This is the extra bonus chapter set in Chapter 29 of the first book in the series, Gladiator of Rome. 

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. . . In Ludus Magnus, Leonidas, Frieda, Rheia and the other gladiators learn of Myra's death and Krista's supposed capture by the Romans. Angry, the gladiators rebel against Pompeia and a fight breaks out between the gladiators and their captors with unforeseeable consequences . . .

The rain, at first a light patter, was now a thick curtain as it poured from the heavens, covering the ground beneath their feet in inches of water.

The sky had grown immensely darker as the sound of water being quickly dispersed by a torrent of boots echoed through the courtyard of Ludus Magnus, followed by grunts of exertion and the clanging of swords.

Long tendrils of hair were plastered to Frieda's face and neck as she reached out and rammed the heel of her palm up into a guard's nose. Over the splatter of raindrops hitting the ground, Frieda heard the man let out a grunt of pain, his head being knocked back severely. Still holding the guard's shoulders, Frieda raised her leg and kicked him in the side of his knee. His lips parted to scream in agony as his knee grew distorted and he fell to the ground.

Throwing her arm out wide, Frieda hurled a solid punch into the man's head, silencing his mouth and sending him crashing to the ground unconscious. Reaching down, Frieda picked up the sword he had been carrying, whilst removing the second one he carried from the sheath on his hip.

Breathing heavy, Frieda looked around Ludus Magnus and felt somehow that everything had been leading to this. Guards fought gladiators, well-armoured captors fought bare slaves. The battles spewed throughout the entire school until it reached the baths and even the kitchens. Glancing across the courtyard, Frieda spotted the unmistakeable figure of Leonidas as he smashed two guards' heads together, their bodies falling to a heap at his feet immediately afterwards.

She spotted the Gaul's blonde head rise up and look across at her and she was sure that she saw a smirk play across his mouth. Frieda's upper lip lifted in a low growl as she muttered something unkind under her breath. As she did so, the smirk left Leonidas's lips and his eyes widened in shock as he reached out an arm in her direction, pointing behind her.

As she began to turn, Frieda saw a flurry of movement from the corner of her eye and her muscles tensed in apprehension. Raising the swords in her hands, Frieda paused as she watched Rheia slam a pot against the back of the guard's head, the pot shattering on impact. The muscles in the guard's face fell before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground; the sword in his hand clattered through the flood of water around their ankles.

"You should watch yourself, Albion," Rheia joked as she reached down for the guard's sword.

Frieda rattled her swords over Rheia's head, fighting the urge to decapitate her for that remark.

"We are overcoming them," Rheia said as she stood and looked around them at the dwindling number of guards. Frieda had lowered her swords.

"They shall send reinforcements," Frieda grumbled, glaring at Rheia from the corner of her eye.

"We shall be waiting at the front gates," Rheia told her, as if it was obvious.

Frieda rolled her eyes, "That is not the only way into Ludus Magnus." Turning around, Frieda ran out of the courtyard and down the passageways, splashing water out behind her as she hurried towards the tunnel.

The further she ran into Ludus Magnus, the fewer guards she encountered making her journey a swift one. The wind was cold against her wet skin as she hurried down the slope into the tunnel, her footsteps growing louder as she encountered dry stone under her sandals.

The tunnel was illuminated with a soft hue of amber from the torches which burned in their cradles on the walls, offering a small aroma of heat and warmth to dry her skin. As she neared the end, Frieda encountered two uncertain guards.

"Hey!" One guard shouted, only his outline visible in the, "What are you doing, slave?"

"Killing you," Frieda remarked casually as she pulled her arm back with the sword in her hand and threw it directly at him.

As the sword imbedded itself in the guard's chest, knocking him back to the ground from the force of the blow, Frieda was already upon the second guard.

Launching herself off the ground, Frieda came to land on the guard's shoulders pushing him to the floor.

His face contorted in surprise as he began to fall, his arm rising beside her with a sword in his hand. As they landed on the ground, Frieda positioned herself so that her right knee was pressing into his windpipe and her left foot was planted on the floor for stability. Exerting a slight more pressure against his throat, Frieda watched his eyes droop close and his fingers loosen on the grip of his sword. Waiting for a few more moments to make sure, Frieda replaced the sword she had lost in the guard's chest with his and carried on.

Hurrying down the pathways under the arena, dispatching with the other roman soldiers on duty, she came to a place she had never been before. The air was warm with the scent of straw and she could hear the loud cries of beasts.

Approaching cautiously, Frieda turned a corner and found herself confronted with rows of cages filled with exotic beasts as they prowled their prison cells. Some creatures she had never seen before and all the time their wailing of despair tortured her ears.

