Laila

It had been 12 years since the passing of Helena and Issac. For these long years, I had never truly healed from their passing. I had tried to fill that void with those letters to an unknown woman, but when the letters were no longer an option, I ultimately had no one. Instead, the gods had given me another chance at love.

Laila demonstrated some constraint after our conversation about our betrothal. She was well-mannered to respect my physical boundaries, but she was also verbally persistent in pursuing a romantic relationship with me. Part of me was quite irritated because I had not shared a living space with someone else in quite some time. However, another part of me found it nostalgic and peaceful, as someone who cared deeply about my well being was beside me at all times. I would find difficulty learning to live with this new bustling environment, but I believed that it was a positive change for me.

I spent much of the coming summer and autumn organizing the new land I shared with Count Ulises. Many new roads were paved between our lands, and many small towns were constructed along the new roads due to the exciting prospect of new markets and trade routes.

My patrol corps expanded more than 10-fold from mostly “volunteers” willing to take up arms for the “Hero of the Northwest.” Since my treasury expanded from immense trade, I offered 5 silvers a week for my new corps. Most commonfolk earn 1 silver a month if they owned a business or a trade caravan, and much less if they were farmers. It was a mistake in hindsight because many surrounding lords complained to me about their soldiers leaving their duties to join my army. That, unfortunately for them, was not my problem.

With my busy schedule, I had allocated some responsibilities to Laila, which was met with enthusiasm surprisingly. “Fair young maidens should not work the paper,” I could hear some nobles say. However, she proved her mathematical superiority over my own, and so I allowed her to aid in treasury and trade monitoring.

“My darling dear, we have a slight issue. Count Lucius of Wechia has issued a toll on our trade route to the County of Yorkus, so we might lose 25% of our profits through his lands. The only route around Wechia is the dangerous road through the forest or around the mountains.”

“Interesting, that coward wants to cripple my trade without lifting a finger. What do you propose?”

Laila gasped.

“Dear, are you sure you want my ideas? I am a maiden. I can take care of your coffers but I do not think…”

“It is alright, Laila. I trust you.”

Laila looked away quickly to hide her reaction. She reached for her handkerchief and gently patted her eyes. She looked back to me with a light smile.

“I propose to use the old Imperium tunnels as our trade routes through land we do not have access to, including Wechia.”

“This is very interesting, Laila. How did you know about the tunnel under Wechia?”

“My father told me a story about the Imperium. I know that there were many stories about the tunnels, but why they built them was a mystery. But my father found a book in a ruin exploration… He finished translating it when I was 10 years old, and he was so excited that he told me the entire story. I have never forgotten it.”

Count Ulises had no shortage of surprises for me. Laila took me to the library and pulled large parchment papers together. She spoke and drew plans and designs simultaneously.

“During the Third Era Imperium, the Emperor was under attack by a kingdom from the ocean, and they were unstoppable. From the coast in the east to the desert in the west, they swept the Imperium and plundered the cities for their riches. With nowhere for the Emperor and his family to escape, he devised a plan to hide and fight back: he decided to create a web of tunnels under the entire empire’s lands, connecting them to each of the 5 Great Provinces, which we know are now the 5 Kingdoms today.”

She pulled a map of the 5 kingdoms, and traced her plans over the map.

“See here? We are in this area. There are 2 tunnels crossing Wechia from our lands, and the entrance seems to be over here, by the edge of the forest near the border of Wechia and Veraxus.”

“I will immediately dispatch a patrol unit and a construction team to find the entrance. Thank you for your suggestion, my dear.”

She blushed to her ears. Her smile caused me to smile back. I realized that I have not smiled as much in the year after the war. This was a pleasant change of pace.

“My dear Rytus, I must discuss one more item… We must plan our wedding. It is wonderful that you allowed me to live in your keep, and that my father allowed you to take ownership of his land so soon, but we must officiate the marriage. And most importantly, I want to celebrate us.”

I had completely forgotten about our wedding. I had no recollection of what day we decided to schedule the wedding. I was so focused on ruling my realm that I completely forgot about the person standing right next to me for the entirety of this new journey.

“My Lady Laila, I apologize for my lack of awareness. I want to respect your feelings as well, since we have accepted each other’s hands in marriage.”

“You can speak openly, Rytus. Whenever you want to hide your feelings, you speak in nobility. You can trust me, my dear.”

She had found me out, despite knowing me for only a year. She was much like her father in this sense.

“I spent the last 12 years of my life painfully reliving those last days with my Helena and Issac. Did you know that it was Issac’s birth that killed them? They suffered from a disease that was possibly curable by Thraliga, but the damn nobility had thought I was cursed. Lord Lucius had also spread rumors that I killed my wife and child as well.”

“I remember that I was ill with consumption at that time. I was certain that I could fight it myself, so I asked my father to give you the Thraliga. He was readying a package for your wife, and my mother was preparing a carriage to deliver it to you. But I suddenly fell unconscious, and he had no choice but to use that package for me. I have heard him mention about that time, that he wished he had more to save your wife as well.”

“You and your family are great people. If the nobility were to use a fraction of your house’s generosity, this kingdom would truly be a kingdom worth serving.”

“We think the same to you and your family, Rytus. I had never met your parents, but my father boasted about your father’s time in the war. My mother considered your mother to be her closest friend. I wished our families joined together sooner, but the king did not allow it at the time. When your family perished, we were afraid of disobeying the king. But when he finally allowed us the freedom to join you, I felt like our prayers to the God of Honor were answered.”

“I think that it was the right choice for the king. I would have not made a great Count during that time. I was too freshly wounded for a new union. Even today, I am afraid of dragging you down with me in my struggles with the past. I believe that it is my own duty to carry this burden alone.”

“But that is what a wife is for, right? A spouse is there for their loved one. They are there to share the burden, no matter the weight. They are there to hold the torch in the dark tunnels between life and death. I want to be that torch in your dark heart. I want to carry that weight for you so that you can enjoy life again. No matter if Underearth burns over the world, I will be right besides you to fight back. Trust me, my dear. I want you to feel love again.”

Laila held my body with one arm and she rested her palm on my cheek with the other hand. Her hand felt like a velvet blanket during a winter storm.

“No burden is too heavy for me. I love you, and I want you to trust me. Hold me close and I will protect your heart from everything that worms its way to you.”

My body felt like porridge in the shape of a human. I melted in her arms, and I broke down sobbing like no man should sob in front of his woman. However, I felt comfortable doing so. Laila held me so tightly, like no other had. Though I missed my Helena and my Issac, they were always right there in my heart, and they were ready to accept my new journey. The letters I had written to fill the hole in my heart slipped away into a distant past. Here was someone who waited for me for years, and at the right time, stepped into my life with the intention of loving me fully the moment she was able to.

“Let us have the wedding in one month,” I whispered in her ear. “What do you say?”

“Yes, absolutely. Let me send the letters to my family and your friends.”

We shared a kiss. The blissful wave of body heat bombarded every sense of my body. My mind suddenly opened to a world of infinite possibilities. My soul was suddenly freed from the shackles the gods have placed around my heart for so long. For the first time in 12 years, I felt truly happy. I felt as if the world was as light as a feather, and as small as a pebble.

We embraced for a few more moments. I noticed that she nearly fell asleep in our arms. She must have been exhausted from working so hard on our treasury. I flipped her on my arms and began to walk to her chambers. She instantly awoke and looked up at me.

“Take me to your chambers, Rytus,” she said softly.

Her soft, golden hair on my arm, her gentle smile, her green eyes piecing my soul, and her warm breath slowly increasing… She placed her hand on my cheek again, and her thumb over my lips. I hastened to my chambers, and thus, a new chapter of my life began.