Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion (The Artorian Chronicles) (11 page)

“You’re a big one,” Diana observed, looking his way once more. Artorius grinned.

“Why thank you; I will take that as a compliment.”

“It was meant as one,” she replied with a short nod to the side. Artorius then looked down for a second before addressing her again.

“My Lady, please do not mistake my being but a plebian soldier…” his words were cut short as Diana raised a hand, silencing him.

“I think no such thing,” she replied. “My cousin, while not of noble birth, is an honorable man; as I take it are the men who serve under him.” Artorius nodded in response. “He speaks highly of the men who have fought beside him in battle. You have served in battle, have you not?” Artorius grimaced and looked down once more. While it was a more familiar topic, it was not one that he felt was appropriate.

“More times than I’d care to remember,” he said with a sigh.
Diana looked off to the side, thinking about his words.

“Proculus has said the same thing many times. And yet
you
look so young.”

“I am older than I look,” Artori
us replied, “but yes, in the large scheme of things I am still very young. In fact, I am the youngest Decanus in the Cohort.”

“That’s no small accomplishment,” Diana
spoke with genuine admiration. “I think I now remember where I heard your name before. About a year ago I was in Cologne to see Proculus and Vorena. There was a spectacular festival going on, along with a tournament involving the legion’s best fighters.”

“You were there for that?” Artorius asked astonished that he had no
t noticed her even though the crowd had numbered in the thousands.

“I doubt that you would have seen me,” Diana replied. “I sat in one of the newly-renovated covered boxes that sat up high. Vorena said she did not want to sit out in the sun; and besides, Proculus insisted on sitting with that rowdy lot of a Cohort! You looked good, by the way.” Artorius felt his face turn red as he thought about Diana seeing him in one of his proudest moments.

“Thank you, my Lady.”

“I mean you all do look alike, what with the exact same clothing and helmets covering your heads. You did stand out to me, though. I figure it must have been your size that gave you away.
I remember watching you get practically mauled by your companions after they presented you the ceremonial gladius.” Artorius grinned, though he elected not to go into further detail, especially given what he did later that evening. Granted the night he spent with those two young lasses was one of his fonder memories.

“
I have to say, I was quite fascinated,” Diana continued. “I’ve been to gladiatorial matches before, but they looked amateurish compared to the way legionaries fight.”

“We did put that theory to the test one time,” Artorius said. “
During the Triumph of Germanicus our Optio, who was also the man who taught me how to fight, challenged a gladiator in the arena. Let’s just say the end result made some men a lot of money, to include Centurion Proculus.”

“I hear
d about that,” Diana remembered. “You mentioned the Triumph of Germanicus. You are indeed older than you look if you took part in the wars against the Cherusci.”

“I served in the last two of Germanicus’ three campaigns,” Artorius replied.

“Will you tell me about them sometime?” Diana asked. Artorius took a slow breath while he thought about it. Did he really want Diana to know about his quest to avenge his brother that brought on sheer bloodlust? While she would no doubt be awe-inspired by tales of valor against the barbaric hordes, she would be equally repelled when hearing about the utter brutality of the war that did not take place on the battlefield. How would she react, knowing that he had murdered entire families, to include women and small children, in cold blood? He elected for a more cordial and noncommittal answer.

“Sometime,” he said.

“Fair enough,” Diana replied with a friendly smile. “I have to say…” She stopped in mid-sentence, a strange look crossing her face. She looked away, her smile vanishing as she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. When she opened her eyes once more they were no longer warm and inviting. She was staring at the ground, her breathing coming more quickly and deeply.

“Are you alright, my Lady?” Artorius asked, concerned by the sudden change in her demeanor. “I hope I have not offended you.”

“You’re fine,” Diana replied curtly. She then stood and walked briskly towards the doorway. “Have whatever’s left of the wine before you leave.” She was gone before Artorius could inquire further. He sought to follow her, but was stopped by the servant Proximo.

“Please, Sir must forgive Domina,” he said respectfully.
“She can only be in the company of a man for so long before
it
becomes too much for her. She did last far longer with you than with most, I admit.”

“Before
what
becomes too much for her?” Artorius asked, suddenly irritated. Proximo then raised his hands in resignation.

“It is not for me to tell Sir,” he replied as he lowered his head, fully expecting to be chastised.
Instead Artorius returned to the garden and finished the wine in the pitcher without bother to use a cup. He then walked over to where Diana’s goblet sat. It was almost full. He finished it in a single pull and left out the side entrance, not wishing to cross through the house again.

“Well that was a bit weird,” he stated out loud as his horse started out the main gate of the manor house. He wondered if Lady Diana was unwed because she was completely mental. Then again, if she were he doubted that Proculus would have asked her to oversee his estate for him.

It was almost nightfall when Artorius arrived
back at Lugdunum. He stabled his horse and made his way back to the barracks flat. It was dark inside, with the only sound coming from Decimus’ loud snoring. The legionary had come down with a fever earlier in the week and was confined to bed rest while doped up on the gods knew what. Artorius realized he wasn’t remotely tired and that his loins needed some serious relief. Self-pleasuring himself on the road had been amusing, but by no means satisfying. With an air of determination he grabbed his money pouch and made for his favorite brothel.

He walked in to the dimly lit house, where a curtain of beads hung in the entranceway. The madam gave him a smile and walked over to him. She was certainly not an unattractive woman in her own right; probably in her early forties, with a pleasant face average-sized body. Artorius wondered what tricks of the trade she could teach him.

“I’m going to have to start charging you extra,” she scolded, pointing an accusing finger at him, though she bore a bemused grin. “You leave my girls marked and worn to the point that they are of no use to me for at least a couple days!” Artorius shook his money pouch and smiled back.

