Chapter Twenty-One
Elek
Every morning for the past week we were woken up by the older guard, who would usher Sera into the bathroom and then force her in front of a desk to go over lessons. She paid me no mind as I lounged on the bed with a random book I pulled from the shelf. At least I could appreciate Sera’s taste in history and philosophy.
Not long after, the other three would bustle in, never knocking. They would then be forced by the older one to study as well.
Breakfast and lunch were often taken in the room, although we did share a lunch in her garden one day. I didn’t like being there. It was just a large room with a glass ceiling and had the appearance of a garden with various flowers. How would anyone like to be given an outdoor experience without actually going outdoors?
Sera was kept busy for most of the day with lessons and her companions monopolizing her time. I would just sit, read, and observe. She liked music and had a talent for singing. Her studies included private sessions in another room with the older woman once a day at various times. She also had a twisted sense of humor that I learned about while watching her giggle incessantly at some dark humor jokes the princess from Kai told about merfolk taking the form of wives to sleep with their husbands, among other jokes.
Then at night, when the others left the room, she would ask for me to sit beside her on her bed and ask me questions. I answered all of them, even the more difficult ones that pertained to my family, including the death of my mother. She would answer all of mine as well.
By the end of the week she felt comfortable enough to lean into me to rest her head on my shoulder. She always smelled of lavender and rain. Jokes and humorous stories were now shared between us and I spoke of my time going to the border where Demarcus met Silvania. Sera always listened with great interest.
One night there was a shift, however. As I listened to her read out loud from one of her books, strands of hair fell, obscuring her face. It didn’t seem to bother her, for she continued to read unfazed.
A soft gasp escaped her lips as my hand gingerly tucked the strands behind her ear.
“Thank you.” She murmured softly, turning towards me.
Gods she was beautiful. My hand dropped from her ear to the nape of her slender neck. Such soft skin, I thought as my calloused thumb gently swept further down, grazing her arm before coming to rest on the bed.
“Any time.” I smiled.
Her bottom lip pulled up, as her teeth lightly bit down on the soft flesh, slowly swelling it. Our eyes didn’t budge from one another and it caused me to become bold and potentially stupid.
With my other hand I returned my touch to her skin and rested my palm on her cheek. Green and gold fleck eyes fluttered towards me as she seemed to take a deep inhale. If she asked to stop, I knew I would, but testing just how close I could pull her, I nudged her slightly towards me.
We didn’t break eye contact until my lips grazed against hers, silently asking for permission. It was granted as she pressed against me and joined us together.
There had been many lovers in my past, but for the first time in my life I felt as though the kiss was more of a welcome home after being gone for years. It was familiar yet sparked something completely new.
Long fingers traveled up my chest and around my neck, pulling me closer. In the back of my mind there was excitement, anticipation, and something akin to how I felt. Thousands of years of long forgotten souls longing for one another and then finally reunited.
The next morning I found myself in a predicament that I never anticipated.
“I don’t want to.” I said for the third time as we stood in a well equipped training room in Jovan’s wing.
Unlike most of the floors in the castle, this room had dark wood flooring to cushion the knees when training. Hard foam mats lay folded up against a wall that held ornate swords and shields. Straw targets lined another wall with barrels of iron tipped arrows and bows of various sizes. Resting on tables were different shields and smaller blades while longer blades hung in racks beside the tables. It was a nice room, and I was weighing the options of having one built in Maleko.
Sera wouldn’t budge on the matter, holding a gladius in her right hand. Her aunt had claimed Sera was ignoring her training for too long and forced us, well I didn’t have to come, to come and practice. Now Sera was pointing towards the blunt swords with the expectation that we have a match.
“I promise to go easy on you.” She smiled.
My arms sat crossed against my chest.
“I don’t duel non-soldiers.” And I didn’t want to harm her. Even blunt blades were not toys.
I was grateful that she didn’t ask again and instead started a match with the one called Elisa. They were a perfect match for height and speed. Both used a gladius, which was appropriate for their size.
Sera moved with grace and precision, as if she were dancing. Her moves were near flawless and that was exactly why I would never want her to fight in real life. Muscle memory could keep you alive for some time but when all of your maneuvers have only been choreographed you could find yourself useless in battle very quickly.
But even I had to admit that I could see how she survived all those attacks. She wasn’t defenseless.
After twenty minutes they stopped and she rushed over to me.
“See? I can hold my own and I promise not to push you too hard.” Her cheeks were pink as her breathing began to steady.
I could sense her excitement at the back of my mind.
“Why do you want to duel me so badly?”
She simply shrugged her shoulders.
“Because I think it will be fun.”
Fun? Training isn’t meant to be fun. All the more reason to not give in to her request. Her eyes continued to twinkle up at me, causing my traitorous heart to flutter - but just slightly. If I went too far with it, I could end up hurting her. On the other hand, if I’m too lenient she will continue to ask me for more.
