Chapter 1
“Are you excited, Mars? Your heat is nearly here, which means-”
“Our wedding…” Mars finished, earning himself a pleased smirk from Tyne. She was holding his hand with a tight grip and let out a pleased sigh. The two were on their daily walk around the kingdom, surrounded by soldiers. In a normal situation, they wouldn’t be needed. She was with the Champion of Vomosa, the novice soldier that had swiftly risen in the ranks and managed to surpass his fellow knights. He protected his kingdom from many dangers, being a challenge to anyone that threatened either him or the kingdom he swore to defend.
Well, he did. Until he presented as a Doci.
Doci is a rare type of human that was created to serve, to please anyone who comes to possess them and most importantly of all, birth a powerful child with a Perior. Luckily for Mars, the one that had sought after him was the Princess of Vomosa herself and a powerful Perior, Tyne. She wasn’t a traditional princess. While many in other kingdoms seemed withdrawn and appeared soft, she was masculine and intimidating. As a Perior it was expected out of her.
The citizen’s attention was captivated by the pair. Many were dazzled by their appearance, enraptured by the beauty that radiated off of them. The princesses’ blonde tresses swayed with each step she took, her forest-green eyes gleamed with pride as she walked beside her intended, her heart, her soon-to-be Doci.
Downcasted, turquoise eyes peeked once more at her and as Tyne smiled at him, he timidly looked back to his feet.
He was truly a gift from the Goddesses and Gods.
She had always found him attractive, especially when she found time to spar with him. His skill was beyond anything she had ever seen. He wielded a heavy sword with ease and avoided any arrow directed at him grace. His body was lean, but was nicely toned. She could recall a time when he had managed to bring her to her knees as he towered above her. The smile he produced was something only the most beautiful creature could possess. She wanted him, craved him, but because of her status as a Perior she was meant to be with a Doci. No regular human would meet her needs. Not like a Doci could. They were made to serve. Created to please.
She glanced over at Mars who was focused on twiddling his fingers.
She was blessed to be with such a beautiful Doci.
She recalled the day he presented or in this case, presented again. She had gotten word that he had collapsed during one of his many tasks outside of the kingdom and immediately headed straight for the royal infirmary where he was being held.
When she arrived she saw the embarrassed blush on his face and an excited expression on the doctors.
She had told her that Mars was a Doci, something that Tyne did not see coming.
She never speculated that he would be a Doci. He never gave off the sweet smell that they were known for did and he never acted off when he was in her presence. Doci would normally feel weak around a Perior. The Pheromones a Perior released were similar to a sedative, known for making a Doci undergo a calm, trance-like state.
The doctor explained to her however that Mars had been taking suppressants in secret to hide the embarrassing predicament. Tyne didn’t see how it was embarrassing in the slightest. Being a Perior woman meant her being able to get pregnant was nearly impossible, and that pained her. She wanted an heir, but there was no Perior that suited her taste.
That was until Mars. A Doci she was attracted too. A Doci that would give her a powerful heir for her kingdom.
It was on that day that she proposed to Mars.
The champion had been quiet the entire time, only offering a quiet acceptance of Tyne’s request. That was his princess, someone he promised to protect until the end of his days. It would be wrong for him to reject her.
Even if he didn’t want to marry her.
Feeling the hand around his own tightened, Mars looked away from her to focus on the ground beneath him. All around them were the usual cheers and congratulations coming from either soldiers, citizens who were out for their daily routine, or passers who came looking for a trade.
He wishes that he could feel as happy as they all felt for both him and Tyne, but he just couldn’t bring himself to be.
It wasn’t as if he disliked her or found her unattractive. She had her moments where she expressed her authority, Mars could think of one in particular, but she was still a gracious ruler. She could be polite and intimidating at the right times and she led successful revolts against the violent creatures that still roamed the fields around the kingdom.
She was the perfect Perior in every way.
She just wasn’t his Perior.
Thinking over his situation with a frown, Tyne caught his expression.
“Is something the matter?” He heard her ask, her words full of concern.
He focused his attention on her and with a small smile, shook his head. “Not at all, your majesty.” He said which earned him a frown from Tyne.
