Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.
The Empress knows.
This place. Just when I thought that I was getting a handle on it; something would happen to knock me free of the base I'd anchored myself too.
Antonina, wife of the Empire's greatest general, had taken me with her mouth. She'd spit on her marriage vows; risking her future, happiness and respectability. And for what? A whim? A silly streak of competitiveness with her best friend?
[[MORE]]She was perverse. She should be ashamed, not strutting away with bared breasts and lips curled into a languid smile.
I let out a breath. I shifted within the empty corridor; Antonina's door still at my back. If she was wicked; who was I then, who felt no shame at my own part in the act we'd just committed? My mother's voice, loud in the back of my head, certainly believed I should.
Where was her little lion, she asked me, who'd once so diligently walked the path she'd laid out for him?
I didn't know. I looked down at my hands; the very same ones that had pushed a woman's head down until she'd choked on my phallus. I thought they looked clean. Well, not clean, but cleaner. The old blood beneath my fingernails, the stuff that I could never seem to ever scrub off, was starting to flake away.
They'd been getting cleaner since the day I'd first knelt before the Empress.
The sound of footsteps made me raise my head. I felt my stomach clench. I stiffened to attention, flicking my eyes about the space to make sure that everything was in order. It wouldn't do, for Belisarius to arrive to find me with my manhood out; my flesh still gleaming with his wife's saliva.
To my great relief; it wasn't the general that appeared down the hallway, but the Empress and Helena. Theodora glided towards me, graceful as the dancer she'd never ceased to be. She smiled, the corners of her dark eyes wrinkling in the way they did.
"Vigilant as always, my Leontius?"
"Empress," I answered, keeping my back straight.
Without conscious thought, my eyes slid past the Empress' shoulder. Helena was there. My eyes found hers, and I realized that I might not like what found there. It felt like there was a fist around my heart. Did she know? Did she know what I'd just done? I wondered, searching her smile.
She did. And for a moment, I thought I might shatter.
Helena knew, and the shifting green of her cypress eyes begged my forgiveness. She'd known what Antonina had wanted. She had failed to put herself between us. I saw relief in the folds of her face; a careful uncertainty in the shape of her smile.
Something broke within me.
She knew, and she was still here. She was glad to see me. I felt my throat squeeze itself shut. Of course, there was nothing to forgive, nothing worth dwelling on. My shield mate was here, and that was what mattered.
"You've cared well for my dear Antonina, I trust?" The Empress said, pulling my attention back. Her smile had changed. There was an extra curve to it; a hint of knowing in her eyes that made me flush. Of course, I'd never have been able to hide this from her.
"Yes, Empress." The words came out hoarse. I cleared my throat. "She is safe within her chambers."
"Indeed," Theodora answered. "Well, my Leontius, you had better let me in. 'Nina tends to lose track of time when fabric is involved."
I nodded, reaching back to open the door. The Empress brushed past me, trailing her fingers along my outstretched arm. Helena moved to follow, but Theodora looked back as she stepped past the doorway.
"Stay here, Helena. I won't be long."
Helena hesitated a moment. Something seemed to flash between them, and she nodded, stepping back and letting me shut the door. She placed herself on the door's other side, stiffening to attention, a mirror of the way I stood. She was beside me.
I let out a breath, feeling the knot within me loosen.
"You stink worse than before."
I choked on my exhalation. Helena's laughed, the sound deepening as I started to splutter. I'd sucked a bunch of spit back into my throat. I hacked and coughed, my eyes watering. Beside me, Helena's laugh deepened into that thrumming, full-bellied sound that made my stomach tingle.
She was bent over, leaning her behind against the stone wall for support. She laughed, and even through a veil of my tears, I could see the way her eyes danced.
"Not funny," I croaked.
She howled, tears starting to stream from her own eyes. "Stop," she gasped between fits of laughter. "Stop." I glared at her, and she wasn't able to speak again for another minute.
"Turn around," she managed. "Please. Don't look at me."
I grumbled, and spent another minute staring at nothing while she composed herself. "Are you done?" I asked, when I finally turned back around.
"Yes," she said, though another fit of laughter bubbled out of her. She cleared her throat. "Yes. I'm sorry."
I nodded, although I felt my own lip quirk into a small smile. "Why did you leave the box? Did we miss the race?"
Helena shook her head. "It hasn't started yet. You were gone a long time, and the Empress started to wonder. I think she wanted to catch you doing something,”
She trailed off, and heat rushed back to my face. I looked away from Helena. There it was, I thought, the shame.
"Leo," she said. "I'm sorry. I knew what she wanted. I tried, but I,”
I shook my head. "Stop. Helena, please. You did what you could, and then, you fell back and did your duty. Just as any soldier should."
"Yes, but,” She bit off her own words. My eyes flicked back to her. She was chewing on her lip, concern still written large across her features. I couldn't help but smile; feeling the final pieces of what had broken being washed away.
"It's ok, Helena. It’s not like I was fighting a battle, or anything."
She snorted. "With Antonina, it might as well be. She's not known for being gentle."
I sighed. "Yeah, well, I hope that her husband is when he eventually rips my balls off. I have this theory that I might soon be the first man crucified in centuries."
She didn't laugh, like I thought she would. Beneath her coppery curls, her expression remained worried.
"Are you ok, Leo?"
I looked back down to my hands for a moment; still a little cleaner than before. "I'm alright, Helena"
"Was she that good, then?" She could tell I was telling the truth, and the words had emerged with an edge to them.
"It’s not that," I said. "Although, yes, she was definitely good."
I met her eyes. Her face had hardened, and her cheeks were flushed. This time, she was the one to look away.
"Well, don't worry. You can go see her whenever you want."
"I don't want to." My eyes unfocused, looking into me while I tried to order my thoughts. "I don't like that kind of, experience. There was nothing behind it. I don't really know how to explain it." I hesitated a moment before I continued. "It was like eating just because you're hungry; taking no joy from the food. Sure, it fills you up, and sometimes that's exactly what you need. But I don't know. There can be so much more to something like that. And that's what I want."
