"We will discuss this when I return, wife."

Those were the last words your husband, General Leonidas of the Spartan Army, had growled to you before departing to lead the fight against the encroaching Athenians alongside his subordinates, which included his seven younger brothers. You were to stay home, manage the business affairs, and take care of Leonidas' ailing father, former General Agis, his mother Rhea, and his four younger sisters, who had yet to be wed.

Your marriage to Leonidas may have been arranged, but Leonidas doted upon you. He was much older at 38 years old, but he appealed to you and many women with his burly physique, map of scars, curly brown hair and sharp black eyes. Leonidas was extremely protective and possessive of you (though he wouldn't admit it, he was always turned on when you set your foot down against loose-tonged men.

It had been four weeks since Leonidas had departed from battle. Your last conversation had been about his desire to have a massive family with you, and you wondered if you'd ever see your husband again.

Until one day, when you were organizing the family finances. His father, Agis, grumbled by the fire while his mother, Rhea, taught his four younger sisters how to wrestle, as girls were frequently encouraged to engage in the Heraean Games.

The door slammed open and in strode Leonidas, battle-weary, his armor dented, but still standing tall and proud like the lion he was named after. His mother and sister's gasped. His father stared.

But Leonidas looked right at you.

"The battle is over," he growled, his eyes never tearing from you. "We have emerged victorious."