slamming his hands on the counter. The gray-haired man behind the des grabbed the big bags of coins and put them in front of Tenax. He picked them and the couple turned around, coming face to face with Consul Marsus and his wife, standing in their way and just staring at them, though mainly Tenax. Without a word, they stepped away and let them through. The patricians despised them, but it was really no surprise. They returned to Tenax’s betting tavern, and everyone cheered as he lifted the bags full of coins with a proud look on his face. Everyone at the tavern cheered and clapped as he put them down on the counter, patting him on the shoulder. Aldea smiled sweetly and stepped aside. She was looking around and heard the sound of coins clicking and turned around. Cala was right there, two small leather pouches full of coins in between her and Tenax. She wanted to buy her daughter’s freedom. She had won money from betting at Tenax’s very own tavern, basically giving him back money that she won directly from him. He grinned, pushing the pouches away. Aldea watched as the two negotiated, going back and forth until they reached an agreement, but she barely listened to what was actually being said, all she could think about was to go see her brothers. They must have been all in the stables right now, but she didn’t want to just leave without even telling Tenax.

When he was done with Cala and agreed to letting her daughter go, Aldea took a step towards her husband, but they looked to the curtains through which they entered upon hearing glasses smashing in the distance. One of his men pulled the curtain and called out to him, urgently.

“Stay here.” He pointed his finger at Aldea before quickly stepping away. She didn’t even say anything and didn’t move, her hands joined at her waist and stayed by the desk, not moving an inch as though his word was law. She could hear a bunch of men shouting and arguing loudly on the other side of the curtains. They were unhappy about the new faction that had been added, addressing Tenax directly. Cala and Aura stood by as Tenax got the tavern closed. Aldea looked down, saddened by the fact she wouldn’t be able to go see her brothers if people were rioting and making a mess in the streets and that was what happened, they rioted all night long, burning street stands and shouting unintelligibly. Aldea could barely sleep but it didn’t matter, she would go see her brothers the next morning, even if she barely got an hour of sleep, or less.

[To be continued…]

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Published (09/01/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 5 months ago

Text

Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE REWRITE Chapter Seven

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: Things went sideways quickly. One race and one win later, the Gold faction was already no more, cutting the grass under Tenax and Scorpus' feet and a demon from Tenax's past resurfaced, casting a glooming shadow over his and Aldea's life. It soon became obvious that assaulting and blackmailing the tavern owner was only the beginning when a child died at Ursus' hand.

Words: 5.5k

Warnings: title means "if you want peace, prepare for war" // Those about to die spoilers (episode 4 "Fool's bet" & episode 5 "Betrayal"), angst, fluff, mention of child murder

“How does it look?” Andria excitedly turned around, up on the ladder, after putting up the banners of the gold faction in their stables.

“Gold!” Elia exclaimed, applauding as the others cheered and chattered. After yesterday’s win, decorating the stables with curtains and banners in the color of gold, with one of its rigs – the one Aldea had understood that Tenax had stolen from the Whites – was the cherry on top of the cake. Aldea smiled greatly, watching her little brother, before glancing over at Tenax, standing right next to her. He was staring at the banner, practically in awe and certainly very proud of his accomplishment of finally getting his very own faction. Scorpus walked up behind him, and they exchanged grins, grabbing each other’s shoulders, but the happiness was short lived when a bunch of legionaries burst into the stables, their commander ordering to take down the curtains. The horses whinned anxiously as they ripped them off the walls. They were taking everyone by surprise.

“By order of Emperor Titus Caesar Vespasianus, permission to run in Cirucs Maximus is hereby withdrawn from the Gold Faction.” He then called his men, and they marched out of there as quickly as they came in. Aldea looked over her shoulder when she heard Elia’s voice behind her, he held Fonsoa back and the latter looked quite riled up, glaring at the soldiers as they left and while Tenax was able to contain himself and keep his disappointment within, Scorpus was a bundle of nerves, unable to calm down. He had given up on the Blues for this faction, and now there was none anymore. Aldea stood there, kind of in the middle, watching them.

“Calm down? I quit the Blue. I told Marsus and Antonia to go fuck themselves.”

“Better than than you fuck her.” Tenax shrugged. It was clearly not the time for sarcastic jokes; Scorpus was not in the mood for them.

“No! No, don’t make jokes. I am the one being fucked by you.” He put his hands on his hips, walking back and forth slowly, turning his back to Tenax and then facing him. “Atargatis, why did I listen to this Roman fool? Scorpus is the best driver in Rome, best ever. Highest paid in history. And I threw it all away for this ‘golden shitshow’?”

“Scorpus, settle yourself.” Tenax grabbed his shoulders, shaking him slightly. “Your greatness goes unquestioned. I can fix this.”

Leto’s voice rose at the stables’ entrance, and it was but another blow at their projects, “I believe those are my chariots.” The lead owner of the Whites leaned forward and scratched the golden paint off the surface of the rig, revealing the white pain hidden underneath, proving it was in fact his rigs. “Ah, white! Take them out immediately.”

“Wait! No, no!” Elia lunged forward and Gavros stopped him and Fonsoa from going after the stablehands taking the rigs away. One was distressed at what was happening while the other was just angry still, glaring at Leto. Aldea approached her younger brother, placing her hand on his back as Gavros tried to get the two to calm down.

“You’re nothing more than… common thieves.” He looked askance at them.

“I paid for those.” Tenax said.

“So did I.” He turned on his heels and left, the sound of his footsteps retreating.

Tenax tilted his head to the side, shooting up his eyebrows, “Well, I didn’t actually pay for them. But I was thinking about it.”

