The War God’s Favorite novel Chapter 91

#91 The Last Days
Kairen’s kiss was gentle, slow and sweet. Cassandra couldn’t help but smile against his lips. Now that she was done with her letters, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and let him pull her close, standing up and guiding her to their bed. Kairen’s hands on her skin were warm, so warm that her skin would get little goosebumps from that delicious warm sensation. She loved the familiar smell of the War God. Her heart sank when Cassandra realized that, in a few days, she would have to say goodbye and wouldn’t be able to enjoy this for a few weeks…
Hence, she was even thirstier for his kisses than usual, caressing his neck and brushing his hair. She suddenly stopped, though, looking at it.
“What is it?”
“Would you let me cut your hair?” She asked in a soft voice.
“My hair?”
“Yes… Do you mind?”
Kairen shook his head, and kissed her forehead. Of course, he didn’t care at all. The War God never really bothered about his hair… The lustrous black hair was usually pushed back on his shoulders, he never really cared to cut it. His mother would do it for him from time to time, but there was really no particular attachment from him. He didn’t care what Cassandra would do with it… Taking out the green cloth from his shoulders, Cassandra hung it next to hers, but as she did, Kairen frowned.
“Wait… I forgot about this,” he said.
He stood and walked to one of the bags they had taken back from the Palace, searching for something, and eventually pulled out a little dagger from it, handing it to her. The blade was wrapped in a thick leather cloth, but Cassandra took it out carefully.
“I’ve seen it before…” said Cassandra, observing the weapon with a frown.
le weapon with a frown
“It was Phetra’s… I modified it to make it a better weapon, and lighter too. Keep it with you.”
Cassandra was surprised to receive the weapon of her enemy. Indeed, the dagger had changed a bit since Phetra had tried to harm her with it. She vaguely remembered Kairen working on it while she was making the concoction for Missandra’s injuries, but she hadn’t really paid much attention back then, and somehow forgot about it. Now, she could observe it a bit more carefully. The War God had removed all the unnecessary decorations, gems and gold for which neither of them cared, and sharpened it. Cassandra couldn’t have yield one of Kairen’s swords, as they were way too heavy for her thin build, but this little dagger was indeed just the right weight in her hand. She could move it easily, though she hadn’t much knowledge about how to use a dagger. She slid her finger on the blade, but avoided the edge. It was obvious this had been sharpened with precision, and she didn’t want to cut herself. 2
“Can I cut your hair with that?”
“You can tame it this way.”
Cassandra chuckled. She actually liked the symbolism behind keeping this weapon. The young concubine insisted on washing his hair first. Then, Kairen sat on the floor next to her, as even on a stool he would have been to tall for her. Cassandra was a bit excited to cut her Prince’s hair, but she had to think about what she wanted to do first… Kairen’s hair had grown long, to fall below his shoulders. She knew that length wasn’t comfortable for him to fight with. She combed his hair with her fingers first, pushing it back, and trimmed the ends a bit. Then, she decided to shave the sides. She had seen some men with this haircut at the camp. She proceeded carefully. Indeed, the blade was very sharp… Cassandra had to proceed slowly, as she was agonizing over the idea of cutting him. It took longer than she had thought because of that, but once she was done, the shaved sides pleased her a lot. She carefully kept his freshly cut hair, too, putting it on a little napkin on the side. Then, she put the dagger down on its leather wrapping, and braided the hair left on top of his head, which was still plenty and long enough to fall
between his shoulder blades. Then, she decided to tie it with some little gold rings she had in her chest, that she would probably never use. Once she was done, she stepped back a bit and looked at the result, satisfied.
“What do you think?” She asked.
“Do my beard too.”
Cassandra laughed. His heavy beard indeed felt a bit too much now that his sides were shaven. She grabbed the dagger again, observing it to think about what she should do.
“I need to think about it…”
“Just shave it.”
“I like your beard though…”
“Then just shave what you don’t like. It’s too long.”
Cassandra chuckled.
“Aren’t you a fussy customer, Prince Kairen?”
“I’ll pay you, then.”
“How much would you pay me?” Asked Cassandra, as she started trimming his beard.
“A gold bar.”
She laughed.
“I would be the most over payed barber in the Empire!”
“It’s fine.”
Cassandra shook her head, and focused on the trimming. It was his gold anyway… She knew very well he didn’t care much about it. The Imperial family was way too rich to really care. She focused on his beard, cutting it but leaving some, as she loved the spiky feeling of it. Once she was done, she had cut about two-thirds of it, but still leaving about half an inch for herself to play with.
“Alright, we are done…” She said with a satisfied smile.
Kairen nodded, checking his newly trimmed beard with his fingers. Cassandra knew he was satisfied as he didn’t ask her to cut more. She put her dagger down, and went to gather the hair she had collected in a napkin. Then, she very carefully started washed it in the little bassin, and braided it. Kairen frowned a bit, wondering what she was doing now. She even got up several times to look into her little chest full of jewelry she seldom used. Once she was done, Cassandra proudly showed it to him. She had made a bracelet of his cut hair, adding some of her little gold rings to it. Kairen was surprised. She finished braiding the silky black hair around her wrist, around the thread from their ceremony, and it was clear it wouldn’t come off unless cut. (1)
“Did you intend to make this from the start?” He asked, stroking the little bracelet.
“Yes… Your hair is very long, and I like it. It will be my memento for when you’re gone…”
He nodded, a bit curious. Then, his eyes went to her hair, frowning.
“Do you want one from me too?” Asked Cassandra, reading his mind easily.
“I don’t want you to cut your hair…”
She chuckled and grabbed the dagger again. Kairen was frowning, but Cassandra knew very well he loved her long hair, and had no intention to cut it short either. Instead, she grabbed a strand around her nape, where it would be seen. She cut a good portion of it. Her hair was long enough, and that strand alone would suffice. 12
“Will a bracelet fit for you?” She asked, a bit unsure.
“Can you braid it into my hair?” (5
Cassandra immediately loved the idea. She checked the braids she had done in Kairen’s hair, and worked around it. The final result was actually surprisingly beautiful. From what she had done before, the black braids on his head were fading into her dark brown strands, and falling a bit lower down his back. It looked like his hair was naturally fading into hers, and the now rather long braids down his back were quite beautiful and unique. She had a wide smile observing the result. The War God, too, grabbed the braids to look at it, stroking the dark brown strands with his fingers. (5)
“Are you happy with it, dear customer?” Cassandra asked.
“Very,” he replied with a nod.
He pulled her in for a kiss, now that they were done with the hair-styling fun. Cassandra was so happy, she wished those few days of peace together could last forever. She felt safe wherever the Prince was, even more so when they were staying at the Diamond Palace. This Rain Ceremony had been a dream come true, some simple yet so beautiful. She didn’t know if Kairen grasped the full extent of this vow, how much it meant for her, but she was satisfied enough to have been bonded with him in the ways of her people. She didn’t want to take this silk thread or her newly made hair bracelet off, ever. Even if they had to part soon, she knew she’d cherish it and comfort herself with it. 4
She was just so eager to enjoy all of him while she still could. She kissed him back, so eager and demanding. She would never get tired of this man. Moreover, she really liked that new hairdo. Kairen looked even manlier, if possible… He truly looked like a God of War, like this. He wasn’t a particularly handsome man, but Cassandra had grown to love his strong jaw, his obsidian eyes and his features. His muscles, too. She was never into hunky men, but Kairen’s powerful arms just ignited all of her desire so easily, with those large hands. She would blush every time he caressed her, her body so conditioned to his touch after all of those hours of love making. (11)
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Moreover, there was something about knowing those were their last days together before a while. Somehow, she didn’t want to let go of him, not yet. Her whole world had been spinning around this man for several months now. The weeks without him had been hard. Now, how long would she have to wait until the next time they could be together again?
Hence, for once Cassandra wasn’t too shy about taking the lead. She pushed him gently on the bed, and of course, her Prince wouldn’t reject her. Kairen actually liked to see her act a little bit bolder, to let her take the lead in bed. They had made love so many times, their bodies didn’t hold many secrets left for the other.
Cassandra sat across his hips, while, Kairen pulled them both on the middle of the bed. She felt a bit guilty about having sex after they had just both changed, but this was a bit too late to reconsider. Their passionate kissing wasn’t giving much room for her to think, and her skin was burning up already. She undid the laces of her dress, and helped her Prince take off his pants. Within a few minutes, they had their skins against each other, and no piece of clothing left. Cassandra kept caressing the long, freshly cut braid in Kairen’s back. She really liked his new hairdo, and her fingertips would caress his head, feel the bare parts behind his ears, caress it down to his nape, then find the braid, trace it back to the top, and redo that gesture over and over again.
“…Stop that.”
Cassandra frowned, a bit surprised. She tilted her head, but, when she tried to pass her fingers behind his ears again, Kairen avoided it. She chuckled.
“Don’t tell me… it tickles?”
“…. Just stop.”
Cassandra laughed. Who could have known the War God was ticklish behind his ears!