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Arena: Chapter 13: Sword Practice, Part I
Title/Chapter: Sword Practice, Part I
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
muck_a_luck, posting in brainofck
Pairing: SB/VM (other pairings in later chapters)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Viggo is somewhere else, where everyone and no one is the same
Content/warnings: AU. Violence.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Slash is fiction. So while we may all be demented, slash is basically the author's ownporno script, populated by the individuals she feels would be ideal to fill the various roles if she ruled the universe if she were ever fortunate enough have the opportunity to bring her vision to the screen. *snortle*
Archive rights: www.rugbytackling.com, Green Opals, if they're interested, and my journalsmuck_a_luck and brainofck
Further Disclaimer: Any resemblance to Ancient Rome mostly incidental. I have never seen any gladiator flick. Ever. Honest. Not even stinky Gladiator that stole FOTR's Oscar. *glares*
Blame:uisgich, for encouraging me
Arena
Water and Oil
Flesh and Iron
Night Terrors
First
Opening
Closing
Last
The Mysteries of the Next Life, Part I
The Mysteries of the Next Life, Part II
Initiate
Blood Wash
When Zara woke him up he groaned.
"You have a patron," she chirped, mercilessly cheerful. Especially considering the hour and the fact that he hadn't even had breakfast yet.
An early morning patron was the worst. Possibly because he always half expected it to be Micon with his parchment.
Zara built up the fire on his hearth and he tried to fall back asleep while he waited for her. She looked back over her shoulder at him and grinned.
"Out of the bed!" she ordered.
"No. Not at this hour," he protested.
"Come on," she said, "I don't think you'll mind when you see him."
He reluctantly pushed back the bedclothes and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He returned her smile with a scowl.
"I doubt it. Who?" He knelt as she finished with the fire and came to him with the thongs. He bowed his forehead to the stone floor and shivered in the cool morning air. She bound him as efficiently as she always did. He had long given up testing the knots. First his wrists across his back, then his ankles. She laughed softly.
"No one I've ever seen before, but he has you for the whole day, and I think the night too, and the household is upside down making preparations. I can't remember when I've seen the mistress looking more pleased."
That got his attention. What could the household possibly be preparing for? Even if the man had Sean's services for a day and a night, Sean's "services" wouldn't take them outside this room.
"Zara, what's going on?"
But she just laughed and left him to his patron.
The door opened and the man came in and shut the door behind him. He seemed to pause uncertainly. Sean recognized it as the behavior of a man new to the use of a pleasure slave. Well, he could figure it out for himself. It wasn't that difficult. It was then that Sean realized that Zara hadn't gagged him. He almost snorted in disgust. Well, maybe he would get a chance to bite him and get some payback for being rousted out of bed at that godawful time of day…
The man moved suddenly from behind Sean and stood in front of him. He laid an object on the floor between them.
"I've brought you a better gift," said a voice from another life. Two years' discipline left him in a heartbeat and Sean sat back on his heels. On the floor before him was a practice sword. Standing over him was Viggo.
"I've found him," Viggo announced over breakfast about a week after Micon's death. He had taken a few days to think about what to do, and he still hadn't come to a conclusion.
Sennet looked up at him.
"Who?"
"Sean is at the Laurel."
Sennet went very still.
"I'm glad," he said, finally. "I was starting to think that the rumors I'd heard had been just that – rumors."
"I need to see him, Sennet."
"The Laurel's a little out of your league, Viggo. Gods, the Laurel's out of my league, I'd imagine."
"No, it's not. Don't pretend I don't know how much money I've made you in this assassination business over the last year. I know how much I've made, and I know you haven't been giving me my full half."
"Fine," Sennet said, "You can have until tomorrow morning for your personal business. Off you go."
"A slave can't get into one of those houses on his own. I'll need your sponsorship."
Sennet huffed in irritation.
"Alright," he growled. "Tomorrow, then. I have things to get done today."
"But you realize that this isn't going to bring Sean back to you. You have to pay for him now, and if he's at the Laurel, you can't afford him."
The look on Viggo's face as he stood from the table made Sennet very uneasy.
The house was massive. Viggo and Sennet were escorted to a suite of cozy rooms on the southeast side of the house. The dawn sun was just lighting the space with a rose-colored light. Laurel, the mistress of the house, looking fresh from her bath, rose to meet them gracefully, offering them comfortable seats and breakfast.
"I know who you are!" Laurel said, turning to Viggo. "You are Sean's partner from the arena!" Viggo saw his own surprise reflected in Sennet's face. She laughed a light musical laugh.
"Oh, I make it my business to know as much as I can about a man as important to my house as Sean! It's why I am seeing you personally, actually, instead of letting the day girl see to your needs. I'm so honored to meet you!" Laurel bowed a little to Viggo before taking her own seat."
