March Short Story [Karna x Volke Alternate]

Hey peeps!

I wanted to get multiple short stories done this month, but time tables caught up with me. I should have more for next month, though >.>

And more voice acting!

Here is a short story that basically imagines "what if Karna and Volke were a couple?" These are scenes from Grandmaster, but let me know if you like them. I can always write more!

Shami

A “What If” side story of Volke x Karna [During the Events of Grandmaster]

The nights in Regal Heights were comfortable, but I always felt restless. There was so much to do that sleep felt like a trap. I sat at a desk in the library of my borrowed home and mulled over the situation with the god-creatures, the Second Ascension, and what would happen if we failed.

The sky beyond the window helped. The stars were beautiful constants, never wavering from their course. Time and time again, through every season, they returned to stand watch in the dark.

I just had to be more like that.

Although it was silent, the door to my room opened and closed. The tremors of footfalls across the stone floor reached me long before the person. Several individuals were staying in this massive fortress-like dwelling, but the soft steps betrayed this person’s identity.

Karna always had a way of slipping through places without making much noise, but ever since I felt vibrations through the very ground, she never snuck on me ever again. Despite that fact, I did allow her to creep all the way to my chair without acknowledging her presence.

When she slid her arms around my neck, and kissed the back of my head, I felt the breath of her chuckle through my hair.

“You knew I was here, didn’t you?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I muttered as I stroked her arm. With a smile, I added, “But I could use some company.”

She wore a long-sleeved dress made of thin wool. It had a luxurious feel, and offered a slight amount of warmth in the colder hours of the evening. Well, it would have offered warmth, but Karna wore her dress with long slits up the sides of her legs. The dress kept her modest only through the sheer willpower of her belt that rested on her hips.

Karna also had stockings, likely to muffle the sounds of her steps, but I doubted they offered much protection from the nightly chill, either. They were so thin.

“What’s wrong, my little Volkie?” Karna spoke the words with a purr. She tightened her hold on me, and then nibbled on the shell of my right ear.

“You know that’s wrong,” I said, almost unreasonably angry at the question. She was just trying to help, but wasn’t in the mood to play games. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop thinking. It makes it difficult to sleep.”

“Thinking about what?”

“Thinking about… What if I fail? What if…” I closed my eyes and tensed. “About fears I’d rather not voice.” I scrunched my eyebrows together. “If I say them, they’ll feel like they’re closer to reality. I don’t want that. I just… I want to stop thinking about them and just focus on what needs to be done.”

I hated throwing all my worries on her like a sailor unloading a ship, but there were few people I could speak to on the matter. Everyone had their own troubles, after all. Even Karna.

“You worry too much.”

Karna stepped around the side of my chair. In one effortless motion, she pulled herself onto my lap, straddling me. She was warm and supple—and so confident. My face heated as she tugged the collar of my shirt and gently pulled me into a quick kiss.

“Karna,” I muttered.

“Shh.” She pecked her soft lips on the tip of my nose. “I’m giving you something else to think about.”

She undid the buttons to my shirt and pulled it open, revealing my god-arcanist mark. Then she pushed the shirt off my shoulders and stared down at me with a predator’s smile.

“Karna—we’re in a library.” I grabbed her hand when she reached for my belt. “I mean, it’s a public space.”

“I know.”

She twisted her wrist and slipped from my grip. Then she kissed the side of my neck. With playful movements, she dragged her lips up to my jawline, licked me, and brought her mouth to mine. All the while, she grabbed my belt and undid the buckle.

I pulled away, my whole body hot and practically turning red. I grabbed both her wrists this time, and stopped her from messing with my trousers. “K-Karna. There are other people here.”

“Exactly.” She half-chuckled as she leaned against me, her skin silky, every part of her so soft it was difficult to think of anything else. “You should worry about what the others will think if they find us like this,” Karna whispered.

“But, that’s what I’m saying. No one wants—”

She kissed me and forced her tongue to press against mine. I released one of her wrists and delicately stroked my knuckles against her cheek. She, on the other hand, removed her own belt and tossed it to the floor. Her dress was much looser now, and I feared what would if she moved too much from one side or the other.

Karna smiled as she bit my lower lip. “You should worry about what all the ladies will whisper when they hear that the big, powerful world serpent arcanist was taking advantage of a weak, little ol’ doppelgänger arcanist.” She chortled at that as she tugged at the collar of her dress.

