Summary: Cassius tells Melicia that he is leaving for Greece to fight against Antony’s troops.
Author’s note: This is for ACOR Appreciation Week, Day Four: Cassius
Melicia rocked her baby girl in her arms, trying to calm her down. Soon little Cassandra stopped crying. She was such a sweet baby. Melicia wished that her parents could meet their granddaughter. Someday, she told herself. She hadn’t seen her parents or Cingerix since before she married Cassius, when they left Rome to look for other enslaved members of the Catauni. Would they even know how to find her? She had told them that she’d be staying in Rome, but things hadn’t worked out the way that she expected.
After Caesar’s death, Marc Antony had seized power and turned the Roman people against Cassius. Since their lives were in danger, they had fled Rome. Sabina and Syphax had come with them; Sabina had also been afraid for her safety, and Syphax wanted to give her extra protection. At first, they had stayed fairly close by. When Cassius was put in charge of Cyrene, he decided that they would be better off in Syria instead, and seized power there. She had to adjust to a new home in a new place. At least she still had her husband, her closest friends, her monkey Cirta, and her greyhound Arduinna. And after Cassie had been born, she had her own family. Still, she missed her parents and her brother.
Melicia looked up as Cassius walked into the room. Something about the expression on his face troubled her. Perhaps he had received some bad news.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” she asked him.
Cassius nodded. “You know me so well. Antony’s army is coming after us, and we must defend ourselves. I know you understand.”
“Of course. I’ll help you in any way that I can. Will their troops be here soon?”
“No, Melicia. Brutus and I are leaving for Greece with our army. We must defeat Antony’s troops before they get too close. I won’t put you and Cassie at risk.”
Melicia’s heart sank. She knew he had a point, but she didn’t want him to leave. If she didn’t have Cassandra, she would have asked to go with him, but a battlefield was no place for a baby, and she had to put their daughter first.
“I understand,” she told him. When do you have to leave?“
Cassius sat down beside her and gently touched her shoulder. “Tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?” Melicia gasped. Cassandra began to cry, and Melicia began to rock her again. “It’s all right, sweetie. We have to be strong.” She turned back to Cassius. “It’s as if she knows.”
“Well, she is a smart little girl.” He leaned in and kissed Melicia. “You two will be fine. I’ll miss you, though.”
“I’ll miss you too. Please be safe.” She was struck with a sudden sense of foreboding. “We need you to come home to us. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise. When I return, we’ll celebrate our triumph over Antony.”
She kissed him again. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
She decided that after he left, she was going to make an offering to the gods and ask them to protect him. Maybe then she could shake the unease that she felt.