Chapter 2: Be Careful What You Wish For...

NOTE: The character “Gabriella” has appeared in my other stories. Her cameo here will make more sense if you’ve read “A Dragon’s Tale”, but should make enough sense even if you haven’t.

Shara thought that she must be dreaming. She hope she was because she would never be able to live with herself if she wasn’t.

She was laying spread eagle on a massive bed inside a large room. The bed was surrounded by candles that were casting a soft, romantic glow. She was lying on her back completely naked, legs spread open and inviting for her husband. Kalus was also naked, standing at the foot of the bed with his cocking jutting out and pointing directly at her.

“Please come to me.” She asked, moving her head to accentuate her rich amber hair as it cascaded down her shoulders to tease the top of her breasts. “Please?” She whispered, reaching down and parting her nether lips to entice him further.

He climbed up onto the bed, somehow spearing her as he wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped both her arms and legs around him, feeling so wonderfully full as he slid deep inside of her.

Except, it wasn’t her.

Like when Kalus had taken her yesterday, she imagined she wasn’t herself, but rather some blonde woman who he was about to breed. Her perspective suddenly changed and she was standing next to the bed watching her husband lovingly thrust into another woman: the blonde she had imagined the previous day at the field.

Shara reached down and put her hand on her stomach which had already swelled with his child; he had already impregnated her and now it was the blonde’s turn.

“He feels so wonderful inside of me.” The blonde cooed. “I’m going to carry his child, just like you.”

The princess wanted to warn the blonde that he was the enemy, to remind her that his army had sacked her city and thus spreading her legs like that was a betrayal -- it was treason -- but she couldn’t. For some reason, she couldn’t speak.

Her mind went back to the field the previous day. Something had unlocked inside of herself when he had taken her. She could feel a primitive part of her brain screaming to be in the blonde’s position. A tiny part of her wished that it was her amber hair and not the other woman’s blonde hair that was rippling over the pillow as Kalus took her.

She shivered slightly.

“Come closer.” The blonde said. “Watch him put his baby inside of me since you don’t want to bear his children yourself.”

Shara was drawn closer as if by some invisible force. She could feel the ghost of him thrusting inside of her and she wanted more. She wanted the real thing. Her body yearned for it as her mind recoiled at the thought. She tried to pull herself away.

With an almighty jerk, she felt her eyes snap open as she woke.

Kalus lay awake in bed, marveling that the woman who seemed to abhor him so thoroughly in the waking hours was now snuggling so close to him while she was asleep. It was still dark, though the pre-dawn hours were beginning.

His new bride was snuggled up against him in much the same position as she had been the previous morning when he awoke. She was lying against his left side using his chest as her pillow and her arms were tucked up against him. She seemed to have almost molded to his side in her sleep, and there wasn’t an inch of her front that wasn’t pressed up against his side. He had ended up with his arm around her during the night, probably having put it there instinctively. Her lips were slightly parted and her soft breathing was peaceful; serene.

He couldn’t help but smile as he saw her there, despite how much she seemed to despise him when she was awake.

While asleep though...

He smiled.

She started moving in her sleep. At first he thought she was trying to escape from him, but she also seemed to be clinging tighter to him.

Strange.

She started mumbling something and it sounded like she was pleading for something. She did this for several minutes, alternately clinging to him tightly and seemingly trying to push him away.

Eventually, he noticed that her hips were rocking in a very specific way. He could feel his morning wood getting harder as she ground her hips into his left hip while at the same time trying to push him away. Judging by the slight panting and moaning coming from her lips and the grinding of her hips, she was clearly aroused.

He didn’t know what to make of that.

Finally, her eyes snapped open and she looked wide-eyed for a moment.

“Kalus.” She breathed, seemingly trying to clear her head. After a moment she seemed to succeed and then she stiffened. Suddenly she seemed aware of how close she was to him. She looked him in the eyes and for a moment he saw conflict and she didn’t move.

