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Tuesday, February 6, 2024

More about Rufus and Maximus

The story below, Roman Tales, is a collection of scenes that, for one reason or another, didn't make it into either 79 AD or After Vesuvius.  I've added them here in case any readers would be interested in the main character's backstories. 

I've also included some additional historical author's notes.

Enjoy!

UrsusMajr

Roman Tales

Roman Tales

by

UrsusMajor


I. Maximus 59 AD

Fabiana, the cook, tipped the few scraps of pork and bits of sausage left from the main meal prep into the pot. Those, plus a few carrot scrapings and beans made for a very thin soup for the slave's supper. She added an extra pinch of salt and oregano. Looking into the steaming pot, she thought, 'To Hades with the old bitch', and added another measure of barley to thicken the supper that would be served soon to the household's slave workers.

Livila, the mistress of this particular household, was known for her parsimony. At the very top of her personal list of Roman virtues was 'frugality'. She kept a very close eye on all aspects of the household that she kept in efficient running order for her husband, Appius Silanus. Appius Silanus ran his latifundus with the same degree of frugality. Fabiana knew that Livila most likely knew down to the last grain just how much barley was in the large clay pot in the pantry. 'Bitch', Fabiana through to herself again as she stirred the pot. True, none of the slaves actually starved under Livila and Appius' hand, but none grew plump, either. Now, Livila was decidedly plump, and Appius was gaining on her. Their generosity with their own rations did not even extend to invited guests, who were never offered second helpings. Wise guests partook of a light meal before attending the annual Lupercalia dinner party at the house, lest their stomachs growl too loudly.

In spite of Livila's sharp eye, Fabiana had managed to squirrel away several choice morsels of pork roast. They were not for herself directly, but were part of a plan she had been concocting over the last couple of weeks, ever since the new slave boy had been acquired to work in stable and garden, doing odd jobs. The new boy, called Maximus, certainly lived up to his name. Already taller than most his age, and broader and more muscled, he even needed to shave, which boded well for his maturity in other areas, Fabiana thought. According to Appius, the boy was perhaps fourteen years of age, and could already out-work slaves with ten years on him.

Fabiana had had no outlet for her plentiful sexual desires ever since her lover Lepidus had been sold away when the neighboring paterfamilias had been exiled for fraud involving construction contracts for one of the Emperor Vespasian's pet projects. The arrangement she and Lepidus had involving sex but not love was mutually satisfactory to them both; but that ended more than six months ago, and Fabiana was getting desperate. None of the other male slaves in the household interested her. They were either too old, or physically repellent to her. So Maximus' arrival was of great interest, looking far more mature than his years.

She surmised that Maximus had an appetite to match his size, and she planned on using the promise of extra rations as bait. Food in exchange for sex was certainly not a new idea, having a long and largely successful run in human history. She planned on making her initial move that evening. Once the evening meal was concluded and the triclinium and kitchen cleaned and put to rights, Fabiana stuck her head out the kitchen doorway and called out, "Maximus! I need you here."

Although technically not his domina, Maximus knew better than to ignore the cook. "Coming, Fabiana." Maximus hurried to the kitchen. "What is it you need?"

"That large sack of beans, bring it in from the larder, I'll need it tomorrow."

"Of course, Fabiana." Maximus went to the larger and shouldered the not-all-that-heavy sack and returned to the kitchen, thinking to himself, 'She could have shifted this herself, so... why??'

"Ah, thank you, Maximus. I seem to have strained my back." She looked Maximus up and down. "You look rather hungry, Maximus." At this point, Maximus' belly obligingly growled. "Ah, I guessed correctly. Here, I think I... yes, there's a bit of the evening's pork roast still here. You have it, with my thanks." She handed the chunk of roast to Maximus, who eyed it hungrily.

"Are you sure? I mean, won't domina be angry?"

"You let me worry about her. Now, run along." As Maximus was leaving, she added, "Oh, and Maximus..."

"Yes?"

"I may have some other tasks for you later. If this damned back does not improve, you understand."

"Yes, Fabiana." Maximus headed back to the slaves' rooms, munching happily on the pork.

Over the next several weeks, Fabiana found numerous small tasks that her 'bad back' prevented her from doing. Not surprisingly, she required Maximus' help with these, and they always seemed to happen in the evening hours. Maximus benefited from the extra portions from the main meals, slipped to him by Fabiana as 'payment' for his help... his belly was growling less, and he no longer was awakened in the night by hunger pangs. Judging the time ripe, Fabiana made her move after the usual post-supper clean-up.

"Maximus, come here for a moment, will you?"

"Yes, Fabiana." Well trained by now, Maximus reported to the kitchen, anticipating whatever table tit-bits the cook had set aside. "What is needed?"

"Well... you, I think." Fabiana grasped Maximus' cock through the front of his tunic. Like any male, Maximus shied away, but was not quite quickly enough. Fabiana held on, carefully calculating just how tightly she should squeeze. "You know, Maximus, I could make you feel really good, in a way I bet you've not felt before." Maximus froze. "There, see? I'm not going to hurt you. This will feel really good." She slowly began to massage Maximus' penis through the coarse cloth of his tunic. Maximus' cock slowly began to inflate, in spite of his apprehension. As the cook continued her expert manipulations, Maximus' apprehension eased somewhat, slowly replaced with a growing feeling of furtive pleasure.

Maximus had grown up in close proximity to farm animals and knew the basics of reproduction. Several experiences of mutual inspection with another slave boy behind the stable made him aware of two things: first, that he was more physically mature than the other boy who was actually older than himself; and second, that his cock could now be used for more than just peeing. Since then, he had regularly pleasured himself when the opportunity presented itself. At the farm, the opportunities were frequent. Here, in this household, they were much rarer.

"Fabiana, you should stop. I will..."

"Stop worrying. The others are all in their rooms, and the bitch and her husband went to bed early tonight." Misjudging her effectiveness, as well as the reason for Maximus' concern, she increased her manipulation of Maximus' throbbing cock, hoping to bring him just to the edge of climax but no further. She planned on leaving him hanging there, and therefore all the more eager to return for another round when she planned on introducing him to a new form of pleasure.

"No, I mean that I... I..." Maximus never got the chance to complete his sentence. With a loud groan, he soaked the front of his tunic and Fabiana's hand with a sudden gush of hot seed. His face was a mixture of embarrassment, release, and anxiousness.

A somewhat surprised Fabiana exclaimed, "Oh! My, my! You produce like a prize bull. And you've made a mess on the floor, too." She looked him in the face. "Oh, stop worrying, no harm done." Maximus started to reach for a cloth. "No, leave it. I'll clean up. You need to get back to your room. That moaning of yours might have awakened someone. And rinse out your tunic in the trough outside." Maximus did as he was told, while Fabiana mopped up the result of her earlier work. "Venus be praised, he does make a mess." She was already planning her next assault on Maximus.

The next assault happened two nights later. Fabiana was busy chopping herbs for the sausage seasoning. "Maximus, bring in another load of firewood for the oven." Maximus did so, and stood behind the cook, who was blocking his access to the hearth. She stepped aside. Maximus stacked the firewood. As he straightened up the cook turned towards him. She squeezed his cock, her body concealing the motion from anyone who might be line of sight. "Come to my room tonight," she whispered. "Wait until all the others are in their beds, then wait a while longer so they are all asleep. And be quiet about it." She smiled at Maximus. In a louder voice, she said, "That will be all, Maximus." She turned back to chopping herbs.

The house had been quiet for some time, and Fabiana was beginning to doubt that Maximus would show. She had masturbated twice, to whet her appetite and to make any penetration easier. There was a soft knock at the thin wooden door to her room next to the kitchen. She got up off her bed and went to the door. "Maximus?" she whispered.

"Yes." The cook opened the door and drew Maximus in, closing the door behind him.

"Come, sit here," she motioned to the bed. They both sat. "I saved some meat for you," the cook motioned to a plate sitting on a low stool by the bed. Maximus nodded.

"Thank you." He made no motion to pick up the plump chicken leg. "I'm really tired. Might I take that back to my room?"

"Oh, I think not... at least, not yet. I have something to show you, and you have something I want to see." There was a long pause. "Maximus, have you ever been with a woman?"

Maximus shook his head.

"Well, we need to remedy that. Take off your tunic."

"I'd rather not."

"If you want to continue getting treats from my hand, you'd better. Now, stand up and get that tunic off." Fabiana's voice now had an edge to it.

Maximus eyed the chicken leg, and was dismayed when his stomach growled of it's own accord. He thought for a moment, then stood up and drew his tunic off over his head.

Nearly all slaves, male or female, wore only a plain tunic, knee length or slightly shorter, with female slaves adding a simple strophic to provide support for their breasts. Subligaculuma, a kind of underwear, were only worn if one's gentiles were likely to be exposed. Male slaves who worked outside in the heat of Roman summers would wear them, to allow their tunics to be taken off for some relief from the heat. Taking off his tunic left Maximus completely naked.

Fabiana stifled a small gasp. How could a fourteen year old look like this? Belly and chest already covered with a decent coating of black hair, the pubic bush thick. And the cock... ye gods, he was big! Lepidus had not been small, but this boy put him to shame. "Turn around." The boy's back was broad, and already showed muscular definition and hair. His midsection was also thick and hairy, with almost no taper and very little fat. Hips were fairly wide, with the butt muscle rounded and solid. Thighs were not especially thick, but they were dressed with a thin coating of black hair, front and back. She stood and slowly removed her own tunic. Earlier she had removed her strophic, so her breasts swung free. "You know how a woman is shaped, no?" Again, Maximus nodded. "Come closer."

Maximus was confused. What little he knew about sex between men and women was that the man was supposed to be driven mad with desire upon seeing a naked woman, and would do anything to put his erection inside the woman's pudenda. He could clearly see Fabiana's, and the luxuriant bush of pubic hair that surrounded it. Her breasts were full, if somewhat slack, the areolas darker against her paler skin. This was when his cock was supposed to grow and stand up... but he was feeling nothing except some nervousness, a bit of hunger, and a vague impatience.

