EGO Diligo Vos - A Historical Romance

The beginning

                                                                                  Marius

It was an unusually quiet evening. There was no chirruping of birds, no swaying of trees, no motion of the gentle breeze, no noise of children playing; nothing. The streets were empty.. There was not a single soul roaming around It was scary,, but I was comforted to some extent by the noise made by my chariot’s wheel and the horses’ neigh.

Everywhere I looked, I saw doors and windows shut. The market place was closed down. There was a great confusion amongst these commoners. I do not blame them. Who would not be confused when on one hand you are closing down the market place and on the other hand you are decorating as if the Great Jupiter is paying a visit to us. Nobody knew what was happening. Nobody had a clue about what was going to happen. All they were told was to take away their carts away from the market and stay at home all day. They were given special instructions to not to come out under any circumstances. No one had knowledge about the situation, except some.

I was one of them.

“We are here, Erus.”

In front of me was a beautiful palace made of grey stone. As my chariot neared it, its beauty became more and more enchanting. The garden was bordered with fruit trees and flowers bushes. There were few slaves working in the garden while others were placing lighted torches alongside the path leading to the palace. The sun had already hidden behind the horizon and few stars were noticeable in the sky.

I saw one of the slaves approaching me when my chariot came to a halt. I got down from it and the slave bowed to me.

"Erus Tiberius is waiting for you."

I motioned him to lead my way. However, before doing so, I turned to the charioteer and said, "You do not have to take the horses to the stable today. Just give the chariot to the slaves, they will do the rest. You reach home as soon as possible. You know the orders, right?"

He nodded.

After the charioteer departed, I followed the slave inside. I had visited Tiberius many timed in the past, but the beauty of his abode never failed to mesmerise me. Of course, I owned a palace too, but it was never as lively as Tiberius'.

"Welcome, Marius!"

Tiberius' voice boomed in the entire hall, as if he was announcing to each and everyone in his house about my arrival.

"I am glad you accepted my invitation!" he said.

"You know I can never decline your offer!" I answered.

It was true. Tiberius was one of the most respected man in Rome. He was a great general and it was my privilege to serve him as his right hand man. He was not only a great friend, but also an amazing mentor to me. Though he was old enough to retire from the military services, the king was in no mood to let him go. Also, Tiberius enjoyed his work.

At the dinner table, Tiberius discussed about the upcoming wars and invasions. His wife sat next to him but hardly talked. Neither she understood anything about the army, nor she was interested to understand. She was like a mother to me. Even right now, she had that affection in her eyes whenever she looked at me.

"So, have you found a girl for you?"

To be frank, I was not paying attention to what Tiberius was saying. Hence, I had no clue how we had reached that topic.

"You know you have to get married soon. You are serving the army, Marius. You need an heir to pass on your property to safe hands. You need to secure your future because you would never know what is going to happen."

"I understand."

"So, when are you planning to see a girl?"

"Tomorrow."

This time, it was his wife who spoke, "You mean you are really getting involved in their horrible plan?"

"I have no other choice."

"Of course you have!" she said, raising her voice a bit, "Do you know that the king's daughter is interested in you?"

"That does not mean I am interested in her."

"Because you do not know her! She is a charming lady. I suggest that you spend a say with her."

"I have already made my decision.'

She seemed to lose her temper.

"Look, I don't know why you are doing this. But I can tell you it is a bad one."

I remained quiet.

"Let him do it." Tiberius broke in, "At least he is thinking about marriage."

We ate our supper quietly and soon after that, I was directed towards a guest room in the palace by a slave. I had decided to spend a night at Tiberius', although I was in no mood to do it. He practically forced me.

I went to the balcony and stood there for a long time. The stars were no longer visible. It looked as if the sky had been covered with a thick, black blanket, The air smelt of smoke and raw flesh. From where I stood, the view of market place was partially visible. In the dead silence of the night, I could hear the faint screams of the innocent men being slaughtered mercilessly. According to the king, this was the only way to solve our problem, which was definitely serious and needed a quick solution. However, the way it was being solved did not satisfy me. But my opinion hardly mattered .

The fierce orange flames had begun to die out. So did the screams, indicating that the job was done. All I could hear were the wailing of those who had survived. Little did they knew that their destinies had already been decided, and their lives would never be the same.

I simply retired for the night and fell into a dreamless sleep.