Chapter 4: When you wish upon Illuminar

Kalus reached down to draw his sword, but the grizzled hand of Titus stopped him.

"Commander, you have two wives now and cannot be careless with your life." The war veteran said. "Let the men fight and you direct the fight; they need guidance more than they need another sword."

Kalus bristled, but had to admit the most senior member of his council was right. He turned to his herald. "Kyselius, make tones for forming a circular defensive line; hopefully the men will understand."

His herald nodded and blew two long trumpet blasts, paused, then three short ones.

Instantly, Kalus's men sprang into action. Even with the partial moon, he could see his men -- all in full armor -- running to the outskirts of his camp and forming a proper defensive line. Nearly all of them had grabbed their pole weapons, which were their primary battlefield weapons. Most had swords too, but those were more for backup or self-defense outside of battle.

His men forming into a defensive circle around their camp happened quickly, just as he'd drilled into them. His men were ready for action and they'd arrived in the nick of time. Kalus assumed that the alarm being raised was the signal for the rest of the enemy to attack, because the main body was only now coming out of the forest.

"Kalus, your horse." One of the centurions said, doing his best to lead the large warhorse to him. Tornado was only cooperating because he was being led in Kalus's direction. If he had been led in any other, whoever tried to lead him would've been in for a rude awakening. He had a halter, but no saddle.

Damn.

"Shalavo!" Kalus said loudly to Tornado and the horse calmed down somewhat. He seized the bridle and with some difficulty managed to mount him without the saddle. He threw his cloak off so his surcoat would show and surveyed the situation from his higher vantage point.

Things were looking good for his men.

Not so much elsewhere.

The enemy force was estimated to be about four thousand, but it seemed that not only was the estimate quite low, but probably every single enemy soldier was attacking in the ambush.

"Kyselius, I'll tell the men to anchor the lines. Give me three minutes, then signal the advance." He ordered.

His herald looked extremely confused, but nodded.

Kalus took off as fast as he could through the forest to their right side.

"Only advance to the front and rear when you hear the order to advance!" He called as he rode behind his men. "Do NOT go into the forest when you hear the order to advance!" He called loudly as he rode along the line.

Fortunately, the enemy had hesitated to attack the strong defensive line and appeared to be trying to travel along the lines to find weaker, sleepier prey. Thus, his men acknowledged his orders without being distracted by fighting for life and limb.

It took Kalus a whole minute riding along one side of his line, then another minute to reach the other side, where he gave the same orders. Right on time, He heard his herald sound the order to advance.

His men did him proud.

They had never been given orders like this before, but he had drilled it deeply into their heads never to break the line anywhere for any reason. They moved a bit awkwardly, the lines slowly stretching as the battle line simultaneously advanced rearward to rescue the rearguard, and forward towards the king's tent.

Unsurprisingly, the king had a multitude of torches lit up around his opulent tent and thus it made for a very obvious target. A large portion of the enemy force was attacking from two opposite trying to get at it. He dearly wished his morals would allow the king to suffer the consequences of his stupidity and also his behavior toward Katia, and Lyra, but he could never live with himself if he didn't try to intervene.

Besides, most of the king's guard was made up of men he'd personally trained, their greater discipline and training giving them a much larger share of the king's guard than men from the other commanders.

He had to act.

Kalus made a beeline for the section of his men heading in that direction, noting that beyond his camp's area sleepy and half-naked men were stumbling from their tents. Their sleepy, disorganized stumbling would pose little threat to the enemy.

"Halithrof, Drubien, Galivard, Blessie; to me!" He called out to four of his centurions he could see just ahead. Four centurions only commanded four hundred men, but he dared not weaken the line any further for fear the enemy would get inside his men's line and they would be flanked from the inside.

"Full charge to the king's tent and form ranks; protect the king!" He ordered, drawing his sword and leading the charge.

Thankfully, the men around the king's tent hadn't been as lax as the rest of the army. While they were mostly putting up token resistance, they did manage to slow the enemy charge enough to give Kalus and his men time to reach the tent.

"Halithrof and Drubien take the right flank, Galivard and Blessie take the left." He commanded as they arrived.

He felt a small note of pride as the centurions began to issue orders to their men, and all four centuries of troops wheeled and maneuvered into position perfectly.

Then the enemy arrived.

His men were greatly outnumbered and fought like devils. They were holding, and he had never been prouder...

...but they were greatly outnumbered.

While the enemy couldn't break through Kalus's men and they were taking far greater casualties, they could outmaneuver the defenders owing to the greater numbers. It was less than a minute before a large section of them broke off and headed towards the gap between the two lines.

"FOLD TO FLANK!" Kalus bellowed to his men. "DEFENSIVE ENCIRCLE!"

At once, his men began to give ground, retreating in an orderly fashion with the wings folding more than the center. This stretched his men's lines and eventually closed them, forming a ring around the king's tent as the attackers hammered the thinned lines. He knew that his men -- well-trained and disciplined as they were -- wouldn't be able to hold much longer with the enemy's greater numbers. The smallest slip-up would create a breach in their lines, and they would be done.

Then the tide turned.

The army of sleepy rabble that had been slow to respond started attacking the invaders from behind. The rest of King Tyso's army was now awake and they were out for blood. All of the attackers were killed in a matter of minutes. While his own men were under orders to give quarter to surrendering troops, apparently the rest of the army had been given no such orders.

They were slaughtered to a man.

The entire battle had taken ten minutes, perhaps fifteen.

The moment that the all clear had been sounded, the King emerged from his tent wearing his fancy gilded chainmail and wielding his sword. He looked around, scrutinizing what could be seen by torchlight and moonlight. His eyes finally lighted on Kalus up on his warhorse and the men who had surrounded his tent.

He knew whose men they were.

Kalus gave the king as deep a bow as possible while still mounted. "Your majesty."

The king said nothing.

Nothing needed to be said.

Without Kalus, Tyso would be dead. However, the commander wasn't foolish enough to think that fact would endear him to the king. Quite the contrary in fact. The king would be outraged that Kalus had accidentally made him look like a fool for dismissing the concerns of an ambush. Very little mattered more to the king than his image and Kalus had committed the unforgivable sin of making him look bad.

Fortunately, his popularity with the men and skill with the army would probably protect him until the war was over. The king was cruel, but he wasn't foolhardy and certainly wasn't foolish enough to kill his most able commander before the war was finished.

But afterwards?

Hmm.

Somehow Kalus doubted that he would be allowed to return to his homeland and live in peace. He was concerned for himself of course, but he was more concerned for his wives. Katia was an amazing woman, if prickly now because of the war and the way they'd been thrown together. Further, she was carrying their child. Lyra was just as delightful and might be carrying soon as well. She certainly wished to practice making a child often enough.

The king looked at him and set his jaw. "Return to your tent Kalus; that's an order."

"My king." Kalus gave him a respectful bow from Tornado, then turned and rode back to the horse pens. He put Tornado away and walked to his tent.

Kyselius was waiting at the entrance and the look on his face was grim.

"You have a report?" Kalus asked his herald.

"We won't have a death toll until the morning, but it's grim."

The commander took a deep breath and let out slowly. "Let me know in the morning; the king ordered me back to my tent, so make sure Titus and the rest coordinate the cleanup of our legion."

"Commander." Kyselius saluted, then turned to carry out the orders.

Kalus sighed, then walked into his tent.

Lyra and Katia were there, both looking apprehensive but short of scared. They were certainly smart enough to recognize that the fighting was over and his presence meant that there was no further danger.

"What happened?" Lyra whispered fearfully.

He told them the broad strokes and was somewhat gratified to see Katia looking a bit worried when he mentioned himself riding close to the enemy lines to instruct his men, and again when he mentioned riding towards the force attacking the king's tent.

Maybe she did care.

He started stripping off his chainmail armor as he spoke and laid down on the bed on his back when he had finished. Lyra immediately molded herself to his side and kissed him gently. Barely had he covered himself with the blanket when he felt the ash-blonde's slender hand touching the front of his pants.

He raised his eye at her.

"What?" She asked almost sheepishly. "I like that my big, strong husband is a warrior."

"Not tonight." He said, knowing he needed his sleep and not feeling remotely in the mood. His young wife wouldn't either if she had just seen what he had seen, but hearing and seeing were two very different things.

"Yes husband." Lyra looked a bit disappointed, but she snuggled up closer to him.

Katia was different.

She didn't curl up against him, but she didn't quite shy away from him either. He could almost feel her nervousness though.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She turned and looked at him, her eye filled with anxiety. "I..." She swallowed. "I'm worried about more than just me now." She put her hand on her stomach, directly over her womb.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I understand. I promise that I will protect you, and our child, and Lyra to my dying breath; nothing shall harm you while I draw breath and have strength in my limbs."

She gave him a pained-half smile. "I appreciate that, but I wouldn't want my baby to grow up without a father either."

She cocked her head to one side, as if she'd just realized something, then she frowned and turned away. He didn't get the sense that she was avoiding him though, more like she wanted privacy to think.

"Thank you." Lyra whispered as she kissed him on the cheek. "But please don't die. I've gotten rather fond of you in the last day and a half."

"And I of you." He smiled back, then relaxed his head so he was looking straight up. A week ago his life was simple and uncomplicated. Now... now he was trying to figure out a way that his new family could survive what was to come.

He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to the great God Illuminar, asking that his wives and unborn child would come out of this alive and well. He asked that he would as well, but above all that they would survive what was to come.

* * *

Shara woke, somehow feeling odd about thinking of herself as 'Shara'. She'd been pretending to be Katia for long enough now that it was starting to grow on her and her own name was feeling a bit... foreign. That wasn't the only thing that was on her mind though.

She reached down and put her hand over her womb, thinking about the tiny new life that was within. The baby would be the heir to her father's kingdom if it was a boy since Shara was an only child. Shara's mother Hylea was her father's second wife, and his first wife had been barren until she died. Hylea had been Shara's age when she'd married her much older father, but even so, it was a few years before Shara had been born.

Still, her parents were happily married despite the age difference. She adored him and he doted on her, and both did both to her. She'd had a good childhood and she wanted to give the same to her child. She just didn't know how that was possible. Her father's castle was about to be conquered and the conquering king had a vendetta against her husband.

She rolled this around in her head for several minutes before she realized that she was laying across Kalus's chest using it as a pillow and he had his arm around her. She hesitated for a moment, then realized that he was still asleep.

He wouldn't know.

It was comfortable, and he wouldn't know.

She could stay like that, right?

It was comfortable and the air was cold while he was warm. He was her child's father even if he was the enemy, so it was okay, right? The enemy's baby was in her womb, but she couldn't imagine thinking of any child of hers as an enemy. Besides Kalus was a good man and almost certainly would be a good father. Not for the first time, she wished that he wasn't her own father's enemy. He was a good man despite everything that had happened. If only he wasn't the enemy, then she could be happy with him.

If only.

Round and round her brain went until the other two started to stir. She pretended to be asleep until Kalus gave her a gentle shake. She acted startled, and then hastily rolled away from him. She immediately missed the contact and warmth, but of course she wouldn't admit it. Kalus got up and dressed fully at once. Not knowing what else to do, she followed his lead. It was still barely light outside and she knew from experience that the camp wouldn't break until after breakfast.

Lyra followed their lead and he led them out of the tent into the bleak morning air. It was a dreary morning with overcast clouds and the vague feeling of rain in the air. It wasn't actually raining, but it felt like it had drizzled recently. Kyselius was sitting close to the tent with the six other members of Kalus's council.

They all looked grim.

"What's the butcher's bill?" Kalus asked.

His herald swallowed. "Total for the whole army, almost six thousand dead."

Lyra gasped.

Shara felt her jaw drop.

"A whole legion." Kalus closed his eyes, hung his head slightly, and shook it slowly. "How?"

