Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 101 ~ IO TRIUMPHO I

The sight of the cheering crowd overwhelmed him, and it was difficult for him to understand the slave's admonition over the shouting, even though the slave was standing directly behind him. His gaze fell on Julius, whose face glowed with childish pride as he held onto the chariot with one hand and waved loftily to the people with the other. Gaius remembered his father's triumphal procession only fragmentarily. He remembered the roar of the crowd, the crampedness on the chariot due to his many brothers and sisters, and the hellish pain in his arm from having to wave all the time. Unconsciously, his grip on the reins tightened.
After hours he brought the chariot to a halt in front of the temple of Jupiter. The whole senate had gathered in the small square and in front of the entrance to the temple stood Aurelia holding the laurel wreath in her hands and giving him a warm smile. A snow-white bull was already waiting in the middle of the square. The animal was completely calm and looked devotedly towards its fate.
By now it was so hot that Gaius didn't dare wipe the sweat from his forehead for fear of smearing the red colour. Besides, the unaccustomed weight of the laurel wreath on his head bothered him. But at least it gave him some protection from the sun. Julius carefully stepped out of the chariot and Gaius had to smile at his son's attempt to exude as much dignity as possible. Exalted, he followed his son and he felt Julius watching him intently, memorising his every move. Coming to a halt beside the bull, the boy stroked the animal's beautiful head reassuringly. When one of the senators thrust a knife into Gaius' hand, he took it upon himself to give the animal's breeder a particularly large reward in thanks for his donation.
Routinely, Gaius wielded the knife and uttered the centuries-old words of prayer with which every commander implored the forgiveness of the gods on behalf of the entire nation for the bloodguilt incurred in war. Not a single drop of blood landed on his uniform and Julius had also kept an appropriate distance from the sacrificial animal, so that even his spotless white toga with its broad purple stripe was unblemished. The surrounding senators burst into thunderous applause.
While the priests performed further rites on the sacrificed bull, father and son turned away. Together they climbed the steps to the temple as if they had never done anything else. Only now did Gaius notice the delicate figure standing close to his wife and examining him from curious eyes. She was even prettier than he had imagined. Abruptly his little procession stopped in front of the two of them and although he simply had to officially lay down his imperium in the temple, he knelt down in front of the girl and smiled gently at her. An unruly dark curl curled out of her severe hairstyle, making her look far too grown up. Her eyes were so similar to his that he thought he was looking into a mirror. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son wink at her. The next moment, the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear: "I love you, daddy"
Immediately a wave of pure happiness flooded his body. Laughing, Gaius lifted his little daughter up and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Full of gratitude, he returned his wife's kind gaze. For it was to her credit that he had not been forgotten by his children despite his long absence, and he was so relieved that he was no stranger either to Gaius, whom he had watched grow up from birth until his departure, or to his little daughter, who had never met him before.
"I love you too, little one," he murmured in her ear, and her laugh was so clear as a bell. It made Nymphs pale with envy. Grinning, he wiped a spot of red from her face. For a moment he considered deviating further from the prescribed rituals and letting Tonilla take the wreath from him, but he finally decided against it. Gently, he set his daughter down on the floor beside Julius and turned to his wife. Instantly he sank into the depths of her beautiful eyes. By the gods, how he had missed her. Still smiling, he watched as she humbly sank down before him in her kind of bow and bowed her head. He suddenly became aware of the many spectators and his features became more dignified. He carefully placed a laurel wreath, handed to him by a young senator, on Aurelia's pretty head and she paused for a breath in this humble position, as if thanking the gods for his success. Then she straightened up gracefully and together they turned to the waiting crowd of familiar and unfamiliar faces, which immediately burst into thunderous applause. At last, he was home again. With confident steps he entered the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.