by Brent Tyman
Feeling no need to prolong this any further, I cracked open the Dunaran seal and flipped open the letter. I scanned the page carefully.
To Ordan Strix,
I wish to congratulate you on your coronation as the king of Fulgrem. It gladdens to me to have gained an ally next to our borders.
I do hope you are treating my daughter well, for I wish to reveal my favor to you.
We, the royal family of Dunara, demand that you wed our daughter, Lunara, in a ceremony of Dunaran custom. Once our houses are joined, custom dictates that our enemies become your enemies and you will help us in our war with the high elves of the Everlight.
I do not wish to make you resentful of our favor, so will allow some time to pass before you submit yourselves to Dunara and come back to the capital. A simple acceptance of these terms will suffice for now.
I look forward to your reply.
Tesseria Delerain, Queen of Dunara.
I read it again, and then a third time, before I handed it to Lunara, who read it aloud for Eliandra.
“It seems my mother is still as crafty as ever,” Lunara said with a sigh.
“I don’t understand, why does she want a marriage of all things, they could have asked for anything,” Eliandra asked. Out of the three of us, she seemed the most troubled by this news.
“Because asking for us to join their wars would breed dissent among my people as we had just come out of one and are recovering,” I said. “If a marriage happens first, it solidifies bonds and becomes more justifiable. Bonds between houses are a big deal in our culture, so this only benefits her.”
Lunara tapped a finder on her chin in thought, and her eyes lit up.
“Oh, I remember that my mother spent a lot of time with Raina when she could. Almost every day in fact. She would ask about Frostburnian culture and I had thought it was just small talk,” Lunara said.
That explained how the queen of Dunara knew about our customs. Marriage between houses was rare amongst my people, but when it happened, it is permanent. That was one of the main reasons that nobility houses generally avoided it, as once a house was joined with another, you could not break the link. Even if discord happens later in the generation. It was a strange custom now that I thought about it, and I would have never have imagined it would be used against me like this.
Since I would be marrying as a king, my people would see it as the dark elves joining us as one. Civil war would soon follow if I ever declared war on them after, as many were set in their ways and followed custom to the letter.
It was sort of genius in a way, it also made sure I wouldn’t use Lunara against her as well, although not that I ever would.
“Well, let’s go ahead and send her a reply that I accept, we can deal with it after my trip to the east,” I said. Lunara smiled at that, but Eliandra frowned.
“You are going to marry Lunara? Just like that?” Eliandra asked, and I examined her. She looked away from me now, and the slumped shoulders showed she was upset about this. I could tell.
I gently pushed Lunara’s feet away from my lap and drew close to Eliandra. She moved away from me for a moment, but my arm wrapped around her shoulder to drag her back.
“You're afraid of losing me?” I asked, and she didn't respond.
“Come on Eli, talk to me,” I urged. I have heard Lunara call Eliandra Eli before and wondered if she would like that.
“It’s just so fast,” Eliandra murmured. “You are just back in my life then I get told you are marrying someone else. I know not to feel as I do, but I can’t help it.”
“You can still see him as usual, I won't get in the way. The marriage changes nothing,” Lunara suggested, but that didn't seem to placate her.
When it came to women, sometimes I found myself stumped. Killing, raiding, looting and destruction was things I had no trouble with but a woman's heart seemed ever mysterious to me. I wasn’t sure how to make this right.
“All right, I can’t decline the marriage but we can make some adjustments. How about… how about I marry you as well? Dark elves have multiple partners, as well do my own people,” I said. This caused both women to look at me in shock.
“Marry both? I…” Lunara said in thought. “My mother would probably question it but I think she would approve.”
“Really?” Eliandra asked as she looked into my eyes. I could see that tears had formed in the time where she had turned away from me.
“Yes,” I said, deciding this was the best thing to do. “I’ll marry you, if you want this murdering slaver as your husband.”
Eliandra hugged me so roughly that I almost lost my breath. Her breasts squished themselves into my chest and I laughed as Lunara appeared at my side and hugged me just as hard too.
I thought about how I manged to go from a raiding barbarian in a sense to the king of a nation with two beautiful women at my beck and call. This world was already the best thing to have happened to me, minus that Frost God in my head.
“All right, all right, we should go over preparations for our trip,” I said as I tried to shake the women off me. They tried to stay on a moment before pulling back, both with gorgeous smiles on their faces.
“I love you,” Eliandra said as she stared at me with those fluttering eyelashes.
“Me too,” Lunara said with a smirk, her eyes hungry with desire.
The rest of the meeting, I discussed that I had been assigned five thousand troops and we would leave in the coming days once we finished preparations.
I could tell that they wanted more from me, but I knew that if I gave in, I would be here for the rest of the day, if not more. I bid them both farewell as I headed to the palace courtyard, where Raina and most of my personal troops would be training.
I had occasionally seen Raina during the short times where I wasn't in my room the past few weeks. Ever since I had promoted her in effect, she had taken on a leading role permanently.
I saw her as she drilled troops in the center of the courtyard, where it was bustling with activity. The air was hot with the smell of sweat and a hint of blood, which wasn't uncommon among our kind. My people drilled everyday non stop at times, which made us lean, capable warriors.
