Gladiatrix Ch 3
Title: Gladiatrix- Ch 3
Archive: Just ask
Author: Fox - madfoxzz
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, I just like to fiddle with them. I don’t claim to speak through any official channels for either show, or the production company, and there is no profit being made.
Pairing: Lucretia/Dana (ofc) - Gaia/Dana (ofc) - Lucretia/Gaia (eventually)
Fandom: Spartacus - Gods of the Arena
Rating: MA - NC-17.
Spoilers: Not yet, but there will be
A/N: Heads up, this fic is in the true spirit of the show, it can be crass, blunt and a little rough. Oh and bloody
A/N2 Is there room in the Ludus for a female gladiator?
Inspiring poem: J_J_Esquire’s poem Life
Gladiatrix Ch 1
Gladiatrix Ch 2
Each day Dana emerged from the slave cages she was shoved and jostled less than the day before. She took this to mean the men were beginning to give her a modicum of respect, or at least losing interest in troubling her, and she was grateful. Today again she was handed the wooden sword and shield and paired with another recruit.
She was already tired of learning these weapons and the standard fighting style that went with them. She had become proficient, and was quick enough on her feet that she rarely took much damage, but she was frustrated too that she couldn’t deal the damage the men could. The men were like battering rams, but she was more like a lock pick, far more subtle, but just as effective.
To compensate for the lack of what she saw as proper training for her skill set, every night in her cell she continued to practice her own fighting style. She had learned to fight with two swords, which allowed her to use her agility and more kicks. Today she decided she had learned enough of their language to convince Doctore to modify their standard teaching to her advantage. What worked for the male recruits, starting out with sword and shield, was not serving her well at all. She knew if she had any real chance of seeing the arena, she had to make Doctore understand that she needed to work from her own experience and strengths. Meaning another sword and no shield.
As they lined up, the man across from her scowled at her when she switched her sword to her left hand and her shield to her right. Not only would this throw their timing off, but the Romans considered drawing the sword with the left hand to be ‘sinister’. At this point though, she didn’t care, she simply wanted to show she was capable with her left hand as well.
The signal to begin sounded and she waited as her sparring partner advanced. The weight of the shield was even more annoying than usual, but she compensated as she usually did to preserve energy. When Doctore wasn’t watching, she shifted her feet and simply deflected blows rather than moving her whole arm to block.
After a time Dana could tell man across from her was getting angry at not being able to hit her square and make the big noise all the men seemed to love. She was so focused on him that when Doctore cracked his whip directly behind them it startled her. She and her sparring partner both snapped up and respectfully bowed their heads.
######
Lucretia and Gaia watched the Gladiators from the balcony as Dana switched sword and shield to opposite hands.
“She is left handed.. how interesting. But surely you have known?” Gaia commented giving Lucretia a sidelong glance through sly half lidded eyes.
“Hm yes, I um suspected as such by um, the way she moves.” Lucretia gave Gaia a hard stare to indicate perhaps the jibing should wait until they were alone, then she hissed, “Leave us,” over her shoulder to the extra attending slaves.
“Might I detect a hint of affection for that one?” The smile in Gaia’s eyes sounded in her voice.
Lucretia looked guilty and a blush spread across her cheeks. Gaia already knew the answer, but she could never resist teasing her friend.
Though Lucretia demurred at first, a flicker of mischief lit in her eye, “Perhaps there is another call for her services outside the training sands?”
Lucretia’s attempt to embarrass her friend fell short. Instead of discomfort, Gaia brightened at the thought, but then she paused, “Or we could share her…” Lucretia looked scandalized, “But, perhaps a bit more wine would be needed,” she mused aloud and took a sip from her glass, “Shall I wait until she earns the mark? It would give me pause to think I would distract her from training.”
Lucretia shook her head wonderingly at her adventurous friend but agreed, “Wisely spoken,” she said as her father in law Titus stepped on to the terrace and ended the conversation.
They watched as Dana held up the sword and shield and dropped them respectfully at Doctore’s feet. Then she slapped her thighs, shifted, and kicked out with one leg. The reach of the kick came within a centimeter of her opponent’s face. Her foot was back on the ground before he had registered that Dana could easily have broken his nose.
