'Marques'
I spent two months in Colborough. I got many letters from Kel, all cheerful and encouraging. When I wrote back, I wrote with more passion than my wife would care to commit to paper, filled with vivid descriptions of our past trysts. These letters were also sprinkled with suggestive comments, such as: 'the days without you are too long, my sweet, and the nights are even longer.' I was strongly reprimanded for these little tidbits in her responses, but I enjoyed it more than anything: I could almost see her blushing.
________________________________________________________________________
I nudged my grey through the Lower Gate of Corus. Colborough was far behind me, left to its own devices at last. And now it was home to Kel.
Once I'd brushed down my horse and seen to my things in the Own stables, I set off to our rooms to see if she was home.
The old oak door creaked as I opened it. I made a note to get someone to oil it. The room was empty, but I could hear the murmur of voices from the next room. The orange cat that had attached herself to me on the trip to Scanra sat on the desk, her tail flicking predatorily. I smiled and carried my rucksack over to the window seat. I let it down carefully; it was heavy. Rubbing my shoulder where the strap had dug in, my legs gave out from underneath me and I sat down on the seat heavily. Being on the road all the time was tiring.
The voices from the other room became louder as they moved closer. I recognized one of them as Kel's. The door swung open and two people stepped out. The first was Kel, smiling back at the man behind her as she led the way out. And the man behind her was someone I wouldn't forget for a long while.
When Kel noticed me sitting on the window seat, shell shocked, her eyes lit up and her face flushed with happiness. At least, I hope it was with happiness. "Dom!" she cried. I thought maybe she would run over to me and sweep me up in a mind-blowing kiss, but she didn't. She turned to the man next to her. That man. His blond hair was swept out of his face with a casual air, giving it the 'windblown' look. He had perfect pearly white teeth, a straight, unbroken nose, a flawless complexion, and black eyes. All this was topped off with an athletic body and expensive looking clothes. There was only one question in my mind: who..... the hell...... is this?
Kel smiled at the blond again. I felt sick. "Marques, I'd like you to meet my husband, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle." Gods, he even had one of those cheesy names, like 'Emiliano', or 'Carlos'. "Dom this is Marques, my new scribe." 'Marques' gave me a respectful bow and flashed a friendly grin. From that moment, I knew he had it in for me.
Kel continued. "Marques is going to help me with my papers from now on. The work will be so much quicker. I don't know what I'd do without him!" Her last words echoed in my head. 'I don't know what I'd do without him, without him, without him!'.
I hoped Marques was leaving soon. He wasn't showing any sign of leaving. In fact, he was leaning casually against my favourite, overstuffed, highbacked chair. MY chair. My eyes widened. He scuffed his boot against the chair leg. My mouth fell open. He was defiling my property. MY property. And he'd been in that room alone with my wife. MY wife. Marques was talking about something. ".... a lot of help. I really enjoy working with your wife." Alarms were going off in my head. WARNING! WARNING! I finally pulled myself together and managed to beat out a witty retort. Well, it was going to be a witty retort, but all that came out was: "Haaaahhhhmmmm......."
Marques' expression was unreadable. Kel gave me an exasperated look accompanied by a sigh. I knew what this meant from experience. It was the signal to all husbands that they were embarrassing their wives. Then, the wife began to talk like her husband wasn't there. "Dom is very tired. He's with the Own and they're on the road all day." Typical.
Marques nodded sympathetically. I wanted to throttle him. STUPID... UNDERSTANDING.... ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!
Marques left with all body parts intact. Kel closed the door. The immediate shock left me. "'I really enjoyed working with your wife,'" I said in a falsetto, clasping my hands to my chest. Then I proceeded to do what any man would do had he just walked in and found his wife with her new handsome 'scribe': I made faces at the closed door through which he'd gone.
When I was finished, I felt confident again, and a cocky grin spread across my face. It vanished when I saw Kel standing next me, giving me a look that could be correctly described as... ummm, vexed? distressed? afflicted?
"Dom! Why did you have to embarrass me like that in front of Marques, whom, need I remind you, I have to work with EVERY, SINGLE, DAY?"
I went cold. "Every, single, day?"
Kel had fixed her yes upon me with scrutiny. Then they widened, and it was so far from the Yamani mask I knew that I nearly laughed aloud. The next thing she said squelched my amusement, however. "You're jealous!"
Fortunately, I am a quick-witted man. "Jealous? Of that handsome blond, who works with my wife every day? Ha ha! Kel, surely you jest!" I am not a quick-witted man. I am an idiot.
She took my head in her hands and grinned at me. "It's okay, Dom. It's not a big deal if you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous. I'm.... concerned."
"About what?"
"About Marques."
"Why should you have to be concerned about Marques?"
Okay Dom, think of a good answer. "He looked a bit peakish, don't you think?"
Kel wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face in my chest. I held her tightly. It felt so good to have her pressing close that I overlooked the fact that she was shaking with laughter.
I spent two months in Colborough. I got many letters from Kel, all cheerful and encouraging. When I wrote back, I wrote with more passion than my wife would care to commit to paper, filled with vivid descriptions of our past trysts. These letters were also sprinkled with suggestive comments, such as: 'the days without you are too long, my sweet, and the nights are even longer.' I was strongly reprimanded for these little tidbits in her responses, but I enjoyed it more than anything: I could almost see her blushing.
________________________________________________________________________
I nudged my grey through the Lower Gate of Corus. Colborough was far behind me, left to its own devices at last. And now it was home to Kel.
Once I'd brushed down my horse and seen to my things in the Own stables, I set off to our rooms to see if she was home.
The old oak door creaked as I opened it. I made a note to get someone to oil it. The room was empty, but I could hear the murmur of voices from the next room. The orange cat that had attached herself to me on the trip to Scanra sat on the desk, her tail flicking predatorily. I smiled and carried my rucksack over to the window seat. I let it down carefully; it was heavy. Rubbing my shoulder where the strap had dug in, my legs gave out from underneath me and I sat down on the seat heavily. Being on the road all the time was tiring.
The voices from the other room became louder as they moved closer. I recognized one of them as Kel's. The door swung open and two people stepped out. The first was Kel, smiling back at the man behind her as she led the way out. And the man behind her was someone I wouldn't forget for a long while.
When Kel noticed me sitting on the window seat, shell shocked, her eyes lit up and her face flushed with happiness. At least, I hope it was with happiness. "Dom!" she cried. I thought maybe she would run over to me and sweep me up in a mind-blowing kiss, but she didn't. She turned to the man next to her. That man. His blond hair was swept out of his face with a casual air, giving it the 'windblown' look. He had perfect pearly white teeth, a straight, unbroken nose, a flawless complexion, and black eyes. All this was topped off with an athletic body and expensive looking clothes. There was only one question in my mind: who..... the hell...... is this?
Kel smiled at the blond again. I felt sick. "Marques, I'd like you to meet my husband, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle." Gods, he even had one of those cheesy names, like 'Emiliano', or 'Carlos'. "Dom this is Marques, my new scribe." 'Marques' gave me a respectful bow and flashed a friendly grin. From that moment, I knew he had it in for me.
Kel continued. "Marques is going to help me with my papers from now on. The work will be so much quicker. I don't know what I'd do without him!" Her last words echoed in my head. 'I don't know what I'd do without him, without him, without him!'.
I hoped Marques was leaving soon. He wasn't showing any sign of leaving. In fact, he was leaning casually against my favourite, overstuffed, highbacked chair. MY chair. My eyes widened. He scuffed his boot against the chair leg. My mouth fell open. He was defiling my property. MY property. And he'd been in that room alone with my wife. MY wife. Marques was talking about something. ".... a lot of help. I really enjoy working with your wife." Alarms were going off in my head. WARNING! WARNING! I finally pulled myself together and managed to beat out a witty retort. Well, it was going to be a witty retort, but all that came out was: "Haaaahhhhmmmm......."
Marques' expression was unreadable. Kel gave me an exasperated look accompanied by a sigh. I knew what this meant from experience. It was the signal to all husbands that they were embarrassing their wives. Then, the wife began to talk like her husband wasn't there. "Dom is very tired. He's with the Own and they're on the road all day." Typical.
Marques nodded sympathetically. I wanted to throttle him. STUPID... UNDERSTANDING.... ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!
Marques left with all body parts intact. Kel closed the door. The immediate shock left me. "'I really enjoyed working with your wife,'" I said in a falsetto, clasping my hands to my chest. Then I proceeded to do what any man would do had he just walked in and found his wife with her new handsome 'scribe': I made faces at the closed door through which he'd gone.
When I was finished, I felt confident again, and a cocky grin spread across my face. It vanished when I saw Kel standing next me, giving me a look that could be correctly described as... ummm, vexed? distressed? afflicted?
"Dom! Why did you have to embarrass me like that in front of Marques, whom, need I remind you, I have to work with EVERY, SINGLE, DAY?"
I went cold. "Every, single, day?"
Kel had fixed her yes upon me with scrutiny. Then they widened, and it was so far from the Yamani mask I knew that I nearly laughed aloud. The next thing she said squelched my amusement, however. "You're jealous!"
Fortunately, I am a quick-witted man. "Jealous? Of that handsome blond, who works with my wife every day? Ha ha! Kel, surely you jest!" I am not a quick-witted man. I am an idiot.
She took my head in her hands and grinned at me. "It's okay, Dom. It's not a big deal if you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous. I'm.... concerned."
"About what?"
"About Marques."
"Why should you have to be concerned about Marques?"
Okay Dom, think of a good answer. "He looked a bit peakish, don't you think?"
Kel wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face in my chest. I held her tightly. It felt so good to have her pressing close that I overlooked the fact that she was shaking with laughter.
