The Next Morning

Mia PoV

Mia’s eyes snapped open instantly when she woke up, going rigid as she assessed her surroundings. A dim light from the bathroom softly illuminated the small room she was in, a room where she wasn’t alone. She heaved a sigh of relief when she realised she was lying on top of her bondholder, this dear, old man who accepted her into his… family. She started to run her hand up and down his body slowly, wanting to learn everything about it. About him.

She wouldn’t lie to herself. Before, she would have been disgusted at the thought of being anywhere near someone this old, her old way of thinking leading her to believe the old had no benefit other than as cannon fodder for the younger generation of warriors. She began to question that belief once she saw how the Guards had picked apart the pirates, who outnumbered and outgunned them, using unconventional tactics. 

Superior tactics if she were honest.

One thing after another happened, and she found she was quickly becoming… infatuated with this man. This man, who quickly accepted her story, believed her even though she had no proof other than that she had a different accent from his. His voice made her feel… safe, and when he sang, it stirred something deep inside that she had never really felt for another before. Attraction. 

When she went to rescue him, she could see he had already almost broken free of his restraints, and once he was free, he quickly broke out of his cell. That was the first time she really saw him use this magic he had. The Clans had no such thing, and for a moment, she wanted to capture him herself and bring him back to the Steel Vipers. They could use his DNA and make the most powerful warriors in the galaxy with it, and take vengeance on the Jade Falcons.

Her honour stopped her from trying to do that. She didn’t think she had any left, but she found some then and clung to it like a lifeline. She would not dishonour herself further by breaking the contract with her bondholder. Then, he quickly defeated that dezgra, and held a sword to her throat. She had gulped at that, realising that trying to make this man do anything he didn’t want to do would be a fool’s errand. 

He then called her name and allowed her the honour of not only watching her death, but to do it herself. Her attraction to him began to deepen, becoming more defined. For this, this was the source of her pain, suffering, and most of her dishonour, and he allowed her to take the revenge herself. She would devote the rest of her life to this man, become his faithful servant for as long as he allowed it.

Time became a blur after that, as she was accepted by his… Tsuma? Wife? She wasn’t sure, as most of the warrior cast did not really participate in couplings to make children. That was for the lower castes to deal with, and those were not official marriages, as marriage had been abolished in the clans hundreds of years ago. Women were expected to pump out as many children as possible, and if the man she chose to couple with was unable to do it any longer, either due to death, disfigurement, or moving elsewhere for the clan, someone would replace him.  

This concept of an actual family fascinated her, and watching them interact was… beautiful. 

Once they heard that the wolves were coming, she felt fear for her new bond- her new family. She didn’t want to see them broken up, to see Lucy turned into a broodmare, and to see Rei being taken from her mother to be raised by the clans and indoctrinated into their ways. She spoke with James and the rest of the Blackstone guards about this possibility, but hadn’t mentioned it to John. She felt ashamed of that, and even more so over the last two nights when he allowed her to come into his bed and offered comfort for her traumas. 

She paused her thinking then, remembering last night and how John had-

“It was real? Oh my, what have I done?” She whispered. Tears came to her eyes then, and she started to sob into his chest. She couldn’t bear the shame of lying to this man. Her man. The man that she… loved?

*Sob*

John stirred to the sounds of crying beside him. He cracked his eye open, and there was Mia, lying on his chest, sobbing her head off. He wrapped his arms around the smaller woman and kissed the top of her head.

“It’s okay, I am here. Susie can’t hurt you any longer.” He said soothingly to her, rocking her body slightly against his. 

She continued crying, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his chest. He rubbed her back and continued telling her it was okay now, that he was here for her. It took several minutes for her to calm down enough to stop her sobs, her tears soaking his chest.

“You’re okay now.” He said again, running his fingers through her long mane of hair. 

“No, John Wayne. It is not okay.”

“She is-“

“This is not about the dezgra! This is about me being a dezgra. You have taken me into your family and said my honour is yours and yours is mine, and yet I have disgraced myself. I have besmirched your honour, John Wayne, when you have shown me nothing but compassion and empathy. I deserve to be punished. I need to be punished for my transgression! Quiaff!?!”

“First off, I am not going to punish you unless you truly deserve it. Secondly, I have no idea what you are talking about, so please, tell me why you think you need to be punished?”

She then stood up and stood at attention beside the bed, speaking to him about the finer details of Clan life for the lower caste and what the people of Blackstone might end up facing. His mood darkened at that, but not at her not telling him. He didn’t like it, but he could honestly understand how this culture, which was continuously at war with other Clans, would need to keep pumping children out to feed their war machine. What he didn’t like was the thought of them forcing the same rules on their world, or if they kept going, into the Innersphere.

Mia finished her recounting, then stood silently, awaiting her punishment. He stood up as well and paced around the room. They were both naked, but looking at her beautiful body was the last thing on his mind right then.

I need to get them off this planet. Them and as many women and children as I can fit onto the Pelican. Just, where do I take them?

This whole world just got a lot more ‘Real’ for him.

“John Wayne, I have broken my rede to you, and await your judgement.”

He was about to tell her that she had done no such thing, but decided to snoop around a little more. He activated his Scouter ability and began asking a few questions.

“What do you think is the acceptable punishment for your actions?” He asked, stepping behind her.

“Death.”

{I don’t deserve surkai (Right of Forgiveness. It is the punishment for a crime.) I cannot atone for this breach of trust.} 

Holy crap! It is too early in the morning for this intensity.

“No. You don’t deserve death over this. However, I am disappointed in you, Mia.” He said in a serious tone.

“John Wayne. I failed to warn you of the imminent danger to your family. I deserve no less than to end my life.”

{I need to enact Bondsref (Ritual Suicide of a bondsmen). I cannot shame him further.}

No, you bloody don’t! Oh, I want to smack that thought out of your ass right this second!

“No. You misunderstand two things. One, it isn’t my family, it is our family. You are just as much a part of it now as I am, as Lucy and Rei are.” He said, moving in front of her. She had tears streaming down her face, her emotions all over the place. He didn’t let up. “And two, death would be too easy. Easy for you.”

“But Jo-“

“I said No! You are not allowed to kill yourself with this bondsref. I refuse to give you permission to die! Mainly over something like this!” He said firmly, then softened his voice and hugged her. “You need love and support, not to commit suicide. You have omitted something, something important, but that doesn’t deserve the death penalty. My honour is not tarnished because you haven’t been able to fill me in on the entirety of the Clans’ history and social structure in a few days. My honour would be tarnished if you tried to take your life without me stopping it.”

“John Wayne. I… I cannot…” She said, but he cut her off by placing a finger on her lips.

“I offer you a compromise. Your Surkai for this transgression. You will live your life with honour in my household, as one of my wives. You will help me fight battles when you are able, and help maintain my household when you are not. You will come to me when you have problems, and we will work on actual solutions. Quiaff?”

She looked into his eye, tears streaming down her face. “Aff.”

*Sob*

“Then let it be so, Seyla.”

“Seyla.” She replied, “When did you start understanding my… Clan ways so well?”

“I learned what I could from a woman I am falling in love with.” He said, wiping the tears from her face with his thumbs. “How’d I do?”

“You still use too many contractions, but… You are acceptable, John Wayne. More than acceptable for me. I am sorry, I… I do not know what came over me.”

“You have had a rough few days.” He said, then turned his tone a little more serious again, “I do require a promise from you. If you ever think about killing yourself again, I want you to come straight to me. Or if not me, Lucy. You have so much more life to live, and death is too final a choice for someone as young as you are. My honour is riding on you making this choice. Quiaff?”

“Aff, John Wayne. I will live for you, my honour demands no less now.” She said, leaning on his chest again. “I… I love you, John Wayne. Please, never let me go.”

“I love you too, Mia. I never will.” He replied, holding her tightly to his chest. He wanted her to live for herself, but if this was how he had to start on her long road to recovery, he would take what he could get.

After the crisis was averted, John and Mia took a shower together and then got ready for the day. He wasn’t planning on letting her out of his sight until after he could reunite her with Lucy and Rei and get them the hell off this rock.

That was another problem he had no immediate solution to. If he had to, he would use the Pelican’s limited slip space drive and slowly make his way to a nearby system and see if he could catch a jumpship there.  He wasn’t even sure if that would work, but it beat the alternative.

The rest of the Guards joined them for a breakfast of field rations, then made their way to their positions. There was little conversation to be had, the grim reality of the day setting in. Thanks to Mia, they all knew how the Clans treated the elderly and planned on making them pay for their shortsightedness. 

No quarter asked for, no quarter given.

The finishing touches on their plan took the rest of the morning, the support staff evacuating on a pair of VTOLs out the back of the cave. He spotted both Sandy and Maggie boarding them, which was somewhat of a relief. He was worried Maggie might try to stay with Freddy, but he seemed to have convinced her to go.   

Once they had departed, he shrank the Pelican to pocket sized then moved with Mia up to their position. It was their ace in the hole, but it wasn’t the only card they had to play. 

The traps were baited and set; now it was time to let these wolves come to play.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep