Chapter 24-
"It's huge!" exclaimed Alex as they rode down to the plain where the city lay.
"It's one of the largest cities in all of Greece. It may even be bigger than Athens." replied Marcus. "We will stop here on this ridge and ride in away from the caravan." He then dismounted and walked around, stretching his legs.
"How do you feel?" asked Alex, also dismounting.
"Tired, but I am fine" he replied smiling at Alex. The past few days had been a blur of forcing himself to stay awake at night and dozing in the saddle during the day. He hadn't been able to have a good conversation with Alex since leaving.
They watched the caravan as it lumbered toward the city. Eventually Marcus climbed back up into the saddle. Alex followed suit and the two made their way down onto the plain.
"By now we have been spotted by the Spartan Army. We should be seeing a detachment of soldiers before we make it halfway across the plain." Marcus said
"How does Sparta view Corinth?" Alex said scanning the horizon for soldiers.
"From what I hear, they are a little uneasy with they way that Corinth has ascended in power, but they themselves did the same thing some years ago, but that was before King Amyclas took control of the city. He is as fair and good a king as they come, and a good friend of mine as well." Marcus said smiling. "I am sure you already know why we are here."
"Aren't we here to escort the king to Athens?" replied Alex.
"Do you think that the king of one of the most powerful city-states in all of Greece would need an escort from an equally powerful neighbor?" asked Marcus pointedly.
Alex thought for a while. "No, King Amyclas would have enough good men to do it himself." He looked at Marcus. "Why ARE we here?"
"King Periander wishes to secure a secret treaty with Sparta. He wants to align with Sparta to become a super power. This along with his secret weapon, whatever it is, will make him unstoppable."
Alex's eyes grew wide. "Will Amyclas do it?"
"Of course not." replied Marcus smiling. "He sees Periander for what he is, a blood-thirsty tyrant, and plans on telling it to his face at the Counsel."
Alex smiled, relieved. If Amyclas was thinking about joining Periander, the entire mission would change dramatically.
The sun was about to set as they continued to ride across the plain and as Marcus had predicted, a group of Spartan soldiers rode out to meet them.
Marcus reigned in his horse and held up his right hand in a symbol of peace.
"Good day to you sir" the Spartan officer said to him as he stopped his horse in front of Marcus.
Marcus bowed slightly. "Good day." he replied. "I am General Marcus of Corinth here to deliver a message of high importance from King Periander to the good King Amyclas."
The officer looked slightly surprised. "General Marcus, it is an honor to meet you. Please allow us to escort you and your companion to the palace." he said bowing slightly.
Alex and Marcus followed the small group of soldiers into the large city. The officer rode behind, striking up a conversation with Marcus.
Alex was lost in thought. He noticed that the roads were well kept and the houses that lined them were also in good condition. People would stop as they walked by, some even waving to the soldiers. This was opposite to what Alex had observed in Corinth where the condition of the homes was barely adequate and the army was less than respected.
It took quite a while before they came to a high wall with a large gate manned by two armed soldiers. The soldiers quickly saluted the officer, opened the gates and the party walked onto a large, well kept yard.
Alex looked at the palace. While not as large as the one in Corinth, it was much more ornately decorated. The officer stopped them in the middle of the yard and dismounted, signaling for them to dismount as well.
Marcus and Alex got off of their horses. "Please follow me sir." he said before stopping and turning around. "You will need to leave your weapons with your horses."
Marcus removed his sword and dagger from his belt, Alexander removed his dagger as well and hooked his bow onto his saddle.
They followed the officer across the yard. "Is King Amyclas in residence today?" Marcus asked.
"I believe so sir, however being so late in the day I am not sure you will be granted audience with him." he answered as he led them to a large door. The officer then opened the door for them both. Walking into the entry room they were told to wait while the officer walked through a side door.
"This palace looks a lot nicer than the one in Corinth." Alex said breaking the silence. He walked around the room looking at the wall decorations when a tall, older man walked into the room.
"General Marcus!" he said smiling reaching out to clasp hands. "It has been a while since you have visited.
"It's good to be back here Arkadios" Marcus responded shaking the man's hand.
"We didn't think you would be arriving until tomorrow." Arkadios said.
"The caravan made good time in the mountains." Marcus responded smiling.
"I already have your room ready. I wasn't aware that you would be bringing company." he said looking at Alex.
"This is my page, Alex. Will you be able to set up another bed in my room for him?" asked Marcus patting Alex on the shoulder.
"That shouldn't be a problem." replied Arkadios. "I will also have your horses taken to the stables and your belongings taken to your room." He led them through a side door and down a large corridor. "I am sure you are famished after such a ride. I'll take you down to the kitchens for a bit to eat."
"Thank you Arkadios" replied Marcus as he followed.
Alex walked behind the two men as they started discussing things. He definitely heard that it would be tomorrow until they were granted an audience with the king. He also heard that their room would be set up while they ate and that a bath would also be prepared.
"A nice long bath will do wonders I'm sure." said Marcus. "That and a nice, long night's sleep." They walked into the kitchen where a few servants politely asked what they wanted and scurried off.