Then the moment passed.

Her face went hard and she pointedly rolled so her back was to him.

“Why?” He asked.

“Why what?” She asked sulkily, then added in a more respectful tone. “Sir.”

He let it slide. “Why do you dislike me so much? Have I not been good to you since the beginning? Haven’t I done everything possible to make this as painless for you as possible?”

“Yes.” She admitted.

“So why do you insist on treating me like I’m your enemy?”

She turned to look at him, incredulity covering her face. “Because you are--” She stopped mid-sentence and hesitated.

“Please finish.” He said, not quite understanding where her ardor came from.

“I’d rather not.” She said with an icy stare.

He looked at her for several seconds while her expression changed. Her icy glare slowly morphed into something a bit more hesitant, then she averted her eyes slightly and tucked her arms up almost protectively across her chest as if she was afraid he would lash out. He could still see the restrained edges of her temper, but it was controlled for now.

“That is your right.” He replied after several seconds, wishing that she would explain but recognizing that he shouldn’t force her to.

She bit her lip, still not looking at him. “I’m not in trouble?”

He shook his head. “I told you before that you are always welcome to voice your opinion if you do it respectfully. The same applies to holding your tongue, should you wish to do so.”

“Oh.” That was all she said.

Her temper seemed to fizzle out almost instantly. Whereas before she looked ready to pounce but was restraining herself, now she just looked confused and a bit surprised. He supposed the proper remedy for that was telling her how he saw things. He had always been blunt and upfront with his men and saw no reason to change that now.

“You might refuse to share your position, but I believe you should understand mine.”

She seemed to brace herself.

He looked into her eyes as he spoke. “I would take an arrow for you.”

She blinked and looked up at him. “What?”

“You are my wife. I am your husband. I have a responsibility to protect, provide, and care for you. From the moment I said ‘I do’, I agreed to put your life before my own and to protect you regardless of the cost, even if that cost is my life. You might see me as an enemy and wish me dead, but that doesn’t change my responsibility before Illuminar Himself.”

She stared at him.

He continued. “You might not like how I choose to protect you, nor how we live our life together. That is your right. But as long as I am your husband and draw breath, you will not want for provision, protection, nor a man to treat you with honor. You may view me as your enemy, but I will not view you as such.”

She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it.

She cocked her head to one side, clearly confused.

“But...” She stared at him. “But what about...” She glanced down towards her nether regions.

“My goal was to protect my wife from the king’s threat, not indulge a sensual appetite. There’s a difference.”

“Is there?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, there is.” She conceded. She was silent for a moment before speaking again. “But our countries are still at war.”

“Have you not learned our history? Our countries have been at war for centuries, though intermittently and not constantly.”

“True.” Her shoulder slumped slightly as she conceded that point too.

“It is the never-ending game of thrones.” He added. “Our fathers and forefathers played it long before we drew breath, and I expect our sons and grandsons will play it long after we are dust. It’s the way of the world, but none of that changes my commitment to you. You are my wife, and thus I will provide for you, care for you, and protect you to the best of my ability, even at the cost of my own life if need be.”

She frowned, but nodded and then turned her back again. This time though, it seemed slightly less pointed. She partially rolled back to face him and opened her mouth to speak, but then seemed to think better of it and turned away again.

Shara lay with her back to him, uncomfortably aware of how close they were in the small bed. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and it felt nice on her back. Her front had been pressed up against him and it felt rather bereft.

She felt confused.

She couldn’t understand his absolute conviction and determination to protect her. He had known her less than two days and yet he earnestly seemed ready to lay his life down for her. She would’ve found such promises empty and laughable from most men, but not from him for some reason. For some reason, his words held a strength of conviction that she rarely heard.

Why?

Why would he be willing to die for a woman who had admitted that she wished him dead? She supposed that she had heard his reason, but he couldn’t possibly be that committed to Illuminar, could he? Could he truly be that committed to doing the right thing no matter what it cost him? She had already seen some evidence of that, but still...

