Saul hugged Marcus Tiberius, letting the warmth of his body and the slow movement of his hand on his hair soothe his senses and soul. The nightmare turned back into the dream it used to be, a quiet slumber, where he was still a property, but his owner took good care of his body and soul. There was no hate or disdain, just appreciation.
Marcus Tiberius cradled him to his chest. He needed Saul to understand that even if there wouldn’t be any justice for a slave like him, his master was at his side, and would be for the rest of his life. Marcus Tiberius was confident that his son, Flavius, would have taken good care of him, regardless of Claudia’s threat.
“I’m not letting you down, Saul,” he whispered his breathing uneven.
“I know that, Master. I should have trusted you as I always did.”
“Don’t think about it anymore. It's over. You're safe, and I am your only Master, as it should have been since the beginning.”
Marcus Tiberius parted from him and kissed his forehead. “This will be a new beginning. I won’t make the same mistake again.” He caressed his hair. “And you never lie to me again.”
“Yes, Master,” Saul assured him.
Marcus Tiberius smiled at him. “Well, it is time to take these bandages off. Let’s go see Rufus; he will take care of you. After that, you are not going to rest, as I will find a way to use your services. Consider it a way to remind you not to misbehave in the future.”
The two men arrived at Flavius’ house in the early morning. As soon as they dropped Flavius off the horse, they galloped away.
Flavius lay in the dirt, blindfolded and bound. He did not know where he was. From the voices of the merchants who had their stalls on the same road where he lived, the paved ground and the smell of food coming from the bakery, he knew he was in Rome.
He heard slow footsteps approaching, then run in his direction. Dust salted his skin as someone knelt beside him.
“Master, is that you?” Julius asked. He was returning home after spending the night in his ambulatory.
“Julius, untie my hands and take off this blindfold.”
Julius obeyed. “What happened to you, Master? Are you hurt?” He helped Flavius to stand.
“I am fine.” Flavius ran to open the heavy door of his house.
Julius looked around. “Master, where are Dionysius, Lukos, and Leandros? Why aren’t they with you?” he asked.
Flavius hesitated at the door and slowly turned his head to look into Julius’ eyes.
“I’m sorry; they won’t return.” He lowered his gaze.
“Welcome home, Master. We all missed you,” Julius replied in a lower tone of voice.
Flavius nodded as he walked inside the house. He looked around to greet all the familiar things of his life, that made him feel home, safe.
He walked absentmindedly with thousands of thoughts bouncing in his mind until he reached the garden. There Claudia sat on a bench; her head bent over her embroidery. He smiled at the image and walked toward her.
She raised her eyes and dropped her work on the grass, then ran to him, her eyes glistening with tears of joy.
“Flavius!” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. “The gods listened to my prayers. I was so worried about you.”
He remained immobile for a few seconds then felt warm drops on his cheeks. He was free, back to his family, safe and alive. He clutched Claudia to him. She was part of the dear freedom he had missed so much. He wanted to fuse his heart to hers, to be one.
“I missed you so much. I was so scared I wasn’t going to return home.” he cried between the tears.
“You’re back now, everything will be better.” She parted from him to gaze into his eyes, happy to see the emotion she had wanted from him for so long. Once he was rid of his useless slave, her life would be perfect.
He smiled at her, feeling foolish for crying like a child, then took control of himself. He was ready to pick up his life from where he’d left it.
Claudia’s hand stroked the growth of beard on his cheek. “I was afraid they wouldn’t keep their word and bring you back. Well, let’s not think about it anymore. It is over. What happened to the slaves traveling with you?”
He shook his head. “They were killed, he said sourly.
“Never mind them, Flavius. What is important is that you are back unharmed. A slave can be replaced. You are the only person I care for.”
He smiled bitterly, remembering her attitude toward the slaves and shook his head. “How did my father and my mother take the news of me missing?” he asked.
“Your mother probably does not know anything about it. I told only your father. I would have rather avoided that too; I wanted to take care of the situation by myself without involving anyone. I was afraid and couldn’t find the right way to tell it, but the gods were of the opposite idea and after the accident…I had to tell your father,” she said.
He looked at her, puzzled, then shook his head as if to cast away a thought. “I should let him know I am back.”. He looked around. “Where is Saul? Is he in my room working on the accounting?”
She started to feel nervous, clenching the soft tissue of her clothing in her fists. “Saul is not here. He is at your father’s house,” she replied. She wasn’t sure whether she should say what happened to him or not.
“Oh, did he need his services?”
“I…Flavius, there is something you need to know, but I really don’t know how to say it,” she murmured.
Flavius grabbed her by the shoulders. “What do you mean? What happened to Saul?”
She struggled and pulled out of his grip. “You are hurting me!” she yelled. “Saul was assaulted by intruders that got into this house at nighttime. I had no time to understand from him what happened, and your father took him to his house, claiming that the deal between you two was over. I don’t know anymore,” she said, turning her back to him.
He turned her, forcing her to meet his eyes. “What are you saying? What did they do to him? Why does my father claim that the deal is off? The deal clearly stipulated that if Saul was mistreated, he would be given back to him. If he wasn’t mistreated, why would my father take him away? What have you done?” He shook her, all tenderness gone.
“Let me go. You're hurting me!” Claudia cried disconsolate.
He let her go, hoping for a reasonable explanation.
“I haven’t done anything to him. I don’t know why your father said that. I don’t even remember the deal, and moreover, I had something more important to take care of than wasting my time on a slave. Why don’t you go get it back if you need him that much?”
He looked at her flushed face, and the hurt reflected there. Realizing he had been too tough on her, he apologized. After all, he owed her his freedom. “I'm sorry. I still feel bewildered about everything. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, and I unfairly accused you of something you haven’t even done. Please, Claudia, forgive me.”
She visibly relaxed. “I was unsure of how to tell you what happened during your absence. Things have not been easy. I am really sorry for Saul. I know what you think and partly it is true; I have been jealous of his relationship with you; however, I would never do anything to hurt him, just like I haven't harmed any of the other slaves. My opinions about them are unchanged, but this does not mean that I would be able to harm any of them,” she said, trying to justify her behavior.
Flavius hugged her. He wanted to know about Saul’s accident, but he was sure that by asking his father, he might obtain more information.
“Please let’s forget this. I will go to see my father. He needs to know that I’ve returned, and I'm alive and well. At the same time, I will get Saul and bring him back. I need him to help me over the next days, so if my father insists on keeping him, I will need at least to borrow his services.”