Page 70 of Axios

“You love me?” I asked, unable to stop myself. My mother’s reaction was of no consequence because she had no bearing on my life. All that mattered was the man before me and knowing the workings of his mind… and heart.

“Yes.” His words were but a whisper. Soft like the breeze that blew around us.

I imagined the word being swept away from the hill top and carried through the meadows before leaving Sparta and traveling to other cities, finding other lovers in the midst of confessing their love and giving them the courage to answer with honesty. Somewhere, there must have been others like us, two souls who could never be parted and who found solace in the other.

His eyes met mine—affection shining in their green depths—and then he kissed me. His mouth gently pressed to my lips before becoming heavier, his tongue seeking mine.

I opened for him, submitting to him in all meanings of the word.

I’d never forget the moment when I truly knew how Eryx felt. A moment I’d been awaiting for many years. I had a way of reading him in ways other men could not, yet, I’d often found myself questioning small things. Small, but not insignificant. There were times he’d tried hiding his feelings from me, and I’d never understood why.

Now I do.

He expressed himself differently than I did, and he held on to Spartan values so sternly that any straying from those beliefs caused him struggle. Love was one of them.

“Do you wish to know your mother’s response?” he asked after pulling away and grinning impishly. Humor was alive in his eyes, giving him such a youthful appearance. One consumed with mischievous deeds and so unlike the toughened warrior he truly was. “I half expected her to faint by how stunned she was.”

I nodded, even though it was difficult for me to focus on anything other than the desire to have his mouth back on my own. But his eagerness was too great for me to refuse and the side to him was too rare.

As he dove into his story, I suspected he exaggerated the tale with how enthusiastically he told it. When he told of my mother’s reaction, he acted it out in a higher tone as if mimicking her voice. His contagious smile and carefree spirit touched something in my chest, and I leaned in further, seeking more of the warmth.

I barely registered his words. I was too invested in the man speaking them and how, even after all these years, he still managed to astonish me.

“Are you listening, Ax?”

Leaving my thoughts, I focused on him. “Of course.”

“Good,” he said with a smile before continuing where he’d stopped. “I do not expect your mother to come around us again anytime soon. Even when her confusion turned to disgust, I remained polite toward her.” His playful grin slipped from his face and was replaced by a scowl. “But when she insulted you, I might have voiced my abhorrence of her and swore that if she ever spoke so poorly of you in my presence again, it would be the last words she ever spoke. My blade would make sure of it.”

I smiled at his protectiveness of me and lay back on the grass, staring upward to the darkening sky.

“Look!” I exclaimed, pointing. “If you look closely, you can see the first star of night.”

Eryx followed my line of sight and squinted, causing the light freckles on his nose to crinkle in an endearing way.

“Oh, I see it,” he said before laying his head down.

“What do you think makes the stars?” I asked, staring at the sky in wonder.

“The gods created them,” Eryx answered. He pressed his leg to mine as he grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers and resting our hands on the grass. “It is a place for heroes.”

“And nymphs who cry,” I added, remembering his story about the rain.

He smirked, and I bumped against his shoulder.

“I have told you about the rain and the stars,” he said, turning to look upon me with a mysterious gander. “But have I told you the story of the sun?”

I shook my head.

And then he did.

***

The Spartan envoys returned days later. Eryx and I had just dismissed the group of youths and were discussing a trip to theagora, when we saw them enter the city. They moved quickly amongst the crowd that had gathered upon hearing of their approach and headed straight for the council.

Finally, we’d know the fate of the war and whether we’d be celebrating peace that night or preparing for a campaign in the morning.

My gut knotted. Not from fear, but from the anticipation of receiving news at last. I looked at Eryx, and his expression told me he felt the same.