Between Winter and Summer, There Is Spring

by Nahrenne 

 

Premise Tags: Beastkin, Age Gap, Time Skips,

Sentinel/Bodyguard Relationship,

Bisexual Protagonist, Cold Love Interest.

Content Warnings: Mild Violence, Murder.

 

 

The first thing I remember is the sound of screams, as my siblings lay around me lifeless, and my mother gasping for air as blood gurgled in her lungs. My father was not with us as he had gone to help defend our local lord – as was his duty. Which brings me to that moment that has stuck with me to this day: a wolf-kin, dressed in lavish robes and holding a crystal staff in his hand, glowed in the flickering flames.

He gave some orders to nearby soldiers of various beast-kin races before raising his staff to the heavens and casting a flurry of ice daggers at our assailants. His silver hair blew elegantly in the breeze as his pale skin shone like the purest pearl. I was struck with awe at the beauty before my eyes until I lost consciousness from blood loss caused by my own grievous wounds.

Some days after that, with our village and nearby settlements stabilised, the Knights of Silver paraded through as a bid to calm the citizens and put their minds at ease from the war with our neighbouring country. Leading that parade was that silver wolf-kin, riding a white stallion adorned in battle armour. Ludarius was his name; Imperial Wizard was his title; the Frozen Rose was his moniker by his admirers and fans, of which he had many.

I had him to thank for my not dying that night, as he had cast healing magic on as many citizens as possible once our enemies had retreated or been defeated. The scars on my abdomen and face were testament to the carnage that was a regular occurrence back then…I had even nearly lost sight in my left eye, with a chunk of my ear missing too. However, it was because of Ludarius that the war finally ended in our country’s favour. The Ice Demon, our enemies called him for his masterful use of ice magic – as if he were winter incarnate – of which they had lost many of their soldiers, but I didn’t care about that. It was their own fault for attacking us!

Wanting to follow in his footsteps, I asked my father to help me get a recommendation from the local lord to attend the Knight Academy. He didn’t agree at first, saying I was too young and didn’t realise how dangerous such an occupation was. My seven year old self didn’t care and so begged incessantly to the point I even had several tantrums until he relented. I suppose, in hindsight, he just didn’t want his last surviving family member to leave his side but I wasn’t to understand that due to my new aspiration of one day being like Ludarius!

 

✿✿✿

 

The next few years were spent as an apprentice to an apprentice to an apprentice of a Knight of Silver. Of course, the training was gruelling – with the attitudes of my peers even worse due to my appearance and small stature. I often got picked on by the older students, resulting in me ending up doing the chores, but I never backed down. I may have been small for my age but I was agile and fast, using my long tail to trip and whip them while my claws swiped across their own faces – albeit they were just kitty scratches since I was still developing them.

By the time I turned thirteen, the instructors deemed me worthy enough to be apprentice to a Knight of Silver which thrilled me greatly! With the change in lessons and duties, I found myself travelling across the country with my mentor while he dealt with his own duties. I was exceptionally happy, yet…also somewhat sad since I hadn’t got to see Ludarius this whole time. I wanted to show him how much stronger I’d gotten since he saved me.

“Perseus, what’s got you so pumped up?” My mentor asked while rubbing my ears.

“Pumped up? Why would you think that, Sir?” I asked while enjoying the ear rubs and purring a little.

“Hahaha, your tail was swishing like it does when we start combat training.”

“…It…was?” I blushed in embarrassment as I subconsciously wrapped my tail around my body like a hug.

“Don’t feel embarrassed, Perseus. I find it quite endearing.” He said with a kind smile on his face before saying he was going to up the difficulty of combat training that day.

A few months later, my mentor told me a special guest would be coming to the Knight Academy to inspect the recruits and give some pointers. When I asked who it was he just gave a knowing smile before saying he didn’t want to spoil it. My first thought was it would be Ludarius but then I pushed it aside when recalling how he’d never come before and must be exceptionally busy at the moment. With that idea gone, I struggled to come up with another possible candidate before wondering if it would be a member of the Imperial family.

To my elated surprise, it really was Ludarius who was visiting. I literally jumped for joy and shouted in glee when he entered the hall full of apprentice knights and their mentors. I heard the muffled chuckle from my mentor while some other instructors were quietly reprimanding me for my poor conduct.

“It’s fine, Sir Barindot. It warms my heart to see such eager recruits.” Said Ludarius in a smooth and calm voice that melted my heart yet somehow made the room grow cold if the shivers from several apprentices was to go by.

“Ah…if you say so, Sir.” Sir Barindot then bowed before returning to his position while glaring at me. I stuck my tongue out at him since I didn’t like his stuffy attitude and I knew I wouldn’t get severely reprimanded since my own mentor also didn’t like him.

“It is so refreshing seeing what the next generation of Knights will be like in the future.” Ludarius gave a cool smile, while his blue eyes radiated warmth that sent chills down my spine. “He really is skilled with ice magic…”

He continued with his speech before having a device brought in; a medium-sized black plinth, with grooves running all the way down, and a basin on top that he began filling with a clear liquid. We were all curious about what it was until Ludarius gave a small smile: “This is a geo-plinth. It’s used to help us detect a person’s affinity to each magical element. Since you have all managed to keep up with your training, you have earned the right to begin the next step on the path towards being a Knight of Silver.”

