Surprise! The promised double shot of a snippet.
This is a funny little snippet that I had to share as perhaps my last…boo hoo. LOL We're going to peek in on a conversation between some warriors regarding the hazards of arranged marriages. They've been doing something totally un-warrior-like and have been sipping tea as they converse with their friends. Again I borrow Asim, giving credit to his creators Ell and Jenn and Talib, whose creator is Ladybug. Thanks for letting me 'play' with your boys for a wee bit. Heh heh
And let me introduce two new warriors, Makin and Solman.
How shall I describe these two young warriors? Do you have a lot of time? LOL They are young, strong and of course, handsome. LOL Their coming across as very tall and muscular. Makin's physical attributes are hard to describe but I get the feeling that his hair is short but kind of shaggy, dark brown eyes, broad chest and powerful shoulders and arms. Solman is my slow thinking Medjai – he's very honest, gentle and methodical in his mannerisms. He may have to repeat a few things in order to remember them but he's the kind of warrior you'd hate to go up against in battle. Solman is my contradiction; the heart of an angel and yet, he kills to uphold his sacred duty as a protector of man. Solman's body is huge, almost as big as Berin's yet he never uses his size of his strength as an unfair advantage.
Ok, enough gushing about these two…let's eavesdrop on the conversation, shall we? ;-)
~*~
He was enjoying himself.
Makin sat back on the cushions and propped one long leg out in front of him for
balance as sipped his seventh cup of tea. It was dark and sweet just as he
liked it and he felt a certain amount of pride he hadn't drained the cup in one
swallow as he had done the previous cups.
He was talking with Ardeth, Asim and Talib, adding friendship on to the
already present foundation of their association as warriors. Solman sat to his left, quiet and thoughtful,
his dark eyes watching the serving girls as they bustled around the tent,
replenishing food and drink.
Occasionally one of them would glance over at the warrior's and giggle,
causing a slow smile to dance fleetingly across Solman's face.
His thoughts distracted because of his concern for Solman's obvious affection or
weakness for a pretty mara, he almost didn't quite catch the question posed by
Asim. "SamaH ana, ya ukh but would you repeat that again?" he asked.
"Do either of you have a special mara waiting for you both back at your
village," Asim questioned. "I was just saying to Talib it seems that
most of the warriors have had their hearts captured by the women from the oasis
nearby." His comment briefly caught the attention of one serving girl who
stood poised nearby with a tray. Asim
glanced over at her and winked, and much to his delight saw her blush profusely
even through her veil.
"La," Makin replied. "Neither of us is attached and was
contemplating a petition to our Elders for any available marriage contracts.
However I learned prior to our departure for the oasis that the only ones left
were for women who were considered less than...desirable."
"Less than desirable?" Talib asked.
"Mareekha was missing teeth," Solman
pointed out with his child-like honesty.
Ardeth almost snorted into
his cup of tea and coughed to hide his laughter from Solman's comment. "That could be a problem," he murmured
dryly.
"Toula had a problem with her....face," Makin grimaced at the
memory.
Asim choked back a laugh. "What kind of problem?" he asked, enjoying
this rare humor displayed by both warriors.
He glanced at Ardeth and Talib and was happy to see they were both
struggling to maintain their composures.
"Her nose was too big for it," Solman replied matter-of-factly.
"Really big," Makin
clarified with a look of disbelief.
"Oh for the love of..." Talib muttered and turned slightly to the
side, his shoulders shaking from his silent laughter.
"There was Mareesha,"
Solman said. "I remember her."
"Aiwa, as do I," Makin exclaimed. "She was…unique." He blushed and swallowed the last of his tea,
wondering why the three other warriors were staring expectantly at him.
A moment of silence. Ardeth looked at
Asim and Talib, realizing neither man was in any shape to ask so of course he
had too. "Mareesha?" he said
hopefully.
At Solman's insistent prodding, Makin finally explained for his friends why
they found this particular maiden lacking. "The problem was she had facial
hair that was worthy of a veteran warrior," he said with a dramatic sigh.
~*~
Translations
Mara - woman
SamaH ana, ya ukh – forgive me, my brother