Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:24:31 -0400 From: Rob Lucario Subject: Eros on a Mission - Part4 ** DISCLAIMER ** Standard Disclaimer stuff - This story involves sexual and sensual relations between males of various ages, both mortal and immortal. If this is not your cup 'o tea, feel free to find a nice earl grey somewhere else. This is my first attempt at writing a Nifty story so any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Email me at Dayraider@live.com Chapter 11 - General Marcus, that name sounded familiar. Alexander looked at Acacius. "Isn't General Marcus a hero from the recent war Corinth had with Argos?" Acacius looked at him. "General Marcus is more than just a hero. If it weren't for him, we would either all be dead or slaves in Argos. King Periander rewarded him by making him general over the entire army. Normally he is stationed at the southern outpost, about a day's ride away, but he was called to the palace a few days ago to discuss the upcoming Council of the Kings. He also was to select the king's personal bodyguard for the trip." "Council of the Kings, what's that?" "Well, this upcoming one will be the first. Kings from all over Greece will attend, in hopes of ending all the wars and feuds that so often occur between our nation's city-states. Personally, I feel that the other kings are afraid what happened to Argos will happen to them. The Corinthian army is by far the best in the world" said Acacius, sitting back smugly. "I also think that word has spread that we possess a secret weapon of some kind, something that would even make the gods bow before the king." "That I doubt." said Alexander, chuckling. "The gods aren't afraid of mortals at all." "I only know what I have heard", said Acacius in an offhand matter. "Well, let's go see if we can track down your new master." At that he stood up and led Alexander from the room. He led Alexander down a long corridor and up a flight of stairs. From there they walked down another corridor and then out into a courtyard where they spotted a tall, slender man addressing a group of soldiers. "Ah, there is General Marcus. We will wait until he is done inspecting the new royal guard." "I have to connect with him." Alexander thought to himself. "If this mission is to succeed I need to get on his good side." General Marcus was talking at length about the roles the men would take as royal guardsmen. He spoke about loyalty and honor and that to be a Corinthian soldier meant to be the best in all of Greece. Eventually he dismissed the men and watched as their captain marched them from the field. "Stay here" Acacius said as he hurried out onto the field to meet with the general. Alexander stood and watched as Acacius started talking to him. Turning his head slightly and using his extremely sharp hearing he eavesdropped on their conversation. "Are you kidding me Acacius?" he heard General Marcus say as he looked at Alexander from across the courtyard. "He is just a boy. How could one too young to even be in the army be a page to the General of the Army?" "I understand your reservations General, but I tested him myself and he is a genius. He can read and write flawlessly and is extremely sharp. He also is extremely beautiful if you are into that sort of thing....as I hear some people are..." General Marcus spun his head to stare at Acacius. "You know damn well that that sort of thing is pretty much commonplace in Greece, don't dare hold it over my head." "General Marcus! I would never do anything like that. We all worship the very ground you walk on. I was merely stating that the youth is very beautiful. I examined him myself." "Examined him how?" "I had him remove his clothing for me, his body is perfectly flawless. He is not in the least bit shy about himself, and he is extremely knowledgeable about certain things...being that he is an acolyte from the Temple of Eros." said Acacius smiling. "Acacius, if you think that you can get on my good side by giving me a play toy you are very wrong" said Marcus, looking back at Alexander. "No sir, this is genuine. He would make a perfect page, and I even brought up the possibility of becoming a catamite and he is open to it. If I am not mistaken, you told me a few weeks ago that you have never had one." "That is personal business and I would thank you to keep your nose out of it." said Marcus, getting angry. "I just ask that you meet him. If you don't think it will work out, I will find him another position in the palace" said Acacius, getting a little worried. "Ok, I will meet him. If it is a no, I want you to forget this ever happened and find me a proper page" Marcus said as he started walking toward Alexander, with Acacius following. Alexander stood straight, watching them approach. "I will have to let my restrictions down a bit" he thought to himself, and then concentrated on decreasing his god-like presence. General Marcus walked up to Alexander and stopped in his tracks, almost