The War God’s Favorite novel Chapter 92

#92 The Goodbyes
Cassandra slowly woke up to some rummaging behind the door. She frowned, wondering what was going on. If she focused enough, she could hear a bit of the conversation…
“But… It’s been two days…”
“I told you, they are fine! Just leave it here. They eat it, don’t they? Just come and clean it up later. Don’t disturb them, they’ll come out when they have enough.”
“Oh… I see…”
Cassandra sighed and snuggled inside Kairen’s arms. Has it been two days already? They hadn’t parted and hadn’t left the bed except for taking the trays of food inside and back outside. Her last three nights and two days had been filled with love and sex. She felt like they had gone in a little bubble, away from time. Or maybe just trying to forget about time. She wasn’t ready to part with him, but she probably would never be.
Kairen’s slow respiration above her head made her a bit sad. She didn’t want to have to sleep alone, without the sounds of her partner beside her. He had become everything to her… The fact that she knew this was going to come to an end soon was devastating her, making it way worse. She didn’t know when, she just know that was going to happen soon. Cassandra hated that wait. The only way for her to forget was to sleep or have sex with her Prince. Somehow, she hated that depressed feeling before he was even gone…
She sat on the bed, sighing and pushing her hair away from her face. Of course, behind her Kairen immediately reacted, and came to wrap her in his arms.
“What is it?” He whispered against her ear.
“I just… I need to do something. I’m going to go crazy if I just stay here thinking about how you’re going to leave soon.”
“Are you sad?”
“I don’t think I’m sad… yet.”
Cassandra turned around, kissing him a bit, brushing his beard with her fingers. It had already grown back a little… Then, she took a deep breath and smiled softly.
“I’ll be alright. Just focus on the war, and I will focus on our baby.”
Kairen nodded, agreeing with her. Cassandra gently kissed him again and left the bed to go and see what clothes she could put on. She didn’t want to stay locked in this room anymore. It had been a bit too long already, and she didn’t want to be rude to their host, Lady Kareen, or make her sister unhappy. Kairen grabbed the food tray to bring inside while she washed with the little water basin, and they ate together in silence.
When they were done, both full, dressed, and ready, they walked out of the bedroom. The Diamond Palace was actually rather quiet, but first, Cassandra wanted to go and check on the Dragon Egg. It was a bit of a funny feeling, but she felt like she had neglected her baby by not going to see the egg for a while. Once they got there, to her surprise, Krai was wrapped around it and sleeping. She chuckled.
The Black Dragon woke up, and watched her come close, but did not want to leave its egg, letting Cassandra come to him instead. She got on her knees right next to him, and Krai’s snout sniffed her belly, rubbing a bit against her dress curiously. She scratched his snout a bit, but her hand was busier touching the egg. It was still warm, with this strange light moving inside… It was almost as if something was beating inside. Actually, the egg seemed even warmer than she remembered, almost hot now. How many more weeks until she gave birth? At this rate, it would be burning hot before her baby was born!
Krai softly growled when Kairen approached, and the War God also scratched his head. It was rare for the two to interact directly… Cassandra watched them for a while, but she was most distracted by the egg. She had grown
attached to it a lot, and couldn’t wait to meet both the baby dragon and her baby… The Egg was already so big, she wondered what size a newborn dragon could be? Maybe it was half empty of half-liquid in there, maybe the baby dragon was already as big as that?
“Oh, look who finally came out of the den!”
They turned around. Kareen was just at the entrance of the garden, followed by some servants carrying meat. She smiled wide and walked up to them. Krai, excited, suddenly got up, smelling the meat.
“Good Morning, Lady Kareen,” said Cassandra.
“Good Morning, dear. You look well-rested!”
Cassandra blushed a bit. The Imperial Concubine couldn’t ignore that they had just spent two days in bed. Of course, she would be rested, having done nothing but sleep and… the rest. 2
“How come you are feeding Krai here?” Asked Cassandra, a bit curious.
The Dragon would usually leave the Diamond Palace, or wherever they were staying in, to go and feed by himself. He was a good enough hunter to provide for himself. He only came around to steal some meat from their meals out of gluttony, not hunger.
“That big boy doesn’t need me!” Laughed Kareen. “This is for Srai… Srai, come here baby.”
Suddenly, a purple dragon head popped up from behind Krai. Cassandra hadn’t noticed Srai was here! The other dragon was so tiny Krai’s body could easily hide him. He climbed over his younger brother, and wiggled all the way to Lady Kareen, though Krai was right behind him, his ruby eyes lurking the meat.
“Don’t move, Krai,” said Kareen with her motherly voice.
The black dragon growled softly, sulking a bit, but stayed where he was, with no choice but to watch his big brother eat the meat. Srai’s owner had died at six years old… Would that mean her future baby dragon was going to be even tinier than him? Cassandra couldn’t be sure, though. Sephir and Vrehan’s dragons were both smaller than Krai… It was really too hard to say, though Lady Kareen had hinted before that their Dragon would probably be on the bigger side.
“Stop sulking you big boy, you should go out and hunt if you’re hungry!” Said Kareen, scolding Krai who was still growling, upset.
“Didn’t he go hunting yet today?” Asked Cassandra.
“He went this morning, but he’s been glued to his egg for as long as you two were locked in that room. He just leaves it to go hunting… I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Kairen?”
Both women turned to the War God, but Kairen stayed mute, looking at the egg with a little frown. Cassandra, however, was the quickest to understand what was going on.
They didn’t want to leave. Just like Kairen had kept her in the bedroom for three nights and two days, Krai didn’t want to part with its egg. The Dragon probably didn’t want to part with Cassandra, either. The pair was dreading this war, unwilling to part with their loved ones. This truth hit Cassandra right in the heart. She hadn’t realized before. Because her prince seldom showed his expressions and was always so attached to her anyway, she hadn’t even thought about how he could feel about leaving her here in the Diamond Palace. She had focused on her own feelings alone, and only realized now how selfish and self-centered that was of her. (2
Kairen was the one who had to leave. He was the one who would have to go to war, to fulfill his duty as the third Prince, the God of War of the Dragon Empire, while she’d stay back. Cassandra would be safe here in the Diamond Palace, while her lover was sent to the frontlines. Underneath the armor, the War God was a man. Just a man, how had learned to muffle his feelings his whole life… However, Krai was a mirror of his owner’s feelings. He didn’t want to leave them.3
Cassandra got up and walked up to him, putting her arms around his chest, hugging him gently. Kairen didn’t answer much, aside from his hand on her lower back, playing with her hair.
“Oh… I like this new hairstyle, son,” said Kareen, looking it up from a bit closer. “Perfect for going to war… 3
“It better be soon!” Yelled someone behind her.
Shareen appeared, stealing some meat from the dragons to eat. Cassandra frowned a bit, as it was raw meat, but obviously, the Princess couldn’t care less and was eating it directly on the bone. Lady Kareen clicked her tongue.
“Shareen, your manners!”
“I am starving, mother, I trained all morning with those useless guards of yours; They better get back in shape before I come back, or I’ll have all those idiots replaced. Anyway, is the honeymoon over you two? I hope you do know you can’t put another baby on the way before this one is out, though, right?”
Cassandra decided to ignore her. She was used to Shareen’s crude ways by now, and she was almost expecting this at this point…
“Enough, enough. I’m hungry too. Let’s have a late morning brunch, before you end up fighting with my babies,” said Kareen, walking back inside.
Cassandra chuckled. Anything was an excuse to have a brunch for Lady Kareen, as she liked holding big feasts for breakfast no matter how late or early in the day it was. Moreover, hearing her call both dragons her babies was so
cute. They all walked back inside, but to Cassandra’s surprise, though Missandra and Dahlia were here, Anour didn’t show up. When she asked about it, Missandra frowned, and Shareen chuckled.
“The young ones had a bit of a fight last night, so he’s been sulking. Don’t worry, this big baby will show up eventually.”
“A fight? What did you fight with Anour about?” Asked Cassandra, turning to Missandra.
Her younger sister pouted a bit.
“He kept saying how a woman will always be weaker than a man, and wouldn’t change his mind. So, I challenged him.”
“You fought with Anour? Missandra!”
“What, I lost anyway!” Protested the younger sister.
Shareen laughed loudly.
“You barely lost, that’s what upset Anour. He struggled so much he got a big black eye, so now that idiot is reflecting. Well done, by the way, Missie.”
“Stop calling me that…” whispered Missandra with a cute pout.
Cassandra couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how her younger sister had learned from her mistakes and was finally changing her attitude towards the Imperial Family. Of course, she shouldn’t fight, but from what she had heard, this was just normal bickering between teenagers.
They set up for another brunch in one of the gardens, and, somewhat, Cassandra finally felt a bit better compared to before. Maybe staying in bed for so long had gotten to her… She felt better now, sitting in the garden, breathing some fresh air, and spending time with everyone.
Suddenly, loud noises were heard from the outside. The ruckus had lots of people cheering, and applauds. A servant came running inside the garden, but they all already knew what was going on.
“The Imperial Army has arrived, Your Highnesses! They are asking to see the third Prince Kairen, the War God of the Dragon Empire!”
Cassandra’s heart sank at those words. The Army had arrived even faster than she thought…
Somehow, Kairen, Anour, and Shareen got ready to leave incredibly fast. A couple of representatives from the army showed up, but there wasn’t much time to lose. The news from the eastern front weren’t good, they had to go as fast as possible. Hence, there wasn’t much ceremony involved, but everything was done in sad silence. Once everything was packed and ready, all dragons and humans gathered at the entrance of the Diamond Palace. Cassandra could even feel Krai’s unhappiness, as the dragon was phlegmatic, his head turned towards the direction his egg was in. 4
The young Concubine approached the Dragon, scratching its maw gently.
“Don’t worry… I’ll take care of our babies…” she whispered to him.
The Dragon growled sadly, rubbing his head against her belly. She stayed with him until Kairen had said goodbye to his mother, and finally turned to her.
She sighed, but she couldn’t say a word. Her throat was already chocked up, despite her best attempt not to cry. The Prince gently took her in his arms. Cassandra hid her face in his shoulder, trying to breathe deep, to remember his smell and his warmth. She really wasn’t ready to let go… 1
“Stay safe,” he whispered to her. “Take care of yourself and the baby. Eat well, sleep well… I’ll be back soon.”
“I know…”
She wanted to tell him the same, to stay safe and healthy, but the words didn’t come. Instead, she started tearing up, and rose her eyes to look at him. She was going to miss him so much, again… Finally, she put her hands on his face, and kissed him longingly. This was going to be their last kiss for a long time… She needed that taste on her lips to linger as long as possible.
“By the great Golden Dragon, how much more cheesier and mushier can you two get? Alright, that’s it, I’m out of here,” declared Shareen.
The two lovers separated slowly, and Kairen put a last kiss on her forehead.
“I’ll be back soon,” he repeated. .
Cassandra nodded sadly, and took a couple of steps back. Kareen came to her side, putting an arm around her shoulder as they watch Kairen, Shareen, Anour and the two Dragons fly away, leading the Army.
Cassandra broke into tears a few minutes later.