Chapter 29: The Confession of Gaius
Ursa struggled madly with her captors. The legionaire holding her had asked for assistance and now two of them were trying to force Ursa towards Gaius's tent. Commodus raced out of the tent with Lucilla as one of them took a flog and raised his arm to strike her. Commodus growled and stood a few feet in front of them, trying desperately to be intimidating.
"Hey!", he yelled. The men turned and glared at him. Ursa stood completely still as the legionaires stopped moving and remained still in confusion. "Unhand my wife!"
The men began to laugh scornfully at the young emperor. Ursa felt her jaw drop instinctively. Commodus remained standing perfectly still, fists clenched and at the ready. Ursa suddenly growled at the men holding her and threw her elbows into their abdomens. The two men doubled over and groaned in pain.
"What did you say?", she demanded. A soldier attacked Commodus from the left side. Commodus threw a fierce punch into the man's face. He turned to her, breathing heavily.
"You heard me. They obeyed, me.", Commodus replied. Ursa frowned at him.
"Did you call me your wife?", she demanded.
Another two soldiers attacked the young monarch from the right. Commodus turned and ducked, throwing two simultaneous punches into the men's faces. They flew backwards, landing in front of another set of troops. Commodus glared at them.
"Stay there for a moment.", he ordered and turned back to Ursa. "Yes, I did. You are my wife, it was my decision to do so several days ago."
"Why wasn't I informed of it!?", Ursa demanded crossing her arms. Three more soldiers accosted the young man, this time with weapons drawn. Commodus groaned and reached down, picking up the blade of one of the fallen soldiers.
"I hardly think now is the time or the place!", Commodus shouted as he crossed the blade accross two of the attacker's swords. He moved his right hand over and grabbed the hilt of the third's blade, bashing him in the face with the butt of the hilt. Commodus swiped to the side with his sword, dissarming one of the men. He swung back up at the final blade, causing it to fly out of the man's hand and land in front of Ursa. "I thought I was fairly clear with you as to my feelings at the very beginning.", he grunted as he used both fists to once again hit two men in the face at once.
"Of course I didn't know! I was overcome with lust, that's all.", Ursa shouted back. One of the three soldiers managed to stand and stare at Commodus for a moment. He chuckled suggestively at his ruler and gave a half smile. Commodus growled and hit the man firmly on the jaw. "I am absoloutely disgusted with myself!"
"You should be! You ran out of the room while I was trying to be tender with you!", Commodus shouted angrily. Four more of the legionaires attacked. These men were armed with swords and attacked from either side. Commodus let out a low growl that raised into a loud scream. He took two more blades from the fallen soldiers at his feet. Now armed with two blades, the young emperor swung both around in an impressive display of strength. The soldiers hesitated as Commodus turned back to Ursa. "Couldn't we discuss this at home?!"
"Fine! If you want to venture all the way out to my home and speak with me, then you can call on me when you're ready to apologize!"
"For what!?", he shouted. The men advanced on him. He turned and glared at them. "Stay where you are or I'll castrate all of you at once!"
"For taking my innocence, you fool!", Ursa shouted indignantly.
"I don't recall you asking me to stop! I asked you if you were ready and willing every step of the way!", Commodus replied enraged. "In fact, if I recall correctly you told me that you were mine and you wanted me to take you!"
"Do you think you own everything!?!"
"YES! I'm Caesar!", he shouted madly. He turned to the rest of the men. "Oh, get it over with!"
The four men hesitated. Commodus growled and moved to attack them. The soldiers stood back and watched as Commodus took both blades and swung them at the men. The four scattered.
"This is exactly why I didn't want to fall in love with you!", Ursa shouted through tears. "You can never be my husband without being my superior first!"
"Stop being dramatic! You're my wife and there's nothing I would change about that!", Commodus yelled towards her. She stared at him silently. "I haven't been given an opportunity to be a good emperor or a good husband! Can't you give me time? I can't say that we're equals, Ursa. That would be arrogant. You risked your life and innocence to help the people you love. I could never be that brave."
"Of course you couldn't.", an oily voice behind him said. Commodus turned, dropping both blades. "Sieze him.", Gaius ordered. Commodus was far too stunned and already exhausted to try and pick up the blades before six large men took hold of him. He glared at the old senator as Gaius motioned towards Lucilla and Ursa. Four men took hold of the two of them and gathered the three in a group. Gaius smiled.
"Men, I give you the opportunity to prove your loyalty and remove any need to execute you.", Commodus stated firmly. "Release my wife, my sister, and my person and you will all be pardoned."
The majority of the men began to laugh hatefully. Commodus glared at them. One of them stepped forward and drew his sword.
