Chapter 5
The Dragon’s Bride
They had actually arrived almost an hour earlier than expected. Adray claimed that Fayt was much too scrawny for a noble warrior and all but forced him to go through endurance training. His first task was to jog all the way to Arias to build up strength in his legs. Luckily for him, Adray had the ability to scare away monsters, so they didn’t encounter anything violent on the way. Cliff and Nel were used to physical training and had no trouble keeping up with Adray, but Fayt fell behind several times before the aged swordsman barked at him to keep up.
By the time they reached the gates of Arias, the boy was exhausted and ready to pass out. He fell to his knees once they were within the walls of the town and roughly sat down on the dirt path. Cliff was winded, but overall still well enough to stay standing. He only bent over to catch his breath for a few seconds. Nel took pity on Fayt and knelt down to his level to cast a healing spell to prevent his muscles from cramping overnight. He was the only one who didn’t stretch before running and he wasn’t used to that kind of exercise before.
“You’re too soft on the boy,” Adray scoffed when he noticed what she was doing.
Nel shook her head. “We need him in top form for tomorrow. He won’t be any good to us if he’s in great pain.”
Adray let out a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. “I guess you have a point.”
The old runologist knelt down and gently punched Fayt on the shoulder. “You did great for your first day! We’ll continue your training when this war is over. You’ll be a great warrior in no time! But since we’re fighting tomorrow, I’ll give you a bit of a boost.”
He then held his hand out to the blue-haired engineer and cast his own healing spell. Since he was more powerful than Nel, his spell had the added effect of an energy rush. The spy cringed as she realized that Fayt was going to have a hard time falling asleep tonight because of that. Within seconds, he was feeling better and his body was humming with nearly too much energy. Nel knew he was going to have a hard time sitting still for the next few hours. Come to think of it, this was probably why Adray was always so energetic…
Suddenly a soldier approached them as Nel stood up. He gave a salute before he announced, “Lady Nel! Commander Clair is in the middle of briefing the unit leaders. She wishes to see you and the engineers when it’s over.”
“Understood. Thank you,” she replied as she dismissed the soldier. Adray watched the man leave while stroking his moustache and beard.
“Hmm…I think I shall sit in on the briefing and see how my daughter is handling her troops,” he replied as he began to wander off.
“I think I’ll join ya,” Cliff offered, “Never hurts to listen in on the battle plans. You two coming or are you gonna wait a little?”
“I’ll be there in a second,” Fayt replied as he shook his head.
Nel glanced down at him before turning her gaze back to Cliff, “I’ll wait with him so I can make sure he’s okay.”
The blonde man nodded in acknowledgment before he ran off to catch up with Adray. Once they were gone, she offered her hand to help him stand up. Fayt took it gratefully and did a few stretches when he was up. No words were exchanged as Nel studied him. He was fidgeting some, but not as badly as she feared. He kept his gaze over to the gates that led to Aire Hills. She thought he was worrying about the border where the enemy lied in wait, but he proved her wrong when he faced her.
“Hey, Nel, do you think Astor is safe?” he wondered with a concerned expression.
“He’ll be fine. I’ve ordered everyone to lay low until it’s over,” she replied as she crossed her arms.
Astor Wolfricht was Nel’s cousin and he and his family moved to Kirlsa before the war. By the time the war started, Astor was an adult and had his own home in Kirlsa. But despite that, he was still loyal to Aquaria and joined the Secret Legion. He was Nel’s most important eyes and ears in Kirlsa.
Fayt had met Astor the first time they passed through. It was after Nel caught him eavesdropping on a conversation she had with another of her subordinates. Since he refused to leave her alone, he followed her to Astor’s home. Almost instantly, they hit it off as good friends. He couldn’t stop telling Cliff about Astor and his line of work. He was even enthralled with his stories of how he had to clean up after Tynave and Farleen.
