A/N: I received an interesting comment regarding Regina's hostility towards Emma in this fic. As in, Regina seems unnecessarily rude towards her. Even if we disregard Regina's past altogether (she has always been alone, no one has ever truly been on her side, which makes her distrust people by default; she isn't terribly nice to people in general) and concentrate solely on the historical aspects of this fic, Regina's conduct is still perfectly reasonable.

The social hierarchy in Ancient Rome was very strict, and the higher classes (as a Vestal, Regina is definitely in the highest of the high) despised even the free lower class people. As a gladiator, Emma is essentially a slave, property; technically, she's lower than your basic household slave. Now, there's absolutely no one a woman in Regina's position would despise more than a war prisoner/gladiator such as Emma, which is why the fact that she even agrees to talk to Emma is quite remarkable.

In sum, given the historical facts, as well as Regina's personal background, in my opinion, her behaviour is pretty understandable. :)

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CHAPTER 4

As it turned out, during the next few weeks, Regina kept running into the blonde gladiator whenever she decided to take a moment to relax in the bathhouse. At times, Emma had even arrived first, which ticked Regina off tremendously, but she refused to give in and forfeit the game. There was no way a goddamn barbarian would banish her from what she still considered as her space.

Every time, it was the same: they sat at the edge of the pool, both in their own thoughts, without saying a word to each other. Apart from the mischievous grin Emma would always aim at Regina upon seeing her, they didn't pay much attention to each other at all. It was as if there was a silent agreement etched between them, and both were happy to follow the unspoken rules.

It wasn't until one evening, weeks into this strange game they were playing, that Emma suddenly spoke up, and Regina nearly had a heart attack at the unexpected interruption.

"Do you play dice?"

"Do I what?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Dice?" Emma waved a pair in the air. "Do you know how to play dice?"

"Are you honestly not aware that such gambling is illegal in these parts?" Regina asked, appalled. "Besides, do I look like a commoner to you?" she scoffed.

"Definitely not." Emma smiled. "But I happen to know that even the emperor isn't a stranger to a game every now and again. So, you see, it's not that lowly a habit."

"Your point?"

"I'm asking you to play a game of dice with me, Regina." Emma shook her head in exasperation.

"Me? Play dice with you? You must be deranged."

"Are you seriously telling me that you'd rather sit here, in silence, doing nothing, than play one, silly round with me?"

"That would be correct, yes."

"Come on, one game. One. And I'll shut up, I promise." Emma tilted her head, trying to catch Regina's eye. "Please?"

"Fine! If it will get you to just leave me alone."

Emma's face lit up, and Regina already regretted her decision. "Best of five."

"Just throw the dice."

Emma won the first round, Regina the second. They kept playing, until the game was tied, four to four. Grinning again, Emma threw the dice and made a cheering gesture; she was obviously certain of her win. Annoyed at the possibility of losing to a barbarian like Emma, of all people, Regina took the dice again. Glaring at the other woman, she dropped them and hoped for the best.

"Would you look at that, victory!" Emma raised her arms in the air, and Regina squeezed her hands in tight fists. Shit.

"Nothing but luck, Swan." The brunette said through gritted teeth, hating herself for actually caring about the outcome of a silly game.

"Do I have a nickname now?" Regina noticed her slip too late, but refused show it to the blonde. "As for the luck, well, we'll see about that." Emma winked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" How it was possible for this woman to irritate her so much, Regina had no idea. But, more importantly, why didn't she simply put an end to it? She could easily destroy this brute, squash her under her thumb like a mosquito; she certainly had the power. But something in Regina prevented her from doing exactly that, which confused her more than anything.

"Tomorrow, we'll play another round."

"Oh, is that so?" Regina scoffed, staring at the ripples her feet formed on the water's surface.

"Yes, we'll play as long as it takes for you to win. And, as you well know, I don't usually lose my battles, so it might take a while." Emma stood up, pocketing the dice, and with a grin still plastered across her face.

"That cocky attitude of yours isn't flattering."

"Simply stating a fact, my lady." Emma shrugged, the confidence flowing off of her in waves.

"Well, I suppose we'll see about that tomorrow," Regina challenged, a determined look on her face as she looked at her opponent. She was going to win if it was the last thing she did.

"Till we meet again, my rival." Emma mock saluted and turned on her heels, once again leaving Regina alone with her thoughts.

After a moment of silence, Regina frowned.

"Wait. What in Apollo's name just happened?" she muttered, shaking her head slightly and a small, unexpected smile that she couldn't quite fight played on her lips.

OuaTOuaTOuaTOuaT

Annoyingly enough, Emma kept on winning, day after day. They sat at the edge of the pool, playing in silence, but no matter how many times Regina tried, the luck seemed to forever favour the blonde. This went on for quite a while until, one day, Emma wanted to change the rules again.

"Let's make this interesting, shall we?" Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma's tone of voice.

"What now?"

"Best of five. If I win, again, I get to ask you a question," Emma stated.

"A question? What question?"

"I don't know yet, but if I win, you need to answer that question truthfully."

"How would you know if I'm being truthful?"

"I don't, but somehow I don't think Vestals are supposed to lie."

"Still though, why do you want to ask me a question? And, more importantly, what makes you think I should answer it at all?"

"Because you intrigue me, Regina, and, apparently, the only way I can get something out of you is if I win and the prize is that I get to ask you something."

"Right," Regina chuckled. "Good luck with that."

This time, Regina didn't even stand a chance: she lost two to five. Gritting her teeth, she snatched the dice from the floor and examined them like she had done many times before.

"You're cheating. You must be."

"No, you said it yourself: luck." Regina wanted to slap the smugness right out of the blonde. "So, are you ready for my question?"

"In no point did I actually agree to that," Regina remarked, still brooding. Emma wasn't having any of it.

"Let's see, how about you tell me the happiest memory you have from your childhood?" Emma leaned back on her elbows, as if waiting for Regina to start the storytelling.

"That is your question?" Regina asked disbelievingly.

"That is my question."

"It's a ridiculous question."

"You're avoiding answering it."

"What if I am?"

"Stop stalling, woman. Your happiest memory, what is it?"

Regina turned her eyes away. "You're unbelievable. Fine, I suppose it's the time my parents took me to Circus Maximus when I was eight. I got to meet emperor Claudius, which completely changed my life." Clearing her throat, she looked up at Emma again. "So, I guess that's my happiest memory. Satisfied?"

"You're lying."

Regina's eyes widened.

"Excuse me?"

"You're lying. I just can't figure out why." Emma tilted her head to the side and eyed Regina curiously.

"Are you truly accusing a Vestal of lying, Swan?"

"You know, I have this...ability, if you will." Emma leaned back on her elbows again, still intently studying the other woman.

"An ability?" Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes. I can tell when people are lying." She leaned closer to Regina. "And you, my friend, are."

Regina decided to ignore the obvious friend bait.

"Well then, it seems this is the first time your ability has failed you," Regina stated smugly. "I really did go to Circus Maximus when I was eight. And I did meet the emperor."

"Oh, I'm not questioning that." At Regina's confused look, she elaborated: "I'm sure that happened, it's just not your happiest memory."

"I think this is quite enough for today." Regina cleared her throat and got to her feet. Straightening her mantle and pulling the fabric tighter around herself, she refused to meet the other woman's eyes. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Regina." The tone of her voice let Regina know that Emma wasn't going to press it; the question had simply hit too close to home, and she was not ready to go there. With anyone.

Without a backward glance, Regina walked out of the bathhouse, feeling oddly emotional because of the memories—or perhaps because of the lack of them—swirling in her head.

OuaTOuaTOuaTOuaT

For the next few days, Regina decided to skip the bathhouse evening ritual altogether. She told herself that there simply wasn't time, but in reality, it was because she still felt oddly rattled by the last conversation she'd had with the blonde gladiator. She knew Emma had noticed her strange behaviour; the Vestal having bolted so quickly the other day that it was bound to have raised some questions. Those questions were the ones she didn't particularly want to answer, and that's why she decided to get her Swan fix from the amphitheatre instead. It was ridiculous how used to going to the games she was by now, and how much she actually looked forward to seeing Emma fight.

"I knew I'd get you hooked on this sport eventually!" Kathryn yelled over the clamour of the crowd, a somewhat self-satisfied look on her face which Regina decided to ignore.

"I'm hardly hooked," Regina yelled back, but her attention was already turned to the next pair of gladiators walking towards the emperor. She missed Kathryn smiling amusedly next to her.

Glancing at her programme, the brunette saw that Emma was battling Palumbus, a fairly distinguished gladiator. He was a murmillo, a gladiator who carried a large shield, leg protection and a sword. The shield was fairly difficult to get past, but the heaviness of it made it exhausting to use in the long run. If Emma showed the similar kind of fastness and agility as in every previous fight, Palumbus shouldn't be hard to beat.

As Regina watched Emma and Palumbus take their positions after greeting the emperor, she suddenly realised that she now actually cared about the outcome of the battle. She wanted to see Emma win; any other conclusion would simply be unacceptable – if for no other reason than she needed someone to squabble with. Damn you, Swan.

This time, Emma didn't wait for her opponent to make the first move, but charged at Palumbus with her sword raised. It was the wisest tactic, because of the strain caused to Palumbus by the shield. He easily blocked the attack with said shield and, in turn, took a swing at Emma which the latter sidestepped with her usual grace. The battle went on following a similar script: Emma attacked, trying to get her opponent to move around as much as possible in order to tire him out, and Palumbus blocked her and attempted counterattacks to the best of his ability.

The first moment of excitement occurred when, following a swing of her sword, Emma's foot slipped on the smooth sand and she momentarily lost her balance. Palumbus immediately saw his opportunity and thrust his sword towards Emma's torso. Fortunately, Emma saw the attack and was able to partially fix her footing, but the weapon still made contact with skin, slicing through her upper arm. The crowd (Regina included) gasped, simply because they were not used to seeing the star fighter get injured.

Blood spilled through the wound and trickled down to Emma's elbow. Regina saw as Emma glanced down at the damage and then back up again, tilting her head as if saying, you did not just do that. With even more vigour, she grasped her sword tighter and attacked. The battle was over in ten minutes. Emma's delaying tactic had finally worn Palumbus out, and he was no match to the nimble woman. Blood spilled on the sand, and, after the crowd's insistence, the emperor gave Emma the signal to end Palumbus' suffering.

The audience roared louder than ever before as Emma raised her arm above her head and puffed up her chest in victory. Regina saw the emperor smile gleefully: a successful battle equalled a satisfied audience, and a satisfied audience supported the ruler who provided the unforgettable experience. Turning back to the gladiator standing in the arena, Regina suddenly realised that Emma was staring right at the Vestal section of the stands. Even with her helmet on, Regina could feel the green eyes bore into her, and she involuntarily shivered.

Turning away again and raising her sword one more time, Emma marched out of the battling field. The overwhelming cheers of the spectators accompanied her to the gate and beyond.

OuaTOuaTOuaTOuaT

That night, Regina gave in and headed for the bathhouse again. It's not like she was there for Emma anyway, because the place had been her personal hiding place to begin with.

"Oh, are my eyes deceiving me? Is it really the infamous Vestal Regina, making an appearance in this humble bathhouse?" Emma teased as she saw Regina making her way towards the pool. "I thought you'd abandoned me completely."

"I do have a life, Swan," Regina stated indifferently and, after kicking off her sandals, sat on her usual spot.

"Still, three days, Regina? Do you know how boring it is to play dice against yourself?" Regina willed herself not to smile. Instead, the Vestal's eyes involuntarily found their way to Emma's hastily bandaged upper arm. The blonde obviously noticed, because she continued: "My first injury as a gladiator, how about that? Not to worry, though, it's just a scratch."

"Yes, it's not like it was a real injury."

"Seriously? " Emma rolled her eyes. "Now you think I can't even hurt myself properly?"

"Like I said, there are worse things a sword can inflict."

"Oh, whatever." The blonde shook her head. "I know you care. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now."

And there it was again, that signature grin which let Regina know that she was being relentlessly teased. That aggravated her more than anything.

"Don't flatter yourself," Regina sneered, suddenly wanting to bring Emma down a peg or two.

"Are you telling me that, after everything, you don't like me even one bit?" Emma asked, genuinely this time. Regina opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. The realisation dawned on her that she had, in fact, come to somewhat like Emma during the past month. A Vestal wasn't supposed to like anyone; it was too big of a gamble. The mixed feelings of surprise, being uncomfortable and, yes, fear caused the walls Regina had carefully built around herself to snap back in place.

"Oh, please." Her eyes turned cold. "The thing is, you gladiators think you're the cream of the crop, don't you, running around the arena, imposing as much damage on your opponent as possible, and expecting people to adore you for your deeds? If you really think about it, you're essentially prostituting your body in public. But, let me tell you, enjoying that lifestyle doesn't make you better than everybody else of your stature. At the end of the day, you're all still savages."

Satisfied with her monologue of insults, Regina gave a self-satisfied smile, waiting for Emma to retaliate like she always did. Only, this time, she was met with only silence. When she eventually glanced back at the blonde, there was a hard look on her face that Regina had never seen before. And when the other woman finally spoke, her voice was low and emotionless.

"Do you honestly believe I enjoy this?" Emma asked, her tone dangerously even. "Do you honestly believe that I want to do this?" The last part was nearly spat out.

"Are you saying you don't?" Regina raised her eyebrow, suddenly feeling uncertain and not entirely sure what to expect from the other woman. She had never seen her like this.

