Just uploaded this to Wattpad and now I want to write about it- enjoy :)

Chapter Quote:
"Accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue."
~Angelia from Were-Hunters

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Chapter 10

Kyrian

Four months later...

"Kyrian!" Kiara cried as she caught sight of me walking into our room. I was shocked at the way Kiara looked. Her hair was a mess, her dress crinkled, her eyes had dark circles underneath them, and her eyes... I had never seen such worry... at least not having the worry be about me.

Kiara rushed towards me, nearly knocking me over when she embraced me. I held onto her tightly, inhaling her familiar scent. It soothed my tense nerves almost instantaneously. It told me I was home.

"Kiara," I murmured.

"My gods, I was so worried about you! I heard the Romans did an ambush. The men here refused to tell me anything about what was going on and I had no idea whether you were okay or not and-"

"Kiara, when did you sleep last?" I interrupted. She paused her little tirade and looked at me with a startled expression.

"Uh, three days ago... when the ambush happened," Kiara admitted.

"Sleep. Now," I ordered gently.

"Yes, sir, general; but first, let us get you cleaned up. You're bloody... is it...?"

"It's not mine," I whispered. Kiara sighed with relief as their foreheads touched.

"Thank the gods for that. Come on; let's get you into clean clothes." She called for a servant to bring me new clothes.

"You get to bed. I'll be there soon, okay vasílissá mou? You need your beauty rest more than I." I turned Kiara around and walked her to the bed. Kiara got reluctantly got in. I went to the room next to mine and Kiara's so that I could change. When I came back, Kiara was pacing back and forth on the bed.

"I thought I told you to go to bed," I laughed as Kiara looked up at me.

"You told me to get to bed, not actually go to bed. There's a difference. And, I'm actually still in the bed, I'm just pacing on it," Kiara countered. I grinned at my wife. She was something else. Jumping onto the bed and wrapping my arms around her waist, I wrestled her to the ground. It was no match. I was able to bring her down on the bed in a matter of a couple of seconds. She had struggled, just to see if she could get out of my embrace but it was no use. I was lying on top of her as the two of us laughed at our antics.

"I missed you," I whispered.

"I missed you too," Kiara replied, cupping my face and kissing me softly on the lips. "And now, I will go to bed."

With a smile, I rolled off of her but pulled her close to him. She rested her head on my chest, with her hand lying on my opposite shoulder. I rested my head on hers and exhaustion quickly overtook me.

The two of us were woken up in the morning and dressed for breakfast. My father greeted us at the table. It was still strange not having Kiara's family here after them being here for so long. They'd left three days after the wedding. While eating breakfast, the three of us read letters. Most were simply stating how matters were in our strongholds. At the end of the pile was a letter from Kiara's parents. I'd been wondering when they were going to send her something. She opened it eagerly. At first everything seemed to be okay. Taren was going to be king soon as both her parents wanted to retire in order to be able to spend time with their grandchildren. But after mentioning that, her face fell solemn.

"Elysia has fallen quite ill. They... they do not think she is going to make it..." Kiara finally remarked.

"Do they know what's wrong with her?"

"They do not know although they believe it is something to do with the pregnancy. Taren will not handle this well," she said, setting down the letter in front of her. I knew Kiara had ended up becoming quite close to her sister-in-law and it didn't take much for me to know exactly what was on her mind.

"If you want to go see her, I can gather an army to escort you to Athens so you can be with your family," I offered.

She looked up at me. "You'd let me do that?"

"They are your family. You should be with them and I know you want to. It'd be faster for you by sea so I'll get a ship and some crew ready along with some guards."

Kiara leaned over and kissed me. "I love you. Would you mind doing that while I go pack?"

"Not at all. I'll be up later, all right?" My wife excused herself from the table. A few minutes later, I excused myself, heading over to the training arena. I went up to General Ourias who was training new recruits. He called it off when he saw me.

"What can I do for you, Your Highness?" Ourias asked.

"I need your help to gather up a thousand troops to escort my wife to Athens by ship. You leave tomorrow. It's urgent she gets there as fast as possible."

"Yes sir!" My comrade shouted. We left the premises right after that and did our mission. Once that was finished, I went back up to my room. Kiara was there with Penelope, packing. Zelina was running in and out of closets grabbing clothes. I guessed she was going with my wife.

"Give Elysia my love, okay? I shall leave the two of you alone," Penelope said. She left the room. Zelina hurried along with her. Kiara kept packing. I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She sighed as she leaned into me.

"Are we ever going to have more than two weeks with each other?" Kiara murmured.

I kissed her cheek. "One day, when I'm running the kingdom more than I am my army, we will. I promise. For now, I think you should stop packing. I'm not sure how you did it but you have enough clothes to last you a month. Take a break and then go back to packing, okay?"

My wife nodded reluctantly. "I'm worried about her, Kyrian. A week before she left, she confided in me that she thought she was pregnant. I don't know why it would go wrong but the letter made it sound pretty serious."

"If, for whatever reason, she does not make it through the pregnancy, we will help your family in any way we can."

