The Duchess.

Divine galloping at the head of hundreds of warriors, I rode fast, travelling the country roads using my ring as a guide. On my tail, a portly marquess, a brother-in-law, a bodyguard, a butler and an elf rode tirelessly west of Osberg city

“How far!?” Joshua shouted in the rushing wind.

“A few minutes at top speed!” I replied.

“Master! Can you sense anything!” Charles asked the doctor, who stood effortlessly on the horse's backside.

“The duke is a lantern in a dark cavern wherever he goes but I can't tell him from all the other hundreds!”

“Shit…!”

My finger hummed.

Tarion’s in danger!

I spurred Tarion’s gift to ride faster. Approaching a forest, men bearing swords run out of the trees, yelling with madness in their scary eyes.

Uncle yelled from behind. “SWORDS OUT, MAKE YOUR MANA STRONG! KILL THEM ALL!!”

The Duke

In the forest within a dome.

“Understand your place yet, big boy?”

I lunged with my blade in hand.

With a slap, my sword was hit away, and my arm felt wrong.

Bone sticking out of my skin, my arm bent the other way. I wailed, wanting to strangle Vel to death.

Vel pointed at me. “Fifth Circle” and then at himself. “Ninth circle”

I held my arm in agony. “Why?! Why bring me here?!?”

Vel looked at the horde of screaming bandits behind his dome of mana. “Very loud, are they not?” Vel’s crown of runes glowed. Something got a hold of my entire body and I started hovering in the air with Vel. The bandits became smaller, Vel levitated us above the trees, close to the clouds and the moonlight cast its silvery light on us.

“Better.”

Any struggle was futile under his power. Vel glanced at my sword hand, still gripping my weapon. “Very tenacious.” He spread two fingers out and my arms spread wide with them. He ripped my doublet and my pendant blew in the wind. His face was full of disgust, he snatched it. A furnace burned in his hand, and he melted the bear, dripping liquid through his fingers. He found my ring.

“No…she will notice…” He muttered.

His cold palm touched my chest and a ripple of mana flowed through me.

“Oh…OH, wow! A descendant of dragons! I should bring you somewhere clean and dissect you.” Vel examined me more. Bouncing within my aching body, his mana prodded me like a cadaver.

“Hands off me and answer my damn question?!?!”

The mage looked up with silver eyes that could bewitch any woman or man. While his right was still prodding with mana, he slapped me across the face with a left.

“Are you stupid? I have no expectations of a warrior’s intelligence but you're disappointing me right now.”

“SHOVE YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT UP YOUR ARSE!”

Two fingers spread and I was pulled from each limb. My scream was guttural, and my rage rose to new limits.

“For months, I have fought your battles, saving your behind from numerous sieges. And you cannot say one thank you?”

I spit blood, breathing hard as my diaphragm moved my injury. “Thank you for what? With your power, thousands less would have died in Mouve! With your strength, fewer men would have been slaughtered in the Blizzard!”

“That's my problem, how?” From his palm, I was electrified and I convulsed under his touch. “Vanessa is my concern. My only one,” he stated with no emotion on his pretty face. As if it were a matter of how the world worked.

Only Venessa matters.

“Did…you teleport me here to get rid of me.”

The mage grinned. “Just having a little fun. And you yelled out that you wanted to work together.”

Psychopathic bastard.

“Don't look at me like that. It's your fault for goading me. For forcing my hand. By the way, how long have you been in the world?”

I ignored the question.

“Not that long, I suppose. Probably when your reputation as the sickly Duke started changing.” He prodded my body more with his mana. “The Dragon blood is diluted to hell but you have access to it. A gift from the fools above? Talent? You are just fascinating…”

Needing answers, I calmed myself. My body was stuck under his power, but at least I had my mouth. “If you needed a thank you so much, why don’t you tell her then? Tell her you are the helper!”

“Oh, she will know.” His eyes probed my chest, trying to find something. “But with the pact, keeping my identity incognito is a must. But I will get stronger. Stronger enough that no one-” I stared directly into my eyes with a cold gaze. “No one can come between us.” He took off his palm, floating back with an angelic smile. “I care not that you bedded her.”

