Chapter 41 - The Night Before Battle

June 10, 1645

Elune’s Meadow

Ilyia, the Land of the Gods

-Queen Almira Adrienne Ivaris-

I will not stay behind when the time for battle comes! I will not! What if I asked Seth to stay, huh? He won’t like it either so how could he ask me not to fight? Besides, we need each and every god available!

I should have thrown more fireballs towards him.

I huffed and made my way towards the secluded part of the river. I looked for the largest rock and sat on top of it once more, just like how I always did before. And then I watched as the waters flowed upon rocks and listened to its soothing melody.

I closed my eyes and just let the calm wash over me. There’s really no use getting angry towards Seth. There’s just no way I’d stay behind, end of discussion.

“Adrienne...” his husky voice reached my ears and I opened my eyes.

“What?” I snapped. He flinched and then I watched him jump gracefully from rock to rock until he reached the large boulder I am sitting on.

He reached for my fingers and twined it with his.

“What do you want?” I snapped again.

“I just want to be with you.” He replied in a tender voice. And with that, all my anger turned and fled away from me. I sighed to hide the smile that turned up the corner of my lips. I also turned my face away from his for I did not want him to see how his words affected me.

I heard him chuckle and then he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me tight to his body to bridge the distance between us. Seems, I can’t hide anything from him.

I placed my head on his shoulder as we sat side-by-side and I heard him laugh again.

“I’m sorry.”

“Alright. Just don’t make me stay behind tomorrow. I want to be by your side. For always.” I vowed.

“Just don’t let anything hurt you or I’ll go crazy.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m a goddess, remember?” I said with a huge smile. He shook his head and then cradled my head in his chest.

“We’ve come a long way from then, haven’t we?” he reminisced.

“Yes. A really, really long way.”

“When I first saw you in that slave auction, I knew there was something about you. It was as if a part of you called out to me and I can’t help but reach out. Right then, I knew I had to have you. And truth be told, if someone bid against me, I would have squandered all the gold I’ve brought and even that of my men just so I could have you.” He declared.

I raised an eyebrow at him and playfully slapped his arm. “Right. And you have how many mistresses waiting for you in the castle?”

He flinched and then he frowned. “Please don’t remind me that again.” He groaned.

“I’d take pleasure in reminding you of it every single time.” I laughed. “Really, Seth. You needed that many women in your bed?”

He groaned again. “You have to know something about me... When I was still young, Sylvan and I did some things I am not proud of. We spent years waging war, claiming women and then discarding them and more things I’d rather not tell you about.”

I pursed my lips and turned my head away from him. “I know. Father told me all about you. But then you changed. What made you change?” I asked.

“Hmm? That’s another story for another time.” He said with a laugh and then he nuzzled the area where my shoulder met my neck.

“Fine, then. Keep your secrets for now. But one day, I am going to know them all.” I huffed and Seth chuckled.

“Another thing that has changed is that I now understand everything. When I was younger, I never felt as if I belonged but now it all makes sense... Before, it was as if there was something else inside of me. And aside from that, I had unusual abilities. I could sense if someone said the truth or lied and I had these visions...”

“What kind of visions?” he asked.

“I think I haven’t told you this before... But the first time I saw you at that slave auction... Remember I bumped into you? When you touched my arm to steady me, I had a vision of the two of us.”

“What is this vision about, li’eras?"

“It’s about the two of us, in bed. Our limbs intertwined, you moving on top of me. And the night you claimed me was exactly how I saw it in my vision.” I said in the most seductive voice I could.

I heard his sharp intake of breath and saw his eyes turn black with lust. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine and I was hauled into his hard chest. I gave in to his kiss and wrapped my arms around his neck to press my body closer to his.

His warmth seemed to seep right through my clothes and into my skin, chasing away the chill of the night even as lowered the bodice of my gown to bare me to his gaze. He wrenched his lips from mine to look down at the skin he freed. And then his gaze was replaced by his hands.

I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning as his skilful hands were replaced by his hot, wet mouth.

“Seth...” I moaned his name as I speared my fingers through his soft, dark hair. He took one last lick at my hardened peak and then he pulled away to gaze at me through passion-filled, dark eyes.

“I need you.” He growled. I lifted my hands to cup his cheek. “As I need you...” I replied. And then he wrapped his arms around me and once more, there was this feeling of weightlessness. When I opened my eyes, we were no longer in the river, sitting atop a boulder.

Instead, we were in some sort of wide cavern. Seth pulled me to his side and then I saw him wave his hand. Instantly, balls of light flew from his fingers and raced across the cavern to bathe it with light.

Before I could react, Seth waved his hands again and all the dust, cobwebs, trash and papers that littered the floor and the whole room vanished. “Where are we?” I whispered.

“We’re at my home, my queen.” He replied. I opened my lips to ask him what he meant by that when suddenly, his lips were on mine again and I was roughly pushed towards the wall. He raised both of his hands and placed it on the wall beside me, effectively trapping me as he continued to kiss me with all of his pent-up passion.

My mind spun with his kiss and all thoughts fled me and was replaced with pure sensation. It was as if every nerve ending of mine was on fire and called out for Seth’s touch.

