55Chapter 2
Every bone in my body ached when I awoke that morning; of course the reason was that I had been sleeping on a hard, damp, and considerably cold stone. I was woken to the ever-unwelcome sound of someone banging on the wooden door of my cell shouting,
"Come on leech slime, get moving"
I was frozen, the aching would not allow me to move, as well as the shackles on my wrists holding my hands together in front of me. I must have looked atrocious, I had no mirror so I could not see for myself but I felt it. There was dirt all over my face and body, my hair felt long and dishevelled and my face were rough from not shaving. Slaves were not aloud to prune themselves it seemed.
I did not know what was worse, being sold in front of everyone to someone who was likely to beat me or be fed to the lions, neither seemed very appealing. It was disgusting, there were not just we men here but women and children, being sold like cattle to those richer than ourselves. What is the world coming to?
Many in this hellhole can neither read nor write, they just do manual labour. But I am different, I am what you would called a learned slave. What use would they have for me I did not know, but I was soon to find out.
I looked down at the sign around my neck and sighed deeply and the door of my cell opened with a great creak as if it was going to fall of its hinges. I was grabbed roughly by he arm and pulled to my feet. The man that pulled me up looked more atrocious as I must have done, he was the slave master. He was not even a slave and he looked as if he crawled out of the sewers.
"Get up slime, time to go to market" he pulled me out of the room and into line with the rest. There was a small girl in front of me with dirt smudged on her face and tears streaked down her skinny cheeks. My heart was being pulled apart, he could not have been older than seven and if she was not sold she would surely die. How could human beings do this to one another?
"Hush little one," I tried to comfort the child only to receive a whip to my back.
"No talking!" one of the guards spat at me. This was no kind of life for anyone, I kept my hand on the girls shoulder and she looked up at me and gave me a weak smile, which warmed my heart a little, she was a brave soul.
We were led out of the prison where we had been kept for days and shoved like pigs into the back of an iron caged cart. The door was shut after us and locked. The cart jerked forward as the two horsed that pulled it started to move at the crack of a whip. The horses were treated better than us. I looked to my left and saw the little blonde girl that was in front of my only moments ago.
"What is your name little one?" I asked in the most soothing voice I could muster, she looked up at me with such innocence and fear that I felt tears well in my eyes.
"Marcia" she replied in a barely audible whisper. "What's your name?"
"Theodorius" I smiled. "Do not fear Marcia, the gods smile on you today, I can feel it" I took her tiny frail hand in mine and squeezed it gently. She seemed to have no parents as no one was there to comfort her, I felt her pain.
I looked around and saw all the solemn faces, the women and children were weeping, the men trying to remain strong, though the fear that I possessed still showed in their eyes.
We all wore much the same clothes, the men wore towel-like garments to hide their private region, the women wore sacks with holes cut for the sleeves and neck, and the children wore similar outfits. All the slaves, including myself, had signs around their neck saying their names and where they were from and what they did if anything, what crafts they possessed. Things such as carpentry and farm workers.
I had nothing written on mine, I had no manual skills, and that made my fear grow, no one would want to buy a useless man whose only talent was singing, what use could I be to anyone.
The cart travelled into the centre of Rome, children jeered at us and threw this at the cage and grown men and women sneered like we were something they trod in. We finally arrived outside the Colosseum and the cart pulled to a stop. I myself had never been to Rome and I was in awe of the magnificence and pure size of the buildings. The Colosseum just took my breath away; I did not know mortal hands could build such things. It seemed to scrape the sky it was that huge. The cart was taken under one of the arches of the building and I could hear the cheering roar of the spectators inside, watching slaves fight for their lives, or run for it as the case may be.
I could see the platform where we were to be sold with the slave trader, Protius, pacing up and down, playing to the large crowd that had already gathered, waiting impatiently for the auction to begin. Protius was a large man with greying hair and a permanent sneer plastered on his face. Most of the people there looked like slaves themselves. No doubt their masters had sent them down to buy more.
The great door of the cart unlocked and the first man was pulled out, stripped of what little clothing he had and pulled roughly up onto the wooden platform. He was a large man, very strong looking. He went for a good price, not doubt he would be made to work on farmlands as a replacement to a cow or something. All the bidders said nothing, they just wave or winked.
Next Marcia was pulled out, my heart went out to the little girl. Her clothing was removed and was carried up onto the platform and stood in front of everyone. To my relief people were bidding on her, finally she went to a kindly looking man who wrapped her in his cloak and carried her away. I was glad to some extent, I hoped she was treated well.
Now it was my turn, I got impression that the guards did not like me much. I was thrown around like a sack of potatoes and the clothing ripped from my body, it was barbaric. I was shoved up in front of everyone and they all stared, as if expecting me to do something. I had never been so humiliated, I was standing stark naked in front of a group of strange men, for they were all men. Thankfully there were no women present or I would have died of embarrassment. I had never been dishonoured in such a manner.
The crowd mumbled amongst themselves as they looked at me uncomfortably closely. What was so interesting about me?
"Now here is a pretty one" Protius walked over to me and lifted my chin in the air. I snarled at being called pretty but he ignored it. "Gentlemen, what am I bid for this - beautiful specimen?" he asked the crowd.
"Beautiful is no good to us!" one of the men yelled. "What does he do? He looks too skinny for manual labour"
"Let's see" he lifted the card around my neck. "It does not say, his name is Theodorius and he comes from Sicily. What do you do boy?" he asked me gruffly.
I did not answer, I would not answer this snake of a man.
"Speak or I shall cut your throat" he pulled a dagger, pulled my head back by my hair, and held it to my neck.
"I sing, that is my trade" I answered trying desperately to keep my composure.
"You sing?" he laughed. "He sings!" he cried to the amusement of all around. "Who will take this pretty-boy canary of a man?" he jeered. The men and laughed and yelled certain obscenities. "So no one will have you, to the lions you shall go!" he began to push me off the stage.
"Wait!" an oddly feminine voice called, I turn to see a figure cloaked in brown walking up to the platform. "I will take him"
"And who might you be?" Protius sneered.
"Antonia Tyrania, daughter of Senator Tyranus, and I will take this man off your hands" the girl lowered the hood of the brown cloak to reveal the most odd yet beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had hair the colour of the midnight sky and eyes as blue as the sea but her skin was not tanned like my own or any Romans, it was like white lilies and looked soft to touch.
Protius immediately bowed to the Senator's daughter and I became very self- conscious, considering I was standing exposed to a noble lady. I felt the heat reach my cheeks but she did not seemed bothered by my state. Still I covered my manhood with my hands in an effort to hide it.
"A thousand apologies my lady, I did not recognise you" Protius apologised profusely.
"Save your breath," she said firmly to him, and then she turned to me. I had no idea what to do so I bowed, following Protius' example. "So, Theodorius is your name is it? Hold out your hands" she ordered.
I looked down at the current position of my hands and grudgingly removed them from my private region and held them palms up to the lady, the shackles still binding them together. She ran her slim fingers over my palms and felt my fingers and then under to the back of my hands. I frowned, wondering why she was feeling my hands so intimately.
"You have soft hands Theodorius" she smiled at me then turned to Protius. "I will give you one thousand denarii's for him, take it or leave it" she spoke to me softly but coldly to Protius.
"As you wish Lady Tyrania, he is yours" Protius replied, cowering like the dog that he was, this made me smile at least.
"I will give you five hundred now and the other five when I am satisfied with his work" she handed him a purse full of coins.
"As you wish" he repeated and unshackled my wrists and backed away.
"You are coming home with me" she smiled at me again and took off her cloak. "And for goodness sakes cover yourself up" she blushed and wrapped her cloak around me; it was the first time I had felt warmth and comfort in a long while. "Come" she took my hand and led me away from all the prying eyes and my fellow slaves.
She took me out to where a light brown haired man cat on a cart who looked first at me, then to Lady Antonia with a questioning look etched in his features.
"My lady, please do not tell me you bought him" he frowned.
"All right Virius, I will not" she smiled cheekily.
"Your father will not be pleased, you mother even less so" he shook his head.
"He is not their concern, he is mine, I bought him" she replied, I spoke before I could control my mouth.
"I do have a name" I replied but then clamped my mouth shut and looked at the floor.
"Yes Theodorius, I know. Do not speak to me like that again, keep your tongue" she said strictly.
"My apologies my lady" I dare not look her in the eye, I felt her hand come under my chin and lift my head to meet her eyes.
"I like you Theodorius, you have spirit, but be careful what you do with it" she smiled. "Get in the cart"
I complied with her wishes and climbed in the back in a pile of hay while she sat on the front with her servant Virius. She had saved my life, were it not for her I would be lion meat. I was content for the moment at least.