Lucilla strode down the hall, with a horrible tugging at the back of her
mind. Maximus was lying in her brother's chamber, a place where no one but
herself and the servants had ventured into. It was just a room, but it was
her brother's. She shuddered. He had to leave as quickly as possible.
She reached the doors to the royal chamber and threw the doors open. Her eyes immediately flew towards the bed where only the night before, Commodus had laid her down on and tried to sleep with her. It sickened her to think about it and made her stomach turn with disgust. Maximus was lying under the covers, with one of the gladiators, a dark-skinned tall man sitting beside the bed. His head was bowed and he seemed to be saying a prayer. How Lucilla felt like praying now was immense. The Numedean looked up at the princess. He stood and bowed, though he was stiff, like he hadn't done that sort of thing before. Lucilla felt a twinge of pity; the man had spent a lot of his time as a hunter and not amongst royalty so everything in the palace must have been strange and new.
Lucilla walked over to Maximus and all the servants quickly left the room. Juba was reluctant to leave and gave Lucilla a pleading look. She nodded at him and he sat back down without bowing in thanks but Lucilla was so preoccupied she didn't notice.
A lady-in-waiting entered the room and stood by the door.
Lucilla sat down, still maintaining every bit of her grace. "Maximus?" she whispered. "Are you - ?"
"He is asleep," interrupted Juba. "The bleeding has passed."
Lucilla choked back a tear. Juba peered curiously at her. "What did he do to you? The emperor," asked Juba.
"Do you know who you're talking to?" barked Lucilla. "I am still the emperor's sister! Still a royal!"
Juba didn't respond but just bowed his head and sat back in his chair. Lucilla felt some of her anger fade but she knew it wasn't towards the slave. Her brother deserved the wrath. She sat back too and avoided eye contact with him. Maximus was breathing steadily and looked peaceful. Lucilla reached up towards his face and ran her fingers over his brow which was sticky from sweat and blood. She drew back and drew her shawl around her.
"In my country, everyone is in poverty," said Juba. "I have never been inside this palace and I wish I could see more." He paused and looked at Lucilla who was staring at the floor but he could see she was listening intently. "But I am so concerned with my friends health that I could see all the rooms of this palace and not care at all." He looked at the floor. "You also seem to care about this man, my Lady."
Lucilla stared at him and fingered her dress. "A long time ago," she whispered, remembering what Maximus had said to her in his cell. Was that also just last night? And now all the senators except Gracchus were dead. What would happen to Rome now? She swallowed hard and tried to smile at the gladiator but found she could not. Her lower lip trembled and she held back an incredible sob that had been inside her ever since her father's murder. All her fear threatened to burst out of her.
Juba was also squirming in his chair. So now we are free, he thought. Do I go home to my family or stay here?
Lucilla spoke. "Where is your family?" she asked.
Juba recoiled a bit but thought hard. "They are underneath the same stars as all of us and three days and nights from the city." He looked at her and squeezed Maximus' hand. He didn't move. "What will happen to the emperor, my Lady?"
Lucilla couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked out the doors of the room, leaving Juba alone to stare after her.
* * *
In the marble atrium of the Imperial Palace, Senator Gracchus paced back and forth, still in his white robe and listening to the very unfamiliar sounds of silence that echoed from the Colosseum. He shook his head, thankful that the young Emperor had not done away with him. Now that Rome was to be a republic once more, and he was to be in power, along with the rest of the Senate, what was to happen? Would Commodus be arrested? And what of his sister?
Gracchus rubbed his eyes. It had been he who had convinced Lucilla to tell Quintus about Marcus Aurelius' murder. The fool. If he had stopped the fight earlier, then Maximus would have been alright. Now he would go home to his family and leave Rome to be taken up in corruption again if the Senate did not hold.
And what of the army? The legions had always been the secret holder of power in Rome and did whatever controlled them to do. Now that the Emperor was gone, who was to command through the Senate? Surely the public was too ignorant of their own politics to understand how much corruption went on inside the great palace, so Gracchus was, sadly, not too worried about that.
Another worry was nudging him. He made up his mind, walked out of the atrium and down the vast steps of the Palace towards the mighty Colosseum, where he entered in through a dark door that led downwards underground and through many halls and passageways, where the foul stench of death tugged at his robe. This was where he had been captive for the night before. Why hadn't Commodus just killed him?
As he walked further into the depths of the arena, it grew cooler and soon the Senator had reached the area where the prisoners were kept. There were none there right now; they had all been released. But at the end of the hallway, there was a mass of Praetorian who stood in front of a cage that was heavily barred. Early morning light poured into it from a high barred window that you could easily see the Colosseum out of if you could reach it.
And when Gracchus reached the cell, he remained expressionless as he stared down at the young Emperor, who was cowering on the floor. He seemed not to have noticed the Senator's presence. He was still wearing his white-gold armor. No one had bothered to remove it.
"So," stated Gracchus.
Commodus looked up.
"Here we are," Gracchus finished.
Commodus didn't bother to stand up. He peered at the Senator with a look that could almost be as hate-filled as his face for Maximus. "Who are the people to call you a Senator?" he spat. "You are a plague on this city. Speak for the people, you don't even."
"I wouldn't waste my breath, you'll need as much energy as you can spare," replied Gracchus, just as coldly. "Prison walls are not very pleasant to be enclosed into. I would know," he said.
Commodus gritted his teeth in frustration but remained silent.
Gracchus stepped right up to the bars of the cell. "I hope you enjoyed what little time you had ruling this city," he whispered. "You will never set foot in the Imperial Box again."
Commodus lunged at the Senator. He gripped the iron bars in front of him and was pushed back by one of the guards.
"Back!" he cried.
"I won't be in here forever!" rasped Commodus. "Commodus' progeny will rule Rome!"
"Back!" yelled the Praetorian guard.
Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. Then Gracchus slowly bowed and raised up again. "Your highness."
Then he strode away from the cell where Commodus still stood, seething.
She reached the doors to the royal chamber and threw the doors open. Her eyes immediately flew towards the bed where only the night before, Commodus had laid her down on and tried to sleep with her. It sickened her to think about it and made her stomach turn with disgust. Maximus was lying under the covers, with one of the gladiators, a dark-skinned tall man sitting beside the bed. His head was bowed and he seemed to be saying a prayer. How Lucilla felt like praying now was immense. The Numedean looked up at the princess. He stood and bowed, though he was stiff, like he hadn't done that sort of thing before. Lucilla felt a twinge of pity; the man had spent a lot of his time as a hunter and not amongst royalty so everything in the palace must have been strange and new.
Lucilla walked over to Maximus and all the servants quickly left the room. Juba was reluctant to leave and gave Lucilla a pleading look. She nodded at him and he sat back down without bowing in thanks but Lucilla was so preoccupied she didn't notice.
A lady-in-waiting entered the room and stood by the door.
Lucilla sat down, still maintaining every bit of her grace. "Maximus?" she whispered. "Are you - ?"
"He is asleep," interrupted Juba. "The bleeding has passed."
Lucilla choked back a tear. Juba peered curiously at her. "What did he do to you? The emperor," asked Juba.
"Do you know who you're talking to?" barked Lucilla. "I am still the emperor's sister! Still a royal!"
Juba didn't respond but just bowed his head and sat back in his chair. Lucilla felt some of her anger fade but she knew it wasn't towards the slave. Her brother deserved the wrath. She sat back too and avoided eye contact with him. Maximus was breathing steadily and looked peaceful. Lucilla reached up towards his face and ran her fingers over his brow which was sticky from sweat and blood. She drew back and drew her shawl around her.
"In my country, everyone is in poverty," said Juba. "I have never been inside this palace and I wish I could see more." He paused and looked at Lucilla who was staring at the floor but he could see she was listening intently. "But I am so concerned with my friends health that I could see all the rooms of this palace and not care at all." He looked at the floor. "You also seem to care about this man, my Lady."
Lucilla stared at him and fingered her dress. "A long time ago," she whispered, remembering what Maximus had said to her in his cell. Was that also just last night? And now all the senators except Gracchus were dead. What would happen to Rome now? She swallowed hard and tried to smile at the gladiator but found she could not. Her lower lip trembled and she held back an incredible sob that had been inside her ever since her father's murder. All her fear threatened to burst out of her.
Juba was also squirming in his chair. So now we are free, he thought. Do I go home to my family or stay here?
Lucilla spoke. "Where is your family?" she asked.
Juba recoiled a bit but thought hard. "They are underneath the same stars as all of us and three days and nights from the city." He looked at her and squeezed Maximus' hand. He didn't move. "What will happen to the emperor, my Lady?"
Lucilla couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked out the doors of the room, leaving Juba alone to stare after her.
* * *
In the marble atrium of the Imperial Palace, Senator Gracchus paced back and forth, still in his white robe and listening to the very unfamiliar sounds of silence that echoed from the Colosseum. He shook his head, thankful that the young Emperor had not done away with him. Now that Rome was to be a republic once more, and he was to be in power, along with the rest of the Senate, what was to happen? Would Commodus be arrested? And what of his sister?
Gracchus rubbed his eyes. It had been he who had convinced Lucilla to tell Quintus about Marcus Aurelius' murder. The fool. If he had stopped the fight earlier, then Maximus would have been alright. Now he would go home to his family and leave Rome to be taken up in corruption again if the Senate did not hold.
And what of the army? The legions had always been the secret holder of power in Rome and did whatever controlled them to do. Now that the Emperor was gone, who was to command through the Senate? Surely the public was too ignorant of their own politics to understand how much corruption went on inside the great palace, so Gracchus was, sadly, not too worried about that.
Another worry was nudging him. He made up his mind, walked out of the atrium and down the vast steps of the Palace towards the mighty Colosseum, where he entered in through a dark door that led downwards underground and through many halls and passageways, where the foul stench of death tugged at his robe. This was where he had been captive for the night before. Why hadn't Commodus just killed him?
As he walked further into the depths of the arena, it grew cooler and soon the Senator had reached the area where the prisoners were kept. There were none there right now; they had all been released. But at the end of the hallway, there was a mass of Praetorian who stood in front of a cage that was heavily barred. Early morning light poured into it from a high barred window that you could easily see the Colosseum out of if you could reach it.
And when Gracchus reached the cell, he remained expressionless as he stared down at the young Emperor, who was cowering on the floor. He seemed not to have noticed the Senator's presence. He was still wearing his white-gold armor. No one had bothered to remove it.
"So," stated Gracchus.
Commodus looked up.
"Here we are," Gracchus finished.
Commodus didn't bother to stand up. He peered at the Senator with a look that could almost be as hate-filled as his face for Maximus. "Who are the people to call you a Senator?" he spat. "You are a plague on this city. Speak for the people, you don't even."
"I wouldn't waste my breath, you'll need as much energy as you can spare," replied Gracchus, just as coldly. "Prison walls are not very pleasant to be enclosed into. I would know," he said.
Commodus gritted his teeth in frustration but remained silent.
Gracchus stepped right up to the bars of the cell. "I hope you enjoyed what little time you had ruling this city," he whispered. "You will never set foot in the Imperial Box again."
Commodus lunged at the Senator. He gripped the iron bars in front of him and was pushed back by one of the guards.
"Back!" he cried.
"I won't be in here forever!" rasped Commodus. "Commodus' progeny will rule Rome!"
"Back!" yelled the Praetorian guard.
Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. Then Gracchus slowly bowed and raised up again. "Your highness."
Then he strode away from the cell where Commodus still stood, seething.