My eyes focused back on Helena. I smiled ruefully. "I don't even know if I'm making any sense. Are you following this?"
She nodded. Her cheeks were still red, but here was something else shifting in the swaying cypress of her eyes. My heart started to beat faster. A warmth rose through me; a much softer heat than from Antonina's burning, draconic hunger.
"It wasn't that. It’s that; I like it here." I stood up straighter once the words had been said, as if they'd been a weight on my shoulders. "My life isn't where it's supposed to be, and I'm becoming something other than who I was. But I think that it’s good. At least, some of it is. Being here with you, with the Empress; it’s so different than anything I was ever supposed to know. But I think; I think that I'm actually starting to be happy; even though I maybe shouldn't."
I hesitated, unable to gaze away from her. Her eyes were so soft. There was no hatred there, no disdain. Neither was there any of the cringing disgust that my mother's voice assured me would be there. I saw none of that; only understanding.
"Is that ok?" I asked.
A breeze within her shifted the green of her eyes. It showed me something else; the edge of something vast that was growing within the depths of her. I didn't know what it was, but it took my breath away.
"Yes" she said. "I think it’s alright."
She smiled, and that warmth spread all the way down to my toes. I opened my mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
We both started, as Antonina's voice called from within. "Open the door! We're ready."
I grumbled, and turned to push the door open. Helena turned away as well, hiding what remained of her smile.
Antonina swayed out of the room. She'd changed into a short, ivory colored dress that ended right below the knees. It was looser than the other one had been, though her chest still threatened to erupt from her neckline. My eyes briefly touched on that golden chain; resisting the urge to follow the links down to where they disappeared within the shape of her.
"Thank you, solider," Antonina said.
Her lips curled at the sight of me. She'd re-arranged her hair, had wiped her face and breasts clean. She'd washed away all evidence of our, encounter; save for the slight redness that still glowed beneath her milky flesh.
She caught sight of Helena a heartbeat later, and her expression soured.
"Antonina," Helena said, inclining her head.
"I see that you've managed to keep from disemboweling yourself with that sword of yours," she said. "I'm impressed, I admit."
"There's a long history of women skilled in the use of weapons," Helena said. "Your talent with the; spear, for example."
The blonde woman's eyes flashed. "Indeed, it is a worthy weapon. I enjoy the use of it. You would be better with that, I think."
"Perhaps. Though, is it not dangerous? I hear that you are often, ahem, skewered while you spar."
Antonina surprised me by barking out a laugh. "You seem to have found your teeth again, little 'Lena. Come, you can escort me back."
Helena nodded, flashing me a quick look before she followed behind Antonina. I didn't move, staring after them in shock. I didn't know what the hell had just happened.
"Those two have known each other a long time," I heard the Empress say. "Their friendship has always been a little, contentious."
I turned to find the Empress standing within the doorway that I still held open. She smiled when my eyes found hers. She lay a hand on my outstretched arm.
"Would you escort me back, my Leontius?"
"Of course, Empress," I answered.
I let the door close behind her, raising my arm slightly so she could hold onto it as we walked. She raised an eyebrow.
"A week ago, you would have frozen at my touch."
"Yes, Empress."
"I like this change in you."
We started walking, trailing a ways behind where Antonina and Helena still exchanged cutting remarks. Something seemed to have come over Helena, some new confidence that didn't let her simply fade into the background.
The Empress' arm shifted to loop around mine, gripping my bicep. Her skin was warm on my own.
"I worry about her sometimes," Theodora said.
"Empress?"
"Helena. I believe that she enjoys this life, at least, some aspects of it. Though, it has never been what she's really wanted. It was hard for her, before."
Her eyes were on the pair a head of us. She didn't speak again, however, until they had rounded a corner, out of sight. "In a way, of the three of us, Helena was the strongest. Though, her strength could be almost brittle. She's stubborn. And there were times when that rigidity cost her. Although, perhaps that is changing as well."
"Empress?" I asked again, confused.
She laughed softly. "Don't mind me, Leontius. I like to let my thoughts air from time to time." We walked in silence for a few more steps before she added. "She likes honeyed figs, you know. And honeyed olives. Anything with honey really, but the figs are her favorite."
I was running out of ways to express my confusion. So, I just remained silent. I was surprised further, when the Empress pulled me into a stop. I glanced down at her, in time to watch her lean into me.
She pressed her breasts into my arm. I felt the cool smoothness of her dress, tight as my limb slipped into the space of her chest. My eyes widened; frozen as I hadn't been in the hours before. Her lips parted, and she used me to pull herself up until her breath tickled my ear. Gooseflesh erupted over my neck.
"Don't you forget, my soldier," Theodora murmured. "I will have my taste. 'Nina has told me too much of it for me to give it up now."
I shivered.
She made a small, pleased sound in her throat. She pressed her lips against my cheek, and for a moment, I breathed in the sweetness of her breath.
The smile didn't leave her lips until we reached the Imperial Box.
Chariots race for the Empress.
The race begins! Our Leontius returns to the Hippodrome in time for the hotly anticipated chariot race.
The Grand Hippodrome; a monument of pale stone, adorned with golden statues. It was at the center of Constantinople. At the heart of an Empire whose borders had once stretched to the very end of the world.
The Empress and I emerged from the palace and into the Imperial Box. We stopped, her grip loose on my arm. Together, we watched as four charioteers come out onto the sands below us.
Byzantine chariots were small, just large enough for a single man to stand within. They were light; an open basket of wood that was designed for speed rather than war. And pulled as it was by four, well-fed young horses, that speed could be terrifying.
The charioteers began a slow lap of the track; holding their arms out to the crowd and the summer sun. The mob roared; the sound hitting me like a spear to the guts.
There would be near a dozen races today. The Blues, Greens and various other factions of wealthy men and women had sponsored dozens of charioteers and their teams. It would be a day of food, drink and excitement. Though, it was this first race that was the most anticipated.
