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Summary:

The year is 77 BCE. The setting is the (fictional) port city of Alexandria Minor, north of Herculaneum, in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius...

At the ludus of Regulus Monroviatus, Darolus Marcus Dixus is a gladiator in training, hopelessly in love with the Roman maiden Carola, who is promised to another.


Rated: E
Categories: Alternate Universe
Characters: Carol Peletier, Daryl Dixon, Deanna Monroe, Ed Peletier, Merle, Michonne Hawthorne
Genres: Historical, Romance
Warnings: Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Violence
Series: None
Chapters: 17 Completed: Yes
Word count: 57506 Read: 4909
Published: January 06, 2017 Updated: March 03, 2017



Print or Download Story: Printer Microsoft Word ePub eBook
Story Notes:

I’ve been a bit blocked on my WIPs and binged on Spartacus on Netflix over holiday break, so this is what you get! Ancient Roman Caryl AU. Enjoy!

Some background notes: This is a culture that ran on the power of domination and so the enslavement of the conquered was a chief source of manpower in Roman society. Their empire ranged across the Mediterranean and was multi-ethnic. In the descriptions of characters in the story, in ancient Roman terms, Nubian indicates African; Syrian indicates mid-eastern ancestry, Gaul is France, Germania is Germany, Hibernia is Spain and Britannia is England.

Gladiators were a very particular finely honed breed of fighting men, many of whom were enslaved as prisoners of war and brought to Italy from the far flung reaches of the Roman provinces. Private individuals (even Roman citizens) could also sell themselves into bond slavery to earn coin to pay off debts or for dowry, purchase of land etc. It was even possible to do so at the ludus, the gladiator schools that supplied fighters for the arenas in many major Roman provincial cities. They would contract with the owner of the school, the Lanista, to be trained for the games. If they survived the training and were admitted into the Brotherhood any purses they earned would pay off the bond and give them a chance at even more winnings beyond the bond debt.

1. Chapter 1 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 7] Liked (4141 words)

Terms:
In Latin, “the” is very rarely used, which makes the dialogue sound just a little different. I’ve tried to keep that in the way I wrote this, but sometimes it just didn’t work for what I needed them to say.

“Apologies” = I’m sorry

“Break words” = talk to you

Domina & Dominus: female and male head of a dynastic House. Bloodlines were everything to Romans and they kept records back through generations.

Doctore: head gladiator trainer

Medicus: physician

Custos: private soldiers who acted as defense and bodyguard

“Greek love” is how the ancient Romans referred to homosexuality, which was officially frowned upon. However in their minds, anyone the head of household controlled those under him by familial or literal ownership as their property. So long as they were the dominant partner in a sexual encounter, they could have sex with just about anyone under their roof in any way they wanted.

In STARZ’ Spartacus TV series, if you’ve never watched, one of the gladiator champions is named Crixus.

 

2. Chapter 2 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 5] Liked (2622 words)

Dixus is summoned to the villa for a surprising encounter.

Terms: A little bit about Ancient Roman swear words: "Fuck," or futuo, was not always pejorative. Instead, another word was considered far fouler: landica, for clitoris (equivalent of the c--t word in nastiness).  “People swear about what they care about, and the Romans cared about the clitoris. They thought that both male and female partners in intercourse had to achieve orgasm for conception to occur, a wrong, but gallant, idea.”
catamite: insulting term for passive partner in homosexual encounter
mingo: piss
digitus impudicus: flipping someone the bird
The mouth was considered a sacred body part, so anything to do with it, such as a foreign substance or object going into it was seen as very vulgar. In addition because Clan bloodlines were so important, the implication that someone was a bastard was a great insult. Source: Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing by Melissa Mohr 

3. Chapter 3 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] Liked (3191 words)

Carola and Darolus' time together continues in spectacular fashion and has effects that will ripple out to everyone around them.

Strong sexual content warning.

4. Chapter 4 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] Liked (3054 words)

Dixus faces Tyresias in the challenge bout while Carola faces her own battle with Edgelus with aid from a very unexpected source.

Terms:
tour de stade: a physical exercise in which a person runs up and down all the stairs in every section of a stadium.
Dis Pater: Roman god of the Underworld, guardian at the gate who carries a large hammer

Cyclops: one eyed man eating giant defeated by the hero Odysseus in the Greek epic through guile and clever stratagems.

