For the Prosperity of Aquor

Chapter 10

Why?

            It was already past sunset when they had arrived in Airyglyph. There was still enough light on the horizon to help them see the streets and walk over to the castle gates. Nel was glad she had the foresight to bring a cloak this time since the winter winds started picking up. It was getting colder and she wanted nothing more than to get a warm room at the inn and crawl into bed. But she knew that wasn’t going to be possible while she was in Airyglyph. In fact, she didn’t foresee getting any sleep tonight…

            Woltar had to come out and let them inside the castle since it was a little late and the current gatekeepers were not informed of the visit. It was much warmer inside and everyone took the time to examine the castle for the first time. Technically, it was the first time the off-worlders ever seen the inside since Fayt and Cliff were only in the dungeons the last time they were here. As an undercover spy, Nel had been in the castle dozens of times and even knew her way around most of the areas.

            “Well, shall we?” Woltar prodded when they were done glancing around, “We’ll go down to the cellar on the left.”

            He started to walk away and the others were about to follow, but Nel held out her arm to stop them and shook her head. She knew where those cellars led…

            “What is wrong? Why do you just stand there?” he wondered in an almost mocking tone. The old man knew what she was thinking but decided to act ignorant.

            “Those stairs lead to the dungeon-”

            “You are here for Albel, are you not? He is down there,” he informed, cutting her off.

            “Huh?” Fayt called out as he stepped forward in confusion.

            “Just come with me and it shall all be clear,” Woltar said before he continued on. Nel’s arm lowered as everyone walked past her. Fayt only glanced at her once before leaving her side.

            The spy couldn’t believe that Albel was still in the dungeon. Why didn’t they let him out and inform him of the situation before they got here? Did Woltar intend to show Albel while he was still being held prisoner? Maybe the Wicked One used to be her enemy, but even she couldn’t stand to see someone humiliated like that. Furthermore, it would’ve been faster if he had been informed beforehand so they could leave sooner.

            She was hoping she wouldn’t have to see him chained up, but it seemed she wasn’t going to have much of a choice. Fayt was determined to see what was going on and she didn’t want to wait for them to return on her own. She didn’t feel comfortable being inside the castle and didn’t want to attract attention without one of her allies beside her.

            Nel held back a sigh when they arrived in the torture chamber and was the last to enter. She wanted to look away and give him back some of his dignity, but she knew it was too late for that. Fayt glanced at the chained up warrior with pity in his eyes.

            “Why?” the boy inquired in a whisper.

            Albel appeared to be asleep. Nel could see old scars that were still healing on his skin and couldn’t stop the glare that came to her face. One would think she would be happy to see him like this, but she wasn’t even close to pleased. This was too cruel, even for him. Albel had done nothing against his country and yet he was tortured and chained to the wall for nothing. His own king left him there without so much as a trial to prove himself- at least not until now. How could Albel possibly still be loyal to Airyglyph after all of this?

            Woltar explained how the Wicked One ended up in the dungeons and she quickly noticed how the old man didn’t accuse Fayt and Cliff outright. Instead, he played it off as if it was Albel’s fault. It was only yesterday that he claimed she was the one responsible for it. …Wily old man. Even Cliff looked like he felt sorry for the man and that was pretty bad considering the Klausian had wanted to pummel him before. But Nel still didn’t feel bad for Albel. He was simply taking in what was thrown at him and didn’t let it break him. He didn’t need pity- it wasn’t going to get him out of his predicament.

            “Wait here,” Woltar ordered before he approached Albel. “I’ve got an errand for you, boy.”

            Albel shifted as he woke up and looked up at the aged warrior. “What?”

            “You have been given a mission to accompany these people to the Urssa Lava Caves. If you complete this task, you will be acquitted of all charges.”

            At this, Albel’s eyes drifted over to the party and fell first on Nel. Then his crimson orbs widened as he noticed Fayt and Cliff.

            “With those scum!? Those…Greeton scum!? You’re senile, old man! They’re the enemy!” he sneered as he pulled against his chains in protest. It seemed he hadn’t forgotten their little fight at Bequerel… But Nel was a little surprised how no one caught on to the fact that he said ‘Greeton’, meaning that his ire was solely directed at the men. She knew why he wasn’t upset with her, but she did fight him, too, that day. Why did she get off so easily?

            Of course that was only the beginning of the spy’s shock. She was also stunned to discover how little Albel knew of the outside world. It seemed that the last thing he knew before coming to the dungeons was that Airyglyph was going to attack Aquaria. He didn’t know the war was over or that celestial ships appeared and slaughtered both sides. He didn’t even know that Vox was…

            “Dead!?” he bellowed in a stunned tone before his eyes drifted back to her, “Did they kill him?”

            “While they did engage Vox in combat, the killing blow was dealt by another,” Woltar replied, regaining his attention.

            “Who? Other than Zelpher, these engineers, and myself, there’s no one in this world who could defeat Vox.” Albel couldn’t fathom the thought of someone else being able to destroy the man. Nel’s furious gazed faltered a little as Woltar started explaining the Vendeeni to him. She hadn’t expected him to acknowledge their strength. She thought he would hold a serious grudge and vow to kill them to regain his honor.