"You heard the em-m-m-m-mperor. Release them at on-n-n-n-nce.", the young man stuttered. The men laughed even harder. Commodus was moved deeply. Obviously this young man had joined the military because there was nowhere else for him. He had a terrible speech problem, but a very brave heart. If he survived this, he would have to take special note of this young man. Gaius nodded towards the young man. Three of his fellow soldiers hit the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. Gaius smiled. The rest of the soldiers chuckled and tightened their grip on the captives.
"Pity. I thought we had weeded out all of the simpering weaklings.", Gaius mused. "No matter, now we can get down to what is truly important for the time being. Clearing the throne for a better emperor. One who appreciates the hard work and dedication it takes to be a professional warrior. Imagaine men, absoloute freedom in the ranks."
"No one has absoloute freedom, not even me.", Commodus countered angrily.
"Well, you don't anymore. Then again, you never quite understood your position on the throne. You have yet to pass a truly edgy edict, after all.", Gaius said cruelly. "Well, at least not one that was an original idea of yours."
"I'll give you the same opportunity, Gaius. Surrender and you will simply be exiled.", Commodus offered. Gaius and the rest of the men laughed even harder and even colder than ever before. "Very well, I see you would rather do things a harder way."
"Commodus, there was nothing I loved more than watching your father tear into you as a child. You were so well behaved every time the old fool flogged you.", Gaius said with a wicked smile. "In fact, before I kill you I think I should enjoy that once more."
"Leave him alone!", Ursa shouted. The soldiers holding onto her hit into her abdomen, causing her to reel forwards for a moment, crying out in agony.
The men laughed a little louder. Gaius clapped his hands and pointed to one of the large posts that held the ropes with the horses. The men holding onto Commodus dragged him over to the post and forced his hands above his head, binding them tightly to the post as he faced the wooden prison. Two of them each took hold of the top of his garments and ripped them in half, leaving his back and chest bare. He breathed heavily. Gaius approched him, calling for a whip. Commodus felt a massive chill rip through him and a sickness wash over him. He remembered the pain and humility that had been thrust upon him every time he had been subjected to this as a boy. Gaius smiled and raised his arm behind him.
"Do you realize the irony of this, Commodus? I'll be taking your father's place in two areas.", the old man said as he brought the whip down onto the youth's back. Commodus grunted loudly, holding back a scream as the sting of the leather tore his flesh. "Humiliating you and then taking the throne, a duet of wonderful accomplishments, don't you agree?"
"You will never take the throne, Gaius. The fates aren't that cruel.", Commodus breathed loudly. Gaius laughed and brought the whip against the young emperor once more.
"You should reserve your strength, highness. This is going to take a while, and resistance isn't in your family.", Gaius chided. He struck the emperor with the whip again, causing an even louder grunt from Commodus. The young emperor allowed a few harsh tears to drip down his face. "Marcus gave out after only a few brief moments of my suffocating him. Then again your sister had done a fairly good job of making sure that I would be able to do him in. Still, I really wished I could have seen the look on the old man's face as I choked the life out of him. Pity. No resistance whatsoever."
As the whip hit the young man a fourth time, Commodus felt an insatiable rage in his veins. It began boiling at a speed unmatched by any horse in the empire. He screamed in sheer anger and ripped the ropes binding his wrists together. His hands were freed, but bleeding slightly at the wrists. Gaius took a step backwards as Commodus advanced on him.
"You killed Marcus. That's what started all of this! You killed him, then told me to sign the document that killed Maximus's family. Then you threatened my sister and nephew and began plotting to kill me thorougly! You passed all of those edicts issuing unjust arrests and executions!", Commodus shouted as he raised his fist at the old man. "You are beyond evil!"
"And what are you going to do about it? You haven't the strength to fend off all of these men and then deal with me!", Gaius retorted. Commodus walked closer to the man and snarled at him. Gaius frowned a little, beginning to show fear.
"What's the matter, Gaius? Are you afraid of me?", Commodus chided with a slight smile. Gaius stood still and looked to either side of him. After having seen their exhausted young emperor break free of new ropes even while in pain, none of them wanted to suffer whatever was building within the young man. His eyes were positively glowing with rage. The soldiers stood back, a few of them still keeping hold of Lucilla and Ursa. "Come on, Gaius. You wanted to take my father's place, didn't you? Come here and do what the cowardly old fool didn't get a chance to. End my life and watch me die."
Gaius stared at the youth in stunned silence for a moment. Commodus smiled brightly. Gaius was, in fact, too terrified to face the emperor on an equal level. Commodus moved even closer. Gaius took a sword from one of the nearby legionaires and held it in front of him. Commodus breathed heavily and then stepped to the side, taking hold of the defensive young soldier's blade. He nodded toward the brave warrior before turning back to Gaius. He knew exactly what needed to be done and that he did in fact have the strength to carry it out at last.