To Love, Once Again

Chapter 33

(After walking Sera back to Lois' room in the West Wing)

Lucien groaned as he cradled his head in his hands, crouched by the side of the training grounds. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, made his training clothes stick to his body.

Knights littered the ground of the packed earth, their squires splashing water on their faces, which they drank in big, gulping mouthfuls. Lucien had just sparred non-stop with every member of the Knight's Order, including Icaros. And he'd won.

Every. Single. One.

It would take too much time to duel each man one on one, so he had them come rush him in groups.

The exercise helped to distract him from the roiling anger, insecurity, hurt and confusion that always simmered below the surface. Fear was laced through like a mourning widows lace amongst all these negative emotions, heavy and unyielding.

If only she hadn't left. If only he'd been able to convince her to stay. Repeating the words of love wasn't enough then. Were his words enough now to keep her after she'd come back?

There was still the fact that Sera didn't know that he'd turned into an actual beast after she left. He'd forbidden them all from speaking of it to her.

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5 years ago, after Sera's departure

The news of her departure hit him like the sky fell down on him.

To keep himself from going after the Elder who'd sent her home, he'd gone out riding on his own, his hawk crying out above him. If he rode fast enough, maybe he could go to where Sera was.

He never forgot about any of the stories Sera told him about her home world. Maybe if he could make one of these things, to take him to her. Lights that lit up with a touch. Thousands of tomes in one bottomless container. Steel boxes that flew through the sky, defying gravity. These were things no magician could ever achieve. No magic spell was sophisticated enough, no magician had enough magic to power these spells. To even attempt these things required a precious cost.

Like human sacrifice.

Which was why great magic like these were forbidden. That wasn't an option for him.

Somehow the people of Sera's world had achieved these things without using magic. She'd told him about inter dimensional travel between worlds, a idea Sera saw in what sounded to him like a moving book. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

If he could go fast enough, like the trains she mentioned that whizzed from one place to another, maybe he could get the 'science' to work, join her in her own world.

Take me with you, he wanted to beg. Don't leave me alone.

Somehow, in his unhinged stated of mind, he'd unknowingly crossed into Azark territory, his longing for Sera blinding him from seeing clearly.

He had no sword, no weapon, only his fists. But that was enough, when the first wave of Azarks spotted him. He'd run at them howling. His emotions broke the limits he didn't even know he had. He ran faster than a horse, punched harder than 3 men combined, and knew no fear.

For a man with nothing to lose had no fear.

As he plowed deeper and deeper into the Azark ranks, a squadron of Thornmere men, soldiers of the army, had shown up to join him in the fight, whooping and hollering. They joined with confidence, because they saw the slaughter taking place, how Lucien completely had the upper hand over the Azarks. They were proud to join their King in defending their country, Thornmere, against the invaders.