Chapter Eleven

"What were you trying to pull out there, Noaa'lan?!" Demanded Cel'aanaeus as he stuck a finger right in the middle of Noaa'lan's chest. His eyes blazed with fire, and Noaa'lan backed up slowly against the stone wall surrounding the courtyard.

"We . . . we were just dancing!" Noaa'lan said, defensively putting up his hands to protect himself from his father's verbal attack.

"Dancing!!?" Roared the king. "You call that dancing!!? Your lips were pressed FIRMLY against hers! Face it, Noaa'lan. There is NO WAY you can weasel your way out of this one! Plus, you're still grounded!! I don't know when I said you could make the rules around here, but this disobedience has got to stop!!"

"Father, I . . . I didn't mean to dishonor your intentions or break any of your rules, but I really wanted to go to this dance!" Noaa'lan said softly.

"It's funny how you never seemed to like going to dances until Ms. T'naa'lichi started going to the Academy! Noaa'lan, listen to me, because this is the last time I'm going to say it! You can't comprehend the extent of her father's wrath, or what he's capable of doing to you! You're the heir apparent to this dynasty, and it's your duty to make sure you don't put yourself into any situations that are potentially harmful or lethal! You'd be smart not to have anything to do with his daughter!" Cel'aanaeus warned, fixing his eyes on his son.

"You forget something. I'm not you. I did nothing to R'aa'nlan, and he knows it!" Noaa'lan said, visibly agitated.

"You did nothing to R'aa'nlan, that is, until he finds out about you and J'aa'nalia! Then all bets are off!!" Cel'aanaeus said, raising his eyebrows.

"WHY won't you let me lead my own life, and make my own mistakes!!!?" Noaa'lan screamed angrily at his father. "Don't you even care one bit about how I feel??! How could you!? You never loved anybody! You just had your marriage arranged for you! So, of course, that's the way it's going to be for me, because nothing ever changes in the Narundi Dynasty!" Noaa'lan kicked the ground with the toe of his boot, spraying dirt and small stones everywhere.

"Throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to get you any farther with me than it does for your brother, Noaa'lan! I know you have feelings for J'aa'nalia, but the two of you being together could cause a major fight between her father and our family!" Cel'aanaeus said sternly. "Once he declares war on our family, it ceases to be your business, and it becomes my business! I don't want to have to fight him just because of your stupidity!"

"Stupidity!!!? Is that what you call finding true love!!?" Cried Noaa'lan in fury. "You're just jealous, because I have something that you never had!! Well, I'm not going to stop seeing her just because you decide that it's too dangerous to the family! I love her, father, and not you, mother, or even R'aa'nlan can take that away from me!"

"I am referring to the stupidity of that young, optimistic mind of yours that foolishly believes that everything you ever wanted will magically fall to your feet! That stupidity is what tells you that your love with J'aa'nie can dissolve her father's hatred toward our family. Don't fall into that trap, because it can destroy a great many lives, and cause years worth of resentment," Cel'aanaeus said coldly, looking his son in the eyes.

"You sound as if you speak from experience," Noaa'lan said.

"Your old man wasn't always so old, or so cynical. I once had dreams, just like you, but I didn't know where to draw the line. I didn't know that what I was doing was potentially harmful to those that I cared about, and I paid for it." Cel'aanaeus said with a frown.

"You're talking about what happened between you and R'aa'nlan." Cel'aanaeus slowly nodded his head.

"What did happen, father? You never told me why he hates you so much? Something about a woman?"

"Noaa'lan, it's not my job to tell you what happened so many years ago. The past is just that, and it should be left alone. All I can do is warn you to stay away from J'aa'nalia. It's for your own good," Cel'aanaeus said, his voice sounding tired.

"I'm sorry. I can't stay away from her. You just can't understand what it's like to feel so much in love with someone!! Father, I assure you that we'll be together in the end! I can sense it!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.

"It might be true. You may be together," Cel'aanaeus said softly. "However, everything comes with a price. How much are you willing to pay for love?"

Noaa'lan stared at his father, and he could see the tiredness in his eyes. The two stood there for a long time, staring at each other as the sounds of the dance went on around them.

"You can make that decision for yourself. The days of me telling you what to do are long gone. It's your life," Cel'aanaeus said as he turned and started walking down the path. "Do what you want with it."

Noaa'lan watched his father as he disappeared through the forest, and then he slowly turned back to the dance. He walked through the gates, back into the courtyard, his father's warning still fresh on his mind.

"Hey, man, you're still in one piece! I'm glad. What did he say to you?" asked K'aashi.

"He told me that I'm an idiot."

"Did he punish you?" asked K'aashi, a look of confusion on his face.

"No, come to think of it, he didn't. What he basically said was that I'm going to earn enough punishment myself by just dating J'aa'nie. I don't need him to punish me." Noaa'lan said bitterly.

"So, what are you going to do? If he didn't forbid you to see her, I mean," K'aashi asked with genuine interest. Noaa'lan thought about this for a second, and then he looked his friend hard in the eyes.

"I'm going to go back over there and continue to have a good time with J'aa'nie tonight. I'm going to show my father that I won't make the same mistakes that he did," Noaa'lan said with determination, and then he turned and started walking toward J'aa'nalia.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something," K'aashi said as he dogged Noaa'lan's every step. "You don't know what kind of mistakes your father made, but he sure does. How do you know that you're not making the same mistakes that he once did?"

"Oh please, K'aashi!" Noaa'lan exclaimed. "My father is just bitter because he never found true love! He probably wanted to marry someone, but he couldn't. His father probably forbid it, and insisted that he have an arranged marriage!"

"Noaa'lan, listen to yourself! You're not sure of anything that happened! You're not going to be able to fully comprehend what your father meant until you find out what happened between him and R'aa'nlan!" K'aashi said firmly, gripping his friend's shoulder.

Noaa'lan stared warily at his friend for any signs that he was just joking. He found none.

"All right," Noaa'lan conceded. "We'll investigate this little matter. However, I'm not going to spend the rest of my night worrying about what happened. I'm going to spend it holding J'aa'nalia in my arms!"

"God, you're stubborn!" K'aashi scoffed. "All right. You go and make out with your girlfriend, and I'll just sit here by the wall and watch!"

"S'aalia didn't show up, even after you asked her?" Noaa'lan asked with a confused look on his face.

"No, apparently not. She's the only woman to this day that's been able to resist the charms of K'aashi Taa'lani," K'aashi said glumly, resting his chin on his hands.

"Ah, cheer up. I'm sure she had other plans! Besides, you've been nothing but nice to her this week. I'm sure she likes you!" Noaa'lan said as he clapped his friend on the back.

"Yeah, thanks. Hey, don't worry about me. J'aa'nie's over there waiting for you!" K'aashi said, pointing to the blond girl who stood talking in a circle of freshmen girls. J'aa'nie kept on stealing glances at Noaa'lan, and when she caught his eye, she smiled affectionately at him. He smiled back, and he could feel his night slowly growing brighter again.

"Thanks, K'aash," Noaa'lan said as he stood up from his seat and walked over to where she was standing. She gathered him up in her arms and pressed her full lips against his. He could smell the sweet flowery scent of her hair and he found it to be intoxicating. He loved her dearly, and nobody was ever going to take that away from him. The young lovers danced the night away, holding each other close. It wasn't until the end of the dance that Noaa'lan noticed K'aashi's empty seat at the edge of the courtyard.