Render Unto Caeser

VI

A Circus for the gods

The Citadel bustled with activity as we entered the gates. The remaining prisoners were being prepared for the arena. The male prisoners had been given wooden swords and shields and some of my men were attempting to train them in the basics of swordplay. The prisoners grunted and sweated as they stumbled through their exercises in the paddock while legionaries looked on, jeering or cheering depending on the novice's skill.

The women would need no special training to entertain the crowds at the stadium. Four of them were engaged in the pleasuring of bored soldiers, but I quickly ordered that all five remaining women be assembled. After a cursory inspection I selected the second tallest, a slim dark skinned beauty with dark curly hair and an ample bosom, whose name was Leona. She accompanied me to my room. In truth she reminded me a bit of the elder's daughter, though her breasts were larger and her hips were narrower. I forced her face down over my chair and took her from behind, grasping her hips and briskly using her.

I had been awake for over 36 hours, and before that I had less than 5 hours sleep after the long forced march. I crawled up onto my pallet and fell into a deep, well-earned sleep.

I awoke long before dawn. The captive woman I had brought to my sleeping pallet had curled up against me. I pushed her away and she rolled onto the floor whimpering from the fall. After all she had endured the last two days she barely reacted to this rude awakening. I stretched on my sleeping pallet, staring at the ceiling, unable to return to sleep and unwilling to wander the compound waiting for the dawn.

" How may I serve you, Sir?" the girl asked, no doubt trying to curry some favor in my eyes. " You will be going to the arena today." I growled at her. " What will happen to me?" she asked in her fear filled timid voice. " You will die." I answered with simple frankness. She knew this would be her fate, she had known it for days. Still, she drew a shuddering breadth and began to sob. " Please can't you do anything?" her sobbing plea and her trembling form cowering on the floor were enough to stir any man's lust. I decided I could do something about it, though I'm sure it wasn't what she had in mind. I took her in the manner of the Greeks and she squealed in pain as I entered her narrow passage. When I was finished I offered her a little harmless information, though I owed her nothing.

"You will be dressed in a short white slave's tunic for the parade to the stadium." I told her. " When they make you wash, before they dress you, leave the scent of my seed between your legs." She gave me a puzzled look and opened her mouth to speak. I held my finger to her lip to silence her. " Be a good girl, do as you're told, maybe you won't suffer the fate of the others. Tell no one what I've said." She nodded and knelt silently by my pallet awaiting my command.

Today we would celebrate the feast of Janus. The two faced god of beginnings and endings. As a soldier I was better versed at endings, and the seditious village of Tov Kepha would certainly be ending today, in its entirety. Any beginnings that we might wish to celebrate, I left for others to discover.

This land was a barren outpost of the Empire, so we could never hope to approach the splendor of the Circus Maximus of Rome. Still, the Governor was a Roman Knight of the Equestrian Order, with all the wealth and privilege that title implied. Our stadium only seated 16,000, but the oval track was large enough for chariot racing. The field could hold over 100 Gladiators at a time, though that number had yet to be achieved. The Governor had accumulated a menagerie of exotic animals and wild beasts in his years here. It might not have Rome's pomp and splendor, but we were perfectly capable of putting on a circus that would entertain the troops and the local dignitaries.

The first faint signs of dawn appeared in the eastern sky. I escorted the girl back to the paddock where most of the other prisoners had slept, and then went to the gates as the morning watch prepared to march out and relieve the guards at the execution site. I questioned the returning guards as to the health of the old man and was relieved to hear he and Judith still lived. I had wondered how Rebecca might have faired in my absence. She had lasted long into her second night, almost long enough to see her second sunrise from the cross.

