Cold water splashed on Cassian and he woke up. The soldier dropped the metal bucket, "He is awake!" he said and left the dungeon. Cassian winced as he felt pain in his head. He was about to raise his hand up to his head, but he found them heavy. He looked at his wrists and saw shackles.
Nola walked in with a tray of bandages, scissors, curved needles and thread, with a small towel immersed in a bowl of water. She kept it on the floor and crouched down to Cassian. She took the scissors and held it up to his mouth, "Bite on this!" she said and he smirked, "I am a general, this pain is nothing compared to what I have---Arrghh!" he yelled as she pulled out the dagger slightly.
"Will you bite on it now?" she gave a fake smile and shoved the scissors into his mouth. Cassian took deep breaths and started counting in his head; one...two...thre---Nola dragged the dagger out of his side. Cassian almost yelled out but he calmed himself. He spat out the scissors and looked at the blade. It did not seem as sharp as his own.
"It seems that blade was poisoned. Normally, I would have not felt so much pain" Cassian said as Nola threw the dagger aside then she raised his white----now red----shirt up, "It is quite deep" she murmured and took the towel then she cleaned the blood and Cassian winced.
"The poison was a mild one. The antidote was forced into your mouth while you were unconscious so there is nothing to worry about" she said and wiped the wound till it was clean then she took the threaded needle, "This will sting" she said and stuck the needle in his flesh. Cassian tried to squeeze something but nothing was in his hand. Nola noticed it and threw the towel at his hand, "You can squeeze that" she said and Cassian took it and gently squeezed it.
"It feels like old times, does it not?" he chuckled "Me coming back injured from war and you treating me" Nola paused then she continued stitching his side. "What happened, Nola? I thought you were dead. I mean I watched you die...so how?" he asked.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Why was he asking her that? Was it because he missed her? Or was it because he felt guilty for remarrying and falling in love? Or was he angry that he did not kill her?
She blinked the tears back and continued stitching him up. "That day was..." "Stop talking!" she shoved the scissors in his mouth. She did not want to remember that day...afterall, Isander reminded her as her punishment.
She cleaned the wound again and then she wrapped the bandage around his waist. She was about getting up but he caught her wrist, ignoring the heaviness around his wrist. She looked at him and wished she had not. It felt as if there was nothing between them, it was just the both of them...back in the room where they had made so much memories. She wished they could go back to those times.
She leaned closer to him, "If you truly did love me, kiss me" she looked into his eyes. Cassian was taken aback. Kiss her? He did love Nola...she was the first woman he had ever loved...but he could not kiss her.
He had a wife waiting for him at home. Nola leaned closer, her nose gently teased his. Their breaths kept on hitting each other's face but as she was about to kiss him, he turned away.
Nola was shattered. It was all because of that woman. "Dear brother, it seems you have forgotten that you have a wife" Nola jerked back from Cassian and looked at the entrance of the dungeon. Isander stood there with a smug smirk on his face.
"Bastard!" Cassian cursed under his breath and Nola got up and gathered the things she used to treat Cassian's wound. She walked to the entrance and Isander gave way for her, but as she walking away, he grabbed her arm and dragged her back.
She lost her balance and the tray in her hands fell. Isander wrapped his arm around her waist and before she could even realize what was happening, he kissed her, going tongue first.
Nola tried to push herself from his arms but he pulled her closer and one of his hands went to her neck, squeezing it slightly.
From his peripheral vision, Isander saw Cassian look away in disgust. He let go of Nola then he ran his thumb over her lips and licked it as he looked at Cassian. Nola quickly gathered the things on the floor back into the tray then she ran out of there.
Isander chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets then he walked into the dungeon, not too close to Cassian though.
"Too scared to come close to me?" Cassian smirked and Isander laughed, "Why would I be scared of a man in shackles?" "Perhaps you put the man in shackles because you are scared of him" Cassian said smugly. Isander's smirk fell into a slight frown.
"Why don't you come closer and let us talk like brothers?" Cassian tilted his head to the side and Isander clenched his fists.
"What did you do to Nola? She died that day!" Cassian said and Isander released his hands and smirked, "Are you sure about that?" "I saw her die. She died in my arms" "After you killed her?" Isander chuckled.
