Domain of Power-The Dreamer (Book 3)

Chapter 9: Flash from the Past

Today was the first of many things. The first day that I walked without a walking stick. The first time I ventured outside my home. The first time I met a beautiful girl who made me feel things I did not know I could feel. Not once did she mention my walking stick or pity me. She just saw me. For a fleeting moment, I forgot I was crippled. She made me feel that anything was possible. Then I ruined everything.

Why could I not remember her? And of all names, why did I have to guess, "Aurora?" Then it struck me why she looked so familiar.

I saw her face in a dream.

A knock came at the door. I looked up and saw Cornelia peering inside my room.

"Troy. Is everything going well with you?" she asked. "You left dinner early."

I nodded. "I did not have much of an appetite," I responded matter-of-factly.

I should have felt grateful for being given a tour of our home, which included a walkthrough of the colonnaded gardens, the indoor latrines, and finally the triclinium where dinner took place. Instead of lying on a bed alone, I could now join my family to recline on the couches. Tonight it was dormice, oysters, cheese, bread, fruits, and honey cake. Odydus mentioned earlier in our tour that my family hosted a handful of lavish dinner parties these past several weeks. When I asked why I was excluded, the excuse was that I was "too crippled." While this dinner did not include music or poetry reading, it was still a merry occasion.

Joining our family was a man in a stately toga and his wife decked in jewels from head to toe. I never saw these two before. But I did meet the girl with the blue eyes. I learned in conversation that her name was Priscilla. I saw her eyes light up when a server handed her the necklace she lost. I wanted to say something to her, but Apollus was too keen to take control of the conversation. Secretly, I resented how she smiled at him when he said something clever and how he enjoyed the attention. But the one person I wanted to notice me could hardly look me in the eye anymore.

While the occasion was meant to celebrate my new beginnings, Apollus' charm was the one to steal the hearts at the table. It was silly to think I needed to compete with my brother. After all, there could only be one successor to the throne. He spent countless hours attending Council meetings with Father and Grandfather now that his schooling was over. I expected he would have more experience perfecting his speaking skills and charm.

Cornelia pressed her lips together. Like she wanted to press me for my lack of appetite. Instead, she said, "I just want you to be happy." As she left the room, I mumbled, "Me too."

The next day, a chorus of bird songs awakened me. The melodic songs seemed to lift my spirits and remind me there were still reasons to find joy.

My routine still consisted of Cornelia coming in to dress me and comb my hair. But it would be the last time the servers would bring meals to my room. Today's breakfast was a sampling of yesterday's dish, which included roasted dormice dipped in a spicy fishy sauce, oysters, bread, cheese, and pomegranates that splattered over my plate after every bite. After all these weeks, the servers never complained. They came at the appointed hour. They collected the dishes and helped clean up any crumbs or spills without judgment. Even though I did not know most of their names, they no longer felt like strangers. I thanked them for their service all these weeks. That was the least I could do.

Then it dawned on me who also deserved my gratitude. He was the one who found me in the fields when I was close to death. After requesting to meet him for over a week, Grandfather received word that the slave would be at our residence today instead of our family's villa where he usually stayed. Once I was done with my physical training with Cornelius, I could meet him.