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Ancient Rome (blushing-rose and casketslinger)

B

blushing-rose

Moon
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Aurelia shivered slightly in the morning mist. The rags that she wore went some way to protecting her modesty, but did nothing to shield her from the slight breeze that blew through the market square. She wished she could retreat to the shelter of the barn, but the shackle around her leg prevented her from doing so.

Her real name was Karin, although she doubted she’d ever hear it used again. Even that had been stolen from her, replaced by a Roman one that would be easier for her future master to pronounce.

As she hugged her arms across her chest to try to warm herself up, she reflected on the past few weeks, and how her life had changed completely. One month ago she had been on English soil, a member of a small tribal village. She had lived in a small hut with her mother and her mother’s husband Brennus. Life had been simple. She used to spend most of her time fishing, or weaving nets to trade with the rest of her clan.

They hadn’t been prepared for the ambush; didn’t see the Roman soldiers until they attacked. Usually a decent fighter, Karin hadn’t even had time to grab her spear before she had been tackled to the ground. She had fought with her hands and nails until she felt a blow to the head, and remembered no more.

She had woken up a day later, and had immediately wished that she hadn’t. In the time she had been unconscious, her village had been decimated. Most of the men had died fighting, save for a few who had been subdued and were bound with the rest. Those who were too young or old to be useful had been disposed of with brutal Roman efficiency. The ‘lucky’ ones who had survived were informed that we were to be taken to Rome, and sold as slaves.

The journey took a little over a month. In that time, Karin had grown thin and unkempt. She had been defiant, at first, until the soldiers discovered that while beatings might not subdue her, punishing the children in the group for her disobedience certainly would. She had not fought again after the first time.

When they had arrived in Rome, the women who had not been ‘deflowered’ were separated from the rest. Karin had broken from the group to hug her mother farewell and had earned herself the purple bruise that was still visible on her cheekbone today. Her mother had been sold yesterday, along with the rest of her tribe. Karin had been saved for a special market today.

A sharp prod in her side woke her from her reverie. The slave market had begun to bustle, and the trader wanted her to stand straighter with her arms by her sides, to show herself off to potential buyers. Karin reluctantly did as he commanded. Compared to the rest of the girls from her village, she stood out. While they all had the Celtic look about them, with red hair and pale skin, Karin’s brown hair and brown eyes made her look more suited to Italy than England. Her mother had never spoken about her father, but Karin suspected that she was a child of the last Roman invasion of her country. Apart from the bruise on her cheek, her skin was smooth. She stood at around five foot seven, and her breasts were pert, although shrunken slightly through malnutrition.

Another prod in my side reminded her to keep her gaze respectfully on the floor, as the market opened for business.
 
Magistrate Furious Medullinus stood in the pillar shaded viewing balcony with many of the other wealthy nobles which overlooked the slave stage. Commoners filled the courtyard below them, clamoring amongst themselves when the first batch of today's wares were brought up for inspection. Of course none of those lowly merchants and tradesmen could compete with money that the upper echelon could throw around, they hoped to at least pick at the scraps left over.

Faustus Medullinus, tall and slender wearing an audacious gold leafed toga stepped up behind his elder cousin and motioned down to the dark haired slave girl with his palm fan. "You see that one cousin? She looks as though she's already had the Rome put into her, Jus Primae Noctis if I've ever seen one." He said with a snide giggle. To which is older and much stockier cousin only waved him off.

"Do not draw attention to our intention cousin, I fancy that one and don't want Sextus to overhear. He seems to enjoy blocking my endeavors at every opportunity he can seize." Furious said and turned his handsome visage to peer upon his political opponent. Sextus Horatia stood only a few feet away, flanked as usual by his oiled slaves. Sextus kept only the finest gladiators and often like to show off their impressive physiques to intimidate those around him. The man himself was half the size of Furious and still managed to outweigh him by almost 50 libra (roman measurement of weight equivalent to a pound). But in the decadents of the times, Furious' muscled frame from years of military service wasn't as desired as the round mushy one his contemporary carried.

The Quaestor stepped up onto the stage and immediately the crowds cacophony dropped to a dull lull. "What say you Brothers and Sisters of the Repulic, has the Ceasar not blessed us all with prosperity and tranquility on this fine day?" The crimson robed auctioneer called out to the crowd and was repaid with a unanimous chant of "Hail Ceasar" in response.

"Tis a grand day indeed and today even grander as we here at NEBUNESQ LARTIUS'S HOUSE OF SLAVES brings you another fine batch from the isles of Britannia. These Celts are fit and healthy and our first showcase brings you lucky buyers a chance to purchase yourself genuine virgin savage for only 1000 denarius aureus per slave and as always we guarantee our product, if you find your purchase defective in any way you can return it with no questions asked within the 6 month grace period. Gentlemen I present to you the warrior virgins of Britannia." Lartius called out in his usual brand of outlandish showmanship and his subordinates walked up from behind the slave girls and began pulling the clothing away from their bodies until everyone stood naked in front of god.

Lewd catcalls and fruit were tossed up onto the stage at the frightened foreign girls from the peanut gallery of commoners at floor level while the nobles whisper among themselves. Furious was about to bid on the dark haired girl but just as he went to raise his silver braceleted arm Sextus called out and interrupted him.

"The house of Horatia bids Twelve thousand denarius for the entire lot of them!" He announced with his typical feminine swipe of his hand. The crowd cheers at the lavish expenditure of money but Sextus seems more preoccupied with shooting Furious a dirty look, as if to say, 'compete with that'.

"You are right cousin, he has no need of these females, his gladiator harem is already the talk of the town, he only wishes to slight your ambitions." Faustus again whispers into his cousin's ear.

"Thirteen from the house of Medullinus and not for the lot, just for the one with the dark hair and plaque that reads Aurelia!" Furious says in a commanding tone and the crowd gasps. "..... After all how many more heathens does Sextus need to breed before he forever muddies his bloodline. I do this as a favor to your ancestors friend! You'll thank me later!" Furious calls out without hesitation and the crowd below breaks into laughter at the slight. Sextus can only glower at his rival from across the balcony and accept the jab as a good natured jest because several elected Senators are here spectating and to loose face in front of them would spell disaster for his political career.

"Let it be so then, if Furious needs his taste for savages sated by a half breed he can have her, I will not be the one to stand infront of a freeman's fetishes." Sextus tried to throw shade back at Furious but the jeer fell on deaf ears of the crowd whom was still laughing at Frurious' dig.

"But cousin, has the sun tipped your humors toward ichor? Surely it must, why have you spent our entire budget on a single girl?" Faustus asked nervously. He had seen several large Celt men that would make good gladiators, nay possibly even champions, and now they couldn't afford them.

"I have my reasons Faustus, as always, I do not act unless my intentions are true, go and fetch some clothing for the girl and get her washed up before we set off for home, will you?" Furious asked his cousin and the younger relative nodded reluctantly and set off to complete his task.

Furious stood tall and broad in his olive colored toga, staring down at the oddly familiar looking slave girl he'd just purchased at an exorbitant amount. He's the picture of a seasoned warrior personified, hair now cut short and wearing a silver laurel wreath at just above his prominent brow which shadowed his out of the ordinary blue eyes. His large square jaw is clenched with determination and covered in a eloquently curled black beard, which is out of style here in the empire but he's grown accustomed to in his years of military service abroad and refused to shave even in defiance of his wife's pleas. It covers a long scar that runs the length of the left side of his face which he received in the very homeland of the girl he'd just purchased derives from during his time as a legionnaire.

"Hail Furious, what say you, why so generous today? Fortunes are made with shrewd business sense not flamboyant expenditures. Why not let me buy the lot and then offer me a fair price for the girl, surely you would have made out better on the deal. I would have only charged family half of what you paid." Sextus said as he approached and shook Furious from his trance like gaze at the young slave girl.

"Family by marriage is hardly blood, Sextus, and although I appreciate your offer I'd prefer to not rely on the generosity of others." Furious said staring down at his diminutive round brother-in-law.

"How is my beautiful sister anyway? It seems its been ages since I last saw her, almost as if her domineering husband wishes to sever any family ties." Sextus shot back.

"Chloe bodes well enough, although sometimes I loath the spoiled upbringing she was afforded at your father's house. She sends her regards and an invitation for your family to come and join us for a feast and festivities in a weeks time." Furious answered barely offering more than a brief glance at the man.

