1 Episode 1
VENICE (ROMAN Republic)....(501 AD)
A massive crowd eroded the entrance of Alexander coliseum in Venice, Italy,
Everyone holding unto their coins to pay for the entrance fee for a gladiator match between Severus and some Persian captives, the date in Venice was July 28th, 501Ad, the same day that marks Severus's 600th day as a gladiator, It was his last fight as a gladiator so survival was crucial for him or he wouldn't see freedom, his wife Martina has long been looking like a widow to the people of Venice since her husband was constrained to be a gladiator, Venice has only three men who are called Ex gladiators, many die while serving the years they were constrained to be gladiators.
Martina had stayed two years without her husband Severus, and most people thought Severus would die before his 600th gladiator match, which made people view Martina as a widow already.
600 days as a gladiator, marring for 600 days, more like 600 days of bloodshed, Severus survived at the demise of others, the highest achievable and achieved days of survival as a gladiator was held by Festus of Turin, 266 days of survival as a gladiator, he later died in a fight against captives from Babylon, Babylonians were a bunch of savages, too cruel that they would fight even with an eye and multiple injuries on their flesh.
Severus had broken Festus's record and now holds a massive advantage over Festus, he became a Hero in Venice for that and was loved by all, every child in Venice had his name on their lips, the elderlies argued about him in taverns, and the ladies loved him, fantasizing about his macho and wishing to lay in bed with him, Severus was strong withal handsome, a typical example of a man every lady wanted in Italy
Martina's P.O.V
Amongst the massive crowd outside the Colosseum was Severus's wife Martina with their little son Camillus, the crowd was harsh, Martina held Camillus tight, she made sure Camillus was Clinging to her knee and her shin too, the cruel crowd would stumble on him, a stampede could also erupt.
The whole crowd outside the colosseum were all moving towards an oval entrance, soldiers were mounted at that entrance, and they had a barricade separating the crowd from them and the oval entrance, everyone who came to watch the match was expected to come before the soldiers at the oval entrance and drop his coins, then he or she would be let to cross over the barricade and into the coliseum, the crowd turned into savages they trampled upon themselves while struggling to reach the barricade, there is a limit to the number of people the colosseum could occupy, the colosseum was almost going to be full when there was still a horde of crowd outside.
Martina and Camillus were well behind, and many meters away from the barricade, Martina thought, she couldn't bear to miss getting a seat at the colosseum, if she doesn't, she and Camillus would outside, hoping Severus wins the match, Martina thought of ways she could elude the cynic crowd, nobody would let Martina and Camillus overtake them, Everyone Martina tries to overtake would only think she wants to get to the barricade before them, everyone was putting a strong guard in their positions.
Martina hurried her hands in a sack she wielded, her hands came out of the wobbly brown sack, with a leather rope in it, Martina drew the down ends of her gown to her thighs, and she tied the rope on her waist to prevent her gown from falling to her knees, she made her gown become short, reaching on to her thighs and not her knees.
Martina came to her son's height, she kneeled before Camillus, Martina looked into his eyes, what she saw the most in Camillus's eyes was discomfort, the boisterous harsh crowd must have been giving him a lot of discomforts.
"Camille, I will carry you in my shoulders, I want you to hold unto my tight, and close your eyes, okay, I promise I won't let any harm come to you," Martina said with an assuring look, Camillus nodded at her tenderly, while rubbing his two hands together, he was nervous, he pouted too, it showed he didn't want to be where he was,
Martina tightened his scarf a little, before kissing him on the forehead, Camillus leaned in her arms.
A Careless man stumbled on Martina kneeling on the floor, the man stomped Martina real hard on her heel upon stumbling on her.
"Hey lady, Get out of the way!"
The man yelled, his barbaric tone made Martina frown at him, the neck of the man's robe had been ripped apart, it looked as if he struggled his way to where he was now.
Martina laid Camillus on her shoulders, wrapped one of her arms tight on him, she took her sack and walked away from the mumbling man.
"Moron!" The man yelled at Martina.
Martina squeezed her and Camillus into the Crowd, heading North where the barricades were, it was where everyone was heading to, the event gets intense the more she advanced towards the barricades and comes in contact with a crowd more harsh and uncivilized than the ones behind.
Martina found herself progressing a lot towards the barricade, it motivated her to force herself the more into the crowd while carrying Camillus on her shoulders.
Their progress was swift and a little easy, Martina had seen many people who tried squeezing into the crowd and ended up getting trampled upon, while some end up getting into a fight, all who were in the crowd weren't from Venice some come from Ancona, Perugia, Bologna, Assisi, each city in Italy had at least one of its people present at the colosseum, it could be said that the whole Italy.Colosseum
at the Colosseum.
Martina barely had obstacles in her way towards the barricades, she was more peaceful than most of those making their way towards the barricade.
--------------------(At the Barricade)
Commander Alejandro Del Grosso came out of the oval colosseum entrance, hastily heading towards the soldiers at the barricade, his steps showed he had an emergency to educate the soldiers at the barricade.
Out of urgency, Del Grosso yelled,
"Lorenzo!"
One among the soldiers before the barricades turned around.
"Twelve more sits remaining." Said Del Grosso.
The information didn't reach Lorenzo only, the crowd closest to the barricade got the information too, a cruel tussle and deadly stampede erupted among the crowd, the struggle was about the first twelve people who would present his penny to Lorenzo, Martina had already advanced to the front of the crowd.
The crowd in its struggle came too close to the barricades made with strong high, bold rods aligned vertically to fend off the huge crowd, a huge number of the crowd leaned on the barricade, putting a big weight on the iron barricades, the crowd looked to trample down the barricades with their weight, the rods bent anemically, they weren't far from breaking into two.
The soldiers behind the barricades reacted to the event with brambles canes and whips with spiked tips, Lashing everyone too close to the barricade, many of the crowd retreated, a few people remained resilient, they held their coins, stretching it towards Lorenzo behind the barricade, he collected non of the pennies.
Lorenzo whipped an old man before him, with a chain, the old man fell to the ground, and his coins slipped out of his hands and scattered all over the floor, a few people who saw the old man, picked the old man's coins and did an away with them in an instant, the old man clambered on the ground glancing in search of his coins, the fierce crowd, trampled over the old man that he couldn't be seen anymore amid the crowd.
The soldiers had put down their canes, the crowd drove in close as soon as they saw that.
The soldiers brought their canes out again and whipped the encroaching crowd, the soldiers crossed over the barricades, they whipped sporadically, the entire crowd retreated, giving the barricade a very good amount of gap, everyone cleared from the barricade, two lifeless bodies were laying in from the soldiers and the barricade, they died out of a stampede.
A few more soldiers arrived at the barricade for backup, Lorenzo came in front of the soldiers, he said to the crowd.
"Twelve seats remain unoccupied in the Colosseum, I shall pick those who would fill those sits, stay where you are if I point at you, you present your coin and you will be allowed into the Colosseum"
The crowd barely did as if they listened to what he said, most of them were scrambling to be in front.
Lorenzo approached the crowd, he fixed a gaze at everyone, surfing for him or she who he feels deserves to be in the Colosseum, the barbaric members of the crowd weren't in Lorenzo's mind, he has seen a lot of them and marked them down as unworthy, he won't allow them into Colosseum, while Lorenzo was surfing through the crowd, his eyes met Martina carrying Camillus on her shoulders, Martina was a little behind those who were in front of Lorenzo,
Camillus cried, Martina, jerked up and down, to create comfort for Camillus and stop his cry, she said sweet words to him too.
Lorenzo resolved in his mind to allow them into the colosseum Martina and her son looked like to him the least cruel among the crowd.
"The woman and her son!" Said Lorenzo.
Martina stopped jerking and looked with surprise at Lorenzo.
"Hand over your penny and have a seat at the Colosseum.
Martina ran to him with crispy steps, she handed her coin to Lorenzo, the soldiers allowed her to come over the barricades, Martina scurried into the Colosseum, dor the match was about starting.