Fabiana noticed the lack of male response, and marked it down to youthful inexperience and nervousness. 'After all, he's only a boy, no matter how manly he looks,' she thought to herself. 'Best to take matters in hand then, like before,' she thought. She reached for his flaccid penis, stroking it and fondling the ample ball sack than hung below. Slowly, Maximus began to erect, the foreskin retracting over the blunt tip. "Ah, that's it, boy. That's what I want to see." She continued to stroke and squeeze the warm flesh until Maximus was standing more of less fully erect.

"Now, this is what that is for," she said, pointing first to her crotch, then to Maximus'. "You slide that inside me and we both feel really good. I am told that men regard it is the very best feeling in the whole world; and I can tell you that it is one of the best feelings for a woman." She reached up and tipped Maximus' head back so they were looking each other eye to eye. "You are lucky to have a woman like me to show you the way of it. I've had a good amount of experience, and can show you some interesting tricks to help you last longer, and give a woman more pleasure. Now... for this first time, I am going to lay down here, and you lay on top of me. I will guide your cock inside." She reclined on the bed with her legs apart and pulled Maximus down on top of her with more eagerness than she intended to show at this stage. True to her word, she used the fingers of one hand to spread her labia, while her other hand guided Maximus inside her.

Maximus felt heat, and wetness. He knew the humping motions that male animals made when they mounted a female, and this seemed to be much the same situation, except for the cook's position on her back. Before he could do anything though, Fabiana reached for his butt cheeks and pulled him in towards her. His cock slid all the way in, down to the root of his member. Fabiana gasped.

"Venus and Diana, you are huge!" Her eyes glittered. "Now, move in and out, but don't pull all the way out. Take it slow, there will be time for more speed in a bit. There, that's it. Slower. Yes. Good boy, keep doing that. See? I told you it would feel wonderful." Fabiana was feeling filled to a degree she had not felt before.

Maximus, on the other hand, was not feeling the deep tingling in his loins that he usually felt when looking at animals mating, or at sweaty slaves and freemen, laboring in the sun with their tunics off, or when he thought of those sights in his bed at night, fondling himself. The deeply pleasurable feeling of the tingle that signaled his seed surging up from his balls and out of his cock was... not there. Or at least, not to the degree he had experienced before. He could feel the slickness and warmth, and he could tell that he would soon climax, but not with the force and pleasure he usually found. He continued the in and out motion. Fabiana began to moan quietly.

"You can go a bit faster now. And let your weight down on me, press into my pudenda... YES! like that! Oh, don't stop! keep going! Oh, Venus! Harder! Harder! Ooohhhh!!" The cook shuddered and shook under Maximus. Her hands gripped his back, then his buttocks, pulling him in even harder against her. Maximus felt himself begin to pump his seed out... and that felt good to him. Not quite as good as when he brought himself off with his own hand but still...

They were both slick with sweat. Fabiana pushed Maximus up. "Now, this is where you get up and roll off. It gets uncomfortable, once you have been to heaven and back. We can lay here for a bit." Maximus' breathing was returning to normal, but Fabiana's was still rasping with effort. After a moment, she turned her head to him. "You know, you show promise. With some practice with me, you will become quite good at this. I must confess, in the past I was seldom filled and never full; but you certainly are equipped to fill any woman in Rome. Make the most of your gifts, boy, and you could go far, even for a slave. But we'd need to do something about all that hair. Another time, though; you've tired me out. Now, off you go, get some sleep." Maximus got up and pulled his tunic back on and moved towards the door.

"Oh, and take the chicken. You've earned it."

There were more night time visits to Fabiana's room over the next months, but the cook still noticed a lack of eagerness on Maximus' part. One night, she said to him, "Maximus, pay attention. A woman likes to be pursued, to feel that she is driving the man wild with desire, that he can't keep away. You need to show more interest, more... eagerness. Make me feel like you cannot wait for nightfall, that you cannot keep your hands off my body when we are together like this."

"I am sorry, Fabiana, I will try harder."

"No, no, NO! You shouldn't have to 'try', it should come natural, just show it. If it doesn't, then pretend. Be an actor if you have to, but be a good one. NEVER tell a woman that you will need to 'try harder'!" She looked at the boy. She was seriously put out. "After all I've done for you, I expect more. I think maybe we had better take a break. I'll let you know when I'll need you again."

That would not be for over a month. Maximus found that he missed the release, and the sense of penetration, but not the person involved. He thought a lot about that while he worked in the stable and in the garden. He wondered if there was something wrong with him. "I guess I do need to try harder even if I don't show it." He shrugged and continued forking hay into the stable manger. Fabiana did not weigh heavily on his mind.

After what was to be their last time together, Fabiana made an observation to Maximus. While Maximus was donning his tunic, she leaned back against the pillows on her bed. “You know, most men cannot get enough sex, even the old goats think about it all the time, even if they can't get it up any more. But you, Maximus... you seem like you can take it or leave it. I wonder if you even really like women, or sex, at all.” She was wrong about the liking sex part. A month later, at almost sixteen years of age, Maximus was sold to an auction house. Fabiana was slightly sorry to see him go, but not for long. Appius had purchased two new male slaves, and they looked promising.



II. Rufus 59 AD

Rufus was fifteen years old when he was first taken to the Thermae Agrippae by Lucius Secundus Hirtuleius, his dominus. It was not unusual for a well-off Roman to bring a slave with them to the baths, to hold towels and caligas, and in using a strigil to scrape cleansing oil off the hard to reach places; and Lucius was fond of the boy in any case. Rufus was good-natured, bright and inquisitive. His curiosity was tempered with good manners and an appreciation of his place as a slave in a wealthy household of a prominent Roman businessman and Senatorial relative.

They were walking on the Campus Martius, past several of the large buildings commissioned by the wealthy Agrippa. "Oh, it's so BIG," Rufus said as they approached the entrance to the baths. Lucius chuckled.

"Yes, it's one of the biggest in Rome, and one of the oldest. And you are only seeing part of it, there is a parallel set of baths for women here, too. One can bathe, get a massage, use the gymnasium, get something to eat, even listen to lectures by some of the most famous orators in Rome today." Lucius deliberately avoided mentioning the several small side rooms that were reserved for more private activities. Rufus had no need to know about those. Besides, as a slave he could never actually use the baths himself. That was reserved for citizens.

As they walked into the large rotunda, Rufus marveled at the tall columns, the colorful mosaic floors, and the statues, especially the largest one, the Apoxyomenos. Lucius kept up a running commentary on the features of the building as they walked to the men's changing rooms. "Did you know that Marcus Agrippa built an aqueduct specifically to bring in water for these baths of his? The Aqua Virgo is over 12 miles long. There are actually three pools in here, the caldarium, which is steaming hot and very soothing to sore muscles. The tepidarium is more lukewarm, and finally the frigidarium, where the water is not heated at all. It can be quite cold in the winter, you know! After that, a massage is quite nice, and then a bite to eat. It's also a great place to meet friends and socialize, or conduct business." Lucius noticed two of his many business acquaintances heading towards the caldarium.

"Marcellus! Aelianus! Avete! I'll meet you shortly." He turned to Rufus. "Now, Rufus, you take my toga and tunic to one of those baskets over there, make sure the number on the disc matches the basket, and don't lose it! Walk around, explore a bit, but don't make a nuisance of yourself. Maybe walk in the public gardens next door. I'll be here for a while. Come back in two hours and wait for me here." Rufus nodded. Once Lucius had stripped, he handed Rufus his clothing and sandals, and headed for the caldarium and his business friends. Rufus took the things and found an empty basket and exchanged them for the numbered disc at the bottom.

Being naturally inquisitive, Rufus decided to look around before heading back to the rotunda area. For the first time in his young life, he saw a large number of men of all shapes and sizes and ages, all naked. Most were either heading into or out of one of the interior pools, or just standing and talking. They were all so casual! Rufus knew enough not to stare openly. These men were all his social superiors; and he was accustomed to keeping his eyes downcast for the most part when he was at the market or elsewhere with one of the other slaves or Lucius or Antonia. But this! This was unbelievable. So many cocks! Short, stubby but thick, long and thin, ones that looked like a large sausage... the variety was amazing. Some had hair of a variety of browns, light to dark, with some much lighter, almost blond. Many had jet black bushes surrounding their cocks. The variety was intoxicating, regardless of his caution. He was surprised to see that many of the men had no hair at all on their bodies. Suddenly, three men rounded the corner and walked straight towards Rufus on their way to the heated pools. The one in the middle had a long, thick cock that reached more than halfway to his knees, and swung to and fro as he walked. The man to his right nudged him with his elbow and said, "If that thing ever gets hard, there won't be room for the rest of us in the pool!" Raucous laughter from the three echoed off the tiled walls and they crossed into the steamy rooms ahead of them.

Sabina, the cook, had slipped him a quadrans before he had left the house and told him to get himself a meat pie. "If I know Lucius, you'll be home late and he won't have thought to get something to eat on the way." Rufus bought a pork pocket from one of the food stalls and returned to the area outside the entrances to the heated pools. Munching on the golden pastry gave him some cover for his presence. He would nibble, then sneak a good look as the men moved in or out of the archway entrance. He found himself thinking that he preferred the men who had body hair to those who did not. It looked more natural to him, more... manly. He stood up as if looking for his dominus, looked around as if concerned, then sat again and returned to munching on the crust. He stretched this out for as long as he could, his own cock now swelling uncomfortably. Finally, pastry gone, he stood and turned, brushing the front of his tunic, willing his hard on to recede. Eventually, flaccid once again, he wandered outside into the adjacent public gardens. He walked around for a bit, then returned inside to wait for Lucius.

