Gladiators of Rome:Short Stories

II

II

In the following weeks the forests and woods of Britannica offered Frieda no comfort as she walked through them with Diomed loitering behind her. She knew that this land was her birthplace and she kept expecting to come across a stream or a landmark and feel a deep, inexplicable attachment and know that she was home, but no such feeling ever arose. She felt like an imposter, so much so that the cold climate of Britannica was a shock when she came upon her shores. She had grown up in the warm heat of the continent and was forced to swap her lappet skirt for leather trousers.

She felt alone here and there were moments when she missed Krista and her friends so much that she felt a physical pain at their separation. Jupiter save her but she even missed the Gaul.
As she thought this Frieda paused in shock; should she not be praying to the many pagan gods, but instead she spoke Jupiter's name? A terrifying thought that she did not feel at home here because she no longer thought of Britannica as her home but rather Rome, the place she had been brought up, crossed her mind. Shaking her head Frieda turned to shout at Diomed, knowing it would make her feel better, but when she looked she couldn't see him. She was not completely surprised. He had fallen behind before, his heavy infantry feet used to a flatter road.

"You're falling behind!" Frieda shouted as she turned back and carried on walking, pushing low hanging branches aside as she stepped over fallen logs and small ditches in the earth without thinking about it. She expected to either hear his flamboyant voice or the loud rustling and cracking of foliage as he clambered behind her but as time ticked away she continued to not hear anything.

"Really?" Frieda sighed, "Now you choose to be silent?" Stopping to look behind her Frieda stared in surprise as she was met with empty forest scenery and no Diomed.

"Diomed?" She called out as she took a step back, looking around the trees in case he was hiding but she couldn't see him. Her eyes widened a little as she realised for the first time in months that there was no bickering Roman attached to her heel. Her lips began to slowly twitch at the corners to show the hint of a smile.
Taking a cautious step backwards, afraid that this was simply a trick and he would jump out at her any moment, she called his name again, "Diomed?" When he still did not appear Frieda turned back to face the front and took another, bigger step. Could it be? Frieda thought hopefully as she hurried up the path, her heart beating fast. Looking behind her as she walked, Frieda's hint of a smile turned into a broad unmistakable grin until she turned back around and almost barrelled straight into the hulking boulder that was Diomed.

"Jupiter-!" Frieda exclaimed in surprise as she shut her eyes momentarily before taking a breath and opening her eyes to glare up at Diomed. He was stood before her with an apple in his hand and a smirk on his lips that made her blood boil.

"Why Frieda, did I surprise you?" Diomed chuckled at the concept, "Thought you'd got rid of me?"

"I can dream," Frieda grumbled as she shoved past him, knocking his shoulder with her own as she did so and almost causing him to drop the apple.

Diomed managed to hold on to the round fruit as he arched an eyebrow at her and pretended to be hurt, "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm not a nice person," Frieda reminded him truthfully as she thought of the many things she had done to survive, "Now stop mucking about and come on. And where did you get that apple?" Frieda called behind her, refusing to stop again. She shouldn't have waited to see if he would come back, she should have high-tailed it out of there the first chance she got. She might not get the chance again.