The night before gave me pause. I still had not been able to process what had happened, even when I awoke in the morning. My master decided that we will stay with his family for a few days. Seeing as I was his servant, I could not argue even if I wanted to, but I did not want to. I much preferred to be here in this hut rather than the city, surrounded by soldiers and upper-class citizens. I detested seeing the slaves the most, in my eyes, and I am sure in their own eyes as well, they are already dead.

Ever since I had gotten and begun helping the family with the household chores and tasks, I had caught myself stealing glances at my master from the kitchen window as he and his grandfather worked the crops. Surprisingly, I had only noticed that he was not wearing his Roman armor. He only had a ragged brown tunic, like an ordinary man, no more no less. Each time he looked at my direction, I would look away, feeling warm inside. What was happening to me? Why am I so distracted? He is nothing to you. He might have been kind and caring, but he is nothing but a mere kind Roman.

"You are mine." His gentle, determined and deep voice echoed in my thoughts. The promise rattled my head, and made my face warmer than usual and my heart race, I absolutely hated it. "Dear, are you alright? Are you sick?" I only just noticed the grandmother looking at me with more of her concerned and worried looks. From intense hate, my feelings turned to guilt. She had done nothing but care for me and care about me, and I had not spoken a single word to her.

"I..... Am..... Alright." I struggled to say, which made her smile gleefully. "Oh that is a delight to hear my dear, although you do seem to be struggling with our Latin tongue. Come along." She put down the broom and proceeded to the living room. I put down the cloth I was using to clean the kitchen and followed her.

When I entered the room, I saw her standing there holding out a book and scrolls, offering it to me. The scrolls had the Greek alphabet while the book had roman characters on it. I was confused as to what she was trying to do. "These are quite old but I would hope it could help you learn our tongue, so that we might make your time with us much simpler." she said, clasping her hands together watching me, as if I were her own child. Before I could summon the strength to say anything else, the door opened to reveal my master, his grandfather and another Roman soldier.

My body tensed and became alert at the sight of the roman armor, and clenched the books and scrolls as hard as I was able. My master then walked toward me with both of his hands raised in an attempt to stay my hand from reaching for anything harmful. The elderly couple and the soldier curiously and anxiously stared at me, they must have been wondering if I would pounce on the soldier in an attempt to kill him, or they might have thought I would desperately look for an escape. Both options tempted my mind and body, although I ended up taking no such action. My master held my hands and slowly lowered them. I could not explain why, but I had allowed him to control my body, how could I have been so vulnerable to him?

"Calm yourself, it is alright." my master said softly. "You have nothing to fear, he is a friend," he continued. As I looked at the soldier, he had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it if necessary. He might have been a friend to my master, but he was not a friend to me, nor was I to him. My master released my hands and turned toward his friend. "Stay your blade, Marcus. You are threatening a defenseless woman." The soldier released his sword and relaxed his body, becoming less of a soldier and more of a casual individual. "Forgive me, you know that I like to show my dominance towards women." he said with a very confident and arrogant tone in his voice and a smirk on his face.

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What further infuriated me was his black long straight tied hair, and his bright blue eyes. Both features that further emphasized his arrogance, as if he were some sort of God to behold. It took all of my strength to keep my desire to maul him at bay, then my master smirked and chuckled. "By your stance and alertness towards a slave girl, I would be pressed to believe that you feared her." My master said with a small but mischievous smile on his face. I did not want to admit it but it was a handsome sight to see him smile so confidently. "M-me? Fear her? How could I-" My master interrupted him. "Raising your weapon to a slave girl that gave you a savage look? Very dominant." I could not help but smile and laugh internally as the soldier stood speechless and flustered as everyone had similar thoughts. My master laughed, which was the first time I had ever seen him happy, and it was a surprise to find myself being happy as well. It was a delightful change.

–

I was told to spend the remainder of the day learning the Roman tongue. From the moment I was captured, I had never thought that I would see another book or scroll again, if not to give to the rich pig I would be serving. It was a delightful way to spend my afternoon, as I began to easily read through the parchment and understand just as fast, however, the challenge lay in speaking the tongue, as I had only ever spoken in my native tongue, even to my fellow scholars.

I did my reading outside in the fresh air, while my master and his family tended the land along with his soldier friend. I am unsure what to think about his friend. At first glance I had thought him a captor, an enemy. After the encounter, however, he seemed to be an entirely different person. It was as if being in the presence of the family had transformed him. For all I knew, it could merely be a facade. An act, whether to be civil towards my master or to trick me into something that I will regret if I let myself be vulnerable around him.

Speaking of the devil, as I looked up to take a small glance at my surroundings to give my mind some respite before resuming, I saw the soldier walking towards my direction. He could not have been looking for some refreshment as I was under a tree and the wine was inside the house and the well was closer to where he previously was. My body tensed as he walked closer.

When he had, I focused all my energy into reading, not paying him a single ounce of attention. For a while, he and I sat in silence, the few glances I took, I noticed that he was not paying me any attention as well, very odd. We went on in silence for a long while before he began. "An absolute fool." he said with a smirk on his face. What is he on about now? "He took you as a slave, knowing full well that he detested the idea. What could have possibly gone through that stone skull of his?" he continued in an almost joyful annoyance. "Forgive me, here I am speaking my mind as if I were some sort of lunatic."

I have not spoken a single word, and he acts as if he is in a conversation with me, what an odd man to say the least. "One must wonder, whether it was the war that had the effect on him or was it the aftermath." he continued to say, remaining locked on the direction of the field, away from me. ".... Or maybe..... It was something much simpler than that." he said, seemingly implying something to me.

Without another word, he walked away, as if nothing had happened. He had never looked towards me while he was speaking. I wonder if he even knew I was there? What did he even mean?