One
night while Lithiana’s senatorial father was away overnight for business, Lithiana
fled to the heart of town, the Roman Forum. It was late and dark, the only
people around were the plebeians cleaning up from the long day at market. Lithiana
turned a corner to see what else she could find, and suddenly bumped into a
boy. He apologized, looked into her eyes and said, “Hello, I’m Fabius. Come
with me.” She stood still and looked back at him as her heart sank, reached for
his hand and the two went running down the alleyway. At that very moment she
knew that her life would was going somewhere very different, somewhere she only
went in herd dreams. But what will her father think when he returns to their
Palatine hill villa with Lithiana nowhere to be found?
Lithiana
and Fabius run hand and hand down the cobblestone alleyways of the city until
they run out of breath. Lithiana looks up only to see an old, abandoned palace.
Fabius pulls at her hand for her to follow, exclaiming, “This is one of my
favorite places in all of Rome.” She smiles. They enter the empty palace and
find a place to sit in what was once the inner courtyard. Lithiana is quite
although she wants nothing more than to bombard Fabius with questions. He
senses this and begins to further introduce himself. Fabius explains that he comes
from a plebian family that lives in the countryside. He goes on to say that he
left home two years ago to fight in the civil war under the grand leadership of
Caesar.
Lithiana
stares in fascination at his torn toga and worn out caligae, with no thought of
her father in mind. Fabius asks Lithiana to tell her something about her but
all she can think of to say is, “well, I do not like being cooped up a home, I
want adventure and freedom to experience life.” Fabuis looks at her and smiles
with the deepness of his blue eyes. Since Fabius is of a lower class he was
never able to attend private schooling but instead has learning everything he
knows from experience. He has nothing to his name and cares very little of
moving up in class and this showed in his presence.
The
two of them found a place to lay and rest. Just a few short hours later, the
sun rose and they took off to return to the Forum. Lithiana did not even think
of the chance of seeing her father there seeing as how he was not due back for
another two days. Fabius and Lithiana walked through the markets trying on
silly things and purchasing some fruit. Lithiana was having the best time with
Fabius, twirling and singing in the street she bumped into a man. He questionably
said, “Lithiana?” She didn’t recognize the man at first but soon realized it
was Octavio, her father’s apprentice. Octavio was an equestrian male, young and
ambitious. Lithiana’s father would constantly mention him as he wished for Lithiana
to marry him some day soon. Lithiana said to Octavio, “Please, I beg of you,
please do not tell my father you saw me here. I will do anything you wish.”
Octavio
looked at Lithiana then at Fabius and quickly assumed what had happened. With
Lithiana’s fate in his hands, he exclaimed, “I will tell your father I
accompanied you to the Forum but only if upon his return to Rome you tell him
you have agreed to marry me.” Lithiana knows that Octavio’s reason for
proposing is insincere and selfish of his own want to be a senatorial but she
quickly realizes that this is what she must do in order to avoid punishment.
She agrees and Octavio orders for his men to take her back to her villa.
Before
last night, Lithiana would often sit at her window daydreaming of a different
life, a life in the city. That is all gone away now but she will never forget
Fabius and the way he smiled with his deep blue eyes.
