Disclaimer:This fanfiction is based in the era of the Roman Empire to give you all some context. Some practices from this empire may be present in this story. I created a new Empire for this story. The Gotham Empire, totally original right? Wrong! I can't claim DC Universe, or
the Known World like many have done before *cough* Alexander the Great *cough* Napoleon *cough* Your face :B

Rated T: Blood. Death. Sensual activity.

o0o

This took me quicker to write than I previously thought! I would to thank all those who commented, favorited, and followed this story. I didn't think it was going to turn out so great, you made my day with how much you guys like it.

o0o

The Changing of a Heart

By: Fanficer21

Chapter 9

o0o

Previously

With a growl, he ripped the pouch out of the man's hand. "If I ever see you again, your dead!" He growled before disappearing around the corner.

o0o

Robin breathed out a sigh. The tears slowed down, leaving dried streaks down his cheeks. He was glad Antonius was out of the picture, but he mourned that Livia was gone. Suddenly the man turned around, a smirk on his face as he examined Robin. "You'll do quite well. And just look at those pretty eyes of yours" Robin once again had to endure his head being turned from side to side. "Ready to go?" "Yes" Robin mumbled.

"Yes what!" The man's smirk did a 180 and suddenly became a scowl. Robin looked into the man's eyes with fear and squeaked out "Master".

"Altogether now!" The man motioned with his hand as if directing music. "yes master" Robin mumbled. "What was that? I didn't hear what you said". "Yes Master!" Robin said louder, making the man dance with glee. "Good! Now let's go home and introduce you to the Mistress and the pets". The man placed his hand on Robin's upper back and pushed him forward. They exited the alley and went into the crowd. Robin remained quiet the entire way, while the man yacked about anything and everything.

They soon entered a large house, similar to Antonius's. "Sweetie, I'm home!" The man shouted into the house while striking a funny pose. Robin couldn't help but think 'What a nut'.

"Oh puddin' your back early. Did you find a good one?" A high feminine voice sounded from nowhere in particular. "Why don't you see for yourself!" He laughed before grabbing Robin's shoulder's and yanking him in front of him. He then put his index fingers into Robin's mouth and made him smile. "You should really smile more. Your too serious!" He said while looking down at Robin with a creepy visage. "Oh Rekoj! You shouldn't have!" A shrill laugh caused Robin to cringe as a blonde woman with blue eyes entered the room. Her hair was in pigtails. Tears came to the corners of Robin's eyes, she looked so much like his mother. "Yelrah, meet our little boy!" Rekoj cackled as he removed his fingers from the boy's mouth before tousling Robin's hair.

Yelrah ran up to Robin and pulled him into a strong hug, cutting off his breathing for a few seconds. "Welcome home little guy! We're going to have so much fun with you. You have a name?"

"Robin" The boy answered, feeling a little awkward with these people. They quickly gave him a tour of the house, and then te followed them to the garden. Just as he turned the corner he screamed and jumped back into the man when two hyenas growled and laughed at him. "Oh don't mind them. They won't hurt you, much." Rekoj laughed hysterically before dragging a scared Robin back into the house. "And this is your room" the man said as they entered a small room with a bed where he promptly threw the boy onto it. "You get to work here and get free room and board. Get it 'free', because your a slave. You don't get paid. Isn't that just hilarious!" He chortled from where he stood wiping a tear from his eye. Robin just glared at him, this man was crazy. "Oh why the sour face. Are you not happy to be here? Or would you rather be dead!" Rekoj leaned in close to Robin and grabbed his neck before shoving him backwards onto the bed. "Because I could arrange that!" He smiled as he squeezed the boy's neck, watching in delight as the boy struggled to get free.

Rekoj quickly released his grip and watched as the boy struggled to breath. The look of fear on Robin's face sent shivers down his spine, the man thought as he reached towards the boy once again, only to see him flinch and try to roll away. Smiling he got up from the bed and walked to the doorway. "A word of advice little boy, it's best to stay on my good side, because I can get really crazy." Robin looked at the man with teary eyes. He remained on the bed for the rest of the night and thought of everything that has happened within the last month. The death of his parents, the death of Livia, Antonius's cruel punishments, and now he was in a house of crazy people who switched moods as fast as a fly changes direction in its flight. With these thoughts he cried himself to sleep.

o0o

"Wake up little boy! We've got a big day ahead of us, no use eating breakfast. Let's go!" Rekoj said as he bounced on the bed before grabbing hold of Robin's wrist and dragged the boy off the bed as he ran to the door. "Bye pooh!" Rekoj yelled happily while leaving the house. "Knock 'em dead kid!" Was her reply before the door was slammed shut. He was really confused, just where were they going? Torn from his thoughts, he noticed that Rekoj had dragged him to a part of town he had never seen before. The street and and structures looked old and ghostlike. He was then led into an abandoned building where he heard muffled shouts. They came to a closed door and a sudden mass of yells filled their ears. Opening the door Rekoj burst through it and pulled the boy behind him. "Come along Robby poo!

The room they were met with was filled with the backs of men and women who watched something (like a non-existant football game). "Ah! Rekoj, you got another one I see. Hope this one puts up a longer fight than the last one!" A tall, buff man laughed followed by howls from other men in the vicinity as they mocked Rekoj. Said man's blood boiled. He grabbed Robin's shoulder so hard it caused the boy to cry out in pain, making Rekoj grin.

"You see little boy, this is where daddy works and soon you're gonna help me earn some money. Especially since I gave half of it to that other
guy!" Rekoj shouted over the audience's yells as they walked further into the room. The 'other guy', Robin knew, referred to Antonius. When they arrived at a part in the crowd lacking bodies, Robin saw two men fighting in a small arena below the crowd. His blood froze when he saw they were covered in blood. Red stains littered the floor. Fresh sticky blood, as well as old blood turning brown. Suddenly one man grabbed the other before throwing him to the floor and jumping on him, causing a loud crack to fill the room as the man's shoulder broke. A sword was then thrown from the crowd and into the arena, when the man picked it up and held it in the air the crowd went wild. The other man laying on the floor tried to get up when the man with the sword came closer to him, a wicked smile on his face. Robin turned his head with closed eyes before he heard the sword pierce the fallen man's body followed by the entire audience screaming for joy. This cause the boy to back up and grab a piece of Rekoj's toga and lean against him. The man, while taking to another, ruffled the boy's hair.

Opening his eyes again, Robin saw the man covered in blood exit the arena where he was patted on the back by the people surrounding him. Smiles on their faces, while the dead man was carried out. What was this place? He was torn from his thoughts when he felt himself being pushed out the door. "Well, now that that's taken care of. I think it's time for some food. Wouldn't you say little boy!" Robin couldn't get the sight of the bloody men out of his head, and lost his appetite. He hoped he wouldn't have to go back there.

o0o

A week had passed since Robin had been to the abandoned part of town. Things were okay at first. His new master's were so nice to him, and they spent time together playing games and all that jazz. He even noticed himself humming the tune that Livia always made when she was happy. Yet, he also noticed a few strange things happening as well, with Rekoj in particular.

One morning while feeding the hyenas that were kept tied up in garden, Robin felt a pair of hands push him towards the beasts resulting in one of them biting his leg making the boy scream and writhe in pain before the hyena was commanded to let go. Through his cries he heard the sadistic laughter of the man vanish into the house. It took a few weeks for his leg to heal, because the beast dug it's fangs all the way to the bone. Though his skin healed up, the bone was still sore, especially when he overworked it, which caused him to limp for another week after that.

o0o

A few days afterward, Rekoj announced that tomorrow would be the day that Robin would help him earn some money in that old dump of a building. Earlier that morning Rekoj had been thinking of ways to mark Robin as his slave. Some had earings or tatoos, but the man wanted to go a step beyond and do something much more his style, something crazy. Then it hit him! With an evil smile he tossed an iron poker stick for the fire into the flames of the fireplace, then waited for the boy to finish scrubbing one of the floors in the house.

When Robin finished the floor, he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Yelrah had gone out to walk her babies, the hyenas, so she wouldn't be back for a least a few hours. Not seeing Rekoj hiding in the corner, him being surprised was an understatement when he was pushed to the ground and fell on his back beside the hearth. Rekoj was there in an instant. Straddling the boy's hips, he grabbed hold of Robin's tunic and with a jerk he ripped the boy's fabric open. The heat of the fire washed over his exposed chest and navel. Robin's eyes resembled a moose in the headlights. Rekoj struggled to hold the boy's arms above his head with one hand while gliding his hand along Robin's chest as if searching for a tender spot. Stopping at the place where Robin's heart beat beneath his hand, Rekoj released a dark smirk as he leaned over and grabbed a cool part of the poker stick. Robin's eyes followed the man's hand and grew bigger before he struggled to get out of the man's grasp as the fiery hot metal came closer and closer.

"No!" Robin cried when he felt the heat from the stick while it hung above his body as he continued to struggle in place. Then it fell. The metal was so hot that it felt like a piece of an iceburg touching his skin causing the boy to scream as his back arched off the ground. Tears sprang to his eyes and fell down his temples when the man dragged the stick across his chest, drawing the letter the 'R' and leaving burned and bloody flesh in its wake. Rekoj laughed the entire time, loving the expression of unbearable suffering on the boy's face. When he finished the letter, he threw the poker onto the floor and inspected his handy work by tracing the letter with his fingers while Robin's labored breathed caused his chest to rise and fall rapidly. Rekoj's fingers continued down the boy's stomach and drew circles around his navel. Robin's body shook beneath the man, partly because the pain was so terrible and also because the was scared of the man above him.

Eying the branded skin once more, Rekoj patted Robin's cheek before leaning in and breathed at the crook of the boy's neck."Now you are officially mine little boy!" Robin remained on the floor, silent tears continued to make a puddle beneath his head while Rekoj trailed kisses along the boy's neck and collarbone. He didn't dare move lest he cause more pain, but inside he was screaming. Wanting the man to stop and leaved him alone.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Betcha ya can't guess who Rekoj and Yelrah are!

Don't worry, Robin wasn't raped!

Bruce will make his debut in the next chapter!