stunned. "Alexander, this is General Marcus." Acacius said. "He has a few questions for you I am sure. I will leave you two to talk." He then started walking across the courtyard. Marcus stood there for a while, staring with wide brown eyes, enraptured by the youth. "I am very pleased to meet you sir", said Alexander bowing slightly, breaking the silence. Alexander then quickly concentrated on masking his presence until he was as before. Marcus blinked a few times. "Thank you. I understand that you can both read and write?" "Yes sir. My master, the high priest of the Temple of Eros in Athens, taught me a few years ago, and I have been practicing quite a lot" said Alexander, smiling. "Do you have any family?" asked Marcus as he and Alexander slowly began walking the perimeter of the courtyard. "No sir, my father went off in the war between Athens and Chalkis, and my mother died of a fever when I was 8 years old." answered Alexander softly. "And how old are you now?" "I am twelve years old now sir, almost thirteen." "You know, twelve is very young to be a page. Most pages are in their mid to late teens" said Marcus, as he stopped and sat on a bench. Alexander remained standing before him. "Please don't let my age be a factor. I have proved to Acacius what I can do." Marcus looked at the youth for a moment. "OK, let's try it this way. It is now early afternoon. I want you to follow me around, like a page would normally do, for the rest of the day, and we will see how you perform." Alexander smiled broadly. "I promise I won't let you down sir." Marcus waved for Acacius to join them. "I am not promising anything; I just want to see how you do." Acacius hurried over. "Well sir? Will he do?" "I am going to test him throughout the day, see how he does. If he performs well, I will take him on. If not, you will personally escort him back to the temple" said Marcus, looking at Acacius. He then turned to Alexander. "Let's go." Marcus walked out of the courtyard, through a side door and down a long corridor. Alexander watched him closely as he followed. The general had to be one of the taller mortals he had ever seen, probably around six and a half feet tall. He noticed Marcus's muscular arms, no doubt due to the constant hefting of a war sword. He wore a white tunic with red edges, which Alexander started noticing was the standard apparel in the palace. Finally as he followed the general, Alexander attempted an empathy probe. In doing so he detected that the general was at odds with himself. He tried but couldn't pick up on what had the general so confused. "Here we are" said Marcus as he opened a door. "These are my sleeping quarters while I am here in Corinth. They also act as my office" he said as he walked in, with Alexander close behind. Marcus walked across the room and sat down at a desk that was littered with scrolls. "As you can tell, I am a bit behind in my work, no thanks to the king's plans for the Festival of the Kings, which will be in a few weeks." He looked up at Alexander and stared for a few seconds. Alexander was looking around the room and felt eyes on him. When he looked back at Marcus their eyes met and he smiled. Marcus quickly looked down. "Let's get started." For most the afternoon General Marcus had Alexander run errand after errand reaching to all corners of the palace. Alexander quickly learned the lay of the palace and before long knew where all of the main departments were. He also learned that the king himself resided, and kept to himself, on the topmost stories of the palace. Thankfully, Marcus did not send him there. Walking into Marcus's office Alexander handed a scroll over and sat down in a side chair. "That was the last delivery" said Alexander, wiping his forehead. That scroll I just handed you is from Eutropis who wanted me to also deliver a message of thanks for handling the matter so quickly." Marcus finished writing on a scroll and rolled it up. Looking up at Alexander he motioned the youth over. "I didn't think it could be done, but in one afternoon you helped me sort out, write out, and deliver more messages than I could have done in a week. Thanks to you, I can actually enjoy an evening without having to worry whether or not I missed a deadline." Alexander smiled broadly at him. "I just thank you for giving me a chance." "I actually have one more delivery for you to make. This one is to Acacius. Please deliver it and follow the orders" he said, handing the scroll over. "Yes sir" Alexander said as he took the scroll and turned to walk out. He went down the hall, down a flight of stairs and down a corridor to the office he knew was Acacius's. "Come in" was the reply when Alexander knocked. He opened the door and walked into the office where Acacius was writing something on a scroll. Looking up, he noticed it was Alexander and smiled. "I take it you have some news for me?" Alexander handed the scroll over which Acacius promptly read. "Well, it looks like you dazzled the general. He wants