            Nel couldn’t help but glance at her companions and hope they didn’t think it was strange that he called her out by her name. She was already worried Cliff might pick up on the fact that Woltar had been calling him ‘boy’ and make the connection that it was Albel the old man was referring to that day. But thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice anything. They were more intrigued by the conversation between the aged warrior and the Wicked One. It seemed Albel was taking the news better than most. He thought Woltar was joking at first, but he didn’t seem to have trouble grasping the idea of beings from other worlds.

            But when the subject of his mission came up, Nel grew a little worried. Albel reacted badly to the fact that they were going off to tame the Marquis. If he was cautious about going near that monster, then that meant the beast really was that powerful and dangerous. Woltar nodded to a nearby soldier and signaled for him to release Albel. Then the aged warrior presented him his back before he decided to taunt the young man.

            “With the way you brag of your skills, I would think the Marquis would be no match for you. Am I wrong, Albel the Wicked?”

            It was suicide to bait someone like Albel, but Woltar must’ve been powerful enough to handle him because the Wicked One held his ground and just appeared annoyed. He was free and had nothing to hold him back from attacking, and yet he just gave the old man a condescending glare and muttered, “Rotten old man…”

            But Woltar wasn’t done with him. “I bet your father would’ve gladly risen to the challenge.”

            “That’s enough!” he growled in a threatening manner.

            This time Woltar earned a reaction and faced Albel with a grin just as he was about to attack. The spy’s eyes widened as the old man easily caught his arm and prevented him from doing any damage. It was a little obvious that the subject of his father was a sore spot for him for some reason. It was a rather cheap shot to attack him with his weaknesses just after he went through days of torture, but it seemed Woltar knew what he was doing. He was simply manipulating Albel to ensure that he would follow orders and understand the importance of succeeding.

            …Though Nel felt a little better that she wasn’t the only one Woltar seemed to enjoy tormenting.

            “If you fail, the rest of us are doomed along with you. There’ll be no more Aquaria, and no more Airyglyph. This world will be wiped clean,” The old man finished in a more serious tone. Suddenly she wished he would go back to tormenting him. The last thing she needed was a reminder of what could happen should the Vendeeni come back before they were ready…

            Albel also seemed to see the threat in his words before he yanked his hand out of Woltar’s grasp and turned away from him. “Then I must go.”

            It took her a moment to realize that he was only going for the sake of his kingdom- not for the off-worlders who were ultimately responsible for his release from prison. It wasn’t until Woltar mentioned the possibility of losing Airyglyph that he relented and agreed to go. He wouldn’t have agreed otherwise it seemed. That alone made her realize that Albel wasn’t the mindless murderer that everyone in Aquaria painted him as. Woltar had told her the truth when he informed her that Albel only sought for the prosperity of Airyglyph.

            “So, everything’s settled. Try to get along,” Woltar said with a trace of sarcasm as he faced the others.

            “Ah, what can you do?” Cliff sighed with a careless shrug. Maria mimicked his shrug, but seemed a little confused since she didn’t know anything about Albel or why everyone was worried about him. She never really asked before and no one bothered to tell her.

            Nel remained quiet as she leaned against the corner of the room, close to the door. She had prepared some kind of speech about how she didn’t like this situation and how she would only work with him because it was an order from her queen, but nothing was coming out. Why did she have to assert her displeasure over Albel joining when she really didn’t feel all that resistant to the idea? He was a good warrior and he would be a great asset even despite his lack of social skills. If she had anything negative to say, then it was something that should be reserved for Woltar or the king. They were the ones who she had a hard time trusting. No need to take it out on Albel and make him angrier than he already was.

            The Wicked One soon stalked out of the room, pushing Fayt none too gently out of the way as he did so. The spy watched him as he passed by and tried not to blush when she realized that he was staring back at her the entire time. His expression still held annoyance and fury, but he had a heated look in his eyes when he glanced at her. She wasn’t sure if he was warning her of what he wanted to do with her or if he had some grievance with her after all.

            “Well, someone is in an awfully cheerful mood…” Maria muttered after the dark warrior as she helped steady Fayt from when he fell against her. The boy had a slight blush on his face as he glanced in the direction Albel left in.

            “You don’t know the half of it,” Cliff chucked before they all followed after Albel.

            “Wait a second, Albel!” Fayt called out to Albel before he could climb the stairs and leave the dungeon, “We need to discuss what we’re going to do from here on out.”

            Albel didn’t say a word as he crossed his arms and slowly faced the blue haired boy. He still seemed mad, but his face expressed boredom. Fayt waited until everyone else was gathered around him before he planned out when they would be leaving tomorrow.

            “Nel told me that the Barr Mountains is a big place with a lot of different paths to take, so we could expect spending several days up there. We need to gather as many supplies as we can before we leave so we can sustain ourselves and reduce the need for side trips to town,” he said before he glanced around and wondered, “Is there anything else we need to think about getting?”

