Greetings all!



Much thanks for the praise and kudos! I'm justa' tryin' ta write a goodly
story...^_^



A couple of times, it's come to my attention that a geography lesson is in
order to further

the story along...I am always one to oblige...Found in the addendum after
this chapter is also a

list of the current cast members, which I will add to as the others are
introduced...



Disclaimer:

Evangelion doesn't belong to me or anyone else on this list. Live with it.

I've borrowed the characters with situations to make a grand story of love

and betrayal and men in skirts...Er...Togas...Live with it.



C&C, as always, is wanted and welcomed;

gargoyle@glasscity.net

gargoyle9@hotmail.com

or

gargoyle4@hotmail.com

Flames will be sacrificed in the name of Caesar!



Many thanks to me prereaders...Adrian Forest and Dave Menard...Thanks! ^_^



On with the show!

Salud!



***



Lagena fidgeted. She looked around the inner courtyard and

snuffed in derision. Everyone had put on their finery and gathered

like the Emperor himself was coming out to greet them this

morning. The boy may be the son of the Imperial Proconsul, but

did that give him the right to sneak around like that? Lagena

snuffed again. At least she showed him the error of making her

angry.



Certus sniffed her hands again. She dropped them and sighed. No

matter how much ointment she applied, she could never get rid of

that smell after doing Lycisca's hair. And for some odd reason,

only a little ointment was ever needed to get the smell out of

Lycisca's hair. Certus thought that the rest of the smell probably

went to her personality. More pressing issues bombarded her

thoughts, though. Like the revelation of the fish. Someone had

snuck into a camp of Legionnaires and had managed to not only

feed the prodigal son, but do it more than once?! That was

intolerable! The other problem was just that...They had only fed

him. Brought him breakfast. And then dinner. It didn't make sense.

Possibly a slow acting poison, but those normally manifested early

as infections...She sniffed her hands again, wondering if anyone

else could smell it.



Neocorus looked over the gathered people. Lagena huffed once as

a part of the feathers on her helmet came down on her face. Certus

tried to be discreet about her hands...Probably from doing

Lycisca's hair. Neocorus shook his head. What was wrong with

brown hair? The poor girl also looked so uncomfortable in her

dress. He knew that she preferred her plain tunic and furs to this,

but it WAS necessary to give the proper appearance, even for a

little while.



"How was he?" Lycisca said as she floated to his side.



Neocorus turned slightly. Lycisca had certainly wanted to look her

best. She had a blue toga clasped with what he thought were real

golden lion head broaches. Interesting motif, but he thought the

coral tiara was a bit much. She wasn't royalty, after all.



"He passed the test famously," he said, "You were there."



She turned to him and favored him with a lopsided smile. She

folded her arms and raised a still-brown eyebrow at him.



"I'm not talking about the test."



"Yes I know," he replied, "And my private...Interests...In the boy

or anyone else will remain that. Private."



Neocorus turned back to face the gathering audience.



"He really does have a good tactical mind," he said.



"That test was nothing and you know it," she spat at him.



She was pissed. He hadn't been this cold to her since the time she-



Well...He couldn't STILL be mad about that, could he? Lycisca

thought to herself, I mean, it was for his own good...



"The TEST, my dear, was a test of his character," he said with a

heavy sigh, "A test to see if he could order the enemy to death. Or,

more importantly, if he could order the death of his own troops."



General Kalendis appeared in the doorway across the courtyard.

Neocorus turned and made his way to her and the boy, who was at

her side.



"We'll see about the other one then, won't we?" Lycisca purred to

herself.



***



The Fate of Hearts

By

Joshua Trujillo



***



Part V - The Breakfast and After



***



Darkness. There was darkness all around. The window open and

there was still darkness. Blackness. The door burst open and there

he was, standing tall and shaking with...Rage? The things he says, I

can't understand, I don't know, I don't fear him. His rage pushes me

back onto the bed-



It's the boy. Caeles Soter. But it wasn't him. And yet, last night, in

her bed, he felt...



A light touch brought Flustra from her trance. She opened her eye

and looked at Certus, who always seemed to regard her with pity.