Doctore dropped his head, apparently thinking, then sent a boy away who came back with two slightly smaller, curved practice swords. Doctore stepped back as she swung both swords and began limbering up. The three observers on the balcony stood with their mouths open, impressed by the speed and accuracy Dana exhibited with the new equipment.
“A Dimachaerus then,” Titus mumbled, “Lighter helmet and armor, quicker blades, interesting…but completely foolish. She will never earn the mark.”
#######
A few weeks later Dana did earn the mark, breaking the opposing man’s wrist and jaw while gaining a black eye in the process. That he hadn’t yet learned to steer clear of her feet was not her fault she reasoned, as she watched him drool a handful of teeth into the sand. She raised her eyes to the terrace. The women looked pleased, one man scowled while the other looked intrigued.
Later that night Dana took to the baths. Small kindnesses had begun to appear when word had reached the rest of the household slaves of the way Dana had protected the others in the slave cages from the two men she had been forced to kill on the sands of the Ludus. Sometimes Dana would come to the slave bath and there would be clean clothes, bread, cheese or even dried meat waiting for her.
The rest of the female slaves still gave her a wide berth though, so she had the room to herself most of the time. Tonight she washed, then sat and studied the brand burned into her arm. Poking the edge of the blackened wound she let out a quiet humorless snort. Her gaze drifted to the ripples in the pool and her thoughts drifted elsewhere, until she heard a click.
Dana looked up to the noise and watched the woman enter. ‘Gaia’ was her name; Dana had learned this listening to the house slaves. She was a friend and sometimes lover to the Domina in this house. The woman’s dark hair blended into the shadows behind her, even as the pale skin of her face and arms glowed ghostly in the half-light. Dana let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Gaia beckoned to her then disappeared again behind the curtain.
Dana stood and followed her beyond the flickering torchlight, then paused for a moment so her eyes could adjust. She was still partly blind when she felt the touch on her arm. Unseen fingertips slid down from her shoulder to her elbow. Dana knew that touch, she had dreamed of that touch since their first meeting, and she leaned into it ever so slightly.
She trusted this woman, she was unsure why. Perhaps because Gaia had already had the opportunity to take advantage, but instead waited until Dana had a better position among the slaves. Perhaps because behind those clever eyes Dana could see there was a heart and soul like her own, simply yearning for safety and comfort in another’s arms. Neither woman could offer any kind of lasting protection to the other, Dana knew, but the Gladiator would shield her for a time if she could.
Two hands slid up her muscled back and over her shoulders. Gaia pressed down and Dana responded by kneeling where she was, facing the wall, sensing more than seeing the woman remove her dress and circle back in front of her. She reached out and felt smooth skin. Running her palm to the back of a knee she leaned forward to kiss the thigh. Trailing her lips downward and around to a toned calf she slipped her shoulder between the other woman’s knees. Slowly straightening she listened to Gaia’s breathing deepen as she kissed her way back up while one leg stayed over her shoulder and hung there.
Dana stopped the kisses mid-way and ran her fingertips up over the woman’s ass to her lower back then around, placing her hand on Gaia’s on her stomach. She then pushed Gaia firmly against the tiled wall, making her gasp, and held her there while stretching up and placing a gentle kiss to the woman’s folds.
Gaia stifled a moan and Dana felt more weight rest on her as she lapped deeper at Gaia’s core. The woman pressed down into Dana’s mouth and Dana responded eagerly by giving her more, pressing into her center with her fingers. Gaia’s hips rocked against Dana’s thrusts and with each breath Gaia’s voice reached Dana’s ears in small whines and whimpers.
Dana gave her long firm strokes with both tongue and hand, caressing her, feeling her muscles flex and build as more and more of the woman’s weight fell to her shoulder. Dana felt Gaia’s muscles flutter and tense as the Roman let out a loud sob that was also quickly stifled.
Pulling away the gladiator caught the woman as she slid limply down the wall. Dana listened hard, but heard no footsteps of guards coming to investigate the sound. Reassured, she lay down with the other woman cradled against her, resting her own head on the discarded dress.
As they lay, Dana heard Gaia’s breaths slow and felt her own muscles relax and uncoil. She stared at the ceiling, watching the torchlight and shadows dance. After a time she was confused for a moment when she felt moisture on her chest, then she heard a sniff and realized Gaia was crying. Frowning, she held the woman tighter against her and gently stoked her fingers down the side of Gaia’s neck, feeling the pulse of her life under the dark locks.
