A/N: Fic request in which Charles and Elsie keep coming back together and what would happen if they only realized it. Give the Melissa Etheridge song a listen, it's the basis for where the story starts and how it ends. (N.B. I'm a reincarnationist, and realize you may not be. No offense intended here at all if that's not your thing. It's important to note that reincarnation theory involves souls, not gender, thus the main characters in this story are both male.)
Reviews welcome! The entire fic should be up in a couple of days, sorry for the first chapters being so short.
Cheers!
CSotA
30 B.C., Egypt
The sound of the approaching army was faint; everyone knew they had less than an hour before the horses crested the hill. Sunlight gleamed off of their helmets, swords, and shields, off of the chain-mail of the leaders who sat atop horses, off of the horses' helmets themselves. The men stood stock still, not moving a hair's width out of formation. Their cohort held 475 men, all stood at attention awaiting the call to charge.
In the exact middle of the formation a soldier looked to his side, catching his lover's terrified glance. One wasn't supposed to be terrified if one was a Roman soldier; nevertheless, what should or should not happen matters not when one is minutes from likely death. This battle with Antony's forces had been fierce, yet their cohort hadn't seen any bloodshed before today. They were all too well aware that they would – too much bloodshed, they knew – but that was the sacrifice one made for one's empire. The only question was when.
The next hour seemed to pass in a handful of seconds. Suddenly swords were drawn, battle cries called and heard, commands sent, but their small cohort was no match for the thousands of soldiers that poured over the hill like water. Blood flowed and ran like rivulets across the field, seeping into the grass and earth along its way.
The sound of gasping – NO! – and the feel of his knees on the ground, getting wet and slipping, that sensation suddenly too far away to make a dent in his consciousness. The feel of a body in his arms, the heat from the tears falling down his cheeks as the sounds of screams and anger and the clashing of metal passed through his head almost unacknowledged.
"Stay with me," he pleaded softly, but it was too late. He had barely a chance to share one last, powerful look with those shockingly blue eyes before the darkness finally encompassed them both.
