Guardian of Rome (#2 in Gladiator Series)

Epilogue

Epilogue

 

87AD Greece

 

Treading softly through their house, her gown brushing the top of her feet, Krista could not sleep.

Peering in on four year old Lazarus to check he was sleeping, Krista removed a bundle from the top of a shelf.

Wrapped up in a blanket, Krista held the large bundle in her arms and slowly crept from the house.

Not wanting to wake up Artorius, he had been labouring hard in the fields the day previous, Krista walked out into their own little piece of Elysium on earth.

Artorius’s family house had been destroyed and desolate when they reached Greece but placed right beside the coast, the location was too idyllic and too connected to his childhood to leave.

Krista had not wanted to remain in Rome, too many memories threatened her existence there, she wanted a new start and Artorius provided her not only with that but with endearing love and a large family.

A future that was different to her past.

But there was only one true way to place her past to rest.

With bare feet, Krista felt the early morning dew against her skin and she shivered in delight at the sensation.

Turning away from the coast, Krista walked towards the forest in the distance. Feeling the grass give way to damp soil, Krista walked a further few steps before she knelt to the ground.

Toiling on her knees, Krista dug a fairly deep hole beside a large oak tree.

A few feet deep and almost five feet wide, Krista gave a small puff of exertion before she sat back on her heels and pondered the large bundle beside her.

Her conscience fought itself for a few minutes before she reached forward and pulled the blanket back to reveal the objects inside.

Leaning forward, Krista trailed her fingers over the oddly-warm leather, the sharp armour before her fingers curled around her sheathed sword.

Memories of battling romans, flying through the air and warm sand flashed before her eyes.

It felt like she was watching someone else’s memories as it contrasted her new life so starkly.

Now, instead of battling armies, she battled the local sellers for meat.

Picking up the sword, Krista closed her eyes and gave a small sigh, it felt exactly the same as it had four year ago.

She remembered what it felt like to have adrenaline pumping through her veins, for sweat to cover her body from exertion and the pure thrill of sinking the blade into another man’s flesh.

Jolting out of her reverie, Krista stood and spun around to see Artorius stood behind her.

“Krista, what are you doing?” Artorius stared at the sword in her hand with confusion.

Soon his eyes fell upon her armour that lay by her feet and she could see more questions prop up in his thoughts but he never voiced them.

Instead he asked the one question which showed how much he truly knew her, “Are you sure?”

Krista nodded, “It’s been four years. It’s time to let it go.”

Artorius had stashed his sword away when they first arrived but he had quickly traded in his armour for supplies.

Krista hadn’t been so ready to give up something that had been so much a part of her life; she had been a warrior since an early age. She wasn’t sure if she knew how to do anything else but she was slowly proved wrong.

With Lazarus and Artorius by her side, Krista began to realise that she loved being a wife and mother.

It didn’t change the feeling of standing up the sands and having the crowds cheer your name but it came a pretty close second.

“I was never meant to be a warrior,” Krista murmured as she turned back to regard the hole she had dug, ready to bury her old life away.

Artorius remained silent and simply listened.

“Commander Niclaus wanted me to become a body slave,” It was so long ago the memory had faded, “It was only because of Lazarus that I became a gladiator.”

She could sense Artorius’s tension.

“He never wanted me to fight,” Krista clarified, “But he knew that I would last longer in an arena than in any man’s bed. He knew I would have killed myself rather than face such a fate.”

“Krista . . .”

“What I mean, is,” Krista took a deep breath, “This is the right thing to do. It’s what Lazarus always wanted for me and it’s what I want for my son,”

Artorius reached forward and pressed his palm against her swollen abdomen, “And our daughter.”

Krista looked into Artorius’s eyes but she said nothing; he wanted a daughter and now was not the time to argue that she thought it would be a boy again.

Preparing herself, Krista knelt back on the ground and placed her sword back along with her armour, outfit and boots.

Wrapping them up in the blanket, Krista placed the objects carefully into the ground.

Artorius knew she needed to do this herself as she slowly began to refill the hold with the damp soil she had dug out a few moments earlier.

As she patted the last few grains of soil into place, she slowly got to her feet and regarded the earth with peculiarity.

Apart from the loose soil around the edge it looked as if nothing had occurred there.

Anybody other than them who passed would not know that a bundle of armour lay below their feet.

It was odd to have such knowledge and yet at the same time Krista suddenly felt much lighter, as if the memories of her past no longer burdened her.

Turning her back on the patch of ground, Krista dusted off her hands and entwined her fingers with Artorius.

Walking out of the forest and back towards their small hut, secluded on a spot near the coast, Krista could see the sun starting to peek over the horizon, warming their skin.

And it was a beautiful sight.
 

THE END.