Fic: The Eagle - Pia Fidelis chapter 8

[ainsoph15]

Title: Pia Fidelis
Author: ainsoph15
Pairing: Esca/Marcus
Rating: PG13 for this chapter
Summary: In between the lines of a story about honour is another story about love. This is an attempt to fill in those lines and to tell that story, with all the scenes that weren't shown.
Warnings: A not-particularly graphic hunting scene with a deer
Word count: 4646 for this

Comments

[carmarthen]

It felt like a tiny needle went through the centre of his heart, twisting and twisting, drawing a fine thread of yearning in its wake.

Oh, your imagery is amazing.

I love the references to the Dacian escapades of the Fourth Cohort, although perhaps it requires some timeline-fudging. Dacia FTW!

Despite the frigid air, Marcus's cheeks flushed and a shock of heat licked its way up his spine, as the release from the pain skirted dangerously close to pleasure, too close. Esca was standing far too close to him. Marcus grabbed Esca's hand and held him still.

“Enough,” he said, his commanding tone made rough with desire. It would be such a small thing, instead of pushing Esca's hand away, to force it higher, to press it between his thighs where he still ached, where he still needed Esca's touch.

He released Esca's wrist.

NGGGH. DYING OF UST HERE.

A change was coming.

Hopefully one that ultimately leads to them having all the hot sex ever! :D

[ainsoph15]

OMG, I am ashamed to admit this, but I had NO IDEA that the Fourth Cohort had actually been in Dacia. THIS IS AWESOME AND FORTUITOUS. I had to give Dacia a shout-out somewhere though, after my many years of escapades all over Romania ♥ Now I want to know more about what really happened!

Hopefully one that ultimately leads to them having all the hot sex ever! :D

FIRST THERE IS THE SMALL MATTER OF A HALF-BAKED IDEA MARCUS HAS ABOUT FINDING AN EAGLE, OR SOMETHING, BUT EVENTUALLY, YES. THEN YOU WILL BE DROWNING IN ALL THE PORN AND WILL WISH I'D JUST WRITE ABOUT THE RAIN ON THE HILLS AGAIN.

[carmarthen]

Yessss! The cut-bit in the script about Lutorius commanding the Dacian horse (and I think it may be in the book?) is based on that. Basically, they were in the Dacian wars in 99-106, but their transfer to Britain was sometime between 114 (Thracia) and 122. Personally, I am ALL ABOUT shout-outs to Dacia. I wanted to write an AU set there, but I ran into trouble with the research, sigh.

I AM PRETTY SURE PORN > RAIN ON THE HILLS, ALTHOUGH RAIN ON THE HILLS IS DESCRIBED VERY PRETTILY.

[sineala]

Eeeee. *squees more* Oh, your descriptions, they are beautiful! They are so very Sutcliff! I am in awe.

I think my favorite thing is Marcus comparing the reactions of people to the names of their fathers. Oh, Marcus.

[ainsoph15]

Oh goodness, thank you! I am so thrilled that you think my descriptions are Sutcliffian ♥ *blush*

Marcus and his daddy issues have a very special place in my heart :)

[captsparrow4evr]

I am literally without words, my dear. This was so evocative of winter (or at least my personal experience of it) that it took my breath away. Such a wonderful chapter and poor Marcus' UST for Esca is so very painful. I do think it's time for a bit of relief, for us readers if not for Marcus, don't you?:)

[ainsoph15]

Darling, you are too lovely. That whole section is based on how winter was for me last year, when we had real snow for the first time in decades.

Ha ha, oh, poor Marcus. And poor, angry, conflicted Esca too. I think the first half of the next chapter I'm working on has almost no UST so you will have a short reprieve, but after that, I AM PILING ON SOME MORE! *is evil*

[bunn]

This chapter in particular is great - the details about the bow! And the weather! And the hunting scenes fabulous, you can really feel the cold and see the thin deer slipping through the snowy woods, and then the thaw, and the heat coming off the fallen animal. Perfect buildup to that moment where Marcus wonders if Esca is going to knife him and doesn't.

Also: the snowdrops and Marcus getting his mojo back. It feels so rooted in real things and alive!

In short : HURRAY!

[ainsoph15]

Thank you so, so much for such a lovely comment. I cannot tell you how very excited I was to read it because you got that the flowers are snowdrops! They are one of my very favourite wildflowers. Ha ha, I even went so far as to research if they were native to Britain at the time XD

I'm really happy you're enjoying the story. The section with deer and fawn is inspired by something that happened to me when I was very little, and came downstairs early on Christmas morning with my mum, and out in our back garden was a deer with her fawn, in the snow. However, we did not then kill and eat them...

[misspamela]

Your words are just stunning and the UST, oh my god. This is incredible and so, so worth the wait.

[ainsoph15]

Oh sweetheart, I'm SO glad you're still enjoying it, and that you think it was worth waiting for. I really appreciate that, thank you, because I felt terrible for not updating sooner! ♥