Domus
by
UrsusMajr
June,
92 AD
"Sir! Please wait,
sir!" The young boy ran up, panting. Rufus called to the oxen
to stop and turned to see who was calling to him. He recognized the
innkeeper's youngest son.
"Yes, boy, what is
it?" The boy was panting, trying to catch his breath and answer
at the same time.
"A letter, <gasp>
for you and the other gentle <wheeze> man, it was left with
<gasp>..."
"Here, take your
time, boy." Rufus got down from the cart and walked over to the
boy, who apparently had run all the way from the inn to catch him.
Once the boy had caught his breath, he said, "Now, what is this?
Are you sure it's for me?"
The boy nodded. "A
tradesman left it with my father, saying to be sure and give it to
either the big man with the black beard, or the shorter man with the
copper colored one." He looked Rufus up and down. "That's
you, right enough." Now that he had recovered from his
exertion, his natural cheekiness was surfacing. He held on to the
scroll.
"Well, hand it over,
then."
The boy made to hand it
over and then withdrew it. "It's a hot day, and it's a long way
back to the inn, sir..."
Rufus chuckled and
withdrew two quadrans from the pouch at his waist. "Here you
are then, you young rogue." Rufus took the scroll and watched
as the boy skipped and ran back down the road. He got back on the
cart and lightly touched the whip stock to the oxen's rumps. They
lurched into motion back up the road. Once he was confident that the
oxen were under way, he examined the scroll. He immediately
recognized the seal. 'Why, it's from Lucius. Now, why would he be
writing to us?' thought Rufus as he rode along the bumpy track that
served as the road between Rocca and his and Maximus' smallholding in
the foothills south of the town. He broke the seal and slowly read
the letter, frowning more and more.
To my dear friends
Rufus and Maximus, salvete!
I trust this letter
finds you both in good health. A kindly merchant has agreed to take
this message to your town of Rocca when he travels to Clusium. I am
well, but I have sad news to relate. My beloved Lucius passed on
this last Ides of Aprilis. I found him in the garden, sitting
quietly, when I went to rouse him for the midday meal. He had died
peacefully; he did not suffer, his face was quite composed. I am glad
of that, but I miss him dreadfully.
Lucius was a skilled
and successful businessman and left me well provided for. He has
left the fundus to the two boys, Marcus and Lucius Tertius. They
will likely sell it. They inherited their father's business skills
but not his fondness for the countryside, I fear! Cornelia has asked
me to come and live with them in Rome, but she and Septimus are
expecting their third child soon, and in any case, I think young
couples should have their homes to themselves. I will help with the
birth, of course; but I will look for a small place of my own. I
still have many old friends in Rome. Anna, Sabina, and Decimus will
come with me, of course.
I know that a trip to
Rome would be an undertaking for you, but I should like to see you
both one more time; so if you ever get to Rome, DO come and see me.
Rufus, you know where Cornelia lives, and she can tell you where I
end up. Lucius left a small memento for each of you, and I shall
take those with me when I leave here, which will be soon. Either I
or Cornelia will have those for you.
You know how much
regard Lucius had for the pair of you, myself as well. He was very
sorry not to have seen you one last time before he met the ferryman.
Bless you both, and may the gods always watch over you.
Antonia
Rufus
was overcome with emotion as he read Antonia's letter. He had known
Lucius and Antonia literally all his life, and Antonia had been very
much like a mother to him after his own had died a few years after
his birth. Lucius and Antonia were kind to all their slaves, but
Antonia seemed to hold a special affection for the happy little red
haired boy, the son of her long time personal slave. It had been
Antonia who had taught Rufus to read and write, originally intending
him to be a scribe. When he showed an unexpected talent for numbers,
he was kept on in the household and eventually became the dux servus
of the domus. It was a tribute to the fair and considerate treatment
of their slaves by Lucius and Antonia that there was little friction
in the domus, but also to the levelheadedness and sensitive nature of
Rufus in his eventual role as chief slave. Though
he was young for the role, he was well liked by the other slaves, and
behaved like a manager rather than a master. Cheerful and
easy-going, he was never above sharing in whatever work needed doing.
Approaching their small
farm, Rufus reflected on their state in life, as he often did when
arriving back home. 'Sometimes,' he thought to himself, 'I think I
am dreaming, that it's all an illusion that will vanish if I wake up.
And then I feel my Beast's body next to me in bed, or I see the
horses coming to fence to see who's riding up the track, and I
realize that it is all real, that we have a home, together, that we
can be
together and free, never to be sold'. Those
thoughts gave great joy, especially if other events were threatening
clouds.
When Rufus arrived at the
fundus, he unloaded the cart while Maximus unhitched the open and let
them into the field. "Here, I'll get that," Maximus said,
shouldering an amphora and heading inside. "Wine, I hope."
"Yes, that one is.
The other is oil. Its the first pressing of the olives and it's
quite good, I think. It cost enough!"
"What's that,
Wolfpup?" Maximus said, nodding towards the scroll with the
broken seal that Rufus had tucked inside his belt. "You look
sad... something wrong?"
"It's a message from
Antonia. Here, sit and read it. I need some water, I'm parched."
Maximus slowly read the scroll as Rufus dipped some water from the
pail, freshly filled from the well, and joined him at the table while
his Beast read.
"Wolfpup, I am so
sorry." Maximus continued to read. "What's this word
here? I don't know it." Rufus leaned over Maximus' shoulder,
looking at the word Maximus was pointing at.
"Memento... it's a
kind of keepsake, something to remember the person by."
"Lucius has... had
already done more than enough for us. We can never forget him,
that's absurd to think we could ever forget him. We owe just about
everything to him." He put his hairy arm around his Wolfpup's
waist and hugged.
"True. But I also
know he and Antonia have always felt they owe their lives to us."
The were both silent for a while, remembering.
"Wolfpup, I think you
should go to Rome and see Antonia." Before Rufus could object,
Maximus hurried on. "I know we can't leave the place
unattended, and I know you won't like traveling alone. But Lucius,
and especially Antonia, meant and mean a lot to you. I know that.
You should go, and tell Antonia that I grieve for her loss as well.
I know she will be very happy to see you again, and she will
understand why I could not come."
"Beast, all you say
is true. She would be disappointed but understand. But being apart
for a month, traveling alone, I just don't think..." Rufus
swallowed hard and look straight at Maximus. "No. No, I don't
think so. Not alone. Not without you. Maybe sometime in the
future, but not now." Rufus' face showed the inner conflict he
was feeling.
Maximus got up from the
table. "All right, love, we can leave this for now, I know it
bothers you. We'll think on it for a while." He gave his mate
a long, tight hug, and then got some water for himself.
That night, in bed, the
big man held his slightly smaller love close throughout the night,
folding him in his arms, humming softly as he finally fell asleep,
and stroked his chest and belly when he turned restless in the night.
Several weeks later, Rufus
was returning from his weekly trip to Rocca. He usually stayed over
night, returning home in the late afternoon of the following day.
This gave him almost two days in town, where he was a part-time
scribe and accountant for several businesses. Rocca was still a
small rural town with few literate citizens and no magistrate, and
few large businesses; but there was a need for someone to manage the
paperwork required by Imperial taxation, and other business concerns.
There was just enough work to keep Rufus busy for a day or two each
week. Word had gotten around about his honesty and skill. His
script was much admired. So the cheerful, stocky man with the red
hair and striking copper beard was a welcome sight in the town.
Word got around about the
horses, too: good, sturdy stock, well-bred and cared for by the big,
honest, bearded hulk who sold the occasional yearling or two-year-old
at a decent price.
Initially, there had been
the usual questions about the newcomers who lived outside of town and
raised horses. The cover story that Lucius had suggested to them
years earlier had satisfied the rural curiosity. Of course, everyone
knew of the epic disaster of the Vesuvius eruption; and the two men
who had lost everything, business, family, all of it, told a tale
that was accepted as Lucius predicted it would be. And if any
wondered about the two men who kept to themselves and did not seem
interested in finding new wives... well, who could blame them,
really. It must have been hard indeed to see your loved ones crushed
before your eyes; perhaps to even feel some guilt at surviving when
they had not. In any case, both men were pleasant enough and willing
to chat a bit and to share a mug of posca when they visited the town.
The innkeeper mentioned to
his wife, "It's odd, the big one is nice enough, cheerful, will
talk your ear off about his horses. But ask him about his family and
he clams right up."
"I'm not surprised.
Now, you leave off pestering him, Gaius. I heard that he saw his
young wife and their infant son crushed by a falling wall as they
were fleeing, and his business partner had to pull him away from
trying to lift the entire wall off them. He must be still grieving,
so you leave him be, you hear? And I know his business partner lost
his family in the mad
crush in front of the Temple of Venus Pompeiana, trying to escape
that awful volcano. Trampled to death, they were, right in front of
him." Seeing her husband's questioning look, she snorted and
put her hands on her hips. "Oh, come on Gaius, you know who I
mean, the one with the red beard, he keeps our books for the tax
man... and I don't want him upset, either. He's honest as the day is
long, which is more than you can say for anyone else you've hired for
that job!" The wife frowned and bustled off into the kitchen,
intent on preparing the mid-day meal for their guests, and left her
husband shaking his head as he imagined the horror of fleeing
Vesuvius.
Finally nearing home,
Rufus guided Clover, the small, gentle horse that he had become used
to riding, towards the stable. Clover was his transportation into
town when he didn't need the ox cart to bring back supplies. He
still wasn't entirely comfortable on horseback, and to distract
himself, he had been thinking of Maximus' hairy body and the thick
cock that jutted out from the black pelt that covered his crotch.
His own erection poked up under his tunic, demanding attention. He
thought of their lovemaking, sometimes stroking himself, 'priming the
pump' as his Beast called it. He hurriedly dismounted and removed
the double bags that he carried his writing materials in. Maximus
heard him and strode out of the stable, a wide grin on his face.
Rufus practically ran towards Maximus with open arms.
Maximus put his arms
straight out, to fend off Rufus. "Oh, no, Wolfpup, I stink of
horse and sweat!" Rufus seized his lover anyway and buried his
face in the thick mat of hair that covered most of Maximus, rubbing
his face and beard all over the Beast's chest.
"I love the way you
smell, love. It's you, and it makes me feel safe and, well..."
Rufus took his Beast's hand and placed it firmly on his surging
erection. "Take me, love, be my stallion, breed me." His
low growl was muffled in Maximus' pelt, felt more than heard.
With only a brief moment
to wonder, 'What brought this on?', Maximus yelled,"Yes!"
and swept Rufus up and into his arms and carried him into the barn.
"Is this all right? Here, I mean?"
"Yes, let's give the
horses some lessons on proper breeding." Rufus nuzzled into
Maximus' chest again.
Maximus laughed. "I
don't know if Nocte needs any lessons, he seems to be doing well
enough on his own. But you and I will give them a show." He
set Rufus down on a hay bale and spread a blanket out over a pile of
sweet smelling fresh hay. He stripped off his sweat soaked tunic and
turned to face his lover, his erection reaching full extension with
his foreskin half retracted over the head of his cock. Rufus was
pulling his own tunic off over his head. He gazed lovingly at his
big, hairy Beast.
"Take me, Beast,"
he repeated. "Fuck me, breed me. Put yourself inside me."
He knelt on all fours on the blanket, pushing his red furred rump
up, his ball sack full and tight, his cock rigid. He looked back
over his shoulder. "All the way home, I was thinking about... I
need you so bad, Beast."
Maximus knelt behind his
Wolfpup and spat in his hand twice, and worked it into his lover's
ass, pressing one blunt finger into the opening. Rufus grunted and
pushed back. Maximus continued massaging the muscle ring and
eventually worked a second and part of a third finger in.
"Holy Priapus, that
feels so good, Beast!"
"Ready?"
Rufus nodded and braced
himself. Maximus spat in his hand again and coated his rigid cock,
then dropped to all fours then reared up, placing his chest and belly
on Rufus' furry back. He flexed his cock and maneuvered around,
feeling his way towards his lover's warm open ass. He was
deliberately mimicking Nocte's behavior when he was servicing a mare.
Once he felt the slick anal orifice with the tip of his cock, he
lunged, spearing Rufus but not entering all the way. Rufus gasped
and then grunted.
Maximus braced and lunged
again, sinking his cock into Rufus, balls deep. Both men grunted
together, and Maximus began a slow, steady fuck rhythm, but Rufus
growled, "No! Breed me fast, fuck me hard!" He pushed back
against Maximus' thick member, buried in his gut. Maximus hunched
over his lover, belly and chest pressed tight, arms holding Rufus'
sides tight, looking more and more like a prime stud stallion,
fulfilling his purpose for existence. He rocked his hips forwards
and back, increasing speed with each stroke. Under him, Rufus was
panting, his own rigid cock drooling, jerking and bouncing with each
lunge of his stallion.
Suddenly, Maximus hunched
one last time, surged forward and roared in triumph as he shot his
seed deep in his lover. Two birds who had been resting in the
rafters of the stable startled and took flight. One of the stable
cats slunk away, it's mid-day nap disturbed. Maximus' rump clenched
three times, and then he backed off of Rufus, his cock softening and
sliding out, followed by a flow of his seed. Rufus was pushing some
of that out, to complete the image of equine breeding.
Maximus flopped over on
his back and pulled Rufus to him. "I expect a good sturdy foal
out of you!" he teased. Rufus laughed, and hugged his sweaty
stallion tight.
"Oh, my Beast. I
love you, heart and belly and cock, I do!" He hugged Maximus
tight. "And speaking of stink, now we both do!" He made
to get up, but Maximus stopped him.
"No, stay here for a
bit. I've something to say." He looked into his lover's eyes.
"I really think you should go to Rome, and soon. Antonia isn't
getting any younger herself, and we never know what the gods have in
store for any of us." Rufus started to interrupt, but Maximus
shook his head. "I know, I know. You've said before that you
won't go without me."
"And I won't. And I
know you can't leave the animals... who would care for them for
weeks?"
"I think I have a
solution, Wolfpup. And one where I could go with you."
"But... how?"
"The innkeeper you
keep records and write letters for has three sons. The oldest one is
usually in the stable, so you've rarely see him when you visit the
inn. He knows animals. He's of an age now, and I happen to know he
hates the idea of working in the inn for the rest of his life. We've
talked. He wants to join the legions, see the world. What do you
think of my offering him a temporary job caring for the place for the
month or so we'd be gone? We'd pay him, and he'd have to stay here,
of course; and that would get him away from his father pestering him
about the inn, and his mother trying to talk him out of the legions.
What say you?"
Rufus thought briefly.
"It's a good idea, Beast. Do you think he'd take you up on the
offer?"
Maximus smiled. "I'd
say he'd jump at the chance."
Rufus looked lovingly at
his Beast. "You know, I think that people tend to underestimate
you, but I never do.
You don't miss much and you are a good judge of people." Rufus
leaned over that kissed his lover, long and deep. "Beast, it's a
great idea, and it means we can travel together and not worry about
things here. Yes. We'll go."
"I'll go to Gaius at
the inn next week and make the arrangements. Now, let's sluice each
other off and get some of that pork we had last night. I'm starved.
Studs and breeding stock need to be fed!"
July,
92 AD
On a hot day, ten days
after Ides of the month of July, Maximus rode into town and stopped
at the inn. It did not take him long to strike a deal with Gaius to
have his son stay at the fundus for a month, taking care of the
animals and generally watching over the place.
"Young Gaius will be
paid for his efforts, of course. But I wouldn't want you to be
inconvenienced by his absence, I'd offer you a sum to make his
absence easier to bear." All this was accompanied with good
cheer, some jokes and several rounds of watered wine, paid out of
Maximus' purse. The older Gaius made a show of reluctance but
eventually 'gave in' to Maximus' proposal. In reality, he had nearly
come to terms with the fact that his oldest boy was not cut out for
running an inn, and that he would most likely run off to join the
legions sooner or later, probably sooner. He would need to get his
middle son accustomed to working with the animals and the myriad of
other chores an innkeeper's lot involved, and this would give them a
good start on the process.
"It would be best if
he could come to us by the end of this week, will that suit?"
"Oh, yes, I think
that could be arranged. Will you speak to the boy, or shall I?"
"Don't trouble
yourself, Gaius, I know you have work to do. I'll chat with the boy
on my way out, and let him know that you approve. But first, one of
your wife's excellent pork pies, I think!"
A bit later, Maximus put
his proposal to young Gaius, who was currying a customer's horse
prior to his departure. A big grin split the young man's face.
"Truly? A whole month? Yes! I will, yes!" As Maximus
had predicted, the son had jumped at the chance.
"Excellent. I've
arranged this with your father. Come to us at the end of the week
and we can show you what will need to be done with the animals and
where things are kept. Bring whatever you will need for yourself.
If your father will let you bring a horse, that will be fine, too."
They bid each other a good
day and went their ways, each pleased that things had worked out to
their mutual satisfaction.
At the end of the week,
young Gaius arrived on foot, his father having denied him the use of
a horse. "Not to worry, Gaius, you can use Daisy if you need to
return to the inn for any reason."
"I thank you,
Maximus." Young Gaius was looking about at the neat house and
the large stable and the horses grazing in the pasture. "You've
truly fixed this place up. My father said it used to be run down,
and he was pleased when he heard that someone had bought the place.
He says it's not good to have an abandoned property close by."
"Your father is quite
right," Rufus said, joining in the conversation. Ferox was
standing at attention next to Rufus, eyeing the stranger with
suspicion.
Gaius looked at the large,
sturdy dog with the lopsided ear and large teeth. "Will he be
here?" nodding at Ferox.
"Oh, no, Ferox will
be traveling with us. He'd never let us leave him behind. But he
won't harm you once he knows that you're here with our permission."
Rufus turned to Ferox. "Ferox. This is Gaius, he is a friend.
It's all right that he is here." He reached down and pet the
dog and scratched behind his good ear. Looking at Gaius, he said,
"Come closer and let him sniff you. Don't move suddenly, and
call him by name, but softly. Don't try to pet him just yet, let him
get used to you. He's quite protective of us, but as long has he
sees that we are all right with you, he will be reassured and there
will be no problem."
Rufus stood by Ferox,
resting his hand on the big dog's back. Gaius approached slowly,
holding out his hand for Ferox to sniff. "Hello, Ferox. You're
a handsome beast." The dog carefully sniffed the young man's
hand thoroughly, and then gave it a single lick.
"There you go! A
successful introduction. And now, do you want to see the stable?
Maximus will show you all you need to know, and I will get some
cheese and grapes for a snack. It's a hot day." Maximus and
Gaius moved off, with Maximus pointing out gate latches and the
location of the water basin as they walked to the stable. Rufus went
back inside to get the food and met them later in the shade of the
old oak tree that grew at the side of the house. He had a jug of
cold water from the well near the house, and put some down for Ferox
in a shallow bowl.
The afternoon was indeed
hot and it was pleasant in the shade of the large old tree. They
sat, munching cheese and grapes while Maximus went over the daily
routine of animal care. "I am glad you know horses. They are
all good beasts and should give you no trouble. Even Nocte is pretty
placid, as none of the mares are in season right now." Maximus
took another hunk of cheese. "Have you ever milked a cow,
Gaius? Butter will need daily milking." Gaius shook his head.
"A bit later, I'll show you how. She gets milked late in the
afternoon. And you'll get to meet the barn cats, they always seem to
know just when it's milking time. They want their share!"
Gaius smiled, and picked more grapes from the cluster.
"I noticed when I
arrived that there is a carving over the doorway to the house. I am
not literate, can you tell me what it says?"
Rufus answered. "It
says 'Domus'. When we first bought this place, the roof needed a lot
of repairs, and the wooden lintel and door frame were rotted. We got
a stone mason from Rocca to make a new lintel of stone. We had that
carved into it. It means our home, a shelter and refuge, the welcome
at the end of a journey. We both thought it was the proper name for
this," he said, gesturing all around him.
"Maximus, Rufus, I
have another question." Both men tensed a bit inside, expecting
questions about their former lives or why they had not remarried.
"Yes?" Rufus
said.
"Could you tell me
about how you escaped the eruption? The tales we have heard here are
just horrible." Rufus and Maximus in turn related an
abbreviated version of their escape, omitting earlier details of
their lives, and focusing on their trek eastwards out of the doomed
city and their witnessing of the final wave of heat and ash and mud
that had erased the city. Gaius was suitably awed.
"My mother says that
you both lost everything, family, homes, businesses..."
Maximus hurriedly said,
"That is all true. We were very, very lucky to escape with our
lives, as were the several families that fled with us. So very many
did not."
Rufus added after a short
pause, and before Gaius could ask anything else, "Seeing
everything that we saw... well, it's painful for me, for both of us.
Please don't ask about it again."
"Oh, sirs... I am
sorry, I meant no offense. I did not mean to cause you pain. I
won't mention it any more." He hung his head, wondering if he
had ruined his chances at a month away from parental pressures at
home.
"It's all right,
Gaius. We aren't... well, not offended actually, it's just that we
don't mention it if we can avoid it. The memories are horrible, and
they will never leave either of us." Rufus cleared his throat.
"Now, I've made up a pallet for you in the rear-most stall in
the stable, it's empty and there is plenty of room. I've put in a
spare blanket, but you likely won't need it. There's jug for water
and a basin. I'll show you where the well is when you are finished
in the stable."
"When will you
leave?"
Getting up, Maximus said,
"We plan on an early start tomorrow. You will come with us in
the cart, and then bring it back here. It's not that far to Clusium,
but we want to get there by mid day. We need to arrange passage on
one of the river boats. Now, let's get you squared away with the
other livestock, and teach you how to milk Butter." The two
headed towards the barn while Rufus went inside to prepare a simple
evening meal for the three of them, and to pack what would be needed
for the trip to Rome.
Later that night, after
young Gaius had been bedded down in the stable and the two men had
talked over the events of the day, Rufus turned to his Beast in bed
and whispered, "You know, this will be the last chance we'll
have of privacy for a while..." He grinned at the amused
Maximus.
"You are a true
devotee of Priapus, aren't you? You do the god proud!" the big
man said with a chuckle. He reached down and cupped his Wolfpup's
balls and cock with his hand, feeling the warm flesh as it thickened.
"We can't let that go to waste! The god would be very
disappointed."
They embraced and kissed,
passion taking them both. By unspoken consent, they spoke in low
whispers or not at all, and avoided the shouts of triumph that
sometimes escaped during their lovemaking. They kissed and tongue
wrestled, and nuzzled in each other's beards. Each sucked and chewed
on each other's nipples, a favorite form of foreplay for them both.
Finally, Maximus rolled on his side, facing away from Rufus and
raised his left leg. Rufus got up on his knees and reached for the
bottle of oil on the low cupboard by the bed they shared. He tipped
out some of the sweet oil and worked it in between Maximus' warm,
hairy ass cheeks. Maximus grunted and pushed back on Rufus' fingers.
"Yes! Mount your Beast. Take my ass!" Maximus whispered
intensely. Rufus needed no encouragement. With an ease bred of
years of experience, he slid his rigid cock through the slick jungle
of hair and into his Beast's rectum in one go. He did not stop with
the slight 'pop' of the ridge of his cock forcing it's way through
Maximus' muscle ring, but continued until he was in as deep as
possible. This was a satisfying position for them both, allowing for
deep penetration as well as the ability to reach down and stroke a
belly or back.
"I want to savor
every moment, my Beast."
"Me, too; take your
time, Wolfpup."
Rufus continued fucking,
now faster, now slower; varying his angle slightly to rub his Beast's
prostate more effectively until he whispered hoarsely, "I am
going to fill you now, Beast." Maximus nodded as Rufus gripped
his pelvis and pressed in tightly and gushed seed into his Beast's
willing gut. "Aahhhhhhhhhhh," Rufus emitted softly. When
his cock stopped pumping, he slowly withdrew and lay down, his belly
to Maximus' furred back. He put his arm over his lover's middle and
drew him in close.
"Your turn, Beast."
Maximus pulled Rufus' arm
in tighter. "Later, maybe. Sleep now, we need to be up early
tomorrow. I want to go over things one more time with Gaius before
we leave."
"All right, love.
Wake me if you want later on." Within minutes, Maximus was
snoring lightly, with Rufus following shortly thereafter.
A bit before sunrise,
Maximus got up silently and padded over to the bedside cupboard and
coated his rigid cock with oil. He returned to the bed and knelt on
the bedding. Rufus woke and felt Maximus poking his ass cheeks with
a hard pole of hot flesh. Smiling to himself, he raised his leg,
repeating Maximus' position from the night before. Without speaking,
Maximus pushed himself into his mate's red-furred butt. Both men
sighed at the feeling of penetrating and penetration. This was love
and lust, home and contentment to them both, and they never lost the
sense of wonder at having ended up as they were, free and together.
Maximus gasped quietly as he came in his lover, and Rufus tightened
his sphincter at the feel of the hot splash of his mate's seed deep
in his gut.
Early
August, 92 AD
They both rose as the sun
was barely peeping through the window. Maximus headed out to the
stable, and Rufus to the kitchen to make posca for the three of them.
He brought the mugs of the hot morning drink to the stable, where
Maximus was reviewing the daily routine with Gaius. "Now, do
you have all of that? I know it seems like a lot." Maximus was
still a little bit worried about leaving the fundus entirely in the
young Gaius' care, but was reassured when the young man repeated
everything back correctly.
"I won't fail, sir.
It will all be done correctly, you'll see. I like caring for
animals, and I am good at it. You'll have no cause to regret taking
me on, sir." Gaius smiled shyly. He found himself liking the
two men. They both had an air of confident masculinity, strong and
competent; but without the overbearing attitude or abruptness that so
many adults seems to exhibit towards him.
"Good. Now, help me
with the oxen. On the way back, you will need to stop in Rocca and
pick up the feed we've ordered." While the two were hitching
the oxen to the cart, Rufus went back inside to finish packing for
the trip to Rome. They would not need much on the journey, but Rufus
did pack his and Maximus' best tunics for when they visited Antonia.
Other than that, just a few daily necessities and a leather water
flask would be needed. Each would carry some of the remaining money
they had brought back from the bank in Rome ten years before.
Maximus' size and fierce look, and Ferox's imposing size and bark,
would serve as a deterrent to any cut-purses along the way. The
remainder would stay safely hidden at the fundus.
They had been frugal with
the funds, spending carefully, with an eye to value and to making the
funds last. They supplemented the money with earnings from the sale
of horse stock and earnings from Rufus' scribe work. They were not
wealthy, but they were comfortable, with a cushion for emergencies.
They would treat this trip to Rome as a kind of vacation from the
hard work of their daily lives.
Less than an hour later,
they were on the road, bumping along in the empty ox cart. Gaius was
placed in the middle and given the task of driving the oxen. The
three passed the time to Rocca in pleasant conversation,
unobtrusively steered by Rufus to topics about Gaius' family and his
interests and plans. When they reached Rocca, they stopped at Gaius'
parent's inn and got meat pies and flagons of wine for each of them
for a morning meal on the road to Clusium.
Just before they reached
the outskirts of the town, Maximus turned to Gaius. "I don't
want to sound like your father, but I would urge you to think
carefully about the legions. It's a twenty year commitment, you
know; and one fraught with a lot of danger."
"I know that. And I
have thought about it, a lot. I just want more than a life running
an inn, is all. I want to see things, new things, not the same old
town and people. But I've never in my life been away, so I am not
sure..."
"You are a sensible
lad, Gaius, and the decision is yours to make, no one else's. And
you are right about seeing the world." He smiled at the young
man seated next to him. "A lot of travel, new places and
peoples to see, at least potentially. Just don't be hasty. If it is
what you truly want after careful thought, then seize the
opportunity!"
"But please, wait
until we get back from Rome!" Rufus said, and they all laughed.
They reached Clusium by
mid-day. They bid good bye to Gaius there. "Bonam
fortunam et incolumem itineribus!" Gaius waved cheerfully to
them as they walked towards the dock area by the Tiber, Ferox
following closely behind. Gaius turned the oxen and headed the cart
back towards Rocca. He was whistling, happy at the prospect of being
truly on his own for the first time in his life.
Rufus turned
to Maximus. "Do you think he will be all right?" Maximus
nodded.
"I think
so. He's a good lad, from all I've seen and heard. I know he's
happy to be out on his own. I'm not worried." He smiled at his
Wolfpup. "Now, let's get ourselves a ride down to Rome."
Rufus had
insisted that Maximus do the bargaining for passage on a river boat
to Rome. "You'll do it much better than I can... any sensible
captain will be afraid to cheat you!" Maximus snorted, but was
secretly pleased. For all his imposing size and strength and
confident masculinity, he did harbor some self-doubt. It was
important to him that he contribute equally to their life together,
and he sometimes felt that he was less of a contributor than Rufus.
They were always equals in bed, and had been from the very first; but
Maximus was keenly aware that Rufus was educated, and had been raised
in much better surroundings than he himself had. But he also knew
that he had useful skills of his own, and moreover that he was a
quick study. He easily picked up the more polished manners that
Rufus exhibited, as well as the literacy skills Rufus had taught him
at his request when they had ended up in Rocca. The respect Lucius
had accorded his groomsman and master horseman went far in bolstering
Maximus' self-esteem, as had Rufus' obvious worship of his thick,
hairy body. And Rufus had never, ever condescended to his Beast.
In a way,
Rufus was the mirror of Maximus' feelings. Sexually, Rufus was
confident and secure in the knowledge that he satisfied his mate, and
had his full love. He did not need to be attractive to women, or any
other man, only desirable to his Beast. He realized that his body
was not the Greek or Roman ideal, and Maximus' obvious appreciation
of his stocky, hairy body was a constant joy. He was comfortable
with his orientation, knowing he would always prefer sex with a man
over a woman, and above all, with his Beast. He harbored no doubts
there. What self doubts he had concerned his contributions to the
physical labor on the fundus. He had not expected the daily labor to
be so hard, and it took a while for him to adjust.
"Don't
make things easy for me, Beast. I will do my full share. I want to
work beside you, not lag behind." It had taken time, but he
toned up and added muscle to his stocky frame and wide shoulders. He
found he truly loved the work, but not for itself; it was the fact
that he was working with his lover... like two horses, harnesed
together, working as one. It was deeply satisfying to Rufus.
So it was
that Maximus was doing the looking for river transport to Rome at the
docks. As it worked out, the first captain Maximus approached had no
room aboard, nor did the second. The third, however, was glad of the
extra coin passengers would bring his purse. "Mind you, I have
many stops along the way, it won't be a fast trip. And you will need
to take your meals ashore, I have no facility for cooking on board.
There will be plenty of time while we load or unload. We tie up at
night, and I and the crew sleep on board. You can, too, if you like,
or at an inn ashore."
A price was
negotiated, and Maximus waved to Rufus and Ferox, who were waiting
dockside. They climbed the gang plank, and the captain eyed the dog
warily. "He's coming with you?" The pair nodded. Ferox
growled. "He sounds dangerous, I won't have him bothering my
crew."
"It's
all right. He's protective, is all. Once he sees you mean us no
harm, he will ignore you. There will be no trouble, I assure you."
Rufus could be very convincing when needed.
"Very
well. I leave in an hour. Be on board, I won't wait. There a
taberna just over there, you should get something to eat now, I won't
be stopping again until nightfall this day." The captain turned
to leave, and Rufus and Maximus did the same, heading for lunch with
Ferox following. Within the hour, they were back on board, and the
boat cast off and headed into the current of the Tiber, heading
south. Ferox settled surprisingly fast, considering this may well
have been his first time on a boat. He positioned himself close to
Rufus. Every once in a while he would glance up to reassure himself
that Rufus was there, and all right, and then put his head back down
between his forepaws.
The Tiber was
a highway of trade going downstream, and riverboats came in all
sizes. A goodly portion of the produce of the farming areas, as well
as the mines north of Rome moved south on the river. Food stuffs
were mostly consumed in the region where they were produced, but
other goods might travel good distances across the empire. The roads
were much safer now, thanks to the Emperor's Domitian's morality
crusade (and his brutal punishments of convicted criminals), but it
was still much faster, and a bit cheaper, to send goods by river boat
or by ship for longer distances.
August
12, 92 AD
The trip was
uneventful, but long, as promised; with the boat landing at nearly
every river town along the way. After the novelty of having full
days of leisure wore off, Ferox, Maximus, and Rufus were all of them
fidgety. Pacing up and down the deck did little to relieve those
feelings, and they were usually the first down the gang plank when
the boat docked. They strode up and down the dock areas, stretching
muscles, getting food, and relieving themselves. Finally, nearly
five hours past midday on the fifth day, they docked at the
southern-most of the Rome river harbors. Because of the curve of the
Tiber, most of the river docks were either between the Aventine and
Capitoline hills, or at the base of the Aventine. This one was
overlooked by the Aventine. They bid good bye to the captain and
headed out.
"You
know where Antonia's daughter lives?"
Rufus nodded.
"I was there several times with Antonia and Lucius, before and
after they moved to Pompeii. It's up there, on the Aventine,"
Rufus said, gesturing towards one of the seven hills that made up
Rome on that side of the Tiber. "Septimus likes to keep a close
eye on his businesses, so they live very close to one of the business
districts there." Rufus forged ahead, with Maximus and Ferox in
tow, making his way out of the crowd. "It's cursed hot, and
it's late. I say we find a place for a meal and a room for the night
and then head to Cornelia's tomorrow morning early. Agreed?"
Rufus looked at Maximus, who was sweating in the heat.
"Agreed.
Do you know this area?"
"Not
well, no. But there's bound to be an inn or someplace with rooms and
food... like that!" Rufus pointed to a moderate sized building
that seemed to be doing lot of business from their food counter,
facing the street. A sign above a doorway advertised 'ROOMS'.
"All
right, we'll try it." The pair entered the dim interior and
found a short, wizzened old man sitting behind a tall counter at the
back of the room.
"And
what would the fine gentlemen be wanting today? Food? Accomodation?"
"Both,
actually," Rufus answered. "But accomodation first, I
think."
"Ah...
well. Two rooms?" The old man looked over the counter at the
pair in front of him and waited for an answer.
"Just
the one room, with your largest bed."
"Ah."
A pause. "Well." Another pause. "I see."
Pause. "And for how long?"
"One
night only," Maximus interjected, having taken a vague dislike
for the man.
With a
knowing leer, the man said, "Well, I am sure we can find
something suitable for a pair like yourselves." At this point,
Ferox made his presence known with a loud bark. The old man
startled. "Oh, we don't allow animals inside," he said
primly, frowning at Ferox, who growled.
"The dog
stays with us or we go elsewhere," Rufus snapped, having caught
the leer and it's implication and decided that he, like Ferox, didn't
much like the man either.
There was a
long pause, with the old man locking eyes, first with Rufus, then
with Maximus. "Oh, well, in that case... if the dog stays in
your room and does not wander, and does not disturb the other guests,
and makes no mess, well...." The old man obviously was weighing
house rules against the loss of income. Ready money triumphed. "Get
yourselves something to eat out front, we have some fine items on the
menu, and I will have the room made up. And mind what I said about
the dog."
That night,
in the heat of the second floor room, Rufus and Maximus slept
fitfully. Ferox seemed on edge, too; frequently getting up to pace
about the room, but not whining or barking. In spite of the old
man's leering inplication, they had simply lain next to each other,
holding hands, but not otherwise touching due to the heat in the
room. The following morning they left for Cornelia's house early,
enjoying the somewhat cooler weather.
"Hades
take all this construction," Rufus muttered as they detoured yet
again around a construction project. "I'm getting turned around
again, Beast. I need to ask someone..." He stopped a passing
slave and asked for directions to the Baths of Licinius Sura in the
heart of the business district, and close to where Cornelia and
Septimus lived. The slave's directions proved accurate. They
stopped at the Baths, paid their fee and washed each other off,
finishing with a dunk in the frigidarium, which was very crowded.
The pair attracted more than a few furtive gazes, being easily the
hairiest men in the baths. Rufus' copper and golden coloring was
quite striking even when wet. Maximus looked like a sleek if
especially bulky sea creature, with his copious black fur slicked
with water. They dried off and donned their best tunics and made
their way to Cornelia's house. Fortunately, there was no
construction to bar their way in this quarter.
When they
reached the house that Rufus remembered, Maximus turned to him. "You
should go on, they don't know me here, and I don't know them."
"Nonsense,
Beast. It's not like we're naked or likely to use the doorstep as a
place to fuck. Besides, I imagine that Antonia has given them the
necessary details." He knocked on the door, before Maximus
could object. A slave answered.
"Yes,
sir? What can I do for you?"
"We are
here to see the Lady Cornelia. I believe her mother, the Lady
Antonia, has let her know we will be here and will need direction to
the good Lady's house." The slave looked them over with some
hesitation. "I grew up in the Lady Antonia' house as a slave,
and Maximus here and I were manumitted by Lucius several years ago.
We are in Rome at the Lady Antonia's personal request." Maximus
stood behind Rufus, immovable.
"Ah, I
see. Please come in and I will announce you to Domina. She is with
the children, so please, sit. She may be a bit." The slave
glided off down a hallway.
Rufus and
Maximus sat on a padded bench, just inside the door, facing the
impluvium. The splashing fountain at least made the room feel cooler.
The street noise from the nearby market was already intruding. It
was obvious that some money had been spent on the furnishings, and on
the very pretty fresco that adorned the wall facing the door.
Somewhere from the back of the house an infant wailed loudly.
Eventually, Cornelia entered, carying the wailing infant.
"Gentlement,
avete." She shifted the infant to the other hip. "I'm
sorry for the noise, Alba has been fussy all morning. I had to let
the nurse go last week, you just cannot find good slaves these days."
She had the good grace to color slightly. "My apologies,
gentlemen. You must be my mother's expected guests, am I right?"
The pair nodded. Alba wailed louder. "Septimus is out, I'm
afraid."
Rufus spoke.
"I remember you from earlier days, Lady, and of course, I came
here with Lucius several times as well. I'm Rufus and this is
Maximus. Your father bought him when they moved to Pompeii, so I
don't think you ever met him."
"Oh, of
COURSE! I couldn't forget that bright, bright hair of yours. Oh DO
leave off, little one." She was bouncing the child gently, but
it wasn't quieting the child at all. If anythng, the wailing
increased.
Maximus stood
up, desperate to stop the noise. "Lady, if I may?" He
gestured to the child and, somewhat surprised, Cornelia handed the
little girl over. Maximus held the child to his chest and began to
hum one of the little tunes he used with horses then they were
skittish or out of sorts. Little Alba immediately shut up and stared
wide-eyed at the large bearded man holding her and making pleasing
noises and vibration. She reached out and stroked and petted
Maximus' bushy facial hair. Both Cornelia and Rufus stared as
blessed quiet descended.
"Well,
Vesta be praised! I've never seen the like!" Cornelia was
smiling as her daughter giggled and tugged on Maximus's beard.