to make you his page. He would like for you to return tomorrow morning, prepared to travel." Acacius wrote something down on a scroll, rolled it up and gave it to Alexander. "This will get you past the guards. Tomorrow morning I will provide you with the standard Corinthian uniform. Also, I would like for you to deliver an apology to Philon for me. The other night I was acting like a drunken fool. I sobered up quite quickly when I felt those cold swords of Anteros against my neck." He shivered just thinking about them. "I will see you in the morning." Alexander stood there smiling. "I will deliver the message and see you in the morning" At that he bowed and walked out the door. He walked down the hall into the main entry and then outside. Once past the guards he began the trek toward the temple. As it was early evening the crowds in the marketplace were thinner, making crossing it quite easy. After a good walk, he found himself at the temple and made his way in. The great hall was still lit from the braziers against the wall, but was deserted. "Everybody must be in the dining room" he thought to himself. "Good thing, because I am starved." Walking down the hall he heard voices in the dining room. When he walked in he saw everybody getting up, their plates cleared. "Well, look who is here" said Myrrine. "We were wondering if you would show up tonight. Have a seat and I will get you something to eat." Smiling, Alexander told everyone what had happened at the palace. He then told them that he was to be the personal page to General Marcus. "Wow, that is quite an honor" said Nikias. "You are going to be doing a lot of traveling, I bet. "Yes it is quite an honor" said Philon, smiling. "I am glad for you as I know this is what you were wanting, a higher level job." "You can't get much higher that being a page to the General of the Army" said Nikias smiling. Congratulations continued until Myrrine shooed everyone away so he could eat in peace, only Philon remaining. Alexander relayed the message from Acacius, but Philon didn't seem to care. He was genuinely happy about Alexander's new position. He further made him promise to return to the temple whenever he could, as he would always be welcome. At that he rose and said goodnight. Alexander had finished his dinner, and made his way down the hall to his bedroom. Once there he sat to remove his sandals. He then removed his tunic and laid down on the bed on his stomach, resting his head on his arms. *Anteros* he sent. *Eros? How did it go today?* came the reply. *I succeeded in getting a position with General Marcus himself. I need for you to inform Zeus of this.* *That is great! I knew you could do it. I will tell Zeus when I see him tomorrow morning.* Sent Anteros. *Thank you. I love you* *I love you too, now get some rest. I bet you are going to be busy tomorrow.* *Tomorrow and probably until I am done, so don't get in a huff if I miss sending to you every night.* Alexander sent as he rolled over onto his back. *Don't worry, I won't. I will just hold it over your head when you return.* came the reply with a touch of mirth. *Goodnight* Alexander sent, closing his eyes and smiling. *Goodnight* came the reply. Alexander laid there for a while and found that he was unable to sleep. He let a hand slowly go down to his soft penis, and started to stroke it. It didn't take long until he was at full erection. He continued his slow stroking of his hardness. With eyes closed he imagined that Anteros was slowly sucking on him, making him squirm. Taking one of his fingers, he lightly licked the tip, and began to lightly trace it around one of his nipples, occasionally brushing the sensitive tip. He imagined that it was Anteros's hand playing with his nipple as he continued slowly bobbing up and down on him. Alexander started breathing faster as he felt the pressure building, yearning for a release. He imagined looking down, seeing Anteros's lips encircling his hard penis and going from the soft and sensitive tip all the way down the shaft, encasing him in his warm and wet mouth. Stroking himself faster, Alexander felt the familiar surge approaching. He tried to keep quiet but some quiet moans still escaped him. A few moments later he lifted his hips off of the bed and began shooting hot seed all over his stomach and chest, softly moaning. In his mind he saw Anteros's lips around him, getting a mouthful of his juices. Alexander let out a heavy sigh and eventually slowed down to a stop. Still bathed in the afterglow, he looked down and saw a straight line of semen going from his belly all the way to the base of his neck, most of it pooling in his belly button. A few moments later, after he had come back down from his post-orgasm bliss, he reached his fingers down to scoop up as much as he could. He then brought them to his mouth and licked them clean. Tasting his own salty sweetness, he remembered the way Anteros tasted. Smiling, he turned onto his side and closed his eyes. Before