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A Roman Love Story

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Chapter 42

Marius was indeed very upset. He kept shouting at Aulus, his adoptive father, even though Domitia, his adoptive mother kept telling him to calm down.

“How can I calm down, mater?” shouted the young man with wildly waving arms. “You two want to execute my love!”

“She’s a slave,” said Aulus calmly.

“Maybe I want to free her and make her my wife!” shouted the boy back at him.

“Don’t say such horrible things and don’t shout at your father!” yelled Domitia at him.

“She’s not yours to free or take as your wife,” said Aulus calmly. “She belongs to my household for as long as I am alive. I determine what happens to her.”

“And you want to crucify her? For what? For having resisted against rape from some asshole who calls himself a legatus? Fuck that prick!”

Aulus now lost his patience with the boy and stepping up to him, he did slap him hard in the face.

“Behave yourself,” he bellowed. “You have responsibilities, behave accordingly! Besides, you should remember well about your part in all this. If you could have kept your dick in your subligaculum, none of this might have happened.”

Domitia looked at him with accusation in her eyes as Aulus should also have done that. Aulus noticed that and nodded, while going to the table to pour himself a goblet of wine.

“Yes, yes, I know. This all started with one of my own mistakes. We all have played our parts in this tragedy, you too, my dear wife. And now we all have to work hard to set things right.”

“Killing her is setting things right?” asked Marius incredulously.

“Yes,” answered Aulus while emptying his cup of wine ad fundum. “Only a sacred ritual can set things right. The gods are angry with us and they demand sacrifice. Besides, the girl’s deeds, even when set in motion by us, can only be wiped clean with her death.”

“If you think I caused all this, why not crucify me?” scoffed Marius.

“Shut up boy, you have no idea how amazingly stupid that sounds,” said Aulus with barely contained anger. “You are a citizen of Rome and filius familias. Crucifying you would be such a crime, the gods would destroy this entire household in one huge disaster, the likes of which has been rarely seen.”

Marius knew that of course, but he just wanted to shock his father by saying outrageous things. He desperately needed to hurt someone, preferably his father. Because of this he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Aulus noticed this of course and walked up to the boy. Despite being a middle-aged man, he likely would still be able to beat the boy in a fight. And his presence, so close in front of the young man, was imposing and dominant. Marius didn’t cower, but felt the dominance of his father all too well.

“You are the son of my brother,” said Aulus, “adopted by me as the heir to my household. But that does not mean I cannot punish you. I can have you flogged if that pain can help you get to terms with all this.”

“I wish you would have me flogged,” hissed Marius, “and show everyone what a cruel man you really are.”

“Hush, child,” said Domitia, “he is offering this not out of cruelty but out of the goodness of his heart.”

“Then flog me,” growled Marius, “in all kindness. And give me the same amount as you plan to give the girl.”

“Only if you are the one flogging her when the time comes,” replied Aulus. It was time for his son to grow up.
 
settantuno said:
...waiting
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Have i ever told you how much I appreciate your art, Settantuno? I'm no artist but you really capture the feelings in a scene. That look of determination on her face which we know cannot withstand the onslaught to come... This one is going into my 'favourites' folder! :clapping:
 
Doragon said:
Chapter 42

Marius was indeed very upset. He kept shouting at Aulus, his adoptive father, even though Domitia, his adoptive mother kept telling him to calm down.

“How can I calm down, mater?” shouted the young man with wildly waving arms. “You two want to execute my love!”

“She’s a slave,” said Aulus calmly.

“Maybe I want to free her and make her my wife!” shouted the boy back at him.

“Don’t say such horrible things and don’t shout at your father!” yelled Domitia at him.

“She’s not yours to free or take as your wife,” said Aulus calmly. “She belongs to my household for as long as I am alive. I determine what happens to her.”

“And you want to crucify her? For what? For having resisted against rape from some asshole who calls himself a legatus? Fuck that prick!”

Aulus now lost his patience with the boy and stepping up to him, he did slap him hard in the face.

“Behave yourself,” he bellowed. “You have responsibilities, behave accordingly! Besides, you should remember well about your part in all this. If you could have kept your dick in your subligaculum, none of this might have happened.”

