LINKDING

<blockquote> The truth was that from the beginning Cottia had wanted desperately for Esca to like her. He was British, a Brigantes warrior of the blue war shields, and she wanted him to see the Britishness in her; she was afraid of what it would mean if he didn’t. </blockquote> ➤ ahhhhh the complexities of the relationships between the three of them as they navigate making a household together is SO good. It does feel though that it ends kind of abruptly without working anything out but I can at least imagine where it might go from here

<blockquote>Imperial Army Lieutenant Marcus Aquila thinks he has the worst posting ever--stuck in the lousiest garrison on the lousiest planet in the galaxy, with nothing to do but mind a desk and play Angry Mynocks, he'll never restore his family's honor. Then one of his men marches suspected Rebel spy Esca C'noval through the door, and Marcus finds out he was wrong. Things can always get worse. Note: This story contains some mild consent issues.</blockquote>

<blockquote>The man who came to Caisil with Esca Mac Cunoval sets fire to a heart brave and true. Now, if only he'd turn and notice... (or "Until All The Songs Are Sung" by carmarthen, as seen through the eyes of Dergorix).</blockquote>

<blockquote>Esca learns the Latin word by accident, from Stephanos of all people. Soul-mate.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A trip to the healing waters of Aquae Sulis leads to revelations, confessions, and far more excitement than Marcus or Esca anticipated.</blockquote> ➤ the one with the curse tablet directed at Marcus

<blockquote>The eagle is not a lump of metal.</blockquote> ➤ a neat au concept. Where the eagle is a pair of wings that allow the bearer to fly

<blockquote>It's the family's responsibility to comfort and care for their dying, not the slaves'.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"I shame him. I shame them all. And yet I am the last of us."</blockquote>

<blockquote>Years after the events of the movie, the peace that Marcus and Esca have made for themselves may be about to be disturbed.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"Ahead of Marcus on the path, Esca fluttered one wing, exhausted, and Marcus came to a limping halt. It was time to stop running for the night."</blockquote>

<blockquote>A story set in the universe of "Chosen Man," in which Marcus and his optio Esca go to Calleva for the holiday of Saturnalia, and Marcus learns valuable lessons about making assumptions about what other people know about your religious observances. Also there is cuddling.</blockquote>

<blockquote>In an attempt to interest Esca in a game of latrunculi, Marcus suggests an unusual wager: the removal of clothing. The ensuing game is not quite what Marcus was prepared for. (Yes, it's another Strip Latrunculi fic!)</blockquote>

<blockquote>he prompt was "What if Esca was actually totally oblivious to the feelings Marcus admits he has for him?"</blockquote>

<blockquote>"It is in my heart that it would be a great help to me, if I knew I could still be your hound."</blockquote>

<blockquote>Esca notices all the ways Romans touch people, and all the ways he wishes Marcus would.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"You're saying you want me to marry one of them?"</blockquote>

<blockquote>All of Marcus' memories are wrong. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. (Or: Five places Marcus may or may not have met Esca. Mostly not.)</blockquote>

<blockquote>Dr. Marcus Aquila is one of the new cardiology residents at the hospital. Esca Mac Cunoval, RN, is one of the experienced floor nurses. They do not develop a good working relationship.</blockquote>

<blockquote>War looms on the horizon as Marcus' homeland of Etruria is faced with the unreasoning demands of the Gauls, a vicious, deadly foe. Young and lonely, Marcus begins a tentative friendship -- a friendship that could become something more -- with Esca, a prince of the Gauls. But the differences of the two nations cannot be ignored, and both Marcus and Esca must choose between the needs of their peoples and the desires of their hearts.</blockquote>

<blockquote>After the film, Esca and Marcus travel north.</blockquote>

<blockquote>The son of the man who lost the Eagle of the Ninth would never be allowed a first command of his very own fort, would he? Marcus is posted not to Isca Dumnoniorum, but to a wretched and run-down garrison north of the Wall. There he finds that he is the new centurion of a group of scouts and spies, all of them British. He has few supplies and no experience. His men distrust him. His superiors despise him. His second-in-command is an incompetent drunkard. And the local tribes are determined to kill all of them. But the worst thing of all is one of Marcus' soldiers. He is an enigmatic, dangerous, and insubordinate man by the name of Esca, who makes Marcus yearn for terrifying things he has never before wanted and can never, ever let himself have...</blockquote> ➤ or: the Roman Army AU

<blockquote>Marcus has always known what he wanted. Esca is sure he knows what Marcus wants. One of them is wrong.</blockquote> ➤ Author's note: <blockquote>This story is an exploration of the inside of Esca's head during the events of the movie.</blockquote> ➤ OH LOOK, yet another fic that I failed to bookmark when I first read it! PAST SELF >:(

<blockquote>Esca, son of Cunoval, has known from childhood how his life will be. When he first feels the soulbond in his mind, he will be made a man of the Brigantes. He will be inked. He will become a warrior. In a few years, his soulmate will come in search of him from a neighboring clan. His soulmate will be proud of him, proud that Esca is heir to a clan chieftain, proud that Esca will one day be lord of five hundred spears. They will marry. They will lead the clan together. It will be a good life. Then Esca discovers his soulmate is a Roman soldier. This is, shall we say, problematic.</blockquote> ➤ sequel to the one with the silphium. And GDI I HAVE TOTALLY READ THIS ONE TOO, what is with past!me's failure to properly bookmark stuff!

<blockquote>After the return of the Eagle, Rome is not done with Marcus Aquila. He and Esca are persuaded to infiltrate a group of potential conspirators -- possibly-traitorous men about whom there are yet other shameful rumors, stories of debauchery and vice. What do they get up to at their dinner-parties? To find out the truth, Marcus and Esca must pretend to be lovers, but it is a difficult thing to pretend to be what Marcus so badly wishes they could be in truth. (Or: Marcus and Esca go undercover as gay at an orgy.)</blockquote> ➤ another fic I was SURE I'd bookmarked before, and yet....

<blockquote>Marcus is a common-born ex-soldier working in his uncle's pottery workshop when he meets Esca, the son of a local Atrebates horse-trader. A canon-era AU, where everyone is not quite so noble. Things look a little different from a lower perspective. Note: The sex in this story occurs while both parties are quite drunk, and I guess could be read as dubcon because of that. They're both quite enthusiastic, though.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Everyone knows that somewhere else in the world is the person who is the other half of their soul, destined for them by the gods, a person whose very emotions they can feel. Lonely and in disgrace, Marcus soldiers across the empire, certain that his own soulmate is out there, and he strives to find him even as duty and misfortune would keep them apart.</blockquote> ➤ the one with the silphium. And I have no idea why this wasn't bookmarked already, as I've totally read it before and it's great

<blockquote>After an encounter with soldiers at their farm leaves Esca unsettled, Marcus dons his old armor and offers himself up.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Marcus speaks British badly; Esca's Latin is even worse. Luckily this has never caused them any problems before. Now, however, grammatically incorrect and highly seditious graffiti has sprung up all over the town of Calleva, and Marcus has just 10 days to teach Esca Latin before the Tribune Placidus comes investigating...</blockquote>

<blockquote>After her father dies with the Ninth, Flavia is sent to Britannia to live with her uncle Aquila. There she meets a pair of British girls, and together the three of them change each other's lives in ways they could never have expected.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Someone told Marcus that Britons don't kiss; Esca is determined to demonstrate otherwise.</blockquote>