Roman Justice

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I sent a letter to Aurelius telling him I would resign from the Civil Service. I am done with Pilate. In less than a month, Tiberius recalled Pilate. The notice said a new Prefect for Palestine would arrive in a month.

Lydia had a baby daughter a week later. My son was six months old, and now I have a daughter. The women in my life were ecstatic and I was happy to have children and a happy family. Now, all I had to do was get out of Palestine and take Flavia to see her family.

I received a reply from Aurelius before the new Prefect arrived. I was granted my retirement as soon as I finished instructing my replacement. Marcellus, Pilate's replacement, arrived in a couple of weeks. I stayed with his secretary until he was familiar with the council. Judah was prepared to help them as he had me.

As soon as we were finished in Jerusalem, we headed to the villa. I thought we could rest there until the spring before heading to Macedonia.

We settled in, Flavia and our son in our room, and Lydia and her daughter in another room. Of course, Helena was there to handle the details as she had my entire life. Upon arrival, we discovered the old man we had bought the villa from had died. His widow was there, but confused and scared. She was able to tell me where her family lived, and I had my men take her to her family. She was a sweet, old lady, and now our villa was ours alone.

It was a peaceful time. The winter wasn't hard in the desert, and we enjoyed the children and the sunsets. We did have one thing that was unusual happen. A couple of my former bodyguards appeared at our door around the winter solstice holiday. They told me their enlistment was finished, and they decided to see if I needed bodyguards. Since I had been thinking about that before going back into the Roman Empire, I hired them on the spot.

During that holiday, Flavia informed me she wanted another child. She would like a girl. We decided to start on that immediately. Lydia was still recovering from her baby's birth. It had been six months since the baby was born, and Lydia was still breastfeeding. Flavia had stopped breastfeeding, and I was disappointed, personally. I enjoyed the leftovers. I loved watching the baby suckle until he fell asleep, and then clean up what was still in the tank, so to speak. I had to be careful of her tender breasts, but she seemed to enjoy it nearly as me.

Now he had been weaned and Flavia was getting restless. The baby slept in a basket in our room. Flavia got him asleep and put him to bed. She smiled as she came to bed. "I am completely healed from the birth. I am horny as hell and need to be fucked good."

I smiled, welcomed her to our bed and satisfied her wish a couple of times. We began most nights trying again to get her pregnant. She got pregnant again in the first month of the new year. Our son was fifteen months old, which means he will be slightly more than two when the new baby comes.

After Lydia had recovered from the birth of her daughter, I had been spending time with her in her room to bond with my daughter. Flavia insisted the baby had to know me. I wasn't going to argue with Flavia, but it meant I got to suck on both women's breasts that year.

In the spring Flavia came to me to inform me it was time to breed Lydia again. She said Lydia would need two children to be together. Therefore, from the early spring until mid-summer I fucked Lydia one night and Flavia the next. I was beginning to wear down by the time Lydia announced she was pregnant. I was happy, both because of another child and the fact they would leave me alone for a while.

Flavia' pregnancy was much easier than the first. She was able to stay in our bed until the last month. My daughter was born in the first month of the summer season. Angela Beti Cicero was a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Two weeks later, Flavia was nursing Angela, and I was watching. The baby finished and was put in bed. Flavia, I need to talk to you about something." She sat up and waited. "Lydia's second baby won't be born until late in the fall. It will be at least next year before we can leave for Macedonia. We must wait until the babies are strong enough to travel."

"Yes, I know. We will have to wait. It's nice, though, isn't it?"

"Very peaceful, but we can't hide here forever."

"No, we must go home next year."

"There is one other thing I want to talk to you about." She nodded. "I want to give Lydia and her children their freedom. I want to give her papers that make them free. I was wondering what you think about that?"

"Why would I be opposed to that?"

"I didn't know because of the legality of the children being free citizens."

She laughed at me. "You honestly think I care about that? This isn't the royal palace. Inheritance and succession aren't a thing in our family. I think it would be wonderful for her. She has certainly earned it, what she went through as a small child until now."

I agreed and had the papers drawn up. Now it was just finding the right opportunity to present the papers to her.

