(Based on a request from Tumblr. I take requests on there, the user is in my profile)

The tremors in your hands had almost entirely subsided, only flinching slightly with each loud movement. To say the atmosphere in your room was tense would be an understatement. The entire palace was frozen with uncertainty and fear. You sat in a chair with one of your arms resting on the table next to you. The only other people in the room were the healer tending to the gash on your arm and a few guards, including the head of security for the palace.

There was not a sound other than the healer muttering to himself as he stitched up your wound. Your other hand reached for poppy milk and took another swig of it to distract from the pain of a needle closing your wound. It seemed as though no amount of pain relief would help with your predicament.

Only a short hour ago had you fended off an assailant. For whatever reason, as you were spending a portion of the afternoon in your chambers, a cloaked figure snuck in and tried to kill you. You had been raking your brain for any possible answer, but the only definitive one would be the simple fact: you were both the emperor's lover. You could remember Geta and Caracalla speaking to you about safety regarding your relationship with them, but never for a moment did you ever think it would come close to this.

It was terrifying and everywhere you looked you would think a threat would be there. Geta and Caracalla were at the senate for some proceedings that were scheduled to take place for the whole afternoon. They had only been gone for a little over an hour when the assassin had snuck into your chambers.

Your eyes scanned back to the five guards. One on the end, a lower guard, was the only one who had blood on him. He had been the one to hear your shouts as you fended off the attacker and had come to your rescue. You did not know his name, but wanted to thank him for his efforts.

Another drive of the needle had you flinching in pain. However, you could hear the sound of thundering footsteps through the hall outside your door. The doors were pushed open furiously, both reeling back and hitting the wall; any harder and you were sure they would have broken. Geta and Caracalla stood before you, chests heaving equally and eyes with the same reflection of worry as they scanned the room. Seeing you off to the side, they surged forward. The guards and healer kept silent, aware of the coming storm.

Yet, there seemed to be nothing loud. No, the emperors came beside your chair with a simmering rage. Geta knelt and took your free hand in his while his eyes scanned your body for other injuries. Caracalla stood with a free hand holding your jaw, his thumb swiping soothing back and forth across your chin.

"Are you alright?" Geta's soft voice broke the tension. He was unusually calm, simmering with something dark under the surface. Caracalla was the same, straight posture and calm.

It somehow unsettled you more than if they were lashing out.

"I'm okay, truly," You gave them both a faint smile, "Only a little scratched up."

"A little scratched up?" Caracalla spoke. His shoulders rose up and down with each restrained breath. His vision cast down to the healer who was stitching the large gash on your arm. "This is a little scratched up?"

"Brother." Geta sent a warning glance his way, but it went ignored.

Caracalla turned to the guards before him. You could hear him take in a large inhale of air as if trying to cool the burning fire that crackled within. You exchanged a wary look with Geta, unsure if something would trigger another one of his episodes. It hurt to see him in such a state.

"You," Caracalla addressed the head palace guard, "You have a few seconds to explain why our lady was hurt under your watch or I will gut you right here."

The guard's face contorted into both confusion and terror, but he choked it back, "The assassin has been subdued and is locked up, Caesar."

"Locked up? Good... good. He is not dead yet." Caracalla turned back to you, or more precisely, your wounded arm laid out on the table, "But you have not explained to me why she is sitting there with a needle piercing her arm."

"Yes," Geta chimed in. He stood up but still held your hand, "Do tell us how she was harmed under your watch,"

The head guard looked from emperor to emperor. A bead of sweat was visible on his temple next to a prominent vein. The healer tied off the stitching and you hissed under your breath. The sudden movement pulled you away from the tension in the room. The healer began to wipe the last of the dried blood around the wound.

"Caesars, the guard does not account for the protection of palace maids and–"

"What did you say?" Geta interrupted. The brothers exchanged glances. You knew immediately that this situation was quickly becoming dire. The guard had called you a maid. While that was your previous job, you had been relieved of your duties many moons ago after the emperors became enamoured with you.

"Caesar, I–" The man gulped.

"Give me your sword." Caracalla's tone was one you knew well. It was the same level of cadence that would come over him before he lashed out. Geta sensed the same thing and moved to stand beside his brother.

"Caesar?" The man questioned.

