A Baby With My Baby

[Gannicus]

god of the arena Many had died in battle, and Gannicus had been taken prisoner. They had come at him, changing men to keep from dying and to tire him. The fucking Ceaser had finally hit head and left Gannicus sleeping. He had not died on the wooden cross, but instead cut down and hidden until he healed. Healed. He knew he would never wield a sword again. Not as before. He could grip nothing now, but in time he might hold tools. A sword though, never. Gannicus stood outside the door to his brother's home and waited. It had taken months to track someone down from the surviving ones who made it over the mountain. He had yet to lay eyes on Sybil, but he heard news of a German and Syrian living here, and he sought it out to see if they were his brothers. His hope held that they would have news of the girl--and Agron had. His brother had not only honored Gannicus with aiding in her escape, but also in keeping her thus. When pressed for news of his woman, Agron had given word that she would be returning from market soon. With her a babe. His child. Even upon hearing the news he didn't know how he felt. He had never given thoughts to a babe, much less knew how to be a father. He had taken lives his whole life--what did he know of children? While not disbelieving of his friend, his mind still not believe. So he waited for her to return from Market, and for let his eyes see her for himself. To be able to see she was alright. Safe as Agron promised.

^{TAG: Sibyl}

[Sibyl]

love can be a double-edged blade

Sibyl was doing better than she expected to be after everything that had happened. The loss of the man she had loved more than anything was still an aching wound, but she was stronger than most had ever expected -- than she had ever expected. She had traveled with Agron, Nasir, Laeta and the others that had managed to escape the last battle and head over the mountains. It was not too long into their flight when she had started falling ill. She had tried urging the others to go and leave her behind for fear of slowing them down and letting the Romans catch up to them, but those that grew close to her refused to heed her.

Even when she was despairing that she would bring them all to their end, none had abandoned her and it soon was made evident as to what was making her ill. The news was both joyous and terrifying to Sibyl. Joyous because it meant that the gods had blessed her to have a part of Gannicus with her even after his death. Terrifying because she didn't know how to be a mother or what she would do.

Again, in that she was not alone. When others broke off from the larger group and sought their own paths, Sibyl and Laeta had stayed with Agron and Nasir. Once they had found a place to settle, Sibyl was pulled into staying with the two fighters as treasured sister. When it was time for the baby to arive, Nasir and Laeta were their to aid her and Agron lent her what strength that he could.

Now, she had a little one with eyes as blue as her father's and hair that was so far a mixture of the blonde and brown of her parents. Wanting to honor her father's Celtic blood, she called the baby Gwyn. The babe soon became as treasured as her mother and the rest of the chosen family.

On this day, Agron and Nasir had other duties to attend to around the homestead and Sibyl had taken the babe with her to the market. She did not plan to be gone very long as she was just trading some of the medicines she had put together and was picking up different vegetables that they all enjoyed.

So, when she did make it back to the house, she was concerned to see that the door was partially open as she had expected Agron and Nasir to be busy for a few more hours yet. And as Laeta had her own house with her new chosen husband some ways off, Sibyl knew that it was not open for her friend.

Tag: Gannicus

ψ

[Gannicus]

god of the arena Gannicus heard another approaching and he stayed back where he was, waiting for them to grow near. He did not wish to entangle with any guest that were around, but nor would he stay hidden long. He had traveled for so long to find her, and he wished nothing more then to pull her into his arms and hold her. They had long since felt empty without her. Looking down at his wrist he knew that even when holding her that there would never be any strength to it. Not for ages. He could hardly even dress himself, for his hands were weak. Yet if his brother could over come the nail to hands, then Ganniucs would not let himself be a lesser man. He was the champion of capua! He would always press to do better. Hearing the foot steps still, he waited to see if she would enter. Wisely she held back, but upon seeing her alone Gannicus stepped forward. He said nothing, for once in his life he could not bring the words to his lips. He only just stepped forward to look at her . . . and the babe in her arms. That was when the feeling of everything begun to hit him. The sight of the tiny helpless lass that she carried. How was he supposed to protect something so small, when the ROmans had taken away his ability to fight?

^TAG

[Sibyl]

Love is a dangerous blade

Sibyl wasn't sure what she was expecting, but seeing a ghost step out of the shadows of her home was not it.

She stared at him, trying to get her heart to stop it's mad race as she ran her eyes over him. Even though she was not sure what was happening, she found herself stepping forward, Gwyn held protectively against her.

"Gannicus?"

It looked like him. His eyes were still the bright blue that she always saw both in her dreams and in their daughter's tiny face. Only... his eyes were slightly different than she remembered. There was a pain there, now, that had never been there before. There was a few other things that she could not immediately identify. However, in a fracton of a moment, she decided that she did not need to be concerned right in this moment that she couldn't put words to everything in his eyes. What mattered was that he was here.

At least, she hoped that it was really him.

"Tell me true that you are real and not a shade come to torment me." She pleaded softly. "I wanted to die when I heard you were taken from me, but I managed to keep living. Losing you a second time might well finish me off."

She was not being overdramatic, but simply stating truth. Oh, her body might not die right away, not when their babe needed her, but her spirit and heart surely would wither this time. She desperately needed him to be real and for her to be able to touch him, to hold him. She feared that if this turned out to be some trick of the gods she would not be able to stand it. She feared what would happen when caring brothers Agron and Nasir returned home and found her unable to give voice to reason for reawakened grief.

She wanted to believe, wanted to know and accept that he was actually here; that somehow, the gods had spared him and led him back to her. However, she was also afraid to hope as too many times in the past hope led to pain.

notes

Gannicus

ψ

[Gannicus]

god of the arena She looked scared to believe he was here, and when she spoke he could not longer hold back, but instead stepped forward touch her cheek (sine he could no longer cup it with any strength) and to claim her lips with his own. He tilted his body to make sure not to crush the child in her arms, but he could not just stand there while she gave doubt to proof before her. The Roman's might have taken the strength in his hands, but they had not taken it from his kiss, or the way his cock stirred at the touch of her. He broke the kiss when he felt the child move against him, and he stepped back enough to look out, without removing his hand from her neck, where his fingers lingered on her skin. His hand lifted to touch the babe, but hesitated just before touching it, and falling away. "There is much to tell," he agreed looking up from the babe to her face, "but know I am no ghost, but of blood and flesh." His tone held a promise, as he pulled them both into his arms and just held her as best as he could. He inhaled deeply, and the relief at seeing her alive, and finally let out the breath that he had felt like he had been holding since he parted ways with her at the base of the mountain. Placing one last kiss in her hair, he looked down into her face, "I have returned to your side."

^{TAG Sibyl}

[Sibyl]

Love is a dangerous blade

It was only when he stepped to her and touched her cheek that she began to realize he was indeed real and here. His lips upon hers were a reminder of everything that he had made her feel before cruel fate and hated Romans had taken him from her arms. She did not understand how this was possible as she had often railed at her gods for giving him to her and then ripping him away from her.

When he broke the kiss, the loss ached and she had force herself to open her eyes to look up at him. The warmth of his hand on her neck gave steadiness to her that she had long been absent. She smiled very softly as he touched the babe. “She is almost as happy to see her father as her mother is. I have much to tell my beloved heart now that he is here within my arms.”

She knew that Gannicus obviously had much to tell of what happened after they parted at the mountain before he went to battle and she went to seek safer ground. However, what mattered most to her was that she be able to ease the burdens she saw in his eyes.

She stayed close, but moved the babe over so she could look up at her father. “Gannicus, my heart, please meet your daughter. This is Gwyn. Gwyn, this is your father who we sing songs of to you.”

She looked into his face, hoping that he was still able to read all of her feelings and love for him in her eyes like he had always seemed to before.

notes

Tag: Gannicus

ψ

[Gannicus]

god of the arena She looked up at him with so much hope and expectance in those moments that he didn't know how to react. He could only stare at her as she spoke about his daughter--fuck he had a daughter! His eyes fell once again to the babe she held, where he looked at the features, knowing that some how he was supposed to be a father. What did he knew of children? He could not even remember his own father. Had never even known one. Looking back up at her, he knew she awaited a reaction from him, but he had none to give. None he could give besides to stare at her beautiful face and try to figure out what was expected of him. He lacked the strength to hold the baby, he was even too afraid to touch her, knowing his had had only ever killed, not be gentle. "A fine name," he said slowly, his voice thick with the emotion he was trying to hold in. His hand lifted, once again, as if to touch the girl in her arms, but int he last moment he lifted his hand to instead touch Sibyl's hair. "Agron spoke of this, but I did not believe." He believed it, but hadn't really believed it until he had saw Sibyl here safe and with the baby.

^{TAG Sibyl}

[Sibyl]

Gannicus | ### | notes Sibyl could only imagine how surprised by all of this her beloved Gladiator must be. After all, it was not as if they had given much thought to the possibility of children with the threat of Rome constantly hanging over them. In fact, her pregnancy had been as much of a surprise to her as their child must now be to him. She believed that he would possibly need time to accept all of this, and Sibyl would give him whatever time that he needed. She was far more overjoyed with that fact that he was alive and had been returned to her to dwell on might have beens and what might happen. When he said that the babe's name was a fine name, she gave him a watery smile. "I wanted her to have a name that would be of honor to her father and his people. A Celt sired her and she would have a Celt name." She well recalled the confusion and annoyance of some people over her stubbornness of such a thing -- people who were met with blade and sharp-tongued barb from chosen brothers and sister. "Laeta helped me to find what information we could on where you might have hailed from as I wanted to do honor to most beloved heart." Sibyl shifted Gwyn in her arms so that she could reach up to touch Gannicus' face again. "Some things we cannot rightly believe until we lay joyous eyes upon them." Such as her eyes that could not bear to look away from him in even a small way.

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY