Domain of Power-The Dreamer (Book 3)

Chapter 15: Blacklist!

                                                                                         "Blacklist"

The Black List.

The name itself stroke fear into any opponent that stood in the king's way. Reputations were tarnished, positions lost, and families subject to ruin. The only thing more dreaded than being on the blacklist was being sent to the Hole. I had often wondered what lied there, yet I dare not ask. All I knew was that it was somewhere prisoners were sent for punishment. For many that walked through the dark corridors of the pit of the cave they would never see the light of day. It was somewhere not too many people really knew about, yet would never want to go.

I tried to put the trial behind me and all the feelings that were embedded in me. Things will go back to usual I told myself. What was usual? I supposed it was the daily routine that dictated that after I awoke from a strange dream in which I caught myself catching my breath that I would rouse from the sheets, be helped into a new set of clothes, recline for the morning meal, study under my tutor and get bathed. I was well enough to attend the public baths in the afternoon to unwind from the daily worries and get some needed exercise to strengthen my muscles. I hoped to find the twins there since that was the only time I managed to see them in the day. Yet something was not quite right. I rarely saw them.

A week has passed since the trial. Like any other day, I arrived at the baths during the mid-afternoon break to begin my exercise regimen with Cornelius. He stood standing in the middle of the open palaestra, as thick and sturdy as a tree. I was reminded of his military background every time I watched him pick up a heavy weight with relative ease. I had just come back from the changing rooms, now donned in a light tunic that grazed my knees. I glanced at the wooden bench lining the perimeter of the courtyard only to find no weights.

I turned to a young male that was carrying my clothes. "Can you find me a medium-size weight?"

"Certainly my Majesty," he would say in a meek timid voice. I smiled to myself. I liked the fact that they insisted to address me in proper titles. The slave girl was starting to simply address me as "Troy" before she would correct herself. Since I knew her very well I told her to not bother correcting herself. As he scampered away I watched the flurry of activity unfold on the field.

Off to the corner of the gymnasium several men lifted weights by the edge of the colonnade. Dozens of younger men including young boys ran or played ball games in the shorn field. Breaking up the sea of green were brown swaths of packed dirt. Shaded by the portico, groups of older and younger men wrestled or boxed. Cornelius referred to this part of the gymnasium as the palaestra or simply "the pit." According to him I was not quite ready for the bouts that took place here. My foremost goal was to build up my strength and coordination.

Across the courtyard I caught sight of Romeos, Julius and another young fellow accompanying appeared by the line of columns that surrounded the courtyard. For a brief moment, Romeos looked my direction, only to look quickly away. I sighed to myself thinking how awkward and distant our friendship had become. I watched quietly as they handed their clothes to their slaves as they got ready for their own exercise regimens. I wiped off the excess oil off my hands on the bench, as the slave brought the dumbbells for me to lift.

After a few repetitions, Cornelius approached me. The next task he wanted me to do was run along the footpath that surrounded that outlined the inner courtyard. Cornelius, stood back a few steps from the stone path, eager to see my progress as I ran around the gymnasium. As I ran past their group they were busy wrestling or boxing with the other young men. Towards the second lap my legs began to feel nimble as the fatigue of my muscles began to catch up to me. Tired, I stopped just enough to make it to my starting point.