Something has gone wrong. Very wrong! Five of the Sailor Soldiers are in...Ancient Rome?!
And now Lita's tale of gladiatorial servitude continues...
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:
******************************************************************************
Sailor Moon
Roman Legends
by Scorpinac
Chapter 8: Theophilus
Two days later, she fought in another solo battle, her against one, half crazed, brute of a
warrior. Seeing the bloodlust in his eyes, she killed quickly, striking him through the heart at the
first opening, then left, to the cheers of the crowd, and the blond twins who had rooted for her in
her first battle, the two no older than six or seven at best.
The day after, she was scheduled for another. She waited with the others of Theophilus's
camp in a wooden cage just outside the arena itself for her turn, and Theophilus was carried up in
his chair nearby, Semon once more at his side, and called to her.
"You kill too quickly, my dear," he said. "Remember that you are an entertainer, they
want you to be a hero, to keep coming back for more." Lita rose quietly and walked forward to
the end of the cage and passed through the gate. As she went through, Theophilus, who had been
carried up in tandem with her, called out, "So entertain!"
Lita stepped into the battle area, looking at the three men before her, one carrying a
spiked mace, another a spear-topped battleaxe, and the last carrying two broadswords. She
hefted up her own sword, ready to do what she had to do. This time, as she had in the last three
battles, Lita wore a simple leather armor vest and skirt, nothing fancy or ornate, but a form of
protection, nonetheless.
The three charged forward, and Lita sidestepped, and performed a quick spin kick into the
spear wielder's skull. He dropped. The other two snapped around, and Lita back peddled across
the arena, getting them to come after her. They followed, and she began blocking their swings,
avoiding their slashes and attacks. She would just as soon not get involved at all, but survival
insisted.
The axe wielder swung down, and Lita dodged, and swung down, clipping the back of his
thigh, eliciting an enraged roar of pain. He swung at her again, this time more wildly, and Lita
threw a forward kick into his chest and bounced away. The other remaining opponent made the
bad choice of getting too close to his fellow at the wrong moment, and got nailed in the face by
the axe, falling to ground.
In the audience, Theophilus was brought to his private seat, Semon still at his side, and
watched all that occurred below him. Lita had truly been a wise choice for the arena. The
audience filled the arena's available seating, and some of the nearby hillsides that gave a view of
any kind at all of the intense action as well. Nearby were Maxos and Arete, the seven year-old
twins of his main competitor, Agamemnon. The two had become won away by Lita during her
debut appearance in the arena, and Theophilus knew that couldn't have sat very well with their
father.
"Hello, Maxos, Arete," he greeted them. "How's your father this day?"
"Hello, Theophilus," the boy, Maxos, replied. "Father is fine, and sends his hate."
"I can't say I'm surprised," Theophilus said.
"Hello, Theophilus," Arete, the girl, turned and greeted him. "Can I buy her from you?"
she pointed at Lita down below.
"My Lita?" Theophilus asked. "My dear Arete, certainly not! I don't care how much
your father's willing to pay."
"My father won't pay," Arete said. "He says 'anyone Theophilus owns will die by my
men sooner or later, and the girl is just plain lucky!'" Theophilus couldn't help but laugh lightly
at Arete's imitation of her father. It was priceless.
"And how's your mother?" he asked.
"Mother is fine, and sends her love," Maxos said. He hadn't turned a bit since the battle
had started, truly to follow his father as an arena entertainer. The crowd roared then as the
second man fell in death. Theophilus paid it only a moment's notice.
"But I really want her!" Arete said. "Lita's so amazing! I want her to be my gladiator,
fighting for my glory!"
"She fights for no one's glory," Theophilus told her. "She says that I am a monster, and
that she will not let herself become like me. But I think she is turning despite herself."
"I still want her," Arete turned back to the action. Below, Lita still fought the last man in
the arena against her. He swung his axe around viciously, Lita barely dodging and parrying. He
was moving so fast and hard, it was hard to get an opening. But then Lita dropped, back flipped,
and scooped up a spare sword from the ground, and used one sword to block the axe while
thrusting the other deep into the other gladiator. His eyes stared ahead for a moment, then he fell
like the others, the second sword left in his torso. Lita stared at him moment, the remaining
sword still in her hand.
"She did it!" Arete squealed in delight, while the crowd was quiet for a moment. Just then
Agamemnon strolled over and looked at his rival. Theophilus looked back.
"So there you are," Theophilus said. "We were just talking about you."
"About me, or about my losses?" Agamemnon asked dryly. Theophilus ignored him, and
looked again at Lita. He sighed deeply.
"That girl is impossible," he sighed. "Doesn't even take stage directions."
"You can't control your own gladiator?!" Agamemnon laughed, then sneered. "What a
wimp. Pussy whipped." Theophilus reached up and grabbed Agamemnon by the ear, and pulled
him close, painfully. His eyes bled anger.
"Watch your tongue, or you might lose it," he glowered threateningly. Agamemnon just
stared back at him.
"Well?!" Lita called from below, distracting their attention. "Are you sickos not
entertained?!" She huffed, then tossed her sword to the ground and left the arena as the crowd
erupted into roars of approval. Lita wasn't sure which was worse anymore - the killing, or the
cheering during and afterward.
* * *
"Lita, are you sure you're okay?" Serena asked, deep concern in her voice. Lita had
begun to cry while recounting her battles in the arena.
"No," she said. "I hate what I've been forced to become. I just want to stop, but I
can't."
"You didn't kill the last guy in the battle we saw," Hotaru pointed out. "Hell, you didn't
kill any of them! They all killed each other trying to kill you!"
"She's right," Ami said. "You're not a monster, Lita! Not yet!"
"If the last man, Renatus, hadn't surrendered, if he had forced me to," Lita said, "I would
have killed him. I know I would. I want to live. I'll hate myself for the rest of my life for what
I've done here, but I don't want to die." Lita began to sob, and Serena leaned forward and
hugged her friend closely.
"If you can still feel pain, if it still hurts," she said, "then you haven't lost yourself, Lita. I
know you haven't."
"Really?" Lita asked.
"Yeah," Serena smiled her best smile as she leaned back. "And I know we'll find a way to
free you. Hey! I could buy you! I mean, I'm sure I have enough to cover your costs! I just need
to talk to this Theophilus!"
"He won't sell," Lita said, "I'm too valuable to him. But...he did tell me one way I could
get my freedom..." Serena's face fell slightly.
"Oh?" Hotaru asked. "What?"
"Well, let's see, where was I?" Lita wiped her eyes. "Oh, yeah, my last arena battle in
Gerchium..."
"Don't you mean Derorium?" Hotaru asked.
"Whatever..."
* * *
Three days went by without another battle, and Lita was glad of it. Training, however,
had not ended. Each day was filled with practice. And then, on the twenty sixth day of her stay
in Ancient Rome, she was again summoned to Theophilus's chambers in the main house. The
sheets had been changed since last time (big surprise!), and a new plate of food sat on the desk
with some more papers and scrolls, but otherwise everything was the same, with one minor
exception.
Now sitting next to the desk and Theophilus was a wooden sword with three gold plates
on the hilt. It was a simple affair, two foot long with no notable extravagances, but it seemed
important to Theophilus all the same. Almost as important as her wand was to her.
"Hello, my dear. Juice?" he asked. Lita nodded, and Theophilus poured them both a
drink, and Lita took hers willingly. This time it was orange juice with what tasted like a squirt of
peach. It was pretty good.
"What's up?" she asked. "Think of a new way to try to kill me?"
"Well, that wouldn't please Maxos and Arete," Theophilus grinned.
"Who and who?" Lita asked.
"Your top fans," Theophilus explained. "Seven year-old twins, the offspring of my main
competitor, Agamemnon."
"Blonds with pretty blue eyes?" Lita took a guess.
"Ah, you've noticed them," he said. "I imagine their father is quite annoyed at their
choice in favorite gladiators. Arete wants to buy you, you know." Lita jerked lightly in mid drink
at this news.
"She what?" Lita blinked.
"Oh, yes, she's been quite taken with you. Practically begged me to sell," Theophilus
commented, and then told her of his conversation with the children and their father during the last
battle. "Right now you are far too valuable a prize to let go of, though, my dear."
"Anyone else offer to take me off your hands?" Lita asked. *Like maybe a green haired
woman carrying a long pole arm?*
"No, not yet," he replied. "And not anytime soon, I'm afraid. We're going to Rome."
"We are?" Lita asked. "Why?"
"The new Caesar, Commodus, has decided, in his wisdom, to institute a series of
gladiatorial games in the Colosseum. At last, we will return to the heart of it all. It is an
awesome prospect."
"The Colosseum...that's going to be one hell of a crowd," Lita mused.
"Precisely, my dear," Theophilus stated. "Precisely. And that is why I have called you."
"Oh?" Lita looked at him carefully. Theophilus raised the wooden sword up. The top
plate, on the butt of the hilt, had his name on it, the second, on the side of the butt, something in
Latin she couldn't understand, "Exarenain Libertatem", and the third, on the bottom of the side of
the hilt, the name of Marcus Aurelius, with a pair of Roman numerals, CMXVII and CMXIII
under it. *917 and 913? That can't be right...must be the old dating system before Amino
Domini was adopted...wait, why is it counting down? Wait, maybe they're not dates, maybe
they're something else,* Lita thought as she looked at it.
"This, is the symbol of my freedom, a Rudius," he told her. "I was good, and the crowd
adored me for it. And then, after my last battle, the Caesar Marcus Aurelius took me aside,
touched me with this, on the shoulder, once, and I was a free man."
"You met the Emperor, and he gave you a stick?" Lita's face filled with disbelief.
"I did not meet him," Theophilus said, "I said he touched me once. And while this may be
a mere piece of wood, what it symbolizes is...without price. Surely even you, can see that?"
