Author's Note: Posting chapter 2 right away so that the fic is on the same schedule as on AO3.

Chapter 2

Rome, 25 AD

Ben walked back to his quarters, weary from the day's training and wondering whether his daily massage was meant as a punishment, so severely did the masseur pound his muscles, loosening the knots formed from hour upon hour of sword training. As he had been training the longest among his fellow slaves, he had been given the largest room. It hardly qualified as a cell, with enough room for a small shelf filled with scrolls and a table with a small sofa for reclining as he took his meals. He enjoyed stories and had been granted the small library as a gift for a job well done. He had survived nearly two hundred fights in the arena, a feat not having been done in living memory, and one which had made his master, Snoke, a good deal of gold.

He laid back on his bed, a hand over his eyes, one knee bent with the other dangling off the edge. He was growing weary. The faces of all the men he had killed were etched into his mind and each new death seemed to tear a piece of his soul away.

There was a rap at the door before it swung open. Ben dropped his hand to stare at the intruder. Snoke had likely sent him one of the many prostitutes he kept on hand, fellow slaves forced into a life they had never wanted.

He opened his mouth to send her away but stopped, his mouth hanging open as he took in the woman before him. She was beautiful. Her hair had been arranged into three buns, threaded through with jewels, her eyes lined with kohl, making them appear wide and luminous as she ducked her head in greeting, and the robes she wore were a sheer dark green and draped to leave her midriff bare.

She was new. He knew all the prostitutes Snoke had, and he had never seen this woman. He felt a catch in his chest, frowning at the sudden strong feeling that he somehow knew her. But he knew he didn't. He would certainly have remembered her had they bet before.

"Do you speak Latin?" Speaking wasn't exactly necessary between him and the women Snoke sent him, but he did prefer it regardless.

"Yes." She kept her head ducked and he frowned, taking a moment to really look at her, beyond what he found physically appealing. She looked young and as if she were trying hard not to tremble.

He gestured to a chair along the wall. "Please. Sit."

She hurried over, sitting down with her head still ducked. His frown deepened.

"What's your name?" He moderated his voice, trying to keep it soft, to put her at ease.

She swallowed and when she spoke, her voice was so low he could hardly hear it. "Rey."

"Rey." He paused, taking in the hands grasping tightly at the fabric of her lap. "My name is Ben."

She bit her lip. "Yes, I know."

His eyebrows went up. "You've heard of me?"

Why he was surprised, he did not know. He knew the tale of his family's fall and his successes in the arena had been spread throughout all of Rome's empire.

She nodded, and he wished she would look at him. "Everyone has heard of you, sir."

Ben snorted. "No need to call me sir. I'm a slave just as you are."

She looked up then, and he felt the strange catch in his chest again. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "How long have you been a slave?"

She bit her lip, looking away. "I was captured from my village one year ago."

"When did Snoke purchase you?"

"Yesterday." She looked back at him. He frowned. That meant that tonight was her first night as a prostitute. She had likely spent much of the past year traveling and training in how to please the men she was sent to. The thought did not sit well with him.

He wondered why he cared. He had never stopped to think about where the other prostitutes were from, merely doing his business, a great stress reliever.

"Rey," he said, crooking a finger. She licked her lips, looking nervous as she stood and walked over to him. Even sitting he was almost at eye level with her. She bit her lip, her gaze roving over his many muscles before returning to his face.

He considered her. "Have you ever laid with a man?"

She hesitated, seeming to have an internal debate before shaking her head. He clenched his jaw, not for the first time wishing all of the Roman empire would burn to the ground, but surprised that the cause of his anger was the virginal prostitute standing before him.

She seemed so very familiar. A wrinkle appeared between her brows as she looked at him, seeming confused, and he wondered if she had the same feeling. The weariness that had plagued him earlier came crashing back down on him. Without speaking, he placed his hands on her hips, leaning his head against her bare stomach. She tensed for a moment before raising a hand and running her fingers through his hair.

