In the year 1252 of the Calendar of Ancient Calendria, the landscape was dominated by towering mountains and vast, untamed forests. In the heart of the sprawling Nordari encampment, stood Prince Julian Alerius Tiberius. He is the third son of Emperor Lucian Alerius Septimus. The sorcerocrat Emperor is hailed as a divine being by his subjects. He astonishes them with his extraordinary magical abilities and ageless existence.
However, Prince Julian stands among the people, his mortal form blending seamlessly with the crowd. Surrounded by the sounds of laughter and chatter, he became immersed in a relaxed conversation with a Calendrian soldier.
The sun was just beginning its descent, casting a golden hue upon the vast Nordari courtyard. Julian’s eyes sparkled with mischief, a playful laugh leaving his lips. “It's been several moons since I set foot here, and I'm still bewildered by the Nordari men, who willingly let their women fight their battles,” he teased. As Julian and the soldier observe the Nordari men, with their broad and powerful bodies, they playfully jostle each other and let out hearty chuckles.
Julian had no clue that King Cadell Vloki, the revered unifier of the Nordari clans, was silently listening to his husband's talk. Every word Julian uttered, every chuckle he shared with the Calendrian soldier, acted as salt on the open wound in Cadell’s heart. A warrior sage woman with the gift of divination told Cadell about Julian's treachery earlier that morning.
Without warning, rage and betrayal fueling his every step, Cadell lunged towards Julian. The very earth trembled under his might, enhanced by Nordari magic. As his wild auburn locks flowed behind him like flames, Cadell’s face, etched with battle scars, contorted with fury. The very air around them grew heavy with tension.
Julian, taken aback by this sudden onslaught, let out a gasp, his violet eyes widening. Those same eyes, once filled with passion and warmth when looking at Cadell, now mirrored fear. Cadell’s fingers, powerful and unyielding, gripped Julian’s delicate shoulders. With a roar that echoed across the encampment, he shouted words of pain and heartbreak in the guttural Nordari tongue. To any outsider, it might sound like the growling of a beast, but the essence of his words was clear.
Beneath the growls, in the guttural, fast-spoken tongue of the Nordari, Cadell’s voice, raw with emotion, resonated in the echoing silence of the courtyard. "You shared the sanctity of your bed with a Norean, our sworn adversary. Your heart, it seems, has always danced to his tune, and not to the rhythm of our vows. My spirit feels shattered, its very essence crumbled, like the ancient ruins of our ancestors. How can I look into your eyes, those portals to your soul, and see the man I wed? How can our union, once a beacon of hope for our nations, stand firm amidst this storm of betrayal?"
His eyes, previously ablaze with fury, now glistened with unshed tears. "I believed that in you, I had found solace, a balm for the gaping wound left by Eirik's demise. I dreamt that our hearts had intertwined, becoming one in harmony. But now, those dreams seem nothing more than illusions, mirages in the vast desert of my soul."
His voice took on a biting edge, the hurt evident in every word, "You pansy, with petals that sway with every breeze, misleading those who dare to care. You tease, a flickering flame that promises warmth but only burns. Know this, Julian, today, my heart bears a tear, a mark of your treachery!"
Pinned beneath the weight of his husband, Julian’s expression darkened. “Yes,” he spat with venom, “I loved Sorcerer Zane of Blackwater. And you, with your blind rage, killed him.”
Cadell’s heart ached, his voice choked with emotion as he replied in Nordari, “I believed him a threat. I thought I was saving you!”
Their eyes locked on each other, each man’s gaze searching the other’s for understanding. Julian saw a creature of untamed fury in Cadell, while to Cadell, Julian resembled a snake, ready to strike. From love to loathing, their relationship had taken a downward spiral in one mere morning.
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