Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: Nothing is easy, nothing is impossible (#4581)
Author: X98
Chapters: 10

Archive: Tolkien
Category: Crossovers
Description: “East of the misty mountains is said to have been a kingdom called Mirkwood. Ancient, hidden and eternal, it was home to the wood elves. The darkness that wandered among the branches of the trees, silently struck, robbing them of what they had most precious. Deprived of a King, a father, a guide, against an increasingly powerful and evil enemy. It was they, the weak and corrupt humans who took King Thranduil prisoner, without knowing who he really was ... A warrior does not lower his head but goes on even when he has no more strength. He gives free rein to his indomitable will, resists the blows and finds the strength to get up. Wounded is dangerous, because he knows he can survive. Yet he will not adapt to change, but will fight and fight against everything and everyone. Eventually, the pain and suffering will dissolve with a final gift of love ".
Published: 17 Oct 2021
Updated: 17 Oct 2021
Warnings: Characters death, physical violence, war scene
Type: Action/adventure
Characters: Thranduil; Legolas; Spartacus; Atticus; Milo,


Chapter 1 - I will break but i will not bend

Thranduil woke up suddenly when he heard a metal noise.

It was their way of doing it. The guards probably had fun as soon as they found an excuse to annoy them.

That cell had become familiar, but that's not why she let her guard down.

He had discovered that showing himself extremely aggressive had the advantage of him.

He was never put together with the other prisoners or to sleep or eat, but only to practice in the arena.

He who called himself his master didn't want to lose his precious goods because of him and knew that a warrior like him was important to his earnings.

He didn't enjoy hurting people, but it was necessary to respect him. In his kingdom, he gained the trust and loyalty of the elves not only by the title, but by administering the kingdom well to prosper and only thinking of the well-being and safety of his people.

While here, the human beings he was with, they really looked like animals. Maybe they were aggressive just to raise their position as he did, or they were naturally crude.

But the curiosity of the gladiators around him was dampened by his desire to escape. He wouldn't have created any ties to anyone, otherwise they would have disadvantaged him, giving the enemy a weapon to use against him.

So it had been a hundred sixty-seven years .

In this time, he was able to get to know his prisoners well.

The Romans were a prosperous people. They extended the territory through many battles, citizens were divided into social groups and power was held by a handful of men.

But most of them were corrupt men.

Powerful avidities, they took every opportunity to increase it and the money seemed the only thing they wanted.

Especially his master. He didn't remember his name, not that he cared, but the few times he could observe him had been able to see his eyes of enough that he would turn to anyone, besides the unhealthy ego that he would transpose from every word he said, just like his fathers.

The elf was aware that the master was endured by his own people only because of him.

He had a warrior out of the ordinary, who had never been defeated and his ancestor was considered a great lanist, since he had managed to capture him.

Thranduil knew well that the lanists were on the lowest social scale, but entertaining the people and respecting the holidays with great shows was very important.

Even though it was a long time ago, he couldn't escape.

The chains, torture and fighting characterized its existence.

The victories had increased the fame and fear that everyone felt about him.

The Romans called him Azrael, the angel of death, to fear his opponents. Even if he had to say they weren't excellent warriors, that's why he was able to defeat them all.

Many elves would have vanished in life like this, but in him there was still hope that he could escape and return to Legolas.

Yes, your son. That son who involuntarily abandoned with the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders. He was certain that he would not disappoint him and be a great ruler, but he was sad to think that, exactly as he had happened to him, he had found himself young, alone and with such great responsibility.

They probably already gave it to him for dead a long time ago. It was impossible not to think that.

He disappeared one spring morning, leaving no trace of himself.

That day everything changed!

*

“Thranduil was running fast towards the realm of Imladris. Another meeting with the White Councilwould have been held to discuss increasing darkness and it was vital that he was there.

Legolas insisted on coming, but in the end he was convinced by his father to stay in the kingdom to deal with it during the king's absence.

It was more of a command from sovereign to subjected than a conversation between father and son and Thranduil had promised himself that once he returned, he would try to get close to his son.

The king and the Elves patrol had only done the necessary stops to get the horses back, without risking being too far in one place and attracting unwanted attention.

They were almost at their destination when someone attacked them.

The biggest surprise was to find out that they were only human, the beings wrapped in long black capes surrounding them.

"Whatever happens, protect the king." He ordered one of the royal guards.

“Gurth goth(rim)lye!” (Death to our enemies!) screamed another elf to encourage and courage.

But the high number of humans had decreed their defeat. Four were taken prisoners. The humans had torn apart the bodies of the fallen and set them on fire to lose all traces.

The trip was long and tiring. Locked in a small cell posted on a wagon, the elves were treated like animals. One of them died on the journey because of the wounds that were found in the fight and never treated.

Thalion was his name. A young guard who for the first time would travel with his king, not knowing that it would be the last.

The other two were named Narwain and Galdor, a little older than her son.

Once they arrived in the capital of the human world, they had been sold at auction and Thranduil, since then, had not seen the two young elves again.”

*

The first few years they subjected him to atrocious torture. But not to kill him, just to humiliate him further. With that punishment they wanted to take away their little dignity and let them down the ridge once and for all! They had partly succeeded, since he now obeyed, not everyone, but many of the orders he was given!

The pain had become his only partner and with his wonder his sensitivity had strengthened... a desperate attempt by his body to survive.

You get used to physical pain!

The next few years he spent them without letting anyone know what he was thinking. Locked in a mutism that expressed how much he felt injured by himself for bending. That's what he thinks, because his prisoners only thought they had tamed him.

It was completely unexpected. One night, a new shipment of prisoners arrived. Slaves, survivors of their people slaughtered and men ripped from their families, with the false promise of freedom in the event of victory.

A little boy in particular drew his attention. Not just because he was the only one who was so small in that group of slaves all very young. .... According to human years, they should not have more than 20, but because of the vibrancy he could see in his little eyes. The few children he had met had lost that characteristic of naive youth, aware that the life he had been looking for would not be easy.

The little one had very dark skin, the shallow body and the short hair and then she turned to observe it with curiosity. He probably wasn't more than five human years old.

He was put in a cell with him, because the other prisoners beat him. Azrael never showed himself aggressive with the children and wouldn't start doing it.

He lay down on his cot and tried to get some rest. In vain. He felt a little hand holding on to his left arm and opened his eyes in time to see that the baby had climbed into the bed and tried to lie by his side.

He knew why. His cot was positioned near the bars of the cell adjacent to theirs and perhaps he was afraid his occupants might hurt him. While he was stuck to the wall.

You could say that this child was either very stubborn or very foolish.

It was strange that he was getting closer to him and even confidence.

Thranduil sighed and turned to his left flank to make a place. After a shy “Thank you” in clear contrast to his behavior, the child lied next to him and collapsed exhausted.



*



The next morning, the little one decided to be heard. As they were having breakfast, the interrogation began.

"What is your name?" “Is it true that you elves cannot die?” “Do you really know how to fight with both the spear and the sword?” “I am Atticus!”

He must have become a slave recently since he was still full of life.

Thranduil sighed and didn't answer, decided to ignore him. He didn't seem to take it, and his curiosity manifested itself as a hurricane when he went to bother the neighbors.

During the Atticus training, water was to be given to gladiators. As a young man too young to start training, it was being used otherwise.

The elf was not surprised when he noticed that others were careful to treat the new guy well, fearing his reaction if they even scratched him.

It was amazing how humans had the presumption of knowing perfectly what was happening around them. He didn't care about the baby's fate.

Attico was put in the evening to eat.

"My mom cooked much better! But I always fought with my brothers because they were very hungry! My father was a very good hunter but he did not catch very big animals."

All he did was talk about his homeland and his family. Without homesick, he was happy.

And he wouldn't stop waving on his stool. If he moves on like this.......it'd be too late! Big laughter came from the next room, divided by their bars, as soon as they saw the baby fall on the ground.

He will not last a week. He laughed at the one who was second to Thranduil as a sword skill. “If it had been a girl, it would have been a lot more probability.” He said another by referring to something horrible and earning a deadly look from the elf, which made him stop laughing at the moment.

Atticus proved to be tough by getting up with apparent calm and finishing eating his meal. He was no longer as agitated, partly intimidated by adults and partly because he learned his lesson.

To rest comfortably, Thranduil swapped cot with the baby to make sure he was resting. The fact that he didn't care about him didn't mean he was gonna be cruel.



*



In the morning, the elf was training with Dolor. It could have been a lethal fight since the wooden swords were strong enough to break a skull, but Thranduil knew it was not wise to overcome his master's second best gladiator.

He preferred the use of two swords, even though he had learned to handle all the other types of weapons used in the arena, while his opponent handled a sword and a big shield.

When the 20th time the rival landed, the master ordered them to change their companion. But as he was headed towards the next opponent, a reckless attacked him. He was used to it.

To be seen by many people, they tried to surprise him trying to make the most of it in the hope of winning and impress the master, even though no one ever did!

Thranduil fell down his back, but he quickly stood back up, laying a knee and a hand on the ground, posing the sword behind his back ready to block the next blow. But as the madman was loading the shot, a grief grief pain painted his face and collapsed on his knees.

The elf saw that Atticus had hit him in the knee with a wooden sword and given the pain he had caused him, he must have struck the nerve.

The little boy immediately regretted the gesture and screamed when the man grabbed her by the throat and lifted him into the air.

Fear was replaced by surprise when Thranduil freed him by feeling his opponent with a blow.

Not content, the elf continued to fidel on the poor man who could do nothing but suffer in silence, in the hope that the guards would save him!

That happened. The guards beat Azrael with their sticks to understand that he should not do it again and dragged him into a small cramped cell where they chained him with his face in front of the wall and his arms outstretched at the top, to keep him grounded without water and food, until the master had decided to free him.

Thranduil acted unnecessarily only to vent some of his anger.

But not to the villain.....

Because? Why had he defended the child? Why did he feel compelled to do so?

He kept fidgeting, tinkling his chains and banging his head against the wall. He hated himself! Because? He was a mortal who would live a handful of the elves' years..... why bother? He never cared about men, and now, after all they had done to him, why should he care about such a corrupt and cruel race?!

The cell door opened and a blow to the head knocked him unconscious.



*



When he woke up, he knew he was in his cell.

He barely sat down. All the new wounds were protesting but he didn't look at you.

A hiccup made him turn to Atticus’ cot and saw him... the baby had a black eye and a lot of bruises to his head, but his arms also had wounds, as well as the rest of his body.

They punished him, too.

Thranduil smiled.

He had protected thousands of elves for centuries and now he couldn't defend a child!

He didn't understand why but felt he had to protect that child.

Being lost was a feeling he had to get used to, while he was a slave, but he was certain of what he wanted: to go back to Legolas!

All the other gladiators were in their cells, lying on their bunks.

It was supposed to be night. The elf was wonderful, he must have fainted longer than he had previously believed!

Much more likely was the Romans drugged him to keep him from getting hurt any further.

“Have you not died?” A little voice reached his ear and saw that Attico had kneeled next to him.

“It takes more than that to kill me!” Azrael answered.

“Dieu merci!” He said the little "How?" He asked for the Elf surprised. “I said good! My mom always spoke French to me! That's how they talked in the city where they were born!" He explained Atticus.

Azrael sat on his cot, “Where are yours?” He asked, not sure that he wanted to hear the answer, "I don't know! The Romans said I'll never see them again. They burned my house and my brothers have been sold too!" Said the little one step away from the crying.

“All right. I get it! Now sleep, tomorrow will be a busy day." told Atticus who obeyed without making a fuss.

“We are friends, are we?" The child's question was unexpected, but Thranduil couldn't stop a smile from being formed in his face “Yes, Atticus. I am Azrael!” He answered before he slept.

*

All right, I don't know if it's interesting as a start, but it's an idea I've decided to write!
I will refer both to the 2014 Pompeii film and to the Spartacus series besides the Middle Earth of which Thranduil will be the lead.
I hope it'll tease your interest! And not to completely overturn the King of Mirkwood! (I always have a hard time playing myself into him and I would not like to make him another person compared to the proud, private sovereign of the movie!)
Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions to give me!
See you soon,
X98


Chapter 2 - What is right

Thirty long years passed.

For an elf it was a blink of an eye in his immortal life, but for Azrael they were the best years of his new life.

Atticus had become a young man and a dear friend.

The elf considered him to be on par with a child and their relationship had strengthened over time.

The boy had taught him French after improving him with a dead gladiator a few years earlier, and Thranduil had begun to take an interest in the many languages of men, realizing that the more he knew of it, the greater the advantage.

Those who had introduced him to new idioms had died, but the basis for learning to speak the new languages correctly was there, like gladiators who spoke them, and so knowledge of the elf had expanded.

Their lives had undergone a remarkable turning point. Whether positive or negative you had to wait to say it.

Their previous master had been assassinated and had no heirs, his estate was auctioned off.

This included them, too.

At the time they were in a cell, on a wagon. Heading to the place of sale.

"Si nous avions des pièces avec nous, je parierais que le prix qu'ils vous vendront sera d'au moins 100 pièces!" (If we had coins with us I would bet that the price at which they will sell you will be at least 100 coins!) Atticus said he loved betting.

"Mais nous ne les avons pas, alors essayez de vous calmer! Votre enthousiasme est hors de propos!" (But we don't have them, so be sure to calm down!

This enthusiasm of yours is misplaced!) Azrael complained.

Fortunately none of the other gladiators present spoke their idiom, so that they could have a modicum of privacy.

"J'ai une idée!" (I got an idea!) Atticus said.

"A doit? Tre mieux que "s'évader pendant l'enchère"!" (Must be better than "auction escape"!) complained about the elf. Your son's defect was irritating. He was stronger than him: he couldn't shut up!

"Vous avez dit que c'est un avantage de conna'tre plusieurs langues ......” (You said it's an advantage to know many languages......) continued the boy ignoring his father's black mood.

“Je le reconnais!" (I recognize it!) answered Azrael unstressed.

"Bien! Donc, si les humains croient que vous ne pouvez pas parler leur langue, ils parleront librement devant vous!" (Well! So if humans believe you can't speak their language they will speak freely in front of you!) revealed Atticus as if he had had an illumination.

"Et comment aurais-je obéi aux ordres dans le passé?" (And how would I obey orders in the past?) asked curious Azrael. It was a good idea. Those who had heard him speak the language of the Romans were almost all dead! Considering that in front of the plebs he had only fought and did not give speeches.

"Gr'ce à moi, j'étais traductrice et avant ..... de fouetter?" (Thanks to me that I was a translator and before..... lashes?). A great idea and a great advantage!

Although their future was still uncertain, this was a feature of gladiator life.

Such a sudden change could be beneficial or fatal.

He had learned the movements of every guard and every servant in those years, deciding not to act, but to wait for Atticus to be strong and experienced enough not to be killed during their escape......... and now all that work had faded before their eyes because of that poor man who had been their ex-master!

Once they reached the main square they were taken down to be led to the platform so that all the nobles could admire the goods.

Azrael was not surprised when he saw the large number of slaves for sale and almost all the glances pointed at him.

"Admire this never tamed beast! He killed more gladiators in his master's house than in the arena! He's an elf who lives because of the souls he takes over! How much do you offer for.... the angel of death?" The question answered a choir of concidental voices.

The elf sighed. It would have been a long day.



*



In the end, the buyer had been a Barahir. A poor success lanist, but he had the swoldest bag of the others. He had so many coins that besides him and Atticus had bought many other slaves, gladiators and servants.

They were all stuck on a wagon and started the journey.

Like most of the buyers, Barahir wasn't originally from that small town. He had moved on to the news that “the angel of death” was put on sale.

He came from a port town called Napoli.

Laughter drew the attention of the elf. Two girls were talking and laughing at each other. They were the only ones in good mood on the wagon!

"What are you laughing at? I could have married him and lived in our house forever! Instead he decides to pay his own freedom and go to die in a brothel!” The brunette was like, "Of course you choose these imaginary boyfriends." Did he ever talk to you or just look at you? He could have been an asshole or just a violent one! I think it's better how it went!" The blackberry replied, "Thank you are always adored friend, guide of my steps and........ unso required life breaker!" He commented on the first.

Atticus laughed, attracting the attention of the two young women.

"He was laughing at you!" Said the brown, "That's not true! You were the last one to speak!" she defended the other.

"I am Atticus and I laughed at the conversation not of one of you in particular!" He tried to recover the situation.

“I'm Sara, while my friend forgets about good manners is Hanna!" Said the blackberry.

"Where are you from?" Atticus asked "That's a good question!" Hanna answered, crossing her arms to her chest, "Where are you from?" "I’m from a land near the Rhone River!" Atticus said.

"And.... you?" Sara asked the elf who sat next to the boy they were conversing with and who paid attention to the conversation.

He stared at her and Sara felt helpless. It was as if she could read her soul with those Lapis lazuli that she found herself in place of the eyes.....

"And where did this come from?" wondered the girl mentally. Especially because his eyes were more like aquamarine since they were of a wonderful clear celestial.

"He doesn't speak your language!" Atticus intervened, realizing with a glance that Azrael was not bothered, in fact, he seemed amused, which was even stranger.

Few things could attract the elf's attention as if in his millennial life he had already seen it all!..... Likely!

"And you'd be so kind from...." began Sara to be interrupted "Translate!" From Hanna.

Atticus laughed nodding "D'où venez-vous?" (Where do you come from?) he asked his father, acknowledging that since he had met him, it had never occurred to him to ask him such a question.

"Ce n'est pas leur affaire!"(It's none of their business!) answered annoyed the elf, stiffening.

The boy was surprised at his father's reaction. He didn't seem to want to remember. and maybe he wasn't wrong. He had no memory of his life before slavery because he had been too small for memories to take root, while his father surely remembered everything as if it had happened yesterday!

"He said he won't tell you!" He translated "Maleducated!" for the girls. Answered the most reckless "If my question has offended him I apologize!" Sara said, looking at the elf in fear.

"I don't think so, it takes much more to make him angry!" He calmed her down.

"If I forced him to dance the samba, would I be able to undermine that crazy self-control he has, on every movement he makes?" Hannah asked seriously and then self-criticized with a "I did the rhyme! I would say it wasn't really a rhyme..... what's called that rhetorical figure....?"

"But that....." Sara was interrupted by the sound of a heavy door being opened.

They had arrived.



*



Seeing the luxurious villa where their master lived it had become apparent that Barahir had to have a very interesting story behind him.

A mere lanista could never have afforded all that!

They were immediately divided and Azrael was astonished when he found himself in a small room made of stone walls and furnished better than he had ever seen.

There were bars at the door, however, only at the top, and being almost all wooden, they gave him more privacy than he had ever had!

Looking out from the bars he saw that all the cells were made like this and did not be surprised by the multitude of corridors present.

“Azrael?" Atticus’ voice made him realize that he was in the cell next to his “C'était quelque peu inatendu!”(This is quite unexpected!) the elf said to refer to the improvement of their situation.

“Pas autant que ces filles!”(Not as much as those girls!) answered Atticus smiling at the thought of the two exuberant young.

“Je crois qu'ils cachent plus qu'ils ne disent! C'est la première fois que vous vous vous souciez des femelles de votre race!” (I think they hide more than they say! This is the first time you've ever cared about the females of your kind!) said the elf sure he was right and curious to see how his son would react to his provocation.

“Bien súr! Les elfes femelles ne sont pas there! Je dois être satisfait!”(Of course! The female elves are not here! I have to settle!) tried to joke Atticus.

“Ne change pas de sujet!”(Don't change the subject!) Azrael took it back. Humans ignorance was incredible!

“Je suis parfaite pertinent!”(I'm perfectly relevant!) Atticus tried to defend himself.

They couldn't say anything but a shame stopped the peace of that beautiful evening.

That noise was a 6'2" girl with brown hair named Hanna.

"No! Please, no! Let me go!" She was desperate to scream the poor woman while the guards dragged her without any cure.

“Nous devons vous aider!”(We must help her!) said Atticus that he couldn't see Azrael that he had comfortably lay down on his new bed and he had a great deal of it.

“Bonne chance!”(Good luck!) says the elf. Even though the stone walls could feel good only because Atticus had glued to bars with his face.

“Tu dois m'aider!”(You have to help me!) his son begged him.

“Je n'y thought même pas!” (I don't think so!) resolute answers Azrael.

“Vous ne vous souciez pas problemes des autres, même avec vos semblables?”(Did you get into other people's problems with your own people?) he tried to push him the young “N'ose pas me parler de cette façon! Et ne les mentionnez plus!”(Don't you dare talk to me like that! And don't mention them again!) threw the elf reminding him that talking about certain things was a serious mistake, only because of the tone of his voice.

“S'il te plait!”(Please!) insisted his son as stubborn as his father, maybe more.

“Tu sais ce qu'ils veulent he fail?” (Do you know what they want to do to her?) asked Azrael uninterested.

“Non, corn je m'en chiche!”(No, but I don't care!) answer stubborn Atticus.

“Vous voulez avoir des ennuis sur le coup de tête d'une petite fille?”(Do you wish to get in trouble for a child's whim?) asked the elf. That girl had shown her character and she didn't seem to be used to that standard of living. As a slave. It wouldn't have surprised him to find out that he was being a rebel for a simple nonsense.....

“Aidez-la! Tu me dois un 'pas de questions posées', tu te souviens?”(Help her! You owe me a “without asking questions”, remember?) said in the end Atticus, referring to an episode that happened earlier.

“Tu te souviens que je n'oublie pas?"(Remember I don't forget?) asked Azrael to be embarrassed in remembering the unfortunate situation he had found himself in. Many gladiators would have enjoyed having six girls in their cell, but he didn't!

And Atticus was more than grateful to take away that unwanted gift from them by paying a guard to get the girls moved to his cell.

Then he talked about the “without asking questions” but the elf had understood very well what it meant only afterwards, regretting that he had accepted!

“Bien súr!” (Of course!) his son replied knowing that he was in serious trouble but having fun the same since he had managed to win.

"Soyez assurés que je vous ferai payer!" (Rest assured I'll make you pay!) promised the elf before getting out of that bed all too comfortably.

"Je me's you'll inquite le moment venu!" (I'll worry when the time comes!) answered the young man trying to seem safe and casual but feeling the worry already begin to grow within him.

"Vous les humains, vous ? Tes juste bizarres!" (You humans are just weird!) Azrael commented before taking a short run, spinning in the air and kicking the goal. On the first attempt she did not give in, but when she was hit a second time she opened up by slamming into the wall with a great din.

The guards were immediately on him, but for Azrael it was a walk to land them and kill them. It was enough for him to follow the sound of screams to find himself in front of a horrible scene: the guards were trying to rape the.... Hanna!

There was a moment of stalemate as soon as they realized that he was outside the cell, but it lasted a moment and those men also died before they could feel fear.

"I-I didn't need h-help!" She tried to protest the girl and stammered, revealing how shocked she was about the incident.

Azrael tried not to laugh and the fun passed as soon as he heard the voices and footsteps of other men descending the stairs. As a start there was no harm! Barahir would soon realize that he was different!



*



"Why do you think he helped you?" asked Sara to look at the elf unconscious with curiosity “Why Atticus asked him to do it! We have just spoken to him!" Her friend reminded her.

“Yes, I know that. But why? He could have refused!" He punctualized the brunette.

“Indeed, he is not famous for getting along with humans! He either went mad or he wanted to get himself killed." Said Hanna. “That does not change much. Only a fool would seek death!" Sara answered.

"Are you sure? A life like this must not be easy....” “Do you think it comes from Middle Earth?" Sara asked her, "Ask him!" The friend answered.

“Not even dead! I'm not paying! You will....” “I understand!” Hanna broke it off.

They had both locked up together with the elf. They were without chains, and he had them tied to his wrists. I'm going to support them in case he woke up.

“We could not end up in a fantasy movie? No! We are in the past without the slightest chance of using technology to get home!” Hanna complained.

“But elves are imaginary creatures! Besides, I don't think technology could help us. Maybe Gandalf! Magic seems more appropriate for our situation.” She thought about her friend.

"By fantasy I did not mean fairy creatures! But superheroes! We could have gotten together with superpowers! That would have been so cool! But the most interesting thing here is to see half-naked men trying to kill themselves!" protested Hanna.

"And they speak Latin!" Sara specialised “And there is no Coke!” The friend “E does not exist” I shall observe the brunette “Not even Instagram!” costed the brunette “Or Facebook!” ended the other one.

“Think of how many like we could have achieved.” Hanna said to turn her attention to the elf again and pointing it with a hand “Meeting with the great ruler of Bleak Wood!” “It is Mirkwood!” The friend “Whatever! The important thing is to understand each other!” Hanna said, "And I doubt he's Lee Pece! I read that the elf has a terrible character!” Said Sara.

The girl approached Azrael kneeling next to him. The elf was lying on the side and slow and regular breathing, it was clear that he was unconscious.

“Do you want to worship him for much longer?” asked Hanna to have a good time with the lovely look that her friend addressed to the elf.

"No!" rested embarrassed Sara by falling on the ground, "Right! You like Legolas!” Running the friend “Shut up!” I'll whisper the brunette by looking at the elf worried.

“I do not think he will wake up soon! They have done him with the holidays!” Hanna said to refer to the numerous bruises on her face, head and body probably. Luckily clothes kept from finding it. You could have said that Thranduil was the most puedient gladiator in ancient Rome!

"Right!" Exclaimed Sara “What?” asked the other one, "You have a crush on Aragon! Normal you care about him!” Said the brunette.

"No! My favorite character is another one!” Hanna specify “Bilbo?” tried Sara

“He is an old man who is decrepit”. Said the friend “Elrond?” The friend tried again, "He's old too!" insisted the brunette! “Ancient! There is a great difference!” Sara pointed out to her “And then depends on the time at which they are. Bilbo may not have left with the company yet! Or he might not be born yet! Unfortunately, it is not easy to understand how old he is, just by looking at him!" she found it.

“So you say that the prophecy of the end of the era, the second darkness and the happy ending that Elrond cannot see may not yet have been pronounced?” asked Hanna for a fool.

"Ask me questions I cannot answer." She defended her friend.

Meanwhile, Hanna had approached the elf, and she was watching him curious.

“Is it good?” Sara asked, "Go easy! Legolas could become jealous!” The girl laughed at her.

"Look at this strength! The ears are so funny!" "Watch out!" set Hanna to her friend as soon as she realized that when she looked closer, she had hit the elf's shoulder with hers, and that the latter rolled, lying on her back.

The girls held their breath fearing to wake him, but a few seconds passed a sigh of relief. It is a pity that the elf also sighed deeply by making them shake.

"I can hide you that a magician has taken me from my stomach, who comes right to my heart." Sara said ahe tried to keep the tone of his voice.

"Stop it!" The friend took it back.



*



It's been a week. From what he heard, Atticus could say that the two girls had been very lucky. Not only were they saved, but now they were serving the mistress.

It turned out that, apparently, one of the guards who attacked Hanna was the mistress's mistress and she decided to keep them for revenge. Two buds not yet in flower were considered very rare!

His father had already recovered from the reservoir welcome and now they were training with the whip sounds in his ears.

Fortunately, despite the thousands of thoughts that crowded his mind, Azrael could follow training, enough for his son to suspect nothing.

Days earlier he woke up in the cell and felt the girls were there. They wouldn't shut up and he had to make a huge effort to avoid reacting when they mentioned Gandalf and his woods!

They knew who he was and knew he had a son!

But the most shocking thing was they knew about Lord Elrond's prediction! They couldn't be spies! They were too young and naive!

And besides, when they talked about Middle Earth, they seemed like two girls telling each other a story.

They said everything and nothing!

And he was sure they knew a lot more about him and the people of Arda!

He would have found out their secrets! For the safety of Middle Earth!

Atticus's wooden sword passed terribly close to his face and Azrael decided he had enough. With the wooden shield, he managed to disarm the opponent and then rotate on himself before he hit Atticus with his training sword.

The poor man moans down on his knees, but the sad expression lasted little on his face before a gaze of challenge painted himself in his face.

His father had been merciful with little revenge! Not enough to hold him off, but no one gets satisfied with it, so he didn't complain! Azrael seemed more upset than usual and asked why. His father was his fate, or the Elves who were caught with him and had never heard of.

In the end, Atticus decided not to think about it, his father would soon confide himself or curiosity would help him shed light on everything!

Notes:

I was planning on putting the two best friends in the first place!
And I must confess, I had a great time writing dialogue!
Let me know what you think!
Have a good day,
X-98


Chapter 3 - With the force of truth I conquered the universe

Azrael dodged a spear, grabbed it and with the sword broke the wood making the other end useless. The gladiator panicked once the weapon was lost and it was not difficult to cut his throat as soon as an opening was found.

For the Romans, the final clash between the two best gladiators of two schools was the most interesting part of the show, for Azrael it was even too short.

Tired of the exults in the face of the death of a poor innocent, he returned to the dungeons ignoring everything and everyone.

He had never shown respect or consideration for the one who called himself his master, nor for his "admirers" and this had provided him with an excellent reputation since he was considered heartless.

A soulless murderer who fed on those of his victims, so wicked that even death itself had rejected him ....... Picturesque! Humans had a lively imagination there was nothing else to say!

“Excellent travail! Ce salaud avait une excellente réputation que vous avez réussi à détruire en moins d'une minute! Les dieux vous favorisent!"(Great job! That bastard had an excellent reputation that you managed to destroy in less than a minute! The gods favor you!) said Atticus once he was back in the basement of the amphitheater.

"Je ne crois pas en tes dieux!"(I don't believe in your gods!) he cut the elf short.

"Et moi dans le vôtre. Peut-être que quand je serai libre, je changerai d'avis ou je pourrai vous convaincre du contraire!"(And me in yours. Maybe when I am free I will change my mind or I will be able to convince you otherwise!) the son replied.

Azrael sighed. It was enough for Atticus to see a gladiator once released to be convinced that Roman law would be respected and he would be freed.

If a gladiator proved worthy, he was awarded the rudis, a wooden sword with all his victories engraved on it and he could call himself a free man.

Arrived in the evening they were loaded again on the cart to return to the villa.

But freedom is not an object you can give and take back!

It is true happiness .......... if for your joy you need the permission of others, you are a poor fool.

This his son would learn at his own expense. He was a man now. He had to make his experiences and live with it.

Towards evening, once those bloody games were over, they were crammed into the cart again to return to the villa.

Looking around out of mere habit, Azrael noticed the two girls getting on the carriage with their mistress.

The stubbornest stopped, before entering, to watch the beautiful sunset and when she turned to follow the mistress and her friend, their eyes met.

The elf was appalled by the force he saw shining through those little green eyes, also thinking of the life that the girl was now leading ...... she found herself smiling when, the mistress, with little, indeed, absent feminine grace , he pulled her in with one arm, reproaching her slowness.



*



Azrael had never been more happy to return to his cell than that evening.

The downside of this new arrangement was that humans were asking too much from him!

In addition to the final clash, he had been forced to measure himself in numerous "one against all" clashes.

An absurd idea from the organizer of the games to show the people how dangerous it was ... he understood it by hearing him reap compliments and phrases of admiration for his person.

He was sure that not all his elves would survive such a test and instead of pride he felt a freezing fury gripping his bowels!

The fact is that at the end of the day he was exhausted and happy to have endured so long. In the hope that the owner would leave him quiet, without chaining him in front of the invited guests in honor of his victory, as he often did ...... he sat on the bed remembering the good moments of his long life.

Hopes were in vain.

The cell door was opened and to her surprise Hanna was thrown in like a sack of potatoes. She managed to cushion her fall with her forearms, but that didn't mean she didn't take a big hit.

It was so fast and unexpected that Azrael sat on the bed staring at her.

She stood up, trembling and looked at him in a way she could not decipher.

Without saying anything he lay down on the bed and took off the light tunic he was wearing.

Azrael jumped up and stepped back in confusion, understanding the girl's intentions even though she was not convinced at all.

"Que veux-tu?" (What do you want?) Asked shocked "I don't understand your language!" She started looking offended by his reaction "But I'm here to satisfy your needs!" She said lowering her eyes as she tried to hide the tears.

Azrael sat on the bed next to her scaring her to death, but gently reached out, raising her chin "I won't rap you!" He said firmly, ignoring the shock on her face when she heard him speak his language.

"You ...." Hanna fell silent when he put his index finger on her lips "Nobody has to know!" He whispered smiling.

The girl felt light as a feather. That elf had never stopped surprising her and now he was aware that he would never stop doing it!

He had shown her a great deal of confidence by revealing that secret and had shown himself noble by respecting her and her body.

A question formed in her head, but fearing that the guards would hear, she tried to express herself with her eyes saying only one word "Atticus...?" The elf nodded understanding the question.

Hanna had time to see his eyes go back before he passed out on her.

She was unable to suppress a cry of surprise and at the beginning he feared the worst, but when the elf remained motionless he understood. He wasn't pretending and he wasn't attacking her!

Even if it was only the bust that was pressed against her, she struggled a lot to get it off.

It was really heavy! Not fat, heavy! Better specify it, even if only in his head!

As a precaution he checked the vital signs but Azrael was alive.

Since the elf was placed transversely to the bed, he decided to arrange it better. He straddled his torso and grabbed his shoulders and sat him down.

Embracing him, he turned him and dragged for a few centimeters before falling with him and on him ... on the bed.

At least his head was now resting on the pillow. It was less difficult to move the legs and, slightly, the pelvis. From the stands she had witnessed the fight and was not surprised to see how exhausted the elf was.

After placing the blanket on him, he lay down beside him trying to ignore the warmth she felt rising on his cheeks.

If she stayed, she would have prevented the master's servant from trying to seduce her again even if she felt guilty about leaving Sara alone!



*



Azrael woke up to see the sun go through a crack in the wood.

He sat up and winced when he realized the human who was sleeping next to him.

The memories of the previous evening came back in a flash and wondered if he had hurt her by collapsing on her.

The girl moved, confirming to the elf that he would dispel his doubts in a short time.

After a yawn Hannah rubbed her face and turned her head taking a hit when she noticed that the elf was awake and staring at her.

"I didn't rap you!" She screamed as he sat up, before mentally giving herself an idiot. But what kind of good morning is it? No, the right question was: what kind of statement, no ..... which woman would have ever said such a thing to a ... male!?

The elf, to his surprise, laughed.

"You passed out!" Azrael became terribly serious. Perfect! Had a magical touch in bringing bad mood! She could call it a talent!

"Are you feeling well?" she asked trying to repair that disastrous start to the day.

