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Marcus of Duros Ch. 01

By: Hawkeye802



Author's Note - Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at writing erotic fiction, so I thought I would write some sci-fi for you guys. I hope you will all enjoy it. Comments, suggestions, or criticisms are appreciated. Fair warning; there is nothing remotely sexual until the third chapter. I will write more chapters as soon as I can.

Prologue 

In the final years of the 21st century, the world was plunged into nuclear war. Efforts of globalization and world peace that had looked so promising at the start of the century had rapidly dissolved. Organizations such as the UN and NATO were disbanded, and the major world powers began stockpiling their nuclear arsenals anew. Shortly after the dawn of the 22nd century the small country of North Korea launched ten nuclear warheads against the major powers, igniting worldwide aggression. So began The War of 2102.

Responding to the attacks, the major world powers deployed thousands of nuclear weapons against both North Korea, and each other. Those who could took shelter in the bunkers that had been build during the period that had commonly become known as The Second Cold War.

For nineteen hours, all those nations possessing nuclear weapons launched every warhead they had. By way of ICBMs, bomber squadrons, or nuclear attack submarines, the terrible weapons rained down, bathing the earth in nuclear firestorms. Those areas which were not hit directly by a warhead were most often destroyed by the uncontrolled fires which followed. Only the most remote areas were saved from total destruction. 

Those areas spared by the firestorm might have appeared to be havens, but their salvation from the fires made very little difference as the temperatures of the northern hemisphere plummeted when the light of the sun was blocked by dense clouds of smoke and debris. 

As the survivors began digging themselves out of their bunkers, the outlook was extremely grim. Ninety percent of the population of the northern hemisphere was dead, and many more would perish in the coming months from thirst, starvation, radiation, and violence. 

The land was absolutely incapable of supporting even a small population, but word quickly spread that the southern hemisphere remained relatively intact.

Below the equator the situation was much less dire. Less than three hundred warheads had been detonated in the southern hemisphere, all on major metropolitan areas. While the death toll was catastrophic, vast areas of land remained untouched, and temperatures only dropped marginally. The global wind patterns, which were separated by hemisphere, kept most of the smoke and radioactive particles bottled up in the north.

A mass exodus from the northern hemisphere began, and those who were able fled from north to south in an effort to survive. As hundreds of thousands begin pouring into the unstable continents of South America, Africa, and Oceania, their fragile governments crumbled into hundreds of independent republics, confederations, city-states, and monarchies.

*******

In the aftermath of The War of 2102, a significant number of refugees from the now desolate eastern seaboard of The United States managed to make the long journey to an area in the south east region of the country that was once the Federative Republic of Brazil. Almost 30,000 had lived to see the journey through to completion. Nearly two thirds were young men. 

The men quickly seized a tract of land large enough to support the population, and secured it from any neighbors, benevolent or otherwise. As soon as possibly they formed a government, but perhaps too hastily and without a great abundance of wisdom on equality or history.

The state was an oppressive patriarchy where women were viewed as 2nd class citizens. In the eyes of the government their entire purpose in life would be to raise children for the state, and provide comfort and support to their husbands. 

The state initially supported itself with token agriculture, and by stealing from neighboring nations. However as time progressed and technology was rediscovered it began to solidify as a mercenary state. 

The men began to be raised solely for combat and warfare. Once they were trained, large units were contracted by a variety of customers for many different purposes: a city-state that needed a rebellion crushed, a navy in need of a detachment of marines, even squadron of pirates looking to bolster their numbers for a large assault. Any and all contacts were welcome, so long as the client could pay, and the task would take no longer than six months. 

In this way Duros became a thriving and rich state, while many others had failed in the violent aftermath of the great war.

******

February, 2308

Commander Marcus Crassus stood alone in the stern of the old transport ship. The spray, caught by the sea breeze, gently peppered his face in the crisp evening air, as he watched the wake of the ship recede to the horizon where the African continent was quickly fading. After spending four months in the dry heat of the continent, he enjoyed the wet breeze which had begun shortly after casting off. 

This last job had been a difficult undertaking. They had been tasked with protecting a valuable gold mine owned by The Mining Guild from a neighboring town of Goglatta, which was attempting to take over the mining operation. 

The town, as it were, was actually a large tract of land controlled by Goglatta, the central shire town, with ample resources to participate in prolonged hostilities. 

Despite the size of the undertaking, the money had been good, and the contract with his government was more than fair. As an added motivator, the contract stipulated that if they could eliminate the threat from the town within four months there would be an extra bonus. As always, looting was encouraged.

So, three months, and twenty two days later, they were on their way back to Duros, having completely destroyed the town and scattered the townspeople. 

Their town of Goglatta had actually been a reinforced fort, with several 105mm cannon emplacements on the upper walls. The citadel at the center of the town had been protected by eight 50 caliber machine gun nests. 

While the relatively small guns their enemies carried did not pose a serious risk to his men, who without exception wore the heavy armor of The Durosian Legion, a direct hit from the machine guns or the cannons would penetrate the armor without resistance. 

Even more terrifying were the long bladed knives the townspeople carried, with which they seemed to take inhuman delight in using to decapitate his men; by sneaking the knives into the gap between the cuirass and helmet.

The occupants of the town were dirty, bloodthirsty, ferocious fighters, and mostly men. In the entire town of nearly 3,000 people, he had only seen several dozen women, a major disadvantage to the town, Marcus thought. In his mind women brought some semblance of peace, and civilization. Their absence would only encouraged blood lust and barbarity. 

Unfortunately his battalion had taken significant casualties. Of the 529 men he had taken with him on the South African Campaign, he had lost 68 men: an entire platoon and others from various outfits. To him the losses were staggering.

He was a relatively young Commander: only 26 years old at the time of his promotion, and he had been Commander for two years, making him 28. In the two years he had been in command of the 5th Battalion, he had never lost so many men.

He chastised himself gently for wallowing in self pity for losses which had been comparatively light. Only ten years ago, another Commander of The Legion had been killed along with his entire battalion in a jungle campaign against an army of well armed revolutionaries. 

"Commander Crassus, sir-" The Commander rolled his eyes slightly as one of his Captains appeared at his elbow. 

His father had been nearly as successful in his career as Marcus had been himself. So hotheaded and egotistical that upon promotion to Battalion Commander, his father had legally changed his family name to Crassus. A throwback to the ancient Romans, who had once dominated the now inhospitable Mediterranean. 

Ever pompous and conceited, his father had insisted that Marcus be given a fitting first name for such a noble last name, which meant a Roman one. Thus he was saddled, with what he felt, was the ridiculous name of Marcus Crassus.

Marcus wondered briefly how his mother stood it... not that she had a choice. 

His mother had been selected by The Lords of Duros for marriage to his father, as a reward for his leadership in battle shortly after his promotion to Captain. 

Typically, a man seeking a marriage needed to enlist the help of a retired patron, who would arrange one for him. The most beautiful women were sometimes reserved for marriage at the behest of The Lords themselves, as a reward for bravery, service, or loyalty.

"Commander? Sir?" His Captain repeated.

"Yes, sorry Jarrod, I'm just distracted tonight. What is it?" 

"Nothing too pressing sir, it's just that the men are waiting to dine in the officers mess. Should I tell them to start without you?" 

"Oh... no I'll be right there Captain. The time seems to have gotten away from me a bit. Let me just freshen up in my quarters and I'll be along shortly."

"I'll let them know to wait a moment Commander. No rush I assure you. Lieutenants Dodd and Braxus are still locked in a heated discussion on tactics, which none of us have had the energy to break up as of yet... but since you're coming, we'll just leave the honor to you." Jarrod said with a teasing smile.

"Thank you for your... consideration." Marcus said, putting as much sarcasm into the word 'consideration' as he possibly could.

A slight pang of guilt hit him as he watched his friend walk back towards the main structure of the ship. He had been so caught up in his own moroseness that he had delayed his officer's dinner. 

The rivets under the Captain's feet squeaked as he walked, and rust from the welded seams flaked off onto his boots, leaving a trail of brown, slightly watery footprints behind Jarrod as he went. 

"What a dumpy old ship." Marcus said to no one in particular. 

He reasoned that the ship must be nearly 30 years old. His father had often talked about being ferried about on the same ship which Marcus now stood upon. It was certainly no beauty, and probably wasn't one when it was built. The general consensus of the state was that if it still worked, what was the point in replacing it for sake of ascetics?

Marcus shrugged as he turned from the rail and walked towards his quarters. It hadn't sunk yet, he reasoned, so why bother complaining. 

His quarters were located not far from the bow, slightly below decks, underneath the main bridge and crew compartments. It was relatively comfortable, not to far below decks which were hot, and stank of fuel oil, but not too close to the main deck where there was the constant bustle of the crew, and the incessant noise of the sea.

His quarters were fairly sparse, which suited him just fine for such a short voyage. The crossing back to Duros would only take a week at the most, so for the time being the small cot, and accompanying water closet would be adequate. 

He stripped his armor off and placed it in his travel chest. It would need to be cleaned before he could be seen in it again. 

Bloodstained and grimy, it was more or less in acceptable condition so soon after combat, but now that they were on board, and lacking any other duties, there would be no excuse for dirty gear, especially on the commanding officer. 

He took a moment to appreciate his kit. 

Duros, he admitted, was not especially advanced, technologically speaking. After the great war, most nations had been thrown back centuries into the past. While Duros was only just barely reaching a level of technology comparable to times before the war, one thing Duros could be given high marks for however, was its weapons and armor technology. 

The standard armor of The Legion covered nearly the entire body, with a combined chest and back cuirass, shoulder, bicep, forearm, and thigh protectors. Greaves, and heavy combat boots completed the suit, along with a helmet that covered the entire head, with the exception of the mouth, nose, and throat. The tinted polycarbonate, which protected and obscured the eyes, completed the intimidating, and aggressive appearance. 

The specifics of making the armor were a tightly guarded secret. Only a select group of retired officers were chosen to work in the manufacturing plant. They labored in secret to build more suits for The Legion, and to sell abroad at an enormous profit for the state. 

Marcus could easily understand its marketability. After all, the plastic alloy armor was quite light, and nearly impenetrable by standard weapons. Only 50 caliber weapons or larger could penetrate the thick plates, never mind a bladed weapon, which was still favored by some nations.

As he picked his weapons up off the bed where he had laid them while he was putting away his armor, he made a quick inspection to ensure they were still functional, and had not been gummed up by the ever present sand.

He pulled the narrow sword he carried on a scabbard, which was strapped to the back of his cuirass, out and checked it for grime. Finding none he pulled out his Officer's Pistols from their holsters. 

Lieutenants and Captains were allowed to carry only one, to be complimented by the standard issue sword and rifle if they chose, but Commanders were expected to carry two, as another symbol of their rank.

The massive pistols were not easy weapons to carry. Fully loaded with eight 50 caliber bullets they weighed nearly five pounds, never mind all the additional rounds he carried in magazines on his belt. The recoil from the guns often surprised young officers when they first received their pistol. When the gun was fired it would buck in the hand of the shooter, doing its level best to fly free. 

Still, Marcus thought to himself, he wouldn't trade his pistols for the world. They performed remarkably consistently, even in the worst of environments, and had never failed him in battle. The same could be said for his sword.

The sword's appearance was not impressive. Only and inch and a half wide, and about three feet in length, it served as an auxiliary weapon to a Legionary's rifle or pistol. Its size was deceptive however as the slight curve made it a nasty slashing weapon. Only the outer edge was sharpened, leaving the back to be manipulated in combat when necessary. Used properly it could cleave a man in half, provided he wasn't wearing armor. In addition, it was nearly impossible to break. Even repeated strikes against solid steel barely nicked it.

Finished with his inspection, Marcus placed his weapons in his chest alongside his armor, and donned his casual dress uniform: an all black affair consisting of trousers, and a high necked, double breasted tunic, that buttoned from the waist to his shoulder on the right side. Pinned to his right shoulder were the three gold bars that distinguished him as a Commander.

On his left shoulder, four shoulder cords hung: two gold and two silver. They were his battle honors, representing his confirmed kills throughout his career, in his case 120. To Marcus the practice of wearing a kill count on one's shoulder would always be barbaric. It encouraged the young troops to be overly aggressive and impulsive in their fervor to receive their first silver cord.

With a start Marcus looked at the chronometer on the wall. How long had he kept his men waiting for their dinner with his reflections? He had promised Captain Jarrod he would be right along. 

Fifteen minutes had passed. 

With an exasperated huff he bolted to the door, buttoning the upper portion of the tunic as he went. He was loosing his touch, he thought to himself as he hurried along the corridor to the officer's mess. In years past he would not have imagined taking fifteen minutes to change out of armor.

As he reached the door he took a moment to smooth the tunic he had rumpled in his jog. As with all things on the old ship, the handle squeaked as he twisted it. He ignored the sound, and walked sedately through the door. 

"Commander on deck!" Captain Jarrod said firmly, as every man present jumped to his feet.

"At ease. I'm sorry I'm late gentlemen. I was lost in thought near the bow. Captain Jarrod had to come and find me." He said with an apologetic chuckle. 

"No worries sir!" Lt. Braxus said excitedly from the far end of the table. "Lieutenant Dodds and I were just discussing the strategy used by Commander Windstrom of the 11th Battalion in his campaign last year. Would you like to hear about it sir? I could -"

"That's quite alright, Lieutenant." Captain Jarrod interrupted from the Marcus's end of the table. "I'm sure the Commander is eager to begin dinner."

"Quite right, let's eat gentlemen" Marcus said with an appreciative nod Jarrod. His second in command was always able to deflect any overeager lieutenants for him. This way he would not have to disappoint them by declining to comment when he was unable to carry on a thoughtful enough conversation as would befit a Commander. 

Marcus took his seat, and once he was sitting his men followed suit, and conversation resumed.

As the food was served by the ship's cook and his mates, Marcus took a moment to survey the men around the table. Only fifteen Lieutenants sat at the far end of the long table, where there should have been sixteen. 

Lieutenant Dillon had been the most senior lieutenant in the battalion, first in line for a captaincy of a company if a vacancy occurred within the battalion while on campaign. Unfortunately, his Platoon was the one that had been lost when an initial assault of the walled town had failed. 

Never one to leave his men, Dillon had fought on until he too had been killed. 

Consequently, the chair at the head of the far end of the table was left vacant. Lieutenant Paxton, being the most senior lieutenant now, was obliged to sit in it. Instead Paxton was seated in his usual spot, looking morosely at his plate as his food was served to him, as if unwilling to acknowledge the loss of one of his close companions. 

"Lieutenant Paxton." Marcus said quietly, but firmly. "Let us not grieve for our friends, but honor their memory. Take your seat please."

The table went silent as Paxton looked up at him with tired eyes that were more than a little wet.

"Yes sir." Paxton said dejectedly.

The 20 year old looked on the verge of a complete breakdown as he took the seat which had until recently belonged to his friend. Marcus hoped Paxton would make it through dinner until he had a chance to speak with him about it in private, where Paxton could open up about the loss and feel no shame. Not that any man seated at the table would berate him for it, everyone there had lost innumerable friends to the constant fighting that the nature of their way of life.

Dinner continued without any further incidents, and for the most part Marcus was left to his thoughts as he picked at his dinner. Jarrod and the three other captains discussed the campaign and its successes, but never its failures. It would have been extremely rude to discuss any negative aspects of the Commander's tactics with their Commander seated right next to them. 

As the last lieutenant was finishing up his fourth helping of beef and rice, Marcus cleared his throat as an indication that it was time to retire. As Marcus stood his officers were quick to follow suit, standing respectfully by their seats, some still with napkins at their necks. 

"Gentlemen, I believe it is time to retire. I dare say the next week or so will be as uneventful and relaxing as we could hope for after a successful campaign, and I am sure you are all eager to return home, for obvious reasons..." Marcus trailed off as he eyed the young lieutenants at the far end of the table. 


Marcus of Duros Ch. 01



Most of his lieutenants were between the ages of 19 and 26, which in Durosian society was prime marriage age. 

A young man was expected to join The Legion after completing his training at the war college, which had started when he was eight years old, and only finished when he was sixteen.

Raw recruits out of the war college were ranked as privates with promotions to lead sections of four men as corporals, or squads of eight as sergeants, when positions became available.

From sergeant, the very brightest and most capable leaders were promoted to lieutenant and put in command of a platoon which comprised of 36 men, or four squads. 

Lieutenants who excelled were then elevated to captain in command of a company of 148 men. Many never rose above the rank of captain, as it was second in seniority only to the position which Marcus now held: Battalion Commander. 

The Legion of Duros consisted of 16 independent battalions which consisted of four companies. The battalions carried out the various contracts which The Lords of Duros entered into. If more than one battalion was required, then the most senior Commander would lead the campaign.

In addition to serving at least twenty years of service in the Legion of Duros, it was expected that each man sire two children. At least enough to take the place of himself and his wife in the next generation. Having more was often encouraged, so as to bolster the number of troops in The Legion. To achieve this end, many young men married soon after they had several campaigns under their belts.

Pregnancies outside of a marriage were not permitted, and the fetuses were aborted by the medical division. Furthermore, babies born with defects, or babies that were born which were likely to require lifelong support were killed. While some deplored these practices, a strong majority of Durosian society defended them as essential to state survival in the age after the war.

His young lieutenants began to blush under his scrutiny as he smiled slightly, knowing full well that each of them intended to seek out a patron to arrange a wedding as soon as they were back in Duros. 

He hoped that his lieutenants would treat their wives kindly, unlike some men of The Legion. As he dismissed the men and began to walk back to his quarters he contemplated the customs of his state.

It was not uncommon in Durosian society for a man to abuse his wife, both physically and sexually, and since there were no laws forbidding such treatment, it was allowed to continue. While it did not occur in public, which would have been frowned upon as weakness on the husband's part, behind closed doors a man was infallible, and his wife was merely his property.

As with the other social mandates of The Lords of Duros with which he disagreed, Marcus was resigned to their immutable presence in his state. He didn't like it, but he couldn't change the fact that the laws would remain, assuring an unequal society. After all, The Lords of Duros had ultimate and limitless authority over Duros. 

The Lords were elected officials who served for ten years. There were five Lords, and every two years, the term of one Lord was up and there would be a general election for the man who would fill his position. There was little political campaigning, and no lead up to the election. Election day was held on the 15th of December in the middle of summer when there was often very little campaigning to be done. It was irrelevant anyway, because by law, no contract could interfere with election day. 

On election day the entire Legion crammed into the meeting hall's stadium seating, which was the only building in Duros that could fit all of the nearly 10,000 men. In the morning all those who wished to be considered for the position of Lord of Duros wrote his name on a large board. Typically the candidates were decorated officers who had recently, or were about to retire from the Legion, but there were no codified restrictions on candidacy.

After lunchtime, when the Legionaries returned, each candidate would discuss why they felt they should be considered, and went over their career histories and personal politics. After all the candidates had spoken, the men marked the name of their choice for the new Lord of Duros on a slip of paper and placed it in the voting box. When the men returned from dinner, the winner was announced and sworn in.

As he walked back to his quarters Marcus wondered briefly if Captain Jarrod would put his name forward to be considered for the position of Lord of Duros the following year when the next election occurred. Jarrod was nearing mandatory retirement age, within the next three years as it happened, and had often hinted that he would not be content with a quiet retirement job.

Reaching the door to his quarters he remembered that he had thought to look in on Paxton after dinner. He knew that occasionally, younger officers needed some support when they had undergone an extreme loss.

He sighed loudly. All he really wanted to do was go to bed, but instead he turned on his heel and headed towards Paxton's quarters on the deck below. 

As he neared the door he heard muted voices from inside the tiny room. He quietly turned the handle, and for once something on the ship didn't squeak, as he inched the door open. Paxton and Jarrod were sitting together on Paxton's bunk, talking quietly while tears rolled freely down Paxton's face. 

Marcus shook his head as he walked back to his cabin. He certainly hoped Jarrod wouldn't make a bid for a Lordship. He wasn't sure he would be able to run he Battalion without his trusted second picking up his slack.

******



Marcus of Duros Ch. 02



The long hall which led to the chamber of the Lords had always seemed to Marcus as excessive. The hallway was nearly 50 meters long, and served only one purpose: to intimidate those who had been summoned to the chamber. 

Marcus strode purposefully along the hall wearing his dress uniform, which was nearly indistinguishable from his casual dress uniform, except that his sword now hung at his left hip, and one of his Officer's Pistols sat in a holster at his right.

He was escorted by his four captains, the most senior of which, Jarrod, walked beside him, leaving a space in the two by three formation for one lieutenant. 

He had chosen Paxton for the honor as he had never visited the chamber before. As such, his anxiety was so strong that Marcus was sure he could hear Paxton's heavy breathing from where he stood at the head of the group. As they neared the end of the hall they could see the ornate doors which led to the chamber. They were massive affairs, with ornate golden inlay that looped and curled around the outer edge of the door, complementing the rich, dark, wood.

Flanking the doors stood two guards in ceremonial uniforms of the Lords' Guard. 

One of the most prized positions available for retired soldiers was that of a guardsman, and judging by the number of golden cords around their shoulders, these particular guardsmen had been selected for their fighting skills.

As approached the door, the guards opened the door and announced their presence to the Lords inside.

"Commander Crassus of the 5th Battalion, my Lords." The guard on the right said in a respectful yet carrying voice.

Once inside the doors, Marcus and his officers quickly knelt down onto their right knee with their right fists touching the floor, and their left hands grasping the hilts of their swords.

"My Lords." All six men said simultaneously, awaiting instructions.

"Welcome Commander." Lord Feston called from the dais where the Lords' thrones sat. "Please rise and come closer. Your men as well"

All six men stood up smartly and approached the dais where the Lord's thrones stood in a semi circle. They stopped at the edge of the steps and closed into a line surrounding the open half of the circle of thrones. Marcus walked up the steps alone to greet the Lords, with the nagging trepidation that he always felt when he was summoned. 

It was not that the Lords were cruel or unfair men, it wasn't even that they didn't like him. In Marcus's mind the Lords had a fairly good opinion of him. However, despite all this they wielded enormous power. One word from any of them could have his career destroyed, and they could even have men executed on the spot. Not that that had happened in 50 years, but the power still remained, and it was something Marcus intended to keep in mind.

"So!" Lord Covax said jovially from the center throne, "We understand that the campaign in south Africa went as well as could be expected, what with the lack of advance warning from the Mining Guild about the stiff opposition... We summoned you here to tell us a little about it ... things that weren't in the official report ..." he finished, smiling widely.

What they really wanted, Marcus realized, was battle stories. Sitting on a throne all day running the state without any sort of excitement must be extremely boring. 

With this realization the atmosphere became much more relaxed and less austere. So for the next quarter hour Marcus regaled them with stories about the campaign and the final assault on the town. 

As he was wrapping up his last story, he looked down to see Lieutenant Paxton swaying on his feet. The young lieutenant was so nervous that he had been standing stiffly the entire time, locking his knees. If he didn't alleviate the pressure, he would pass out in front of the Lords. 

While this wasn't any sort of punishable offense, it would make Paxton look foolish and weak in their eyes; A damaging opinion for a promotable young officer.

"Well my Lords I don't have much else to say about the campaign, but perhaps you might like to hear my Lieutenant Paxton tell you about his assault on the east wall of the town. It was under his leadership that his platoon scaled the wall and seized two 105mm cannons, which they then turned on the remaining cannons and machine gun nests."

The Lords looked now with unbridled interest at Lieutenant Paxton, who had turned as white as a sheet at Marcus's words. A covert nudge in the back by Captain Jarrod saw him ascend the steps rather clumsily, what with his legs nearly asleep, to join Marcus at the top of the dais.

Paxton began the story haltingly and with the occasional stutter, but with pointed questions of tactics by the Lords he soon was discussing his offensive with them quite coherently, and enthusiastically.

The Lords spoke with him nearly as long as they had spoken with Marcus himself, until finally Lord Sinclair, recognizing that Paxton was running out of answers to Lord Feston's and Lord Covax's extremely complex questions, spoke:

"Well Lieutenant Paxton, thank you for that most engaging description of the culminating battle of what was a very successful campaign for you. I am sure I speak for all the Lords when I say that we are impressed by your leadership, and will be keeping an eye on you." 

The four other Lords smiled and nodded in agreement, and Paxton, taking this as a dismissal snapped to attention, bowed, and retreated back to Jarrod's side. 

Marcus could not help feeling a sense of satisfaction at how well his maneuver had worked. What had started as a means by which to keep Paxton from making a fool of himself, had turned around and put him in the good graces of the Lords themselves, the best possible place to be when it came time for promotions.

"And now Commander Crassus, we have one last matter we would like to discuss with you" Lord Feston said from the throne to the right of Covax.

"Yes my Lords?" Marcus asked questioningly. He had expected this to be a short audience, however it was stretching on past a half hour now, and this was not a normal amount of time to spend in the presence of The Lords of Duros.

"We understand that you never married, Commander" Said Lord Marshal from the far right in a measure tone, as if holding something back.

Marcus immediately went on the defensive. This was definitely not where he had expected the conversation to go. He felt the back of his neck begin to prickle with uncertainty.

"It's true that I never did my Lords. I admit that I have been rather busy the past few years and never had time to marry." Marcus answered as respectfully as he could. 

This answer was acceptable he felt, it alluded to his loyal service and unwavering commitment, in case the conversation was headed in a negative direction. 

The pressure on young men to marry, specifically officers, and to sire children, was well established in Durosian society. Perhaps The Lords felt that he was not conforming to Durosian norms, and it was a black mark against him. 

He quickly looked over his should to where Jarrod was standing at the food of the dais. Jarrod's eyes were slightly wider than normal and his mouth, usually neutral or smiling, was now drawn into a thin line. Jarrod shook his head slightly to indicate that he didn't know what was going on either.

Marcus turned his head back to the Lords, waiting for one of them to speak.

"Well we hope you don't mind Commander, perhaps you had your own plans... but we have taken the liberty in arranging a marriage for you." Lord Marshal continued.

At this pronouncement, all of The Lords smiled as one and looked at each other conspiratorially, as if this were the great surprise they had been attempting to keep under wraps until the time had come to tell him. Clearly the strain to not blurt out the real reason for the audience had been great, and they were now relieved to be able to tell him.

Marcus felt the tension rapidly ease from his mind and body: they intended to reward him, not punish him.

As quickly as the previous tension eased, a new type of tension arose in him: he had never given much thought as to what he would say if he were offered a marriage by the Lords. He was aware that it happened, and while it was a rare occurrence, it was not unheard of, clearly, as his mother had been selected for marriage to his father by the Lords. 

Marcus's mind raced as he thought of his options. Refusing such an honor was absolutely unacceptable. Despite his aversion to the idea of a marriage in which the woman had no say, to reject a gift from the Lords would certainly mean an end to his career, if not his life. 

"My Lords..." Marcus began haltingly. "I am overwhelmed by your generosity, and gratefully accept your patronage. I am sure that my Lords acted with my best interests at heart."

A hearty chuckle from the thrones puzzled Marcus as he finished speaking.

"Your best interests?" Lord Montgomery laughed from the throne on the far left. "I believe we did indeed. She is by far the most beautiful young woman I have ever seen. If I were not already married I would have wanted her for myself."

At this pronouncement Marcus blushed slightly, wishing that he was wearing his battle armor so that his helmet could have obscured the embarrassing color that was rising in his cheeks.

"You will find her in your apartment, awaiting your arrival." Lord Covax said from the center throne. "Thank you for coming so quickly gentlemen. Commander Crassus. Captains. Lieutenant Paxton." Nodding to each man, with a wink to Lieutenant Paxton, he dismissed them. 

Marcus and his men snapped to attention once more and fell back into the two by three formation in which they had come, and marched back out the door. Once they were clear of the long hallway that led to the Lords Chamber, Marcus turned to Jarrod.

"Jarrod please return to the barracks and see to the men. Make sure that the equipment is squared away and they've eaten. I have to go see to this... recent development." Marcus said, his voice betraying the anxiety that had bubbled up within him since they had left the chamber.

"Right away, Commander." Jarrod answered immediately. His voice was tinged with just the slightest hint of pity, as if somehow sensing the moral dilemma Marcus was grappling with inside.

Marcus watched as his men marched back toward 5th Battalion's main barracks. The younger officers had no idea of the internal struggle going on inside him, as they began to gossip as young men will.

Marcus rolled his eyes. He knew that as soon as they returned to the barracks, the story of what had happened in the Chamber would spread like wildfire. It was likely that the entire Battalion might know of his marriage before he even looked at his wife.

Turning on his heel in the direction of his apartment he began to ponder the situation he found himself in. While he admitted that he had been wanting for some female company recently, would it be worth it if she was resentful that she had no say in the matter?

What if she hated him?



Marcus of Duros Ch. 03



Marcus continued to grapple with the moral dilemma he faced on the way to his apartment. Thankfully the walk was a substantial distance, allowing him time to mull it over.

In Duros all ranks, with the exception of Captains and Commanders were required to live in the barracks. If they were able to find a patron who successfully arranged a marriage for them, they were allowed to live in small apartments in the administrative side of the city. 

The Battalion barracks, the weapons manufacturing facilities, the war college, and the meeting hall dominated the military half of the city. The other half contained the palace, the market, apartments for married and retired men, and the innumerable administrative and support buildings staffed by retirees. 

Also on the administrative side was the forum and baths, where the unmarried women spent all of their time.

In Durosian society, women were taken from their homes much later than the boys. While boys entered the war college the day after their eighth birthday, girls were only brought to the forum when they turned 18.

It was expected that at home they would be taught how to cook, clean, and raise children. When they were taken to the forum they were instructed in more nuanced skills, like how to hold in depth conversations with men on a variety of topics, most often relating to warfare. Subjects like military history, advanced social etiquette, music, and foreign languages were stressed heavily.

More intriguing to Durosian men were the woman's baths. Coinciding with their education at the forum, young women received a different sort of education at the attached bathhouses

It was in the bathhouses that they learned the skills which most of the men were concerned with: How to care for, and pleasure men. Not having any men to practice on, it was rumored that the matriarchs of the bathhouses encouraged the women to practice on each other. 

The thought of hundreds of beautiful women sensually exploring each others bodies in the steamy rooms of the baths made Marcus's cock jerk beneath his uniform. He felt slightly guilty about his lewd thoughts, but reasoned that the girls were probably having a good time. The possibility for mistreatment would come later.

As Marcus began the walk back to his fairly large apartment in the administrative district he thought about what he would do about his situation.

Typically, when a man wanted a marriage, his patron would tour the forum where the unmarried women lived. Finding several that his charge might like, he interviewed them and took their likenesses back to be reviewed by the man seeking a marriage, offering his opinion where appropriate.

Most times, a man would choose quickly, as the thrill of the idea of having a woman of his own was heady.

Some men however, were overly picky, and refused many women before finally deciding on one. The process could take years if the man was too choosey, meanwhile his patron could resign, not willing to participate in a long drawn out search for the perfect bride. In this case the man would have to seek out a new patron, but often word spread quickly about the man's tendency to be picky, in which case he would have trouble securing a new patron, which could mean no wife at all. 