I was eager to see the device, as well as Ludarius, so grabbed the shoulders of the guy in front of me and pulled up so I could look over his head.

“Hey! Gerrof me!” He tried to shake me off but I just wrapped my tail around him to anchor me in place.

“I just want a better view. It’s not like I’m hurting you.”

“Tch!” He wriggled a few times before finally giving up when he sensed the eyes of some of our mentors.

“However,” we both turned our attentions back to Ludarius who was staring straight at us, “not everyone is blessed with the power to harness that element.” He held his hand out and spread his palm, his eyes then glowed a brilliant blue before me and the boy found ourselves surrounded by ice arrows poised and aiming at our vitals. “Care to help in a demonstration, boys?” He asked with a soft smile that caused the temperature to plummet a few more degrees.

“…” “…”

We both looked at each other before I jumped down from his shoulders. “I’m game.”

“…It would be an honour, Sir.”

“Excellent!” Ludarius’ smile grew even softer, yet it only made us feel colder, “Everyone else, please move to the side while these two boys dodge my arrows. It’s been a while since I’ve had live target practice.”

“!?” “Wha-?!”

“I’ll give you five seconds. Five. Four.”

I ran away from the boy in front of me, hoping to lower the focus on me and give me a small chance of getting out unscathed. It seemed the boy had the same idea, as he went the opposite way.

“Three. Two. One. Let the demonstration begin.”

No sooner had he finished speaking that the ice arrows split in two directions and darted towards us at a terrifying speed. It only took a second before the first three arrows reached me, though I tried to use my agile body to somersault out of the way they still managed to graze my arms. “How do we have a chance in this demonstration when he is the Imperial Wizard!?”

“To make it easier for you apprentices to understand what’s going on, I have reduced the speed and lethality of my arrows to the lowest level. The most serious injury you will receive – if you prove to have adequately trained – are cuts. If you haven’t trained well enough…well, I’ll be sure to close your wounds before your blood loss makes you pass out.”

“!?” My ears twitched as my instincts made me swerve backwards and to the right. Not bothering to stay in one spot for too long, I ran away again. With my sensitive ears, it seemed I made the right call as the shattering impact of several ice arrows sounded from where I was initially heading.

“Gah!” From the sound of it, the other boy got hit hard. I glanced for the briefest of moments at him to find he had an ice arrow in his calf which caused him to limp.

“Since things are already proving a little difficult for you both, I shall allow this demonstration to only last five minutes. You have already had thirty seconds.”

“What?! Ah!” I rolled along the ground before kicking myself back up as another round of arrows dug into my previous position. “This feels more like a punishment than a demonstration!” I yelled at the top of my voice.

“Oh? You realised? Perhaps you’re not as stupid as you looked, then.” Ludarius retorted, which was a bit of a low blow to my self-esteem.

“He…thinks I’m stupid…” I subconsciously slowed as the dejection hit me. An ice arrow nearly hit me in the shoulder, but my instincts kicked in and I managed to dodge it just in time. Feeling frustrated with myself for leaving a bad impression on my idol, I took in a deep breath before staring at him. “If you think this will make me back down from becoming knight, then I’ll prove to you that I’m amazing!”

I did a few combat rolls – as my mentor had taught me – before running straight for Ludarius. “Raaarrrgh!” I charged right at him, alarming the instructors, and grappled Ludarius. Or…I would’ve if he hadn’t dodged out of the way. I fell forwards onto the ground before rolling to the side to avoid another round of ice arrows.

“Tch!” I got up as fast as I could and charged for Ludarius again, “Stop dodging!”

“I could say the same to you. Be a good boy and take your punishment.”

“Never!” I wrapped my tail around his ankle while distracting him with my arms, resulting in him revealing an extremely mild hint of surprise.

“Oh?”

I then dropped to the ground and tried to kick Ludarius’ legs to knock him off balance. Of course, it was this point that I felt my tail suddenly freeze up where it was attached to me, resulting in me losing my grip on the man. Ludarius then gracefully stepped out of my tail before several blunt and cold objects whacked me in the back of the head. “Kuh!”

I woke up to find myself lying on the ground with Ludarius healing me. “W-wha—?"

“Do not speak.” He said in a cold voice.

I clammed up but not out of choice; he had sealed my mouth with some ice – though it didn’t seem to hurt. After a minute or so I found I could talk again, only for the Imperial Wizard to stand up and turn to the crowd of apprentices that had gathered back into the middle of the hall. It seemed that I lost consciousness after my failed attempt at tackling Ludarius, as had the other guy – though he wasn’t present.

My mentor came over with an amused expression and patted my head before congratulating me. I tilted my head in confusion which only served to earn me a chuckle from him. Ludarius then resumed with the purpose for him visiting: to test our elemental affinities with magic. Apprentices were called up, one by one, with several not showing results for any element, while others could use up to three! I watched with eager anticipation for when I’d be called up, hoping I’d be just as good with ice as Ludarius was.

