[Teana and Yami spend a day together.. aww...]
Dance the Forbidden Dance
Chapter Five
Horseback
.
.
After that one day, with so many twists and turns, Yami began to feel at ease in the city. After only about two days, he could easily find his way to wherever Teana was. People recognized him as 'Yami', which turned into much more then just a nickname. He had no problem in the city, as long as he stayed out of sight of guards and priests. Other then that, he was comepletely secure. Teana, who thought of him as just a servant like herself, grew to befriend the prince. Even though the prince loved her. Every moment he was by her, he felt like nothing in his world could go wrong. He had timed it just so no one in the palace would realize his whereabouts;
He could skillfully dodge the guards by using the hole in the wall behind the palace. His little hiding spot. No one else knew about it. He had created it accidentally; now he was using his accident as an advantage. He would go out early, since Teana worked early, and help her. Her master, a very kind, old noble, one of the only ones at the time, was happy to let Yami help. Yami, who had never worked a day in his life before, wasn't used to it. He tried, but he didn't know what he was doing half the time.
Then, when Teana helped the noble's daughters to bathe, Yami had to go back to the palace for his lessons. He came back sweaty and rosy-cheeked, a big smile plastered on his face every single time he returned. Akumanukanon saw this, and was glad his oldest son was happy constantly. He, of course, had no idea why he was. Just that he was.
Yami then managed to stay awake during his lessons, trying to get as much knowledge as he could to rely to Teana. Then, after bathing himself, he would rush off, saying he was overseeing the militia. He wasn't sure how long that would last, but it worked for a time. He would meet Teana, and she would be taking care of the noble's daughters or his horses. Or even his garden with the mistress.
After that, he would go back, except he couldn't go through the hole in the wall. Guards were around there at this time, which was near dusk. He would have to get around the front guards. He always did, though, and then he had to spend the evening inside the palace, usually with Aklia.
He had no idea someone from the palace saw his every move. No matter what it was.
.
.
One day, about a week later, Yami met Teana at midday, to find her with the noble's horses. Yami stopped and stared at them. He had never actually gotten on a horse; his father hadn't permitted him to ride one in fear he would get hurt.
If he really didn't want me to get injured, Yami thought, he would actually ask where I go at these times.
Teana stroked one of the great beasts muzzles, getting a grunt in return from the horse.
"There, there," she said, holding the reins tightly. Yami stared in confusion.
"Teana... Isn't this a mans job?" Yami inquired, looking up at the horse. Teana shrugged.
"Yeah, it used to be," she explained, closing her eyes and laying her head against the stallion. "But I'm not any normal girl." Yami raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? How so?" he asked, cautiously approaching the horse. Teana laughed.
"I'm from the mountains," she explained. "Where the mighty Nile starts flowing. Really high up, I'm from." She sighed contentedly. "I want to go back there so much."
"Was is part of Egypt?"
"No," Teana replied, opening her eyes. "It was just... There. A place that I loved." She was standing there, her head against the horse's neck, letting her hair spread out around her head. She seemed to go into a daze. Yami sighed.
"Sounds like a wonderful place," Yami commented. Teana didn't reply. She refocused her eyes and her mind on other things.
"I'm strong," she explained. "You have to be in the mountains. So I know how to ride well enough, I suppose." She turned full-body to the horse, running her hands over it's wide, furry belly. The horse snorted and stepped a little, surprising Yami.
"What - how - " he stammered. Teana laughed and pulled hard on the reins, stopping the horse. She hauled herself up, sitting sideways on the horse's back. Her skirts fell over the horse's flank, and she crossed her arms around his neck, laying her head on the back of his neck.
"This is Angel," she said, stroking his back. She nodded to the slightly smaller horse. She was the same rich, dark brown, only she had a patch of cream-colored spots on her nose. Her mane and tale were both the same light cream color. She padded over to Yami, and he gingerly put his hands on her muzzle. She snorted and nudged her nose against his hand. "That's his mate, Prayer."
"His mate, eh?" Yami said, smiling at the horse. "She's so beautiful." Teana shrugged.
"My master found her roaming by the banks of the Nile what seems like years ago," she commented, fixing Angel's reins. "Angel really took to her. As a matter of fact, they had two foals. Reed and Sugar." Yami lifted his head slightly, the names sparking his memory. "Pharaoh thought they were beautiful, and wanted to train them to be in the Imperial Order. He ended up keeping Sugar, though."