He exhaled. It had been so long since someone had treated him with a gentle hand. He was always training, or fighting, or relieving his tension with prostitutes. There was precious little gentleness in his life. The prostitutes did not wish to be here anymore than he did, so he usually did his thing and let them leave.

He fought the urge to wrap his arms around Rey. It felt right being with her like this. Raising his head, he met her eyes. She was already looking at him with the same confusion in her eyes that he felt. She lifted her other hand, running both hands through his hair, scratching her nails down his scalp, all while watching him.

They stared at one another, Ben unsure what he was planning to do. The thought of taking her left a bad taste in his mouth, but neither did he wish for her to be punished for failing to please him or, worse, be given to one of the other gladiators.

While he was contemplating this dilemma, Rey leaned down, pressing her lips to his. Ben tensed in surprise before his eyes drifted shut. He curled his arms around Rey, pulling her closer. She climbed into his lap, her legs on either side of his hips, straddling him.

When was the last time Ben had kissed a woman? Since before he had become a slave, that was certain. He had forgotten what it was like, the intimacy of a kiss. Had it been one of the other prostitutes, he likely would have pulled away. With Rey, however, he had no desire to stop.

But he did.

He pulled away, only then realizing he had cupped her face at some point. He ran his thumbs over her cheekbones as she silently watched him. Her hands slid from his hair, sliding down his torso. When he realized her intent, he snatched her wrist, halting her. A wrinkle formed between her brows.

He grasped her by the waist, lifting her off his lap. She hardly weighed anything. He had swung swords that weighed more. He set her carefully back into the chair across from his bed.

"Are you to be sent to another?" He didn't have to specify that he meant after he was finished with her.

She bit her lip. "I was told to return immediately after th-the deed was done." His room was dark, but he suspected she was blushing. Letting go of her hand, he nodded.

"Very well then." He nodded again, his suspicions confirmed. He would simply keep her the whole evening. He leaned against the wall, one knee bent with his forearm resting on it and gestured towards the shelves of scrolls. "Do you have any interest in reading?"

"My people do not have a written language, so I am unable to read." She raised her chin, giving him a, so far, uncharacteristically prideful stare.

His lips twitched as a wave of humor hit him. He had nearly forgotten what it was like to find anything amusing.

"Where are you from?"

Her knuckles whitened as she swallowed, looking down. "I believe the Romans call it Britannia."

His mouth parted in surprise. He had heard rumors of the Celtic barbarians of the north, but Rey did not look like a barbarian.

"You speak as if you have been speaking Latin for years. How is this possible?"

Rey shrugged. "I don't know. I had nothing occupy my time on the trek here, so I paid attention to the soldiers' conversations. I can't explain it. I just…understood." She glanced up at him. "Where are you from?"

Ben snorted. "I am from Rome." His fall into slavery had been the talk of Rome for so many years, he had nearly forgotten that there still existed people in the world who knew nothing of it. Not wanting to get into it, he waved a dismissive hand. "A long and boring tale."

Rey dropped her eyes, nodding, and he wondered if she had been taken from a family she would never see again. He frowned, wondering what it was about her that drew him.

A gladiator such as Ben would typically have won his freedom by now, but the emperor had decreed that the only way Ben would be free of slavery was through death. As such, Ben had spent year after year ignoring his fellow gladiators. It was rare that gladiators from the same owner would fight one another, but Ben had dealt with the death of enough of his friends early on to realize that keeping himself apart was the only way to protect his own mental health. He rarely even bothered to learn the names of the prostitutes, knowing they had not chosen this life any more than he had. That Rey had grabbed his attention immediately was enough of an anomaly that he forgot his decision not to get to know anyone.

He simply couldn't shake the idea that he knew her. She seemed so familiar…

He shook his head, standing, lighting the lamp on his table and grabbing a scroll off the shelf.

As he reclined, he looked up at Rey, finding her watching with the same wrinkle between her brows.

