IEHBD – GLADIATORS
CHAPTER 1
AUTHOR: Lady F., TowandaBR
DISCLAIMER: All of the characters of the show "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World" are property of John Landis, Telescene, Coote/Hayes, DirecTV, New Line Television, Space, Action Adventure Network, Goodman/Rosen Productions, and Richmel Productions.
Very special thanks to Cris (our very kind translator) and all the people who read our fiction and were kind enough to take their time to leave reviews.
To all people who write or read Fics keeping TLW alive.
SPOILERS: OUT OF TIME
Based on fic IF EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DIFFERENT
Also in Portuguese: "STFD - Os Gladiadores"
When Roxton and Marguerite declare war to each other, only one person will have the courage of witnessing that combat.
Marguerite and Veronica arranged a new amusement and everything rolled up became an enigma: to observe Roxton and Tommy were becoming very close lately.
Whenever he had an opportunity, the hunter caught the boy and went with him to a more isolated area in the base of the Treehouse where they both stayed for hours.
Looking out from the balcony the two women tried to find out what was going on, but from the position in which the boys were they just got to notice that the two of them were there.
Summerlee and Malone asked for Challenger to try to help them finding out, but Roxton was determined to not allow anybody to interfere in anything they were doing.
And they were doing... traps.
John Roxton was a boy and much earlier than being allowed to have his first rifle, he adored to follow footprints of small animals and to set traps of the most several types and forms. As years went by, as he grew up, that pleasure had been forgotten. Until the day he noticed that Tommy would be the perfect alibi for him to make again something he enjoyed, alone, without anybody, especially Marguerite, to be mocking him up for doing childish things instead of adult men's stuff.
Then, they went to the corner where John had hidden some utensils and they began the game.
Roxton also confirmed something that he had already suspected before: Tommy was a great company. He was the perfect listener, always paying attention, with alert tiny eyes. No that he necessarily understood what was said or taught to him, but it seemed as if he amused himself with Roxton's dedication when trying to explain things.
"Pay attention, boy. You have to tie very tight the kindling pieces. If it is slack, the trap dismounts when it falls... and you have to pull the rope very fast or the animal flees. Did you understand?" - Tommy shook his head in agreement.
It was Veronica who first noticed. She told Ned who told Summerlee who told Challenger who told Marguerite who should have told Roxton, but she did not. In some way she would have fun on the poor hunter.
Whatever the situation was whenever Tommy heard the word "understood" he would shake his head affirmatively.
"Soon, we will enter in the forest and test if our trap will work." - Roxton worked while kneeling on the ground. Tommy ran around him and with a shriek he jumped by the hunter's neck. Roxton laughed and put the boy in front of him. - "and a very important thing. A hunter should be silent, and then you have to remain very quiet." - Tommy didn't control himself and screamed pushing Roxton who fell backwards laughing heartily once again.
"What am I doing? How will I get you to remain quiet for more than some seconds?"
Also using very thin pieces of kindling, Roxton simulated bird footprints in the ground and went following the invented trail.
"That's the way we will follow our prey." - the man explained while walking besides the boy, slowly on his tiptoes. Tommy ran in front of him and with his little hands he erased the footprints.
"No!" – He holded the smiling child - "It is necessary to follow and not to destroy the footprints, did you understand?" - and once again Tommy nodded his head in agreement.
After days and days "training" his small partner, Roxton decided to take him to a "dangerous" hunt of some animal of small load, distant at most about three hundred meters from the Treehouse.
And from the balcony of the Treehouse, the two women looked at the audacious hunters entering the forest.
They set up the traps, put the baits and hid themselves in the bushes. It was then John noticed that the task could be impossible.
Attracted by the crumbs left, the small bird landed and it went scratching the ground and the road that would take him to the trap. Roxton holded his breath, anxious, awaiting for the animal to be arrested in the gadget...
"shshshshshshshshshshshsh!"
"DAMN IT!" - Roxton ran behind Tommy that made noise and ran agitating the small hands in the direction of the bird that flew.
Catching the boy Roxton tried to explain.
"I said in silence. And it is to capture the animals, not to save them. Did you understand?"
John Roxton didn't remember when his interest for the hunt and adventures began. Probably when observing his father and his oldest brother William. And they were the ones who taught him to live outdoors.
