Part 10
Ch'ali had not known what to expect. The last three weeks with Lexan had not been part of any wonderings that she had about the man she met at the convention. He had then appeared every inch the brilliant leader- commanding, exact, hard. He had possessed her thoughts when he spoke of the logic of his stand against a war with her people. He had taken her breath away when he touched her and entered her in the silver pool.
She thought that he had taken everything that was her that night. Ch'ali had been willing to leave Antar for him. She had been willing to live without the suns.
Yet here she now lay, three weeks since Lexan had picked her up off the desert floor and cradled her in his arms on the way back to his kingdom, unable to comprehend the change not only in her perception of the enemy king but also in herself. Apparently, he could take not only her body and her mind. After days of soft kisses, tender touches and murmured conversations, Lexan took her soul. Were she to perish, Ch'ali knew that the crystal where her essence would rest would not be propelled to the stars as was her people's tradition. She would ask that her essence hang from his neck for eternity.
It had not been easy. For the first nights she was in blended terror and anticipation that the door to her chamber would slide open and the king would step in to claim her. Instead, Ch'ali awed herself by shrugging on the short silk robe from her closet and making her own way to the king's chamber.
"You did not come. I'm not familiar with your people's norm. Was I supposed to come to you instead, Lexan?"
Ch'ali had reached up to cup his smooth cheek. She adored his skin. Zan had always had stubble; Rath a disgusting beard. Rising on the tips of her toes, Ch'ali had pressed her lips over his and waited for his answering pressure. Lexan had placed his hands on her cheeks and deepened the kiss before pulling away.
"Did I do anything wrong?" she asked, breathless.
Lexan's forehead had rested against hers as he caught his breath. He had shaken his head. "I will not take you until we are wed in front of my people, Ch'ali."
"We don't have to."
"Tell me your dreams, Ch'ali," he had urged her.
Ch'ali had allowed him to pull her into his room. They had lain in bed together, his hand closed over hers. She had talked about white flowers, music and birds. Lexan had listened until she was no longer speaking. And then, she had woken up to the sight of Lexan sleeping beside her, the most peaceful look settled on his face.
And not six hours after that, she had flowers and gowns and arches in white. A lovely group of girls played in the background and birds pecked at seeds on the grass. Ch'ali was wed to a stranger who knew her so well.
Before their kiss that would complete the ceremony, Lexan had wiped away a tear from her cheek. "I swear to you, Ch'ali. You will not regret losing Antar for me."
And she had wanted to tell him that she never would, but the passion in his eyes drove all coherent thoughts away.
He was her heaven. She had never been this happy before. She had been certain it would not last. King Lexan, her beautiful lover, married her for his ambitions. He had always been vocal about his desire for a unified kingdom. Her son would make this dream reality.
Having always been an inquisitive mind, Ch'ali spied on her husband while he was alone with his sister in the throne room. Ch'ali had never liked Glori. Often, when the other woman thought that nobody was looking, Ch'ali would catch the princess staring at her with malice enough to kill her were it a physical thing.
What she overheard altered her perception of Lexan and destroyed some cobwebs in her heart.
"I was supposed to be the ruler, Lexan. Instead you brought in an extranjera who would usurp my throne!"
"Careful, Glor," Lexan cautioned. "My guards may think you are threatening their king. You do not want them to act on their own and eliminate the threat, do you?"
Ch'ali peeked carefully and saw Glori smile at her brother. "Call this my way of showing you how much I love you. I am concerned about you, Lexan."
"I take care of my own."
"I cannot understand why you do not understand, brother. Zan and Rath sent her after you. She used seduction to bring you down. I would not be surprised," Glori said with a flip of her hair, "if the castle is stormed while we are in bed and we are all killed in our sleep!"
The king's answer was soft, almost caressing. "Any more slander against your queen," he stressed, "and I will consider it treason. Ch'ali is innocent in this. And you will not change my mind. Glori, I am completely, irreversibly in love with my bride. Accept your lot. You will have a future king a few moons from today."
Ch'ali's throat had closed then, and she fought very hard to breathe. Perhaps Lexan spoke in the heat of the moment; perhaps he meant every word. Either way, Ch'ali felt as if she were drowning, because if she were honest to herself she knew that Lexan had loved her the moment they met. Maybe, some hidden part of her felt the same way her entire self felt now.
Lexan entered the king's chamber to find his young wife wrapped in his fur robe. The garment almost swallowed her as she lay at the center of his bed. He strode forward and stopped a foot away from her. Lexan grinned at the sight. Ch'ali smiled back and extended her hand, which Lexan immediately took.
"I adore you," she told him. Lexan nodded in acknowledgement. "I would change nothing in my life, Lexan, even if nothing turned out as I expected moons past."
The words relieved him, because he gave a tremulous sigh and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you."
Ch'ali maneuvered their hands firmly so that it was now she holding his hands, bringing them to her lips, to her neck, to finally rest on her left breast. "I love you, Lexan. Every beat of my heart belongs to you."
And he stared at her for the longest moments, slack in disbelief, then searching for clues that she was lying. Finding none, he looked puzzled and then amazed. And then, when he decided that he was not going to question it, Lexan shook his head. His lips curved and he closed his eyes. Ch'ali did not know the words he murmured then. They were not for her.