"It would be our honor, maybe I'll bring a few of my second string boys along for your bush-leaguers to spar with for our entertainment. I'll be sure to tell them not to play too hard, lest you be left with no one to fight for your house in the games. Might I ask why spend your hard earned money on a single slave girl, when there are rumors that you'll be returning to your post, post haste?" Sextus asked, his eyebrows crawling up his balding forehead like they were trying to escape his face.

"I've heard no such rumors, nor would I believe them if I did. My service to the Empire is long since fulfilled and soon I shall have my seat in the Senate, not traversing foreign lands as I did for the lion's share of my young adult life. It is well known what I've sacrificed for the majesty of Ceasar, my children still look at me as though I were a stranger due to the time I've spent away from them." Furious states flatly, not giving into Sextus' provoking comments.

"Well as I said it was only a rumor and although I heard it from a reputable source, I'm sure you are right, there is no way such a charismatic individual like yourself would be passed over for a seat on the Senate. But tell Chloe I look forward to seeing her and the children next week. I shall leave you with your thoughts then sir." Sextus said, giving one final jab before walking back off to smooze with the other elitists.

Furious knew that although Sextus was reproachable he was also right. Furious had been a magnificent general out on the field of battle, but now here, back in Rome where it wasn't what a man knew, but whom he knew that mattered, he hadn't fared all so well. On several occasions he'd been far too blunt with the wrong men, connected men, men who decided other men's fate and sooner or later it was going to end up coming back to bite him in the ass.

Furious cleared his head of the serpent tongued imp chiding and set off down through the marble staircase that lead to the purchasing office. He'd just dumped his entire budget on a single girl, when his wife had been expecting him to return with a cadre of new gladiator recruits. These were far more pressing thoughts right now and he'd have his hands full once they returned to the homestead.
 
The market was filling up quickly, thronging with men and women alike. Karin kept her head down as commanded, but her eyes darted up as frequently as she dared, trying to take in the scene. The large open square in front of her was surely filled with common folk, dressed drably and chattering loudly. She noticed more than one finger pointing in her direction and she ducked her head down again, avoiding eye contact.

When she was brave enough to look again, this time she inspected the balcony that ringed the square. Elevated above the dirt and the stench of the streets, this must be the elite of Rome. It wasn’t hard to tell. With fine quality clothing and extravagant jewellery, these were people with money to spare. Interspersed among them were the naked torsos of collared slaves holding palm branches or refreshments or simply standing alongside their masters with their eyes on the ground. Karin shuddered at the thought of such subservience. At home, with a mother too mild and no real father to tame her, she had run wild, paying little heed to the rules which did not suit her.

Her thoughts strayed to her home. She would often wake early to check the snares that she had laid (Celts weren’t above stealing from each other after all), then would swim in the lake before the sun had fully risen. The memories made her heart ache, and the chains around her wrists and ankle suddenly felt heavier than before.

The sound of sniffling brought her back to the present. She glanced to the girl next to her. Raiya was the youngest of the girls who had been saved for today’s market, just old enough to be a woman and not a child. Red hair framed a thin pointed face with pale skin and wide blue eyes. She was thinner than Karin and much less bruised, having submitted to her captors with only tears as protest. Her sobs had been Karin’s constant companion on their journey across Europe and she tried hard now to keep her patience. She sidled as close to the girl beside her as her shackles would allow.

“Raiya. Come on now, dry your eyes.” She spoke in a whisper, her eyes on the back of the slaver’s head. She had no desire to be caught and punished again today. “You must, otherwise nobody will buy you and you will be left for the priests to use as a virginal sacrifice to their foreign deities.” Her words were short, but not said unkindly. It was true, anyhow. Karin’s abhorrence of slavery might be unremitting but her tendency to self-preservation overruled any other thought. She must be bought today.
With this in mind, when the Quaestor stepped onto the stage she stood quietly and obediently, her gaze trained on her toes. His speech was dramatic, and as eloquent as it was absurd. It was these people that were the savages. She did however hold onto his words. She was a warrior and she would not be defeated by these people who sought to shame her. When she felt hands pull away her clothing therefore she didn’t cringe back like Raiya beside her (who had already started to cry again). She stood straight-backed and proud, although her eyes were fiery and unforgiving.

The bidding started, and almost immediately Karin heard a bid placed to claim all of them. She was not familiar with the Roman currency but she could tell from the gasps in the crowd that the price was excessive. Her heart jumped. Of all possible outcomes, this was surely the best one that she could hope for. There was safety in numbers, and she would be able to keep at least some connection to her home. While the trader was distracted, she sneaked a brief reassuring glance at Raiya. She would be able to protect her for a while longer after all.

The moment was short lived. Another voice from the crowd and another, more exorbitant, sum declared. And yet this time the bidding was directed at her alone. She couldn’t stop herself from looking up, startled. She scanned the crowd for the man whose voice she had heard. She found him as he spoke again. He looked rich, but no more so than those around him. What would possess him to bid so rashly? And why her?

The man’s words had started some sort of verbal spar, it seemed. She did not understand it all, but it was enough to tell her that this was a competition of egos, with her as some sort of trophy for the victor. As the other man subsided, it was apparent that the winner was the muscled man in olive green. She glanced at his face again before she was hustled off the stage, making note of his contemplative glance.

Back in the barn the slaver came over to her, removing the chains from her leg, only to attach a collar around her neck. He leered at her naked body. “Seems you’re going to be a rich man’s slut then” he taunted. Karin didn’t respond. The man had been holding a special torch of revenge against her ever since he had tried to feel her up in Gallia and she had fought back. The two deep scratches she had left on his cheek were still visible although they had faded from angry red to a dull purple. She could tell that he didn’t dare try again, not when her new owner could round the corner at any moment, therefore she ignored his lusty gaze, turning her nose up in dismissal.

She didn’t have long to wait until she was claimed, although when the man rounded the corner it was not the bearded Magistrate she had been expecting. This man was younger and more slight. She eyed him doubtfully. “You aren’t the man from the auction.” The question left her lips before she could stop it, and she immediately regretted her free tongue.
 
"You speak Latin???" Faustus asked, his young playful expression changed to that of surprise. "That is a trick I've yet to see from any of you Celts. Do you speak more or is your vocabulary limited to just a few words?" He asked, staring at her naked form. His hands reaching out and groping her breasts and ass as he waited for a reply.

"Firm, strong.....A bit undernourished but we can remedy that, yes you seem like quite a good purchase, but I don't know if my cousin still overpaid. What of your hymen? Let me have a look." He said as he reached between her legs and inserted his pointer and ring finger into her vagina. He paused and then made a quick swirling motion and then pulled his digits back out and brought them up to his nose. "sniff.....Yes it appears so but you are in desperate need of a bath, you smell like week old fish!" He said with the same boyish smile that usually adorned his visage.

It was then that Furious entered the hot, poorly lit room and stalked over toward his cousin and new purchase. Every man that stood between him parted immediately and gave a nod to the decorated General as he passed, he offered none in return.

"Well here she is, though I still think you spent unwisely Cousin, We could of had twelve for the price you paid for her. She does speak a bit of Latin though....which is nice, it always takes so long to train them when they don't understand our civilized tongue. Their own language is so savage, It sounds like two animals grunting and snarling." Faustus said as he grabbed her by the chain connected to her collar and gave a tug. "Say a few words and impress your master, slave!"

Furious reached out and snatched the chain from his cousin impolitely and the younger man stepped back in fear of his older relatives notorious temper. "What is your name? Who was your family? Where do your people hail from?" Furious asked, but not in Latin, instead he spoke in Gaelic, the girls native tongue and when he did so it was without any hint of accent.
 
Karin stared at the younger man incredulously. She took a step back instinctively as he went to grope her but was unable to evade his wandering hands. When he pushed his fingers roughly inside her she curled her hands into fists to prevent herself from lashing out at him. A hot flush spread across her cheeks, and she endured the indignity only by silently imagining him lying at her feet, dead by her spear. Her shame worsened when he smelt her and she gritted her teeth. “I suspect that you would smell the same after a month of captivity” she ground out, forgetting her place in the face of his casual insult.

Oh yes. Her Latin. She supposed she ought to have kept that particular talent hidden. It was always an advantage when people underestimated you. She shook herself mentally – they would be careful what they said in front of her now, when they otherwise may have been more careless with information. The man in gold was right, it was not a common skill among the Celts.

