Hopelessly Rome-antic [Re-writing]

Festivities

"Good afternoon" I said as I turned around and looked up.

Marcus Tatum was standing there, on his horse, looking all strong and powerful. His uniform made his beauty stand out and he looked just as good as when I had left him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bitterly and I flinched. Ouch. Sure, I had expected him to not be fully welcoming but not as much as this. 

" I had to come back" I said, eyes looking at the ground and keeping my head low. I was embarassed,  it was my fault of course but I had thought that I might have been welcomed in a better situation. 

Meanwhile, the crowd had shifted their attention back to the parade and generals kept passing by. Tatum was the only one who had broken the long row and had stopped to look at me. Another horse passed by and stopped and I recognized Officer Aero, also holding a torch.

"Prophetress" he simply said and i felt a smile growing onto my face. Tatum looked away from me to him and a cold stare took over his expression. We waited for a few minute, as the parade still went on. I heard Callum's warm chuckle behind me and he coughed, trying to make everyone realize that we were stopping a roman parade in process. 

Then something unexpected happened. Aero extended his hand out, moving his feet away from the stirrup.

"Will you do me this honor?" he asked, smiling. 
I hesitated to grab his hand but under the stare of Tatum and Callum, I finally gave in. I took his hand and he lifted me up. I settled down on the horse and held onto Aero's shoulder. Tatum immediatly looked away and extended his arm to Callum, who had probably started to feel lonely among the roman civilians.

Callum settled down too and looked at me, winking.

Aero ordered for his horse to move forward and I almost fell backward.

"Hold on tight" he said as he moved my hands from his shoulders to his stomach, around his armor; and we departed.

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"Does this happen every year?" I questionned Aero as we had long traveled to the Campus Martius temple, where the rest of the ceremony was being hold. 

"Yes. It's very important to make sure that our grain isn't destroyed by the god of fire. Soon, they will light up the bonfire and then there will be a party." he explained, still holding his torch. 

We had travelled until late in the afternoon, to reach the temple located north to the Capitoline Hill. The large crowd that I had seen earlier in the streets was now enormous and it was like a sea of people that had gathered to watch the ceremony. More soliders had reached the center of the temple and were gathering in a circle. The night had long fallen onto the Empire and the crowd had grown quite. 

A first soldier moved toward the huge pile of woods. The crowd started a small chant, at first that only was a whisper and it was as if the wind was whispering in my ears.
The soldier was joined by his comrade and soon as small circle had gathered around the bonfire. The chant grew louder as soldiers joined in, forming different circles and moving in sync to the song. It was like watching a magical dance, the torches flying in the sky and moving so fast it was enchanting. 

Then when the song reached its climax, the first soldier that had walked toward the bonfire threw his torch on the pile of wood. The others joined in and soon a giant fire was burning in front of the temple. The officers followed and when it reached Aero's turn, we moved toward the bonfire. Aero threw the torch in and turned his horse around, passing past Marcus Tatum who was approaching the bonfire at the same time. It seemed as if the time as slowed down as they passed each other, staring into each other's soul and finally it was over. 

Aero jumped out of his horse as a soldier held it and he gestured for me to jump too. I did and he caught me half way through, making sure I didn't land butt on the ground.

"They should start fighting soon" he whispered to me as Tatum jumped out of his horse, followed by Callum. While my friend moved to the other side of the fire, Tatum grabbed his sword and ran in the bonfire. A soldier met him halfway through and their swords collided, making small sparks appear each time the swords were one against the other. 

Other soldiers joined in and it was like watching a deadly dance. Aero marched in it too and soon I was left alone to watch the fights, lightened up by the red fire behind them. One by one, the soldier exited the scene until General Tatum Marcus and his opponent were left alone. 

"How long does this usually last?" I asked 

"The fight? It's over now, but the ceremony lasts all night. The civilians are slowly going to go back to their own houses to celebrate but the women of the temple and the ones invited by the emperor will stay all night long, dancing and celebrating for the gods" Aero explained. "In the morning, they will throw offers such as small animals to appease the god". 

And he was right. The crowd slowly dispersed around, leaving only soldiers, generals and officials with some women and their husbands around the bonfire. It still reached about forty to seventy people and a band had reached the temple, playing music. 

The women moved in to dance while the men drank and ate. 

"They are dancers from Greece, specifically invited to join our ceremony" informed Aero as he watched them "It's usually a dance for Mars but it's an honor to have them here"

I watched carefully, each step and each movement as the women danced graciously around the bonfire. Soon enough, the music became faster and catchier; and more girls walked into the dance. One girl in particuliar caught my arm, pulling me along with her into this wild dance. 

My foot seemed to fly as I followed the steps, making sure that I wasn't messing up. Some soldiers joined in and the night seemed long as we danced around. Passing from one partner to another, I finally landed in a strong grip.

"Careful there" Tatum said as he caught me.  We danced, and moved swiftly along with other pairs 

"Red suits you well" he said, his mouth near my ear. His voice sending chills down my spine and I suddenly feeling cold around the blazing fire.

I caught Callum's eyes and Aero's sight as we twirled around and my friend send me a thumb up while Officer Aero just smirked and winked, drinking his wine. 

Tatum was leading me in the dance, the spirits of the dancers had suddenly fired up and the music had gone louder. The rhythm speed up as we quickly moved across the marbled floor. 

 My red dress was flying around, dangerously close to the fire but never reaching it. I felt Tatum hand on my hips as we moved around and when the song finally came to a stop, we were in front of one another, faces only a few centimers away from each other.

I could see people watching us as most of the dancers left the floor except us. But ignoring all the stares, Tatum looked deep into my eyes and in his enchanting voice he whispered.

"I miss you"