Ancient Greece

The next morning, you were sleeping deeply as Changsub woke up. He looked around and noticed his arm wrapped around your waist as he laid behind you. He slowly crept away and walked to a water basin to wash his face.
“Changsub!” Sungjae barged into the tent, waking you.
“Marineus has gone. He has taken men with him thinking they are under your orders and have attacked Minuros!” Sungjae passed along this information hastily.
“Get the rest of the men ready! We will leave in five minutes!”
You stood and hastily walked over to him as he got his armor on. You helped him get ready, but felt apprehensive and shared your worried thoughts.
“You cannot go! Their archers are too strong! Let Marineus and your foolish men die”
“I cannot let my men die without trying to tell them to retreat” he placed a light helmet on his head, and you were close to kissing him goodbye as he did so.
“Pray to whichever god you choose for me” he smirked as he exited.
You took a worried seat on his chair as you were left in the tent by yourself. You fiddled with the armrest as breakfast was brought in for you, but you had no appetite.
The archers were on the forefront of your mind. Trained by the best, your uncle had sent them when they had been requested. Minuros was under many small attacks from robbers in the area and their economy was suffering because of it. Your uncle had intended for the lack of archers and protection of your own palace would go unnoticed but it hadn’t.
The afternoon came and went. Still you were unable to touch food. You walked out the front of the tent and felt sick. The sight of the near empty camp was blinding. Taking a deep breath, you walked around the edge of the camp, absentmindedly collecting flowers.
Returning to the tent a bit later, you were half hoping to see Changsub sitting in his chair, waiting for you. The empty tent greeted you mockingly. You sat the flowers on the table and walked over to his chair running your hands over it. Hearing a noise behind you, you turned and fell pale.
Sungjae was holding the front of the tent open as Changsub was being carried inside by four of his men. Your breath caught as you saw his arm and midsection bleeding.
“What happened?” you yelled and ran over as they laid him on the table, the flowers you had collected fell to the floor.
“It was the archers. Marineus saw their numbers and fled. Changsub told his men to retreat before…”
When you were at Changsub’s side, he reached up for you.
“Water. Get me water!” you shouted as his men removed his armor. You gasped at the cut on his stomach and placed your hand over it to stop the bleeding. He flinched under your touch and you whimpered.
“Sungjae! Get me water!” you yelled once more.
He ran to the other side of the tent and grabbed a jug of water, sloshing some as he ran back to your side.
“S-sorry. This w-will sting a bit” you told Changsub as you ripped the bottom of your dress and doused the piece of fabric in the water. Placing it on his cut, hoping to clean it, you held it there and told Sungjae to do the same on Changsub’s bleeding arm wound.
When it was sufficiently cleaned, you looked at it and sighed with some relief when you noticed it appeared to be mostly superficial.
“How deep does his arm wound look?” you asked Sungjae, who seemed clueless.
“I-I don’t know”
“Has it stopped bleeding?”
“No” he answered.
“Keep applying pressure then.” You told him as your hands shook as you ripped more of your dress to wrap his wound on his abdomen.
“Sorry. I owe your wife another dress.” You told Sungjae, who managed a smile.
“How do you know what to do?” Changsub asked. He seemed calmer, now that he was in his tent, although his breathing was still heavy.
“Galen. He was our family physician. He would lend me medical tomes to read.”
“Glad-glad you know what to-to do…” Sungjae said as he stood up and wobbled unsteadily on his feet.
“Oh dear…” you said standing up and watching as Sungjae crumpled to the floor.
“Did he just pass out?” Changsub asked, raising his head off the table a small amount.
“I believe so” you nodded.
“Here” you walked over to a jug of wine and poured a glass.
“Are you able to sit up?” you asked Changsub as you supported his head and watched as he sat up halfway. Agony was etched across his face.
“This will help with the pain” you told him as he took a long sip.
“You should try to sleep” you added as he lay back down.
“Help me to my bed”
“No. you are staying right there. You can’t move or you will reinjure yourself” you pushed on his chest lightly when he tried to stand. You walked to the bed and gathered some blankets. You lay them across Changsub, making sure there was extra to keep him warm. Next, you gathered a few pillows and softly lifted his head to place the pillows underneath.
Sighing and sitting down next to Changsub, you rested your head on your hands.
“Thank you” he said as you lifted your head to look at him.
“Of course” you nodded.
You barely slept that night and kept checking on Changsub. Multiple times you fell asleep sitting at the table by his side.
Halfway through the night, he woke up and found you asleep seated at the table next to him. He couldn’t help but smile even though he was in pain. Seeing the jug of wine not too far, he tried sitting up quietly and reaching for it. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen as he inhaled quickly.