“Perseus.” I jumped up and down while swishing my tail before running up to the geo-plinth. “Place your hand into the liquid.” Ludarius instructed with an icy tone. The man didn’t even bother glancing at me, which made me pout a bit.

Shoving my hand into the liquid, a warm sensation tickled the palm before the plinth became red, orange and yellow. “Eh? Isn’t ice supposed to be white and blue?” I asked in confusion, which resulted in my peers and mentor chuckling.

Ludarius stared at me with a chilling visage, “You really must be an idiot, to not know the colours of your own element.” He pointed at the plinth, “You’re clearly fire. Now, pull out your hand. Next!” The wolf-kin had already turned his attention to another person, completely ignoring me.

“Hey! Why can’t I be ice?!” I shouted, feeling angry with the plinth for lying to me.

Ludarius didn’t bother looking at me as he gave an unfeeling reply, “With such a personality, how could you possibly consider yourself as of the ice element? You’re brash, temperamental and argumentative. These traits all correlate with someone who is of the fire element.” He then motioned for my mentor to pull me away.

I was heartbroken. My dreams of being just like my idol were destroyed because of a stupid device! I shouted in frustration before running out of the hall. I of course, received a reprimanding for my behaviour, as well as a stern admonishing from my mentor.

“Think about how fortunate you are to even have an affinity to a magic element? So many of the recruits will never be promoted as highly as a knight wizard can. Wasn’t your dream to be able to help protect people? You can achieve that even more with magic.” He sighed before ruffling my hair, “You’re just like a hot summer: full of passion and energy. Why not put that to good use, hmm?"

I sighed as the admonishing continued well into the night. I got what he was trying to say but I just wanted to be cool like Ludarius!

 

✿✿✿

 

Several years of gruelling magic knight training passed and I was finally promoted as a Knight of Silver by the age of eighteen. No longer needing to follow my mentor around everywhere, I was appointed a region to watch over during times of peace. As a small reward for my achievement, I was gifted leave for a week and so headed home to meet my father.

Thinking back on it, I hadn’t seen him in eleven years – though we had kept in contact through letter correspondence. At some point he had moved out of our home village, finding a home that was further from the border yet closer to the local lord’s residence. Walking up the small path leading to the front door, my sensitive ears twitched at the sound of children laughing from inside.

“Hmm?” I paused mid-step as I began to wonder if I’d got the wrong house, only to see a rabbit-kin woman come round from the back of the house.

“…”

We stared at one another for a few seconds before I smiled and bowed, “My apologies. I seem to have come to the wrong residence. I had thought this was where Hector lived.” I turned on my heel and began striding away only for a meek voice to call me back.

“Ah! Wait, this is where is he lives!”

I stopped at the sensation of a small hand gripping my clothes before hearing a slight panting. “Did she run just to stop me?” I glanced behind me to see the woman breathe fast, then smile at me.

“You must be Perseus. Hector has always spoken of you. I’m Clarice…his wife.” She averted her gaze before blushing, emphasising her pale skin, pink eyes and white fluffy hair.

“…Wait a minute…My father remarried?!” I exclaimed in shock before hearing a low chuckle come from behind me. I immediately swerved around to see my father in his work attire with a smug expression on his face. “You?! When?! How?!”

My father nonchalantly shrugged as he walked over to Clarice and wrapped his arms around her before giving her a deep kiss. After a few minutes of hearing them make out, my father eventually parted from his wife and smiled at me, “Good to see you back, son. To answer your question, I got lonely and wanted a big family again.” I watched as he casually moved his hand to Clarice’s rabbit tail and squeezed it before letting go – resulting in her blushing more.

“…Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked with a blank face.

“I didn’t want to distract you from your dream.” He replied while motioning for Clarice to head inside. He then turned back to me with a warm smile, “I take it you’re an official Knight of Silver, now?”

“…Yes I— kuh!?” I was suddenly hugged by my father who was taller and bulkier than me. The wind was completely squeezed out of me as he held me in place for a while.

“I’m so proud of you, son. You’ve grown into a fine man.”

I reciprocated the hug and nuzzled his neck, taking in the familiar and familial scent while swishing my tail slowly. “I missed you, father…”

“Mm, and I you, son.”

Father then led me inside where he introduced me to my fifteen new siblings. Yes, that’s right, fifteen. I know I’d heard that rabbit-kin women could have large litters but…this was an impressive amount! When I stared at Clarice before then glancing at my father, I received a knowing smile from him with the enigmatic words, “Once you get a taste, you’ll find it hard to stop~ It’s in our lion-kin nature, after all.”

“…”

To be honest, I was flabbergasted at how ‘active’ my father and step-mother were with one another but I was happy that he managed to find someone to be with after mother’s tragic demise. I spent the rest of the week getting to know my half-siblings, some rabbit-kin while the others were lion-kin. Once my small holiday was up, I left home to the sound of crying – which made me feel sad.

 

✿✿✿

 

Work as a Knight of Silver was easy for where I was appointed. All I had to do was mostly deal with rampaging beasts and monsters, the odd bandit here and there, as well as help find kidnapped children. To be honest, it was a little boring being out in the countryside with locals who had barely any common sense. Want an example? They tried housing a drake in a barn full of hay. If I hadn’t been able to kill off the fire with my magic, I fear some of the people would have lost their lives in that inferno.

