“Is the lady of the house present?” Gaius asked, keeping his own voice low.

“She is, and my lady will be most grateful to know that you are okay,” the slave said eagerly as he escorted Gaius to the main building.

“How is she?” he asked, feeling foolish to mention it. How else was she supposed to be with her father and brother dead? Even Paullus had stated that he would not be seeing her.

“She is, troubled. I’m afraid that the last few weeks have weighed heavily on her young mind, sir.” The slave stopped and turned towards Gaius, and spoke lower. “Many have urged her to leave the city. She knows that her father and brother are gone, and that she is in danger here. Truthfully, I wish she heeded their advice. But I believe she has remained here, holding out hope that you will come for her.”

Gaius wondered for a moment how much the old man actually knew about the two of them. Probably, everything he figured.

He took a deep breath before he followed the slave into the house. Once inside, however, the old man didn’t have to announce Gaius’ presence as Julia was already in the room.

His heart sank to the floor the moment the two of them saw each other. She had been crying that much he could tell at first glance, and the moment her eyes fixed on him, she started once more.

“Gaius!” she called as she rushed over to him.

Both fell into each other’s arms, Julia’s hands digging into his back as she uttered his name again, holding onto him as tightly as she could.

The old Greek slave politely back away and headed outside to continue his nightly duties, leaving the two of them alone.

Julia dared herself to look up at Gaius, who felt a bit embarrassed at the moment. He hadn’t bathed in days, or had the chance to change his armor and clothing, which was dried with flakes of dirt, girt and mud, which were still mixed in with globs of blood. The rough stubbles on his cheeks were sharp and probably not comfortable to feel against her soft skin, but Julia didn’t seem to care as she kissed him passionately.

“I thought…I heard that everyone died,” she cried as she buried her head into his chest once more.

Gaius inhaled the sweet aroma of her oiled hair as he kissed her gentle on the top of her head.

“Tell me this is real, Gaius. Tell me you are really here. Say something to me, please, so that I know you are not an apparition,” she pleaded.

Gaius pulled Julia back so that he may look into her watery eyes, and as he did, he tried desperately to talk, but his words failed to escape his mouth in the way he had hoped.

“I…He…is gone…They are all gone…” Months, weeks of being the harden soldier, strong for his men, for his friends and peers, finally gave way as he collapsed into Julia’s arms, falling down to his knees as he sobbed, crying harder than he had ever done in his whole life.

“I could not save them! Antony…Valerius…I could not save any of them!”

Julia grabbed hold of Gaius, pulling him closer to her as he let go. She held him for a long time as he let out all of his built-up emotions, safe and finally alone with her. She cried with him — for him, but for the moment, she knew she had to be stronger than he. He needed her — he needed her to hold him, which she would.

“He sent me away. He sent the whole legion off just to protect me,” Gaius said quietly as he looked down at the broken clay medallion in his hand.

It was hours, perhaps even days later, he had no sense of time right now. He was alone with Julia, she in his arms as both sat on the floor before a large fire that crackled as its bright flames, which warmed the pair. He was clean shaved and nearly back to normal, or as ordinary as he could be. They didn't have to say much to each other; words weren’t needed between the two, for both knew what the other suffered. They just needed to feel each other’s hearts, that both were alive, still warm and breathing.

They both had cried and allowed their emotions to flow freely without hesitation or judgment as they had embraced, and had made love, and at the moment just wanted to be near the other, for as long as they could extend this time. In a sense, they simply had each other in the whole world, and nothing was going to break them apart at this moment in time, no matter the rules, traditions, and arrangements, or by the force of the gods themselves.

“He did it, so I could come back to you — so I could protect you as I had promised all those years ago.”

Julia pulled herself into Gaius’ arms, closer as he spoke to her as a lone tear ran down her face as she listened to him.

“I went back to Cannae and looked for him, for as long as I could, but I could not find him. I could not give him the rights that he, and all those damn fools deserved.”

“He knew what he was doing,” Julia said softly. “He followed his father like a good son should, and fought to protect his country like every man should.”

“And he died for it. They all died for nothing. They were led by foolish men, even those with the noblest intentions. In the end, we are no safer now than we were before…I should have been there.”

“Maybe so, Gaius,” Julia looked up at him, rubbing her hand over his still youthful features. “But he sent you away, not to save you or to protect me, but because he loved you as his brother. He could not change his fate, and he knew that. Even so, he knew he could spare you a similar end.”

Gaius clutched the medallion tightly in his fist as Julia’s words sank in. He then bent down and kissed her, which she returned with a passion before she rolled over, facing him and again shared the same breath as, he.

“I love you more than life, Gaius,” she uttered softly as she ran her hand over his bare chest. “And I know you will leave again.”

He tried to say something, to deny it, but she stopped him before a word left his mouth.

“Nothing that happens from this point onward will ever change what we feel about each other.”

Julia took the medallion away from him and carefully placed it back around his neck, until it rested against his chest where it belonged.

“You will come back to me when this is over. I know you will. And until that day, I will be waiting for you.”

He kissed her again as he lowered her down onto her back. This would be his moment, the one he would live for — the one that would sustain him and allow him to see the war to the end.

For her, he would come back, no matter what.

“Gaius,” Claudia greeted Gaius with a wide smile. She was less formal than she should have been with a person of his status, being that she was a slave and he now a general, a legate promoted as commander of the Sixth Legion. He, however, did not care for social edict, least of all when he saw her warm and loving smile. She was his friend, regardless of her class, and he greeted her as such as he embraced her with a long and meaningful huge.

“Claudia, it is good to see that you are well,” Gaius replied as he knelt down and kissed her youthful cheek. He realized that this was the first time that he had seen her cleaned and in proper clothes. She was very easy on the eye, long brown hair and blue eyes. However, Claudia had been raised into slavery, so the only alien aspects about her, were her features and not her accent or manners.

“It does my heart good to see you in better spirits, general,” she grinned, which caused Gaius to blush when she addressed him by his rank.

He stared down at her and smiled, perhaps looking at her a bit longer than he should have. She really did look different, but she didn’t seem to mind his long glare.