“Ah…” Luykas nodded slowly. “And what else do you want from me?”
“Is it normal for Andinna males to…be attracted to really dominant females? Like…”
“You get a boner when Mave yells at you or makes you put your eyes down,” Luykas said without skipping a beat. “Yeah, it’s perfectly normal—”
“I didn’t say it was Mave,” Emerian growled.
“Ha. Mave is the only female you talk to.” Luykas smiled. “Don’t worry. You and half the males in this camp fall on themselves when she’s involved. Or Allaina, actually.”
“So…why don’t either of them ever complain about males?”
“Mave had some problems while on her campaign, actually. Males approached her because her husbands weren’t around. She wasn’t interested, though none of us would have gotten upset if she found a road companion.” Luykas looked down at his food. “Let’s find a place to sit and eat.”
They walked through the village, then turned to leave it, heading for a large training field Emerian never went to. Luykas found a log to sit on at the edge of the field, staring at the warriors on break before their afternoon training.
“So, you fancy my wife.” Luykas chuckled as Emerian sputtered. “It’s not a problem, but I think this is where someone tells you the most important part of Andinna culture. You fancy her dominance, which is inherently attractive to you. You weren’t exposed to much of it growing up, so you don’t know how to either approach her or ignore it because you might not be a good match. Attraction doesn’t always need to be acted on. This is when you start paying attention to conversations you have with her to see if she might be compatible with you. If it becomes apparent you couldn’t deal with her all the time, you move on. You’ll always be attracted to her.”
“If we’re all attracted to dominant females like that…why did the gladiators treat her so badly? Why didn’t they worship the ground she walks on?” Emerian frowned, then realized he touched on a bad subject. Luykas’ expression grew cool.
“They were attracted to her. That was the problem,” he said softly. “They were angry at their circumstances and hated their attraction to her because of her position in the pits, so they took it out on her. They took it out on her every time they had the chance. She still avoids them. We keep most females away from any place the gladiators congregate to commiserate their previous suffering. We don’t know how ingrained that response is, and we don’t want to take any chances.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. It’s a legitimate question. Also, Emerian, see if there are any other females you might be interested in. Don’t focus on only her and ignore other possibilities. It’s easy to get wrapped up in a female like Mave and think no one else is right because they aren’t her. I’ve seen royal females just as dominant, even more dominant, with stalkers who needed to be handled. They grew obsessed with serving a powerful female and thought the inherent sexual attraction was so strong, it must have been love.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now eat. Once they’re done with their break, I’m going to have you spar a few of them to see your skill level. If you really impress me, you’ll have your answer today.”
Emerian shoved half of the steak in his mouth and started to chew, making Luykas laugh as he went in on the other half.
Once everyone was off lunch, Luykas and Emerian found the Andinna in charge of the field. Nevyn was yawning as he saw them walk up.
“We need to put Emerian through some sparring matches. He wants to get onto the battlefield, and Alchan is willing to give him a chance,” Luykas explained to the other male.
Emerian didn’t know Nevyn well. He was one of the Ivory Shadows, making him a member of the royal guard and a close confidant to the king. He was also like Luykas in that he was designated a general in their forces. He could run entire campaigns under order of the king.
“Let’s do it. He uses a scythe now, yeah? I have wooden and steel. Which do you want him with?”
“Wood. I don’t want him accidentally taking off someone’s arm. The scythe is too good at dismembering people,” Luykas answered, smiling. “Thanks, my friend.”
“No problem. Have you considered where to put him if he’s ready? Has he thought about it?”
Emerian shook his head when Nevyn looked at him, and