As such, the days passed by in boredom as I thought about what cool things Ludarius would be doing as the Imperial Wizard. Every day, I heard travelling merchants bring word of him quelling skirmishes along the border, or of him curing a noble of some incomprehensible disease. The man was a living legend to everyone, which only made me feel more frustrated with my current situation.

Luckily for me, I had to go to the capitol every six months to give a report on how things were going. If my performance was good enough, then I would undergo rotation with other knights and be appointed to another location. As such, I had made sure to always be in the locals’ good graces – not that it was that difficult when you just had to entertain them every now and then with a little magic trick. Though, keeping them safe was the number one priority, too.

Eventually, the time came for me to pack up and head to the capitol. I said my farewells to everyone before setting out. Reaching the city, I entered the headquarters for the Knights of Silver and handed in my identification and documents. Deciding to relax for a bit, I headed for the dormitory and dumped my stuff in the room allocated to me before venturing out again. Walking the streets, I came across my mentor and some of his other pupils.

“Oh? Is that you, Perseus?”

“Hmm?” I turned around and saw a group of people being led by a tiger-kin in his late fifties who looked very familiar. “Mentor?” I asked in welcome surprise before walking over.

“Ah, it really is you! Welcome to the capitol, Firecracker!” My mentor hit me square on the back with his large hand as he laughed, then hugged me tightly.

“Aha, please don’t use that nickname for me, mentor…it’s embarrassing.” I said with a wry smile while feeling the gazes of his companions on me.

“What’s wrong with that nickname? You were such a wild thing with a short fuse, blowing your top off whenever things didn’t go your way~” He laughed before smacking my back again.

“Kuh!” I held my ground and subtly applied some fire magic to my back to soothe the pain.

My mentor then introduced me to the others, learning they were all going to be heading to the Entertainment District to relax and enjoy themselves. He invited me to join them, offering to show the sights for a first timer like me, and so I accepted. Little did I know that a tour of the city wouldn’t be my only first time I’d be shown.

Our group went through the Grand Market, passing through many extravagant stalls filled with exotic amenities and trinkets I’d never seen before. There seemed to be a number of different cultures outside our country selling things here, which intrigued me. I must admit that my curiosity got the better of me and I bought a few items along the way.

Leaving the Grand Market, my mentor led us into the Entertainment District where there were a multitude of fantastically coloured buildings that oozed opulence and grandeur. On the streets, musicians of exceptional talent played amazingly while beautiful snake-kin girls used their flexible bodies to beguile the audience with their dancing. I would have kept watching them, but my mentor grabbed me by the ruff of my neck and pulled me along, saying I would have a better thing to see soon.

Stopping outside one of the most tastefully decorated buildings in the area, my mentor revealed a smug smile before pushing open the doors and striding in. Inside, I was overwhelmed by the sweet and spicy aromas of perfumes, food and something that made me feel a thirst I’d never experienced before. I heard the cheers from my peers as they rushed in and headed for the reception desk. I followed tentatively behind them while admiring the interior.

My mentor got a key and glanced at me with a smug expression, “Time for you to have a taste of the capitol’s best delicacies~!” He then pulled me along up the stairs before stopping at a room and unlocking it. The group parted here, since the rest of the guys had got their own keys. They waved at me and my mentor with knowing smiles before heading into their own rooms.

I was a little confused at first until I entered the room for us and saw the bed in the distance. Two cat-kin women were laying on it, scantily clad, with seductive expressions. My mentor then guided me to the women before releasing me from his grip and throwing me into them. “Enjoy the meal, Perseus! Show them your fiery passion, hahaha!” I watched as one of the women moved towards him, while the other crawled over to me.

 

✿✿✿

 

Let’s just say that I was a changed man after that day. Whenever I had free time in the city, I would frequent the Entertainment District and partake in delicious meals. To be honest, it helped relieve the stress I accumulated from being appointed to places in the countryside. Every assignment was as boring as the next one, though they did seem to be situated closer to the capitol with every new one.

Eventually, I was assigned a position in the capitol city as a guard of the Imperial Palace. It had taken seven years for me to finally be exempt from having to deal with idiots in the countryside as this job was considered the epitome of being part of the Knights of Silver. Saying that, the noblemen who frequented the Imperial Palace were on a whole different level of stupid and idiotic. Though…I wasn’t too bothered about the many ‘favours’ I received from their wives and daughters in bed.

There was a minor hiccup that landed me in trouble with the head of the guards when a nobleman’s daughter ended up pregnant because of me. With some fast thinking, I eventually managed to resolve it by offering to take in the child once it was born and to never speak, or get close, to the mother. As such, at the age of twenty-six I became a single father of a male lion-kin by the name of Atreus.

Other forms of entertainment while working consisted of keeping my eyes peeled for glimpses of the Imperial Wizard. Since he predominantly worked for the Imperial Family, his place of residence was also within the Imperial Palace. I have to admit, when I found that out I jumped for joy at the thought of showing that Frozen Rose how far I’d come. My heart pumped as I anticipated the chance to see him after so many years. “I wonder if he’d recognise me…”

 

✿✿✿

 

To answer my curious pondering, it has been five years and Ludarius still hasn’t recognised me. Sometimes, I was tasked with joining a group of other guards to keep an eye out during meetings between the Imperial Wizard and foreign dignitaries. At those times, I took every opportunity to watch his graceful movements while ensuring everyone’s safety. It was also those times that I realised he had no recollection of ever meeting me, which brought down my spirits.

“Why so down, Dad? Did a maid spurn your advances?”

I glared at my cheeky son as I entered my palace guard apartment. Gone was that cute child I had taken responsibility for, and before me was an imp from hell with the fiery mane to prove it! “Shut your trap, Atreus! No woman can spurn my advances – they’re powerless to resist~”

“Ohhh? Then was it that wolf guy, again? Give it up, Dad. Why should he pay attention to you?” He smirked at me before pulling on my tail and climbing up my back.

“You little rascal!” I created some small flames and aimed them at my son who quickly jumped off me and ran away while laughing but not before biting my sensitive ear with his fangs.

“Get back here, right now, Atreus!” I chased after him and ended up play-fighting with the cheeky boy – teaching him some self-defence techniques in the process. We played together until we both fell asleep, with me wrapping my tail around my son and nuzzling his ears. “You’re such a handful…”

 

✿✿✿

 

The day was like any other, as I trained in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace. I was lucky in having chosen the same time-slot as Ludarius, and watched his beautiful body as he gracefully danced with a silver sword infused with ice mana crystals. His loose robes flowed around him as his long silver hair floated in the air as if in water. Tiny particles of glacial dust formed around him as he practiced his techniques with perfect and efficient movements.

I was entranced by him and ended up standing still as I admired him from afar. I suppose I should count my blessings that I had stilled, since it allowed me to notice the change in air flow and sinister shadow from the rooftops. Subtly glancing up, I could see a group of individuals in hooded cloaks trying to mask their presence as they focused their malicious gazes at the Imperial Wizard.

I checked the surroundings and realised I was the only guard present, which concerned me. Using my affinity with fire, I spread my consciousness around the area and noticed several guards either unconscious or paralysed at certain points. “?!” I immediately cast a barrier of searing heat on my skin that evaporated the poisonous substance in the air. I glared at the group on the rooftop before running over towards the Imperial Wizard.

“Ludarius! Watch out!” I rushed over and shot a fireball at a fragile glass bottle thrown by the group – completely disintegrating it and the contents within.

“Hmm?” Ludarius turned to see what was going on and finally noticed the malicious aura directed at him. He held his sword between his palms and clapped them together, making the weapon disappear, before pulling them apart. A long crystal staff, similar to the one I saw as a child, appeared in the sword’s place as ice blue symbols crept along his skin. “Stay back. They are here for me.”

“Like hell I will! As the Imperial Wizard, your safety comes first!” I shouted as a shower of arrows came down from the rooftops. I expanded my barrier to encapsulate the both of us before setting up several more at varying intervals – turning the arrows to dust upon impact. “Raargh!”

I gave a bestial roar as my claws and fangs lengthened. Battle ready, I then charged towards the assailants – using my agility, speed and strength to easily climb up the walls and land on the rooftop. Emblazoning my claws in searing flames, I swiped at the aggressors as my flaming tail whipped them in half. From down below, I could sense Ludarius begin casting a complicated spell while protected by my barriers.

After a few seconds I felt a piercing chill down my spine as my ears twitched at the premonition of danger. I jumped down from the rooftop just as a swirling storm of ice dust, spikes and sub-zero temperatures assaulted the remaining enemies. I stared at the scene, watching the bodies freeze in place before shattering into tiny pieces and blowing in the wind.

“Ludarius!” I glanced at the wolf-kin as he breathed heavily before dropping his staff. I caught him just as his body began to sway to the side, seeing the blue symbols fade away from his porcelain skin.

He lightly held onto my shoulder as he breathed into my ear, “Hah…I’ll be fine…hah…Just need…hah…a little rest…”

I felt my heart race at the proximity, taking in the scent wafting off him and gulping at how wonderful it was. Holding him in my arms, I waited for him to catch his breath as I eagerly examined his features from up close. His long silver eyelashes fluttered, revealing clear, icy blue eyes that captured the soul. His silver hair was sleek and soft to the touch, while it shimmered in the sunlight as if he were the moon.

With him in my arms, I then realised how slender his body was beneath the robes, though not weak and fragile at all. His white wolf ears were fluffy and elegant – standing upright and tall as he remained alert to his surroundings. “Ah…I want to nibble on them…” I thought to myself as I leaned my face towards them.

“Hah…Thank you…hah…for protecting me.”

“!” I realised what I was about to do and immediately froze. “A-ah, don’t mention it! Haha…ha.” I blushed as I smiled at him, hoping my earlier actions hadn’t been noticed.

“Your name.”

“Hmm?” I tilted my head at him and was met with his icy blue eyes.

“Tell me your name so that I may reward you for your services.” Ludarius said in a cold tone, yet there seemed to be some warmth behind it.

“A-ah, um…Perseus.” I averted my gaze, wondering if he’d recognise my name as that of the troublemaker all those years ago.

