140AD - The Rise to Empress || [GxG] ||

Chapter 5

Translations:

(Latin)

Moecha putida = Dirty slut
Futue te ipsum! = Go fuck yourself!

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It was early morning, perhaps first light as the cold wind blew through Clarke's balcony doors. She had accidentally left them open the night before when she and Raven returned to the palace from the tavern they were at. The Empress had a few ales too many before she almost approached the Gladiatrix she had bumped into at the market forum earlier in the day, ready to confront her about hurting her lover Finn. But her handmaiden and best friend Raven quickly pulled her out of the tavern before she made a fool of herself; not that Raven knew that Clarke was seeing the man but because Clarke was the Empress and she could not be openly seen at a tavern, especially not fighting some slave.

But again, Raven Reyes didn't know that Lexa in fact was not a slave. All she knew was that she was a Gladiatrix considering the way she had her hair braided and by the way her muscles were perfectly toned. However what Raven found most peculiar was that the woman harbored her family sigil on her forehead, burnt like a brand; a crest only men harbored.

Clarke rolled over in her bed as she only had a silk sheet draped over her body. The cold gust of wind that blew through the ajar balcony doors made the Empress' skin grow instant chills. Groggy with sleep she reached for them for the furs needly folded at her feet, but a cold hand crept over her own, helping her pull the furs upward. She quickly opened her eyes to see none other than Finn Collins of the house Cato; none other than her secret lover and the main advisor to her betrothed Bellamy Blake of the house Bellicus.

She quickly shot up, yanking her hand out of his. "What are you doing here? You know you can't be here so early in the morning; someone will see you!" Clarke was wide awake now and on alert, she couldn't possibly be caught with this man in her quarters at these hours even if they weren't doing anything devious this time. The servants in the palace will talk and surely word would reach her father, as well as her soon-to-be husband Bellamy and she simply could not risk it.

Bellamy held the most power in the Senate since his father's untimely passing three years ago around the same time Emperor Titus stepped down as Emperor and handed his title to Clarke's father; his loyal Legion General Jake Gryphem. Clarke marrying Bellamy was the best choice politically for her father since the Senate had to, to a point agree to Jake's word and decisions to make them final and to have his decisions executed.

"Calm down, princess, I just came to say good morning and that I'm sorry that I didn't come to see you last night. Some peasants robbed me in the street and they actually hurt me pretty badly." He held up his arm for Clarke to see and she too started to remember the night before; Finn was speaking falsehoods to her. Yes, he was in an altercation but it was not with some peasant, and nor was he getting robbed. He was simply just outmatched by a woman that was a Gladiatrix; a woman Clarke could not remember the name of because her drinking of the previous night certainly clouded her memories and caused a serious headache.

She winced at the pain that suddenly befell her and with that she fell back into her pillows, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her cold palms to her forehead. "Get out, please. I don't want to hear your ridiculous excuses. I'm not in the mood. On your way out, call Raven for me." Clarke pulled the furs up all the way over her body and snuggled into them to get comfortable. Maybe she could get a few more minutes of sleep before Raven would arrive. "My ridiculous excuses? What do you mean? I really was robbed, see? Look at my arm, it really hurts." He feigned again, trying to get the sympathy of the woman that laid in front of him, but she didn't have a care in the world because she knew he was lying and was probably embarrassed about being bested by a woman multiple times.