            “We should probably look into getting outfitted in this planet’s more primitive armor,” Maria interjected as she crossed her arms and took on a contemplative pose, “While our armor may slightly protect us from Vendeeni disruptor rifles, it’s probably useless against dragons.”

            “That’s a good point. We’ll stop by the workshop in this town and make some custom armor that should protect us in the mountains.” Fayt nodded before he started talking to Cliff and Maria about their thoughts on when the Vendeeni could show up again. Nel wanted to pay attention, but they were using their complicated words- and she couldn’t ignore the heated look Albel was giving her. He was completely focused on her and didn’t seem to care about getting caught in the act. When she turned her head to give a warning glare, his lips quirked up in an evil half-grin before he licked his lips.

            Nel tried very hard to look and act disgusted with his actions before she sharply turned back to the conversation. Not even five minutes out of the dungeon and he was already trying to seduce her!

            “…That’s all I can think of for now. What do you think, Nel? Is there anything else we should get?” Fayt inquired, quickly gaining her attention.

            “I think we covered it all. If there’s anything else we need, it’ll probably come to us when we go shopping,” she replied, hoping that she didn’t miss anything important while they were talking.

            The blue haired boy seemed to accept that and was satisfied with the impromptu meeting. But he decided to be fair and include Albel since he was now a member of their party. “Albel? Do you have anything to add?”

            Albel had been paying attention for the most part and was able to tear his eyes away from his woman before Fayt faced him. He let out a sneer before he replied, “No. Just hurry up and get what you need so we can get this over with.”

            Fayt couldn’t respond to that and even Cliff fell silent as he shook his head slowly. It was probably going to be a long while before Albel would warm up to anyone it seemed… Then again, he might never warm up to anyone.

            “Well, I see you are getting along quite nicely,” Woltar interrupted as he approached them. “Since it is getting late, why don’t you all stay the night here as our honored guests? Why don’t you be useful and show them to the guest rooms, boy?”

            “We don’t want to impose. We could always stay in the inn,” Fayt offered, not wanting to get on Albel’s bad side for being forced to do something.

            “Not at all. Think of it as a show of gratitude for aiding us against this new enemy. Go on, boy, show them to their rooms,” the old man urged. Albel’s face drew into a frown before he opened his mouth to perhaps issue a protest. But then he paused and seemed to think it over.

            “…Fine. Follow me, maggots,” he responded, earning a shocked look from Woltar. The old man wasn’t expecting him to cave in so easily. Nel already knew that it was a bad sign and prepared herself for trouble.

      ***************

            Albel was almost acting nice as he guided everyone to their individual rooms. Because of the fact that the guest rooms were spaced apart, the group quickly dwindled by the time they reached the end of the hall. Each person said good night to the others before they went inside their room, only to receive a grunt or a ‘whatever’ from the Wicked One.

            It wasn’t long before Nel noticed that she was the only one left who didn’t have a room. It was most likely intentional and she had a feeling that this was why Albel relented so suddenly when he was ordered to show them to their rooms. Since they were already at the end of the hall, they had to walk over to the next one before he stopped and opened the door for her. He then mockingly bowed to her.

            “This is where you will be staying,” he purred with a grin. Nel only stared at him for a moment. She was tempted to ask what he was up to, but she decided she was probably better off not knowing. Against her better judgment, she muttered out her gratitude and walked inside.

            Almost instantly she knew something was off. Even though the lamps were not lit, there was enough moonlight filtering in from two of the moons through the window to let her see her surroundings. She posed as a maid in the castle before so she knew what the guest rooms looked like. This room was different- the bed had more mattresses and more furs piled on top. There were various other objects like decorative swords and random parts of armor placed around the room, giving it a feel that it was already occupied. Nel quickly recounted the doors she passed and how many corners she turned before it came to her.

            She inwardly cursed for not paying attention. She was in Albel’s room! She quickly turned when she heard the door slam shut and found him in the process of locking it so that no one could enter. He then faced her with a wide smirk and a darkened look in his eyes.

            “Now it’s just the two of us,” he growled deeply as he started walking towards her.

            Honestly, Nel didn’t know why she was so surprised. She should’ve expected this from him. He made it rather clear down in the dungeons that he wanted her again. In fact, he was no different from a caged animal that was just set free. He was ready to resume his life and reclaim his property. And while she didn’t want to agree to be considered his property, she knew very well that she was his main objective.

            She couldn’t help but feel a slight thrill at seeing him stalk closer to her, but she was determined to fight the urges this time. She couldn’t let her body succumb to the lust this easily, especially not when they had to work on a mission together. Fayt and the others would be traveling with them and she doubted that he would let that fact deter him from pursuing her again. He didn’t seem to care if anyone knew. He made that much obvious when he openly stared at her with that hungry expression. She was going to have to learn to fight him off by herself.

            She recoiled when he reached her and leaned down to kiss her. She then took a step back before she turned away from him. “Please, not tonight. …I’m tired. I haven’t gotten much sleep last night because of my mission earlier today.”

