After about one hour, Flavius stopped his horse as they reached the top of the hill. “Come, Saul, let our horses rest a bit. You are very skilled for a boy of your age,” he said, dismounting. “You don’t talk a lot, do you? Perhaps I am the one who’s talking too much.”
“I guess I am short of topics. It is not easy to understand my life. I have no more plans for the future; I am not going to school for my own sake, but to be more useful to your family. My Master rules my life, as he owns it, he decides my days, my schedules, my tasks. I am what he wants me to be,” His voice flickered. “I am thankful to you for treating me like a friend and giving me the illusion of a normal life, but this is just an illusion; it is not real. One day, you will leave to serve the army, and after that, how much time will pass before you establish your own family? Three years, four; no matter, I won’t be different from what I am now—a slave. What will become of me when my Master dies? Will I be sold like his other properties?”
Flavius felt strangely confused. None of his slaves had ever talked to him like that. Never had anybody dared to speak his soul as Saul did, if he didn’t consider the days during the Saturnalia festivities. If his father had heard that, Saul would have been punished, but Flavius didn’t feel offended. Instead, he realized the value of a slave who, with bravery, would tell him the reality without being offensive or disrespectful. Something hurt in his heart.
He hugged Saul, holding him tightly.
“You’re right. You are one of our properties, but I can certainly recognize your value; for this reason, I am not going to sell you away. I will take care of you for as long as I am alive.” He released his hold on Saul, then grasped his shoulders and looked straight into his eyes.
Saul’s lower lip quivered. “You and your family have treated me in a fair way, and here I am being disrespectful. Please forgive me.”
“No need to ask for forgiveness. I appreciate your frankness. I guess it is important also for a Master to understand the feelings of his slaves. I don’t believe you can do your best if your owner does not take any pride in your duties. A well-treated slave serves better than a mistreated one,”
“I just need time,” Saul whispered.
“I need a friend, and I like you more than the other boys. When I ordered you to call me by my name, I did it for a reason. Life at home is lonely without a companion my age. As soon as I saw you, I realized I was given a chance to end my loneliness.”
Saul thanked God for having mercy on him, for him being sold to fair Masters.
Saul glanced at Flavius, “thank you, Flavius.”
His friend sat on the grass and patted the ground beside him, inviting Saul to do the same. Flavius laid his head on Saul’s lap. “Sing for me,” he ordered.
The idea of singing in daylight made Saul feel uncomfortable, but he knew that Flavius had been waiting the entire day to hear him sing.
“I know it might sound foolish, but since last night, I can’t forget your voice and the way it reached my heart.”
Saul’s heart heard the plea in his voice, sensed it came from Flavius his friend, not Flavius his Master. He knew the request would have been made even if he were free. It felt good.
Saul closed his eyes, trying to relive the memory of his mother singing to him. He took a deep breath and sang the same tune from the previous night. He hoped that the gentle breeze whistling through the trees would bring his voice to his mother, that she would know her son had been sold to a good Master and she shouldn’t be afraid for his fate. Her son didn’t need her song anymore, so he would sing the melody for her, letting the wind carry his voice to her ears and to her heart. He knew she was listening and felt her smiling.
Flavius concentrated on the song. Saul’s voice caressed his soul. It transported his senses high in the sky to a foreign land he never visited, but of which he had heard a lot about. A place far away, surrounded by hills where olive trees stood under the scorching sun. He saw the contrast between the fields, pastureland and the bare territories, burned by the sun. He saw a land where thousands of stars brightened the night, and where fantastic things used to happen.
Saul’s voice, soft, gentle and sweet, cast a spell, so full of emotions Flavius could touch with his hands. The intensity and passion made him wish it would never stop, and when Saul’s song ended, Flavius felt a sense of loss washed over him.
“That sounded even better than last night; maybe I was too sleepy to appreciate the beauty of your chant.” Flavius sat up. “The gods gave you an extraordinary gift.”
Saul played with a rim of his tunic. “Before last night, I’d never sung. I’m glad it pleased you. I'll sing for you whenever you desire,”
“The day will soon be over; we'd better go back home, or we will be in trouble. However, this time, I will be the one blamed. As a Master, I have to take care of both of us—your needs, along with mine.”
Chapter 4.
Their horse rides became a sort of tradition, and after school during the summer period, they went to the farm every time Marcus Tiberius didn’t need Saul’s services.
There in the woods, Flavius would ask Saul to sing for him, and every time, he was charmed by Saul’s voice, as his beauty stunned his senses and pleased his soul.
The following year, in March, as they returned home after their ride through the woods, they found Marcus Tiberius waiting for them.
“Flavius, you are later than usual. What happened?” he asked with a severe expression on his face, and arms crossed on his chest.
“I’m sorry, Father. We were riding and didn’t realize the time was passing so fast,” he tried to justify.
“No matter, dismiss Saul and come with me to my working room. I need to talk to you.”
Flavius looked at Saul. “You may go. See you tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Master, thank you.” Saul turned, walking away from the main room.
Flavius and Marcus Tiberius walked silently together to the working room. “Did I upset you, Father?” Flavius asked, worried.
“No, son. I'm not angry, but time is flying, and you are soon going to be fourteen years old. It is time to think of your future, particularly your career. Do you have any idea of what you would like to become?”
Flavius didn’t know how to answer. Law or a diplomatic career were his targets, but it wasn’t easy to choose.
“I-well, I am not quite certain yet. We talked about it once, and I told you I would be interested in becoming a lawyer or a diplomat,” he replied, unsure.
“I believed so. That's why I have been thinking it over and came up with the perfect solution. Starting tomorrow, you will spend two weeks working with Lucius Claudius Blasio; he is a well-known lawyer and might give you an exact idea of what it is like to work as a lawyer. After that, you will change for another two weeks, working for Publius Julius Fulvianus, who has extensive experience in the diplomatic field. He will show you his job, then I will allow you two weeks to make your final decision, so you can be educated for your career.”
Flavius remained open-mouthed. This was stunning news, for which he felt grateful to his father and excited for the perfect opportunity.
“Father, I cannot believe this. I have no words to say. Thank you,” he mumbled.
Marcus Tiberius smiled. “Another step will be finding a suitable wife for you, but for that we have some time, so let’s not rush the events.”
Flavius didn’t pay attention to what he was saying; his mind was fully concentrated on the following four weeks, which would seal his future career.
Suddenly, his expression turned pensive and glanced to his father. “But I won’t have much time to spend with Saul.”