• Sign up or login, and you'll have full access to opportunities of forum.

My Livia

Go to CruxDreams.com
Bh5 I really like how you creep into the main focus of the story. It makes me wonder what you have planned for each character. This is what keeps my interest in this story. I already see some connections between the characters and look forward to see how those connections play out.
 
Bh5 said:
“I see you’ve planned in advance as usual, Livia. Well my son, you have my leave to go. But first, have dinner with your family. You know I am an old man and might not have many dinners left.”, Titus said jovially. The trio laughed as they walked from the foyer into the triclinium.
Click to expand...
Ah the picture of the happy family scene. Very much liking this so far. Eager to see where you're going with it.

malins said:
Oh I love some backstory and we'll certainly be more moved by the fate of familiar characters with a history & background ...
Click to expand...
Indeed. Seeing everyone happy at dinner will make everything that follows so much more meaningful (and probably horrible, but we do go in for that around here).
 
Licinia

Titus followed Marcus and Livia into the triclinium. Three couches bracketed a low marble table that was tiled with the evening meal; a delectable spread of vegetables, meat, cheese and bread. Titus’s oldest daughter, Licinia, reclined next to her husband on the couch opposite the entrance. Titus reached across the table to kiss her extended hand.

Licinia was the middle child, and a source of great mystery in the family. The origin of her light brown hair puzzled her parents, and she lacked either the bulk of Titus or the slenderness of Agrippina’s figure. Like Marcus, her worldview stretched beyond the confines of the family’s vineyards or the markets, but she lacked the outward happiness of either of her siblings. Licinia had carried a stern demeanor throughout her life which suited her husband well. She was married at 17; at the time it was thought to be an advantageous move up the social ladder, but Titus regretted the decision deeply. Her husband, Appius Cassian Blandinus, was an aedile in Rome, and over twice her age. Appius had been given temporary command of an auxiliary cavalry unit during the aborted Gallic incursion and had not ceased to talk about it. If Appius could have taken credit for the Gauls’ inability to understand logistics, he would have in order to make himself a hero of the Roman people. Titus didn’t mind politicians worth their salt, but he reviled braggarts such as Appius.

Titus acknowledged his son in law, and sat down at an empty couch. Moments later, Lucia ran into the room and pounced next to him; Servina followed silently behind. Soon after, Agrippina entered wearing a flowing scarlet silk tunic that he had recently bought her. She nudged Lucia away and sat gracefully next to Titus before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. The red wig she wore to hide her naturally graying hair brushed lightly against his cheek.

Agrippina said a quick prayer and the meal began. The family laughed and talked as they ate; Lucia vividly recounted the theater performance the siblings had seen in Ariminum that afternoon. The family sat rapt as Lucia recounted the theater's rendition of one of Plautus’s comedies. Lucia stood at the head of the table and made grand sweeping gestures as she recounted the climactic scene when the adulescens discovers his true love is actually a free born woman instead of a slave. Lucia bowed slightly as the family gave a small applause amidst their laughter at the exaggerated performance. Titus smiled as he looked around him, then he noticed Servina, silently fixated on Livia from the other side of the room.

Titus’s suspicions of Servina relaxed as the meal went on, and as Nonus kept filling his cup with posca. Licinia told stories of Rome, slaves danced and played music, and Titus told an old war story at the beseeching of Marcus and Appius. The meal ended and the family began to separate to their own quarters within the villa. Marcus quickly embraced his mother before scurrying towards the waiting horse and cart; almost pulling Livia by the hand as he ran outside into the darkness. As slaves began to clean up the meal, Titus wandered about the villa, occasionally stopping to listen to the muffled chatter from one of his daughters or the slaves as they cleaned. He found Alec still in the foyer, and played two games of Latruncul; Titus thought he always played better with posca but Alec emerged victorious despite all odds.
 