As she watched a proud lion with a matted mane and a dozen cuts to his body limp in a circle in his cage, a torrent of emotions welling up inside of her, she spotted a group of slaves watch her with apprehension until one emaciated young man stepped forward, the rattling of the chains around his ankles barely audible over the cries of the animals.

Frieda looked at him with her eyes stinging from the sorrow she saw in the animals.

"What is happening?" The young man asked, his whole body trembling.

"You can leave," Frieda told them curtly, her throat aching suddenly. The boy looked to those behind him but none of them moved.

"Well, go on!" Frieda shouted, stepping back and waving them through, "Leave!"

After a few moments they began to shuffle their feet forward but they were still apprehensive, uncertain of what to do when a loud noise cracked through the bowels of the arena, making the hair on the back of her neck rise up.

"Go!" Frieda screamed as the synchronised marching of Roman guards approaching echoed up the pathway, hitting her like a blade to the stomach with every footstep.

Her eyes were peeled to the farthest point in the corridor she could see as those in chains hurried past her when she spotted the flickering sight of torchlight and the sound of dozens of guards.

Looking around her, Frieda spotted a length of rope travelling over the top of her head. Following its path, she found that one end was attached to a lever whilst another was rigged to the end of the row of cages.

Thinking of the others in the Ludus Magnus, Frieda looked down the row of hundreds of hungry beasts and prayed that they did not have a liking for the taste of Britons.

Raising her sword, Frieda waited until she spotted the first boot of a Roman guard, pulling them deeper into the lair of the beasts, before she swung her blade down and cut the rope. As she had hoped, the rope recoiled back with a squeal and the front of the cages slowly swung forward, crashing to the floor.

Frieda held her breath, biting her lower lip, as she saw lions, tigers and other large and magnificent beasts spill forward out of their cages and launch themselves at the Roman soldiers. Yowls and squeals of pain filled the air as shadows of man and beast flickered in the torchlight against the wall.

Letting out a breath of relief, Frieda froze when she heard a low rumble come from beneath her. Closing her eyes briefly, Frieda opened them again and slowly looked down to see a large tiger stood before her, his eyes watching her carefully.

Swallowing around the lump in her throat, Frieda did her best not to move an inch as they both remained there simply watching each other. She marvelled at the beauty of him with his beautiful black and white stripes. She thought that even the broad scar across his snout somehow made him appear more beautiful when she heard another creature approach them. Turning her head, Frieda gasped when she saw a wolf, with fresh blood dripping from its muzzle, running towards her.

Frieda started to raise her swords in front of her, her heart dropping into her stomach, when the tiger turned in front of her and snarled in warning at the wolf. The wolf peered back towards Frieda, its chest rising and falling rapidly as its tongue hung from the side of its jaws. She thought that he would attack anyway when the tiger let out another warning growl, this time taking a step towards him.

Taking the hint, the wolf turned and scarpered back towards the others where fresh Roman bodies lay waiting for him.

Frieda gasped, breathing heavy, as she lowered her sword and looked at the tiger in wonder. He had just protected her.

She could not fathom how or why he had done such a thing when he looked back at her over his shoulder, nudging his head towards the place behind her. He was telling her to leave before it was too late.

Grateful, Frieda bowed her head to him a little before she began to walk backwards. The last thing she saw before she turned and ran back to Ludus Magnus was the great tiger with a scar across his nose leap into the massacre.

* * *

The water in the morning was freezing cold against her skin but it felt liberating as she ducked underneath the surface and felt it wash away some of the dirt. There were some things it could not wash away such as the images of Myra riddled with arrows that perpetually tormented her.

Losing herself in the feeling of water rippling over her bare skin, Krista gasped as she felt something curl around her ankle, dragging her down. As her lips parted, water streamed down her throat and into her lungs.

Kicking out, Krista felt her foot connect with something hard just before her ankle was released and she pushed herself to the surface. Choking on the water she swallowed, Krista gasped for air when the surface next to her rippled and Artorius appeared from underneath the surface holding the side of his jaw laughing.

Krista frowned, "That was you?"

Artorius nodded as he worked his lower jaw from side to side to make sure that it wasn't broken, "Teaches me to sneak up on you."

Krista narrowed her eyes at him, as if he did not already know that.

"I was just having a bit of fun," Artorius laughed as he reached out and mockingly tapped her shoulder.

Krista looked down to where he touched her before arching an eyebrow at him.

The smile on his face was lost when he saw the gleam in her eye, "Oh, sh-"

Artorius did not get to finish his sentenced before Krista dived under the water, wrapped her arms around his waist and dragged him down to the river bed.

They spent the majority of their morning thus entertained until hunger got the better of them both and they exited the river. Drying themselves with animal skins, Krista pulled on her clothes and ran her fingers through her wet hair until it fell loosely down her back when she looked across and saw Artorius.

He had his back to her and was only half dressed allowing her to gaze upon his back in the daytime. Frowning a little, Krista quietly stepped towards him until she could clearly see the angry red lines that marked his flesh from where the commander had whipped him. Raising a hand, Krista felt Artorius jump a little under her touch as she trailed her fingers down one of the lines, remorse overwhelming her.

A few moments passed between them in silence until Artorius turned around to face her.

"Hey," he whispered, capturing her fingers which were still raised in the place where his wounds had been, and pulled her close, "Do not think on it."

"I cannot help it," Krista looked up at him, "I caused that."

"No, I did," Artorius told her firmly.

"-But if I-"

"No," Artorius interrupted her, "It was my own actions that did this."

"It was stupid," Krista sighed.

"Yes," Artorius chuckled when his mood grew sombre, "I have done a few stupid things which I regret."

Krista stared at the way Artorius's brow furrowed deeply and his eyes grew almost opaque and she knew he was thinking of Pompeia.

"Hey, no, that was-" Krista reached out and took his other hand in hers.

"Please, Krista," Artorius shook his head, "In the same way that you ask for no one to protect you, I ask that no one burdens themselves with my responsibilities and my faults. I did this, not you. Will you allow me that?"

Krista nodded her head a little, "I will not burden myself with it if that is your wish-"

"Gratitude,"

"-But I will share it with you," Krista told him.

Artorius looked up in surprise at her as he let out a small breath of relief, "I love you, do you know that?"

Krista swallowed, "I'm beginning to."

Leaning forward, Krista inhaled sharply just before their lips touched. She was still so uncertain and surprised that this could be happening.

She would have remained there forever if she could but at that moment her stomach rumbled and she pulled back from Artorius with a smile, "I'm going to find some food."

"Okay," Artorius whispered, "I shall finish getting dressed and join you."

"Why get dressed at all?" Krista smirked, arching an eyebrow and biting her lower lip as she gazed at the muscles which rippled across his abdomen.

"If I go naked, then you must too," Artorius told her, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Suddenly the idea of running naked through the woods did not seem too appealing to her, "I shall see you shortly." Krista told him as she turned and left.

She thought she heard him utter something under his breath but if he had then she would have to prove him wrong and she did not quite feel up to it right then so she ignored him and walked into the forest.

Krista was unsure of how far she had gone as she crouched and inspected some strange tracks in the ground when the air shifted around her and Krista got the strange feeling as if she was being watched.

Looking up, still crouched, Krista's hand moved towards her sword at her waist as she peered around her but she could see no one.

"Artorius?" Krista called as she slowly rose to her feet, turning in a slow circle.

Squinting a little, Krista peered into the distance and thought she had seen movement but in the next moment it was gone again and, throughout all of this, she heard nothing but the sounds of the forest.

She was starting to wonder if she had swallowed too much river water when she turned around and froze. She could not quite believe what her eyes were seeing and yet there he stood. Her tiger.

Less than a few hundred yards away, Krista's hand dropped from beside her sword as she gazed upon the creature which had protected her in Danghmar. She had thought he would be dead by now and yet there he stood, watching her, not moving.

Krista couldn't quite seem to breathe right as he moved and took a step towards her, his nose lifting slightly into the air as he scented her. Krista gasped a little as she saw the hairless scar which ran across his thick snout. It really was him.

"It's you, but how-" Krista whispered when her confidence faltered a little when she saw that he wasn't slowing down.

Staring into his eyes, she wondered if he remembered her or was that gleam in his eye from hunger rather than recognition.

Her breath caught in her throat when he was less than a foot away from her when, instead of attacking, he bopped his head against her hip and Krista fell back to the ground.

Stepping over her body, he laid down beside her and rubbed his head against her own. Laughing as she got a mouthful of fur, Krista reached out and ran her hands through his rough, warm fur as the sound of his purring seemed to vibrate through her entire body.

Sitting up, Krista crossed her legs and let him rest his large head in her lap as she scratched the spot behind his ear.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched his eyes close in contentment, his paw coming up to rest on her thigh when she stopped stroking him for too long. Krista could not believe he was here and thought that she must be dreaming when she heard Artorius calling her name

"Krista? Krista, where are you!?" Artorius called as he strode past a tree and came upon them.

Before Krista could do anything, her tiger had sprung up onto its paws and let out a fierce roar of warning towards Artorius.

