©2001 by WILDBEARIES

This story is based on characters created in the film, "Gladiator" and in no way intended to infringe upon those characters or the story of that film. References to real people are strictly the product of the writer's imagination and meant to entertain the reader.
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"Where you are Gaia, I am Gaius," Maximus said, looking Ana in the eyes with sober intensity. He held her hands in his, and she felt it was just the two of them exchanging their vows, alone in some quiet place in the universe. There were no friends, no fellow officers, no father - just Maximus and just Anataten, speaking the words that made them husband and wife.

"Where you are Gaius," she answered steadily, "I am Gaia."

Maximus slid a heavy gold ring onto her left ring finger, and for the first time since she had walked into the temple of Venus accompanied by several young women friends as her attendants, he smiled at her. Her heart thudding, throat tight with emotion, Ana smiled back. Maximus leaned down and kissed her, his lips soft and warm, then the chamber erupted with the applause and cheers of the assembled guests, and he stepped back, grinning. He caught the edge of her red veil and deftly removed it, handing it to one of the young women. "Carissima," he whispered, "te amo."

Ana was only able to nod, her voice strangely gone in the flood of tears running down her face.

He brushed them away with his fingers, "What's this now? Tears? Are you so sad to be my wife?"

"Exactly the opposite," she answered hoarsely, "I'm so happy!"

The guests were throwing bits of bread for good luck, and as they walked out onto the terrace surrounding the temple, she saw Maximus signal to Antoninus. Antoninus grinned and brought up Pulcher, her mane and tail braided with ribbons and flowers, and a white saddle cloth with heavy silk tassels over her back. Maximus lifted Ana onto her horse, keeping hold of the rein, then he leapt onto Scarto's back - the stallion being similarly decked with wedding finery - and led Ana off to the cheers and lusty calls of the guests and anyone who happened to be outside the temple.

"I hope you get many sons on her!" was one call.

"Drink my wine, General, you'll need your strength this night!" shouted a wine vendor.

A baker and his assistants began tossing rolls and loaves of bread stuffed with dried fruits to the guests, and everyone happily adjourned to the castra where Maximus had paid for a feast for his officers and guests, and arranged for special treats for the enlisted men as well. The entire camp was alight with torches and music and gaiety. It was two days until they would march for Hispania, and they had their beloved General Maximus back and his lovely little bride as well. Half the officers professed themselves to be in love with her and the other half swore they'd give their lives to protect her if need be. Ana found it all a little overwhelming.

For their first night as husband and wife, they were in Maximus' quarters in the center of the Praetorium, since he had finally consented to having his things moved there out of consideration for her.

She was dressed in a fine silk shift, her hair unbraided and brushed until it gleamed in lustrous waves over her shoulders. She sat on the edge of his big camp bed and the girls spread rose petals around and over her as the older women joked and made her blush and giggle with their ribald humor. Finally, she heard Antoninus and Drusus outside the tent, part of the group accompanying Maximus, and then more raucous humor as his officers shoved him into the front of the tent and began stripping his wedding clothes off him.

"The cloak, the cloak," she heard Antoninus demand, then, "No boots - take those off him." There was a lot of joshing and laughter, and she could hear Maximus protesting that he could undress himself just fine. Her cheeks burned at some of the jokes, all of which seemed to involve grooms with huge members and brides fleeing in terror at the very sight of them.

Finally, they pushed him into the bed chamber, and left with much laughter and shouts of luck and encouragement. The tent fell silent except for their breathing. Ana lifted her blushing face and found her husband standing across the room, looking at her, his eyes glinting silver in the lamp light. He was wearing only a thin cotton shirt, legs bare from mid-thigh down, and he grinned ruefully at her, indicating his state of undress. "They would have had the shirt as well, but I fought for it."

Ana smiled, her nervousness suddenly gone. "I heard you."

He crossed to the small table and poured watered wine into two silver cups, handing one to her. "For strength?" she teased him. He smiled, then drank off the wine.

"For forbearance," he answered, and set the cup down, taking her face in his hands and bending down to kiss her. "To keep from throwing you down without at least telling you how much I love you first." He kissed her again. He took the barely tasted cup from her and set it aside. "You're beautiful, my pocket Venus."

He stroked his palms down her arms and kissed each of her hands, then her eyelids and face, and finally her mouth, his tongue sliding warmly inside to tease hers. She felt his breathing quicken and she grasped the hem of his shirt, putting her hands on his warm flesh beneath it. He lifted his face, grinning, "Is that what you're about?" He let go of her and pulled the shirt off over his head, casting it onto the carpeted floor. "You love looking at my naked body, you lusty wench."

She nodded. "Much more so now that you're well and not so bony." She touched his side, then couldn't keep from clasping his fully aroused sex, squeezing it gently, liking how it made his breath catch. "Well, some parts are still bony," she joked.