At first, Nel was a little offended that her cousin wasn’t doing anything different than what she and her other subordinates were doing. But she realized that Fayt’s admiration of Astor might’ve had something to do with his sexual orientation. She wasn’t really sure, and she didn’t have any real proof outside of that first meeting, but she figured that Fayt had a crush on her cousin.… At least, the boy would blush a lot if Astor so much as glanced at him. She also learned that when she was held hostage, he and Cliff went to Astor first to get Tynave and Farleen help. She didn’t know what happened between them during that time, but she was sure whatever Astor did to help made Fayt admire him even more.
But she still wasn’t certain that Fayt might’ve been gay. The boy hadn’t shown any interest in anyone else in their travels. The only other person he cared deeply about was Ameena, but that was because she looked like his
friend. She had to stress the word ‘friend’ in her mind because it was a word that one could use to hide the true nature of the relationship. The girl could’ve been a lover or a sister for all she knew.
Still…if he liked Astor, then she wished for the best between them. Astor also liked men, but like her, he tried to focus more on work than relationships. If Fayt could make him happy, then Nel was okay with the idea of the young engineer seeing her cousin. It was probably because of that thought that Nel was starting to treat Fayt like a younger brother. He was cute in his own right and she felt compelled to help him even though she usually only took the time to help people in great need. But it could’ve also been because she could relate to him when it came to his search for his father…
When the war was over, she promised to herself that she would somehow help Fayt find his father, but she also knew that she couldn’t leave Aquaria during the rebuilding process. But Astor had nothing important to do, so she could always send him in her place when the time came…
“We should go,” Nel eventually suggested, earning a nod from the boy.
*************
“Nel Zelpher reporting, ma’am.” Nel announced as she entered the briefing room. Clair acknowledged her and Fayt with a nod before she requested for them to sit down. They sat close to the back with Adray and Cliff as Clair finished explaining the strategy and what needed to be done until the Thunder Arrow was complete. When she dismissed everyone, Nel and the others waited for the unit leaders to leave before they moved to the front of the table.
Nel could tell immediately that Clair was overworked and exhausted. It showed on her face as she took a seat at the head of the table. But the spy could also tell that she was tense and worried too. It was to be expected since Airyglyph could attack at any moment, but Nel could tell that she was about to order something that she didn’t like.
“Nel, I have a separate task for you to carry out, away from the main force,” she began as she wrung her fingers together on the table.
Clair wanted her to break through enemy lines and take on Vox. Now she finally understood why Clair was so worried. She was sending her off on a very dangerous mission, and Nel could tell that she didn’t want her to go. But… given the nature of the assignment, there was no one more qualified than Nel to go. She was currently the best assassin in the kingdom and the only one to have successfully slayed many high-ranking nobles that sided with Vox on the war issue.
It was only until Clair requested that Fayt and Cliff join her on the mission when the tactician expressed her reluctance in asking them. Like Nel, she also recognized how skilled they were in combat and knew that they would be great assets in the war. But they were still outsiders and had no obligation to fight for them. The relief was visible on the grey haired woman’s face when the engineers agreed to go with Nel and that they didn’t mind fighting at this point, but…it didn’t take away all of her worries.
“It’s all up to you Nel,” she added with a determined look.
“Leave it to me,” Nel reassured her.
Clair closed her eyes briefly and let out a sigh. “I’m counting on you.”
The spy knew that she really meant it too. Nel’s role was extremely important and would determine the success of the war should the Thunder Arrow fail. She depended on and trusted her ability to succeed. Fayt and Cliff were given instructions to prepare and rest early and they soon left to do so. Adray had mysteriously left the room without anyone noticing, so Clair and Nel were alone. It was surprising how deft and sneaky the aged runologist could be when he wanted to…
“…I want to say ‘don’t worry’, but that would be asking too much given the situation,” Nel began in an attempt to ease her friend. “But at the very least, you won’t have to worry about me.”
Clair had her head resting against her hands, but she turned her head slightly to glare at the spy, “You are the one I’m worried about the most! You can be incredibly reckless sometimes and I still fear something could go wrong tomorrow!”