Domitia looked at him with accusation in her eyes as Aulus should also have done that. Aulus noticed that and nodded, while going to the table to pour himself a goblet of wine.

“Yes, yes, I know. This all started with one of my own mistakes. We all have played our parts in this tragedy, you too, my dear wife. And now we all have to work hard to set things right.”

“Killing her is setting things right?” asked Marius incredulously.

“Yes,” answered Aulus while emptying his cup of wine ad fundum. “Only a sacred ritual can set things right. The gods are angry with us and they demand sacrifice. Besides, the girl’s deeds, even when set in motion by us, can only be wiped clean with her death.”

“If you think I caused all this, why not crucify me?” scoffed Marius.

“Shut up boy, you have no idea how amazingly stupid that sounds,” said Aulus with barely contained anger. “You are a citizen of Rome and filius familias. Crucifying you would be such a crime, the gods would destroy this entire household in one huge disaster, the likes of which has been rarely seen.”

Marius knew that of course, but he just wanted to shock his father by saying outrageous things. He desperately needed to hurt someone, preferably his father. Because of this he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. Aulus noticed this of course and walked up to the boy. Despite being a middle-aged man, he likely would still be able to beat the boy in a fight. And his presence, so close in front of the young man, was imposing and dominant. Marius didn’t cower, but felt the dominance of his father all too well.

“You are the son of my brother,” said Aulus, “adopted by me as the heir to my household. But that does not mean I cannot punish you. I can have you flogged if that pain can help you get to terms with all this.”

“I wish you would have me flogged,” hissed Marius, “and show everyone what a cruel man you really are.”

“Hush, child,” said Domitia, “he is offering this not out of cruelty but out of the goodness of his heart.”

“Then flog me,” growled Marius, “in all kindness. And give me the same amount as you plan to give the girl.”

“Only if you are the one flogging her when the time comes,” replied Aulus. It was time for his son to grow up.
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I have just spent the previous ninety minutes reading this story from start to current status: I am so glad I invested the time in doing so! As an amateur writer on this forum I am truly impressed with the amount of planning, research, and thought you put into the arc of this story. I am looking forward to reading your “execution” of the, inevitable, outcome. I feel reasonably sure I know where we are going, but can’t wait to see how you get us there!
 
Blue said:
I have just spent the previous ninety minutes reading this story from start to current status: I am so glad I invested the time in doing so! As an amateur writer on this forum I am truly impressed with the amount of planning, research, and thought you put into the arc of this story. I am looking forward to reading your “execution” of the, inevitable, outcome. I feel reasonably sure I know where we are going, but can’t wait to see how you get us there!
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Thank you, I am glad you like it. The only downside to writing this detailed: I sometimes need time to finish the sequels. I hope you can be a little bit patient - I am working on the end of the story. And I work hard to make it as good as the story so far. :)
 
settantuno said:
...waiting
Click to expand...
I absolutely love your artwork and I can understand the waiting takes long. I wrote a few more chapters and wasn't satisfied with the result so I am rewriting it. Quality first.

As for the crucifixion scene, it will match the painting I posted in the first post. She won't be on a free standing cross, like in your excellent artwork scene, but on a cross attached to a wall in the gate of the villa.
 
Chapter 43

Marius was taken to the stables that evening, where only the stable master and the priest were joining him.

“A true Roman patrician shows no pain,” said Gracchus with his rasping voice while he bound the young men’s hands up to the column in the centre of the stables. It was the same column Amabilia had been tied to some time ago.

“I know,” said Marius and he was determined not to show any weakness. The stable master practiced swinging the sacred scourge and looking at the priest he asked how many lashes the young master should receive.

“Three times three times three,” answered the priest, as this was a sacred amount. The stable master nodded as he understood and he then looked at the young master to see if he was ready.

Marius had stripped himself of his tunica before he was bound to the post and he bowed his head to the stable master, indicating he was ready. He felt really foolish to go along with this, but at the same time he felt an inner need to purge himself. It was either this or kill everyone in his family, something he most likely could not finish anyways. He also felt the need to prove himself worthy, something he had no yet been able to demonstrate in his young years. And finally the pain was also a test for himself, to see if he was indeed worthy of becoming the head of the familia one day.