As he passed down one hallway, he noticed several small rooms, most with partly open doors but two with closed ones. He peeked into one of the open rooms and saw on the walls mosaics unlike any he had seen before. To the right, the mosaic depicted a young man bending a young woman over a large cushioned stool, and inserting his grotesquely large penis into the woman's behind. The opposite wall showed an older bearded man with a younger man on his lap, plainly lowering himself on the rigidly erect cock of the older man. The wall facing the entrance showed a more conventional forest scene of satyrs, fauns, and young priestesses chasing each other and coupling among the trees. Rufus' eyes lingered on the scene at the left, imprinting every detail on his mind. He reluctantly started to back out of the room when he heard moaning and groaning from the next room.

"Oh, yes... that's it. Futuo, you are tight! Your skin is so beautiful. Oh!" The voice was one of an obviously older man, nearly bass in it's register. It was followed by a much younger, lighter voice.

"Oh, Master, tell me what you want me to be. I will be anything for such a powerful man as you. I am yours to use. AHH! Oh, you are in so deep, Master. Fill me, Master. Put your powerful seed in me!" Rufus stored that fragment of conversation away in his mind along with the images it conjured. He quietly moved along the hall, fearful he would find Lucius impatiently waiting for him. He quickly made his way to the changing room.

He found he had timed it well. Lucius was just waving to several businessmen as he exited the moist rooms and in to the changing area. "Ah, Rufus, there you are. Do you have my... ah, yes, you do. Excellent. I'm skipping a massage today, Aelianus will run on and on about his sons and their military successes. Still, it pays to listen politely, even if it takes time. Aelianus' company buys a lot of iron from me, you know. Personal relationships are important in business, boy." He donned his tunic and then began the laborious task of draping himself with the toga that was expected of all Roman men of any standing when out in public. "Here, help me with the dratted thing," he said, handing one end to Rufus. Although Rufus was not Lucius' personal slave (eccentrically, he chose not to have one), he had grown adept with this task. It helped that he was now as tall as Lucius. "There, that does it, I think. Well done, Rufus. Let us go." They walked out into the late afternoon sunlight that was glancing across the open area between the baths and the Pantheon. They headed towards the Hirtuleius household on the Quirinal hill and their evening meal.

Once his simple evening meal was consumed and his tasks for the day had been completed, Rufus went to his room in the slave's quarters. He took his tunic off and looked down at his cock. He began reviewing the images of the afternoon, especially those of one stocky young man with a stubby cock and large balls. His chest and belly had been dusted with brown hair, joined by a thicker line of hair connecting them. His cock jutted out some, not because he was hard, but because it was resting on those large balls. The hair around his cock was thick and spread wide across his crotch. Rufus felt his own cock lengthen and expand, the foreskin sliding back to reveal his blunt tip. He was impressed with the young man's relaxed air, seeming totally unconcerned at being naked among others, many older than he, chatting and laughing. His body was not the lean, defined type he had seen on many statues and on some of the younger men at the baths. This young man had a pleasing softness to his stocky body; slightly rounded curves and just a hunt of a belly. For the first time, Rufus found himself with a variety of body types to compare, and he decided that he preferred the stockier, rounder versions.

Rufus was not especially long when relaxed, but when erect, his cock was thick. The blunt tip was set on a shaft the got wider as it got closer to his crotch. His own chest and belly already had a respectable amount of hair, much lighter in color than the intense red of his head hair. Reddish gold, it suited his fair coloring. The bush surrounding his cock was slightly darker, but still light... more copper than gold. He had first noticed the hairs on his crotch just before he turned twelve, and they had filled in rapidly. Already, he had a mature look about him. His hair color called attention to him, and when others looked, they saw a young man that they guessed was older than his actual years.

He remembered the mosaics he had seen in the baths, particularly the one with the older and younger men. He began stroking himself, feeling the familiar, delightful tingle in his groin and feeling his balls contract until the sack was snugged tight up against the base of his penis. He touched the tip of his cock and drew out a string of clear precum from the fat drop that had formed there. He remembered the dialog between the older and younger man in the room next to the mosaics, and felt his tip swell. He debated slowing down and delaying his orgasm, but decided he didn't want to wait. A few more firm strokes and he fired his seed into a coarse cloth he kept for this purpose, legs slightly apart, butt muscles clenched tight. Finished for the moment, he lay down on his bed and reviewed other mental pictures of the men he had seen earlier. He had a good visual memory, and recalling those images got his cock thickening up again. He reached his hand down and caressed his balls, then gently rubbed the underside of his cock, which was lying mostly flat against his belly. Using one finger, he traced up and down the shaft, and when he had reached full hardness, around the flare of his tip. He stopped, and let his erection subside, and then brought himself back, repeating the process several times. He finally let himself cum, but this time is was quieter, less intense. He pumped out several slow, thick ropes of cum on his belly.

His thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were of the first slave boy he had played with. Marcus had been two years older than Rufus, hairless except for a modest amount on this crotch, and it was Marcus who had taught Rufus how to pleasure himself. There had been no oral or anal sexual release, whether because neither had thought of those forms, or because there simply weren't enough opportunities, or privacy, to experiment. Unfortunately, Marcus was a lazy slave. Lucius and Antonia were good to their slaves, treating them with fairness and a measure of human respect that was rare among Roman society, but they were strict in their expectations about work. Marcus had been sold to a dealer after numerous warning about laziness and time-wasting. Rufus was thinking about Marcus and his first sexual experiences with him as he fell asleep, his hand holding his flaccid and sticky cock.



III. Maximus 61 AD

Maximus' second owner was a randy old goat, with a shrew for a wife. Maximus had been purchased to work with the animals on a fundus. These were mostly pigs and oxen, with a few milk cows and two horses. The farm was of moderate size, not quite the 'country estate' Livius Caeso liked to think it was.

"What? Another slave? How many do we need? What's this one for...as if I didn't know!"

"He's to work with Cassio, he's getting too old to keep up with the work," Livius said. 'Or with me,' he muttered to himself. 'The new boy isn't bad looking, and he certainly looks strong as an ox,' Livius thought, rubbing his crotch, anticipating fresh meat.

"Feh!" his wife Aurelia snorted in disgust as she turned away and walked off.

Cassio, the head of the outdoor slaves, took Maximus aside and cautioned him on his second day there. "You want to watch out for the dominus. He'll call you in soon enough, and let you know that one of your jobs will be to make him 'happy'. Just grit your teeth and do what he tells you. Anyone who refuses gets whipped and sold off." The older slave scratched the stubble on his jaw. "I feel sorry for the inside slaves, they have to put up with both him and her. Out here, it's just the dominus. Oh, and if he works your ass too hard, come see me. I've got some salve that will make your foraminis feel better."

"Thank you." Maximus went to work, forking hay over into the mangers in the stalls. "So... is it just boys, then?"

"Oh, no. Anyone who holds still long enough, boys, girls, men, women.... pigs, for all I know. But you're young and new... mark me, he'll be interested in you. Probably why he bought you, truth be told. Now, leave that, and help me with this cart."

The older slave's prediction was spot on. Two days later, Livius Caeso summoned Maximus to his study. He wasted no time at all. "Boy, come here, let me look at you. Hmmm. Turn around. Yes, very nice. Well, then. I'm sure Cassio has shown you your duties outside. Now it's time you learn your duties in here. As long as you keep me happy, things will go well for you. Cease doing that, and it's the whip. Do I make myself clear?'

Remembering Cassio's words, he nodded. "What am I to do to make you happy, dominus?"

Livius leered. "Suck my cock for starters. We'll move on to other things later. Kneel down here." Livius pointed to a spot in front of his chair. He pulled his tunic up, exposing his moderately sized penis, surrounded by smooth skin. "Well, boy... get busy!" Maximus was seized with fear. This was something he had never done, and was completely unsure as to how to proceed.

"Do I have to do everything?" Livius growled. Maximus dropped his head. "Oh, look at me!" Maximus looked up and Livius began Maximus' first lesson in cock sucking. "Have you never done this?" Maximus shook his head. "Well, pay attention. You open your mouth like this, and you take my cock in your hand, like this." He demonstrated both instructions "You put my cock in your mouth and start sucking on it. Lick it with your tongue. Move your head up and down while you do that. I'll get hard, but you continue, got it? And see that you watch your teeth! You're not eating a sausage, though it might look like it. Use your lips and tongue. When I cum, you swallow. NO SPITTING! If I tap you on the shoulder or head, you stop. Sometimes I want to make it last and need to take a break so I don't cum too soon. Otherwise, you keep working. You do not stop unless I signal you. Understand?"

Once again, Maximus nodded. Some of the things he had overheard slaves talking about at his previous owner's made more sense now. He had no practical experience with this, for in all their times together, Fabiana had never bothered to give Maximus head. As far as she had been concerned, the pleasure flowed all in one direction, towards her.

Livius remained seated, tunic lifted, waiting. Maximus crouched down a bit, so his head was level with the dominus' crotch. Livius' cock was already erecting, and was shaped like a legionary's gladius, narrower at the base, thicker in the middle, and tapering to spear point. It was large when erect, and starting to leak precum through the puckered end of the wrinkled foreskin. Maximus noted the heat from his dominus' crotch warming his face, and the strong scent of male sweat and a sort of salty tang. As he approached, he saw Livius' cock twitch, and the pointed tip of his penis slowly emerge from the foreskin shroud. He grasped the hot shaft with one hand as he had been instructed, and began to swallow it's length. Mindful of his teeth and the dominus' warning, he made use of his lips and tongue, becoming familiar with the shape and taste of his owner's equipment. He struggled not to gag.

Livius had been anticipating breaking in this new slave, and not having has any release in two days, his fuse was quite short. He reached out and took Maximus' head in both hands and pulled him in tight, to the base of his cock and fired off several scalding volleys of his cum into the slave's throat. Maximus started to gag again, and then pulled off the still pulsing cock, Livius' cum dribbling down his face.

