The Mark of Rome

x / precious ground

"Alea iacta est..."
The die is cast...

Celine made a beautiful bride. The ceremony was planned within a fortnight and Marius did not contradict me when I suggested the villa as the venue.

My sister was dressed in robes of warm yellow, her hair adorned with little yellow flowers from the garden. The twins were my mother's daughters. They had brown locks that were obediently straight and hazel eyes that looked like pools of amber in the sun. Their frames were long and graceful. They were gentle creatures with comely looks that made them desirable by hoards of men.

Celine, in particular, was too sweet to be assertive with which suitors she entertained, so I did the choosing for her. Her bridegroom was a rich nobleman who's father supported Marius's campaign for Consul. He was a reputably sweet man who Celine consented to, and I hosted him in my own home for a few weeks to observe his person.

He adored her in a way that was too saccharine for my taste, but I knew he would take care of her. My sisters deserved all of the good things the world had to offer. They were too kind-hearted for it.

The mornings were a trial of my patience and will. The nausea was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I used to pride myself on having a hearty appetite and strong stomach, but now I could hardly stomach anything. It showed on my face like a greenish tint. I didn't speak about it and Marius didn't ask, but I could see his eyes take note of the change in my coloring.

I told my sisters when they finally came to me, in confidence that it would stay between us. They dismissed all of my concerns.

"Esther, don't say that!" Cassia swatted at me like a horrified old woman. She held my hands in her own, looking at me with our Mother's pooling eyes. "This baby will be ours. It will be a Livius heir as much as a Libo one. He is your blood. He is a part of you and you will love him unconditionally. It hardly matters who his father is now."

Celine played the cithara in the corner, plucking a peaceful tune that calmed the room and the corridor extending. "Is he as troubled as they say, Esther?"

She was speaking of Marius and for a moment, I thought of my overall impression of him. He was bad-tempered and brooding. He could be spiteful when his feelings were hurt. Marius also had a habit of being untrusting from the outset, but that could be said of me, too.

I thought of him as I last saw him. The night before he had stayed with me, telling me of his tedious meetings before drifting off to sleep beside me. They were planning another campaign to leave within the month. It would be my third month carrying and he gave me the option of whether I would go with him.

"Alexander and Octavian would stay with you. I couldn't leave you here within Fundania's reach without someone to watch over you. I trust Alex and Vian with my life. I've known them since I was a boy. They are like brothers to me and you wouldn't have anything to worry about." He was spent after a long day and he had dark rings under his eyes that told me so. "You could have your sisters and their husbands stay with you. I might even allow your brother and father, if something can be done about Drusus' plotting."

I shook my head. I disregarded the bit about my brother, but I knew what I wanted, "There's no need. I'll come with you. Someone needs to look after you, too, and Alex and Vian can't very well do their job if they're here with me."

Marius beside me expressed his surprise. We shared my bed on the nights he came to me. The conversations were still shallow and trivial, but it was better than the screaming matches of the weeks before. "I'll be away for months, Esther. You'll have the baby on campaign."