            It was partially the truth. She stayed up rather late making the preparations and promptly fell asleep when she couldn’t work anymore. Her missions were her only escape from her personal life and it helped her not think about Albel at all. And since that was all it took to summon him in her dreams, she didn’t make contact with him that night.

            But, Nel knew there was no way she was getting out of that room without gaining the attention of the entire castle. She accepted that and hoped that she could convince him not to try anything. Or maybe if she was really lucky, her refusing him might convince him to send her away to her own room.

            “So that’s why I didn’t see you last night,” he muttered as he closed the distance and reached around her to untie the cloak at her neck. When the thick material fell to their feet, he nuzzled her shoulder where the Dragon’s Bride rune was. …He seemed interested in knowing why they didn’t meet in her dream last night, but he was more interested in claiming her again than talking. Nel moved again and maneuvered around his arms before he could try to hold her still. She decided that keeping her back to him wasn’t helping and faced him again.

            “Damn…” she cursed quietly when her lower bottom came in contact with the edge of the bed. That was just where he wanted her and he was quick to trap her in place with his body. His arms slid against her sides, the palm of his hand and claw rested on the surface of the bed, as he towered over her. She tried hard to keep her legs closed when he pushed her to sit on the edge, but he was stronger than her and easily nudged a thigh aside so he could fit himself between them.

            Nel bit her lip when she felt Albel’s growing hardness against her. His eyes were drawn to her lips before he finally claimed her mouth. He gently tugged her bottom lip from her teeth before his tongue invaded her mouth and sought out hers. She couldn’t stop the half-moan that escaped from her as he aggressively attacked her and rubbed himself against her. She could already feel the heat gathering in her belly and knew her resolve wouldn’t hold much longer if she didn’t fight harder.

            She only had one place to escape to and decided to take it. Her hands gripped the furs under her and she used the leverage to lift herself slightly and pull herself further onto the bed. Albel watched her with a bemused expression as she crawled all the way back on his bed until she was against the wall.

            “I’m tired,” she insisted again as she drew her knees against her chest in a vain attempt to keep herself away from his grasp. “We have a mission tomorrow and I need sleep.”

            “I’m tired, too, but I’ve waited too long for this,” he replied in a deep voice as he lifted a knee to pull himself up on the bed. He then started crawling over to her while being careful not to tear holes in his bedding with his claw. Nel could feel her heart pounding as she gazed into his predatory eyes. “Don’t worry, we won’t go at it all night. Just one round and then we’ll sleep.”

            She let out a grunt as she pushed herself off the wall and tried crawling out of the way. She tried to jump out of the bed and run to the other side of the room, but he managed to grab a hold of one of her ankles before she could make that leap. He pulled her back with a chuckle and was about to cover her body with his own.

            “I said no!” Nel growled before she swung her free leg around to kick him off her. The heel of her boot made contact with the armor of his claw, but it was enough of a distraction for her to break free and jump out of the bed. Had it been any other man, she probably would’ve knocked him out with that move… She backed away to a nearby table and glanced over at the door. She briefly contemplated rushing over there and trying to get out, but she figured he would pin her to the door before she could touch the locking mechanism.

            Albel began laughing as he shifted to a sitting position on his bed. He caught her staring longingly at the door and gave her a challenging look that dared her to try. She was seriously thinking about it again as she tried to ignore the warm sensations already building up within her. Maybe if she ran really fast, she could make it.

            “You say ‘no’, but your body says otherwise. You’re aroused. I can smell it,” he stated with a grin.

            Of course she was aroused. That was why she wanted to leave. Even the act of trying to avoid him was turning her on. Or maybe it was his stalking after her that was doing the trick. She was fighting a battle she knew she couldn’t win, but she had to try. Why didn’t she listen to her instincts and ran when she had the chance? She didn’t have to go into Albel’s room. She knew he was up to something and yet she decided to go along with it. What was she thinking? …Perhaps she was in this predicament because she wanted to believe she could resist him. He practically challenged her and she foolishly accepted.

            She took the chance and rushed over to the door, but not before grabbing a chair and sliding it to where it would be in his way. She was hoping it would be enough to delay him, but he was too fast. He was in her path before she could even touch the door. She ended up running right into his arms before she could register that he was there. Albel then grabbed hold of her before he picked her up and carried her back over to his bed.

            She tried struggling, but it proved to be a futile effort as he had a tight grip on her. She was soon unceremoniously flung unto the bed and promptly had the wind knocked out of her. By the time she recovered, he was straddling her and had her firmly pinned down. She squirmed again, hoping to find some kind of leverage that would allow her to escape again, but he seemed to be serious about holding her down this time. Her hands were trapped under his claw above her head and her lower body was immobilized by his weight.

            “What’s the matter?” he wondered as he peered down at her annoyed features, “Don’t you want to play? Or was all that running around your idea of foreplay?”

            “I’m not interested in ‘playing’ at all,” she replied flatly as she turned her head away from him. She barely managed to stifle her moan when his good hand flexed over one of her breasts and gave a squeeze. Albel smirked to show he wasn’t buying her excuse.

            “Always so stubborn…” he muttered with a chuckle, “You try to act like you don’t want me, but you always call out for me. Why bother with the act? We both know what you want.”

            Nel remained silent, not wanting to deny or confirm his comment. But it wasn’t until his hand came up to force her to look at him when she noticed that he seemed concerned. He was really trying to find out why she was upset.

            “This is the first time we’ve seen each other in a long while and all you want is sex,” she finally said once she figured out the real reason for her mood. She still hadn’t asked him why he marked her and she was starting to come to the realization he probably only wanted her for sex. It was the only thing they’ve done together and she couldn’t fathom why else he would want to marry her (nor why it had to be her). She still wasn’t sure what to think about him or what to feel, but she knew she didn’t want her ‘relationship’ with him to be based solely on intercourse. Maybe she did want him…but not like that.

            He was silent for a long while. The lustful look was gone from his eyes as he thought over her words. But then he let out a long sigh before he released her wrists and sat back. He refused to move off her, but at least he wasn’t trying to seduce her anymore. Nel watched him warily as she lowered her arms and rested her hands on her upper belly.

            “I was under the impression that you wanted sex, too. Both times that you called me, it was to satisfy your lust and as you know, I was unable to satisfy myself. Did you really expect me not to touch you after you’ve tormented me every other night?” he inquired in a stoic tone. He didn’t seem angry or remorseful, leaving the spy struggling to figure out his true intentions. How did he turn it around to the point where she felt like the selfish one?

            But he was right. He came and helped her achieve what her body wanted while he was stuck, chained to a wall. He couldn’t pleasure himself while she had her release. In a way, it wasn’t really wrong of him to want something in return for his apparent ‘good deeds’. …And it wasn’t like his forcefulness wasn't a turn on for her. She knew deep down that he wasn’t really going to force himself on her. He would stop if she really insisted on it, but was she willing to leave it at? In the end she was going to be the inconsiderate lover…

            “It’s not that. I still have questions I want answered. I know almost nothing about you and yet I came to be bound to you by an ancient family ritual. I deserve to at least know why you’ve chosen to mark me out of so many other women who are stronger and more powerful than I am. Maybe if I could come to understand that, then I would be less resistant to you and your advances,” she explained, trying to be a little more diplomatic. But soon her ire returned as she wondered, “…Or, am I right to assume that the only thing I’m good for to you is sex?”

            He shifted some as he let out a sigh and ran the fingers of his good hand through his hair. She was able to see once again how tired he really was. It was then she noticed that he had gone soft and had lost the heat that fueled his actions. “If this was all I wanted, then I would’ve taken one of the thousands of brainless maggots around here. I’ve had a brief phase of promiscuity with other women to know better than to settle for that.”

            Frankly, she wasn’t that surprised to hear that he wasn’t a virgin when he first tried to take her. His experience was a little obvious, though she had to wonder who would risk being intimate with Albel the Wicked. Chances were that his flings were with brothel women and a few desperate village girls who slipped into the barracks for some fun during the war. And, of course, there was the fact that he wasn’t considered a villain in his own country. He was probably considered a hero to the Glyphian commoners.

            But that information didn’t really bother her. He was speaking of meaningless sex- the very thing that ran rampant among her own ranks. She knew some of her subordinates fooled around with others just to feel good before a mission. It was something that wasn't really prohibited so long as the women didn’t get pregnant and thus unable to serve. Nel was never really interested in participating herself so she remained a virgin until that day she became his hostage. Even though they hadn’t gone all the way, he was still inside her before Fayt and Cliff interrupted.

            Still, his answer was honest and was insinuating that he valued her as more than something to play with.

            “So then why?” she wondered, prodding him to continue to explain his reasons.

            “I suppose you have a right to know,” he admitted before he moved to lie on top of her. His good arm was placed behind her head like a pillow as he supported his top half up slightly by his elbows so he wouldn’t crush her. Their chests were pressed together and his legs spread out to rest against hers. It seemed that his claw gave his arm some extra strength so that such a position wasn’t uncomfortable to him after a while.

            “I hope you’re not expecting some weak ‘I fell in love with you at first sight’ rubbish because that didn’t happen,” Albel warned with a smirk that Nel couldn’t help but return. If that did happen, she would lose what little respect she recently gained for him. Only fools rushed into a relationship based on beauty at first sight.

            “I hope not. I don’t believe such a thing exists,” she replied before she reflected on the fact that he was hinting that he did love her. But she stored that to the back of her mind and decided to wait until she actually heard those words. “I heard that you were ‘interested’ in me shortly after the battle at Arias.”

            He seemed curious to know who had told her, but decided that it wasn’t important. “That’s right. My first thought when I had seen you on the battlefield was that I had to kill you. You had defeated many of my men and I viewed you as a threat. It wasn’t until later that I’ve begun to appreciate the damage you caused.”

            When Albel had first seen her, he was furious because he thought a weakling Aquarian was slaughtering his men. He revealed that he had been trying to delay the war long enough so that his men were properly trained and able to fight against her people without casualties on their side. It was bad enough that they were ordered to use an underhanded trick as a sneak attack, but he refused to allow his men to gain victory as bumbling idiots that only got lucky. When Nel single handedly killed off several of his soldiers, he thought their training failed them.