“I’m done.” Scorpus declared, pressing his lips tightly. “No more Gold faction for Scorpus. I’m out! Out!” He spat as he walked out, trampling the hay on the ground with each step, infuriated. The Gold faction had existed for just a day, and it was already gone but Aldea knew Tenax wouldn’t let this inconvenience put him down – he would fix this. Domitian was in on it, he had a share of the faction, so it was also in his interest to get them back on the tracks of the Circus Maximus. Aldea looked at her brothers beside her as Fonsoa kicked some hay, frowning and Elia picked up the banner at their feet. Andria just sat on a step of the ladder, defeated. She scowled, bringing her hand to her lower back to ease the discomfort she was feeling along with the subtle, rhythmic jerking that started in her stomach.

“Aldea, are you okay?” He asked softly, looking at her worriedly.

“I’m fine. I’m fine, really.” Tenax had his head thrown backwards, he straightened his neck and instantly turned towards them to check on her. For a moment, his focus was no longer on what just happened to his gold faction and his entire attention was now on his wife. Andria had stood up from the ladder, and the look on Fonsoa’s face went from blatant anger to genuine concern for his sister. Aldea took her hand off her back and her face relaxed.

“Go home. Rest.” She was about to shake her head and argue with Tenax but Fonsoa and Elia chimed in, repeating they would walk her home, telling Andria to stay with Gavros at the stables. The three of them left, heading for the suburra. For the next 20 minutes until they reached her home, Elia kept on asking her how she was feeling but everything was fine now, and she laughed, always giving him the same answer. Claudia opened the door, and she went straight to her room, trying to do as told and rest but she kept shifting in the bed, rolling from one side to the other, barely sleeping that afternoon. The next day was pretty much the same, she didn’t really do anything, which she disliked but Tenax had business around town and couldn’t have someone walk her to the Circus to meet with her brother, so she paced around their apartment until Tenax came home for dinner and then they went to sleep. He didn’t have to leave that night and after a pretty boring day, Aldea was happy to be able to get some private and intimate time with the man she loved. He had been quite busy the past nights and days.

Then, there was the celebratory games for Titus’ ascension to the throne but she didn’t really care about it so she worked around the tavern a bit. Because of her pregnancy, Tenax wanted her to rest more but she would go crazy if she had to stay home and do nothing everyday. She needed to go out a little, which basically just meant spending time being useful at his betting tavern, and also be around her brothers. Now that she had them back, she couldn’t miss a single opportunity to see them. She was behind the counter, with Aura and Cala, counting and putting away their earnings after the day ended and they closed the tavern. Cala slammed a box shut and walked over to Tenax, placing the small chest on the table. It was full of gold jewelry people had used to place bets that day.

“You’re not as heartless as you pretend.” Aldea couldn’t help but sketch a soft smile at Cala’s comment. She had told him something like that sometime after their first encounter and she was glad someone else could see through him and was able to tell the way he publicly portrayed himself was false. He was not the insensitive and stony-hearted man he pretended to be, but maybe the fact she got to live with the two of them and see the way he looked at her and cared for her made it quite obvious to her what type of man he actually was deep down. Of course, he denied Cala’s claim and she brought up the way the children looked up to him, just as Aldea first noted years ago. And he gave her the same answer.

“That’s because they’re children. They look up to anyone who’ll give them a few scraps of food and an occasional coin— I did.”

Aldea approached, her hands brought together at her waist in this effortlessly put together and graceful manner she had about her, “I told you the same things, years ago. I’m glad someone else noticed it.” The two women exchanged knowing smiles, glancing at Tenax as he looked away. Aldea’s smile grew amused, and she pinched her lips so as not to laugh. A woman approach, speaking in another language, to which Cala immediatedly responded. Aldea and Tenax watched her, quite impressed with her and followed her with their eyes as she walked after the young woman.

Tenax leaned against the table, crossing his arms, “How many languages do you speak?”

“Not enough.” She stopped in her tracks, looking over at him her shoulder.

“You use them to great effect.”

“Really?”

“You disarm people… get them to do what you want.”

“That’s how you see it?”

He uncrossed his arms, turning to the side to close the box full of jewelery, “Good day.”

She walked back to him, “Which you owe to me.”

“To some degree.”

“And to that degree you will pay me and my daughter more.” Aldea smirked. She liked Cala. She admired her in a sense. Cala was a strong and driven woman, not scared to speak her mind, which Aldea rarely did, at least not in public but she was still quite soft spoken even in private. Cala didn’t seem to care that her requests might considered too much or be denied or lead to arguments. She lent an ear to their conversation while going back to putting things away and cleaning the counter.

“Will I?”

“Mm-mm. Aura’s salary up by half, and mine tripled.”

Tenax chuckled, “You overreach.”

“Fine. We’ll leave your rat-infested insula and find work at another betting tavern.” He stepped behind the counter and stopped, sucking his lips in, leaning back and walked away, beckoning her with his fingers to follow him so they could negotiate in private without the few people still present hearing them.

“You’ll do well in Rome.” He then said as she walked away.

“I am not here for that.”

“It will take a lot more money to buy Jula’s freedom. And Kwame, a gladiator, probably impossible.”

“I will find a way.” She seemed so unshakable to Aldea, like a reed, she could bend to the strongest winds without ever breaking, something the Spaniard didn't believe herself able to do. After Cala had left, Aldea’s brothers came to the tavern to see her before going home and ended up walking her home while Tenax went towards the latrines. She went to get ready for bed and paced in front of the window, peeking out the window. She didn’t know what was taking him so long and was growing worried. She walked back and forth for almost an hour. It was the middle of the night already when she heard the stairs of the insula creak under someone’s feet. She pushed the bedroom’s doors open and approached the door with light steps, she got her ear up close, trying to see if she could hear anything on the other side, wondering if it was Tenax or someone else.

