Chapter 7.5: Smells Like Money In Here
Titus was quite serious about making Ace into a proper gentleman. He taught him how to read Latin. He taught Ace how to speak it fluently and hired him scholars who would tutor him. Ace learned quite quickly because he was eager to do anything other than sit around all day.
Ace decided after months of sulking that he was going to return home or die trying.
One night, after he did many different positions with Titus, he asked him for the only thing he wanted. "I want a watch," Ace asked.
"What is that," Titus replied. Ace tried to think of something similar that they would have.
"It's a sundial… but on your hand!"
Titus laughed. "Impossible! There is no such thing!"
"There are a lot of them at my home," Ace insisted. "When I came here, someone stole it from me!"
"If there are many of them at your home, why don't you just wait until you return and acquire a new one from there," Titus replied.
"This one is special," Ace sighed. "It is my father's." Titus now understood, and also knew that he would gain favor with the imaginary king if he recovered his only son's tiny sundial.
"I will find it," he promised. "I will search the entire kingdom until I have returned what should be yours." Titus kissed Ace on the cheek and Ace sighed, still unhappy, bored, and the highlight of his day simply being filled with reading old passages and being poked in the behind. "Are you afflicted with melancholy," Titus asked.
"No," Ace grumbled. "Everything here is just too different." Titus worried that his new lover would leave him for another person, someone more similar to him, or possibly even wealthier. "I will find it," Titus repeated. "I will get you the only thing you have ever asked of me."
"Is it," Ace asked.
Titus nodded. "It must be something extraordinary, and I swore that I would give you everything you wanted."
The next day Titus went out, and decided to learn from as many scholars as possible what a watch is. Ace decided that he would go on his own investigation as well.
Ace could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. Whenever he looked into Titus' eyes he knew he had met him before, but logically it was impossible. Titus would be long dead by the time Ace was even born. He also wanted to know why the girl he had met looked exactly like Candice. He looked around the palace and found a man who looked strong. He pointed at him and he quickly walked over to him. "Can you come some place with me," Ace asked. "I am afraid of being attacked."
"Of course," Ahtem replied. "If one were to learn that you are favored by Titus, you would be taken."
I never thought of that, I just wanted to make sure that man wouldn't hit me again, Ace thought.
Without thinking, Ace grabbed his arm and blinked over to the house he had first arrived at several months ago. His guard shrieked once he realized what had happened. "It is true," he whispered. "You are a son of the gods."
"Uh...yeah," Ace mumbled.
"Titus is blessed to have you. A shame you cannot bear him children," Ahtem complained.
Ace tried to ignore his comments and walked through the stone archway into the complex. He was greeted by the same woman who had smacked him, thinking he was trying to assault Ibis, and she did not recognize him. Ace was tanner, his red hair was longer, in his attempt to make sure no one saw his ears again, and he wore the same clothes as everyone else, tired of the stares he already received for simply having red hair.
He had gold bands around his biceps and an ornate necklace. After many gifts Titus had given Ace, he finally gave in and wore some of the jewelry. He realized it was common for men of this time to wear jewelry and makeup. He wore curved sandals and a linen kilt that went to his ankles. He had a long gold necklace that wrapped around his midsection.
Everything about him now screamed money.
The woman was so excited, thinking that a noble had visited her home. "This Acheus of Ionadis," Ahtem explained. "He is here to see Menes." Quickly the servant invited them inside, and Menes came out fast, happy that a prince had come to visit. His body went cold as he recognized what his servant could not. "Why are you here," he barked.
"I wanted to explain myself," Ace said. Menes was surprised that he could now speak fluently, and he listened as Ace apologized for scaring him and his daughter. He bought a gift, gold, to thank them for rescuing him or else he would have died.
All of this buttered up Menes quite easily, and he was happy to have Ace in his home. In fact, he also looked at his jewelry, and knew that Ace could be his meal ticket. Ace saw the look in his eyes and knew that once again someone had confused him for someone who was much more important.
"I would like to apologize to your daughter as well," Ace mumbled. Menes agreed, and smiled, happy to offer his daughter on a silver platter to a man who could give him many grandsons, and take care of him in his old age.
Ibis was still shy and quiet, and she stared at the ground, not looking someone of higher standing in the eyes. "I am so sorry for what I did," Ace said. "I have learned a lot about here since I've lived here, and I didn't want to ruin you. I know that you need to find someone to take care of you."
Ibis nodded, and mumbled "Thank you."
"I wanna talk to you about something," Ace said. He sighed and had no idea how to explain himself. "Would it be okay if we spoke alone?" Ibis was about to protest but her father interrupted her.
"Of course," he exclaimed. "You can be alone with her as much as you want." Ibis then realized her father was trying to marry her off. This surprised her, as her father was never happy with the many suitors who came to ask for her.
Ahtem waited outside Ibis' room while Ace spoke alone with her. Ibis' heart was pounding, as she mentally prepared herself to no longer be a maiden. Instead of touching her he spoke to each other about her life, and his. Ibis relaxed about him, and they spoke for a long time, becoming friendly and no longer nervous. "How could I possibly be your former lover if what you say is true," Ibis asked. "I have never met anyone by this strange name, Candice."
"I'm not really surprised," Ace grumbled. "I just hoped you would know something so I could return home."
His story is that of a mad man, but it must be true, Ibis thought. I have seen the things he can do. He is just like me. He can keep my secret.
"Will you come again," Ibis asked. "I would like to also apologize for the unfair treatment."
Ace smiled. "I would love to see you again." In fact he would. His mind was wandering, and even though Ibis' personality was nothing like Candice's, her body was. Ace reminded himself that Ibis did not know him very well, and that having a relationship with her would be in vain.
A part of him still believed that he would soon return home.
Ace left, much to Menes disappointment, but he told him he would return. Menes was practically salivating at the thought he would soon become the father in law to a prince. Ace this time warned Ahtem what he would do, and they disappeared, back to the palace.
Ace could not sleep that night for several reasons. It was much more humid than usual and he could not stop thinking about Ibis. After the many nights of sleeping with Titus he had also become accustomed to sleeping with someone next to him and felt childish that a part of him missed him. Ace tried to convince himself that he should stay in the palace with Titus, but he didn't want to.
All he was attracted to was his body, and past that Ace felt nothing more.
Maybe I should be with Ibis, Ace thought. She's nicer than Candice.
It was true. Candice was mean to him, calling him weak, a woman, leaving him, getting back together with him, sleeping with him, and repeating the process. Even Titus was nicer to him, even though he was strange.
I deserve better, Ace thought, surrounded in the lap of luxury during a time when most people died before they made it past the age of five.
During Titus' absence, Ace visited Ibis many times. The more time he spent with her, the more time he became attracted to her, in her own right. He loved that she was very intelligent, and her father had allowed her to learn, unlike many other fathers would. He loved her eyes, which were strangely purple. He loved every part of her, and his guilt soon went away about replacing Candice with her the more he spent time with her.
Menes was overprotective of his daughter, as she was his only child, and a woman at that. However Menes began to regret that he had been too harsh on the many suitors that came for his daughters. She was getting old in her age, nineteen, and would need to have male children to pass on his estate to. So Menes encouraged Ace to come visit, and often.
Menes soon found out that Ace was Titus' consort, and he had gotten rid of the others in favor of him. He was conflicted that a prince would lower himself to such a position. He told himself that it was a common practice of the Romans to take male lovers until they found a wife and quickly put the idea out of his head.