Lion of God

Yes Mame, No Mame
When I woke up the next morning I had already changed and was showered. I didn't remember doing that I must have been half asleep. There were clothes laid out on a chair that looked like a military type uniform. I knew what that meant. A knock on the door took me out of my thoughts.

"Come in." I groaned. It was the young maid girl, she was smiling wickedly.

"People are waiting for you in the dining area." She announced.

"Thank you, I'll get dressed and be right out." I smiled at her but she frowned.

"You know you have no chance in hell of surviving this...that's why the King put you in charge of leading his troops. He doesn't want you to be any closer to Tidius than you already are. He doesn't need someone like you!" She slammed the door.

I didn't know what to think of that, I didn't know why so many people were telling me to stay away from him. It made no sense, I'm only his partner...his coworker and maybe a friend. But why do people hate me so much, like the King he doesn't want nothing to do with me other that the fact that I am a good fighter.

I put on the black tank top with the King's symbol imprinted on the back. The symbol was a golden lion with a crown, raring up, and claws out. I slipped on the camo pants that were very similar to the ones Tidius had had the first day we met. My knives were laid out on the dresser strapped to a brown leather belt that fit around my waist. It was better than my black one I had previously. The loose knives fit in the little compartment inside of my boots that I adjusted onto my feet and tying them perfectly on. I felt ready as I ever would be so I put my hair up into a ponytail, and left this room to my fate.

The servants were glaring at me from afar, but I didn't take any notice to them. I needed to keep my game face on. I remembered my training in school, left, right, left, and right. I made it to the dining area where people I didn't know were standing and talking as I came in. They looked up to me, stiffened up their backs. I didn't know what to do so I stood there until someone said something to me. An older lion went up to me then.

"Ah your here, great. The King will be here in a few minutes to talk about the plan, and then you can go out and get to know the troops." He smiled with a devilish grin.

The next thing I know the King comes in with Tidius beside him, hair slicked back and was wearing the same uniform I was. He had his arms behind his back and had a look that would kill. I wanted to go up to him but the King started talking about a plan that I knew already. He just wanted the rest of the group to know that I was, as well as Tidius was commanding the troops. After that was done, I was about to say something to Tidius but the older guy I met before grabbed my arm pulling me out into the court yards where more than fifty men were in order.

"These are a special group of men, there will be more but these are your men...use them any way you can." He smiled down at me and then left me alone with the men.

"Okay then." I whispered to myself. "Well men I guess I should introduce myself...I am Ariel but you shall call me Mame I will answer to nothing but that, do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes Mame!" The men yelled in unison.

"I know that some of you have some special skills that you will use in the battle but let me tell you this, it's not all about skill or speed. You have to watch the enemy with your own eyes and mark down what their weaknesses are right off the bat!" I said but I heard someone laughing in the back. I followed my ears to see who the culprit was. It was some leopard who was being a smartass. "May I help you?" I growled.

"No mame." He smiled.

"What is your name soldier?" I asked getting closer to him.

"Jones, Mame." he said still smiling.

"Okay...Jones, would you care to tell the group what is so damn funny?!" I crossed my arms.

"It's just that you are so small...and plus how the hell are we supposed to figure out how to tell what a person's weakness is just by looking at them?" He smirked, looking straight.

"Is that right? Excuse me gentlemen." I waved off the other soldiers around him to form a circle around us. " I can forgive the small joke...but if you can't figure out what my weakness is in the next ten seconds I will tell you yours by knocking you the fuck out. Alright?"

"What?! How can I do that when you didn't even tell me how to do it, mame?" His eyes widened.

"I was going to teach it to you, but you decided to be a smartass and call your commanding officer out. Ten....Nine....Eight...."

"Wait...umm your knees? Is that it?" He was starting to panic.

"Seven...Six...Five..."

"You can't do this, I'm sorry please?" He pleaded.

"Four...Three...Two...One...Times up." I smiled. "Now like I said before you mark down their weaknesses, Mr. Jones' weakness would be his right knee. Do you see the way he holds himself? He puts more pressure onto his left...which means that he hurt his knee sometime during his training. Right?"

I walked around the man and kicked in his right knee causing him to drop to his knees and he cringed. I noticed that I had an audience behind my men...the King, Tidius, and the other men from the meeting were watching and talking.

"After you get him to his knees, you will notice that he cringed in pain making him vulnerable to attack...which leads us to his next weakness...his neck is thin and skinny that makes it the next target." I wrap my right leg around his neck, hooking it behind my knee tightly. "You can do one of the following now...either snap his neck or make him sleep."