########
Gaia couldn’t remember the last time she had been held by a lover. The strong arms around her made her feel safe like she hadn’t felt in years. The scent of Dana’s skin, soft and warm, brought back memories of past lovers and past comforts. She had borne a number of insults to her station, her self and her being since her husband died, and though she laughed them off in company, they still cut deep.
She didn’t know she was crying until she felt Dana’s arm around her tighten and a hand gently stroking the side of her throat. She let herself cry then, and snuggled in closer to the other woman, just for a time, imagining that somehow the gods would see fit to bless her with some sort of relief from her current state. She felt cast aside and adrift, with only a loose tether to Lucretia, who could no more protect her than the slave who currently held her and gave her comfort.
When the tears no longer came, Gaia nuzzled and kissed the hand that had been caressing her so soothingly. Wiping her eyes, she then ran her fingers lightly down Dana’s torso. The Gladiator’s body was wonderfully responsive to Gaia’s touch. She reached up and touched Dana’s lips, “I can please you as well, if you wish.” She whispered. Dana took her palm in hand, kissed it and let it go. Gaia then traveled her fingers downward, making her meaning known as she leaned over and ran her lips up Dana’s jaw line. “You are a slave, but one with many talents. I find joy in giving reward where it is due.” She had reached the corner of Dana’s mouth, and when Dana turned her head to face her, she captured the Gladiator’s lips. Dana’s breath caught, and she whimpered as Gaia deepened the kiss.
######
Gaia teased Dana’s lips apart as she ran her hands over the taller woman’s body. Her touch was gentle but firm, so different from the inexperienced Domina as to be laughable, but Dana was not laughing. She arched into the touch as Gaia drew circles against her flesh. Her lips tasted of wine, Dana noted. The Romans and their wine, she thought, but then Gaia’s fingers found her center and all other thoughts fled. Dana moaned and Gaia clapped a hand to her mouth, muffling the sound. Dana’s hooded eyes met Gaia’s and she nodded understanding. Gaia shifted her other hand again, her fingers, reaching, delving, then returning to simply teasing. Dana bit her lip, but let only a small whine escape as she pulled the other woman in for another kiss.
Dana could bear pain, even find pleasure in it, but Gaia’s gentle touch was something Dana hadn’t experienced since long before her capture. During the encounters with other fighting women in the woods before battle there was little time, nor inclination to take it slow. Gaia on the other hand was taking time, watching her, reading her reactions…and driving her insane.
Dana was breathless, as if she had been running, but her body was completely under the other woman’s control. Gaia pinched a nipple then immediately followed with her mouth and tongue. As she explored further, her lips met skin here and there as her hands stroked and explored. Dana’s body tensed but she stayed silent by biting her lip again. Entwining her fingers with those of Gaia’s unoccupied hand, Dana quietly gasped as Gaia penetrated her at the same time as the Roman’s lips touched her center.
Gaia suckled and nibbled bringing Dana higher and higher, the gladiator receiving just enough, but no more. Powerful muscles flexed as Dana’s hips met each achingly slow stoke of Gaia’s fingers. Dana met the dark eyes down the length of her body and recognized the look Gaia was giving her. She would wait, holding Dana there and not allow her any more, until the powerful woman conceded.
#########
Dana took a short breath and whispered, “Mistress, please.”
Gaia gave her everything then. With her tongue stroking hard and fingers deep in hot flesh, Gaia nearly broke the quiet herself. Dana flexed the hand gripping Gaia’s, clinging tightly to the connection, and her eyes closed, but aside from heavy panting she didn’t make a sound when she came. Dana’s body simply arched, then collapsed back to the floor.
Gaia could taste when Dana’s body released, and she smiled. She knew her tongue was as deft at this as it was with words, possibly more so. Kissing her way back up the woman’s body, Gaia stopped at Dana’s neck when the gladiator wrapped her up in her arms again and held her so tightly that for a moment Gaia was almost uncomfortable. Then Dana relaxed and found her breath.
