(PARTS OF THIS CHAPTER ARE BORROWED WITH PERMISSION FROM MARCUS FLACUS VALERIUS AND ARRIUS) FLAVIUSWithout even thinking Arrius ripped off as much of his clothes as decency would allow and jumped into the water. He had always been an excellent swimmer and with his adrenaline pumping he began to swim towards the boat. On board Messalina could easily see what was happening as could Septimus.
"Now what are you going to do?" she asked Septimus.
"He won't save you my dear because I will kill you before I let you go." He pressed the dagger into her back just enough for it to break the skin. Messalina winced but still stood erect.
"You're going to have to plunge that thing in to the hilt because I refuse to go with you, I would rather be dead than to suffer such humiliation."
Just then some men on the ship spotted Arrius swimming towards them and shouted an alert. The captain of the vessel came over to the side of the boat and shouted orders for the men to raise the oars. The boat slowed almost to a halt.
Arrius who by this time was near exhaustion stopped and while gasping for breath said, " Please stop, you have a hostage on board, the Lady Messalina is being taken against her will."
The captain looked at Messalina and her servant. Septimus used the dagger again and whispered to her "Are you prepared to meet your death here and now? I have nothing to lose by killing you."
"Well, my lady, is that true?" the captain asked.
Messalina looked at him and fainted dead away. She slumped onto the deck. The captain rushed over and asked her servant if she was alright.
"My lady will be fine, get some water please."
Someone went to fetch water and the captain turned and said to one of his men "Bring that man in the water on board and then restrain him."
Arrius was hauled aboard and immediately tied up. Septimus in disguise said "That man has been stalking my lady for days, you must help me protect her from him."
Arrius shouted, "That's a lie! That isn't even a woman under those clothes, it's man and he is the kidnapper."
The captain then said, "Gag him" and Arrius found himself no longer able to speak. Then the captain shouted orders to resume the journey and off the boat sailed.
When Macro saw Messalina, Marcus and Arrius wasted no time. With an unspoken communication they set about reaching her in two different ways, in hopes that one would succeed. Arrius immediately jumped into the water and began swimming towards the ship while Marcus took off running along the harbor, looking for an alternative.
It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. A coil of rope with a large three-pronged hook on the end lay on the side of the dock near a small warship. They were commonly used in the navy to ensnare enemy ships. He grabbed the rope and hook and sprinted out to the end of the dock.
The ship carrying Messalina and Septimus was still quite close to the harbor,
but too far to use the grappling hook from his current distance. Looking quickly about, he spotted a small one-person fishing boat a short distance behind him, currently unoccupied and whose owner was carrying some cargo towards the city.
He jumped the short distance down to the boat, carefully so as not to capsize it, untied it from the dock and began rowing furiously out to the large merchant vessel. He was already several yards from the dock before the owner noticed it was missing.
Marcus was surprised to see that the merchant ship had momentarily halted, its oars in the air. He noted the commotion up on the deck and saw Arrius in the water. He had been noticed. Knowing he didn't have much time but thankful for Arrius' distraction, he reached the back of the opposite side of the ship less than a minute later. Arrius was being hauled onto the ship as Marcus silently brought his boat up to the backside of the ship.
"That's a lie!" Arrius cried up on the deck, only 10 feet above where Marcus waited. "That isn't even a woman under those clothes, it's a man, and he is the kidnapper!"
The captain of the ship snickered and laughed. "Gag this criminal and throw him in the hull. He'd do better as a slave!" To his oarsmen he cried, "Resume the journey!"
The only response to his command, though, was the sudden, almost deafening sound of splintering wood from the back of the ship. Marcus yanked on the hook's rope and the grapple caught securely on the rail. He climbed the short distance along the rope, grabbed the rail with both hands, and with all the upper body strength he could muster propelled himself onto the deck.
Septimus, who had been with the crew on the other side of the ship, could not reach Marcus in time to prevent his boarding.
Startled by his appearance, Septimus stalled just long enough to allow Marcus to draw his sword and prepare his stance for combat in a single, elegant motion. Marcus smiled at his good fortune.
"Hello, Septimus. Pretty outfit."
