The Argive Ch. 106-110

Agemon grunted. "I never thought I'd be here in Messenia fighting to protect it from Sparta but here I am. We're a long way from Corinth."

"And from Argos," added Praxis with a smile. "It's a strange set of circumstances that have brought us out here. But I'm glad to have you fighting by my side. Your presence has definitely been missed, my friend."

Agemon grinned. "We'll get the chance to fight together the day after tomorrow. And the gods will need to help any Spartan that gets in our way."

Praxis chuckled at that thought, knowing how true it was. He was eager to put some Spartan blood on his spear, especially after the disaster that happened to Argos. He and Agemon continued their small talk until going to sleep a short while later. The last thing that Praxis thought about before sleep took him was getting the chance to avenge his home city.

*****

In the middle of the night, Praxis became aware of his surroundings. He wasn't awake but he was alert, as if his mind was fully aware but his body wasn't.

It was a sensation he found himself in before, although the last time was whenever they'd just crossed over into Arcadia.

Now that he was aware, Praxis found himself standing up but he wasn't where he'd been sleeping just a short while ago. This time, he was on some great battlefield, and there were corpses as far as the eye could see.

There must have been nearly a thousand men on the ground. None of them were moving, and many of their faces were contorted into some cruel and painful death mask.

Praxis didn't recognize any of the faces nor did he see anything painted on the shields. These could be men from anywhere, which made the situation all the more confusing.

He continued to move along the dead, waiting for one of them,any of them, to call out to him before life left their body.

It never happened. This field was nothing more than a sea of blood.

It was at that point that Praxis realized just where it was. This was the field where the battle would take place in two days. These fields would be where the Messenians and the Spartans would clash.

Turning his head to look around, Praxis saw a figure on a small rise not far from his current position. The most noteworthy feature about the figure was that they weren't dead. Whoever this person was, they were still standing, almost like they were surveilling the carnage before them.

Praxis moved closer to the figure but before he was halfway there, the person became familiar to him. He'd recognize that golden blonde hair and armor anywhere.

The goddess Athena never acknowledged his presence, even when Praxis stopped mere feet from her.

Even though she didn't turn in his direction, she still knew he was there.

"War is coming," said the goddess. "I hope you are ready."

"The Spartans will be here soon," said Praxis. "But from the ground around us, it looks like the battle has already happened."

"The results of the battle are already known," confirmed Athena. "Though these men on the field might have two more days to live, they are already dead in my world. Their lives are no more."

"So you know who won?" asked Praxis. "I can't tell who these men are. Did we defeat the Spartans?"

"You're not asking the right question," chided Athena.

Praxis blinked. "What's the right question then? I don't understand."

"You will understand someday but not today. It's not within my power to tell you the future. It is forbidden by our own rules."

"Then why call me here?" asked Praxis. "You've done this before, right before something major happened. Why not call me here unless it was for victory. Unless..."

Praxis didn't want to say the words and they barely squeaked out when he did.

"Unless I die with them."

Athena shook her head. "The only thing I'm permitted to tell you is that you need to be willing to accept the path that's been chosen for you. Even if that means defeat."

"Defeat and death are still two very different things," countered Praxis.

"You can't always get what you want," said Athena. "No matter how long you've been searching for it."

The goddess said no more. Praxis watched as she seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving him on the field of carnage. He wasn't much longer for that world anyway as moments later he bolted upright from his dead sleep. Judging by the position of the moon, it was still the middle of the night, and most in the camp were quiet.

What had Athena been trying to tell him?

Was he going to die in this next battle?

Chapter 110: Renewal

Praxis didn't sleep well for what remained of the night--for good reason. There were endless questions and none of them had answers.

From the limited information that Athena told him, it sounded like the battle that was coming tomorrow was already a foregone conclusion. But he couldn't be sure if that meant victory for their forces or defeat.

And what exactly did she mean by saying that he couldn't always get what he wanted? He knew that, even from a young age. So why was it important enough to bring up now?

He was still confused as he made his way back to the city that morning to meet with his father. In a way, Messene reflected his own internal mood. The city knew the Spartans were nearby and most were quiet and pensive on the eve of battle. Almost all the men had been emptied out of the city, and Praxis knew that after today, both he and his father would be spending the night once more with their men.

Praxis ate a late breakfast with Nicomedes and Phaedra, but he didn't tell them about his dream with Athena last night, even if it wasn't really a dream. He had no answers for them, and he didn't want to worry them needlessly if it turned out to be nothing.

Even without the dream, he wanted to savor this time with them. Praxis knew that if something went wrong tomorrow, they might never get this chance again.

Nicomedes seemed to be of a similar mind.

"If something happens to me tomorrow, I want you both to get as far away from Messenia as you can," repeated the king, echoing the same message from yesterday. "Don't try to avenge my death. Don't try to save Messenia. Just run as far as you can."

"Father, please don't talk like that," said Phaedra, clearly upset. "I don't even want to think about that."

"It's a real possibility," said Nicomedes. "And if the worst happens, I want to make sure my children are all right. Even if the city falls, I'll be fine as long as I know you two survive."

"We're all going to survive," said Praxis, even though his mind wasn't nearly as sure. "No matter what happens, we're going to protect Messenia."

A little bit of confidence seemed to be exactly what both Nicomedes and Phaedra needed to hear. Neither of them said anything further, continuing to eat their breakfast without disruption. Praxis wasn't entirely sure if they believed it but it was enough to keep the peace.

It was around midafternoon that Praxis was strolling past the open halls of the palace. He passed the rooms that contained Astara's family, and he could even hear sounds of life inside. With all that was going on with the battle, the questions regarding Astara hadn't been the first thing on his mind. That was about to change in a big way, even if he didn't know it yet.

It all started with Lysandra, who was inside their quarters as soon as he arrived. Without the need for any words, she crossed the distance between them and gave him the most passionate kiss she could possibly muster.

"Wow, what was that for?" asked Praxis, chuckling to himself once the kiss finally broke.

Lysandra gave him a coy grin. "Do I really need an excuse to kiss you?"

"Not at all, but you don't usually kiss me like that unless you really want something."

Her eyes drifted up as her finger touched her lips. "Now that you mention it, there is something that I want."

"What's that?"

"Some time alone," she whispered. "I know you need to get back to the battlefield soon, but can you spare half an hour? Alone?"

Praxis wasn't exactly in a hurry but he decided to have some fun with it anyway.

"I'm a really busy man, Lysandra," he said playfully. "I don't know if I have that much time to spare. Unless you make it worth my while."

Lysandra giggled and placed her hand on his chest. "Don't worry, I plan to make it worth your time. Follow me."

She led him into the second room, which had a window that looked out on the rest of the city from the high ground of the palace. It was here that Lysandra gestured for him to sit and then she did something surprising.

"Now close your eyes for me."

"My eyes? But why?"

"Praxis! Just humor me, please!"

Praxis closed his eyes. "What am I waiting for?"

"A surprise. You'll see soon enough. Do you trust me?"

"Of course but why do I need my eyes closed?"

"So you don't peek. Keep them closed!"

Praxis shook his head playfully and waited for her to be ready. He could hear her footsteps leaving the room only to return a short while later. Judging by the sound she was making, she didn't stop until she was directly in front of him.

"I know you're right there," joked Praxis. "What are you about to do?"

Lysandra didn't answer him. Instead, she slowly straddled him, placing one leg on top of his, followed by the other. He could feel her arms resting against his shoulders and he could hear the sounds of her breath.

"Is this what you wanted?" he whispered.

Lysandra whimpered and pressed in a kiss moments later. The kiss was loving and tender, missing much of the passion from earlier. Praxis kissed her back, loving the taste and feel of her mouth.

But the longer the kiss went on, the quicker it became apparent that something wasn't right. He must have kissed Lysandra over a thousand times. He knew her lips almost like they were his own. And she didn't kiss like that.

When the kiss finally broke, Praxis couldn't help but open his eyes.

And what he saw astounded him.

"What?" he whispered, looking into a very familiar pair of blue eyes. "How?"

Astara's cheeks turned red. "I hoped you wouldn't be mad. I've just been wanting to do that for a very long time now. It's just how I remembered it."

"But Lysandra?" asked Praxis. "Where did she go?"

"She was the one that cooked this up," said Astara with a toothy grin. "That doesn't upset you, does it?"

"Surprised is probably a better word to describe my feelings right now. Where did she go?"

"In the other room," replied Astara. "She came to get me just now. She told me that we needed to talk a few things out still, and now was the best opportunity of any."

"Now might be our only opportunity," said Praxis. "At least before the battle."

She nodded. "I was wondering if I was going to get to talk to you before then. I was hoping we would talk yesterday but I know you had a lot going on."

"I wasn't ignoring it on purpose. I guess you could say that I hadn't made up my mind yet."

The smile fell from her face. "Do you still need more time?"

It was the most obvious question that she could ask and it was one that he didn't want to answer at first. The truth of the matter was that he didn't need more time. Time was the one thing that he was in very short supply of right now, with no idea of what tomorrow might bring.

It was at that moment that he remembered his vision of Athena and the warning about being able to accept whatever future fate had in store for him. What if this was the true meaning of that message?

But then again, the good times with Astara were astonishingly good. And at the end of the day, he had a very willing and very loving partner sitting in his lap. Someone with whom he had an amazing connection, and one that he still felt very strong about.

As it turned out, the answer was easy.

Astara managed to look surprised for a brief moment when he kissed her but her confusion melted into passion in a matter of seconds. When he finally pulled away, her eyes were closed and she was wearing a blissful smile.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" she asked.

Praxis nodded. "I don't know how much time is left for any of us. I don't know what will happen after tomorrow, but one thing is for certain--I don't want to die tomorrow without knowing that we've reconciled. That you're mine again."

"I don't want to think about you dying at all," said Astara with a shudder. "You can't die tomorrow. You have to promise me. I can't lose you when I just found you again."

"No matter what happens, we're going to be one again," said Praxis. "I want to put the past behind us. I don't want to think about what happened back in Corinth. Only that you'll be with me again."

Astara beamed with a smile. "I'd give the entire world just to see that happen."

They shared another kiss, and then another, and then another. Soon enough, clothes were being pulled to the floor. Praxis was harder than stone at seeing her nude body once more, and he was even more aroused when she put him inside her for the first time in months.

"Oh gods, I remember you," gasped Astara once their bodies joined. "Praxis, I missed this so much. I missed having you inside me."

He responded by kissing her. For the next fifteen minutes, they rekindled the flame that started so long ago. And when release came for both of them, it was incredibly satisfying.

"That was so worth the wait," said Astara as she clung to him. "I don't ever want to go without having you again. Never again, Praxis."

Praxis held her against him. "Let's pray we never have to."

*****

"Zenais!" hissed Lysandra. "Come here. You have to see this."

Lysandra waved her hand rapidly, hoping that the blonde would sense the urgency. Zenais didn't disappoint and soon joined her from the other room, where they could see just down the hallway to where another scene was unfolding a short distance away.

Zenais was shocked by what she witnessed.

"Isn't that Astara? And Praxis? Oh gods, are they doing what I think they're doing?"

Lysandra giggled. "Yep. They're fucking."

Zenais gave her an incredulous look. "And you're okay with this?"

"I'm okay with it when he fucks you. Why wouldn't I be with her?"

"It's just that we don't know her. She's an outsider."

"Maybe to us but she's important to Praxis. He was never going to be settled until he figured out his relationship with Astara. This is a good thing--for all of us."

Zenais grunted. "If you say so. I'm still trying to figure out if I have a right to be mad. Especially if you don't seem to be mad at all."

"I think this is what completes us," replied Lysandra. "And I've talked with her enough to know that she loves him. And she's a really sweet woman. She'll get along with us just fine."

"You mean this isn't just a get-it-out-of-your-system fuck?" asked Zenais. "This is permanent?"

"It better be with how much time I've invested into it this week," scoffed Lysandra.

Zenais hit her playfully. "You planned all of this, didn't you? Just like what you did with me and Praxis when we first got to Messene?"

Lysandra gave her a thin smile. "It worked, didn't it?"

"I guess it did. You're so devious, Lysandra."

"You won't be saying that once we get Astara in bed with all of us. Then all you'll be saying is thank you."

Zenais started to turn red. "I hadn't thought about that yet."

"Well, you better start thinking about it!"