Hebaron's Story (Under the Oak Tree)

(Hebaron POV; contains spoilers for the end of Book 1)

A full moon could be seen outside the bedroom window. "I have to get back to the castle," Hebaron said as he touched the soft curly hair and kissed the brown shoulder of the beautiful naked woman beside him, who was half-asleep. Zarah was a shopkeeper in the village who sold candles, lamps and oils to make a living in Anatol. But on some days, she closes her shop early to give her knight a meal and a chance to spend the evening in her bed.

Zarah used to be married to a successful merchant more than three times her age in the Southern Continent. It was an arranged marriage she could not object because of the debts their family owed. Her new husband was willing to help pay off a large part of that debt in exchange for marrying her because he needed someone he can trust to take care of him as he was suffering from a lingering illness. But despite this arrangement, there were no marital relations between them. Zarah only took care of his food, his medicine, and the upkeep of his home as a dutiful wife did. They were married only in name. Zarah was treated kindly, and was taught the secrets of his trade. And after her husband's death, he rewarded her loyalty with everything he owned. Zarah lived with her first husband for 3 years, a real lover for 5, and then crossed the sea to settle into Anatol to begin again with enough riches to last her whole life if she did not spend it too luxuriously.

Hebaron happened to be passing by when she opened her humble store one morning, not long after they returned from Lexos Mountains and he has been her lover since—along with one other merchant, who regularly passes by the region to trade. Aside from her bright mind for conversation, Hebaron appreciated her much taller stature, the fullness of her breasts and the generosity of her thighs—which were perfect for his large imposing body. He needed a woman with more flesh to her bones and Zarah was very voluptuous, and seemed able to withstand his equally generous and strong physical attributes.

"Hmmm... I'll see you soon my love," Zarah sweetly mumbled in her sleep as Hebaron started to put on his clothes.

He doesn't visit her every night. Sometimes, he would be out drinking with other knights or he would be too tired from his duties and he went to sleep in his room in the castle after dinner. At other times, he knew her other lover was in town. Hebaron was never jealous and neither was she. He too flirted with other women, but he was very drawn to Zarah's sense of care and detachment. They drove each other madly in bed, but they mutually understood that they only needed companionship without marriage and they both valued this a great deal.

Hebaron initially wanted to stay until the morning. But a month has already passed since Lady Calypse left for the World Tower to study as a wizard for the next four years. Riftan's heart has not yet recovered from this forced separation. These days, Riftan woke up late and was mostly unapproachable. It was an open secret in the castle that he ate his meals alone and drank too much for his own good.

As Vice-Commander of the Remdragon Knights, Hebaron was second in command and responsible in training squires and apprentices. But recently, he has mostly stepped in as a concerned friend to Riftan, looking out for him almost every night in his office. If he was not available, the other senior knights would take over for him, but it was mostly Hebaron who took the burden. He would make sure that Riftan is sleeping in the spare bedroom near his office at the end of the evening. He also took care to see to it that there's an empty basin, a pitcher of water, and some medicine nearby to cure his likely headaches when he woke up.

While Anatol Castle's household could be handled competently by Rodrigo the Head Butler, there were still certain matters that Hebaron could not decide on his own. For this, he needed to go to Riftan. But since Riftan had been waking up late and had been more hot-tempered than usual, the amount of work that needed to be done was piling up quickly.