"I will leave you to your dinner Marcus." said Arkadios. "You remember where your standard quarters are?"
"Unless Amyclas has decided to remodel the palace in the past two years." chuckled Marcus making Arkadios laugh as well.
"Don't forget, if you two need anything, let me know." said Arkadios turning to leave.
"Thank you Arkadios" said Marcus as a servant placed a plate of roasted meat before him and Alex.
Having lived on dried meat and bread for the past few days they were both quite hungry and dove into their dinner. Marcus informed Alex that they would pretty much have the run of the place but still had to keep up the air of formality.
"Amyclas and Queen Diomede also have two children, Princess Hypatia and Prince Hyacinth. I am not sure if they will be at the palace or out traveling, but if you run across anyone in their teens that look important it would be prudent to bow and give them their way." Marcus said standing up. "Let's get to our room. It should be set up by now."
They walked down another corridor and up flight of stairs until they came to an ornately decorated corridor. "These are the guest rooms, and this one is ours." said Marcus opening a door.
The room was fairly large and had a large bed set against the wall. Next to it was a smaller bed that looked slightly out of place. There was a table with both of their bags and weapons. Off of the room was a bathing room with a tub of steaming water.
"I tell you, that Arkadios is a gem. He is the main housekeeper and always seems to know everything." Marcus said as he walked into the bathing room, pulling off his boots. He then removed his armored tunic and handed it to Alex who made a face from the smell it gave off. "We will have the servants clean our clothing tomorrow." he laughed as he slowly lowered himself into the tub.
Alex took the tunic into the other room and dropped it into a corner. "Well, are you coming in or am I going to have to come out there and get you?" he heard Marcus ask from the other room. Laughing to himself he took off his sandals and removed his chiton, throwing it on top of Marcus's tunic. He walked back into the bathing room and climbed into the tub.
Marcus watched him, admiring what he was seeing. "It's a shame that I am all worn out from the ride. I was hoping we could have a little fun together."
Alexander knelt between his legs. "I can still take care of you. Here, let me wash you." Marcus sat up and Alex proceeded to wash his chest, back and arms. "Go ahead and stand up" he said.
Marcus slowly stood up and Alex began to wash his legs and backside. When he came to Marcus's penis he lathered up his hands and gently caressed all around his groin. He gently stroked the slowly growing penis and then ran his hands down and massaged Marcus's low hanging scrotum, cleaning the entire region in the process. He then got the washing cloth and finished up by washing Marcus's legs and feet.
"Ok, sit down and rinse." Alex said sitting back.
Marcus sat back, closed his eyes and sighed. "You are wonderful. I feel so relaxed now."
Alex quickly washed himself and when done talked Marcus into getting out of the tub and dried off. Once they were both dry Marcus walked back into the bedroom and immediately laid down on the bed. Alex climbed in bed with him and laid down halfway on top of him.
"I love how you nestle up like this." Marcus said softly putting an arm around him and lightly rubbing his back.
Alex laid his head on Marcus's chest. "I like using you as a pillow." he said laughing softly. He slowly reached down and took Marcus's penis into his hand and slowly stroked it resulting in Marcus moaning softly. Alex then slowly worked his way between Marcus's legs, still stroking him. By now, Marcus's penis was at full erection.
Alex laid down between his legs and started slowly licking up the sides of Marcus's hardness. He then reached up and lightly fondled his sack.
"Oh Alex" Marcus groaned, "I love when you use your tongue."
Alex licked up his shaft one more time before slowly lowering himself onto the hard erection, taking it into his mouth making Marcus moan. Slowly he started to bob his head, using his tongue to caress the hot penis in his mouth.
"Alex...that feels so good" moaned Marcus as he ran his fingers through the youth's hair.
Alex continued to slowly bob his head, massaging the sensitive underside with his tongue. He then started going a little faster making Marcus moan some more.
Marcus's pulse started to race and he began to breathe hard as Alex continued to bob his head. The pleasure that Alex was giving him was so intense. "Alex....I'm almost there...."
Alex responded by lightly grabbing the lower portion of his penis and mirrored his bobbing head.
Marcus grabbed the bed sheets in anticipation. The pleasure was growing and growing. He felts the familiar surge right before climax. "Alex...I'm going to...." He then found himself quickly reaching down and grabbing Alex's head and holding it as he made a few more thrusts before he took one final thrust, almost going into Alex's throat. Grunting loudly, he started shooting stream after stream of hot semen into the youth's velvety mouth.
Alex had sensed it coming so he was ready to swallow what Marcus delivered. He loved the feel of the hot semen trickle down his throat. When Marcus stopped shooting he slowly came off of the hard erection. Looking up he saw Marcus laying there panting. Smiling he slowly crawled up and laid down in his favorite way, legs intertwined and head resting on his chest.
"That was wonderful" Marcus whispered.
"Shhhh....rest now." Alex whispered back putting a finger to Marcus's lips.
Chapter 25-
Alex's eyes fluttered opened. It was morning and he was still nestled closely with Marcus who was still soundly sleeping. He slowly slid out from under his arm and got off of the bed.
"Where are you going?" Marcus said.
"I thought you were still asleep." Alex said smiling, sitting back on the bed.
"I have actually been awake for a while now, I was just enjoying holding you. I have found that I seem to sleep better holding you."
Alex crawled on top of him and gave him a loving kiss on the lips. "I sleep better with someone too."
Marcus reached down and lightly squeezed his backside making him giggle. "I want to pleasure you now."
"You do?" Alex answered playfully. "What do you want to do to me?"
Marcus wrapped his arms around him and rolled over so he was on top. He leaned down and lightly kissed his lips. Alex responded by wrapping his arms around him, kissing him in return.
"I want to taste you" whispered Marcus as be broke off the kiss.
"You do?" Alex whispered back wiggling his body playfully underneath him.
"Yes I do" Marcus responded looking into his eyes. "And from what I am feeling rubbing against my stomach, you would say that you like the idea."
Alex giggled again and kissed Marcus's chin. "Maybe I do like that idea." he said smiling.
"Only one way to find out" replied Marcus as he moved down a little and lightly touched his tongue to one of Alex's nipples making him stiffen up and gasp. He then placed his lips over the stiffening bud and lightly licked the ultra-sensitive tip.
Alex moaned and writhed beneath Marcus as he continued to lick his nipple. He slowly began to thrust his pelvis against Marcus's chest. "Marcus.....please...." he whispered, begging.
"Please what?" Marcus asked between licks. He then reached down and lightly grabbed Alex's hard erection.
Alex gasped again. "Please suck me." he whimpered.
Marcus slowly stroked it while moving down. He looked at Alex's hardness laying against his belly. Slowly lifting the throbbing erection he licked up the side to the tip were he planted a soft kiss. "You are so beautiful" he whispered. He then reached out with his tongue and licked around the crown.
Alex groaned lightly and reached down with both hands and ran his fingers through Marcus's hair. "Please..." he quietly repeated as he gently grabbed Marcus's head and tried to thrust into his mouth.
Marcus allowed the hard four inch erection to slide between his lips into the wet warmth of his mouth.
"ahhhhh" Alex sighed.
Marcus slowly started to bob his head on Alex's hard penis. He reached under him with both hands and grabbed his backside.
Alex released his grip on Marcus's head and he gripped the sheets as Marcus continued to slowly come up and then go down on him. Waves of pleasure were rippling through his body. He brought his legs up and rested his ankles on Marcus's back.
Marcus started bobbing his head a little faster. He loved that he could make Alex feel so good. He loved how Alex was breathing fast and writhing in pleasure. He loved how Alex's grip on the sheets got tighter. He loved the feel of Alex's smooth legs locked behind his back. He loved the feel of Alex's hard erection crossing his tongue and rubbing against the top of his mouth. He loved the slight salty/sweet taste he was starting to detect.
"Marcus..." Alex whimpered. "Feels so good" His body was slightly trembling as he was about to climax. His knuckles turned while because he was gripping the sheets so tightly, the pleasure was so great. His body went stiff and he moaned out loudly as he started to orgasm in Marcus's mouth.
Marcus froze his mouth on the shooting erection and started to milk it with his tongue. He felt Alex's legs tighten against his side and his backside clench in his hands.
Alex let out a series of high whimpers as he coasted through his orgasm. He eventually let out a long, content sigh as his body relaxed, enjoying the post orgasmic bliss. Relaxing his legs, they slid off of Marcus's back and he felt an aftershock as Marcus came off of his penis.
"Did I please my page?" Marcus joked coming up and laying next to him.
Alex laughed. "That was wonderful, thank you." he sighed.
Marcus leaned over and planted a light kiss on his forehead. "We should get up now and get dressed. I am sure that breakfast is already waiting for us."
Alex slowly rolled out of bed and retrieved a clean chiton from his bag. Looking over he saw Marcus also getting dressed. As they were finishing getting dressed they heard a knock on the door. Alex quickly jumped up opened the door to find Arkadios.
"Good morning Alex" he said. "Is the general awake?"
"Yes sir" he replied opening the door all the way for Arkadios.
Marcus was pulling on his boot and looked up. "Good morning Marcus" he said walking in. "I trust you slept well."
"Let's see, a 3 day journey followed by a nice dinner and nice hot bath. I slept like a baby."
"I am sure other things helped as well." he said looking at the smaller, unmade bed.
Closing the door Alexander heard Marcus whisper, "What can I say?" He made eye contact with Marcus and winked, making him chuckle.
"If you are ready, I will escort you to the dining room where the royal family is having their breakfast" said Arkadios, not seeing the exchange. He led the two down a series of corridors to a large room that housed a very large table. At one end of the table was the royal family.
Alex looked closely at the four people eating at the table. King Amyclas was a handsome man with short brown hair and cleanly trimmed beard. His wife, queen Diomede, was a stunningly beautiful woman with long, blond hair. The princess Hypatia was a mirror image of her mother and prince Hyacinth sat with his back to them, only his blond hair peeking over the top of the chair.