If a man did not marry he was viewed critically by his fellows, but his condition was not as bad as a woman who did not marry.

Women who were not chosen through patrons for marriage were destined to stay in the baths and forum permanently. They would become the matriarchs, who looked out for the young women who came under their care. They would never have a family of their own, or a husband, and as such would never be allowed to participate in public life. 

As Marcus passed the market he began thinking less with emotion, and more with reason. He watched the young children with their fathers and mothers running about the stalls, looking for ingredients for meals, or hunting through the stalls for toys.

It couldn't be that bad, could it? He might not like the system which gave so little power of self determination to women, and so much to men, but that didn't mean he couldn't make the best of the situation. He could live with a woman who didn't love him. Perhaps even one that hated him.

He reasoned with himself that if his new wife did not wish to be acquainted with him personally, or intimately, he would not press the issue. He could let her decide the scope of the relationship. In this way he would attempt to make up for her previous lack of input.

As he passed by the last stall in the market he was stopped short when he remembered that he would need to purchase his wife her insignia. 

When a woman was married she was obliged to wear the rank and battle honors of her husband on ornate rings. As Marcus was a commander, his wife was entitled to wear three gold rings on her right hand. A captain's wife would wear two, and a lieutenant's would wear a single golden ring, reflecting the insignia on their husband's right shoulders.

For the lower ranks the insignia was slightly different. The wife of an un-promoted legionnaire would wear a single silver ring, a corporal's would wear two, and a sergeant's would wear three. In this way the standard ranks of The Legion wore silver insignia, while the officers wore gold.

Battle honors were worn much in the same way by both husbands and wives. While the husbands wore their honors on silver and gold shoulder cords on their left shoulder, their wives wore the same amount, but in silver and gold rings on their hand instead.

He stopped, and asked the vendor for a commander's rings, and three gold battle honors rings.

His most recent kills from the South African Campaign had been reported, and he now wore three gold cords around his shoulder. His kill count had been updated 150, a number that was verging on impressive by Durosian standards. As he paid for the bracelets he was reminded of how heavy his purse was. 

The town they had destroyed had been quite rich, and the contract had stipulated that looting was tolerable. While Marcus and his captains felt that such behavior by senior officers was inappropriate, their men felt that they were entitled to a share regardless. Nearly every man gave a small fraction of their loot to Marcus and their captains. Marcus was always touched by the gesture. 

When looting was allowed, a great deal of wealth could be acquired even by a low ranking Legionnaire. To share even a little of their prize reminded Marcus of their fondness for their officers. 

As he reached his apartment building, his nerves began to fray. The massive whitewashed building was dazzling in the late evening sunlight. A large open archway, ten feet deep, served as the entrance to the building.

The courtyard inside was enormous, nearly a thousand meters square, housing a large garden with walkways snaking through beds of flowers and plants. A large fountain stood at the center of the courtyard and misted most of the area in a cool breeze. 

The courtyard had no roof, and was left open to the sunlight. Various patios and sitting areas made excellent places for the occupants to congregate and socialize. Personally, Marcus's favorite spot was a lounging chair hidden by large beds of sunflowers, a private area seldom visited by other residents.

In all, 48 men and their families lived in his building: The 16 commanders of The Legion, as well as all of the retired Commanders. One of the many perks of being a Commander was the security of position, as well as residence. 

Commanders were the highest ranking officers in The Legion. As such they were not forced into mandatory retirement at the age of 40 like any other rank would be. Additionally, a commander would not not asked to leave his family residence upon retirement like a lieutenant or a captain would be. Once promoted to commander, a man could live in his provided quarters until he died, even through retirement.

Climbing the stairs to the left of the entryway to his apartment on the third level, Marcus took his time.

To the casual observer it would look as though he were weary, and struggling to climb the steps. In actuality, he was overcome with nervousness. He would have preferred to be back in battle leading a charge with sword and pistol in hand, facing a certain enemy across a battlefield, as opposed to facing the uncertainty of what lay behind his apartment door.

Reaching the door, he made as much noise as possible unlocking the door, hoping to alert her to his presence without surprising her. Finally he turned the key, slowly opened the door, and stepped inside. 

******

Looking around the foyer he didn't immediately see any sign that a woman was present. He unbuckled his weapons belt and placed it on the chest beside the door. Next he took off his boots and set them against the chest, not wanting to track dirt into his apartment which he had left spotless before departing on his most recent campaign. 

Something out of the ordinary caught his eye from the other side of the foyer: a splash of color on the opposite wall. Sitting atop a small table that held pictures of his parents, was an orchid. A brilliantly purple flower with a yellow center. 

Marcus had never been one from flowers. The white interior of his apartment had never been particularly colorful, merely different shades of white and gray as far as the walls and furniture were concerned. Finished with his boots, Marcus turned towards the flower to inspect it.

It seemed to be a relavtively young orchid, with only four blossoms hanging on its stem. It was planted in a small ceramic pot that was painted to match the color of the flower. As Marcus's hands traced the cool, silky petals of the purple blossoms a voice made him jump.

"Commander Crassus?" The soft voice asked questioningly.

Marcus whirled to face the source of the voice, forgetting completely that he was not alone in the apartment.

At the end of the foyer, towards the living room stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen: her hair was jet black, pulled into a long braid that hung down in front of her left shoulder, nearly to her waist. It was silky smooth, and shimmered in the failing light of the evening. 

Her face, which she had lowered respectfully as he turned to face her, was as smooth as her hair, but lightly tanned. Her eyes were large, and startlingly blue. Long eyelashes attempted to conceal them as she covertly made an examination of him similar to way that he was examining her. Full lips complemented her beautiful eyes, creating a strikingly sensual appearance, even though her expression was neutral. An elegant nose, and delicate ears completed her sensual, yet refined beauty. 

Passing down her thin neck, his eyes traveled lower. Marcus could see the swell of her breasts through the nearly see through dress she wore. Her breasts were clearly larger than average, but not so large as to cause a hindrance. Her dark pink nipples were barely visible through the material, tapering into deliciously hard points.

Marcus realized he had been mistaken. What he had perceived as a dress was actually two separate garments made of a silky white fabric. A slight top covered her arms and shoulders leaving her upper chest and back bare with a great deal of skin showing. The fabric of the top slipped under her breasts and tied around her back to offer support, while still allowing the observer to appreciate their full, heavy shape.

Marcus's dress trousers began to tighten uncomfortably around his groin as he realized his cock was swelling at her beauty.

Directing his attention lower past her bare stomach he found the second part of the ensemble to be a long skirt which flowed freely from her hips. A slit along the right side from hip to foot afforded him an unhindered look at her tanned muscular legs.

As his eyes returned to her face he could see her pulse in her neck fluttering wildly. A blush had broken out over her cheeks. Probably a result of his unabashed inspection, he thought guiltily. The guilt did not dissipate as his gaze settled on her eyes, full of fear and uncertainty.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I am Commander Crassus. I was distracted by the lovely orchid. I assume you brought it?"

"Oh yes Commander, I did. I brought several with me from my room in the forum. I hope you don't mind?" 

Her speech was measured and tinged with apprehension, as if worried he might find her initiative unbecoming. Still, to him her voice sounded sensual, slipping smoothly off her tongue like honey from a spoon, sending a shiver down his neck he was not familiar with.

"I had thought your apartment might perhaps be..." Her words halted as she searched for the appropriate word.

"Boring?" Marcus supplied, chuckling to himself.

"Oh no sir!" The woman exclaimed, terrified that she had insulted him. "I would never say such a thing." Her eyes dropped back to the floor, loosing her composure.

The woman, now trembling openly, made a pitiful sight, and Marcus's guilt only intensified. Nothing he did made her any more at ease, in fact, he was driving her in the opposite direction. He closed the distance to her quickly and took her hand in his.

"No it's quite alright, I find my apartment boring myself." He smiled trying to get a response from her. Receiving none he continued: "I love the flowers, they are very beautiful, almost as beautiful as you are."

Marcus was not sure what had possessed him to stoop to such flattery, but it obviously had the desired effect. The young woman's trembling began to subside.

"Really?" She asked hesitantly. "You like them?"

"I do." Marcus replied with a smile.

With his free hand he placed his index finger under her chin, pulling her eyes upward to meet his.

"I'm sorry I frightened you, I didn't mean to. Will you please tell me your name miss..."

"Barrigan, Chloe Barrigan... but I guess it's Chloe Crassus now..." She replied thoughtfully.

"Oh dear; Chloe Crassus. That doesn't sound very good does it?" Marcus chuckled at his wife's unfortunate new name, cursing his father again. "Chloe is such a pretty name, it doesn't go very well with a name Crassus, now does it?

"Oh sir it's not that bad!" Chloe replied with a giggle. "I had a friend named Celine who was married to a Lietenant by the name of Weiner. You see sir, it could be much worse. Besides, I don't mind your name, I think it's very noble sounding." 

She was smiling openly now, and the tension seemed to be leaving her. On a whim Marcus brushed the back of the finger that had been on her chin along cheek. Her skin was soft and smooth to his touch. 

At his touch her eyes softened and she bit her lower lip softly. Not wanting to upset the fragile peace he had established, Marcus decided to move their conversation out of the foyer.

Picking up his weapons belt from the chest where he had left it, he passed Chloe where she had remained standing, watching him as he went.

"Would you like something to drink Chloe?" Marcus asked, realizing he didn't know how long she had been waiting, and thought she might be thirsty. He knew he was after his walk through the market.

"Oh no that's alright Commander. I hope you don't mind, but I helped myself to some water about an hour ago." She replied

"How long have you been here Chloe?" Marcus asked, his curiosity now piqued.

"Oh, about seven hours Commander." Chloe replied nonchalantly.

Marcus blanched with the realization that she had been alone in his apartment for so long. "Have you eaten Chloe?"

"Oh no." She replied. "I didn't want to go through your pantry. It would have been rude."

"But you must be so hungry! You mean to tell me you've been here since before lunch, and now it's nearly dinnertime, and having eaten anything?"

"Well yes, sir." She said uncertainly. "It's really no problem, I'm quite alright."

She watched with a bemused expression as he darted into the kitchen began to rummage loudly through his pantry to find food for himself and Chloe. The shelves were rather bare, since he had not had time to restock since returning from the campaign. Finally he found a bag of rice and a small can of beans. While not a substantial meal, it would due for a light dinner, until he had time to resupply.

"Commander, can I help you sir?" Chloe asked from the door of the pantry.

"No that's alright Chloe, I've got it under control thanks." He replied as a pot fell from his hand and clattered on the floor. "Damn it!" He swore loudly as he attempted to bend down and pick up the pot, his hands still clutching his weapons belt as well as the rice and beans. 

"Commander please..." Her voice trailed off as she laid a hand gently on his arm seeking to calm him while he twisted fruitlessly, attempting to pick up the pot without dropping anything else.

She picked up the pot, and gently took the rice and beans from his arms. A warm smile brightened her face as she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Thank you, but why don't you let me take care of dinner?"

She turned away in the direction of the stove, and Marcus got his first glimpse of her ass as she walked away. It was delightfully full from what he could see, most of it being hidden by her skirt, and without a hint of sag. The desire to grab her, and knead it with his hands was almost overwhelming. 

Just as potent was the tingle of warmth that he felt where she had kissed his cheek. Her kiss had been warm, and slightly wet, and Marcus wondered if she had made it wet on purpose. The thought of her mouth, combined with the view of her ass swaying slowly as she started their dinner was too much to bear as his trousers strained painfully against his rock hard cock. His mind was foggy, and not nearly as clear as it normally was.

Leaving Chloe in the kitchen he made his way to his bedroom. On the bedside table was another orchid Chloe had brought with her, this one a color blue that nearly matched her eyes. Dropping his belt onto the table where he kept his weapons he hurried into the attached bathroom.

Turning on the faucet he splashed cold water in his face in an effort to regain his composure. After several minutes of repeated attempts he felt his erection ease slightly, enough to rejoin her at least. He walked out of the bedroom, and back into the kitchen where he found Chloe humming to herself softly.

As he approached she turned and gave him one of her smiles he was already falling hard for. His efforts to reclaim his composure seemed woefully inadequate as he delighted in the glow of her smile.

"Will you come sit with me while we wait Commander?" She asked. "It will be a little while before the rice is ready."

"Yes of course I will Chloe," He replied as he allowed her to take his hand in hers and lead him to the couch. "but can I ask to you stop calling me 'Commander'? My name is Marcus... especially to you." 

She smiled at his request and replied: "Of course... Marcus." She said his name slowly, as if trying it out.

Even the small courtesy of calling him by his given name seemed to be well received by Chloe as she sat down on the couch and pulled him down to sit next to her. She took his hand and turned it over so that his palm was facing up. Then she began to trace the scars and calluses on his rough palm that differed so greatly from her own, which was completely smooth. She sat, exploring his hand for a moment in silence. Marcus for his part was enjoying her movements too much to speak and ruin the moment. Finally Chloe spoke.

"I'm sorry I was so nervous when you first came in Marcus. I've heard a lot of good things about you, but I guess I was a little worried that..."

"I'd be less than friendly in person?" Marcus finished for her.

She looked like she was about to refuse, but instead she sighed.

"Yes, maybe... but I was sitting here for a while, and the longer I sat, the more time I had to make myself nervous." 




Marcus of Duros Ch. 03



"Are you still nervous?" Marcus asked, trying to test the waters and see where they stood.

"No." She said quickly. When he smiled knowingly at her she continued. "Maybe a little bit." She said with a small grin.

"Well, don't worry too much." He said. "To tell you the truth this was a complete surprise, I had never even given much thought to being married until The Lords told me about our marriage today."

"Oh." She said slowly. "Do you not want to be married?" She asked in a measured voice.

"It's not that I didn't want to get married. He began hastily. "I just didn't think about it too much, but if I had, I'm sure I would have thought myself lucky if I found a wife half as beautiful as you." 

She smiled at his words and pulled him forward, kissing him softly on the cheek again, this time lingering longer. She stayed there with her lips softly pressed against his cheek for a few moments, then with her cheek against his, whispered in his ear.

"You didn't want to get married, did you Marcus. Don't worry, you can be honest with me. I'm your wife, remember?"

She pulled back until her eyes were looking into his, only separated by a few inches. Hers were the clearest shade of blue he had ever seen in a person's eyes. Like the sea, or a deep river. They begged him silently to open up to her and say what they both knew he was holding back.

Marcus sighed heavily. "No, I didn't"

"Why not?" She pressed gently.

"I disagree with the way marriages are done."

"What part Marcus?" She asked.

"The part where the women have no say in the matter, and her husband may do whatever he pleases with her." He said in a rush, silently begging her with his eyes to understand what he had never told anyone else.

"That's very sweet Marcus, but you can't change what happens to a lot of wives, and you can't change the fact that we are married. Lord Covax entered our names in the marriage register himself." This last piece of information surprised Marcus. "Besides," she continued "I consider myself lucky. I could have been married to one of those men who wouldn't care about how I felt. Instead I got you."

At this last pronouncement she smiled and leaned forward, kissing him softly on the lips. Never having actually kissed a woman before, Marcus was completely unsure of what to do. He settled for sitting still and letting her lead. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but Marcus's head was swimming as she broke the kiss and stood up. She chuckled at the dazed look in his eyes, as if amused by his inexperience.

She turned and headed back into the kitchen. Marcus shook his head and attempted to clear the haze that had settled over him as she had kissed him.

He stood up and made his way down the hall to the bedroom to get the rings he had bought for her at the market. He had left them in the pouch that served as his purse, hung on the back of his belt. As he retrieved them from the pouch he took a moment to appreciate their appearance. 

They really were remarkably well crafted, he admitted to himself. Each gold ring, though made of the same material, was slightly different in its design. Some were several bands woven together in delicate twists, while others were a single polished band that shone in the light. 

With a start he realized that he had never bought any presents for woman. His purchases were limited to gifts for his parents or friends, or buying rounds of drinks at the bars for his men. A feeling of excitement was bubbling up inside him at the prospect of giving them to her. While he was familiar with the feeling, it had never been so strong before.

Finished appreciating them, Marcus walked back into the kitchen with the rings, holding them in his hand behind his back. The excitement of having something to give her made him giddy. He would have to buy her something else before too long, as he suspected that excitement of his most recent purchase might quickly fade.

"I have something for you Chloe," he said as he reached the kitchen "if you want them that is."

She turned to face him from the stove and looked at him with curiosity. As he drew his hand out from behind his back she let out a small shriek and jumped forward to hug him. He stood still holding the rings his hand, unsure of what to do.

"Oh Marcus, they're so beautiful! Of course I want them. Why wouldn't I?"

She fawned over the gold rings as he deposited them in her hand. She lovingly inspected each one with the other hand, as if trying to take in every curve of the metal, and memorize their appearance. 

"Well... you know what it means when a woman is wearing them..." Marcus answered.

"Yes Marcus, I do know what they mean." She looked at him with a teasing glint in her eye as she put the rings on.

"and you don't mind... you know... wearing them?"

"Not at all, as a matter of fact I really want to wear them Marcus." She said with an air of finality. "I should tell you something though," she continued, "I haven't been completely forthcoming with you. When Lord Covax came to see me at the forum about a marriage he was very kind. He showed me your picture, and told me all sorts of things about you. He even let me ask some questions about you. Then he asked me if I would like to marry you, he said I didn't have to if I didn't want to, but truthfully I... I thought you were very handsome and you sounded like a very nice man, so I said yes." She finished blushing furiously as she turned back to the stove without making eye contact.

Marcus's mind went into overdrive considering the implications of a Lord himself giving a woman a choice in who she married. He had always had a high opinion of Lord Covax, but this new revelation made him wonder if there were other Lords who were of the same conviction. Marcus reached down and took Chloe's free hand, pulling her over to him. 

Hugging her close he said softly: "In that case I'm glad you don't feel stuck with me."

"Don't worry," she whispered back, "I don't feel that way at all, not even remotely." She quickly kissed his cheek again and turned away to find bowls for their dinner. 

Their dinner was nothing special, due to the profound shortage in his pantry. As they ate they learned more about each other, and Marcus found that he liked Chloe the more she talked. He was sure he could listen to her voice for hours, if she could speak for that long without asking him a question. 

She seemed nearly as interested in him as he was in her, except where he had asked her about life in the forum, she asked about his campaigns and his military friends. When Marcus asked about the baths she was mysteriously tight lipped, her sensual lips forming a small smile as if contemplating pleasant memories.

Before Marcus knew it, they had spent hours sitting at the table together talking. Once they finished their food, Chloe had taken his hand in both of hers and had continued her study of it. From then on, Marcus lost track of time, delighting in her ministrations, and answering her questions as well as he could.

Marcus sighed as he pulled his hand from hers and pushed his chair back. She looked up quickly, wondering why he had pulled his hand away. 

Marcus chucked as she looked at him quizzically. "I would be more than happy to let you continue Chloe, but I've been in my dress uniform for hours now, the dishes need to be washed, and it's getting pretty late."

She smiled, looking at the chronometer on the wall. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Why don't you go change out of your uniform, and I'll clean the dishes." Marcus, realizing how tired he was, immediately agreed and headed to his bedroom.

As he stripped down to his briefs and an undershirt, he thought about what he would do about the sleeping situation. Clearly it would be awkward to sleep together. Even though they had gotten to know each other quite well in the past few hours, it still seemed unseemly to sleep in the same bed. Finished washing his face and brushing his teeth, he decided that he would sleep on the couch and let Chloe take the bed.

He walked out into the bedroom and opened the door to his small linen closet. Removing several blankets and a spare pillow he walked back down the hall to the kitchen.

Done drying the last pot, Chloe's face seemed to fall as she saw the blankets and pillow. "What are you doing with those Marcus?" She asked sadly.

"Well, I thought I would sleep on the couch and you could sleep on my bed. I left a fresh toothbrush and a washcloth in the bathroom for you to -"

"There's no need for you to sleep on the couch Marcus." She said quickly, "unless you don't want to sleep with me but... I rather hoped you would." She said, looking up at him expectantly.

"I was just worried that you wouldn't want to sleep with me." He answered shaking his head slightly.

"Well that's a very silly worry." She said pointedly. "Come on." She took his hand and led him back into the bedroom.

"Put those away, I'll just freshen up and be out in a minute." As she walked into the bathroom he put the blankets and pillow he had been carrying back into the closet. 

Walking over to the bed, he pulled the sheets down and settled himself on his back to wait. The sheets were a harsh white color, topped with a gray comforter. Like most things in his house, the colors were dull and unexciting. He looked over at his bedside table where one of Chloe's orchids sat. 

She had been with him for less than a day, but had already brought more color into his home than he himself had introduced in the past two years. He thought briefly about how nice it was to have another person in the lonely apartment, and how colorful and homey the place might become now that Chloe was in his life.

As he was considering all the possible benefits of having her in his life, Chloe opened the bathroom door and peeked around the corner, hiding her body from view.

"Ummmm, Marcus?" She asked hesitantly. 

"Yes Chloe?"

"Well, I wasn't allowed to bring much from the forum, and I wanted to bring you the orchids, and I didn't have room for any other clothes. Sooooo I have nothing to sleep in..."

Marcus's eyes widened at the thought that all that separated her naked body from him was a thin door. He was reasonably sure that if he asked, she would come to bed wearing nothing at all. 

Marcus shook the thought from his head, it would be hard enough to sleep next to her when she was wearing clothes. There was a very good chance that his "morning wood" would end up being "all night wood" as it was.

"I'll just see if I can find you something to wear tonight." Marcus said as he rolled out of bed and walked over to his bureau.

Inside he found an old shirt that he used to wear to bed. It was a little too short for him now, having been shrunk several washes ago. It might fit Chloe though, he reasoned as he did up the buttons that clasped the soft cotton shirt down the middle.

He crossed across to the bathroom and handed it to her, her body still concealed by the door.

"Thannnk you." She said in an adorable sing-song voice that made Marcus smile.

She closed the door and put the shirt on quickly, and was out before Marcus had climbed back into the low bed. 

If the voice she had used a moment ago had been adorable, her appearance now was even more so. The shirt, which had barely fit Marcus, reached down nearly to her knees. The cuffs hung well past her hands, and as Marcus watched she began rolling them up to past her elbows.

The shirt, while comically small on him, looked very sexy on Chloe. The curves of her body; her breasts, her hips, and her ass, were all visible in her new sleepwear. Her nipples poked insistently within the shirt, forming tiny peaks of soft cotton over the hardened nubs. 

Marcus wondered briefly about that, the way he understood nipples was that they got hard when it was cold, his bedroom was kept at a comfortable temperature however. Marcus brushed it off, unwilling to spend too much time using his brain on trivialities when there were other things to think about.

"I think I like this outfit almost as much as the one you were wearing before." Marcus said with a suggestive smile.

"I bet." She replied with an equally lecherous wink. "Does your shoulder hurt?"

"Hmmm?" Marcus asked questioningly. He realized he had absentmindedly been rubbing his left shoulder which felt unpleasantly tight. "Oh this? It's nothing. I guess I must have pulled something on the campaign..." He trailed off.

Chloe looked at him slightly impatiently. "Well how are you supposed to sleep well with your shoulder hurting you Marcus?" She asked. "Take off your shirt and lay down on your stomach so I can rub it for you."

Marcus nodded quickly, the idea of having her warm body pressed on top of his, AND getting a back rub made it an offer he couldn't refuse.

He quickly stripped off his shirt. Chloe smiled as she watched him struggle to pull it off hastily. When he finally succeeded and looked at her she was wearing an entirely different expression.

Her eyes looked more intense than they had a moment ago, and her smile was gone, replaced by an expression Marcus had never seen before: she was biting her lower lip slightly and a hand had gone to her throat, stroking the base of her neck softly.

"How about that back rub?" She asked, her voice huskier than before.

He turned away from her and sank down onto his stomach on the bed. Chloe followed, straddling his ass, wiggling suggestively as she settled herself. 

She took a moment to lay herself down, pressing into his back, laying her head on his back, and snaking her arms under his armpits and pulling up on his shoulders to press herself even deeper into his back.

"Mmmfffff" Marcus sighed sleepily. "I'll give you a year to cut that out."

"Mmmkayy" She answered, her voice muffled.

After several minutes of just laying there, Chloe sat up and began rubbing his shoulders, starting first with the one which was bunched up into a knot. Once she had eased the tension in it, she moved on to his other shoulder, then the rest of his back, and neck.

He wasn't sure how long she sat above him. It seemed like a while, but finally when he felt her hands were beginning to tire he reached behind him and began rubbing her knees that still straddled his ass.

Even her knees were soft and Marcus felt a need begin to overtake him. He flipped himself over onto his back, surprising Chloe who still sat above him. Now instead of straddling his ass, she was situated right above his groin.

The erection that had been pinned between himself and the bed now tented his briefs, putting pressure on her groin.

She gasped at the sudden change, but it quickly morphed into a moan as her eyes closed and her hips began to grind against him involuntarily.

"Chloe?" 

"Mmmmm... Yes Marcus?" She replied, her voice a shuddering almost whisper, she peered at him darkly.

"Where's your underwear?" He asked thickly.

She laughed, but the laugh turned into a grunt as her hips began to gyrate again. "Mmmhhmm... I never wear underwear to bed Marcus."

"Oh." He answered simply.

As her hips continued to twist his hands began sliding up her thighs. The shirt, which fell to mid-thigh, was pushed up as he reached her hips. 

From there he continued his exploration towards her ass, finally seizing it with both hands and kneading it. It was every bit as full and muscular as he had thought, not only that, it was wonderfully soft.

Her skin was impossibly soft and smooth, and it felt amazing under his hands. "You're so soft Chloe, I love touching you." Marcus whispered as his hands moved from her ass to trace the lines of her stomach with his thumbs.

"Mmmmm. I love it when you touch me Marcus." She replied. 

As she finished speaking she began unbuttoning the shirt, until the only thing holding the two sides of the front together were here breasts. As she leaned forward, she placed her hands on the sides of Marcus's head. Her eyes were only a few inches away from his own, and Marcus could see the desire that darkened her normally bright eyes.

"Touch them, please Marcus." She said shakily.

He looked where she had flicked her eyes pointedly. Her breasts hung inches from his chest. They were large, maintaining their shape somewhat even when the hung, terminating in long, pink nipples that stood erect with what he reasoned must be desire.

He lifted his hands and gently began caressing the undersides of her breasts. He could feel his heart beating in his throat as he explored around with more vigor, mixing in gentle squeezes with his gentle strokes. Her breasts were softer than the rest of her body with a pliable firmness that aroused him even more, if that was possible. 

Finally his explorations brought him to her nipples. A slight pinch with his index fingers and thumbs made Chloe gasp and shudder. A pitiful moan escaped her lips. Marcus didn't think he had heard a more beautiful sound in his entire life. It tugged at his heart, and woke something inside him. 

He quickly sat up, taking her with him, until she sat, more or less in his lap. Initially frustrated by her inability to rub effectively against him, Chloe humphed. The humph quickly turned into a ragged moan as Marcus closed his mouth around one of her nipples and began pinching and tugging at the other. 

"Oh Marcus that... I... that feels soooo... g-good."

Switching back and forth between her two nipples, nipping softly with his teeth, he continued to tease her breasts, increasing the pressure gradually.

I can't... t-take it much longer... Marcus I..." Chloe's incoherent words merely egged Marcus on, as he continued his ministrations.

Suddenly Chloe's voice reached a deeper pitch. "Marcus wait... I'm going to... going to..."

"Going to what Chloe?" Marcus asked curious, as her nipple popped out of his mouth.

"Ohhhhh God nooo, please go back Marcus. I'm going to come soon. Please Marcus!" Chloe grasped the back of his head with one hand, and taking her breast in the other, forced it into Marcus's mouth. At this he began sucking and licking with renewed passion, his tongue tracing circles around her nipple as his lips sucked it into his mouth. 

"Ohhhhhhhhhh Marcusssssss..." Chloe moaned as her hips began to thrust against his stomach from where she sat in his lap. "I'm c-coming... really h-harrrrdddd... ohhhhhoooo... mmm... huh"

As her orgasm began to subside, her entire body convulsed gently, forcing air from her lungs in breathy gusts.

Seeing that her body limp and shuddering, unable to support itself, he gently lowered her to the bed and lay on his side next to her, his forearm pillowing her neck.

For a while she simply lay in his arms shuddering. Finally the shaking had subsided and she turned to him, her face cracking into an enormous, lazy, smile.

"Hi." She said simply.

"Hi yourself." He replied

"That was reallllly nice Marcus. I mean really nice."

While Marcus was glad that she had enjoyed herself, he was still confused. He had heard many of his married friends discussing the female orgasm, but they had never mentioned that it could happen from playing with their nipples.

"I didn't know women could have orgasms by having their nipples played with." Marcus said questioningly.

Chloe smiled up at him sheepishly. "Well, they don't normally... I'm just really sensitive."

"Lucky me." Marcus replied with a smile.

He didn't bother asking how she know she was sensitive to having her nipples manipulated. He assumed it was a story for another time. He had other things on his mind, he had just caught sight of her glistening pussy, completely shaved, and no longer hidden by the shirt or crushed into his lap.

Intrigued, he dragged his free hand slowly down her body, as he passed by her stomach a portion of it quivered.

"mmmmHHhhhph... sensitive spot..." She said haltingly.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 03



Marcus stopped his downward journey and spent a moment brushing his finger around the area she had responded to in lazy circles. Finally she could contain herself no more.

"IT'S NOT THAT KIND OF SENSITIVE MARCUS, IT'S TICKLEISH!" She cried her as legs thrashed and her hands desperately pushed at his.

"Ohhhh, well then I guess I should pick up where I left off." Marcus answered teasingly as his hand began to travel downwards again towards her dripping pussy.

"Mmmmm that sounds good..." she moaned with renewed passion.

As Marcus's hand began teasing the inside of her thighs near her pussy he felt her shiver again. Quickly he pulled his hand back up towards her stomach.

"Oh sorry, must have been another sensitive spot." He chucked darkly.

"Nooo Marcus pleasseee... go back..." She moaned desperately, begging him with her eyes just as insistently as she had with her voice. "Pleaseee Marcus..." Her lips only inches away from his, she closed the distance quickly and captured his lips in a frantic kiss.

Her kiss lacked the sweetness, or the tenderness of the kisses they had shared earlier that night. This time her tongue forced its way into his mouth, searching out his own, coiling around it fiercely. 

Marcus's surprise only lasted for a second as his fingers began inching ever closer to her now soaking center. As his fingers finally found her slit and began tracing easy circles, she moaned into his mouth and broke their kiss.

"MmmmMMmmm... Marcus, ohhhhhh that feels soo-ooo good."

Her eyes bored into his with unbridled desperation. Her gaze was locked with his as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. 

