Sons of Antiquity

Prologue Part 2

By the ages of ten, important men and women from all over the eastern part of Asia were coming to see the performances of these little foreign boys. Surprisingly, the fame and attention of all these important people never once went to the children's heads. They remained sound and loyal, both to each other, their families, and to the Chinese people who had embraced them. They always did their best to make their fathers proud, and were extremely well disciplined, even into their years of early adulthood. Eventually they began to enquire about their parent’s native country, their curiosity having been piqued by the stories of the roman house servants and slaves telling of the vast and wondrous cities and temples and arenas of the Roman Empire. And while the boys were just as eager to learn everything they could about the place they called home, they also wanted to see the place of their parent’s birth as well.

Ultimately, the decision to return to Rome was made when the boys reached the ages of fifteen. There was some political turbulence growing in China, and the emperor, while concerned for his own safety, was also concerned with the safety of the foreigners whom he now counted as his friends and the boys who were like sons to him. With a heavy heart he saw them off on their return journey. Later that year the troubles in his country calmed, and he would often wander the compound that he had provided the family, now empty, and force his poor attendants to listen to him recant repeatedly the stories of his “favorite little wide eyed Chinese men”.

The return trip took just over one year and, since they were no longer as young as they had been on the previous trip, it was much harder on the boy’s parents than it was on the boys themselves. But they were encouraged by their son’s enthusiasm to be heading to this "new" land. They’re arrival went largely unnoticed with the exception of the large wagon loads of servants, furniture and other goods they had returned with. The demand for silk had decreased in recent years, even though it continued to be popular with the wealthy. As the demand decreased, so did the families popularity, even though they were still exceptionally well known thought the city. Three of the men purchased new homes for their families in the hills surrounding Rome, while the other settled into a home along the Tiber River. The boys, not used to living so far apart, would spend every waking hour together, exploring this massive new city. They were awed by the sheer size of the buildings, the paved roads, the splendor of the homes and clothing of the upper class, the chariots and the armored guards, the smells and tastes of strange new foods. But they missed their celebrity. They often complained to their parents that no one ever recognized them or asked them to perform, to which their parents reminded them that few in Rome knew of their abilities.

Sixteen now and strong willed, they decided that they would perform for the people of this new city just as they had in China. They began asking the operators of several of the theaters in Rome to use their facilities and were turned away each time. When they told the operators what it was they did, they were always told the same thing, “No one will be interested that. Pantomime is what the people want to see. Learn that and come back then”. Finally, the owner of a small theater situated on the outskirts of the city grudgingly agreed to let them perform for three evenings, provided that any and all profits from the performances went directly to him. Since he was having trouble finding groups to perform in his theater, he wouldn’t be loosing any money if someone used the place for free. The boys agreed and quickly began telling everyone they could about their performance, as well as asking their parents to ask their patrons who visited daily if they would attend.

The first evening arrived, and the theater remained mostly empty. The boy’s families were there, as well as several of the family’s patrons who were either coaxed by obligation into coming, or had nothing better to do that evening. With the exception of the boy’s parents, most of the audience looked lethargic at best. When the theater owner saw the boys in their brightly colored silks that they used for performing, and heard them tuning the strange and foreign instruments they were to accompany each other with, he rung his hands, fretting aloud that this would be the end to his reputation and his theater house. The boys ignored him and carried on their preparations with confidence.

From the first crash of the drums that startled the audience to attention, to the sparks that flew from the boy’s swords as they blended their acrobatics and sword play expertly, the crowd sat transfixed. As the instruments filled their ears with exotically strange and harsh sounding but enchanting melodies, they did not speak to interrupt it. Blurs of all different colors of silk filled their eyes as the boys leapt, dove, and vaulted through the air, using each other’s body to launch themselves, twist gracefully, then land as surefooted as cats. When they twisted their bodies into unnatural and almost impossible positions while balancing upon each other, the people’s mouths fell open, a few audibly gasping at the sight. The crowd did not once look away.

All the way to the last note of music that was played and the silence that followed signaling the performance was over, the crowd barely moved. Only when the boys moved to thank the crowd was the first sound uttered. What was once a small, quietly transfixed audience suddenly erupted into a mass of cheers and applause loud enough to make it sound as if the theater was full to its maximum capacity. Several passersby outside stopped to look inside to see what all the noise was about. The boys stood grinning brilliantly as the small audience continued to cheer them. They cast glances at the theater owner who stood off to the side, staring dumbly at them, still in shock from the performance.

The next evening's crowd was twice as big, and the third's saw the theater filled to capacity, with people left outside because there was no more room. The owner decided to then extend the performance to the rest of the week, and after that week sold out, to the next week as well. Rome had never seen any kind of act that compared to this, and as word spread, more and more people demanded to see the exotic new show. It was so popular that eventually requests to appear began arriving from other theaters, ones who had previously turned them down. The boys declined long enough for the owner of their current theater to make a healthy profit, then moved the show to the largest theater in Rome, the same theater in which actors performed for the emperor. They were instant celebrities, selling out night after night, no longer working for free, but now sharing in the profits of the theater.

