My Love, My Sweet Burden (Text Only) Chapter 1 – Unexpected Love and Lover

Chapter 1 – Unexpected Love and Lover

 During one of my prayers in the chapel, I hear a voice tell me of the importance of my role in the next battle with a group of traitors who are siding with pagan beastmen. The others in the chapel including a priest tell me that I have a glow to me, ask me if I heard anything, and after I tell them, the priest tells my commanders to let me fulfill whatever God has planned for me without questioning or stopping me from accomplishing it.

 I have to say that I never thought I’d ever directly hear from God since I thought that the privilege was reserved for great saints and heroes. Going up to my friend, Priscilla, I repeat the same sentiment because it’s still hard for me to believe.

“It’s not too surprising, Dominic. Of course, you’d be graciously rewarded after all your hard work and dedication. I just wish I could be there to see what God has planned for you in the next battle. The commanders want to keep me here for the time being, especially with our new elf friend around. Speaking of which.”

 The young elf boy we are talking about shows up behind me cloaked in black to hide his sharp ears. Priscilla found him washed up on the shore with the bodies of other elves as he was being attacked by bandits and beastmen. After saving him, we tried to ask him where he was from and who he was, but all he’d said so far was that he misses his family and that he’s lonely. I feel bad for him being the sole survivor of the wreck and that strange cut around the edges of his mouth that the beastmen made. He looks at me as he passes by. I give him a friendly smile and he runs behind Priscilla and peeks out at me with one eye.

 “I’m sorry. Did I scare you?”

 “Don’t worry about him. He’s shy around everyone except me since I saved him.”

 “Sir Dominic! We are about to deploy.”

“I better get going too. This little man and I have a fun day ahead of us. See you later!”

“See you!” As I join the other soldiers on the horse-drawn carriage as it starts to leave the city with the other carriages and knights on horses, I regret not asking Priscilla if we can spend some time together after the battle. I’m sure she’d want to after I accomplish whatever God spoke to me directly for.

She’s such an amazing person, so amazing in fact that I think that she should’ve been the one that God talked to instead of me. I mean she was the one who saved that elf boy from the beastmen and bandits in addition to her many other accomplishments that I was there to witness that landed her a chair with the commanders. Ever since we met in our first days of training as soldiers for the Church, I felt a special connection to her, unlike anything I felt with anyone else.

“Dominic, are you fantasizing about a girl? You have the look on your face as if you do.”

“He’s probably thinking about Priscilla again. You should’ve asked her out already.”

“I’ve tried, but she’s always busy with something. The next time I have a chance to talk to her, it’ll be the first thing I ask.”

“You better act quick before that elf boy gets to her before you do. Speaking about him, has she told you anything about it besides what we already know?”

“Nope, nothing.”

“That’s a shame. You never see many people from the East here. I’d sure like to know what’s happening on the other side of the world.”

“Do you want to be the next to volunteer on the next suicidal expedition? The people from the European continent only manage to get here by the skin of their teeth because of monsters in the sea and the wreckage of the space sailing ships of the past.”

I tune out the conversations in the carriage as we near our destination and pray to God for my instruction. Almost immediately, I hear that I should go by myself to the east side of the walls of the stronghold before the battle starts. Since my commanders already know to trust me, they let me do this, so I sneak up to the walls by myself as instructed. Okay, now what, Lord? Again, I am given my instructions almost immediately as I hear that I’m meant to be in a relationship with the girl with pink eyes and curly hair. Once she’s with me and we escape the walls, the Church will easily have victory over these traitors.

Did I hear that correctly? A woman up there is my wife-to-be? Then that would mean my plans to be with Priscilla were in vain and me being delusionally in love with a woman who I was never meant to be with.

Well, if you say so, Lord. You know better than I do so let it be so according to Your word.

Taking out a piece of metal from my pocket, I conjure my crossbow from it. I load in a rope bolt to it, fire it at the wall, and climb up. I take it easy and slow as I sneak around the walls and look for the woman with pink eyes and curly hair. Thanks to my special vision due to being born an archer I can see clearly across vast distances. This woman must be really important if the battle will be easily won without her. Perhaps she’s some tough commander or inspiring soldier like Priscilla. Maybe she’s only defending these traitors because she was forced to. I heard that some of the people living in this stronghold were faithful, but once the beastmen took over, they forced people to serve them or face a painful death or torture.