"Now how can I serve you both today? The day girl said you were asking to see Sean."
Sennet reached for bread from the table, and the maid attending them came forward to poor cider into a cup at his elbow.
"I offered Viggo a token of my appreciation for his recent work, and as a reward he named a day and a night with his old friend." Sennet smiled at Viggo indulgently, but Viggo saw beyond the condescension to the anger just under the surface. "He wants to practice with his sword brother again, if you will allow it. Maybe go riding. Eat and drink with him. Remember old times."
Sennet paused to sample cider and fruit, and Viggo found that the house mistress was not looking at the speaker, but was watching himself closely.
"Will you vouch for his behavior, if I let him hold a sword?"
Viggo shook his head. "My lady," he said carefully, "Sean is my friend, but I haven't seen him since he entered your house. I cannot and will not speak for him."
Laurel looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I'll be honest with you," she said. "Sean has not let himself be happy here. I have tried to help him settle in to this life, but he has refused. I send him an adorable, sweet-faced girl every day, and he won't touch her. He won't take gifts from his wealthy patrons. He can't even be trusted to see them with his mouth unbound, much less his hands. I would let him practice with the house guards, but he despises them and I believe that he'd find a way to kill two or three of them, even with a wooden practice sword."
Another thoughtful pause. Then she smiled, as if she had decided something.
"I want to do this for him. The entire house will be at your disposal. I'm afraid I can't let you leave the grounds to ride, as I certainly wouldn't trust him to come back. But I will let you bring in your practice swords, and whatever other items and gifts you think he would like, and he can keep them, of course."
Laurel looked earnestly at Viggo, "Make him happy for me, Viggo. Convince him that he should accept this life. That he doesn't need to be ashamed of letting himself live well. I can make a lot of money with him miserable. I have made a lot of money with him miserable. But I have never wanted to run a house that was a torment for my slaves. I'd much rather make a lot of money with him happy."
Viggo followed the steward up the stairs to a narrow corridor running down the middle of the upper floor. A young woman emerged from one of the doors on the hall.
"Is he ready?" the steward asked her.
She nodded and smiled brightly at Viggo. "Let me know if you need me," she offered with a cheeky wink, then practically bounced back down the same stairs they had just come up.
The steward saw him to the door, then left him alone.
Viggo took a deep breath and went in.
Sword Practice, Part II
Author:
muck_a_luck, posting in brainofckPairing: SB/VM (other pairings in later chapters)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Viggo is somewhere else, where everyone and no one is the same
Content/warnings: AU. Violence.
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Slash is fiction. So while we may all be demented, slash is basically the author's own
Archive rights: www.rugbytackling.com, Green Opals, if they're interested, and my journals
muck_a_luck and brainofckFurther Disclaimer: Any resemblance to Ancient Rome mostly incidental. I have never seen any gladiator flick. Ever. Honest. Not even stinky Gladiator that stole FOTR's Oscar. *glares*
Blame:
uisgich, for encouraging meArena
Water and Oil
Flesh and Iron
Night Terrors
First
Opening
Closing
Last
The Mysteries of the Next Life, Part I
The Mysteries of the Next Life, Part II
Initiate
Blood Wash
When Zara woke him up he groaned.
"You have a patron," she chirped, mercilessly cheerful. Especially considering the hour and the fact that he hadn't even had breakfast yet.
An early morning patron was the worst. Possibly because he always half expected it to be Micon with his parchment.
Zara built up the fire on his hearth and he tried to fall back asleep while he waited for her. She looked back over her shoulder at him and grinned.
"Out of the bed!" she ordered.
"No. Not at this hour," he protested.
"Come on," she said, "I don't think you'll mind when you see him."
He reluctantly pushed back the bedclothes and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He returned her smile with a scowl.
"I doubt it. Who?" He knelt as she finished with the fire and came to him with the thongs. He bowed his forehead to the stone floor and shivered in the cool morning air. She bound him as efficiently as she always did. He had long given up testing the knots. First his wrists across his back, then his ankles. She laughed softly.
"No one I've ever seen before, but he has you for the whole day, and I think the night too, and the household is upside down making preparations. I can't remember when I've seen the mistress looking more pleased."
That got his attention. What could the household possibly be preparing for? Even if the man had Sean's services for a day and a night, Sean's "services" wouldn't take them outside this room.
"Zara, what's going on?"
But she just laughed and left him to his patron.
The door opened and the man came in and shut the door behind him. He seemed to pause uncertainly. Sean recognized it as the behavior of a man new to the use of a pleasure slave. Well, he could figure it out for himself. It wasn't that difficult. It was then that Sean realized that Zara hadn't gagged him. He almost snorted in disgust. Well, maybe he would get a chance to bite him and get some payback for being rousted out of bed at that godawful time of day…
The man moved suddenly from behind Sean and stood in front of him. He laid an object on the floor between them.
