Slave To Rome

CHAPTER TWO - DEFIANCE

“What do you want us to do with her, Livia?” One of her men asked that held me. I had stopped struggling long before now, the fight being taken out of me. I was going to die, I knew it. There was no way I could ever keep my promise to Tura now.

Livia looked me over and replied, “Chain her in my cabin, I will deal with her in a minute.”

“No!” I yelled again, though I knew it was pointless. I was dragged across the deck by the two men, and pushed into Livia’s personal cabin. The two men chained my hands and feet, and I was thrown onto the floor before they closed and locked the door behind me.

I wasn’t sure of what was going on. Surely, if she didn’t sell me as a slave, she was going to kill me. But yet being thrown into her cabin and not over the edge of the ship made me wonder what was really going on. I hoisted myself to a sitting position, and leaned up against the wall. Looking around, I saw a table in the center of the room, with a large map spread across it. To the left there was another door, and I figured that must be her sleeping quarters.

The door opened and Livia walked into the room, and looked at me on the floor. Smirking as she closed the door, she addressed me, “What is your name?”

I didn’t answer her, just glared at her. She narrowed her eyes and strode over to me to slap me hard across the face. I spit blood onto the floor and looked up at her with fury in my eyes. “You will answer me when I address you. Your name, Amazon!”

“Varia,” I growled before putting my tongue to my cheek where my tooth had cut it.

Livia rose to full height and said, “Gurkhan, the man who wanted you, takes slave girls as his wives. They live in this beautiful palace, will all the luxuries in the world.”

I just stared at her, wondering what her point was.

“You tried to kill me. Failing as you obviously did, I still cannot allow that to be your fate.”

“Then kill me and get it over with!” I screamed at her.

She glared at me before kicking me in the stomach, and I doubled over and gasped in pain. “You will speak when spoken to, girl.”

I stayed silent as I lay on the floor, willing the pain to leave me. Livia continued to speak, “I have been meaning to get a slave girl of my own for some time now, and I believe you will do just fine.”

“I will die before serving you!” I coughed out, before receiving another kick to the stomach for speaking out of turn.

“That may be, but we will see, won’t we?” She replied with a evil smile etched on what would be a beautiful face if not for the monster it contained. “I’ll take such pleasure in breaking you, Amazon.”

Livia turned and left the room, and I just lay on the floor, staring at the legs of a chair, as tears began to fall from my eyes.

*****

“Livia, what is that?” Ares, the God of War asked her, pointing at me in the corner of the room.

“My new slave girl,” she answered him.

“I heard Gurkhan was willing to pay for her, is that true?”

“Yes,” she replied, as she looked away from him and down at the map spread in front of her. “We should invade Greece from the East, do you agree?”

Ares slammed his hand down on the map in front of Livia, making her look up at him in annoyed question. “You can’t invade Greece until you get more money! You were a fool not to sell her to him, he pays three times for one girl what others do, with that money you could’ve afforded to invade Greece AND Britannia!”

Livia looked at him challengingly, “We have enough money to start the invasion, Ares. When we take the first province, we will be able to get more supplies and money and be able to finance the rest of our invasion.”

“But what was the gain in keeping her?” He bellowed.

“She tried to murder me, I was not about to let her live a life of luxury.”

“You’re a fool,” He said to her, “Don’t let your petty vendetta against this child ruin your good sense.”

“I have made my decision, Ares! Besides, we are almost to Rome, turning back would waste more time and money.”

There was silence between them for a minute, and I watched from my corner of the room.

“Fine,” Ares relented. “Keep the silly Amazon child. But when you end up beating her to death in a day, when you could have made a small fortune off of selling her, don’t tell me you regret your decision.”

He was gone in a flash of blue light, and I was left alone with her. There was silence for a long time while she studied the map in front of her, no doubt going over battle plans in her head. Then, after what seemed like forever, she looked at me and said, “Come here, girl.”

I stayed where I was, and she laughed a little at my small gesture of defiance. “Do you want Ares to be right? Would you like to be beaten to death in a matter of a day?”

I narrowed my eyes, but rose to my feet, and carried myself over to her. I did not want to serve her, it was the last thing I ever wanted to do. But I made a promise to Tura, and it was no good if I was dead.

Livia looked me over, then spoke. “First, we need to get rid of these awful clothes. You look like a savage.”

She touched my shirt, and I flinched from the feel of her skin against mine. She smiled at me in a twisted way, and then gave me my first order. “Strip.”

I just stared at her. Surely she did not want me to undress in front of her? I guess I hesitated for far too long, because I was hit across the face once more. “I said strip!” She commanded.

I stood myself up right again, and my shaking hands rose to start to undo the laces the bound my top together. She looked at me curiously, as if trying to take in my nervousness. As the last lace was undone, my top fell to the ground, leaving me half naked in front of her.

“Now the rest,” she said.

I looked away from her and kicked off my boots. Then my trembling hands came up to undo my belt, and I pushed my skirt down around my ankles before stepping out of it. The only thing that was left on me was the necklace I had since I was born, the necklace from my tribe. I was afraid she would ask me to take that off too, but she didn’t.

“Stand at full height,” she said to me, and I rose up to look at her in the eyes.

But her eyes weren’t on my face, they were roaming my naked form, and I flushed in embarrassment under her gaze. She touched my stomach, and my whole body shook.

“You’re strong,” she observed as her fingertips lightly grazed the muscles on my stomach. Her hand traced down my stomach to my right above my hairline, and my breath caught in my throat in fear that she was going to defile me as her first act of punishment against her. I looked at her, begging her with my eyes not to do it, but the look on her face made my features form into confusement.

But then her hand was gone, and the fierceness was back in her eyes. I let my breath out. She grabbed some clothes from behind her, and threw them at me, “Put these on.”

I hurriedly dressed myself in the garments she threw me, which turned out to be a dress that looked slightly like it was from Arabia. I didn’t understand, only the finest slaves were given these kinds of clothing. But she was the champion of Rome, so I supposed that her slave must reflect her status. I slipped on the sandles, and stood in front of her, silently.

“Go make up my bed chamber, and lay out my sleeping clothes,” Livia ordered, and unlocked my chains. “And don’t try to run now that your free. Remember, we are still on a ship, there is no where to go.”

I took a step back, and thought of telling her where she can go shove her sleeping clothes, but I kept my mouth shut. The only way I could ever get out of this and back to Tura was to do as she says until she begins to trust that she broke me. Then, and only then, will I be able to escape.

TBC.....