The men had drawn lots to determine the order in which they would have her. Each man had been eager to be the last one inside her when she drew her final breath. With no binding on her wrist and ankles the nail wounds opened up quite quickly. As the night had worn on, each had their chance with her several times over. Some even managed to use her in the more conventional way by pulling her hips away from the stripes and bending her waist as far forward as possible. It was one of the youngest soldiers in my command who felt her death rattle while buried deep inside her bowels. His compatriots immediately hailed him as the newest "whore slayer," an honorific that he may have been proud of at the time but as the jokes and teasing continued he became a bit embarrassed by the whole "honor". It was really just dumb luck more than any feat of skill that had led to her dying on his "spear". Judith and the old man were both alive, though barely aware of their surroundings, lost in their private pain-filled haze. They would bear witness as the last of their fellow villagers marched by on the way to the arena to meet their fates.

The sun had been up for over an hour before the prisoners were prepared for the march to the arena. The women were allowed to wash and groom each other before they were dressed in short white tunics. The men were stripped to loincloths. A guard of 40 men would be escorting the prisoners. They were led through the gates of the Citadel and marched to the central market place where the parade was to assemble. Because of the holiday, the market was closed and people came out to stare at the strange and exotic gathering. The prisoners would lead the procession, followed by the horse drawn carts that contained the Governor's collection of wild beasts. Four caged lions, a caged tiger and a hobbled elephant all made their noisy displeasure known. The animals would be followed by a contingent of 20 professional gladiators, and 12 racing chariots brought up the rear. When all was ready we began the march toward the eastern gate and the stadium beyond.

When we passed by the execution site the village elder hung listlessly, resting on his sedile, but he still lived. Judith still struggled in her slow dance upon the ivory horn. Carrion birds were perched upon each of Rebecca's shoulders, squabbling loudly as they plucked choice bits of flesh from the fresh corpse. The procession marched on.

The arena was on the southern side of the road nearly two miles from the city gates. A sizable crowd had followed us, and many soldiers had already arrived to claim the better seats. We entered the stadium through the three giant arches that made up the northern gate. Unlike the Circus Maximus in Rome, our stadium did not have the labyrinth of rooms underground. There was a Gladiator's pit beneath the bleachers near the eastern entrance, and pens for the animals lay behind the southern doorway. The northern entrance was large enough to admit chariots, two at a time, each with their team of four horses. The procession waited, under the stadium benches, for the arrival of the Governor's entourage. A minor adjustment was made in the order of march. The women still headed the procession with their escort of ten soldiers. The male prisoners and the remaining guards fell back one place and followed behind the beasts.

The stadium filled quickly, and the crowds were impatiently stamping their feet. The animals grew restless in their cages. Finally the Governor arrived and led the parade out onto the stadium track, to the enthusiastic cheering of the crowds. When the procession reached the midpoint of the Western Wall we halted by the archway. The Governor and his guests proceeded to the Governor's box and took their seats beneath the shade of the Imperial awning.

Below we awaited his signal. He looked down at the five women who would lead the parade. "Strip them." He shouted down cheerfully. The ten soldiers who accompanied them quickly pulled away the flimsy white tunics. The crowd bellowed its delight, and the noise rose with thousands of clapping hands and stomping feet. The size of the crowd, the level of the noise, and the fear of what awaited them overwhelmed some of the women. The guards had to steady their stumbling charges as they started off to lead the procession again. Jeering insults, heckling and taunts were all lost in the general bedlam as the naked women headed the parade on its slow circuit of the stadium track. When they reached the southern entrance, the animals were sent into the waiting pens. At the eastern doorway, the male prisoners and the professional gladiators disappeared into the waiting pits. At the northern entrance, the chariots left two by two to wait patiently for their chance at glory. When the women had finished the complete circuit, the parade had shrunk to just the five nude women and the soldiers who guarded them. The soldiers turned the five of them so they faced the Governor. The noise from the crowd began to lessen in anticipation of the next amusement.