"She's this cream color, correct?" Yami said, motioning to Prayer. Teana nodded.
"How'd you know?"
"I... Saw her once." Teana sighed. She shifted the reins and attempted to turn Angel towards the broad plains out beyond the city.
"I'll be back in a second," she explained. "I'm supposed to exercise Angel." She nudged him forward, speaking softly in his ear, stepping through the gate to the coral. She then whipped the reins, startling Angel. He broke into a gallop, shooting off into the plains. Dust was left in their wake. Yami's jaw dropped.
"Wow," he muttered. "She can really ride." It still struck Yami as strange how Teana seemed to be the head servant of this household. Usually a male servant would have more responsibilities... Yami felt a bit guilty for breaking the law. A law that Teana didn't know.
No slaves - let alone female slaves - nor servants are to be educated. And that was exactly what Yami was doing. He couldn't help himself. The only reason he snuck out before was because, technically, Ankumanukanon never said he couldn't leave the palace. The palace perimeters reached the edges of the city. So, technically, he was still in the palace. Just not behind the walls. The only reason he snuck out before was to be with the militia. That, and to watch the city people. He had been raised like every other Egyptian; men are superior to women. Royalty are superior to commoners. Listen and respect people older then yourself. Don't mingle outside of your own class.
Hell, he broke half of those already. He sighed as he watched her, far out in the distance. Yami wondered why Teana hadn't been reported yet. If his father caught wind that a female servant ran a household... He shook his head.
"I won't tell," he vowed. He couldn't. As she came back, almost kneeling on the Angel's back, with the dust behind her and the sun high in the sky, Yami felt his heart speed up.
How can I report her, he thought, If I'm breaking the law just by loving her?
Teana returned in a blaze of glory, settling Angel back down.
"Well," she stated, smiling. "He had a good run. Didn't you, Angel?" she said to the animal, stroking his neck. He snorted as if agreeing. Yami was still holding onto Prayer's reins, lost in his thoughts. she cocked her head and said "Yami? You okay?" Yami looked around, the up at Teana.
"Oh.... Yeah.... I'm fine," he said, smiling. Teana raised her eyebrows.
"Well, if you're sure..." She nodded to Prayer. "Wanna ride her?" Yami looked up at Prayer, then back at Teana. "Ummm...." Teana sighed.
"Come on, Yami," she said, laughing. "How do you live in fear?"
How do you not? Yami wanted to say, but decided against it. He figured Teana must know what she was going. Yami nodded to her, gulping deeply. Teana grabbed Prayer's reins. She tugged the horse towards to Angel, who was nudging his head towards her. Yami followed to two, wondering what was going to happen.
"Do you want to go slow or fast?" she asked, handing the reins to Yami. Yami took them and looked up at Prayer's eyes. They seemed to sparkle with a delicate light that made him feel very special tpo be riding her.
"...Well..." Teana turned to him.
"How about this. In my home, we used to decide how good a rider you were compared to your family. Does your father ride?" Yami nodded. His father was an excellent rider; he had learned as soon as he could walk. Teana stroked Angel.
"How well do you control horses?" she asked. Yami shrugged. "Well..." She smacked Angel's hide, forcing him to take off at a gallant speed. Yami's eyes bulged as Angel came near to him. "Go get him!" she ordered. Yami, not sure what to do, jumped out of the horse's way, afraid of being trampled. Angel hit the edge of the coral and bounded back at Yami, his hooves crunching on the ground.
"Grab the reins!" Teana called. Yami slowly approached the stampeding animal, grabbing onto the reins. He was suddenly lurched forward, nearly pitching off his feet. He steadied himself, and decided to try to calm Angel.
"Shhh, shh, Angel, it's okay," he said, unsure of how to act. Angel kicked his hind legs in an attempt to shake Yami off. Yami managed to dodge, but was nearly kicked in the face. He was breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face. In his mind, he was already running as far away from the horse as possible. But, of course, he had been raised like every other Egyptian boy, and he wanted to show this girl he could control a large animal.
"Angel!" he commanded in a stern voice. "Be quiet! It's alright!" Angel tried to run, then instead reared up. Yami let go of the reins, too afraid to grab onto Angel once more. Teana stepped forward, her eyes wide.
"Yami..." she muttered. "...Please..." Angel seemed as if he would take off towards Teana now. Yami struggled to remember how his father handled Sugar. Angel whinnied, stamping his feet into the compact ground. Teana stood her ground, a scared look on her face.