Releasing a long exhale through my nostrils, I lowered my arms and went over to the racks. It would only be fair to use the same weapon.
“If you get hurt then you are to never ask me again.” I ordered, pulling the blade free from the rack.
When I turned to look at her, she was beaming with delight. Her smile was so wide that I was certain her cheeks hurt from the strain.
Throwing my shoes off, I met her on the mats. Compared to my frame, she was so small. I was not comfortable with this.
She most likely knew that I was not going to move first and was quick to come towards me, throwing a one-handed swing at my side. It was easy enough to dodge, but then she moved closer. So close that her scent of lavender and rain flooded my senses so that all I could think about was not counterattacking. Another swing came, aimed towards my hip that I glided away from with ease, only to feel the sharp jab of a small fist on my opposite side.
I looked at her, my brows raised in confusion. Yet she continued to assault me, with fire in her eyes. It wasn’t usual to use a fist with a gladius, but a shield. Though I suppose when a person was only ever taught how to survive, anything went in a fight.
Pushing back as our blades met, I found myself using both hands on the handle to keep her at bay. Then I was on my ass. She was quick for her size and managed to swipe her leg under mine and then hovered over me with the point of her blade over my chest.
I may have been distracted for most of the match, but there was no denying that she used my hesitation to her own advantage and won legitimately.
A small hand reached out towards me, the blade now hanging loose at her side.
“That was fun.” She beamed in delight, which grew as I accepted her hand.
Even in the back of my mind I could feel her joy and thrill she had felt as we faced each other. Maybe I could indulge her again.
It was finally the day of the masquerade ball, and I was ready to jump out the window and fly home. I had yet to show Sera my own abilities, but she had shown me plenty of her own. I had thought about when I should share, as it would only be fair if I did, but the time never felt right, and today was no exception.
All of her companions kept running in and out, throwing jewelry and hair accessories onto any surface that could hold them. As far as I knew, the princess from Kai had to greet her mother and older sister before the ball and was throwing on outfits and taking them back off again, within the confines of the washroom of course. Each time the door opened she looked to the others and if one made a face she didn’t like she would immediately close the door and start again.
The duke’s sister was nearly as bad, and these weren’t even outfits for tonight but just for having lunch with the other guests. Only the commoner one, Elisa, remained calm and selected one simple outfit and sat on the sofa, waiting for the chaos to subside.
Then there was my poor bride who was being poked and prodded by Leena, at the same time having to recite who each of the guests were for tonight’s event. Hair pinned up, hair pinned down, off-the-shoulder gown, a more casual summer dress. It wasn’t even Sera who was fussing over the constant changes, but her aunt. Just watching her made me pity her.
I had dressed right after breakfast and remained in my black button-down shirt, my sleeves rolled up to my elbow displaying my binding mark, and simple dark slacks. There was no need to complicate it. So I just watched in both amusement and horror as the others ran around before we were summoned out to the patio for a large garden party before the ball tonight.
In the back of my mind I could feel both her frustration at her hair being pulled and her anticipation for the announcement that was mere hours away. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t nearly as anxious but seeing the guest list had given me some pause for concern.
The Fairy King was going to be here and I wasn’t so ignorant to not know that he had asked for Sera to marry one of his own sons. My father knew that as well and was very pleased that she came to me of her own free will. But still… I couldn’t shake the sickening sensation in my stomach thinking of Oberron’s reaction when he finds out he lost out. This morning I even sent out a letter to Nolan to tighten our security at the border.
As an extra precaution I had suggested that we wear some form of bracelet to hide the marks. Someone like Oberron would recognize them for what they were and could take it as an insult. She chose a blue one while I took a black one from Huri’s many accessories that they brought.
“What do you think?”
I could live for five hundred years and never grow tired of her voice. That was something I had decided the night we were bound together. It had a calming effect on me when nothing I had tried before had ever come close.
Her long strands were pinned on one side by a decorative aquamarine lotus blossom as the rest tumbled in waves down her back and front. The dress she chose complimented her nicely, being a spring dress with the same shade as her blossom. Her short sleeves puffed up lightly as her middle hugged her just right. The top was slightly rippled, on purpose I presume, with a small thin tie in the middle of her chest, giving her the appearance of innocence. As the dress made its way to the tops of her knees, it did so in pleats, complimenting her long legs. Seeing her caused my breath to linger for a long moment.
“I think I’m going to have a target on my back for the rest of the day having to stand next to you. Every man is going to want to dance with you and talk to you and I’m going to have to stop every one of them.”
Her pale cheeks tinged with pink and I fought back a prideful grin. There were others in the room, after all. Although I wasn’t going to mind having her on my arm and watch as others looked on in envy.
