All For You, I Gave; A Trilogy

It was never enough. Day after day, it was never enough. He dreamt of Naia. He smelled Naia wherever he went. He saw her in every crowd he passed and she was tangled in all thoughts that danced through his mind. He felt her delicate skin beneath his fingertips and every morning, after the daily Spartan routine of a spar, Adonis took to the village in search for the woman who had captured his mind, his heart, and his very soul.

Naia, on the other hand, made it her day by day routine to wake up at the very crack of dawn, to steal from her room like the sun steals the darkness from the sky. To the Spartan barracks she traveled, following the path her brother and father took each day to train with the others. And there she would conceal herself to the shadows of a nearby alley or a hidden doorway, and watch her beloved Adonis, slashing away at his fellow soldiers, moving with the sleek grace of the mighty lion. She would watch him help the fallen, laugh when he was bested... Oh, how her body ached for her warrior. A simple kiss was not enough, and would never be enough, for the infatuated Naia.

As time wore on, they saw more of each other. Stolen glances in the marketplace became hidden conversations at local vendors, and those became runaway afternoons to the wheat fields surrounding almighty Sparta. A fortnight soon passed, and each day the two grew closer, slowly beginning not to care who saw them steal away with the dying rays of the sun, or what whispered words were passed behind the hands of gossip mongers. They became engrossed in their own world, that only pertained to the two of them, and lived and breathed only in their minds.

Neither could fathom, or remember, why or how fate brought them together. All they knew was they were completely lost within one another, but too afraid to admit such. They only wanted to revel in the other's company for as long as possible. Because the threat of war loomed closer.

---

Another bright and beautiful morning enveloped Sparta, blessing the townspeople with a splendid day for buying and selling their wares at the market. Naia is among them, dressed in a peplos that ties in a knot at the back of her neck, and is held to her supple body with a simple, brown leather band about her middle. There is an empty basket beneath her arm, but on this day Naia is not looking for fruit, or for ripened wheat to make bread. In fact, her eyes are on everything but the items for sale at the marketplace. She is searching for him, for she knows he'll be here, and she will not leave the square until his smiling eyes meet her own.

"What is it that you are looking for, Naia? By the Gods, we've been here since dawn this morning!" Orrin complains from behind his sister.

Much to Naia's displeasure, Orrin has been accompanying her to the marketplace every morning on her father's orders. It leaves the girl all but impossible to get a moment alone with, but for Adonis she'd risk anything. Not many approach the young woman anyway, save very few of her village friends; with the entourage of dangerous Spartan warriors trailing behind her, because with Orrin came his ever present fellows, none dared to approach Naia.

"Oh hush, Orrin, we have not." Naia hastily chastises her older brother, her eyes taking on a bright luminescence when she spots Dorian, Adonis's most trusted friend. "It's not like I asked you to come with me to the marketplace, anyway."

Orrin grunts, picking up an orange from a nearby basket, and then putting it down, looking dour. "Father would have my head if he knew you were out here alone."

A slow, cunning smile sweeps onto Naia's lips as her brown eyes meet another pair, sparkling with mischief from across the square. Lowering her voice, she plays the timeless trick on her brother that thwarts him every time. "What father doesn't know, won't hurt him."

She stops, glancing at Adonis who is talking with Dorian, but watching her closely. She nods subtly, then turns her back to him, allowing her brother to fall into place beside her.

"You'll say naught?"

Her heart pounding in excitement, her cheeks rosy with the mutiny she plans, Naia nods, and Orrin grins, sweeping a quick kiss to his sister's cheek.

"I'll meet you back here when the sun falls from the sky."

And with that, her brother is gone.

Adonis watches as Orrin flees from his sister, his gaggle of friends trailing behind him in a swirl of crimson cloaks. A smile uncontrollable to himself graces Adonis's face, and, abruptly leaving a sputtering Dorian in his wake, he makes haste across the square, licking his sensual lips at the sight of his heavenly nymph picking at the fruit that he knew interested her in the least.

Naia stills as she feels the heat that only Adonis can radiate as he brushes up against her from behind, his hand drifting along the narrow dip of her lower back.

"If you find the fruit does not interest you," he whispers to her, his lips softly dipping directly next to her ear, causing Naia to shiver and her lips to part in desire. "Meet me at the old yew tree half past noon."

