by Brent Tyman
The guards followed me out and I knew exactly where I needed to go next. The route was the same as it was when I had left my bedroom, as the castle was mapped out where similar rooms were together.
Again, everyone in my way either saluted or bowed in my presence, and it didn't feel as strange as before. Yet still odd. Once I had left for this forest, I wouldn't have to deal with it for a while.
I reached Eliandra’s bedroom door, where two guards stood on either side of it. They didn't react other than a salute when I went to open the door.
I expected her to be either deep in her books, doing her paperwork or just at a table somewhere, but from my brief scan of her room, there was nobody there.
“Where’s Eliandra?” I asked one of the guards outside. My own stood a few paces back from the door.
Both of her guards stood at the doorway, blocking it with their huge frames because of the human architecture, and offered another salute as one spoke.
“The mistress is currently at her study at this time, my king,” the guard said smoothly, looking towards the ground.
Ah yes, the study. I had assumed Eliandra would be at her bedroom, but she also had a study too. I don’t believe I had ever visited her in it though, but I knew where it was, from Tessa’s mention of it.
“Good, I’ll head there instead, out of the way,” I ordered. The two guards promptly left the doorway, and I walked towards Eliandra’s study. It wasn’t too far from the bedrooms, so I got there quite quickly.
She was definitely here, as there were a large slew of guards that patrolled the corridor, and six of them hovered around the doorway to the study itself. It was inspiring to see it this way. Eliandra’s efforts and knowledge of her native land has been invaluable in both its capture and subsequent occupation. I held her it high regard for more intimate reasons, but it seemed my people had decided she was valuable and precious.
So valuable, in fact, that it surprised me when the guards in front of her door did not part for me when I neared. I stopped, more out of interest than shock, and wondered what the problem was.
“I’m sorry my king, but the mistress is busy and wished to not be disturbed,” a guard said, albeit a tad uncomfortably.
I tried not to raise my lips in a smile at this; I had to maintain appearances after all.
“Oh? She won’t even make time for the king?” I asked, and the guard seemed unsure of what to say.
“This is the king of our people, go announce him and open the door,” one of my own guards ordered. But it seemed that wouldn’t make them change their mind.
Generally, you would never disobey your intimidate superior's orders, unless the king or a Tier One demanded you to. Even then, loyalty to your direct superior made it so you ended up in groups where everyone fought as a unit. These men had likely been reassigned away from a Tier Two leader, perhaps even one that died in the capital's siege. If that were the case, then they would be fiercely loyal to Eliandra, as she had the power to separate them, and assign them to someone else.
Even so, this bordered on ridiculous. It must have been my absence from everyone around me. The common soldier here had little idea what I was really going through, and I had to show them who was in charge.
Unfortunately, dueling someone at this stage would reduce the dwindling manpower we already had. A more vocal solution might be in order.
“You listen to me,” I said as I stared each and every one of the guards down. “Eliandra is mine, and either you step aside, or I’ll make you step aside.” I almost growled out the words, and it seemed to have the desired effect.
“I’ll make your presence known,” the one closest to the door said. He opened the door a tad and peeked his head inside for a moment. I could hear some muffled words as the rest of Eliandra’s guards parted for me, but I wasn't able to make out what was said.
As soon as I reached the door, it flew open, and I only spotted a whiff of golden hair before a womanly figure crushed me in a hug. It was so unexpected that I stood there, almost frozen in response.
Eliandra murmured something softly as her head rested over my shoulder. She smelled of roses and lilac today, and I could feel my worries melt away at her touch.
Another reason I was getting so soft lately.
“Ordan, you have no idea how happy I am that you came,” she said in a breathy whisper. She didn't give me any time to respond as she retreated from the hug and dragged me into the study with her. I spotted one of her guards look apologetic as the door closed behind us.
Eliandra pulled me along to one of the many couches here and sat me down as fast as she could. As soon as my bottom reached the soft cushion, she draped herself over me, resting her own rounded ass on my lap.
As one of her arms wrapped around the back of my neck, I was once again surprised at her. This was the type of behavior I expected out of Lunara, or perhaps Tessa. Eliandra has always been more… tame in her intimacy with me.
Even so, I liked her boldness.
“Well, it seems…” I managed to get out before her lips latched onto mine. Her tongue was insistent in its attempts to open my mouth, and when I did, our tongues danced together.
We stayed like for a moment, then two, until I couldn’t remember how much time had passed. Eliandra finally broke the kiss and looked deep into my eyes. How I had gone without Eliandra’s presence for so long suddenly became a mystery for me.
She was gorgeous. She wore a variation of her normal gown, where there were lacy frills all along the fabric. It was colored blue and reminded me of the cold blue symbol of our flag and coat of arms. She had done up her hair in the usual way, with a silver crown that held it in a neat bun.
She said nothing as I examined her beauty. Perhaps she was enjoying it, in fact. Eliandra previously had a severe deformity on her face, back when I had first set foot on this world. It resulted from her father’s cruelty and had all but broken the woman's spirit.
