Chapter 4

Lucius escorted Attia down to the underworld of the arena where all the wild animals and gladiators were. The men in the games for today were in their leather armor and metal helmets. Each one in their own thoughts wondering if they would live to see another day.

For the first time in her life Attia saw a tiger. It was so much larger than a lion. It bared its fangs and hissed at her. The animal was caged and didn't pose a threat. Yet from what her mother told her about seeing a tiger maul a big muscular man to death in seconds gave her a respect for it. Its fangs were at least five inches long. Lucius showed all the animals he knew plus a few he didn't. He asked a guard the ones he didn't recognized. There was a rhinoceros that looked like it might give the tiger a run for its money. She smiled as she felt Lucius' arm about her waist. He was gentle but there was also a strength in his arms that impressed her.

"YOU!" a man with a barbaric accent pointed to her. "YOU ARE THE BITCH WHO KILLED MY UNCLE GROAT!" The man recalled many stories of a Roman girl with long flaming red hair who had done this to his distant relative. He vowed revenge if he ever had the opportunity.

"Get back into place," Lucius ordered. "You have to be in arena in a few minutes."

"It was my mother who killed your uncle," Attia stated. Her heart was pounding in fear.

"I KILL YOU NOW!" the man drew his sword. Lucius started for his weapon when Attia moved quickly. Before anyone could to anything the barbarian had the knife Agrippa had given her deeply implanted into his chest. The man looked up in shock as if he couldn't believe what had happened to him. His eyes shut and he fell upon the cold stone floor on his back. Lucius and the others around them refused to believe what they had just witnessed. This tiny little woman with long flaming redhair had just killed the champion of Rome's gladiators. Not only that, but how fast she had reached into the slit in her gown, drew the dagger and so accurately threw it at the man who intended to slay her.

"Did you see what you witnessed and heard his threats to her?" Lucius asked the guard.

"Yes sir, but I don't believe it!" the man sputtered. Without a word Attia walked over to the barbarian and pulled her knife from his chest. It was a lot harder getting it out than putting it in. She found a cloth and wiped off his blood. She put it back into her robe storing the weapon in its sheath.

"Can we go now? I'm a little upset," she asked Lucius. Lucius got the guard's name and had him bear witness to what had occured.

"She killed the champion gladiator in Rome, he's called Giganticus," the guard told him.

Lucuius didn't say a word but the rise in his eyebrow showed that he was impressed.

In less than five minutes the couple was out of the arena when she started to sob. "I've never killed anyone before. Forgive me," she said to Lucius.

"There is nothing to forgive. I never seen anyone move as quickly as you did with that monster. I was going for my sword and I didn't even have my grip on the handle when I saw that he was standing there dying." Attia stepped into his arms and wept over the incident.

He hugged her gently letting her cry. He had a hand stroking her long flaming silky hair.

He felt he could hold her like this forever. Finally she cried herself out then allowed him to hold her hand as they walked back home. It was obvious that he had fallen in love with this warrior lady.

"So you killed Groat's nephew, good!" Penelope smiled at her daughter proudly.

"I do not like killing. I know you did but I was hoping that I wouldn't have to," Attia wept all over again.

"From what you and Lucius said, you had no choice. It was him or you. I know how you feel. Besides, I don't enjoy killing unless my life or my family's lives are in danger."

"How do I feel, Mother?"

With Lucius sitting across from them, Penelope whispered into her daughter's ear, "You want to make love to him."

Attia stared at her mother wide-eyed. Then she nodded.

"Another time," her Mother smiled. "Lucius, I think you should leave now. Attia's going to lay down and rest. She needs it. You are welcome to our house anytime."

"Oh yes," Attia affirmed. "Please do come back... and soon."

"It will be my pleasure. Perhaps we can go riding next time," Lucius suggested.

"That will be wonderful," Attia pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you for everything."

Lucius found Agrippa making out a report to present to the Emperor Claudius about the status of the Praetoriun Guard. He knocked on the wall and Agrippa waved him in. He sat down across from his table watching him write.

"What can I do for you?" Agrippa asked, impatiently.

"If this is a bad time it can wait."

"Tell me now," he poured out two goblets of wine handing one over to Lucius.

"Did you hear about what happened at the arena?"

"I got up just an hour ago. I had the night watch, remember?"

"Well your sister killed Giganticus for one thing."

"Attia? Why am I not surprised? Tell me all the details."

Lucius went into a blow-by-blow description of events. The animals, Gigantitcus' threat, her drawing her dagger and threw it into the man's heart before anyone could blink.

Then the breakdown in tears for killing the gladiator.

"Just like my mother," Agrippa laughed. "She claims that Attia is better than she ever was though I find that unlikely. Mother slew two of the biggest Germans in sword-to- sword combat without a scratch. My father told me that she was completely in the nude when she did in the second."

"I can see why he would be so distracted," Lucius smiled and took a gulp of the fine wine.

"Anyhow, Attia is supposed to be better than her. She is faster and has very quick reflexes.

I haven't seen my sister in action but if what Mother say is true, anyone who challenges her is in for the fight of his life. My Uncle Gaius told me how my mother hurt his leg with a quick kick and if it were real combat, he would be dead."

"Seeing her handle that knife so quickly, I can see how she might be so formidable. It was like a bolt of lightning out of nowhere," Lucius replied. "But that's not the reason I came to see you."

"Let me guess, you are smitten by my sister!"

"I've never been in love with anyone in my life but Attia is always on my mind. I know that I love and adore her."

"And what does she say about it?"

"We haven't gone that far yet. I was going to tell her but Giganticus kind of ruined that for now. I'm going back in the morning and tell her how I feel about her."