"Q? You hear man?" Calix returned to the new home that his Squire helped set up when they moved into town.
"Let me just say that so far, I absolutely love this town!" Quadrel stepped into the entryway.
Calix shook his head. "Glad someone is having some fun."
The Squire shrugged. "I don't see why you are so pissy about it. There is good food, good music, and drunk women down Bourbon Street seem to not know when Mardi Gras is, so they keep flashing their breasts." He paused and tilted his head. "What is not to like?"
"Not all of life is centered around those key points." Calix mumbled.
Q's eyes narrowed. He had known Calix since he was nine years old, when he followed his older brother around like a lost puppy, even breaking into people's houses. Calix could have killed them both for breaking into his home. Instead, he offered his older brother a way out of the gang life and a good job. Too bad Q's brother wouldn't listen. Two weeks later, Nieamiah was shot in someone else's home. Calix stepped in a paid for the funeral and unofficially adopted Q, helping his single mother keep him fed, in school and out of the gangs that had taken her other son.
"Who are you and why have you taken over my friend?" Q questioned.
Calix chuckled. "It's not that. It is the people here. I told you about Valerius and Morginne right?"
Q nodded. "They are both here."
The Squire sucked in a quick breath. "Damn."
Q was in his mid thirties. He had spent two and a half decades with Calix. In all that time, he had only talked about his past once. For both the General and the Druid to be in the same city with Calix, that was a low blow. They had screwed him over enough. Q didn't want to see his friend get hurt more.
"Buckle up buttercup. We are in for a rough ride."
"Awe. And here, I was worried you were going to turn soft."
Calix scoffed. "There is nothing soft about me… in any version that could be interpreted."
"Ew. Didn't need to know that man." Q ducked the shoe that went sailing past his head. "Just glad my mama doesn't have to hear that shit. Bless her soul, she would be horrified to hear you talk sometimes."
"Me?" Calix arched a brow. "You're worse."
Q grinned. "And it's all your fault."
November 19, 2016.
.
The weather had turned colder as November skipped along. Halloween was a distant memory as Thanksgiving was right around the corner. Calix groaned as he remembered the evening of fun that Acheron had interrupted to drag his ass to New Orleans.
He had spent most of his time doing anything possible to avoid Morginne. He needed a new distraction.
So, he scoped out a petite little brunette who was leaning over the pool table in the back of Sanctuary. He had decided that he liked the bar. The good looking guys drew in hot college girls. They were much more fun to hunt after than daimons anyway.
Besides, with the Dogs of War still in town, there wasn't much hunting to be done. Too many Dark-Hunters in such a small city.
He licked his lips as he got a good view of the girl's chest as she leaned over to make her shot. Awe. She missed. What a perfect opportunity to offer to teach her, with his arms wrapped around her and her back against his front. Too easy.
The two had barely made it out the alley before Calix had her pushed against the wall as he kissed the girl's neck and pressed against the warm body in front of him.
Yet, as he closed his eyes, flashes of memories assaulted his vision. The feel of creamy tawny skin covered in soft freckles. Bright blue-grey eyes that danced as she laughed. The way his heart soared at hearing such a sound as she didn't laugh often, certainly not in public. It was special. And he cherished it.
Calix pulled back from the girl.
"What is it baby?" She asked. "Why don't we go to my place?"
As soon she touched his hand, the memories took over…
The feast with Caidryn had been rather tense, yet, productive. The men discussed the treaty further and Caidryn invited some local musicians to play.
When the music suddenly stopped. Caidryn stood to address his guests. The translator stood between Valerius and Calix as he spoke. The Celtic King welcomed the Romans and encouraged his people not to fear them, but look toward the future trade opportunities. However, the conversation took a turn when the King announced a marriage to help tie the two cultures together.
Morginne stood and approached her king with all of the grace of a royal woman. The Druid priestess had agreed to marry a Roman.
Valerius would have never been able to marry the Celtic woman without risking his family's honor. Gaius, the second in command was already married. So, the eyes all turned to Calix.
His face dropped. "My lord?"
"Pick up your jaw and take the girl's hand. You are getting too old to be without a wife anyway. This will secure their cooperation. And I have not been ignorant to the way you look at her. She pleases you." Valerius stated and pushed Calix out of his chair.
He gulped before he awkwardly walked to join Morginne.
She took his hand in hers and raised their joined hands for the crowd to cheer. Once the applause faded and general conversation resumed, Morginne pulled him to the side.
"This is what is good for my people. I do not expect you to remain at my side if you do not wish. But, it would help if you did not have a look on your face as though you are about to be sick." She snarled.
The twinge of hurt that floated through her voice at her assumed rejection cut through his shock.
"I am sorry. I was not consulted on such a matter. This is new to me." He mumbled out. For the first time in a long time, he found himself out of his element. Military matters, he knew. Fighting, he knew. Killing, he knew. Marriage was a world he never considered.
At his words, her face softened. "If you do not wish this, speak to your General. I gave my word to my King to make this offer. I cannot go back on it. And you are the only one in the group high enough ranked to be of consideration that it would not dishonor King Caidryn's arrangement, while still being free to accept it."
Calix pulled away from the brunette outside of Sanctuary. He couldn't do anything with those damned memories in his head. Why the fuck wouldn't they go away?
Morginne had done nothing but ruined him.
"Just go home." He snarled to the girl as he stormed away. Maybe killing daimons would help.
Morginne strolled through the holiday traffic around the Brewery. She noticed that modern people did a lot of shopping. Her mind wondered at why people needed so much stuff. In her life prior to imprisonment, people lived with far less and still found some happiness. Did all of that modern stuff make them any more happy?
Yes, there were negatives to those lives, such as facing winters without the luxury of central heating or electricity that just comes on as you turn a switch. People in New Orleans don't go and chop wood or barter for it from the men who do. They don't watch their fires to make sure they don't go out. They don't sleep near the warm stones, under layers of furs to keep from losing toes to frostbite.
However, there was joy to be found in the past. Happiness in seeing a child born healthy. Excitement in letting oneself be free to dance to the musicians. Giggles as girls wove flowers in their hair in the spring. The rush of elation in finding love.
Love.
If only.
She remembered the day that she had let herself go. The day that Calix had stolen her heart.
The marriage was arranged for political purposes. Yet, he had already caught her eye. He was quiet and calculating, much like her. Definitely good looking with his chiseled features and short cropped hair. She didn't know much about him, yet he made her insides all squirmy and warm. She had very rarely had such a reaction towards a man. And even then, it wasn't something that she paid attention to. Not until she spent a week sitting across from Calix during negotiations.
It was a feeling only heightened when he tackled her to the ground to stop her fighting while Roman men attacked her companions. His body was hard with toned muscles, warm against her skin, and she could feel his manhood react to the position they were in. It haunted her. Until their wedding night.
Once they withdrew to her cottage to consummate the marriage, he showed a nervousness. It made him look younger, sweeter. Morginne had still been a virgin, so she didn't know what to do exactly. She had never been taught how to seduce a man She understood the procedures of copulation, just not the rules to gaining a man's attention. And he was so nervous that he didn't seem to want to do anything. So, he drank.
He finally sighed. "Morginne. Please tell me about you." He requested.
"Would that help you want me?" She whispered, thinking that his lack of moving forward was a rejection of her.
His eyes snapped to hers. "Wanting you is not the problem. The problem is knowing you. I don't know you. And that is fine for wild romp with some woman I would never see again. But, you are my wife now. And I don't want to hurt you."
With that, she let some of her walls slip. Her mask of calm authority. Morginne quietly removed most of her garments and jewelry, peeling away the symbols of her authority, leaving her in just her simple long tunic style gown. No longer the priestess, just simply Morginne.
Then she refilled his cup with more wine and sat at his feet to start telling him what she could comfortably talk to him about.
"Well, you know that I am a Druid. As was my mother."
"Is that why you became a Druid, because she was?"
Morginne tilted her head. "Druids are not an automatic birthright. It takes training and proper temperament. My father never wanted me to become a Druid at all. However, as a young child, I already showed a connection to the magic. The only way to learn to control it was to train with the Druids. It was safer for everyone that way."
His rich brown eyes looked down at her. "You seem to hold a lot of respect and power, is your father proud of you now?"
She nodded. "As High Priestess for the city, I outrank everyone but the king."
"You didn't marry before now. Surely with that kind of rank and your beauty, others would have asked for your hand."
Her shoulders lifted in a relaxed shrug. "This was the will of the gods. Yours or mine, I don't know. Perhaps both."
He grinned. "So, how is it you learned Latin so well?" It was a question that had nagged at him since the first day he met her.
Morginne chuckled. "You won't like the answer."
He arched a brow.
She took a breath. "When I was a girl, there was a small group of Romans that were scouting through our lands. They were foolish enough to attack. Survivors were captured and taken as slaves. Though they had been forced to learn our language as they served Caidryn, I was curious and wanted to know about them."
His brows creased. "Where are those men now?"
"Only two survived the attacks. One died within a few years, of fever. My mother tried to save him. The second, he died last summer. He had earned his freedom and married here. Unfortunately, he was thrown from a horse and hit his head on a rock."
That drew a small smile from Calix. At least the men had been treated rather well.
They continued to talk for a while.
As they relaxed, Calix pulled her up to stand in front of him. His eyes never left hers.
"I have never been with someone as innocent as you in this way. I do not want to hurt you Morginne." He whispered.
"Why?" She asked. She knew he didn't want to marry her. It had been obvious the night that it was announced and the way he arrived to the wedding smelling of alcohol. So why would he care if he hurt her?
His hand cupped her face. "There is something about you that makes me want to protect you. From every kind of pain in life." His thumb slid over her cheek and sent shivers through her body. His brown eyes never left her blue-grey ones.
She gently shook her head. "You can't protect me from all pain. It is part of life. Part of the path that the gods have set for us."
With that, he captured her lips and pulled her into his lap. His kiss was tender and sweet.
They explored each other's mouths until they were both breathless. Each of them gaining courage slowly, just enjoying the contact they had. Learning from it. Losing themselves in it.
By the end of their first kiss, her hands had found their way across his back. While his had moved to slide down the side of her body until he held onto her hips.
Calix moved her to stand while he stood as well. He removed all of his clothing and then pulled her gown over her head.
"Morginne. I can't promise that I will always be here. I am a soldier first and foremost. And I won't take you from your home unless you are willing to leave with me. But, I do promise this… If I am here, I will always protect you. You are my wife now." He paused. "I can sometimes be a slow learner. Especially with something like marriage. I might make mistakes or upset you. But, I will come around if it is reasonable."
She smiled up at him as he pressed his forehead to hers. She had never heard of any man offering so much to a woman he barely knew. He was honorable. He was sincere. But mostly, he was hers. She may have been inexperienced with men, however, she could think of no man more deserving of her affections than her Roman Prefect.
Without really trying, he had stolen her heart at that moment. Even before he shared her bed. And when morning came, she was surprised to find that it had not been a dream.
Calix had been insatiable and dominant, but tender and caring. They had shared all of themselves through the night and over the following few days. The two of them created a world unto themselves. Away from obligations and responsibilities, they found a place where they could just be open with each other in every way. Morginne could no longer imagine her life without her husband in it.
Unfortunately it did not last.