At the first stroke, Marius winced but kept silent. The scourge had drawn several red marks across his back. But the priest was not satisfied.

“You have to strike harder,” he instructed the stable master, “every lash needs to draw blood.”

“I am whipping the young master,” said the stable master in defence.

“So?” replied the priest, “this fine young man cannot prove himself if you show him weakness.”

The cult of pain and blood was a strong conviction with the Roman elite. That’s also why gladiators were sent into the arena with thin but very sharp weapons, designed not to kill but to inflict lots of bleeding wounds. And the audience practiced themselves in enduring the sight of blood and cruelties.

The stable master resumed flogging his young master with lashes that were as hard and fierce as he could muster. Marius shook and convulsed under the lashes while blood flowed copiously down his back. He managed to refrain from crying out, but grunting and groaning was unavoidable. And that was allowed.

Because of the pain burning on his back, it was hard to think straight and Marius suddenly realized he had not even once considered how this would be for Amabilia, when she received the same lashing. Would she be able to bear it without screaming? He doubted it and as he clenched his jaws to stifle another cry, he realized for the first time she was just a weak slave. And yet there was something else as well. Why was it alright to strike someone weak? He could take it, but could she? It started nagging his brain and as the lashes cut his back, he started grunting louder, destabilized as he was with the puzzle in his mind. For the first time in his life he wondered how something would be experienced by someone else.

After 27 lashes, Marius was barely able to keep standing and he was close to losing consciousness. His entire back was riddled with cuts that weren’t very deep, not damaging the underlying muscles, but they were extremely painful. The metal tips of the scourge had cut into his skin, almost as if a knife had been drawn over his back innumerable times.

By this time he was absolutely certain Amabilia could not endure this and he wondered if he should strike her at all. The feverish thoughts in his mind revolved around the question if it was still love if he struck her like this. While another part of his brain was not interested in this question at all. It was far more important to feel pride in how he handled himself here and now.

The priest took a vial and collected blood from the back of the young man, mixing it with liquids to avoid the blood to clot. Next he took a jar which contained a special ointment, made from pig fat, ash and several herbs. He rubbed this over the bleeding back of the young man. It would stop the bleeding and speed up the healing process. It would also make certain the cuts would transform into clearly visible scars, to carry as a sign of this initiation rite for the rest of his life.

“Welcome to the circle of true men,” croaked the old priest while Marius was released. The young man was now part of a secret society of patricians that had existed since the days of the old kings of Rome. He felt proud. And at the same time he dreaded the moment that would come soon, when he had to make his love endure this as well.
 
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Chapter 44

Amabilia was led into the dining room of the villa after having been washed with great care. She had also been rubbed with oils and herbs, prepared as if she was a sacrifice. As she was led past the dominus and domina, Domitia rubbed a hand over her buttocks. All were dressed in their best clothes, making Amabilia feel even more naked.

“Is she ready?” she asked the priest.

“She is ready for the first part of the ritual,” he replied.

Amabilia was terrified of the old priest, who looked and sounded like some demon to her. He gave her a cup to drink from. It contained a very strong tasting wine mixed with herbs. Next she was placed naked on the table that had been installed in the centre of the room and she was trembling all over. She didn’t dare to speak and cringed under the old man’s hands as he rubbed more oil on her skin, preparing her for what was to come. Being naked and displayed in front of the others present, was hard to cope with. She whimpered softly as the priest spent close attention to her breasts. Though it didn’t hurt, it made the poor girl feel very scared. Especially when the oil made her skin tingle with a slight burning sensation. Her blush deepened and spread over her upper body, while she began to feel heated up. Both her breathing and heartrate went up and she also felt a tingling sensation in her crotch as a strange sense of arousal came over her, despite the fact that the touch of the old man was scaring her more than it was giving her pleasure.

The old priest then took a fine brush made of pig hair and held a kylix (cup) with his other hand. Amabilia bit her lower lip in fear when the man used the brush to write with red liquid on her naked skin, starting near her throat and working down to cover her chest and breasts with words, all the way down to her lower stomach. The sensation of the brush stroking her skin, make her quiver. To her this was clearly some kind of magic being performed on her and she dreaded what it would do to her. The red liquid dried quickly on her skin and made her look like she was bleeding all over.

