"Fuck!" I groaned, picking myself up off the floor. Tzolob chuckled, extending a hand to help. Kiltont laughed wholeheartedly as he leaned against his sword.

  "I forgot how bad you are at combat, Marshall." I flipped the green colored bird man the bird and he laughed even more. "That's supposed go be an offensive gesture, right?"

  "Yeah, you dick. You ain't gotta laugh at me; I know I'm a scrub. I gotta be better. Come on, again." I readied my wooden blade and faced Tzolob again. With a smile most unbecoming of a Guild Master, Tzolob launched into another flurry of motion. I could barely follow his movements as a stinging sensation began on various points on my body and I wound up on the floor again. I growled and scrambled up.

  "Again!" I shouted and again, I wound up on the floor. This time, though, I wasn't completely defenseless. Fighting was a lot like playing football. It was fast and semi-reactive, requiring me to take the initiative at odd and unforeseen points. But I slowly became accustomed to those points. If I focused, I could see what my opponent was about to do. Granted, using a sword was a hell of a lot different than using my hands to push a defender away, but I could see some of Tzolob's movements and I remembered Coach McMillian's words.

  "Watch the hips. The feet and hands will lie, but the hips don't."

  I focused on Tzolob's hips and how he moved, doing my best to copy him. It didn't work well, but I did avoid some of his attacks and even landed one of my own when he over extended.

  "Good!" he cried, his speed increasing. For the tenth time that morning, I found myself on my back, looking up at the wooden ceiling. I screamed, more in frustration than pain, and rose again. I raised my blade and charged forward, using my weight to my advantage. Tzolob's eyes went wide in surprise and he raised his own blade to block mine but I muscled it out of the way, bringing my blade down in a powerful chop on his hands. He winced in pain and dropped his weapon as I shouldered him to the ground, using my football training to keep my center of gravity lower than it looked. Tzolob let out a grunt of pain and fell to the floor, then scrambled right back up to his feet, a massive grin on his face, laughing madly. A fire blazed in his eyes and he picked his sword up, resuming our fight.

  Six hours later, after both Kiltont and Tzolob had taken turns beating me with wooden swords and we were well into the afternoon, they finally called a halt to the training. I collapsed to my knees, panting heavily, then groaned and rose to my feet, stumbling to the edge of the training hall and falling onto the bench. If football had tought me anything, it was that showing weakness in front of opponents got you beat. And falling to my knees was nothing if not weak. Sweat dripped from my bangs and I stared at the ground, unseeing. I was bushed. I was even more tired than when Kiltont and I handled the tree blockong the road from Rivera. I hadn't worked that hard since my last game over two months ago and I wanted nothing more than to sleep, but I still had something to do. Bone-weary, I stood and walked over to where Tzolob and Kiltont where chatting easily.

  "How the hell are y'all still standing?" I asked, leaning on my sword like a cane. Kiltont laughed and swung his blade up and onto his shoulder.

  "Because we are better than you, scrub." he said, putting extra emphasis on the word. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

  "Yeah, yeah. Thank you for the lesson." I extended my hand to shake theirs and Tzolob looked at it curiously while Kiltont shook it.

  "Of course. We will see you tomorrow morning. From what I hear, you have plans this evening, yes?"

  "Yeah. Lia and I are going out tonight, but I'm fuckin' bushed, bro. I don't know how I'm going to stay awake once I sit down. I haven't worked that hard in a few months."

  "I'm sure you'll find the energy. Tomorrow marks the start of your training with the others as well." I groaned, dreading seeing Jen after the shit Lia pulled.

  "I got a question for you, Kiltont."

  "And what is that?" I paused, unsure now if I should actually ask. Sighing, I made up my mind.

  "Yesterday, Lia made Jennifer a Vartin. I convinced her to release Jen, but still. Is it really that easy to enslave someone? Are Vartin's that common?"

