The call had gone out. Celadus, a Roman gladiator, was to report to the Coliseum by order of Flavius Thrasea, the Governor of Rome. Apparently, the Governor was entertaining some very important and influential visitors and wanted to put on a good show. 

Ordinarily, he would have some of the lesser slave gladiators perform for his amusement whenever the mood for a little bloodletting and violence suited him. But for these special visitors, he wanted to show off his best warriors.

Celadus had earned a good deal of respect and admiration and was something of a hero of the Coliseum because of the many battles he had won. He was in an elite category of gladiators who had earned the privilege of having a home of their own away from the Coliseum.

It had taken a long time and many battles–he had beaten a great many opponents, both man and beast to get to this point and he hoped he would fight long enough to win his freedom completely. 

You see, while Celadus was not a slave like the general Coliseum gladiators who were confined to their cells when they weren't fighting for their lives, he was still a sort of servant of the Coliseum. 

He had his own residence, but when the call came for him to fight, he knew he had no choice but to heed the call–failure to do it would put him back in the cells under the Coliseum as a slave again.

He walked to the Coliseum and reported to the manager who directed him where he needed to be. He got suited up and prepared himself for battle. 

He did not know who or what his foe was–no one knew who they were fighting until the time came so it was always a surprise that they had to deal with. Celadus could be fighting one of the Coliseum gladiators, another warrior from some far off land, or a wild savage beast. 

He would just have to wait until the gate opened to see what he would do then.

The doors opened and Celadus walked out into the center of the Coliseum floor. The crowds in the stands all yelled and cheered for him and he felt pretty proud of his throngs of supporters. He walked over and saluted the Governor as was proper and then moved back into the center of the stadium. 

A door opened and he saw two men throw a dark-skinned woman out onto the dirt floor crying and screaming in terror. The woman had torn and ragged clothes and no weapon he could see. 

Surely they didn't want him to just dispatch this unarmed and terrified young woman? He approached her slowly, uncertain of how to handle this situation. She screamed and cowered as he got closer. She was too frightened to even put up any form of defense. 

Then the crowd behind him roared and he whirled around to see what had them so excited. He saw who his true foes were–a tiger and a bear had been released and were fast approaching him.

"Get behind me!" he yelled at the woman as he quickly grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. Then he turned around to face his aggressors. 

Armed with a spear, his shield, and a short sharp sword in its scabbard, he waited for the first animal to mount its attack. It was the tiger, faster than the bear, that would be first. Celadus held his spear at the ready steeling himself for the fight. 

About ten feet from reaching him, the tiger leaped high in the air to pounce on its weaker victim. 

But Celadus had learned a few tricks along the way and as the tiger leaped up, he knelt down and braced the butt of his spear against the ground and his foot raising the sharp point up to a steep angle directly at the tiger. 

The tiger landed right on the spear, impaling itself and the weight of the beast drove the spear point through its heart and out the back of the tiger, killing it instantly.

With no time to retrieve his spear from the dead tiger's body, he turned to the bear and drew his sword. The bear stopped its charge momentarily and that's when Celadus had an idea. He stepped to the side away from the terrified girl, while watching the bear. 

The bear didn't know what to think of this man but he saw an easy kill in the woman and charged her. She screamed bloody murder and turned her face away from certain cruel death. 

Celadus waited until the bear was about to run past him and he jumped high in the air over the bear and with one tremendous arc, brought the sword down on the back of the bear's neck. 

The sharp edge of the blade cut deep into the bear's neck, cutting its spinal cord and almost halfway through its neck, leaving the head barely attached. The bear dropped and landed mere feet from the girl, who at this point had passed out cold from fear. 

Celadus landed and rolled to his feet, ready to continue the fight, but saw instead that he had beaten the bear. He rushed over to the girl to see if she still lived and was relieved to see she didn't have a mark on her. 

He knelt down and lifted her into a semi-reclining position. "Are you all right?" he asked, gently slapping her face to wake her. She opened her eyes and screamed again, gripping him tightly before she realized she was still alive. 