Livius slapped the side of Maximus' head, hard. "What did I say, boy! DO NOT SPIT! Swallow it all, or by Jove's balls, I will whip you until you can't sit or lay down!"

"I...I...I'm sorry, dominus. It won't happen again, I promise." He looked up at Livius. "Shall I continue?"

"No. I am not pleased, and no longer in the mood. Go back to your cell, and think about what I've tried to teach you. And you'd do well to see that you do better next time. Now, go, get out of my sight." Livius turned away from the still-kneeling slave.

Maximus got to his feet and stumbled out of the study. Back in his cell, he reflected on two things. First, Livius had said 'next time', so he likely was not going to be sold off just yet. And second, that he had found the act of sucking another man's penis to be strangely intoxicating. He drained his own seed onto the straw on the floor of his room three times that night.

Several days later, Livius summoned Maximus to his study with something rather different in mind. He wasted no time. "Take off your tunic, boy." Maximus did so. "By Jove's cock, you ARE a hairy one! I've known old men with far less hair than you. I wonder what it was your mother mated with. And the gods didn't hold back when it came to your equipment, either." He reached out and took Maximus' penis in his hand. "A shame you won't get much chance to use it. Although, come to think of it, it might be entertaining to watch you work that thing in to that pretty little slave Aurelia bought last month... after I've had her, of course. Eh, no matter, turn 'round." Maximus did so, a bit embarrassed and more than a bit angry. It was one thing to be naked with other slaves while they washed each other's backs behind the stables, with cloths and buckets of cold water. It was quite different being naked before his owner. And Fabiana had handled his cock often enough. The comment about his parentage, though, made him want to hit Livius; but he swallowed the anger. Slaves were whipped and beaten, often to death, for striking their owners.

"Bend over and spread your butt for me, boy." Maximus did so. Behind him, Livius shed his own tunic and reached for container of oil. He worked some of the slippery stuff into Maximus' anus, and then smeared it over his own thickening cock.

"I don't suppose you've done this either, have you?" Maximus shook his head. Thanks to Fabiana, he was familiar with the sensation of penetrating. Being penetrated was entirely new to him.

"Good! I will enjoy being the first to take your podex and make it mine." With that, he centered his penis on Maximus' hole and shoved in with one thrust. Unable to stifle his response, Maximus yelped in pain. Far from deterring him, the obvious pain he was inflicting seemed to further inflame Livius' lust. "Big, aren't I?! Well, here's how it feels to have a man in you, boy!" He made thrust after savage thrust into Maximus' virgin ass. Maximus gritted his teeth and did his best to think of something, anything, other that what was being done to him. Finally, with a shout of triumph, Livius came in his slave's ass. After regaining his breath, he pulled his softening cock out of Maximus, and wiped the cum and blood off on the slave's butt. "Yes... young and tight. You'll work out well for me. Best get back to the stable, boy. Cassio tells me you have a new foal to take care of. See that you do."

Rufus picked up his tunic, pulled it over his head, and walked tenderly out of the house and back to the stables. He knocked softly on the door. "Cassio?" The door was opened by the older slave, who drew Maximus inside.

"Oh, you poor boy. He's hurt you, hasn't he?" Maximus nodded. "Do not be angry with me for asking, boy, but was this your first time?" Again, Maximus nodded. "Animum et oculos perdat," Cassio muttered in quite anger. "I know we have to take what the fates allow us, but really, could not he use at least some care? Here, take your tunic off and I will get the sal... Hades, you're bleeding!" The shocked slave had Maximus lean over a stack of hay bales. "I will be right back." Cassio hurried off and then returned shortly with a basin, cloths, and a pot of salve. "This will sting, Maximus, there's nothing for it, but you need to be cleaned first before I put on the salve. Hold as still as you can." With that, Cassio began to very gently wipe Maximus' raw anus and buttocks with the warm water that he had mixed with some sharp wine. Maximus winced. "Sorry, Maximus, I know it hurts. I remember.... well, no matter." He finished cleaning Maximus, and then gently applied the strong-smelling salve. Almost instantly, Maximus felt the burning pain lessen.

Maximus sighed. "Thank you, Cassio. That feels much better."

"Good. Now, take this, apply some more tomorrow in the morning, and once more when you shit and wipe yourself. That should do it." He looked at the younger slave who was slowly standing up. "It will get better, trust me. Doesn't seem like that now, but it will. Trust me."

Over the next few months, Maximus developed a considerable talent as a cock sucker, partly out of self-preservation, and partly out of his own desire to indulge in the act itself, if not the person involved. He had found Livius to be quite temperamental, but also easily calmed with a prolonged session of oral sex. He also found that once penetrated, he liked the sensation of being filled; and missed it when, spent, Livius withdrew. In one respect, being fucked was actually easier, since he had to put very little physical effort into it. As long as he could mentally block out the 'who' of the sex acts, he was finding that the 'what' was rather nice.

One afternoon, about a month later, Cassio and Maximus were mucking out the stable. "Let us take a break, Maximus... I don't have your endurance!" Cassio mopped the sweat from his head and took a swig of water from the cistern, then offered the cup to Maximus, who did the same. "Speaking of endurance, how are things going for you?" Cassio asked. There was no mistaking what 'things' Cassio was asking about.

"Well enough, I guess," Maximus answered. "I'm used to his size, now."

"Let me give you a suggestion, from my own experience. If you relax your muscle as much as you can when he enters you, and then tighten it when he pulls back, he likes that."

"Tighten? You mean like I was trying to hold off a shit?"

"Exactly. It's like milking a cow, and it will put him in a good mood, especially if you do it without his asking you. And the more you can keep him in a good mood, the better. Better for all of us, actually."

"Thank you, Cassio, I will try that next time. And Cassio..."

"Yes?"

"You were right, it has gotten better." Cassio smiled, and they returned to their work of shoveling horse shit.

Eventually, Livius got tired of Maximus, the desire for fresh meat never adequately satisfied in his mind. This was the principle reason for the turnover of slaves in the household. Maximus' life was certainly easier once the necessity of frequent servicing of Livius' sexual needs lessened. Maximus was a good slave, though; a strong and able worker, dependable, and well-liked by the other slaves. Because of that, he was kept on when others might have been discarded, once their novelty had worn off. He stayed in the Caeso household for almost twelve years before he was consigned to a slave trader, along with all the others upon the death of Livius Caeso. The day they were to leave, Cassio approached Maximus and embraced him.  

"I will miss you, my boy. You sling hay even better than I can, and I've never seen anyone with your way with horses." He paused, doing his best to control his emotions. "I wish there was something I could give you..."

"Cassio, no. You cared about me, and for me, more than any here. You have always given me good advice, and made my time here much easier than it might have been. You have given me more than enough."

"Still... oh, go with my blessing then. May Feronia always watch over you and protect you." Cassio reached out again and drew the young man into a tight hug. Maximus returned the older slave's embrace, and then climbed onto the cart that would take him to the slave trader's auction house.



IV. Rufus and Maximus Late November, 79 AD

It had been weeks since they had all escaped the utter destruction of Pompeii, and things had more or less settled into a routine at the farming estate once the others who had escaped with them had moved on to relations or other accommodations elsewhere. Antonia, Lucius' wife, had recovered from her badly sprained ankle and had regained some of her usual cheerful demeanor, but bore the effects of their ordeal in the increased lines on her face and the now copious gray in her hair. Lucius, for his part, spent a great deal of his days sitting in the small garden, staring off into the west, sometimes shaking his head and muttering. The horrors of the previous month had receded but a little for all of them.

On this chill late autumn morning, Rufus was walking down the hallway of the farm house. The past two days had been anything but calm. Everyone except himself was ill with some sort of stomach ailment. He stopped as he heard Lucius puking mightily in his bedroom. Rufus knocked on the wooden door. "Dominus? Do you need me?" His answer was another volley of puking. Rufus opened the door and entered. Lucius' head was bent over a bucket, strategically placed beside the bed. He looked up at Rufus, face drawn and haggard. He lay back on the bed.

"Hades, I hate being sick like this. To have survived the wrath of that volcano, only to be laid low by... this." Lucius gestured weakly to the chamber pot and bucket.

"Dominus, let me take the bucket and empty it and bring you a cloth to clean up with." Lucius nodded weakly. Quickly taking the bucket, he went out to the herb garden outside the bedroom and emptied the bucket over the wall and rinsed it out, swirling water from the cistern and dumping that, too. He grabbed a cloth from the kitchen, wrung it out with water, and went back to Lucius' bedroom.

"Here, Dominus. You've soaked through your tunic. Let me get you a fresh one." He took one from the chest at the foot of the bed, and helped Lucius sit up and change the sweat-soaked tunic. Carefully laying his dominus back on his bed, he was unsure of what to do next. Antonia, in the next room, was a sick as Lucius was. "Should I get Anna?"

"No, she ran out a few minutes ago, heading for the latrine. No, Rufus, I need you... to do... something for me." Lucius stopped and waited for a wave of nausea to pass. "Before she started vomiting, Antonia wrote out a list of things for a remedy her mother swore by for stomach ailments like this. She insists it does wonders, better than prayers to Febris, and you know what stock my wife puts in the proper prayers. It should be in her room. Get it, will you, and take it in to Nuceria. I'm not sure where you would get everything on the list, but surely the shop keepers can help. Or perhaps that Greek physician they have. And be quick, we all ne..." Lucius was cut short by another round of vomiting. After Rufus had emptied the bucket again, Lucius smiled weakly, and looked Rufus straight in the eye. "Take Maximus with you. I know you don't like horses, and it will take too long to walk."

Rufus nodded and went next door, knocking softly on the door. "Domina, it's Rufus. May I come in?"