The mob was screaming, pounding on drums and waving strips of blue or green cloth into the air. They made a field and sky; the line where they met, as sharp as any horizon.
Their champions had taken to the sands.
Maleinos and Velanis; elite charioteers and the veterans of a hundred races. Maleinos, his hair streaked with gray, waved towards where the Blue supporters chanted his name. Velanis, a younger man with an easy smile, did the same for the Greens. Both of their chariots were painted in the colors of their factions. Meleinos even led a team of horses so dark they appeared almost blue in the light of the summer sun.
I didn't recognize the other two men; their chariots painted in colors who's meaning I did not know. They did not appear intimidated by the Hippodrome's crowds; experienced racers, then.
"Nika!" I heard voices bellow. "Nika!"
The word was on the edge of my hearing, nearly lost amidst the rest of the cacophony. But as the charioteers' lap came to its halfway point, I heard it again. And then, again, growing louder and louder as more of the mob joined their voices to it.
"Nika! Nika! Nika!"
It was an old word; a call to unify. It meant victory; it meant winning before your rivals. But its meaning was older. It had been used by armies once; a word hammered on by generals in their speeches. The legions had loved that word; had once chanted it to the rhythm of their crashing feet.
For nika, was to conquer.
The Empress' grip shifted. She pulled herself up my arm, shouting into my ear. I was to bring her to her seat. We moved down towards the front of the box; senators, bishops and merchant lords scattering from our path. She smiled her thanks, lowering herself down between her husband and Antonina.
I returned to my post beside Helena. The charioteers were coming to the end of their slow lap. The crowd's thunder intensified.
"Nika!" They chanted, ripping the air with their flags. "Nika! Nika!"
It was like the rhythmic hammer of the surf. Wave after wave; a rolling storm of frenzied excitement. I felt myself caught up in the roar of that human ocean; a rip-tide dragging me inexorably into its depths. There was a current there; down beneath that roiling sea.
I could see its might; watched how it pulled and shaped. Waves gathered; crashing and swirling into each other. The ocean ebbed and flowed. It seethed and boiled; raged and calm. It was chaos, unless one saw the tide that ran beneath it all.
And like the sea that surrounded my island home; I wondered what would happen here, if that tide ever rose. Would we float away? Or would it drown us all.
I shook myself, pulling my thoughts back from where they'd wandered. I forced some steel into my spine. I'd been to the races before; I knew what the crowds of the Grand Hippodrome were. Though, admittedly, before I'd been just another drop in that ocean. Now,
I snuck a glance towards Helena. She stood to attention; alert, though comfortable beneath the shade of the sheltering awning. I remembered our conversation; the flicker of that vastness I'd seen at the center of her.
Honeyed figs? I thought, feeling a curl of that earlier warmth within me.
Below us, the charioteers were lining up to begin the race. Through the corner of my eye, I saw Maleinos of the Blues wrapping the reins of his horses around both forearms, his body taut. Velanis of the Greens did the same, though he was loose enough to keep bobbing his head towards the crowd.
Sensing my gaze, Helena tilted her head towards me. She arched an eyebrow. I smiled suddenly, the crowd still roared too loudly to speak, so I mouthed the words.
'Seven nummi on the Green.'
Helena's eyes glittered, and I arched my eyebrow in a silent question. Seven nummi was the daily wage of a soldier in the Empire's legions. Those small bronze coins used to buy what comforts could be found in a traveling legion camp.
She nodded, and I felt my grin widen.
I watched the racers prepare with more attention. I liked the way Velanis looked; the younger man more relaxed than any of the others.
And then, with a nod from the Emperor and the peel of a trumpet, the race began.
Sand flew as sixteen sets of hooves tore forward. The charioteers shouted, whipping their reins, their muscles bunching as they leaned their bodies into their vehicles. The mob roared; drowning the racers in their exaltation.
Maleinos of the Blues was quick to take the inside track. The canny old charioteer fending off the others with sharp maneuvers of his chariot. His team was eager; the horses straining against their harnesses. The muscles of their legs were thick beneath their glossy coats.
Velanis slid into the second position; to the side of the plume of dust kicked up by the blue team. He was a handful of horse-lengths back, body low in his chariot.
They ripped around the first curve; the horses flashing by in a rolling mass of thunder. I watched in awe, hardly able to blink as they careened back towards the finish line. The iron and bronze of their wheels and buckles sparkled in the sun; making them look like glittering Persian spirits in the growing cloud of dust.
"Nika!" The crowd chanted. "Nika! Nika!"
Maleinos tore across the finish line; the first of seven laps completed. Helena turned towards me. Her grin was wild; eyes alight with the arena's thunder. I returned her grin, my chest thudding with the same sort of excitement.
If the Grand Hippodrome was indeed the Empire's heart; than the pounding of hooves and the roaring of the mob was its heartbeat. And it was the charioteers that were its blood.
The crowd screamed as Velanis narrowly avoided a collision. He slipped back into third place, giving way to the man that had nearly crashed into him. This third charioteer was aggressive, lunging forward to where the Blue driver still held the lead.
My eyes flicked back to the Green. The muscles on his arms and shoulders bulged beneath the winding leather of his reins. He pulled his horses towards the track's center, urging a fraction more speed out of them. My grin widened, heart beating faster. He was bidding his time, slowly putting himself into a position to pass.
The horses seemed tireless; thundering around turn after turn as the number of remaining laps ticked downward.
I felt something shove into my arm. I looked over, finding one of Helena's hands closed around my forearm. Her auburn hair was dancing in the wind of the passing chariots, the skin of her cheeks flushed.
She leaned towards me, shouting in my ear; "last lap!"
I laughed as she waggled her eyebrows, my own face alight with the same eager flush. Her Blue was still in the lead, having kept his place along the track's interior by blocking his rival's every move. The unknown charioteer was still the nearest to him, having finally managed to get his team of horses parallel to the wheels of Maleinos' chariot.
