Funny, the throughts that come to one's mind in the small hours of the morning after a long weekend of kinky events and conversations.
For some reason, half-awake I remembered a scene from a book about Spartacus that I used to read at a young age. I do not remember the name of the writer or the exact title and that book is probably lost somewhere but it left a strong impression on me at the time, this story about a fight for freedom, friendship, betrayal and a tragic love was irrestible although I would get upset every time I reached the ending.
Strange how this scene flashed so vividly in my mind seemingly out of nowhere.
This was about a quarter or so into it, all the main characters introduced by then and historical setting complete. The scene happens in the private boudoir of Valeria, the recent wife of either the emperor or a politician close to emperor. She is a widow who married him as she thought this would bring her protection and security but he does not respect her and does not love her, they spend little time together and she mostly spends time doing things on her own or with other people she knows.
Valeria is reclining on a long chair, semi undressed and resting in the evening, surrounded by silk on the walls, roses everywhere and dim lighting. She makes one of her attendants bring Spartacus to her, dismisses the attendants and tells him that she noticed him watching her the other time when she was going to the temple and asks him why. He finds it difficult to explain himself, caught and exposed all of a sudden and apologises profusely, then breaks down unable to hide his feelings and confesses that he just wanted to worship her, just to adore her.
All the feelings of longing and adoration escape the confines of his reserve and self-restraint and he ends up on his knees in front of her, this man who used to be a king and is now a powerless gladiator who has to injure others and risk his life for other people's amusement, who may have lost his freedom but has not lost his dignity and who is acutely aware how impossible is his yearning for this unattainable woman who seems like a goddess to him.
This scene is the start of their passionate and heart-breaking love story. I don't know if it is the actual romance that left such an impression on me when I was young combined with the brave and doomed fight for freedom (very relevant to my life at the time) or was it this scene in particular, this combination of embarrassment, power, romance and eroticism... |