"I did not kill her!" Cassian got up and was about to grab Isander but the chains held him back. "Really? Because I remember you driving a sword through her" "That sword was meant for you! You used her as a shield!" "And now she is what I shall use to cut you down" Isander smirked and was about walking away but Cassian said, "Did you bring her to life using the machine in the laboratory?"
Isander stopped then he turned, "Did you think I would not find out?" Cassian sat down. "Now that you have found out, what are you going to do? You are at my mercy, I can choose to kill you whenever I want" Isander folded his arms and Cassian smirked, "But you would not...because you need me. Even if you do kill me, you will bring me back to life with those machines...I may even be the first immortal human you will create".
Isander laughed, "Dear brother, you know too much" "The way you built an army so soon after our last war was surprising, so I did my research on you...and I found out what the scientists were trying to do. The only piece of the puzzle left is...who is the scientist helping you? You killed all of them after you escaped from Dune".
Memories flooded Isander's mind. Painful memories. The long lines they made to collect their pills, the needles they were pricked with everyday, the brain shock they received which some children died from...which she died from. He remembered her smile. The world had been so beautiful when she had given him that reassuring smile that everyone would be alright. She was the reason he had killed everyone that day.
Isander held his head and Cassian smirked, "So you do feel pain? I guess you are not much of a god as you think you are. You feel pain. You are still a weak hum---" Isander kneed Cassian in his abdomen, exactly where Nola had stabbed, "Shut up!" he growled.
Cassian fell to the floor, blood dripped down his wound. The stitches had opened. He coughed out blood and Isander sighed, "Perhaps you are better off with an open wound" he said and stormed off.
Cassian grunted and looked at his abdomen, blood had seeped into his shirt. His vision started getting blurry. He was losing consciousness. His eyes moved around the room till he saw the towel Nola had given him to squeeze.
He reached out to it but the chains held him back. He grunted and stretched more. The stitches opened more and he held his abdomen. Just a tad more, he thought as he stretched again and this time, he got it.
He quickly put it over his wound and applied pressure on it to stop the bleeding. He sighed and thought about what Zemira must be doing. Probably running around the house, he chuckled as he remembered her always running. He looked down at his wound and saw that blood had already soaked the towel. He had to survive the stab wound. Afterall, he had a wife and an unborn baby waiting for him.
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Nola sat at the riverbank and looked at herself in the river. Her lips. His lips were on hers. She brought out her tongue. His tongue was in her mouth. She slowly wiped her hand over her mouth. Her hand fell to her neck, he had held her there too. Isander had kissed her in front of Cassian. Disgusting. She felt disgusting.
She dipped her hand into the water and scrubbed her neck, trying to get the filth she was feeling, off her. She dipped her hand into the water again and scrubbed her lips. She scrubbed her neck again, not minding her nails pricking her skin.
"Do I disgust you so much?" she turned around and saw Isander. She got up, "Why did you kiss me? Did I give you my consent to touch me?" she asked and he laughed, "Nola, I do not need permission to touch what is mine" "Yours? I am not an object!" "You are right!" he walked towards her.
"You were once my shield..." he trailed as his hand caressed her face. "...and now, you are the sword I shall use to cut down your former lover" his hand grabbed her neck roughly. She clawed at his hands trying to breath. He smirked, "And if you do not obey me and cut down what or who I tell you to cut down, you will be useless" he lifted her off the ground, still strangling her.
"And what happens to swords that becomes useless?" he applied more pressure to her neck. She gasped for breath as her legs flailed about. "Answer me!" he growled, wringing her neck. Water started coming out of her red eyes. "They...they...they get thrown...aw...away" she managed to say and he released her neck, falling to the ground.
She coughed and gasped for air as she rubbed her neck. "Only, I shall break you before I throw you away" he looked at his hand and saw small trails of blood. He rolled his eyes and crouched down to her then he held her red cape and wiped his hand on it.
"I also feel filthy after kissing you" he said as he cleaned his index finger. "Kissing you was like kissing a dog...oh wait! Dogs are beautiful and friendly creatures. Kissing you felt like kissing a wall...stained with algae" he dropped her cape and stood up.
"But that does not change the fact that you were the first woman I kissed" he murmured and walked away. He remembered her again. The girl that had promised to kiss him at the end of that day. Andra.
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"My brother?" Aza raised a brow and Soteria nodded. "Why do you want to know about my brother? Did he get into some sort of trouble?" she sipped her cup of tea. "Far from it!" Soteria said, "Is it for a position?" she pried further.
"Lady Camarie..." "Aza!" she crossed her legs "Pardon?" "I prefer you call me Aza" she smiled. "Aza...what happens at the war front, should not be discussed anywhere else but the battlefield" "War front? Is my brother at war?" Soteria was confused, "You were not aware of it?"
"My father sent Stern to stay with our uncle who lives in Thinefield, to prevent him from getting caught up with any happenings of the war" Aza looked worried. "Was he already on his way to Thinefield?" Soteria asked and she nodded.
"How could he have gone to war? He does not know how to fight. My father had trained him solely on how to run a business and politics" she panicked and he got up, "Thank you for your time and hospitality, Lady Camarie" he was about leaving but Aza grabbed his hand.
"Your majesty, please...protect my brother. I do not know why he went to war when he is just a fool when it comes to swordsmanship! But please protect him!" Soteria looked at her hands which clasped his and then he looked at her. She quickly let go of him and bowed, "I apologize. I was caught up in my emotions". Soteria nodded then he left.
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"His majesty is at the palace as we speak?" Zemira asked the servant girl who nodded, "Ready the carriage! I shall leave to see him immediately!" she said and the girl bowed and left.
Zemira picked the dirt under her nails. Something was wrong. She could feel it. Gertrude was nowhere to be seen after she had gone out to get supplies. Soteria was at the palace instead of the battlefield...and she had a restless feeling that something was wrong with Cassian.
"My Lady" the servant girl came back and bowed, "The carriage is ready" Zemira gathered a fistful of her skirt in her hands and ran out.
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Soteria placed his hand on Sorin's cheek and smiled, "Just hold on a little longer" he whispered and kissed his forehead. He got up and left the room.
As he opened the door, he saw Noelle. "My queen, what are you doing here?" he asked and she fell into his arms. "I have missed you so much" she sobbed and he sighed, "I missed you too".
She let go of him, "Let me just talk to Sorin and then we can talk" she was about entering his room but Soteria said, "I am afraid I can not sit and chat with you. Cassian is being held captive and now that I have answers, I have to save him!"
"Cassian was...captured?" Soteria turned and saw Zemira with her hand over her mouth. "Zemira?!" Soteria was alarmed.
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"Zemira, no!" Soteria repeated. "Your majesty, please!" Zemira begged and he turned, "A battlefield is not a place for a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy" "I have to save Cassian!" "I will save Cassian, all you have to do is wait for his return!" he said and continued walking.
Zemira held his sleeve and he turned, "Zemira, you are my friend. Cassian is also my friend. I can not fulfil your wishes at the detriment of Cassian's. He would not like to see you on the field. He would want you to wait for him"
"I am tired of waiting. I feel restless all the time. I worry about his safety and now that I know he has been captured, I do not think I shall be able to sleep till I see him safe and sound in my arms! And if I am not able to sleep, I will not be healthy...the baby will not be healthy. So what is the use of waiting for him if I will not be healthy" her hands clasped Soteria's hand tightly, "Please Soteria" she begged, tears welling up in her eyes.
Ah! Curse his weakness...a woman's tears. His mother had made sure he was always weak whenever she cried...so now, every woman's tears made him weak. He would do anything just to stop the tears threatening to fall out of Zemira's eyes.
"Alright!" he said and her face instantly brightened up, "Thank you!" she smiled. Noelle came out from her hiding spot, "I want to go too" she pouted and Soteria held the bridge of his nose, "My queen, you can not go. You have to be there for our son" he held her hand and patted it.
Noelle hmphed, "Alright!" Soteria smiled, thank goodness she was not about to cry, he thought and looked at Zemira, "Lady Monterey, we leave immediately!" he said and she bowed, "Yes, your majesty" she smiled and he walked away.
"Wait for me, your majesty!" she ran after Soteria. Wait for me too, Cassian! she thought.
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Cassian opened his eyes, he was still in the dungeon, with his open wound...wait, it looked like someone had cleaned him up. He raised his head and saw Nola walking away with a tray in her hands.