Now she sat, or practically straddled me as we stared at each other. Her face was that of a goddess to me, the truth sayers had healed her wounds and scars, which revealed a ravishing woman underneath.
“What are you looking at?” she asked as she drew close again, her lips dangerously near my own, and it took a lot of willpower to not clear the distance for another kiss.
“Just at how breathtaking you are,” I said honestly. It was good to be in her presence after so long.
“Are you back to normal? Every day that passed where you wouldn't visit me, the more I feared you never would,” she said. Her smile dipped a tad.
“Yes, I know the past few weeks haven't been easy, but I don’t intend to neglect you again,” I said truthfully. Eliandra rewarded me with another kiss and I couldn’t help but run a hand over her breasts, which elicited a giggle from her.
“I’m so glad, it’s been lonely here without you,” she said as she pulled back and ran a hand through my hair.
“Haha, surely not, you have those guards out there to keep you company, as well as Lunara I imagine,” I said. My head turned to look over at the door, which was still closed.
“They were very loyal to you, if insolent,” I said. Lunara laughed at that.
“Ever since my participation at the siege, I’ve garnered a lot of respect,” she said. “Eklis assigned them to me and had a good word with them to make sure I am always obeyed and kept safe. I was perfectly happy to use my personal guards from my duchy, but both Eklis and Flavious insisted. They take my orders quite literally though.”
That was an understatement. Still, I preferred my own people guarding her than the humans of this world. I doubted they could protect her better than we could.
“I need to incite more respect for myself as well, but that’s a talk for another time. How have the past few weeks kept you busy? I hear that you have taken on many duties as of late. You’re practically invaluable,” I said, and Eliandra blushed at that.
“I wouldn't say invaluable,” she said. “But yes, I help with man
y of the domestic matters. I have a spy network that runs all around the nation and a little beyond too. Since most of the former nobles have either been hung or stripped of their wealth, I’ve managed to go unopposed in my efforts to expand.”
I knew Eliandra was far more resourceful than she looked. Under the tyranny of her father, where other young noblewomen would attend balls and make connections, she would take in knowledge from books. The nobles here were very similar to the ones my people had, and even I would have to mingle with nobility, eventually.
“That makes you a very powerful woman then. Any news of what is happening on the Vulenchian border. I will be heading there in the next few days and more information will help before I get there,” I said. I was also about to ask her to join me as well, but something gave me pause. I wasn’t sure if I wanted her anywhere near that Zegari creature, as it seemed dangerous enough with us being outnumbered already.
As if she could read my thoughts, Eliandra gave me a frown and flicked my ear. My eyes went wide as I saw her glare at me and she gripped me tighter.
“I know what you are thinking and you have another thing coming if you think you can just leave me here. From now on, I don’t care what ails you or how dangerous it is, I will always be with you, to the end if need be,” Eliandra said, her voice catching a bit near the end.
I sighed. Why did it feel like I never got my way as king but I did when I was just Ordan Strix?
“Very well, I find I can’t deny you anything it seems,” I said honestly, and she gave me another quick kiss before her report, her eyes brightening.
“I have a few spies keeping tab there,” she said. “It seems that this Zegari creature is more focused on the Vulenchians than us. Perhaps this is because the former Fulgremian mages chased it there, or perhaps because Vulenchia is closer to it. In any case, there is a very good chance it will head east instead of here.”
That was good news, great news in fact. If they headed east, then it gave us more time to prepare.
“Then my trip will be nothing greater than ensuring any stragglers are killed if they come west?” I asked, but Eliandra shook her head.
“Not so. From the reports I am getting, this creature is unpredictable. It has spread its forces thin, branching out into strange locations,” she said.
I quirked an eyebrow at this, as that made little sense.
“Spreading its forces thin? What do you mean?” I asked.
To my dismay, Eliandra got off from my lap and headed over to her table stacked with parchments upon parchments. I found that I missed her body heat, and that thought made me roll my eyes at myself for acting this way. This woman had such an effect on me.
She returned, and I tried not to smile like a fool when she placed herself back on my lap again. She had a single large parchment between her hands, and it seemed to be a map when I examined it.
“This is the Fancern forest,” she said as she pointed to a colored swash of green on the map. “And we believe the creature to be in the center. Now you see the red dots here, these are reported sightings of the enemy’s movements. Where they are concentrated, do you notice anything?” she asked as she drew the map closer to my eyes.
It was time to put my mind to work, and I studied the dots in detail. At first glance, it seemed entirely random, more akin to a child drawing dots on parchment than anything else.
Then I noticed it.
Each dot was right next to a village, town, or manmade structure. It didn’t matter if it was on our side of the border or on the Vulenchians side. There were even some in the north, where the Korodo empire was.
“They go where the people are?” I said, and she nodded. Eliandra pointed to a few of the dots.
“That’s right, they appear near villages for the most part but any building seems to attract their attention but I don’t understand why. Flavious must have told you the fate of the second royal army?” She asked, and I nodded to her.
“They now have enough numbers for an offensive but they still scatter themselves,” she said.
