"When you've accrued a couple months ofleave time, bring the whole family," I told Gaius, trying to soundcasual as I added with a shrug, "Naturally, I'll pay for thetrip."
My nephew and his wife exchanged a glance,and when I saw the suppressed excitement between the two, I triednot to smile. Both of them had become travelers of the world, butthat had not been the case in some time. In her own right, Iras hadtraveled the breadth of the entire other side of Our Sea withCleopatra, while Gaius had done the same, albeit in a differentcapacity. This was an opportunity for them to see new lands, undermore pleasant circumstances.
"We'll do it," Gaius announced, prompting ashout of joy from Titus, and even an excited giggle from Iras.Young Miriam, much like her older brother at her age, had beenunable to stay awake.
The farewells we said that night wereheartfelt and the hardest I have ever undergone, but we decidedthat it was best, for all of us, if we did it that night and notdrag the children out before dawn. Somehow, I managed to keep mycomposure; until, that is, just as I was about to walk out thedoor, little Titus came and wrapped his arms around my legs as helooked up at me.
"Avus," he begged. "Please don't go!Please stay!"
In that moment, I experienced the decidedlyqueer sensation of straddling two times at once, so that when Ilooked down, while I knew it was young Titus, the face that I sawwas that of another boy, face smeared with honey and snot runningfreely from his nose as he uttered the exact same words. I wasforced to clutch the doorway, both because of Titus' grip, but alsofrom the feeling of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me.Ruthlessly biting the inside of my cheek, I managed to keep thetears from flowing until Iras came and knelt down next to Titus,and began uttering soothing words to him, yet not in our tongue,but the one in which she grew up. That was too much, as a womanwith flame-red hair took Iras' place, and I was so stricken by asense of loss and grief that I was sure I would be unable to moveunder my own power. Gently, Iras managed to remove Titus' arms fromaround my legs, and she looked up at me with her eyes shining asshe mouthed an apology. I do not remember what I said, nor do Iremember the short walk to my now-bare quarters, except for thefact that Diocles held me firmly around the waist. If he had notbeen there, I do not know if I would have found my way.
Diocles and I, along with the part of mybaggage that had not been sent ahead, left Siscia on a pre-dawnmorning two days short of the Ides of April, and a week before mysixtieth birthday. Our journey took a day longer than three weeks,as we traveled by a combination of road and ship. The last fourdays was spent on the deck of a coastal freighter, prompting me tovow as I stepped off the ship that this would the last I everboarded, and I have kept that vow. Agis had done an excellent job;despite his stutter, he ruled the villa in Arelate and had beeninstrumental in making it ready to the point that, after leavingthe quay, still aboard Ocelus and Thunder and pulling two mules, Ifollowed Diocles as he led me to where I am now living. Agis hadalso done such a masterful job of drawing that, after rounding acorner in the street of the town, just one block away from theForum, which was bustling with people in a version, albeit muchsmaller, of the one in Rome. Granted, there were not only fewerbodies; there was a more limited number of nations and culturesrepresented, but it was still the riot of color and sound. Therewas an arena under construction, now completed, made completely ofstone that seats more than 20,000 spectators, and the theater wasalready laid out, but construction was yet to begin. Frankly, Ionly had eyes for what I knew was my new home from Agis' sketches,and I pulled Ocelus up to sit and just...look at it.
"Well?" Diocles asked me, and I heard theexcitement in his voice. "What do you think?"
Just to torment him, my initial answer was agrunt.
Feeling his glare, I allowed, "I suppose itwill do," then gave Ocelus a kick forward, mainly so my Greek couldnot see my grin.
Obviously, Diocles had managed to sendsomeone ahead as soon as we docked, because my stable slave,Simeon, was standing there waiting for us just outside the mainentrance into what was now my villa. Ocelus, either spottingSimeon, who was one of his favorite people, or smelling him,suddenly increased his pace to a trot, despite the fact I hadissued no such command, so I suppose I was not the most dignifiedfigure as I sawed on the reins, trying to slow him down.
"Master." Simeon's teeth gleamed white inhis dark skin. "It's good to be here to welcome you to your newhome. And," he grabbed Ocelus by the bridle as he and my horsetouched foreheads, which I had noticed was their ritual greeting,"it's good to see you, my good friend."
Ocelus' response was a gentle nicker, and Icould feel him relaxing under me as he responded to the familiarodors and sounds. His behavior had been exemplary the whole trip,but I also knew him well enough to know that it had been an ordealfor him to be handled and rubbed down by strange hands belonging tounknown men. Sliding off, I handed Simeon the reins and clapped himon the shoulder; despite his relationship with Ocelus, I do nothave a close relationship with Simeon. I suppose it is because ofhis origins, and how he came into my possession. He is an Armenian,and was one of the slaves I was awarded as part of the spoilsagainst Armenia, when Marcus Antonius tried to avenge thehumiliation of our campaign in Parthia. As much as I do not carefor the Armenians in general, they are