He nodded "Did I hurt you?" He asked in a too loud voice. "Shhh ...... no! No! In fact, at the beginning I thought you were dead! " She confessed.

The elf laughed again and Hanna believed she had witnessed two miracles in rapid succession.

In the movie he didn't seem to have much fun, much less so cheerful!

"The guards are not there and the others are still sleeping. They completely closed the door” he said, pointing to the bars covered with wood that prevented him from seeing outside “Nobody can hear us!" he said.

"Perfect! Let's go inside then!" Hanna said getting up from the bed and, with a jump, landing on the cold floor. She washed her face with the water that was inside a wooden tub.

"Why did you decide to talk to me?" She asked curiously as she dried herself with a filthy rag "To calm down!" He replied sitting on the bed but crossing his legs.

“Not just for that! I saw the looks you give me...." "... and I heard you and your friend whispering information behind me that only I thought I knew among the Romans!" The elf replied.

"I preferred you unconscious!" She said furiously.

"How do you know the lands I come from? And the words of Elrond?” Azrael asked anxiously.

"The One will be found, and then the war will return, and it will be the end of this Era. And I fear it will end in a second darkness, unless some fortuitous event causes what my eyes are unable to see." The girl repeated as if it had been a trivial

“If I tell you the truth ........ I don't think you will believe me!" She said skeptically. "Try me!" He said even more curious.

Hanna sighed. It was so worth the risk!

“Me and my friend Sara .... we are not from this world! ... that is we are! Wait up!" she stopped trying to explain things as clearly as possible. Not that it was easy since they were all tangled up in his mind too.

“In our world, the Romans ..... died .... died ........ three thousand years ago ...... little less! Ah, I'm not good at math! For me it is as if I had found myself in the past! In our world we are much more evolved! We have built inventions that allow us not to use the horse and to travel the same considerable distances, means that allow us to fly ...... here we are in the stone age! I mean ... they still use the carriage! " She could seem crazy, she was sure of it!

“How did you end up in chains? Do you have a family?” It seemed that the elf was very curious and that he was believing it. For the moment!

“No personal questions thanks! And for the first ..... I don't know! Bad luck? Sara and I were walking in the woods when we fell down a steep descent full of leaves, weeds and roots. When we woke up the Romans had surrounded us ..... before kidnapping us! I don't remember much of the trip since we stayed in wooden crates as if we were objects. It lasted a long time and when they sold us we met you!" finished telling the girl.

"If you come from another era, how do you know my race?" Azrael asked realizing he wasn't lying.

He could read it in his face. That mixture of emotions that he had experienced retracing his past were not fake ....

“Now comes the interesting part ..... in my world elves don't exist! And apparently they don't even know them here since they treat you like a novelty! Barahir said that your first master never revealed how he did it, nor where he caught you!” The girl revealed by terrorizing the elf.

Wouldn't he come home again? Was he trapped forever in an unknown world like Hannah and Sandra?

“For us, you are only legends! A writer invented your world and told us about it through his fantastic stories ... even if, apparently, you are not exactly a fantasy!" Hanna corrected herself, trying not to laugh. "A little tact is required!"her conscience told her.

Realizing that perhaps he could no longer go home did not have to be easy!

"I know who you are! But I never told anyone to avoid trouble and any revenge on your part!" Hanna admitted.

“Thank you!" The elf said after a long moment of silence "Do you think I am in a world different from mine?" To that question the girl answered shaking her head with a lost expression and a "I don't know, what do you expect me to say?" Not very elegant.

"For the trust shown in me, I allow you to give me your name, but please never call me by my real name!" Azrael said after careful consideration.

"Thranduil is a beautiful name but at the moment too strange!" She whispered sitting down next to him "Then you too can give me ... of you! Enough of this you! I'm a slave, damn it!" Said the girl.

Then, unexpectedly, Hanna hugged him whispering a thank you full of sincere gratitude.

When she was done he saw her blush as she regretted making such a gesture.

“I trust you, I know you are a noble elf!" She tried to reassure him even if she was very ashamed of the embrace. Maybe she had sensed his surprise.

"If you trust me, why were you afraid I might rape you?" Azrael asked.

“I have no idea what you went through! I know that those of your race can become evil and knowing that they tortured you and did who knows what ..... I was afraid you were no longer that noble elf!" She replied anxiously.

“And I don't intend to become one! I resisted in the hope of seeing my son again!" Azrael said feeling a close to the heart knowing that maybe it would never happen.

“So is that why you didn't die?" Hanna asked in amazement.

He gave her a dark look "I know that elves can die from pain! ... is that true?" The curious human asked

"Yes!" The elf replied "And now ...." "You can't die right now!" The girl said standing up "I'm going to visit Middle-earth and get to know the Prince about whom I have heard a myriad of stories!" He concluded by crossing his arms over his chest.

"Do you want to escape?" Azrael asked surprised "You don't? Didn't you want to see your son again? " She replied.

He smiled "So be it!" He answered standing up when he heard the main gate open.

Another tiring day was about to begin.



*



"You are a crazy, insensitive, careless, first-rate idiot!" Sara hissed once her friend had confessed what had happened at the first light of dawn.

"On three of these adjectives I fully agree, but what insensitive is it to?" Hanna asked that she had a lot of fun when she managed to infuriate Sara.

She who boasted of having an extraordinary temperament and patience!

“Insensitive to him! You hit him in the face that he will never see the only family he has again!" Sara explained disheartened.

He didn't know Thranduil, but he admired the elves, and the impetus combined with the simple fact that his friend was all too direct in saying things, would have destroyed every possibility of knowing him better!

“What are you still doing here?" The voice of the mistress made the girls take the biggest fear of their lives. Ok, maybe it was better to live it in full before you could say such a thing!

"I ask forgiveness, but we don't remember the way to go to the cellars!" Sara said bowing her head in submission.

It was true that they had been in that villa for some time now, but their sense of orientation combined with the size of that place predicted only trouble!

"You are really useless! My husband is an imbecile, only that explains how he could have bought two slaves as clumsy as you two!" The mistress yelled, slapping Sara loudly.

Then he looked at them as if he wanted to incinerate them instantly "Follow me! We await guests and unfortunately I will have to keep you until the next auction!" She said before hurrying to a large room. Sara tried to push back the tears by starting to take deep breaths.

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent!"The girl thought back to the words that her father had said to her, long ago, when she returned home desperate because of some bullies who had thrown eggs at her.

Once in the great hall they didn't have to wait long before the guest was greeted with laughter, welcome phrases and a huge banquet.

“Luck has blushed everyone since you managed to get that wild beast! The benevolence of the gods will be even greater if you manage to tame it!" The guest said as he watched Hanna too insistently.

“Your wishes will soon be fulfilled! That elf has remained in chains and in the darkness for many years, it doesn't surprise me that he made a pact with the devil just to end such torture! I bought it because I was sure I could do it!” Barahir said with his usual arrogance.

"Have you found out how you can be obeyed?" Asked the astonished guest.

Azrael has always been released into the arena and allowed himself to be killed if anyone tries to do the same.

He did not obey anyone, so none of his opponents had ever survived!

“I just gave him what every man wants!" Barahir answered looking at Hanna.

The wife made a disgusted face, but as soon as she realized who the husband was looking at, she burst like a firecracker "How could you! They are my property! Now that you've ruined them, you'll need to get more!" she yelled, jerkily getting up from his chair and spilling an entire carafe of wine.

“Don't be outraged! You should consider yourself lucky to have the bitch of the angel of death as your personal slave!" Her husband replied with equal ferocity.

Those two were identical! Too bad they didn't get along! The more the days passed, the more Sara wanted to know their story!

“He is not a man, remember him my friend!" Said the guest who seemed to be perfectly accustomed to the quarrels of the two.

"Then I'll try to increase the substance!" Barahir said to Sara "Tonight you will go to him too!" And the girl tried to appear terrified even if inside she rejoiced enthusiastically.

"This is what I hope to do with the humble gifts I brought you!" The guest said attracting the attention of all those present and his guard, who lowered his head and then left the room.

"You have a talent my friend! How do you manage to make your interlocutors hang from your lips?" The master asked curiously.

"After today you will call me brother!" The other said, pointing with one hand to the returning guard, accompanied by other soldiers and two prisoners.

Hanna and Sara were too upset to show their surprise and shock, screaming or doing anything else besides standing still like marble statues ..... staring at the two elves in front of them!



*



Do you know the expression "Losing ten years in ten seconds?" Well.

Because Hanna and Sara fully experienced it in an instant!

Or rather, ten seconds!

Those two elves looked younger than they already knew! As much as it seemed! They could have been even older!

“I found them in a mine! The gods made me find them. Their previous owners tried to hide the pointed ears and long hair, peculiar characteristics of their race!" Said the guest.

“Put them in a cell! I'll take care of it later!" Barahir ordered his guards.

"Bring my slaves too!" His wife added “I wish to have maximum privacy in showing the gratitude that is due to a dear brother!" She said, thus responding to her husband's confused gaze.

They were fortunate not to come anywhere near the place where the gladiators were training. The girls feared some hysterical reaction from Azrael! Even if it was there! They had kidnapped other elves!

When the cell door was closed and the guards had gone far enough, Sara went wild "It's crazy to say the least! The gods in whom the Romans believe take us for a ride! This is an absurd coincidence!" she began to say walking through the small cell like a hurricane.

"Simmer down!" Hanna tried, however, obtaining the opposite effect.

“He won't be happy to see you at all! And not because you have pointy ears but because the damned Romans had the brilliant idea of enslaving you! Wait! ...... but why aren't you gladiators?"

"The problems of life!" Hanna mocked her “From what I know the elves know how to fight! It's part of basic education!” Sara continued, ignoring her outright.

"Do you now know Elven culture and traditions better than they do?" Speechless Hanna asked.

Although the two elves were the most confused and shocked! All the humans encountered so far had been curious and terrified of them.

They knew nothing of their people and believed that they were unable to speak and understand the current language!

But these humans were the exception! They seemed to be at ease and seemed to be worried about their safety!

“Lasta lalaithamin!”(You make me laugh!) Said the elf with brown hair.

"Amin feuya ten’ lle!"(Disgust me!) Said the blond. Sara looked at them with a huge smile that lit her face "What a crazy cool!" she said adoringly. It was the first time he had heard of Elvish!

Sindar, if she wanted to be fussy! ...... yes, she wanted!

"Now he passes out!" Hanna ventured “No! Heaven, it would be embarrassing!” Sara said in a whole new tone of voice, placing a palm of her hand on her right cheek, pretending to be scandalized, as if her friend had screamed the worst blasphemy ever heard!

Sara sat on the ground in front of the two elves and turned to the blond one "What's your name?"

"Auta miqula orqu!"(But go kiss an ogre!) He replied.

“Even if I don't understand the elf, I don't think he complimented you!" Hanna said she was more amused than scared.

“My name is Sara, while this funny guy is Hanna! We know you speak our language and if elven manners are not just a legend, please answer me!" The offended brunette said for not having understood an accident but sure that her friend was right!

"Dinah!"(Be quiet!) said the blond.

"Apparently, elves are as stubborn as dwarves!" observed Hanna making a wrong comparison at the least opportune moment.

"Man pedich?"(What did you say?) Said the blond.

Both of them jumped up terrifying the two girls who backed away until they were on the opposite side of the cell. But it didn't help much since the room was definitely tiny!

“Mine was a finding! Arguing would be the wisest choice!" tried to save Hanna. Why did he have to give voice to every thought?

Noises preceded the passage of numerous gladiators. It was time for lunch. It happened just in time to save them.

As soon as Azrael appeared, he stared at them in surprise. A bowl of rice in his hand.

“Mae govannen Aran Thranduil! Amin naa tualle!”(Well found King Thranduil! I am at your services) said the blond.

"Mankoi naa lle sinome?"(Why are you here?) Asked the other.

Azrael's bowl slipped from his grasp and landed on the ground. Rice was spread everywhere going against all physical laws. That is, its speed was not such as to create a disaster!

The radius should have been much narrower. This was all that Sara managed to think in an attempt to hope not to be really where she actually was!

"What a waste!" observed Hanna more interested in food than anything else.

For the record: thanks to the sweet and caring owner, they hadn't had lunch yet!

"Mankoi naa llie sinome?" (Why are you here?) Asked Azrael still shocked.

“It's really cool, but could you speak an understandable language? It's even worse than when others whisper secrets in their ears!" Hanna said annoyed.

The blond elf snapped furiously towards the human, but the imperious voice of his lord made him arrest "Daro!"(Stop!) Said Azrael.

"What happens?" A very confused Atticus asked to find two other elves in front of him "Hanna, Sara, are you all right?" He asked even more bewildered to see them behind bars.

"Yes thanks!" The brunette replied “Really? But what if they want to kill us?" The other denied it.

"But since Azrael saved us, I would say that things are better than they would be ......." "..... for the moment! His friendship won't save us forever!" Hanna screamed, furious that Sara would always contradict her.

“But I'm talking about now!" Her friend said angry that she could never have the last word.

"Friendship?" The brown elf asked, not understanding why his lord had defended two silly mortals.

The conversation was interrupted by the guards who forced the two gladiators to retrace their steps.

"Can we start over?" Sara asked, turning to the two elves who were no longer looking at them so badly.

They nodded.

“Nice to meet you, I am Sara!" said One “And I’m Hanna!" The other added.

The two elves bowed before two and both kissed each other ....... really risking making Sara pass out ....." My name is Narwain while my partner is called Galdor!" Said the blond elf.

Notes:

The story flows slower than I had imagined!
I hope you don't mind this!
Aside from a few words, I will try not to be too vulgar, I promise!
How do you think it will continue? Please let me know why I have run out of ideas for the moment!
I said it at the beginning! It was a flash idea! I just hope others will follow because I don't like the thought of leaving a story incomplete!
See you soon,
X-98


Chapter 4 - Shout in the silence

Four months passed.

Hanna could say that their new life wasn't that bad!

They were still serving the mistress, fortunately for them, and every evening they were sent to Azrael's modified cell to have a small counter that made her communicating with Atticus.

They must have realized that he was the only one capable of mitigating Azrael's explosive temperament.

It was strange to call it that, even disturbing! But in the end she got used to it!

“A day to forget!" So Sara announced herself before entering Azrael's cell.

"I'm curious! Go on!" Atticus declared that he had comfortably sat on fresh straw to leave the bed for the two elves.

Since the cells were not very spacious, they had split into those two in order to spend some time together.

"This morning I received the order to pass the wax, and Hanna slipped it while she was bringing the breakfast of the owners, then ...... I tripped while I was clearing and I spilled the remains of the lunch against Hanna who had just insulted me .... I don't even remember what ........ and to finish with a bang .... the beast of the owners ate my dinner for this Hanna is angry with me for having seen herself "forced" to do halfway with her!" Sara finished.

"The dog? And how did he do it?" Atticus asked amused, those should have entertained comedy shows rather than being the personal slaves of the mistress!

"I went to the bathroom quickly! I thought Hanna would stay and check!" Sara justified herself.

"I think it has to do with what you humans call .... karma!" Galdor said barely holding back the laughter "Karma is the basis of everything!" Sara said and then laughed "Don't encourage her, Galdor!" Narwain took it back.

"I do not do it!" The other replied.

“Well if you were kinder to me ...." "... couldn't all this happen?" Atticus laughed at her, knowing his friend's awkwardness well since he had been victim of it several times during the banquets, when he had spilled something on him and other unfortunate gladiators!

They all laughed at his thought. Even Narwain smiled!

“Can I ask you a question?" Hanna asked, taking advantage of the fact that the others seemed very taken by the friend's story, while Azrael seemed completely disinterested, as always.

"You just did it!" He replied gruffly.

"Didn't you notice that something is wrong?" Hanna asked making a huge effort not to respond in kind. The elf looked at her indecipherably.

It was not surprising, a sovereign should never have made it clear what he thought of his enemies, period!

"Narwain and Galdor are not well! It doesn't surprise me that the owner hasn't made them fight yet! Well, they weren't a show the first time I saw them, but ..... I have a strange feeling about it!" She confessed.

The two elves were thin and pale and the only one who still had a little sense of humor was Galdor!

Maybe that was the case even when they lived in the realm of the elves, but they were too melancholy and taciturn for Hanna not to worry!

Thranduil sighed.

That is, he feared was about to happen! The two were too young for such a life.

They were fading! From experience he knew well that without any family affection this path would have been irreversible.

And it was even more terrible that he found himself hoping that they would pass away soon! How could he?

It was his job to protect them and make sure they came home!

Maybe it was better that way, the escape would not have happened soon and it made him feel useless! He had always had everything under control and this feeling was not familiar but extremely annoying!

In the halls of Mandos they would have waited patiently and without suffering to reunite with their loved ones, when the time of the elves was over and they found themselves sailing!

"You will laugh less when I show you that I am not completely late! Once I am free I will cook the cheescake!" Sara said introducing it as a divine dish.

“What's this?" Galdor asked whose curiosity for the human world was never satisfied. "A delicious dessert with cheese inside!" The girl replied.

“Are you google by chance?" Hanna mocked her.

“You often say nonsense!" Atticus said, not having understood his friend's last question.



*



Hanna ran at breakneck speed to the cell where Narwain and Galdor had been confined.

Get ready for their first and last arena!

They were not in physical and mental condition to get out of it! But the master's ego had done irreparable damage!

How could he not understand that they weren't ready yet! Wasn't war the lifestyle of the elves?

That this would not heal their wounded spirits!

“You open!" Sara's voice made her jump for the first time "What are you doing here?" She asked furiously.

She wanted to say goodbye in the most delicate and polite way possible without his dear friend yelling at him in the four winds and now he could no longer do it!

"I could ask you the same question!" Sara replied before they both entered.

The two elves were dressed in the same color shirt and long pants.

They had protections on the calves and on the forearms to be able to parry the blows also with the limbs.

They also wore a leather harness typical of gladiators, but they had been dressed differently since they were not human!

“Did you come to say goodbye?" Narwain asked that he was more downcast than they had ever seen "Really to wish you good luck, but if you want I can change the phrase!" Hanna said, unable to stop herself.

The blonde had never been nice to her, but she didn't mind because of that!

“Azrael ... the ruler ...." Sara said whispering "... said that these humans are scarce in combat!" The girl took out two iron protections each having a spike on the wide surface “But, for safety, I impregnated these tips with a very particular poison! It will confuse your opponents so that you can hit him ....." "I will not die without honor!" Narwain infuriated "Thank you very much Sara, but I too refuse your offer, if this is our destiny I have decided to accept it!" Galdor said, maintaining a glacial calm.

"But that's not fair!" Protested her destroyed "Your Galdor family! Don't you want to go back to them? Narwain, your children will grow up without a father!" He insisted unnecessarily.

"We will meet them in the immortal lands!" Galdor replied smiling in an attempt to calm the girl down "Thank you!" He said with a slight bow together with Narwain.

"For what? To watch you die?" Hanna asked as she tried to replace pain with anger. "For showing us that not all humans are so corrupt and cruel!" He explained the elf by placing a hand on Sara's shoulder.

A dazzling light enveloped them both and when it dissolved the girl looked at him confused, her face still streaked with tears.

"I have given you my immortality!" Galdor said "Promise me that you will ensure that the king returns to the kingdom safe and sound! Our people need him!" He asked with hopeful eyes.

Sara was so shocked that she only managed to nod.

Narwain approached Hanna who backed away in fear "Demote! Or I'll kick your ass back!" She said with her usual elegance.

"You are very strong for being so young. My partner is right, only you can help him! He behaves differently with you!" admitted the blond elf as if he understood it at the time.

"Translate!" Hanna said not understanding what she meant "He allows you to stay close to him as he has never done with anyone. Only with his wife and Prince Legolas. And I think he appreciates your company more than he shows!" explained Galdor so that his friend would not rail against the bad manners.

Narwain put his hand on the girl's fun while she was busy elaborating Galdor's last words, not giving her time to react.

When the dazzling light disappeared he looked at her with a strange expression "Promise me you will help him!" Even Hanna could only nod.

“But if you survive the fight you will be mortal! That is ... you will grow old!" Sara said feeling terribly guilty.

"If we come back it will mean that we will still be together! I do not deny my choice! You can help our lord! We, no! We would soon die the same, with or without the help of a sword!" Galdor admitted heartily.

"They won't kill us easily! I still have some of my pride and I don't intend to lose it in the last fight!" Narwain said as he heard the cell door open.

“Proud as an elf!" Hanna repeated amused by the last statement.

"Good luck!" Sara said before seeing the two friends disappear beyond the door.



*



Even before talking to the elves, Hanna had been informed that Azrael had gone mad!

She was not surprised and asked the owner to stay in the villa to go to him.

She had been given permission and she had felt incredibly relieved.

She didn't want to witness the death of the two elves! Although it would have been better than facing Thranduil!

She did not go to the elf's cell, but to the one where the rebel slaves were chained. Once inside he regretted it bitterly!

Azrael's back was covered in blood. The fresh lashes were clearly visible and he could see numerous burns and bruises all over his body!

They had punished his bad behavior!

He was facing towards the wall and his arms were stretched upwards because of the chains that were too short to reach the ground.

The elf was kneeling on the floor, probably exhausted by the hours of torture.

He had known the night before that his two elves would be sent to the arena and it was now afternoon, perhaps they were fighting and dying right then!

Clenched fists and tense breathing made her understand that he was awake, but he didn't know what to say!

“Hi, your elves gave me immortality before I died!"It didn't even sound right in her head!

"I'm sorry!" She said finally. It was true and being honest could help!

Thranduil sighed. He had not felt so helpless in a long time, when his father died and had the weight of the crown on him too soon!

He had condemned his son to the same fate! And although, since his capture, other elves had not been taken prisoner, he feared that the Romans might try again in the future!

The hatred for these people was growing dramatically within him and he feared in what he could have become if he let them take over!

Hanna's voice had surprised him. He believed that the human was with the mistress. The tone used to say those few words made him understand that he wasn't lying.

He had seen her interact with Narwain and Galdor and knew that she too had become attached to them.

Humans, having far fewer years to live, had always been very direct. Where an elf would take some time to establish a bond, they would also take a few days.

“I know it's hard ....." "You know? You, a young mortal, claim to know what a millennial king feels!" Thranduil growled "My people .... killed for mere amusement at the hands of deadly insults! Immortal lives sacrificed for punishment!" He hissed in the steel grip of the chains.

“No ..... but I'm sure only you can stop them!" Hanna said finally earning the elf's full furious attention. A half win.

"Now you know there are Romans who capture elves! We can escape and warn others of the danger! We can free those who are prisoners, in case we find them! We can make a difference! Won't you last so long to give up now?” She asked trying to move the broken soul of the elf.

He didn't answer. He merely lowered his defeated head. "Will you let them die by forgetting them?" She asked angrily.

The reaction was instantaneous: the elf jumped to his feet pulling the chains with such force that the hooks on the wall shook slightly, terrifying the girl to death!

“How dare you?" She growled. "If you give up you will prove that you don't care about them and everyone else who gets caught!" Hanna said with unexpected courage

“But if we fight we could avoid it! I will never forget them!" She finished saying it.

It was amazing how a human, who had lived a very short life compared to his own, could have much more fortitude than many noble elves he had known.

They remained silent for a very long time. Although it may have been a few minutes. Eventually Hanna decided to speak "Can I cleanse your wounds?" She asked shyly. She had promised.

She would keep his word.

The elf tilted his head slightly and then slowly returned to his knees.

Taking it for a yes, Hanna went to call the guard, looking out of the cell and screaming like a rag.



*



Sara lowered her heartbroken gaze, unable to hold back her tears but trying not to sob. It would not have given satisfaction to the Romans showing how much it was pining it inside!

She was in the grandstand, behind his masters comfortably seated to enjoy the show, while she was standing behind them to provide for every need.

At the beginning she had deluded herself that everything would be better ...... Narwain and Galdor had beaten their first opponents, fighting separately, but showing themselves clearly superior to the defeated gladiators, in skill and skill.

But it wasn't over there!

Just as they had done with their ruler, the two elves found themselves having to fight in almost every fight!

The arrogance of the Romans, but of their master in particular, was manifested by forcing them to the limit in order to fill the lanista's bag!

They weren't even halfway through the celebrations that the nightmare had come true!

Fortunately they had been sent to the arena together, unfortunately their opponents were twenty well-armed, fresh and rested men!

One in particular had attracted the girl's attention. Almost two meters tall, as wide as a wardrobe and with a sculpted physique! He was the champion of a nearby city, but it didn't take long to figure it out!

The way the crowd had welcomed him and the way he moved, as if the arena were his home! Narwain and Galdor were exhausted, he could read it in his face, but they hadn't backed down!

With combined attacks they had managed to kill and injure many opponents.

Narwain was telling the truth when he admitted that he wouldn't give up easily. Sara smiled at the thought that if Thranduil had been present, he would have been very proud of the courage shown by the two young elves, she was sure of it!

*

“Lle desiel?" (Are you ready?) Galdor asked his companion

"Dago 'ni ngurth!" (I will fight to the death!) He replied.

The elves put themselves in attack position and then started to run, without waiting for their opponents to run across the distance that separated them.

“Gurth a choth-in-edhil!" (Death to elven enemies!) Narwain shouted before sinking the sword into a man's chest.

They fought as they had been trained to do. Even if the elves of Mirkwood preferred daggers, it could not be said that with swords they were scarce.

Luck had caused the two elves to be experienced in fighting together, having faced many evil creatures during the numerous patrol rounds.

These humans in terms of bad smell, animal lines and clumsiness were equal to the orcs, so it was not very traumatic to find themselves having to exterminate them for having saved their lives.

“Ndengina (ta / ho)" (Kill him!) Shouted Galdor to his friend while holding a gladiator, by the shoulders.

Narwain barely had time to kill him that others were on him.

They were trying to separate them! To be divided meant to die!

"Tira ten 'rashwe!" (Watch out!) Said Galdor behind him.

Narwain turned just in time to see that his companion had beheaded a cowardly enemy who had attempted to kill him with a blow from behind.

A dishonorable way of dying!

"Caela ie'lle!" (Take This!) He yelled at an opponent piercing him with his own spear.

Sara was right! These humans were scarce! Narwain felt hope suddenly overwhelm him.

He believed that he would never see his beloved wife and dear children again, he was convinced that the King's idea of escape was the result of the madness that had now taken hold of his mind.

He hoped that once he returned to the kingdom he would regain his reason thanks to his people and return to reign in the firm and just way as he always had. Now he realized that he was right! They could do it!

Feeling a new force born of hope at the center, Narwain turned to the biggest opponent who had remained comfortably on the sidelines to observe while his companions were massacred.

He ran towards him not at all intimidated by his size. As a warrior, he knew well that it wasn't the difference between life and death in a fight.

“Baw!" (Don't do it!) Galdor's cry came too late. A furious clash between the two began.

The crowd screamed and applauded every time the swords hit each other. Narwain moved with the agility of his race forcing the opponent to go round and parry the numerous attacks.

His aim was to confuse him so that he made a false move! What he hoped for happened.

The man sank with too much impetus on his shield that Narwain dropped on the ground before sinking the sword into the opponent's stomach.

An explosion of shouts of joy accompanied the fall to the ground of the gladiator who had already died even before touching the ground.

The elf smiled and looked at his companion trying to make him understand that there was still hope!

He was confused when he saw a look full of horror paint on his friend's face. Then a tremendous pain hit him in the chest and looking down he saw an arrow sticking out of it.

His legs gave way instantly and he saw Galdor running towards him, calling out loud. He felt the other's hands grab him before he collapsed on the ground.

"Cuio nim mellon!" (Goodbye friend) Narwain managed to say before the darkness enveloped his eyes.

"Las bedich? Las bennich? Mellonamin!" (Where are you going? Where have you gone? My friend!) Galdor shouted desperately.

But he didn't have time to say more before dodging a shot that would have killed him if it hadn't been for his wonderful reflexes. He rolled to the side and grabbed a sword that was on the ground to face the last group of surviving men.

He parried numerous hits managing to cope with five of them attacking him from all sides.

But his forces were abandoning him!

Knowing that he wouldn't last much longer, he decided that he would bring as many men with him as possible! He focused on three of them.

In quick succession he killed them one after the other. But this left him uncovered compared to the others who stood behind him!

He heard the sound of the blade piercing him and then seeing the sword sticking out of his stomach.

He fell to the side on the ground and smiled knowing that the Romans had not won. Their King would avenge them and not let them die in vain!

*

Sara closed her eyes not to see what was really going on and in a desperate attempt to stop the tears that were now pouring down her face.

That was how two noble elves perished!

Under thunderous applause!

Notes:

Okay fine, was it too brutal? Too much tears?
Thranduil is still cold with the girls, although what Galdor says is true, he behaves differently with them and could open up!
Did I mention that we were moving to the world of Spartacus? Yes! I repeat!
Let me know what you think!
I really appreciate your comments and suggestions!
Even the criticisms serve to improve!
Good evening everybody,
X-98


Chapter 5 - You must choose who you want to love

Sara sighed, feeling her feet burn because of the sandals that did nothing but blistering her.

It had been at least three hours since the mistress went around the various market stalls.

The arrival of a group of foreigners had attracted all the upper middle class women and it was rumored that the fabrics they sold were precious and extremely precious.

This was enough to attract their mistress and make them spend a fortune in order to be envied by the other noblewomen.

"Apparently the good old Sesto has deceived you!" One of the mistress's group of friends said "We do not envy you dear. Even if it is a well-known thing: those who profess themselves innocent always betray you!" Said another.

"The hope is that Azrael will soon change in your favor the idea that everyone has become elves!" she defended one.

"It is the gods who guide his steps! As soon as he wants souls to feed himself, we will indulge him!" The mistress answered nervously.

The defeat of Narwain and Galdor had not been frowned upon!

Now everyone believed that the immortality of the elves was not a gift but a condemnation! And that Azrael was really led by the gods since he was the only one of his race still alive, knowing nothing of the lava that was seething beneath the surface!

"Will your husband come to the auction today? I heard there will be very rare beasts!" Asked a lady.

“He will be present! I apologize but urgent duties force me to return to my house!" The mistress answered before hurrying towards the carriage.

Hanna had barely had time to get in when a scream made her peek through the door.

Bandits!

They were attacking them!

The mistress began to scream hysterically while Sara tried to protect her by pushing her towards the carriage and standing between her and the bandits.

The few guards in tow were immediately neutralized, proving useless as Hanna believed.

“You come with us!" One of them said to the mistress "And if your husband really cares about you ... he will pay lavishly to save your life!" Yeah, too bad he was talking to the wrong person!

But Sara had such a ferocious look that it was easy to be wrong!

Especially since the mistress looked like a frightened hen, at that moment no one would have thought that she was the real mistress!

Hanna thought about it and realizing that the bandits could miss target, since even their robes were precious despite being slaves, a clear demonstration of the mistress' immeasurable ego, she decided to act!

"If they kidnap the mistress he will take it out on us! If they take us out ... since we are not princesses in danger and that Thranduil is in chains twelve hours a day, nobody will look for us! And even if you do the part of the damsel in danger that the Knight must save would be intriguing, this is not the right time!”Hanna thought in a matter of seconds.

She sneaked down the other side from where everyone else was and headed for a counter, left unattended, full of pans and other metal objects.

Luckily she had been crazy and reckless in her youth, so much so that she tried many sports one after the other.

Including clay pigeon throw, archery, horse, swimming, artistic gymnastics, kung fu ... some practiced for a few months but sufficient for the rudiments to take deep roots.

She took a large pan by the handle, rotated his torso with his shoulders and then, like a spring, sprang, letting go of the object.

As soon as the first hit the target she began to grab whatever happened to her to throw it. The mistress' screams made her very comfortable, so she could be sure not to hit her, nor Sara, by mistake!

The bandits were taken by surprise but tried to react.

They would have reached Hanna to make him pay if Sara hadn't decided to follow her friend's example and started throwing bottles, small vases and other heavy objects against the intruders.

The bandits withdrew by hiding among the various stalls, except to flee in terror when they saw the city guards arrive.

"The most exciting shopping of my life!" Sara commented as soon as Hanna reached her and the mistress still upset.

"And here are other likes that go fuck themselves!" "Better! Because besides those you could have also taken a complaint!" Sara said trying to dampen her friend's enthusiasm. "But don't they make fines here ?!" Hanna observed confused

"True! But if I could have made a video we would have had to be in our world and there the fines are pretty salty! ..... But I said complaints! What do the fines have to do with it?" Sara asked her.

"What do I know! It was you who followed my absurd line of thought without batting an eyelid!" Hanna teased her before making the wise decision not to speak any more, hoping that once at home the owner was not angry enough to take it out on them and blame them for everything ...... as usual!

It was fortunate that Azrael watched over them because otherwise Barahir would certainly not have limited himself to just yelling at her!



*



"Another day to forget!" It was Sara.

“But what if you said the shooping was unforgettable? You have to make peace with yourself, sister!" Hanna.

"But can you shut up ten seconds?" Sara again.

Silence.

"Done! Are you satisfied? Look, it's not me who screams all our problems in the wind!" Always and only Hanna.

The cell door was opened and two angry girls entered while engaged in a fight of glances. Thranduil could not hold back a smile. How did they make friends if they spent most of their time arguing?

“Are they?" "Yes them, “them”!" The second entry belonged to Atticus, but the first was unknown!

"Who are you?" Hanna asked putting her face in front of the bars of the small window that joined the two cells.

A boy. Young. Curly and dark hair, like Sara, only she had it straight.

“Why do you care to know?" Asked the boy.

"Why would I want to know who I'm talking to ?!" Hanna pointed out. "My name must not interest you! Soon I will be dead or put up for auction again!" The boy replied.

"Admirable optimism!" Hanna said sarcastically.

"Anyway ..... my name is Sara, while she is ....." "No!" Her friend interrupted "What?" The other confused asked "Let's play his game! Let's leave him with the doubt!" Hanna said with a treacherous smile on her face.

The boy snorted "I know who you are! Sara and Hanna, the two lovers of the angel of death!" Then he turned to his cellmate "and you are Attic, gladiator trained and raised by the only surviving elf of his race!" He concluded.

".... The only survivor?" Sara asked amused "Of course the Romans shoot bullshit!" Commented Hanna.

“Will you please me to keep quiet? I would like to sleep and I would like not to have to hear chickens fluttering all night!" The boy said as he lay down on his cot added just for him.