Intimacy

It was well into the evening when Titus finally rejoined his wife. He found her in the newly constructed bath chamber. The small bath was cut in the center of the room, and only big enough for two. The water reflected the torches that burned at the corners of the room, and the room smelled strongly of lavender oil. His wife sat nude in the bath as Servina, nude to the waist, used a sponge to clean her. Agrippina had taken the wig off to reveal her natural short and graying hair. Her body was still slender and firm for a woman in her fifties, but light stretch marks along her waistline revealed her true age. Agrippina’s large breasts had begun to sag slightly, and jiggled slightly as she inhaled deeply while Servina rubbed the sponge across her shoulders, back and chest. She sat upright in the bath with her eyes closed; she looked serene as she allowed Servina to gently manipulate her body to clean it with the sponge. She didn’t see Titus walk in, and he sat on the edge facing her to place his feet into the knee deep, lukewarm water. As he looked down into the water, he could barely make out the design of topless mermaids that was tiled along the bottom of the bath.

His wife opened her eyes, and softly said, “Care to join me love?”

“Not tonight dear, I just wanted to see you.”, he responded and reached his foot to touch hers under the water.

“I can wash Dominus too” Servina said and looked at Titus, her hands stretched apart to expose her small firm breasts. Titus caught himself stare, and looked away abruptly as he felt his cheeks begin to burn. His wife noticed and with a side eyed glance said, “You know you can look, we own them.”. Titus changed the subject, “Do you think Licinia will stay another night?”

“Doubtful, she that she had hoped to meet Marcus in Rome so she could show him the new estate.”, she wife said in a disinterested tone. “It will be good for Marcus to spend some time there, it will keep him out of trouble”, she said as she examined her nails in the dim lighting.

“I doubt he’ll get into any trouble,” Titus said with a smile, “if anything Livia will steer him away from it.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure she will.”, Agrippina said sarcastically as she stood and stepped out of the bath. Servina followed with a towel and began to dry Agrippina’s outstretched arms and legs as the conversation continued.

“What’s that mean?”, Titus said quizzically, surprised by his wife’s response. Servina continued to work as her masters discussed Livia’s relationship with Marcus. When Agrippina was dry, Servina oiled her pubic area and grabbed a small shaving hook. Titus looked at the hook cautiously, “You’re sure about that?”, he said to his wife, completely disrupting the flow of their conversation.

“Hush, Servina has steady hands and this is what all the ladies in Rome do”, his wife scolded him playfully, “But I do think that we need to rethink Livia’s position in the household. Marcus needs a mentor, not a bitch ready to lay.” She said in a more serious tone. Servina reached behind Agrippina and gently placed a hand on her lower back before gently running the shaving fork down along the contours of the public bone. Agrippina’s graying bush of pubic hair thinned in front of Servina’s precise strokes.

Titus admired his wife for a moment before responding, “I think the dynamic is different than that, it’d be like losing a sister to him”, he said convinced he was right.

“Oh please,” his wife said dismissively, “Servina what do you think of Livia?”

Servina didn’t remove her focus as she rolled the fork carefully along the contours of her body. After a while she responded in her thick accent, “Livia would do anything to bring honor on this house, as would I. She is a good slave, dominia.”.

Agrippina rolled her eyes at the uninspiring answer. Titus smiled, and walked to his wife. “We can talk about it more in the morning if you like”, he said tenderly, then kissed her forehead softly. He walked out of the bath chamber and towards their bedroom. He chuckled as he heard his wife swear followed by “Careful, slave!”
 
Happy Easter to everyone. Since I missed posting 2 days in a row, I'll compensate with two short installments. Hope you enjoy.
Repast

Titus woke up late the next morning to find his family had already taken the morning meal. Licinia and Agrippina had gone into Ariminum to shop before Licinia and Appius departed back to Rome. Titus was glad he wasn’t roped into going as it was bound to be several hours of Agrippina inquiring for every detail about the latest trends in Rome. Titus picked at the leftovers of the morning meal, then moved to the veranda where he found Alec with the Latruncul board already set. A few losses later, and Titus came back into the foyer where Lucia was growing restless with Servina’s lesson in embroidery. Lucia eagerly agreed to join Titus on his daily walk of the property. Lucia and Titus took a small meal of cold fish and vegetables then set out into the heat of the afternoon.

