Within These Tangled Tales

Chapter Thirty-One

—Enders Watch, Velara—

Adix couldn't help himself. He leaned in, pressing his nose against his wife's hair and breathed in deeply. She used rose oil in her hair when she bathed, a scent that had haunted him when they were apart throughout the war. It had happened more often than he had liked, and even though they were now being thrust headlong into another conflict, Adix found he honestly couldn't care less so long as he was by her side.

Orianna leaned back into this hold. His arms tightened around her waist as he kissed her hair. What a vision she would be someday soon, her belly round with their child. He had never considered such a future before. War and duty had been all he knew. It was engrained within him to protect his king, his nation, and nothing else. But Orianna had summarily changed that. She was the single most important person to him now. He would follow her wherever she went, even if that meant abandoning his post. Life without her had been a dull, empty thing. She painted his life bright with color and beauty. He loved her more than he could ever properly express.

Her head tipped to the side, an open invitation for him to kiss her neck, which he did so gladly. It was freeing to be able to touch her like this. At first, she had wanted to keep their relationship quiet, uncertain of his commitment perhaps, and then, once the war had started, she hadn't wanted to distract from the war effort. And after that, Duke Castellain had nearly stolen her out from under him. Even now, the thought made his grip on her waist tighten. He didn't like to think of himself as a jealous man. Orianna was free to do as she pleased. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt when he had thought her marriage to the duke would have kept them apart.

"When I take you home, will I have to fight your father every time I wish to kiss you?" he whispered in her ear.

Her shoulders shook with laughter. "Probably."

"Do I get a prize if I beat him?"

More laughter that made her head tip backwards so she could look up at him. "Adix, I love you dearly, but you won't beat him."

"Such certainty. You doubt my abilities?"

"No, but my father...he was the youngest Alpha-Commander in history."

"I am the youngest Nightwarden in history."

"He never lost a battle."

"Neither have I."

"He led the armies of the Valdornne Empire as Alpha-Commander, the Horde of Medyulana as Eir'ezaach, and the Thieves as the Lion of Alfheim. He's a decorated war-hero, a king, and a legend in my worlds."

He nuzzled just beneath her ear. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to scare me."

"I am most definitely trying to scare you. I'm not saying you won't last longer than other opponents, but you aren't going to win that fight, var'elleth."

He chuckled, delighting when the sound made her shiver. He loved that his voice was enough to distract her. "I shall endeavor to win on my wife's behalf. Just to prove her wrong...I've been meaning to ask. Your term of endearment...var'elleth, is that from your native tongue?"

She shook her head. "Not my native tongue, no. My mother's. She's a light elf from Alfheim. She taught me several languages, including eldaaran, thankfully, or I wouldn't have been able to say two words to you all when we met."

"A light elf?"

A frown touched her lips as she turned slightly to face him. "Yeah. Are there only dark elves on this world, then? I could have sworn..."