“Faites attention à la façon dont vous parlez, mon enfant!"(Pay attention to how you speak, child!) Said Azrael articulating the first words of the week.

"I don't remember much, since my French is from first grade secondary school, but does "enfant" not mean child?" Sara asked for a confirmation, but whose main purpose was far from it.

"Did you call me baby?" The boy exploded like an atomic bomb.

No, worse!

But Sara smiled enthusiastically: she had hit the mark!

“Well, his reasoning doesn't make a difference! You are only a child compared to a thousand-year-old creature!" Hanna said amused.

"And you're just his slut!" The boy answered coming very close and threatening to the bars.

The silence and a cold fell in that little space that those present occupied.

Azrael was so fast that the boy realized he had his hand clenched on his neck only when the grip was so strong that it prevented him from breathing.

The human took the tin glass and began to beat it on the bars with excitement while the girls had grabbed the elf one by the shoulders and the other by the arm, in an unsuccessful attempt to stop him.

Atticus was also busy trying to get his hand off the boy's neck but to no avail!

“Let him go!" Sara screamed "I want to kick him in the ass in person if you don't mind!" Hanna gave her hand.

Nobody could do anything else because the guards came in and quelled the fight.



*



"It didn't go wrong!" Hanna said the following morning.

"But do you feel when you speak?" Sara asked puzzled.

"He could have been dead, but he's still alive!" Her friend replied only to observe the other doubtful "Are you all right?" Churches.

Sara sighed looking at her frightened "Did you see the reaction he had? We couldn't stop him!" She looked worried.

"He wanted to defend my honor! It was noble and at the same time useless on his part!" Hanna explained.

“And if he had such a reaction with us? What would you do? Would you keep your promise? An elf would never have reacted like this! I don't think that's who we believe!" Sara said as she tormented her hands.

"An elf didn't go through what he went through! It's normal for him to be different!" Hanna replied fiercely "And I trust him!" she finished saying before she started rubbing the floor angrily.

“Sara, Hanna ...." a voice immediately made her silence and raise. It was Barahir. The girls greeted him with a slight bow and a "Master!" Respectful.

"... I demand that you make the elf understand that that boy must grow up and transform him into the best gladiator in the entire Republic, not kill him!" He ordered furious.

So it had been his idea ?!

Otherwise it was not clear why, suddenly, the poor Atticus had to endure that troublemaker!

Although it could have been simply bad luck since the gladiators purchased by the master were so numerous that sometimes in a cell there had to be three together!

Only Azrael was left alone, and for good reason: he was a hot head, period!

"Will jump for joy!"Hanna thought as Sara replied with "As you wish, master!”.

There was at least one thing Hanna had learned: keep your mouth shut!

He probably lived up to Marco Polo when he discovered America!

A short time later, the girls, thanks to Barahir's permission, went to find the newcomer.

Escorted by guards because if something happened Azrael could no longer be controlled! As soon as they were inside the cell they found with regret that the boy had been chained. Very bad!

That is, a normal person does not have a conversation with the other who is in chains!

Their good intentions could be seen in another light because of this tiny detail!

"They call you the Celtic!" Hanna started.

"They say you are very fast! Your opponent does not even have time to see the blade pierce him! Yet you are considered very young to be so good!" Sara continued realizing that the boy's hatred gaze towards them had not softened in the least!

Flattering him was useless!

"Why do you hate us?" Hanna asked deciding to get right to the point.

"Why should I do it?" He asked back "I don't know! Unless you all look like that, then I suspect we don't like you too much!" The girl replied.

The boy sighed, looking away.

"Do you believe that Azrael behaves with us as he does in the arena? If it were so, I wouldn't miss him a hundred meters away!" Hanna said.

Sara looked at her suspiciously. What did he have in mind?

"Why would I care about that monster?" The boy asked "Why did you stare at him all the time?" The girl asked back.

He hesitated for a moment, before speaking "There are many legends! Obviously nobody knows who he is! ...... but when I saw him ...... I could not describe him! It was both incredible and terrifying!" The boy said as if he were reliving those emotions "When I looked him in the eyes ..... I was vulnerable! It was as if ....... he could look into my soul! I believe that the Romans are convinced that feeds on the souls of its victims!" He said sincerely.

“Did it hurt you?" Sara asked, pointing to the neck with a finger, glad that it had finally opened with them.

He smiled "No. I've had worse!”

He stared at them carefully, before speaking "How did you end up here? You were not born slaves!" He asked curiously.

“How do you know?" Sara asked in surprise.

"Your hands! They are like those of the masters apart from a few new wounds that you will have procured once you become slaves! And your attitude! I believe that you are born only thanks to the elf!" Said the boy.

"We have been slaves for a few months!" Sara replied "But I don't think we'll ever go home!" Hanna continued.

"Admirable optimism!" He mocked her.

"That joke is mine!" The girl snarled.

"Our families don't know we've been caught! They wouldn't even know where to start looking for us!" Sara admitted bitterly.

"My family ...... was slaughtered by the Romans! I look forward to being able to balance the accounts one day!" Said the boy.

"But are you crazy to say things like that ?!" Sara asked, looking around and noting that the guards were watching each other, but at a distance that could not hear them.

Luckily!

"You will get along with Azrael, then!" Hanna admitted.

“Why should I ever?" He asked angrily "He too wants revenge. Wait .... going in order: revenge, escape, freedom and ........ revenge!" Hanna said as if she were listing the shopping list.

"Really?" He asked in amazement.

"Yes! But if we want to do things right, we must lower our heads and obey the master first!" Sara introduced the real reason for that chat.

"Explain yourself!" He said curtly. To Hanna's grim look she replied "It was not an insult!".

“These big cocks ..... it was the same very rude!" The brunette pointed out.

"The queen of refinements has spoken!" Her friend teased her.

"Anyway, the master wants me to refine your technique with Azrael! He will teach you everything he knows ..... no, maybe not everything, since it would take you much more than your whole life to learn it ...... but what will allow us to escape and savor freedom!" Hanna said also making a little reasoning during the explanation.

The boy smiled, standing up "My name is Milo!" He said holding out his right hand.

The girls took turns taking her "It's a pleasure!" Sara said.

“I'm not sure!" Hanna admitted.



*



“I know we didn't start off on the right foot ...." Milo began to speak.

Atticus watched the two with growing interest to know if the boy would be able to make himself heard.

It was evening and they found themselves together again.

Azrael was comfortably seated on the bed on the opposite side from where the girls were who were instead comfortably lying, apparently disinterested in the conversation.

".... but we have common goals!" Milo continued to glance anxiously at his cellmate. Atticus did not interrupt his gaze and taking it as an incitement to continue the boy decided to go on "I want the Romans to pay for what they have done! The master's request is an opportunity! I will be able to improve in view of the day when I will have my revenge!" Said the boy.

Azrael seemed completely absorbed in his thoughts, in the face of the legendary education of the elves ........... so Hanna decided to give him a little kick on the calf, with his foot, to wake him up.

"Se vous pouvez survivre, vous apprendrez!"(If you can survive, you will learn!) The elf replied without tone.

"But why don't you learn to speak our language?" Milo asked annoyed even if Atticus had immediately translated.

The girls stiffened and turned instantly, turning away from him, trying to suppress laughter.

"Why don't you learn French?" Hanna asked "So expand that culture you don't have!" Sara said and then widened her eyes.

Hanna had the same reaction "You are right not to believe it! This is insolence worthy of mine! What happens to you?" she asked barely holding back the laughter.

“It's the result of your company!" Sara replied.

The girls burst into hysterical laughter that went on for several minutes.

It was Atticus who saved them from the risk that they would have a great stomach ache from too much laughter "Is it true what I heard? Did you do it to a group of bandits?" He asked sure of the answer.

"Yeah ......" Hanna replied "Apparently!" Her friend queued.

"The fastest pan in the west is unrivaled!" Hanna admitted.

"What is this twest you're talking about?" Milo asked curiously.

The girls looked at each other ........ and laughed again.

"What's their problem?" Milo asked that he was already annoyed by the character of the two young women.

"I don't know where to start. But in this case I would say that they have little fun and often say meaningless things!" Atticus replied with a smile on his lips.

Fortunately, the joy of the two friends was contagious!



*



Milo could not hold back a curse when he found himself eating sand for the fifth time in a matter of minutes.

The elf's speed was surprising!

He was both terrified and thrilled at the idea of having to spend the remaining hours of training being humiliated in an attempt to learn something!

Was it a peculiarity of the elves, or only of Azrael, to make the opponent experience conflicting emotions at the same time?

Atticus and the gladiator who was training with him, stopped the fight to give him an amused look and laugh together.

But if the stranger's laughter was to taunt him, Attico's laugh seemed softer and more sincere.

Milo recovered in a matter of seconds ignoring his sensations and concentrating on the elf who was looking at him seriously, not showing anything from his cold gaze.

The boy sank again with a wooden sword, aiming straight at the opponent's chest.

But his weapon was blocked by the other's arm and released from his grasp as soon as he made a turn on himself, hitting him in the back once completed.

It was a move he knew well, but so fast that he could recognize it only once the other had completed it!

"Thanks to you ..... I will never fall into the arena!" Milo said knowing full well that he was speaking alone.

He was surprised when Atticus translated for him. "Il est convaincu que tu le feras invincible!" (He is convinced that you will make him invincible!)

"Tous les hommes tombent. Seuls le chemin et le moment sont différents"said Azrael in a tone so cold as to make the boy shiver.

Milo recovered mentally.

Her father would have this pointed-eared being lowered in less than five minutes!

It could not be less! In memory of his people!

“All men fall. Only the way and the moment are different!" Translated Atticus as he cast an uncertain look at his father.

What did he want to refer to?

From experience he knew that there was a hidden meaning in every word he said, but at the moment, whatever it was, he could not grasp it!



*



"So the dwarves are still inside the mountain?" Hanna asked.

Sara quickened her pace, speeding her walking in circles in the cell. The interrogation had begun.

"Why shouldn't they?" Thranduil asked curiously to hear how they would justify themselves.

“Kingdoms are born, thrive and fall! It's nature!" Hanna said "Let's say that in their case it's the orcs!" Sara corrected her.

Would Orcs Attack Erebor? With enough strength to be able to conquer it? He might have thought it impossible, but those girls had shown him that nothing was impossible, in so many ways!

“Orcs are part of Arda's nature!" Hanna pointed out.

"You are wrong again! Orcs are an elven offspring corrupted in mind and body by Melkor who crippled and tortured the elves imprisoned in Utumno during the First Age!" Sara said to turn pale before Thranduil's perplexed gaze.

Would he ever learn not to spoil all the things he knew about Middle-earth before saying too much?

"What boredom! Oh thank goodness ....... there is wine!" Hanna said grabbing a bottle to latch on and take big gulps.

“But since etiquette is not an opinion, you leave that!" Sara took it back, tearing the bottle from her hands and mouth.

“He is a noble elf and offers his things to guests!" Hanna said taking back the stolen.

"No! You can't know! You said yourself that it can't be the same elf we heard about!" She protested her friend by recovering the wine.

“It will be if I say so!" Hanna replied "What?" Sara asked "Kind and welcoming!" The other replied, clinging to the bottle again.

“You can't expect everyone to be at your orders all your life! Your father and I endure you because after all we know what you really are and we love you!" Sara said sincerely.

“My father has always met my every request! And that's what I expect from those who call themselves my friends!" Hanna said with her mind already clouded by alcohol since the little food eaten that evening had already been digested.

"Well! Then I will remove myself from the role of “best friend "!" Sara said taking the bottle and finding that more than half was now empty.

"You are a spoiled girl!" Said the elf.

“If you're looking for it!" Sara attempted to direct her attention to her ... failing miserably.

"You are a saint instead! Raised in a castle, treated like a Prince!" Hanna mocked him.

"Are you stupid?!" Her friend resumed her, fearing to lose the elf's favor.

"I didn't earn respect only with my title!" claimed Thranduil that he didn't want to get a young girl to put his feet in the face.

"Tell me, who can be more arrogant and full of himself than a rich nobleman compared to a humble peasant?" Hanna asked teasingly.

“I'll take it for a yes!" Sara said putting her hands in her hair.

“You are tedious! But perhaps because you have not received a good education" Azrael continued to tease her.

"Point for him!" Sara supported him.

“As far as I can hear, they teach you to insult women around you! I thought only dwarves were a terrible company!" Hanna said knowing she had removed the safety from a hand grenade.

"Bad comparison ...... as always sister!" Sara commented.

"Did you give me a dwarf?" The elf protested.

"See for a while!" She replied with a glare at her friend who seemed interested only in making the commentary.

"Don't you dare ....." Thranduil was interrupted by Hanna who quickly sat down next to him on the bed, reaching his palm with her face "……do what? Compare yourself with someone you look like? Or better , of which are you the exact copy?" She asked with a grin.

Other than bomb, that evening would have given birth to the third and fourth world war combined!

"Here is the glaring proof necessary to ascertain that wine is harmful to health!" Sara could only say this, fearing the elf's next reaction.

But to make her remain open-mouthed was Hanna who eliminated the distance between her and Thranduil by placing her lips on his!

Notes:

And here is Milo! He's only 16 but he's already smart enough for his age!
It seemed the least because it could survive a type of life like that!
It's promising, but only with Azrael can he become a champion!
Hanna is too proud to let herself go or to show herself as someone really is ... except for Sara!
So I decided to give her a push....... with the wine!
What do you think? Some idea?
In the end I stretched more than expected! We will move towards rebellion and Spartacus further on, sorry to have deceived you, dear readers!
I apologize if the chapter is overly long, as always there are too many things to say and little time to do it!!
See you soon,
X-98


Chapter 6 - The artist of everything

The expression of "Shit!" Or "Oh fuck!" Although the former suited her friend more, it could be read on Hanna's face.

As soon as she realized what she had done, the girl had retreated at a crazy speed, to find herself on the ground, accompanying the fall with a cry, since the bed was not huge ....

A long moment of silence followed which was probably needed by those present to assimilate everything that had happened in a matter of seconds!

Thranduil had remained motionless. Lost in a myriad of thoughts that had been unleashed not because of the kiss itself, but because of what he had felt.

He wasn't angry, he hadn't felt the urge to push her away. In reverse!

The shock had caught him as soon as he realized something he had long believed dead: he wanted her! But why had he noticed it only with a kiss?

It was a thousand-year-old creature.

A father who had observed Legolas for centuries, in order to be able to grasp these signals and in case of need, redirect them to a companion worthy of his title!

How could he have been so blind?

The noise of the bottles clashing between them brought him back to reality.

Hanna had taken another, open and ... poured almost completely on her friend when the latter had tried to snatch it from his hands.

They both ignored him!

“How did you dare ?!" He would never admit what he had just experienced.

Not in front of them. At least until he understood something!

It was strange to think or even fear that he was cheating on his late companion. Centuries had passed since she left him, but he had never once shown a new interest in someone else.

In her memory and the love that bound him to her. Was it really wrong?

Sara had taken refuge in a corner of the room, resting her knees on her chest and lowering her head, as if it were all her fault! Hanna looked at him badly.

“Why are you asking stupid questions? I haven't received a good edac .......... good edocation ....... education, you said it yourself! Hic!" We only needed the hiccups!

"I must deduce that it is solely the fault of the wine!" observed Thranduil, not knowing if it was appropriate to remove the bottle from her hands before he emptied that too. "Sherlock Holmes has struck again!" The elated girl exulted.

"Who?" Azrael asked in confusion.

“It's delusional!" Sara justified that she wanted to avoid further testing the elf's patience.

"Watson I remembered him more quickly! And fatter!" Hanna said pointing to her friend and looking at her lost. The now empty bottle.

"Forgive her! I don't remember ever seeing her at a Richard Dawson drunkenness!" Sara thought thoughtlessly that she felt much more relaxed seeing that the elf was calm.

At his questioning look she laughed "It's not that he starts kissing anyone as soon as he is a bit shining! I think it's due to this change!" Sara said spreading her arms but referring to the new life they led.

“I know, I know! You are wondering what a place like me is doing in a girl like this!" Hanna said sitting on Thranduil's lap who immediately pushed her onto the bed.

“I understand! It's time to go!" Sara said grabbing her friend by the arm and dragging her towards the door.

“Maybe you'd better stay!" Azrael's voice froze her on the spot.

“Ninth! Don't worry! We will be ..... very well ..... great!" Sara tried to justify herself. "We are not intended beauties ........ unlit heights! But what am I saying !?" Hanna screamed throwing herself back on the bed before ending up on the ground because of the headache that was breaking her skull.

"Defenseless girls! I agree with you!" Translated her friend unable to hold back a smile.

If everything around them had changed, she could say with certainty that they too had changed with it!

Azrael ignored them by sitting on the floor beside the bed.

"He must be used to being obeyed! Even after so many years of captivity?" The girl wondered as she stood, unsure of her next move and word.

"Mine was an offer. Accepting it or not is your choice ...... your choice!" He corrected himself when he saw that Hanna was already deeply asleep.

Sara smiled. A sincere smile, not born of fun, but of gratitude.

“Thanks!" Before moving her friend, she said, she had legs and arms spread out that occupied the whole bed, to get some space.

Only then did she realize that her dress was completely dirty because of the wine that had been spilled on her.

She sat on the bed pondering how to solve that more than embarrassing situation. "Let's do the math tomorrow!"She thought, looking hatefully at her friend.

The elf had stretched out on his back on the ground and closed his eyes, perhaps with the intention of sleeping, but he got up as soon as he perceived the girl's growing mood.

Sara avoided her gaze by convincing herself that she wasn't there and that she hadn't understood what was going on in her head.

She would never have slept naked! No sir!

A movement caught her attention and she saw that Azrael had taken off the short-sleeved shirt he was wearing and was offering it to him.

She stared at him for a good handful of minutes because of the surprise, not so much because he had done such a thing, but because he hadn't seen a minimum of hesitation or second thoughts in his gestures!

Finally she took his shirt and turned her back on it but before removing her robe she checked it for safety.

Thranduil had again lay down on the ground and turned his back on her.

He was truly a man ...... elf of honor!

She was caught looking at his bust.

Perfect and sculpted despite those years of captivity and torture!

Sure, there were scars, but they didn't cloud perfection!

Cabbage! He was not the first half-naked man he saw!

She had to control herself! Or if he really wanted to try, drinking like a sponge could be the solution! Thanks sister!

Fortunately, the shirt was so large that it served as a nightgown.

"Thanks!" She said before rolling up the covers and collapsing with exhaustion. Thranduil, after many decades, fell asleep peacefully.

Having friends wouldn't have been so bad.



*



The sunrise came early.

Shortly after the sun woke up just who would have liked to spend the whole day lounging. In memory of old habits!

Hanna stretched and nimbly stepped over her friend.

She was surprised! Usually it was smashed against her! How could it not be yet ....... Any doubts about his new agility were dispelled when he found himself falling on something warm and soft .... or rather, someone!

After a first moment of confusion, the girl turned to the one who had found herself acting as a doormat.

“Are you always in the midst of balls?" Churches altered.

"Good morning Hanna!" Thranduil replied with a strange smile.

"What's wrong with him? He has never been so friendly ... let alone smiling ..... and where the hell is his shirt?"her thoughts stopped as soon as the memories of the previous evening overwhelmed her.

She who kissed him! He, who didn't seem to care about it!

"What do you want?" Churches rude.

"I thought this question was up to me!" Azrael said pretending to be offended.

"Why? Last night ..... I drank! I only remember this! ..... I didn't do dirty things did I?" She asked trying to seem as lost as possible.

Thranduil would not be fooled.

He knew well that he was trying to avoid the problem, but he hadn't spent centuries sitting on a throne to not be able to perceive a lie when he heard it!

"Who do you think you're talking to? You weren't drunk enough to be out of control!" The elf broke out even though Hanna remained sitting on the ground looking at him as if they were talking about you and cookies.

"I wanted to experience what it was like to kiss an elf!" She said tonelessly.

"I do not believe you!" Thranduil replied looking furiously at her.

“And I don't think I could have been so enthusiastic about the idea! So stupid! It wasn't special at all!" She admitted as she felt his cheeks glow.

Damn her that she didn't have absolute control of her circulatory system!

"Your expression says otherwise!" He provoked her.

"He says ..... that I am embarrassed by the ignorance and infancy that shines through my behavior! Point!" Screamed the girl livid with shame.

Azrael stroked her cheek with her hand and Hanna trembled, realizing that she would not be able to lie to herself for much longer.

Had alcohol lowered its defenses so much?

Or he had revealed something that he had been trying to avoid for months, even to hide! To herself then!

"You were always very tense, but I didn't think it was because of my presence!" Said the elf.

Being able to return to his kingdom became something distant and abstract.

For once in many years Thranduil decided that he would fully experience the present moment. Without worrying about future wars! Without having to be alone in observing the succession of days.

He would have taken that opportunity to be happy! Even if it would only last a blink, in his immortal life!

Her face had moved closer to hers and was looking at her lips. Small, fleshy and perfect!

Hanna decided to let him get closer.

Maybe she would die during the war that their escape would cause, so why not try one last crazy experience before dying?

She would listen to her heart that suddenly seemed to have woken up after a long time and told her to take risks.

He was always an arrogant, cold and snooty King of the Elves, but somehow, he had managed to conquer his with her silences and few words.

Yet, during all those evenings spent together, she realized how strong and kind she was. In showing himself perfectly calm and confident, also helping them in that unwanted life; addressing them politely and welcoming them every evening next to them, perhaps to make them feel protected.

By now they were very close.

Hanna could feel an indomitable fire growing inside her, waiting to be unleashed through that kiss that she suddenly craved with all of herself!

A ping made them jump and drive away in record time.

"Oh, sorry!" Sara said amused.

Tin glasses yield to gravity when you least expect it!

“Sorry you! We forgot that there was the third inconvenient!" Hanna said trying in vain to hide the annoyance she felt in having been interrupted.

"Very bad!" Her friend took it again without veiling the note of sarcasm in her voice.



*



"We must scrupulously observe the Roman nobles in their ways of doing and speaking! It is not the best, but we must be satisfied! It is mandatory to eliminate vulgarities from our vocabulary! I think it is only a reminder of the innate arrogance of the dwarves .....” since she and Sara had returned to the villa, her friend had never closed her mouth!

"How come we suddenly have to become the opposite of who we are? Once we can evade the rules of etiquette you suddenly want to impose them again! Never a joy!" Hanna complained before slipping on the wax she had just passed. A classic!

“If you decide to get together with ...... one of the most important people of Arda, we absolutely have to show up! I don't know about you, but I made hundreds of shitty figures, but I don't know if I could to hold one in front of the elves! In the presence of Elrond? No, I would prefer ....."

“.... but what are you saying!" Hanna screamed before being forced to rub the floor hard when the servant who controlled them looked at them badly.

“Thinking about it .... I didn't see your declarations! Have you decided to officially get engaged?" Sara asked as if they were speaking in a classroom and they were back to being sixteen!

"We are not together! Neck is not the same as establishing a serious relationship!" Hanna said aware that she had turned red like a pepper.

"He is an elf! With him nothing is" normal "! .... do you love him?" Sara asked casually. "Damn Sandra! I was drunk!" The brunette said through gritted teeth.

"And was it your hangover this morning? You turn into Albert Einstein when it comes to making excuses!" Her disappointed friend accused her.

She hoped that at least she would confide in her! Hanna had become unpredictable since their lives had changed!

It was horrible not to find the complicity between friends that is created when you know someone so well, that you can say what they think and what they would do, with certainty.

".....I think so!" OK it's good!

Now he could say with confidence that he didn't know her at all! The real Hanna would never admit something like this ...... and in such a short time!

She would have denied, insulted anyone just to change the subject or simply, pretend that she didn't exist!

Hanna sighed "We have always fought among ourselves! But somehow it struck me ....." the girl stopped when she saw her friend's gaze.

Oh no! Not that look! A wise smile! Her ego would have reached unknown heights and would not have given her peace!

".... although I'm sure eighty percent is just sexual attraction!" She remedied the last second.

"Your romanticism lives up to the passion I have in cleaning!" Sara shot her even more heartbroken.



*



"Ça va?" (Are you okay?) Atticus asked that morning as soon as they found themselves in the main square of the villa, ready for daily training.

“C'est la première fois que tu me demandes sans être fouettée!"(It's the first time you've asked me without being whipped!) The elf pointed out.

“Vous semblez complètement absorbé dans vos pensées!"(You seem completely absorbed in your thoughts!) Emphasized the man.

"Je suis!"(I am!) Azrael admitted as he took the sword and wooden shield.

"Hanna et Sara se sont-elles impliquées?" (Do Hanna and Sara have anything to do with it?) Insisted his son even though he knew this answer.

"Pourquoi devraient-ils?"(Why should they?) Azrael asked looking disinterested.

"Je ne sais pas, peut-être le fait qu'ils ont sauté de ta cells ce matin?"(I don't know, maybe the fact that they jumped out of your cell this morning?) Asked Atticus who was more impressed than he could have imagined.

The girls were strange, but there is a limit to everything. And their eyes hid such great satisfaction that they feared what might have caused it.

"Tu sais que je n'aime pas l'humour, c'est une façon stupide de se moquer de toi, en agissant de façon supérieure!" (You know I don't like humor, it's a stupid way to make fun of yourself, acting in a superior way!) Her father pointed out.

They faced each other, waiting for the other to start the fight.

"Dois-je leur parler ou allez-vous me répondre?" (Should I speak to them or will you answer me?). Atticus asked knowing he had won.

"You clarified the situation without speaking my language!" Milo's voice distracted the two from the quarrel.

"I have to learn yours if I want you to understand me!" He said pointing to the elf.

"In the arena you don't stretch your opponent thanks to the chatter! You just have to learn with the sword! With him you can also improve your reflexes and strategy without speaking! As I said before, you don't need to know the opponent's language!" Atticus said as he attacked the elf.

It was true that Milo was training hard, but as soon as he could, he did not miss the opportunity to refresh his memory with a few minutes of struggle.

He attacked with a blow followed closely by an upright that his father deflected very easily.

Atticus wasted no time and struck with a shot, that is a lunge on the opposing blade, directing his to the opponent's chest.

Azrael did not get upset in the least, as predictable, leaning backwards and thus dodging the blow.

The elf's next move was a hit and while Atticus was busy deflecting it he rotated his torso so that the body accompanied the shield stroke making it even more powerful and hitting the son in the shoulder with a force that made him end up with his back on earth.

Atticus took advantage of that momentum to do a somersault on the ground with the intent of regaining position, while putting a safe distance between them, while deciding how to continue.

After what seemed like an eternity, but that for the spectators it was only a second, Atticus moved his right foot one step forward and attempted a feint directed to the left shoulder discovered by the opponent's guard trying to induce movement of parade in him.

His intent was to uncover his legs to return the blow and make him end up on the ground!

Azrael did not seem to guess the fake and counterattacked his arm trying to parry the blow, opposing his own blade, however, going out to the side and making the attack result ineffective.

Atticus exulted internally.

With a quick blow, he put his foot behind the opponent's heel, forcing his leg to rise slightly.

This destabilized the elf and the other overwhelmed him with his whole body.

Their backward race did not end in a fall to the ground as hoped.

They ran into a wooden column. Azrael's right arm was wedged between his son's shield and his body, while the hand holding the shield was free, but not in a suitable position to launch a powerful attack.

Atticus was satisfied with having cornered him. It was the first time he had succeeded.

But it was this detail that made him block.

What could he do now?

If he had left it he would have come back to the point!

Without excluding that with his father it was impossible to repeat an attack identical to the other unless you wanted to give him the victory on a silver platter!

Azrael noticed the other's hesitation and took advantage of it.

He pulled a knee in his son's stomach. He was not very strong enough to fold it in two, but it gave him the opportunity to throw it away from him with his left arm that seemed useless and blocked.

Atticus backed up disoriented and in less than a moment the duration of a breath hit the sand from his back.

Azrael, with a speed typical of his race, had come up to him and struck from behind his legs, with the sword, decreeing his victory.

Despite everything, Atticus smiled. He had been such a fool to believe he could do it! ..... but he was still in excellent shape!

"Tout doute peut être fatal!"(Any doubt can be fatal!) Azrael mentees scolded him and helped him to get up.

“Vous devez pouvoir voir les intentions de l'aversaire! Tirez le meilleur parti des armes et de l'ingéniosité!" (You must be able to see the opponent's intentions! Use both weapons and ingenuity to the max!) He added.

"Pouvez-vous me dire de saisir toutes les possibilités ?! Même si vous l'avez, vous utilisez un petit bouclier!"(Can you tell me to seize all the possibilities ?! Even if you have it, you don't use the shield very much!) Atticus tried to scold him even if he knew it was useless.

His father was a master at handling all types of weapons, which is why he always won!

So it was difficult to criticize an error because it could very well be a double-edged sword!

"Les Romains apprennent à toujours l'utiliser! L'adversaire awaits toujours un coup sûr et cela le distrait!"(The Romans always teach to use it! The opponent always expects a hit and this distracts him!) Azrael explained.

How you wanted to prove it!

No action by his father was meaningless.



10 YEARS LATER





Ah, che bel vivere, che bel piacere (che bel piacere) per una servaaaa ......di qualità! (di qualità!)

Ah, brava Hanna! Brava, bravissima! Brava! La la la la la la la LA!

Fortunatissima per verità! Fortunatissima per verità! La la la la, la la la la, la la la la la la la LA!

(Ah, what a beautiful life, what a beautiful pleasure (what a beautiful pleasure) for a servant ...... of quality! (quality!) Ah, good Hanna! Good, very good! Good! La la la la la la LA! Really lucky! Really lucky! La La La, La La La, La La La La La La LA!)



If your mother musician tries to make you follow her steps without success, this is how you find yourself: to destroy a wonderful work adapting it to the current situation. The Barber of Seville had always fascinated her, since the first time she had seen him at the theater! Too small to understand the sung dialogues, but large enough to get passionate about that melody! To that "reciting singing"!



Pronta a far tutto, la notte e il giorno sempre d'intorno in giro sta. Peggior cuccagna per una serva, vita piu nobile, no, non si ha. La la la la la la la la la la la la la!

Secchi e pettini, strofinacci e sandali, al mio comando tutto qui sta. Secchi e pettini strofinacci e sandali, al mio comando tutto qui sta.

(Ready to do everything, night and day is always around. Worst cockpit for a servant, more noble life, no, you don't have. La La La La La La La La La La La La! Buckets and combs, tea towels and sandals, everything is in my command. Buckets and combs tea towels and sandals, everything is in my command.)



Ten long years had passed.

Milo had grown up and was now a strong young man who had already built a worthy reputation in the world of gladiators, thanks to the numerous victories accumulated within five years.

Sara and Hanna hadn't changed much despite the elapsed time.

This is thanks to the luck that, towards them, seemed never to end.

They were in the chariot with gladiators only because the mistress had found another personal slave.

They always took care of the cleaning of the villa but appeared alongside the owner during the holidays or important ceremonies, to deceive all the citizens who still served her.

This served to increase the fame of the master and that of the mistress, since having the women of Azrael at his side was considered a blessing from the gods.

But most of the time they spent it with Azrael to tame him.

Deluded!

Atticus had become a man in all respects and was happy with his life, not sharing the idea of rebellion from his father.



Ahime, (ahime) che furia! Ahime, che folla! Uno alla volta, per carita! (per carita! per carita!) Uno alla volta, uno alla volta, uno alla volta, per carita!

(Ahime, (ahime) what a fury! Ahime, what a crowd! One at a time, please! (For charity! for charity!) One at a time, one at a time, one at a time, for charity!)



Azrael smiled.

He and Hanna were always on a war footing but had become good friends all the same.

He had been very close to Sara too, but he felt that there could be something more with Hanna.

He had to decide to take the first step!



Dieci anni di qua, dieci anni di là, dieci anni di su, dieci anni di giù.

Son la serva del despotaaaa, sono la serva della despotaaa..

Pronta prontissima son meglio del fulmine:

Sono la serva del despota.

(del despota, del despota, del despota!)

(Ten years here, ten years there, ten years up, ten years down. I am the servant of the despoooooot, I am the servant of the despot .. Ready, ready, I'm better than lightning: I am the servant of the despot. (of the despot, of the despot, of the despot!)



They were returning home after winning in the arena.

Thranduil took a deep breath feeling the sea air to the full.

Despite everything, he still did not hear the call.

Despite that life in which he tried to survive, he sensed that he had to stay.

If he returned to his world he was sure he would not have regained control of the kingdom. He had seen and endured too much.

His hatred of humans could represent the ruin of his people.

Legolas was younger and more charitable. He would have made mistakes, but he would have been a good ruler in the end.

He was sure it was now too. He was aware of living and interacting and considering a family, proper to humans, but they had got to know them.

As a sovereign he would not have had this privilege and for this reason he would no longer have been able to trust him, he was sure of it!

He saw Milo get back on the cart, surprising himself that he hadn't noticed that he had got off!



Ah, brava Hanna! Brava, bravissima; Ah, brava Hanna! Brava, bravissima; a te fortuna (a te fortuna, a te fortuna) non mancherà.

Ah, brava Hanna! Brava, bravissima; Ah, brava Hanna! Brava, bravissima; a te fortuna (a te fortuna, a te fortuna) non mancherà.

Sono la serva del despota, Sono la serva del despota, del despota, del despota, del despota!!!! Del deeespotaaaaaa!!

(Ah, good Hanna! Good, very good; Ah, good Hanna! Good, very good; luck to you (luck to you, luck to you) will not fail. Ah, good Hanna! Good, very good; Ah, good Hanna! Good, very good; luck to you (luck to you, luck to you) will not fail. I am the servant of the despot, I am the servant of the despot, of the despot, of the despot, of the despot !!!! Of the deeespooooooot!!)



There had to be a way to get it. Until then they had avoided that speech, as if there had never been a kiss!

But then Sara, as a good gossip, had confided to him that Hanna did not feel ready and had hoped that the infatuation would pass with time.

This was not the case!

And Thranduil wouldn't have given up easily.



*



The following morning both Thranduil and Atticus looked surprised at their friend who, after eating his portion in a hurry, was washing himself thoroughly.

Azrael raised a skeptical eyebrow and Atticus spoke "We are not going to a party, but to the massacre!".

"She will be there!" Milo said.

Both of his friends looked puzzled "Who?" Curious Atticus asked.

"I met her while you were coming back! Her name is Cassia! I didn't believe that in this world there could be such a beautiful as graceful creature!" Milo said with dreamy eyes.

"Oh right, now I remember! She's the one you killed the horse on!" Atticus said with derision.

Thranduil shook her head and took it in her hands "Tu es juste un peu naïf!"(You're just a little naive!).

Atticus laughed "Azrael is right! Keep staring at her once in the arena so she will see your glorious death and fall in love immediately!".

A rag flew into the cell and ended over the face of the man who could not stop laughing. Eventually Milo also joined in the cheer because he knew that most likely they were right .... she had certainly not noticed!

Celebrations were held that evening in honor of the victory of the gladiators of the great Barahir.

The most famous lanista of the whole Republic.

Their job was to stand still like beautiful figurines on stools, to the delight of the guests. Azrael was the only one with the chains.

Too dangerous and unpredictable to be without!

"How many languages do you know?" Milo asked softly to the elf. He believed he knew only French and the language of the elves, in addition to theirs. But he had changed his mind when he heard him translate the words of a Syrian to his son, ten seconds earlier.

"Too many to count!" Atticus replied in his place. Milo was distracted by two brown eyes that caught his eye and recognized her: Cassia!

Gorgeous and graceful as usual. She seemed surprised to see it!

Their master, Barahir, approached. Judging from his momentarily missing sense of balance, he must have been quite tipsy.

"After this evening you will no longer be my gladiators, but you will belong to Batiatus! I have decided to surrender you! Atticus, Azrael and Milo. Ariadne has also been sold. And it seems to me .... Hanna and Sara too ..... ... yes them! Corvo wanted to teach his future wife a lesson and sold his lady to the highest bidder!" After that, he left furiously ... with whom it was a mystery!

"I think he lost us in the game!" Atticus said he knew their ex-master well.

"Batiatus?" Milo asked "Batiatus!" Confirmed Penthouse.

"Who is Batiatus?" Milo asked confused. "He will be a lanista like Barahir!" Penthouse replied unconvinced.

Two black-armored guards took them and escorted them onto a cart.

Poor Ariadne was terrified, but when she saw Milo she seemed reassured. Why?

While the boy was worried about the fate of the woman he loved, now a prisoner of his arch enemy!

Senator Crow had exterminated his family!

She couldn't allow him to take him away too!

Hanna and Sara looked like two little girls who were going on a picnic, however enthusiastic they were.

"Where are they taking us?" Ariadne asked with tears in her eyes.

“From our new owner!" Milo answered, not at all happy.

After spending the night locked up in there, they left at dawn and after several hours on the road, the guards finally made them go down.

They were in a large square and a large number of gladiators were watching them. When Azrael got out, everyone jumped in surprise.

"How the hell did the master buy it?" Oenomaus asked Gannicus "May the gods electrocute me if I know!" He replied.

"So now the angel of death will be one of us! It will be an honor to call him brother!" Crixus said that like everyone present he knew the legend very well.

"Only if you are man enough to join the brotherhood!" Barca taunted him.

Lucretia jumped from the balcony "But that's ......." "No, I don't believe it!" Gaia whispered.

"How much you paid Quintus!" His wife almost shouted.

He grinned "Absolutely nothing! I won the game together with the other two. Only the slaves paid them, but half its value because their previous masters owed me a favor!".

Ariadne was brought up and placed at the service of the mistress together with Sara and Hanna while the three new future gladiators were lined up in front of the others. The master Batiatus began a speech "You are lucky! You are in the school of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus proclaimer of the best gladiators of the whole Republic! In the days that will be shown to be more than just men! Fail and you will die, the alternative is the I work in the mine. If you are up to it, you will be part of my titans! ".

All the gladiators raised a fist screaming with pride "Batiatus! Batiatus! Batiatus!". "But here is a gift that the gods wanted to grant me! A warrior who has never been defeated. A beast that has never been tamed. A legend that in one hundred and fifty years has never been tarnished: Azrael, the Death angel!" The master said proudly. The elf looked around with not so much interest, as if the discussion didn't concern him or mattered much.

A whiplash caught his attention.

The Master seemed impatient with his behavior.

"Show the master what you can do!" He said finally.

After Atticus and Milo had made a good impression by beating their opponents it was Thranduil's turn.

His opponent was Gnaeus a retiary.

If he got by, he had to admit it, but his name is Azrael, he was the angel of death for a reason: no challenger survived a confrontation!

After landing it, he raged against him with all the anger in his body.

Like a fury, he hit his fragile skull with his training sword and with just two blows he broke it, but not happy he continued to make more blows on that defenseless and lifeless body.

His portentous hearing sensed the whip as soon as the Master moved it and managed to block it with one hand before he could hit it.

He pulled with all his might and Oenomaus, that was his name, fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Stop him!" The master yelled at the guards, who immediately moved.

For Azrael it was a walk to land them and kill them by piercing them with their own swords.

Nobody would have stopped him ..... "Thats enough!" Okay, someone who could do it was there.

Atticus approached him and took the bloody wooden sword from his hands "I would say this is enough to maintain your reputation!" He whispered to him.

"Forgive him master. When he begins to fight it is very difficult for him to stop! His thirst for blood and human lives blinds him!" Atticus said bowing before the master. Azrael imitated him, as did Milo.

"Lock him in his cell and chain him. I don't want more bloodshed today!" Quintus said, shaken both positively and negatively by so much aggression.

For many, that elf was only a problem, for others the will of the gods, but he saw only a unique opportunity to be seized!

Notes:

And here we are!
Finally!
Did I lengthen the romance between the two too much?
I believe that the certainty of having an eternity to live in front of you made Hanna take too long!
The second time Hanna turns words because of drunkenness she uses paronomasia! That is, paole in Italian have a very similar sound!
Since I suck in English, I was unable to do the same with the translation!
I apologize!
The song he sings is "Largo al Factotum" an aria from Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville", but modified by the girl!
The song sung is in Italian, like the story, but I decided to translate it anyway, in parentheses, to make you understand what the crazy Hanna says!
enough, she is in tune!
The moment is approaching and soon we will see some runs and raw! See you soon,
X-98


Chapter 7 - Those who love believe in the impossible

She could say with absolute certainty that he preferred the previous life.

Hanna didn't have a spare moment!

While previously he often found himself in Azrael's cell arguing, or rather, chatting with Sara, now, if he did not have to clean the house, which was not immense compared to the previous one, she was at the mistress's side!

Or she was forced to entertain guests by dancing what she called "belly dance"!

The clothing was very .... hot! Too much for your taste!

Furthermore, she was more of a modern dance and was bored to death with the slow movements characteristic of the other!

As if that wasn't enough, they hadn't been able to see Azrael, Atticus or Milo once! And a month had passed!

Fortunately, the elf fully agreed with her! Rare event! At least that was what she said! A shouting had told her that Azrael was indomitable to such an extent that he wasn't even released to train with the other gladiators!

He had been kept in chains since their arrival! Hanna knew he had to show himself aggressive in order to be classified dangerous to be respected.

So it worked in that crazy cage! ... But the fact that her unpredictability had suddenly increased and so long gave her thought.

Why did it act that way?

She was very upset as soon as she learned that they had locked him up and that they kept holding him in chains. Once he got to know him better, he had confided that the first master he had been a slave to had kept him in the dark for years! He didn't want it to happen again!

Not if she could do or say anything about it!

With these good intentions it was directed by the master Quintus Lentulus Batiatus. She had asked to speak to him three weeks ago and had not deigned to receive her, so it was up to her to remind him of his manners!

"I can say I know you very well!" Sara made her jump.

"What do you want?" Hanna asked, guessing on the answer “Since we should be cleaning the tub, I guessed that you were fed up! So I decided to risk my skin with you!” The friend answered, not worried at all.

“What a thoughtful! Thanks Mom!" Hanna said hastily.

Maybe they counted a little too much in Azrael's protection! He would find out once he reached the master!



*



“How do you think you can tame it? In five hundred years no one has ever succeeded!" Lucretia said.

“If you put him to fight with yours, we risk killing them too!" Gaia said, a dear friend of their host, with an out of place enthusiasm. Lucretia smiled, her friend was radiant and positive despite the uncomfortable situation!

What would he have done without his constant support !?

“Has anyone ever done it? I'll be the first then!" Quintus said heading towards the gym.

But his words did not reflect the thought! In a month the situation had not changed!

If he wanted to climb the social ladder, the first thing to do was to become the greatest lanista in the Republic and he could not allow the Angel of death to get out of hand!

Once under he went to talk to the Doctore "What do you think of the legend?" He asked impatiently for his opinion.

“It is unpredictable and too dangerous! I don't want it among my men!" The Doctore replied with conviction.

"Look, we have a problem, but I don't want to be like everyone else who just took off the leash and then put it back in the cage as if it were a wild beast!" Quintus said annoyed "But it's a wild beast!" The Doctore insisted.

"Yes, and we will be the first to tame it! There must be a connection point! He is an elf, but there must be something to bend him! If we managed to obtain his obedience we would have the most powerful legend in the whole Republic in our hands!" The master insisted “Take it to me! In chains with you and three of the best men! I will discover his secret!" Quintus said finally before going back up.

Oenomaus, Barca and Gannicus entered after Azrael surrounded by guards and in chains.

Quintus got up from his seat and although hesitantly, he approached him.

The Master flanked his master with tense nerves, ready to defend him at any moment.

He was aware of the tremendous risk they were taking!

He had grown up with stories and legends about him! And in no time he had ascertained its truthfulness: he was a creature who possessed only the instinct to kill! "You are a legend! But before becoming one, I am sure you were leading a peaceful life! I can help you find your family if you obey my orders in return and call me master!" Batiatus said.

The elf remained motionless, more than a statue, unwilling to respond.

The look and pride that emanated were enough to make everyone present tremble. "The owner's offer is very generous. Reply!" The Doctore said nervously.

Azrael glared at him then returned attention to the master.

Barca hit him with a stick at his side and this was enough to trigger him.

The master stood between the master and the elf in a protective manner, while the other gladiators uncovered their threatening weapons.

A good start is nothing to say!

But the chains only allowed him to fidget as his jailers increased their grip on them by forcing him to his knees. Azrael growled.

Where were Hanna and Sara? What had he done to them?



*



The following morning the master and master had summoned Atticus.

Both he and the boy had been kept in chains along with the problem.

The master had realized that they were the only ones who could calm him down and be obeyed during his anger!

"Do you know Azrael well?" Batiatus asked.

“Yes sir. Since I was a boy. It was he who taught me to fight, it is thanks to him that I survived for so long and became a champion!” The respondent answered.

"Besides you, has he ever shown affection or interest in someone else?" Asked the master.

"Yes!" With that statement he attracted the full attention of his interlocutors.

“They are called Hanna and Sara. They are at the service of the mistress. As far as I know Azrael cares about them more than anything else. Treat them well and make sure they can talk to each other frequently and he will obey any of your orders!" Explained Atticus.

Once the gladiator was out Lucretia emerged from his hiding place "The slave tells the truth!" She stated with conviction.

"What do you mean?" The husband asked suspiciously.

"Yesterday the two slaves in question abandoned their duties ..... a clumsy attempt to try to talk to you!" Gaia told that it was the shadow of her friend.

“As a punishment they fasted. Now that I know how precious they are, I can say I am relieved that I have not given them more severe punishment! " Lucretia said with satisfaction.

A week passed.

Azrael had always remained locked in his cell in chains. He noted with disappointment that Atticus and Milo would not be able to endure that situation much longer! They were increasingly impatient and the stress was far too much!!

But the fact that they brought them more to eat than usual, that is, a whole loaf instead of a tiny piece, made him understand that the new master had something in mind.

He did not refuse food. If they had made him fight he had to be in force to survive.

He kept thinking about the two girls.

Their behavior had always been the same, but from what he could understand, Batiatus was very different from Barahir!

They could have gotten into serious trouble with a wrong word! And the Romans do not easily forgive. Even the smallest skirmish!

Lucretia looked at the precious booty with interest.

Azrael's two women were in front of her. One had long dark hair, while the other had curly and dark brown hair.

They had shown themselves very capable and useful! "What's your name?" Lucretia asked "I am Sara!" The brunette replied "My name is Hanna!" Said the hedgehog.

"Do you know Azrael?" Quintus asked. "Yes, he is our friend!" Hanna replied. "This is a good news!" The Doctore who had just arrived said.

"Master, he is ready!" Quintus smiled and went to the gym followed by the Doctore and the two girls.

Thranduil rose abruptly when the door of his cell was opened. He couldn't believe his eyes! What were they doing there?!

Hanna was the first to run up to him and hug him, closely followed by Sara.

Atticus and Milo wasted no time, kneeling in front of the master, but smiling in the direction of the two girls.

"Well! I love seeing these family reunions!” The master said with dark satisfaction.

“If you fight and win for me, calling me master, I promise you that they will be treated in every respect. I will not let anyone else touch them except you and I will allow you to meet them once a week!" Fifth said impatiently to find out if the plan had worked. Azrael broke away from the girls and looked badly at both the Master and the master. Hannah stepped between them.

"Accept! I am sure that we will have a great time here! Melitta is a servant who has been working in this house for many years and has been very welcoming and caring!" Sara joined her friend "Then the gladiators here seem more civilized!".

Shit! Azrael would have understood that they were lying!

But it was better to be seen faithful and obedient instead of unpredictable and aggressive, Sara was firmly convinced of this! Eventually the elf gave in.

The only thing he had hoped for in those years was to keep them safe and this seemed an opportunity not to be missed.

Azrael knelt in front of the two men, his back ached from shame ..... then raised his head "Si je les connais en sécurité, je vous obéirai! J'exécuterai vos commandes ........ principales! "(If I know them safe, I will obey you! I will carry out your every order .... master!) Said Azrael.

"He said that if you treat us well, accept!" Sara translated "And ask if we can see each other more often!" Hanna added.

The girls had learned French so well that they looked like Parisian towns!

And that was why Sara took a quick look at her friend ..... to make her understand not to get too big!

Quintus laughed “Well, you will be satisfied. Now go and train! And listen carefully to the indications of the Master!" He said before going out followed by Hanna and Sara.



*



Gannicus was in a good mood even if Melitta, the wife of Oenomaus, threatened to spoil him by fear of tragedies before they happened!

"Gannicus!" A voice alarmed him and he found himself nailing the Gaul to the wall Crixus. The recruit had taken a little too much freedom.

"Don't ever surprise me from behind!" He warned him before loosening his hold.

"I'm sorry! Do you have any suggestions for a simple recruit?” Crixus asked, however he seemed to be affected by the other's forearm pressed on his throat.

"Follow the instructions of Oenomaus and you will get the brand, until then, you have to stay away from me!" He snarled before releasing.

He was surprised to see Oenomaus himself, to join them at that moment. He seemed amused by his behavior, but tried to ignore it.

"I don't just want to get the brand, I want to become a champion!" Crixus said panting.

"There is only one way to become champions ........" Gannicus began to answer but stopped when he saw Azrael come out at the end of the corridor "....... don't let anyone beat you!".

Crixus also noticed the elf's presence and wisely decided to go back to the cell.

The angel of death advanced, probably headed for the bathrooms.

Gannicus had the courage to observe it thoroughly.

He hadn't had a chance to do it well since he'd been in chains in a cramped cell since he'd arrived.

But now he understood what the other gladiators meant when he heard them talk about the legend.

The elf was truly imposing, both in height and in physical constitution.

His bearing was both graceful and threatening at the same time, as if his incredible strength shone through with the slightest movement. Not only that given by muscles! But the thing that struck him most was his eyes.

Icy and at the same time deep, as if they could perceive even the smallest of its secrets! Azrael didn't break eye contact until she passed him.

Gannicus was smart enough not to dare challenge him, not even with the most harmless of gestures.

“It's chilling! I didn't feel so helpless even with Teocoles!" Oenomaus said watching the elf disappear behind the curve that led to the bathrooms.

“And we're just watching it! Think if we had to face it on the sand!" Gannicus said he could not take his eyes off the spot where the elf was gone.

"Gannicus, the great champion of capua, do the knees tremble in the presence of the angel of death?" Oenomaus mocked him. Even if he could say he wasn't the only one. Even the Master was afraid of it! And he, with the gladiators, had years of experience behind him!

"Only a fool would not be afraid!" The friend admitted, giving the other a worried look. "I'm afraid I have to give you reason!" Oenomaus answered.

That elf didn't do anything good!



*



A few days passed.

“Thank you for listening to us, especially because I saw how humiliating it was for you! Now things are much better!" Hanna said sitting down on the bed in Azrael's cell next to him.

"Where's Sara?" He asked, surprised not to see her arguing with her friend.

“She went to Atticus! Having no more communicating cells, he said he feared he would feel alone! Watch! If he wanted to try, just say it!" Hanna complained.

The elf stiffened. Apparently the girl hadn't sensed Sara's true intentions, instead he did. He would find a way to thank her later.

"Sara confided to me that she would have liked to become a doctor in your world!" The speech began. He had to feel the ground.

"Yes, and I ...... I wanted to learn how to build ... houses!" Everything he took for granted was much more difficult to explain here!

"Isn't that a job just for men?" Azrael asked curiously.

From the few descriptions received he had been able to ascertain that things were very different from them!

“Yes, but who thinks about the project? You have to have in mind what you want to build otherwise something horrible will come out!" Hanna replied before emptying the glass of water in one sip.

“The heat is unbearable! And to think that we are almost half naked all the time!" He observed.

"Why are you always attacking me when I come to the villa?" He asked wanting to understand the reason for that strange behavior.

At the beginning she had always been at the side of the mistress, but lately she and Sara became his shadow every time he was summoned.

Both privately and during extravagant parties. But not to speak, they ignored him by staying at one palm from the nose, talking among themselves!

“Maybe because we don't see each other often compared to before? But do you use the brain from time to time?" She asked annoyed.

“If this is your motivation, I would ask you to stop. They will struggle to believe that I am heartless if I allow a stupid girl to stand between me!” The elf disappointed and offended said that he had eluded his question with such insolence.

"Stupid? Is this how you see my friendship with Sara? Or are you just jealous because we don't involve you?" She asked feeling hurt

"Well! I bow before his majesty and promise that I will respect your will! But if someone jumps on me, the fault will be entirely yours!" Snarled Hanna growled, getting up abruptly and making an awkward bow.

"Did something happen?" Asked the elf whose anger had dissipated under sudden concern.

“Would it make a difference? The master said that if you rebel he will whip you!" She tried to scare him.

"Tell me!" He hated when he completely changed the subject!

“Open well those antennas that you have in place of your ears: I am doing very well on my own! I am a woman and even if making me think I am your lover all over the world made me stand up, it does not mean that I could not have done it without you!" Hanna said showing an unusual boldness.

"You are scared! You are terrified! What happened?" He insisted.

“They are my cabbages!" She screamed impatiently.

"You informed me! Now these "cabbages" concern me too!" Azrael replied using her colorful terminology. Hanna gave an exasperated verse.

How unbearable he and his stubbornness were!

But are we sure that some of his ancestors had not secretly mated with a dwarf?

"If that's the case, then tell me what they did to you during the first years of captivity!" Azrael stiffened suddenly.

The memories, those memories that had never left him, returned like a hurricane. He looked at her angrily. He asked her never to ask him and now she was using that weakness of hers against him.

He could not have won it!

“I know they didn't just keep you in the dark and in chains! "You made me aware" and if I have to obey, I would appreciate that you received the same treatment to prove how it feels!" She explained with a satisfied smile on her face.

"My experiences cannot be compared to yours!" The elf growled.

But Hanna was not intimidated.

"And what do you know? You do not know anything! You don't know what I went through! Nothing in my life, yet you're ready to preach to me!" She screamed furiously putting her hands on her hips threateningly.

“I don't want to know about your past life! But of the present one! If you don't tell me what's going on, I can't protect you!" He replied, feeling anger rise inside him like a stormy sea.

"Who said I want your protection?" She asked offended.

"Your actions!" He pointed out.

"You misunderstood! You can't understand what's going on in the head of a stupid girl! Even with thousands of years of life behind you! And to think that until recently I was convinced that with old age we became wiser!" Hanna said with mock disappointment. "Are you afraid! I can see the fear in your eyes! Don't push me away! If you do, you are denying protection not only to yourself but also to Sara!" Azrael said in a cold and accusatory voice.

"Leave her alone! It does not matter! This is a discussion between you and me! If I don't want your useless protection it doesn't mean that she shares my thoughts!" Hanna screamed, stepping on the pitcher and throwing it against the wall.

Could not .... should not hit him! It would go from reason to wrong in less than a minute! But he shouldn't have allowed Sara to get in the way!

Azrael smiled mockingly.

Cornering her was the only way to make her give way!

Hanna saw him right away and weighed the next words he would use well, he couldn't let him win!

"You say I'm afraid?" Hanna asked furiously.

"Well, if my actions show the fear I feel, yours is as if I had hung a sign on the edge of the kingdom of Mirkood with the words “I am a cowardly fairy creature! "...." the girl continued gesturing as if he had been deaf "..... since you have locked yourself in a bunker as if the atomic bomb was imminent! Lightning news: it doesn't exist yet!" "You're saying nonsense!" He pointed them out.

"Instead they make sense! It is you who are late to understand! And then why does everything have to make sense? Why can't it be confused and messy instead of forcing itself to be the opposite ?!" She snapped.

"Does love have to make sense?" Hanna asked, leaving him speechless.

He was silent waiting for her to continue.

The girl was panting, perhaps from too much gesticulation or screaming, and looked on the ground in terror, as if she could not understand having asked that question.

Yet she was sober!

Usually it was alcohol that loosened her tongue!

Everyone is responsible for their actions!

Who is the cause of his ill cry himself! He could use all idioms, but now the omelette was done! She therefore decided to complete that madness by launching himself in a rocket.

"I ..... I feel different when I'm with you! But in a good way! I feel at home, even though I'm probably a thousand miles away!" She said sincerely looking him straight in the eye. Thranduil smiled.

But there was no mockery in his expression this time.

“I'm not the one who makes you feel these emotions! It is you who in these years have shown yourself who you really are. A strong and tenacious woman who manages not to get knocked down even when everything seems against you!" Thranduil said welcoming her into his arms when she sat on his knees.

"You taught me that!" She replied sinking into that embrace and putting her face in the hollow of her neck.

She had missed her! Cabbage had missed her!

That sense of security and protection felt when she was a child, when her mother hugged her, or when her father pulled her up to show her that he was the rock he could always lean on!

"It's not something you can teach!" The elf took it.

Hanna pulled away from him to look him straight in the eye "I love you!" And he felt filled with joy and euphoria when he said those two simply wonderful words!

He was finally home!

He tried his lips and they exchanged a passionate kiss until they had to come away in order to breathe.

Hanna laughed like a fool, Thranduil laughed as well, falling back on the bed with her on top.

Her laugh was beautiful! Deep and articulated. Perfect!

Something that fans of the movie "The Hobbit" dreamed of!

Hanna straddled him trying again to contact her lips. His hands, gentle but strong, caressed his body making them feel an unknown fire inside him that grew rapidly and impetuously!

The girl knew what was about to happen, but she was not afraid, no more!



*



It can be born anywhere

Even where you don't expect

Where you wouldn't have said it

Where you wouldn't look for it



It was unfortunate that Sara did not possess her own singing talent.

The fact that he managed to hit the melody of some sentences was pure luck!

In this way Francesca Michelin could have heard the discordance even from a world away!

"How to ruin a wonderful song!"Hanna thought before deciding to cut it.



It can grow on earth

Where the sun does not reach

He opens the fist of one hand

Change the meaning of words



Love doesn't make sense

Love has no name

Love bathes the eyes

Love warms the heart

Love chatts its teeth

Love is not right



"Ouch! What a bad dog! But what need was there! If you don't like the song then change playlist!" Sara protested massaging her arm on the injured point, where the sandal had struck mercilessly.

“Don't you think you overdo it a little bit? If you act like that now what will you do when I get married?" Hanna asked amused.

She really missed listening to the songs of their world and trying to sing them together with her dear friend out of tune! Pure fun!

"Are you going to get married?" That question made her forget homesickness instantly!

"Bad choice of words!" She mentally recovered.

“I claim to be the number one witness! You choose number two! But remember, it can't be Attic. Cabbage! Since he considers him as a son ....... it means that you have already become a mother!" Sara said with so much joy that she was moved.

"But if he's older than me!" Hanna pointed out.

"But you did some brainwashing!" The other reminded her.

"Yes, but because they are a first-rate nuisance, not for maternal duty!" Specified her friend. Curse!

"The intentions were not those, but in the light of the new events everything changes hopelessly!" Sara found.

They left the slave room in a hurry, only to stop the race in front of a stranger. An old man with a fierce look.

"And who are you two?" Asked the man in question.

The two girls lowered their heads in respect. Everything about him shouted that he was not an ordinary person, his tone of voice, his bearing, his clothes ...

“My name is Sara, while she is Hanna. We are Azrael's lovers!" The girl replied keeping her eyes glued on the marble slabs.

If he hadn't, he could have fully enjoyed the terrified expression on the face of the poor old man who managed to recover rather quickly.

"Forgive me! They hadn't told me anything about your presence! I can say that I am happy to meet you and impressed to know that the wild beast let himself be approached, even if by two beautiful girls like you!" The man said, showing himself much more courteous than his master.

"Don't call it that!" Hanna burst like a firecracker.

Sara, after growing old suddenly, but not having suffered in the least thanks to her immortality, tried to stem the damage “I know you find it hard to believe sir, but that's not what everyone thinks! We are very fond of him!" She said lowering her head, hoping that Hanna had the good sense to do the same.

"You are faithful to him! In life you never stop being amazed!" The elder said with a big laugh.

"Where's my son?" This question sent them into total confusion. "Son?" Asked Hanna lost "But who are you?" Sara asked even if observing him well she realized that the stranger was all too familiar!

“I'm Titus Lentulus Batiatus, head of this gladiator school! Could it be that you haven't heard of me?" The man asked, both impressed and outraged.

The girls were unable to stop their jaws from abandoning themselves to the force of gravity, staring at him like two idiots.

The first to recover was Sara "Excuse me very much ... master! I know where he is .... his son! Follow me!" She said before turning and starting to walk.

"And where are you going?" The voice of the ... new master made her turn. He had turned to Hanna who feared he had disrespected him.

"A .... cleaning the floors!" The girl replied lowering her head and expecting a rebuke worthy of what her master's son had sometimes thrown at her.

"No, come with me! Quintus has a lot to explain! " He said before inciting Sara to lead him.

They arrived near a bed with the canopy from which inappropriate sounds came.

I mean, they were in the middle of the hall, hell!

Titus didn't think much about it and flipped the curtains aside.

Hanna and Sara looked at each other to divert attention from that inappropriate scene and try to warn each other that this was not the right time to laugh.

Quintus, Lucretia and Gaia were celebrating big time, having managed to place their man in the final challenge, during the upcoming games to wish the construction of the new arena.

"But why do I always find myself making the third inconvenient!" Sara thought flaming with shame.

Even if there were three of them, the occupants of the bed had to call themselves fourth!



*



“I saw that you bought many men in my absence!" Titus said studying the reaction of his son.

“Yes, and most of them have been very promising! By following your teachings this school has thrived! " Quintus replied flattering him.

"The wrath of a powerful man is not an auspicious one!" The father warned him.

He knew well that it had provoked the anger of Tullius, a skilled and respected businessman who had invested money for the construction of the new Capua Arena. His son had refused to buy his gladiator because he believed he was the champion of their home ..... but besides that, there was something else that troubled the thoughts of the poor lanista.

“Not even that beast whose name I saw! Why didn't you pay for it? Its value at least corresponds to a fortune!" Titus asked impatiently.

"Azrael ........." the son began to say hesitating "..... I ... I won the game!" He admitted knowing full well what the reaction would be.

"You sully the good name of the Batiatus house!" The father accused him.

“I raise it to peaks never reached!" Quintus protested.

“By provoking influential men and taking charge of such a despicable being that he could kill you right away? You are crazy! Either keep it in chains or I'll take care of the problem!" Titus said furiously.

"Solonius confided to me that he saw him train with others! That's why I'm back! He can destroy us and I won't let that happen!" The father said when the son looked at him bewildered after his question.

"Solonius?!" Quintus thought terrified.

Already the relationship with the father was not idyllic, now he also took his friend summoning his father to Capua just to give him other headaches?

Quintus went injured. Although the fear of his father was normal. He himself felt terrified when he summoned him long ago. But he was not a fool as he believed!

"Bring him!" He ordered a servant.

Titus had sat down to rest and was not happy when he saw him arrive.

"Have my orders been executed?" He asked "Yes, father!" Quintus replied, indicating two gladiators who held a third in chains.

"Are you out of your mind?" The father shouted as soon as he recognized the angel of death.

"You said put him in chains! So I did, father. Go!" He said to the two gladiators and they, after fixing the chains on the ground, did as they were told.

"I learned about him! I understood what his heart desires. So I could tame it! You can get closer if you wish!" Quintus said sitting on a chair as if it had been his throne.

Titus remained seated, fear replaced by curiosity.

Azrael looked at the old man. Those eyes lacked the son's arrogance and greed.

"I can't believe this is the same elf I saw in action when I was still a kid!" Titus said incredulously.

Both Azrael and his son gave him a questioning look.

“He was still considered an animal then! They had put an iron collar on his neck and only untied the chain when he was to kill. It was thrilling for the crowd to see how ferociously and cruelly he killed his victims ... instead now he acts like a faithful servant! How did you manage, my son, to tame it?" He asked, looking suspiciously at the elf.

"Is simple! I gave him back his women, who now live here in the service of my wife. And I promised to treat them in every respect in exchange for his obedience!” Quintus said trying to calm his father and not missing an opportunity to brag.

"Obedience and loyalty are very different! Keep it in mind Quintus! I would never have bought it, despite all its fame! It's a decision that will backfire on you, as always!” The paters familia said before retiring.

"Bring him down!" Quintus said with a note of bitterness in his voice.



*



The training proved to be much more pleasant than expected, but only because their companions were half socks!

Every whiplash of Oenomaus signaled that he changed his attacking position, and the recruits were placed side by side in front of him to show what he required.

The Doctore had died the night before. In an uncontrolled rage attack he attacked Oenomaus and ended up being killed.

And now they had a new teacher.

Insecure, inexperienced and who was not yet respected!

"Azrael, paired with Dagan!" Said the master. A Syrian. Let's say more an angry billy goat.

"Doctore ...." Atticus tried to stop them, when he caught the murderous look in his father's eyes as he stood in front of his new opponent.

"Obey my orders without saying a word!" shouted Oenomaus angrily.

The man did as he was forced to do, albeit unwillingly.

"أنتكبير, لكنكتبدوامرأةصغيرة. رعشةغزر! " (You are big, but you look like a woman. Shitty asshole!) The Syrian made a bad choice of words and fully showed his strong character ..... with the wrong person!

He also couldn't have known that Azrael knew his language while his son knew about it!

"Great!"Atticus thought, having understood from the tone of the energenian, that he had not paid him a compliment nor had he presented himself.

Milo, finding himself in front of him, sensed his thought and simply held back a laugh. There were many more crazy people around than he thought!

Azrael charged the Syrian like an angry bull and sent him to the ground thanks to the surprise effect since it would have been more complicated without, since they were very similar in physical constitution.

A shower of punches went to Dagan's face.

The slave tried to overthrow the opponent, but it was as if the elf had anchored himself to the ground with hooks since he could not move him in the slightest!

Desperate to gain an advantage, Dagan hit Azrael in the stomach, but he didn't seem to be affected.

After years of torture, his pain threshold was extremely high and a weak blow like that wouldn't have even heard him!

Dagan did not give up and grabbed the other's wrists with his hands.

The elf struggled to shake his arms with such fury that if the Syrian had not let go, his wrist would have broken!

Azrael arched her back in pain when the whip struck mercilessly!

But apart from the body, his expression remained neutral, not showing the annoyance experienced.

Moving!

That slave was so insecure that he gave gentle blows with the whip!

He ignored him outright and started hitting that poor fool who had dared to challenge him so openly!

He felt himself seized from behind and to his surprise, he realized that it was not Atticus, but the Doctore.

"Get it over, damn it!" Oenomaus screamed as he tried to lock his arms.

The Doctore was fully supported on his back. He had grabbed his arms at shoulder height, tightening her grip with her elbows and forearms facing upwards.

It was enough to lift him of weight, making him lose the support on the ground, before making him do a somersault and see him fall, with satisfaction, on the back ground! Out of the corner of his eye he saw the guards move with the intent to stop him, but Gannicus was faster.

With the strength born of the momentum he raged against him, grabbing him by the torso and ending up in the sand with him.

Following the example of their champion, the other gladiators joined the fight, only to find the way barred by Atticus and Milo that would not let everyone go on against the elf.

The screams attracted the attention of the owners who ran to the balcony to understand what was going on.

"You are crazy, for Jupiter!" Titus shouted in shock to see the gladiators raging against each other again.

It was the second time that had happened in a very short space of time and he would have sworn that the presence of the elf was the reason!

But to his surprise nobody seemed to hear him, they were so concentrated in trying to remove Gannicus from the deadly grasp that the elf exercised with both hands, on the neck of the champion!

"Father!" Quintus screamed in terror when he saw him head for the stairs that separated the villa from the gym.

But being ahead of him, Titus managed to get off without even trying to stop him!

Once found in the clearing where the brawl raged, the old man had headed for the cause of so much disorder that he was now intent on trying to kill Barca and Auctus. "You're just a disgrace!" Titus shouted, managing to fully attract Azrael's attention. Quintus stood in front of his father in a protective manner, finally understanding the words that the parent had addressed to him a few days earlier about the elf.

It burned his pride to admit he was right!

"Stay away!" Quintus shouted when he saw Azrael start to approach slowly but firmly "It is your master who orders you!" He tried again.

The gladiators lined up alongside Quintus, Lucretia, Gaia and Titus ready to even sacrifice their lives for masters who would never have moved a finger to help them! Atticus stood still.

He didn't know what was going through the parent's head, but he was aware that he couldn't do anything!

He had tried to stop him and had been rejected and if he didn't listen to him then there was nothing to do!

"Shame on you!!"

Maybe he was wrong.

When he saw Hanna overcome all those imposing men, stamping his feet, the doubt turned into certainty!

"You may know that ...... ah, no shit! I always forget that you are an ignorant donkey ..... "Qu'est-ce que tu fais?"(What are you doing?) She asked screaming.