His fingers linger on her hand for a mere moment, before he pulls himself away, his scarlet cloak trailing behind him. He looks back but once, a coy smile on his handsome face, that causes Naia's heart to swell and her cheeks to redden to match the apples she had been eyeing. Her body burns where Adonis had touched her, and quickly, so no one will know of the encounter, she looks away from her beloved, going on about her task of picking out merchandise for her mother.

Adonis rejoins his fellow Spartan, his eyes lurking on the decadent beauty that literally glows in his eyes. He does not spare one breath not thinking about her, aching for her touch, or listening to her her playful laughter resound in his ears. His heart simply beat for her, and he would gladly lay down his life, and his love, for his one, true Spartan queen.

"You are smitten with the girl." Dorian states, more than asks. He can see it in Adonis's eyes that there is no hope for his friend; he is all but lost to the charms of the young woman.

Adonis merely smiles and looks away, down to the ground to watch his feet move beneath him, taking him farther from his precious dove.

"She is Orrin's sister, there is---"

"A curse on Orrin's head," bites Adonis, his brown eyes jerking to Dorian's emerald ones. "It matters not who she is kin of."

Dorian's own blond hair sweeps into his eyes, and with an impatient hand he brushes them away. "Adonis, listen to me, you cannot get entangled with this girl! Sparta is to go to war soon, and you'll only be leaving behind someone you will never see again! Do not put yourself in that kind of pain, my brother."

Adonis turns on Dorian, halting the man sharply from their paths through the marketplace. "Do not predict things you cannot see, Dorian." Adonis warns through clenched teeth, his deep, rumbling voice coming out as a thunderous growl.

Dorian returns his friend's harsh glare with one of his own. "I'm merely watching your back, Adonis. I do not wish to see you get hurt."

"Nothing can wound me, Dorian. I suggest it is yourself that you protect." Adonis threatens with a snarl. He turns his back on his friend then and strides away, his body tense with anger.

Dorian watches after his Spartan comrade, his eyes shadowed by sorrow and churning with turmoil. His stance is rigid as he stands alone in the marketplace, people sweeping past him with their own duties to attend to. Swallowing roughly, Dorian thinks to himself, It is your heart I'm trying to guard, Adonis. But I fear it is already lost to the enemy.

---

She is kneeling below the tree, alone, going through her basket of fruit, picking at the grapes that are meant for her mother, not for Naia's hands. But she cannot help herself, and as Adonis quietly approaches, he can think of not a sweeter sight than his dearest Naia.

Naia gasps upon feeling a strong, bold hand covering her eyes, but she knows she is not in danger. She knows these hands, has felt them upon her flesh many times before; cupping her chin as his lips softly kissed her own, lacing his fingers with her's as he delicately held her hand. Naia smiles and blushes heavily when she feels Adonis's lips by the tender flesh of her ear, as he whispers his words to her.

"Guess who?"

Naia sighs heavily, as if in deep thought, her hands falling to her lap, her fingers curling around each other. "Hmm... Orrin?"

A playful nip to her ear causes Naia to giggle, and Adonis's raspy voice fills her ear once more. "Guess again."

Naia bites her lip as her heart throbs in her chest, and she swallows tightly. Butterflies once more take erratic flight in her stomach, as she says breathlessly, "I think I may need a hint."

Naia lets out the smallest of gentle moans as Adonis's lips fall to the nape of her neck, and then trail to the flesh below her ear. Her breath then comes out in a small gasp, when she feels his teeth nip her skin, and an arm encircle her waist, drawing her closer to his body.

"Adonis..."

A chuckle is ripped from his lips, and Adonis pulls back to place his chin on Naia's shoulder and embrace her from behind with both, powerful arms, as they sit together below the old yew tree, hidden from the village. "Aye my dove, it is me."

Naia smiles and tips her head back to look into Adonis's eyes, silently begging him for a kiss. He obliges her wishes with a kiss that lingers on her lips as his hands tangle with his own in her lap.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Adonis murmurs against Naia's lips, as he lifts a hand to sweep through the dark, silken tendrils of her hair. "I couldn't get away from the others without being seen."

Naia smiles, lifting a hand to place upon Adonis's cheek. "You came to me, and that's all that matters."

