Timeless Love

Marcus entered her room. Valeria had been anxiously waiting for him on her bed. She wore a long white silk nightgown with elaborate embroidered lace. It was a gift from her grandmother that she had been saving for just theperfect occasion.

Valeria still lived at home with her father, her mother having passed many years ago while giving birth to her youngest brother. They weren’t wealthy but at least they were citizens which gave them privileges that the rest of the population could only dream of, such as owning property or being legally married.

Knowing that Marcus would be calling on her tonight, but not wanting to alert her father, she insisted he go out with his friends to the popina, the name for a wine bar in Ancient Rome. A popina wasn’t the most respectable of establishments but after her mother died she reluctantly accepted the fact that her father needed a place to escape his mundane reality. Tonight she used that to her advantage.

Valeria’s green eyes sparkled in the candlelight. Marcus had longed to see them again ever since he got sent to Athens for the great siege. The Gods may have favoured the Romans however Marcus still felt bad for the people of Athens. The siege was so successful that after their grain stocks had been depleted they were forced to eat shoe leather and grass to survive.

Marcus came home after his six months away a hardened war veteran. The only thing that kept him sane was knowing that Velaria, his beautiful betrothed would be waiting for him. How he longed to see her big green eyes again, to feel her soft milky skin, to be enthralled by her sensual touch. Life was meaningless without her and he knew that Valeria felt the same about him.

“When I received your letter telling me that you were coming here this evening I nearly died from happiness,” Valeria began “You survived. My love had survived. I would get to see you one more time.”

Marcus caught the last part of Valeria’s sentence, one more time. She didn’t mention forever, the word that had defined their feelings for each other since they were young. He paused, his look turning from excitement to worry. Silence. He just stared at her. Valeria looked back with sadness as a tear fell down her cheek.

“I had no choice. Claudius decided that I was to marry him. I cried for weeks but Claudius didn’t care. My father told him that I was already promised to you. You know how Claudius is. He assured my father that you would end up dead shortly, if not in this campaign then the next. He would make certain of it. So now the wedding is in six days.”

Marcus’s demeanour became more and more agitated with every passing word. His battle scared face furrowed with anger. “I will kill him tonight. I promise I will not allow this to stand. You were betrothed to me. We are meant for each other, forever.”

The tears flowed faster down Valeria’s cheeks as the anguish in Marcus’s face grew more desperate. “You can’t kill Claudius. He has his battle tested guards, the very best as he often brags. And besides, the governor would never allow his death to stand. Claudius empties his own coffers every time the governor is in need of funds. We’re just common folk. Our lives don’t matter.”

“I don’t care if I die. Without you I have nothing. My life is meaningless without my Valeria. I will either kill Claudius or die trying. There will be no in between.” The severity of his tone scared her.

Valeria weeped as her body trembled from the thought of Marcus dying. “Please don’t do this,” she begged him. “At least if I marry Claudius I will know that you are alive and safe. Even if I never see you again after tonight I will be able to live knowing that you are walking this earth.” Her tears were falling so hard that they were dripping onto her nightgown.

Marcus took a cloth and gently caressed her face. There was nothing that pained him more than seeing Valeria sad. Marcus wanted to marry Valeria a few years ago. At fourteen years of age she should have already been married but no wedding could ever take place. Marcus was always away fighting for Rome.

Her father was never convinced that Marcus would make a suitable husband for his Valeria. He felt she shouldn’t marry for love. In this world a beautiful young woman has the ability to marry for wealth and status. Otherwise she risks living an irrelevant life. Love doesn’t put food on the table. Youthful looks age quickly with the harshness of life.And besides, Marcus was never here, he argued.

Valeria begged her father to give her more time before forcing marriage upon her with someone else. She needed Marcus to return quickly from his battles, so he could convince her father of his ability to provide a life for her. However, no sooner would Marcus return than he would be sent off to fight yet again.

In the pit of soul Marcus felt he would be killed before he ever had the chance to marry his one true love, and now he knew why. It was Claudius all along keeping them apart. How could the God’s allow this, he wondered . And then, for the first time, he felt that maybe it was because his own marriage to Valeria was one the Gods disapproved of, for reasons unbeknown. So he would fight the Gods as well, he decried.

“How did this happen? You were supposed to wait for me.” Marcus felt his eyes swell up, the soon to be tears unbecoming of his leathered skin.

“Claudius didn’t give my father any choice. It was either allow him to marry me and receive gifts in return or he would simply take me and my father would receive nothing.” Valeria stopped crying and began speaking in a matter-of-fact tone hoping that her calmness might change Marcus’s thoughts from that of war to that of acceptance.

“Please don’t blame my father. He didn’t want to give his blessing to Claudius, and in his heart he still hasn’t. I want to believe that deep down he always hoped I’d marry you.” Valeria paused as she looked into Marcus’s eyes while peering deep into his soul. “Let’s stop talking about that which we can’t control. We are here now. We can be with each other now. Hopefully this night of passion can fill our hearts for a lifetime.”

