Chapter Text
๐๐๐ง๐ข, ๐๐ข๐๐ข, ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ; ๐ท๐๐๐
โ โโโโโโ โ โโโโโโ โ
ย
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ซ. Everything that surrounded you was touched with Roman charm. Paintings hung on any space available, depicting the man you served. The statues of an Emperor so known his name was heard throughout nations beyond yours were scattered around the hallway, seated on podiums for you to gaze upon the display. Statues of honourable soldiers, past rulers, and divine deities of different concepts and objects scattered about.
Marble painted with bright colours, giving life to still pieces of earth. Around you was gold, and you hummed as you skipped through this hall. This hall you passed regularly, at the end was one of the many open entrances to the banquet hall. Dressed in a white tunica, you calmed your jolting nerves, your hair was fixed, modest enough to keel the attention on the empires. The finest silk you were allowed to wear only on this occasion. The empire demands it, for the most bourgeoisie of the ancient world would be there. The egyptian twins: Upper and Lower Egypt, respectively, were called Ta Shemau and Ta Mehu, casually, Persia, Greece, Carthage, even (Old) Prussia. Roman provinces and the highest of the senate would attend the banquet only the Roman Empire would host. You worked hard to earn his favour to serve among the best of his servants for tonight. Your hardwork, and now you were standing so close, closing in with every step. Gripping the golden tray filled with honeyed figs and fresh grapes, you listened to the boisterous laughs that grew louder as you neared. Enetering the banquet hall, you bowed and greeted those higher than you with hidden nerves, serving them fruits left and right.
In the center of the room was the dear Emperor, a crooked smile grazing his features. His eyelids crinkled just at the bottom as he smiled, red hair splaying softly over his forehead, golden highlights mixed within, and a golden laurel crown sat atop his hair. His irises were shining with just a fracture of pride his heart held. He entertained guests with stories as he lounged at the end of the table, surrounded by the highest of the high. Between his languid fingers sat a goblet filled to the brim with wine. The emperor you hopelessly fell for, someone you couldn't have, someone who'd look your way and immediately forget your name. Yes, you were chosen, but you'd be forgotten later, remembered as a servant, a maid, a piece of help in this palace.
Gold plates reflected the surroundings, and you saw your own reflection in the polished metal. Your lips were set on a straight line, your eyes tired but attentive to the needs of those who request, an idlesome face stared back at you. Scoffing at yourself, you shook your head and went back to work, placing trays of food upon the long dining table, lighting the candles and torches around, the oil lamps burning with an orange glow. Whispers, murmurs, and discussions of politics hummed through the air as you and a few other servants finished preparing the table.
Soon, the feast started, and countries and provinces alike tore into the food with reckless abandon, yet somehow sophisticated. You watched curiously, standing off to the side holding a bottle of finely aged wine, watered down to keep the lightweights at bay, ready to serve to whoever wanted a refill. You onserved the countries who sat the closest to Rome, the emperor. At his right was Greece, his dearly detested, nemesis, frenemy, whatever they were. Her blue hair was done in a braided crown, strands of loose hair framing her patterned face perfectly so. Her peplos and chiton draped over her form in white and gold befitting for a queen like her.
Beside her was her latest obsession, Persia, dressed in a vibrantly patterned silk robe, decorated with jewels and golden threads. On his face was a smile adorned with unspoken charm, complimenting his red and gold patterned skin. Atop his head full of black hair was a golden headdress covered in heraldic symbols. The country that sat furthest from Rome was Carthage, an unimpressed look on his face, his scarred lips pressed into a thin line.
On the emperor's other side was the egyptian twins. Upper Egypt, who preferred the name Ra sat beside Rome, her black hair cut at her shoulders, her bangs covered her forehead just below her eyebrows, and resting on her head was an uraeus. Gold molded into a cobra, jewels and cystals attached right on it. Her eyes were sharp, and her right eye was lined in blue. The eye of Ra imprinted on her white face, one eye brown, the left was a deep blue upon a black sclera. Her brother, Lower Egypt, sat beside her, adorned in a nemes tailored to cover even his catlike ears, much like his sister, one of his eyes was lined like the eye of Horus, like his preferred name. His right eye's sclera was black, adorned with a yellow iris that shined like the sun.
