Emperor Commodus

10~PT9~

As you walked down the hall to get to the imperial box, Commodus still had his hand in yours, and you could tell he had no intention of letting go. Everytime you tried to pull away, his grip would slightly tighten. The walk was long and quiet. The only sounds were the heavy foot steps and metal clinking together. There was a light hint of sweat and blood in the air. As you go closer to the exit, the sounds from outside grew louder. The sound of men screaming and chanting was roaring in the air. As you got closer to the end of the hall, the light grew brighter. As you walked out, you noticed how big it was. More people than you thought had shown up. You saw the arena, it was covered in dirt and the smell of sweat and blood was very promptent. Commodus walked into the front of the imperial box as he let go of your hand. He started to wave as he looked around, causing the people to start chanting Caesar. When the people saw you standing behind Commodus, just a couple of feet behind him, some of them got quiet, wondering who you were. The people have never seen a woman with Commodus before, so this was new to everyone.

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You knew they were talking about you. The quiet whispers seemed so loud even though you couldn't hear them. As you slowly walked closer to Commodus side, you saw men standing in the arena already as if they were waiting for something. They stood in lines as they looked up at Commodus. You stared in confusion as you looked down at them, trying to wonder who they are. When you saw them wielding their spears and shield, you knew the were the gladiators that were going to be fighting.

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Commodus walked back from the edge and took a seat on the throne, and when he looked up, he saw you staring down at the men still. "Lavinia, come, take a seat." When you heard his voice, you grab your hands, holding them infront of your lower waist. You turned and saw a couple of men had came into the imperial box and they were staring at you. You put your head down as you walked up to the seat next to Commodus. You felt everyone watching you and it made you nervous. You felt your heart starting to race but you just look out into the distance, trying to remain calm. You saw Commodus looking at you from the corner of your eye but you paid him no mind. The air started to feel thick around you. You couldn't help but grab onto the hem your dress. Commodus seemed to notice because you felt his hand grab onto yours and he gave it a gentle squeeze. You looked down at your hands then up at him, to which he was already look at you. His thumb ran over your knuckles and when you were about to opened your mouth to say something but you were cut off by a man who started to talk very loud. The man was wearing a golden crowned and golden tunic. You turned your face back to the people who were standing in the middle of the colosseum.

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When the man was done speaking, a gate had open and more men holding there weapons came out. The people sitting in the collosuem cheered at what they saw. You heart started to race as you saw one side rush to the other side. The people in the arena started to attack each other immediately. The sight of the blood made you a bit nauseous. You heared all the screams and cries coming from the men who stood in there fighting for their life. You felt yourself slowly becoming dizzy so you turned away and looked at Commodus who seemed to be enjoying the games. When someone had attacked another, he seemed to be filled with excitement. You watched his facial expressions, these were ones you had never seen before and you didn't know how you felt about them. You looked down into your lap, trying to cut out the noise. The screams made your heart ache. Each time the metal of the swords clinked together, made your skin crawl. Each hit made your heart stop for a second. When your father had described the games to you, you would have never thought that they were this brutal. Time seemed to passed slower than normal here but when you felt a tight squeeze on your hand, you looked up at Commodus who was staring down at you with a worried look on his face. "Lavinia, what's wrong?" His hand came up to your cheek, his thumb slightly rubbing the area. "Im alright." You gave a small smile, to try to convince him but it didn't seem to work. "You are looking a bit pale. Are you feeling sick?" "No I'm not, I feel fine." Commodus stared down at you. His hand dropped to your hands sitting in your lap. He wrapped his fingers around yours while giving them a light squeeze. "The games are over now, we can leave whenever you feel like it." You let out a sigh of relief. The thought of not being here anymore made you happy. You started to nod while standing up. "We can leave now." You said as you stood up fully, you turned to the areana and saw blood splattered everywhere. The bodies laid motionless on the ground except a couple of men who were still standing. You put your hand up to your mouth as you turned your body in a hurry. You felt Commodus's hand make its way to your waist as he pulled you closer to him. You steadied yourself as you grabbed onto his arm. You placed your hand on his upper back as you both started to walk. He pulled you towards the hallway you came through earlier. The further you walked through it, the darker it got except for the torches that were lit and the occasional windows you would pass by. His steps seem to be more rushed than usual but you didn't mind, as long as you got to leave the gruesome scene. The walk didn't last as long as it did coming up to which you were greatful for.

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