I headed towards Raina, ignoring the salutes of the men I passed. When she spotted me, she gave me a small smile as she stood at attention with a sharp salute as I neared.
“Raina, it’s been sometime,” I said as I looked at the woman. Raina was more muscular than either Lunara or Eliandra, which was unsurprising as she took training seriously. Unlike with Lunara’s attire when she fought, Raina’s armor revealed nothing other than her face, which was pretty. She had black hair that fell just beside her neck and brown eyes that made her look fierce but genuine.
“Hello Sir… my king, I am pleased you up and about,” she said as she looked me up and down. “Have you come to inspect the troops?”
“In a way, I need to prepare for an excursion in the east, near the Vulenchian border. I can take five thousand troops so I need a lot of supplies,” I said. Raina’s eyes widened in interest at this statement.
“East? Well, I am at your service my king. I would be happy to be your second again if you don’t take another of the other Tier Ones,” Raina said.
That reminded me, I had seen none of the trio so far, but that was to be expected. According to both Eklis and Flavious, they had taken charge in keeping the rest of Fulgrem in check. One was in Novalis, one in Hakaden, and I couldn't remember where they had assigned Lyan. Likely somewhere where he couldn't find any drink, if they were smart about it.
“Yes,” I said as my thoughts turned back to Raina. “It would please me to have you under my command again. Let’s go over what troops I will take with me.”
Me and Raina went over the threat of the Zegari creature and the troops compositions that would be useful. Unfortunately, information on what type of creatures the Zegari spawned were limited at best. It ranged from four legged animal like beings to beasts similar in build to lizard
men. I didn’t enjoy being left in the dark on enemy forces, but I had to make it work.
In the end, we decided on three thousand infantry troops ranging from swordsmen, spearmen and axmen. One thousand bowmen, with five hundred crossbowmen and finally, five hundred riders. Thanks to defeating the Fulgremians, we gained access to their stock of crossbows, which were perfect for piercing armor. Raina wanted more bowmen since we would fight creatures instead of men, but the Zegari I had seen personally had a thick exoskeleton which would be hard to pierce with bows alone.
Once we had settled on what troops to take, I spent the rest of the day to meet the troops and be the public face of my people. I had to show them that their king was here and not sulking about in his room. I wondered if the previous king had to prove himself when he was first appointed, all those centuries ago.
The men seemed pleased to be chosen for joining in on the war, if I could call it that. Perhaps some were getting complacent in waiting around for something to happen, but I knew the people not in the military wanted nothing more than to stay in peace for a few months at the least.
At the end of the day, when the sun had long since disappeared from the sky, I made my way back to my bedroom. As always, the guards opened it for me and I instinctively headed for the bed.
Just before I could, a mass of black air swirled around my feet before arms wrapped around my neck. I could hear a breathy moan as Tessa rubbed her nose against my ear.
“Master,” she murmured. “How about that reward of mine?” She teased as she dragged her hands over my body.
The talk of marriage to both Lunara and Eliandra drifted into my thoughts. It didn’t seem right to go about this after agreeing to marry the pair.
What was happening to me?
Perhaps I was tired. Instead of returning Tessa’s advances, I stopped her arm, and she stilled behind me.
“Not today,” I said as I dropped onto the bed.
“Master? What's wrong?” Tessa asked, a look of shock on her face. I felt like just mentioning that I needed sleep from all the drilling and events from the day but I owed Tessa more than that.
I told her of my marriage, and surprisingly, she scowled at me.
“You are a slaver Ordan, a king of slavers. So what if you play with your willing slaves?” Tessa said as she crossed her arms. She had sat down on the edge of the bed and looked away from me.
“I haven’t changed, I just care for both of my women. I haven’t seen them in weeks until today…” I started, but a huff from Tessa stopped me. She turned her head to look deep into my eyes, and her own eyes suddenly glowed a deep blue. She was angry.
The truth was, Tessa was like a drug to me. She knew just what to say, and what to do to keep me hooked on her. I wasn’t sure if it was an aspect of the Dryvela or just her nature, but she could make me feel supported one instant and hungry for her the next. It was one of the reasons I kept her close by instead of shunning her like the rest.
“I am your woman too Ordan, if case you have somehow forgotten,” Tessa said, and she was right. I was being stupid, and I reached out for her. Her scowl turned into a smile and we shared a kiss before my tiredness reared its ugly head. I yawned as I pulled away, and she tilted her head at me.
“It seems you really have run yourself ragged today master. Fine, we can discuss my reward another day,” she said as she helped with removing most of my royal garb and helped me under the covers. She removed her own clothes and eased herself to my side, her breasts pressed against my skin.
I could only smile at her for a moment as I watched her ocean blue eyes before sleep overtook me.
Chapter 3
The next few days were hectic for me as Flavious and Eklis wanted daily meetings to discuss my plans for the Vulenchian border. There was barely any new information, and I still didn’t enjoy preparing for a battle blind.