There were five branding stools set in a row before the Governor's viewing box. Two soldiers escorted each naked woman to a stool. The tops of the stools consisted of a wooden frame in the shape of an " I " - two short wooden slates connected by a longer beam down the center. The legs of the stool were attached to the two cross pieces. Each woman was forced to knell before a stool facing the Governor. Their hips were pressed over the back of the stool. The rear legs of stool were a full hands breadth taller than the front and they splayed apart at a wide angle. The women's thighs and knees were quickly strapped to the rear stool legs. Each woman was then bent forward, her torso sloping downward, and her shoulders forced down onto the lower crosspiece. Their arms were pulled forward. Their breasts now dangled on either side of the central beam. Their arms were pulled under the forward crosspiece and then were drawn backward so the wrists could be bound to the rear legs. Their heads now hung lower than their rumps. They could only watch the Governor by straining their necks awkwardly to hold up their heads.

There were over forty of these stools stored at the arena. It was convenient whenever a large number of female prisoners were to be processed. The women could be brought to the stadium. The worthless ones could be quickly culled and all the others could be branded, displayed, and auctioned conveniently and efficiently in a single afternoon.

There were no branding irons heating here today. These women had participated in an insurrection. They would not be allowed the life of a slave.

Gladiators called these same stools rape racks. It was not uncommon for a naked slave girl to be bound to one before the final bout of the afternoon. She would listen to the cheers and applause of the crowd, not for the exposure of her lovely nude body, but rather for the bloody struggle of the two fighting men. When the battle was over the victorious gladiator would take his place behind the terrified slave girl. While the crowd cheered him on he would claim his prize. At the culmination of his pleasure he would grab her hair and pull her head back so her gaze fell upon the cheering crowd, then he would draw his blade across her throat. His seed would spurt into her belly as her life's blood pumped out onto the sand. The crowd always went wild at such a spectacle, a fitting finale to the day's contests.

This morning there were no brave young gladiators standing behind the women, willing to deal a mercifully swift death to the prisoners. A different fate awaited them.

Before each of the stools a numbered pendant flew. I walked behind the row of prisoner's examining the preparations. Leona's thatch of pubic hair was still matted with my drying seed. She might soon regret that she had followed my instructions. I almost reached forward to give her bottom a last affectionate pat. I moved on.

It was my century that had procured these prisoners, and therefore I was accorded the honor of a place in the Governor's viewing box. I passed through the doorway on the Western Wall and closed it behind me. I ran up the stairway and quickly entered the Governor's booth. There were already almost 30 people in the entourage and I scanned for a place to view the proceedings. The Governor looked at me inquiringly as I entered. I held my right hand flat against my chest, displaying four fingers. His nod was almost imperceptible. I worked my way to the front of the booth and stood on the left-hand side.

The stadium was filled to capacity. Nearly half the benches were filled with men from the tenth legion. Many of these men had seen this game, or some close variant, played before. Even before the Governor rose to speak they had already begun to wager on which of the women would "win" this contest.

The Governor rose and stepped forward raising his hands. Silence slowly descended over the stadium and he addressed the crowd.

" These criminals have been convicted of insurrection against the Emperor and Roman law." The crowd screamed out it's fury and the Governor waited patiently for the noise to fade away. " They are condemned to die in this public forum." Cheers erupted and the Governor waited again for the slow return to quiet. "They should all be torn limb from limb by wild beasts." He continued. " However the Feast of Janus moves us to be merciful." The crowd remained quiet now, not feeling particularly merciful themselves. " I think we shall allow one of their number to rest on the seat of honor while her friends face the lions." The Stadium erupted in cheers as the crowd realized it would not be denied the bloody spectacle they so desperately wanted to see.

" The question is how do we decide who shall be spared?" The Governor continued when the audience had quieted. The crowd buzzed with many wild and varied suggestions, but then from among the seasoned troops came the chant " Caesar! Caesar! Caesar! " The entire multitude began to pick up the cry though most did not understand its meaning yet. The Governor raised his right hand and the chant slowly faded. " As you wish," the Governor exclaimed, " we shall let Caesar decide."