            But it wasn’t until he received a report on the battle when he realized that his men had fought well and destroyed most of the Aquarian troops stationed there just fine. It was Nel who was strong and that made him recognize her as a worthy opponent. He was well aware that her country didn’t have many mastered runologists to fight back and that only a small few were qualified to become Crimson Blades.

            By all rights, the Dragon Brigade should’ve had no trouble fighting against the precious few there were, but they did. Albel did think little of Vox, but he knew the man was a capable warrior. If Nel was an example of the hidden strength Aquaria possessed, then he understood how they managed to fend them off for so long.

            “Furthermore, I heard you hadn’t finished your training and yet you still had the skill to take on at least five of my men at one time. It makes me wonder how strong you really could be whenever you reach your full potential. You might even be enough to give me a real challenge one on one,” he finished against her neck. He had long since pulled her scarf off so he could access the area. Even though the fires of passion had been extinguished for the time being, he couldn’t resist pressing his lips against her pulse points every now and then.

            Nel decided to let him since his actions were innocent enough. She secretly liked the sometimes feather light touches and tickles that gently teased her skin as he talked. She had long since occupied herself by playing with his hair wraps and freeing them from their binds. She already had one completely undone and was halfway through the second one. She couldn’t believe how comfortable she was right then. Just moments ago she was trying to keep him away from her and now she was happily playing with his hair as he finally answered all of her questions.

            But once his hair was free, she decided that maybe she was a little more comfortable seeing him in a nicer mood. For once, he didn’t have a scowl on his face and he wasn’t leering at her. He was just simply enjoying her company and she was soon sharing the sentiment.

            Though, she had to admit she was a little flattered with his assessment of her ability. While she never showed it, the spy was a little self-conscious of her strength in battle compared to the off-worlders or the Lasbards. Even though she was stronger than most others, she was the weakest in the group next to Fayt. But ever since the boy’s swordsmanship improved, he, too, managed to surpass her.

            But, Albel brought on a good point. She was taken out of training too early because of the war. They considered her ready to fight despite that fact. He also seemed to believe that she could still reach her full potential if she practiced more. She couldn’t deny that she had been improving in battle ever since Fayt, Cliff, and Mirage crash-landed in Airyglyph. …Maybe someday she could become as strong as Clair.

            “Okay, so when did you get it in your head that you lov- I mean-viewed me as a potential wife?” Nel wondered, correcting herself at the last second. Even if he wasn’t the heartless bastard she thought he was, she was still under the belief that he couldn’t love someone. And if he was, well, it seemed like the last thing he would ever admit out loud.

            …And boy was she ever wrong…

            “I’m not sure when I fell in love with you,” he admitted against her ear, stressing the word lightheartedly to make her flustered. It wasn’t something he was afraid to admit to her, though it would be the last thing he would ever say to anyone outside of his room. Logically, he didn’t hate her and ‘like’ was too little a word to explain the depth of his respect and feelings for her. And- it wasn’t like he was going to say it often like some sentimental fool. She got the message and there was no need to repeat him self. He would rather let his actions do the reminding.

            “But,” he continued as he tried to remember a certain time, “I would guess I decided that I wanted you back when you posed as a maid in the castle. Even though you colored your hair black and wore one of the uniforms, I knew it was you, Breda.”

            Her eyes widened in shock. He knew of her undercover alias?

            “How long have you known it was me?” she inquired.

            “From the day you started working here,” he replied with a smirk, “At first you were a source of entertainment for me. I had to work hard to keep five steps ahead of you so that I could ruin your plans and keep you from being captured.”

            Nel felt a cold dread as she recalled all of her undercover days. No wonder why she always felt like she was being watched. She initially dismissed the feeling as paranoia since she was infiltrating the castle of the enemy. She wanted to believe that he was just bluffing, but then he recounted several of her missions with such clarity that she knew he had to have been there to know about it. She felt a shiver run down her spine when he darkly whispered that he kept a very close watch on her when she was in Airyglyph.

            It was very chilling to discover that her life had been in Albel’s hands the entire time. He knew about her and could’ve captured or reported her at any time. In fact it was disturbing enough to realize that he literally stalked her every time she was in Airyglyph. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t (or maybe even wouldn’t) follow her into Aquaria, she probably would’ve felt a little violated.

            “But there were times when I couldn’t watch you and you’d end up efficiently causing a lot of trouble when unchecked. We’ve lost several powerful men because of you,” he added, sounding a little more proud than upset. But he couldn’t stop himself from laughing when he confessed to being the one responsible for her last failure that ended up forcing her to abandon her mission and her secret life as Breda.

            “That was you!?” she shouted in annoyance as she pushed him back so she could sit up.

            The ‘incident’, of course, consisted of one Aquarian spy about to steal extremely sensitive war plans and one amused Glyphian knight purposely knocking over the largest and loudest set of decorative armor that the castle had so that the entire guard was alerted. Her cover was blown and she would’ve been captured and killed were it not for the fact that the vents to the aqueducts were open. She sickly suspected that he was behind that, too…

            “What did you expect? Even if I was very fond of you then, you were still the enemy and I couldn’t just let you take our war plans,” he replied, the grin never leaving his face. His good hand then came up to cup her face and pulled her close to him. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he stared straight into her eyes to ensure she would see how serious he was when he added, “No matter how much I want and love you, I will always be loyal to my kingdom and I don’t expect you to abandon yours for me. If war should come again and we would have to fight to the death on the battlefield, then I’m prepared to bury you with all the honors of a warrior.”

            Had Nel been a civilian, she would’ve been a little disturbed and saddened to hear that. But she was raised in the military and viewed dying as a solider for her country as a great thing so long as it saved the lives of the common folk and her queen. His promise to honor and remember her was the same thing to her as telling a commoner that she was the most beautiful creature to ever grace the world. She couldn’t stop the warmth that flooded to her cheeks and had to look away from him before he could notice that his words were affecting her.

            Instead she took on a stubborn look and tried not to pout. “You shouldn’t be so overconfident. What if I could be the one to defeat you in battle?”

            He chuckled lightly. “I suppose someday that could be possible if I’m not careful. If it does come to that, then I’ll accept it so long as it’s you who takes my life and not some pathetic Aquarian wench.”

            That only ended up making Nel blush more. Not only was he acknowledging the possibility of her defeating him, he was pledging his life in her hands if that scenario should ever happen. It was a little humbling to have such a power when she knew she didn’t have a prayer of a chance in defeating him…at least not yet if she could reach her full potential.

            It was clear that Albel entered this relationship knowing full well of the consequences and the difficulties. He established that his feelings for her and his loyalty to his kingdom were separate and should not have any bearing over the other. It was a concept that only worked in theory and probably was doomed to fail if anyone who couldn’t think with their heads over their hearts tried it. Nel liked to believe that she only listened to her heart when her mind believed that it was safe to, so she could be the type of person to enjoy such a relationship. But was Albel really able to separate what his heart and mind told him? She wasn’t so confident in answering that for herself…

            “…I’m not so sure if I feel the same way about you. I don’t know anything about you outside of wartime propaganda- and you obviously know that you were never one of my targets.” She wasn’t exactly rejecting him- she lost that opportunity to do so from the moment she consented to be his bride. She had to make it clear that she wasn't in love with him so that he wouldn’t expect anything out of her.

            If the situation were different and if he was just another man seeking her hand, she would’ve flat out rejected him without even trying to get to know him. But he made it to where she couldn’t do that. Her only choices were to try to get to know him and try to maintain at least a friendly relationship with him or to ignore him completely and fight with him to her last breath. It was better to be friendly about it since he was going out of his way to be a little nicer to her. He was already revealing a lot about himself to her when he could’ve just muttered ‘whatever’ and rolled over to sleep.

            “That’s fine. I would like it if you did feel the same way, but I won’t force it. Either way, you’re mine and there’s no taking it back,” he responded casually. Since Nel refused to look at him, she couldn’t tell what he was expressing. She didn’t know if he was bothered by her declaration or if he really didn’t care. She should’ve been angry over the last thing he said, but she couldn’t even muster the emotion. It was unfortunately true and she no way of changing that fact. But now she knew that he was going to pursue her no matter how she felt about him…

            “And if you do end up hating me…” Albel continued with a slight bitterness to his tone, “…that’s fine too. It’ll just be something else we have in common.”

            This time, she faced him, only to find that he was glaring out the nearby window. What exactly did that mean? Did he really…hate himself? Why? She was tempted to ask, but she could tell by his expression that he didn’t want to elaborate. It was better to drop the subject for the time being.

            She instead reflected on everything he had told her. She understood what he wanted and even why he wanted it. She knew her choices and what the consequences of her those choices would be. And while she was less confused about everything, she still had no clue where to go from there. Would she really try to love the man who claimed her? Or would she end up trying to kill him in an attempt to get out of her marriage?

            But what was disturbing her most of all was the fact that she couldn’t find a reason to hate him. His only crime against her was the attack at Arias and she understood his feelings behind that. Everything else he had done (against her in particular or against Aquaria herself) was out of loyalty to his kingdom. She couldn’t hate him for that. She could, however, hate his king all she wanted and question why Albel would be so loyal to such a man.

            Nel rubbed her arms to fight off the cold that was seeping into the room. The later it got, the colder it became outside, leaving his room to also lower in temperature. Albel didn’t have his own fireplace so his only source of warmth at night was the pile of soft furs that covered his bed. Her lower half was warm since he was still straddling her, but she was missing the rest of his warmth ever since she wanted to sit up.

            Albel was pulled out of his thoughts when he noticed her movement. He stared at her for a while before he raised his arms and stretched. When he was done, he rolled off her and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

            “It’s getting late. We should prepare for bed,” he suggested before he slid off and began removing his armor. She stared at him in confusion.

            “Huh? I thought you wanted to…” she trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. He smirked at her, proving that he knew what she was about to say.

