Unconditionally (Spartacus FANFIC -- Gannicus/Caesar/OC)

Chapter VI

"You, must tell us everything." I awoke to both Diona and Naevia hanging over me while I still lay in bed.

"It hurt. A lot." Was all I said as I brushed past them to get up, "Melitta wasn't wrong...it still aches now as we speak."

The two girls giggled, "If I were none the wiser I would say the God of the arena has set his sights on you." Diona told me.

"He has not yet said otherwise. He had told me he wanted just that... However I suppose it could have just been words." I said once I had gotten my robes on and lowered my head to the ground.

"Gannicus doesn't say things without purpose, especially things from the heart." I heard Melitta say from the entranceway.

"A thing to be sure to lift the heart." Naevia smiled at me giving me a quick hug.

"Now, we should be ready for the day before Dominus and Domina awake." Melitta said, "Jana, you and Diona are to ready their robes and bath for the morning. Naevia and I will begin preparation of their food." She said as Diona and Naevia began to leave the room, with me shortly behind them. "Jana stay back a moment please." Melitta asked me as my two friends made their way away from me.

"I wanted to offer you gratitude for taking my place in last night's unfortunate events. It be most wise to keep such a thing far from the ears of the other slaves who were not present." She told me as I nodded, "Is such a thing even possible?" I asked her.

"Domina made it so, I am truly grateful for the the action. I do not know what it would have done to me to betray my husband like that." I just gave her a hug, "It was with the right man, for the most cherished of friends." I told her as she smiled.

"Young Jana, you are growing up and becoming much wiser in your years. I couldn't be more proud." She told me as we both began to leave the room and head down the stairs to the main floor of the villa.

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Melitta, myself, Gannicus and Oenomaus joined Domina, Dominus and their guest on the balcony to address the rest of the gladiators below in the ludus. Gannicus looking back at me every so often only to be met with Melitta's soft laughs at him. "We have won many victories in the arena." Dominus spoke out to the men.

"Sent many unworthy opponent to the afterlife. Yet self important men hold us to the lesser matches of the morning, absent both eyes and prominence." He continued to speak. "Such a time has found its end!"

"Two days hence, our champion will take to the sands to face another of Vettius' shit-eating dogs. Not in the streets, but in the fucking primus!" He shouted out to the men with joy. The men below all began to shout as loudly as they could showing their own excitement. "Behold the champion whose recent performance inspired good Varus to return the House of Batiatus to proper position!"

Gannicus looked back at me with a shit eating grin etched upon his face. "Behold, Gannicus!"

He raised his arm up triumphantly as the men below began to chant his name. "GANNICUS! GANNICUS! GANNICUS!"

"An inspired performance, indeed." I overheard Gaia claim as she looked over at me, causing me to feel immediately uncomfortable. "A girl yet untouched now damaged by a bull. Not a choice to be made again soon." Domina commented.

"A true god of the arena!" Batiatus called out to them, as I turned to Melitta. "May I go attend to something in the Villa?" Gaia had made me increasingly uncomfortable with her light stares and small comments. Melitta closed her eyes slightly before nodding, "Go see what Diona and Naevia are working on see if they could use the extra hand." She told me as I quickly found myself as far from the balcony as I could find myself.