Caught in a trap! Septimus eyes went wild and he raised his arm and came down with a swoop at Marcus chest. Not that it did him any good, for in one swift move Marcus blocked the strike by grabbing him by the wrist and with the other hand he took Septimus by the scruff of the neck and drove his head into the huge wooden mast. Septimus eyes crossed and he fell to the deck in a heap of silk.
Septimus slumped to the deck, completely out. Marcus, in the heat of the situation, had knocked him a little harder than he would have wanted to and bent down to check that he was still breathing. He was.
When he got up, he was greeted by a group of the crew, their swords and daggers drawn. Marcus sheathed his sword. "Gentlemen, I apologize for the intrusion," he said, reaching down to rip the veil from Septimus' face, revealing his beard.
"That man was right," he continued, pointing to Arrius, sitting nearby with his arms bound behind him and a gag in his mouth. "Septimus tried to kidnap that lady. We followed him here all the way from Rome."
The captain was in disbelief. "Just a second, boys," he said, telling the crew to lower their weapons. He looked at the large man slumped on the deck. "I'll be damned! That's one ugly woman!" he guffawed.
"If you would be so kind as to un-gag my friend over there and just drop us off back at the harbor-"
"Not so fast," the captain cut Marcus off. "These two paid for a trip to Alexandria and I'll be damned if I'm giving them their money back now!"
"I'll give you 200 denarii if you take five minutes to return us to the dock."
It didn't take the captain long to make up his mind. "Sold! To the man from Rome!" He laughed heartily, commanded the oarsmen to reverse direction, and sent a few crewmen to fetch the fishing boat from the side of the ship and haul it back to port.
As the merchant ship turned around, Arrius was unbound and the gag was taken from his mouth. Together, Marcus and Arrius went over to see to Messalina, who was just recovering from her faint.
"Marcus! Arrius!" she said softly, showing the two men hovering over her a woozy smile.
Marcus knelt down by her and grinned. "You didn't think I would let you get out of dinner that easily, did you?"
Marcus reached down to offer his hand to help her to her feet. As she rose the ship lurched in the tide and she lost her balance to fall against his hard muscled chest. He grabbed her by the upper arms to hold her steady and in that touch he knew that this woman had changed everything.
Messalina looked up into his eyes. “It’s didn’t go as I had planned I am afraid.”
Marcus smiled. “I’m glad it didn’t, for you see, if it had only been dinner there was no guarantee that you would have ended up like this,” His voice was so low and enveloping. “in my arms.”
“Let go of me at once!” Septimus struggled against the chains he now found himself encased in.
Arrius gave him a strong backhand across the mouth. “Shut up! You will be crucified for what you have done.”
Messalina looked over Marcus shoulder, “No, please do not kill him.”
“Don’t kill him?” Arrius said. “He is a monster who…”
“He can’t help himself. Most men can’t and I don’t want to be cruel.”
Marcus slowly and reluctantly released Messalina from his arms. “What do you want for this man? Surely not a pardon.”
Messalina leveled a look so heinous upon Septimus that Arrius upon seeing it hopped he would never be its recipient.
Her voice was flat and emotionless. “Sell him into slavery. Sell him to the gladiator school in Capua so that I may someday see him butchered in the arena.”
Marcus waved to his men to take Septimus away.
“I am not through with you yet Messali….” One of the guards clobbered him so hard that a tooth flew from his bloody mouth and skittered across the deck to Messalina’s foot.
She kicked it overboard without a second thought.
“When we get back to Rome and I have had time to recuperate we shall have that dinner.”
“With less guests in attendance I hope?”
Messalina smiled sweetly. “It shall be a private affaire.”
“Well in that case you shall have to think of what to do with your sister.” Arrius said.
Messalina’s eyes shot to Arrius. “My sister?”
“Yes, she arrived last night. I must say the gods were generous with her in the looks department.”
“Dianna, in Rome?” There was an odd tone in her voice.
“I could be persuaded to have her to dinner at my Villa so that you two could be alone.”
Messalina turned to look toward the Appines in the distance just as the ship made contact with the end of the dock. Dark clouds were settled about the mountains like a halo from Hades.