"Marcus!" Amyclas bellowed standing up, "Get your worthless tail in here!"
Smiling, Marcus walked toward the king and clasped hands. "Good to see you Amyclas." he said. "And Diomede, you seem to get more beautiful every time I see you." he said, leaning down to kiss the queen on the cheek.
"General Marcus" Diomede said, "You always have been such the flatterer. I am sure you remember our daughter Hypatia and our son Hyacinth"
Smiling, Marcus turned and stopped for a split second when he saw the princess. "Of course I remember the princess and the prince." he said. "The last time I saw you Hypatia you were a gawky teenager and now, to see you have grown into a woman as beautiful as your mother."
The princess giggled slightly. "The last time I saw you General, you were just a lowly captain."
"Well, that was some years ago. I remember that you and your brother always seemed to be at your grandparents when I visited." said Marcus smiling.
"And you Hyacinth, you were just a little boy the last time I saw you. Now look at you, a strapping young man." Marcus said as he clasped hands with the youth.
Hyacinth smiled broadly at him "I can't believe I am meeting you General."
"Marcus, how dare you show up and prematurely age my son. He is only thirteen years old." laughed Diomede making Hyacinth roll his eyes and blush slightly
Alexander stood to the side watching the exchange between the old friends. When his eyes fell upon the prince, he felt his heart skip a beat. He was beautiful. He had shoulder length, sandy blond hair, sparkling blue eyes and a smile that....
"And who is this?" Amyclas said clapping Alex on the shoulder making him jump.
"That is my new page, Alex. He is by far the smartest youth I have ever met. In fact, he rivals some adults I know." Marcus said. "He is also the finest archer I have ever met."
"Well then, welcome to Sparta Alex." replied Amyclas smiling. Why don't you two join us for breakfast?" He then took a seat and motioned a servant to bring them some food.
Marcus took a seat, motioning Alex to do the same. "How are things in Sparta?" Marcus as he accepted a plate of eggs and fruit from a servant.
"Well, to be honest, things were a bit hairy while Corinth was at war with Argos. Sparta maintained her neutral position then as it does now." replied Amyclas as he sat back drinking.
Alexander had taken a seat across from Hyacinth and Hypatia. He quietly ate his food, occasionally stealing glances at Hyacinth. When their eyes eventually met he smiled and quickly looked down at his plate, pretending to examine the design.
"Are you really that good at archery?" he heard Hyacinth ask him. He looked up and smiled. "Yes your highness. A few days ago I beat one of General Marcus's archery masters."
Amyclas laughed lightly. "Alex, being that you are a companion to one of our dearest friends, you can drop the formalities. You two are guests here."
Alex smiled at him. "Thank you"
"Father, would it be alright if I were to take Alex out to the courtyard for some archery before I go to the stadium?" Hyacinth asked.
"Hyacinth, don't be so rude." chided Hypatia. "Why not ask him directly?"
"Actually, he should be asking Marcus." corrected Diomede. "Alex is his page and has responsibilities."
Hyacinth looked at Marcus, who wore an innocent smile. "Hello Hyacinth, lovely weather we are having today wouldn't you say?"
Hyacinth glared at him. "Well, may I take Alex out to the courtyard?"
Marcus broke up laughing. "Well, seeing that I am considering this trip a vacation, my page might as well be on one as well."
Hyacinth's eyes shone as he smiled. "Thank you Marcus! Come on Alex, let's go!"
"Hyacinth..." Diomede calmly said as he quickly got of from his chair. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
Hyacinth looked at her and then sighed. "I will make sure to stop on by the temple mother." He then looked at Alex. "Come on, I need to stop by my room and get my bow."
Hyacinth walked out of the room with Alex following. "We will have to stop on by the temple on our way. I am training to be in the Spartinian Games." he said proudly.
"The Spartinian Games?" asked Alex.
"Every year we have a sort of mini-Olympics just for men of our age. Some of Sparta's finest athletes were once Spartinian champions. They are set up just like the Olympics and we are all treated like royalty, just like Olympians."
Alex snickered. "You are royalty."
Hyacinth laughed and led Alex to a large, ornate wooden door. "This is our private temple. I am going to pray to Heremes to help me with my training." he said quietly as he opened the door.
As Alex walking into the room he stopped and stared. It was a large room illuminated by a series of windows around the ceiling. Around the perimeter of the room were numerous statues. As he followed Hyacinth he realized that these were statues of the gods. He immediately looked around and found a statue of Eros. "I'm going to be over here if you don't mind." he said pointing.
"Ok, I will be right here." Hyacinth said as he approached a statue of Hermes, stopping when he saw Alex walk trancelike to the statue of Eros.
Alex walked over to the statue and was amazed to find that it, along with the others, was life size. He was used to seeing temple statues as huge, immense representations. The statue depicted Eros with wings spread and holding his bow in hand. Sighing, he reached out and lightly touched one of the wings.
"Wouldn't it be amazing to have wings?" he heard Hyacinth say behind him.
"Yeah" he replied still lightly stroking the wing longingly.