5. Chapter 5 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] (2341 words)

In the aftermath of the Gladiator trials both Carola and Darolus are on their own and face more trials on a personal level.

Okay, so this is the low point in the story, sorry! Betrayals and jealousy swirl all around our poor Caryl, working to keep them apart and in very vulnerable positions both emotionally and physically, which others seek to exploit.

Warning: Daryl/temporary other 

Notes: “There are 19 kinds of snakes in Italy and only four of them - all of them vipers - are poisonous. And only one of those, Vipera aspis is "common" in the sense that it can be found all over Italy, whereas the others are rarer finds. September is the month that vipers give birth in Italy and lay along over hanging branches under which you walk.” Watch out for falling snakes! Source: Snakes in Italy

The latifundia (Latin: lātus, "spacious" + fundus, "farm, estate") of Roman history were great landed estates specializing in agriculture destined for export: grain, olive oil, or wine.

 

 

6. Chapter 6 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] Liked (2813 words)

Opportunity brought by a new arrival arises for several in the House of Monroviatus.

Notes:
Venus, Eros and Priapus: Roman love/sex gods; the last usually represented in art as a handsome man sporting a large erection. He was seen as a sign of good fortune.

Dimachaeri:   gladiator who fought with two swords, one in each hand

Sagittarius: gladiator who fought with bow and arrows on horseback; the most trusted since they could easily kill spectators as well as those in the arena; often used for wild beast shows to “hunt” the animals

viride: the color  green in Latin

rudius: ceremonial wooden sword awarded when a gladiator champion is granted his freedom

“Kindly Ones:” the 3 Fates; the title often used ironically, because to quote Benjamin Linus, Fate is a fickle bitch.

In the Trojan War, the Greeks tricked the King of Troy into letting them inside the city walls by secreting themselves inside a huge wooden horse given in tribute to the gods. Waiting until nightfall, the Greek heroes, led by the originator of the scheme, Odysseus, jumped out of the horse and attacked, defeating the Trojans. “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” became a popular saying, symbolizing hidden dangers, even among ancient Romans, who traced their culture’s origins back to Aeneas, a Trojan prince who escaped the slaughter.

 

7. Chapter 7 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] (3472 words)

Notes: 
In answer to a reader question, 73 BCE was Spartacus’ Gladiator Rebellion; this story is set 4 years before, in 77 BCE (remember in BCE, dates run backwards to zero.)

“Protection from arbitrary violence was a vivid symbol of freedom in Rome, marking the distinction between ‘free’ and ‘slave’ and thus grouping gladiators with the latter... Even Roman citizens who voluntarily chose to become gladiators were degraded to this servile legal status. To this end they were made to swear a fearful solemn oath, recounted by Petronius in the 1st century CE: “I will endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten and to be killed by the sword.”

“Stripped of social and cultural paraphernalia...that gives identity and status to most men, the gladiator is naked, defined only by his weapon. He is all sword. Fittingly, the Latin word for their sword—gladius—was vulgarly used as slang for penis.”
-- Lawrence, Jennifer. “Ostracized Hybrids of Rome: the Paradoxical Role of Gladiators in the Republic.” The Helicon, Yale Undergraduate Journal of Classics, Spring 2013. http://www.thehelicon.com/2013/gladiators/

Warning: sexually explicit pre-Carola flashback for Dixus; but we end with some Caryl lovin'

8. Chapter 8 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 2] (4018 words)

Dixus starts his training to be a Sagittarius and fights his jealousy as Carola is courted by not one, but two suitors. Meanwhile she consults some experts on how to pleasure her man and tries to apply their advice with mixed results.

Sexual content warning: non-consensual sex discussed, (not involving Carola/Darolus) as well as consensual Caryl pairing. 

Notes:
trireme: smaller merchant ship with tree rows of oars
navis rostrata: warship with a battering ram (rostra), which was used to sink or immobilize 
Ancient Roman medicine: When applied to open wounds, honey can have an antibiotic quality that helps in the healing process by staving off infection. They didn’t really know why or how it worked, just that it did.
Ancient Roman Horsemanship: their saddles did not have stirrups, (they weren’t invented until the Middle Ages) so cavalry soldiers had to have incredibly strong legs and a secure seat to stay on their horses. Using weapons from horseback also meant that the animal had to be trained to respond to leg cues and shifts in the rider’s weight so both hands could be free to wield the bow, sword or spear. (Voice commands didn’t work well in the heat & noise of battle.
Ishtar: Mesopotamian love goddess worshiped with sexual rites; Romans could worship any foreign gods they wished, as long as they also kept their oaths of loyalty to the Roman ones.

 

9. Chapter 9 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 4] (3006 words)

The guests at the House of Ezekias discuss an important visitor’s arrival and the brothers Dixus have an illuminating confrontation.

Notes:
Tribune: any of various military and public officials in ancient Rome

Praetor: ancient Roman magistrate dealing with legal issues

Legatus Legionis: leader of the entire Legion, usually a senator

Primus Pilus: literally “First File”; commanding centurion of the first cohort & senior centurion of the entire Legion. Service in this position also allowed entry into the Equestrian class upon retirement.
http://www.unrv.com/military/legion.php

Roman mile = .915 modern miles

10. Chapter 10 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 2] (3160 words)

Darolus tries to find a way to present Merlonius’ plan to Carola as they spend some alone time together.

And yes, some of it is naked alone time.

Explicit sexual Carylness.

11. Chapter 11 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] Liked (3256 words)

Darolus does his best to protect Carola; Merlonius wheels and deals and Legatus Neganus arrives complicating matters even further.

12. Chapter 12 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 4] Liked (2236 words)

Carola and Darolus do their best to not draw Legatus Neganus’ attention, but circumstances work against them.

Jupiter Hospitalis is a god of hospitality.

13. Chapter 13 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 4] (3857 words)

Legate Neganus places his pawns on the board and begins to play.

This is a really rough one.

Warning: explicit sexual language; nonconsensual M/F and M/M sexual contact/torture. Discussion of rape. Minor character death.

Notes: Priapus: Roman god of sexual excess and good fortune; usually depicted in a state of erection.

14. Chapter 14 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] (4391 words)

Neganus’ cruel ways bring together a surprising group of people ready to rescue and avenge his victims.

Begins with a slight overlap of the last chapter, this time from Carola’s POV.

Notes: Dwight is an English name derived from the Latin Dionysius, referring to the god of wine.

Some violence and sexual content

15. Chapter 15 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 1] (2883 words)

Carola talks over her fears with an unlikely person while Darolus keeps vigil at the side of his gravely wounded friend.

Notes:
Romans cremated their dead. A columbarium is a mausoleum with niches for cinerary urns; so called because they resemble dovecotes with row after rows of stacked arched openings.

As a form of ancestor worship, they commissioned exact likenesses of family members as portrait busts, called "imagines" which they would keep in the front entrance way of their villas. Daily prayers and offerings were made to ask the dead to protect the family. 

16. Chapter 16 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 3] Liked (4310 words)

A funeral, a wedding and a death wrap up our story.

Notes:
pyxus: small often ceremonial box
Paterfamilias: head of the Clan House
Apollo Medicus and Aesculapius: gods that rule over the medical arts

 

“Generally, there were five parts to a Roman funeral: A procession, cremation and burial, eulogy, feast, and commemoration.”
http://www.ancient.eu/article/96/

 

Roman brides traditionally wore a “tunica recta” a white tunic belted with an elaborate knot of Hercules which was only to be untied by her groom. Her carefully arranged hair would be covered by an orange veil matched in color by her shoes. For the bride, she stated her intent to leave her father’s protection, the “patria potestas” and instead give herself to her husband. The couple would sign the marriage contract to formalize their vows, the “affectio maritalis.” Then there would be a feast, after which everyone followed the happy couple home and watched the groom carry the bride across the threshold of their new home because if she tripped it was considered a bad omen for the marriage.

BTW divorce was even easier—you just had to declare your intent not to live together any more in front of seven witnesses.
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/weddings.html

17. Chapter 17 by darylsdiva1 [Reviews - 7] Liked (4755 words)

Well, this is it folks, the end of the line for this one!  There’s a bit of a time jump so we can see how everyone fared after the events of the last chapter.