Unconditionally (Spartacus FANFIC -- Gannicus/Caesar/OC)

Chapter XXV

Varro's body laid cold on a stone table below in the ludus while we had sent slaves out to gather his wife and son. I stood in the doorway to the room preparing myself for the task I had been assigned to; cleaning the blood from Varro's body and redressing him. Dominus demanded she not be forced to see him in the condition he had allowed him to so cruelly to meet. His skin was grey in color, lips blue, all that was bright and beautiful in this man was all but gone.

I walked in slowly moving closer to his body to were the buckets of water and the rags had been left for me. I could feel the bile mixing in my stomach, as the tears continued to stain my face. How could Dominus allow this to happen without so much as a care or thought to the outcome? He knew what the man meant to Spartacus. He knew.

I moved my hands around his body removing his bloodied armour, leg straps and blood stained subligaria. Dropping them in a pile on the floor, they were to biscarded. I picked up the rag softly dipping it into the cold water before ringing it out and slowly wiping and scrubbing all the blood from his skin. Before tossing the rags into the pile along with all the rest that has been deemed garbage to Dominus.

"You cared for the man." Crixus' voice moved through the room as I had placed my hand on Varro's. "I care for all those beneath this roof whom do not have a voice." I told him as I turned to look at him, "Yes... I did care for him. Evidently more than I had thought I did." I told him as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Than I am sorry, that this -" I cut him off. "This, is but what this house expects of us. Our lives. He deserved an honorable death, not a death at the whim of some boy and some stupid devious bitch." I spat out as Crixus took me in his arms rubbing my back as he held my in embrace.

"I agree." He whispered to me as he pulled away from me, "This was a shameful thing that Dominus allowed to happen." He told me.

"I could have saved him." I told him as my voice broke. "How? Why didn't you?" He ushered me to answer. "Because it would have been at the cost of your life... a tragedy I would never have allowed Naevia to experience."

Crixus looked down at his feet, "How?" He questioned.

"The woman. Ilithyia, suggested I sleep with the boy Numerius, to exchange Varro for you. I .." I began to say as he once again pulled me into a hug. "Gratitude..." He told me, "To sacrifice one's life for another...could not have been easy." He told me.

"It was not... can you make promise to end this feud with Spartacus... please, no more lives lost due to us all being divided." I pleaded with him as he inhaled deeply, "I promise, Jana... no more lives lost." He told me exhaling.

I rejoined Dominus and Domina on the balcony as swiftly as I could, Naevia standing slightly closer to the entrance as the two of them watched the men train below. I looked over to Naevia as she lowered her head and reached out to rub my arm but instead pointed to the blood that had stained my own skin from the washing of his body. I nodded pushing my robes over my feet and taking my place next to her.

"He's not going to take this loss well." Domina explained to her husband. "And who can fucking blame him?" He snarled back to her before turning his attention to me, "Was he taken care of last night?" He asked me.