Maximus laughed and flung himself onto the bed with her, kneeling as he pulled her shift off over her head, leaving her clothed only in the beautiful auburn waves of her hair. He brushed some rose petals off her face and just looked for a moment, drinking in the lush curves of her body, her large blue eyes and the sweet, full lips that smiled back at him. "So beautiful," he whispered, then pulled her down onto the bed to lie facing him as he began to make love to her.

He caught her hands in his, twining their fingers together and just kissing her, taking his time, doing it thoroughly. He took her mouth with his tongue over and over, mimicking what he wanted to do with his cock, which burned hot against her where he held her close, slowly circling his hips against her, letting her feel him. She managed to free one hand so she could touch him, but he chuckled and eluded her, so that she had to be content with stroking the skin of his back, down onto his buttocks. She squeezed the firm muscles and dug her nails in, making him gasp and buck against her. "Don't wait too long," she teased him, "I may jump from the bed and find me a lusty officer outside who will give me what I want."

He burst into laughter, rubbing his forehead against hers, and moved so he was between her thighs, brushing the tip of his member against her moist folds. He stroked her with his fingers, finding she was already liquid and slippery. "Lusty, just as I said," he murmured, and thrust himself inside her in one long, firm push that put him in to the root, grinding his pelvic bone against hers while they both gasped in pleasure. He began moving, a bit raggedly at first because he was so excited, as was she, but then steadying to a deep rhythm that she would have happily enjoyed for hours - days even - as he filled her over and over with himself. He stroked the budded flesh of her clitoris with his thumb, and she immediately climaxed, her sheath rippling against his plunging flesh, making him fight for control because he wanted this to go on much longer and be much more pleasurable for them both. He held still, muscles quivering, taking deep breaths, as she quieted, then started moving again.

"Maximus!" she moaned, feeling herself about to plunge into orgasm again almost immediately. She pressed her face against his left arm, teeth gripping the flesh over his biceps, and let the sensations wash over her in deep waves. This time, he was unable to control his body and she felt him go rigid against her, thrust as deep as he possibly could be, and begin to spurt his seed against her womb in thick jets. He gasped and groaned, his whole body shaking, then collapsed over her, fighting for breath while she stroked his sweaty back and kissed wherever she could reach.

When he had his breath back, he rolled onto his side, catching her against him so her head was on his shoulder. He kissed her temple, smiling. "Still going to go outside in search of an officer to fuck you?"

Ana squealed in mock disgust and elbowed him in the ribs, before saying, "No! I've decided you'll do." She slid down and licked his nipples, circling them with her tongue as his flesh jumped in response. "Ticklish?"

"A little," he admitted, not wanting to encourage her to find out how ticklish and where. It was too late for that, however, because she began relentlessly searching out all the sensitive places that made him gasp and jump, and, those found, the ones that made him moan and his sex swell and throb against his belly. "Oh, no," he groaned as she knelt over him, holding his shaft in her hands, obviously going to take him into her mouth. "Anything but that."

Ana giggled and did exactly that, knowing it was a mock protest. From the way his flesh expanded further and he pressed up against her, she knew he liked it. She cradled his balls in one hand, gently kneading him, and used the other to help with his cock as she licked and suckled and nibbled, driving him wild. When she encouraged him to, he thrust into her mouth, careful not to lose himself in too much abandon, but the feel of her tongue on his most sensitive parts and the scrape of her small, white teeth were too much for him and he bucked and groaned aloud, shooting his hot liquid into her greedy mouth. To his amazement, she took it all, sucking until she had everything he had to give, until he was a moaning, panting heap on the bed. Only then did she let go of him and lie, chin propped on her hand, elbow against his middle, smiling at him.

When he could speak, Maximus said hoarsely, "You little greedy wench! I had no idea you'd do that."

She laughed, a throaty purr that did things to the base of his spine, "I'm from Egypt, remember? I served an apprenticeship in the Temple of Isis in Alexandria as part of my training to help my father. I learned a lot more than just medicine."

"Apparently," he said dryly, pulling her down against his side once more. When she pouted, he soothed her, "Now, now, if you want more of this, you must let me rest. I've been ill, you know." He lifted the blanket over them, tucking it around their intertwined bodies.

Ana snorted, but agreed he needed to rest. "I understand, that's how it is for you older men. I'll let you rest - for an hour perhaps." He kissed her thoroughly, silencing her teasing voice. When he lifted his mouth from hers, she whispered. "Well, mayhap for a quarter of an hour."

Outside the large tent, where the guards stood at a discreet distance, they looked at one another with ribald grins as their general's distinctive laughter sounded yet again. "I think he's a happy man," one sentry said. "Wouldn't you be?" the other shot back.
 

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Copyright 2001 by wildbearies

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