“Li’eras...” he ground out as I opened my mouth and responded to his hot kisses by mating my tongue with his. I tugged my lips away from his and trailed soft kisses from the corner of his lips and then up his ear. I flicked my tongue out and nibbled on his earlobe and I felt his knees almost buckle.

“Adrienne.” He growled in warning a split second before I heard a ripping sound. And then I felt the cool air rush towards my heated skin and saw my ruined white dress on the floor of the cavern.

I gasped but Seth covered my lips again with his. “I’ll make you another one.” He promised. He let go of me for a few seconds as he undid his belt and shrugged off his robes. Then he came back to me only in his white pants.

The sight of him bare-chested, eyes dark with lust and lips slightly parted as he walked towards me stole my breath away. When he was close enough, I placed my palms on his chest and ran my hands through layers of hard, sculpted muscle.

He stepped closer and pressed his entire length against mine. Right now, our skin was separated only by the white pants that he wore.

“Bed?” I whispered.

“Too far. I need you.” He half-growled, half-groaned. And before I could reply, I was pinned to the wall once more.

“Wrap your legs around me.” He bit out as he lifted me off the floor. I followed his command and wrapped my legs around him. His hand reached down and he tugged down the white pants that he wore.

And in a span of another breath, he arched his back and plunged inside of me. My scream of pleasure was swallowed by his lips as he pressed more kisses on me. In a split second of clarity, I realized that this is our first time together as the god and the goddess in this second life.

Adrienne has been with Seth, the King of Ivaris, many times before... But tonight, it’s different. For it’s not only Seth and Adrienne, but also Selene and Aiken...

“Vel eras mira...” Seth ground out before he began to move inside of me. He pulled back almost all the way, torturing me and then he would press his hips back again.

I clutched at his back as sensations swamped my body again, erasing all thought. This was unlike any other coupling we had before. This one was pure desire and sensation. He took me hard and fast as though he was afraid that time would be stolen from us and we’d never get to hold each other like this again.

And I responded to him with all the pent-up passion of thousands of years not being with my beloved King and husband...

Right now, nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered... except Seth and me...

“Vel eras mira veo!” I screamed as he changed the angle of his thrusts, hitting a delicious spot inside of me. Then, he lowered his hand between us and touched that ball of sensation. And just like that, everything inside me broke.

I hurtled upwards towards that absolute pleasure, reached it and held the triumph, and came shattering down after a few moments. I felt Seth’s entire body tense and heard him roar my name as he also reached his pleasure and spilled himself inside of me...

I placed my head in his shoulders as our bodies cooled down and our heartbeats returned to normal. Afterwards, Seth lifted his head and kissed me again.

“You are my life, Adrienne. My everything.” He declared and tears filled my eyes. I placed my forehead against his and replied:

“You are my world, Seth. My King, my fierce protector, my darling husband.” And then I kissed his lips again and poured out all my love for him through that kiss.

Desire flared between us again and once more, he took me up against the wall...

And throughout the night, our bodies were intertwined. Neither of us wanting to let go. Both of us wishing that the night was longer so that we could spend more passionate moments with each other.

And eventually, we made it to his bed... And spent more time loving each other there.

Dawn came and Seth was fast asleep in bed. With the desire in me sated, I decided that it’s time to explore this cavern that Seth called his home. I slowly untangled myself from Seth and got up from the bed to explore the room.

The first thing I saw was the various weapons that were hung on a wall in the far corner of the room. There were all kinds of swords, spears, chains, and metal weapons I could not even name. In another corner of the room lay gold, jewels and various riches. On another side lay piles of beautiful women’s clothing.

I ran my fingers through them and saw that these were riches from old Kingdoms. They may have been given to Aiken as tribute whenever Kings implored his help. If he deemed their cause worthy, he would descend from Ilyia and help fight the battle. And this is how they thanked him.

Gold and women...

Gold to adorn his home and women to warm his bed. And I bet those women really felt honoured to be taken by a God.

No wonder in this life, he had this urge to have many mistresses.

I huffed and turned away from the pile of gold. Seth’s cavern truly was beautiful. It’s beauty was found in its simplicity. During our last life, he never took me here. Instead, we lived on The Golden Palace.

Maybe it was because he had so many things to do. He wanted to prove to my father that he was the best and so he let go of his old life just to be with me. I smiled and then went back to the bed and stroked my fingers through Seth’s hair.

He inhaled and then his eyes flew open. He turned and saw the pile of gold and the jewels from the women he bedded.

“There’ll be no one else but you... Those women didn’t matter.” He said tenderly.

“I know, li’eras." I replied and settled down beside him on the big bed.

Truly, I know that I am the only one in his heart. There’s no need to be jealous for he’s as much mine as I am his. His love for me is so great that it even crossed the barrier of Death. Here we are, given another chance to have our eternity and I am not wasting even a second of it doubting him or being jealous.

In one swift move, he rolled us both until I was under him again and his delicious body was pressed against mine. I smiled at him in invitation and boldly stroked his hardness.

And we didn’t talk again for a long while after that for we spent the remaining time in each other’s arms from dawn until the sun rose and signalled the start of the battle...

-Duncan-

June 10, 1645

The Plain of Dreams

Cosmos’ Home

“I have granted your wish...” a woman’s voice spoke softly to me. I slowly opened my eyes and quickly shut it again when blinding white light seared my vision.

“What? Who are you?” I asked.

“I have granted your wish... You have met her first and you had a chance to prove your love to her. And she loved you... Though brief, she was yours and you were her whole world... And never doubt this love for it was true.”

“What are you talking about?” I hissed. But a small part of me knew what it was this woman was talking about...

“You have wished to prove yourself. I have granted it. I have given you everything you desired. I have given you a new life devoid completely of the past that proved to be your downfall... Circumstances have forced you to be together and you had it all. You had power, prestige, wealth, fame... And she has loved you. But as I have told you before, you are not meant for her...”

“Adrienne! Where is she? What have you done to her?!” I screamed.

“She is safe... Now, warrior... The choice is yours. You are the one who will tip the scales of this war. Will you let your vision be clouded once more? Would you succumb to evil words and let your light be blackened again or will you now fight for what is right?” the soft, melodious voice said to me.

“Stop speaking in riddles! Tell me what it is you mean!” I shouted. I clenched my fists at my side while still keeping my eyes closed. I just can’t bear to open them for the intense light was too painful for me.

“You will know soon... Remember, warrior, the choice is yours... I wish that you would choose the right thing this time. For what happened before was never meant to be your fate...”

Suddenly, the light faded and I found myself jerking upright.

Gods, it was only a dream!

I wiped the sweat away from my brow and I realized that my entire body was covered in soot. I slowly stood up and my entire body was sore and there were some blisters on my skin.

And then I remembered everything...

I remembered feeling a certain amount of power right before there was a huge ball of flame. And then it was followed by cries for help and the scent of burning flesh...

“Ah... You’re finally awake. I didn’t really think you’d be here, you know. Imagine my surprise when I felt your power block Selene’s fire.” A man stood before me. He wore black robes that were embroidered with gold. And he was holding a glowing vial in his hand.

“Who are you?”

“You don’t remember me? We’re friends! But I didn’t recognize you right away. You’ve changed... So, forgive me for that. You look better today than you did before.” he said with a smile.

“I have brought this for you.” He said and handed the vial to me. I eyed it suspiciously. “It’s Healing Waters from the Goddess Lai’s temple. I managed to get this before I returned here. It would heal your body. Apparently, you weren’t able to block all of Selene’s attack.” He said and pointed towards the numerous cuts and blisters I received.

I did not take the vial. He sighed and then uncorked it. Then, he withdrew a dagger from his belt and quickly sliced open his palm. Blood welled from the cut and fell down the floor.

“Watch.” He commanded. He showed me his bleeding hand and then took a small sip from the Healing Waters. Instantly, the cut sealed and there was not race of it left, not even a scar.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked. My entire body felt sore and every movement made me wince. So I accepted the glowing vial and drank all of it.

Instantly, the soreness eased and the redness and blisters disappeared from my skin. The stiffness of my muscles also eased and I felt very relaxed.

But after a few moments came pain...

“What have you done?!” I growled as I clutched my temples. There was just so much pain in my head that I thought I’d die from it.

“Cut all that drama. You’re not going to die.” He said as if he could read my mind. Then, he sat on the floor and leaned towards the wall as he watched me. It was as if he was waiting for something...

The pain in my head intensified more and more and I screamed in pain. My entire body bowed and I felt to the floor and tried to curl up. And then there were images. Plenty of images I could not recognize flashed through my head. And it was accompanied with voices, all speaking at the same time.

“Make it stop!” I begged.

“It will all be over soon.” He promised. He was grinning from ear-to-ear as if he was enjoying my pain. I looked at him and I saw something like anticipation shining in his eyes...

"It's painful because you're changing. Every cell in your body is being changed. Taken over by the side of you which is immortal," he whispered.

Throughout the pain, I screamed. The pain was so intense. It felt as if my veins and every fibre of my being were lit on fire. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced. I closed my eyes to dispel the images flashing through my mind but it only made it worse.

"Breath, my friend. It will be over soon. Your mortality will be gone and then you shall remember..."

And then suddenly, it was as if everything froze.

It was as if time stopped and I was the only one who could move. The images slowed and it was as if a part of my brain has been unlocked. The pain lifted and the images and the voices started making sense.

I recognized the faces there and this man, in front of me, was one of them...

Suddenly, the images and the voice stopped. I felt electricity shoot up my spine and my entire body arched and then I fell back onto the floor, panting and out of breath. And then I finally understood everything. The pain was replaced with rage.

Burning rage...

I heard the sound of footsteps which echoed across the silent dungeon.

I saw an arm in front of me and I took it and the man who gave me the healing water helped me get up.

He waved his hand and my clothes changed. My soot-covered clothes vanished and it was replaced with the same black robe with golden embroidery that he wore.

“Argyll.” I greeted. My voice still husky from screaming through the pain.

“Hello, Azrael. Good to have you back.” Argyll replied with a wink.