A True Roman Wonder
                               by Fiona Seckari
                        ...One golden morning in Rome
                        a young man suffers a most unusual
                               change of fate...

The sun rose high that day over the Roman streets. It was a
golden dawn that shone brightly on the white marble of
pillars and glistened in the clear water of fountains.
	Rome, all roads lead to Rome. My name is Eagus, but
what is in a name? My aunt had quite a beautiful name, but
she was a wretched woman. 
	My mother died giving birth to me, she was but a
young woman. So the midwife took me to my mother’s
sister, my horrid aunt. 
   It is lucky for me that we do not live in Sparta, my aunt
would have shipped me off to the military as soon as I
could walk. Though that is barely all that is required of
boys going into the Spartan army. There ounce you reach
the ripe age of seven you are sent off to begin military
training, though of course one must be a boy.
	“Why do you not join the military, Eagus?” My aunt
began her relentless nagging earlier than usual that golden
morning. “Then you will finally have a purpose, and be out
of my hair!” she waggled a one of her stubby fingers at me
as she stirred the morning gruel that was to be our
breakfast.
	“I do have a purpose, Florence.” I call my aunt by her
name because to me she is Florence. Just Florence, no
relation of mine, and to her I am just Eagus, the boarder.
her ward, her wretched commitment.
	“Purpose, Bah!” she exclaimed as she spat in the
already disgusting gruel. “I never asked for you, Eagus. I
could have lived the good life, I could’ve married a
General! I know he would have had me, all he needed was
a little nudge in my direction. I could’ve had the good life!
	“Then your wretched mother up and died giving birth
to you, and that miserable midwife went and brought you to
me. Me! You made me an old maid, Eagus, I could have
had the baker’s boy or the butcher’s son, but who wants a
girl already saddled with a child, and one that is not their
own at that? 
    “And why did they not bring you to your father? Because
you have no father! My sister, the town hussy!”
	I quickly rose from my chair at the table, she could
abuse me as much as she like, but I would not allow her to
talk about my mother that way.
	“Do not speak so about my mother.” my voice carried
an unusually cold edge as I spoke this warning.
	“She was a hussy and a tramp!” Florence pressed my
nerve even further.
	“I told you not to speak thus!” This was a new spin on
one of my aunt’s old speech’s, and I was not going to allow
it. My hands clenched into fists as she continued.
    	“She was never any good, but I would never have
guessed that she would dump a worthless son into my lap.”
	Suddenly I thought that I heard trumpets in the
distance and my attention was momentarily snatched away
from the horrible scene unfolding before me.
	“You’re nothing, Eagus! Nothing but an unwanted
brat from the slums of the city.”
	“Close your mouth!” I took a menacing step toward
her, she had gone to far this time. much to far. The
trumpets were closer now, accompanied by hoof beats and
many foot falls.
	“You’re a bastard, Eagus! A bastard!”
	Before I could stop myself I struck her, hard. She
toppled to the floor like a rag doll, and as she fell she struck
her head on the table. Then she laid there, limp and lifeless.
The revolting gruel she had meant to feed us was spilt all
over her lifeless form and the wooden spoon she had used
to stir it was still clutched in her hand. 
	She was dead, and I had killed her. Killed her with my
bare hands. 
	Unable to digest what I’d done I ran headlong from the
house, and straight into a throng of cheering people.
Startled, I looked around, bedazzled by the sight that lay
before me. It seemed as if all Rome had gathered here
around our small home to witness my flight from my
horrendous dead. A dozen armed soldiers on horseback
gazed down at me. 
	Their leader slowly descended from his steed. “Be you
Eagus?”
	The Emperor’s personal guard themselves had come
to take me to my execution! But how could they have
possibly known of my dire dead? I could only nod in reply,
numb with fear. 
	The soldier dropped to his knees before me, “Hail
Eagus, new Emperor of Rome!” 
	My jaw must have scrapped the ground, it dropped so
low. Then the man rose to his feet and spoke so only he and
I could hear. 
	“The Emperor is dead. He left no heir, so to keep
peace we tracked you down, Eagus. You are the only child
he sired before his untimely death.”
	I pinched myself. It hurt, I wasn’t dreaming! Then the
man raised his voice so all the people could hear and
declared, “All Hail Eagus, Emperor of Rome!”

	“And that ladies, is how I became Emperor.” I sigh
and recline back comfortably on my velvet couch, finished
with my tale. 
	My entourage of beautiful women gaze adoringly up at
me from the marble floor of the palace.
	“Oh, that is wonderful!” one with dark green eyes and
chestnut hair coos. 
	“Oh, yes. It truly is!” A pretty little thing with golden
curls chimes in. 
	“Simply remarkable.” A flame haired beauty adds.
	“Well, ladies,” I say as I sit up, “The evening grows
late and I wish to retire to my chambers.” 
	Quickly they all rise and begin to scurry away. 
	“Not you,” I grab the blonde by the arm, “I wish for
you to spend a bit more time with me.” 
	I rise and guide her toward my personal chambers as
she wonders at me with innocent sapphire eyes. Her
naivete’ is refreshing.
	Yes, it is quite wonderful to be Emperor.