Cantate Lamentationem

Urbis Consceleratae Nostrae

The party of Horatius Honerius kept a good pace for the next several days. On the afternoon of the fourteenth day on the road, they reached a junction in the river where two more tributaries connected fairly close together. The river they had been following widened into a massive channel and they followed it for the next day. The road had turned from a neatly cared-for dirt path to a large cobblestone road.

Horatius began to speak more openly with Justinius, indicating the tasks they would have to accomplish once they entered the city. They would have to form the senators into a coalition where a majority vote could be carried. He would have to present himself as a candidate for Consul and they would find a possible guide to help Lavinia make her way into society. But, first and foremost on everyone’s minds, they simply wanted a bath and bed. The desire for something so simple yet so sweet spurred them to push their horses further. The fields and forests gave way to open, somewhat marshy land and a small mountain or two and, upon the morning of the sixteenth day, they rose over a hilltop to peer into a slight dip in the land. Within, there lay the city of Aquilla, set upon the Nostrii River, and stretched across both banks for some miles.

The city was set upon five hills and the rich resided on the tops while the cramped lower-class buildings and open forums were around them. A distant mountain to the north could be seen and a series of aqueduct arches crossed the plains and came to the city to empty water into many reservoirs. The plain before them was quite large and, beyond it, the sea was barely visible on the horizon.

The party stopped on their vantage point to survey the city in its entirety. Its massive scale was impressive and, for Justinius and Lavinia who had lived on a villa for many years, it took their breath away. There was a smell that also took Justinius’ breath away. “Oh, gods…is that the city I just smelled on the breeze?”

“Yes, you did,” said Lumina. “The city of Aquilla might be larger than Carxandria…but its plumbing system hasn’t quite caught up to ours.”

“That is less the case than is the swelling of the landless population that have begun to swarm the city in the past decades,” said Horatius, moving his horse past her. “Come, we shall be there by the afternoon.”

*****

The entrance of the party into the north gate of Aquilla was, perhaps, the most unceremonious affair Justinius had ever encountered. As they approached the outskirts, a few houses littered the sides of the road but were all kept well clear of the wall and the gateway. The entrance to the gate was the true nightmare as it was completely clogged with the traffic of wagons, horses, chariots, and carts, all of which were not allowed onto the streets of the city during daylight hours due to overcrowding. The throng of people in front of the gate, talking, hawking, arguing, and milling about blocked the entrance, and that was ignoring the line of people who were attempting to enter past the guard at the gate. Justinius couldn’t help but also notice the amazing piles of human and animal waste on the roadside and several figures in ragged clothes who appeared to be sleeping or twitching in it, muttering to themselves.

Justinius glanced up at the wall before them and then up and down its length. It was made of solid stone and mortar and was at least forty feet high and ten feet thick. “Your walls are impressive,” stated Lumina over the cacophony.

“Yes, they were built as a defense after our city was sacked some three hundred years ago. No enemy has ever entered since…except enemies from within of course.”

“They don’t compare to Carxandria’s,” said Lumina. “Pure white and thirty feet tall, at its lowest ends.”

Justinius smiled at her and shrugged. “We aren’t all the divine city.”

The crowd thickened as they approached the gate and the guards at the head began yelling. “Make way! Make way for Horatius Honerius!”

They pushed through the people on their horses and the crowd scattered. The guards at the gates heard them as well and began shoving people aside from the line. “Make way for a member of the senate!”

A general outcry was heard from the people who protested their rude treatment before noticing the splendid figures on their horses. They pulled back quickly, some even bowing awkwardly as they struggled to demonstrate the proper greeting to such an honored member of the Senate. Most of the people were dressed simply enough: tunics and dresses ranging in color and quality while others, clearly foreign, dressed in long robes or breeches and shirts made of animal hide. The empire brought people of many cultures into contact and they were sure to see an even further array within the city.

They finally passed through the gate and led their horses out onto the main street and the sound of a thousand people talking all at once deafened them. This was mingled with a plentitude of other noises from hammering smiths to marching troops and ringing bells to lilting instruments. Justinius could barely hear himself think and the smell was something to get used to as well. Not just a thousand sweating bodies were thrown together but a strange mixture of sweet smells from food, flowers, and perfume to the rank smells of urine, feces, and gods knew what else had to be endured. Together, they made a sweetly sick aroma that had him turning his head about in slight dismay as there was nowhere to escape it.

“Where are we headed?” he called to his father.

“To the Capitol Hill,” he responded with a shout. “Our home is there.”

“Then let’s move,” said Justinius. “I would rather not stay out here longer than I have to.”

Horatius nodded and they made their way down the crowded street. As they traveled down the main avenue, the shops lining its center were bustling with activity, and the crowds didn’t always remain on the raised sidewalk or use the raised crosswalk steps. They milled about, crossed where they wished, and, on occasion, burst forth in a wave onto the dusty main street and the soldiers at their lead had to clear them away with yells while urging their horses forward. It became worse once they hit the forum. It was a massive, open area in which people gathered for public speeches, performances, trade, or ceremonies. It was surrounded by houses of business: lawyers, artisans, orators, and many other professions considered above the common labor, requiring some level of education. There were temples as well, particularly the Pantheon which held the head god Reties, patron god of Aquilla, along with many other deities.

The party moved through the forum, around stalls, gatherings, and criers who spoke the daily news from many parts of the empire as well as the senate decrees and happenings. A number of the people appeared remarkably disheveled, their tunics course and their faces unkempt, smudged with grime and hair uncut. As they approached the temple of the Pantheon, they noticed a procession before it. A recently slaughtered bull lay on the sacrificial altar and the revelers stood outside the temple, gazing in as a line of armed guards blocked the doorway. Lavinia voiced the question they all had. “What is this? Some festival?”

“You would know better than we would,” said Damianus, gazing at the crowd of people. “Many of them are dressed extremely well.”

“You are right,” said Justinius. “What festival warrants a sacrifice of that size but so few people, father?”

“It’s a wedding,” said Horatius, nodding toward the crowd. “And a wedding of a noble family by the looks of it. Can you see the banners?”

Lumina gazed into the temple doorway from their distant position. “It is difficult to make out. I believe it is a golden eagle ascending from blue flames. A peculiar gens symbol…”

Horatius stiffened as Justinius nodded. “It is. I don’t recognize who that belongs to. I do recognize the second though, the eagle with a sword in one claw and an olive branch in the other. That is the symbol of gens Conditius, one of the oldest and most illustrious families in Aquilla. I wonder which gens they are marrying for a political alliance?”

Horatius wheeled his horse about and moved it toward a crowd of people around a crier who was droning about some news from Capitol Hill. “Basillius of gens Campestius denied the accusation of assault on Hyacintha of gens Geronus. The claim was put off as jealous retribution for breaking their engagement off for another woman. The courts have postponed the trial to a later date, undetermined…”

“Speaker, who’s marriage is that,” interrupted Horatius as he rode up to him.

The crier was so startled he nearly fell off his makeshift pedestal and he wrung his hands into his toga. “Excuse me…” then added, “Sir,” when he noticed the garb of Horatius.

“That wedding, who is Rufus Ambitious marrying from the Conditius family?”

“That, sir, is the wedding between Rufus Ambitious and Augustina Conditius, daughter of the honorable senator, Magnus Conditius.”

Horatius wheeled his horse around again, his face hardened to stone. “I thought as much.”

Justinius watched with mounting concern as his father rode his horse toward the temple. He flicked his horse to follow him and he called after him, “Father, what is wrong? You aren’t planning on interrupting a wedding, are you?”

This seemed to penetrate whatever fog of anger he was in. Horatius pulled his horse up short and glared fiercely at the entrance to the temple. Justinius rode next to him. “Has this Rufus Ambitious done something to upset some political balance?”

Horatius shook his head. “We shall see. Time will tell whether this was infatuation or a political move on his part.”