"If you don't wish to be sent to another man, stay here until I tell you it's safe to return."

Rey bit her lip. "Wh-what if they ask why I didn't return?"

Irrational anger flared in his chest at her question. Not at her. At Snoke. At the slavery system of a festering empire. "Tell them I enjoyed you and didn't wish for you to leave."

They fell into silence, Ben pretending to be engrossed in the scroll before him as he continued to puzzle his strange attraction to a young prostitute.

The next evening, before going to his masseur, Ben strode to the side of the building where the prostitutes were kept, and requested to speak with the Madam.

Phasma strode out, an extraordinarily tall woman, nearly his height.

"I want you to send Rey to me every night. Do not send her to anyone else."

Phasma raised her eyebrows. "I cannot promise that, I'm afraid."

Ben exhaled sharply. "Just don't let Snoke know. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. I want her sent to my room every night."

Phasma gave him a shrewd look. "I don't think I need to remind you that both your fate and hers are out of both our hands. It's not wise to form an attachment when you know it will only end badly."

Ben looked away. Yes, he did know. It was a dangerous game, getting attached. Best case scenario, he would die before Snoke realized the attachment. Worst case scenario, Snoke would sell her and he would live the remainder of his days knowing she had likely been sold to a temple.

"Just do as I ask."

Phasma nodded once. "Very well."

Later that night, Ben found himself restless, waiting for Rey to be sent to him. What if one of the other men had seen her and put in a request? He sighed. It didn't work like that. He knew it didn't work like that. The only reason Phasma had agreed to his demand was because of his elevated status.

He jumped at a quiet knock before the door opened and Rey entered. She dipped her head, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth, looking pleased to see him. Relief rushed through him like a tidal wave. He nodded at her, gesturing to the chair as he took a seat on his bed as he had the previous night, one leg bent, resting his hand on his knee.

"I told Phasma to send you only to me."

He saw surprise on her features before she quickly wiped her face clear of emotion. He wished he knew what she was thinking. She likely assumed he just had a passing fancy for her, but it felt much weightier than that.

"I…I don't know what it is," he said, wishing he was as good at articulating his thoughts as he was with a sword, "but I feel as if I have known you before."

Rey's eyes met his and she nodded, biting her lip. "Yes. I've felt the same."

Ben shook his head. "I've been here for five years at least. It's impossible for us to have met."

Rey nodded. "Yes. It's definitely not possible." She opened her mouth as if to say more, but instead she paused, her eyes focused on his mouth. Ben suddenly felt hot all over. He swallowed, watching her until her eyes snapped back up to his before she looked away, her face flushing.

It was so strange to find innocence staring back at him. She had lived through the hell of being taken from her home, becoming a slave, forced to watch the gods only knew what kind depravity to prepare her for a life as a prostitute, likely knowing the uncertainty of her future when she eventually aged. Yet, none of what she had endured had seemed to have left its mark on her.

He watched her closely as her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she clenched the robes in her lap, her eyes closed. She looked as if she were grappling with her desire. He tamped down the sudden urge to laugh at the irony of a prostitute fighting her desires.

Slowly, he unfolded himself, closing the few steps separating them. As if hearing his steps, her eyes flew open. He paused, standing before her, feeling slightly ridiculous at how his heart was beating as if he were just a boy with his first crush rather than a seasoned gladiator. He held out his hand, watching to make sure she understood it was an invitation rather than a demand.

Her mouth parted as she stared at his hand. When she looked up at him through her kohl-lined eyes, she visibly relaxed, wetting her lips nervously as she took his hand and stood. She was by no means a small woman – being in fact much taller than most women in Rome – but she looked very small standing in front of him, her head tilted up, looking into his eyes as he raised a hand to cup her jaw.

He felt caught in her gaze as he lowered his head, his thumb brushing her cheek. Her eyes fluttered close a half second before his as their lips touched. Without consciously deciding to do so, his other hand wrapped around her tiny waist and pulled her flush to him.