Nel blinked from her outburst. Clair had to have been really stressed if she had to lash out like that. The spy shook her head with a smile as Clair tried to apologize.
“…Always the worrywart. But you shouldn’t be afraid. I have Fayt and Cliff on my side- and… Albel won’t be there to distract me.”
“I know…I know,” she admitted as she stood up. Before Nel could react, she was pulled up and into a tight hug.
“Just promise me that you’ll come back alive. It’s bad enough that my father is involved now. I don’t want either one of you dying tomorrow,” Clair pulled away and stared straight into Nel’s eyes, “Is that clear?”
Nel gave a nod before Clair hugged her one more time and let her go. The spy could admit that her worrying was annoying at times, but she understood why she did it. Clair lost many soldiers and friends to the fighting and she even lost her mother to a mere border conflict several years ago when the tensions with Airyglyph began. All she wanted was for the nightmare to end and for all of her remaining loved ones to be able to come home safely.
“Speaking of Adray, it might be best to let him come along with us,” Nel suggested, knowing Clair was going to have a hard time trying to fit the elder man into the fight. Adray didn’t listen to anyone but the queen and he only acted for the benefit and prosperity of Aquaria.
“Oh? And why do you say that?” Clair wondered as she glanced back at her friend.
She shrugged casually before replying, “It seems Fayt has become his newest project. He wants to make a warrior out of him and he’ll most likely follow us anyway.”
“Oh no!” the grey haired woman called out with concern. “Don’t tell me he’s trying to convince Fayt to marry me?”
Ever since Clair came of marrying age, Adray had been relentless in finding a suitable husband for her. Thankfully, he couldn’t go forward with any marriages unless Clair agreed to the suitor, but his persistence grated on her nerves. Lasselle unintentionally did her a favor when he sent the runologist away on that mission…
“Don’t worry. You’re not his type so he wouldn’t agree to marrying you,” she reassured Clair, earning a look of confusion. She wanted Nel to explain why she wasn’t Fayt’s type, but decided against it. The young engineer was skilled, earnest, and polite, but Clair wasn’t interested in him. It was probably best to leave it at that. Though Nel hoped she was right about Fayt’s sexuality, otherwise there could be problems whenever Adray actually started inquiring about marriage.
Clair let out a cough to clear her throat and brought back the topic at hand, “Well, if you don’t mind him following you, then so be it. You are well aware of what problems he can cause so hopefully you can circumvent them and still succeed.”
Nel chuckled a little as the tactician walked over to the window. Just as it was rare to see Nel emotional, it was rare to see Clair pulled out of her stoic image. Only Nel had seen her break away from her collected state a few times, but it never really lasted long. Clair was easily able to recover herself before anyone else could see her undone.
“…Oh no…” Clair repeated as she glanced out the window. Nel walked over to find where Adray had gotten to since he left the room. He managed to find the Thunder Arrow and seemed to have been attempting to make adjustments. While he was a great engineer in his own right, it wasn’t a good idea to let him make changes to the original plan this close to battle.
“I’ll go distract him for you so you can get back to work and find someone to fix whatever he might’ve done,” Nel offered as she began backing away.
“Would you please?” she inquired tiredly with a sigh.
**************
Nel had no qualms in distracting the old man since she did have business with him. This was the perfect opportunity to find out once and for all what was on her shoulder. She knew there could be consequences in finding out. It could potentially distract her from fighting or open up new problems she didn’t need. However, she was taught at an early age that soldiers had to seize the moment before a battle, otherwise they could end up dying with regrets.
She decided that it was better to know about it before the battle rather than potentially dying without knowing. And who knew? Maybe the story would give her even more reason to fight and win out there tomorrow. The thought of surviving to see Albel again so she could strangle him with his hair wraps
did sound rather appealing at the moment.
“Adray!” she called out to him when she was close enough. The swordsmen flinched before he hid some kind of metal object behind his back. Nel prayed that it wasn’t some important component to the weapon.
“I was just trying to…” Adray started to make excuses as to why he was tinkering, but Nel explained her real reason for calling out to him.
