Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ do ut des ❯ disturbed slumber ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Lunch! Lunch?" I heard Claudia call me. I guess I was daydreaming on my chamber for too long, for I forgot the time.

"Hold the horses, Claudia, I'm coming already!" I answered, hiding my doll underneath my pillow. It was the only thing I had left, the only thing from home, it was important that Claudia did not see it. She would probably tell the commander, a surly old man, around the age of 50, who kept an eye around things here, and he would...

"Then hurry up!" Claudia yelled as she came into my chamber. "I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, it's your duty now. Or do I have to tell Philippus that you aren't working?"

Philippus is our commander, how I hate him, how I hate her!

"Is that a threat?" I hissed dangerously. And I suddenly felt the urge to sneeze. But I knew what would happen, and instead of doing it so, I walked past Claudia cloging my nose with my fingers.

"I will tell Philippus about this!" She yelled after me.

I just shrugged and walked on, out of our house, into our atrium, a splendid garden behind the altar. Soon I reached the altar itself, and I felt relieved that the fire was still burning. After I throwed some pieces of firewood in the bowl, I went to sit next to it, in a little chair next to the huge bowl of fire. This was one of the chores I had to do, being a Vestal Virgin. We were with six Vestal Virgins. And we had to watch over the fire day and night. Every hour of the day there has to be someone guarding it. If it is ever extinguished we will be punished. Maybe even with death.

I looked around the altar, it was a small open chambre. With two stairs, one leading to our atrium, and the other leading to the Forum Romanum. This altar was a public place, and many people came to bring a sacrifice, usually some fruit, which gave out a nice smell. Sometimes they also brought meat, mutton or veal, but that was only for special occasions. It was around sunset, and I had to stay here until 10 o clock. We had a sundial in our garden, but it didn't really work. For there don't live shadows in the darkness ; the clock only worked at daylight. The most people would come here around mid-day. It was usually quiet around here when I came. At the moment there wasn't anybody passing by. Not that I minded that, I liked being alone, just staring into the flames made me feel at peace. Maybe it was because of the warmth, maybe because I had to do some extra chores today and I was tired, but I began to felt drowsy, it was sleep inducing. And I began to doze.

"Erhemm..." I heard some clear his throat, I woke up with a shock. In front of me was a handsome young man, around the age of twenty, wearing a soldier armor. His black hair was standing up in every possible way, as if it didn't obey the law if gravity. A genuine smile spread over his friendly face. I felt forced to smile back.

<Authors Note : If you didn't figure it out yet, this boy is Goku >

"I wanted to make a sacrafice for Vesta, goddess of fire." he said, his smile still adorning his face.

This made me nervous, I wasn't allowed to associate with boys. And I used to avoid them. For I was always warned about the consequences, I got this speech from Philippus, and I knew the stories about a Vestal Virgin who got pregnant. She was killed, she and her baby and husband. Ironic, but true. The fact that this boy was smiling so cute to me, made me uncomfortable.

"I..I.." I sighed and tried to relax. "You may do so." I gave him permission.

He nodded and walked over to the fire. He shoved his plate, which was filled with fruit, into the fire.

"Do ut des" He spoke to the goddess.

I suddenly noticed how strange it looked to see somebody talking to the fire, though I should be used to it by now, I had to surpress a giggle.

"I give you this sacrafice, goddess of fire, as I wish luck for my up coming battle in return" He stept backwards and bowed. Then he turned to me and bowed again.

"Thank you, Vestal Virgin, for keeping the eternal fire burning" he looked up and smiled, I smiled nervously back to him. And he walked away.

At this point Chichi came in. And as she looked at the soldier retreating into the Forum Romanum, she went to sit next to me.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"A soldier came to wish for luck in his battle" I answered with a sigh.

"Oh." she said, her gaze never leaving the boy until he turned around a corner and felt out of sight. She turned to me.

"What was taking you so long?" she asked me "You're supposed to be inside for at least an hour."

"I felt asleep" I confessed.

Chichi shaked her head. "Good that I found you, and not Philippus or Claudia."

"Yeah, or they would probably find a reason to punish me." I sighed.

"Don't get offended, Philippus is just a jerk who likes to spoil our lives, and Claudia is just a bitch who helps him with it"

I smiled "So true."

"Well go to bed already!" Chichi dragged me out of my chair. "You need your beauty sleep!" she joked.

I smiled, "Look who's talking you ugly wench." I joked along.

She throwed some pieces of firewood in the bowl to keep the fire burning. Chichi was such a good friend. She made my stay here a lot easier, and she and Bulma were the only two I could trust here. They were also the only two who knew about my sneezing problem.

"Hey Chi?" she looked up, I smiled "Thanks for everything."

She smiled back at me, "Don't mention it, but you better keep going, otherwise Philippus will be very pissed."

I nodded and left.

As I entered our home, I decided that I'd make me some food. I missed dinner, and I was kind of hungry.
Our culinia is rather small, that's because we don't eat in our kitchen. There are special eating rooms, one in our house, and one in our atrium. We only eat in the garden for dinner. I made myself some eggs, and ate them in the kitchen.

I was surprised that I didn't saw Philippus, and somehow relieved, I went to bed. As I lifted the heavy stola of my body, I decided to keep my tunica on. Tunica were used as an under dress, and they were white and light. My father bought me two stola's before I was chosen to be a Vestal Virgin, I never had a stola.

My father.. I've never seen him ever since that day I was brought here. He never took the time to visit me, and I never had the time to visit him. I was only allowed to leave the temple at day, and I was bound to do my chores.

My sister Veleada, did visit me once, it was two years ago, I could hardly recognise her, I hadn't see her in 9 years, and I was shocked to see that my big sister, was now a mature woman. But I saw in her eyes, that she too was shocked to see her little sister grew up too. I was 16 back then, and she had told me about how it was going at home. My mother died, she told me with tears in her eyes, but I couldn't remember my mothers face, and I felt guilty that I didn't cry for her. She told that my brother was married, and that he had four children, she told me the names, but I forgot them. She also told me that she was married for 5 years now, and that she had two children. I was happy for her. But I could't help feeling jealous for she had the life, I wanted to live. She didn't knew how it was to be trapped in this cave. And when she asked me how I was doing, and I told her the truth, she smacked me in the face and told me to be grateful to receive such an honor of being a Vestal Virgin. I told her I didn't care, and she left in fury. I never saw her ever since.

I didn't saw them as my family anymore, I felt betrayed that they brought me here, and abonded me. I am allowed to return to them when I reached the age of 40, but that is still so long. And I don't long to reach that age so that I can be with my family again, anymore, like I did the first few years I got here. But it was time to realize I was forgotten, and I wasn't part of the family anymore. I had a new home.

I blew out the candle in my room, and covered myself with the blankets. I grabbed my doll underneath her pillow, and caressed it, dozing into a deep slumber.

/ - - ^ - - /

"Lunch!" Bulma hissed nudging me to wake up.

I slowly opened my eyes.

"Bulma? What's wrong?" I asked her confused, "It's still night!"

"Be quiet!" she bellowed, "Philippus is going to kill me if he hears this!"

"What?" I whispered excited.

"Just follow me.." Bulma answered, dragging Lunch out of bed.

"Where are we going to?" I asked, unsure what this was all about. If we were sneaking up at night like this, people might get suspicious.

Suddenly I heard a baby cry in the distance.

"Darn, we have to hurry!" Bulma started running.

Confused, I ran after her.