I Save You This Time, Brother

[Deleted]

Tag: Agron

Words

I've wasted time, I've wasted breath

Duro had become known for his increasingly good ideas of tactics and planning since this rebellion had gained momentum and expanded. The last few months he had met more and more with Spartacus and his Generals giving them his ideas and input on some of the plans they came up with. He always seemed to come up with ways to make them better and more successful. Agron was always generally thrilled and proud at the end of those meetings.

This was not going to be like one of those meetings. There would be no pride in Agron over his actions in this time.

After he and his brother parted ways, Duro had wandered the camp aimlessly. There had been too many thoughts going around in his head for him to sleep.

Agron must not march with Crixus to Rome. Agron could not march with Crixus. He had life and heart waiting for him here. He had a chance at a good life for the first time him in his life. He had Nasir. He had a heart that relied on him and who loved him beyond anything else in this world.

Duro was.... Duro had Duro and his brother. Nasir was family, as well, but if he were to die he knew that it would not cripple the man. Losing Agron would. Duro had no one to mourn his passing if he fell; and he knew that he would fall. Crixus' plan was doomed to cost them all their lives, but it would be worth it to buy time for the others to live in freedom and safety.

That was when Duro formed his plan.

The first part was easy. He simply took himself to Crixus and said that he was taking Agron's place and marching with him to Rome. His friend had seemed mildly surprised and from the way he was looking into his face for those long moments, Duro was sure that Crixus knew what he was planning. Finally the Gaul had nodded and told him that he welcomed his brother's company in battle. Naevia had looked surprised and then sad, but she said nothing.

Perhaps she understood even better than Crixus did what he was doing. Nasir was like a brother to her and she would want his safety and happiness.

The next part of his plan was harder on Duro's heart, but it needed to be done.

Therefore, on early morning when Agron came out of his shared tent with Nasir to relieve himself before spending a few last moments with Nasir... Duro was waiting.

As Agron passed by him, Duro stepped out of the shadows behind him and brought the pommel of the sword down across the back of his head. When his brother slumped unconscious, Duro quickly caught him, preventing him from hitting the ground. He half carried and half dragged his brother some distance away and hid him with blankets and cloths that he had found. Once Agron was safely hidden from sight, Duro stepped back.

His eyes were burning with tears that he dare not let fall. He knew that this would be the last time he would see his brother and his heart and soul hurt that when Agron awoke it would be in anger as he discovered what his brother had done.

"Forgive me, brother," Duro whispered softly. "But it's my turn to protect you. I hope one day you will forgive me and not hate me for all time."

Swallowing back the pain and the tears, Duro went to gather up his gear. He fell into step with Crixus and Naevia as they led their people off to find battle and blood.

By the time Agron managed to wake up, Duro will have been gone for hours and there would be no chance of him being found. Duro had orchestrated his last battle plan perfectly.

Notes: He believes that he is doing the right thing

template by Sammy @ Adox 2.0

[Agron]

Tag: @duro
Note: Aw man, Aggie is gonna be LIVID!! . . . I LOVE IT! hehe!

blood and battle

ARE ALL I HAVE EVER KNOWN

Agron was not usually caught off guard. Training as a warrior prevented him from being so. But this morning, was filled with heartache. He had spent his final night with Nasir, for he knew of his chances of returning. They both did. Left unsaid, but understood. It was why he had wanted to make the most of the night, and dreaded the morning sun when it was upon them. He would have but a few moments with the man he loved, and would only waste a limited few when his body protested, needing to relieve himself. His mind so distracted with thoughts, that he had not seen it coming. He only remembered standing, and then darkness consuming him. When he opened his eyes, his head felt heavy, difficult to lift. Disorientation consumed him as he tried to blink himself into consciousness. He attempted to sit up, blankets around him, a safe distance way from the others.

What the fuck happened?. Realization was dawning upon him. He scrambled to his feet, finding his way to the crowd where there was a surprised Nasir and a surprised Spartacus. But Agron did not have time to explain. There was only one question that filled his mind. "Where's Duro?" There was no answer. But a look. From both of them. Agron knew the answer before he had even asked the question, but there was a desperate hope within him. "Where is my brother?" He demanded, growing frantic, angry . . . terrified. He saw one reach out to touch him but Agron's gaze held anger, walking away from them to Duro's tent, only to find it empty. He knew that before entering and yet seeing it, only made it more real. He sat on the edge of the make shift bed, swallowing, and feeling the sting of tears threaten to spill from his eyes.

[Deleted]

Tag: Agron

Words

I've wasted time, I've wasted breath

Duro did not for one moment regret the decision to take his brother’s place with Crixus’ army. He believed now, even more so than he did then that it had been the right thing to do. Agron had people that depended on him and loved him. He had always taken care of everyone and now Duro had finally repaid him for all of that.

Even if all of that repayment would be in wounds and blood that his beloved older brother would never see.

At first, the party of Crixus had great amounts of victory. Any resistance they met was swiftly rushed and the army of former slaves had many times to celebrate such victories. They were swelled with pride and confidence over their many victories and the lives they had taken in repayment of debt for all of their fallen brothers and sisters.

But such victories could not last forever and they all should have remembered such lessons after everything else that they had survived.

That final battle, for Duro was well aware that it would be his final battle, saw them outnumbered in a much greater amount than they ever had been.

Duro lost track of how many Romans he sent to the Afterlife, but it seemed like he could not look in any direction and not seen one of the companions he had been with for what seemed so long falling to the ground in rivers of blood.

