WIND WARRIORS

Chapter Eleven: Love at First Sight

Merle knew she knew little about love, other than the fact that she had found it in Rafer but that didn't mean she couldn't recognize it when she saw it and what she saw in Oliver's eyes when he looked at Marit looked a lot like love… and Merle knew it because it was what she saw in Rafer's eyes when he looked at her.

So, convinced it was love, Merle went to Sonia, Enya and Amber – gurus of everything romantic- to come up with a plan to get Marit and Oliver together so the poor boy could get his chance with Marit, who seemed as interested in him as she was on external policy or something of the sort.

For weeks they tried… just to get them to be at the same place, Oliver was all for it but Marit was resourceful and always found ways to avoid him. They went like this for two weeks… plan after plan failed. So they went for their last resource: they asked Queen Dana to throw a ball… in which Merle would make sure – no matter what it took – that Oliver confessed his feelings to Marit.

"You don't worry about anything. We got you cover." Merle said to Oliver when she delivered the invitation for the ball, he had already caught on the fact Merle was trying to help him so he believed her and got ready for the dance.

Oliver was reluctant about it, for he thought he should better first earn Marit's trust before he went ahead exposing his heart, but he also had the feeling that Marit wouldn't listen to him any other way, he didn't know why was that but he wasn't willing to let this little thing stop him.

So, the day of the ball…

It wasn't such a big ball as the ones sometimes Queen Dana threw; this was due mostly to Merle's condition. Such an advanced pregnancy was terribly out of fashion, though Rafer was know to disagree, most people in the court thought that pregnant women should stay at home. That's why Queen Dana hand picked her guests so it would still look like a social gathering and Marit wouldn't get suspicious while at the same time Dana would be sure no one would say anything to Merle about how huge she was.

"How is it going?" Merle asked to Oliver once she saw him sulking on a corner when Marit rejected him when he asked her to dance.

"She still won't talk to me." Oliver said, feeling kind of miserable. Why Marit was so determinate to ignore him was beyond him. "Marit is all nice and polite but she still looks at me like I'm some kind of bug."

Why she did that, Merle wasn't sure, Marit had always been peculiar about people… but Oliver was cute all 6 ft 2 inches of him had caught the eye of more than one of the ladies of the court… but apparently that wasn't good enough for Marit.

"I think the key is force her to listen…" Marit said absently, cooking up a plan already. "Here's what you're going to do…" she said in tones of conspiracy, and sent him to the sitting room down the hall from the ballroom.

"Marit thanks so much for keeping me company." I said as I dragged Marit to the same sitting room I had sent Oliver to, I had told her that I needed to rest because I got tired so quickly in my state.

"It's not a problem." Marit said opening the door for Merle. "As long as I can stay away from Oliver, I don't know why you like him so much."

"He's nice. I don't know why you dislike him so much."

"Is for Armand… they were friends you know… and Oliver kind of reminds me of Armand… and I don't want to think of him. But then Oliver just keeps coming around and I feel like he is toying my around… I don't know, like he just tries to make me remember Armand… and I don't want to."

"I sincerely doubt he is trying to make you think of Armand." Merle said, standing in the doorway. "Anyway, I think you need to talk to him…" Merle said, turning around. "I'll leave you two alone." She said and closed the door.

"Huh? Merle, what game are you playing?" Marit asked in confusion. But her confusion didn't last much since Oliver's voice called at her back:

"You think I've been toying you around? That I came all the way here, just to torture you with memories of Armand? Well, if you want to know the truth, I would really love it if you stop thinking in Armand for a second. I would really, really love it."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?" Oliver cried out. "I've loved you since the moment I met you, and I kept my mouth shut for three years, because I didn't want to upset you, I saw you go around with Armand, and I saw you get hurt and I almost killed him, okay? I almost killed my best friend for what he did to you. And I came here, knowing that probably you wouldn't want to see me, and I did it because just being near you was good enough for me. Just because of that. And all I ask you, Marit, is to let me love you; you don't even have to love me back."

'Let me love you, you don't even have to love me back'

The words echoed in her head. No one had ever told her such selfless thing. It's funny how you can be important to someone that isn't that all important to you, but when you find out then is hard not to think they are a bit important too.

At that moment, all her mental schemes about Oliver fell down… he wasn't anything like she though he was. Since he was Armand's friend, Marit had always assumed Oliver was like Armand when, in fact, the two were very different, but she was only beginning to realize that… now.

Marit stayed in silence for a while, Oliver was heartbroken; he figured that maybe asking her to let him love her was a bit too much for Marit. He couldn't even bring himself to be mad at her for not answering, so he just let go of her hand and spun around, ready to leave.

"Oliver," her voice stopped him. "I don't think that's fair." She said, looking at him as if for the first time. "I believe you deserve love, I'm just not sure if I'm the right person to give it. I guess I could love you if I tried…" She added as if in an after thought, her words surprising her as much as it did him.

"Would you like to try?" Oliver asked, feeling the kind of hope he had never dare to feel before. "Could you try to love me?"

"I don't know…" Marit said softly, not looking at him, staring fixedly at her hands. "Maybe…" Marit said, surprising even herself with her answer.

'Maybe' was a good place to start, Oliver realized, but just not good enough, he wanted a yes… he figured he had to convince her. So he reached out for her, cupping her chin in his hand and made her look up, And then he kissed her, softly, his lips lingering over hers; and, as he felt her kissing back, he thought that…well, maybe he had a shot.

They kissed for a little while longer… "I think we should get back to the party," Marit said softly, blushing as it was proper for a young woman after being kissed by a guy that was more or less courting her.

"Okay." Oliver said, up in cloud number nine and they both went to open the door but. "It's locked."

"What do you mean it's locked?" Marit asked, reaching for the door and trying to turn the knob. "MERLE!" she yelled through the door, knowing it had been her sister the one responsible.

…

Merle how ever was having a few problems of her own.

She and Amber had been mounting guard outside the sitting room, ready to tell Marit that she wouldn't leave the room until she listened to Oliver, when they happened to ears drop into another conversation.

"I just can believe he married her," A snotty little voice was saying, it belonged to Lady Katherine… Merle knew Katherine, she was one of the many Rafer had been involved with in the past. "I mean, heave you seen her?"

"Well… Merle is ordinary looking… and kind of short… and behaves like a man most of the time… but she must have something that Rafer liked… right?" That 'right?' had been uttered in the tones of great disbelief. Merle recognized the voice as Lady Annaelise's, Katherine's sidekick.

"Oh, please… she probably just lured him to her bed so she could get out of marring Prince Blake and then Rafer felt responsible and married her."

"But, Kath… he slept with you too and that didn't make Rafer marry you." Annaelise said in confusion, from where she and Amber stood, Merle saw Katherine shot her friend a very stern look that made Anna shut up at once.

"All I have to say," Katherine continued as if Anna hadn't spoken, "Is that Merle didn't waste anytime, she got knock up right way… just to make sure Rafer wouldn't get away."

Merle looked down at her stomach- she was due in almost two weeks- and felt the pickle or tears in the back of her eyes. What those little skanks thought of her, Merle did not care… but they were bringing her baby into it… that she could not accept. Merle was about to go straight to those two and tell them exactly what she thought of them when… "Well… I'm just saying what everyone is thinking…" Katherine said, defending herself from the 'That's mean' comment Anna had made. They were walking away and soon all Merle cold hear of them were their footsteps getting fainter.

"Is that really what everyone is thinking?" Merle asked to Amber, trusting her best friend to tell her the truth.

"Of course not!" Amber said, she was plenty angry to but figured she better didn't leave Merle alone. "I know you, Mer; I know you didn't do any of those things. I've seen you and Rafer over the years… you two are in love and it's obvious." Amber added. "Is just that…"

"What?"

"Well…"

"Some people do say those things about me, right?" Merle asked quietly.

Amber nodded, just barely, "But it's just people like Katherine, you know…"

"The other women who thought Rafer was going to marring them…"

"Yeah…But he married you, Mer."

Merle shrugged, trying to look like she didn't care. "We better get back to the dance." Merle said, composing herself… and forgetting about Marit and Oliver.

"Okay." Amber agreed, thinking that was for the best.

Only that when they got back to the ballroom… Katherine was with Rafer in a dark corner… and her hands were everywhere.

"Mer, I'm sure it doesn't mean a th-"

"I'm going home." Merle said without listening, turning around and exiting the Windam Palace all together.

…

"Katherine," Rafer was saying, trying to get away from her in the most gentlemanly way. "Seriously, I need to find my wife, and this is most inappropriate."

"Oh, c'mon, like you aren't enjoying it." She said, and then pinched his butt.

"Hey! Now, that already has an owner and trust me, Katherine, it isn't you."

"You're wife?"

"Precisely, now if you excuse me…" Rafer really wanted to get away from her; he was starting to feel sexually harassed. But Katherine had other thoughts in mind.

She tried to kiss him and, though he was greatly annoyed at Katherine, he was happy to realize the only woman he wanted to kiss was his Merle.

"Katherine!" Rafer snapped. "Would you mind having some dignity?" he said, and just then he noticed Merle exiting the ballroom. Then Rafer ignored Katherine all together and went to see where Merle had gone.

"Oh, Rafer, good…" Amber said when she saw him. "I think you should find Merle… she was really upset."

"Why?"

"Look, is long to explain, just go look for her, she said she was going home."

…

Merle got home quickly, she could walk very fast when she felt like it. Merle didn't go to her room right away, she decided to go to the garden… she loved her garden, the had planted most of the flowers herself since, right after Rafer and her moved there, it had only been just grass.

She walked to the little stone bench at the back of the garden, absently tracing the scar in her elbow; she had gotten that one after slipping in the river when she was six. Merle smiled at the memory, thinking also in her other scar the one on her knee, that one was from that time she had pushed Rafer off a tree and he had dragged her along in the fall when she was nine. Merle had a lot of scars, most of them earned as a child who liked mischief… she had never particularly minded having them… up until she married and well… you know.

"Merle!" Rafer called out for her. "Merle, I know you're here."

"Go away, Rafer." She said, getting angry remembering him and Katherine.

"Why should I do that? This is my house."

"Fine, I'll go to my room then." She said and walked right pass him, starting back towards the house.

"Merle, what's going on?" Rafer asked, stopping her. "You were bugging me all week to go to that stupid dance and then you just walk away without even letting me know first."

"Last time I saw you, you looked kind of busy with Katherine."

"Katherine is a wanton; I was just trying to get away from her."

"It didn't look that way from where I was…"

"Merle…"

"And she was saying all these things…"

"What things?"

Merle gave a little shrug, her voice growing quiet, "She said you just married me because you felt responsible of me… because of the whole thing with Blake… and other stuff about the baby and me…"

"Merle, please tell me you weren't silly enough to believe her, its just rubbish."

"Is it? I mean, Rafer, really… why did you marry me… I'm not like them, the girls you always liked. I'm so not perfect." Merle said so close to tears. "I'm ordinary looking; I got scars all over, and I'm not nearly as well groomed as the perfect poodle women you always used to date… I'm a wet poodle."

"You're no poodle, you're adorable." Rafer said, laughing against his better judgment, knowing that is never wise to laugh at a pregnant women… sometimes they think it's funny too; other times they get upset, thinking you're laughing at them; and yet other times they mount in rage.

For all answer, Merle turned stubbornly from him.

"Merle," Rafer said patiently. "If wanted perfect I would have had it. But perfect is dull, I never cared for perfection, I wanted right… and you're right for me." Merle still wouldn't look at him. "I didn't want a poodle woman – as you so charmingly call my past…" what would he call them… "Girlfriends? – to be my wife, I wanted you."

Merle snorted, "Yeah, right."

That hurt Rafer, he loved her so completely… it was her faith in him what made him stronger, and now she doubted his love, just because some skank had been all over him.

He knew she didn't mean it; that she knew he hadn't laid a hand on another woman since they had married –for the simple reason that he didn't want to, Merle was it for him; he knew that deep down Merle knew his love was real and what she was saying was just her over-sensitive-insecure-pregnant-self but that didn't keep Rafer from getting a little angry.

"Damn you, Merle." Rafer said, making Merle look at him. "You're the other part of me, alright? I want you and I love you for a thousand different reasons… no, dam it, I want you for no other reason that the fact that you're you, and you're mine."

Then Rafer kissed her, claming what was rightfully his: his wife, his love… Merle.

---------

Rafer

I kissed my wife.

She had been mine since the day she kissed me, as a dare, outside my room… that was the last time I had even looked at another woman, part of me knew I had found what I had at miss.

Merle must have known that too… I felt her let herself get all carried away by my kiss, letting me kiss her so thoroughly she forgot everything else, any doubt she might have had.

Once I was pleased, I let go of her lips, she always tasted so sweet. "Don't you ever again dare to doubt my love." I ordered, resting my forehead against hers.

Merle inhaled deeply to catch her breath, and nodded obediently saying, though kiss-swollen lips: "Never."

"Good." I said, gathering her close, well, as close as I could with our baby getting in the way. "I love you, Merle… I could never do without you…"

"I love you too, Rafer." She said. I could barely understand because she had her face buried in my chest. I stroked her hair… she has that kind of hair that just makes you want to run your fingers through it. Too bad she couldn't see herself through my eyes, that way she would know how beautiful she is to me.

