The Auriga
A Premium Story from The Naked Gladiator
Chapter 1: The Emperor’s Command
Marcus stands in the ludus courtyard completely naked whilst the lanista explains the Emperor’s command. Beside him, equally nude, stands a man he’s never worked with before: Kaeso, a chariot driver from the circus faction of the Greens. Both men are in their prime, both are champions in their respective arenas, and both have just been conscripted for an entertainment spectacle neither fully understands yet.
“The Emperor wants something new,” the lanista says, his calculating eyes moving between the two warriors. “Chariot and gladiator combined. Kaeso drives whilst you fight from the moving platform. Coordinated kills, synchronised violence, spectacle that Rome has never seen before. You have three weeks to develop a routine that won’t get you both killed.”
Marcus studies Kaeso properly for the first time. The auriga is perhaps thirty, his body lean and powerful in a way unlike that of a gladiator. Where Marcus carries heavy muscle from years of wielding weapons, Kaeso’s physique speaks to balance, core strength, and the peculiar demands of controlling four horses at speed whilst standing in a bouncing chariot. Dark hair covers his chest in a pattern that trails down to dense pubic growth above a substantial cock. His arms show old scars from reins cutting into flesh, and his hands are heavily calloused.
“Three weeks,” Kaeso repeats, his voice carrying the educated accent of someone freedborn rather than enslaved. “To learn coordination, that should take months. The Emperor’s ambitions exceed his understanding of what’s actually possible.”
“Then we make it possible,” Marcus replies, because refusal isn’t an option when emperors command performances.
The lanista leaves them to begin planning, and Marcus becomes acutely aware that he’s standing completely naked with a stranger whose body he’ll need to learn intimately if they’re to survive this spectacle. In the gladiatorial arena, he fights alone or with partners he’s trained beside for years. This will require a different kind of trust, a synchronisation of movement between chariot and fighter that leaves no room for error.
“We should start immediately,” Kaeso says, his dark eyes assessing Marcus with the same intensity Marcus is using to study him. “Every day counts, and we’re starting from nothing.”
“Agreed. But first, I need to understand how you move, how the chariot responds to your commands. The rhythm of it.”
“Then watch me drive,” Kaeso suggests. “Tomorrow, we begin actual coordination training.”
