Axios: A Spartan Tale (Axios Series)

by Jaclyn Osborn

In Sparta, only men who died in battle or women who died in childbirth were permitted inscribed graves. Both were seen as heroes.

“I see someone who is kind and who stops to see the beauty of the world. Someone who likes to watch the birds fly in the sky, wondering where they go… wondering what it’s like to soar amongst the clouds. I see an intelligent mind who ponders what makes the sky blue and where the sun goes at night. But mostly… I see my truest companion.”

I felt numb to it all, not just to the pain but to everything. Why should I continue to fight?

“I knew there was strength in you somewhere, boy. Your own life may not be of concern, but his,” he nodded to Eryx, “he is what you will fight for.”

“You coddle your young like delicate flowers, but in Sparta, we pluck them from their mother’s breasts and push them to their breaking point and beyond until they do not feel or fear pain. Do not register its existence. We strip them of individuality for a great army fights as one. All of Greece knows of Sparta’s renowned warriors. Witness how they are made.”

“Perhaps you would be faster if you weren’t gawking at the women, my friend,” he said with an amused tone. His golden hair fell into his face as he quickly looked behind at me. Little did he know that he was the only one I cared to gawk at. He was too beautiful for the harsh life we were forced to live.

“You do not cower in the presence of your superiors, boy. I wonder why that is.” “Why would I cower? You are but a man of flesh and bone, and when cut, you bleed the same as any other.”

Treating anyone with cruelty just for the status of their birth wasn’t honorable to me. Helots were the foundation of Sparta in my eyes. They farmed and provided us our nourishment; they crafted and performed all the domestic duties. But even if they were worthless, what decency would it be to treat them so harshly when they’d done no wrong?

“However, one day the light you carry will be snuffed out by darkness. I dread the moment when the gentleness in your brown eyes becomes cold as you see, at last, that the world is unforgiving and cruel. And I fear that I will lose you, either to the god of death or to your inner demons.”

Attraction between two men was not rare in Sparta. Boys grew up together and bonded. We were required to live with members of our group until age thirty, even if one of us married before then, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for sexual relationships to develop. Although common, it was rarely discussed.

“Seeing you fancy another was like a dagger to my heart, Axios. And I must confess that a part of me enjoyed slitting his throat.”

“So you wish to hear, young Spartans, the tale of the mighty three-hundred who fought and perished so that you may sit here now and listen to their deeds,” Nikias said, shadows from the flames crossing his face and causing his scar to look more menacing. “The Persians outnumbered them, and their army loomed for miles. But still, the Spartans blocked the road through the mountains that would prevent Xerxes and his army to pass.”

Shifting my focus from the fire and to Eryx, I watched him, storing every detail about him into memory. It was something I did when I needed to be anchored back to the earth. When questions plagued my mind, he had a way of pulling me from the shadows and helping me see clearly. I might not have known if I’d die for Sparta, but I knew for certain I’d lay down my life for his.

“Not even death could keep me from you. My soul will forever find yours. In this life and the next.”

“Yes, I’m inquisitive, stubborn, and live in my mind more than I should, but I do take great pride in our home. When the time comes, I will fight for Sparta with all my might. It is only sometimes, in my weaker moments, I see how different our lives could be. And I yearn for it, Ery. By the gods, I yearn for it.”

“You are my heart,” he said unexpectedly. The amount of care in his voice settled over my chest like a warm cloak. “I do not easily confess emotions in the way you do, but know I feel the same. The words I once spoke to you hold true: I will kill any man and turn the whole world to ash for you, my warrior. I fear neither battle nor death, but I fear the day you are not by my side. Never question where my heart lies, because it is forever yours. In this life and the next.”

Muscles weren’t all that won wars and conquered lands; wisdom and passion were just as important. A man who fought with his heart was more dangerous than one who merely fought out of duty.

“I believe that in order to learn, you must do,” Eryx said, taking a stick from one of the boys and moving it between his hands. “However, observing is also among the methods of learning. If you witness a man leap off a cliff into water, without first checking the depth of the water, and is soon impaled by sharp rocks, you will know to always check a water’s depth before doing the same. Observing the foolish behavior of others allows you to avoid making their mistakes.”

I was attracted to him. How could I not be? He had such sincere brown eyes, handsome features, and could carry on interesting conversation with ease. My time spent with him had been a true joy, and I’d found a rare kinship with him. But he’s not my Ery.

He was my truest friend, confidant, and so much more than my lover. He was my heart.

“Men do not marry each other in Sparta,” I countered, sadly shaking my head. “I will never be able to call him my husband, but I do not need the title for me to know it in my heart. He is mine, and I am his. Always.”

“A man without fear is not brave. Bravery comes from being afraid, but doing a thing anyway. To be courageous is to fear death, and yet, charge at the enemy anyhow. Fear does not make you a coward. But overcoming it makes you a man.”

For many years, I dreamed of leaving Sparta. And now I just want to return.

And it was then I knew that Spartan arrogance would kill us all.

“We never see ourselves how others see us,” he responded. “But that does not make them wrong.”

He kissed my forehead, such a simple action, but one that made me feel cherished. Beloved and treasured in a life that called for brutality.

“There is no competition, Ery. I am yours and forever will be. Caring for another does not change that, for I do not love him. And if I do love him… it is not in the same way.”

“Life is not just. The gods care not whether a man is a beggar or a king. We are the same in their eyes, and when they wish to take us, they do.”

“The warrior with the golden hair is your lover?” he asked in a voice so quiet, I had to strain to hear him. I nodded. “I see how carefully he watches over you… as if you are his reason for existing.”

Thebes had a new fighting force that nearly matched Spartans in their discipline and skill. They were known as the Sacred Band. Rumors flew from the lips of soldiers that the band was made up of lovers. All men. And that was why they fought so fiercely. They not only fought for themselves, but to also protect the lover at their side.

I want to read about these men so badly

Holding my shield with my left arm, I used it to cover more of Eryx and then raised my dory, resting it atop the rounded bronze. The sharp, iron head of the spear would easily cut through flesh, and I’d drive it through any man who got too close to my mate.

Among the fallen, I saw a Theban soldier kneeled down by another, holding the dead man in his lap and stroking the hair from his bloodied face. When a Spartan attacked, the man did not move to stop him. He only sat there holding who I believed to be his lover and met death with a sad smile.

I am aware Spartan men are bred for battle, but there comes a time when the fighting needs to end and for peace to reign again through the lands.”

“Death is not the end.”

Eryx and Axios had been embracing, wrapped in each other’s arms long after they’d taken their final breaths.