Prior to his family's treasonous plot – one which had led to their death and him being stripped of his citizenship and sold into slavery – he had spent most of his time with his nose in scrolls. There had been several crushes in his boyhood, many kisses stolen, but none of them had felt like this. The moment she was flush against him, images flooded through his mind, of himself and Rey, not as they are now, but Rey as his prisoner, traveling along a road, neither speaking the other's language. He saw the moment he knew he loved her and the moment she was taken from him.

He pulled back with a gasp as the images went dark. It took him a moment to realize Rey was staring at him with her mouth hanging open, eyes almost comically wide.

"Did you see something?" he asked. In his mind's eye, a red thread was wound around both their hearts, tying them together and floating between them. He blinked rapidly and shook his head as Rey's brows knit together.

"Yes," she breathed. "The two of us on a road. I was your prisoner. We –" She cut off, biting her lip, looking worried. "We were in love. And – you died." There was a catch in her throat. "I tried to claw my way back to you, but instead you were taken from me before my eyes."

Ben's heart stuttered, fear – an emotion he had dismissed long ago in order to survive – threading through his mind. They had been lovers in a past life, the tale ending tragically. He swallowed as she closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. Their tale now would end no less tragically. Though he had survived battle after battle in the arena, Emperor Palpatine had been very clear that winning his freedom was not an option. The only way to escape his life as a gladiator was to die in the arena. The day would come when he would die, and he would leave Rey to be pawned off to countless other men.

He turned away as anger at the injustices of their fate burned through him. What game were the gods playing with their lives?

He started when a hand gripped arm, urging him to turn. He did, trying to tamp down his anger.

"I will die in the arena, Rey."

He said the words before thinking, but did not regret them. She needed to know that there would be no happy ending in this life. Not for them.

She shook her head, looking bemused. "You've won so many battles already. You can win your freedom."

He huffed a humorless laugh. "I cannot. As part of my family's punishment, the Emperor decreed that I can only escape the arena through death."

She sucked in a breath, one hand covering her mouth as the other covered her heart.

After a moment, she dropped her hand and said, "Why are the gods doing this?"

He looked away, having no answers. "I think it best you leave."

"Leave?" He closed his eyes at the hurt in her tone.

He steeled himself and then turned his gaze back to her. "You will be left alone once more when I die. The least I can do is ensure that your heart is protected from love."

Tears still fell from her eyes, but she raised her chin, straightening her spine as she gazed at him with determination. "I can decide for myself what my heart be protected from."

Had the situation been different, he might have smiled to see the previously timid woman exude such ferocity.

"Rey –"

She shook her head, suddenly reaching up, snaking her hand around the back of his neck and pulling him down, crushing her lips to his. He tried to resist, to hold himself stiff, but as she clawed at his shoulders, standing on her toes to mold herself to him, his determination crumbled, and he wound his arms around her, pulling her tighter against him.

When they eventually broke apart, leaning their foreheads together, Rey playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, she said, "I want to be with you for however long the gods will allow it."

Ben swallowed hard, pulling his head back to look into her eyes. She returned his look steadily, her chin tilted upwards in determination.

He should send her away, save her from the heartache, but sending her away would only send her to another man. Anger flared once more in his chest. Would that he could raze all of Rome to the ground and save her from this life.

"I would save you from this life as well," she said.

Had he spoken the words aloud?

She slid her hands down to his before he could ask. She turned, walking backwards and pulling him with her. She gently pushed him to sit on the edge of the bed, biting her lip, some of her previous hesitancy returning as she sat on his lap. His hands rested on her hips as his heart pounded in his chest, watching her.

She slid her hands around his neck, holding his gaze as she lowered her head, brushing her lips against his.

"Let's enjoy whatever time we have left," she said against his lips.

He tightened his grip on her hips, vacillating between his desire to save her and savor her.

After a moment, decision made, he pulled her harder to him, crushing his lips to hers

The following days began to take on a certain rhythm. Usually Ben preferred having his nights to himself, exhausted after a day spent practicing, surrounded by people. The night was the one time he had to himself.

But now he filled his nights with Rey. Sometimes they did nothing more than lay facing each other, sharing stories about their lives prior to slavery. Ben had never connected with someone the way he did with Rey. He talked of his prior life, of his love of the arts, of his family's fall. He told her things he had never told anyone. She talked of her family, parents dead when she was still a small child, the village raising her. Despite the nagging voice in his head that this would end badly, he allowed himself to grow closer to her, allowed his thoughts to stray to her during training, eager for the evening to arrive so that he might be with her again.

Nearly a month later, Ben finished sparring when he was told Snoke wished to see him. A stone of dread dropped into his stomach, immediately wondering if Snoke had found out his request to see Rey every night.

He entered the room, careful to keep his eyes down.

"Sit."

Ben glanced up as he made his way to recline across from Snoke. He kept his mouth shut, reminding himself to keep his temper in check, no matter what Snoke said.

"Phasma tells me you've taken quite a liking to my newest purchase."

Ben ground his teeth together at Snoke's dehumanizing vocabulary, but kept quiet, knowing if he revealed that Rey meant anything to him, Snoke would only use it against him.

"She's a talented girl," he said, struggling to keep his voice dry.

When Snoke did not respond, Ben chanced a glance upwards and found the old man watching him, a faint smile on his lips. Fear wound its way into his heart, knowing Snoke well enough to know that the only thing he found amusing was watching people die.

Snoke reached onto the table, plucking a fig from the bowl and popping it into his mouth.

"The Emperor has requested you for the next games, a special one to honor his latest victory. He has promised the populace that it will be a truly extraordinary games." Juice and spittle dripped out of the corner of the man's mouth as Ben watched him, the fear taking root in his heart and blooming. "I told him you have made me very wealthy, and would hate if anything happened to you, but he was quite insistent."

Ben huffed a laugh. "So, he finally wants me dead."

Snoke plucked another fig off the table. "He has wanted you dead from the start, but you have proven much more resilient than he gave you credit for, and as such you have continually thwarted his wishes. He has grown impatient waiting for you to die."

Ben clenched his fists, anger flaring not only for the emperor, but for the uncle and mother who had designs on overthrowing the emperor's rule, and who died quickly, leaving him alone as a slave.

"What is he planning?"

Snoke shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know yet, and do not doubt that he will swear me to secrecy if he does ever tell me. I only know that he is determined you will not survive."

His thoughts immediately turned to Rey. He had known one day he would die, but had expected to have more than a month with her.

"That is all." Snoke shooed him with one hand as he plucked a honeyed peach from the table with the other.

Ben quickly obeyed, lost in his panicked thoughts as he made his way to the masseur.

When Rey came to him that night, he was pacing restlessly in his room. He felt more keenly how much of a decorated lie the room was, meant to give him some semblance of freedom when he had none.

"Ben?"

He froze at her voice, turning and striding towards her, crushing her to him, her hands trapped between them. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his riotous emotions as he inhaled the scent of jasmine in her hair.

After a moment, she pushed gently against his chest. He dropped his arms, taking a step back and running a hand down his face.

"I'm going to die at the next games," he said without preamble.

"I – what?" Rey blinked at him, clearly caught off guard by his blunt words. "What do you mean?"

"Palpatine is tired of waiting for someone to succeed in killing me." He turned, taking several steps away. "I don't know what he's arranging, but he will make sure I do not survive."

The silence that filled the room felt like a millstone around his neck.

