The Curse of the Red Death | Hiatus

10 | Settling Down

Two Years Later

The Mourning Years

It had not been easy. Life as a soldier was not a walk in the woods, not even like a walk in the Cantersing. From discrimination by the male soldiers to the cattiness of the female soldiers, grueling work in all sorts of weather, and horrible pay, Jane was not happy. But she had provided for her family and that was all she could hope for. She had done quite well for herself. Starting out as a private, she quickly made a name for herself as a leader and her performance as a team player. Now at the rank of corporal, she was bringing in a little more coin than before. With a small group of men under her that she led, she was quite proud of how far she'd come.

Besides it hadn't all been bad. She'd made a couple of good friends. Ida, the guard who had helped them when they first arrived, and a set of twins. Kymil and Andwen. A pair of troublemakers, but she didn't mind that. Their antics often made her laugh and Kymil had become quite important to her.

Sitting in a tavern by herself, Jane stared down into her mug of beer. A smile curled her lips. Kymil. He and his brother were of elven descent. They had all met by chance one day in the garrison running drills. She'd been keen on making friends and they looked like the right kind of trouble. Andwen was taller than his older brother and a real lady's man. Happy blue eyes on a handsome face and a shock of blonde hair. Tie that up with a ribbon of charming personality and you had a man who attracted ladies like flies.

But Kymil...she took a sip of her drink.

Weight came onto her shoulder in the form of a hand. "There you are."

A smile spread across her face. Turning around, she gazed up into somber brown eyes. "Kymil."

"Jane." He grinned at her and pressed a chaste kiss to her temple. "I was wondering where you'd run off to."

"How many places did you look before you came here?"

He winked at her as he took a seat next to her. "This was the first place I came to."

Clicking her tongue, she playfully shoved his arm. "Oh, you."

"How's my love doing?"

She leaned against him and took a sip of her drink. "Tired. It's been a very long day of patrolling."

Kymil hummed and nodded. "Aye. It has been." After a moment, he sighed. "Word is we're receiving new orders today."

"Oh?" She glanced over at him with lifted eyebrows. "Any idea of what they might be?"

He frowned, ordered a beer, and turned to her. "I remember you mentioning how you came here. A disease had taken over your village, right?"

Unease pitted itself in her stomach. "Yeah?"

Kymil made a noise in his throat. "I believe we're going to be doing some exploratory missions regarding something about it. I'm unsure how it involves us, but it is what it is. There isn't much we can do."

In almost two years, no word of the disease had crossed her path. She had hoped it was behind them all, but here it was, raising its ugly head. It worried her. How could she protect her family if they didn't even know how to fight the disease?

"We'll find out more tomorrow, I guess, but tonight...why don't you go spend it with your family?" Kymil thanked the bartender and took a swig of his drink. "I can come with and we can finally tell your parents about us."

"And get all hell raining down on my head?" Jane snorted. "No. A little while longer, I promise. Let my brother graduate and then we can tell them about us."

He rolled his eyes. "It's been a year, Jane. Don't you think it's time we started telling people?"

In truth, she knew he was right. But there was something pleasant about only two people in the whole wide world knowing they were together. It wasn't fair to Kymil, though, she guessed. He wanted to settle down and start a family. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time.

Smiling up at him, she pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Let me spend one more day with my family as a supposedly single woman. I'll talk to my family when we come back from the mission. How does that sound?"

A bright grin split his face. "Now we're talking!"

"Speaking of which," she said as she rose to her feet and placed a golden coin on the counter. "I should get going. I don't want to be late for dinner. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He waved to her as she hurried out the door. Excitement bubbled in her chest. Going home meant good food, laughter, and love. It was her favorite place to go. Once they had settled down here, Rosehaven barely graced their minds. It had been an easy transition.

Glancing over her shoulder at the castle looming in the distance, an inkling of worry lodged itself in her chest. Brushing it aside, she focused on what she needed to do. New orders meant she needed to gather her things, bring some money, and prepare for a long journey. Who knew what new things awaited them on the morrow?