THREE GLADIATORS
Written By Lady Cat
Chapter III
The boys found they couldn't sleep on the soft beds. Instead they took
the
covers and slept on the floor, wondering how anyone could sleep on
anything
so uncomfortable. Maponos chided Etain for telling the woman their
names.
Etain answered back that the lady had a kind face and saw no reason not
to.
The next morning they were awakened early by the head servant who would
be
giving them their duties for the day after they had eaten. Maponos was
to
work with the horses cleaning, grooming, and keeping their stalls
clean.
Culwch was to help at the grinding stone which turned the wheat into
flour.
Etain was to work at the house as he was the smallest.
Their names were also changed, as all slave owners did with their
personal
property. Etain was named Eugenius, Culwch to Carus, and Maponos to
Marcus
Aurelius. Neither of them liked their new names and would not answer
when
called at first. It took a couple of times when given the lash for
them to
get use to them.
The boys grew. Carus and Marcus Aurelius sprouted up to an incredible
height for that time. Being almost 7 foot tall was a rarity. Etain
grew,
but was not nearly as tall, growing to only a little over 6 foot. They
were now close to adulthood; Marcus was now 18, Carus 16, and Etain 14.
The general felt it was time for them to be sent to gladiator school.
Upon
their arrival, they were taken to an open arena where they were put
with at
least 30 other trainees. The instructor was a battle-hardened
gladiator
who had won his freedom but worked for the headmaster. He made it
plain to
them they were there to learn to fight, to master every weapon
conceivable.
They would be shown how to outthink as well as physically outman their
opponent. Some of them would make it, while others would wash out
after
only a few days. In the world of the gladiator, there was no such word
as
friend. You were on your own, no help from anyone. The instructor
looked
at Eugenius, asking how old he was. He told Eugenius that for now he
would
help at the school as he was too young.
Carus and Marcus started training the next morning. The first thing
they
did was see the training area. There were already some trainees there.
They watched as they saw how the trainees went through their paces.
Marcus
and Carus were both in good physical shape, having done a lot of
physical
labor in 3 years, also they were the tallest of the trainees, being
head
and shoulders above the rest. The trainer had them workout, similar to
what they do in the army nowadays. He was amazed at how strong they
were
already. For 2 months they went through a vigorous strength training
schedule. With the type of diet they had and training, they soon
bulked to
incredible size. The trainer was well pleased. He could see promise
in
these two.
Next came their agility training. This proved to be very taxing as one
of
the sessions was dodging a rotating sword blade. It was a pole with
two
sharp blades attached. One set at normal shoulder level and one
staggered
at knee level. The object was to duck and jump as the blades rotated.
Due
to their size, the boys found it very ungainly for them. As a result
they
did have a few cuts dodging the blades. Carus got the worse cut
though.
While trying to dodge the top blade nicked his cheek leaving a scar.
Next
came the mace. It was the same idea, only this time a man was swinging
it.
They learned hand-to-hand combat at which the both of them equally
excelled.
One month later, they were given wooden swords and shields. Nearly 3
weeks
was spent on the different moves one was to use. The trainer kept 3
buckets of paint, each a different color. White was for showing the
small
wounds, yellow was used for minor jabs, and red was used to point out
the
spots to fatally stab your opponent. Once when Marcus did not do as
told,
the trainer used him to paint the different areas to prove his point.
Everybody was laughing, except Carus.
The general would inquire how they were doing. The headmaster reported
they were working out well, that in another few months they should be
ready
for their first test.
Carus and Marcus were exhausted nearly every night. Nothing ever felt
so
good as when they would lay on their straw beds. The other trainees
would
stay away from them as their size alone was intimidating. Eugenius
would
see them when he could as the headmaster kept him busy.
The day finally came when the two got to prove themselves. The general
and
his wife came to watch. The trainer told them they were to put on an
exhibition in the arena for some guests of the headmaster. They were
dressed in gladiator armor and taken to a holding area with four other
trainees. Eugenius was watching from the balcony.
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