A/N: This chapter contains lemon (not just lime, ;)). I will mark it with %%%%%. Although it tempts me so, I will not make it as explicit as I would have wanted… :P
We're coming to a close. :) It has been fun.
Jewel of the Eastern Desert
Chapter 17
Yearning
The Haula-infused sky exploded bright violet, and a terrible windstorm erupted on the sand ocean. A shadow like no other befell on the Kingdom of El Qasr.
With one fell swoop the gigantic shadow obliterated the resurrected ghoul army, the liquid fire lingering on the remnants of the aftermath. It moved so fast that even the Ifrits were not able to see.
Then came that destructive roar.
The two fiends reeled, clutching their shattered ears, blood escaping every possible orifice.
The ancient, unseen entity roared again. It was in search of something precious, and it did not care if it was harming friend or foe alike. The harpies and Karkadanns retreated into the deep bowels of the earth in fear of the sentinel.
There was an unearthly thud, announcing the descent of the massive beast. Another thud, its footfalls shaking the earth. It was only when the windstorm settled and the sand clouds heeded was when the entity's image was fully revealed.
Like a mirage rising from the desert heat, there stood in their midst the colossal Fire Drake. Although with bleeding eyes the Ifrits could do nothing but tremble at its glory, its red scales illuminated by the scorching fires around.
"Beautiful," the Ifrit Anji could only utter.
From behind him Usui brushed past and called up a spell of a thousand flying daggers. It was a devastating djinn spell that could bring instant demise to a whole army, but the Fire Drake outstretched its wings,
wings that spanned an entire city,
and with one mere flap, sent the daggers flying back. The storm of blades was so chaotic that it cut the spellcaster himself, and before the sand and metal bedlam had ended, the behemoth Dragon let out another earsplitting roar.
It knocked Usui off his feet, and he spun violently, skidding off the sand from the explosive blast of the dragon's roar.
It was not sufficient to quell Usui's relentless attack. The Ifrit drew his sword and charged, but the Dragon's spines bristled, giant needles of poison as large as the djinn's body retracting from its back.
It swung its tail violently, the terrifying projectiles hurling towards the djinn.
Usui cried out in torment- he had been impaled by the poisonous spikes. "Do not pity me," Through his magic he told his possessed comrade, "I will finally meet our King again. Tell the Heir I am deeply sorry."
A surge of violet flame came roaring towards him, and the swordsman Usui closed his eyes and smiled.
It was an honor to witness a legend made flesh and blood, and it was especially beautiful to have experienced the Fire That Can Burn the Gods.
In the blink of an eye, the Ifrit Usui was no more.
Anji fell on his knees, still bleeding profusely from the wound on his stomach. It was Usui's iron blade that sliced through him, anyway, and he knew that his haula was spilling out rapidly to the point of depletion. He wished to have been burned by the Fire Drake's flame, just to end the agony of his possession, but he was still alive, and only when he is reduced to ashes will his soul maintain any peace.
The defiant, ear-shattering roars of the Fire Drake echoed through the desert-scape, and around him, the images of violet flames from the beast's reckless search filled his vision.
From where he lay he could see the Heir of Amberistad's Iron prison, still and unmoving. Could she have perished from the spell? Could she have uttered the forbidden Ruqyah of self-destruction?
Summoning his last sliver of haula he willed himself to connect to the mind of the Princess.
But he found he could not enter.
Anji mentally laughed.
He could not establish any such contact, for the Fire Drake was a selfish entity-
It had already seized her incoming channels, it had rejected anyone else's call with malicious jealousy, wanting all of Kaoru's attention to itself.
When Anji brought himself back to the present, he realized the thundering footfalls of the colossus was no more, and the massive shadow of the Fire Drake itself was gone: before him stood a red-haired man with golden eyes,
Staring down at him in animosity.
Where is my Queen.
The man said, though no words escaped his lips. The man was naked, yet the violet flames that scorched around him made it difficult for Anji to keep eye contact, for his mere proximity brought an inexplicable burn to his soul.
Anji lifted a weak hand and pointed behind him.
The Dragon turned and saw the Iron Maiden. The image of his beloved's prison seemed to have triggered something, for the Dragon Lord opened his lips and let out a tortured howl.
And the dragon's howl, it proved more destructive than its roar. What was left of Anji's hearing literally shattered. It shook the ground underneath them, it threw the desert into a raging sandstorm. As quickly as it started, the chaos died down: the heavily fortified Iron Maiden had crumbled into a million pieces, blending with the crying wind.
The Dragon Lord caught his beloved in his arms. A protective violet flame barrier rose around them, "I'm here," the Fire Drake whispered, softly lapping on the mark on the Princess' exposed neck, gently nipping on her skin, "Please wake up, I'm here."
*-Palace of the Malik,
El Qasr-*
Only a day had passed since the siege, and yet the restless presence of the Fariq was astir in El Qasr. Barely having recovered from her wounds the General still managed to patrol the borders and reinforce the broken barriers of magic. It took a great deal of persuasion (and force) from the Royal Army and the Malik to relieve her from her duties for the day and give her a day of rest, but still she paced the echoing hallways of the palace like a fitful spirit.
In the afternoon she managed to escape the watchful eye of her keepers and descend to the town, switching from Fariq to Ameera, to look into the state of the townspeople and the injured mass.
And it was during the settling of dusk, when the skies melted from gold to a night-blue and a million stars shyly peeked into the Eastern Lands when the Queen of El Qasr found her, the Ameera of the East, making her way back into the quiet palace.
"The shattered walls have been reconstructed," The Ameera helpfully supplied, "The people of El Qasr donated a good amount of their own magic to help rebuild the walls."
"Good to hear," Misao answered, although from the way she was peeking from behind her veil, it was evident that she was preoccupied with something else.
"How is the Ifrit Anji?" Kaoru asked.
"I was able to seal the breach to the source of his haula, just as I have salvaged yours. Although we have bound him with iron and steel chains, we have made sure that he is comfortable." Misao said carefully. She pretended to be attentive to the prodding nudge of Sirocco, but her attention secretly trained towards the exhaustion on the Ameera's energy. No amount of concealment could hide the restless flicker to the blue flames of the minarets.
"And Shikijo?" The usual bright blue of the djinniya's eyes now reflected dark circles underneath.
"He is alive and healing." There was a long pause between them when slowly, the cold Northern wind drifted by. "Will you not ask… about the Northern King?"
Silence.
"Kaoru, you cannot pretend to be indifferent—"
"I am not." The Ameera looked away, her voice steeled. Yet the blue flames wavered, and Misao could only sigh.
"Ever since we were children you were always terrible at lying," The Queen of the East said. "And you would always get away with it. Fate always seems to favor you-"
Misao paused, waiting for a retort from the usually defiant djinniya.
But the silence only seemed to permeate between them even more.
"He is dying," Misao finally said, "No amount of healing magic can repair the blight that has penetrated his soul."
Immediately the flames on the minarets teetered unsteady,
"When he kept his eyes open to search for you, he knew what he was getting into. He knew the curse would ultimately seal his fate." Misao drifted her gaze to the now star-riddled sky. "They say that a Dragon's weakness is in its eyes. And you were right all along when you said the Ifrits were opportunists. They took advantage of it," Misao closed her eyes, as the harsh bite of Mistral sifted briefly through the warmth of the desert.
Even the winds, Misao thought, was starting to mourn for the looming demise of its King.
"What now, Kaoru?"
The wind stirred yet again, and the Queen of the East opened her eyes.
She found herself in solitude, under the quiet of the glistening stars.
"Is that you…" he called out, "Kaoru?"
He did not know how long he lay, all he knew was that for the entire time spent in torture, she was not there.
How he would have known would be sheer heart, for his spirit had been so broken from the Blighting Curse that had rendered him powerless. Every minute spent breathing was sheer misery, a mind-numbing pain that shot through every muscle, every rush of blood, a scalding burn.
