Pia Fidelis - Chapter 5

[ainsoph15]

Title: Pia Fidelis
Author: ainsoph15  
Pairing: Esca/Marcus
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Summary: In between the lines of a story about honour is another story about love. This is an attempt to fill in those lines and to tell that story, with all the scenes that weren't shown.
Warnings: None in this chapter.
Word count: 3355 for this chapter
Disclaimer: The

Comments

[ainsoph15]

:D :D :D Thank you so much, darling!

[flwrpwr_vampyre]

This story is creating so many FEELINGS. Just has to drop a quick 'I love this' note before going to the next chapter!

[ainsoph15]

FEEEEEELIINNNGS are good :D ♥

[poziomeczka]

I WAS TAKING FOREVER TO READ THE 4TH CHAPTER CAUSE I KNEW IT WOULD HAVE TO KEEP ME SATISFIED FOR QUITE SOMETIME BUT WHEN I SAW THE OTHER UPDATES. I LITERALLY SQUEED IN DISBELIEF.

THIS FIC IS MY FAVOURITE WIP EVER WRITTEN. IN ANY FANDOM.
THERE'S SO MUCH INSIGHT, DEVELOPMENT, WONDERFUL SPOT-ON CHARACTERIZATION, SLOW-BURNING CONFLICTED FEELINGS, I ADORE YOUR MARCUS POV, HOW HIS QUINTESSENTIALLY ROMAN WORLDVIEW IS BEING QUESTIONED AND PUT TO DOUBT AND WHAT A WONDERFUL AND MYSTERIOUS CREATURE ESCA IS WHEN SEEN THROUGH HIS EYES. YOU LANGUAGE IS EXQUISITE AND INTENSELY VISUAL, YOU PAINT THE WORLD IN YOUR FIC BEAUTIFULLY AND PRECISELY AND GOOD GOD THOSE MINI-ODES TO ESCA WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME ONE DAY.

the wreath of holly oh dear lord.

[coeurdesoleil]

OMG I WOULD LIKE TO SECOND THIS COMENT.

all of it.

[ainsoph15]

Oh my god, sweetheart ♥ Here is another comment which will need to be crushed to my chest, dammit! Ha ha, I love how this comment is articulate and a perfect analysis of what I was trying to convey, and so lovely it nearly made me cry - IN CAPS. LIKE I AM BEING PRAISED VERY VOCIFEROUSLY BY BRIAN BLESSED :D ♥

NOT HOLLY. MISTLETOE AND IVY. HOLLY = BAAAAAAAD XD

[poziomeczka]

WHAT? I WAS SURE I READ HOLY? SERVES ME RIGHT FOR STAYING UP TILL 3 AM. OH WELL NOW I SUPPOSED I WILL HAVE TO RE-READ IT. JUST TO MAKE SURE ;)

HHAHAHAHAH I KNOW I CANNOT STOP CAPSLOCKING BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO HAVE AN IMPRESSION OF MY BOOMING EXCITED VOICE.

I WANT TO HOLD *YOU* TO MY CHEST. AND THIS FIC. AND EVERYTHING.

[coeurdesoleil]

The Britons were known for being strong and shrewd and brave, indeed, but there was little sophistication in their thought. Else why had they no stone buildings, or unified leadership, or written words? They had needed Rome to bring that to them. Marcus knew that. He knew it.

I loved this part. Marcus is so assured in the superiority of Rome and yet I think the seeds are sown here for him to start questioning the beliefs and values he holds on to.

[ainsoph15]

YES, YES, exactly ♥ Consciously, he has few doubts that the Roman way is the right one, but subconsciously, he's beginning to feel a lot less secure in his outlook - which just sets him up for when he's totally divorced from his culture and out of his depth when they eventually get north of the wall *g*

[carmarthen]

The low warmth of the lamplight bloomed a dull orange glow in the silky glaze of the Samian cups and bowls laid out on the table, piled high with food. The wine jugs brimmed darkly, holding a sweet, intoxicating secret deep within their hearts. All around was the flicker of beeswax candles, giving off the sticky scent of summer in the depths of winter. Their aureoles of light were reflected in the burnished sheen of the waxy leaves that Marcus had wound around the edges of the room, kindling a false-fire in the branches that spilled over the table as though they had sprung from the polished wood itself, and each tendril that encircled Esca's tawny head in a garland of green was edged with gold.

Oh, man, I think better than anyone you really nail Sutcliff's style while writing about the dynamics and characters of the movie. This is just gorgeous.

"Try these instead,” Marcus said with a quirk of his mouth, passing Esca a plate of stuffed kidneys. “My uncle made them, so it's more likely that you can actually eat them. Give me a road

[ainsoph15]

Oh jesus, your comments are so - fuck, I can't even begin to tell you how happy they make me! :D That descriptive passage at the beginning of the chapter damn near killed me - what I wrote at first made NO SENSE, lol. I had to pick it apart and wrangle it into something that actually followed the rules of grammar, ha ha.

Thank you for spotting the buildings and typo - and 'disparaged' - have sorted those out now :)

Ha ha - Marcus and his awful cooking. When (if!) I get round to writing the HGF!verse, he's going to be an amazing cook (and possibly good at knitting, too...).

[carmarthen]

I'm glad you like my comments, because I ♥ ♥ ♥ yours!

I had to pick it apart and wrangle it into something that actually followed the rules of grammar, ha ha.

Hey, kind of like Sutcliff! :-P Seriously, some of her sentences are utterly labyrinthine when you actually lookat them.

HGF!verse?

[ainsoph15]

♥ :D

HGF!verse = Happy Gay Farmers :) I want to try to write something inspired by the lovely art motetus drew.