From what Marcus could feel, her pussy was now almost dripping it was so wet. A warm, sticky, fluid bathed her lips and upper thighs where she had been grinding against him. Looking down, he saw that that his briefs where his cock sat erect were completely soaked with the same juices. The revelation turned him on to a new level, and drove his had to explore more of her soaked pussy.

Finally Marcus located her sensitive clit, his fingers drawing firm circles over the swollen bud. Chloe's eyes rolled back, no longer able to maintain the eye contact. Her mouth, which had previously been parted seductively, now opened wide and formed a silent scream as her body went limp. Puzzled Marcus continued his circles over her clit. 

In seconds a strangled cry erupted from Chloe and her body began to convulse violently, even more violently than it had a minute ago when he was playing with her nipples.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Marccccuuuuuuuuuuuuussssss." As she came again her eyes flashed open and locked with his. Her hands, which had been laying limply on the bed, now clenched at the hand on her clit. Urging him to go faster. 

"Yeeeeessssssss Maaaarrrrccccuuuussssss... ohhhhhhhh..." As she finished her orgasm in a final shiver a small amount of fluid leaked from deep inside her pussy. 

Marcus stirred at it with his fingers. It was slightly thicker than the juices that had bathed her pussy before, and was a slightly different shade of white. On a whim he brought his fingers up to his mouth and tasted it, sucking both his index and his middle fingers clean of the white fluid.

The fluid had a sharp, tangy flavor, mixed with a heady musk that Marcus found intoxicating.

As his eyes returned to her face he noticed her staring open mouthed at him with undisguised surprise. "What is it Chloe?"

She swallowed with a loud gulp and her voice came out shakily, "nothing I just..." She began hesitantly. "I just want you inside me Marcus, please!" She finished in a rush.

"Oh is that all?"

"Don't tease Marcus. You know what I want..." As she spoke she reached down between them and slipped a hand inside the waistband of Marcus's briefs. 

Her hand quickly found his rock hard member, and closing her fingers around the shaft, began pumping up and down softly. The feeling was exquisite. She was squeezing his dick with just the right amount of pressure, forcing several drops of precum from the head.

She looked pointedly at him as she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. "You do want to be inside me, don't you Marcus?" She said softly, her voice husky with desire.

"Yessssss..." he groaned as her hand pumped faster

"Then do it... please Marcus... I want you inside me." At her words, Marcus reached down, pulled his briefs off, and threw them to the floor. 

Repositioning himself to that her legs rose on either side of his hips, he took his dick in his hand and began stroking at her still soaking pussy. His strokes elicited gentle moans from Chloe, who was still watching him with wide eyes. Locating her tight entrance, he slowly began sliding his now slippery cock into her.

"OH... MY... GOD MARCUS. You feel soooooooo good." She moaned as he bottomed out, fully inside her. 

He grunted in agreement, trying desperately to maintain control. Her pussy was so soft and warm, but at the same time the it clenched strongly onto his dick, as if trying to hold him inside her.

Marcus pumped in and out of her as slowly as he could, trying to forestall his orgasm and prolong the intense sensations. Her voice pulled him back to reality, raising his head from where he had laid it on her shoulder.

"Marcus go faster. I want you to come for me. Faster Marcus please." The unexpected affection in her voice and in her eyes warmed his heart, as he grunted in assent.

Picking up the pace, Marcus began to thrust into her with long, hard strokes. Her ragged moans echoed in his ears, as he began to feel the warm tickle of orgasm begin to rise in his groin and build outwards. Sensing his tension, Chloe began to grind him into her even harder, pulling at his hips with her hands.

"Yes Marcus... come for me!" 

"Soon... mmmppphhh... coming!" Marcus grunted out as his orgasm bubbled over, his cum shooting into her still sopping pussy.

"Ohhhh yessss Marcussss..." She groaned as she felt his cum coat her insides. Her blue eyes locked with his as he shuddered, his orgasm dissipating.

"That was amazing Marcus..." She trailed off wistfully.

"Hope you didn't mind."

"You idiot," she smacked his cheek lightly, "why would I mind?"

"Well... we did just meet this evening."

"Yup, and now we're stuck with each other. Hope YOU don't mind." She teased. "Besides, I thought I was never going to get you into bed. After all, all we ever had at the bathhouse was other girls, and they loose their allure after a while, especially if you like-"

Her voice cut off abruptly as she clapped a hand over her mouth, a deep crimson blush rising in her cheeks. Marcus chuckled at her confession, amused by her embarrassment.

"It's not exactly a secret to us in The Legion Chloe. Most of us find it quite... arousing to imagine. "Marcus said as he clenched and forced blood into his limp cock. She jerked and gasped at the surprise of being filled again, if only briefly. 

"Besides," he said as he chuckled at her surprised expression, the blush still high in her cheeks, "I'm sure you learned some useful... things... in the bathhouses with them. At his last teasing remark he pushed himself off her, clambered off the bed, and walked into the bathroom.

Wiping himself clean he took a moment to pee haltingly, as he flushed the last of his cum out. Feeling refreshed he walked back out into the bedroom. Chloe had remade the bed, as they had torn the sheets into an enormous mess in their passion. As he watched her she smiled, buttoning the shirt that Marcus had given her. His cum had begun to drip out of her and trail down her thighs.

"As sexy as that is Chloe," he said, pointing to the mess between her legs, "you might want to wash up." 

He grinned as she walked past him, swaying her hips seductively back and forth as she went. The excessive swing was for his benefit he assumed, as she smiled knowingly at him, closing the door softly.

Pulling down the sheets with a snap he flopped onto his side with one arm wrapped underneath his pillow. Finished in the bathroom, Chloe came out and followed suit, flopping down to wiggle her back into Marcus's stomach. Curling her legs to mirror his, she snuggled happily into him. Pulling his free arm over and cuddling it between her soft breasts, she sighed contentedly.

"Not a bad day, all things considered." Marcus said, whispering quietly to himself.

"Same here." She said in a muffled voice, her face pressed into the pillows.

Marcus, recovering from his shock at being overheard, felt sleep tugging at his eyes. Finally closing, them he drifted off into a comfortable sleep. Chloe's soft body nestled comfortably with his. His hand cuddled lovingly between her soft breasts.



Marcus of Duros Ch. 04



Author's note - 

Hi everyone. It took me a little longer to get this next chapter out to you because the first three were done as one big project when I had some off days. The time gap between stories will probably be around a week to two weeks from here on out, life being busy as it is bound to be. I really, really appreciated all the feedback and support on the previous chapters. I just wanted to let everyone who posted comments to know that I do indeed read all of them, and take them under advisement, however I want to remind everyone that this will be a very long series, probably more than 20 chapters. So keep in mind that character development is still in the early stages. 

As always I welcome all comments, suggestions, support, and criticisms. Constructive feedback is a great asset to my writing, and I keep each bit in mind, even if I don't necessarily agree with it.

******

"Marrrrcus... Marrrrcuuuusss..." Chloe's soft voice interrupted Marcus's comfortable sleep.

It was Marcus's habit to sleep in the first day back from a campaign. Some days he would sleep as late as ten o' clock. The practice of waking up at dawn that had been ingrained in them at the war college persisted while he was away fighting with the legion, but when he first came home he reveled in the small comfort of being able to sleep in as long as he wanted. Evidently the matriarchs of the forum had other ideas.

"Marcus?"

"Mmmphhh... What Chloe?"

"Well I've been looking around the kitchen and there is absolutely no food left. What are we going to eat for breakfast?"

"Why are you so concerned about breakfast already Chloe? It can't be much later than six."

Marcus's face was still pressed into the pillow, his body splayed out on his stomach with one arm hanging off the bed. He was confused as to how he got there, as he had fallen asleep on the opposite side of the bed. An explanation not immediately apparent he lifted himself up on his elbows, and began looking quizzically at the position of the bedsheets. Guessing his unspoken question, Chloe answered it before he had a chance to ask.

"You started to squash me this morning when you rolled over. That was at about five I think. At first it was nice, but after a couple minutes I couldn't breath so I just slipped out from under you and got out of bed. Then I was wide awake, so I thought I'd look for something for us to eat for breakfast."

"Mph," Marcus said sleepily, in an attempt to convey comprehension. Instead of a coherent response, what came out was a low pitched sigh that sounded mildly irritated.

"If you're still tired you can go back to sleep, I just thought you might be hungry after the... fun we had last night." Chloe said, grinning slightly as she recalled their late night romp between the sheets.

"Nooooo. I guess I'm not tired... anymore." Marcus said pointedly with a chuckle, as he rolled over and sat up with his feet on the floor.

"Uh oh..." Chloe's soft laugh confused Marcus again, his brain not completely awake.

He followed her eyes down to where they were directed at his throbbing morning wood, tenting his briefs aggressively. Hastily he covered his lap with a sheet.

"Ummm sorry about that." He mumbled as he tried desperately to think away his morning wood. 

His efforts were soon made pointless, as his eyes were now at the level of Chloe's ample chest. She was still wearing his cotton shirt that he had given her, leaving the top buttons undone. Only the lowest part of her breasts and her nipples were still hidden. As he watched her breathe, her breasts swelled outwards slightly. Trailing his eyes up her chest and face to her eyes, he took note of her single eyebrow cocked raised roguishly.

"You're not hungry are you Marcus." Chloe said plainly.

"No, I can't really say that I am." Marcus responded watching her eyes as her chest began to heave more insistently.

"Well then, did you do that Marcus?" She asked flirtatiously as she ripped the sheet off his lap.

"Well I had a little... you know... problem"

"Yes I can see that Marcus, I want to know why you were trying to hide it from me."

"I wasn't!" Marcus chided himself as he heard his tone. He sounded like a child under her playful questioning.

This was definitely not how Marcus had expected the morning to go. He had though they would wake up gradually, with some cuddling perhaps, then get out of bed and get ready for the day. What he got instead was a rude awakening at dawn, and asked flirtatious questions about the state of his dick that his sleep befuddled mind was not prepared to answer. Collecting his thoughts quickly, Marcus accepted that his expectations were not becoming reality, and it was time to go on the offensive and turn the tables on her.

Rising quickly to his feet he seized Chloe by the waist, kissing her roughly. Expecting that she would be disgusted by his morning breath, Marcus was surprised when she responded with equal passion. Taking a moment away from her lips Marcus reached down grabbed the front of the shirt she wore, balling each side into one of his hands.

"This needs to come off." He said darkly, watching her eyes carefully for any hesitation at his rough approach.

"Okay." She answered breathily.

As she spoke she reached down to start unbuttoning the shirt, but Marcus beat her to it. His hands still grasping at either side of the front he ripped his arms apart aggressively, the buttons flying off as the shirt flew open.

"Marcus! That was my new favorite shirt!" Chloe gasped, her eyes betraying her excitement.

"I'll let you have another one of mine." 

As he finished speaking he began ripping the shirt again. The cotton, already weak from age and his previous ripping, fell to shreds under Marcus's strong hands. As he tore the shirt from her, Marcus heard Chloe panting with excitement. Deciding to air towards the melodramatic and continue his display she enjoyed so much, he tore the shirt more than was strictly necessary, until finally it lay as a heap of rags on the floor, leaving Chloe standing naked in front of him.

"Much better." Marcus said with a dark smile.

Chloe was shaking visibly, but not from fear. Her chest heaved and she had brought her arms up unconsciously to cup her breasts. Her eyes however were locked with his, dark with passion, as if daring him to go further.

Taking her in his arms again he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her firmly against him. With his other he snaked his hand up the back of her neck and into her hair, clenching it firmly just above her scalp. Bending her head slightly so that her eyes met his he saw that his controlling demeanor had a much more positive effect on her than he had anticipated. With her arms trapped against his body and her head immobilized by his grip on her hair she had difficulty moving, squirming pathetically in his arms. Her lips reached for his, desperate to kiss him, her eyes wide open with a silent pleas.

"Let's go take a shower so I can wash this beautiful body of yours" Marcus said quietly.

As he spoke he released the hand that had been holding her hair. As soon as he did her head lurched forward to kiss him furiously. Momentarily distracted he soon remembered why he needed his other hand: His erection was trapped firmly between their stomachs, and he intended to make good use of it.

Reaching his hand between their bodies, still locked in a frantic kiss, he pulled his cock to the side and rotated it downwards until it was nearly touching her groin. Bending his knees slightly he corrected for the height difference and fed his raging boner into the crease created by her thighs and pussy. 

Marcus expected some friction, as he didn't figure that she would be excited enough to be wet. Instead his cock slipped right into the crease, lubricated by Chloe's dripping pussy. It was soaking, with juices already running down the inside of her thighs. Marcus reasoned that Chloe must enjoy being taken roughly. This revelation surprised him, but he wasn't about to complain. Thrusting back and forth so that his dick rubbed against the lips of her pussy and her sensitive clit, Marcus continued to tease her.

"Ohhhh... Ok. Yes. Mhm. Shower." Chloe said shuddering under Marcus's attentions.

She turned quickly, his arms, no longer tightly gripping her, could not contain her. She looked back at him devilishly, as if delighted by her small victory. Her soft ass, jiggling seductively, was a target he could not ignore. Reaching out swiftly he slapped at her ass with just enough force to make a loud crack, but not so much as to hurt.

Yelping as she skittered into the bathroom with him close on her heels she whirled on him.

"You'll pay for that one mister."

"No, I don't think I will." Marcus said casually as his hand quickly found her wet pussy, stroking her clit in wide, slow circles.

"Marcus, I thought we were going to take a shower." Chloe said in a slow, measured tone. Desperately trying to keep her voice steady.

"Oh we are, I just thought I'd get you warmed up." He chuckled darkly as he turned on the shower head.

Stepping into the warm shower he pulled Chloe with him. Keeping on hand on her pussy as she stepped in with him, he began making more insistent circles over her now swollen clit. The warm water that now cascaded down on them served as additional lubrication, Marcus's hand bringing her closer and closer to her orgasm with every stroke. Just as he felt that she was about to cum, Marcus abruptly removed his hand.

"Nooooo! Marcus what are you doing?"

"Trying something new Chloe" He answered calmly.

"What do you- Hohhh." As she began to question him he thrust his index and ring fingers up into her pussy, cutting her voice off abruptly, her question ending in a strangled gust of air.

Thrusting his fingers in and out of her pussy, which was now clenching onto his fingers, he began to feel her orgasm returning. Soon her soft moans and whimpers that had been muffled in his shoulder were silenced. Marcus, remembering the previous night, took this to mean her orgasm was beginning.

Sure enough, seconds later her body was wracked with convulsions as her orgasm boiled over. Shaking against him, she was unsteady on her feet as she gasped and moaned her way through a massive orgasm. She shook so hard that he was forced to hold her up, lest she slip on the shower's slick tiled floor. Finally the last of her shudders subsided and she clung to Marcus, kissing his neck softly as water continued to slide down their bodies.

"There's something else I've been curious about Chloe."

"Oh Marcus, if it's anything like your last curiosity, I don't think I can handle it for a bit."

"Wanna bet?" He replied grinning at her with the same devilish expression she had used earlier.

"Wait Marcus what are you..." 

Easing himself onto his knees, he kissed his way down her stomach while she squirmed anxiously. Finally reaching her pussy, he maneuvered her so that her back was to the water ensuring he wouldn't choke during what he had planned. Advancing his head slowly towards her pussy, wet with water and her juices, he let his lips close around her clit in a soft kiss.

"Ohhh Marcus that's so nice." Chloe gasped as her body began thrusting against his mouth, which was still kissing her clit.

Marcus decided to see what effect sucking her clit gently into his mouth would have. It was instantaneous. As he sucked the small bud into his mouth her body doubled over, her breasts nearly touching his head. Using his tongue to trace around the swollen bud now trapped between his lips, he started experimenting more boldly. Her knees began to shake and her gasps turned into echoing moans. Deciding to hold nothing back he let her clit slip from his lips, instead spearing his tongue into her wet opening and dragging it slowly upwards to tease her clit.

Chloe's moans took on an even more ragged quality than they had before, as her body shivered and shook from the sensations. Fearing that her legs might give out under his repeated attacks on her pussy, he quickly slipped one of her knees over his shoulder for added support. No longer afraid that she might fall, Marcus was free to redouble his efforts on her pussy, licking and sucking at her sensitive clit with renewed vigor.

"Marcus keep going! I'm almost there... Oh my God, your tongue feels sooooooo good!"

Soon Chloe was screaming her way through another orgasm, her legs shaking so hard she would have fallen if not for the support of Marcus's shoulder. As her orgasm began to dissipate, and her violent shaking was reduced to occasional quivers, Marcus let her leg drop from his shoulder. Standing up and holding her in his arms, he kissed her forehead softly as she continued to shiver, panting in an effort to get her breath back.

Tilting her head back she met his eyes with her own, heavy lidded from her passionate exertions. Kissing him deeply, she pushed her tongue into his mouth, exploring his with unbridled lust.

"This was not how I had planned our morning to go..." She said thoughtfully as she broke their kiss.

"Were you planning on seducing me this morning and having your way with me?" Marcus asked jokingly.

"Maybe..." Chloe answered, smiling up at him, now fully recovered from her powerful orgasms. "I thought I might see how you liked it when I used my mouth on you, but I guess you beat me to it." She finished with mock anger, thumping a fist lightly against his chest.

"As fun as that sounds Chloe, we've been in here so long the water is getting cold, and we still have yet to do anything resembling washing."

"Let's not waste time then." Chloe answered, grabbing the bar of soap that sat in a holder on the wall.

Stepping out of the now lukewarm stream of water, she began soaping up her body seductively. Giving special attention to her breasts, she made sure that her entire front was covered in suds, looking darkly at Marcus the whole time.

Marcus, who was watching the display with avid focus, felt his cock growing hard again. It had become slightly limp while he was going down on Chloe, so intense was his focus. Hard as a rod once again, his cock was standing high at an aggressive angle, twitching with the beat of his heart. Chloe looked at it hungrily, then back at Marcus's eyes. Moving towards him she spoke quietly.

"Hold your hands behind your back Marcus."

"Why?" He asked curiously. He was unused to being ordered around by a woman, but he might consider complying if she had something interesting planned.

"Just do it Marcus." She responded with a hint of irritation, her eyes glinting sharply.

Not wanting to derail the sexually charged atmosphere that permeated the shower, Marcus shut his mouth quickly and grinned apologetically. Moving his hands behind his back, he clasped them hard, flexing his muscles for her and puffing out his chest proudly.

"Alright Mr. Muscles," she said sarcastically, "come over here so you don't wash all the suds away."

When Marcus closed the gap between them she quickly put both hands on him, soaping up the hard muscles of his chest and shoulders. Continuing her attentions, she began to rub her body teasingly against his, her breasts and stomach now slick with soap. His dick twitched with excitement between them, covered in suds from her gyrating stomach.

Reaching her hand down she began to tease his cock. Stroking with both hands, she twisted each in the opposite direction of the other as she jerked him off. Unable to contain his excitement, Marcus unclenched his hands from behind his back and began to rub her slippery breasts. In their slick condition he was unable to feel their silken softness, but it made very little difference to Marcus as he worked at her breasts, starting at the base and gently pulling on them so they slipped through his hands where he pinched her nipples softly.

"Marcus, if you don't stop that I'm going to get too excited to follow through with what I had planned for you." She gasped warningly.

"Well then, why don't you show me what you had in mind, because I love playing with them so much I don't think I can stop."

Turning him gently into the now icy water of the shower head, Chloe washed the suds from his chest and dick. Turning him back around to face her she sunk down to her knees in front of him. Tying a quick knot in her hair to hold it behind her, she grabbed Marcus's dick, lazily dragging her tongue all the way up the underside of his dick, from his balls to his head.

"Mmmmm Chloe that feels good."

"We haven't even gotten to the good part yet Marcus." Chloe responded, taking a break from dragging her tongue in circles around the shaft of his dick.

"What good- Ohhhhh" Marcus's voice was cut off abruptly by a gasp as Chloe took is dick between her lips, sinking him deeply into her mouth, teasing his shaft with her tongue while her lips sucked gently from all sides.

Marcus had never considered his dick to be overly large. Surely it wasn't more than seven inches when fully erect, but now it appeared massive. Chloe's lips left the last three inches nearest to the base untouched. Catching his eye she continued to suck enthusiastically on his cock, using her tongue to tease the underside, while one hand massaged what she couldn't reach with her lips. Locking eyes with her, he gaped open-mouthed at her as she continued the blow job for several minutes. Finally pulling her away from him by the hair he gasped for air as Chloe pouted softly and continued to jerk him off with her hand.

"Why did you do that Marcus?" She asked innocently, her eyes betraying her secret elation at driving him to the brink.

"I did it because if you don't stop soon, I'm going to come in your mouth." Marcus huffed, desperately trying to regain his control.

"But Marcus we aren't even to the good part yet!" 

"Isn't this was the good part Chloe?" Marcus asked, his voice ragged as his cock twitched in her hand.

"Nope" She answered simply.

Jerking her hair free of Marcus's grasp she quickly took his cock in her mouth again and drove it down as deeply as she could. When she hit the entrance to her throat, Marcus thought she would go no further.

He was wrong.

Opening her throat and swallowing the remaining several inches completely, his entire cock was now enveloped by her mouth and throat. Moaning from the new sensation of tight wetness all around his cock, Marcus felt Chloe moving his dick carefully in and out of her throat. 

"Oh my God Chloe, you're gonna make me come." Marcus moaned after several seconds of delicious torment.

Pulling him from her throat Chloe gasped: "Do it Marcus." 

Thrusting him back into her mouth and swallowing him down her throat she did not move, but merely sat with her nose in his pubic hair. All the while tonging the underside of his shaft and working the muscles of her throat, as if trying to milk the cum out of him. Only seconds later Marcus began to cry out from the sensations as his orgasm hit him. He jerked several times, his cum disappearing down Chloe's throat, before finally he relaxed, his cock starting to go limp. With a slurping pop Chloe released his cock from her throat, taking a huge gasp of air.

"There you see? I told you it would be fun. Not to mention that we didn't even get dirty again." Chloe said teasingly, her eyes glistening with tears from the exertion. 

"Didn't it hurt though Chloe?" Marcus asked, realizing that he had never thought to ask if it hurt her to take him in her throat.

"Oh no, not at all, I learned how at the forum." She said, enigmatically.

"Well, it was amazing, wherever you learned it. If you're a good girl today maybe I'll let you do it again." Marcus responded, his tone patronizing and sarcastic.

Immediately her eyes closed to slits as she glared at him. Still on her knees at his feet she took his now flaccid dick in one hand and closed her lips gently around the head, still glaring at him.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 04



"Remember Marcus, if you get too snarky I might slip. Lips are good but teeth-" She bit him gently, and Marcus jerked in discomfort, "they hurt a little bit."

Smiling sweetly up at him, she rose from her knees and pecked him on the cheek. It was Marcus's turn to glare at her as she stepped out of the shower. Wiggling her ass for him, she took two towels off the rack. Shutting off the now freezing water, Marcus stepped quickly out from the shower and pinched her soft ass as she toweled off her hair.

"You're a brat. You know that right?" He asked playfully as she squealed and turned to him indignantly. 

"Maybe I am, but I think you like it."

She turned into his arms and kissed him wetly, trying to ignite his passions again.

"Oh no, none of that missy, we have a lot to do today." Marcus said, forcing her tongue from his mouth and pecking her on the lips with finality.

"Oh?" She asked curiously. "What did you have planned?"

"Well, firstly, we need to go somewhere for breakfast, since apparently we have nothing to eat here, or don't you remember why you woke me up so painfully early?" 

"Oh I remember alright, although breakfast may not have been the real reason I woke up up." She grinned at him suggestively.

"Anywayyyyy," he said, mock glaring at her, "after breakfast we can go shopping in the market for some food, and maybe something for you to do when I'm not here. I'm not sure when we'll be headed out again, but sometimes I'm gone for a while, and I don't want you to be bored when I'm gone."

"Right, well I suppose that makes sense." She said hesitantly, as if unwilling to discuss his unknown, but impeding deployment. "Can we visit the book merchants? I really love reading, and I've never had any books of my own. I always had to borrow them from the forum library."

"I'll buy you a whole shelf if you like." Marcus said, taking a towel from her and drying himself.

Distracted by the thought of going on a book buying excursion, Chloe perked up and finished drying herself. Walking into the bedroom she picked up the dress she had been wearing the previous day from where she had left it, neatly folded in Marcus's bureau. Pulling the long flowing skirt up she felt Marcus's eyes on her from the door of the bathroom. She grinned at him as he watched her sway her hips seductively, still topless.

"I thought you said we had places to be mister, or are you up for a second round?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows lewdly as she pulled her top on.

"No, we don't have time. I think you could probably hear my stomach growling from over there. I was just appreciating the scenery." He winked at her teasingly.

"Well if you've finished being a smart ass, will you come over here and tie this for me?"

She turned around and showed him the two bottom ends of the top which would tie behind her back and offer support to her breasts. 

"A bow if you please. A knot wouldn't look very becoming on the wife of a commander, now would it?" She quipped.

"Only the best for you, darling wife." He said, as sarcastically as humanly possible while he fumbled with the slippery fabric.

Finally satisfied with his efforts, he told her he was done, and planted a small kiss on the back of her neck. Walking over to the mirror to examine his work, Chloe turned to him and raised an eyebrow critically.

"Really Marcus? That looks terrible." Undoing his lopsided bow, she retied it perfectly, grinning at him. 

"I thought you couldn't do it yourself?" Marcus asked suspiciously.

"No, I asked if you would tie it. Of course I can tie up my own clothes, I just wanted to see if you could do it." 

Retrieving her insignia rings from the top of the bureau where she had left them, she put them on, winking at him as he pulled on his casual dress uniform. Walking over to the chest next to his bed he removed the pistol holster from its mount on his dress belt. His belt now held only his sword, which hung comfortingly by his side. Walking back to her he offered her his hand which she took with a smile. Then they walked out to the door, put on their shoes, and left apartment building in the direction of the marketplace for their first public appearance as man and wife.

******

The restaurant Marcus had chosen for breakfast was one of his favorites. It was a modest establishment, able to seat no more than 25 people at small, cozy tables. All in all it was not a terribly upscale establishment. Many of his fellow commanders preferred to dine at more lavish eateries. Marcus however, would take Danny's Lunchroom over any of the more "upscale" joints.

Danny's Lunchroom was located just off of the main marketplace, slightly tucked away on a backstreet, allowing a cool breeze from the Atlantic to filter up the streets and through the open air building. The owner, Danny, was a retired captain nearing 70 now, having been the owner of the restaurant for nearly 30 years.

Whenever Marcus was not on a campaign he would come eat at Danny's as often as he could. Danny made the best empanadas in Duros, stuffed with marinated meats and delicate cheeses. A sweet soup accompanied the empanadas, and Marcus loved dipping the hot empanadas in the soup to complement the flavors.

As Marcus through the door with Chloe holding his hand the hostess, Danny's wife, yelled into the kitchen.

"DANNY! DANNY! MARCUS IS HERE, AND HE'S GOT A LADY WITH HIM TOO!" 

Danny came barreling out of the kitchen, spry for a man of 70 years. Still early in the day there were barely any customers. Several retired sergeants sat at a corner table sipping on cool drinks, hardly fazed by the commotion.

"Marcus! Nice to see you kid. Guess you got yourself married huh? Of course you would get the prettiest girl around, what's your name sweetheart?" 

"My name is Chloe." She answered respectfully, holding out her hand to shake his.

"Nah, nah, none of that here Miss Chloe." 

Danny stepped in swiftly laying a quick kiss on Chloe's cheek. Surprised, Chloe looked over at Marcus as if looking for instructions or an explanation. Marcus just chuckled, watching the scene unfold with amusement.

"Oh don't worry honey, I've known Marcus for a long time, ever since he was a corporal in the 13th Battalion if I recall rightly. He won't mind if I sneak a little kiss, now will he?"

Turning his cheek to her, he tapped it with a bony finger. Chloe looked over at Marcus, as if for permission. Marcus nodded his head slightly, grinning at Danny's antics. Chloe, for her part, kissed Danny's thin cheek with with gusto, lingering slightly longer than was strictly necessary. By the time she had finished, Danny was blushing. His wife looked on with amusement. Over 60 herself, Marcus felt sure she had no ill will towards the beautiful young woman who was kissing her husbands cheek.

"Goodness gracious Charlotte," Danny said, addressing his wife, "she kisses nearly as well as you do."

Marcus chuckled again. Danny had always been a smooth talker. Many of his patrons returned time after time to enjoy Danny's cooking and company. When he wasn't terrorizing his kitchen staff in the back, he was doing the rounds, meeting first time customers, seeing to everyone's meals, and making idle chatter.

"Come on Chloe," Charlotte said, sneaking in and pulling Chloe off to Marcus's normal table, "let's get away from this dirty old man and your handsome husband for a couple minutes." 

Danny laughed as the women moved to the table and began talking quietly, their heads close. He noticed Marcus looking curiously at them.

"Haha, you didn't know that about women did you? They always want time to talk to each other. Big secret stuff, you know."

"Well what are they talking about?"

"Who knows? They certainly don't tell us about it. Sometimes they like to use the restroom together as well, if they're in a group with men that is." Danny said as he pulled Marcus towards the bar.

"Come on over here, I've got a great new drink I want you to try."

Walking around to the business side of the bar, Danny began mixing what looked to be a drink based on a fruit smoothie. 

"What is it this time Danny? Looks like mango smoothie."

"That's exactly what it is," Danny responded cheefully, "I just added some grape liqueur!" Marcus sipped the drink Danny offered him. It tasted fruity, with only the slightest tinge of alcohol.

"She's quite a catch isn't she Marcus? How'd you find her? I didn't know you were looking for a patron."

"I didn't find her Danny, The Lords offered her to me after I came back from The South African campaign, I could hardly refuse them could I?"

"No you certainly couldn't, they wouldn't have taken that very well. Wouldn't make sense to them that a man wouldn't want a woman for himself, especially one as beautiful as her. Did you want her thought? I always figured you for a loner kind of fellow."

Marcus glared at his grizzled friend, stung by the comment.

"Not in a bad way, you've just always liked to run your own show, and now you've got a wife to look after." Danny said quickly, catching Marcus's expression.

"Oh I don't think I'll have to look after her too much, she seems to be taking care of me more than I her. I got an hour long back massage last night. Do you know how long it's been since I got a back rub? I think not since I was with that hooker in The Maritime Republics, and that one was only a couple minutes, AND I had to pay for it. Not to mention Chloe made me dinner beforehand."

"Well now, seems to me she's got you wrapped around her little finger already." Danny laughed.

"Not quite, but close." Marcus winked at him. "Now how about another one of those for my lovely wife?"

"Sure thing Marcus, I'll go see about getting your empanadas and soup. Still your favorite right? Oh, and tell my wife to come help me in the kitchen."

Marcus took the drinks Danny held out to him and made his way across the room to where Chloe and the matronly Charlotte sat deep in conversation.

"Charlotte, Danny needs your help in the kitchen." Marcus said, interrupting their conversation as politely as possible.

