Abbinnaeus the Gladiator - Part One
My name is Abbinnaeus and I am a gladiator in Rome. My mother was a slave and so I was born with no rank and no rights. As the child of a slave, there were few doors open to me – I either became a slave like my mother or I took my chance in the gladiator arena.
You might think that strange, that I would risk life and limb, but freedom is valued here and if I am to serve at all, then I would rather serve fighting than waiting on masters. Of course I still have a master that owns me, but this Lanister might someday set me free - should I perform well enough for him.
I have been a gladiator for six months now; this is considered a rare achievement, for not too many of us survive past a month or two. During these six months I have fought twice and obviously I was victorious or I would not be here. My master is very pleased with me and while I am not as famous as some, I am beginning to gain support from the people.
Quite often the rich ladies visit me and while they claim to admire my skills, I am made to feel like an animal on display. I often wonder what might happen should I growl at them, but I know that these same ladies would not hesitate to order me killed, if I displeased them in or outside of the arena. It is a fickle life that I live, for I never know when it will end.
What I find strange are the free men that give up their rights as Roman citizens to fight as gladiators. What I fight for, they had, and gave away as though it were nothing. I can only imagine that they seek glory in their dull lives, but too late they realise the glory is brief, for life can end in a heartbeat.
We are taken care of here, our Lanister sees to that. It is of course to his advantage to have us all healthy and fit. The healthier we are, the better we fight and each fight fought well, lines his pockets with gold. And so, we are fed well and tended by the doctores when sick.
In the beginning when I first entered the Ludus, I received nothing more than cuts and bruises. The Ludus was where we were trained and of course, precious as we are to our masters, we trained with wooden weapons so that we did not injure each other too badly or kill one another. We lived in cells around the training arena, our well-being did not include elegant lodging.
Latest Articles