Velanis was further out, closing in from the direction of the wall. He'd put on a burst of speed as they'd crossed the finish line for the sixth time, managing to line Maleinos' horses with his own. Though the Blue driver still held the inside lane.
The Green began to close in on the final straight away. Along with the third charioteer, they made a sort of reverse triangle. Velanis angled his team in towards Maleinos, trying to slip his nose ahead of the Blue right before the final curve.
I felt myself bounce up and down, Helena's grip tightening on my arm. He was doing it! Velanis was pulling ahead! Maleinos would have to pull back! Or they'd,
And that's when it happened.
Seeing his chance at victory slipping away, the third charioteer, trapped between the Blue and the Green, pulled back on his reins. I'm not sure what he was thinking, perhaps hoping to slip out from behind Velanis and try to race around them on the outside. In any case, it didn't work. He pulled his team to the side too quickly; his horses clipping the edge of Velanis' chariot.
The Green was thrown to the side, his body yanking his own team sharply towards the track's center. And directly into Maleinos. Horses screamed and wood splintered as the two chariots smashed into each other. The Blue vehicle crashed into the dividing wall, skipping off of it and throwing its driver high.
Horse's and chariots rolled, Velanis disappearing into the tumbling wreckage. Behind them, the third chariot was too close. The shattered pieces of the other vehicles speared into his team, tripping them and sending them crashing to the sand with bone cracking force.
The fourth racer, who'd lagged behind the entire race, was far enough away to avoid the wreckage. He steered his team around the debris. His gaze flashed backwards, but he didn't stop.
The blood roared in my ears. Helena's grip on me didn't loosen. The exuberance that had so permeated the Hippodrome evaporated. Everyone gained their feet. In the Imperial Box, bishops pushed past senators, crowding the railing's edge; searching. Slowly, the dust started to clear.
I don't remember who shouted first; who was the first to see and point their fingers. But soon, as the dust cloud broke apart, we all saw them. Maleinos and Velanis; both men lying still.
The crowd's roar turned into a wordless groan; fading into a quiet disbelief as neither champion rose from the puddles of blood that were spreading below each of them.
The men were dead; a sight that was not uncommon on these sands. My breath was coming faster, for though the men and mob were silent, the horses were not.
Their bodies had been broken by the crash. Their legs were shattered, jagged spears of bone ripping through once glossy coats. They thrashed and kicked, their lifeblood pumping from their torn bodies.
And they screamed. God, how those horses screamed.
Their high-pitched, dying shrieks of agony filled the Grand Hippodrome. I felt my fingernails dig into my palms. I added my own blood, to that which was already beneath them.
This was the chorus of war; the sound that followed victory or defeat. The sound brought be back to the fields of Callinicum. I remember the charge of our cavalry and theirs; how they'd broken each other on the spears of our armies.
The third charioteer was still alive, I saw. Beneath the eyes of thousands, he pushed himself to his knees. He crawled over to where one of his horses bucked and screamed, digging bloody trenches in the sand. The man had a knife at his belt. He drew it, giving the poor animal the only mercy he could. His frame shook with sobs, though he did not hesitate in moving to where another of his team lay.
At the track's end, the sole remained charioteer crossed the finish line.
He did not celebrate, did not raise his arms or pump his fists in triumph. He led his team towards the arena's exit with his head bowed. The crowd's silence turned to anger.
They started to hiss and murmur, the water starting to boil. Someone threw a clay jug, dozens and dozens more tossed after it within a breath.
"Fuck," I heard Helena say, her hand finally slipping from me.
Her voice, her scent, and the lingering warmth of her touch bringing me back from where I'd been. I glanced over, met her eyes and felt myself loosen. I let out a shaky breath.
"Yeah."
Fights were starting to break out along the line of fans. Blues blamed Greens for the death of their champion, and Greens blamed anyone but their own Velanis.
"Think that will get out of hand?" Helena asked.
I shifted my shoulders into a shrug. I didn't think so. The few fights there were, were already breaking up; devolving back into insults and shaking fists. The deluge of thrown garbage slowed. The Hippodrome's master sending out a flood of slaves to clear the wreckage.
The mob seemed to settle down; a calm that I did not trust.
"I don't know," I said. "For now, I don't think anyone is quite drunk enough yet."
Helena snorted, shifting her weight. "That’s probably true."
Within the Imperial Box, among Constantinople's great and good, the mood was subdued. Most of them had gotten up while the slaves worked, mingling and speaking to each other with worried faces and shaking heads. The air simmered with the same anxious, confused anger as everyone else.
Alexius of the Blues and Diocles of the Greens were in each other’s faces. They wailed about their lost fortunes; screaming their accusations into the other's throats. Excubitors were closing in, watching to make sure that nobody came to blows in the Emperor's presence.
"Let's go to the Empress," Helena said. "I don't like this."
I grunted, approving of her caution. Theodora was with her husband, speaking with a group that included Belisarius and Antonina, as well as a man dressed in the robes of a priest.
"You're going to have to speak," the Empress was telling Justinian. "Announce the next race. Speak about this loss. Show them that their Emperor is with them."
Justinian let out a breath, scratching at his beard. "I suppose you're right. Damned shamed about Maleinos, too."
"Empathize with them, my love," Theodora continued. "Show them you feel this loss as they do. Although, you must make sure that the Greens feel included as well. We cannot afford to favor one over the other in this moment."
Beside them, the general nodded his approval. Antonina hung off his arm, whispering something into his ear. Belisarius spoke a few moments later.
"I will send some of my soldiers to patrol the streets."
The Emperor shook his head. "That won't be necessary."
"Listen to him, my love," Theodora said. "The general knows his business. There will be fires tonight."
"Fires? Come now, Theodora. The people have settled down."
"Indeed, they have, your Majesty," another voice added. "You are wise to say so."
A man approached us. He was older, though his dark hair remained mostly free of gray. His face was handsome, confident; and he was dressed in the finery of a senator. An armored Excubitor trailed behind him. This man was younger, his eyes an inflated mass of purple bruises.
