Gladiator

Upon entering the room, the other guard said something to the two men seated in the room, then pointed to a bench indicating that Bastion should sit down, facing the two men.

The men spoke for a while, and were interesting looking. The one was an old man, complete with a long, but neat beard. The other looked to be in his thirties or maybe early forties, and carried about him an air that suggested either royalty or some importance.

Bastion's confusion reached new levels as the old man turned to him and spoke in his native tongue. "Hello Bastion, my name is Kaeso Gratius, you may call me Gratius. I am a scholar who knows of your language. I was brought here by this man," he indicated the other, possibly royal man, "Gallio Alexander Carus, or Lord Alexander if you prefer, to translate for him. So that he may speak with you. Lord Alexander is interested in purchasing you."

Bastion's mouth opened in shock and then horror as he realized that would probably mean they would separate him from Margaret.

Alexander watched the massive man enter the room and be seated silently, with a grace that belied his massive size. He spoke to the hired scholar and told the man to tell Bastion who he was, and why they were here. The giant looked confused at first to hear the old scholar speak in the man's native tongue, but then his jaw opened in what could only be surprise as the scholar told him why Alexander was here.

There was a flurry of conversation between the two, and Bastion began to look very angry. The scholar appeared to try to calm the man down, but only succeeded in making him angrier. He moved as if he was about to stand up, but the guard at the door cleared his throat loudly. Bastion turned and looked at the guards and noticed their hands on their swords. He seemed to settle down, sitting back into his seat, but still visibly fumed with rage. He spoke to the scholar in the quick clipped tone of his language, rough and grating on Alexander's ears, then turned to face him. He spoke directly to the older man, saying, "Ale–ex–and-er, " breaking the name apart as he had heard it, "Mahr-gah-ret," followed by gibberish in his own language, and then finished off his plea by kneeling down on the floor in front of Alexander, with his head down, and hands out in a posture that could never be interpreted as anything but begging.

Alexander turned to the scholar and spoke, "Gratius, what is the problem? Why is he so upset? Did not you explain to him that when I buy him he will have better living conditions, better care, more training, and the glory of serving a noble house as opposed to being a nameless slave for the arena?"

Gratius cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked around the room nervously. "Uh, lord, I beg your forgiveness, but there appears to be a small problem."

"Yes Gratius, I gathered that much, what is it?"

"Well sir," the scholar continued, "It appears that there is a slave woman, by the name of Margaret who Bastion here seems to be quite taken with, possibly in love with in fact. He says he will not leave without her. When I tried to explain that he had no choice in the matter, he said he would not fight if he was forced to leave her. When I said that he would be beaten, whipped, not given food, he claimed he did not care, that it would not be as bad as living without Margaret. A bit over dramatic if you ask me."

Alexander pondered the situation, noticing that Bastion had not moved from his pose of begging one iota. Alexander said, "Tell him to sit down and stop being so dramatic, this is not the amphitheater."

Another burst of chatter from the scholar, and Bastion re took his seat, eyes still on the floor. Alexander sat for a long moment and then spoke to one of the guards. "You, go ask the slave master if he would consider selling Bastion and this Margaret slave together at a reduced cost. I need to know how much."

The guardsman seemed to be fighting back a smile as he left the room. The guardsman knew that the slave master's idea had worked perfectly. Unload one of his good fighters, that and at the same time, a slave that gave them nothing but problems, the whole time turning a very nice profit.

Alexander waited for a long while, and then finally spoke to the scholar. "Ask him what I would get in return for such a request. Why should I pay extra money for a slave that I do not need? Why should I honor his request to also purchase this Margaret woman he speaks of?"

Another flurry of conversation between the two, after a short point, the giant's eyes lit up, and a smile creased his face that threatened to stretch from ear to ear. The scholar turned back to Alexander and said, "Milord, he says that if you were to grant him this one simple request, and to treat her fairly as you would any other slave, he would sleep in the barn, in the mud with the animals, he would hunt for his own food, he would work from sun up till sun down, doing whatever you ask of him, and never with a complaint. He asks that you allow Margaret to come with him, and that she be treated well, and they be allowed to be together. He said that he will battle any man or beast in the arena, and win however you want him to win. He even said," and the scholar even had to pause, and ask Bastion something. The giant nodded his head vigorously. The scholar continued, "He even said, milord, he said that he would even lose a battle if you commanded him to."

Even Alexander gasped at that comment. To gladiators their winning record nearly defined them. A gladiator with a winning streak such as Bastion brought much honor and glory to both himself, and whoever his sponsor was. To willingly give up such an honor was nearly unthinkable. This woman must mean a lot to him. Alexander had trouble imagining giving up his whole sense of self simply for any woman, even his wife.

"Well," Alexander thought to himself, "The man is dedicated. That is a good thing. If he shows that much dedication to his new house, to me, he would not only make an ideal slave, but a good example for the other servants. While I do not exactly need a new female slave right now, it certainly would not hurt to have another if I can afford it."

He sat and pondered the situation for a long while, well aware of Bastion's eyes on him hopefully. He pointedly ignored the giant, and awaited the return of the guard with the price for the two slaves. After a time, the guardsman returned, with the fat slave owner in tow.

Clearing his throat and bowing a short bow, the slave master spoke, "You wanted to know the price of the cow that we have mating with this one?"

"I wish to know the price of both this man and the female slave named Margaret, who he seems to be so attached to, yes," Alexander replied.

The slave master went into a pretense of having to think long and hard about it. Alexander did not buy it for a moment. Years of being the head of a successful merchant family had taught him the fine art of haggling if nothing else. Finally when the slave master spoke, Alexander could see the man's lies as easily as if he were reading a scroll.

"Well," the slave master began, "It would be a shame to lose two valuable members of my stables in one fell swoop. The cow has much potential for breeding and is strong and healthy as well. I do not know that I would want to part with her. To loose such valuable breeding stock, and on top of that, her many varied skills. I just do not know."

Alexander cut him off in mid sentence, "Enough, I do not believe you so stop the falsehoods. I asked you for a price."

"Fair enough," the fat man said, "I would let them go for say an additional third of the price I quoted you for this one alone."

Alexander laughed, "Haha, is she also a gladiator? Does she have a winning streak going back over the course of a year? Do not even try to play that game with me my friend. I will give you an additional eighth of Bastion's price for the pair."

"Now you are the one who is insulting my intelligence lord Alexander, I would let her go for an additional fourth of the price. But that is far too low."

"An additional sixth and you have a deal," Alexander countered.

The fat man considered the offer and then predictably offered, "An additional fifth of the price, no lower will I go."

"Agreed then. However I must inspect the two of them fully tomorrow, before the games begin, separately. Have, the contract drawn up by then and I shall bring a note from a money lender."

Alexander and the slave master shook hands on the deal and then they both left the room, anxious to start the business. The scholar turned to Bastion and told him what had just transpired. As the guards escorted Bastion back to his cell, his grin took up the majority of his face. The guard Maraxius leaned in to the other guard and said quietly, "Honestly, I will be a bit sad to see this big lug go."

The guard was looking at her as if she was available, and eventually she discovered why, someone wanted to inspect Bastion and discuss the possibility of purchasing him. She tried to hide the knot in the pit of her stomach as the guard lewdly referred to who she might be whored out to next. She was at least allowed to remain in the cell and she nodded sadly and encouraged Bastion to go with the guards. She knew he would have a much better life, but dreaded the thought of life without him. She recognized his rare character; she would not be so lucky to find a gentle soul in the next mate she was assigned.

She heard the guards talking about how if she was lucky if she might get a month off just to make sure she was not carrying a child already, as when it came to breeding it was important to know who the father was. Her hand ran idly over her belly doubting if she already carried a child, knowing that either way would be a tough road of sexual abuse.

She waited every moment seeming to confirm that he was never coming back. She had moved to the furthest corner, wrapped the blanket around her and inhaled the scent of him upon it. She missed him more now than we he had been fighting, as separation seemed certain. The guards had least had stopped baiting her with comments on how they would use her if she ever grew round with child. She understood all too clearly the life of a cow, that it was merely allowed for her to remain with him in his cell to bond him to her and that eventually she would have to spend her days working with the other female slaves.

She finally decided to eat, and noticed the fare was varied and there was ale in the pitcher. She was too anxious to eat much and picked at the items and finally wrapped the blanket securely around her body and tucking it in on itself so she could pace the small cell.

Time stretched out and it seemed like forever before she heard the heavy footsteps that she knew to be his.

"Mahr-gah-ret!" Bastion exclaimed as he nearly kicked the door in the second Maraxius had unlocked it. "MAHR-GAH-RET!" he bellowed again in pure joy, the foolishly wide grin still plastered on his face.

"Mahr-gah-ret," he repeated a third time as he crossed the cell and scooped her up into his arms, whirling her about the tiny cell, "The most wonderful thing has happened. There is a man named Lord 'Ale–ex–and-er' will be buying us! We will be his new slaves, no longer in this damned dark cell. I will fight for the glory of his house and you will be there by my side. I am sure that they will have jobs for you, but oh, my dear Mahr-gah-ret, I know it will be better."

A moment of sadness passed across Bastion's face as he continued, "I told them I would do anything if they took you with me, even ... even lose matches on purpose." His face regained its cheer and he continued, "But my sweet, none of that matters if you are by my side."

All of this he spoke to her as fast as he could, the words tumbling out of his mouth, one after another in a language he knew she would not understand. But he hoped that what she would understand was his excitement and the flurry of kisses he rained down upon her whenever he stopped to take a breath.

He held her back at arms length, and then realized he had been holding her off her feet this entire time, and sheepishly put her down, searching her face for a sign of understanding. Not hearing the mild chuckles that came from the two guards at the open doorway behind him.

His enthusiasm was catching and before long she was laughing along with him hoping it was a good sign. She noticed the guards were chuckling a few of them muttering about loosing their best bet. She paid them no heed merely wrapped up in the giddy excitement as he whirled her about like a rag doll.

She kissed him wanting to enjoy this time together hoping it lasted forever even as she began to mentally prepare for the possibility of being parted from him. Once he finally stopped babbling she felt a little awkward as her feet no longer touched the ground.

The guards made comments about Lord Alexander and what he would think of her, and she had better not give him any reason to not purchase her. She shivered slightly at the implication, and refused to think about any of that, for now she shared Bastion's joy and kissed him fully, not caring about what the guards saw at this time.

Accepting the small woman's kisses, Bastion again felt the passion rising in him. He turned to see the two guardsmen still standing outside the door. He smiled at them and closed the door. Hearing laughter from them outside the cell and then locking the two of them in, Bastion turned back to Margaret, lust in his eyes.

He returned to her, pulling her body, still wrapped in the blanket tight against him. He could feel her soft body through the blanket and the toga he wore. He wrapped one of his hands around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a long, slow deep kiss. He was almost rough with her, trying to be gentle, but forgetting his size. When he heard her gasp for air, he realized that he was probably hugging her a bit too tight, squeezing her chest to him or putting pressure on still fresh wounds. He let her go immediately and spoke, "I am sorry Mahr-gah-ret. I... I did not mean that. I forget what a delicate ... I am sorry." His eyes cast down to the floor, ashamed that he would hurt this woman, and prayed that she was all right and would forgive him. He looked up to see what her response was.

When she caught her breath she had time to feel the wounds that had been pulled open during their embrace. She attempted to ignore them but when she heard him apologize she realized she must have groaned or winced. She nodded and managed to free herself from his grasp. Margaret unwrapped the blanket and took the time to tie it to the cell bars providing an illusion of privacy. The bruises hurt whenever she moved, she ignored them most of the time and picked up the salve that remained from the last time and handed it out to him with a question in her eyes.