She'd never explain why, she just would.



"Lady Caecus?" she asked, "Are you okay? Caeles has come down

now."



Flustra nodded. This seemed to satisfy Certus. She joined the

greeting line with but a quick glance back. Flustra closed her eye

once more for a moment.



It's the boy. Caeles Soter. But it wasn't him. Pinning him down last

night felt so good-good in that he felt...Like his father.



***



It was almost overwhelming. The people that stood before Caeles.

Mistura had made sure that he was outfitted correctly before he

came downstairs. It was like the brief times before, when he had

lived in Greece. His foster father had many clients then and this

felt like the same thing. Kind of odd because Caeles knew that

these people weren't just grubbing for money or favors.



He greeted each person in turn, having known them in one fashion

or another before then. Mistura looked oddly proud in her all black

leather armor. The plume on her helmet was purple as were the

accents on the cloak about her shoulders. She actually DID look

like a man. Caeles turned his attention back to the welcoming line.



After a few of the household freemen, he was introduced to

Lycisca Magnus. Caeles was impressed that a woman had been

voted as the mayor of Urba Tertius, she was a tall woman, taller

even than Mistura, with a kind of radiant feeling about her. It was a

feeling that Caeles knew he didn't like, but couldn't possibly

explain. Just...A feeling. She shook his hand a little too firmly and

had a look in her eye that made him shudder. He hated the fact that

something was making him feel this way. He knew better than to

judge someone on feeling alone, but there was just something...



Aequus Neocorus was next. He, the provincial governor, stood

even taller than Lycisca. Caeles took a peek down the line,

wondering if everyone was going to get taller. He sighed to

himself. Caeles thought it was odd that a man in his position,

outfitted in traditional toga, would be so pale. His pale skin led up

and up to the crown of full, but pale silver hair. He was one of the

more striking men that Caeles had ever met. His hand was firm,

but oddly smooth and there was an air about him that made Caeles

shiver. Similar to Lycisca, but for a different reason.



Next came the head of the household guard. An imperious faced

Lagena Aestus looked out at him from underneath a helmet two

sizes too big, the plume of red occasionally floating down in front

of her eyes. Caeles smiled meekly and tried to keep from yelping

out when she grabbed his arm. Was this girl really a slave?! And

for the sake of Jupiter, what was she doing running the house

guard? He sighed as he pried his arm from hers and went on to the

next person, Certus.



Certus smiled at Caeles and introduced him to the person that had

captured him the night before, Flustra Caecus. Caeles took a quick

breath to keep himself from exclaiming something. She was

beautiful. Easily the most beautiful woman that he'd ever seen. She

wore a black toga trimmed with silver that reflected and shone the

bright pale beauty of her skin. And her hair shined almost blue as

she favored him with her single eye. The other place for the eye,

the left eye, was covered by a red and black patch that was secured

around her head with a scarlet cord. The effect only made the

remaining eye that much sharper and her overall beauty and

mystery that much more...Beguiling. Caeles breathed out. He was

running out of words.



She smiled slightly and glided to his left side, taking his arm in

hers. Caeles didn't comment. He thought he honestly couldn't

comment as his brain was in a little puddle. Flustra led him into the

next room, which had been set as a dining room. She sat next to

him at the one side of the table. Mistura took her place on the right

side. The servants laid one of the remaining sides out for serving.

Aequus sat between Certus and a freedman of some import, to

whom he hadn't been introduced, across the table from Caeles. The

remaining side was occupied by Lagena, nearest Mistura, followed

by Lycisca and another freeman who Caeles HAD been introduced

to, but whose name escaped him. He'd have to work on that.



Caeles tried to glance to his left, as he thought he might have been

taking up too much room. He hadn't been. Flustra had never

relinquished his arm. He began to sweat slightly, even in the cool

of the morning. He smiled shyly and extricated himself as the food

began to be doled out. He thought it was odd that there were no

prayers to the gods before they began to eat, but then, he wasn't

about to be the one to disrupt custom. He said a short prayer to

himself, just to be sure, and began to eat. There was a certain hum

that came to his ear. He couldn't understand from where it was

coming, but the others around the table didn't seem to notice it, so

he tried to ignore it.