"Give me your sword so I may gut you with it!" Caracalla lunged forward, attempting to beat the guard with nothing but his bare hands, but was caught at the waist by Geta who held him back.

"Say that about her again! I'll fucking crucify you!" Geta struggled to hold his brother back. Caracalla was inconsolable, only intending to exact what he thought was just by gutting the man who uttered a single word against you. Geta secretly wished to unleash his brother on the guard but knew it would only cause more of a scene of distress in front of you which was not needed.

The healer made quick work of wrapping your arm in bandages. You thanked him quickly and dismissed him from the room. Caracalla was still fighting back against his brother's hold when you decided that it was all enough.

"Stop! Do not hurt him." You yelled as you stood from your chair. Almost instantly, Caracalla's body went limp and the twins turned to you like you had said something utterly insane.

"This man's negligence has led to your near death. You cannot possibly think that we will let him get away with it." Geta spoke. You let out a long breath and walked up to them.

Lowering your voice, you spoke again, "I am aware, but I no longer wish to see any more violence for today."

"But–" Caracalla moved to argue, but you silenced him with a look. You turned back to the five guards and hoped that they would listen to your instruction, given that you were technically not a ranking member of the palace.

"You three, escort him to the dungeons so he may wait out proper punishment for his negligence. He may not have thought of the safety of the maids, but an assassin got in here regardless and could have very well gone for our emperors." Your words were met with action. They followed your instructions and seized the head guard. He tried to plead and beg his case, but you ignored it as he was dragged out of the room. There was one final guard who stood standing in front of you and the twins.

"What is your name?" You asked the man. He was older than the other guards, coming up on the precipice of life if the white hairs he sported were any indication.

"Theocles, my lady." He answered.

"I thank you, Theocles. Without your quick acting to come to my aid I would likely be dead." At the mention of your possible death, the twins that stood at both of your sides tensed.

"I am happy to be of service, my lady," He smiled gently and for a brief moment it reminded you of the warm welcoming face of a grandfather.

"We thank you as well, Theocles, for saving our lady," Geta spoke up. Caracalla was still nerved beside you, unable to speak as he recovered from his outburst. His hands gripped your right hand as if clinging to your presence. The weight of what nearly happened to you was only now completely sinking in.

"I am simply a servant of the empire, Caesar. I humbly apologize for our negligence. The intruder should have never made it past the gates." He seemed genuinely upset at this incident, having taken pride in his work.

"Yes, it never should have happened," Caracalla muttered angrily. His gaze stayed locked on your hand as he drew shapes onto your palm.

"You are dismissed for the day to recuperate from your efforts," Geta said. Theocles nodded and bowed before walking out of the room and shutting the doors after him. It left the three of you alone. Caracalla looked over your face again before moving closer and burying his head in your chest. Geta stood behind you with his chin on your shoulder.

There was nothing but silence for a few minutes. The weight of tension in the room slowly lowered. You could hear nothing but their calm and steady breaths.

"You will be guarded every hour," Geta mumbled as his lips brushed over your neck, "No less than ten praetorians."

"Ten?" You were shocked by the proposition. Geta's arms that were wrapped around your waist, just above Caracalla's arms, tightened.

"A whole legion," Caracalla mumbled into the skin of your chest.

"Surely they have more duties in the city," You reasoned, "Ten is too much."

Geta scoffed, "Ten is the minimum." You felt that there may be an argument brewing. Ten guards was far too much and you could already feel how stifling that would be. You had gone your whole life without a single guard, not even when traversing the streets of Rome. Yet, your change of position has altered your life significantly. Still, you did not wish to be suffocated by protection.

"Five," You proposed. While five still felt extreme to you, it would be enough to calm their worries about your safety.

"Ten." Caracalla backed up his brother.

"Five." You were not willing to go up any further.

"Nine," Geta lifted his chin from your shoulder to rest his forehead against your temple. Caracalla's hands moved under a slip in the fabric of your clothing, his hands trailing over the bare skin of your side. You could already tell that they were trying to distract you to get their way – a tactic they often employed.

You would not back down.

"Five." You repeated. Geta let out a small huff.

"Seven." Caracalla reasoned. His hands moved to brush just above your ass. You grabbed them and moved them up further, unwilling to compromise.