But he would not cry out, because he would dare not disrespect her keep. He had brought this on himself for a reason, and he held no regrets.
But she was not beside him.
The dark void that was before his eyes would have plunged him deeper, but it was the memory of his beloved, alive and out of that condemned prison of iron that kept him from falling into the bottomless abyss of his mind.
Although he was now blinded, he could discern the many energy signatures that came to his side. His retainer, his general, the Malik of the East and the Dervish, strangers who offered to help his hopeless cause,
Yet the only person his soul had yearned for,
She was not by his side.
"Such a reckless fool," a presence suddenly made itself revealed, and the mere sound of his beloved's voice sent tears spilling from his eyes. "I told you not to stray from the walls."
There was an anger to the Ameera's voice that crushed the wind out of his already dying lungs,
"I could not leave you to face those monsters alone," he answered.
"You are a foreigner to the East, have you forgotten?!" She lashed out, "And you are under my command. But you deliberately chose to ignore my orders."
"Kaoru,"
"Reckless fool!" The fire in her energy flared, "You are dying. What now of the people that you swore your life to?!"
"Kaoru…"
"What now of the throne you vowed to reclaim?"
Cruel… so cruel…
Even in my death bed….
"Throwing everything all away, all for a moment's impulse!"
Even in my death bed
You torture me so…
What have I done to deserve this?
I only loved you…
"A fool indeed," His beloved lashed out again, her words like salt poured into his open wounds. "I cannot stand such stupidity!"
He closed his unseeing eyes and reached out blindly, hoping she would reach back and take his hand.
But she started to walk away.
"Kaoru, please…" he pleaded, shuddering at her cold regard, goosebumps on his flesh. She was vicious, did she truly hold no affection towards him at all? Was everything just a child's play to her? "Please…"
"Please what?" she said, her voice breaking, and she continued to walk away. "Ah, you are such a fool."
His hand fell limp on his lap. He would have chased after her, imprisoned her in his arms as he waited for the final moments of his flickering life.
But the Blight had already seized most of his body, and it had already started rotting his soul. He was in pain, unbearable pain, yet she was walking away. "Such a fool," he could hear her say, and she had finally stepped before the double doors.
She would leave him alone to die in this miserable death, such a cruel, cruel being she was,
"… devastated by your cruel flame," he mumbled, in the delirium of intractable torture, "Pledged to you my life and death," he could barely speak,
"Shield… all else… fails…
…I am… completely yours."
He finally allowed his tears to fall without shame, as she was about to step out of his doors.
But she stopped, and the Ameera stood very still.
The doors did close,
But she was not out:
The heavy locks fumbled,
and he realized she had locked herself with him inside.
%%%%%%
"Kaoru," he said, as the evening breeze drifted from his balcony, sending another wave of goosebumps riding on his flesh.
She was unnaturally silent, yet he could feel her presence as she stood very still, rooted to her spot.
His brows met in confusion. "Kaoru,"
"Hush," was her one-word answer.
There was a restlessness to his soul that he could not comprehend when her presence suddenly dissolved.
The side of his bed suddenly dipped down from her weight, the Princess had materialized on his bed. "I have never been with anyone before," she said, "And so I am inexperienced."
Her delicate hands fumbled through the knots of his robe.
"Kaoru, what are you—" She pulled the edges of his robe apart, exposing his manhood to the chill of the night air.
He tried to cover himself in shame, but the hands of the cruel djinniya pushed him away.
"So forgive me," she continued, "I will not be as skilled as your past lovers."
She touched the head of his manhood. The Fire Drake hissed on the contact, his cock throbbing painfully into the hardest erection.
"Djinniya, have you any idea—"
His toes curled when she circled her fingers around his member, and he clenched his teeth in misery when she started stroking, pulling his skin with the palm of her hand as she slowly moved up and down.
"Why are you teasing me like this," he begged, for he was too weak to move. The odd mixture of intractable pain and pure pleasure left him nauseated, but it only worsened when her lips suddenly grazed his engorged tip.
