Claudia
awoke as soon as the sun rose over the Palatine Hill, the place she and her
family called home. Her family had lived on Palatine Hill for several
generations. She smiled to herself as she thought of her father humorously
recalling that their family helped Romulus, himself, build his hut that stood towards
the western foothill. As a warm smile spread across her face she quietly rose
to leave her home because today she was to go all the way to the dock on the
Tiber River in the Forum Boarium.
She had once snuck out and
followed a slave who had been ordered to the market by her father. She had
never been allowed to enter the market because that was what slaves were for, however;
being a rambunctious child she decided one day to seek adventure. It was on that very day that she happened to
run into a young man by the name of Remus who traveled along the Tiber River
transporting goods that were to be sold in the Market. Since that day they had met in secret several
times because the pair had been love-struck.
Today Remus wasn’t to be expected
until midday so Claudia thought she’d simply walk through the Forum Boarium and
gaze upon the public as they went about their daily duties. She quickly
descended the Palatine Hill to the Velia which over looked the Forum Romanum .She
walked past the Temple of Vesta and turned left along the Basilica Sempronia.
She continued along out of the Forum Romanum with the Temple of Concordia on
her left and the Basilica Porcia on her right. She then crossed the Pons Aemilius so as to cut
across the Tiber River into the Forum Boarium . She decided to go right and get
a quick glimpse of the Round Temple. She’d always been fond of the Temple for
its beauty in simplicity. She then made
her way back and perused through the Horrea, which were simply storehouses, but
Claudia was amazed at the people. As midday was approaching she hurriedly went
to visit the Temples of Fortuna and Mator Matuta. She always stopped there
before finally meeting Remus at midday. And she felt a warmth in her heart as
she realized that midday had finally approached and she’d get to be with her
Remus.