"I heard Marcus say that you are an acolyte at one of his temples"
Alex turned and smiled. "That's right. I have been for some years."
Hyacinth looked as if he were going to say something but turned and walked back to the statue of Hermes. Alex watched him get on a knee before the statue of the tall and muscular god. He walked around the room, studying each statue until he heard Hyacinth call his name to leave. They walked out of the temple, up a set of stairs and to an elaborate door.
"Let me grab my bow before we get yours." Hyacinth said walking into the room. His room was large with several windows. He walked over to the wall and removed an ornate bow from a hook.
"Can I see that?" asked Alex walking up to him. Hyacinth handed him the bow. "Amazing..."
"I know, it's an amazing piece of work isn't it?" said Hyacinth as he saw Alex turn the bow over.
"Apollo made this" Alex said quietly.
"What? How do you know?" asked Hyacinth taking the bow back from Alex.
Alex looked at him smiling. "Because I have its twin in my room."
Chapter 26-
The two raced to the room that Marcus and Alex shared and burst in. Alex grabbed his bow on the table and showed it to Hyacinth.
"They are exact copies!" exclaimed Hyacinth. "Where did you get yours?"
"I won it from Parmenion, the archery master in Corinth. He said that he got it from his former trainer who got it from Apollo directly." Alex said grabbing his quiver.
"I got mine from my grandfather" said Hyacinth handing the bow back to Alex who slung it over his shoulder. "I can't believe it! A bow made by a god!" he said as he examined his own bow. "I always knew it was special....but now..."
"And I would wager it shoots just as smoothly as mine." replied Alex smiling.
"It's very smooth. Come on, I want to get some practice in before I have to go to the stadium." Hyacinth said as he walked toward the door.
They walked down toward the courtyard together. Alex was genuinely enjoying the company of the prince. He also felt it hard not to stare at him, he was so handsome. They walked out onto the courtyard and came to area with some piles of hay stacked against the wall. Setting up some targets they took turns firing arrows into them. While Hyacinth was very good, Alex didn't miss a bullseye.
The two were having so much fun with their target practice and joking around that they didn't realize that most of the morning had passed. Only when an officer of the guard approached them did Hyacinth remember.
"On no!" he exclaimed looking up at the sky. "It must be mid-day. I have to get to the stadium."
"That's why I was sent sir" the soldier said smiling and bowing as he stopped before them. "I will escort you to the stadium. To avoid being late we might want to go on horseback."
"Thank you." said Hyacinth politely nodding. "Come one Alex we need to hurry." He grabbed his bow and quiver and started walking toward the stables.
"Wait, I should ask General Marcus first." Alex said picking up his equipment.
"There is no time. Just come with me and I will make sure you don't get into any trouble. Besides, didn't he say that since he was on vacation that you were too?" said Hyacinth, still walking fast.
Alex looked over his shoulder at the palace across the courtyard. "You're right; I guess I am on vacation. Let's go."
Walking down the streets of Sparta on horseback, Alex was again amazed at the difference between Sparta and Corinth. Besides Athens, this had to be one of the cleanest cities he had ever seen. As they rode through the cities he also noticed an occasional waving of the hand or a 'Good Afternoon Prince Hyacinth', mostly from young ladies or girls. He looked at the prince who was at the moment returning a greeting. Hyacinth would definitely be quite the catch for some lucky maiden. He was good looking, very sweet and, of course, royal. Hyacinth turned in his saddle and saw Alex staring at him.
"What?" he said with an arched eyebrow.
"Nothing, I was just looking at the decorations on your bow" Alex lied.
Hyacinth looked over his shoulder at the bow and smiled.
The three of them eventually came to a large stadium where they dismounted. The guard said that he would look after the horses. Alex and Hyacinth walked under a large arch into the stadium.
"Wow, this is one of the biggest stadiums I have ever seen!" exclaimed Alex.
"It is one of the largest in all of Greece." said Hyacinth who continued to walk down toward the center of the stadium where a collection of youths were all clustered around a tall muscular man. The man waved when he saw the prince. "Here hold onto these for me if you can. I will be by in a bit, we need to get ready." he said handing over his bow and quiver.
Alex took the bow and quiver and took a seat in the front row. He watched Hyacinth walk toward the group. There, the instructor gave a pep talk and some instructions. Eventually the group walked across the stadium and through a tunnel under the seats. Alex looked around; he was all alone in this large stadium. He laid back on the seat and looked skyward. He watched the skies for birds and was lost in thought when he heard the group return to the center. He was thinking how fun it would be to be up there in the warm spring air when he heard Hyacinth's voice.
"Can you please hand me my bow and quiver?" the prince asked.
Alex sat up and looked at Hyacinth and was stunned to see him standing there, naked and glistening from a light coating of oil. "Sure....here." he said in a slightly broken voice, handing the bow and quiver over.
"Thanks!" Hyacinthus said taking the bow and running to the rest of the youths, who were also all naked and oiled up.
