Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

The sounds of a large river roaring provided a comforting and soothing backdrop to a good night's rest. Earlier that morning, Kalliope and her group had arrived at the main camp for the forces on the southern front of the war. It was set up nearly half a mile away from the actual river to make it harder for long-distance attacks to strike any of the leadership.

The river itself was rather large, and thanks to her exceptional hearing, Kalliope could hear the water crashing against rocks and the stone pillars of the massive bridge that spanned the gap. However, the comfort of the constant rushing water competed with the solid thumping of Lucius's heartbeat.

After arriving at the camp, Lucius went around the forward camp directly in front of the bridge to inspect the troops. He had several men present their weapons and armor for him to inspect. She figured he had developed a small interest in the quality of elven armor and weapons. Even she realized that Aedrider's military possessed much more impressive weaponry.

They were the source of magic crystals that were exported to all other countries and the largest manufacturer of enchanted weapons and armor. Despite that, the bulk of their forces did not possess enchanted gear unless they supplied it themselves. Even being the largest producer of magic items, they were still prohibitively expensive to supply in large quantities.

While the troops' weapons and armor were not enchanted, the quality and durability of the items were far superior to those provided in Eroa or Aedrider. Kalliope was rather impressed and wondered at the cost of providing this much.

When Lucius was done inspecting the troops, he then investigated the bridge and river itself. After that he returned to the main camp to look at the most current placement of their own troops and the last confirmed placement of the enemy. The general in charge was an elf with jet-black hair who went by the name of Fayril.

Though many of the other elves present, each a leader of a different part of the combined forces, looked down on Lucius for being an outsider, Fayril did not. Kalliope immediately noticed that he took the time to make a genuine appraisal of Lucius and his skills. It seemed that he was convinced and allowed Lucius in on the strategy meeting immediately.

The map they had laid out before them showed their main camp, the enemy's main camp, and the bridges they were currently protecting. There were only four bridges that spanned this river, with the primary one being large enough for five carriages to pass side-by-side. The other three were smaller, with the smallest being a foot-traffic-only bridge.

Only the primary bridge was made of stone, while the others were wood construction.

Thanks to their training Kalliope quickly took in the information on the table and had the map in her mind. Lucius should have been able to do the same, but he paid a lot more attention to it than she would have expected.

While the other leaders discussed their strategies, he stood at the map table, ignoring them. His fingers traced over different parts of the river and troop locations. A few times he asked questions, but they were all related to the map. He was completely ignoring the strategy meeting occurring around him. Though the others were getting annoyed, Fayril simply let the man be.

After the meeting was over, Fayril had approached them to introduce himself. Lucius exchanged pleasantries with the man before asking a few more questions about their forces, including the magic support corps. He informed Fayril about his inspection of the forward forces and wished to meet with the marksmen and mages as well.

Fayril complimented Lucius on his thorough inspection and guided him towards the requested destinations. Desmond and Snow followed along with them while Corva, Yue, and Jade were escorted to the tents set up for them. There was one, large tent with a shared area with a few private areas cordoned off for sleeping.

Before they separated, Lucius requested a tent separate from the one they had been provided.

At first, the quartermaster in charge of dividing resources was going to say something, but Fayril cut him off and ordered him to simply do as requested. "Though I am the general in charge and Lord Lucius Kane may be considered an advisor, Princess Letheya informed me of his authority in this endeavor."

Fast-forward several hours of inspection and training, Lucius and Kalliope retired for the night in the private tent he requested. Though they were tired from the trip and training, they made time to reconfirm their feelings for one another. This time, things proceeded as normal without the additional pressure of their bestial instincts.

Kalliope found the experience to be pleasant and made her heart swell even more with affection for the man she had fallen for. While lying and listening to Lucius's heartbeat, his hand subconsciously pulled her head closer to him. She could tell he was still deeply asleep, but still felt her face turn slightly red from the increased affection.

