by Fey, Lilly
Child? It could be the fact that no one has given her any answers or perhaps because she was brutally abducted, but Lucilla was finding the young priestess more than a little irksome. At 20, Lucilla was neither a child nor an old maid, but it was a bit off-putting to hear a 16 year old girl continually calling her ‘child’. No matter how holy she might be.
Lucilla quietly surveyed the room once more and was instantly drawn to the table of food again. The grumbling in her stomach was telling her that the little bit of slime that she consumed earlier wasn’t nearly enough. The bath would have to wait. Lucilla walked straight for the table of food.
There were only fruits, meats and cheeses but it was more than enough and much better than the unidentifiable sludge that she ate in the dark. There were plates and utensils for her to use, but Lucilla didn’t even blink twice before grabbing food with her fingers. She was alone and had no one to impress and she certainly didn’t feel the need to impress her captors.
The food was delicious. She could never afford fine meats and cheeses. She and her mother always had to settle with what they could barter for, which generally were the lesser meats to say the least. Lucilla was so focused on her feast that she didn’t even notice someone had joined her.
“Oh, you poor thing, have they starved you?”
Lucilla jumped at the unexpected voice and looked across the table. What she saw was an incredibly beautiful woman. She had a priestess headband resting on her long dark hair and looked to be no older than 30, but her eyes indicated that she was older. She wore the simple Vestal Priestess robes, but still had a regal air about her. Lucilla instantly averted her eyes down and bowed deeply before the High Priestess.
“My lady, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you walk in. Forgive me for my crude appearance”
The priestess laughed, “Oh don’t apologize, my dear. You undoubtedly were hungry and who could fault you for sating your appetite? After all, that’s why we have this here for you!”
Lucilla timidly raised her eyes to meet the high priestess’s gaze. “You are too kind, Priestess, but might I ask…why am I here, my lady?”
The priestess paused and looked at Lucilla in the eye and then smiled. “Yes, I suppose you would be curious about that, wouldn’t you?”
Lucilla was so anxious for an answer that she couldn’t hold back her reply, “Yes! Please, tell me what is going on, my lady! Why have I been brought here? Am…am I to be initiated into…the priestesshood?”
The high priestess barked with laughter.
“Inducted into the priestesshood? You? At your age? Don’t be ridiculous, child!” The priestess continued to laugh.
Lucilla realized that she wasn’t the appropriate age for the Vestal Order, nor was she a virgin, but she couldn’t think of any other reason why the Vestal Virgins would want anything from her. And she was starting to find these priestesses and their lack of answers more than a little irritating.
With a calm voice and with as much control as possible, Lucilla replied, “I see. While I am honored and humbled that I was given the chance to meet not only a Vestal Virgin, but the High Priestess, I’m still worried as to why I was taken from my stand in the market place. I’m worried for my mother and I don’t know if…”
“Calm yourself. Silence.” The High Priestess quietly walked across the room and paused in front of a mirror and then turned back to Lucilla.
“Come over here, child, please,” the Priestess said gently.
Unsure of what the priestess wanted her to see, Lucilla slowly walked over to meet the Priestess in front of the mirror.
The High Priestess smiled and asked in what could only be described as a motherly tone, “Now, my dear, what do you see?”
Lucilla was taken aback and a bit puzzled by the question.
“I see a beautiful and large mirror. A mirror like I’ve never seen before…”
The Priestess chuckled, “You are sweet, aren’t you? I mean, what do you see when you look in the mirror? Tell me what you see when you look at yourself.”
Lucilla quietly looked at her reflection in the mirror. What she saw horrified her. Her tunic was in tatters and she must have lost her sash and shawl sometime between being brutally abducted and being forced to look at herself in a mirror that was worth more than her entire candle stand. She had dirt all over her face and her arms were covered in what she hoped was dry mud. With all the crawling she did in the cell, who knows what she was rolling around in.
Lucilla cleared her throat and tried to compose herself before she answered. She wanted to regain a bit of her dignity before answering this ridiculous question.
“I see a very frightened person who has been stolen away from their family and home without a reason or explanation. I see someone who is dirty and hungry…and who has hair in tattered knots. I don’t recognize that person at all.”
The High Priestess smiled, “Good. That’s a start. Shall I tell you what I see?”
Lucilla nodded quietly, hoping that this game would soon be over so she could finally get to the bottom of all this.
“I see a beautiful young woman with luxurious long brown hair and alarmingly green eyes. I see a face that is soft as she is still young, but striking as she is beginning to transform into the mature beauty that she is destined to be.”
Lucilla moved from one foot to the other in nervousness. She wasn’t expecting this response and she had never been complimented in such an open way before.
The High Priestess walked up behind her and gently placed her hands on Lucilla’s shoulders and continued, “I see someone who is tall and has a firm body, but still retains her softness and femininity in the most beautiful way.”
At this, Lucilla self-consciously attempted to cover the bare parts of her legs that her ripped dress was no longer concealing. Lucilla was never afraid of a little bit of hard work, especially in light of her having to do both her and her mother’s share of the household work, but this resulted in her having a body that was more lean than overly soft. This was something that she was generally proud of, but now she was feeling more than little uncomfortable about it.