Adonis smiles, wondering to himself what made this woman so special, but all the while not caring. "Turn around." he tells her gently. She does so, with his help, and in a matter of seconds she is facing him, the smile that melted his heart every time he saw it hovering on her lips.

"Close your eyes."

Arching a fine brow, Naia does as Adonis asks, sitting perfectly still before him. Adonis reaches into a leather pouch on his hip and opens it up, producing the trinket he bought especially for Naia.

"What are you doing?" Naia questions with a hint of laughter on her voice as she feels Adonis's strong arms on her shoulders, his hands at the nape of her neck. He draws them away a moment later, and bids Naia to open her eyes.

Immediately, a hand flies to her neck, and she gasps in sheer delight. "Adonis!" Around her slender neck lies a thin, leather cord, dropping low to hover just above her breasts. On the end, and dangling just barely between her supple mounds, is a thin sliver of silver, and engraved onto it is an ancient poem by a wise, tender-hearted Greek from ages ago.

"What does it say Adonis, I cannot read it." Naia says, excitement laced in her voice as she picks up the bit of jewelry, twisting it this way and that to try and read what it says. Adonis laughs and steals the item from her hands, leaning forth to read the poem etched in the precious metal.

"'All for you beloved, all for you I gave. Forever I have you in my heart, and forever I gave you mine.'" Adonis says tenderly, his eyes mixing with Naia's.

He watches as her brown orbs fill with tears as she looks down at the silver treasure, and then up to meet Adonis's once more. He smiles wider, lifting a hand to cup her fragile cheek, and then ducks his head so his eyes are level with her own.

"Do not cry, my precious Naia, 'tis a gift, one you should be happy about."

Naia's smile is watery, but it is a smile nonetheless. "I am happy Adonis, I've never received a gift before. Thank you."

And with that, their lips meet once more, in a gentle, caressing kiss.

---

The sun sails through the sky at an alarming rate. Orrin begins to worry about his sister, who has yet to resurface in the village. Anywhere in the village. Orrin frowns, watching as the sun dips behind the highest houses above the tallest hill in Sparta, and knows that his sister should've been here by now.

If she is with him again... Orrin thinks angrily, looking towards the city gates, which are to close soon.

Orrin knew Naia has been seeing Adonis. He knew she'd been following him and his father to the barracks in the mornings; he had seen her in the shadows. He knew she stole away with him in the afternoons, for he had seen their swift meetings in the market. But he had allowed it, because he knew Naia would despise him if he breathed a word of it to their parents. But this was too far. Where had she gone? What were they doing? Orrin had seen Naia dip out of the city and to the fields a little after noon, but had she returned?

Well, there is only one way to find out.

---

"How many stars are in the sky, Adonis?"

Adonis smiles at Naia's innocent question, his head nestled in her lap as she sits, cross-legged, beneath the old yew tree. Her hands are gently sifting through his blonde hair as she gazes upwards, to the stars that are just beginning to peek out over the mountains, the moon in their midst.

"As many as you want there to be, Naia."

She smiles at his answer, and then turns her eyes to her beloved. How mighty a warrior, Naia thinks, her soft fingers smoothing the scarred skin of Adonis's brow. To have fallen at my feet. He has so many scars, and Naia has asked about every one of them; it is astonishing that Adonis can remember how he got each one, and can recite each thrilling tale without pause. She marvels on how caring he is with her, how gently he treats her, like a delicate porcelain statue.

Oh, how I love you, Adonis, Naia thinks, her eyes roaming every feature of his handsome face. His eyes are shut, creating twin crescents of ebony beneath his eyes. His skin is tanned, and his lips are gently curved in a pleasant smile. He is gorgeous; he is her Spartan.

Suddenly, his eyes flutter open, and Adonis is sitting up, facing Naia. The girl blinks, surprised, but is even more so when Adonis grabs her hands and leans close to her, his smile more wicked than she had ever seen it.

"Naia, my sweet," He kisses one hand, and then the other, his lips lingering tantalizingly. "What would you say if I asked you to meet me tonight?"

Startled, Naia blinks again, opening and closing her mouth as a fish out of water would. Adonis merely laughs, and pressing his lips to Naia's once more, silencing her from her incoherent mumbles. She moans into their kiss, her eyes flittering as Adonis pulls back a moment later.