She heard the noises stop right in front of the door and jumped back when he knocked on the door, bringing her hand to her chest, startled. Looking around, she picked up Claudia’s butcher knife in the kitchen and with a deep breath, unlocked the door and opened, holding the blade in the air but she let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Tenax but he was shirtless for some reason, which made his whole absence stranger. She didn’t think it over too much, relieved to see him in one piece and quickly ditched the knife, closed the door behind him and rushed to him, finally taking a closer look at him. Only then did she notice the water dripping from his hair, some bruising on his chest and cuts on one side of his face as if he had gotten into a fight with someone.

“Where the hell have you been?” She spoke in hushed tones but with no less urgency, touching his face and body, looking at his injuries. When Claudia, Cala and Aura joined them, wondering what was going on, he sharply told them to leave them, turning his head to the side to hide the wound on his face, and they did as he was clearly not in a good mood, though Aldea called Claudia back, asking her to boil some water and vinegar with wine. They then softly shut the doors behind them once in the bedroom and she stood there, staring at him in confusion. She wanted an answer from him. “Why are you injured?” He exhaled, still not facing her so she walked up to him and grabbed his chin, making him turn towards her. “Tenax? What happened? Who did this to you?”

“You remember what I told you… about my past?”

“Of course.” Her hand slid down along his neck and rested on his shoulder.

“I set fire to my master’s house and ran away. I left Ursus behind. I thought he was dead— I left him fr dead.”

“Is he not— dead? Is he the one who did this to you?” The look he gave her gave her the answer which sparked a deep sense of fear within her. If this Ursus was back from his past, and he beat him up like this, he wanted revenge and thinking that someone could try to kill or harm Tenax terrified her, even more than if she was the one being targeted, which could happen. She was his one obvious weakness. If anyone tried to hurt him and physically assaulting him directly didn’t satisfy them, the most effective way to take a blow at him was to harm her. And she was pregnant. She bore Tenax’s heir. And though that one piece of information was kept hidden from the public, he would kill two birds with one stone. With the way he kept staring at her with fear and concern in his eyes, he clearly had the same thought. The irony of it – she was more worried for him, and he was more worried for her. “I’ll clean up your wound.”

“Aldea.” He grabbed her wrist as she stepped away to get something to clean the cut on his face. She had to go back to the kitchen to get the mixture she asked Claudia to make. She turned her head back to him. “It is going to get dangerous. I will not let him hurt you, but you need to be careful. I want you with me, or your brothers, at all times and please, do not go out on your own.”

“Of course, Tenax.” He let go off her and she exited the room, coming back less than a minute later with the mixture Claudia prepared for her, in a large bowl, and a clean cloth, along with some honey. She got him to sit on the bed and set all her things on the nightstand before sitting beside him and soaking the cloth in the bowl, gently pressing it onto his wound. It seemed to be a rather deep wound over her eyebrow. He frowned slightly and gritted his teeth but kept silent. She chuckled quietly, “I haven’t had to clean a wound in years. Elia was always running around, always finding new ways of getting hurt. He even broke his leg once. Fonsoa held him while Andria set his leg, and I really thought Elia was going to break my hand with how hard he squeezed it.” After cleaning it, she took some honey with the tip of her finger and applied it, cupping his cheek with her hand.

“They would kill me if anything happened to you.” Maybe Fonsoa would, he could be quite hot-blooded, and Elia, he would definitely lash out at him, but Andria would never hurt a fly, no matter what might happen.

“Nothing is going to happen to me – to us.” She exhaled, bringing his hand to her stomach as they leaned into each other, presing their forehead together, sighing through their noses, their breaths caressing their skin. But he wasn’t exactly reassured that night, so much so that his nightmare came back full force and woke him up abruptly as morning came. He suddenly sat up as he reached for the knife by his side, flaring up his nostrils and panting. It had happened before, quite a lot actually, but it seemed to have kind of stopped the past year or couple of years and now, this encounter with Ursus had awoken the demons he tried to keep buried – the past he tried to keep buried. Aldea opened her eyes as she felt him move beside her and she sat up, caressing the burn scars on his back, her other hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him and help him calm down. His heavy breathing slowed down. She gently caressed his face, brushing over his beard which he kept cut short. He exhaled heavily, putting down the blade and wincing at he slightly touched the wound on his face. She ached seeing him this distressed. She hadn’t seen him like this in quite some time, and she didn’t miss it. They eventually got up and dressed themselves while Cala spoke loudly from the kitchen, telling Tenax she would open up the tavern and that they needed more slates for the tavern. Because he didn’t respond to anything she was saying, she wondered if he even heard her.

“Did you hear me?”

“Yes.” He rose his voice, giving a sharp answer as he put on his tunic. Aldea got out of bed after him, getting ready as well. They heard her unbolting the front door and the wood creaking as Cala pulled the door open, followed by a silence but neither of them went to look what was going on. Once they were dressed, Aldea noticed Tenax touching his wound again.

“By the Gods, stop touching it.” She sighed through her nose and grabbed the bowl she used the night prior, still on the nightstand, covered by a cloth. She pushed his hand away from his face and he followed her with his eyes, staring at her face as she focused on patting the wound with the cloth, holding it in a ball in her hand after soaking one side in the mixture. She then patted it with the dry side and was applying some honey over it when Cala pushed the doors open and gasped at the sight of the injury. She hadn’t seen it when he came home at night. She took a step towards them, but he turned his face and sighed, raising his hand towards Cala to make her understand not to approach. Aldea gave her a nod, so she knew it was under control and the Numidian woman understood. The steps she then took in their direction were for a very different reason as she then held out her arm to Tenax, holding her small scroll in between her fingers. Aldea went to the dresser on the opposite side of the room to finish getting ready, grabbing her cloak from inside the drawer.

“This was left at the door.”

“Read it to me.” He said, adjusting one of the wide leather bracelets he wore at his wrists.

“It might be personal, I—”

“Just—” He gritted his teeth, about to speak harshly, getting aggravated but stopped himself and calmed the tone of his voice. Aldea looked at them from the corner of her eyes. She obviously knew that her husband was illiterate, but Cala didn’t. “Do it.”

