Maximus Must Die
Chapter Seven
It was a mess, a terrible mess. He stood looking out over the streets, aware of his sister's broken spirited body sitting behind him. He was awaiting confirmation of his orders, waiting silently whilst his head tormented him.
He was so unbelievably angry, more so than he had ever been. Even as a boy he struggled to raise his voice, but now he could feel the rage bubbling inside him, mounted up over a life of neglect, desperate to be released. He was trying his best to suppress it, but he didn't know how much longer he could last.
He felt as though he had been denied maternal, paternal and fraternal duties. It was his family's duty to love him, to support him but they all abandoned him in favour of foreigners and Elysium. It wasn't fair - he had come to realise nothing in his life was.
Patricide - how could it have been patricide when Marcus denied him as his son? Commodus lacked a strong, male role model - he lacked a father, so how could it have been patricide? He loved Marcus dearly, but it did not matter how much he loved his father, he would never have the feelings returned. It was the story of his life, the little loving boy whom nobody loved in return. It was a striking story, but not as striking as the one of the 'hero of the moment' Maximus: The general who became a slave, the slave who became a gladiator, the gladiator who defied an emperor. Providing his plans went well, the story would come to a glorious conclusion in which Commodus would kill Maximus in the arena to the ambient noise of clapping. It was his dream, his right, his destiny - and he would achieve it no matter what.
But he did not want to have to kill Maximus, he had already lived with the guilt of that, but if Maximus lived the people would continue to turn their backs on him, just as everyone close to him had done to that date. He had father's blood on his hands and now he would have son's and he doubted if he had the strength to come to terms with both.
Lucilla. He knew what he had to do with her. If no other woman would bear him a son then it would have to be her, a son of pure blood. He would love him wholly and the offspring would love him, as would Lucius. They would be father and son - a family, the family he never had.
And Lucius, Lucius would stay with him and if Lucilla decided to put into action any of her other malicious schemes then he would threaten his life - that was how he had control over her.
He did not understand what he had done to her to make her hate him so. She was in agreement that he should be emperor, she did not like Marcus. She told him to punish those who stood against him and he did do it. He fulfilled her every whim and want and this was how she repaid him - by plotting to have him killed. He was almost at the stage where he would not be able to leave his chambers in fear of being struck down by some murderer with a knife. He didn't understand her.
The only thing that settled his heart was the glorious view of the Colosseum in front of him. Just as he stopped to admire it a flock of birds flew high over it, reminding Commodus of the beauty that was still left in the world.
It is done.
Falco had returned, everything went well. Commodus felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, but he still had a nagging doubt in the back of his mind. He turned around to face his servant.
And what of my nephew and what of his mother? Shall they share her lover's fate or should I be merciful? Commodus the merciful. Lucius will stay with me now and if his mother so much as looks at me in a manner that displeases me, he will die. And if she decides to be noble and take her own life, he will die. And, as for you...
He walked over to Lucilla.
...you will love me as I have loved you. You will provide me with an heir of pure blood so that Commodus and his progeny will rule for 1,000 years. Am I not merciful?
She had brought this upon herself. He would seal her fate with a kiss and so leaned in, but she turned away, so he refrained. In a sudden fit of anger he grabbed her chin and turned her face.
AM I NOT MERCIFUL?! He screamed it, his face turning purple. It was the angriest and the loudest he had ever been. He was merciful - he could have raped her, he could have killed her, he could have killed Lucius, he could have killed Maximus. He was merciful. He was.
She was crying, Let's all sympathise with Lucilla, for she is the victim in all of this. He thought. Nobody will sympathise with Commodus, he wasn't moral, although everything he did was in the name of good, how am I evil?
He knew Falco felt unease from this confrontation.
Escort her to the arena for the next battle - I would not want her to miss it, it will be unforgettable. He smiled sadly to himself, it would be unforgettable.
He walked out of the hall leaving the two behind. It was almost time to pay a visit to Maximus, almost time. It was only dawn, he would wait a while before speaking with him, he had to recover his strength.
He hated the way he felt: infuriated. He could rip the whole world up in this mood, which scared him even more. He was lost, lost in a sea of blood, treachery and hate. His feelings mixed up and many, destroying his logic. Everything had gone wrong and it began with Maximus' return, things were great before he showed his face in Rome.
Even if Commodus did die, he would still be considered courageous for fighting him, rather than having him executed. He would still be seen as brave and noble. But he wouldn't die, he couldn't and if he did he did not care, it would be his fate. Perhaps these events were carefully planned and not just random, perhaps fate was ruling him. But Maximus was a thorn in his side which he needed to remove.
Well, Maximus would not be here for much longer, for Commodus would rid the world of his name and in ten thousand years people would still say his name and 'Maximus' would be nothing more than a whisper - shadow and dust.