Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.

"Quit torturing the girl, 'Nina," the Empress finally cut in. "Put those away."

Theodora considered the young noblewoman for a time, weighing what she saw in her before speaking again.

"Although, Antonina is right, my dear. You need to make sex a greater priority." The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but shut it when the Empress held up a hand.

"Hush now, love. Listen for a moment. The world out there might belong to men; but the bedchamber is ours. Take charge of it. You lead him to your bed, instead of following him in. Make a fortress of your sheets, Irene; a place where you are queen."

The young woman's breath was still quick, and her face still burned. But she listened to the Empress with a focused intensity.

"Find what makes your body shiver," Theodora continued. "What drenches your lips and what makes you want to scream in pleasure. Making love is sport of two. Insist on your pleasure as much as his own and make your bodies sing. Then, when he is drained and warm and contentedly nestled in the pillow of your chest; that is when you start making suggestions."

"It’s almost too easy," Antonina said, pulling the neckline of her dress back up to cover herself. "Once you know the trick of it. Get him used to following you between the sheets, and pretty soon he'll follow you in everything else."

Theodora's eyes sparkled, leaning towards the young woman.

"Be gentle at first; as if whatever you say is just a passing thought. Don't press, but bring up the next time you lay together; and then do it again. If he's content, he'll start to listen despite himself. Your conversations will become longer, deeper; and that's when you'll know you have him."

Lady Irene's eyes were still a bit wild along the edges, though the flush had started to leech from her face.

"I don't,” She let out a ragged breath, shaking her head and pulling herself together. After another exhalation, she spoke again. "I'm not like you. I don't know how."

The Empress' smile was gentle. She nodded towards the woman's buttoned up frame. "With that, my dear. Your mind is sharp, but it is your body that you must use. That will change in time, if you use it well. But for now, while you are young, it is your greatest weapon."

The young noblewoman nodded uncertainly, gazing down at the many layered dress she wore.

"It is God's gift to you," the Empress continued. "Use it, take pride and revel in it. For it is yours, sweet Irene, and it is as beautiful as the soul it shelters."

"And remember what I said about your tits," Antonina added.

Theodora laughed softly, leaning back into her divan. I saw her gaze drift to the tightly bound swell of the other woman's chest. She sighed. "They really are spectacular, aren't they?"

Irene was gazing down at herself, her fingers bunched in her lap. She was silent for a moment, then I saw her loosen.

"I always have been rather proud of them," she said, hesitantly. "They're heavy but, are they really that nice?"

"That's right" Antonina said. "Be proud of what you've got. Now, loosen up that dress and push them out a bit. I want take a better look at them."

And then, slowly, as if she couldn't really believe what she was doing, Irene reached for the collar of her dress.

I shook my head, turning my back to them to face the door. This place, there was always something new. I smiled, hearing footsteps. It was Helena coming to stand beside me. She leaned against the wall.

"She's got them out now," Helena said. "Are you sure that you don't want to look?"

"Are they as nice as we thought?"

Helena laughed. "They're even better."

I let out a long, regretful sigh, but did not turn around.

"Ever the proper soldier," she teased. "Although, I can't help but remember how you didn't hesitate to stare at me this morning."

I winced. "Yeah, well, that was different."

"Oh, was it now?" Her cypress eyes alight. "I'm excited for this explanation."

I reddened. "You're going to do so many push-ups tomorrow morning."

I expected her to laugh again, but she didn't. I glanced over, and found a strange expression on her face.

"Tell me something," she said. "If you were the Lady Irene's husband, would you listen to her?"

I considered her question, answering after a few moments. "I would."

"Why?"

I blinked, resisting the urge to look back towards the young-woman. "Because she looks smart and serious. I'm sure that her suggestions are at least worth considering."

"But look at her," Helena said. "She's got her tits out in a room full of strangers."

I bristled, strangely defensive. "Yes, but that doesn't change anything."

"Of course, it does. It’s not proper. It’s not her place."

"What?" I said, leaning back. "Helena, what the hell is going on?"

"It’s not her place," she repeated.