He felt stinging pain along his side and he knew that he had been wounded badly. The world seemed to slow to a stop as he took in his surroundings. Romans had Crixus and Naevia surrounded and even as they battled valiantly he could see that this was not going to end well for any of them.

It was when he saw those cowardly fucks hold Naevia at blade as they separated Crixus’ head from his neck that he felt a new kind of rage overtake him. It wasn’t just that they had brutally killed his friend, it wasn’t just that they were going to do the same thing to the one that Nasir called sister. It was more that Duro could not control the images in his brain that it could have been Agron that was treated as such.

The roar that ripped from his throat startled the Romans who had thought that the German was beaten.

In the end, it took a sword blade to his side and an almost crushing blow to the back of his head that took the raging German Gladiator down to the earth…

...none could have been more surprised than Duro when he opened his eyes again. Surprise turned to anger when he focused on the two Romans that stood over him.

Fucking Caesar and Crassus. Those fucking assholes who were after their people. Who wanted to kill Spartacus… and Agron… and others that only wanted freedom from shackles and the sting of the whip.

Caesar opened his mouth to speak of Spartacus’ generals -- why did he think that Duro was one of those blessed brothers? -- and what was left of Duro’s self-preservation flew right out of his mind.

It was when he was wrestled to the ground and felt the press of the wood to the backs of his arms that he realized there were worse ways to die than he had ever imagined even in his darkest thoughts.

And when that cocky, laughing bastard Caesar bragged about destroying him as an example of how even the mightiest follower of Spartacus could be taken down and rendered harmless, Duro found the words he should not have and cursed Caesar and Crassus long and hard.

The first spiked nail being driven through his hand by Caesar himself sent spikes of pain throughout his arms and body… and he discovered that there were depths of screaming that even a Gladiator could be reduced to.

“I save you this time, brother,” Duro whispered even as he felt his body go weak and his eyes closed.

His last conscious thought at the moment was at least Agron would never see what had become of him.

Notes: Aww, but he believes he did the right thing in taking Agron's place...

template by Sammy @ Adox 2.0

[Agron]

Tag: @duro

blood and battle

ARE ALL I HAVE EVER KNOWN

Agron had been livid. His over emotional state impossible to maintain. Even for his lover. He had irrationally sought to follow Crixus and his brother to bring him fucking back, but he had been stopped. The rage flooding through him, the fear of losing him. He had thought himself to be at the height of despair . . . but Naevia had returned. With Crixus. Or a piece of him. And that had shattered Agron completely. Whatever far fetched thought of seeing his brother had been snatched from him, left only with the hollow feeling. The loss of his brother, going in his place . . . it was all too much. Agron had gone to his shared tent and unleashed the emotion. Over turning whatever he could, until he felt to his knees and cried out, tears pouring down his cheeks.

He had failed his brother. Failed in protecting him. And now, was forced to death with the repercussions of that. Agron hardly found sleep in the days to come. Spartacus had proposed a show of honor by arranging a game in the make shift arena presented to them. Agron would take part. To honor Duro in the only way he knew how. They were at the final match when word reached ear that there were survivors of the battle. Hundreds of their people. And just like that, hope was re-instilled in Agron. He was unsure whether it caused his heart to ache more or not. He only knew that there was something. Some semblance of a possibility that he would hold his brother in his arms again.

It was worth the exchange for the Roman shit . . . that was killed before he reached the gate. It flooded Agron with anger that the deal would not be honored. But much to his surprise, Crassus kept to his word and delivered the others. He went with Spartacus to retrieve them, looking everywhere for Duro. When his eyes lay sight to him, he felt shock numb him. He felt his heart renewed. He was alive; he was among the survivors. Agron rushed toward him, his hand going to the back of Duro's head as he pulled him close so that their foreheads touched. Overcome with emotion, Agron could say nothing, though felt the sting of tears in his eyes as he closed them, just basking in the utter relief of a longed for sensation of holding his beloved brother once more.

[Deleted]

Tag: Agron

Words

I've wasted time, I've wasted breath

Duro wasn't sure how he was alive. In fact, he was pretty sure that he was not alive and that everything that now happened was just the gods showing him the way things would now be as the ushered him to the afterlife. Only... that was not what happened. He was taken down from cross -- and how did nails being removed from form hurt ever worse than they had going in? -- and bandaged only enough to keep him from bleeding out while the Romans did whatever the hell they were doing. Duro could not have given care any longer as he drifted to and from blessed darkness. He did not want to see the sun as it just reminded him of pain and loss and how death needed to hurry the fuck up and pull him from this agony.

Then they were suddenly marching. Why were they walking or stumbling? Duro did not know and he did not care. He just wanted to lay down, curl up and let the darkness have him completely, but the Roman shits would not let him rest. They would not let him be finished. Every time he fell behind and looked to be about to fall over, they would pull and push and prod; telling him that he must keep walking. Why would they not just let him die? Why were they acting like they were trying to keep him alive and keep him walking?

He still did not know what was happening even when he thought he heard the familiar voice of Spartacus. His leader sounded angry about something and then he heard his voice gentle close to him. He decided that he must be hallucinating as his leader was fucking far away with his brother in safety.

Only...

He knew that sudden touch on his form and knew the feel of those arms pulling him closer. He felt the hand at the back of his head in often felt touch of comfort and strength and tried to focus eyes on face of cherished older brother. He leaned into him, not having the energy to stand tall on his own.

If this was the gods giving him final chance to see Agron and say goodbye before they claimed him, then he would accept gift with lighter heart.

Notes: He is pretty sure that he is being taken to the Afterlife right now

template by Sammy @ Adox 2.0