Jones fell back onto the ground passing out.

"Does anyone else have anything they would like to say to me now? If not then have fun figuring out my weakness, and you are dismissed for now...it was nice meeting you." I smiled and went towards the group of people watching me.

"Nicely done, Ariel." The King clapped. But I wasn't looking at him...Tidius was avoiding me again. "Can you tell me what my weakness is?"

"You?" I scanned the King's body, it was only a slight weakness but it was nonetheless one. "You probably sprained your left ankle when you were younger, right?"

"Very good, how could you tell?" He questioned.

"You are leaning to the right..." I felt like I was being interrogated.

"See I told you she was good." The King smiled to the rest of the group.

"I'm sorry but was I being tested or something?" I frowned.

"Well of course my dear...why would I send out an amateur like you into a war that I need to win, unless I knew they were nothing but amazing." He smirked down at me.

"Right well...if we are done here, I would like to leave...now." I glared.

"Yes sorry, of course do whatever you need to do...But you will be here at 5 A.M. sharp tomorrow!" The King commanded.

"Yes, your Majesty." I fake my smile and left without another word. I felt someone was following me but I didn't want to face them right now.

I got outside of the palace and sit down on the stairs leading to the driveway. Leaning back I see that the person who followed me was none other than Tidius.

"Am I some kind of circus clown to you or something? Am I a piece of entertainment for your amusement?" I asked as he sit down beside me.

"Of course you are." He smiled.

"I'm not joking, Tidius. I'm getting tired of your father's sick mind games he is playing with me." I sighed, putting my head into my hands.

"Don't let him get to you, he does that with everyone. Including me..." He trailed off.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"He told me straight up today that he doesn't want me near you..." He moaned. "...but I told him to go fuck himself."

I laughed out loud for once in the longest time and I got to see that bright smile of his again.

"You actually told him that?" I smiled.

"Why wouldn't I? You're my partner after all." He winked.

"You are such a flirt, God! Stop before I punch you." I laughed.

"So what is my weakness, Mame?" He mocked me.

"Shut up! And I don't know...you don't really have a weakness...at least not physically." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you know mine?"

"Do you even have one?" He asked jokingly.

"More than you would imagine...I just don't show it. How about you?" I pushed him, as I stood up to stretch.

"Of course, don't we all." He stood up as well.

"Yes that is true, so off to battle tomorrow, eh?" I looked down to my boots.

"Yeah, but don't worry I got your back." He pulled me into a tight hug. "Just follow your instincts, and you'll be okay."

"I don't want to stay here tonight..." I said and we pulled apart.

"Where do you want to go then?"

"I want to go to your apartment. I feel like I'm being watched nonstop here, and I don't like it."

"Your wish is my command, my lady." He laughed as he signaled for his car to be pulled around.

When we made it into his apartment I could just fall apart right there. I fell straight onto the couch back first.

"This is more like it...why would you ever want to leave this place?"

"I do have my princely duties to withhold. You know all that boring stuff." He smiled, and then "accidently" falling on top of me.

"Get off me you fat lion, I can't breathe!" I choked out.

"This couch has gotten extra lumpy! I better hit out all the lumps." He said with a serious face.

"Nooo!" Was all I could get out before his engulfed me into a giant bear hug. "Now I really can't breathe."

"You are my body pillow...I didn't know pillows could talk." He flipped us over so that I was on top of him now.

I looked down at his smiling face and couldn't help but smile back.

"I should shank you right here, just remember I still have my knives on." I poked his nose.

"You would never do such a thing..." he faked a gasp.

"You are so weird." I laughed at him.

"Yeah says you." He rolled his eyes.

I didn't know what came over me at that moment but I felt a sudden urge to touch him more. I brought my hand up to his hair and stroked it gently. He closed his eyes almost instantly when I did. With his eyes closed I could see his long lashes swiping his cheek bones. His lips were a shade of a light pink color and wondered what they felt like. My eyes moved to his eyes again that were now half lidded so he could see me. He pulled me closer, and as our lips touched I felt a spark engulf me. My mind went blank, moving our lips together in perfect harmony. We parted our lips ever so slightly so that our tongues could mesh together. I didn't know what I was doing but it felt so right, so I didn't care anymore. His hands were placed strategically on my hips so that he would flip me over yet again on my back. We didn't stop kissing until he pulled away smirking. He pulled his shirt up and over his head revealing that perfect body I had come to like a lot. He pressed his lips to mine again and that spark was still there, it was like I was wanting more and more. I couldn't control myself , and it looked like he could either.

I could lie and say that we stopped there, but I don't lie. We didn't stop there, and you know where all that leads to. We intertwined our minds and bodies, connecting in an intimate way that only way two people can. I loved every minute of it too, he was gentle and kind.

We woke that morning at 4 A.M. on the couch in each other’s arms. Only to get ready in silence...we knew that today was the beginning of the war. What we didn't know was if we were going to come back. That's the reason for the silence...but I needed to say something to him before we went into battle...but that can wait.

The drive over to the palace was also a silent one until we reached the palace. Tidius parked his car and turned to me.

"Please be careful out there..." He pleaded with me.

"You too.." Was all we said before going inside.

The King greeted us and let us on our way to the troops outside. Then off to battle we went...

A month or two was the boring part...then came month three. We fought long and hard for days on end. I lost a few good men but they were replaced by even better soldiers. I lost count of how many I killed in just those days alone. I hadn't seen Tidius since the day we left...I missed his touch. But I couldn't think about that now, I had to keep fighting.

My men and I were camped outside the boarder of the two kingdoms, so we were literally on the front lines. An attack could happen at any moment...I have a few men keeping watch as I try to sleep. I lay here thinking about the most random things, I remembered that I hadn't had my period in the longest time. Maybe it was because of the stress that I'm under or something. It couldn't have been that long since I last had it could I? But that thought passed as soon as I heard the warning signal. It was time for another fight...The blood and sweat coming off of me wasn't my own but of the many men that call themselves my enemy. I see their empty looks on their faces when they plunge right through my blades.

Month four Three days of constant fighting...I wondered if this war will ever stop. We would get breaks to get our fallen men off the battlefield but after that was another fight. My body could handle many things...and I felt different I felt my body getting weaker, more frail, a nauseous feeling that wouldn't go away. Many mornings I would spend most my time throwing up anything I had eaten. I felt horrible and it was getting worse, I think it might be a sickness going around...and I'm the only one that has it? I tried thinking of anything that would explain this but nothing come up. I thought that all this throwing up would cause me to lose weight but instead I started to gain weight in my stomach. I just couldn't figure it out.

"Mame? Are you okay?" Anthony; One of my men had asked when I came back from the forest.

"Yes Anthony...I'm fine. I must have eaten something bad." I said wiping my mouth off.

"Mame, I'm sorry to speak out of turn...but you a have been getting sick an awful lot lately, don't you think you should get that checked out?" He started to rub the back of his neck.

"I'm perfectly fine..." I said but I felt faint, so I grabbed onto Anthony's arm for balance.

"I'm sorry about this mame." He picked me up, it actually felt good to be off my feet so I just let it happen.

He brought me to a larger tent with a red plus sign on it, it was the nurses’ station for the hurt soldiers. As much as I didn't want to be in here with the smell of more blood and the painful cries of the soldiers I lead...I needed something. Anthony laid me down on an empty bed as an older lady nurse helped by putting a pillow down for my head.

"What is wrong with her?" The older woman asked.

"She throws up every time she eats something here lately, plus she is feeling faint right now." He said, giving me a glass of water.

"Right well then, I will do a few tests. But until then I'm going to give you some crackers to settle your stomach for now." She smiled and then left me.

"You will be fine here, I'll take care of the men." He said, leaving me alone to eat my crackers.

I thought I was being treated like a child but I needed this stomach thing to go away, and quick. The nurse came back smiling down at me.

"I have to ask you a couple of questions before I give you anything..." She said and I shook my head. "Do you have any allergies?"

"No, not that I know of anyway."

"Alright, are you sexually active?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know why that matters but about four months ago, right before this idiotic war started." I sighed laying my head back onto the pillow again, thinking of Tidius.

"Okay, when was your last Menstrual Period?"

"I don't get why you have to ask me this?" I growled.

"They are just questions Mame." She tapped her pen to the side of her notepad.

"I'm not sure when it was, I haven't really been paying attention with all this going on...I know it's been a while." I was getting aggravated.

"One last question...and I'll be out of your hair, this might be a little personal but it's something I need to know...Did your partner use protection?" She winced when she asked.

"I don't think he did...but why..." I stopped myself and put all the pieces together. "You have got to be kidding me..."

"I'm afraid so mame, you might be pregnant..." She smiled, and I gulped the lump that was in my throat.