"Clark" Arabella walked into his workshop, it had drawings of magic spells all over and documents laid out all over. Magic stones filled the table as different items littered the room
"Clark" she crouched down and stared at him as he slept peacefully on the couch. Ever since clarisa started sending him letters regularly he has stopped pushing himself to the limit.
She brushed his blond hair planting a kiss on his forehead.
"I always loved the side of you that was ready to sacrifice yourself for your family. I'm glad that your relationship with clarisa is better" his eyes opened slowly revealing his deep blue eyes she fell for.
"Bella, did you wait long" she caressed his cheeks as he smiled
"Dont get up, I just wanted to give you the letter from clarisa." He sat upright the moment he heard it was a letter from clarisa.
At first she sent just one letter addressed to me but after some time she begun sending two one for me and the other for Clark.
He thought I didn't know but he always did a small silly dance when he reads her letter.
His complexion is looking so much better, when Arabella had met Clark for the first time 5 years ago, he was passed out at a back alley while trying to acquire a rare material he needed for a magic item.
Her mother always warned her about strange men, but she couldn't leave the handsome helpless man she just found. She snuck him back into her room caring for him all night.
When he opened his eyes, it was love at first sight for her as she proposed to him instantly, shocked by the strange lady proposing to him, he used a teleportation scroll to run away.
It took almost a month before they met again but after a few not planned and totally coincidental run ins she was finally able to make him hers.
"Arabella?" He stared at her, touching her face gently. Even after 4 years of marriage he still gets too shy when close to me, it makes teasing him so much fun.
"I was just remembering our first meeting, you looked like a helpless bunny about to be devoured that day" he smiled placing his head on hers
"Well.... ahem.... while we are at it.... there is something you don't know about ...our second meeting." She looked at him confused as their second meeting was when he had requested some magic books from her family, they were both so shocked when they saw each other again.
"I specifically asked for you to be the one to deliver the books.... i really wanted to see you again... it was the same with our third meeting, I found out where your favorite spot was and I heard you liked going on boat rides. So I planned to be in distress and in need of saving when you would be passing on your boat"
Arabella couldn't believe what she had just found out after 5 years, she always felt their meetings were too scripted to be a coincidence but who knew this blushing shy man was the mastermind.
She couldn't help but laugh as she realized something new about her husband.
"So.... was it love at first sight?" His face turned red, how could he have thought up such elaborate plan but still gets so shy.
*********
"Your grace, your tent has been set up, please come with me" sir lucas lead me to a huge tent that had a flag with the emblem of runan on it.
"If you need anything, please feel free to ask me. I'll be waiting outside if you need me" He waited outside as I walked in, it was a simple black tent with a table and chair and a big bed ok the side. I wonder if they always go through all this during each expedition or if they are just being so extravagant because I'm here. ******
*******
It's was the next day, and howls and growls could be heard coming from deep in the forest.
"My dear, we will set out soon. The monsters must have been alerted by our presence by now. It's best to fight them as far away from camp as possible " although theo was busy dividing the groups and coming up with reckon plans, he made sure to keep me up to date.
Since I'll be using magic if didnt need a sword but I was given a rapier anyways.
We set out the moment the sun begun to rise,after walking for about an hour, we were immediately met with what looked like wolves but they were huge almost 6 feet tall with huge bodies and a large mouth. The knights went to work on it instantly and I could see why hannah called it a massacre and not a battle. In a matter of minutes they had brought down 10 of these creatures. They tried not to do too much damage to the monsters, trying to always have a clean cut on the neck
"Dont worry dear, we will take on the next set of monsters that approach while they rest" the knights were divided into 5 groups and we were part of group 1 with theo in command.
After the monsters are defeated, they are placed into a pouch with 7th circle spatial magic for storage.
We fight went on for about 5 minutes with over 50 monsters defeated.
"Group 3 to 5 fall to the rear line and catch your breath, groups 1 and 2 will take it from here" although we had less number than grouo 3 to 5, we had more skilled knights, having theo and lucas in the group made it the strongest of all. Sir cavill, sir Gideon and dame ava took control of groups 3 to 5 respectively.
Being on the Frontline of the battle was exciting as I could feel my blood rushing.
It was my first time using magic in a battle so I stuck to the support role, freezing the monsters from the legs to their body while the knights finish them off.
Even with the growls filling the air and the thick stench of blood I had no fear because I knew I had someone watching my back at every turn.
It was a kind of trust I never knew I could feel for someone else. I had full faith in him just the way he had faith in me.
Watching theo fight i understood why his men had such blind faith in him, he looked invincible flowing with the wind like an angel of death. With each step he took a monster fell down, for a moment I took a minute to stare at how amazing he truly was.
After fighting for about an hour, the 5 groups spilt up searching for the monsters that may have been hiding.
'If you are to investigate anything, make sure to do it in groups of three'. Theo always put their safety first, instead of asking for results, he encouraged them to run away if they encountered monsters they couldn't beat.
"My dear, you did great" he helped me wipe some blood that had dropped on my shoulder.
"We will return back to base in about 3 hours." He walked beside me so smoothly replacing lucas who was standing in as theo went to give orders to the other groups before they all dispersed.
"Do all your hunts look like this?"
"Yes dear, the monsters may be big but they lack intelligence so even though they attack in numbers, they are easy to fight off if you develop the right strategy." There were lots of corpse of monsters on the floor.
"My love, what happens to these monsters? Do we just leave them behind?"
"Yes dear, these monsters are not good for consumption nor do they have any fur to be used. The forest will use them for nourishment and they will be thrown into the cycle of birth next year"
I knew the forest was a magic forest but who knew it would actually eat up the monsters.
After about 4 hours all 5 groups met up in the forest. Sir Lucas did a head count before we headed back to the camp site.
"Your grace, how was your first hunt?" Everyone had been quite shy to approach me but sir Gideon doesn't seem to feel that way.
"I enjoyed it, I'm glad I was able to be of service to the people of runan" I thought theo would be unhappy with his men casually chatting with me but he seems to like that I'm comfortable with them. This is another thing the novels lied about, every male lead always tries to hide the female lead from other men. I don't think I'd like that though, it's almost like saying he doesn't trust me to be around other men, I'm glad theo isn't like that. It makes me so happy.
"Oh your grace, your service to runan is so huge... you melted the heart of an ice stat....." he was instantly smacked by dame ava, he looked at her hurt like he didn't understand why he just got hit.
"My dear, just ignore him... he tends to speak before he thinks."
"Its fine my love, i actually fine him quite charming, like an innocent little brother" gideons face lit up instantly beaming and letting everyone know that he was the duchess' little brother.
"Your grace, please don't encourage him or he will become a nuisance to you" ava exhaled weakly trying to rein Gideon in.
"You must be really close to sir Gideon, dame ava" she looked shocked then she blushed shyly
"Didn't you know my dear? They are married" that came as a huge shock to me. Dame ava has an air of refinement to her, she looks like a serious person who would follow her beliefs till the end, as for sir Gideon..... well.... he is the type to jump before looking.
"He suddenly proposed to me one day and I decided to take pity on him as no one would be able to bare being with him" she was blushing as she meekly tried to explain herself.
"Dame ava be honest with yourself"
"Thats right dame ava"
The other knights had joined in to tease her, who saw our party would think we were going for a leisurely walk not a monster hunt.
It just went to show how much the knights had into honing their skills to be so casual in a high risk situation.