Setting all that aside, she still clenched her hands into a fist whenever she thought about the events in the field the previous day.

“We will break camp soon.” Kalus said, interrupting her thoughts. “Stay as close to me as possible while we travel; I would not have the men who aren’t mine mistake you for someone else and then not treat you as they should.”

“Whatever.” She said in a resigned tone.

“Katia.” He said sharply.

She turned to face him, feeling a bit worried that she had angered him. He looked stern, but not angry.

“When I give you an instruction, you will acknowledge it respectfully.”

“How would you like me to?” She asked with a resigned sigh.

“I care not as long as you are respectful.” He replied. “If you aren’t sure, then ‘yes sir’ will do.”

“Yes sir.” She nodded, inwardly grimacing at being forced to call him that. On second thought, he wasn’t actually forcing her. She could call him something else. She wasn’t sure what, but she could.

“Good.” He nodded. “There’s one more thing, and I apologize for this. We will need to couple once every day until you conceive.”

Her lower set of lips tingled slightly as she glared at him, though she spoke respectfully. “I don’t want to.”

He raised his eyebrow.

She remembered what he had warned her about the previous day; what would happen if he didn’t give her a child. He had been rather specific about the consequences that awaited both of them.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t, but I don’t want to.” She clarified quietly, knowing it was hopeless. She couldn’t decide if she was madder at Kalus or King Tyso for her current predicament. She understood his reasons, but that didn’t make her hate him less.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to couple with you Katia.” Kalus replied. “You are a beautiful, delightful woman and my wife. However, I would prefer that it was a willing and joyful union.”

“I will never willingly ‘couple’ with you.” She replied, remembering to keep her temper in check. “I won’t fight you on this, but will I hate you for it.”

“That is your right.” He nodded. “You are my wife Katia, and I will love you to the best of my ability regardless of how you feel about me. And yes, I mean inside the bed-chamber as well as outside of it. We will cease coupling once we confirm that you are with child, at least until you wish to resume.”

She stared at him.

Why?

She had just told him that she hated him and he was promising to love her.

Why?

It didn’t make sense.

Kalus ate a hurried and silent breakfast with Katia, though the silence was because of her. He tried to initiate a conversation once or twice, but she would give only terse, one-word replies. He wouldn’t force it and so let it lie.

It took longer than usual for the camp to be broken down this morning. His men were usually the first to be ready so they had to wait while the rest of the army finished. Most seemed in excellent spirits and he understood why; it had been a long campaign but the end was in sight and they had recently won a stunning victory.

Further, they were embarking on the final leg of the campaign.

Thanks in no small part to Kalus’s tactical skills, there was only one unconquered castle left in the kingdom: the king’s castle in the capital city. King Bracken’s commanders were wily, but severely outnumbered at this point and not a match for Kalus’s portion of the army, to say nothing of the rest of it.

If only his marriage was that easy.

He charged his herald to keep an eye on Katia while he directed the breakdown. He wanted to make sure she didn’t wander off into anyone else’s region of camp. His own men would keep their urges to themselves, but he didn’t trust the men under other commanders to be so restrained.

It wasn’t until five minutes before marching time as he was saddling up his warhorse that he realized Katia didn’t have a horse. The horse she had borrowed the previous day belonged to one of his subordinates who would need it today.

He frowned.

It wouldn’t do for the former handmaiden to walk all day. She surely wasn’t used to it and it would cause painful blisters on her feet. He rode his horse to the portion of his legion where they kept the spare horses.

There weren’t any.

He frowned, suspecting what had happened since there had been several dozen the previous day. He rode up to the man charged with watching them.

“What happened?” He asked the fellow.

“The king.” The man replied. “Apparently, several of his other legions were short on horses so he told them to requisition our extra horses. All of them.” The man spat on the ground. “I would’ve come and told you but it just happened.”

“Very well.” Kalus nodded, his suspicion confirmed.