"You sound like my mother."

"I'm sure you've had the same thought."

I was angry now. "What the fuck is this? The girl isn't stupid just because she's got her breasts out. It doesn't make her worse or somehow unworthy. Why the hell are you saying this horseshit?"

"Because it’s what you believe."

"Not anymore," I growled.

She smiled, and I was suddenly taken a back. I was still angry, but Helena had neatly slipped out from its focus. It whirled about me instead; directionless.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes!" And as I said the word, I realized that it was completely and utterly true.

"Good," she said, her smile satisfied. "I'm happy to hear that."

"Why?" I demanded. "What the hell was this all about, Helena?"

"Nothing," she said, grinning into my narrow-eyed stare. "But how about I buy you a flagon of wine to make up for it?"

I stared at her for a few more moments, trying to hold on to some piece of my rightfully felt indignation. I was, however, powerless beneath that smile.

"Fine," I said. My own lips quirked upward. "But its two flagons."

"Deal," she said. "Then, it’s a date."

Helena's smile didn't fade. She shifted towards me, a little pink staining her cheeks. My stomach burst into a thousand little embers. Here she was, beside me, closer than we've been all day.

Then, like the sky seen through a leafy canopy, I saw the light dance in her cypress eyes. She leaned even closer; close enough that I was filled with the scent of her hair.

"And Leo," she breathed; the sound deep and full of hidden promise. "When I pull my tits out, you'd better not look away."

I shivered; staring at her, my eyes wide and mouth agape. I was unable to hear anything, save the thundering of my heart.

She laughed, that full, toe-tingling sound. She slid away, but not far; her eyes so merry. I let out my own breath, smiling and shaking my head at the wonder of this place. Because in that moment, Helena was beside me. And with the sound of these four laughing, gasping, joyful women all around me; I couldn't hear my mother's voice at all.

"This was a disaster," the Emperor said. "This entire week; ever since those fools killed themselves on the track."

He sunk down into a thickly padded divan, rubbing at his eyes. The Empress lowered herself beside her husband, running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

"It's not been that bad, love," she said. "The race was only two days ago."

"Christ," Justinian groaned. "It's felt like a lifetime."

We were in the Empress' sumptuously decorated sitting room; the imperial couple having retreated here after a midday session within the senate hall. I was at my post by the door, fighting to keep myself straight.

It had been a long day.

"And Hypatius," the Emperor said. "You heard him today; like a wolf smelling blood. He spoke well, the bastard. I saw too many of those other old fools nodding their heads along with him."

"All he's got is fear," Theodora said, still stroking her husband's hair. "That will pass in time."

"Perhaps, but we may not have that time." The Emperor let out a long breath. "Maybe we are pushing things too hard, Theodora. Or going too fast. We've changed much in our five years on the throne."

"Change that has been for the better," the Empress said. "You remember how it was."

"Aye, well, traditions die hard."

Theodora snorted. "'Tradition' is just another word for fear. Our predecessors were weak. The Blues, the Greens, and those fools on the senate have long held the wealth and power. Of course, they don't want anything to change."

"Don't forget the men of the Empire," Justinian said, bitterly. "Whom we are apparently oppressing more than our slaves."

"I refuse to believe a law against a father selling his daughter into bondage qualifies as oppression," the Empress snapped. "Neither is the condemnation of rapists."

"How is it that Hypatius said it? 'Men are being run over roughshod by their wives, in full defiance of our traditions and those of Christ himself?"

"And those of 'God' Himself," Theodora corrected. She pressed her lips together. "As if women aren't themselves creatures of God. How is the greater sin not keeping womankind in this soft sort of slavery?"

Justinian let out another long breath, sagging against the divan. "I know that we're right in this, Theodora. I'm just tired. And with yesterday's botched executions,”

"I know," the Empress said.

She relaxed her body. She pulled her husband down into her lap, trailing her fingers over his jaw. "We don't meet the Sassanid delegates for another hour. Rest, my love."

Justinian protested, but had soon loosened into relaxation beneath his wife's gentle hands and murmuring voice.

I turned my attention from them, staring out through a nearby open balcony. The sky was bright, the sun just beginning to descend from its zenith. I couldn't hear any noise from the city. That was strange, as things had not exactly been quiet.

It had taken them a day to finish setting up the gallows. And since then, the Emperor had put them to work. A dozen and more men; both Blues and Greens had been hanged without much ceremony or fanfare. That had been yesterday, the day having proceeded smoothly from the morning onward.

This morning, however, Helena and I had returned from our training to find the Empress already waiting to leave. Two men had escaped justice, she'd told us on the way to the senate chambers. A Blue and Green. They were holed up in a church, surrounded by some of Belisarius' men.

And therein lay the problem.

As long as they stayed within the church's walls, they were safe from any sort of secular interference. And the longer they stayed there, an obvious spectacle of the Emperor's oppressive might; the more a people already on edge would seethe.

The Empress' voice pulled me from my reverie. She motioned me over to where Helena had already joined her by her divan.

Both women smiled when I approached; the Empress, bare-footed in a thin dress, and my shield mate in her stratiotai kit.

"Leontius," the Empress spoke softly. Her fingers still stroked her husband's hair and face; the man's breathing having deepened into sleep. "You look tired."

I forced a little stiffness into my spine, matching her tone of voice. "I am fit for duty, Augusta. "

She smiled. "As you always are, my soldier. Though, neither of you have had much rest, have you?"

I exchanged a glance with Helena. The Empress continued. "You train every morning, and attend me all day until I go to sleep. Even then, there are nights when one of you guards my door. You need rest."

Neither of us spoke, sensing that the Empress had more to say. She was looking down at her husband now, her smile, a little sad.

"Like my husband. He works so hard. There is always something that needs his attention. I'm happy he has these moments, but it is not enough. And so, I am imposing a night of relaxation. On all of us."

"Highness?" Helena said.

"Once the day's duties are done, I will retire to my husband's chambers. There, I will spend the hours making love to him and ensure that, for this night at least, he thinks no more of our Empire."

My face reddened. I averted my eyes, but not before I saw her smile tick a notch higher. "Perhaps I'll even invite 'Nina and Beli; and one or two others."

I squirmed. Luckily, Helena was there to speak. "They are trustworthy, but even so, highness. We should,”

"Not concern yourself with it," Theodora interrupted firmly. "The Excubitors are fully capable of guarding us on their own. Go down into the city, spend some of your wages. With the way things are going, it may be a while before you have another chance."

"Augusta," I started.

"No, Leontius, enough. I will hear none of it."

I shut my mouth and bowed. She was my Empress, and it was my place to obey; even if I didn't agree with the command.

Helena and I returned to our posts; she at her desk and I by the door. A night off, the thought electrified me. And as the Emperor woke up, and we started moving through the palace, I thought about all that I could do. Where might I go? Who might I see? I had a few friends in the city, a few places I'd found to relax.

We went first to his chambers; allowing him to change into something more regal before his meeting with the Persians. Theodora went with him, Helena and I, stationed outside the door.

As I pulled the door shut, I became sure of one thing; no matter how I spent these next few, precious hours of freedom, I wanted to spend them with Helena.

She was beside me in the suddenly quiet hallway, already looking up towards my face. I met her gaze, my heart starting to pound.

"Tonight, would you,” I coughed. Why in God's name was my throat so dry? I tried again. "Would you like to go down into the city? With me, I mean," I added hurriedly. "Together."

Heat crawled up my neck. Why the hell had I said it like that? What was wrong with me? I'd ruined it. No way she would ever,”

"Sure," she said.

A faint pink rose to color her cheeks. She smiled, reaching one hand up to brush at a lock of hair. I saw the warmth in her eyes, and I suddenly felt like I would float away.

"Let's go into the city," Helena said. "Together."

Evening came, and I was in my room.

I'd stripped out of my armor, and the tunica beneath. I stood bare chested, in nothing but my loincloth in sandals; trying to decide which of my two remaining tunica's was the cleanest.