The sun was at it’s zenith, and the pair stopped frequently under the shade of the beech trees that dotted the property. The pair talked casually and Titus felt at ease as Lucia described the lessons she had received. Titus showed her the different varieties of grapes as they passed among the vines, and the two gorged themselves on the delectable fruits. Titus briefly saw his wife’s palanquin return down the track that split the property and adjoined it to the road that led to Ariminum. The pair walked at a leisurely pace, and the sun had slowly begun to dip as they returned to the villa. As Titus cleared the last of the vines, he picked out Agrippina’s voice amidst a cacophony of other voices. He soon saw his wife yelling at a man dressed in a cuirass and red plumed helmet; a small group of men were clumped nearby. Titus saw his wife periodically gesture to the group of men, but couldn’t see what her focus was. As he approached, his wife pointed to him, and the cuirassed figure turned to reveal the face of Ariminum’s town watch commander, Aulus Arlius Ahenobarbus. Aulus, a thin man in his early thirties, had been friends with Titus for years, and was a familiar face at meals in the villa.

“Aulus, what is going on?”, Titus asked with an inflection of panic in his voice.

Aulus looked down at his cuirass then back into the eyes of the old man. “Marcus is dead”, he said solemnly.

Shatter

“What?”, Titus said in disbelief as he pushed past Aulus into the small gathering assembled on the veranda. Lucia sprinted inside and Servina followed closely behind. A few house slaves stood idly at the edge of the veranda unsure where to go. Titus tried to brace his sobbing wife as she appeared to stagger on the veranda. He embraced her tightly, and looked around for some reassurance. Where was Alec? Then his gaze fell on the semicircle of Aulus’s town guards standing just off the veranda, sitting in the center of the semicircle was Livia.

Livia’s white tunic was now stained a light brown with dust and mud, and was torn slightly at the base. Dried blood stained her nostrils and the left corner of her mouth. She sat awkwardly on her knees with her wrists bound in front of her with rope. “Livia!”, he cried out as he ran to the bound girl, kneeled and put his hands on her wet cheeks. Her wide hazel eyes looked sadly into his, but she didn’t say a word. Titus whirled on Aulus, “What are thinking, this woman belongs to my household! I want her untied now!”, he boomed. Aulus reeled, and set out his hands to try and calm the fury. “Titus, you don’t understand… she killed Marcus.” , Aulus said shakily.

Titus turned again to Livia. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she nodded. Her top knot was undone so the long brown hair rested messily on her shoulders; bits of grass and straw was mixed in with the mass of hair, and some fell free as she nodded in her admittance of guilt. “What… no it can’t be possible.”, Titus stammered softly to himself. The pain in his side welled to new heights and his knees began to quake. He tried to slide his hand under his tunic to calm the pain, but he stumbled. His vision blurred and he fell backward onto the veranda. In the distance, he heard his wife scream his name.
 
Oh, oh. Livia, you got some 'splainin' to do. . .

Great story so far! I've really enjoyed the character building and scene setting and the historical detail. But now, as promised, here comes the serious mess. Personally, I'm pulling for Livia here; I'm sure she has a very good reason for killing Titus' beloved son. (#MeToo?)


Jollyrei said:
I personally have considerable difficulty ending them.
Click to expand...
malins said:
I think I still have a 50,000+ word monster unfinished and the witch is still undead!
Click to expand...
I'm proud to be in such august company, lol, with my own magnum opus still unfinished.
 
To contrast yesterday's shorter entries, today we have a rather long entry.

Condemnation

Titus regained consciousness to see the blurry outline of Aulus standing over him; the glint of the sun on his cuirass made him look fiery and fearsome to the dazed old man. Titus gradually regained his senses as Aulus helped him into a sitting position. Titus looked around him to see more slaves gathering at the veranda to witness the spectacle. A few feet away, Appius and Licinia held Agrippina between them as his wife wept openly; Licinia’s stone faced expression belied her own sadness as she cradled her mothers’ head against her own. Titus began to push himself up to join them, but a glance to the disheveled figure kneeling in front of him stopped him cold.

“Why would you do this?” he asked out of breath.

“Titus, I’m sorry, I…”, she was interrupted abruptly as one of the guardsman kicked her in the back and pushed her onto her face. “Show your master respect, slave!”, he growled. Livia winced with pain and slowly pushed herself back to kneeling. Her eyes swelled with tears, and the cut on her lip had reopened.

“Dominus, I’m sorry. Marcus tried to force himself on me and I fought back... It was an accident... He fell... and I tried to save him.”, she stammered as she sniffled and stared into his eyes. Titus tried to process what had just been said. Could his own son really do that? How could he believe her, yet how could he not? ” Please have mercy on me.”, she faltered after a brief pause.

“You lying whore!”, Agrippina shrieked. Titus turned as his wife wrestle herself away from her daughters’ embrace and charge the helpless slave. Agrippina seemed to pounce on Livia and the impact sent both women tumbling in the dirt in front of the veranda. Livia tried to move her bound hands to cover her face from the clumsy blows but was utterly helpless as Agrippina unleashed upon her. Neither Aulus or his guards intervened as the women rolled and grunted in the dirt; some seemed amused as the beating continued unabated. Stunned, Titus pushed himself up and stumbled as he tried to catch Agrippina in his arms and pull her away. The frenzied movements had undone the right clasp of Agrippina’s tunic, and her breast hung exposed as Titus pulled her away. He frantically tried to reclasp the tunic, but was forced to hide his wife’s nakedness with his own short tunic as he brought her back into the arms of Licinia. Agrippina stared vacantly ahead as she returned to Licinia’s arms; Licinia gently reset her mother’s red wig and wiped the dirt and sweat off her face. Livia laid on her back, wheezing loudly as the air came back into her lungs.

Titus began to walk towards Livia but Aulus intercepted his path; Aulus leaned close to Titus and whispered, “We brought Marcus back too”. Aulus motioned to his guardsman, and two abruptly ran to the side of the villa. They returned a short time later with the body wrapped in a white cloth. They set Marcus gently on the veranda. Titus sat down next to his son and ran his hands along the folds and creases of the cloth covered face. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he pulled back the sheet to reveal the pale white face of his son. The lips were purple and slightly open; someone had tried to close his eyelids but they remained half open. Titus tried to close them but they doggedly remained ajar. Dried blood was matted on the back of his son’s head and indicated where a rock had split the skull. A shadow acrost the corpse, and Titus looked up to see Aulus towering over him. “We can crucify her in the morning if you wish.”, he said coldly, “there are two others were going to be executed so the carnifex is in town.”, he added casually.

Livia overheard and wailed frantically, “No dominus please don’t crucify me! Anything but that! Please have mercy on me! I loved Marcus too!”. She tried to stand up but one of the guardsman pushed her back down. “Please don’t crucify me”, Livia pleaded desperately as her voice trailed off. Titus looked back into the cold eyes of his son; his mind raced but he found no words.

Suddenly, he heard Servilla’s thick accent rise wickedly above the commotion, “The murderous slave should be crucified. Nail her to the wood and let her rot!”. She slid amidst the slaves to position herself at the front of the slaves gathered around the scene. An old cook behind her joined in, “Yeah crucify her.”. More and more slave voices rose to condemn Livia; Servina smiled slightly as the slaves championed her cruelty. Titus remained silent and watched as Licinia and Appius continued to cradle his wife between them. He looked at the expressionless face of his son again before he looked up at Aulus and said, “So be it”. Titus dismissed Aulus with a wave of his hand, and two guardsman reached under each of Livia’s arms and began to drag down the path out of the property. Agrippina joined Titus by the corpse of their son. She gently ran her manicured fingers through the blood stained curls. Titus placed a hand on her back and closed his eyes as he tried to drown out Livia’s pleas as she was dragged away.
 
Bh5 said:
Maybe I should throw in a curveball
Click to expand...
Titus starts going through Marcus' things & records, and stumbles upon incontrovertible evidence & admission that Marcus was not his real son, he was the result of an infidelity on Agrippina's part. And there have been all sorts of shenanigans ... he can't believe this, all his life seems to be falling apart even more, shifting sands, nothing stands secure. He drinks himself into a bit of a stupor. Awakening next day, for a moment thinking it was all a bad dream, until he realizes what awakened him, was the clang of hammers on nails and Livia's blood-choked screams ... she must have found out ...
 