He looked up from the meal and saw that Lagena was eating a little

slower than the rest, watching him closely. Watching him? Her

eyes grew as he acknowledged her with a slight smile. She lowered

her head and began to eat furiously. Mistura shook her head at the

whole thing. Caeles also thought that it was too quiet. No one had

said anything since the meal began and-



"I've been told that you're not going to be under the auspices of the

province-" Neocorus said, breaking the silence.



Lycisca put down her fork with a clang.



"He's NOT?!"



"-But under the care and guidance of General Kalendis herself," he

continued unabated.



"Kalendis?!" she said incredulously.



"Yeah," Mistura sighed, clearly not thrilled with idea herself,

"They told me about it before he came in."



Lycisca drew herself up to as full a height as she could while

seated.



"And why wasn't I informed?" she asked.



"Orders came from Effero Soter himself," Mistura said.



She pulled a piece of parchment from the folds of her cloak and

passed it over to the tall-now-blonde. Lycisca snatched it away and

read it angrily, her whole demeanor seething with something. She

finished and looked up sharply at Caeles, who tried to pull himself

into his toga, with little success. He almost yelped as he felt Flustra

slide her right hand into his left and give it a quick squeeze. It

comforted him to realize that she was on his side. At least, that's

what he hoped it meant.



Mistura snatched the parchment back from Lycisca and sniffed at

her, apparently disgusted by her outburst. Certus and Aequus

shook their heads in unison and the meal resumed. Caeles snuck a

glance to Flustra and began to sweat more at the sly, half-smile

with which she favored him. She made him nervous, but...A good

kind of nervous, he decided. He smiled back and began to eat

again.



Lagena huffed a couple of times into her goblet and set it back on

the table.



"I'm sorry for interrupting General," she said, "But I have to ask a

question of young MASTER Soter."



Flustra began to cough and hurriedly set her goblet on the table.

Lagena ignored this and went on.



"Just why were you out in the middle of the night last night

anyway?"



Caeles looked around the table at the questioning glances. He

thought it was silly, but if they wanted answers, and if it could

calm Lagena down a little, then why not tell? Caeles cleared his

throat.



"I was taking a bath."



Flustra had recovered enough to turn and give him a full on gaze.

Caeles shrugged his shoulders in response, which seemed enough

to satisfy her. At least about the answer.



"A...Bath..." Lagena stumbled.



"Back with my last foster parents," Caeles began, "I found that we

were sharing a bathhouse with a whole community."



"That's normal," Lycisca said.



"Yeah, well, by the time we got there, the water wasn't the best to

wash in," Caeles continued, "So, through a little work, I found out

that the cleanest water was always in the middle of the night."



Flustra laid a hand lightly on his arm. The touch made him jump,

but was certainly not unwelcome.



"Don't you get tired?" she asked softly.



He shook his head.



"What I do is," Caeles explained, "On nights I want a bath, I sleep

early for a while, get up, take my bath, then go back to bed. That

way, I sleep until a little after dawn."



She nodded and gave him a slight smile again, just as a water bowl

came around.



"Um-" Caeles turned to Mistura, "Will that be a problem?"



Mistura thought for a second and turned to Lycisca. The blonde

thought for a minute, then gave a smile that was bordering on

warmth. It was the first one that hadn't made Caeles shiver. She

nodded and went back to finishing her fruit.



"I don't see a problem," Lycisca said as she resumed her cold air,

"Provided you are quieter than you were last night."



Mistura chuckled, while Lagena and Caeles shared in a blush.

Flustra squeezed his hand again.



***



The courtyard inside the gate of the provincial estates were

designed that, in their time, they could single-handedly hold off a

siege from the infinite barbarian horde. A bastion against the

storm. In later years, as more of the empire expanded to meet the

city itself, parts of the courtyard were rebuilt and reformed to

provide a barracks for the house guard as well as a blacksmith and

a full training area.



Mistura had called him out the next morning to the training area.

She wanted him to dress in a simple tunic because they were going

to train. Caeles wondered what she meant by 'train'? He certainly

didn't need any training, though he was always ready to learn. The

furs fit loosely and, as soon as he stepped outside, he realized that

he had no need of them. The winter sky had opened up to a fine

spring afternoon. His tutors had told him that this occasionally

happened, especially the further north one went. He was expecting

cold, but a warm breeze from the south met him instead.



Caeles took the fur cloak off and found Mistura at the training

area, overlooking several young men who were...Training.

Fighting with the sword, mostly. A couple were learning the spear.

Mistura stood over them, sometimes pointing to a large brute of a

man, who looked to be in charge. Caeles stood next to Mistura and

waited.



"Good," she said, "You'll want to be rid of the furs. Today's a nice

day."



"Yes, ma'am."



He took the furs from around his waist as well, and while there was

something of a draft, it did feel better.



"If you're to be out with me on the battlefields, I want-" she

started.



"Wait!" Caeles interrupted, "Who said anything about fighting?"



"You're a man, aren't you?" she asked incredulously as she turned

to him, "You've done your service in the Legions, haven't you?"



Caeles stood in silence and failed to not feel small.



"You HAVEN'T!" she exclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised,

"How did you pull that one off?"



"...my father," Caeles cleared his throat, "...sorry..."



He's been coddled and he doesn't even realize it, Mistura thought

to herself.



She couldn't help but like the boy. He had a kind of intelligent

naivete that made him attractive. She could see why Flustra and

even Lagena were warming to him, though the redhead would

never openly admit it. He was a good kid...



"Nah!" she said as she ruffled his hair, "Actually, it's probably a

good thing you didn't because they're harder on the more

privileged kids. BUT, I do need you to know how to fight."



Caeles felt deflated. He'd have to get dirty for this one, no way out

of it. Perhaps they had scrolls on how to fight, something,

anything-



"And I have just the trainer for you," Mistura continued, "He's not

much older than you, but he is very good. Vivo!"



A young man turned his attentions from the young women who

had collected at one end of the grounds to the General. He walked

swiftly and with purpose and Caeles wondered if he'd *ever* seen

a specimen of man as built as this Vivo. Each movement sent

undulations through his bare torso that made the young maids

swoon. Caeles was feeling a little nauseous himself, but he thought

it wasn't the same thing. He stood, his tunic around his glistening

waist, at attention in front of Mistura.



"General."



"At ease," Mistura said, "Vivo Opitulatus, as of now, you are in

charge of showing Caeles here everything he needs to know to

survive on the battlefield."



There was a silence, as the information seemed to be confusing

him. His gray eyes swiveled quickly to Caeles.



"Begging the General's pardon," he began slowly, "But there's still

a lot that I don't-"



"And you have two weeks to do it in."



"What?!" he sputtered, "You mean he's going north with us?!"



Mistura turned to Caeles as Vivo tried to get her attention once

more. He failed miserably.



"In two weeks time, we head for an extended stay in northern Gaul

to ward off some coastal raiders that have been getting at the

shipping lanes, especially where it concerns Britannia," she

explained, "How's your sea combat training? Your tactics, I

mean?"



Caeles looked back to Vivo, who stood in silence, obviously not

too thrilled with being assigned Caeles as a student. Caeles wasn't

too thrilled with the idea either.



"Fair," Caeles said, "I studied in Pompeii."



Mistura thought for a moment and nodded sharply.



"Good enough. Learn well from Vivo, he can train you well."



Mistura turned and promptly left, probably not wanting to see the

ensuing carnage. Caeles sighed and turned back to Vivo. Vivo

slumped and looked Caeles over once more.



"Can you fight with a sword?" he asked sullenly.



"Um, no."



"Have you ever picked up a sword?"



"Once."



A pained look crossed Vivo's face.



"Okay, look, see that cute girl over there? The one with the hair?"

he asked, pointing back to the assembled maids.



They all had hair, as far as Caeles could tell. And none of the

colors seemed impressively distinct, so he lied.



"Yeah?"



"I want to impress her, okay?" he said, "We're going to practice

sword fighting."



Caeles walked slowly onto the practice field. Vivo returned with a

pair of wooden swords, one of which he handed to Caeles. He

pointed to the ground and Caeles noticed there was a circle drawn

heavily into the dirt. A kind of arena. Caeles felt a heavy, sick

feeling in his throat.



"Now," Vivo said, raising his sword, "Defend yourself."



"But-" Caeles sputtered as he clumsily blocked a thrust, "I never

really studied single combat!"



Vivo brought Caeles in close enough to see the fire behind those

gray eyes.



"You'll learn..."



***



Part VI - Scent of a Woman



***



Caeles took a breath and lowered himself slowly into the bath. The

hot waters splashed happily up the cobbled stones that surrounded

the baths. He leaned back against the huge stones in the center of

the bath and sighed. He could feel the ache from the bruises begin

to melt into the water. He opened his eyes and looked down at

himself. A week of training. A week of training under Vivo and

there were bruises on top of his bruises. Even when he was

learning how to ride a horse, it was never this bad.



Caeles put his head back and slid more into the hot waters. Vivo

was a nice guy in private, actually even friendly, but out on the

training grounds and whenever there was someone around, he was

always rough on Caeles. He HAD learned a lot through the

training...Mostly how to dodge, but that was good enough for

Caeles. He hadn't wanted this training to begin with, but Mistura

was happy with his progress. The day before, she had actually

attacked him with her sword, the training kicked in and he was

able to block it. Mostly. There was still a small cut on his cheek

where her blade had passed.



Caeles opened his eyes again and looked around. The bathhouse

was officially his favorite place in all of Urba Tertius. Set off from

the main part of the estate, there was a section from the spring that

was diverted after it reached the furnaces. The furnaces heated the

water to near boiling before it reached the bathhouse, but coming

the short distance cooled it off enough so that it didn't scald. What

it did was create a very warm, humid place where Caeles always

felt good. There was only a single bath, but it was in the shape of a

horseshoe. One side for the men, the other for the women. There

was a curtain at the apex of the curve that seemed to be the only

distinction between the two and while Caeles thought that was kind

of a flimsy defense, he also remembered that the slaves had to

clean both sides as well. The cleaning crews always left it open,

but Caeles hadn't thought to close it. He never needed to at this

hour, and besides, with the vantage point he enjoyed, he could see

any intruders.



Caeles took a breath. It smelled good in there too, but not because

of the water. Caeles knew that each woman that he'd met while in

the estates anointed herself with a different scented oil. He didn't

know exactly how they got the oils here, for it was something that

he remembered from his time in Egypt, but Caeles suspected that

Certus had something to do with the mixtures.



Caeles was beginning to recognize the different scents too. Mistura

was clean, with a hint of Jasmine. Very light and pleasant. Slightly

erotic too, but he'd never say that. Caeles shook his head and

thought again. Certus used Jasmine too, but also mixed in

something that smelled like fruit, which led to a sweet smell,

certainly something that matched her nature.



Lagena had her own scent too, though her nature almost suggested

to Caeles that she'd never openly admit to using it. It

smelled...Good...Though. It was some mix of barley and

wildflowers, most probably mixed from her local varieties.

Something to remind her of her homeland, it was feminine, but

hearty. An aggressive and strong mixture that was slightly erotic

too. Caeles shook his head fiercely. She'd run him through...



He sighed out again. Who was left? Lycisca. Caeles couldn't say

what it exactly smelled like, but whatever it was she used enough

of it that he felt his head clear every time he got near. It was harsh

and clean, just like the insides of his head after she passed. He

chuckled softly and began to wash himself. The waters were

definitely soothing, but he did need to get back to bed. He picked

up a bucket and dumped water over himself.



Lady Caecus.



Caeles paused and thought. He didn't know what oil she used. He

honestly couldn't remember ever smelling anything near her.

