Evening Tales: Dark Academia Short Stories

The General

I twisted my hands in my lap. These lace gloves were itchy, the fine sewn details more of a hassle than a comfort. I sat with bated breath as I listened to the meeting drawl on. Usually, I would have been well on my way to sleep, drifting off to the sounds of these war generals and diplomats go on and on about strategy, but not today. How could I when he was just a few feet from me? 

His hair was absent of grey, marking his youth amongst the other generals, and my own father, the king. Although young, he was one of the most esteemed generals in my father's army. 

He had the attention of the room as he pointed to a large map in the middle of the table. He made some remark about the advantages of the land in battle, setting his jaw and nodding his head, causing a stray platinum hair to droop over his forehead. His comment gained many agreeing grunts and nods, some saying "why didn't I think of that!". Although the attention of the room was on him, his grey eyes flicked to mine, searching. I gave a small smile and nodded my head. He smirked ever so slightly, then returned to his work. 

The meeting went on like this for hours. As princess, I needed to be there. Something about tradition held me to attend those meetings in the damp war room full of maps and whiskey. But on the days that he was there, I hardly felt the hours at all. 

When the Commander gave his final verdict and dismissed the men, the room erupted in shuffling and conversations starting up. 

"I want to introduce you to General Hart," My father said to me, standing from his seat.

"Good evening, your Majesties." A calm, commanding voice sounded from behind me. I turned to face the man, who my father now beamed at. The grey-eyed general smiled warmly at my father as my cheeks flushed a blush pink color. 

"Leon, this is my daughter, Princess Neera." My father said proudly, pushing me toward General Hart, who now had his steel eyes fixed on me. 

"It is an honor." He bowed, taking my hand in his and brushing his lips against it lightly. 

"I have heard much about you, General Hart." I said, if only to distract myself from his rough yet gentle hands now releasing mine.

"And I of you, Your Majesty." He smiled at me, opening his mouth to speak when my father cut in. 

"Leon, you must come talk with Commander Wren. I have told him of your proposals from last week and he was astounded!" My father led Leon away, pulling him toward Commander Wren. He glanced back at me and our eyes met before they were lost in the crowd. I sighed, annoyed with my father from pulling him away from me, as I made my way to exit the room. 

I was half way down the corridor when I stopped. It was silent, save for the gentle fall of the rain and the distant chatter erupting from the war room. The rain against the concrete of the outdoor walk was like a symphony that I could listen to all day. I stepped out from under the cover of the archway and looked up at the sky, the gentle drops of rain cooling my warm cheeks. 

"You'll catch a cold." 

I turned to see the steel eyed general leaning nonchalantly against the doorway, a smirk on his face. 

"Maybe," I said, "But it is well worth it." The general raised his brow as if my words were a challenge to him. 

"We will see about that," he said, leaving his spot in the dry hall to join me on the rain-soaked walk. I continued to let the rain cover me, my hair sticking to my forehead as I felt his stare on me. I looked up to meet his gaze. "I have missed you." He whispered. 

"And I, you." I said, fully facing him now.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere warm and dry." He smirked, taking me by the hand and leading me inside. 

After a few moments of only our echoed footsteps against the marble hall and a flight of stairs, we came to an empty parlor with a roaring fire. I hastily made my way to it, sitting on the chaise in front of the flames. I felt Leon's weight next to me moments later. 

"Those things are always so stuffy." He said, wrinkling his nose in distaste and sticking his arms out toward the fire.

"It is the only time that I get to see you." I said.

"Yes," he said sadly, "It isn't intentional... I just- well there's no excuse for me. I would sneak to see you but your father has you under so much protection." 

I laughed and combed a piece of platinum hair from his temple. 

"Sometimes is better than never, right?" I asked. He turned his gaze to me. Those steel grey eyes turning liquid silver in the firelight, swirling with a myriad of emotions.

"Sometimes certainly feels like never."

"We can't keep pretending not to know each other." I said with a raise of my brow, "Someone will soon catch on and it might well be my father." 

"Let's pray not."

We sat in silence, the occasional pop of the fire making me flinch. 

"Shouldn't you be downstairs?" I asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yes..." He said, weighing the stakes of missing the social event, "but the question is what do I want. And what I want, is to be here with you." 

"You're a general. A diplomat. These stuffy meetings and social calls are what you do. Don't risk it all to spend time with me." I added quickly, hating the idea of me being the cause of his potential failure. 

"I will always make time for you, my love." He caressed my cheek, surveying my features. "You have me in the palm of your hand."

I leaned into his caress, his warmth spreading through my body faster than wild fire. 

 "So beautiful." He murmured, covering my lips with his, as sparks erupted- all through my toes to the top of my head. His touch was magnetic, a force that I would always be drawn to no matter the circumstances. 

Our kiss deepened as he pulled me onto his lap, twirling a piece of my long hair around his finger. 

"Neera..." He grunted. Our bodies were close now. So close that I could feel his warmth through the fabric of my clothing.

"I never want to leave..." I whispered between kisses. He lazily drew circles on my lower back with his finger, making my back arch.

"I will find a way," he said, kissing my jaw, "to make this last forever. Even if I have to build a kingdom myself to get the title, I will do it." 

"Forever? That's a very long time." I said. 

"With you? It would never be enough."

The general was many things, but he was no liar. With each kiss and touch that we shared that night, his words rang in my head. And I believed them.

Forever. 

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This one was a little short. I tried to make it different than the others instead of following the same pattern haha. 

We are almost at 1k reads! That's crazy. I started this book as a place to get these little stories out of my head and onto paper, and I never expected it to get more than maybe 50 reads.

Thank you all for the support!

Leave suggestions and don't forget to check out my other story, The Raven Lord!