A Miracle for Love (Caesar Drisdall from The White Knights Chronicles)

Chapter 9

In the morning, Katelyn slowly opened her eyes to see Caesar's golden ones staring back at her. "Good morning," she whispered, captivated by his gorgeous eyes. "Good morning," he whispered back, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "Last night was... well, let's just say you blew my mind," he said. "It was amazing," Katelyn said, but then winced as she tried to move her lower half. "Are you alright," he asked. "Just a little sore. A hot bath would be nice." With that, Caesar gave her a small kiss on the lips and got out of the bed. He went over to the adjacent bathroom, and she could hear water running as she slowly sat up and stretched. Caesar came back to the bed and said, "The bath is ready. Do you want me to carry you?" "Yes please. That would be wonderful," Katelyn said, holding her arms out to him. When Caesar lifted her from the bed, Katelyn looked back and said, "Oh gosh. I'm sorry about the sheets." Caesar looked over and saw some blood on the sheets and realized, "Oh my gosh. I was your first," as he looked between her and the bed. "Yes," she said, looking a little embarrassed. "I was waiting for that special someone. Then, I found you." "Well, I have something to admit. You were my first too. And don't worry about the sheets. I have plenty. I just wish that I would have known to be a little gentler with you last night." "Don't worry, you didn't hurt me. Now, how about that bath. It sounds lovely right about now." "Yes, my lady," he said, whisking her away to the bathroom. Katelyn blushed a little at him calling her his lady. She knew that what they did last night meant that she would be the lady to his courtship, but it still made her feel funny. Caesar slowly walked into the tub with Katelyn in his arms and sat down, placing her on his lap.

After sitting in the hot water, Caesar grabbed some different salts and bubbles and added them to the bath. Then he asked Katelyn, "Would you like me to wash your hair for you?" "That would be lovely," she replied. He started by helping her to run some bubbly shampoo through her long hair and gently scrubbed at her scalp. "Gosh, that feels amazing," Katelyn said as he kneaded the tension from her scalp. He then said, "Put your head back for me." She slowly leaned her head back and felt his hand rest against her hairline. Then, he filled a small bowl with water and washed it through her hair. He did this over and over till all the suds rinsed out. He then grabbed some conditioner from the side of the tub and slowly worked it through her hair. He then grabbed a brush and worked it through her hair, slowly detangling all the knots and tangles. He finished by rinsing her hair thoroughly one last time before she turned and asked, "Can I do your hair?" "If you want to, sure." With that, he turned his back to her, and she started by grabbing some shampoo and working it through his hair before slowly rinsing it as he did to hers. She then conditioned his hair before rinsing it one last time. After finishing, she asked, "Do you have any soap I can use?" "Of course," he said, before reaching over and grabbing a bar of soap. Katelyn took the soap bar that he offered and then sat next to him, slowly running it over his chest and back, cleansing him of all the dirt from the last few days. Then, he took the bar from her and slowly started to cleanse across her chest and back, then helped her to rinse off the suds from them both. After rinsing off all the suds, Caesar stepped out of the tub and started to towel dry himself before wrapping the towel around his waist. He then grabbed a second towel and said, "Come here so I can dry you off."

Katelyn obliged and stepped out of the tub water, letting him wrap her in the towel. He then grabbed another towel and helped her to dry her hair before asking, "Do you want me to go get you a change of clothes? It's going to be a long day." "How about you change and then you can help me pick an outfit? I need some advice on what to wear." "Okay, just give me a minute," he said before going into the closet and coming back out with an armored shirt and pants on. He then asked, "Are you ready to go look for something to wear?" Katelyn grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his as he guided them across the hall. After showing him the clothes, she had chosen that had fit from the closet, he told her it would be best if she wore a metal armored top and a pair of pants that she could move well in. So, she chose a bustier that had a metal plating over the front. Caesar helped her to wrap and tie it and then pull on a pair of leather pants. He then helped her to put on her sword sheath, boots, and a cape. He then found a pair of earrings in one of the dresser drawers and told her, "These were Kara's from the time we were in Greede. She had swapped them at the time for another pair of earrings. They are known as sharp earrings. They have a magical defense system that helps to protect you from monsters." Slowly, Katelyn took them from his grasp and clipped them into her ears. "Okay, I'm ready to go. Let's go find the others."

With that, they left the room and walked down to the kitchen to be met with Yulie and Leonard eating. Eldore was leaning against one of the counters sipping on a cup of coffee. "Glad you two are finally awake," Yulie said, "Did you two sleep well last night?" The two looked at each other and both gave a quick, "Yes." Katelyn went over to sit down and Eldore handed her a cup of coffee saying, "You look like you need it." "Thanks, Eldore. Coffee sounds amazing right now." She started to sip on the coffee as Yulie said, "Hey Caesar, mind if I steal Katelyn for a few minutes. I need to talk to her in the dining room." "Sure, I'll have food out for us in a few, okay." "Okay, we will be back," Yulie said, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the room. "What's up, Yulie," Katelyn asked after they sat down at the dining room table. "Fine, I'll admit. I wanted to have girl talk. I've been around too much testosterone for way too long. And I have the room next to Caesar's, so I heard the noises coming from his room last night." Katelyn blushed a little and said, "I didn't realize we were loud." "So, you guys did the deed last night? Tell me, how was it?" "Well, I'll spare you all the dirty details, but it was amazing. And I realized something last night." "Ooo, what did you realize?" "I realized that I am in love with Caesar and that I started to consider here, Greede, my home." "Oh my gosh, did you tell him?" "No, we didn't even tell each other after what we did last night. I feel stupid for not saying it, but he didn't say it either. I mean, are we ready for that step? Is it too soon? I really don't know," Katelyn said, shaking her head.

Yulie looked at her for a moment and said, "Maybe you should tell him today. Before we leave. We don't know what kind of threats lie ahead of us in Greede's Underbelly and we don't know how hard the Netherwyrm will be to fight." "You're right Yulie. Thank you for lending an ear." "You're welcome. I'm going to finish the shopping before our trip today. Do you need anything?" "I don't know. Caesar hasn't told me about anything I may need. Is there anything you suggest?" "I can pick you up some necessary supplies that you should always have. But I must get going. See you in a few." "Thanks again, Yulie," Katelyn said as Yulie walked out the door. A few minutes later, Katelyn was finishing her coffee when Caesar walked in with two plates of food. "I made food for us. Hope you are hungry." "Starving, thanks," Katelyn said, taking a plate from him. They sat down to eat and talked about the trip ahead and the things that Katelyn would need to know about Greede's Underbelly. "There are skeletons down there that can attack you. You can't damage them with your sword. You must break apart their bones and then cast a holy light spell. That way you won't end up being cursed. I need to teach you that, how to remove a poison spell, and how to remove a curse before we go down there. Are you up for a quick training session in the gardens before we leave?" "Of course. Are you going to cast the spells and teach me how to remove them?" "I'll teach you how to cast and remove them both. Don't worry. You'll learn quickly." "Okay," Katelyn said, quickly finishing the rest of her meal.

After finishing their food and cleaning their plates, Caesar led Katelyn out to an opening in the garden and began to teach her the five different incantations she would need to know. After a few tries, it seemed that she understood and started to deflect the curses and poisonings that he threw at her. It seemed like she was doing well until a poisoning spell her threw at her made her feel sick. She fell to her knees for a minute and then felt her stomach swirl. She said the incantation, but it didn't seem to work. "Damn, I must've forced you to use all your magic power. Here, eat this," he said, holding out a handful of herbs. She took it and started to munch on them, and slowly her stomach started to feel better. "I will have to teach you to not spend all your magical energy too quickly and how to use potions to bring it back up," he said. She leaned into him for a few minutes and then said, "I need to tell you something before we go underground today." "What is it? Are you okay?" "I just... I know it may be too soon, and I don't know if you feel the same way about me yet, but I really want to tell you... I love you, Caesar. And I felt that I needed to tell you in case something happens to either one of us in the coming days." She then pulled him in for a gentle kiss. "You heard what Kara said. Our souls are connected. We are literal soulmates. I've loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you, Katelyn. It only took a few days to connect the dots, but I hope we get to spend a long time with each other," he said as the kiss broke. He then stood and pulled her into his arms and said, "I love you so much more than you will ever know."