Ileus: The Dark Prince

Kaizan grunted. He was well aware of the fact that Finn was speaking the truth. He was not happy to put Olivia in this situation, but there was little he could actually do, given the trap that rogues had laid in their path. And right now, she was the personification of the peace treaty. It was important that she was protected. This was the most important task that King Dmitri had given to him and one careless mistake would wash their plans. "Would you like to pack something?" he asked Olivia. "The Mords live up in the mountains." 

She nodded. And the next moment, Kaizan dismounted his horse and helped her to the ground. When she was leaving, Kaizan gripped her by the upper arm and said, "Mords are conservative people. Pack accordingly."

Olivia nodded again and hurried to the wagon where her chest was. With the help of a servant, she opened it and then picked up a few clothes which included a heavy tunic and skirts in a satchel. She also packed heavy shawls and gloves and stockings. She was ready to leave by the time Kaizan's servants had packed a few supplies for him as well. 

They set off for the Northern Mountains to a place called Shla Asari with Olivia riding silently in front of Kaizan. With two soldiers behind them, the journey was very quiet, and she could still feel Kaizan's tension. However, as the hours went by, Kaizan became more affable with his soldiers and they talked about various things amongst the past battles they had fought together and he also caught up with who fathered whose child or whose parent died or who married in his army. Olivia listened to all of them quietly, liking the conversation as she nestled her back against his chest. His warm and muscular arms around her had secured her tightly as the horses climbed up the winding path of the mountains. She came to know their names as Dresdin and Strumb.

They all fell silent after some time as the flurries of snow now converted into a blizzard of sorts. 

"Do you know anything about the Mord customs?" Kaizan asked her shielding her with his cloak. 

"A little," she replied. "One of our cooks in the pack was a Mords woman. She was taken in because her husband was killed by one of our men. She used to make wonderful broth which she said was her local dish." 

"Did she tell you anything about the Mords?" 

"Yes. The men and women sit separately to have meals. Elders have to be respected well. Thank people with a deep bow, and if you are a woman, make sure that you do not directly look into the eyes of another man because then he would think that you are interested in him." 

"Good," he replied. 

"But I don't like how Mord women are pariahs amongst their own people," she added quickly. 

"You are judging them too fast, Olivia," he said as he gathered her closer to him. "To an outsider, they may look like that, but a Mord woman is one of the most respected women. They own properties instead of men. That's why when a man chooses to marry a woman, his dower gift has to be something very valuable to show that he can afford her. Not only that, the women elect Sarazin, their leader."

Olivia twisted in the saddle to look at Kaizan with wide eyes with amazement in her eyes. "That is amusing. They get to elect the leader?" She felt envious of the whole thing. The women were so powerful and yet so well respected and had valuable status. 

Kaizan said acerbically, "The packs can learn a lot from the mountain folks, isn't it?" 

She turned back in her saddle and looked at the mountains ahead feeling ready to see this part of the Lore more than ever. 

"We must camp as soon as possible," said Kaizan to his men. The snow had started falling and it was already dusk. 

They camped at the next clearing. One of the guards went to hunt while Kaizan helped the other guard to prepare two tents. Olivia helped them by arranging fur inside and then she went to pick up wood from the surrounding area. Even though Olivia was used to living in the luxury of her home, this small trip with her husband was exciting. She gathered wood and saw Kaizan coming towards her when she was throwing yet another stick onto the pile she had gathered. She was about to pick it up when Kaizan scooped it all in his arms. 

"Wait!" she said. "Let me help you!" 

"Your task is not to carry wood but to carry my children," he said nonchalantly. And Olivia's cheeks reddened. He started to walk ahead of her as she stared at him after listening to his shameless statement. 

"But what would the soldiers think seeing their General carrying wood?" she said in a low voice feeling extremely embarrassed over his words. His children. 

"Do you think that the soldiers will make a judgment on how I deal with my woman?" he said not turning back to see her. 

His woman. Now Olivia was all the more blushing. Though she liked the sound of it, she liked the ownership he was claiming over her, she didn't know how to react to it. She just followed him. "I was trying to put myself in the character of the Mords," she said softly. 

Kaizan stopped and glanced over his shoulder to look at her. "That is nice, but I wouldn't want us to freeze here while you carry the wood."

"Thank you, General," she smiled faintly. 

"Say my name, Olivia," he said after a pause and started walking.

Olivia was… dumbfounded. An emotion akin to desire exploded in her, encompassing every part of her body. Not once had she taken his name, not to him or any other men or women. Addressing him as General was kind of a barrier that she had constructed between them. It was one amongst many and this barrier was about to... shatter. She had stopped and watched him go ahead of her. His back was lit in the evening's gray light. He turned to see her with a frown. With the kind of emotion she felt for him, she broke that barrier. 

"Kaizan."