“The blood of your master,” spoke the old priest finally when he was done, “your soul will carry this prayer to the afterlife.”

Amabilia shuddered. Blood of her master? Was this the blood of Aulus? Or of Marius? She quickly looked at the dominus, sitting nearby and watching all this. He didn’t speak and neither did the mistress next to him. The other members of the household behind them, the liberti that organized the daily aspects of life on the estate, also didn’t speak and watched solemnly in silence. They were all very much aware of the fact they were witnessing secret rites. Nobody could ever speak of this outside this room.

The priest began chanting the prayer he had written on the girl’s body. His old voice made it sound really scary.

“Dea sancta Tellus, rerum naturae parens,
quae cuncta generas et regeneras indidem,
quod sola praestas gentibus vitalia,
caeli ac maris diva arbitra rerumque omnium,
per quam silet natura et somnos concipit,
itemque lucem reparas et noctem fugas”

(Translation:
Goddess revered, O Earth, of all nature Mother,
engendering all things and re-engendering them from the same womb,
because thou only dost supply each species with living force,
thou divine controller of sky and sea and of all things,
through thee is nature hushed and lays hold on sleep,
and thou likewise renewest the day and dost banish night.)

He sang the prayer three times. And all the while Amabilia felt more and more scared while also feeling more and more aroused. Then finally he was done and he bowed to Aulus and Domitia.

“She is ready,” he said.

“Should she not be tied down?” asked Domitia.

“If you don’t want her struggling much,” answered the priest.

“Tie her with ropes,” said Aulus, who didn’t feel like wrestling a slave girl to the table. The priest tied the girl’s hands with ropes to the table, with the help of two liberti. They parted her legs and pushed her knees up, tying ropes around her thighs to keep her legs spread wide. Finally her hips were lifted and a cushion was pushed under her tail bone, to keep her pelvis slightly tilted and he sex aimed in a more upward direction. Aulus then stood up and went over to the head of the table, looking down on the naked bound girl before him. Domitia took position next to him. The girl was trembling and looked up at the pater familias standing over her with his wife at his side. They both made her feel so small and vulnerable and she dreaded what was going to happen next. Her crotch was aimed at the door and when it opened, she lifted her head to see who was entering and yelped when she recognized Marius.
 
Chapter 45

Marius wasn’t alone, he had Julia with him, dressed in a white dress with flower on her head. The room was silent. In the centre was the table with the naked and spread out slave girl, covered in a prayer written in blood. The priest was standing next to her, his hands hovering over her in prayer. At the head of the table were the dominus and domina of the household. At the foot of the table Julia knelt down near the bottom of the girl, with Marius, the filius familias next to her. At the side stood five liberti, core members of the household. Amongst them was of course Canus the Grey, the old man who was in charge of most things at the estate.

“Marius,” whispered the slave girl with a deep blush on her face.

“Don’t speak,” said the priest. He gave the girl an angry look with his perpetual drooling face and she cringed.

“Lick the girl,” he then said to Julia, who immediately began to do her work as instructed. She pushed her mouth against Amabilia’s slit. The girl yelped as she felt the kisses on her sensitive lips. The kissing quickly turned to licking and sucking and each time the warm tongue slipped between her lips and over Amabilia’s clitoris, the girl yelped and moaned. This felt so intense and at the same time it was so embarrassing. The girl writhed and squirmed on the table, held in place by the ropes, but not immobilized by it. It was clear for all around that she was experiencing lust. As was intended. The priest even helped by putting his hands on the girl’s breasts and gently massaged her nipples, making her moan even louder, while her blush deepened to a darker red.

“Please,” whimpered the girl as she suffered greatly from the pleasure she was forced to experience.

“She’s getting close,” said the priest as he let go of her breasts. Then he signalled Marius to lift up his tunica and Julia to step aside.

Marius was sporting a huge erection when he stepped closer to Amabilia. He looked down on the girl he loved and longed for and he stroked her inner thighs lovingly.

“Don’t dawdle,” said the priest, making a gesture at the young man’s penis to move it into the girl’s sheath.

Amabilia looked up at Marius and felt a tremendous lust radiating in her loins. She desperately wanted him inside her and when he pushed up against her slit, she jerked sharply.