Antonia weakly called out permission, and Rufus entered. Antonia was lying on the bed, pale and weak-looking. "Dominus told me you had a list of things for a remedy and that I was to take it into town.' He took up a wax tablet from the table next to the window. "Is this it?" He held up the tablet. Antonia nodded.

"Yes, please, Rufus. And hurry."

"I will, Domina, as quickly as I can." He hurried outside, and around the house to the stable area at the back.

""Maximus!" Rufus called out, not seeing the big man at first. He came out from the far stall, brushing straw from his hands and hairy forearms, looking concerned.

"Rufus... what's wrong? Are they worse? Are you...?"

"Maximus, they are all sick now, and no, I am all right, no fever, no puking, no flux. How about you? any others out here ill?"

"No, we seem to be fine. What do you need?"

"You... and a horse." Maximus raised an eyebrow at that.

"You hate horses... well, not hate, really, but you certainly don't trust them. Why do you need a horse?" He leaned a bit closer and whispered, "I know why you need me!"

"Shhh... later, my Beast," Rufus whispered, and then in a louder voice, "I need to get to Nuceria with this list for domina. It's for a remedy she says will help with all this."

"Well, I'd say, give the list to me and I'll take it, but you know I can't read. How would I know if they were giving me the right things?"

"Dominus said I was to take you because I don't do well with horses."

"Did he now?" Maximus smiled. "Wait here, I'll get one of the horses and we'll make a quick trip of it." Maximus hurried off and shortly brought back a broad-backed mare. Rufus eyed her with suspicion.

"This is Bella, Rufus. She very gentle and easy going." Maximus stroked the mare's velvet nose and fed her a handful of oats. "Here, let her sniff you and then pat her neck. If she lowers her head, you can scratch between her ears, she likes that."

"I'd rather not."

"Oh, go on, Rufus. She really is gentle." The horse snorted warm breath into the chill air.

Rufus slowly stepped forward and nervously stood still while Bella sniffed gently at his hair and beard. Seemingly satisfied, she lowered her head, hoping for a scritch.

"Well, go on, Rufus. She's waiting. Mustn't keep a lady waiting." Maximus was grinning.

Rufus gave the horse a tentative scritch between the ears, and the rubbed some more when the mare nickered softly.

"See? She likes you." Maximus gave Rufus' shoulder a squeeze. "You have the list?" Rufus nodded and Maximus tossed a light blanket on Bella's back and stepped up on a rock next to the fence, swung his leg over her back, and as quick as that was sitting on the horse looking down at Rufus.

"How do I get on?"

"Just like I did... oh, never mind. Give me your hand." Rufus was shorter than Maximus but thickly built and solid, no lightweight. "I'll swing you up, just lift you leg up and over."

"But I..."

"Don't think, just do it," Maximus grinned. He grabbed Rufus' forearm and easily swung the nervous man up and around behind him. Rufus ended up on Bella's back, somewhat lopsidedly sitting behind Maximus. "See? Easy!" Maximus dug his heels into Bella's sides and the horse moved off under Maximus' direction towards the road towards Nuceria. Rufus tentatively put his arms around Maximus' belly to steady himself.

"Gods, I wish I could hug you tight."

"Why not? They're all busy being sick, no one will notice; and if they do, well.... you're famously uneasy around horses!" Rufus sighed deeply and hugged his Beast tightly. "That's my Wolfpup."

Rufus turned his head and lay his cheek on Maximus' back. Through his tunic, Rufus scratched Maximus' belly fur with both hands, and sighed again, contented for the moment.

"Beast?"

"Hummmm?"

"Do you think anyone else knows... about us, I mean. We know dominus knows, but does anyone else, do you think?"

"I shouldn't think so. We are very careful, always. And I've seen none of those 'knowing' looks, or heard any comments. Have you?"

"No, none. Dominus has kept his word to us." Rufus paused thoughtfully for a bit. "I know we are very lucky, and I am grateful for that good luck. But oh, how I wish we could be together more. I ache for you, Beast."

Maximus reached down and back and stroked Rufus' softly-furred leg. "And I for you, Wolfpup." The narrow road they were on was not the main road that ran through Nuceria, but only a farm track that connected to it, so there was little traffic. Right now, there were no other travelers in sight.

"Wolfpup.... I know it's cold, but if we are quick, do you think we could..." He left the thought unsaid, waiting for Rufus' answer. After all, they had been sent on an urgent errand.

"Oh, gods, YES!"

Maximus used his knees to direct Bella off the road and under a small stand of trees that provided some privacy for the two men. Maximus swung a heavy leg over Bella's neck and slid to the ground, and reached up for lift Rufus to the ground with him. They fell into each other's arms and kissed with a fierceness that spoke of their frustration at being in each other sight daily but unable to touch. They shed their cloaks and tunics quickly and pressed themselves together, chest to chest, belly to belly, cock to cock.

"Futuo, hold me tight, Beast! Tighter!! Ahh....." Rufus sighed deeply as his Beast squeezed him with thickly muscled arms. He nuzzled in Maximus' densely furred chest, inhaling his scent. "Let me feed on you, Beast." He sank to his knees and buried his face in Maximus' crotch, nuzzling, inhaling, licking. He took the nearly erect cock in his mouth and held it there, reveling in the feel of the hot flesh as it hardened, the tip flaring, the foreskin fully retracted. He started licking from ball sack to tip.

"Wolfpup, stop."

"Wha... is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, not at all... but I have an idea. Lay down on your back."

"But I want to..."

"Shhhh, you'll see. Lay down." Rufus did so, still puzzled. Maximus turned and lay down as well, but with his head even with Rufus' hips, thus making Rufus' head even with his own crotch. "Now, turn to me."

"Aahhh!" Rufus suddenly realized what was now possible, staring at at his lover's erect meat. Without a word, he attached himself to Maximus' straining cock, and felt the heat and wetness of his Beast's mouth on his own. Wordlessly, ignoring the cold, they both used their tongues to bathe each other's cocks, tracing around flared tips and ridges, tickling the sensitive spot where their retracted foreskins attached to the shaft. At first they were slow, experiencing the new sensations of giving and receiving simultaneously, and using only their lips and tongues to pleasure each other. Lust soon took over, though; and they worked harder and harder at bringing each other to climax. Each put an arm over the other's hips and drew them in tight, burying their faces in each other's crotch, inhaling the salty, slightly yeasty, moist scent of themselves.

Knowing he was about to flood his Beast's mouth with his load of seed, he pulled Maximus in as tight as he could and began pumping his cock in as deep as he could. The heat of his Wolfpup's load now flooding his mouth, the sharp, salty taste of it, pushed Maximus over the edge; and he, too, unloaded, gripping Rufus tightly as he shot his life down Rufus' willing throat.

Winded, they broke apart and each lay back, resting after their happy work. "Why have we never done that before? What a great idea, Beast!" Rufus smiled up at the cloudy autumn sky, shivering only slightly. He suddenly jumped up.

"Hades, we've got to get to town! They will be expecting us back home!" He felt his beard. "I'm a mess." He handed Maximus his tunic and rapidly put on his own. Maximus brought Bella over to a tree stump and used that to mount the horse.

"Wolfpup, use the stump, like I did. There won't always be someone like me to swing you up on board!" Rufus was clumsy, but ultimately successful, and the pair moved off toward Nuceria.

Reaching the town, they found a stable fairly quickly and Maximus paid the boy there to watch Bella while they went in search of the ingredients on Antonia's list. Rufus rinsed off his coppery beard in a water trough. He had not been able to keep up with the quantity of Maximus' pumping earlier.

"Maximus, I think we should just go directly to the Greek doctor, if we can find him." He shook his beard, and water drops flew.

"I agree. Quicker, and probably more reliable." They started walking quickly towards the center of the growing town, bigger now through having absorbed a number of refugees from the recent disaster.

"Ave! Can you help us?" Maximus asked the first likely person he saw outside the stable.

"Quid est?" The young woman stopped somewhat hesitantly, pulled her cloak more tightly around her and looked nervously at the big man.

"Can you direct my friend and I to the Greek doctor? I am told there is one here, but I've no idea where." Maximus did his best to look friendly and non-threatening, in spite of his size.

The young woman smiled with some relief. "Oh, well... yes, there is, quite a good one in fact. He has a taburna, actually he shares one, just over there, next to the new baths."

"Gratias vobis agimus!" Maximus nodded politely, and the two hurried off, leaving the young woman to reflect on how looks can sometimes be deceiving.

"That's it, there," Rufus said. "I recognize that symbol with the snakes." They entered the shop and were immediately struck by the mixture of smells, not all of them pleasant.

"Yes?" A middle-aged man looked up from a scroll he was reading and talking notes from. "What is it?"

"We are from the fundus near here, owned by Lucius Secundus Hirtuleius. They are all sick, stomach, bowels, and fever. His lady wife, my domina, sent me with this list for a remedy. Might you have the ingredients here?"

"Ah, blowing it out both ends, are they? Are either of you sick?"

"No."

"Give," the doctor abruptly said, motioning with this hand for the list. Rufus handed it over. The doctor looked over the list, muttering as he read. "Ginger... hmmm... and peppermint; well, someone has some knowledge. Yes. Although...." The doctor paused and looked up at Rufus. "You wouldn't believe some of the things I see here. Only yesterday a woman came in with her young son, cough you wouldn't believe, could wake the dead. She had a dead mouse in a leather pouch tied around his neck, and couldn't understand why her granny's foolproof remedy wasn't working for him." He shook his head and was silent, tapping this teeth with his stylus.

"The list?" Rufus asked when the doctor continued to remain silent.

"Ah, yes, sorry. I can make this up for you, though I would add some poppy juice for the flux. Have a seat." Rufus and Maximus sat on a bench that ran along one side of the interior. About ten minutes later, the doctor emerged from the curtain blocking off the rear of the shop.

