The threat was finally over. Alea wanted to leave right away but the cavalry had to maintain patrols around the capital for any fish that may have slipped through the net. The general was in the process of moving the winnings that were found back to Kaesan, and reports had already been sent ahead about the victory.
The losses they suffered were great but the officials acquiesced that they were necessary. The cavalry which had fought the whole way was hit the heaviest. Only forty thousand of the original number survived the last onslaught. Alea was among the best combatants in the cavalry so she would have to follow the general back to the capital to receive her rewards.
Alea sat atop her horse and looked into the vast grassland in front of her. Her heart had already flown back to where it belonged.
Raya had received the news of the victory, but she heard that the cavalry army had suffered horrendous losses. She couldn't sleep without news of Alea's safety. She had been too lonely since Alea left. She knew that if Alea didn't return she'd follow her. So she waited. Waited for either her salvation or her end.
Months later the soldiers began to march back into Kaesan. Their neat and precise movements showing the solemnity of the northern soldiers. The marching went on for hours but the civilians standing on either side of the road were not impatient. They scoured through each and every face hoping to see the ones that had been sent out. The ones they missed dearly.
Raya sat in a tea house overlooking the main road. Even though she knew her alpha was a part of the cavalry army, she still checked each row and each face just in case.
However to no avail. Finally behind the infantry came the cavalry. Their armour was scratched and dented. Their weapons were missing or broken, but they had an imposing breath. Their murderous aura far surpassed the rest of the army. Raya focused all of her attention on these faces. Row after row of indifferent and dead eyed cavalry passed by until she saw the one she was waiting for.
Her eyes brewed with tears. Her Alea looked as if she had lost her humanity. She maintained the same hollow eyed indifference as the rest of the cavalry. Their eyes never wavered. They didn't look around. Their was no joy on their faces, only indifference.
Raya knew that they must have faced countless horrifying battles. She wanted to rush out to hug her Alea and tell her everything was OK, but she knew she couldn't. It wouldn't take long for them to be reunited. So she turned her head and sipped her tea, her tears adding a bitter saltiness.
It took a while for Alea to get through the processes she needed to complete after returning to Kaesan. She hadn't had a break for a long time and she felt she had no energy left. She had been numbed by the war and she just hoped to get out of here. She didn't care in the slightest about any reward, but they wouldn't let her shirk the opportunity. So after everything was finally done, she was told that she had three day off before they set off for the capital.
She left the barracks and almost flew back to her and Raya's home. She noticed that the house was much more lively than it was before. More servants were around, some she had never seen before and others that felt familiar. The new servants hadn't met her so they didn't know who she was, the servants she knew bowed their heads and welcomed her back. She thanked them while walking towards Raya's yard.
After arriving she pushed open the door and caught her wife as she threw herself into her arms. Raya hugged her as tightly as she could and kissed her all over her face.
"Welcome back, Alea. I've missed you so much".
Alea laughed at her beautiful little wife. She reciprocated and kissed Raya's face.
"I'm home, my love".
Those were all the words that need be spoken. Two halves finally brought together again. They were finally whole once more.
Obviously the two loving wives needed to do some things that loving wives should do, therefore the night was spent in a very tiring and pleasurable way.
The next morning Raya woke up to find Alea caressing her hair. She was enamoured by the sight, and her heart that had been tightly wound for so long could finally loosen under the affectionate touch of her alpha.
Alea noticed that Raya had awoken and said.
"I have to go to the capital with the meritorious soldiers".
Raya had guessed she would be among the soldiers that were going to be rewarded. She had been in contact with a few of the omegas that were married to the officers and they had told her that Alea was well respected among the soldiers.
She nodded her head and said "I know. I plan to follow behind you all with the family members of the other soldiers".
This was also discussed with those omegas. If the war was victorious than the only foreign threat to Treiss would have been defeated and the empire would not need to maintain such a large army in Kaesan any longer. When word of their victory came all the families started to pack their belongings and they would let the servants send their belongings back while they went ahead.
Raya also had this idea. With the end of the war she would soon lose the demand for the clothing business she had started. She didn't really care about that. It was just a past time to do in the two years they had spent in Kaesan. So she had already sold it to another businessman for a sizeable amount. The profit she had accumulated over the years was also nothing to sneer at. She could go back to the south and buy an estate to live in with Alea, without having to return back to Alea's family's house, but she wanted to wait and see what rewards Alea received just in case her plans were interrupted by the court.