"Thank you General."

"Of course, vasílissá mou. Love, may I ask you something?"

"You never need to ask me if you can ask me something."

"Do you... want to have kids with me?"

Kiara turned around in my arms, resting her hands on my chest. "I do. And honestly, I think I want a lot of kids with you," she laughed.

"Considering I can barely keep my hands off you, I think you're right. Since you're taking a break, I think I have a few ideas that can keep us busy before you start again," I said mischievously.

"Oh yeah? I can't imagine what those would be," Kiara replied in mock ignorance, walking backwards towards the bed and pulling me with her.

I grinned. "Then how about I show you?"
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Three weeks later...

"Julian! Hurry up would you? My father is going to kill me if I am late," I grunted.

"Kiara needs to get back soon. You are so much pleasanter to be with when she is around," Julian replied casually as he mounted his horse.

"I just hope nothing has happened to her. It is a dangerous world out there and if Abbadon gets a hold of her, he can control my every move."

"Let us pray to the gods that does not happen. Come, Kyrian, we must be off," Julian urged. At that, we galloped off towards the palace. My father was waiting for us in his throne room. Some of the other generals, lower in ranking than me and Julian, were also present. I was able to count two or three of the generals who held contempt for me since I had become a general at so young an age but no matter what, none of them could disagree that I was the top fighter in the Thracian military.

"Hello father," I greeted. Julian followed in suit. "Any word from Kiara?"

"No but give it time. Her sister is very ill and she may not have time to give word to us at the current moment. Be patient my son."

"I do not like being patient. I want to know if my wife is well," I retorted.

"Watch your tone with me. Now, I wanted to discuss with you the current battle strategies you and Julian have come up with on how to counter Roman forces if need be."

Julian and I obeyed. We laid out our plans quick and concisely so we could escape the stuffy room. The other generals detained us though by asking all these unnecessary, annoying questions. It took an hour and a half before Julian and I could make our escape from that hell hole.

"Gods I hate being in there in the summer," Julian griped.

"I have to go in there every day. Stop your whining," I snapped airily. "I am going to my room, get a little bit of rest before our training session. I shall see you soon." Julian nodded. Going our separate ways. I walked leisurely up to my room, allowing my thoughts to finally run free: Kiara's wellbeing, killing Romans, conquering more territory for my future kingdom, training, and other things. Most of my focus remained on Kiara. I smiled at the thought of the fiery blonde who I was indescribably proud to call my wife, not to mention honored beyond belief that she'd chosen, of all guys in the world, to love me. I admired her tenacity. I admired her ability (or audacity as some of the men called it) to banter with the other generals as if she was their equal. Technically, she was and she wasn't. In case I died during my time as king, she would take over command. But then she was also a woman, and women were below men's ranking. I personally found it rather inspiring, especially her boldness in joining conversations. The generals loved her though and slowly adjusted to letting her join in their discussions. Of course, she didn't give them much choice.

I had just removed my armor and donned a toga when someone knocked on my door. Curious as to who it was, I opened it. A young boy stood there, looking sorrowful.

"Your highness?" the boy asked.

"Yes, what is your business here?" I asked, attempting to hide my exasperation from having my thoughts interrupted.

"I...I regret to inform you that your wife, her highness Kiara of Thrace was killed during an ambush on her way to Greece. We got word to you as soon as we could-"

"Go. Now. Please," I commanded. I slammed the door shut before I knew if he listened to me or not but I'm pretty sure I heard him scampering down the hallway. I sank against my wall in shock. Tears were pouring down my face. At first I tried to stop them but soon just let them fall freely. When the tears stopped, I'm not sure. It could've been a few minutes, it could've been a few hours. I stared out the window at the crystal blue sky. The sun was shining brightly. It felt wrong. It should've been rainy and dark and cold for a day as horrible as today.

It was Julian who finally decided to come find me. In fact he practically tripped on me when he entered my room. His head snapped down to look at me. "My gods, Kyrian! What is the matter with you?"

"She's dead," I choked out. "Kiara... Ambushed..."

Julian paled as he knelt down next to me. "Does your father know?"

"No. I- I haven't moved since I found out."

"What was when?"

"A little bit after I came up to my room."

"Then it's been about two hours. We need to alert your father. Come," my friend said gently, helping me stand. I walked numbly to the throne room. Before we entered, I whispered, "Julian? If I ever find the person who led the ambush that killed Kiara, I will kill them."

"I do not doubt you."
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Three weeks later...

Kiara

Elysia had passed away after giving birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The girl passed away a few hours later. That had been two weeks ago. The funeral was held a few days later. I was supposed to leave after that but I felt guilty leaving my family so soon after the tragedy. Taren was practically losing his mind. The only thing keeping him semi-sane was his son, Adonis.

However, the last few days I was home, I found out something wonderful, and I had to hurry home to tell Kyrian. When the ship docked in Thrace, I convinced my guards to let me ride on a horse back to the city. I'd been confined on that ship for too long. I needed air.

As the palace came into view, I felt my excitement rising up in my throat. I spurred my horse forward into a gallop. My guards hurriedly tried to catch up with me. I came skidding to a halt in front of the doors. Hopping off, I ran past the guards who seemed in shock to see me. I threw open the doors, making my way up to the top floor where mine and Kyrian's room was. On the way I ran into Julian. Literally.

"Julian!" I exclaimed, hugging him.

"Kiara?" My friend looked at me with wide eyes. "What are you- I thought you were-"

"I got home early. I have news I need to tell Kyrian!" Picking up my skirts, I started going back up the stairs. Julian called after me to wait but I didn't listen. When I reached my room, I threw open the door.

"Kyrian, guess-" I halted. My heart stopped beating, I couldn't breathe. Julian came sliding to a stop behind me. I stared at my naked husband with an equally as naked woman on top of him. I recognized her from an outing Kyrian and I had had a couple months ago when we snuck out of the castle. We'd gone into a bar where a woman named Theone was a well-known prostitute. My husband knew her but he knew her even better now.

"Ky-Kyrian?" I stammered. My husband turned his head at the sound of my voice. His eyes locked onto mine.

"I'm dreaming," he slurred. "You're dead."

"I am not dead, I am fully alive and well and pissed. Miss Theone, take your clothes and please leave the premises immediately," I ordered.

"I only take orders from the people who hire me," Theone said. "Besides, I haven't given him all that I was paid for."

I snarled, "I will double whatever they're paying you if you get the hell out of here."

Theone took the offer. She slid past me and Julian. Kyrian rolled off the bed before staggering into standing position. He was most certainly drunk. My husband took a step towards be but I held up my hand.

"So I leave for a month and this is what you've been doing the entire time? Cheating on me?" I demanded, my voice trembling.

"You're alive... you're alive," Kyrian murmured repeatedly.

"Yes, I'm alive you buffoon. Why did you think I was dead?!" He simply stared at me in awe. Shaking my head, I said, "Screw you, Kyrian. Screw you."
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Julian

Kiara stormed off. It seemed to snap Kyrian into his senses because he went chasing after her. I blocked him and said, "Get your act together first. Sober up and put some clothes on. I'll go talk to her. This is my fault."

My friend didn't want to listen but he was so smashed he did. I hurried after Kiara. I found her in the garden under the Valonia Oak tree. If she hadn't been crying, I wouldn't have figured out where she was. I sat down next to her and said, "It's not what you think."

"Then what is it Julian?!" she cried. "And why didn't you stop him?"

"Because I'm the one that introduced him to her," I admitted. Kiara stared at me murderously. Hastily, I added, "We all thought you were dead and-"

"Why does everyone keep saying I'm dead?! I'm not! I'm definitely alive because if I was dead, I wouldn't be able to feel what I'm feeling..." she trailed off.

"A messenger brought news to Kyrian that you'd been killed in an ambush on your way home. I found him two hours later in his room. I managed to get him to tell his father but afterwards, he went silent. He'd barely eat, he'd barely drink, he wouldn't come out of your room. I had to do something to get his mind off of you so I got him drunk out of his mind and introduced him to Theone. He's been drunk for about three days now. I had to see him happy again. It was the only thing I could think of. I'm sorry Kiara. I'm so sorry."

She got up, pacing back and forth. Kiara didn't say a word until I asked her what happened back home. I didn't think it was possible for her to become even more upset but somehow, she did. "Elysia died giving birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The girl passed away a few hours later. Taren is borderline insane. My parents are worried about him, they're worried about me, and I was supposed to stay longer than I did."

"Why didn't you?" I inquired.

Kiara shifted nervously. "Because I had to tell Kyrian something. Something that had to be in person."

"What is it?" I stood up.

"I'm... pregnant."

My mouth fell open. "Oh my gods! That's wonderful! Congratulations! You must tell Kyrian!"

"Tell me what?" My friend queried, bursting onto the scene. His eyes were wide and his hair went in every direction possible. He looked like hell but seemed to be sober. Kyrian took a step towards Kiara but she took a simultaneous step back. His face saddened. "Vasílissá mou?"

"Am I? Am I your vasílissá mou?" She demanded. "Or was that all an act so you could get underneath my dress sooner than later?"

"I thought you were dead Kiara. Please, you have to believe me!" he pleaded.

"I do believe what Julian said but I can't get the image of you and Theone out of my head! I need to take a walk. We will talk later." Kiara left the area. Kyrian remained in his spot, dumbfounded.

"Go after her," I urged.

"She doesn't want me to," he remarked.

I rolled my eyes. "There's something she needs to tell you. Something important. Go after her!"

Kyrian started to argue but I shut him down, finally convincing him a few minutes later to listen to my advice. I went back to my house to break the news to Penelope. She'd be ecstatic. I'd barely reached my door when Kyrian yanked me around, panic written all over his face.

"Kyrian?"

"Kiara, she's gone. She's been taken."
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These two just can't seem to get a break can they? Reviews would be wonderful (hint hint) :)