"Come on..." she said. Yami frowned, grabbed the reins roughly, and said in a stern voice,
"Angel, I will not hurt you. Trust me." Angel placed his front hooves down, shifted a little, and snorted, shaking his head. Yami tightened his grip on the reins and beamed at the horse. Angel seemed to want to pound away, but as soon as Yami settled his shaky hands on his side, he calmed, snorting again loudly.
"Oh, gods," Teana remarked. "Amazing. He has the rider's touch." She laughed out loud and ran over to where Yami and Angel stood, Yami in shock and amazement.
"You did it, Yami! You did it!" She threw her arms around him, making him blush deeply.
"Er..." Yami muttered, but he was semi glad that Teana was hugging him. Her warm, soft body pressed against his... He just wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and never, ever let go.
.
.
After that moment, Yami knew he was in love with Teana. She had hugged him because he had survived the rampaging horse, and that he had befriended her. He was glad he could be there for her. Every single thing he had ever been taught he was going against, and he felt somewhat relieved he was getting away with it.
He wanted to slowly wrap his arms around her, and just hold her until night's end. Even longer. He wanted to slowly bring his face to hers, and kiss her so badly...
She let him go. Yami reluctantly let her go, stepping backwards. Teana fixed her hair, blushing. She couldn't believe she had just hugged him! They were lucky no one had seen them...
"Well... Do you wanna ride?" Teana asked in a small voice. Yami nodded.
"But..." Teana looked up. Yami handed her the reins to Angel. "I'll ride Prayer, if you don't mind." Teana smiled and skillfully mounted Angel in a second, making Yami once again gape in amazement.
"Come on," she said, grabbing Prayer's reins. She handed them to Yami. "Just propel yourself up onto her back." Yami nodded, then attempted to get onto Prayer's back. He was able to get his arms onot her back, then slid off again, landing on his back in the dust. Teana laughed and turned Angel around, trotting over to where Prayer and Yami were.
"Ow," Yami murmured, sitting up, rubbing the back of his head.
"You okay?"
"I will be." Teana grabbed his arm, and hoisted him up onto Prayer's back. Eventually, he was organized, sitting with one leg on either side of Prayer's body, holding the reins tightly in his arms. Yami looked down and saw he was a good five feet off the ground. He being hardly over five feet froze, his face going white. Teana laughed again and loosened his fingers.
"Don't hold them so tightly," she said. Yami slowly loosened his grip. Prayer snorted and stomped a little, eager to go out and run. Now that a she had a rider, she figured she would be going out at any second....
"You ready?" Teana asked, nodding towards the outside yard. Yami gulped as an answer. Teana whipped the reins once, and Angel trotted forwards, leaving through the gate. Yami mimicked Teana's motions, Prayer surging forwards.
Hey... This isn't so bad... Yami thought, smiling. Prayer moved smoothly and swiftly, going at a slow pace. Angel was antsy, however, and wanted Teana to speed up. Teana flipped the reins a couple of times to calm him, then continued trotting.
After awhile, Yami eased into Prayer's motions. He relaxed his shoulders, loosened his legs, shifted his grip on the reins. Teana noticed, and decided to see just how well Yami could truly ride. He did, after all, have the rider's touch.
The sun was leaving the middle of the sky, slowing closing the day. Yami could see the sparkling Nile, far away from them. He turned around and noticed they were also very far from the city. They were reaching the outskirts. They were in vast plains, covered in grass, fields of crops growing nearby.
"How far are we going?" Yami asked, turning to Teana. Teana smiled.
"To the Nile," she explained. "Don't ya want to?" Yami shrugged.
"At this rate, it'll be dark by the time we go back," he said, a bit uneasy. His father would definitely notice his absence then. Teana laughed. It was a bubbly laugh, starting in her throat, then curling out into the air, making him blush. She was just so pretty...
He shook his head.
"We can speed up, if you'd like," Teana suggested, repositioning herself. She was sitting with both legs on one side, like women were supposed to. She stopped Angel abruptly, shifting her body. Yami stopped as well, watching. She pushed herself back, so she was sitting nearly on Angel's opposite side. While holding the harness around Angel's neck tightly, She swung her left leg over to Angel's left side, so she was now sitting just like Yami. She turned to him and grinned. It was hard for her, since she had long skirts on.
"Erm... Teana...?" Yami said, raising his eyebrows. "Are you sure you can ride like that?" Teana nodded.
