ARESIA: Fall of an empire

The cool water cascaded gently on Bryan and his wife, Claire Alfredo. Her soft hands roamed over his chest as she washed him, her hands a little hold, exploring his ridges and planes. 

"When are you going to wake up and make me a complete woman?" She whispered to him gently. But Bryan's eyes were blank, his face stoic, his lips parted in an awkward angle. 

Claire sighed as she looked at her husband's face and realized that he still couldn't hear her. "What on earth happened to you, Bryan?" She asked rhetorically. It wasn't like he could hear her, no, he was mute and couldn't speak since he'd been brought back from war six months ago. All that she was left with was a shadow of the man she once loved. 

Claire looked keenly at him, he was still as unresponsive as ever and she shyly ran her hands over his crotch as she applied the scented soap all over him. She couldn't believe that she was a married virgin. 

Four years ago, Bryan had been the best thing to have ever happened to her. He was handsome and strong and she couldn't wait to have him all to herself - body and soul. But the very day of their wedding, she ended up at the altar alone. 

At first, she was upset that she'd been jilted by Bryan just on her D day, she was sad and vengeful but then, just when her family began to mock her, news came that Bryan had been sent off to war by his very own family. 

Broken and distraught, Claire becomes some sort of a widow at her young age. The Alfredo family couldn't take the disgrace so they ordered her to divorce Bryan and move on with her life. With Claire's extraordinary beauty, there was a long line of men waiting for her once she left him. 

But Claire loved her husband and she bowed to wait for his return no matter how long it would take. And finally, Bryan did return, but he wasn't the same man. 

"I will make you take me today, I must feel you inside me, if I must divorce you as my family had ordered then you must be the one to take my maidenhead," Claire mused as she slowly moved her husband from the shower and began to towel him dry. She pulled a light blanket over him and was about to undress herself when she heard a loud bang on the door.

 Startled, Claire pulled on her pajamas quickly and covered up her husband. "Who is the__" but she didn't complete that statement when the door opened and her mother, Freya Alfredo walked in.  

Claire winced at the angry scowl on her mother's face. "This is all you ever do all day! Bath and cloth a grown-up man like he's a baby or an imbecile!" She snapped. 

"Mom, please, don't be mean to Bryan," Claire begged her mother but Freya pointed at her in anger, "Don't you dare say a word before I slap the sense that you've lost back into your head!" She snapped. 

Claire stood still, she knew how explosive her mother's anger could be and so she didn't say anything. "I was just trying to dress him up for__"  

"Don't dress him him! Stop living im a fantasy world and wake up, Claire! That man is a vegetable, he's more useless than a newborn child, he's a retard, there is nothing we can do about it. You can't keep wasting the family's money when we don't even have enough!" She snapped.  

"I'll get a job, I just need some time to make sure Bryan is taken care of," she pleaded. But Freya shook her head. "I've heard enough of this nonsense, you're the reason that Master Alfredo cut us off from the family's finances, you have brought nothing but shame to this family all because of that man," Freya said, pointing at Bryan who was on his wheelchair quietly, oblivious to the world around him. 

"After tonight, you are going to sign divorce papers and leave that piece of trash, you better be on Master Alfredo's good side if you want to get back into the family," Freya warned, "Wear something nice to the family gathering tonight, you just might be lucky to have a promising man look your way," she said and hissed at Bryan as she walked out. 

Claire sighed, she was still feeling a little tingly for her husband but she couldn't disobey her mother so she quickly dressed up and rolled Bryan close to the bedside, "I don't know what will happen to us, I have to get dressed for Master Alfredo's party tonight," she whispered dejectedly and placed a deep kiss on his lips as she left the room, going into her walk-in closet. 

As the door slammed, a loud bang sounded in Bryan's head and his eyes widened. He looked around the room and almost fell off his wheelchair as memories assailed him. He saw himself in the car heading to his wedding when suddenly he was being taken back to his family and sent off to fight a war for Gato Republic against their enemy, Alemand. 

Bryan groaned as he could see men were bowing to him respectfully, he was clothed in a general's uniform and led his men to battle, emerging victorious and bringing home the glory. 

"The blood general" they called him as his enemies bowed before him. He could recall how happy he was to go home to his wife when his family decided his fate suddenly, he wasn't to return intact, they made him a retard with very powerful ancient herbs. 

Bryan was still remembering who he was when Claire walked back into the room and saw her husband seated on the bed. She stopped in her tracks, surprised at how he had somehow moved out of his chair and was leaning on the bed. "Where am I?" He asked, his voice low and hoarse. 

"Oh my God! You're conscious!

" Claire yelled in shock, her eyes wide.