The OP MC

by Logan Jacobs

I still couldn’t understand why he was so jumped up about being a third son. Didn’t that mean that unless something happened to his two older brothers, he would never see his father’s title? Was he going to pull a Scar and just throw them off a cliff or something? What did Elissa’s hand matter to him anyway? It wasn’t like she was a princess or anything, although she definitely looked and acted like one. I couldn’t see a damn thing he gained from marrying her.

  “Great One?” someone asked.

  “I am so gonna kill that little bitch,” I growled.

  The men shared a startled look, but none of them asked me what I was talking about.

  It was a good thing I had respawned back at the edge of town. I was able to use some of my pent up rage as I chopped down the trees, and it was so easy to envision Lucian’s irritating face with each swing. The anger seemed to build up with each tree we felled, and by the time the men were passing around the moonshine, I was ready to face down Lord Lucian and his stupid entourage.

  I nearly forgot about taking a bath at the inn and had to backtrack when I stormed past the old building. My mood was still a bit sour, but I couldn’t get that mad, since I was going to be able to replay the wedding over and over again until I got the result I wanted.

  Problems weren’t long lasting when someone is a god.

  I arrived before Bellona showed up, and Mahini was on her way out the door. She wore what could only be described as a battle dress. There was plate armor covering most of her torso that gleamed from a recent cleaning. Her upper arms were bare, but her forearms were covered by a pair of long black leather gloves that stopped just before the elbow. A long skirt flowed down from her waist, but it was much longer on the right side with the left barely brushing her thighs. Her legs were covered in tight-fitting black leather, and the boots she wore were hidden by more plate armor that went past her knees. The whole thing was enhanced by a beige cloak hanging from her shoulders, and she looked hot enough to melt wax.

  “Welcome h--what is the matter, Great One?” she asked as the smile slipped from her face. “You don’t look like a man about to marry a beautiful young woman.”

  “I’m happy about that, but...” I paused and gave the black-haired desert woman a quick once over. There was no sword resting at her hip despite the heavy armor suggesting a battle outfit. “Get your sword.”

  “What?” she questioned with a furrowed brow. “Great One, this is a wedding. It is in poor taste to bring weapons.”

  “Trust me on this, Mahini,” I urged. “I know that we’re both going to need our swords before the night is over.”

  The desert warrior had learned by now to just do what I told her, so she ducked out of the room and returned with her sword fastened at her left hip and her quiver of arrows on her right. Her sleek ironwood bow was in her hand, and a sense of comfort washed over me at seeing her so heavily armed.

  “This is highly unusual, Great One,” she remarked, and she gave me a worried look before she left the house.

  Bellona appeared at that moment and looked alarmed by all of the weapons Mahini was carrying. “I know that girl is dedicated to her post as a mercenary, but does she really think it’s appropriate to bring weapons to a wedding?”

  “I asked her to arm herself,” I said. “I’ll have my sword as well. I just have a bad feeling about tonight.”

  “Oh, nonsense, you’re just feeling nervous!” the blonde seamstress argued.

  She helped me into my green doublet while she prattled on about how paranoid I was being by insisting I bring weapons to the wedding. She was sure that Elrin would object, but she didn’t try to stop me as I looped the sheath of my feather sword around my belt. Then I grabbed my curved dagger and made a mental note to get my hands on a bow and ask Mahini to teach me her skills.

  As before, I offered my arm to Bellona and escorted her to the wedding. When I reached the dais, I made a new save point. I was hoping the Lord of Losers would turn tail and run when he saw how ready for his bullshit Mahini and I were, but there was always the chance that he decided to command his men to attack anyway. A battle in the middle of town would turn bloody very quickly since nobody would have any kind of armor or weapons to defend themselves. If a battle broke out, I would need to be able to respawn to a spot and time close by.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Mahini shuffling closer to the dais. She didn’t step onto the raised platform, and when I turned toward her, she merely smiled and nodded. She might not believe anything was going to happen, but she was ready for it if it did.

