In Love We Trust

The year was 480 BCE. The Greeks had just defeated the Persians in the battle of Salamis. The Greek soldiers were just returning to Athens, one of the lavish city-states within all of Greece. If not the most luxurious and prosperous among the land, Sparta inching in at a close second; their soldiers were fierce and their numbers large. Matthew Sanders, the major general who headed the army of Athens stood upon a hilltop. As his men descended down the side of the hill, Matthew remained at its peak overseeing the group of soldiers. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was still at a high. Matthew could never get enough of the feeling of success to him it was like a drug, or even more an ego booster. He basked in the fame and glory which was thrown his way after a victory in battle. Women would throw themselves at his feet and men would grumble about how much of an arrogant prick he was. Matthew didn't care about their opinions though, naturally he was the best and he knew it. For it was he who directed the army of Athens and it was his battle plans which continued to go undefeated.

Matthew was aware of the growing tension between Athens and Sparta. The Spartans were not dependent upon slaves from other territories for their labour force. They would use native populations from territories which they had conquered in various battles. These people were helots and posed as a great threat to Sparta. The Spartans knew that the helots could easily rebel against them therefore they met the danger early on and turned their citizens into an army of their own. All the boys born in Sparta were sent to military camp at the age of six, were taught battle strategies, and other military practices. Matthew had lived this life, he knew what it was like to be separated from your family at such a young age and thrust into an army barracks. The atmosphere was cold and sterile. The military generals there didn't care about love or kindness; their job was to turn these young boys (like Matt) into lean, mean fighting machines. They were cold, distant and were made to possess as little emotion as possible.

Matthew had detested his years of childhood. He lost all compassion he had for things which mattered most to him. His family barely ever saw him and he wished to keep it that way; somewhere in the subconscious of his mind was a conscience that hated him, hated what he had become. He wanted nothing more than to escape into exile but he knew he couldn't let Athens down. Without him the empire would surely perish and Matthew couldn't bear the thought. Instead Matthew willed himself to continue on. He trained in the gymnasium daily, sometimes more than once. It was no secret that he was by far the strongest fighter that Athens had seen in decades, even when he was just a teenager he had a power that few other men could only dream of obtaining. Matt honed his skills and used them toward his advantage.

While the other men were out carousing with women, Matthew would stay inside the barracks. He would train at the gymnasium and write down his own battle tactics, consulting the head general of his division when he wished to gain extra knowledge of the subject. Matthew spent many-a-night listening to the quiet rumblings of a party on the edge of the premises. He would ask himself what it would be like to join them however he never did work up the courage to join them; he preferred planning, calculating. Matthew never was one for socializing; he lacked the patience and control. His sense of humour also left something to be desired; he was brutal and ego-centric and everyone knew it.

Some years later, on Matthew's twenty-fourth birthday the sergeant general of Matthew's barracks fell ill. He had summoned Matthew to his private quarters, sitting down quietly in front of his superior Matthew leaned forward, urging the man to speak. The Sergeant General lulled his head to the side, the thick film of perspiration coating his forehead glinting in the light. The general grabbed one of Matthew's hands in his own, wheezing slightly as he did so.

He smiled lightly at Matthew and sighed "Matthew, it is only a matter of time before I breathe my last breath. I have summoned you here because I have grown quite fond of you. You've made me proud in so many battles and I know that I can trust you to man this ship when I go. Do me the honor of becoming the new Sergeant General of the Athenian army?"

"I do not know what to say sir, other than yes. I am deeply grateful that you have chosen me when I am merely twenty-four years of age, six years away from becoming a citizen, are you sure this is legal?"

The Sergeant General took in a deep breath and winced, "no, it is not legal. I had to argue with the senate. Although they know just as well as I that you will carry on my legacy. Make me proud son."