"MAMAAA!"
wailed a different young voice from elsewhere in the house. A war
seemed about to start, likely between the two older children.
"Lady,
we'll not take too much of your time, you obviously have your hands
full. We simply need directions to your mother's house. I do not
know the way. I assume she had told you that she wanted to see us?"
"Yes,
she did. But it's quite warm today, and it's not a short walk, and I
didn't have time to write out directions." She turned towards
the hall and shouted, "Oh, hush!"
Turning back to Rufus, "I can have Marcus drive you there in
the small cart." She walked to the hall and called out for
Marcus. She returned and looked closely at Maximus, who was allowing
Alba to chew on one of his fingers. "You must have children of
your own, uh... Maximus, is it?"
"No,
Lady, he has horses. Apparently, his horse magic works with babies,
too." Rufus was grinning at his Beast, who seemed to be quite
taken with little Alba, now that she was quiet. "And we will
gladly take the offer of a ride, if it is not an inconvenience."
"Oh, no
trouble at all. Here comes Marcus." She turned to the slave.
"Marcus, I need you to take these gentlemen to Mother's. Oh,
there's a crate with fittings that Septimus wants you to bring to the
Via Podesta warehouse as well."
"Yes
Domina. I will see to it. Gentlemen, if you will meet me just
outside when you are ready." Marcus returned to the back of the
house, presumably to get the 'small wagon' and crate and bring it
around to the front of the house.
"Lady,
we thank you. Please give our best your husband when he returns."
Rufus nudged Maximus, who was being wrapped around little Alba's
finger, and oblivious to his surroundings. Maximus reluctantly
handed Alba back to her mother, and the child began wailing again.
"Valeas, Lady."
"And
wish my Mother well, if you will."
"We
shall!" Maximus and Rufus climbed into the waiting cart and
Marcus drove off. The wailing receeded into the distance. It was
fortunate that they had a ride, for the trip was both long and mostly
up hill. But the air grew noticably cooler as they climbed, and
there were many more trees providing shade along the way.
Eventually, they reached an open square, with a fountain in the
center and several handsome villas fronting on the open area, and an
inn on one side.
Rufus tapped
Marcus on the shoulder. "I thought that private transport was
forbidden within the city... how was this possible? Has the law
changed?" Rufus remembered everyone walking everywhere from his
earlier days in Rome.
"Sir,
no, it has not." Marcus smiled. "But this is a business
errand, and so it is permitted. You are just 'extra cargo'. I am
sure Domina had that in mind when she offered the ride to you."
"Well,
thank you for the ride, Marcus, legal or not. If you don't mind, let
us off here. We'd like to surprise the good Lady. How far is her
house?"
"It's
just at the top of that street there, on the right. Are you sure you
don't want me to take you?"
"No, we
will be fine now. Vale!" Rufus and Maximus climbed down and
took their packs. Marcus turned the cart around and headed back down
the street.
"Beast,
that inn over there looks several steps above where we slept last
night. If we take a room there now, we can leave our packs, maybe
have a drink, and then head up the street. What think you?"
"I
agree, Wolfpup. I'm getting tired lugging that pack anyway."
They secured a room, and this time there was no problem about having
a dog. They had a mug of posca each, and headed up the street Macus
had pointed out to them. "He said the top of the street,
right?" Rufus nodded. "And have you noticed how much
cooler it is here? Is the heat breaking, do you think?"
"I don't
think so. I think we're just up a lot higher than we've noticed.
And all the trees. Almost feels like being in the country. The air
is fresher, too." Rufus led the way, with Ferox trotting along
next to him and Maximus on his right. On the way, he teased Maximus
about his skill with babies. "Maybe we should put you out to
stud so you can have a couple of your own!" He got a swat for
his efforts. Then, looking up, they both saw a figure standing at
the side of the street, waving. They hurried along.
Earlier in the week,
Antonia had charged Decimus with lookout duty. "Now remember, I
want you to tell me the moment you see them at the base of the
street, no dilly-dallying. You can't miss them, one is big with a
charcoal black beard, very bushy, and the other is a bit smaller,
with a copper colored beard."
"Yes, Domina, I
remember."
"Ah, that's right you
did meet them once, I had forgotten." Antonia was forgetting
more things these days, she found.
"Yes, Domina, and I
will keep a close watch. Shall I bring you your morning meal now?"
So, each day for nearly a
week, Decimus had kept watch, not knowing exactly when the two men
would arrive. Finally, he saw the two making their way up the
street. He hurried to the garden. "They are coming, Domina."
Antonia moved to the atrium and stepped out of the doorway and
waved.
"Rufus! Maximus!
Salvete! It is so
good to see you both at last! Come in, come in." Antonia stood
aside and beckoned the men into her house.
"And before I forget,
your daughter sends her greetings and hopes you are well," Rufus
said, entering the house. The pair followed their former domina
across the small, cool atrium and into a rather bright colonnade
surrounding a small garden. Ferox followed Rufus.
"Oh, this is very
nice, Lady," Maximus said.
"Lucius would have
fretted at the smallness of the garden, but it, and the house, suit
me perfectly. Not too large and not too small. Cornelia and her
husband Septimus found it for me, you know." Antonia smiled at
them both. "And please, I am Antonia to all my friends, you
must not be formal with me."
"We will try, La...
Antonia." Rufus laughed a bit. "It's hard to break a
lifetime's habit."
"Please."
Antonia motioned for them to join her on the wide couch. "This
is quite pleasant most of the year, sitting here; but I especially
like spring, watching the birds flitting about and the flowers
starting to bloom. It was Lucius' favorite season, too."
"It seems much cooler
here. It's beastly hot down by the docks." Both men were glad
they had stopped at the baths prior.
"Yes, I think
Septimus is jealous. When they found this place for me, it was
winter, so it just seemed cold, and rather out of the way. But now
that summer is making things difficult, I think he envies me the cool
breezes." She turned and looked at both men. "How well
you both look. And Rufus, you've filled out some, haven't you.
Country life agrees with you, both of you."
"Yes... Antonia.
Rufus has become quite a stable hand. He can toss a bale of hay as
well as I can now!"
"Oh, hardly,"
Rufus laughed. He turned to Antonia. "And I had no idea of how
hard the work could be, caring for animals. But I find I like it.
It's a good life, and I like helping where I can."
"Now tell me about
yourselves. But first you must tell me how you found this handsome
beast." Maximus looked at Rufus and raised an eyebrow, and
Rufus started to laugh again.
"No! No, I know how
you met your handsome
beast, Rufus. I mean him," she said, gesturing towards Ferox.
For the next few minutes,
Rufus and Maximus took turns narrating the story of how Ferox came to
live with them and how he got his name. "Three
wolves, you say? He certainly earned his name, then. And you sewed
him back together? With needle and thread? Remarkable."
Ferox, sensing he was being discussed, sat up, straight and proud.
"He certainly looks sturdy and... intimidating. He comes to
your waist, Rufus. But that ear sort of takes the edge off the
menace, don't you think?" Ferox cocked his head to one side,
and all three laughed.
"It does!" Rufus
said. "But he is a good guard dog, and an excellent alarm when
anyone strange approaches. His growl stops men in their tracks."
"And he's utterly
devoted to Rufus," Maximus said, proud of both his lover and his
canine friend.
"Do you think he
might let me pet him?" Antonia asked.
"I think so... we can
try. Here, give me your hand." Rufus took Antonia's hand and
holding it, brought his and Antonia's towards Ferox, saying to the
dog, "Easy... good boy. It's all right. This is Antonia.
She's a friend." Ferox thoroughly sniffed Antonia's hand and
arm, and then gave it a lick with his rough tongue. Antonia flinched
slightly. "No, it's all right, La... Antonia. He's letting you
know he accepts you as part of our 'pack', in a way. Go ahead, pet
him now. Scratch behind the good ear, he likes that." Antonia
did so, and smiled when Ferox bumped his head against her hand when
she stopped. "He's telling you he wants more!" Antonia
complied.
While she was giving Ferox
some extra attention, Rufus looked carefully at the woman who had
almost been a mother to him, as well as his domina. Her hair was now
totally white, and growing thin. When she had greeted them at the
door, both men noticed a slightly stooped posture, very unlike the
upright stance they remembered. She walked now with a stick, and
moved slower. Age was catching up. But her soft gray eyes still
sparkled with wit and intelligence.
"Ferox,
give Antonia a break. Here," he said, pointing, and Ferox
immediately positioned himself at Rufus' feet and lay down, content
for the moment. "Antonia, we both want to express our sadness
at Lucius' passing. It is indeed sad that we did not get to see him,
one last time. If I might ask, how was his passing?"
"I think
Lucius never really recovered from that awful day, at least not
fully. He appeared to be his old self to others in public, but then
I would catch him staring off to the west when he was alone,
muttering to himself. He was much more tired than he wanted to let
on, but I noticed. His sleep was often disturbed, and he reluctantly
confessed to bad dreams." Antonia paused. "Do you ever
dream about... well, that time?" She was addressing them both.
"Sometimes,
yes. I don't think we will every be completely free of those
memories."
"I know
I won't," Maximus said, placing his hand on Rufus' knee. The
were all silent for a while, then Antonia spoke again.
"They
say time heals all, but I don't think that is true, at least with
those of us who survived. But you were asking about Lucius. He had
been more quiet than usual for several days, in spite of it being
Spring. He always liked Spring. That morning, he had been especially
attentive to me, telling me how fortunate he felt, to have married me
and had such fine children. 'It's been a good life, hasn't it, my
dear.' I think he knew then that his time was close. When I went
out to call him for the midday meal, he was so still that I knew at
once the ferryman had called. I sat with him quietly for a good
while before calling Anna."
Rufus spoke
after a respectful moment. "I know it's only a small comfort,
but he was both loved and respected by many, and I always thought you
were both very lucky in finding each other and in your lives
together. He was kind, and generous; and a man of his word who
treated others with fairness and respect. Not a bad epitaph for a
Roman." Maximus nodded agreement.
"Now, we
want to know what has been happening in your life since you moved
back to Rome. You said that Cornelia and her husband found this
place for you?"
"Yes.
It's very nice, don't you agree?" Both men nodded, glad for the
change in topic. "She or Septimus stop by once or twice a week.
I think they feel I need to be checked up on! But I do like seeing
them, and the grandchildren. Of course I stayed with them for the
birth of little Alba... such a pretty, bright thing! So now it's two
boys and a girl. Cornelia is very happy." She took a sip of
the wine that Decimus had quietly brought in for their refreshment.
"My children have all made successful marriages and have
families of their own now; but truthfully, their children do tire me
out sometimes. The peace and quite when they all leave after a visit
to their grand-mama is heaven. I would never say that to them, of
course! I am quite fond of the chattering little magpies, in small
doses!" She sipped more wine. "The only real problem here
is that there isn't much room to entertain. I did enjoy doing that,
but, well... times change. My friends and I exchange visits in the
afternoons for gossip and light refreshment only these days. It's
enough." She paused. "Now, you must stay for the evening
meal, I've plenty room for that, and a extra room and bed for you
both."
Maximus spoke
for them both. "We don't want to cause any extra work for Anna
or Sabina, we have a room at the inn across from the market not far
from here."
"Nonsense,
it's no trouble at all."
"But
Sabina would need to..."
"Oh. Oh
dear, I forget you don't know. Sabina died a little over a month
ago, so it is just me, Anna, and Decimus now. You know, she still
had that beautiful pan you gave her, Rufus. She wouldn't hear a bad
word said about you."
Rufus sighed.
"Ah, I am sorry to hear that. She was an excellent cook, and
always kind to me. But what do you do for your meals then? I know
Anna never liked to cook. Does Decimus?"
Antonia
laughed out loud. "That lad could burn water. No, we make do
with bread and cheese and fruit and posca for our mid-morning meals,
and Decimus collects our evening meals from the inn off the square at
the base of the street. We are regular customers and they do a very
good job for us, often things that are not on the regular menu."
She turned and called out, "Decimus, we will be two more for
dinner tonight. Let the inn know, will you?"
"If you
are sure, Antonia. It would be very nice to sit and catch up, if it
won't be a bother."
"Now,
both of you, you are no trouble at all. And I must get the things
that Lucius wanted you to have. Excuse me a moment, will you?"
Antonia got slowly up from the couch and left the room, returning a
few minutes later with two parcels, neatly wrapped.
"Now,
this one is for you, Rufus. Open it." Rufus took the square
parcel and began to unwrap it. Inside the wrapping was a beautiful
inlaid wood and ivory box, a kind of flat rectangular container with
polished brass hinges and a clasp. He recognized it immediately.
"Oh,
Lady! It's his writing box! I remember it on his desk, he used it
almost daily. I packed it in the wagon when we fled." Rufus
opened the lid. Inside were three beautiful ivory handled styluses,
along with two shallow glass bottles to hold ink.
"He
thought it would be useful to you in your work, Rufus."
"Gratias
tibi ago... I will
think of you both each time I use this." He was having trouble
not tearing up.
"And
Maximus, this is for you." Antonia handed the big man a fairly
small parcel that was nonetheless heavy. He carefully unwrapped it.
Both Antonia and Rufus looked on expectantly.
"Oh.
Oh! It's... it's beautiful!"
Maximus was holding an exquisite bronze figure of a horse in full
gallop, so skillfully done it looked as if it might move at any
moment. He looked up at Antonia with a questioning look on his face.
"It's
Etruscan, and very old. I found it in Pompeii in a shop that
specialized in antiques from all over the empire. It was shortly
after we had moved there, and had purchased the fundus in Nuceria.
He was looking for horse stock, and I said I had a horse for him. He
had no idea what I meant. He was delighted when he unwrapped it,
much as you were. He always had it on his desk at the farm house."
Antonia smiled. "So you see, in a way it is something from
both of us. He always said you had a real understanding of horses,
and loved them."
Unsure of
what to do, Maximus looked at Rufus for guidance. Rufus nodded and
reached out and took one of Antonia's hands in his, with Maximus
following almost immediately. "Thank you." The simple
words spoke volumes.
The five of
them ate their meal from the inn together in the small triclinium.
"We always take our evening meals together now. It's just the
three of us, and it seems much nicer this way." Antonia laughed
as she sipped more wine. "Some of my friends are scandalized at
the mixing of social classes, and I find that delightful. I'm an old
widow now and I can do what I want and say what I please, some of it
quite undignified, I've no doubt." She reached for the glass
decanter. "Have some more of the Falernian. Septimus and
Cornelia gave me two large amphorae of it as a housewarming present.
There's plenty. I've developed quite a taste for it." She
smiled delightedly. "Shocking, isn't it?!" She raised her
glass and offered a toast. "Bibi multis annis" They all
drank and were about to set their glasses down, but Antonia said,
"Wait. I have one more." She looked directly at Rufus and
Maximus. "To love. May you both have the joy that Lucius and I
had, may it make you strong, and may it give you long life, as it has
me." They all drank.
The rest of
the evening passed pleasantly with the two men filling in the other
three on all the aspects of their lives in the past few years.
Antonia, Anna, and Decimus had rather less information to share,
their lives being much quieter now; but enjoyed hearing the stories
of the two former slaves about their adventure in Rome some years
ago, the purchase of their own land, getting the house in shape, the
things Maximus looked for in breeding stock, Rufus' funny stories
about the foibles of some of his clients in the town of Rocca, and
how Clusium had grown and changed. The ladies were shocked at the
brutality Maximus and Rufus had endured when they had come to Rome to
claim the monies Lucius had deposited in their names, and aghast at
the close call with death they had endured.
Antonia
refilled her wine glass and offered to the others. "That
explains the broken nose. I was wondering how you acquired that.
And you say that all this provided the evidence needed to break up
that criminal ring? Moneta be praised! But you both had a very
close call, near fatal, it sounds like." Rufus and Maximus
added some details to the story, but left out most of the graphic
parts. The conversation continued later and later into the evening.
Decimus particularly wanted to hear again the tale of how Ferox
fought off the three wolves. Eventually, though, the late hour and
the wine made them all sleepy. Rufus helped Decimus clear the
triclinium of the remains of the meal.
"It's
not necessary, honored sir, I can manage."
"It's no
trouble, I used to help Anna with this all the time." In the
kitchen, he dropped his voice some. "But tell me, Decimus...
how are they doing? Anna and Antonia?"
"Well
enough. They are both showing their age more and more, but they seem
to be managing. Sabina dying was a shock of course, especially for
Domina; and I know she misses the Dominus dreadfully. It's a quiet
life now, and that suits them very well. As it does for my part as
well. I can manage anything they need, though Anna will
try to do everything herself." The two men re-entered the
triclinium.
"Decimus,
please show our guests to their room, will you? Anna, I will go up
now, too. Will you get the extra blanket? I'm rather cold."
They all proceeded upstairs, with Anna watchfully climbing the stairs
immediately next to Antonia, with Ferox taking up the rear.
Showing them
their room and lighting a small oil lamp from the one he carried,
Decimus turned to the two men. "I hope you will not take this
amiss, honored sirs, but may I say that I am glad you found each
other and that things have worked out so well for you. Dominus
always spoke well of you. Domina, too."
"Thank
you Decimus. And thank you for taking such good care of Antonia and
Anna and Sabina. It's a lot to deal with, I know; and you've done
well."
"Will
you want an extra blanket? Domina is right, it actually gotten
rather chilly. I wonder if we'll have rain?"
Rufus
chuckled and said, "No, we're fine. I have my own blanket,"
nodding towards Maximus. "And I have mine," Maximus said,
nodding towards Rufus.
"Then
may Somnos and Priapus give a good night," Decimus said with a
sly smile. Rufus bid Decimus 'bonum nocte' while Maximus turned
down the bed. Ferox stood by, waiting to see which side his master
would take. Both Rufus and Maximus were laughing quietly as Decimus
closed the door softly behind him as he exited.
Maximus lit
the second oil lamp as they both took off their tunics for bed. "Ha!
No flies on him! It's nice not to have to pretend, isn't it? I
confess I was a bit worried about talking freely in front of Anna and
Decimus." He sat on the bed. "Hold a minute, Wolfpup."
Rufus turned towards his Beast. "I never tire of seeing you
naked, you know that? All that beautiful gold and copper fur. Turn
round. Antonia was right, you are filling out."
"Am I
looking fat, do you think?"
"Not at
all. It's mostly muscle now, but I love the feel of your soft belly
when I hold you in bed at night, or when you lay on me after fucking.
Your body is perfect. You are my handsome Wolfpup." Rufus
blushed lightly and went to his Beast and hugged him tight.
"You
know I feel the same way about you... broken nose and all!"
Rufus got a swat for that, but just hugged Maximus tighter. Later,
before sleep, they suckled each other, taking pleasure in feeling
each other's flaccid cocks plumping and growing thick and solid in
each other's mouths. Fed and content, they slept well, snugged
against each other in the cooler night air.
The next morning, the pair
went down to the triclinium and shared a simple morning meal with
Anna, Antonia and Decimus. Antonia smiled at the two men. "I
imagine you both must be anxious to get back to your fundus, but DO
stay for lunch. I know this trip was not an easy one to arrange,
but I want you both to know how very glad I am that you were able to
come and see me one last time."
"Oh, Antonia, don't
say..." Rufus started to say, but Antonia interrupted him.
"Now Rufus, you know
I have always been truthful, and I don't intend to change at this
late stage in my life. I feel tired. I miss Lucius, and although
Anna and Decimus and my friends are a great comfort to me, I find
myself looking forward to a good, long rest. There are fewer and
fewer of my generation left, you know; and some days I feel as if
there are not that many days left, either. Now, Anna and Decimus
both have been devoted to me, and have taken excellent care of me; so
this is in no way a reflection on them. It's just that I am old, and
there doesn't seem to be much reason to prolong this life. It's been
a good life, mind you;
but I am content to meet the ferryman whenever the call comes."