"We estimate that they had five thousand men in their main force, or thereabouts." Kyselius replied. "They hit the vanguard and rearguard first, using coordinated archers to take out the sentries on duty. We think they might've used a mage or two to help keep things stealthy, but we aren't sure. Then they went tent-to-tent slitting throats. The other legions didn't have our security and were losing men fast before anyone realized what was going on. Once the alarm was raised, they started slaughtering in earnest."

"And how about our men?"

"About fifty all told." Titus replied. "Almost all from the four centuries that helped you defend the king's tent. One of our men sounded the alarm before they reached our legion, and the men were sleeping lightly so they were roused almost at once."

"What does that mean for the army?" Lyra asked.

"We started with an army of thirty thousand." Kalus replied. "Five commanders each in charge of one legion of six thousand men. That number has been slowly whittled down over the long campaign, but we still had approximately eighteen thousand men until last night."

"Most of the early losses were from before Kalus started planning battles." The scoutmaster added. "Our legion has taken the fewest losses by far thanks to the commander's rigorous training regimen and tactical acumen; we're still five thousand strong."

"That's forty percent of the remaining army." Shara breathed.

"After last night, yes." Kalus nodded heavily.

"We lost a third of the army last night for nothing, and the morale is showing it." Kyselius said. "The men are either despairing or livid."

"They have a right to be; I should've pushed harder with the king." Her husband swallowed hard and sat down. He had his fist and jaw clenched as he looked out over the camp. He swallowed hard again and seemed to be blinking a bit more than usual. He looked up to heaven and Shara could see his lips moving, but couldn't hear any words.

It looked like he was praying.

"So, what happens now?" Lyra asked.

"We bury the dead, eat, and march out of the forest before dark." Kalus replied.

The other members of his council all exchanged significant glances.

"What?" Kalus asked.

"Last night, the king ordered the dead stripped of their gear and then the bodies left behind." Kyselius said with rage in his eyes. "Our dead aren't to be buried; he wants us to leave them to rot and be out of the forest before lunch."

"That--" Kalus stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before continuing. "Tell me our men at least were buried."

"Most of them were before the king ordered the burials stopped." Kyselius replied. There's still a few that died around the king's tent that he wouldn't let us take; he ordered our centurions to leave them."

"How many?" Kalus asked.

"A half dozen or so are left; all from the four centuries that saved the king's life." Titus said bitterly.

"Tell me exactly what the king's orders were." Kalus said.

"He said that our soldiers weren't to waste time burying the dead." Kyselius replied. "He was quite specific."

"Gentlemen, we technically aren't soldiers according to the king." Kalus said after several seconds. "He has repeatedly said that commanders aren't to be considered with the common soldier."

Shara had a guess where he was going, and couldn't help but feel her heart swell slightly at his dedication to his men. It was truly admirable. Regardless of how she felt about the enemy invading her country, she couldn't deny that Kalus's men were different. They were honorable men who'd given their lives in battle.

Her father had always valued honor and loyalty so he had drilled both into her. She thought the men who'd died the previous night were both honorable and loyal to Kalus, and thus they should be treated with dignity, even though they were the enemy.

It was the honorable thing to do.

It was the right thing to do.

It's what her father would do.

Kalus looked around at them, visibly shaken and upset at the news. "Those were good men who gave the last full measure of devotion to defend their king. The least we can do for our honored dead is give them a proper burial. I will stay behind with a shovel until the deed is done."

"And I." Titus nodded.

"And I." The scoutmaster agreed, with Kyselius echoing him after that, and the rest moments later.

"I know how to use a shovel, and I'm not a soldier either." Lyra said after Kalus's council had finished agreeing to his plan.

"We would not ask a lady to help with this task." Titus shook his head.

Lyra looked like she wanted to say more, but didn't get the chance.

"You didn't ask her." Shara felt her mouth speak before she realized she was going to say anything. "We volunteered." Then she looked down sheepishly. "Though, I'm afraid I've never used a shovel before."

Everyone stared at her.

* * *

Lyra stared at Katia, not quite believing what she'd just heard. The former handmaiden's arms were slender and her hands looked like they had never done a hard day's work in her life. She also didn't like 'the enemy' as she often called them, and yet she was volunteering to bury their dead.

"There is a chance the ambushing force will attack us while performing this task." Kalus said. "It would be a mere ten of us against possibly hundreds if that happens."

Lyra did the math. Kalus, plus his six councilmen, plus Kyselius, plus her and Katia were ten. The odds would indeed be impossible if they were waylaid.

"Then we should endeavor to dig quickly." Katia replied.

Her husband shook her head. "I would not put you in that danger."

"But would it not be more dangerous to leave us behind?" The former handmaiden countered. "We are always by your side for protection, or at least with Kyselius. If we are seen riding alone without either of you, won't that arouse suspicions?"

Kalus frowned.

Lyra smiled. Her fellow wife was incredibly sharp.

"And further." Katia continued. "Leaving Kyselius behind means not only does he not get to help bury his comrades, but it means you are short nearly a third of the diggers you could have working; counting him, Lyra, and myself."

Kalus's frown deepened, but he nodded nevertheless. "We will keep the horses close."

The camp broke not long after and Kyselius surreptitiously procured ten shovels. The ten of them mounted their horses and made to ride out with everyone else, but held back. Once the army had vacated the ground where the king's tent had been, they rode out to find the six men.

It wasn't hard.

They had been laid out reverently in a row amid the scores of enemy combatants, though they were without their armor or gear.

"This looks like them." Kalus said as he looked. "I think I recognize those two."

"Aye." Kyselius nodded.

Then they started to dig.

Katia wasn't good at it at all. She clearly had never used a shovel before and Lyra had to show her how it was done. The former handmaiden didn't end up helping nearly as much as the much stronger men or Lyra herself, all of whom had used a shovel many times before.

However, she didn't quit.

She worked just as hard as the rest even though she moved less dirt since she wasn't as strong or experienced. By the time the hole was large and deep enough, they were all sweaty. The men insisted on being the ones to lower the fallen soldiers into the large grave. Kalus himself arranged their arms across their chests before climbing out of the hole.

"A man's spirit comes from Illuminar, and to Illuminar it returns." Kalus said, standing over the open grave as he looked up to the heavens and recited the short form of a funeral. "Blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." The others echoed.

"As Illuminar formed man out of the earth, so we return these men to the earth. May Illuminar welcome them into His rest."

"Amen." Everyone else finished.

Kalus paused and looked around at the large mass of dead bodies around them. Most belonged to the enemy, but many belonged to other members of Tyso's army.

"Would that we could bury them all." Kalus said as he looked at them.

"You would even bury the bodies of your enemies?" Katia asked.

He nodded. "No man should be left as food for beasts. Every man is made in Illuminar's image, and thus every man deserves basic decency, especially in death."

The former handmaiden nodded, and Lyra saw a small smile on Katia's face that told her that the former handmaiden fully agreed.

The ten of them hurried to cover the grave just as it began to drizzle. By the time they were done, it was sprinkling and they were starting to get wet. They all turned towards the horses, but the moment they did a few dozen men rode out of the forest, cutting them off from their army in the distance.

"Halt!" The leading rider cried.

They all froze, being greatly outnumbered. They still had their horses, but would never be able to get mounted and riding before they were cut off. Kalus put himself between them and his wives, and his men put themselves between Kalus and the newcomers moments later.

They were in trouble.

* * *

Shara couldn't decide whether to jump for joy or hide behind her husband. Her own countrymen were riding out to surround them. If she could make it known who she was, they would rescue and protect her.

But protect her from whom?

She didn't need protection from Kalus; he would sooner die than let harm befall her. Perhaps King Tyso, but riding off with her father's men hardly seemed like a good idea when he had only one castle left and no way to escape King Tyso's army. That would likely put her in more danger than remaining with Kalus.

Plus, she didn't only have herself to think of; she had to think of the baby growing in her womb. She had to protect her baby. She might've only discovered its existence the previous night, but for some reason, she just couldn't stomach the idea of any harm coming to the child.

Besides, she was her father's only descendant and thus the only one who could birth a legitimate heir to the kingdom. King Tyso surely knew this, and thus she would be in danger no matter what happened. That's when a sickening thought occurred to her: if King Tyso found out, he might force her to marry him just so she could bear his son to technically be a legitimate heir.

She shuddered.

"Are you okay?" Lyra whispered to her, putting an arm around her in a comforting fashion.

"I... I don't know." She whispered back.

Shara quickly considered her options and realized that perhaps the safest course of action would be to stay where she was, hidden as she was. King Tyso might find out If she tried to escape. She could see him accusing Kalus of treason for hiding her, and then executing him for it; maybe Lyra too. And her baby...

She didn't know what would happen, but if they didn't force the herbs that led to a miscarriage down her throat, the child would surely have an 'accident' before he or she was able to walk.

She couldn't let that happen.

All this went through her head in a matter of seconds, and she had made her mind up by the time the group's retreat was fully cut off. Kalus and his council all had swords but no armor, while the horsemen had spears, bows, and all were wearing chainmail armor. They surely wouldn't be able to fight their way out of this.

"Hold fast or become pincushions." The lead rider said.

No one moved.

The lead rider was wearing chainmail, though it looked like some of the rings had seen better days. His short gray bread combined with his wiry face looked tired, though not from lack of sleep. He looked world-weary despite his eyes looking sharp and bright. He looked familiar to Shara, though it took a moment for her to remember him. He was one of her father's generals and in charge of much of the army.

He might recognize her.

"Who might you be, lagging behind your army so badly?" The man asked.

"Commander Lucien Kalus, at your service." Her husband said with a bow.

For some reason, Shara was shocked to learn that Lucien was her husband's first name; she had grown to think of him simply as 'Kalus'.

The lead rider gave him a nod of respect. "I am General Ardroben, and you are the architect of so many of our defeats."

"None of which came easily." Kalus replied, and Shara didn't get the sense that he was being insincere.

"Aye, but defeats nonetheless." The general replied. "And yet some would call you the savior of the cities you have conquered. Some say they are better off now that when our own king ruled. Less crime and chaos, and also more prosperity and order"

"Illuminar is not a God of confusion, but of order." Kalus quoted from the Book of Light.

General Ardroben nodded. "Blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Everyone present chorused, from both sides.

"You have put me in something of a dilemma Commander Kalus." The general continued as he tapped his finger on his saddle horn. "On the one hand, I have the brightest and most able enemy commander within my grasp. On the other hand, I shudder to think what the rest of King Tyso's men will do to our fair capital city without you there to restrain them."

"Then your decision depends on your outlook." Kalus replied.

"Oh?" General Ardroben said as he adjusted in his saddle.

"If you believe the war is lost and Tyso's victory is inevitable, then releasing us to minimize Tyso's collateral damage would be the right move. But if you believe that victory is still possible, then detaining me and my men is the only logical choice."

"I see now why we lost." The general chuckled as he shook his head. "Even when surround and separated from your army you keep your head and offer a choice that -- should I release you -- tells you something about our army's strength. You are a cunning one Commander Kalus, I'll give you that." He cocked his head to one side. "Though by all accounts you are honorable too; those two traits don't often occur in the same man."

Kalus inclined his head in respect. "I do have one request regardless of which you choose."

"Oh?"

"Let my wives go." Kalus indicated Shara and Lyra. "Tyso forced them to marry me, and while I did not choose the matches, they are among the best of women. Should you detain us, I ask that you let them return to their father's houses with their horses and what provisions your generosity and situation will allow. They should not suffer for my king's actions."

The general looked at the women properly for the first time, and Shara thought she saw his eyes widen when they fell on her.

"I do believe we've met." General Ardroben finally said to Shara. "A handmaiden to the princess if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes sir." She gave him a respectful curtsy. He was certainly high enough in her father's court to know that the princess was supposed to hide among the handmaidens should something happen. Perhaps he recognized her?

"And how is the princess? We've had no word of her since her castle fell." The general asked, but something about the way he said it and the way he was scrutinizing her spoke volumes.