Fantastic developments in the story. Happy to get a "curveball" if you have one, but it's moving along nicely and I, for one, am invested in the characters. I wouldn't mind something bad happening to both Agrippina and Servina at this point. Poor Livia. :(
:clapping: :clapping:
 
Two short entries this evening.

Serpent

That evening, Titus was restless. His mind raced as his wife laid asleep next to him in their bed; the days’ events replayed continually in his mind. He slowly eased his way off the bed so not to wake his wife, who had grieved until she tired herself. As Titus walked through the silent villa, he felt a palpable tension in the air; the red hue of the torchlight made the maze of corridors and rooms seem sinister and foreboding. He found an amphora of old posca in the kitchen brought it with him as he walked aimlessly through the villa.

Titus eventually found himself on the veranda and looked out into the cold, silent darkness; clouds obscured any moonlight so he could barely see a few feet in any direction. He thought and felt nothing. occasionally the bitterness of the old posca brought him back into the world. He swayed gently as the posca took hold, and he vainly tried to make the outline of Ariminum in the darkness. He imagined Livia in a dungeon cell somewhere in the city; cold and afraid.

Titus recollected the same feeling from his time in Iberia. He remembered the nights of endless pacing, the fight against the winter chill, the allure of sleep, and the constant fear of an unseen marauder bursting from the dark to cut him down. Titus had only been able to conquer these fears with the knowledge that his comrades would rescue him if he was in danger; Livia had no such comfort. Titus took a large drink of posca.

“Can’t sleep dominus”, he heard someone say behind him. He turned and startled as Servina emerged from the red hue of the villa onto the veranda. She stood before him, “I apologize dominus, I didn’t mean to startle you. Let me get you more posca… Or is there something else you desire.” She said seductively. Titus replied gruffly, “No, go back to your quarters.” and turned his back to her.

Servina stepped around his right side to come in front of him again. She looked into his eyes as she undid her breast cloth with one hand while the other hand undid the knot that held her loin cloth in place. She stood naked before him, her pale sculpted figure seemed to glow even in the dim torch light. “A good slave will do anything to please her master”, she cooed as she assumed a submissive position on her knees, “especially if she is the head slave of the villa.”. She looked up at him lustfully, and pushed her small breasts forward to try and make them look larger.

“What are you talking about?”, Titus said reproachfully.

“Livia was too proud, but I’m not. I would do anything to ease your burdens, and to see this villa thrive. All I ask is the privileges she once had.”, she said in the same soft, alluring voice.

“Get out of here before I have you flogged!” Titus demanded, trying not to raise his voice too loudly.

“Yes dominus”, she sighed as she collected her garments and disappeared behind the haze of one of the torches.

Consultation

“That woman is a snake”, Titus heard Alec say from another corner of the veranda, he had not seen him enter. “She should not be trusted.”, Alec continued as he hobbled toward Titus.

Titus gestured and the two old men sat together on the edge of the veranda. The two sat in silence for a moment before Titus broke the silence, “What should I do?”, he murmured.

Alec thought for a moment then responded, “I never had children of my own so I cannot understand your grief”, he paused, “but I do understand that crucifixion is the most painful and degrading experience imaginable on this side of the grass.”. He continued retrospectively, “I witnessed many of my former countrymen crucified for trying to escape when I was first enslaved. I would never wish such a thing on anyone, especially a loved one”

“So you’re saying I should let her live even though she destroyed this family? How would that look to the others? How could I look into my wife’s eyes and tell her there is justice for our son?”, Titus responded testily.

“No”, Alec weighed his response, “but she is like a daughter to you. I know you don’t want to see her suffer.”

Titus put his head in his hands and stomped his foot. He responded bitterly, “You’re no help old man.”.

Alec responded sadly, “I know. I’m too old to be helpful anymore. Please, for my sake, make sure she doesn’t suffer long.”. The two sat quietly on the veranda until Titus felt his eyelids grow heavy and he returned to bed. Titus thought he heard Alec praying silently as he walked away.
 
