“Of course not; that was precisely the reason I suggested you leave in the first place. Sending you away was the right thing to do, and now I can see we were right.”
Being apart was difficult on all of them, but it was time to look to the future, within one year, Flavius’ real journey would start with the marriage to Claudia and responsibility for his family.
“If I think about my stupid behavior with Claudia and with everyone else in this family, I feel so ashamed. I should have been grateful that you bothered to find me a good wife. No matter how difficult Claudia’s character might be, she is beautiful, and I should have thanked the gods rather than yelled and put conditions on my wedding with her. Moreover, I showed myself unfit for the role of Master, for Saul, and anyone else. Now I see it clearly.”
“Flavius, you were only a child. I am proud of the man you have become. She drew a deep breath observing him from head to feet. Are you going to see Saul?”
“Yes. Next year, he will come to serve in my house, and I want him to know that I will be able to fulfill my duties as his Master.”
She smiled and ordered a slave to bring Saul. The young girl ran happily to get him, but she could not find him. She thought that maybe he was out running some errands or off on his free time when she heard noises coming from the kitchen.
She peeked through the door and found Saul, but he was not alone. He and Cassandra were tenderly kissing each other. Unsure of what to do, she waited for some time, watching. She hadn’t known they liked each other in that way.
Out of the corner of his eye, Saul noticed the girl. “What are you looking at?” he asked, almost laughing.
“Sorry, Mistress Flaminia asked for you, Saul. I didn’t want to disturb you,” she replied blushing.
“Don’t you worry, but don’t tell anyone, please,” Cassandra asked.
“Of course, I won’t.” She took Saul by the hand, pulling him to her mistress.
Saul’s heart bumped in his chest as he approached Flavius. His head felt light, and his legs trembled. “Master, it is really you?”
“You look as if you saw a ghost.”
“I was just taken aback. I wasn’t expecting to see you. It’s been… four years?”
Flavius hugged him. “You have become a man, and still as beautiful as I remembered.”
Saul felt good in that embrace, but he sensed that something didn’t fit. His young master’s hold became too tight, not like an embrace to greet a friend, but as if to hold an enemy.
“I can see the boy I used to know has become a strong man,” Saul said, parting from him.
“I had time to understand my mistakes. You were right in many ways. I needed your help to see the facts.” Flavius knew he should apologize to Saul for having been unfair to him, but he had learned that a Master should never openly apologize to a slave.
Saul understood that. Marcus Tiberius never apologized. He only admitted when Saul was right.
“So, you have finished your education? How has school been without me?”
“Mostly boring, but I got better acquainted with Caius. He is a person who prefers to keep a distance from the slaves, but I appreciated his honesty and the time we spent together. He had his engagement party, but different than yours; he was satisfied with the choice. Do you still feel bitter about being engaged to Claudia?”
“I feel better, and I don't think there is a plot against me anymore. So, Caius has become a sort of friend to you?” Flavius tilted his head on a side, surprised.
“I wouldn’t call it a friendship as he rarely called me by name. It all started with a teasing comment by him, but you were right, he is not a bad person once you get to know him,” Saul admitted.
Flavius chuckled, thinking about such a strange couple walking the streets of Rome.
He caressed Saul’s long hair, falling gently on his shoulders. “Aren’t you gathering your hair anymore?”
“I do, but today I hadn’t much time for it, and then it slipped my mind.” He lowered his gaze.
Flavius’ hand slipped down Saul’s neck to his collar, and felt his good mood darkening. “I’ll have to change this.”
Saul noticed the change of tone in his voice but didn’t say anything. The man before him was no more the Master who once asked to be his friend. He was a man determined to get back his properties, of which Saul was one.
They remained silent until Flavius gently put his hand on Saul’s shoulder as the features in his face relaxed.
“I’ll order another one when you serve in my house. Don’t be so serious Saul, I’m not upset with you.”
“Yes, Master. Sorry,” Saul tried to smile.
“Are you busy today?” Flavius asked.
“Not that I know of, but you should ask your father to be sure.”
“Come with me,” he said, taking his hand. As they entered his father’s room, Flavius asked, “Father, may I disturb you?”
Marcus Tiberius raised his head to look at his son. “You never disturb me. What’s the matter?”
“I am taking Saul for a ride if you don’t need him.” His voice carried a hint of challenge.
“Sure. You may go, Saul,” he replied with a strange tone in his voice.
Saul kept his eyes down, wondering if they realized the subtleties of how they were talking to each other. Flavius was obviously challenging his father on Saul’s ownership. It seemed like he didn’t just come back from a journey, but he came back to claim what was his own. He wasn’t the child asking his father for a favor to be granted; he came to conquer, to win over something he could not define.
It was easy to recognize the influence of Titus on Flavius’ behavior. In him, Saul saw a leader, a guide, a Master - his Master.
Marcus Tiberius wasn’t very impressed, and by his tone of voice, it was obvious he expected something like that to happen. He felt confident Saul would be his property for another year, and he had a weapon against Flavius—the clause in the wedding contract.
Saul was not sure if they were fighting over his ownership, or if there was something else behind that veiled hostility. Maybe Marcus Tiberius was fighting vicariously against his brother, rather than his son.
“Come, Saul, if we hesitate too long, we will be late,” Flavius said, pushing him out of the room.
“You are very quiet. Is something worrying you?” Flavius asked as they walked to the farm.
“No, not at all. Maybe I am still surprised about seeing you back; you have changed so much,” Saul confessed.
“Yes, indeed. Is this bothering you?” he asked, and in that question, Saul recognized the old Flavius.
“You have changed for the better, Master. Forgive me for daring to ask, but what happened between you and your father? I couldn’t help noticing that the tone between you two is not the same as it used to be.”
Flavius smiled at him. “Nothing in particular. I suppose we both began to see each other from a different perspective. Yes, everything has changed.”
Saul remained silent.
“Do I really scare you so much now?” Flavius asked suddenly.
“No, you just…After four years, I don’t know who you are. The only sure thing is that you are my Master,” he replied, turning his eyes to him.
“Then you know everything you need to, Saul. Next year, on that plate on your neck, there will be my name.”
“So, this is all about my ownership…”
“You are only an excuse. Don’t think you are so important,” he raged annoyed.
“Sorry, Master.”
Yes, Flavius had changed; actually, he didn’t exist anymore. In his place stood a strong leader, a person who would have been wiser to fear, rather than to think of as a friend.
They started the ride until Flavius stopped to rest.
As they both sat on the grass, Flavius glanced at Saul and beamed. “Have you ever been with a woman?”