"Pshh, that's for sure," she scoffed, "he could barely hold this place together if it wasn't for me."

Marcus sat down in the seat she vacated as she bustled off to the kitchen, placing the mango drink in front of Chloe.

"Ooooh, what's this Marcus?"

"Danny's latest cocktail."

"It looks like a smoothie." She said with trepidation, as if the smoothie disguised something unexpected.

"Oh it is," Marcus laughed, "Danny just added liqueur to it. Every time I'm in here he has some new and exotic drink for me to try. Usually he just takes a drink off the menu and adds booze." Marcus chucked, explaining the long running joke that Danny and Marcus had sustained for several years.

Chloe began sipping slowly, savoring the cool drink. After several minutes of discussing what they would need to shop for later, Danny came out of the kitchen balancing a large plate and bowl in his hands. Setting the large plate of beef and cheese empanadas in front of Chloe and Marcus he began ladling a thick soup into bowls he had materialized from a pouch at his hip. Finished serving he sat down opposite the two and began regaling them with stories from his patrons. For the most part they were mundane anecdotes about everyday happenings, just meant to fill the silence as they ate.

Finally as Marcus mopped the last of the soup from his bowl with the final empanada, Danny felt it was time ask about the campaign.

"You were gone for a while this time Marcus, why did it take you so long to take a little village in nowhereville Africa?"

"It wasn't a little village Danny, it was a fortress." Marcus responded pointedly.

"57." Marcus said, anticipating his next question.

"57 what?" Chloe asked curiously from his side.

"Lost Chloe. He lost 57 men on this campaign." Danny answered for Marcus, who said nothing, mutely playing with the crumbs on the plate, unwilling to betray his sadness with his voice.

"Oh." Chloe answered quietly, as Danny nodded at her slowly. 

Turning his head to look at Chloe he saw her eyes darken with concern and pity. She began to vocalize a question, but before she could Danny cut her off.

"No Chloe, don't ask him about it. Sometimes men don't want to talk about something, and asking them only makes them feel worse. If he wants to tell you about it, he will."

Chloe nodded and settled for taking Marcus's hand which had been nervously scraping at crumbs, and holding it in both of hers. Danny chucked as he watched the pair.

"You kids have a lot to learn about getting along, now that you aren't single and on your own. You two are married now, it's a lot tougher than you think, trust me I know."

"I heard that!" Charlotte yelled from the kitchen.

"Humph, nasty old bat, I'd swear she could hear a mouse shit from a hundred meters." Danny said, grinning as he stood up. "Well kids, I'll let you get on with your day. It was lovely to meet you Chloe. Come back anytime, with out without this ugly numbskull here." 

Chloe giggled girlishly as Danny kissed her cheek again. Shaking Marcus's hand, he gathered up their plates and cups and headed off to the kitchen. Marcus stood up, Chloe following suit. Reaching behind his back to the purse on his belt, he unfastened it and opened it. Sifting through the heavy coins he located two iron colored coins and dropped them on the table. Although a simple meal like this would have cost slightly less than one iron in any other eatery, Marcus felt obliged to pay more than generously. In this way, he reasoned, he would help keep Danny in business. Besides, it was money well deserved. Over the years Danny had been helpful in introducing Marcus to Legion officers, always a boon to a young soldier with dreams of promotion. That aside, Danny and Charlotte had always been like a second family to him, eager to hear about his life and how things were going.

In Duros the monetary system was simple; based in tens. Ten copper colored coins equaled one iron coin. Ten iron coins in turn were the equivalent of one silver coin. Ten silver coins then equaled one gold coin, which was the highest mintage. A family of four might go through a silvers worth of food in a week. Always frugal, with few things to spend money on, and a handsome salary, Marcus's purse was heavy with golden arums and silvers. His account at the Durosian Depository was similarly well filled. 

Marcus could be considered rich by Durosian standards. For his service Marcus was paid 122 aurums per year. Not needing to pay for housing, since the government provided it for him, or any substantial amount of food, this sum remained relatively intact. When there was looting to be done, his accounts grew even more rapidly. The value of his share from the last campaign, which had been processed by the government, amounted to nearly 96 aurums, and this campaign had only lasted several months.

Marcus reflected that he was much better paid than the average Durosian. While there were pay increases congruent with years of service, and a pension upon retirement, a soldier's salary could only be described as adequate, for it was by no means comfortable unless he were promoted. Legionnaires were payed 20 aurums per year as a starting salary. Corporals made 40, sergeants received 60, lieutenants 80, captains 100, and commanders 120. For each year of service a soldier received an increase of one aurum on top of their base salary, which could continue until he reached the twenty years of service mark, whereupon there would be no further increases as he had already hit the starting pay grade of the next highest rank.

The low pay rate in the Durosian Legion explained why many young men waited several years until they married. With such a low salary they would barely be able to afford food and rent for their family if they decided to marry and move out of the barracks. In this way the Durosian government ensured that young men were not having children before they were ready.

Walking sedately, Chloe and Marcus reached the main square of the market. Hundreds of small booths selling all manor of goods formed dozens of rows, all organized by content. The food stuffs for example, could be found on the far left of the square. Clothes and other items needed at home would be found nearer to the center, while trinkets and luxury items were located at the right of the square. Ringing the square were many pubs and restaurants. Still being early, most of the pubs were empty, although some had small groups of Legionnaires sitting in the outdoor seating sipping cool drinks in the shade. Come nightfall these pubs would be packed full of men drinking with their comrades. Most nights at closing time they caused quite a problem for the Durosian police forces.

Leading Chloe in the direction of the book merchants, they had to stop frequently to let Chloe explore stalls that caught her fancy. In this way he made several purchases, including five new outfits for Chloe, all resembling her current attire, but differing in color and material. A flower merchant also caught Chloe's eye and Marcus soon found himself the owner of three new orchids. A few stalls down Chloe selected an assortment perfumes, lotions and shampoos, asking Marcus to smell each one for his approval. The dresses, orchids, and toiletries would have been too cumbersome to carry themselves, so he hired several runners to deliver their purchases to his apartment.

Finally reaching the book merchants Chloe was overcome with excitement, whirling from one stall to the next, she thrust her favorite books into Marcus's hands for him to buy, and zoomed on to the next stall where the process was repeated. Arriving at the last stall Marcus's arms were so full of books that he had had to enlist the several shop boys to help him carry the books. As Chloe picked through the last stall, selecting her final purchases, Marcus turned to the boys.

"Here are two irons for each of you. That's for your help, I really do appreciate it." Turning to the oldest who must have been nearly eight, he continued. "Here's two silvers as well, go out and find me a high quality bookcase, then bring the books and the case to my apartment before we return, alright? I want it to be a surprise for my wife. Buy the nicest case you can, and then you can divvy up whats left of the silvers alright?"

"Yes Commander!" The boys answered quickly, taking the coins and books Marcus proffered before scurrying away on their profitable mission.

Leading Chloe by the hand back to the foods section of the market she was bubbling with excitement over her new books, attempting to decide which titles she would read first.

"I'm glad you're happy with your books." He said happily, kissing her on the cheek. Her mood was infectious, and being in her presence was lifting Marcus's mood to great heights.

"But now," he continued, "we are going to need to stock up on some food."

This also excited Chloe, who seemed equally as enthusiastic about cooking varied and exotic dishes for him as she had been about her new books. Indeed several of her book purchases had been cookbooks. A few even contained foreign recipes. Stall after stall they patronized, until finally, too laden down with paper bags to continue, they returned to the apartment building.

******

Outside the door to his apartment sat several boxes. All of which were covered in paper, with a tag that bore his name. Evidently the boys he had hired had been successful, as one of the largest packages was approximately shaped like a small bookcase. Carrying the food inside, Marcus left Chloe to arrange the pantry however she liked. He was beginning to learn that women enjoyed organizing things in their own way, and he felt that her influence was inevitable so he should just let her do as she pleased in terms of arrangement.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 04



Lugging the packages inside he began to sift through the massive pile of purchases. Chloe's dresses, assorted toiletries, and orchids he left in their bedroom, figuring she would sort through them later. Her bookcase he gave special consideration to. His own case where he kept his books sat in the living room by his favorite reclining chair. He eased her heavy bookcase over to sit next to his, chuckling at how Chloe's dwarfed his own. He had never been a big reader, the books in his case numbering only 23, while Chloe's massive case contained nearly 40 volumes. Coming out of the kitchen, evidently finished with the food, Chloe came over to where Marcus was adjusting the cases. 

"Oh Marcus when did you get that lovely bookcase? I wasn't sure where we were going to put them all I got so carried away." She smiled sheepishly at him.

Marcus was impressed with the boys' find. Her bookcase was made of beautiful polished Tigerwood from the jungles inland. It was comprised of two shelves, sitting about a meter tall from the ground to the top, with elaborate woodworking on the corners and across the flat top.

"Well, I thought I would surprise you. I had some boys go buy get a bookcase and bring it back with your books we bought before we got home so I could set it up without you suspecting."

"Well it's lovely, thank you Marcus." She said appreciatively, going up on tip toe and kissing his cheek softly.

As he lowered his face to hers, turning to kiss her lips, a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Hmphh." Marcus huffed, irritated that their moment had been interrupted.

Walking into the foyer he opened the door. A nervous young Legionnaire stood at attention. One of the newest in the Battalion he had only just been assigned to Marcus's command in time for the South African campaign. Marcus thought he remembered his name as Peterson.

"Commander, sir!" Peterson intoned nervously.

"Yes Peterson? What can I do for you?" Marcus asked pleasantly, attempting to put the young man at ease.

"Captain Jarrod sent me to ask if you would allow your captains to join you for dinner tonight. The orders have just come through." The young man seemed surprised that Marcus knew his name, but his astonishment faded quickly, along with most of his nervousness.

"Of course they can, tell them to come by at seven. And tell Philips, Anastasi, and Krieger to bring their wives."

"Of course sir, by your leave." Peterson answered, waiting for his dismissal.

Waving his hand lazily, Marcus sent Peterson on his way. As he closed the door and turned back into the living room Chloe stood up from where she had been rearranging her books on the shelves.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"One of my men, coming with word from my senior captain to see if my officers could come by for dinner to discuss the next campaign. Apparently the orders were dropped off at my office in the barracks."

"Oh well that will be nice. I haven't met any other soldiers besides you. What should I make for dinner?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. Three of my captains are married, and I'm sure their wives would love to help you in the kitchen. Usually when we get together to discuss Battalion business they like to socialize in there and make dinner for everyone. I'm guessing that they are going to want to get to know you, and I'm sure they already have a meal planed. The only question will be if we have the right ingredients." Marcus said, smiling at her as he settled himself down on the couch lengthwise.

"Wait what are you doing Marcus? We only have an hour before they get here!"

"I know Chloe, there's plenty of time to take a quick rest before they come. After all, I was woken up rather early, if you recall." He said with a wink." If you want to join me I can move my nap to the bed." 

"Oh no," Chloe responded quickly, "there's too much to do."

Marcus didn't end up sleeping at all, Chloe's endeavors to clean the already spotless the apartment eventually morphed into a full scale rearrangement of the kitchen and dining room. The occasional loud noises were punctuated by Chloe's nervous tittering about dishware, and their lack of matching place mats and napkins. Chuckling to himself he relaxed until the chronometer on the wall struck seven, and there was a crisp knock at the door.



Marcus of Duros Ch. 05



Authors Note: 

Sorry it took me so long to get this next part out everyone. I will try to be more timely in the future. As always, comments, critique, and suggestions are welcome.

******

As the knock on the door echoed into the kitchen Marcus heard Chloe's voice cut off abruptly. 

Her nervous mutterings about a variety of mundane tasks she wanted to finish had sounded completely foreign to him. He thought he had even heard her say a few minutes ago that she wanted to water the plants before everyone arrived. Why their guests should be concerned for the status of their house plants was beyond him, but clearly it made sense to her somehow.

Chloe poked her head out of the kitchen as their guests knocked on the door again. "Aren't you going to get the door Marcus?" Chloe asked, the skin around her eyes taut, as if she were trying to conceal her nervousness.

"I thought I would let them sweat for a minute or two." Marcus answered, his eyes glinting with barely concealed mirth. 

"Well don't do that, it's just rude!" Chloe exclaimed, calling his bluff and heading towards the door to answer it herself.

"All right, all right, I'm coming," Marcus answered, "but you know, if you opened the door without me and said that Commander Crassus had moved to an apartment down the hall, they might get rather confused. Could be fun to watch."

"We couldn't do that to them Marcus." Chloe responded her nervousness abating slightly and giving way to amusement. "They are expecting good company, and all you want to do it trick them. What kind of compassionate commander are you?" She finished, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Marcus began to make his witty retort, but she cut him off.

"Don't answer that. Answer the more important question: How do I look?" She said spinning around to twirl her long skirt.

"Lovely, as usual." Marcus answered with a wink.

Turning to the foyer he took her hand in his and walked to the door. The knock rang out again, and unable to contain himself Marcus looked through the peephole. Outside he saw his Captains with their wives on their arms. The women seemed unconcerned by the lack of response from the apartment, but he saw his men shooting each other curious glances. 

Marcus turned to look at Chloe who was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to answer the door. Still looking at her, he called out in his sternest voice. "Who is it?!"

Chloe's eyes narrowed with suspicion. By her expression he could clearly see she was wondering what he was planning to say next.

From behind the door he heard Jarrod's voice. "Uhhhhh, Captains Jarrod, Phillips, Anastasi and Kriger. Commander Crassus, Sir."

Still looking at Chloe, Marcus decided to take his joke to the next level. 

"Clearance code?" He called out in the same tone.

Chloe's eyes shot open as her hand clapped over her mouth, her eyes betraying her laughter despite her covered mouth. Quickly looking through the peephole he saw Jarrod's confusion as he stuttered and looked at the other captains. The wives smiled at each other, their amusement contrasting starkly with their husbands confusion. Apparently his little joke was transparent to them, but had worked perfectly on their husbands.

Before Jarrod could attempt to answer he briskly opened the door; the men's confusion still plastered to their faces. 

"I would have accepted 'open sesame,' or 'we brought expensive wine.'" Marcus said, laughing openly at their confusion.

"Marcus was that a joke?" Jarrod asked from the front of the group.

"Yes Jarrod, I obviously do not require some sort of password from you, and I'm very well aware of who you are." Marcus replied, still smiling, tapping the peephole significantly.

"I don't think you've ever played a practical joke on us before Sir. Not that I can remember." Jarrod answered bemusedly.

"Well," Marcus answered casually, "this past week has been one of firsts to be sure."

Smiling at them he reached out and shook each of his Captain's hands and invited them in. Leading them into the foyer he stopped next to Chloe, who had been concealed by the door. 

"Gentlemen allow me to present my wife Chloe. Chloe, this is Captain Jarrod. Captain Philips, and his wife Sophia. Captain Anastasi, his wife Valentina, and finally Captain Krieger, and Dorthea."

Each of captains shook her hand respectfully, their wives embracing Chloe and kissing her cheek. Marcus only barely had time to glimpse Chloe's face, flushed from the warm greetings, before Sophia, Valentina, and Dorthea caught hold of her hands and whisked her away to the kitchen.

"Sophia, I had no idea the Commander was such a trickster." Valentina said, laughing as the crossed through the living room. 

"Neither did I apparently." Chloe responded, looking over her shoulder and glaring teasingly back at Marcus, still surrounded by his captains.

Once the women entered the kitchen their voices became less intelligible, and he could not longer make out what they were discussing. Marcus had expected that the women would be excited to meet Chloe, and as such the fact that they had rushed away with her as soon as they had been introduced did not surprise him. Inviting his officer's into the living room, they took their usual seats. 

This was not the first time he had had his captains over for dinner. As a matter of fact he enjoyed having his friends over for dinner quite often. When they were not on a campaign he would invite them over at least once a week. As such they each had their favorite spots in the large living room.

The living room was quite spacious, and was furnished with several couches as well as a couple of easy chairs. A large overstuffed armchair near his bookshelf was Marcus's favorite spot. Jarrod for his part took the other easy chair situated near the passageway that led to the kitchen. He always contended that it was the most comfortable, but Marcus suspected that he did not wish to take an entire couch to himself, unmarried as he was. Krieger always took one of the couches. He preferred the long couch nearest to the foyer that allowed him to remove his shoes and stretch out lengthwise. Anastasi preferred the second couch in the room; the loveseat that faced the kitchen with a small ottoman to support his feet, his shoes similarly removed. Taking up the last piece of furniture, Phillips sat comfortably on the final couch that faced Krieger's and the passageway to the foyer.

As each man sat down a they let out a contented sigh. They said not a word to each other, but merely enjoyed the pleasant comfort of their favorite spots. Soon; however, conversation started, predictably hinging on Chloe.

"So," Anastasi said finally, "She's only here a couple days and already you're thawing out from a hard-ass into a practical joker."

Anastasi was smiling, letting Marcus know that he was only teasing, but he knew that his words mirrored what the rest were thinking.

"Yes, it would seem so." Marcus answered, blushing slightly at his previous behavior.

"Well it's about time, wouldn't you say fellows?" Anastasi guffawed.

Captain Anastasi was one of the most jovial men in Marcus's battalion. His ancestors had made the long journey south from Little Italy in the now abandoned city of New York. Proud of their heritage his forefathers had always married Italian women, and as such his family was not subject to the blending of ethnicity that was now commonplace in Durosian society. His family's case was rare, as the Lords of Duros had always encouraged a melting pot mentality, hoping to cut down on issues of racism, xenophobia, and genetic disorders that had caused difficulty in society before the war.

Following their example, Anastasi himself had selected the most Italian woman he could find in the forum. His wife, Valentina was uncommonly beautiful. So much so that it was surprising really that she had not been married to someone at the behest of the Lords themselves. 

Valentina's skin was a delicate olive tone, complementing her dark hair and brown eyes. Her figure was soft and curvy, with a chest that was slightly too large for Marcus's taste, but evidently suited Anastasi's perfectly. The two made an excellent couple, as well as being best of friends they were clearly deeply in love with each other. Certainly they were not afraid to be affectionate in public, often to the embarrassment of Krieger, who was a polar opposite of Anastasi.

Captain Krieger for his part was extremely reserved. His tall lanky form and his usual dispassionate expression made him appear ill-humored. Marcus knew, however, that behind his dark exterior hid an extremely intelligent mind. 

Krieger was perhaps the smartest man Marcus had ever met. He was a brilliant tactician, often foreseeing changes in the enemy formation that Marcus himself could not have predicted. Despite this, his greatest downfall was his introversion. He never spoke more than was necessary, made few friends, and often was perceived as a cold, uncaring man. 

Unable to deny his military brilliance however, the Lords of Duros had promoted him to captain, but had "suggested" that he leave the actual captaining to his lieutenants and spend most of his time at headquarters devising strategy. This suited Krieger just fine; content as he was to expend his energy using his brain rather than his brawn, as he had never been a successful soldier. He wore only wore two silver cords over his shoulder, indicating a kill count of 20. A small number, comparatively speaking, for a captain.

Krieger's relationship with his wife was the real puzzle. Shortly after Marcus took command of the battalion he had announced that he was getting married. This came as quite a shock to the men, who had never seen Krieger have any sort of interest in women, or any human being regardless of gender for that matter. Why he chose the woman he did was a mystery to many as well, although it made perfect sense to those who really knew Krieger. 

His wife Dorthea was a very small woman. Standing only one and a half meters tall she was easily dwarfed by Krieger's imposing two plus meters. Mirroring Krieger's slim build, Marcus estimated that Dorthea could only weigh about 100 pounds soaking wet. Her athletic body was none the less attractive, and what she lacked in height she made up for with personality. 

Dorthea was the most bubbly woman Marcus had ever met. He had never seen her in a bad mood. Ever enthusiastic and full of ideas, she lit up the room with her presence. Her personality richly contrasted with Krieger's, and that was probably for the best Marcus reasoned. He could hardly imagine what it would be like if Krieger had married a woman exactly like him. A drag, Marcus concluded, chuckling silently to himself.

Phillips and Sophia's relationship was positively boring in comparison to Anastasi or Krieger's. They were fairly average people. Phillips was a kind, steadfast person, but he never really left a strong impression in a person's mind like Anastasi or Krieger would. Sophia was similar; pleasant to look at, and intelligent, but without any qualities of note. While unremarkable, their marriage seemed to work well and they were the rocks that bound the group together. Simply a pair of steady, dependable people. 

There was one thing that made their relationship interesting to some. While Anastasi and Valentina had several children, five at Marcus's last count, Phillips and Sophia had never been able to have children. Finally after years of trying they had registered to adopt a child.

In Duros adoption was unusual. Deaths of men in the Legion were expected, but women were not allowed to participate in combat and as such they did not often die prematurely. In the event that a father died in combat, his wife would receive a pension and a home to live in and raise their children. Despite this, each year there were several children whose parents had both died, their father usually from fighting abroad, and their mother by accident or the infrequent disease. 

John was one such child. Phillips and Sophia had adopted him several years ago when he was two years old. Initially the loss had been difficult for the young boy and there had been considerable friction between himself and his new parents. Eventually everything smoothed out, and now they were a very close family.

Tonight John was home with one of the other couples in the company. Typically if a family needed a babysitter they would ask another young couple they were friendly with, usually one without children, to watch their own for however long was necessary. Generally the young couple was thrilled to babysit. Even though it had been many years since the war, there was still a great deal of radiation in the soil, and as such some couples found it quite difficult to have children successfully. 

Marcus did not envy the couple who was watching Anastasi and Valentina's children. Their youngest was just over a year old, and the oldest was seven, with three others in between. All of them were rambunctious and extraordinarily crafty for such young children. Marcus figured they got it from their father, although it could just have easily been from Valentina, he admitted to himself. 

While Marcus had been lost in through, conversation had drifted lazily. The real topic of discussion would not come up for several minutes more. The reading of the orders, which Jarrod had retrieved for Marcus, was always done with both husbands and wives present. Despite the fact that their wives preferred not to hear about their discussions relating to battalion business, he felt that it was important for them to hear where their husbands would be traveling to.

Inside the kitchen conversation had been a great deal more animated. Chloe had found herself surrounded by the three other women, who asked her countless questions. Many pertained to herself, and what she had done at the forum. Other still were about what she and Marcus had done that day. A major topic of discussion was what they had purchased at the market, causing Chloe to blush as she remembered a small jar of massage oil that she had casually told Marcus was perfume. She was intending to use it on him at some point in the near future, perhaps for a relaxing evening activity.

"What is it?" Valentina asked. Breaking Chloe out of her pleasant contemplation.

"What is what?" She shot back, still blushing.

"What did you get him to buy?" She countered. "Come on, no secrets from us. Besides, I'm sure it's something good by the color of your face." She smiled as Chloe blushed even deeper.

The other women looked at her expectantly. Finally Chloe broke down.

"All right! I told him a jar of massage oil was perfumed lotion."

"Hah!" Valentina exclaimed. "That's not even really a lie. Besides, I'm sure he'll enjoy it." 

Chloe blushed again as the other women chucked and began going through the cupboards taking out various glasses. Valentina took down three wine glasses, while Sophia retrieved a snifter and Dorthea picked out a tall drinking glass.

"What are the glasses for?" Chloe asked curiously, as Valentina handed her a wine glass.

"We always bring the boys a little something to drink." Dorthea answered from across the kitchen. "Then we talk about the orders your husband got."

"Oh," Chloe answered, her voice more subdued, "I forgot all about the orders."

"Don't worry," Sophia answered, sensing Chloe's concern, "they don't usually ship out for a few weeks, so we still have some time with them." She said, smiling sympathetically at her. "Besides, when winter comes, there won't be any campaigning for six months, and you'll get so sick of him kicking around the apartment you'll wish it were still campaigning season." 

The other women laughed, and while Chloe chuckled along with them, she didn't really believe that any of the women were truly happy to see their husbands leave in the spring.

"Why are you all getting different glasses?" She asked, diverting the conversation momentarily.

"Oh, well they each like different drinks." Valentina explained. "These are for Marcus," she said, handing the wine glass to her, "Joseph-"

"Who?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Anastasi's first name is Joseph, silly. People usually like to be called by their first name don't they? Well except for Jarrod. He prefers to go by his last name."

"Why?" 

"His first name is Jorus, but he doesn't like it, so we just call him Jarrod."

"Oh, and the glasses?"

"Well Jarrod, your husband, and my husband all like the same wine, so that's easy enough."

"What about the others?" Chloe asked filling the glass Valentina had given her with a red wine the Italian woman had selected from the cubbord.

"Well Klaus is partial to vodka with juice." Dorthea answered from across the room, filling the tall glass with orange juice and adding a liberal dash of vodka.

"And Bernie likes whiskey." Sophia said from her side as she poured a small amount of whiskey into the glass.

"Bernie?" Chloe asked incredulously.

"Well, it's really Bernard, but he likes Bernie better, at least from me. He makes the other men call him Bernard though, so Bernie is really just my nickname for him." 

Chloe smiled at the nickname, thinking that perhaps she would like to think of one for Marcus. 

"Come on," Valentina said to Chloe, "I want to hear what the orders are."

Valentina led the way into the living room, carrying two glasses of wine. Leading the others she stopped just inside the living room where Jarrod was seated and handed him a glass of the wine. He smiled and thanked her politely as she patted his shoulder. Chloe suspected that Valentina thought Jarrod should have been married by now, even if she didn't say the words explicitly.

Continuing across the carpeted room to the loveseat where her husband lounged she handed him the glass and sat down next to him, nestling herself into his side under his outstretched arm. Taking several sips, Anastasi passed the glass to her, kissing her soundly on the lips before she could drink. 

Dorthea had handed the glass of vodka with juice to Krieger and patted his leg. Moving his legs down from his reclined position he adopted one similar to Anastasi. After handing the drink to him she nestled herself into Krieger's side. The only difference between the two couples was that there was no overt intimacy with Krieger and Dorthea, just comfortable companionship.

Opposite from Krieger and Dorthea, Sophia had boldly plopped herself down on her husbands lap where he sat in the corner of his couch. Kissing his cheek, she handed him the snifter and reclined against his chest, holding his free hand with both of hers.

Taking her cue from the others, Chloe walked over to Marcus's armchair. He fit too snugly in the chair to sit at his side so she opted to use Sophia's strategy. Settling herself on top of his lap, she wiggled her ass into his groin suggestive. As she did she felt his cock start to swell. 

"Happy to see me?" She whispered in his ear as she handed him the wine.

"Yes," he whispered back, "are the girls playing nice?

"Oh yes, I like them a lot, and by the way; you should settle down a bit, we'll take care of your little problem later." She winked, referring to his now semi-erect cock that pressed into her.

He glared back at her. "Thinking about that's not going to help, and you know it." He took a liberal swig of his wine to occupy himself.

"Please try to contain yourself Commander," she answered flirtatiously, smiling at him sweetly, "we have guests."

Marcus grunted into his wineglass.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that last remark." She whispered innocently into his ear.

"Brat." Marcus answered, enunciating.

"Hah." She chucked, kissing his cheek. "How about you read the orders? Something to distract yourself."




Marcus of Duros Ch. 05



Chloe felt a little bad for teasing him so much, but she had to admit she got a heady rush from knowing that she had such a profound affect on him. The thrill was even more so when she was sitting directly over the focal point of his excitement, allowing her to literally feel the effect she had.

"Lets have the packet Jarrod." Marcus said, directing his attention to Jarrod, who sat alone in his chair.

"Of course." He answered, pulling a large brown packet out of his briefcase he had brought with him.

Opening it, he took out several pieces of paper. The one that sat on the top stated the orders. The others held briefing material, instructions, and intelligence on the enemy they would face. Rising from his chair he walked across the room and proffered the topmost paper to Marcus.

Handing his glass to Chloe, Marcus took the paper and began to read aloud. 

"Commander Marcus Crassus, you and your battalion are hereby ordered by the Lords of Duros, as duly appointed wardens of the independent state of Duros, to conduct yourselves to the city docks on the morning of the Eighteenth of March. There you will meet the naval squadron under the command of Admiral Carambeaux of the Maritime Republic of Nouveau France. Under his direction you will command your battalion as a detachment of Marines for a naval campaign against an enemy maritime republic. Admiral Carambeaux expects the campaign to last approximately seven weeks."

As Marcus finished reading all of the women in the room let out a sigh of relief, Chloe included. The men for their part nodded, pleased that their campaign would not be too long, and that it was something a bit different from the usual drudgery of land combat.

"That's nearly a month away!" Valentina exclaimed happily, hugging Anastasi's side and nestling her nose into his neck. 

There was little to no reaction from Krieger and Dorthea, but as Chloe understood it, that was standard operating procedure for them, usually preferring to leave intimacy for a more private locale. Phillips and Sophia reacted only slightly more intimately, with Sophia kissing his cheek and resting her forehead against his temple. 

Chloe decided to kiss Marcus's cheek, not wanting to be left out of the show of intimacy as Jarrod was. Remembering his excitement that had only marginally dissipated, she kissed him slightly more wetly than was necessary, lingering there for several seconds until she felt a twitch from his groin. Smiling sweetly at him she pulled back, taking note of his glare that had suddenly taken on a much darker quality, as if indicative of a plan forming in his head. 

Soon the men returned to talk of the campaign and the women extricated themselves from their grasp, some with more difficulty than others. Valentina had to struggle to get out of Anastasi's firm embrace, entangled in his arms as she was. Even after she finally stood up he had to get the last word; pinching her ass firmly as she walked away. Squealing and jumping towards the kitchen she turned to glare at him as the others laughed.

"JOE! Behave yourself! Or else!" She said threateningly, pretending to be angry, her eyes betraying her amusement.

"Or else what?" Anastasi countered, raising his eyebrow at her. "You know you can't resist this." He said as he waved his hand over his stout form. 

Anastasi was not an overwhelmingly attractive man. His teasing words about his perceived physical beauty amused Marcus and Phillips, who guffawed loudly, inducing even Krieger to chuckle slightly. The women giggled softly and smiled at each other knowingly. As they themselves got up and strode past her, Valentina turned and flicked her hair in Anastasi's direction, pretending to be mad, but not quite concealing the grin that had broken out as a results of his teasing.

As the women returned to the kitchen the men began discussing some of the finer points of tactics regarding marines in naval battles. Being assigned as a Marine detachment was not nearly as common an assignment as serving as a land force. As the resident tacticians, Krieger and Marcus led the bulk of the discussion. 

Back in the kitchen the women were putting dinner together. Chloe found the segregation of the men and women to be intriguing. She thought she would much rather be in the living room with Marcus learning about the upcoming campaign.

"Why do you girls always stay in here while our husbands talk out there?" She asked the group.

"Oh we only sat out with them the first night we had dinner here." Dorthea answered for the group.

"The next night we came in here when they were talking about the campaigns. We just prefer to not hear about it. It's easier this way. It's bad enough to worry about them while their away, but it's another thing entirely to hear about all the ways they could die. Imagine seeing that in your mind every time you go to sleep when they aren't next to you in bed."