He did not have any time to gather his delirious mind when her hot lips wrapped around his mushroomed shaft. The Northern King groaned in sweet torture until she shifted,
And she took in his enormous length.
He moaned in tortured pleasure. The feel of her tongue, her mouth was escalating him to heights he could not comprehend. His manhood twitched, his veins pulsing in pain. "Kaoru, I am…" he trailed off, left utterly speechless.
She pulled out, and she began tracing the engorged veins with the tip of her tongue, running down from his base to his shaft.
"Why," he writhed, why was she doing this, why was she torturing him? Even in his deathbed she loved to make him miserable, lying in pain and crippled and helpless… but he could not find it in himself to despise her, and so he could only beg.
"It is said in the Sutras," Kaoru said, her hot breath on his member a delicious torment, "That this is the quickest way to arousal," she swirled her tongue upward and took his entire length in again, and she sucked.
His knees buckled rigidly, and his cock spasmed. She continued her torture, Pre-cum oozed out of his shaft, and just when he was about to spill his seed Kaoru abruptly pulled out.
Left frustrated, in the midst of unbearable pain, the blind Fire Drake shook his head and allowed for his tears to shamelessly fall. "Kaoru," he cried out to his beloved.
He could only ground his teeth when he felt her step away, he could only whimper pain as his manhood throbbed, abandoned. But the sound of rustling silk suddenly filled the quiet room,
And the bed yet again dipped from her weight. But she had now straddled him fully, and something warm brushed the tip of his manhood.
"What are you—" His rambling was cut short when he realized, the warm sensation: it was not her hands, nor her mouth.
"Forgive me, for I am inexperienced," she moaned,
And she lowered her womanhood onto him.
The Northern King cried out in sensual rapture.
His beloved was trying to push the tip of his manhood into her sheath, but she struggled. The Fire Drake heard her moan in pain again, as his engorged head stretched her tight walls open.
"Kaoru," his hands seized her bare waist, his nails digging into her skin. His beast was emerging, drawing blood from his possessive grip, yet he did not want to hurt her.
"It's painful," She mewled, hesitating. She suddenly froze, her tight opening clamping on his head. She attempted to pull out of his penetration.
But his claws dug deeper into her flesh, holding her in place.
"Kenshin, I can't—"
The sound of his name triggered something in him, and he thrust his hips, pushing inside of her.
His djinniya lover arched in torment. She was tight, deliciously tight, and her silky walls squeezed his throbbing manhood. He pushed even further, her virginal folds stretching open from his thickness.
"Let me inside you…" he whispered, "That's it… deeper inside you…"
She cried out, as he made her take another inch of him at each slow, penetrating thrust. No amount of her writhing had helped her cause, for the more she moved the deeper he penetrated,
And in one big thrust, he plunged his entire length into her.
Her body shook in ecstasy. Her walls spasmed around him, squeezing his enormous girth. The scent of her broken virginity filled the room, and he could not hold himself any longer.
The rush of his carnal desire filled his delirious mind, and he rose from his lying position and seized her. He wrapped his arm around her arched back, another hand on her ass, pushing her down, harder into her, burying himself deeper into her, and he threw his lover on her back.
The Fire Drake was now above her, his whole weight pinning her down.
"Kaoru," he groaned, forcing his manhood into her, shoving her mercilessly to the bed at each rough thrust. He rammed himself in as his thrusts grew faster, skin slapping against wet skin. He was buried so deep inside her that he never really pulled back out, the thrusting evolving into grinding, as the Northern King started pumping into her. He bared his fangs and lurched down, lifting her ass up in the air to go deeper, yanking her hair roughly so that her neck was exposed, the one with his courting mark. The pain from the Blight was unbearable, but the ecstatic pleasure from her body was maddening.
His moans became carnal grunts, the smell of her skin, the taste of her tears, her soft cries, the press of her wonderful flesh—
Something hot and thick spilled out of his manhood, filling her welcome womb.
The Northern King snarled, and he sank his fangs into her skin.
The rush of her Marid haula instantly seized his spirit. Like a ravishing possession, it surged into every crevice of his body, renewing his spirit, enrapturing his soul. The Blight all but dissolved, and like a candle that was lit at the bottom of the night, Kenshin's vision was restored.
"I am cured," Breathlessly he said, in the midst of his awe and confusion.
The pain was no more, the Blight was no more.
He was now immune to the Ifrit's powerful curse, all because of the energy of the Marid djinniya, now running through his channels.
A soft sniffling drifted into his hearing, and he realized he was still holding his crying beloved.
She was naked and trembling in his arms, pinned underneath him, and still very confused from what just happened.
"Kaoru," he uttered dumbly, "Kaoru…" gods, he did not know how many times he had cried out her name. She had saved him from the blight in expense of her precious freedom, and he stared at their mating mark on her skin. It throbbed red and angry on her neck,
she was his now, finally his.
He shifted to accommodate her, and she whimpered in pain.
They were still very much connected. His seed, mixed with the blood of her broken virginity, dripped out from where they were joined.
Now free of the torture of the blight, plunged into the sensation of himself still buried deep inside of her, and the sight of her beauty only for him to behold – his manhood throbbed, and he was hardened again.
He let out a groan when her walls pulsed around him.
"I love you," he whispered to her, wiping the tears away from her blue, illumine eyes. "Kaoru, at what lengths do I have to go to make you believe… I'm at your feet, completely at your mercy,"
She trembled from his words, and he kissed her hair.
"I love you," The Northern King showered her face with tender kisses, from her forehead to her temples, her haughty nose, her sweet lips… and he lingered there, as he started moving himself inside of her again.
Her face twisted in bittersweet pleasure, and she let out a soft moan.
"I love you," he said again, as he slowly laid his weigh against her, never pulling out of her, "I love you…"
He wiped her tears away, as he started to move in a sensuous rhythm within his beloved.
%%%%%
Days had passed since the Ameera disappeared into the chambers of the Fire Drake, and yet the doors still remained closed. An impenetrable energy barrier had been put up by the Dragon Lord, excluding anyone from entering, and it had been the diligent duty of the Palace Keepers to leave food at the Northern King's doorstep come mealtime to provide their elusive subject's nourishment.
"I do worry, though," Misao said to her Malik with a coquettish blush on her cheeks, "He might be working her too hard."
The Malik only bellowed in laughter. "He is constantly trying to capture her completely. Yet he would realize, it will always be the other way around," he motioned to the flames of the minarets, blazing in his line of sight.
Kaoru's Marid haula was roaring brightly as ever before. But a new flame was encircling it: a swirl of Draconian fire.
The swirl of violet flame, winding dynamically around like a small dragon, would nip at the blue. Testing and teasing it would try to penetrate and take complete hold, but the blue haula would flare up and send sparks of warning. And so the dragon-like violet would recede, settling back to guarding her in possessive jealousy, content to be around so close.
Then it would stir restless, starting the cycle all over again.
It was an unusual, yet utterly beautiful sight.
"Do you think they will show up to the summon?" Misao asked her Mallik. "We gave them seven days to themselves, after all."
"That seven days is plentiful, considering we never really had time off for ourselves after our wedding night," the Malik answered, making his wife blush. "He is still a guest to the East, he is still subject to my sovereignty. And if Kaoru is awake, he should know that she will never disobey her dear brother."
"Well yeah," Misao muttered shyly, "But they never really consummated their attraction to each other, not until now. We, on the other hand…" she coughed, embarrassed, "did many times… even before the wedding night—"
A flamboyant presence burst into the room, distracting the conversation of the Malik and his queen. The royal couple trained their gaze towards the open doors of the throne room.
The black-clad Royal Army barged in, their boisterous chatter filling the quiet air.
"I am here to collect my winnings," Kamatari declared, one hand on his hip and the other one opened before him, "I was the only one who bet their coupling to happen the night of your wedding." He then pointed to the Malik. "Pay up."