His gaze fell on me and I bristled at the naked hostility I saw there. I recognized him a heartbeat later. He was the pretty, loud-mouthed idiot who's face I'd smashed in the first time Helena and I had begun to train together.
"Senator Hypatius," the Empress said. "A pleasure." Her tone had dropped into one of polite civility.
"Augusta," the senator answered, bowing low. "As always, your beauty makes my tongue feel awkward."
The Empress smiled slightly. "It that why you don't agree with my words, senator? Because, I can assure you that the people will not forget this. And after the races, when the city's wine houses start to overflow,”
"Of course, you are correct," Hypatius said. His voice was smooth; practiced in a way that only a trained orator could be.
"They will not forget. But, your Majesties, you must understand that the people are angry. Much has changed in the past five years. The people are getting used to your reforms; and the cost of foreign wars have been difficult for many to bear."
"My new taxes have only targeted those with wealth to spare, senator," Justinian said. "Besides, is the expansion of our Empire not worth the cost?"
"Indeed, Augustus," Hypatius said. "And I myself gladly pay what is required of me. However, I fear that in your zeal, you may have misjudged. Your reforms have stripped the wealth and influence of us senators; as well as that of the Blues and the Greens."
"Those with wealth to spare," the Emperor repeated.
"Perhaps," the senator said. "But are we senators not the representatives of the people? Are the Blues and Greens not comprised of thousands of citizens? In most ways, Augustus, we are the people."
The Emperor folded his arms. "So, what do you suggest?"
"A more restrained response," he said. "Let the Blues and Greens mourn their champions as they see fit."
"Your advice is to do nothing?" The Empress cut in. "What then, when fires are started by drunken faction-men butchering each other in the streets? Your villa will not protect you from the mob, Hypatius."
"Nothing? Of course not, Augusta. Indeed, some of my fellow senators and I have great many ideas. If you recall my last proposal before the senate, I,”
"Oh please, Hypatius." It was Antonina that interrupted him. The blonde-woman waving his words away with a dismissive gesture. "We all know that you parrot Diocles' words. It’s a step backwards. As if the Greens do not control enough of this city already."
"Control?" Hypatius said. "This is about survival. With these new reforms; the Greens are barely holding on. Is it a wonder that the people seek to return to more traditional laws."
Antonina snorted. "'Tradition' is a pretty word for thuggery and the whoring of children. I was raised by the Blues, senator. I know what values the factions hold too."
"Be silent!" The bruised guard shouted. He stepped towards Antonina, hand on his sword, his face was molten with rage. "Your betters are speaking, whore!"
Belisarius stepped forward at once, his dark eyes murderous. But it was Hypatius that acted first. His hand flashed, slapping the younger man across the face.
"Shut your mouth, fool boy!"
My mouth fell open. The Excubitor fell back, crying out in pain. Confusion clouded his features. "Father, I,”
"Enough!" Hypatius shouted. "You will be silent." He turned and bowed deeply to Antonina. "Forgive my son, Mistress. Please. He is a young man, and I fear that the heat of the day has fried what little brain he has."
The Empress made a small sound, everyone's attention shifting over to her. "Antonina and I performed together in those days, senator. Is your son insulting me as well?"
The guard's face went white, his eyes flashing to his father. The older man hurriedly bowed again. "Of course not, Augusta. He wasn't thinking. Apologize, boy. To everyone here."
The Excubitor did so, bowing jerkily to everyone in turn. His father led him away a few minutes later, the young-man's face burning with fresh humiliation.
The Emperor let out a breath once they had left. "I think you're right about needed the soldiers, my love."
He suddenly looked very tired. Theodora folded herself around her husband's arm, gazing up at him with a worried expression.
"Belisarius," he continued. "See to it." He started to move towards his speaking platform; the sands below finally cleared of any debris. "Let's hope the rest of the day goes smoothly."
The Empress guides another's wife.
Now, in Theodora's Constantinople, things are continuing to trot along.
I woke up, strangely energetic. Dawn's light was just starting to filter in through my open window; the city starting to wake beyond the palace walls.
I swung my feet out of bed; hurriedly doing what morning preparations I needed before pulling open the door. Helena was there, arm raised, ready to knock. I grinned as she stepped back in surprise.
"Good morning," I said, moving to join her in the hallway.
She glowered, rapping my bare chest with her knuckles. "'Good morning,' he says. Don't scare me like that."
"A soldier must always be ready for the unexpected."
She snorted, but I saw the light dancing in her eyes.
We started to walk through the palace, chatting about what the day held in store for us. We would be training together this morning, and I was eager for the opportunity to stretch my muscles. I was bare-chested, dressed only in my sandals and loin cloth.
Beside me, Helena had wrapped her chest and hips in cloth; her feet wound into light sandals. Her coppery curls were still loose, fluttering over her bared neck and shoulders. I tried to keep my attention forward; on figuring out what we would work on today.
But my eyes kept finding her.
My gaze was drawn to her smile; to curve of her neck and down. I traced the shape of her, witnessed the play of each muscle beneath her bronzed flesh.
I said something, what, I didn't remember. She laughed, and I tried to force my thoughts back to the training that was to come. But still, my mind was filled with her.
Now, I saw her as she would be. I could picture the flush of her cheeks and chest after our run. The way her lips parted with each heavy breath; and how the green of her eyes would deepen as we worked our bodies. I saw again the muscles shift beneath the bare flesh of her shoulders and thighs. I imagined the sweat coating her. I saw it drip, trickling down and making the muscles of her naked stomach gleam with every one of those heaving breaths.
I felt my heart quicken, inhaling deeply through my nose. Anticipating the air that would soon be filled with the intoxicatingly sour scent of her femininity.
"Are you going to answer my question?" I heard Helena ask.
"What?" I said, blinking my way back into the present. She was looking over at me, her eyebrow arched.