"Why are you telling me this?" Lita asked, her face softening.
"If you do well in the Colosseum, as I did," Theophilus said, "then maybe you, too, shall
sit at the foot of an Emperor. And then you will be free."
"And all I have to do is kill?" Lita said.
"Win the crowd, dear," he corrected. "Make them love you, as we love you. Win the
crowd, and you will be free. Become the best."
"Very well," Lita said, kneeling down to look him evenly in the eyes. "I'll do what I have
to do. And I'll give them a show to tell their grandchildren's grandchildren about, if that's what it
takes!"
"Yes, my dear," Theophilus smiled in his warmest smile yet. "And then, if the gods are
willing, you will earn your freedom as I did."
"Oh, I will," Lita agreed, "I will."
"And then, if the gods are willing, I would like you to wear...this," Theophilus said,
reaching behind himself to bring up a red leather Roman armor dress with a prominent bronze
stag embroidered upon it in the center, it's front hooves raised as though in attack of something.
Lita stared at the dress for a moment, then took it in her hands.
"I would be honored, Theophilus," she said, and he laid a gentle hand upon her shoulder in
acknowledgment.
* * *
The trip to Rome was not fun.
First they traveled for a day and a half to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, which
surprised Lita as she'd thought they were further away, and then boarded a large cargo ship for
the European mainland on the other side. To her shock, she saw Maxos, Arete, and two she
could only figure as being their parents boarding up, too, in the passenger area that Theophilus
was entering, and several of Agamemnon's gladiators were being loaded with her and the rest of
Theophilus's 'stock' in the lower reaches.
The conditions in the ship were less than thrilling. Simple cot bunks for each person, zero
privacy, and the only toilet facilities was do it out the window! Not that her quarters in the
compound had been any better or anything, but...
After two or three hours of waiting, the boat moved off, setting sail across the
Mediterranean. The trip took about three more days, and both Urian and Vassos made it their
business to keep any would-be rapists away from Lita, having named themselves her 'stalwart
protectors', as did pretty much all of Theophilus's men, much to her great surprise. Even Semon,
who stayed primarily with Theophilus in the first class compartments to run his day to day
errands, made it a point to come down twice a day to check on her. "Theophilus's orders," he'd
said, yet Lita could see something in his eyes that said he would have done it even without orders
from their master.
Finally, the boat pulled into a dock, and over the course of about three more hours was
unloaded, Lita and the others of her camp being reunited with Theophilus. Once everyone was
accounted for, Theophilus signaled for his small caravan to move forward, and about an hour later
they came up to Rome. Lita and several other gladiators came from the boat to the city on foot,
but that was alright.
As they moved through the city and the crowds to their temporary compound a few
blocks from the Colosseum, Lita couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of all that was around
her. She'd never realized just how amazing Rome was at the height of its Empire. And when she
saw the Colosseum in the distance, she felt overwhelmed.
"Is that it?" she asked.
"You better believe it!" Urian said. "That is the work of men!" Theophilus was carried
by, Semon nearby, and leaned to her.
"Remember," he said, "Win the crowd." Lita nodded, and he moved on.
"Hey, that one's a _girl_!" a child's voice called out. *Oh, no, not again...* Lita thought.
But this time it was three young girls, each about ten or so, whom came skipping to the front of
the crowd and pacing them.
"What's a girl doing with the gladiators?" one asked.
"Are you here to give them pleasure before they go and die for us?" another asked. Just
then Maxos and Arete came running up the line as fast as their little legs could carry them, then
slowed to a reasonable gait, catching only the last comment.
"She's Lita the Amazing!" Maxos declared.
"She's the best gladiator in Derorium, she is!" Arete added. "And when she has bested
the best the Colosseum has to offer, I shall buy her with what I win by betting on her with my
allowance!" Two of the three girls were awe struck at the endorsement, and the third just stared.
"She's a gladiator?" she asked. "Really?"
"Yeah, the best!" Maxos said again. "No one can beat Theophilus's Lita!"
"Move along, children," Lita said. "I've got people to fight. No time for autographs!"
The line proceeded forward, and they eventually arrived at the new compound, merely half the
size of the old one, but just as serviceable, the living quarters for the owner again two stories
high, but only fifteen meters by fifteen meters. Lita wondered idly when she was first to be tossed
into the arena of Rome.
* * *
"He wants what?!" Theophilus looked at the Colosseum announcer, an elderly, balding,
fat man in rich togas and a red wig. The two were in a marketplace outside the Colosseum itself,
and Theophilus was once again wishing for the gods to return to him the use of his legs that he
might kill someone, preferably the announcer! Semon was at his side, as always.
"Your top fighter, this woman warrior who's gained so much fame in Derorium, is to
battle five male gladiators in the Colosseum today as the warm-up match before the Battle Of
Carthage re-enactment," he said.
"Are you mad?!" Theophilus half roared. "Is he?! No, wait, don't answer that question,
clearly quite rhetorical!"
"You realize, of course, that you have no choice," the announcer said. "What the Caesar
commands, the Caesar gets. And that means your little female wonder gets slaughtered before the
"barbarians" of Carthage."
"And that's another thing," Theophilus commented, still fully irked. "What fool did you
get to supply the fighters for that one?! Agamemnon?!"
"No, Proximo, from Zucchabar," he answered. "If it makes you feel any better, he was no
less pleased."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Theophilus said offhand. "Wait, I remember him! I would
have fought him myself if not for...this..." he waved his hands at his useless legs.
"Ah, yes, so I am told," the announcer said. "Just make sure she's ready to die." And
with that, the chubby ass walked off. Just then, Agamemnon came up, looking just as happy.
"Got asked to turn your best into sacrificial lambs for the mob, too, huh?" he asked.
"Yes, as a 'warm-up' for Proximo's losses," Theophilus confirmed, and snapped his
fingers, his bearers raising him. "North! And you?"
"_I_ get the honor of supplying the warriors for the re-enactment of the final battle against
the barbarian hordes in Francia!" Agamemnon said as they started to move through the crowd.
"And we all know how the then Caesar ended that one!"
"Indeed," Theophilus agreed. "About the only consolation I have is that I'm only losing
one gladiator."
"Lucky you," Agamemnon's sarcasm was plain.
"Was I boasting?" Theophilus asked. "I've never met the Caesar Commodus, yet it seems
that we've both managed to piss him off somehow, sight unseen!"
"So I noticed," Agamemnon replied. "So, how soon do you think he'll order all of your
best men to die pointlessly for the crowd?"
"Three...four days..." Theophilus said offhandedly, then waved his hand to the east,
changing their direction. "You hungry?"
"Now that you mention it," Agamemnon replied. "Anywhere in mind?"
"Over here," Theophilus said, indicating a food cart coming up manned by three men, a
young woman, and a little girl. When they got through the crowd, Theophilus snapped his fingers
again, and his bearers halted. "You, slave girl!" he called to the little black haired child. "Three...
no, five meals, if you please." The girl nodded, and relayed the order to the young woman who
was cooking. The three men, one old, one middle aged, and one young, gave him only a passing
glance, not that he expected anything else. The young woman glanced at him over her shoulder
only once while cooking.
"Think your's have any chance of survival, Agamemnon?" Theophilus asked mildly.
"With that setup?" Agamemnon answered. "Only the gods can save them now."
"That's what I thought," Theophilus said. "Same with my poor dear. One against five!
The Caesar Commodus is quite mad!"
"You think she can't handle it?" Agamemnon blinked, truly surprised.
"With three or more of my other top fighters, no problem," Theophilus stated. "On her
own, most likely no chance at all. She's never had such odds, not since her debut, anyway. And
even then she had half of my whole stock at her back! My poor dear... She's at a clear
disadvantage, you know."
"Oh?" Agamemnon asked.
"Oh, yes," Theophilus said, "but not because of her gender. Her size, she is clearly out
matched by most of Rome's best. That's why I wanted to do only team matches while here.
Anything else is, by definition, lunacy!"
"Your meals, sirs," the slave girls handed the plates out, Semon handing two to
Agamemnon and Theophilus, and taking three himself. "Five gold pieces each." Theophilus
handed her twenty for his four, and Agamemnon handed her five for his own, and then Theophilus
again snapped his fingers and was lifted.
"Over by the fountain," he instructed. "Crowd should hopefully be a little less over there.
Do we have enough drink, Semon?"
"Two skins, sir," Semon replied, nodding to a small bag hitched to his belt.
"Good, we'll stop there and all eat together, and share the drink among us. You, Belen,
and Christos as well," Theophilus stated.
"Thank you, sir," the three chorused, and made all speed for the fountain.
"You spoil them," Agamemnon said. "You are too soft with your slaves."
"Only these three," Theophilus said. "After all, they are now my legs, as I have none. I
owe them at least a little courtesy, if not gratitude for their sacrifice on my behalf." The three
quietly accepted and felt boosted by their master's praise and acknowledgment. "Believe me,"
Theophilus continued, "had you lost your legs in the Colosseum as I had, you would feel the
same." He then tried a bite of his meal, and smiled. "This is pretty good."
"I suppose," Agamemnon ceded, then tried a bite as well. "Mm, you're right." A
moment later they reached the fountain, and all had a very pleasant midday meal.
* * *
"How many?!" Lita shrieked through the bars as everything was being set-up. She was
now in the cage pit below the Colosseum, awaiting her time for battle.
"Five," Theophilus said, and told her of his encounter with the announcer and
Agamemnon just after. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?!" Lita shrieked. "I'm gonna get killed! I can barely handle _three_ competitors
at once, there's no way I can take five!"
"Well, there is one advantage you could use," Theophilus told her. "The Colosseum is far
larger than the arena you normally battle in, so you might be able to use that to give yourself some
breathing room while you're figuring out how to win, if there's any way at all."
"You could cancel the match!" Lita suggested, getting a look of astonishment from her
master. "Can't you? Please," she grabbed his shirt through the bars, "I know you've got a heart
in there, somewhere! Pretty please?!"
"Do you wish to go into the Colosseum with your hands," Theophilus asked, "or without
them?" Lita immediately pulled her hands back in.
"Sorry, sir," she said. "Won't happen again! Just nervous angst. But about my plea..."
"The match was arranged by the Caesar Commodus himself!" Theophilus said. "Even I
am not _that_ suicidal! I'm sorry, my dear, there's nothing I can do. You have three hours or so,
I suggest you try to make peace with the gods, and beg them entrance into the Elysion Fields
when the death blow comes." He then snapped his fingers and waved to the southeast, and was
lifted and carried away. Lita slumped against the bars, ignoring the pain from her now squished
chest.
"Five?" Lita asked the air. "I am so _dead_..." Then a thought had occurred to her.
She'd been using her martial arts to aid her in all her other battles, though with the last few the
other guys had started to get wise to it and account for them. But none of the gladiators in Rome
itself knew of them! She may have a chance yet! Hey, she could pray, couldn't she?
* * *
The time drew nearer to the battle, and Lita slowly psyched herself up. She'd cooked up a
very simple strategy: stay alive! The other gladiators prepared and donned their armor for their
own battles to come, and Lita went over to the rack and got hers and slipped it on, making sure
the restraints were good and tight. Then, as extra protection, she picked up a good, sturdy shield
to go with her sword. She glanced at helmets, but most weren't in her size, and those that were
risked obstructing her vision to take a chance on. If she was going to stand a chance at surviving
this, she was going to need _all_ of her vision, normal and peripheral!
"Lita!!" a voice called, and she turned to see Maxos and Arete standing near a side exit to
the street. They were all smiles, sadly. "We will cheer for you, Lita!!" Maxos called.
"Yes, we know you will win," Arete cried. "You are unbeatable!"
"Thanks," Lita said, "I actually needed that this time. Better get going, or you'll miss it!"
The twins smiled at her acceptance, and scooted off to find their seat in the Colosseum above.
Lita sighed quietly. *I don't think I'll ever understand those two,* she thought.
Near the street entrance where she'd spoken with Theophilus last at, she noticed the guy
called 'Spaniard' talking with a little boy. A few feet from the boy was a little girl with bright red
hair, waiting almost timidly. As she turned her head away, her peripheral vision caught another
flash of hair...pink hair.
Her head snapped back, but she detected no one with pink hair anywhere nearby, and the
boy the Spaniard was talking to had gone, the red-head with him. And the Spaniard was now
donning a silver helmet that partially obscured his face. *Must be my imagination,* Lita
reasoned, and went through the other gladiators to find the entrance to the main arena. As she
moved through, a guard tapped her shoulder, and she turned to him.
"You Lita?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lita answered.
"This way," he nodded his head to one side, and she followed his lead. He led her through
a small underground network of cells and cages to a small platform that seemed connected to
some primitive gear mechanisms. Straight above it was an opening to the sky, and through it she
could hear the crowd getting worked up.
"Step on," the guard instructed. "They intend for you to enter here."
"Okay," Lita said calmly, taking a few breaths, and stepped onto the platform. From
above, a male voice starting calling above the rest.
"Romans! On this wonderful day of the games, we have a special treat!" the voice called.
"All the way from the southern arenas of Derorium, from the camp of the once proud gladiator
Theophilus, a woman warrior of no simple skill, who today shall battle not one, not two, but five
stout men till only one person is left standing!" At this point she could hear heavy footsteps
entering the arena above. Lita swallowed nervously as she prepared to enter the arena herself.
After a few more moments, the platform she was standing on began to lift upward, and she
realized she was standing on an old fashioned version of an elevator!
*Here we go,* she gulped, and a few seconds later she was lifted into the main arena,
giving her the first view she'd had of her competition...and the enormous crowd of thousands!
*Oh, god...* she thought.
"Ladies and gentlemen, young and old," the announcer cried, " I give you the woman
wonder!
"Let's hear it for LITA THE MAGNIFICENT!!!"
* * *
"We know what happened next," Hotaru said. "I hate to tell you this, but Ami and I were
in the crowd, Lita."
"You must have been the ones who shouted that warning near the end," Lita said. "Or
maybe Rini...uh, Serena, do you know what happened..."
"Ami told me," Serena said. "I can't believe Rini had to watch all that...or that you had to
be a part of it...any of it..."
"Are you okay, Lita?" Ami asked. "It looked like one them did get a hit in." In response,
Lita lifted her shirt to show them the bandage. Fortunately, it had stopped bleeding.
"Serena, I don't suppose you could, you know, give it a little push so it doesn't scar?"
Lita asked. Serena smiled, directed Hotaru with her hand to watch the door, and pulled out her
locket, using the Silver Crystal's power to hasten the healing process somewhat. She stopped
after only a few moments, and Lita knew she wasn't completely healed, but that she now no
longer ran the risk of gaining a large, ugly scar when it finished on its own. She lowered her shirt
back down, and Serena signaled for Hotaru to come and sit back down as she quietly stowed her
brooch.
"So," Lita said, "How have you all been doing in Ancient Rome?"
"Well, as you already know, Rini was kidnapped because of her hair and is now a slave to
the Prince of Rome," Serena said, "And as it happens, the stand where your owner got his meal
earlier is where I'm currently working to earn the three thousand gold I need to buy her back."
"Three thousand?!" Lita cried. "Why so much?"
"That's what Lucius paid for her," Serena explained. "Aside of that, I've had a pretty
good time, except for the constant worry, the heartache, Georgio..."
"Who?" Lita asked.
"Georgio," Hotaru answered. "A boy your age at the place we're all staying. He wants
to marry her."
"Serena!" Lita said, trying to sound shocked, but failing. "You know you have Darien!"
"That's why I keep telling him no," Serena replied, "No matter how cute he might happen
to be."
"And then there's Iosif," Hotaru said. "He wants to marry Ami!"
"Huh?!" Ami blinked.
"What?!" Serena and Lita stared in shock.
"Oh, please, Hotaru," Ami said, trying to wave it off. "He's just a good friend."
"Oh, come on, Ami," Hotaru said, "It's only so obvious! The guy's totally fallen head-
over-heals for you! And he's much better than his brother, who I will kill with extreme prejudice
should I happen to see him again."
"HOTARU!!" the others snapped at her. "You can't mean that!"
"Wanna bet?" Hotaru stared at them impassively.
"Why would you want to kill him, anyway?" Lita asked.
"Maybe we should start at the beginning..." Ami said, and she and Hotaru told Lita of
their entire Roman adventure, stopping after their arrival in Rome the previous day and finding of
Serena. Lita thought quietly a moment on what she had just learned about their time, most
especially on Eleutherios's attempted rape of Hotaru, and clear and possible intent to rape Damris
later when the girl got back.
"You're right," she finally said to Hotaru, "Kill him slowly and painfully! In fact, should
he turn up in the arena against me, I'll lop his gonads off, _then_ kill him!"
"LITA!!" Serena and Ami snapped.
"Have you forgotten that you're Sailor Jupiter?!" Serena asked. "Look, I agree with your
reasoning, okay, but Sailors do _not_ kill humans unless they have no choice, like you don't when
you're...in there..."
"Sorry," Lita said. "Just the idea of Hotaru almost getting defiled like that, and the SOB
getting away unpunished, ticks me off!"
"It pisses us all off," Serena agreed, surprising them all with her choice of language. "But
there's nothing we can do about it now, so it would be best to try and put it behind us."
"I just don't think I can," Hotaru said gloomily. "I want to see him _hurt_ for what he
did. I can't help it."
"Hey, ladies!" a guard called from the barred door to the private cell, "Time's up!"
"But we're not finished visiting!" Lita said. "Can't we finish our girl talk?"
"Sorry, Lita, but your owner wants you back now," the guard said. "And there's a girl
here named Damris saying she's to pick up someone named Ami and Hotaru and bring them back
to a Lady Hrisoula on the double."
"Oops, that's us," Ami said. "Guess we have to go."
"I'll come by the street entrance when I have more time," Serena said. "I'll tell you my
story in full then, or come and tell you at Theophilus's compound, if I can find it. At least I know
what he looks like."
"Sure, Serena. See ya all later," Lita bid her friends good bye, and they reciprocated, and
the door was opened, the three leaving. A moment later the guard came in and unshackled her,
leading her back to the Colosseum cells, and the entrance to the street where Urian, Vassos, and
Semon were waiting.
"Hi, guys," she greeted them.
"We waited for you," Vassos said, worry in his eyes. "It took so long, we began to think
maybe they couldn't get enough."
"Are you all right, Lita?" Urian asked.
"They didn't aggravate your injury, did they?" Semon asked. He and Urian also looked
worried.
"I'm fine," Lita assured them. "They friends of mine, Rini's mother and two others. We
just talked." The three men calmed considerably as she, Urian, and Vassos were released to
Semon's custody, who led them back to Theophilus's Roman compound. As they stepped
outside into the street, Lita noticed it was evening, the sun quickly disappearing below the
horizon.
"What about?" Vassos asked.
"Dresses," Urian said.
"Babies," Semon nodded confidently.
"The past," Lita corrected them. "We just did some catching up. How I wound up as a
gladiator, what's been happening to them since we last saw each other, stuff like that."
"Oh," they said.
"Well, as long as you're no more harmed than when you left," Urian said, and the other
two agreed.
Lita thought about what Hotaru had said about Iosif's feelings for Ami, and this Georgio's
feelings for Serena.
*Could it be?* she thought. *Could Vassos, Urian, and Semon...be in love with me?*
She thought about it some more, looking at each of them quietly, their calm expressions and
demeanors, then shook her head. *Nah...*
* * *
Serena, Ami, and Hotaru found Damris waiting near a northern exit from the Colosseum
cell areas, and the guard then lead all four of them out to the street, where they found Iosif and
Georgio waiting.
"They insisted on coming," Damris told them as the guard left them and they started
walking through the streets back to Ariadne's and Tatius's.
"Oh, that's okay," Ami said as she readjusted her cloak. "Actually, it makes me feel a
little safer."
"Which is why I came," Iosif said. "The streets are likely not safe at night in Rome."
"Yes," Georgio agreed. "Your safety, Serena, is my greatest concern."
"Uh, thanks, Georgio," Serena nodded politely. *Where's Darien when I _really_ need
him!* she thought.
"So, how was your visit?" Damris asked. "Is she as fierce chained as when she fights?"
"Lita?" Hotaru asked. "Nah, she's real nice. She's our friend, that's why we went to see
her."
"A friend," Damris said. "Who was all the way in Derorium?"
"Yeah, so?" Hotaru asked.
"Who was until recently on the other side of the Mediterranean?" Damris asked.
"Damris, what are you getting at?" Iosif asked, his own curiosity rising, as was Georgio's.
"Yeah, she was, so?" Hotaru replied before Damris could. "What are you trying to
imply...wait...the other side of...Derorium's in...Africa?"
"Of course," Georgio said. "It's northern border is just three leagues off of the northern
coast." Serena and Ami both shot a glance at each other. Damris knew something! At that
moment, they were saved from total revelation by the most unlikely candidate of all!
"Well, well, well," a familiar, at least to Serena, male voice chuckled. "If it isn't Pinky's
mother." They stopped and turned to see Barvus Cephiro standing nearby, leaning against a small
statue of some god or past Caesar, grinning. He stood up and strolled calmly in their direction.
"You know, sweetie," he said, "I realized belatedly I should have taken you as well as
your girl." He then glanced at Ami. "I dare say, the way the torch light bounced on her hair, I
almost thought it was...blue."
"Actually," Ami said, reaching into her pocket, "It is blue."
"Oh?" Cephiro beamed. But then Ami pulled out her papers from Hrisoula.
"Don't even think about it, buster! I am a personal slave of Lady Hrisoula of Tercham,
and have come with her to Rome on holiday," she showed him the papers. "And don't try to tell
me it doesn't say that, because _I_ can read!" Cephiro gave them a glance, then shrugged.
"And people wonder why I prefer to _avoid_ the Austrian provinces," he said.
"Who...?" Hotaru started to ask, but Georgio cut her off.
"So, _you're_ Barvus Cephiro!" he said. "My father told me what you do, how you stole
poor Decima from our neighbors!"
"Decima?" Cephiro batted an eye. "Oh, yes, her. I didn't steal, kidnap, or enslave her,
_boy_."
"Oh?" Georgio asked. "So she wound up in one of your cages by magic? The power of
the Gods, perhaps?"
"Or in your personal cart?" Serena asked, then swallowed lightly. "Willingly?"
"Willingly?!" Georgio shrieked lightly.
"How'd you figure that out?" Cephiro stared at Serena.
"So I'm right," Serena sighed. "The Decima I met when I tried to steal Rini back from
your compound _was_ the same Decima Thernacius told me about."
"Wait, you met her?" Georgio asked.
"Yeah," Serena said. "And not a chain on her..."
"She left Tarria of her own free will," Cephiro confirmed. "To marry me, and she has also
born me a strong son."
"Timotheos?" Serena asked as Georgio looked on dumbstruck. Iosif and Damris weren't
really following the conversation too well, as they didn't know who Cephiro was, but the looks
on Ami and Hotaru's faces were enough to let them know he was to be considered an enemy...of
some kind.
"Ah, so you saw my boy as well," Cephiro smiled wider in his smug way.
"And Cavinus's girls, uh, Zea and the other one, sorry didn't actually catch her name,"
Serena admitted. "Wasn't hard really, he called Decima 'Mommy' when I saw him."
"Lelia," Cephiro said, drawing a blank from Serena. "Cavinus's elder daughter, her name
is Lelia. Oh, yes, I do wish I'd taken you when I had the chance."
"Why?" Serena asked, not really curious, but hoping for an opening to knee this asshole in
the nuts!
"If you can birth one pink haired child, surely you could birth another, and another, and
another," Cephiro replied. "But at present I have other things to worry about. Plans to fulfill..."
"You lay one hand on my beloved," Georgio snapped, pulling out a dagger and holding it
in Cephiro's face, "and you leave here to meet the barge driver on the River Styx!"
"I can pay Charon for a private ride,"Cephiro boasted, slapping the blade away
effortlessly. "Can you?"
"So you're the monster who kidnapped and enslaved Rini!" Hotaru broke in.
"Rini?" Cephiro blinked, then nodded in understanding, "Ah, yes, Rini Shields, our pink
haired wonder. Oh, yes, that would be me." He then turned back to Serena. "Bit of a bother at
first, she actually tried to escape from me!" Serena felt a chill go down her back, as did Ami and
Hotaru. "But six lashes later took the fight right out of her! Oh, yes, after that she learned
perfect obedience. I dare say she's being just as obedient for Lucius Verus. Even in his bed!"
Cephiro began to laugh at his own comment nastily. At that moment, a low, dull thud resounded
through the air, and Cephiro's eyes widened in shock as he fell down, groaning and clutching his
private parts. Serena pulled back and stared at her handy work, the others looking on in shock at
what she'd done.
"Serena..." Ami gasped.
"Consider this _extremely_ restrained!" Serena's voice was filled, for the first time in her
life, with absolute hate. "Especially since what I _really_ want to do is _kill_ him!" She then
turned and walked away, her heart now secretly aching worse than ever. The others quickly
followed her, leaving Cephiro on the ground.
"You win this time, blondie," Cephiro squeaked as he tried to pull himself together. "But
only this time. We _will_ meet again!" After a few minutes the pain subsided, and he got to his
feet. He glanced menacingly at the nearby citizens and their slaves who had stopped to look, and
then continued on his way to his original destination.
Theophilus's Compound.
* * *
"You hit him where?!" Thernacius stared at Serena.
"Right between the legs, father!" Georgio stated happily. "It was beautiful!"
"Now, Georgio, calm down," Ariadne said, then turned to Serena. "Your poor child, I do
hope she's recovered alright." Serena just nodded, clenching one fist over and over. Shortly after
they had gotten back, they had sat down to dinner, everyone in the household attending, as per
Ariadne's request. Little Zacharias just munched quietly, not saying a word.
The meal in question consisted of salad, peaches and oranges, and roast turkey, with wine
and well prepared grape and apple juice to drink.
"Um..." Hotaru said, "I really hate to ask, but when he said 'six lashes', did he mean..."
"He flogged her," Serena said, her voice full of venom. "He flogged my baby. I should
have taken Georgio's knife and slashed his fucking throat!!!"
"But you didn't," Ami said, placing an arm around Serena's shoulders comfortingly.
"You proved you were better than him!" At this she glanced at Hotaru, hoping _she_ was getting
the point, too.
"I've been under the whip a few times," Damris said, "While I belonged to Korudon.
Zacharias, too. You wouldn't believe how much it hurts."
"We can," Galea and Felicia said.
"Oh?" Hotaru asked, nibbling her salad nervously.
"Yeah," Felicia said. "When Rini and Salina tried to escape, we did too...but we got
caught getting out of our cage. We got three lashes. Each."
"Our backs are probably scarred now," Galea said gloomily.
"Oh, they are, dear," Ariadne said. "I have seen them, you know. And now that I think
about it, at the auction they did say that Rini and the other girl sold with her had been flogged
once for disobedience."
"While I agree that disobedient slaves should be punished accordingly, flogging a child
is...is...insane!" Hrisoula voiced her opinion on the matter. "He could have killed her! And
would he have cared?! I sincerely think not."
"No," Serena said. "I don't think he would have allowed Rini to come to fatal harm...she
was too 'valuable' to him then."
"Poor Rini," Hotaru said. "But...she looked alright at the Colosseum. So she must be
okay! Despite the...scarring..."
"And to think that Decima actually wedded that...monster!" Thernacius said. "And bore
him a child!"
"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't mention her sooner," Serena said. "But I didn't know she was
the same Decima you told me about. I don't know about you, but Decima sounds to me like a
pretty common name."
"So it is," Thernacius agreed. "And it wasn't like I'd ever shown you a picture of the girl,
either."
"The man has no moral compass," Iosif said. "If my brother was evil, he is far worse,
from what I saw."
"To be honest, I just try not to go anywhere near his place, myself," Tatius commented as
he sipped from his wine goblet.
"Can we talk about something else, please?" Zacharias stared at all of them with pleading
eyes. They glanced at him a moment, then nodded quietly, all of them smiling.
* * *
Pherinias slowly crept through the shadows, making his way along the palace walls to an
upper window. His years as a master thief and hired assassin were coming in handy now. Soon,
yes, very soon now, he would have his long awaited revenge. It had taken several days of careful
planning and recognizance to figure out a relatively quiet and safe way into the palace, but now it
would all be worth it!
Ahead, he could see his entrance. He approached very quietly, and as he came up to it, he
glanced inside. A Praetorian Guard was coming, so Pherinias ducked back into the shadows and
waited until the man's footsteps retreated. When it was safe, he slipped through the window, and
carefully hid in a storage room, pulling out the map he'd bought from a more disgruntled servant,
checking for where the Prince's chambers were, as rumor had it he kept his two love pets there at
night.
******************************************************************************
Ooh...there's trouble afoot! What does Pherinias have in store for Rini and Salina? And
what will he actually get? Be here next time for Chapter 9: Plots
Want to say something to me? Yell, perhaps? Just send me a jingle at
Scorpinac@sa-tech.com!
And now Lita's tale of gladiatorial servitude continues...
Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC, and Cloverway, in that
order. I make no money by this. More's the pity.
All other characters _not_ taken from History are mine, and you must ask permission to
use them, if you can find a way of using them outside this.
_This_ is emphasis. *This* is thought.
Kudos to the movie Gladiator, which was the inspiration for this.
And now, Scorpinac Fanfic Productions presents:
******************************************************************************
Sailor Moon
Roman Legends
by Scorpinac
Chapter 8: Theophilus
Two days later, she fought in another solo battle, her against one, half crazed, brute of a
warrior. Seeing the bloodlust in his eyes, she killed quickly, striking him through the heart at the
first opening, then left, to the cheers of the crowd, and the blond twins who had rooted for her in
her first battle, the two no older than six or seven at best.
The day after, she was scheduled for another. She waited with the others of Theophilus's
camp in a wooden cage just outside the arena itself for her turn, and Theophilus was carried up in
his chair nearby, Semon once more at his side, and called to her.
"You kill too quickly, my dear," he said. "Remember that you are an entertainer, they
want you to be a hero, to keep coming back for more." Lita rose quietly and walked forward to
the end of the cage and passed through the gate. As she went through, Theophilus, who had been
carried up in tandem with her, called out, "So entertain!"
Lita stepped into the battle area, looking at the three men before her, one carrying a
spiked mace, another a spear-topped battleaxe, and the last carrying two broadswords. She
hefted up her own sword, ready to do what she had to do. This time, as she had in the last three
battles, Lita wore a simple leather armor vest and skirt, nothing fancy or ornate, but a form of
protection, nonetheless.
The three charged forward, and Lita sidestepped, and performed a quick spin kick into the
spear wielder's skull. He dropped. The other two snapped around, and Lita back peddled across
the arena, getting them to come after her. They followed, and she began blocking their swings,
avoiding their slashes and attacks. She would just as soon not get involved at all, but survival
insisted.
The axe wielder swung down, and Lita dodged, and swung down, clipping the back of his
thigh, eliciting an enraged roar of pain. He swung at her again, this time more wildly, and Lita
threw a forward kick into his chest and bounced away. The other remaining opponent made the
bad choice of getting too close to his fellow at the wrong moment, and got nailed in the face by
the axe, falling to ground.
In the audience, Theophilus was brought to his private seat, Semon still at his side, and
watched all that occurred below him. Lita had truly been a wise choice for the arena. The
audience filled the arena's available seating, and some of the nearby hillsides that gave a view of
any kind at all of the intense action as well. Nearby were Maxos and Arete, the seven year-old
twins of his main competitor, Agamemnon. The two had become won away by Lita during her
debut appearance in the arena, and Theophilus knew that couldn't have sat very well with their
father.
"Hello, Maxos, Arete," he greeted them. "How's your father this day?"
"Hello, Theophilus," the boy, Maxos, replied. "Father is fine, and sends his hate."
"I can't say I'm surprised," Theophilus said.
"Hello, Theophilus," Arete, the girl, turned and greeted him. "Can I buy her from you?"
she pointed at Lita down below.
"My Lita?" Theophilus asked. "My dear Arete, certainly not! I don't care how much
your father's willing to pay."
"My father won't pay," Arete said. "He says 'anyone Theophilus owns will die by my
men sooner or later, and the girl is just plain lucky!'" Theophilus couldn't help but laugh lightly
at Arete's imitation of her father. It was priceless.
"And how's your mother?" he asked.
"Mother is fine, and sends her love," Maxos said. He hadn't turned a bit since the battle
had started, truly to follow his father as an arena entertainer. The crowd roared then as the
second man fell in death. Theophilus paid it only a moment's notice.
"But I really want her!" Arete said. "Lita's so amazing! I want her to be my gladiator,
fighting for my glory!"
"She fights for no one's glory," Theophilus told her. "She says that I am a monster, and
that she will not let herself become like me. But I think she is turning despite herself."
"I still want her," Arete turned back to the action. Below, Lita still fought the last man in
the arena against her. He swung his axe around viciously, Lita barely dodging and parrying. He
was moving so fast and hard, it was hard to get an opening. But then Lita dropped, back flipped,
and scooped up a spare sword from the ground, and used one sword to block the axe while
thrusting the other deep into the other gladiator. His eyes stared ahead for a moment, then he fell
like the others, the second sword left in his torso. Lita stared at him moment, the remaining
sword still in her hand.
"She did it!" Arete squealed in delight, while the crowd was quiet for a moment. Just then
Agamemnon strolled over and looked at his rival. Theophilus looked back.
"So there you are," Theophilus said. "We were just talking about you."
"About me, or about my losses?" Agamemnon asked dryly. Theophilus ignored him, and
looked again at Lita. He sighed deeply.
"That girl is impossible," he sighed. "Doesn't even take stage directions."
"You can't control your own gladiator?!" Agamemnon laughed, then sneered. "What a
wimp. Pussy whipped." Theophilus reached up and grabbed Agamemnon by the ear, and pulled
him close, painfully. His eyes bled anger.
"Watch your tongue, or you might lose it," he glowered threateningly. Agamemnon just
stared back at him.
"Well?!" Lita called from below, distracting their attention. "Are you sickos not
entertained?!" She huffed, then tossed her sword to the ground and left the arena as the crowd
erupted into roars of approval. Lita wasn't sure which was worse anymore - the killing, or the
cheering during and afterward.
* * *
"Lita, are you sure you're okay?" Serena asked, deep concern in her voice. Lita had
begun to cry while recounting her battles in the arena.
"No," she said. "I hate what I've been forced to become. I just want to stop, but I
can't."
"You didn't kill the last guy in the battle we saw," Hotaru pointed out. "Hell, you didn't
kill any of them! They all killed each other trying to kill you!"
"She's right," Ami said. "You're not a monster, Lita! Not yet!"
"If the last man, Renatus, hadn't surrendered, if he had forced me to," Lita said, "I would
have killed him. I know I would. I want to live. I'll hate myself for the rest of my life for what
I've done here, but I don't want to die." Lita began to sob, and Serena leaned forward and
hugged her friend closely.
"If you can still feel pain, if it still hurts," she said, "then you haven't lost yourself, Lita. I
know you haven't."
"Really?" Lita asked.
"Yeah," Serena smiled her best smile as she leaned back. "And I know we'll find a way to
free you. Hey! I could buy you! I mean, I'm sure I have enough to cover your costs! I just need
to talk to this Theophilus!"
"He won't sell," Lita said, "I'm too valuable to him. But...he did tell me one way I could
get my freedom..." Serena's face fell slightly.
"Oh?" Hotaru asked. "What?"
"Well, let's see, where was I?" Lita wiped her eyes. "Oh, yeah, my last arena battle in
Gerchium..."
"Don't you mean Derorium?" Hotaru asked.
"Whatever..."
* * *
Three days went by without another battle, and Lita was glad of it. Training, however,
had not ended. Each day was filled with practice. And then, on the twenty sixth day of her stay
in Ancient Rome, she was again summoned to Theophilus's chambers in the main house. The
sheets had been changed since last time (big surprise!), and a new plate of food sat on the desk
with some more papers and scrolls, but otherwise everything was the same, with one minor
exception.
Now sitting next to the desk and Theophilus was a wooden sword with three gold plates
on the hilt. It was a simple affair, two foot long with no notable extravagances, but it seemed
important to Theophilus all the same. Almost as important as her wand was to her.
"Hello, my dear. Juice?" he asked. Lita nodded, and Theophilus poured them both a
drink, and Lita took hers willingly. This time it was orange juice with what tasted like a squirt of
peach. It was pretty good.
"What's up?" she asked. "Think of a new way to try to kill me?"
"Well, that wouldn't please Maxos and Arete," Theophilus grinned.
"Who and who?" Lita asked.
"Your top fans," Theophilus explained. "Seven year-old twins, the offspring of my main
competitor, Agamemnon."
"Blonds with pretty blue eyes?" Lita took a guess.
"Ah, you've noticed them," he said. "I imagine their father is quite annoyed at their
choice in favorite gladiators. Arete wants to buy you, you know." Lita jerked lightly in mid drink
at this news.
"She what?" Lita blinked.
"Oh, yes, she's been quite taken with you. Practically begged me to sell," Theophilus
commented, and then told her of his conversation with the children and their father during the last
battle. "Right now you are far too valuable a prize to let go of, though, my dear."
"Anyone else offer to take me off your hands?" Lita asked. *Like maybe a green haired
woman carrying a long pole arm?*
"No, not yet," he replied. "And not anytime soon, I'm afraid. We're going to Rome."
"We are?" Lita asked. "Why?"
"The new Caesar, Commodus, has decided, in his wisdom, to institute a series of
gladiatorial games in the Colosseum. At last, we will return to the heart of it all. It is an
awesome prospect."
"The Colosseum...that's going to be one hell of a crowd," Lita mused.
"Precisely, my dear," Theophilus stated. "Precisely. And that is why I have called you."
"Oh?" Lita looked at him carefully. Theophilus raised the wooden sword up. The top
plate, on the butt of the hilt, had his name on it, the second, on the side of the butt, something in
Latin she couldn't understand, "Exarenain Libertatem", and the third, on the bottom of the side of
the hilt, the name of Marcus Aurelius, with a pair of Roman numerals, CMXVII and CMXIII
under it. *917 and 913? That can't be right...must be the old dating system before Amino
Domini was adopted...wait, why is it counting down? Wait, maybe they're not dates, maybe
they're something else,* Lita thought as she looked at it.
"This, is the symbol of my freedom, a Rudius," he told her. "I was good, and the crowd
adored me for it. And then, after my last battle, the Caesar Marcus Aurelius took me aside,
touched me with this, on the shoulder, once, and I was a free man."
"You met the Emperor, and he gave you a stick?" Lita's face filled with disbelief.
"I did not meet him," Theophilus said, "I said he touched me once. And while this may be
a mere piece of wood, what it symbolizes is...without price. Surely even you, can see that?"
"Why are you telling me this?" Lita asked, her face softening.
"If you do well in the Colosseum, as I did," Theophilus said, "then maybe you, too, shall
sit at the foot of an Emperor. And then you will be free."
"And all I have to do is kill?" Lita said.
"Win the crowd, dear," he corrected. "Make them love you, as we love you. Win the
crowd, and you will be free. Become the best."
"Very well," Lita said, kneeling down to look him evenly in the eyes. "I'll do what I have
to do. And I'll give them a show to tell their grandchildren's grandchildren about, if that's what it
takes!"
"Yes, my dear," Theophilus smiled in his warmest smile yet. "And then, if the gods are
willing, you will earn your freedom as I did."
"Oh, I will," Lita agreed, "I will."
"And then, if the gods are willing, I would like you to wear...this," Theophilus said,
reaching behind himself to bring up a red leather Roman armor dress with a prominent bronze
stag embroidered upon it in the center, it's front hooves raised as though in attack of something.
Lita stared at the dress for a moment, then took it in her hands.
"I would be honored, Theophilus," she said, and he laid a gentle hand upon her shoulder in
acknowledgment.
* * *
The trip to Rome was not fun.
First they traveled for a day and a half to the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, which
surprised Lita as she'd thought they were further away, and then boarded a large cargo ship for
the European mainland on the other side. To her shock, she saw Maxos, Arete, and two she
could only figure as being their parents boarding up, too, in the passenger area that Theophilus
was entering, and several of Agamemnon's gladiators were being loaded with her and the rest of
Theophilus's 'stock' in the lower reaches.
The conditions in the ship were less than thrilling. Simple cot bunks for each person, zero
privacy, and the only toilet facilities was do it out the window! Not that her quarters in the
compound had been any better or anything, but...
After two or three hours of waiting, the boat moved off, setting sail across the
Mediterranean. The trip took about three more days, and both Urian and Vassos made it their
business to keep any would-be rapists away from Lita, having named themselves her 'stalwart
protectors', as did pretty much all of Theophilus's men, much to her great surprise. Even Semon,
who stayed primarily with Theophilus in the first class compartments to run his day to day
errands, made it a point to come down twice a day to check on her. "Theophilus's orders," he'd
said, yet Lita could see something in his eyes that said he would have done it even without orders
from their master.
Finally, the boat pulled into a dock, and over the course of about three more hours was
unloaded, Lita and the others of her camp being reunited with Theophilus. Once everyone was
accounted for, Theophilus signaled for his small caravan to move forward, and about an hour later
they came up to Rome. Lita and several other gladiators came from the boat to the city on foot,
but that was alright.
As they moved through the city and the crowds to their temporary compound a few
blocks from the Colosseum, Lita couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur of all that was around
her. She'd never realized just how amazing Rome was at the height of its Empire. And when she
saw the Colosseum in the distance, she felt overwhelmed.
"Is that it?" she asked.
"You better believe it!" Urian said. "That is the work of men!" Theophilus was carried
by, Semon nearby, and leaned to her.
"Remember," he said, "Win the crowd." Lita nodded, and he moved on.
"Hey, that one's a _girl_!" a child's voice called out. *Oh, no, not again...* Lita thought.
But this time it was three young girls, each about ten or so, whom came skipping to the front of
the crowd and pacing them.
"What's a girl doing with the gladiators?" one asked.
"Are you here to give them pleasure before they go and die for us?" another asked. Just
then Maxos and Arete came running up the line as fast as their little legs could carry them, then
slowed to a reasonable gait, catching only the last comment.
"She's Lita the Amazing!" Maxos declared.
"She's the best gladiator in Derorium, she is!" Arete added. "And when she has bested
the best the Colosseum has to offer, I shall buy her with what I win by betting on her with my
allowance!" Two of the three girls were awe struck at the endorsement, and the third just stared.
"She's a gladiator?" she asked. "Really?"
"Yeah, the best!" Maxos said again. "No one can beat Theophilus's Lita!"
"Move along, children," Lita said. "I've got people to fight. No time for autographs!"
The line proceeded forward, and they eventually arrived at the new compound, merely half the
size of the old one, but just as serviceable, the living quarters for the owner again two stories
high, but only fifteen meters by fifteen meters. Lita wondered idly when she was first to be tossed
into the arena of Rome.
* * *
"He wants what?!" Theophilus looked at the Colosseum announcer, an elderly, balding,
fat man in rich togas and a red wig. The two were in a marketplace outside the Colosseum itself,
and Theophilus was once again wishing for the gods to return to him the use of his legs that he
might kill someone, preferably the announcer! Semon was at his side, as always.
"Your top fighter, this woman warrior who's gained so much fame in Derorium, is to
battle five male gladiators in the Colosseum today as the warm-up match before the Battle Of
Carthage re-enactment," he said.
"Are you mad?!" Theophilus half roared. "Is he?! No, wait, don't answer that question,
clearly quite rhetorical!"
"You realize, of course, that you have no choice," the announcer said. "What the Caesar
commands, the Caesar gets. And that means your little female wonder gets slaughtered before the
"barbarians" of Carthage."
"And that's another thing," Theophilus commented, still fully irked. "What fool did you
get to supply the fighters for that one?! Agamemnon?!"
"No, Proximo, from Zucchabar," he answered. "If it makes you feel any better, he was no
less pleased."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Theophilus said offhand. "Wait, I remember him! I would
have fought him myself if not for...this..." he waved his hands at his useless legs.
"Ah, yes, so I am told," the announcer said. "Just make sure she's ready to die." And
with that, the chubby ass walked off. Just then, Agamemnon came up, looking just as happy.
"Got asked to turn your best into sacrificial lambs for the mob, too, huh?" he asked.
"Yes, as a 'warm-up' for Proximo's losses," Theophilus confirmed, and snapped his
fingers, his bearers raising him. "North! And you?"
"_I_ get the honor of supplying the warriors for the re-enactment of the final battle against
the barbarian hordes in Francia!" Agamemnon said as they started to move through the crowd.
"And we all know how the then Caesar ended that one!"
"Indeed," Theophilus agreed. "About the only consolation I have is that I'm only losing
one gladiator."
"Lucky you," Agamemnon's sarcasm was plain.
"Was I boasting?" Theophilus asked. "I've never met the Caesar Commodus, yet it seems
that we've both managed to piss him off somehow, sight unseen!"
"So I noticed," Agamemnon replied. "So, how soon do you think he'll order all of your
best men to die pointlessly for the crowd?"
"Three...four days..." Theophilus said offhandedly, then waved his hand to the east,
changing their direction. "You hungry?"
"Now that you mention it," Agamemnon replied. "Anywhere in mind?"
"Over here," Theophilus said, indicating a food cart coming up manned by three men, a
young woman, and a little girl. When they got through the crowd, Theophilus snapped his fingers
again, and his bearers halted. "You, slave girl!" he called to the little black haired child. "Three...
no, five meals, if you please." The girl nodded, and relayed the order to the young woman who
was cooking. The three men, one old, one middle aged, and one young, gave him only a passing
glance, not that he expected anything else. The young woman glanced at him over her shoulder
only once while cooking.
"Think your's have any chance of survival, Agamemnon?" Theophilus asked mildly.
"With that setup?" Agamemnon answered. "Only the gods can save them now."
"That's what I thought," Theophilus said. "Same with my poor dear. One against five!
The Caesar Commodus is quite mad!"
"You think she can't handle it?" Agamemnon blinked, truly surprised.
"With three or more of my other top fighters, no problem," Theophilus stated. "On her
own, most likely no chance at all. She's never had such odds, not since her debut, anyway. And
even then she had half of my whole stock at her back! My poor dear... She's at a clear
disadvantage, you know."
"Oh?" Agamemnon asked.
"Oh, yes," Theophilus said, "but not because of her gender. Her size, she is clearly out
matched by most of Rome's best. That's why I wanted to do only team matches while here.
Anything else is, by definition, lunacy!"
"Your meals, sirs," the slave girls handed the plates out, Semon handing two to
Agamemnon and Theophilus, and taking three himself. "Five gold pieces each." Theophilus
handed her twenty for his four, and Agamemnon handed her five for his own, and then Theophilus
again snapped his fingers and was lifted.
"Over by the fountain," he instructed. "Crowd should hopefully be a little less over there.
Do we have enough drink, Semon?"
"Two skins, sir," Semon replied, nodding to a small bag hitched to his belt.
"Good, we'll stop there and all eat together, and share the drink among us. You, Belen,
and Christos as well," Theophilus stated.
"Thank you, sir," the three chorused, and made all speed for the fountain.
"You spoil them," Agamemnon said. "You are too soft with your slaves."
"Only these three," Theophilus said. "After all, they are now my legs, as I have none. I
owe them at least a little courtesy, if not gratitude for their sacrifice on my behalf." The three
quietly accepted and felt boosted by their master's praise and acknowledgment. "Believe me,"
Theophilus continued, "had you lost your legs in the Colosseum as I had, you would feel the
same." He then tried a bite of his meal, and smiled. "This is pretty good."
"I suppose," Agamemnon ceded, then tried a bite as well. "Mm, you're right." A
moment later they reached the fountain, and all had a very pleasant midday meal.
* * *
"How many?!" Lita shrieked through the bars as everything was being set-up. She was
now in the cage pit below the Colosseum, awaiting her time for battle.
"Five," Theophilus said, and told her of his encounter with the announcer and
Agamemnon just after. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?!" Lita shrieked. "I'm gonna get killed! I can barely handle _three_ competitors
at once, there's no way I can take five!"
"Well, there is one advantage you could use," Theophilus told her. "The Colosseum is far
larger than the arena you normally battle in, so you might be able to use that to give yourself some
breathing room while you're figuring out how to win, if there's any way at all."
"You could cancel the match!" Lita suggested, getting a look of astonishment from her
master. "Can't you? Please," she grabbed his shirt through the bars, "I know you've got a heart
in there, somewhere! Pretty please?!"
"Do you wish to go into the Colosseum with your hands," Theophilus asked, "or without
them?" Lita immediately pulled her hands back in.
"Sorry, sir," she said. "Won't happen again! Just nervous angst. But about my plea..."
"The match was arranged by the Caesar Commodus himself!" Theophilus said. "Even I
am not _that_ suicidal! I'm sorry, my dear, there's nothing I can do. You have three hours or so,
I suggest you try to make peace with the gods, and beg them entrance into the Elysion Fields
when the death blow comes." He then snapped his fingers and waved to the southeast, and was
lifted and carried away. Lita slumped against the bars, ignoring the pain from her now squished
chest.
"Five?" Lita asked the air. "I am so _dead_..." Then a thought had occurred to her.
She'd been using her martial arts to aid her in all her other battles, though with the last few the
other guys had started to get wise to it and account for them. But none of the gladiators in Rome
itself knew of them! She may have a chance yet! Hey, she could pray, couldn't she?
* * *
The time drew nearer to the battle, and Lita slowly psyched herself up. She'd cooked up a
very simple strategy: stay alive! The other gladiators prepared and donned their armor for their
own battles to come, and Lita went over to the rack and got hers and slipped it on, making sure
the restraints were good and tight. Then, as extra protection, she picked up a good, sturdy shield
to go with her sword. She glanced at helmets, but most weren't in her size, and those that were
risked obstructing her vision to take a chance on. If she was going to stand a chance at surviving
this, she was going to need _all_ of her vision, normal and peripheral!
"Lita!!" a voice called, and she turned to see Maxos and Arete standing near a side exit to
the street. They were all smiles, sadly. "We will cheer for you, Lita!!" Maxos called.
"Yes, we know you will win," Arete cried. "You are unbeatable!"
"Thanks," Lita said, "I actually needed that this time. Better get going, or you'll miss it!"
The twins smiled at her acceptance, and scooted off to find their seat in the Colosseum above.
Lita sighed quietly. *I don't think I'll ever understand those two,* she thought.
Near the street entrance where she'd spoken with Theophilus last at, she noticed the guy
called 'Spaniard' talking with a little boy. A few feet from the boy was a little girl with bright red
hair, waiting almost timidly. As she turned her head away, her peripheral vision caught another
flash of hair...pink hair.
Her head snapped back, but she detected no one with pink hair anywhere nearby, and the
boy the Spaniard was talking to had gone, the red-head with him. And the Spaniard was now
donning a silver helmet that partially obscured his face. *Must be my imagination,* Lita
reasoned, and went through the other gladiators to find the entrance to the main arena. As she
moved through, a guard tapped her shoulder, and she turned to him.
"You Lita?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lita answered.
"This way," he nodded his head to one side, and she followed his lead. He led her through
a small underground network of cells and cages to a small platform that seemed connected to
some primitive gear mechanisms. Straight above it was an opening to the sky, and through it she
could hear the crowd getting worked up.
"Step on," the guard instructed. "They intend for you to enter here."
"Okay," Lita said calmly, taking a few breaths, and stepped onto the platform. From
above, a male voice starting calling above the rest.
"Romans! On this wonderful day of the games, we have a special treat!" the voice called.
"All the way from the southern arenas of Derorium, from the camp of the once proud gladiator
Theophilus, a woman warrior of no simple skill, who today shall battle not one, not two, but five
stout men till only one person is left standing!" At this point she could hear heavy footsteps
entering the arena above. Lita swallowed nervously as she prepared to enter the arena herself.
After a few more moments, the platform she was standing on began to lift upward, and she
realized she was standing on an old fashioned version of an elevator!
*Here we go,* she gulped, and a few seconds later she was lifted into the main arena,
giving her the first view she'd had of her competition...and the enormous crowd of thousands!
*Oh, god...* she thought.
"Ladies and gentlemen, young and old," the announcer cried, " I give you the woman
wonder!
"Let's hear it for LITA THE MAGNIFICENT!!!"
* * *
"We know what happened next," Hotaru said. "I hate to tell you this, but Ami and I were
in the crowd, Lita."
"You must have been the ones who shouted that warning near the end," Lita said. "Or
maybe Rini...uh, Serena, do you know what happened..."
"Ami told me," Serena said. "I can't believe Rini had to watch all that...or that you had to
be a part of it...any of it..."
"Are you okay, Lita?" Ami asked. "It looked like one them did get a hit in." In response,
Lita lifted her shirt to show them the bandage. Fortunately, it had stopped bleeding.
"Serena, I don't suppose you could, you know, give it a little push so it doesn't scar?"
Lita asked. Serena smiled, directed Hotaru with her hand to watch the door, and pulled out her
locket, using the Silver Crystal's power to hasten the healing process somewhat. She stopped
after only a few moments, and Lita knew she wasn't completely healed, but that she now no
longer ran the risk of gaining a large, ugly scar when it finished on its own. She lowered her shirt
back down, and Serena signaled for Hotaru to come and sit back down as she quietly stowed her
brooch.
"So," Lita said, "How have you all been doing in Ancient Rome?"
"Well, as you already know, Rini was kidnapped because of her hair and is now a slave to
the Prince of Rome," Serena said, "And as it happens, the stand where your owner got his meal
earlier is where I'm currently working to earn the three thousand gold I need to buy her back."
"Three thousand?!" Lita cried. "Why so much?"
"That's what Lucius paid for her," Serena explained. "Aside of that, I've had a pretty
good time, except for the constant worry, the heartache, Georgio..."
"Who?" Lita asked.
"Georgio," Hotaru answered. "A boy your age at the place we're all staying. He wants
to marry her."
"Serena!" Lita said, trying to sound shocked, but failing. "You know you have Darien!"
"That's why I keep telling him no," Serena replied, "No matter how cute he might happen
to be."
"And then there's Iosif," Hotaru said. "He wants to marry Ami!"
"Huh?!" Ami blinked.
"What?!" Serena and Lita stared in shock.
"Oh, please, Hotaru," Ami said, trying to wave it off. "He's just a good friend."
"Oh, come on, Ami," Hotaru said, "It's only so obvious! The guy's totally fallen head-
over-heals for you! And he's much better than his brother, who I will kill with extreme prejudice
should I happen to see him again."
"HOTARU!!" the others snapped at her. "You can't mean that!"
"Wanna bet?" Hotaru stared at them impassively.
"Why would you want to kill him, anyway?" Lita asked.
"Maybe we should start at the beginning..." Ami said, and she and Hotaru told Lita of
their entire Roman adventure, stopping after their arrival in Rome the previous day and finding of
Serena. Lita thought quietly a moment on what she had just learned about their time, most
especially on Eleutherios's attempted rape of Hotaru, and clear and possible intent to rape Damris
later when the girl got back.
"You're right," she finally said to Hotaru, "Kill him slowly and painfully! In fact, should
he turn up in the arena against me, I'll lop his gonads off, _then_ kill him!"
"LITA!!" Serena and Ami snapped.
"Have you forgotten that you're Sailor Jupiter?!" Serena asked. "Look, I agree with your
reasoning, okay, but Sailors do _not_ kill humans unless they have no choice, like you don't when
you're...in there..."
"Sorry," Lita said. "Just the idea of Hotaru almost getting defiled like that, and the SOB
getting away unpunished, ticks me off!"
"It pisses us all off," Serena agreed, surprising them all with her choice of language. "But
there's nothing we can do about it now, so it would be best to try and put it behind us."
"I just don't think I can," Hotaru said gloomily. "I want to see him _hurt_ for what he
did. I can't help it."
"Hey, ladies!" a guard called from the barred door to the private cell, "Time's up!"
"But we're not finished visiting!" Lita said. "Can't we finish our girl talk?"
"Sorry, Lita, but your owner wants you back now," the guard said. "And there's a girl
here named Damris saying she's to pick up someone named Ami and Hotaru and bring them back
to a Lady Hrisoula on the double."
"Oops, that's us," Ami said. "Guess we have to go."
"I'll come by the street entrance when I have more time," Serena said. "I'll tell you my
story in full then, or come and tell you at Theophilus's compound, if I can find it. At least I know
what he looks like."
"Sure, Serena. See ya all later," Lita bid her friends good bye, and they reciprocated, and
the door was opened, the three leaving. A moment later the guard came in and unshackled her,
leading her back to the Colosseum cells, and the entrance to the street where Urian, Vassos, and
Semon were waiting.
"Hi, guys," she greeted them.
"We waited for you," Vassos said, worry in his eyes. "It took so long, we began to think
maybe they couldn't get enough."
"Are you all right, Lita?" Urian asked.
"They didn't aggravate your injury, did they?" Semon asked. He and Urian also looked
worried.
"I'm fine," Lita assured them. "They friends of mine, Rini's mother and two others. We
just talked." The three men calmed considerably as she, Urian, and Vassos were released to
Semon's custody, who led them back to Theophilus's Roman compound. As they stepped
outside into the street, Lita noticed it was evening, the sun quickly disappearing below the
horizon.
"What about?" Vassos asked.
"Dresses," Urian said.
"Babies," Semon nodded confidently.
"The past," Lita corrected them. "We just did some catching up. How I wound up as a
gladiator, what's been happening to them since we last saw each other, stuff like that."
"Oh," they said.
"Well, as long as you're no more harmed than when you left," Urian said, and the other
two agreed.
Lita thought about what Hotaru had said about Iosif's feelings for Ami, and this Georgio's
feelings for Serena.
