“Val, a moment?” Kenna was walking towards her with her son Adrian in her arms.
The little brat was Val’s own favorite little angel, even though she would never admit that. Val never liked kids too much, they were always too loud and caused way too much trouble, but the little guy won her over from the first moment she saw him.
Val stopped the training session with a few of her new recruits, all of them falling to the ground, hitting it hard, and thanking the lord for a little break, finally.
Kenna couldn’t help but chuckle, as Val approached her.
“You should go easier on them.” She suggested, while handing her little prince to Val, who seemed very excited to have a few moments with him.
“Huh! y’think? They’ll think i’m turning into a softie!” Val protested, while playing and amusing Adrian.
“Right.” Kenna noted, making Val stop at her tracks, and look up at her. “Because right now they think you’re vicious.” Kenna motioned to the hand shadow bunny Val was showing to Adrian.
Val snored at her, but nodded. “They might get the wrong idea.” She agreed.
Kenna grinned, and ruffled Adrian’s hair. Adrian didn’t seem too happy with that, and made an adorable pout.
“Can you blame me?” Val asked, as she kissed Adrian on his cheek, making the pout-y face fade away, and a huge smile spread instead of it.
“Not at all.” Kenna agreed.
“Well, as much as I adore this little guy over here, i’m sure this isn’t why you wanted to talk to me.” Val focused on Kenna now, while putting Adrian down. The little curious prince wondered out loud in awe, pointing at the stables and calling “Hoses!! hor… horses!!!” excitedly.
“You’re right. And you’re also right, my little sunshine, there are horses in there. Do you want to go check that out with me later?” Kenna asked Adrian, who nodded enthusiastically and waited eagerly.
“I wanted to have a word because king Diavolos sent this out.” Kenna now turned back to Val. She gave Val a piece of paper, looking like a royal letter.
“What does it say? Is he declaring war again? Because I swear–” Val got heated for a moment, before Kenna shook her head and waved her hands in protest “No… No.” She giggled a little. “It’s alright. It’s just an invitation.” She said, showing Val the details on the letter.
“Oh.” Val nodded. “So… why are you showing this to me? I mean, with all due respect, shouldn’t you be showing this to Raydan? Or your advisers? Or even Jackson, for that matter?” Val wondered out loud.
“No, silly, this is an invitation for a joint training session.” Kenna explained.
“Ohhh…” now it made sense.
“Between Abanthus, Stormholt, and… Fydoria.” Kenna explained further, winking at the end.
“Uh, why would you say it like that?” Val was getting suspicious. Kenna could’ve decided to send anyone else from her army. While Val was appointed master of arms, she certainly wasn’t the best candidate to represent Stormholt at official matters. And also, pointing out Fydoria like this, made her suspect Kenna had something else on her mind, too.
“Oh, no reason. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just… You know. Interesting people might be there.” And with that, Kenna left, not giving away any more details, and walking hand in hand with Adrian towards the stables.
“I hate it when she does it!” Val ranted out loud, to herself.
She looked back at the group of soldiers she was trying to teach some basic moves to, realizing they were too beated to continue, and decided to call it a day.

When Val laid in her bed at night, she finally had some time to think about what Kenna could mean.
“Pick your best group, you’ll leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning!” Kenna noted to her, somewhere along the day, after their talk.
What could Kenna mean? Fydoria… Interesting people…
Who was she kidding? Val knew what Kenna meant. She knew alright.
The last time Val saw him, was at Tevan and Zenobia’s wedding. Kenna caught her looking too longingly at the man officiating the wedding.
Then, Val told her about the bond and friendship they formed, and about a certain night at a tavern that still gave her butterflies in her stomach.
But other then sharing a drink, and congratulating him on his promotion, they didn’t exchange much words that evening.
Ugh. This was stupid. And now Kenna was sending her, of all people, when she knew he’d be there?
It’s not like she was thinking about him, all the time. She had flings with both man and woman in the past few years. But nothing of those things lasted, and she was fine with it that way.
But when she did think of him… when they met… her heart fluttered.
Val decided to gather her best group, just in case, but to also have a talk, with Kenna, in the following morning.

To her luck, she didn’t need to look for Kenna, or even worse, wake her up.
Kenna came out, along with Raydan, to wave them goodbye before their journey.
“Kenna!” Val leaped to the front, when she saw them getting out of the castle. She was busy handling last preparations before heading out, but once she saw Kenna, she knew she had to ‘confront’ her about this matter.
“Oops, that might’ve came out too excitedly.” Val blushed, when she remembered they were in front of many subject of Kenna.
While she and Kenna were still friends, and Kenna never made her feel like she was less of anything, for being a former mercenary, or for not a from a noble family line, but Val had to remind herself sometimes that they weren’t on their journeys anymore, and Kenna wasn’t a queen without a kingdom anymore. Kenna just chuckled, and motioned her to get closer, like this wasn’t a big deal.
“What, did you want a real hug before saying goodbye?” Kenna teased her, while Raydan found the situation really amusing, from her other side.
“What? This is ridiculous. You know exactly what this is about.” Val eyed Kenna, who shrugged innocently.
“I have no idea what are you talking about.” She played her role, but Raydan’s chuckle gave her away.
“Kenna!” Val grumbled, not too loudly.
“Fine! fine!” Kenna admitted defeat, bursting into laughter with her husband.
“I’m happy you find torturing me amusing, you guys.” Val looked at both of them, staring them down.
“C’mon Val. Don’t you think you’re exaggerating? I wouldn’t go as far as saying this is torturing you.” Raydan was the first to compose himself, and reply to her.
Kenna followed closely after, nodding and agreeing with him.
“You’re making fun of me, now ya?” Val sighed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just sending you on a training mission.” Kenna nudged Val in her shoulder. “Now come on, you should be going.” She smiled, pulled Val into a quick hug, and then turned her around and pushed her towards her soldiers.
“Fine.” Val muttered under her breath, and then got on her horse. “Let’s head out!” She called out, all of her soldiers riding behind her.