The High Priestess chuckled, “No amount of dress will be able to cover what you hide underneath your clothes, my dear. And that’s exactly why you are here.”
Lucilla’s head immediately jerked up and she instantly forgot any concerns she had about covering her legs. She shook her head in confusion.
“That’s why I’m here? I don’t understand. What do my clothes have to do with why I was abducted?”
“It’s not your clothes that you got here, dear. It’s what you hide underneath them.”
Before Lucilla could question her further, the hands that were resting on her shoulders gently slid her chemise and tunic down her body. Lucilla now stood completely naked and bare in front of the mirror as the High Priestess looked on in the mirror.
“My lady! What are you doing! What is this!”
Burning red with embarrassment, Lucilla attempted to bend down to collect her clothes, but the Priestess’s hands were again planted firmly on her shoulders and wouldn’t allow her to move.
“Shh…Lucilla, I beg of you to look ahead into the mirror. Look at that exquisite body. Look at how beautiful your young body is. This is a body that should be cherished. This is a body that should be worshipped. And…this is a body that should be used to worship others as well….”
Covering her breasts with her hands, Lucilla looked at the High Priestess with confusion and a slight edge of frustration.
“High Priestess, I must insist that you speak more clearly. What do you mean by all your words and…actions?”
The Priestess dropped her hands from Lucilla’s shoulders, but continued to look at her in the mirror, “Why, I thought I was clear? You and your body have been chosen to entertain the Emperor.”
“Excuse me? The Emperor? I have never met or even seen the Emperor, how could I possibly have been chosen by him..to…to…”
“Don’t
be silly, girl! He didn’t choose you! Someone who knows his specific tastes went out and scouted for you. He chose you and so you are here!”
“Who? That guard, the Captain, who brought me here? He chose me and brought me here?”
“Well I don’t know who selected you. Perhaps, he did? That is of no concern for us now. What we need to do now is make you presentable for his Emperor.”
And with that the High Priestess walked over to the tub that was at the center of the room.
“After you have eaten enough, please be sure to utilize this bath. It will make cleaning you a lot more…pleasurable for everyone involved.”
The Priestess started to walk towards the door, but Lucilla had too many questions to allow the Priestess to leave so soon.
“Cleaning me? Why would I need a bath before a bath?”
Of all the questions that we swimming in her head, Lucilla could kick herself for letting that question be the only one that she was able to verbalize.
The Priestess paused and looked back, “The Emperor has very, shall we say, particular tastes and demands that all his treats be thoroughly cleansed.”
This response left Lucilla without words or a response. Once the Priestess saw that Lucilla had nothing further to say, she walked out of the room just as quietly and gracefully as she entered it.
Lucilla absently looked at the bath and then back to the door that just shut behind the High Priestess. She then returned her gaze back to the mirror. She saw that she was still naked. She looked at herself and saw a frightened girl looking back at her.
Lucilla bent down to gather her tattered clothes, but then found that she couldn’t get back up again. It all was coming together now. Her abduction was finally sinking in. She was abducted by the empire for the purposes of entertaining the Emperor.
Her eyes started to water. What was she supposed to do? Was she to warm his bed for a night and then would they let her go? Would she have to stay indefinitely? Maybe she should be awful in bed so he wouldn’t want to be with her again? So many thoughts were running through her mind and she couldn’t hold on to one of them for very long. She was in such a panic.
After several minutes of internal struggle, Lucilla decided that the best thing she could do right now was at least get herself cleaned up. She didn’t know how much time she had, but her gut was telling her that the more cooperative she was with these priestesses the easier things would be for herself.
Lucilla rose to her feet and walked over to the tub. It wasn’t large but she would easily fit inside. She tested the water and was surprised to find it pleasingly warm. There must be some sort of heating source underneath it. Lucilla could never imagine such luxury. She couldn’t wait to tell her mother - if she ever saw her again.
Shaking that horrible thought out of her mind, Lucilla gingerly placed her leg in the tub to test the waters. Once she deemed it comfortable for her whole body, she quickly lowered her entire body into the achingly warm water. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the rim of the tub.
The bath felt painfully good and Lucilla felt more than a little guilty for enjoying it so much. Her thoughts instantly went back to her mother and how a bath like this would really help her joints and pain. It was thoughts of her mother that brought Lucilla quickly back to reality. She had to focus on the task at hand. Lucilla was determined to somehow get herself back home – one way or another.
Lucilla found a bar of sweet smelling soap and began to scrub her body like she never scrubbed before. They want her clean and she would give them clean.
After the bath Lucilla found a satin robe lying on a cushioned lounge chair and decided to put it on. There was no point in putting her old dirty clothes back on.
Lucilla sat on the cushioned lounge and took a moment to look at her surroundings. There were two doors in the room; the door that led to the courtyard and the door that the High Priestess used. Aside from that, the walls were covered with beautiful paintings and statues.
