Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 73 ~ Otium et negotium

Dianium, summer 40 AD

From the gentle tickle of the sun's rays streaming in through the window, Aurelia cautiously turned onto her side and looked at her two men. Julius clung to Gaius' neck like a little monkey, and it was beyond her how Gaius could sleep like that. But both were breathing deeply and evenly. Aurelia closed her eyes, but she could find no peace. Carefully, Aurelia slipped out of her bed and crept noiselessly out of the room. Only when the door closed behind her without a sound did she dare to exhale and try to fix her tangled hair with her hand. Then she remembered where she was and abandoned her efforts.
Elated, she walked through the cool corridors of the villa, rejoicing in the warmth of the sun as she stepped out onto the narrow path in the garden. After a few minutes she reached the beach, curbing her pace as soon as the cool waters of the sea washed around her feet. This island was dreamlike. Happily, Aurelia closed her eyes and remembered the holidays to the sea with her parents in her old life. For hours she had walked through the surf with her parents and just enjoyed the weather. Blinking, Aurelia opened her eyes and began to walk through the gentle surf with a smile on her lips. Every now and then she bent down to pick up a particularly beautiful shell. Julius loved shells and already had a considerable collection on his dessert table. He had either found the shells together with his parents or had been given them by Aurelia after one of their morning walks.
On their morning walks, there was only the soft sand that their feet sank into, the back and forth of the waves lapping at their ankles, the wind gently swirling their hair, and them. On their little island, Gaius and she had something they would never have in Rome: Freedom and peace. There were no requests, no feasts, no worries and no annoying conversations. Here there was only nature, a few slaves and them as a family. Julius in particular flourished here under Gaius' undivided attention. Aurelia would love to freeze time and live forever in this moment with her family away from the duties and dangers of Rome.
Snapped out of her thoughts by a movement a few hundred yards ahead, Aurelia stopped in confusion and shaded her hand with her eyes. With horror she recognised a human figure heaving itself out of the surf with the last of its strength and collapsing powerlessly on the beach. Without hesitation, Aurelia ran. She quickly knelt down next to the figure and spoke to him. When he did not respond, she checked his vital signs and was relieved to find that he was still breathing. Carefully, she placed him in the recovery position and hyperextended his neck. Then she feverishly tried to remember the next steps. After all, she couldn't call 112. So, she sat down next to the man and kept checking his pulse and breathing. Fortunately, his airways were not blocked. At some point the man opened his eyes and stared at her with his mouth open.
"How are you? Are you in pain? Can you stand up?" she immediately asked with concern and the man's eyes widened even more. He looked down at himself in disbelief and then at her. Tentatively he assured her that he was not in pain. Then he stood up cautiously. As he swayed, Aurelia immediately jumped beside him and grabbed his arm. Together they made it back to the villa after what seemed like an eternity. Aurelia decided to take him to the kitchen. There the kitchen slaves were already busy preparing breakfast. Already from afar, a beguiling smell of fresh bread wafted over to them and awakened new strength in the stranded man.
In the kitchen she helped him onto one of the stools and asked the slaves to provide him with food. While a slave carried out her new order, she grabbed a stool of her own and sat down with the man, who already had a plate of cheese, bread and bacon in front of him.
"I didn't know the islands were inhabited," the man murmured, breaking off a piece of the fresh bread and shoving it into his mouth. Aurelia signalled to the kitchen slave, who shortly afterwards placed two cups of grape juice by them. Slowly the man ate and with each bite his face, tanned by the weather, relaxed more. Curious, she asked him questions about his life on the islands. The stranded man was called Numerius Faber Piscator and came from a family of fishermen who had lived on one of the neighbouring islands for generations. His stories were fascinating. When the last of the ham had been eaten, he leaned back on his stool and examined them closely.
"Thank you for your help, milady," the man said quietly, and was about to add something when the door was yanked open, and Julius rushed into the kitchen.
"I found her, father," Julius cried happily and immediately jumped onto Aurelia's lap. Smiling, she blew a kiss on his forehead, and then Gaius entered the room, pausing on the threshold when he noticed the fisherman.
"Good morning," Gaius greeted politely and stood behind Aurelia. "Did they come into the storm last night?"
The fisherman nodded, muttered something about his own stupidity and thanked him for his hospitality. Gaius merely made a throwing away gesture with his hand.
"Is there anything we can do to help you?" she inquired with a mild smile.
"But you have already done so much for me, Milady," the man immediately gushed, and Julius craned his neck so he could look her in the eye. Supporting him, she wrapped her arms around her son, making sure he didn't hit his head on the work surface.
"We're happy to help," Julius chirped gleefully, smiling brightly at the fisherman. The man's resistance melted away immediately.