She took a sip of posca. "My, this has taken a sad turn, and I
do not mean to make you downcast. I truly am content to meet
whatever my fate may be, so do not be sad for me! And it pleases me
greatly to know that you two are happy and making your way in the
world. Lucius would be pleased, too, I know that as well."
They ate a companionable
lunch, chatted some with Anna and Decimus while Antonia took a short
nap. When Antonia rose and came down stairs, she joined them all in
the triclinium and sat on one of the couches. "Sharing stories
of the old times? Good. I do miss those days, but life moves on.
Anna, do you remember when these two came to visit and Rufus brought
you that beautiful blue scarf you treasure?"
"I do, Domina. I
could hardly believe it. And Sabina's lovely pan." She looked
at Rufus shyly and smiled at the memory.
"Now, I know you both
must be anxious to be on your way at last. No, no, I don't mind at
all," brushing away their protestations. She rose, and the rest
stood, too. "I am not sure I put much faith in the gods any
more, after... well, you know. But whatever attention they DO pay to
our affairs, may they always watch over and protect you both."
Her eyes were shining with tears.
As they were saying their
good byes, Ferox padded over and nudged Antonia's hand. She laughed,
and scratched behind his good ear, and he licked her hand. She and
Anna and Decimus waved to them as they made their way back down the
narrow, quiet residential street, each carrying their memento from
Lucius. Both Rufus and Maximus looked back and waved one last time.
The were silent as they made their way back to the inn at the base
of the street, the one that had provided their evening meal.
"This neighborhood is
nice. I am glad that Antonia lives in such a pleasant place. Much
more restful than other places in Rome, to be sure." Rufus
nudged Maximus. "You know, we have time, I'd like to show you
the Forum, and the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. We never got
to do that the last time we were here. There will be crowds and heat,
but really... they are not to be missed. I expect no one else in
Rocca will have seen them but us!" A distant rumble of thunder
held the promise of rain and a possible break in the August heat.
Their visit with Antonia
had made them both reflective and a bit subdued. Their love making
that night was slower paced, more thoughtful. About an hour before
sunrise, Maximus awoke and impulsively reached over and hugged his
naked Wolfpup tightly. "I love you so much," he whispered.
Rufus smiled and gave his beast's encircling arms a tight squeeze.
August
15, 92 AD
The overnight rain storm
had broken the heat and humidity, and the dawn was fresh and cool.
They sat outside, eating a light breakfast and sipping posca, Ferox
laying quietly at Rufus' feet. "I wonder if it rained at home?"
Maximus stretched his arms over his head and then took another bite
of bread.
"I don't know, but
not from this storm. Wrong direction for this time of year. This
came up from the south." He refilled his cup of posca. "So,
shall I play tour guide for my Beast? All the best sights in Rome,
guaranteed!" He bowed to Maximus' bark of a laugh.
"Yes, let's. It's
nice and cool today. Where to first?" They finished their meal
and began walking towards the Capitoline with Ferox trotting behind.
Rufus gave Maximus a running commentary on the city's history.
"Originally, there
were six hills making up Rome. The Aventine wasn't inside the wall
that Romulus built. Remus wanted the Aventine to be the center of
the city, but Romulus disagreed. It got ugly, and in the fight,
Romulus kills Remus, and excluded the Aventine from the city. It
wasn't until much later that the wall was extended and enclosed the
Aventine, which by that time was important to the city as a river
port. Now, the Capitoline is the center of it all, and the Forum is
the center of the Capitoline. The Senate House is there, and many
other fine buildings."
They trudged on towards
the Capitoline. The cooler weather was a blessing, making the
journey much easier than it might have been. Maximus was content to
listen as his lover rambled on, dispensing little nuggets of
information about this building or that person, until at last they
arrived at the Forum itself.
"Really, it's the
Forum Magnum, but nobody calls it that, just 'the Forum'. It's
really the center of the Empire."
"But... I expected it
to be on top of the hill?"
"Actually, it's in a
shallow valley between the Aventine and the Capitoline. The silt in
the run-off from the streams and rainfall has gradually filled it in.
But notice how all the main buildings are on, well, platforms,
like? You have to climb stairs to get into each of them, and it
makes everything seem higher." Rufus was pointing south to
various buildings. "That's the Basilica Julia, with law offices
and the courts. And next to it is the Curia Julia, the Senate 's
offices. The Divine Julius had both of those built. Behind us is
the Senate House. And over there," gesturing across the vast
open plaza, "where you see those soldiers? That's where the
Vestals live. The Temple of Vesta is just there. We should go in
and see the sacred fire, it's always kept burning."
"Can we see the
Vestals?"
"Not unless you want
to die an especially painful death, Beast."
They spent the rest of the
late morning looking about the busy center of civic life in Rome.
"Is it all paved with marble? It's huge!" Maximus asked.
"Yes... at least this
open area is. That was the Divine Augustus' work. Most of the
buildings that I've been in with Lucius are, too; though some are
just cement. The open area is big enough to hold gladiator contests
and races when games are held in honor of someone or something. And
all the Triumphal Parades end here." They stood together,
gazing at the might and wealth of Rome arrayed around them.
They ate a stand up lunch
from one of the many food vendors in the area. The owner of the cart
looked at Ferox. "He's a handsome beast. What happened to his
ear?"
"A fight. With three
wolves," Rufus said, proudly.
"You're putting me
on!"
"Not at all, it's the
solemn truth, as Jove is my witness," Maximus said, raising his
right hand as if taking an oath. "I saw it all!"
"Well, well... I
think that deserves something a little extra," the man said,
handing Rufus an extra chunk of roasted fowl. "Hail, the
conquering canum!"
After finishing their late
midday meal, Rufus said, "I want to show you the Temple of
Jupiter, and the Baths of Agrippa. I hear the Emperor has had them
completely rebuilt after the fire. But we should probably save that
for tomorrow, it's getting late."
"You're the tour
guide, Wolfpup. I am content to follow you, but I think Ferox is
getting tired." The patient dog was panting. He was content to
be at Rufus' side, but tourist activities really didn't interest him.
The pair headed back
towards their lodging on the Aventine. The much cooler temperatures
made more vigorous love making possible, and the pair took full
advantage.
"Futuo, that is SO
good, Beast!"
"Is there anything
better on this earth than fucking the one you love?" Maximus
stroked the fur on his Wolfpup's back and shoulders as he looked down
on his lover, impaled on his thick cock.
"Yes... being fucked
by him!"
Maximus watched as he
withdrew slowly, past the ridge of his penis but not all the way out,
and then slowly slid his meat back in. He repeated the motions again
and again, constantly rubbing his Wolfpup's sphincter, something that
Rufus found he really liked. Eventually, though, he had to yield to
his immense desire. He sank his shaft all the way, deep inside his
lover, and pressed him down onto the bedding. Rufus grunted and
pushed back as best he could. When he felt Maximus' belly and thigh
muscles tighten, he whispered, "Yes! I am yours, Beast, fuck
me! Fill me with your seed!" Maximus happily obliged.
Spent, he rolled off of
his reddish-golden fur-covered Wolfpup. "I love you, Wolfpup,
heart and belly and cock." He sighed contentedly. "Holy
Priapus, may we never tire of this!"
"We won't, and we
will always honor the god," Rufus said, sleepily. They fell
asleep in each other's arms.
The next day, after their
simple morning meal, they walked back to the Capitoline again with
Ferox, who would not be left behind in any case. Standing before the
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Rufus said, "You remember
yesterday when I said that all the Triumphal Parades ended in the
Forum?"
"Yes."
"Whoever has been
accorded a Triumph dismounts his chariot there, and then walks up the
hill to here, to offer a sacrifice of gratitude." They both
gazed in awe at the huge, beautifully proportioned building. "This
isn't the original temple, there have been four. The first was
destroyed by fire, and the second was destroyed in rioting during the
year of the Four Emperors. Vespasian built the third temple, but it
burned in the great fire during Titus' reign. This is the fourth
temple, most lavish of all of them. Domitian built it, just after
restoring the baths, I think." Clouds of incense wafted out of
the great open doors.
They entered and saw the
gigantic statue of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, ivory and gold, seated,
with a scepter in one hand and a thunderbolt in the other. Several
people, including a Senator, were making offerings and saying
prayers.
"Have you ever seen a
Triumph, Wolfpup?"
"You mean in person?
No, but Lucius told us all about one he had seen for the general
Cornelius Balbus, it was during the reign of Augustus. He said he
had seen nothing like it, before or since. There were captives and
foreign princes and slaves and all kinds of exotic beasts in cages,
and cartloads of treasure. Legions, too, of course. Lucius said the
sun on their polished armor was so bright it hurt the eyes. The
parade went on for hours."
"It must have been
quite a sight!" They spent the rest of the morning walking
around, marveling at the number of elaborate temples and public
buildings, tourists in the center of their known world.
After their noon meal,
they went to the Baths of Agrippa. The baths were extremely popular
with the Roman populace, and when they were almost completely
destroyed in the fire that swept parts of Rome at the beginning of
the second year of the Emperor Titus' very short reign, his
successor, his brother Domitian, had that building rebuilt before any
other. The rebuilt baths were both grander and larger than the
earlier version. Their reconstruction, so soon after their
destruction, sat well with the people of Rome, and went far towards
fostering the initial good will that Domitian enjoyed early on in his
reign.
Rufus found a city slave
inside the rotunda and paid him to watch Ferox, who was not allowed
inside the baths themselves. "I know he looks fierce, but he'll
be all right once I've introduced you to him. And here's a piece of
dried meat and bone, you can give it to him and he'll lay quiet and
chew quite happily." Rufus did the introductions in the usual
way. Ferox looked really doubtful, but the slave's offer of the
meaty bone sealed the deal. Rufus and Maximus headed back inside.
"Jupiter! I know you
said these baths were impressive, but this is almost beyond words."
Maximus was looking around him in pure wonder, only having been in
the very small baths at Nuceria once and just two days before at the
much less elaborate Suran baths. "And you say it's all free?"
"It is. When Agrippa
died and left all his property to Augustus, it came with the
stipulation that the baths would thereafter be free to the citizens
of Rome in perpetuity, and maintained by the government." Rufus
gazed about him. "Lucius took me here once when I was a boy.
This is bigger than I remember, but at least as magnificent."
They made their way across the immense rotunda that echoed with the
voices of throngs of citizen bathers, going and coming.
"What pays for all
this? I don't mean just the baths, I mean all of this," Maximus
said, gesturing to include all of Campus Martius.
"Lucius always said
it was trade, taxes, and tribute," Rufus responded. "If
you ever wonder where it all goes, you're looking at it... or part of
it, at least." He nudged Maximus. "Let's find one of the
changing rooms, and spend some time soaking, and watching."
"You are shameless!"
Maximus leered at his Wolfpup.
They spent a very relaxing
afternoon, soaking away the tiredness from their muscles in the
caldarium and then moving to the tepidarium. The seemingly endless
parade of naked men, of all shapes and sizes and endowments, provided
plentiful visual entertainment. Rufus was less self-conscious about
looking than he had been all those years ago, and the pair got their
own share of looks in return. At one point, Rufus leaned over to
Maximus and said in a low voice, "This brings back memories of
when Lucius took me here many years ago. I was fifteen, and it was
the first time I had seen so many men in one place, and naked. I
couldn't stop looking! I think that was when I fully realized where
my interests were and the type I truly responded to... your type, my
Beast."
Maximus responded, equally
quietly, "I think we are the hairiest men here."
"Maybe. But wait,
look over there," Rufus said, nodding towards another man just
lowing himself into the pool on the far side away from them.
"Ah! Then I am not
the only one!"
Rufus reached over and
squeezed his Beast's muscled thigh. "As far as I'm concerned,
you are!"
Eventually, wrinkled but
relaxed, they got out of the tepidarium, took a quick dip in the
frigidarium, and headed back to the changing room, water streaming
off their fur and beards. They dried each other off and dressed.
Looking around to see if they were alone, Rufus pulled Maximus down
and gave him a deep kiss. "I love you so much, my Beast."
Maximus hugged Rufus tight, lifting him a bit off the floor in the
process. "My love."
Two smooth young men
passing the hall outside the changing room glanced in, unnoticed. "I
thought so," one said to the other. "There was just
something about them, in the pool." As they proceeded down the
hallway, the other said in a disapproving tone, "Well, they
could both have a shave and lose some of that fat." "I
don't know, it looked more like muscle to me. But so much hair...
who would want that next to them in bed?" They turned a corner
towards the gymnasium. "Let's go to my place, after. You owe
me one, after last night."
Rufus and Maximus left the
baths and headed back towards the inn. The late afternoon sum was
casting long summer shadows. "Should we look for someplace to
eat, try something different, maybe?" Maximus said as they took
one last look at the buildings around Agrippa's baths. Some still
bore the scars of the immense fire that had swept the place twelve
years earlier.
"Sounds good. You
pick the place, Beast... just make sure Ferox is welcome!" The
pair walked on, taking their time, enjoying the late afternoon.
Maximus settled on a small taberna that was serving a variety of fish
dishes, and accepting of Ferox. Midway though their meal, Maximus
nudged Rufus' leg under the table.
"Wolfpup, don't turn
around, but I think I know that man at the table by the door. I'm
almost certain of it. He's looked this way twice now, when he
thought I wasn't looking." He finished the last spoonful of the
delicious fish stew. "Oh, I wish
I could remember."
Rufus smiled. "You
know there's only one thing for it, Beast. Go over and speak to him.
Oh, go on, you know you won't rest until you know. You can always
apologize if you really don't know him."
Maximus pushed his chair
back and walked over to the man at the table by the door. "Excuse
me, but when I saw you come in earlier, I was sure that I..."
"Maximus! It IS
you!" The man smiled. At the sound of the man's voice, the
memory clicked into place in Maximus' brain.
"Cassio? Is it really
Cassio?" Cassio nodded and stood up. The two men embraced,
like long-lost brothers.
"Jove's balls, this
is a true surprise. Here, come over, you must meet my mate."
Maximus practically dragged Cassio over to the table where Rufus had
been watching the scene unfold. "Rufus, this is Cassio, a slave
and friend. We were slaves together at Livius Caseo's, before you
and I met. Cassio, this is my mate, Rufus." The two gripped
forearms in the socially accepted fashion of men being introduced to
each other for the first time. Ferox sat at attention.
All three looked at each
other, and then began talking at once. "What brings you..."
"Are you no longer..." "How come you are..."
"Where did the dog..." They all laughed.
"Listen, there are
some tables out back in a sort of garden. If you are both finished,
we could sit there and talk. It's a nice evening." Cassio
looked at the two, almost hopefully.
"We're finished,
aren't we?" Maximus looked at Rufus, who nodded. They paid for
their meals, and made their way to the back garden with Ferox.
Maximus bought them all mugs of wine. The garden was empty, so they
had their choice of tables. They sat, and sipped the wine, which was
rather good.
"Here, Ferox."
The dog obediently padded over to Rufus, leaving the tree that might
well have had a squirrel in it. He lay at Rufus' feet, head on his
forepaws, watching the tree.
"You must tell us
your story, Cassio. What has happened that you are here? Have you
been sold? Is Livius still such a podex?" Both Maximus and
Rufus looked expectantly at the older slave.
"Ah... where to
begin?" He thought for a moment. "You remember when
Livius lost that lawsuit and sold some of the slaves, you included?"
Maximus nodded. "Well, about a year later the cook died.
Livius had been making use of her for some months. To tell the
truth, I always wondered a bit about that, but slaves die all the
time and no one cares. Besides, who would listen to the doubts of a
slave? Of course, this was before the recent law reforms. Anyway,
Livius returned from the slave market with a youngish girl as the new
cook. The thing was, the girl had two daughters, a ten year old, and
the other almost twelve. Even then, it was illegal to sell children
away from their mothers until they were twelve." Cassio took a
sip of wine. "You can guess what happened next. Livius forced
himself upon the new cook, Servila, multiple times over the next few
months. Finally, once, when it was Servila's time of month, Livius
insisted. In spite of her pleading, that man continued, not even
respecting the sacred dictates of the goddess about these matters.
Servila struck him, hard. It left quite a mark, both cut and bruised
him."
Both Rufus and Maximus
were taken aback. Neither had spent a lot of time in the close
company of women, but all knew of the restrictions placed on
intercourse during a woman's period, restrictions sanctioned by the
goddesses Juno, Venus, and Minerva. Even the foreign goddesses that
were becoming popular cults in Rome forbade the forcing of a woman at
that time. "That's terrible," Rufus blurted.
"It was a terrible
household, Rufus. We all lived in fear, of him and of that bitch of
a wife of his. And Livius had the law on his side when it came to
Servila having struck him. That's death, as you know. He locked the
little girls in a room, and the next day took Servila to the yard,
and bashed her head in. He had paid a compliant magistrate to be the
official 'witness' to the 'just' punishment of a slave that attacked
her owner." Both Maximus and Rufus shuddered, but Cassio simply
took another sip of wine.
"Maximus, you and I
know that Livius was not a small man. He had become visibly excited
when he bashed cook's skull in. I will never forget that sight.
That night, I could not sleep. I finally gave up and went outside,
thinking it might clear my head. I don't know what made me walk
across that yard and toward the back of the house, but I did. I
heard a harsh voice, and whimpering. I moved closer to the open
window and stood very still. The voice was Livius, the whimpering
was the two little girls. Livius was saying the most filthy,
depraved things to those girls, telling them in detail what he would
do to them and how it would feel. The girls were cowering on the
floor, in the corner, the younger behind the older, who was trying to
protect her little sister. Then Livius started to take off his
tunic." Maximus and Rufus continued to listen in stunned
silence.
"Something inside me
snapped, then. I was not thinking, only acting. I quietly eased the
door open. Livius was so intent on his foul desire he did not hear
me. His tunic was off and that awful cock of his jutting out
obscenely as he moved toward the two girls. I did realize, dimly,
that I would only have one chance, and I made it count. You remember
that heavy onyx cube he used as a paper weight on his desk?" He
looked at Maximus, who nodded, having seen it often enough during his
time there. "I took that and swung it, hard, at his head. I
must have hit true, he dropped like an ox, felled for sacrifice. I
stood, dumbly, and watched the blood pool under his head and slowly
run across the floor a ways before stopping."
Maximus reached forward
and gripped Cassio by the shoulder. "Good! Good for you. I
wish I had been there!"
"Ah, but my tale is
not complete. I stood there for I don't know how long before I heard
a noise behind me. I turned and saw Quintilius Varus standing in the
doorway. Quintilius was a retired city magistrate. You remember, he
lived in the neighborhood. 'What is this?' he said looking first at
Livius, then me, then the girls, then me again. For a moment I could
only stammer."
"Quintilius looked at
me hard. "Cassio, is it?" I nodded. "All right,
tell me what happened. And be quick about it."
His eyes grew wider and
his mouth hardened as I told him of what I had heard and seen, and
what I had done. I knew I would be executed for what I had done, but
I didn't care. I only cared that a foul person would no longer be
able to harm other people. Quintilius quietly stepped over to the
girls, who were still on the floor in the corner, although they were
no longer crying. He walked over to them. "Is this true?"
he asked. "What this slave says, is it true?" He spoke
quietly, but there was no mistaking the authority in his voice. The
older girl nodded, then both did together. Otherwise, they were
mute. Quintilius thought for a moment, then turned to me and gave
the shock of my life.