Helena saved me the trouble. As soon as Flavia told her, Helena started crying and screaming. When Lydia came to see what was wrong, I had to give her the papers. Then I had two women crying and screaming. The three women were so unsettled, I had to leave. I went out onto the patio and watched the sunset. After several minutes, the ladies came out to see me. Lydia was holding the papers and crying uncontrollably. "Master, thank you, thank you. My children can be free now, not slaves." She sat in my lap and cried on my shoulder for a few minutes. I let her cry.

"One thing, Lydia, you must now stop calling me "Master". I am no longer you master, just your friend."

That started another wave of sobbing. I just let her sit there until she could settle down.

She then whispered in my ear "I guess I move from slave to mistress."

I smiled and nodded. Flavia looked at me funny, but I told her later.

By year end, I needed to begin to make arrangements to move. I sent a letter to Judah, asking him to come to see us. I sent a letter to Flavia's father telling him we are coming next year.

Judah arrived in the spring. He hugged Flavia, Lydia and the hardest hug, Helena. He had enjoyed her meals during the years we were in Jerusalem.

"Judah, I asked you here because we are leaving Palestine this year. We are never coming back. I am giving you this villa as a thank you for all you did for me in Jerusalem those many years."

Flavia and Lydia giggled and applauded quietly. They obviously approve.

"Sire, you can't do that. I can try and buy it from you."

"No, there is no need for that. I need to be able to go. No complications. It would be better for us if I just signed it over to you. You can come here to retire. You would be helping me."

Judah tried to hold his emotions back. "Thank you, sir. I will never forget you."

I signed the papers and gave them to him, and we spent the next couple of days reminiscing about the good old days. He left with tears in his eyes. I must admit, I had a few myself.

One of my bodyguards came to see me as we were preparing to leave.

"Sir, may I speak to you?"

"Of course, Marcellus. What can I do for you.?"

"I was wondering if you were planning on taking us with you. If not, we will need to make other arrangements."

"That will be up to you. If you wish to go, of course, you are welcome to go. If not, you are free to leave."

"We have discussed this, and, if you will have us, we want to go with you."

"You are welcome to come with us." He hesitated to leave." Is there something else?"

"Yes. Two of our friends that were part of your immediate bodyguard squad have also retired. They are prepared to return to Rome. I was wondering if they could come with us also. That would give you four Roman soldiers for protection. We would work hard also. They don't really want to go to Rome now that Caligula is emperor. He is nuts. They don't want anything to do with him."

They are right. Tiberius had died soon after replacing Pilate. (37AD) He was followed by one of his nephews, Caligula. Caligula is uncontrollable. It is believed in the senate that he is insane. Two years into his reign and all of Rome fears for their lives.

"I don't blame them. Tell them they can go with us and to come as soon as possible."

He thanked me and left to send them a letter. Now, four former Legionnaires would be a strong security force. Especially if they bring their uniforms. They are not supposed to, but many times, no one pays attention, and they keep them as souvenirs. The two here now still had theirs. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to have a couple of Roman soldiers standing behind you.

They arrived during the summer. We now plan on leaving in the fall. My son was now two, and my daughter was six months old. Lydia was pregnant and due in a couple of months. We decided to leave as soon as Lydia's newborn was strong enough to travel.

I booked a passage on a ship going to Ephesus before the winter solstice. I sent a letter to Judah telling him when we would be gone and again thanking him for everything.

Lydia's second daughter was born in the last month of summer. Ester Delphine Cicero was a healthy girl. Flavia had not objected to me when I decided to give my last name to my slave girl's babies. Now that she is a free woman, it could be sticky. However, because they are both females, and born after my son, there would no issues. Flavia's son will get everything when I die.

Ester was only three months when we left. However, with Helena there, that baby might as well have been in a crib in a palace. Helena made sure she was warm, and that Lydia was able to breastfeed her whenever Helena thought she needed it.