Since the news of the Zegari’s forces who had spread themselves thin, I determined the best course of action would be to set up camp near a mountain range. The enemy needed to cross this to get into Fulgrem proper. The Fancern forest’s center was more in Vulenchian territory, and it relieved me to hear that this mountain range served as a natural border between our two nations. I wondered how the mages that led the Zegari into the forest in the first place had maneuvered it over the mountains. After I carefully studied a terrain map, I had my answer.
The Fancern forest was huge, but there was a huge choke point where the mountains flattened into a short hill west of it, deeper into Fulgrem. Apparently, this was a huge gap of land, mostly used as a trade route between the two nations. There were many paths that went over the mountains, but they were treacherous and not well known.
The odds of the enemy using the smaller paths were slim, and they would need to travel deep into the Korodo empire or far south to enter Fulgrem without using this choke point.
Unfortunately, despite being between the mountains and a well-used trade route, the land in question was massive. One could fit a huge city between it, and there would still be enough room for another. The land was far too wide for my five thousand men to cover.
There was a saving grace though. We should be able to see either side of the mountains, and the riders could inform the main force on where the enemy was along this route. If we set up camp where the hill was more flat, there should be a good enough view to check our surroundings and react to any enemies the scouts' report.
It took around five days to prepare, and the five thousand troops stood outside the capital's walls to go through Eliandra’s portal. She had never been to the Fancern forest, and of course, neither had any of the truth sayers. She had, however, been to a small town called Pernra, which was the furthest east we could go before we reached the outskirts of the forest itself. There had been no reports from there in the past few weeks, so it was likely destroyed already by the Zegari’s spawn.
I wished that any of the trio were with me as we prepared to leave. It didn't feel right to not march into battle with them, but they had a job to do, and so did I.
Tessa had acted distant ever since that day. I had spent the nights in both Eliandra’s and Lunara’s bed for the past few days, which may have made her feel excluded. I had tried to talk to her ever since, but she tried to avoid me outside of her normal duties. I needed to make it right with her after my return.
“That should be everyone, Sir,” Raina’s voice called as she headed towards me. The five thousand troops stood at attention, along with many slaves that carried the tents, food and general provisions. As the plan was to hold the line at the most, we would get regular supplies portaled in once we had set up camp. Eliandra would return here to bring some truth sayers so they knew our location for portaling.
“Good, let’s get going then,” I said as I nodded to Eliandra. She stood with Lunara amongst their own personal guards, waiting for the go ahead. An orb of prime appeared in her hand. It crackled with sparks as it spun round and round in the air.
A familiar orange portal appeared a moment later. Its presence was peculiar amongst the surrounding farmland, as all portals were. It was also bigger than the portal we had used to go to Dunara, as we needed to take riders with us this time, who required more space.
“There you go, this should take us to the outskirts of Pernra,” Eliandra said as the orb winked out of existence. I nodded as I made to step through.
“Wait,” Lunara said as she grabbed my arm, which surprised me.
“Maybe you should let some soldiers go through first, just in case,” she said, her eyes betraying her worry. It was nice of her to think of my safety.
“I always go first,” I said as I used my free hand to stroke her arm. I tried to be gentle with the armor I had on.
“Plus, I am a king now, so I must set an example,” I said as she reluctantly nodded. Eliandra seemed to share the same sentiment as Lunara, but said nothing as I glanced at Raina.
“Make sure everyone makes it across before the portal closes,” I said
. She nodded to me as I walked towards the portal.
“Come men, to war!” I shouted as I stepped through. I heard the combined war cries of my troops, which was almost deafening to my ear before I was somewhere else entirely.
The world receded for a moment, replaced with nothing but darkness, before it all came rushing back.
As always, what I expected to see in Pernra was far from what my eyes showed me.
The air was thick with death as the stench of long dead corpses wafted into my nose. I was on grassland that had been untouched from the destruction before me. The whole town was a graveyard, with the buildings already collapsed into ruins and signs of fires marred some of them. I was fairly close to the town itself, and as Eliandra popped out of the portal behind me with Lunara, I spotted movement up ahead.
The entrance to the town was a gate that looked like it had been eaten apart, with splints of wood scattered everywhere. I saw a creature the size of what the humans called a dog, sniffing at a corpse near the entrance. Its skin was that same leathery black that the Zegari had, with sharp teeth and horns that protruded from its forehead. More of its kind appeared next to the gates of the town. Perhaps they heard the commotion as more and more of my troops exited the portal.
“Shit,” I said to myself, as the creatures stared us down. I could see their red eyes bearing down on us. That’s when it happened.
Another beast appeared from behind the walls of the ruined town. It growled as the others of its kind stepped back away from it. This one walked on two legs and reminded me more of that lizardmen species I had seen before than anything else. It was black like the rest, but its body sported a thick exoskeleton while its snout was long and pointed. I imagined it could pierce flesh with a head butt alone. Strangely, what I found most odd about it was that it wore clothes, as if it were civilized to some extent. The armor was unlike anything I had seen before; it was like it had taken the scales of a beast and assorted them into rows on its chest.
“Defensive line!” I bellowed as the enemy numbers became more and more. I was suddenly wary in case there were others that roamed our flanks. Raina had yet to come through the portal, so I had to wait for one of the unit leads to appear, to organize the mass of troops that trickled through.