"Je ne sais pas et je ne veux pas savoir pourquoi vous avez soudainement décidé de devenir fou en attaquant tout le monde, mais arrêtez-le immédiatement!"(I don't know and I don't want to know why you suddenly decided to go crazy attacking everyone, but stop it now!) she said raising a hand when Azrael seemed about to answer her.

"Êtes-vous si handicapé que vous ne comprenez pas que propriétaire pourrait nous blesser aussi à cause de votre comportement irresponsable? Je m'en fiche si ça peut être humiliant! Mais je ne resterai pas là pendant que vous détruisez ma vie! Tu as dit que j'avais peur, oui, c'est vrai! J'ai peur! Mais c'est toi qui me fais venir! J'espérais ....... après avoir enduré les cruautés de mes cousins pendant des années, pour la première fois, d'avoir quelqu'un qui se souciait de moi au point de mettre de côté la fierté et d'avaler un peu de fumier is hidden conceals signifiait me protéger! Va me faire foutre! Pour moi!(Are you so crippled that you don't understand that the owner could hurt us too because of your irresponsible behavior?

I don't care if it can be humiliating! But I won't stand by while you destroy my life! You said I'm afraid, yes, it's true!

I'm scared!

But you are the one who makes me come!

I was hoping ....... after having endured the cruelties of my cousins for years, for the first time, to have someone who cared about me to the point of putting aside pride and swallowing some dung .. ...... if that meant protecting me!

Fuck me!

For me!).

“Hanna reigns!"Sara thought looking at her friend with pride.

She wasn't sure if she was in full reason, since they were unaware of the reasons behind Azrael's fit of anger, but leveraging compassion was a good strategy!

The elf remained impassive, as always, in the face of such a rage and observed for a long time the girl while Atticus explained to Titus and Quintus, in broad terms, that she had given him a good lecture and praised the kindness with which she had been treated by the bosses (lie!)! Leaving aside the details that at the time were of no importance and lying to make sense of that river of words.

"On your knees!" Hanna ordered "Show some respect to the bosses!" She said pointing to the ground with a finger.

Azrael obeyed and knelt in front of Hanna and once on the ground, she broke the contact with her eyes, which she had kept all the time, lowering her head.

"What a jupiter thunders me!" managed to say Gannicus amazed.

Titus, much more relaxed than a few seconds before, turned to his son "You managed to get his loyalty through them!" He said pointing to the two girls, who stood in front of the elf, muttering incomprehensible words among themselves.

Quintus and Lucretia were more surprised than the paters familias and the gladiators put together!

"Then you're not as foolish as I thought! Apparently your father had underestimated you!" The old man said with a smile.

"You honor me father!" Quintus replied, raising his head full of pride.

"You honor yourself! When you act according to common sense and ingenuity!" Titus said to him.

"I was wrong about you too!" He said turning to Lucretia.

"Only a true Roman patrician would understand and act accordingly!" He said surprised that what he had always considered a snake, was actually a woman with a good heart who had managed to win the benevolence and admiration of two slaves in such a short time.

Hanna had crossed her arms over her chest, her breathing was tight and fast, in an attempt not to drop any tears from her eyes.

It had been difficult to say those things!

But it was something else that destroyed it!

Sara had put her arm around her shoulders trying to cheer her up.

A glance between the two was enough to make a whole speech without having to articulate a word.

The elf they read about would never have given way so quickly, especially in front of a little girl!

Thranduil had broken .........

Because of them!

Notes:

A new master! Things are going better than I expected!
In this chapter and in the following one I will refer to the events of the Prequel of the Spartacus Series!
When Spartacus had not yet arrived in the house of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus.
Azrael decides, for the first time, to bow in front of his master, reaching a level of submission never reached ......... for the sake of Hanna and Sara.
How long will it hold?
For the first time in decades, Thranduil (Azrael) is left free to tour the gladiator gym.
What do you think?
And finally the relationship with Hanna kicks off!
As expected, Thranduil explodes!
Do you believe that girls are right?
Have a nice evening,
X-98


Chapter 8 - Here are the lions

From that moment on, Hanna and Sara were highly respected among the slaves of Batiatus' house. Being able to tame the "wild beast" had brought them a lot of fame.

A fortune considering how clumsy they were in carrying out the various daily tasks.

Now they were all a little more patient!

At the moment they were arguing with a candlestick. It was already difficult to have to place the candles inside the tiny circular base, but being this different, it was necessary to insert them in the horizontal spikes that were on top.

Too bad that, as always, the candles would break with their every attempt!

Sara had managed to put one successfully, while Hanna found herself with half the size of candles as they were at the beginning ..... A laugh made them turn annoyed, it was already humiliating, better not to make it worse!

Diona, a girl who must have been their age (from when they stopped aging that is about twenty-six years) and who had grown up there, decided to help them without asking.

"It almost seems like you've never done such a job!" From the expression on her face, the friends realized that they had misinterpreted the laugh of before, she was not friendly at all, quite the opposite!

"It is so! Our previous master used us only to satisfy Azrael!” Hanna replied trying to remain impassive as she had seen a certain elf do.

“Then stop behaving like little girls! Friendship is a privilege that a prostitute cannot afford!" Diona said angry.

Sara grabbed her friend by the arm preventing Katrina from breaking loose "What do you know ......" she was dumbfounded when she didn't find a right topic to argue with, but as soon as she saw Naevia, another peer, she had the lighting "...... you warn us about something you're guilty of too!" She said pointing to her friend.

"Diona! Wait up!" Naevia called her when she saw the other about to leave "Are you okay? We didn't talk to each other anymore, we laughed at it together!" she pointed out with a sad expression on his face.

"Now you give me orders too? Will you decide who will have me too? Don't believe you are superior to me!" Diona replied before turning around and leaving.

"Forgive me!" Naevia apologized "Lately she's not in herself!" She said before following her friend. Hanna and Sara stood watching her as she disappeared into a room.

"She has something in mind!" Said the first.

“We have to find out what!" Said the other.

"So what are we still doing here?" Hanna asked. Trying to move nimbly like two ninjas and hoping to be invisible like Bilbo with the ring of power, the girls lurked behind the door, unable not to push each other to be able to peek through the crack.

Naevia and Diona were making peace. Very well!

This was true friendship!

Naevia was offering her friend something. Very strange!

As soon as they heard the word "fugitive" everything became hopelessly frightening and wrong! Hanna entered the room like a fury, but being behind Sara, she sent her face down.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked fearfully. Diona and Naevia passed a first moment of hesitation and decided it was better to deny everything "I simply reminded her that we are friends and she must not go away because I will always be there for her!" She said looking at her friend with sincere love.

She spoke the truth with that sentence, but not in giving the answer!

"We won't say anything! We just want to help you!" Sara said that she had got up and as if nothing had happened, she had joined them.

"I have to go! If I stay soon they will kill me!” Diona confessed destroyed.

"What are you saying? We have been Azrael's lovers for a long time and we are still here!” Hanna said knowing full well that if the girl had made such a choice, she would have been sentenced to death.

This was how the Romans treated the rebels or fugitives.

“If you want you don't have a modicum of dignity and let others trample on you is not my problem! I can not! The cheerfulness I perceive around me is a constant reminder of what I have lost!” Diona attacked them before bursting into tears.

"I took some money from Gaia's clothes!" Naevia began to explain "The friend of the mistress killed by that monster of Tullio for revenge?" Hanna asked, which was a landslide with the names. "Exact! Diona will pay for a ride!" The girl concluded.

"I don't recommend doing such a thing!" Hanna declared.

"You talk because you don't have to go from one man to another or perform for the pleasure of that bitch!" Diona accused her.

"So are you with .... us?" Sara asked herself "What the hell are you talking about?" Hanna asked, startled and furious.

“If Azrael keeps it under her protection ....." "NO!" Diona's outbreak interrupted his reasoning to say the least brilliant.

“I do not want to satisfy the depraved desires of noble lords .... and do you think I would continue in front of that heartless wild beast?" she asked offended.

"Well!" Hanna hissed livid "Then go die killed!" she snarled before going out like a fury.

Sara sighed. Her friend didn't mean it. Not at all.

But recently she could say that the elf had become a very sensitive topic.

“If you leave now they will notice your absence!" she observed recognizing that there was nothing he could do to dissuade Diona.

“Once the recruits have been branded, the owner will organize fights to test the real value of men! Then she will run away!" Naevia replied confident that everything would be fine.

“Good luck then!" Sara said to the girl before going to find Hanna and put up with the outburst that would appease her anger!



*



It was dawn and yet for the recruits this made no difference.

They were walking around in the clearing, their backs bent under the weight of the wooden beam which they had been forced to carry for most of the night.

A whiplash made them stop.

"That's enough! Now eat, then the training will begin! " Oenomaus said.

The insecure Master was gone. Now there was a strong man, whose gaze intimidated anyone who looked at him.

"Do we have to train now?" Milo asked as he placed his hands on his knees, bent over with fatigue. "Are you pulling back?" Atticus provoked him "When I defeat Gannicus you will stop making fun of me!" He bragged.

"I do not believe......! Why Gannicus?" Asked the brother with a provocative smile.

They took breakfast without problems, having the confidence of Azrael had its advantages.

Above all because they didn't have to collect rice from the floor like the other recruits!

"Maybe because he's the champion of this house?" Milo asked looking at him as if he wondered if he had been serious in asking that question whose answer was obvious.

"Why not him?" He asked indicating Azrael who seemed to have just returned from a refreshing bath as it was all wet, but fresh as a rose.

"Unlike you I don't do crazy things!" The boy mocked him "Ninth, never be!" Atticus joked.

“And I can recognize my limits!" Milo answered seriously.

“If you don't try you'll never know!" The other pointed out.

“I will have improved, but fighting with him… are you joking? It disarms me after only a little while in training!” The young man began to complain.

"You look like a boy who has been denied a toy!" Atticus laughed immediately after making that comparison.

Happiness was dampened as soon as they noticed the doctore who tied a long chain to the wall, before turning to them.

"Tie it to your foot!" Oenomaus said throwing the traction ring to tie to the ankle.

The man remained frozen on the spot while Milo had the brazenness to observe the elf's reaction. Azrael was motionless.

Stand still as only he could stand, looking like a statue for real. But in his eyes one could read a clear fury that meandered under the calm expression of the face, while observing that bond so light but with an enormous symbolic weight.

"Master ...." Atticus hesitated. He knew that his father had been in chains for years, but it had been a long time since he had had to be kept on a leash.

From before she met him. Back then, when he was just five years old, the elf was free of those constraints!

The whiplash hit his ears long before the pain made him stiffen and choke out. It had hit him in the chest!

Azrael and Milo jumped to their feet and the guards were stopped at a nod to Oenomaus. The Doctore wanted to do it alone.

Everything had stopped. The general attention was on those three recruits who dared to challenge again, the one who commanded them.

"I didn't mean to contradict you ......" Atticus started, bowing his head to show that he recognized his superiority "But I can't do it! It would attack me!" He justified himself.

Azrael looked at him badly. And if for many it seemed that the elf was agreeing with him, Atticus knew that his father was struck by his words.

He would never hurt him! When he had lost control a few days earlier, a push was what he had received. He must have considered himself lucky!

"You will obey my orders, or I will detach the flesh from your limbs!" Growled Oenomaus.

“His woman! You can do it! She is the only one who can touch it without suffering the consequences!" tried again Atticus.

The Doctore seemed to think about it, but eventually accepted.

It was better not to pull too tight!

And if that girl had helped him tame that wild beast, he would have been satisfied.

“You look like Jupiter throwing stars from the sky!" Gannicus said in surprise that the angel of death had not reacted.

"Merit of the words of a devoted wife!" The Doctore replied "Now go back to training and never be in the shade again! We will have missed the final challenge, but that doesn't mean you can laze around!" Oenomaus said before going to speak with the guards to send the elf woman down.



*



"But look at those!" "Who are you talking about?" Hanna asked her friend.

"Gaia died and they passed him off for an accident!" Sara protested.

“Listen, Tullio and the master's son already hate each other! Tito did well to spread the false news around, otherwise this house would fall into misery and we would risk being sold!" Hanna said as she poured hot water into the tub.

They had to prepare a nice bath, for those who had not yet understood!

"That man is a murderer! Doesn't it seem unfair to you that he's not blamed just because he's a nobleman?" Sara asked umbrage.

“History already heard! He can afford to do so and get away with it. But why does Quintus care so much about Gannicus if he has Azrael !?” Hanna wondered.

"Let me think ...... maybe he doesn't want to sell him Gannicus because Tullio and his henchman Vezio beat him to death?" Sara asked sarcastically, remembering when they had healed the wounds of the master's son.

“So just out of spite! Very mature! However, I heard the owner telling his son that if Gannicus wins in organized fights then he can stay!" Hanna replied before pouring more water into a large pot on the fire.

"What fights?" Sara asked confused. Why was Hanna always more up to date than she was?

"After the final test tonight he will organize duels between the various men to test the value of each!" Hanna replied "Will he participate too?" Sara asked curiously.

“I do not know this!" Said her friend before welcoming the owner who had just arrived.

“You, go get my clothes in my room and wash them. They must be ready by tomorrow!" Titus said pointing to Hanna. She nodded and did as she was told even though she hated being the little washerwoman.

"Master!" A guard joined Titus before he could go undress to wash.

"What's going on?" He asked surprised. "The Master asks that Azrael's woman come down as soon as possible!" The guard said.

Titus did not seem worried and replied with extreme calm “Okay. As soon as she is free of Oenomaus to come!” He answered.

"Master!" This time it was Sara who spoke.

"What do you want?" He asked before berating himself. He was talking to a girl.

“Forgive my ways, but getting this school up and running took more than I thought. Don't be afraid, ask!" He said with a welcoming and kind look.

"I can go to Azrael!" tried to say Sara with all the conviction he possessed.

“Why haven't I thought of this before!" He answered cheerfully before nodding to the guard. “Thank you! Your loyalty is very welcome!" The elder said before heading to the bathroom.

Sara found herself in the main square and could not help looking around in confusion.

If there was a problem they closed the elf in his cell! Why was it there?

The relief made her feel lighter when she saw Oenomaus and Azrael waiting for her near the entrance leading to the cells.

The elf was sitting and seemed in a bad mood. It always looked like this, but this time it was different!

"Hi Sara. We never officially showed up! I am Oenomaus, it's a pleasure to meet you!” The Doctore said welcoming her with a big smile.

“My pleasure! How can I be useful?" The girl cheerfully asked, trying not to be influenced by the elf's growing mood.

"Put this on his foot and secure it with a padlock!" explained Oenomaus.

Only then did she notice that very long chain hanging from the wall and the traction ring that the Doctore was offering her.

She felt freezing despite the sultry heat! You didn't even have to ask why, he knew well that they feared in another violent reaction and perhaps believed that the chain could calm him instead of suffering the opposite effect.

But why did they decide to do it after so many days?

Maybe the owner wasn't sure if it was a wise idea ..... and apparently he had given the wrong answer.

Uncertain, Sara grabbed the ring and stared at it even when Oenomaus had left.

After a very long time, he sighed and decided to speak "C'est un problème qui devra être résolu!" (This is a problem that will have to be solved!) she said trying to change the subject as if they had seen each other just to chat.

"A morceau de fer est faible par rapport à mon envie de m'évader!"(A piece of iron is weak compared to my desire to escape!) Declared the elf trying to ignore the cold he felt even through the fabric of his pants.

"Alors, pourquoi êtes-vous toujours enchaîné après près de deux cents ans?"(So why are you still in chains after almost two hundred years?) Sara thought thoughtfully and then recovered "Désolé, je deviens fastidieux! Faute d'Hanna!"(Sorry, I'm getting tedious! Hanna's fault!) The girl tried to recover her fall of nervous style.

“Si nous voulons réussir, nous devons être patients et attendre le bon moment! Cela nous donnera un avantage!”(If we want to be successful we must be patient and wait for the right moment!) Azrael repeated more to himself than to others.

“Les humains ont tendance à baisser la garde lorsqu'ils se sentent en sécurité!"(This will give us an advantage! Humans tend to let down their guard when they feel secure!) He revealed with dark satisfaction.

"Vraiment? Je n'ai jamais remarqué!" (Really? I never noticed!) Sara had to recognize by standing up but feeling happy at the idea that freedom was no longer so far away.



*



The elf did not seem to be affected by the new limitation, indeed.

Often he used the chain as a weapon, to make the opponent lose his balance, to block him or simply to hit him.

It was unbelievable. Even in chains it frightened!

Atticus had a lot of fun during this new workout.

Discovering a danger in something to which he had not given the slightest weight before was intriguing, both in seeing how the father used it, and because the clash was different from the usual and he had to do more if he didn't want to end up swallowing more sand .

On the other hand Oenomaus was on them, giving orders on how to attack or how to parry.

He was testing Azrael and he knew it!

Milo was disappointed by the absence of another blast from the elf, but he thought better of it when the teacher called him to train with him.

Evening came early. It was time.

The final test would have accepted them among the brothers of the brotherhood or sent to eternal oblivion of death.

All the others were called first, that is, the two Syrians. Dagan showed he could handle it, Ashur was poor even though he still managed to pass the test.

Atticus is fighting to prove his great value against Gannicus, being welcomed with enthusiasm by all the gladiators.

The more good you were with the sword, the more esteemed and respected you were.

Despite being smaller than his challenger Barca, Milo managed to keep up with him all the time allowing the master to hold him up.

Azrael, as expected, killed his opponent with a quick and powerful blow to the head, ending the fight before it started. Once the exam was completed, as humans called it, the elf was sent to his cell.

When the chatter subsided, Azrael realized that all the gladiators had retired. He lay down on the bed thinking about the discussion with Sara.

He knew well that in addition to the propitious moment he had to look for allies in order to have even the slightest chance of being able to escape.

And this was a problem.

Being asocial gave him advantages, but penalized him since Atticus would not join him.

The sound of the keys made him sit up suddenly.

Who was? Hanna? The master? What did they want?

He stiffened when he saw two, three, no four guards enter one after the other followed by Oenomaus. "Hold him!" The Master said and the elf was quick to react.

He sent two of the men to fall one on top of the other with a violent push, sent the third against a wall with a powerful kick and the last one passed him finding himself behind him and rotating his arm breaking it.

He was unprepared for the attack by the master, who hit him with a large stick.

He fell stunned and the guards were quick to lift him and put him on his back on the bed nailing him to it.

Each man blocked a limb and the elf, stunned, could not resist. What were they doing?

In the haze that separated him from unconsciousness he saw the red-hot iron. He understood what was about to happen, but it was impossible to avoid it.

He fully returned to himself as soon as the fire touched his skin.

He stiffened, but didn't scream. He would never have given them such great satisfaction!

The red-hot piece was removed a few seconds later. And the guards almost ran out of the room. The door was closed before he could sit up.

His head throbbed, as did his right forearm.

Thranduil raised his arm looking at the B-shaped mark imprinted on his bleeding flesh. He was no longer a prisoner.

Now he was a slave!

With a primordial scream he threw the table in the room against the wall, shattering it. The wounds were fresh as was his desire for revenge.

Running away was no longer enough!

He longed for wild justice, because revenge and justice often coincide!

For Narwain and Galdor ........... the Romans would have paid!



*



The next evening they all found themselves in Azrael's cell.

Sara had been freed from her duties before because of this she was there, while her friend was finishing assisting the mistress.

Wailing preceded Hanna's entry.

She was in tears!

Thranduil was quick to hold her in a reassuring embrace by making her sit on the bed.

She looked shocked, so she decided to have her filmed without forcing her to say what had happened.

But Sara was not of the same opinion "Did they hurt you?" She asked terrified.

Her friend denied. "Tullius! ......" "What did that snake still do?" Milo asked, distraught to hear that name again.

Wasn't stealing the final clash because of the hostility towards the boss? And now? "He killed ...... Titus .... and Melitta!" Sobbed Hanna.

Sara panted in shock.

"The wife of the master Oenomaus ?!" made a terrified Attic.

“I need wine!" Sara said grabbing the glass. "No! Stop!" Hanna shouted that she had suddenly turned pale as soon as she heard what her friend had said.

She leaped over the elf's legs and hit the glass Sara held in one hand, causing it to shatter on the ground.

“A glass isn't enough to make me lose control, you know? And it was also Melitta's last gift! She had shared with me some of the wine offered by the mistress ......” She explained her friend offended and disappointed by the waste of so much good wine and distraught to remember the last exchange of words she had with her friend, shortly before.

“That wine took Melitta and the master's life!" Hanna confessed making everyone present take a hit "It's poisoned!".

“This house gets worse by the day! I can only perceive its overwhelming walls!" Milo expressed himself looking at the walls of that cramped cell, shocked that his friend had risked so much.

The Romans were dangerous among them too!

They had to be eliminated!



*



In the arena of Capua the crowd rumbled and cheered with enthusiasm.

The magnificent construction was completed and they could finally say they envied the Circus Maximus of Rome!

"Have the eyes ever enjoyed such a view?" Batiatus turned to present himself.

“The laurel wreath of the Republic!" The magistrate said praising the new arena.

"His majesty is more evident, if admired by the grandstand!" Varo stressed. A noble rich and powerful man.

"It is a great honor to be guests of Tullius!" Lucretia said.

“Honor that I feared undeserved, but he cannot take away from his desires!" Her husband pretended to flatter him.

“Strange that he is late. All he does is talk about the inauguration of the arena and he does not arrive in time for the celebrations! " The magistrate thought regretfully.

He could not have known the bitter truth. Batiatus had been cunning in leaving no trace.

"Forgive me, Tullius regrets, but he cannot be present!" Vettius said, a young boy, owner of a school of gladiators, who thanks to Tullius had tried several times to take possession of Gannicus.

"What distracts him from such a show!" Asked the annoyed magistrate.

“Business in distant Antioch! His departure was ........ unexpected! " Vettius replied with an apologetic look.

"This arena wouldn't give rise without Tullius, it wouldn't be here if it weren't for him!" Lucretia said with false gratitude. That man had paid the price for his crimes. She had been really clever in making her husband believe that it was he who had poisoned his father's wine so that he sought revenge. Even Gaia had been avenged!

“We postpone the celebrations. Now I inform the crowd!” The magistrate said but was stopped by Vettius "No, Tullius has left instructions so that the ceremony will be held even without him! This arena is a gift for his beloved city. He wouldn't be happy if his early departure interfered! Now forgive me, but I too have decided to embark on the journey!" Vettius said surprising all those present.

"I will withdraw from the modest condition of lanista!" The boy added.

“What will become of your men? They will fight today!" Cossuzio asked curiously.

"I wouldn't want to see all your work wasted, even if short!" Batiatus said holding back the satisfaction “Solonius and I can make you an offer! Divide your gladiators!" He said as if a flash idea had caught him at the moment.

“Thank you, but I have already concluded a deal with Solonio! I gave him full ownership of my school! Now if you excuse me, I really have to go! Give Solonius all possible consideration for the future!" The boy said, anxious to disappear for saving his life.

"Fortune Solonius gives you, your stable has become the largest and most well-stocked in the city!" The magistrate said with admiration.

“May the gods continue to favor me!" Solonius answered bowing his head. Batiatus followed them down the stairs, confused by the unfolding of events.

According to their pacts, after removing Tullius from the middle, avenging his father and eliminating the one who wanted to take Gannicus away from him and exclude him from the games, the boy's gladiators would have been divided!

"Why didn't you respect our agreement?" Batiatus asked seeing that his friend threatened the young Vettius if he had said a word with someone about the fate of Tullius or if he had returned to the city.

Once the problem disappeared from sight he turned to his rival "It took years and a river of blood to understand who you really are!" Solonius admitted “You only look at your personal profit, ignoring all those who show you loyalty. I thank you for opening my eyes, otherwise I would never have had the courage to betray those who professed to be friends!” He said before returning to the stands.

Batiatus swallowed the bitter morsel before following it.

The executions of rebel slaves were announced.

"I know that girl on the far left! Is not one of your Batiatus slaves? I don't remember the name!" Cossuzio said looking at the lanista.

Hanna, Sara and Naevia jumped.

"Diona" They said in chorus, unable to veil the terror in their tones because of the surprise.

"I beg your pardon Batiatus! The girl was captured this morning. Do you prefer to punish her in person?" The magistrate asked as if they were talking about a badly trained animal.

Naevia looked at her master hopefully.

While Sara and Hanna lowered their heartbroken heads. They already knew the answer!

The master was ruthless, there was no room to linger in hope.

“No, go ahead. I wish to be a warning to those who want to betray me!" Batiatus said looking at his ex-friend with fury.

Hanna clenched her jaw. It was all their fault!

If they insisted she would now be within the walls of the school. Not a step away from death!

Who knows if the girl thought the same way ?!

She was terrified, you could read it in her face, but was she proud to die in the name of the freedom she had dreamed of so much !?

Not wanting to be a prostitute anymore, was it worth such a price?



*



“The sand was wet from our first offerings of blood! But this day requires much more! And you all will have it!" The crowd cheered at the introduction of the magistrate.

Despite himself, Azrael found himself admiring the new arena.

It was truly imposing and magnificent at the same time.

And finally he would have had more space to fight instead of finding himself an arm away from the spectators.

Barahir made them exhibit in a place almost identical to this.

“The house of Solonius and the house of Batiatus will face off in a fatal clash. No mercy will be shown, there will be no clemency. And the winners will face off against each other in the last challenge! It will be a wonderful sight, an event that even the Olympians have never seen!" They also denigrated their divinities! “Glory to Capua! Glory to the city of Rome!" The magistrate concluded.

Spectators burst into a roar full of joy and expectations!

Each of them was made to fight against the men of the master's rival.

For Azrael, trained to fight for many hours in a row, it was a walk to face only two opponents in a wide span of time.

"Azrael is always praised by the people of Capua!" The magistrate said he was enjoying the scene. The elf was walking in circles with respect to the corpses of his opponents, as if he were challenging them to get up!

“We shouldn't be surprised! The gods guide his steps. By paying homage to him they will favor us!" Varo said, observing the elf too carefully.

“I fear that the numbers will be adverse in the Batiatus grand finale! Solonus has twice as many men as you!" observed Varus.

“Numbers have no meaning! It is a lesson that good Solonius is about to learn!” Batiatus admitted with ostentatious arrogance.

The noble men present laughed, enthusiastic about that rivalry that allowed the adrenaline to increase more and more.

“You who have survived up to this point, can only feel powerfully overcome by the gods themselves!" The magistrate said starting the speech that would precede the grand finale.

"I had never participated in such a fight!" Milo admitted.

“Me neither. We have to keep our guard up and cover each other if we want to get out of it alive!" Said Atticus.

Azrael made a face. Convinced that talking could not change the outcome of the clash.

And also because it was his concern to appear as sociable as possible.

He took the red ribbon that was used to distinguish the master's gladiators and tied it to his right arm.

It reminded him a lot of the auspicious gift that the girls gave to the warriors before seeing them leave for the war.

By diverting attention from the past, he decided to focus on the present and followed the others into the arena.

They were well received, especially him. But only because it belonged to another race!

He was alarmed when he saw two slaves pass by them, spilling a liquid on the ground to form a large circle in which they found themselves.

What would they invent this time?

"The fire burns in their hearts, therefore the fire will surround them during the last fight!" Azrael stiffened.

Mindful of the wounds inflicted by the fire of the dragon years ago.

“If you fall on the sand beyond the flames you will be eliminated from this challenge! If you fall inside ........ you will be eliminated from this world!" Declared the magistrate.

The elf shook his head. Trying to recover. Years had passed, he could not tremble in front of a memory!

“Break through the sky with the sound of your fury! Begin!" The order kicked off and the two groups of gladiators who were facing each other left for the attack!

Atticus found himself fighting with two men at the same time, but having practiced with his father and friend, it seemed more like a workout than a challenge.

Milo found himself with his back dirty with earth when a slave twice the size of him nudged him on the helmet, causing him to be ruined on the ground.

Azrael passed them and with a simple twist of the wrist he slaughtered the one who had dared to humiliate his son even before starting. Two swords were better than one.

Batiatus' retiarius decided to light a beautiful bonfire by setting his net on fire and throwing it at an enemy.

The elf took advantage of it and added wood by throwing his opponent into it.

Gannicus mowed enemies one behind the other and took one of the three men who surrounded him from Atticus. The man, after a first moment of hesitation, gave him a grateful look, to focus immediately on the next fight.

Milo had recovered from that disastrous beginning.

He fought agile and fast, doing somersaults and turns. Moving continuously made it difficult for the enemy to understand the next move. He was shocked to see Dagan attacking Ashur, the other Syrian.

But weren't the two friends?

No, given that the little guy had forced the boy to go with a Roman nobleman with no good intentions, making him understand the opposite.

Not knowing the language was a big disadvantage on certain occasions!

Especially if the Roman wanted to torture you!

The boy rolled his eyes. He answered himself!

Hanna tried to remain as composed as possible while Sara was so caught up in the clash that she had started to punch the air saying short words of incitement in a low voice, such as "Spread it, watch your back, ward off, sink, dodge!".

Gannicus, with a well-aimed blow to the leg, made an enemy do a somersault by finishing it as soon as it touched the ground.

Another opponent managed to sink his sword into the chest of an ally but Atticus restored order by cutting his throat.

Crixus attacked with a force never seen, but too much security got the better of him and he found himself on the ground due to a well-placed kick in the chest by an atrocious gladiator.

He managed to dodge the next two shots by rolling first right and then left, before getting back on his feet, only to receive a shield in his face.

He used the momentum to do a somersault and getting up stabbed the opponent who did not expect such a quick reaction.

Azrael fell to the ground losing his grip on his weapons when two gladiators landed him in weight. While one attempted to suffocate him, the other held the sword to inflict a fatal blow.

But these two separate moves allowed the elf to literally throw away the one who had tried to strangle him with the help of his arms and legs and roll alongside avoiding the direct blow to his stomach.

He got down on his knees, panting in the air, but was quick to dodge the one who had tried to hurt him before snatching the weapon from his hands and making it his own, beheading him.

He turned in search of the second attacker and saw him lying on the ground. He had fallen next to a broken shield that had opened a deep wound on his leg.

He crawled on his back looking at him terrified as he tried to escape. Azrael approached him slowly.

It seemed that suddenly they were alone in the arena, even though all his senses were alert. He had never felt pity, even when he knew that his victims were perfectly aware that soon they would die. That gladiator was young but older ones were rare.

A reflection of light given by the fire pointed out that the opponent had pulled out a dagger, cleverly hidden in his light armor.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Azrael, threw the sword he held in his hand against the enemy who was pierced by the blade dying even before realizing what had happened.

“Too bad you have so few Solonius men left! But not even an army can do anything against the angel of death!" Batiatus said happily that his hopes had not been in vain.

Azrael would have made him win!

He was distracted when he saw Milo kill Dagan while the second was trying to eliminate Ashur. "Batiatus' men value their master so little that they kill each other!" Solonius scoffed "They are just badly trained animals!".

Atticus reached his brother in an original way: overwhelming him for not having parried a blow that had pushed him backwards.

"Don't get involved in clashes where you have nothing to do and focus on your opponents!" He took it back.

"Dagan insulted Azrael, I simply took an advantage when he lowered his guard to take revenge on his former friend!" The other was justified, satisfied with having helped to kill that stinking bison. That conversation distracted them a little because an opponent hit them with a long stick sending them over the line of fire, automatically eliminating them.

"Shit!" He cursed the boy. "Pay me this!" Growled Atticus for being humiliated.

"Now is it my fault?" Milo asked even more enthusiastic than his brother.

While those two were talking about cooked and raw, the clash inside the circle was raging.

Azrael had been disgusted to see Crixus seriously hurt Ashur just to get him out of the way between him and glory.

The fibula had broken and the poor man had burned his shoulder falling on the line of fire and then outside.

The adversaries, in theory belonged to Solonius’s sole, but he understood that he had to consider it equally dangerous.

Even if he doubted he would risk provoking him! He had always shown himself wise in this.

He understood that his goal was the last remaining opponent who was clashing with Gannicus.

The Gaul took a run and jumping over a corpse broke away from the ground, giving his stroke greater strength by exploiting that of gravity.

This did not in the least destabilize the opponent who was much taller than him, perhaps even slightly more than the elf.

Crixus and Gannicus started hitting the enemy together, but for him it seemed more of a training than a fight for life.

He managed to land Gannicus with a powerful punch and deprived Crixus of the shield by injuring him in the belly.

While preparing to give the coup de grace Gannicus returned to the attack, pushing Crixus out of the line of fire and risking hitting the elf.

Azrael fell to the ground finding himself a palm of the nose with respect to the flames and getting lost through them.

It was fortunate that apart from those two, no one was able to fight anymore. It was as if he were having the same experience as Hanna and Sara.

He, a boy who trains with the sword, his father who scolds him and his useless act of courage while charging the dragon on horseback.

"Azrael" That cry brought him back to reality and he got down on his knees, turning to see the enemy heading towards him.

Gannicus was on the ground. The elf jumped up, ready for confrontation. But with surprise he heard the cry of Gannicus reaching them.

The opponent was not at all intimidated to find two opponents to fight at the same time and turned his attention to the one who was loading him.

He grabbed his spear and sank it against Gannicus who intercepted the otherwise deadly blow, breaking the tip of the spear and using it to pierce the enemy in the mouth.

He broke the gladiator's jaw and killed him.

Azrael remained at a distance observing the scene while he, too, gave the coup de grace to a dying slave lying on the sand. The crowd exploded and praised the two winners.

Gannicus exulted with enthusiasm, who knows if for being alive or for simple pride.

Azrael just could not answer.

"Yes! Batiatus' house triumphs and wins over everything and everyone!" Batiatus shouted, standing happier than ever "Ah! Ask forgiveness!" He said to the magistrate.

In the meantime, his wife also fully expressed her joy by repeating "Gannicus is the champion!". "Don't worry, a truly exceptional show!" The magistrate congratulated him.

"My school honors this city and my champions will keep his name high!" Batiatus said full of his usual pride.

"When I organize my games I absolutely want to have them!" Cossuzio said, already enjoying that moment. "

“The same goes for me! Feel how they manage to inflame the crowd!” Var9 supported him.

"Don't you think the crowd would remember this day better and who made it so glorious if Azrael was freed?" Solonius asked the magistrate.

“Impossible! Upon him stands our well loved city!" Batiatus said in shock.

"Batiatus is right! That elf is led by the gods. It would be an unforgivable offense if we decided to ignore them, sending him away!" Varo gave him strength.

"Then Gannicus!" Solonius insisted.

“But what are you talking about?" Batiato asked, outraged by what his friend, offended by his victory, wanted to do to him.

"I myself would have given it to mine if he had survived!" Solonius admitted with false modesty. "You will be able to train other gladiators, showing that your school is the best in the city and that there is something wrong with concluding the opening ceremony with such a blessing?!" Asked the convinced magistrate.

"After all, my house exists to honor this city!" Batiatus said, masking his anger as best he could. The magistrate got to his feet trying to convince the crowd to calm down so that he could announce their decisions.

“Gannicus has shown his courage in front of the city of Capua! Let him be rewarded: let him be freed!" he said.

Azrael was appalled by such news.

It had been years since he had witnessed such an episode. And Quintus did not seem to him the person who could make that kind of concession.

The idea was not his!

Gannicus appeared more surprised than the elf.

The young man turned in his direction and approached him.

“It was an honor to fight alongside you! Even if you tried to kill me!" The man said holding out his right hand with a cordial smile.

After years of living among humans, Azrael knew well what this gesture meant.

Mortals used it to greet each other, gladiators saw it as a gesture of complicity or to congratulate. He stood staring at the boy's hand and then decided to recognize his skills.

He was a skilled warrior and deserved respect for this.

He grabbed her and gave him a small smile.

The other watched him for a long time, was taking advantage of their closeness, but Azrael was now accustomed to disrespectful human curiosity.

"Know that I will not forget you, you are a unique person and I believe that the girls understood it...." an embarrassed smile emerged on Gannicus' face "And you did not understand a single word of what I said........” he realized, then laughing openly.



*



That same evening Hanna decided she had waited long enough.

“Why did you freak out? I'm talking about when you almost risked being killed!" Hanna asked.

“Do you want to talk about it now?" Azrael asked back.

"Yes!" She replied insistently.

“I don't care about your wishes! I won't share anything with you!" she said, starting to eat again. “Except for the bed? Why didn't you back off on that!" She provoked him.

Sara choked with a sip of water becoming burgundy.

But in the end ..... what was modesty!?

"Neither you!" He deflected the blow.

Here it is again with the third uncomfortable!

Sara moved from the central position or better defined "spare wheel" or "candle holder", since she was between the two quarrels and to avoid being crushed under the gazes of fire and the glances that the two launched.

“Love makes the world go round except in my case!" The girl thought "In their case it's hate!"she corrected himself.

“You want to hear me say that? Okay, sorry! I apologize for doing such a thing! Can you forgive me?" Asked Hanna disheartened.

“But what are you talking about?" He asked confused.

"When I gave you orders and you obeyed without saying a word ......." she began to explain, only to be interrupted "I did it for your safety!" The elf admitted.

“And you proved that I was wrong! You really care about us if you decide to be humiliated in this way!" watched Hanna determined to remind the two of her presence.

“Keep me out thanks!" Sara's voice made her feel shy.

“They tortured me for years! What can they do that hasn't already been done to me?” The elf asked too calmly. They weren't talking about hobbies!

"Before now you never prostrated yourself at the feet of your master though!" Hanna pointed out, surprised that Azrael had not invented a foolish and stupid excuse to justify the level of submission achieved.

"Better for someone than for survival!" He stressed.

"So in the end you are a wise king!" Hanna flattered him by fully believing in what she had just said.

“It's the first time in decades that anyone remembers my title!" Thranduil said laughing.

“Do you want pen and paper? No, so we hang a giant billboard in the arena! We will do before you in revealing his identity!" Sara complained.

"But I didn't call him by name and we are locked in a cell! And don't interrupt me, this is a serious matter!" The friend justified herself "Where were we? Right ..... so it doesn't bother you?" The speech continued.

"Do you think the motivations behind what I do can take away the sense of humiliation I feel?" Azrael asked offended "It is better if I know that you will be safe!" He explained "This does not mean that I will soon balance the scores!" He said with a meditative and satisfied smile.

“You really are a true sovereign! Put others before your desires and your pride!" This time it was Sara who complimented her.

“A King does not bow to anyone! Maybe someday I'll be back, but now I'm just a slave!" The elf clarified the situation.

A sovereign is such in the eyes of his people and of all those who respect him.

For the Romans he was only a life with a precise value.

“A rebel slave!" Sara said amused. Even as a slave he was not just anyone!

"Because?" Hanna asked taking up the crux of the matter.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Azrael asked cautiously.

"No! But tell me, please! If we want it to work we must be sincere!" Hanna said stopping, for a few minutes, to be petulant and competitive.

“It's darkness!" The elf replied.

"But ..... you weren't locked in your cell!" He observed the girl.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're pretending or you're really stupid!" He teased her.

"Other times I wonder how he manages to keep me from sending you ...." "Language!" Hanna was interrupted by the life-long nuisance.

“My mother has risen! Don't try to change the subject and explain!" Hanna made both a sarcastic comment and resumed her partner.

"Are you by chance still connected to your forest?" Sara asked full of curiosities.

“Despite the magic I've used over the centuries to protect it, it's powerful, no. I haven't been able to perceive anything for a long time!" Thranduil declared.

“Don't distract him!" Hanna protested, tired that they kept going around the point, never getting there!

“He talks about darkness and the first thing I think is the elf kingdom! What can I do about it?" Sara managed to justify the previous question.

"You can shut up!" The other admonished her.

“Yes, but looking at you badly!" Sara said deciding not to add anything else.

"For a moment ....... I wanted to kill them all!" Azrael confessed.

His eyes lost in front of the images of a few days before, as if he were reliving everything while he was telling.

"Then it's called revenge!" Sara corrected him.

"Shut up!" Hanna couldn't stand those misplaced comments!

“It seemed so right!.......what humans did to me.....” “He left deep marks!" She ended his sentence. “Now I understand! It is no coincidence that you have appeared in this world! The Valar sent you!" Thranduil said expressing the theories that, in those years, had multiplied in front of that inexplicable fact.

“What are you talking about?" Sara asked, puzzled by such a statement.

“I would have given in the dark for some time had it not been for you ..... for this I thank you!" The elf said bending the sides of his mouth in a grateful smile.

"Please, but how the hell would we do it?" Hanna asked more of herself than others.

"Maybe we really have magical powers!" Sara said elated.

“In summary, Legolas saved you first and now we! We must be honored! We should ......” Hanna said reasoning out loud.

“I still can't understand the fact that you know a lot about my world while I know about your little and nothing!" He managed to say the elf realizing that she also knew such personal details.

He had always forced himself not to ask what and how they knew a lot of details about Arda for the good of all, but now he was struggling to hold back the questions that did nothing but increase.

But knowing the future or too many things would have irrevocably influenced and changed the future!

It was too high a risk!

Even if the Romans had already done their part!

If he had stayed in the kingdom, things would have gone differently, and Legolas would not have found himself so many responsibilities all at once!

“It would be too complicated to explain everything to you! Can you imagine a world with only humans?” Hanna asked who censored the mention of their past life whenever there was a risk of talking about it.

"We are in it. Those of your race have proved greedy and unreliable!" The elf replied with spite. "Well ..... some of us are too!" She found herself admitting Sara “So is it the fault of the Valar if we are here? Is it not that they have given us powers and we have not yet discovered them?” She asked, looking at his hands as if they weren't his.

"No, you don't have them! What you have is a strong spirit!" Thranduil said.

“You have endured 150 years .... maybe more ..... atrocious torture!" She highlighted Sara not sure that it was wise to keep reminding her.

“I deluded myself that my surviving men had managed to escape. I lulled myself into an illusion!" Thranduil admitted with despair caused by memory alone.

"Thanks to you I'm not faded!" He declared trying not to let his whirlwind of emotions shine through his eyes.

How could he surrender without even trying to help all the other inhabitants of his kingdom?

How could he admit it so easily?

If love gave him strength, it was his job to accept what had happened without letting himself down. Without forgetting who he really was.

"You are welcome!" Sara replied full of enthusiasm. She felt proud of what she had unknowingly done.

"He's not thanking us, he's just explaining how things went!" Shooting Hanna made nervous that Thranduil's eyes had reached a depth he had never seen.

They had to leave, and soon!

And it was his job to get him out of the past! As she had done with his! As a sovereign, it made him suffer to have lost some of his subjects, breaking the promise he had made in declaring that he would always protect them.

And what he had experienced in the last 150 years didn't help him at all, but she wanted to know the true sovereign! Not his pale shadow!

“For once it's nice you can't keep quiet!" Sara filmed her.

"How do I pray?" Thranduil asked annoyed by that comment.

If they believed that the Romans had managed to change it, they were very wrong! And even if they were his friends he could not remain silent while they disrespected him.

“I meant with her! You two look like dogs and cats every time you speak!" Sara commented for the first time, not at all intimidated by her fiery gaze.

“Didn't say thank you! He just made a statement!" Hanna insisted.

“And I find it hard to believe that two mortals saved me!" Azrael decided to answer her in tone. "What?" Hanna asked happily that she finally remembered having to tell him that tiny detail. "Didn't you tell her?" Sara asked terrified.

"What?" Hanna asked trying to play the best part of the innocent girl.

But why was it his job to report such hot news?

"You know it well!" Sara said to her friend who pretended to be as lost as the elf!

She couldn't stand it when she did this!

"What?" Azrael asked, not understanding what they meant.

“The record broke!" Sara teased him.

"How?" Hanna asked even though she understood very well what the other meant.

"Who?" Thranduil asked not knowing what this "record" was to which Sara referred.

“They haven't invented it yet!" She explained.

“But we will be alive when they do!" She watched Hanna happily.

At least one good thing would have happened for sure!

"In many years, centuries, I meant!" Sara admitted knowing that she could never wait so long.

"Reminder for me, to return to our world only to find a way to take my favorite playlist with me!"He thought, becoming sad that some words of his favorite songs had already been forgotten!

“What are you talking about?" Thranduil asked more confused than ever.

Their world was unknown to them in many respects!

“How much older are you?" Hanna asked ignoring him.

“Hanna!" He filmed him, starting to feel anger rising.

"Ancient!" Sara corrected her, as always.

“And start the lesson again!" Her friend complained.

“But don't make all these stories! It is as if I were talking about a temple or a monument! Use the adjective......” “Old, dirty, worn out .....” talking to Hanna was tantamount to banging your head repeatedly against a reinforced concrete wall!

"You are describing yourself as you are now an immortal creature too!" It exploded in front of her sister's stubbornness.

“Creature! Living being! Not an inanimate object!” The other specified.

They both frowned, realizing that they had revealed that "tiny detail" without the slightest touch! Sara held a laugh in front of Thranduil's expression while Hanna wondered "Can an elf go into a state of shock?""Why on earth would they have done it?" He asked in a whisper "Yes!"Hanna replied.

“They said that with us you would protect others too! Perhaps they too were convinced that our meeting was the work of the valar even though we did not know our history!" She replied in place of Sara who had darkened at the memory of the two friends.

Thranduil clenched his fists feeling outraged.

How could they have done such a thing without consulting it, indeed without informing it!

Even if, in retrospect, they could not have seen that he had been locked up in his cell ..... But he still couldn't help being angry!

He sighed heavily trying to calm himself.

They had acted on their own, but still believed in him.

He couldn't, he shouldn't disappoint them.

"What is the middle-ground like?" Hanna asked willingly to change the subject.

"Middle-heart!" corrected Sara.

"Simply wonderful!" Thranduil replied.

Notes:

I apologize if I started writing a book!
But there were too many fundamental things to say!
I'll try to be shorter in the next chapter, I promise!
The chain did not awaken the thought of Thranduil's escape, that has always been there, but made him understand that he has had enough!
Soon, with caution or not, they will savor freedom!
A deep friendship bond is also being created with Sara.
What do you think?
I am sure that Thranduil would never have knelt down to be branded as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
So, as with everything that concerns him, I wanted to make the scene very original! Now Quintus Lentulus Batiatus is the only owner of the school!
Is it good?
The final clash in the arena was complicated to write, did something decent come out? And to conclude I inform you that I had too much fun writing the last dialogue between the three!
Now Spartacus will arrive and the situation will become incandescent, even more than the red-hot iron that dared to carve a deep wound in Thranduil's flesh and pride!
See you soon,
X-98


Chapter 9 - The mouth of the fool is his challenge

Is it a characteristic of immortal life to perceive the passage of time less not realizing how it can slip away from our hands without being fully aware of it?

Although the desire to escape had been more vivid than ever Hanna and Sara understood that they could not stop lowering their heads anytime soon.

It was evening and they could finally rest after another tiring day, unaware that the answer to all their problems had arrived in the gym.

Laughter welcomed the dirty and battered new recruit. An injured and destroyed man stumbled on the steps at the entrance to the bathrooms, looking up he saw the gladiators peering at him with fun.

Some were naked, others, like him, wore a towel on the waist that gave a minimum of privacy.

"Don't tell me the Thracian dog is still alive!" A man with a sculpted physique and a presumptuous look welcomed him.

"Would it be him, the Spartacus that everyone talks about?" Another said that he was sitting comfortably on a wooden bench.

"Spartacus, but my name is not ...." the newcomer was unable to finish speaking that the first man interrupted him "Nobody cares who you were thracian!" Mocking.

"If that's why we don't even care who he is now!" The other joined him.

"Where are we?" Spartacus asked in an attempt to appease that bad humor.

"You are the guest of honor of Batiatus, owner of the largest gym in the city of Capua!" The first answered with pride. The other men present shouted the name of the city "Capua!" with joy and pride.

"Gym?" He asked confused. After escaping his execution for deserting the battlefield, where did he end up? "A school for gladiators, where men turn into gods!" The one who had welcomed him so warmly explained.

"Gladiators ...." Spartacus whispered that word with extreme contempt.

"The truest brotherhood!" The energetic continued. "Yeeah!" The others cheered.

“If you survive, in a few days you and the other recruits can join us gladiators and boast our brand!" The second was revealed.

"In the meantime, can we offer you something?" The first asked with sudden kindness.

"Water thank you!" Spartacus replied that he felt his throat dry.

"It is slow even in thought!" The usual arrogant man mocked him.

“What did you expect from a Thracian? They smell like rotten fish!” The second said, looking away with a disgusted expression.

"They're all like that, apart from the bitches ...... those stink of piss and dung!" This was too much and Spartacus faced him deciding to give him a name "And who would you be?" He asked angrily.

"I am the champion of Capua, the most heroic of my race: Crixus, the invincible gaul!" He replied with obvious haughtiness.

"A gaul, now I understand, why you stink like a female!" Spartacus provoked him. The silence became deafening and the tension palpable. Everyone waited for the sample's reaction with curiosity and trepidation.

He seemed to reflect carefully on the answer, before laughing "Now think about healing your wounds, then we will resume this speech!" He said finally.

Spartacus sighed nervously realizing that he had just found a hot head against which he would inevitably go to clash again.

The feeling of being observed made him turn around and was amazed to notice the presence of someone he should have noticed even before the gaul.

He was a tall and imposing man, blond hair framing his face and falling neatly on his shoulders.

They were long, a rare feature for a slave of the Romans, this because they had been cut to him even if they had originally been significantly shorter.

Observing him carefully he saw that, like everyone else, he was in perfect physical shape and he also wore a towel at the waist.

But the thing that struck him most were the ears ...... pointed that protruded from under that cascade of sea bream. His icy blue eyes peered at him making him suddenly feel very vulnerable, an unwelcome sensation that made him look back with ferocity.

A push broke that contact. Crixus approached his ear and warned him "You are crazier than I thought if you dare to look like that at the angel of death!".

Spartacus' only thought was "Who?".



*



"Drought and sultry are calamities! Nobody will help us, nobody will quench our thirst! I warm up, it's because of the heat ....” “If you keep singing your throat will dry out!” Sara said, interrupting that chant that had been going on for at least half an hour.

The girls were busy putting the closet back in place, dropping more things than they put it away!

“I'm just looking forward to seeing the new recruits! For a while the owner didn't buy them ......” Hanna was interrupted again “And he’s right! It is only thanks to Azrael that we are staying afloat, economically speaking!" Her friend pointed out.

“Hanna, Sara, the owner will start the conversation in moments!" called them Naevia.

Since Diona's death they had bonded much more with their new friend.

"Wish fulfilled!" Sara said first follow her friend full of enthusiasm.

They stopped the race as soon as they reached the balcony and saw six recruits lined up in the square below them.

As if he were reciting a script, the master repeated the same speech made when they had come to that house. Utter, did not lose a conjunction or changed a word. Boring!

Oenomaus walked slowly in front of the recruits, but despite the distance his voice came clear and powerful.

“A gladiator is not afraid of death. He welcomes her, embraces her ... fuck her!” The laughter of a slave made him direct to it "Every time he enters the arena he puts his tool in the jaws of the beast and begs to finish, before he locks his jaws!" He said hitting him where the sun didn't beat and forcing him to stiffen. "None of you would survive in the arena, except one of you!" The Doctore continued to speak, stopping in front of a slave who carried the signs of a hard fight.

“This poor and battered thracian faced four. He defied death, fate and the gods themselves!” He said flattering him.

"Observe it and remember that ..... it is a nullity! He fought against the men incapable of Solonius, rival of the master!" Mistaken! He was taking the hit before hitting.

"If he had challenged one of my gladiators to the arena, the head would lie very far from the body!" Batiatus said boasting the best preparation of the entire Republic.

The man in question began to observe the gladiators before him as if he did not believe these words.

"The thracian is doubtful! Do you want to give us a demonstration?" Oenomaus said not happy with the slave's behavior.

"Crixus!" He called. He took a wooden sword and threw it at the foot of the Thracian.

"Show us that we are wrong!" He ordered them. “Take that sword!" He insisted as soon as he saw that the man remained motionless. "Spartacus!" He shouted outraged by such insolence.

Atticus was surprised when he heard his father stand beside him.

He was in chains but had never shown interest in the master's and Doctore's speeches, always remaining in the shade, separated from all the others.

Oenomaus snapped the whip as a warning before directing it to the thracian when he realized that it was not enough. He stopped her by raising one arm and letting it twist around his wrist.

"My name is not Spartacus!" He said with a defiant look. The Doctore pulled hard making him end up lying on the ground.

"Your name and your life, we will decide now!" Oenomaus informed him. The thracian rose again and as if nothing had happened, he resumed his position among the ranks of the recruits.

Azrael smiled. The slave may have appeared calm and disinterested, but he sensed well the fury that also resided in his gaze as well as in his spirit.

“Maybe the thracian needs an advantage to appease the tremor of his knees! Sword!" The Doctore said and then stuck the sword in the ground in front of the man.

When he remained motionless not willing to listen, he turned to the master "I don't need someone like this, send it to the mines!" he said.

Spartacus took that advantage. He grabbed the sword and then made a somersault that would bring him behind the master, but Crixus was quick to intercept him sending him back to the ground, with a powerful knee in the face.

The gaul wasted no time and attacked him causing him to back away. The slave attempted to injure the opponent, only to lose orientation and parry a blow, ending up on the ground again.

"An attack needs good ground support, he tried to hit the lunge before finding balance!" Said the Doctore. The swords clashed with each other again, but Crixus took advantage of the exchange to hit Spartacus on the back with his wooden weapon.

The unfortunate fell to the ground emitting a cry of pain. He got up almost immediately, unwilling to give up. This time it was he who attacked, but Crixus managed to make him raise his sword to hit him on one leg and when he ended up on his knees he hit him on the back again, making him end up face on the sand. "Turn your back on your opponent and you're done for!" Said the Doctore.

Spartacus got up, attempting a new attack, but the gaul grabbed his wrists with both hands forcing him to stay with his arms outstretched. After a few seconds he gave in and the other dealt a punch in the stomach. "Look for a melee with a stronger one and you .... you're done!" The Doctore said again.

Spartacus opted for another attack strategy and brought the sword backwards, holding it firmly while aiming.

He threw the weapon with all the strength he possessed towards Crixus who turned his back on him.

A millisecond before the weapon hit the target, the gaul spun around to deflect it.

But by flying and rotating on itself, the blade hit a recruit in the throat and killed it instantly.

"Throw the sword in the arena and once again you're done!" Crixus took advantage of Spartacus's surprise for what he had unknowingly done and I will land him by blocking one arm with one foot, the other with his free hand and pressing the wooden sword on his throat.

“Your madness cost a life. While yours can still be saved! " Oenomaus said reaching him.

“Two fingers raised in surrender. Ask the organizer of the games for clemency” he ordered, observing the slave's reaction.

Spartacus seemed completely disinterested in the meaning of his words and struggled to free himself.

"Ask him to have cowardly pity!" the Doctore insisted.

The arm under the gaul's foot stretched and the hand was clenched into a fist.

Spartacus wouldn't give in!

"Kill him!" He said to the champion but a voice interrupted them "Crixus!" Said the master.

Both men looked at him in amazement "It's just a workout!" He pointed out before retiring.

Azrael looked at the trace with his eyes reduced to two slits. He only saw a pale shadow of the man he had been. But like a still burning ember, it would have been enough to blow on it for the fire to blaze!



*



Sara entered the gym happy as an Easter.

The master had ordered her to stay with the gladiators all day.

The reason was unknown to her but she didn't care much since it would finally satisfy her curiosity.

She always went to chain the elf, but then she was forced to return to the Villa.

The euphoria was such that he went up against a gladiator. He was one of the new ones, one of the few to be friendly.

"What a welcome surprise!" The man said smiling at her "I'm really a villain, my name is Varro!" He showed up. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, my name is Sara!" She replied returning the smile.

Varro looked at her in amazement and the girl sighed. She and Hanna were almost as famous as the elf ...

"I am sorry I have to go!" she said before heading for Atticus and Milo.

"Looks like you've seen a ghost!" Spartacus said in amazement that his friend looked fearfully at a small and fragile girl.

“You don't know who is true?" Varro asked, not liking the irony.

"I'll find out soon!" Spartacus replied "You are out of your mind!" His friend took it up again when he realized what he was going to do.

"Now I am convinced that you do it on purpose!" Milo greeted Sara laughing "Did he treat you well?" Churches wary Atticus.

"Yes dad!" She sarcastically replied before taking the chain to fulfill the only really important task.

"Quoi de neuf?"(What's going on?) Asked Azrael who was comfortably seated on a wooden bench.

"Qu'est-ce que tu racontes?"(What are you talking about?) She asked back as she finished closing the lock.

"Je ressens ta joie, tu n'as jamais été aussi excité à l'idée de putre la chaîne sur moi!"(I sense your joy, you've never been so excited about putting the chain on me!) He pointed out.

“Peut-être qu'il a découvert que c'est un véritable honneur de s'incliner devant l'ange de la mort!"(Perhaps he discovered that it is a real honor to bow before the angel of death!) Joked Atticus.

"Ou peut-être qu'elle n'a pas rencontré ce type par erreur!"(Or maybe she didn't hit that guy just by accident!) Guessed Milo.

The girl rose to her feet furiously. "Comment osez-vous insinuer ....."(How dare you insinuate ....) Sara was interrupted by feeling a hand grasp her arm, but immediately afterwards she heard a grunt followed by the noise of the chain.

He turned his head to see Spartacus looking at Azrael defiantly.

It would have been an unforgettable day in many ways!

"Don't you dare touch her!" Atticus said, standing next to the girl.

"Who are you?" The trace asked Sara "What kind of idiotic question is this?" She protested "I am who I was and who I will be forever!" she said firmly.

Okay, maybe it wasn't Hanna's influence, maybe she was really a rude, cheeky and petulant kid! Atticus and Milo laughed shamelessly even bending over too much laughter and Sara couldn't help joining them in seeing the expression of the trace, absolutely unique!

Azrael was smug too, but just hinted at a smile, masking the fun because in reality, he shouldn't have understood a single word.

"Spartacus!" The Doctore's voice interrupted that perfect moment of pure joy.

The Doctore stood between the elf and the trace, with his back to the blond boy.

“Do you dream of mines? Try to get close to the elf again and you will be satisfied!” He said before dragging him away.

"Hear, hear, today I will keep you company all day!" Sara informed them before they went to train "Why?" Milo asked both happy and surprised "This is a good question!" She replied.

Azrael glanced worriedly on the balcony looking for Hanna, where was she? Why weren't the girls together? Batiatus had never kept them apart for so long!

"Elf?" Spartacus asked while training with Varro. "You don't really know anything?" He asked in return astonished "That is Azrael, the angel of death! An immortal elf, with magical powers and a supernatural beauty that lives by feeding on the souls of its victims!" Said his friend.

"I do not believe you!" Spartacus admitted. "Do as you wish! It's a legend! His previous masters attempted to kill him without ever succeeding. In the arena he exterminates all his opponents ....” Varro continued to tell “He also killed two warriors belonging to his race just to feed himself!".

"We humans also kill our fellow men!" Spartacus pointed out.

"They were not scarce fighters, but skilled, hardened by a thousand battles ..... and they are said to be his children!" Varro unveiled.

Spartacus looked at him uncertainly, weighing his words "Is it the truth?" He asked eventually.

"Who knows, in the world of gladiators fame and glory count for much more than truth!" His friend answered him sincerely.

"Fame and glory, I don't care!" He made things clear.

"Seek wealth, like me!" tried again Varro only to see Spartacus running towards the master who was preparing to leave.

"A master word!" Said the trace. "Get away!" Fifth answered looking at the other gladiators.

“Do you have news of my bride?" Spartacus asked hopefully.

“It was sold to a Syrian, but for now I don't know anything else. Research continues! You see to fight and win ...... his freedom will require the disbursement of a significant amount of money from you!" Said the master before leaving the gate.



*



That afternoon could be called unusual, if compared to the previous ones. Hanna had been able to use the master bath and had never felt so clean and elegant.

The owner welcomed her out of the bathroom with a beaming smile to show her to follow her.

They entered a richly decorated room full of people.

"In honor of our revered guest, here is the woman blessed by the gods, a creature of rare beauty, the magnificent Hanna, completely at your disposal!" The master introduced her to the two guests present.

The girl remained impassive staring at a point in front of her.

What did Quintus mean?

Hanna hated being treated like an object. Plus Sara was missing, so there was no one to cheer her up.

The noble Varo and Cossuzio had requested his presence. Just at lunchtime.

That is, what for her would have been the moment of pause in which to eat, let alone if the noble men remained dry-mouthed.

They had been watching her for a while, under the watchful eye of the owner.

“You really are a great Batiatus lanista! You can coax a man to convince him to buy!" Varus flattered him as he studied the girl in front of him.

“You can always find interesting people!" Cossuzio said to Varus before getting up and approaching the girl. "It is truly blessed by the gods!" He said turning around "A pity that so much beauty is wasted to satisfy a wild beast!" He watched.

“Azrael is led by the gods. You don't have to be blasphemous, they could take offense!” Quintus said that he wasted no time in reminding everyone that detail that had always given his pet a lot of notoriety.

"I want to enjoy the pleasures this house has to offer again!" Varo decided to stand up suddenly full of expectations.

"As you wish! Follow me, so you can choose carefully! " Quintus replied, leading him to another room. "Cossuzio would you like to assist too?" Lucretia asked when she saw that the respectable man had remained to observe his slave.

"I'll be there in a moment!" He replied, not diverting attention from his prey.

The mistress seemed undecided whether to stay or follow her husband.

It was Cossutius who made things easier for her.

“Go ahead, I have to confide in the gods! So that they can absolve all my sins!” Without looking at Lucretia, she answered.

She decided to obey, not wanting to offend a man of higher rank.

The man stared at her for a time that seemed very long.

"But didn't he have to confide?"Hanna thought tired of that stalemate.

“I've heard a lot about you! But never before have I been able to enjoy your presence!" Cossuzio began to say "Will you forgive me if I have been waiting so long?" He asked with mock displeasure.

"I shouldn't have come to this house ......" He continued.

Hanna did not listen to him, more interested in comparing him to that pig of his uncle who had made his childhood hell by treating her more like a cleaning lady than as a grandson.

For this reason, as soon as she could, she had found a job that would allow her to rent a small apartment as far away from their home as possible.

".... and I cannot offend the gods by refusing a fresh gift ready to be tasted!" This particular sentence brought her back to the present, but not quickly enough for her to react in time.

The man who stood in front of her grabbed her by the waist making her lie down on a table.

The plates and cutlery that they accidentally moved fell to the ground with a great din and if that worm had not been on her, blocking her shoulders with her hands and legs with her pelvis, she would have run immediately.

Had they all suddenly gone deaf? Why didn't anyone come?

Hanna squirmed with all her might, taking care not to hit the nobleman.

Despite Azrael's protection, he knew that such an action would have consequences from which not even Thranduil could have saved him!

“Stop!" Cossuzio ordered but she did not listen to him, starting to make annoying verses before he closed her mouth.

“You should be used to it! Isn't Azrael like that?" He asked with a smile that didn't promise anything good. “Rough and brutal! Because in our world the sublime and the obscene .....” he said, removing the shoulder straps of his robe “..... they live together!".

Hanna had clasped both arms to her chest. Stubborn not to allow him to see beyond his shoulders.

"There is no one without the other! They are two sides of the same coin!” He continued.

“You can't have one without the threat of the other!" He said as he tried to move his arms.

“And words cannot fully express this contrast! You need to experience it!" This time the man's strength was excessive and he managed to lower her dress over her waist. Hanna screamed.

“What happens?" The master's voice made them both turn. This gave her a minimal advantage, but his jolt allowed her to wriggle, escape his grasp and run as fast as I can away from him.

The first person that came to mind was Thranduil.

She ran at breakneck speed to the stairs leading to the gym, but his legs were too soft and gave way just two steps.

She slipped on his ass for almost half a ramp before he managed to stand up and start running again.

She heard her name being shouted in the distance but ignored whoever was calling her.

Luckily a guard came out at that moment from the security gate, located at the base of the stairs, to prevent gladiators from entering the house without the permission of the master.

She passed both the guard and the gate and found himself in the porch adjacent to the clearing where everyone was training.

The tears and the fact that he was trembling like a leaf in the wind blurred his vision, but it was not difficult to distinguish the golden hair of the elf in the midst of all that confusion.

Oenomaus went immediately to meet her.

“What do you do here?" He asked worried, but she ignored him running to the only one who could protect her. Azrael was about to parry a thrust from Atticus when he saw him stop in the middle of the attack and stare at him in bewilderment.

He didn't even have time to turn around when someone put his arms around his torso. The elf stopped.

He was about to give that impertinent a lesson when sobs forced him to look down.

Dark brown hair and extremely small hands: it was Hanna!

All the other gladiators also stopped abruptly as soon as they realized that unusual scene.

The elf only pulled the girl away from him because she was hugging him from behind, not allowing him to see her in the face.

He knelt in front of her, who was crying looking at the ground and with one hand raised her chin.

As soon as their eyes met she wrapped him in a new embrace starting to sob louder.

Azrael decided not to chase her away despite everyone's eyes on them.

He picked her up and carried her to the shade, sitting with her on the bench where an incredulous Sara was standing.

“Work out!" The Doctore’s order came stern and authoritarian and nobody contested it.

Oenomaus approached the three "What happened?" He asked, shocked to see that girl who had always shown herself stubborn and full of spirit, reduced to that state.

"Y-you l-lied to me!" Hanna said between sobs. Sara translated, her friend was in a state that had even forgotten their secret.

"Y-you said-that you would protect me!" She accused him.

Only then did Azrael notice the torn dress Hanna held up with one arm.

“Milo, Atticus!" called the Doctore realizing that the situation was becoming dangerous.

The two responded promptly and in less than a second they were at Oenomaus' side.

“Take him to the cell and stay there! Now!" He ordered impatiently.

Atticus and Milo obeyed and it was not difficult to convince the elf to go.

Azrael made his way to a more secluded spot with a flat calm facade.

Was this supposed to happen to get him to move?

The time had come to break the chains!



*



Evening had come and yet time seemed to stand still in Azrael's cell.

Hanna had been holding on to the elf all the time until she fell asleep deeply.

He had had nightmares, but Thranduil had always been ready to calm her.

At the moment she and Azrael were lying on the bed, while Atticus, Milo and Sara were sitting on a large blanket on the ground.

Sara played with dinner, taking the soup with a spoon and dropping it back into the bowl several times. Nobody had touched food.

Finally Hanna woke up looking around in confusion, but it lasted only a moment, before turning around and checking that the elf was the one she was lying against.

"I stopped your training!" she said guiltyly since he hadn't thought of anything better to say.

“What happened?" Azrael asked, trying not to be too brusque because of the anger that had awakened with her. The girl looked at the others and saw their curious but patient looks. She sighed.

"They tried!" she said with a whisper before starting to cry.

It didn't take a genius to understand what he was referring to.

“How is it possible? The master promised security in exchange for obedience!" Astonished Atticus asked "Maybe the fight he blew up ...." "It happened too long ago!" Milo contradicted Sara, not understanding why the master had done such a thing well knowing the risks.

“You were right brother! The promises of the Romans are all lies!” Atticus admitted angrily.

How could he have been so blind?

"I don't think the owner wanted it ...... but they left me alone with him ...... and he attacked me!" Hanna began to tell “I-I couldn't defend myself! Hitting him would have had dire consequences! I-I couldn't do anything!" She confessed trembling at the mere memory of those moments.

“It doesn't matter if he wanted it or not! He lied to us!" Milo shouted furiously.

"Tell me the name of the pig so as soon as we run away I kick it in the ass!" Sara said standing up and kicking the air "And I break his arms so he won't be able to use them to hurt anymore!" He said mimicking the gesture.

“Leave an arm to me, please!" Milo begged her "And to me the legs!" Atticus added.

"Yes, but before we fantasize about a succulent revenge we have to decide on an action plan!" Sara said sitting on the edge of the bed in front of Hanna.

"It is imperative to keep you safe!" Azrael underlined in a tone that didn't mean anything good.

"Stay here!" he sentences.

“I will ask for an audience with the master! It shouldn't be difficult to convince him!" Atticus reasoned before turning to the sound of the lock that unlocked.

Oenomaus appeared before them "Hanna, it's nice to see you again in strength!" The Doctore said happily. Sara got up to allow him to see her, going to Atticus' side.

“The owner is sorry for what happened. He is sorry and would like to offer you an apology ....” a grunt made everyone turn towards Azrael who had held the girl in his arms and like a predator observes the prey, looked at the Master.