The Anti-shocks groaned. Misao looked up at the Malik in disbelief, "Hey, how come I was not let in on that bet?!"
She had awoken when the sun was at its highest point in the sky, in a tangle of silk sheets and the arms of her dragon lover. Her illumine eyes fluttered open,
"How long have we been in here?" She moaned when the arms that imprisoned her pulled her back. It was hard to stay awake, from all the pheromones he had been pouring into her, the spells of submission he would sneak in as they made love.
"That should not concern you, my love," he nipped her ear teasingly, showering her with light kisses as he played with her generous breasts. Her back was to him, she was lying sideways, yet she felt his hardened manhood as he pressed her back.
"I beg… to differ…" she cried out in pleasure when he slid inside her again, and he moved into yet another sensual rhythm.
Her soft, rasping breaths prompted his thrusts faster, his own grunts growing more urgent and lewd. Lapping at her mating mark, thrusting in and out…
Then he shuddered, releasing his seed into her.
He did not limp, instead he seized her yet again in maddened passion.
"Kenshin," the djinniya protested, "I really need… to know…"
She ground her ass against him, impaling him deeper into her core. His eyes fluttered upward in pure pleasure, but she took advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration and she slipped off his grasp, reappearing by the open balcony doors.
"Kaoru," the Fire Drake warned. He stood up, drunk and dazed from sex, yet painfully hard and frustrated, wanting more.
"Ah," she squinted, calculating the position of the shadows from the sun, "It has been seven days!" Blue eyes widened in horror as she threw a look of disbelief towards the man on the bed.
But he was not on the bed, he had moved so fast, imprisoning her still naked body in his arms. "So it has been," he purred in her ear, nipping at her neck.
"The borders," the djinniya exclaimed, now fully awake, "They have not been patrolled—"
"I took care of it, beloved," he hummed, as he showered her with tender kisses.
His lips curled into a snarl when she disappeared like mist from his grasp, only to re-materialize again by the chest of drawers.
"And what is this?" Kaoru seized a letter, not before he disappeared himself, and reappeared behind her.
"I'll take care of it, my love," He took the letter from her hands, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her close. With his free hand he tilted his beloved's head towards him, dipping down for a kiss.
She dissolved into mist in his arms and materialized onto the bed. Now fully clothed with her silk robes, she opened the letter in her hands. "It's a summon from the Malik! He requests our audience today,"
Her world suddenly spun around, as she found herself being pinned to the bed by a golden-eyed, insufferably possessive Northern King.
"I can go and talk to him myself," his fangs pierced the side of his lip, his hands on her wrists like a vice grip, "You don't have to leave this room."
"Fire Drake-" She protested, when her spiel was cut short by his lips, crashing down to hers.
It was a very passionate kiss, and it lasted for quite some time, but the djinniya had to pull back for air. "You can't just confine me in here like a brooding hen."
"I can't?" he grinned, completely pulling away.
The Ameera glared at him, and she gathered herself to stand. But she found she couldn't: somehow, he had shackled her wrists to the bedpost. Her Marid haula flared, but it did nothing to her chains. It was made of iron and steel. "Kenshin!"
"I won't be long," the Northern King said, pulling his sirwal on. He swept one last lingering glance to his Queen.
But she caught his gaze and stared at him defiantly. The Ameera gave him a mischievous smirk.
Her hands blazed violet, completely melting off the iron and steel chains. She had used his own fire against him. Golden eyes flew open when he realized, and he strode forward to seize her from escape. But she disappeared and reappeared, only to be caught in his equally fast reflexes, already trapped in his arms.
"We can play this game the whole day," he grinned.
"I don't want to." She disappeared again and reappeared, only to have her back slammed to the wall.
"You will stay here and wait." The Northern King snarled, but the defiant smirk was still on her face, and she pursed her lips and she blew on his eyes.
He stiffened, stunned by a bind of lightning. But much to her chagrin it did not affect him at all, her Marid haula in him had dissolved her petty curse.
