He laughed and squeezed her hand in his own. "I think I can honestly say it wasn't. When I was a boy, I was being raised to be a house slave, to maintain the household, obey orders, serve guests. You must understand that that kind of servitude is considered very high for a slave. If you have a decent master, you are given your own quarters, taught to speak well, carry yourself with some semblance of dignity, given fine dress. You see because you are a possession of your master, you are in a sense an extension of him or herself, and carry with you the dignity of his house and his name. If you have a decent master that is...."
He dropped his eyes. "I...had a cruel mistress. I would not break so she sold me to the Colosseum and there I fought. As I'm sure you can imagine."