“Ne respirez pas la bouche uselessly mortelle! Elle ne reviendra jamais sur ces murs froids! Le maître ne m'enchantera plus de sa langue menteuse!”(Don't breathe unnecessarily deadly mouth! She won't come back to those cold walls again! The master will no longer enchant me with his lying tongue!) Said the elf in a low, icy voice.

"I urgently need to speak with the master!" Atticus stepped in as soon as his father stopped making everyone tremble with the sound of his voice.

The Doctore seemed lost but not surprised by Azrael's change of attitude "I'm sorry, but other issues require your attention!" He replied without stopping to stare at the elf, wary.

"It's important! Have you not forgotten who he is?” Milo asked standing up and pointing to Azrael.

“It is you who forget your role. He is the master and you are the slaves!" Oenomaus replied in a glacial way. Atticus approached the Doctore, facing him “Then go to him and make him reason. Because our words will not be able to hold him for much longer!" He asked trying to use a pleading tone.

"I don't need you to hold him back!" Oenomaus said confidently "Guards!" Scream.

As soon as the men entered Milo, Atticus and Azrael stiffened.

The elf jumped up and pushed Sara onto the bed, ready for the fight.

“React and even the girls will pay the consequences of your actions!" He threatened the Doctore by taking his whip.

Atticus and Milo exchanged a knowing look before kneeling in front of the Doctore, but Azrael did not imitate them.

Sara was quick to put herself between the elf and the guards "Faites comme vous dites! Ca ira pour nous! Maintenant que nous connaissons le danger, nous ferons plus attention!”(Do as he says! We'll be fine! Now that we know the danger we will pay more attention!) she reassured him.

“Ce n'est pas encore le moment!"(It is not yet the time!) she said with a calm and confidence that would make the elf rethink his intentions.

As soon as Azrael got on her knees, the guards grabbed him and dragged away. Milo and Atticus were taken back to their cells and the girls remained in the one that suddenly became large and spacious.



*



One morning the master entered the large cell where the elf was chained to the wall, followed by two guards carrying another prisoner.

"Did you take me for a fool?" Quintus asked Spartacus after the rings were tightened around his wrists.

“No master!" He replied in a repentant tone.

“Yet you dishonored me! We agreed, you had sworn it, you would have followed the training, you would have called me master obeying the rules! And I, in return, would have tried to track down your precious wife!" The furious master took him back, revealing the details that Azrael was unaware of.

"But you made yourself overcome by haste! Your maneuvers to knock out Crixus's opponent in the final challenge, to take his place, have come to light! Your first fight .... with the champion of the damned Capua!” That man was really smart.

The master's ignorance was benefiting him. Azrael watched them both sit comfortably on the ground with their backs against the wall.

The chains were long enough for him to be comfortable enough. It was only two days that he was locked up and the guards did not spend very often to fill him with beatings.

So all in all, things were better than she could hope for.

“Gods in heaven you had the crowd in your hand! But now your name is pronounced with contempt and this makes reuniting with your bride very problematic!" Quintus said exasperated.

“Did you hear from her?" Spartacus asked hopefully.

"The Syrian to whom it was sold was headed north, but I can't say exactly where!" The master replied.

"You don't have to stop looking for her!" Spartacus pleaded.

"And with what money will you pay for his freedom?" The master asked, still showing his anger by shouting that simple question "Let me fight!" Spartacus said confidently.

"The favor of the crowd has the consistency of the wind, the interest in you is now gone!" Quintus revealed heartbroken that he could no longer exploit his fame to make money.

“There must be a place where I can fight!" Spartacus was quite stubborn.

"Only one and there are no rules: the pits!" Azrael tried to remain impassive.

He knew well what the master was referring to.

Years ago, when he was still considered indomitable, he had lived there for a short time.

They were a place of suffering where human evil could freely express itself, with ordinary people who paid and bet on clashes even with bare hands.

Where slaves were treated worse than animals.

The master went out without looking at the elf.

“Tell me I don't look like a boar excrement like you!" Spartacus' voice broke the silence.

Azrael gave him a dirty look before lying on the ground with his back to him.

"It's a pleasure for me too!" Spartacus said amused.

The cell door was suddenly opened and Varro entered with a big smile on his lips.

"Hasn't he killed you yet?" He asked, looking intimidatedly at the elf.

"At the moment, with him I only risk dying of boredom!" Spartacus replied.

“Is it true that you will go to the pits?" Varro asked frightened.

“What do you know about that place?" Spartacus asked, understanding that his friend knew well what he was talking about.

"Even too much! I made bets there long ago! And I'm not proud of it!” Sadly he admitted.

"These struggles are different from the arena! I have seen men of honor lose their mind! Turn into beasts!" He said, taking a look at the elf, who seemed to be sleeping deeply but could not be sure since he was giving them his back.

"You say he was there?" Spartacus asked, pointing to Azrael.

“I'm sure!" Varro replied confidently "I look forward to the moment when you will reunite with your brothers!" He encouraged him before going out.

Atticus and Milo had moved away from the other gladiators, to give the girls a respite to the unwelcome glances of their brothers and to make them have lunch in peace.

"When I can make you change your mind, those cursed decide to lock him up!" Milo said furious that the elf was still in chains.

Atticus observed the girls worried, Hanna and Sara kept looking around as if someone was following them. Trying not to give it any weight, to avoid another fight, he decided to put an end to his brother's complaints "Soon they will free him! And when they do, they will regret meeting us on their way!".



*



"This is the classic stalemate!" Sara said as they walked down the halls of the gym.

In those last days they had been confined there, because, they didn't know.

They had not seen Azrael even once, but fortunately Atticus had hosted them in his cell and together with Milo he had made it clear that the gladiators should not even think of touching them.

"I can't wait for it to end!" Hanna said nervously.

“You mean imprisonment?" Asked her friend with skepticism.

“It's obvious! What should I refer to?" Hanna asked offended.

"Well, I don't know ... you're strange lately!" she observed.

“It's the least! You realize that gladiators won't listen to Atticus and Milo for much longer! They look at us differently now that he's in the cell!" Hanna said afraid.

“We shouldn't panic. If we show confidence and threaten them with Azrael's revenge, we should get away with it!" Sara found.

"There are too many if in your sentence!" Her friend filmed it.

“But aren't you ever satisfied?" Sara asked before the other stopped her and dragged her behind the wall, just before the corridor connected to the stairs leading to the house.

"What ..." "Shh ...!" Hanna whispered looking out.

At the base of the stairs was Naevia. A guard had just accompanied Crixus to this point before retiring. "Thanks!" Naevia said to the guard.

"Wait up!" she called the gladiator as soon as the other man had gone far enough not to be within earshot. "The mistress will become impatient!" He tried to avoid her Crixus.

“But he hasn't called you yet!" Unveiled the nervous girl.

"Why are you here then?" He asked in surprise.

“The necklace, you bought it for me!?" Naevia asked, lost.

"Don't tell me things I already know!" He replied gruffly.

"And don't you dare speak like this!" Hanna growled.

"But which necklace are they talking about?" Sara asks whispering.

"Naevia will have to give us explanations!" Her friend decreed.

"And why does it adorn the mistress's neck?" Asked the girl.

“The mind of you females! First you refuse my gift and then you show yourself annoyed! You didn't accept it!” Crixus replied that he still seemed to be upset by his denial.

"Exact! But you didn't let me finish talking!" She replied in a tone.

"You can do it now!" He encouraged her.

“It is impossible for me to keep it, despite my wishes! I have nothing that was not given to me by the mistress! Are you so dull that you don't understand it? Do you think she wouldn't have noticed?" Naevia tired of the hard head against which she had to slam.

"I misunderstood the real reason for your refusal!" He admitted bitterly.

"Of course you did! Your only thought is to win in the arena. Reasons only with the sword and the shield! You are a fool ....." the girl was unable to finish insulting him that he kissed her.

Hanna and Sara found themselves speechless, feeling complete imbeciles for not having noticed anything until then!

"You are crazy! ..... guard!" Naevia said, terrified and with a smile on her face, before calling the guard again.

Crixus made the bad choice to go back to his cell through the wrong corridor!

The girls panicked when they noticed other gladiators blocking the exit preventing them from disappearing from the direction taken by the Gaul.

After various pushes and curses, they leaned against the wall, facing each other, pretending to be in the middle of a discussion.

"In the end I can't help but prove you right!" Sara said speaking even better than the advertising voice that is capable of pronouncing hundreds of letters in seconds.

"As always sister! When you accept that being right is one of my countless talents, then we could resume this discussion!" Hanna was far more talented in acting.

Crixus turned as soon as she finished speaking.

The girls and the Gaul stared at each other ....... or rather, Hanna and Crixus looked each other intensely in the eyes, as Sara's inexplicably glued themselves to the floor.

He studied them for too long, before he hardened his gaze and moved on.



*



One hot morning the gladiators were engaged in daily training while Quintus in a discussion with his wife "Do you think the gods cursed him!" Her husband said to a furious Lucretia “It is so! It's his fault that you ended up in the pits!" She screamed furiously.

"It saved my life! Gods or not gods, every debt must be paid!" Quintus ended the discussion, before going to welcome his guests.

The decision to remove the trace from the pits had come when he had given irrefutable proof of his loyalty, saving him from two hit men who had tried to deprive him of life in the pits.

The principal was still hidden in the shadows, but would remain so for a short time.

"Magistrate, I am honored by your presence!" Quintus said remarking slowly the last word as soon as he saw Solonius in addition to Titus Calavius.

“My good Batiatus, the good Solonius spoke to me of the efficiency of your men" said the magistrate anxious to ascertain the veracity of these words "As you well know, drought has reduced the population to the extreme! We tried everything to convince the sky to tears, even a massacre!” He explained.

“He sacrificed a hundred oxen, but nothing has changed!" Solonius said.

“The gods prefer the blood of men, not that of animals. And the good Solonius helped us organize games to propitiate the gods!" The magistrate said enthusiastically.

"Deadly fights. No grace or parity!” Solonius said.

"Only the best gladiators will be invited to participate!" The magistrate confirmed.

Quintus stopped smiling boldly “Only the best are offered in Batiatus’ house! Come, examine my goods!" He said guiding the two guests to the balcony overlooking the main square, where the gladiators were engaged in training.

“Admirable selection! Which rivals that of the good Solonius!” Calavius flattered him.

"But I have the final fight!" The other pointed out.

“Yes, however ....... the contender must still be chosen!” The magistrate said observing the gladiators with interest.

"If you want to satisfy the gods you must have a great fighter!" Quintus intervened "Crixus, the champion of Capua!" He proudly introduced him "He will win against anyone Solonius has to offer!" He declared confident.

"Excellent! It will be a clash of legends!" Calavius said satisfied.

"Legends?" Quintus asked, understanding that the opponent would not have been any gladiator.

“I forgot to tell you ..... the good Solonius got the big Theokoles for the finale!" The magistrate replied pretending regret for his distraction.

"Theokoles?!" Quintus asked shocked.

"Yes, I convinced him to come to our beautiful city, not cheap!" Solonius highlighted with satisfaction.

“You have our gratitude! And if the gods do not grant us rain after such a tribute, we must consider ourselves cursed!" Said the magistrate.

“I fear that the gods would not approve, the clash is unbalanced! Only one man fought Theokoles and survived!” Quintus pointed out, terrified at the idea of losing a precious champion of his home.

“What if Crixus is joined by Spartacus? It was destined to be executed, but he challenged fate and made me lose four men!” Solonius impatiently proposed to settle the score.

“Your debts are well known Batiatus! Even if you lose your men the reward would be enough to heal them all! Unless you prefer to stay out of these games and those that follow!” Calavius threatened him so as not to be forced to look for another contender.

“No, they will be ready for the assignment!" Batiatus hurriedly answered to lean out of the balcony and speak to his men.

"My titans! Hear the glorious news!" The gladiators lined up neatly as soon as they heard the master's voice request their attention.

“The magistrate Tito Calavius has invited our best men to participate in the next games! Crixus one step ahead!" He proudly called "Spartacus a step forward" he said with annoyance "You have been chosen to fight together against Theokoles, The shadow of death!" He declared making Crixus tremble and confusing Spartacus.



*



"This Theokoles ...... his legend cannot be true!" Spartacus said doubtfully.

"He has been injured a thousand times and has never fallen!" Varro tried to convince him.

"If we were to win how much would the reward amount to?" The Thracian asked to earn coins for his beloved bride.

"It would be enough to even redeem ten wifes!" Varro replied.

In the meantime, things had changed in the house. Hanna and Sara had been called back to serve the mistress and were now able to watch her scene.

Crixus had become her once champion lover and she was trying to save him as best she could.

“Send them to certain death! Let me fight for them! I have an outstanding account with Theokoles!” Oenomaus tried to change his master's mind "Great suggestion!" Well supported by Lucretia.

“You have not been asked even if no one has forgotten the courage you have shown by clashing with him while remaining alive!" The master replied tired of all those controversies "Yes, but without victory!” Remembered the Master.

“Be the only one who survived!" Quintus still flattered him.

"Prepare them for confrontation!" He ordered. "I fear that no effort will save them from Theokoles' grasp!" Oenomaus said.

“Prepare them for a glorious death!" Quintus corrected himself before dismissing him.

The following morning Oenomaus was busy instructing the two chosen gladiators, with poor results ..... When Crixus hit the ground for the tenth consecutive time, he punched Spartacus when he tried to help him get up "Two gladiators fighting together ...... there are no such things in the arena!" He screamed full of anger at the trace.

"Do you think you can defeat that giant alone?" Asked the other stunned.

"I've always been alone!" He pointed out the Gaul.

"This time you're not!" Spartacus was desperately looking for a meeting place.

"When Theokoles succumbs all the glory will be mine alone!" Crixus said firmly.

"But if we don't fight together only death will be ours!" The other replied.

The Master had had enough of the quarrels of two children who did not pay attention to the opponent, therefore, with two well-aimed blows of his swords, he made them end up back in the air "You hinder each other! You will fight against the great Theokoles! Try to be worthy of it!" He scolded them.

“They will form a great couple!" Atticus joked observing the training.

"Better fight alone!" Milo said he hated the Gaul.

“And certainly die!" Atticus replied.

The legend of Theokoles almost equaled that of Azrael. Almost for the simple fact that no one who had faced the elf had been able to tell it!

"The shadow of death? The Romans don't have much imagination!" Sara whispered to Hanna as they were in the grandstand to watch the long-awaited clash.

"That Gaul ...... is the champion of Capua!" Ilithyia said that she observed the gaul in the arena with interest. "Nobody can match it!" Lucretia gave her reason by admiring Crixus.

As soon as Spartacus entered, the screams of joy were replaced with those of mockery.

“At last that trace will meet its end! He dishonored Rome and my husband by deserting the battlefield! He will have what he deserves!” Ilithyia said with resentment, fully shared by Lucretia.

Theokoles was greeted by shouts full of enthusiasm and pregnant with expectation.

“Hopefully the gods will welcome this tribute!" Solonius said hopefully. "It would be good news in such a dark moment!" The magistrate presented himself looking distressed.

"My good dear cousin Ovidius was murdered in his house!" He informed those present.

“And what about his son? Was it so young?" Lucretia asked upset.

"His house was burned and only a few bodies recovered, but I have no hope!" Calavius admitted destroyed. "What a tragedy! I wonder what can cause such an action!" Quintus said giving his rival a defiant look.

He turned to meet the confused gaze of his wife, but barely turned him away in the arena, the gladiators faced each other.

"Kill that bastard son of a sow!"The Doctore’s encouragement had not helped much, at least not since they had come face to face with the opponent.

“Crixus , it's for my woman that I fight!" Spartacus said before attacking.

At first they took turns in blocking the opponent's blows with the shields, but soon that formation was broken. Crixus , while the other distracted him, struck a blow to the abdomen and managed to injure him. Spartacus took advantage of the moment to kick him back.

The Gaul managed to take him by surprise by snatching one of the two swords from his hands with a powerful blow.

Spartacus, who was on the opposite side of his teammate, struck a further blow by opening another gash on the opponent's belly. Then, with a powerful kick, he sent him back to the ground.

The combined attack had succeeded perfectly!

The silence that followed enveloped all those who stunned, were eager to see what would happen.

Crixus and Spartacus took off their helmets looking doubtfully. Then they laughed.

The crowd cheered in their favor soon after. They had triumphed!

"For Capua!" Crixus shouted enthusiastically.

The silence came again, even more chilling than before, but the two men did not seem to notice it, taken by euphoria.

Theokoles had risen!

"Capua, you want me to start!" He shouted articulating the first words.

The crowd encouraged him by starting to rumble and he went on the attack.

The initial defense formation was immediately broken through by bumping the two against each other. Crixus , furious, pushed away Spartacus with a "Get out of the way!" Finding himself alone in front of the enemy and appearing infinitely small in front of his size.

With a kick, the Gaul was sent on the trace and both ended up in the dust.

"Get out of the way ..." Crixus repeated ".... or I'll kill you with my hands!" He added.

But during this attack, in a parade the body rotated too much, leaving the arm that held it uncovered, allowing the opponent to hit him right there.

Naevia, Sara and Hanna started, as did the mistress.

Theokoles made him fall to the ground with a blow on his heels, but Spartacus, intruding in the clash, parried the next one. This time it was he who flew backwards.

Taken aback by the enemy's strength.

Crixus , recovered, charged the opponent.

Parrying numerous blows with the shield, he finally managed to skewer Theokoles in the belly.

The energenist made a painful cry, followed by a scream and a header against that of the other gladiator. Crixus stepped back, disoriented by the blow.

Theokoles snatched the sword from his hands and attacked him.

But when the Gaul parried a blow with the shield, deflecting the opponent's blade, not having a sword, he found himself exposed and was deeply wounded in the belly.

He turned away, his back to the mountain and panting in pain as Theokoles prepared to strike again.

The second slash wounded him in the back and Crixus fell to his knees.

"Theokoles !" Spartacus' scream distracted the enemy from its prey and the Gaul fell forward, resting on the shield, holding it horizontally as if it was trying to protect itself.

The Thracian took advantage of it and gave the momentum by jumping on it.

A clash began as Crixus collapsed seriously injured.

Theokoles deprived the Spartacus shield and he parried his blows as best he could.

The two were so focused on each other that they did not see the Gaul as he was preparing to take one of the two helmets previously worn.

Crixus positioned him in such a way that the reflection with the sun blinded the opponent and Theokoles found himself having to cover his eyes. Spartacus rolled to the side and grabbed a second sword to attack the enemy with all the ferocity he possessed.

He managed to make him fall to his knees injuring his leg and not happy he pierced him from side to side. He wasted no time and started hitting him on the right side of the neck with the intention of taking his head off.

The fight was really over and Spartacus took the killing blow as the crowd shouted "Kill! Kill! Kill!”.

A jubilation of shouts welcomed that sacrifice and a rumble of thunder echoed it.

Tiny raindrops began to fall, before becoming a real downpour.

After months of drought, the people remained there to fully enjoy that much-hoped gift.

Filled with joy at the long-awaited end of the drought, people began to cheer on their savior "Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!"

Spartacus the bearer of the rain!



*



“We have faced countless misfortunes! Immediately the burning of defeat, the humiliation of an empty stomach. They said this house would never return to its former glory! That we would have been ignored by history, but had proven otherwise!" Quintus shouted in front of his men, rising victoriously on his balcony, while the rain fell incessantly.

“We have shown that the name Batiatus will thrive even when we are bones and dust! Be proud and praise the bearer of the rain! The executioner of the shadow of death! The new Capua champion: Spartacus!" Quintus said, gesturing to the trace to stand beside him.

Gladiators greeted him enthusiastically and wet from head to toe.

Atticus and Milo smiled as soon as they saw Azrael observe them from under the porch, finally free.

The elf seemed exhausted, the result of numerous tortures and deprivations, but as always he was calm ........ at least apparently.

Hanna and Sara were enthusiastic about Spartacus and worried about Crixus .

It was impossible to feel simple emotions in that house!

“And this is only the beginning! On your name I will build an empire!" Quintus said full of joy.

"He wasn't the only one fighting though!" She specified Lucretia that she was worried to death about her lover.

“Crixus will not be forgotten, but he will become a legend! Admiration will only increase!" Quintus continued with a smile on his face that the girls had never seen before.

“I defeated an impossible man to beat! What more can they expect?" Spartacus Churches with satisfaction. "Maybe they'll favor you against .... the angel of death!" Lucretia mocked him.

“Not for now! The elf finally calmed down, but it is not yet time to put in comparison!” Said the husband. "Not now that the gods favor him...." he added waving a sheet of parchment "..... and they bless with news that will lighten his heart!" He concluded.

“Sura?" Spartacus asked fearfully and hopefully.

“I found her!" Perhaps the happiest master confessed to him.

"How are her? And where?" The thracian asked impatiently.

“She was sold to a Syrian ... landed these days at the port of Napoli!" Quintus replied.

"It's a short walk?" Asked the impatient gladiator. "Two day trip!" Unveiled the master.

"When can I leave?" asked Spartacus full of joy.

"One of mine is already traveling and is accompanying her here!" The surprises did not end!

"You are a man of honor Batiatus! You will always have my gratitude!" Spartacus said looking moved.

"And you mine!" Quintus replied.



*



The following evening the girls had been allowed to return to Azrael. Hanna had clung to him, determined not to let him go.

"It feels like being in Rio!" Hanna remarked "There they make five days of consecutive celebrations!" Sara explained hearing the cries coming from outside the cell and having seen the wine accompanied by women for all the gladiators.

"Yes, but the murder is not included!" Hanna said in disgust.

"Murder?" Asked confused Atticus "The owner had a wealthy merchant killed!" The girl answered as if she were telling her day.

"Apparently it was he who sent the assassins who attacked his life!" Sara revealed that she had attended the bosses' conversation while Quintus clarified his wife's doubts.

"That man is dangerous!" Milo declared shocked by what he felt.

"Have you got it now?" Hanna asked making fun of him and hiding her face in Thranduil's chest when Milo looked at her badly.

“Spartacus is intent on running away!" Azrael said, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"And how the hell do you know?" Sara asked upset and quivering at the idea of being finally free.

"I heard it while presenting the plan in Varro!" The elf replied "He will take his master hostage and run away thanks to the horses tied to the cart that will take her to this house!" He recounted.

"And when would you have been within earshot?" Milo asked, absolutely certain that the elf had always been at a safe distance from the new champion.

“I don't need to be glued to my interlocutor to be able to listen to what interests me!" Azrael replied.

"Do you have magical powers?" Sara asked, jumping to her feet.

"No!" He replied "Right ...." the girl reached awareness only at that moment, giving herself stupid for not having thought of it before.

"Are you taking part in your enlightenment?" Hanna asked annoyed that Thranduil was doing the mystery so much.

"Elves have exceptional sight and hearing!" She revealed Sara elated.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Milo asked annoyed.

"It is not my concern to reveal the secrets of my people!" The elf replied.

Azrael was not at all sociable since he was released.

LPerfect! Then tomorrow morning we will be free! " Atticus said already anticipating the moment.

"No!" The father's denial took him off guard.

"Are you fond of your new cell?" Milo teased him not understanding that sudden change.

"You spoke of revenge during our first meeting!" Azrael remembered "It's true!" the boy proved him right. "How can you settle for the simple escape?" The elf asked, smiling with wicked satisfaction.

"What do you have in mind father?" Atticus asked curiously.

“Thanks to Hanna and Sara we know the master's moves well. You will only have to convince the gladiators ..... and we will bring down this cursed house!" Thranduil said eager to take revenge.

The following morning they were all drunk apart from Azrael, his children and obviously Spartacus.

The three sat on a bench on the porch, impatient to enjoy the show.

The champion wore his new armor and was more restless than they were.

The owners had gone down to the gym to be able to welcome the bride they had heard so much about and had been looking for so much. The girls and Naevia were with them.

As soon as the cart entered the square, the owner hurried to speak with the man who was leading him and Spartacus joined him impatiently.

"But take a look ....." Milo turned the two around to see a furious Oenomaus strode towards the cart. "Don't tell me he found out!" Doubting Atticus wondered.

Varro tried to stop the Master by placing himself on his way ...... being pushed aside with a push and a "Go away!" Full of anger.

But a suffering verse made everyone stop.

The one who led the cart came down to the ground: it was covered in blood!

Azrael got up leaning to see better, followed closely by his children.

“They came out of nowhere, on the road! They attacked us .....! There were many .....!" The suffering man whispered to his master, who rushed to his side.

The horror was painted on the face of the champion who ran to open the doors behind which his bride was. A petite woman with long black hair fell backwards into her husband's arms when the door was opened and stopped supporting her back.

Hanna, Sara and Naevia watched in shock Spartacus as he picked her up with a moving delicacy and knelt on the ground continuing to hold her close.

Sura, as she was called, only managed to look at her partner one last time, before closing her eyes forever. "I'm here honey!" Spartacus said crying and holding her in a desperate embrace, giving vent to his pain.

The master passed him as if nothing had happened and turned to his wife "I kept my promise!" He said and then looked at her with a satisfied smile "They reunited!".

Notes:

I contradicted myself!
This chapter is even longer than the previous one!
But I couldn't break it! I would have stopped the story where it couldn't be broken!
Thank you very much SapphirePearl for the kudos left! They urge me to continue the story!
Spartacus has finally arrived!
And since it was not enough I decided to open the eyes of the girls showing that life is not all roses.
New loves are born and new difficulties arise.
What do you have to say about the legend of Azrael?!
There is an unexpected event that prevents escape, a change of plans ... So many things happen! Spartacus rose quickly managing to free his much sought after wife, but unfortunately Quintus Lentulus Batiatus had no intention of awakening his rebellious spirit by giving him his woman back!
What do you think?
I hope you like the chapter despite its length!
See you soon,
X-98


Chapter 10 - To own not to be possessed

The following day the funeral of the woman of Spartacus was held.

A huge pyre was set up in the center of the square and even the owners wore the colors of mourning. They were paying homage to their champion.

Spartacus was destroyed and Hanna found herself reflecting on Thranduil's wife.

He too had lost her, what was he feeling at that moment? Didn't he care? Was it a painful reminder?

Varro handed the torch to his friend, giving him an encouraging look. Azrael was, as always, on the sidelines. The sentence spoken by the master once he discovered the fate of the slave gave him thought. There was more and it was his concern to find out what!

Hanna and Sara found Naevia crying in a corner and decided to understand what posted her before going to do their jobs.

"Everything good?" Sara asked approaching her friend "Yes, I am only heartbroken by the sad fate of the champion's wife!" She replied sniffling.

"Do you think we drink it?" Hanna asked tired that she didn't confide in them "Finally Crixus has declared himself!" she whispered in Naevia's ear.

She withdrew and looked at her terrified "Quiet, we have a mouth sewn!" Hanna reassured her "And we are sure that the Gaul will make it!" Sara gave her hand.

"How can you be sure?" Naevia asked quieter but still sad. "Don't you believe in Crixus?" Sara asked “Of course yes! He is a strong man!” Naevia replied “Then she will heal! If he really loves you he will come back to you!” Hanna said thinking of her loved one.

“We are just fools hoping that our love will be favored by the gods!" Naevia said with a sigh.

“Love makes you do crazy things!" Sara revealed “I agree! Don't worry, we will find a way to make you stay together!" Hanna promised her.

"How?" Naevia asked hopefully "I don't know yet, but I'm not the woman of the angel of death by pure chance. If I want something I get it!" Hanna bragged.

"I have no complaints about this!" Sara commented "Once healed, could Crixus ask for freedom?" she tried to guess "Who knows he could meet Barca who was freed just last night!" she added.

The girls stopped as soon as they saw Naevia whiten in the face of the latest statement.

“Everything good?" Sara asked worriedly looking around. Was there anyone who had heard them?

"No! Crixus must never ask for freedom!” She pleaded in panic.

“Why?" Hanna asked curiously. Her friend looked away refusing to answer.

“Naevia, we have been serving the mistress together recently, but you can trust us! We won't say anything about Crixus or even why you fear freedom!" Sara reassured her.

"It's not the freedom I'm afraid of, but what it would cause to ask for it!" she decided to confess her friend. Naevia took a deep breath of air before continuing "Barca .... he has not been released! I saw Batiatus kill him with his hands!".

The news was so shocking that for a few minutes nobody said a word.

Hanna recovered first "No-it doesn't matter! We will find a way to make you stay together, promised!" she closed the speech before returning to perform his duties.

It wasn't long before they were summoned by the mistress.

“What a mess!" He took care to comment Hanna "Lower your voice!" Sara filmed her.

Work had begun to restore Batiatus' house to its former glory, there was not a part of the villa in order. The hosts were thrilled.

Naevia and the doctor arrived surprising them: Crixus had woken up! While the owner was being updated by the doctor on the patient's condition, Lucretia approached the Gaul.

“It would be inconvenient to come and visit you! But know that my thoughts are aimed only at you! I will send my slave Naevia to take care of your needs! Rest and recover your strength!l The mistress said looking at Crixus with sincere affection.

Hanna and Sara stared at each other knowing that this was an opportunity for their friend.

They followed the mistress with small laughter, which fortunately she did not hear or ignore.





*

Training started again as usual that morning. Azrael had finally rejoined them.

"Divide into pairs!" Doctore ordered.

Milo decided to try his luck by putting himself with the elf, while Atticus opted for Varro, an experienced gladiator.

"Spartacus!" Oenomaus called him "You will fight with me!". Azrael and Milo looked confused.

The Doctore usually wielded the whip, he did not train with gladiators! But as soon as they started fighting, the reason for the sudden change was immediately clear.

The Doctore was not in a good mood "Your bride is dead! It was an unfortunate event, like your escape plan!" He snarled before knocking a blow on the shield of the Thracian "I haven't drunk wine for many years, but a single glass would never have been enough to make me unconscious!" Here's how it went and why the champion had been exposed!

“J'en étais sûr!" (I was sure of it!) Said Atticus, knowing that his father could hear him. He had immediately understood the true intentions of the Doctore the day before: he wanted to stop Spartacus!

“If you want to converse, at least speak an understandable language!" Varro pointed out to him.

“It is only because you killed Theokoles by avenging my defeat that I have not informed the master! Death would be the right punishment!” Oenomaus threatened him.

“Tell him! It does not matter to me!" Spartacus shouted, who had not yet recovered from mourning.

“The next time you try to escape, you'll have to kill me!" The Doctore warned him.

During the break the three began to argue with each other.

“Le Maître nous gênera!" (The Doctore will hinder us!) Pointed out Atticus.

"Petit mais sûr! Cela signifiera qu'il mourra!" (Little but sure! It will mean that she will die!) Milo ruled.

"The pourrait must be a bon allié à la place! Ne pensez plus qu'avec l'épée!” (He could become a valid ally, on the other hand! Stop thinking only with the sword!) His brother, who was against the idea of killing other slaves, took him back.

“J'ai grandi comme ça, qu'attendez-vous?" (I grew up like that, what do you expect?) Asked Milo protesting. "Que vous commencez à utiliser votre cerveau!" (Let's start using the brain!) Replied the other.

Azrael was not listening to them. Her attention had been captured by a Roman woman who spoke with Varro. It was his wife. Proof was the son in his arms identical to the father. The woman was destroyed. Another Roman had taken advantage of his companion's absence and raped her.

The elf tried to distract himself by observing the other gladiators who took it out on the one-armed cook. But the idea of the constant danger that girls ran did not leave her mind!



*



Spartacus' fame had reached even powerful Rome. In the entire Republic, all that was done was to talk about the rain carrier.

“There are new recruits!" Hanna exulted "Do you think there will be a future champion among them too?" Sara wondered, thinking of Spartacus.

“But how can you not lose enthusiasm in the face of a custom?" Naevia asked laughing, infected by their euphoria.

Even in the gym below there was joy in the air.

Those were favorable times, both for the owner and his men.

“Les Romains sont convaincus que c'est vous qui l'avez instruit!"(The Romans are convinced that it was you who instructed him!) Milo laughed with that statement. "Est-ce pour cela que le propriétaire est allé au marché chercher un autre gosse pour me former?"(Is this why the owner went to the market to get me another brat to train?) Azrael asked annoyed.

"Non. Sara m'a dit qu'elle chargeait les Romains de vous regarder vous entraîner!" (No. Sara told me she is charging the Romans to watch you train!) Her son informed him.

"Comme, comment?" (How?) Asked the annoyed elf.

They were already taking his blood believing that he had intoxicating powers, he did not accept being looked at as a rare creature.

Even if, on reflection, in that world, he was!

“Les Romains sont convaincus qu'en ayant guidé Spartacus, en lui donnant la bénédiction des dieux, en admirant seulement vous pouvez leur porter chance!" (The Romans are convinced that having guided Spartacus, giving him the blessing of the gods, only by looking at you can you bring them good luck!) Explained Milo.

“Surtout parce qu'ils ne peuvent que faire ça! Observez-le dans arène ou dans la maison du propriétaire!" (Especially because they can only do this! Observe it either in the arena or in the master's house!) Said Atticus laughing.

"Leur fantaisie est très colorée et ne disparaît pas au fil des années!"(Their fantasy is very colorful and does not dull over the years!) Azrael noted ironically. Shouting cries alternating with insults greeted the new recruits.

“And here's the sermon!" Hanna complained referring to the speech with which Batiatus welcomed the new recruits "Shut up!" Sara filmed her.

“Maybe you should consider buying one!" The affirmation of the mistress completely diverted the attention of the girls from the new slaves.

He was offering to Ilizia, wife of the legate Claudio Glabro, to buy one of the recruits to be able to boast this property and increase his honor with his victories in the arena.

“How do I choose?" The Roman patrician asked excitedly.

“Can I offer advice to solve the dilemma?" Batiatus asked before addressing Oenomaus "Master, our revered guest wishes to observe their virtues!" He ordered. Hanna and Sara fixed their eyes on the ground as the gladiators laughed. "Denudatevi!" Cried the Master. Ilizia chose a particularly gifted man.

A Gaul named Segovax. A mighty man who, in the future, could have become a great champion.

Lunchtime came. Crixus was back in force. Not that it was good news, at least not in full.

He was angry that he had been ousted and exciting clashes were announced against the one who had knocked him off the pedestal.

As if he wanted to meet Milo and Atticus’ expectations, Crixus badly pushed a recruit when he tried to take his ration.

"Son of a sow, wait until the real men have filled their stomachs!" Yes, he was the champion of Capua ...... ex champion!

"Crixus, let them eat!" Spartacus intervened in their defense.

“They have to suffer pain and deprivation to become gladiators. That's the rule!" The Gaul answered him.

