Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 66 ~ Mullieres

Gaius had really tried to read Gemellus' letter further. But he couldn't bring himself to read the name that could change everything. Worried, she took the letter from his hand and skimmed the message. Her expression showed no emotion, then she frowned.
"Mina," she murmured, "he married Mina."
All at once she radiated such calm that he automatically relaxed as well. Mina, no family he knew - so she didn't have to mean anything.
"I don't understand," Aurelia said, setting the letter down on a chest. "I thought senators weren't allowed to marry freedmen"
Suddenly it clicked. Gemellus had married his Persian. Relief flooded through Gaius.
"That's right," Gaius breathed, barely able to hide his joy as he clasped her beautiful face with both hands. "By marrying her, not only is he giving up his political career - which he would not have been able to continue as long as I live anyway, but all his children will never be able to claim. He has politically coldcocked himself and his descendants forever. Do you understand what that means for us?"
Slowly Aurelia nodded, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"We are safe" she murmured "At least for now"
Then she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him stormily and Gaius let himself fall. Suddenly Aurelia drew in a sharp breath and immediately he pulled back. Worried, he stroked her cheek. All too well he remembered how cold her body had been after she had returned to the triclinium.
"Are you all right?" he asked, pulling the covers off the bed and enveloping them both. But when he noticed the smile on her face, his concern subsided. Instead of answering directly, she placed his hand on her stomach and frowned in exertion as she looked as if she was listening deep inside. Before he could wonder, he felt something nudge gently against his palm. Blinking, he returned her warm gaze and tried to understand what he was experiencing. Quietly she explained that the child was moving in her belly.
"Are you in pain?", Gaius wanted to know anxiously and as if in confirmation he felt another nudge. But Aurelia only laughed softly and shook her head. That night they lay together for hours, talking to their child. Gaius had never dreamed that one day he would be talking to his pregnant wife's belly, but with Aurelia it felt like the most natural thing in the world, and he felt his love for the unborn child in her belly grow with every nudge. When exhaustion overcame Aurelia and she fell asleep peacefully in his arms, he silently promised himself to protect them both from all dangers - even if he had to sacrifice himself in the process.

At the beginning of May, his surprise for Aurelia was finally ready, but when he wanted to show it to her, she was already visiting her friend Clementina with his sisters. Reluctantly, Gaius resigned himself to the thought that he would have to be patient for a few more hours. At that moment, his secretary Hesiod entered his library.
"A small legation from Pontos has just arrived, sir," Hesiod said in his pleasantly calm voice. Irritated, Gaius frowned. If he remembered correctly, Pontos was still ruled by his distant relative Antonia Tryphaina. Or was her youngest son Polemon already of age? Gaius' memories of Polemon were hazy; he was the same age as his brother Kotys. After her husband's murder, Tryphaina had had her two sons educated in the house of Gaius' great-grandmother Livia. At the same time, Gaius and his sisters had been placed in her care because tensions between his mother and Tiberius had escalated. Therefore, his memories of the two royal sons were overshadowed by the concern he had felt for his mother at the time.
It worried Gaius that she sent him an official legation. Whatever they wanted from him had to be something very important to them and something difficult for him to do. Otherwise, they could have written him a letter and asked.
"Show them into my official study and arrange for them to be supplied with drinks," Gaius ordered, placing the scroll carefully on the side table. Hesiod nodded and turned to go.
"Oh, and inform my wife about our guests," Gaius added, then rose and smoothed out his tunic. Typical, no sooner had he let himself be unwrapped from his toga than an unannounced visitor arrived, and Gaius had to have it put on at record speed so that the waiting time did not exceed the bounds of politeness. For a second, he considered going straight away, but quickly dismissed the thought. An official legation deserved an official and dignified princeps. With a sigh, Gaius left his library and went to his chambers, where his slaves were already waiting for him with a fresh toga. Hesiod could always be counted on.
As he descended the last step and his foot stepped on the tiles of the atrium, the heavy oak doors opened, and he saw a palanquin come to a halt in front of his house. Clement appeared in his field of vision, the litter curtains were drawn back, and a small figure stepped out of the litter ignoring the proffered hand of the Praetorian prefect. The warm sunlight hit a strand that had stolen out from under her veil and the strand flashed gold. When she raised her head and their eyes met, her lips twisted into a radiant smile. Her dress fluttered lazily following her movements as she climbed the three steps and rushed through the open door. A small smile spread across his face, then he came up to her with long strides and took her hand. She was icy.
"Are you all right?" he asked anxiously, and Aurelia's eyes flashed like two sapphires in the sunlight.
"Of course," she replied, "but we have guests, and we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."
Smiling, she pulled him towards his official study and told him in a calm voice about her abbreviated meeting with her friends. As they turned the corner and caught sight of the slightly open door of his official study, Aurelia fell silent. She took a deep breath and exhaled, then straightened her posture and a polite smile appeared on her smile. She was ready. He proudly unravelled her intertwined fingers and placed her hand on his forearm so that she elegantly hooked herself under him. Wordlessly, they entered his official study together and when he saw the small legation sitting on the chairs set up especially for them, he was glad of Aurelia's presence. As soon as they stepped over the threshold, Tryphaina rose gracefully, and her retainers hurriedly followed her example. Her gaze flitted to Aurelia and curiosity flickered across her face for a blink before she turned to Gaius with her warm smile.
"To what do I owe the honour of personally welcoming the queen of Pontos to my humble home," Gaius commented and Tryphaina laid her head back with a laugh. Immediately her companions relaxed. Out of the corner of his eye, Gaius registered from their clothes that they were probably merchants.
