She felt blessed, like the Stars themselves had granted her this. There was no limit, no rules or constraints. She was boundless; she was home, safe and secure in his unbreakable embrace.
~
Shackled in an abrupt and demanding upbringing, Althera is...
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Captain," Dasher heard his men call out, pitching their heads forward in a show of respect. He stopped before them, glancing from one face to the next.
"Report?" He faced the first, knowing what the answer would already be.
He had done this ever since he'd been made an apprentice to the Captain of the Guard in the Second Kingdom, running unimportant errands and recording the reports of the other guards for his master to inspect when he actually had the time. Nothing really special or different was recorded, and if there was, it always just turned out to be a false alarm.
"Only a few courtesans complaining about animalistic noises coming from the gardens." One guard shrugged. Dasher resisted the urge to pinch his nose in frustration.
Only courtesans managed to make everything much more serious and hazardous than they actually were.
"Tell them it's the hounds traipsing the grounds," he sighed.
"Yes, Captain," they said at once.
"And make sure you discreetly set the hounds free during the afternoon until dusk so that they are convinced." Courtesans never believed something unless they saw it with their own eyes or heard it for themselves. It was a nightmare.
"Of course." The two of them shared a look, suppressing laughter.
"Good. Anything else?" No, he thought. He didn't know why he bothered asking.
"No, Captain." His point had been proven.
He was about to turn away to head for the guards' quarters when he heard someone calling for him, running footsteps following afterward. Half expecting to meet a frazzled guard stumbling over his own feet with some hideous and eye-rolling news that didn't deserve to be worth his time, Dasher dragged himself back. But when his eyes set themselves on one of his men, rumpled and dazed and face as white as a sheet, he could feel his own face drain of their color. He'd never seen anyone look so stricken and... Deflated – like they had just witnessed something that had cursed their very existence.
Instinctively, his eyes wandered the guard's body, looking for any sign of an assault or face-to-face combat. There was nothing different about him other than the spoiled pants he didn't bother to hide as he scurried over, falling to his knees before him. If one of his fearless men had ended up in this condition, something was wrong.
"C-Captain," the guard stuttered again, wiping at the sweat that coated his brow, even his fingers trembling. A shiver broke out among him, and he threw himself at Dasher's feet. "Captain," he said, "a-an issue of dire importance r-requires your attention immediately." Dasher saw through the corner of his eyes the other guards that flanked him tense, eyes trained on the man bent and shaking in front of him.