He closed his eyes, cursing. "I'm so sorry, Rey." He shook his head. "I should have told Phasma never to send you to me again, should have spared you this pain." His voice shook as he turned toward her. She was watching him, her cheeks wet with tears, her heartbreak shining in her eyes. His voice broke. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, closing the distance between them. "No." She grabbed his hand as he pressed his lips together, trying to keep himself from crying. "Never say that. Never be sorry for our time together." Tears fell from her eyes but her voice was strong, confident. "I will never regret my time with you and I will never forget you so long as I live."

She wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. He inhaled sharply as tears escaped, making a trail down his face into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her again, resting his cheek against the crown of her head.

As he always did prior to fighting, Ben closed his eyes, blocking out the raucous cheers of the arena crowd, the ground rattling as the chariots ran by overhead, trying to center himself.

He had made peace with his death many years ago, but Rey had disrupted his quiet acceptance by showing him what could have been. She had endured so much throughout her life, even before the arrival of Rome, and he would have done anything to protect her from losing him as well.

When the moment arrived, Ben could hardly hear the sound of the crowd as he walked out the door into the arena, his blood rushing through his ears. He was dimly aware of the herald speaking, the crowd responding, but he heard none of it.

Until.

"Who here loves the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice?"

The crowd roared as a door opposite where Ben stood frozen opened. Ice flooded his veins when he saw a figure being dragged into the arena, wrestling to get away as her captors pulled her to the center of the arena, tossing her to the ground.

Ben's head snapped up to see the emperor grinning down at him. He whipped around at the sound of more doors opening, and men with cobra headdresses walked towards Rey, each with two weapons in his hand.

"Let us see if Orpheus can save his lover from the venom of a snake this time," the herald said, backing away.

Ben raced across the sand, ignoring the laughs and jeers of the crowd, the cries of the women and men who claimed to be in love with him – who had paid hefty sums for the pleasure of his company. He could only see Rey and the nearly twenty men stalking towards her.

"Ben-"

"Are you alright?" He quickly scanned her, keeping tabs on the advancing men. She looked unharmed.

She nodded. "Yes." She glanced around them before turning back to him. "Ben, I can fight. I can help you. I was trained as a warrior in my village."

Ben nodded, quickly cupping her cheek, knowing they had but moments before they were attacked. "I'll kill one, and you take their weapon."

Without further talking, they both turned, keeping their backs to each other as Ben swung his sword up to meet the first assailant. As it always did when he fought, his mind became sharply focused, the sound of the crowd fading into the background as he catalogued the dangers, cutting his way through them. At some point, he saw Rey, a trident in hand fighting off her own attackers. Gone was the timid girl he had come to know, and his anger grew at the empire that had forced the both of them into slavery.

He hissed as he dodged a sword, the blade slicing through his bicep. He didn't take the time to glance down, knowing his focus was already split enough trying to keep track of Rey, ready to jump in should she need assistance. He heard her yell as she threw the trident, the weapon piercing through the throat of her assailant. He saw blood spurt out of the corner of his eye as she pulled it out and blocked an attack.

He yelled when a spear pierced his thigh. Swinging his sword, he beheaded the attacker, pulling the spear out of his leg and turning to fend off the next attacker. He was so focused on the fight that he barely registered the pain from his injuries, only glancing down long enough to see whether an artery had been hit. Satisfied that it had not, he continued fighting.

He heard a scream, the cheers of the audience deafening as he turned to find Rey on the ground, an arm wrapped around her middle.

"REY!"

He turned, trying to fight his way to her, to help her, but the remaining fighters began to converge on him. He swung his sword, slicing every which way as the circle of fighters closed in on him. He heard the roar of the crowd, his heart stopping at what that meant for Rey.

With brute strength he shoved his way through the circle, running toward her. Time seemed to slow down as she looked at him, mouthing the words "I'm sorry" as her attacker swung his sword down, piercing her chest straight through the heart.

Ben's heart cracked in two. "NOOOO!"

He raced to man who had killed her, slicing his throat in one swift lunge and falling to his knees beside Rey, her eyes empty and staring at nothing.

Just before everything went dark, he whispered one more promise to her.

"I'll find you again."