“I need to speak with you in private.”
*****************
The sun was almost gone from the horizon when Nel and Adray entered an abandoned home. There were a lot of empty homes in Arias ever since the order of evacuation. Many people had to leave behind belongings they couldn’t carry with them. Until the battle was over, the soldiers were allowed to use the homes as they saw fit, but it was forbidden for them to take or destroy any of the items left behind.
It was dark inside the home, so Nel lit an oil lamp with a low-level fire rune before they made their way to what appeared to be a square dining table. She sat on one end while Adray took the other chair opposite of her. The lamp was settled between them on the rough wooden surface.
“So…what did you want to talk about?” he wondered as he appeared worried. He still thought Nel was getting onto him for what he did to the Thunder Arrow since she didn’t explain herself sooner.
“Well…” she began carefully as she tried to think of how to ask, “I came across a rune in my travels, and Lady Elena told me that you would know it, as it pertains to your family line.”
Suddenly his features became guarded. “Oh? She did?”
Nel remembered Elena’s warning that he was tight lipped about his family traditions and decided to approach a different way. As long as she could convince him that she wasn’t after secrets, then maybe she could get at least a little information about the rune.
“I understand that you don’t want to talk about it, I only wanted to know what the rune I saw meant.”
Adray shook his head. “I don’t mind telling
you about my family line. I just don’t trust Elena. She wants to use my family’s traditional runes for military purposes even though they’re not meant to be used for that.”
“Oh…” That was a relief. So Adray was just suspicious of Elena… Made sense considering the researcher was fascinated with ancient runes and their potential destructive powers.
“So what did you want to know?” he prodded before Nel searched for the sketch in her armor. When she found it, she placed it down next to the oil lamp. One of Adray’s eyebrows shot up as he reached for the piece of paper and examined it in the dim firelight.
“Where…did you find this?” he inquired, using a careful tone that Nel didn’t think he had the capacity to use.
“On a woman’s shoulder,” she repeated her fib, making sure not to hesitate. Adray was fairly dense, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tell when something was wrong. Nel could get away with lying, but she had to make sure she didn’t express anything other than curiosity to the old runologist.
Adray stroked his beard as he first examined the rune, then stared at Nel. “Where did you see her? In Aquaria or Airyglyph?”
“I…don’t remember,” Nel replied, secretly stunned. She wasn’t expecting that kind of question. Did it really matter?
She hid her sigh of relief when it seemed that he believed her.
“Hmm… I am aware that I had a distant cousin in Airyglyph that still observed the traditions of our ancestors. You might’ve seen this rune in Airyglyph.”
“Cousin? …You don’t mean…” Nel trailed off as it came to her. The son of the last queen of Aquor founded Airyglyph. She knew that Glyphians came from the same roots that Aquarians did, but she thought that runology died in their bloodlines a long time ago. But…direct descendants of Edyglyph should still have the potential to use it.
“If you talked with Elena, then you should know that I’m a descendant of the old royal line. There are many people in both Aquaria and Airyglyph who could also share the same blood, but as far as I know, only two clans still uphold the traditions of our ancestors. We both bear the Dragon Rune of Aquor on our backs. …Someday, Clair will inherit the rune too once this war is over.”
It hadn’t escaped her that Adray had still yet to tell her what the rune was. But what he was telling her was starting to answer some of her questions. If only two clans were still observing the traditions and one of them was in Airyglyph, then there was a high chance that Albel belonged to the clan. Nel hadn’t seen his upper back (as his midriff shirt covered the area), but if there were a dragon rune there, then that would be her proof.
“So you do know of a clan in Airyglyph? Do you know who?” Nel inquired, feigning curiosity. She braced herself to hear the word ‘Nox’, but the aged runologist rubbed the back of his head and laughed.
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I don’t remember the name! I’ve only seen my relative once, long before either you or Clair were born. He came to Aquaria to reconnect with his roots and became fast friends with your father. …I had hoped that we could become rivals when he wrote to us saying that he joined his country’s army, but I heard that he died months before Airyglyph started to fight with us. I think he had a son, but who knows if he’s still alive,” Adray explained before he glanced at the paper, “Then again, if this rune is on a young lady, then maybe he’s still around.”