##########
They lay still again, but no tears came this time. Dana didn’t know what to make of the woman in the crook of her arm. Gaia brought more out of her than she was comfortable with. She stroked her fingers lightly down Gaia’s back then gently moved to get up. Gaia’s hand took her shoulder and tugged her back down. They looked into each other’s eyes, both searching.
Dana felt the hand on her shoulder move up to cup her cheek, “Stay…” Gaia said, her voice raw and vulnerable.
It was not a command to a slave, but a request. Dana settled back down and turned to face the other woman. Gaia brushed her thumb over the gladiator’s lips then took them again with her own. Rolling above the smaller woman, Dana finally gave her self over. Not just her skill, but herself. Just for a time, she reasoned, just a little while longer.
##########
When they parted, it was out of necessity, due to duty, station, fear of consequences, but not because they wanted to.
Predawn showed itself by lighting the room in pale blue, the torches having gone out long ago. Dana woke without moving and looked down at Gaia’s sleeping form. Her breaths were relaxed and evenly spaced, she was still deep asleep. Dana hated to wake her, but she could hear the beginning rustlings and hushed tones of the other slaves starting their daily chores.
She touched Gaia’s temple, then gripped her upper arm firmly. She awoke with a start, eyes wide and troubled. “Shhh,” Dana soothed letting go of her arm and placing her palm on the woman’s back to rub soft circles. Gaia relaxed into her for a moment, then took a deep breath and stood.
Dana handed her dress up to her, then stood and dressed herself. As Gaia adjusted the pleats over her shoulder she whispered, “We return to the business of living.” She gave Dana a small regretful smile and turned away.
As they approached the door Dana reached over before she could think better of it and pulled Gaia to her. She kissed the smaller woman, and in that kiss she told the Roman without words exactly what she offered if she were ever given the chance.
When they parted Gaia gave Dana a measured look and placed a palm over the taller woman’s heart. She knew, they both did, that this could not last, but that knowledge did not stop both of them from wishing it could.
Gaia unlocked the door and left. Dana leaned next to the opening and waited a sufficient time before following and returning to her solitary cell. There were fights to be won, men to be beaten, and she needed her heart to be well away from all of it if she were going to survive. It did her no good to question what the point was of being strong if you couldn’t protect the ones you care about.
Archive: Just ask
Author: Fox - madfoxzz
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, I just like to fiddle with them. I don’t claim to speak through any official channels for either show, or the production company, and there is no profit being made.
Pairing: Lucretia/Dana (ofc) - Gaia/Dana (ofc) - Lucretia/Gaia (eventually)
Fandom: Spartacus - Gods of the Arena
Rating: MA - NC-17.
Spoilers: Not yet, but there will be
A/N: Heads up, this fic is in the true spirit of the show, it can be crass, blunt and a little rough. Oh and bloody
A/N2 Is there room in the Ludus for a female gladiator?
Inspiring poem: J_J_Esquire’s poem Life
Gladiatrix Ch 1
Gladiatrix Ch 2
Each day Dana emerged from the slave cages she was shoved and jostled less than the day before. She took this to mean the men were beginning to give her a modicum of respect, or at least losing interest in troubling her, and she was grateful. Today again she was handed the wooden sword and shield and paired with another recruit.
She was already tired of learning these weapons and the standard fighting style that went with them. She had become proficient, and was quick enough on her feet that she rarely took much damage, but she was frustrated too that she couldn’t deal the damage the men could. The men were like battering rams, but she was more like a lock pick, far more subtle, but just as effective.
To compensate for the lack of what she saw as proper training for her skill set, every night in her cell she continued to practice her own fighting style. She had learned to fight with two swords, which allowed her to use her agility and more kicks. Today she decided she had learned enough of their language to convince Doctore to modify their standard teaching to her advantage. What worked for the male recruits, starting out with sword and shield, was not serving her well at all. She knew if she had any real chance of seeing the arena, she had to make Doctore understand that she needed to work from her own experience and strengths. Meaning another sword and no shield.
As they lined up, the man across from her scowled at her when she switched her sword to her left hand and her shield to her right. Not only would this throw their timing off, but the Romans considered drawing the sword with the left hand to be ‘sinister’. At this point though, she didn’t care, she simply wanted to show she was capable with her left hand as well.
