The War God’s Favorite by Jenny Fox

Chapter 134

#134 The Words

Once this was all over, once again, everything became quiet in the arena.

There was this silence, reigning over the place like a shadow despite the clear sky. It just didn’t feel

right. Shareen looked around, at the deserted arena. This place was desert most of the year, and when

it was in use, it was to showcase death, Now, it had served its purpose one too many times. The

Princess let out a long sigh. Maybe all of this was meant to teach them something. That it was time for

a change,

Shareen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wiped off the blood dripping down her chin, and

with a heavy heart, she turned to her brother. Next to him, Krai was still waiting there, his head low, not

moving.

“Kairen. We have to go,” she said.

While she was expecting her brother to ignore her, he slowly stood up, still carrying Cassandra against

his chest. Both Dragons turned heads to watch him go, and they followed his steps as he slowly left the

arena. Shareen watched her brother go, but she glanced one last time towards the ashes and the pile

of rocks. She spat on the black dust and went to follow her brother and leave this place.

They walked slowly back towards the Palace. There were corridors to get there from the Imperial

Palace, of course, and anyway, neither of the dragons looked like they had enough strength left to fly.

Krai was following Kairen from up close, and even when he had to climb on the roof instead of the

narrow corridors, his steps were heard heavily above them. Sire actually didn’t follow them back inside.

The blue Dragon parted ways with them, aiming for another area of the castle. It was easy to imagine

he had other humans to be more concerned about here.

Shareen didn’t dare say a word while they walked. After such a long and violent battle, it was strange

that everything was so quiet inside the Imperial Palace.

“Brother! We…”

Anour stopped talking, his eyes going down to the body Kairen was carrying. The young Prince opened

his eyes wide, shocked, and soon, they got filled with sorrow.

“No… She…”

No one answered him. He gasped and covered his mouth, and didn’t dare move when Kairen walked

past him. The youngest prince raised his eyes towards Shareen, as if to ask something, but he didn’t

formulate it into words. She just glanced at him briefly, and they both followed the War God.

“The… fight outside is over,” said Anour, almost whispering.

They could hear that. From very far above the Imperial Palace’s walls, the cheers of soldiers could be

vaguely heard. Shareen wanted to go out and slap them one by one. There was no cheering to be

down now. Not after what had happened, the tragedy that was going on here. She didn’t want to hear

those idiots.

“…Where is Mother? And Missandra?”

“They are with Roun,” said Anour. “Missandra is very badly injured, but Lady Kareen found an Imperial

Healer to look over her, and Phemera, too… He said they will both make it. Everything was quiet here,

so I came out to see… Lady Kareen had said we should hide and wait, just in… Just in case…”

Shareen nodded. Their mother had probably prioritized Missandra and the baby’s safety…

“Can you go get them?” She asked.

Anour glanced towards Kairen, a bit worried, before turning back to her.

“Are you sure…?”

“I don’t…” She sighed. “Maybe … It’s better if they get a chance to say goodbye.”

The youngest prince gulped down, looking like he was repressing some tears himself, and nodded

vividly before leaving. Shareen sighed, and continued following her brother. She didn’t know where he

was taking her, she couldn’t even tell if he had a destination in mind.

Kairen looked like he was wandering aimlessly in the Palace’s corridors, carrying her body in silence.

Just after a few more corridors, she recognized the direction they were taking; Towards the lake. (4

She frowned. They had heard some incredible story from their brother while on their way to the arena,

but… What was he thinking, going back there? That crazy tale Opheus had said uttered about some

gigantic Dragon hidden the lake couldn’t be true… was it?

Shareen didn’t say a thing, though, and still followed after him. No matter what he tried, said, or did

now, she probably wouldn’t have found it in herself to stop him. She had never stood against her

brother, and she wouldn’t do it now. Certainly not now. They walked up to the Lake, were Opheus was

seated in the grass, a hand on his . dragon. Both Lys and Glahad looked exhausted, covered in

injuries, yet they all raised heads once they walked in the garden. 3

The Golden Dragon growled softly, but Glahad couldn’t move. He was exhausted and lying on its flank.

He had fought a lot today. They all did. Krai too, walked heavily on the grass, walking to Kairen’s side.

The Black Dragon had never looked so sad when it laid down there, it’s head turned towards them.

Opheus struggled to get up, but his eyes were riveted on Kairen and Cassandra. He didn’t say a thing,

but his expression was beyond words. That sight had rendered him speechless, choked up, at a loss

for words. He watched his older brother get to the lake, and get down on his knees on the strand. He

was holding Cassandra as if she was simply sleeping, her head against his neck, his large hands

holding her as tenderly as a man could hold a woman.

“Please…. 4

His voice was so low, Opheus thought he had dreamt it. Yet, Kairen was staring at the Lake, his eyes

searching for something he couldn’t see. He didn’t know what to call, how to do this. It was

Cassandra’s world, not his. He knew nothing. The War God took a deep breath, and after a hesitation,

he uttered the one word he knew.

LIE

W

…Almien.” 14

He looked at the lake, but as nothing moved, he took a deep breath and repeated it. Again and again,

like a prayer; He hugged Cassandra, and begged for her God to come and save her.

Shareen was staying behind arms crossed, looking like she believed nothing of what he was trying to

do. Opheus glanced at the surface, unsure. Would that creature answer to their call? After what they

had done? He looked at Cassandra. After they had done this to her? To her people? He exchanged a

glance with Shareen. The Princess didn’t believe it, but she wouldn’t stop him from trying. She knew

there was nothing else he’d do but try. 2

“Oh, by the Gods… Cassie…”

They turned around.

Lady Kareen had arrived, carrying baby Kassian and followed by Anour. Somehow, Kian had found his

way to the concubine and was walking at her feet, looking just fine, unaware of what was going on.

They had come without Missandra, which meant the younger sister was probably in no state to move.

In a way, perhaps it was better, Shareen thought. She’d be spared of that vision of her older sister, lying

lifeless in the War God’s arms…

In his grandmother’s arms, Kassian began crying. Kian, too, retreated, no longer looking all joyful and

excited. The young dragon was almost hiding behind Kareen, sending little glances towards the lake,

and making little distressed sounds. This scene was just unbearable. Kareen didn’t even try to soothe

the baby, the Imperial Concubine had her eyes riveted on her son, looking completely devastated. She

sighed, and held Kassian a bit more closely, caressing his back and whispering gently to him. She kept

shaking her head, not adding anything.

Suddenly, something on the surface of the lake began moving. They all turned their eyes towards the

shapes that

appeared in the water. The ripples started spreading through the whole lake, and somehow, the

atmosphere around got a lot fresher too, which never happened in the dry, hot Dragon Empire.

Shareen and her mother exchanged a glance, completely stunned. They had lived years in this Palace,

known every end of it and even every secret of the Emperor. Yet, its biggest secret didn’t belong to the

human realm. It came into the shape of a magnificent Creature that surfaced out of the lake for a girl.

The Water God let the top of its body out of the water, it’s head coming to Kairen. It was like a snake

slowly swimming, chunks of its body appearing randomly on the surface, and disappearing again. One

could only imagine the actual length and size of that creature. Opheus glanced towards the dragons,

but none of them looked cautious or surprised. They were all lowering their heads. As if the one water

dragon in front of them was a very venerable creature, a being they were intimidated by naturally. They

hadn’t done that earlier, in the midst of a battle, but now, there was a clear line drawn between the

Imperial Dragons, and this Water God.

Kairen raised his eyes as the Creature stood tall above him. For once, the War God was the one

looked down upon, and he didn’t care the slightest about that.

His dark eyes were red with grief. He just didn’t want it, he didn’t want to admit that reality. Yet, as the

Water God stood tall in front of him, he remained quiet. There was a very strange feeling between the

two.

He was holding Cassandra, so light in his arms. The girl from the Rain Tribe. The slave his Empire had

taken from her people, from the life she should have had. They should have never met. They were born

in different worlds, worlds that weren’t suited for each other. The moment she had been brought to this

Empire, she wasn’t meant to survive. She was brought to this Empire to suffer and die. To become a

slave.

Yet, of all people, the War God had fallen for that woman. There had been a bit of light for her, in the

darkness. They hadn’t spent a year together, but she had become everything. She had become what

she could be, like a flower struggling to bloom in the dirt. The water lily. The Lady of The Mountain.

Wherever she had been taken, she had done her best to survive and grow. She hadn’t complained, she

had stood brave against everything his people had thrown at her. She had never become resentful

towards their people. Cassandra had stayed the same girl from the Rain Tribe, and she had changed

the people around her instead.

Kairen was sitting there, looking at the Water God and lost.

What had he come to do? Beg for a second chance? For Cassandra to be returned to her? He was

sitting in front of her God, with her body in his hands. What would he dare beg for? The Water God had

heard the Requiem of one of his last daughters. No one could tell what linked them, but he was

presenting her body to that God, and begging for a second chance? To take her again, back into this

terrible world? How could he ask for a miracle, when nothing had been brought but Chaos?

The Water God was standing there, waiting. No one could tell how much time really passed, with those

two Gods staring at each other. It was like some silent negotiation was going on between them, yet no

word was exchanged.

In Kareen’s eyes, her son was paying a heavy price for many, many people’s wrongs.

He was the one carrying his lover’s body. The mother of his son was lying in his arms, and he had to

live with the fact that not only had he been too late to save her, but he was also partially guilty for it.

Because he had fallen in love with her, so many things had happened. No one could tell how and why

the Black Dragon had tied their destinies together. Maybe the War God needed to learn about love.

Maybe it was just about giving Cassandra more time to do all the good she could still do. There was

something both beautiful and tragic about this pair’s fate.

After a long while, the War God closed his eyes. One tear slowly went down his cheek, and with a deep

breath, he held Cassandra in his arms one last time. He hugged her tight, burying his face into her hair,

his hands wrapped around her body. From behind him, they could feel the heavy weight on his

shoulders, the mountain of pain and grief that overcame him. Only his son’s cries could be heard, the

man himself was beyond tears.

Then, very slowly, he laid Cassandra’s body down in the water. Even from afar, one could tell how

unwilling he was to let go. When his hands finally left her body, he took a couple of steps back, his eyes

still on her. Never the

obsidian eyes had been so dark, without a spark of light in it.

He raised his dead eyes to the Water God, and then, he bowed very lowly.

Kairen had never bowed to anyone, but now, that man was thrown so low, his face almost touching the

water.

“I’m sorry.”

Those three words were uttered so low, no one else heard it.

The Water God let out a long, low-pitched sound that resonated within the gardens and beyond. It was

as if he had been waiting for this. Then, he went down to Cassandra, his head right next to her, and the

creature took a deep breath in.

When it opened its mouth, it exhaled some very thin, white dust. As they were confused at first, they

realized that white smoke slowly covered Cassandra. The air chilled down again, and the ice got

thicker. Soon, her skin turned whiter than it had ever been. It was like seeing a ghost disappear in the

snow. Her lips became purple, then blue.

Kairen couldn’t take her eyes off her until the Water God stopped his ice breathe. Then, with another,

angrier loud growi, it suddenly came closer and wrapped his body around Cassandra. One of its paws

grabbed her arm to keep her in place, but the Creature’s eyes were on Kairen all of the time. The War

God didn’t even seem to notice, and he didn’t even retreat from the Creature so close. He just watched

it take her.

With another long growling, the Water God slowly went back into the lake, taking Cassandra with him.

It disappeared just like this, and after a while, the surface of the water didn’t move at all, going back to

being a quiet, peaceful lake.