"Meet me, Naia. Meet me here tonight." Adonis urges quietly, pressing his forehead to Naia's.

Lost for words, Naia says brokenly, "I... Adonis... I... I don't know if I can... The gates... Won't they... Closed?"

Adonis cups both of Naia's cheeks in his large hands, tipping her face up to lock eyes with his own. "I know the men who guard them. I can ask them to leave them unlocked. If you can but slip out at midnight Naia..."

Breathless, with unspoken exhilaration thrumming through her veins, Naia looks up at Adonis with bright eyes. "I don't know Adonis... Why? I don't understand..."

"Naia!"

Gasping, and ripping herself out of Adonis's loving grasp, Naia looks towards Sparta, and there she sees her brother, Orrin, striding over to where her and Adonis sit below the yew tree. A silent curse is uttered as Naia hastily stands, brushing off her peplos, Adonis in her wake.

"What are you doing!" Orrin hisses, stopping a mere breath from his sister, his face contorted in rage. "I told you to meet me when the sun sets! Instead you're out here, with him! Come! Now! Before you get caught and we both get in trouble!"

Before she can say anything to object, Naia is grabbed by the arm and being dragged away from Adonis. He can neither say anything to stop Orrin, nor does he, because the words that Naia mouth to him root him to the very spot on which he stands.

I'll be there.

---

Adonis didn't know what he was thinking when asked Naia to meet him under the yew tree at midnight. Because it hadn't been him thinking. It had been his heart.

Sparta is to go to war soon, and you'll only be leaving behind someone you will never see again!

Dorian's words echo throughout Adonis's mind, but he pretends to hear them naught. He doesn't want to believe them; Sparta will go to war, yes, but he will see his beloved Naia again. He will come back from war with a scar or two, a few more stories to tell Naia that will bring a smile to her face, and he will marry her. He will marry her, and they will raise a Spartan family to be proud of. These past few days, his every waking moment spent with Naia, have opened Adonis's eyes.

He'd been in love with Naia from the moment he saw her. And he'll do anything now to make her his.

The moon is directly overhead in the sky, Adonis takes notice, but still he paces, his heart racing. Will she come? Will she be caught? Nay, he doesn't want to think on that either. He just wants this one night, a single night with her. He doesn't know how much longer they have.

Adonis pauses for a minute, leans back against the yew tree and tips his head up to gaze at the stars. How many stars are in the sky, Adonis? Her cherubic voice rings about his head, causing a chill to race down his spine, and his heart to soar. She has the most lovely voice, like a songbird, Adonis thinks blissfully, letting out a soft sigh. His lips curve into a smile as, once more, Naia invades his every thought, his every hope, and his every dream.

"Adonis?"

Thrown from his reverie, Adonis takes his gaze from the sky, and looks toward his beloved city, his breath catching in his throat. There stands Naia, dressed in her ivory peplos from earlier in the afternoon, with a shawl of delicate fabric around her shoulders. She is smiling, her lips closed over perfect white teeth, with her hair gently billowing in the midnight wind.

Adonis breathes not a word as Naia takes slow, seductive steps towards her warrior. Adonis's breathing turns heavier, his abdomen tendons rippling with his deep breaths. Naia pauses before him, just a mere hairbreadths away from him. She tilts her head back to look up at Adonis, her eyes sparkling in the glittering moonlight, and in that moment, Adonis is lost.

Naia is swept into Adonis's arms, and her breath leaves her in a gasp as Adonis covers her lips with his own. Both pair of brown eyes are hidden as lids fall to cover them, their mouths dancing in passion. Limbs entangle as Naia reaches for Adonis, and he for her, their bodies pressed so tightly together that it is almost painful. The only words spoken are those of lust and longing, passed between two lips that have been denied each other for too long.

A gasp escapes Naia's lips, and her head falls back as Adonis's claim her throat. Her trembling fingers latch onto his forearms as his strong hands slide up her arms, and his fingers wrap around the tie of her peplos at the base of her neck.

"Adonis..."

His name is the only word she can form, and again and again she murmurs the pray as his lips tease the flesh of her neck and collarbone, his fingers untying the knot at the nape of her neck.

