A Hundred Others: A MM Medieval Romance

by Jude Marquez

  As York fell, Evander jerked them from his body.

  Alyx might want them back, after all.

  Epilogue

  Evander dozed on the blanket under the bright blue sky that reminded him of Alyx’s eyes. He could hear Gael laughing at something that his son, Keilan, was telling him, something about a pony and a dog, and he could hear Aldous' loving proclamation of Auelina’s ever expanding belly. For months after they were married, Aldous was teased about how he wore a ring like his wife, until one day Evander showed up with a ring to match Alyx’s. The teasing stopped.

  Josette and Cade were arguing about a game of chess and Gia was speaking to Cordelia about the new castle that was being planned for them in the north. It was years away from being finished and Evander did not care to think about it for now.

  He opened his eyes when a shadow fell over his face.

  Alyx stood over him. He smiled at him. Alyx made to leave until Evander put a hand on his ankle. “Where are you going?” Evander asked.

  “Only for some more wine,” Alyx said, “It’s the king’s birthday, after all. We should celebrate appropriately for the man the defends the borders, keeps us fed, our shops opens, our children learning, and our lives happy, don’t you think?”

  Evander furrowed his brow. “The king does no such thing for me. Only you do that, Alyx, for me.”

  “Best not let him hear that. I hear he is a jealous man,” Alyx chided. In Evander’s unbiased opinion, the past five years had been the kindest to Alyx. He had more laugh lines around his eyes, his lips had been kissed (not nearly enough in Evander’s other opinions), and he had more muscle on his frame. Now he could pick Evander up and toss him on the bed, should the need arise.

  Evander made sure that the need was often.

  “He can do nothing to me. Only you,” Evander tugged him down. “Only you, Alyx, in this life and the next,” He kissed Alyx and it was just as heady as it had been the first time.

  “In this life and the next,” Alyx repeated, their wedding vows, their vows for everything. In all things, there was nothing that they could not take on, that they could not conquer.

  In this life and the next.