Forbidden

Chapter 6

"We leave now, Atilius. Come quickly." Aeliana looked towards the entrance of the small tent. Dilios stood tall in his shining royal armor, helmet in hand. Atilius looked up from the sandals he was lacing and nodded once. While Dilios retreated, the blonde looked up at Aeliana who was seated on the straw bed. "You understand what you are to say to Astinos?" He asked.

Nodding, Aeliana looked down on her twined fingers. The night hadn't been eventful, as she thought it would. After a chaste kiss was pressed to her temple, Atilius stretched out in front of the sleeping pad and kept watch. She waited for snoft snores to be heard before she completely relaxed and later fell asleep. "I convince him that one of the men, who I do not recall the name of, brought me here. They searched for him and never found him. So they took me to their own tent to stay the night and wait for Astinos to appear. Not one person touched me. But I do tell him of my injuries." She looked up at the last sentence and met cyan orbs.

Atilius held her gaze for a moment, before turning and grabbing his chest plate. "I'm sure Astinos will have you home safely." He shoved his arms through the openings "Princess, if you do not mind." Atilius shot a look over his shoulder to her and beckoned towards his back.

Aeliana stood from her spot and took the leather strings from his grasp. She quickly tugged it tightly and repeated the process until the metal was molded to the soldiers tanned skin. Knoting it, she looked up and saw many, if not hundreds of scars running up and down Atilius' neck, shoulders and arms.

Without thinking, Aeliana softly traced a faded pink mark on his lower shoulder blade. Atilius tensed and cleared his throat, moving towards the tent's opening. "The men are departing. I must go."

You fool..She quietly chastised herself. Atilius moved about the tent, looking at Aeliana every few second. She moved to put the fire burning in the middle of the tent out, but a hand grabbed her arm and turned her body.

Atilius looked down at her with soft eyes and brought a hand up to stroke her cheek. Aeliana's breath caught in her throat "You must be careful, Atilius. The Spartans..their unlike any men here." She quickly rambled on, anything to distract Atilius from her, anything to distract herself from grabbing his face between her hands and never releasing.

"Do not worry about me, when have I ever failed?" He smirked and wrapped an arm around Aeliana's waist, resting his forehead against hers. "Do not be arrogant." The flustered Princess brought both hands up and rested them on Atilius' chest, prepared to push him away.

"You make me laugh, pulchra" He whispered in her ear and planted a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Goodbye..I shall see you soon." Atilius released Aeliana, retrieved his helmet and slid it onto his head.

He slipped through the flap without so much as a backward glance. Aeliana stood, perplexed. What did he mean soon? He planned to carry this out? Even if he did return home? Surely he was jesting. She ran towards the exit and lifted the piece of cloth blocking her view. "Deinceps!" A man who was stood on a chariot screamed. Suddenly, hundreds of chariots moved forward at a blinding pace and Aeliana was left staring at the dirt rising from the ground.

He is infuriating..

*****

The sounds of the stallion's hooves were the only ones to be heard as the Roman army moved forward at a quick pace. Atilius sat high on the back of the strong horse, jaw clenched and narrowed eyes staring ahead. His friend, Dilios composed the same beside him.

Both men knew what the other was thinking. That the aggravating Second-General Terentius beside them deserved a proper beating. He boasted about the many fights he won, and was insisting that the men follow his plans instead of the General's.