Chapter Warnings: Mild to sometimes strong language, harassment.
Chapter Word Count: 2289
Chapter 12: Ready To Leave These Walls
Agron bent down and picked up his leather, feeling Nasir's eyes upon him. He strapped his leather on with a smile on his lips, remaining back to the Syrian. "Does sight please the eyes?" Agron asked turning around to face Nasir.
Nasir blushed despite of himself and just nodded.
Agron let out a chuckle. "I have felt your eyes upon me since we freed you."
"I never had the chance to lay eyes upon…" Nasir silenced himself and bit his bottom lip. Agron smiled at him, showing the dimples in his cheeks.
"Find voice little man." Agron wanted to know what he was going to say.
"You are very pleasing to the eyes, yet it feels strange to be able to look so openly." Nasir lowered his gaze, realizing he was still looking at Agron.
"You are a free man now and so have the right to look openly." Agron smiled at him again. "Come. Let us get food before the Gauls eat it all."
Nasir nodded and followed Agron out of the quarters and to where the food was being kept. Chadara was once again helping Mira, but kept casting glares in Mira's direction. They were rationing the food to everyone. Arlo was with them with a large pot of what smelt like hot oats. Nasir smiled as he stepped up to get his food. Chadara handed him a chunk of bread and a pear, while Arlo handed him a bowl of hot oats. Nasir inspected the bowl while he waited for Agron to collect his food. Arlo had diced up apples and added it, there seemed to be dates added too.
"Let us sit in shade for head still aches…" Agron suggested and headed for the back of the villa. The building was casting great shadows in the early morning sun. Agron sat down on one of the wooden benches, stretching out his longs legs in front of him.
Nasir sat down beside him taking in the sight of Agron's long, strong legs. He heard Agron chuckle beside him. "What, you said I was a free man to look openly, did you not?"
"Yes I did." Agron chuckled again.
"Does it bother you?" Nasir asked hoping it did not.
Agron shook his head and put a spoonful of oats in his mouth. It was a great welcome to the stomach. He smiled when Nasir started eating a smile on his own lips. Agron took another bite and swallowed, taking a bite of his pear. He was just about to continue eating his oats when he noticed someone come out the doorway. When he glanced up to see who it was, Acer was smirking down at him and Nasir. Agron let out a sigh.
"Crixus seeks words now." Acer was going to walk towards Agron when the little Syrian hissed at him and stood up.
"Sit down and shut your mouth little pup." Acer growled and pushed Nasir back down on to the bench. "Before I give you something better to fill your mouth with." He glanced at Agron when he said this and noticed his eyes narrow and the grip on the bowl he was holding tightened. Acer cast another smirk, daring the German to start something.
Nasir hissed at the Gauls words and watched Agron's eyes shift from looking at the bowl in his hands to the man standing in front of them. Nasir watched as Acer started to undo the subligaria around his hips and climbed to his feet, he was not going to let this Gaul do anything to him. Nasir reached down and grabbed Agron's wrist pulling for the other man to stand also. He hissed at Acer as the man stepped closer to them.
Agron growled at Acer as he let Nasir pull him to his feet. He was just about to pull the dagger out when Spartacus came in the back courtyard. Agron let out another growl and Spartacus rushed over, pushing the man away, standing between him and Acer. "You touch him I will kill you!" Agron hissed out over Spartacus' shoulder at the smiling Gaul.
"What is the meaning of this?" Spartacus asked Acer, seeing the man's subligaria was half open revealing himself to Agron and Nasir. He could hear Agron growl from behind him again.
"I was just letting them know that Crixus seeks words." Acer chuckled.
"And they shall be with you presently. Now remove self from fucking sight." Spartacus told Acer, glaring at the man as he did up his clothing.
"Fucking Gauls!" Agron exclaimed as he sat back down on the bench, his head was still pounding.
"Why was his cloth so removed?" Spartacus asked though he was pretty sure he knew the answer already.
"He told me to shut up before he gave me something to full my mouth with." Nasir let out a sigh and sat down beside Agron.
Spartacus shook his head. Seems he was going to have to talk to Crixus about controlling his men, now that they had new members amongst them. He would not have them force themselves on them. "Finish meal and then go seek out Crixus." Spartacus turned but then looked back at Agron. "And Agron, hold your tongue." He knew the young German knew what his words were about.
Nasir watched Spartacus leave and then looked over at Agron who was finishing the last of his oats. "I really hate that Gaul!" Nasir didn't like many of the Gauls but he really disliked Acer. Nasir knew that if the man really wanted to force himself on him, while Agron wasn't around he would have a hard time fighting him off. Nasir really didn't like that thought, not one bit.
"I will not let him touch you, little man." Agron gave him a warm smile.
Nasir returned the smile and then picked up his own bowl of oats and finished eating them. He couldn't help but wonder if Agron himself had had problems with Acer. He knew Agron could take care of himself but the way Acer acted was disturbing.
Agron finished the pear. The juices were making the split in his lip burn. When he was finished he threw the core over the wall and watched it fly through the air before he turned his attention back to Nasir. "I shall seek out the Gaul now…" Agron stood and looked down at Nasir.