They all indulged in their own discussion, political and trade routes, Rome would crack a joke about Carthage's 'laughable' defeat at the Punic Wars and Carthage would seethe. Boisterous laughter erupted from the table at times, and you' be there to watch, refill the drinks, then after, retreat back to the side. Stifling a yawn, you leaned back on a pillar next to the other servants who looked much like you, eyes bored, but scanning. On your left, you felt a tap on your shoulder and locked eyes with a friend named Julia. Another servant who you'd grown close to, she greeted you with a smile as she held a tray full of roasted meat.
"Hey y/n. I hope you're having fun!"
You smiled, your lips tugging up at the corners.
"I'm not, but thanks Julia."
She giggled and came close to the table, setting the tray of roasted meat for the empires to continue their feast. She retreated to your side right after, watching curiously beside you. The time ticked by slowly, and you couldn't help but gaze upon Rome, the mighty emperor. His hair shiny, his laugh loud, charismatic and confident, strong-willed, and incredibly stubborn, intelligent, and materialistic. That's how you'd describe him. You served him daily and watched him roam the halls covered in his face, his accomplishments, his conquests, all him. Oh, what you'd give to even graze hands with him for a millisecond. Pulling you from your thoughts was a voice, playful and boyish, carefree, and relaxed. He spoke in Latin dressed with a heavy accent.
"Yohoo! Server girl, would you come over for a moment?"
You scanned the table from where you stood until you saw a white hand raise. It belonged to Ta Mehu, grinning childishly as he raised his goblet for a drink. Hurrying over, you held the bottle with steady hands, pouring wine into his goblet until it filled to the top. Your eyes focused as to not mess up, failing to notice Ta Mehu's eyes flicker up to your face from your hands. He laughed to himself, lips already pulled into a mischievous smile.
"You have very steady hands, darling,"
Ta Mehu spoke out of the blue, leaning closer to you ever so slightly. Your breath hitched as you pulled the bottle back. Perhaps the Egyptian twin had too much to drink?.
"Tha... Thank you, moon of Egypt."
You let out, nodding your head and straightening up. Go back to your post, you told yourself, and so you did. Though Ta Mehu continued to call you to him throughout the night. Wine or fruit, he'd focus on you, whispering honeyed words.
"I wonder if the stars are missaligned... you're far too good to just be a server."
"I might convert into Sabaism for a star like you, darling."
"Are all Roman servers as radiant as you are?"
With every praise that left his pale pink lips, you'd always mutter a polite thank you and bow before retreating, though this time, Ta Mehu purposely grazed his hand with yours before flashing you a smirk as you left. Julia, who saw all this, turned to you with a quirked up brow, arms crossed over her chest.
"What was that about?"
She asked with a grin, and you shrugged, averting your gaze. Julia snickered, who knows what that girl was cooking within her mind with what she saw. Though unsuspecting of it, the emperor too saw the interactions, the repeated calling, the subtle touches, the hand grazes, Ta Mehu's newfound interest and wine tasting. He scoffed, Rome gripped his golden Goblet just a bit tighter, bending the golden stem. He laughed louder, said jokes a bit louder, and talked more and more about his stories. Soon, he raised his goblet, gesturing for you to fill his.
With nerves shaking beneath your skin, you made your way over and opened another bottle of wine for the previous had been finished by Ta Mehu. You were going to pour the red liquid into Rome's cup, filling it to the brim. Just as you leaned down to pour the alcoholised grape juice, Rome leaned into your ear, his heavy hand falling onto your back, he whispered, hot breath fanning over the side of your head, making your heart race and cheeks heat up. His words were slow, as if he was holding back a laugh, his voice raspy yet soft.
"You're so funny when you pretend I'm not the most spectacular in the room. Y/n."
You swallowed thickly, sure he had forgotten your name, yet here you were, hearing it fall from his lips. You stood straight as he dismissed you, eyes dazed as you retreated back to Julia's side. The other servamts attended to the others until Ta Mehu had to call you over again. Rome side eyed the man, his lips downturned for the slightest moment as his brows scrunched. Greece, who'd been observing for a moment, sighed, rolling her eyes and resting her forehead on her hand.
"Darling star, could you pour the wine from my goblet into my mouth? My hands are quite full."