"I didn't think about it that way." Chloe answered soberly. "So what are we making for dinner?" She asked, attempting to lift the mood of the room.

For the next hour or so, the women put together a hearty stew and continued to talk. The majority of the discussion was about her, and when she got a break Chloe asked more questions about the other women. By the end of the hour Chloe had learned a great deal about each of the women, and felt that she had made a good impression on them. As they began setting the table in the dining room and ladling out stew, Chloe went into the living room to roust the now comfortably intoxicated men, their wives having taken several trips back to refresh their drinks.

"All right boys, come on, it's time for dinner." Chloe announced to the room.

"Sounds good, what's for dinner gorgeous?" Marcus asked, his voice comfortably sleepy from the wine.

Chloe was startled by his words. He had never before referred to her by any sort of endearment. She had been just "Chloe" to him. She smiled slightly, attempting to conceal her happiness from the room. Private matters should sometimes stay private she reasoned. If he remembered that he had said it later, she would tell him how much she liked it, or maybe she would show him she thought to herself, grinning more widely. 

"A nice beef stew, Valentina led the way in the kitchen." Chloe answered finally.

"Oh this should be good; my wife is the best cook in the world!" Anastasi exclaimed as he jumped up, stumbling slightly.

Phillips and Krieger had already risen, and much smoother than Anastasi or Marcus had. They moved to Anastasi's side, supporting him slightly as he stumbled to the dinning room. Apparently this was a normal occurrence as Chloe thought she heard Phillips mutter under his breath about the "big Italian meat-head."

Marcus remained standing by his chair, only himself and Chloe in the room.

"Do you need help Marcus?" Chloe asked quizzically. He didn't look that drunk to her.

"No, I just wanted a second to kiss you." He answered, crossing to her and pulling her quickly into his arms. 

His breath was slightly sour from the wine but Chloe didn't care. There wasn't much to complain about as his lips caught hers in a slow, heartfelt kiss. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed much longer to Chloe. As he broke the kiss she rested her head on his shoulder. 

"I liked it when you called me 'gorgeous' Marcus." She confessed, unable to wait until later.

"Oh you did? Well in that case I think I'll call you 'gorgeous' more often. After all, it's true." Marcus replied.

"You're sweet, and I wouldn't mind that at all." She said, going up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "But we really should get back to the others or they'll start to talk."

"Ohhh let 'em talk if they want." Marcus said, grabbing for her again.

Quickly, Chloe danced out his grasp and walked towards the dining room, holding her hand out to him.

"Nuh uh mister. Come on, it's dinnertime. I bet you're hungrier than you'll admit."

Nodding his head in agreement, Marcus walked to her and took her hand. Together they walked hand in hand into the dining room.

The dining room table was large and circular. Marcus had never been a fan of rectangular tables, he could never quite see everyone, so he decided to replace the standard rectangular table that had come with the apartment with a circular one. Each couple sat side by side. Jarrod, however, never having married, sat without a partner, breaking up the boy/girl/boy/girl pattern that dominated the seating plan. 

Dinner was a lighthearted affair. Chloe discovered that Valentina had put her foot down a while back, insisting that the men not discuss battalion business at the dinner table. Evidently she was unwilling to hear about it, and although Chloe still thought she might be interested to hear about the campaign, she didn't want to hear about it if it was going to make Marcus's impending assignment harder for her. Conversation as such was slightly mundane and instead centered on the events that were planned for the next day.

"Thought much about the trial tomorrow Marcus?" Anastasi asked, sobered up by the meal.

"Not too much, I only just heard about it this morning while we were walking through the market."

"Yeah, one of the corporals from the 2nd Battalion is on trial."

"What'd he do?" Marcus asked, more curious now.

"Started a fight with two Legionaires from a different battalion. He nearly killed them in the process, they'll be in the infirmary for months. Then he smashed up the bar, went home, and beat his wife to death." Anastasi answered sourly.

The women gasped, appalled by the man's brutality. 

"What will happen to him?" Chloe asked curiously. 

"He'll probably be put to death. If he's found guilty that is." Marcus answered. 

"Are we going to the trial Marcus?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Yes, we don't have a choice as it happens. Commanders are required to be in attendance when they aren't on campaign. We serve as the jurors."

"Oh, I didn't know we had to go." Chloe answered with trepidation.

"Don't worry Chloe, it'll be alright." Anastasi answered from across the table. "If he is executed it's usually fairly quick at least." 

After the discussion on the trial the following day, conversation began to dissipate as the guests finished their dinner. The men took their wives bowls and brought them into the kitchen along with theirs and began to wash them. Chloe was confused by this latest development, she had expected that she and the other women would be clearing up.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Chloe asked slightly alarmed, afraid she had missed something important.

"Girls make dinner, boys clean up." Phillips said humorously from the door to the kitchen. "That's the rule."

"Oh... alright." Chloe said, startled by the change of plan.

Sitting back down she squeezed Marcus's arm affectionately as he picked up their bowls and returned them to the kitchen. She had always been trained in the forum that women cooked and cleaned in the home, and that such tasks were not of great enough importance for men to waste their time on. Evidently her expectations were not consistent with reality, and for the next several minutes Chloe and the other wives sat talking as their husbands washed the dishes.

"Isn't that our job?" Chloe asked Valentina quietly.

"Your husband's doing." Valentina answered. "He insists that the men help out in some way. The others initially only followed along because he's their commander, but eventually they started doing it on their own. Anastasi does dishes a couple days a week, and I hear that Phillips helps cook almost every night. Isn't that right Sophia?"

"Mhm, he does." Sophia answered. "Turns out he's a terrible cook though, he would burn water if I let him so I give him prep jobs instead, but it's still nice to have him around." She smiled slightly, her gaze unfocused as if remembering something intimate.

Chloe still did not understand Marcus. What man wouldn't want a woman to do all the menial work around the house? Dorthea caught Chloe's quizzical look and answered her unasked question.

"He doesn't think it's fair. Marcus likes things to be fair. In his battalion, and at home. We've always thought he should get himself married to a nice girl, so when we heard he married you we were relieved that he'd finally gotten someone to care about him as much as he cares about other people. Now we just have to start working on Jarrod." 

The other girls laughed at this last pronouncement, just as the men came back into the room from the kitchen. 

"Well ladies," Anastasi said in a tired voice, "this evening has been lovely, but I think it's time for my beautiful wife and I to retire." 

With a melodramatic bow he proffered his hand to his wife. Taking it, Valentina stood up and said her goodbyes. The other two couples followed suit. Several minutes later only Jarrod, Marcus, and Chloe remained in the foyer. 

"I'll swing by at eleven to walk with you to the trial." Jarrod said, shaking Marcus's hand. 

Turning to Chloe he kissed her on the cheek. 

"It was very nice to meet you Chloe. I can see the girls are fond of you already."

"Thank you Captain Jarrod." Chloe smiled, pleased at his words.

"See you tomorrow Jarrod." Marcus said, holding the door open for him. 

As Jarrod walked out the door, Marcus shut it quietly. 

"Well that was very pleasant Marcus. I like the girls, and your captains seem very nice too."

"They're good people." Marcus agreed, slightly cryptically.

"Is something on your mind Marcus?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Yes." He answered, even more shortly.

"What?" She asked, quickly loosing her patience.

"This." He said grabbing her wrists and pinning her arms above her head, backing her up against the door.

"Wha-?" Chloe huffed in surprise, the breath leaving her lungs upon firm impact with the door.

"I've thinking of ways to get back at you for teasing me when I couldn't do anything about it earlier. I came up with this. Now you can't do anything about what I'm going to do to you. Fair's fair." 

Marcus's voice was just above a whisper. It sounded dark and dangerous. Chloe felt his breath on her face, and as she lifted her head her eyes locked with his. His eyes had narrowed to slits, his mouth twisting in an evil smirk. She recognized that expression; he had a plan, and it certainly involved her without her clothes on. Realizing this Chloe shivered, the possibilities exciting her and making her skin feel like it was crackling with electricity.

"Ohhh my poor Chloe, it looks like the draft from the window is making you cold again." Marcus said patronizingly.

Chloe huffed irritably as he spoke. She hated that voice. Of course he knew she wasn't cold. He knew he was getting her excited, and knew just what to do about it. His self confidence was simultaneously irritating and irresistibly sexy. She decided it tipped more towards sexy though, as his mouth began exploring her neck, his tongue dragging lazily over the sensitive skin below her ear.

Pulling both of her wrists into the grasp of just one of his hands, Marcus freed his other to explore her body.

"Now gorgeous," he said, taking a break from kissing her neck, "I seem to recall that you enjoy being touched down here..." He trailed off as his fingers began tracing the skin of her lower stomach.

"Yes Marcus I do." Chloe whispered her voice catching slightly as her body shivered from his touch.

She hated the way her voice sounded. It shook, as if she had no control over her arousal. All she wanted was for him to touch her, but she didn't need to sound so pathetic, she thought irritatedly. 

"What are you thinking about Chloe?" Marcus asked in the same deep whisper, dragging his tongue up to suck on her earlobe, another one of Chloe's sensitive spots.

"N-Nothing." Chloe answered, attempting to keep her voice level.

"Oh dear Chloe, you know you can't tell a lie when I've got you like this. I can read you like a book. You're wondering why you like it so much when I do this too you. Why it feel so good to be teased."

"Yessssss." Chloe gasped, her voice cutting off in a harsh whisper.

"I don't have the answer Chloe. All I know is that you love it. Tell you what? Let's make a little bet. I bet that if reach under your skirt, I'll find you soaking wet after only a few seconds of teasing. If I win the bet, you make me breakfast tomorrow, if I loose, I'll cook you breakfast. Deal?"

Chloe looked up into his eyes, still dark, but now glinting with humor, as if delighted at the effect he was having on her. She knew she was already soaking wet, but she desperately wanted him to touch her. Besides, she reasoned, she had already planned on making him breakfast. It was a win/win situation. 

"You already know how wet I am Marcus." Chloe whined as he continued to play with the soft skin of her stomach just above her skirt.

"I have my suspicions, but I haven't touched you there yet, so how can I know for sure? That being said, I'm willing to take a little risk." 

His voice was low and dripping with confidence. She hated it, but loved it at the same time. She couldn't get enough of his voice whispering in her ear, but at the same time she was disgusted by how weak he could make her just with his words and a couple soft touches. Finally, unwilling to be teased any more, she took him up on his bet.

"Alright. It's a deal Marcus."

"Excellent."

His hand left her wrists, allowing her to lower her arms to his shoulders. As she did he lowered his hand to her skirt and began to pull it down. Removing it completely, he began softly caressing the skin all around her skimpy thong. Chloe moaned at his touches and worked her hands through his short hair, silently begging him to touch her.

"You know Chloe, I'm not as confident as I was a minute ago, perhaps I should give you few more minutes to warm up before I carry out our bet. Could either give me an edge, or it could give you time to compose yourself" His voice was still low, but this time it was laced with a cruelly teasing air. 

At his words her eyes shot open. He wouldn't keep to tease her would he? 

"No Marcus, please!" She gasped her voice a ragged moan.

"Yes, I think that's what we'll do." 

"Noooo Marcus now you're just being mean!"

Marcus laughed darkly. "Fair's fair gorgeous." He said, reminding her of her teasing earlier in the living room.

Chloe did not think that the teasing she had done earlier was anywhere near as cruel as what he was putting her through now. Sensing her frustration building, Marcus reached behind her back and untied her top. The material slipped from her breasts and fell to the floor, releasing her generous chest to his touch. 

Catching her wrists in his hands again he quickly held them both behind her back with one hand as his other began exploring her breasts, aided by his lips and tongue. His caresses and gentle nips were driving Chloe crazy, and she wondered if he would make her come just from playing with her nipples like he had the previous day. As she began to feel the warm tightness forming in her belly, he removed his hand and mouth from her breasts, as if he could feel when she was getting close. 

"Ohhhhhhh Marcus whyyy? Why are you teasing me so much?" She asked, her voice betraying her desperation.

"Because you love it Chloe." Marcus answered simply, pulling her arms around his neck and lifting her upwards by her ass. 

Her legs closed around his waist instinctively, and her mouth sought his eagerly. Placing one arm under her ass to keep her up, he pulled her against him with the other, pressing one of his strong hands into her back. Locked in place as she was, he began to walk with her to their bedroom. 

If she were thinking about it, Chloe would have been impressed. He managed to walk them both to the bedroom without being able to see or use his hands to steady himself. Arriving at the bed he abruptly dropped her without warning, breaking the kiss.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 05



She squealed with surprise as she flopped backwards onto the bed. Laying spread eagle atop the sheets she looked up at Marcus, her chest rising and falling heavily. 

"Marcus why are you wearing so many clothes?" She asked plaintively.

"Because you haven't taken them off yet Chloe." Marcus answered with his same dark smile.

Chloe launched herself up from the her back onto her knees. Grabbing him by the chest of his tunic, she kissed him furiously, her hands working at the buttons. As she worked at them, Marcus unfastened his belt and let his trousers drop. 

Finished with the buttons, Chloe pulled his tunic off. Discovering he was wearing an undershirt, she huffed with frustration. Grabbing the bottom of the shirt she yanked it over his head. Finally shirtless she hugged his chest to hers, desperately needing to feel the heat of his skin against her.

Pulling him down to lay on top of her on the bed she kissed his neck and caressed his chest with her hands, attempting to get him as excited as he had her. Sensing her attempt to turn the tables, he pulled her arms up above her head. Pinned once again, Chloe moaned with frustration.

"Awww, what's this Chloe? Trying to take over are we? Not just yet." Marcus said in the same self satisfied whisper he had been using all night.

"Ohhhh Marcus!" Chloe responded, her breath heavy with anticipation.

"Do you want to know why I won't touch you Chloe?"

"Yessssssssss." Chloe hissed.

"I'm waiting until you are so desperate for it that you're willing to beg me for it."

"I don't want to beg Marcus!"

Marcus chuckled darkly. "You may not want to, but I'm sure that you will before too long. You practically are already. I just want to make sure you're really ready."

Chloe's mind was spinning. The conflicting emotions within her were driving her insane. On one hand his voice was so dark, and so sexy. She thought she'd be willing to do almost anything if he asked her to. On the other hand, she hated how sure he was of his power over her. She could hear the desperation in her voice, and thought that perhaps it was her voice that betrayed her. If she kept quiet, Chloe reasoned, he wouldn't be so damned confident about how hot he made her. Who was she kidding though, she knew would never be able to stay quiet. 

After several more minutes of his soft touches against her inner thighs, she could take no more.

"Ohhhh Marcus pleaseeeee touch me." Chloe cried out.

"There you see Chloe? All you have to do is ask. I'll give you anything you want, so long as you ask." 

As he finished speaking he punctuated his words by releasing her wrists and moving his hand quickly to her soaking wet underwear. She moaned loudly as his fingers began to trace lazy circles around the wet fabric of her small thong. Her arms which he had finally released, sought out his body, one hand ending up caressing his shoulders, the other lay on the bed beside her, clenching the sheets as his fingers brushed over her sensitive clit. After several more minutes of his casual stroking, Marcus spoke again.

"Looks like I win, but I think we can get rid of this now. What do you say?" He said quietly, pulling at the strap of her thong.

"Mhmmm." Chloe hummed quietly, unwilling to trust her voice to not shake.

Slowly Marcus pulled down the wet fabric that only just barely covered her soaking center. Pulling it off, Marcus sat on his knees between her legs for a moment, looking at her darkly. Meeting his gaze, Chloe wondered what he was going to do. Her question was answered in moments as he leaned down and lifted one of her legs up to his lips. 

Kissing the soft flesh of her inner calf he began to make his way down to her thigh. Passing over her knee he began to move towards her center, which she made no effort to cover. If he was going to do what she thought he was going to do, she didn't want to interrupt him in any way. Just as she thought he would go all the way without teasing her at all, he stopped, his tongue caressing the skin just millimeters from her swollen lips.

"Tell me what you want Chloe." He said quietly. 

"Use your tongue on me Marcus, pleasssse." 

As soon as she answered him he began to slowly drag his tongue up the length of her lips, from bottom to top, finishing by flicking her sensitive clit with the tip of his tongue. For Chloe the sensations were incredible. Having spent what seemed being teased mercilessly, her body was hyper sensitive to even the slightest stimulation.

Upping his game slightly, Marcus used his fingers to separate her lips, leaving her clit exposed. Attacking it with his tongue, Marcus tongued in intricate circles around her bare clit. Before long Chloe's orgasm started to build. Her thighs tightened around his head, and her hips thrust herself into his mouth. Her scent permeated the room; sharp and musky. 

"Marcus... I'm going to... to..." Chloe's voice trailed of as Marcus assaulted her clit even more ferociously than before.

Suddenly Chloe's body froze, her mouth open but saying nothing. Seconds later she began to shake as she came hard, her orgasm boiling over; her body quivering with pleasure. Marcus continued his feverish tonging until she clapped her hands to the side of his head, urging him to stop.

"Too much Marcus! Too sensitive!" Chloe gasped, pulling his head up. "Come up here instead."

Marcus thought she might be reluctant to kiss him, what with her juices and his saliva coating his cheeks; instead she surprised him by wiping his face clean with her hand before kissing him soundly. Pulling him down to lay on top of her with his head cushioned by her breasts, she sighed heavily. 

"I think you got better at that since this morning." Chloe said, chuckling.

"Could be, but who says I'm finished with you?" He added, his voice darkening again.

"Mmmm... No one..." She said, smiling shyly.

"Then come here." He said, pulling himself out of her grasp and turning her over onto her stomach. 

Kneeling between her legs he eased her up onto her knees, her thighs spread, leaving her still soaking center in line with his pelvis.

"Hmmm, I like where this going Marcus." Chloe said, her voice breathy with renewed excitement. 

Rubbing the head of his throbbing cock against her, he moistened it slightly. Reorienting himself, he located her opening and pushed inside slowly. 

Chloe's head shot up from the bed as he bottomed out in her, her back arching as she moaned loudly. Thrusting into her, he slowly sped up his rhythm over several minutes until it was a pounding staccato, gripping her hips for balance. 

Chloe's moans had turned into whimpers, punctuated by a sharp gasp each time Marcus reached the deepest point of his thrust. Chloe could think of nothing but the exquisite feelings that Marcus was bringing her. Her mind was a haze of heady desire and intense pleasure. In no time she felt the tickle of an orgasm beginning in her stomach, but just as quickly as Marcus had increased his pace to feverish intensity, he stopped suddenly, keeping his throbbing dick buried deeply inside her. Chloe turned her torso to look at him, intending to beg him not to stop. Looking up at him however, her words died in her throat. 

He was sweating profusely He was smiling weakly at her, but breathing heavily through his nose in measured gasps. His chest heaved from the exertion, and his arms and chest were taught, his muscles straining against his skin. Soon, however, his body relaxed, and he breathed more easily. 

"Just trying to catch my breath a bit gorgeous," he said, answering her unasked question, "I nearly lost it there for a second." He finished, winking at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh Marcus, you don't have to hold it if you're so close." 

"Ohhhh yes I do." He said as he bent at the waist to kiss her lips. "I'm not finished with you, and I don't want to end the party prematurely." 

"Mmmm okay... What were you thinking?" She said eagerly.

"How about we try this." He said, pushing her shoulders down gently until her head and breasts lay on the bed.

As Marcus thrust slowly, testing out the modified position Chloe gasped.

"Ohhhhhh Marcus that's- that's soooo deep. I don't know if I can- can take it!" She said, her voice cutting off each time he bottomed out.

"Just trust me gorgeous." Marcus said quietly, his voice soft and reassuring.

Chloe nodded meekly as he began to thrust with more intensity. Unlike a moment ago when Chloe had moaned raggedly, now she could say nothing, her mouth open in a silent scream. Each of Marcus's thrusts sent waves of pleasure radiating through her. Soon she was coming, her entire body shaking under Marcus's strong hands as he continued to thrust. Just as soon as one orgasm ended, however, another erupted until she could no longer distinguish between them. Finally after nearly of minute of the pleasurable agony, her body involuntarily thrust itself forward out of Marcus's arms and off of his swollen cock.

She lay shaking on the bed, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she tried to convey how good it felt to Marcus.

"Marcus that was... amazing... I didn't know I could... do that. I came sooooo h-hard."

Marcus said nothing, but smiled warmly as he turned her over onto her back. The smile, through heartfelt, looked a little too smug to Chloe.

"Hmph, you're good, but don't go getting a swelled head mister." Chloe admonished him,.

"Too late." Marcus replied, his voice amused at her phrasing as he flicked his eyes significantly down to his erection.

Chloe snorted at his words, irritated that her rebuke had been so easily deflected. Nonetheless she smiled, and gyrated her hips suggestively.

"Well how about we fix that Commander?" She said, pulling on his waist.

Marcus remained above her, supported by his long arms, his legs folded so that his groin was even with hers. Pushing forward slowly he reentered her, his strokes steady and measured. To Chloe the intimacy of the moment was magnified by his gaze, which remained locked with hers as they stared into each others eyes. 

Soon Chloe saw the telltale tightness in Marcus's face that indicated he was getting close. Moments later a deep groan reverberated from Marcus's broad chest, his eyes closing and his mouth opening slightly. The muscles in his arms and shoulders shook as he attempted to keep his torso above hers. Chloe felt the long ribbons of his semen burst into her, coating her insides with warm fluid. As Marcus finished in her he shivered, his body wracked with an occasional aftershock from his orgasm. 

Finally finished he opened his eyes and smiled at her. It was a tired smile, and to Chloe it looked like he was about to fall over from exhaustion. Reaching out, she pulled him down to lay on top of her, his head cradled by her breasts. 

"Mph..." Marcus groaned wearily, "You're comfy." 

"So are you." Chloe answered softly. 

Several minutes later she heard his gasps level out. He had fallen asleep, dead to the world in her arms. She held him contentedly for several minutes, her arms enfolding him, until his weight on top of her began to feel uncomfortable. 

Easing him off as gently as she could, she pushed him onto his side, his head resting on the pillows. Covering them both with a thin sheet she lay down facing him. Although she was exhausted, Chloe stayed awake for nearly a half hour after she had repositioned Marcus. 

Her mind buzzed, contemplating the man she had been married to. He was arguably one of the most powerful men in the state, holding nearly as much power as one of the Lords themselves. Despite this power he had never been unkind to her, had never done anything to make her uncomfortable. In fact he seemed to be exceedingly concerned for her well being and happiness. This was definitely not the sort of behavior she had taught to expect from a husband while she was at the forum. This last thought permeated her mind as she began to surrender to sleep, her mind still filled with unanswered questions about the unusual man who slept next to her.



Marcus of Duros Ch. 06



Author's Note:

Hello Everyone,

As usual my ambitions to get you the next chapter promptly failed horrifically. I find that if I am being honest, I have very few excuses. Certainly writer's block could be a valid one, but it's not quite sufficient. For my lag in getting you the next installment which many of you were looking forward to, I apologize.

Please note that I find your feedback which you submitted via email or comments extremely helpful when I experience writer's block, and while I don't respond to any of these comments or suggestions, each one is considered carefully and given consideration when I am writing.

Sincerely,

Hawkeye

******

The dream came to Marcus in the early morning, as it always did.

He was inland, on the jungle campaign he had been deployed on just a year after graduating from the war college.

The mist was thick, so thick you could scoop it up with a bowl and pour it out again. Visibility was a joke. He could only see a meter in front of him, and the screams of combat echoed hauntingly around him as the mist swallowed up nearly all signs that a furious battle was being fought there in the shadow of the jungle canopy.

Realizing he had been separated from his unit, Marcus rushed forward to where he had last seen his sergeant. Tripping, he was flung onto his back, his heavy rifle flying off into the mist as his hands lost their hold. Winded slightly from the fall but unhurt thanks to his thick armor, he looked over to see what had tripped him up.

Turning, Marcus was confronted by the body of his sergeant.

The man's helmet had been smashed off and lay by his side. His face was nearly indistinguishable, the left side of his skull having been caved in by some blunt weapon. The right side of his face was contorted in a pain filled grimace, and although he was clearly dead, blood still dripped from the awful head wound. It must have only been seconds since he had been killed, as Marcus had seen him upright only moments ago through a gap in the fog.

Marcus felt terror grip him as he looked frantically into the mist for any sign of his comrades. Screams, the ringing of sword blades, and the crack of rifles still echoed all throughout the jungle, but Marcus could see nothing. His sergeant had been the last person he had seen, and now with him dead Marcus had no idea where to go.

Suddenly a figure rose up through the mist only feet from Marcus, as if he had been laying down, covered by the fog.

It was one of the enemy; a revolutionary guerrilla fighter. His body was marked by cuts from a sword, probably the sergeant's. His bloody face was twisted in a pain filled sneer. In his hands he gripped a large rock, with bits of flesh and hair still clinging to it. At some point he had probably carried a rifle, but as revolutionaries were not always extraordinarily well equipped it was likely that he had run out of ammunition.

Realizing he was not alone in the mist, the young soldier raised the rock above his head and charged at Marcus.

Startled, Marcus moved to raise his rifle, but found his hands were empty, his weapon having flown free of his grip when he tripped over his fallen sergeant. Reaching over his shoulder for his sword, Marcus struggled with the scabbard. His hands were slick with blood and sweat and the hilt slid through his grip several times. Finally, just as the guerrilla was bringing the rock down towards his head, Marcus's sword sprang into his hand. Thrusting quickly, Marcus caught the man in his chest, the blade plunging straight through and out his back.

The guerrilla lost his grip on the rock and fell forward, his body landing atop Marcus's. Flailing furiously to get out from under his dying adversary, Marcus pitched them both sideways until it was he who was on top. Looking down, he found that the guerrilla he had taken to be a young man was not as old as he had previously thought.

It was a boy, no older than thirteen. Although tall, his face was still young, and was now scrunched up in pain. Tears fell freely from his eyes as blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth. Looking down Marcus saw that his sword was still buried deeply in the boy's chest.

With a start Marcus realized that he had missed the heart, and had only pierced one of the boy's lungs. The guerrilla was dying, but slowly and painfully; drowning on his own blood.

Horror gripped Marcus and tears pricked his own eyes. Pulling his sword free, the boy groaned pitifully, prompting Marcus's unshed tears to stream freely down his face. Aligning his sword just above the heart, Marcus looked down at the boy one last time. The two made eye contact, and in the brief moment they looked at each other, Marcus could see all of the boy's pain and anguish. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Marcus could bear it no more, and pushed his sword downwards with a strangled sob.

The boy died in moments, but his eyes remained locked on Marcus's until the last breath of bloody air bubbled from his lips. Falling to the ground, Marcus sat beside the boy, sobbing openly as the empty gaze of his sergeant looked on...

"Marcus!" A woman's voice cried out from the mist.

"Marcus! Wake up!"The voice cried out again desperately.

Marcus awoke with a gasp, finding Chloe kneeling beside him, shaking him with both hands. As his eyes met hers he took note of her expression; panicked and fearful.

 "What is it? What's wrong Chloe?" Marcus asked, his voice thick from sleep.

"You were having a nightmare Marcus. You were tossing and turning and moaning horribly. I didn't think I'd ever be able to wake you up! Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright, just a bad dream that's all."

"It didn't seem like a regular bad dream to me Marcus." The concern in her voice increasing.

"I'm fine Chloe, trust me."

"Marcus are you sure? Do you want to talk about it or anything?"

"No, I'm just going to take a shower, it was almost time to get up anyway. It's nearly six o' clock." Marcus said as he looked at the chronometer on the wall.

"Well," Chloe said haltingly, "I guess I'll go start breakfast, since you did win your bet last night."

As she finished speaking she grinned, hoping to coax a smile from Marcus. She could see that his eyes were tired and bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept at all. Instead of a genuine smile, the smile she received didn't reach his eyes.

"Whatever you feel like making Chloe. Just nothing too extravagant, I don't have much of an appetite this morning."

"Alright Marcus, I'll think of some-"

Chloe stopped speaking abruptly as she realized her words were falling on deaf ears. Marcus hadn't waited for a response, instead he had walked right into the bathroom and closed the door.

She was startled by his drastic change in behavior. He had never before walked out when she was still speaking, in fact he had been a superb communicator. As much as he insisted that he was fine, and the dream meant nothing to him, everything in the way he was behaving seemed to indicate that it bothered him greatly. Worse than that, she had no idea how to help him, and he absolutely refused to acknowledged that anything was out of the ordinary.

Climbing out of bed and walking over to where her robe hung on a peg by the door, she wrapped herself in it and headed towards the kitchen to begin their breakfast. She was completely at a loss for what to make. Marcus's declaration that he was not particularly hungry was another concerning deviation. She had never before seen him shy away from a large meal, making his pronouncement of a diminished appetite all the more evidence to the contrary that everything was alright.

Remembering what Danny had said the previous day, Chloe recalled that even though she felt the best way to help Marcus would be to ask about it, Danny had said not to. He had said that Marcus would talk about what was bothering him when he was ready, and to ask him before he was ready would only cause him pain.

Less on edge now that she had a plan, she began to look around their newly stocked pantry for something light for breakfast as per Marcus's request.

Inside the bathroom Marcus was kicking himself. As he spoke with Chloe, tears had pricked his eyes and he felt the moisture begin to well up uncontrollably. He felt terrible that he had had to cut her off and hastily retreat into the bathroom. It was embarrassing enough that he was so affected by the dream, it was another thing entirely to let his wife, who had only known him for a couple days, watch him cry. How ridiculous would she think him. Marcus Crassus, Battalion Commander of the Durosian Legion, a highly decorated and experienced soldier, brought to tears by a simply dream.

As Marcus began to bathe he reflected on what was really bothering him. To be sure the dream brought to the surface all of the heartache and pain from that day that he had desperately tried to push beneath the surface, but it was more than that. To him it was as if the killing of that one boy all those years ago stood for all those he had killed in his career, multiplying the pain exponentially. But whereas before when he could brush the feelings aside with ease and continue on with his day with a mental shrug, now there was someone who was concerned about him, and would not be content to shrug it off.

Marcus felt certain that Chloe would not let his silence on the matter continue. Although he had tried to convince her otherwise, he was sure by the look in her eyes that she hadn't believe a word of it when he said he was fine. She would most likely keep asking until she got a satisfactory answer.

Discussing his emotions with her; however, was absolutely out of the question. Naturally if they pertained to her or their burgeoning relationship, then he could discuss it freely. Things that she knew nothing about, and had never experienced though? Those were a different matter. She would never understand what it felt like to kill another soldier, someone who was simultaneously as foreign as a stranger, yet as intimately related to him as a brother.

Finishing his shower, he toweled himself off and brushed his teeth. Walking out into their bedroom he looked around for any sort of chore he could do to consume time. Anything that would postpone the moment when he had to walk into the kitchen and lie to her face again.