He knew.

He recognized her as the princess.

"She was doing well and was safe the last time I saw her." Shara replied evenly, then put a hand over her womb. "Her health had changed, but for the better not the worse."

She hoped he took her meaning.

She couldn't exactly just say 'Oh by the way I'm pregnant' without being obvious about it.

"That's good to hear." General Ardroben replied, though he tapped his finger on his saddle horn again. Shara hoped that he recognized her situation and let her stay with Kalus, which is why she'd said that the princess was safe. As much as she loved her parents and wanted to see them, it might not be safe for her identity to be known.

"Our fate is in your hands General." Kalus said. Unless Shara missed her guess, he actually looked slightly nervous.

"General, he's an enemy commander and we should--" One of the general's men started to say, but the general raised a hand and he fell silent.

The general scrutinized them for several seconds before speaking. "You rightly say that your fate is in my hands, but the fate of my city will be entirely in Tyso's hands should I detain you." He shook his head. "I cannot believe I'm doing this, but you are free to go."

At this, the general's men lowered their weapons.

"But promise me this." The general continued. "Do your best to protect the inhabitants of the city from your king's depredations; I would not have it in the hands of such a tyrant."

"I give my word." Kalus nodded.

The general nodded and started to turn his horse, but then stopped and looked back at Kalus. "I won't insult your honor by asking you to betray your king, yet consider this: he straddles the line between what is barely tolerable to Illuminar -- blessed be He -- and what is repugnant to the God of Light. When he crosses that line -- and he will cross it -- will you stand with the God of Light or with your king?"

"There is no force in heaven above, nor Saidow's lair below, nor in the Ten Kingdoms around us that would make me knowingly violate the commands of Illuminar." Kalus replied evenly.

General Ardroben frowned slightly, but nodded. "I suppose that will have to do." He made a motion to his men and they rode their horses away, clearing the path for Kalus and company to return to their own army.

Shara released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

That could've gone much worse.

In fact, she wasn't sure how it could've gone better. If the general had indeed recognized her, then he would get word to her parents who would know that she was safe. If he was perceptive, they would know the kingdom now had an heir, or at least might have one if she was carrying a boy.

The question was, what did she do now?

She and Kalus had unfortunately had a rough start, but he was a good man. Possibly the best man she knew and he was also her husband. As much as she wanted to be returned to her family, the idea of being parted from Kalus didn't have much appeal anymore. She was virtually certain that he would be a good husband, and he would be an excellent father too if how he treated his men was any indication.

Plus there was Lyra. Shara had never considered sharing a husband before -- it wasn't likely as a princess -- but she felt the corners of her mouth pull up when she thought about sharing Kalus with Lyra. The horsewoman was a genuinely good and kind person and would be a good co-mother to Shara's own children. In fact, she rather wanted the blonde's more carefree nature to be somewhat adopted by her own children since she was much more reserved.

So what should she do?

* * *

Lyra could feel her heartbeat returning to a more normal rate as the men rode away. How her husband had handled them though... that was threatening to make her heart rate go up again. Certain parts of her might be wet even without the rain. She bit her lip, knowing there was no time for that right now. She wished there was though.

She took a deep breath and reigned herself in.

Now wasn't the time.

Without delay, everyone mounted up and caught up to the rest of the army. It wasn't hard since they were moving slowly since the rain was slowly turning the ground into a muddy mess. The wagons carrying the baggage were bringing up the rear, with the rearguard protecting them.

As Kalus drew level with the rearmost baggage carts, several of the men gave him respectful nods. One of them in particular scrutinized him.

"My brother is lying dead back there." The man nodded his head towards the clearing where the army had been ambushed. "It's good at least someone thinks the dead deserve a burial."

The men around that fellow nodded in agreement.

Kalus gave them a respectful nod in return. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean." He said with a deadpan expression. "We were doing reconnaissance of course, and nothing more. The King forbade burying bodies, so of course we were doing nothing of the sort."

"Of course." The other man replied with a barely concealed smile, then looked around. "You hear that boys? Commander Kalus was just watching our backs; there was no digging."

The other men all grinned at each other and nodded.

Kalus gave them another respectful nod of the head then tapped Tornado with his heels, after which the warhorse started forward in a manner that suggested he was dying for a good hard run. His entire party followed him forward, Lyra again wishing that the two of them -- and maybe Katia too -- could spend some time alone in a tent.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully.

The rain tapered off mid-morning and the sun came out, turning the wet and soggy morning into a warm and humid afternoon. They exited the forest about lunchtime and the king had called for the army to make camp only an hour later once they had put a good distance between the forest and the army. Everyone was relieved since marching in hot humid weather was miserable. Lyra wasn't too bothered since hot sweaty days were normal on her father's ranch, but she certainly didn't complain.

* * *

"But I don't understand." Shara was saying as they ate lunch after the camp was set up. "Why didn't the king simply march a bit faster through the forest, or march into the night so he didn't have to camp in the forest?"

"You have a keen mind little lady." Titus said while Kalus chewed. "Kalus wanted to do just that; march faster and then take a whole day's rest once we were out of the forest. We would've arrived no slower and yet much safer. Alas, the king had other ideas."

Shara frowned, finding it hard to believe that the king was so foolhardy.

"In war, decisions made by politicians are usually less effective than ones made by commanders." Kalus said when he had finished chewing. "I've spent my life studying military combat; King Tyso spent it studying... other things."

Titus snorted. "Like the nearest woman's ass. There's a rumor going around that he wanted to bed his own sister."

Shara shuddered.

Kalus set his jaw.

Lyra made a face. "Eww."

"That's the trouble with some men; they're always thinking with their dicks." Titus said, then frowned and looked at the ladies. "Please pardon my language."

"I've heard worse." Lyra replied with a chuckle. "Actually, I've said much worse." She then looked at her felllow wife. "Katia?"

"I am not bothered." Shara replied.

Kalus shook his head. "Six thousand men needlessly lost their lives last night. Rarely have so many lives been so needlessly lost when the loss could've been so easily prevented." He clenched his fist, then took a forced, measure breath.

"I'm sorry husband." Lyra said, putting her hand on his arm.

He nodded to her, but didn't look much better.

"What will happen now?" Shara asked. "With the war I mean."

"We'll arrive in the capital city tomorrow and King Tyso will certainly want to occupy it." Kalus said. "The city will almost certainly surrender in exchange for good treatment. The king will divide it up and each commander will have control of a portion. It'll take the rest of the day, perhaps two, to assume full control of the city. I expect that afterwards King Tyso will march on the castle and demand an unconditional surrender."

"Commander, we've been over this a dozen times today." Titus said with an amused smile, then looked at his wives. "Could one of you lovely ladies keep his mind on something else for five minutes?"

Lyra gave Kalus a look of barely concealed lust, then stood up like a proper woman, walked over to him, and took one of his hands.

"Husband, could I perhaps distract you for five minutes?" She glanced at their tent, which would've left no one in doubt as to what she intended, even if she hadn't been biting her lip.

He raised his eyebrow.

"Please?" She asked.

"You will be the death of me woman." He said with a smile as he rose.

Lyra practically dragged him into the tent and Shara couldn't help but smile. The horsewoman did seem to be almost overly fond of sharing his bed.

Her smile faltered slightly as she thought about the fact that she was no longer doing so. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she was missing out on something wonderful. That strange building sensation she'd experienced whenever he had taken her to bed and Lyra's reactions -- not to mention her near obsession with it -- seemed to confirm that too.

"Copper for your thoughts?" Titus said. The old warrior got up and sat down next to her; far enough to be respectful but close enough for a more private conversation.

"I think I misjudged him." Shara replied, nodding towards the tent where Kalus was. "I think I misjudged almost everything."

He had an amused smile on his face. "Yes, the young often discover that the world has more nuance than they were led to believe while growing up."

"I'm beginning to see that." She looked towards her tent, only just then realizing that she now considered it her tent. It made quite a contrast to how she'd grown up. "I used to think that my father--" She stopped, realizing that she'd almost given her identity away. "I used to think that he was right about everything. I used to think that our king was among the best of kings, that the people loved him, that King Tyso was a cruel tyrant who wanted to enslave the entire country, and that my nation was completely blameless for this war."

Titus nodded slowly. "Like I said, nuance. Only one of those things is true without qualification."

"About King Tyso?"

"Of course not." Titus replied, but his eyes twinkled in such a way as to let her know that she had been right.

"Tell me the truth Titus; is King Bracken a good king?" She asked, hoping that he would say her father was indeed a good king.

Titus inhaled deeply, let it out slowly, and then stroked his short beard. "I would say that he's a good man."

"...but not a good king?"

"Unfortunately, being a good man doesn't mean that you will be a good king." He replied. "I obviously haven't lived here long and only have an invading warrior's view of things. But from what I can see, he is too hard when he should be soft, and too soft when he should be hard."

"Oh." Shara nodded slowly.

She could see it.

She had been able to get away with almost anything when she was a child, and only the stern hand of her tutors had drilled any amount of discipline into her. Her father had made sure she had the best tutors and he had caved when they said that she needed a stronger hand. As she thought about it, he had caved to a lot of things during her short life.

"So, the people don't love him?" She finally asked.

"I think they like him as a person, but not as a king." Titus replied delicately. "Again, this is only the view from an invading soldier, and an old one at that. But from what I can tell, King Bracken lets his advisors push him into bad decisions and into appointing less-than-ideal people into roles of authority. The common people who have met him -- which is a lot for a king in this age -- they seem to like him as a person, but not as a king."

Shara nodded slowly again.

It made sense.

It hurt, but it made sense.

"Is that why Lyra's father says that the people are happier with the men Kalus left in charge?"

"I suspect so." Titus replied. "Kalus is a shrewd man. He appoints a native of our country to govern the cities, but mostly lets the elders of that city make the laws. Then he appoints a military commander from our country to oversee things and enforce the laws. Thus, the people mostly make the laws and they are rigidly enforced, bringing a measure of peace and stability that King Bracken's men were never able to achieve."

"And the people are less upset because they make the laws." Shara finished.

"Like I said; shrewd." Titus nodded. "However, he's also a good man. I have a daughter who will come of age in less than a year. I had hoped that Kalus might consider her taking her hand in marriage when she does."

"Oh?" Her eyes went a little wide; she could hardly think of a greater compliment that a father could give another man than to hope he would wed one of his daughters.

He nodded. "Alas, he's too taken with you and Lyra to consider her now." Titus looked a bit disappointed, but shrugged. "Such is life."

"Taken with me?"

"Only a blind man or perhaps the object of his affections could miss it." The older man looked at her pointedly. "The young are often oblivious to the affections of others."

She blushed slightly, but nodded. "Life used to be simpler when I was younger."

"It always is for a child, but you aren't a child anymore; you're a woman." Titus replied. "My life was infinitely less complex when I was a boy, and far less complex when I was a mere soldier. The older you get, the more complex life gets." He gave her a kind smile. "But complexity has its rewards, just like maturity does."

"I hope so." She cradled her hands around her womb, thinking about the tiny life she was now responsible for protecting and nurturing. It was remarkable how much her perspective had shifted since she'd found out about him, though it might be a 'her'.

The old soldier eyed her hands for a moment, then smiled. "It looks like our fearless commander is as... potent in the bedroom as he is on the battlefield."

She blushed scarlet, but nodded.

"Don't be ashamed; you are carrying the child of the best man I know." Titus said.

"I'm not ashamed." Shara replied, surprising even herself. "I'm just not used to discussing such things."

Just then, a suppressed feminine moan came from Kalus's tent. It seemed like Lyra was trying and failing to be quiet.

"And it sounds like your fellow wife will soon share your joy." The old soldier chuckled. "Ah, to be young again."

Shara smiled, though it was a nervous smile. She didn't really like how attached she was becoming to both Kalus and Lyra. True she hadn't known either of them very long, but as she thought about living her life without either of them... she shook her head; she didn't like the idea.

Kalus was very strict, but he was a good man and his men loved him because he truly cared about them. She felt that reflected on the kind of father he would be: perhaps a bit strict, but his children would love him because he truly cared about them. She idly wondered if that was the case for her as well, since he undeniably cared about her.

She pushed the thought out of her mind, not liking where it was leading.

* * *

Kalus exhaled, trying to remember the last time he had spent so much time in bed with a woman. He couldn't. He'd chased many a lass before he began to follow Illuminar, but he was rarely successful. Now... now Lyra wanted him as often as he was willing.

"If I pay him enough attention, will he stand at attention again?" The horsewoman asked as she traced a delicate but strong finger over the underside of his softened cock as she lay curled up to his side.

"He will, but I'm only human."

"Will lips or hands rouse him faster?"

He chuckled. "I'm surprised you would use your lips; he was firmly ensconced in you only a few minutes ago."

"I've done it before." She said slyly, then slid her hand along her slit, brought a now-wet finger to her mouth -- and unless he was mistaken, there was a bit of his seed on the digit -- and then she sucked on it while locking eyes with him. "Mmm, delicious."

He raised his eyebrow, but chuckled nonetheless. "Had I not seen the blood from your maidenhead at our first coupling, I would have doubts about your virtue."

"You're my husband so I can do this while still being virtuous." She said, somehow sounding both innocent and provocative at the same time. She slid down, then used her hands to lift his semi-soft cock and took it tenderly in her mouth.

He sighed again, though it was a different kind of sigh this time.

"Mmm." The ash blonde smiled, her lips still around his girth. She pulled her mouth off long enough to speak. "I really like this part." Then she slid him inside her mouth again, gently sucking and lapping with her tongue as he grew larger and harder.

Once he was fully hard, she pulled back and looked at her handiwork. "I like it when he grows in my mouth." She sighed wistfully, then a frown crossed her face and she bit her lip.

"What?" He asked.

"Um..." She hesitated, not quite meeting his eye. "Is... is there something wrong with me? I have heard that... I mean, are women supposed to want so much time in the bed?" She glanced into his eyes. "Am I okay?"

"Yes." He said simply. "Illuminar created the marital bed not only to produce children, but also for pleasure too. You seem far less inhibited than most women, but that's a good thing, not a problem."

"Are you sure?" Lyra bit her lip again. "I mean, Katia isn't... I mean..."

Kalus smiled. "Katia is far more interested in bed than she can admit to herself."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "From our first coupling, she has been incredibly responsive even though she hadn't wanted to take part. I believe that if I were not the enemy, you might find that you had some competition."

Lyra nodded slowly. "So, I'm not... um... defective because I love it so much?"

He reached down and gently brushed her cheek. "If all wives were as 'defective' as you, the world would be a better place."

She smiled and leaned her cheek into his hand. "So, you're happy with me?"

"Very."

"And, I've been a good wife so far?"

"Very, though I'm afraid I might not be able to keep up with you, let alone Katia."

She smiled. "Okay, in that case..." She glanced down at his cock, which was still mostly hard. "Husband, may I please snuggle with you inside of me?"

He grinned. "Of course."

She slid up, aligned herself, and then slid back down, his cock spreading her as she did so.

"Ahhhh." She breathed, then tucked her arms up against her chest and snuggled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling quite connected to her since he was both around her and inside of her too.

"I like this." She mumbled dreamily.

"And I as well." He nodded, giving her an affectionate squeeze. She returned the squeeze, though not with her arms.

"Will you still do this when I'm old and fat?" She asked, and it didn't sound like she had an ulterior motive for asking.

"Yes, though while growing old isn't optional, growing fat is." He kissed the top of her head. "I much prefer my wives took care of themselves enough that their waistline never grow excessive, except in preparation for birth."

"I'd like to give birth." She sighed, then raised her head and looked at him. "Where will we raise the children? Do you have a home in Har'peton?"

"No." He shook his head at the reference to his home country. "I've been a soldier since I came of age and never needed one."

"Then..." She got a slightly hopeful smile. "Can I make a selfish request?"

"Please." He replied.

"Could..." She bit her lip and looked down. "Could you perhaps consider choosing to live here in Timarou, near my Pa'pa?"

He smiled. "I would certainly consider it."

"I would love that." She beamed, though her face fell slightly after a moment. "I realize it might not be possible, and there's Katia to consider of course, and I'll follow you wherever you choose to live, but I would love it if we could live in the area. We would be closer to Katia's family as well." She added, clearly trying to make the idea sound appealing.

"To tell you the truth, I have no great love for Har'peton, nor its king." He said in a low voice, so as not to be overheard. "I wouldn't object to living in Timarou."

"Why no love for your..." She squeezed him gently with her vaginal muscles. "Mmm... your home." She looked him right in the eye, leaving him in no doubt as to what she considered 'home'.

"It's..." Kalus hesitated. "It would not be my first choice of a place to raise a family."

"Why?" Lyra asked, starting to gently massage him with her internal muscles.

"It's... it's less family-friendly than other nearby countries." Kalus replied delicately and at a low volume. "I would choose Koilas to the north, even despite Lord Borden's aversion to men with multiple wives; or perhaps Ivernia to the northwest, even with Lord Farbrottan's oppressive taxes, Narlotten would be an excellent choice as well, but perhaps Timarou would be the best choice given my wives' connections and my lack of them."

"Thank you for considering it." Lyra beamed, then bit her lip and started rocking her hips gently. "Now please let me show you how grateful I am..."

He gave her a mock-annoyed expression. "I suppose if--"

"Commander Kalus!" His herald called from outside the tent.

He restrained a look of annoyance at the interruption. "Yes Kyselius?"

Lyra had frozen at the voice but started rocking her hips again moments later. He raised his eyebrow at her and she looked sheepish, but she didn't stop.

"Commander, King Tyso requests your presence in the royal tent for a council of war."

"I shall be out shortly." He replied.

Lyra's face fell, but she slipped off of him. "Might we continue when you return husband?"

"I don't see why not." He replied. "Now, I need to make myself presentable."

Lyra glanced at his still-hard cock. "I can make sure you're clean if you like?"

He chuckled. "As much as I would enjoy that, it would make me late."

It took Kalus a minute to make himself presentable, then he kissed his young wife before leaving the tent. That was new for him; kissing his wife before he left. He had always heard it was a thing that wives liked and he found himself enjoying it as well.

Katia was outside the tent talking to Titus and she gave him a small smile as he passed her. He returned it before continuing to the king's tent, thanking Illuminar that she was no longer being so adversarial. In fact, her smiling at him seemed like incredible progress. Even a small smile such as that one was worlds better than a few days ago.

He found his own lips pulling into a small smile.

His herald fell into step beside him not long afterwards, and he knew the man well enough to know he had some information to share.

"What is it?" Kalus asked before they'd walked a dozen paces.

"It's grim Commander." Kyselius replied. "I've been around checking on the men and talking to the other heralds. Now that we've stopped and there's no danger, the soldiers are furious. With a third of the men having died, practically every man here lost a comrade or friend, to say nothing of leaving their bodies to rot instead of giving them a proper burial."

"How bad is it?" Kalus asked, slowing his walk slightly to make sure his herald had time to finish his report.

"Among our legion, it's not bad." Kyselius said. "Our losses were extremely light and by now every man under your command knows that they were buried. They love you all the more for it."

"And among the rest of the army?"

"I hate to say it, but mutinous."

Kalus frowned; that was a dangerous position to be in. The soldiers had wearied of the campaign over the many months and even more battles; most simply wanted to go home. To have been struck such a deadly blow so close to the end was understandably devastating.

"You know how the king will attempt to remedy this, don't you?" Kalus asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, yes." Kyselius grimaced. "May Illuminar help the poor women in the city of Laerten when we finally arrive, to say nothing of the life-savings of every man."

Kalus took a long, slow, calming breath.

He clenched his fist, knowing there was nothing he could do about it without starting a mutiny, which he wouldn't do.

And yet...

He shook his head.

He couldn't do nothing. He couldn't stand before Illuminar at the end of his life without having done something about this. He wouldn't even be able to look at himself in a mirror for the rest of his life if he didn't intervene. But what to do...

Hmm.

This was rather like planning a battle. Half the struggle was knowing what you should do and half was guessing what the other side would do. This time, his opponent was King Tyso who fortunately was fairly easy to predict. He thought about the entire campaign and what the king was likely to do once they arrived in Laerten. Once he knew that, he knew what to do.

Finally, he looked at Kyselius and spoke in hushed but urgent tones. "Find someone you trust, someone who might be willing to hang for treason for a good cause. Give him a haggard horse and have him ride it hard to Laerten. Let him spread the word of what King Tyso will probably do; perhaps have him say that he overheard it."

"That will make many flee from the city, but what about those who are left and cannot leave?" Kyselius asked.

Kalus frowned.

What of them indeed, and how could he help them?

"If the king stays true to his plans, he will put each of his commanders in charge of a portion of the city." Kalus said. "Knowing him and his frustrations with me, he'll undoubtedly put me in command of the poorest section. Have the man tell the people that I will likely be put in charge of the poorest section. They can flee there and I'll do what I can to protect them."

"I think I know a man who would be willing." The herald nodded.

"Not you Kyselius." Kalus replied. "You have that look in your eye and I need you here. Besides, your absence could alert the king that something is going on."

The man hesitated.

"That's an order Kyselius; you're staying in the camp for the security of the mission."

"Yes sir, I will find someone else." Kyselius nodded.

They had nearly reached the king's tent by this point, so Kyselius saluted and then turned to complete his mission.

The meeting with the king was short and Kalus found himself wishing that he hadn't accurately predicted everything that would happen in it.

* * *

Shara was sitting in the tent wondering why the name 'Katia' was starting to feel so comfortable when Kalus returned.

He didn't look happy.

"Husband, what's wrong?" Lyra asked.

He explained in whispers so he wasn't overheard, and Shara was nearly ready to march over to the king's tent herself by the time he was done. Not literally of course; that would be suicide and she had another little life to think of now. She couldn't believe how much being pregnant had changed her outlook on life. She had heard other parents say how having kids was life-changing; now she knew from experience.

When he was done explaining the problem, then he went over his solution. Shara felt her jaw drop further and further with every word he spoke.

"You seem shocked." Kalus said to her when he was done.

"I..." She worked her mouth for a moment before words came out again. "Thank you. Laerten is our capital and I would hate to see... Thank you."

"It's the right thing to do." He said.

"Just like giving a man back a coin that he has unknowingly dropped instead of keeping it." Shara said, thinking about the example he had used the day they had met.

"Just exactly like." He nodded, a flicker of a smile on his face despite his mood. "The king is starting to push the bounds of what I can in good conscience tolerate. I'm worried that someday soon he'll overstep and I'll be forced to take a stand against him."

"Good." Shara found herself saying, thinking that someone had to stop King Tyso and

"Have you considered what it would mean for you and Lyra?" Kalus asked. "You two would be in grave danger."

Lyra looked at him, then smirked slightly. "No, I think King Tyso would be in grave danger if he stepped over the line and you challenged him, especially after that debacle of an ambush."

"That's treason." Kalus said, his voice cool.

"No, it's only treason if we've sworn loyalty to him, and we haven't." Shara countered. "I haven't and certainly never shall. I'm a proud citizen of Timarou and will be until the day I die."

"I am also husband, but I will follow you wherever you go." Lyra said. "My loyalty is first to Illuminar, then to you two, then to Timarou."

He paused for a moment before speaking. "Har'peton might be my homeland, but no one in this tent has any real love for it."

"Really?" Shara looked at Kalus. "You have no love for your own homeland?"

"It's a harsh place and--" He hesitated, and then shook his head. "There's no one for me there; everyone I care about is either in this tent or the surrounding camp."

