War

TAGS: WAFF
Hello guys I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing and rating this story so far ^^. When I put up the next chapter I'll also move the story into the romance section so look for me there.

No apologies needed Starmix, it was a great suggestion. I couldn't decide where to put it exactly when I first posted the story but I think now that I've gotten a second opinion it is a much more suitable place.

And Cade, don't worry lol, no stopping this story for a long while. I don't take hiatuses or any of that stuff. More often than not a story just runs out of interest. Thats why I write ten or more chapters ahead before I posted a single chapter on AFF.net, I wanted to be sure it was a solid story of interest for me. And I must say, I love Azel and Cat.

I want to thank you ashesxx2xxashes, you've been so loyal and so kind, my first reviewer I'm forever in your debt. *bows*

And to all, I'm getting a very large fanclub for Azel it seems, I'm so happy you all like him. He's been...difficult to manage. He's a wonderful character, very calm and collected. But inside I've tried to create something a bit softer with actual human emotions rather than the military man he plays off. It's been hard and frustrating to keep him contained but it seems he's behaved himself well and you all like him ^^. And don't worry, he won't behave himself for much longer >.O.

(ps. this is a twofer)




9
Catherine had only eaten half of what had been on her plate but she didn't want to be there any longer. She couldn't decide if she should be angry or touched that Azel wanted to give her back. He hadn't really been a bad keeper. Wallace only shrugged at her and went to work cleaning dishes. The young soldier beside her looked pinched again as she stuck close to Azel. He placed a copper on the bar before heading for the door; Catherine close at his heals, almost mocking the young soldier as they left. She was a little taken aback when he turned away from the road leading out of town, but didn't let him get far from her sight. She wanted to be back at the tent, but it seemed Azel had other plans. A makeshift stable stood just a short way past the inn and her keeper walked in as if he owned the place. No one else paid him any mind; the place was rather busy and full. Catherine drank in the smell of animals, it calmed her a little. She let Azel gain some distance from her as he paused at the stall of a tall black stallion. A heavily burdened saddle rested on the stable door.
"Cat, come here." She walked over to him curiously; her head cocked a little as she looked from him to his beast. He was pretty but wild looking, his nose flaring from the scent of her. She smiled at him but dared not touch him.

"You said you didn't know how to saddle a horse?" She didn’t entirely shake her head, but offered an explanation instead.

"I know the wanted result of putting a saddle on a horse, but I'm not sure of the mechanics of it entirely."

Azel opened the stable door and walked in, unafraid of the large animal. Catherine wasn't so sure she should do the same. He picked up a thick folded blanket and placed it on the stallions back. She only watched, as he didn't give her any voiced directions. He threw one of the stirrups up over the back of the saddle and pulled out a strap before letting it drop to the animal's side. He walked to the other side and did the same. He pulled the straps together under the horse through a metal loop before pulling it up towards the saddle. She watched him carefully and closely; sure that he wouldn’t show her a second time. The muscles stood out on his forearms as he worked and tugged at the leather. He seemed oblivious to her as he pulled the remaining strap up to just under the edge of the saddle and tied it off in a neat, almost hidden knot. He pulled the stirrup down again and turned towards her to see if she understood. She nodded to him, drawing out an actual smile. He walked back out of the stable and handed her the lead from the stallion's bridal.

"Walk him back to camp."

She swallowed nervously and looked at the animal with doubt but would do as she was told. He followed her easily and without protest, but she was sure he could smell her fear. She wasn't used to handling large animals, especially not ones who have seen more blood and battles that she had. Azel walked on the opposite side, ready and willing to intervene should the stallion get startled. But they left the town without incident and made it back to camp in one piece. Azel took the lead from her hand, a surprisingly light movement, and tied the animal to a near tree. Catherine sat next to the dying fire, grabbing a nearby log and building the hot coals up to a flame again.
"I didn't know you planned on leaving." He sighed and sat down on the ground beside her. She tensed a little but stayed where she was.

"I received orders a few days ago that a building army to the south needs me. I have to leave tomorrow morning." She gave him a short side-glance that he quickly caught.

"Or rather we have to." She relaxed a little; she didn't want to be left for the young soldier to find.

"What is that army for?" He smiled at her question, but she ignored his behavior, deciding not to pry at him.

"What every army is for. But it's small yet; it'll be some time before it's ready for any real battle. Small raids is all it's good for now." She nodded to show she had heard him but stared at the fire. There was nothing more she wanted to talk about, and she found herself suddenly very bored.

"I have something for you to do." She swallowed and hoped it wasn't anything bad. Azel disappeared for a moment into the tent and came out with an arm full of clothes.

"I'm not very good at laundry."

She laughed at what she guessed was an attempt at a joke and took the clothes from him. She looked towards the trees for a moment before looking to the sky. It was barely noon, it wouldn't be dark for a long while yet, but she couldn't seem to make herself move. She listened behind her as Azel stood and moved towards her.

"I'll go if you'd like." She glanced over at him, his voice sounded almost shy, but his features betrayed him. His gaze was cool and heavy as always, staring from a face carved from granite. Catherine blushed under his look, she felt silly.

"I don't want to go by myself." He started towards the trees without answer and she followed, feeling a little better that she wouldn’t be caught on her own again. Once at the stream she laid the laundry down on the warm bank. The bucket from before was still there and Azel lifted his eyebrow at it before looking at her questioningly.

"See I told you I wasn't running away."

He picked it up and dumped out the now warm water, before finding a shaded place to sit. Catherine gathered up her dress to her thighs and tied it in a knot; she avoided meeting Azel's gaze and picked up the laundry before wading out into the soft current. She didn't have her scrubbing board, so instead found a smooth rock and used it to work out the dirt. The sun felt warm against her skin as she set about her chore. It was a pleasantly familiar rhythm; it calmed her despite how much she hated doing it. She was only a few shirts in when beads of sweat began to break out on her forehead and chest. She stopped a moment to tie her hair into a bun and unbutton the first two buttons on her dress. Despite the cool water up to her mid-thighs she felt warm, perhaps she could bathe after the clothes were finished. She looked over her shoulder at her keeper; he was sitting at the base of a nearby tree, his head resting back against the bark. His eyes were closed and he seemed utterly at ease, but she knew the slightest sound out of place would have him at his feet again. His knees were pulled up slightly, his arms resting against them as his hands dangled, he looked happy. An hour's work passed by quickly to her, the laundry finished and bundled together to be hung at camp. Azel decided to carry the load but Catherine lingered at the streams edge just a moment longer.

"I want to take a bath." He stopped and turned a little to look at her, a little grin at his lips.

"Out here? Why not at the inn?" She bit her lip, suddenly aware that her legs were still bare.

"It'll cost money at the inn, and it'll take time to prepare, I just want to wash." He sighed and set the laundry down.

"Well I don't think it's a good idea to bathe out here, someone might see you." She blushed deep scarlet but refused to give in. She wasn't going to make other slaves carry buckets of water for her when she could simply bathe in the stream. Azel saw the hard stubbornness cross her features and gave in.

"Fine, but I'm staying with you." Her mouth fell open in shock at what he was proposing.

"I will NOT have you watching me!"

Even as the words passed her lips Azel strode towards her with his lethal grace. She silenced quickly, him standing only a foot away from her. Anger remained on her face but she took a small step back.

"Is it really for a slave to decide who looks upon her?"

His words stabbed deeper than she thought he realized. It was the first time his icy tone was placed on a command, it chilled her. She thought he must have seen the look of sudden pain on her face, he softened a little and stepped away giving her space.

"I'll not watch, but I'll not leave you either." She squinted at him, the hurt still cold inside her.

"How do I know you won't peek?" A grin pulled at his lips and she glared at him as if it would waver him.

"You don't."

*****

Azel grunted with disappointment as he sat against a tree, his back to the stream. He listened as her dress fell to the ground and the soft sounds of moving water reached him. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the bark again. He could hear her dipping into the cool water, her hands running up her arms and sides, her wet hair slapping against her body after she dove and resurfaced, the gasp of air through her lips, the rise of her full chest. He clenched his jaw and shook away the images running across his mind. She wasn't his for that, besides, he wanted to sell her for a stronger pair of hands once he reached the southern army. Some other man could break her in that way. Not him, he had dealt with a maiden slave before and it ended sadly for them both. He wasn't to do that again, not to her. In truth if he felt he could save her from such a fate he would, but that ability was beyond him. He wondered if he would even be able to restrain himself during the two-day journey to the south.

He lowered his chin and stared at his hard calloused hands. She wouldn’t have him; she would be the barrier between him and his drive. He'd be damned if he tried to rape her. In truth he hated having female slaves, they were soft and needy and easily hurt or lost. Male slaves were stronger, more loyal, and easier to manage. Azel ran his fingers through his hair in ragged frustration. He only had her for two days and could already feel the wear of it on him. The sounds of feet on dirt drew him from his thoughts. He wanted to turn to see if she was finished, just a look, an innocent look. He clenched his jaw and waited, rooted to the ground like a tree. He'd be damned if he tried to be a peeping tom. He decided hard, right then and there, he would be rid of her once he reached the southern army; he couldn't be her savior or protector, not for long anyway.

******

Catherine walked over towards Azel, she was happy to see him in the same spot and position she had left him in. She had been nervous through the entire ordeal but decided he was a man of his word once it was given. For a moment she actually felt bad for pegging him as a low life pervert, but only for a moment. He didn't move until she was beside him, the edge of her dress moving into his field of vision. He looked up at her, he seemed suddenly very tired. She peeked at the sky, it was dusk already, morning would come too soon for them. He stood and led her back out of the woods and to their camp in silence. She wondered why he was so quiet. She walked just behind him and to his right; she didn't feel right walking even with him. Her behavior didn't seem to bother him, but his was bothering her. He seemed different, harder, if that was possible. Had she made him angry?

"I'm going to bed. We leave at dawn."

She watched him disappear into the tent, silent and cold and distant. She sighed and stared about herself, unsure of what she should do. Other nearby soldiers stared her down; she followed him into the tent before the groups got together for food and drink. He was lying on his back, shirt gone, hands behind his head. His ankles were crossed under his blankets. His body was smooth and lithe looking, a light dusting of dark hair around his stomach disappearing to someplace under the blankets. She swallowed, it was the most she had ever seen of a man, it was enough to make her flush a pretty pink color and tear her eyes away. He didn't move or seem like he was awake as she crawled between her blankets and settled in for the night. She laid on her side, facing him, a little afraid of waking up to find him already gone.

10
Azel hadn't slept very well that night; he woke constantly to seemingly nothing, or to a dream of someone screaming his name as if they were dying. It chilled him deeply, dreams should never be taken lightly, especially ones that rang so loudly as that one had. The dawn was near and sleep was beyond him. He turned over and sat up, running his hands through his hair frustrated. He looked over towards the source of his unease; he knew it was the strain of her being around. She reminded him of someone he had lost long ago, she was beginning to reach something he thought dead in himself, and he didn't like it. She slept soundly beside him, curled up on her side, her covers pulled up to her chin. Her features were soft and gentle and so young looking. The sudden draw to touch her came to him, but he refused himself that luxury. He had to distance himself, and quickly, she was to be sold in two days, he couldn't save her. He ran the wheel of excuses around his mind over and over and over again. Two more days, just two more days and it would be done. She would be gone and broken and used, and he would go back to forgetting and being cold. He forced himself to move, stretching once in the cool morning fog. His stallion called to him from where he was tied, it wasn't time to tend to him yet. He doused the glowing coals until they sizzled and smoked themselves out. He fetched his bedroll from the tent and tied the last bit of his things to his saddle, relishing a little in the cool air against his bare chest.

"You shouldn't be out here like that." A meek sounding voice bid him to turn; Catherine was staring at him, her blanket about her shoulders and a light flush to her cheeks. Whether it was from embarrassment or the cold he wasn't sure. She dropped her gaze as he stared at her.

"You'll catch a cold…" It was then he noticed his shirt in her hand, she slowly released it, letting it fall to the dew covered ground. She turned and walked back to the tent, disappearing inside once more. Azel sighed and followed her inside, leaving his shirt where it fell.

******

Catherine lay back down on her bedroll, a cold realization overtaking her. He didn't want her; he was going to leave her there that very morning. When she had woke and found his blankets gone but his shirt left, she was afraid he had already gone. Now she wished she had just stayed where she was. She had forced herself someplace she wasn't wanted for her own gain and protection. She was a slave, what better life could she ask for anymore? She suppressed a sob in her throat as Azel entered the tent. He knelt down in the dirt beside her where his bed had been. She couldn’t force herself into his world any longer, she wasn't wanted.

"Why didn't you leave? I'll stay if you want, I understand now. I can go find that man who wanted me so badly, he'd keep me don't you think? I think he'd keep me." A sickly forced smile touched her lips; she didn't meet his gaze that she could feel so heavily upon her. He touched her head lightly but she pulled away, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. Why was she crying so much?

"You'd better go, you can't keep the army waiting. I won't bother you anymore, I promise." He let his hand drop, an almost hurt look on his face that Catherine wouldn't look at.
"Why am I so important to you?" Catherine blinked away her tears and tried to swallow her lump. His gaze was heavy when she finally decided to look at him; it was searching and stabbing, like he was looking beyond just her.

"When you first talked to me, you asked me if I could saddle a horse and keep a camp, cook and clean. Not if I was a maiden, or if I had ever been with a man, or if I wanted to be. I think that's more than any slave could ever hope for. Would you be eager for that to abandon you Azel?" She set her jaw stubbornly, her body shaking slightly with the effort to hold in her sobs. She was stubborn in that fact, just as she had before when he had separated her from her mother, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

******

Something long dormant snapped awake deep inside Azel. He stared at her with open astonishment. He hadn't thought he had done anything for her, anything to please her or make her favor him above others. He hadn't realized why she was so afraid to separate from him. He swallowed hard, a sharp pain of guilt and shame stabbing him with each breath. He betrayed her the moment he spoke to her; he had ruined them both in that moment. He had seen this story unfold before him in the past; he had watched it burn to ashes in his hands and long turn to dust on the wind, lost forever. He reached his hands towards her, she recoiled slightly, still hard on her resolve but he ignored her stubbornness. He pulled her to him, his muscled arms encircling her small frame. He felt her stiffen under his embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head. His eyes closed as he relished in the touch, it was something he had long deprived of himself. Her warm breath spread against his chest, her body relaxing slowly but surely to fit against his perfectly.

*******

Catherine closed her eyes, giving in to her keeper's needs. She wondered what brought on the sudden change, if it was a final embrace goodbye or a deeply felt apology. She allowed her body to relax against his warmth, despite her anxiety. She could hear his heart beating against her ear with the rise and fall of his chest. His breath falling steadily against her hair, she had never been held by a man in such a manner, she liked it. He released her seemingly all too soon on his own accord, an underlying look in his eyes that she couldn't read in the split second it was there. He left her there, leaving the tent and her in a stunned state. She listened for the footfalls of his stallion's hooves, but the sound never came. Catherine forced herself to move, rolling her blankets and tucking them under her arm. She peeked out meekly from the tent to see Azel scooping his shirt up from the ground and pulling it on over his head. The fire was out, all the things packed and tucked onto his saddle. He moved towards his mount and Catherine froze at the tent entrance, was he leaving? He loosed the reins from their knot and threw a cool gaze and a cocky grin her way.

"C'mon Cat, we can't keep the army waiting."

She smiled weakly, looking for forgiveness on his face as she approached. She allowed herself to show her rare submissiveness in her behavior that Azel didn’t let go unnoticed. He cocked his head at it as he took her roll and strapped it down next to his. He mounted smoothly and offered a hand down to her.

"That is if you still want to go."

She threw a glance back at her town, the only place she had ever really been, it had been home, but now was something entirely different. She took his hand with confidence, and drew in a surprised breath at the ease of which he lifted her into the saddle. She hiked her skirts to better stride the animal as he gripped the reins before her. She settled into the motion of the horse quickly, finding it easier to simply lean back against Azel and let him move. He didn't complain, so she hoped her weight wasn't a burden.

"You might sleep if you can. We won't stop again until dark."

She didn't respond to him, but instead humored herself with watching the scenery go by. The world she had never seen, it was surprisingly beautiful. As the sun rose into the sky she slowly gave into her weariness. She rested her head against his shoulder, letting her hands relax in her lap. It was easier to sleep in the saddle than she had expected, especially knowing that she would be all right.


hehe hope you all like it. R&R plz, alms for the poor *rattles empty tin cup* keepem' comin' guys I LOVE them. ^^ And remember, next update (Monday or Tuesday) I move to romance so look for me there. toodles!