He had been born in a cradle of gold. His father had a Lord's title and he was respected in the high circles of Europe. His mother, reserved, accomplished her tasks appropriately, but she didn't like the adventures of her husband, and later of her sons.
While they were children, William and John were very united. Initially the two brothers around the periphery of the city in that they had been born in search for adventures, with the oldest brother always assuming with pride his protector duty and the small brother's advisor role. It was when John learned how to do simple traps. As the time went by they went more and more far away and they made more and more complex traps.
When John received his first rifle as a gift, William began to take him for wastelands. Properly prepared with food, water and ammunition they spent all day target practicing. And John not only learned quickly as he overcame his brother attracting his father's attention more and more, while moving more and more away from William.
But it was only when both became adults that the hunter finally noticed William's jealousy.
And it was probably trying to regain this attention that William not only ventured himself with John in that safari, but mainly took a huge risk in front of the animal.
And on that day everything went wrong. First William Roxton lost the only shot that he had. Then John, when trying to save him, shot not reaching one, but two targets at once, and afterwards had to face horror filled his brother to tumble dead, victim of his weapon.
With the heart full of guilty, John saw his father die weeks later, probably of grief, inheriting a title that he was sure should never belong to him.
Although he knew that the weight of guilty would go along with him for the rest of his days, it was only when he took refuge in the monasteries of Tibet that Lord John Roxton decided that continuing his life in the best way he was able to was his best and only choice.
The hunter's painful memories were interrupted when Tommy threatened to run to shoo away the fifth prey of the day.
Faster than ever, Roxton caught him. However when he saw the rabbit begin to escape he grew impatient and releasing the child he began to run behind the animal. He tried to catch it, but at the same time the man tried to keep watching the boy. And it was for that reason he didn't see the small depression where he stepped out without stability twisting his foot and falling extended in the ground.
"Ouch"- he moaned already holding the hurt leg. He looked upwards and saw Tommy getting closer and then be squatting observing him curiously.
"It's your entire fault, your pretended hunter!" - John said grimacing in pain and pointing for the small partner who continued observing him.
Always mumbling and carefully the man removed the boot examining the foot that was beginning to swell. It was not broken. More than the pain he imagined what his friends in the Treehouse would say, mainly the heiress, if they saw him in that embarrassing situation. He had to act fast and return home before somebody noticed. He saw a released branch that he could use as crutches, some meters away.
"Tommy. Get the branch" – he pointed for the piece of wood. Roxton laughed when seeing the boy run animatedly until the place that he had indicated, but his smile soon came undone when the small one brought him a ...leaf.
"No. The branch" - the nobleman was exasperated.
Roxton lied down in the ground tired, trying to explain something to the boy. Tommy shrieked and jumped on top of the hunter laughing.
"You are unique, Tommy... I'm here almost crying in pain and you keep trying to play with me. I think I am being very grumpy, I'm sorry, ok?"
Inexplicably Tommy smiled happily, and he hugged the hunter with all his strength, until he get tired.
Roxton noticed how much Tommy was special, also for him. He looked at him so proud, he had to admit, Veronica and now Ned were doing an excellent work. He no longer could imagine how the routine of the house would be without the little one.
"Well, let's try again..."
Roxton rose with difficulty, grimacing in pain, what made the boy laugh even more. John also wanted to laugh, but his foot throbbed and it hurt a lot. He gave some steps, even in pain and his partner accompanied him a little ashamed. He arrived closer to the branch that would serve as a cane and pointed to it. This time, Tommy couldn't make any mistake.
"Let's see if we could back up home now. We can continue practicing another day, can't we?"
John started to walk and called Tommy.
"Hey... Let's go, boy..."
Tommy seemed distracted until he heard the hunter's voice and he seemed to wake. Then, he began to collect the things, or at least a few things that would fit his small arms.
Roxton observed and smiled, admired how he had remembered Veronica's recommendations before leaving.
"You are very strong. I can't carry all that things alone." - John made the praise, but he thought Tommy would be proud, instead of looking him with the cane, from top to low, as if he could say: "I knew that you were not strong like me!"
Marguerite laughed heartily seeing Roxton walking with difficulty to the sofa, face red not knowing if it was of rage or of shame.
