Batiatus

From the moment he opened his eyes, freshly hatched from his egg, Batiatus had dedicated his life to his father, Doctor.

From the moment he was old enough to understand what his life was to be, he had thrown himself into the running of the ludus, trying to do his father proud. Learning how to pick out the best of the warriors on the market to bring home, herding the hatchlings into their play pens until they were old enough to fight themselves, figuring out the best way possible to train everyone as fast as he could- all of this to bring renown to the ludus, to be his father’s pride.

And he was. Without a doubt, Doctor had dedicated himself to his raising, had made it clear Batiatus was his pride and joy, and that nothing he could ever so would be wrong.

Except, apparently, fall in love.

The moment his eyes had fallen upon Lucretia, he had known she was to be his. His heart, his soul, his love and his life; everything that he was supposed to be, she was it. But Doctor saw otherwise. Where Batiatus saw a female of unmatched beauty, a mind of unmatched wit, a dragon beyond everyone else, his father saw nothing more than an untrained burden. A girl with no parents, no status, and while within the clan everyone could be anything they desired, if they petitioned the Queen and she saw their worth, he had seen her with none. According to Doctor, she should have been exalted with her parents shortly after she had been hatched, and for Batiatus to have chosen her?

It was a betrayal, and he refused to have it.

So Doctor protested, tried to make idle threats- that he would find a new heir, that he would disown him, that Batiatus could live in the streets with his precious Lucretia if he so desired, but he would not suffer her presence within his home.

And Batiatus didn’t care. He loved her more than anything, more than anything else in the world, and if that meant losing his father, then so be it. He went to the Queen, petitioned her favor for the marriage, and before anyone could do much more, they were wed. Wed and mated and the only one who could break it were themselves.

He had thought that he’d have time- time to show Doctor that Lucretia was worthy as a wife, time to show him that he hadn’t made a mistake, that everything was going to be ok. He had thought he’d only lose his father and his home for a while.

But then Doctor fell ill, fell asleep, and that time was lost.

So he threw himself into the ludus and Lucretia, determined to make both his position within the clan and his wife the greatest and happiest that he could. And the ludus was easy- after his father’s teaching and under his old trainer’s, Angie’s, watchful eye, the ludus thrived. The greatest warriors were sent to the Arcanist, bringing coin and renown to the clan and the ludus both. The warriors even found themselves with some semblance of happiness, instead of just waiting for the day they could leave.

His wife, on the other hand, was a different story. He loved her, just as much as she loved him, and while he could and would give her the world, he couldn’t give her one of the few things she actually wanted- an heir.

It wasn’t his fault. He had and still did take women to nest when a particular one struck him, and somewhere out there he had many unclaimed children running around. Not that he claimed them, no- they were not of Lucretia, and so they were not of him. And it wasn’t her fault, either- he knew, had always known, about her own particular interests in some of the warriors that lived within the ludus, how she took them to her own rooms within the lair when the desire hit. How could he fault her, be angry, when he did the same thing, and it seemed to make her happy? But even though it had taken a long time, still these unions eventually produced an egg- it never hatched, he saw to that, introducing a bout of egg rot, but that still meant she could.

So one day they would. Just, not now.

Which fit his tastes perfectly, because, despite the positon of power he already held, he still wanted more.

Master of the ludus, he was high in the ranks, third only to the Royal Family and the Council, with only the Queen’s Guard as his rival. And while there was no way for him to join the Royal Family (Queen Tamora was more than happy with Felix as her Consort, and while the Princess Gabrielle was not officially tied to her mate, Xena, the chances of breaking them apart were none. Besides, to pursue that rank would mean leaving Lucretia, something he refused to do), the Council was within his reach. A place of political power, where he would be able to whisper into the Royal’s ears, turn them to some of his own causes?

It was a position he so greatly coveted, and one he was slowly, ever so slowly, working on obtaining. He considered himself a lion, a wolf among dragons, and so was determined to gain the power he desired.

Yes, maybe through lies, maybe through a little bit of murder, but he was sure he would get there, one day. And for now? And for now he enjoyed his wife, enjoyed his position as the Master of the ludus, waited to see if his father would ever awaken, and enjoyed his comfortable life as best as he could before it all changed.