A Thousand Years to Live

Chapter Seven

When I jump to the next time era I find that my landing is a lot gentler this time. I land softly on a stone bench in what looks to be an arena. I take a look around and see that there are what appears to be two gladiators fighting a lion on the floor of the arena. I quickly look around the rest the place and realise that I'm inside the roman Colosseum. It is a giant stone affair, the walls are full of beautiful arch ways, in the middle of it is an arena for the gladiators to battle, and along the walls are lots of stone benches for the spectators to sit and watch.

I turn back to floor area of the Colosseum where the gladiators are fighting the lion, I take a closer a look at the gladiators and quickly recognise one of them as Colton. Just as I recognise Colton the lion jumps and swipes him with its large claws; when I see this I start to panic but there is nothing I can do to help him. The second gladiator brings his sword up and slashes the lion across the chest, killing it. As soon as the lion is dead the other gladiator goes over to Colton and helps to carefully remove him from the arena. After Colton and the other gladiator have left the arena another pair of gladiators enter the arena to applause from the crowd. Once the crowd has settled down a tiger is released into the arena and races to attack the gladiators. They quickly dodge but not for one of them is swiped by the tiger. It is a vicious fight between the gladiators and the tiger with one gladiator injured so severely that they didn't survive before the tiger is finally subdued. This goes on with a few more gladiators fighting a variety of animals with varying success and injuries sustained on the gladiator's behalf before I can't watch anymore.

I quickly exit from the Colosseum and look around. I see young people participating in a footrace whipping people with what look to be goatskin strips and that is when I realise that I must of landed in Rome in time for the Lupercalia festival, celebrating, Faunus, the Roman god of Fauna. I quickly look down at myself to see that I'm wearing a stola over which I have a palla, which is draped over my left shoulder, under my right arm and back over my left arm all in the colour white. I figure that this means that I am a vestal virgin. I am glad and thankful that I get to experience this piece of cultural history. My second favourite ancient culture is Rome right behind Ancient Greece.

I slowly walk around and explore ancient Rome, I walk over to Palatine hill and enjoy the view. As I walk around I pass a couple of other vestal virgins and they give me a small nod and wave but keep walking in the opposite direction of me. I keep explore and walk past well known buildings and places. I continue to walk around enjoying the view until it gets dark. As it starts to gets dark I am walking past the Tiber River, when I am approached by who I believe is one of the other vestal virgins.

"Lavender, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be at the temple tending the fire," Camilla asks me.

"I apologise, Camilla, I will go there now," I say and head off in the direction of Vesta's temple.

I quickly make my way the winding streets of Rome to make my way back to the temple knowing that I can't let the fire die or I could be punished with death. When I get close enough to the temple I see that the temple I see that the fire getting very low and will die if I don't add more wood and stoke it. Just as I'm about to run the rest of the way I feel a hand grab my wrist. I let out a small shriek before a hand covers my mouth.

"Lavender, it's me," I hear Colton whisper in my ear, before letting me go.

I turn to him, completely forgetting of the eternal flame about to die inside Vesta's temple. I quickly look him over making sure that he is okay after his gladiator fights earlier today. I can't find any injuries and am satisfied that he is okay.

"Colton, are you alright?" I ask him, making absolutely sure that he is okay.

"I'm fine, Lavender" He says, before pulling me into a brotherly hug.

"I have so much to tell you about my time in Greece," I say to him, as I hug him back.

"Tell me when we make it back to our time," Colton says, before taking a step and looking at me properly. "What are you wearing?"

"The traditional clothes of a Vestal virgin, which I am in this era," I say, and realise that I should be tending to the flames. "I have to go before I get in trouble." I quickly run to the temple, Colton following me, only to find that flame has died completely.

I start panicking when I see that the flames are dead. Colton tries to calm me down, telling me that it will be alright and just as he pulls me into another hug, one of the other Vestal virgins walks out and sees him hugging me. I didn't break just one rule of the Vestal virgins, I broke two and the most important two rules. I let the eternal flame die and I was caught having intimate contact with a man. I quickly push Colton away from me and tell him to run. He looks at me in shock and refuses to move so I again push him gently and tell him to run. Just as he runs the high priest and a selection of guards come to arrest me for the infractions that I committed. I allow them to lead me along the roads to the gates of the city.

Once we reach the gates and exit, some of the guards set quietly to work digging a rather large hole while the rest guard me so that I can't escape. By the time the guards are finished digging the hole, the sun has risen. The high priest comes over to me and looks at me with disappointment and shakes his head at me.

"For allowing the eternal flame to die and for breaking your Vestal vows, your punishment is to be buried alive," he says, in a regretful but calm voice.

Just as the guards are about to grab my arms to place me in the hole my watch beeps letting me know that I can now jump to the next time on the watches setting. I quickly press the button before the guards grab me and I'm instantly flung into a black whirlpool.