“Isn’t it obvious, the creature breeds with corpses, it’s likely trying to kill anything in sight to bolster its numbers,” I said. To my surprise, Eliandra shook her head.
“No, I don’t believe so. From what I’ve read and your own accounts, the creature is very intelligent. Smart enough to destroy Croydra and make it out alive, despite mages after it. It’s now intensionally spreading itself out across three different nations, which is reckless as it is. I think I know why,” she said as she put the parchment down onto the couch and looked into my eyes.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“It’s searching for something, it's the only explanation that makes a semblance of sense,” she said. “It purposely sends its brood towards towns that can perfectly fend it off. If it wanted to expand its numbers, it would send its army as one to obliterate all in its path. It wants something and I’m not sure what.”
That was an interesting theory, but I agreed with her that keeping its numbers together would be far smarter than what it was doing now. I wished I could remember back to that short time I had with the Zegari and come up with more insights, but there was nothing else I could offer. It was unlike anything I had ever seen and technically speaking; it had agreed to be my friend, as silly as it sounded now.
“Right, well, this makes it easier for us anyway. I can come up with a plan of attack once I’m near this forest. Anything I need to know? How come Flavious didn’t mention this to me earlier?” I asked, and Eliandra’s blushed as she looked away.
“I don’t tell him everything, at least not immediately. I am loyal to you alone,” she said.
I smiled at that and moved to give her another kiss when her eyes went wide. She bounced out of my lap and quickly retreated to the other side of the study. I was about to open my mouth to ask what the matter was when she spoke.
“That reminds me,” she said as she grabbed a sealed letter from a nearby table. “This came for you a few weeks ago, it’s from Dunara.”
Eliandra came back to the couch, and this time sat next to me as she handed me the letter. I could tell from her expression that she didn’t know what was written within.
“Should we call Lunara? Perhaps that would be more fitting,” I said, and she nodded.
“Guards!” I yelled at the door. It opened and one of Eliandra’s guards peeked in.
“Tell some of my men to bring Lunara here, at once,” I ordered, and I saw a nod before the door closed behind him.
“I wonder how she is doing,” I said to Eliandra. She tapped her chin in thought as she leaned against my arms.
“Like me, she misses you. I think she was unsure what to do here without your company. I know how to run a duchy, so taking charge of domestic matters is second nature to me. For her, she's only here for you and has little interest in governing, for now at least,” she said.
For a few moments, we stayed like that, with Eliandra resting on my side. It felt good to just sit for a moment, as it seemed that there was no end of troubles I had to sort.
Eliandra’s eyes fluttered as she used a finger to draw circles on my chest absently. I could only hear her breathing, as well as a small humming sound coming from her.
I wouldn't trade this moment for anything.
A knock on the door broke the silence, and I heard a guard announce Lunara’s presence before I managed to turn my head. As soon as I did, arms wrapped around my neck as Lunara latched her lips to mine.
As typical of Lunara, she was filled with raw passion as she tried to force my mouth apart, with me having no say in the matter. I could only respond with a laugh as she gripped my neck tighter.
“It’s about time you snapped out of it!” she said as she finally let me go.
“Do you know how boring it is in this castle without you? The only interesting thing I can do is visit the city and their opinion on Dunarans has dropped hard, for obvious reasons.”
“It’s good to see
you too…” I managed before Lunara hopped over the couch and positioned herself where her legs rested along my lap.
“You owe me Ordan, it’s not fair of you to leave your women without any… attention for so long,” Lunara said with a pout.
While Eliandra wore clothes fit for a noble, Lunara’s attire was more of the exotic kind. Her midriff was exposed, as well as most of her legs, which was not uncommon among her dark elf brethren. Dark elves seemed to care little for modesty and preferred showing more skin than the other races on Asterlia. As an invader here and now king, I couldn't quite say I disapproved as I examined her.
Her dark elf nature made her skin a solid purple, with blood-red eyes that stared back at mine. She had a different air to her than Eliandra, more sultry perhaps. More wild.
“I can think of a few ways to make it up to you,” I said as I placed my hands on her smooth legs and stroked along them. She grinned at me and looked ready to jump me right then.
“Oh, I bet you could…” she murmured as she enjoyed my attention.
A cough from Eliandra broke my spell, and I suddenly remembered why I had called her. I wanted to see her anyway. She was mine, after all.
Eliandra explained what we had just discussed to Lunara about my trip to the Vulenchian border. She contemplated the news in silence.
“Well, I am also going with you. I don’t think I can stay here with nothing to do else I may go crazy,” Lunara said, and I smiled at that. After Eliandra, I wasn’t about to argue at all.
“It will be great to have you both with me,” I said honestly as I looked at her beautiful face. Her full lips were framed in a gorgeous smile, and I wondered how I had managed to meet such amazing women here.
“Ordan, remember the letter,” Eliandra reminded me, and I cursed silently as I looked for it. I had dropped it on the couch when Lunara had distracted me with her kiss and picked it up.
“Lunara, a letter from your parents is addressed to me, it is likely…” I said, but Lunara already knew.
“The favor, I remember. Go ahead and open it,” she said.