Naia wouldn't have stopped him even if she wanted to. For too long she had dreamt of this, fantasized every detail that accompanied this moment. And through all the different times her mind wrought the ways in which she would become a woman, one thing stood the same; it was always Adonis who was her hero.

Her clothing falls in a puddle at her feet, and, nude, Naia stands before Adonis, who had drawn back, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes roaming her body from head to toe. Naia blushes, having never been bare before anyone before, but stands proud before Adonis, not a trace of fear mauling her angelic features. Adonis smiles at his woman's strength, his eyes locking with hers once more.

"You are more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."

Naia flushes, from her head to her toe, and Adonis chuckles, stepping forward to claim Naia's lips once more. His long, blond hair frames his ruggedly handsome face, and then is swept back by the untamed wind. Naia shivers from the feeling of her own hair teasing her skin and, boldly, she places her fragile hands on Adonis's chest. Her fingers, with a mind of their own, glide over his chiseled skin, before wrapping around the clasp that holds his crimson cloak about his shoulders. A moment later, Adonis's cape falls to the ground in a river of scarlet, causing Naia to moan appreciatively at the sight, and then laugh lowly in her throat.

"What do you find funny?" Adonis growls, as Naia's brazen hands reach to the belt at his waist, unclasping the buckle there as well. His sword falls to the ground with a clatter, and Naia breaks her lips from Adonis's to look into his eyes that are filled with desire, just as hers are.

"Who is the warrior now?"

Their bodies are lost then, in a tangle of limbs, clothing and trinkets falling to the ground one by one. In the moonlight they fall, as one, to the ground, their bodies as bare as the day they were born. Breathing is heavy, fingers are tangled in wild locks of hair, as sensual moans are ripped from throats that are dry with the need of untamed passion.

Her hands glide over smooth, sleek muscles, igniting his skin for every inch they cover. Her lips nibble and suckle, her body arched against his own, striving, begging, craving for more. His hands are relentless in their assault to please, his mouth just as merciless. Like the warrior he is, he takes possession over her body, claiming it so many times that Naia loses herself in bliss, crying out unto the night in throes of passion.

And when his hips align with hers, Naia grasps his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his rough skin as she stares up at her Spartan lover, her body coated, like his, in a fine sheen of sweat.

"Adonis... I haven't... Not another..." Naia pants, her lips parted and gasping at the feel of Adonis so close.

"It's all right," Adonis whispers, his hands tangling in her hair as his lips cover hers once more. "Neither have I."

The night is then filled with cries of love undone, of gentle thrusts and fantasies fulfilled. Naia is lost, as well as Adonis, as their souls become one, in a tradition between man and his woman as old as time itself. A bond is created, one that cannot be broken; not by politics or family, war or sorrow. It is a bonding of the heart, of the very soul a being possesses.

---

The next morning, Naia is awoken by the loud, thundering tone of her father, and torrents of rain pounding the roof of her home. Blinking back the slumber from her eyes and ignoring the pain she feels in places she naught felt before, Naia crawls out of bed and quickly dons a fresh, ivory peplos and rushes out of her room, fighting off sleep and ache with every step.

"...go! Why now?! What has he planned?!"

Her mother's frantic voice alarms her, and Naia's steps hasten down the stone corridor to the small, simple foyer. Her hair a tousled mess and her eyes still laden with sleep, Naia abruptly stops in the vestibule of her home and her eyes widen at what she sees.

Her father is standing toe to toe with her mother, Orrin standing a few paces behind Thanos. Both men are dressed in full Spartan regalia; a vile sight that freezes Naia's heart on it's next beat.

"I do not know, Calista, but we cannot disobey Leonidas. He says we are to leave today, so we must leave today."

Naia gasps, bringing a trembling, pale hand to her throat, her eyes broadening and her heart resuming it's rapid rhythm in her chest. The minuscule sound alerts to her family that the young woman is present, and all eyes are turned to her.

"Naia..."

She is gone in a heartbeat. Pushing past her father and ripping open her front door, Naia runs out into the pouring rain, lighting sparking dangerously overhead.

"Naia!"

Her feet trounce through puddles and thick pools of mud, her peplos instantly soaking in the rain. She pants through parted lips, moving swiftly between houses on cold, bare feet, her hair flying in a wild, wet tangle behind her.

Leaving... Adonis...