Knuckles rapped on my door, and my stomach lurched.

"One second," I called. "I'm not ready."

I threw on my darker tunica, deciding that the small wine stain on it couldn't really be seen, and pulled open the door.

Helena was there, her lip quirked into a small smile. She was naked, save for the training wraps she'd worn that morning.

"I, ahem, guess you're not ready either," I said.

The scent of her filled the hallway, making my heart quicken. Helena shook her head, a smile still pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"I suspected as much," she said. "We sweated together this morning. Were you really not planning on taking a bath first?"

I blinked. "I, uh, wanted to get there fast."

"Why? We have all night."

I didn't have an answer to that, staring at her stupidly until she laughed. She hooked an arm around mine, pulling me into the hallway.

"Come on," she said. "You stink."

She looked me up and down, peering back into my room. "And bring the white tunica instead. It looks better on you."

We were stepping through into the Empress' bath chamber before I could really wrap my head around what was happening.

The room was empty; though the tiled pool had already been filled with steaming water. Great clouds of humidity billowed through the room, moisture quickly beading onto our skin.

Helena and I had carried our clothes bundled within our arms, we left them and our sandals in a sheltered wooden cubby. We were in nothing but our training wraps now, and I hesitated to follow Helena as she drifted towards the water.

What the hell was I supposed to do? Bathe with her?

My heart was pounding now, heat rising through me. Is that why she had brought me here? No. Surely not. That wasn't possible. There had to be some other reason why,

"Leo," Helena said.

My gaze snapped back to her. She was standing within the clouds of steam, facing me from only a handful of paces away.

"Don't look away."

She reached a hand up to the cloth that bound her chest. Her fingers pulled on a single loop, slipping it free from the rest of the cloth. My heart beat against my chest, like a smith at his anvil, sending sparks of heat flashing through me.

I watched her, following the slow unraveling of the cloth around her chest.

Helena's eyes, deeper than ever before, never left my face. She shifted her body beneath the unwinding loops of cloth; drawing me further in. I glimpsed her nakedness through the tumbling lengths of fabric. And with every heartbeat, with every one of her breaths, more of her was revealed to me.

I saw the plunging valley between her breasts; deep enough lose myself in. The flesh rising above it was smooth, stained pink by heat and moisture. It curved gently outward, blooming into the full shape of her chest.

A nipple peeked out at me through the still falling curtain; shockingly pink next to the warm bronze of her flesh.

"Well?" Helena asked. She flexed the naked muscles of her stomach, shifting to let the last of the cloth tumble away.

The motion swung her naked breasts from side to side. Air was lodged in my throat, stopping whatever answer I might eventually find. I was mesmerized by the ripple of her chest; trapped within its sway.

There was more of her than the Empress. Her breasts were full, straining against the warm, softness of her skin. They were heavy, pert; the steam clinging deliciously to their rounded shape. Her nipples, round and stiff, were two rose petals lain upon a silken blanket.

"Do I still have to repeat myself?" She teased me with her smile, the light dancing in the depths of her cypress eyes. "I'm going to get tired of that."

The breath I released was ragged, frayed along the edges. "Get used to it. I don't think I'll ever be able to look away from you again."

Her smile softened, and I saw the heat rise to color her cheeks. Embers flew within me, making my stomach buzz.

God she was beautiful. Stomach-flutteringly, heart-poundingly, soul-shatteringly beautiful.

Helena moved towards me, her bare feet gliding over the tiled floor. I met her halfway, jerky where she was graceful. We stopped before each other, not quite touching.

I gazed into her. My heart pounded, my head a roiling storm of wants and doubts and needs. I heard my mother's voice, shrieking about the error I was about to commit.

This last sliver of space was all that remained between us. I thought back to when I'd first arrived; to all the shame and twisting doubt I'd felt. I'd fought to keep myself apart, then, focused on a path that I'd been so sure was the one for me.

But I'd found something new. Another trail, one shown to me by an Empress and those that surrounded her.

My life had forked; and I was stretched tight. The gulf between those two paths had grown too wide to bridge. I didn't k