A puff of dust and smoke plummed effortlessly over the eastern walls of Ravenscourt. A second later, a loud crack could be heard confirming that another boulder had hit the wall in hostility.
Ethelston glanced over from the balcony of his room to see the six trebuchets peering over the horizon, eager to breach the walls by any means necessary.
Fourteen moons had passed since the first trebuchet was erected, and since then, they had been relentless in their pursuit to demolish the eastern wall. The entire city was on edge as the sound of the stone walls being pummelled continuously produced little to no sleep for each individual. Everyone was now eager for the fight to begin, so rest in either death or life was one step closer.
As expected, the walls had stood firm, but with the snows soon to fall, Ethelston knew that the enemy had not hedged all their bets on this only form of attack.
A couple of nights into the bombardment, he had noticed a structure embedded in the side of the hill on which Ravenscourt sat. It was heavily defended and every night and day, men had been entering or leaving it like an army of termites.
He knew what they were doing, yet there was nothing he could do about it.
The door to his room shuddered as knuckles tapped calmly on its frame. "Enter." he summoned.
As the door swung open, Erdudvyl entered, a smile appeared the moment she saw him. She curtsied somewhat unorthodox. Ethelston hadn't determined whether the gesture was condescending towards the servants that had preceded her or not.
"You don't need to curtsey on my behalf," he responded as his heart skipped a beat at her arrival.
Erdudvyl chuckled, "I just don't understand why you humans perform this gesture. It feels somewhat... Demeaning."
If it weren't for the army camped outside of his city, Ethelston would have gladly given her tutorials and lessons on the finer points of human chivalry and social standing. Still, as he turned towards the city once more, his frustrated look betrayed his thoughts and was quickly picked up by the astute elf.
"You're worried, " Erdudvyl asked.
"The walls are handling the punishment by the trebuchets admirably; however, I fear they will not stay erect for long," he replied.
Erdudvyl glided to his side, leaning into his grasp at the earliest opportunity; as she looked over towards the trebuchets and then the wall, she could not visualise his concern. "How can you tell?"
"There, " Ethelston pointed towards the structure in the hill. "They've been digging a tunnel under the walls. Once they complete it, the walls will be like matchwood. A few well-placed boulders and the wall will crumble." his fist clenched tightly, "I've known about the tunnel for some time, yet I can't send out men to deal with it. I've already lost fifty men to these damn trebuchets; I would have had to send out half of our forces to stand any chance of overcoming the guards at the foot of the hill. That's providing they didn't send reinforcements.
Erdudvyl nuzzled into his chest, feeling a sense of safety as his arm wrapped around her. "You should not frustrate yourself with these trivial things. I know you are doing all you can to win this battle; the city believes that too. People will die in this battle, that is inevitable, yet you have to remain strong for all those who manage to come out of this alive."
Ethelston nodded unconvincingly, "And if Loldirr doesn't get here? She should have arrived by now. I give the wall no more than two more moons before it collapses. After that, we will eventually get overrun."
A sigh passed Erdudvyl's lips; a frustration deep within her had pushed itself to the surface. "She will be here; she has to. Otherwise, it's not just Ravenscourt that will be in trouble. Everyone knows what we are up against; each will fight with an inhumane level of determination to defend their homes."
Looking desperately to the floor, Ethelston released his grip. "And what of Aryya?"
"She recovers well, and I expect her to be eager to fight by your side, with or without the permission of the physician."
A chuckle pushed its way from Ethelston's lips as he recalled his friend and ally's endless resolution. Even if she was not fit to fight, he knew that Aryya would be expectant to stand on the front line with him.
"Anyway, my Lord, " Erdudvyl span from his presence as another trebuchet boulder crashed violently against the Ravenscourt wall. "I have a gift for you."
Ethelston stood upright, his eyes full of surprise and excitement, "A gift?"
As if the question was a prompt, Erdudvyl opened the door to two men holding in their hands leather armour. As if drawn to the smell of the newly formed leather, Ethelston strolled over to them to drift his hand across the tough, rigorous textiles. As his fingers dipped into an indentation, he looked closely at the embedded raven proudly standing upright looking towards the distance.
"I have no doubt your armour is sufficient; however, as Lord Darke, I brought it upon myself to commission armour with your house sigil, " Erdudvyl explained, "after some enquiries, I was informed that Mr Tanner here was the best leatherworker around."
Ethelston looked up to the man holding his newly formed armour. "The, Mr Tanner?" he asked, his voice hinting at surprise and awe.
The man nodded, his grey beard briefly touching the garments, his nose inhaling the rustic smell, "Aye, milord. It is an honour, and I would like to introduce my son who will soon continue in my footsteps." with the introduction, the man next to him bowed enthusiastically.
"I thank you both; your reputations are exemplary, and you honour me with your visit. I am surprised you ventured to the city in a time of unrest." Ethelston responded as he grabbed hold of Mr Tanner's son's wrist in greeting.
"I fear you are mistaken, milord; we are the ones who are honoured and proud to be commissioned to build armour for the new Lord Darke. As soon as Lady Erdudvyl contacted us, we headed for the city immediately. There are some final touches we need to make for the perfect fit; however, the Lady Erdudvyl was very accurate with her measurements." Mr Tanner explained.
Erdudvyl's smug little smile couldn't be missed as Ethelson turned towards her. "This is where I must excuse myself, " she responded, "I shall be awaiting outside to see the final result."
"Thank you, milady." Mr Tanner bowed slightly as Erdudvyl exited the room.
***
An hour had passed since Erdudvyl had excused herself. Despite the pride he was experiencing as the armour was being carefully fitted, he was continuously nervous by the constant thumping of boulders smashing against the walls of Ravenscourt.
He couldn't help but admire Mr Tanner and his son, who continued to work professionally despite the constant distractions; it wasn't until Mr Tanner invited Erdudvyl back into the room that all the fear of what was happening around the city seemed to leave Ethelston.
The strong smell of leather enveloped Ethelston's nostrils and as he flowed his arms around. He had never felt armour so comfortable as if it was like a second skin.
Hitting it hard with his fists, Ethelston was astounded by how little he felt from the impact. Any deflected attack would not breach this armour, and it would require significant force to cause him injury. Yet, he was still able to maintain his greatest assets, his speed and agility.
"It's magnificent." Ethelston acknowledged, causing the refrained Mr Tanner to display a proud, albeit small, smile.
"It is," Erdudvyl confirmed, admiring the handsome Duke of Ravenscourt in front of her. "Mr Tanner, there are things I must discuss with the Duke; I thank you for your exceptional talent and due diligence."
Mr Tanner bowed, his son copied the notion, "Absolutely milady, it has been an absolute honour."
As the two men left, leaving Erdudvyl and Ethelston alone, Erdudvyl's smile seemed to grow wider. As the door closed behind her, she pushed some loose strands of hair behind her pointed ears allowing her blushing red cheeks to become more visible.
"This is magnificent; you shouldn't have. How could I ever repay you?" Ethelston said with a spring in his voice.
Erdudvyl glided over to her champion, biting her bottom lip. With her face inches from his, she casually whispered, "Please allow me to assist you in removing it."
"Remove it? But I've only just put it on... Oh!" Ethelston responded in a naive way unfamiliar to him.
As Erdudvyl placed her hand on the raven proudly embedded in the centre of his armour, she gently rubbed it before leaning into a kiss with Ethelston. Ethelston savoured the taste of her lips and breathed in deep the pleasant aroma of lilac and lavender that irradiated from her.
Unstrapping the darkened leather bracers fixed to his arms, Erdudvyl's eyes focused on his. As she removed the first, Ethelston spotted the impressive elven symbols etched into them.
"What does that say?" Ethelston asked.
"St¯ælan wægn mundbora of dôð dryht, êower lôgian woruldgesceaft sîn welðungen hûru sigorbeorht fullan wægn fîfta ðôðor, " Erdudvyl replied, "To the guardian of the people, you will always be honoured and blessed by the fifth sphere."
"The fifth sphere?"
"Life; my sphere" Erdudvyl took a step back and breathed heavily, somewhat embarrassed by her next choice. Releasing her dress from her shoulders, her dress floated to the floor, leaving her utterly vulnerable to the human she had fallen in love with.
Ethelston stood motionless, staring at the astonishing beauty that stood naked in front of him. Despite the noise of additional bombardments on the walls, there was nothing that would distract him from the immense beauty that had seized his every thought and his every desire.
"You are so beautiful."
The words flowing from his mouth seemed to have eased Erdudvyl's embarrassment. Her smile was only interrupted as the strong masculine arms of Ethelston grabbed her close and pulled her into another kiss.
He had been no stranger to the touch of a woman, but for the first time in his life, this touch felt real; it felt like it was meant to be. For the first time in his life, the embrace of a woman was not about him, but it was about giving the woman he loved every desire and satisfaction she wanted.
As his fingers caressed her soft naked body, she sighed loudly as his touch felt like spikes of heat pulsing through her essence. With each touch of his, she longed for more. For Erdudvyl, this was certainly not her first time with a man, but it was the first time she desired it more than anything in the world and not being born from duty.
Despite the armour taking an hour to be fitted correctly, it took far less time for it to be removed and for Ethelston's fully naked muscular frame to be pressing against the eagerly awaiting skin of Erdudvyl's. As they entwined their body's on the Duke's bed, all thoughts of war, death and suffering were lost.
For however long was necessary, it was just Ethelston and Erdudvyl, sharing their love for the first time as if it could be their last.
***
The sun had long since set by the time Ethelston opened his eyes. The moonlight was enough for him to see the soft milky skin of the fair elf, Erdudvyl, who lay next to him.
As if touch was forbidden, he allowed only his fingers to brush her delicate skin on her back gently. Smiling to himself, he recalled the intimacy the two of them had shared a few hours earlier. His smile grew more prominent as he realised he had never experienced something so beautiful as this before and hoped that he would be able to share it again.
His focus snapped as the crack of another boulder hitting the Ravenscourt wall shook him back to reality.
The eruption also caused Erdudvyl to break from her slumber unceremoniously. Fortunately, the moonlight was not enough to show the true extent of her dissatisfaction with being awoken so abruptly. Still, as soon as she felt the touch of Ethelston, her displeasure was eliminated quickly.
Ethelston leant in and kissed her on the forehead, allowing him to breathe in the continuing smell of lilac and lavender.
Just as Erdudvyl lifted her head off the bed to reciprocate the gesture, Jarendrud stormed into the room unexpectedly.
"My Lord!" he called, only to see the two stark naked individuals looking shell shocked by his entrance. "Oh... Uh... My Lady Erdudvyl, I was not... Oh... I'm so sorry."
Erdudyvl quickly hid under the covers before Jarendrud's gawping gaze could memorise her body any further. Her embarrassment was obvious, but Jarendrud refused to remove himself from the room.
"What's wrong with you, man?" Ethelston scolded, partly in jest.
"I apologise, my Lord, but I've come at great haste to tell you that the army, they are starting formation manoeuvres," Jarendrud explained.
Despite being completely naked, Ethelston jumped from the bed in urgency. "They expect the wall to fall tonight."
"Yes, my Lord, " Jarendrud responded, desperately trying not to gaze towards the embarrassed elf hiding underneath the bed covers. "And if it's a morning like the other mornings we have had recently,"
"Then we'll be greeted with an ungodly mist at dawn. Dammit!"
Despite the extreme embarrassment that Erdudvyl experienced, it did not stop the two men from continuing around her. As Jarendrud lit the candles in the room, Ethelston hunted around, finding the clothes he needed to prepare for what was ahead.
"Sound the bells, gather the army and ensure Knight Inquisitor Ithelred and Arminell meet me in the war room," ordered Ethelston.
With great haste, Jarendrud nodded and exited the room.
As Ethelston and Erdudvyl were once again left in the room, Ethelston apologised, "I am sorry that I will have to leave so suddenly. Our time together was incredible, and I wish I could spend more of it with you."
Erdudvyl peered over the top of the bedsheets, the candlelight just enough to show her faint embarrassment. "You do not have to apologise. Our time together was something I could not have imagined, and hopefully, we will both be around to experience it again. Tell me, is there anything that I can do to help?"
Ethelston grabbed ahold of one of the leather bracers and strapped it to his arm. As she spoke, Ethelston's face had turned from satisfaction to concern as the thoughts of the battle ahead flooded his mind. As his eyes focused on the glistening blue eyes of Erdudvyl, he sighed, "Pray for us. For if Loldirr doesn't get here in the next few hours, this may very well be our last night together on this earth."