“Karna,” I said, breathless. “I would never—”

She pressed a finger to my lips, cutting me off. “I know.” Then she offered me a coy smile. “But maybe… you can stop thinking about all your troubles and start thinking about how you’re going to position me on this desk. On my back? Or my stomach?”

Did she… talk to everyone like this?

I had to remind myself to breathe. My mouth was dry, and while it was terribly distracting to think about sullying the desk with lewd activities, the door to the library opened and my heart practically burst out of my chest.

I had been so thoroughly consumed by what was going on, I hadn’t felt the tremors of someone’s approach.

An older man—a servant I had seen many times around Regal Heights—stood in the doorframe, staring at the situation. The dim lighting of the glowstones was enough to make out every detail, I had no doubt.

Karna, still straddling my lap, her dress half on her shoulder, her belt on the floor, said nothing. She didn’t even move. She kept her legs on either side of mine and just eyed the older man.

I couldn’t find the words to even begin explaining myself.

“I came to offer water,” the man said with a grunt. “But I’ll come back in thirty minutes. Seems like you’ll need it then.”

“W-Wait,” I said, holding up a hand.

The man closed the door without another word.

Karna giggled. I turned my attention to her, my face so red, my ears hurt.

“You worry too much,” she finally whispered. “Even your fears of being caught are wildly exaggerated.”

I laughed once. “If I don’t take my problems seriously, but the enemy does, I’ve already lost. I just… Can’t afford to lose. So it feels like everything is important.” I placed my hands on her hips and stared into her eyes. “You still haven’t shown me what you really look like.”

Karna lifted an eyebrow. “How about this? Once this war is done, and we’ve found a place to rest and relax, I’ll answer all your questions. No secrets.”

In the quiet of the library, it seemed like she was serious. I nodded once. “I’d like that. And… Thank you. For helping me get my thought back to the present.”

“Hm. Well, we’re not done yet. I still have a few distractions for you.”

Grandmaster Chapter

“Birthday Ghosts”

But With Karna

I wanted to say my wife woke me in the morning—when she rolled around and draped her arms around my neck—but that would’ve been a lie. I had been awake for several minutes, an odd anxious sensation clawing around my gut.

“Good morning,” Karna whispered into my ear. “Are you ready for a proper birthday wakeup call?”

I rolled over to face her. In the mornings, when it was just us, I appreciated that she didn’t wear someone else’s face. It was just her, her copper red hair beautiful. Everything else…

The door opened, and my children crept inside, giggling like madmen. Karna, on instinct, used her magic to shift her appearance. Gone were all “blemishes” and imperfections. In its place was a woman with perfect blonde hair, blue eyes, and ivory skin. Today she was feeling pale, but perhaps tomorrow she would have dark locks and even darker skin, to go with the weather or her mood.

I kept my eyes closed as a little one approached the side of my bed. She couldn’t stifle her mirth. With tiny giggles, she tiptoed to me and then gently patted my cheek.

“Dad,” she whispered. “Dad. Wake up.” Another giggle. “Daaad. Look what I am!”

I slowly opened my eyes, pretending to wake for the first time. Standing next to my bed was my middle child, Rylee. For some reason, she wore a blue sheet over her body. Two eyeholes had been cut into it, but they were so far apart, only one of Rylee’s eyes could glance out of the costume at a time.

Rylee laughed as she lifted her arms.

“Boo!” she said.

Her eyes and hair were just like mine—dark and sometimes wild. Her black hair curled at the ends, giving her a wavy texture. Some of her locks poked through the other eye hole.

“What is this?” I said as I feigned surprise. I sat up in my bed. “A ghost? Am I being haunted? Or are you a mystical creature?”

Karna sat up on her elbows and glanced over. “Definitely a mystical creature.”

Rylee giggled as she twirled around. She was only five years old, but already she loved life more than anything else. “I’m a birthday ghost! Because it’s Dad’s birthday.”

My oldest child huffed as he walked over. He, too, wore a blue sheet. His eyeholes matched, but he kept his arms crossed and his shoulders slightly slumped. William—we just called him Will—never really liked dressing up.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Will muttered. “Sorry, Mom. I tried to tell her to do something else, but you know Rylee.”

