The Roar of Andora: Book One

Chapter Sixteen: King Adonis II's Departure

The very next morning, Aaron's father went away. He left an urgent message with his personal retainer, George, to inform the council of Andora that he had affairs to settle in Lledia and would be returning shortly. George argued with Adonis II to wait until the snows had melted, but the King was insistent on his immediate departure.

"George," Adonis said as George fitted him in his coat after giving up on arguing with the king. "You do realize that after all of these years, I've learned to trust only you."

"Yes, Princ—King Evershield."

"Don't be a fool."

Rolling in his lips and nodding, George said, "Adonis,"

"Yes, Adonis. And I am telling you, until my return, see to it that Aaron's seat is not removed from the council, and that all legislation and political decisions are placed on hold. If an immediate crisis is at hand, a vote will be taken amongst the senior council members."

"Yes, Pri—Adonis."

"Adonis," the King repeated, placed a hand on George's shoulder and then smiled.

That night Aaron had dinner with Teria—his fiancé. She was of Iôtalian descent and her father, Casro, had been an old friend of King Adonis I and had made a fortune in leading the construction of the Ancient Oak Castle; built specifically for Adonis I and Evérlee after the destruction of the previous castle in the first Kingdom of Andora.

Although Teria was of a faith that did not permit intimacy between a man and woman until marriage, Aaron pushed for it relentlessly. Teria firmly refused Aaron's body although her body trembled and she gasped in euphoria every time she allowed him to touch her.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Teria moaned as her body shivered, coming out of the ecstasy.

"Why stop?"

"It's wrong."

"This, this is wrong?" Aaron caressed his lips along her neck. Breathing out. Then delicately pulling the soft flesh of her neck into his mouth.

"Ahhh."

"See. It feels good," Aaron whispered, kissing her lips, sifting his hand down her inner-thigh, entertaining her larger sensitive nerve.

"Aaron, please st—ah–ah—op." The girl requested, uselessly. "Aaron!" Teria jolted her body up off the mattress, walked around in circles breathing loudly, fanned herself with her hands, and then rested her arms by her sides and shut her eyes.

"Teria... we're engaged."

"That doesn't matter Aaron. It's forbidden."

For the rest of the evening spent with his fiancé, they lied on her mattress and discussed the outcome of the horse races, the latest drama preformed in the amphitheatre; Teria pulled out her collection of sketches and shared her thoughts on what had moved her to illustrate what she had. Showing him a sketch of a horse running through a field of tall grass with its front legs flanked. Telling him she was inspired after waking up from a dream she had of their wedding night.

Without a question, Aaron was in love with Teria. The old friendship between her father and Adonis I had set the prerequisite of the engagement long before either of them were born, and it was an advantageous marriage for the Evershields. As emotionally drawn as Aaron was to Teria's tastes in the arts; her astounding illustrative abilities and appreciation for theatre and literature, there was something much more he was attracted to. It was something about the sense of purity that Teria so effortlessly possessed that had made Aaron fall in love with her. Yet, despite of how fond he was of her innocence, he also resented it.

To join their bodies together would have been the ultimate expression of his affection. To allow the language of physical intuition say the words "I love you," instead. For Aaron, to be able to please Teria in that which way only a man can please a woman, would have allowed him to validate that he was hers, and that she had him.

The girl's body reacted to the overwhelming sensations each time they had laid together—yet her mind stubbornly refused to enjoy it further.

Terrifying. Relentless. Suffocating. The blizzards that year were terrible. The common opinion shared amongst the people when they complained was that it appeared as though the snows would never end.

Aaron, now living alone in his father's estate that used to be overflowing with family and life, woke each morning to a house that no longer felt like a home. He felt as though the survival of his soul depended on the warmth and familiar feeling of family the Gorrea's provided. The Gorrea family migrated from Iôtalia after the Dividing Wars of Andora. The family's first documented ancestor had been stranded an orphan amidst the bloodshed, and so the child carried on the dark history in his name: Gorrea—War.

After years of slowly watching the Evershields dismantle, Aaron wouldn't dare risk jeopardizing his place amidst the Gorrea's. In the company of her father Casro, Aaron felt as if the spirit of his grandfather were renewed in a new man. Teria's mother, Mira, reminded him of the comfort that only mothers provide. While Aaron's conversations with Casro were often those about the progress of the stonemasons he managed and the refurbishing of the Vale of Catholina's amphitheatre, Mira spoke to him of lighter-hearted topics; books she had read that she thought Aaron would enjoy, the latest gossip that was circulating throughout the upper-classes in Andora. Mira always had something on the stove, the aroma wafting through the home changed from hour to hour, season to season, but the orange glow that resonated from the hearth and warmed the kitchen, and thence the entire house, was never put out. And while engaged in lengthy conversations about the law and nature of things, Aaron found a new friend in Teria's brother, Matteus.

Adonis I and Everelée had attended Mira and Casro's wedding years before. The King and the successful stonemason had a close working-relationship and Casro's labourers built most of the relocated Kingdom. It was an ideal marriage between the two families; most appropriate for Adonis II's second-born son.

"Did you ever ride when you were younger?" Aaron asked, looking down at the illustration of the horse Teria resumed working on after the momentum of lust had been lost.

"No," she laughed. "My mom thought I would fall and break my neck, and so I was terrified to even get close. But I always loved them—how they look, anyways." Teria resumed sketching and then said, "I think Angland riding just looks so elegant. I'd love to do Angland riding someday."

"Don't you think it's boring?"

"No! It's so—so classy." Teria rubbed her shoulder into Aaron's. "Plus, if we're going to be married someday, as a princess I should learn, no?" She smiled and kissed Aaron.

"Yes. Yes, you should."

====================================

Thank you for reading "The Roar of Andora"!

If you enjoyed this chapter, please make sure to LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE this story with your friends and fellow Wattpad readers. Every little bit helps! And make sure to follow landenwakil to keep notified on when "The Roar of Andora" gets updated next.

Also, if you're enjoying the World of Andora, but have ran out of story to read (yikes!), please make sure to check out the "The Myths of Andora" and "The Tales of Andora" found on landenwakil's Wattpad account. There are many other incredibly talented writers contributing their stories to the World of Andora, so please make sure to support their work, and asides, there are some other pretty epic adventures happening all the time in Andora that you won't want to miss out on!

Instagram: — Personal: @landenwakil — The Roar: @theroarofandora