#gladiator ll

One morning, on the twins’ birthday, when the Empress went to see her sons in their chambers, the boys were already gone. One of the servants informed Julia that the Emperor came by early that morning and took them away. When the Empress asked her where Severus took her sons the young girl casted her eyes down.

“I asked you a question” she said, her voice sounding like a general’s command.

“He… The Emperor took them to… to the concubines” she finally spoke looking up at the older woman just in time to catch the colour drain from her face. “Augusta…”

“Go to Marcella’s chambers, make sure she does not leave” Julia said in a quiet voice, but firmly.

But it was too late. The Emperor sent for the young girl, who was already escorted to the part of Palatine Hill where she’s never been before. The place smelled like a thousand of flowers, she saw a couple of women with colourful clothing, and she could hear faint laughter. Laughter and something else. The servant escorting her stopped near an enormous door and when the young girl looked up at him, he avoided her eyes, just nodded towards the door. That’s where the laughing was coming from, and somehow it put her in ease. The thought of being in one room with Severus after everything that had happened made her stomach drop, and her whole body shiver. When the servant came for her saying the Emperor wanted to see her, she wanted to run, to hide. Go to the twin’s chambers and never leave. But she knew she couldn’t do that, being in the boys’ chambers was the thing that got her into trouble in the first place. So with the elation of a condemned man she followed the servant.

She reached for the door something in the back of her mind screamed at her to not do it, and to the gods… She should have listened. What she saw inside made her feel like someone pulled the floor from beneath her feet.

***

When their father came for them, they should have known it was not because of their birthday, or at least not entirely. While they were walking through the palace, he kept telling them how they were now almost men and that they needed to learn things other then what their teachers thought them. Things that would make them men. The two boys gave each other questioning looks, keeping their guards up, still not trusting their father to not give them a beating after they pulled swords on him. The fear and confusion made it take them longer to realise they are in a part of the palace neither of them was before. Bassianus recalled coming close to it one day when Geta was too busy reading about war statistics, so he had to play alone. He remembered his mother scolding as she made her promise not to come here, or anywhere near this place.

“You all right?” Geta reached for his arm when he suddenly stopped.

“Mother doesn’t want us here” he whispered to his brother looking around as if they did something bad.

“Your mother is not here” their father snapped at them, making them flinch. “Move.”

***

Marcella stood there with both feet rooted on the ground, not moving, not blinking, for a while she was sure she wasn’t breathing. The room was full of women and men and various state of undress, but it wasn’t the sight that made her turn into a living statue. It was seeing Geta and Bassianus in the middle of the room. Geta sat on one of the sofas eyes tightly closed, as one of the younger women kissed his neck and whispered into his ear. His face contorted as if he was in pain – but it could not be further from the truth - as the woman’s lips danced on his neck and her slim fingers caressed his still clothed chest. Bassianus sat not too far, his whole body stiff, apart from his trembling hands, a woman sat on his left and a man sat on his right, the latest was whispering something into his ear while the woman caressed his legs.

Marcella watched. She couldn’t look away, her were open wide, her chest raising and falling rapidly, then her gaze met with the emperor’s. He watched her, not even trying to hide the cunning, malicious smile playing on his lips. For some reason, reason she couldn’t comprehend yet, tears burned her eyes, as she looked back at the twins and the concubines around them. She only moved when the young woman moved her hand under Bassuanus’ tunic. In her haste, she knocked over a vase filled with fragrant flowers, which crashed to the floor with a loud clatter, making the boys look at her way. Their eyes went wide as soon as they saw her, which in any other scenario would made her laugh but not in this one. Geta was the first who moved shaking the woman’s hands off him.

“Marcella…” but the girl just slightly shook her head, turning in her heels and started running back towards her own chambers. On her way she almost run into the Empress, but when she wanted to stop and comfort her, ask her what had happened, the young girl shook off her hands and kept running.

Once in her room, Marcella climbed to her bed and started sobbing. The sound of it was loud and heart breaking, she was sobbing so hard it made hear chest hurt and couldn’t breathe properly. The twins wanted to enter her chambers and the guards let them, but they did not get far, as Marcella throw her goblet their way, screaming at them to leave and not to come back. They tried to talk to her through the door, pleading, trying to explain, but she did not listen. Marcella sat on her bed, knees pulled up to her chest, her hands covering her ears not wanting to listen to anything they had to say.

