The War God’s Favorite novel Chapter 87

#87 The Names
Cassandra took his hand, blushing slightly but following him into the water. She had only taken off her shoes and newly bought flower crown. Her dress was already wct after all, and she was a bit too shy to venture on a ball open bath completely naked. Even if her Prince had taken off all of his clothes, he didn’t say anything about her not doing the same, and gently pulled her in.
Kairen was carrying Cassandra on his lap, making her chuckle, She had no idea how deep this bath really wan, but she could tell her Prince was navigating around easily. He took her as far as he could in this pool before the curtain of rain. She was amazed. Not only the view on the Diamond City was absolutely breathtaking, but the majesty of this infinity pool was amazingly beautiful. Cassandra felt that, if her Prince was to swim a bit too far, they could fall off of it. She couldn’t see the edge, as the rain was actually blurring the real limit of the water and confusing her perception, making it both exciting and scary. “They stayed far enough, though, remaining under the roofed part.
The Black Dragon, standing outside but with his head in, didn’t seem to mind the downpour much. The rain was rolling down his scales, while his red eyes were focused on the couple. Cassandra, her arms locked around her Prince, couldn’t stop smiling. Her whole body was floating in this warm water. It wasn’t nearly as hot as the hot springs from the North, but the difference in temperature with the cold rain still made a thin layer of vapor, or mist, float around. It was such a unique scene. Even the room itself was somewhere between eerie and ancient, as if, before them, no one had come here in years. Cassandra absolutely loved it.
“This is amazing…” She whispered.
“You like it?”
She nodded, and turned to her prince, brushing his hair gently.
“How did you think of bringing me here?”
“You enjoyed the hot springs… and you seemed sad we couldn’t hold the Ceremony yet.”
Cassandra’s heart melted once again. How could this man always surprise her with this extreme gentleness and consideration he was hiding under his armor… She nodded, and gently kissed him.
She loved any form of bath, and he knew it. She loved when they took baths together, the simple sensation of her body immersed in water was one of the most comforting in this world to her. Of course, it was even better when her Prince was by her side like this. They kept kissing for a while, tenderly, though their bodies were obviously really close to one another. The layers of her dress were floating around her in the water, while she curled her legs around Kairen’s, holding on to him.
A low growl distracted them a bit. They both turned heads, and Krai was putting the lower part of his maw in the water, staring at them. Cassandra couldn’t see it as his body was outside, but she was sure he was wagging his tail. She had learned to recognize that playful look in his eyes.
The Dragon couldn’t enter more than up to his shoulders inside, but it was still plenty enough. Cassandra smiled, and detached herself from her Prince to go play with the Dragon. Krai growled happily, seeing her approach. She gently rubbed his snout and, to play with him a little, dived underneath the surface. She felt the dragon’s snout, looking for her in the water, but Krai wasn’t a water creature. When she emerged, a few feet away, he turned his head, surprised, making her laugh. He growled, and put his snout in the water, suddenly throwing a whole wave at her. Cassandra laughed and dived again. (2
This little game between them lasted quite a while. However, after a few minutes, while she was in the water, Cassandra felt some human hands grab her.
Kairen lifted her up, pulling her in his embrace again. She chuckled.
“Were you feeling lonely, my Prince.”
“Don’t just play with him.”
Cassandra laughed and kissed him, focusing on her Prince despite the jealous growls. With the rain in the background, the sounds of the water, and her dripping hair, she almost felt home. Her Prince and her kept kissing, lovingly, swimming around in the water as if they were alone.
However, Cassandra suddenly paused their kiss, frowning.
“What is it…
“I…”
She went silent again, with a confused expression. Did she just imagine it? She grabbed Kairen’s hand, and pulled it next to hers against her tummy. He touched her right in time and, a second later, it was his turn to have a shocked expression. Cassandra chuckled again, ecstatic. 5
“Did you feel that? She whispered.
The Prince nodded, keeping his large hand widespread on her stomach. He had felt it. A little bump under her skin, so weak he had almost missed it. He stayed there again, waiting.
“I feel him again,” she whispered. “Oh, God… He’s moving….
Kairen frowned. He couldn’t feel it anymore, or maybe it was too faint. Yet, Cassandra was completely absorbed in the baby’s faint movements. She hadn’t thought she would be able to feel them so early! However, it wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t her stomach, but her son, she could feel some little movements. Sometimes, they were too faint for her to be sure, and sometimes, she was sure. They stayed like this for a while, but nothing else happened.
It was plenty enough, though. Cassandra couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear. Kairen grabbed her hair, and gently pulled her closer to him, for another kiss. Somehow, he didn’t seem to want to take his hand off of her belly, as if he was still hoping for another little hit.
“You have to come back to see our son, Cassandra whispered, suddenly becoming much more serious.
“Why are you so afraid?”
“I don’t know… I have a bad feeling, she confessed. “Maybe it’s just my pregnancy making me more worried. I just don’t like that you won’t be here.”