With a quirked brow, you looked down at Ta Mehu's hands, which held most of Ta Shemau's gifts that came from Rome. You nodded your head, a bit confused at the weird request, and Rome grit his teeth through a smile.
"Do it yourself lazy ass bitโ"
He whispered to himself, through gritted teeth, with a smile that didnt quite reach his eyes. Then Ta Shemau flashed him a disapproving look, her face sharper than his, her tone stern and questioning.
"What was that?"
The words left her red lips, and Rome stiffened slightly, shrugging it off and shaking his head as he looked back at his plate.
"Nothing... nothing"
Ta Shemau kept an eye on him scoffing as she did so, leaning back in her seat. Beside her, Ta Mehu tilted his head up, mouth open as you pressed the cold golden goblet to his lips and poured the wine into his mouth. His fangs glinting as a bit of red wine trickled down his chin. His eyes boring into yours all the while. Pushing the goblet away, he swallowed, pressing a hand over his mouth and thanking you. With a kiss on your knuckles.
Rome frowned, furrowing his brow. Immediately, he calls you over, with a demand so ridiculous you wondered your purpose here.
"Peel my grapes"
And so you did, you peeled his grapes until he was satisfied with the amount and shooed you away like a fly. But as the night dragged on,ย Ta Mehu and Rome's requests start getting more and more ridoculous, useless, petty. Poking at eachother, gauging reactions, competing perhaps? So ridiculous that by the time you finished dragging your feet back to Julia, one of them would be calling you back with a smile, relaxed, strained, you can guess which belongs to who.
"I dropped a few pomegranate seeds, pick them up for me, will you?"
"Make sure my figs aren't poisoned. Taste them before serving it to me."
"Feed me the olives by hand."
"Darling Star! Would you massage my temples? I'm having a headache?"
"Polish my bust, the one at the end of the hall,"
The demands started to blur together as you walked back and forth, back and forth, once the banquet had finally drawn to a close, you and some other servants cleaned the dishes, scrubbed the floors and polished the table. Discarding any food left to be wasted. Julia stood beside you as you washed some dishes, her hands full of soap, she was also washing.
"I'm beat... gosh, why'd they keep calling me?"
You yawned, shaking your head as you watched the water wash away the soap bubbles that clung to the goblet you held. Julia snickered beside you, bumping you with her hip.
"I wonder... emperor Rome seemed to have kept a keen eye on you two. "
Julia winked at you as you deadpanned, tired, but your mind flashed to Rome's whispered words. You felt your heart start to race once more, Julia seemed to giggle the second you shook your head side to side, rapidly.
"It probably means nothing, Julia... y'know..."
Julia scoffed, rolling her eyes as she finished off the rest of the soapy dishes. She shot you a look, and groaned. You pressed your lips into a thin line and looked at her from your peripheral, heartbeat slowing down as you sighed.
"I'm not delusional, Julia... I bet they do that all the time."
Julia hummed, turning away from you.
"That's what you want to believe, Y/n. Don't be surprised later if they start bickering when you're there again. Goodnight, sweetie!"
Julia waved at you and winked before disappearing off into the palace. Probably to the maid's quarters. You shook your head, blowing the candlelight off before leaving and taking a stroll around the palace. Your heart calmed, and you felt a sort of peace wash over you as you stepped out into the empty hallways.
You had a habit of doing this, walking around when the sun's down and all the oillamps run out. You turned a corner, a soft smile on your face as you planned to retreat into the maid's quarters and retire for the night. It was nothing but your soft, padded footsteps and breathing that you could hear. You saw dimmed hallways lit by moonlight, shadows, and silhouettes of Rome's statues, and busts covered the walls and floor.
From your peripheral, you saw something move, something large, far bigger than you are. Your heart raced. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to walk around tonight. You stood still frozen, and you heard someone else breathing accompanying your own. From behind you, slowly you turned around, bracing yourself for whatever was thereโ
"Oh my darling star! I didn't expect to see you here!"
Ta Mehu greeted with a smile, his yellow eye shining bright like a built-in lightsource, giggling he leaned down to your level.
"What're you doing here?"
"I-uhm- ah..."
You stammered, caught off guard, then you took a deep breath, smiling up at Horus.