"I've brought you a better gift," said a voice from another life. Two years' discipline left him in a heartbeat and Sean sat back on his heels. On the floor before him was a practice sword. Standing over him was Viggo.
"I've found him," Viggo announced over breakfast about a week after Micon's death. He had taken a few days to think about what to do, and he still hadn't come to a conclusion.
Sennet looked up at him.
"Who?"
"Sean is at the Laurel."
Sennet went very still.
"I'm glad," he said, finally. "I was starting to think that the rumors I'd heard had been just that – rumors."
"I need to see him, Sennet."
"The Laurel's a little out of your league, Viggo. Gods, the Laurel's out of my league, I'd imagine."
"No, it's not. Don't pretend I don't know how much money I've made you in this assassination business over the last year. I know how much I've made, and I know you haven't been giving me my full half."
"Fine," Sennet said, "You can have until tomorrow morning for your personal business. Off you go."
"A slave can't get into one of those houses on his own. I'll need your sponsorship."
Sennet huffed in irritation.
"Alright," he growled. "Tomorrow, then. I have things to get done today."
"But you realize that this isn't going to bring Sean back to you. You have to pay for him now, and if he's at the Laurel, you can't afford him."
The look on Viggo's face as he stood from the table made Sennet very uneasy.
The house was massive. Viggo and Sennet were escorted to a suite of cozy rooms on the southeast side of the house. The dawn sun was just lighting the space with a rose-colored light. Laurel, the mistress of the house, looking fresh from her bath, rose to meet them gracefully, offering them comfortable seats and breakfast.
"I know who you are!" Laurel said, turning to Viggo. "You are Sean's partner from the arena!" Viggo saw his own surprise reflected in Sennet's face. She laughed a light musical laugh.
"Oh, I make it my business to know as much as I can about a man as important to my house as Sean! It's why I am seeing you personally, actually, instead of letting the day girl see to your needs. I'm so honored to meet you!" Laurel bowed a little to Viggo before taking her own seat."
"Now how can I serve you both today? The day girl said you were asking to see Sean."
Sennet reached for bread from the table, and the maid attending them came forward to poor cider into a cup at his elbow.
"I offered Viggo a token of my appreciation for his recent work, and as a reward he named a day and a night with his old friend." Sennet smiled at Viggo indulgently, but Viggo saw beyond the condescension to the anger just under the surface. "He wants to practice with his sword brother again, if you will allow it. Maybe go riding. Eat and drink with him. Remember old times."
Sennet paused to sample cider and fruit, and Viggo found that the house mistress was not looking at the speaker, but was watching himself closely.
"Will you vouch for his behavior, if I let him hold a sword?"
Viggo shook his head. "My lady," he said carefully, "Sean is my friend, but I haven't seen him since he entered your house. I cannot and will not speak for him."
Laurel looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I'll be honest with you," she said. "Sean has not let himself be happy here. I have tried to help him settle in to this life, but he has refused. I send him an adorable, sweet-faced girl every day, and he won't touch her. He won't take gifts from his wealthy patrons. He can't even be trusted to see them with his mouth unbound, much less his hands. I would let him practice with the house guards, but he despises them and I believe that he'd find a way to kill two or three of them, even with a wooden practice sword."
Another thoughtful pause. Then she smiled, as if she had decided something.
"I want to do this for him. The entire house will be at your disposal. I'm afraid I can't let you leave the grounds to ride, as I certainly wouldn't trust him to come back. But I will let you bring in your practice swords, and whatever other items and gifts you think he would like, and he can keep them, of course."
Laurel looked earnestly at Viggo, "Make him happy for me, Viggo. Convince him that he should accept this life. That he doesn't need to be ashamed of letting himself live well. I can make a lot of money with him miserable. I have made a lot of money with him miserable. But I have never wanted to run a house that was a torment for my slaves. I'd much rather make a lot of money with him happy."
Viggo followed the steward up the stairs to a narrow corridor running down the middle of the upper floor. A young woman emerged from one of the doors on the hall.
"Is he ready?" the steward asked her.
She nodded and smiled brightly at Viggo. "Let me know if you need me," she offered with a cheeky wink, then practically bounced back down the same stairs they had just come up.
The steward saw him to the door, then left him alone.
Viggo took a deep breath and went in.
Sword Practice, Part II
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all in all, i'm so happy they get to see each other. even if we still have to wait for our smut. even the madam's words towards the end there were compelling. i agree w/that... except that i too hope they can figure out a way to leave for good... and soon.
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