The Seven Seals

[DarinValore]

Kairos groaned when the scouting report returned. Nothing was going as he had originally designed. He was supposed to be with Esme, instead, he had to settle for her sister. The two of them were supposed to be married and after an unfortunate accident put an early end to Lorraine, they were to ascend the throne where he begin his conquest of the world. But Esmera had to fall in love with Brennan. What did that Etherian have that he didn't?

Then, Brennan was supposed to be murdered by his father's own men, but he survived and made his way here...where he was supposed to rot in prison or die during the fall of the city. Instead, Esme discovered the truth and set him free. Still, Kairos designed a way for him to die when Esme had set him free again, but he survived. The damn man just wouldn't die, and neither would Esme apparently.

"We couldn't find them, Lord Kairos. We search for days and came up empty," the scout reported.

A disappointed sigh escaped his lips, and he finally waved his hand to dismiss the man. When he was in his tent alone, Kairos began to think about what to do next. Brennan and Esme were loved by no one and in exile. Surely they would no longer be an issue. It was time to initiate the next phase of his plan: a counter attack against King Edmund.

"Guard," he called and a moment later, the soldier stepped into his tent, "Please send word to Lorraine that I'd like to see her if she has a moment. It's about what we can do next."

When Lorraine arrived a short while later, she was a woman diminished, her eyes red and puffy from tears. Guilt and fear and sorrow had eaten away at her, and pale and shaky, she entered the tent in something of a daze, "You needed to see me?"

Pathetic… was the only word his mind formed as he looked on at Lorraine once she entered. He fought back the annoyance at her weakness and worked up the gentle, sympathetic look he had mastered for her.

She was far more work than her sister. Standing to his feet, his eyes softened and he hurried to her side, "Lorraine," he said softly, "Don't do this to yourself," he slipped his arms around her and pulled her against him, "You did what you needed to do, and I know it was difficult, Gods do I know...I miss her, too," he held her for an agonizingly long moment before he pulled back. His eyes looked into hers as he brushed away fallen tears, "You must be strong. You are not just their princess. You are their Queen, and they mustn't see you mourn a traitor...even if she is your sister," he pressed a kiss against her forehead and pulled back, "Mourn with me in private, but when we are not alone, you must stand tall and be strong...even if you are faking it," he caressed her cheek, "Do you understand?" he asked gently.

"How… how could she do this, Kai? My own sister…" Resting her head on his shoulder, Lorraine gave a weak bow of her head. Reaching up, she brushed dry her cheeks and straightening, she gave a more resolute nod, "N..no, I understand. I shall try. What was it you needed of me?"

He offered her a smile before he spoke, "There she is," he nodded, "We've been hiding and running. That's all we've done. If we are to have any chance of taking back our home, we need to start hitting the Etherians where it hurts. I think we should send small bands of men to strike the supply lines and pester the smaller troop movements. As word spreads about what we're trying to do, more will flock to us, and who knows, maybe we'll finally have enough to make this a proper war. Maybe we'll finally have enough to chase them out of our land and we can finally begin to rebuild. Maybe then, we could finally take those steps toward our future together."

A weary smile formed at those last words, the first smile she had shown in days, "I would like that… a great deal. And I think you're right. If we keep hiding, they'll just cut us down a little at a time. We need to band together… Rise up and fight back. Have you told Gaias?"

"Not yet," he returned, "You are the rightful Queen and I wanted to have your blessing before I make such a suggestion to Gaias. Many of our people will die in this counter-offensive. I wanted a second opinion...your opinion...before I committed. I will call for Gaias and let him know that his Queen orders it."

Lorraine nodded, her mind far too transfixed on the idea of what was to come for them to really consider what would become of the people, "Yes, of course. Kai… What if, as I am Queen, after all, what if we were to start our future together, now?"

"Now?" he faked surprise. While he hadn't really considered it, it would most definitely propel his plans forward at a much faster rate. He would be King sooner, and the armies, what was left of them, would be at his command. He would no longer need to consult Lorraine, and he could begin his line through her. It would work, "Are you sure that's what you want? Don't misunderstand, if this is indeed what you want, Lorraine, I would marry you today. I love you," he told her.

"Yes…" she said, without hesitation, "Oh, yes, Kai. I'd dare say it's what I need. What we all need. We've suffered so much. A little… a little happiness might not make everything better, but it has to help. Right?"

A smile formed on his lips, and Kairos could not have been happier. It wasn't how he had planned it, but it would work nonetheless...and sooner, "Lorraine," he embraced her, "You would make me the happiest man alive, and I would love to share that joy with our people."

