Chapter 1
He heaves a heavy sigh.
He hears the grunts of men.
He hears the cries of pain.
He hears the screams of the fallen.
But he doesn't stop.
He wields his sword.
He swings his shield above his head.
He crouches to take the impact against his protected forearm.
He lands a killing blow.
He continues on for what feels like days.
But all battles have an end.
And all battles have a victor.
And like all of his previous battles, he stands victorious.
As he trudges over to a group of exhausted soldiers, he accepts a wet cloth off of a servant. He mops his sweating brow and blood stained face before dropping the scrap of material onto the red tinged soil. All of the tired men stand up taller as he approaches, no matter how much agony they are in.
"My liege." A man greets him.
He looks towards the equally filthy man and nods ever so slightly in acknowledgment. As they all stand in the blood sodden soil, birds begin to circle. Awaiting to dive on those who do not move. The gaggle of men begin to head back to their camp. A travelling city already bustling with the lucky survivors.
He heads towards his large tent and is relieved to see a bath all ready for him. He strips where he stands and shuffles towards the large basin. Hot water covers his aching and battered limbs. He heaves a more relaxed sigh and submerges his head under the water.
True silence. A moment of unaltered peace. Blissfully alone. But he is human, so he breaks above the water to drink in the stuffy air. He rests against the back of the basin with his eyes still shut, as he tries to hold on to that moment of underwater peace.
But he suddenly feels a small hand wrapped around his manhood. He tilts his head up halfway and lazily opens his eyes to peak at the blonde woman on her knees, who stares back unabashed. He closes his eyes again and relaxes even further into the hot water.