“Don’t be ashamed.” She glanced at him, looking him up and down but not in jugement. “My people had no written language for a thousand years. Our past is silent.”

He didn’t look at her, throwing his cloak over his shoulder, “I’m not ashamed. Just read it.” She unrolled the scroll, looking down at it to read it but she began doing so in her head and he inhaled nervously, annoyed, “Out loud!” but then softened his voice. “To me.”

“All of your winnings, at the end of each race day, put in the corner room, second floor of your insula at Cispian Hill.” She inhaled, her eyes going from the words on the piece of paper to Tenax, whose face was growing ever angry at the message. “It’s the price of my silence…” He snatched the paper from her hands, and walked with heavy steps through the apartment, going to throw the paper in the fire in the kitchen. The flames cackled as it burned. Cala was puzzled, she didn’t understand what this was all about, but of course, Aldea wasn’t particularly phased, adjusting the coins of her necklace, as she knew the situation. She followed the woman out of the bedroom as they went after Tenax.

“No one learns of this.” He warned, before looking at the women around him, except Aldea. She already understood the gravity of the situation. No one else knew of his past. As he walked over to the door, he pointed at Cala, addressing her, and then showed his wife with his finger, “Get her to her brothers, no alleys, take the main streets.”

He left. On her way way out, Aldea told Claudia to take Tenax’s clothes to the fullonicas, to get them washed but for some reason, Cala chimed in and told Aura to go do it while Claudia stayed home so she could lock the bolt behind them. While they walked to the Circus Maximus, Cala asked about why Tenax was acting up like this and if she knew who sent him this threat, but Aldea wasn’t willing to answer, staring ahead of her, her hand joined at her waist as usual.

“It’s not my place to tell you about his business. Maybe he will tell you, and I believe he will eventually, but if he never does, why would I?” She tried not to sound patronizing or cold because she liked Cala and she didn’t want her to think she was full of herself but the look the woman gave her let her know she wasn’t taking it personally at all, which reassured her. A couple minutes of silence later, Cala put her hand on Aldea’s arm and they stopped in their tracks. Aldea was confused.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“I said I wouldn’t it’s his business, I can’t—”

“I wanted to ask you something, about you, Aldea.”

“We should get going.” She tried to escape the conversation, starting to feel uncomfortable. A bunch of scenarios of how this talk could go down went through her head and she didn’t like any of them, especially if it were about her shoulder, which she might have seen back home when she entered the bedroom before she could get her cloak on.

“You seem extremely close with your brothers.”

“I am.” They resumed walking because Aldea refused to stay still.

“Especially the youngest, he seems to be particularly attached to you. You mother him.”

“Fonsoa and I raised him after our mother died giving birth to him. He’s my little brother— he’s like my son.”

“Were you happy, back in Hispania?”

“Yes, of course.” She frowned slightly.

“Then why did you come to Rome without them?” Aldea felt as though her heart skipped a beat and she gulped, swallowing harshly, looking away. She didn’t know what to say to avoid having this conversation, so she stayed silent for quite some time, feeling Cala’s gaze upon her the whole time, but eventually, she spoke up.

“I loved Baetica. I thought I would spend my entire life there.” She shook her head, thoughfully. “I never intended to come to Rome.”

Her voice softened, “Can I ask why you came to Rome then?”

Aldea sighed heavily, “I often went to Portus Magnus with my brothers, we sold goods to make some money. I fell in love with this Roman sailor. One night, I took my horse and sneaked out to go meet him at the harbour. We fell asleep on the deck and the next morning— the merchant who owned the boat found me. He refused to turn the boat around and I was— I was taken to Rome to be sold as a slave.”

“You were a slave?”

“Yes, but I was quickly made a freedwoman.”

“You must have found a good master.”

“Indeed.” For some reason, she kept quiet the fact that this generous master was in fact Tenax – her husband and companion of two years. But Cala was no fool, she probably figured it out during the conversation. Still, Aldea felt that she still had things to ask her and yet she refrained from asking and they finished their walk to the circus. Now that they were there, they parted ways, Aldea went to find her brothers at the stables while Cala went the other way, heading for the tavern. Aldea would have wanted to go see the children at the tavern, but she understood why Tenax was so adamant on knowing her well surrounded – if she were with her three brothers, no one would dare approach her. Later that morning, there was a race and people loudly cheered for Xenon, not Scorpus, while the latter had recently signed with the Whites after the Gold faction had been forbidden from racing. She attended the race with her brothers. The crowd was going wild for Xenon. Scorpus lost, and the crowd cheered for the new lead driver of the Blue faction.

They then went on to share a lunch at the tavern right after the race. Cala was there, at the desk. Elia kept on candidly telling his sister about the horses and she listened patiently, with a soft smile on her face. Andria watched them, both amusedly and tenderly, and chuckled when Fonsoa nudged his brother, teasingly urging him to stop bothering their sister and they laughed. This nice moment they were having together was soon ruined when she saw a child running across the place, panting. He went to Cala and the latter crossed Aldea’s gaze. Her mind immediately went to Tenax’s blackmailer, Ursus. Something must have happened. She jerked to her feet, telling her brothers to go back to the stables. She jogged after Cala and Aura. They ran to a storage room, a little further, on the other side of the tavern. When they got there, Aldea could see all the children gathered in silence in the room. She slowed down and stopped, looking down as she felt a pair of small hands grab hers. One of the children was standing in her way, clearly upset and distressed.

