Strange Bedfellows Chapter 3.e

Shara watched the simple display of affection between Lyra and Kalus and couldn't help but imagine that she was doing that with him.  She frankly couldn't believe how much she'd misjudged him or how tender and loving he could be.

She could've had that.

She turned away, not because she didn't want to look but because she wanted to.  It was amazing how much her opinion of her husband had changed in the last twenty-four hours.  With Lyra, she'd seen a side of him that she hadn't seen before, or perhaps hadn't wanted to see.  She liked this new side though and didn't want to miss out on it.

Yet at the same time, he was still the enemy.  He was still leading an army through her father's kingdom and marching on her father's castle.  From what little she understood of the overall state of the war, it was the last castle left.  Her father would surely be there, for he had no other place to run to; no other place to escape to.  Her father's army was in tatters and no match for the disciplined troops under Kalus's command, let alone the rest of King Tyso's army.

She scowled.

King Tyso was a comprehensive and unmitigated ass.

Yet Kalus was the opposite...

She was lost in thought for much of the rest of the morning as Kalus and Lyra got up, dressed, and ate.  She did too, but barely said a word.  Breakfast was a hurried affair with little time for conversation since the camp was beginning to break around them.  Lyra insisted on making her horse ready herself and Shara tagged along rather than stay with Kalus.

"It's important that you ready your horse yourself and take care of her too."  The horsewoman explained as they walked.  "It helps you bond and I promise you won't be sorry."

"Okay, I can try."  Shara grimaced.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine."  She assured her.

She did do okay.  Lyra was fast enough at saddling her horse that she also had time to help Shara get her own horse saddled by the time camp was ready to break.

The sun hadn't fully risen yet before they were following their husband onto the wide trail through the forest.  It was a large main trade road and so wide enough to accommodate the thousands of troops that comprised King Tyso's army if they marched in thinner lines.

Kalus was insistent that his wives ride near him.  The blonde seemed unbothered, but Shara herself didn't like the necessity.  She thought his men might be trustworthy, but was pretty sure the rest of the army wasn't.  She rode a full horse length behind Kalus and Lyra, not wanting to talk to him.

Not yet.

She could feel her cheeks burn every time she thought about how she'd treated him, despite him being the enemy.  He was too good to truly hate and right now she wanted to find a deep and dark hole to crawl into whenever she thought about talking to him.  Like, a really deep hole.

At least the view was nice.

They were passing through the large forest that she'd traveled through many times before when traveling between castles.  It was a large, mature forest filled with large trees and a not-inconsiderable amount of underbrush.  She knew it would take more than a day to pass through it at the rate they were traveling, and that her father's castle wasn't too far beyond it.  She hoped he would be okay when the army arrived.

Ahead of her, Lyra and Kalus were talking like old friends, or perhaps new lovers.  The conversation seemed to flow easily between them and she saw him smile more often that morning than she ever had before by several orders of magnitude.  He had a good smile; it was kind and he looked like he could be a pleasant person to have a conversation with.

She frowned to herself as she realized that by now, Lyra had probably learned far more about him than she had.  She didn't like that.  Not that she cared that Lyra was getting to know him, but she was a little bothered that she hadn't.

She was also painfully aware that it was her fault.

The 'high' point of the morning was about an hour before they stopped for lunch.  Lyra had been getting a bit more affectionate with Kalus while remaining appropriate in public; barely appropriate, but appropriate.  At one point, Shara was pretty sure that he'd told her to tone it down because she'd suddenly become much more appropriate.

Barely a minute later, the horsewoman stood up in her stirrups so she could whisper into his ear since both Kalus and Tornado were significantly taller than Lyra and Stormy.  After whispering for a moment, she nodded her head towards a free-standing crescent-shaped rock formation along the road.  It was a dozen yards into the forest and looked like there might be an area behind it that was completely out of sight of the marching army.

He looked at her and raised his eyebrow.

She gave him a sly grin with slightly hooded eyes, then bit her lip and raised her eyebrows, as if asking a question.

Kalus glanced back at Shara and made a thoughtful frown for several moments before speaking.  "Kyselius."  He called loudly.

His herald rode up moments later.  "Yes commander."

"Make sure nothing happens to Katia; Lyra and I will be back soon."

Lyra looked back at her and grinned, then the two of them rode off towards the crescent-shaped rock formation.  They disappeared behind it for several minutes as the army marched past.  It took her a minute to realize what they were probably doing...

She frowned.

They couldn't be...

...could they?

After a few minutes, they rode out from behind the rock formation and caught up to her.  Shara couldn't help but notice that both of their clothes were slightly rumpled and Lyra's hair was certainly mussed up.  The horsewoman also looked a lot calmer and less flirtatious, and she was also looking at their husband adoringly.  She also seemed to be adjusting herself in the saddle a bit more.

Shara bit her lip.

Wow.