"Touche," she said, genuinely impressed. "Now how am I to escape the Fire Drake, then? Maybe I don't have to," she pressed her body suggestively against his.
"Kaoru," he groaned,
but she disappeared in an explosion of blue smoke and lightning.
The Northern King was not able to catch her this time, for her presence was not felt in the room. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed his robe on the floor and slung it over his shoulders.
He stopped by the closed doors and paused, looking back in silence at the bed that he and his mate shared for seven nights. The mere memory of what happened within the confines of the room only made him crave painfully,
when the same explosion of blue smoke and lightning suddenly appeared before his eyes.
A sheltering warmth engulfed him, and he found himself being wrapped in the arms of his beloved woman.
"If you could only hear…" she said, burying her face in his chest, "How the Fire Drake makes this djinniya's soul… sing—"
All the frustration melted away in an instant. He gathered her in his arms, crushing her small figure into him. They stayed that way for long moments, the silence conveying more than words could ever say.
"I love you," he said.
The Ameera pulled away gently, cupping his face with her hands and stared into his eyes.
"I love you," he repeated,
The Ameera remained quiet, yet she tiptoed up to plant a tender kiss on his forehead. She trailed down to his nose, and softly, his lips.
Then the whole world around him stopped yet again, for she gave him a bright, genuine smile.
"I will see you in the Throne Room," she said, and she wrapped him yet again in a tight embrace.
She dissolved in a soft hiss of blue mist, but he did not try to capture her. Calmed by her contradicting innocence, placated momentarily by her rare declaration, the Fire Drake couldn't help but smile.
He reached out for silken robes on the floor. It was the one she had discarded that night, that unforgettable night they made love for the first time, and he held it close to his person.
"I love you," he whispered. "Kaoru."
The sun was at its highest point in the sky when he emerged, walking down the familiar echoing marble floors of the Palace. Insidiously heading towards his destination, it was inevitable for him to pass by Palace keepers and soldiers. He tried to keep concealed, hiding his flame-hair with cloak and hood.
But the keepers always ended up looking at him wary, practically avoiding his trail.
He will need to train himself in reeling in his newfound power, he told himself, for his Draconian energy, combined with his mate's Marid haula: all the excess force was something he realized he found hard to rein in.
He finally reached his destination, and he greeted the guards by the doorstep with a slight nod. Recognizing the energy the soldiers bowed down and let him pass, whilst the Northern King walked through the soaring pillars of the Eastern Throne room.
On the Royal Throne of the East sat the Malik, to his left was his queen, and his right, the Fariq.
Around the Northern King was the black-clad Anti-shocks, still and silent, waiting for command. The Mibu wolf was also there, and the Northern cohorts Sanosuke and Megumi.
"I am sorry to have cut your brooding short, but something urgent has come to my attention." The Malik said. "We have intercepted outsiders by the gates- Northerners, henchmen of the fake king Enishi. It seems as if they are looking into the fate of his two djinn slaves."
The Northern King's eyes narrowed. "And where is the infiltrate?"
"In our dungeons. As of the moment, no one else outside of El Qasr knows about what happened to the Ifrits Anji and Usui."
Heavy chains rattled as soldiers fell inside, dragging with them an Iron Chamber, the same as the Ameera's morbid prison the Fire Drake destroyed during the siege. The Anti-shocks stepped back, and the Mibu Wolf let out a snarl, recognizing the energy as the same one that destroyed the Western Reign.
Then one of the soldiers opened the chamber.
"How is the Heir to Amberistad faring?" The monotonous voice of the Ifrit droned. Heavily bound from head to toe, an iron helmet on his skull, Anji barely moved from the iron-infused binding ribbons wound around him.
"She lives," Kenshin answered, stepping forward.
"Tell her I am deeply sorry." Anji remained motionless, yet streaks of tears glistened from his metal helm.
The Fariq remained silent, keeping herself concealed.
"Although my body is bound to Solomon's ring, my spirit is forever loyal to the Heir."
The Northern King remained quiet for long moments.
"What is your plan now, Fire Drake?"