On the other hand, maybe she is a beastman or a willing servant of them. Please, Lord, give me the strength to convert her heart if that’s the case. Okay, okay. I gotta stop thinking about what she could be and concentrate on finding her. While looking around, I’ve only been able to find one woman with pink eyes and curly hair, but is that really her?

 Even after waiting some time, I see that no other person who patrols the walls has pink eyes or curly hair so it must be. The woman I’m looking at is also an archer with a bow of her own, but she also doesn’t seem to be taking her responsibility seriously and looks to be talking to herself while looking up at the night sky. Well, maybe there’s something important about her such as being the daughter of an important leader here. She’s heading this way so I hide in the shadows until she reaches me, which is when I grab her and take her out of plain sight.

“Oh, thank you for the surprise hug. I really needed it.”

Huh? Is she serious? “No, this isn’t a surprise hug? I’m from the Church here to take you away from here. My name is Dominic.”

“Really? I’m glad you are since these beastmen are vicious and really mean. Why did you have to specifically get me? My name is Persephone, by the way.”

“Because God told me to since you’re my wife-to-be.”

“What?! That means you’re going to be my husband and we’re going to have children and we’re going to live together forever! Are you going to propose to me on one knee now?”

“Sorry, but this was sudden for me too, so I didn’t have a chance to get a wedding ring.”

“That’s okay. We can get that later,” Persephone says before kissing me on the cheek.

“Huh? What was that for?”

“It’s what couples do, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but we just met.” Something feels as if it was just stolen from me. No, no, no. I shouldn’t worry about who gave me my first kiss. It’s just a temptation from demons. This woman is going to be my wife.

“I’m sorry. I’ll hug you then since you hugged me.”

This woman is already starting to be a bit much for me to handle. I guess I have to be more patient than usual. “Let’s get out of here before someone notices.”

“Yeah! Let’s get out of here, but I’m sure someone already noticed.”

All the more reason to go then. Sure enough, as we’re leaving, beastmen and archers notice and start chasing after us. We both descend down the rope I climbed, run into the nearby forest, and keep running until we outrun and are a far enough distance from the stronghold.

“Hey, um. What are we waiting here for?”

“To get those defenders away from the walls so that my allies can easily overtake the stronghold.”

“Ah, I see! That was a smart idea!”

 “It wasn’t mine, it was God’s and you played your part in it by coming with me. You must’ve been important to the beastmen’s defenses.”

“Really? I’m not that good of an archer despite being born one. Those people I see in the distance who are chasing us are better fighters than me.”

Are you serious? Anyway, I find a large tree and bushes for us to hide in and hold Persephone close to me so that she’s hidden as well. The beastmen that are chasing us do look tough. As they pass by us, I see even clearer that they’re heavily armed with large axes and clubs and wear heavy armor with very few weak points in them. It’s a good thing we can just wait for them to pass-

Before I even realize it, Persephone gives me another kiss on the cheek, which is loud enough to attract the attention of the beastmen who look in our direction.

“Are you serious?!” I loudly whisper as I lose my temper.

“I’m sorry, I just thought it was why you were holding me.”

“I-! Whatever, just get your bow out. We have a fight on our hands.”

“Yes, sir!” I watch as Persephone takes a piece of metal out of her pocket and conjures her bow. She then begins to wildly shoot her arrows at the beastmen that explode in mid-air after a few seconds. Her fire rate is that of fireworks during a New Year's celebration and just as accurate at hitting things. At least it’s a good distraction so I direct her towards certain targets so I can get good shots in, and thanks be to God that it works allowing us to defeat the beastmen with not too much difficulty other than Persephone almost blowing me up a couple of times.

“Good job. I wouldn’t have been able to beat them without your help.”

“Really? I’m glad to have been so useful for once!”

“It’s no wonder why God wanted me to get you off those walls. You would’ve done severe damage to groups of soldiers with that wild firing of yours.”

“Yeah, I guess I am just a good archer in my own way. Thank you!”

I didn’t really mean it as a compliment, but I’ll let her have it and she is right in a way. We don’t have much time to relax since the commotion caused by the fighting and Persephone’s explosive arrows attracted the attention of the other beastmen that we were running from.

“I know my way through the forest and the quickest way to the next town. Let me take the lead this time, husband.”

“We’re not officially married yet, but sure, take the lead.” While Persephone happily leads us through the forest, I begin to think about our future together. I’ll definitely have to be the one to steer us in the right direction most of the time, but I have a feeling I could get used to her ditziness, or at least I hope I do.