A/N: Please note, there are some gory parts in this chapter, and there will be in most of the story. Those who do not like the gory parts, I suggest you skip them, though they do help with the whole idea with the story. It is your choice. This is a note to forewarn those who may dislike gory scenes.
Italy Rome, 82 AD, home of the Colosseum and the Gladiators. The strongest survive in the games within the arena, made to give the entertainment to the people of Rome. Some are willing, others aren't so. The looming shadow of death is on all who enter to fight. Foreign animals are even brought to aid with the entertaining, even foreign people. All this done in the name of entertainment. The most well-known and famous Gladiator, receded in the depths of the hidden floors and rooms underneath the large structure known as the Colosseum.
Ludwig, the now recent famous and most successful Gladiator in Rome, sharpened his sword against a stone, adding more deadly sharpness to his weapon for the soon to come battle that he was to participate in a few hours. The young Gladiator was not a previous inhabitant of the city he was in. His origin was of German decent, obvious in his voice and looks of blonde hair the colour of wheat and eyes the colour of the bluest skies. Months ago, he had been captured by Roman soldiers who found him far from his home in Germany, travelling to trade goods for his family. Brought here, he was put into the arena. Most never expected him to survive the first battle, dying like most others had before him. But he survived and won, repeating his victories again and again, giving him fame among the people of the city he had been brought to and gaining awards for his victories.
The hidden floors and rooms under the Colosseum were hot and musty, the heat from outside always finding its way to the underground structure even though the day was still early. Sounds of people moving and shouting, animals growling and whining in their cages, the moving and clang of weapons as they were sharpened or being practiced with, all these echoed around and reached the ears of the blonde champion. These sounds were like some sort of soothing melody to his ear, used to it since he first was brought here. They were the sounds of the Colosseum, the ones that were the calm before the storm, and in this case, the storm is always the battles and enemies they would have to face.
Ludwig grunted as he sharpened his sword more, before taking it from the sharpening stone and touching the blade with one of his fingers. Just ghosting his finger across it made him pull his hand back as it was extremely sharp, causing a small cut to form on his finger and start to bleed. Putting his finger in his mouth and licked his blood up, he smiled. Perfect, sharp enough to cut through any enemy he had to face. Standing from where he stood, he reached for his bronze chest plate that covered practically his entire torso. Underneath it he wore a dull brown tunic that was made of rags and leather sandals for shoes. Even though he was successful, he did not ask for many rewards from wining so many battles. He was just contempt with what he had and some of the things he had earned.
Walking to his small bed that was made of the softest straw that the others within the large structure gave him, he picked up his small circular bronze shield. Putting his hand through the bands that helped the shield stay against his arm, he smiled to himself. He did not worry about the small amount of amour he wore. He was faster and stronger than others who he fought against, so he did not worry with the silly task of armour. Closing his eyes and sighing, he cleared his mind. This was his ritual before any day started fully. Concentrating on only the comforting sounds that reached his room from the rest of the structure, he forgot any emotional attachment he had recently felt towards anyone. The reason as to why he did this is so he would not hesitate to kill anyone. Getting attached to someone made Ludwig think it made one weak, made you stop for a split second as you felt remorse, which gave the other time to kill you instead. In the games, no one was your friend, everyone was an enemy that you would have to kill or you would be the one with the sword in your heart.
As he listened, he started to hear the sounds of the people of Rome entering the Colosseum above and taking their seats. His hearing had always been exceptional, but then again people were loud as it was. The sound was calming, all the sounds that he heard. He wondered how many he would kill today, how quick he could make his victory so he could rest up and wait till tomorrow so that he could repeat the same thing until he either died from a battle or by being killed by one of the beasts they brought from other countries. Nothing seemed out of place, it was like any other day. It almost seemed too normal, way too normal. "No! Please-a! I'll die out-a there! I can't-a fight at all-a! Not even the scary lions or-a tigers will want-a me! Please sir, please! I don't want-a to die!" The sound of a high pitched yell echoed and reached the ears of the blonde Gladiator. Moving to the door of his room, Ludwig looked out to see the source of the voice.
Spotting two guards that helped run and keep everything in check around the place, he saw that they were dealing with someone. The guards were dragging a small and thin looking boy , well, trying to drag. The thin boy was somehow putting up a fight and nearly getting free even though his body looked weak and scrawny. Ludwig managed to see how the boy looked. He looked to be between the ages of either sixteen or seventeen, only three or four years younger than Ludwig. He wore rags for clothes that had many holes and dirt on it, signalling that he was either a slave or servant before arriving. Around his neck was a metal collar that attached to a chain so he could be pulled and lead by others. His hair was short and brown, but had a slight ting of red in it with a curl prodding from the left side of his head. His skin was pale, but had a slight tan to it. From his closed eyes, tears were falling. Even though his eyes were closed, he seemed to know where he was going. At one point, his eyes did open, and Ludwig saw that they were a sort of amber mixed with brown colour. It was obvious by his voice and accent that he was from the city, not like Ludwig who was a foreigner.
