Gladiator-II

Years after the death of Maximus and the fall of Commodus, Lucius takes-up the hero's mantle for the sake of his mother's worry concerning Rome's developed (dark) beard.

A 'fanfiction' to toast the upcoming sequel Gladiator 2 (Ridley Scott). Enjoy! 

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LUCILLA: It's been some time since the fall of my brother Commodus, Lucius!

LUCIUS: And now, I've earned a motion to inherit the mantle of Maximus, your man.

LUCILLA: No one can follow the Maximus, son.

LUCIUS: Troubles float, mother; the Empire's challenged, Senator Gracchus worries!

LUCILLA: The new Caesar (Femil) is more cruel than once-thought...or dreamt.

LUCIUS: I've a calculation to infiltrate his restored Gladiator-matches as a warrior-slave.

LUCILLA: Quite clever, son; do need a sword-training, and Juba will train you, love.

LUCIUS: Femil will be humbled when a gladiator proves both cutting and friendly.

LUCILLA: Gracchus can coordinate the swarming by Femil's outlier-rivals and enemies.

LUCIUS: Rome endures, mother...for a solid state discovery (ha).

The stage was set, and the plot felt thick, for Lucilla, who continued to mourn the hero-death of her great general-warrior ('gladiator') life-love (Maximus), while she eyed watchfully the developing courage and calculations of Lucius, her dear-son, now grown-man with the gumption to take the legacy of the great/fallen Maximus of Rome. Meanwhile, Gracchus did in deeds make strides to choreograph a swarming of the 'troubled' Empire created by the sinews-and-concoctions of the not-so-hospitable new Caesar (Femil), who constantly plotted to turn Rome into something of a 'worldly' bonfire for the ages of citizenry and silenced voting.

FEMIL: You strike me as a man of a calculator-fashion, no stride(s) for Heaven.

SENATOR GRACCHUS: Rome's no haven yet, Caesar...and sinews of rumors fly!

FEMIL: Don't count me as blind or silenced or incompletely-ignorant of adversaries/wind.

SENATOR GRACCHUS: Have you heard of this new 'mystery' gladiator in the arena(s)?

FEMIL: All I need know is I'm to be entertained while making my Empire-expanse game!

SENATOR GRACCHUS: Spoken like a Caesar of calculator-fashion, Caesar (Femil).

FEMIL: Good (moth-men).

Well, Lucius proved to be quite the warrior after training with Juba, loyal once-friend of Maximus who stayed with Lucilla and Lucius as a happy-guardian, having discovered his family/village in Africa was literally destroyed by a Roman legion! Meanwhile, Gracchus choreographed the swarming of the Senate by Femil's outlier's enemies post-triumph of Lucius as a 'masked-invisible' Gladiator in the arena. One such Rome-challenger was the slavery-freed now arms-dealer ABCD who had much 'toys' to arm a disguised legion to march into the Empire's senator-hallway(s) floors to create downright seizure (of Rome).

LUCILLA: We shall honor and mourn the fallen and bloody-murdered Senator Gracchus.

LUCIUS: We've still Juba and our other-friends, and now Femil's gone, mother!

LUCILLA: You were splendid as a gladiator, like Maximus, son (joy).

LUCIUS: Rome will always carry the dowry of deities, while dyeing the splinter of death.

LUCILLA: History favors beryl, Lucius.

"Doing well is the result of doing good. That's what capitalism is all about" 

(Ralph Waldo Emerson).

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"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)