It took a week to arrive in Ephesus. I had booked a villa there for us to stay two weeks. I had a special reason to do so, other than allowing the baby to recover from the rough sailing. I had written a friend in Rome and asked him to check the registry to find any information he could about Lydia's background. He had her last name and gave me a man in Ephesus that could check for me. A month before we left, I sent him a letter asking him to look for any possible relatives of Lydia that might still be alive. Just before we sailed, he sent a letter saying he would meet us at the dock. I had hope he would be able to direct us to someone in Lydia's family.

The man met us at the dock. He did have good news. Lydia's older sister was still alive. Turned out, Lydia was stolen off the streets of Ephesus. She was never a casualty of war, or debt. She was stolen from a family there. He gave me the name and address. I gave him a liberal reward for his work, but I didn't tell anyone just yet.

Once we were settled, I called everyone together. "I need Lydia to sit here with me." She came with her small baby in her arms. "Lydia, I have known how sad you have been since you were stolen from the streets of Ephesus. I have searched for you and found your older sister. If you would like, we can take you to her."

Helena grabbed the baby before Lydia collapsed on the floor. Flavia sat beside her on the floor and comforted her until she was able to regain her composure. She finally was able to lift her head and grab her notepad.

She wrote, "I have dreamed of my family every day since I was stolen. I can't believe you found my sister. Please, let's go see her."

Helena stayed with the older children and Lydia took the baby with us. I hired a carriage to take us to the address given to me.

When we arrived, I decided to go to the door. I felt it might be too much of a shock if it wasn't prepared. I walked up to the door and asked for Althea Penelope Andino. The middle-aged woman at the door nearly collapsed. Her family helped her back into the house and invited us in.

"She recovered to say, "I am Althena Caras now. Why do you ask?"

I helped Lydia to the front. Althena and Lydia looked at each other and fell into their arms. They cried like babies. They babbled about everything at once. Flavia and I just watched. I must confess, we were crying a little while we watched.

After everyone settled down, we sat in their sitting room to tell her story. She wrote of being kidnapped off the streets of Ephesus and taken to Rome as a young slave. She was sold to a senator privately. He abused her and caused her not to be able to speak with his abuse. She wrote of how I had saved her from certain death at his hands and taken her in. Her sister was looking at me as she read Lydia's notes. She teared up again as she read of her life with Flavia and me.

When she was finished, I spoke. "I am so happy for Lydia. She is a wonderful and smart young woman."

"Is she your slave?"

"She was. However, we set her free. She has her papers. Her children are free."

That started another round of crying. I finally held up my hand. "We are going back to our villa now. Lydia can stay with you for a while if you both wish to catch up. Lydia, we are going to leave for Macedonia in one week. You are free now. You may stay here or come with us. That is your choice now."

Flavia and I hugged her and told her we would talk later.

I held Flavia's hand as we returned to the carriage. That was nice.

The next day, I had Helena take Lydia's older daughter to her. One of the bodyguards went with her for protection. Helena stayed all afternoon to get to know Lydia's family.

It was during that week that we had another unusual experience. Flavia and I were walking in the bazaars and shops. She wanted something to remember Ephesus. We came upon the city's slave auction block. Every major city in the Roman Empire had one. Flavia wanted to leave, but a young, blonde girl in the back caught my attention. She reminded me of Aurelius' girl so long ago. I asked someone standing around and he told me these were captives from the last raid into Germania. My two guards were in their Roman uniforms, just in case. As we looked on, the auctioneer brought out an old man. Why they had taken him and not just killed him, I couldn't figure it out.

However, the auctioneer started asking for bids. Nothing came forward. After a couple of minutes, the auctioneer took out his sword and run the old man through. He wiped his sword clean on the old man's ass as he died. He then had him pulled off the stage and thrown into the alley.

That made me mad. I have soured on the slave trade because of Lydia, but to be cruel is unnecessary. Next came the two young girls. They were terrified and clinging together. I noticed the next man in line. He was very agitated and was being hit and beaten by the guards. One of the girls was the blonde girl that made me stop in the first place. These girls couldn't be more than twelve or thirteen. They had stripped them naked and put harsh collars on their necks. They had chains on their legs, like they were going to run away. They could barely walk. He began the sales pitch. The crowd was excited and yelling obscene comments and laughing. I watched as the auctioneer played with the girl's hair. The girls were crying and the man behind them was struggling mightily. He obviously knew the girls and was objecting to their treatment. I finally could not take any more of this trash. I walked up and held up my hand. Everyone stopped. I looked like a Roman noble, and I had two Roman soldiers standing behind me.

"Stop this embarrassment. What do you want for these two children?"

The crowd looked at him, waiting to see how he responded. He responded by having his men from the back come forward. They had their hands on their swords. My two guards stepped in front of me and drew their swords. That stopped everything. These thugs didn't want to mess with trained Roman soldiers.

"I repeat, what do you want for these children?"

He was angry and he quoted a ridiculous number. "You know these are children and they would not survive any abuse. You will have to do better than that."

He stood and looked at me. For all he knew, I was a Roman official. He didn't want any trouble with Rome. He finally lowered his price, and I met it. I asked if anyone in the crowd spoke their language. One old man in the back raised his hand.

"Sir, would you mind translating for me?"

He nodded and came forward. "Please tell the girls they will be okay."

He did so, but it didn't help much. As we were doing that, they brought the man to the stage. He had a collar and a muzzle over his face. He was chained hand and foot, and they were beating him the entire time.

I turned to the old man. "Ask them if they are related to that man."

He did so, but it took a few minutes for them to tell him he was their brother. By then, the crowd was enjoying the show. I finally raised my hand. That brought the noise to a stop again.

"Do you know this man is the girl's brother?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. This is my business, and this man is an asset I am selling to the highest bidder. Do you want him too?"

I didn't but I knew I could not separate them from their big brother. They would need his protection.

"Yes, I do. Give me your best price." I looked back at my men, and he got the message. He gave me a price that was high, but not terrible. I accepted. Once I had given him his money, I ordered all the hardware removed. I told his men to not hit my property ever again. That they understood and stood down. They took the muzzle off his head and the collar from his neck.

I spoke to the translator. Tell the man his sisters will not be touched, but he must cooperate with me." The man spoke to the slave. He stopped struggling and looked me in the eye. I could not blame him for the anger in his eyes, but he agreed.

I told them to remove the leg irons. The auctioneer started to say something, but when he saw the look in my eyes, he stopped and had them removed.

One last thing. "Bring me clothes for these people. There is no need to parade little children around naked for your pleasure. Bring them decent clothes, not rags."

His face was red with anger, but two Roman soldiers with their hands on their swords stopped any arguments. They brought them decent clothes and Flavia helped the girls get covered. As we stood on the side talking to each of my new purchases, the auctioneer continued the auction. He had three more German men and an old lady. Why did they bring the old to these things. I am surprised she survived the journey from Germania in the first place. He started with the old woman, but no one wanted her. As he drew his sword, I held up my hand.

He was getting very angry. "What now, do you want this one too?"

"No, but there is no reason to kill someone just because you can't make any money off them."

"I'll tell you what. If you don't want me to kill her, take her and leave me alone."

Great, now four. At least she was free. "Remove the chains and find her some clothes and I will leave. They did so immediately, and I headed back to the villa with my new purchases.

That was expensive, but Flavia was happy. She had her arm on mine the entire walk back.

Once we arrived, I asked the translator if he could help us until we left. He agreed and we found a secure room to put them in. Once then, I had my men remove all the restraints. I then took the interpreter in and sat down in front of them.

I asked each one their names and where they were from. They answered quietly. I asked them to tell me their story.

The brother answered for them. Roman troops had responded to raids from Germania. They had come upon their village. When the men from the village came out to fight them, our soldiers did what they do. They killed the men resisting and took everyone else prisoner. The prisoners were sent to Rome and Ephesus.

"Please tell them I don't want more slaves, but I could not allow young children to be abused. Tell the brother that if he does not cause any problems, we may be able to work something out once we are in Macedonia. The man translated and the brother almost smiled. He nodded his head. I don't know why I did what I did next, but I walked up to him and put out my hand. He stood frozen for a second before he took my hand, and we shook. I told one of my guards to stay here and Helena fed them decent food. I also had them bring softer materials for them to sleep on. That should do it tonight. I told the guards to have the four men take turns sitting in here for tonight. He nodded and I went back into the house.