“What’s going on?” She leaned forward, whispering, unsure if she actually wanted to know. The air felt heavy. Aldea instantly straightened up, raising her head, when she heard Cala gasp and whimper, muffling her scream with her fist. She gave a concerned frown, looking into the room at Tenax, breathing fitfully, staring at something in front of him. Cala came back into view, carrying Nica in her arms. The little one was crying. Aldea felt her heart miss a bit and her stomach dropped. She felt sick knowing one of the children had been killed by Ursus and put there on display to taunt all of them but especially Tenax. She brought a hand to her belly, blinking slowly, with a shaky breath. Felix, Nica’s older brother, had been murdered.

She closed her eyes and turned around when they took down the young boy’s body and went to wrap it in cloth. The funeral took place as the sun was setting on the eastern part of the Esquiline hill, outside th city walls, as all funerals happened in the city of Rome. An owl hooted in the distance and the children sobbed quietly. Aldea stood by Tenax, glancing at him from the corner of his eyes as he stared at the small body wrapped in linen being lowered into the grave. He was completely still, his eyes shining, and his cheeks wet from the tears falling. When he turned his head, she followed his gaze. Aura locked eyes with him and looked away and his eyes went to Aldea. The hurt and crippling guilt in his eyes made her heart ache and she softly put her hands around his arm.

“I sent him there.” His lower lip quivered. “I should’ve known.” He touched Aldea’s hand holding his arms and walked away, followed by Noro and Dacia as they left the funeral and headed home in a heavy silence. Aldea sat on the bed and followed the men with her eyes as they put all his money into large bags. Cala arrived in the apartment, walking into the bedroom as they were picking the sacks from the floor and carrying them outside.

“Are you sure about this?”

“He killed a child.” He slowed down, briefly coming to a halt as he walked by her. What had happened was a very grave and serious matter to him. He loved these children. By killing one of them, Ursus had crossed a line, but Tenax wasn’t about to risk the other orphans’ lives by testing him. Ursus had proven his cruelty and dangerosity already.

Less than half an hour later, he was back. No one really spoke during dinner, and they parted ways, all going to their respective bedrooms. The silence in which they had shared their meal continued into the night as Aldea followed Tenax into the apartment. He opened the cabinet in which there was his altar at which they had prayed before. She had done this a few times after finding out she was pregnant, praying to Goddesses such as Bona Dea, the Goddesses to which the vestal virgins of rome were dedicated to, or even the goddess of breastfeeding, Rumina, the wet nurse of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus but she mainly prayed to Juno Lucina, the Goddess who protected pregnant women and helped to ensure marital harmony in the home, though it seemed she had been helping with that without her needing to pray that often. Next to the idol of Juno, was a small, almost dried up bouquet of wildflowers. She thought she should replace it soon or the goddess might get offended. She would go get new flowers the next day to avoid her wrath.

“When was the last time you prayed?” She gently ran her hand down his back, brushing over his skin with the tip of her fingers. He lit up the candles one by one and she watched his face as the dim orange light of the flames illuminated his face. He sighed quietly.

“You more diligent at this than I am. Butr you know me, I’m a gambling man. I’ve tried this before; it might work again.” He glanced at her, sliding his finger along her temple and putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. They were already basically whispering but his voice kept on softening. “I need to take the habit to thank the Gods more.”

“Thank them for what?” She asked, though she knew what the answer was – her, and their unborn baby. He looked at her tenderly, as if she were the most precious thing he had ever seen in his life. He caressed her face and then put his hand on her stomach.

“I never thought I would be blessed with a wife such as you, much less a child of my own.” She covered his hand with hers, staring back at him with a soft but sad smile. She knew he feared what could happen to them after what had just happened to Felix.

“We will be okay, Tenax. Nothing is going to happen to us.” She turned towards him, grabbing his hand and lifting up to her face, kissing the back of his hand.

“I cannot lose you too.”

“You won’t lose me, or him.” For some reason, she felt like they would have a son, so it felt natural to speak of the unborn child in the masculine form. Their little Amarus. The name she had thought of if they were having a boy, from the verb amare, to love.

Tenax’s lips parted slightly, shaking his head subtly, “I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes. You do.” She emphasized each word, taking a step closer to him, their chests heaving against each other’s, and she cupped his cheek in her hand. Their faces leaned forward, the tip of their noses touching as they kissed tenderly. She exhaled, “Stop torturing yourself. I love you, Tenax.”

“I put you in danger.”

She sighed, her hand falling on his shoulder, “Stop it.”

“You would be safer with your brothers.”

“Enough.” Her tone, though quiet, grew harsher for a second. “I am your wife, and I will stand by your side no matter what happens, as I have always done.”

This was a promise. A promise she had made the day she agreed to marry him, and a promise she had made herself when she first fell in love with him.

[To be continued…]

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Published (09/05/2024) by Andrea

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justinewt · 6 months ago

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Per Ardua Ad Astra - THOSE ABOUT TO DIE Chapter Two

[THOSE ABOUT TO DIE MASTERLIST]

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Summary: After a whole month in Rome, she was starting to like her life in the city, though she never stopped longing for her homeland, and her brothers. She prayed they would be reunited one day but when Aelius - the sailor that got her on the merchant's ship - reappeared, it perturbed the great day that she was having, after Tenax allowed her to attend games at the Circus Maximus. And health complication made for a very painful few days afterwards. But as she always did, she endured.

Words: 4k

Warnings: title means "through adversity/struggle to the stars" // Those about to die (no spoilers yet), 1st person (somewhat unreliable narrator - doesn't mean that she lies about the events, just that it's her recollection/perception of them), blood/abortion, mention of SA and murder

On the 28th of August 75 CE, about a month after I arrived in Rome, - and exactly a month and 9 days after I got stuck on that boat -, there were gamed held at the Circus Maximus, on the occasion of a festival for the God Sol and the Goddess Luna, where all the races would take place. These games were started with a parade in the city, which I learned was called the pompa circensis. I thought I’d have to beg Tenax to let me attend the parade and the games, but it actually didn’t take a lot of convincing. I merely asked and he told me to go, pretending not to care about it. I didn't know if he cared or not but, in any case, I got to wander around the city on my own, taking in the cheerfulness and excitement of the crowd. I couldn’t believe that I would feel this much joy after what I went through to get there but I welcomed it. I followed the Romans to the Circus Maximus, bought myself a ticket and ran up the stairs to get a nice seat in the stands, watching the athletic events and beasts hunts and cheered for the chariot races. I leapt to my feet and everyone in the stadium chanted Scorpus’ name after he won. He waved at us and gave me a smile after crossing eyes with me – I was in the lower stands, right above the stall he stopped by.