“You’ll meet the Fydorian troops on the way. Then you’ll head together to Abanthus. You should find them by nightfall, but if not – here’s a communication orb.” Val remembered Kenna’s words, as she watched the beautiful purple orb in her side pocket. She wondered who would be on the other side of it. Or maybe, she waited to finally meet him again.
Just like he was reading her mind, the purple orb lighted up and a familiar voice came out of it.
“Val? Lady Valentina? Is that really you?” Claudius voice rang in her ears.
Her heart beat fast in her chest, but she wouldn’t have it that way.
“I though I told you to not call me that way, a long time ago. And I warned you about using my full name. I knew it was a mistake telling you about it.” She took the orb out of her pocket and answered him.
“I deeply and sincerely apologize. I know I should’ve waited to meet you by nightfall, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to hear your voice. Even if you’re just scolding me.” He teased, and Val rolled her eyes, defiantly satisfied.
“Oh. I’m not just scolding. You know i’m not just all talk. You’ll be punished when we bump into each other again.” Val warned him again.
She heard Claudius chuckle huskily. She could imagine him smirking right now.
“I’m counting on that.” He finally whispered.
Val blushed at first, then bite her lip. Finally, she composed herself, all in a matter of a few seconds. She was glad she was leading the group, since no one saw her flushing right now.
“I’m going to beat you ass, you know.” She said back.
“Are you kidding? I was waiting for this re-match for years!” Claudius called excitedly, and Val bursted into laughter.
“See ya later when i’ll be kicking your ass, dummy.” Val rolled her eyes, and put the purple orb in her pocket again.

By nightfall, as promised, Stormholt troops met the Fydorian troops. They all set camp and started bonfires. Claudius embraced Val in a bear-hug, and she hugged tightly back.
After boosting their soldiers moral, the two leaders went a little further from the group.
They got to the edge of a low cliff, watching the starry night before them.
They both sat down, and their hands accidentally brushed against each other.
It caught them both by surprise, and they both shot their eyes from their hands to each other’s eyes. In the darkness, it was hard to tell, but both were blushing.
While they’ve shared a kiss before, this was entirely different. They weren’t drunk right now, and weren’t on the verge of possibly dying tomorrow by a lightning monster. Val opened her mouth. She didn’t know what to say, but she had to say something, right?
“Uh…” Was all that came out of Val’s mouth.
“So how about that re-match?” Claudius asked, suddenly. “Good idea.” Val swallowed, jumping back on her legs, letting go of his hand.
He got up as well, and prepared himself, getting into a fighting position.

“I can’t believe it! You beat me with my own move!! UGH!” Val complained, as Claudius sat on her back, holding both of her hands behind her.
“What can I say? You’re a good teacher. Or do you want to call it cheating and demand another re-match?” Claudius teased.
“Oh, don’t get too cocky. I’ll defiantly defeat you if you’ll give me another chance.” She said, as he released her.
“You sure? I got pretty good at thi-” Before he could finish his line, Val leaped towards his, tackling him down and holding his arms under her legs. That way, he was completely immobilized. Under her mercy.
“Hey! this was un-fair. We didn’t say we started. I was totally off-guard.” Claudius protested.
“A warrior should always be on-guard.” Val simply noted.
“I guess I still have a lot to learn.” Claudius agreed. Val freed her hold of his hands, but still stayed on top of him, straddling him.
“I guess you do.” She said, and finally got off him. They went back into camp, and each went into their tent.

