The War God’s Favorite

The Forge
Exhausted, Cassandra was still feeling numb even while lying on the Prince’s lap. Her mind in a daze, she still felt her hot insides from their wild sex just a few seconds ago. She couldn’t believe it. Kairen kissed her shoulder, caressing her hair. His recovery was faster than Cassandra’s, and he observed her, as her eyes were still closed, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Cassandra?” he called, softly.
“I’m fine… I just…wonder if you’ve been holding back all this time.”
He chuckled against her shoulder, and helped her to sit better on his lap, her arm around his shoulder. Looking at each other, they naturally exchanged a long, softer kiss. Cassandra wasn’t afraid anymore to caress his face while they were kissing, and Kairen liked her soft fingers on his cheek. It lasted a while, as they sat still against each other, softly kissing and caressing each other. They were completely alone in the hot springs, under the night sky. It was a beautiful, eerie sight. Surrounded by the steam, the only noises were those of water, or night creatures coming out to hunt in the nearby forest.
The sky was clear, the moon was throwing a white light on them, making Cassandra’s skin even paler than usual. The contrast with Kairen’s dark skin was striking. The two were opposites, but they found the other even more beautiful because of that. Kairen was mesmerized by Cassandra’s beauty in this setting. Her long brown hair was wet and falling like a cascade on her shoulders, floating around her when she moved around in the water. Her green eyes were shining bright, too.
“What is it?” she asked, blushing a bit from his intense stare.
“Are you unhappy? That I brought you here?” he asked.
Cassandra was a bit surprised. Was the Prince worried she was against coming here? Sometimes, his questions about what she thought or felt were so sudden and disarming… She shook her head.
“No…I’m glad you didn’t leave me alone.”
She couldn’t have endured so many nights in an empty bed, not after she had gotten used to the War God’s warmth. The only thing she regretted a bit was to be the only woman here. She missed Nebora and the others somehow. But if she said anything about that, she feared the Prince would actually go back and bring her friend here by force.
Cassandra and the Prince cuddled and enjoyed the hot springs a bit longer, not talking much in the meantime. Cassandra loved the difference between the hot water and the icy air outside, and wondered if she would ever feel like leaving. Especially when she was like this, held firmly against Kairen’s chest.
“Your skin is always so warm,” she whispered.
She had noticed before, but no matter the temperature, Kairen’s body never seemed to suffer from the cold. Even when they rode Krai, his heat was enough to keep her warm for the whole trip.
“It’s the dragon’s heat.”
He grabbed her hand and put it up against his chest, where his heart was, and Cassandra realized that spot was even warmer than the rest. She frowned, a bit confused and surprised. She could almost feel a core, like a fire burning inside his chest.
“Is it because of your dragon? Because of Krai?” she asked.
“We are connected…in some ways.”
As if it had known what his Master was saying, at that same moment, the large black dragon came back, landing on a big rock nearby. The dragon crawled down, walking towards them until its large body circled half of the spring Kairen and Cassandra were bathing in. Krai’s big head leaned towards her, and Cassandra scratched the
dragon’s favorite area briefly. She had noticed how the Prince and his dragon didn’t even seem to interact or look at each other.

“Can he read your thoughts?” she asked.
It was a bit odd to ask such a thing, but Cassandra had always felt Krai’s actions were linked to Kairen’s temper somehow. His dragon growled when he was unhappy, got mad when he was upset… And they both yearned for her, too.
“No. Dragons don’t think like humans. But he feels…the things I feel. Some say our dragons are our instincts, some say they know our inner thoughts. Sometimes they know what we want before we do.”
While saying that, Kairen was intensely looking at Cassandra, and she knew he was talking about their first encounter. Krai had been instantly captivated by her, before even Kairen himself had spotted her in the crowd. Cassandra suddenly blushed, realizing what he meant. She turned to the dragon to avoid looking at her Master, trying to hide her embarrassment. 5
Krai, only too happy to get more scratches and cuddles from her, leaned in closer, growling softly. But Kairen wrapped his arm around Cassandra’s waist and brought her closer to him again. The dragon growled at its Master, a bit unhappy, but Kairen ignored him. Cassandra was still amused anytime those two got jealous.
“It seems like he has his own will though,” she whispered.
“He does. Dragons are not pets. He’s just connected to me.”
“Are you connected in other ways? Like your warmth?”
Kairen showed his arm to her, making her caress his skin.
“I have dragon-tamer skin. It’s thicker than humans. My vision is better too, and I can see you in the dark.”
Cassandra had noticed that too. Whenever they had sex in the dark, Kairen always knew her moves and expressions. He kissed her shoulder softly, while she was still observing the dragon. Krai had apparently given up on the scratches, and was just lying lazily next to them.
“He’s stronger than others, isn’t he?”
“How do you know?”
“I noticed it in the arena. The other dragons stayed away from him, and they never turned their backs on him either. Is it because he’s your dragon?”
Kairen looked up at his dragon, exchanging a look with the red-eyed beast.
“My brothers’ dragons are not well-controlled. They are too weak to have their dragons listen to them.”
Cassandra wondered if it was really only about their willpower. She felt like Krai’s strength and behavior were linked to Kairen’s personality, not his strength. Those were only her thoughts, though. She felt a bit sleepy, staying so long in the baths, and she leaned her head onto Kairen’s shoulder.
“We should go back,” said the Prince, noticing her fatigue.
They dressed quickly, and once again, Krai transported them back to the camp. Without them noticing, it had gotten pretty late. When the dragon landed in front of the red tent, there were only a few soldiers patrolling around. Once again, Cassandra did her best to ignore them, following Kairen in his tent.
Someone had made up the bed and had brought some more food to snack on, but Cassandra was still full and tired. She hesitated for a second, but Kairen brought her to lay with him under the covers, pulling the large fur blanket over them. She was still sore from the brutal sex earlier, and felt glad when the War God only laid beside her. He put his arm under her head and had her sleep over his chest, where it was the warmest. Her cheek against his skin and his fingers caressing her hair, Cassandra fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
When she woke up the next morning, she could tell it was already pretty late just from all the noises outside. It was still cold though, and she was alone in bed. She sat up, covering herself with the fur, and looked around. A dress was waiting for her on one of the chairs. Had he brought it with him when they had come here?
Cassandra dressed herself up quickly, and did her best to tie her hair up too. Long hair wasn’t too great in such chilly weather, though she didn’t feel like cutting it either, since Kairen liked it long. Some breakfast was waiting for her, too. On a little gold tray, there was the usual fruit and cheese, as well as milk. Cassandra ate it slowly, wondering if Kairen had eaten here before going, while she was still asleep. She didn’t drink the milk, and just grabbed one of the large fur cloaks in the room to cover herself up before going outside.
To her surprise, it seemed a bit late in the morning, as the men were already very busy. A few of them looked surprised to see her as soon as she stepped out of the tent, but no one dared to talk to her.
“Good morning, Madam.”
Cassandra had forgotten about the Imperial Servant from last night. However, the man was waiting for her right outside the tent, standing straight and ready. She felt embarrassed to have an Imperial Servant wait on her.
“Good morning.”
The man didn’t add anything after that, and it was a bit awkward. Cassandra had a hunch that he would simply follow her everywhere she went, but it would definitely be uncomfortable if he just tailed her like a shadow, in that awkward silence all day.
“Can I ask your name?” she said, a bit unsure.
“My name is Evin, Madam. You do not need to ask my permission to ask things, Madam.”
“All right. Can you show me around the camp then?”
“Yes, Madam.”
Evin was a very cold, serious, and stone-faced man. Cassandra listened to him as he walked around, explaining to her how the camp, and it’s two hundred thousand men, worked, day and night. Most men were there voluntarily, but the higher ranking men all came from wealthy or noble families, as it was hard to rise through the ranks. Military service was mandatory for any man in the Dragon Empire, but not everyone could join the War God’s
Army. Hence, the soldiers in this camp were all considered the best, and were proud to be there. Aside from the regular soldiers, there were also many other professions in the camp. Like the blacksmiths, servants, dressers and farriers for the horses, accountants, and there were even architects and strategists.
“The men are divided between three main units. The Cavalry, the Infantry, and the Artillery. Each is under the command of one of the Generals, and above them are two Assistant Commanders and then our Commander-in Chief.”
Cassandra already knew that Kairen was, of course, the Commander-in-Chief, the highest ranked man in the camp. She wondered if she had already met the Assistant Commanders.