The horses in the Circus Maximus had always given Aelianna a more cheerful outlook to her day. As she sat excitedly in her litter, peeking out behind the silks, she could hear the roar of the crowds of people as each faction of chariots began to trot out. After leaving her litter and hurrying past rowdy men and women, she reached her family’s box. For this event she would be cheering for her favorite team, even now she could glimpse the beautiful white manes which were braided intricately with blue ribbons. Aelianna was a pretty little thing in her azure silks and pale hair done up with many curls, and all noted this when she greeted her family and friends with a lovely grin.
“Leon!” she declared and embraced her newly returned brother in her slender arms.
“Hello sister, glad to see you could join us, the blues I take it are the team you are cheering for?” Leon smiled and handed her a goblet full of sweet wine.
“Why yes! My outfit with matching blue everything might have given it away..” she laughed and sipped her wine, turning attention and thoughts towards the event commencing. The cloth had just dropped and all the horses surged forward, straining against each other for an early lead. Every pleb in the Circus Maximus was on their feet, shouting and waving their teams color in a frenzy of breathless apprehension. Aelianna leaned forward, grabbing a handful of grapes from a silver bowl and popping them into her mouth nervously. The blue faction was in second, pulling ahead slightly in the sharp turn with the charioteer spurring the horses on with all his might. As she turned to reach for more grapes, she noticed Leon in the back of the box away from the din of people all shouting down at the arena. She studied him seeing the distant yet troubled look on his face, and realized how peculiar he seemed. He did not fit in, yet was not terribly out of place. She shook off her uneasy feeling, blaming his awkwardness on his surely traumatizing war experiences. She reminded herself to talk to him later for more opinions of a soldier as she saw the blues pulling ahead to second on the fourth lap of the race. In the next lap there was a large crash with two injured charioteers being dragged off the sands, their bloodied bodies being carried off by slaves away from the pounding hooves. Aelianna strained in her seat as the last lap came around with the blues and reds battling it out for the lead. All other sound was gone but the roar of the crowd as the blues pulled ahead, axles clashing violently and the horses biting at each other. Aelianna joined everyone in celebration by having a toast, and after getting a curt agreement from Leon to be her chaperone for a feast after the excitement of the Circus. All the anxiousness had tired her out, and she was curious to find out more about her mysteriously closed off brother as well as the letter he protected so well within the folds of his adorned toga.