"Here. Put three good-sized pinches of the dry mixture in a cup of boiling water, let it steep for five minutes, then drain it off. Have them drink it all, but don't let them swallow the leaves. This will be quite bitter, you can take the edge off with some honey if you have it. Do that every three hours or so. Nothing else for a day, and absolutely no milk. By tomorrow evening, you can try some boiled grains, mashed. In two days, light foods should be OK, but no meat until their bowels have completely calmed down."

"And the poppy juice?" Maximus said, eyeing the small glass bottle filled with a milky liquid.

"I'm getting to that," the doctor said, testily. "Five drops in a cup of heavily watered wine, no more. Two drop only for any children. Administer that three times a day until the flux stops and their shit is firm." The doctor handed over the two containers to Maximus. Turning to Rufus, he said, "Do all the slaves eat separately from the family?"

"The outdoor slaves, yes. The house slaves eat in the kitchen. But all of the food is prepared by Sabina, our cook. She prepares all the meals for the household. She is an excellent cook."

The doctor sniffed. "And you are sure you are not sick?" Both men shook their heads. "Well, that rules out food poisoning. There been a lot of that going around of late, I'm sure it's due to that pig of a farmer Plautius and his "first class produce". Filthiest stuff I've seen in the market, I tell people time and again to avoid the stuff, but who listens to a Greek?" The doctor rinsed his hands in a basin of water. "And wash your hands after emptying the chamber pots, or any buckets with vomit, every time!"

Getting up to leave, Rufus handed over the fee, and asked the doctor, "Are there any special prayers to be said along with this treatment? A sacrifice to any particular god? Domina will want to know."

Again, the Greek sniffed. "No. Waste of time."

"You don't believe in prayers?" Maximus asked.

"I told you what I believe in," he said, pointing to the containers in the big man's hands. "Now, good day, I have work to do." They left him muttering about dead mice and worthless prayers.

Walking back to the stable where Bella was in temporary residence, Maximus chuckled. "Plain spoken, wasn't he?" Rufus laughed out loud.

"He certainly was. Well, he's a Greek, and this is still very much a rural town. It's a bit different in the city. I imagine that here he gets all sorts of people who try every folk remedy possible before giving in and coming to a foreigner, no matter how long he's lived here. On the other hand, that young woman seemed to think highly of him." He looked up at Maximus. "We need to hurry back. If I hold on tight, do you think you could make Bella move along faster, to make up for... well, you know." Rufus was smiling and blushing.

"Oh, Wolfpup, you can hold on as tight as you like. Bella won't mind and I will enjoy keeping you warm!" Maximus' beard was split with a wide grin as he nudged Bella out onto the road.



V. Rufus and Maximus, 89 AD

The savage growling, snapping, and mayhem outside their window woke both Maximus and Rufus at the same time. "What in Hades...." Maximus exclaimed, tossing the light blanket aside and moving to the window as Rufus was rising from the other side of the bed. Rufus opened the shutters and both stuck their heads out of the opening.

"Look!" said Rufus, pointing toward the four dog-like creatures circling about in the dark and darting in towards one another, snapping tooth-filled jaws. "They are wolves!"

"Not all of them, one's... well, it's not a wolf, the shape's wrong, and look at the tail." Maximus pulled his head back in and started towards the hall that led outside. "I don't like this, they'll scare the horses, and I don't want the mare to lose her foal." Rufus followed his mate to the door. Maximus grabbed a torch and held it to the nearly extinguished coals smoldering in the base of the kitchen stove. It flared into light and smoke and he charged outside, waving the torch and shouting, followed by Rufus with his own flaming torch.

The three wolves, wary of the noise and flames, broke off their attack and backed away slowly, snarling all the while. In the pack's experience, humans always meant trouble, and often, death. Two of their pack mates had met that fate the previous week at a fundus not far from this place, and these survivors remembered humans and their weapons. After some more snarls and growls and in spite of their hunger, the three turned and loped off, clearing the stone wall around the large pasture and heading off into the night.

Left in the middle of the pasture was a large dog, seriously wounded, it's left rear leg gashed deeply, and it's left ear nearly torn off. As frightened by the humans as the wolves had been, it growled and snapped as it tried to drag itself away. It made it only a few feet before collapsing, panting heavily. The pool of it's steaming blood reflected in the torchlight. Rufus and Maximus breath steamed as well in cold night air. It had been a hard winter... the calendar might say Martius, but it felt far more like the middle of Ianuarius. Both men were naked, since they had not paused to don their tunics or cloaks. Both men threw a lot of heat in bed and customarily slept naked, with only a light bed covering in the colder months. "Futuo, it's cold. I'll be right back." Rufus went inside to get cloaks while Maximus warily tried to approach the wounded dog.

The dog continued to snap a growl, but with less and less energy. Finally, it just lay, panting heavily, with it's eyes never leaving Maximus. Rufus returned with a cloak for his Beast, and placed it around his shoulders. "Thanks, love," the hairy man said, pulling close about him. "He won't let me near him. At least he's not trying to drag himself away."

"Poor dog. I wonder where he's from. I've not seen one like him anywhere around here."

"Probably wild, or a run-away. He looks half-starved." Maximus tried to approach the dog again, and again the dog growled, a low, menacing sound. "Wolfpup, get me one of the blankets from the stable, the newest one, it won't smell so strongly of horse." Rufus walked quickly to the stable and searched for the newer blanked. It was folded on top of a pile of others. He grabbed it and returned to Maximus and the dog.

"He won't let me near him, so I can't get him into the stable or the house, and the cold won't do him much good. Here, help me spread this out over him." The two men unfolded the blanket and stretched it over the wounded dog, who growled again, then whimpered as the blanket came down over his body.

"I'll get a bowl and fill it with water. We can set it near him, maybe he'll drink if we leave him alone." Rufus hurried into the house, while Maximus made soothing noises for the dog's benefit. Rufus returned with a shallow bowl filled with water, put it on the ground near the dog's head, and pushed it closer with his foot.

"Careful," Maximus cautioned as the dog snapped it's jaws.

Having done what they could for the creature, they returned to their bed and held each other to warm up from the cold night air. "Do you think he has a chance?" Maximus asked.

"We've done what we can for now. It's in the hands of the gods; Diana and Bacchus willing, if he's still with us in the morning, he might have a chance and we can try to do more for him." He rubbed his lover's furry back then hugged him tight. "Sleep now, my love." Soon they were both asleep, but Rufus kept tossing and turning and eventually eased himself out of bed, made sure Maximus was covered, and, pulling on his tunic and cloak, lit a small oil lamp and walked out of the house to the pasture.

The dog was laying there, still covered with the blanket. Rufus stood still, watching for any movement indicating life. After a long moment, the blanket moved up, then down as the dog took in a deep breath. Relieved at this, he returned inside and poked the fire in the stove back to life, and fed it several small branches. He lit another lamp from the first, and made a mental note to add more charcoal to the list of supplies needed on their next trip into town. Once the fire was going, he made himself a beaker of posca. He filled a small iron pot with water from the large barrel and waited for it to heat. He measured out some vinegar in a beaker, added wine and some honey. Once the water was hot, he poured that into the beaker, and stirred. Sipping the drink, he thought about the dog. 'It seems the gods have shown mercy to the poor creature. I will do all I can to save him.' He sipped his posca, and made plans.

Rufus checked on the dog every hour or so, folding back the blanket so the dog's head was fully visible. Awake, the dog's eyes followed Rufus' every move. Shortly before dawn, Rufus noticed that the bowl of water was now empty, and the blanket somewhat askew. "Ah, you've drunk. Good, that's good." The dog blinked but did not growl. Rufus refilled the bowl, then sat on the ground, close, but not too close to the dog's head. The torn ear was covered with blood, and would soon be attracting flies. Rufus shoo-ed away an early arrival. The dog flinched at the motion, but again did not growl. "It's all right, boy. I won't hurt you, just keeping the flies off."

Maximus found his lover sitting next to the dog as the sun came up over the hill behind the stable. He yawned mightily and scratched his belly fur. "Have you been here all night, Wolfpup?"

"Off and on," Rufus nodded "His breathing seems easier, and he's drunk water."

"You are sitting close, I see. Couldn't have done that last night."

"Yes, and he's not growling now." Rufus, he leg muscles cramped with contact with the cold ground, struggled up. "Come inside, love, I want to talk with you." Maximus followed Rufus inside the warm kitchen. Rufus pushed a beaker of warm posca towards Maximus as they sat at the table. Maximus sipped the warming drink as he listened.

"Do we have some of the poppy juice left?" Maximus nodded. "Good. I want to save this poor dog. The gods spared him and now, I think, they are telling us to do what we can for him."

"And you say I am soft-hearted." He reached over and squeezed Rufus' hand. "But I agree, Wolfpup. What do you have in mind. I know that look of yours, you have a plan."

"Well, a sort of one. He's not small, even if he is starved; and I don't know how badly his leg is injured. If we get a plank and lay it next to him, we could probably move him carefully on to it, and then carry him inside. But I'm sure it will hurt." He looked at Maximus. "You know animals far better than I do, Beast. Do you think if we put a small amount of the poppy juice into some broth, that it would dull the pain enough so he wouldn't try to bite or bolt when we moved him?"

"I'm not sure, Wolfpup. Poppy juice works with people; I've never tried it with animals. We could try it, I suppose. Very small amount, see how he takes it." Rufus nodded. He got up and started cutting a piece of dried pork into a pot, added some fat and bit of water and olive oil, and sat the pot on the iron lid of the stove. "I'll get a plank, there's one left from building the stable that should do." Maximus went to get the wood while Rufus poked at the lump of pork with a long handled fork.

About an hour later, all was ready. Rufus ladled some of the savory broth into the shallow water bowl he had used earlier, letting it cool and adding a few drops of the poppy juice.

"Let's see if he'll take it."

The dog was obviously interested in the good smelling liquid, but was hesitant. "Let's leave him for a bit, see if he'll drink. You got the bowl in really close, Wolfpup, so he should be able to, easily enough." The pair stepped back inside, hoping the privacy would make the dog feel secure and more willing to drink.

The ruse worked, he lapped at the broth eagerly. Rufus and Maximus took turns watching the dog carefully for any ill effects. There were none.

"All right, let's try more of the poppy juice. It would be great if he would just sleep and we could clean the wounds. The ear looks really bad, and we need to wash that leg to see how bad that is." Rufus ladled some more of the broth into the bowl and added more of the poppy juice, doubling the dose. Once again, the dog lapped it all up, then lay his head back down.

A third dose of the poppy in the last of the broth turned the trick, with the dog's head rather suddenly plopping to the ground. Rufus approached cautiously, fearing the worst. The dog was breathing slowly and steadily. Maximus came over from the barn where he had been putting out feed for the hoses and checking on the very pregnant mare. "How is he?"

"Sleeping, it looks like. His breathing is very much easier, steady and deep. I think we should move him now." Maximus nodded his agreement and bent to help Rufus lift the dog onto the plank. "Gods, he weighs a lot less than he looks like," Rufus said, laying the dog's hindquarters on the plank. "I could probably carry him inside without the plank."

"Who knows how long it's been since he's had decent food... or any? Still, it's better this way, I think. Now where? Stable or house?"

Rufus nodded towards the house. "Better in the house, cleaner. Safer, too. I wouldn't want the barn cats to spook him." They carried the now-snoring dog inside. "Put him in here, we can eat in the kitchen and I can put my writing materials in the bedroom." They set the plank down on the table where they usually ate and gently moved the dog onto a thick pad of spare blankets and towels. The dog barely stirred. In the light of day coming through the window and with the help of several oil lamps, they examined the dog. Here, he looked even more starved than he had outside, all of his ribs showing and his flanks hollowed. His coat was dull and filled with burrs and bits of straw. His coloring was largely black with brown muzzle and jowls and chest. It was evident that in his prime, he would have been a sturdy, sizable specimen.

Rufus had put a pot of water on the stove earlier, and took a basin and ladled hot water into it. He mixed in a measure of wine so the mixture was not quite half and half. He brought it in and handed Maximus a folded soft cloth. He dipped it into the mixture and began to gently dab and wipe the wounded left rear leg, while Rufus held the dog in case he moved suddenly. "How does it look to you?"

Maximus wrung out the cloth and continued wiping and dabbing. "Not as bad as I thought it might be. I've really seen worse. Look here, if you can. The wound is running up and down, the same direction as the muscle fibers, not across them."

"Is that good?"

"Very. But this will take a long time to heal if that wound is not closed. You remember the legionary doctor in Rome, the one who sewed me up?" Rufus nodded. "I don't see why we couldn't do that here. We clean the wound and I have some salve I use on the horses when they get deep scrapes or gouges from hooves during mating. I hope it works the same way on a dog, prevent the wound from becoming putrid."

Now that the wound was clean, it was clear that it was both deep and wide but that it had missed any major blood vessels. "I'm afraid we don't have anything like the fine needles and thread that doctor had," Rufus said, shaking his head. "We have a couple of needles but they are large ones. Would they work, do you think?"

"They'll have to. Jove's balls, I wish we had a doctor near. I've no real clue what I'm doing. What are we going to use for thread to close the wound with?" Both Maximus and Rufus cudgeled their brains, thinking of and then discarding several possible thread substitutes.

Suddenly, Rufus smacked his hand against his forehead. "I am SO stupid! The answer is right here!"

"Here? Where? I see no thread..."

"Beast, we're wearing it! Unravel the hem of a tunic!"

Maximus laughed out loud. "Of COURSE! Well done, Wolfpup!" He shed his tunic and stood, naked, as he started pulling threads from the hem of his tunic. "They're kind of short, but we can to the stitching in sections." Rufus reached for the coarse threads and headed to the kitchen. "Where are you going?"

"To get some wine," Rufus called over his shoulder. Returning with a cup partly filled with wine, he pushed the wad of threads down into the liquid. "You might not remember this, but that doctor had his assistant soak the thread he used to sew your scalp with wine. If it was good enough then, it's good enough now. And he washed his hands before, so here, I'll hold that while you wash up and then I'll do the same. I don't know how long the dog will be asleep and I don't think he'd be happy to wake and fine us treating him like a torn blanket."

While he was washing up, Maximus called out, "I wonder why the wine? I mean, I know we use it when we clean a wound, but what exactly does it do? Does it speed healing? Maybe dull pain?"

"I've no idea. But he seemed to put some store in it, so... What doctors do is mostly a mystery anyway, I think. Here, my turn." Rufus make quick work of washing his hands and arms which were by now covered with dried and crusted blood.

"The dog seems to still be sleeping deeply. I say we start now, all right? Hand me that salve."

"Yes." Working together smoothly, as equals, each doing what was needed or asked without question, Rufus and Maximus set to stitching up the dog's leg. First, swabbing the wound with more wine, then stitching the wound closed as Rufus, without being asked, gently pushed the sides of the wound together ahead of the needle. Once done, they coated the area with the salve Maximus used on the horses' wounds. Then, they turned to dealing with the mangled ear.

"There's no way to stitch that back on," Maximus said, pointing to the nearly severed half of the ear. "There's only a bit of skin holding it, but the base of the ear is sound. I think it's best just to cut the last little bit off and bandage the rest." Rufus nodded agreement and went to the kitchen and got the one really good knife they owned. He ran a whetstone over it and the dipped it into the cup of wine. He held the shriveled and dry remains of the ear, while Maximus sliced through the thin strip of skin holding it on. He held a wine-soaked cloth to the bleeding cut until it stopped, then smeared the edge with the salve. He looked at Maximus. "What now?"

"Bandage the leg and try to figure out some way to bandage the ear. And watch. And wait."

Over the next several days, Rufus kept watch over the dog, who fortunately came out of his opium-induced sleep with no issues. Maximus silently took over some of the house chores that Rufus usually did, in addition to his own work with the horses. This left Rufus with more time to attend to the dog. The mare delivered a fine, healthy foal, a filly. Maximus gave up trying to wash the tunic he had been wearing during the birth, and tore it up for cleaning rags in the stable.

Rufus boiled a chicken and mashed up the liver and heart and mixed it with oil and some broth. The dog ate it all, and later the cut up pieces of chicken. He rejected the mashed up grain sweetened with honey that Rufus tried to feed him until it was doused with garum. In fact, the secret seemed to be using garum with anything, and the dog would eat it. The pungent sauce truly seemed to be something the dog enjoyed, and not just because he had been on short rations for so long. Admittedly, garum could be an acquired taste, but the dog seemed to have acquired it.

It took a week for the leg to heal sufficiently for the dog to be able to walk around enough to go outside to pee and shit. He had a slight limp, but the wound did not putrefy; there was no off odor, and the wound was cool to the touch and not puffy. The half ear healed fairly quickly and gave the dog a rather lopsided rakish air, making him look as if he was always questioning whatever he was looking at.

The leg took much longer to heal. For two weeks, the dog flinched if the stitched area was touched. One day, Rufus was trying in vain to stop the dog from chewing at the threads that looked as if they were still holding his leg together. "Beast, I think we are going to have to take those threads out. He keeps chewing them."

"Well, that damned assistant pulled them out of my scalp after a week, so it should be time, I think. Hurt like Hades, though. Should we give him some more of the poppy juice?"

"If we have any left, I think it might help." Rufus, as well as Maximus, had noted that the dog was much less nervous around the two of them, particularly Rufus. It was Rufus who fed him and carried him outside to do his business until he could manage the walk on his own. And it had been Rufus who had held him when Maximus was sewing his leg. Though unconscious, he still had formed a scent memory of Rufus and associated it with his gentle touch. Still, it might be too much to ask the dog to endure the removal of the threads without some chemical assistance.

Garum is salty, and often creates a powerful thirst. After a gaurm-doused bowl of pork scraps and mashed grain, the dog lapped up nearly a whole bowl of water, which Rufus had laced with the last of the poppy juice. Shortly after, the dog looked around him as if in a confused daze, and then suddenly sat down on his butt, and promptly toppled over. Both men went to work quickly, Rufus holding the dog's head in his lap again while Maximus soaked the stitched area with wine applied with a cloth. He then used the sharp knife to cut the knots and pull out each of the strings. Two were particularly difficult, and the dog jerked in pain as the thread was pulled free. The few spots of blood were patted with the wine-soaked cloth until they stopped bleeding.

Over the next month, the dog gained weight and filled out, generally looking much better, and more fierce. His body was thick and square-ish, solid looking.

"He's going to be a chunk of muscle, that one is."

Rufus nodded. "He looks like us!"

"You mean stocky and hairy?" The two looked at each other and laughed.

The next day, Maximus was standing at the doorway while the dog was limping around the pasture, chasing chickens with little success. He turned to Rufus, who was standing next to him. "What will you call him? He should have a name."

"'Dog', I guess. I don't know. It hadn't occurred to me."

"Well, he's your dog, you know."

"Oh, surely ours..."

"Come now, Wolfpup. His eyes never leave you; if you leave the room, he follows; if he hears your voice, his ears prick up. He likes it when I scratch behind his ears, but he closes his eyes in bliss when you do. He sleeps next to your side of the bed, not mine. He's your dog." Maximus was smiling at his Wolfpup.

Rufus seems lost in thought for a bit, then said, "You are right, he should have a name. He is strong and brave, fought courageously even when outnumbered three to one. I could call him Cerberus." He looked at Maximus. The dog come over to them, having heard Rufus' voice. He still limped, and always would.

"He hasn't got three heads."

"True." More thinking. "I know... Ferox, for 'ferocious'. How's that?" The dog barked, loudly.

Maximus grinned. "Well, that settles it! You've named your dog, Wolfpup!" He hugged Rufus, and Ferox barked again, giving his assent.

Later, after their evening meal, Maximus leaned back and stretched. He put his large hands, fingers laced together, behind his head. "Pretty good life, isn't it, Wolfpup?"

Draining the last of his wine from the cup, he agreed with his lover. "Truly, it is. Sometimes, I am working on something and I am overtaken with the wonder of it... how very lucky we have been." He stood up and walked behind his Beast, reaching down and rubbing his chest and giving the nipples a teasing brush with his fingers. "I love my Beast so very much." He kissed the top of Maximus' head, and noticed for the first time a few strands of gray. He smiled and kissed his lover again. "Come to the bedroom, I have something I want to show you." He took Maximus' hand and led him to the bedroom they had shared for the past ten years. Ferox followed.

Once in the bedroom, Rufus took his tunic off and made to raise Maximus' arms so he could lift his tunic off. "What did you want to show me?"

"This," the red furred man said, placing his Beast's hand on his thickened cock. "And this," pulling his Beast's head down so he could deeply kiss the man he loved so much. Maximus clasped Rufus to his chest and cupped his butt with both hands. "Don't let go," Rufus breathed.

"Never."

Maximus laid his Wolfpup down on the bed and lay next to him. They stroked each other's pelts, reveling in the feel; gently cupped each other's balls in their hands, then nuzzled in each other's beards. The sun had set, the birds had quieted for the night. In the distance, one of the horsed nickered to it's stable mate.

Rufus' thick, rigid cock entered Maximus, making him grunt with pleasure. Even after ten years of being able to this whenever they desired, it never lost it's thrill for Rufus. He felt Maximus' sphincter slowly spread as his blunt tip forced its way in, and then caress his shaft as he slid in deeper and deeper, drawn in by the heat of his lover's gut. The feeling never grew old for Rufus. Smaller in body size than his Beast, he reveled in the feeling of power as he mounted and penetrated, like a stallion servicing one of Maximus' mares in the pasture. Although their relationship was one of equals, this position made Rufus feel like a strong, powerful animal in rut. The fact that he was not only receiving pleasure but also giving it to the man he loved above all else enhanced the animalistic feelings and drove him to greater efforts. He varied his angle so that the tip of his penis rubbed Maximus' prostate, causing the big man to moan with pleasure and push back hard against Rufus' thrusts.

No words were uttered... none were needed. Each knew what the other wanted, and when at last Rufus picked up his pace and began to rapidly pump, Maximus braced himself, knowing his Wolfpup was close to cumming. When he felt the hot gush of his lover's seed, he tightened his anus so that each time Rufus withdrew partway, his cock was milked, so that every drop was saved.

"Stay in me, Wolfpup. Keep that thick cock of yours deep inside me. Cover me. Stay with me." Rufus did, occasionally moving a bit in a slow pump to keep himself hard. They lay like that, Rufus' cheek resting on the fur of his Beast's back. He slipped his arms under Maximus' and said, "I have more seed for you, my love."

"YES! Oh, gods, YES! Fuck me, Wolfpup... fuck me hard!" Rufus pulled out and raised up on his knees. He turned his Beast over on his back and raised his legs up, holding them in a V shape. He used his cock like a spear, repeatedly pulling out, then stabbing back in. His previous load made the going in slick and easy, but the repeated entries made Maximus' hole especially sensitive. He was gasping and moaning, tossing his head back and forth. "FUCK ME!," he roared, and Rufus plunged in one last time, lodged deep, and shot. He pushed in as hard and as far as he could, digging his feet into the bedding to give himself extra leverage. Copper gold crotch fur meshed with black butt fur, cemented together with lust and cum and sweat.

Sated and spent, Rufus collapsed on his Beast's belly and chest. Maximus put his legs down and his arms around his lover and hugged his sweat-soaked body tight, humming the little tune as he often did when contentedly working around the horses. Ferox raised his head, reassured himself that his master was still there and safe, and then lay his head down between his paws and went back to dozing as the two men he now lived with drifted off to sleep.


Author's Note

Rufus and Maximus are fictional characters, but the world they inhabit is not. As in the earlier stories, 79 AD and After Vesuvius, I have kept these scenes as historically accurate as possible in their details. The historical persons, social customs and details, Latin words and expressions are all as correct as I can make them. These scenes are for the most part ideas that, for various reasons, didn't make it into the two much longer stories mentioned above.

Slave births were rarely recorded, and it was not at all unusual for a purchaser of a slave to know only the barest of facts about their new property's antecedents, so I claim an author's privilege in creating their backstories. For those who wish to follow a timeline of the two main characters, Rufus (the older of the two by one year) was born in 44 AD, and Maximus in 45 AD.

Rufus grew up in Lucius Hirtuleius' household, being the son of his wife Antonia's personal slave, who died several years after giving birth. Rufus never knew his father (a discharged legionary), but he in fact is a close replica of him, both in coloring and build. He served in Lucius' household until his manumission in late December of 79 AD.

Maximus is unaware of his parentage or much about his very early life. We can say that his parents were sold apart, that he went with his mother, and his mother died when he was not quite 14. He was first formally sold as a slave at the age of 14 to Appius Silanus, in 59 AD. He was later sold to Livius Caeso in 61 AD. He is purchased by Lucius in 73 AD.

Rufus and Maximus meet at Lucius' country house near Nuceria in April of 74 AD. At that time Rufus was 30, Maximus 29. They are manumitted by Lucius in December of 79 AD in gratitude for their actions during the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius. They eventually settle on their own land close to the fictional town of Rocca (which is sited near the real town of Clusium) in 82 AD, after a dangerous adventure in Rome.

The Baths of Agrippa that Lucius takes Rufus to were the first of the large bath houses in Rome, and became the first public one. Construction was started in 25 BC. Initially, entrance to the baths cost a quadrans, a quite small sum that allowed many Roman citizens to make use of them. The baths were part of a very large complex of buildings on the Campus Martius, most funded and built by Agrippa, who was one of the wealthiest men in Rome. Agrippa died in 12 BC, and in his will, left all his property to the Emperor Augustus with the stipulation that the baths he built would be forever open to the citizens of Rome at no cost to them.

Immediately next to the baths was a very large outdoor swimming pool enclosed by a colonnade, called 'Agrippa's Lake'. The baths and pool were surrounded by gardens. The Pantheon, directly to the north of the baths, was also also funded by Agrippa, as were several other large buildings on the Campus.

All of that required a huge amount of water. Agrippa, again from his own funds, had an aqueduct built to bring in the necessary amount of water. The Aqua Virgo was completed in 19 BC, the same year as the greatly expanded baths and the 'lake'. It was almost 13 miles long, carried nearly 27,000 gallons of water daily, and remarkably is still in active use today, supplying water directly to the Trevi Fountain in Rome. To maintain the necessary drop in elevation, part of the aqueduct actually ran underground. It's name comes from a popular Roman legend. Thirsty Roman soldiers asked a innocent young woman for a drink. She directed them to nearby springs, which later formed the source for the aqueduct The water source and the aqueduct were named after her.

Many of the buildings on the Campus Martius, including Agrippa's baths, were heavily damaged or destroyed in the great fire of 80 AD. Those baths were the first to be rebuilt by the emperor Domitian, due in large part to their immense popularity with the Roman populace. (You can find out a bit more about Domitian, his older brother Titus, and their father Vespasian in 79 AD and After Vesuvius.) The rebuilt baths were in continuous use up until circa 530 AD.

Posca was the morning drink of all levels of Roman society, from slave all the way to the Imperial household. For slaves and poorer freedmen, it was the day long drink. Wealthier families might serve watered wine at the mid-day and evening meals, in varying strengths. Preferably served hot, posca was made with equal parts vinegar, wine, and water. Better-off Romans would sweeten it with honey, but old school Roman nobility eschewed such 'soft' habits. The legions drank it unsweetened, and little else, when on campaign. Straight wine was reserved for meals in camp.

A word on shaving and facial hair in Roman times, since both of my main characters have thick facial hair. Beards were acceptable in Roman society but normally reserved for older men. Body hair was generally looked down on as an indication of less refined breeding. Upper class Romans (men and women) shaved their bodies, men shaving their beards as well. Julius Caesar is famous for having all his body hair as well as his head hair plucked out, most likely by full body waxing. Older upper class men might let their beards grow back in, but it was a matter of personal choice. Fashion played a part in this, as did hygiene, and fashion ran in cycles. Emperors typically set the fashion for men. Augustus, for example, shaved daily, so beards went out of fashion until Vespasian brought them back by his shunning of the blade. If worn, beards were kept trimmed by using scissors, usually made of bronze.

Lower class Romans, as well as Roman slaves, were much more likely to let nature take it's course where hair was concerned. However, male house slaves in upper class households might be required to shave. Rufus' skin, like many men with red hair and fair, thin skin, did not react well to shaving. Antonia, being fond of the boy, saw his suffering and allowed him to keep his full beard as long as he kept it cropped short, an unusual accommodation for an upper class household. Maximus, as an outdoor slave, had only shaved a few times in his life. Rufus, once he and Maximus are on their own after manumission, let his beard fully grow out, so that both men sported full, thick beards for the rest of their lives. A shaving blade would have made cutting Ferox's stitches much easier, but of course, neither Rufus nor Maximus had need of such an implement.

Shaving blades were made of iron or bronze, and could be quite sharp. Usually the handle was an unsharpened part of the blade, sometimes with finger holes, although there are examples from both Rome and Pompeii of blades with ivory handles. An extremely well-preserved personal grooming kit found in London (Roman Londinium) has several shaving blades, a tooth pick, a small pair of scissors, a strigil (used to scrape oil and dirt off the body), and a very small spoon-like tool, most likely for removing ear wax.

UrsusMajr, February, 2024


These scenes were written by a real person, not a computer. Please respect the time and effort that went into creating them. If you post these elsewhere, include the author's name and notes. The author can be contacted at ursusmajr@gmail.com