"Five." The tone of finality in your voice made them halt their movements. It was a tense standoff, but one you knew you would win. If there was one thing that challenged their selfish tendencies, it would be their need for validation from you.

After a few moments, they both relented.

"Five it is then," Geta answered. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

You should have known that Geta and Caracalla would become more paranoid. It was inevitable. What started as five guards gradually morphed into twenty over two months. Five surrounded you at all times, escorting you wherever you wished to go. The other fifteen blended in the background. They were at a distance, acting as though they were not watching over you, but they were and you could tell.

Other measures were drawn up to protect you. On your trips to the market, there would be a collective of guards patrolling the streets more heavily than normal – all under the guise of collecting taxes from stall owners. You knew it was specific instructions from Geta and Caracalla, but chose to not say anything. You thought it would end eventually, but had been wrong.

It all came to a head one afternoon as you walked about the gardens. The heavy clanging of Theocles' armour disturbed the gentle chatter of birds that flew from fruit tree to fruit tree. It was a grating sound, but it compounded more when you were able to tune into the sounds of other guards a few paces behind Theocles. The day after your attack, he had been named as your personal guard.

It was the only benefit to your situation that was starting to feel more like imprisonment. Theocles was like a grandfather, protective but funny. He took the job seriously but still relaxed when he needed to in order to cheer you up. However, on this day, you had become particularly irritated.

You halted, which was met by the guards behind you also stopping. You took large breaths to calm yourself before turning around.

"Theocles," You spoke, "Do you know where the emperors are?"

"To my knowledge, they are in their study, my lady," He answered. You nodded gratefully and changed directions from where you had originally been walking.

You moved with a purpose through the halls of the palace, your anger brewing. This place was once a paradise for you, where you could spend your days relaxing and relishing in the company of your lovers. Now, it had become nothing but a gilded cage that shrunk each day, moving to suffocate you.

The doors to their study came into view and you stopped to speak to your guards.

"You are to stay out here." You instructed.

"My lady, we are instructed to never let you leave from our sight," Theocles answered.

"Believe me, with my anger right now, nobody should wish to cross me. Despite that, the emperors would protect me from anything. Now, do you wish to be present in what will likely be a very uncomfortable conversation for you to witness?" You crossed your arms and tapped your right foot against the stone flooring as you waited for an answer.

After a momentary pause, Theocles answered, "We shall wait for you, my lady."

You nodded before he opened the door for you to walk in, closing it when you got in. The emperor's study was an open room with floor-to-ceiling shelves full of carved bronze records, waxed tablets, and sheets of papyrus. There were two desks placed a few feet away from the other with Geta and Caracalla staring down at their work. Geta's desk was clean and organized, while Caracalla's represented the whirlwind of his personality.

When you walked in, they did not look up at you. Dondas, who was perched on Caracalla's desk eating some pieces of fruit spotted you and chittered in delight. He jumped off of the desk and ran to you, crawling up your leg and torso to perch on your shoulder. For a brief moment, his presence cheered your angered thoughts.

Caracalla looked up when his friend left and his face lit up upon seeing you.

"My love," He spoke, which gained Geta's attention and he too looked up to see you. However, both their smiles faltered slightly upon seeing the grim look on your face. You scratched Dondas' chin and placed him on a cushy chair so he would not have to be near you when you inevitably started to shout.

"I've had enough." You said.

"Enough?" Geta asked.

"Enough of the constant watch. I know you wish to protect me but there is a limit to what a person can endure." You walked up to stand in front of their desks.

"It is for your own good–" Caracalla began to reason but you scoffed to interrupt him.

"My own good? It has been two months, yet every day there is something new. Another guard, more patrols, you have even gotten a fourth poison tester for my food! As if one was not enough!" You threw your arms out as if that would help to enunciate your words. The frustration you had been feeling for weeks had boiled over into an explosive reactive mess.

"All to keep you safe," Geta stood from his chair, moved to you and reached out to wrap you in his arms. You backed away from his hold. You would not allow any of them to try and sugar their words to get you to accept the situation.

"Do you not think I haven't noticed the other fifteen guards that are secretly following me? One does not need to be a master of arithmetic to see that is well above the ten you tried to enforce in the first place!" You argued. Caracalla and Geta exchanged a look, finally understanding that you caught on to their attempt to secretly go against their word on the original agreement of five guards.