"Just like the real Olympians" Alex said softly to himself. He watched as Hyacinth made it to the group. While the prince was very beautiful when he was wearing his royal tunic and golden sandals, he was almost too much to take when he was in this state.
The instructor broke them into smaller groups of four to five, each working on an individual event. After the instructor got the youths started with their training he walked over to Alex.
"Are you interested in joining us? The games are still far enough away that you could get in ample training." he asked.
"I would like to but I am not a Spartan, I am a Corinthian. Besides, I won't be here when the games are going on." Alex replied. "But I can help if you need anything."
"Prince Hyacinth said that you were an excellent archer, I would use some help there." he said.
"I would love to help." replied Alex smiling as he hopped off of the seat and down to the stadium floor. He then grabbed his bow and quiver.
"Great! Follow me." the instructor said as we walked toward a group of youths sitting against the far wall.
Alex found himself hunting down Hyacinth, who was with another group of youth's talking about the discus. An older youth looked to be instructing the group.
The boys in the archery group quickly stood when the instructor and Alex reached them.
"Men, this is...." he said looking at Alex.
"Alex, I am friends with Prince Hyacinth." he said smiling.
"He is very proficient with the bow. I want you to do your drills and listen to him if he has any advice to give." continued the instructor. He then turned to Alex, "If you need me I will be over at the running group." he said pointing.
"Yes sir" replied Alex. He then turned to the group. They were all in their early teens, he was probably the youngest one there. "Ok, first up, lets see your stances."
Alex spent a while with the group correcting stances and holds on the arrows. He went into great detail about fletching and the importance of a perfectly straight shaft. He then heard the instructor yell out "SWITCH!" At that the group dropped their bows and were about to walk over to the next event station when the oldest stopped and looked at him.
"Thank you Alex. I think I learned more just now than I have in the past month." he said reaching out his hand.
Alex clasped it and smiled. "I am glad I could help, you have a lot of talent."
The group walked on and another group approached. He duplicated his teachings to this new group, and then another as it rotated in. Finally Hyacinth rotated into the archery group.
"How is the teaching Alex?" he smiled as he approached with his group.
"It's going great. You have a lot of good archers here."
He started out, like his other groups, with a basic talk about the arrow and the bow. Eventually he had them take their places and checked their stances. When he came to Hyacinth he took a little extra time moving his arms into the right position and even lightly grabbed his bare hips, positioning him into a better stance. While doing this he got a good look at his manhood. It appeared to be a little over three inches flaccid, above it was a light dusting of blond hairs. "Here, your hips have to be at the right angle to your shoulders. This way your weight is balanced."
"Thanks Alex" whispered Hyacinth as he drew an arrow and notched it, quickly returning to the stance he was just shown.
The instructor walked over to them and watched as Alex corrected others' stances and holding of the arrows.
"I am impressed!" he said as they group's accuracy quickly improved. "I have heard a lot of the men talking about how you are showing them concepts that our normal archery instructor has never brought up. How long are you staying in Sparta?"
Alex laughed. "I don't think we are going to be here much longer."
"Actually sir." piped up Hyacinth, "We are set to take off to Athens in a few days."
"That's a shame. I could use your help in two days if you are free." he said smiling.
Alex looked at Hyacinth who nodded, motioning him to agree. "Umm....yes sir, I will be able to help again."
"Great!" the instructor replied smiling. "I will be seeing you then." He then turned and walked to the center of the stadium and bellowed, "Alright men, in the center!"
Alex turned to see Hyacinth standing there staring at him. "um...thanks Alex. You did great today. All the guys were talking how you are such a great teacher." he said softly.
Alex smiled back at him and looked him up and down. "You're welcome Hyacinth. I have been told that I am a great teacher in many things."
Hyacinth looked a little confused and then his eyes got slightly wide. He laughed slightly and then trotted off to the center of the stadium where everyone was converging.
Chapter 27-
They slowly rode through the streets of Sparta. Alex and Hyacinth rode side by side with the army officer following. "I hope I have time to take a bath before dinner." Hyacinth said breaking the silence. "It was rather warm today and I know I worked up a sweat."
"I noticed that all of the oil that you were coated in is all gone. You must have sweated it off." said Alex looking around at the houses.
"You noticed that?" Hyacinth asked looking at him with a grin.
Alex turned and looked at him. "Yes...I noticed." He then smiled a wicked grin and then turned to face forward again.
They rode in silence for a little while further. "Hey Alex."
"Yes?" he replied glancing back at Hyacinth.
"I am not kidding you looked amazing out there." Hyacinth said smiling. "The others really thought highly of me that I brought you."
Alex looked at him for a second and did a quick empathy probe. He was returned with confused feelings of loneliness and happiness. "I am glad that they did. I just hope that I am able to show up in two days. I don't know if General Marcus has anything planned."
That's easy, I will just order him to let you accompany me." he said laughing.
"By the way, you looked amazing out there today too." Alex said softly, but loud enough for Hyacinth to hear.
They eventually reached the palace and handed the horses over to the officer to take back to the stables.
"I better go find General Marcus" said Alex as he walked into the palace. "I want to know if there is anything he needs me to do before dinner."