Their journey continued, and they finally made it to Lykos. A messenger announced their arrival, and King Diavolos quickly came out, greeting them.
“Hello, Val. Claudius. It’s nice to see you again.” Diavolos approached them, shaking their hands.
“Diavolos,” Val had to give credit to the man.
He had proven himself and trust-worthy ally, and a honorably man. Something Val couldn’t ever possibly imagine happening. But a few good years had passed since the end of the war, and Diavolos haven’t disappointed them even once.
Claudius bowed slightly, showing his respect too.
“You must be tired. The staff will show you to your rooms. We’ll assemble later again, for the training session details.” Diavolos said, and none of them had any complaints.
When they gathered again, after re-freshening, Val looked around the courtyard.
“Where’s Adder?” she wondered out loud, searching around Diavolos.
“Oh, we don’t see her that much these days. After my sister got out of the way, me and Adder got to agreements a lot easier, and she left the ruling part for me. She can run the Black Asps from wherever she wants, and she spends most of her time in Aurelia now.” Diavolos told her. “But you probably shouldn’t mention it near Eda.” He advised, eyeing one of his captains.
“Oh. They broke up?” Val asked. While she didn’t remember if Adder and Eda were ever really official, she did remember seeing them dancing together at a few celebrations, as well as in Tevan and Zenobia’s wedding.
“They did.” Diavolos confirmed.
“Why Aurelia, of all?” Claudius joined in the conversation.
“Well, let’s just say, Adder loves gold. Or, more specifically, a certain woman in gold.” Diavolos had a sly smile, while Val realized what he was saying.
“No way! Adder and Annelyse got together?” She asked, making sure no to be too loud and upset that captain.
“Well, i’m not sure about how Annelyse feels about it, and frankly, i’m not really updated on this subject, regularly. But Adder made it very clear how she feels about her. And, since she does spend a lot of time there, I guess it’s possible.” Diavolos shrugged. It was clear he didn’t know anymore about those two.
Diavolos appointed Eda as the head of the training mission on Abanthus side, and left for his businesses. Along with Val and Claudius, the three agreed on a training technique, and started to practice.

After a long day of practicing, even Val was ready to call it a day. She was known for being hard on her soldiers, but with good intentions. She was always pushing them to their limits, to be their best-selves. But handling all three groups was getting… exhausting.
“Val!” Claudius called, as he and a few other soldiers were heading out, last but not least, from the training arena.
“would you like to join us in the tavern?” he asked. A knowing smile spread on his lips.
“Oh, I don’t think I could handle it.” Val admitted.
“Oh no, are you feeling well?” He checked her for fever, jokingly. “Does the mighty Val refuse a drink just to head to bed early?” He continued.
“Hey!” She scoffed. “I’m not saying i’m heading to bed early! i’m just saying I might need to cut on the booze for tonight to stay focused for tomorrow.” She added.
“Alright. Boys, you should head without me.” Claudius called back to the group of soldiers, who disappeared so fast Val couldn’t even question it.
“Who said I invited you to stay in with me?” She raised an eyebrow, teasingly.
“I just thought you’d appreciate the company.” Caludius tried.
“Maybe you’re right.” Val punched his arm lightly, and then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She enjoyed the touch, and leaned into it.
“Where to?” A long moment had passed, until Claudius broke the silence and asked.
“I think I saw a cozy spot in the garden, by the fountain, but it might be occupied.” Val suggested.
“We could check it out.” Claudius nodded, and they started walking in that direction.
They arrived at the fountain, to find Diavolos talking to a stranger.
She was a beautiful woman with light hair, golden locks turned into a gentle hairbun, wearing a fancy blue dress. They were too far away to figure out what they were talking about, but it seemed like she said something snarky, and Diavolos chuckled, putting a hand on the back of his neck.
The unknown woman raised her eyebrow at him, and then shrugged and took off. Diavolos immediately followed her, calling after her. “Lady Felicia, wait up!”
They didn’t seem to notice Val or Claudius, and both caught their places near the fountain. “Lady Felicia, huh?” Val noted, before scooting closer to Claudius.
“She looks familiar. If i’m not mistaken, she’s from Fydoria’s noble families. She’s known for being cunning and hard working, don’t let that gentle angelic appearance fool you.” Claudius told her. She sent a questioning look his way, but he just chuckled and shrugged. “I know everything King Tevan needs to know. This includes insight about the noble families.”
Val nodded. “Interesting. And do you find Lady gentle angelic appearance attractive?” Val asked, not sure where she was going with this. It’s not like she was jealous, she had nothing to be jealous of, and even if she did, she didn’t have any right to be.
“Hm… Pretty? sure. Attractive? Nah.” Claudius simply answered. Val was a little shocked, but it wasn’t showing on her.
“Personally, the woman I find attractive, is a little more… rough.” He said, looking directly into her eyes.
Well… now, her shock was defiantly showing. Along with a slight blush, she had to quickly shake away.
“Oh… Interesting…” Val dared to look back at him.
“But none the less beautiful.” Claudius added, his eyes drifted from her eyes to her lips, and to her eyes again.
“C’mere. Dammit.” Val pulled at Claudius’s top, making their mouths meet in a clash.
“Ouch!” They both burst into laughter, the nervousness faded away, and while the moment “was ruined”, both felt relieved. After they finished laughing it off,
Claudius lifted her chin with his hand, and pulled her lightly towards him.
She leaned in gladly, and their lips met in a soft and sweet kiss.
This time it went smoothly, and quickly enough the kiss developed into a much hungrier one.
As if it was making up for every time their glasses clinked and met each other instead of their lips, for every drink they shared instead of a night.
They both were so into the kiss they forgot they were sitting on a wall without a backrest, and when none of them seemed to notice and stabilize themselves, they slipped and fell into the fountain.
Although that didn’t stop them from kissing, there was some giggling and then they got back into planting kisses and soft bites at each other’s lips, Claudius laying on top of Val, both soaked wet, and completely content.