Rome: Marriage Pact

Chapter Thirteen: Be Calm

I meet Antony outside the tent after reading the letter, breathing in the cool night air. Agrippa and Maecenas follow me. "What news, young Caesar?" Antony asks with a smile.

"Mother mainly asked if we are all right. She hopes you are still...as she put it, 'watching over my poor rabbit.'"
"The poor rabbit being you," My husband only smiles more.
"I'm afraid so," I add flatly, hearing Maecenas holding back laughter.
"Oh, cheer up, Thurinus. The battle will be over before you know it," Maecenas smiles.

"Thurinus?" Antony echoes, that familiar glint of mischief in his eyes.
"It's a childhood nickname," Agrippa answers, making me want the dirt to swallow me whole in embarrassment.
"I've been happily married to you for two whole years, and you never told me you had such a cute nickname?" Antony teases, possibly reaching out to comfort me.

I step back out of his reach, cheeks burning with shame. "That was none of your concern," I snap, then turn heel and swiftly march off deeper into the woods.
Even so, I can hear Maecenas call out, "Oh, Gaius, don't be embarrassed!"
I don't respond, the soles of my sandals digging into the dirt. Ignoring the soldier's stares, I walk away from the camp until I sit by a calm lake.

The moonlight ripples across the water and I take a moment to collect my thoughts. Hearing a twig snap, I whirl around to see Agrippa raising his hands up in alarm. "It's all right," he says gently, walking over and lowering his hands. "Antony sent me to look for you."
"That doesn't surprise me," I sigh, looking out at the water. "Forgive me for acting that way, I'm just nervous about the battle."

"I don't blame you," Agrippa sighs as well, picking up a rock and tossing it into the lake, distorting the water surface.
"I know it's been two years since the marriage, but I still have doubts on whether or not I'm a good husband," I admit quietly.
"He loves you," Agrippa assures me, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "He always watches you whenever you're not looking. Antony worries for your well-being."
"That definitely sounds like him," I say with a sad smile, walking back with Agrippa to the camp.
****
The first battle between mine and Antony's forces versus Brutus' and Cassius' is a mess of men shouting, blood spilling, and complete chaos.

Even from horseback, Antony, Agrippa, and I watch the mess unfold. "This is chaotic," Agrippa mutters beside me. Antony looks tense on my other side, looking like he wants to jump into the frey.

Despite the madness around us, I manage to see Brutus charging into the battle as well on his own horse. Without thinking and letting rage get the better of me, I kick my horse into a galloup and charge after him. The alarmed shouts of Agrippa, Antony, and Maecenas soon blur together behind me.

Brutus' angry face soon turns into one of shock as I charge at him. With an enraged shout, I lunge from my saddle and collide into him, making us both crash hard into the dirt. In the frenzy, our horses run off.
On top of Brutus, I manage to get a few solid punches to his face, hurting my wrist in the process.

Blood streaming out of his nose, he shoves me off, getting a punch hard enough in my eye I fear I might go blind. It seems I had landed harder on the ground than I expected from the tackle, because my side flares up in pain like I cracked a few ribs.
Wheezing, I stagger to my feet, having been shoved away from the fighting.

My left eye already begins to swell shut, limiting my vision. I suddenly shout when I feel larger arms grab me and the sound of hoofbeats on the dirt.
"What in Mars' name do you think you are doing?!" Antony demands, clearly frustrated as he forces me in front of him on the saddle.

"Let me go back!" I scream, anger clouding all rational thoughts. "I had him! I had Brutus!"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Gaius?!" Antony snaps in a harsh voice, urging his horse to ride back to camp.
My head pounds with pain and adrenaline and I scream in anger, trying to get off of the horse.

Antony holds me firm, arms around my waist while gripping the reins. Still yelling and kicking like a temperamental child, Antony carries me into the large tent and practically pins me down in bed.
My side screams in protest and my voice soon becomes raw. Despite this, Antony's anger melts into sadness.

I soon collapse into angry tears, turning my head away from Antony, feeling ashamed. My tears soon turn the pillow under me wet in patches, but Antony keeps me held down in bed. "My love," his tone is a lot softer now. I turn to look at him with my one good eye.
He laughs a little despite his anger and sadness.
"My sweet, feisty little flower," his honeyed words keep me anchored in bed even after he lets me go.

"Let me look at your wounds," he orders, bending down and kissing my cheek that isn't bruised. I lie still as he removes the top part of the breastplate off of me, then gently lifts my long wool tunic up. He sucks in a sharp breath and I glance down.

Most of my side is bruised, a nasty mixture of purple and green. "It hurts to breathe," I gasp. "Shh, shh," Antony shushes me, brows furrowed. "Here, sit up," he grabs my hands, helping me as I shudder in pain.
"I know it hurts," he sighs, letting me go and rummaging through the shelves for numbing ointment and cloth strips.

"Doesn't look like anything's broken," he states, walking back to my side with the items he needs.
Gently, he places some of the ointment on my side, but I still cry out in pain. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
I nod despite my tears. The medicine smells strongly of mint, already making my side numb to the sharp jabs of pain. I shudder out a breath in relief, not really feeling Antony wrapping my stomach and lower chest in cloth strips.

"There, that should hold well enough. Let me see your eye," he murmurs, gently tilting my head up. "Can you see anything out of it?"
I shake my head no. "Just blurry shapes, not much."
Antony curses. "There's not much I can do about that."
"Thank you for helping anyways," I whisper, throat raw.

"I managed to hit Brutus a few times, even though it made my wrist hurt," I say. Antony laughs despite himself. "I say he deserves more than a few hits to the face." I smile despite my numbed pain.
"So much for our honeymoon in Greece, huh?" I question, sipping the water Antony gives me.

"Oh no, we're still having the honeymoon. Don't think that just because you're injured, you can skip out on the food and sex," Antony muses, but I can see his hands shaking in either sadness or anger.
I place my hands in his, trying to quell his anger.
"I'll heal. I've gone through worse than this," I assure him with a kiss to the cheek.

He nods and kisses me with a tenderness I've only felt the day we got married. We separate after a few moments, feeling him hold me close. "What about the battle? I need to know if Agrippa and Maecenas are well."
"I'll go out and check in a few minutes. I just want to be here with you for a little bit. Is that okay?" he asks gently. I nod, head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat calming me.