CHAPTER 25. CEDRIC, SERAPHINA, ELOWEN
As they were returning to the camp, Cedric's mood was gloomy. The meeting with Elowen left a bitter impression on him. He led the horses by the reins while Seraphina rubbed his back to comfort her boy.
"Elowen made her choice." Seraphina could still feel the warmth of his seed stirring deep within her.
"She thinks we abandoned her, Mum," Cedric pulled the reins to stop the horses. Although he was enveloped in the lingering warmth after his time with Seraphina. He poured and released so much inside his own mother. Yet, a sense of filth clung to him.
"Maybe I still hold grudges over our troubled past. She wasn't always kind to me, but I cherished my sister and was always on her side. She should be with us, here, helping to stop what's happening."
Seraphina suddenly bit his lips with her own. It was a sharp, passionate, and sweet kiss that made Cedric drop the reins. His hands slid along her long, beautiful hair, which had a reddish-brown tint. She kissed him as if it were the last kiss of her life, savoring his saliva as if it were the life energy she was trying to draw from him. Their tongues clashed and intertwined.
Her hand rested on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart, which gradually slowed down. Seraphina gently grasped his chin with her slender fingers and pulled him away from her lips.
"That's better. Elowen will be fine, I'm sure of it, dear. I know my own daughter much better than you can imagine. I'm sure that Arik made her queen not least to protect her from threats and battles. When your father surrenders, your sister will surrender with him, and then you'll tell her everything you've told me." She held his chin firmly. "Do you understand me?"
Cedric wanted to nod, but she wouldn't let him move his head. "Yes, Mum."
"Good boy." She turned his chin left and right, watching his lips. "Give Mommy one more little kiss."
He leaned in and kissed her like an obedient son. Their lips pressed together in a deep kiss as he swallowed her saliva, trying to savor the taste of her loving mommy's mouth.
"Mmmm..." Seraphina pulled away with a loud smacking sound. "That's it, dear. Now let's go back to our camp." She picked up the reins from the ground and walked ahead, placing one hand on her stomach. Cedric, flushed, hurried after her.
The Solarion camp was in the same place where Blunder's camp had once stood. This part of the valley had been scorched by the battle between Blunder's and Tilidus's forces, and the settlement where the women and the inhabitants of the Library lived had become deserted, turning into a popular spot for looters. Where had all those women gone? No one knew.
Seraphina sadly gazed at the village on the horizon, to her right. It was on the other side of the river. Cedric placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll rebuild all of this, Mum. I promise. You're a descendant of Leronse, so it must be hard for you to see all this."
"No," she shook her head. "I don't want to have anything to do with Leronse anymore. What he did here with men--and even if it wasn't him but his descendants--he's responsible for all those ruined lives. I no longer want to be called the Last Descendant of Leronse. I don't want to be associated with his name. Now, I am Seraphina of the Eclipsian Dynasty. Our new Dynasty. Your future wife." She took his hand and sadly looked at the Library tattoo on her wrist. "I wish I could get rid of it."
"Don't. You shouldn't be ashamed of who you used to be."
Seraphina smiled as they were met by a concerned Captain from the camp.
"Your Majesty? You should have informed us that you would be away until evening." The captain eyed Seraphina as if she were a bad influence on their king. Cedric handed him the reins.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We got a bit lost in the moment and didn't realize how quickly night fell, Jashkal. Is our tent ready?"
"I... Ahem, yes. Everything is ready. In the place you requested." The white-haired Jashkal nodded.
"Thank you." Cedric took Seraphina by the waist and led her to the tent. It stood in the exact spot where Cedric and Seraphina's tent had been during Blunder's camp days. There weren't many tents in the camp due to the Solarions' way of life. Warriors in red armor drank and entertained themselves by the fire; many simply slept under the open sky on the grass and hides.
"Did you see how he looked at me?" Seraphina glanced over her shoulder at Jashkal. "What did he say? How do you even understand their language? And have you ever asked your spirit friends why all these people have white hair like you?"
"I had to learn quickly. After becoming king, I wanted to learn how to fight like the Solarions, to improve on what Eligh taught me. To do that, I had to learn the language. As for their hair... I never really thought about it. These people--they see war as a game they've been playing for centuries. Becoming the best in this game is a thrill for each of them. My father never knew who he was dealing with. He didn't know they were just toying with him. If they win, the game ends, which is why they were so reluctant to march on the Capital. We've only just begun our campaign, and we've already come so far."
Seraphina watched her grown son with admiration as he spoke. "You've become a man, Cedric. And you've changed so much. My baby boy." She held back tears. "I'm sorry, I'm being so sentimental. You've been such a wonderful little boy all these years, and now you're a king. I still can't believe it."
They approached the tent, and Cedric let Seraphina in. The tent was simple both outside and inside--crookedly set up, made from rough, unpleasant leather, and lacking the luxuries of a king's quarters. "Better than nothing," thought Cedric.
He took her shoulder, turned her around and kissed again, tasting the salty tears on her lips. He could kiss her forever.
"Is it hard for you to believe in us?"
Seraphina hesitated with her response, licking her son's saliva off her lips. "I am pregnant with your child. You just put more of your seed inside me. What difference does it make what I believe now? Do I feel weird sometimes, feeling you filling me? Do I feel weird when we kiss like a couple? Well, yes, but that's because I saw you being born, I was part of that. And I was watching you taking your first steps, and starting your life. Now, we are here, and I am happy and feel good with the person I cherish most in the world."
Cedric touched the top of her head with his nose, feeling Mum's warm hair, the scent of childhood. "I love your lips and your scent. Your eyes, your hips, your breasts..."
He touched her boobs and her beautiful butt. He squeezed two thick ass cheeks, and Seraphina squeaked like a kitty. "Ewwwwwwww...Cedric, you're too...ugh...strong. Please, it hurts."
"Corvus and approaching Eclipse make me stronger." Cedric felt a tingling in his fingers and a power moving through his blood and muscles. "Ugh, it's..."
He pulled the hands away and stepped out of the tent, his hands trembling as if in a seizure. It was a terrible power, about to burst forth, an energy he knew nothing about. He used all his strength and finally the convulsions stopped. The pain and tingling in his arms ceased.
He almost lost control.
He looked up at the sky, at the moon. The eclipse was approaching, and the closer it got, the stronger he felt the power. A tingling. Even if he won, he would still face the Altaeri, who was lurking somewhere.
"Are you in pain, dear?" Seraphina came up behind and hugged him. They both gazed at the starry sky and the bright full moon. The light reflected in their eyes.
"I need to tell you something about Elowen," she whispered with sadness. "While we were in the valley, Arik didn't send his troops without a reason. Elowen secretly sent him letters saying she was being mistreated and that things were terrible here. She even claimed I was cheating on him with Blunder. She's the one responsible for what happened."
Cedric didn't answer. His heart ached with a pain that was wrapped around by a white raven.
"You're the only one I could always trust and love. You're the best mother I could have ever dreamed of."
"You are the best son any mother could ever dream of," Seraphina whispered, moved by his words, and nipped his earlobe.