"It feels better when you rubbed this stuff on my back, and as there are many spots I can not reach would you mind." She paused it was funny how she still talked to him like he understood her words; she guessed it was just impossible to not speak to him. She turned her back towards him, "Does it look better today?" she asked looking over her shoulder surprised at the multi-colored flesh. "I wish I could tell you how happy I am right now. I guess I will have to show you, which is the real reason I want the salve so I feel good enough to enjoy," she blushed at her thoughts, "to enjoy being with you." Her voice softened and trembled slightly as she offered her body to him; it was easy to do, as she knew on some level he would try his best to be gentle. There was a difference between intentional and unintentional pain, and the look in his eyes told her that he very much wanted it to be inside her again.

Bastion immediately felt foolish. He was such a lumbering brute. He mentally lashed himself for causing her pain, but her words to him stayed gentle enough. She reached for the salve and held it out to him. He did not need to understand her language to hear her request. He nodded to her and removed his toga, his semi erect cock bouncing down on his leg. He opened the toga up and lay it on the hay on his pallet. Pointing to it, he said, "Please Mahr-gah-ret, I did not mean to harm you, I hope you know that. Let me put more of this on your 'woohunds."

As she lay face down on his pallet, Bastion was overcome with several separate distinct emotions. Again he felt rage at whoever had done this to her, whoever had caused her so much pain. If he could, he would make sure that it never happened to her again. Never again would she feel the lash if he could prevent it.

He felt sadness at the fact that he had caused her more pain. She was so small in comparison to him. Why could not he remember that and manage his lusts? Finally, looking down at her naked back, the soft curve of her well muscled ass, and the rounded swell of the side of her breast, he also felt the lust and desire he had for this woman building inside him. His erect cock stirred, slid upwards a fraction of an inch as he knelt on the floor next to the pallet, next to Margaret.

He applied the salve as slowly and carefully as he could. Deciding to try to make it last incase she needed more in the night. If he had understood the man Alexander, or more accurately his scribe, they would be inspected tomorrow. That left a lot of time from then until now for he and Margaret to be together, and he was afraid he may hurt her again.

As he rubbed the salve into her back, being extra careful around any freshly opened wounds, his stomach let loose a loud, deep growl. Gods above, he had not eaten a full solid meal in over a day. Looking apologetically to Margaret, he leaned over and snagged the heavily laden food tray and dragged it close to him. With his left hand he continued gently applying salve and massaging poor Margaret's brutalized back.

As he alternated between dates and bread, he soon had slaked the worst of his hunger, and could no longer make a pretense for rubbing Margaret. He had traversed the entirety of her poor abused back, including the backs of her upper legs, her buttocks, and her shoulders. All of which had felt at least one or two of the slaver's lashes.

How he wished he could talk to her so she could understand when he asked, "My poor dear Mahr-gah-ret, why would anyone treat you this badly?" Brushing off the crumbs from his hands, he turned her gently on her side so he could look at her, leaning forward to kiss her on the top of her forehead.

She could not help but look at him when he removed the toga and spread it on the cot. She understood his gestures and she slowly laid out careful not to stretch too much for fear of causing more pain. She enjoyed the feel of his large hands applying the slightly warm salve to her skin. It was soothing and made her feel warm all over. It was the simple little things that endeared him to her. She felt treasured and put all thoughts of tomorrow out of her mind. When his stomach growled she laughed slightly her body wiggling from the sound.

She opened one eye to watch him eat as one large hand continued to thoroughly coat her in the salve. She noticed he was reserving some for later even as his hands worked over her tender flesh, occasionally she winced when he rubbed a little hard or hit a fresh lash mark, but overall her soft moans out numbered the sounds of pain. "Mmmm, that feels so nice. Sometime I am going to have to rub you all over, that is if you will lay still long enough for me to do so." She smiled and moaned softly as his hand rubbed a spot on her side that was relatively unharmed. She watched him and patiently waited for him to stop eating or her stomach to growl, as she had been too nervous to do more than nibble while he was gone.