“What do you mean that we are leaving?” I asked her husband sitting up from the bed where I was lying down since I woke up and had been feeling fatigued so I still laid down. Why on earth did I think that I could close my eyes to rest when I just finished telling Orel what has been going on? Of course I should have expected this, I should have expected to wake up to see that Orel has stirred the camp into a flurry of activities.
“I mean exactly that Doe. We have to go after the Erisean but we would not use their route, we will take another.”
“Does this mean that you have an idea where they are heading to?” I asks my husband as my cover cloth dipped down exposing my body to Orel who stopped in the middle of raising his shirt to stare at the skin I exposed not on purpose. “Orel, answer me.”
My voice seemed to snap Orel out of whatever trance he was in. “Of course. I know where they are going, if they have Alson within their ranks then they are going to attack the weakest place of the empire.”
“And where is that?”
“The water falls of prophesy. The temple where prophesies are kept.”
“No, they wouldn’t, that is forbidden, all kingdoms and empire signed a treaty centuries ago listing out places in their empires that would not be touched even though they were defeated. That was the only place Dar Empire listed.”
“I know that, you know that. We all know that.” Orel said angrily yanking on his shirt.
“Careful.” I ordered, he cannot use his anger to rip out all the progress in healing which Dyane had suffered to make sure went as smoothly as quickly as possible. I knelt on the bed to help him with wearing his shirt. “You should not strain your arm.”
“It finished healing last week.” Orel retorted.
“You could still pull something.” I reminded him, Orel released an uneasy breathe then. Yes I do know we were in the middle of a war, when next the fighting breaks out, he was going to fight and he will stress the arm during the fight but I do not want to dwell on that thought.
“The war is not following the usual rules.” Orel said quietly instead. “When things don’t follow the natural rules laid down, things tend to go astray. I cannot allow them to turn the Waterfall into red by killing everybody living there, that will make the empire to lose hope and that is something I cannot afford to let the empire lose.”
“Everything will be alright in the end.” I soothed my husband by resting his head on my heavy chest and running my fingers through his hair, this was a soothing position for me too.
“Themis, if anything happen to me….” Orel started.
“No.” I said so forcefully that Orel body jerked in surprise. “Nothing will ever happen to you, I would not let it happen. I rather die.”
“Stop joking around.” Orel tells me but I shook my head.
“You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want to live without you by my side, I would not be able to raise our child all by myself and frankly I don’t want to try… before anything will happen to you, I will be dead for it to happen. I will protect you with every last drop of my being.” I vowed and Orel was dumbfounded.
It took a few tries before Orel could get his throat to cooperate with forming the words he wanted to say. “I am honored to have you as my wife, your devotion is unlimited. I love you wife.”
“And I, you husband.” I replied with tears in my eyes. Orel kissed me carefully as if I was the most perfect being in the world before wrapping his arms around me to just hold me and in his arms I truly believed that I was the most precious thing to him.
Tears ran down my face as I begged the Goddess I was named after, I meant every word I had told Orel and I begged the goddess Themis to help me fulfill the vow. I would rather die than let anything happen to Orel, even if I had to sacrifice my life to prevent his death then that was what I was willing to do and I will do it wholeheartedly.
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Two weeks after the day we left our former settlement, Orel mood was as dark as it has ever been, who knew that Alson was that tricky, Alson helped the Erisea warriors to lay a siege on us, we were unprepared and lost a quarter of our army in a single strike of the Erisea army. Orel changed his order for Alson capture from ‘subdue and bring to me’ to ‘kill on sight’ but we succeeded in hold them back from wreaking more havoc, we had to play the waiting Game, which side gets to attack first? A face off just like the last time.
“How is the army?” I asked when Orel entered the tent set up for us… there were just few tents set up this time with the majority of the army sleeping under open skies with their shield and weapon close to them in case of a surprised ambushed. The few tents that was allowed were the healing tents, warehouses and Warlord tent.
“Not good, not one bit.” Orel growled out as Gwenn tried to sneak past Orel but Orel gripped her arm.
“What way did we offend Northshore?” Orel asked Gwenn who had a hard glint in her eyes, she had remained close to me throughout the earlier ambush and she was tasked to remain by me no matter what until Elison or Orel was around to change shifts with her and she never complained. Orel recently forgave Elison for leaving me unprotected and was getting to trust Elison once more with his pregnant wife, a pregnant wife that finally felt safe with her husband near her and was slowly showing her bump and looking more pregnant by the day and according to Orel, it was a good look me.
“I don’t know, the messenger I sent to my husband, returned today with a missive, it read that until they recognized me as their ruler that they will not obey… apparently the fault lies with me.” Gwenn replied.
“Then learn how to control your people to aid us.” Orel thundered at Gwenn who jumped in shock. “You better learn how to come into your power Queen because we all will soon be dead if you don’t.”
“Orel, stop it now.” My sharp tone got Orel to release Gwenn who ran out with her hand clasped to her mouth and when she was a safe distance away, her sob were released, the air still carried the sound back to us.
“You know better than to shout like that.” I cautioned.
“I am sorry if I scared you, my love.” Orel said as he moved to cuddle me in his arms.
“Not me, Gwenn.” I replied as Orel shook his head.
“She could not be wrapped in a bubble anymore, she needs to do this on her own, and she has her own kingdom to control now.” Orel replied.
“You know what she needs to do?” I asked but Orel shook his head.
“I don’t but I know that this much emphasis will not be placed on this supposed thing if it was not important, for her husband to write to her at all, I am suspecting that if she doesn’t do this then she will not survive been a queen of Northshore, she needs to do this on her own and her husband is worried for her.”
“How are you so certain? His missive didn’t say anything useful, Gwenn has been filled with rage since she got it.” I said.
“Because, he is just like me and if I needed to send you a message about something you need to develop on your own and I cannot risk putting your life at risk in future that is exactly how I would have written the message.” Orel replied as I nodded.
“So you are being mean to her on purpose.” I said but Orel shook his head again.
“No, I am not been mean to her. When baby birds are ready to fly, their mother push them off the nest so that they have no choice but to fly, it doesn’t mean that the mother bird love her children any less. It just mean that she wants them to survive. That was what her husband did to her and I will not be the one to make it not work. I need to show her how serious this is… and that is why the Northshore army general don’t say anything when I put my hand on Gwenn.”
“I was wondering about that, they are in on it.”
“Yes my Doe, they are. When Gwenn can survive in their empire, when she has shown signs of what they want, they will obey all her commands as Queen. Until then, I just hope that we don’t die before Gwenn realize what she needs to.”