There was only one real solution to this problem since he couldn’t force his wife to walk all day. He highly doubted her feet and legs were up to the task, whereas his most certainly were. He sighed as he realized his legs would be killing him at the end of the day. He led his horse over to where Katia was standing. She seemed unsure of what to do with herself and looked like a child in the kitchen worried about getting in the way of the cooks.

“Katia.” He called.

She jumped and turned towards him.

“You will ride my horse today.” He said offering her the reigns.

She looked up at the massive horse, which was nearly large enough for her to walk under without bending over.

Her eyes got slightly wide. “I ... I can walk.”

“You may if you insist. However, you aren’t wearing the right shoes for it and you aren’t used to it. Your feet will develop blisters in an hour or two and will be bloody and raw by the day’s end.”

Her shoulder slumped as she looked at her shoes and frowned.

“Katia, I will not make you ride.” He clarified. “However, I do think you would much prefer to ride for the sake of your feet.”

“Okay.” She said after a moment. “I’m not sure I can mount him though.”

“I can help with that.” He walked up to her and put his hands on her waist. Before she could object -- because he knew she surely would object -- he lifted her into the air. She yelped, but quickly reached out and grabbed the saddle, one of her feet finding the stirrup. Moments later, she somewhat awkwardly swung her other leg over the horse and was seated in the saddle.

“You could’ve warned me.” She said with a glare.

He raised his eyebrow.

“Sir.” She corrected herself.

He stepped closer and spoke in a low tone so only she could hear. “I have been lenient with you because I understand your situation and predicament. However, I will not have that luxury in front of the men. I must maintain order in this army to protect you and thus cannot tolerate insubordination from anyone, especially you -- my own wife -- in front of the men. If you treat me disrespectfully in front of anyone else, the consequences will be severe.”

She grimaced.

“I say this so you might avoid those consequences, as I would not wish to dole them out.” He clarified. “Please take this warning to heart, for your own sake if nothing else.”

She nodded.

“Good, now Tornado is an excellent horse with a smooth gait; you should enjoy riding him.” He smiled at her, but she didn’t return it.

Shara -- who by now was getting used to answering to ‘Katia’ -- wasn’t sure what to make of her situation. Her husband had just volunteered to walk for nearly the entire day to spare her feet.

They departed ten minutes later with Kalus leading her horse -- which was actually his horse -- by the reigns. Like all war horses, Kalus’s horse was high-strung and a bit wild, but he seemed much tamer and calmer with Kalus holding the reigns. She felt that she was safe because her husband was holding the reigns, and very much doubted that another man could control the large war horse.

After perhaps an hour on the road, the sun finally started to poke above the treetops. It felt good in contrast to the chill morning air, especially since she was still wearing the handmaiden’s dress that she had been taken in. It was very comfortable, but not thick or warm.

Kalus glanced up at her as the sun hit him and frowned.

“What?” She asked.

He turned around so that he was walking backward, pulled the horse’s head down to him, and in a very stern voice spoke a single word: “Shalavo.”

The horse seemed to glare at him.

Kalus turned to his herald. “Keep the reigns, I shall return soon.”

His herald, who was riding nearby, nudged his horse forward and took the reins. That’s when Shara realized that Kalus was still walking, even though he had hundreds -- probably thousands -- of men under his command from whom he could’ve taken a horse.

She cocked her head to one side.

Why?

Kalus gave her a respectful nod of the head, then turned and started walking toward the rear of the line.

“Where is he going?” She asked his herald.

“I do not know my lady.” He replied in a respectful tone.

“And why doesn’t he simply get another horse? I’m sure he could get one from his men.”

“He could ma’am, but he wouldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because they aren’t his horses.”

“But he’s the commander of the army, or at least a large part of it.” She countered.

“That’s why he won’t.” The herald replied. “Commander Kalus is a singular man. I’ve never met his like. He requires the men to be served food before the officers, and the officers to be served before the commanders. If there is a food shortage, it’s the commanders on restricted rations first, then the officers, then the men.”