"All right. Listen
to me carefully. None of this happened. I will go across the road
and get my wife. You are to stay here. Do you know if there is
money in the house? Valuables? Jewelry?"
I nodded. "I have
seen Livius counting money and hastily sweeping it off his desk and
into a box on several occasions when he summoned me to service his
sexual needs. Once I saw him hide that box behind a panel in the
wall. He did not know I had seen that, and I stepped back and then
forward into the room so he did not suspect."
"Did he often make
use of you in this way?"
"Yes." I hung
my head in shame.
"Others?"
"Yes."
"Many?"
I could only nod.
"I thought so. Very
well. Now, listen to me. Find that box, and get some other
valuables you can find without waking the rest of the household.
They are not to be involved, do you hear?" I nodded. "Good.
I will return quickly with my wife." He turned to the girls.
"This slave has saved
your lives, and avenged your mother's death. Stay here, and I will
be back shortly to take you to safety. You will have no reason to
fear any more, I promise." He quickly left and just as quickly
returned with his sleepy wife in tow, carrying two blankets. He had
obviously filled her in on the outline of what had happened. She
went to the girls wrapped them both in blankets and, talking softly
and comfortingly to them, took them away from the bloody horrors they
had witnessed.
Quintilius said to me,
"All right, Cassio, this is what happened here. You heard a
noise and got up. You saw your master and another person, a man, you
think, in a struggle. There was a cry, and a loud thud. You burst
into the room, the thief dropped the things he was trying to steal,
and ran past you and out into the night, knocking you down before you
could react. You passed out and came to some time later. You are to
forget everything else that happened. Now, help me. We need to get
his tunic back on." That was more difficult than anything else
we did that night.
"Now, lift Livius and
press the back of his head to the corner of the table. No not his
desk, the marble one there, against the wall." He made sure
that a quantity of blood transferred to the corner of the table. The
skull made a kind of soft crunching noise as it was pressed into the
corner of the table. "Now help me turn him over. I'll stretch
out his arms, like he is reaching for something. Take his hand and
dip it into the blood on the floor. Pull down his tunic, get it
bloody if you can." I must have looked like I didn't
understand, for he looked me in the eye.
"Cassio, I know what
this man was and some of what he has done over the years. We are
making this look like he fought with someone trying to rob him and in
the struggle, he hit his head hard on the corner of the table. He
tried to crawl, but expired just here, where the pool of blood
formed. The thief fled in panic, leaving the things he intended to
steal when Livius interrupted him. Scatter those things between here
and the door. Ah, you found the money box. Good. Open it and
scatter some of the coins as well. I will dispose of that paper
weight." I did as he instructed.
"Now Cassio, are we
clear on what happened here?" I nodded. "Tell me what
happened." I repeated the story as he had dictated it to me.
It was slowly dawning on me that Quintilius intended to help me avoid
being charged with Livius' murder. "Good. Very good."
"What about the
girls?"
"My wife will take
care of them for now. They will be safe. She is a good, kind woman,
you needn't worry about them. We will work something out about their
futures. Poor things, they have seen things they should never...
well. It's over for them now, he can't hurt them any more."
We finished setting the
scene. At the end, Quintilius turned to me. "Take some of the
money for yourself. You have earned it." I refused, but he
insisted. "You may have need of it, depending on what happens
here in the next few days. Hide it well, but keep it close."
He looked over the room one last time with the practiced eye of one
who had investigated crimes for a living. "All right. You are
a brave and good man, Cassio. Remember all I have said to you, and
things may yet turn out well for all of us."
Rufus and Maximus looked
at each other, still aghast at the depravity and violence of Cassio's
story. "What happened after?" Rufus asked.
"Surprisingly, not as
much as I feared. I scraped up my arms and dirtied my tunic, waited
a while than then feigned 'coming to', staggered into the house and
woke the household. I told my story, and one of the city guard was
summoned. The magistrate was brought in and all of us slaves were
closely questioned. That's not pleasant, as you can imagine, but the
rest of the house slaves only knew what I had told them, and so their
ignorance was convincing." Both men nodded. "As it turned
out, the magistrates had already been investigating several
complaints about Livius. He was not well-liked in the neighborhood,
even less among the tradesmen in the area. I don't think a very
vigorous investigation was made. When the wife came home from her
sister's, she saw her fondest hope realized. By this time, she
frankly loathed her husband, and his death released her. She
consigned all of us to the slave sellers, sold the villa and land,
and left, who knows where. Before she left, Quintilius visited her
to ask about the girls. 'They are no concern of mine,' she said to
him. 'I can't sell them, more's the pity; and I won't feed them. Do
with them what you will.' The last I heard they are still with
Quintilius and his wife, and are doing well. They never had
children, so it fills a void." He stopped, and looked at both
Rufus and Maximus directly.
"So there you have
it. I am a murderer and
a thief. But I am not a runaway. I used nearly all the money
Quintilius made me take to buy my freedom from the slavers. There's
hardly any left, but it was worth it."
"By the gods! That
is some tale! And truly... you are a hero, Cassio!" Maximus
got up and pulled the older man into a tight hug.
"No, the real hero in
all this is Quintilius. Without his steady actions, I would
certainly be dead, the rest of the slaves flogged within an inch of
their lives, and who knows what would have happened to those little
girls. No, it's Quintilius who's the hero."
"You are too modest,
but if you say so, we'll agree... sort of. One thing, though. What
brought Quintilius to the house at that late hour?"
"Oh, that. I found
out later that he had come to confront Livius about the first cook's
death, and the second cook's punishment and death. He had heard one
too many things about Livius that bothered his retired magistrate's
mind." He smiled slightly. "Slaves will talk, you know."
He drained his cup of wine.
"Now, you must tell
me about your lives. Have you been in Rome all this time? Where did
you end up, Maximus? And how did you meet this handsome man with the
fiery hair?" Rufus blushed.
"Well, for starters,
we are both free, like yourself. We were manumitted together,
after..."
"Together? You
were together as you are now? How...?
Rufus interrupted. "It's
a tale that involves a good dominus and domina, and a lot of good
luck. Originally, I..."
At this point, the owner
of the taberna came into the garden. "Gentlemen, I must close
now." He stood there, arms folded, waiting for them to leave.
The three got up, Ferox following, left their empty cups, and walked
out to the street. While they had been talking, evening had crept up
on them, and it was now quite late.
"Oh, this is
embarrassing. I do
want to hear all about your lives, and would invite you back to my
lodgings, but they are very small. I doubt you would fit, Maximus,
and I am not being funny. I can barely turn around in the room
myself." The chagrined Cassio stopped and rubbed his nose.
"Could we meet somewhere tomorrow? I must hear of your lives."
"Is there another
place around here that might still be open?" Rufus asked.
Cassio looked surprised.
"At this hour? Of course not. The Emperor's decree, you know."
Maximus suddenly
understood something. "Cassio, we do not live in Rome any more.
Haven't for some years now."
"Ah, that explains...
I thought... Now, I am sure
there is a tale attached to that! Please, let's meet tomorrow. Can
we say here, at the quarta hora?"
Both Rufus and Maximus
nodded. "We will look forward to that, Cassio. Tomorrow,
then." The three embraced, this time fully, as friends. "Vale!
Securi dormite!" They parted their separate ways.
Later, in bed, Rufus and
Maximus were on their sides, facing each other, playing with each
other's fur. "He means a lot to you, doesn't he?" Rufus
looked at his Beast with love.
"Yes, he does. He
looked out for me when no one else would take the risk in that
household. He helped me with some hard-earned tips on dealing with
Livius, to make it easier for me; cared for me when that spurium used
my ass too hard. He was a good man in a hard place. He was my
friend."
"And a good and brave
man in a situation that put him in mortal peril for being so."
Rufus thought for a bit. "We should tell him everything about
us tomorrow, yes?"
"Yes, we should.
Now, come and nuzzle with me." Maximus pulled Rufus in close,
kissing the top of his head while Rufus sought his Beast's fur
covered nipple. Finding it, he latched on sucking and chewing
lightly.
"Oh, that is so good,
my Wolfpup. Yes! Futuo, feed on me. Holy gods!"
Rufus knew just how far he
could go with his actions before his Beast would lose control. He
pushed beyond that limit.
"Priapus! I am going
to cum! I can't hold it, Wolfp..."
"Then don't!"
Rufus dived down and enclosed his lover's erecting cock with his
mouth just as Maximus let loose with volley after volley of hot,
salty seed. He swallowed some of the load, and then moved back up
and shared the rest with his Beast. They both slept soundly that
night.
The next morning they met
Cassio at the appointed time and place. The taberna was just
opening. "Come in and have your morning meal with us, Cassio."
"Oh... no, thank
you. I've eaten."
"Oh, come in and have
something with us anyway. It's our pleasure."
"Well, thank you! I
shall." They went in an ordered a simple, but filling
repast.They pushed back their empty plates, and Cassio said, "I
need to relieve myself, there's a good clean foricae just up the
street. I'll be right back, that is, unless you need to as well...?"
Under the table, Maximus
put a cautionary hand on Rufus' thigh. "No, we're good. We'll
be right here, no rush." Cassio got up and headed out to take
care of business. Maximus turned to Rufus as soon as Cassio was out
of the door.
"Are you thinking
what I am?"
"That he did not eat
before coming here? I saw how his eyes lighted when we said it would
our pleasure, and how rapidly he ate." Rufus was looking
steadily at Maximus.
"More that he
couldn't afford to eat
before coming here. And I wonder about his lodgings. He looked like
he slept rough last night. He said he used almost all of that money
buying his freedom. I wonder..."
Rufus reached out and put
his hand on Maximus'. "We should say something to him. If he
is short on funds, we could help some. There's not much left in
either of our wallets, and we still need to get back home; but even
some for a few meals would help him, I'm sure." The two looked
at each other, reading each other's thoughts with the practice of
people who had lived and loved together for years.
Cassio returned just then
and sat back down. "Now, you must tell me your story, and start
at the beginning, I want to hear it all."
Maximus started, filling
in the details about how he had been purchased by Lucius because of
his skill with horses. "You see, he and his lady wife, Antonia,
had moved to Pompeii and built a house. Lucius was newly retired and
restless, so he bought a fundus with the intent of raising horses.
He got me to set things up and select stock for breeding. That's
were I met my Wolfpup, here."
Rufus pitched in, giving
the backstory of his life in brief. "My mother had been
Antonia's personal slave, so I was born into the household. My
mother died a couple of years later, and Antonia took a liking to me,
and was almost a mother to me, taught me to read and write. It seems
I have a natural skill with numbers, and instead of selling me as a
scribe, they kept me and I eventually became the dux servus. My
entire life as a slave was with Lucius and Antonia. Maximus and I
met at the fundus, and fell in love. We met whenever we could, which
was not often enough." The two men smiled at each other.
"You mentioned
Pompeii..."
"Yes," Maximus
said. "I had brought in a horse that one of Lucius' friends had
purchased. There were a couple of jobs to do at the Pompeii house so
I was there when the mountain blew. Rufus and I organized an escape,
and got some of the families on the street to follow with us.
Antonia had injured her foot and could not walk, and Lucius had to
fight his way back from the baths to the house, and was in poor
shape. We got them both into a cart and made our escape to the east.
We barely made it before that awful wave of ash and death erased
the city. We saw it all. It was horrible."
Rufus took over. "It
was just at the time of the eruption that Lucius told me he knew
about Maximus and I, that he had loved a man once in the Army, and
that Antonia did not know. 'I've kept your secret, now you keep
mine.' And he did. He never told anyone, although it turns out that
Antonia had guessed about us on her own. And we've not said anything
until this day."
"A few months later,
Lucius manumitted both of us as a gesture of gratitude. 'We owe our
lives to you', he said; and not only that, he settled a considerable
sum of money on us both. We've used that to purchase land north of
here, in Rocca, near Clusium. We have a small fundus, and Maximus
raises horses for sale, and I do bookkeeping and write letters for
businesses in Rocca. It's a good life."
"Oh, that all sounds
exciting! A dramatic escape, a reward, and an happy ending! You are
indeed lucky!" Cassio saluted them with his mug of posca. "But
then, what brings you south to Rome now?"
Rufus answered, "Lucius
died last Spring, and Antonia moved back to Rome to be close to her
daughter. She wrote, asking to see us, saying that Lucius had left a
small memento for each of us. It took a while for her letter to
reach us; well, we are
kind of remote. We came here last week to see her. It was a nice
visit, but most likely the last time we will see her."
"And then we ran into
you!" Maximus was smiling. He then looked at Rufus. Rufus
nodded very slightly. "Now," Maximus said, "we could
go on and on with our stories, but we don't want to keep you from any
business or work you need to deal with."
"Oh, I've nowhere to
go..." Cassio stopped, realizing the slip he had just made.
"What I mean is, I..."
Maximus looked at Cassio
and said, very gently, "I think I know what you mean, old
friend. Please be honest with me, for friendship's sake. Do you
have anywhere to stay,
any funds at all?"
Cassio hung his head and
sighed. "I may as well confess. I do not. I could not afford
to pay the rent any longer on the hovel I had been sleeping in and
the landlord kicked me out two days ago. I have not been able to
find any work other than the most menial hard labor. I did try that
for one day, and was let go because I could not keep up with the
younger, stronger men. Besides, slave labor is cheaper than a free
man's wages. Last night, I decided on one last treat and I spent my
last few quadrans on that meal where we ran into each other."
He sighed again. "I spent nearly all that money from Livius'
cash box to buy my freedom. For a while, what was left was enough to
live on. There is nothing left now, and little work for an old man.
It's a sad little tale, I know. But I will make do. There are ways,
even for an old man like me, to earn a quadran or two, down at the
docks. There's always someone who's standards are low."
"No. No, you will
not." Maximus looked at Rufus, eyes pleading. "Can I make
the offer?"
"Of course, love.
But let me do it for both of us, so Cassio knows it is coming from
both, not just his old friend." He turned to Cassio. "Cassio,
we have a suggestion to make. Please, come with us to Rocca, stay
with us. We have space, we even have a kind of caldarium to soak in.
It's a pleasant, quite place and you will be most welcome."
Cassio started to say something, but Maximus interrupted.
"It's not charity,
Cassio. You would be solving a problem that has been vexing us for
years. It's just the two of us, and one of us always has to be
around, to feed the animals, and to milk Butter. If we both need to
be in town for some reason, we can never stay long, it's always a
rush. It was a major undertaking to get a young lad to stay at the
place while we made this trip. If you came with us, it would really
help us out. And it wouldn't be heavy labor, mostly just seeing the
animals have water and feed, and milking Butter once a day if we were
gone overnight. Rufus here is gone usually one night a week with
work, and if I have to get in supplies, or take an animal for sale,
it has to wait until he gets back. With you there, the problem would
be solved!"
For the first time in many
months, hope and the gods smiled for Cassio. "Truly? You know
I have nothing to offer, I could not pay rent. If you think my being
there would truly solve a problem for you, and that would be
sufficient payment, I... I..."
Maximus put his large hand
on Cassio's smaller one. "Do not worry, friend. You took care
of me at a time when I needed it. The gods smile when a debt is
repaid, without reservation." Rufus laid his had on top of the
other two on the table. Ferox barked.
"See? Even Ferox
knows this is right!" Both Rufus and Maximus were smiling, and
Cassio was looking like he still could not believe his luck had
changed so dramatically.
"Excellent!"
Rufus said. "Now we should make plans. Cassio, how soon can
you be ready to leave?"
"I could leave now.
All I have is this tunic and this pair of caligas."
"Then I suggest this.
Beast, if you will go to the docks and get passage for three and a
dog north to Clusium, I will take Cassio to the baths for a nice long
soak. I think my other tunic would fit him... well, maybe a little
big. We'll make do. We'll wait for you at the inn, Beast; and we
can all have our evening meal together. Agreed?"
"Yes. I should be
able to frighten a boat captain into giving us a good rate for
passage." Maximus grinned, wolfishly.
"Ferox!" The
dog sat up straight, looking at Rufus. "Go with Maximus. Go."
Rufus was pointing at Maximus. The dog got up and walked to
Maximus' side, and looked back at his master. "Yes. Good dog.
Good boy." He nodded and smiled, so Ferox would both see and
hear approval. He would go with the other member of his pack,
because that is what his master wanted. Maximus and Ferox headed off
to the docks.
Walking back to the inn,
Cassio asked Rufus about a couple of things. "First, thank you,
but I must ask. Are you sure this is all right with you?"
"Of course it is,
Cassio. Beast has told me more than once about how kind you were to
him when you were slaves together. And something you should know
about both of us. We are honest men, and the offer was honestly
made. But I have a question for you, though. I assume that you are
like us?"
Cassio tensed a bit. "In
what way?"
"In that you prefer
men to women, and that you accept and honor love and sex between
men." Rufus leaned forward. "I only ask to be sure that
you will not be put off by Beast and I being openly affectionate,
even sexual, with each other. We are naked sometimes, we touch and
hug and kiss a lot. We are mated. We are a team, the bond between
us is iron, nothing on earth breaks it."
"It will not upset
me. It makes me glad that Maximus has found love."
"And please
understand that we do not expect any anything untoward from you in
return. This will never be another kind of servitude for you. You
are a friend, not a concubine." Rufus stopped, a bit
embarrassed "I hope I have not said anything wrong here. It's
just that I know you were terribly used by that vile man, and that
experiences like that can leave scars. I wanted to set your mind at
ease, that this would be nothing like that."
"Gratius
tibi ago! It is a
joy to know that human kindness is not dead in this sorry old world."
He paused, rubbed his nose, and continued. "I hear you call
Maximus 'Beast'. Does he not object? I mean, given his size and
his..."
"You mean his fur
coat?" Rufus chuckled, glad for the lighter topic. "You've
not seen me naked yet.
I am almost as furry as my Beast, though I don't have his size. No,
he does not mind at all. I have a nickname, too. I am his Wolfpup.
They are affectionate names we have for each other. We used to use
them only in the most private moments we could manage. But as we've
gotten older, we seem to care less and less about other's opinions."
They walked on to the
baths. Once there, Rufus paid the modest fee and the two stripped
and stowed their clothes, and soaked a bit in the caldarium and then
in the tepidarium. Cassio leaned over to Rufus. "I see what
you meant." Rufus blushed. "You are a handsome man, and a
striking one, all copper and gold. You must cause great comment at
the baths."
"A few looks is all.
First there is no public bath in Rocca, too small a place. That is
why we built our own caldarium, you'll see how it works when we get
there. And second, I am not the shape of man that excites much
desire in most men. The stockiness, or the hairiness, or both, put
off most people."
"But not Maximus."
"Oh, definitely not,
thank the gods!" He smiled happily. "Now, may I ask, what
are your tastes in
men?"
"Ah." Cassio
paused. "No offense to either of you, but, well... more
Ganymede than Silenus." Cassius rubbed his nose. "The
Greeks did those archetypes better than us, if you take my meaning."
"I do, and no offense
taken. Cassio, the eye likes what it likes." Cassio smiled at
that, and seemed to have gone back in time.
"In my younger years,
I was rather handsome, if I do say so. I got my share of attention.
The problem with being a slave is that you do not choose. Once,
though, I was in a household that I could have contentedly stayed in
for many years. Oh, I know it wasn't love on his part, but I was
well-treated, and never forced. I was, willingly, enticed and not
compelled." Cassio smiled at the memory. "He had the body
of an Apollo."
They got up and out of the
lukewarm pool. "Wait here, I will get a bottle of oil."
