So, the movie wasnt all that great, but, Jaime Bell (Esca) made it amazing! :D
MidnightTheif and I thought this up, hope you like it:D
Women of Rome were not supposed to speak, unless spoken to.
Women of Rome were to bear as many children as they could.
Women of Rome were not allowed an education.
Women of Rome were to marry young.
I could go on, and it probably would never end.
From the moment we are born, those are the rules you follow.
And that is why I escaped.
/
My father was a part of the Senate of Rome, and on occasion we would have these extravagant parties, inviting other important people. They were mostly older women and men who attended them, but sometimes we would get children around my age to come as well.
My father took me by my shoulders and shuffled his way through the crowd, we came upon a family friend and father started to speak.
"Decimus, I would like you to meet Cornelia." He looked down at me and smiled eerily. He bent down and touched my cheek, the callouses were rough against my skin.
"My, what a beautiful daughter you have Corvus." I tried to smile, but I was saved from my mother who walked up and excused me.
"You should be heading to bed, now go. Follow your brothers and sisters upstairs." She scooted me off with a flick of her hand.
I climbed into the large feathered bed I shared with my sister, and closed my eyes.
"You know that they are to marry you off to that man." My sister spoke out. I looked at her through the dark, and asked "Mother would not allow a man of thirty to wed me." I tried reason with her.
"That was the age when mama married father." She retaliated. "You are only at the age of eight, so you still have until your twelfth birthday." And with that, she turned over and fell asleep. I on the other hand stayed wide awake. Mother wouldn't let that happen, would she?
/
Today would be the day when my father would have a meeting, and it really didn't mean anything to myself, except one of the men brought over his son every time there was one. We have grown into the best of friends over the years.
"Marcus!" I yelled happily, and made my way down the steps of the villa and from there to the dirt roads until I came upon the horse. "Sir." I said, before bowing down to his father.
"Ah, Cornelia, I see that you are here for Marcus?" He questioned with a smile.
"Yes." I said politely, trying my hardest to look over the horse and see him. He smiled, and picked up Marcus and put him on the road.
"I suspect that you will be back before dusk." Was all he said before he ushered the horse to trot again. We watched him for only a moment before I pushed Marcus abruptly.
"What was that for?" He questioned
"What was what?" I replied as innocently as I could, and with a roll of his eyes, I won. "Plans for the day?" I asked now falling into step with him.
"Let's go into the market, and look at what they have to sell!" He replied anxiously.
"…Father doesn't like me going there without him."
"Well, we won't tell him! Now come on!" He ran off into the direction of the lower class section. I stood watching him for a moment before I to ran off.
We arrived there quickly, and we soon started to walk at a slower place, admiring what vendors had to sell, or watch a puppet act playing in the center. Soon after, we made our way to a fountain and sat on the ledge of it, watching people pass by and talking about our magnificent soldiers.
"I am going to be a solider, and be just like father!" Marcus said proudly to me. I frowned.
"You're going to leave me here?" I questioned
"I'll be back." He said happily, but yet that still didn't help, since I knew some of them never came back, but then I smiled brilliantly. "I am going to enlist to then!" I shouted.
He laughed before speaking "You can't do that!"
I put my hand on my hips in defiance. "Why not?"
"Cause you're a girl." He put emphasis on me being a female.
"So?"
"Girls are not supposed to fight, they are meant to have children, and love their husband." He smiled triumphantly.
I put on a sour face, before replying "What i-" I was cut off, when we heard a commotion coming from the entrance and we both looked on, they wore the same clothes as the people did in our house.
"Slaves." I whispered and watch them all come in carrying things that looked too heavy for them; they were many of them, some woman and men with the occasional child clinging to their mothers hem. They all seemed sad.
"There Gaul's." Marcus said before grabbing me by my hand and walking me off in an opposite direction. "Father calls them savages though." He said when we were a few streets down. I looked up at the sun, and notice it was setting soon.
"We should go." I tugged, and pointed to the sky; he nodded and made our way back to my home.
/
We sat at the large table which held all of fathers guest accordingly, but I was allowed to sit next to Marcus every time, father didn't much like it though, since we would giggle at something every now and again.
Over the years and through child imagination we came up with a system of head nods, and quirked eyebrows to talk about someone. Mostly picking on an older man of the senate who talked funny, and had a very large beard.
My ears perked up to what my father was saying when I heard my voice in the conversation at the end of the table.
"Decimus was very interested in courting Cornelia in a few years' time, I am glad we have that settled." He spoke to the other man, whose named slipped my mind.
"Yes, it is good for them to marry off young, now all that is left is your youngest I presume?"
I tuned out of their conversation and stared at my plate solemnly, a nudge of an elbow made me look up to see the worried look of Marcus, but I put on a smile and we started laughing silently about the bearded man once more.
I suppose I was to be married off then, but what else could I do? Like mother always said, that is what we are expected to do. To be the most proper Roman Woman I could be.
Hoped you all enjoyed this:D
-Ashland
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