long, he was asleep. Chapter 12- Bacon, he smelled bacon. Alexander opened his eyes and saw that it was early morning. He slowly got out of bed and got dressed. Scanning the room, he made sure that he wasn't leaving anything behind as this would probably be the last time he would be here. Putting his bag over his shoulder he made his way down the hall and into the dining room. There he found Thais and Philon talking over their morning drink. "Good morning Alexander" Thais said, as she stood. "Let me get you something to eat." She then walked into the kitchen. "Are you excited about your first day of employment at the palace?" asked Philon, as he continued to sip his drink. "Yes, sir. I think that I made a good impression yesterday" replied Alexander, as he poured himself a cup of juice. "I don't see how you couldn't. You are by far one of the brightest youths I have ever met. Our god must be pleased that you are one of his followers." Thais returned with a plate of eggs and bacon that Alexander took no time diving into. He was going to miss her cooking. Once he was done he stood, as did Philon and Thais. "You take care of yourself and don't be a stranger around here" said Thais, hugging him. "Leaving already?" he heard Nikias say, as he and Elpis walked into the room. "I want to get an early start" he replied, as he hugged Thais. He then turned to hug Philon who reminded him that he was always welcome. When he turned to Nikias and Elpis he could have sworn he saw a tear in Nikias's eye. "I will be coming back here and there, and I will try to attend every service when I am in town" he said, as he walked to the couple and hugged them both. After hugging everyone a second time he took his leave and made his way down the main hall. He turned and took a look at the statue. "Well good looking, let's do this" he thought to himself. Turning, he let himself out of the temple. The walk to the palace was a pleasant one. It was still early morning and most of the shops in the market were still closed and the streets empty. When he arrived at the palace gates he presented the scroll that Acacius had given him to the guard who read it and quickly opened the gate. He then walked up to the main door, through the main room and straight to Acacius's office. "Enter" came the reply when he knocked. He walked into the room where he found Acacius at the desk eating some breakfast. "Ah, General Marcus's new page" he smiled, "and early too, I like that." He said as he finished the food on his plate. Standing up he walked to the door. "Follow me, I am going to get you cleaned up and fetch you some outfits." He led Alexander down a series of hallways that he recognized from yesterday, and down some stairs into another series of corridors. "These are the servants' quarters" explained Acacius as he continued walking. "Normally you would be staying here, but General Marcus informed me last night that he plans on traveling back to the Southern Outpost later today. Ah, here we are." He said opening a door at the end of the hallway. The room into which he was led was warm, almost steamy. There were two sets of doors with signs overhead; they walked into the one that said 'MEN'. This room was even warmer and steamier, as in the middle of the floor was a huge pool of steamy water. "These are the servants' baths. Go ahead and hand over your clothes and I will return shortly with your outfits" said Acacius, as he held out his hand. Alexander proceeded to remove his tunic and handed it over. "Your sandals too, you are to get new ones." Leaning down, he removed his sandals and handed them over. Acacius took them, and reached down to pick up his bag. "I need to keep that. It has all of my writing equipment and some blank scrolls" said Alexander, reaching picking up the bag. "Hmmm, I will bring a new one when I return. As for now, take a nice long soak in the hot springs. Soap is over there along with some brushes. Make sure you clean yourself thoroughly" said Acacius, as he turned and walked out. Alexander walked over and dipped a toe into the pool. It was rather hot, so he slowly and delicately slipped in. The pool was in fact a huge tub about four feet deep. Once in the steamy water he walked over and grabbed the soap and a brush and proceeded to clean himself, making a point to wash his hair. Once he was done he leaned back and rested, the hot water feeling good to him now. The door opened and he saw three men walk in, talking amongst themselves. They were talking about how they were getting a delivery of horses today, and that they had to prepare them for use in the army. Being quiet, the men didn't notice Alexander leaning against the edge of the pool until they turned to get in. "Hey guys, looks like we are not alone" said the shorter of the three as he lowered himself into the pool. "It looks like the gods left us a morning present." "Oh yes, quite a lovely present at that" said one of the other men. "What is your name?" he asked. "My name is