The Argive Ch. 116-120

"I'd hate to see you miss it too," said Xanthos, rolling his eyes. "After all, your presence alone would be like having an extra fifty men. I will make an offering to the gods tonight for your continued good health so that you can help us finish this war."

Krantor smiled at that and bowed his head. In the process, he went a little too deep, and part of his armor shifted off his shoulder (clearly, it wasn't buckled correctly). Krantor swore and stopped to fix it, but not before Xanthos started marching to the front of his men.

"I hope to gods above and below that he trips on a rock and bashes his head open," grumbled Xanthos as he marched away. With allies like Krantor, they would need all the help they could get.

At least they outnumbered Praxis by a factor of two, potentially even three by the time they caught up to him. There was also the fact that his men would be well-fed and rested by that time, while Praxis would struggle just to keep his army together.

"One more fight," muttered Xanthos as he gave the signal to move out. "Nothing says total victory like marching home with my brother's head on a spear."

That last thought gave him a significant boost to his stride as they moved out of Messene.

*****

The addition of the Mikon and the rest of the King's Band was a boon to Praxis' cause. For the first time since the battle, the men of the army had full bellies and hope that tomorrow might just be better than today.

For Praxis, it was also a great tactical move too. Mikon and his people provided critical scouting capabilities to the army, keeping a watch on all directions as they continued to move through central Arcadia. An army without eyes was an army without a future, and Praxis fully expected to see any threats coming long before they reached a critical juncture.

Which was how he found out about the fact they were being pursued just two days after linking up with Mikon. Praxis had been called back to the rearguard of the formation, where Mikon, Asterion, and several other warriors were perched on a small bluff that overlooked the road behind them. This particular part of Arcadia was more jagged than usual, and the bluff held a view of a good portion of the previous day's travel.

It also held the first signs of pursuit.

"See those men right there?" asked Mikon, pointing out the large mass shrouded by dust on the lower portion of the road. "That's much too big to be a caravan. Or anything else but an army."

"They certainly have the numbers," replied Praxis, scanning the horizon. "And they are coming from the direction of Messene. There's only one force in that direction that would be that big, so no doubt they are affiliated with Nikandros."

"They seem too small to be the entire army though," noted Asterion. "Maybe we're only dealing with one section of it, or one detachment."

"Or one city," replied Praxis. "I wonder if they know we're here. They are moving too quickly for this to be a leisurely march home."

"And we haven't been able to conceal the fact that we're here either," said Asterion. "If we can see their dust cloud, surely they can see ours too."

"We need to identify them," said Praxis. "See who we're dealing with, whether they be Spartans or someone else."

Mikon turned his head to look at him. "Does it really matter that much?"

Praxis met his gaze. "Our prospects change dramatically depending on if we're facing a few hundred Spartans or a few hundred Corinthians. We need to find out who they are."

Mikon nodded and sent a few men down from the bluff to scout out the force. It took nearly half a day for them to return to the rest of the army, and the news they brought back was mixed at best.

"They're Argivesand Corinthians," said the scout, informing Praxis and the other leaders of the army. "We can tell from their shields. A good portion of them bear the letter A for Argos and the others bear the winged horse of Corinth. There's just over seven hundred of them in total."

"Nearly double our numbers," muttered Asterion.

"And they most certainly know that we're here," added the scout. "They are moving quickly, following our tracks. At their speed, they are trying to catch up to us."

"No doubt my stepbrother is with them," said Praxis.

"Yes, he is there too," confirmed the scout. "He is at the head of the army."

Praxis grunted. "And I'm sure they intend to mop up the remains of our force. It's probably one last favor for Nikandros before they can return to Argos."

"Several hundred men will pose a great problem for us," said an alarmed Mikon. "We don't have the strength to stand up to them."

"We've done it before," said Praxis quietly, forcing all eyes on him. "At the last battle, we faced similar numbers, and we still held that pass and kept Spartans from flanking the rest of the army."

"That might be true but we had the advantage of holding a small pass against them," replied Asterion. "We were on the defensive and they couldn't get around us. We won't have the same circumstances here. The terrain isn't that terrible that your stepbrother couldn't go around us if he really wanted to."

"Asterion is right," added Agemon. "Our circumstances here are a little different from the one we faced in Messenia."

"It's not that different," disagreed Praxis. "And we have something going for us that we didn't have before."

"What's that?" asked Asterion.

"At the last battle, we faced Spartan leadership," said Praxis, as a smile started to grow on his face. "This time, we're only facing my stepbrother. Xanthos is no great tactician or fighter. I've had to save his skin many times on the battlefield before. He can be goaded into making mistakes."

"What kind of mistakes would that be?" asked Asterion. "Can we goad him into turning around and going back to Messene?"

"Not quite," said Praxis, chuckling. "But we can goad him into thinking his numbers are his best advantage. That we're weak in the face of overwhelming power. We've already shown that we can stand up to the enemy when they outnumber us. Maybe we just have to do it again?"

"Finding good ground to fight on would be the most important factor to that," said Agemon. "That only works if they can't get around us easily."

"We'll scout the road ahead of us as much as we need to," said Praxis. "At least until we find the ideal spot."

"Even still, I find it hard to believe that your stepbrother would attack us once he gets a view of a defensive position," said Asterion. "We might find that goading him is harder than we expect."

Praxis thought to himself for a moment before the idea hit him. "Not if we add a little theatricality into the mix."

Chapter 120: How Zenais got her Groove Back

The attitude of the entire army changed once it was announced that they were being pursued by a superior force. Previously, the army had been moving rather slowly as they traversed through Arcadia, mostly because they lacked an immediate foe and a true direction. Whereas they were lucky to cover ten miles in a single day, that now increased to close to double as they sought out ground to make a final stand against Xanthos.

The problem, as Praxis saw it, was keeping the army's confidence. These were the same men that gave the Spartans a bloody nose at the Battle of Messene, and yet they seemed to lack any assurance that they could get the job done again. If they could beat the Spartans while outnumbered, surely they could do the same against a similar host of Argives and Corinthians (widely acknowledged in the Peloponnese as some of the worst warriors).

So why did they lack confidence?

"Here's the way I see it," said Agemon as they discussed that very question that evening. "Back in Messene, we had the rest of the army with us, and there was always the thought that if things went bad, we still had the bulk of the army that could bail us out of trouble. The men were confident in that knowledge but everything is different here. It's truly just us in this tiny army against the might of the Peloponnesian League. Though the numbers being thrown against us haven't changed, the circumstances surrounding the fight have. The men know that if things go badly, there is no chance of being rescued by another force. It's win or die. Enough of the men have expressed similar notions to me, enough to know that's mostly what's going to their minds."

"It makes sense now," said Praxis. "But I wouldn't mind putting their minds at ease. They don't need to be afraid of the Corinthians like they were the Spartans. Or afraid of Xanthos."

"No, but this might just be the first force that's coming to intercept us," noted Agemon. "What if a larger Spartan force is right behind them? The bottom line is that the men are all skittish about our long-term prospects. They're afraid of total annihilation."

"Then we'll just have to give them something they can believe in," said Praxis. "They might know the spear phalanx works but do they really believe in it? They stood their ground against superior numbers before but can they do itevery time and still win? In this next battle, we're going to show them that they have every right to keep their heads held high. The phalanx won't be defeated so easily."

"I think you ought to talk with them then," said Agemon, a smile growing on his face. "When you put it like that, it's hard not to have your spirits raised."

And so, that was exactly what Praxis did. He walked around the entire army that evening, giving pep talks to the men and soothing their fears. Agemon had a great handle on the situation and Praxis' words seemed to instill the confidence that was missing but he knew the true test would be when Xanthos caught up to them.

They were ready to believe once but could he get them to believe again?

By the end of the night, Praxis was exhausted. He retired to a small, abandoned farmhouse that was just off the side of the road, where he was making his quarters for the night. At first, the only thing on his mind was sleep but he saw that someone was waiting for him when he arrived.

It was Zenais, and in her eyes, he found something that the rest of the army was missing.

Confidence.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, barely waiting for Praxis to make himself comfortable.

"Of course," he replied. "Is something wrong? You look like you have a lot on your mind?"

"I have a lot on my mind, yes," she confirmed before gesturing to Praxis to sit down. He did so on the bed before she promptly straddled herself against his lap.

Praxis chuckled. "Well, I guess it can't be too bad if you're seated like this."

"I just need to make sure I have your attention. Do I have it now?"

"Absolutely. So what is this about?"

Zenais took a deep breath. "You were right about me. About what you said about my confidence. I have been different since the fight, and not in a good way."

"It's only natural after what happened--" said Praxis before she shushed him.

"I know and I spent a lot of time thinking about it. And I've made my peace with it, mostly because it was the realization that I needed. Does that make sense?"

"Kind of," joked Praxis. "As long as you're feeling better about it, that's what matters."

Zenais shook her head. "I almost died in that battle. I was wounded and I would have died if it weren't for you. I always thought that I was such a good fighter that I would never be wounded. That no one would ever be able to best me. Knowing that someone did almost killed me spiritually, not to mention physically. And yet, I realized that the most respected warrior I know is covered in wounds."

Zenais pointed out several of the scars that marked his body in the process. "All of these attained in battle, right?"

"Maybe not this one," joked Praxis, pointing out a scar on his chin. "I fell off a chair as a child and smashed it against a tiled floor. That one was just due to my clumsiness."

Zenais started to laugh. "You know what I mean. Being wounded wasn't the end. It doesn't mean that I'm any less of a fighter. It doesn't mean that I'm bad at what I do, which was what really destroyed my spirits."

"You're still alive, Zenais. You lived to fight another day. How could that make you a bad fighter?"

"Pride does crazy things to people's minds," said Zenais. "But it also helped me realize something else. Something about you. Just like being wounded in battle wasn't the end of me, being in love with you isn't the end either. I used to carry similar views about submitting to anyone, submitting sexually or romantically. I love you but I haven't surrendered myself to you for the exact same reason, Praxis. I was afraid of what it would do to me."

Praxis didn't reply to that statement directly but it made a lot of sense. Of all three women, Zenais was always the most distant, even when she was being affectionate. Though there was definite love between the two of them, he'd always had the feeling that she still had her guard up around him, even when they were having sex.

"Both matters were an issue with vulnerability," she continued. "I've learned now that it's not a death sentence to be vulnerable, especially with you. I want to give you everything I have, every piece of me. I want to totally surrender to you, Praxis. I want to be that vulnerable by showing you the depths of my feelings for you, with no barriers between us."

With those words, Zenais wasted no time in pulling off the men's chiton that she wore for daily use. Her large tits spilled out from the fabric as she tossed it to the ground and started to wiggle her hips against his.

"I love you with all of me," said Zenais. "And it's time that I showed you."

Praxis didn't get a chance to respond to that because she kissed him passionately as soon as she was done speaking. Zenais' hands went to his head, sliding between his curls as their lips and tongues dueled for sexual supremacy. All the while Zenais continued to wiggle and bounce in his lap, making his body respond.

"I need you," said Zenais between frantic kisses. "I need you inside me."

She rolled off her lap until her back hit the bed, at which point Zenais grabbed her ankles with her hands and spread her legs wide. It was the perfect view of her body, entirely laid bare before him. Her lips were just dripping with excitement and her clit was already reddish in arousal.

Praxis hopped to his feet and removed his chiton, allowing his fully engorged cock free. As he stepped between Zenais' outstretched legs, she opened them wider for him, if that was even possible.

"I'm yours now," said Zenais, watching him closely as he notched his cock in her silken folds. "No more barriers."

Hearing the words were an incredible turn-on for him, enough so that Praxis wasted no time in driving himself forward and entering her body. Zenais let out a loud shriek of approval once he was inside, and her legs wrapped around his waist to lock them together.

Her face assumed a dreamy quality to it once they were finally together.

"I surrender to you," said Zenais, now breathing heavily. "I'm yours, Praxis. I belong to you."

She kept repeating the words over and over again, especially as he grabbed her hips and began to thrust. Zenais' tits started to roll upward with every powerful motion, all the while she kept chanting her true feelings.

"I love you, Praxis! I'm all yours now!"

Her words were incredibly sexy but so was the way she was pushing back against his thrusts. Zenais' pussy was a hot, dripping cauldron that he couldn't get enough of, and Praxis kept trying to push deeper, even as her body started to heave. Ripples of orgasm soon appeared, flooding his cock with the evidence but it only made him go harder.

This was a woman that had totally surrendered to him. He had to give her everything he possessed.

"S-so good, so so good," purred Zenais, shaking her head from side to side as her body went through ecstasy. "Gods, I love what you do to me. I need it so bad, I need you. You're so fucking good to me."

At this point, Zenais reached down to cup her tits with both hands, squeezing the flesh together for his benefit. She started to pinch at her nipples, making them achingly stiff as her hips slammed against him.

"Mark me, Praxis," she urged. "Cum inside me. I surrender to you."

It was all he needed to hear. Praxis let out a loud roar as he unloaded in Zenais, filling her to the brim with every ounce of his seed. The entire time he was firing, Zenais writhed on the bed, her eyes rolling upward in pleasure.

"Yes, give it all to me," she cooed.

When it was finally over, there was nothing but love in her eyes, and a depth of emotion that Praxis had never seen before.

"Thank you," she whispered once he fell against the bed next to her. "I was right, Praxis. I could be that vulnerable with someone else. I could do it with you."

Praxis leaned over to kiss her.

"Just don't break my heart," she warned. "I don't know that I could take it."

"You're safe with me," he replied. "I would never hurt you."

"And you're safe with us too."

Praxis and Zenais looked toward the door, where Astara and Lysandra had entered and were now making their way to the bed. They straddled the couple on either side, no doubt having watched a good portion of the activity judging by the looks on their faces. Zenais made no effort to cover herself, not as exhausted as she was.

"Did you get what you needed?" Lysandra asked Zenais. "How was it?"

"Better than I could have ever imagined," said a dreamy Zenais.

"Let me guess--you're involved in this some way?" asked Praxis.

Lysandra grinned. "Aren't I always?"

"Lysandra helped me come to the realization too," said Zenais, adding some color. "And she was so right, like usual."

"Zenais needed my help and I would never deny it to anyone in this room," said Lysandra.

Praxis chuckled and turned to look at Astara. "What about you? What's your role in this?"

Astara smiled shyly at him before her attention turned elsewhere. After a moment, it wasn't hard to see that she was looking between Zenais' legs, where Praxis' seed was still spilling out of her body.

"Astara?"

Astara grinned at him. "Lysandra is helping me with something too. Something that I can add to the group."

"What would that be?" asked a confused Praxis.

Without words, Astara slipped off the bed onto her knees. She crawled between Zenais' legs and took a lick of the blonde woman's pussy. In the process, she captured a great deal of Praxis cum on her tongue. She then swallowed and took another lick.

"We all take care of each other," said Lysandra, watching the situation unfold.

"Gods, I love this relationship," moaned Zenais.

Praxis did too. He couldn't have been more happy with the three women, even when Astara started to suck his cock after she was done with Zenais.

And that's when round two started.