Nasir stood up too. "I shall come with you." He picked up both of their bowls and started walking through the villa. Nasir glanced behind him to make sure Agron was following, he was. He was surprised Agron's footsteps were so quiet, for such a big man he was stealthy. Nasir had to smile about this.
Agron spotted Crixus and headed towards him, Nasir following behind. "You seek words?" Agron asked, trying to keep his tone level.
"Did you acquire the information I sought?" Crixus asked looking up at the German. He noticed the boy, Nasir standing with Agron.
"I did…" Agron stated not really wanting to deal with Crixus and his women issues right now.
"Well?" Crixus demanded.
Agron couldn't help but growl. "Nasir tended her wounds while she was here." He glanced down at Nasir, not sure what the little man wanted to offer.
Nasir knew that he should say something. "She was pretty well in body when she left here, considering, but her mind seemed broken. My Dominus did not rough her up." Nasir told the Gaul, who was scowling at him.
Crixus fists clenched at his sides and then he walked away.
Agron let out a sigh and turned to face Nasir. "I feel we leave soon, are you ready to leave these walls and truly be a free man?"
Nasir smiled at Agron. "Yes I am ready to leave these walls. No collar to keep me tethered."
Agron nodded returning the smile. This little man was growing on him more and more. "I will break words with Spartacus and seek you out when finished."
Nasir watched Agron walk away with a smile on his face. He let out a content sigh and then headed back to the room he and Agron had shared the previous night. Nasir had left all his belongings in there and hoped that no one had touched them. He walked into the room and to the bed. If they were going to be leaving the villa this day he would take the bedding with them. "The nights will be getting colder…" Nasir said to the empty room. He walked towards the chest in the corner and opened it, taking out his leather pouch and looked at the other contents of the chest. There were two large cloth sacks and another leather pouch. Nasir pulled them all out they would be of great use.
Nasir started pulling the bedding off of the bed and rolling it to fit into the sack. He got up and checked the room seeing if there was yet anything worth packing. Nasir found a few rolls of unused parchment and packed them into the sack. He picked up the candles placing them inside also. "I will not go without lighting…" Nasir didn't care much for the dark.
When he determined there would be no more gained from this room he picked up the sacks and headed towards his Dominus' quarters, which Spartacus and Mira had claimed. He peeked through the curtain and saw no one was inside and made his way in, taking a deep breath. This would be the last time he would be in this room.
Nasir quickly walked to the large chest that sat under the window, opening it he pulled out all of the contents placing them on the floor by his knees. He started going through the contents of the chest, he decided to ignore the clothes for now. Nasir found more oil and body cream, quickly placing them in his leather pouch that was around his shoulders. He found strips of leather and placed them into the sack with the bedding and parchment. He would find use for them. Nasir pulled out a hand mirror and added it to his leather pouch.
When he saw there was nothing else of not left in the chest he turned his attention to the clothes. The fabrics were of great quality. Silk, cotton, wool and a few linen robes, there was also a velvet cloak. There were trousers of different colors that he knew he could adjust down to his size. Nasir started rolling all of them and placing them into the cloth sack. As he reached the bottom of the pile he smiled, there was a large fur, it could be used to lay upon when a bed did not present itself. He rolled it and pushed it into the bag.
Nasir closed the trunk and got to his feet, dusting off his knees. He walked over to the table and inspected it. There still remained food upon it. He grabbed one of the cotton cloths laying it out onto the table in front of him. Pears, cheese, and bread were placed inside the cloth and then Nasir folded it, placing it into the other leather pouch.
Nasir then inspected the table more finding a pot of honey and a knife he could use on the fruit. He wrapped the knife into a cloth and then placed them both into the pouch. Nasir took one last look at the room and then left and headed back to Agron's quarters. He found Agron sitting on the edge of the stripped bed, head in his hands. "Head still pains you?" Nasir asked as he sat down beside Agron, placing the bags behind them.
Agron looked up at him and then nodded. "What do you have there?" He asked noticing the bags Nasir had just sat down.
"The bedding, cloth, clothes, a fur, parchment, and some other things." Nasir smiled at him.
"You seem well prepared." Agron smiled in return.
"I am when do we leave?" Nasir hoped he could stay close to Agron.
"Soon, come let us see where help is needed." Agron stood and adjusted the belt around his waist.
Nasir nodded and placed all of the straps of the bags over his shoulder so they rested on his back and then followed Agron through the villa. "I shall be back…" Nasir said to the German and then walked away, he was going to check all the rooms in the villa to make sure nothing of use was left behind.
When he had returned to Agron's side he had found more things to add to his bags. He had found another large fur, many spices and herbs, more oils, more cloth, and thread and needle. Agron smiled at him showing his dimples when Nasir stepped up beside him. "I am now ready to leave this place." Nasir smiled back up at him.
"And we shall, we move now." Agron handed Nasir a sword and started to walk towards the gate. "It is a full day's walk to the next villa. Shall I aid in carrying the weight?" Agron asked looking at the bags the Syrian carried.
Nasir shook his head but offered a smile. "It is well received but I shall manage weight. You are more skilled with sword."
Agron nodded. "You shall become skilled as well little man."
One can hope…" Nasir glanced back at the villa, it was the last time he would see this place and it was a great relief. Two moons ago he never thought about leaving those walls now he never wanted to go back. He let out a sigh and followed Agron quietly.