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Gisco walked through the village, simply doing his rounds. Celer was by his side as he walked through the dirt paths. He loved seeing people pass by just doing their day-to-day things. His favorite was seeing children cling to their families while going on outings. His dream was to be part of it one day. Having his own child and wife. His own family. But at least he had Celer with him. He then arrived at the center of commerce. There were children begging their parents to buy them toys, people bartering, and some people just examining what was being sold. Many people shot dirty looks at him, but he was accustomed to it at this point. Celer’s paws made little scratching noises against the ground. He stood by one of the stalls, only watching people pass. Finally, he saw her. Catia. The red-headed woman who sold swords or fruit with her sister. He gave a dreamy sigh. Celer’s ear perked up and wagged his tail.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Gisco whispered softly under his breath.
Celer barked a response that sounded agreeable. Her strong demeanor, her love for her family, and her looks. He then shifted his attention to a crying child, she seemed to be shuffling to him and holding her doll.
“Gisco,” she said between sobs, “I can’t find my mama.”
He crouched down to her height, “what’s your name?”
She wiped her tears, “Alma…”
“Let us wait here for her, alright?” He smiled at her, “I know she will return.”
She sat down next to Celer and the dog licked off her tears. She laughed at the ticklish feeling. It warmed Gisco’s heart hearing a child’s laughter, especially as she began to feel more comfortable.
He continued trying to talk to her to distract her; she was paying more attention to Celer. From the other corner of the market, Catia was eyeing Gisco. She thought it was adorable seeing how he had a soft-side for children. Even if he was a tough Roman soldier and all, he was still human. The shouts of a woman were heard, between her cries the name of her child could be heard. Alma bolted from Celer’s nuzzle to her mother with open arms. He did not expect a ‘thank you’ because defending the citizens was part of his job. He stood there a moment longer before heading out of the marketplace. As he continued to walk along, he didn’t hear Celer’s paws against the ground.
“Celer?” He turned his head quickly to see that his dog was playing with Catia.
He saw her scratch behind his ears and babytalk Celer. Gisco took a deep breath as he approached her.
“Salve, Catia,” Gisco kept a straight posture but his demeanor was soft.
“Salve, Gisco,” She looked up to him and continued to pamper Celer.
He crouched down next to her, “Celer seems to love you.”
She laughed, then shrugged, “he seems to love everyone.”
Gisco hummed in agreement; Celer is an extremely amicable dog but also knew when he needed to attack. He wanted to talk to her more but he wasn’t sure what to say. He remained silent until he saw the sword by Catia’s side.
“I always see you selling swords,” Gisco worded carefully, “so, do you know how to use one?”
She looked away for a second, “not entirely.”
“I can teach you!”
Catia noted the bright look on his face as he anticipated her response. She agreed to let him teach her swordsmanship and to meet by the river at first light. Gisco and Celer went home both eager, but one was more visible than the other. Gisco seemed to have his head in the clouds. The other soldiers and Britons noticed this and could only wonder what was on his mind. He usually was a man of dedication and determination. So, what could possibly make a soldier skip while he walks? Though he had to be careful unless he wanted to flash the world (curse or bless those tunics). Celer ran beside him. Their positive energies bouncing off each other. When they both arrived at Gisco's home, they cuddled closely. Celer rested on his lap while he would pet him in a rhythmic pattern.
“Ah, how do you think I should teach her? Through sparring, slow explanation, or through me showing her? Oh! I’m so excited I can’t think of a single teaching method.”
Gisco was rambling endlessly with such excitement. His dog wasn’t paying much attention since he began to doze off. When Gisco himself finally fell asleep, he was still rambling!
He woke up before the first hour to Celer’s barks.
“Goodmorning,” Gisco lazily yawned as he rubbed his eyes.
Celer pulled him by the end of his toga to his armor, almost telling him to clean it all up. He gathered his gear and went down to the river to polish it all up. Now that he was there, he might as well wash up. He set his stuff down on a rock before rinsing up. It wasn’t long before his dog jumped into the water with him. The cool water was a great way for the both of them to wake up. When he got slightly deeper into the water, he carried Celer over his shoulders like a lamb. It was a great bonding moment for the both of them. Occasionally, his dog would lap up some water to drink. While focusing on the moment shared with his dog, he didn’t notice the singular woman standing at the river bank.
“Salve Gisco!” She greeted him, “You seem to be busy this morning!”
He turned around and felt his face turn red, “Salve, Catia, you’re here early.”
She crossed her arms but had a smile, “and you’re here earlier than me.”
Celer hopped off his shoulders and swam over to Catia. He jumped at her with his tail wagging and his joyful barks.
“Good morning to you too, Celer,” she cooed at him.
