The War God’s Favorite
Chapter 21
The Hot Springs
Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen her for a while that Krai acted exceptionally clingy and demanding; growling every time Cassandra stopped scratching it. Eventually, Kairen had to intervene, calling for the dragon to stop and allow them to walk.
Night-time was already falling. Cassandra had no idea when the sun was supposed to set in the mountains, but the purple waves in the sky indicated it wasn’t very late yet. Careful not to slip on the thin layer of snow, she followed Kairen closely. Perhaps due to Krai’s presence, or because the Prince’s tent was so isolated, there weren’t many soldiers in the area. After a few minutes, however, they crossed paths with many soldiers who were heading in the same direction. A lot of them gave Cassandra a look. But as Krai was following closely behind her, nobody could afford to stare without getting growled at.
They progressed along, past the soldiers, but somehow, everyone was careful to stay away from the trio. Kairen didn’t pay any attention to the soldiers, only slowing down to wait for Cassandra, who was walking slowly so as not to fall. She was curious to know where they were headed. The Prince had mentioned a fire pit, did it mean everyone actually ate outside?
Cassandra saw the flames long before they arrived. The fire was so high, she wondered how she did not notice it sooner. In the middle of the camp, a very large space had been organized with long wooden tables and hundreds of men gathered around them, making it loud and lively.
Kairen actually walked to what seemed like a special area, where a square of wood had been arranged with a throne, some fur over it, and a table with gold cutlery. It even had a marquee to protect him from the wind and snow. Cassandra felt a bit relieved that she would be able to sit on a warm floor, because some fur carpets were covering the wooden planks. However, once Kairen sat down, he grabbed her to sit on his lap. Cassandra’s cheeks immediately flushed.
“My Lord!” she protested.
She could handle this kind of thing when they were alone in his room, but they were currently in front of hundreds of his men! And many of them were staring, too!
But as always, Kairen ignored her pleas and insisted that she settle on his lap. Cassandra was frustrated. She looked at him with an annoyed pout. Was there no end to his shamelessness!
“Good evening, My Lord,” said a man who was standing a few steps away, along with two younger servants.
He was probably supposed to assist Kairen during his meal, like was normal for the Imperial Family, but of course, the Prince had no need for that. However, to Cassandra’s surprise, he made a little gesture for the young man to approach.
“You. You’ll assist Cassandra from now on.”
“Cassandra?” repeated the man, confused.
Only then did he make the connection with the young slave on their master’s lap. That slave actually had a name! Regaining his composure, the man bowed lower.
“Understood, My Lord. How does the Lady need assistance?”
“Just do whatever she asks, and go with her whenever she leaves my tent.”
If the man was surprised by those orders, he made sure not to show it this time. Cassandra thought this man was obviously a trained Imperial Servant, not a soldier. He was too thin and too polite for that. He simply bowed.
“Understood, My Lord. This lowly servant will do so.”
Then, he stepped back a bit and stood there, waiting. The two young men behind him glanced at Cassandra, but
when they realized she had seen them they immediately looked down again.
“Tonight’s dinner, My Lord.”
A large selection was provided, all presented on a large gold tray. Once again, Kairen had the best meat pieces, fish, fruits and bread. Cassandra felt her stomach tighten just by the sight of all the food. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in ages! Kairen caught her stare and chuckled softly, making her blush. He really never let an occasion to embarrass her go. Behind them, Krai growled loudly and laid down in the snow, circling their space with its huge body. Cassandra frowned.
“He went to hunt already,” replied Kairen. “Leave us alone.”
The servants bowed and left the place, leaving them, but they weren’t far enough from the soldiers to truly feel alone. The closest tables were only a few paces away, and Cassandra could see every man’s face. Kairen started eating, and so did she. She was starving and actually took a bit of the grilled fish on a stick. After eating for a while and watching the loud chattering, she remembered something.
“Nebora mentioned a food shortage. Are the soldiers alright?”
On the tables, as she looked around she couldn’t help but notice that indeed there wasn’t much meat, mostly vegetables that didn’t look too good either.
“The cold is chasing the biggest prey away. It’s hard to hunt enough for everyone.”
Cassandra slowly nodded. She didn’t know much about hunting. All the food she had ever gotten was either bought, stolen, or found.
As they kept eating, she noticed a few stares on her, but overall, most were too cautious of the Prince and his dragon’s presence to say anything. Though, Krai was only focused on Cassandra. The Black Beast watched every move she made with curiosity, tilting its head from time to time. She wondered if the dragon had anything to do while its master was at the camp. Maybe Krai would accompany her the next day?
“Cassandra.”
Kairen handed her a cup. Cassandra took it, but right before she brought it to her lips, she realized it wasn’t tea or water, but wine! It smelled strangely sweet and good, and felt warm in her hands.
“What is it?” asked Kairen after she had been staring at it for a bit too long.
“I’ve never had wine before.”
He smiled and drank his in one go. Cassandra was a bit more hesitant, and tasted just a small bit with her tongue. It was good! She had imagined it would be more sour, not actually sweet. She drank again, under Kairen’s amused eyes.
“You like it?”
She nodded, her cheeks a bit pink. She drank again, feeling the hot drink go down from her throat to her stomach, bringing her some warmth. After a while, Kairen frowned and took it away from her.
“Enough. You’ll get drunk.”
“I’m fine, My Lord,” she protested.
But Kairen ignored her and drank the rest of her cup himself, then ordered for the wine to be taken away. Cassandra was a bit disappointed, but she didn’t dare to ask again, and shifted her interest to the cheese instead.
Suddenly, a big ruckus took place at one of the nearby tables. For a reason she hadn’t caught on, two men were now fist fighting and insulting each other. Cassandra was shocked.
“Shouldn’t someone stop them?” she asked.
However, no one around them appeared to want to stop the fight. Actually, the men around were laughing and cheering, telling them to hit harder and get the other. Cassandra was shocked to see such violence, as well as so many people happy to witness it. Eventually, one of the men was thrown down and admitted his defeat. The men around laughed, and to Cassandra’s surprise, his opponent helped him up with a laugh.
“What…?”
“It’s fine. The soldiers like to fight.”
“But, it could have ended so badly!”
Kairen grabbed some meat and shook his head.
“There are rules. They are not allowed to fight their comrades with any weapon, disable them, or kill them.”
“Everyone respects the rules?”
“Krai gets an extra meal from time to time…”
Cassandra looked at the dragon. She had almost forgotten about Nebora’s warning. Krai was so cute to her all the time, she had a hard time remembering that the dragon was actually a man-killer too. Seeing she was staring, the dragon raised its head, curious, but Cassandra only sighed and turned her eyes to the men again. The two that had fought before were now laughing together and showing off their injuries to each other. Men were truly too complicated to understand!
They kept eating in silence. From time to time, one of the generals or lieutenants came up to pay their respects to the Prince and give him a report, but none of them reacted to Cassandra’s presence at all. She didn’t mind, as she didn’t want to attract extra attention to herself.
About an hour later, they were done with their meal, and Cassandra was starting to feel cold. With the night, an icy wind had come along and was biting her exposed skin. The men too, came to eat and left as quickly as they could, to shield themselves from the wind in their tents. She shivered.
“Are you cold?” asked Kairen, putting his hand on her back.
She nodded. How did he never get cold? No matter what, she had never seen him shiver or get goosebumps, despite being less clothed than she was!
Kairen stood up, and they left the table, without a word for the servants waiting close. But instead of heading for his tent, the Prince actually pulled Cassandra towards his dragon, and Krai raised his head.
“My Lord?” she asked.
Without an explanation, he whistled at Krai, and the dragon stood up. But instead of mounting him, Kairen only held on to an area behind Krai’s head, with his hand. The other held firmly around Cassandra’s waist, she frowned. She had a bad feeling about this.
When Krai suddenly took off, she couldn’t even find the air in her lungs to scream. The Black Dragon had gone up so quickly, she felt the wind whip her skin, and hid her face in Kairen’s fur coat by mere reflex. However, she didn’t have any more time to be scared. Before she realized it, her feet were touching the ground again, with Kairen’s arm around her.
“Are you alright?”