  "Yes," Tzolob said. "they are. As you know, Railey is a Vartin. In fact, most of the staff here are."

  "That's... not what I expected. Every one of your employees is forced labor?"

  "Most of them, yes. Though I make sure that they have their own rooms and are able to go home at reasonable times."

  "And that's alright? You say that as though you are better for it. Treating people as people is the bare minimum."

  "Vartin are not people, Marshall." Kiltont said, staring at me.

  "So you say. I say that they are." I growled, getting in his face. He smiled and I felt my head bounce off the dirt floor of the training hall. I didn't see him move. One moment I was looking him in the eyes and the next I was staring at the ceiling. I groaned, curling into the fetal position and holding my head. "Ow."

  "Want to keep spouting that shit?" Kiltont asked, prowling around me. He poked me with his blade and I felt its sting. It had become iron, biting deep into my thigh. I groaned again, holding back a scream. "Then grow stronger. You must be stronger!" He raised his blade and brought it down on my head, forcing me to move it to the side. I felt the dirt splash against my head and adrenaline pumped through me, forcing me to lash out, catching him in the knee with my foot. There was a sickening crunch and his knee folded backwards. He gtoaned and dropped the sword, holding his knee. I scrambled up, grabbing the sword as I did. I held it in front of me, though i was acting more on instinct than thought at this point. Another kick to his side and the Chief fell to the ground, my blade at his throat. Both of us were panting, blood leaking from a small cut on his throat. He grinned and slapped my blade away, his knee glowing green. He stood, his smile never wavering.

  "There he is. The man I know you can be. You are a warrior, Marshall. It is in your blood. I know you can do this." He laid a hand on my shoulder. "You did well today, for your first time training with a blade. Give it a month or so, and you'll have it down pat. Now, get out of here; your Lady is waiting." His eyes moved behind me and I turned, finding Lia leaning against the doorframe, smiling at me.

  "That was certainly something." she said, coming up to me. I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head.

  "I don't know where that last bit came from."

  "From me. Our family have been Hunters for generations and some of our innate ability to wield a blade transferred to you." Her smiled widened. "Watch this." She pushed me and I flew back, slamming into the wall spread-eagle.

  "Owwww." I groaned, hanging there for a moment before falling to the ground. Lia was before me faster than I could blink, filling me with her warmth. My injuries healed and I stood, still groaning. "So you're strong now?" Her smile was bright as she hung her arms around my neck.

  "Thanks to you. Our strengths have become one now, as we are one."

  "You can be lovers elsewhere." Kiltont said, tearing me from Lia and glaring at us. "This is a place for battle, not love. Now, get out." I sighed, rolling my eyes.

  "Whatever, man. Are you ready for our date?" I asked, looking over at Lia. She nodded and led me by the hand out the door, casting furtive glances back at me.

  A little while later, we were sitting by a nicely roaring fire, wine in hand and food on the table. Music came from somewhere in the restaurant giving us an unintrusive background as we shared small smiles over chicken and bread. We were at a little restaurant somewhere in town, just outside of the entertainment quarter at Tzolob's recommendation. He said that he knew the owner and that it was his favorite place to go with his wife when he got time off. It had been a wonderful evening so far, full of laughter and love. Carminal, of course, had other opinions.

  "And what's this?" a scornful voice asked. A dirty hand slammed down on the table, right in the middle of the chicken-like animal that I was eating. I sighed and smiled at Lia over the table. She smiled back and nodded, leaning back in her chair and sipping her wine.

  "What are you doing?" I asked, looking at the owner of the hand. It belong to a grizzled man, his face haggard and hard. He wore an unkempt beard and his eyes swam with drink. I sighed and stood, rising slowly. The man's eyes followed me as I did, going wide as I continued to stand. "We are trying to have supper." I said, leaning down to get in his face. "Do you mind?"

  "Of course I mind." the man said, trying to keep his nerve when faced with a man over half a foot taller than him. "You are dining with a Vartin."