While she was busy with that, he stepped out of the water and dried himself off before putting on his clothes. Catia couldn’t help herself but take a lil’ peek – albeit a rather long one. She took note of his battle scars and his body.
Gisco was still blushing and hastily put on his armor. He didn’t have time to polish it, so it kind of dampened his mood. Nonetheless, he was still more than happy to see Catia.
“So,” he cleared his throat, “ready for practice?”
Catia unsheathed her own sword and in proper swordsmanship, she kept it aimed towards the ground. He wondered where she got that sword from. He didn’t question it. Yet. In turn, he unsheathed his own sword. When they locked eyes, she went into ready-position.
“I thought you didn’t know how to use a sword,” he chuckled with a grin.
She shrugged, “I just wanted an excuse to spend time with you.”
He got ready to attack. But they both just stood there, while Celer watched. Their eyes were locked. Then, they charged.
The grand weight of the swords only made the matter more exciting. It was such a beautiful sound hearing the swords collide. Just like the sparks emitted from the swords, there was that same sensation in their hearts. The feeling of the metal reverberating through their bones drove the adrenaline. Catia had an eager, yet determined look on her face. Whereas Gisco had more of a playful gaze in his eyes. It all changed when Catia got close enough to home, her back against his chest. Almost like a dance. It was cut short by her elbowing him right in the ribs, in the open section of his armor. Such a sudden action caused him to fall back and lose his breath. While trying to stand up, Catia pressed her foot on the middle of his chest and held the tip of her sword at his face.
“That was much easier than I thought it would be,” she said with a smug look on her face.
Gisco was breathless, not just because he had gotten the wind knocked out of him, but by her fierceness and strength.
“Amazing.” Was all he could stutter out.
After a second to take in her victory, Catia sheathed back her sword and helped Gisco to sit. He sat on the ground, keeping his breathing steady. Celer licked at his face in a form of consolation.
Catia sat beside him and patted his back, “that was fun.”
He took one more big breath before breaking into a goofy smile, “indeed it was.”
By now the adrenaline was beginning to die down and their heart rates began to rest. Instinctively.
“Who taught you?” Gisco asked, still with a tone of amazement.
“My father, when he still had the strength to attack with a sword. But I like to practice a lot – alone.”
He perked up his head, “I can help with that!” Gisco then blushed, “if… you’d like, of course.”
She reached over and held his hand, “I’d love that.”
Gisco took a steady breath. How could she be so damn smooth? He felt he needed to be doing the first move! He then hesitantly raised her hand to his lips, planting a soft kiss.
“I just want to spend more time with you.”
Catia, with her other hand, raised his head to face her, “I’m glad we share the same feeling.”
Before any more words could have been exchanged, Celer jumped right between them. He licked their faces. He seemed more excited about the situation than the two combined! Gisco and Catia laid down on the grass, their hands were still interlocked. Celer continued to frolic by the water. It was extremely relaxing to hear the moving water, the singing birds, and Celer’s barks.
“Gisco,” Catia spoke softly, “you know what makes me love you so much?”
“Is it my strength and beauty?”
She rolled her eyes, “yes, that too. But what helps a lot is that you have a soft spot for kids.”
Gisco turned to his side so he could look at her better, “I can say the same thing about you.”
“Is it because of my red locks and charm?”
He gave a shy nod, “that is part of it, but the fact that you love Celer so much and he loves you!”
Celer barked in agreement to Gisco’s statement.
“Have you ever thought about having a family?” She then began to pet Celer in an endearing way.
He hummed, “Yes! Yes, I have. I would like to have a little girl… a boy is fine, but I try to not be picky.”
The two talked and talked for a long time. They even held hands as they walked back to the village. Gisco was about to let go of her hand as they neared her home, but Catia gripped his hand.
“You should stay for dinner,” she said in a rather casual way.
He playfully shrugged, “by the way you’re holding my hand, I think I have no choice.”
Catia’s entire family weren’t surprised that she was the one to bring a man home. What shocked them was the fact she brought a Roman soldier. By now many Britons were accustomed to the presence of the soldiers, but no one had expected something like this to happen. Though, the family as a whole did respect the soldiers to a degree due to one of them, many years ago, sacrificed his life to save Catia’s sister, Aucissa. The meal was simple but quite satisfying: bread and lots of vegetables.
“So,” Aucissa said while eating, “how would you describe my sister.”
Gisco leaned back and sighed dreamily, “ah, pulchrissima est amica mea. Not only that, she is strong and independent… I like that in a woman”
Aucissa giggled, but she appreciated his honesty.
“Oh?” Catia’s father spoke up, “You have quite the unique taste!”
Catia then leaned against Gisco, “and that is why I love him, because he is unique.”