“Ah, my favorite Spaniard.” I chuckled, the smile on my face getting even bigger as I leaned over the railing to talk to him as the stablehands brought the horses back inside. He got off his chariot, handing the reins to a stablehand.

“You were incredible.”

“I am, after all, the great Scorpus, but – Fortuna blesses me with your support.” He brought a hand to his heart and then blew me a kiss. He knew his worth and wasn’t shy to show his confidence. I liked Scorpus. He made me laugh with his manners, and he was very handsome. I really liked him. Everytime we spoke, there were only a couple of thoughts going on in my head; that he was, as I said, handsome and that his accent was beyond attractive. I now realize I probably – definitely – romanticized him too much. I didn’t care that he was a drunk, and I was oblivious to the fact he was constantly meeting with prostitutes. I saw these men and women on the streets but never thought much of them, and Tenax understandably forbade me from going to places remotely close to pleasure houses. I wasn’t interested in those places anyway.

Tenax stepped out and looked up at me, “How are you enjoying the games?”

“Greatly. The games are just – amazing!” I glanced at the thousands of people sat all around the stadium. Tenax looked glad I was having such a great time.

I was really starting to get used to life in Rome, working for Tenax; taking bets, serving clients at the tavern and prepping horses with Gavros before the races. It got me running around quite a lot. The stables were a couple of kilometres away from the tavern and the entrance of the stadium. I also came to realize, rather quickly, that Tenax wasn’t as heartless and impassible as he made it seem, but I was quite content to be on his good side because I knew this wasn’t entirely an act either, if he held a grudge against you or you owed him something – you were screwed. I didn’t see anything like that happen – it happened in the shadows, and I was not meant to know anything about his business and clearly, I wasn’t going to ask about it – but I saw the men who worked for him, sometimes leaving the tavern after talking to Tenax.

They were nice to me and all, but I could imagine them tracking down some guy for Tenax, following the through the streets, at the dead of night. I would lie in my bed, in the corner of the room at the back of his flat, and look at the moon outside the window when I knew Tenax wasn’t home because he was out and about and I imagined what was the issue, but I was so tired from running around all day, I always fell asleep quickly, woken up by the sunlight, or if I turned in my sleep and rolled on my wrong shoulder. We were busy during the day – there were a few dozens of races every week. Festivals like this happened as often as races, but such grand circus games happen on specific occasions like that day, and it was one of the few times I attended such events alongside the citizens of Rome. I would usually be at the betting tavern and then watch the races through small opening in the stalls’ doors with Tenax. At the midday break, people went out of the stadium to eat – most went to the Forum a little further and a few dozen people filled Tenax’s tavern and so I worked for a bit. I didn’t mind – I was happy to move a bit after sitting for so long. The thrill of the games made me quite efficient I must say.

“Wine please.”

“Here.” I turned around, carafe in hand, my gaze following my hands as I poured the drink in the man’s cup. I froze when he wrapped his hand around my wrist suddenly, some wine spilling on the table. The gasp I let out was drowned out by the ambient loudness of the tavern. When the man said my name, I finally looked at him and I was in shock.

“Aelius—” I couldn’t believe it was him.

“I saw you in the parade… I’d been looking for you. Oh, Gods, Aldea – I am so sorry for what happened, I— they threw me in the holds the whole day, and then I learned that you were locked in the captain's cabin...” I felt his apologies were genuine and he felt guilty about what happened, but I did not want to have that conversation with him there and then. This whole ordeal was something I wanted to forget and the mere sight of him was just reminding me of it. He was the living reminder that I left my family for a stupid reason – because I thought I loved him. I wanted him gone and I was getting frustrated and angry with myself for just standing there and letting him go on. “Aldea, I heard you scream that night – the whole crew heard it.”

I spoke, but it was barely a whisper, “please, let go of me.” I tried to yank his hand away but did so quite weakly and my arm was just pulled back towards him. It made me lean forward. The garment I wore over my dress, wrapped around my shoulder and secured with a brooch to hide the sling in which my arm was still in at the time, fell a little and showed the top of said sling and my drooping shoulder. It was quite obvious that something was wrong – it looked like I had no collarbone except for a bump in the middle of the swollen area. I saw his eyes fall on my shoulder and managed to free myself from his grip – though his grip wasn’t actually that tight – and I straightened up, pulling back my garment and was about to walk away when he stood up to stop me. I saw the worry in his eyes, but I didn’t want any of it.

“I knew he must have hurt you. I should have done something… I wanted to go find you, when they took you to be sold as a slave in Rome but – I couldn’t. Then I heard you’d been bought by this man, this Tenax, a criminal. I needed to check on you.”

“Please, just leave.” I looked around, searching for Tenax desperately. I didn’t feel in any danger – Aelius would never hurt me – but I wanted him gone. That was the only thing I could think about as I tried to not listen to what he was saying – it was too painful to hear and be reminded of. Then I saw him near the betting desk, in the distance. He was looking in my direction and saw the man in front of me, his hand on my arm. He didn’t know what was happening, but he did not look happy about it and I couldn’t tell which of us his displeasure was directed at. “I have to go. Just leave.” I avoided looking at Aelius and made my way towards Tenax, almost running into a man that was getting out of his seat. Aelius took a few steps after me, but I saw, from the corner of my eye, one of Tenax’s men blocking him and pushing him in the other direction. Once I reached Tenax and looked back, both of them were gone. I just hoped Aelius wouldn’t fight back and get hurt.