It didn’t surprise her too much that he couldn’t remember. He didn’t exactly have a good memory when it came to names. She remembered a time when her father once joked that Adray could forget his own name if no one ever said it in a long time.
“So then, what is this rune?” Nel prodded, trying to get him back on the subject.
“It’s known as the ‘Dragon’s Bride’. We use this rune to mark our mates and allow them to join the clan. It’s basically a symbol of marriage and holds higher authority than what’s observed in marriages today. In other words, whoever bears this mark can’t marry another and it’ll remain on the body for as long as the one who marked them lives,” he explained with a shrug, acting as if the rune wasn’t as interesting as the rest of his culture.
Nel was eerily silent. Albel
married her? And he used a rune that made it to where she couldn’t marry anyone else legally? On the outside, she appeared calm. Her only indication of emotion was her fingers as they dug as far as they could into the wood of her chair. She was
livid with that knowledge. How
dare Albel mark her without her consent! It wasn’t like there was anyone else she wanted to marry but she didn’t want to be tied down to
him!
Before she could stop herself, she slammed her hands down on the table and shot up from her seat. She managed to ground out a ‘thank you’ to Adray before she stormed out of the house. The poor old man couldn’t put the clues together to figure out why she was upset. He instead figured that she was merely jealous to find that someone got married before the spy.
“Don’t worry! You’ll find your match someday!” He tried to reassure her as she left. In hindsight, she wasn’t that offended by his remark. She was actually grateful that he was so dense.
****************
Nel was so angry that she had to vent her frustration on the monsters in the Palmira Plains. She didn’t travel very far from Arias because of the threat of attack and because it was nightfall. She had limited sight, but she didn’t need to see to take down the beasts. After an hour of slaying, she felt a little better and headed back to her room to get some rest. She had to clear her mind before the battle tomorrow. To do that, she had to come to terms with what Albel did to her and what she was going to do about it.
So she was married… As long as she didn’t actually fall in love with anyone and kept the rune a secret, there shouldn’t really be any problem. All she had to worry about was if Albel revealed it to everyone.
But as she reflected on it, she realized that he wasn’t entirely to blame. Not only that, she remembered that she
did give consent. While in the throes of passion, he asked if he could mark her and she was too far-gone to understand what he meant then. At the same time, Albel could’ve also been lost in the moment and acted on his desires. He admitted before that he wanted her as a wife and probably marked her without really meaning to. She remembered that someone once told her that anything could be said or done during sex and that it shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Unfortunately, Albel did something that she had to take seriously. Whether he meant to or not, she was his wife, and according to Adray, there was no way to end it unless Albel died. If she really wanted to, she could kill him in his sleep. Since he was willing to place so much trust in her, it would be easy for her to do so. …But she couldn’t breach someone’s trust like that, even if he was the enemy. It just felt wrong and it was something only a heartless person would do.
The only way she was going to get any piece of mind was to find him again and talk. That was going to be her other reason to survive and win tomorrow: to see Albel again.
She sighed before she lay back on her bed. She was already dressed in a sleeping robe and ready for bed. But sleep wasn’t coming to her easily. He was on her mind and all she could do was wonder where he was and what was he thinking. It was probably because of her constant thoughts of him that her mind decided to play tricks on her when she finally closed her eyes.
She had a rather realistic dream, one that was so real that she had to doubt she was dreaming. Because Albel was listed as ‘missing’ to her spies, her mind worked around it to where she imagined that he was in Arias the entire time, waiting for her. Somehow, it was an instant turn-on for her to imagine him stalking her like that. She could see him now, walking out of the shadows of her room. He was already naked; the only things left on him were his metal choker and his claw.
He was currently pulling at the leather straps to release the metal appendage as he slowly approached her bed. The claw silently fell from his arm to the floor without so much as a sound coming from the crash. It soon disappeared from sight and mind as Albel continued his slow trek to her bed. His damaged arm was wrapped all the way to the shoulder to hide his burns.