Marius held his penis as he rubbed the tip against the girl’s wet slit and sensing how welcoming she was, he pushed into her warm wet folds. He groaned as this felt so intense, he quickly pushed deeper, sliding his penis entirely into her receptive vagina. Her swollen flesh enveloped him and he felt his balls tightening. The girl moaned. She jerked a little with her hips, meeting him inside her body and her stomach and breasts were quivering.

“Fuck her,” instructed the priest, who was holding a kylix with wine over the trembling girl. “But don’t lose your seed before she opens up inside,” he added while sprinkling wine over the girl. He started chanting, mixing his prayer with the moaning and groaning of the young couple while Marius fucked the girl with long and deep thrusts.

Marius had a really hard time not spilling his seed as this felt more intense than anything had before. His penis felt like it was ready to explode. Fortunately the girl had been prepared and she too experienced so much pleasure from the penetrating movements inside her body, that she squirmed and moaned even louder and suddenly started to convulse. Her orgasm was unlike anything she ever experienced. Marius felt her vagina squeezing around his penis, milking him and he lost the ability to contain himself. With a primitive grunt he stabbed his penis deep into her and held it there while he erupted inside the girl.

Amabilia looked up at her love, feeling his throbbing penis erupting inside of her, and her own orgasm kept going by simply looking at his face. Her eyes filled with tears as this was so beautiful and at the same time so desperate and so tragic. Marius glanced back at her but averted his eyes, trying to avoid his love for her to overtake him. He pulled his twitching penis out of her and turned away. Amabilia gasped as she now saw his backside, his tunica showing several red patches of blood from his broken back. He didn’t seem in any pain though as his posture was upright and proud.

“Please,” whimpered Amabilia, desperately hoping that Marius would turn around and look at her. But the young man went to the door and left without a word. As he stepped outside, he tried to hide the tears in his eyes and he kept himself unnaturally straight up while walking away in a daze. Behind him he heard Amabilia’s cry of despair.
 
Great writing Doragon.
Doragon said:
Dea sancta Tellus, rerum naturae parens
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That's an interesting find - for all my dabbling in lesser-known Latin verse I don't think I've come across that 'Precatio Terrae' before, and can't find much about it beyond rather snooty and dismissive notes by Classical scholars judging it by the standards of Augustan poetry. But there's interest these days in what can be found of more vernacular Latin, and I guess that kind of unpolished, irregular address was probably what was commonly heard in the minor temples and shrines in city streets and the countryside. The earliest surviving Christian prayers, like Te Deum Laudamus, are in a rather similar style.
 
Eulalia said:
Great writing Doragon.

That's an interesting find - for all my dabbling in lesser-known Latin verse I don't think I've come across that 'Precatio Terrae' before, and can't find much about it beyond rather snooty and dismissive notes by Classical scholars judging it by the standards of Augustan poetry. But there's interest these days in what can be found of more vernacular Latin, and I guess that kind of unpolished, irregular address was probably what was commonly heard in the minor temples and shrines in city streets and the countryside. The earliest surviving Christian prayers, like Te Deum Laudamus, are in a rather similar style.
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I think this prayer echoes the older rituals that were customary before the Roman people adopted a lot of the Greek reigious ideas. I am kind of convinced all people at some point changed from a belief system that revolved around nature and spirits (including human sacrifice), to a system revolving around anthropomorphic gods (with animal sacrifice), with the next step towards a more abstract and almost philosophical god (prayer and inner dialogue). But this is pure speculation of course.
 
Doragon said:
I think this prayer echoes the older rituals that were customary before the Roman people adopted a lot of the Greek reigious ideas. I am kind of convinced all people at some point changed from a belief system that revolved around nature and spirits (including human sacrifice), to a system revolving around anthropomorphic gods (with animal sacrifice), with the next step towards a more abstract and almost philosophical god (prayer and inner dialogue). But this is pure speculation of course.
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It's certainly a glimpse of a very different world-view from the pantheons of Classical gods and goddesses, never mind the abstractions of the philosophers - but one which probably remained current (in a multitude of different forms no doubt) among the ordinary people for whom we have so little written evidence.
 
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