"Darling, we are sorry for going behind your back, but your safety is our priority. Do you think that assassin was only a one-time event?" Geta asked. Your mouth closed at that and you mulled over his words. It had been a brewing fear that you refused to admit.

If you were to admit it to yourself, to even say it aloud, it would be real. You were no fool. You understood the threat of this city, especially towards the emperors, but you thought that you would not matter. In the eyes of the court, you were just a lover to them and nothing more.

"I just thought that I would not matter. I do not come from a known family or the level of society you were raised in. Why bother with me?"

Caracalla let out a giggle as he rose from his chair to approach where you stood. He was not laughing at you, but rather the absurdity of your words.

"Why bother with you?" He mimicked your question, "You are our most precious jewel. That is why you must be protected at all costs." His hands tugged at the loose sleeve of your dress.

"But to the extent that you have gone to..." Your voice trailed off.

"There can be no threats to our empress," Geta spoke as he wrapped an arm around your waist. You could feel the cold of his rings through the thin silk fabric. That did not shock you nearly as much as how he addressed you.

Empress...

"Empress?" You scolded, "This is not a joking conversation. I am being serious."

"We are as well," Caracalla answered. His face lost all the traces of his previous amusement. You turned to Geta and saw nothing but sincerity. It felt... odd.

"What?" You questioned.

The two men exchanged a glance. In it, you could see they were communicating as if they had already had this conversation. Geta guided you towards his chair and had you sit down. He began to rifle through the drawers of his desk while Caracalla perched on one of the armrests. His fingers moved through your hair, brushing loose strands to go behind your ear.

"Now may not be the most appropriate time, but we realize that it cannot be held off any longer," Caracalla spoke to you in a hushed, calm tone.

Geta finally found whatever he was looking for and pulled out a gold box from the desk. He turned to you and leaned against the desk. He carefully opened the box, exposing a large, intricately made gold ring adorned with large jewels. You stared at it for a moment, fully understanding what they were speaking about. Your body felt like it shut down, unable to comprehend it.

Your mouth opened and closed multiple times as your mind was unable to come up with any response. You could not help but feel as though it was not real.

"Is this your way of distracting from the reason I originally came here? If so, I must admit it is undeniably cruel." You shifted in the chair as if you were going to move, but Caracalla gently pushed back on your shoulders to keep you in place.

"My love," Geta got down on both knees in front of you, followed by his brother, "We are serious."

"Be our empress?" Caracalla questioned. Your chest tightened, completely transfixed by looking back and forth between their eyes.

"The senate... the people... they already whisper things..." There had been much disapproval of your relationship with the emperors. When the court saw that it became more serious than a concubine relationship, whispers spread of negativity – especially due to your lack of privileged upbringing.

"Let them talk. They do not exist now. It matters what you want." Geta reassured you. His grip on the box tightened as if he was losing control of the situation; losing hope for a positive answer.

"I shall have more freedom and go back to five guards." You negotiated. Both of their eyes lit up; you had given them an answer.

"You are agreeing?" Caracalla asked.

"I also wish for more opportunities to traverse the merchant stalls." You added.

"It is a yes?" Geta asked.

Your face broke into a large grin and you nodded excitedly, "Of course, it is a yes." Both of them seemed to let out the breaths they were holding. Caracalla instantly moved up, cupping your face with both of his hands and capturing your lips in a heated kiss. His eagerness and excitement shot through his body, being expressed through giddy jolts of his movement.

You could feel Geta put the ring on your finger, his hands incredibly warm compared to the coolness of the metal. When Caracalla pulled away, you were met with equal fervour of a kiss from Geta. It was possessive but also gentle in a strange, uniquely his, way.

When he pulled back, you spoke, "Do not forget the conditions I have set. I am tired of feeling like a prisoner here."

"No more then. You will not be a caged bird in your own home." Geta reasoned. His brother agreed, nodding his head feverishly. Both of them were caught up in the moment, too happy to particularly care about anything but you.

The atmosphere in the room had changed from an intense standoff to a joyous mood. You had not ever expected this outcome given your initial plan, but it was more than welcome.

It was with great surprise to Theocles, your other guards, and servants, that you later walked out of that room with both of the emperors and a rather large ring adorning your finger.