"Then... perhaps we could live in Timarou once the war is over?" Lyra asked.

Kalus remained silent for several seconds before replying. "I would not be opposed."

Lyra leapt forward, flinging her arms around him and kissing him. "We--" Kiss. "--didn't--" Kiss. "--finish--" kiss. "--earlier."

She pulled back just slightly and had her dress off in two seconds flat. Suddenly, Shara was staring at the very naked back and butt of her fellow wife. Moments later the ash blonde jumped up and wrapped her legs around their husband, kissing him like it was her last night in the world.

Suddenly, Shara's cheeks felt very hot.

Kalus noticed and gave her an apologetic grin.

Lyra also noticed and had the grace to look slightly abashed. "I'm sorry Katia, I just... ugh, I get so horny and I..." She bit her lip. "I can stop."

Shara chuckled. "No you can't, and that's okay."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I um, I won't pretend to understand, but you are a wife; you should be able to share a bed with your husband."

"Thank you." Lyra said, then walked right up to Shara and gave her a hug, still was as naked as the day she was born and seemingly completely unashamed about that. The amber-haired girl blushed in response, but hugged her back.

"You know..." Lyra said with a mischievous smile as she pulled back, her arms still around her fellow wife. "...someone I don't want to mention once suggested that our husband force us to pleasure each other..."

Lyra raised her eyebrows and bit her lip, just barely meeting Shara's eyes.

"I... uh..." Shara froze, not quite sure what to make of her fellow wife's suggestion.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lyra's face fell and then she started talking very fast. "I just get so worked up and then I say something stupid, or do something stupid, or both. I didn't mean-- I was just trying to-- uh, I mean to say..."

"Lyra." Kalus said.

She turned to face him, grimacing slightly. It looked like she was bracing herself.

"You did nothing wrong." He finished. His tone was a bit softer than usual too.

"Thank you." She smiled, still completely naked and still seemingly unbothered by that fact. "I'm just too wild, and I'm sorry; I'll try to rein that in." She had a brave face on, but she didn't seem like she was looking forward to that.

"Why?" Kalus asked conversationally. Shara had heard him take the same tone with his men before when one of them thought he was in trouble, but wasn't.

"Because I... uh..." The ash blonde glanced at Shara. "My suggestion made her uncomfortable, and you had to correct me off in front of other people yesterday, and I'm not... I mean, I..."

"What do you think of Tornado?" Kalus asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"He's a great horse." Lyra said, a smile appearing on her face as she shifted her weight to the other foot, still completely naked. "He's strong and powerful with good conformation, so he must have excellent breeding. He's a bit high-strung, but you need that in a war horse."

Kalus nodded slowly, as if thinking. "Do you think he'd be a better warhorse as a gelding?"

Lyra's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she sucked in her breath sharply. "You wouldn't castrate Tornado, would you? He's so great as he is, even if he's a handful."

He looked at her pointedly. "So, a little spirit isn't bad?"

"No, it's-- oh." Lyra stopped and bit her lip. She looked down for several seconds and then glanced up at him, cocking her head to one side. "Really?"

He nodded. "Tornado is a magnificent horse precisely because he's high-spirited. To be sure, the spirit must be channeled properly and not allowed to run loose. But I certainly don't mind a bit of spirit in my horses. In fact, I rather enjoy it."

She smiled at him. "Channeled properly?"

"For all things under heaven there is a time." He nodded. "It gives me great pleasure to see Tornado running wild and free, and even greater pleasure to ride him while he does. However, I would not let him do so around just anyone; only the right people."

He smiled at her.

She smiled back.

"Damn it." Shara mumbled under her breath, once again confronted with the fact that her husband wasn't merely a good man, and he wasn't merely a great man; he was an incredible man.

"Katia?" Kalus asked, and that's when she noticed both her husband and fellow wife were looking at her in confusion.

"Why can't you just be a horrible man so I can hate you properly?" Shara huffed.

He raised his eyebrow.

"Nothing, never mind." She crossed her arms across her chest, wishing that she hadn't said anything.

"Katia." Her husband said, and his voice was at once both commanding her attention and yet also had a caring edge to it. Damn it, she even liked the way her fake name sounded on his lips. She was actually starting to grow quite attached to it, despite it not being her real name.

He continued. "You already know I would not attempt to force your opinion from you. However, I would ask that you explain what you mean, even if you wish to keep your opinion to yourself."

His request was so...

So...

Hmm, she couldn't think of a word. Kind perhaps, or maybe genuine. She knew that she was free to not answer, but she felt like not answering was not only stupid but also a proverbial slap in his face. She hesitated for several seconds, not sure exactly how to explain what was going on in her head.

"It's..." She frowned. "Part of the reason I volunteered to help bury those men earlier was because I was hoping I could escape." She finally admitted.

Kalus stared at her for several seconds.

Lyra's jaw dropped.

"You..." He began, but didn't seem to be able to finish.

"...wanted to escape?" Her fellow wife finished for him.

Shara didn't meet their eyes.

She looked down at the ground, for some reason feeling like a worse person than King Tyso for that admission. Well, maybe not that bad, but close.

She nodded.

"But you care for me anyways." She said, still not looking at them and especially not Kalus. "I just admitted that I wanted to escape from my husband, but you would still take an arrow for me." She glanced up at him for a moment before averting her eyes again. "Wouldn't you?"

There was several seconds pause before Lyra helpfully spoke up. "He nodded his head."

"I'm not..." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not like Lyra... or Tornado. I don't have that wild spirit that you like so much and I'm not even a..." She swallowed hard. "But you've been so-- you both have been so... and I'm just..."

"Katia, is your horse Misty like Tornado?" Kalus asked.

"No, she's a bit more shy and reserved, and maybe a bit skittish." The amber-haired girl replied sullenly. "She couldn't be more different than Tornado."

"And do you dislike her for that, or do you like Misty for who she is?" He asked.

"Of course I don't dislike her for that, I like her for who she..." She trailed off.

She bit her lip.

Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Could he actually mean...

She glanced up at him, and he was looking at her like... like... she couldn't place the expression, but there was a softness in his eyes.

"Katia, there's more than one kind of horse in this world, and that's not a bad thing." He said, and there was the same softness in his voice now as when he had addressed Lyra. "Just because I can appreciate a horse that's somewhat wild and high-spirited doesn't mean I can't also appreciate one that's shier and more reserved." His eyes twinkled for a moment before he added in a deadpan expression. "Of course, I am only speaking about horses and nothing else."

Shara made a sound somewhere between a loud exhale and a chuckle. Had her stoic husband really just made a joke? More importantly, was he serious?

She looked up at him and bit her lip. "Truly?"

"Yes, truly." He nodded. "You don't have to be like Lyra to be a good wife, or a good woman for that matter. There's more than one way to be either, which is good since there's more than one woman in the world and no two are exactly alike."

Lyra shivered slightly, then reached down and plucked a blanket off the bed, wrapping it around her still-naked body. "I got cold." She explained, then looked at Shara with an embarrassed smile. "I actually kind of admire how reserved you are. I could never be that way and I've tried."

"Oh." She didn't know what to say to that. "Really? I would like to be a bit more... well, a bit more spirited."

"You don't lack spirit Katia." Kalus said, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "You simply are less exuberant in how you display your spirit. That's neither better nor worse; just different."

She looked at him for several long seconds. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"I do."

"You see, that's what I mean." She looked down. "You make it really hard to hate you properly."

"Do you want to hate your husband?" Lyra asked, clearly confused by her tone.

"I..." Shara hesitated. "I don't know."

She finally said, flopping down to sit on the bedding and tucking her legs up so she could wrap her arms around them. "I find it really hard to..." She glanced at him. "You're a soldier of Har'peton and I'm a citizen of Timarou. I just find it hard to be loyal when..." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I feel like if I'm loyal to you, I'm betraying my--"

Shara stopped, wanting to be honest and say 'my father', but she still felt like she couldn't reveal who she was to them. But for the first time, she wanted to tell them for some reason. She didn't and knew she couldn't, but for the first time she actually wanted to.

"I feel like if I'm loyal to you then I'm betraying my country, but if I'm loyal to my country then I'm betraying you." She explained, rocking back and forth slightly on the bedding. "It's... it's hard."

Lyra made a thoughtful sound. "I think I know what you mean. I'm more loyal to my husband of course, but I would feel better if..." She made a thoughtful sound and then looked at Kalus. "I'm glad my father picked you to be my husband, but I do wish you were a citizen of Timarou."

Their husband made a thoughtful sound but didn't reply.

After several seconds, he stepped over to Shara and sat down next to her. He sat far enough away that she had some personal space, but close enough to be somewhat close to her. He beckoned Lyra to him and she sat down on his other side, leaning up against him and still naked, though wrapped in a blanket.

"I don't think I can solve this for you two, especially you Katia." Kalus said after nearly a whole minute. "I have oaths to the king, and I cannot in good conscience break my oath."

"I wouldn't ask you to." Shara replied, again struck by how much she was growing to like her fake name.

He nodded slowly. "On our first night, you told me that you weren't unlike the princess, and that the princess was a patriot. I can see how this would be hard for you in that case."

"It is."

He sat there for several seconds, then pursed his lips. "I cannot see a way to solve this for either of you, but I shall do all in my power to make it the least uncomfortable it can be for you both."

"Thank you." Shara murmured.

"Thank you husband." Lyra smiled at him. "Though in truth I think it weighs on Katia more than I."

"Mmm." He looked at his first wife and frowned slightly. "Were I not part of the army invading your country, how would you feel about our marriage?"

Despite herself, Shara felt a small smile creep unbidden onto her face. "I... I would be much less opposed."

Kalus smiled slightly. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I'm glad I can say it." Shara replied. She looked at him and unwrapped her arms from around her legs. She put her hand over her womb.

His smile grew wider as he looked at the two of them. "I always wanted a family, but never imagined having more than one wife. Perhaps I wouldn't have chosen this family had I been given a choice, so perhaps it is well that I wasn't given one."

"Truly?" Lyra asked.

"You mean that?" Shara echoed.

"I do." He replied with conviction.

"Kalus." Shara said as an idea struck her. "How would a few games of pente strike you?"

"Very well indeed." He smiled, then turned to Lyra. "Do you know how to play?"

"Very little and very badly, but I won't get better without practice." She grinned, then looked down at her blanket-wrapped naked body. "But we need to finish what we started afterwards."

"We shall." Kalus nodded as he stood. "I'll get the board."

For some reason, Shara felt a lot better than she had just a few minutes ago.

* * *

Kalus woke up the next morning thinking about his situation. Lyra was snuggled up against his right side as usual, her naked body molded up against his. On the other side, Katia had also leaned up against him, though she was more restful and less sensual in her position in addition to being clothed. It was interesting that their sleeping positions matched their personalities so well.

Today they would arrive at Laerten; Timarou's capital city.

It was arranged with two concentric circular walls. The outer wall protected the city, the city was between the outer wall and inner walls, and the inner wall encircled the castle. Between the inner wall and the castle was a small field and a deep moat; crossing them while under arrow fire would be suicide.

However, he didn't think it would do the defenders any good. There was no good way to leave the city so a siege would starve them out. Further, King Bracken didn't seem like the sort of man who had the stomach for a real fight. He would sue for peace and terms, an ignoble end to the centuries-long feud between the two warring kingdoms.

The thing that occupied Kalus's mind most was the people of Laerten. They were good people by all accounts and he wasn't looking forward to seeing the kind of havoc that King Tyso's other men would wreak. He had gotten progressively worse as the campaign wore on and they were about to reach the end.

That didn't bode well.

Lyra murmured something in her sleep, and it sounded like it was about horses. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, her ash blonde hair smelling like the wind after a rain. On his other side was Katia, the patriotic woman who was torn between her country and her new family. He considered it a minor miracle that she was torn, as not long ago she would've had no compunctions about leaving them and had admitted as much. He lay in bed, planning for the day and praying to Illuminar for the safety of his family from the dangers that encompassed them.

It wasn't long before Lyra stirred and Katia not long after that. His first wife didn't immediately roll away from him as soon as she woke.

He smiled at that.

Uncharacteristically, Lyra didn't try to start anything. He guessed that was in deference to Katia, who seemed more than usually pensive this morning. They ate breakfast in relative silence as he heard the sounds of the camp rousing all around him.

"Be careful husband." Lyra said after he had finished dressing and was about to leave the tent. "I only just found you and would hate to lose you."

"I will." He replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Katia start to open her mouth, but then she closed it and bit her lip. He wondered if she had been about to say something similar. He gave her a respectful nod, kissed Lyra tenderly, and then headed outside.

"Morning commander." His herald said when he'd emerged.

"Morning Kyselius." He lowered his voice. "Is it done?"

"Yes sir, he left barely thirty minutes after you gave the word."

"Good." He replied, then spoke at a more normal volume as they walked a dozen paces to where his inner circle was assembled. "Any news from the night?"

"None, all is quiet; almost too quiet."

"Oh?"

"Aye commander. I think the king had someone spread the word through the camp that he was going to let them have free reign in the city."

"And what was the reaction?" He asked as he sat down.

"Mixed." Titus replied. "A few of the men are feeling boisterous, the rest see this for what it is; a bribe to make them forget about their fallen comrades."

"The men aren't stupid." Kyselius grimaced. "Our legion wouldn't dare, but that still leaves 7000 soldiers under the other commanders who could take advantage. If only ten percent do, that's still enough to devastate Laerten."

Kalus took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This will be an interesting day."

* * *

Kalus had been called up to ride with the king and was with him when they crested the hill that gave them their first look at Laerten. He had left Katia and Lyra back with Kyselius, hoping to keep them as far away from the king as possible. That had been a good move since Tyso was in a particularly foul mood this morning.

"There she is, I fucking hate this city." The king growled. "I have half a mind to burn it to the ground, but that would make for a sorry prize."

No one replied to that.

"Still though, I hear that queen is something else." The King said. "I'll bet she's a great lay; probably had to audition for that old pervert of a king."

Again, no one replied.

"What do you think Kalus? You think the queen is a hot bitch in the bedchamber?"

"I would not speculate on the martial prowess of another man's wife sire." He replied, keeping his tone respectful even whilst simultaneously resisting the urge to clench his fist...

Tightly...

...around King Tyso's neck.

"Alright, let's go see what these Timarou whores are willing to sell their city for; I bet it'll be cheap." The king said, then glanced at Kalus. "You carry the white flag."

"Sire." He nodded his head in acknowledgment, ignoring the slight. That was usually the job of a soldier, or perhaps the king's guard at the highest. Kalus didn't mind doing it, but it was an insult that no one would miss.

They started down the hill.

The king had a smug look on his face the entire time. Kalus supposed that he had a good reason for such a look -- he was about to win a war that had been going on and off for centuries -- but it was a poor way to open a negotiation.

"Hail." Someone called from the top of the outer walls. The outer walls were only a dozen feet high, so the riders and defenders could see each other quite well. The man who had spoken had the look and manner of a mayor about him; probably the mayor of Laerten.

"Hail." King Tyso replied without warmth. "We're here to accept your surrender."

"Not negotiate it? Just accept it?" The Mayor raised his eyebrow.

"You can surely see my army and you know that you can't hold out long." Tyso countered. "Surrender now and it will go well for you. Wait, and..." He let that hang in the air for several seconds. "Well, a man can't always control his army."

"Commander Kalus can." The mayor replied coolly. "Not one of the cities he captured was pillaged, nor were its women raped. Put him in charge of Laerten and I will open the gates now."

A muscle in Tyso's cheek twitched.

The king took a deep breath.

Kalus remained impassive, knowing he was on thin ice with the king already.

"This isn't a negotiation." The king replied. "I will accept your unconditional surrender or we shall treat Laerten like any other city we've sacked.

"Would you perhaps consider--" The mayor began, but King Tyso cut him off.

"Unconditional!" He called loudly. "That means 'with no conditions'." He said it like he was speaking to an idiot child that. "You are trying my patience; open the gates now or I will find your family and make sure the men and boys are put in the stocks, and the women are guarded by my least disciplined men."

The Mayor paled.

Kalus could actually see him swallow hard.

"You... you won't accept any conditions?" He asked.

"You have ten seconds to open this gate." Tyso replied coolly, a smug grin on his face. "After that..."

The mayor stared for several long seconds.

"Five seconds." Tyso said.

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"Open the gate!" The mayor yelled.

Moments later, there was the unmistakable creaking and grinding of levers and pulleys as the large portcullis protecting the entry began to inch slowly upwards.

"Leave it open; I'll be back with the army soon." King Tyso instructed with unconcealed glee. "Oh, and have the town guard assemble in whatever passes for a town square so we can disarm them."

Kalus resisted the urge to make a face. He understood why the king was doing that, but it was adding insult to injury. The town guard weren't soldiers; they were police and very useful for policing actions without involving the military.

It was a bad move.

The king turned and started riding back towards the army with everyone falling in line behind him. Once they arrived at the camp, Tyso looked at his commanders. "I want to occupy that city within the hour and own it by nightfall. Feel free to push out the locals to house the troops and let them pillage and eat whatever they like; that'll help with morale."

The various commanders assented and then departed to carry out their orders.

"How did it go?" Kyselius asked the moment that Kalus returned to his council, and Katia and Lyra were also waiting. The latter looked relieved to see him, the former gave him a half smile.

He gave them all a brief rundown.

"Stupidity." Titus muttered under his breath.

"Aye." The herald agreed.

"We have our orders." Kalus said. "Organize the men and prepare to move out. I want everything coming with us, especially the provisions. The other legions might pilfer food, but our men will be paying for it if they want local food, though issue double rations for tonight's dinner."

"Yes sir." Kyselius replied.

"One more thing." Kalus said. "Are Octavian, Pernilus, and Asikan nearby?"

"They will be in a moment sir." The herald said, then took off.

Kalus busied himself with planning the occupation until his herald returned, which he did only a few minutes later. Behind him were the three centurions who had volunteered to protect his wives before the ambush the previous night."

"Commander." Octavian said with a crisp salute.

"I have a request of you men, but not an order." Kalus began, not quite sure how to phrase it.

"We would be happy to ensure your wives' safety again sir." Octavian spoke up.

"You need only say the word." Pernilus agreed.

"Aye, that's the truth." Asikan finished.

Kalus felt his heart swell. "Thank you gentlemen. I'm entrusting you with what's most precious to me in the world. You have permission to ignore the chain of command in this matter; no one except myself or the king may reassign you."

"Might I have a word sir?" Octavian asked. "Privately?"

He nodded and they walked several paces away before the centurion spoke again. "I know your position on insubordination sir, but you should know; I would find a way to ignore the king's command in this matter. Arrest me and court-martial me if you wish, but that's where I stand. I believe Pernilus and Asikan would take the same position, though they have not expressed it."

Kalus looked at the man for several long seconds. "I don't know whether to commend you or flog you for that Centurion."

"I will accept either and worse." Octavian replied seriously. "My men feel the same. There's not a man in this army that doesn't respect you, but since last night and this morning I believe they love you sir, and I don't only mean in our legion. There's not much love lost between the men and Tyso, no matter how he tries to bribe us to ignore the deaths he caused. The bribe has turned the men further against him rather than endeared him to them."

Kalus nodded. "Is there a danger of mutiny?"

"None, as long as you are a commander." The centurion replied. "Our legion follows you, and you follow Tyso. Their loyalties are thus, and not the other way around."

"Men in this army have been crucified for saying less." Kalus pointed out.

"And that's why my men follow you sir; you wouldn't crucify a man for telling the truth, nor for having an opinion."

The commanded inclined his head in concession.

"I would never ask you to betray the king." Octavian clarified. "But if he betrays you, he would not like the result. Not only from our legion, but perhaps from the others as well, though much less so. A commander should not be made to carry the white flag."

He nodded at the centurion. "Thank you for speaking your mind, though I urge you to let these thoughts go no further. As I said, men in this army have been crucified for less."

"Aye, aye commander." Octavian saluted.

They returned to the group and then the men separated to their assigned tasks.

Lyra came up to him, lean up on her tip-toes, and planted a tender kiss on his cheek. "Be careful husband."

"I shall be." He told her, then looked at Katia.

The former handmaiden didn't react as his second wife did, but she gave him a small smile as she spoke. "I... it would be a shame if our child grew up fatherless. I wouldn't wish that."

It was Kalus's turn to smile.

Katia had told him not to die. True she was more roundabout in her manner than Lyra, but he appreciated that about her. She could be quite subtle and he liked that about her.

"I would not wish that on our child either; I shall take pains to prevent it." He replied.

"I'm..." She looked down slightly, but the corners of her mouth twitched up slightly. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Take care and listen to Octavian, Pernilus, and Asikan; they will keep you safe."

"We will." Katia replied, and Lyra nodded.

"Then I will see you later, hopefully at dinner." Kalus said, then turned and headed towards Tornado to begin the occupation.

It was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

For Lyra, it had been an incredibly boring day.

Except for the brief excitement when her husband had returned, she had nothing to do. She and Katia had followed the three centurions into the city, but they hadn't been able to see much since they had been surrounded by the soldiers who were guarding them. Neither of the women was tall and their horses were likewise shorter than the military steeds on which their protectors rode.

Katia seemed to relax a bit once they'd entered the city. The former handmaiden looked around a lot and seemed to smile to herself a lot. It seemed like she felt at home here, or perhaps like she was coming home. The ash blonde thought that made sense since a handmaiden would've spent much time with the princess in the capital city. Although if her memory served her, Princess Shara had spent much of her teen years at another castle for her schooling.

The city of Laerten itself was... interesting.

Lyra had never been there before and thus was quite fascinated by the buildings which in some cases towered three or even four stories tall. She had never seen buildings that tall, and especially not so close together.

Also interesting were the people.

Or rather, the lack thereof.

The number of people near the entrance gate was incredibly small. Only a few townspeople were milling about and most of them looked like they didn't know where to go. It was entirely possible that they'd been kicked out of their homes and didn't have a place to go.

However, the further into the city they traveled -- at least in the direction they were being led -- the more people she saw. At one point they crossed over a small bridge. The other side of the bridge was noticeably shabbier looking than the side they'd come from, and the canal over which it led seemed to be a dividing line between the poor and 'not poor' areas of Laerten.

On the far side -- the poor side -- there were a lot of people.

And not just poor people either.

Some of them looked quite wealthy and some even had bodyguards. The mix of wealthy and poor people was rather strange to watch because they were clearly from different worlds. There appeared to be a bit of mistrust between the two social classes, but it definitely fell short of animosity.

Lyra and Katia followed the centurions through the city until they stopped at an especially large building. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it looked clean and had a sign which read 'inn' on it. The centurions stopped in front of it.

"I'll go see if the proprietor is amenable to us staying here." Octavian said, then turned to the ladies. "Would you accompany me? I would not wish to let those I am guarding out of my sight, and your presence will likely soften our image."

Lyra looked at Katia, who hesitated a moment and then nodded.

"We will." Lyra said, dismounting from her horse.

Katia likewise dismounted and spent a moment gently reassuring her horse that everything would be alright. Misty seemed to take comfort from her words, though the horsewoman was pretty sure that the former handmaiden was reassuring herself just as much as her horse. Lyra and Katia wrapped the reins around the hitching post outside the inn and then followed Octavian inside.

The inside was much like the outside. It bore signs of being an inn in the poor part of town, but it was cheery and clean; it looked reasonably well cared for anyway. There was a slightly plump woman behind a makeshift bar. She wasn't young, but she wasn't old yet either. She looked a bit haggard and her clothes had seen better days. They were clean, but patched in more than one place.

"Good afternoon ma'am." Octavian said to her.

She flinched and jumped slightly, even though she had seen them enter. "Afternoon." She replied cautiously, like she expected them to attack her.

"We seek lodgings if you will allow it." He continued.

The woman eyed the two girls, then looked at him again. "Rooms for you and your wives?" Her tone was icy and clearly indicated that she thought he was doing something he shouldn't be doing with the two women.

"No ma'am, these are the wives of my commanding officer; Commander Kalus."

The woman blinked.

She cocked her head to one side and said almost in a whisper. "Commander Kalus wishes to lodge here?"

"Yes ma'am, if you will permit it." Octavian nodded. "We shall pay for our lodging of course, and--"

"You'll do no such thing." The woman said as she breathed a sigh of relief and a smile spread across her face. "I have two daughters, one of whom isn't of age and the other barely is, and both are lookers. I was worried that Tyso's men..." She breathed another sigh of relief. "Commander Kalus can house as many men here as will fit, and free of charge to make sure he stays. I know he'll keep my daughters safe."

Lyra couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, he's good that way."

Katia got a small smile on her face too and she spoke quietly. "He is."

"I'll show you to my best room." The woman said, looking at the two women as she stepped out from behind the bar. "Mind you, it isn't exactly grand, but it's the best I have."

"You don't have to do that." Katia said. "I don't think our husband would want--"

The woman interrupted her. "Oh tosh girl; I want my daughters kept safe and he wants a room; I'm going to give him the best room I have to make sure he stays."

"Thank you." Lyra said.

The woman looked at Octavian. "I'm happy to provide the lodging, but if there will be a lot of you I might not have enough food without some coin to buy more."

"We will fully compensate you for the food, rooms, and--"

"Nonsense." The woman replied. "Just pay the cost of the food and I'll take care of the rest." Octavian looked like he was going to argue, but the woman continued before he got a chance. "I'll show the girls to their rooms, you just have your men come in and make themselves comfortable. Most folks fled with Tyso's army coming, so any bed is available."

Octavian nodded, but he accompanied them upstairs to the room anyway, insisting on checking the room out before letting the women in. The room wasn't large, being significantly smaller than Kalus's rather large field tent. The bed was barely larger than the field bedding and there was a small table with two chairs, though if the table was moved someone could sit on the bed to seat three.

After checking out the room, Octavian called two of his men up the stairs and charged them solemnly. "These are the commander's wives; guard them with your lives."

"We will sir." They said with a crisp salute, and Lyra almost thought they looked happy to have this assignment.

"You really don't have to do that." Lyra said. "The innkeeper seems nice and I'm sure we'll be safe."

"You almost certainly will be safe ma'am, but these men here will remove the 'almost' element. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't ensure the commander's wives had every protection possible."

"Thank you." Katia said. "I think I'm only now beginning to understand just how much you all love him."

"Every man in his legion would take an arrow for him ma'am, and more than one outside of it would too I would wager." Octavian said firmly. "He even trained most of the king's guard, and I'm pretty sure they feel the same."

"Illuminar really blessed us with our husband, didn't he?" Lyra smiled.

"Aye ma'am." He nodded. "Now, I must see to other matters. You're not to leave this room without armed escort, understand?"

"Thank you." Katia gave him a small smile, but a genuine one.

"Ladies." He gave them a respectful head bow and then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Once the door was closed, Lyra turned to Katia. "Remind me, why did you hate our husband so much again?"

"I think I blamed him for Tyso forcing us to marry and forcing us to share a bed." Katia sighed, sat down on the bed, and looked down at the floor, swinging her legs slightly and gently tapping her heels against the bedframe. "I wish I could go back and change things, treat him differently."

"My father always says that you can't change what's already been done, but you can change the present so you needn't look back with regret in the future."

The former handmaiden gave her a small smile and nodded but didn't reply.

"Look." Lyra walked over and sat beside her fellow wife, wanting to see her as deliriously happy being married to Kalus as she was. "Our husband truly likes you and I'm sure he would be happy to hear you say this."

"I don't know if I could say it." The amber-haired girl looked down and examined her shoes intently. "I just..." Her cheeks went pink. "I don't feel like I could ever say the right thing."

"Well, then don't say something; do something." The ash blonde suggested. "You know what they say: talk is copper, actions are gold."

Katia inclined her head in concession, but didn't say anything for several seconds. "But what would I do? What could I do?"

"Um, maybe just keep an eye open for an opportunity?" She suggested. "I can too, and if I see anything I'll let you know."

Katia looked at her and smiled. "I'm really glad I ended with you as a fellow wife."

"Aww." Lyra leaned in and gave the other girl a hug. "Me too."

* * *

Shara spent a not-inconsiderable part of the afternoon trying to figure out what she could do to apologize to Kalus. She couldn't think of anything and didn't know what she could do.

And then there was the other side of things.

He was still a commander in the army that had just occupied her father's city, and tomorrow Kalus would either be attacking her father's castle or occupying it. She also didn't know what Tyso would do to her father and mother and she was worried about that. Tyso had a reputation and her mother was a beautiful woman. She was also a queen, so that might make it less likely that Tyso would try something, but she was still worried.

And then there was also the baby growing in her womb. She didn't know how to be married to an enemy commander and carrying his child while also remaining loyal to her father and country. She wished there was a way though.

The sky outside the window had started to darken when they heard someone outside the room.

It was Kalus, and he looked tired.

"How did it go with the city's occupation?" Shara asked, hoping her people hadn't suffered too badly under King Tyso.

"As well as can be expected." He replied. "Nearly the entire city that couldn't flee migrated to the poor section, so the rest of the capital is a ghost town. Tyso isn't pleased and many of the troops are pilfering to their heart's content. Still, most of the people are safe."

"Because you warned them." She said, her eyes getting slightly watery as she remembered his plan for helping the citizens of Laerten.

"Does the king know?" Lyra asked fearfully.

"I think he suspects." Kalus replied. "He can't prove anything of course, but I think he suspects."

"What now?" Katia asked. "If he holds true to form, he won't let this go unanswered."

"No, he won't." Kalus sighed heavily. "I fear what he has planned, but that is a problem for tomorrow. As the Book of Light says: Don't borrow problems from the future; today has enough troubles to worry about'."

"How are the people doing?" Shara asked, almost fearing the answer.

"Oddly, they are inviting soldiers from my legion into their homes." Kalus frowned. "They seem to believe that having my soldiers present will keep the rest of Tyso's men at bay."

"The innkeeper here thought the same." Shara nodded. "Your reputation proceeds you."

He looked at her, a sad smile on his face. "I wish it had preceded me a bit better in certain circles."

"Me too." Shara replied, not meeting his eyes. "But the princess didn't hear much of the war, and it seems only the worst bits when she did hear of it."

"Propaganda; it's as old as war itself." Kalus replied, then took a deep breath. "Regardless, it is time for dinner. The innkeeper has volunteered the dining room for my command staff and you ladies."

"I'm starved." Lyra beamed.

"I could eat." Shara smiled.

They went downstairs and through a doorway into a dining room with a table long enough to fit Kalus, his wives, and the senior command staff with several chairs to spare. Shara noticed that the men had left the chair at the head of the table unoccupied, as well as the two chairs closest to it on its right-hand side.

She smiled.

Lyra took the lead and sat down so that Katia could sit closest to Kalus, though the princess wasn't sure why. The food was good, or at least much better than the military rations she'd been eating since her castle had fallen. The conversation was mostly about business between Kalus and his men or about running the city.

About halfway through dinner, a man wearing Har'petonian clothes entered and addressed Kalus. "King Tyso requires your presence at sunrise tomorrow for the final push to the castle."

"I will be there." Kalus replied.

The messenger didn't leave.

"Something else?" Kalus asked.

The messenger frowned, then looked at Shara and Lyra, then back at their husband. "The king wants you to bring your wives as well."

Kalus's eyes narrowed. "Did he say why?"

"No commander, and..." The man hesitated. "May I offer a personal observation?"

"Go ahead."

"The king had a curious expression on his face as he told me this." The messenger frowned. "I would not normally presume to advise a capable commander such as yourself, but it's possible -- given the incident with the white flag -- that his intentions are..." The man looked around as he trailed off, as if he was worried about being overheard.

"Understood." Kalus replied, sparing the man from having to complete the sentence. "Tell the king I will be there with my wives at sunrise."

"Commander." The man saluted, then left.

The moment the door closed behind him, Kyselius spoke up. "That king is planning to kill you all."

"It's possible." Kalus put his fork down and looked around the table. "Opinions?"

"Leave." Shara said.

"You can't." The scoutmaster said. "Tyso has men who are personally loyal to him at every exit from the city. You'd be spotted and executed on the spot as deserters."

"Hide?" Lyra suggested.

"That will only prolong the inevitable." Titus shook his head. "It's rarely a good idea to jump to conclusions. Tyso might want your heads, but he might merely have some other humiliation in mind."

Shara looked at Kalus, fearing for her new family.

That was the moment.

She hadn't realized it before, but somehow she had grown to think of Kalus, Lyra, herself, and her baby as a family. They were one of course, but she hadn't really thought of them that way before. Now that she had...

Hmm.

She looked at Kalus. They'd gotten off to a rocky start, but he was a good man, a good husband, and would almost certainly be a good father as well. He was a strong man, but he could be tender as well. She looked at Lyra, who she could see becoming her best friend in the world. It was a case of opposites attracting, but she could see them becoming close. She put her hand over her womb and vaguely wondered if Lyra was carrying precious cargo as well. She and Kalus had certainly been to bed often enough lately.

Her family.

It was strange to think how it had formed, but it had. There was only one thing holding her back from being truly happy with her new family: Kalus was part of the army invading her country. If only he were a citizen of Timarou and not at war with her country and father.

She sighed.

If only.

"I suppose we will discover King Tyso's intentions tomorrow." Kalus said, but his mouth was pulled into a thin line and he was staring intently into space.

He was worried.

Or at least that's how he looked to Shara.

"Well, this seems like a good time for this." Kyselius said, standing up. He walked over to Kalus and set down a small... rock? In front of him. It was about the size of the last joint on Shara's pinky finger.

"What is it?" Kalus asked.

"It's called 'rock candy'." The herald replied. "Apparently, it's made mostly from sugar and some berry juice. It's hard, so don't try to chew it because you'll break your teeth. Just suck on it; they're pretty good."

Kalus gave him an odd look.

"I found it at a street vendor earlier and the fellow claimed that he invented it just recently." Kyselius said. "He didn't have many so I got the last two. I already ate one, so they're not poisoned." He added with a wink. "Try it, you look like you could use something sweet."

Kalus picked up the piece of 'rock candy' and sniffed it. He gave Kyselius another quizzical look, then popped it in his mouth. He didn't say anything for several seconds, then got a smile on his face and nodded.

"That's quite good." He nodded as he sucked on it and looked at his herald. "Rock candy you say?"

"Yes sir." Kyselius nodded, then looked at the ladies. "Sorry, the vendor didn't have enough for you ladies as well."

Lyra nodded, then cocked her head to one side and got an impish grin on her face. She glanced at Shara, then at her husband again. "Husband, might I try some of yours?"

"I wouldn't try to break it in half with your teeth." Kyselius cautioned. "You're liable to chip a tooth."

"That's okay." Lyra said, her impish grin morphing into a more proper smile... but the sparkle was still in her eyes as she looked at Kalus. "I would be willing to um, get it from you." She said, and Shara could tell that the horsewoman was doing everything in her power to silently tell Kalus that she wasn't about to make a scene.

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Please?" She asked, and again Shara could tell that she was trying very hard to non-verbally indicate that she wasn't about to cross the unwritten rules of decorum.

He scrutinized her for several seconds, then nodded.

The ash blonde stood and stepped over to him, then as properly as possible and with almost no hint of sensuality or flirtation, she sat down across his lap. Not straddling him, but with both her legs together across his lap. Then she leaned in and placed what could almost be described as a chaste kiss on his lips.

Shara saw their mouths open while pressed together, and while she couldn't actually see the piece of rock candy pass between them, she knew it had. She knew their tongues must've touched, and even intertwined to pass the candy between them. For some reason, she felt slightly wistful as she thought about what that might feel like.

After several seconds, Lyra leaned away from their husband and paused for several seconds. "It's really good." Then she lowered her voice and whispered so that Shara could barely hear. "And the candy is too."

He smiled at her.

Shara felt a bit... well, jealous of Lyra. She wasn't sure when this happened, but she wanted to kiss him too. She didn't know when that had changed, but it had. It occurred to her that she had never kissed Kalus before, not properly anyway. They'd been married for over a week now, and yet they'd never kissed save for when they were wed and that wasn't a real kiss.

She'd never been properly kissed.

She was pregnant with her first child and she'd never been properly kissed. That was a problem. Since her kingdom had fallen, she would probably spend the rest of her life as 'Katia', former handmaiden to the princess. She hadn't been to the capital much in recent years so she didn't think that anyone from the common folk would recognize her here. If she was going to live as a former handmaiden, she wanted to at least know what it was like to be properly kissed.

Sadly, she didn't know how to approach it with him.

She didn't want to ask; it would just sound silly to say to him: 'could you kiss me so I know what it's like to be kissed?' No, that wasn't a good idea. However, she didn't know how to approach it otherwise.

Fortunately, Lyra seemed to.

The horsewoman stood up and returned to her seat, then looked at Shara. "Did you want to try it?"

Shara froze.

Was Lyra suggesting what she thought she was suggesting?

"Of course, you'll have to return it to our husband when you're done..." The horsewoman gave her a significant look.

Oh.

The ash blonde was actually trying to help her do exactly what she said she'd wanted to do earlier that day; tell Kalus that not only did she not hate him, but she liked him. Did she want to kiss him using the candy as an excuse? Of course she did. Hadn't she just been wanting to know what it was like to be kissed? Well, she had an opportunity right in front of her... if only she could summon the courage to do it.

"Do you want to?" Lyra gently prompted.

Shara felt her head nodding before she had formed a response.

"Then..." The ash blonde bit her lip. "Should I give the rock candy to you?"

Shara glanced at Kalus, who was looking wide-eyed at his second wife. The princess turned to Lyra and nodded mutely, having no idea how this could possibly work. The blonde winked, leaned in, and gently pressed her lips to Shara's.

Her lips were soft.

Very soft.

They were slightly moist, gentle, and tasted a bit like some kind of berry, but that might just be the rock candy. Moments later, Shara felt something hard push gently against her lips and opened them to accept it. The hard candy was followed by a very soft and smooth tongue, which seemed to linger inside Shara's mouth a moment or two longer than strictly necessary.

Then Lyra pulled back, but it didn't feel like she wanted to.

Her fellow wife subtly licked her lips and smiled at Shara, the ash blonde's cheeks going pink as she did so. Lyra then adjusted herself in the chair a bit, exactly in the way she often did when she was craving some 'alone time' with their husband.

"What do you think?" Lyra asked.

"It's um... it was..." Shara's brain was slightly fried as she too subtly licked her lips, only then becoming aware of the subtly sweet flavor of the rock candy in her mouth. That's when she realized her fellow wife had been asking about the rock candy, not the kiss.

Oh, dear Illuminar in heaven; she'd just had her first real kiss, and it had been with a woman! If her mouth hadn't been full, her jaw would've dropped. She'd just kissed another woman. Voluntarily. Her eyes went wide and she swallowed, though fortunately she had the presence of mind not to swallow the rock candy.

"Well?" Lyra asked again.

"It's..." She sucked on the candy for a moment, enjoying the subtle berry flavor and sweetness. "It's quite good." She grinned.

Lyra flicked her eyes pointedly towards Kalus.

Shara turned in her seat toward him. "Um..."

Her brain froze. She knew what she wanted to do, but she was having a bit of trouble getting started.

Kalus looked at her for several seconds. "Do you want to return it?"

She bit her lip, hesitated for several moments and then nodded her head slightly.

His smile widened. "Are you sure?"

She closed her eyes and nodded again.

She heard a scraping sound and opened her eyes to see that he had pushed his chair back from the table slightly. Not much, but enough to make a comfortable space on his lap. He looked like he was exerting effort not to smile so broadly that he cracked the room's walls, but was failing in that effort.

He gently patted his lap.

Shara swallowed.

"Go on." Lyra gave her a gentle nudge.

She nodded, then pushed her chair out a bit so she could stand up. It was only a step or two, but seemed a lot further. She stood by the side of his chair for several seconds, knowing exactly what she wanted to do, but embarrassed to do it.

"I won't bite." Kalus said, and his tone was even softer than it usually was.

She bit her lip, then nodded.

She turned around, then sat down across his lap. It was more comfortable than she had guessed it would be. He was warm too; was he always this warm? He was a lot taller than she was and larger too. He had light brown eyes with flecks of hazel in them. He had kind eyes, too; why hadn't she noticed that when she'd met him? He was still a strict man and he could be stern, but he could also be kind and gentle too.

She realized that she was taking somewhat shallow breaths, and consciously took a deeper breath. "You're very comfortable." She nearly whispered because her voice was so hoarse.

"As are you." He replied.

She leaned in a bit, having to swallow again because the rock candy was slowly melting in her mouth. Her lips were only a few inches from his, but she was as close as she dared to come.

He put his arm around her.

It was such a small thing really, but it meant a lot. His arm was around her waist in a comforting fashion, and for some reason that made her feel safe enough to lean in a bit further. Her lips were perhaps only an inch away, but she couldn't bring herself to bridge that last gap between them, no matter how much she wanted to.

He did.

He leaned forward for a moment and she was only briefly distracted by the hair of his short beard before their lips met.

It was strange.

Nice, but strange.

She couldn't help comparing it to her kiss with Lyra just a moment ago. Her fellow wife had been very soft and gentle while Kalus was firmer and stronger. Neither was better than the other, but they were quite different. For some reason, she felt like she could feel it from her husband more. Like there was an attraction he had for her that Lyra didn't share, though the two women got along very well.

She liked it.

It wasn't quite what she had been expecting, but not better or worse; just different. She definitely wanted to try it again. Kalus's lips moved on her gently, and it felt like he was... was... Hmm, she couldn't think of any other way to say it than that it felt like he was 'savoring' her. She didn't know why she felt that way, but she liked it.

After several moments, she pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes.

They were sparkling.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him. "For... for everything."

He smiled at her and whispered in return. "You needn't apologize, but I shall always forgive you when you do."

"Thank you." She whispered.

"You can keep the candy." He whispered, his eyes twinkling.

She blushed; she had completely forgotten the excuse-- uh, the reason that she had kissed him in the first place.

He didn't seem to mind.

* * *

Kalus couldn't help but smile at his first wife voluntarily sitting on his lap. He and Katia had had a rocky road, but it seemed like things were finally smoothing out. They looked into each other's eyes for several seconds before the commander remembered that they were in a room full of people.

Titus had a knowing look on his face as he took another bite of dinner.

Katia seemed to remember that they had an audience too and she blushed, her pink cheeks complimenting her amber hair. She slid off his lap, giving him a strange look as she stood up. She had a very small smile playing around the end of her mouth as she looked at him. It almost looked like the smile was involuntary too; like her subconscious mind was more responsible for it than her conscious one.

He liked that.

Katia took her seat and his eyes shifted to Lyra, who unsurprisingly had a slightly hooded look around her eyes as she looked at him. Did she ever get enough time in bed? He was beginning to think she didn't, and perhaps never would.

The rest of dinner was a quiet affair, though he did discuss occupation business with his command staff. Overall, the citizens of Laerten showed remarkably little opposition to his legion occupying the city, with many of them even welcoming his presence. He was pretty certain that was primarily because his legion was de facto protecting them from King Tyso's other legions, which wouldn't be so gentle with the populace.

After dinner, he retired upstairs with his wives, Octavian's guards shadowing him the entire way. He didn't think it necessary but appreciated the men's care nonetheless.

"I'm ready for bed." Lyra said the moment the door had closed. By her tone, she didn't have sleep in mind.

Katia chuckled. "When are you not ready for bed."

"When I'm sleeping of course." The ash blonde said with a wink.

Kalus raised his eyebrow. "Sometimes you rub yourself against me in your sleep."

"Oh." She grimaced slightly, then shrugged. "I suppose I could try to stop, you'll just have to show me what exactly I'm doing so I know what I need to stop..." She trailed off, her fingers playing with the neckline of her dress.

"Is it truly that--" Katia started to say, but then went pink in the cheeks and fell silent.

"Yes, it's that good." The ash blonde replied. "I'm sure Kalus would love to show you, and I haven't been able to watch and see what it looks like from an observer's perspective yet..." She said the last part in a slightly sing-song tone.

Katia blushed scarlet.

Kalus shook his head with a smile and a chuckle. "You are quite the handful Lyra."

"I'm sorry, I just get so..." She looked down. "Is that still okay? I mean, that I'm so interested in the bedroom."

"I certainly don't mind, but occasionally I will need to get some sleep." He winked at her.

"Okay, I'll let you get some." She replied playfully.

"Um." Katia looked at him and then at the floor. "I um... may I call you by your first name?"

"Of course." He replied.

"Then, then Lucien..." She swallowed hard. "Could..." She glanced up at him again, then averted her eyes again. "Could you kiss me again?"

"Gladly." He stepped over to her and lowered his lips to hers.

She bent backwards away from him slightly as he approached, but stopped when their lips met. He kissed her tenderly, knowing she was less flamboyant and energetic than Lyra. However, she seemed to possess a deep well of feeling and emotion just beneath the surface. Whereas Lyra wore her heart on her sleeve, Katia was far more reserved.

She also kissed very differently.

Lyra was wild, diving in with almost no hesitation. Katia pulled herself against him with her arms and body while her head leaned slightly away. She wanted to kiss him, but leaned slightly away from the kiss even as she also pulled herself closer to him. She kissed with more emotion, but less passion. They were both wonderful, just different.

Their kiss broke after several moments and they looked at each other for several seconds.

"I would not have chosen how we married." Kalus said softly. "But I am glad that we are married."

She smiled slightly at him and nodded slowly. She didn't reply, but seemed to consider that.

"I don't know what Tyso has planned tomorrow at King Bracken's palace, nor who or what we'll see there tomorrow, but..." He trailed off at the look on Katia's face. "What?"

"I just realized..." The former handmaiden's eyes grew wide. "I'll be in the palace tomorrow."

"Yes." He said, not sure what his first wife was feeling, only that something she had realized was distressing her greatly.

"They'll recognize me." She took a step back and put and hand over her mouth. Her leg bumped up against the bed and she sank down onto it.

"But why is that a problem?" Lyra asked, moving over and sitting down next to her.

"Because..." Katia looked at the two of them and suddenly resembled a child who'd been caught stealing a sweet roll.

"Because... what?" Kalus asked.

The amber-haired girl worked her mouth soundlessly for several seconds with no sound coming out.

"Katia, if you know something -- especially if it's something that could put us in danger tomorrow at King Bracken's castle -- you need to tell me. Now." He said firmly but not unkindly.

She swallowed hard. "Please don't hate me."

"Dear Katia, I could never hate you." He replied and then sat down on her other side.

"But..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But my name isn't 'Katia'."

He stared at her.

"It's..." She took another deep breath and started examining the floor rather intently. "It's Shara; Shara Bracken."

TO BE CONTINUED...

STORY TAGS (For the whole series): blonde, teen, virgin, medieval, romantic, princess, threesome, impregnation, breeding