Princess Rhea liked to consider herself a sociable person. She always spent time in the city and with the people. The only people she didn't like spending time with was the Senators, they were vile and power-hungry men who only wished to please the Emperor's in order to keep their status. But, she still had to attend their events in order to keep up appearances.

Senator Thraex's party was already in progress by the time Rhea arrived. She went separately to her brothers considering she was still mad about their argument about Lucilla adopting the boys. Whenever they now spoke of Lucilla there was something of anger that Rhea couldn't recognise, in Geta's eyes.

Now, Rhea didn't like Senator Thraex but she did like a good party now and again and, well, Thraex threw the best ones. It would have also been rude of her to decline a party invitation. The first thing Rhea noticed when she walked in was the giant rhino head on the food table.

"Princess Rhea!" Someone called out. She turned around and saw Senator Thraex walking through the crowd of people towards her.

"Senator Thraex, how lovely of you to invite me." She greeted him with a false smile.

"It is a pleasure and an honour to have you here," He replied. "Please, do whatever you wish!" He told her before walking away.

She linked arms with Aurelia as they took a turn of the room. "Do you see what I mean? The entire empire is starving and here we are indulging in the pleasures of our money." Rhea muttered bitterly.

Aurelia looked around before whispering. "With any hope, if Acacius and Lucilla's plan works, Rome will become a republic before the month is done."

Rhea hummed in curiosity. "Marcus Aurelius' dream will finally become a reality." The two shared a look before laughing. Rhea quickly stopped. "Who's that?"

The two looked into the small dark room behind the curtains and noticed a man sitting by himself with his hands in chains.

"I believe that is Macrinus' new gladiator," Aurelia told her, she had heard it from someone earlier. "I think he brought him here for the games."

"Well, what's he doing here?" Rhea asked.

Aurelia shrugged. "Maybe for entertainment during the party?"

Rhea thought for a moment. "Aurelia, go join your friends," She ordered her and the woman did so. Rhea picked up a plate and put some food on it before walking into the next room. "Hello," She greeted and he looked up at her.

Her breath stopped for a minute.

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Lucius sat by himself on the bench, wringing his hands together. How did he get himself into this situation? All he wanted was General Acacius' head as revenge for taking Numidia and killing his best friend. Now he was sat in a Senator's house as if he was some plaything.

He was hungry of course, but there was nothing he could do about that. Lucius knew coming back to Rome would be a risk, there was a possibility his mother might be there and at some point he was definitely going to see her.

The girl he once told he would marry when they were older, they were 11 and 12 at the time. She had expressing concerns about being married off sometime soon when Lucius had said, "I'll marry you when we're older."

To which Rhea replied with, "Ugh, who would want to marry you?" She meant it as a joke of course, given they both giggled like children afterwards.

The final words Lucius remembered was, "Just you wait, I'll marry you one day."

It was a memory he constantly had on repeat to remind him of better times. Before his uncle was killed, before his mother sent him away. Now she was a princess, and she was probably already married.

"Hello," A soft voice came from next to the curtain and Lucius' head snapped up.

At first glance, he didn't recognise her. He looked again and suddenly realised it was the Princess of Rome. He stood up quickly.

"My Lady." He bowed his head. He didn't want to look at her, he knew what her 'special talent' was.

The princess looked as though she had stopped for a moment before shaking her head and coming back to reality.

"No, no, please sit," She told him, and he did. She sat next to him. "I'm Rhea, by the way. But you probably already knew that." She chuckled and he smiled.

She had the same laugh. She had the same smile. She had the same eyes. Although, her hair and grown lighter and longer, it had curled like his own mothers used to. Rhea had grown more beautiful over the last 16 years than he ever would have imagined.

Rhea placed a plate down on the bench. "I brought you some food, I though if you were going to be today's 'entertainment'," She sighed when she said entertainment. "You might want to get your strength up."

He hesitated for a moment before slowly taking the plate full of fruit and a piece of bread. As he took it, he noticed a small look of hope in her eyes.

"Do you have a name?" She asked. "I'd hate to just sit here and call you gladiator."

Lucius thought for a moment. "My name is Hanno." He told her, biting into the bread.

The look of hope in her eyes suddenly vanished and he felt slightly guilty.

"And where are you from, Hanno?" She asked again, it seemed as though she was simply trying to make conversation.

"Numidia, My Lady." He informed again, finishing the last of his bread.

A look of realisation appeared in Rhea's eyes. "Oh gods, I am so sorry. My brothers, they never know when to stop, I tried to persuade them but..." She trailed off, both of them knowing the answer.

They sat in silence, looking past the drapes and into the party. "You know, I hate these dreadful parties."

"Then why do you come?" He asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know," She chuckled lightly. "To keep up appearances I suppose. And for the people, most of them are nice."

Lucius was about to reply when a woman came over to them and looked at Rhea. "I apologise for interrupting but Senator Thraex would like to speak to you and the Emperor's, My Lady." She told them.

Rhea sighed and picked one more grape off the plate. "Duty calls. It was a pleasure meeting you, Hanno and I wish you luck in the arena these coming days."

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Princess." He smiled and she walked off.

Lucius let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

a/n: I don't like senator Thraex oh my god he pisses me oFF