"I haven't been a queen for a long time, Gaius, but it's very good to see you again," she greeted him warmly, approaching him and grasping his hands. Politely, Gaius returned her greeting, then quickly introduced the two women to each other. After politeness had been satisfied, he inquired as to the reason for her visit. Not a word did he indicate that their coming had been unannounced. Tryphaina could not take her eyes off Aurelia and for a moment he wondered what his grandmother had told Tryphaina about his wife.
"I am here on behalf of my sons," Tryphaina replied with a smile. "We want to do you and your wife the honour of delivering our wedding gifts in person."
Gaius raised his eyebrow questioningly and Tryphaina's smile widened a little. Then she clapped her hands and from the next room two slaves joined them. One carried a cushion on which a scroll was perched, the other led in an oversized cat. Aurelia's eyes widened barely perceptibly. Smiling, Tryphaina continued, "My son Kotys has chosen this scroll for you with a copy of Callisthenes of Olynthus account of Alexander the Great in memory of your training together here in Rome. This handsome animal is for you, my dear. It was abandoned by its mother and when I found it, it was half dead. Since then, it has become accustomed to humans and is tame."
Intrigued, Aurelia calmly held out her hand to the large cat, enthusiastically the cat sniffed it, then it took a step forward and nestled into her palm. Smiling, Aurelia began to scratch the animal behind its ears. The cat purred deeply and loudly.
"She likes you," Tryphaina said with relief, and Gaius eyed his kinswoman sternly.
"I didn't know there were tigers in Pontos," Aurelia said, completely upsetting him. He eyed the striped, large feline with interest. As a small boy, his father had told him over and over again the stories of the tiger that the Indian legation had given to the great Augustus. Gaius had never seen one with his own eyes and he found them even more impressive than his father's descriptions. The animal had to be worth a fortune, and this made Gaius suspicious. What favour was Tryphaina trying to buy with a tiger? He was so lost in thought that he could not follow the conversation between the two women. At some point he felt all eyes on him. He quickly thanked them for the gifts and invited the legation to dinner. After a few minutes, Tryphaina explained that she would now like to retire to recover from the exertions of the journey. Shortly afterwards they were finally alone. Aurelia was still stroking the tiger. Carefully he held out his hand to the animal, as with Aurelia, it sniffed him briefly and then pressed its head against his palm. The fur felt surprisingly soft and silky - quite different from a dog or a horse. He reverently stroked the cat's silky fur. After a while, Aurelia looked up at him with a smile.
"If you now also have a flying carpet, it's almost like in Aladdin," she joked and slowly straightened up. He looked at her without understanding, waiting for an explanation. But Aurelia was already too deeply absorbed in the world of her thoughts hidden from him, so his wait was in vain.
"I don't have a flying carpet," he said with a grin. "But my wedding present for you has just been finished. Come, I would like to show it to you."
Questioningly, he held out his hand to her. As he was about to close the door behind him, his eyes fell on the piece of cloth he had already put out as a precaution. He quickly fetched it and carefully blindfolded her. Full of trust, she let him lead her through the corridors, the tiger walking calmly beside her. When they entered the garden, Aurelia frowned in confusion. The air in the garden was pleasantly mild, yet he made sure she was not freezing. At last, they reached the place he had had made pretty for them. Excitedly, he stepped behind her and gently untied the knot of the blindfold.
"You are all I need," he murmured between two kisses, and he felt her lips tighten into a smile under his mouth.
Next, he showed her the gallery in the west wing, which had already been laid out by the great Augustus. Tiberius had had most of the paintings changed so that they were more to his kitschy and vulgar taste. It had given Gaius great pleasure to take down each of these paintings himself and replace them with the original. Tiberius' paintings were now stored somewhere in a small chamber in the basement.
"Usually in the atrium of each family hang the death masks of the ancestors," Gaius explained and Aurelia nodded attentively. Of course, she already knew that. "Augustus had the masks of the most important members of our family transferred to paintings. At the same time, he had all the living members drawn. Thus he has created a unique gallery for our family here, where past and present meet."
Fascinated, Aurelia studied the faces until she froze in front of a painting. Calmly he stepped next to her and also examined the serious faces of his parents. They looked so sublime and dignified and alive that Gaius longed to be able to introduce Aurelia to them.
"I always wondered what your parents looked like," she said softly, snuggling up to him. With a sad smile, he watched her as she looked at the small painting. Then he gently pulled her to the next painting, which showed almost his whole family. It had been painted shortly after his father's triumphal procession. Julia was missing from the picture because she had not yet been born at that time. Excitedly, Aurelia examined the picture and her gaze immediately lingered on him. His mother had proudly placed her hand on his shoulder and this small gesture brought a smile to his face. He couldn't remember it - after all, he had only been five at the time.
"You were very sweet," Aurelia observed and Gaius laughed softly. She paid little attention to the next paintings and only stopped again when she reached the latest one. It showed them both and as in all the other paintings, their expressions were serious and sublime, as if they wanted to challenge the world together for all eternity to do better.
"He didn't catch your eyes properly," Aurelia murmured and just before her fingertips could touch the paint, she withdrew her hand. He hadn't noticed until now because he'd only been paying attention to her pretty face. Unmoved, he shrugged his shoulders. With a fine smile on her lips, her sea-blue eyes bored into his.
"I love your eyes," she confessed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Automatically he took her in his arms and inhaled her wonderful scent.
"Like two infinitely wide, clear skies," she whispered, and he smiled wryly at her. A little louder, she thanked him for his gifts and confessed that she was completely overwhelmed by their beauty, and he was perfectly happy.