*Could it be?* she thought. *Could Vassos, Urian, and Semon...be in love with me?*
She thought about it some more, looking at each of them quietly, their calm expressions and
demeanors, then shook her head. *Nah...*
* * *
Serena, Ami, and Hotaru found Damris waiting near a northern exit from the Colosseum
cell areas, and the guard then lead all four of them out to the street, where they found Iosif and
Georgio waiting.
"They insisted on coming," Damris told them as the guard left them and they started
walking through the streets back to Ariadne's and Tatius's.
"Oh, that's okay," Ami said as she readjusted her cloak. "Actually, it makes me feel a
little safer."
"Which is why I came," Iosif said. "The streets are likely not safe at night in Rome."
"Yes," Georgio agreed. "Your safety, Serena, is my greatest concern."
"Uh, thanks, Georgio," Serena nodded politely. *Where's Darien when I _really_ need
him!* she thought.
"So, how was your visit?" Damris asked. "Is she as fierce chained as when she fights?"
"Lita?" Hotaru asked. "Nah, she's real nice. She's our friend, that's why we went to see
her."
"A friend," Damris said. "Who was all the way in Derorium?"
"Yeah, so?" Hotaru asked.
"Who was until recently on the other side of the Mediterranean?" Damris asked.
"Damris, what are you getting at?" Iosif asked, his own curiosity rising, as was Georgio's.
"Yeah, she was, so?" Hotaru replied before Damris could. "What are you trying to
imply...wait...the other side of...Derorium's in...Africa?"
"Of course," Georgio said. "It's northern border is just three leagues off of the northern
coast." Serena and Ami both shot a glance at each other. Damris knew something! At that
moment, they were saved from total revelation by the most unlikely candidate of all!
"Well, well, well," a familiar, at least to Serena, male voice chuckled. "If it isn't Pinky's
mother." They stopped and turned to see Barvus Cephiro standing nearby, leaning against a small
statue of some god or past Caesar, grinning. He stood up and strolled calmly in their direction.
"You know, sweetie," he said, "I realized belatedly I should have taken you as well as
your girl." He then glanced at Ami. "I dare say, the way the torch light bounced on her hair, I
almost thought it was...blue."
"Actually," Ami said, reaching into her pocket, "It is blue."
"Oh?" Cephiro beamed. But then Ami pulled out her papers from Hrisoula.
"Don't even think about it, buster! I am a personal slave of Lady Hrisoula of Tercham,
and have come with her to Rome on holiday," she showed him the papers. "And don't try to tell
me it doesn't say that, because _I_ can read!" Cephiro gave them a glance, then shrugged.
"And people wonder why I prefer to _avoid_ the Austrian provinces," he said.
"Who...?" Hotaru started to ask, but Georgio cut her off.
"So, _you're_ Barvus Cephiro!" he said. "My father told me what you do, how you stole
poor Decima from our neighbors!"
"Decima?" Cephiro batted an eye. "Oh, yes, her. I didn't steal, kidnap, or enslave her,
_boy_."
"Oh?" Georgio asked. "So she wound up in one of your cages by magic? The power of
the Gods, perhaps?"
"Or in your personal cart?" Serena asked, then swallowed lightly. "Willingly?"
"Willingly?!" Georgio shrieked lightly.
"How'd you figure that out?" Cephiro stared at Serena.
"So I'm right," Serena sighed. "The Decima I met when I tried to steal Rini back from
your compound _was_ the same Decima Thernacius told me about."
"Wait, you met her?" Georgio asked.
"Yeah," Serena said. "And not a chain on her..."
"She left Tarria of her own free will," Cephiro confirmed. "To marry me, and she has also
born me a strong son."
"Timotheos?" Serena asked as Georgio looked on dumbstruck. Iosif and Damris weren't
really following the conversation too well, as they didn't know who Cephiro was, but the looks
on Ami and Hotaru's faces were enough to let them know he was to be considered an enemy...of
some kind.
"Ah, so you saw my boy as well," Cephiro smiled wider in his smug way.
"And Cavinus's girls, uh, Zea and the other one, sorry didn't actually catch her name,"
Serena admitted. "Wasn't hard really, he called Decima 'Mommy' when I saw him."
"Lelia," Cephiro said, drawing a blank from Serena. "Cavinus's elder daughter, her name
is Lelia. Oh, yes, I do wish I'd taken you when I had the chance."
"Why?" Serena asked, not really curious, but hoping for an opening to knee this asshole in
the nuts!
"If you can birth one pink haired child, surely you could birth another, and another, and
another," Cephiro replied. "But at present I have other things to worry about. Plans to fulfill..."
"You lay one hand on my beloved," Georgio snapped, pulling out a dagger and holding it
in Cephiro's face, "and you leave here to meet the barge driver on the River Styx!"
"I can pay Charon for a private ride,"Cephiro boasted, slapping the blade away
effortlessly. "Can you?"
"So you're the monster who kidnapped and enslaved Rini!" Hotaru broke in.
"Rini?" Cephiro blinked, then nodded in understanding, "Ah, yes, Rini Shields, our pink
haired wonder. Oh, yes, that would be me." He then turned back to Serena. "Bit of a bother at
first, she actually tried to escape from me!" Serena felt a chill go down her back, as did Ami and
Hotaru. "But six lashes later took the fight right out of her! Oh, yes, after that she learned
perfect obedience. I dare say she's being just as obedient for Lucius Verus. Even in his bed!"
Cephiro began to laugh at his own comment nastily. At that moment, a low, dull thud resounded
through the air, and Cephiro's eyes widened in shock as he fell down, groaning and clutching his
private parts. Serena pulled back and stared at her handy work, the others looking on in shock at
what she'd done.
"Serena..." Ami gasped.
"Consider this _extremely_ restrained!" Serena's voice was filled, for the first time in her
life, with absolute hate. "Especially since what I _really_ want to do is _kill_ him!" She then
turned and walked away, her heart now secretly aching worse than ever. The others quickly
followed her, leaving Cephiro on the ground.
"You win this time, blondie," Cephiro squeaked as he tried to pull himself together. "But
only this time. We _will_ meet again!" After a few minutes the pain subsided, and he got to his
feet. He glanced menacingly at the nearby citizens and their slaves who had stopped to look, and
then continued on his way to his original destination.
Theophilus's Compound.
* * *
"You hit him where?!" Thernacius stared at Serena.
"Right between the legs, father!" Georgio stated happily. "It was beautiful!"
"Now, Georgio, calm down," Ariadne said, then turned to Serena. "Your poor child, I do
hope she's recovered alright." Serena just nodded, clenching one fist over and over. Shortly after
they had gotten back, they had sat down to dinner, everyone in the household attending, as per
Ariadne's request. Little Zacharias just munched quietly, not saying a word.
The meal in question consisted of salad, peaches and oranges, and roast turkey, with wine
and well prepared grape and apple juice to drink.
"Um..." Hotaru said, "I really hate to ask, but when he said 'six lashes', did he mean..."
"He flogged her," Serena said, her voice full of venom. "He flogged my baby. I should
have taken Georgio's knife and slashed his fucking throat!!!"
"But you didn't," Ami said, placing an arm around Serena's shoulders comfortingly.
"You proved you were better than him!" At this she glanced at Hotaru, hoping _she_ was getting
the point, too.
"I've been under the whip a few times," Damris said, "While I belonged to Korudon.
Zacharias, too. You wouldn't believe how much it hurts."
"We can," Galea and Felicia said.
"Oh?" Hotaru asked, nibbling her salad nervously.
"Yeah," Felicia said. "When Rini and Salina tried to escape, we did too...but we got
caught getting out of our cage. We got three lashes. Each."
"Our backs are probably scarred now," Galea said gloomily.
"Oh, they are, dear," Ariadne said. "I have seen them, you know. And now that I think
about it, at the auction they did say that Rini and the other girl sold with her had been flogged
once for disobedience."
"While I agree that disobedient slaves should be punished accordingly, flogging a child
is...is...insane!" Hrisoula voiced her opinion on the matter. "He could have killed her! And
would he have cared?! I sincerely think not."
"No," Serena said. "I don't think he would have allowed Rini to come to fatal harm...she
was too 'valuable' to him then."
"Poor Rini," Hotaru said. "But...she looked alright at the Colosseum. So she must be
okay! Despite the...scarring..."
"And to think that Decima actually wedded that...monster!" Thernacius said. "And bore
him a child!"
"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't mention her sooner," Serena said. "But I didn't know she was
the same Decima you told me about. I don't know about you, but Decima sounds to me like a
pretty common name."
"So it is," Thernacius agreed. "And it wasn't like I'd ever shown you a picture of the girl,
either."
"The man has no moral compass," Iosif said. "If my brother was evil, he is far worse,
from what I saw."
"To be honest, I just try not to go anywhere near his place, myself," Tatius commented as
he sipped from his wine goblet.
"Can we talk about something else, please?" Zacharias stared at all of them with pleading
eyes. They glanced at him a moment, then nodded quietly, all of them smiling.
* * *
Pherinias slowly crept through the shadows, making his way along the palace walls to an
upper window. His years as a master thief and hired assassin were coming in handy now. Soon,
yes, very soon now, he would have his long awaited revenge. It had taken several days of careful
planning and recognizance to figure out a relatively quiet and safe way into the palace, but now it
would all be worth it!
Ahead, he could see his entrance. He approached very quietly, and as he came up to it, he
glanced inside. A Praetorian Guard was coming, so Pherinias ducked back into the shadows and
waited until the man's footsteps retreated. When it was safe, he slipped through the window, and
carefully hid in a storage room, pulling out the map he'd bought from a more disgruntled servant,
checking for where the Prince's chambers were, as rumor had it he kept his two love pets there at
night.
******************************************************************************
Ooh...there's trouble afoot! What does Pherinias have in store for Rini and Salina? And
what will he actually get? Be here next time for Chapter 9: Plots
Want to say something to me? Yell, perhaps? Just send me a jingle at
Scorpinac@sa-tech.com!
