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Vindicta (Vengeance)
Markus and Jullianna I

Markus and Jullianna I

Markus stood in the blacksmith shop with Julliana at his side. Since their engagement they had become nearly inseparable. With the plans for the wedding being laid they were now going to different shops and to the market to make sure all preparations were underway.

“Which one do you think I should get?” he offered to her.

“It really is your choice Markus, I advise you to choose wisely because it will be the armor you wear for the wedding. I have had my dress chosen weeks ago and now we only a few weeks left.”

“ I had planned on wearing the set I already had until you informed me I needed another one.” the implication that he was only there at the behest of his bride to be. In the almost half a year since he asked her to be his wife, they had grown ever closer, and learned more about each other and come to love each other even more, only being apart for a day or two during the whole time.

“This one or the one over there?” he asked again indicating one set with a pair of male lions fighting engraved on the chestplate and sets of intricate vines on the shoulders, and the other a much simpler set with a single large eagle molded and raised in the steel of the chestplate, the wings stretching the breath of the shoulders of the armor.

“It would not be fitting for the “Hero of New Pompeii” to wear anything other than an eagle now would it?” she said using the unofficial title he had been given and that he did not feel was his and preferred that people not call him that. So naturally she took every opportunity she could to use it. “Well then let the man know that you have made your selection.” her voice showing her impatience with his selection, she had found through this planning that he had no eye for fashion or decoration even apparently when it came to something he would be wearing.

“First there is something else we need to pick out while we are here.” he spoke purposefully cryptic.

“What is it lover? I can't think of anything we need.”

“I would purchase for my beloved a pair of swords for her to wear, when we profess our love for each other before the gods.”

“What? You would have me to wear swords openly? You are aware that you are the only one who knows that secret.”

“That secret? So you have others?” he said poking fun at her to ease her discomfort at the situation/

“You know perfectly well my meaning.” she glared back at him.

“On the day that I profess before the gods and all out friends and families my love for you, I would like then to see you as I know you are. As the strong and skilled warrior as well as a amazingly beautiful woman.”

“My father would....”

“Your father would not have approved and from his position thought it some minor form or disgrace. May the gods watch over him in the next life.”

“I know he is no longer here Markus,” She said visibly upset at the mention of her father's passing. “I still feel his eyes on me watching what I do, as he always did in life.”

“You are the head of the House Casius now and as such you can do as you please. As for me I would have it that as we stand together before the priests and priestesses of the gods that we may stand together both with our swords, that all may know we are truly one of spirit.”

“Very well you present your argument well. I do think it is about time I came out with it and stopped hiding. What do you think the girls will say when they see me?” she giggled to herself at the thought of her stuck up friends seeing her on her wedding day.

“They will say the same as I, that a vision of womanhood stands before them and they will marvel as her beauty as I do. They will see your show of strength and know that you are so much better than them because you are both warrior and wife.”

“ Oh and I get to pick them out?” she added now instantly more interested in being in this shop now that she was going to be shopping for something for she herself to wear.

No sooner had those words left her that she began flitting about the shop looking at the leatherwork and blades and scabbards while Markus tried on the armor that he had picked out and made sure it fit well, that he could still move well in it, that it looked as good on him as it had on the shelf. Once he was convinced of its fit he set it aside and went to check on the progress of his companion.

She had chosen the belt, and was weighing her options on the swords.

“I like this set but they are way too expensive, these other are cheaper but they are simpler. I do not know which ones to get. Which ones look better?” she said as she held them both out for him to examine.

“They both look good, dearest.” he said steadily.

She squinted her eyes at him “You didn't hardly look at them.”

He looked at her now pouty lips and took one set from her and pulled one free of the sheath, twirled it in his hand and spun it about his body deftly. “These are very nice, balanced well and the Mark of the Forge shows that it comes from a well known craftsman.”

“And these others?” she said holding up the other set.

“What does that set matter? You said you liked these and they are truly very nice.”

“But they are so expensive.” she said in a softer tone.

“What does the cost matter? It is for our wedding day, and more importantly I am buying a gift for the woman I love, so the amount does not matter.”

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“I couldn't” she started

“Do you like them?” he interrupted

“Yes, but..” he voice fell off.

“No buts. Would you wear them when we say our vows to each other before the gods?”

“Yes they are beautiful”

“Very well then” he motioned to the shop keeper, “Sir if you would, this belt and pair of swords and the armor I set aside earlier”

The shopkeeper set to work gathering the items and bundling them up before telling Makus the amount.

“I am glad I am getting vice-commander pay” he said as he pulled out the coin to pay the man for his goods. “You know who I am?” he said to the shopkeeper.

“Markus Verotis of course.”