“Who was this?” He enquired.

“It’s just – it’s the sailor who got me on the merchant’s boat.”

“Tell me his name.” I was reluctant to tell him at first, knowing he might hurt for whatever reason, but I figured rather quickly that he would find that piece of information even if I wasn’t the one to give it to him.

“Aelius.”

“Go home. Go.” He insisted, repeating themselves after I didn’t move at first but I didn’t wait for him to raise his voice again and left the betting tavern, walking back to the apartment without stopping. Claudia opened the door, and I simply told her that Tenax sent me home for the afternoon. I saw she wanted to tell me something and thought she was going to ask about why he had sent me home, so I changed the subject before she even brought it up and told her about the games and that I was happy Tenax allowed me to attend but her face stayed the same throughout my brief monologue and I went quiet. She looked concerned. Her question took me aback.

“When did you last bleed?”

“I, uh… I don’t– I don’t know, uh—” I really thought about it and came to the realization that the last time I bled was almost two months ago and I froze for a second, staring into space, before daring to look up at Claudia. “In the beginning of Julius, I think.”

“Two months ago. I was beginning to wonder. You might be pregnant.”

“What? I—” My voice faded, as if my breath had been taken away.

“Were you taken advantage of? On that merchant's boat.” Claudia’s disdain for that man transpired in her voice as she mentioned him and though I was uncomfortable, it reassured me to see that she wasn’t angry with me.

I swallowed harshly, looking down at my feet, “Yes.”

“Stay here.” She left me in the apartment, and I locked the door behind her. I waited, anxiously, walking back and forth in the kitchen, glancing towards the bedroom doors, open. I glanced at the front door, no one was climbing up the stairs. Claudia had been gone for a little while and would still be gone for at least twice as long. I stepped towards Tenax’s room, quietly, as if someone was going to hear me and I looked around the room. A bed against the wall, a few furnitures. It was modest but quite nice – the whole flat was quite nice though much smaller than what I was used to back in Spain, where I lived in a nice house in the valley, built by my family, by my grandfather. I loved that house. I rushed back to the door, jumping on my tiptoes and opened – Claudia was back, with a small pouch in her hands. She went to boil some water and crushed a bunch of leaves and other things together and put them in the water. I watched her from the dining table after she told me to sit down and she poured the tea in a cup and placed it in front of me, telling me to let it cool down a little and drink it – all of it – and so I did. I had no idea what it was, but I figured it was something to stop my pregnancy and I wasn’t going to turn it down. I didn’t want to risk having the merchant’s baby, and even if it was Aelius’ baby, I didn’t want it. I feared Tenax would throw me out if I were to have a baby, and in truth, I was terrified. My mother died giving birth to my brother Elia and knowing that I would get married and have children of my own one day, it caused me to have a crippling fear of pregnancy and childbirth.

Claudia then warned me I would bleed profusely, and have painful cramps, but it was necessary, and temporary. I would have to endure, and I knew I could. I found out I was especially enduring, even though I’d have preferred to not have to. I followed her to the room we shared, and she placed a bucket by my bed and told me to sit over it once cramping started, to avoid making a mess with the blood. I didn’t ask any questions, didn’t say anything and would do as she asked. I trusted her with this – I had to. I lied on my bed for a couple of hours. I felt some discomfort but wasn’t bleeding yet. She gave me another cup of the tea she brewed and threw the rest out of the window. Two more hours later, the discomfort turned into the painful cramps she told me about and I moved to the bucket, pressing my hand against my stomach, leaning my back against the bed. I pursed my lips inwards, closing my eyes shut, wincing from the pain as I tried to be quiet. My whole body grew hot and I was shaking, chills running down my spine. I couldn’t even press too hard against my stomach as my hand, and the rest of my body, felt weak so I bent forward, my hand flat between my thighs and abdomen. I heard when Tenax came home. Claudia was in the kitchen, preparing his dinner and I heard them speak as he sat down at the table. He was asking about me and Claudia told him I wasn’t feeling well. I was indisposed for another couple of days before I stopped bleeding altogether and felt well enough to stand up. Claudia brought me some food, mostly liquid as I couldn't stomach most of it. She then took care of the bucket after she made me some food and I ate, knowing that the time when Tenax would ask about what was going on would come. And I would have to be honest. He came home later in the afternoon and Claudia went to open the door while I stood in the kitchen, my back to the wall. He looked at me, after not seeing me for a little over 2 days.

“Claudia, leave us.” She obliged and went in our room. He told me to sit, and I didn’t dare say anything, or look directly in his eyes, so I sat down. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Tell me what’s been going on.” His tone was firm, but not especially harsh and she didn’t understand whether he was angry, annoyed, or something else. I parted my lips, quiet for a few seconds, taking a shaky breath. I finally met his gaze – though briefly – after he prompted me to speak up.

“I was pregnant. Claudia gave me something to— get rid of it. I don’t– I don’t know if it was Aelius’ or—” I swallowed harshly, cutting myself off. Tenax was listening, not saying anything. I had no idea what was going through his head. I wouldn’t look at him again. “or the merchant’s. He didn’t just break my shoulder—”

“I heard enough. Have you eaten?”

“Yes.”

“Go. Rest.” I nodded and went in the room where Claudia was waiting for our conversation to be over. She left as I came in, patting my shoulder on her way out. I went straight to bed, facing the wall and cried, covering my mouth with my hand. The week was ending on a quite emotional and painful note. I returned to work the next day. It seemed Gavros and Scorpus knew I had been ‘sick’ and so did the kids. The latter were especially happy to see me again and quite literally ran to me. This warm welcome brought me some joy finally and I smiled, telling them I was well now. Things went back to normal. I didn’t talk about it, and neither did Tenax, until a couple days later, I was at the desk taking bets when a hooded man came up to me – it was Aelius again. I took a step back, but he motioned for me to come closer to talk to me. I wouldn’t listen to him, but he insisted, and I sighed.