The signal to begin sounded and she waited as her sparring partner advanced. The weight of the shield was even more annoying than usual, but she compensated as she usually did to preserve energy. When Doctore wasn’t watching, she shifted her feet and simply deflected blows rather than moving her whole arm to block.
After a time Dana could tell man across from her was getting angry at not being able to hit her square and make the big noise all the men seemed to love. She was so focused on him that when Doctore cracked his whip directly behind them it startled her. She and her sparring partner both snapped up and respectfully bowed their heads.
######
Lucretia and Gaia watched the Gladiators from the balcony as Dana switched sword and shield to opposite hands.
“She is left handed.. how interesting. But surely you have known?” Gaia commented giving Lucretia a sidelong glance through sly half lidded eyes.
“Hm yes, I um suspected as such by um, the way she moves.” Lucretia gave Gaia a hard stare to indicate perhaps the jibing should wait until they were alone, then she hissed, “Leave us,” over her shoulder to the extra attending slaves.
“Might I detect a hint of affection for that one?” The smile in Gaia’s eyes sounded in her voice.
Lucretia looked guilty and a blush spread across her cheeks. Gaia already knew the answer, but she could never resist teasing her friend.
Though Lucretia demurred at first, a flicker of mischief lit in her eye, “Perhaps there is another call for her services outside the training sands?”
Lucretia’s attempt to embarrass her friend fell short. Instead of discomfort, Gaia brightened at the thought, but then she paused, “Or we could share her…” Lucretia looked scandalized, “But, perhaps a bit more wine would be needed,” she mused aloud and took a sip from her glass, “Shall I wait until she earns the mark? It would give me pause to think I would distract her from training.”
Lucretia shook her head wonderingly at her adventurous friend but agreed, “Wisely spoken,” she said as her father in law Titus stepped on to the terrace and ended the conversation.
They watched as Dana held up the sword and shield and dropped them respectfully at Doctore’s feet. Then she slapped her thighs, shifted, and kicked out with one leg. The reach of the kick came within a centimeter of her opponent’s face. Her foot was back on the ground before he had registered that Dana could easily have broken his nose.
Doctore dropped his head, apparently thinking, then sent a boy away who came back with two slightly smaller, curved practice swords. Doctore stepped back as she swung both swords and began limbering up. The three observers on the balcony stood with their mouths open, impressed by the speed and accuracy Dana exhibited with the new equipment.
“A Dimachaerus then,” Titus mumbled, “Lighter helmet and armor, quicker blades, interesting…but completely foolish. She will never earn the mark.”
#######
A few weeks later Dana did earn the mark, breaking the opposing man’s wrist and jaw while gaining a black eye in the process. That he hadn’t yet learned to steer clear of her feet was not her fault she reasoned, as she watched him drool a handful of teeth into the sand. She raised her eyes to the terrace. The women looked pleased, one man scowled while the other looked intrigued.
Later that night Dana took to the baths. Small kindnesses had begun to appear when word had reached the rest of the household slaves of the way Dana had protected the others in the slave cages from the two men she had been forced to kill on the sands of the Ludus. Sometimes Dana would come to the slave bath and there would be clean clothes, bread, cheese or even dried meat waiting for her.
The rest of the female slaves still gave her a wide berth though, so she had the room to herself most of the time. Tonight she washed, then sat and studied the brand burned into her arm. Poking the edge of the blackened wound she let out a quiet humorless snort. Her gaze drifted to the ripples in the pool and her thoughts drifted elsewhere, until she heard a click.
Dana looked up to the noise and watched the woman enter. ‘Gaia’ was her name; Dana had learned this listening to the house slaves. She was a friend and sometimes lover to the Domina in this house. The woman’s dark hair blended into the shadows behind her, even as the pale skin of her face and arms glowed ghostly in the half-light. Dana let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Gaia beckoned to her then disappeared again behind the curtain.
Dana stood and followed her beyond the flickering torchlight, then paused for a moment so her eyes could adjust. She was still partly blind when she felt the touch on her arm. Unseen fingertips slid down from her shoulder to her elbow. Dana knew that touch, she had dreamed of that touch since their first meeting, and she leaned into it ever so slightly.
