The Marquis (III)

Ares, though could not see the benefits of having this child as his wife, nor did he even have a least bit of concern towards her, he was not made of stone. As he heard the soft sobs that escaped her mouth, he took slow cautious steps towards her and sat beside her on the bed.

"When I was younger, I think I was six" Ares started off softly "my household woke up at the usual time, it was winter and when my father stepped out of the house, there was a fierce sword possessing an incomparable energy standing on its tip, waiting"

Phaedra lifted her head from her knees, eyes red from crying, cheeks puffed up, however she did not care about her appearance, she only listened to the words of the Marquis who had his eyes pinned on the wall as he recalled so many years ago.

"That was how we knew that the Great Hexie sword had chosen our family" He sighed "my father threw all of us, his male children into the way of the sword, training day and night to be fit enough to be able to wield the sword. Overtime, my eldest brother displayed great prowess and all eyes fell on him, finally I could sneak to the tavern and while away time drinking with no fear of being noticed. On the day after my sixteenth birthday which I had spent in the arms of a prostitute, I dragged my drunk body home and met my family all waiting outside in the courtyard"

Ares could remember vividly like it was yesterday how he felt like when he walked back home. He could recall the direction the wind blew, he remembered the color of the leaves on the trees in the courtyard, the anxious feeling in the eyes of the servants as they signaled for him to join them, what he remembered the most was the nonchalant glance his father gave him. It was not even a full look.

"They were waiting for me because I needed to try to pull the sword first as I was the youngest male child. When I walked towards it, I was carefree and casual, I knew it would not choose me, I wouldn't even choose me, but when I lifted the sword, that was standing on its tip, it rose from the ground, the legendary Hexie sword that could not be wielded by a normal man felt like a petal of flower in my grasp. I tossed it away" he finally looked over to her, peeping into her soul with a sultry gaze.

"The truth was a nightmare. And that is how I found my life thrown into the chaos it is now, I had once rejected the sword, and now it rejects me" as he said the last line, his gaze shifted to the sword kept away in its sheath.

"The only good thing I saw from being the Marquis was the tradition" he lifted his eyes and once again peered into her soul in a rather smooth and easy fit, "I would be wedded to my best friend".

Ares noticed the shift in Phaedra's eyes. If he were to ever marry this child, the least he could do for her was to be honest, and if she ends up hurting herself with her own thoughts, he is not to be blamed. He only expressed his desire for Aelia in order to start this relationship off with nothing but the truth, he had not done anything bad.

"That thought was what kept me going" He sighed "It is equally hard for me to accept you as the Priestess, just like everybody else, I expected the Princess to be chosen but she was not. I have no idea what the Supreme plans, but whatever it is, it has us in the middle, wounded by whatever decision she makes. So when you feel like running away, giving up, think of all the people that are looking up to you and the ones that disregard you, think of the Princess and keep going"

Phaedra wrapped her hands around him in a swift move, she nuzzled into his neck but couldn't find it due to the obstruction of the armor, so she settled with resting her head on his shoulder. The coldness of the death armor comforted her heart.