Alexander" he replied, keeping an eye on the third man as he lowered himself into the tub. "Well, Alexander, what would you say to some morning fun?" said the shorter man walking toward him. "Um, I would rather not. Not right now" replied Alexander standing up. "Come on Alexander, it's just us, we promise not to hurt you" said the taller man as he made his way over till he was just feet from him. "I said no" replied Alexander, getting angry. "Well, its three against one" said the middle man moving around so Alexander was almost pinned against the wall. He reached out to touch Alexander who quickly smacked his arm away. "Looks like we have a feisty one guys, and very beautiful too. I wonder if we can convince him to let us have him." Alexander was growing extremely angry. It was all he could do to keep his anger under control and from doing something he would regret. He then got an idea. "What do you think General Marcus would say if you were to hurt his new page?" he said staring at the three with an angry look. "I don't think he would take it too lightly." They stopped their advancing. "Did you say General Marcus?" asked the shorter man. "Yes, General Marcus. Today is my first day as his personal assistant and page. But then, if you don't care about keeping your heads on your shoulders, keep trying to have your way with me. I can assure you that while it would be the best time of your life, it would probably also be the last" he said, smirking. The three looked at each other and slowly made their way to the opposite end of the pool and started talking quietly amongst themselves. Alexander then pulled himself out of the pool and over to where a pile of clean towels lay. He dried himself off and laid down on a bench, keeping an eye on the three men who were now cleaning themselves. Eventually, Acacius arrived with a slightly larger bag and a few outfits draped over his arm. "Here is one of your new outfits" he said, handing over a bright white chiton with red borders. Alexander took it and pulled it on, glad that it was a chiton as he liked to have his back exposed. He then took the new sandals and laced them up. Acacius took a step back and assessed him. "You look perfect. General Marcus would be a fool not to utilize you as a catamite as well." Alexander rolled his eyes. "Here is a new bag for you. I took the liberty of including some new scrolls, ink, oil and quills. I also have included three other outfits, like the one you are wearing, in there." "Thank you Acacius" Alexander said, taking the bag. He then proceeded to take the contents from the old one and place them in the new one. Acacius was watching half-interested until he saw the silvery feather. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked pointing. Alexander held it up. "Yes, this was given to me by Anteros. He plucked it off of one of his wings for me." "Why did he do that?" "He gave it to me as a souvenir after we spent the evening together" Alexander replied, smiling as he gingerly placed it into the new bag. "You mean...you and him..." asked a shocked Acacius. "Yes, we did." replied Alexander beaming. "It was wonderful." "Well, then I am glad I found you a cushy job" he said, rubbing his neck. "Just try not to screw it up. General Marcus is a very busy man and will need someone pretty sharp to keep up with him. From what I gather, you are a perfect fit for him" he said, as he led Alexander from the bathing room and down the corridor. They eventually made it to the door to General Marcus's quarters. Acacius knocked. "Enter" came the reply. Acacius opened the door for him and Alexander walked in. Chapter 13- General Marcus was seated behind his desk scribbling something down on a scroll. He looked up and stared for a brief moment. "Good morning Alexander, I trust you are ready to begin?" "Yes sir, how may I be of assistance?" Alexander bowed. The general shot off a list of tasks that Alexander needed to accomplish; the last was to alert the captain of the guard that they were leaving. They took most of the morning and by the time Alexander was walking up to the office from the front guard post it was almost noon. He opened the door to find Marcus dressed in an armored tunic, with a sword attached to his belt. He was packing his writing tools into his bag. "One more stop before we leave; follow me." He put the bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room. He walked down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, meaning that they were on the royal level. They came to a large door with two guards. They promptly saluted when they saw Marcus, and one opened the door for them. Alexander followed Marcus into an ornately decorated room. The walls were painted in garish colors and the floor was carpeted with large rugs. In the middle of the room, lounging on a couch, was King Periander. Marcus bowed deeply, as did Alexander following his lead. "King Periander, I am reporting to inform you that the royal guard has been assembled for your protection. I will be returning to the Southern Outpost and then onto Sparta to retrieve your good friend King Pierus to join us on the journey to Athens. May I have my leave?" Periander looked at them both. "General Marcus, you say that my guard is complete and ready. Let me ask you, are they good? Are they willing to die for me?" "Yes sir. They are the best and are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for you", said an emotionless Marcus. Periander sat up and smiled. "Good, good. They will need to be able to follow my every order, no matter what it is. If they fail then they shall die on the spot. The Council will be where I prove to the world that I am the most powerful person alive. I need loyalty around me." He then looked at Alexander. "I see that you have a catamite now. I think that is exactly what you need, something to relieve the stress of commanding the most powerful army in the world." "Yes sir, he is still new and I have yet to break him in. I hope to do that this evening at the outpost" replied Marcus, still showing no emotion. Alexander did a quick empathy probe and found that Marcus was deceiving the king. "Very good, I wish you all the joys that a youth as he can deliver. You may take your leave" replied Periander, standing. "Perhaps once you have broken in your boy you will share him with your king." "As you wish my king" replied Marcus, bowing. He then turned and left, Alexander following. As he followed the general Alexander did another empathy probe; this time he was met with wave after wave of distaste and disgust. Not saying a word, Marcus walked down a flight of stairs, out into a courtyard and to the stables with Alexander on his heels. "We have your horse, General" said one of the men. Alexander immediately recognized him as one of the men in the bathing room this morning. The man's eyes went wide when they looked at Alexander. "We also have a horse for your page." "Very good." said Marcus as he climbed upon the horse. "I trust that they are good steeds?" "Yes sir, the best" said the man, bowing. "We hand picked these two from the royal herd when we heard that you were traveling back to the outpost." Alexander got upon his horse and took the reins. He looked at Marcus, wondering what had made him so upset. Wordlessly Marcus took off toward the main gates, Alexander riding close behind. Doing another empathy probe of Marcus, Alexander felt confusion and despair. The guards at the main gate quickly opened it as they approached. Once through, Marcus led the way down a road. It seemed as through he wanted to get as far away as he could from the palace. Eventually they rode out of the city and were heading south toward the outpost. "General Marcus...." said Alexander after a long period of silence, "Is everything alright?" Marcus sighed. "Nothing that you need to concern yourself with", he replied shortly. "Yes, sir" said Alexander softly. The two rode on in silence for a while. Eventually Marcus spoke, "I need to know something, Alexander." "Yes, sir?" "I need to know that I can trust you. If you are to be my page and assistant, I need to know that whatever you hear or see will be kept between us" he said, looking at the youth. Alexander looked back at him with a serious expression. "Sir, I have been an acolyte for my god for over four years. I pride myself on my loyalty to my god, my friends and my country. I promise you, anything that is said in confidence will remain that way." Marcus looked at him. Alexander looked him in the eyes. "I promise." he said softly. Marcus sighed and faced forward again. "You have a very honest face Alexander, and I am sure that I can trust you. I just have trouble trusting people, until I get to know them." Alexander smiled. "Well then, if it is ok with you, let me tell you all about myself." Marcus looked back at him and smirked. "Ok, let me hear all about you then." Alexander proceeded to spin a story about how he became an acolyte and how he had spent the last four years serving his god at the Temple of Eros in Athens. Marcus was genuinely impressed when he was told about Eros himself rescuing the scared eight-year old and then giving him such a grand gift as the pendant. "Well Alexander, you have had quite a life thus far, and you are only twelve years old. I can see that you have had an amazing loyalty to your god. Thank you for being so open" Marcus said, smiling at Alexander. Alexander smiled back and did another empathy probe. He received mixed results, ranging from relief to nervousness. "General Marcus is an extremely complicated person..." he thought to himself, "I better be on my guard." "You will probably be seeing a different side of me than everybody else and I would appreciate it if you don't say anything" said Marcus, smiling at him. "I actually had my last page swear that he would take certain secrets to the grave." "You have only had one other page right?" "Yes, he is actually a good friend of mine. He