Rufus went to the small kiosk that had small bottles of cleansing oil
and simple strigels for scraping it off. They went to one of the
side rooms off the tepidarium and oiled and then scraped each other
clean. They finished by sluicing each other off with buckets of warm
water taken from the pool.
"That was wonderful.
I haven't felt really clean for weeks. Thank you! That was one
thing I always persisted in, taking every chance that came along to
get clean."
"You will love our
private caldarium then!" They dressed and headed back to the
inn. They arrived just before Maximus returned.
"Did you have luck?"
Rufus asked. "And did Ferox behave and not eat anyone?" He
was scratching Ferox behind his good ear.
"He was excellent, a
model citizen. I think most people are afraid to approach either one
of us, I can't imagine why." He grinned with feigned menace.
"And I did have luck. The boat leaves tomorrow at the first
hour." Maximus snorted. "You will have a good laugh at
the name... she's called the Venus of the
Tiber!" They did all laugh.
"Does she look the
part?" Rufus asked.
"Ha! She looks like a
hag, but she is sturdy enough. So, we will need to be at the docks
early."
"I'll see to a room
for Cassio for tonight and see if we should pay tonight or tomorrow."
Rufus went inside to find the inn keeper.
"Did you and Rufus
have a good soak?" Maximus sat on one of the benches outside
the inn, and Cassio joined him.
"Yes! It's wonderful
to be clean again." He paused, looking around and then back at
the big man next to him. "Maximus, I can't thank you and Rufus
enough, for everything. And I want you to know how much it pleases
me that you have found love and your own home." Cassio shyly
put a hand on Maximus' thigh. "So many of us die without ever
having known those things."
"We know we have been
very lucky. But you have, too, you know. You meted out justice for
those two poor girls, and escaped a murder charge and certain death
in the process. You were able to buy your freedom! Those are no
small things."
"That is true."
Cassio was quiet for a while. "But you can't eat freedom."
Both were silent, reflecting. Rufus stepped outside just then and
joined them.
"Cassio, there was
only one room available, a small one, and it's not close to us. I
took it anyway. And the innkeeper said we should pay tonight and not
wake him tomorrow if we leave early. Frankly, I think he was afraid
we might try to sneak off before dawn without paying."
"I imagine that
happens."
"I'm sure it does.
Now, let's get something to eat and maybe have an early night, if
we're to be up early." Maximus chuckled. "All this laying
about and taking things easy is making us soft and lazy!" The
three men had an ample supper and then bid each other bonum nocte.
Before falling asleep,
Maximus hugged Rufus' hairy back to his own pelted belly. "We're
doing a good deed here, Wolfpup. Thank you for being agreeable."
He kissed Rufus and hugged him tight, letting the contact speak more
strongly than his words. He nuzzled his thick beard against Rufus'
neck. "I only hope that he will feel comfortable with us. We
are so used to being on our own, and able to be open with each other.
It will probably be different with someone else around."
"Beast, I think it
will be all right. We talked a bit at the baths. He is genuinely
happy for us and says that our open affection for each other won't
bother him." He hugged Maximus' arms tight. "And I found
out that, frankly, we are not his type sexually. And I made it clear
to him that we expect no 'favors' from him."
"My kind and
thoughtful Wolfpup! I do
love you!"
"I just hope he won't
be disappointed in our cooking!"
Maximus laughed out loud.
"Oh, love, we both know it's not 'cooking'. It's just 'heating
things over the fire'!" He let go of Rufus and turned him so
they were face to face. "This well be our last chance for a
while." Rufus nodded, but instead of saying anything, he began
kissing his Beast everywhere he could reach. The next hour was spent
in using their bodies to give joy, release, and peace to each other.
Content, they both slept solidly, pressed to each other.
The following morning, all
three were up early. "We must hurry. It wouldn't do to keep a
goddess waiting!" Rufus was putting on his pack and adjusting
it, while Ferox circled his legs, sensing another expedition.
"We are coming, oh
divine one!" Maximus shouted.
Rufus nudged his Beast.
"You are happy to be heading home, aren't you? I can tell. But
we should get something to eat, I imagine there will be no meals on
board."
"True enough. Look,
over there." Maximus pointed to a stall that was just opening,
a tantalizing odor of fresh baked meat pies wafting in the air. They
all headed towards the storefront. "What will you have,
Cassio?"
"Oh, I think just a
mug of posca. I am too excited to eat anything."
"All right, if you
are sure?" Rufus whispered to Maximus, "Get an extra pie
or two for him." Then, raising his voice, he said, "We
should get some for on board, as well. And a flagon of wine, and one
of water." Ferox sat at attention, salivating. The aromas
meant food, and he was hungry. Rufus broke off a piece of one pie
and handed it to Cassio.
"Here, he needs to
see you as a friend. Giving him food will help with that. He takes
food well, but just hold it in your open hand. He won't bite. Call
him by name, quietly, and say, 'food'. After he takes it nicely,
praise him, but don't try to pet him or scratch behind his ear until
he has finished eating.
Maximus collected the rest
of the food and they all headed towards the docks, in time to get on
board before the Venus
untied and steered into the river. The boat's sail, unneeded on a
southward journey, bellied out in the breeze, and the boat slowly
moved upstream against the current.
The trip up to Clusium
took longer than the trip down to Rome had, but there were a number
of stops and it gave Ferox and the three men chances to get off the
boat, stretch their legs, and get a bite to eat. Their money was
running low. Maximus quietly asked Rufus about their finances while
Cassio was relieving himself. "We should just have enough,
there's only a day more to Clusium. When we get back, we'll need to
get some of Lucius' gift money from the hiding place."
"How much is left of
that?"
"A bit more than a
thousand sesterces."
"Well, I plan on
breeding the two new mares, give Bella a rest. And I could put Nocte
out to stud. There's a farmer from Clusium who keeps asking any time
I see him in Rocca."
"I think we are in
good shape, Beast. We've rarely had to dip into that money, once we
had the house and roof taken care of, the stable built, and stock
purchased. We make enough, the two of us, to get by comfortably, and
that money handles emergencies and extras. We are doing fine, don't
worry. Let's keep Nocte's seed in our own mares!"
Cassio returned just then,
and asked about the horse breeding business. Maximus eagerly began
explaining, as Rufus watch both men, smiling, and fondling Ferox's
good ear and neck. The dog's eyes were closed in bliss.
They passed much of the
time sailing up-river telling each other some of their past, and
Maximus and Cassio shocked Rufus with tales of the foibles, pleasant
and not so pleasant, of their former masters. "I truly was
lucky in my life. I've had none of the drama either of you had,
growing up or in service. I knew that some slaves were mistreated,
we all heard those tales. But the kind of abuse you both endured..."
Rufus shook his head.
Cassio rubbed his nose
before commenting. "I think it comes from not seeing slaves as
human beings in any way. We are tools and commodities, nothing more
to most. I know from what both you and Maximus have said that the
Hirtulius domus was a caring one, but I do think they were the rare
exception. Disposable objects aren't worth much thought."
Cassio was beginning to open up and share honest opinions as he
became more comfortable with the other two men.
"How did you become a
slave, Cassio? I don't think you were born to it, were you?"
"No, not at all. My
parents, my sister and myself lived in Salonae, on the coast across
the mare Adriaticum. We owned a fine taberna. One summer, a group of
slavers were raiding up and down the coast. They hit our village
hard. My father died trying to defend us. My mother and I were
taken. They killed all the old men and women in the village, they
were of no worth in the slave markets."
"And your sister?"
Rufus asked.
"She had died two
years before. I am thankful she never had to see our father
butchered, or our mother or myself raped. My mother and I were kept
in the hold of that stinking ship for a week. When we landed, the
men and boys were put in one pen, the women and girls in another.
That was the last I saw of my mother. I was lucky, I think because
of my youth and looks. I was auctioned off to a decent enough man
from Calabria. Most of the men from my village were sold to owners
of the salt mines in Numidia."
"That is awful!"
Cassio looked directly at
Rufus. "Yes, it was."
"Where was the navy?"
Maximus interjected.
"We asked ourselves
that, many times. Eventually, they did flush the slavers out. But
that was too late for us. I heard later that many of them were
captured and used in one of the Emperor's public Games, as unarmed
contestants against lions and other beasts. I would have enjoyed
seeing that."
The conversations helped
make the trip seem shorter, and if the crew overheard any of the
talk, they made no comment.
Early
September, 92 AD
As it turned out, they
arrived at Clusium the morning after they were supposed to. It was a
fine day, and with an unusual hint of fall in the air. The Venus
tied up at one of the few open docks at Clusium and began off-loading
cargo. Rufus, Maximus, Cassio, and Ferox walked down the gang plank
with their packs. Maximus was heading towards one of the city
foricae to relieve himself.
"Rufus! Rufus
Hirtulius! Over here!" Rufus turned to see who was calling to
him, and recognized one of his merchant clients from Rocca. He waved
at the man who was walking towards them.
"Salvete! I thought
you were in Rome?"
"We were, we just got
back." Ferox recognized the man in front of him from the sound
of his voice and his scent, and was content to simply be watchful.
"And this is Cassio, a friend of Maximus' who will be staying
with us. They knew each other years ago in Rome. Cassio, this is
Appius Quirinus, a client of mine."
"Ah! And where is
your business partner and his big black beard?"
"Peeing, I expect.
He headed off that way," pointing towards the foricae.
"Well, I am glad to
have found you. I need you to look over the books, tax time is
coming soon, and I have two important letters for you to write. Are
you heading to Rocca now?"
"We had thought to,
yes."
"Well then, ride with
me. Your friend and the dog will have to ride in back, I'm afraid,
but there should be room. I'm not returning with much."
"Thank you! That
will save us a walk! And here comes Maximus." Rufus motioned
Maximus over to them. "Maximus, Appius Quirinus has offered us
a ride to Rocca."
"Oh, excellent!"
He turned to Appius Quirinus. "Salve, and sum valde gratius."
They gripped forearms.
"I'm just over here,"
Appius Quirinus said. They walked to Appius' wagon and climbed in.
The horses and wagon moved off with Rufus and Maximus at Cassio's
insistence sharing the front, with himself and Ferox in the back. As
they rode, Appius filled them in on the gossip and news from Rocca.
It was a pleasant day, and the journey passed quickly. They were in
Rocca by noon, and stopped at Gaius' inn for a quick lunch. Appius
bid them farewell.
"I will see you in
three days, Appius, and we'll deal with those letters and your books.
Receipts, remember... I'll need your receipts!" Rufus waved
cheerily as Appius drove off.
"Well, let's get
something to eat. I am anxious to get home. And I'll let Gaius know
his son will be returning today." Maximus headed off to the inn
with Rufus and Cassio following with Ferox. After Maximus talked
with the older Gaius, Rufus and Maximus discussed simply getting meat
pies and cheese to take with them instead of waiting to be served at
table. After agreeing, Rufus ordered their food and paid with the
last of their money. Seeing the elder Gaius, Rufus echoed Maximus.
"And we'll send young Gaius along later today."
"Make sure you pay
him what's owed to hi..."
"GAIUS!"
Domitilla Pulchra, Gaius' wife, came scuttling out of the kitchen,
wiping her hands on a soiled towel. "Your pardon, gentlemen, my
husband needs better manners. We've had several customers leave
without paying this week, and my husband is apt to forget that he's
talking to honest upright citizens, more's the pity. Our apologies."
She glared daggers at her husband for potentially offending
longstanding customers and an excellent accountant and secretary.
Gaius had the grace to
look apologetic. "Oh, of course you will pay my son what he is
owed. I didn't mean... that is... well... I... I... I have work to
do in the back. I hope you had an easy journey. Good day."
Gaius moved quickly towards the stable to avoid his wife's wrath.
Maximus and Rufus looked at each other and shrugged and smiled as
they gathered their cheese and pies and left.
Ferox and Cassio had
waited outside. Ferox was becoming more used to the older man, and
content to sit at attention next to him beside the inn's doorway.
When the two emerged, Ferox stood and all of them moved off, walking
at a steady pace towards their own fundus. Rufus broke off a piece
of his mutton pie and handed it to Cassio. Cassio reached down and
held it for Ferox to take. Ferox did so, this time without looking
at Rufus for approval. "Good boy," Cassio said, pleased.
Rufus smiled.
"Now, I'm afraid I
have to warn you about one thing, Cassio." Maximus was striding
along, with Cassio struggling a bit to keep up. "It's about
meals." Cassio relaxed. "I'm afraid that neither of us
can 'cook'. We eat well enough, we have fresh milk, and meat and
eggs from the chickens, but it's nothing fancy, just simple fare."
"Oh, but that is no
problem! I can cook!"
Rufus and Maximus looked at Cassio as if he had just said he could
spin straw into gold.
"Really? But how
did..." Before Rufus could finish his question, Cassio began
explaining.
"My mother taught me.
You remember my father and mother had the best taberna and served
the best meals on the Salonae coast. After my sister died, my mother
started teaching me to cook all her specialties, along with the
everyday dishes. When the slavers came, that all ended, but I still
remember the skills. I've not had the chance to put them to use for
years... until now." He paused and looked at Maximus first and
then Rufus. "Please, let me cook, it's something I can do for
you, for us. I know I can't handle much in the way of heavy labor
anymore, but I can
cook!"
"Well, Vesta be
praised! Wolfpup, I think our mealtimes are about to get a whole lot
better!" Maximus looked at Cassio, then hugged him. "Gratius
tibi ago!"
As they got closer to
home, Ferox hobbled ahead fast and faster, recognizing his home
territory. As they rounded the last curve, the horses all put their
heads up and the mares moved to the fence, with Nocte not far behind.
"You have a greeting
committee, Cassio!" Maximus strode to the fence and rubbed each
of the mares' velvety muzzles in turn. Nocte put his head down and
was rewarded to a scritch behind his big black ears. Rufus did the
same, but Cassio hung back.
"No, Cassio, come
close. They need to get to know you, as Ferox did." Cassio
approached, and Nocte pushed his way ahead of the mares. He appeared
to be staring Cassio directly in the eye, and then turned his great
head towards Maximus, who nodded. Nocte turned back and nosed
Cassio, sniffing him thoroughly. Satisfied, he stepped back and
allowed his mares to do the same.
The younger Gaius came out
from the stable, waving, having heard their voices. "Maximus!
Rufus! Receperint retro! How
was Rome?" The young man was obviously pleased to see them.
Rufus whispered quickly to Maximus.
"Keep
him busy for a bit while I get the money for his wages." He
didn't mistrust Gaius, but a near lifetime of hearing Lucius
remarking, 'Caution is always best in business' had left it's mark.
Maximus nodded
"Well
met, Gaius! Rome was good, big and noisey. I hope one day you get
to see it, it's quite something. How did things go while we were
gone?" He looked around and saw that things looked tended.
"Any problems?"
"None,
sir, none at all. I got on quite well... I do like animals, you
know. Though Nocte didn't seem too sure about me. And the first few
times milking Butter were a bit, well, comical. But I got the hang
of it. You'll find all is in order."
"And did
you like being on your own?"
"Oh,
YES!"
Maximus
chuckled. "And have you come to a decision?"
"I have.
I will join the legions. Much as I liked it here, it's not what I
want for the rest of my life. It's given me time to clear my head,
to think about what I want." He stopped for a moment and gazed
over the pasture. "I thank you for that chance, sir. I am much
more sure of what I want."
"Well,
good for you, Gaius. It's a big step, and Rufus and I wish you bona
fortuna. Oh, by the way, this is Cassio, a friend of mine from many
years ago in Rome, before I moved to Pompeii. We ran ito each other
by chance." Gaius and Cassio gripped forearms. Rufus came out
with Gaius' wages.
"There
you are, and with our thanks. And there's a little something extra
there for you, get yourself a nice jug of wine, or anything you might
need. Did I hear that you have decided on the legions?" Gaius
nodded. "Well, sit tibi bonum omen!"
"I will get my things
and be on my way, if I may; I'd like to get back before the evening
meal. I will tell my parents of my decision then. They will try to
talk me out of it, but my mind is settled." Gaius went into the
stable and gathered his things, while Maximus and Cassio headed into
the house. Maximus poked his head out of the door and said good bye
to the young man, and Rufus waved. Gaius headed down the road,
whistling.
"I think he's happy
to have made up his mind, don't you think?" Cassio had moved off
to have a closer look at the pasture and horses.
"Yes, Wolfpup, I do.
Now, we need to get Cassio settled. Have you given thought to where
he will sleep?"
"Yes, but see if you
agree. I don't want him in the stable, it gets cold in winter there,
even with the animals, and that's not too far off now. He could
sleep in the room off the kitchen, and we could all eat in the
kitchen."
"But where will you
work?"
"If you build me a
small table, I could move my writing things to the bedroom. We'd
need to move the bed and put the table under the window, for light,
but it should work. And we'll need to build a bed for him, maybe a
cupboard. I know he doesn't have any possessions now, but..."
Maximus embraced his mate
in a tight hug. "Thank you for being willing to take him in."
They kissed. "And it is good to be home, isn't it?"
"Oh, yes."
They embraced, and each felt the other's cocks rising. Rufus
whispered, "Later, Beast. We will
fill each other, but now, we have a new resident to get settled."
Ferox repeatedly nosed Rufus' hand and whined. "And a guardian
dog to feed!"
Cassio came
into the house, visibly excited. "The horses are so beautiful!
That black stallion is... just... so impressive. What is he called?"
"That's
Nocte. He's very protective of his herd, but he know's who the boss
is!" Rufus looked with pride at Maximus as he said this. "Now,
let's get you settled, Cassio."
"Yes.
Come over here, Cassio. For tonight, I'm afraid it's bedding down on
the floor in this room," Maximus was showing Cassio the small
room off the kitchen. "Tomorrow, I will build a proper bed for
you. We live simply here, but a good bed is not a luxury, it's a
necessity. I'm sure Wolfpup will agree with me!"
Rufus
smiled slyly. "Yes, a good sturdy
bed is a necessity!"
And as simply as that,
their lives settled into a comfortable routine, Maximus working with
the animals, Rufus helping there and doing his weekly trips to Rocca
to write letters and handle bookkeeping, and Cassio keeping the house
neat and cooking. As Cassio settled in and became more confident of
his place in the household, he began to take solo trips into Rocca,
for food items, and sometime to drop off finished letters that Rufus
had completed and that could not wait until the following week.
And it did indeed appear
that Cassio was not bothered at all by Rufus and Maximus' open
demonstration of their affection for and attraction to each other.
At first, both had been somewhat shy around Cassio. "I don't
want to make him uncomfortable," Maximus said. "It's not
that I don't want to touch and fondle you, Wolfpup, it's just..."
"I know, I know."
Cassio had entered from
outside just them, having heard the conversation as he was about to
enter. "Maximus, Rufus, sit down. Please." He motioned to
the kitchen table. "I could not help but hear. I told you that
I would not be offended in any way by your expressions of love for
each other, and I meant it. I do not want you changing the way you
behave towards each other, ever. It gives me joy to see the two of
you together, and you will not
stop doing that for my sake. Now, I hope you will believe me and
take what I have said to heart." He turned and went back
outside to fill the water bucket from the well.
"I feel as if we have
just been chastised by the paterfamilias for misbehaving, don't you?"
Rufus looked at Maximus, half smiling.
"I do, in a way.
But, if that is truly what he feels... Come here." Maximus
reached for his Wolfpup and buried his face in his love's belly,
hugging tight, and then stood up, pulling Rufus up and spent the next
few minutes deeply kissing and caressing the love of his life.