She trusted this woman, she was unsure why. Perhaps because Gaia had already had the opportunity to take advantage, but instead waited until Dana had a better position among the slaves. Perhaps because behind those clever eyes Dana could see there was a heart and soul like her own, simply yearning for safety and comfort in another’s arms. Neither woman could offer any kind of lasting protection to the other, Dana knew, but the Gladiator would shield her for a time if she could.
Two hands slid up her muscled back and over her shoulders. Gaia pressed down and Dana responded by kneeling where she was, facing the wall, sensing more than seeing the woman remove her dress and circle back in front of her. She reached out and felt smooth skin. Running her palm to the back of a knee she leaned forward to kiss the thigh. Trailing her lips downward and around to a toned calf she slipped her shoulder between the other woman’s knees. Slowly straightening she listened to Gaia’s breathing deepen as she kissed her way back up while one leg stayed over her shoulder and hung there.
Dana stopped the kisses mid-way and ran her fingertips up over the woman’s ass to her lower back then around, placing her hand on Gaia’s on her stomach. She then pushed Gaia firmly against the tiled wall, making her gasp, and held her there while stretching up and placing a gentle kiss to the woman’s folds.
Gaia stifled a moan and Dana felt more weight rest on her as she lapped deeper at Gaia’s core. The woman pressed down into Dana’s mouth and Dana responded eagerly by giving her more, pressing into her center with her fingers. Gaia’s hips rocked against Dana’s thrusts and with each breath Gaia’s voice reached Dana’s ears in small whines and whimpers.
Dana gave her long firm strokes with both tongue and hand, caressing her, feeling her muscles flex and build as more and more of the woman’s weight fell to her shoulder. Dana felt Gaia’s muscles flutter and tense as the Roman let out a loud sob that was also quickly stifled.
Pulling away the gladiator caught the woman as she slid limply down the wall. Dana listened hard, but heard no footsteps of guards coming to investigate the sound. Reassured, she lay down with the other woman cradled against her, resting her own head on the discarded dress.
As they lay, Dana heard Gaia’s breaths slow and felt her own muscles relax and uncoil. She stared at the ceiling, watching the torchlight and shadows dance. After a time she was confused for a moment when she felt moisture on her chest, then she heard a sniff and realized Gaia was crying. Frowning, she held the woman tighter against her and gently stoked her fingers down the side of Gaia’s neck, feeling the pulse of her life under the dark locks.
########
Gaia couldn’t remember the last time she had been held by a lover. The strong arms around her made her feel safe like she hadn’t felt in years. The scent of Dana’s skin, soft and warm, brought back memories of past lovers and past comforts. She had borne a number of insults to her station, her self and her being since her husband died, and though she laughed them off in company, they still cut deep.
She didn’t know she was crying until she felt Dana’s arm around her tighten and a hand gently stroking the side of her throat. She let herself cry then, and snuggled in closer to the other woman, just for a time, imagining that somehow the gods would see fit to bless her with some sort of relief from her current state. She felt cast aside and adrift, with only a loose tether to Lucretia, who could no more protect her than the slave who currently held her and gave her comfort.
When the tears no longer came, Gaia nuzzled and kissed the hand that had been caressing her so soothingly. Wiping her eyes, she then ran her fingers lightly down Dana’s torso. The Gladiator’s body was wonderfully responsive to Gaia’s touch. She reached up and touched Dana’s lips, “I can please you as well, if you wish.” She whispered. Dana took her palm in hand, kissed it and let it go. Gaia then traveled her fingers downward, making her meaning known as she leaned over and ran her lips up Dana’s jaw line. “You are a slave, but one with many talents. I find joy in giving reward where it is due.” She had reached the corner of Dana’s mouth, and when Dana turned her head to face her, she captured the Gladiator’s lips. Dana’s breath caught, and she whimpered as Gaia deepened the kiss.
######
Gaia teased Dana’s lips apart as she ran her hands over the taller woman’s body. Her touch was gentle but firm, so different from the inexperienced Domina as to be laughable, but Dana was not laughing. She arched into the touch as Gaia drew circles against her flesh. Her lips tasted of wine, Dana noted. The Romans and their wine, she thought, but then Gaia’s fingers found her center and all other thoughts fled. Dana moaned and Gaia clapped a hand to her mouth, muffling the sound. Dana’s hooded eyes met Gaia’s and she nodded understanding. Gaia shifted her other hand again, her fingers, reaching, delving, then returning to simply teasing. Dana bit her lip, but let only a small whine escape as she pulled the other woman in for another kiss.