Will was seven and already so much bigger than his sister. He stood a foot taller, but he had all the stockiness of a lamppost. He rolled his eyes when Rylee spun around a second time.

“I don’t know,” I playfully said. “I kinda like birthday ghosts.” When I glanced over to Karna, she nodded in full support.

“Why not?” she asked.

Will narrowed his eyes. “C’mon. Really? What even is a birthday ghost? That’s just silly.”

I rubbed my chin. “Perhaps they’re the ghost of birthdays past?”

“So, the birthdays died? It’s just not very realistic.” Will glanced down at his sister. “I told her we should dress up like knightmares, because you would like that, but she just insisted on this birthday ghost idea…”

Rylee stopped spinning. Although I couldn’t see much of her face, it was obvious she was smiling from ear to ear. “Birthday ghosts are here to celebrate, too!”

“She’s very creative,” I said to Will. I leaned forward, my blankets and bed warm, Karna so close I could still smell her, but my anxiety grew with each passing moment. Nothing was wrong, but something wasn’t right, either.

“She doesn’t have to be thiscreative,” Will mumbled. He motioned to Rylee.

His sister grabbed her costume and spun it around her body. “See? I’m transforming!”

I held up a finger. “Creativity. Without it, we cannot express our heart’s deepest wonders.” I smiled as I added, “Life is too sorrow-filled to chase away imagination. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Will pulled off his ghost sheet. He was the spitting of me and my brother, Ryker. Hair as black as oil, eyes as dark as midnight. His tanned skin reminded me of the islands I once called home.

“Well, we were supposed to surprise you with a present, but Davies is taking forever.” Will sighed.

“Four-year-olds work at their own speed,” I said.

As if summoned by our conversation about him, my third child—my youngest—pushed the door open and made his way into my bedroom. It was a large space, with a sitting area, a fireplace, a bed, and a series of drawers. Davies carried a small glass vase with pink roses poking out the top. Water sloshed inside with each step he took.

“Good morning!” he shouted, his smile wide.

He wore a birthday ghost costume like the others, but his was a little too long.

Rylee giggled and waved. “Oh, Davies! Hi. You brought the flowers! Yay!”

Davies wasn’t known to take things slow. He rushed forward, holding the flowers straight out in front of him.

Davies rushed past the drawers, and then toward my bed. Will grew tenser and tenser and I was right there with him. Karna placed a hand on my bare shoulder, obviously sensing my trepidation. She wanted me to have patience, to just let Davies do what he was going to do.

“Dad!” Davies shouted—way too loud for my bedroom. “Look! I brought your present!” He practically jumped when he said it, and that was when he tripped.

The vase flew forward and smashed on the stone floor, the pink flowers scattering everywhere. Davies was on his stomach, his arms stretched out.

Rylee and Will froze in place, their eyes wide, their breath held.

I tossed off my blankets, but at the same moment, Karna slid out of bed. She pulled her robe over her shoulders and went to our son. She knelt, removed his birthday ghost costume, and rubbed his cheeks, even as silent tears streamed down his face.

“There, there,” Karna whispered. “Everything will be fine.”

Davies was the only one who really looked like Karna. His copper hair, tightly curled, matched his amber eyes and freckled skin. He was still tanned, but it was different. He was spotted, almost, with a wide variety of shades.

“I’m s-sorry, Dad.” Will knelt and gathered up the broken pieces of the vase. “I should’ve just done it.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” I said as I stood from the bed. I scratched at my trousers and glanced around for my clothes. The feeling of anxiety never left me. It wasn’t related to the vase or the flowers. It was something else.

Rylee pulled off her ghost sheet and knelt next to her brother. She reached for some of the stray pieces of the vase.

“D-Don’t,” Will said. He pushed her hand away before Rylee grabbed anything. “You’ll cut yourself. See? The edges of the vase are sharp.” He gently picked one up to show her. “I’ve got this.”

“I’ll handle everything,” Karna said as she stood. She held Davies in her arms. “The rest of you head to the kitchen. We’ll have breakfast and forget all about this little accident.” She smiled at me. “Isn’t that right, Volkie?”

I nodded once.

Karna liked to run the household. She kept everything safe and secure, and even offered others to live with us if they were having troubles. It upset her if things were happy and pleasant, so I allowed her to handle this.

But the dread…

It remained, no matter how much Karna would rather it not exist.