His hand accidentally brushed against the cuff on her ear. Per Eroan custom, they were considered husband and wife. Kalliope felt conflicted because Eroa's ceremonies were simply between the individual parties and included the ear cuff being offered and accepted. She wondered if that was enough for Lucius who grew up with human customs.

She learned from Uncle Kalivas that human nations practice a long and drawn-out wedding ceremony. Such an event sounded tedious and unnecessary because receiving the blessing and opinions of others who were not members of the partnership seemed inappropriate. However, she had resigned herself to such a fate if she ever did marry Lucius…

"Is something wrong?" Lucius's calm voice whispered into her ear. Despite being asleep, he somehow knew something was weighing on her heart. His eyes glowed in the dark like light shining upon precious metals. Even though he normally carried a harsh expression, none of that expression existed now. All she saw was a soft and warm look filled with affection.

"Was this enough?" She asked while gently placing his hand on her cuffed ear. "I know humans have different customs, and I worry that…"

Kalliope's words were cut short by a sensual and slow kiss on her lips. She felt his tongue invade her mouth for several minutes before pulling away and leaving her breathless.

"Don't." He said, "You were there when I was married to Rena. That situation was not within human custom either. As it stands, there is no possibility for me to have a formal wedding. I am marked, and the Church of Celestia scorns me for it."

"But…"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Not only that, I do not care what it is the gods think or plan. Their 'benevolence' has often left this world more scarred than it would have been without them. The only thing I care for is the love I have for you and the love that you have for me. So tell me, Kalliope, do you love me?"

Kalliope felt her eyes begin to water, but she held back her tears. She was a proud warrior and over the last few days, she had allowed her emotions to get the better of her too many times. After a moment of silence and trying to regain her composure, she finally answered, "I love you Lucius, more than life itself."

"Then that is all that matters. I requested that cuff for a reason. I know what it means and I know what your decision was when you allowed me to place it upon your ear. We are bound together, heart, body, and soul." Lucius said. "Now, let's get up. Desmond and Snow are waiting for us already."

Kalliope looked at him with a blank expression. She had been so distracted by him that she did not notice the movement outside of their tent, but when he brought it to her attention she was able to realize that there were indeed a few people having a conversation outside.

It was still early in the morning, and the sun had barely begun to rise. The low light was not too different from that of a cloudy day. Desmond and Snow were fully dressed in their combat attire and were having a pleasant conversation regarding previous battles when Kalliope and Lucius exited the tent.

She made a poor effort to pull her undershirt slightly higher onto her neck to hide the mark her lover had left behind the night before.

Unfortunately, it did not escape the notice of their two friends, and they both gave sly smiles. As if they had a silent agreement, neither mentioned anything and were content to acknowledge the mark and move on.

Lucius pulled everyone to the edge of the camp where there was a training ring that had been cleared out. The ground was loosely packed dirt and easily disturbed. Lucius grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and began to use it to recreate the map of the area.

His plan was to send Desmond and Snow to the bridge to the north, up the river. Along with them, he would be sending nearly half of the mage corps and a third of the archers as support. He began to make sketches in the dirt regarding the plan that he had been ruminating on since they left the capital. Snow's eyes widened and Desmond looked slightly uncomfortable, but neither said a word against him.

Kalliope figured that he would come up with something like this, but said nothing. Once he had explained to them the part of his plans that included them, he sent them off to gather the forces joining them. Lucius then took his weapon from his back and swiped it against the ground, using his [Sand Veil] to wipe away any evidence of the map he had drawn.

Satisfied that the plans had been destroyed he turned to Kalliope and began to explain their part of the plan in depth. She noticed for the first time that his face was a little pale and he seemed rather exhausted. They had not been so intense as to place him in such a state, but something seemed off. He was exhausted for a reason that he had yet to explain.

Kalliope was worried about his potential condition, but trusted him with her whole heart. If he was incapable of fighting the next battle, he would have said so.

"How long do you think it will take for us to take the river?" She asked quietly after he explained the entirety of his plan.

Lucius smiled coldly, "Tomorrow." Continue your journey at empire