"You mean that the little brat took you for a walk..."
"Marguerite, please..."
"No, no, wait right here, John, I have to register that!" - She said with an entertaining shine in her eyes, while John became purple.
"What...what are you going to do?" - He asked in disbelief.
"Ah..." - With a grief in her voice, she stopped before the stairway to the laboratory, returning to closer to the two of them. - "I forgot that our camera is broken... But that's fine. You will be like this for a while!"
Tommy jumped around Roxton imitating, wailing "oh, ouch, oh, ouch" while John looked severely at the boy, who seemed to conspire against him, or to receive orders from Marguerite.
"We will have time enough to laugh of John, won't we, little brat?" - Marguerite smiled lively while he seemed to jump more cheerful and John almost pulled his own hair.
"Marguerite... it is hurting!" - He complained as a lacking child, except for his face.
Before him she crossed her arms. She was smiling, triumphant, delighted with that scene, John crying for help!
"Stop complaining, weeping baby, I will bring the small miracle's suitcase..."
"Ah, let my foot get better, you will see..."
"What? Did you tell something? Remember that you now depend exclusively of my benevolence and mercy, Lord John Richard Roxton!"
"No, I didn't say anything Marguerite... oh, please..." - John was as if crooking in the sofa while he lied down, with a pained expression.
The heiress rolled her eyes. - "You are weak!"
When Marguerite came out, Roxton sat down trying to catch the boy who therefore stopped laughing.
"You stopped because your accomplice is not here to protect you? Is this what I get for taking you for a walk, little boy?"
"We will talk later. Just you and me." - He whispered while lying down and moaning again when seeing Marguerite arriving.
"Still crying? What a shame, milord"
"It is not a shame to feel pain, milady"
Marguerite took a chair and she sat down close to the hunter, cleaning his foot to begin to bind it. Tommy ran close to her, he seemed afflicted. He scratched the tiny hands, as he always did when he wanted to attract attention for some thing and didn't manage to get it.
"Tommy, we will laugh more later, now I need to take care of this big baby."
But the boy insisted on being there nearby pulling Marguerite's blouse and pointing to Roxton's foot who seemed to understand what Tommy wanted, and launched unfriendly glances to the boy, who continued to poke Marguerite now behind the chair, in her back.
With the boy making her tickles it was impossible for the heiress to take care adequately of the hunter.
"Tommy!" - She got his attention. - "I know that you want to laugh, but not now!"
Then he became very nervous, and seemed to lose the fear of approximating of John. He stopped among the two adults taking a lingering look from each one and soon afterwards for the hurt foot. Suddenly, he screamed giving a kick in the man's foot, making him to turn the eyes in pain and to groan hollowly in the cushion.
Marguerite got scared with the boy's attitude and even more when seeing him observing the man, wrinkling the brow and scratching the head, as he didn't understand the reason of that reaction. He continued to point desperate for him, trying to say something for the heiress.
Suddenly, he quickly took Roxton's hat and he faked to limp like him. Marguerite observed that. Then he stopped limping and walked normal and with the raise hands as claws, as if he was behind something.
"Who is he imitating?" - Marguerite put her hands by her waist and was turned for the hunter that seemed to dance in the sofa and he stopped immediately.
"I don't know... I have no idea." - He said innocently for Marguerite while she faced him challenging him.
I think that he is imitating a John with a very healthy foot!"
"He is conspiring against me!" - He tried to explain.
"I am not stupid, do you understand?" - the woman said getting up of the chair. Tommy prodded balancing his head.
"But..."
"No buts!" - She closed the small suitcase and threw it against Roxton's lap going to the other side of the room with Tommy, following her.
"I will show you a thing." - He looked intrigued and she continued - "Tommy. Roxton is an idiot. Understood? "
Tommy shook his head. When he stopped Marguerite looked for the hunter laughing. Then she repeated.
"Understood?... Understood?..." - Marguerite took the boy for the hand who nodded his head no-stopping in agreement, and came near to the astonished hunter.
"Now you know how much this lord is a fool." - She said retaking humble, quiet and inert John Roxton's curative.
About fifteen days later...
TO BE CONTINUED...
R-E-V-I-E-W! R-E-V-I-E-W! R-E-V-I-E-W!