Ch.25 Words of Promise

I stood in the training room panting. My scythe feeling heavy from the lack of strength. I sank to a knee trying to catch my breath. "I think I've got a shot to call it out."

Dra'tor stood a few paces away with a ripped shirt and a few gashes on his chest that were healing. He too was panting and leaning against his own scythe. "I think so too. We'll just have to see during the war, huh?"

I slowly got to my feet, my cloak and scythe disappearing. "It's in just three days, right? We need to rest up." I shook out my hair that was a bit frizzed from the heat before turning and walking towards the door.

"Sell?" Dra'tor asked straightening as his cloak and scythe disappeared too. "What are you going to do? Meet them at the field like you had previously planned?"

I nodded looking over my shoulder. "My father can handle the army. He's got talent in doing that. Also Lones will have his back. They're good friends believe it or not."

Dra'tor followed after her. "I could go for a good bath right about now. You really beat the shit out of me."

I chuckled as we walked out of the training room. "You need to close your gaps. I think I hammered that into you fairly well."

Dra'tor cracked his neck and sighed. "Oh yeah. Brutally."

"I see training was a success?" Mordan asked holding a tray with bottles of water.

Dra'tor and I took a bottle and drank deeply. We exhaled loudly together. "Yeah."

Mordan smiled turning away and walking off with the tray. "Come. I shall have your baths prepared for you. The servants have prepared fresh clothes in your rooms. Supper will be ready in a little."

"You take such good care of me, Mordan," smiled Dra'tor looking spoiled.

Mordan stopped and turned towards him. "I'm only doing these for Lady Sell, sir. After all of this is over and she goes home I'm heading back to get my original life back."

Dra'tor stopped. "What?! You never told me any of this ahead of time!"

I took Dra'tors bottle from his hand. "Stop giving him such a hard time, Dra'tor. You'll be fine without him. Right?"

"No," Dra'tor replied in a pouting manor. "He makes things so perfectly!"

Mordan looked to me expectantly. "Not everything has been made by me recently."

I looked back at Mordan smiling sheepishly. "Hey, I thought that would be our little secret? You couldn't hold back, huh?"

Dra'tor looked from him to me. "Wait. What? Sell can cook? When?"

I felt like I had been slapped. I ground my teeth counting down from ten to calm down. Mordan couldn't help but laugh as we walked on towards the kitchen in the sprawling sandstone mansion. Dra'tor leaned on the counter peering at Mordan as he placed the two bottles in the sink. "When did she learn to cook?"

"I'm right here!" I barked on the other side of Mordan. "You just never paid attention when I was in the kitchen with Mordan!"

"She's surprisingly very good," Mordan said smiling as he dried the bottles with a wool rag. "I think you have many things to open your eyes too, Dra'tor."

Dra'tor looked back at Mordan biting into an apple. "Huh? What did you say? I wasn't paying attention."

I sighed as I walked towards the doorway. "I'm off for a bath, Mordan. Is the water ready?"

Mordan dried his hands. "Yes. It's been heating up ever since I started supper. It should be nice and hot for you."

I smiled waving. "Thanks. See you at dinner."

Mordan smiled in return and looked to Dra'tor who had finished the apple. "Sir, I believe you should look to Sell as a possible wife?"

Dra'tor choked on the apple, pounding on his chest and coughing. He gasped and looked to Mordan in shock. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

Mordan turned back to the sink, watching the water shimmer from the lights above. "I'm only expressing my thoughts."

"I know," muttered Dra'tor with his head looking away from Mordan. "You aren't the first to suggest her."

Mordan looked at him with a raised brow. "Ah. Your father?"

"It's…" Dra'tor started but let it go. He turned and walked out of the kitchen leaving Mordan to wonder what he was going to say.

Mordan stood there staring out the window at the small garden. He remembered Dra'tor's father always standing out there, admiring the flowers that were well taken care of. It's sad how things turn tragic in a split second and change the course for everyone. Yet, it also has its reason in doing so. Good and bad things come from the change. We honor you every year yet Lady Sell knows nothing about what happened to you. It's a great truth that we hold from her to this day, as upon your request.

I'm not sure if Dra'tor can keep the secret from her any longer, sir. If she is told now, will you forgive us? We know the possible actions that may come from this but… It's important that she knows. Right?

"Mordan?"

Mordan jumped from Dra'tor's voice. "Y-Yes?"

"Is my bath ready?" Dra'tor asked stepping into the kitchen with only his pants on and a towel draped over his right shoulder.

"Yes, sir," Mordan replied. "It's been ready around the same time as Sell's."

Dra'tor turned and left him once more in the kitchen. Mordan sighed leaning on the counter letting himself calm once more. Damn it. Even if one of us told Sell, one of us would be pissed at the other for saying it. He looked up at the picture that was hanging on the wall of the living room over the fireplace of Dra'tor's father. I'm sorry, sir. I can't do it. I'll leave it up to your son to decide. I have no balls to face our Lady.

Mordan could hear the late leader chuckling in his head from past events. "That won't do, Mordan. Give it your all next time! Stop being so cowardly! Look at Dra'tor!"

Mordan checked the kitchen to see that it was in order before leaving the room and looking about the expansive living room. He stared at a chair that the late leader would sit in and read the paper. How his wife would drape over his shoulders with a good morning. Mordan shut his eyes, turning away from the chair and walked up the stairs. If only that one day hadn't happened. Dra'tor would be different. Everything would be different.

"Pervert!" I screamed in the highest voice I could. "Get the fuck out before I scorch you!"

"Hey, I didn't know this was yours!"exclaimed Dra'tor hurriedly backing away with his eyes shut. "Sell, I swear! Don't hurt me! I'm already bruised enough as is!"

