Ancient Rome ~ Part 2 ~

Generation 4 - Iset Laurentius 

With Sarabi and Lucius with gone, Liviana locked the young Iset in a basement cellar and treated her with exceptional cruelty. Each day she was locked her in her chambers and not allowed to leave.

(Iset in the basement cellar)

After the death of his doting father, Julius too was no longer sheltered and was treated increasingly poorly. One day after a heated argument, Liviana told him the truth. She was not his mother. It was that disgusting servant Sarabi! 

Learning the truth of his parentage, Julius began to help Iset, first by bringing her food and then, after realizing it was safe, by helping her sneak out from time to time. Julius let his brother and sister know and they were glad to support him. 

(Teenage Julius helps Iset)

Iset, with the exception of her half brother was now alone in the world and under control of her evil stepmother. 

But one day when her step mother was away, she snuck into town to go swimming in the outdoor baths. It was there that she met a Roman soldier. His name with Brutus Laruentius and he was a good friend of Marcus. Brutus fell in love with Iset's beauty but she told him that she couldn't see him and left.

But he was enamored and after asking Marcus where he lived, he began to secretly meet with her. 

(Can you do me a solid? Sure Bro!)

That is until one day they were making out in her step mothers bed and even though she was supposed to be out of town she apparently forgot her keys or something and came back only to discover them! 

That was the last straw! Liviana tried to beat the girl, but the boy stepped in. Let me marry her. I'll pay you a large dowry!

Get rid of Iset and make some money??? Of course!

Under one condition though. She added. Take the boy Julius with you. 

He agreed. 

And Iset and Atlas moved with Brutus into his large Roman home far from the wretched Liviana.

(Brutus takes Iset and Julius into his home)

Iset's hard life became considerably easier from here. She married Brutus and they lived happily in their new home. 

They lived with Brutus' Parents

Iset soon became pregnant and the couple was as happy as could be. 

They had a beautiful daughter named Araceli. 

(Cute Araceli)

(Araceli plays piano)

(Araceli's bedroom)

They later had a son named Atlas. 

(Little Atlas)

(Atlas' Bedroom)

(The kids become close friends)

Eventually Brutus' parent's pass away.

(Brutus' dad was kind of upset about dying, but Brutus tried to cheer him up)

Julius grew into a strong and kind man like his father. After Liviana finally died, he moved back into his home with his brother Marcus.

Araceli grew into a beautiful woman.

And if I'm correct here, she fell in love with her step-brother's son. (They aren't related by blood!)

And thats it really. No drama. Just a happy life. But of course, change was again yet on the horizon. The Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse, and Atlas was being given an opportunity to become a soldier for a foreign King. Araceli, so very close with her brother, couldn't bear the thought of leaving him and began to make plans to join him up North with her husband...

Ancient Rome ~ Part 1 ~

Generation 3 Sarabi Hatsheput 

Now where did we last leave off? Oh yes.

The newly divorced Sarabi and little Iset was banished to a small house on the edge of the city. Where they lived rather happily actually. They made their money through gardening and read books when they had free time. Overtime Iset grew into a beauty of a teen.

(Sarabi lives happily in her new home)

(Teenage Iset helps with the garden)

(Obligatory mention that Sarabi's parents died)

Then one day Sarabi heard a knock on the door.

It was a Roman, and a handsome one at that. Sarabi had heard of the Roman civilization, but of course never had met a real life Roman soldier. Rome was a beautiful land of immense wealth that you had to sail in a ship to reach. She read about it in one of her books.

The Roman man was a man named Lucius. He had come all the way from Rome because his family had purchased a strange plant with the head of a cow. They watered the plant daily, but the plant didn't seem to be very happy. Then when he was alone one evening, it spoke!

"Across the sea is a beautiful woman whose family brought me life! Bring her to me!"
So he searched throughout all of the city but when he mentioned the cow plant to the Egyptian men and women they froze and their faces turned white. "We don't know what your talking about." They'd say!

Then one day an old man told him the truth. "I'm old so I have nothing to lose. The Pharaoh has forbidden us from speaking of the cow plant" he whispered "but the woman you seek is named Sarabi. She lives at the edge of the city.

And so he found her. And when he laid eyes on her he was immediately smitten.... and so was she. He wanted to take her back to Rome with him. Of course Iset could come too.

But when Sarabi and Iset arrived in Rome, they were shocked to find out that the man had already had a family. A wife, named Liviana a son named Marcus and a daughter named Antonina. He introduced Sarabi as the new housemaid and brought her and Iset to their maid quarters.

(Sarabi and Iset are brought to Lucius' home in Rome)

(Liviana) 

(Antonina)

(Marcus)

Liviana was furious that her husband could bring such a beautiful foreign woman into her home. And she knew he was in love with her. Sarabi and Iset were not allowed to eat with the family. And the kids could not speak with Iset.

(Sarabi is way far in the background) 

Liviana often got into fights with Sarabi, letting her know that she was the woman of the house and Sarabi was little more than that a servant.

(But Sarabi often won the fights, making Liviana increasingly furious)

But Lucis, still in love with Sarabi, continued to meet with her in secret. He apologized for the arrangement but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. She forgave him, happy to have been able to see the civilization of Rome with her own eyes, and since she and her daughter had become outcasts in their own land, perhaps Iset could have a better life. He agreed. 

Some months later Sarabi gave birth to her second child, a boy named Julius. Lucius took him into his home and told his wife that she was to treat him like her own biological son. He would be raised to believe she was his true mother. He would be treated the same as his other two kids.

(Little Julius) 

(The object of his father's admiration)

But for Liviana this was the last straw. She despised little Julius and treated him terribly despite raising him as her own son. She hated how he reminded her of her husbands love for another woman. She just couldn't love him and care for him like her own kids. But she did her best to hide her feelings and instead was cold towards him. 

Instead she channeled her anger towards Sarabi and began to plot her revenge. Each night she spoke to the cow plant god.

"Oh cow plant god" she asked "who is the fairest of them all?"

"Sarabi is..."

She was enraged.

"Cow plant god how can I be the fairest of them all??!!"she asked

The Cow plant god responded "Each night feed me the leg of a cow and on the 30th night bring Sarabi to me"

So that she did. And each night she fed the cow plant god and on the 30th day she convinced Sarabi to speak with him.

But it was a trap. The cow plant god ate Sarabi killing her instantly and Liviana laughed with maniacal joy.

(Lucius arrives too late to save Sarabi... he doesn't know this is his wife's doing)

(Liviana is pleased with herself)

But it wasn't enough for Liviana. Next was her husband. He would have her killed if he knew what she'd done and after years of unfaithfulness she no longer loved him. So she convinced him too to talk to the cow plant god and he swiftly became dinner.

( After Lucis' death, the ghost of Sarabi returned to enact revenge)

(And of course won, like always!)

Days later, Liviana approached the cow plant god again "Cow plant god, who is the fairest of them all?"

"The young girl Iset" he replied.

She was furious!

But due to her selfishness the cow plant had over eaten and soon died. Leaving it impossible for her to kill Iset..

Revenge would have to wait for another day...