His hair was down, she noted as her eyes followed the blonde strands to where they ended at his thighs. She then trailed her eyes up slightly to see that he was already hard and ready to plunge into her depths. Just the sight of him sent a wave of heat down to her abdomen and her heart rate increased.
She could almost swear she felt a dip in her bed as he sat down at the edge and leaned over her form. He hovered over her, his hungry eyes roving over her form before he began to lean down. Nel’s eyes fluttered closed and she obediently opened her mouth when she thought he was going to kiss her. But instead his hot breath was at her ear.
“Did you think you could escape me, lover?” She shuddered over the sound of his deep voice. The possessive tone was huskier than usual due to lust and she felt her hands trembling with anticipation of what was to come.
“No matter where you run, I will always be there, lurking in the back of your mind. Nothing can keep me away from you and nothing will stop me from taking you again.” Ooh, she was feeling hot… She couldn’t believe that
this was putting her in the mood. She wasn’t the type of woman to allow that kind of behavior from men. If
anyone tried to intimidate her like that, they would be dead in a matter of minutes. But it was different with Albel. His words weren’t threats, but promises. In some twisted way, this strange fetish of hers made sense. She ignored seductive passes and flirtatious gestures from other people to the point where they would give up and find someone else. It would
have to be someone aggressive to get her attention.
Nel wanted to participate somehow. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair or feel his chest, but she remained still and on her back as he started to move again. She could almost feel his hardness against her arm as he shifted and carefully moved the sheets off her body. He pulled them with his good hand all the way to her feet, close to the end of the bed. When he was done, he climbed into her bed and slowly crawled up her body.
The only joint still working in his injured arm was his elbow and the muscles of his upper arm kept him up to where he could hover over her. But the movement was a little awkward since he couldn’t willingly bend his wrist or move his fingers. He still managed to move well enough from years of practice and was soon almost completely covering her form.
He finally leaned down and captured her lips in a chaste kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed as she reveled in the light pressure against her lips. She knew in the back of her mind that he wouldn’t settle for that sweet of a kiss for long, but she found herself not caring at the moment. She opened her eyes again when the pressure went away and saw him move to straddle her thighs. His length rested in the valley of her thighs and pointed at her center, the tip was flush against her mound.
She quivered again before he placed a finger at her lips and traced the skin. This time she opened her mouth to let it in and gently sucked on it. She sensually swirled her tongue around the digit, eliciting a deep moan from him. It wasn’t long before he trailed his now wet finger down her chin, across her throat, and to the valley of her breasts. He blew down at the wet trail to cool the saliva and sent delightful chills to her skin.
Albel let out a smirk when his finger encountered the edge of her robe. He hooked his finger under the material and pulled down. Nel moaned as his finger teased her skin and separated the folds of cloth. His finger trailed down between her breasts and tickled her belly until it came to a stop at her waist, where it was tied. She licked her lips as his grin widened and he began to pull at the belt. She had it in a loose knot and it easily pulled apart with his tugging. Once it was undone, he shoved the robe ends to her sides and exposed her body.
“Beautiful…” he growled out as he examined her in the moonlight. She felt her cheeks flush from his words. With the way that he was staring at her, she felt like some kind of celestial goddess….
His good hand was on the move again. First he traced the rune on her chest, then teased her breasts before he moved on to the rune lining her belly. Finally, he came to the rune below her navel and stopped short just above her curls. She bit her lip, hoping that he would touch her down there…
“Beautiful,” he repeated before he growled again,
“…and all mine.” Nel let out a gasp that quickly turned into an excited groan as shifted again to spread her thighs and settle between them. She eagerly pulled a leg up so he could hook it over his burnt limb. She watched with wild eyes as he leaned in closer to her wet center to smell her. Her heartbeat accelerated as she felt him spread her folds with his good hand and brought his lips closer.