Mordan opened the door to see a half-naked Sell and a blushing Dra'tor who had his eyes closed, backing up towards him. "Dra'tor! You dumbass! I told you to go to your own bath!"

Dra'tor whirled around on me angrily. "This was my bath! It's always been my bath!"

"Get out both of you!" I screamed as flames leapt for them angrily.

Dra'tor was grabbed by Mordan and was hauled from the bathroom, shutting the door with a slam. "Sorry, Lady Sell! That won't happen again!"

I huffed folding my arms across my chest that had been covered by a towel. "Why do I have better control over Dra'tor when we're in different places but not here? Jerk!"

I let the towel go onto the floor as I sunk back under the water, my hair splaying out and moving with the rippling water. It had been quite some time since I'd had a hot bath. It felt so soothing to me after handling so much lately. I closed my eyes drifting away in the steam cloud and found myself subconsciously looking at the backside of Hel as he stared out into the distance. It felt lonely around him.

Geez, I'm sorry, Hel. I hate how our next meeting will be on the battlefield. I hope you rest up. We'll all need it. I stood there alongside him watching the moon fall. Something we used to do when we were on our adventures. I smiled to myself at the memories. "Remember the tree we made our base in?"

"Yeah," Hel whispered aloud. "I remember it all."

"One more day," I muttered. "It'll all begin again in one more day."

"When will we see one another there?" Hel asked plainly.

I shrugged to myself. "I don't know. Whatever happens and makes me appear I guess."

Hel turned to me with his deep blue eyes. "Don't go weak on me too early. I want to fight alongside of you and see what that training did before you lose your abilities."

I looked up at him in slight shock. I hadn't heard him say that sort of thing in quite a while. It surprised me. "I'll try."

We stared at one another with small smiles on our faces. His right hand lifted up a few strands of my hair. "It's grown long a good bit. You always looked better with long hair to me though."

"I've come to like long hair but it's annoying to wash," I said looking at the floor embarrassed.

Hel laughed letting it fall from his fingers. "Hey, do you think I could possibly be a butler?"

I looked up at him strangely. "Why?"

He shrugged putting his hands into his pockets and staring at the moon. "I always felt like a butler at your dad's old mansion. I sort of liked it too."

I nudged him gently. "You could be one hell of a butler but your cooking needs work."

We laughed at one another a bit before going quiet again. Hel finally broke the silence between us. "I really do love you. I don't think a dog or even another werewolf could be as lucky as I."

I smiled at him as he knelt down to be petted by me. "I love you too. I'm glad to have met you so long ago."

Hel turned to me, his face near mine. "My Lady, I swear to protect you with my life as I've always done."

I felt his lips press against my cheek gently and his arms wrap about me securely. I instinctively hugged him back. "I'm honored to have you by my side like you've always been, Hel."

"Forever," he said looking into my eyes.

"Forever as one," I said looking back at him.

"Forever as one we shall uphold the law together and protect those that require it," we said together.

The meaning of the phrase burning within us from so long ago. Back when we were small. Back when we knew very little of what was going on around us. I rested my head on his shoulder listening to his heartbeat. "And may the heavens above judge me rightly if I do wrong in some way. May they turn my soul in the right direction if I may fall? May we be as one forever and always."

Hel stood then watching me fade as I gave him one last smile before disappearing. "Forever and always."

I sat up coughing up water. I had gone under water when I had projected. The door was suddenly being banged on. "Sell?! Sell?!"

I brought myself out of the tub and grabbed up the towel to wrap about me before opening the door. "I'm here."

Mordan and Dra'tor stood there looking worried. "Dear, notch! Look at you! You're seriously flushed from the water. Come!"

I was grabbed by Dra'tor before Mordan could take hold and ushered into the kitchen where Dra'tor placed cold water against my neck. I shrieked sitting up straight as a board. "Cold!"

"You're running a fever from that shower, Sell. Look at you," Dra'tor said holding me in place as he placed more cold water on my neck. "What did you do? Fall asleep?"

I shook my head. "I projected by accident. I stood next to Hel and watched the moon with him."

I felt the cold water once more on my neck making me shiver. I looked over at Mordan who was sitting at the table holding his head up by his hand. I looked to Dra'tor who took the rag and filled it with water again before pressing it on my neck. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done the projection."

"It's ok," Dra'tor said calmly. "I'm just glad you didn't drown yourself. We were scared to go in and check on you."

I looked to him and Mordan who blushed red. I started to laugh at them both. "If you think I'm drowning, please barge in and pull me out. If you're too scared then you have no balls and are not a man."

Mordan gawked at me as Dra'tor remained quiet. "That's a bit much. I sort of like it though."

I took the rag from him. "I can cool myself off. Thank you."

Dra'tor reluctantly nodded and helped me off the counter. "Your clothes are ready on your bed. I'm going to be up for a little bit longer. You might want to rest since you've been pushing yourself so much."

I nodded. "I will. Good night you two."

Mordan waved me off while Dra'tor bowed to me. "Night, my Lady."

I left them alone and went to my room, shutting the door behind me. Dra'tor stared out at the staircase almost in a daze. Mordan nudged him. "Hey."

"What?" Dra'tor asked looking at him.

"Do you think your dad was right about her?" Mordan asked looking up at him.

Dra'tor crossed his arms over his bare chest, only wearing pants. He sighed with a frown. "Everything's becoming true so far. But, for her to dip that low in wanting her abilities back? I don't think she'd go back to DNA for help like my father suggested. Sure he had a lot on her father but she's her own person. We'll have to see what she does."