You woke up and saw him half sitting as he quickly lay back down and winced.
“I told you to stay there!” you chided him.
“I didn’t plan on moving! I just wanted the wine! But I dint want to wake you” he admitted as he grabbed his side. You shook your head and grabbed the wine, helping him to drink. You looked at his stomach and noticed he had started bleeding again.
“Look at what you did” you reached down and ripped more of the dress you were wearing to place clean cloth over his cut.
“You owe me a new dress” you tried to joke.
“If I live through this I owe you ten dresses.”
“Of course you will live. I don’t want to be responsible of Sungjae on my own” Changsub tried to laugh but stopped abruptly clutching his injury.
“Sorry! I won’t make you laugh then”
“I knew we should’ve listened to you” Changsub spoke gazing at the domed ceiling of the tent.
“Marineus was going to do what he wanted. I regret saying anything; I feel as though that is the reason he chose to attack Minuros”
“When can I be fit to travel?” he asked, sounding impatient.
“I cannot say” you admitted.
“I have to be ready to leave here soon. In case the magistrate of Minuros sends men out to find us.”
“We will worry about that when the time comes. You have men watching their movement, I presume?”
“I meant to but they all returned with me. Those that weren’t dead anyways”
“I will tell Sungjae to send some men.” You nodded and stood up.
“Thank you” Changsub said as you exited.
You didn’t have to walk far before you found Sungjae around a campfire with a few men. They rolled their eyes as you walked over.
“Changsub says to send men to watch Minuros. We are to be aware of when men get sent our way, but do what you can to pick them off and keep them in their gates. Changsub won’t be ready to travel for a while, but don’t let him know we are keeping them at bay. He would want to leave if he found out” Sungjae nodded as you finished but the men around the tent looked unsure.
“Why should we take orders from you?” one of the asked.
“These orders come from your leader. The fact that they come from my mouth means nothing”
“You have bent him to your will with that mouth” the man’s final insult flew your way. You turned without wanting to provoke an argument.
Returning to the tent, you saw Changsub holding a map over his head.
“Where did you get that?” you asked.
“It wasn’t out of arms reach!” he defended. You sat and looked crestfallen. He looked at you before looking back to the map.
“What is on your mind?” he asked.
“Your men” you answered. This hadn’t been what he was expecting you to say.
“All of them, or one in particular?” he continued.
“They grow tired of me being here, and I feel unwelcome”
“Who said something to you?” he asked and placed the map down.
“No one” you lied.
“Did you kill him?” he asked, half serious.
“I never could kill a man” you shook your head.
“Even if they insulted you?”
“Of course not! I am not so proud to think his words mean something”
“Around here, words can lead to actions. Bring me Sungjae” he spoke. You nodded and exited the tent, returning to the fire side you had found Sungjae at before.
You followed him back to the tent as he had a whispered conversation. You tried not to pry, but thought you over heard the words “punishment” and “learn his place”. You hoped this had nothing to do with you becoming the wife of their leader. At least, in their eyes.
A week later, Changsub was able to stand up unassisted.
“Ready to travel yet?” he asked, sounding anxious.
“You can barely stand! Calm yourself! Minuros hasn’t made any moves to leave their walls so don’t rush your body”
“I can stand just fine.”
“Then take a step towards me” you challenged. Changsub smirked and slowly took one step with his right foot. He winced and had to sit down in a chair to his right.
“Give yourself a few more days.” You took a seat next to him and lay your head on his shoulder.
“Why are you still here” he asked out of the blue. You leaned back and looked at him in confusion.
“I have nowhere else to go” you spoke slowly.
“You can walk into any town and be taken in. I am not fool enough to think the majority of the magistrates and satraps in this area won’t know who you are. So tell me truthful: why have you stayed”
“You are hurt. I can’t just leave you” you dodged his question.
“Before I was injured?” He continued to pry. You folded your hands in your lap and looked at them.
“I don’t know” you spoke. Unable to look at Changsub, your words hurt when you heard them come from your own mouth. You did know, but had not wanted to admit it.
“You are free then. If you have no reason to stay, than take my horse”
“Changsub, you are being…”
“It is fine! I give you permission!” he said loudly over you. He tried to stand and walk away from you when he fell. You ran to his side but he pushed you away angrily.
“Please let me help you!” you said feeling worried about his injuries reopening. Changsub was stubborn and forced himself back standing when he took a seat back on the chair he had just vacated. Looking down you saw that he had in fact caused his stomach to start bleeding again.
“Look at what you have done! You are acting stubborn as a mule” you ripped more of your dress and removed the cloth that was slowly being stained red by fresh blood.
“Maybe if I keep bleeding, you will have nothing left of your dress.” He teased and winced as you washed his cut not as gently as usual.
“And if you finally let yourself heal I will gladly remove my dress” you returned his challenge.
By the end of the next week, Changsub was able to walk around the tent. It was just in time too. The men that had been sent to watch Minuros returned with some troubling news.
“They have begun to scout the surrounding areas. They are gathering resources but they don’t seem to be the only ones.” Sungjae relayed the information to Changsub as he walked around the tent, getting some exercise after feeling immobile for so long.
“Every town in the area seems to be gathering men and weapons as well as food. They appear to be preparing for a war of some kind”
“Who is gathering things? Which towns?” you asked.
“All of them in this surrounding area. We have heard of a battalion of men far to the north but no word on who they are” he concluded.
“Tell the men to pack up. We leave in the morning”
“I haven’t given you permission to travel”
“If we start now we can travel slowly” Changsub reasoned. You found no flaw with his plan and nodded.
Traveling slowly proved to be in your best interest. Changsub was doing fine, but you feared if the pace increased his health would take a turn for the worse.
Sungjae had men scout north and find out information on the battalion heading your way. The news he brought back was unsettling.
“It’s Amphion and his men. They appear to be searching for a new home” he relayed while you were all resting one afternoon.
“What has become of my old home?” you asked, enormously curious and apprehensive when you heard these words.
“We are unsure” Sungjae added.
“Send a group of men further north. I want them to watch my old palace and see if any men have been left behind or if they ransacked the place and are moving on” Sungjae nodded and Changsub faced you as he stood up.
“Who gives the orders around here?” he asked smiling.
“Are you going to fight me for the return of your leadership?” you asked lightly poking his stomach.
“I wouldn’t dare. I can tell you are the kind to fight dirty” he pestered.
That night, Changsub was looking over maps, deciding which direction to head next. You sat next to him at the table, when Sungjae busted through the door.
“Amphion! He is here!” he shouted. Changsub rose from his seat and grabbed a sword.
“I am coming too! You are too weak to fight!” you stood up and went to follow him.
“Like hell you are! Stay here.” He grabbed another sword and handed it to you.
“Kill anyone who tries to take you” he said and, taking you by surprise, he placed a quick kiss on your lips. You reached up and touched your lips as he exited out of the tent.
Far off, you heard yelling. You prayed to all the gods you knew that Changsub would be alright.
Hearing the flap of the tent open, you felt relief, until you turned around and saw a large man that looked like no one you had seen before.
“For once, rumors appear to be truthful” he took a step towards you as you raised your sword. This man laughed at this.
“You can barely hold that thing correctly.” He dropped his own sword and lunged at you, still laughing. You chopped downwards and missed him by a mile. He laughed again.
“Make things easier on yourself and come with me. Amphion has a special spot for lost princesses in his army”
“If you mean his own bed I would rather die!” you slashed out with the sword and caught this man unguarded. You cut his shoulder, but he merely looked at the wound and laughed it off.
Dropping the sword, you ran and tried to find a bow and arrow. Bursting through the front of the tent, you stopped in your tracks as men were running all around the camp. Dead bodies littered the ground and you tried to not look at their faces.
You entered the closest tent and tried to hide, but you soon had to leave when this tent was ripped from the earth by the huge man following you. Not only was his size immense, but he was quick too.
Running and stumbling up a hill, you gazed around at the men fighting below you. Looking around hastily, you thankfully saw Changsub and ran to him. Reaching his back, you pulled off his bow as he struggled and turned, sword raised high.
“It’s me!” you shouted. He slowed, allowing you to remove the bow and quiver of arrows as he turned just in time to deliver a killing blow to a man that had gotten too close.
He turned once more and saw your eyes trained on the large man that had followed you over the dunes.
“Moagrius!” Changsub said, unintentionally informing you of the name of your pursuer.
“I haven’t seen him since the last time we fought Amphion’s men. He took nearly two score men down with just his sword.”
“Do me a favor” you asked, notching an arrow and raising the bow.
“What in the name of Zeus could you want from me right now?” Changsub asked as his sword clanged with another.
“Pray to the gods I make this shot” on your exhale your released the arrow and watched it fly true. It hit Moagrius square in the eye and watched as it exited out the back of his skull. Changsub and the men surrounding you froze, all agape at what had just happened.
“Fantastic shot. If you weren’t a woman, I would ask you to join my army.” A voice sounded from behind you. You turned and gasped when you saw a strong and well-built man held Sungjae with a sword to his throat.