“…I see. Thank you, Perseus. You may release me, now, since I have recovered my strength.” He moved to push me away from him, so I obliged with a wry smile.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You seemed pretty fatigued just then.” I asked with concern, surprised he seemed so tired from doing one large spell – even if it was a complicated one.

“…I am fine. It is because I had to rush the spell without proper preparation.” He bent over and picked up his staff, shaking it a few times before it melted and re-froze into the sword from earlier.

“I see. I’m glad nothing serious happened to you, then.” I said with a smile while hoping we could talk for longer.

“Mm.” Ludarius walked away and began examining the area.

“…”

The wolf-kin glanced back at me and frowned, “Why are you just standing there? Alert the rest of the palace guards of the intruders!”

“Ah! Of course! Sorry!” I blushed as I ran away to inform the higher-ups, thinking how beautiful Ludarius had looked from up close.

 

✿✿✿

 

Suffice it to say, my days after that event changed. It came to light that the intruders had been sent by an old ally of our country that wished to take us over. They had seen Ludarius as a threat to their plans and so sent in assassins to eliminate him. Such intentions soured the relationship between both countries’ governments behind closed doors while they continued to maintain a façade of peace in front of their citizens.

Due to my actions at the time, I was promoted to become Ludarius’ personal bodyguard as a reward and recognition of my services. It was then after several months of keeping him safe that I found I could no longer be satisfied by noblewomen, maids and other frequent liaisons whom I indulged in. Instead, I sated my desires while thinking of that beautiful wolf-kin.

As such, while standing behind my charge, I couldn’t help but imagine what he looked like without any clothes on. “What are your moans of passion like? What kind of face do you make when climaxing? I want to hear and see them…”

“…Perseus.”

“Hmm? Yes, Ludarius?” I asked, coming out of my reverie.

“…Is there something on the back of my head?” He slightly turned so he could glance at me from the side.

I blushed at how sexy that looked before averting my heated gaze, “…No. Other than your beautiful hair and ears. Ah!” I realised I said the latter sentence out loud and widened my eyes in shock at my stupid mistake.

“…I see.” Instead of reprimanding me for my gross misconduct, I was ignored by him as he simply returned to his work.

“You’re not angry?”

“…”

“???” I moved closer to him to make sure he was still awake, only to be met with an icy stare that sent shivers down my spine in a good way.

“…Why should I be angry at a compliment?” His left ear ever so slightly drooped as he averted his gaze from me before continuing with his work.

“I see…You’re right. It’s not a bad thing to be complimented on.” I smiled before absentmindedly reaching out to stroke that soft ear of his.

“…What are you doing?”

“…Admiring how soft and beautiful your ears are?” I answered questioningly, a little confused as to why I did it myself.

“…If you say so…” Ludarius then ignored me as he resumed his work once again.

“Does that mean I can keep stroking them?” I internally asked as my hand couldn’t resist the soft silkiness of the fur and earnestly stroked Ludarius’ ear.

After a few minutes of stroking his ears, I felt I should stop since it was a little weird to continue. Removing my hand, I took several steps back and resumed my post as his bodyguard. I watched his elegant figure as he read through multitudes of documents and signed several forms. Every movement of his graceful hands mesmerised me, making this job the least boring one I had ever taken. Heck, there was no boredom whatsoever!

 

✿✿✿

 

The months passed by and became years, as I remained as Ludarius’ personal bodyguard. Several attempts were made on his life, as well as some other high-ranking officials, resulting in tighter security around the entire Imperial Palace. Rumours began circulating among the populace of tensions rising between our country and our old ally – as prices for items from them rose and were taxed more heavily than other countries.

Over the years, I had grown bolder with my actions towards Ludarius. Sometimes, I’d run my fingers through his hair and take in his scent. Other times I’d stroke his cheek and tell him how beautiful he was. I even had the gall to grab his wolf tail with my lion tail and slowly stroke it up and down while nibbling on his ears. That one particular action made him frown at me, though, so I dared not try such a bold action again without his permission.

Since I was his personal bodyguard, my place of residence was moved to be next door to Ludarius’. Atreus wasn’t too happy about it but there was nothing I could do since I needed to be close to my charge for his safety.

“Why can’t he just live in our apartment, Dad? Why do we have to cater to him?” My son asked while pouting for the nth time since he was no longer near the children of other guards.

“It would be improper for him to sleep with m—in the same house! He is the Imperial Wizard, after all!” I corrected myself while trying to hold my blush back, though I knew my crafty son had noticed.

“Oh~? Speaking of sleeping…I haven’t seen you bring over any ‘friends’ lately, Dad. You haven’t turned impotent, have you?” He had the nerve to pat my crotch while smirking.

“…You dare insinuate your old man has lost his skill? Huh?” I chased after my cheeky son as he climbed over the furniture while laughing.

Atreus had been growing well, becoming a strong boy like his father. Looking at him, though he was lion-kin, he shared more similarities with his mother. I sighed as I recalled how cheeky she had been, too – which was why I ended up courting her in the first place. She had since married another nobleman and had several children with him so, I suppose she was living happily now.

“What’s wrong, Dad? Lost all your stamina, too~?”

