Dies Irae

~~~ DIES IRAE ~~~

Sexta Charta: Louses

A couple of days later:

Aemilia watched with care as Daizus took a tentative bite from the food she had prepared. After days and days of practice, she had actually managed to prepare something that resembled eatable food. Unfortunately, as Daizus realised, it only resembled, for it still tasted like rotten fish. He smiled a little tightly and swallowed the bite, nodding heroically.

"This is better than the last one!" he proclaimed encouragingly, his forehead full of sweat, as he reached as slowly as he could towards the jug of water. By Gods, was she trying to kill him?

She just looked at him in shock, and then smiled a big, happy smile.

"Really? I have eaten some bread and cheese before you arrive, so I didn't actually taste it, to make sure it was good. ", she cooed in a sweet, subdued voice, lifting a hand to scratch her head.

"Ihm!" he confirmed, and looked down a little scared at the large amount of food he would surely be forced to gulp down. 'Though' he completed in his mind 'it would probably have been a good idea for you to taste it!'

The girl was an absolute disaster, and it would take some time for her to really learn how to cook. The good thing, he mused, was that she was at least trying. Truth be told, he had never expected her to turn rather meek, but he liked the warmth and cosiness he found every time he came back home, though her refusal to bed him properly was still infuriating. Still, considering that it was only a problem to be solved, albeit an important one, he decided he could wait a little bit.

***

Aemilia smirked as she looked at him making efforts to eat what she had prepared. She knew it tasted like crap, but that exactly had been the plan all along. After that fitful night, she had started going out, walking around the house and taking in carefully her surroundings. This is how she had spotted, near some bushes, a patch of laurels, a plant, which she knew to be poisonous, and being the girl of a famous Roman general, a strategy had began forming in her mind. The set back of her plan was that she had to wait some days for the laurels to bloom, plus they tasted very badly. So she figured out that their bad taste would go unnoticed in the worse taste of what was now his every day meal.

Her life hadn't been so bad during the last days. The girl made sure she caused nothing but disasters whenever he demanded her to perform a menial task, so after a while, as predicted, he got bored of fixing her calamities and he resigned himself in doing all the petty work.

It was enough to mewl that it hurt every time he groped her, and he would back off immediately.

'By Gods, I am good!' she thought to herself, delighted at her own cleverness. She almost felt pity for the barbarian, He was trying to please her with small gestures, and he looked so happy when she would fake happiness. 'Pathetic! Truly pathetic! No real man would behave like that, all mushy and softly! I can't believe I have actually been afraid of him…. He is easier to fool than a child! You just wait, barbarian, 'cause I will get back at you for all you've done to me!' she almost giggled out loud, still looking at him eating, her hand absently reaching to scratch her head.

"Finished!" he yelled in triumph and looked up to her, as if waiting for a praise.

She said nothing, just scratch her head harder.

"Puella, take it easier, you'll hurt yourself!" he said calmly, crossing his arms across her chest and looking at her carefully.

Aemilia just whimpered, both of her hands busy scratching furiously her head. Gods, it was like something was eating slightly at her skull, it itched and she wanted it to stop.

"Puella!" his voice had taken a slightly rough tone "You have been using the mixing I gave you, haven't you?"

The girl sniffled, in confusion. What was he talking about, and what did that had to do with her current problem.?

Daizus put the wooden plate aside, and reached out to Aemilia, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her down. As they were face to face, the girl's head was pushed into his lap. Forgetting all about being meek in order to put to sleep his suspicions, she growled, her anger still obvious despite the fact that the words were muffled:

"You pervert! What are you doing?"

"You stupid girl!" he growled, checking her hair more and more furiously "You stupid, stupid girl!"

"What?" she inquired, a little scared

"You didn't use it, did you? Just remember, this is all your fault!" He warned, pushing her aside and getting up.

Aemilia brushed her hair from her eyes, and looked up at him confused, gritting her teeth. He had pushed her a little bit roughly, and her butt hurt a little from the impact with the floor. Obviously, the barbarian had gone insane, what was he talking about…. what mixture …. what had that to do with the itching?

She gulped, suddenly terrified as he approached her again, a knife in his hand. He looked upset, his blue eyes icy cold. That's it, he was going to kill her, just like that! But, but… why now … she hadn't done anything… he was insane, may the Gods help her!

As he came closer and closer, Aemilia turned stiffer and stiffer, her big black eyes full of terror.

"Whaa, " the breath caught in her neck, her voice shaking so badly she could hardly understand herself, "what are you doing?"

"I am sorry, but you brought this on yourself" he spoke in a dark voice.

The floor cracked under his feet, and the noise pulled Aemilia from her shock. She quickly got up, taking him by surprise and sprinted out of the door and into the forest near by.

He heard him shout behind her, demanding her to stop that very instant and as she turned her head she spotted him running behind her, the knife flashing in the afternoon sun.

'What now, what now?' She thought terrified as she ran as fast as she could. Her heart was hammering so fast in her chest, she was sure it would surely burst, and she was panting heavily, yet she did not dare to stop. He was there, just behind her, she could hear him shouting to stop, the cracking of the autumn's brushwood, the rustling of branches closer and closer.

Her feet hurt a lot, for she was barefoot, but she didn't stop, couldn't stop, she wanted to live, she couldn't die here in this last forest, why was he doing this to her, how could be so cruel? She screamed with all her might as she was tackled to the ground, pinned under his weight, yet she started struggling with all her might.

"No, no please… I am sorry… don't kill me …. Whatever I did I am sorry!" she babbled, scared and feeling terribly lonely.

"Stop it" he growled above her." Stop struggling" he ordered, trying to immobilise her arms.