Once she saw all there was to see in the room, Lucilla leaned back on the chair and tried to relax as much as she could given the situation. She was scared and exhausted, but she wanted to make sure she was ready for whatever was to come next. Lucilla slowly closed her eyes and found herself thinking of the Captain and wondering if he was responsible for all this. Did he choose her? What did she do wrong that he would do this to her…
***
“Excuse me… Pardon me, miss, please wake up.”
Lucilla woke up with a start. She shot up from the chair in confusion, not remembering where she was. Lucilla blinked a few times and then it all came rushing back to her. She was hoping it was a bad dream, but the little girl in front of her would say otherwise. The little girl didn’t look to be older than 8 or 9 years old.
The little girl eagerly yet shyly said, “I’m sorry, miss, but would you be able to follow me please?”
Lucilla couldn’t help but smile, “Of course, but where will we be going, little one?”
“To the waiting room of course! I’m so excited, I’ve never been allowed to go in there before!” the girl replied excitedly.
Lucilla kept her smile, “I see and would you be able to tell me your name first?”
“Callista, what’s yours?” the little girl responded with a curtsy and an even toothier smile.
“My name is Lucilla and I would love for you to be my escort to the…waiting room.”
“Wonderful!” The little girl smiled and then grabbed Lucilla by the hand to lead the way.
The two walked out the door that the High Priestess used and Lucilla found herself walking down an empty marble hallway. The only thing that she could see was a giant statue of Vesta standing at the end of the hall.
“So tell me, Callista, what is the ‘waiting room’?”
“Oh, I’m not sure. I’ve never been allowed to go inside, but from what I know all the pretty women always go inside that room before they go to see the Emperor! Isn’t that exciting? I wonder if I’ll be able to meet him now that I’m escorting you there?”
Lucilla nervously laughed, “Well, let’s hope not.”
The little priestess in training looked up at Lucilla and frowned, “Why would we hope that I don’t get to meet the Emperor?”
Lucilla wasn’t exactly sure how to answer the little girl without telling her that the Emperor was a lecherous man who apparently made a habit of stealing women to satisfy his carnal desires. No, she couldn’t tell her that, especially if she ends up running to the other priestesses and crying to them because Lucilla spoke ill of the Emperor. Lucilla scrambled desperately in her mind trying to find an excuse.
“Of course you’d want to meet the Emperor, I was just saying that you’d probably want to meet him when you have your best robes and dress on!”
Callista smiled broadly, “Don’t be silly, these are the only robes that I have!”
Before Lucilla was able to respond, she found herself standing in front of a giant oak door. Callista paused and then almost ceremoniously knocked on the door three times. Lucilla would have almost found it funny if she weren’t in the dire situation that she was in.
The door opened and a pretty young woman answered the door.
“Hello, Sister Mila, I have brought the woman, Lucilla, for you,” Callista said very seriously.
The priestess looked down at Callista and smiled, “Thank you, Sister Callista. You may now return to the library and continue your studies.”
Callista’s stoic stance broke instantly, “Oh please Mila, can I come in, please? I’ll be quiet and just watch silently. I promise!”
“No arguments, little one. To your studies!”
And with that, the defeated Callista walked slowly away. “Bye, Lucilla. Enjoy meeting the Emperor.”
“Bye, Callista”
“Lucilla, please come in.”
Lucilla’s attention snapped back to the priestess standing at the door. She appeared to be older than the first priestess that she m
et, but no older than 25. She was equally as beautiful, if not more so. Her long blonde hair hung loose down her back and shoulders, framing her breasts perfectly. It wasn’t until Lucilla was able to get a better look that she realized that the priestess was only wearing a sheer robe that was tied loosely around her waist. One misstep by the priestess and all would see what her sheer robe was hiding poorly.
“Please, follow me, Lucilla.”
Embarrassed by being caught staring so openly, Lucilla felt her cheeks burn fire red.
“I’m sorry, yes…”
Lucilla averted her eyes and quickly walked through the door and into the room. The first thing that hit her was the smell. The room smelled intoxicating. A mixture of sweet flowers and delicious oils filled the room. There must have been hundreds of candles lit all across the room, the mantels and floor were covered by them. Lucilla bitterly wondered if any of them were bought by her stand. Probably not, these candles were too fine and expensive.
She continued to scan the room and noticed a large hole in the floor, filled with water. It looked like a giant basin for an in ground fountain.
The priestess noticed her interest. “Lucilla, that is the communal bath.”
“Bath? Oh, I’ve heard of the great baths…I’ve just never seen one in person. I could never afford to go to a bathhouse.”
Mila, the priestess, smiled, “Well, sweet Lucilla, this bath will be just for you.”
“Really? This is the bath that the High Priestess spoke of?”
“Yes, and my sisters and I will be attending you to ensure that all your needs are met.”
It was then that Lucilla noticed that there were two other women in the room with them. She nervously looked around and nodded hello to them and walked over to the great bath to get a better look.
“I see…would you be able to answer a question then? Since you are here to attend my needs?”
Mila cocked an eyebrow briefly but responded, “Of course, I can try.”
“Why am I here with you, the Vestal Virgins? The High Priestess told me…of my purpose here with the Emperor, but why have I been brought to you? It was never mentioned that…this…is included in the priestesshood.”