She well remembered that feeling that kept rising in her when Kalus was doing...   ' that ' to her.  She had felt like it was building to something and she wondered if the end result could produce the same calm, almost serene demeanor that was displayed on her fellow wife's face.

She guessed that Kalus would give her the same treatment if she asked.  However, that would mean she'd have to talk to him.  Her cheeks suddenly felt warm.  She knew she would have to apologize to him eventually, but certainly wasn't looking forward to it.

Kalus and Lyra resumed their place in line, which was about a horse's length in front of Shara.  The ash blonde leaned over and leaned on him affectionately for several moments.

That didn't improve Shara's mood.

* * *

Kalus dug into his lunch with Lyra sitting beside him doing the same.  He had long maintained a stern demeanor among his men to prevent them from becoming too relaxed around him.  However, he found it hard to maintain it today.

The horsewoman was leaning up against him with a dopy grin on her face.  She would occasionally sigh, give him a grin, or smile to herself.  Despite himself, he found a small grin forming on his face whenever he wasn't paying enough attention to keep his face neutral.

Katia was sitting on his other side, not looking at them, nor meeting anyone's gaze, nor speaking to anyone either.  However, it was a different kind of silence than usual.  It wasn't a defiant, standoffish kind of silence; it seemed more like shame or embarrassment but he wasn't sure.

"Katia, are you okay?"  He asked after he had finished wolfing down his lunch.

She glanced at him, their eyes meeting for just the briefest moment.  He saw a not-insignificant amount of vulnerability that wasn't usually present before she averted her eyes.

She hesitated a moment, bit her lip, then slowly shook her head.

"What's wrong?"  He asked gently.

She looked around, and everyone else was either occupied talking to someone else or had already finished and left.  Finally, after several seconds she said something so quietly that he couldn't make it out.

"What?"  He asked.

She swallowed and suddenly seemed very interested in examining her shoes.

"I'm going to go check on Stormy and Misty."  Lyra said, getting up, pecking him on the cheek, and then walking towards the two ladies' horses.  It was very tactful of her and he appreciated it.

"What is it?"  He asked again, making sure to keep his voice gentle.

Katia opened her mouth, but no sound came out.  She even worked it slightly, but still nothing.

Kalus put a hand on her shoulder, hoping she took it as a comforting gesture.  "Katia, it's okay.  You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, just know I'll be here when you're ready to talk."

"Stop."  She whispered, but it was more a request -- almost a plea -- rather than a command.  She sniffled slightly and moved her head so her amber hair covered her face and he couldn't see it well anymore.

"Stop what?"  He asked.

"Being so nice to me."  She whispered back, her voice cracking slightly.  "I...  I can't take it."

Kalus opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Stop being nice?

Was that even what she wanted?  He somehow doubted that it was.  As he tried to figure out what to say, the horn was blown to indicate the army was about to resume its march.  Katia got up and nearly fled towards her horse, leaving her speechless husband behind.

He frowned and stood up, slowly shaking his head.

Women.

He started walking to his own horse which wasn't far from his wives' horses, though his horse had wandered a bit.  He mounted Tornado as his herald rode up.

"Kyselius, I don't understand women."  He stated.

The herald smiled.  "Amen to that Commander.  I do believe every man in this army would testify to the same."

He shook his head and sighed as he watched his wives mount their horses, Katia taking longer and apparently trying to hide her face as she did so.

* * *

Lyra had spent much of the morning getting to know her new husband and now figured she would try to spend the afternoon getting to know her fellow wife.  However, Katia was in no mood to talk.  The horsewoman had been pretty sure what was bothering the amber-haired girl when she excused herself at lunch and had been proven right.

"Listen, I realize that I wasn't there for most of it so I don't know what happened, but I'm sure he'll forgive you."  She said to the former handmaiden.

"He probably will."  She replied after several long moments.  Oddly, that didn't seem to improve her mood.

"Would it help if I was there with you, or would you rather do it alone?"

At the word 'alone', Katia looked at her in alarm.

"Okay, together then."  Lyra said.

"Thank you."  Katia replied quietly as they both crouched slightly in the saddle to avoid a low-hanging branch.

This forest was lovely and Lyra had always thought so.  She had rarely traveled the forest path since most men came to their ranch to buy horses, but she'd played in the forest's outskirts many times as a girl.  She readjusted in the saddle, thankfully not having to worry about her husband's seed leaking out of her.

Like most girls when they hit the age to bleed, she had been given a piece of underwear that was enchanted to be self-cleaning.  It was expensive of course, but dear Illuminar in heaven she had no idea what she would've done without it.  While most girls only wore it around their period, she worked so often that she wore it all the time to keep that part of her clean.  Thankfully, she was wearing it now and wouldn't have to worry about his seed leaking out of her.

She smiled.

That was a good problem to have.

She was a little disappointed that some of it would go to waste, but now that she was married -- married! -- she had a good man who would be happy to provide her with more.  She wasn't sure why, but she liked feeling it inside of her.  She adjusted slightly in her saddle as her nether regions began to itch in desire slightly.  She forced herself to return to the conversation.

"There's no time like the present."  Lyra offered to her fellow wife

Katia nodded, though she also grimaced and seemed to shrink into the saddle a bit.

"Come on, you'll feel better once we're done."  Lyra gave the amber-haired girl what she hoped was a comforting smile.

Katia nodded again, but she didn't look reassured.

Lyra guided her horse a bit closer and took the other girl's hand.  She gave it a comforting squeeze, then gently nudged her horse forward while still holding Katia's hand, leading her and her horse as well.  It didn't take long to draw level with Kalus on his massive warhorse Tornado.  Like most warhorses, he was high-strung and had a boundless amount of energy.  However, he was also a male and seemed to enjoy the company of Stormy and Misty, his owner's wives' horses.

Plus, Kalus could control such a magnificent and powerful war horse; Lyra would've been lying if she said that didn't make her nether regions itch.

"Afternoon husband."  Lyra said with a smile.

"Lyra."  He smiled back, then she saw his eyes shift to his other wife on Lyra's other side.  "Katia."  His smile hadn't disappeared, though it seemed to become more cautious.

The amber-haired girl mumbled something, but only Illuminar knew what.  It didn't sound unpleasant though.

"Switch."  Lyra said, slowing her horse and then moving so she was on Katia's other side so the former handmaiden was in between herself and Kalus.

He looked at the amber-haired girl and she glanced back, but she didn't meet his gaze for more than a moment before looking at the road ahead again.  They rode that way in silence for several minutes before Lyra gently nudged Katia.

The former handmaiden took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then almost whispered.  "I'm sorry."

Kalus apparently didn't hear her, as his attention seemed to be focused on a couple of soldiers just ahead of them.

"Excuse me."  He said, then nudged Tornado forward.

Lyra gave Katia an apologetic look, but couldn't keep a note of amusement off her face.  "It's Malfo's Law."

"If something can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst possible moment."  Katia recited.  "I'm starting to think he was secretly a necromancer."  She paused for a moment.  "I hope he forgives me"

Lyra chuckled.  "I haven't known him long, but our husband doesn't seem the type to hold a grudge."

"I know, but that makes it worse."  She replied quietly.

"Does it really?"

Katia hesitated and then shook her head.  "No, I guess not."

Kalus returned a minute later, having dealt with a few soldiers who were breaking formation.  He hadn't even needed to say anything.  He simply rode up beside them.  The moment they saw him, they looked guilty and formed up correctly, smart and crisp.  He had remained there for a minute or two, not saying anything and riding casually before he returned to his wives.

"Wives are a bit like soldiers."  Katia said quietly, though loud enough that both her fellow wife and husband could hear her.

"Oh?"  He replied.

"Your men love you; really love you."  The former handmaiden continued, still looking at the ground.  "I mean, you drill them so hard and make them behave as soldiers should, and they love you for that.  I mean, they probably didn't love you when you were disciplining them, but maybe afterward.  Okay, not 'love' perhaps.  I don't think they love you, but they might...  um, they might understand and appreciate how...  uh, how much you do for them."

Kalus made a thoughtful sound, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.  "I'm glad that 'my men' see it that way.  Their well-being is very important to me."

"Some of them might be sorry if they weren't...  or if they have been..."  Katia bit her lip and hung her head slightly.  "What I'm trying to say is...  is that I'm...  I'm s..."  She swallowed.

Lyra couldn't help but feel for her, but remained silent; this was something between them and didn't directly involve her.  Still, she said a silent prayer to Illuminar that it would go well.  Her mother had always told her not to interfere in another person's private affairs.  Her heart ached for a moment as she thought about her mom.  She knew nothing could bring her mother back, but she wished she had a motherly figure in her life.

"I forgive you Katia."  Kalus said gently.

"You do?"  The former handmaiden glanced up at him, then hid behind her amber hair again.  "But I haven't even finished apologizing, nor said what I was apologizing for."

"I know."  He replied, and again his tone was gentle.  "You are clearly sorry, and I will always forgive you no matter the offense as long as you keep Illuminar's greatest commandment to wives."

"I will never lay with a man who isn't my husband."  She said firmly.

"Then I will always forgive you."  He said just as firmly.

"Oh."  Katia said, then fell silent.

They rode on for almost a minute before she spoke again.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome."  He said, then reached down -- since both he and his horse were much taller than her and her horse -- and gently touched her shoulder for a moment.

She seemed startled, but gave him a small smile.

Lyra smiled.

"Um."  Katia said after another minute.  "Uh, would you..."  She bit her lip as she glanced at him.  "Would you perhaps want to play Pente this evening before bed?"

Kalus actually smiled at that.  "I would love to."

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