"It's none of your business!" The Thracian insisted, bringing down a silence full of tension among men.

Azrael watched the two facing each other unable to suppress a smile. Boredom could finally be said to be over!

"Let them eat!" He ordered Spartacus to Crixus.

"Spartacus an indulgent and generous soul!" He mocked him.

The thracian rose from the table on which he had leaned to face the Gaul.

“Don't misunderstand my words! I don't care about the well-being of these men. But you are no longer the champion, come later .... and therefore you don't give orders anymore!" Spartacus said imposing his will as a new champion of the house. “Remember that the one who comes next is attacked from behind. Keep this in mind!" Crixus threatened him before stepping aside.

“Bastard Gaul!" A recruit whispered looking at him with hatred.

“C'est Agron! Un un de deux frères germaniques!”(That's Agron! One of the two Germanic brothers!) Milo began to introduce the new recruits to Azrael.

"Ils sont tous les deux prometteurs!"(They are both promising!) Observed the elf.

“Je pense que nous pourrions les prendre à nos côtés. Dès que l'on trouve le bon levier!" (I think we could take them to our side. As soon as we find the right lever!) Atticus said with a satisfied smile.

That evening Hanna and Sara were released to the gym earlier than usual.

Taken by the enthusiasm, the girls parted while running through the corridors of the gym looking for the elf and their friends who were not in their respective cells.

Maybe they were still in the bathrooms.

"Would that homunculus be the great champion?" A voice attracted Sara's attention, who stopped next to the cell where the recruits were locked up.

Agron, the mallard, had spoken. They were watching Spartacus disappear into a corridor.

“The Romans always inflate the legend, we can easily beat it!" Followed by his younger brother Duro, very confident.

She knew their names because she was well informed about it!

“He defeated Teocoles, and the sky cried to exalt his victory! You would succumb like a pack of pigs to the slaughterhouse!” Segovax replied.

Sara joined the Germanic brothers laughing at that statement and drawing general attention to herself.

“Do my words amuse you?" Segovax asked her. The girl was frightened to death before realizing that there were bars to divide her and keep her safe from those thugs "No, it's you who make me laugh! You should admire someone else and not the latest arrival!" She decided to be impertinent to the end.

The thracian had been in that house for barely a year!

“Spartacus is an example for everyone! The slave who sets the arena on fire!” She replied, not masking the annoyance of having to face a woman.

“Get out of my sight b....." that letter was suspended and Sara realized that someone had reached her behind when she saw everyone's eyes looking beyond her with terror.

She turned and smiled: Azrael was incinerating, one by one, all the men in the cell! "The angel of Death!" One of the recruits stammered, whitening as he watched the imposing elf.

"And he!" Duro said nudging his brother as if he feared he wouldn't see him.

Azrael put his hand on Sara's shoulder, squeezing it against him, giving a further fiery look to the slaves in front of him.

The girl laughed and rested her head on his chest looking at the men too. It was the practice, to make the new slaves understand who she was, for her safety!

The elf went to his cell followed closely by the girls, Milo and Atticus who also showed hatred towards the recruits, staring at them with hatred.

“Azrael, the angel of death!" Agron said incredulously that he could finally see him. Even if they were only slaves, the story of the legend had reached their ears several times.

"I died of fear!" One of the men confided.

"That's because you're a female!" Segovax mocked him, but he shared the thought of the one who had had the courage to express it.



*



The following morning a certain mallard was looking for trouble.

“You are crazy? Stop staring at him! " Duro warned his brother that he hadn't taken his eyes off since he saw the elf.

“The legend cannot be true!" Agron contested “He's in chains! This is an opportunity to prove my worth!" He said before he strode towards the elf.

"Master!" Hanna shouted realizing that the situation would not remain calm for much longer!

She and Sara had been watching the workouts with interest until then!

But the reckless one had had a bad idea!

"How dare you turn to me like this!" The filmed Batiatus outraged.

Atticus was thrilled that day. They were having a threesome to prepare for a similar moment in the arena.

If fighting two opponents had become simple, then one would have presented itself as a walk.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the mallards approaching ignoring everything and everyone.

The young man stared at his father with pride and a thirst for power!

The Master did not seem to have noticed anything, distracted while giving instructions to another recruit!

That carelessness allowed his father to trip him over the chain that was always between the feet.

“Quelles pensées envahissent votre esprit qui vous rendent si distrait?" (What thoughts crowd your mind that make you so distracted?) Asked Azrael with a smile on her face.

“Non, rien! Remarquez juste un imbécile qui va vous attaquer par derrière!”(Oh, nothing! Just notice a fool who is about to attack you from behind!) Replied Atticus remaining comfortably lying on the ground, leaning on his elbows.

The elf looked at him confused, but immediately afterwards his eyes widened when his portentous hearing perceived the enemy approaching together with the cry of the master who called the attention of Oenomaus "Master! Stop them!". He dodged the first blow, turning to do it, to be able to see it in the face.

Agron, the mallard.

With a strong blow of the wooden sword he deprived his opponent of his and hit him in the face with the shield, making him capitulate to the ground.

He would have continued to rage on that madman if Atticus and Milo had not jumped on him, landing him, thanks to the combined weight.

“Combien de temps devrions-nous attendre? Ne vous enchaînez pas et la liberté viendra plus tôt que nous ne pouvons espérer!" (How much longer should we wait? Don't let yourself be put in chains and freedom will come sooner than all we can hope for!) Milo tried to calm him down.

“Si vous voulez maintenir votre réputation, vous pouvez vous allonger!" (If you want to maintain your reputation you can lie down!) Atticus tried to distract him as they got to their feet.

“Qu'est-ce? Oh shit!”(What? Oh shit!) Said Milo understanding what was about to happen.

The two were so busy talking to each other that they didn't realize they were right under the chain tied to the elf's ankle.

Azrael only had to pull her to stretch out completely, hitting the two children hard between the legs!

All the gladiators laughed at seeing the two men collapse in pain on earth.

“Vous êtes un damné infâme!" (You're a damned infamous!) Hanna yelled from the balcony trying to refrain from laughing "Arrêter maintenant!"(Stop it now!) She managed to say going serious .... for five seconds, then laughing with Sara.

Azrael stared at the happy girls on the balcony and had to resort to all him self-control to remain serious and appear deeply annoyed.



*



Spartacus was finally alone.

Sitting in the bathrooms he thought about the latest events. He loved his beloved Sura terribly and now firmly believed his words: she would be the only woman he would ever love. What was he supposed to do?

Follow her into the underworld or embrace the fate chosen by the gods she didn't believe in?

He felt lost ...

He felt a sudden squeeze on his neck and then saw in passing a hand that wrapped the rope a second time around his throat!

He threw himself backwards, gasping for air, in an attempt to stun the attacker. Spartacus managed to get to his feet and threw an elbow at the intruder who held him firmly from behind.

But the lack of oxygen made his punch extremely weak and the stranger was not at all affected.

They both fell to the ground rolling on top of each other before the thracian found himself lying on top of the enemy which made the deadly grip.

Spartacus felt his arms begin to tingle and his vision became more and more confused.

But before giving in to the darkness, a cry preceded the release from that hold.

Someone had come to his rescue.

Crixus had managed to take the intruder by surprise and although he had been thrown on the floor with too much ease, he had saved Spartacus, diverting the attacker's attention from the champion.

The other Gaul attacked him, intending to kill him.

He grabbed one of the blades with which the gladiators shaved their beards and used it as a weapon managing to injure the other in the leg.

This did not frighten Crixus who blocked the hand that held the blade, before lifting Segovax's arm and going under it, turning on himself, finding himself behind the opponent, to give him a powerful kick that made him end up with his face on the ground.

Segovax ran out of the bathrooms accompanied by a strange noise.

Maybe it was the knife he still held in his hand, Crixus ignored him on his knees when the wounds protested for that excessive effort.

“Why ... did you save my life?" Spartacus asked that destroyed, had remained lying on the ground “In the school we are all brothers! And a champion deserves an honorable death in the arena!” Crixus answered him.

Segovax ran through the corridors in panic.

By that time they should all have been in their cells. That piece of dung had ruined his plans!

He knew exactly what the punishment would have been for having attempted the life of Spartacus, but perhaps by turning to another legend, the mistress would have granted him the same freedom!

He went to a specific cell and fortunately the key to open it was in the deck. He clicked the lock and after a quick sigh he opened the door.

The surprise effect was essential, so he immediately aimed at the elf by throwing himself at him.

The girls screamed as soon as they realized what was happening. Azrael intercepted him giving him a powerful punch that made him land on his back.

But thanks to a backward somersault, the Gaul immediately returned to its feet. They stared at each other for a very long time.

The noise of voices and the footsteps of the approaching guards again gave way to the clash.

The Gaul advanced jerking left and right in an attempt to confuse the elf, but for Azrael it was no problem to understand where he was going.

Humans had a bad habit of looking several times towards their final destination, revealing their intentions in time.

They both grabbed their arms waiting for the other to give way.

As soon as the Gaul realized that he would not be able to do it, he kicked the elf's side and in response he pushed him so hard backwards that he fell to the ground.

Azrael anchored himself to the ground starting to slash his opponent's face while he defended himself as best he could.

Suddenly, Segovax's right arm stretched towards the belt he wore at the waist.

The movement was faster than Azrael expected and could not do anything until she felt a pain in her side.

He looked down and saw that a knife handle protruded from the side of his abdomen. When the blade was removed, Hanna and Sara started screaming again and the guards arrived at that moment.

Two men grabbed the wiggling elf by the arms, while a third tried to keep the Gaul at bay.

Azrael pushed them both to the ground and with relief he saw that the girls had taken refuge on the bed and despite being terrified, they were fine.

He wasted no time and grabbed the jug containing the wine they were consuming, crushing it on the head of a guard.

The helmet he wore was not enough to cushion the blow and the man fell against the stunned wall.

The second, getting up, put an arm on the bed making the girls scream.

He looked at them as if he was annoyed by their screams. Perhaps it was the momentary danger, perhaps his anger or instinct, that set Azrael off to attack.

He was on top of the man in a second, landing him and once stuck he started hitting him wildly.

“Careful!" Hanna's warning cry came at the same time as the blow on her right shoulder.

The elf gritted his teeth, making a snarl and reacted by turning around abruptly, hitting the enemy with a powerful punch with the unharmed limb.

Taken aback, Segovax could not compensate for the momentum given by the blow and ended up crashing into the head wall, passing out.

Azrael leaned against the bed with the upper torso, breathing heavily. The head was too heavy to hold it up and lay flat on the covers.

He heard the voices of the girls calling him, but it was all very confusing. He had aimed well .......the Gaul.

Sara, as soon as she saw Azrael collapse, wasted no time and took a blanket to dab the wound in the shoulder from which too much blood was leaking!

“Get him out of the way! We have to spread it!" She ordered her friend, pointing to the Roman on whom the elf had practically sat.

It was more difficult than he thought, but Hanna eventually succeeded.

They spread Azrael on their back trying to be as delicate as possible.

He breathed quickly and seemed tried by the clash.

Hanna pressed her hands to the wound on Thranduil's side as Sara tried to keep him awake by giving him light slaps on the cheek.

"Hey! Azrael look at me!” Sara said with excitement, taking his face in her hands but not seeing any answer in her gaze "Can you hear me?" Churches.

"What happened?" The Master's voice made them jump and shout in unison.

“Call a doctor soon!" Sara said to the other guards who arrived, worried that Azrael would not answer her.

“Do you want me to die? Get moving!" Hanna screamed furiously when she saw the men standing still staring at the scene.

"I can help?" The Master immediately offered himself.

Sara seemed to think it over, before replying "Put pressure on your shoulder!" She said guiding Oenomaous’ huge hand to lie on the floor, resting the elf's shoulder on his palm, so that the pressure exerted on the wound was greater.

"The fabric is soaked in blood!" The Doctore observed "He is losing too much!" He said worried.

A lament that made everyone take a blow came from Azrael who began to get excited.

“Ça va, c'est nous!"(It's all right, it's us!) Sara reassured him happy to see her beautiful blue eyes staring at her with confusion.

“I-Il fait ... froid!"(I-Il fait ... froid!) Whispered Azrael starting to tremble.

The fear felt by those present was replaced by relief as soon as the doctor arrived, who didn't waste time and started working on the patient.



*



Batiatus was furious “I leave my house only for a few moments and a slave tries to kill Spartacus and injures Azrael! I wonder if it is a coincidence that it is precisely the recruit of Ilizia!” Hanna and Sara felt anger increase when they realized that the attack had not happened by accident.

The cursed one!

Did he really hate Spartacus so much? And why attack Azrael as well?

If she believed in the gods, the idea of hurting him should not even have touched the anteroom of his brain!

“And he would have managed to deprive Spartacus of life if it hadn't been for Crixus! His glory is not tarnished. His time has not yet come!" Lucretia pointed out that she was the only one in a good mood in the face of that unfolding of unexpected events. "Send a message to Vibius, Crixus is no longer on sale!" Batiatus said to Ashur.

“I'm afraid the deal can't be...." he tried to deny him "I'm going to hit it! If he raises questions he will deal with me!” The master replied.

Gratitude was one of the few qualities that that man possessed!

"Master .... the elf is seriously injured!" Oenomaus emerged from a corridor freezing the girls with a simple sentence.

Hanna looked at her hands, still stained with blood, terrified at the idea of losing her loved one!

“How is it possible?" Quintus asked shocked.

“He was defending the girls from the guards and the Gaul took advantage of it!" The Doctore recounted by quickly exposing the facts.

“Gods of heaven! Can't die! It is the oracle of the gods, losing it would be an unforgivable shame!" Batiatus worried putting his hands on his head and starting to walk nervously in the round.

“You!" He yelled at Hanna and Sara "Stay by the elf's side! Don't leave it except to go to the bathroom!" He ordered and the girls obeyed, for once truly grateful to their master. Oenomaus followed them.

"And here comes the snake disguised as a female!" Quintus growled seeing Ilithyia arrive, who had come to attend the recruits' trial.

“Didn't I miss the final exam?" She asked excitedly, taking the mistress's hands in hers.

“Deleted unfortunately! Due to a very serious event!” Lucretia replied looking at her distressed.

"Spartacus and Azrael have been attacked!" Quintus explained trying to keep calm. "Attacked?" The Roman patrician asked, looking shocked.

"From your recruit, Segovax!" He went on to explain his wife.

"What a great misfortune!" said with displeasure.

"Yes, but for your man!" Specified Quinto heading for the balcony. "

“I'm sorry, but we had to punish him in an exemplary way!" Lucretia confided to her before appearing with her friend.

The Gaul had just been crucified and his body was covered with wounds caused by the torture to which he had been subjected.

“Is Spartacus still alive?" Ilithyia asked, surprised to see the gladiator watching Segovax with contempt, standing in front of him, in perfect health.

“Already!" Quintus tone answered.

“And Azrael?" Ilithyia asked curiously.

“He didn't even touch it!" Batiatus lied.

“Torture did not loosen the language of that infamous dirt! Did he not confide anything to you during your meeting last night?” Lucretia asked even though she knew the answer.

“No, that's a mystery!" Ilithyia admitted, looking very upset.

In the square, the general attention was diverted from that dying madman.

Crixus approached the thracian confident that he had returned to what it had once been.

"I will regain my champion position!" He said holding out a hand to Spartacus.

“I accept the challenge with pleasure!" He replied tightening his grip tightly and girding the beginning of mutual respect, born thanks to that fate.



*



Spartacus entered the infirmary afflicting himself at the sight of the two girls who wept, hugging each other in a consoling embrace.

The elf was lying on a cot that looked tiny compared to his size.

The thracian remained to observe him for a long time. He had never seen him so vulnerable and believed that it would never happen.

Azrael had always had a very fair complexion, but was now extremely pale, more than normal.

Two black circles surrounded his eyes and he was so still that he looked dead!

The doctor had managed to stop the bleeding, but there was no certainty that it would survive! After a very long time, Spartacus approached

“I have never seen him favorably..." he began "... but know that my thoughts are for him! And I don't lose hope that it will recover!” He tried to encourage them.

"Are you here to kill him?" Hanna asked sniffling "Why should such madness come to mind?" The champion asked in shock.

"Fame?" The girl asked taking a hand from the elf in hers.

“It wouldn't surprise us if someone tried just to increase their glory...." Sara confessed.

Spartacus sat on a stool on the opposite side of the bed where the girls were "It won't happen!" He said "I promise you no one will dare to hurt him!" He promised before getting up.

“Why are you doing it?" Hanna asked confused.

Azrael had never had any kind of relationship with other gladiators other than his children!

There was no debt to repay to force the thracian to protect it!

Spartacus stopped in the doorway "I don't do it for him!" He admitted "I could not be happy with my bride ....." he remembered ".... I don't want others to feel my same pain!" He trusted before going out.

After two days spent hoping the situation had remained unchanged.

Indeed, Thranduil was burning with fever .....

oenomaus entered with a sad smile on his lips.

“How long have you known him?" He asked curiously.

“Just over ten years!" Hanna replied by dipping a cloth again in cold water and then placing it on Thranduil's forehead.

"So when you met him, you were just little girls!" The Doctore noted.

“What would you like to insinuate? We were young women ... and then love only blossomed after a long time!" Hanna answered piqued.

Sara gave a strangled verse, barely holding back a laugh, which turned into a slight cough when her friend turned to look at her, red with shame.

“How did you manage to approach him?" He kept asking Oenomaus.

“Do you ask these questions out of simple curiosity or to have something to use against him?" Hanna asked fully showing her distrust.

"It was our previous master, Barahir, who sent us to his cell to satisfy him!" Sara told by omitting many details and slightly changing the story.

“Did you already speak his language?" Oenomaus asked happily that he was able to get answers.

He did not like having to mistake the master's curiosity for himself, but he would always carry out the orders without batting an eyelid.

But Batiatus was right, with him perhaps, they would open more.

“Do you have to give a speech when you sleep with someone? No, because I missed this!” Hanna cheekily answered. Oenomaus laughed “It is no coincidence that I chose you. You are strong and have a lot of character!" It was not he who spoke, but a petite figure hidden just before the entrance, who timidly stepped forward.

"I know you! You are Arudne!" Hanna said hoping she got the name right.

“Ariadne" Wrong, as usual!

Even Sara recognized her, she was the girl won at the game by Batiatus against their former master Barahir!

In the past she was the personal slave of the daughter of a wealthy merchant of Pompeii. Since they had arrived in that house they had not frequented much, more engaged in waging war with Diona and attracting Naevia's sympathy.

“I have to go follow the workouts!" Oenomaus took his leave.

“What do you want?" Hanna asked with the usual politeness "Lunchtime has long gone, I just thought you might be hungry!" The girl explained herself.

"Just thinking!" Hanna said grabbing a bowl full of soup and starting to devour it. "Thank you!" Sara decided to express gratitude from both.

“It is sad to see that Naevia is now happy while you are not!" She tried to break the ice Ariadne so as not to get stuck in that awkward silence.

“What do you mean?" Hanna asked with her mouth full "Crixus was about to be sold because of his slow recovery, but after saving Spartacus he was able to stay!" The other replied.

“Yes, we knew that!" Hanna informed her.

“Do you also know that Ilithyia killed a Roman patrician? Licinia, Marcus Crassus’ cousin!” Lunch went sideways to both friends.

“That's a snake! Before I doubted my judgment, now I'm sure!” Hanna said.

“Do you know why I freaked out?" Sara asked, dying to know the whole story.

Hanna was not of the same opinion and decided to ignore them to refresh the red-hot forehead of the elf again.

“The mistress had promised her Crixus, but she found herself in bed with Spartacus!" Ariadne replied whispering and looking around fearful that someone was listening.

"No okay ....... the Romans will only talk about this for weeks ... months! Legate Claudius Glaber's wife in bed with the man who was about to ruin him!" Hanna said then burst out laughing.

This news was a bomb that could not ... should not be ignored!

"Licinia has seen everything...." ".... and she has taken the witness out of the way! Clever!" Sara concluded.

Ariadne took the empty bowls and hurried to the door but before she could get out she heard Hanna's voice "You can visit us whenever you want!" She turned and saw Hanna gently stroking an elf's hand clutching it in his "So let's not go anywhere!" She said with a distressed look.



*



After just one day Azrael had woken up and Hanna and Sara found themselves singing Sia's "Never Give up", followed by modern dance movements, in front of a very confused elf.



And I won't let you get me down

I'll keep gettin' up when I hit the ground

Oh, never give up, no, never give up no, no, oh





Thranduil still looked very confused and Hanna decided to postpone the celebrations. "Hi!" He whispered stroking his cheek gently, feeling the lump in his throat increase. He was safe!

Sara was too focused on doing somersaults and turns, leaving them a little intimacy. Thranduil would have gladly succumbed to darkness again, but her tears forced him to keep awake.

“Qu'est-il arrived?"(What happened?) He asked, still not feeling lucid.

"Tu ne te souviens de rien?"(Don't you remember anything?) Asked Hanna worriedly. He seemed to think it over, then the memories came back like a hurricane.

“Ca va?" (Are you okay?) She asked, not sure that he had managed to make the enemy harmless.

He tried to sit up, but the wounds sent him stabbing pangs that only allowed him to move his limbs just before giving in.

“Calmez-vous, sinon vous risquez de rouvrir vos blessures!"(Calm down, or you'll risk reopening your wounds!) Hanna warned him by placing a hand gently on his chest.

“Le coq maudit a obtenu ce qu'il méritait!"(The cursed Gaul had what he deserved!) Sara said once she had calmed down enough to sit on a stool to the right of the elf, in front of her friend.

“Ils l'ont torture à mort!" (They tortured him to death!) He told with a vein of complacency.

“Un peu de satisfaction car ça t'a presque tué!"(A little satisfaction since he almost killed you!) Said Hanna, unable to mask her anger at the mere memory of what she risked losing.

She was roused from his thoughts by his gentle hand caressing his.

She looked him in the eyes and felt the anger diminish in that loving look.

Peter Jackson was wrong. It was not the cold sovereign they had seen in the film!

He was a noble, strong and kind elf who had stolen her heart.

Hanna bent over to steal a small kiss. Their noses rubbed against each other and a smile was enough to remove any doubt. It would have been all right.

Thranduil heaved a big sigh, before falling back to sleep and the girls hugged each other. Happy now that a heavy weight had slipped from their hearts.

But if the situation had improved for them, a tragedy had taken place within the walls of the villa.

The owner had organized a sumptuous ceremony for the son of the magistrate Tito Calavio for the transition to adulthood.

Crixus and Spartacus, as represented by the old and new glories of Batiatus’ house, were ready to perform a duel in honor of the young Numerius.

But unexpectedly the boy had requested that Varro be the champion's opponent.

The enthusiasm of the young gladiator had broken as well as his life when Numerius had decreed that the loser go to the underworld. Spartacus had been forced to do something horrible: kill a friend!

“It is not easy to see a friend you have loved, lie lifeless!" Oenomaus said seeing how the champion observed the lifeless body, ready to be returned to the family of the deceased.

“He didn't deserve it! His life broke ... on a boy's whim!” Spartacus answered full of pain.

“Varro has left this gladiator world and will be remembered for it!" The Master encouraged him.

"No, he was a good father, a devoted husband, a true friend among the enemies!" Spartacus corrected him, unable to hold back his tears.

The following day Hanna and Sara were happy to see Atticus and Milo “Aren't you dead yet? What a pity!" Hanna welcomed them, busy changing the elf's bandages. "We will not die until the Romans are overwhelmed by our revenge!" Milo whispered. "It's true?" Azrael asked “Ne parlez pas la langue du Romains! Ils pourraient vous entendre!”(Don't speak the language of the Romans! They could hear you!) Sara shouted with excitement.

"There is no one able to hear me ..... now yes!" Azrael replied, turning her gaze to the door. Two guards entered carrying an unconscious Spartacus.

They laid him on a bed far away from where the elf was and the doctor began to medicate a deep wound, inflicted during the performance, which had become infected.

The more they passed in days, the more Azrael returned to strength. In the meantime, a new slave Mira had arrived who seemed to have tied a lot with the champion, who assisted the doctor to take care of the thracian.

That afternoon Hanna had fallen asleep at the elf's side while Sara rested sitting on a stool resting on the bed with her torso.

Spartacus awoke with a start but Mira was immediately at his side "Don't worry! The fever has finally passed!" She reassured him.

He looked around, staring at another man sleeping on one of the infirmary beds.

“Go out and tell me if someone comes!" He ordered her "There are lovers...." "Do as I said, please! They won't hear anything ..!" The thracian interrupted her.

Mira decided to obey. Spartacus lifted the sleeping man's shirt, lying on another bed. "What are you doing? What do you want?" He asked, frightened, waking up suddenly. "Tell me how it went! Speaks!" Cried the thracian.

Azrael opened his eyes, aroused by the screams “My woman! Sura! The slave you carried from Naples! Tell me what happened to her!” Spartacus insisted.

“We have been attacked ...." the poor man tried to say, finding himself in difficulty because of the arm pressed on his neck.

"And where is the wound you suffered to defend Sura?" The mad thracian of pain asked. "I only carried out the orders!" He tried to justify himself.

The slight movement of the elf aroused both girls who lost all signs of sleep in record time, once they noticed what the champion was doing.

"Who gave the order to take her life?" Spartacus shouted "Who ?!" He shouted. "Bat...iatus! Batiatus!" Those were the last words of the poor fool who had faithfully served an honorless man.

The noise from the door lowered the girls who pretended to sleep.

“What have you done?" Mira asked in shock.

“Help me fix it and never tell anyone about it!" He said before being caught by Hanna's green eyes staring at him.

They stared at each other for a time that seemed very long, before the champion approached her threateningly.

Azrael sat up suddenly glaring at the thracian.

“They saw everything!" Mira whispered in his ear, noting with surprise that Sara had also awakened.

“I don't care if he protects you..." Spartacus said to the girls "... say a word and you will be the first to die after Batiatus!" He said shocking his partner.



*



Finally Azrael had completely recovered.

Mira hated them but this was a detail of little importance.

Hanna and Sara were busy following Naevia, who suddenly became shy and reserved towards them.

Had being away for a few weeks pushed them away? No, there had to be more! Legate Claudius Glaber had attempted to humiliate Spartacus by fighting him against seven men at the same time, but had been forced to change his mind when he had landed them all with ease.

But that little satisfaction had been replaced by terror when the mistress discovered the relationship between Crixus and Naevia, driving her slave out of the house.

They had finally met together after a long time and that evening they would never forget her.

“Patronage?" Sara asked "Having the protection of a legate will help the master to climb the social ladder!" Hanna cleared all doubts.

“Is it true that if a slave kills his master, all slaves are killed?" She asked putting her friend to the test again.

“Yes! This is why it is better if we stay united! Only the Romans will die!” Milo answered instead of Sara.

“Once out we could go find Naevia!" Atticus assured her.

LWe should have protected her!" Sara protested distressed “And how? We didn't even know that the master had given it to Ashur!" Hanna tried to console her.

“Now Crixus also has something to lift his sword for!" Said Atticus satisfied.

The cell door was opened, Spartacus entered staring at the angel of death with an indecipherable look.

Hanna and Sara were alarmed, but they were not the only ones since Thranduil remembered well the last threat made by the Thracian against them.

“I'm not looking for a fight" He tried to ease the tension "Your presence says otherwise!" Atticus yelled as he stood up, aware of what had happened.

"The flames will soon burn!" Spartacus said blocking everyone on the spot.

“What are you talking about?" Milo asked excitedly and sure he knew the answer.

“I'm not talking about anything!" The champion replied "This nothing sounds like an escape plan!" Atticus was also very interested in the turn that the speech was taking. Spartacus saw malevolent smiles paint themselves on the girls' faces, followed by the elf once they had translated his words.

“Tell me how nothing can elude Batiatus’ guards!" Milo provoked him.

“There is only one way: kill them all!" Spartacus announced.



*



“The noble house of Batiatus gives thanks to the gods for the blessings they wanted to grant them and also for the presence of the most esteemed citizens of all Capua. Join us to celebrate the patronage granted to me by the Legate Claudius Glaber” began the Batiatus speech.

The gladiators were arranged neatly in a row on the square, ready to delight the guests with a magnificent show, in honor of the celebration.

Everyone was in chains, Azrael had been handcuffed to both his arms and legs, with chains that limited his movements, but if Spartacus had managed to convince that stubborn of a Gaul, it would not have been a problem.

“He apologizes but commitments to the Senate prevented him from being here with us, but he wanted to be present by entrusting his words to his delightful bride!" The master said and Ilithyia began to read the speech prepared by her husband.

“In honor of this glorious day, two legends will face off in a battle to the death. Mercilessly! Here is Crixus, the indomitable Gaul!” Applause accompanied the release from the gladiator's chains “And who will dare face it? Spartacus the killer of the shadow of death!" Batiatus introduced him.

The clash began, with no holds barred. The Gaul still believed he could conquer freedom!

But just as the challenge seemed at its peak Crixus hesitated.

Azrael narrowed his gaze, Spartacus was right: the masters had drugged him for the clash, sentencing him to death!

“They want to kill you!" He whispered the thracian to his opponent "If you rely on them you will never see Naevia again!".

A glance between Crixus and Spartacus was enough to understand!

The Gaul had decided!

Hanna, Sara and Mira had slipped away from the balcony thanks to the large number of guests who allowed to mask their absence.

They went to the door that separated the gym from the villa.

There was a guard because of the protection of the legate, so they pretended to be there to take a drink and drop a jug, obtaining weapons with the shards of the amphora.

It was Mira who brought the first blow to the man's throat, followed closely by the other two who struck intent on killing him as soon as possible.

After completing the first part of the floor, they headed to the porch that overlooked the clearing where the clash was taking place.

Azrael saw them, covered in blood but smiling. Not happy, determined!

The time had come!

Spartacus also noticed it and took a run for the imposing house.

Crixus lowered himself holding the shield over his head, creating the first step towards freedom.

With a primordial scream Spartacus jumped going to cling to the railing of the balcony, sinking a direct blow to Batiatus’ chest.

The whip of the Doctore stopped the blow, allowing the Roman to escape, followed by the guests.

Crixus cut the rope that hindered the thracian, allowing him to go into the villa, and then scream at his companions "Let's kill them! Let's kill them all!" This was enough to start all the gladiators in the attack.

The guards present managed to put up a strenuous resistance which proved in vain when Atticus freed Azrael.

The angel of death used the chain to remove the sword from a guard by piercing it from side to side before moving on to the next.

He stopped a man about to kill a gladiator, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him in weight, then with the sword he pierced him to the heart making him die with the terror imprinted on the features of the face.

"Thanks!" Said the one who recognized him as Duro.

He ignored it and threw himself into the fray. Atticus and Milo ran to protect the girls when they saw them attack a guard. Those two were crazy!

Oenomaus stopped Crixus furious "What are you doing?" Horrified he asked "Spartacus has opened our eyes!" The Gaul replied "The thracian is a cursed bastard!" The Doctore replied shouting “This house is cursed! Batiatus had his bride killed and the mistress sentenced me to death because I fell in love with Naevia!" He explained to him in an attempt to make him reason.

“This house represents my whole life!" Oenomaus said more to himself than to others "They stole your life! With lies and deception!" Crixus screamed back.

The Doctore surrendered and decided to let them do chasing Ashur who had lied to him! The owner had killed Barca, as claimed by the lovers of Azrael and he was sure that the Syrian was the main cause of his friend's death!

The elf joined Hanna and Sara who, without the threat of the guards, had started doing a kind of victory dance on a table!

“We're not done yet!" Milo informed them, before chasing the others who were heading for the stairs leading to the villa.

Ilithyia was fed up. He had had to grant Batiatus the patronage under the compulsion of Lucretia.

She and her husband had been blackmailed because of her mistake with Licinia. It was time to settle the score.

Instead of calling the guards, he ordered that the exit be blocked, so that all his troubles were taken out of the way by a handful of rebel slaves!

“Friends, there is no need to be alarmed!" He tried to reassure Batiatus "At this moment the guards are already taking care of...." he was interrupted by the screams of the gladiators who entered the villa.

The noble lords began to run from all sides in a desperate attempt to find a way of salvation, few tried to fight the slaves.....

“Gods in the sky....." Lucretia whispered when she saw Azrael, without chains, slaughter one of the last guards still alive "Let's go away, run away!" Batiatus said grabbing her hand and dragging it into a corridor, followed by Numerius and his mother.

Hanna shattered a jug on the head of a nobleman, finding nothing else to say apart from "How much good wine is wasted!".

Sara's scream made her turn and saw her curled up on the ground while a Roman was preparing to hit her with a candelabrum.

But he couldn't help but threaten her because he was knocked down by Azrael.

The elf killed him by breaking his neck with a powerful kick.

Thranduil raised the girl and as soon as Hanna joined them, they headed for the main hall where they all seemed to have gathered after that massacre. Screams made them stop.

“It's Aurelia! Varro's wife!" Hanna said pointing to the woman who had just avenged her husband's death by killing young Numerius.

Someone collided with the elf and he was quick to point the sword at the wretched man's neck.

To stop he just realized that it was the girl who often came to see him when he was injured.

“Ariadne" Sara welcomed her with a warm embrace. "

“What is happening?" She asked terrified "Oh, right! We didn't inform you!” Hanna apologized "We started a war against the Romans!" She explained.

They reached everyone else and saw the thracian, in the center of a hall, kill Quintus Lentulus Batiatus.

"I did it because it was right!" The champion began to speak “We have suffered too long because of the Romans! It won't be like that anymore! I will no longer witness the death of a brother for the fun of the Romans! I will never see a breath broken because of them!" Spartacus said looking at Aurelia who seemed to have finally understood that he would never want to kill Varro.

“I know not everyone wanted it! But now it is done and there is no going back! Go your way or join us ...... and together ...... we will make Rome tremble!" Spartacus shouted, supported by the excited shouts of everyone else.

The hour of revenge had arrived!

Notes:

Love blossoms and is hindered!
Spartacus' fame grows!
Revenge also feeds the actions of the Romans.
Who appreciates Ilizia?
Did you think I forgot Ariadne? No! Who remembered it?
Getting their relationship into a difficult situation will make it special!
Spartacus knows he must favor Azrael's support, but he does not try to forge a bond!
It's right?
What do you think?
War is just beginning!
Comments and suggestions are welcome!
See you soon,
X-98
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Printed from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net) on Sat Nov 14, 2026 7:34 pm