“But...” She trailed off. She’d never heard of anyone doing that in an army. It was usually the reverse.

“The commander would never ask one of his men for a horse that man was using unless it was a dire situation. The men know this and love him for it.”

“But if they love him so much, wouldn’t they volunteer to let him ride?”

“They probably would; he wouldn’t accept it.” The herald replied with much admiration in his voice. “He might allow the commanders and officers to sacrifice for the men, but he doesn’t ask the men to sacrifice for the commanders and officers. Ever.”

Shara nodded, though still didn’t understand. “What about on the battlefield?”

“The commander is a good man.” The herald said. “He takes the lives of his men seriously and never takes unnecessary risks. He started this campaign in command of a fifth of the forces. With all the men the other commanders have lost and with the few he’s lost, he now commands over a quarter of the men; close to a third actually.”

“That’s impressive.” She admitted. “Is he just that careful?”

“No my lady. He’s fearless and bold, but not foolhardy. He makes the men drill far more than the other commanders and he drills with them every moment. He doesn’t ever expect more from the men than he does from himself.”

“Hmm.” She mused.

She kept hearing all these wonderful things about him, but it was hard to forget what happened in that field yesterday. She understood why Kalus did it, but she still hated him for it. She hated herself a little for not fighting harder too.

Several minutes later, her horse started getting antsy.

The herald tried to calm him down, but he didn’t possess the same strength of will and forcefulness as the horse’s owner, so the animal got slowly antsier. He started to hop his front legs off the ground, and she began to fear that he might go further and start to rear. She leaned forward and grabbed the saddle horn, wishing she was on a smaller, calmer steed.

The horse neighed, then hopped up on its front legs even more. It bucked slightly and Shara realized that if this horse wanted her off, it could throw her easily. She held on for dear life, ready to be thrown.

“SHALAVO!” A powerful voice rang out from behind her.

It was Kalus.

Instantly, the horse stopped bucking and pretended like he was being perfectly behaved.

“My apologies Katia, I shouldn’t have left for that long.” Kalus said as he jogged up to her. He was carrying a large straw hat and a pair of leather gloves, which he offered to her. “For the sun.”

She nodded and took them mutely.

She hadn’t thought about it, but riding in the sun for the whole day would’ve resulted in a terrible sunburn on her skin which wasn’t used to it. He had thought of that and provided for it before she even knew she needed it.

“Thank you.” She said quietly.

He smiled at her. “My pleasure.”

Kalus’s feet and legs were killing him by the time they broke for lunch. The road wasn’t rough, but he wasn’t used to walking the whole time.

Katia had been fairly quiet all morning, saying very little in response to his attempts to make conversation. After several tries, he figured he’d leave her in peace. Shame; she was a nice girl and would’ve been wonderful company if he had married her properly instead of King Tyso forcing them to wed.

As usual, he made sure the men and officers had their food before he began to eat. As instructed, his wife had been served at the same time as the men. She seemed to be watching him out of the corner of her eye and yet pretending not to when he looked at her.

They mostly ate in silence.

“Did you get enough to eat?” He asked as the army rose to travel again.

“Yes.” She said with a nod, but she said nothing else.

“Commander Kalus.” His herald called. After hurriedly scarfing down his lunch, the man had asked permission to take his leave, which Kalus had granted. Now he returned leading what looked like a very stubborn mule. The only thing keeping it moving was a long switch the herald had to continually make use of to get the beast moving. The beast had a saddle, but it clearly wasn’t comfortable with the arrangement.

“Commander.” He said with a bow as he tried to keep the stubborn animal from going its own way.

“Commander, I told a few of the baggage managers of your predicament, with not having a horse because you lent it to your wife. They rearranged some of the baggage after the rations were served and there is one animal that--” The mule jerked slightly, pulling the herald off balance. He took a moment to right himself and then gave the mule’s bit a sharp jerk.

