While viewing the movie I felt, that it could have been a little longer. This is from Esca´s view.
DISCLAIMER: These characters and this world do not belong to me. They belong to the wunderful Rosemarie Sutcliff and of cause the makers of The Eagle.
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Everything hurt. Esca got up from the ground looking up at the man who had turned the crowd. The man he now owed his life to.
Not that he could live up to it. As he looked up he could already hear the gate opening, knowing he had to get out of the arena. And live his life as a slave again. How he hated this life, not being more to his Roman masters than a property. Nothing more than a horse – or even less.
As he got through the gate the rough hand of the arena master took his arm. The man looked not too pleased. Esca had nearly ruined the show. So he would be punished for that, too. The man took him to his little cell in the back of the areal that belonged to the arena. There were some other cells with slaves in them, too. But the arena master couldn´t afford to have too many slaves.
As the door opened he was backhanded and stumbled into the cell. Than the door closed and he was alone in his cage. He let himself slide on the paillasse he normally slept on. He could feel the dagger he had hidden there. It was the only thing he had still left of home. A thing of his family. They couldn´t help him any more but the dagger gave him some hope that maybe one day he could use it and flee. He shivered and took his plain tunic to put it on. Than he took the thin blanked and tried to sleep through his pain.
XXX
He was awaken again when two man stood in front of his cell and seemed to negotiate about something. On was the arena master who now held a whip in one hand and the other was an older Roman man. It was nearly dark in the cells. He must have been sleeping the rest of the day. It took him a moment to realise that they were bargaining over him. He hated the sight of is but it didn´t really matter. He could not change it. This was the way of the Romans. He could be glad that they had not punished him already.
After some time the two men seemed to have come to an agreement and some money changed into the hand of the arena master.
"I will send one of my slaves in the morning to get him." The older Roman said, taking a step closer to the cage. He was examining him with some curiosity Esca couldn´t quite understand. Than the old man stepped back and looked at the arena masters hand.
"And don´t use this until you really have to. He belongs to my household now and has enough injuries already."
Then they went away and Esca had the feeling as if he had seen this old Roman before, but couldn´t place him.
XXX
The next morning came early and they came into his cell and bound his hands with a rope. He had barely enough time to hide his dagger into the belt of his tunic.
Then he looked at the slave who had been send to fetch him. The man was not young and looked a bit awkward in this. He grabbed the end of the rope and gave Esca a nod. Then they began to walk out of the arena area. Esca followed the man, wondering where he would have seen this one before. Like the old Roman he seemed somehow familiar.
Then it came to him. They had been with the man who had saved him in the arena. And now he realised that he couldn´t just run like he had maybe planned to. This could mean that he could repay the man who had saved his life. His honour would not let him run away from this, even when a life of servitude and pain would be the only reward he would get.
They were walking for some time until they reached the gate of a villa situated at a lake. It was a nice place. Not overly luxuriant looking but modest. Would that be the place he would live or would they give him a place of labour at some field in the neighbourhood? He was so tired of this. For three years now he had no will of his own any more. He had been tossed from one place to the next. One time he had tried to rebel against his slave-hood. But as the only result of that he had been hurt so badly he had nearly died. Just to show him his place. Nobody cared for a slave who had been taken in war. It was his place to serve the hated Romans.
The man led him into the villa and into the study of the man who now owned him. The old man looked up from a papyrus roll and nodded.
"Thank you Stefanos. Unbind his hand, than you can go."
Esca held up his hands, than looked down at the floor and waited until the old man was ready to talk to him. The old Roman stood up and walked around him, watching him critically.
"What is your name slave?"
Esca´s head came up. This question he hadn´t expected. Not as the first question. As if then man saw him not as just an animal.
He must have waited a bit to long with his response because an eyebrow of the old man shot up.
"Esca."
"So Esca, you must be wondering why you are here? I´m normally not in the habit of buying my slaves out of the arena. Nor would any sane man."
He didn´t know what to say to that so he said nothing.
"As it happens my nephew needs a body slave and Stefanos is too old to help him. And he took an interest in you... So I bought you for him."
He hated these Romans to go and buy humans as gifts. But again he said nothing and just looked down again.
This seemed all right with the man because he didn´t commended on it.
"You will get a meal, new clothes and anything else you need from Stefanos and my other slaves. But before that I will introduce you to Marcus."
So that was how his new Roman owner was named. The first one he had to serve to keep his honour. Just why couldn´t he be dead like the rest of his family? Nothing would ever be like it had been before the Romans came. But even if he wouldn´t beg for his life he still didn´t want to die.
"Stefanos!"..."Stefanos!"
The old man held up a hand.
"Wait here until I call you." Than he went out of the room and left Esca standing in his study.
He didn´t had to wait too long.
"Slave!"
Now that was it. If necessary, he would bind himself and swear on the dagger of his father. Than he really would be a slave. Not even in his own mind a free man any more. He took a deep breath and followed the command.