Omir Border
20 hours before the war
"How the hell did they find us?"
Lion paced about, constantly pulling at his hair and sighing loudly. He'd been lucky enough to avoid any main hits from the bombings, suffering only scratches and bruises. Thankfully, his daughter was asleep and was unaware of what had happened at her Grandmother's pub. Lion looked at the child laying quietly on the grass beside her mother. For a brief moment he was gripped with fear; the feeling of losing his daughter and his lover would forever scar him.
Grandma Belle tended to Basil's wounds while Elyne sat in silence,everyone was shaken up by the attacks.
"I have to go back! Elaine is there!" Basil yelled
"Your wounds are deep. Allow me-"
He grabbed Belle's arm and gently pushed it away. Knowing how strong the old woman was, he was surprised she didn't try to stop him or knock him out. He realized she understood that it was no use trying to convince him to stay out. He smiled and mouthed a 'Thank you' to the old lady then stood to his feet. Unfortunately, the hit to his head made him a little dizzy and he struggled to stand straight, staggering as he did. He looked at his friend and nodded, Lion also nodded in response, a fierce expression on his face. Basil then got ready to head out when he heard Mabel call out to him
"Be safe out there."
"…"
He smiled and nodded, then headed down toward Scye.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" She asked Lion
"That man is stronger than the king's elite soldiers,"
"He'll definitely be alright." He said proudly
"Do you think one of your men did it?" She suddenly asked
"The bombings?"
"No. Your whereabouts."
"My men would know better than to work with that greedy fool."
"It's the king we're talking about, Lion. He could've pulled a few strings."
Mabel was right. The king was notorious for playing dirty and using his powers to get away with anything he did. What if he had threatened one of the men? Or paid another a huge sum of money? Or promised some land to farm on or goods to trade with? There was no guessing what he could've done. If that was the case, then this meant trouble…this meant war. Lion became furious just thinking about how threatened his men must've felt by the king's words. How dare he! That damn fool
"Now what?"
"Now, my dear Mabel…"
"…we fight."
He gave a wicked smile, baring his shiny, white teeth. Since the king wanted to play dirty, he too could play dirty. Mabel felt a strange pressure coming from him, rooting her to the ground and sending chills down her spine. She had never felt this weak in front of him before.
What is this suffocating feeling? Is it coming from him? She held her chest tightly, struggling to breathe properly. The winds began to blow stronger than before, and for some reason Mabel began to think it was Lion's scary aura causing the wind to blow with strong currents. She slowly made her way towards him, still struggling to breathe, hoping to calm him down until Basil and Elaine showed up. The closer she got to him, the more powerful his aura was, sending her to her knees. She began to sweat, trying her best to gather herself and stabilize her breathing. She softly called out to Lion, praying he would hear her. Her eyes began to dim, she could hear her heart pounding slowly and loudly. She called out to him again, almost in a whisper. Thankfully, he heard.
"May!"
He turned around just in time before she slumped onto the ground still clutching her chest. Maybe she had imagined it, but Mabel thought she had seen his eyes glowing, or maybe she had been too lightheaded and her vision blurred out. She held out her hand and reached for his face but she'd been severely weakened and her arm went limp. Lion swiftly caught her hand and placed it on his face, his warmth radiating through her skin. She smiled weakly at him and slowly closed her eyes.
"You're…warm" she said
"And you're pale as a ghost!"
"Hmm…"
"Come here…"
He took off his shirt and covered her with it, revealing his carefully crafted body covered in scars. Mabel reached out and touched his chest, slowly sliding her hand down to his waist and grabbed on it. She tried to stand up but her legs were still too weak and she was staggering. Lion gently carried her, brushing his lips against hers to tease her. He leaned close to her ear and whispered,
"If the wind made you this weak, just imagine what I'd do." He grinned
"Stop…"
"You know you don't want me to, baby girl."
He kissed her forehead as he watched her blush and covered her red cheeks with his shirt.
"Shall we?"
"Wait! Right here?!"
She didn't think Lion was crazy enough to want to do it out in the open. Especially not with her mom and Belle being within earshot.
"Naughty girl, I was talking about going back to the others."
"Oh…" phew!
"Although, I did see a good spot when I came here earlier. Quiet too." He winked at her.
Oh God! He couldn't be serious. This man was being bombed at and he still had time to notice a spot where he could unleash his lustful desires? Unbelievable! Just unbelievable! She took a good look at him and shook her head. And I thought I knew him too well. How wrong she had been.
"We'll make them fall asleep, then we'll go." He said
"Are you seriously still thinking about that?"
"Is there anything else to think about?"
She flicked him on the head
"We're being chased after? Hello?"
"Hi baby girl." He smiled
He adjusted her safely into his arms and got serious. He only wanted to take her mind off what had happened that afternoon. His expression turned from cheeky to gloomy as he carried her and walked towards their daughter. Mabel noticed the change in his mood when she mentioned being chased. She felt bad for him, but they needed to get serious because this was indirectly an indication of war. Or maybe she was just being too harsh with him.
"I know you're worried, May"
"But more than anything, I want you to have a normal life where you don't have to live in fear or work tirelessly and have to raise our daughter by yourself."
He stopped walking and gently placed her down, one arm on her waist so she wouldn't slip and fall as a result of her weak knees. He smiled at her and it made her blush so hard that she had to look away. He pulled her closer to him and hugged her tightly, gently placing his chin on her head. Mabel closed her eyes and breathed in his scent; he had a sweet, fruity scent that she'd always loved right from when they first met. She wrapped her hands around his huge back and started drawing imaginary lines on them. She knew she was safe with him, but she was worried about him. Who would protect him?
She tightened her grip on him and buried her head in his chest, his scent wafting through the air. She opened her eyes and turned her head sideways to look at the moon that was now fully visible in the sky. Night was quick to arrive, erasing all the events that had happened that morning. I just want this to be over, she said as she looked at the lake in front of them.
The Omir border was one of the most beautiful places in the city and it was home to the Kingdom's finest fishermen, thanks to the huge lake at the border between them and Scye. Every year the men had a great catch and would often host a party to celebrate their hardwork, then they would pour wine into the lake as a way of thanking the river spirits for their success. Mabel remembered attending one of the parties when her father was alive. He was a fisherman and the best of his crew, but sadly he died at sea after being stung by a poisonous sea creature. She had stopped visiting the lake after his death and even gave all his fishing tools away. But here she was, back at the same lake she had dreaded with the man she loved so dearly, admiring the scenery of the moonlight on the water causing it to shimmer like silver. The wind gently pushed her hair onto her face and she felt Lion's hands on her, tucking the loose strands behind her ears. He looked in the direction she was looking and saw a boat lying in the water with no sign of a fisherman on it. He guessed it was a transport boat for goods or a fishmonger's boat. He suddenly had an idea. He kissed Mabel's head and stroked her hair. He looked at her with delight,
"Hey"
"Hmm?"
"Wanna go for a ride?"
Mabel beamed with excitement and nodded joyfully.