Katia had an amused smile on her face.

She had a beautiful smile.

“If you wished to fight this stubborn ass, you could ride him.” The herald finished.

“I’m touched; thank you.” Kalus said, rising and taking the reins.

“And just so you know, dozens of men volunteered their mounts when they heard.” The herald said. “I turned them down as I know your policy, but I thought you should know.”

“Again, thank you.” Kalus said with a respectful bow. “You’re a good friend Kyselius.”

“As are you Commander.” The herald -- Kyselius -- saluted him.

Kalus pulled the reins and brought the animal close enough to look at it properly. This mule was surely a stubborn ass. There was no doubt about it. It looked at him defiantly.

“Kyselius, please be so kind as to fetch my riding crop from the tent’s baggage when you are finished, would you?” He asked, realizing that he was in for a long afternoon.

Shara watched from her saddle for an entire afternoon as Kalus fought with the mule he was now riding. It was only really a fight for the first ten minutes. The mule learned quickly that misbehavior would earn it the riding crop.

“Just like me.” She thought, realizing he was applying the same strict standards to the mule that he did her. It seemed he applied them to the soldiers under him as well. She couldn’t decide whether she should feel good or bad about that.

He certainly was consistent and she noted more than once the respect that every member of his legion seemed to afford him. It wasn’t hard to believe that he was as uncompromising with the men as he had been with her and this mule. On the other hand, he was generous in letting her ride his horse and making sure she was properly protected from the sun. The seeming contradiction was quite impressive.

Even more impressive was that he was keeping control of his horse while riding the mule.

Kalus had let out his war horse’s reins enough to tie them around the saddle horn of his mule. Every time his very high-strung horse started to get antsy, he would give the reigns a little pull and the horse would settle down again. This was in addition to the mule that seemed determined to test her husband every five or ten minutes.

It went like that the whole afternoon.

She couldn’t decide which of them was more stubborn, the ass or the mule. She smiled at her little joke, knowing that saying out loud would earn a swift reprimand from Kalus. She wondered for a moment if he would use the riding crop on her if she were that rebellious.

She wasn’t sure.

They marched the whole afternoon into the early evening, which apparently was normal, and finished setting up camp with an hour or two of light left. It was quite impressive to see how quickly Kalus’s soldiers could set up camp after marching the whole day. She supposed it was habit and required before they could rest.

She was wrong about the rest.

Once camp was set up, Kalus left her in the care of his herald, Kyselius, and went to oversee training.

She was too far away to see much, but she could see every single man in his portion of the army taking part in the battle simulations. They were small-scale, but she could see how the training was directly applicable to a full-scale engagement.

“Why do they train now at the end of the day when they are tired?” She asked Kyselius. “Why not train early when they are rested.”

The herald chuckled. “I take it my lady has never been on the battlefield before.”

“No, why?”

“War is an exhausting affair. To train only while rested would be to only train for the first few minutes.”

“Okay.” She acknowledged.

She noticed that the rest of the army -- the troops that weren’t Kalus’s troops -- were already eating dinner. They were all singing and merrymaking, and it looked and sounded like they were indulging in no small amount of alcohol as well. Her stomach was growling and she was a bit sore from riding all day. She had no taste for wine, but would’ve loved some hot food.

After drilling for over an hour, Kalus and his men returned. The cooks weren’t quite finished with dinner and he came up to her while they waited.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Sore mostly.” She replied because he had asked, but she didn’t elaborate further.

She had to keep reminding herself that this man, her husband, was the reason her country had been living in fear ever since the invasion began. No matter how good of a man he was, he was still her enemy.

“Understandable.” He nodded. “I take it you don’t often ride this much?”

“Not usually.”

“Do you have any discomfort from what we did yesterday in the meadow?” He asked more quietly.

“Not physically.” She replied as coldly as she thought she could get away with. She shuddered slightly to drive the point home.