Suddenly an Empress

IV: New Identity

"No way, this can't be. This is not Rome." I vigorously shook my head after hearing the girl's answer to my question as to where I am while also glancing around the place as we proceed towards the main part of the city.

This whole place looked like it was a giant movie set and everybody else is an actor who took their role way too far by how they act and dress.

From what I remember from my previous trip to Rome with my parents, Rome is a very vibrant city flocked with so many tourists everywhere you look at but what I am looking at right now, was a bewildering sight.

The entrance of the city looked very grand and majestic with the massive arched entryway, two guards were standing guard and when they saw our wagon and the other soldiers who were riding their horses approach the gate, they all stood straightly and saluted at them.

"Wha-" I flinched when I felt a cloth land on top of my head that partially covered my view.

"You should cover your hair, you do not want to find yourself being torn apart by the curious crowd." The girl who told me that this is Rome, spoke to me.

I pulled off the cloth and stared at it, it was dirty and ragged as if she had been wearing this for a year and never had the chance to wash it. I glanced back at her and saw that the cloth she gave me to cover my hair was a torn part of her long white dress that turned ashy.

"I appreciate the gesture but why would I want to hide my hair?" I ask reluctantly even though I was already tying my hair into a low bun and using the cloth to cover my whole hair. I struggled way too much since my hands were tied together. I am assuming I look bald by how I tied my hair but my appearance does not matter right now.

"Your unusual hair color screams that you are not from here. . . are you a war prisoner from the southern tribe?" she did not answer my question.

"Why would it be unusual here?" I realized I was only asking stupid questions since I see it with my own eyes that this place is indeed somewhere that I have never seen before. . . well, I did mention that I have seen this kind of place before but that is because Barbara showed me numerous pictures and illustrations of how Ancient Rome looked like.

"Look around you, do you see any people who have such gaudily colored hair like yours?" She answered my question again with another question and she said that with such a bored tone.

I did what I was told and studied the people around me. First I looked at the other people who were with me inside the wagon. The girl who was talking to me had short, dusty black hair. The little girl who told me that I was pretty also had black hair, and the other three with us were elderly people, probably around 80 years old or something, and just kept staring at me from the start like they were mesmerized or something. They looked like they had just seen a ghost and kept that expression the whole ride to the point that I thought they were just robots that were broken.

The next thing I looked at was the soldiers who were riding their horses. Some had curly hair, some had long hair, and some do not even have hair. All of them either had black or light brown hair color.

The townspeople we pass through also had dark colored hair making me realize that this girl is spitting facts, my hair would indeed attract so much attention that they will probably gather around me and try to pull my hair off.

With that horrid thought in my mind, I cautiously tucked in the pink fringe that was showing and hid it in the cloth, and gulped loudly.

"So, what is your name?" I ask, trying to lift my mind off the crazy answer that I am actually transported back in the past and even if I did, I would pretty much accept that fact quite easily because I have always wanted to leave that museum and my unaffectionate father, and it would be totally nice if I was not tied down and possibly on my way to get auctioned to become a slave or something.

The girl only looked at me weirdly as if I just asked something crazy and scrunched her nose at me.

She pointed down at her feet and I instinctively looked down to see her ankles bound with heavy chains. The chain's length was enough to allow her to walk but not enough to allow her to run away.

"I am a slave, my master never named me."

Oh. I thought I forgot about the fact that in ancient times, slaves and slave tradings are rampant and it is a completely normal business. I am not very educated about these facts since I am not a history fanatic like Barbara, but I did learn this in my history class.

"I. . . I see, well, I am called Elodi-" before I could finish my self introduction, the nameless girl quickly shushed me.

"You have already said that your name is Alexandria to the guards, I told you to stick with that or you will have your tongue or head cut for lying to their faces." She said with a very low tone, almost whispering to avoid being heard by the guards.

I copied her behavior and leaned closer to her so she could hear my whispers as well. "But I never told them I am called Alexandria at all."

"Yes, you did. I also heard you say it yourself," she answered back. My confused face prompted her to explain further. "We were on our way to the capital to get assigned on our new master but was interrupted when the guards saw you blankly standing at the middle of the road, when asked who you are you answered with 'Alexandria'."

"I did that?" I was still in disbelief. Why would I claim that my name was Alexandria? My consciousness was probably confused because of the voice I heard before I came to my senses, it was the voice of a man yearning for a woman called Alexandria.

"I think I already know why. . ." I said, leaning back and she did the same.

"So I advise you to not let them know that you have lied,"

"Thanks for the advice." I smiled thinly but was immediately replaced with a frown knowing that I would live in this place under a fake name such as Alexandria.

"This is Rome, right?" I asked again, the nameless girl nodded her head and so I resumed to thinking to myself.

If this is Rome, Ancient Rome to be specific judging at how the establishments looked and how the people act and dress, then I was indeed transported back at the past. Is that even possible? Well, it seems so since I am personally here.

"I think I just took the identity of the empress. . ." I mumbled to myself thinking that I used the name of the great empress of Rome.

The nameless girl must have heard me since I saw her tilt her head.

"Empress?" She repeated.

I looked at her, "Yes, empress. The great empress of Rome."

"Well if you are talking about the empress, she has already died years ago. The only royal family left is the emperor and the crown prince who would soon take over the throne," she explained but in a whispering manner, she also looked wary of her surroundings while speaking. It seems that slaves are not supposed to talk about the royal family considering the huge gap between their social class.

The empress already died, huh.

"Wait, how did she die?" I ask again.

From what I remember, Empress Alexandria died of old age together with the Emperor after a long and victorious reign as rulers. If I confirm that this era is the same as them then it will prove that my theory why I ended up here was because of that ancient necklace is true.

"She died after giving birth to the prince."

"Huh?" I slightly widened my eyes in disbelief. "Then where is Alexandria?"

"Uhh, isn't that your name?" she looked as confused as I am because of my weird questions.

"No, no, no, I mean Empress Alexandria. The empress who helped emperor Lucius to conquer countless lands and ended poverty or whatever."

"Emperor Lucius? His coronation is not yet to happen until he turns 21, he is still a crown prince."

What. That seemed to be wrong.

"Crown prince Lucius?" Then, he still hasn't met his beloved Alexandria? If that is the case then I unknowingly took the identity of the future empress that he is yet to meet!