  What did I do to deserve such a fantastic woman?

  Elissa and her bridal party came up the aisle to the music of the flute and violin.

  “Hello, Sebastian,” the redheaded vixen purred at me.

  “Hello, yourself,” I replied.

  Her green eyes darted to the blades at my sides. “Are you expecting trouble, Sebastian?”

  “Yes, I am,” I told her, and her eyes widened, so I took her hands and squeezed them gently to reassure her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Her radiant smile sparkled in the torchlight.

  The air was split by the ringing of the sword bashing against the shield held by the Lord of Losers himself. Everyone in attendance gasped as the soldier on his left announced the duke’s son while I turned to Mahini. The desert warrior gave a small nod, and I could tell she believed there would be trouble now.

  “Lord Lucian would like to know what this gathering is all about,” the spear-soldier demanded. “A wedding is to take place once the goblins in the mine have been cleared out!”

  “Yeah, I already did that,” I said as I raised my hand. “Two days ago, in fact, so you’re just a little late.”

  “That’s impossible,” the Loser Lord snapped. “I have with me fifty trained men, and I see no such army here.” The brown-haired man lifted his arms to gesture at the townspeople.

  “Well, I wasn’t alone,” I said and gestured to Mahini. “And I’m not just any man, you pompous little prick. I am Sebastian, but you may know me better as the God of Time.”

  All of the blood seemed to drain from Lucian’s face for a fraction of a second, but he was quick to recover.

  “I’m sure you are,” he sneered. “I bet you came flying in on a dragon with a sword made of pure light, and all you have to do is look at your enemies and they perish.”

  “Well, somebody doesn’t believe in fairytales,” I muttered to myself. I shook my head and drew my sword, and the sound of sliding metal off to the side told me Mahini drew her own. “We can settle this right now if you would like, Lord Lucian.”

  The four soldiers that accompanied their lord stepped forward to protect him. The two in the middle lowered their spears, and the other two drew longswords. The crowd gasped and started rising from their seats to get away from the battle that was about to happen.

  I had to stop that. “I really don’t want to kill you on my wedding night, dude. Can’t you just come back in the morning or something?”

  The Loser Lord looked around at the townspeople before fixing his eyes on the desert woman at my side. I wondered if he saw her in the same way that I did, with her piercing blue eyes and her badass battle dress that warned off enemies like the vibrant colors of a poison dart frog.

  He may not have believed me when I said I was the God of Time, but I saw the moment it dawned on him that this fight would end poorly for him.

  “Fine!” He spat out the word like he was a venomous snake. “Do not think this is over, God of Time. You have taken something that does not belong to you, and I will have my recompense.”

  “Don’t you mean your revenge?” I called to his back as he turned away. I really shouldn’t have taunted him, but I was still a little pissed about how quickly he had me killed the last time.

  When the Loser Lord finally disappeared, the townspeople came muttering back to their seats. They were all clearly on edge from the confrontation, and more than a few of them kept looking ar
ound at the darkness rapidly closing in.

  I returned my sword to its sheath and gave my bride-to-be a smile. “You do attract the strangest men, dear Elissa.”

  “Would you say, then, that you are just as strange?” The redhead let out a musical laugh that washed away whatever anxiety Lucian’s appearance had given her.

  “I’d say I’m the strangest of them all,” I teased as I placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, and I was rewarded with another musical laugh.

  Elrin cleared his throat and began the ceremony. There were no interruptions this time, and everything went off without a hitch.

  The actual marriage ceremony was very different from ones I had attended back home. It sounded like the woman had no say in anything that happened to her once the vows were made. She was to be subservient to her husband and always be at his beck and call. It made me squirm hearing how domineering marriage was in this world, and I could barely imagine a fiery woman like Elissa putting up with such a thing.

  So when it came time for me to speak and give myself to this woman, I made some amendments to our binding.

  “Elissa Addington,” I began, “I do not ask you to lose who you are when we are joined. You are a bright light in this harsh world, and to snuff you out would be the most cruel thing a person could do. I ask for your hand as a partner, and ask only that you remain loyal to me in all things. I will never betray your trust, and I will always protect you and your heart.”

  Quite a few women let out happy sighs, and I wondered how many marriages I may have accidentally strained.

  “Sebastian, Great One,” Elissa began her own speech, and from the frown on Elrin’s face, I could tell this wasn’t a normal part of the ceremony. “I know that you will not put me in a cage like a pretty bird, meant only to be seen and never to speak. I give myself to you in every way possible, and I will always be loyal to you and your cause, and if ever you need me to do something for you, I will do so with great pleasure.”

  Her green eyes sparkled with her vow, and I knew that even though I didn’t want her to obey my every command without hesitation, she would do so because she wanted to. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

  There was no line about objections to the union, which was probably why Lucian looked so confused before. Elrin simply announced us to the townspeople as man and wife, and everyone rose to their feet and started clapping.

  “There is one more part to this,” I said to Elissa. “Where I’m from, we seal a marriage with a kiss.”

  “Oh good,” the redhead murmured, and she pulled me down to her level for a passionate kiss.

  Her lips were as sweet as honey, and the taste blended well with the floral scent of her skin. Her fingers tugged at my hair, and when she prodded my lips with her tongue, I opened my mouth without a second thought. I never would have expected the leader’s precious daughter to be so skilled at kissing, but Elissa clearly knew what she was doing, and she dominated me as we sealed our newly-forged bond.

  “There’s plenty of time for that later!” someone called out from the crowd. Everyone laughed and cheered when we finally pulled apart. “Let’s get to the feast!”

  The town center was quickly transformed into a completely different scene. The village men moved the chairs around and brought several long tables from one of the empty houses nearby while the women started bringing out numerous dishes of delicious smelling food. A head table was placed on the dais where Elissa and I were seated, and we weren’t allowed to get up for any reason.

  “Not even for seconds?” I asked when told the rules.

  “We will bring you whatever you need,” one of the women said with a bow. “Food, drink, and even entertainment if you desire.”

  “Is this just because I’m a god or...?” I asked Elissa.

  My redheaded bride laughed. “They might be going to extremes for you, but it is rare for the newly married couple to be separated, even for a single moment.”

  Her green eyes stared deep into mine, and I wondered how long this meal was going to last. There were so many things I wanted to know about this delightful woman, and most of those things couldn’t be learned with clothes on.

  There were all kinds of foods available to us. An entire roasted wild boar was the centerpiece of the meal, and from how easily the meat fell apart in my mouth, I could only imagine how long they had cooked it for. There were other meats to choose from, but I only recognized the rabbit since the cook had laid out the fur as decoration on the table. Baskets of fresh bread were interspersed between tureens of hearty and creamy soups.

  I immediately recognized Mahini’s hearty stew when I tasted it, and there were many other meat dishes that had the same spicy kick. I got a sizeable helping of some red vegetable that was covered in a sweet sauce that was as good as any dessert I could find back home. There were berries in thick cream and some baked apple slices that I took thirds and fourths of.

  The meal was lavish in spite of the near famine the town was suffering from, but it was wrong to assume the people didn’t deserve to splurge a little. Not only was the mine cleared and their livelihoods restored, but with me here to protect them, they could get back to working the larger parcels of land and return the town to its normal state. It might take some time before things are back to the way they were, but hope was a powerful drug, and I really did bring a whole year’s supply worth.

  Just as Torya had said the other day.

  Throughout the meal, the townspeople kept coming up to the head table to wish us a happy life together. Elissa and I made small talk with each person, and the red-haired beauty was absolutely glowing under the praises of her town. Several young men expressed deepest regrets at not snatching her up sooner, and I was quick to playfully growl at them for trying to steal my new bride. The evening went by peacefully wrapped in laughter and loud singing as the alcohol was passed around.

  By the time the moon hung full overhead, I was itching to end this feast and get to the part of the wedding that mattered the most, especially after I was blue-balled a bit by Mahini last night. I could tell Elissa was just as antsy to get to bed, and she kept giving me coy smiles whenever I looked her way for too long. Once the dancing began in earnest, I had to bite back a groan at how much longer we had to linger.

  “We could always sneak away,” Elissa whispered into my ear as if she’d read my thoughts. The seductive smile on her lips was enough to get my blood pumping. “It wouldn’t take them long to figure out we’d gone, but they’ll never catch us.”

  Yeah, she really knew how to get me going.

  I took my bride’s soft hand, and we stepped off the backend of the dais. The darkness quickly swallowed us up, and once Elissa hiked up her skirt to her knees, we ran back to my house and laughed the whole way there.

  As we crossed the threshold, I paused to let her drink in the sight of the damaged living room before I led the way to the master bedroom to the right. Candles flickered in the darkness in the hallway, and I wondered if Mahini had sneaked back during the meal to light them. I knew she approved of the match, and it warmed my heart to know she might be wishing us well.

  “There is plenty of work to do around here,” I warned Elissa as I dragged her into the bedroom. “You’re gonna be surrounded by sweaty men tearing up the living room floor.”

  “As long as you’re one of those sweaty men, I don’t mind,” she laughed as she started unbuttoning my doublet. “But let’s not worry about all of that right now, hmm? Let’s take off each other’s clothes and consummate our love, Great One.”

  “Don’t need to tell me twice,” I said.

  While she went to work on getting me out of my shirts, I pulled at my power to create a new save point. So far I had only really repeated horrible moments and some conversations. This right here was something I wanted to relive over and over again.

  “You’re so far behind, Sebastian,” Elissa teased as she tugged my undershirt over my head. Her fingernails traced feather-light lines down my bare
chest. “Don’t you want to see me naked?”

  “Oh god yes,” I moaned as I threw my head back in pleasure.

  The redheaded vixen giggled at me as her fingers tugged at my pants, but I growled, snatched her hands away, and spun her around to press my erection against her clothed ass.

  “Behave yourself, wife,” I muttered into her ear, and she tilted her head away and bared her neck while I gently nipped the exposed skin. “This is a race we must finish together.”

  Elissa moaned as I suckled on her neck, and I carefully tugged at the many silken bows holding her dress together. I dragged my lips lower and lower as I exposed more of her skin, and before long, I was gently nipping the skin of her lower back.

  Before I could yank the dress all the way off, my redheaded bride spun around and dug her fingers into my hair. She tugged me upward, and I happily obliged to her demands and rose to my feet. She met me on the way up with a heated kiss, and her hands once again started working at my pants.

  I slid my hands down her soft body until I reached her hips where the dress still rested. When I tugged on the fabric, Elissa did a little shimmy to help the dress along its way, and I found that she wore nothing underneath.

  I pulled away from the kiss to drink in the sight of her naked body. Her flesh was lightly-tanned, but the freckles that splashed across her face were prevalent all over her body. The little specks decorated her forearms and thighs, and created little wings on her stomach that pointed straight to the red curls between her legs.

  “Do you like what you see, O Great One?” Elissa purred at me, and I would have expected the young woman to shy away from my ogling, but when I caught her eye, she was giving me a seductive look. “Am I everything you were expecting.”

  “That and more,” I murmured as I pulled her in for another hot kiss.

  It didn’t take long for my pants to pool at our feet with Elissa’s dress, and then we were stumbling our way to the bed. I wrapped an arm around Elissa’s smooth waist as we started to tumble, and when our impact with the bed broke our kiss, I immediately started suckling on her throat.