The Conquerors bloodline

Chapter 63: Westward Bound

"I I just? What?" Wave stuttered out the following morning sitting at the table of the Jaeger's home base along with Seryu and Run. Bols working in the kitchen making them all breakfast.

Processing and moreso coming to terms with their leaders announcement was a mentally straining endeavour. Add that in with the topic involving the very man they're supposed to be keeping imprisoned being the reason the whole announcement ever first came into existence. Well, that just made for an exhausting night of restlessness.

Even now, many, many hours after her proclamation and the subsequent ravings of an excited Kije and a Logue who needed an explanation on exactly what was going on. Wave was struggling to accept it, to the point he was himself hunched over the table rubbing his face in tiredness.

Meanwhile, in a chair besides him. Seryu was slumped into her chair, top of her head just barely high enough to be seen above the table where her very eyes denoted her exhaustion, her blank, dead fish like eyes looking much, much more affected by the announcement than the others.

Then if you looked to Run who sat across from them both calmly sipping on a cup of tea while flipping through a book he'd bought on the way back to the home base yesterday.

"How are you so calm about this? Esdeath is- with-" Wave struggled to even get the words out.

"I've known for a while now." Run sipped his tea, "While I wasn't prepared for her confirming it. She had spoken with me about the possibility of her being with child. Put together the questions with the fact we captured the man she considers her future husband. It was quite simple to put two and two together."

"Still. She did that. With him and got" he flinched at every missing word.

"Yes, that tends to happen. Such is our biology. Do you want me to explain the rest of it or can you piece it together?"

"No, I'm I'm good."

The door to the room creaked open letting a baggy eyed and shivering Parc hobble his way towards them. The two of Seryu and Wave perking up at the sight of him but neither acting on their first thoughts of getting him back into his cell.

"What are you doing out of your cell?" though that didn't stop Seryu from hissing out a question.

"So long as I stay in the base and one of you is here. I'm free to walk around the building." He grumbled as he sat down besides Run, leaning his head against the back rest. His eyes wandering down to the kettle in front of Run and an upside-down cup. "you think I could have some of that?"

"Of course," Run laid down his book and flipped the cup over to pour in some of the amber tea before pushing the cup towards Parc.

"Thanks," he reached out a trembling hand to lift the cup up, nearly spilling all the tea over himself as he brought it up to his lips. Lightly blowing on the steaming liquid before tipping the cup up slightly to let the nourishing warmth fill his chilly body. "Hooo, that's good. What type is this?"

"Southern blend with a black tea base added with dried orange peel, ginger root and a light sprinkling of dried rose petals." Run answered in a swift manner.

"Nice, haven't had a blend like that in a while now," Parc held the warm cup in both hands, slowly helping his bright red fingers calm a little. "Though I do prefer a simple green tea with plenty of honey." A tremble ran through his body.

"Whats wrong with you?" Against Wave's better judgement he still asked the question.

This time a shiver, not one of cold, but of remembrance coursed through him. "Esdeath, she's a, uh, 'hugger' in bed." Eave blushed, Seryu blushed, Run just kept reading his book. "As in she used me as a hug pillow," he snorted watching them let out a relieved sigh. "Though she is certainly very passionate in the other, fun events. So much so that my hips still hurt."

Perhaps it was cruel to take pleasure in seeing two innocent virgins bursting into red embarrassment. But still he did. "Back on topic. You ever have a cold piece of metal poke into your back? Well Esdeath is a human sized piece of cold metal that likes wrapping herself around her victim."

It was a true nightmare. If he so much as moved to try and get her off him, she'd only constrict her arms and legs tighter around him. If he magically got an arm free from her, he'd find it quickly encapsulated in an ice block and would have two pearly blues glaring daggers through him. Even when she slept she was always on edge for any sign of Parc attempting escape. Even if that 'escape' was him trying to get into a more comfortable position.

"And trust me, it doesn't matter how many layers you have on. The cold will get through it. No matter what. It hurts. Its cold. But most importantly," Parc grinned, "they're soft. Oh so very soft."

Them not getting what Parc meant by 'they,' just proved how little they knew about being spooned by a woman and how their chest would press into his back.

"Where is the captain by the way?" Run asked.

"Bathroom with Kurome, doing normal pregnant woman stuff." In essence emptying her empty stomach into a toilet.

Of course, as if hearing him the door creaked once again and both Esdeath and Kurome walked in.

"Captain!" Seryu jumped to her feet and saluted to Esdeath who was a lot paler than she usually was.

Esdeath's eyes locking onto Parc with a small squint but said nothing as she walked up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders and squeezed, leaning down to whisper into his ear. "When I am emptying my stomach, I expect my husband to be the one caring for me. Not one of my pets."

Kurome frowned. She wasn't Esdeath's pet. She was Parc's.

"Yeah. Got it, won't happen again," arguing was a one-way trip to pain.

"I expect as much." Esdeath sent a glare Kurome's way when she saw said girl about to take the seat next to Parc. When Kurome noticed it she inwardly grumbled but relented none the less, moving a single chair to the side before placing herself down on it.

Esdeath nodded with a smile and took the seat she'd so kindly apprehended from Kurome. Ignoring the bothered atmosphere both Seryu and Wave were exuding in spades. Something that they kept exuding even long after Bols brought in their breakfast and handed it out to everyone. Not even hesitating to place a plate down in front of Parc.

Once everyone had finished their breakfast, two of which taking much longer than the others. Esdeath patted her lips down with a serviette. "We are leaving on a mission within the hour," she suddenly said without any forewarning.

"I've gotten information that says Night Raid is beginning a journey to the west. We are to cut them off, and put an end to them at once."

Parc's expression soured, 'of course she has an informant. Why wouldn't she.'

Across from him Seryu burst to her feet, "I'm going to do some maintenance on my arms." Cruel excitement on her face. Not even questioning Esdeath about the mission. Just trusting her completely.

Esdeath nodded a confirmation and let Seryu bolt out the room.

"We're finally going to fight them," Wave gulped nervously.

***

"for once, could you not freeze me!?" Parc yelled but soon found his mouth muffled by a muzzle of ice.

Sat before him on the saddle of a horse was Esdeath. "Do not shout. My head aches enough as it is. Hearing your screeching is not helping to alleviate it."

'Then stop freezing me!' his muffled gurgles of word came from his lips ending with him panting frustratedly while the horse he and Esdeath sat atop trotted along the streets of the Capital on a pathway towards the western gate that was growing increasingly closer by the second. All around him the other Jaegers were trotting along on top of their own horses.

"Captain, not that I'm complaining or anything," because he was, "but why are we bringing Parc with us? Wouldn't it be safer to keep him in his cell? Night Raid might take this opportunity to try and get him out."

"Even if they did. They would not succeed. Darling wouldn't allow them to separate him from me, isn't that right, darling." She tilted her head back to him to see him reluctantly nod and roll his head.

How many times was she going to keep reiterating this point? He got it. He didn't need the reminder again.

"I am bringing darling with because this will be his first official mission as a member of the Jaegers"

'My what now?'

"His what now?"

"This will also allow him to see the inevitable end his old compatriots will face, solidifying his resolve to not return to them should this child proved ineffective in keeping him on a leash."

"Ok, I get it. I think?"

The fact he added the 'I think' to the end of that was really lowering Parc's expectation of his IQ.

Finally they were about to pass beneath the gate when Parc noticed there on the side of the road a small, almost inconspicuous kitten was sitting, staring up at the seven horse riders. Parc's eyes widened in recognition at the kitten and its beady little eyes.

"Mmm!" Parc knocked his head hard against Esdeath's back to get her attention.

"I advise you to stop hitting me or I will have to punish you."

'Oh for the love of. You know what. Kurome,' he thought an order and got Kurome to perk up, eyes shooting to focus on him, 'pick up that kitten. It's coming with us.' He could tell there was something more to that kitten. There was no way it would just be out here when he'd tossed it to Leone over a month ago.

That and for a kitten that was supposed to have grown by a month, it was still as small as it was before. Either it was stunted, or there was something else at work here.

Kurome scanned the floor around the gate soon coming upon the kitten sitting by the wall. Slowing her horse just enough to fall behind the others, she stopped it just before the kitten and quickly hopped off, scooping the kitten up before jumping back onto her horse to catch up to the others who had just begun galloping into the distance.

***

Moments earlier a particular hooded boy had been watch the seven atop their horses. His eyes locked firmly upon one of them. "Seryu" Tatsumi muttered. He'd been looking for her the past few days, he'd gathered enough evidence that he was confident he could show her the truth of the Empire.

And now that he had found her, he wasn't going to let her go. "Excuse me!" Tatsumi called out to a man leading two horses down towards the gate. "How much is it to buy one of those horses?"

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