The sun was burning hot over the sands of the desert. The wind that was blowing, was making the sand flow around like a mist made of gold-dust… There was a city consisted of mud-built houses and a round, open stadium. There were tents all around and also many people walking around and talking in their own strange languages. There were carriages all around full with any kind of goods. From food and jewelry to rare animals and slaves. However another carriage arrived. And it was different than the others. It seemed to be one of the carriages that belonged to a rich aristocrat, and right before that carriage, a chariot was coming in great speed. A man dressed with a long, colorful robes and a turban, with white hair and beard, walked out of one of the colorful tents. The chariot stopped in front of it and a tall, pale man dressed in the clothes of Roman centurions, jumped off it. He was tall like a mountain you would say and he was really muscled. He removed his helmet and revealed his short-cut black hair. The man smirked and so did the white-beard one.
"Ave" the young Roman saluted
"Shalom, my friend" the man answered in Roman but with a heavy pronunciation, "It's been a long time…"
The two men hugged and pulled back.
"How is life, back in Rome, my friend?"
The Roman man smirked
"Busy as always, Ilai, my old friend"
The white-beard man named Ilai smirked back
"So you're still a centurion, aren't you, Aimilius?"
The man named Aimilius growled slightly causing Ilai to laugh loudly
"Chill out my friend. I am just teasing you. So what are you doing here after all this time my friend?"
The man smirked and said:
"Zucchabar is the best place to trade slaves and watch a good show except the Coliseum!"
He then added
"I can't let go of that…small hobby of mine!"
"I can see that" Ilai chuckled bending to the side to see the carriage
Obviously…it was full with slaves dressed in different attires (mostly ready for battle).
"Then you will be enthusiastic with my new cargo!" Ilai said as one slave arrived to take care of the Roman man's horses
The Centurion and the Slave-dealer started walking alongside.
"So how is life in Rome, my friend?"
"Good I guess" Aimilius said, "The glory of Rome won't be long till it is spread all over the world!"
"True…" Ilai nodded his head in agreement, "It won't be long till the day Zucchabar is under Caesar's command! Of course when that time comes, I would ask you to say some good words for me, so I can keep my small fortune and my slaves that I sell!"
"I see you haven't changed either, Ilai, my friend. You are still selling slaves and gladiators."
"Of course. Good slaves always bring more money than common animals and jewels. And I believe that you will be really excited with my new champion!"
Aimilius raised a brow.
"Your new champion?"
"Yes. Since you haven't visited our humble arena in quite some years, I must inform you that I have a new champion! He is the best I ever had! You should see how he kills! He was brought to me from Libya, however he doesn't seem Libyan himself. I think he is from Egypt! I could tell the characteristics of my slaves! Libyan slave dealers brought him to me some years ago and I am telling you…he is the best gladiator I ever had! He has never revealed his name but we have given him the number XV. However he has earned the title of the King inside the arena! Honestly he knows how to win the crowd!"
"That sounds interesting…" the Roman man said, "That would be IF he actually could defeat mine!"
Ilai smirked.
"I accept the challenge! I believe that my XV can defeat all your slaves at once!"
"The match is on my friend!" Aimilius said smirking confidently
They kept walking while various slaves animals and other were passing by. Amilius's eye fell on one tall, tanned woman with slim body and long, raven hair. Her eyes were deep blue like ocean.
"Who's that?" he asked
Ilai smirked.
"That is one of the new slave-girls that came here. Here she got the number XX. She is a real desert flower from Egypt. Are you interested in her? I can make you a good price!"
"Later, later. Now let's go on with the match!"
The open arena was full with people that were yelling and cheering. They seemed ecstatic. The Roman slave-gladiators had started to walk out at the arena. The audience burst out applauding. Meanwhile at the internal of the arena a man had started to prepare himself in the shadows… His characteristics were sharp, yet delicate. He didn't seem like a commoner… His eyes were piercing the darkness with their blood color… The shadowy man put a helmet on and held of a sword. Took a deep breath and then walked to the gate that had started to "crawl" upwards and open slowly…leading him from the shadows to the light… And he stepped into the arena to be greeted by the enthusiastic crowd. The gladiator raised his sword to the audience as if he was already claiming his victory! Aimilius and Ilai were watching from their special seats, eating the best tropical food and fruit and drinking sweet red wine. The man turned his attention to the other gladiators in front of him… The smell of metal from his clothes and helmet and the smell of their sweat under the hot sun and the burning sand filled his nostrils. Now every sound seemed to have stopped for him. It was just he and his opponents! The battle started! It was five against one. One of them swigged his sword. The red-eyed man stopped his sword with his own. The swords clanged with each other. Another one swigged a metal ball tied with a chain over his head. The red-eyed man jumped to avoid it and did a perfect spin in the air landing back to his feet. He then grabbed the man's arm before he had the chance to swing the chain again and then…he crushed his head with his won metal ball. Brains and blood exploded around the dead man that fell on the sand… The crowd started applauding even harder when the man jumped in the air, gracefully like a cat and grabbed the sword from the dead man's belt. Two men attacked him but he made a remarkable move and the attacker simply slipped on the man's shoulder and fell on the ground.
"That is what Egyptians call Kuta" Ilai explained, "He takes advantage of his opponent's strength and abilities"
The man then started fighting with two swords with two different men at the same time. Well it took him only two clanging with swords and he killed them both, sinking the swords into their throats at the same time! Aimilius was now completely amazed with the skills of that gladiator. The man drew back the two swords from their throats as hot, red blood emerged out of the wounds and he stabbed them both into the chest of a knew attacker. The crowd was now screaming their lungs out at their favorite gladiator. The man drew the swords from the body's chest and the body fell on the sand. Then, amazing Aimilius even more, he leaped in the air, gracefully, jumping three meters in the air with no difficulty, making a turn in the air to land behind the last remaining man standing, and when that man turned around, he used both of swords performing an "X" shaped cut and the man's head fell on the sand… The red-eyes gladiator raised the head in the air holding it by the hair, showing it to people around and the crowd was now applauding while standing! They couldn't sit anymore! The man threw the bloody head at the audience and people screamed in shivers and enthusiasm! Ilai smirked.
"It appears I win" he said
"No! It is not over!"
The red-eyed man turned his head around when he heard the gate opening again to reveal a tall man (more than two meters tall), well built like a bull, dressed from top to bottom with an armor and wearing a bull-head helmet that was covering his entire head. The red-eyed man narrowed his eyes but showed no fear…no worry… The big man was swinging a big sword and a metal ball on the other hand while the red-eyed slave had only a small dagger and his meaningless armor to protect him! The man avoided the sword that would have cut his head and jumped in the air…started running in a circle around the double-his-size man as if he was watching him really carefully. When he found a weakness, he simply leaped in the air…to land on the bull-man's shoulders! Aimilius was now up from his chair, holding his breath as the red-eyed man found the only weak spot: his opponent's exposed nape and thrust his dagger in the flesh, delivering the final blow! And so the roman's best fighter fell from a half his size man…and a single dagger… Aimilius was still standing there with his mouth wide open, as well as his eyes in pure shock. Ilai stretched himself
"So…?" he asked, "What do you think?"
"I want him!" the Roman centurion mumbled
"Whaaat? What with the face? You really look shocked."
"I want him with me…in Rome!"
Ilai didn't want to lose such a valuable slave but he had to act like a good politician.
"Alright my friend…for you I will make a special price too…"
"Does he speak Latin?"
"A little. And he learned on his way here and also during the years I have him. When he firstly came here he could only speak Egyptian, Babylonian, some Greek and Libyan… As you see he is not common slave… I can offer you some others too so the price will be better…"
"Do as you please! I will pay anything! I just want him to Rome with me!"
Ilai smirked
"Bring them all out!" he ordered
Back to the internal of the arena, the red-eyed man was again sitting in the darkness. No one knew his true story. Everyone knew him as Slave number XV. However he had been a king…a runaway king long ago… Slave dealers found him in the desert and he was taken away but soon he had become a king of Libyans! He ruled for years…and the years became decades…and after that he had to run away again to become an aristocrat in Libya and after that he was again sold as a slave…centuries after his first runaway… And here he was now…a gladiator…killing for others' entertainment… Suddenly the sound of the door unlocking drew his attention.
"Everybody out in the arena!" the guard ordered
Soon all the slaves were walking towards the exit to the arena again. The red-eyed man was walking with a steady way…his steps matching his steady heartbeat…and the doors opened and he was out in the arena again. He raised his arms at the ecstatic crowd as if celebrating his victory. He might have been a slave, but in the arena…he was a king again…! The slaves were now standing in an order in front of the special seats under the pavilion where Ilai and Aimilius were sitting.
"Who is he?" Aimilius asked Ilai
Ilai stood up and pointed at the red-eyed man.