Dana could bear pain, even find pleasure in it, but Gaia’s gentle touch was something Dana hadn’t experienced since long before her capture. During the encounters with other fighting women in the woods before battle there was little time, nor inclination to take it slow. Gaia on the other hand was taking time, watching her, reading her reactions…and driving her insane.
Dana was breathless, as if she had been running, but her body was completely under the other woman’s control. Gaia pinched a nipple then immediately followed with her mouth and tongue. As she explored further, her lips met skin here and there as her hands stroked and explored. Dana’s body tensed but she stayed silent by biting her lip again. Entwining her fingers with those of Gaia’s unoccupied hand, Dana quietly gasped as Gaia penetrated her at the same time as the Roman’s lips touched her center.
Gaia suckled and nibbled bringing Dana higher and higher, the gladiator receiving just enough, but no more. Powerful muscles flexed as Dana’s hips met each achingly slow stoke of Gaia’s fingers. Dana met the dark eyes down the length of her body and recognized the look Gaia was giving her. She would wait, holding Dana there and not allow her any more, until the powerful woman conceded.
#########
Dana took a short breath and whispered, “Mistress, please.”
Gaia gave her everything then. With her tongue stroking hard and fingers deep in hot flesh, Gaia nearly broke the quiet herself. Dana flexed the hand gripping Gaia’s, clinging tightly to the connection, and her eyes closed, but aside from heavy panting she didn’t make a sound when she came. Dana’s body simply arched, then collapsed back to the floor.
Gaia could taste when Dana’s body released, and she smiled. She knew her tongue was as deft at this as it was with words, possibly more so. Kissing her way back up the woman’s body, Gaia stopped at Dana’s neck when the gladiator wrapped her up in her arms again and held her so tightly that for a moment Gaia was almost uncomfortable. Then Dana relaxed and found her breath.
##########
They lay still again, but no tears came this time. Dana didn’t know what to make of the woman in the crook of her arm. Gaia brought more out of her than she was comfortable with. She stroked her fingers lightly down Gaia’s back then gently moved to get up. Gaia’s hand took her shoulder and tugged her back down. They looked into each other’s eyes, both searching.
Dana felt the hand on her shoulder move up to cup her cheek, “Stay…” Gaia said, her voice raw and vulnerable.
It was not a command to a slave, but a request. Dana settled back down and turned to face the other woman. Gaia brushed her thumb over the gladiator’s lips then took them again with her own. Rolling above the smaller woman, Dana finally gave her self over. Not just her skill, but herself. Just for a time, she reasoned, just a little while longer.
##########
When they parted, it was out of necessity, due to duty, station, fear of consequences, but not because they wanted to.
Predawn showed itself by lighting the room in pale blue, the torches having gone out long ago. Dana woke without moving and looked down at Gaia’s sleeping form. Her breaths were relaxed and evenly spaced, she was still deep asleep. Dana hated to wake her, but she could hear the beginning rustlings and hushed tones of the other slaves starting their daily chores.
She touched Gaia’s temple, then gripped her upper arm firmly. She awoke with a start, eyes wide and troubled. “Shhh,” Dana soothed letting go of her arm and placing her palm on the woman’s back to rub soft circles. Gaia relaxed into her for a moment, then took a deep breath and stood.
Dana handed her dress up to her, then stood and dressed herself. As Gaia adjusted the pleats over her shoulder she whispered, “We return to the business of living.” She gave Dana a small regretful smile and turned away.
As they approached the door Dana reached over before she could think better of it and pulled Gaia to her. She kissed the smaller woman, and in that kiss she told the Roman without words exactly what she offered if she were ever given the chance.
When they parted Gaia gave Dana a measured look and placed a palm over the taller woman’s heart. She knew, they both did, that this could not last, but that knowledge did not stop both of them from wishing it could.
Gaia unlocked the door and left. Dana leaned next to the opening and waited a sufficient time before following and returning to her solitary cell. There were fights to be won, men to be beaten, and she needed her heart to be well away from all of it if she were going to survive. It did her no good to question what the point was of being strong if you couldn’t protect the ones you care about.