First Light 𓄂 Hanno, Lucius Verus

Born a child conceived from both love and duty, the second daughter of House Acacius was as spoiled as a petal too fragile to bear thorns of its own stem. Sheltered and cherished, Caelia Secunda was raised in excess—every whim answered and every wish fulfilled. Her Father spared no expense, coddling the young girl rotten. She had known love early but she had not treasured it while she held it in her grasp.

Her Father had gone first. A casualty of the plague, ravaged and left to rot in his riches. No fortune, now matter how magnificent, could save you from the will of the Gods. Mortal desires paled in comparison to their power. Her sister had followed, the plague taking every trace of youth and turning her into a grey, withered carcass. Her Mother, sweetly devoted, joined shortly after dying of what many thought was a broken heart. But Caelia knew the truth. She had seen her Mother slip the poison into her cup, smiling tiredly as she sipped deeply from the sweetened wine.

And then He had gone. Her friend and companion. The boy her Father had worked tirelessly on betrothing her to. It was being orchestrated, creating a fragile tether in between the daughter of a Senator and the Prince of Rome. That tether snapped the moment the Emperor fell and the Prince became the sole heir to the Roman Empire. Lucius had been a kind boy, innocent as any child and as curious as the cat they fed outside the palace walls. But innocence saved no one and neither did kindness. The prince was gone and so was any semblance of the love Caelia had dreamed of.

Despite her youth, Caelia had known love. She had tasted the sourness of it and found it to be sweet. But sugar rots and the rot spreads.

And, my, did it spread.

Gone was the girl who sang in the courtyard at the top of her lungs, screaming love songs to the birds and the heavens. She did not smile at luxury nor care much for it. Her Uncle provided. He had tried and she had loved him for it. His assent to General had left her wanting for nothing and despite that, she was not happy—she had become an indescribable void, feeling nothing and everything all at once. And then he had married and Caelia could not live with his wife, Princess Lucilla-her thoughts always strayed to what could have been every time she saw her.

So, she married, her heart quietly hoping for a union like that of her Mother and Father's- a love and devotion similar to their own. Maybe that would cure her and stop the rot. Maybe love was the cure. But there was no love to be found. She bound to a man of high ambitions and endless greed, who saw her as nothing but a pawn to be used. Caelia's name held power, her will was her Uncle's command. Her husband had known this and then he died as well- meeting his demise on the battlefield at a sword's end- leaving her a young widow, bruised and tired.

Rotten. She was rotten.

She had left his family's property shortly after, forgoing any rights she had to her husband's wealth in exchange for peace. She had only wished for peace. Caelia had asked for too much and the gods did not answer. The Princess Lucilla would always be a point of interest for the twin emperors. Peace would not come. Under the emperors' watchful gazes, Caelia had come to their attention as well. She did as they pleased, going to event after event, her arm safely tucked in Lucilla's before every greeting- playing the role of a sorrow filled widow to anyone who was watching. She would not remarry, of this, she was sure.

The events held within the Colosseum were her least favorite- the gore and brutality too heavy. Too violent. But she must endure, for her Uncle and for Lucilla, who, despite Caelia's previous hesitation, had welcomed the girl with open arms.

Then her gaze locked with that of the Gladiator,  standing proud and tall in the sand covered arena, eyes unwavering. Her chest ached, invisible fingers tugging at heart strings Caelia thought had long been severed. Hanno, she had found out his name was. A prisoner of war from the Kingdom of Numidia. Caelia had no connections to anyone from Numdia... so, why did this Gladiator look so strangely familiar?

The rot paused.

It seemed to be curious as well. Her eyes traced every muscle, every bulge of a vein—Caelia's nature got the best of her. The same curiosity that had been latent since she was but a slip of a girl had come back in full force, leading her to find a truth she would have never expected.

Audacia et sapientia—boldness and wisdom- were words whispered in Caelia Secunda's ears from the moment her eyes flickered open. A motto. Her family's motto. The second daughter of Caelius Acacius would be as bold as the lion's roar and as wise as an ancient oak. She was born to do so. Caelia had always thought Rome would one day drown in its own blood but now that war was brewing- that grim reality was beginning to look more and more inevitable by the minute.

CAELIA SECUNDA / YOUNG WIDOW

HANNO, LUCIUS VERUS  / GLADIATOR

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author's corner!

i. i can't be normal about any media i consume so here we are! i've actually been a fan of the original movie for a very long time and i love this era of history. i'm aware that the movies are only inspired by history, but i find them gorgeous both plot wise and cinematically.

ii. two things! one, the timeline in this fic will be different than the movie. it'll be spread out for plot's sake and there will be changes made to some plot points. two, for the sake of the plot, hanno/lucius will not have been married. arishat will be his lover that he was beginning to plan a life with. i plan to respect their relationship but also build his and caelia's at the same time.

iii. disclaimer... i do not own the gladiator franchise. i only own caelia and any other oc that may show up in the fic. trigger warnings... blood & gore, canon typical violence, mentions of previous domestic abuse, and death.

iv. special dedications... to thena (maenadscult )!!! thank you so much for hyping me the fuck up when it came to this fic. i'm genuinely so grateful!! ily ily!! to apollo (laevinics ) and len (siIverveils ), thank you so much helping me plan this out and throwing out ideas for me to use and further develop caelia and lucius, i love uuuuu!!! and thank you len for giving me the brilliant marilla to use and love!!! i can't wait to write her either! ali (keupid ) + rey (gryzons ) thank you for listening to me yap endlessly about this ever since i walked out of the movie theater. i appreciate you guys more than you know hehe ily !!!! charley (sealines ), the fic is here, the bars of your enclosure have been opened and you have been released. jokes aside ily, thank you for being as excited as i am!!! also dedicated to... kinaiiya viendettas riotsuns kateprydes fatalfIaw bompous RedRoots huramuna teabeIl ghxstbusters stella-mariis i love you guys all SO MUCH!!!!!