"Ok, I will meet you down in the dining room later on." said Hyacinth smiling as they parted in the hallways.
Alex reached his room and walked in to find it empty. He walked over to the window and looked out. It overlooked part of the vast courtyard and the city beyond the wall. Looking closer he saw Marcus and King Amyclas walking together in the garden. Smiling he took off his bow and placed it on the table before running off to meet up with them. He ran outside and saw them still deep in discussion.
"Ah, there you are Alex. I was wondering where you took off to." said Marcus seeing Alex run up.
"I'm sorry sir, but Prince Hyacinth asked me go with him to the stadium." answered Alex slightly out of breath.
Marcus laughed, "I don't mind one bit Alex. Like I said this morning, you are on vacation as long as we are here."
"I was just commenting to Marcus here that Hyacinth would probably be dragging you all over the city." said Amyclas laughing. "Good luck keeping up with him. By the way, where is he?"
"He said he was going to bathe before dinner. They trained really hard today." answered Alex.
"Speaking of dinner, we should make our way toward the dining hall." said Amyclas looking at the sky. The men continued their discussions about training as they made their way back to the palace. Alex walked behind them, deep in thought about the day's happenings. He had really enjoyed instructing the youths on the proper use of a bow. Watching Hyacinth also came to his mind. He wondered if he had picked up on the subtle flirts he threw at him. As they entered the dining room they saw that Diomede and Hypatia were already sitting at the table talking over drinks.
"I was wondering where you were." Diomede said as everyone took their seats. "Hyacinth is not with you?"
"We were in the garden talking and time slipped away from us. As for Hyacinth, Alex here said that he was less than presentable after his training today." said Amyclas as he held up a cup for a servant to fill.
"Oh, well try not to let the time slip away from you again dear." she said to her husband smiling.
"Wait!" they all heard a yell as Hyacinth dashed to the table, quickly taking his seat.
"Ah, just on time Hyacinth." Amyclas said smiling. "How was training today?"
Alex was sitting across from him and watched smiling as the excited youth told of his progress with the discus. His golden hair was slightly wet and slicked back. He had a bright clean tunic on and he had a slight floral scent that was intoxicating. Alex thought about how fun it would be to take him on a flight, to place his arms around him and slowly take to the sky.
"...and then Alex ended up instructing archery. Father, you should have seen him, he is so much better than our normal archery instructor." Hyacinth said, breaking Alex out of his daydream.
"Well, perhaps I should look into putting you onto the payroll Alex." joked Amyclas making everyone laugh.
Hyacinth looked at Alex who was laughing as well. "I think you were amazing" he whispered across the table making Alex stop laughing.
Alex looked at him with an evil grin. "I am amazing at a lot of things." he whispered back.
"Where did you learn so much about archery?" asked Diomede. By now everyone had been served and was beginning to eat.
"Aside from being General Marcus's page, I remain a faithful acolyte to the temple of Eros, your highness." He replied. "Eros is the best archer in the entire world and a lot of his followers take it up as a sign of respect."
"You are going to have to stop on by the temple in town." Hypatia said quickly. "It's beautiful."
"When have you been to the temple of Eros?" asked Diomede with an arched eyebrow.
Hypatia opened her mouth as if to say something but instead took a bite of her food, blushing. This brought a chorus of laughs from Marcus and Amyclas.
Alexander noticed her glancing at Marcus and blushing a little more. He sat back in his chair smiling and munched on a piece of bread.
After dinner Hypatia quickly excused herself and Diomede eventually followed.
"Alex, I think I will be in need of your excellent penmanship" Marcus said standing up. "I need to draft a letter to King Periander. "
Alex looked at Hyacinth and then at Marcus. "Will I be free tomorrow? Hyacinth wanted to take me into town."
"Certainly, I just need to get a few other communications drafted." Marcus said as he finished drinking his wine.
Alex stood, waved goodnight to Hyacinth and then followed Marcus to their room.
"Well? What do you think about the royal family of Sparta?" Marcus asked when they reached their room.
Alex walked in and sat at the table and lit an oil lamp. "They are very nice, far from the old kings of Sparta. I hear they were more bloodthirsty than Periander."
"Not buy much." replied Marcus. "Ok, let's get started."
Marcus dictated a few communications, one to Periander and two to Kyros. Alex was diligently writing down every word and was deep in concentration, making sure not to miss any word.
"Ok, that's it." said Alex rolling up the last scroll. "We can get these to a courier tomorrow morning." He looked over and was surprised to see that during the course of dictating the messages, Marcus had fully undressed himself and was laying in the bad on his back, legs outstretches and crossed, arms behind his head. Smiling, he stood up to join him.
"Wait, before you come over here, do you think you could bring that small bottle of oil you keep in your bag?" Marcus said with a wicked grin.
Alex retrieved the oil from his bag and walked to the bed. "Whatever would you need this for?" he asked coyly.
"You are the smartest youth on the planet, I am sure you can find a use for it." Marcus said. "Now, stop."
Alex stopped right as he was about to climb upon the bed.
"Take off your clothes."
Alex took a step back and slowly reached down to remove a sandal. He did the same for the other so he was standing barefoot. Then, reaching up he removed the clasp on this shoulder so the top part of his chiton fell around his waist. He then undid the small buckle holding his belt on and dropped it to the ground. The chiton followed it down so he was standing naked before Marcus.
"Mmmmm, very nice. Now, turn around slowly." said Marcus enjoying the show.
Alex smiled and slowly turned around, showing off his body. He reached down and lightly ran his fingers over his penis, which was slowly growing. Looking over at Marcus, he saw that his penis also was at full erection.
"OK, you may now get onto the bed." Marcus said remaining lying down.
Alex climbed upon the bed and straddled Marcus. He then leaned down and kissed him passionately on the lips.
Marcus responded by embracing him in a hug and rubbing his back. He let one hand trail down to his backside where a probing finger found the entrance to his tight hole.
Alex shuddered slightly when he touched him. "I think I just might know what to do with that oil." Slowly he climbed off of Marcus and poured a little oil into his hand. He then sat between Marcus's legs and began to oil up his erection.
Marcus moaned as Alex slowly pumped his oily hand up and down on him.
Alex climbed back up onto Marcus, straddling his stomach. He then reached behind him and took Marcus's hardness in his hand and put it at his opening.
"Go slow Alex, I don't want you to get hurt." Marcus said rubbing one of Alex's legs.
"I won't get hurt." Alex said smiling as he looked into Marcus's eyes. He slowly sat down, applying pressure against his tight opening. When Marcus's engorged crown popped through he gasped and closed his eyes.
"Alex, are you ok?"
Alex nodded. "I just have to get used to you." He opened his eyes and smiled, "You are kind of big." He then slowly started to lower himself down onto Marcus's erection.
Marcus sighed, watching this beautiful youth slowly impale himself onto him. He continued to lightly rub Alex's thigh as sat. "You feel so good" he whispered.
"You feel pretty good yourself." Alex said, moaning softly, once he was sitting fully on Marcus's waist. "Mmmm...you are all the way in me." After waiting a little while he slowly lifted up and then sat back down. Rearranging his legs he leaned forward a little and started slowly rocking back and forth.
Marcus reached down and lightly gripped Alex's penis and within seconds was at full erection. He then held his hand so Alex was thrusting into his hand while rising and falling on his own erection.
Alex looked down and smiled. "You will get messy if you do that." he laughed.
"What's a little mess between lovers?" Marcus replied grinning broadly.
Alex was about to say something when a delicate floral scent caught his attention. He opened his extremely sharp senses and detected that Hyacinth was standing on the ledge outside their window. A smile crept over his face as he continued to rock back and forth. "Remember when I told you about some of the things I know? How does this feel?" he asked tightening his internal muscles.
Marcus's eyes widened slightly. "How do you do that?" gasped Marcus. "It feels incredible!"
Alex grinned and started rocking faster. "What feels incredible is you inside me. I love it." he said as he continued to tighten and relax his muscles around Marcus's thrusting hardness. "Oh Marcus....I am almost there!" he groaned loudly.
"Alex...I want to feel you..." said Marcus as he started thrusting, matching Alex's rocking. He tightened his hand around Alex's thrusting penis. "I want to see you"
"Yeah!" gasped Alex loudly. "Almost....." He arched his back dramatically, thrusting his head back and grunted loudly as he began shooting semen all over Marcus's chest and neck. "So good.....so good!" he said loudly continuing to thrust hard into Marcus's hand.
Feeling Alex orgasm set Marcus off and in a few thrusts he started shooting into the lust-crazed youth. "Alex!...can you feel it?"
"Yes! I feel you shooting in me!" he said loudly, eyes closed with pleasure. "Feels hot inside."
After a few more hard thrusts into Marcus's hand he slowed down and came to a stop. Breathing hard he looked down at Marcus who was also breathing hard, looking back up at him.
Marcus reached up and wiped the hair out of Alex's face. "You're all sweaty"
Alex shook the hair out of his face and smiled. "Because you make love to me so well." he said looking down. I told you that you would get messy. Here, let me clean that for you." Slowly he came off of Marcus's slowly softening erection and leaned down. He then began to lick the trail of semen from his belly button to his neck.
Marcus laid back and laughed lightly. "Your tongue tickles."
"Maybe if you are lucky I will tickle you tomorrow morning." Alex said as he finished licking all of his semen from Marcus's belly and chest. He ended up laying fully on top of Marcus and kissed him.
"I think I am lucky now" Marcus replied kissing him back.
"I'll blow the lamp out." Alex offered as he slowly slid off of Marcus and walked over to the window. "Sparta is a beautiful city." he said still smelling a faint floral scent. Opening his senses he detected that Hyacinth wasn't there, but must have just left.
"Yes it is. If I wasn't a Corinthian, I would be a Spartan. Why don't you come to bed now?"
Walking back to the bed he blew out the lamp and then crawled into the bed next to Marcus. He nestled up to Marcus, putting his head on his chest and closed his eyes.