"I asked you a question, Leo," she repeated. "A while ago, actually."
"You did?" I said. "I, uh,”
I trailed off, heat suddenly roaring through me. God help me. How did I admit that I hadn't heard a word she'd said because I'd been admiring the way her behind bounced?
She laughed, the sound growing louder as my blush deepened. She stopped moving after a few more seconds, facing me with her hands on her almost naked hips.
"Is this how it’s going to be every time I try and talk with you?" She said, "I guess I have to get my important questions out before you notice my ass, huh?"
I hadn't thought that I could get any redder. I stammered out an apology, stopping when Helena's laugh interrupted me.
"I'm just teasing you, Leo." Her eyes were bright. "Although, I would have thought that you'd be used to this by now." She gestured down at herself. "We've been training together like this for weeks."
I blew out a breath, speaking before I really had a chance to think. "I don't think that I'll ever get used to the sight of you, Helena."
Her eyes flicked away, and I noticed a flush creeping up from the swell of her chest. I felt my own burning heat fade into a softer sort of warmth. The pit of my stomach fluttering with little embers of heat.
"Yeah, well," she said. "As long as it doesn't make you stop,”
She trailed off, her expression unsure. She bit her lip, hesitant about something.
"Are you asking me to go easy on you?" I asked, my tone teasing. "Because it will take more than a bit of exposed skin to stop me from beating you blue, shield mate."
Her face relaxed; and the smile she gave me nearly made me shiver.
"Good," she said. "What are we going to work on today?"
We still stood in place, facing each other in the empty hallway. I scratched at my stubble, thinking out loud.
"Well, we'll run first to get out muscles ready. And then, when we spar, I think we'll try to focus on your shield. You're still sloppy with it, and I,”
Helena had stretched, reaching her arms towards the ceiling as I'd been speaking. I'd managed to keep myself from focusing too closely on her. But I'd choked on my words when, with a flash of mischief, Helena had neatly spun around so that her back was to me. Then, she folded herself at the waist.
My eyes went wide, heart beginning to hammer in my chest. I had no idea what I'd been about to say; the totality of my thoughts swallowed by curving of her lower, near naked cheeks. I watched the play of her muscles; the way her flesh quivered with the slow movement. And as she bent lower, her ass was pulled further apart. I felt my breath catch, drinking in the sight of that narrow strip of cloth tucked away within her center.
That pristine white cloth clung to shape of her; snuggly wrapping around every curl of her deepest crevice.
Helena's hands were near to the ground now, drawing something out from around her sandaled feet. Her legs shifted, opening more of herself to me.
My throat was so dry. I think I'd forgotten to breathe for a while as well, the growing ache of my lungs a feeling that was infinitely distant.
My gaze was slowly sliding down the depths of her; coming to rest at the tight, little flare where her navel flowed into the joining of her thighs. The swell of that place hypnotized me. The veiled, curling shape of her sex drawing me even deeper.
It was like a bundled-up Christ day gift; one who's wrapping I ached to pull aside. My blood roared in my ears, my mouth suddenly flooding with saliva. What sort of glory would that cloth reveal? What sort of taste would I discover within?
Slowly, Helena started to straighten. Her naked back arching as she brought herself upright once more. I didn't look away from her, making sure that I captured the moment her closing cheeks swallowed that ever so narrow strip of cloth whole.
"Sorry," she said, turning back towards me, her face a reddened mask of delight. She held up the strip of cloth that she kept tied around one thigh, reaching up to loop it around her head. "I had to get this."
I couldn't speak right away; my mind was that wheel, whirling uselessly in the muck. I shifted, trying to ease the throbbing stiffness between my legs. And after a few more heartbeats, I even remembered to breathe.
"Come on then," she said, brightly. "Let's get down to the sands, shield mate."
She started to move, and after a few more seconds, I finally juddered into motion.
"That was payback," I accused. "For startling you."
She grinned; her cheeks still flushed. She didn't deny it. We spoke a bit more on our way through the palace. Helena walked closer to me, I noticed, and I delighted every time I felt the warmth of her bare arm brush against mine.
Despite what it may seem to some, I wasn't a fool. I could feel the growing attraction between us. We were shield mates, yes; bound by duty to stand beside each other. But it was more than that. We spent nearly every waking moment together. Despite that, I was starting to realize that the ache I felt when I lay down to sleep, was the hollowness of her absence.
I was falling for her. And somehow, by God's own miracle; this strong, mischievous, soul-achingly beautiful woman was growing to care for me in turn.
Our arms brushed once again, and I felt my stomach flutter. I tried to hide the idiotic grin that stretched across my features.
We were not far from the Hippodrome now, having fallen silent a few turns back. And it was into that quiet, that my mother spoke.
'This isn't right, my little lion. You know it isn't. This place, this woman couldn't build you the home you deserve. And your father; what would your father say if he could see you now?'
I let out a breath, my mind a storm of agonized indecision. Despite the happiness I felt here; it was like I was being pulled in two different directions. Like I was trying to walk two paths that were growing further and further apart.
I glanced over towards Helena, in time to meet her own eyes. She smiled, though it was small. She'd been biting her lip, face twisted into the same anxious hesitancy of before.
And in that moment; despite how near to each other we walked, it felt like there was a chasm between us.
We were not the first to set foot on the Hippodrome's sands that morning. There was a group of slaves there, clearing broken bits of clay, food and whatever other debris remained on the track after yesterday's races. Another group smoothed the sand with long rakes, working quickly in the rising heat of the early morning.
Helena and I limbered up, stretching our muscles while the cloudless sky became bright. We jogged, then ran the Hippodrome's circle; both of us keeping to the outer wall when we came to the place that Maleinos and Velanis had died.
By the time we finished our third lap, Excubitors had begun to file out and begin their own training. They didn't bother us, though I felt the hatred in the raccoon-eyed glare of senator Hypatius' son.