>From the southern gate a handler strode forth with a giant, gray furred Northern Wolfhound eagerly tugging forward against his leash. The dog fairly pulled its handler along toward the center of the stadium. Its shoulders stood as high as the man's hips and the beast weighed nearly as much as the man who tried to restrain it. The dog had been sent from Rome. It was captured along the northern frontier, too old to train as a war dog. The beast became a gift for the Governor and his given name was "Caesar".

The developing situation was now becoming clear even to the dullest in the throng, and there was a roar of approval. The women bound facing the Governor's box had no idea what was happening behind them, though they struggled in vain to raise their heads and peer back over their shoulders. The dog anxiously led the way to the five bound naked rumps raised up in the air for his examination. The first woman in line let out a fearsome squeal as the cold snout pressed into her most private parts. The handler did not let the beast linger over any particular woman, walking him briskly down the line. One by one the woman screeched in shock as the dogs cold nose assessed their proffered bottoms. The beast and his handler moved to stand in front of the women, and the man faced the Governor. The audience was in bedlam; most were on their feet seeking to place a wager as to which of the woman "Caesar" would chose.

The women were now able to see for the first time the animal that the cold nose was attached to. The beast was large, long furred and sat with his back to the Governor. He was facing the women who had now roused his interest. The women stared in sickening fascination as he displayed for them his growing desire. As they stared in fear and dread, his pink member grew beyond its sheath, slapping against his belly as he sat there panting at them. Four women wailed and pleaded, faces flushed with shame. Leona now realized what I had done to her. The dreadful reality of what was to come became so inescapably clear in her mind that she simply hung her head in resignation. Tears of shame ran down her face to drip from the end of her nose onto the sand. The Governor waited for the noisy crowd to regain their seats so the game could proceed.

At last the Governor charged the handler to proceed, and with a jerk of the leash the beast was led behind the women to a spot some twenty paces away. The dog sat patiently while the handler removed its leash. Then both man and beast looked up expectantly to the Governor's box. The crowd had mostly regained their seats and was now chanting the dog's name softly at first, but with a growing urgency. " Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!" The Governor let the tension build until the noise was almost a roar. He nodded to the dog's handler and the man uttered a single word at the beast. " Mount" he shouted flinging his outstretched hand toward the line of bound women. The dog did not dash forward, but seemed to swagger as it strutted toward the trembling women. The mob howled in unrestrained glee, and the horrified women shrieked in terror. The dog did not simply leap onto the first exposed bottom that he came to. He actually slowed and began to walk the line, sniffing and licking at each of the women's privates, growling when they flinched from the touch of his tongue.

When he reached Leona he stopped, his nose pressed into the narrow opening I had used. His hungry tongue borrowed deep into her lower opening, and she shuddered knowing what was about to happen. His front paws bounced up over her bottom and then scrabbled against her skin as they slipped along the downward slope of her back. The crowd had actually fallen silent to witness this extraordinary display. Caesar's forepaws clutched at her chest, the dewclaws leaving bloody gouges as they dug into the flesh between her ribs. Leona wasn't wailing so much as issuing a long unending high pitched keening noise. Caesar's rear haunches pressed hard against her bottom then backed away a bit as he positioned himself to lunge. He made a few tentative thrusts and then Leona let out a piercing shriek. The dog was inside her, pressing deeper and thrusting with sudden speed and vigor.

Caesar had chosen. About a fifth of the crowd was ecstatic. While the beast pumped away inside her, the pathetic woman wailed miserably, and a number of small fortunes exchanged hands throughout the arena. I looked up at the Governor. He was smiling broadly, while Olivia shook her head in dismay. It appeared the Governor had recouped his loses from yesterday. Even those who had lost money couldn't help but appreciate the bizarre spectacle that was being played out in the sands for their amusement.

The four women that Caesar had bypassed were given a brief reprieve, while in the center of the arena workers were busily preparing for the next stage of the entertainment.