Marcus heeded her words. There was nothing else he could do, at least for tonight. He wanted to make her happy, to please her, to take away her pain. At the same time Marcus wanted his pain to grow stronger and allow his anger to turn him into the monster he needed to become in order to kill Claudius tomorrow.

As they kissed Marcus gently stroked Valeria’s hair and then her cheeks. He wanted to forever remember the feeling of her warm skin beneath his touch. Valeria lifted Marcus’s cloak over his head revealing a myriad of battle wounds. She moved her mouth onto his chest and began kissing his wounds hoping that her love could heal them. More importantly she was hoping to heal the wound in his heart.

And thus began what would become an incredible night of lust, passion and love as they spent the moonlight hours exploring each others bodies. Their pleasure become more intense with each heartbeat. And when they could please each other physically no more they fell asleep in each others arms. The Gods blessed them both with a peaceful sleep and pleasant dreams. Their heartbeats synchronized as did their breath. For those few hours they were truly one.

Sunlight crept onto her bed. Valeria was still holding her true love when once again she felt her heart break as she knew that this would be the last time they would ever see each other in such a way. At least she would have the memory of this wonderful night she tried to convince herself.

Boom, her door fell straight down as four armed guards, each heavily armoured, entered her room with swords by their sides. They went straight for Marcus.

Marcus quickly awoke from his deep, restful sleep but could not gain his wits about him in time to keep the guards from capturing him away. His plan to kill Claudius or fight to his death trying was taken away. His peaceful dreams had caused him to forget his surroundings or even remember where he was. He needed to be prepared to defend not just himself but Valeria as well.

A fifth man entered the room. He wore no armour. His dress was of an upperclassman, an elder statesman who was most probably a Roman priest. Roman priests weren’t clerics as we know them. Their role was only slightly religious as they oversaw man’s relationship with the Gods and well as those of man. They also served as advocates or what we might call lawyers.

The priest carefully removed the string from the rolled up parchment he was holding. He read it allowed for all to hear, “For the crime of having relations with a betrothed woman you, Marcus Atilus Teretius, are hereby sentenced to death by Poena Cullei.”

“No!” Valeria screened with horror. “I beg of you please don’t do this.” Valeria prostrated herself on her bed hoping that the guards were see her nakedness, become distracted and release Marcus. She was willing to surrender herself to all five of them if it meant Marcus could have his freedom. There was nothing else she could do.

“Don’t embarrass yourself like this,” said the Roman priest as he watched. “Maybe we will spare you and tell Claudius that we got here before you were defiled.”

Marcus struggled with all his might but could not free himself from Claudius’s guards. The gag in his mouth prevented him from speaking. All he wanted to do was tell Valeria that this night was worth it for him, that he would suffer the cruelest of deaths a thousand times for her. He wanted to tell he that the memory of last night won’t just last for the rest of his life but for the rest of time. He would be hers forever, until there was nothing left of this realm, and even then his spirit would find a way to be with her yet again.

Both Valeria and Marcus were taken by horse and wagon to the town square. Marcus was still gagged and tightly bound with thick rope while Valeria was left alone. Executions were held at midday.Valeria hoped to speak with Claudius since midday was arriving soon.

Once they arrived Marcus was forcefully pulled from the wagon and taken away. A guard took Valeria’s arm and escorted her to the large stone building with its grand columns that served as the town hall. She stood against a wall and cried as the guard simply watched her.Valeria lost her sense of time as she wondered with horror if the execution had already come to pass.

Poena Cullei was the cruelest for of executions saved for the very worst criminals. First the prisoner was was bound then placed in a sac that covered him completely. Then inside the sack they would add a wild dog, an ox, a snake and a young male chicken. The sac would be tied tightly then thrown into deep water. The animals would bite and scratch you as you drowned. The death was both mental and physical torture.

In the distance Valeria saw Claudius pacing outside the hall. She ran to him and laid down at his feet. “Please have mercy on Marcus,” she begged him. “I won’t fight this marriage anymore. I would consider your mercy to be the greatest of gifts. I will forever be in your debt.”

Claudius lifted Valeria up from the ground, looked at her then slapped her across the face with all of his might with the back of his hand. Valeria didn’t flinch. She simply stared at Claudius with sad eyes as she tried to beg him with her mind what she had just said with her heart.

“There shall be no mercy from me today. Know that your pleas have fallen upon deaf ears. You have disrespected me. You have disrespected our soon to be union. You have disrespected our future children....If there was a more brutal way to kill a man allowed by our state I would have used it...This punishment is for you. That man will soon be dead and his misery will come to an end, while the memory of this day will haunt you forever.

Valeria was taken to the pier as she was forced to watch her one true forever love be thrown into the sea. She closed her eyes...

Ten

Nine

Eight

You are beginning to awaken. Everything you have seen is quickly becoming a distant memory that you will quickly forget.

Seven

Six

Your eyelids are lighter you. You can feel them wanting to open,

Five

Four

Three

You are feeling more in the present with each breath you take.

Two

One

You are awake.

Jason open his eyes, sat up in the leather recliner and wept uncontrollably.Start writing here…