Gladiator (Part III)

GLADIATOR (PART III)

For all those you may please
There are many you anger
Those are my thoughts as today I wait for my battle with fate
I knew I would be pitted against soldiers from the empire
Though no mention was made of the iron ball I find attached to my right leg
The only solace
I know today I do not enter battle alone
For today a Catervarii has been requested
Though of those chosen
I’m the only one who’s ever lived out the coliseum

As a soldier of Rome inspects our weapons
Deeming then suitable for the fight
The signal is given
Rising our swords to the eyes of the watching emperor
All declaim
"Morituri te salutamus!"
"We who are about to die salute you!"

To the roar of the crowd
Our Roman foes break to attack
With odds greatly against us we prepare to die

To each of us is five of them
And no restraints do bind them
The slaughter starts
Within just a few moments our numbers seem to decline greatly
We must fight as one
Our only chance to survive
I begin to scream out instructions to the remains of our gladiatorial band
With the fear and chaos of the battlefield they respond
I had survived the odds before after all
Perhaps the God’s were with me
Perhaps I could cheat death again and them with me

Forming small huddles of four men
Backs to backs
We all stand our ground
Protecting the blindsides of our brothers
If they are to take us down there will be no more cheap deaths
We’ll be stabbed in the back no more

Despite the Roman numbers
We begin to hold our own
For each of us that fall
Three of them go down with us
Still it’s not enough

It’s then I take a look around
To find the bodies of my band
Bloodied carcasses on the stained dirt floor
Stunned by death I pause

A blade then swings to my blindside
A dying scream of a fallen hero warns me
In vein I dive to avoid the steel
Still the deep gash on my arm serves to remind me where I am
This is not a place of reflection
Not if my desire is to survive

It’s then I make my decision
The General
I must take him down
Grasping the iron ball and with my free hand
With strength I never dreamt I possessed
I began my charge towards him

Soldiers endeavour to intercept my charge
Though I battle through their barrage
Deflecting their wielding ferocious blows with my sword
Nothing will stop me
He will be slain

As I gain ever near
He sees me
Takes his stance
The opening blow

Our swords entangle in a violent crash of steal on steal
The anger clear in his eyes
His soldiers failed to protect him
Insulted he has to fight a savage such as me

We dance with blades to roaring cheers
Trading fairly blow with blow
Each move we have a match it seems
The central attraction in an arena of flowing blood
As still the others wage war around us

It’s then a noise wakens the rage inside me even more
The chant
The name
Servius
Servius
Servius

To the anger of the emperor the crowd cheer for me
The support drives me on as I fight harder
Stronger
The anger in my foes eyes turns to dripping fear
As he begins to understand his fate
His disgrace

In a desperate attempt to save his mortal life
He lets go of the pride he’s held so dear all his life
Signalling to a warrior behind me
To take me down
To stab me
On another day this may have saved him but not today
As a fellow of mine takes the blade for me
While ending the dishonourable Roman’s life in return

With anger raging
And the general resigned
I swing my sword around my head
As with a satisfying squelch
His head sits on his shoulders no more

And then…

Servius
Servius
Servius

It’s only then I realise
The battle is over
A cursory glance reveals
Body dead on body
No survivors
Just me
The last man standing

I look unto the Emperors box
I see him not
Where is he?
It’s then the horns ring out through the Coliseum
Silencing the chanting crowd
To reveal the Emperor entering the arena before me
His entourage with weapons primed to strike me should I turn my anger towards him
He speaks

Gladiator
You’ve taken on and embarrassed the mighty Roman army
This disturbs me
Insults me
For this maybe I should kill you
Still I stand before you impressed
You will fight for me again
And next time
I think that you will die

Exhausted and stunned I’m escorted from the arena
To the pit where once again I will reside
Until they call for me again
Until I hear my name and Servius lives once more