Moving around the room he picked up their clothing they had discarded hastily last night and put it in his dirty laundry hamper. Deciding that the sheets were probably too dirty to be used again, especially if last night's activities became the norm, he threw those too into the hamper. Pulling out fresh sheets, he remade the bed and fluffed their pillows. Finding nothing else to do, he went to his dresser and pulled on his uniform, spending more time than was strictly necessary doing up the buttons and clasps. Finally, with nothing else to do in the bedroom, he looked at the chronometer.

He had only burned 20 minutes, shower included.

Sighing inwardly, Marcus made his way towards the kitchen.

******

Fortunately, Marcus's fears turned out to be baseless, as Chloe didn't ask him about his dream again.

The breakfast she had opted to make was a simple but appetizing oat porridge. To make the thick oatmeal more exciting she had mixed in cut strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. After they finished eating she held his hand as he told her the ins and outs of the legal proceedings they would be attending later in the morning.

"So since it's a capital case all the Lords will be in attendance. They'll be the ones in charge of the trial. First they'll read the charges against the accused and then they'll ask probing questions after which the man will be required to answer to the charges and present his own version of what happened. The Lords will then call witnesses to the crime, both on the side of the people and the side of the accused.

The witnesses for the people will be asked about what they saw that night, and then the accused is allowed to ask them questions about their testimony, but only pertinent questions about the events of the night. If he starts to ask questions that aren't pertinent, or tries to intimidate the witnesses he won't be allowed to ask any more questions. With me so far?"

Marcus paused for a moment, not wanting to overwhelm Chloe with the amount of information he was throwing at her. He wasn't sure if women were taught the intricacies of court procedure at the forum, but it would surprise him if they did.

Only commanders and captains were given the specific right to attend the trials, all other ranks had to fill the galleries after the senior officers, and space was often limited. Women were not allowed to attend without their husbands, and many men preferred to leave their wives at home in order to increase their odds of being able to get a seat. For this reason most women were forced to get their information about trials second hand.

"Yes, I'm with you." Chloe answered.

She had been stroking Marcus's palm with her fingers as he spoke, her eyes focused on it intently as she listened to him talk.

"Don't worry," she continued, looking up and smiling at him, "if I get lost I'll say so, okay?"

"Alright. So, after the people's witnesses are called, the accused gets to bring witnesses on his behalf, only this time they can also be character witnesses in addition to witnesses to the crime or his alibi. The Lords ask them questions just as they did with the witnesses for the people. Once the Lords have finished asking questions, the accused gets to issue a closing statement which outlines his argument and may refute what the opposing witnesses claimed and things like that. After he's finished, the Lords will tell the jurors to come down to the jurors' chamber and reach a verdict."

"You're a juror right?" Chloe asked as Marcus finished.

"That's right. All the commanders of the Legion who aren't on campaign are required to attend and be jurors. Basically we sit in a special box and listen carefully. Then when the Lords call us we go into a private room for a while and discuss the case. In order to get a conviction, or a judgment of 'not guilty' we have to have a consensus of more than half, so if there are only six commanders present we have to have four votes to decide the case. If there are twelve, we have to get a consensus from seven, and so on."

"What happens if you decide he's guilty?"

"Well the only punishment for premeditated murder in Duros is death, so he would be executed. He would get the choice of how he died though. He could choose any reasonable method of execution he desired, but the one most soldiers sentenced to die choose is called 'death by combat'. Essentially, what happens is that at the end of the trial when the verdict has been read and the sentence of death is decided, the crowd in the courtroom gets to pick the executioner. He's usually one of their officers, like a lieutenant or a captain, and he will go up against the condemned in one-on-one combat with swords. It's actually a pretty big event, and everyone who can goes to the arena in the war college where they hold the war games to watch the execution."

"But isn't that a huge risk for the one the crowd chooses?" Chloe asked, horrified that anyone would willingly fight an armed murderer with nothing to loose.

"Well it is a little bit, especially if the convicted man is a good swordsman, but there are also six policemen armed with swords in the arena as well. If it looks like the man the people chose isn't doing well they step in and take over."

"What do you mean 'take over?'" Chloe asked suspiciously.

"Well... lets just say it's hard to fight off six men at once."

Chloe snorted and rolled her eyes. Evidently she found this honorable method of execution to be anything but.

"Roll your eyes if you want, but most of the men in the Legion share the idea that execution is disgraceful. To them it's much more preferable to die as a result of some sort of combat."

"But it's still execution Marcus. You're going to die in the end no matter what. It seems ridiculous to me that an officer would risk his life and go into the arena with a man who knows he's going to die and intends to take one of them with him. Seems little better than a gladiatorial spectacle. Besides, if they think that execution is so disgraceful, they shouldn't have done something terrible enough to be executed in the first place."

"Well... I suppose you may be right. Either way, it is what it is, and it's unlikely to change."

Looking towards the clock, Chloe changed the conversation.

"Well, it's only nine o' clock. Jarrod said he was coming at eleven right?"

"Mhm."

"That leaves us two hours. What shall we do Marcus?"

Chloe started twirling her long hair, smiling coyly at Marcus in what he imagined was her attempt at blatant seduction. He had to admit, even though she was clearly milking it, she was awfully cute. As she stood up and walked over to his side of the table he followed her with his eyes. She was only wearing the thin robe she had thrown on earlier, and it was made of such fine fabric that it was nearly see through. A fact to which Marcus was not oblivious.

"How about... you come shower with me and wash my hair?" She murmured quietly in his ear.

"I already showered today."

"I wasn't there though, and showers are more fun with two." She said, winking at him. "So? You coming or not?"

"Maybe." Marcus said, shrugging apathetically.

Chloe turned suddenly on the balls of her feet and began walking towards the hallway that led to their bedroom. As she walked she put an extra sway in her hips, knowing that he was watching her as she went.

"I think you meant 'yes, of course Chloe.'" She said, glancing behind her and catching him in the act.

Chloe left Marcus sitting at the table without waiting for an answer. She knew he wouldn't be far behind. Walking into the bathroom she busied herself with checking the shower temperature while she waited for him. Sure enough, he poked is head around the door only a minute later.

"Ohhh, so you want to take a shower with me after all, hmmm Marcus?"

"Yes, of course Chloe." He said, grinning at her as he opened the door completely and stepped in.

"Well, how about we start with you helping me out of this robe?"

Marcus wasted no time in removing it. Untying the knot at her waist that held the flimsy fabric in place, he let the front fall open. Reaching through the part in the robe his hands found her hips and began caressing upwards. Trailing his fingers up the sides of her stomach he touched her slowly, relishing the softness of her skin. Reaching her breasts he brushed their undersides with the palms of his hands, skimming teasingly over her nipples with his thumbs. Finally reaching her shoulders, he pushed the robe off and down her arms, pulling her into a soft kiss as the robe fell to the floor.

After several minutes Chloe began to remove Marcus's clothes, desperately trying not to break the kiss as she did. Irritatingly, buttons that were difficult to undo with both hands were rendered almost impossible with just one hand, as the other was being used to hold Marcus to her. Remembering that his clothes were clean and freshly pressed, she broke the kiss and folded them neatly, setting them on the chair that sat just inside the door to the bathroom.

Finally naked, Chloe pulled Marcus into the shower with her until she could feel the warm water run down her back. Folding him into a wet hug she began to kiss his neck, hoping to coax more excitement out of him.

Though he seemed excited to be in the shower with her, the usual indicator of his arousal was not rising to the occasion. She suspected it had little to do with her, and much more to do with his dream, but as he still wouldn't discus it, Chloe figured she would leave it for the time being. As Marcus began playing with her wet hair she recalled her request.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 06



"Will you wash my hair Marcus?" She asked, turning to face him.

He nodded as she picked up her new favorite shampoo. The lavender scent tickled her nose pleasantly as she handed the glass jar to Marcus. Scooping out a tiny dollop, she raised an eyebrow at him skeptically,

"That's not going to be enough Marcus."

"What do you mean? It's more than enough."

Her doubtful expression deepened as she cocked her head to the side and looked at his close cropped hair significantly.

"Ohhhhhhh, right. Less hair, less shampoo. Duh. Well then... I can fix that."

Without warning Marcus tipped the entire contents of the small jar over the top of Chloe's head. The shampoo was cold, and Chloe gasped in shock as it began to ooze over her scalp and down her shoulders and back.

"Marcus! That's ALL the shampoo I bought at the market yesterday!"

"I'll buy you more, it was well worth the expense." Marcus chucked.

As she glared at him he worked his hands gently into the soapy mess of her hair and began massaging her scalp firmly. Glad he had seemed to have regained some of his humor, Chloe let the tension out of her shoulders as she relaxed and concentrated on the feeling of Marcus's hands on her.

He isn't half bad, she thought to herself. His strong fingers were massaging steady circles on her scalp, his thumbs centered on her forehead above her eyes as his remaining fingers worked the shampoo into her hair. Placing her hands on his waist to keep them out of his way, she listened to his breathing; steady and deep.

It wasn't the sort of breathing that indicated any sort of arousal. Quite the opposite. It was the type of breathing a person did when they were relaxed. While Chloe had originally intended to get him into a passionate mood in an attempt to break him out of his funk, it seemed that she had accidentally discovered another way to achieve the same goal.

Although her hair was saturated with suds and not a trace of sweat or oil must have remained, Marcus continued his methodical circles. His breathing hadn't changed yet, and Chloe began wondering how long they had stood in the shower. She had been enjoying her massage too much to pay any attention to the passage of time.

Not wanting to spend too long on one activity and be caught unprepared when Jarrod came to escort them, Chloe raised her hands from Marcus's hips and placed them gently over his hands which were still entwined in her hair.

The minute she did so Marcus's breathing changed. He sucked in a great breath of air, letting it loose with a sigh as if she had broken him out of a trance. Looking up at him, Chloe smiled, relieved to see that the tension that had lined his face this morning was mostly gone.

"Do you think I'm clean now Marcus?" Chloe asked, tipping her head to indicate her hair.

"Hmmmm. Probably" Marcus admitted, bending down to kiss her forehead.

Stepping backwards so that the water, which had been gently drumming on her lower back, hit her hair, she began to wash the suds out of her long mane. Marcus simply stood and watched. Although it seemed that he was enjoying the show, Chloe felt as though he should be engaged in something more productive.

"Aren't you going to wash yourself Marcus?" She asked pointedly.

"I already showered today. You want me to wash again? I didn't think I smelled THAT badly." Marcus said, sniffing surreptitiously at his armpits.

"Haha, nooooo. You don't smell Marcus." Chloe said as she washed the last suds out of her hair. "It's just that some things can stand to be washed more than once in a day."

At this pronouncement she scooped a handful of soap out of the dish that sat in a recess in the shower. Rubbing it into both her hands she reached down and took hold of Marcus's dick. Much to her surprise it wasn't even remotely hard. To her knowledge, it was a rare case where a man could stand with a naked woman for a long period of time without sporting some form of an erection. Evidently she was going to have to up her game to keep his interest today. Not that it bothered her, in fact, Chloe thought that she would relish the challenge.

"So Marcus..."

"Yes, Chloe?" Marcus answered, his breathing still level.

"I think we have some time yet before Jarrod gets here. Any thoughts on how we should spend that time?" Chloe asked, looking up at him with heavy lidded eyes.

As she spoke his dick started to swell slightly. Not as quickly as she had seen before, but it was a marked increase nonetheless.

"Well, I think... ummm..."

"Yes, Marcus?" She asked sweetly.

She let her hand form a tight "O" around the head of his member. Sliding it slowly down the shaft, Marcus couldn't help but thrust slightly into her hand.

As she heard his breath shake faintly she couldn't help but feel elated. As shallow as it seemed to her, to try to abate emotional pain with simple physical intimacy, she had to admit to herself that she knew no other way.

The matrons at the forum had never discussed how to assist with emotional pain. Indeed they seemed to disregard the idea that men had any emotions at all, aside from lust. While Chloe knew dozens of ways to bring physical pleasure, she was in uncharted territory when it came to male emotions.

As Marcus's cock hardened completely she felt a change come over him. His body stiffened and looking up she could see that familiar dark look in his eyes, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. She knew he was about to turn the tables on her, and she had to admit that she was slightly disappointed. She had enjoyed the feeling of control, even if it had only been for a few minutes.

As she had anticipated, Marcus's hands jumped into action, finding her hips and pushing her backwards until her back hit the wall of the shower. Suddenly cold from the shock of being wrenched out from underneath the warm water, her body shivered involuntarily.

"Ohhh dear. Cold are we, Chloe?" Marcus asked in his sickly sweet voice. "How about I warm you up a bit?"

Latching onto him quickly and hugging his body to hers, Chloe answered him equally sweetly.

"Okay." She chirped contentedly.

"Not what I had in mind..." Marcus replied as his dick twitched suggestively, now trapped between their stomachs.

"I bet," Chloe said as she snuggled into his chest, "why don't you enlighten me as to what you had in mind?"

"Well." Marcus said decisively. "First, I was going to turn you around like this..."

Prying her off of his body he turned her to face the wall of the shower.

"Uh huhh..." Chloe said in a leading voice.

"Then I was going to take your foot and put it up on the shower bench, like this."

"Mmm, I like where this is heading."

"Then maybe do a little something like this..."

At his last pronouncement, Marcus placed his right hand on her slit, surprised to find it wet already.

"My, my, Chloe. I didn't figure you'd be so wet. I haven't even done anything to you yet."

"It's just water big boy, nice try though." Chloe lied, attempting to keep her voice consistent through the lie as his fingers traced lazy circles on her sensitive lips.

"Rather thick water, don't you think?" Marcus said, chuckling as his middle finger pushed firmly up inside her center.

"Mmmmmm... maybe. Water's been known to do strange things from time to time though." Chloe gasped out, her sigh she had let slip as Marcus fingered her making her voice shake slightly.

"Oh, I don't think so Chloe. Just admit it, you're excited."

"Psh," Chloe snorted at his cocky words, "you'd like to think you're that great..."

"I know I am..." Marcus answered as he pushed his index finger up inside her to join the first.

Moving both his fingers together inside her, he began to trace slow circles, touching nearly every part of her center. As she began to moan more insistently he changed his rhythm; slowly thrusting his fingers in and out, delaying several seconds as he pulled out until she began to quiver and push herself down onto his fingers.

Finally withdrawing his fingers from of her completely, Chloe moaned in frustration, quietly imploring him to keep going. Instead Marcus took his cock in his hand and began to massage her outer lips with the head. Tracing up and down her wet slit slowly, he lubricated the head and shaft in preparation.

"Do you want me inside you Chloe?"

"Yesssssss..." Chloe hissed as Marcus continued his teasing.

"How badly do you want it?"

"Very badly, Marcus! Please stop teasing me, I just want you inside me."

"Well since you asked so nicely-"

Without finishing his sentence, Marcus began to thrust into Chloe's hot center. Pushing forward so that she could feel every inch of him sliding into her, Marcus went as slowly as he could until finally bottoming out, his cock burried inside her.

Soon he began to thrust at the same speed he had entered her; tantalizingly slowly. As he did, Chloe's moans began to take on a more ragged quality, as if urging him to more speed.

On a whim, Marcus leaned her upper body forward slightly, adjusting the angle of his thrust. As he reached the deepest point of his thrust he felt the head of his cock push against the spot he was beginning to realize affected her more than any other. It was located just above her clit, near her pelvic bone, but on the inside. Thrusting from behind as he was, he had nearly unlimited access to the spot, which was notoriously hard to stimulate. As he continued his slow, insistent thrusts Chloe's breathing started coming in ragged gasps.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh, Marcus. That feels amazing, just keep going. Don't stop, pleaseeee!"

Delighted that his change of position had had such a profound effect he decided to intensify the stimulation. Sliding his hand down from where it had been anchoring Chloe to him, he began to trace slow circles around her swollen clit.

Chloe's body responded instantly. Her legs shook under his touch, her upper body tense.

"M-Marcus. I'm going to c-come." Chloe manged to gasp through the shuddering.

Increasing his speed both in his thrusts and in the fingers that were circling her clit, he pulled her to him in preparation for her orgasm. He hadn't seen her shake this hard before, and he was sure that her impeding orgasm was going to be big.

After only a few more seconds, Chloe's body tightened and froze as it always did just prior to her orgasm. This time the lack of movement lasted much longer than it had previously. Seconds ticked by, and unsure of what to do Marcus continued his thrusts until Chloe finally reacted.

Chloe's strangled scream echoed loudly in the small shower stall. Marcus was so surprised by her reaction that he almost lost hold of her. Her body was trembling in his hands as he continued his movements until finally her hand smacked his upper thigh, her nails biting into the muscle, so much so that it was painful. Although not purposeful, Marcus was sure it would leave a mark.

"Marcus," she gasped, "stop... I... I can't take any more! Too sensitive."

Pulling out of her completely, Marcus felt Chloe begin to fall, her legs too weak to hold her exhausted body up. Scooping her up in to his arms, he quickly sat down on the bench her foot had just been occupying. Arranging her carefully so that she wasn't crushing his still erect cock, he rested her head on his shoulder and waited for her to recover.

Looking down he noticed that her eyes were just barely open, peering out from tiny slits as if she were trying to stay awake. Her body was still wracked by the occasional shiver, but for the most part she was calm. Strands of her hair, which was still wet from his washing, stuck to her face, obscuring part of her cheek and mouth. Brushing it off gently, and tucking it back behind her ear, Marcus regarded his handiwork.

He was extremely pleased with himself. Although he admitted introspectively that it might be conceited, he always got a surge of adrenalin after making Chloe come. His ability to satisfy and please her made him exceptionally happy. The warm, fuzzy feelings he always felt when she rested in his arms after an orgasm he was responsible for were intoxicating.

As Chloe opened her eyes fully and looked up at him he was reminded of another thing that made him equally happy. The way she looked at him; not limited to but especially after they had been intimate. It was a look that made Marcus feel like he was the only person in the world that mattered. Her smile was so genuine and so content that Marcus couldn't help but smile back.

Looking down at her he wondered if this was a normal experience for a man and a wife. Of course his three captains who had married all had some sort of intimate feelings for their wives, which they expressed in their own ways, but what was typical? Was it normal to fall so head over heels for a person after only knowing them for a few days?

As Chloe continued to gaze up at him, her eyes looking deeply into his, he decided it didn't matter. If other men never had the sort of connection he felt with Chloe, that didn't matter. If it was abnormal to feel so strongly for someone after such a short time, that didn't matter either. The only thing that mattered was that he felt those feelings, and he couldn't help but feel them, so he might as well acknowledge them.

"Chloe?" Marcus said, still looking down at her.

"Yes, Marcus?" She replied, punctuating her response by hugging his torso and smiling sweetly.

"I think I love you, Chloe."

She didn't respond immediately, but continued to smile and hug him. Marcus was not at all certain of what was considered normal behavior in regards to professing love, but he was fairly sure that the other person was supposed to say something. Slightly worried that the feeling wasn't mutual, Marcus began to babble.

"Now, I'm no expert on the subject, and I'm not really sure exactly what love is, nor have I every really experienced it but I-"

Chloe silenced him by placing her index finger on his lips in a 'hushing' gesture. Pulling herself out of his cuddle, she straddled his lap on the bench until she sat with his still erect cock nestled between the lips of her slit. Her finger still on his lips, she leaned forward until their foreheads touched. Removing her finger from his lips she caressed his cheeks with both hands, holding his face firmly. Looking into his eyes again she gauged his expression. His eyes looked into hers steadily, but the corners of his eyelids were slightly tight, revealing his uncertainty.

She realized that he really had no idea how much she loved him. She had loved him since their first morning together, just the other day, but apparently he was oblivious to that fact. Chuckling inwardly she was amused by the indisputable fact that no matter how intuitive they could be, sometimes men just needed things to be spelled out for them in black and white.

"I love you too Marcus. Very, very much."

Kissing him again, Chloe added a little more passion to the kiss to restore Marcus's confidence.

Perhaps it had been slightly cruel to keep him waiting for an answer, but she had wanted to make sure he knew how serious she was when she returned the sentiment.

Unfortunately for Chloe, her decision to make this kiss less on the sweet and tender side, and more on the passion and lust side had caused Marcus to revert to his typical 'between the sheets personality' as it were. His hands were everywhere, touching her in all the right places, his tongue working slowly and passionately in her mouth. Despite her attempts to the contrary she could feel her excitement building again. Something had to be done. They had little time left, and his hunger still hadn't been slaked. Attempting to draw back from his kiss, Chloe felt Marcus's arms trapping her in his embrace.

With a small slap on his cheek, Chloe brought Marcus back to reality.

"Owww, what'd you do that for?" Marcus whined indignantly.

"As much as I love it when you get all assertive and dominant, this time it's my turn. Got it?" She said, glaring slightly at him.

Surprised by her drastic assertion of power Marcus shrugged and made no further attempt to hold her in place, but allowed her to do as she pleased, resting his hands instead on her thighs where they straddled his lap.

"Now," Chloe said as she began to rub herself up and down on Marcus's erect cock, "I think there's some unfinished business here, don't you think?"

Marcus nodded slowly, still surprised by the shift in power that had just occurred.

"Glad we both agree." Chloe said with a grin.

Raising herself up, Chloe took hold of Marcus's erection and held it to her opening. Lowering herself back to his lap, she slid his cock slowly inside herself.

"You see, Marcus," Chloe began as she raised herself up to repeat the movement, "you made me so wet just a minute ago that I'm still soaked. I can't be sitting in wet panties all day now can I? I just need a little bit more. And while I'm doing that, I want you to come for me. Do you want to come for me, Marcus?"

 "Mmhhm." Marcus grunted in affirmative response.

Chloe continued to thrust herself up and down on Marcus, but now she added a new twist. When she bottomed out she tensed her pelvic muscles, tightening her center so there was additional pressure on Marcus's dick as she pushed upwards. It was as if she were trying to pull the come out of him. Despite the difficulty of the maneuver, the effort was worth it in that it was well received.

Marcus gasped and looked up at her with surprise as he felt her tighten.

"Didn't know I could do that, did you Marcus?"

He didn't verbalize his response, but simply shook his head, his eye still locked on hers.

"You like it, don't you? Nice and tight like that?"

Again, he said nothing, simply nodded, his mouth falling open slightly as she sped up her pace.

After several more minutes of Chloe's treatment, she felt Marcus's muscles begin to tighten. His cock, still deep inside her, began to swell noticeably.

"You're going to come for me, aren't you Marcus."

"Mhmmmm." Marcus groaned in response, his gaze still not leaving hers.

"Come for me, Marcus. Fill me up inside. Please come, Marcus!" She implored him quietly, looking at him with a kind of staged desperation.

To Chloe it didn't matter this time if the words were heartfelt or not. She was certainly enjoying the sensations, but she wasn't desperate for satisfaction as she had been on previous occasions. No, this time the enjoyment would be all his, and her words only served to fuel his passion.

Soon he was coming, his eyes still on hers, but tight from the exertion. Looking into them she felt such a strong connection to him that she felt her stomach flutter. As he groaned through his orgasm, she continued to tighten, as if milking the come right out of him.

Finally, he was finished. Slumping forward into her arms he rested for a minute or two, enfolded in Chloe's embrace.

******

As Jarrod walked with the Commander and his wife he couldn't help but be slightly jealous. The pair kept laughing and shooting each other covert looks that Jarrod supposed they thought were inconspicuous.

They were most certainly not. It was almost as bad as watching Anastasi and his wife.

It was not that Jarrod wished the couple ill. Certainly that was farthest from his thoughts. What he was feeling was simply green envy. He often wished he had someone to share his life with. His hopes, his dreams, his ambitions. He had always been alone, and now he was one of the oldest captains in Duros that had not been married.

It wasn't that it would have been difficult to get married. Indeed it might only take a day or two if he rushed a patron. His reservation lay with what kind of marriage he would have. Would it be loveless, like so many Durosian marriages? Would it be as simple and utilitarian as providing him carnal pleasure and making babies for the state? If so, he certainly didn't want that. He wanted a partner, not some sort of quasi-pleasure slave.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 06



Currently, finding a partner who loved him for who he was as a person would be incredibly difficult, nigh on impossible. The Durosian system was simply not set up to take into account such lofty ideals as emotional intimacy. Marcus and Anatoli's relationships seemed to be incredible tricks of fate. How could two people who didn't know each other come to love one another like that.

Jarrod had no idea, but he wasn't prepared to risk marriage if it meant a life of unhappiness with a wife who felt herself a slave to him.

Lost in his thoughts, Jarrod barely noticed the distance they had traveled.

The roadways in Duros were nearly interchangeable, and always mundane. The various apartments and administrative buildings that looked down on the concrete streets of the civil district were all made of the same boring cement. Grey and drab like most of the other buildings in Duros, they were devoid of any sort of aesthetics. Only residences of the upper echelon of Durosian society could be decorated in any form, and there were a multitude or ordinances in effect to dissuade the average citizen from painting their houses in any way.

Grey and interchangeable; always disposable. That was the mantra in Duros. Houses, soldiers, men, and women.

Up ahead their destination loomed as the narrow streets opened up into one of the main squares.

The hall of justice sat in the civil district. It was a long rectangular building, constructed out of ornate white stone blocks that contrasted starkly with the cement of the rest of the buildings. Pillars rose from the ground level nearly 40 meters to support the roof. Just beyond the pillars were the main stairs, made of the same white stone which led up to the entrance. The massive wooden double doors at the top were thrown open to the throngs of people queuing to get in. Policemen stood stiffly, organizing the excited crowd into some semblance of order.

Mostly those queuing were men of the Legion. Occasionally a woman would be seen accompanying her husband, but for the most part the attendees were overwhelmingly men. The line was immense, stretching all the way down the long stairs and into the square.

Capital cases did not come up often, perhaps once a year. Typically, cases heard in the hall of justice were those of assault or property damage, usually resulting from a drunken dispute in the market square alehouses. Occasionally issues of contract violations came up, but for the most part Duros was a law abiding state. Assaults against wives on the part of their husbands were not considered crimes, so that took a considerable number of cases that would otherwise be considered assaults off the docket. Murdering your wife however, was a crime, and a capital one at that.

Jarrod snorted at the ridiculous line the founders had drawn. You can beat your wife to a pulp, and that's fine, but if she dies from it, you die.

Reaching the stairs, Marcus, Chloe, and Jarrod proceeded past the long line and up towards the policemen who were keeping order. Seeing the men's insignia, the commanding police lieutenant stepped to the side, saluting Marcus and allowing them entry.

Walking swiftly through the long entry hall, they soon reached the main hall. It was a large square room, with stadium style seating on all four sides which looked down on a small square area where the trial proceedings actually occurred.. Balcony walkways above allowed even more to attend the proceedings. The farthest side from the doors was reserved for the Lords of Duros. Their thrones and assorted assistants' desks took up the majority of the quarter, the rest being devoted to the juror's box.

The juror's box was separated from all other sections by a low wall. The wall only reached about chest height when seated, but it served its purpose as a visual reminder of the power of the commanders within the box. Their box occupied the smallest sliver of the trapezoidal shape of the Lord's quarter, closest to the floor and directly under the Lord's thrones.

The quarter opposite that which seated the Lords and the commanders was set aside for the captains and their wives, and the wives of the commanders who were to sit in the juror's box.

Much to Chloe's chagrin, Marcus had neglected to tell her until the very last minute that she couldn't sit with him in the juror's box. She would have to be content to sit with the other wives and watch without him.

Walking down the long stairs that led into the seating areas, Jarrod quickly picked out his fellow captains and their wives. Evidently they had arrived quite early, as the seats they had found had the best view of both the floor and the juror's box above it. Reaching their section, Jarrod took a seat on the far end of the bench that the others had saved, allowing Chloe to sit next to Valentina and Anatoli.

"Take care of Chloe for me, won't you Valentina?" Marcus said, addressing Anatoli's wife.

"Of course Commander. I'd be honored." She replied.

The stiffness of her response momentarily surprised Chloe. When they had been together for dinner Valentina had been respectful, but had treated Marcus more as a friend than a superior. Chloe was no fool, and the matrons at the forum had taught her what constituted acceptable public behavior, but she felt as though she had been lulled into a false sense of security by the warmth of the atmosphere at their dinner party the previous night.

Marcus kissed Chloe gently on the cheek.

"I'll see you outside after the trial is over alright?"

"Alright Marcus, see you soon. And don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." She added in a covert whisper.

Smiling at her, Marcus walked down the steps and up the opposite staircase to the juror's box. Seating himself next to one of the other commanders, Marcus made small talk until the hall began to fill more completely. The walkways above and the two remaining side sections were being filled with the rest of the men of the legion who had been queuing outside, and before too long the hall was completely full, prompting the police lieutenant to come inside and lock the doors.

Entering from their private doorway above their thrones, the Lords of Duros began filing into the hall. At once the entire hall got to its feet, the men of the Legion saluting crisply, their wives standing respectfully beside them. As they took their seats, the crowd sat and watched as the assisting lawyers and the defendant came into the small area at the center of the hall escorted by several policemen.

******

As the trial got underway Chloe found herself unable to remain interested. She found the whole proceeding to be boring and tedious. The criminal who was on trial was nothing more than a cold-blooded thug who had beaten several men in the bar, then not satisfied, had gone home and beaten his wife to death.

He was as much of a nothing as you could be in terms of Durosian society. Nearly to the end of his 20 year term of service he had risen no higher in rank than corporal. Additionally, he seemed to lack any sort of ambition or patriotism, indeed seeming passionate about nothing in particular besides drinking and fist-fighting.

He had brought with him several character witnesses, each man just as rough as he and it was clear, at least to Chloe, that the Lords were not impressed. No witness for the people presented any other version of events than that which the prosecutorial lawyers attested to, nor could anyone testify to an alibi for the man. His guilt was nearly assured, making the trial seem like just a simple formality to Chloe.

She had been watching Marcus as he sat in his seat in the juror's box. His face was largely impassive, just as all the other commanders' faces were. She guessed that they were attempting to remain emotionless, so as to give the impression of impartiality.

Despite his stony expression, she could have sworn he looked over and made eye contact with her at least once. She interpreted the look as his version of checking on her, and making sure she knew he hadn't forgotten her. She thought it was sweet, that even though he couldn't be by her side he still made sure she knew he was thinking about her.

After only an hour or so the trial was drawing to a close. As the lawyers finished their final statements against the criminal, and he had in turn spoken against their case, the Lords stood as one, and at a word the commanders in the jurors' box stood with them. Retreating down the small door in the box hidden by the low wall, they made their way to the deliberation room.

Chloe chatted with Valentina while they waited for Marcus and the others to reappear. They didn't have long to wait. Evidently the deliberation on this case was not very involved, as the commanders emerged after only ten minutes.

Upon their arrival the crowd began to murmur slightly more animatedly, as if curious if they would surprise those in attendance and pass a verdict of not guilty or declare a mistrial for lack of evidence. This was not to be; however, as the eldest commander in the box stood up and pronounced the man's guilt.

The only other matter then was to determine the method of execution. As the Lords asked the man what his preferred manor of execution was, he surprised Chloe by asking for 'execution by combat'. This shouldn't have surprised Chloe as much as it did, considering Marcus had just this morning tried to explain how popular the method was among the men of the Legion. Chloe was also not blind to the fact that nearly every man in the hall was clapping in approval, some more animatedly than others.

Rising to his feet, Lord Covax calmed the crowd and asked them to nominate an executioner on behalf of the people of Duros.

All at once the hall erupted into noise, the thunder of screams was tumultuous and Chloe was unable to pick a single name out of the din. Before long though, the crowd began to settle on one name.

"CRA-SSUS! CRA-SSUS! CRA-SSUS! CRA-SSUS!" The crowd chanted.

"Oh dear..." Valentina whispered as her hand found Chloe's.

Chloe felt her heart sink. She felt as if her whole world was coming apart. Numb to Valentina's hand holding hers, and deaf to the roar of the crowd, she sat rooted to her seat as she watched Marcus. His gaze had turned to meet hers, and although she couldn't quite tell, she was almost he mouthed the words 'It's alright' to her.

Rising to his feet and raising one hand in the air, he silenced the crowd instantly. With baited breath they waited for his response, Chloe too felt her body tense, hoping against hope that he would decline.

In a loud, booming voice, Marcus addressed the hall.

"I ACCEPT!"

With that the crowd burst into applause again, punctuated with whistles of approval.

Chloe felt tears prick her eyes as she put her head in her hands. Everything is so perfect, why is he willing to put it all on the line like this? Beside her she felt Valentina wrapping her head and shoulders into a hug.

"He couldn't refuse Chloe, he would have disgraced himself. Everyone would label him a coward, and his battalion might not follow his orders anymore. Don't you see he has to do it?"

Chloe was crying openly now. Cradled in Valentina's arms, her body shook with sobs. Her tears however remained hidden. Astutely, Valentina had correctly assumed that tears would flow, and bundled her into her arms accordingly. It would have been quite unseemly for the wife of a commander to be crying openly in public. Looking up briefly, Chloe couldn't see Marcus in the box anymore.

"Where'd Marcus go Valentina?! Where is he?" Chloe asked, her tone growing more and more desperate.

It was Anastasi who answered.

"He's gone with the other commanders to the arena in the war college. Come on, we have to get going, this crowd will be hard to get through if we wait much longer."

******

Seated in the arena, Chloe was a mess. It had taken them nearly an hour to get from the Hall of Justice to the arena where the execution would take place.

Throngs of excited people had crowded the streets, all of them on their way to watch the execution. All the while Chloe had been going back and forth on whether to go or not, changing her mind at least a dozen times, before switching it back. Finally, she had decided to attend. She reasoned that even if she had to watch, it was better than being at home in their apartment, not knowing whether Marcus lived or died.

Her eyes were blotchy from crying. Although Marcus had told her this morning, and each of the captains and their wives had reminded her again as they walked, that being the executioner wasn't exactly a death sentence, she was still petrified.

In Duros it was rare for an executioner to die before the policemen stepped in to finish the job. Anatoli even went on to remind Chloe that Marcus was a fairly good swordsman as well. But when she asked him if he was better than the man he would be facing, his silence had sent her into yet another panic.

Before too long Marcus reappeared. He had emerged from a door in one corner of the arena. Stepping out onto the floor he saluted the Lords and the crowd who sat screaming and cheering in the stadium seating.

The arena was enormous, seating nearly every one of the nearly 35,000 inhabitants of Duros. The seats, which rose high above the oval arena were separated from the floor of the arena by a four meter wall.

Looking down on him from so far above, Chloe was reminded of how powerful a figure he cut. His uniform was still crisp, his buttons and shoulder cords shining under the lights. He wore no scabbard, but carried his unsheathed sword in his hand. Close behind him followed the six policemen who were to be his backup.

Crossing the vast expanse of dirt covered floor, he closed with the condemned man, who was standing without guards in the middle of the arena. He too held a standard issue Legionnaire's sword in his hand. Closing into a loose circle approximately ten meters in diameter around the two, the policemen drew their swords and stepped back to allow the pair room to move.

Chloe waited with bated breath as the two regarded each other. What they were waiting for was unclear to her, until finally a small bell tolled from the direction of the Lords' chairs.

Without any further hesitation, the two men jumped into furious action. Their swords ringing as they clashed together over and over again. Circling each other and slashing furiously, they fought for several minutes with neither man receiving a cut.

Anatoli had been right, Chloe thought to herself. Marcus was a good swordsman. The only problem was that the condemned man was too, and he looked like he might be wearing Marcus down, if only slightly.

Finally, near the four minute mark by Chloe's reckoning, Marcus landed a hit on the man; a glancing blow that cut open his uniform at the shoulder, a trickle of blood seeping from the gash. It was just the thing the audience needed, their occasional shouts of encouragement morphing into roars and screams of approval once again, spurring Marcus to greater intensity. The only problem was that the other man had been energized as well, and from Chloe's vantage point his shoulder wound did not seem to be handicapping him in any significant way.

Another minute of fighting passed and the man's sword found a way through Marcus's defense, opening a broad gash in his chest.

Chloe screamed as Marcus stumbled and fell, his sword nearly tumbling from his grip. She started to stand, but Anatoli, sensing her movement stopped her by holding her firmly to his side.

"You can't help him from up here Chloe. Don't worry, he's a strong fighter, he'll get back up. Just sit tight and try to wait it out, alright?"

She looked up furiously at him as he spoke, enraged that he would dare to tell her what to do while her husband lay bleeding on the ground. Looking at his eyes though, she could see that he was just as worried as she was, his usually cheerful eyes betraying his concern.

Hugged by Anatoli on one side, and taking Valentina's hand in hers, she attempted to compose herself. Marcus was a strong, capable man, she reasoned. He would come out on top. He had to.

******

Down on the arena, Marcus could feel the eyes of nearly the entire state on him. There were thousands there, watching as he bled on the ground. The wound was not as bad as it could have been. There was a lot of blood, but he wasn't out just yet. Ignoring the throbbing pain, he rose to his feet and regarded his adversary who waited for him several steps away.

 The man was extraordinarily good with a sword. It was therefore fortuitous that Marcus had scored the early hit on his shoulder. It seemed to bothering him slightly now, and it was even more welcome because it was his sword arm Marcus had hit.

The man had stood back to allow Marcus to regain his feet after he had fallen, surprising for such a violent and dishonorable man. Marcus appreciated the gesture, and nodded to him accordingly. The man nodded back, and they began to circle each other again.

After several more exchanges the man threw a wild thrust aimed directly at Marcus's face. Marcus easily sidestepped the thrust and his counter-stroke opened a wide gash in the man's side.

Screaming in pain, the man slashed blindly at Marcus as he attempted to retreat from Marcus's quick strike that had just bitten into his right side. Just a fraction too slow to avoid the blade, the man's furious swing opened a long gash across Marcus's stomach. In a panic Marcus jumped backwards and looked down. Fortunately the cut was not deep enough to disembowel, but it started to bleed profusely and hurt just as much as his chest did.

The other man seemed to be in worse shape. Marcus's slash had sneaked between the gap in his ribs, cutting into his lung. Circling each other the two men gasped for breath as their exhaustion and wounds began to take their toll. After several more last-ditch strikes the man went for a desperate double handed cross stroke, coming from above and moving down diagonally. Marcus, having just parried the other blows, had no time to recover, and the slash hit him directly in the face, the blade cutting from his forehead down across his eye and into his cheek.

Screaming in pain, Marcus thrust forward aggressively. Not anticipating such a quick reposte, the man was caught off balance and Marcus's sword plunged through his chest, just below the heart.

As the man fell backwards, Marcus followed. Unable to find the strength to pull his sword from the man, his grip on his sword hilt had pulled him down as well.

Exhausted, Marcus lay where he had fallen next to the dying man as screams of applause echoed throughout the arena. Marcus for his part could hear very little of it. The screams of the crowd sounded strangely distorted, as if he were underwater, and a darkness had begun to eat at the corners of his vision.

Pulling his head off the ground he looked down at his torso, where blood was gushing freely. He could barely see, as blood from his wound was spilling into his eye and clouding his vision with a red hue. Putting a hand to his wounds to check their severity he was disheartened to see that his hand had been bathed in blood just from the quick check.

As the darkness began to reach the center of his vision and all sound was silenced he had time for one last thought.

Chloe's going to kill me...

****** 



Marcus of Duros Ch. 07



Author's Note – 

Greetings everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter after the cliffhanger I left off with. If you have been following along with the Marcus of Duros series you'll know what I'm talking about. 

If you have not read any of the previous six chapters I would recommend going back and reading them before reading this one. Since we are so far into the series there will definitely be some confusion and spoilers if you start the series with chapter seven.

As always, I appreciate the support and advice that comes in the form of votes, comments, emails, and suggestions. They are invaluable when I'm writing, and I try to keep each piece of feedback in mind throughout the process.

Happy reading,

Hawkeye

******

Marcus woke with a start as the moist ocean breeze brushed his cheek. Looking over to the window he saw that it had been thrown open; the curtains fluttering in the wind. 

Looking down he saw the soft sheets his bed. He didn't remember how he had gotten there, but someone had dressed him in soft cotton pajamas, something he certainly would not have dressed himself in. Pulling himself up from where he had been reclined against the headboard by a small mountain of pillows, he gasped in pain. 

Looking down at his chest he could feel an uncomfortable tightness. Pulling his arm out from under the covers he unbuttoned the top of his shirt, revealing two ugly wounds stitched together neatly with sutures. 

With a jolt all of the events of the previous day came back to him; walking to the War College with the other commanders, stepping into the ring, the horrific pain of a sword biting into his flesh... 

Reaching a hand up, he felt his right eye in a panic. He remembered being hit there and not being able to see afterwards. Right now he thought he could see fine, but was his mind playing tricks on him? Were they unable to save his eye? With relief he found his eye intact, a line of stitches cutting through his eyebrow and passing over his eye socket and beginning again at his cheekbone and terminating around mid-cheek. 

Finished with his self examination, Marcus fell back against his pillows from his sitting position. Laying quietly, he considering his situation. Suddenly, he realized that Chloe was not in the bed with him.

Where is she?! What am I going to tell her?

Thoughts flew unrestrained through his mind until he was able to calm himself and focus on the situation at hand. 

Chloe isn't here. First I need to know where she is, then I can explain everything to her. Wait... why am I alone? Evidently the infirmary stitched me up, but if it were someone else I would have stayed with them until they woke up...

His question was answered in the form of Valentina who came walking through the bedroom door. 

"Well, good morning, Marcus." Valentina said with relief. "Just when we thought you were never going to wake up..."

Marcus managed nothing more than a grunt; his mouth was dry, and his lips were cracked. His voice caught in his throat as he tried to greet her. Shrugging apologetically at her, he raised his eyebrows significantly, wincing as the motion strained the stitches in his split eyebrow. Clucking at him as a mother would, she moved over to the dresser where a pitcher of water stood. Pouring a splash into the glass that stood on the nightstand next to him she leaned over and helped him sit up again. 

"I imagine your fairly thirsty, Marcus, but the physicians said not to drink too much when you woke up, just enough to keep you wet. All those days on a liquid diet made your stomach weak; drink too much and you'll throw it back up."

"What do you mean 'all those days,' Valentina? And where's Chloe?" Marcus asked, his throat no longer bone-dry.

"I am referring to the ten days you've been in and out of consciousness. The execution was on the 19th, today's the 29th."

Marcus inhaled in surprise and choked on the water he had been sipping. 

"What do you mean ten days? I couldn't possibly have slept for so long!"

"Yes, you could have, and did. But not exactly. You woke up every two days or so, just long enough for us to get you to choke down some protein concoction the physician prepared and spout gibberish for a couple of minutes before falling asleep again. The physician said it was because you had lost so much blood. It was a lot, but according the Infirmary administration it wasn't worth compromising the stock at the blood bank in the infirmary. You're a very rare blood type, did you know that?"

"Yes I did..." Marcus said, absentmindedly.

He was turning this new information over in his mind. Ten days? That's a very long time, no wonder I'm so hungry. Wait, Valentina didn't say anything about Chloe.

"Valentina, where is Chloe? I want to see her, I have to explain-"

"You'll see her soon enough."

"Well then, where is she?" 

"She's at our house with Anastasi and the children. She was here for six days straight. Hardly slept at all; she worried herself sick running around the house, pestering the physicians about when you would wake up. The others and I had been coming over during the day to help, but Chloe finally wore herself to a frazzle and nearly passed out herself. Anastasi took her to our house a couple days ago to get some sleep and play with the kids. She needed some distraction; she couldn't possibly relax here with you being delirious whenever you woke up. She was so tired she managed to convince herself you would be like that permanently."

"Oh..." Marcus said quietly, saddened by the amount of hardship he had caused Chloe. 

"Wasn't all your fault, Marcus. Don't go beating yourself up about it. She was just worried that's all. Dorthea, Sophia and I were worried too, of course, but we've seen you idiots get cut up before, so we were better off. It's just that she's new to this and she hasn't seen it before. She sure got a crash-course these last few days though." Valentina chucked to herself darkly.

"When will she come back? What if I pass out again?" 

"You won't. Your physician said that once you woke up and started making sense you wouldn't lose consciousness again. He said to come get him at the infirmary and he would come by to check on you, then we can start feeding you real food if he says so. Your men have been extremely supportive as well, especially Lieutenant Paxton. He insisted that there be two legionnaires posted outside the door at all times. I think it was more a gesture of support than anything, since you obviously aren't in any danger. They've been going to fetch groceries and running messages for us while you've been sick. Hold on a minute."

Chloe hurried out quickly, returning in a few seconds with a fresh pitcher of water.

"What have my captains been doing?" Marcus asked. Clearly their wives had been tending to his needs, but she hadn't mentioned them at all.

"Well, Jarrod has been very busy filling your shoes since there is a lot of business at the Barracks to see too, what with the battalion going on campaign in a few weeks. Anastasi has been helping us here from time to time, but mostly he's been with the kids at home. Krieger has been seeing to the campaign logistics, and helping Jarrod at the barracks. And Philips has been talking to the physicians and the Infirmary about your care. Oh, and I sent the two boys at the door to go get the physicians and Chloe, so they'll be here before too long."

"Did I miss anything important while I was asleep?" 

"Well let's see... a couple of your lieutenants got married, Paxton included."

"Oh really?" Marcus said, his interest piqued.

"Mhm, I told him he should come by to introduce her to you after you're up and mobile again. He wouldn't ask to come by though; I suspect he thinks that would be improper." 

"Of course he can come by. I would have told him to if you hadn't. They're just so strict at the War College, and he's fairly young. Hasn't had much time to adjust. I admit that I am a little surprised that he listened to you; I would have expected him to look for one of the captains' permission. No offense to you, obviously, Valentina."

"None taken, but you're being foolish, Marcus. Of course your men listen to me. Didn't you ever meet one of your captain's wives when you were a younger man?"

"Well... yes of course I did, many times."

"Well, would you have disobeyed a request from them, knowing who they were married to?"

"No, of course not. I just thought..."

"That men should never listen to the advice, orders, suggestions, et cetera, of women, right?"

Marcus said nothing. He could tell he had gotten Valentina more than a little irritated. Her voice was slightly louder, and as she was talking her hands were moving animatedly. He couldn't remember her ever speaking so frankly to him. While it was a little shocking, he appreciated the honesty.

"Anyway," Valentina finished, "I just want you to understand that there is a great difference in how much power you think women have in this state, and how much power they actually have."

"How do you mean?" Marcus asked, curious now.

"Well, I suppose the most glaringly obvious to me is how the marriages work. Jarrod has never been married because of his hang-ups with the institution in Duros and how marriages are conducted. It's true women can't refuse a marriage, but we manage to get along most of the time, it's not really all that bad. Besides it's better than hanging around the Forum for years and becoming a matriarch. I don't think I can imagine anything more boring than being stuck in there for as long as some of the old women there have been."

"What about the penal code..." Marcus asked, casually.

"You mean the part where there is no provision for men who abuse their wives?" Valentina asked, chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Marcus asked, genuinely confused. 

"Okay, Marcus. Yes. It is technically legal for a husband to abuse his wife. And the man you executed that day did beat his wife to death. But in actuality, how often do you think it happens, really? Do you think Anastasi would ever hurt me?"

"No, of course not!" Marcus answered, shocked by her insinuation.

"And do you think Krieger hits Dorthea?"

"No..."

"Philips?" 

"No." Marcus answered, soberly.

"And what about Jarrod? Do you imagine that he would ever hit a woman?"

"No!" 

"Then why do you think other men in other battalions are any different?"

"Well, I just assumed that the...uh... connection that Chloe and I, and you and Anastasi had was..."

"Was what, Marcus? Special? Sure, Anastasi and I love each other very much. I can see that you and Chloe love each other much in the same way. Philips and Sophia, and Krieger and Dorthea are a bit different. I think they might be a little less crazy about each other, but they still love each other, and they are still extremely loyal and devoted to each other. So let me ask you, out of all the men you know and talk to and hear about in the Barracks, how many of them do you know, without any doubt or speculation, abuse their wives?"

"I can't think of any names of the top of my head." Marcus said, resignedly. 

"That's right. You can't, because there aren't nearly as many as you think." Valentina said smugly.

"Well, wait, one name comes to mind. What about that sergeant a few years back? I forget what battalion he was with, but he beat his wife. He would bring her out in public and she would be all bruised up. He died not too long after he married her though, if I recall correctly..." Marcus trailed of, pensively.

"What did he die of, Marcus, do you remember?" Valentina asked, although she clearly knew the answer.

"Food poisoning, wasn't it?"

"And how many fit, young men die of food poisoning in Duros, on an average year, do you think?"

"He was the only one that year..." 

"Mhm. And do you think it's a coincidence that he had been completely healthy, and then married a woman, started beating her, and then suddenly died of food poisoning?" 

As Valentina posed the question she put special emphasis on the last two words, raising her eyebrows at him slightly.

"You're saying he didn't die from food poisoning?"

"Well, certainly the food killed him... you may draw your own conclusions..." Valentina trailed off, her lips a grim line. "Sometimes, horrible situations have a way of working themselves out."

Marcus sat in bed, stunned by Valentina's suggestion. It couldn't be true that abused wives killed their husbands.

"Chloe never told me-"

"Chloe?" Valentina cut in with a laugh. "Chloe only just left the Forum, did you really think she would know how society truly functions with just a few days out in the real world? Listen Marcus, I'm just trying to show you that what the letter of the law says, what your teachers at the War College told you, and what the matriarchs at the Forum told us, does not always reflect the reality of the situation."

Marcus had nothing further to say. Her assertions had stunned him. Perhaps the information would not have been so surprising had it come from a different source. He had never spoken to Valentina seriously about political or social issues, and was therefore stunned that she had such vast knowledge of the real workings of society.

Perhaps the most shocking revelation for Marcus was how the average Durosian seemed to be going through life in a haze. Told one thing by the government, but living a completely different reality in everyday life. 

 wonder what else she knows... Marcus thought to himself as he contemplated Valentina's words.

Marcus didn't have long to reflect. Just then there was a huge bang as the front door opened; the door handle ricocheting back off the wall. 

"Marcus? Marcus are you awake!?" Chloe shouted as she ran into their bedroom.

"Seems that way." Marcus said as he smiled weakly.

The relief on Chloe's face was evident, but that wasn't all that was written there. Her eyes had tired bags under them; her face looked pale and gaunt. Her hair was done up in an elaborate twist that hung down to one side, and her clothing was immaculate as always, but on the whole she looked slightly unhealthy, certainly much different from when Marcus had last seen her. She looked as if she had lost a little weight; her complexion no longer glowed as Marcus remembered.

As Marcus watched her, Chloe sat down beside him, beaming with happiness. Taking his right hand in both of hers, she held it tightly and heaved a massive sigh of relief. 

"Are you back with us for good this time, Marcus?" She asked critically.

"Yes I think so, although I don't remember waking up before now. I can only remember waking up a little while ago. How many times did I wake up before?" 

"I can't remember, at least once every couple days or so, never for very long though." Chloe said, sadly.

"Chloe?" 

Marcus took his hand out of Chloe's and stroked her cheek. Catching his hand with hers again, she pressed her cheek firmly into his palm as he looked at her. 

He was relieved to see her. She wasn't looking particularly well, but then again, he thought he probably looked worse.

"Well sweetheart, what's the damage? Not too bad I hope." Marcus said, indicating his cut face. 

"It's not that bad, Marcus. Besides, I'm sure it will turn into a very manly scar." Chloe said, teasing him gently.

"I suppose it will. How have you been Chloe? Valentina told me I was in and out for quite a while."

"Oh yes, you were." Chloe said disconsolately. "Each time you woke up I thought you were waking up for good, but you always drifted off again. Even when you were awake you didn't make any sense. You were speaking gibberish and you didn't recognize anyone who tried to talk to you. Even me..." Chloe finished, trailing off as the pain of the memories started to overwhelm her.

Marcus looked over to see Valentina walking out the bedroom door and closing it softly behind her. Through the thick wood of the door he could hear her arguing with someone behind it.

"Mrs. Anatoli, I must see the Commander! The Lords asked me personally to make an evaluation of him and report back to them. They need to know if he is fit for duty."

"You can wait for a moment Master Rallick. He has just now woken and is speaking with his wife." Valentina said, calmly.

"That is absolutely unacceptable madam. I will speak to the Commander at once. You would not stop me from executing my duties as their Lordships have demanded."

"I will not stop you Master Rallick, I am only acting in your best interests."

"What do you mean madam?"

"I suspect that Commander Crassus is quite tired, and would like to confer with his wife before he receives you; he has been unconscious for quite some time now, as you well know. His temper may be slightly frazzled and I am sure that he will not take kindly to being rudely interrupted. So, which would you prefer Master Rallick? Delay your report by ten minutes, or incur the irritation of their Lordships' favorite commander?"

Marcus heard some indistinguishable grumblings from the stranger as he grudgingly assented to the delay.

"Come into the sitting room Master, I imagine it was a long walk from the Infirmary on such a warm day. Let me get you some refreshment while we wait for the Commander." Valentina said, her voice fading as she led the stranger into the living area."

"She's been wonderful." Chloe said from his side, pulling Marcus' attention back to her.

Chloe was looking at him and smiling tiredly. The bags under her eyes were accompanied by damp spots; remnants of tears that had begun to spill as Valentina left. 

"She's been doing things like that all week, taking care of everything, making sure that we weren't bothered by too many officials and visitors. She stood up for us when I couldn't. It's all just been so much, Marcus. I got a little overwhelmed by it all. I mean, you were injured and sick, and I was trying to take care of you, but I couldn't do it alone. Then, the day after you were injured, people started to come and bother us, mostly people from the infirmary trying to see if they could report to the Lords yet, like that man is doing outside."

"Why are the Lords so concerned?" Marcus asked, curious why they were showing so much interest. In the past they had never seemed to care a great deal about injured officers, even commanders. 

"Jarrod probably knows, I have no idea though. I haven't seen much of him. He's been speaking with them and trying to run the battalion on his own since you've been ill. He will probably come by later today." 

Just then a quiet knock at the door interrupted their conversation. A small, wiry old man quietly edged his way into the room. 

He was dressed in the garb of a physician, a uniform similar to that of the Legion, but instead of the typically Legionary Black, the uniform was a royal blue color to indicate his civilian status. A red cross embossed upon a white background decorated both sleeves above the bicep; indicating his station as a member of the Infirmary. Only civilian police or guard forces were allowed to retain their shoulder cords indicating their achievements after retirement, as such the physician's shoulders were bare of any sort of decoration.

"Good day, Commander Crassus. I am Master Chilgo, the physician that's been handling your care." The man whispered quietly.

"Good day, Master Chilgo." Marcus answered in the same hushed voice. "Why are you whispering?"

"I must admit that Mrs. Anatoli snuck me in behind the back of the other physician in the living room. He's not your physician, just a bureaucrat from the Infirmary coming to see if he could get in to see you. The Grand Master of the Infirmary is very eager to report your good health to the Lords. They were quite upset to hear that you had taken ill after the unfortunate incident with the blood transfusion."




Marcus of Duros Ch. 07



"I was told there was no transfusion Master Chilgo, am I wrong?" Marcus asked, confused.

"No, you're quite right. There was no transfusion, but there should have been. An administrator reviewed the case and felt that there was no need for a transfusion, despite the insistence of your attending physicians, myself included. That very same administrator is sitting in your living room, as it happens. Because of the administration's decision, you got quite sick as a result of the oxygen deprivation. Now they are in serious hot water with their Lordships. They were furious that you were overlooked. I don't even want to think about what they would have done had you not survived."

An audible inhalation from Chloe jarred the physician out of his clinical chatter. Looking over, Marcus saw that Chloe's eyes were still wet with unshed tears.

"Sorry ma'am." The physician apologized quietly.

"Master Chilgo this has been very difficult for my wife. I am sure you mean well, but I would like to be unencumbered by visitors as soon as possible, that other Master in my living room is no exception. Can we please talk about my recovery?"

"Yes of course, I'm very sorry Commander, I wasn't thinking." Chilgo said, his voice still hushed.

"Of course, Master Chilgo. Now, about my recovery..."

The short physician nodded and leaned in, unbuttoning the shirt Marcus was wearing. Slowly pulling back the bandages on his chest and abdomen, the great long gashes were revealed, all neatly stitched together; still slightly red from irritation.

"The stitches have held well. No sign of infection; just a little redness. That's normal for such large lacerations. The stitches can probably come out sometime next week, and the wounds should be completely closed up around a week after that. These bandages are excellent by the way, but I didn't put these on; I haven't been able to get back to see you in several days."

"That was Mrs. Anatoli and myself." Chloe answered the physician. "We saw his dressings were a little bloody so we changed them ourselves rather than have you come all the way across the city."

"Well I dare say the matrons are teaching you some useful skills at the Forum ma'am." The grizzled man smiled at Chloe. "Any other medical skills you're holding out on? Do I even need to come back and take out his stitches?" 

Chloe blushed with embarrassment under the scrutiny of the aging master. "I would certainly feel much more comfortable if you did it Master Chilgo. I can't say that I've had much practical experience with sutures. Besides, I'd rather keep the amount of medical work I have to do on my husband to a minimum." Chloe answered, looking significantly at Marcus as she finished.

"Quite right, I understand completely." Chilgo said, grinning at Marcus. "Well, that should be all. There is no infection, the gashes are healing nicely, and it seems you are in full control of your mental faculties once again. I should warn you to keep physical exertions to a limit, and don't try to walk a great distance until I come back to take the stitches out. Along those lines... I would suggest keeping any sort of intimacy between yourselves as passive as possible; wouldn't want to rip the stitches out ahead of schedule." Chilgo winked at Marcus and set about replacing his bandages and shirt.

"Thank you for coming so discretely Master Chilgo," Marcus said, his cheeks coloring slightly from embarrassment. "Could I ask you to make your exit much in the same way so that my wife and I could have a few more minutes before I am interrogated by the master in my living room?"

"Of course, Commander. I'll see you next week to take those stitches out."

Chilgo stood up and padded over to the door, opening it as quietly as possible. With a devilish wink he exited through the door, closing it behind him slowly. From the living room Marcus could hear Valentina laughing loudly at something the man she was currently distracting had said, possibly attempting to cover the sound of Master Chilgo's exit from the apartment. 

Turning his attention back to Chloe, Marcus realized he had no idea what to say to her; he felt horribly guilty for the suffering he had subjected her to. While it was true he himself had sustained great injuries, at the end of the execution he had passed out, and had been blissfully unaware of any pain or discomfort at all until an hour ago. Chloe on the other hand had been through more than a week of it.

Marcus wasn't quite sure how to explain why he consented to be the executioner for the condemned man. He supposed that there was some fear involved. If he refused the honor the men had given him, he might be labeled as a coward not only by the men, but by the Lords as well. While that was certainly a good motivator, he had to admit to himself that it was exciting to be called. 

When the crowd in the Hall had settled on his name he recalled how adrenaline coursed through him. The idea of going up against another man with swords as their weapons and only one winner had been exhilarating. In the end he hadn't given much credence to the possibility that he could be mortally wounded in the arena. Marcus admitted to himself that it was probably his own ego that nearly ended his life. He likely could have deferred the honor to one of his junior officers and the crowd would have settled for it, but in the end he got so wrapped up in the thrill that he wasn't thinking about the consequences.

Marcus came to this conclusion with a great deal of self-loathing. Seldom in his career had he made choices in the thrill of the moment as opposed to thinking through them and weighing the consequences. He was even more shocked that he had done so without thinking about what impact his actions could have on others. He wasn't alone anymore; he had Chloe to think about. Just as a commander shouldn't take unnecessary risks, a husband should avoid it much in the same way. 

The more Marcus thought about it, the guiltier he felt. What if she was pregnant from their intimacy the previous days? Granted it was only a few times, and while that was rarely enough to result in a pregnancy in this day in age, it was certainly possible. What if he had died with their baby on the way, forcing her to take a severance pension and raise their child alone?

Looking at her, Marcus could tell she expected him to say something. 

"Chloe... I... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. It wasn't fair to go into the arena with that man without thinking about the consequences. Of course I didn't expect to be hurt so badly, but seeing how it all ended, I suppose that wasn't too far outside the realm of possibility. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry I put you in this position. I'm sorry for how difficult I've made the past few days for you. And lastly, I'm sorry that I didn't think enough about what I was agreeing to, and how it would impact you. I promise that I will do better from here on out."

As he finished she looked at him critically, taking several moments to collect herself before she answered.

"I accept your apology. You're right, it was wrong of you to not think about how it would affect me. I know that you probably didn't think you would get hurt in there, but you did. It was reckless of you to go in, guns blazing, without thinking it through first. You left me out in the dark. I had no idea what was going on, and I hadn't even gotten to talk to you before you went in. This whole week I've been thinking about that. What if you hadn't woken up? What if you'd died and I'd never gotten to say any sort of goodbye. You're a commander of the Legion, your safety is in jeopardy constantly when you're on campaign. I can accept that, not happily, but I accept it because you have a job to do. Going into that arena to kill that man was not your job. You did not have to accept that. I think the worst part of it all was that I had to watch. I had to watch you get cut to pieces and fall and not get back up. I thought you were dead. Then they rushed you out on a litter so fast that it took all of us nearly an hour to get to the infirmary and find out you weren't dead. That whole time I thought you had died right in front of me, and I hadn't even gotten to say goodbye."

As Chloe spoke, tears cascaded down her cheeks; her words choked with emotion and pain. Marcus felt a deep sadness as she told him what she had been feeling. He himself felt tears prick his eyes as the guilt in his heart was increased tenfold. 

"Chloe, I am so sorry that I did that to you, and I promise, I will never make that mistake again." Marcus managed through the lump in his throat.

Chloe buried herself in a furious hug into Marcus' side; clinging to him as if she feared he would float away. Marcus recognized that she didn't want him to say any more. She simply wanted to be held, so he hugged her back just as hard. 

After a few minutes Chloe stopped crying and her breathing began to level out. Pulling herself up from his side where she had been lying she sighed.

"I didn't hurt you did I?" Chloe asked tentatively.

"No, why?" Marcus answered curiously.

"Well, I was hugging you a little tight, that's all." She said with embarrassment.

"I think I'll live." Marcus said with a grin.

"Good. Thanks for letting me say what I had to say, Marcus. I needed to get it off my chest. I'm also glad you realize how reckless it was, but I don't want to scold you. I want us to move past this and get on with our lives. Let's chalk it up to a teachable moment and leave it at that, shall we?" Chloe finished, winking at Marcus teasingly.

"Right... teachable moment." Marcus answered, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Right now, all I want to do is get you healthy again, alright?" 

"A solid plan if ever I heard one. Did Master Chilgo say anything about me being allowed to get up and walk around?"

"He said that you'd probably be fine with getting up and going short distances, but that you would probably be too weak to go anywhere on your own."

"Weak, huh?" Marcus said, challengingly.

Chloe rolled her eyes and snorted. 

"It's not an insult, just a professional opinion. Why are you men always so eager to take offense? If you think you can get up and run around, you go right ahead."

As she finished speaking, Marcus grinned at her. "Perhaps it would be best to heed the professional opinion after all." He said casually.

"He also said that once you woke up you would be very hungry after sleeping for so long with so little nutrition, and that we should attempt to feed you something solid if you felt ready for it." Chloe replied

Marcus grinned. Just as she was speaking he had felt his stomach rumble with intense dissatisfaction; something he had failed to notice until now. 

"I am hungry." Marcus admitted sheepishly. "Is there anything already made in the kitchen?"

"Tell you what tough-guy; I'll go see if there is something for you to eat, and if so I'll bring it and the other master from the infirmary in to check on you so we can get him out of Valentina's hair." Chloe said, kissing him on the cheek as she rose from the bed.

"Alright." Marcus answered. "Thank you, Chloe."

"You're very welcome, Marcus." Chloe said, smiling as she exited the room.

Several minutes passed before she returned; a large mug in hand and the enthusiastic master in tow.

"Commander Crassus, sir," the overweight man said, snapping a brisk salute, "it is an honor to meet you. I am Master Rallick from the Infirmary. I was ordered by their Lordships themselves to make an examination of your progress and give them a report. You are scheduled to lead a campaign in a few weeks and the Lords want to make sure your health is evaluated before you are cleared for duty."

"Welcome, Master Rallick. I trust my wife and our dear friend Valentina have seen that you had some refreshment?" Marcus answered coldly as Chloe handed him the mug filled with steaming beef broth.

"Oh yes, Mrs. Anatoli was most hospitable. Such a nice woman." The master answered enthusiastically. Evidently his temper had been softened by Valentina's knack for politicking. "Your wife as well, of course." Rallick finished, flushing slightly at the accidental slight.

"Of course." Marcus answered, sipping the beef broth with vigor. "Now I believe you have an examination to begin."

"Of course, Commander, I will try to be as quick as possible."

The master began a physical inspection of the wounds, paying special attention to the laceration to Marcus' stomach. Evidently it held the greatest concern for him.

"Lift your leg upwards, sir?"

Marcus lifted his right leg upwards towards the ceiling, supported slightly by Rallick's hand underneath his knee. 

"Hold it there as long as you can. I'm interested to see if your stomach muscles have begun to heal satisfactorily. Right now by keeping your leg inclined you are forcing your core to work extremely hard compared to how sedentary you've been recently due to your condition."

As he spoke, Rallick removed his hand, leaving Marcus' leg suspended in the air. After several moments a mild shake began as Marcus struggled to keep his leg lifted. 

"Don't worry if you shake slightly, sir. That's natural after what you've been through. I just want to see how long you can keep your leg in the air."

Marcus kept his leg suspended for nearly a minute until it fell back to the bed.

"Excellent, sir, if you had been unable to keep it suspended for more than a few moments there would be cause for concern. I'm fairly certain that if you're willing to try we could get you on your feet in a matter of minutes."

"Certainly, let's try, Master Rallick. I dare say I've been in this bed long enough."

With Chloe's help, Rallick oriented Marcus to a sitting position at the side of the bed with his feet flat on the floor. 

"Sit like this for just a moment, if you would, sir. Often when there has been significant blood loss an individual can feel lightheaded after exercise."

Marcus sat, as requested, and finished the last of the broth Chloe had brought in. A ravenous hunger had hit him as began to eat, and it was no better now that he had finished an entire mug of broth.

"Master Rallick what would you say about eating some more solid food? A stew perhaps? I do believe that my appetite has come back."

"Certainly, shall we attempt to get you mobile first?"

"Absolutely, let's continue."

With a great push, Marcus forced himself off the bed and onto his feet, supported at each arm by Rallick and Chloe. 

"Well that wasn't so terrible. I don't feel lightheaded at all. A little tired perhaps, but nothing serious."

"Let's try to walk you over to the dresser, sir."

After a few tentative steps, the trio walked Marcus confidently across the bedroom, then back again. Rallick had Marcus sit back on the bed as he checked his heart rate.

"Barely elevated. That's a very good sign. You will probably feel able to walk anywhere you please, Commander, but if you try to walk a greater distance, outside the apartment perhaps, you will reach a point where you are too exhausted to continue. It's a simple fact of major blood loss, but I'm sure your experience in the Legion has taught you that."

Marcus grunted in agreement, slightly irritated by the point the man made, however correct it was. At this moment he had a huge craving for Danny's stew with empanadas. 

"Let me just check your sutures and I'll take my leave." Rallick continued. 

Master Rallick took several minutes checking over Marcus' wounds for signs of infection or incorrectly placed sutures. When he had finished he straightened his uniform, and said his goodbyes.

"As soon as your stitches have been removed I will return and walk you across the city. That will be the last test to confirm that you are indeed ready for combat again. In the meantime I will inform their Lordships that your progress is remarkable, considering the circumstances, and that I am optimistic that you will make a full recovery in time for your campaign."

Marcus' curiosity was piqued by the master's emphasis on his campaign. 

"Master Rallick, I have one question for you before you go. Why are their Lordships so concerned about me and the campaign? I'm quite sure that one of my captains could take my place to see the campaign through, in the event that I am still indisposed when the time comes."

"You are quite right, Commander. Perhaps you might ask them yourself, but I would speculate that it is because under your command most campaigns your battalion has undertaken have been successful. You are a great asset to the state, if I may say so, sir."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Master Rallick. Thank you for coming. You're dismissed."

"Yes, Commander."

Master Rallick snapped a quick salute and left, evidently eager to report his findings to the Lords. Marcus had no doubt that Rallick was very much a political animal in stark contrast to Chilgo. Chilgo's easy demeanor and kindly attitude left the impression that he truly cared about Marcus and his health. Rallick's interest seemed entirely fixated upon Marcus' ability to serve.

"Well, he seemed... nice." Chloe said from where she stood next to the bed.

"I suppose... if you like bureaucratic monkeys. I suspect his caring demeanor is more or less a mask that he puts on when it pleases him. He knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with Valentina once his bluster and bullying failed to garner any results, so he switched tactics. Don't let Valentina think that just because he turned nice after she started offering him food that she was the cause of his temper reversal."

"Of course I know that Marcus, I'm not an idiot." Valentina said, coming through the door at the least opportune time. "I also suspect that you wouldn't be so condescending if you weren't starving. 

In front of her Valentina carried a bowl, and a small plate of empanadas.

"Danny came by. He didn't stay, but he told me these are your absolute favorite."

"Humph. His ears must have been burning. I was just thinking about his empanadas. Can I eat them at the table though? I'm tired of laying in this bed and my body hurts from being still for so long."

As Valentina carried the food back into the dining room, Chloe helped Marcus to his feet again. Walking confidently, albeit with Chloe's hand gripping his arm, Marcus made his way down the hall with little difficultly, only wincing slightly when his stitches pulled. As he took his seat at the table, Valentina and Chloe sat down as well, tucking into the same stew that Marcus was. Evidently, Danny had brought plenty. 

"He brought more empanadas as well, but I figured we should keep a limit on how much food you eat in a sitting. The liquid diet Master Chilgo had you on may have upset your stomach slightly." Valentina said in between spoonfuls.

Marcus was irritated with the amount of directives being shot his way. He was unaccustomed to taking orders from Valentina, but apparently she had promoted herself to the position of head nurse. 

As he thought more about it, Marcus had to admit that it was only his bruised ego talking. Valentina's had worked tirelessly throughout his illness, keeping watch over Chloe and himself, at the cost of her own family's happiness. Perhaps not her family's exactly, but Anatoli's certainly; playing wife for the past week must have been a huge reversal for him. 

******


Over the next few days Marcus and Chloe settled into a comfortable schedule. They went to bed early, and slept in late. They didn't go out, but spent all their time inside with visitors, of which there was abundance. They didn't have to cook much either as Danny and his wife were only too happy to bring over Marcus' favorites on a regular basis. 

Despite Marcus's insistence, Danny wouldn't accept any coins in exchange for the food, which must have cost quite a bit to make and transport. Finally, after four days of repeated refusals from Danny, Marcus sent one of the young legionnaires who stood guard at the door on a mission. He filled a small bag with coins equaling the approximate value he knew the food to be, plus a little extra for the trouble and told the young man to order a small meal for himself and leave the amount in the purse as a tip. Danny was too proud to accept money from Marcus, but he would surely take it from someone he did not know.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 07



Visitors and well-wishers poured in daily, their visits sometimes overlapping, prompting impromptu gatherings. Among the guests, Jarrod visited most frequently. His visits were more often to discuss battalion business rather than for pleasure since they would spend hours poring over paperwork and personnel files. The last campaign had made a bit of a dent in their strength; as such they had new transfers from the War College to look over.

Assignment into a battalion after graduating from the War College was a convoluted process. Since the mandated strength of the Legion was kept at 16 battalions, a posting in one as a legionnaire was dependent upon a battalion having a vacant post. Occasionally there were more graduates than open posts. In this instance, senior battalion officers would receive files on all graduates available for service and from this pool the officers would pick the ones they wanted in their battalion, the rest would be referred back to the College. 

Graduates who were not selected were stuck in a sort of limbo; they had graduated from the College, but were undesired by a battalion. During this unassigned time the graduates worked tutoring younger students in exchange for room and board at the College, but since they were not men of the Legion yet, they could not leave the College grounds. At the end of four years, if a graduate still had not been assigned to a battalion, a special committee would force their assignment into a battalion, usually resulting in the senior battalion officers resenting the transferred man and overlooking him for promotions or special assignments.

On the last day before Marcus was to have his stitches removed, Jarrod returned with the final list of possible replacements for the battalion.

"I didn't want to make any decisions on these before I had run it through with you, but obviously your illness has set us back a few days. We need to make our selections and return it to the College for transfer immediately or we will be undermanned for the next campaign." Jarrod said as they sat down at the dining room table.

"Alright then, let's get to work. How many vacancies do we have?"

"Seventy. There were the fifty-seven that were killed in battle, as well as thirteen that are currently unassigned due to severe injury. Most of them are still in the Infirmary and are likely to take the disability pension and early retirement."

"How many graduates are there to choose from?"

"One hundred and twenty."

"A wide margin this time around. Judging by your lack of boxes and assistants to carry the load of files, you've already made most of the selections?" Marcus asked.

"That's correct. Sixty of them were top choices. Excellent grades, well rounded types; pretty much no-brainer selections. That being said there are still ten slots. Oh, and don't forget there is a promotion necessary after Lieutenant Dillion's death. Paxton is now the Battalion's senior lieutenant, but we need to make a suggestion to their Lordships for a sergeant you wish to promote to lieutenant to take command of Dillon's platoon. Do you have any thoughts on that before we go over the prospects from the College?"

"I haven't given it too much thought. What do you think of Sergeant Singh?"

"Prajaht Singh? Senior non-com for Dillion's old platoon?"

"That's the one."

"Isn't he a little old? I think he's in his mid-thirties already."

Jarrod's confusion was understandable. Typically, War College students took one of two paths during their period of training. A small minority who excelled in leadership and tactics were given advanced training during their time at the College. It was these courses that would give them the ultimate leg-up for promotion to the officer's track when they became legionnaires. All other students pursued combat and technical training more intensively. While they were valuable members of any battalion, it was uncommon for any of them to be promoted above sergeant, typically staying in the non-commissioned officer bracket until the end of their career. In Sergeant Singh's case he was one of the latter, and only a few years away from retirement.

"He distinguished himself during the last campaign, if I recall correctly. He didn't get the requisite training at the College, but I understand that he took quite a shine to Dillion. I wouldn't be surprised if Dillion taught Singh a few things in exchange for his mentorship."

"I would have to agree." Jarrod said. "Tell you what... I'll interview him at the barracks, then, if I think he's up to it, I'll send the recommendation papers over for you to sign. You have an audience with the Lords in two days right? You can make your recommendation verbal as well."

"Perfect." Marcus said with finality. "Now, let's move on to those other replacements."

For the next two hours Marcus and Jarrod poured over the last ten slots they had to fill. The replacements were nothing special. All of them had done only passably well at the academy, but thankfully only one of them had ever had any disciplinary issues.

******

After Jarrod left a profound quiet settled on the apartment. There had been visitors nearly non-stop during the daylight hours for the past few days, but now the apartment echoed with silence. While Marcus delighted in the distraction from his itchy sutures which were now begging to come out, he was relieved for some privacy. 

During Marcus' meeting with Jarrod in the dining room, Chloe had been sitting in the living room reading one of her books. Now that Jarrod was gone he made his way out into the living room.

She was reclining gracefully in one of the armchairs, her legs folded in under her while she nestled into the plush armchair. Her hands gripped the book firmly and she was biting her lip absentmindedly, evidently too engrossed in the book to notice his arrival. 

Marcus was not entirely sure what had gotten into Chloe recently. Ever since he had woken up he felt remarkably refreshed and fairly healthy considering the circumstances, but as much as he yearned for her attention, Chloe did not seem to return the sentiment. Aside from quick kisses on the cheek or a kind word or embrace, they had neither spoken, nor interacted very much at all. She was still the same as he remembered in most respects, but their love life had recently taken an icy turn. 

Each night when they would get ready for bed he would reach out to touch her warm skin, or perhaps kiss her gently on the nape of the neck, and every time she would elude his grasp, slowly pulling away from him. While it wasn't an overt action, it felt like a slap in the face to Marcus. In fact it was a complete reversal from the Chloe he had known before his injuries. The old Chloe would have welcomed his touch, perhaps even encouraged it. It was as if her desire for intimacy had dried up completely. Instead of being loving partners, now they seemed to Marcus to be no more than good friends sharing a bed and an apartment.

Earlier in the day Marcus had decided to talk with her about it, but usual parade of visitors had prevented it. He thought he might have time in the afternoon, but Jarrod's visit had cut into that significantly. He needed to ensure that no one else would bother them for the evening. 

Just then an idea popped into his head. The legionnaires that had volunteered for guard duty outside were still posted there. 

Marcus had no idea why there was any need for guard duty. There were policemen all around the city, besides that, his injuries had been inflicted by a man who was now dead, and the threat of retribution from one of the man's friends was only theoretically possible; practically speaking absolutely impossible. Executioners had never been attacked by the friends of those they had dispatched in the entire history of Duros. Still, although dramatic, their presence provided an invaluable service whenever Marcus needed anything brought to the apartment, or a message run to the barracks. 

Walking across the living room over to the hallway that lead to the door he opened it and spoke briefly to the men standing "guard." 

"Legionnaire-" He said, addressing the elder of the two. 

"Yes, Commander? What can we do for you?" The young man asked.

"I'm not feeling too well this evening and I'm quite tired. Could you inform any other visitors that come calling that I won't be able to see them tonight?" Marcus said quietly.

"Yes of course, Commander. Would you like one of us to fetch the physician?"

"No, no, that's not necessary." Marcus said, irritated by the man's initiative which could jeopardize his plan. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Good evening, Commander. We'll make sure you aren't disturbed." The legionnaire said, snapping a quick salute as Marcus shut the door.

With the threat of interruptions from future company no longer a concern, Marcus decided it was time to confront Chloe.

As he headed to the living room, a knot of anxiety hit his stomach. What will she say? Maybe she didn't really mean it when she said she'd forgiven me for what I p-ut her through... 

As he walked into the room, Chloe looked up from her book.

"Is everything alright, Marcus? You look tense." She asked, her forehead creased with concern.

"No, I'm not alright. I'm worried Chloe."

"Oh? About what?"

"Us. You and I."

"What are you worried about with you and I?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. 

"Well," Marcus started hesitantly, "ever since I've woken up it seems like you're a different person. We barely talk, it feels like you've been avoiding me, and every time I go to kiss you, or touch you, you move away. Is it me? I know I don't exactly look the same as I did when we first were married..." Marcus said, indicating the ugly gash that split his cheek and eyebrow.

"Oh, Marcus... that's not it at all. Please don't think I'm that shallow. I'm sorry if you thought I was being distant on purpose."

"Well... if it's not that, what is it? You admit that you've been distant, so why is that?"

"Well I think more than anything else I've been busy thinking."

"Oh? About what?"

"Well, I was relieved when you finally woke up permanently, not just waking up to scream nonsense only to pass out again. I was so happy for the first day because for those ten days I wasn't sure if you would ever wake up again. Then when you did wake up I was struck by the realization of how fast we went with everything before you go hurt... don't get me wrong, I wasn't lying when I said I loved you, but I just realized that in those few days I was so infatuated with you, and taken aback by your kindness, that I got a little wrapped up in the emotion of it all. It scared me how fast we had progressed, and I wasn't sure how to express it, or if I should at all."

"So... you don't love me? Is that what you're trying to say?" Marcus asked, confused.

No! Well... I'm not sure, Marcus. We only knew each other for three days before you went into the arena. Don't get me wrong they were lovely days, and I've never been happier, but it was still just three days. I feel like we didn't really get much time to know each other, we spent so much of it being intimate and having sex. I think that my concern comes out of how worried I was when I wasn't sure if you'd be waking up. We had had plenty of sex in those three days, but if it came down to it, that's all I really would have had to remember my husband by. I know so little about you, about your life, Marcus. I was worried then that I would never get the opportunity to really know you. Now that you're better I worry that you don't actually want to get to know me that well. Every day we've had visitors, or more specifically, you've had visitors and we've had practically no time together, then when it's time for bed you reach for me and I start to worry that our relationship is only a sexual one for you..." 

Marcus sat down on the couch across from Chloe's chair, stunned by her declarations.

"Chloe, you must know that our relationship means so much more to me than just sex, don't you?"

"How am I supposed to know, Marcus? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. The fact of the matter is that we'd been spending the majority of our time together in bed, and that would have been fine, except then you went and got yourself cut up so badly that we all thought you were going to die. Then when you woke up, I expected you to realize how precious our time together is, and that it's limited. I expected you to want to spend time together and pick up where we left of, just like I did. Instead, you received every single visitor that came calling, and only reached out to me at night, and only physically even then."

"Oh Chloe... I'm so sorry that it came off that way. I hear what you're saying. It's just that when I woke up I felt like I had missed so much that I wanted to see everyone who came. I didn't mean to ignore you, or make you feel like I only needed you around for sex. I am so grateful for everything you did while I was ill, and I'm so sorry that I had to put you through that."

"I know you are, Marcus, and we understand each other's views on the necessity of you serving as executioner, but that's no longer the point."

"I know, I know. I've been letting you down. I'm sorry for that. So, tell me what I can do to make it up to you, and how we can fix this."

"For starters, stop taking so many visitors. It breaks my heart that we only have a couple weeks left until you leave again. Who knows how long you'll be gone, and if you'll come back at all."

Tears began to slip down Chloe's cheeks. Evidently the experience of watching him come back from the brink of death had made the idea of Marcus' mortality less of an abstract concept to her. Pushing himself up from where he sat across from her he walked over and scooped her into his arms, sitting back down again with her sheltered in a warm hug.

"Tell you what? Until I leave again for the campaign, I won't receive any visitors past lunch. The afternoons and evenings will be all ours. We will do nothing sexual until the night before I leave, and even then, if you don't want to do anything that night, we won't. I want to spend all of our time together learning as much as possible about each other. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. Thank you for understanding, Marcus." She smiled up at him

.

******

Marcus and Chloe spent the rest of the evening talking. For the purposes of their agreement they decided to talk about their childhoods first, which they discussed at great length. Chloe talked about her family and their apartment in the civil district. Her father had been a corporal in the 5th Battalion. He retired when his service was up and he became a governmental aid for their Lordships, something to do with the Treasury, but Chloe wasn't quite sure. 

Unlike Chloe, who had remained at home until she was eighteen, Marcus had been sent to the War College when he was eight, and hadn't seen his parents since he left home. Chloe was mortified when she learned this, but Marcus insisted that it did not bother him. She seemed confused when Marcus explained that it was his choice not to visit his parents, but did not press the issue. 

Finally, after talking for hours, they went to bed without any sort of intimacy apart from a goodnight kiss, as per their agreement. As Marcus watched Chloe's sensual curves rise and fall as she slept, he kicked himself slightly for brokering such a harsh agreement. He admitted to himself that it was the right choice, but he would miss the feeling of her warm body wrapped around him, and the euphoric pleasure of thrusting himself inside her.

******

Master Chilgo returned in the morning to remove Marcus' sutures as promised. Marcus was not looking forward to the experience. Having had stitches several times before he was quite familiar with the discomfort of having them removed, and this time there were many more than usual. 

Chilgo tutted as Marcus winced as he cut the threads and pulled the stitches from Marcus' skin. 

"A commander of the Legion, and you whine about a few stitches. When I was in the Legion, men wouldn't whine unless a limb was severed; we would barely blink at a couple little stitches."

Marcus stopped wincing and immediately began to glare at the grizzled little physician who was abusing him verbally now, as well as physically.

"There, see?" Chilgo said, humorously. "Now you're mad at me, instead of whining like a baby. Hold still now, I'm nearly done."

Marcus looked over at Chloe for distraction as Chilgo began to pull the last stitches out of his abdomen. She looked at him sympathetically and blew him a kiss. Marcus smiled as he reflected on how much stronger their relationship had grown in only an evening. Overall he was pleased with their progress, but he was even more enthusiastic about the future. With nearly two weeks before his next campaign, who knew how close they would become.

After Chilgo had taken his leave Chloe began to cook them breakfast. Marcus had grown tired of empanadas from Danny's, so Chloe cooked him a huge bowl of oatmeal and fresh spiced sausage from the market. 

The rest of the day passed unremarkably with Marcus filling out paperwork that Jarrod had sent over from the Barracks as Chloe watched intently, asking him for various explanations about the logistical workings of the battalion. After Marcus had finished with the pile of paperwork and had dispatched it back to the Barracks, he and Chloe spend the remainder of the day talking, this time mainly about Marcus' earlier campaigns after he graduated from the War College. 

Although Marcus and Chloe had made great strides in learning more about each other, he was still unwilling to discuss the campaign that had been the subject of his recurrent nightmares. Chloe for her part seemed to have forgotten Marcus' nightmare debacle in all the frenzy of the past couple weeks, so it slipped conveniently by the wayside. He had no doubt that it was something he should discuss, but he wasn't ready. Not just yet.

******

The next day marked the return of Master Rallick, thankfully without any of the self-righteous rudeness that had preceded his introduction to Marcus several days prior. 

After a cursory inspection of Marcus' wounds, the two set off for the Market. It was the first time Marcus had been outside the apartment in a very long time, and despite the ramblings Rallick, Marcus greatly enjoyed the walk. 

Contrary to Rallick's admonitions to keep the pace slow, Marcus sped ahead at his typical walking pace; the overweight master huffing to maintain pace with him. 

"Commander... perhaps we ought to slow... down. I wouldn't want... you to collapse. Your condition...is still quite fragile..." Rallick entreated desperately.

Marcus sneered slightly as he listened to Rallick struggle to keep pace behind him and issue directives at the same time. He was irked that the physician seemed to have let the perceived power of his office go to his head. 

Rallick had spent the majority of their journey thus far treating Marcus to a non-stop monologue about the gloriousness of their Lordships, and how he had gained their favor after years of loyal service as an Infirmary administrator. Marcus seriously doubted the veracity of the claim, as Rallick's most recent error had nearly cost Marcus his life; not something their Lordships were likely to overlook.

As they walked around the Market people began to recognize Marcus and bouts of applause and cheers began to break out among small groups of shoppers. Before long, crowds of people surged forward in a crushing embrace; wives and young children shaking his hand, their fathers and husbands saluting warmly. Marcus appreciated the well-wishers, but it was Rallick who basked the most in the crushing attention of the crowd.




Marcus of Duros Ch. 07



Finally, as they were walking near Danny's Lunchroom, Danny himself stepped outside to see what was causing the commotion. Sizing up the situation immediately, he shoved his way through the growing crowd and grabbed hold of Marcus' arm. Leading Marcus back through the mob towards his front door, a protesting Rallick in tow, Danny pushed the pair inside and closed the door behind him.

Inside it was quiet. The crowd outside rapidly dispersed as Danny refused them entry. Only a few patrons occupied tables, it still being early for lunch. One of the tables, however, was occupied by Lieutennant Paxton and his new wife; Josephine.

Paxton had sought a patron just a day after they had returned from the African campaign. Moving fairly quickly, his patron had found a bride that he was satisfied with in just two days. The pair had visited earlier in the week, as Paxton was eager to introduce his new wife to just about anyone who would listen. It was understandable; Paxton's excitement was fairly common among young men who were recently married. After spending the majority of their adolescence looking at women only from afar, the recent contact was a stimulating new experience. 

Josephine for her part was an interesting choice on Paxton's part; her beauty was an uncommon type. She was extremely tall, only a few centimeters shorter than Paxton himself, and this was in essence what set her apart from other women. 

Paxton was a fairly tall man, taller even than Marcus, making Josephine of approximately equal height to Marcus. All other aspects of Josephine's figure were fairly average. The only other glaring exception was her eyes, in that they were startlingly blue, almost comparable to the ocean that hit the shore not far from the restaurant in which she now sat.

Paxton, who was at that moment tucking into a large bowl of Danny's famous stew, just then noticed Marcus for the first time. His eyes widening with surprise he stood up quickly to salute as Marcus walked towards him with Danny and Rallick in tow. 

"How are you Lieutennant?" Marcus asked, returning his salute. 

"I'm well, thank you, Commander. I must say, I'm pleased to see you out and about."

"Well, that makes two of us." Marcus laughed. "How are you, Josephine, I swear you've gotten prettier since last I saw you."

"Perhaps your eyesight is just improving after your little tumble!" Danny laughed. "She was always a beauty, and so tall too. If I were thirty years younger..."

"I heard that!" Shrieked Charlotte from the kitchen. 

Marcus chucked as Charlotte emerged from the kitchen, planting a quick peck on his cheek before confronting her rowdy husband.

"Stop embarrassing the poor girl... and you," she said, turning and pointing at Marcus, "are becoming just as bad. Now are you here for lunch or some other business?"

"Lunch I suppose, Danny rescued us from the crowd. They've become a little more exuberant recently; I don't think I've ever been swarmed like that."

"You're their hero Marcus, not to mention you cheated death despite all attempts to the contrary. It's no wonder they throng to you. You're probably the most popular commander in the Legion... for now that is. The masses can be so fickle." Charlotte chuckled.

"Commander Crassus, we really must be going! I have to finish my evaluation and report to their Lordships." Rallick gasped from where he stood next to Danny.

Danny raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Rallick incredulously. 

"I'm quite certain that the Commander is in better shape than you are, Master. He looks as well as I've ever seen; the exercise has invigorated him, whereas for you, it has elicited a certain... sheen." Danny said sardonically, indicating the master's sweaty appearance.

Flushed with embarrassment, Rallick turned towards the door. Muttering something to Marcus about reporting back to their Lordships of his good health, Rallick quickly made his exit, walking back up the street and out of sight of the restaurant. 

"Now that he's gone I'll see about getting you some lunch to join your Lieutennant, Marcus." Danny said, chuckling at the master's quick retreat.

"Thank you, Danny, for both." Marcus said, winking at Danny and Charlotte as they retreated back to the kitchen.

******

Marcus spent the rest of the hour sitting and visiting with Paxton and Josephine. Paxton informed him that he intended to compete in the war games being held that winter, after which he asked Marcus if he would have any interest in being his sponsor.

War Games were a grand tradition of Duros ever since its very earliest days of statehood. Young men would compete in four separate events that represented the ideals of a Durosian Legionnaire's skill. 

First was a footrace around the arena in the War College. Its length was approximately five kilometers, so the competitors were forced to run multiple laps around the arena, encouraged by the crowd who watched from above. The competitors were then given scores based on how well they finished in the race. 

The second event was a rifle marksmanship competition. At the end of this event their scores were added to the first set, and the Games continued on. In the third event the young men fought with dulled swords in a swordsmanship competition. The final event was a boxing match to test their skill in unarmed combat. At the end of the Games the scores from each competitor were tabulated. The five highest scoring competitors were awarded first through fifth place, and presented with their purses. 

The main draw of the War Games was the purse associated with achieving a winning score. Men who wanted to compete reached out to other citizens to be their sponsors. A sponsor would pay the hefty sum for registration and entry into the Games, usually around 20 aurums. When the Games were finished the winning five competitors were given their purses which were funded with the entry fees paid by all other competitors. First place received thirty percent of the total, second garnered twenty five, and so on by five percent less until the fifth placed competitor, who received ten percent.

In the event that their competitor won, the sponsor was given the amount that they paid for the registration of their competitor, as well as a prearranged percentage, usually around eighty to ninety percent of the purse. In this way, all of the risk was on the sponsors, who incurred losses of 20 aurums should their competitor fail to make the top bracket. Competitors on the other hand risked nothing other than bumps and bruises. The payoff for both, however, was the potential to win fabulous sums of money. 

During the winter when no campaigning occurred there was little to do. War Games broke the monotony, and they were a sort of informal holiday in Duros. Sometimes as many as five hundred men would enter into the competition. As such the purse for even the 5th place competitor was a thousand aurums; a nearly incomprehensible sum of money. Commanders themselves only earned one hundred aurums a year as a starting salary. 

Naturally, with the entry fee being so high, and the slim chance of their contestant being a winner, sponsorship was a rich man's game. Some sponsors gave their sponsorship to numerous men; men who were solid competitors, and good prospects to place. Marcus had once known a retired commander who sponsored fifteen men. Unfortunately for him none of his competitors won.

After Marcus and Paxton agreed on a percentage of eighty for his sponsorship, he paid for Paxton and Josephine's meals as well as his own and took his leave; heading back up the streets in the direction of the commanders' apartment building. Chloe would be sure to notice if he did not return soon. Master Rallick had said that they would be gone an hour at the most, but by now nearly two had elapsed. Marcus hoped it would cause no tension between them. He thought that it probably wouldn't, but he couldn't be sure. After their discussion about the status of their marriage several nights ago he couldn't be sure of anything regarding their relationship.

******