“Why you?! I’ll show you stamina!” I came out of my thoughts and chased after my son again, resulting in us running down the corridor that partitioned our home from Ludarius’.

The sound of us clattering against the walls must have disturbed the Imperial Wizard, since he opened his door and watched us chase after one another. “…What are you doing?”

I paused and stood at attention upon hearing his cold voice, “Nothing, Sir!” I even saluted at him.

Atreus giggled before sneaking up and pulling on my tail.

“?! Atreus! Get back here, right now!”

“Ahahahaha!” I watched my son run around the corner while laughing like his hyena-kin mother.

“…You’ll regret pulling my tail, Atreus…” I announced sinisterly, already coming up with ways of tormenting him once he returned. I then realised Ludarius was staring at me, thus I smiled awkwardly at him. “Haha…ha. Kids, eh?”

“…” I watched as the man slowly went back inside and closed his door without answering.

“Hah…” I gave a deflated sigh, as I wondered how low his opinion of me was now. I then returned to my apartment to sulk while practicing my magic.

 

✿✿✿

 

A few weeks had passed, and it was time for Ludarius to make the rounds in each part of the country to help boost morale. As his personal bodyguard, I too had to go with him, resulting in me dropping Atreus off at my father’s place. Clarice was as dainty and pretty as ever while the number of my half-siblings had only kept increasing. I believe the number was in the forties now, which made me wonder just how my step-mum managed to keep such a petite figure.

Of course, my father was thrilled to finally get to see my son. He promised he’d keep him safe while teaching him many things. I only hoped those ‘things’ he planned on imparting wouldn’t end up biting me in the rear afterwards, since I knew how mischievous my father could be at times. With Atreus safely with my father, I departed with Ludarius from the capitol and began the tour.

Everything was fine for much of the tour until we neared the border of our old ally. The tension in the air was thick enough to slice through, which unnerved several of the other Knights of Silver following along. I rode my chestnut-coloured horse up next to Ludarius’ white stallion out of concern for his safety.

“You doing okay, Ludarius?”

“…Mm…I am fine.” He responded as he looked straight ahead as the citizens waved and threw blue and silver roses towards us.

“If you say so. Just remember to tell me if you’re feeling tired so we can take a rest.” I said reassuringly, knowing that the wolf-kin was not as young as he looked.

“Mm. I can handle a simple parade, Perseus.” He gave me a side glance while revealing a cold smile – yet it made me heat up inside, though his eyes seemed to linger a little longer than usual.

“Okay…” I replied while gulping a little, having thoughts of seeing him without clothes again. I attempted to make idle chat with him to lighten the mood pressing down on us from our surroundings. “The weather’s nice, isn’t it?” I smiled while internally cringing at the bland question.

Ludarius kept looking forward as his ears twitched a little, “Yes…The sun is shining particularly brightly today.”

I was a little confused about that since the skies had been overcast for the entire day. I tilted my head up to see if I had been mistaken, only for the clouds to be the same dark grey they had been since we left the residence.

“Do you think anything will happen, Ludarius?” I asked while scanning the crowd while smiling and waving at them.

“I hope not. It would not be an ideal situation if such a thing were to occur.” He replied as his tail rose a bit before patting the back of the horse gently.

I smiled at the small action, finding it cute. I guided the horse closer to his and reached out to stroke his tail while pretending to adjust his robe to look more presentable. I received a small look from him as his ears twitched before he turned back to the front. I felt a blush grow on my cheeks from Ludarius’ cute actions that added to his charm.

“?!” All of a sudden, my body stiffened as my senses went on full alert.

I detected a malicious intent from the crowd and instinctively dived in front of Ludarius while casting a flaming barrier around us. Just as I fell in front of him on his horse, a sharp object struck my chest and caused searing pain. “Kuh!” I spat out some blood as the magic I controlled surged back into me and churned within.

“Perseus!” I heard Ludarius shout in a surprised voice as I put all my effort into sending a well-aimed fireball at the assailant, disintegrating him into ash; the act of casting the spell made the magic within surge even more violently. “Perseus! Are you okay?!” I heard Ludarius ask as he held me close. He checked the injury I sustained, and his face hardened before he cast a spell into the sky that caused a blizzard.

I felt him carefully wrap an arm around me while riding his horse away from the scene. “Knights of Silver! Fan out and search for accomplices!” I heard him order as we began to leave the vicinity of the area. He then leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Don’t move, okay? I’ll get us somewhere safe so I can check your wound.” There was a slight wobble in his voice, but I thought it was due to the horse’s galloping.

I smiled as I sensed his concern for me, while feeling happy that he was safe. I even snuggled more into his chest and felt more at ease from the proximity – his lovely breath falling on my hair. The rest of the knights all swarmed the crowd to both protect citizens, as well as secure the location. With the situation being handled by my colleagues, I felt him ride away from the crowd and the village we’d been parading in. I vaguely watched with a slightly blurred vision as he rode us into a copse of trees before stopping and jumping down.

“Hang on, Perseus! Let me get you down so I can check your wound!” He shouted to me with a hint of panic in his cool voice.

I felt him gently but efficiently pull me off the stallion and place me on the ground. With my back on the grass, I stared up and saw Ludarius’ flustered face. Well, I say flustered – his eyes were wide as his ears were perked straight up and on high alert.

As he looked down at my chest, I saw him pause as his beautiful blue eyes turned moist, showing that he was genuinely worried about me. “Perseus…” I felt him place his cool hand near the wound as he took a sharp intake of breath. I noticed his ears droop a little and wanted to reach out and stroke them.

“Nngh!” My attempt at moving intensified the raging firestorm inside – almost like I was being burned from the inside out by my mana.

“Perseus!” Ludarius showed concern on his face as his moist eyes started pooling liquid jewels in the corners.

I smiled while coughing up more blood as I pushed through the pain, reaching my hand out and stroking his cheek, “Don’t…kuh!…start to…hah…cry…”

My words only seemed to have affected him more as the two jewels slowly fell down his perfect cheeks and landed on my face. “…”

I rubbed my thumb along his wet cheek and smiled more reassuringly, “Don’t…cry…Kuh! You’re…too beautiful…to be…sad…”

I felt him grab my hand and subtly kiss it while returning to his ice-cold expression, “Sh! Don’t speak! Let me heal you!” I sensed his cool mana seep into me but it only made the churning fire within rage all the more.

“Nngh! Hah…Hurts…” The sound of me being in pain seemed to cause the tears to fall once again down his porcelain cheeks as he looked the most flustered I had ever seen him.

“It hurts? Let me check the weapon!”

I felt him slowly pull out the sharp implement embedded in my chest and heard him take a deep breath as he examined it.

“Hang in there, Perseus! I need to find a special herb! Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!” I then heard Ludarius let go of me before jumping onto his stallion and riding it away.

“Mm…Sleep sounds…nice…” I slowly lost consciousness as the pain within continued to increase and wreak havoc on my internal organs. My final thoughts were of how sad it was that my last image of Ludarius was of him crying, even though that was also beautiful to me.

 

✿✿✿

 

“…” I opened my bleary eyes to find myself staring at a familiar ceiling. “…Is this Hevilne?” I muttered as I lifted my hand up only to find it was weighed down by something.

Turning my head, I saw Ludarius sleeping beside my bed with his hands clasped around mine. I used my other hand to brush his silver hair away from his face to find his cheeks flushed red and stained from tears. I stroked his cheek and cupped it in my hand, feeling a cold warmth from it.

“Mmnh?” Ludarius stirred from his slumber and slowly revealed his icy blue eyes. “!” He hastily sat up and showed a worried expression, “Are you all right? You’re not in pain still, are you?”

“…I’m fine. How about you? You didn’t get injured, did you?” I asked while stroking his cheek.

Ludarius leaned into my palm and softly shook his head with a cool smile, “No. You saved my life and kept me from harm.” His smile then slowly fell while averting his gaze from me, as he began softly crying again, “…Why did you do it? Why did you dive in front of me?”

I smiled at seeing so many expressions from Ludarius before wiping the tears away again, “Because I love you and don’t want to see you die.”

“…” I watched as his eyes widened at my confession before he frowned at me, “You idiot! How do you think that would make me feel?! Seeing you die when I…” He averted his gaze once again as his pale cheeks turned ever so slightly pink.

My heart beat a little faster as my breath quickened in anticipation, “When you…?” I inquired while reaching up to stroke his soft wolf ear.

“…When I love you, too…” I heard him mutter as his cheeks turned a slight shade darker.

I smiled warmly before pulling Ludarius’ head towards me and kissing him tenderly on the lips, “Sorry. I didn’t think you would reciprocate my feelings.”

“…Idiot…” Ludarius muttered before giving a clumsy kiss back, “…take responsibility for melting my cold heart with your fire.”

I chuckled before deepening the kiss, “Mmnh…hah…I want to make your whole body melt, Ludarius. Not just your heart.”

I watched as he blushed more, “Idiot…do you have any idea how much magic I’ve used to keep a cool head around you? From you touching me so intimately?” He gave another deep kiss, though it was a little clumsy.

I smiled, “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve reigned in my passion for you?” I ran my fingers through his soft hair before massaging his wolf ears.

“Ahhn~ Why must you go for my weak point?” Ludarius asked as he stared at me with a heat in his eyes.

“Because you’re so beautiful.”

We then got more passionate with our actions, resulting in us consummating our relationship with our bodies. Amazingly enough, him being a wolf-kin became very apparent to me as he filled my body with his love and lust. Though I had never experienced that before, I quite enjoyed it – feeling sated in a way I never had before.

Our vigorous loving reopened the wound on my chest, though Ludarius’ skills with healing magic resolved that problem. Though the blatant cause of the wound resulted in our country going to war with our old ally, Ludarius and I didn’t think on it. Instead, we appreciated how it finally brought us together after pining for the other for so long.

I guess you could say opposites attract: my hot, fiery and passionate personality – often equated with summer – was cooled and calmed by Ludarius; while Ludarius’ cold and unfeeling heart – often equated to the dead of winter by some – was warmed and melted by my touch and affection. Together, we found our spring. Together, we found our love.

 

 

✿

 

Author's Accounts:

Nahrenne (SHF)

Nahrenne (SH).