In the long, empty and cold corridor could be hear soft footsteps. Five people were walking through the inside the arena. Behind walls, outside, the sun dipped below the horizon. It looked like the city started to live, now when the night fell upon it. There were sounds of music from the taverns and laughter from the brothels.
Erwin truly despised the night sounds of the town. Fortunately, they didn't reach him into the inside of the arena and his villa was outside the town, far away from those disgusting sounds.
„Come on, come on, Erwin!" Hanji dragged the blond by his hand in a very childish way. "I want to see him!"
Beside them there was only one guard of the arena who leaded them to Erwin's new property and Erwin's two bodyguards, both of them quiet. Hanji was there because she wanted to see the property.
"Was it you who bought him or me?" Erwin asked.
Few minutes ago he and Pixiv made a deal about that barbarian, Levi. He wasn't very cheap. He even could be considered as a very expansive, but that was the way Pixiv dealt with everything. He made the most of everything that came. He had the chance to take Erwin's money so he did it.
Well, it wasn't like it would affect Erwin in some serious way. Erwin even thought it was worth it. After all, the crowd seemed to love that barbarian and they ended shouting his name like he was some short of a warrior. And people loved warriors. The popularity of Levi could be Erwin's if he would use him in the right way.
"You are no fun at all!" Hanji broke his train of thoughts. "And I'm not sure where he is from. What do you think, Erwin? He surely can't be a German – most of them have blonde hair and they are so BIG… I think some of them are even taller than Mike and bigger than you, you know?"
Erwin smiled. "Yes, I know. You keep forgetting that I fight them when we were conquering Germania."
"Oh, sorry, my bad." Hanji grinned. "Anyway… He can't be German. Maybe he's from Syria? What do you think?"
"I think it doesn't matter."
"Erwin!" Hanji squeezed his shoulder, hard. "It does matter! I want to know everything about his culture. Please, promise me I will be able to see him, please!"
Erwin sighed. "Well, who am I to deny a wish of such a beautiful lady?"
"You are the best, Erwin… after the emperor, of course!" Hanji petted his shoulder in the place where she squeezed him. Erwin had no doubt there would be a bruise.
Finally, they reached the area near the gate into inside the arena. This was where they kept criminals and other people who were about to be send to death. They passed by few cells with very strange looking men. Most of them were criminals who chose to fight in arena rather than being executed. Not like it really mattered. Those who fought in the arena were the lowest of lowest. Crowd was very fickle. In one moment people were cheering on the winners and right after that they were asking for the death of the same person.
That barbarian with black hair probably didn't even know how lucky he was if the crowd loved him.
"This is him."
The train of Erwin's thoughts was broken again, this time by the guard. He pointed to Erwin's new property, the barbarian. He sat on the cold, hard ground in the corner of his cell. His gray eyes looked like pure silver – cold and murderous silver.
"By Jupiter's cock, look at the long hair, Erwin." Hanji said. "And he is so tiny! I mean – he really looked small but not this much. Can he even hold a sword?"
Levi didn't say anything but he was giving them very murderous looks. Hanji probably said it to get some reaction, because Levi was pretty muscled (not as much as Erwin but definitely muscled), but the barbarian gave her none of that. He was still just looking at her.
Erwin looked at him for few second before saying: "I think I'll let him get that terribly long hair a haircut."
"Oh, I know where he's from!" Hanji grinned. "He is from Gallia! That would explain his long hair. In a part of that region, their men have long hair."
"Gaul, huh?" Erwin had huge respect for Gauls. They were great warriors and some of them left him few scars. "No wonder, you beat them."
Levi just looked at him, still calm. Erwin sighed. He forgot to ask Pixiv if this man understood their language.
"Erwin." Hanji suddenly sounded seriously.
"Yes?" the blond looked at her.
Hanji smiled lightly at him. "I think you should put a collar on him."
Erwin raised his eyebrows. Collars and brands with F for fugitives were usually put on slaves that tried to escape, so everybody would know what they had done. And then he saw what Hanji pointed to.
Levi's eyes weren't only full of hatred. They were wild like eyes of a captured tiger that was prepared to attack in any moment.
And Erwin knew that this one would definitely try to escape.
"All right." Erwin said and turned to his bodyguards. "You two will take care of him and transport him to the villa. I'll go ahead. Keep an eye on him."
He didn't wait for an answer. Instead he turned his heel and walked away.
"Oh!" Hanji shouted, taken by surprise and ran to Erwin's side. "Are we leaving already?"
"I've seen him, that's enough for now." Erwin explained.
Hanji watched his face for few seconds before she started to giggle.
It took all Erwin's self-control not to roll his eyes. "What?"
"You know, if I was you, I would fuck him until he'd beg for mercy." She giggled again.
"I'm not interested." Erwin said trying to ignore the fact that his ears suddenly felt really hot. He hoped Hanji didn't notice it.
If she did, she didn't comment it. Instead she said: "He's really good-looking and those eyes…. ah. It feels like I'm melting just from remembering it."
"You are seriously twisted, Hanji." Erwin unbelievably shook his head.
"Whaaat?" Hanji smiled. "You must enjoy your life! The only thing you do is… consuling! And you have no wife or a lover."
"First, I doubt 'consuling' is even a word and second – I have no time to have a wife."
"And that's why we have slaves!"
They finally made it out of the arena where their slaves and company were waiting. Four slaves and one bodyguard were waiting next to a very colorful litter, slaves prepared for carrying Hanji. For Erwin waited only his coachman with a carriage draw by four horses and Hannes on another one, holding the reins of two more horses. If Erwin had to leave the town and his villa, it was Hannes, who took care of his home and everything else. He was also Erwin's guard right now. Actually, he did almost everything for the blond but he couldn't complain. His salary spoke for itself.
"Wait here." Erwin told him. "The guards will come with the new slave. Make sure nothing happens on your way back to the villa."
"Yes, sir." Hannes bowed his head a little.
Erwin turned to Hanji for last time and smiled. "I guess I'll see you later."
She got on the litter. Her house was right here in the town.
"You definitely will." The woman grinned. "We can go to baths sometimes. I haven't been there for an eternity."
Erwin nodded and got into his carriage. He didn't like traveling in this. He preferred a horse ever since he came back from the campaign but it was impossible in a toga.
Erwin's villa was one of those placed on a shore. Usually these houses had a lot of windows but because Erwin lived here also in the winter; if he had a lot of them, cold air would get into the villa. It also didn't have open court in the center of the house, instead it have broad porches built on the outside overlooking the scenery. The main articles were the chairs, couches, and tables made of the finest materials. Clothing and valuables were stored in stout chests in bedrooms or the vault behind huge door from which only Erwin had the key.
There were several bedrooms, a bathroom, a dining room, and a kitchen. Erwin's favorite bedroom was placed to get the sunlight and roar of the surf; others were located far from any noise and confusion. Mosaics brightened the floors. Elegant hangings took the place of doors between rooms.
"Welcome home." Petra bowed as she started helping him to take of his toga so he could change his clothes. "What would you wish for the breakfast tomorrow?"
She was one of Erwin's slaves. Originally she was taken as a spoil of war from Gaul at young age. Erwin bought her on a slave market when she was ten.
"Nothing heavy." Erwin said after few seconds of thinking. "I think some fruits will be enough."
"Yes, master." she said. "Should I prepare a bath for you?"
"No, I'll go straight to the bed." Erwin refused and when his clothes was changed, he asked: "Tell me, Petra, do you still speak your native language?"
She looked a bit confused before asking: "I think I still can. May I ask you why you want to know, master?"
"Hannse is on his way here." The blond said. "He'll bring a new slave; he's from Gallia and his name is Levi. I want you to give a haircut to him. Make him look more like a human and not like a barbarian. Then give him some food and lock him up in one of the cell in the basement. And be sure you're not with him alone. I don't want him to hurt you. After this you can go to sleep."
"Yes, sir." She nodded.
Slaves that Erwin had in the villa slept in the basement, but it wasn't as bad as it sounded. They had beds which was luxury that most of slaves didn't have.
Petra went to the main gate, waiting for arrival of the new slave.
She didn't wait for long. After few minutes, the gate opened and Hannes and two guards entered the villa. Hannes held the new slave by his elbow.
"Welcome." Petra bowed. "Master Smith told me to take care of him with you as the guards."
"Alright." Hannes smiled.
Petra led them to the bath where she turned to the young man. "Could you please sit on that stool?" she asked, grabbing a scissor and pointing to the said stool.
The barbarian only looked at her.
"Do you understand me?" Petra asked after a while.
Again, the silence was the only answer Levi gave her. Petra didn't speak Gaelic for a very long time but somehow she managed to say: "You don't speak Latin?"
His eyes widened a bit when he heard her speak but otherwise he didn't react.
Petra sighed and said in Gaelic again: "Could you, please, take the seat? I am supposed to give a haircut."
He hesitated for few second, before sitting.
Petra smiled and stood behind his back. He had really long hair, longer then hers. She started to cut them.
The silence fell upon them and Petra could feel the stare of the guards and Hannes in the back of her neck.
Suddenly, Levi spoke in Gaelic: "We can kill them and that blond guy and escape."
His words made Petra to completely freeze. Fortunately, she managed to react immediately, so Hannes didn't get suspicious. Well, not much more then he already was. "We can't. If we kill the master, the other Romans will have the right to slay every slave he had. And they would find us easily and then crucify us as a warning for other slaves. I saw it more than once."
"So, you want to live as a slave?" There was contempt in his voice as he spoke.
"It's not so bad." Petra smiled. "Master Smith is a good one. We don't starve and he treats us well."
Levi puffed out.
"What are you two talking about?" Hannes sounded a bit nervous.
Petra smiled at him and lied: "He asked me how comes I can speak Gaelic and how I became a slave."
"Oh." Hannes nodded in approval but didn't stop looking suspicious.
She continued to cutting Levi's hair, until it looked socially acceptable.
"Can you speak Latin?" Petra asked after that.
"Yes, but I'm not going to talk with these pigs." Levi hissed angrily.
"But you should." She told him before adding in Latin: "Get up. I will take you to your sleeping-room and give you some food."
Levi remained still for few seconds, just looking into Petra's eyes, before standing up and following her into his new room.