Epilogue (Your Lancer Part 4)
#8 of Your Lancer
Part 4/4 of the "Your Lancer" series
After many years, the jackal tells of a moment on their verge of another major change in his life.
Cover art by Nanoff (@nanoff94), with edits by me.
Word Count: 2030
I loaded the last of the cargo into the carriage, making sure it was firm. A glance and I found Pyrrhos, my Red, talking to Ianthe.
He was not kidding when he once said they are best friends. Ever since that day all those years ago, they have become inseparable. If the wolf was not in the barracks or the bedroom with me, teaching or conversing with his son, he was with her.
I approached the wolves, their smiles squarely set on me. After a sigh, she tapped the red wolf's shoulder before talking.
"Well, I'll see you boys later." She kissed the side of his muzzle before ruffling his hair. "Behave, will you?"
"I will, I will!" He responded behind chuckles.
After she let go of him, she turned to me. Once, that would have made me an anxious mess, but by then, I knew the matron better than to fear her. With two hands, she took my palm and peered into my eyes.
"Take good care of him," she said.
"I will."
"And don't you disappoint me!" her childish tone makes us all laugh.
She placed a quick kiss on the back of my hand and then parted. As I joined Pyrrhos in the cart, we waved her goodbye. And so, with the clip-clop of the feral horses, our trip started.
And what a voyage that was. Reminded me of the first spring we spent together; the end of a period in our lives, and the start of another.
I fell asleep with my head laid on his shoulder; his pets only hastened the process. Instead of dreaming, my slumber brought retrospection.
My life transformed many times over those years. I went from a timid apprentice to secret lover, alleged adulterer, hardened soldier, Golden Returner, and finally liberated lover. All the people I met, how they affected me, how I changed them, all as if I watched a play.
In our time in the army, we saw scant other large-scale conflicts. Those we went through were enough for him to get new scars and for me to earn my first few. War also took the lives of Aolians we knew; even the General had fallen in a previous conflict.
After twenty-five years of service, the Red Wolf of Aolia retired with great honor. As his Lancer, I was posed to become a Ward, to pick a partner of my own. Chalkinos was my immediate choice, but the young man chose to devote himself to knowledge after leaving the Youth Army.
When he refused my offer, he said something I would not forget.
"Alexis... Sir Alexis, you can provide more to Aolia away from the battlefield. Become General. You will change things for the better."
A mind beyond his years. We devised a plan to make my seat on the Council a reality. I left the Band of the Sacred Beads altogether, and was promptly scouted to be a captain in the Standing Army.
What I needed then was the admiration of the people, the trust of the Council and the support of the army. The legend of the Golden Returner made me popular among the troops; Ianthe herself assisted me with her connections; and to earn the public's heart, I did that trip.
I was always happy to spend breaks with my wolf, and the trip had its utility; but sadness did not escape my mind. After that trip, I could not live with him anymore; the suspicion would be too great. No longer would I wake every morning beside him; no longer we would speak every day; and every night, my lips would miss his.
"Dear?" A deep voice called me. "Dear, wake up, we're here."
His statement and powerful rays of sunset broke through my sleep. From behind the hand I raised to block the sun, I saw the small, lake-side village of Dystos.
We spent the rest of that day settling down in the small mansion an acquaintance of Pyrrhos' had arranged for us, and managing the contest grounds for the following day.
The event was the reason for that whole affair. The Council prepared the competition to celebrate the town's admission into Aolian territory. According to plan, I would win the games so I would earn fame among the denizens. By the end, the ordeal of organizing the tournament tired us plenty.
Evening came and, after a hearty dinner, courtesy of our host, we were on our way to bed. I had not seen the room we would share yet, so when we stepped in, I was met with a grim reminder.
"Separate beds..."
My tone carried enough of my feelings for my lover to give me a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry, Alex. I'll put them side by side."
He worked quickly, while the thought that had grown paralyzed me. Before I noticed, I was beside him in that dark room; I had little strength to face him. His arms beckoned me to hug him again and again, but my inner storm still immobilized me.
"Alexis, please. At least talk to me."
"Red," I sighed, before I turned to his muzzle, "this is how things are going to be, isn't it? Even in the bloodiest days, I could find solace in your presence. Now, what will I have? Weakness and fear."
His thumb cleared a tear that had escaped me.
"You'll have the kindness of a saint, intelligence of a tactician, body of a demigod, a smile like the sun, and of course..." His palms forced our muzzles together. "Me."
We broke into a timid but passionate kiss. It did not heal me entirely, but was a good remedy I needed. Once we parted, I gave into his wishes and let him cuddle me for the night.
In the middle of our embrace, he put his open palm where I could see it and I met his digits in an union. Even if his fur had grown slightly silver, and some of his fingers lacked a phalange or two; I found his hand beautiful all the same.
"Alex," he whispered into one of my ears. "you have loved me for these ten years, correct?"
"Of course, Red."
"And will you love me for the next ten?"
"I will."
"Then you'll have me by your side not just every night, but every second." Another peck on the side of my muzzle. "Good night, dear. I love you."
Tenderness in his words and tone made me emotional, but also sleepy. Though my torpor prevented me from saying it, I love you too, Pyrrhos.
The sun rose, and me and the other competitors warmed up. The outfit for these competitions was quite revealing; exposed more than my perizoma.
Through the rays of dawn, and lewd remarks by my man, I sensed how my body changed over the years. I was once scrawny, followed by gaining the musculature of a fit warrior, and then my muscles were on the verge of contesting Pyrrhos'. The looks of admiration I got mimicked those I once shot at the wolf.
Attendees from Aolia, Dystos and more filled the bleachers. In the early morning, me and my adversaries surrounded a stage where the ringmaster and a board of judges, including Red, sat.
With the call of the presenter and the unanimous applause of the crowd, the competition started.
I was not pleased to tussle with the men during Wrestling. The action brought me obscene memories of my time with Pyrrhos; and I doubt that tiny thong concealed the result of those recollections. We talked later, and he bore no spite over it.
Archery was a simple affair; a mixture of the inexperience of my peers and the wolf's teachings. Two of my five shots reached the bullseye, and none missed the target. After that competition, I noticed the audience cheering me on.
And finally Running. The area around the lake of Dystos would scare off most; to the point it passed as the game with the least amount of participants. I won thanks to said lack of competitors.
All the games I partook over, I waited for the end of the other events and for my body to cool. I gazed at my wolf diligently rating the rest of the men; wondering if he was truly impartial about my performance.
At the end of the event, laurels were distributed. As an exhibition tournament, there was no single victor chosen, all who excelled at a game won their crowns. As we expected, I was the only one with three awards, and thus the center of the attention, foreign and Aolian.
After a public dinner celebration, we were again alone in our shared bedding. Since I had to take a bath, Pyrrhos was sniffling me all around.
"C'mon, Red," I said in the storm of smooches. "I'm tired."
"Sorry, dear." He slowed down his puppy-like embrace. "You smell so good; and you did so well too."
I stopped too, finally feeling his body up. To my dismay, another intrusive thought came to me.
"I only won because of what you taught me. Honestly, I'm just repeating what you did."
He chuckled at my statement before breaking into laughter; my response was a frown.
"What's so funny?"
"You don't see it, do you?" One of his arms embraced me, the other put my muzzle close to his. "My limbs did not pin those men down again and again; yours did. My legs could never run around a lake. And you're so much better than me at archery!"
"Pyrrhos..."
"Hear this, my dear: deprecating yourself hurts me too. So... please don't do that."
Our tongues tussle in a sweet, lustful kiss; it lasts for minutes as our fingers also touch each other.
"You are right, Red. Thank you for not letting me forget."
"Pleasure!" His understanding face became a lewd growl. "How about I show you how beautiful you really are."
"Oh, Pyrrhos..."
We spent another night in desire and emotion. Tiredness left me paralyzed by the end of it; but also in the perfect position.
Our final full day in Dystos. We assisted with the dismantling of the installations of the event, but that only took half of the morning.
We spent the rest of it together, sightseeing, meeting locals and mingling with officials.
Red had prepared a surprise for me: a lunch on a hill by the lake. I had to help that old man up the elevation, but eventually we sat and ate our food.
We barely shared words during the meal. Comfortable silence was enough for us. But eventually, he broke it with an excited tone.
"I have something for you."
"Do you, now?"
He fiddled with the basket until he brought forth a small box. Opening it in front of my eyes; two silver rings rested within it.
"What are those?"
"Well, in this region, there's a legend that lovers that share rings like these are bound forever."
"That is so..."
"You seemed... upset that our relationship would go through changes again. I thought this would be a pleasant reminder." He took my left hand and put one ring on my finger. "I love you, Alexis, and always will."
The small trinket hypnotized me; but Red beckoned me to do the same to him. I complied.
We held our left arms aloft. The sweet action put me on the verge of tears, but seeing our matching bands opened the floodgates. He hugged me in a sea of kisses.
Once I calmed down, we sat there for hours, again in sweet quietness. Before I dozed off, I saw the banner of our polis rise in the small town. Aolia going beyond the Holy Mountain was far too foreign a concept to me; but was reality.
Our lives were changing. So was Aolia, and perhaps all of Thetika as well. A scary thought. But I realized at that moment: being in perpetual change had always been the case.
Because I faced all change head-on and earned a place where I was loved. So, even if it was dangerous or scary, I'm glad to have done it all.