How to rule a king

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Ronja:

I was forcefully woken from my content slumber by alarmed cries clanging through the ship. Looking to my left, I found Vasyli laying there, curled into a tight ball and being sound asleep while he held Mr. Jasper, the stuffed ghost, closely to his heart. I gently brushed a few loose strands of his dark hair from his childish face before I covered his shoulders with the blanket he seemed to have shaken off in his sleep.

I was about to settle back into the comfortable silkiness of the master bedroom's king-sized bed, as I heard Alexei angrily shouting commands at what I guessed must have been his crew. Taking a glimpse at the digital watch placed on the right side's nightstand I realized that it was only a few minutes after midnight.

Why is he back already? Has something happened?

Curiosity got the better of me as I slipped on a dark blue, knee-length silk morning robe that matched perfectly with the short silky night dress I wore. Taking a shaky breath, I left the safety of the bedroom as I tiptoed along the corridor, following whatever route I believed would lead me to the bridge. I wasn't sure why I expected to find my husband there since he hadn't yelled any commands for what I believed had to be more than five minutes by now. Yet, I had the feeling that if I wanted to find him, I best started looking in the place that radiated with power the most.

By the time I finally reached the metal double doors leading towards my desired destination, the ship had started moving. At first, the loud sound of the heavy motors vibrating through the ship nearly made me run back to the bedroom to seek cover beside Vasyli's sleeping form. Yet as I heard another one of Alexei's angry outbursts, I immediately turned to follow his voice.

The second the automatic doors opened, Alexei turned around, his face snarling at whoever dared to interrupt his and the captain's talk. However, as soon as he realized it was me standing before him, he immediately stalked over to me, pulling me into a tight hug while he gently kissed my forehead. After a few seconds, his hands gripped onto my shoulders, holding me at arm's length as he critically eyed me up and down before he nodded in approval. Then he pressed my much smaller body to his left side while his left arm held onto my hip in a rather possessive way. Turning towards the captain he spoke: "At least she didn't get hurt. Make pace as fast as possible. I want to leave this hellhole and never look back."

Hellhole? Leave? But we've only just arrived a few hours ago.

As if he was sensing my questioning thoughts he turned his attention back towards me.

"We were attacked during the party. Again. Some little shit believes they can get away with not only bombing me once but twice. But I'm done with their shit now. Once I have found out who the fuck did this I'll go out for a hunt...Then I'll show them what real monsters can do."

I flinched at his words. He spoke as if he planned to go to war. How long did we have until all went south again, until another attack hit us? How long until we had to bury more than a man or two? How long until families were torn apart for some unnecessary war? Yet, I knew Alexei wouldn't back down. For him, being attacked not only on his birthday but also during his wedding clearly was not only an act of war that demanded to be answered but also a provocation he couldn't left unanswered and from what I could tell he planned on giving them one hell of an answer.

I leant my head against his chest, hoping this gesture would not only comfort him, but also calm his angry wrath. Angry, irrational decisions hardly ever lead to a positive outcome. If he wanted to strike back, he would need to have a clear mind and a calm heart. I had heard stories about my husband's wrath long before I even knew I would have to marry him one day. Stories of what he did to the ones who wronged him. Of how he wouldn't stop fighting until he exsanguinated them of every drop of blood their bodies had to offer. Nobody knew what happened to the blood afterwards, since all Alexei ever left behind was a pile of exsanguinous bodies. You see why I couldn't help wondering who would actually be dumb enough to tickle a man with such a reputation? Then again, it didn't matter who challenged Alexei, their time was up, that much was sure.