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Arena: Chapter 6: Opening
Series/Chapter: Arena - Opening
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
muck_a_luck, posting in brainofck
Pairing: SB/VM (other pairings in later chapters)
Rating: PG
Summary: Viggo is somewhere else, where everyone and no one is the same
Content/warnings: AU. Violence.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Slash is fiction. So while we may all be demented, slash is basically the author's ownporno script, populated by the individuals she feels would be ideal to fill the various roles if she ruled the universe if she were ever fortunate enough have the opportunity to bring her vision to the screen. *snortle*
Archive rights: www.rugbytackling.com, Green Opals, if they're interestd, and my journalsmuck_a_luck and brainofck
Further Disclaimer: Any resemblance to Ancient Rome mostly incidental. I have never seen any gladiator flick. Ever. Honest. Not even stinky Gladiator that stole FOTR's Oscar. *glares*
Blame:uisgich, for encouraging me
Arena
Water and Oil
Flesh and Iron
Night Terrors
First
"What do I have to do to get the door opened?"
Sennet looked up in surprise at the voice. He hadn't heard his visitor approach. Then he almost choked on the bite of breakfast he had just taken.
Viggo was standing there, in the morning light of Sennet's work room. Sennet looked around in confusion for the person who had spoken.
Viggo took a menacing step forward and laid both hands palms flat on the table.
"What do you want from me?" Viggo demanded, in the same low, dangerous voice that had spoken before.
Sennet started at him. Then began to laugh.
"Well, well! You've managed a trick, haven't you, my wonderful outlander! The Weapons Master assured me you were something close to an idiot. Couldn't understand a word. I can't wait to tell him!" Sennet used his amusement to cover his sudden fear of this man, standing over him, unarmed, but clearly angry and maybe even more dangerous than they had ever thought him.
Viggo returned his laughter with cold silence. Sennet allowed his chuckles to die away in a long-suffering sigh. He gestured to a chair opposite him. Viggo didn't sit, but he did step back from the table and stared at Sennet icily with those pale, alien eyes.
"Fine," he said, "You want the door opened, you swear your loyalty to me. That's the end of it. The door will be open tonight."
"And how do I get my freedom from this place?" Viggo asked, with the same cold anger.
Sennet allowed himself to become angry at that.
"A man who wears a collar and a sword does not concern himself with freedom. He thinks only about his next fight, he trains for it constantly, and he knows that if he fights well he will earn honor and fame for himself and his barracks. That's all a man like yourself should think about. If you keep fighting for me like you fought in the arena yesterday, one day you will earn my gratitude and possibly your freedom."
Viggo lunged forward again, and this time actually laid hold of Sennet, yanking him to his feet, so that they stood face to face over the narrow table. Then just as suddenly, Viggo released him, sending him stumbling a bit with a little shove, shaking in his effort to control his fury.
"I don't fight for you!" he spat. "Let's be clear. My allegiance is to Sean, not to you. And you can be sure that as long as he stays in this barracks and fights for you, I will stay."
"But let's also be clear about something else. We both know how I came here. We both know what you did. I will not earn back the life that you stole from me when you paid that bribe. You will give it to me, or I will take it from you. Don't make me wait too long."
"That's as much of a loyalty oath as you're getting from me," Viggo growled. "Open the door tonight."
Sennet stood backed against the wall, staring in shock at his slave. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Here was this barbarian, trying to get the door to his cell unlocked with refusal to swear loyalty and thinly veiled threats on his master's life, and demands for the return of his stolen freedom? He laughed unsteadily to himself. Viggo saw the reaction. He turned on his heel to stalk from the room.
"No, Viggo! Wait!" Sennet managed.
Viggo stopped where he was and turned to face him.
"Sit." Sennet ordered.
To his surprise, Viggo did.
Sennet returned to his seat and his breakfast, gesturing that Viggo should join him, but not surprised when his slave rather leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, the picture of a man whose time is being wasted. The arrogance of the barbarian was both shocking and amusing.
"What made you happy, in your former life?" Sennet asked, as he might while enjoying a pleasant breakfast with another citizen.
Viggo didn't even pause.
"My son."
That brought Sennet up short. He thought for a moment.
"Well, it seems to me that considering where I found you, your son was long lost to you before I..." He paused, groping for an appropriate word. "...intervened."
Viggo was watching him closely. The statement earned a grudging nod.
"My horses. My dogs. My art. Mountains. Deserts."
The list somehow fit the man. Sennet went on with his breakfast, thinking carefully.
Finally, he stood.
"Wait here for me," he said, and went into the next room.
Viggo's heart was pounding. He had never been so angry and afraid. Furious at this man who controlled him. Furious at himself because the real reason he was here was not to demand his "freedom," but more liberties within his slavery. But he thought he had drawn the line well, and Sennet seemed remarkably respectful of his outrage.
Yet.
Viggo waited for the guards to come in and kill him. Or worse, drag him to some auction block somewhere to be sold to a new master and never see Sean, the Sean of this world, who wasn't even really Sean... Never see even him again.
But instead, Sennet came back from the other room. He set a largish leather pouch on the table with a solid sounding thump.
"It's tradition for a warrior to receive a gift from his master after his first victory," Sennet commented mildly.
"When the Sword Master gives you a rest day, take this and have Sean show you around town. Go down to the horse markets if you like. There's plenty of room in my stable for any beast you buy. Find a mare worth breeding, and you can have stud service from any of my stallions."
Sennet was giving him a sly smile.
"Now go on. I want to get on with my business."
And with that Viggo was dismissed. As he stood and left the room with Sennet's gift, he could hear the man chuckling behind him.
Closing
Author:
muck_a_luck, posting in brainofckPairing: SB/VM (other pairings in later chapters)
Rating: PG
Summary: Viggo is somewhere else, where everyone and no one is the same
Content/warnings: AU. Violence.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Slash is fiction. So while we may all be demented, slash is basically the author's own
Archive rights: www.rugbytackling.com, Green Opals, if they're interestd, and my journals
muck_a_luck and brainofckFurther Disclaimer: Any resemblance to Ancient Rome mostly incidental. I have never seen any gladiator flick. Ever. Honest. Not even stinky Gladiator that stole FOTR's Oscar. *glares*
Blame:
uisgich, for encouraging meArena
Water and Oil
Flesh and Iron
Night Terrors
First
"What do I have to do to get the door opened?"
Sennet looked up in surprise at the voice. He hadn't heard his visitor approach. Then he almost choked on the bite of breakfast he had just taken.
Viggo was standing there, in the morning light of Sennet's work room. Sennet looked around in confusion for the person who had spoken.
Viggo took a menacing step forward and laid both hands palms flat on the table.
"What do you want from me?" Viggo demanded, in the same low, dangerous voice that had spoken before.
Sennet started at him. Then began to laugh.
"Well, well! You've managed a trick, haven't you, my wonderful outlander! The Weapons Master assured me you were something close to an idiot. Couldn't understand a word. I can't wait to tell him!" Sennet used his amusement to cover his sudden fear of this man, standing over him, unarmed, but clearly angry and maybe even more dangerous than they had ever thought him.
Viggo returned his laughter with cold silence. Sennet allowed his chuckles to die away in a long-suffering sigh. He gestured to a chair opposite him. Viggo didn't sit, but he did step back from the table and stared at Sennet icily with those pale, alien eyes.
"Fine," he said, "You want the door opened, you swear your loyalty to me. That's the end of it. The door will be open tonight."
"And how do I get my freedom from this place?" Viggo asked, with the same cold anger.
Sennet allowed himself to become angry at that.
"A man who wears a collar and a sword does not concern himself with freedom. He thinks only about his next fight, he trains for it constantly, and he knows that if he fights well he will earn honor and fame for himself and his barracks. That's all a man like yourself should think about. If you keep fighting for me like you fought in the arena yesterday, one day you will earn my gratitude and possibly your freedom."
Viggo lunged forward again, and this time actually laid hold of Sennet, yanking him to his feet, so that they stood face to face over the narrow table. Then just as suddenly, Viggo released him, sending him stumbling a bit with a little shove, shaking in his effort to control his fury.
"I don't fight for you!" he spat. "Let's be clear. My allegiance is to Sean, not to you. And you can be sure that as long as he stays in this barracks and fights for you, I will stay."
"But let's also be clear about something else. We both know how I came here. We both know what you did. I will not earn back the life that you stole from me when you paid that bribe. You will give it to me, or I will take it from you. Don't make me wait too long."
"That's as much of a loyalty oath as you're getting from me," Viggo growled. "Open the door tonight."
Sennet stood backed against the wall, staring in shock at his slave. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Here was this barbarian, trying to get the door to his cell unlocked with refusal to swear loyalty and thinly veiled threats on his master's life, and demands for the return of his stolen freedom? He laughed unsteadily to himself. Viggo saw the reaction. He turned on his heel to stalk from the room.
"No, Viggo! Wait!" Sennet managed.
Viggo stopped where he was and turned to face him.
"Sit." Sennet ordered.
To his surprise, Viggo did.
Sennet returned to his seat and his breakfast, gesturing that Viggo should join him, but not surprised when his slave rather leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, the picture of a man whose time is being wasted. The arrogance of the barbarian was both shocking and amusing.
"What made you happy, in your former life?" Sennet asked, as he might while enjoying a pleasant breakfast with another citizen.
Viggo didn't even pause.
"My son."
That brought Sennet up short. He thought for a moment.
"Well, it seems to me that considering where I found you, your son was long lost to you before I..." He paused, groping for an appropriate word. "...intervened."
Viggo was watching him closely. The statement earned a grudging nod.
"My horses. My dogs. My art. Mountains. Deserts."
The list somehow fit the man. Sennet went on with his breakfast, thinking carefully.
Finally, he stood.
"Wait here for me," he said, and went into the next room.
Viggo's heart was pounding. He had never been so angry and afraid. Furious at this man who controlled him. Furious at himself because the real reason he was here was not to demand his "freedom," but more liberties within his slavery. But he thought he had drawn the line well, and Sennet seemed remarkably respectful of his outrage.
Yet.
Viggo waited for the guards to come in and kill him. Or worse, drag him to some auction block somewhere to be sold to a new master and never see Sean, the Sean of this world, who wasn't even really Sean... Never see even him again.
But instead, Sennet came back from the other room. He set a largish leather pouch on the table with a solid sounding thump.
"It's tradition for a warrior to receive a gift from his master after his first victory," Sennet commented mildly.
"When the Sword Master gives you a rest day, take this and have Sean show you around town. Go down to the horse markets if you like. There's plenty of room in my stable for any beast you buy. Find a mare worth breeding, and you can have stud service from any of my stallions."
Sennet was giving him a sly smile.
"Now go on. I want to get on with my business."
And with that Viggo was dismissed. As he stood and left the room with Sennet's gift, he could hear the man chuckling behind him.
Closing