Her breathing became heavy as she waited for his tongue to tease her, but nothing came. He was content to let his mouth hover over her and let his breath torment her nether regions.
Suddenly she just couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted-no-
needed him.
Now!
“Albel…please…” she sighed as she tried lift her hips closer to his mouth. She was willing to try anything to get him to alleviate the pressure down there. “Take me now… Please!”
Unlike last time, she knew exactly what she wanted from him and wasn’t afraid to voice it. She knew he could give her pleasure and release and she momentarily didn’t care that he was her enemy. Once again, it was just the two of them, a man and a woman engaging in the most ancient of rituals.
Albel smirked again as he pulled back a little,
“Are you sure? Do you realize what you’re asking me?” Her mind was tormenting her. No, it was
warning her. This happened before and it resulted in her being bound to him by marriage. She couldn’t let it continue, otherwise she would be dooming herself into a relationship that just wasn’t possible. But her basic desires overrode her logical thinking. All she knew was that she wanted
him and that the only thing she could focus on was
him.
“P-please. Take me,” she begged again. Albel shifted again so that his upper body was hovering over her again.
“If I do, you’ll be mine forever. No changing your mind,” he warned in a purr. Her imagination was cruel and if she wasn’t so desperate for pleasure, she would’ve noticed that her subconscious was trying to prove something to her.
“All yours…” she agreed with a breathy moan. She wasn’t sure if she said it to egg him on or increase her own arousal. Later on, Nel had to reflect how easily turned on she was getting over pretending to be a submissive woman. It was nice
not to be in control every now and then.
“So be it…” he replied gutturally before he shifted to rest on his burnt elbow. His good hand gripped his shaft and guided himself to her hot depths.
She let out a short cry of pleasure when he rubbed his tip against her clit, coating himself with her wetness before he slid inside her. His good arm was soon tucked under her free leg as he lifted her lower body and went in all the way. Nel let out another moan as he started to move slowly within her at a gentle pace.
Albel growled some as he leaned forward and fastened his lips over a hardened nipple, earning more sighs of pleasure from the woman beneath him. She couldn’t keep still as her head thrashed against her pillow and her body squirmed against him. Her hips desperately tried to thrust against him in an attempt to get him to move faster.
“F-faster…” she urged when she couldn’t get any results. He was more than happy to comply.
Her cries were getting louder as the pressure increased. His constant growling of her name was bringing her to the edge. In the back of her mind, she realized that she was approaching her orgasm quicker than usual, but didn’t care as she continued to enjoy the sensations. It didn’t take long for that slight pleasurable pain to start building within her.
“A-ALBEL!” she screamed as the warmth spread out from that tiny point and covered her body. She jerked her hips to prolong the feeling. Fortunately, her scream was nothing more than a whimper in the real world, and she didn’t alert anyone outside of her room.
Nel woke up with a gasp once the wave was over and quickly discovered what she had done. The blush returned to her face, but this time it was out of embarrassment. She had…pleasured herself. One hand was still on her breast, her fingernails acting like teeth against her nipple.
Her other hand was between her thighs and two of her fingers were still deep within her. She was still pulsing tightly around her digits. Because of the angle, the knuckle of her thumb had been brushing against her clit as she moved. That explained why her release came so quickly.
Nel finally pulled out and numbly rested her soaked hand on her lower belly. She waited under her breathing was under control before she started to reflect her actions.
Apris… she couldn’t believe she done that…and all while imagining
him!
Though she supposed that it was to be expected. Her body was craving for it and Albel was her first. It wasn’t like there was anyone else she could imagine bringing her to the edge of ecstasy. But it was still a disturbing dream. How could she willingly submit herself to him and give up her freedom to be his? Sure it was an interesting thought at the time that made her hot and bothered (his voice alone was enough to make her shudder in pleasure), but she wouldn’t
really do that in real life… would she? Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something.
What on Elicoor was she
thinking?!
Nel growled before she got out of bed and cleaned up. There
had to be something wrong with her. Maybe the Dragon’s Bride rune had purposes other than marking a mate. Since Adray never had one on him, he probably wasn’t aware that it could do something to the person who received it. Maybe Albel was constantly on her mind because the rune was
making her think of him.
She decided that had to be it because there was no way for her worry and think of him like some kind of lovesick teenager. Everything that went on in her mind was simply to put her in the mood. Besides, her body needed the release. Now that it was sated and her mind was quiet, she had no trouble going back to sleep. In fact, it was probably the most restful sleep she had gotten in a long while…
******************
She awoke a little more than an hour before sunrise. Even though she went to bed late and initially had trouble getting to sleep, she felt rested enough to continue with her mission. Then again, the anxiety and anticipation of the coming battle could’ve been the real cause of her newfound energy.
Nel was still in a slight daze as she sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. Without really thinking, she glanced to her side as if she expected someone to be lying next to her. Disappointment and loneliness coursed through her when she realized she was alone. But it wasn’t long before she came to her senses and berated herself for those weak thoughts. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t get a man to spend a night with her. There were several male soldiers out there who would be glad for a one-night stand. Her real problem was that she was hoping to see that familiar tuft of two-toned hair.
It was like her last encounter with him all over again. For some reason, she
wanted him to be there after the act. …Never mind the fact that he wasn’t really there when she had that dream of him. Still, she didn’t want to have
that kind of relationship with him. She didn’t need
his comfort. He probably wasn’t capable of it, nor could she imagine him to be the cuddling type. Deep down, it would be nice for her to have someone like that to comfort her between missions and battles, but it didn’t have to be
him!
Nel slowly got out of bed and dressed in her uniform and armor. She had more important things to worry about. Today was the day. Vox was going to die by her blade and Aquaria would win the war. Once that happened, then she could start planning her infiltration of Airyglyph and pull Albel out of hiding. She still wasn’t sure if she would kill him upon sight or ask him to explain himself, but she knew that she had to confront him sooner or later. In order to completely let go of him (regardless of their marital status), she needed closure.
When she was ready, she headed out and found Cliff watching the troops organize.
“Hey Nelly!” he greeted cheerfully as she approached. He let out a slight chuckle before he informed her, “Fayt is still getting ready. Kids like him aren’t used to getting up before dawn.”
“As long as he’s ready to go soon, then that’s fine. How about you? Are you ready?” she wondered as she crossed her arms.
He slammed his fist in the palm of his hand, “You know it! That Vox guy won’t know what hit ‘im!”
She nodded before she turned to wait for the blue haired boy. He arrived minutes later with Adray in tow. Chances were high that the aged runologist was the one who awakened the engineers. Adray believed in getting up very early to prepare for anything. And if he wanted Fayt to emulate him someday, then he wasn’t above barging into his room to give him a rude awakening.
After Fayt was done apologizing for being late, they headed to the gates of Arias where Clair was giving last minute orders on battle formation. All it took was a few shouts from the lookouts to warn that the Glyphian army was approaching and the battle began. Clair gave a quick reminder of what could happen should they fail before she ordered all units to move out.
“Nel…good luck,” she said as the spy and her companions approached her.
“Don’t worry Clair, it ends today,” Nel promised before she nodded to Fayt.
The blue haired boy nodded back before he took command of their party and announced that they were moving out.
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AN: As you can tell, I’m having way too much fun with this fic :D I made Adray slightly more serious than usual, but at least his goals are clear. The only reason he wants Clair to get married is so that she could continue the Lasbard traditions. Plus, he wants to find a man who’s willing to take their name.
As for Nel and her reaction, I figure her to be a level headed person after she vents off some frustration (in a similar way Albel would) and that’s why she could turn around and wait until she has all of the answers before she can decide if she loves/hates him. Still…those poor monsters probably didn’t deserve that slaughter.
Anyway, it seems that Sunday/Monday is my update day so watch out for new chapters every week. Also, check out my deviant art page (I’m Myst-the-Wicked there) for new Alnel fanart. I have a cover art for this fic with the same name. Till next week everyone!