The Roman advancement into Britannia was not a swift attack, rather it was a slow and relentless battle of attrition. The country’s population was disjointed enough that each tribe presented a fresh challenge and a separate battle. In some places the Romans had settled in and created strongholds, in others the Celts still ruled. Some tribes had reached a truce and paid their taxes to the Empire, whereas others fought to retain their homeland. On the fringes in between there were areas where the fighting had reached a stalemate, and the two populations had come to live alongside each other in an uneasy peace. Karin’s village was only a day’s travel from a small Roman settlement and it was not uncommon for her to travel there to trade her game and nets. In return she received pottery, tools and wine. She had learned Latin firsthand from auxiliary soldiers who had been left to guard empty forts and who, like the young man in front of her now, considered her an ignorant savage who was harmless.

She didn’t explain all of this to him now. In fact she didn’t have time to reply at all before the older man she had seen on the balcony arrived. He seemed different to his cousin, more intimidating and yet more contained. She did not dare cheek him as she had his cousin, and dropped her gaze to the floor as he walked towards her.

Her silence did not last long. The man questioned her in Gaelic and she looked up in surprise at hearing the familiar language slide off his tongue. It was a relief for her to switch back to her native dialect to reply to his queries.

“My name is… Aurelia, Master.” She stumbled over the unfamiliar name she had been given. It seemed at odds with the lilt of her Gaelic tongue. “My mother was Genovefa. I am of the Dumnonii in the South.” She knew she should subside, but could not stop herself from continuing. “You know Gaelic?” The question behind the statement was implied.
 
"Genovefa...." He repeated when she said the name of her mother, and the look in his eyes was that of longing. Aurelia then asked him if he knew Gaelic and he didn't answer, instead turning his gaze back to his cousin. "Go to the market and fetch her a robe and some sandals, Faustus."

"With what money cousin? You've spent your entire sum on her." Faustus replied, waving his hand toward the girl.

"Use your allowance, and don't be frugal, get her something nice." Furious said flatly, turning his gaze back to Aurelia. His hand coming up and gently brushing a lock of her dark hair from her face.

"Surely you jest. It's a warm summer's evening, she'll be fine, Celts come from an inclement terrain anyway, she'll be fine until we can get home." Faustus again tried to argue but drew his cousin's temper. Furious turned back to his younger cousin and snatched him by the ear, tugging hard and drawing a whimper from the boy.

"I know my wife affords you an allowance, you have been in her bed since she invited you to come stay with us during my last deployment. The money she affords you is mine and I'll have it spent however I see fit, go NOW and fetch Aurelia a proper robe and scandals.......while your at it, fetch a silver chain necklace baring the family seal as well." Furious snarled at his cousin and shoved the lad when he was finished speaking. Faustus bore a look of shame at the mention of his deeds with Chloe and wondered how it was that Furious knew of the adultery, but dropped his head and set off for the marketplace.

Furious turned back to Aurelia without any sort of look of shame on his stern visage. He reached up and unhinged the decorative silk cloak from his robe and placed it around the young girl's naked shoulders. He reached up and grasp the collar around her neck, unbuckling it and letting the collar and chain fall to the ground. Several of the slave dealers and other customers took note of the unorthodox manner Furious was treating his new slave and whispers broke out with in the crowd.

"Come Aurelia, we can wait in the wagon for Faustus to return, this place doesn't please my nose." He said and then started to walk off, not bothering to make sure his new slave was following or not. Of course if she were to run, she'd be in a foreign city in a strange land filled with people that would just as soon throw her in prison or return her to slavery, but this didn't seem to play into Furious intentions.
 
Aurelia (she supposed she better get used to her new name now) watched the General's face cautiously. He could not be more different in his approach to the younger man, the one he called Faustus. Where the latter had been rough, groping her lewdly, this man was treating her surprisingly gently. She held her breath as he brushed his hand across her hair, not daring to move.

The next exchange surprised her. The pair were clearly at odds over how she should be treated, although it was also evident that Faustus did not have grounds to argue. She suppressed a smile of satisfaction when the older man turned on him. Let him see what it was like to be manhandled for a change.

The General won the exchange and Faustus left, leaving Aurelia standing alone with her new Master. Her eyes met his in confusion when he clothed her and removed her collar. She was fairly sure that this was not standard practice among masters and their property, even less so to a slave who had already cost so dear. She could see the eyes of the slaver on her as she followed obediently, not understanding but also not prepared to look a gift horse in the mouth. Five minutes ago she had been naked and bound. This was a definite improvement.

She contemplated running, but only briefly. There was nowhere for her to go here, and she doubted she would find an improvement on her current situation if she tried. Until she figured out what this strange man wanted, she would abide by his rules. If he was this casual with her security, she was certain that another chance to escape would arise in the future.

They reached the wagon and Aurelia pulled herself up into the back of it with ease. She sat across from the man, eyeing him curiously. With his gentleness she no longer felt too afraid to meet his eye, or to venture further questions.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She spoke softly but her gaze never left his face. "You asked about my family. Did you know my mother?"
 
Furious walked with ease to the wagon, only checking back a single time to make sure Aurelia was following along. Once they'd reached the carriage he opened the door and swiped his hand so that she would know that she wouldn't be riding in the back were servants rode, instead he silently beckoned her into the proper passenger compartment. Once she stepped up inside he followed her in and sat across from her, his eyes locking on to hers, his gaze didn't falter. It was amazing how much she looked like her mother.

It was almost as if as soon as the thought occurred to him she asked the question. "Whey are you being so nice to me?", then "You asked about my family. Did you know my mother?" A smile creeped across furious' lips as when she asked. This time though he didn't speak in Gaelic, he chose to speak in Latin. "Yes I knew your mother. Do you know your Father? Earlier I asked you what your name was but you told me the slave name they gave you instead of your birth name....What is the name Genovefa gave you?" Furious asked staring at her eyes, unblinkingly.

But it was just then that Faustus returned, cursing and obviously now in a very sour mood. He walked to the back of the wagon and expected to see the new slave girl but saw only and empty compartment. "Good god Furious, please don't tell me you spent all that money and have lost her already!" Faustus called out.

"UP Here!" Furious called out the carriage window, then turned back to regard Aurelia. "Think before you speak, young lady." He warned just as Faustus stepped up into the carriage, the look of shock and awe spreading across his face at the sight of a slave sitting in the main compartment. "What in Hades is going on? Why the fuck is she in here? I'm not sitting among slaves!" He protested.

Furious reached out and snatched the package containing the scandals and robe. "Then sit up front with the driver, if you don't want to comfort of shade with us. Either way your sitting with slaves, or walking the choice is yours." Furious said.

This was the last straw for Faustus he leaned in close to Furious, "I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it!" He said and then stepped back out of the carriage and walked around to sit up next to the driver.

Furious leaned close to Aurelia, "What is your name, young lady?" He said holding out the package for her to take.
 
This man knew her mother. Karin's breath caught in her throat. As coincidences went, this was a significant one. She had been caught, taken from her home, led over the continent and finally ended up in the heart of the Roman empire, only to meet somebody who spoke her mother's name with familiarity. The probabilities of this meeting were minuscule. And he was asking about her father, something that Karin had ceased to do when she was small. She had never been given any answers about him and in the end had given up, thinking of him instead as an abstract concept rather than a living breathing person. She noticed that the man was focusing on her intently. Could it be that he knew her father? Or, stranger still, could it be that....

In fact, now that she thought about it, the chances were almost impossible. Ever suspicious, she eyed him distrustfully. What motive could he have for pretending to know her family? Was it so that she would submit to him with less protest? He spoke Gaelic, true, but that could be explained by his years as a soldier on foreign campaigns.

He asked her name, but before she could answer she heard Faustus returning. She did not need the older man's warning to know to keep her mouth closed. She already regretted betraying her understanding of Latin, although at least it made it easier to explain why she was able to follow their orders without difficulty. She also did not trust the young man, and felt like the General's treatment of her had already given him reason to dislike her. She hoped that if she stayed quiet he would forget about her, or at the very least assume that her Latin had been a parroted phrase rather than the signs of a fluent speaker.

There was little chance of him forgetting about her, however. His eyes narrowed as he saw her sitting in the main wagon, and she flinched back from him as he gestured to her wildly. She took solace in the fact that the powerful soldier sat by her. If his attitude to this point had been anything to go by, he would not let anything happen to her. She would have to be careful of this cousin when they reached their destination and the General left her alone.

She watched silently as the older man grabbed the packet from Faustus, who huffed and left them to it. She took it hesitantly when it was offered to her. Inside were a pair of leather sandals and a simple sand coloured tunic. The shoes she slipped on easily, but the tunic gave her pause. She did not want to expose herself again and yet she could not put the dress on without removing the robe. In the end she took a deep breath, avoided eye contact and shrugged herself out of the robe. It was difficult to dress as the wagon began to move but in a few short minutes she had covered herself sufficiently well. She brushed some dust off the silver cloak and proffered it back to the man that had lent it to her. The new tunic was fine, much finer than anything she had ever owned. Simple and slightly drab, the material was nevertheless soft and the belt helped it to fit closely to her shrunken frame.

He asked for her name a second time, and this time she obliged, switching back to Latin to mirror his words. "My mother called me Karin, master. I never knew my father." He might or might not know her family, but she was not prepared to let her guard down just yet. "Might I know yours, sir?"
 
Furious watched with intent as the young beautiful girl dropped his cape and embarrassingly stripped in front of him. Her body was easily as perfect as her mother's had been and after a few good days of rich Roman food she'd be even more attractive. Her breasts stood out from her chest like to perfect fleshy hills capped with perky pink nipples that stood out, still unaffected by the force that kept men glued down to the earth instead of flying off into the heavens. Her hips had the certain desirable width to them that would bare as many children as her suitor could produce, she truly was her mother's daughter and the proof was right here before him in full display which brought a broad smile to his otherwise stern face.

"Karin is a beautiful name, it means Purity and I can see that you were named most befittingly." He said once she'd pulled the new tunic over herself and regained her composure. "I am sorry you never knew your father, I am sure you would have loved him as much as you loved your mother." Is all he offered on the subject of the patron of her family, purposefully remaining obscure.

"My name is Furious Medullinus, I was soldier, well I suppose I still am, but I spent many years in Britannia during some of the earliest of Rome's campaigns into your homeland. I know the lands of Dumnonii almost as well as I know my own home, a truly beautiful place." Furious said as the memories of the place came slowly back into his mind. He could almost see the very day that he laid eyes upon Karin's mother for the first time. He'd been perched upon one of the towers of the rampart he and his fellow centurions had constructed and their out in a field as the heavy fog began to disperse she stood strong and proud.

"Come here and look upon your new home, we are cresting the hill that looks down upon my house and lands." Furious said and padded his lap, the gesture inferring that he like her to sit upon him. Of course once she was their she would feel the growing bulge of his groin pressing against her bottom and feel him adjust his posture so that his engorged member would be pressing upon her own sex, with only a few pieces of fabric separating them from actual intercourse.

"What you see before you is what I've striven for and what I deserve, every acre and every building a shining example of my triumphs for the empire, for my sacrifices as well. It is the blood of your people that stained my hands and my very soul but now I can start to make amends and unburden myself of this heavy weight." He said as his big hands wrapped around her small waist and pushed her pelvis down onto his own, a subtle grown escaping his lips.

"I know it doesn't look like home to you now, but give it time Karin, I promise you that I can make you happy and you, I. I will provide for you everything and you shall live like a citizen of Rome. I will show you the beauty of my land and one day you shall look back fondly and remember your time here much as I remember my time in Britannia. Now please pull up your tunic so that I can indulge myself before we get too close to home. My wife is an understanding woman, but alas she still feels the sting of jealousy when confronted with such beauty as yours and I don't want her acting overly cruel to you." Furious said and arched his hips so that he could free his own swollen penis from his robes.
 
Furious Medullinus. Even his name was imposing. Karin could feel his gaze upon her, and when he invited her onto his lap she obeyed reluctantly, unwilling but afraid to disobey. She gazed unseeingly out of the window at his command, too preoccupied by the feeling of him growing beneath her to take in the view that he described. She tried to squirm away from the hardness pressing against her, but his hands spanned her waist and kept her in position. He groaned and she closed her eyes in dread.

She tried to focus on his words instead, but they did little to comfort her. As he described her homeland she gasped, feeling a sudden tightness in her chest. The thought that she might never see it again was too much to bear. Rome was too big, too noisy, too crowded, and she longed for the seas and open expanses of her home.

His command came suddenly and jolted her back to reality. She had been expecting it ever since she was placed on the market stand, had been steeling herself for it, but now the moment came she found she could not meekly submit. She was a warrior, she reminded herself, and as her pride flared she finally found her voice again.

“No.” The word was quiet but forceful. She twisted with difficulty to face him, meeting his gaze even though she knew that this breach of etiquette risked incurring his wrath.

“Please Master, you cannot do this. You speak of making amends for your guilt, and yet these are not actions of reparation. By forcing me to lie with you, you only add one more to the list of Britons whose lives you have ruined.” Her eyes flashed fire. “How do you expect me to be happy in the home of a man who by his own admission has killed my folk for his own gain?” Her words were coming faster now, fuelled by fear and anger. “If you remember my mother as fondly as you appear to, then spare me for her sake. She would not want for me to become a Roman’s whore.”
 
Furious couldn't keep his stern visage as the young woman spoke in defiance to him, soon a broad smile eclipsed his mouth and he lifted the beautiful young woman off of his lap. "You dare defy your master? Even knowing that it could mean punishment, torture or even certain death?" He asked leaning close to her after she'd returned to her seat.

"I was still yet unsure of your true heritage, but now I can be sure, you are truly your mother's daughter. She too refused the orders of the Romans that tried to make her submit, she paid for it in her own blood, but still she refused and I must admit it made me admire her fierce pride, as I do yours now. But make no mistake Karin, you will be my concubine when the time comes, but I do not wish to take that from you forcefully. I will have you, that much is true, but not until you give it willingly." Furious said, the smile fading from his lips and replaced by his usual stern grimace and a look of unbending steel in his eyes.

"We are here cousin. Look upon your home and see your family who awaits your return, Look upon your wife's face and see the disappointment at our empty slave wagon." Faustus called out.

It was true, outside the window of the carriage Furious could see his whole family standing on the pillar lined front entry way of his large house. His wife Chloe Horatia Medullinus stood in a beautiful gold colored toga, several gold trinkets, a necklace, armband and golden tiara adorned her well built body. Her face had equine features with a prominent Roman nose and high cheek bones, which by the standards of this culture made her very beautiful. Of course the scowl of disappointment on her face made that beauty pale considerably.

Standing next to her was Furious' eldest son, big, strong and handsome as his father, but with the vantage of youth and lack of years of warring that his father had endured one could see how handsome his father must have been back in the day. Antonia Medullinus, named after Furious' own father, stood proudly next to his mother, arms folded egotistically across his broad muscular chest's red toga, he too bore the look of confusion and disappointment that his mother wore.

Standing behind him was his younger sister and the apple of Furious' eye, his 15 year old daughter Claudia. She was as beautiful as her mother and again without the cruel hand of age stealing her beauty. Claudia wore a white dress that had intricate silver fig leaf stitching, a present her father had bought her and one she adored. She lacked the cold look that her brother and mother wore, her face was happy and giddy, big brown eyes catching the late day's sun.

"Daddy Daddy! what have you bought me?" She yelled and bolted from the porch, running to the carriage and leaping onto the step so she could see inside the cabin. Her joyous, if not a little spoiled face turned quickly when she saw the non Roman looking woman inside the coach. "Who is this father?" She asked confused and let down.

"I bid you to get down Claudia so that we may disembark and I will introduce you to the newest member of our home." Furious said, his tone anything but stern while he addressed his daughter.

"Member of our home? She's not a slave Daddy?" Claudia asked as she reluctantly stepped down and allowed the door to open.

"Chloe dear cousin-in-law, just wait till you see the treasure you husband has brought you." Faustus said as he stepped down from the carriage's outer seat.

"Whatever do you mean? Where are the new gladiator stock? Why are you sitting with the driver Faustus? Stop playing these games and answer me." Chloe said, stepping down from the porch and walking up and kissing Faustus on his cheek.

Furious stepped down from the carriage and then turned, offering his hand out for Karin to take, more like she was some noblewoman than a slave. The family gawked in disbelief when they saw the well dressed Celt emerge from the carriage.

"Family, this is Aurelia, she will be coming to stay with us in the house, she is not to be treated as a slave, she is to be treated as an honored guest in the house of Medullinus. Aurelia, this is my wife Chloe, my son Antonia, and my beloved daughter Claudia." Furious said, shooting his wife a look of warning.

"This is ridiculous! What absurdity are you trying to pass off Husband? I will have no filthy Briton living among my regal family, surely you must jest!" Chloe said, ignoring her husband's glare.

"I'm afraid the joke is on us Lady Horatia..." Faustus said, using Furious' wife's maiden name. "...Your husband has spent our entire budget on this young savage, even forced me to spend my allowance on dressing her like a Roman. So now as the games approach we only have two gladiators to offer up and one of them bares a serious injury." Faustus concludes, wrapping his arm around Chloe's waist and pulling her tight to him.

"By the Gods! You wish to cast off any chance we have at prestige, you wish us to be poor and slumming with the other commoners! Damn you to Hades for this indignity Furious! If you think I'll tolerate this, then I shall show you and leave with the children. My brother Sextus will take us in." Chloe said angrily and stormed back inside the house with Faustus in tow.

Antonia walked forward, ignoring his mother's tirade, to regard the young woman. His hand reached up and gently caressed Karin's cheek. "She is beautiful father, I will give you that, does she carry Roman blood in her veins? I don't think she looks entirely Celt." He said, staring at Karin with the same intensity his father had.

"I'll not answer for her Antonia, you should address her yourself." Furious said, wrapping his arm around Claudia's shoulder and starting in toward the house.

"Daddy, Can she stay in my room. Her hair is pretty and I could dress her like a doll, do her hair and play with her." Claudia asked, still confused.

"She will have her own room dear, she's not your doll. Come let us go inside and see if we can calm your mother." Furious said as he walked in the house and left his son with Karin.

"So....Do you speak Latin Celt? Did you understand the question I asked my father? You look as though you may carry the bloodline of some Legionnaire, is that the case?" Antonia asked, his eyes scanning her body.
 
Karin blinked uncertainly, discomfited by the sudden turn of events. Furious’s words were harsh but his expression was one of amusement. She took comfort in the fact that she had somehow escaped the encounter unscathed, and tried to follow the man’s train of thought.

“I dare because I consider the alternative to be punishment enough Master.” She tried not to think about the threat of death and clenched her hands into fists to stop them shaking. “If fighting your oppression honours my mother then I will do it gladly. Please make no mistake in return that you will be waiting for an eternity. I will never give myself to a Roman willingly.” She spoke boldly, but when she met his gaze again and saw the hardness there she quailed slightly, remembering her new position. The flame of rebellion that had fuelled her outburst flickered and waned. Thus it was that when Faustus called out and the coach slowed she sunk back into subservient silence, her eyes firmly on the floor.

The girl arrived first, eager and innocent. Karin heard the fondness in Furious’s voice as he replied to her comments. This Claudia was clearly a favourite. At least she seemed friendlier than the next woman who arrived. Chloe’s voice was petulant as she questioned her cousin, and Karin recognised the well cultured tone of good breeding, tainted by disapproval and suspicion.

She took Furious’s hand when he proffered it and stepped down shyly from the carriage, as confused as his family evidently was by her introduction. The robe had seemed an odd gesture earlier but she had interpreted it guardedly, whereas there was no mistaking his intentions with these remarks. She almost turned to the soldier with the question on her lips, but got no opportunity to voice it. Chloe’s shriek of outrage was enough to keep her silent, shrinking slightly behind Furious as the older woman directed her attention towards her. The word ‘filthy’ rankled, but she held her tongue with difficulty. There was no need for her to fan the flames of this lady’s temper even further when it seemed to be burning fiercely enough on its own.

As Chloe left, followed closely by Faustus, Karin found herself face to face with the next member of the family she was to call her hosts. Antonia’s voice did not carry the same anger as his mother’s had, although his attentions still caused her to shiver as he mirrored his father’s actions from earlier. She wanted to step away but thought better of it, instead remaining frozen on the spot.

Furious’s response to his son's question surprised her. Not ten minutes earlier he had cautioned her about speaking in Faustus’s presence, and yet here his words to his son now seemed to give her permission to converse freely. She glanced at his retreating back questioningly, but received no further guidance. She felt Antonia scrutinise her again and hesitated momentarily before replying. Life would be easier if she could make herself understood.

“I do speak Latin Master, although it is not my mother tongue.” Despite being awarded the title of a guest in the household, she was still unsure how to address Furious’s family. Erring on the side of caution seemed to be the best approach for now. “I understood your question but am unable to answer it. I did not know my Father and cannot answer for whose blood runs in my veins.” She gave a small shrug. “Many of your people have invaded my country so I suspect your guess may not be far from the truth.” Her pride flared again and she could not stop herself from adding, “I consider myself to be wholly Celtic. Whatever Roman connection I have was not of my choosing.”
 
"I've seen many Celts and they don't bare your beauty, most are pale and freckled, your skin is more like mine." Antonia reached out and caressed his hand down the new slaves arm. "I can see what my father likes about you. I wonder if he'll have you stay in the guest bedroom or just move you directly into his bed and kick mother out. Alas they're passion has waned since his return from abroad. She finds comfort in father's cousin, Faustus." Antonia said as his hand began to wander from her arm to her midsection.

"You look famished, come, I'll show you the grounds and the house and then we'll get some food in you. Maybe if I fatten you up some, Father won't want you and I can keep you for myself." Antonia said with a charismatic laugh, he hoped that his joke wouldn't be lost in translation because Aurelia still looked tense and he wished to put her at ease. The handsome young man reached around the new slave's back and cupped her side as he guided her toward the veranda.

"Over here you'll see the slave quarters, normally you'd be placed here with the other servants, Lucky you though because the house is much more comfortable. Below we house our Gladiator stock. Usually our stalls would be full of proud warriors but we only have two and one is injured. Look down into the training pit and you'll see our only able bodied man practicing now......HAIL Maelstrom! You fight well!" Antonia called down from the balcony into the pit where the large celtic warrior brandished a practice gladius and struck at a burlap dummy.

The massive Briton warrior turned and held his sword out in salute. He was lean and muscular, coverd in blue knot tattoos which ran across his chest and shoulders as well as one that spanned his face across the bridge of his nose. His hair was dirty blonde and long, tied back and braided. "My Thanks and Graditude Master, I hope to serve the house of Medullinus well in the games!" He called back in perfect latin.

Antonia, hand still clasp around Aurelia's hip pulled her close to him. "What do you think of my father's newest purchase, pretty aye? If you win us a prize mayhap she'll be bred to you, she claims your heritage as her own, although I think she may have a bit of Rome in her.....What say you?"

Maelstrom pulled the flat of his sword to his brow to sheild the fading sun's rays, peering up at the young woman. "She is indeed a fine woman, she looks strong and feirce like the woman of my homeland Master, our kind doesn't coddle the fairer sex, we raise our woman as we do our men and she carries the look of a warrior."

Antonia laughed at the playful slight, his hand caressing the small of Aurelia's back. "We may coddle our woman tis true but they don't smell of animal dung and spit on the ground like lewd savages, so what say you? Roman or Celt?" Antonia shot back.

"Her nose may say roman, but her eyes say strong Celt, Master." Maelstrom responded, a smirk rising on his lips, and he winked at Aurelia.

"So be it, we leave you to your training." Antonia called back down, the smile on his own face showing that he was friendly with the Gladitor but not entirely trusting. "You steer clear of the Gladiator housing, that savage would bed you and wreck your value quickly if given his way, Shall we go inside? I would like to show you around the house?"
 
Karin watched Antonia warily, but she couldn’t help but relax slightly as he continued to speak. His easy manner helped, as did the offer of food. More defiant than the other girls she had been captured with, the slavers had fed Karin less frequently to keep her subdued. It was coming on for two full days since her last meal and her stomach growled at Antonia’s suggestion.

She followed him obediently onto the veranda, her mind on what he’d just said. No wonder she had sensed the tension between Furious and his cousin. She wondered why the soldier hadn’t challenged Faustus yet. While no strangers to polygamy and adultery themselves, any Celtic man would see such an arrangement as an insult to their pride. Disputes were often settled with violence, and by now one or other man would have been defeated and left to lick his wounds while the other claimed his prize. Women had a choice, of course, but generally a stronger fighter meant stronger offspring, so the result was rarely contested.

“I don’t intend to stay in his bed,” she offered, unwilling to relinquish her illusion of having any choice in the matter. “If he wants me there he will have to bind me to it. Your father has said I am to be treated as a guest; in that case I will sleep where I want.” She raised her chin slightly as though daring Antonia to challenge her.

He led her onto the balcony, and Karin shielded her eyes with her hand so she could look down into the gladiator pit. Her heart jumped at the sight of another Briton, although she did not recognise the pattern of his tattoos, indicating he was likely from further north of the country. She was surprised by his greeting and the friendliness of his subsequent exchange with his master. Antonia was clearly respected, even liked.

The two men jested, Karin following enough of the conversation to know that she was the subject. As Maelstrom winked at her, she called out to him impetuously. “I am strong enough to be planning my escape, rather than putting on a show for their entertainment.” She had switched to Gaelic, relying on Antonia not being able to understand her. “Why do you not run? You are clearly warrior enough to fight, why not turn that attention to the ones that keep you prisoner?” Antonia pulled her away before she could get a response, but she resolved to find the Celt again later. She had no intention of heeding her Master’s warning, although she nodded obediently and murmured her agreement when he gave the order.

She followed him inside, aware of the hand still caressing her hip. The casual sense of ownership that the gesture conveyed was probably not intended, but she felt it nonetheless. Still, Karin did not protest. Out of everybody she had met so far, Antonia was probably her favourite, she decided. He and his father were the only two people to speak to her kindly since she had left Britannia, and his hold, though possessive, was at least gentle. She refused to concede that his attractive features also helped. To put this thought from her mind, she responded enthusiastically to his last question. “Yes please, Master. It’s cooler inside too.”

As they walked, she studied his profile. “Would you tell me more about the household, Master? Do you have many slaves here? Are any others treated as your father is treating me?” She considered asking whether Antonia knew why, but held her tongue. Whatever Furious’s reasons were, she doubted he would share them with his son.
 
Antonia laughed when he heard Aurelia mention Maelstrom 'running'. Then she switched to Gaelic, and although he wasn't as astute as his father in the foreign tongue, he did know some, mostly from what he'd picked up from Maelstrom himself. Even though Maelstrom was a slave, Antonia was still very friendly with him. His mother never liked it, but his father never discouraged the friendship. From what Aurelia was saying he picked up the words 'run', 'fight' and 'prisoner'.

"Let us leave Maelstrom to his practice, there is a large tournament coming up and he'll have to be in top form." Antonia said as he escorted Aurelia away from the balcony. "I didn't glean it all, but I heard some of what you said and I think it prudent to clue you in. Maelstrom is a slave, yes, but he is also happy. We feed him well and give him woman. You claim you come from a proud warrior culture and I admire this, but Maelstrom gets to fight to his hearts content here. He doesn't want to leave, he likes it here, and so shall you if you'll just give it a chance." Antonia stated as gently as he could. Of course he knew she wasn't going to accept such a strange notion, but hoped she might open her mind to such a possibility as time passed.

"Come I can see you are hungry and this hot, dry air is probably making you swoon abit, let us go inside now, we'll talk more on the subject more after you've filled your belly with delicacies and take a cool dip in the pool." Antonia said as they walked down the veranda and into the side door of the house. It was then that Aurelia asked about the houses slaves.

"Yes we have a full staff, a day maid and night, a cook, and groundskeeper, also my mother has her own handmaiden, I'm sure you'll meet her soon, she is rarely ever anywhere but by my mother's side. But no...now that you ask, none of them are being treated as guests in our house. They aren't treated badly, but none are allowed to live inside the main house as my father has afforded to you. I think it's strange, but he is the head of our house and what he says goes, regardless of what my mother thinks." Antonia said as the casually strolled into the dining room.

The room was brilliant rose marble with a brass oil lamp chandelier. Several large statuary ringed the grand rooms walls and a huge over sized oak table filled the center of the room. On this ornate table was a feast of hors d'oeuvres, fresh grapes, cheeses, sliced smoked lamb's meat with yogurt dipping sauce as well as several bottles of wine.

Antonia walked up and poured himself a goblet of red wine. "Help yourself" He said as he swept his hand over the table. "Eat as much as you can, all this get thrown away, before dinner is served." He said, informing her that this wasn't even a real meal, just throw away food.

It was then that the yelling started, and coming this way. From the hall the bitching and griping intensified until its source entered the room. Chloe stormed into the room, her face red and her eyes furious, behind her trailed her handmaiden, listening and nodding along.

"Now here she is eating my food and standing in my dining hall like she owns the place, can you believe what travesty has befallen my house Saloninia?" Chloe shrieked. "Please Anton, take her away, I simply can't bare this right now."

"Mother, father said Aurelia was to be treated as a guest, behave yourself." He rebutted, casually sipping on his wine.

"NO I will NOT! Saloninia, take this ....this....thing and show her to her room until dinner." Chloe demanded, and her handmaiden nodded and walked over to retrieve Aurelia.
 
Karin blushed a brilliant shade of red when Antonia confronted her about her conversation with Maelstrom. She had not supposed that he would understand Gaelic and had been reckless in speaking so openly in front of him. His reply was gentle, but she couldn’t help but feel chastised as he spoke. She had no intention of getting used to Rome or of enjoying it, but she decided not to challenge Antonia further on the matter, instead remaining silent. Even so, as they moved into the house she couldn’t help but reflect on what he had said. Maelstrom had looked content in his practice, and he certainly looked stronger and better fed than many of the men back home, where a bad harvest could disadvantage a whole community and leave them hungry.

She listened eagerly as Antonia spoke, grateful for the cool shade that the house afforded. He had been perceptive when he had noticed her swooning, and she was keen now to sit down. She had been going to ask whether the rest of the slaves were all Britons too, but didn’t get the opportunity. They had entered a large dining room and the sight of the feast on the table instantly distracted her.

Karin moved forward hesitantly, only reaching out to grab a handful of lamb after receiving Antonia’s permission. She groaned in quiet relief as it passed her lips, and fully gave into her hunger. Mindless of her manners, she helped herself to the meat, cheese and fruit. She avoided the yoghurt, not recognising it, but did dare to try the hors d’oeuvres, marvelling at how much effort had gone into making such intricate food. So engrossed was she in eating that she only became aware of the din as Chloe entered the room. She jumped back from the table guiltily, mouth still full of food, as Chloe rounded on her.

The older lady’s outburst was intense, but Karin was heartened by Antonia’s casual defence of her, and this bolstered her own spirit. Being described as a ‘thing’ rankled, but this time Karin didn’t take the insult meekly. She raised her head high, firmly waving the maidservant away as she neared her.

“I will go to my room when I have had my fill,” she stated firmly, each word underlain by a silent challenge to the matriarch of the house. If Antonia was correct and Furious had the final say, then Karin could undermine her hostess safely. No wonder Chloe was so irritated by her presence. She could sense the disdain in the posh woman’s gaze as she took another handful of lamb, ate it and then licked her fingers clean. What a commoner.

Saloninia hovered by impatiently, watching the new slave through narrowed eyes. She guessed the girl to be her junior by at least five years. Where Aurelia’s figure was diminutive, Saloninia tended towards plumpness, and where the younger girl’s appearance suggested Roman origins, the handmaiden’s dirty blonde hair and blue eyes were typical of her homeland of Gaul. She was dressed in a plain white tunic, which though clean and of a decent quality was clearly inferior to the one Aurelia wore. Saloninia wondered jealously what services Aurelia had performed on the Master of the house to win such favour.

As the slave girl helped herself to wine, Saloninia hurried forwards, keen to offset another outburst from her Mistress. “Please, girl, come with me. You’ll make no friends with such an attitude.”

Karin turned to argue, but held her tongue as she saw the genuine look of distress on the handmaiden’s face. Doubtless it would be this woman who was blamed if Karin continued to refuse Chloe’s command. Relenting, she set down the cup and nodded at the older slave. “Alright, I’ll come. You needn’t worry.”

She followed Saloninia out of the dining room through a different door to the one that Antonia and she had entered, resisting the urge to shoot a final contemptuous glance in her new Mistress’s direction. Saloninia was right; such an attitude would not make her any friends, although she doubted she stood much chance with Chloe anyway. Instead she focused on the lady ahead of her. “What’s it like, working here?”

Saloninia didn’t turn around as she answered. “It’s a good life. The house of Medullinus is well respected and they treat their staff fairly. We may not all get treated like a guest…” at this she paused and shot Karin a scornful glance… “but we are kept well and not punished unduly.” She turned to her left and pushed open a small door. “This is your room.”

Karin followed her in, unsure what to make of the other slave’s disdain. She had expected it from Chloe, but she had hoped that the staff at least would be friendly. She looked around the room. It was fairly small by Roman standards but was still bigger than anything she had known before. At home the sleeping area was separated from the main living space of the hut by a curtain. Piled sheepskin and rugs made the floor softer, and the cooking fire kept the whole hut warm. Here, a large bedframe supported a mattress, cushions and sheets. The rest of the room was empty save for a small wooden chest, presumably intended to hold her possessions, although she had none. She walked towards the bed and let the sheet run through her fingers. “Thank you,” she said softly. She heard Saloninia snort behind her and turned, questioningly. “You don’t like me, do you?”

Saloninia grimaced. “Suffice to say I think it odd that a waif like you get treated with such favour, when those of us who have been loyal to the household for many years continue to live in the outbuildings and work for the privilege.” She scowled at the young girl. “I don’t know exactly how you have whored yourself out to earn this room and nor do I want to. I hope it’s worth it.” She turned on her heel and was gone before Karin had chance to reply, leaving the Celt alone in her new room to process what she had just said.
 
Antonia watched as Saloninia tried to get their new 'guest' to leave quietly when his mother had threw her little temper tantrum, but Aurelia's answer was absolute gal. She'd said that she would leave when she had her fill and Antonia laughed at the rebellious statement. The look on his mother's face was priceless, but after a little more goading the newest addition to their household eventually relented and followed Saloninia out of the dining hall. His Mother walked up to him the expression on her face was that of disdain.

"Why are you humoring her? Is it simply to torture me like your father does?" Chloe asked, her manicured hand coming up to stroke her handsome son's cheek.

"I wish nothing of the sort mother, Father asked us to treat her as a guest and I am doing just that. We do you choose to disobey him? Aurelia has done nothing to you to invoke your distaste of her." Antonia answered as he dipped another piece of yogurt covered roasted lamb meat into his mouth. His mother saw the excess yogurt on his fingers and seized them, taking them into her mouth and sucking the gooey white substance clean from his fingers.

"And yet there must be a reason he treats her so, I've been in his personal study and seen the miniature model he's constructed of the lands surrounding the fort he was charged with when he was stationed in Britania. Anyone who would spend that amount of time reconstructing it must surely be obsessed. He's brought this Celt into our home in hopes of reliving whatever conquests he must have experienced. And you make the assumption that I am overreacting? Son let not your father's hubris cloud your judgement, this girl is a savage." Chloe said, pulling close to her son.

"Maybe he desires something more savage, maybe the etiquette and manners of Rome hold no interest for him anymore. I can see why he might desire the more rural ways of life, I myself find this savage warrior woman quite enticing. Maybe I'll take her for my wife." Antonia said, pushing away from his mother's advances.

"Don't you dare say that! How dare you even jest about something so disturbing? DO you wish me to die of a conniption? You will marry a prominent noble woman and bring the glory that your father shuns back to our family. I've told your Uncle Sextus that you would court his daughter when you are ready." Chloe angrily sneered.

"Cousin Bellatrix? She is chubby and loud, sure she maybe be well experienced in the ways of coitus but I do not desire her, I've scorned her advances since we were young, I'll not change my mind now, especially now that there is a proud strong beautiful woman right here in our own house. Do me a favor and leave my romantic escapades alone, I need not your help finding love." He said stalking away from his mother.

Antonia walked down the hall to where the guest bedroom was, at first he thought about just opening Aurelia's chamber door and walking in unannounced in hopes she may be undressed, but then decided against it. His knuckles came up and he rapped on the door gently three times.

"Aurelia, I am sure you would like to clean up after such an arduous journey, don't let my mother's sour attitude spoil your time here, come to the baths with me and we'll have a swim. The cool water will refresh you and swimming always cheers my mood, so it shall yours too." He asked through the door, hoping that she would agree so that he could gaze upon her nude form.
 
After Saloninia’s harsh rebuttal, it was something of a relief to Karin to hear Antonia’s friendly voice through the door. She crossed the small room quickly to open it. The minutes alone had proved useful for some self-reflection. While first and foremost she might consider herself a fighter, Karin had always prided herself next on being a realist. The situation she found herself in was not going to change, at least not in the near future. Furious had paid 13,000 denarius for her, however much that was. It was foolish to think that she would not be watched closely to see that she did not try to take her leave of the Medullinus household.

Better to try to make the most of her situation, Karin decided. The quicker she appeared to settle the sooner her security would be relaxed, she guessed. In the meantime, she would eat their food to grow stronger and observe their ways to learn more about their culture. Antonia appeared to be the most receptive to her so far, and so remaining close to him seemed to be Karin’s best option.

When she opened the door therefore she made sure she turned on her charm, giving him a shy smile. “I should like to swim,” she agreed. “Thank you Master.” She followed him out of her room and along yet another corridor. The house was clearly extensive, and she felt lost in the maze of halls and rooms that they passed. The place was well kept, and as they passed through an open courtyard into the grounds she saw the groundsmen than Antonia had mentioned tending to the flowerbeds.

Steps led up to a large pillared building. A paved walkway encircled a large sunken pool. Karin gazed at in in amazement. The water was clear, clearer than any lake she had ever seen, and as she peered into it she could see faint mosaic patterns at the base. Furious had definitely not exaggerated his wealth; she doubted that many people in Rome could afford such a luxury. She walked to the edge and dipped her foot in, shivering as the refreshing coolness of the water sent a tingle through her spine.

Karin longed to swim, and yet was acutely aware of the young man standing beside her. As she contemplated the water however Karin found herself surprisingly unbothered at the thought of undressing in front of him. Already today she had stood naked before a crowd of hundreds, been fondled intimately by Faustus and then been lusted after by Antonia’s father. Having one more person see her nudity seemed to make little difference now. How quickly Rome was changing her. Still, as she moved a little way into the water and shyly pulled her robe over her head Karin could not help the blush that spread across her cheeks. She took the rest of the steps into the water quickly, not stopping until she was submerged to her neck. The refractory index of the water and the disturbance her movements made to its glassy surface afforded her at least some privacy.

She waited until Antonia had joined her, and then sought to break what she perceived to be the awkward silence. “May I ask, Master, how old are you? Are you a soldier like your father?”
 
Antonia watched giddily while Aurelia unclothed herself and exposed her exquisite body, she looked strong and lean, unlike the other Roman girls he'd been with. He reached up and pulled the toga's shoulders down over his muscular arms and let the garment fall to his scandaled feet and kicked it aside. He stood in the fading dusk light, and looked much like the statues that filled his house complete with bulging muscles and tanned skin instead of white marble, although a fig leaf wouldn't do the job of hiding his well hung phallus as it did the modestly sculpted statues.


“May I ask, Master, how old are you? Are you a soldier like your father?” The beautiful slave girl asked and Antonia laughed at the question, not offering an answer.

Antonia bent low, taking his time so the girl could get a good look at his muscular buttocks and undid his scandals also kicking them aside and then leapt into the air and dove into the water with barely any splash. He swam under the water almost the whole length of the pool before reaching Aurelia's naked form, his hands gripping her waist and running up her the dip of her sides as he resurfaced. A charismatic laugh and a swipe to pull his wet curled hair out of his eyes as he stared into her eyes, finally he gave his answer.

"I'm seventeen seasons old, and no, I've not done any soldiering, although my father wishes for my enlistment in the Emperor's service, alas my mother has forbid it and thanks to our high status I'm not required. She says that I am destined for the Senate, not trudging through foreign lands, she says I shall thrust arguments among civilized men, instead of spears at uncivilized ones. What of you? How old are you and have you participated in warfare?" Antonia asked, his hand coming up to brush an errant strand of her brown hair from her face so that he could see her pretty eyes.

Antonia swam toward her every stroke she swam away, he wanted to be close to her, feel the warmth of her naked body against his own, press his swelling cock against her sex.
 
Karin deliberately turned her eyes down to study the water as Antonia began to undress before her. She was no stranger to male nudity – some Celtic tribes made a habit of taking naked warriors into battle to intimidate their opponents – but this felt more intimate somehow. He bent to undo his sandals and she could not stop her gaze from darting up as his back was turned. Antonia was strong and well sculpted, the lines of his body running smooth and curving sharply around each muscle. His back was broad and his buttocks… Karin blushed… were firm. He straightened and turned and she took in his large girth with incredulity before she remembered herself and dropped her gaze again quickly, her cheeks hot.

He dove into the water, and she barely had time to admire his strong strokes before he was upon her, his hands moving across her waist and her concave abdomen as he surfaced. Karin stiffened instinctively at his touch but his carefree laugh was infectious and she felt herself relaxing again.

He answered her question then, and Karin cocked her head onto one side as she listened to his answer. His mother and father’s reactions did not surprise her; in the short time she had known them she had already formed decisive opinions of the two. That Chloe was ambitious for her son and protective for his safety Karin did not doubt, just as she had no trouble imagining that Furious had a more militant career in mind for Antonia. As for the young man himself, Antonia seemed to be like both and yet neither of his parents at the same time. Karin was rather glad of the latter.

He stood close to her in the water, his hand brushing an unruly curl from her face, and Karin became uncomfortably aware of their proximity and their nudity. The water here was not deep enough to cover her completely, and she could feel it lapping against the underside of her breasts. Her nipples were exposed, teased to stiffness by the coolness of the pool, and as Antonia fixed his eyes on hers Karin was acutely conscious that he need only to look down to be able to study her intimately. She took a step back from him, seeking deeper water, but as she moved away, Antonia steadily closed the distance.

She moved suddenly, ducking under one of his arms and diving under the water. She was fast and streamlined and made it to the far side of the pool before she had to surface for breath. She pushed her hair from her face only to find Antonia still following her. He was swift and sure in the water and she could not continue to outmanoeuvre him. As he neared her for the third time Karin relented, allowing herself to be caught. As his hands reached out for her she sought to distract him by answering the question he had posed to her.

“This will be my nineteenth summer” Karin informed him, trying to engage his attention. “And of course I have fought. Multiple times.” Her brow furrowed as she imagined a life where this was not a necessity. “There is always some boundary to be contested or some threat to be overcome. When Romans thrust their spears at us, I can thrust back just as hard.” She caught his earlier reference and threw it back to him, tossing her head back proudly. “I’ve had many men at my mercy.”

“He’s asking whether you’ve fought, not whether you’ve fucked.”

The voice rang out from the other side of the pool room. Karin jumped in surprise, lost her footing and disappeared momentarily under the water. She resurfaced quickly, coughing out the water she had swallowed and looking for the owner of the deep voice that had just called out in such a way. Her eyes found a man leaning against one of the pillars, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

The man’s skin was dark – darker than anything she had ever seen, and she stared at him in amazement. He caught her gaze and his lip curled in amusement. He looked to be around thirty, with a huge hulking frame. Karin guessed him to be around six foot four at least. The width of his bicep was easily larger than her neck. He had cropped dark hair, and wore a gold ring through one earlobe. Her eyes travelled down to his abdomen where a stark linen bandage wound around tightly. An angry pink gash escaped the base of the bandage and travelled down his right thigh, and on the other side the scar rose out of the dressing across his left pectoral muscle.

Ruin held a hand to his abdomen as he walked to the edge of the pool, sitting down and dangling his feet into the cool water. He smirked at the sight of the young pair. “Sorry if I’m interrupting.” He leaned back slightly, easing off some of the tension in his wound and hoping the pain didn’t show on his face. Weakness was never a good sign in a gladiator, especially not in one as truculent as Ruin. Stubbornly defiant, servility was not in the fighter’s nature. Furious Medullinus only tolerated him because Ruin had never yet lost a fight in the pit. Even his most recent encounter he had won, though at a heavy cost. The lion had almost gutted him and the wound was taking time to heal. Unwilling to lose a prized gladiator, Medullinus had allowed the man such liberties as he required to recover fully, and Ruin was fully exploiting the opportunity. He would never be allowed to use the pool normally, and he took pleasure in being there now, seemingly thwarting his young master’s attempts at seduction.

“So you’re the new slave our Lord and Master paid so much for?” he called, regarding Karin critically. “I can’t see why. Your tits may be pert but there are many who are far more buxom than you.” He grinned as Karin flushed. “I guess your value lies somewhere further south. You want my advice? Stop fighting. Pick one of them and fuck them and then your value and your interest will be gone.” He leered at her. “Hell, I’ll do it if you want. You’re a pretty young thing.”


Karin shrunk back against Antonia, unsure what to make of this newest arrival on the scene. The man was exotic and crude and his words made her cringe. She looked up to the man beside her in the water for help.
 
Antonia laughed when Ruin suggested that she pick one of his family to fuck, not because he thought it was funny, but because he was intimidated by the large black gladiator. He'd always gotten along with the Celt gladiator, but this Moor was a different story all together. The man had a certain ego that was simply indomitable, and even now although he was injured, his personality always seemed to make Antonia shrink back. The other thing was that he could see the look in Aurelia's eyes when she met the big black man's gaze.

"Good to see your feeling well enough to enjoy the pool Ruin, though I wonder what my father might say if he knew you were talking to one of his guests in that manner." Antonia said, but could muster enough courage to meet the injured gladiator's eyes.

Antonia reached out and grasp Aurelia's hips with his hands underwater. He squeezed her and pulled her in close to his own naked form. "You obviously like what you see here. This is Aurelia she's my father's newest slave, but he claims she isn't to be treated as such. Beautiful isn't she?" Antonia asked, letting his hands roam over her form, coming up and gripping her breasts, pinching her perk nipples between his thumb and fingers. "Would you like her to massage your huge black cock?" He asked, now finally meeting the gladiator's eyes.

"What say you Aurelia? Surely you've never held a Moor's big black snake, would you like to?" He whispered into her ear.
 
Ruin smirked at Antonia's humourless laugh. The gladiator dwarfed the slender Roman teenager, larger in both height and bulk. He shifted position, stretching in a seemingly casual way and allowing his muscles to ripple and tense. The way that Antonia refused to meet his gaze amused him. Some slaves might chafe at subservience to one so much younger; Ruin simply ignored the problem by treating the boy with casual indifference, and relying on his intimidating aura to prevent Antonia from trying to exert his authority.


"It will take more than a lion to fell me. Your father can rest easy knowing the denarii he spent on me have not been wasted." Ruin's voice was deep and gravelly, and tinged with an accent that fought against the Latin words, making them sound strange and exotic. "I wonder what he would say if he knew you were after his prize. I doubt he bought a maiden so that his son could sully her first." He grinned again lazily. His words might only be based on suspicion, but that did not matter if it got a rise out of the young man.



Karin gasped as Antonia pulled her tighter towards him. Throughout the whole exchange she had been gaping at the wounded gladiator, her gaze uninhibited as she studied his unfamiliar appearance. Their exchange of words had gone largely unnoticed by her, but now Antonia's greedy hands pulled her back to the present. She cringed as they reached her breasts, but he was tight behind her, pressing into her and making evasion impossible. His fingers were questing and when they found her nipples and pulled she gave another gasp, tinged with both pain, embarrassment and something else that she couldn't identify.


He leaned forward then, his breath hot in her ear as he spoke. Karin shivered at his words. It seemed to her that everybody in this godforsaken country was lusting after her in some way and she felt hunted, trapped like the rabbits she often caught in her snares back home. She could feel Antonia’s length pressing against her, hard and firm, and she let out a small moan of fear. Her eyes swept back up to the dark gladiator and as she met his gaze he gave her an amused smirk. Suddenly she felt irritated, annoyed that Ruin was right and her value was so tightly bound to the one thing she was afraid to relinquish.


Her mouth set into a scowl. It was frustrating, to be passed from one man to another to be desired and commented upon as though she was nothing more than an animal. Therefore when Antonia repeated his question, rather more insistently, she tossed her head. “Maybe I would,” she challenged. “Maybe I will, and then my value will be gone and your father will regret buying me.” Her eyes were fiery as she spoke.


Ruin gave a bark-like laugh. “It’ll take more than your hands gripping my cock to rid you of your innocence, girl.” He slid into the water, one hand still carefully on his abdomen, and then began to wade towards the younger pair. He stopped just short of them, gazing down and scrutinising Karin’s body, his eyes focused on her breasts as Antonia continued to fondle them. “Once your walls are gripping me as you ride me… that’s another story.” He seemed to remember Antonia then, and he looked up with a sarcastic smile. “I rather think though that your attentions will be demanded elsewhere. I doubt your masters, young or old, would take up with a Moor’s leftovers.”
 
Antonia's body tensed with pleasure when Aurelia responded with fury in her voice, yes her tone was defiant but her words made his already hardening cock swell even more. As Ruin approached them, Antonia's hands dropped from Aurelia's tits and slid down to her waist and gripped her hips, pulling her tight round ass back against his swollen cock.

"I think this warrior princess doth protest too much, she is indeed fierce, aren't you worried she may be too much for your wounded form?" He said with a laugh.

Antonia couldn't wait to push his throbbing cock into Aurelia, he reached down and slid his hand around the backside of Aurelia and let his fingers press into the cleft of her ass, spreading her cheeks and forcing two digits down against the warmth of her pussy. " Go on then Ruin, pull out that big black monster that my mother loves so much and let Aurelia stroke it's length." Antonia commanded as his hand tried to enter the girl's fleshy mound.
 
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