Rome: Marriage Pact

Chapter Twenty: Blood On The Tiles

The pieces are in place and the stage has been set. After much discussion, Antony, Lepidus, and I have reached the same conclusion.
Antony will rule over Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul.
Lepidus will rule over Hispania and Narbonesis.
I will rule over Sicily, Sardinia, and Africa.

The journey back to our villa is quiet, the night cold from the rain. "You've been quiet this whole ride back. Something on your mind?" Antony murmurs, letting me lean against him on the carriage ride home. Still handling the reins of the horses, he glances down at me.

"Too many things on my mind. There are too many plots, ideas." And depression for Julius' murder. The main killers may be dead, but there are still other conspirators hiding throughout the Mediterranean. The very thought of so many of them out there makes me sick. I cling to Antony a little tighter, closing my eyes tightly.
****
Antony and I end up falling asleep late at night. Even he seems tense about what we all discussed, ruling the known world between the three of us.
My mind drifts off between memories and dreams as I sleep.

Then I suddenly appear in the Senate chamber, the seats above me empty and cold. Part of me knows this is a dream, but it feels real. I can almost feel the cold marble under my bare feet.
Even though I was in Apollonia during my father's murder, I can see it clearly in this sudden nightmare.

The blood seeping into my bare feet is slick, staining my skin. Then I see Brutus, Cassius, and the other murderers, laughing as they stab my father over and over. Julius' screams echo in my head as I try to run to him.

No matter how hard I run, I see them all getting further away. I scream in rage and desperation, slipping on the blood and scrambling on the marble floor. I must be screaming in my sleep, because I'm suddenly jolted awake by Antony shaking me.

I gasp and cough, sweating and heart pounding. It feels like my throat is covered in sand. My wide eyes find Antony hovering over me, startled out of sleep and hair messy. Crickets chirp outside as the cool night air slips in from the window.

"What's wrong, Octavius?" Antony asks, feeling my forehead to check for fever. Despite trying to remain stoic, I collapse into tears, the sounds mangled. Instantly, Antony's arms are around me, making me sit up with him.

He shushes me, kissing my forehead. I sniff, eyes stinging. "A nightmare, judging by you screaming. I will keep you safe. Brutus and Cassius are dead. They cannot harm us."
"But there are other killers still out there," I rasp.
"We will hunt them all down. I don't care if it takes years. They will all be dead and their names will be forgotten. Trust me, my sweet Gaius," he whispers.

I gaze up at his tired face, hair messy, face clean shaven, that familiar blaze of determination in his eyes. "I trust you," I respond back.
He smiles, humming and pecks my lips.
"Come. I find I am not tired anymore. Get dressed."

I blink. "Where are we going?" I ask.
"To your mother's villa. I'm certain her and Octavia would love a visit. I'll send letters to Agrippa and Maecenas once morning comes."
"Why?" I ask slowly.
Antony laughs softly. "Because I want to have you relax after everything. Be around familiar faces. Perhaps you should visit the market with Agrippa. Then you come back to Atia's and I'll have your favorite meal set up."

I find myself smiling at such an idea, already feeling better. "That...sounds lovely."
"And you say I'm terrible at planning things," he jokes.
I laugh softly, playfully shoving him away. "You can be at times."
He snorts, hardly moving from my half-attempt at a shove. "My playful little Gaius," he teases, fingers grazing my cheek. He kisses me one last time before getting up to pack a bag.

I sigh, already forgetting the horrible nightmare. My mind wanders back to the various items sold in the market from the other day. A seller from Egypt had been offering various cosmetics for makeup. I recall that catching my eye.
Small containers of kohl were on the table, along with different brightly colored powders meant to go on a person's eyelids, and a plain white long skirt worn by Pharaohs of the past.

A plan begins to form in my head, something to surprise Antony with after our stay at my mother's villa.