Winterfall

Being bored of being in my room, I decided to do some research in the castle library. The castle library is one of the oldest parts of the castle so I had hoped that there would be some information on Marcel.

The library consisted of numerous bookshelves that were filled to the brim with books of varying ages and knowledge. My father had made sure that he got all the current and past information placed in the library as he had several scouts just out searching for unique books.

The design of the library was unique, as it had a few floors only accessible by magical means. My father had created a system where you would think of a subject and be teleported to the shelves that contained the information you were looking for. I had no idea if Marcel would even be in the library as he was more of a current event. However, knowing my father, he wouldn’t let the man slip past him without his own research being done.

Thankfully I was right. The library teleported me to one of the more secluded and older parts of the library—a place I know my father liked to hide valuable information in.

The library pulled out a text that appeared to be more recent. “Strange.” I thought aloud as I took the text to an empty chair and began to read the book.

The book told a tale of a man who set his intentions on war, as he was known to be in the direct line of fire as he was on the frontline of the last few wars. He was considered a general of sorts but no one knew of the location of his army, despite them being a true threat. Apparently, army had a huge impact in the downfall of Summer Crest and the death of their previous king. Since then, Marcel had fully taken control of the kingdom of Summer Crest and their council had crowned him as the new king.

His attacks didn't stop there as his army had appeared at various points along the borders of Aspen and Emerald Cove in attempts to overthrow them as well but those two kingdoms had an army that was able to hold their ground against him.

This information sent a chill down my spine as I feared that the arranged marriage that I was in was a ploy to get my kingdom—something I would not let happen.

With Theo’s occasional help, we were able to dig further into my father’s research to find that Marcel had control of a fierce dragon, known to have destroyed countless villages with a single breath. Her name was written as Crimson and she was described as a fierce red dragon with piercing orange eyes and a breath of hell fire that torched everything in its path. This made this situation even more alarming as her breath alone could destroy half of my own kingdom with a single use.

Finding out what little information we did have gave me the strength that I needed to really focus on my training with Theo. As the week progressed and my newfound drive, Théoden proved to be a great teacher. The basic magic lessons taught me how to focus and maintain control of my powers without unnecessarily overcharging them.

He also quickly taught me different phrases most people use to summon various types of spells, their damage types, and their corresponding arcane runes. For example, he taught me to use the word ‘brann’ meaning fire, or ‘lyn’ for lightning, or ‘syre’ for acidic spells.

After his fourth “Magic 101” lesson, as I called it, he finally approached me after we finished and said, “Tomorrow, you will be using actual spells.”

"You think I’m ready?" I asked.

He smiled and looked at me with a bit of pride, as the girl he spoke to just five days ago would not have even wanted to get out of bed was now ready to cast spells. "Yes, you have mastered the basics. I think you are ready." He kissed my forehead, embraced me in his soothing aura, and wrapped his large arms around me. "No, not think; I know you are ready."

"Where would we train? Would it be in our dreams or reality?" The more I thought about it, the more I hoped he would choose reality. We had tried to limit our contact over the last two weeks, only able to visit each other for four hours in a dream.

I was starting to get lost in his embrace as the slightest touch was sending signals to my body. And I could sense he was experiencing the same thing as he tightened his grip around my waist, as he struggled to control himself. As over the last two weeks, our physical touch grew more distant as we tried to keep all hands off. Even in our dreams, things grew difficult. There was the occasional hug, or slightest kiss on my forehead, but he dared not to do any more.

And in this moment, I knew I could tell the lack of physical contact was starting to get to him. Hell, it was starting to get to me as each brush of his fingertips against my arm sent a wave of chills down my body. For him, it was the slightest pull of his body that gave away his loss of control.

With that, he pulled away from me, giving us both a moment to breathe. After the moment passed, he smiled at me, “This isn’t easy is it?”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I dared not to turn around just yet. As I knew he needed a bit more time to adjust. As did I.

Another minute passed and I felt him go back to normal, “We could try reality. The Solstice Colosseum has an impressive training area. No one typically uses it after eight at night. If however, we do run into issues, we may have to revert to our dream escape.” Théoden said as he walked back up behind me and turned me around so I could face him.

“That sounds like a-”

I began to agree with him, however as he stared down into my eyes, I saw lust take over as he surprised me with a kiss on the lips. This had been our first actual kiss since Marcel’s attack and damn I could tell this wasn’t going to just be a simple kiss.

And I was right. He moved his lips towards my ear, trailing his kisses down my neck. Each kiss deepened as he moved down my neck to my shoulder blade. He pulled my shirt aside, giving him access to my body. I honestly didn't mind this. As it had been a few weeks for the both of us.

He knew just how to tease me, and my own body yearned for more. We had been together well over one hundred years now, after all, and damn, I never got tired of this.

"Mi Amor…" He mumbled in my ear, leaving my body to tremble slightly as he rested his head against mine. I could sense he wanted more, but he knew when to stop.

"Theo…" I breathed heavily as he shifted to look into my emerald eyes, and I stared into his crystal blue ones. "I…" I began to speak, but he interrupted me with one last kiss, pressing firmly against my lips.

He pulled back away from my body, leaving me a bit speechless. "We can't," he said, punishing himself. "The dream is about to end."

I turned away from him so he wouldn't notice the flash of pain across my face. But I knew he knew I wanted him. Our shared bond always gave that away.

"Face me, Mi Amor." I could sense he was calming himself down while pulling from my emotions, and he said, "Please?" He reached out and touched my shoulder.

I put my hand on his and turned, looking up at him.

"Soon," he promised, pulled me back into him, and kissed my lips again. "I'm close to finding a temporary location."

I knew he had been searching for a spot for us to be alone in. Rather it was for romantic pleasure or just to be next to each other.I looked up at him. "You mean it?"

"Yes,” he said as he kissed me again before the dream faded.

I woke up covered in sweat. My heart raced, not from a panic attack but from lust. Damn this arranged marriage. I stayed in bed for an hour or so to have some personal time as the effects of the dream lingered in my physical body. Every inch of skin he touched with those lips of his.

Mi Amor… he whispered through the bond. I couldn't help but smirk. He made it difficult for both of us today. You are making it hard to focus on my meeting.

And who's fault is that? I teased playfully.

Ugh… he sighed. Damn it.

He gave his best effort and focused on his weekly meeting with his lead guards. After that was said and done, I pulled out a purple dress I loved and a brilliant green dress that matched my eyes. Green, he said. You can wear the purple one later.

I slipped on the green dress, as I agreed with him. The dress magically fit around my body, fitting my figure just right. Don’t get me wrong, the dress did show off my figure however, it was innocent enough that it was still elegant and flattering. I grabbed my bag of holding and carefully placed the purple dress inside. I wasn’t concerned with the dress getting wrinkled or torn as all my clothes had basic magical properties that allowed them to remain in pristine condition. Along with my dress I threw in some fresh undergarments.

I ran my wire hair brush through my long curly hair, pulling half of it up in a ponytail, while the rest was allowed to flow freely. After I was finished with my hair, I threw my hair brush in the bag along with a second pair of shoes. Leaving my bag sitting on the desk, I walked over to the mirror and sighed.

“Well, Maria, we can’t hide away forever now can we?” I gave myself a soft smile and found the strength to leave my room.