Rhea quickly found her brothers just as Senator Thraex was walking over to them with another man. She recognised him as the one who owned Hanno, who she just met. Although, neither of her brothers seemed to know him.

"Emperor's, Princess." Thraex greeted them. Rhea nodded but the boys didn't pay any attention to him until Rhea clipped both of their ears and they let out a small yelp of pain,causing them to turn around.

Thraex ignored the noise out of politeness and introduced his guest who Geta didn't seem to recognise. "Macrinus of Thysdrus, Your Majesty."

Geta's eyes lit up in recognition. "Macrisnus of Thysdrus! Have you come to Romse for the games?" He asked him.

Macrinus laughed. "My estate is in Antium but I could not resist the temptation your majesties are providing these days." He told Geta and Caracalla, who found it quite amusing.

Caracalla laughed loudly. "Brother, every man who has a fortune, makes a name for himself sponsoring fighters at the games." He reminded Geta, it was true though.

"I believe you have a gladiator of your own though, do you not Macrinus?" Rhea asked him and his smile faltered slightly, not that anyone noticed.

"Yes, I do, My Lady," He confirmed. "But I am only here for the love of the sport."

"As are we!" Geta agreed. "As are we."

❤︎❤︎❤︎

About an hour later, Rhea found herself sat between her brothers who were surrounded by their male and female 'hangers-on' as Rhea called them. They were the bane of Rhea's existence and she hated them more than anything. Macrinus soon walked over with Hanno with Thraex next to him.

"Is this your gladiator?" Geta asked him, gesturing to Hanno.

Macrinus nodded, moving next to Geta. "It is, your majesty."

"I want to see him fight." Caracalla demanded as he sat up quickly, making Rhea jump.

Senator Thraex smiled. "You will, Emperor-"

"I want to see him fight now!" Caracalla shouted, his voice rising. He clapped his hands quickly as Rhea realised he was too stoned to stand so she had to help him sit.

From the opposite side of the room, Thraex's fighter, Goth, is brought in in chains. Thraex sighed, "Very well. Three rounds, hand-to-hand-"

Caracalla interrupted, shaking his head. "Swords!"

"Brother-" Rhea tried to talk to him but she got no reaction.

"We want swords!" He exclaimed. "A fight to the death!"

Rhea's worried gaze instinctively looked at Hanno, who looked back at her before the guards pulling out their swords forced them to look away. The guests back away as the guards stand in front of them for their safety. Hanno and Goth begin to circle each other.

"Now, brother, let's not kill each other for their amusement." Hanno told him.

Goth ignored him and ran towards Hanno who quickly stepped out of the way. Hanna managed to slice Goth's upper arm as he got away. Hanno grabbed a vase from the side and smashed it on top of Goth's head. The two of them tussled about before Goth managed to lift Hanno and throw him onto a table which smashed and they both fell to the floor.

Dondus shrieked from Caracalla's head and Rhea winced, turning her head away. Sometimes she just couldn't look, but she still wanted to watch.

Hanno quickly grabbed his sword again and stood up, Goth punched him before the tides were turned around and Hanno thrusted the sword into his stomach and Goth fell to the floor.

The room fell silent before Caracalla began to clap and laugh. Geta stood up, "Remarkable!" He exclaimed happily. "Congratulations Macrinus. Poor luck Thraex, he must have been expensive."

Thraex did not look happy at all, he looked defeated and slightly scared.

Geta turned to Hanno. "Gladiator, from which part of the empire did you hail?" He asked him as Rhea stood up and walked a few steps forward, tightening her shawl rounder shoulders and crossing her arms.

Hanno didn't answer and there was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

"Speak," Geta told him more sternly this time. "I said speak!"

Macrinus quickly intervened. "He is from the colonies, your majesty, his native tongue is all he understands?" He told Geta in Hanno's defence.

Before anyone could say anything, Hanno spoke. "The gates of hell are open night and day. Smooth is the descent and easy is the way. But to come back from hell and view the cheerful skies - in this task the mighty labour lies."

Rhea recognised it. "That's...that's-" Geta tried to say, but he clearly didn't know.

"Virgil," Rhea finished his sentence softly, making direct eye contact with Hanno and she smiled in amusement. "It's poetry."

Geta ignored the look on his sisters face. "Yes, I know that," Rhea knew he didn't. "But how does a barbarian know?"

"Viggo." Macrinus gesteurde for Viggo to take Hanno away quickly and with one last fleeting look towards the princess, Hanno was guided out of the room and chained up again.

Caracalla begins to laugh at his brothers embarrassment. "Very clever, Macrinus! We've grown so bored with platitudes - this one is a surprise. A barbarian who recites poetry, where ever did you find him?"

"To amuse you is my only wish."

❤︎❤︎❤︎

Rhea waited until Macrinus had left Hanno's bathing room before going in. He looked up in surprise, visiting him was quite unexpected and he wasn't too sure how to feel. Guilty? Happy? Only the gods knew and what help were they now?

"Can I do something for you?" He asked, still sitting in the bath.

Rhea stayed back, out of respect for his privacy. "A barbarian who knows poetry? That's something you don't see everyday. Where did you learn it?" She asked curiously.

He hesitated, debating on whether to tell her the truth before deciding. "A captured Roman officer, I was on guard and he began reciting it."

Rhea didn't reply and just studied him for a moment. "You're lying."

Hanno looked surprised. "Excuse me?" He asked.

Rhea cracked a smile. "You're lying, and believe me, I'll find out why. I always do." She assured him.

"Oh do you now?" He spoke back in amusement.

"You know, people don't usually speak to princesses like that. It's quite rude, you know." She told him, still smiling.

"Princesses don't usually visit gladiators while they're bathing. It's quite scandalous, is it not?" He replied sarcastically.

The two of them laughed together before Rhea sat down on the side of the bath, tired of standing. She stared at him for a minute.

"What?" He asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing, you just...you just remind me of someone I once knew as a girl," She told him. "He loved poetry, specifically the one you recited. He loved it so much that his mother had it engraved one his bedroom walls."

Hanno looked away. "What happened to him?" He asked, his voice quieter.

"People say he died-"

"-You don't believe them?"

"No," She said immediately. "To me, he just disappeared. He was the Prince of Rome you see, so he was in danger. After that, my life was never really the same." She explained.

Hanno felt guilty sitting there, lying to her. His life hadn't been the same either, but they were royals, and royals never get what they want.

"Maybe he is out there, just waiting to come home." Hanno suggested softly.

"I fear if he did, he would not like the person I have become." Those were last words before she bid him goodbye and left for the palace.

a/n: i know i said i'd get this book done by the end of the week but i've had a really shit week