            “You ruined the mood… But we’ll see what happens when we get under the covers,” he replied in a seductive purr before he started pulling at the leather straps of his claw.

            Nel bit her lip as a fresh wave of heat returned from the sound of his voice. Maybe she ruined the mood earlier, but apparently it didn’t take much to bring it back. She quietly sighed before she started pulling down her leggings and removed her boots. Whether they did anything or not, she was certain he wanted to sleep in the nude. She might as well follow suit since she doubted he had a spare sleeping robe anywhere. The last thing she wanted to do was expose herself in the rapidly cooling room, but she had a feeling those furs would be more than enough to warm her and that urged her to undress quickly.

            But she stopped when she heard him curse and turned to find him trying to pull off the bandages of his arm. He was supposed to change them every day and apply a special medicine to keep the burned skin from getting infected. But since he was chained up for several days, he was unable to do that and the maids that assisted him couldn’t reach the skin while the claw was firmly in place. It seemed that he managed to address the problem in time, but the bandages were stained with the pus that still oozed from his blackened skin. The stains were so dark that they were almost black.

            Albel noticed that she was staring at him and paused in his work. Once again, like in the Bequerel Mine, he gave her that vulnerable look that clearly said that he didn’t want to talk about it. Nel could see that he had all of the supplies needed to clean and redress his arm so she turned away to give him privacy.

            “…Call me if you need any assistance. I’ll try not to look until you’re done,” she replied, remembering that he didn’t want her to see his mangled arm.

            “…Thank you,” he muttered gratefully as he resumed his task. There were some things he was ready to tell her but his permanent reminder of his weakness wasn’t one of them…yet. Someday, he might come to terms with it enough to tell her, but not any time soon.

            Nel continued to take off her arm guards and her armor and placed them all at the end of the bed. She didn’t know where else to put her clothing and she didn’t want to turn too soon and catch him tending to his arm. It wasn’t until she pulled off her tunic and was about to touch her haltertop shirt when she remembered her wound. It was about time for her to change her bandages too. She glanced over to the white bindings before she tugged the end and unraveled the cloth from her shoulder and arm.

            The gash wasn’t as deep as it was when she had first got it, but she still had an alarming amount of flesh missing in the valley of the wound. It was still red and inflamed and it hurt her every now and then, but it was healing. She was grateful that Maria was there and knew what to do to help her.

            “Come here,” Albel suddenly said in a stern tone, jolting her from her inspection of the wound. She glanced back at him and found that he was finished wrapping himself. She slid off the bed and walked over to him when he repeated his demand.

            “…Who did this?” he wondered as he traced the edges of the gash with his good hand with a tenderness she didn’t know he could possess. She winced a little as pain shot through her body at the light caresses.

            “The Vendeeni,” she answered before she briefly told him of the fight at Kaddan. “Runology is useless against their weapons so I can’t heal it. But I’m okay. It’ll just be a reminder of my carelessness.”

            He stared down at her wound with an unreadable expression. She half-expected him to agree with her about her being careless in the face of a powerful enemy. What she didn’t expect, though, was a growl and a vow of vengeance.

            “They will pay,” he swore before he gave her a jar of the cream he had been putting on his arm. “Use this. It has a numbing agent that should help with the pain.”

            “Th-thank you,” she replied as she took the jar with a stunned expression. He then told her that she could use his extra set of clean bandages to wrap her arm before he walked over to the bed and started undressing. She hadn’t expected him to be this charitable…

            Nel quickly applied the cream, feeling the effects working almost instantly, before she wrapped her arm up. By the time she was done, Albel was under the furs and waiting for her. The smirk returned to his face as he watched her timidly remove the rest of her clothing. The light of Irisa and Palmira made her exposed skin seem like it was glowing and made her runes stand out as she slowly made her way to the bed. Albel lifted the blanket and the furs up for her as she climbed in, allowing her to see his state of undress.

            She felt nervous as she settled in and lay on her back. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous considering that she had been with him before. Nel turned her head to wish him a good night, only to find that he was gone. Before she could fully process that or wonder where he’d gone, she jumped as she felt something pull her thighs apart. It was then that she noticed the rather large bump in the covers that hovered over the lower half of her body.

            “Uh…A-ALBEL!” she cried in delight as she felt his mouth fasten over her clit and started suckling on the sensitive nub. Her hands found his head and she tangled her fingers in his hair as his tongue started exploring inside of her. Her head trashed against the pillow and her passionate moans grew louder while he worked on bringing her to a quick release.     Since they had to sleep soon, he was in a hurry and wanted to make sure she at least received some pleasure before he took his own.

            He didn’t even give her time to recover before he trailed sloppy, wet kisses up her belly, stopping only once to kiss her breasts, and worked his way to her mouth where he kissed her deeply. He wasted no time plunging into her depths and rocked roughly against her until they were both close to ecstasy. Nel screamed his name once again when her second orgasm crashed over her and Albel soon followed with a deep growl.

            Nothing more was said as he collapsed to his side, bringing her with him, and promptly fell asleep. Nel was close behind him as she closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax.