The Red Glaive

Caius’ disappointment was palpable. He could hide it behind stony features but Adelaide had learned how to read a man. As they walked to the eatery he stole glances back to where Videl and Aeria walked behind a few meters. Adelaide should be offended. She had never met a man whose attention she struggled this much keep.

He was a fine man. A man that held a hardness that came from living a difficult life. Caius’ lack of surname told her that he was of the peasant class. There was a roughness to him, in the way he walked and moved, a roughness that men like Alwyn, or even Videl or Walther, could never hope to achieve. Adelaide found most tantalizing.

She had seen him in the courtyard, sweaty with pants stained with dirt. Now, dressed up in finery, jet black hair cleaned and pulled back, he looked like a lord. He certainly held himself like one.

“Why bring me here.” Caius said glancing at her. His eyes a striking green, like two glistening gemstones. Adelaide could sink into them at any moment. “I thought I’d be here with Ariel.”

“Aeria. Eh-RI-AH!” Adelaide said pronouncing her sister's name.

Caius grumbled under his breath.

How could Aeria be around such a man and claim there was nothing between them. He, clearly, wasn’t interested in Adelaide, instead he stared at the back rest of Aeria’s chair. It was tall and concealed her figure. They could only see Videl eating messily from their table.

“Do you want to marry my sister Caius?” Adelaide said bluntly. It would solve Aeria’s problems that was for sure. She couldn’t be forced to marry Dorian Stone if she was already married and she had refused Videl - even Adelaide admitted they’d be a poor match - but something told her she wouldn’t refuse Caius.

Caius nearly choked on their appetizer bread. He smiled thinking it a joke but Adelaide’s unflinchingly serious face made his smile fade.

“My sister is content to run the rest of her life.” Adelaide said. “But I want better for her.” Aeria could be a glaive Adelaide believed in her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still be married. It would give her more freedom, though Aeria just couldn't see that yet. “I’m sure she’s told you why she ran away in the first place.”

Caius shrugged. She knew he knew the story, at least a very abridged version of it. Aeria still couldn’t speak Dorian’s name without getting tense so Adelaide had stopped asking. Caius could never understand the vile wretchedness of a man that was Dorian Stone.

“You marry my sister and she can finally be free.” Adelaide said placing her hand over his arm. He glanced down at her confused and Adelaide quickly pulled it back slightly embarrassed. What was she doing? This was the man she wanted for her sister not for herself. And yet. . . “It would mean a title for you and my sister of course, and maybe something more. . .”

“What makes you think she’ll have me?” Caius said leaning closer to her intrigued. So there was nothing really between them it seemed. Then who could she have used? Adelaide couldn't dwell on the subject now she had his attention.

Adelaide glanced discreetly across the room to where Aeria poked her head from above her chair in her version of being discrete. “You don’t see her?” If he hadn’t been the one she had used to fill the pendant all that time ago, surely there had to be something between them now. He had to be the reason Aeria was cooperative when Adelaide dressed her up.

“I have.”

“She’s peeking over here to see if I’ve seduced you.” Adelaide said. “There’s only one reason she’d care so much about that.” This man seemed to be what Aeria needed and the was something there. As much she believed the match was good, there was only way to know for sure.

“You think she’s -“ Caius froze mid sentence as Adelaide placed her hand on his thigh and she could feel him tense under her. “I don’t understand you.” he sputtered out. He was probably used to whores, and tavern girls. Adelaide was a duchess, a tittle that would make any poor man nervous.

“Let’s make her jealous.” Adelaide said, “It’ll force her to examine her feelings for you.” It had worked for Aget all those years ago when Adelaide won over Walther. But here, she wasn’t only testing Aeria.

“That works?” Caius said displaying the first indication that he and Aeria could be match. He, at least, wasn’t so opposed to it. But his willingness also provided a way for Adelaide to worm her way in too. That and all the wine she made sure he drank down.

“Definitely.” Adelaide whispered in his ear. So Adelaide went to work. It was subtle work; a touch here, a laugh there, an occasional flip of her hair. Sure, if she really wanted to bed him she could just craft a love potion and be done with it. But that wasn’t the point here.

By the end of the night, Caius had seemingly forgotten the reason for their sudden affection and Adelaide was careful not to remind him. “Will you be spending the night?” Adelaide asked him.

“No.” Aeria huffed coming up to them clearly troubled. But that had been the point.

“What are you thinking?” Videl asked as they watched Caius walk Aeria to the shrine.

“Hmm.” Adelaide said. “I don’t you know yet. I’ll let you know this morning.” Adelaide said with a small smile. She had asked Caius during their walk back to her mansion that he was welcome to come back anytime he pleased. That if he came at night her servants would take him straight to her bedchamber where she would await him.

With an offer like that, Adelaide made sure all her make up had been refreshed and wore her most alluring night gown to bed.

She just didn’t expect him to return that very same night.

As promised, Fides led him straight to her bed chambers where Adelaide lay sprawled on her lounge as if she had decided to to sleep there.

What was one more affair? Alwyn was probably with some harbor whore anyway.

“I-“ Caius said entering the room but his breath caught in his throat. Adelaide stirred from her false sleep, then stood, her sheer nightgown revealing everything. She approached him slowly like a lioness stalking her prey and she knew he was hers.

Perhaps he wasn’t the man she wanted for Aeria then. Adelaide reached up and pulled his lips against hers. That was it, he kissed back furiously and picked her up easily, a feat Alwyn struggled with, as she wrapped her legs around him. Adelaide sighed content with the idea that he could be hers instead.

He dropped her on her bed, her nightgown, bunched up on her chest completely exposing every inch of her body to him. Before she could pull the thing over her head, Caius was a top of her, shirtless already. Adelaide smiled admiring the the rigid contours of his body. A body that she would own.

Then, something strange happened. The fervor of his kisses died down. He sighed and sat up. Adelaide chased him up, she ran her hands over his chest, placing kisses on his honey scented skin as she attempted to pull him back down but he merely shrugged her off.

“I shouldn’t have come here.” he said standing. Her gamble had paid off.

“It’s because of Aeria isn’t it.” Adelaide said. Both exhilarated and angry that he had left her hot and dry.

He didn’t say anything in what seemed like forever but eventually he spoke. “I didn’t care before, when she was Ariel I had my women in front of her. But now I feel guilty. I don’t know why, I feel like I just met her but I’ve known her all this time and she knows me. I don’t like what she’s seen- wait, why am I telling you this?”

“Because to you I’m just a stranger. So you don’t care what I think of you.” Adelaide said putting on her robes over her nightgown.

Adelaide had put them both through a test. Aeria, despite herself, had shown way more interest than the would ever admit when Adelaide displayed Caius any affection, and he, in turn, had rebuked her. She had done something similar in the past. To Aget and Walther, but Walther had quickly pushed aside Aget when Adelaide had made herself available. It has a harsh lesson, but one she felt she had to teach her sisters. Only this time, Caius had turned her away. There was no man, more worthy, she deemed for her sister now.

Caius still seemed troubled. “Figure out your feelings Caius, but I think, if you initiated something with my sister, I think you’ll find yourself surprised.”

Caius turned to leave. “Don’t go.” Adelaide said.

“I’m not going to sleep with you.” Caius said.

“I asked you to spend the night, my servants will arrange a room for you.” Caius only raised an eyebrow. “I want you to train Videl for the melee. Aeria always says you’re the best swordsman she’s ever met.”

“She does?” he asked. There it was, that spark in his eyes when she said Aeria’s name. Adelaide nodded. “I’ll stay then.”



Videl couldn’t remember the dream he had been having, only that it had been pleasant. He would much rather still be having that dream instead of being soaked in water.

Caius stood over him, holding a bucket. He dropped one of the training swords on his lap. Outside it was still dark. “What are-“ Caius swung his own sword down where Videl would’ve been if he hadn’t rolled out of the way and onto the floor. His soaked blanket tangled around his legs.

“What are you doing!” Videl shouted turning and lifting up his sword in time to catch Caius’ sword with his own.

“You need to train for the melee,” Caius said pressing his sword with an impossible strength against Videl’s. “and you’re already behind.”

Caius eased and Videl pushed away his sword as he stood. “Don’t you sleep! The sun isn’t out yet.” Videl woke up up after the sun was up, and didn’t start to train till after he had breakfast.

Caius smiled. Any trace of doubt he might’ve had the day before was gone today. Today, he made Videl get out of bed, put on his armor, and walk outside to the courtyard in near dark.

Videl could hardly see but Caius asked to have every light put out all in the near vicinity. It was dark, but Caius moved with little effort, striking at Videl seemingly out of thin air. Caius said that during a melee attacks came from all around, since it was just him, this was the only way they could imitate it.

Still, it was difficult. The guards have even dampened the lights out on the street and Videl’s heart beat hard in his chest. He had never seen a devil before, but that darkness was were they inhabited. Logic told him that there were no devils within the city walls, yet he still couldn’t help but get nervous.

He couldn’t dwell on those thoughts though, not when Caius kept coming at him. Videl could only just spot him, moving around like a shadow in the dark utterly unfazed by darkness. It suddenly dawned on him; the man moving through the dark was a glaive. The dark didn’t bother him for glaives lived in it. They killed devils for the King and for the people and given grace by the Gods themselves.