became my assistant when I became an officer a few years ago. You see, he was injured in a skirmish some years ago and unable to remain a soldier but still wanted to serve. It seemed like a perfect fit for him, that is until he fell in love with a maiden in Sparta. One thing led to another and they married. I was, and still am, very happy for him but I miss him." Happy that Marcus was finally opening himself up, Alexander did another empathy probe. To his surprise he received overwhelming feelings of desire and sadness. "They must have had some kind of history together, deeper than a normal friendship" he thought to himself, as he continued to ride. "I am sorry that he had to give up the position, but I will try to fill his void as best I can" said Alexander, smiling. "Thank you Alexander" replied Marcus, looking ahead, "I appreciate that." Chapter 14- As the two rode toward the Southern Outpost the clear sky became cloudy. "It looks like we might ride into some rain" said Marcus, as he pulled up on his reins to stop his horse. He then got off and pulled a long, leathery cloak out of his bag, fastening it around his beck. He looked at Alexander who was still sitting on his horse. "Do you have a traveling cloak?" Alexander shook his head. "No sir, Acacius provided me with just a few outfits, that is all." "That idiot!", Marcus swore. "He knew we would be traveling. Will you be OK getting wet?" "I should be fine, it's just water. I just hope it's a warm rain." "Ok then. Let me know if you get too cold" Marcus said, as he mounted his horse. "Yes, sir" replied Alexander. They rode on and as it started to get dark, it started sprinkling. Unfortunately, it was a colder rain. "The outpost isn't that much farther up ahead" said Marcus, pulling his hood over his head. Alexander leaned down on his horse and held up his hand to shield his face, as the drizzle turned into a drenching rain. "Let's ride a little faster" said Marcus, as he spurred his horse on. Thankfully it didn't take much longer until they found themselves at the main gate of a huge fort. "Who goes?" came a call through the downpour. "It is I, General Marcus. Open the gates!" he bellowed. The gates swiftly opened and the two rode on through. Marcus led the way through the dark to the stables where he quickly hopped off his horse. Alexander hopped off his horse as well, and followed Marcus through the large courtyard until he came to a small house-like building located away from the barracks. Marcus opened the door and walked in, Alexander at his heels. The room was dark, and Marcus lit some oil lamps. He turned and saw Alexander standing in the middle of the room, dripping wet and shivering. "By the gods!" he exclaimed. "Follow me. We need to get you out of those wet clothes before you get sick." Grabbing an oil lamp, Marcus led the dripping youth into a small side room that had a large, circular tub sitting in the middle. He sat the oil lamp down on a small table and looked in the tub. "Damn! It's empty. We will have to make due. Take off those clothes and dry off." he said as he quickly walked over to some shelves and grabbed some towels for Alexander. "I will start a fire in the fireplace in the bedroom. Come on out when you are dry." He then hurried out of the room. Shivering from the cold, Alexander removed his soaked chiton and took off his sandals and proceeded to dry himself off. He then wrapped a dry towel around his waist and walk into the main room. "General Marcus?" he called. "I am in here" Marcus called, from another side room. He walked into it and saw two beds and a fireplace where Marcus was starting a fire. "Here, sit down in front of this and warm up" he said, motioning Alexander over. Alexander walked over and sat cross-legged next to Marcus who was turning a log over with a poker so it would light. Eventually the larger log caught fire and Marcus sat back next to Alexander. "There, this will warm you up a bit. You know, I am going to kill Acacius when I see him next. It was totally unacceptable that you not be issued a traveling cloak." Alexander simply nodded, watching the flames catch and flicker around the log. "Stay her and warm up" Marcus said as he stood. "I'll go to the main hall and fetch us something to eat." "Marcus..." said Alexander, looking up at him and smiling. "Thank you." Marcus looked down at Alexander. He noticed the youth sitting in front of the fire. He noticed how the towel unfortunately was doing a good job at covering him up. He noticed how his slender legs were crossed, hiding what would have to be delicate feet. He noticed how the firelight danced across his face. He noticed how his damp blond hair was stuck to the side of his face. He then noticed how that smile...made his heart melt. Blinking his eyes as if to wake him from a trance, he smiled down at Alexander and ruffled his hair. "I just hope you don't get sick. I'll be right back." He then turned and walked out of the room wondering what had just happened.