“Oh I’m sure I can make it worth your while,” he said with a wink. The madam nodded curtly and guided him through an open doorway and onto a waiting couch. The room reeked of the incense burners that hung in every corner. Here was where clients were allowed to peruse the wares before deciding on a playmate for the evening.

“Any special requests tonight?” the madam asked with her hand on her hip. She rather liked the young Decanus. He paid well, plus her girls found him exciting even when he did leave them savaged with visible bite marks apparent.

“Well you know I have my favorites,” Artorius replied; his chin resting in his hand in contemplation. “However, I think I’d rather fancy something a bit more fresh and unspoiled if you know what I mean.”

“Hmm, I do indeed.” The madam looked up, deep in thought for the moment. Her eyes then glowed in realization.
“Of course! I’ve got one who just came to us yesterday. Pretty little thing; don’t know what her experiences were before but at least she hasn’t been broken in
here
yet.”

“Excellent!” Artorius said, smacking his hands together in anticipation. “
How young is she?”

“Fairly so. I know she’s of age, but yes she is a young one. Kind of petite too, so you’ll have to be gentle with her. No biting this one yet!”

“Well, perhaps someone would care to accompany me to show me how to be gentle with one so delicate.” There was a gleam in Artorius’ eye and the madam immediately picked up on it.

“Are you coming on to me?” she asked, her face showing her disbelief. Artorius replied with a shrug.

“I might be,” he confessed, his own grin broadening. The woman laughed out loud.

“Oh my,” she replied. “Well you know I myself am not for sale. I simply keep this house in order and take care of the girls is all.”

“Sure,” Artorius conceded, “but you cannot tell me that a woman of your experience doesn’t have certain…
abilities
. Perhaps you can teach both of us a thing or two. Call it a favor for an old friend.” He winked at his last remark. Her face a deviant smirk, the madam grabbed Artorius by the hands and pulled him to his feet. Her ample breasts felt good pressed against him and she immediately started to massage his engorged manhood through his tunic.

“You have no idea the things I could teach you,” she whispered into his ear as she flicked it with her tongue.

“I think you will find me a willing student,” Artorius replied, reaching around and smacking her hard on her bottom, giving it a squeeze. He was pleasantly surprised to find that she was quite firm and not all soft and frumpy. She then guided him to the stairs and told him to wait there. She went to one of the other rooms on the bottom floor and soon returned with a rather attractive young woman, who she gently guided by the hand. She was blonde with a fair complexion. She was fairly short and thin, but at least was filled out in the places a woman was supposed to be. The last thing Artorius wanted was anything that could possibly resemble a boy.

“Now it’s going to be alright my dear,” the madam said to the girl, who looked like she was trembling a bit. She took a step back when she first set eyes on Artorius, her eyes wide.
“This is your first client. Don’t worry; I’ll be there to make sure he doesn’t hurt you.” She then took them both by the arm and guided them upstairs. On the top floor they hear the sounds of boisterous laughter. Artorius was surprised to see both Valens and Svetlana, arms around each other, trying to fumble their way into one of the rooms. Both seemed to be a bit inebriated and having a wonderful time.

“Hey Artorius!” Valens said in a voice far too loud for how close they were. Svetlana placed her head on Valens’ shoulder and waved at Artorius and his companions. “
You should see the new plaything we found! These girls really do know how to have fun!”

“Yes they do!” Svetlana replied, kissing him aggressively. Artorius laughed and shook his head. It seemed as if Valens had indeed found his true partner in crime, as it were. He then wondered how Magnus would take it if he knew and couldn’t stop laughing at the thought.

He was taken to one of the vacant rooms where he immediately got out of his restrictive clothes. The madam helped the young girl out of hers, who seemed almost powerless to do anything herself. Artorius apprised her with a raised eyebrow, shrugged, and then went work. The madam had discarded her own clothes and was lying next to them on the oversized bed, massaging herself. Finally she shoved the girl off the young soldier and took her place on top of him.

“Out of the way girl!” she snapped. “I’ll show you how it’s done. Watch…and learn…” She was a woman who Artorius could be his usual rough self with. The young girl sat at the head of the bed, her legs crossed under her, watching intently. As Artorius’ deviancy came unleashed, the madam would at times grab the girl and have Artorius do to her the same things they had just been doing; only he had to be much gentler with her. After what seemed like a couple hours of pure lust and fury all three of them collapsed. Both Artorius and the madam were panting while the girl trembled slightly.

“Well that was fun,” the madam said with a loud sigh of relief. She took the girl by the hand and helped her back into her clothes. She then told her something that Artorius could not hear, smacked her on the behind and sent her on her way. Artorius thought he heard the girl crying.

“Is she going to be alright?” he asked as he sat upright. The madam gave a dismissive wave.

“Ah, she’ll be fine. They’re all like that at first. Takes a bit for them to get broken in…kind of like a wild horse. Give her a few goes and she’ll quit blubbering and getting all emotional.” She then leaned down and kissed the young soldier passionately. “And feel free to come back here
anytime.”
With a spring in her step she left him alone. He then thought some more about the young woman they had just ‘broken in.’ He started to take pity on her, wondering what would drive someone to a life of prostitution. He then dismissed the notion. Prostitutes may have been amongst the dregs of society, but they were not slaves; no one forced them to spread their legs for a living!

Artorius
then stretched his arms overhead and decided it was time for him to leave. He threw on his clothes and headed out into the night. It was only when he was halfway back to the flat that he realized they had neither negotiated nor exchanged any money. He laughed and wondered if the madam had given him a free pass, or if in her post-orgasmic glow she had simply forgotten. Within a few days the sense of leisure for the Third Cohort would come to a brutal end.