Barely conscious, Aelius could only see the hazy outline of the woman that had watched their battle standing over him. Although he couldn't distinguish the impression that danced across her features, judging from her words he knew he did well and had pleased her. Exactly what he had been hoping for - being in the Domina's good grace could make his life here a lot easier, and perhaps open up a way out. With a raspy, soft voice, he managed to bring out a few words before everything went black. "T...thank you, Domina."<br/><br/>That night, Aelius dreamed. But they were not nice dreams - his mind was once again plagued with nightmares. This time however, the fight with the other gladiator came back to haunt him as well, together with the usual nightmares of his past. The few times he had been awake were a hazy memory for him, not being able to recall what exactly happened. One time he had been in a dimly lit room while a few people were talking besides him, another time a unknown man had been standing over him. When he had asked where he was, or what was happening, the man had simply told him to not worry and go back to sleep, after which Aelius had blacked out again.<br/><br/>When his eyes opened for the next time, he found himself in the same room he had been in when the people were talking. Although there was more light in the room and he could make out his surroundings, he had still no clue what the room was, or where it was. Neither did he know for how long he had been out, but it seemed like it had been a while. His wounds had been tended to, and he felt a lot better. When he tried to stand up, however, he felt himself feeling weak again, and he decided it would be better to stay in the strange bed for now. All he could do was hope somebody was nearby and would walk in to tell him what was going on.