"Then we shall forget all of this warmongering for a moment, and we shall give them that joy. And when it is over, we can break the news when they've finished celebrating." She offered with a brighter smile.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Time passed the way that it always had, even despite the state of the world. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months… The Etherian army continued their climb to power, but Calesh pushed back with all the force they could muster, their queen, aided by her new husband honoring their promise to the people, that they would not sit idle.

For a time, while it couldn't be called peace, a sense of stillness swept over the land, and for once Brennan and Esme, who had found a small bit of the world to call their own, did not concern themselves with all that had happened, but looked instead towards the future.

It was not, however, the life of bliss they had once imagined and for a change, the turmoil advanced from a place within. The family they had hoped to build seemed much harder, in reality, to come by, than in dreams, and the weight struck both the crown prince and princess to their cores… The fact was, they had been through so much. Too much. And when all they wanted was to move on, fate, it appeared, had other intentions…

Brennan found himself wondering to the chopping block or tending the animals to serve as a distraction and an opportunity to avoid the matter all together. The disappointment that had arisen over their failed attempts to start a family only seemed to compound on the troubles that they had endured since their wedding. It was taxing on them individually, but also as husband and wife.

Brennan wanted so badly to give Esme everything she desired, including children, but it did not seem to be fate for them. The thought of failing at that cut deep into him. Even now, as he raised the axe above his head and brought it down into the chunk of wood, he couldn't help but battle the thoughts of failure.

Ironic… For his wife was all too sure the problem lay in her hands, not his. Watching him retreat into himself had been difficult, but she'd learned long ago that Brennan needed time… And so she'd given it. But too much had passed and it was the right moment for both of them to move forward.

Moving alongside, she paused a few feet from him and watched for a little while, as he worked. When he'd brought the axe down one last time, severing wood down the center, she cleared her throat, "We need to talk, my love…"

Tossing the pieces aside, Brennan straightened before using his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow, "Oh?" he asked as he caught his breath, "What about?"

A small smile formed, weary, as Esme crossed her arms over her chest, "...The reason we now have enough firewood to last us the next ten years of our lives, out here?" Gesturing to the pile, she shrugged, "...We can't do this, Bren. Dancing around it… ignoring it. It will only get worse if we do."

"I'm not ignoring anything," he told her as he dropped the axe to his side. His eyes bounced around, noting the wood and then his wife, "It's been the only thing on my mind. I try to come out here to think and clear my head, but it isn't working."

"...So talk to me." She offered, stepped forward, a hand brushing his arm and she shook her head, "You can't hold it in, forever… and if we never talk about it, it will never get better."

"Talk about what, Esme?" he sighed as he placed his hand on his waist for a moment, "About how I brought us out here with what turns out to be empty promises of a family? We've been trying for months, and I thought that, after everything we'd been through, fate just might give us something we want for once," his countenance twisted to one of sadness, "But I failed you. I made a promise and I can't keep it."

"Brennan… you are a brilliant man, but that may just be the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say." Stepping forward, her fingertips stretched out to take his hand, "You are my world… and if you are the only one I share my life with, that will ways be enough. You could never, ever fail me."

Offense took hold of him at once, but as she spoke, Brennan saw the reason in it. He would have told her the same thing. With a sigh, he let the axe fall to the ground and he lowered himself to sit on the block, "You're right," he told her as he forced a smile, "I just wish I could give you more," he looked up to her, "You deserve everything we'd planned and so much more, Esme."

"And you don't?" Giving his hands a squeeze, she crouched so she could meet his eyes, "My darling… after all we've been through, we both deserve it. But if fate has not seen to giving us a child, it must be for a reason, right? And it doesn't mean it will never happen… We must have faith." Bringing his knuckles to her lips, she smiled against them, "And there's something to say for the trying, hm?"

He smiled in return and nodded, "Never said it wasn't fun," he let the silence fall for a moment as he looked toward the wood. A small chuckle fell through his lips, "We do have a lot of wood, don't we?"

"I was afraid if you ran out of things to chop down you might start taking bits of the house…" Her eyes shifted to the pile and she shook her head, "Maybe it's for the best right now. Things… things are a bit strained."

"I don't want them to be," he looked to her, "The last thing I want is for us to distance ourselves from each other or to add more to our problems. Esme," he told her as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, "If you are happy...really happy...then that will be enough for me. It's all I really want."

"The you will never have to worry, Bren…" Looking up at him, she smiled gently, "As long as I have you, I could never be anything but happy. I mean that… with all my heart. We'll figure it out, whatever we need to do… but for now, if this all we have, I have everything."


Brennan sighed as though a heavy burden had just fallen from his shoulders, "I'm glad to hear it," he told her, "I'll be a better communicator in the future. It should spare the forest my wrath."


Standing to his feet, he pulled her into an embrace, "I love you, Esme," he told her before pulling back, "Let me put my things away, check on the animals, and then I'll be all yours."


"I love you, Brennan…" Esme returned, with a nod, before she turned and, satisfied for the time being, returned to the house.

 

[DarinValore]

Kairos leaned over the table as he listened to Gaias' report. A soft growl escaped his lips. While things did not progress the way he had hoped, they were progressing nonetheless. He had had to make adjustments he wasn't counting on, and even had to settle with paths that he had not planned on. Settling for Lorraine was one of them. Taking this long to get the king of Etheran to move his troops where Kairos wanted them was another one.

What had worked in his favor was that he was not King and over the course of the last months, he had been able to unite the remaining forces. He had even succeeded in retaking some of the land that they had lost. After establishing a more permanent base, he had begun to gather those forces and the refugees in order to prepare for a final assault that would break the Etherian line and send them back into their own borders.

"Gaias," he started, "Strike here and here," he moved the statuettes marking his own troops right up next to two key points, "If we apply pressure here, the Etherians will have to move their troops to the plains."

"Yes, sire," Gaias returned.

"If there is nothing else, I would like to visit with my wife," he returned, and after Gaias saluted, Kairos slipped out of the command center and started toward the guarded quarters that had become a home to him and Lorraine.

While her husband had thrived beneath the weight of the mantle he wore, Lorraine had struggled greatly to find her place… Decidedly more meek than her sister, she had never been particularly interested in politics, and this had, in part, been what made the prospect of her deception in marrying Brennan early on so easy… Had she not fallen ill, her life's work would be dutiful wife and mild-mannered spy… Reporting to her father and nothing more.

Now there were decisions to be made, plans to be fabricated, all in the name of preserving what was left of her people. And until now she'd been content letting Kairos handled the brunt of the work…

But when the decision, small as it was, to send a scouting garrison into the hills to look for enemy troop movements, and Kairos could not be found to confer with, she'd made the decision all on her own… And it was this which had given her a spark of pride that day. A spark which shown as Kairos came to call.

"My love!" She cooed affectionately. "How did it go with Gaius?"

"As expected," he returned as he let out a heavy sigh, "I'm only waiting on a few more units and the Etherian troops to march where I want them. When that happens and I have all our troops, we'll be able to launch our counter attack," he dropped into a chair and passed a hand over his head, "All of that can't happen fast enough," he breathed.

"It may come sooner than expected!" Lorraine continued with a pleasant smile, "I've sent a scouting party ahead to the Calderon pass… to see if they can pick up on any Etherian movement in that area."

"You did what?" he returned shock in his voice. A chill washed over him, "You sent a scouting party out without my consent? Lorraine, please tell me you did no such thing."

Blinking, momentarily thrown by the sudden shift in mood, Lorraine frowned, "The Captain proposed the idea and I saw no reason to wait. It's only a scouting party…"

"Only a scouting party!" he scoffed as he rose from his chair and spun around. His hand rested on his hip while the other rubbed against his forehead frustratingly, "I needed those men here, Lorraine. I needed them here!"

"We have men here, Kairos… plenty of them. I thought… well, I was told, at least, that if we scouted ahead, and knew the troop movements, we'd be able to strike more swiftly… Efficiently. It made sense to send them ahead."

"It made sense?" he shook his head, "You thought?" he growled, "I've been working on this for months, Lorraine. Months! And I had everything...everyone right where I wanted them. Then you had to meddle with things you know nothing about. You could have messed everything up!"

Frowning deeply, Lorraine stared at Kairos, "I think maybe you forget who you're speaking to. I may be your wife, but I am also queen of Calesh. I won't be treated like a child…"

"Who I'm speaking to?" Kairos straightened, a darkness shown in his eyes, "Who I'm speaking to?" he repeated as he stepped toward her, "I am speaking to my wife," he lashed out, grabbing a fist full of hair. His threatening tone was low, "I'm talking to a means to an end, a pawn in a scheme larger than her," the light seemed to retreat from the dark tendrils immenating from Kairos' body, "Should that pawn cost me more than it is worth, I will sacrifice it and replace it with one more compliant," pulling her closer to him, he continued, "I am the King, Lorraine, and a man of my word. Do not doubt me."

Eyes wide and bright, Lorraine stared in shock as tears stung. She had seen anger in him once before, and it had driven her to strike him, but this… This was different.

"A pawn…" She managed to murmur, and a shiver rolled through her, "...Esmera was right, wasn't she. You never meant it. Not any of it…"

His jaw clenched as he looked her over. He wanted to say more, but he had already said enough, so he chose not to answer, "Remember what I said, Lorraine, and I will give you everything you could ever want, but if you ever assume something or give an order without seeking my council first…" he let his previous threat echo in her head allowing the growing darkness to emphasize it as he released her from his grasp.

Fury burned, but behind it, conscious fear. Stepping back, rubbing her hand along her hair to smooth it out, she frowned, "...Very well."

The darkness slowly dissipated allowing the natural light shining back through the tent. Her words calmed Kairos as he let out a sigh. He flashed small, tender smile as if nothing had happened, "I shall see you at dinner tonight then?"

Looking up with a frown, Lorraine opened her mouth to speak, before closing it again with a nod, "I suppose so."

"Good," he returned before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. He sighed one last time before turning on his heel and heading out of the tent to try and salvage what she had interrupted.

 

[Elle Joyner]

Passion was a dangerous game. That's what her father always said, but Lorraine had never believed it to be true until lately. Kairos's behavior had changed… and while there had been no further incidents following that day in her tent, she could see the darkness in his gaze. In quiet moments when he was sure no one was looking…


And as more time passed, she grew more frightened of the man she loved… and more certain Brennan had been right, all along.


And it was this thought that had driven her to Gaius. Outside his tent, she paced, anxiety crippling her reserve as she considered how to go about broaching the subject. It was ultimately the memory of Kairos, his fist clenching her hair, that drove her to push back the flap and enter.

"Gaius? May I have a word…?"

Gaius looked up from the map sprawled across the table before him. He had spent many hours bent over the map adjusting pieces and planning movements. In fact, he was certain he knew the map and troop movements better than he knew the camp he found himself in.

"My Queen," he replied with a respectful bow; his eyes weary undoubtedly from the lack of sleep, "Of course. What is it?"

Inside the tent, somehow, her nerves seemed all the worse, and knotting her hands together, Lorraine considered her words carefully, "...It's about Kairos. I… I'm afraid I've made a terrible mistake, Gaius. That he… he doesn't have Calesh's best interests at heart at all…"

Gaius peered over Lorraine's shoulder as soon as the words left her mouth; afraid that someone else might have heard her, "You mustn't speak like that of the King, My Queen," Gaius moved around her and peeled back the flap to his tent just enough to peek outside. Satisfied that no one was near enough to listen, he turned to face her, "What has he done to cause you to make such a judgment?"

For a moment… A split moment, she was sure it was a mistake, having come to Gaius. But as he moved to check the tent and his tone became more urgent, she felt a small twinge of relief.

"He… he's threatened me, Gaius. I arranged for the scouts to move… a general shift and he…" Reaching up, she brushed her hand along her hair, "He exploded… I've never seen something like it. Dear gods, Gaius… it was horrifying."

"Over you sending some scouts out?" Gaius's brow narrowed, "From a strategist's perspective, I could understand frustration, but not anger. Did he reveal to you why he reacted the way he did?"

"No… but I… I fear maybe my sister was right. That it wasn't Prince Brennan at all, revealing our locations. He called me a pawn… Said I was a means to an end." Breathing out, her resolve crumbling on those words, Lori looked away as tears filled her gaze, "I've been such a fool… I thought he… I thought he loved me…"

The hardened, battle-tested warrior softened at Lorraine's sorrow, "You couldn't have known," he tried to reassure her before letting out a slow, steady breath as he wrung his hands out, "Truth be told, I've become suspicious of his motives as of lately as well. His strategy...it seems to be working all too well and he is ignoring our advice and warnings that we might be heading into a trap."

Looking to him, trying to steel her tears, she nodded, "What do we do? How do we settle this without causing a panic? Morale is so low as is… This… this could ruin us."

"Perhaps I could confront Kairos. Maybe if I reason with him, he will understand what he is doing and come to his senses," he suggested.

"Do… do you suppose… maybe he's simply taken on too much? The strain has gotten to him. I would talk to him, but he was so adamant that I stay out of it…"

"It's possible. Why don't I approach it as someone who is just concerned that he's done just that. Without hinting that you've spoken with me, I could maybe discover what's taken him in hopes of fixing it," he paused, "Deep down, I believe him to be a good person. Maybe you're right and it's just stress."

"Yes. Thank you, Gaius. That… that would be good." Looking down, she studied her hands for a moment, "I do love him… Even… even through all of this. I know he'll come around."

Gaius offered sympathetic eyes, "I will speak with him, and if it is the stress of the situation, perhaps I could guide him with some council to entrust some of those things to other capable men. He has always had the best in mind for the people."

Nodding, though not with the same assurity she might've had in the past, Lorraine gave a small, weary smile, "Keep me informed, please…"