#mlep7

Something had changed. She was comfortable in a way she had never been before. She did not feel as if she needed to prove herself, to her men, to her husband, or to the world. She was the head of this army, and she deserved it. Their contract last night had not been their official marriage, but it was the one that mattered to her. The vows he made were ones she trusted him to keep, and ones she intended to keep in return, could keep. She would not submit or serve, but she would ride by his side, no matter what lay ahead.

Of course, what lay ahead was empty stomachs and restless nights. Their detours had greatly hurt their recourses. The visit to the Nelson’s had not ended the way she had hoped, and whilst she had gained a husband from it, she had lost an opportunity to gain much-needed rations. Now they were weeks out from the next point where they could rally for support.

She could end this all in an instant, two days ride and it would be over. Doing so would take, however, a sacrifice she was not certain she could afford to make. “My Lady?” The page had evidently been trying to get her attention for a while. Both he and Eric were looking at her with concern.

They were all crowded around maps, tracing the next part of her journey. Trying to calculate how they could make such little food stretch across so many men. “Apologies, I was lost in thought. What is wrong?” Her hot eyes met Eric’s own, an all too clear sign of exactly where her mind had drifted. He held her gaze easily, a promise in his own. They had been away from each other’s beds too long. All day small touches, heavy looks, had communicated exactly what each had planned for the other as soon as they were alone. As with all things, however, the more she craved the moment they could retire together the longer it seemed to take. “I think you should come with me, My Lady, there has been an incident.”

They arrived at the food carts to find a terrible scene. One of Eric’s men, she recognized him from his strange armor, was on his knees, Tobias stood behind him, sword at his neck. “This man was caught stealing rations.” Tobias seemed to spit as he spoke, disgust clear in the way he looked down upon the hedge knight.

“I was hungry.” Defiance was written all over the knight’s face as he met her gaze, “Your bitch has not been feeding us, so I took what I needed.” Normally such as insult would have caused a reaction from Tobias, but he did not so much as flinch.

“We are all hungry. That is why we ration our foods.” Explaining would do no good. This man was not loyal, that was why he stole, he did not care if the army survived or perished, he only cared about filling his own pockets.

“Shall I kill him” Tobias carried a darkness she had never seen on him before, he would not meet her eyes. “No. He came with Eric, Eric shall decide what to do with him.” Rage flashed across Tobias’s face at the suggestion, but he stepped down, all the same, offering the man to Eric. Eric looked around, evidently unsure what to do with his new power. He was her right hand now, she needed him to learn how to take control. “Leave. Now. I do not want to see your face in this force again.” He spoke calmly, but she could hear the pain in his voice. “You wish to only look out for yourself, you have your wish. Get out of our site.” The knight paused, measuring them all up before he stood, “Follow your bitch then. She will get you all killed.” With that he fled, disappearing int. o the night.

“You are stupid.” Tobias was staring at her with pure rage, lip curled as if he could not stand the sight of her. “He will be back, to steal more of our food. Food we cannot afford to lose.” “If he is, we will catch him, and we will handle it.” Eric was calm, although she could hear the doubt in his voice. “She can speak for herself. Or do you make all of her decisions now?” “Tobias. You insult my husband you insult me.” She snapped, shocked by this outburst. She had never seen similar from him before. “Good. You have been acting ridiculously since he arrived. He brings disloyal men who eat food we cannot spare, spreading resources we cannot afford, all so you can have fun with him. He is a distraction, and you have allowed yourself to lose sight of everything for him. I have never thought of you as a weak woman. Now, however, I know you cannot resist your nature.

Eric was on him in a moment, hand on his throat, lifting him in the air. “I may be new to this army, but I know one thing for sure. She is your leader. Do not disrespect her. She is ten times the warrior you are and you know it.” He dropped him, sneering down at him, “Leave and cool off. You are drunk. Come back when you have something to say that is actually worthy of her time.”

They all but fell into her tent, lips hot on each other’s, desperately pulling at other, she had not felt like this before, so content to open herself up to him. This was no game, she wanted him, every part of him, as deep inside of her as he could get. She wanted to mold his body into her own. “The way you took control there.” She told him in-between kisses, pulling at the laces of his breeches, “I have never found it so hard to keep my hands off of you.”

He growled, spinning her around so her back was flush against his front, “What of you princess? All but undressing me in front of your men?” He was alternating between whispering in her ear and pulling at the laces of her clothes, his hands were not as skilled as her own, fingers big and clumsy in his haste. He soon proved how little he needed nimble fingers, however, choosing instead to tear at her blouse, revealing her breasts to his hands, “I thought you would have me there and then in front of them all.”

He seemed to have decided tearing was a much more convenient way to get to what he wanted, and she had no intention of arguing. Within moments he had torn her breaches from her body, leaving her completely exposed to him, his overgrown beard scratching her skin, no doubt leaving a rash across much of her neck, marking her as his own. “Perhaps I should have,” hands reaching back to tangle in his hair she pressed his face deeper into her neck, encouraging him to bite and pull at the skin there. “Show them your place: beneath my thighs.”

She could feel him pressing hard into her thigh, his hands dropped, one to free himself, the other to her hips, bending her in half as if she weighed nothing. She happily submitted, delighted by the access to her body this new position gave him. “You need a man.” He told her, teasing her as he danced around her entrance, refusing to push forwards, leaving her mewing for his full touch. “a real man to give you the strength you crave.”

Oh, how right he was. And no one was as strong as Eric. No one was strong in the same way he was, so self-assured, prepared to fight for what he wanted, fight for those he loved. Of course, she had her own strength. A strength he knew all too well. He should not have been surprised when she drove herself backwards, trapping him hard and deep within her. The cry he let out as they connected was deep and visceral, as he lifted her body back up to lie flush against his own.

He knew what he needed, felt her body as if were an extension of his own, the two of them driving together, finding an erratic rhythm, that left both of them crying for air, fighting to regain the upper hand.

“Tell me who you are.” He growled, lips capturing her own in a breathless, desperate kiss. “Tell me what you are.” “I’m your wife.” She said, hands soft, stroking her face, even as her body was not.

They lay, immobile, completely content in each other’s arms.

“You know I will always support you.” He whispered, laying a light kiss on the nape of her neck. “But Tobias has a point. Continue as we are and more men will suffer, more will steal and defect. We need a solution.”