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

Chapter LIII

I awoke the next morning with my body draped over top of Gannicus as I slowly rose rubbing the small specs of sleep from my eyes before throwing my legs over the side of the bed we had found and began to redress myself. I felt his lips upon my shoulder as his hand snaked around my waist. "So eager to go back to war." He told me.



"We never stopped being at war." I told him softly as I slowly turned pulling my knee and leg back up onto the bed. "A thing you once told me." I offered him a smile.



"There is no way to convince you to leave with us, and not the Gauls?" He questioned me tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I thought you were to join us once the others were safe." I questioned him.



"And I will, I just figured what would it hurt trying to convince you to leave with me." He shrugged. "Did it hurt?" I asked him.



"A little yes, though I think I knew your answer before you gave it." He told me softly as he too moved away beginning to redress himself. "You and I... we've lost so much, and come so far to just throw it away... why not just leave with the others?" He asked.



"If it were Oenomaus who wanted to leave with Crixus to fight.... And not Agron... and you were me... would you not go with him?" I asked him. "Would you not want to fight alongside the only family you have left? I cannot let Agron die alone on the field of war while I run away... he would not do that to me."



"Well then stay near the back so that I can find you... when I can get there." He told me as I smirked, "I will be at Agron's side so look for the man whose lost mind and you will find me." I told him as I moved around the bed walking towards him. "The siblings who have lost all mind, should be easy enough to find." He laughed as he took my hands in his, "Are you sure..." He asked me as I moved onto the tips of my toes kissing his cheek. "Positive. Until we meet again... Gannicus." I told him softly before walking out of the room to find my brother.



Finally finding him as the others were packing the wagons to head to the mountains, I watched as Kore, Laeta and Nasir stood near one preparing themselves to follow Spartacus. While Agron stood there with pain clinging to his face as he gazed over at Nasir with tears ready to spill from his eyes. "You can yet change mind brother." I told him as he looked over to me.



"You can too... from what I heard you and Gannicus have mended hearts." He told me with a short laugh.



"Forgiveness has been given. Love has been told to still be there, but to say heart is mended and we are yet again as one is yet still far from sight. Not for lack of trying brother... I have tried." I told him as he put his hand on my shoulder.



"Well then let us hope that we meet the Roman on the field and remove him from this world so that such things can be mended." He told me as I nodded to him yet kept my lips firmly shut from airing a response.



My heart was torn in two, it beat strongly for both Caesar and Gannicus and yet I was so drawn to the Roman who risked life just to get closer to me. Crassus could have killed him for even knowing he had been with me. For all I knew he was dead and his corpse branded with words of traitor upon the skin. I let my eyes wander towards Gannicus who was tightening the straps upon the supplies they held in the wagon.



Yet if I left with Gannicus now my life would settle, I could have the freedom and life I had been wanting since the moment we were forced apart all those years ago. Small hut in a village, with children. A simple life and he could give it to me, he could give me everything and more and yet I just couldn't tare myself from the idea of Caesar. I knew better than to think I could ever be more than his concubine and slave.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him, the regret and pain filling my chest. I knew he wouldn't make it to us in time. We were all going to fight against Rome's legions and by the time Spartacus and the others made it to the ridge we would either be dead or dying in a field of our people. There was the smallest chance of us seeing victory, I was sure my brother knew this too. Which was why he was keeping Nasir at a distance, he knew we were all off to almost certain death.