“I thought all marriages among the patricians were political moves.”

“True enough. But this would be a particularly bad move…for him as well as me.”

Damianus rode next to him as well. “Let us leave them to it, Horatius. Whatever the matter, it can be settled at a later time.”

Horatius stared at the temple again, glaring irately. He appeared to struggle with the temptation yet again before he yanked the reins of his horse and proceeded back to the road. “Come.”

Justinius stared after his retreating figure and glanced at Lumina. She was eyeing him intensely as if trying to read his thoughts and feelings on the matter. Justinius lifted his eyebrows, shrugged as he blushed, and followed the main party.

They moved past the temple and up the side streets, through the city. Most of what they passed was of little interest to them, a plethora of apartment buildings rising several stories high combined with single homes that ran businesses out of the first story: Bakers, butchers, wine sellers, barbers, and tinkers to name just a few.

Stolen story; please report.

The street climbed slowly and the houses appeared more wealthy. Wide homes, often two stories, with beautiful paintings on the doors and window shutters, lined the streets accompanied by walled gardens. Each of the homes belonged to a wealthier citizen of Aquilla and, the higher they climbed the hill, the larger and more sumptuous they became. In less than ten minutes, they reached a particularly large house and stopped in front of it. The Honerius symbol was painted on the door, a clear indication they had finally arrived at their destination.

It took little time for the servants to bring their few supplies in and Horatius immediately went to work, retreating into his study. Justinius called after him. “Where is Corbenus? Should he not be here to greet our guests?”

Horatius shouted back, “Your brother is working and then may go where he pleases. You will see him tomorrow at the senate.”

The door shut, leaving Justinius alone in charge of the guests. “Well…welcome to our home. I hope you will be comfortable. The servants will show you to your rooms and then bring you to our personal bathhouse. It isn’t large, just a pool and a steam room, but it is nice not to squeeze in at the public baths.”

Damianus nodded. “Thank you. It’ll be good to bathe. Sister…would you like to go first or…”

“You go ahead. I shall sit in this atrium and use the fountain to refresh myself till you finish.”

Damianus nodded and followed a servant out. Justinius gestured for the others to remove the baggage to their respective rooms then turned to Lumina. “So…we finally arrived.”

She looked up from dousing her neck in water. “Indeed.”

Justinius nodded slowly, glancing about awkwardly. “I hope you will be comfortable.”

A small smile touched her face. “You said as much.”

He nodded furiously again. “Yes, yes…so I did.”

He glanced away and his eyes widened in frustration. The road was behind them and suddenly he didn’t know how to talk to her anymore. Two weeks traveling and talking together and he was suddenly lost. He nodded again and half turned away, ready to flee the scene when a conversation starter struck him. “Oh! Um…I never did ask why you came with your brother. Surely you aren’t part of the negotiations…are you?”

She settled herself on the edge of the fountain and sighed wearily. “I did not come to be part of the negotiations. I came to see our enemy.”

Justinius raised his eyebrows. “I see…and what are your thoughts so far? Are we as vicious as we are made to be?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I find you rather ordinary. There is…a familiarity, however.”

“And what is that?”

“Mixed among the poverty, there is a good deal of decadence. It is the same at home, though much worse in certain places.”

“Oh, trust me, we have those places too. We just hide them better.”

“That is what I mean,” she said. “We are further along in our decadence, which, no doubt, brings a slew of vices that cripple the populace.”

Justinius nodded. “True enough.”

“It is as I fear. You may have such dissolution, but you still have a great deal of strength within your nation. This means you have the power to do what you will…with vice to guide your actions.”

She continued to moisten her neck, unbraiding her long golden hair as she did so. Justinius stared at her, his mournful expression dissolving into a foolish grin. “What about me? What do you think of this Aquillan?”

She gave him a studious glance over before replying. “I think…you are quite a figure apart.”

He chuckled nervously. “Is that a good or bad thing?”

She shrugged. “I suppose that depends entirely on you.”

He nodded, not sure how to respond to that. Then he thought how ridiculous he must look bobbing his head up and down once again. He stopped and began to turn away. Her voice stopped him. “And what of me? What do you think of your Carxandria enemy?”

Justinius looked back at her and smiled. “I have never yet had a reason to begrudge the Carxandrians. If I am your enemy as an Aquillan, then it is because someone said it was so.”

“So, we are not enemies?”

“I see no reason why we should be.”

She smiled at him. “Good. Then we shall have peace.”

“Excellent,” he said. “Peace…with food. Eating is always a sign of friendship…I believe. I think it should be anyway. Will you eat with me while you wait for the baths?”

She took another moment, as she often seemed to, before responding. “Of course.”

*****

It was late into the night when Rufus and Augustina Ambitious were allowed to leave the wedding festivities to go into their new home. Taking the hand of his new wife, Rufus led Augustina into the bridal chamber and they closed the door behind them by leaning heavily on it. A deep sigh escaped both of them at the same time and they glanced at one another. They both chuckled, a deep-voiced, throaty vibration mingling with her higher tone. He leaned in and embraced her, kissing her deeply on the lips. He caressed her long dark brown hair and pulled her shorter frame closer. It was a good ten seconds before he emerged for breath. “Finally!”

“I thought this day would never end!” she agreed.

“I thought it would never come as well!” he responded, kissing her neck.

“We had to keep suspicions down. It was sadly unavoidable.”

She pulled away slightly, looking into his face. His short hair matched hers in color and his clean-shaven face shone as brightly as his amber eyes. “Five long years of waiting for this moment…since you first said you loved me…first kissed me.”

He smiled and kissed her quickly before saying, “I have something for you.”

She laughed and turned to watch him stride toward the table beside the bed. “This isn’t a dirty joke is it?”

He rolled his eyes and said, “Hardly! No promises I won’t pull one out later.”

From behind a pot of flowers on the table, he lifted a jar and two cups. “I saved the best for last, of course.”

“More wine? One my father bought?”

“Of course not! I thank your father for paying for much of the wedding but his choice in wine tonight was poor! I suspect he was skimping to save on costs.”

“He does like his money,” Augustina said, leaning forward to smell the wine. “Oh…where is this from?”

“The finest of wines from the south, straight from the vines of Al’iiliah itself.”

“Yes please,” she said, taking a cup and proffering it. Rufus poured them both a cup before raising his own. “To my lady Ambitious, who will make my line great again.”

“We will make it great again,” she corrected, raising the cup and taking a sip. She raised her eyebrows in appreciation. “It’s quite good.”

“It better be, for its price.”

They sipped together in silence, appreciating its fruity flavor and texture. Augustina turned to Rufus as she shifted to the edge of the bed. “Speaking of making the name Ambitious great again…”

Rufus vehemently shook his head. “No politics! Not tonight!” He sat down beside her, leaning in. “Tonight, it is just the two of us.”

She leaned back, her gaze intensifying. “This cannot wait. We need to discuss Horatius Honerius. You heard how he arrived in the city today. No doubt he has already heard of our marriage.”

Rufus leaned back. “Ah yes…him.” He took a deeper drink from his cup and burped lightly. “Don’t worry about him. He will be frustrated at first with my marriage to you but I will convince him that it is for affection. That is the truth after all.”

She avoided him as he leaned in. “But what will you say of my father? Horatius will not believe my father agreed to this out of pure affection.”

“I’ll tell him that we tricked him, which is also true.”

“To an extent. We can only play both sides for so long before the other gets suspicious. This is a dangerous game we are playing. Our house name may end before it even begins.”

“Our house…” said Rufus, smiling. He put an arm around her and drew her close. “Don’t be afraid. We want both of them to agree with me and, over time and with their influence, I will gain a level of followers from both sides to rival any other party.”

“Easier said than done,” stated Augustina. “Again, my father is not a fool. He only agreed to this marriage because you agreed to push for the destruction of Carxandria and the rise of social programs for the populace.”

“Again, part of that is true. The fall of Carxandria is a good starting place to reestablish stability and to build my credibility among the senators. As for the other matters, those will take time and I can deal with that as it comes along. All I know is his “programs'' would be far too damaging to the economy to be sensible.”

Augustina put her hand in his. “I do not think that will be enough. He cannot be so easily fooled into cooperation and I don’t like the thought of having no plan for the future.”

Rufus pulled her into his solid frame and let her lean on his chest. “My lady Ambitious, can you plan for the future with any more certainty than you can predict the change in the weather? You might guess by hints but no more. I am confident that all will be well. Besides, I shall have you to take care of me.”

A frown still crossed her face and her green eyes held worry as she glanced up at her husband's face inches from her own. She forced a smile as she said, “Is that my only role, my Lord? To take care of you?”

“In so many ways,” he said. “Your experience in politics is beyond mine and so you will not only advise me but shall be the caretaker of my household belongings, my goods, my heart, and our sons.”

She hid a smile in her cup before emerging to respond. “Sons, is it? I know how much you need your family line to continue if the Ambitious name is to live on in greatness. But what if I am as cursed as the rest of your family? What if there are only daughters? Will you still let me care for you and all you own?”

She said it jokingly but, upon glancing up, she noticed his smile fade slightly and a look of mingled fear and worry cross his face. He noticed her stare and he smiled again. “Of course. And we can always keep trying. No one said we ever had to stop at one or two.”

She smiled reassuringly again and laid back onto his chest. “I hope to be so lucky. And I shall train all of your children to be not only great Ambitious, but good citizens, noble in heart. Our gens will be instrumental in rebuilding this country into a mighty nation.”

The contentment returned to his face as he acknowledged her statement. “Of course, we will…and so will they with such a wonderful and clever mother bringing them up. I also promise you that tomorrow I will go and smooth things over with Horatius Honerius. We can’t have him stew too long in his questions. He is probably wondering right now if I have joined forces with the dreaded Conditius and taken a serpent for my wife.”

“Serpent indeed! I do hope you will correct him on that error in judgment!”

“I will make him eat his words unless he admits that you are the sweetest of women there is and I fell in love with you for your charm, wit, political savvy, and beauty.”

She snuggled into him. “That is much better.”

She glanced up and their lips met again as she leaned into him, being the initiator this time. She pulled back and laid down, taking a sip from her wine, nearing the dregs. “Tell me what the future will hold…like you used to do when we met in secret in the gardens on the Voluptatem Hill. I want to feel that sense of security…that you will always achieve what you set your mind to. After all, this marriage happened when you promised it, though it seemed so impossible at the time.”

Rufus wrapped his arms around her and their cups met with a soft clink. His voice filled her ear as he spoke beside her head. “I can see it now. We will spend happy days together and find more reasons to love one another. Then, as time goes on, we will play all sides. You will play your father like you always have and convince him to always join our side in senatorial matters and I will play Horatius to believe that I follow every high-minded ideal he believes in. We shall have many children to carry on our line. As they grow and take on responsibilities, our line will rise, growing strong in influence and power. The Ambitious line will be great once again.”

“How many children? They aren’t half-gens I hope,” murmured Augustina.

“Not even close. I will share none of myself with anyone but you. We will have as many as we want. Several sons to carry on the line and some daughters to keep you company. They will be as wise as their mother and will spread our influence into other families.”

She looked back up at him, his chin resting in her curled hair. “There are those sons again. Well…I suppose if my lord wants a son, then a son he shall have.”

She drained her cup and moved further onto the bed, kicking off her sandals. She held out her cup to him. An enormous grin crossed Rufus’s face and he took her cup along with his own and placed it on the table beside the bed. As he moved toward her, she shook her head. “Ah…not beside the bed. Too close.”

Rufus had a grin so wide that it looked positively stupid as he obeyed, moving them to a further stand before making a flying leap onto the bed and nearly crushing her. She laughed and allowed him to roll on top, not minding the weight.

It was a weight she didn’t mind bearing.