"You are all right. The beasts are dead," he said. She broke down crying on his shoulder. He sat with her for a moment, putting the roar of the crowds out of his mind. After a couple of moments, he helped her to stand and they went over to stand in front of the Governor. 

Celadus knelt and pounded his left breast with his right hand, a Roman form of saluting as he knelt on one knee. The woman fell to her knees and bowed down in front of the Governor.

"You have done well once again, Celadus. You have bested two ferocious animals and won the day. Go now and get cleaned up and come to my throneroom so we can discuss your reward for your fine work," Flavius said.

Celadus began walking towards the door leading to the interior rooms of the Coliseum so he could wash the blood and dirt off.

Behind him, he heard the woman scream again as the two men who had cast her into the Coliseum came to retrieve her.

"I am here as you requested, my liege," Celadus said once again, kneeling and saluting.

"Rise, Celadus. Now, what would you request as your reward for today's fine exhibition? Gold? Something else, perhaps?" Flavius asked.

"I have given it some consideration on the way here, my liege, and I would like the woman. The one I fought for in the Coliseum today," Celadus said.

"So you would have the slave woman you fought the beasts for, would you? Very well." He turned to one of his attendants "Bring the woman here." The servant rushed off to get the woman and within a few minutes, he had brought her back to stand next to Celadus.

"Celadus here has asked that you be his reward for his great victory today. Why he would want a thief and a whore such as you is beyond me, but he does. So I am giving you to him. You are now his woman and you will do anything and everything he tells you to, understand?" Flavius said.

"Yes, Sir," she replied quietly.

"Now be warned, the two of you. She is now your possession, Celadus, and also your responsibility. Should she break any of our laws, it will be you, not her, that suffers the consequences.

"And you, if you do not obey Celadus or displease him to the point that he turns you out, you will come back here as a slave and your next trip to the Coliseum may not end so pleasantly for you!"

Then he turned back to Celadus. "Are you sure this is what you want, Celadus? Gold might be the wiser investment–at least gold won't disobey you or cause you to lose your status as an elite gladiator!" He chuckled.

"I am sure, my liege. Thank you."

"You may not be quite so thankful in the future, Celadus." With that, he beckoned the servant to bring him a basin of water. 

"So let it be done. You now belong to Celadus to do with as he pleases. I wash my hands of you." And he washed his hands, signifying he was done with the whole matter of the slave girl.

Celadus turned without another word and began walking out of the throne room. The girl followed behind silently.

Celadus walked briskly down the street to his house and the girl kept up as best she could, sometimes walking, sometimes running to catch up again. His stride was half again as long as hers so she had to take two steps for every one of his, and she was soon winded and panting. 

Fortunately, just as she was about to plead for him to stop and let her catch her breath, they arrived at his house. He opened the door and they went inside. He took off his helmet and breastplate and set them beside the door, then he took off his sword and scabbard and hung it on a hook on the wall. 

He took her by the arm and sat her down at the table then sat across from her on the other side. "What is your name, woman?"

"Selassie, Master," she said, looking down as she spoke.

"And how did you come to be a Roman slavegirl, Selassie? You are certainly not Roman, not with dark skin," he said.

"No, Master. I am from northern Nigeria, near the border with Chad. I was captured by a slave-trader and then sold to the Romans, and eventually, I was brought north to Rome. I was given to a shopkeeper as payment for some goods," she said.

"I see. All right then, tell me about this thievery and whoring that Flavius talked about. I should know what you've done so I know what to keep you from doing again."

"Master, I was a whore for the shopkeeper. He made me have sex with other men who paid him for it. I was his whore, I had no choice. And the thievery was when I stole some food. I was hungry, Master, and the shopkeeper wouldn't give me anything to eat because he was mad at me. 

"I had just had sex with one of his business associates and he wanted sex with me. I was tired, sore, and dirty. So I told him not tonight and he got mad at me and wouldn't feed me. I was hungry–I hadn't eaten all day," she explained, raising her head for the first time since they had been home.

"I see. Well, Selassie, here is how this is going to work. You are my possession and my property now and I am responsible for you, as Flavius said. And as long as you are under my roof and my rule, you will not go hungry. 

"You will still be a whore, but you will be MY whore. You will not be ordered to or allowed to have sex with any other men but me. You will, however, be required to do what I say when I say it and the way I say to do it. That includes inside and outside the bedroom.

"I am not a hard man, nor am I cruel. You will be treated with the respect and care you provide me. But know this, Selassie, I have worked hard and fought many battles to attain this degree of respect in the community and with Flavius. 

"Should you cause me to lose it by word or deed, I will cast you out and you will go back to your cell and the Coliseum. If you break the law and I am punished for it and I survive, I will kill you myself. 

"If I do not survive, you will return to the cell you came from and the next tiger or bear will do it for me. As long as you obey me and honor me, we will get along fine."

"Yes, Master. I will not disappoint you. I will be a good woman and a good whore for you. Thank you for rescuing me... twice. Once in the Coliseum and once from it," she said.

"You can thank me by drawing me a hot bath. I am starting to stiffen up as I always do after a big battle and I need to soak to relieve the sore muscles," he said.

"Yes, Master, right away!" She got up to leave and he caught her by the arm.

"That's another thing, Selassie, let's not use the Master thing. I own you, yes, but you are not a slave and I am not your Master. My name is Celadus," he said.

"Really?" she said, shocked that she could call this Roman by his first name.

"Yes, Selassie. We are going to be living under the same roof, we may as well be friends and call each other by name," he said. 

She smiled broadly and then went to draw his bath.

A few minutes later she came in to get him. "Celadus, your bath is ready," she said, still grinning. This was the first time since she had come to this land that she felt like an equal and not constantly reminded she was a slave. It was nice but it would take some getting used to!

He went in and saw the steaming tub filled with water. It also had a very pleasing scent to it. "What is that smell, Selassie?" he asked.

"Do you like it? It is chamomile and lavender oils mixed in the water. The chamomile is what my people used to help with their injuries and the lavender I learned from the shopkeeper who sold that along with his other goods."

"It smells nice," he said. She smiled and then helped him undress. She helped him take off his tunic (more or less a long t-shirt type garment) and then knelt down to helped him remove his loincloth or subligaria which served as his undergarment.

"Oh, Celadus! I knew you were a strong man, but I didn't know you were so... powerful!" she said when she saw the "sword" he carried under his loincloth!

"Shall I... bathe you?" she asked. It wasn't so much a question as it was a request–he had saved her life and she wanted to repay him, but she also wanted to please him and show him that she could be VERY obedient and enjoyable if he'd allow her to!

Before he could answer, she dropped her tunic, revealing what she had to offer... and it was definitely a winning hand! 

With long straight black hair, a very attractive young face with large brown eyes and full kissable lips, she was a delight to look at. And her 5'6" curvy figure and generous firm breasts made her a delight to hold as well!

He helped her into the tub and she slid to the back, making room for him in front of her. He climbed in and sat down and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She began innocently enough, washing his back and soothing tired muscles. He began to feel better almost immediately and wondered why he hadn't thought of something like this sooner. 

Once she was satisfied that his back was clean (and wanting to get around to what caught her eye earlier!) she pulled him back to lay on her as she began washing his chest. Selassie was enjoying running her hands over his strong powerful chest and stroking his large muscular arms. 

She felt his scars and it made her feel very safe knowing this man had been through hell and made it out the other side–he could take care of her! 

She moved her hands down and quickly realized he was bigger than most of the other men she had been made to service. She couldn't reach around him to the part she most wanted to get to!

"Celadus, could you turn around, I can't reach to wash your chest very well!" she said. She knew it was a ploy to get him to turn around, and when he did she saw the wide grin on his face. He knew what she was doing too! 

He put his legs over hers, straddling her as she straddled him. He pulled her forward close to him. "Is this close enough, Selassie?" he said in a low seductive tone. She melted as his hand found her breasts and began to massage them under the guise of washing her. 

She moaned softly as he toyed with her hardening nipples and cupped and lifted her weighty breasts, pushing them together and watching the water run down between them.

Selassie's own hands had strayed down and found something to play with as well. She wrapped her hand around his now hard cock and she gasped as she felt its size and strength. She began to stroke it, getting more and more aroused as she felt it slide in her hands. 

Selassie was finding it very hard to concentrate on her work, and Celadus was not having an easy time either!

"I think we're probably clean enough, Selassie," he said after a bit. Selassie thought at first she had done something wrong and let go of his cock like it had burned her. But when she looked in his eyes and saw the mischievous glint there, she smiled.

Celadus stood up with his cock strategically placed directly above her head just high enough that she could see it but couldn't reach it with her mouth. He was toying with her and teasing her with what he knew she wanted. 

He reached down and took her hands, helping her up. He stepped out of the tub then helped her out, pulling her close to him as she stepped out of the tub. 

With his huge arms wrapped around her and his huge cock pressing into her, Selassie's legs were weak as wet noodles and she depended on him to hold her up. Celadus was more than willing to as her diamond hard nipples felt wonderful poking into his chest and her soft asscheeks molded to his fingertips.

"Should we even bother to dry off, Selassie?" he asked her. 

Her lustful, needy moan gave him the answer he was looking for. He bent down and swept her up into his strong arms, carrying her into the bedroom.

He tossed the young woman onto the bed and she landed on her back, giggling. He climbed into bed and moved over top of her. She put her arms around his neck and looked up at him. 

Celadus looked down at his brown-skinned beauty and saw a look that was a mixture of happiness and uncertainty. 

She liked how this had gone so far but was worried that it might just be the "honeymoon period" and that soon the newness might wear off and she would have to deal with the real Celadus... the hard brutal gladiator of legend.

Selassie knew she had no right to expect anything more from him; after all, she was just a slave girl, captured by slave traders while fetching water from the river one day many years ago and taken back to Rome to serve as a shopkeeper's slave and whore. 

She had stolen some food and got caught and was sentenced to die in the Coliseum. She would have, too, if it hadn't been for Celadus, the man who now owned her and was about to take possession of his "reward" as a man takes a woman.

Celadus saw the look in the woman's eyes. The hope yet concern was plain to see even for him. Celadus had precious little experience with women and what little he did have was just meaningless one-night stands. 

Or quick back-alley trysts with women who happened to be handy and wanted to be known as having had sex with an elite gladiator. With him. 

He had never had a regular girlfriend or wife–what woman wants to put that much into a relationship with a man who could (and probably would) be killed at any time! 

He had been extremely lucky to have lived this long–the lifespan of a Roman gladiator is not a long one. 

Somehow the gods had looked down with favor for him up till now. But who knew how long that favor would hold out?

Celadus knew that he had to show this woman she had nothing to fear. He had no intention of mistreating her or taking advantage of his ownership of her. He could if he wanted to and he'd be totally within his rights to do so. 

Women–and especially slave women–didn't hold a lot of status in ancient Roman society. It was a man's world and the women did whatever their men told them to do. 

Still, he felt something for this slave girl. It wasn't pity, and it was far too soon for love. It was more an understanding... a feeling that they shared a kinship as two people who lived at the bottom end of the social ladder. 

Being a man and a warrior, he had a natural inclination to take care of and watch over those weaker than himself... a pre-medieval sense of chivalry.

Celadus needed to do something to show her that she was safe and that he would take good care of her. He smiled and lowered himself down to gently kiss her full ripe lips. 

At first, the kiss was cautious, tentative and unsure, as if he didn't know how it would be received. Selassie hadn't had many good experiences with men–he didn't know whether she would accept his kiss or be afraid of what else he might have in mind behind it.

But she somehow sensed that he was trying to get her to relax and that he wasn't the threat his name and presence put forth. She accepted his kiss and as she did, their kiss deepened and she moaned softly into his mouth. 

Their kiss became more impassioned and then urgent as the two of them understood the other's need. Selassie parted her lips and her tongue went out in search of a playmate. She licked his lips, encouraging him to open his, and then her tongue found his. 

Her hold around his neck tightened, drawing him to her, and they embraced as lovers for the first time.