[closed/complete] Characters: Anubis (dogofthedead) and Horus (falconhead) Date/Time: 23 May Location: Coliseum Rating: Med Warnings: Violence and angst. Summary: Brothers fight and fall.
Anubis' heart was racing and his mind kept drifting to the people who would be watching. This would undoubtedly work against him. He was trying not to look directly at his brother. It could only signal terrible things. Then again, terrible things were already at work. He was facing his brother. This was the first day. He was going to die. It didn't matter that the fight hadn't started yet. He was fighting Horus. He could have fought against any stranger and pretended it was a battle to protect his family, but this was Horus. Horus was family. The only time fighting family could be the same as fighting for family was in terms of his uncle.
He couldn't hear anything because his thoughts were too loud. He just needed one thing to be clear. Stepping close enough to be heard, Anubis looked at Horus. "If I die..." There was a pause. He used 'if' so that Horus wouldn't know how sure he was of death. "Make it quick." That was the only request he had. He would try his best, but his best wouldn't - couldn't - involve killing Horus.
On the outside he was calm, quiet, and watchful. On the inside he couldn't have put words to how he felt, but he wouldn't ever say that Horus was any more calm than he was. I'm sorry lingered on the tip of his tongue. It was there, but he didn't say it. He knew no one was at fault. Soon the fight would begin and he couldn't help but hope it would be over shortly. His eyes closed for a moment and he took in a deep breath, letting it out. Soon.
Fuck it. Fuck it all. He'd promised Hathor he'd be out safely, and now, facing Anubis, he wasn't sure he could stick to that promise. Not in the least. It could have been anyone, any-fucking-one. Yet before him Anubis stood. Horus's hands twitched around the hilt of his blade, the grip of his shield. He was so tempted, so sorely tempted to sacrifice himself for Anubis. Were it not for Hathor, for the possibility of leaving her without his guidance...
And yet there was Bastet. "The same, brother." Horus inhaled, preparing himself to admit that the end would be less than savory. He had fought so many wars in his past lives, had led so many men to victory. He did not know, of course, if Anubis had had similar roles. But instinctively, Horus realized the scales were unevenly tipped, and that more than anything fueled his self-loathing. It would not be an honorable match were Horus to win against his brother, yet it would be an insult to Anubis all the same were he to throw the match.
"I'll take care of Bastet if..." He did not continue the sentence. "Please do the same for Hathor." There would have been more words - I'm sorry; you are my brother; I love you - but already the crowd was roaring, thundering for blood. So Horus took his stance, and aware of his unchanging role as an instigator, charged ahead.
Anubis allowed himself to look at his brother when he spoke. "Of course." Suddenly he was glad Bastet hadn't made him promise. It would have been a promise he couldn't keep. He tried to ignore his nerves and focus on something that might help him. The crowd around them helped. It was loud and unforgiving.
The sight of Horus charging toward him made everything more real and he did as he'd trained. He moved to shield himself from the attack. He needed to give it all he had even if it was painful. His actions and reactions were partially instinctual, but mostly the act of him going on in his mind what he was doing. He didn't have military training. Still...he was glad that protecting his younger brothers had inspired him to keep in shape. That way he was at least somewhat worth fighting.
From here on, Horus forced himself into a trance. Having been a god of war, he was no stranger to blood fever, to the eerie exhilaration that took over a warrior in the heat of battle. But with Anubis, he would be cold. He followed his instincts, attempting to go for delicate but non-lethal areas. And he did his best to give Anubis excellent opportunities - if the crowd loved Anubis, then perhaps when Horus managed to commandeer him to a situation where asking for mercy was possible, the crowd would demand his release.
The injuries weren't as bad as they could be and Anubis was aware of it. He was also aware that Horus was giving him the ability to get his own hits in. He took what he felt comfortable with. Still, his heart was racing and his mind was more than unfocused. He tried and failed to focus on the task at hand, on shutting himself off from the situation. He felt the injuries as he kept moving. That was the one thing he could do: keep moving. He tried not to think about his father, about his mother, about Isis. It just didn't work.
He forced his thoughts on the words he'd said. He was supposed to be making a better effort than this. It took a moment, but he was at least able to move a little better, a little easier.
Increasingly frustrated by the situation, Horus attempted to bring Anubis to his knees by a harsh blow to the man's shoulder with the flat of his blade. He'd gotten enough injuries from Anubis for the fight to be pleasing to the crowd - they roared for both warriors, and Horus knew they would be hard pressed to incite any more than that.
A sharp intake of breath was the only indication that he'd really felt the blow, but he fell to his knees all the same. His eyes focused on Horus. He wished his muscles had relaxed into the blow rather than tensing at it. He knew what would come next, what he had to do because he wouldn't let Horus feel the pain of killing him if he could stop it. He felt exhausted. Admittedly, it was more emotional than physical, but it wasn't as if he'd spent much time sitting around recently.
The signal for mercy was obviously not the top choice for anyone and there were those who would probably think him weak, but he didn't care about any of those people. The person he was most worried about was in front of him and the others? He was sure they would understand. If not, he'd deal with it.
For you was the thought that lingered in his thoughts. He was saving Horus from a pain he didn't know if he could fix later. "Don't worry," he said calmly if not a little breathlessly. "I don't need their approval." Because Horus was likely concerned about the shame associated with signaling for mercy. He just had to understand that it was fine. Everything would be okay.
"As long as you live." Horus couldn't help the breath of relief. They'd put on a good show, hadn't they? But suddenly the crowd rose with renewed fervor, a new chant rising into the heavy Roman air -
"Kill, kill, kill!"
Horrified, Horus's eyes flicked toward the dais. The dominus seemed to discuss with the domina, pondering, before coming to his feet. He raised his hand, and all the crowd's fire seemed to go out, silence blanketing the coliseum in a slow crawl.
"Denied. Kill him."
Horus fell to knees in front of Anubis, an arm wrapping around his brother. The other hand tilted the blade, the edge resting against the jackal god's heart. It would be quick, and if Horus applied the right amount of force - instant and painless. Still, he trembled, his forehead resting against his brother's.
"Everything's going to be okay," he swore, though he knew nothing of what he was swearing about. But he'd died before and had lived again, surely the path could be no different now. Anubis had to live. "You are my brother, and I love you."
Anubis felt whatever relief had settled over him disappear at the words. He looked at Horus, a quiet sort of determination in his eyes, the acceptance of a fate he couldn't escape. His brother would hurt, his mother would hurt, Isis, their father. He didn't want to think about Bastet's reaction. He didn't want to think about any of it. His mother had said he'd come back, so he could deal...somehow. Still...
His eyes closed for a moment and he put his hand over the hand with the blade in it. "Don't draw it out." How he managed to speak with such an even voice, he couldn't have said but he hoped it would help Horus. He opened his eyes, watching Horus again. "Please."
Horus delayed by only a breath. And then it was finished.
ooc; is horus free or not free? :o is this correct procedure? I... am a little confused ;;