"You! Remove your helmet and tell me your name!" he ordered
The slave removed his helmet slowly and steadily to reveal his tri-colored spiky hair
"My name is Gladiator" he replied in a deep voice.
The two men were shocked but then the man continued
"Some people call me The Libyan and some others the Egyptian…some others call me Number XV and some others simply Slave… You ask me to kill and I kill…so what's the point what name I had before I entered this life?"
The centurion smirked
"I like your attitude! Even if you are too arrogant for my taste…however I want you! I'll buy you!"
It was night and the Romans had set their tents up… There was a small tent where the newly bought slaves were… The red-eyed slave was sitting by a fire alone. He had a separate tent unlike the others… Now they were all outside around fires and they were eating… Suddenly the sound of growling, aroused men caught his attention and saw the tall woman with the raven hair walking among men that were sitting by a fire a couple of meters away from them. She was holding a beer jug. The man rolled his eyes. He then saw some slave men watching her…one of them grabbed her wrist. He then stood up and grabbed the man's wrist. The man wanted to protest but when he saw his red glare he stepped back. The woman found the chance to walk away.
"Oi!" the man called her.
She stopped, but didn't turn around.
"Are you alright?" he asked her
"Yes…" she replied in a low voice, "I am sorry I became a burden… Thank you for helping me…"
And she walked away…
At night the gladiator was lieing on his back in his tent when he heard the sound of the curtains moving. He sat up and saw that woman coming in.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her
"Does my presence bother you?" she asked
"No" he replied honestly, "I was just curious to hear the reason of your visit"
"Our new Master ordered me to take care of the men here…you were the last one…"
The man looked at the woman. She looked around twenty years old.
"What's your name?" he asked her in Egyptian
"Long ago…my name was…Ishizu…" she replied in the same language.
It was obvious that both of them had realized they were from the same country
"What's yours?" she asked him
"My name is no longer important" he replied sharply
"It is" she insisted, "Today I saw a slave becoming equally powerful with the Emperor of Rome!"
"Whatever I was has ended. It is no longer important…" he insisted calmly
"I see…" she smiled a small smile and let that be.
She poured some water in a bowl to wash his feet
"When did you left…from our country…?" she asked him after a little while, while she was washing his feet with water
"Long ago…" he replied, "I was technically exiled"
"My family got killed and I was sent here as a slave" she also said
"I see…"
Silence passed between them… The man ran his fingers through her raven hair while she was washing his feet. He felt something stir within him…something he had ignored during those years he was killing for their entertainment. His hand cupped her cheek and made her look at him. She did…their eyes locked. Blue in Red.
"That 'Master' of ours told you to satisfy every wish of ours?" he whispered huskily
"Everything" she whispered back
She wanted him as much as he wanted her. The attraction was mutual. They didn't say anything…they just kissed deeply on the lips. Breathing in union, the gladiator leaned on top of her on the pillows of his tent and the small, old clothes they were wearing started to slip off their bodies with soft sounds…
During their long trip Ishizu and the gladiator slept together many nights. They reached the Mediterranean Sea and the Romans put them all in a ship. It was more difficult for them to be alone in there, however they saw each other once. When they reached land again, they didn't see each other again.
"Where is number XX, Ishizu?" asked one of the guards on their way.
"She got sold back there at the harbor" the man replied.
The slave felt strangely calm. It wasn't like they had hopes to be together. They were both slaves so practically living objects. It would happen one day sooner or later… After all, the only thing he felt for her was attraction. Anyway it wouldn't help to think about it now.
"Where are we going?" he asked again
"To Rome. The Emperor's city"
"Why are we here?"
"The Centurion, Aimilius Cacus Aelians wants specifically you…to be trained as a soldier"
"A soldier?"
"That's right, slave! It is your lucky day. If you are good enough you will earn your freedom…if not…"
They kept on walking (the slaves walking, the Romans were on horses). And soon they saw before them Rome to all its glory…
Here is another chappie! And yes it is another flashback dream!
This one was inspired by Gladiator movie! I just couldn't resist putting it here. This is supposed to take place centuries after the previous flashback when Rome is ready to conquer the world!
He sure did a long way huh? He became king again! And then gladiator When he throws the head to the audience it is as if yelling
"Aren't you entertained?!"
Couldn't resist! XD
XV is Latin number for 15 as far as I know (Latin=Ancient Roman)
And some romance too! Sorry if I am too late at that! Please comment me! Enjoy!