hear.
“And whose sons shall we send to fight this war, Marcus, perhaps yours?” Maximus added; his words were forceful and growing angrier.
“Calm yourself, nephew,” Varro spoke as he placed his hand onto the young senator’s shoulders. “No one is talking about starting a war. Rome has had her fill of bloodshed after the last one. However, these recent acts serve to bait Rome into action.”
“I don’t know, Varro. This new leader in Spain; what is his name? He seems a determined man, even more so than his father was,” Nero spoke next.
“Pig slop! They are all savages. What could they do to the Republic that they haven’t already tried? I still say we march north and deal with this Hannibal now, before he becomes more trouble,” Marcus commented as he poured another cup of wine into his goblet.
“It is so easy for you to make such thoughtless decisions, isn’t it? You may think of them as savages, but look what we nearly lost in the last war. How many ships did we lose, huh? Was it a thousand, or five thousand? And how many souls died with their bellies spilled open, rotting in the sun, fifty thousand, a hundred? You tell me, my dear friend. If we are to survive the next one, we must start thinking differently,” Maximus argued, but his words were falling on deaf ears.
“Thinking differently isn’t what has made the Republic as powerful as it is. It is through force of arms, and that is what is needed to take care of our enemies,” Marcus raised his cup, speaking louder as if he was addressing the whole Senate.
“And fatten your purse too, I take it?”
“Please, Maximus, we all grow rich in war and trade. You included, my young friend,” Nero rebuked.
“Perhaps, but I will not sacrifice the lives of my children t o fill my purse with more coins.”
“Hah! That is what I love about you my young nephew. You are so dramatic that I believe sometimes you missed your true calling as an actor; if only you didn’t have such a brilliant mind,” Varro said, almost mockingly, but speaking the truth.
“I speak what is in my heart, uncle,” Maximus replied.
“That is understandable. However, I speak from experience, if you want to survive the game of politics, you’ll have to do more than carry your heart on your sleeve. All the passion in the world will not save you if you make too many enemies in the house. At least, the Carthaginians will give you an honorable death in battle,” Varro added as he spoke firmly.
“Is that a threat of some kind?” Maximus asked sharply.
“Of course not, I speak only from my own experiences. I wouldn’t be standing here having this entertaining conversation with you now if I hadn’t learned how to play the game. You would do well to learn it too, quickly, because I see great things in store for you. However,” Varro learned in closer, “One day you may have to abandon your conscience if you want to speak for the people and make the hard decisions that will shape the course of history.”
“I am afraid that, uncle may be too high a price to pay,” Maximus exclaimed.
Varro only smiled. The two stared at one another as Marcus continued on, changing the subject to other topics relevant to the Senate. Gaius on the other-hand grew bored listening to the four men speaking of matters that his young mind could not comprehend. So, his attention turned to the shops that lined both sides of the street which led to the arena.
Most of the stores were ordinary. They sold mostly food and drink, which due to the heat had kept them busy in the late hours. A few shops sold various items of expensive taste: rugs, jewels, and pottery, clothing, gold and silver trinkets, to the wealthy patrons of the games.
As he surveyed his surroundings, one stand, in particular, caught his attention. It wasn’t as well kept as the rest. It stood at the end of the block, towards a back alley that shaded in the shadows.
Unlike the other stores, the owner did not try to entice every
“And whose sons shall we send to fight this war, Marcus, perhaps yours?” Maximus added; his words were forceful and growing angrier.
“Calm yourself, nephew,” Varro spoke as he placed his hand onto the young senator’s shoulders. “No one is talking about starting a war. Rome has had her fill of bloodshed after the last one. However, these recent acts serve to bait Rome into action.”
“I don’t know, Varro. This new leader in Spain; what is his name? He seems a determined man, even more so than his father was,” Nero spoke next.
“Pig slop! They are all savages. What could they do to the Republic that they haven’t already tried? I still say we march north and deal with this Hannibal now, before he becomes more trouble,” Marcus commented as he poured another cup of wine into his goblet.
“It is so easy for you to make such thoughtless decisions, isn’t it? You may think of them as savages, but look what we nearly lost in the last war. How many ships did we lose, huh? Was it a thousand, or five thousand? And how many souls died with their bellies spilled open, rotting in the sun, fifty thousand, a hundred? You tell me, my dear friend. If we are to survive the next one, we must start thinking differently,” Maximus argued, but his words were falling on deaf ears.
“Thinking differently isn’t what has made the Republic as powerful as it is. It is through force of arms, and that is what is needed to take care of our enemies,” Marcus raised his cup, speaking louder as if he was addressing the whole Senate.
“And fatten your purse too, I take it?”
“Please, Maximus, we all grow rich in war and trade. You included, my young friend,” Nero rebuked.
“Perhaps, but I will not sacrifice the lives of my children t o fill my purse with more coins.”
“Hah! That is what I love about you my young nephew. You are so dramatic that I believe sometimes you missed your true calling as an actor; if only you didn’t have such a brilliant mind,” Varro said, almost mockingly, but speaking the truth.
“I speak what is in my heart, uncle,” Maximus replied.
“That is understandable. However, I speak from experience, if you want to survive the game of politics, you’ll have to do more than carry your heart on your sleeve. All the passion in the world will not save you if you make too many enemies in the house. At least, the Carthaginians will give you an honorable death in battle,” Varro added as he spoke firmly.
“Is that a threat of some kind?” Maximus asked sharply.
“Of course not, I speak only from my own experiences. I wouldn’t be standing here having this entertaining conversation with you now if I hadn’t learned how to play the game. You would do well to learn it too, quickly, because I see great things in store for you. However,” Varro learned in closer, “One day you may have to abandon your conscience if you want to speak for the people and make the hard decisions that will shape the course of history.”
“I am afraid that, uncle may be too high a price to pay,” Maximus exclaimed.
Varro only smiled. The two stared at one another as Marcus continued on, changing the subject to other topics relevant to the Senate. Gaius on the other-hand grew bored listening to the four men speaking of matters that his young mind could not comprehend. So, his attention turned to the shops that lined both sides of the street which led to the arena.
Most of the stores were ordinary. They sold mostly food and drink, which due to the heat had kept them busy in the late hours. A few shops sold various items of expensive taste: rugs, jewels, and pottery, clothing, gold and silver trinkets, to the wealthy patrons of the games.
As he surveyed his surroundings, one stand, in particular, caught his attention. It wasn’t as well kept as the rest. It stood at the end of the block, towards a back alley that shaded in the shadows.
Unlike the other stores, the owner did not try to entice every
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