“You must stop calling me that. You are my betrothed, not some commoner. To you and only you, I am Tyne. Is that understood?” To him, her words sounded like an order. Something that not only did he have to follow, but must learn to accept.
“Yes...Tyne.” She wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.
“You’ll get the use of your new position, Mars. please do not worry yourself with such trivial things.” She raised his hand and placed a kiss against his knuckles. “In only a matter of weeks, you and I will be wedded. Just like we were always meant to be.” She smiled teasingly. “A knight and his Queen. Does it not make your heart swell with anticipation?”
It hadn’t, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Something did catch his attention, however.
“Will I be able to return to my training as a soldier?” He asked, eyes twinkling with hope. It had been two months since he’s been outside to fight, and he was just itching to wield his sword once more and rid the residents outside of the kingdom’s walls of the monsters that had taken residence near stables and villages.
Tyne narrowed her eyes, which made Mars shrink back. That was the wrong thing for him to have asked.
“It was a joke Mars. No, you will not. Not for a while anyway. You’ll be much too busy with our precious heir to worry about such engagements like slaying those vile creatures or other help-out individuals with the menial tasks they foist upon you.” The grip she had on his hand eased up and her expression softened.
With her free hand, she gripped his chin and turned his head towards her so that they were now meeting each other’s gaze.
“You’ve already done your role, Mars.” She gently grabbed a strand of dark blond hair and placed it behind his ear, “You’ve protected your home. You serve not only your people but your princess. The gods above us have taken notice of that and now it’s your turn to be taken care of…” She raised her thumb to his light pink lips and softly ran the digit over it, “You deserve rest, my dear.”
“But I want to fight...” Mars argued, but Tyne wouldn’t listen to reason. In her eyes, she was doing Mars the greatest of favors. No more did he have to fear being killed or carry upon the weight of such important tasks. She wanted him to be at peace and to be beside her during her rule of Vomosa. Besides, even if she were to send him out back in the field, it was a guaranteed death sentence. Worse, maybe even rape. Not only was he a gorgeous Doci, but he was Tyne’s Doci. There were plenty of heinous people out there that would love to get their hands on the man.
The Riven tribe was full of them. They were Perior’s that were cast from their respective homes and known for capturing Doci to do whatever pleased them. They mostly used them to act on whatever sick desire they pondered over, acts that were considered taboo.. was full of them, just brimming with Periors with the desire to break Mars for taking the life of their beloved leader, Kohga.
Tyne wouldn’t allow anything that would risk Mar’s safety.
“I’m sorry Mars, but I’ve made up my mind and that’s that.” Mars’ heart sank after hearing her words. There was no way that he was going to change her mind and it irritated him. He didn’t want to stop doing what he was trained to do just because of what he now was. She had to understand that him being a Doci didn’t mean he should stop fighting altogether. It was ridiculous.
Even if she was done arguing, he wasn’t. He opened his mouth to explain to her how foolish she was sounding and to give her his reasoning about the entire situation, but was unable to thanks to a soldier who had a message to relay to Tyne.
He tried to catch what he said, but the soldier had whispered it into her ear. When he pulled away a serious look fell over her.
“Tell your captain to send only ten of your men. Giants are nothing to fret about, but they could cause a problem. The volunteers at Mani Ranch have just started their repair after the last raid. I wouldn’t want their efforts to go to waste.”
The soldier nodded in agreement and gave her a bow.
“Understood, we’ll be right on it.” He gave her another bow, along with a low one for Mars. That just deepened his humiliation. He had used to work alongside this knight. His status as a Doci had made him nothing more than a trophy for Tyne to show off.
“Is there a chance that I can at least go and watch?” He asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course not. What if the Giant throws something at you and you are unable to dodge in time? You’ll be harmed and I’ll have to go out and hunt down each one of them, leaving the kingdom in disarray because of my absence. “
A simple “no” would have been more than enough.
As they continued their trek around the kingdom, Mars was starting to grow tired from both the people congratulating him and the sweet praise he was receiving from Tyne. He wanted to get away from it all.
“Pri- I-I mean, Tyne…” He hastily corrected himself.
“Yes?” She asked, looking over at him.
“I’m getting tired, do you mind if I retire to my room?”
Smiling, she shook her head.
“Of course not. I must attend to some paperwork anyway before dinner so this works out for the both of us.” Quirking her head to the side she asked, “Do you want me to escort you to your room?”
“N-no.” He stuttered. She’s never asked him that before and that threw him off. Pouting, she let go of his hand and crossed her arms.
“Pity, but if that is what you wish, then I shall not. Maybe some other time.” “Yeah, some other time…” He agreed with a nervous smile.
Awkwardly standing there, with their guards circled around the pair, Mars noticed that she looked rather crestfallen.
Did she want to escort him that much?
Thinking about it, he couldn’t help but see how rude it was to dismiss her kindness. Despite how overbearing she was, all she wanted was to show that she cared about his well-being. She cares about him and wants him to feel safe.
If all she wanted to do was escort him...then It wouldn’t be such a big deal.
Would it?
Not wanting to dwell on it any longer than he had to, he reached for her hand. She looked up at him, a bit startled.
“That was rude of me. I don’t mind, I’m sorry.” He gave her an apologetic grin. She returned a grin, not at all upset.
She had gotten her way, just as she had wanted.
“Well, if you insist.” She said pompously. Intertwining their fingers together she waved off the soldiers surrounding them.
“You are relieved of your duties. I’ll take it from here.” She commanded, already walking off with Mars in tow.
The soldiers had no reason to argue with her. She was a Perior after all. She was more than capable of protecting both her and Mars.
“You know that you’re more than welcome to stay in my room. We are going to be married soon so it’s only natural for you to finally transition over.” Tyne told him as they arrived at Mars’s room.
“Wouldn’t that be immodest of us? We aren’t married.” Mars replied.
“But we will be, besides I’m only asking you to sleep. Nothing else.” She gave him a cute smile. “Not yet anyway.”
An uncomfortable shiver ran down his spine. It was only a matter of time before his heat came and he was to be at her mercy.
Tyne had made it clear that when his heat would arrive, they were to mate. She was eager to marry Mars and had already spent two months waiting. She couldn’t wait any longer and she proved that by having his suppressants taken away from him along with the order of none to be sold to him if he were to try something silly such as purchase them.
She was that intent on getting him pregnant and honestly, it scared Mars.
He had just recently turned eighteen and he didn’t know anything when it came to children. He would try to tell Tyne this and get her to listen to reason, but she would brush it off, claiming that Mars just had the jitters.
Why couldn’t she just understand that he wasn’t prepared for such a thing? He was regarded as a hero for a reason. He was made to fight and that’s what he intended on doing for the rest of his life.
Whether Tyne liked it or not.
“Ah, well...I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” He said, not trying to engage her on the subject of mating. He turned for the door but was pulled back when she cupped his face with both of her soft hands.
“Mmph!” She pulled him into a kiss. Her eyes were closed but his was wide open, begging for her to let go of him.
After a couple of seconds, she broke away. A thin trail of saliva connected broke between them. With a suggestive smile, she wiped it off of Mars’ chin.
“Please get some rest.” She told him, giving her finger a lick, cleaning off his saliva. Turning around, her long hair swaying with each step she took, Mars watched her leave.
His heart hammered frantically in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was the sane part of him that was terrified of what just occurred or the Doci part that screamed to finally be embraced by a Perior.
If it was the latter, that disgusted him.
Grabbing the doorknob to his room he pulled it open and roughly closed it shut. He couldn’t stay here and deal with that. He wouldn’t take that. He needed to get some fresh air. Away from her.
Panting, his eyes landed at his windows. He shakily rushed to it and peered out. It overlooked the vast fields of Vomosa, empty of construction and full of greenery and life. It was more than the eyes can see and he needed to see it all again.
Mars cautiously looked over his shoulder and at the door.
All he needed was to see it again, just one more time. After that...he would begin his new life.
His life as the Doci raising the next ruler of Vomosa.
He took a shaky breath and raised his leg over the windowsill
