#violetvase

beside, seeing you all high and mighty in the training field is definitely a sight for sore eyes, for a few minutes that is, until you start correcting some lowly soldier's posture, putting your hands all over their body, makes taron strangely thirsty for a blood splash, so he sip from his wine, because that's what he can do for now.

all of this preparation was for an upcoming battle, taron despite being a newly crowned emperor has already taken on thirteen kingdoms but that couldn't satisfy his desire for control, so he declared war on the fourteenth, while most of the time they gave up on the spot and gave in their land, this one showed resistance, much to taron's enjoyment, he'll love a good challenge.

speaking of challenges, it has been sometime since he sparred with someone who put up a fight, and the only one who did was his sweet sweet general—you, and a brilliant idea just formed in his mind.

putting the wine glass on the table, he took his sword and hurried down to the training field, excitement's filling him at the idea of sparring you again, like old times, when you were a personal knight of his in his prince days. ah the nostalgia, at that time you were solely his.

as he step out of the doors that lead to the training field, he grimaced as the sun hit his face, he put his arm in front of his face shielding his eyes as he searched for you, the few soldiers who noticed him kneeled down with a greeting, but he paid them no mind, his brain is solely focusing on spoting you, and oh the smile he had when he did.

he walked uo to you, his chest puffed out with a wide smirk on his face "general." he called out, with that commanding tone of his.

your attention immediately turn to him, as you realized he's standing in front of you, you kneel down on one knee "your majesty."

"let us spar." he didn't waste a minute.

you stand up, looking at him with a solid expression as you nod.

the soldiers emptied a spot for you two, each one has drawn his sword out, you will be lying if you said that you're not feeling nervous, it has been some time since you last sparred with him, and you don't know if it acceptable to use all of your strength against your emperor.

sinking in your worries you didn't notice taron moving that until he was close enough, thanks to your quick reflex you were able to parry his strike.

"what is the matter, general?" he says your title with clear mockery. "you are quite distracted, do not hold back." he gets in position again, but this time giving you a chance to prepare yourself.

the spar was mostly swords clanks against eachother, no one of you used physical attacks, and as expected it ended with him winning when he landed a small cut on your cheek. knowing him, he would be all smug and high of himself about winning anything, but he was rather frowning and walked out of the field with a bad mood.

you were standing in front of the mirror in your room, putting on a clean cloth with herbs over the cut, you can't stop thinking of whether you had done something to make the emperor act like this, have you hit him by accident?

as you finished sticking the cloth over the cut someone knock on your door "yes?" you answer. a muffled voice came from behind the door "his majesty is requesting you in his imperial study." "i will be there." you say.

you pat the cloth on your cheek a few times to ensure it's stability then you put on your coat and hurried to his majesty's study.

"come in." he says when you knock at the door, as the permission is granted you enter and you were met by taron who was sitting behind his table, piles of paper around him and a feather pen in his right hand while he was looking through the papers.

"your majesty." you stomp your leg to the ground, standing tall "you requested my presence."

taron looks up at you and his frown deepened "yes." he say gruffly "inform me about the battle plan."

you expected him to ask for that so you had already brought the necessary papers that the positions of the soldiers is drawn on.

"based on the information we gathered about the past of the land's army, that what we came up with." you explain as you handed the papers to him.

an awkward silence fall between you two while he was observing the plan, you saw that as an opportunity to ask him about his bad mood earlier.

"your majesty, may i-" "you are dismissed." he cut you off, which only made you think you did something wrong more, after a brief pause you bow and leave the study, leaving taron with his thoughts and frustration.

a few days later you were in the line of the kingdom preparing for the war, everyone was in position, at the front stood you and taron on your horses, before you was the enemy army, and for a decent kingdom they weren't small in number.

"your majesty, if i have the permission to say, i think it is best if you were to stay behind." you said while inching closer to him.

"why, you take me for a little warrior?" he said, not looking at you.

you look down "no, your majesty, i simply meant it would be best for your safety."

"do not concern yourself with such things, general, here you are but a simple warrior, it is not within your power to question where i stand."

"yes, your majesty." you say defeatedly.

he paid you no further mind and went straight up ahead to the middle of the field—that was the sign to start the battle. which ended in your favor after three months, obviously, because taron being there is an enough proof that you were to win, though it did cost soldiers from both sides, and an injury on your right arm.

but if you were to be honest it was all your fault, because everyone fears the emperor, wars rarely happen and when they do, you always keep your mind and focus on him, being his past personal knight you couldn't ignore the feeling of needing to protect him, habits die hard after all.

now returned to the castle again—after taron claimed the land as his—your injury is nothing more than a scar, and scars are nothing new to you, your body is covered in them so it doesn't bother you as much, but you can't say the same about a certain someone....

it's one in the morning and you were summoned to taron's chamber, that a first, usually it's his study and not that late.

granted permission you enter, the room is dimly lit by an oil lamp on his bedside cabinet beside it was a bottle of wine, taron was sitting at the edge of his bed,he was wearing a red silk robe, lazily tied on his waist by a black sash not much covering his chest, his right leg was put up close to his body to rest his arm on it, and a golden glass of wine in his left hand.

you bow your head awkwardly "your majesty?."

taron took a sip from his glass before speaking "how is your injury?" he asks casually.

"it..it has fully healed, thank you for your concern, your majesty."

he simply let out a hum before taking a final sip from his glass and sit it on the cabinet, then he walks slowly your way "pray tell me.." he begin with a soft tone, but it gets more intense as he continue "what got into your head?"

as he gets closer, you take a step back that until your back hit the large wooden door behind you, and taron stopped a few inches away from you—one step more and your chests would touch.

"pardon, your majesty?" you ask, your voice came out small from the suffocating atmosphere in the room.

"why are you acting like i am still a little boy, general?." his tone is biting, full of frustration, when you open your mouth to answer he lift his hand in gesture for you to stay silent, so you did.

"i have noticed...how you hesitate in our spar.." his hand went up, you close your eyes not knowing what are you waiting for—you open them when you feel a soft touch on your cheek, his thump caressed the spot that was cut during your spar with him, although it has faded completely, he seems to remember it's spot. "which resulted in you getting hurt" he continued, his tone growing soft along with his eyes, a brief silence fall on you two as he kept his eyes focused on where his thumb is, then his hand trail down slowly, opening the buttons of your coat slowly.

"and during the battle you were focused on me, tell me, do you see me that incapable?" when he opened four buttons or so, his left arm went on your shoulders and down, bringing the coat down with it until the scar on your arm show, a shudder went up your spine at the sudden loss of fabric or maybe because of his feather touch despite his hands being rough, he traced the scar with his fingers, noticing the others along your stomach and shoulder.

"it is my duty to protect you, your majesty." you say in a low voice only he can hear.

he let out a soft breath, lowering his head down on your shoulder, his long brown hair tickling the exposed parts of your body—he landed a soft kiss on a scar on your shoulder and you don't know if you should panic or stay still, but you did the later anyway.

"you will not hold a sword anymore." he said that casually, like he wouldn't close all the doors of your freedom after this.