We'd begun to spar when yet another group entered the Grand Hippodrome. Helena and I watched them a bit between bouts. They were builders, coming in with wagon-loads of cut wood and tools. They started to erect some sort of structure at the track's center.
"It’s a gallows," Helena said.
We were at the water-barrel now, sweat pouring off of our bruised, dusty flesh. I looked over to where the builders still worked, a few men handing planks and beams of wood up to those waiting on the medium-sized stage they'd already managed to assemble.
"I didn't hear too much fighting last night," I said. "Nobody set any fires either."
Helena stretched, winced and rubbed at one bicep. "The soldiers must have kept things pretty quiet. But there's always a few drunken brawls that go too far."
I grunted, taking another long sip of water. I'd been eight when I saw my first hanging. It was part of life in the Empire; and even in Rhodos, we'd had our share of killers and thieves. There would be hangings tomorrow, I bet; men whose blood had run too hot after yesterday's races.
I shifted, squinting up towards the sun. "Come on," I said. "We're due to relieve the Excubitors at the Empress' door. You know how cranky they get when we're late."
Helena snorted, helping me stow our training gear. "God forbid they have to wait a few more minutes to see their daddy's massage-slaves."
I chuckled, and we made for the palace entrance; though I did glance over my shoulder one last time. The gallows were already mostly up. I felt my good mood fade. We'd been lucky last night, and I doubted that more than a dozen or so people had done anything bad enough to warrant this execution.
The Emperor was showing his might, and I hoped that it would be enough to quell whatever dissent remained. As I walked away, however, I once again heard the crowd's chant. I felt a twinge of something in my chest; an echo of the tide that had moved the mob.
I tried not to dwell on it, as I followed Helena back towards our Empress.
The palace is buzzing.
The halls of the Imperial Palace were a buzz with activity. During the day; this vast complex swarmed with administrators, scribes, scholars. Not to mention the hundreds of other people needed to keep of an Empire of this size running smoothly.
They kept to the bottom floors; moving within a hive of offices, workspaces and audience chambers. The upper floors meanwhile, were the haunt of nobles, senators, generals and bishops.
Helena and I had passed many of the Empire's elite on our way through the more sumptuously decorated upper halls. These were those men whose wealth and influence allowed them to petition the Emperor directly. And so, while Justinian would spend his day meeting with Byzantium's great and good; the Empress, met with their wives.
I opened the door to Theodora's chamber at the sound of a pleasant knock. I felt my body tighten, as I found myself suddenly facing Antonina.
"Leontius," she said. "Good morning."
She was as stunning as ever. Her blonde hair was piled atop her head, several locks of it cascading downward to brush the flesh of her bare-shoulders. The rest of her pale, luscious curves were veiled by the blue of her dress. The cloth was gossamer thin, clinging tightly to where her body swelled and curled.
And as my eyes traced the shape of her, it took all my will-power not to linger on the spot where the glinting gold of her chain disappeared into the soft valley between her breasts.
"Should I announce myself, then?"
I started, flushing. Antonina had noticed my gaze, of course, and her lips were now curled into a pleased smile. Her eyes found mine. I swallowed, seeing a flicker of that hunger burning within her.
"Empress," I managed to croak. "Mistress Antonina to see you."
"'Nina!" Theodora's voice came from behind me. "Come in, come in."
I stepped to the side, letting Antonina glide past me and into the Empress' reception room. I shut the door, breathing through my mouth as the heady scent of the woman flooded me.
The Empress rose from her divan to greet her friend. The two women embraced, talking loudly. My eyes shifted to Helena, feeling something flutter within me as she tilted her head towards me.
My shield mate was in her armor; seated at a small desk not far from where the Empress lounged. She'd been reading from a stack of reports, letters and notes; marking down and setting aside whatever responses Theodora decided to give.
She smiled at me, and I returned it.
"I have a busy day today, but you're welcome to stay with me," the Empress told her friend. She pulled Antonina down onto the divan beside her, glancing towards Helena.
"Who's my first appointment?"
"Lady Irene," she said. "Wife of Governor Arethas."
"The Governor of Samos is here?" Antonina said, helping herself to a tray of tea and pastries left behind by the servants. "I didn't know that the old pervert had remarried."
"She's a sweet girl," Theodora said. "Young, but intelligent."
Antonina made a small sound, biting into a pastry and brushing the crumbs from her breasts. Not long after, I heard a tentative knock at the door.
I pulled it open, revealing a noblewoman standing demurely in the hallway. She was young, having probably just entered her second decade of life. She had dark hair, with a pretty, heart-shaped face. Her skin was pale as Antonina's, already tinged pink by the heat of the morning.
"Lady Irene?" I asked, politely. She nodded, and I let her in once I'd properly announced her.
"Irene," the Empress said. "So good of you to come, dear."
"Augusta,” the girl said with a graceful curtsy. "Thank you so much for meeting with me."
Theodora stood to greet her, rising up from her divan without apparent effort. She stepped towards the young woman; her feet bare as was her habit within her chambers. Her hair was down; her walnut tresses flowing downward in elegant curls. She'd wrapped her dancers frame in purple; the cloth of her dress as light and airy as Antonina's. Her shoulders, arms and lower legs were bare; her skin glowing warmly in the mid-morning light.
"Of course, of course." The Empress embraced the young woman, kissing her on both cheeks. She introduced Antonina next, the general's wife standing to embrace the woman as well.
"Sit, sit, my dear," Theodora said, gesturing to one of chairs facing her divan. "You must be on the verge of death in that dress. Helena, would you get the Lady Irene some water?"
The young woman obeyed, seating herself and smoothing her skirts.
She wore one of the more traditional dresses of the new, Christian nobility. One of those many-layered, tightly-buttoned garments of somber gray that was as smothering as it was impractical. I didn't know how the poor woman could bear all of that cloth and lace. I'd started to sweat just looking at her.
"Now," the Empress said once they'd spent a few minutes exchanging pleasantries. "What brings you to the palace today, dear?"