With that, the Sergeant General passed on into the afterlife, leaving Matthew behind as the new Sergeant General. Matthew had never experienced such happiness as he did on that day. Now, as he stands upon the hill overlooking his men, a sense of pride shoots through his body. Almost as soon as it has begun, it ends, replaced with a dull sense of fear. He was sure that their days were numbered before the Spartan army would attack and as powerful an army Athens was, Matthew knew that his men would have to give it their all in order to beat Sparta. Many plans had come and gone through his head during the events which played out earlier in the month. Matthew had finally settled on a plan which he thought for sure would work, exercising it however was going to be an extremely difficult challenge.

Standing high above his men, Matthew thrust his sword up into the air cutting the silence. "Men, we were successful in battle today! Tomorrow or next year we may not be so lucky. Let's give thanks to the gods for giving us the strength to overcome our biggest weaknesses and may we triumph over all our enemies in the future!"

The crowd simultaneously gathered together, staring up at their fearless leader in awe. Shouts of "yeah" penetrating the air around them.

"Raise your swords into the air my brave warriors and cry out to the gods in respect for the lives lost in Salamis today!"

The men raised their swords, shouting in mourning, honor, respect. Matthew grinned fondly down upon his men, noticing the four in the front row, swords at their feet. This blatant show of disrespect both annoyed and angered him. Slowly descending down the hillside Matthew joined the four at the bottom, presenting the considerably tall and lithe one of the bunch with his sword.

"You sir, do you care to explain to me why you are not joining the others?"

The man smirked and kicked the sword at his feet toward those of Matthew's. "We only lost one hundred men today, must we really go through the motions and after battle accolades every time Matthew?"

Matthew sighed, "Jimmy, I know that we have been friends since childhood but could you please at least honor the lives of the deceased for Zeus' sake!?"

"Yeah Jimmy, listen to Sergeant General Matthew Sanders when he gives you orders!" Snickered the man on the far left.

"Brian, don't get me started on you; today is not your day and tomorrow is not looking good either."

"What are you going to do about it, ostracize me? It's not like anyone would vote to have meexiled although you might want to watch that desirable ass of yours."

"Brian" Matthew growled warningly.

"Just leave him alone man." The short, pudgy one interjected.

"Shut the fuck up fatty!" Brian yelled in Zacky's direction, causing the younger man to tense slightly.

Matthew had finally lost his temper, "that is it! I have fucking had it with your cockiness Brian Haner Jr."

Brian yawned, "shocking, really."

Matthew grabbed Brian by his hair, throwing the smaller man to the ground. Through grit teeth he spoke harshly, "I wasn't going to inform you of my new battle strategy until after we had our evening celebrations but I have changed my mind. I figure now is as good a time as any." The four men regarded Matt with identical looks of puzzlement. Matthew continued his speech, ignoring their facial expressions. "I am encouraging-and by encouraging I mean forcing-everyone in the Athenian army to choose another member of the army to start a... Relationship with. If you men fight so rigorously on the battlefield when you have nothing to lose, then I figure you'll fight ten times harder for the life of the man you love."

Johnny's face scrunched up in distaste. "That is just..."

"Hot." Brian interrupted, "if you're my partner that is." Brian winked at Matthew.

Matthew forced back his gag-reflex and put a smirk on his face, "not exactly Brian. Your lover is Zachary Baker and Jimmy you will be with Jonathan Seward."

Jimmy blushed and directed his gaze to the ground, "okay."

Brian's face noticeably paled, "fuck you Matthew! I will not be caught dead making love to that ogre! Look at him, I bet you anything that I can't even fit my arms around his waist!"

Zacky bit his lip, looking anywhere but into the faces of the men around him. Brian's words sliced through every fiber of Zacky's being. His feelings of love for Brian were a secret that only he and Matthew knew about. Looking up through the fringe of raven black hair obscuring his vision Zacky watched Matthew, then looked over at Brian. He sighed quietly and inched away, going unnoticed.

"Give me a new partner Matt, someone with a hot ass and gorgeous green eyes."

Matthew shook his head at the irony of the situation, "all of the pairs are final, you will not dissuade me. It matters not to me whether you agree with my decisions. This is why I am sergeant general and you are simply a soldier."

"I will never love him, I refuse to be intimate with him."

Matt groaned, "you will perish."

"Death means nothing to me."