Chapter Three:

I Get Carried Away Sometimes

Dmitri

Christmas came and went, and before I knew it, January second was here. The holiday had been truly extravagant, and was spent sharing laughter, stories, and warm smiles. Cerelia took hundreds of photos to commemorate the event, and stowed them in a scrapbook that she was incredibly proud of. Mom, Riley, and I spent as much time together as we could, and were finally starting to get comfortable with one another. Mom and I had even fallen asleep on my bed a few nights ago after we spent the evening talking about my experience at The Cavalry Academy. She got to watch my graduation, and when she heard my speech, proud tears filled her eyes that I would cherish forever.

The initiation ball was tomorrow, so the castle was in full swing preparing for the grand event. Today was the day The Cavalries were due home, and the excitement was eating me alive. I had made sure to extensively clean our room and Bartholomew’s cage, and set up presents I had gotten for everyone around it. Everything was perfect, and all that was left was for me to wait anxiously for them to return. After breakfast that morning I ended up in the main window of the foyer, sitting on my knees as I stared blankly at the castle gates. I had been there for around an hour before my family happened to pass by, and paused to giggle at me. Mom came over and laid a hand on my shoulder with a warm smile, “Hey, you; what are you doing out here all by yourself?”

“I'm waiting for my friends.” I whispered like a little kid.

Her eyes illuminated, “Oh, yes, I forgot they were coming home today! Have you been waiting long?” I nodded once, my eyes still wide and fixated on the driveway. “Well, I’ll leave you to it; make sure you introduce me when you have the chance, ok?” I nodded again as she kissed my hair and snuck back to Cerelia’s side. “He is so damn cute!” She whined, which made Cerelia giggle and nod in agreement.

“And still so young sometimes…” Andrew sighed lovingly.

A few minutes later, after everyone had moved to sit on the couches to wait themselves, the gates finally began to open. I gasped in awe and pressed my nose to the glass to see who was first to arrive. Sure enough, the truck that pulled in had a passport stuck to the front, meaning it had just come from The South Kingdom. “And… he’s off!” Andrew exclaimed as soon as the truck door popped open.

I bolted from the window and across the drive as Martha hopped down, grumbling about the car being too high for her. She turned and saw me, then ran to meet me halfway. We both shared excited laughs as I whisked her up and squeezed her as tight as I could, while she kissed my cheeks adorably. “Hello Baby Chicken…! Oh, I missed you so much! By the way, I totally took a picture of you sitting in the window like a lost puppy!” She teased as I set her down.

“I'm sure you guys will use it against me for eternity,” I joked as the next truck pulled up.

The doors flung open, and the obnoxious shrill voice I had come to love echoed through the air, “Dmitri…!” Stefan screamed as he ran as fast as he could across the pavement to me. I greeted him with a massive hug, which Michael rolled his eyes at as he kissed Martha warmly.

“Hey, hey, hey!” I cried as Stefan picked me up and spun us fast, making the couple laugh hysterically. “Have you been working out or something!?”

“You weigh nine pounds soaking wet!” He teased as I wiggled free, shoved him playfully, and moved to hug Michael.

“Have you guys seen Gwen’s truck?” Martha asked as she cuddled into Michael’s side.

“She should be along in a few minutes; she was helping her mother with something when we left,” Michael explained.

“Well, I ain’t waiting for that loser! Let’s get unpacked!” Stefan chirped as he slammed a suitcase into my chest. I hacked once from the weight of it, but happily helped them bring everything inside.

As soon as we walked in, the royal family gushed over their returned Calvary excitedly, and after sharing a few hugs, I nudged Stefan. “Psst, little Squirrel? You may or may not have a surprise upstairs?” I coaxed.

“A surprise? For me?” He quizzically asked before shrugging and going up the steps. He walked into our room and was dead silent for a minute, which made Michael and I hiss to one another. There was a pop as he opened the latch of the cage, and a few seconds later, his tear stricken face appeared from around the corner.

“Oh, Stefan…!” Martha cried dramatically, smacking her hands to her cheeks as he bolted down the steps wordlessly and threw his arms around my neck.

I squeezed him back lovingly as he sobbed into my chest. “You, are, the bestest, friend, ever…!” He wailed hysterically.