Aemilia was too scared, she could barely make up what he was saying. She only knew he had caught her and she was going to be hurt, so she clawed him with all her might, the surviving instincts taking over her brain.

"Stop it" he shouted "I am not going to do anything permanent on you! Stop it, or else I'll have to hurt you, do you understand?"

Unfortunately, Aemilia's brain only registered the last words "I'll hurt you!", and she increased her efforts to release herself. Daizus, though confused by the intensity of her reaction, decided to let her tire herself before he made his move. Indeed, after some time, the girl's struggles died to meek pushes and her yells turned into mere whimpers. Finally, she stopped, exhausted but devoid of any power.

"Stupid girl!" he murmured and shifted his body so that his knees were pushing her shoulders down, careful not to let too much of his weight on her. A hand wound itself in a bundle of wisps, holding her head still, while the other brought the knife to her face.

"Don't you move, little girl", he warned bending over carefully, so that their heads were rather close.

Aemilia whimpered, praying for a quick and painless death, and, despite her resolution to maintain her dignity she started crying softly.

(What if I stopped here? No, I'm too kind!)

Daizus carefully began to cut her hair, long bangs of curly ebony falling down on the ground around them. He was working methodically, cutting as much as he could, before sliding the knife on the skin to shave it completely. The girl was looking at him in shock, while anger was starting slowly to overcome the fear. She remembered in a flash a scene that explained it all: she was bathing one day when he strolled in and handed her a strange herbal mixture, practically ordering her to wash her hair with it. It did smell nicely, but it was sticky and Aemilia had never been the one to take orders, so she just threw it away. With a gasp, she realised why her skull was itching: she had louses! She, the daughter of one of the wealthiest and more respected men in Rome had louses! Ugh, that was his fault entirely!

Having finished the front part, he moved again , this time up, taking her with him. The girl was pouting and she felt like crying, but this time for a different reason: her beautiful hair, her pride and joy, was gone! She was going to be soo ugly without any hair! She hid her head in the crook of his neck and started crying in earnest, like a little child while Daizus finished shaving the back part.

He rubbed her back soothingly, realising her bereavement.

"It's only hair, it will grow back!" he consoled her.

She did nothing but whipped with the back of her sleeve her running nose. She tried to calm down but at that point exactly she cast her eyes on the ground and spotted the pile of hair on the ground, which led to a pent-up weeping.

"I….I…. am so ugllyyy….!" She sobbed uncontrollably, hiding her face in her hands and rocking slightly back and forth into his lap. "What is Marcus going to say when he sees me? He didn't like me with HAIR, now he will definitely hate me! My daddy will hate me forever, I know he will! And this is your entire fault! Why did you have to take me? You're handsome enough, why didn't you take somebody else? Like" sob " somebody who actually likes you? I hate yooouuu, you stupid barbarian, I really do! You are a good for nothing man, who couldn't even get a girl on his own, how pathetic is that? You are just a looser, no wonder we have conquered you so fast! Though, really I have no idea why Emperor Trajan even bothered!"

"Shut up, girl!" he growled, suddenly enraged. How dare she call him a "stupid barbarian" and insult his country? Who the fuck did this little girl think she was? Why was it that every time he was nice to somebody, they would mistake him for a fool? She must have taken his lay-off attitude for a display of stupidity, well, he'll straight up things right away!

Prying her hands from her face, he looked her in the eye, angered by the hatred in her eyes. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her forcefully, pleased to see that the fear had reappeared. Fine, if this is how she wanted to play, then so be it, he could be the tough guy without any problem, although for some days …. he had been sure they were going on the right path. He had known better than to trust her immediately, never did he let a weapon around her and he had always been more careful than he appeared to be, after all he still remembered the little trick she had pulled the first day, but still he felt like they were making progresses.

"Ugly?" he smirked, the words purring out pure venom "You were always ugly, you lupa! You should be grateful I have taken you, or else no man would ever have looked at you! Marcus, who the fuck is that, huh?" he shook her forcefully

Aemilia looked at him in surprise, confused by the sudden change in attitude.

"He…he's…"

"He's what? Speak already!"

"He's my husband, all right?" she spoke forcefully.

"Ahh, you mean the husband who didn't give a horse's shit on you? That one?" he laughed cruelly "tell me, little girl, that one?"

Aemilia didn't say a word, just glared at him. Daizus, pushed her from his lap and got up, ignoring her snarl.

"Get up and let's go home, puella. I am tired and you must be too." Not sparing her a glance, he left her in the forests and headed towards home.

Aemilia stood there for several minutes, unsure of what to do, rubbing the shaven skin of her skull from time to time. How could he be so cruel and call her ugly and unworthy? And more importantly, how did he realise so quickly her deepest fears, her angst of not meeting other's expectations? The rational part of her mind whispered that in this matter the fault lay with her - she did not take proper care of her hair, and it had to get cut; then she had insulted him, although he was trying to be considerate about it.

What has she done? Why couldn't she keep her big mouth shut? Just when she was really beginning to earn his trust! Now she will have to start things all over, though she had the advantage of knowing more about him.

Maybe it was more to this man than it met the eye, and the Fates seemed to have decided to bind them together for what it seemed to be some time.

Sighing, Aemilia got up and went towards her temporal home.

***

Some of you may find a little irrational Aemilia's supposition that just because he had a knife in his hand he was going to kill her. The explanation is simple: she was playing "the good girl" while planning to kill him. Daizus was not playing the good guy, he really was like that. Aemilia subconsciously judged him by her own way of acting, hence supposing that he too had killing intentions about her. This is why a simple thing made her flip.

~~~~

Lupa, es= she-wolf (the ancient equivalent of "bitch!")