Perhaps she didn't use one? He didn't know and it slightly bothered

him. He shook his head and rubbed his neck. The freemen and

slaves also bathed here regularly, which Caeles thought was really

odd. And it certainly wasn't the way he was brought up, but it was

kinda nice. Everyone in the city that he'd met and everyone in the

governor's estates just FELT a lot happier. Now, whether it was

from the hot baths, or something else, he couldn't say, but it was

nice.



Well, Caeles thought, enough of the nice bath. Back to bed.



Caeles twisted the rag in his hands, shaking it dry. He then stood

and gave it a flick towards the little pegs that had been knocked

into the walls across from him. He chuckled as it spun easily onto a

peg. Something else he used to do in the middle of the nights.

Perhaps he WAS a little superstitious, but every time he had been

able to spin the rag onto a peg, the following days had always been

better.



A slight splash made Caeles jump. He froze where he stood. He

thought for a second, and then moved his leg a little. A similar

noise rose to his ears and he calmed. For a second, he thought there

was someone else in the bath. He brought a hand up to his heart as

he sighed out and began to walk to the edge of the pool. The stool

sat patiently with his robe and sandals. Lagena wouldn't be the

only one to skewer him if he'd been caught like that.



He froze again as someone cleared their throat behind him.



"You don't have to leave."



Oh Gods! he thought, There WAS someone in there with him! And

it was Flustra! Oh GodsOhGodsOh-



"Ummm," his mind raced, "Yes I do. I-umm-you're in here..."



"Please?" she asked, "I want you to stay...And talk."



Talk?



"Talk?" he said as he half-turned to her.



His eyes grew wide. Flustra stood before him. She was reaching

out with her hand, her other hand occupied with a small rag. A

very small rag. Which was wet. A very small rag, which was wet

and between the breasts of the holder. Between the very perfect

breasts of th-



Caeles scuttled back to the center, the deepest area and knelt into

the water, facing away from her. Anything to hide his

growing...Excitement. He waded to the center rock and, glancing

to see that Flustra had joined him and that her body parts were at

least under water, he turned and rested his back against the rock.

Flustra knelt next to him and sighed slightly. She turned and came

to rest next to Caeles, the water lapping up against the base of their

throats.



There was a slight silence as she settled in. Why did she sigh? Did

she have a reason? If so, what? Perhaps she was trying to set him

up? Caeles shook his head slightly. She had other opportunities to

do that since he'd come here and she hadn't.



"You intrigue me," she said quietly.



There was a pause.



"Really?" Caeles said, "Ummm...Why?"



"You remind me of your father."



Caeles sharply turned to her.



"You know my father?" he asked.



How had THAT happened? How did this girl know-...But Caeles

caught himself. This was his father's province. Aequus may be the

provincial governor, but he was not in charge, ultimately. He was

caretaker while Caeles' father was away. He was going to ask

something else, but it died on his lips at the sight of her.



The torches in the walls lit the room. Their fires kept the room lit

in an amber glow all the time, but not all the torches were always

lit. At this time of morning, there were only a few around the huge

room. And yet, the darkness couldn't mask Flustra's face. She

looked down, into the water and it looked to Caeles like she was

remembering. There was a sad, gentle look on her face that

reminded him of the way he looked when he thought of his mother.

The silverish strands of her hair stuck awkwardly against her

snowy white skin, but all the same, she seemed vulnerable to

Caeles. A sweetness that struck him in a way he couldn't describe.

She was hurting and there was nothing that he could do about it.

He was helpless, and that burned like an impotent fire in his belly.

She turned to him and smiled a soft smile. He tried to smile back,

but couldn't get over her sadness. She gently tapped her eyepiece.



"He's the one that took my eye."



A calm settled over the water as Caeles tried to assimilate what

she'd just told hi-He found that he couldn't. His FATHER?! He'd

done WHAT?! Caeles shook. He shook from his feet to the top of

his head. Every bit of him bristled at the thought that his father

could commit such a heinous act. He felt his blood boiling, his

heart racing and other bits of him wanting to maim and kill and-



He started as she laid a hand on his arm. He looked up from his

rage and wondered. She smiled at him.



"Please don't be mad," she said softly.



