CHAPTER 47: RALLING THE TROOPS
Blayth, Leon, Cylus, as well as Lorena all gathered in Noah's chamber, the one given to him by the king of the south after they had reached his kingdom. They were all sitting around the low table in the room, looking over the maps they had, planning for the upcoming battle.
Noah's eyes drifted upwards, falling on Lucius who stood before the window, staring outside at the sunset that casted an orange and red shine into the room, the light slowly fading as the sun ducked beyond the horizon.
As the discussions went on, going around in loops over the same matter, Noah got to his feet, walking towards Lucius who was standing rigidly in front of the window, with his arms folded over his chest. He approached him, wrapping his arms around him from behind and feeling as Lucius relaxed against him, realizing it was Noah.
Noah pressed his lips to his temple as he muttered, "Everything will be fine."
"It doesn't feel like it..." Lucius replied, his hand clutching Noah's arm, leaning into his hold, "I feel this pinch in my heart still, and I fear what would come of it."
"Nothing bad. Well, it is a battle, so maybe a little bad, but nothing horrible I hope." Noah said, feeling Lucius's hand tighten around his arm, holding it close.
"It's not funny." Lucius mumbled.
Noah sighed, saying, "I know. Sorry. Thought I would try a little humor since you seem to be too uptight today."
"Not out of nothing. You are about to go into battle." Lucius said, "I-..." he sighed, muttering, "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."
"Remember that I am immortal. All of us here are. No matter what happens, nothing will kill us." Noah said.
"Not true." Lucius countered.
"Have a little faith, love. I am the General of the Army, and there is a reason for that." Noah tried to comfort.
"Because you are the prince." Lucius supplied, "Oh, or because there is no one else to do it?"
"Funny." Noah deadpanned, making Lucius chuckle.
"I thought you wanted humor." Lucius rebuked.
After a long moment of silence, Noah said, "I promised to be careful, didn't I?"
"Won't mean a thing if you are not alive to keep it." Lucius replied.
"Wow, you really have no trust in my skill, do you?" Noah said, feigning hurt.
Lucius laughed lightly as he replied, "I do. I just fear the worst."
"Don't. Besides my own skills, I have a whole army behind me. Not to mention the most skilled of all the kingdoms watching my back." Noah told him.
"Alright..." Lucius muttered, "Alright, but you will be in for it if you get hurt." Lucius said, "And if you dare die on me, I will bring you back-..."
"Just to kill me again. I remember." Noah said with a chuckle, kissing the side of Lucius's head again before nuzzling his cheek, leaning in to kiss it. Lucius turned in his hold, looking up at him as Noah leaned down, pressing his lips to Lucius's before he got to protest. He pulled away, looking into Lucius's eyes, a soft smile on his lips as he nuzzled his nose, "I love you."
"I know." Lucius said, Noah leaning back down to capture his lips, walking him back until his back was against the wall. Lucius's hands pushed at his stomach, trying to break away as he scolded, "Noah, stop-..." But was interrupted by another kiss. Lucius turned his head to the side, trying to stop him, but Noah went on kissing down his neck, making him chuckle as he tried to pull away again, but was trapped between the wall and Noah. "Noah, enough..." Lucius said, still laughing as he struggled to break away.
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"Hey, will you two stop fooling around and come here. There might be a weakness in the formation." Cylus called towards them.
"I'm busy." Noah said, glaring over his shoulder.
"No, you're not." Lucius said, finally managing to push him away, ducking under the arm about to trap him, escaping his hold just barely as he made his way to the others.
Lucius yelped when Noah grabbed him, pulling him back to him as he whispered in his ear, "I will finish this later." He said before letting him go, smirking at him as Lucius glared, following him back to the sitting area of the room. "What is it?" Noah asked, sitting on the couch opposite Leon and Ren, Blayth on one side, with Cylus on the floor on the other.
"You see here..." Cylus said, indicating it on the map as he explained, "Where we have positioned the archers. It will be a vulnerable spot. Most my men are not skilled in close combat. What if we got attacked? They would not make it." He said, "It will cause a gap in our offense."
"The arches won't be the only ones in this area." Noah said, "You see, the king's army would be joining ours once we are on the field. They will be regrouping with your battalion, and they are mostly close combat warriors, so you will be fine once they do. Besides, Blayth's battalion will be close by in case of anything going wrong. They will be along the tree line over here." He said, "Which would give them a clear view of where you are at. Anything that happens would be seen by them, and you could signal them to move in at any time, as they will be on standby until needed."
"Even though I'd rather be at the front and center of all this." Blayth grumbled.
"Stop complaining. You won't be once the battle starts." Noah said, "You will be back up to all four battalions. You will barely have time to stand by. You will be spread wide across the field. That is why your battalion is divided into groups."
"But as their commander, I will be the one sending them out, which means I won't get to battle from the start." Blayth sighed.
"I kind of was hoping that all of you were in that position." Lucius said, a frown on his face as he smiled weakly, settling down next to Noah. "At least I will have one less person to worry about as much."
"See, that is not to my benefit, but yours." Blayth said.
Lucius chuckled, muttered, "I don't care what you think. I wish I could be out there with you, having your backs."
"You could be out there with us-..."
"Blayth." Noah warned.
"But you will only be a hindrance." Blayth continued, "What will the point be if we are trying to protect you while battling. It will only hurt us more."
"That is the only reason I am not making a bigger deal of being left behind." Lucius told him, smiling at Noah when he took his hand in his own.
Lucius was given a room close to Noah's, along with their party, all residing in rooms around the prince's own. Lucius tried to fall asleep, twisting and turning in his bed before finally giving up. He got out of bed, making his way outside, towards Noah's chamber where he opened the door slightly, stepping in before closing it behind him.
Noah raised his head from the pillow for a second before resting it again, asking, "Couldn't sleep?"
"No." Lucius said quietly, smiling when Noah pulled the blanket away from the empty side of the bed, inviting him to join.
"Come here." He said, patting the mattress. Lucius didn't argue, making his way to the bed, settling in and pulling the blanket over himself as he stared at the ceiling for a long moment. After a dragged silence, Lucius moved closer to Noah, settling against his side, with Noah's arm under his head, nestling in his embrace. "Are you feeling better?" Noah asked.
