Athenian Arrow

Chapter XVIII

The low, melancholy music sounded hazy as if it was lost in the background. Anastasia then remembered she was upstairs as the muffled sound travelled through closed doors. Two different pairs of hands travelled down her smooth, pale skin distracting her from the outside world. A smooth, petite leg crosses over Anastasia's. Soft supple lips cover hers. The removal of warm white sheets chills her naked body until a warm sensation covers her lower half. A different but familiar touch lifts her other leg, which isn't entangled with someone else's, in the air. Anastasia relishes in the strength that familiar touch possesses. Her fingertips find warmth inside the other. The atmosphere has a hazy, lazy aura but that doesn't stop the passion from shining through.

Bodies lay a mess under silk sheets after the firey flame dies out. Zoi smiles at Anastasia who both face each other. Their hands find a home in the other, grasping tightly. "You came back," Zoi whispers happily. Anastasia just smiles. 

Strong arms hug her tightly from behind which shows Habib's way of appreciation. "We prayed you would," Habib says before he kisses the back of her head.

With a navy blue cloak, Anastasia snuck out into the night and reunited with an experience she wanted to explore more of. That is what led her to Sparta. Her feelings are uncertain if this is love or lust or something she just simply wanted to experience only to put it all behind her and move forward with her womanly duties. She wondered if it was even possible for one soul to love two equally. She didn't even understand how to love one person, never mind two. Travelling to Sparta was the only way for her to seek the answers she desperately wanted to know and she was not going to allow her father or brother to interfere. 

She was aware that she needed to learn. Learn how to love, learn how to lust, and learn about what she wanted and what path to take for her future. She had never known what her future meant for her. Is following the rule book really the lifestyle best suited for her? Or was she meant to pursue an unordinary life? 

Anastasia had failed to notice just how sheltered she grew up. She is now trying to find her place in the world and where she belongs as a young adult. Freedom did not exist in her vocabulary. Womanly duties and staying protected were all she had ever known. Those were at the forefront of her focus until she got a taste of freedom by accident. It was addicting. The addiction keeps calling to her like a god whispering in her ear. She cannot help but chase it and that is how she ended up in a bed at a symposium with two other people. Naked bodies pressed up together in pleasure and comfort. This was her addiction. An unfamiliar feeling was her addiction. Unfamiliar yet so familiar. Gaia worked in mysterious ways.

"What was the reasoning for your prayers?" Anastasia asks suddenly. "I understand we have all developed a level of respect towards one another but how does one simply love two?"

Zoi could see the confusion displayed on the blonde's face. She can tell Anastasia had been wondering about this for quite some time. "We care about your safety Anastasia. We respect you as an individual. We have a desire for you in the same that we have for each other. We have a calling and both Habib and I agree that calling is you. It isn't difficult to realize you have those feelings for someone while still having another."

"Love is equal," Habib interrupts. "Between two or three or twenty, love is always equal. That's what you must remember at all times. I feel for Zoi as I do you. The gods gave us the gift of you."

A gift. She was perceived as a gift to them and that is how she has always seen the lovers. The gods have blessed her with experience, love, and passion. For the first time in her repetitious life, she felt her purpose revolved around something eventful and exciting. Though gaining experience played a major part in stepping out of her mundane life, Habib and Zoi are very much real people with real emotions. It is out of Anastasia's character to use specific people for a specific purpose. In order to show them the gift she, herself, was blessed with, she must remain true to her words. Gifts are a blessing and she saw both Zoi and Habib as her blessings. She refused to jeopardize that.

"You are very much a gift to myself as I am to you. I will stay true to that word," Anastasia sighs quietly while looking down.

"We believe you," Habib smiles into her hair.

Anastasia shakes her head as if the dark-haired couple is not understanding something. She sits up facing the two. Her breasts are in full view while she drapes the sheets over her lower half. Zoi and Habib follow suit in confusion. "While that is delightful to hear, I have failed to stick to my full truth," the blue-eyed girl pauses while biting her lip. The look of confusion that the two blessings sitting in front of her displayed tore at her heart and Anastasia hoped that was as bad as it would feel after what she was about to reveal. "My belonging in Sparta was due to a mission. I do not reside here. It is Athens in fact where I reside," Anastasia specifically looks at Habib while she voices her truth.

Habib took a moment to comprehend her words. He opens his mouth but when no words escape he closes it until he tries again, "Your blood is Athenian?"

"That it is," Anastasia confirms. "Due to my mission, I was forced to hide my true identity which caused me to deceive the two of you because of the circumstances. I ask for forgiveness." A tear rolled down Anastasia's now reddened face. Afflicting pain onto others is not something Anastasia could ever forgive herself for. Being hard on herself is something she considers to be normal in scenarios such as these. Though the circumstances weren't entirely her fault, she still held herself responsible for the decisions she's made even if the recipient reassured her otherwise.

Although Anastasia asked for forgiveness, silence still followed. Her single tear wasn't enough to blur her vision and stop her from seeing Habib's shocked reaction. Habib quickly got up from the bed and paced beside the girls. His hands run through his wavy hair as he tries to wrap his head around the situation. Zoi noticed he didn't seem panicked which was good. This just meant he was trying to comprehend such information. However, Anastasia could not read any of this so she spoke up in fear of him panicking, "I wanted to tell you when you told me what kind of man your father was. I wanted to thank you for calling Athens home. You belong there. We appreciate the role you have taken for our city. You will always be welcomed back." It looked like Habib refused to listen to her with the nonexistent eye contact he gave her so she proceeded to try again. Anastasia rose from the bed to stand but still kept her distance. "I apologize Habib. Forgive me. But I will say I was filled with joy as I heard we come from the same origin. It made me content to hear how much acceptance belongs to the Athenian people, especially when the issues revolve around Metics." Habib stopped to finally look at the naked blonde standing before him. Anastasia smiles a small smile. "You have the attributes of an Athenian soldier, Habib," Anastasia confirms. Her words tell Habib he is more than just a Metic, that he is one of them.

Ever since Habib started to travel, he hasn't been back to Athens. He just became a wanderer. Though no hatred was pushed upon him in Athens for being half-Egyptian, he still hated the feeling of not fighting for one side. He had a love for both of his people. There were no sides in his mind which caused him to fail in being a true soldier on the battlefield. He only chooses to defend himself with his crossbow. Habib wanted to feel like a true male warrior who fights for their city-state but his heart decided to love two different teams. Thus making him a failure of a man during a time of war. 

It felt refreshing for someone who shared the same origin as himself to state that he still holds the attributes of an Athenian warrior regardless if he fights for them or not. That he always did belong in Athens and his contributions to the city mattered to the full-blooded Athenian standing oh so beautifully before him. That his presence is always welcomed back because of his worth. Anastasia saw him as a worthy Athenian. That's all the reassurance he needed to let himself fall deeper in love with her.

Habib closed their fair-spaced distance by cupping both cheeks in his tanned hands and pressing his naked body to hers. He refused to feel any distance from this incredible woman any longer. "Only the gods obtain the knowledge of how long I ached to hear those words you sincerely spoke of. I feel that now my visit to Athens is long overdue." Habib smiles wide.

"I'm sure Athens has missed you," Anastasia agrees.

"Take me to the city. I have some business to conclude there." His bright hazel eyes told a story that Anastasia was about to open that part of his past by his side.

"I'd be honoured too," Anastasia accepts his request with a kiss.