First thing Flaminia did upon being back to Capua was going to visit Quintus' ludus, bringing Nasir along as she couldn't wait to reunite him with his brother, but at Batiatus' home she found two nasty surprises: first of all, Titus Batiatus had come back to the city and was once again in charge of the ludus. Worse than that, he had made a deal with Tullius against his son's wishes, a deal which excluded Gannicus from the primus and even allowed Tullius to pick Quintus' gladiators who would fight in the matches in the small arena that same day.
"Why did you do this, Titus?", she asked the old man, incensed, while she, Titus and Quintus, along with Kerovas and Nasir, walked to the arena, "Gannicus earned that position! His fighting prowess impressed even magistrate Sextus!". Titus snorted, "Gannicus is not a champion, not like my own!".
"But…", she gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her fury: he was just like her own father, an old, fucking bossy piece of shit, too weak to do anything but kneel before those more powerful than himself and allow them to ram their cock in his ass! Neither she, nor Quintus would ever be truly free to rise above their current position and get what they wanted, as long as these two useless relics of times gone by were in charge of their lives.
"I am the paterfamilias and the ludus belongs to me", he stated, "I have neither the time nor the will to discuss this matter further". With those final words, Titus went to take a seat in the main stand along with magistrate Sextus, Tullius and Vettius, while his son, Flaminia, Nasir and Kerovas took place in the front row among the commoners.
"It's disgusting", she commented, "How could he just throw away all that you had gained?". Quintus sighed, "Quite easily, as he always does". "And which gladiators were graciously allowed to fight today?". "Barca against Gnaeus and Crixus against Auctus". "So one of your men will face one of your father's. This is good: when the Gaul prevails, Titus will have to acknowledge that you are indeed capable lead for the ludus". "I pray for such an outcome, but he would sooner cut off his tongue, that have words of approval for me", he said bitterly, his shoulders slumping a bit.
"Rid your mind of unpleasant thoughts now, friend: the fight between Gnaeus and Barca is about to begin. And do not despair, for Mars is on our side". He bit his lower lip, hit by a sudden thought, "There is something I must do", he said, quickly walking out of the row and taking the corridor that led to the basement of the arena and to the room where the fighters waited for their turn. He elbowed his way among the poorer audience, who couldn't afford a place in the row and as soon as he caught sight of his recruit, he called, "Crixus! A word". The Gaul obediently walked to his dominus.
"You've shown great promise", Quintus told him, "During practice, in the exhibition against Gannicus, yet this is the arena: this is where men become gods. Wages would see you among those who fall upon this sacred ground to spear, but I do not think you will be one of them", he stated and though he kept his voice low, there was an intensity to it that made it mesmerizing, "You have the blood of a champion, to rival any of my father's and overshadow them!", he placed a hand on the Gaul's shoulder, "Do you wish to behold such miracle come to pass?".
Crixus swallowed, "It is all I desire", he answered in all honesty. "Then seize fucking glory!", Batiatus exclaimed, grabbing him by the shoulders, "And see us both proven worthy". The recruit didn't reply, but the fire in his eyes was answer enough for the lanista, who smiled and went back to his place in the row, his confidence restored.
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As was easily predictable, Barca won the fight and was even ready to kill Gnaeus, despite the two of them being both Batiatus' gladiators, but Varus, who was the patron of the games, decided to let the defeated fighter live in sign of gratitude for all that Quintus' house had done for him. The next fight was between Auctus and Crixus, even if the latter was still a recruit and the match was clearly uneven: Auctus wielded the spear, which Crixus was unused to, and had way more experience in the arena.
He managed to strike successfully three times: first hitting the Gaul in the stomach, then in the shoulder, drawing blood and finally, knocking his helmet off and sending him flat on the sand. He lunged for the final strike, but Crixus quickly put the shield between them and the tip of the spear remained stuck in the wood, so that Auctus was unable to remove it.
As he was still struggling, the Gaul cut the spear in two with his sword and at that point, both of them were equipped with a sword each, thus taking away the advantage Auctus had had over his opponent until then and granting Crixus the upper hand in the fight. With a quick thrust that surprised everyone, the younger man plunged his sword into his opponent's stomach so hard that it peeked out from his back.
The crowd exploded in a roar of approval and Flaminia in particular rejoiced in that victory, for she remembered well Auctus and his bullying and she knew that he had never stopped treating Ashur and the other recruits like pig feed. Titus was shocked, while his son was jubilant. "YES!", Quintus shouted happily, "YES! You were right, dearest: Mars looks favorably upon my men!", he told Flaminia, who smiled back. "Of course I was right".
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That night, Crixus was given the Mark of the Brotherhood as a reward for his victory and Flaminia insisted to witness it directly from the sand of the ludus, by Quintus' side and among the gladiators. With the whole ludus to witness it, the Gaul knelt before his dominus and spoke the sacramentum gladiatorum, "I commit my flesh, my mind, my will to the glory of this ludus and the commands of my master, Batiatus. I swear to be burned, chained, beaten or die by the sword for honor in the arena".
Batiatus smiled and pressed the red-hot brand with the B on his right forearm, thus marking Crixus officially as a gladiator, "Welcome to the Brotherhood". The others who bore the Mark moved to welcome their new brother into their ranks, smiling friendly and even Barca congratulated him, despite the pain of his own loss.
Flaminia waited until Quintus was distracted and seized the chance to move beside Ashur, "Your day will come soon", she told him. "Not soon enough", he sighed, shaking his head. "Have faith: you will face the Test in two days and when you win, you will be given the Mark as well". "And if I lose?".
"You will not lose", she said simply, "With your training, you are superior to any of these cunts. And I will be here to witness your triumph". "I could ask for nothing more", he smiled warmly at her and took her hand in his. "And yet, there is something I am sure that...", she began, but Quintus' voice startled her. "Flaminia! Come!". She huffed, "Ah, shit. Well, goodnight, Ashur. Know that my thoughts will be of you". "And mine of you. Goodnight, Flaminia".
Meanwhile, Titus was in the study, watching the gladiators cheer on their new brother and when his son joined him, he spoke, "Your Gaul, still yet a recruit, defeated a gladiator I considered among the best of my men", he said, not sounding particularly happy of it. Quintus did not say a word, instead taking a deep breath and just nodding, for he could feel a scathing reply already on his tongue.
"It would appear that I underestimated Crixus. As I did my son", Titus added, turning to look at the younger man. "You honor me, father", Quintus said flatly. "No, you honor yourself. When cleared of plots and schemes", his father grumbled, leaning on the desk. "Thoughts far removed, never to return", the son lied, shaking his head. "Nothing pleases more than to see reason take hold of your senses", Titus moved to stand before his son and grabbed his shoulders, "And the house right its path".
Finally, Quintus smiled, "I would see it continued in your absence". At that, his father frowned, "Absence?". "I assume your return to Sicilia will…". "No: seeing Crixus' victory has stirred passions I haven't felt in many years. The blood and the sand and the roar of the crowd, oh, it lifts spirits! Nothing that change of climate could offer. No, I will stay at your side and together, we shall see the House of Batiatus rise to former glories". Quintus felt like he'd just been punched to the guts (a feeling he knew well enough by now, courtesy of Tullius' lackeys), "You remain here?", he asked, mentally cursing all the Gods and Goddesses of all the religions everywhere from every era, be it present, past or future.
"Until breath leaves weary flesh", Titus confirmed, laughing and clapping his crestfallen son on the back before going to sleep. Quintus remained on the balcony, looking at the sand below and trying to find something good in that situation, no matter how small.
He couldn't think of anything.
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Two days passed by and Flaminia felt her heart hammering in her chest as she finished writing the day's incomes and expenses in the ledger, her fingers trembling slightly. Kerovas placed a hand on her shoulder, "We've made very good profits this last month", he commented, "Why are you so nervous, sister?". "Today is the day", she answered, voice quivering with excitement, "Ashur will face Test and earn Mark of the Brotherhood".
"Ah, of course", he chuckled, "I should have guessed it was about him. Barely an hour passes by that you're not thinking of that Syrian". "He is special. I've never met man like him, he makes me feel so…". "Wet?", he asked with a grin and she gave him a playful shove. "No!", she exclaimed and blushed as Kerovas arched a skeptical eyebrow, "Well, yes, but that's not what I wanted to say. He makes me feel safe and at ease, but at the same time my heart beats faster when he's close and my body feels as if it's on fire. I care for him and I want him to be happy and free and safe".
He sobered at that and his eyes clouded with worry, "You truly love him". "I…I guess I do. I've never been in love before, but I suppose this is it". "It is. May the Gods have mercy on you". "Why?". "He's a slave, sister", he reminded her, "Even if you free him, do you really think your father will allow you to marry him? Not to mention that you are already married".
"Oh, my husband will not be a problem by then, trust me. And father…Well, he will just have to accept it", she shrugged, deciding it would do her no good to share the full extent of her plan with her brother. "He would sooner see you dead, than married to a libertinus". She closed the ledger and stood, "We will cross that bridge when we get there. But now, we'd better hurry: I don't want to lose the moment when my Ashur will defeat one of those cock-sucking cunts and become gladiator!".
He rolled his eyes and followed her out of the study, "I wish that you would at least refrain from using such foul language". "Not a fucking chance", she replied, laughing as he grimaced, "Where is Nasir?". "I suppose he's in his room as usual, reading his head off". "Let us bring him as well: he must be there when his brother earns the Mark".
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Libertinus: a libertinus was a freed slave. In Roman society, slaves who gained freedom were known as 'libertini' (but they were known as 'liberti' in regards to the dominus who had freed them through the so-called manumissio). Though they were technically considered as citizens, they were barred from politics, just like the women and the slaves. Still, a libertinus could become a merchant or a lanista in their own right. They maintained a connection to their former dominus, who became their 'patronus' after granting them freedom and had the right of demanding free labour from them (operae). The connection also implied a mutual duty of maintenance between patronus and libertus.