  "She isn't a Vartin." I replied, a growl in my throat, my hands clenched at my side. "She is my wife and we are trying to eat. Fuck. Off." The man's smile grew oily and evil, his unfocussed eyes flicking between me and Lia.

  "It doesn't matter what you call it." he said, leaning towards me. "She's far too pretty to be with someone like you. I see the lines left by the Collar. She is a Vartin, even if she does not have it anymore. I want to buy her from you."

  "No."

  "I want her."

  "Fuck you." The man laughed drunkenly, no longer looking at me. He slipped by me, ducking under my massive frame. I reached out for him but caught Lia shaking her head at me, an unknown look on her face. I obliged and let the sleazebag pass. He stumbled up to Lia and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, where her caramel face sank into one of pure rage and bands of fire peeled off of her. We locked eyes and she smiled, nodded, and looked over at the man.

  "Sir," she said in a sultry voice, standing. Her lithe body moved against his in a way that brought forth a jealousy I had never felt, not even with Jen. It made me wonder if I ever really loved that girl. Even when I found her sleeping with Harper, I didn't feel this level of jealousy. Do I love Lia more than I did Jen or am I being manipulated by magic? Is it a little of both? Does it even matter? I was drawn from my thoughts by a grunt of pain from the sleazebag. Lia had placed her hands on his chest and they glowed with golden power. I stepped back, barring his friends from preventing what was about to happen. The sleaze grunted again, trying to fight through the warmth that was proving to be too much for him. Lia's smile became one of evil enjoyment as her hands glowed red. I smelled burnt flesh and he finally screamed, falling to his knees as Lia continued to hold her hands to his skin. Smoke rose from his chest and she pulled away, kicking him down. She knelt down to whisper in his ear.

  "You have nothing that could ever tempt me away from my Champion. He is mine and I am his." She pressed her hand to his thigh, eliciting another screech. The stench of burned flesh began to permeate the air and I had to hide the smile growing on my face as I watched my wife defend herself. "Run along, little rabbit, and pray I forget this transgression against me. Or I will hunt you down and kill you."

  I moved aside, letting the man's friends take him away. They shot glares over their shoulders as they fled and I scoffed, shaking my head. I held Lia's seat out for her and she smiled at me, a glorious, loving smile made even prettier by the flames licking at her irises. The fire within them slowly faded back to her normal green as she stared up at me. I pushed her back in and retook my seat, resuming our meal and pushing her fire from my mind. I definitely felt it in places that I probably shouldn't. It took a minute for either of us to speak again, and when I did, it was something I should not have said.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "What's going on with you?" I asked, watching as the flames licked at her emerald eyes again. "Why are you so violent today?"

  "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice hard. "This is how I always am."

  "I don't know about that. When we first met, you were timid and shy, but now that you're free, I see you growing into yourself. Far be it from me to dictate anything to my Lady, but you scare me sometimes and I want to know if there's anything I can do to help." Lia was silent for a moment and I felt someone coming up behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see one of the waiting staff slowly approaching, fear on his face. He started when he saw me looking at him, then steeled himself and walked over.

  "Sir." he said to me, then bowed to Lia. "My Lady. I do not wish to say this to you, but..." he trailed off, eyes flicking between Lia and the remnants of the sleazebag's clothes still burning on the floor.

  "You need us to leave." I said, guessing where he was going. "We're disturbing the other diners."

  "Yes." he said, thankful for the lifeline.

  "Why didn't your manager come to tell us?" I asked, curious. His eyes flicked to Lia and he took a step back. "Ah." I said, getting my answer. "Y'all're scared of us." The waiter nodded but didn't answer directly.

  "You need not pay as the man was also a disturbance to the staff, but you must leave, yes." I waved his words away and placed five of the gold coins I'd gotten as my reward on the table.