Ch'ali had not known what to expect. The last three weeks with Lexan had not been part of any wonderings that she had about the man she met at the convention. He had then appeared every inch the brilliant leader- commanding, exact, hard. He had possessed her thoughts when he spoke of the logic of his stand against a war with her people. He had taken her breath away when he touched her and entered her in the silver pool.
She thought that he had taken everything that was her that night. Ch'ali had been willing to leave Antar for him. She had been willing to live without the suns.
Yet here she now lay, three weeks since Lexan had picked her up off the desert floor and cradled her in his arms on the way back to his kingdom, unable to comprehend the change not only in her perception of the enemy king but also in herself. Apparently, he could take not only her body and her mind. After days of soft kisses, tender touches and murmured conversations, Lexan took her soul. Were she to perish, Ch'ali knew that the crystal where her essence would rest would not be propelled to the stars as was her people's tradition. She would ask that her essence hang from his neck for eternity.
It had not been easy. For the first nights she was in blended terror and anticipation that the door to her chamber would slide open and the king would step in to claim her. Instead, Ch'ali awed herself by shrugging on the short silk robe from her closet and making her own way to the king's chamber.
"You did not come. I'm not familiar with your people's norm. Was I supposed to come to you instead, Lexan?"
Ch'ali had reached up to cup his smooth cheek. She adored his skin. Zan had always had stubble; Rath a disgusting beard. Rising on the tips of her toes, Ch'ali had pressed her lips over his and waited for his answering pressure. Lexan had placed his hands on her cheeks and deepened the kiss before pulling away.
"Did I do anything wrong?" she asked, breathless.
Lexan's forehead had rested against hers as he caught his breath. He had shaken his head. "I will not take you until we are wed in front of my people, Ch'ali."
"We don't have to."
"Tell me your dreams, Ch'ali," he had urged her.
Ch'ali had allowed him to pull her into his room. They had lain in bed together, his hand closed over hers. She had talked about white flowers, music and birds. Lexan had listened until she was no longer speaking. And then, she had woken up to the sight of Lexan sleeping beside her, the most peaceful look settled on his face.
And not six hours after that, she had flowers and gowns and arches in white. A lovely group of girls played in the background and birds pecked at seeds on the grass. Ch'ali was wed to a stranger who knew her so well.
Before their kiss that would complete the ceremony, Lexan had wiped away a tear from her cheek. "I swear to you, Ch'ali. You will not regret losing Antar for me."
And she had wanted to tell him that she never would, but the passion in his eyes drove all coherent thoughts away.
He was her heaven. She had never been this happy before. She had been certain it would not last. King Lexan, her beautiful lover, married her for his ambitions. He had always been vocal about his desire for a unified kingdom. Her son would make this dream reality.
Having always been an inquisitive mind, Ch'ali spied on her husband while he was alone with his sister in the throne room. Ch'ali had never liked Glori. Often, when the other woman thought that nobody was looking, Ch'ali would catch the princess staring at her with malice enough to kill her were it a physical thing.
What she overheard altered her perception of Lexan and destroyed some cobwebs in her heart.
"I was supposed to be the ruler, Lexan. Instead you brought in an extranjera who would usurp my throne!"
"Careful, Glor," Lexan cautioned. "My guards may think you are threatening their king. You do not want them to act on their own and eliminate the threat, do you?"
Ch'ali peeked carefully and saw Glori smile at her brother. "Call this my way of showing you how much I love you. I am concerned about you, Lexan."
"I take care of my own."
"I cannot understand why you do not understand, brother. Zan and Rath sent her after you. She used seduction to bring you down. I would not be surprised," Glori said with a flip of her hair, "if the castle is stormed while we are in bed and we are all killed in our sleep!"
The king's answer was soft, almost caressing. "Any more slander against your queen," he stressed, "and I will consider it treason. Ch'ali is innocent in this. And you will not change my mind. Glori, I am completely, irreversibly in love with my bride. Accept your lot. You will have a future king a few moons from today."
Ch'ali's throat had closed then, and she fought very hard to breathe. Perhaps Lexan spoke in the heat of the moment; perhaps he meant every word. Either way, Ch'ali felt as if she were drowning, because if she were honest to herself she knew that Lexan had loved her the moment they met. Maybe, some hidden part of her felt the same way her entire self felt now.
Lexan entered the king's chamber to find his young wife wrapped in his fur robe. The garment almost swallowed her as she lay at the center of his bed. He strode forward and stopped a foot away from her. Lexan grinned at the sight. Ch'ali smiled back and extended her hand, which Lexan immediately took.
"I adore you," she told him. Lexan nodded in acknowledgement. "I would change nothing in my life, Lexan, even if nothing turned out as I expected moons past."
The words relieved him, because he gave a tremulous sigh and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you."
Ch'ali maneuvered their hands firmly so that it was now she holding his hands, bringing them to her lips, to her neck, to finally rest on her left breast. "I love you, Lexan. Every beat of my heart belongs to you."
And he stared at her for the longest moments, slack in disbelief, then searching for clues that she was lying. Finding none, he looked puzzled and then amazed. And then, when he decided that he was not going to question it, Lexan shook his head. His lips curved and he closed his eyes. Ch'ali did not know the words he murmured then. They were not for her.