***

Days passed and Marcella avoided the twins as if they were the great fever. She ate at her chambers, she only left in the middle of the night to go the baths when she knew everybody else was asleep. One night Geta knocked on her door telling her that Bassianus had another “episode” and it would help is she would be there. Marcella almost opened  the door but as she stood her mind kept repeating the images of the concubines and the way they were touching both Geta and his brother. So she sat back on her bed hugging herself as she cried quietly.

“She hates us” Bassianus whispered to Geta as his head rested on his brother shoulder. “She will not talk to us, ever again, she will not love us. She hates us…”

“Shhhh. She does not hate us” Geta took his brother’s hand. “She doesn’t… She can’t…” his voice cracked, as he tried to calm his brother and himself.

On a similar evening, when he could barely comfort his brother, he took Bassianus to the baths. To his surprise two praetorians were already standing by the entrance, same ones who where usually guarding Marcella’s door. At first Geta wanted to leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to it. He wanted to see her, he needed to see her. When they entered Marcella had her back turned to them, her long, dark her now wet stuck to her shoulders and back.

“What are you doing here?” she asked without turning around. Her voice was so cold it made both of them shiver. She never talked to them that way.

“We…” Geta started and his mouth felt dry like a dessert all of a sudden. “We couldn’t sleep, so we thought…”

“No matter what you thought” Marcella interrupted him. “I was here first, and I do not want you here. Neither of you.” Her words cut like a sword, making Bassianus let out a noise that sounded like a wounded animal. “Go get one of those wretched women to tend to you. I believe they would be more than happy to help you sleep.”

“Marcella you don’t understand” Geta pleaded, making the girl’s chest ache but she still stayed in the water with her back turned to them. “Father, he made us… We didn’t… We…”

“He said it’s the only way we will be men” Bassianus added quietly. It was odd, he was always the louder one, but now his voice was barely above whisper.

“You have to believe us” Geta stepped closer. “Marcella…”

“You came for bathing or talking?” she asked slightly turning her head towards them.

“But you are still…”

“You saw enough naked women, haven’t you? I doubt I can show you anything new. Especially with the water up to my neck.”

Geta looked at his brother but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Marcella. They discarded their robes and stepped into the warm water, slowly making their way towards the girl. She finally turned to them, her eyes red from all the crying in the last couple of days, but they still looked at her as if she was the most beautiful creature the gods could grace them with. And for them she was. Their father could bring them a thousands of concubines it would not change.

“Marcella…” Geta reached out caressing the girl’s face, forcing himself to not to look lower.

“They touched you and…” she started and her voice cracked. She knew emperors had concubines, of course she knew se was not stupid, but it still hurt like nothing before in her short life. The only thing that broke her heart more was losing her dear sister. “You let them.” she said accusingly. Bassianus stepped closer not caring about their naked state, he wrapped his arms around the girl, hugging her, hiding his face into her neck.

“We did not want to.” he whispered holding onto her for dear life. “We did not… Don’t hate us. We can’t bare you hating us. I can’t bare you hating me.

Marcella wrapped her arms around him, her face pressing against his as she let out a shaky breath looking up at Geta with glassy eyes. Geta kissed the top of her head, then her forehead, her nose, her cheeks. Marcella gently stroked Bassianus’ back until he was ready to pull away.

“Show me” she whispered and Geta tilted her but before she could ask what she meant the girl’s lips were on his. She was clumsy, nowhere near as skilled as the concubines, of course she wasn’t but still it was perfect. She was perfect. After a moment of hesitation, his hands find her face, pulling her closer as his brother’s hands found her side, and her waist under the water making her gasp into his mouth.

“Me too” Bassianus pulled her to himself almost possessively. Marcella’s face was red, her lips parted as she turned to the other brother, her hand caressing his face and playing with his hair.

“I don’t hate you” she whispered, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. “I could never hate either of you” and with that Bassianus crashed his lips onto hers. He wasn’t as careful as Geta, but he was not rough either. While she kissed his brother, Geta caressed her shoulders, played with her hair, planted feather light kissed on the part where her neck met her shoulder.

Severus had to try so much harder if he wanted to separate them. They belonged together. They knew it. They wanted everyone to know it.