Krista remained sat on the floor as she watched Artorius's hand go towards the hilt of his sword but before she could say anything the tiger reared up onto his hind legs, a tremendous roar leaving it's jaws which shook the trees.

Artorius dropped his hands to his waist and a fierce grin broke out across his face as the tiger fell back onto all fours, so graceful that he barely made a sound as he did so.

"I remember that roar," Artorius chuckled, "How are you doing, boy?"

Her tiger shook its head at Artorius as he sneezed before he turned back and curled up by Krista's feet.

Artorius arched an eyebrow at Krista whilst she simply shrugged and went back to stroking his thick fur.

"How are you here?" Krista wondered as she watched him purring, his breath warm against her leg.

Across from them, Artorius moved to sit on a branch when the tiger lifted his head suddenly and growled low in warning, his front paw reaching out as he did so.

Krista tried to keep from smiling as she saw Artorius roll his eyes and stand once again.

Looking at him closer, she could see that he appeared much older than the last time they had seen each other and yet it was not that long ago for him to have aged so much. And then when she was looking down she saw the gash across his front leg and a horrifying realisation crashed into her.

"You were in the Colosseum," Krista whispered in shock, sharing a look with Artorius before she leant down and rested her forehead against his.

He remained there for a moment before he moved his head up, lifting hers along with it, before he licked her cheek. His tongue scratched her skin but she did not mind as she cradled his head in her hands and stared into his eyes. She could see that his fur was duller than before and his body was covered in more scars but she did not see it properly until she gazed into his eyes.

He was old and he was tired.

She ran her thumb up his snout, in between his eyes and stroked the fur back on top of his head between his ears.

"You're free," Krista told him.

His brows furrowed a little, watching her.

"Go on," Krista leaned back, letting her hands trail down back to her side, "You're free."

She would love for him to stay with her but his place was in the wild. He had been taken from his home for too long and it was not right for her to keep him with her even though it would hurt her to see him leave.

He continued to lie there for a moment, watching her with those wide sad eyes before Krista rose to her feet. He tried to stop her and laid a paw on her leg but Krista stood anywhere, letting his paw drop to the floor.

He rose up onto his paws in front of her and they watched each other for a moment before she reached out, unable to stop herself, and stroked his ear.

He let out a small cry as he rose up onto his hind legs slowly and rested his front paws on her shoulders, leaning forward so that his head rested on her shoulder too.

It felt as if someone had just squeezed her heart tightly as she wrapped her arms around his large body and hugged him back.

"I shall miss you, boy," Krista told him, "Now, run free."

She felt her tiger nuzzle her neck a little before he climbed down back onto all floors and began to walk towards Artorius.

Krista watched as the tiger stopped beside Artorius and looked up at him demandingly.

Artorius frowned, wondering what the tiger was asking of him, when he looked up at Krista and realised. The tiger had protected Krista in Danghmar and now he was asking for him to do the same.

"Do not worry," Artorius told him, "I will."

The tiger let out a little huff at him before he carried on walking back into the forest.

"How are you?" Artorius asked her as he walked to her side and they watched the tiger walk away together.

"I never thought I would see him again," Krista thought out loud.

Artorius reached out and took her hand in his, "Life is strange like that. The things we think we will never see again often come back to us."

"Hmm," Krista thought as they watched the tiger pause in the distance and look over his shoulder back at them.

A moment later, he turned around, leapt up onto a rock and disappeared into the dense treeline disappearing from view entirely.

"Come on," Artorius murmured after they had been stood there for a moment.

Nodding, Krista allowed him to lead her away when a thought suddenly occurred to her and she pulled back on his hand.

"What is it?" Artorius frowned.

"How did he escape the Colosseum?" Krista asked.

"I-" Artorius started to speak when he stopped himself because he realised that he did not know.

Looking over his shoulder, Artorius looked at the spot where the tiger had been as a bizarre and outlandish idea cropped into his mind.

Turning back to Krista, he opened his lips to tell her how he thought it could have happened but it was simply too impossible to be true that he could not utter it.

Krista narrowed her eyes a little and the corner of her lips tilted upward in a smirk as she thought the same as him.

"No," Artorius shook his head a little, "Surely not-"

"No, they couldn't have-" Krista agreed.

"-It'd be impossible," Artorius confirmed as they turned and began to walk away side by side, firm in their belief that what they thought had happened couldn't possibly have.

"-But entirely brilliant," Krista muttered after a moment of walking in silence.

"Oh yeah," Artorius chuckled, which made Krista laugh and she hoped they would spend the rest of their lives laughing.