Caeles calmed, but the rage still pounded a dull beat of hatred

towards his father. She withdrew her hand reluctantly and she

stared back into the water.



"It was the righteous anger of the gods through him that forced him

to do it," she said quietly, "You can't blame him, but you see, he

WAS strong enough to keep the Gods from taking both my eyes."



She shut her eye and shuddered. Flustra wrapped her arms around

herself and shook her head slightly. Caeles watched as she calmed

and looked back at him.



"I know it was my fault and shame, which is why I accepted

banishment from Rome...To here."



He raised his hand impotently to her.



"But-" he started, not knowing what to say.



Flustra took his hand and laid it gently against her cheek. It was so

soft, it startled Caeles. Like down...She closed her eye and seemed

to be just enjoying the sensation of his hand on her cheek. Caeles

flubbered a couple more times before he sighed heavily. She

looked back at him.



"But...Your eye?"



Flustra shrugged sadly.



"It was the will of the Gods," she said as she let his hand go.



Flustra stood, holding the rag to her chest. Caeles tried to keep

down the blood rising to his face, but figured that the low light

would cover his failure.



"I like you," Flustra said abruptly, "I will know you better, but for

now, good night."



Caeles only nodded as she walked around to the ladies' side,

climbed out and retrieved her tunic from one of the hooks on the

far wall. It was just a simple white tunic she wrapped around her

lithe form. And, without a single word or glance more, she walked

out. Caeles settled back into the water, not caring about the overly

warm nature of it. He knew he'd get out before he got overheated,

but his legs weren't working right at that moment.



Certainly, he had reason because of Flustra. She was easily more

beautiful than even HE had guessed. He never would have thought

that she would be bold enough to approach him directly, let alone

in the bath like...



She approached him. In the bath. It was premeditated. At this hour

of the morning, it could be no less. Caeles shook his head and

smiled slightly.



THAT was a good thought.



What was not a good thought was that of his father. He had taken

her eye. Why? It didn't make sense. In these days, that kind of

corporal punishment was rarely heard of. Sure, criminals were

hanged, or executed by other means, but rarely were they women

and rarely something this specific. Something was wrong with it...



The horrible acts...Against a girl like Flustra, no less! What could

she have POSSIBLY done...? He sighed and calmed more. His

father would never tell him, even if Caeles were pointing a sword

at him. He was too proud for that. And Caeles was too proud to

just let this slip by...



***



Character translation help and geographic addendum to



The Fate of Hearts



An Elsetimes Evangelion Fanfiction

By

Joshua Trujillo



Caeles Soter - Shinji Ikari

Effero Soter - Gendo Ikari

Mistura Kalendis - Misato Katsuragi

Certus Penator - Maya Ibuki

Lycisca Magnus - Ritsuko Akagi

Aequus Neocorus - Fuyutski

Flustra Caecus - Rei Ayanami

Lagena Aestus - Asuka Soryuu

Vivo Opitulatus - Touji



As for the rest of the cast, they haven't been introduced yet and, as

such, I haven't come up with a good set of translations for them

yet. Do not worry, however, Hikari, Kensuke and the rest WILL be

added later...



Geographic areas:



Germania - Upper covers north Germany, Lower covers southern

Germany and Switzerland.



Belgica - Belgium and modern western Germany



The provinces of Lugdunensis, Aquitania and Narbonensis all form

modern day France, which was called Gaul. Therefore, they would

call the first Gallia Lugdunensis.



Italia - Covers Italy, including the provinces of Campania (Lower

Italy to Rome), Latium (Rome and middle Italy), and Gallia

Cisalpina (Italy south of the Alps).



Corsica, Sardina and Sicilia haven't changed much in all this

time...Still the islands off Italy.



Britannia is, of course, England.



There are going to be mentions of other places, but none of them

are truly essential to The Fate of Hearts.



Thanks for reading!



***



Joshua "Gargoyle" Trujillo

"Stone Cold Protector of the Righteous"

"Owner of The Anime Bar & Grille - Mm, mm good!"



Come and visit The Anime Bar & Grille!

Now with two locations!

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/1509

and

http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/museum/1275