Rome's End

Like a vampire, I stayed up all night. Even if I tried to close my eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to rest. I was a prisoner of Caecilius, one of the most dangerous emperors of Rome and for as long as he knew I was alive, I wouldn’t be able to leave.

I sat up at the windowsill and watched as the sun set, and as it rose and for that whole time, I was hoping to see Doctor running in the landscape, desperate to find me. As much as I had hoped, he never did come.

As started to daydream like I had been doing all night, a guard, about the age of 25, came into my room with a Roman dress in his hands.

“Oh my God! Don’t you have the courtesy to at the very least knock? And please don’t say that you’re the one who guards my door at night!”

He didn’t seem apologetic in the least. He held out the dress to me. “The emperor wants to see you in this when you meet him for breakfast in a few minutes.”

“Tell that pig that I refuse his offer.” I pushed the dress away from him and sat on my bed in resistance with my legs and arms crossed. “I’m not hungry and what I’m wearing his perfectly fine.” I looked down at my jeans, shirt, and shoes.

He pulled his sword from his armor. “He also demanded that if you declined his gesture that I am to slice you into pieces and feed it to the animals.”

As I took the Stola and Palla along with the sandals that rested on the top, I sighed and threw them on the bed in anger. I looked at the soldier and put my hands on my hips.

“Aren’t you going to put them on?”

“Aren’t you going to leave so I can put them on?”

A smile finally appeared on his face. “I think I should stay in here to insure any shifty business does not occur.

“Well, for as long as you stay in here, you can be reassured that I will not put that dress on. I’m sure killing me is not in Caecilius’ plan. You wouldn’t want to upset that tyrant now would you?”

With little very little acceptance of him, he left the room and I changed into the dress and looked in the mirror. I didn’t look like myself. I didn’t look like I was from England anymore. I was now a Roman slave that showed from the cuts all around my wrists.

My mouth hung open and gasped. For the first time of traveling with the Doctor, I was playing a part of the people from that era and place.

The door opened and the soldier reappeared. “Are you ready?”

I looked at him. “Yes.”

He looked me up and down. “And may I say that you look absolutely stunning.”

As I walked out the door he took hold of my waist. I disgustedly took his arm off of me and walked to the door of the dining hall and haulted.

Caecilius was already sitting at one end of the table. “Ah, Victoria. So you finally decide to join me. Come sit.”

As I walked over to the table and sat down I looked at all the food. “Did I really have a choice Caecilius?”

“Not really.” He smiled. “Take whatever you want.” His plate was so full of food that you couldn’t even see the colour of it.

“Cut the shit.”

He looked up at me in confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

“Where is your cousin?”

“Luciana?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. Haven’t seen her since last night when she was coming out of your room.”

I stood up from my chair. “And what does that mean exactly?”

“Sit down Victoria! I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying that she’s disappeared.”

His sarcasm was off the walls. I put my hands in my lap and looked down at them. “You think I did something to her.”

“No but I do think that you said something that made her leave.”

I started to smile as I looked up at him. “You didn’t try to find her, did you? You had to get your beauty sleep in. I can see it in your eyes. You have no bags.”
“Contraire. We were up all night searching for her.”

I couldn’t help myself from keeping my laugh in for very long. “We, how could you say that when it was all your soldiers? You didn’t have to lift a pinky. What would you do if you did find her?”

His jaw clenched as he stood up. In a bundle of rage, he through a bunch of food on the ground. Caecilius’ breathe was hard as he gave me a death glare.

“You get mad because you know your father vowed to your uncle that she would be kept safe for as long as your family stayed in power.

He walked up to me and held my chin and looked deep into my eyes. “You’re brave to say this to me, but why? Why do you not sweat in fear of me? Not a pearl.”

“You’re alone Caecilius, and I feel sorry for you because of it.”

“You. You are nothing like the whores I’ve had before you.” His lips moved closer to mine, but I moved away.

As he backed away, I moved close to his ear. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe I really am not a woman of that caliber?”

Caecilius gulped in trying to find the right words to say to me. “Well, it doesn’t matter very much anymore now does it? You’re mine.

“Even if I did know where Luciana was, I still wouldn’t tell you.”

He tightly grabbed my arm. “Do you?”

“I’ve told you that I haven’t. Unlike you, I keep my word so there is no use in you trying to get me to tell. You’d have to kill me first.”

“Don’t persuade me.”

Judging by the way he just walked away from me showed that he was incapable to be that powerful with me standing in his way. It made him scared that I didn’t show fear, that I said anything I wanted to say to him and I didn’t care about the consequences.

The guard from my room walked up to me. “I heard the conversation between the two of you. I’ve never seen Caecilius so scared in my life. You threaten him.”

“How do I exactly threaten him. I’ve never harmed anyone in my life.”

He finally laughed and reached out his hand. “Come with me.”

Willingly, I took his hand and we walked through the castle.

“You threaten him because for some reason you make him vulnerable. No one has ever had the guts to stand up to him. Not even his parents dared to cross his path. You see it all the time in battle. A great soldier loses his composure from one man and then he quickly starts to fall apart. That’s what kills him.”

What was I hearing? “You’re saying to me that I’m leading Caecilius to his death?”

“I’m not saying that necessarily, but in ways, yes, yes I am.”

We stopped in a hall as I began to smile. “I’m not dangerous.”

“To him you are. It’s a wonder why he wasn’t killed you yet. I don’t mean to frighten you. If he hasn’t done this yet, then I don’t think he ever will.”

I put my hand to my head. All this was too much. “I’m sorry. I never caught your name.”

“Maxamilian. And you are the beautiful, Victoria.” He took my hand and kissed it as he bowed to me.

Giggling as he did this, I shook my head and took my hand back. “No, no. I just, no.” I wrapped my arms around my body and walked back into the wall. My body pressed against it and I fell onto the ground almost in tears.

“I’m sorry if I offended you.” He sat next to me and took off his helmet of gold that had a red Mohawk like effect to it.

“It’s just that, I’m scared. I’m scared of what’s going to happen. Caecilius really frightens me more than I let it show.”

He took my head and rested it on his chest of armour. “Just do what he tells you to do and you’ll be fine. Nothing will happen if you do exactly everything he tells you to do. No more talking back.”

“I hate feelings so weak.”

Max tried soothing me by stroking my arm. “You’re stronger than Caecilius in every sense. That’s what will keep you alive. Plus, I’m your guard. I won’t let him hurt you.”

I put my hand around him in a hug. “You’re so kind to me and you barely even know me.” My eyes began to close.

He looked at me. “Come on Victoria. Let’s get you to your room before you fall asleep.”

I could still hear him, but I was far too tired to answer or keep my eyes open.

Suddenly, Maximilian picked me up off the floor and fixed me to my comfort and then began to walk to my chamber.

A few minutes into walking I heard Caecilius. “What are you doing with her?”

“She fell asleep sir. She didn’t get very much sleep last night, my lord.”

“You should have left her, but carry on.”

“Yes my lord. Thank you.”

Max began walking again, opened the door, and walked to my bedside. I could feel his breathing on me. His breathe was sweet. He laid me down and put the sheets over me.

“Sweet dreams, Victoria.”