She sighed, and snuggled against his neck, closing her eyes, feeling the warmth of his skin. Kairen frowned, caressing her gently. He hadn’t realized how much Cassandra needed him more because of her pregnancy. Somehow, she was a bit needier, looking for more of their cuddling than before; He wasn’t sure if it was due to their relationship growing or part of the pregnancy, or both…
He kept caressing her, letting her rest against his shoulder. He had thought of bringing her there to comfort her, but truly, comforting a pregnant woman was harder than expected. Would she really be alright staying here with his mother? The Prince was a bit afraid the young concubine would be lonely or feel too bored. He definitely couldn’t bring her on the battlefield, though. He wouldn’t even have let her anywhere near a military camp, not when she was pregnant.
“I will be back as soon as I can.”
“I know… And it’s your duty. I know it can’t be helped. I just don’t like that we will be separated again.”
“I’ll stay with you as long as you want after the war is over… I’ll take you back to the Onyx Castle.”
Cassandra chuckled. How did he know she missed that place the most? Somehow, she had grown so attached to that lonely, isolated castle so much in the last few months, she was surprised herself to be missing it so much. She nodded against his skin.
After a while, however, the wind picked up even stronger, and Krai flew away, annoyed. Without the Dragon to heat it up, the water was going to get cold soon. Cassandra and Kairen got out of the water while they were still feeling warm. Somehow, right behind the doors, the servants had already brought some thick towels. Cassandra abandoned her dress there, knowing someone would come and pick it up, and wrapped herself in one of the very large towels. Once again, the War God, who never seemed to fear the cold, only wrapped it around his hips, letting his natural heat dry him.
He picked Cassandra off the ground, and carried her gently back to their room to change into her nightgown. She was now dry, but the young concubine still took her time brushing her messy hair and put it up into a long braid
for the night. The servants had brought a little tray of food, including her favorite green grapes and cheese cubes, with some mulled wine. Surely, Lady Kareen had ordered this…
Cassandra felt a bit guilty for wanting to eat again, but she couldn’t help it. She sat on the bed, grabbing the little bowl of grapes, and pouring some of the cheese cubes on top. For some reason, she almost wanted to see that cheese melted on top of it… Kairen, laid down next to her, had already helped himself to some wine and was caressing her back, letting her eat all she wanted.
“It’s really impressive, I’m hungrier than I ever was, even when I was unable to eat for days… Babies are truly something,” she whispered.
“Are you tired? Or your back painful?”
Cassandra stretched her back a bit. It was true her lower back pain was constant those days, but it was a really mild pain, not something she would complain about. At least, she was grateful to be over her nausea. She hadn’t had any in several days in a row.
“I’m fine… Just hungry like a dragon.”
Kairen chuckled and kept rubbing her back. When Cassandra leaned to take the mulled wine, however, he frowned.
“Cassandra…”
“Just a little sip on my tongue,” she promised. “For the taste…”
Despite his frowning, he let her take a little bit, as promised. He was afraid his mother’s bad habits would slowly detain on the young concubine somehow… Hence, Kairen was quick to take the glass off of her hands and finish it in one go. Cassandra didn’t even protest, however. Her thoughts were already elsewhere.
“The Baby… Maybe we should find him a name already.”
“You can pick whatever you want.”
“Really?”
Kairen nodded. He didn’t really care and trusted Cassandra fully. The young concubine wasn’t surprised or disappointed. She slowly smiled, trying to think. She would have loved to give the baby a name from the Rain Tribe, but this was future Dragon Prince they were talking about. She couldn’t risk picking something too odd… What about a Dragon Empire name then? She quite liked them.
“How did your mother picked your name? And Shareen’s? Do you know?” (2
“…She just took hers and twisted it. Concubines like to give names similar to theirs to their children.”,
Cassandra could understand. Among the many, many children of the Emperor, this was a way to remind him of themselves, through their children. She doubted Kareen had exactly the same idea, though. It was probably her own possessiveness over her children, rather than her relationship to the emperor, that had prevailed.
“Kairen?”
“Hm?”
“What about… your siblings? The others? Do you know their names?”
He nodded.
“My mother has them buried here… I saw their names on the stones. Suiren, Shaneen, Kassen.”
Cassandra felt her heat pinch a bit at each name. She couldn’t forget the painful words of the Imperial Concubines over her children’s death… There was one question she had been curious about, though.
“How come… Srai is alive? I thought a Dragon died after his tamer passed, but things are different, aren’t they?”
“He was old enough. Newborn Dragons are more fragile. Most die with us if we die young.
Cassandra nodded. That explained why Srai had been the only one to survive… According to Kareen, The young Suiren, her firstborn, had died at six. Apparently, it was enough for his Dragon to survive, even disabled. But her second and fourth children had died as infants… She put protective hands around her belly. How did the abandoned Dragons feel? Missing a part of themselves… She couldn’t imagine Krai without Kairen, or the other way around.
Would her baby be as close to his Dragon? She couldn’t wait to meet both of them. Her two babies, the human and the dragon one. Cassandra silently promised herself. With or without Kairen, she would protect their child. She would do anything for that.
“Cassandra.”
He gently pulled her in his embrace, taking her away from her deep thinking. Cassandra chuckled, putting her half-emptied bowl to the side, and snuggled against him.
“I’m tired,” she said.
“Then sleep. If the rain calms down, we will have our ceremony tomorrow morning.”
“I hope so…”