Probably about time I delivered on my promise of a crucifixion. I wouldn't want to build all this up only to drop a "9 months later" ending. Just kidding :).

Justice

Titus woke before dawn. The rest of the family was still sleeping when he left for Ariminum. He arrived at the eastern edge of town just after sunrise, and hitched his horse at the nearby gatehouse. He paced nervously near the gatehouse waiting for the execution procession to arrive. He looked back out along the deserted road that led out of Ariminum. Posted at even intervals alongside the road were several well used stipes. Dozens of nail holes marked the stained wood of each stipe. Piles of bones and rock sat at the base of each upright as a grim reminder of their purpose.

Titus had only dealt with crucifixion remotely. Occasionally he would see a crucified person on the way to Ariminum, but he had never witnessed the spectacle in its’ entirety. In Macedon, he had seen crucifixion used as a tactic by his commanders to demoralize the locals. His cohort had been ordered into a hamlet that had ambushed a foraging party. One of the legionaries killed was the nephew of the legate; the hamlet was to be razed and the inhabitants exterminated as revenge. Titus’s century was held in reserve, but when they passed through the hamlet Titus saw that his companions had put entire families on crosses. Most of the young men had either gone into hiding or had already joined the Macedonian army, but Titus’s comrades showed no remorse for those that remained. He still shuttered as he remembered the putrid smell of the grisly scene.

Titus ended his recollection as he heard feet shuffling close by on the road and looked to see Aulus leading a small group strung along the road. At the center were the three condemned carrying their crossbeams. Aulus noticed Titus and cordially said, “We’ll be starting shortly” before breaking away to bark orders to his detachment. Titus looked to find Livia.

She brought up the rear of the column, hunched over with the weight of her platibium. Her arms were tied to the crossbeam at the elbows so her forearms hung limply. Her brown hair hung loosely at her shoulders and her tunic from the day before was tied loosely around her waist. Ahead of her were the other condemned: a burly man in his 30’s with a great brown beard, and a woman about his wife’s age. Both wore only a loincloth and had been lashed severely; both carried their platibiums similarly to Livia.

Titus watched passively from across the road as the man and older woman were stripped and led to the two stipes closest to the gatehouse. Both were turned around to face the road and pushed onto their backs by the guardsmen. While Titus watched, another guard came to Livia. Gripping her hair in one hand to show her gaunt face, he yanked the tunic free from her trembling body in one fluid motion. Livia offered no resistance as the tunic ripped free to reveal her nudity. Titus had never seen Livia naked and briefly looked away but forced himself to watch as she was moved to the third stipes next to the other two condemned. Titus noticed that she had been scourged too. Thin bloody stripes laced her back, butt, and thighs. When she was turned back to face the road, Titus noticed saw that the whip had thrashed her shoulders, ribs and the undersides of her firm breasts as well. Livia’s head lolled aimlessly as she stood in front of the stipes. She hurriedly looked away when she met Titus’s gaze briefly. She gasped as two guardsman manhandled her onto her back. All three condemned now laid at the foot of their stipes.

Aulus stood in front of the trio and said grandiosely, “Now you will experience the justice of Rome!”

Titus watched as the older woman was braced by several guards. A stern looking man with long graying hair walked purposefully over and placed a small, square wooden pallet over the women’s right wrist. Digging into his satchel, the carnifex produced a long nail. Titus couldn’t see the woman’s expression but heard her screams mix with the clanging of metal as the carnifex drove the nail home. Titus turned to watch Livia as she waited her turn at the end of the row. Titus was mesmerized by the outline of her firm breasts rise and fall as she breathed deeply; her large nipples stood erect in the morning chill. Titus couldn’t help notice the short brown pubic hair that crowned her vagina. Her breathing grew more rapid as she heard the woman at the other end of the line raised onto the stipes. She began to cry softly when the first nail was driven into the man’s wrists. Titus tried to steady himself in anticipation of what was to come as the man was positioned on the stipes. Livia looked over just in time to see the carnifex drive the last nail through the man’s right heel. An involuntary trickle of urine pooled beneath her. She tried to adjust her position so not to sit in it as the guards began to make their way towards her.
 