Kenshin stepped back, and he looked at the Malik with purposeful intent. Aoshi gave him a reassuring nod.
"I will send you back to the fake king of the North. There you will report to him about your failed attack, and you will tell him what you have witnessed.
The true Northern King lives, and will come after him and reclaim his kingdom."
Kenshin settled his gaze towards the concealed Fariq. When their eyes met, her haula flared. She reappeared behind the unseeing Ifrit, and she started chanting.
Slowly, a gateway portal lit up around the bound Anji.
The Ifrit cast his head down, and as the light of the gateway portal started to swallow him whole, the remnants of a true smile crossed his lips. "I will await for that time."
The iron-bound Ifrit disappeared, and Kenshin turned back to his audience, acknowledging their assistance.
"When do you plan to return to the North?" The Malik asked, once the lingering magic of the gateway settled.
"As soon as possible." The Northern King answered. "Before they reach us to perpetrate another attack. I will send word to the remaining loyal Northerners of my return.
It normally takes two months to travel through the desert before one reaches the Sierras. But I can morph into a Fire Drake and it will cut the journey significantly,"
"Although Kaouru's presence will be sufficient, take a fourth of my Army with you," The Malik offered, "And half of my Anti-shocks,"
"My Marid haula can take us there in two days," The Ameera materialized beside Kenshin, "We shall take that route. It will give us time to mobilize the rebels who are loyal to the Red Dragon."
The Mibu Wolf stepped forward. "We also have a significant amount of people loyal to the Western Reign. I shall go back to the West, and mobilize them to join your army." He looked at the Ameera, "If the General of the East can provide us a portal in four days so that we can regroup."
The Ameera nodded, a vector opening up from underneath Saito. "Very well. We will see you in four days."
When the Mibu Wolf disappeared, the Malik rose from his throne and gave the Anti-shocks a strange look. As if given a silent command, they bowed down and disappeared.
The Lieutenant Kamatari purposefully turned towards the Northern King, and he flashed him a grin.
Kenshin paused, puzzled.
As if following cue, Megumi and Sanosuke nodded and headed out the heavy doors of the throne room. The General, though, brushed past Kenshin, giving him a wink.
"Where is everyone going?" The Fire Drake threw his question to the Malik, and Aoshi merely raised his brow in vain.
"I am surprised you ask," He said, and he looked at his sister.
Kenshin turned to the djinniya beside him, who gave him a soft smile. He reached out to hold her hand, but she disappeared in a gentle mist of blue.
"I do not know about traditions in the North," The Malik started, "Although I only ask of you, as a brother who loves his sister more than his own life," he raised his palm, a gateway vector opening underneath him and his queen,
And another one under Kenshin,
"I will allow all formalities to bypass, because of such unexpected circumstances. But when everything is over, Kenshin, I will expect all rituals, the North and the East, to be commenced."
The plunge of teleport forced the Northern King's eyes closed,
The Northern King was brought to a place of solemn quiet. When he opened his eyes, he held his breath.
He looked around- the Malik, the Royal Army, his Northern Cohorts, and before him, an old priest.
They were under the dome of the towering ancient mosque, the same one that held the wedding ceremony of the Malik and Queen.
"Kaoru said this was sufficient, that she did not need something as lavish as what I had with my Queen. But Kenshin, man to man, I want only the best for my sister, the Jewel of the Eastern Desert.
Alas, for now, this will do."
Disregarding the traditional walk to the altar, the Ameera materialized like smoke before Kenshin.
The Fire Drake fell silent, in utter disbelief.
Why is it like this…
She reached out and touched his face,
I want to show you…
All the ways that I treasure you, yet you always beat me to it…
He knelt before her, and he kissed her feet, like a loyal knight to his Lady,
I always end up…
Speechless…
He kissed her hand, but she pulled him to his feet.
Whatever I do will never be enough to show you,
And so I could only dumbly repeat
What my soul has been yearning to say,
"I love you," he said as he held her hand.
The Ameera smiled,
and the priest started their solemn vow of marriage.