Love Across Time

The nightly festival.

I sat on one of the stone benches, with a bowl of hot beef stew in my hands, feeling the heat of the fire close by. I looked at the girls who were dancing to the songs and poems written for the gods, and it made me smile to know that they were having fun.

I felt the wind on my face, the strands of my hair flowing gently with the breeze. I ran a hand through my hair to get it out of my face, and I leaned back gently against the pillar behind me. It felt nice to see people having fun. I wished I could dance, but out of fear I might embarrass myself in front of everyone, I refrained myself from doing so and stayed put.

As I started drinking the beef stew, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a Spartan man, who looked to be around my age.
His black hair was tied in a braid, his body looked like it was carved out of marble by the best sculptor in all of the greek world, his skin was like bronze, and he wore a red himation and a crimson chiton. He stood a few inches taller than me, he was probably around 5'9 while I was about 5'8. It was only one inch, but I felt small and vulnerable because of how close he was to me.
He spoke in a soft yet powerful voice that sent shivers down my spine.

-"may I sit next to you, ma'am?" He asked with mild nervousness.
It took me a few seconds to register his words, and I scooted over to give him space to sit.

-"of course, come. Sit with me." I said with a kind smile on my face.
The Spartan sat next to me and glanced my way with his deep brown eyes.
After a moment of awkward silence, he turned to face me and gently touched my hair.
I felt his hand comb through my curls down to where my hair ended, which was almost to the ground.
I felt myself blush when he touched my hair, and even more so when he spoke to me.

-"your hair is so long. It's curly, it flows like the waves of the sea, and it's almost as red as fire. What is your name, miss? I don't think I have seen you here before." He asked with a genuinely curious tone, to which I politely responded.

-"My name is Xenovia, I come from the temple of Hera." I gesture to the temple. He smiled and pulled his hand gently away from my hair.

-"ah, you're one of the newer priestesses? Well, Xenovia, I must say that if you were a goddess, you would be Athena." He said jokingly, and laughed. His laugh was contagious, and it made me laugh in return.

For a brief moment, he got up and walked over to grab a kylix of wine and sat back down next to me. He turned to me again and asked.

-"do you want some? This is the best wine in Sparta, you should try it." He said, offering the kylix of wine to me.
I took a sip of the beef stew in my hands and smiled.

-"no thanks, I'm not that thirsty.... By the way, sorry for not asking earlier, but what is your name?" I asked and took another sip of the stew.
The soldier laughed and took a sip of wine.

-"don't fret, Xenovia. I am a patient soldier. My name is Anastasios." He said and reached out his hand to feel the leek green Peplos I was wearing. His touch felt soft and caring.

-"I like the sound of your name." I simply responded, I felt too flustered to say more.
Anastasios simply smiled, setting the kylix aside on the ground. His other hand, the one that wasn't fiddling with my Peplos, came up to my face and wiped away some broth from my lips. I blushed, and I felt like my cheeks were heating up with the fire of Hades.

-"there. I can't have you looking like a mess, can I?" He chuckled and pulled his hands away from me.
I looked away and took another sip of the stew.
My body subconsciously inched closer to him, and so did he. Our thighs were now touching, and I saw he had a faint flush on his cheeks.
He cupped my cheeks in his rough, calloused hands and gazed deeply into my eyes.

-"your eyes are like the mist on a mountain lake. The freckles on your skin are like the stars within a milky white sky. Your hair is like a sea of fire made from the leaves of the autumn season." He whispers lovingly but before either of us could make a move, a Spartan general called out his name and walked up to us.
We quickly pulled away from each other, and looked away from the tall Spartan general, who was glaring at Anastasios with authority and disappointment.

-"Anastasios, my son! Tell me what is it you are doing with this girl!? You are supposed to be training with your brothers!" He said with a raised voice, and turned to face me. I didn't dare to look him in the eyes. I was too Intimidated by his stern attitude.

-"who are you, girl?" He asked me with an authoritative voice.

-"my... My name is Xenovia..." I muttered out nervously.
The general quickly turned his head to Anastasios, and spoke to him like a father scolding his son.

-"Anastasios, return to your brothers. I will speak to you about this when the sun rises. As for you, young lady, I don't want you to get in trouble with my soldiers, especially my son! Run along now." He said, and turned to Anastasios, grabbing his upper arm and pulling him up from the bench. The general dragged him away back to the camp with the rest of the Spartan soldiers, leaving me alone on the bench.

I didn't want to risk following Anastasios and getting him into more trouble than he already was, especially considering that I was in ancient greece and the rules weren't the same as the ones in my timeline.
I finished my beef stew, stood up, and discretely placed it on a table before rushing back to the elderly priestess who was taking care of me.
She was sitting on a red wool blanket, singing a poem about the god Apollo and his messages to the mortals.
Her voice enwrapped me in a trance and I sat next to her, listening intently to her poem.