Cassio reentered the
kitchen then, carrying the full water bucket. "You see? That
is what I like to see... real love." He hugged both men, and
then started preparing the evening meal.
October,
93 AD
"You know, he looks
like a fierce gladiator, but he is so gentle with the horses. The
mares seem to want to be near him, and even the stallion seems to
enjoy his company. Even when I first knew him, I could see he had a
gift for working with horses." Cassio and Rufus were sitting on
the pasture fence, watching Maximus working the two new fillies. It
had been just over a year since Cassio had come to live with Rufus
and Maximus. "You have both been a revelation to me."
"How so?"
"Well... you are both
very masculine, very solid in character and manner. For men like us,
that is rather rare. I mean no disparagement to others, my mother
used to say it takes all kinds to make a world. Still, one might
observe me or others, and think, 'yes, definitely'; where they would
look at either of you on your own and think 'oh, not at all.'"
"And together?"
"Most people would
not be sensible to it, but our kind would probably feel the bond.
You are not overt, but that love you have shows itself in many subtle
ways." Rufus blushed. "I hope I have not offended,"
Cassio said with some concern, realizing he might have trespassed
into some more private territory.
"Not at all, Cassio.
And I agree with something you said to me earlier. The Greeks did
seem to manage all this better than we do today." They
continued watching Maximus work with the fillies while their mothers
trustingly grazed nearby.
"Does he ever get
angry? Do you? I've never heard a harsh word from either of you."
"I think I have only
seen my Beast really angry twice. Once, at a centurion. Beast
threatened to break him in two if he so much as touched me. He meant
it too, and the centurion realized that he actually could
do it if he chose to. The other time was in that basement in Rome,
when we were held captive." Rufus grinned. "And tonight,
at supper, we will tell you that
full tale. It makes quite a story."
"And you? Anger?"
Rufus reflected for a bit.
"I think I am a mostly happy person. I think that comes from
growing up and spending much of my life in a kind household, and
never having been sold. I like people, always have. And I think
most people are decent, if you treat them decently. The only time
I've felt true rage, the kind people call 'red rage', was in that
basement when I looked over and saw that poor slave, dead; and then
Maximus, tied up and slumped over, unresponsive. I thought they had
killed him, too. If I could have gotten loose, I would have gutted
them all where they stood, and gloried in their screams of agony.
And then happily sent them drenched in their blood to burn in Hades
for all eternity."
Cassio looked over to
Rufus, the words having been so out of character for the sunny,
cheerful man he had come to know. Rufus was smiling as he watched
Maximus patting the necks of one of the fillies and it's mother.
With a touch of awe, Cassio said, "Yes. I can see you doing
that, if Maximus was threatened or harmed." They continued to
watch Maximus and the horses.
"Cassio?"
"Yes?"
"Maximus got paid for
the yearling he sold last week. You had mentioned some improvements
for the kitchen. If you will sketch out your ideas and give some
idea of measurements, Maximus and I can get started on building them.
Then, you and I or you and Maximus can go to Clusium and pick up the
necessary iron pieces and some new cookware. Spices, too. A good
cook needs good equipment, you know!"
"Oh, Rufus... I
really..."
"No, Cassio, it's
only right that you have what you need for cooking. After all, we
all benefit," Rufus said, patting his belly, now more pleasantly
round than it had been last year at this time. Cassio smiled, and
then impulsively hugged the red-bearded man. He happily sketched out
a plan in the dirt for a larger oven and stove, with two iron grates
for pots and an enlarged storage area for wood.
"If we could put some
sort of enclosed box with shelves on the wall, just here,"
Cassio said, pointing to the area adjacent to the where the new oven
would be, "A lot of what now sits on the table could be put in
there. We could then have a smaller table here as a work surface. I
need more room in front of the oven than I have now." He rubbed
his nose. "If it pleases you, of course."
Rufus put a hand on
Cassio's shoulder. "Cassio. You don't have to 'please us', you
aren't a slave any more."
"I know. It's just
hard to break a near lifetime's habit. And thank you. Oh, we are
ALL going to eat well." Cassio looked happily at Rufus and then
out over the pasture. "And I am looking forward to the complete
story tonight of the brave men who helped break up a counterfeiting
ring in Rome!"
March,
94 AD
Now, almost five months
later, the new kitchen had been completed, and there were other
additional changes as well. Space for a vegetable garden had been
cleared in anticipation of spring, something neither Rufus or Maximus
had the time for in the past. A larger oven had been built outside,
next the the north side of the house, close to the well. The small
cavity in the kitchen stove was adequate for baking small dishes, but
the larger one had been built specifically for baking bread. "Real,
proper Roman bread, not hard, dry pan cakes," as Cassio had
said.
The biggest change was a
shed-like addition built into the side wall that ran the full depth
of the house. Cassio had been sleeping in the small room off the
kitchen that had been used as Rufus' 'office' and a place to sit and
eat. Rufus had moved his writing materials upstairs to the bedroom.
The light was poorer there, and the table he needed made the bedroom
very cramped. Downstairs, having to eat in the kitchen itself made
that space even more crowded. So, when the three of them started
construction on the new kitchen stove and wood box, Maximus and Rufus
both suggested knocking a hole in the kitchen's outer wall and adding
an extension on to the house.
"If we add a larger
room here, that gives you more space to yourself, Cassio; and the
extra space here adds to the the room Rufus used to use as his
office. He'll have room to store all his writing materials and we
can put a table in there again, and not eat in the kitchen. Unless
you'd fancy a triclinium, a large reception hall, an atrium with an
impluvium and a statue of a satyr..." Maximus dodged the
well-aimed swat that Rufus tried to deliver.
"And I
think we should build a circus in the pasture and hold quadrigga
races. You could breed the horse teams for that." Rufus was
not quite quick enough to dodge Maximus' swat.
Cassio watched the two
with amusement mixed with gratitude. He continued to marvel at the
easy teasing and spontaneous expressions of their love for each
other. That physicality was simply a fact of their daily lives, not
something furtively expressed or kept cautiously hidden. He was
already planning a feast for his two friends to celebrate the
completion of the building projects.
In spite of the banter,
and the need of a trip to Clusium for additional cement, the building
progressed. In the end, Cassio had a larger, more private room, the
kitchen gained a small pantry, and Rufus got his 'office' back. And
the bedroom upstairs was once again a bedroom alone.
May,
100 AD
The years passed. Their
lives were a very predictable routine, but one that was agreeable to
all three. Cassio had never dreamed of such a peaceful, safe ending
to his his years. Chores were divided by mutual agreement, and
Cassio had fulfilled his promise of good meals for them all. He was
in fact an excellent cook. Maximus had added another mare to his
breeding herd and usually sold one, sometimes two, horses a year.
Rufus had been hired by a wealthy merchant in Clusium to make copies
of two extensive books, one of poetry, and one of Greek and Roman
myths.
"These copies need to
be perfect, and beautiful. They will be part of my daughter's
dowery. I want to impress her future father-in-law with my culture
and wealth, so do your best work. I was told you have a good hand,
very readable script."
"I do. If you would
like to see..."
"No, I checked up on
the recommendation. I think you will do. Now, as to a deadline..."
Rufus and the merchant
came to an agreement to price and time. Fortunately, the merchant
was planning ahead and and there were several months before the
wedding. Rufus made a tidy sum off the commission, as well as
contacts for several other jobs copying various books; and he in turn
provided work for a leather craftsman, making the leather cases that
held the completed scrolls. The copying became a successful, if
occasional, sideline for Rufus.
They were not wealthy, by
Roman plebeian standards not quite middle class. But they had all
they needed, a cushion of small savings to cover emergencies, and
sufficient time to indulge in an extra day off now and again. By
their common consent, they took every seventh day as a kind of
informal 'nundinae', and did only the bare minimum of work. They
would sometimes travel in to Clusium and make use of the public baths
there, and eat a special meal. Sometimes, they would each take a
horse and just go riding off together into the hills to the north of
Rocca, enjoying a day of pleasant spring or fall weather. They were
all showing the results of Cassio's insistence on fresh ingredients
for his recipes. The vegetable garden he instituted provided those,
and in turn, they all sported more rounded bellies, better sleep, and
overall good health from a more balanced diet. And they made
frequent use of their own private soaking tub.
One early evening, as the
three were relaxing, leaning back naked in the caldarium, Cassio
asked, "I've never asked, who's idea was this?" gesturing
to the small outdoor soaking bath. They had lost any sense of
shyness in front of the new addition to their domus years before.
"Oh, it was Beast's!"
Rufus said proudly, sitting up.
"Ah, but you made it
work, with that water screw idea," Maximus countered, pulling
his Wolfpup to him in a tight hug.
"I've never seen
anything like that before, anywhere. How did you come up with it,
Rufus?" Cassio was genuinely curious.
"It's a Greek idea,
actually; and I ran across it one day when I was tidying up in
Lucius' study in Pompeii. There was a drawing of it in one of his
best scrolls."
The three men continued to
enjoy the heat of the water. When it began to cool, Maximus reached
up and worked the valve to let more hot water into the bath. As he
shifted position, the ripples in the water caused his cock to move
back and forth, and Rufus's fur to lazily float about his chest and
shoulders. Cassio had no body hair at all, except at the base of his
penis. But even as an old man, he had retained the trim figure, if
not the skin tone, of his youth. It was still possible to see the
remnants of his youthful beauty. His flaccid cock was not as long as
Maximus', and thinner than either of his two friends. He, too, had
lost his reticence around the other two men when it came to
nakedness.
"You have some years
on us, Cassio, and I am curious as to what we can look forward to.
Do you still desire sex?"
Cassio raised an eyebrow
at this.
"I know we are not at
all your type, and I am not
soliciting any
activity here, but do you miss coupling? And please tell me if this
is too personal." Rufus was starting to redden, and not just
from the heat of the water. It was something they had never
discussed before, and he was beginning to regret asking.
"Friends, I am not
offended in the least." He paused for some time, enough that
Rufus was sure he had in fact offended the elderly man. Maximus
cleared his throat, about to say something to beak the silence.
"Forgive me, I was
gathering my thoughts. It has been some time since I considered
this. I am an old man, and with age comes diminished capacity. I
can still appreciate a handsome man, I am not blind. And I do
appreciate your energy, and your capacity for love, which I see every
day. I mean emotion as well, not just the physical, although that is
just as beautiful to these aged eyes. But I find I do not miss the
more carnal desires. Frankly, for my part, the energy the pursuit
requires is not worth the fleeting reward." He had been looking
off into the distance, but turned to face both Maximus and Rufus. "I
find that an honest friendship, with men I admire and trust, is far
more satisfying. I am more than content." He started to get up.
"And now, I am starting to look like a content prune. It is
time for me to go inside." Maximus and Rufus both got up and
embraced Cassio together, and held the hug for some time.
Stepping out of the bath,
Rufus released the drain, and the three headed into their house,
naked; two much stockier and far more hairy, one slimmer and smooth,
all three holding hands as they padded inside to their supper. "Life
is good." The Beast and the Wolfpup both nodded in agreement.
Cassio retired early,
professing greater tiredness than usual. These years, he slept
soundly at night, at peace with himself and with his situation in
life. He reflected on his strong friendship with Maximus and Rufus,
and their generosity towards him. 'Truly, life is
good,' he thought to himself again as he slipped into sleep.
Late that night, Rufus and
Maximus were still awake, gently stroking each other's chest and
belly. "Beast, you know Cassio better than I do. Do you think
he was offended by my questions? I honestly wanted to know, partly
because I am curious as to what to expect now we both getting older,
but I did not want to give the wrong impression. I suppose I should
have..."
"Wolfpup, don't worry
yourself. If Cassio says he was not offended, he wasn't. I've never
known him to lie. Well, except after he had killed Livius, but that
was a special case, I think." He pulled Rufus close. "Holy
gods, you smell good." They spent a good amount of time
touching and stroking each other. Maximus' big hand gently caressed
Rufus' chest and the spun-gold colored fur there and on his belly.
The texture was softer than his own, and made a nice contrast with
his mate's thick copper colored beard, now nearly as large as his
own. Rufus' shoulders had gained some hair over the years, and his
back was much hairier than when they had first seen each other years
ago. Cupping his butt cheeks, Maximus felt the downy soft fur that
now covered Rufus' butt and down the backs of his thighs. "Truly,
Wolfpup, you've gotten hairier. I love the feel of your body!"
Maximus growled softly.
Rufus returned the growl
and nuzzled in the thicket that covered his Beast's chest and belly.
He searched for and found a round fleshy nipple and began to nurse.
Maximus groaned and used his free hand to gently caress and hold his
Wolfpup close in. They let their passion slowly rise, and then
backed off. Both had discovered that this on and off technique
greatly increased the pleasure of their ultimate release, as well as
the quantity of seed produced. Rufus released the Beast's nipple and
went back to gently nuzzling in Maximus' beard. They talked about
their plans for the rest of the week, and about perhaps taking a ride
up into the hills to enjoy the spring wild flowers.
Once their cocks had
deflated some, Maximus began fondling his Wolfpup's ball sack and
pole. "Yours relax in the hot bath and hang lower, mine don't
seem to. I wonder why?" He continued to manipulate the orbs,
gently rolling them back and forth. "And I love to watch your
cock grow big and strong, Wolfpup. It just keeps getting thicker
towards the base." He moved down and took the erecting meat
into his mouth and used his tongue to lap all around the shaft and
base, then back up to the tip, forcing his tongue under the thin
foreskin. Rufus moaned. "And your skin there is thinner than
mine, you can really see the ridge. On mine, you can barely see the
tip under the fold." He sucked up the precum that Rufus was
leaking. "Mmmmm, so sweet."
"Hold me up and fuck
me," Rufus growled softly. Maximus scrambled off the bed,
stood, smeared oil on his rigid meat where his foreskin had now fully
retracted, and lifted Rufus, who raised his legs as he put his arms
around his Beast's neck. "Remember the first time we did it
like this? I didn't know what you wanted... well, yes I did know,
but not how you would go about it. It was a great idea!" He
leaned in and kissed Maximus while the Beast's cock searched for his
hole. "That's it!" Maximus started to slowly lower Rufus,
a little bit at a time, to make the sensations last for them both.
"There is no sausage better in the whole world than yours, my
Beast." Reaching bottom at last, he felt the thick meat lodged
deep inside. "Hold me for a minute there, Beast. I'm speared
on your pole, impaled. And I love it!" He wiggled a bit, and
Maximus began to move his lover up and down, using Rufus as a sheath
for his penis.
"My beautiful
Wolfpup, my handsome man. I love you so much. Sometimes I feel my
heart will burst with joy when I am inside you, I want to always hold
you and protect you and fuck you and be with you, and..." He
inhaled sharply as his cock pumped Rufus full of Beast seed. He
lowered Rufus forcefully on his cock so he was in as deep as he could
manage. "Oh, my love!" He began to move again, grunted,
and came a second time.
Eventually, he had to let
Rufus down. "You're getting heavier, you know," he said,
as their bellies pressed against each other while they hugged.
"My strong Beast.
We've both gotten heavier, I think. But you are as solid as you ever
were." They both lay down on the bed.
"And you, my Wolfpup,
are more solid than you were when we first met. No, you are! But I
love that you've kept a soft layer over your muscle. It feels so good
when we hug or make love." He leaned in and kissed Rufus. They
tongue wrestled, and let their passion rise again. He ducked his head
and latched on to a Wolfpup nipple, knowing that Rufus loved that
almost more than he himself did. He spent a lot of time, alternating
between left and right, pausing now and then to allow things to cool
a bit, and then picking back up. Writhing back and forth, almost
unable to contain himself, Rufus finally pushed Maximus' head down to
his straining, drooling meat.
Maximus buried his nose in
the warm, fragrant fur surrounding Rufus' cock, inhaling the slightly
musky, slightly salty, wholly Wolfpup scent there. He engulfed the
rigid pole, lapping the sweet drool, and working his tongue up and
down the sensitive under part of the shaft. Rufus caressed Maximus'
head and he worked, softly growling with pleasure. Suddenly, his
cock jerked and he began flooding his Beast's mouth with hot, salty
seed. He held Maximus' head tight against the root of his cock and
he pumped and pumped. Finally finished, he released his Beast's
head. Maximus moved up and kissed Rufus deeply, sharing some of his
seed. They broke apart and lay back down on the bed, side by side,
holding hands.
Maximus reached over and
pulled Rufus to him. "Wolfpup, do you think others, other
couples, feel these things as strongly as we do?"
"I hope so. I hope
they have that joy. I know we will, always. We will never let go."
They nuzzled and held each other, sated and content, as they very
slowly drifted off to sleep.
September,
105 AD
The early morning sun was
just peeping in the window. The first signs of fall were just making
themselves felt, a slight chill in the morning air, some trees just
starting to lose their leaves, the evenings getting darker earlier.
Maximus stirred in the bed, and Ferox raised his head, glanced at the
bed, and, reassured, rose up and padded slowly outside to relieve
himself. Rufus grunted softly and turned toward Maximus, moving in
close.
"Wolfpup, I don't
feel so well."
Rufus was instantly alert.
He had never heard such words from Maximus in all the years they had
been together. "Is it your back again?" he asked, worried.
"No." Worry
creased Maximus' brow.
"Belly ache? Here,
let me feel you." Rufus put his hand on Maximus' forehead.
"You don't have a fever. What hurts?"
"Belly, sort of. Not
hurt, exactly. I just don't feel quite right."
"Well, you should
take it easy today, Cassio and I can do anything that's needed. Rest
up, you've been working too hard, anyway." He leaned over and
kissed his Beast. There was more gray in his hair and beard.
"I might do that.
But first, I have to pee." Maximus sat up in bed than then
started to stand up. There was a sudden stabbing pain in his gut,
and with a loud cry, he collapsed on the floor.
The weakness in the outer
sheath of the aorta, roughly midway between Maximus' heart and his
pelvis, had been there since birth. The tendency had been inherited
from his mother's side of the family but had caused no perceptible
symptoms throughout his lifetime. Maximus had always enjoyed good
health; he was strong and had good, fast-healing flesh. At the
worst, he had mild colds. The inevitable scrapes and hard knocks of
the life of an outdoor slave had healed quickly and cleanly. But age
is relentless. Over the years the arteries had grown less elastic,
more clogged, and his blood pressure had increased. He had felt no
warning signs. The slight tear in the sheathing had not caused any
issue until the last few months, when the increase in Maximus' blood
pressure had spiked. The tear had widened steadily, and then
overnight, dramatically; but as long as he had remained supine,
nothing else happened. Blood pressure increases when the body starts
to wake up, and the physical effort involved in standing sharply
increases it. Maximus' aorta, finally deprived of the enclosing
strength of the outer sheath, ballooned out, and burst. The aorta
is the largest artery in the body, and blood gushed with catastrophic
speed and volume into Maximus' abdomen. His great heart, strong and
compliant, pumped ever faster as his brain detected dramatically
falling pressure throughout his vascular system. This only increased
the flow of blood out into the abdomen.
"Beast, what's
wrong?" Rufus scrambled out of bed and knelt beside the inert
Maximus. Rufus took his hand and squeezed it. "Beast?"
Getting no response, he reached up and turned Maximus' head towards
him. Maximus' eyes had rolled back, showing mostly whites. Very
worried now, Rufus shook his Beast's shoulder. "Beast, talk to
me. Beast! Beast!" Maximus struggled to force words out, but
failed. Finally, he was able to whisper one word, "Love."