I really like the story. Actually, it's the only on-going series that I've been keeping track of at the moment (it's not that I don't like stories from other authors, though. I've been on a busy schedule lately).

Ironically, what kept me attached to the story was how slow building it was. In many other stories, I'd probably be shown a series of torture scenes within the first few chapters. Personally, I'm not much into physical pain, so it would probably have made me stop reading. But the early parts of this story is noticeably free of extreme contents, or of any erotic scenes, for that matter. Instead, I was presented with quality writing, combined with believable settings of ancient Roman family, which got me intrigued.

Those slow building chapters have really paid off now, in my opinion, as it made me feel the conflicted feelings of Titus, as well as the misery Livia found herself in all the more vividly. It's hard to feel such things when the girl is as quickly put on a cross as she was introduced, in comparison.

There's yet another thing that got me like the story more and it is its title. It's probably not intended and possibly a trivial matter, but I love how the title could be understood in two different ways. At first, I thought it implies how dearly Titus held Livia in his mind, as the story spent sufficient time to describe how she was treated like his own daughter.

But now I've seen how he agreed to condemn Livia to her most cruel fate, I began to see "my" in a different light. In one of the earlier chapters.

There's a line from Agrippina saying it's ok for Titus to look at the breasts of his slave because they "own them." And it is the same sense in which that "my" in the title makes me feel about Livia's status. Even though she was treated well by Titus, she was just a property to him after all (for now, at least, as I don't know if he will rescind his decision later) whom he can easily dispose of as a punishment that feels so unjust to a modern mind.

And, of course, it's not meant as a complaint because I visit this forum to indulge in just such a kind of fantasy. So, for this reason, the story felt much more interesting to me.

Thanks for the great story and hope you will be able to steer it into a fitting ending it deserves.
 
@fallenmystic Thank you very much for the compliments; I'm glad you seem to have enjoyed this story as much as I have. I hope the enjoyment doesn't abate as we go over the details of Livia's ordeal.
Agony

Livia whimpered softly as two guards pinned her slender forearms to the crossbeam which she would soon be fixed to. She watched intently as the carnifex placed the square wood pallet over her left wrist, and began to position the nail. She breathed shakily with anticipation. Titus held his breath, and felt his stomach begin to knot up.

“For a few coins you might be able to fuck her before they raise her up”. Titus turned to see one of the guards, a plump young man in his twenties, smiling up at him. “Excuse me?”, Titus said bluntly.

“I just thought you might want some of that nice cunt. A few of the boys helped themselves already, but I bet it’s still tight.”, he said lightheartedly. Titus reacted instinctively and landed a quick blow beneath the right eye socket. The young guard recoiled and dropped to one knee.

“Ah you crazy bastard, what ‘s wrong with you! You want to end up on a cross too?”, the guard yelped as he cupped his eye.

Aulus turned quickly, “Titus!”, he screamed, “collect yourself or leave!”. Titus stood back, and Aulus nodded at the carnifex to continue. Livia looked briefly over her outstretched body to see the commotion. Titus saw that her eyes were wide with fear. She slowly leaned her head back and sighed shakily. The carnifex showed no emotion as he raised the hammer.

Titus watched Livia’s whole body spasm as the carnifex slammed the nail into her left wrist. She immediately jerked her head up; her eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted. Her heels dug into the earth and thrust her hips skyward, exposing her womanhood in the process. She muffled her agony initially, but howled as the carnifex drove the nail through her flesh and deep into the wood as the second and third blows landed. With the left wrist secure, the carnifex stood up slowly and moved behind Livia to reposition himself at the her right wrist. Livia looked briefly at her shattered wrist then looked skyward again. She panted briefly then let out a guttural moan as the carnifex dug into his satchel for the next nail.

Her agony restarted as the carnifex unceremoniously struck the first blow into her right wrist. Her legs flailed wildly and she screamed violently. Titus watched helplessly as the carnifex finished and stood back to admire his work. Livia’s soft cries and pleas for mercy were stifled as two guards lifted her into a sitting position. She grunted as the she was once again bent over under the weight of the heavy crossbeam. Her large breasts jiggled slightly and her flat stomach pulsed with short breaths as she strained under the weight of the crossbeam. Titus recoiled at the sight of her fingers curled like claws. The carnifex gave an unseen signal, and the guards slowly began to lift the crossbeam. Livia gasped and winced as her wrists were pulled taut. She seemed to cooperate as she tried to raise herself to a standing position to relieve the pain in her wrists. But she found no relief as more guards came in to help lift her off the ground and onto the stipes. Aulus and the carnifex watched idly as Livia yelped shrilly as her feet left the ground.

The guards slotted the crossbeam over the stipes, and released Livia so she hung free from her wrists and the ropes that loosely bound her arms at the elbows. She hung limply for a moment, then her feet began to scramble for any foothold that she could push against. The carnifex leisurely dug into his satchel to retrieve the last wood bits and nails he would need. With a swish of his pointer finger, the stoic executioner signaled two guards to hold Livia’s ankles against the sides of the stipes. Livia breathed raggedly and looked straight ahead as the carnifex fumbled with the positioning of the nail; she seemed to be looking through Titus. Her eyes were wild, and her body glistened with sweat. She stared straight ahead as the carnifex drove the nail through the heel and into the upright; her screams seemed to be directed at Titus and he struggled to control the lump welling in his throat. The carnifex quickly shifted to other ankle to repeat the process. Livia was crucified.
 
This is very tight and effective writing. You have me feeling the same things as Titus, I think, which is excellent. For me, the real big "moment" of the story was Livia's appearance in the procession carrying her patibulum. Wonderful scene there. Despair and anticipation all in one. :eek::eek::clapping::icon_popcorn:
 
fallenmystic said:
I really like the story. Actually, it's the only on-going series that I've been keeping track of at the moment (it's not that I don't like stories from other authors, though. I've been on a busy schedule lately).

Ironically, what kept me attached to the story was how slow building it was. In many other stories, I'd probably be shown a series of torture scenes within the first few chapters. Personally, I'm not much into physical pain, so it would probably have made me stop reading. But the early parts of this story is noticeably free of extreme contents, or of any erotic scenes, for that matter. Instead, I was presented with quality writing, combined with believable settings of ancient Roman family, which got me intrigued.

Those slow building chapters have really paid off now, in my opinion, as it made me feel the conflicted feelings of Titus, as well as the misery Livia found herself in all the more vividly. It's hard to feel such things when the girl is as quickly put on a cross as she was introduced, in comparison.

There's yet another thing that got me like the story more and it is its title. It's probably not intended and possibly a trivial matter, but I love how the title could be understood in two different ways. At first, I thought it implies how dearly Titus held Livia in his mind, as the story spent sufficient time to describe how she was treated like his own daughter.

But now I've seen how he agreed to condemn Livia to her most cruel fate, I began to see "my" in a different light. In one of the earlier chapters.

There's a line from Agrippina saying it's ok for Titus to look at the breasts of his slave because they "own them." And it is the same sense in which that "my" in the title makes me feel about Livia's status. Even though she was treated well by Titus, she was just a property to him after all (for now, at least, as I don't know if he will rescind his decision later) whom he can easily dispose of as a punishment that feels so unjust to a modern mind.

And, of course, it's not meant as a complaint because I visit this forum to indulge in just such a kind of fantasy. So, for this reason, the story felt much more interesting to me.

Thanks for the great story and hope you will be able to steer it into a fitting ending it deserves.
Click to expand...

I'm with fallenmystic. I read this story today for the first time, it is excellent. The story line is a classic: slave thinks she is part of the family, owner treats her as daughter, then they are both confronted with the stark legal reality of their respective positions. It is tragic, it is something we can identify with, and when done well as it is here it really grabs us and makes the whole crucifixion experience a very real and human one, blood and sensuality and emotion all rolled up in a confused yet powerful bundle.

It is not over yet. The lady has been nailed, but I feel there is more drama to come before this story is played out. Wonderful stuff, Bh5.

This story deserves some decent illustrations. Madi is obviously a bit busy at the moment. I'd like to do one, but it's not going to happen any time soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom