Predatory Marriage

The banquet to celebrate the victory over Herben would have to wait until the rest of the Kurkan army arrived. It was meant to be a magnificent, triumphal event, but they could hardly hold it now just because Ishakan had appeared, alone, so much sooner than expected.

The emissaries from Balkat sent word that they would arrive soon, and it left Leah a little free time to spend with her family. Every morning, Ishakan came to Leah with a bouquet of flowers, which he had personally picked and then trimmed. He always made sure to cut away every thorn.

He liked to make things for her with his own hands. Every time she received flowers from him, his devotion made her smile. And then he would say something to embarrass her.

“You are more beautiful than all of these,” he said, utterly serious, looking at her as if she were the most beautiful thing in the world. Every time he did this, it made her blush.

Leah suspected he was giving her flowers just for that.

And when he wasn’t playing with his wife, Ishakan spent a lot of time playing with Lesha.

The boy was having a lot of fun. Leah was always quiet, but Ishakan played with his son with surprising roughness. Watching the two of them play was enough to give Leah heart palpitations.

They started off rough and then escalated to dangerous, and their most recent game impossible to watch. The game involved a bow and arrows.

Lesha was running in the distance as Ishakan fired arrows at him, and the little boy had to avoid the arrows until he reached the place where Ishakan had planted a flag. – Posted only on NovelUtopia

The tips of the arrows were blunted with cloth wrappings, and Lesha raced over the ground, dodging them all until finally one of the arrows struck him.

The little boy was knocked off his feet.

“Lesha!”

Lesha, who had been watching from the shade of a tree, started up with a cry. But Lesha quickly scrambled back to his feet, and Leah felt relief flood her as he started running again.

It seemed as if this was natural for a Kurkan. Leah could not understand their world. To her, this looked more like combat training than a game, but she decided not to intervene. Lesha was enjoying it so much.

A few days later, Ishakan decided to take his son hunting. With a new small dagger at his hip, Lesha was filled with determination.

“Mama! I’ll catch a big prey for you!”

He held out his arms to indicate the massive animal he would catch, and Leah stroked his cheek.

“It’s okay if you don’t. Just be careful.”

Lesha pouted at her words. His intention to catch the largest and most ferocious trophy for his mother was clear in his face, to prove his prowess as a hunter. But nonetheless, Leah repeated the admonition to Ishakan.

“You take care of yourself, too. Don’t get hurt.”

As soon as she said it, she realized it was meaningless. Ishakan smiled.

“It’s been a long time since someone said anything like that to me.”

Animals feared Kurkans, instinctively sensing that they were facing a top predator. Even animals like wolves were quick to get out of their path.

“I always worry about you,” Leah told him, and Ishakan hugged her.

“Should we go together? I will hunt only rabbits, if you come.”

When she didn’t answer, he lifted her up in his arms.

“Ishakan! Put me down.”

“I don’t think I can,” he said. He knew she couldn’t go with them because she had work to do that day, but he was pretending he had never heard of it. “I’m thinking of kidnapping you.”

He kissed his struggling wife, catching her hands as she tried to push him away. Leah softened and smiled, stroking his cheek.

“After I finish my work today...I’ll do whatever you want.”