Lucius dropped his sword in exhaustion. Battle practices with his master’s son were
beginning to take their toll on his already fatigued body. His muscles ached, but in a way that proved
he was getting stronger. His brown hair,
lightened by all the time spent under the sun, was damp with sweat; his bangs
stuck to his forehead. He wiped the
sweat from his brow with the backs of his callused, overworked hands and began
to return the practice equipment to its proper place. The soles of his calcei were wearing thin, making them much more uncomfortable than
they already were. Soon he would be able
to feel the roughness of the gravel beneath him against the flesh of his heels. His plain, tattered tunic was also wet from
perspiration; he was all but thrilled at the thought of remaining in his soiled
clothes for the remainder of the day. Lucius
made his way back to the house to tend to the rest of his lingering chores. Walking inside, he caught a glimpse of his own
reflection, and what he saw mirrored back to him was the sight of a
champion. Standing at five foot nine, his
quick movements with a sword and the ferocity in his gaze could be intimidating
to any enemy. He was a hero in the
making.
Footsteps
were coming from the stairs above him.
It was Julia, the master’s daughter.
Julia had a particular elegance about her. She moved with certain lightness with each
step she took, so that it almost looked as though she was floating. Her linen peplos nearly touched her feet,
revealing her sloeae she often wore
around the house. Today her hair was
down, and the loose brown curls covered her delicate shoulders. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she
stopped and glanced at Lucius, always happy to see him, before smiling and
continuing on. Julia was the one person who was able to look past his demeaning
social status; she saw him as a human being, not a slave, and he appreciated
her for this. Though they had a special
friendship, Lucius was hesitant in telling her of his dreams to join the army. He was afraid she would not understand his
desire to be a part of it. He kept these thoughts to himself.
-Elizabeth Reed