"I was on my way back to the maid's quarters, sorry if I disturbed your time!"
Ta Mehu's eyes softened, and his face did so too, his grin morphing into a gentle smile as he brought his hands up to cup your face. His hands were rough, sentiment of what he's gone through and his years of ruling.
"Oh my star, you're not disturbing anything. In fact, my night's gotten better!"
Ta Mehu laughed, closing his eyes, and you did so too, albeit softly. The moment your haha reached his ears, his eyes opened, and he looked down at you with a smile.
"Alright now... you must be tired. Run along, sleep tight, y/n"
Ta Mehu said, his gaze dragging along your face, from your tired eyes to the soft curve of your lips. He grinned again, pulling your face close. Softly, he pressed his soft lips to your forehead, igniting a small fire within your heart, and then he pulled away. He winked at you and walked pastย descending the hall, leaving you to stand there and reach up to your forehead.
Damn.
A smile broke out onto your face, and you went for the maid's quarters instantly. Skipping and feeling giddy for whatever reason, you neared the door to your destination but saw someone leaning on the wall next to it. Big, and brooding, white cloth draped over his form, Rome leaned there, arms crossed. He looked at you, staring at you with golden irises. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Your heartrate, quickened, and you slowed your steps, stopping in front of him and bowing.
"Do you need anything, my liege?"
You asked, straightening up and looking up at Rome. He scoffed and furrowed his brows.
"Next time there's a banquet. Don't forget who you're supposed to serve Y/n."
He spoke slowly, leaning down to whisper into your ear once more. His eyes were sharp, and the air was cold. You could feel his stare bore into the side of your head. He was so warm, his breath as hot, fanning onto your bare neck, and you almost pulled away
"Don't make me remind you again."
Rome spoke slowly, straightening up as you lowered your head nodding. He waited for a response, clearing his throat.
"Yes... my liege"
Rome smirked in victory, huffing as he did so. Turning on his heel, he went off to his own room. Leaving you to retreat into the maid's quarters for the night. Lying in your stiff bed, you looked at your roommate, coincidentally also Julia, sound asleep in her bed.
Burying your face into your dusty pillow, you could only wonder what just occurred that night. Your brain jumped from Ta Mehu's flirtations and warm, welcoming aura to Rome's darker-than-usual stare. Your breath hitched, hand cupping your forehead and the other your ear. Wondering whether or not it would happen again.
ย
โ โโโโโโ โ โโโโโโ โ
ย
๐๐๐ง๐ข, ๐๐ข๐๐ข, ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ; ๐ฌ๐๐
Extra; takes place, before the oneshot.
The sunlight filtered in through the trees' leaves, fountains splashed water into its basins. You stood by a collection of Rome's bust statues. Holding a piece of cloth to clean the painted limestone pieces.
Wiping the cloth over the statue's lips, you keot your eyes trained on the realer than life look. Rome's nosebridge, eyelids, smirk, all of it was there. Perfection carved into limestone. You held the still figure, hand cupping its cold cheek. Leaning in ever so slightly, you dabbed the cloth onto the corned of its eye. Your eyes half lidded, you mumbled.
"He looks so handsome on this statue..."
Impulsive thoughts invaded your mind, cutting of rationality. Slowly you held onto the starue, nearing it until your forehead touched his, tilting your face as your lips almost molded against still material. Cold, jagged edgesโย
"Having fun?"
You heard a voice behind you, whipping around in a hurry, you stammered as you looked up and saw Rome before you. His lips curled into his signature crooked smile.
"Why'd you stop darling?"
He chuckled, your heart raced wildly in your chest, pumping blood faster into your cheeks the more you stared at Rome dearest. You averted your gaze, lips quivering.
"Iโ uhh... my liegeโ I can explainโ"
Rome laughed, scratching the back of his neck. He adjusted the purple fabric of his robes, as he looked down at you with eyes that softened.
"And most importantly, why are you kissing cold, sharp, boring stone when I'm here. Live and warm"
He chuckles, reaching out to ruffle your head,ย he leaned down, whispering into your ear, his voice low and hushed.
"I wont guarantee the stillness of a statue, though if you like it hard thenโ hmm... nevermind"
He laughed, pulling away, leaving you frozen and trapped in time and space.