His eyelids fluttered, then closed. Rufus felt a very light squeeze
of his hand, and then Maximus' chin dropped to his chest. He took
one last shuddering breath and was still.
"NO! Oh, NO!
NOOOO!" Rufus wailed, and frantically shook his Beast's still
body. "No!
Don't leave me, Beast!" With an anguished sob, Rufus fell on
the cooling body of his Beast. "Don't leave! Don't go where I
can't follow!"
The
sounds of his wailing brought Ferox bounding in from outside. The
dog stared at his master, and his master's dear companion, both
slumped in totally uncharacteristic poses. He nosed Rufus' side, and
getting no response, nosed at Maximus' lifeless hand. He stiffened.
Some atavistic sense told the dog that life had left the big man's
body. He pressed himself tightly against his master and raised his
own voice in a loud long howl.
The
sounds also brought Cassio into the bedroom. Rufus' body was shaking
with anguished heaving sobs. "Quid es..." He stood taking
it all in and almost instantly understood. "Oh, no... not this!"
He stood for a moment, then tried to lift Rufus up from the floor.
"NO!"
Rufus snapped, and clung more tightly than ever to his Beast's body.
"No," he said more quietly, then began sobbing again.
Unsure of what to do, Cassio backed quietly out of the bedroom and
went downstairs. Totally at a loss, he began preparing a morning
meal in a daze. When Rufus had not come down by noontime, he went up
with a mug of posca and a plate of bread, cheese, and olives. He
found Rufus still on the floor beside the now cold Maximus. He put
the plate and mug down.
"Rufus,
please, let me help you get him up onto the bed. That would be good,
no? I will help you." Rufus slowly nodded, stood up and the
two of them lifted Maximus' heavy body onto the bed Beast and Wolfpup
had shared for so many years. Rufus lay down, turned toward Maximus
and away from Cassio. Cassio stood for a moment, then quietly exited
the room.
Late
in the afternoon, Cassio again mounted the stairs and carefully
looked in. The food had not been touched, and Rufus still lay as
Cassio had left him earlier in the day, his arm across Maximus'
torso, Ferox laying pressed next to him. Cassio removed the plate
and mug, and tip-toed out.
That
evening, Cassio went up again. He called softly, "Rufus? Are
you awake?" Rufus nodded but did not look at Cassio. "Oh,
please, my friend, come away. This is not healthy. Come away."
He paused. "He is no longer here."
Rufus
slowly turned towards Cassio. "No, I can't. His shade is still
here... can't you feel it? I will not leave." He said more
softly, "Not yet." Cassio left the bowl of soft eggs and
cheese and the mug of wine and went back down stairs.
Through
the night, Rufus lay next to the cold Maximus, as if to keep him
warm. He alternated between weeping, gently stroking his Beast's
thick pelt, and smiling at this or that fond memory. At one point he
placed his hand on his lover's thick cock, usually so warm and
responsive, now slack and cold, and wept anew. "Oh, my love."
The old dog kept vigil with him.
The
next morning, when he came to the house to prepare breakfast, Cassio
was startled to see Rufus sitting at the table in the kitchen,
wearing a fresh tunic, his hair and beard combed. "It's... it's
good to see you up, Rufus." He moved to the table and sat
across from Rufus, feeling a vague unease.
"Yes,
I thought it was time. Here, have some wine. I've watered it.
There's some garum left, and some bread." He pushed the jug of
wine across the table. "Not as good a meal as you prepare, I
know. And I've cut up some of the chicken and mashed it with some
broth and fed poor Ferox." The dog was chewing his food in the
corner, eyes on his master.
"Cassio,
first of all I want to thank you for being a good friend to my
Maximus when he needed one. I did not know you then, and I know I
have thanked you before, but I thank you again for that now."
"It
was no trouble. I liked the lad and knew what he was being put
though. Any decent person would have done the same." Now he
was
uneasy.
"In
that household? I think not. Nonetheless, I thank you." Rufus
toyed with his mug. "Cassio, I need to ask you a favor."
"Anything.
You know you needn't ask. Anything I can do, I will do, and
willingly. You have both done so much for me." Cassio was
struggling to maintain composure, like a proper Roman.
"Thank
you, my friend. In a few minutes I will go up stairs with that basin
of warm water. I will lay next to my Beast. I've dressed him in a
clean tunic and combed the tangles out of that great beard of his.
I'll open a vein and let my hand rest in the water, and slip away."
"Oh,
no! You must not, Rufus! You...." Rufus held up a hand.
"I
know what you will say, and I thank you again. But I thought about
this all yesterday and last night, very carefully. I could not face
a life without him. Everywhere I'd look, he would not be there. I'd
turn at a sound, expecting to hear his voice, turn a corner and
expect to see him. Endless, empty days, stretching on and on...
Cassio, he and I made a promise to each other, many years ago. We
were still slaves, and could not be together as much as we so wanted
to. We were naked and hugging tight, and it felt so good and right
to us. We said, 'never let go' 'I won't' 'never'. We knew we were
not just talking about the hugs, even then." He took a
fortifying gulp of the watered wine. "I want you to give me an
hour or perhaps two, and then come up. Dig one grave for us both, at
the high side of the pasture. Wrap us in one or two of the horse
blankets if you can. Take us down and lay us side by side. I can't
bring myself to end Ferox's life, so take care of him for the time he
has left. I've no idea how old he is but he's going very gray in the
muzzle, and the stairs are harder and harder for him, poor thing.
Keep him down here until I am finished." He took a final gulp,
draining the mug. "The house and property we leave to you. You
can live here if you wish, sell the stock if you like. I've left a
letter detailing all of this, so there will be no trouble or
suspicion. My writing is well known in town, so it won't be
questioned." Cassio was openly crying now.
He
stood up. "Now, embrace me, Cassio, and do your best not to
grieve over much. I am counting on you. Good bye, my friend."
They hugged tightly, Cassio nodding assent, unable to speak. Rufus
took the basin of water and the sharp knife up the stairs.
He
looked at the love of his life for a long last time, and then leaned
over him and gently kissed him. "Wait but a little for me, my
Beast. I will be there with you shortly." He set the basin
down beside the bed, then sat on the bed. The pain was sharp, but
brief, and welcome. He lay down and took Maximus' hand in his and
then let his other hand lay in the warm water, as the blood welled
and colored it pink.
Later,
Cassio went in and removed the basin. He brought in two horse
blankets from the stable, and then brought Ferox in to say his
good-byes. The dog thoroughly sniffed each of the bodies, as if to
confirm to himself that his master and his companion were truly gone.
He then sat on his haunches and howled his grief. Cassio wept as he
wrapped each body in a blanket.
It
took a full day for Cassio to dig the grave. The ground was actually
rather soft, due to the recent rains, but he was old, and had to stop
to rest often. While he was digging, he thought of how he would move
the bodies of the two men. He admitted to himself that he was beyond
most hard physical labor, but he steeled himself to the necessary
effort he owed to the two men he had come to regard as family. But
he knew carrying Maximus would be beyond his ability. Rufus, he
might just manage. In the end, exhausted, he tore two wide planks
from one of the stalls in the stable and laid them on the stairs,
making a kind of slide. The next morning, he gently and carefully
slid first Maximus then Rufus downstairs. He then took the planks
outside and placed one body on each and tied ropes to the planks. It
was hard work, pulling the planks across the pasture, but he managed
both by midday.
He
placed the bodies in the grave, partially unwrapped them, said a few
words over them, and then did one final thing for the two men he had
come to both respect and love. After, he shoveled the heaped dirt
into the grave.
Ferox
lay on the grave, head between his forepaws, for the next two days,
refusing all food and drink in spite of Cassio's best efforts. The
third morning, when Cassio brought out some broth and water for the
dog, Ferox was dead.
Cassio
scraped away some of the dirt at the base of Rufus and Maximus'
grave, wrapped the dog's body in his favorite blanket, and laid him
at the feet of the two men. It took the better part of two more days
for Cassio to complete the last task he'd set for himself, but with
the help of two of the horses he managed to drag several large flat
slabs of stone from behind the stable and across the pasture, and
place them carefully athwart the grave. Finally, exhausted, Cassio
planted some slips of ivy from the hill at the back of the property
around the grave. Over the next year, the stones settled so that the
grave was flat, and the ivy flourished, covering it all, a kind of
green benediction.
March,
Present Day
Luigi D'Arco was driving
on the outskirts of Clusium, following the directions his good friend
Luka Fontini had given him over the phone. "Forget the GPS,
just follow my directions and you'll be fine!"
Luigi steered his car over
onto the verge at the side of the dirt track on the far side of the
construction site to his right. He got out of the car and squelched
his way towards the PortaCabin that was serving as a temporary office
for Luka's team. He was glad he had worn old shoes. He mounted the
steps and knocked on the door, and then let himself in at the sound
of Luka's voice.
"Luigi! Friend! Come
in, come in! Sit! Sit! The roundish, ebullient Luka embraced his
old college friend warmly and motioned to a folding chair. "Grappa?"
Without waiting for an answer, he poured a generous slug into a mug
and pushed it toward Luigi. Luka and Luigi had met at university and
had become fast friends. Had they been American, they might well
have been compared to Mutt and Jeff: Luigi, tallish and thin, Luka
short and quite round. That friendship endured past their degrees
and diverging careers, Luigi's in art history and later fraud
detection, and Luka's in forensic anthropology.
"What brings you to
Clusium, my friend?"
"Business. Chasing
after the seller of a fake Donatello bronze. Well, that, and you,"
Luigi said, sipping the fiery liquid. "I read the story in the
papers about the discovery of that silver hoard, and saw your name
there. I told myself, 'Self, you must go and see your friend and his
hoard of silver while you are there.' "
"Oh, hardly a
'hoard'. The newspapers always exaggerate these things. No, it's
just a small handful of coins. But they are very fine ones. Here,
have a look." He took a small coin from a tray on the table
next to him and passed it to Luigi.
"Ah! Very nice. The
sculpting is so sharp, precise. That's Domitian, is it not?"
Luigi asked, pointing to the bas relief of a head on the obverse of
the coin in his hand. "It almost looks like it was struck
yesterday."
"Very good! Yes,
it's Domitian, almost certainly from 82 CE, and all of them the same,
in exceptional condition."
"If I remember my
history, he reformed the currency, no? Brought it back to the
original Republican standard?" He thought for a moment. "You
say they are all alike. Any chance these might be counterfeit?"
"On no," Luka
said, "we've had them assayed, and they are all between 97 and
98% pure. They are the real thing. They may well have been from the
first batch of the new coinage."
"Where were they
found? And how did you get involved? I thought you were working for
the National Institute in Padua."
"I still work for
them. The company clearing this land for construction of a new
apartment block ran across some obviously old stone foundations. You
remember that the Antiquities Act got several revisions last year?"
Luka took another sip of grappa. "They have increased the
requirements for handling such finds. The company had to immediately
stop work and call in an expert to assess the situation. The
Institute was called, they sent Dominic, Dominic assessed, called the
Institute back, the Institute sends me. And here I am!"
"Yes, but where were
the coins found?" Luigi asked again. Luka had a habit of
answering only one question when he was asked more than one at a
time.
"Oh, yes... sorry!
At the base of one of the stone walls, in a hollowed out area,
concealed by a thin stone cover. It was really rather clever; well
done, in fact. We almost missed it. Anyway, it turns out that the
'foundations' were actually remains of walls of a stone house,
probably a farm house. It appears to have been built in at least two
stages. There was a broken stone lintel or maybe a window frame,
with a partial inscription 'DOMV', possibly part of a name, not a
date. There are remains of a well close by, and a large-ish wooden
building over there." Luka gestured vaguely behind him. "Most
likely a stable or maybe a barn. That's all wood, so not much left
except the foundations. There's also a kind of stone and cement
lined pit, probably storage for water for crops. It's all very plain
and normal, very like hundreds of such houses and smallholdings
scattered in this area during the last century BCE and the first and
second century CE. There was one other thing, though, that is a
puzzle."
"Oh?"
"Yes. There was a
small bronze figure, found in what was likely the middle of the
structure's second floor. It's all collapsed, of course, so we
guessing a bit there. What is certain is that the figure is
exceptionally fine, Etruscan, and far too valuable for a farming
family to own. It's of a prancing horse. I wish I could show it to
you, but it's already been sent off to be conserved and dated. The
photos don't give you a true idea of it's beauty." Luigi pushed
several photo across the table.
"No, I can see it's
exceptional. Some museum is going to spend a lot of lira to get this
in their collection! Were there any other surprises?"
"No, other than that,
nothing exceptional in the house or stable... except the coins of
course." Luka paused, smiling widely, and asked, "More
grappa?"
Luigi held out his cup.
"OK, my friend. I know that look. You know something. Ah, you
found something else...
something more!" Luka smiled more widely.
"Want to see? Come
on!" He got up and led Luigi outside and up a short path to a
large tent what was sheltering one area of the dig from the rains of
the past two days. They stepped into the tent.
"Three days ago, we
discovered some stone slabs, carefully arranged, and under those,
human remains. Now everything really
grinds to a halt, and the construction company is not at all pleased.
And we now have unlimited time to examine and prepare a complete
report, including forensic evidence and a plan of action, instead of
the old one week deadline. All because of these." He stooped,
took hold of a tarp, and with a flourish, lifted it up and out of the
way.
"Ah! That a lot of
bones. Wait, two skulls. So, two bodies?" Luka nodded. Luigi
got down on his knees to examine the skeletal remains more closely.
"And some kind of animal skull and bones; a dog, if I am not
mistaken, at their feet." Luka nodded. "A family
companion, do you think?"
Luka nodded again. "If
you look closely, you can see that the animal's rear leg had a rather
severe injury that healed, the remodeling is quite apparent. There
are other bite marks on the skull. This dog must have limped for the
rest of it's life. Yet, it died of old age, so it must have been
cared for. Beloved, I'd say."
Luigi stared at the
skeletons again. "It looks as if they are embracing... no,
wait... they ARE!" He turned to Luka, shaking his head. "Is
someone pulling a practical joke on you?" Such pranks were not
unheard of in the field of archaeology, and every archeo student knew
the saga of Piltdown Man.
"No. Almost
certainly not. There is no evidence of the site having been
disturbed at all, certainly not recently. The strata are totally
consistent and undisturbed." Luka continued to smile.
"OK, then. Hmmm...
siblings? Or wait! A man and wife, united in the grave throughout
eternity." Luigi was rather pleased with his little theory.
"No, and no."
"Perche?"
"First, both
skeletons are male, the pelvis is the giveaway there, so not husband
and wife. And in spite of the fact that the Romans had no word for
the concept of homosexuality, as well as a rather tolerant attitude
towards casual same sex couplings, there certainly was no gay
marriage back then! And we have done both DNA analysis and carbon
dating on the bones. I just got the results today. The two are not
even remotely related, so... not siblings, either. And they both
were about the same age when they died, roughly around the beginning
of the second century CE."
Luigi stood back up and
brushed off his pant legs. "Some doctoral candidates are going
to be wetting themselves in excitement over all of this. I smell
dissertations!"
Luka laughed out loud.
"No doubt."
"What do you think
the story behind this is?"
Luka thought for a moment.
"There is no real way of telling at this point, perhaps never.
But I have a feeling that the very small size of the 'hoard'
precludes it being the ill-gotten gains from a robbery. It could
be, I suppose, but I think not. This was a fundus, and this was a
small house, not a large villa. It would seem, more probably, to be
the life savings of the farming family or couple that lived here
around the middle to end of the first century CE."
"But..." Luka
raised a hand and cut his friend off.
"I know. That does
not explain why the coins are all the same, and all look almost new.
Usually, lifetime savings would be made up of coins from differing
reigns, and of differing purity. Even the results of theft, unless
from a mint, would likely be from differing time periods. I have no
explanation for that, or for the presence of that exquisite bronze.
You and I could spin all kinds of fanciful tales to explain it all,
but perhaps we should leave it up to the graduate students to fight
it out in dueling dissertations?" Both men chuckled.
Just then, one of Luka's
assistants came up to them. "Sir, I've locked the tool shed,
and put all the batteries on charge, including the drone camera. I'm
leaving now."
"Ah, thank you,
Sophia. Be careful driving, it looks like more rain, and the roads
are still slippery. See you tomorrow." Sophia waved and walked
off towards her car as the two men returned to their speculations.
Sophia fumbled in her
purse for her keys as she approached the battered old Citroen 2CV.
She was thinking again about the feeling she had when she first
entered the tent sheltering that part of the dig containing the
skeletons that had just been discovered. As she settled into the
seat of the Deux Chevaux, she turned the key in the ignition and the
car wheezed to life. She reflected that she liked her job, and
wished to continue in archaeology field work when she finished her
degree. To this end, she had learned early on not to discuss her
'feelings' with her colleagues. On the two occasions she had; they
had been labeled 'unprofessional', and she herself as 'hysterically
female'. But she knew absolutely what she had felt. This had not
been fuzzy or unfocused, a kind of general 'air'. This had been
sharp, focused, and very specific. It was not a feeling of fear, or
pain, or anger, as she had felt in battlefield digs; or the waves of
diffused rage and despair she had felt at the 17th century French
prison she had worked on last year. This was a strong sense of
peace, and warmth, and connection; and in spite of the mud and rain,
almost one of pleasure and comfort. If she had been forced to put a
name to the feeling she had encountered in that sheltering tent, it
would have to be 'love... deep and abiding love'.
She put the car into gear
and eased out into the muddy lane. Rain was beginning to fall again
as she drove away.
The End
Author's
Notes For Domus
Gentle
readers, hala
et vale! Except for a couple of historically famous Romans, all
the characters in this last part of Rufus and Maximus' story are
fictional; but as before, the historical details, customs, forms of
address, etc. are all period correct. This is the end of their saga.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about their lives and their love for
each other. 79
AD, After Vesuvius,
Earlier
Days,
and Domus
make up the single story arc. If you are new to the story, it would
be best to read them in that order, since After
Vesuvius
makes reference to events that happen in
79 AD;
and Domus
references events in the three previous stories. Earlier
Days provides
more information on Rufus and Maximus (and Ferox!) on their own and
as a couple and their lives before and after they met.
Aneurysms
can occur anywhere in the body. The most critical ones are either in
the brain, or in the abdomen. Aortic aneurysms, if detected early,
can be managed or corrected by surgery, but they often go undetected
because of the lack of overt symptoms. There is genetic component in
some, but not all cases. Without prompt emergency treatment, a
ruptured aortic aneurysm is nearly always fatal, as it was in
Maximus' case.
Imperial
Roman justice was variable, depending on the whims of the emperor of
the day. Domitian saw to it that the laws, and his own decrees, were
enforced. Initially, in Republican times, slaves (non persona) had
no rights at all; and crimes involving slaves as victims were lightly
investigated, if at all. Gradually, some protections were extended
to them. Claudius decreed that if a slave was abandoned by his
master, he became free. Nero granted slaves the right to complain
against their masters in a court. And under Antoninus Pius, a master
who killed a slave without just cause could be tried for homicide.
From the mid to late 2nd century AD, slaves had more standing to
complain of cruel or unfair treatment by their owners. Still, a
slave was more harshly punished than a citizen for the same crime.
A manumitted or otherwise freed slave became a full citizen with all
the same rights as one born to that station. As manumission of
slaves became more common, the ranks of these free citizens
increased. Emperors sometimes granted freedom to whole groups of
people at once.
Throughout, I have used BC
and AD in dates because that is what I grew up with and what I
suspect most of my audience will be most familiar with. The modern
professional characters in the stories use the modern academic terms
of BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) instead.
UrsusMajr,
June, 2024