“Amphion… release him!” Changsub pointed with his sword.
“I feel as though a bargain is in order” Amphion spoke. You dropped the bow and arrow, feeling weak as Amphion took another step towards you.
“I’ll go” you took a step forward.
“No way.” Changsub reached out and stopped you.
“We have no other choice. Sungjae will die” you spoke the obvious.
“How honorable.” Amphion’s grip slackened on the weapon that was placed at Sungjae’s throat. You faced Changsub, and spoke low.
“We don’t have a choice. I can’t let him die for me.” There were tears in your eyes, as Changsub reached up and tried to grab you close. You dodged out of the way, knowing a hug or any affection from him would only make leaving more painful.
You glanced down at the bow and arrows laying at Changsub’s feet. You looked back at him and nodded once. He looked down at this feet, and you were sure you saw his eyes flick towards the bow for the briefest second.
Praying he took the hint, you began walking slowly towards Amphion. Halfway, there, he released Sungjae and smiled. He opened his arms, as though to welcome you with a hug when you heard a shout and fell to the ground.
You looked up and saw the shaft of an arrow protruding from the very center of Amphion’s chest. Another arrow soon followed, causing him to take a step backwards as blood began to dribble out of his mouth.
You took a deep breath and turned, seeing Changsub crouching on the ground with his bow in hand. Letting out a deep breath, you noticed Sungjae, too, had his bow out and extended. This would explain where the second shot came from so quickly.
Smiling, you stood and walked back to Changsub slowly.
“Words would be unable to describe how relieved I am! You understood what I was telling you” you fell into his arms, as the men around began looking at each other. The general consensus seemed to be to join with Changsub’s group now that their leader had been killed.
Back at Changsub’s tent that evening, a feast was being given by Amphion’s men. As it turns out, they were becoming weary of always traveling. Most of them were growing older and were looking to settle down.
“What ever happened to the palace you had recently taken over”? You asked Amphion’s second in command.
“We left a fair number of men there. I daresay they claim it as their own now, knowing Amphion was unlikely to return.”
“But what happened to the family living there?” you asked, trying to seem unassuming.
“They escaped. Word has it that they found their way to Minuros, so settle with the royalty there”
“Minuros?” you repeated and looked at Changsub who was sitting in his chair directly on your left. He didn’t look happy.
When the feast had ended, it was late into the night. Men retired to their own tents, leaving you and Changsub alone. You had refrained from drinking wine and sighed, making your way to the bed. You stopped next to it and stretched.
“Remember what you told me?” Changsub began standing and following you to his bed
“I have told you a lot of things” you smiled and turned around to face him, wondering what he could mean. Changsub took off his top armor and turned slowly.
“What are you doing?”
“No bleeding. No new cuts, and the old ones seem to have healed” he explained, dropping his armor and walking towards you.
“I still don’t remember what I had said to you” you lied. Changsub came closer until he was directly in front of you. Opening your mouth to say something snarky, you were silenced when Changsub tilted your head up and planted a passionate open mouthed kiss onto your mouth, which you returned without hesitation.
“We have a problem” he started.
“What is that?” you asked, in between kisses.
“You are not a woman of your word” he stopped kissing you and waited. You were puzzled, and began to feel annoyed.
“Your dress is still on” Changsub smirked as you smiled and obliged with his wishes. You sat on the bed as he removed the rest of his armor and gently laid on top of you. You shivered being this close to his skin.
“Won’t my husband want a virgin bride?” you asked breathlessly.
“No, I don’t mind” he answered.
“You speak as though you are going to be my husband?”
“Yes, if you will have me, but right now you speak too much” he kissed down your neck and you ceased talking.
The next morning, you woke up to Changsub starring at you.
“What are you doing?” you asked, resting your head on your folded arms.
“Remembering what you look like. If I am going to be losing you, I want to not forget a single detail” he explained.
“Why would you be losing me?” you asked and rolled over to lay on his chest.
“We found out where your family is. I can’t keep you here knowing they are alive and miss you” he explained, rubbing your hair.
“I guess this is good bye then” you sat up abruptly.
“Don’t leave like that! I don’t mean to sound unkind, but this is the truth” Changsub sat up and looked hurt.
“If I want to see my family and be back by the end of the week, I should leave now” you turned and smiled at him.
“End of the week?” he repeated slowly.
“If you will still lend me your horse?” you asked.
“I can lend you my horse, but you aren’t leaving today” he wrapped and arm around you and kissed your ear before pulling you back down onto the bed.
He didn’t allow you to leave for a few more days, but you were perfectly alright with that.

Notes