“Speak. But then, please, leave and never come back.” I walked behind a curtain, and he followed me, so he could tell me whatever he wants to tell me before Tenax saw him and kicked him out again.

“That day I came to see you – Tenax had me followed.” I sighed, knowing this would have happened. “Those two men cornered me in an alley. They wanted to know my boss’ name, and location – which I gave them... He was found dead this morning.”

I stared at him, in disbelief, “He’s dead?”

“You see, now, what this Tenax does? He has people followed, beat up and murdered. He’s a criminal. Look, come with me, I– I can leave with you. We’ll be safe together – I’ll keep you safe.” He tried to grab my shoulder, but I backed away instinctively.

“Don’t touch me. I’m safer here, with him, than anywhere with you. And I can’t leave anyway – I’m Tenax’s slave.”

“His slave? I’ll buy your freedom. I’ve saved some money—”

“Leave – just leave Rome. Please.” I wanted this conversation to end. I was hoping he would stop insisting and luckily, he did, maybe he feared what Tenax would do if he was seen bothering me at the tavern again and he reluctantly walked away, following the other people leaving, while I returned to the desk just a moment before Tenax came in and we closed the bets as the race was about to begin. I looked at him when he had his back turned to me for a second. I couldn’t ask him about whatever happened when there were so many people around, so I waited until we were alone, watching the race through the opening in the doors. Gavros was taking care of putting away some equipment in the back and was out of earshot if I spoke quietly, “I have a question.”

“Ask.”

“Did you really do it?”

“Do what?” Neither of us were stupid. He knew very well what I meant, so I was very blunt with my next words.

“Have him killed – the merchant.” He didn’t say anything at first and that was already confirmation enough. I turned my head towards him and locked eyes with him.

“He was a problem – I had it taken care of.” He said, shooting up his eyebrows, trying to act unbothered.

“Thank you.” I whispered these words. He looked a little surprise to see me being grateful for his deed and thanking him, face to face but he nodded and looked back to the race. One of the charioteers got into a shipwreck, but it wasn’t Scorpus so neither of us really cared. I had quickly become aware of the nature of Tenax’s business and that threatening or killing someone was part of it, but I didn’t think he would jump on the occasion to deal with the one man who wronged me – no, worse, almost completely broke me. But if Aelius didn’t sneak back in the betting tavern to talk to me, I don’t know how or when I would have found out. I don’t believe Tenax would have told me if I wasn’t the one to bring it up first, or maybe he would have, but much later. “Aelius came to tell me.”

“That fucking sailor—” He spat, through his gritted teeth.

“He wanted me to leave with him. I refused – told him to get out of Rome.”

“Why? I’m sure you’d rather go home.”

“Yes, but– I don’t know. I didn’t give it a second thought, really. I pray everyday that I am reunited with my brothers, but I guess I just didn’t want to go with him. And, he said that I wasn’t safe with you, and that he would keep me safe…" I shook my head. "Ever since I went on that boat, and left Baetica, he has proven that I couldn't be safe with him, while you have proven I was – safe – with you. Thanks to you, I have a roof over my head, food to eat, clothes. Not many slaves in Rome can say that they’re treated this well, and, I must admit, I’m really starting to like it here – all the festivals, the games, the horses – and the kids are sweet.” We both chuckled softly at the thought of those kids.

“They’ve grown fond of you.” This made my smile grow bigger. I had grown quite fond of them as well. They were nice kids. “They kept asking me about you when you were ill.”

“My brother, Fonsoa, and I, we used to take care of our little brother, Elia, after our mother died. I guess I’m good with kids.”

“You are.” He nodded.

“They're fond of you too. They look up to you. I know, you’ve said that it’s because they are kids, and would look up to anyone giving them “food and the occasional coin” but, you care for them. I don’t believe you’re as hard-hearted as you pretend.” He didn’t say anything to that, just shrugging. Maybe it got him a little thoughtful, or he knew but would rather not comment on it. I wished I could read his mind to know what he was thinking in this moment. After a moment of silence – which wasn’t exactly silence with the crowd cheering in the arena — he spoke again. There was only a couple of rounds left at this point.

“I will free you. You can leave, on your own, if you wish – or you can keep working for me, at the betting tavern.”

“I’d like that – to keep working at the tavern.” I added another, softer, thank you and we watched the end of the race without talking. Scorpus came second and we welcomed him in the stall. Gavros and another stable hand detached the horses from the chariot and brought them back to the stables. I watched them with envy, wanting to take care of those horses too, but my arm was far from healed. I had no idea how long it would take – most definitely a long time. But I could wait. Right now, I was just happy that Tenax said he wouldn’t keep me as his slave and that I would be a freedwoman, but he was kind enough – though like I said, he didn’t let any of it show – to let me live in his flat, and I actually liked working for him, so it wasn’t such a hard choice to make. I wanted to go home too, but I was, in truth, terrified of being on my own and I feared what might happen on land or by sea, if I did leave. I might be taken by someone else and sold as a slave again or taken advantage of again. At least, here, with Tenax, I was quite well surrounded and protected. A lot of people always had an eye out for me, and when someone threatened me – it didn’t matter if that threat was a passive one – he dealt with it. I knew that he didn’t take any pleasure in doing that kind of things, but he would do what needed to be done. I knew I could trust him.

[To be continued…]

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Published (08/01/2024) by Andrea

#oc #original character #those about to die oc #those about to die fanfic #those about to die spoilers #tatd #those about to die #tenax #iwan rheon #ancient rome fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #tv show rewrite

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