"For Jupiter's sake, Regina! I was a prisoner of war! I was captured in front of my father who had to watch your precious soldiers drag me away from my family, from everything I knew. I was transported like cattle all the way across the empire, and to do what? To fight against other poor souls, like me, who've had their freedom stripped away from them. To stand half naked in a room full of your fucking nobility just so they can ogle at Gold's most precious possession. And now, the only thing remaining, the only thing I have left is my life; which I need to fight for on a regular basis, just because you want to be entertained!" Emma's voice had significantly risen, her accent becoming more pronounced with every uttered word. "So, yes, I appreciate ordinary people's admiration. I appreciate some of them occasionally letting me bed them and helping me forget for a while. I'm trying to be positive and find things to make me happy, because if I paid attention to how awful my life actually is, I'd go insane."

Emma took a steadying breath and got on her feet again. She then continued, her voice calmer: "So, please, don't tell me how I supposedly find enjoyment in what I do when, actually, I have absolutely no choice in the matter."

The gladiator strode away without another word, which was just as well, because Regina had no idea how to respond to Emma's outburst anyway. She hadn't really ever thought about it from the fighter's point of view, because to her, the gladiators on the arena were simply slaves, a means of entertainment. It had never crossed her mind how they had ended up there in the first place, how they might've actually had lives before it.

The ironic thing was, though, that the more Regina thought about it, the more she was aware of the fact that she and Emma's pasts and experiences were actually similar in many ways.

OuaTOuaTOuaTOuaT

A few days later, a messenger, again, came for Regina, informing her that the emperor wanted to see her immediately. She arrived at the palace an hour later, bracing herself for the upcoming conversation.

"Your Eminence." Regina bowed deeply. The emperor nodded slightly, giving her permission to stand up straight again. "You called."

With a flick of his wrist, Titus sent his personal guards out of the room, giving them the privacy they needed for the awkward talk Regina knew was coming. As the door clicked shut behind the Vestal, the emperor rose from his throne.

"Any word on the issue we discussed a while ago?" He walked to a nearby table and poured himself a goblet of wine.

"Only bits and pieces, I'm afraid, nothing solid." It wasn't exactly a lie – she didn't know anything for sure, and she wasn't prepared to share her speculation with him, at least not yet.

"What does that mean exactly?" Titus turned back to her, the goblet halfway to his lips.

"It means that there is talk, yes, but nothing I would consider an outright threat."

Regina tried not to fidget when the emperor eyed her for a moment before slowly making his way to the window looking out to the courtyard. Standing with his back to her, he gulped down the rest of the wine before speaking again.

"I hope you don't take me for a fool, Priestess." He turned back to look at her. "I am well aware of your...connections."

"I am not entirely sure I follow, your Eminence. Connections?" Regina's brow knit together.

"Your mother."

Regina swallowed. "What about her?"

"I know her well, which is why I am certain she's a part of this plot I keep hearing about. Now, I understand loyalty to parents, believe me I do, but as a Vestal, your loyalties should lie with the empire." He took a few steps towards her. "Which is why it will not be tolerated if it turns out you have been holding out on me simply to avoid implicating someone close to you by blood."

"I am not holding out on your Highness, I swear."

"Yet."

"I can assure you, your Eminence, my relationship with my mother is complicated at best."

"That is what I'm counting on." Titus took his place at the throne again. "You see, combining that with the fact that your duty as a Vestal is to be faithful to the empire, I would like to think you won't try something as foolish as deceiving me."

"I am not trying to deceive you, your Highness." Regina bowed her head again.

"Good. I'm glad we got that settled." He nodded, satisfied. "Now, I want to know with whom Cora is working, and what their objective is. If she were to approach you, I want you to get that information from her."

"I will try my best, Your Eminence."

"Not enough. Try even harder." His tone of voice was the most authoritative she had ever heard from him. "Would you please tell the guards to return as you leave?"

"Certainly."

Making her way out of the great hall and of the palace, Regina felt the bitter sense of humiliation burn deep within her. Ever since her training period had ended and she had begun taking part in the ceremonies outside of the temple, the emperor had inexplicably favoured her. First, she had simply thought he found her pretty, nice to look at, but as time had moved on, she had started to wonder if maybe he truly saw something special in her; if he saw something that made her worthy of the various imperial duties of a Vestal.

It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did to learn that the sole reason the emperor had wished her to be around was to make sure she could be used later on for political scheming. In hindsight, she should have expected it, her mother being who she was; but the woman in her, the one who had never truly been valued by anyone, had been willing to believe someone, for once, saw her as a person, rather than an object.

Her thoughts automatically turned to Emma – as they often did, nowadays. She wondered if Emma saw her similarly as well, as a challenging object she simply liked playing with for fun.

The thought that she might hurt more than Regina thought possible.