Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him

-Sun Tzu

As the moon cast its gentle glow through the window, Lysa and Mengus lay intertwined in each other's arms, their breaths mixing in the quiet of the night. The warmth of their bodies pressed against each other, creating a safe space and comfort, a world of their own making.

Mengus traced his fingers lightly along the curve of Lysa's cheek, his touch tender, gentle. She leaned closer, her eyes fluttering closed. At that moment, there were no battles to fight, no kingdoms to defend- there was only the two of them, bound together, safe.

"I never want this moment to end," Mengus whispered, his voice barely more than a breath against her skin.

"Nor I," she replied, with barely a whisper. "In your arms, I am at peace."

"I've never felt this way before," he admitted softly. "With you, everything feels...right."

"I've never felt more at peace than when I'm with you, Mengus. You make me feel...whole."

For so long, they had danced around their feelings, hesitant to acknowledge the depth of their connection. But now, as they lay entwined beneath the covers, there was no need for words—their love spoke for them.

Mengus leaned in, his lips meeting Lysa's in a gentle kiss. She melted into his embrace, her fingers tangling in his hair as she lost herself in the sweetness of his touch. Time seemed to stand still as they kissed, their love igniting a fire that burned brightly in the darkness.

* * *

"I missed that so much." Mengus positioned himself on the bed, making himself comfortable.

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"Me too," Lysa replied, disappointment clearly visible on her face. "The whole five seconds of it."

Mengus looked at her, still gasping for air. "You can't blame me for that, I am out of form!"

"Clearly..."

He pinched her right leg, and as she let out a quiet scream he leaned in for a kiss.

"But good for you I can always take you on for another round."

"Lucky me..." she returned the smile back and the kiss.

* * *

"So what made you come back?" Mengus slowly got out of the bed and started putting his clothes on.

"We were in Palim, the tournament was about to start when we heard that the best arena champion was back and stronger than ever. The whole crowd kept talking about it, they didn't even care about the tournament they came to watch, and after we heard that neither did we. We packed our things and started our journey back."

"A lot of time has passed, and after that, I lead a small army defending some villages north. Then I defended this city in a siege, and now I'm a Lord." Mengus couldn't believe everything that had happened in such a short period of time.

"I can't believe I just slept with a Lord," Lysa teased Mengus. "What an honor!"

"And not just once girl."

They let out some quiet giggles and welcomed silence just after that when it entered their room. A topic they had to talk about, but it was a difficult one to start. Mengus waited for Lysa to ask him, but Lysa waited for Mengus to mention it first.

"Your mother..." Lysa started talking.

"She died, she fought, but unfortunately she couldn't win."

Lysa's hand touched Mengus on his shoulder, her lips touched his neck.

"I'm sorry,"

"Thank you... Before she passed she told me who attacked our village, who massacred them. I'm thankful that you came, but I won't be continuing with the arena journey, we are at war now, and I plan on getting my revenge."

"We heard, about the war, and we talked about it. Sooner or later, all of the Kingdoms shall start fighting against each other, why not start sooner than later?"

"You mean-"

"Yes, we will join you. If you accept us of course my Lord." she smiled at him.

"It will be my honor to have my closest friends by my side, watching my back."

"When are we leaving? What's the plan?"

"We'll find out tomorrow. Now I must visit a friend, you can stay here I'll be soon back, he is not far away."