The Slave Who Became a Gladiator

"50,000 Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike, and the noise afterwards, it rises, rises, rises up like a storm, as if you were the thunder god himself."

"You were a gladiator?"

"Yes, I was."

"You won your freedom?"

"A long time ago the emperor presented me with a rudius–it's just a wooden sword, a symbol of your freedom. He touched me on the shoulder once, and I was free."

"You knew Marcus Aurelius?"

"I did not say that I knew him. I said he touched me on the shoulder once."

"You asked me what I want. I, too, want to stand in front of the emperor, as you did."

"Then listen to me. Learn from me. I wasn't the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you'll win your freedom."

"I will win the crowd. I will give them something they have never seen before."