The Fall of Aquandor

I

Flavia never knew her parents. She was left in an alley in between a butcher's and a brothel in the lower tier of Dianthis- one of the shadier neighbourhoods of the boat that nobles try to avoid. Her future was planned out for her before she was three days old- but fate was in her favour.

Senator Delatis was in one of those buildings- society ignores which building it was. With one look at the mewling infant lying among the waterlogged floorboards, whatever mercy he had left from years of working in the king's court rose up to his surface and flooded his heart. He took the child to his house on the upper tier of Dianthis, and raised her- or rather his staff raised her- to be a slave in his household.

"You are privileged," her told her. "When the earth flooded, so many people perished. You are lucky to be a descendant of the people who lived. You are lucky to live on the most superior boat- Dianthis. You live on the same boat as the king, Flavia. If you lived on the boat of Praetionis, you would be dragged into the life of agriculture, or the military. The Gods know what would happen to you if you lived in Legionis. Probably a life of felony and crime. But you live here, in the household of a noble family. Never forget that."

Flavia grew close with the senator's daughter, Caecilia, and soon became her lady's maid. The girls grew closer, and their childhood playmate feelings evaporated, leaving feelings neither of the girls had felt before. When Flavia was fifteen they shared a bed. Flavia knew she loved Caecilia. And she knew Caecilia loved her. It was painted in her eyes every time Flavia entered the room. But it wasn't meant to be. Being a poor slave, with no knowledge of her heritage, proved her an unworthy match for a rich Dianthian beauty. Flavia knew this, Caecilia knew this- it was a fact they couldn't ignore. But for the moment it was worth ignoring, to have some solace in each other's welcoming hearts.

Growing up together, their personalities differed so much that it gave each girl a sense of identification. Even their appearances were as different as could be; Flavia's smooth cocoa coloured skin, dark amber eyes, and high cheekbones made her sought after by many males that visited the senator's household. But underneath her thin frame lay a heart of steel that protected her from the dangers of being a woman in a crude world.

Caecilia was the typical Dianthian beauty; all soft curves, creamy skin that would make moonbeams jealous, and golden hair that looked like it was spun by the Gods themselves. She had an inner flame, a passion that made the stars dim. Looking at her was like looking into a piece of metal the sun was reflecting off of. The glare was too strong.

Deep within the heart of the High Quarters, where Senator Delatis lived, there circulated rumours of King Thracius' mental stability. Flavia heard all, saw all, and decided that she would do whatever she needed to do to remove King Thracius from the throne. Even get rid of the throne forever. She knew what it was like to live within the king's immediate vicinity of power, to feel all the effects. The king often forgot that Praetionis existed, and consigned Legionis to oblivion. Flavia knew something was wrong since she was a little girl, and vowed to make her life's motive to break the system.

She never took action. She did her duty as the obedient slave girl, but listened to the Senator and his friends, overheard things she knew people didn't want her to overhear. She had ammunition. She had the facts straight from the horse's mouth. She just needed people who believed in the same cause as her.

She couldn't trust Caecilia- she was too vital a piece in high society. You should never mix politics and love.

                                                                                                      ---

Flavia reluctantly lifted her torso from the colourful rug she had spent the night on. The rug, though terrifyingly expensive, provided no comfort. She was going to have a splitting headache today. Gradually, she lifted her body off of the floor and started to leave the room, casting one last look at the still-slumbering body on the rug. The early morning had cast a blue light over the apartments, and Caecilia's pale face seemed to have an cerulean veil cast over it. One of her hands was tucked under her face as she slept, and a content look was washed upon her features. Flavia felt a smile tug at her lips, and turned away from her lover's form.
Flavia exited Caecilia's quarters swiftly and silently. There was someone waiting for her.

Flavia's arm connected with the bones of her master's ribcage. "Senator Delatis, please excuse me."

The senator's cold, unyielding eyes looked back at hers. "Flavia, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Flavia answered his glare with a frigid one of her own. "If you wish, sir."

He took a breath. "Flavia, if there has been one thing that I have learned while in the king's senate, it's that accusing someone the minute you have an inkling of suspicion avoids a lot of unnecessary trouble and fuss."

Flavia furrowed her brow. "Is there somebody in your household that needs to be accused, Senator Delatis?"

"You, Flavia."

"Excuse me, sir?"

He let out a sharp breath through his nose, as if mocking her. "Don't play the innocent, Flavia. If I didn't know you were sleeping with my daughter, I would be a fool. I should know if my very own daughter is in love with her slave."

Flavia kept silent. She knew that to retort, or confess would be to insult. Her eyes were lowered to the ground in an obedient manner. Still, this was enough to aggravate the senator.

"Don't play meek with me, girl." His voice was venomous enough to kill, his face dangerously close to hers. "If it weren't for me, you would be nothing. You would be dead, for Pluto's sake. I took you off the street as a newborn babe, outside of a brothel." He spat the word out. "And I can put you back in an instant. So if you know what's good for you, and aren't as stupid as a goat, you will not engage in any relationship of a romantic nature with my daughter. Ever again."

Flavia's hands clenched at her sides. Her eyes betrayed nothing of the inner tempest that was roiling in her stomach. She needed this position. "I won't, sir."

His bloodshot eyes searched her amber ones. "If you break that promise, you will be nothing. A whore, out on the streets. Remember that."

And with that, he strode down the dimly lit hallway, and exited her vision.

Flavia let out a long breath, and fell back against the wall. Her eyes stung with unshed tears, and her face muscles ached with tension. She sucked in air, hysterically trying to live while her heart felt like it was trying to tear apart. All of a sudden, she tensed. She would not do this. Become weak. Her position in the senator's household was too valuable to waste on a love affair. Even if she refused to sacrifice her relationship with Caecilia, she would be out on the streets, unable to even see Caecilia. She couldn't be stupid.

Little did she know, on the other side of Caecilia's quarter's door, stood a frozen girl, her pale face even whiter than usual. Her hand slipped from the latch, and fell with her legs, where she collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor.