𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕦𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕤 - young!marcus acacius x priestess!reader
complete masterlist | pedro pascal masterlist
words || 𝟏.𝟗𝕜
summary || in which the reader meets a young soldier under the watchful eye of cupid
taglist || @shesservingcvnt
a/n || ancient greek/roman settings are so goated lol
➵ this one's a bit short and shit lol i think i've forgotten how to write non-sexually charged fics. happy to expand with a part 2 when marcus is a general if there is interest; please show this through messages, comments or reblogs!
➵ obviously set before the events of gladiator II, which i haven't watched yet so if anything is not canon-compliant, oops! also, i did a lil research on the life of priestesses, but have no clue how actually accurate this is haha
➵ send me requests if you have ‘em. enjoy!
warnings || fluff/a wee bit of angst
work at the temple of venus and roma is hardly quiet and calm. right next to the colosseum, the girls can hear the roars of the crowd and watch the drunken crowds as they leave the fights. some stumble their way into the temple, looking for a quick round with a courtesan, but the high priestess pushes them off. an older lady, still as gorgeous as the day she started, was adamant about the kind of rendevouz' that the women in her temple would entertain.
"help me with this, will you?" the girl is broken from her listening to the cheers of the crowd next door by another priestess, struggling with a large platter of fruit. she quickly rises to her feet, helping the other girl with her task. they place it down at the feet of the statue, and she sits beside her as she recites a short prayer. good fortune and love, prosperity and the continued beauty of rome. there's another roar from the crowd.
a beautiful city tainted with blood.
she still wasn't used to all the customs. coming from a small town, she had come in the cart of a merchant passing through. an undeniable beuaty, when the high priestess found her, she promised her a life of pease and devotion to venus, and she had agreed - it being better than her prospects on the street as a prostitute, or as a seller of wares.
she had been working at the temple only a few short weeks, and seen that these priestesses were nothing like the women of the other temples - they enjoyed the sex, they enjoyed the attention, and they welcomed the advances of the worthy men. soldiers, merchants, the occasional politician. they all filtered through the temple, as was their place.
it was not a lonely life. the girls were kind, and sweet - truly devoted and their beauty shone both through their radiant appearance and their glimmering personalities.
they watched the temples at night in pairs. there's usually not much incident, save for the occasional drunk or vandal, but they rarely worried of that. they were easy enough to tame. they watched women and men pray at the feet of the goddess, late into the night. sometimes, it was from a place of elation, and other times, of anguish.
today, she watches on along with one of the other priestesses, keeping up with the nightly cleaning. the other girl had a suitor, who would join her in the late nights. she at least had the courtesy to let her know if she was leaving early, and tonight was one of those nights. left alone in the temple, she tended to the candles and the cleaning. it's been quiet, and no one had come in yet, until she hears loud steps up the stairs.
glancing back, she sees the silhouette of a young man. he had something in his hand, and the moonlight shone on his armor. a soldier.
not the most common visitor to venus, but not uncommon, either. she stays quiet, watching him lower to his knees and murmur a prayer to the goddess.
she places a new offering at her feet, as the man's prayer ends. as she turns to step away, he takes her hand, head tilted up to her, still on his knees.
"a priestess?" his voice is gruff, but not ornery. there's that lilt of curiosity that young men tend to have. she nods silently, and she can see the hint of a smile on his shadowed face. "then you know the story of mars and venus, of course." he continues.
her brows furrow.
"of course." her voice is quiet, confused, but not dismissive.
"the most passionate of lovers." he starts to muse, rising to his feet. he towers over her, but she can't tell if that's his height, or his presence.
"did you wish to place an offering for the goddess?" she points to the bundle in his hand. he tilts his head, and hums.
"yes... but i feel that she's telling me it would be better suited for you." her eyes widen in shock, until he procures flowers. she purses her lips.
"it's not right to take a goddess's offering." her murmur is quiet, but makes him laugh.
"my prayer was for her to send me a pretty woman. and she has done so without offering." her cheeks warm, and she giggles.
"leave them at her feet, soldier." he nods obediently, carefully placing them on the feet of the statue.
"would she approve me stealing one of her priestesses away?" he asks, after doing so, and she rolls her eyes.
"hardly. and if she's not angry, then the high priestess will definitely be." he shrugs.
"i must be back in the barracks by morning. perhaps i can keep you company until then?" his suggestion makes her perk up. company from an attractive soldier who was obviously entranced by her? it was almost as though cupid guided her head to nod.
he's respectful as she finishes her tasks, before they sit on the steps on the side of the temple, used to go up to the upper floors.
"so... mars and venus?" he continues, once he's sat down with her, thigh, only partially covered by rough undercloth, brushing against hers.
"indeed. a pairing born out of an affair." she reminds playfully.
"well... sure, but mars was doing venus a favor." he argues, and she laughs.
"hardly. he got venus. she was doing him the favor." his brow raises, and he smiles.
"i suppose we will both argue for our favorite." she shifts to face him.
"i am her priestess, it would be blasphemous to not." he shrugs.
"i'm a soldier. i'm like a priest of mars." she looks at him in such a way hat he immediately retracts the statement. "okay, fine. just a follower." she smiles, nodding in agreement.
"better." she decides, "how long have you been a soldier."
"just a year." he shrugs.
"been outside of the empire yet?" he shakes his head.
"not yet." her eyes follow his strong jawline, strong nose, strong arms and strong legs. he's imposing, and seems to hold more authority than he does.
"did you really come in here tonight to ask venus for a pretty girl?" he looks over, a little sheepish.
"well... yes, i suppose. but i also figured there'd be a lot of pretty girls as priestesses." she rolls her eyes playfully, pretending to be disappointed.
"you men." she shakes her head, scolding him, and he laughs, taking her hand.
"why must you women be so pretty, hmm? have you asked that?" he kisses her knuckles. "and i think i've found the most beautiful to enjoy a hardened soldier's company."
"hardened? you've hardly been a soldier for a year!" he pouts playfully.
he comes the next night, and the night after. and then he comes in the mornings too, with a bundle of wild flowers for the goddess, with one that he always reserves for his priestess. the other girls talk, but she hardly minds that, spending her free time in the courtyard with her soldier.
one night, he's tracing the lines on her palm. it's a quiet night, and the fabric of her robes rustle in the wind.
"you're quiet tonight." she murmurs, and it's true. he'd usually speak of his training, his mates, his hardass of a general.
"i wish not to speak." he sighs, almost defeated. she blinks in confusion, looking over at him.
"what happened?" she shifts closer, hand on his arm. he sucks in a deep breath, not looking at her. he stares out into the empty courtyard.
"i must go, in two days. to egypt." she blinks in shock. of course, she'd anticipated it, but not so soon. and she never thought about facing it head on.
"why didn't you tell me?" he closes his eyes.
"i don't want to have to think of being away from you." he whispers, a vulnerable crack in his arrogant shell. she places her head on his shoulder.
"mars will see that you're back soon."
"and will venus make sure you'll wait?" he asks, and she suddenly realizes his worry.
"of course i'll wait, marcus." she promises. feeling slightly less conflicted, which she can tell by the way his shoulders loosen, she presses a small kiss to his cheek, and he pulls her closer by her shoulders, peppering kisses to her hairline.
"wait for me, my priestess." he doesn't pull away, he can't imagine he will until the sun comes up.
"always."
"when i'm back..." he starts tentatively, "i'll wed you." her eyes widen in shock.
"you will?"
"if you'll have me." he pulls away to look into her eyes, and he's uncharacteristically sheepish.
"i'll have you, my soldier."
it's a painful year of not knowing what had happened to him. her peers noticed the bout of depression that hung over her for the first few weeks, and the devout praying she would stay up to do every night. they girls understood, but they all usually knew better than to get attached to soldiers - the empire's war fodder. still, they would add a small prayer for the peace of mind of their young friend.
it's a sweltering day that she's been having, and she's waiting impatiently for the cool breezes of the night. it's a quiet day, and again, she hears the roars - human and animal - from the colosseum. she's broken out of her thoughts by one of the girls struggling with a platter of fruit. she springs up to help her, and an almost eerie shiver runs up her spine, the deja vu leaving her star struck for a moment after she places it at the feet of the goddess.
the night is similarly familiar, but she chalks it up to routine. her peer has left with the same boy, a thought that makes her heart ache at her own uncertainty over marcus. she's saying a prayer as she hears footsteps enter, but they don't bother her.
finishing the prayer, she clears the older offerings to make space for the morning's new ones, and the man steps forward. the shine of the moonlight illustrates the yellows and blues of the flowers he places, and she catches it out of the corner of her eye. he steps back, staring up at the goddess, before approaching he. she hardy notices, until she sees the single remaining flower in his hand, that he offers.
she adjusts to the shadow cast on his face, and immediately feels the overwhelming recognition wash over her, jumping into his arms.
"marcus?" almost as though she can't believe it.
"it's me." he assures, voice soft. kind and breathy - almost elated. he tucks the flower behind her ear, pulling away to look at her: that same face, as perfect as he'd remembered it, eyes brimming with - hopefully - joyous tears.
"you came back." she giggles softly, over them moon.
"and you waited, my love." he presses a kiss to each cheek, and she presses a chaste one to his lips.
"i think that means you have a promise to fulfil."
"i suppose it does."