"Look," she said, her skirt was tied on in the front. She undid the know, pulling the long sash off. Her skirts would fall off if she pulled the sash off!
What's she doing? Yami wondered, his cheeks going rosy once more. Teana pulled the long, colorful skirts off, the reveal a much shorter one beneath it.
Phew, Yami thought. She pulled the shawl around her shoulders off to reveal just a cloth wrapped around her breasts, tied with a ribbon on her back. She stuffed her other clothes into the pack hanging on Angel's side, closing it tightly. The red and white sash around her waist was tied extremely tightly, the tight, cream colored skirt barely reaching her knees. Yami recognized the pattern on her sash...
His breath caught in his throat.
She was wearing a man's riding tunic.
Yami blushed immediately. Teana turned to him, holding the reins in her fierce hands. She was rather muscular for a woman. Probably from living in the mountains, and working in this household...
"Are you ready?" she asked, her eyes glinting. Yami gulped. With that, Teana whipped the reins, causing Angel to whinny and go onto his hind legs. He landed with a thud and took off at a fast gallop, Teana riding him expertly. Yami watched in awe.
She controls the beast with expertise, Yami thought. Amazing. With trembling hands, Yami gripped the reins as tight as he could. He squeezed Prayer's sides with his legs, and bent down near her neck so as not to fall off. Teana had stopped Angel's gallop, waiting for him.
He whipped the reins.
With a loud neigh, Prayer took off into the midday, leaving dust in their wake. Yami was amazed at her speed.
He found it was very easy to maneuver her motions. At first, her fast-paced gallop was difficult, but he eased into it, eventually loosening his grip. Teana laughed as he galloped past.
"Come on!" he called. Teana whipped her reins and followed.
Yami couldn't believe it. Because his father was so good, he was also good at riding. He attempted to do what Teana did, and lift himself up a bit. He squeezed his calves tightly to Prayer's sides, attempting to use his semi-weak quadriceps to lift his body.
It worked.
It was also much more comfortable.
Teana, amazed at his quick learning, pushed Angel faster, trying to catch up.
"You'll have to do better then that to out ride me," she called, smiling. Yami shook his head.
"I don't have to," called back, and drove Prayer faster. "I have the rider's touch!"
"Show-off!" Teana cried as Yami rode by, laughing. She giggled and followed him. They were two dust clouds in the vast fields, workers seeing them go by. Maia included. She stood up, a basket in her arms, smiling at the sight.
They couple eventually made it to the Nile's banks, bringing the horses to a stop. Prayer and Angel gratefully bent down to drink from the river from their long run.
"Wow," Yami muttered, panting. He slid to the ground and leaned on the long reeds, trying to regain his breath. "That was incredible."
"You're very good," Teana noted, sitting beside him. The sun was setting currently, showering them with reds, yellows and oranges, the sky turning to different pastel colors. Both of them sweaty and dirty, they sat there and watched the horses drink from the Nile. Both were silent.
Yami's heart was beating furiously. He wanted to say something so badly, but then she would turn to him, and he knew his face was as red as clay. He looked at his hands, wondering why he was so nervous.
Then he knew.
Teana laid down in the reeds, her hands behind her head. Yami looked down at her, smiling. She was staring at the darkening sky. Yami didn't even notice that he was supposed to be home.
"It's beautiful here," she commented, her eyes traveling over the sky. "But I miss my home. It was beautiful there, too."
"As beautiful as you?" Yami asked. Teana blinked and sat up, confused.
"What?" she said, a bit of laughter to her voice. "Me?" Yami turned away, blushing madly.
Oh, gods why did I say that? he thought, angry at himself for his foolishness. I'm such an idiot! Teana smiled gently, drawing absently into the sand. Yami looked down at her hands, drawing strange symbols.
"W-what's that?" he stammered. Teana sighed.
"Markings," she explained. She pointed to one. "This means peace, and this means..." she drew one more. It was beautiful. It curled and bowed, almost like wind and water colliding, a masterpiece drawn in the sands of time, coming from her fingertips.
".....Love...." They looked at each other, then away.
Yami figured his heart would explode if it beats any faster.
.
.
[awww, look at the lovebirds. they're so kawaii! next chappie is teana reflecting on her feelings... does she love him or not?!?!?! I DONT KNOW!!!! also, yami kisses aklia for the first time; and it seems Egypt's going to war with Syria? What? I don't know! Next chapter: Unsurities and Guilt]
Shibby-One