He cares. He cares a lot.

“You can’t make a whore out of a goddess.”

Ugh.

“And I can always remove every memory of you.” The mage floated back to grab my face. “Should I just kill you here? Save the trouble?”

I spat out my words between his dainty, soft fingers. “Afraid to tell her cos’ you're worried she still won't like your skinny arse?!”

He grabbed my hair and shouted in my face, “YOU ARE ONLY A PLACEHOLDER! AN INSIGNIFICANT CHARACTER! A BURDEN TO BE ENDURED FOR OUR TRUE LOVE WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!!!”

What the fuck…

Vel threw my head back, clearing his throat as his gentlemanly manners came back.

“Sorry. Vanessa makes me go wild sometimes.”

A typical ‘nice guy’ he always seemed to be the most in tune with what Vanessa wanted. Or what he thought she wanted. But Vel had never been this obsessive about Vanessa. Everything about this was bizarre. Vel should be at the mage tower, making their meeting at the ceremony their first. Arriving with her as her childhood friend? This Vel knew about Haru when she was supposed to tell him near the final chapters of TAPLM.

Oh, my fucking gods...

“When did you come back in time…?”

The mage burst out laughing in the sky. His maniacal laugh echoed off the clouds. “I take back what I said about warriors. Very impressive!”

“What's your goal, mage?”

“To put things back how they were where they were supposed to be!! No interruptions! No princes and GODS in our way!!” He yelled to the starry sky.

Remembering himself, Vel backed away and cleared his throat and the madman mumbled to himself. “The prince is the only obstacle between us and our happy ending. The only one in our way…”

He revealed the scorn he had for me in his silver eyes, shaking my soul with his stare.

“No, not anymore…”

Mana essence swirls in Vel's hand, binding and spinning in a bright, hot sphere.

“You know too much. She likes you too much. I don't like it.”

He aimed his ball of mana at my head.

He is actually going to do it! The creep will kill me for sleeping with a girl he likes!

“Granted, she might miss you, for a little while. Till I make her not.”

“Wait!! Wait, wait, wait a goddamn minute! You need me!”

Vel's eyebrow lifted. “Mm? Explain,” he said as his mana charged.

“You want to stop the prince from taking her away from you, right?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Should I burn you as well?” More mana from the air flowed to his sphere.

“The ceremony! If Vanessa and I are together, the prince, try as he may, will not seduce her. I am a placeholder. But a powerful one. A Duke that the prince cannot intimidate. Use me to protect her when you can't!”

Vel looked away, thinking to himself. “Stick to the original plan? Mmmm…I am itching to incinerate every part of your hybrid flesh.” He rubbed his face from forehead to chin, pressing out all the stress he felt. Vel wiped the mana blast off his hand.

“Fine, fine. You have convinced me. Congratulations on saving yourself.”

I didn't feel saved. Yet again, under the clutches of an extremely powerful being, I had no choice but to beg. Just when I had defeated my demons, a god came and toyed with me.

TARION.

My wife called me. She was close.

“Tell me about her pursuers so I can help! Who hunts for her!?”

“Look to the east.”

“How do they know about her destiny?" I asked again.

“The same way I know.” He didn't explain any further, scratching his chin as he changed his crazy mind. “No. I will remove all of that. You can't get credit for that, smart duke.”

"Haru, what happened to her!?”

“Oh, the whore? I made sure she would never taint Vanessa's mind ever again.”

His hand snapped onto my temple and I felt a tingle in my mind. “Do your job well, loverboy. But exchange vows and I will teleport you into the deep depths of Sau Lake to drown again and again.”

Mana hummed from his hand, wiggling my brain.

“As your memories of me disappear to the wind, know deep in your soul-”

Vel smiled close to my face. “I own you.”

Like a light switched on, I opened my eyes. Lying on the ground, my blood soaked into the grass and soil. I lifted myself up to survey my strange surroundings. Holding my broken arm, I found myself by a road. The faint clash of war was heard in the distance.

Bushes rustled. Two first circles and a second walked out of the forest sweaty and tired.

“Come this way! We could steal a carriage coming though.”

“We can't leave them!”

“Then stay! But you came with us anyway- Look... quite the lucky ones we are!”

Three swords glow. “Cut off his head for the master, and we will never feel famished again.” The second circle said.

“First to kill presents the duke to him!” Like wolves after their prey, they rushed in a frenzy. I pried my weapon off my broken arm’s vice grip and prepared to fight southpaw.

I could barely hold the sword of Osberg up as a second circle bandit's blade struck. A first circle tripped me, and I put up a weak shield while I lay on the ground. The first circles chipped my barrier, laughing like hyenas. The second circle raised his blade high with a chuckle, revealing his brown teeth.

TARION!!

The brown-teethed bandit jerked forward, screaming obscenities. He turned behind and I saw an arrow sticking out of his leather-clad back.

“GET THE BITCH!!”

Two moved at his order. I sat up as the second groaned and saw a sight that brought hope back to my heart.

Jumping off her white horse, a uniformed warrior tossed her bow at the first circle as she unsheathed out her dagger to parry the blade of the other. As I taught her, she jabbed like a piston into the bandit's stomach and chest with two powerful stabs. A kick pushed off the dead and she moved on to the last first circle. My ring felt her rage and she sprinted after my attacker with her curls of gold waving in the wind. She slipped under a horizontal strike, the close shave scaring me to death. Flipping her glowing azure blade into a reverse grip, she cut deep into her opponent's bowels.

YES!

The second circle pulled out the arrow and ran for the warrior's back.

With little strength, I reached for the man, screaming. “VANESSA!! WATCH OUT!!” Vanessa deflected an incoming strike, deflecting several more by the skin of her teeth.

I crawled to them with my good arm.

I need to help her! I NEED TO-

I CAN DO THIS.

Vanessa weaved, evading the bandit's attack from the left and then right. Flipping her blade to a normal grip, she jabbed at the bandit's face. As the opponent's sword arched to guard, she went low.

Her dagger plunged deep into the groin, releasing a satisfying wail. She twisted the dagger before pulling it out to stab the chest. Heart and privates gushed blood, and the bandit fell dead. Gasping with her chest and her head steaming with sweat, the duchess hastened to me.

“Tarrion!!” She hugged me, forgetting how injured I was. But I too forgot my pain in a loving hold.

"Ah, my dame, finally here to rescue me. You were fucking amazing.”

The tears she had been holding cascaded down on my bloody cheeks.

“I love you too.”

“Phew, I was worried confessing too soon would make me look like a fool.” I joked.

“Haha! You're already a fool for making me plan my own surprise wedding!” She caressed my face, cleaning my face of dirt.

“My…bad…” I was beginning to tire, eyes were too heavy to open. “How do… I make it up… to you?”

Her warm lips on mine brought a little life back to me. “When everything is done, we will do it properly.” her sugary voice said fondly.

“Yes, my duchess…”

I did it. I defeated the terror that has wrought death in my city. But I don’t feel peace. My anger was still unsated. Danger still came for Vanessa. A bigger threat was on the horizon. Heavy eyes closed without the black mana and I felt everything. Bleeding belly, sliced traps, holes and scratches from arrows, charred chest, a split hand, my broken arm, and many more. I was halfway dead. But I smiled.

I did it, mother. I fulfilled my oath, father. I didn’t fail you. I did not fail Osberg. And I will continue not to.

Feeling myself drift to sleep, I hear more hoofs and feet scraping on the grass.

“Please move aside, Your Grace.” a man voiced as he ran.

“You shouldn’t have run off like that, Your Grace.” A voice of a larger man spoke to my wife, with a kind tone.

Hands lay on my torso as a man muttered a prayer. Warmth spread within me. My eyelids became lighter and I saw a cardinal kneel over me. Eyes glowing, he prayed to the gods above.

“Constellations above, please lend me your power! I beg you to heal your dear servant!” Golden light illuminated his veins as holy energy flowed into me.

Slowly, bones twisted back in place and fused, muscles knotted, healing with my skin. My woozy mind was now clear, I sat back up. I touched my left hand, looking for any scars, forgetting that I could move my right. I turned to Venessa with a smile to my ears.

Vanessa will have the power to do this for thousands…

The cardinal fainted, burdened by a power too great for him. Charles caught him in his large arms.

“Please warn us when you leave on an excursion next time, Your Grace.” Charles jest while a Cardinal slept in his arms.

“Fuck off, Charles, hahaha!”

My captain saluted me and I gave him a nod back.

“Tarion! Still alive, thank the lands above!” Joshua dropped off his horse, jogging to me. “I was frightened that I would actually need to be responsible.”

I stand on my healed leg to hug my brother. “I saw what you did back there, Tarion. You freak of nature. Why are you so far away from the battlefield?”

“The helper… brought me here.”

“Your flash steps need a lot of work, student.” A master fell from the sky, landing a leaf on a pond. “I saw evidence of its use all over the battlefield. There should be none.”

“Sorry, Master Zhi.”

“He just killed like two hundred men on his own. Give him some slack!” Said my brother.

Master Zhi put a finger up to interrupt. “Which is why your punishment will be lessened. An hour extra each morning.”

I smiled earnestly. “Yes, master.”

Master kissed her teeth with a small smile.

I heard the cheers of warriors in the forest.

Joshua smiled. “Uncle must be done cleaning.”

Dozens froze like frostbitten statues. Many bandits died in the last stance they took. Bodies were cut cleanly in half with ice with a mirror shine. Several men skewed to the ground with large icicles. In the middle of the snowstorm’s aftermath, surrounded by adoring soldiers and knights, a seventh-circle sheathed his blade. The Frost Knight glowered down at the corpse brought from the hole.

“Yo, Uncle. Why the glum face?”

Faster than any old man should ever move, he caught me. Carrying me from the ground, he spun me around in his arms.

“GREYSTONE, GREYSTONE, GREYSTONE, GREYSTONE!!!” my Osberg guard and knights sang together with hundreds of fists and swords waving in the air.

“You’re making the kid dizzy, you dolt! Haha!”

“Bradshaw...” Uncle dropped me and I saw blood wet the Marquess' blade. He bowed with his hand on his chest. “Your vassal will be loyal to the Greystones, to you, Your Grace. Always.”

I patted the auburn-haired man's shoulder. “I will take good care of Beatrice.”

The marquess bowed deeper. “Your, Grace!”

A tall, long-eared man of dark skin divided the still cheering crowd, carrying a rune-engraved spear. With long, coily, black hair braided to his shoulders, green hunter eyes appraised me. Sharp-jawed and youthful, the elf spoke from thick, two-toned lips.

“When you are available, I would like to talk. One on one.”

I pondered on his request. An Alarian elf wanted to talk with me? It could have been great for Osberg or a sign of more hardships to come.

“Talk with my butler; he will arrange a meeting with you in due time. As long as you are willing to stay in Osberg for a while.”

“It would be a pleasure to stay in your beautiful city, Your Grace.”

Gotcha. Ain't no way I am letting this opportunity go.

Bloody spear to his chest in salute, he bowed. He smiled at me as if my intentions were obvious to his wise eyes.

“But before all that,” Vanessa hugged me tight from behind. “We have a ball to attend!”

My men's voices shook the forest with their cheer.

Day after the ball.

Morning.

The Duke.

I played with Goldilock's hair as she slept peacefully under my navy blue covers. For an hour, I watched her. All night, I worried for her. I let her hands be stained with smelly bandit blood. It tortured me to see her kill, yet I could have been more proud. I watched her face longer while a guard kneeled by my bed, awaiting my order.

“I have called you this morning because I have unfortunate news,” I whispered. "I have come to a decision.” I turned to Joshua. He understood.

“Tell your mother you would like to leave soon.”

Tears fall from my dear brother’s brave eyes. Brave like our fathers. He let him quietly weep. “As you…command, Your Grace.”

Joshua left and I was alone with my love again. I held her hand, mourning Haru with a silent prayer.

I remembered the words the mage failed to steal.

Look to the east.

The same way I know.

Vanessa surprised me with a kiss on my cheek. “Morning dear. What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Breakfast, training, how to kill a ninth circle mage. Normal stuff.”

image [https://i.imgur.com/IYCWKJN.png]

Volume 1 - My city - Completed.

Next: War of Duchies.