The young Lady Irene let out a breath, carefully placing her cup of water down. She straightened, folding her hands onto her lap before she spoke.
"I came to pay my respects, Augusta. And to ask for your advice."
"Well then, consider the formalities over and done with. Speak freely, my dear."
Irene nodded. She hesitated a moment, then spoke. "It is about my husband, the Lord Arethas."
The Empress nodded. "You've been married for close to two years, have you not?"
"Yes, Augusta. And in that time, I have familiarized myself with the extent of his domain. I have also made a study of our laws, including the new legislation put into place by yourself and our Emperor."
Theodora smiled encouragingly, waiting.
"And, it’s just that, My husband isn't running things well," Lady Irene blurted.
Antonina laughed, and the Empress raised an eyebrow. The young-woman flushed, quickly correcting herself. "It isn't that, your Majesty. Forgive me. It’s just that there is so much more that could be done to improve. We are a small province, and our people are generally happy and healthy. Yet, with a few simple changes, Samos could become one of the most prosperous provinces in the Empire."
"Well, he is the Governor," Theodora said. "As his wife, your duty is to help and advise him. The decisions, however, are ultimately his to make."
"But he won't listen to me!" Irene said, her hands twisting the fabric of her dress. "I lay out my ideas for him as succinctly as I can, and yet he dismisses them without consideration. I'm no child, and yet, he treats me as one."
"Maybe your ideas aren't that good," Antonina said.
Irene flushed, but she didn't back down. "With respect, Mistress, that is untrue. For example,”
"Yes, yes," Antonina cut back in. "I believe you. I wanted to see if there was bit of steel in your spine."
"Pardon, Mistress?"
"That strength is important," Antonina continued. "Hold onto it, but keep it hidden."
"Hidden? Mistress, I don't understand. From whom must I hide myself?"
"Why, dear," the Empress said. "From men, of course."
Theodora smiled at the Irene's bewildered expression. She shifted on her divan, leaning towards the young woman.
"Men have made this world their own. It is a hard truth for us women, but it is one nonetheless. They're jealous of their place in it, our men. An intelligent, driven woman like you is,”
"Terrifying," Antonina finished. "Men hate the thought that we'd be just as capable at running things as they are."
Irene slumped back. "Then, there is nothing I can do? I'll just have to sit by and watch the world go by without having ever touched it."
"That’s how many women live their lives," the Empress said, gently.
"But I don't want to!" She exclaimed. "Help me, Augusta. Please. You and Mistress Antonina do not live so passively. How do I mirror what both of you have done?"
Both women considered the young noble's words. They shared a look, and it was Antonina that next spoke.
"How's your marriage?"
Irene blinked. "Mistress?"
"Your marriage," Antonina insisted. "How would you describe it?"
"Good," she said after a few moments. She was clearly a bit put out by the sudden change, but elaborated nonetheless. "I'd say that it is good. We are civil to each other, and he never mistreats or forces himself on me."
Antonina arched an eyebrow. "Truly? With tits like yours, girl, I figured that he'd be pawing at them every night."
Irene gaped, too surprised to even flush. I managed to hold onto a cough, unable to help glancing down towards her chest. And indeed, even tightly bound and completely covered, the shape of her breasts was impressive. They were of a size with Antonina's, I thought, though it was hard to tell.
Helena, I noticed, was craning her neck to get a look as well.
"How's the sex?" Antonina continued. "Do you enjoy it? And what about him? Does he just pump it into you while you lie there, or do you make an effort?"
The Lady Irene's eyes were starting to go a bit wild. Her gaze flicked to the Empress, her expression pleading. But Theodora remained silent, watching the exchange with a small smile.
"Well?" Antonina demanded.
The young woman's face was one of sheer horror. She stuttered out a meaningless series of words, clutching her face with her hands.
"I thought so," Antonina said. "You're making a mistake, you know. You need to know how to fuck if you want to get anywhere, girl. You're young, you're beautiful and you've got breasts enough to stiffen a eunuch. Don't button them up like that; use them."
The noblewoman still couldn't respond, face scarlet. Antonina sighed, and without a flicker of warning, reached up to the neckline of her own dress and pulled it down.
Now I did choke, coughing as her breasts spilled out into the open air. They were as lush, creamy and full as I remembered. Twin, rounded curves of pale softness that quivered with every one of Antonina's breaths. Her nipples, pink as a sun-kissed morning, were already starting to stiffen.
I remembered the feel of them in my palms. How I'd run my fingers over the heavy smoothness of each breast and pinched those beautiful nipples. I remembered how the heat of her had warmed them. And how they'd glistened with her sweat and the spit that had trickled down to them from where her lips had met my phallus.
My mother shrieked. What was I doing? Helena was right there! Suddenly, I felt a fist clench around my heart. I ripped my gaze away, blood rushing to my face. My eyes sought my shield mate, finding her within a heartbeat. My sudden alarm fading as I met her steady gaze.
She smiled, though there must have still been something a little panicked in my features because her smile widened. She covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling in silent laughter.
I let out a breath, managing to toss her a sheepish grin before forcing myself back to attention.
Back around the Empress' divan; Lady Irene looked like she'd been kicked by horse.
"You see?" The blonde woman said. She looked down at herself, her expression becoming faintly bitter. "They're already starting to sag. Tits like ours have an expiration date, girl. You have to use them while you can."
Antonina's voice seemed to shock the noble woman out of her daze. "Mis, Mistress Antonina!"
Her breath quickened, her gaze flicking up to Antonina's face, then the Empress' and then towards me. Impossibly, she seemed to burn a shade redder.
"Your breasts! The guard, Mistress! I,” She trailed off, her mouth still working silently.
"Oh, relax," the general's wife said. "Everyone here has seen them before. And didn't you hear what I said? I have to show them off while they're still nice to look at."
So speaking, the woman cupped both of her breasts with her hands, pushing them together and swallowing the cross between them.
Irene choked.
To be continued in part 4, Based on the works of Robyn Bee, for Literotica.