She stumbles into the square as another, threatening bolt of lighting slashes across the sky and thunder claps in response. Spartan warrior upon Spartan warrior is gathered in the square, shields held mightily on one arm, and a deadly spear held in the opposite hand. Few lips move among the men, though they move restlessly with the anticipation of impending bloodlust and vicious battle.

"Adonis!"

Fear grips Naia unlike any fear before. She hears the order for the gathered men to "Move out!" and she begins to panic, her breath coming out in sharp, small gasps.

"Adonis!"

"Adonis!?"

Wildly ripping through the men, Naia tears at their flesh, their cloaks, bruising her fragile body on heavy shields as she stumbles over large feet. But she does not care. No, the only thing her mind can comprehend is that she must find Adonis.

"Adonis!"

She is screaming his name violently as the troops begin to move towards the city exit, led by Leonidas and his ever-faithful Captain. Hoard upon hoard of scarlet cloaks file out of the narrow, city gates, and Naia begins to fear she has lost her love forever.

"Naia!"

Spinning so fast she nearly collapses to the ground, wide, round eyes land on her Adonis. Letting out a whimper in relief, she flies into his arms, and, not caring that he is surrounded by his Spartan brethren and can be looked down upon for his weakness, Adonis captures Naia in his arms, embracing her tightly to his chiseled chest.

"I thought you... I thought you left..." Naia weeps, her face buried in the blood-red cloth of Adonis's cape, her fingers curling into his skin as her body quakes in fear.

The only words Adonis can murmur are, "...I'm sorry."

Naia clenches her eyes shut tightly, feeling her nails break Adonis's skin as a sob is torn from her throat. She sinks in Adonis's grasp, her knees weakening so much so that she can barely hold herself up anymore.

"No..."

"I'm sorry, my dove," Adonis whispers into her hair, his hand stroking her thick, curled locks, drenched in the downpour of the unforgiving rain. "It is not something that I have control over. I must serve my king. And I will do it proudly."

They stand silent, the only sounds coming from the trampling of many leather sandals, and the raging thunderstorm above. Naia's sobs cease after a long moment, and, pulling back from Adonis, she lifts her chin defiantly, though her hands still tremble with a mighty force as they now clutch the crimson fabric of Adonis's cloak.

Staring into pools of wavering deep, dark amber, Adonis feels his very heart shatter in two. He can tell Naia is trying her very best not to show impotence, though her eyes shed her despair. Her hands are cold, quaking and wet from the merciless rain, her hair hanging in wet tendrils around her beautiful face. Her peplos is soaked to her very flesh, but she stands before Adonis as proud as any warrior would be.

She then removes her hands from the rippling tendons of his chest, tipping her face to the muddy puddles in which she stands. She reaches up to touch the knot at the nape of her neck, untying the gentle leather cords that clasp the beloved necklace that Adonis had given her just yesterday.

"Naia..."

She raises her eyes to his, striking him silent where he stands. The last of the warriors begin to brush past them, the crowd lessening with each passing chassis. But to the lovers, there is no one else in the world, but them.

Slowly, and keeping her calm resolve on the surface, Naia removes the bit of jewelry from her throat and lifts it to Adonis's. He raises his hand to stop her, but she bypasses them, her eyes focusing on the thin cord she ties at the nape of Adonis's own neck.

"Naia... I gave it to you as a gift."

Placing her hands on his chest, and arching her head back to blink through the rain so she may gaze at her Spartan lover, Naia responds, "I know. And I want it back."

Adonis's gaze never wavers from Naia's, their eyes intermingling with one another's for what may be the last time. Unspoken words are passed between the two, and then, slowly, and but once, Adonis nods to Naia, the corners of his fine lips upturning in a gentle, beautiful smile.

And then he is gone.

In a whirl of crimson, Naia watches as her warrior departs with the last of the men, daring not to look back. So Naia watches, standing tall and, on the outside, strong, as the rain and the looming darkness of the storm above her steals her love, her heart, and her very soul, from sight.

Turning her gaze to the turbulent sky above her, Naia's fists clench at her sides as another bolt of lightening slices the morning sky. Pouring down her flesh, a mixture of rain and tears fall to the ground from Naia's trembling chin. Lids close over frigid pools of swirling, sunburned gold, as Naia fights the urge to fall to her very knees, and weep.