“Good then you if I have any trouble with the armor or I find out the forgemarks on the swords are fake I will be back.”

“They are real, I swear it.” concern in his voice “You will look great in the swords and armor I promise you, I hear your wedding is not far off may I assume that is what these are for?”

“Yes they are for the wedding” Markus said with a knowing smile, the shop keeper had assumed that the swords were for him. No one would imagine that his beautiful soon to be wife was to wear them and that she was as skilled as she was in their use.

As they left the shop Julliana reminded Markus of his promise to come to her house later to sort out the last of the details for the celebration. Markus went to his house and unwrapped the armor that he bought and set all the pieces out and began to clean and polish them as he did he looked around the small hovel that he wasn't going to be living in for much longer he had already made certain in his mind that he was to move into the Casius villa after they were married. He had lived here for many years now. This small single room had been all he had needed for so long and now he was about to be living in the huge villa. As he thought about the place and all its grandeur. “ That's right I must go and meet Julliana.” Putting the armor away orderly on a shelf he began getting ready for the visit.

He walked quickly through the crowded streets toward the center of the town, where the villa stood on a street lined with similar buildings. Walking up to the gate a small smile flashed across his face as he remembered all all the events of his life that had occurred inside its walls already. From his training, to his meeting Jullianna, and even proposing to her. That smile quickly falling away as he saw the courtyard as it now sat, empty, no one training no activity of any kind. Ever since Jullianna's father had died the instructor had left the school in favor of emplyment elsewhere. His loyalty obviously being more to the money than to the Casius family itself. He stepped inside the gate and proceeded up to the house. Met by one of the servants at the door he inquired as to where he could find Jullianna and was directed to her bedroom. He entered and she was seated at the edge of her bed reading over a list she held in one and as she nervously bit at her other thumb.

“How goes the planning, dearest.”

“ It goes as well as can be expected when planning a wedding in secret. I am just not sure if all these people can keep such a thing under wraps.”

“Well they are going to have to, I really don't want to get mobbed at my own wedding.”

“All that would come would only come to wish us happiness.”

“Maybe some, but many others would come just to be able to say they attended the wedding of two of the cities most important people” He emphasized the word important because he still did not see why the people though so much of him. He had done no more than what he had been trained to do. Now he was surrounded with praise and adulation, with people just wanting to be around him.

“Do not cast such negative thoughts on such a thing. You are very important to this city now, you are a war hero and from the size of the stories that are told about you possibly one of the greatest heroes this city has had in centuries.”

“I did not ask for that, I only ever asked the gods for the strength to keep me alive, and for the lives of my men.”

“And maybe that is the reason they granted you such favor.”

He had no response for her words short a small sigh.

“Speaking of such, “war hero”, she emphasized those words again, “You have asked a favor of me, now I have a favor to ask of you.”

“What would you ask of me?” he said curious as to what thing she might possibly ask in return for the momentous thing he had asked of his soon to be wife.

“As you know the last instructor of the school left us with the passing of my father. I want you to become the new instructor at the school, once we are married.”

“Me? Teach? I hardly graduated from this school itself but two years ago. Do you really believe any students would take me seriously at my age?”

“No Not for your age Markus but for your name and position. They won't come for a 21 year old vice-commander but for the name of Markus Verotis they will line up to apply for position. The house could use the income it would bring and the place could use the life.”

“I would appear that I have no real choice do I?”

“No it would appear not, my love.” she replied softly as a wicked smile spread across her lips.

“At least I will have something to do with my time.” He said half seriously to himself.

“Oh don't you worry I intend to use up your time myself.” She said making no effort to conceal her words true meaning.

“If you would have me teach and I would have you stand wearing swords then I would ask also that you would come and watch and help with the training. You know keep your new instructor in line.”

“ I think we can work something out, now back to the plan for the wedding itself. You know once we start making our way to the temple form our homes someone is going to notice what is going on and the word will spread , especially once it is noticed all our friends are at the temple waiting.”

“Yes I realize that but it is still better than announcing it and having everyone knowing for weeks ahead of time and planning to show up, better to just spring it on them.”

“Also could you change your route so that you can meet me here and we can walk the rest of the way together?”

“I can certainly do that if it is what you wish, it is not the way it is usually done but for you, anything”

“Oh, but you wanting me to wear the swords is traditional?”

“Yes, I mean no, you are a warrior and warriors wear their swords in public especially during ceremonies, most of all a wedding”

“You know I never formally entered the school my father wouldn't have it”

“That doesn't change that you are much more skilled than most of those who have ever graduated”

“You are correct there.” she said a small spark of pride in echoed in her voice.

“It is settled then, you start wearing the swords and I will alter the route to walk with you to the ceremony.”

“Now then about the feast afterwards....”