If Caius was of the Beast as he had said, he could incinerate Videl in his suit of armor in a heartbeat. He acutely aware that Caius was only sparring with him as a light exercise, while Videl gave his absolute best. Glaives, he had been taught, fought with the sword like none other. The sword and the gift. Blessed by the very gods themselves, Videl had heard of glaives raining down fire from the heavens or ripping the earth asunder. He shivered thinking of the things they could’ve been capable of had they not been bound in servitude by the King.

So he was glad for the sun when it finally began to rise. Caius got easier to see, though his attacks came down harder. The armor Videl wore protected him from the brunt of the onslaught but Caius always found a way to tip him off balance. The armor felt much lighter now than when first put it on but it slowed him down and Videl couldn’t rely on his armor to save him. Caius quickly taught him that by finding weak points striking at the slit between his eyes, the backs of his knees and the underside of his upper arm where he was only shielded by chainmail.

He felt it after the thousandth time Caius had knocked him to the floor; the chill of being watched by someone with anger. “Aeria?” he said spotting the source bristling by the gate.

Her hair was disheveled, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Niko shivered under her stare like that of savage dog never more glad for not having her for a wife.

Caius’ fell on Aeria and his very posture changed as that doubt slowly crept into his face. Could it be? was he actually nervous?



The. Love. Bite. Adelaide just couldn’t fathom how!

Here she was trying to convince someone of their feelings for her sister, when she had apparently found someone in the middle of the night all on her own. She had suspected Caius to have been the man, but he had been with her that night. That meant there was someone else. The bite on her neck was dark, and Adelaide knew from experience just how long something like that took. In fact, she had sent Alwyn with one hoping it would be enough to ward off shoddy women. She just didn’t think her little sister to be so scandalous.

“Videl, Videl! She’s got a love bite!” Adelaide screamed out the window. Too many nights they wondered if Aeria had ever shown any interest in any man only to come with none whatsoever. They were beginning to wonder if women were more of her preference, but that idea shattered when she brought Caius on her doorstep. Now this? He absolutely, positively had to know as soon as she did.

If she believed Aeria might’ve had something with Caius, it was nothing to the way she spoke of this Valor. The way her cheeks flushed and the dreamy look in her face. Aeria had a chance now that none of her sisters had had before, the chance to choose her man. That prospect made Adelaide giddy, happy for her sister in a way that she didn’t expect.

It was strange to see Aeria, wild and mean looking Aeria, flustered over a man. Adelaide wanted to know everything about him but she formed questions faster than she had them answered.

The seed that she had planted with Caius seemed to be nothing next to the beautiful blossoming relationship Aeria seemed to have with Valor. Adelaide hadn’t chosen Alwyn, but she was glad she had gone with him. He gave her everything she wanted and that was most important, love would come second. Aeria, without even knowing it, had made her choice and Adelaide would ensure Aeria, at least, got her happy ending.



“What was she like?” Caius said helping Videl back on his feet. “Growing up, I mean.”

Videl laughed thinking back to the days when he would help Aeria hide from Madame Salver because she had dirtied and torn her dress after playing. Her out riding all her brothers constantly atop Fable. “Very much the same as she is now.” Videl said then added, “Swords, she likes swords.”

“Videl, Videl!” Adelaide’s voice came from the window. He thought, for a moment, that she might be in trouble, but the massive smile on her face told him otherwise, “She’s got a love bite!” she yelled before being yanked back inside.

He heard it. Caius heard it.

“We go again.” Caius said. Had he heard it?

Videl stepped away to get a better starting position but Caius came so quick he barely had enough time to bring up his sword to catch Caius’. It hit with a resounding ‘clang’ sending a jolt down Videl’s armored arms, he followed up with a hard kick in the chest sending Videl stumbling back. There was heat in Caius’ kick and Videl’s breastplate felt hot against his chest.

Something had changed in Caius. Videl had thought that perhaps Caius wasn’t getting fatigued as he was because he had been doing this longer. No. He had held back before. Now he struck with all the fury of a true glaive and suddenly the fear of being cooked inside his suit of armor seemed very real.

Videl didn’t have much time to fear, however, Caius swung his sword upwards and Videl tossed his head back to keep the swing from swiping his helmet off. But that put him off balance, an opportunity Caius took to slam his sword against Videl’s side.

The plate of his armor bent inwards and Videl cried out when he felt the very metal meant to protect him cut into his side. His leg on that side gave out and he fell to one knee. Videl raised his sword again ready to catch a sword that didn’t come.

Caius stood in front of him with a frown. Calmly, he walked over and yanked his dull blade free from Videl’s side. Videl let himself fall to the floor, panting, weak and in pain. “We’re done for today.” Caius said standing over him.

The guards stared at Caius with bewildered eyes as he walked out the gate.