"Hey you idiota, stop struggling and hurry up. You'll be put in the games later." One of the guards growled at him, yanking on the chain, causing the boy to gasp and choke in pain. The boy kept his head down and sniffled, his body shaking in fear as he was in pain and was scared of what was to come soon. Ludwig frowned. He must be new, poor kid. He thought, but shook his head to keep the thought away. He couldn't be acting weak when he was just about to go into battle. "Ludwig, it's your time to shine. Go to your entrance door and wait till you're lifted up." One of the guards barked at him when they saw him. Nodding, Ludwig quickly grabbed his sword and walked on the countless mini wooden bridges and pathways that soon lead him to a platform. The platform would lift him to the arena through a trapdoor. There were countless of them hidden under the arena floor. They let other Gladiators or even animals enter the arena at any time to surprise others. Closing his eyes as he started to feel the platform lift him up to the surface, he sighed and prepared himself. Show time. He thought.
The blaring sun made him squint as he was set onto the arena, his eyes adjusting to the sudden bright outside world compared to the dull and dark one underneath the peoples feet as they sat in the Colosseum. When the many people who had come to watch the entertainment of the battles for the day saw Ludwig come from the ground and onto the arena, they erupted in cheers. The sound was nearly deafening, causing Ludwig to wince slightly. There were thousands of them, all seated in the well-structured seats that had been designed by the best of the best. Smiling, he waved to the crowd, though he could still barely see as his eyes stung from the hot sun that hung high in the sky. Announcements were made to introduce him to the crowd and tell them the details of what was to happen, but he blocked it all out. He looked around him, to look out as other Gladiators entered the arena. Most of them wore helmets, but that depended the type of Gladiator they were. Most of them were Thraex, so they wore helmets and had the same weapons that Ludwig did. He was glad that they wore the helmets, that way he wouldn't see their faces when he killed them.
The whole place went quiet as everyone was anticipating who would make the first move. Taking a deep breath in, Ludwig lunged at the nearest man near him. Raising his sword, he swung it so it hit the other Gladiator near the throat, slicing it open as blood sprayed onto Ludwig's face and chest. It was an easy kill; the other had not expected it. The others realised that he was attacking first, so they prepared for him. But of course it was no use. With his quick speed from so much training he put himself through, Ludwig attacked the other. This next one was ready, clanging their swords together as he tried to deflect the blow. Ludwig took the chance to knock him with his shield, putting him off balance so he could slice the other Gladiator's throat as well. The next few he did the same, easily cutting their throats open while he was wearing stains from their blood that sprayed onto him as he killed them. There were three left, one of them was shaking in fear.
The blonde German warrior went after the third, knocking his sword from his hand with brute strength before cutting his arm off and stabbing him in the heart. The second tried to attack him while he was pulling his sword out of the one he just killed. He was stupid to try that. Ludwig kicked him in the stomach, sending him to the ground to land on his back. Taking his sword from the others chest, he walked to the one he just kicked and dragged the sword over his stomach, causing him to be cut open and his insides spill out in a bloody mess. The Gladiator below him cried in pain and screamed, but it turned into a gargled and bloody cry as his life faded away. Turning to the last, he walked to him with sword in hand.
He shook in fear as the blonde walked closer. Before he could utter a word or cry of protest or pain, Ludwig brought his sword up and in one clean and quick motion, decapitated the poor man, blood spraying form the neck which splashed onto Ludwig's face and clothes. His head, still wearing his helmet, fell from his body and rolled on the ground. The decapitated man's body fell to its knees, before falling on the ground with a sickening thud. People erupted into cheers as the last was killed, leaving Ludwig the victor, again. They clapped, whistled and cheered as they were amazed at the utter strength that this blonde, blue eyed and foreign man offered them each day. Waving to the crowd, he walked back to the platform he arrived on, standing on it as he was brought back down to the depths of underground system that was under the grand arena of the Colosseum.
Sighing tiredly, Ludwig blinked his blue eyes a few times as he now had to get used to being back in the dark and dull underground world. Walking from the platform, he headed towards his room. What he needed to do was change out of his stained clothes that were nearly completely red from the blood of those he killed. He needed to bathe and get clean again, so he could get ready to train, clean his clothes and sharpen his weapons again. This was his ritual after a battle, always making sure his clothes and body were clean, his skills sharpened and his sword equally sharp. Too caught up in his thoughts, he did not notice the boy from earlier running until he bumped into him. The boy landed on the ground as he was easily knocked down from running into the bigger and buffer German. He whimpered in pain and rubbed his head, yelping in surprise when he looked up to see the intimidating and blood soaked Gladiator. "S-scusa! Please-a forgive me! I didn't mean-a it!" He desperately tried to apologise, his small body shaking. "Hey, get back here!" The guards from earlier yelled as they ran towards them.
Yelping, the boy shot up to his feet and ran to the nearest thing he thought was safe, which was Ludwig. He clung to the end of the German's tunic as he hid behind him, his long but chubby fingers clinging for dear life as he was afraid that the guards would take him and send him to his death. Both guards stopped in front of Ludwig, panting a bit. "Ah, Ludwig, just the man we needed to see. Heard what happened before. Congrats on wining. Now, hand over the kid. He's the next to go up and fight against the animals." One said while the other reached behind and grabbed the boys arm, pulling him out from behind the German. "No! Please-ah! I'm too young-a to die! And I'm still a virgin-a! You wouldn't-a want to kill a virgin! Please! I don't want to die!" The Italian boy screamed, thrashing about as he was pulled. Ludwig watched as the poor boy struggled, before he held his hand out and grabbed on to the boys wrist. "Nein, let me have him." Ludwig said, his voice blank as he did so.
The guards looked at him in surprise and shock. "Why? He's just a scrawny kid. We'd use him as a slave around here, but we have enough as it is. What would you need him for?" One asked, in a slightly challenging tone, though he didn't do it as much as he would others. The guard knew just as well that the German could easily kill him, even though he wasn't meant to. Ludwig asked himself the same question. Why did he want the boy? He was scrawny; he looked pathetic and weak and probably couldn't do much. Ludwig was a merciless killer, never showing a helping hand towards anyone. But there was something about the boy, something about him that made Ludwig feel somewhat hopeful, that maybe this new arrival could help change things, though that was probably impossible. Yet, he felt so compelled to save him, to not let him fall to the hands of any beast or man in the arena.
"I won the last match didn't I? I need an award, so, I will take this boy as mein slave. So if you have a problem with that, then tell me. Though I think you wouldn't want to do that." Ludwig answered them, staring them down with his piercing blue eyes that grew slightly darker as he stared at them. Both guards gulped, the one who held on to the slave let him go so only Ludwig held on to him. They nodded and muttered some quiet reply, before they ran off with their tails between their legs. The small Italian still shook, looking up at the German. Ludwig grunted, tugging at the smaller boys arm as he walked towards his room. The boy yelped, but followed somewhat willingly. Arriving at the Gladiators room, the blonde threw the boy in and onto his bed. The boy gulped, things running through his head as to what horrible things the gladiator would do to him. But Ludwig just took his bronze chest plate off and threw it to the ground to be cleaned later, as well as his shield and sword.. Going to the small table that held a large bowl of water on it, he took the small rag out of it and washed some of the blood from his face and arms.
Silence was in the room between the two, though the sounds from outside still leaked in. Ludwig practically had all the blood washed from his arms and face, slightly cleaner now. He put the dirty rag back into the bowl that was a slight red colour from his blood, sighing a bit to himself. "G-grazie. Grazie for saving me signore." The quiet voice of the Italian boy spoke up to fill the silence. Ludwig turned his head to look at the boy. The boy smiled at him, his face brightened now that it had a smile on it and not the frightened look it had earlier. "Ja, you're welcome." The German replied blankly, not smiling back. He was a void of emotion, barely showing any at all. The Italian laughed nervously, almost forced almost as though he thought if he did laugh, he wouldn't get hurt. "I'm Feliciano, if you were wondering. Feliciano Vargas." The boy told him. Ludwig nodded. "I'm Ludwig." He told the boy. Feliciano tilted his head to the side. "Don't you-a have a last name-a? Most people do-a." He asked the German. Ludwig stared at blankly before he shook his head. "Nein, I don't. I did….but I forgot it." He admitted.
Feliciano's mouth formed into a silent 'oh' shape of surprise. This left the two in silence again. "Why-a did you save me? You could have-a let me die." The Italian asked, looking down at his lap as he fumbled with his fingers nervously. The German shrugged. "I don't know. I do need a slave to help me out though. It's hard to clean mein stuff while I have to train as well. So I thought you would be useful." He told him, though he did not know the full truth himself. Feliciano smiled brightly. "Well, I be-a the best slave you've ever-a had! I know how-a to clean so you can count-a on me!" He said cheerfully, surprising Ludwig at his cheerfulness. "Good. Now, I need you to clean mein clothes and help me clean myself off. I want you to do this every time I come back from a battle up there. And anytime I come back from a battle with wounds, you'll need to help patch me up, okay?" The blonde clarified with him. The auburn haired boy nodded enthusiastically. "Si signore! I promise-a I'll do-a my best!" He said with a salute, standing on his feet to help out. Ludwig gave a small amused smile. Maybe it's a good thing I took him as a slave? He thought to himself.
A/N: So another story by me. I wanted to do this for a while actually and decided to do it. It's something different to what I usually write, on this site and others, so I'm pretty happy with it. Not sure weather to continue or not, but I'm 95% sure I'll continue. Reviews help me, especially that this is the first chapter. So thanks for reading. I love you all. Ciao~