“I told you I would find a way to bring him home!” I sang.

“He’s so fluffy, and little, and sweet…! Thank you, thank you, thank you…!” He sobbed as he bounced in place, swinging our hands.

“You’re welcome, buddy; we just have to make sure he’s taken care of, or Andrew said he’d toss all four of us out back.” We shared a laugh at my comment before collecting everyone’s things and marching up to our rooms, with a promise to return shortly. The boys set to work unpacking tons of food they had brought back with them while Martha flopped on Michael’s bed and asked me about my vacation.

I began to relay a few things, completely forgetting about the final truck that pulled up. “I take it everyone forgot about me?” Gwen accused from the foyer. I gave Martha a devilish smile before sneaking down the steps, which she rolled her eyes at.

“I highly doubt Dmitri forgot about you…” Ramah began, trying not to giggle as he saw me sneaking up behind her, “He was waiting all day for you guys to come home?”

“He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” She asked.

“What do you think?” Cerelia teased, rolling her eyes to Mom, who was watching in awe.

I jumped up and grabbed her waist, spinning her in circles as she erupted in laughter. “Oh my goodness, did you miss me or what?!” She joked as I smothered her in kisses.

“Miss doesn’t begin to explain it!” I screamed obnoxiously.

“Can you let me turn around so I can say hi too?!” She swiveled in my arms, then smiled beautifully and smooshed me in a massive hug, laughing when I picked her up and suffocated her back desperately. “Did you guys pay any attention to him while we were gone?” She scolded playfully as I buried my face in her chest happily.

“No, we locked him in the broom closet for two weeks.” Riley teased with a snort.

“Gwen! Welcome home!” Martha sang as The Cavalries ran downstairs.

“Hey Martha…!”

“Um, is there any point trying to get him to release you?” I hissed violently at Martha’s outstretched hand, which made the boys burst into hysterics, “I suppose the answer is no?” I rolled my eyes and set Gwen down, my stomach bubbling excitedly as she hugged her roommate lovingly and asked how her vacation was.

The conversation only lasted a few seconds before Gwen spun and clapped her hands, cackling devilishly before jumping back into my arms. “You two are ridiculous,” Stefan teased as she cuddled into my hair happily.

Gwen waved him off, “Hey, I'm taking advantage of this while I can!”

“It’s nice to have you all back, that’s for sure. It was pretty quiet without my hooligans running around causing trouble.” Andrew said as he walked over to set a hand on Michael’s shoulder and shake him warmly.

Stefan saluted him, “Glad to be back your highness! Refreshed, and ready for action!”

“Good, because we need to work on a few things with your latest design. We have the funding, but Sam was wondering if we can use cheaper material, so we have extra in case of emergency?” Andrew started in total business mode, but Stefan matched the energy instantly.

“Hmm, I suppose we can try. I can substitute the titanium with…” Stefan began mumbling to himself, which made Andrew roll his eyes at us.

“Should I introduce everyone?” My question made The Cavalries tilt their heads at me.

“I think that would be a good idea; come on guys!” He chimed, leading the confused group to the other side of the foyer. I set Gwen down and took her hand, lovingly coaxing her forward. She followed hesitantly, but smiled for me.

As soon as we rounded the foyer, the four gasped when they saw Morgan sitting beside Cerelia. She nervously waved to the group, who I proudly popped up behind. “Guys, this is my mother, Morgan. Mom, this is Stefan, Michael, Martha, and Gwenevere.” I sang, patting each of their heads as I said their names.

“It’s wonderful to meet you?” Mom tried.

There was a beat of silence before all four got down on one knee, put a fist to their chest, and bowed respectfully. My family blinked in shock at the scene, but all four held their stance. “It is a great honor, your majesty, to finally be able to meet you.” Gwen said passionately.

“Oh, please, you don’t…?” Mom threw her hands up and bit her lip awkwardly.

“Regardless of Alexei, you are a very powerful and well-respected ruler, and we shall treat you as such.” Michael declared.

Mom turned pink before motioning for them to stand. “I appreciate the gestures, truly, but please do not feel the need to be so formal. I am here to fight alongside you, not over you?” She chimed with an endearing grin.

“How did you find her?” Martha asked in awe.

Andrew clapped a hand onto her shoulder to try and ease some of the tension, “It’s a long story, but we have time to relay it later. With Morgan’s background in the military she will be a huge asset to your training, especially after your initiated. Once you get your official licenses you can start to fight all over England, and we’ve made plans for her to help you prepare extensively to be in The West.”

“Which will be a huge help, especially to The South. Serena is getting bombarded out there and can use any help she can get.” Cerelia added.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

I noticed that Gwen was fixated on my mother, her face empty as she studied her. I hesitantly cleared my throat, nudging Stefan warmly, “You guys will get to know her sooner or later. For now, we should go check on Bartholomew?” I tried, to redirect the awkwardness.

He perked right up, and nodded excitedly, “Totally! Plus, I wanna get unpacked.”

“Same here; come on, Gwen,” Michael chirped, flicking her cheek playfully. She snapped out of her trance and nodded to him, turning to go upstairs. I sighed sadly and followed the group, my stomach twisting in a knot at her reactions.

╬

The girls went to unpack their things while I stayed behind to help the boys, who bubbled from their wonderful break. Stefan was first to finish, and was laying on his bed with the hamster suspended above him, which he cooed at adorably. Michael dumped a final container of food into the mini fridge and flopped down, sighing tiredly. “Man, it feels good to be back.” He sighed before cracking open some of the food containers, making plates for each of us. I gladly took one, and munched on his mother’s stuffing happily. It was as good as he promised.

“Tell me about it; I liked going home, but I forgot how chaotic it is. I'm too old to be surrounded by toddlers and screaming.” Stefan said as he sat up and kissed Bartholomew’s head.

“It was, weird. I’ve never been uncomfortable around your family, but this year, it felt kind of, awkward. I guess I just spent so much time with you guys that once we left for a bit I kind of got used to being away from home.” Michael paused before turning and flicking my arm playfully, “Do you ever feel that way, Dmitri?”

“Of course. After being at the academy so long, it felt extremely weird to be living in a castle again. Though, I’ve lived on my own longer than you guys have, so it’s normal for you to feel this way. It just takes some getting used to.” I explained as the girls popped in.

“Hello, you two; get everything situated?” Stefan chirped, handing the girls their plates.

“Just about… what are you boys up to?” Gwen asked as she sat in between my legs and wrapped my arms around her. I smirked and pressed my chin into her neck as Martha flopped into Michael’s side and laid a kiss to his cheek. I did sneak a forkful of stuffing off Gwen’s plate, which made her chuckle and poke my nose with her fork.

“Just talking about stuff,” I assured as I munched.

“How are things going with your Mom?” Michael continued as he tucked his legs in underneath himself and pulled Martha closer.

I shrugged lamely, “Well, I suppose they’re alright. I have to process a lot with her, but she’s very willing to be patient with me. We’ve only talked about my high school experience and such, because we’re both avoiding Alexei like the black plague. Honestly, I prefer it though. I hate being pitied, and if she spent the last two weeks crying and saying she was sorry, it would annoy the hell out of me. I’d rather her just try and be my mom then cry over spilt milk.”

He nodded, “I totally get that. If my mom decided tomorrow to patch things up and only did so by whining, I would never want to be around her. Actions speak louder than words.”

“That’s exactly what I said to her. It’s just, really weird. I get that Andrew is trying to help me reconnect with everyone, but I trust my family as much as you all do. I was gone for years, not days. For all I know, both Morgan and Riley are conspiring against me, and plan to take me out for Alexei. I of course don’t want to think that way, but I also need to be cautious. I finally earned a little bit of trust with everyone around here, and if that gets taken away because of Morgan…” I trailed off as everyone frowned.

“Do you really think Riley would help you escape then turn on his beliefs?” Gwen asked.

I rolled my lips as I thought of how to answer, “I don’t know. I can’t take a side until I see definitive evidence otherwise. It’s been all fun and games while I’ve been recovering, but now that I'm clear for duty, they’re both going to really see how serious I am about this army. It’ll change a few things, I'm sure.”

“Like what?” Stefan asked as he put Bartholomew back in his cage.

“They live completely different lives from me. Andrew offered me many opportunities to live with him as a prince and not a soldier, but I refused because I wanted to show my dedication. All I’ve ever known was the army, so what’s the point not putting my skills to good use? In their case, they’re here as family, so they don’t have as much to worry about. We live under one castle but are in two completely separate worlds.”

“It would definitely be a shame if they were working for him. It would throw a huge corkscrew in everything we know.” Martha sighed.

“Yeah, and you guys wouldn’t trust me anymore…” I whispered morosely.

Martha scoffed, “Says who? Just because they were warped doesn’t mean you were? You never planned on these two being a part of your life, so how do their actions make you a criminal?”

“Exactly; If they chose to fuck themselves over, that’s their problem. All of us know you’re here on good intentions, and we’re not going to alienate you and ruin our friendships if it turns out your mom sucks.” Michael joked with a wink.

“If you think she sucks, you should meet my dad,” I scoffed.

“Is he the next one we scoop into our kingdom?” Gwen teased. The look that fell over my face made her eyes widen in horror, and everyone else cringe a little. “Err, I mean…?”

“Let the day come, where I see my father again. It surely will not be a pleasant experience for him,” I breathed darkly. “That man, is the cause of this entire war. I have nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred for him. I have never once wanted him back in my life, and if he showed up tomorrow, I’d tell him to fuck off the same day. Morgan at least tried in what little ways she could to be there for me; Levi walked out the door and didn’t look back. He is a failure as a father, and more importantly, as a king, and I will ever forgive him for leaving us…”

“I didn’t mean to upset you…?” She whispered sadly.

I shook my head to clear the horrid thoughts swirling in it, “You didn’t; it’s been on mind the same as yours. I doubt Andrew would even consider looking for him, let alone making him an ally, after what he did to Morgan…”

“What do you mean?” Stefan croaked.

I closed my eyes and pressed my face to Gwen’s hair, sighing painfully, “As if dealing with Alexei wasn’t enough, she got to walk upstairs after a tiring day of ruling a kingdom and practically being a single mother only to get into raging arguments with him over things she couldn’t control. He pushed her into practical insanity, and had he not left, I'm sure the fighting would have turned physical soon after.”

“That is awful. The poor thing… as if she didn’t have it hard enough?” Michael sighed, “I can see why you’re giving her a chance; it seems like she had it pretty rough herself.”

“No parent is perfect… that I completely understand. It doesn’t mean she didn’t try to be. Most of my memories of her are very pleasant, and she has always been very kind to me. Just as I haven’t told her what’s happened between Alexei and I, neither has she, and I know when the time comes that it will be very hard for us both. In the meantime, I'm trying to be mature and remind myself of the good instead of the bad.” I distracted myself with braiding Gwen’s hair as I spoke, and she let me do so with a soft smile.

“That’s a good start. Besides, we’re home, and training will start again soon, so you’ll be occupied too much to worry about all that.” Martha chimed with a nudge to my shoulder.

“Plus, we’ll be going out to combat as well. Then we’ll really be busy!” Michael added.

“I know, that’s what I'm hoping for,” I sighed as Stefan clapped his hands happily.

“On a lighter note, who wants to camp where tonight, because I fully intended on getting laid now that Aveline’s home.” He chirped, which made us laugh.

“We’ll take our room, you guys can have this one.” Gwen said as I flushed pink.

Everyone cheered in agreement as Stefan jumped off the bed, “Well then, I am off to see my princess. Don’t expect to see me until noon tomorrow…” he cackled darkly as he grabbed a change of clothes.

“Top right bathroom drawer!” Michael and I called as Stefan went to slyly grab a condom, which made the girls laugh at his blush as he ducked out of the room for the night.

“I suppose we should get lost too?” I asked Gwen as I stood to retrieve my own clothes.

“Please do, before you witness a wildlife mating documentary take place…” Martha hissed seductively to Michael.

“I am so happy to be home!” He squeaked as the two laughed and waved to us.

I shut the door and rolled my eyes to Gwen, who giggled as she opened her own. Once inside, she flicked the fairy lights on and went to her bathroom to shower quickly. I borrowed Martha’s myself before walking out in boxers and flopping onto Gwen’s bed happily. I had obviously become much more comfortable showing my body to Gwen, so it felt nice to not have to wear so many layers every once in a while.

Over the course of the five months The Cavalries had spent together, Gwen’s photo collection had blossomed into an adorable menagerie of irreplaceable memories. There were dozens of she and I that she had hung around her bed, but along the walls were numerous precious moments. Stefan testing a bomb in the back field, Michael and Martha stealing a kiss between practice, Gwen and Martha watching murder documentaries and cuddling with Ramah, and many more. She had drawn little hearts around every photo of she and I, which made a smile bubble on my lips. “Sorry, I am so not used to this hair yet,” she groaned as she came out of the bathroom with a tank top and underwear on.

“Did your mom kill you for cutting it off?”

“Almost, but I played the military card and she shut up,” Gwen laughed before flopping down beside me and stretching her arms, “Remind me to never indulge in that much stuffing ever again, would you?” She groaned as she patted her stomach.

“I don’t regret a single bite.”

“That’s because you’re built like a God, and I have the hips of a racehorse,” she snorted.

“A race horse, really?” I patronized, which made her blush slightly.

“Um, I mean… I dunno, I guess I'm a little self-conscious. I mean, my hips and stuff bother me. Makes me feel like I'm not as pretty as the thinner girls.” She hid her face in her pillow to hide from the horrendous glare I wore, “I worry that, you know… that I look, plain, next to you…” she admitted shyly.

I scoffed in disgust, which made her wince, “Gwenevere, let me make something perfectly clear to you. If I wanted to date a pencil, I would have taken Juliet up on her offer, or gone after Martha. I'm not denying that she and Martha aren’t attractive, but I don’t personally preference their body types. I tend to think your hips are very sexy.” I said with a slight blush.

“I know, I know… It’s just, not everyone likes a curvy girl…?” She mumbled.

I raised an eyebrow, “Want me to really be explicit?”

“Try me.”

“I’m a, more cushion for the pushin’ kind of guy, so I think your hips are sexy as hell,” I snorted, though my cheeks were blazing.

She burst into hysterical laughter and threw her arms around me, shaking her head as she kissed my cheeks. “Ok, that totally made me feel better!”

“Don’t worry at all about your body. As long as you love yourself, that’s all that matters, but me loving you as much as I do surely helps. And I can assure you that I love you very, very much…” I slyly turned over and ran my hand down her side, leaning in closer to her, “Every inch of you is very precious to me…”

“You need to stop talking right now!” She squeaked adorably.

“Sorry toots, but you signed up for romantic Dmitri when we started dating,” I teased, then turned serious for a moment, “I will spend every day of the rest of our lives reminding you how beautiful you are, just so you truly understand it. I don’t like this whole stigma you’ve created for yourself. Just because people think I'm hot or whatever doesn’t mean I am any more attractive than you are; our relationship is much more important than looks.”

“I could care less if you looked like a super model or a bug, as long as you still have that wonderful personality, then that’s all I need… Though, the abs are a plus,” she snickered.

“They make up for my lack of a personality,” I joked back before we shared a giggle.

She brought her arms up around my neck and wagged her eyebrows cutely, “Enough of Gwen’s self-pity session; I have spent two weeks dreaming about our first night together, and I am more than ready to relieve it again…” she sexily taunted.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but good lord am I a happy man.” I stammered as she brought our lips together. I moved between her legs, which she slid around me, and wiggled her shirt up and off, trying not to blush at the sight of her bare chest.

She wasn’t the only one impatiently waiting for our next opportunity to have sex, and as soon as we were fully naked, the dream-like state of mind I had slipped into last time returned to me. We spent the entirety of the evening tangled together, and got so into it that we had to flip on a movie to drown ourselves out. Since we had begun getting used to one another’s bodies we were able to go an extra round, which was extremely amazing. I couldn’t get enough of her gorgeous body, and could have probably spent eternity tangled up with her. Had we not reminded ourselves that we had to be up for the ball tomorrow I easily could have stayed like this the entire night, and with the happy sighs we exchanged when we finally broke apart, I knew she felt the same way.