  "Nah, man, it's my fault. I should have thrown him out as soon as he started talking, but I am weak. We will leave." I turned to the rest of the diners and bowed my head slightly. "I am sorry for the disturbance, everyone. We will take our leave now. Please, enjoy the rest of your evening."

  "Marshall?" a voice asked. One of the diners stood up and I frowned, knowing that bald head from somewhere.

  "Yeah, it's me." I said, narrowing my eyes. "Who are you? Hang on, ain't you the Commander? Fuck, sorry man, I don't remember your name."

  "Lucinius Metio, yes."

  "What's up, bro? What ya doin' here?"

  "Having diner with my wife, much as you are."

  "Yeah, I'm sorry for ruinin' y'all's evenin'. It seems she can't take me anywhere." I laughed to let him know it was a joke and he smiled broadly in return.

  "Bah, the man who saved our city should be allowed at least a little social leeway, don't you think?" A murmur spread through the restaurant at his words and I only caught a little of it, but the majority of people were talking about the Nevind. And me.

  "Still, though, we've been asked to leave, so we shall. Far be it from me to make life difficult on others." Metio scoffed.

  "You will make life difficult for anyone you come across. It is your fate. Tzolob told me about you and his friend Kiltont seemed certain you will find yourself at the center of events that far outrank you." I chuckled as well.

  "So they say. I say that I am going to get married, restore my Lady to her glory, and enjoy life. I've been given a second chance here and I'm not going to let it go. I can be the man I've always wanted to be but never could." I felt someone take my hand and glanced over to find Lia holding my hand, standing next to me.

  "My husband and I are going to have a wonderful life. I will slaughter anything that gets in the way of my happiness." A shiver of pleasure ran down my spine when she called me her husband.

  "Love, you know that makes you a villain, right?" I aksed, teasing her. "The person who sacrifices the world for thier loved ones is a villain."

  "It just means I love you more than this gods forsaken world." I began to walk, leading Lia out of the restaurant and back towards the Guild Hall as I laughed.

  "That's not hard. I'll have you know that I am awesome." It was her turn to laugh.

  "Yes, you are. Not nearly as amazing as I am, but you have your moments."

  "Humble, much?" I asked, letting go of her hand and throwing my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into me. She laughed and leaned into me as we walked. The night was lovely, just on the other side of cool and the moon was high in the sky, shining down on us. The stars were all out to play, though there were fewer than when we were in Rivera. I guess it's the city lights. Light pollution is a problem everywhere, I suppose.

  We ambled our way back to the Guild Hall, joking and laughing and enjoying each other's company. It was a lovely spring night, not too hot and not too cold, just right for an evening stroll. Lia slowed her stride as we approached the entrance to the Guild Hall and I followed suit, casting a glance down at her.

  "What's up?" I asked. She sighed in response and set her shoulders against the world.

  "This was a lovely evening." she said with some sort of indifference, like the world didn't matter to her. "Thank you, Marshall."

  "We have many more to come, my dear." I replied, trying to comfort her.

  "I certainly hope so. This world is cruel, as you know. I don't know if it'll let us have nights like this."

  "We'll take our happiness where we can, regardless of what this world has in store."

  "You can't possibly know that. You have no idea of the cruelty this world can bestow."

  "No, but I know of the love it can give. I know what a determined person can do. There was a story back in my world of a man who challenged a machine to a contest. This machine was unbeatable and he challenged it to build a railroad through a mountain. The man won through pure heart, pride, and determination. If we want to be happy, all we need to do is be happy, the world be damned. I am happy so long as you, Rosie, and Diego are by my side." Lia chuffed, clearly not believing me. I pulled her into a hug and held her tightly, even as she tried to pull away.

  "Let me go, you big oaf!" I heard her shout into my chest. Her tiny hands beat on me and I chuckled, releasing her.

  "I'm not letting you go, Lia." I said, taking her hands in mine. "I've lost one life to fear and indecision already. I'm not going to lose another. I choose you, wherever that decision takes me. I am not leaving your side." She smiled at that, her emerald eyes flickering with internal fire. She led me into the Guild and up the stairs, stopping to say good night to Railey as we passed her work station. The Vartin's face went as pink as her eyes as she glanced at me before bowing and repeating the sentiment to Lia. I waved to her and she waved back, a slight smile on her face.

  Up in our room, Lia sat on the bed and I in a chair. We were quiet, but it wasn't awkward like it usually was when Jen and I were in the same room alone. It was a peaceful silence, one that was rare to find in Carminal. Or so I'd heard. Rosie leaped from my shadow and laid herself at Lia's feet, snoring softly as our Lady pet her. Diego hopped into my lap, purring like a freight train as I pet its head. We sat like that for a while, not noticing the time passing. Eventually, I began to yawn and set Diego down, standing and stretching before moving to the bed. I fell onto it, pulling Lia down with me. She molded to my body, sighing as she relaxed into me. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and reserved.

  "You were right." she said out of the blue.

  "What?" I asked, having almost drifted into slumber. I yawned and looked down at her burning emeralds. They flickered with tears and fire as they looked back up at me.

  "Promise me something, Marshall." I had no idea what she was talking about but I agreed without hesitation anyway.

  "Anything, my Lady."

  "What I tell you now can never be said again. I don't like talking about it but you deserve to know what you've signed your life to." She sighed again, seeming to brace herself for something strenuous. Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. She released it as she spoke. "The Emperor forced me into Vartinism after our family died. I was blamed for killing them. And... he was right. I did kill them. But it wasn't me. It was, but it wasn't. I was possessed. A Demon told me it could restore us to our former station, and I foolishly believed it. I thought that, when the Emperor sent us to Hylent, that it was a demotion. That it was a banishment. I didn't know that Father was replacing the Duke in more than just name. I thought I was helping." Lia went quiet, her eyes dancing between me and the space next to me. I looked to my right and didn't see anything, but she clearly did.

  "Are... do you see something?"

  "Yes. The Molinbi of my family haunt me to this day. My biggest regrets."

  "All of them?"

  "Yes. My father, mother, and two elder siblings. All of them are surrounding you right now." A shiver ran down my spine at her words. Knowing what Molinbi were, I was impressed she had bared that curse for so many years without caving. "Mother just ran her charred fingers through your hair." Lia leaned into me, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She opened them and looked me dead in the eyes, actively avoiding looking at our surroundings. "I set fire to the house when the Demon took me. It's why my fire magic is so strong. Its power still runs through me and I swear..." she trailed off, eyes lost in the past.

  "What?"

  "I can still hear it talking to me, sometimes. Late at night and when you're gone. When I'm alone. When that Whore touches you. Telling me to kill you, to burn you and everyone that's ever been kind to me. That all I am good for is killing, to burn all that I love to the ground. It tells me that nothing matters, especially not you. That you do not love me, that you still love that whore. It came back after we fought the Nevind. I hadn't heard it since the fire until the night you almost died saving a city you don't care about." I laid my hand on hers and felt my heart go out to her. She took a sobbing breath and I wrapped her up, pulling her closer.

  "I've already died burning once." I said, my voice deep and raw with memories. "I burned for a woman who didn't love me, who cheated, lied, and tore me into pieces. I don't know if I'll ever be the man I was, but I don't think I want to return to who I was. You are all that matters to me now. Not this world, not the people in it, and certainly no Demon or Dragon telling me what I can and cannot do." She laughed messily, looking up at me.

  "Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

  "No, it was meant to be a profession of love, but I don't think it came across. You might be crazy and scary as all hell, but I don't care. You are who I've chosen." She scoffed again.

  "You are really bad at this." she said, leaning back into my chest. It was my turn to scoff.

  "Bah, this language just doesn't translate well. It's hard for me to discuss my feelings."

  "You and me both, Champion." We were quiet for a while before Lia spoke again. "That girl, the whore, what made you fall for her?" I sighed, thinking about my previous life with Jen. Looking at how Lia treated me, it was nothing like what Jen did. Jen never did anything for me other than sleep with me. She didn't even bother to cook for me half the time and when she did, it was I who did most of the actual cooking. She didn't even know the difference between slicing and dicing. She was always off by herself or with her friends, excluding me from her life. Looking back, I could see it now, how she mistreated me, never really loved me.

  "Marshall?" Lia aksed again, dragging me from my thoughts.

  "I don't know if I ever really did love her." I said, staring at the cieling lost in thought. "I think I was so lonely and attention starved that I fell for the first girl to pay attention to me, not that she ever really did. She made me feel heard and seen, like I actually mattered, keyword there being feel. But now, having met you and Rosie and Diego, I know that was wrong. She was just using me, expecting me to play pro ball like Anthony was going to. She wanted a rich, comfy life, and I wanted a wife. Someone who loved me regardless of our station."

  "And you love me?"

  "Yes, I do. At first, I didn't know if I loved you romantically, but I do now. It could be the magic, but I think that's only part of it now."

  "What's the other part?"

  "I was raised as a Christian. I know that term holds no meaning for you, but it means that I was raised to believe it is my moral duty to help those in need. It's why I stepped in to help you and Railey. People are people and deserve to be treated as such. A husband and wife see each other through the good and the bad, you give the shirt off your back to the one who needs it, and you treat others as you want to be treated. That is the Golden Rule. My mother taught me that. When she was conscious, that is. Both my folks drank. My father wasn't the best man, but he did provide. We always had a roof and food, though he was mean at night. The drink, you know?"

  "Yes, I do. The drink got my brother. He would hit his wife, my aunt, on occasion. She would come to the table hiding a bruised face with makeup, though none of us ever did anything about it. If she made him angry, it was because she was a bad wife, not that he was a bad husband. I know now that he was in the wrong."

  "How so?"

  "That she was in the right to defend herself. Melissa was a sweet girl; kind and loving. She married into the family and the first few years were good but they slowly devolved. Like I said, Melissa would hide the bruises with heavy makeup. She wouldn't sit next to him at the table either." I didn't know how to respond to that so I stayed quiet, listening to the sounds of our breathing. I began to lose focus on the world, slipping into semi-sleep. I was almost fully asleep when Lia said:

  "Do you hate me now?" I started awake and looked down at her. Her emeralds were ablaze with fire and gleaming with tears, rivulets of lava running down her face. I chuckled and brushed aside her tears.

  "No." I said firmly. "I will never hate you. The only way you could get me to leave now is by cheating on me. I am sworn to you, so you need not fear me betraying you. But words can only do so much." I leaned in and kissed her gently, trying to convey my feelings through pure thought and love. "I will prove my love for you as many times as you need me to. Doesn't matter what the task is, I will do it if it means I get to stay with you, the only woman who's ever truly loved me. All I ask is that you don't betray like Jen did. I don't know if my soul could take a second sundering." Lia laughed softly and shifted so that she was sitting on top of me. She moved her hips and I watched as her caramel skin flexed and unflexed, her warmth spreading from her heart to mine. She leaned down and kissed me deeply, fire tearing into my mind. She didn't speak but I heard her words, felt the need and passion in them.

  "I will never leave you, Marshall." she said, her words bouncing around in my head. "You are my husband, my Champion. I have never and will never doubt your ability to change this world, to change me. You are my only hope."

  "Hope for what?" I gasped as I sat up and spun her around so that she was lying on her back and I on my knees.

  "For love. For a life. For anything. If you hadn't come along, I'd be dead by now. Starved to death by a woman who hated me without the power to do anything about it. You gave me my life. You gave me my freedom again. I will always be indebted to you. I will give you what you desire as well." I felt her body tense as she spoke her conviction and mine followed. I stroked her thigh as she calmed, resuming when her breathing wasn't as ragged.