Page 110 of Axios
Whether we stayed in Sparta or went off to war, he would be with me, and that thought overshadowed anything else.
“Are you listening?” he asked in a humored manner.
“Of course,” I answered, opening my eyes and looking at him—memorizing the way the faint light danced along his naked form. “What happened next?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
375 BC- Five Years Later
War. That was all I had known for years. First, we had been sent into Boeotia under the command of King Cleombrotus. It had been a failed attempt. We had killed the Theban border guards and many other men, but the king made the decision to withdraw when we’d advanced farther south-west and hit another obstacle.
And it only became worse.
Once we had returned to Sparta after that attack, we were immediately sent back to Theban territory, but that time under the command of King Agesilaus. Two years of battle and two unsuccessful campaigns in Boeotia followed.
Countless men had died, but I had become desensitized to the bloodshed. I killed without thought, without a conscience. It was fight or die, and I had no intentions of dying. Several times I had been wounded, but none of the wounds had ever been severe. Only nicks from blades or deep bruises.
It was not without great struggle; however, for the Theban army did not fear us as they once had.
Thebes had a new fighting force that nearly matched Spartans in their discipline and skill. They were known as the Sacred Band. Rumors flew from the lips of soldiers that the band was made up of lovers. All men. And that was why they fought so fiercely. They not only fought for themselves, but to also protect the lover at their side.
I understood them in a sense.
With every battle, Eryx and I stayed close to each other, fighting side by side, and killing any man who got too close to us. I fought with more vigor with him at my side. All worries about myself vanished in those moments, and all that mattered was keeping him safe. I was certain he felt the same.
Other men I knew had been killed, just as Eryx had said would happen. Some of them I had not known their names—only acquaintances I had marched with and had occasionally exchanged a word or two—but some I had been more familiar with. Menexenos, a man who had trained with us in our group. Pericles, the older boy who had been unnecessarily cruel to me during theagoge.
I had been near them when they had fallen, and I would not ever forget the dead look in their eyes. Nor should I forget the nothingness I’d then felt afterward.
After the second invasion of Boeotia had failed—along with the smaller raids in surrounding areas following it—the army had returned home with King Agesilaus.
Years of endless fighting, and we were home once again. Finally. Yet, much had changed, and it was not the Sparta I remembered.
Leonidas was no longer a small child, but was now a boy of eight and had entered theagogewhere he stood taller than most others in his group. With the passing of the years, he had grown to look so much like his father, but with his mother’s dark hair. Haden often went to the field and watched him train, encouraging him not to surrender to the pain and to always stand his ground.
Leo showed no fear and even enjoyed the training.
Leanna had not coddled him as a babe as some mothers liked to do. No. She loved and cherished him, but when he had grown more and had started to walk and speak, she had begun his training—preparing him for theagoge, little by little. Having always been such an athlete herself, she’d taught her son all she had known: javelin throwing, running, and stamina building. I believe it had been her way of uniting her two loves in life; her family and her joy of competition.
When Leo left home to join the other boys, he had been ready. Excited, even.
Nikias had been assigned to teach Leo’s group, which I believed was an excellent decision. He may not have had full control over his leg, but he was still intelligent and had experience in battle. His teachings would be a great benefit to the youths.
As for Eryx and I… we finally got our home.
We had only been back from war for a year, but it had been one of the best years of my life thus far. Being soldiers, the state had given us property and supplies to build a house. And we were not questioned about our living together.
Sparta had enough quandaries as it was with the war and political situation, so the decision for two men to live together was of no concern to anyone.
I stood and looked out the window of the place we shared, observing the bare trees, dead grass, and gray sky.
Winter had almost passed, but it continued to hold on. I once dreaded the season, but I had come to appreciate it and had learned to find beauty within the stark skies and bitter cold. It made the blooming of spring even sweeter.
Arms came around my waist, and I smiled, leaning back into the warm body behind me.
“You are chilled,” Eryx said, rubbing his hands down my arms before closing the wooden shutters. “Move away from the window and join me where it’s warm.”
I did as he said and crawled onto one of the large cushions on the floor, laying on my back and staring up at him as he neared me. Instead of lying at my side, he covered my body with his and seized my lips.