Soon however, the constant attention began to wear on them. Where as they had been cherished but respected by the Chinese people, the roman fans seemed almost ravenous, demanding the boy’s every waking minute either at parties, or house calls, or just walking down the street. Troubled by the constant attention, they retreated to Seiji’s family’s vineyard in the roman countryside for a few months. They were concerned not only with the people’s obsessive attention, but they worried that the people would eventually tire of them if they performed too often. The Romans loved their entertainers dearly, but they became distracted and bored easily. It was decided that they would continue to perform, but on an occasional basis, therefore ensuring that they would be able to keep their performances new and exciting in the minds of the Romans. They hoped it would be able to alleviate the constant demand for their time as well.

It took some time, but eventually the public demand for the boys lessened to a tolerable level. They still continued to perform every few months, making sure to constantly add new acts and improve upon the ones they already had. They soon even found a fan in the emperor Tiberius, who after having a private performance for only himself and his family became a regular patron. They entertained members of the senate, as well as dignitaries from the far corners of the Roman Empire who came to the capitol both on business and for leisure. And each one asked the boys that if they ever decided to tour the empire, to make sure to count their own cities as one to stop in, for they were all sure that their own citizens would be thrilled by the performance. The boys always graciously agreed, thus securing patrons in several large cities around the empire as well.

Word of them had spread quickly to other regions, and they had already discussed a tour, but there was simply no time at the moment to entertain the thought for too long. Over the next few years, they found themselves with less time to spend together. There was family and friends in other cities to visit, and that kept each of them away from Rome for months at a time. The traveling itself took up a good majority of the time away, and while they were in the hosting city, they would have to deal with the local officials who always wanted to meet one of the boys who had so impressed the emperor. More often than not they would be talked into short solo performances, if the person making the request was too important to turn down.

Somewhere, a pot broke, the sound rousing him from his thoughts.

He yawned sleepily and blinked up at the first few stars just now beginning to appear. He reached down for the bronze wine cup he had been drinking from and scooped it up. Which brings us to where we are now, scattered to the stars, he thought. He somberly raised the cup to the gently blinking stars and then swallowed the last bit of wine. He stood, smoothed his tunic and leaned against the railing again, letting his eyes wander down the hillside to the lights of the large upper class homes that lined the Tiber. He knew from countless nights of standing in that same spot, looking for the same house, where to find what his eyes were searching for. He was heralded as having the best sight among his five friends, and could see things clearly even from great distances. Tonight however, his eyes didn’t see what he wanted them to. The upper windows of the house were dark. There was no one home other than servants.

He sighed heavily just as the whisper of a hem dragging along the floor behind him caught his ear. He turned his head slightly to find his father standing in the doorway behind him.

“Don’t sigh so heavily Touma. The gods will think you don’t care for the life that’s been given to you,” his father said with a smile.

Touma returned his fathers smile. “The gods will know my heart well enough to know that isn’t what troubles me.”

“Very true.” His father replied with a nod, stepping forward. He extended a small rolled letter with a bright red seal still intact on the side, guarding the letter's contents. “Gaius Caesar sends for you again. His messenger was here a short time ago.” Touma took the letter from his father and broke the seal. Even though the letter belonged to his son, his father didn’t move until after Touma had finished reading. “Anything I should be concerned about?” he inquired.

Touma looked up at his father and shook his head. “No, he just wants to see me and catch up. He’s been so busy lately there hasn’t been any time.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow. Why?”

His father’s normally relaxed countenance clouded briefly. “Just… be careful son. I know you’ve heard the stories.”

Touma smiled gently. “Thank you father. I assure you I’ll be fine. He’s never wronged me, and I’ve never given him an excuse to. Besides, it helps to have friends in high places right?” He flashed a confident smile, but his father didn’t look any less concerned.

The older man gazed off at the lights of the city before saying quietly “Even Tiberius says that he is raising a viper for the Roman people…” His voice trailed off.

“The emperor said that?” Touma asked in surprise.

His father’s eyes shifted back to his son again, perhaps thinking better about what he had just said. Waving it off he said “Its hearsay, nothing more.” He turned to leave. “Enjoy your time with Caligula tomorrow.”

Touma hissed through his teeth. “Father don’t make a habit of addressing him that way. He hates it.”

His father, now a dark retreating form in his room, simply nodded and raised his hand in acknowledgement. “Well be eating shortly.” Then he disappeared into the house.

Touma sighed again. He cast one last wishful glance at the house on the river. The lights were still dark. He pulled his eyes away and retreated into his room. He could check again after dinner.

~Continued in chapter 1~

Oh my lord, that was hard to write o.O Its so much harder to follow history than it is to just make it up! And the flashback is soooo long! I didn’t mean for it to be that long I swear! Thankfully the rest wont be so “history-lessonish”. But I had to make a good backbone for the story!
I really should get to class now…