"Rafer..?" she said after a little while.

"Yes?"

"I'm kind of hungry."

I laughed, she was always hungry lately and we had left before diner was served at that Palace, "You want an egg sandwich and a glass of cold milk?" She nodded. "Alright, I'll get if for you." I made her sit in the bench, kissed her the top of her head and went to the kitchen… hopefully the cook would still be up…

Something went flying by my side; I thought I had imagined it. "Rafer!" Merle yelled.

"Yes, I know… tomato sauce in the egg sandwich and a spoon of sugar in the cold milk, I got it…" I said, thinking that was what she was trying to remind me.

"I think my water broke." She said loudly enough for me to hear.

"I'll buy you another…" I said absently and just then felt that I was being hit with something: a shoe.

"Is not that, you idiot." Merle said angrily and I turned to see her. "My water broke, the baby is coming." She said.

I gasped in surprise, feeling like a fish outside the water… "But it isn't supposed to happen for another two weeks…"

"Guess what? It's happening now. And it bloody hurts."

…

I got Merle to our room, while yelling to Nan to sent someone for the doctor, and someone else for Donovan and yet another person to let my mom know the baby was coming, I needed as much help as I could get.

The first person to arrive was the doctor and I'm ashamed to say I felt relieved when he and Nan told me to wait outside… Merle had gotten a bit murderous…she threw a vase to my head and last thing she told me was that she hated me and greatly regretted having slept with me.

"Don't worry, son." Dr Lou said. "They always say that."

Donovan arrived next and was pacing with me outside my room. "Don't worry," he said, "It might take a while."

Finally, Dr Lou came out.

"Is everything okay?" Donovan asked.

"Yes. It's a girl."

"A girl?" a little girl, I had a little girl!

"Yes, you can go inside now… just-" I heard anything else, I went right inside. Merle was sitting up in bed, cradling a bundle of blankets in her arms.

"Hi," I said, sitting next to her.

She smiled up at me, "Hi."

"Do you still hate me?" I asked carefully.

Merle looked down at our baby, "No." She said, kissing our daughter little hand. "But I still hold you fully responsible for all the pain I went through."

"Of course." I said running my finger against my daughter's cheek. Then I leaned into Mer and kissed her temple.

"Here, hold her." Merle placed the baby in my arms. "Don't look so terrified, she won't brake, I promise."

"But… but…" I was scared for a moment, but then it sort of got easy… and I was holding my daughter. "She's so tiny."

-------------

Meanwhile, at the Windam Palace

"I just feel like I forgot something." Amber was saying to Josh as they danced. They were going to marry in the fall. Amber had already been presented to the Kiada and they all had approved of her, so she and Josh got engaged.

"Is just that you're worried about Mer, that's all."

"Yeah, probably."

Just then the Queen approached them. "Amber?" she said.

"Yes, your highness?"

"I just got word from Rafer… the Merle is giving birth… I'm on my way there but could you please look for Marit and tell her?"

"Of course, milady." Amber said with a smile and Queen Dana said goodbye. "Come." She told Josh, dragging him outside the ballroom.

"Why are you in such hurry?"

"Because I just remembered what I forgot." They reached the door to the sitting room. "Eh? Marit?" Amber called through the door…

---------

Merle

I could hear Marit a mille away… Marit was running up the stairs.

"What the hell did you thought you were doing, looking me up in that room with Oliver?" She demanded the second she opened the door of my room.

"Shh!" I said. "Mind to keep your voice down?"

"Why am I whispering?" she asked in a loud whisper. "What were you thinking, Merle, really?"

"I just thought Oliver deserved a chance… are you going to give it to him?" I asked, rocking my baby in my arms, Marit hadn't even notice it.

Marit blushed… "Well… yes… he's good at kissing." She said dreamily… so much for hating Oliver…

"I'm glad." I said again, still whispering.

"Really, why are we whispering?"

"I just got Aimee to fall asleep." I said.

Just then Marit did notice the baby in my arms. "You gave birth already?"

"Yeah, why do you think I forgot about leaving you in the sitting room?" I said playfully, I didn't want to remember my little fight with Rafer a while ago. I had been so silly.

"I didn't know… no-one tol-"realization hit her, "Amber tried to tell me but I was plenty mad at you so I came here before she got time to tell me."

"Yeah, that sounds like you." I said softly. And Marit came to my side.

"She's beautiful, Mer." Marit said.

I just smiled, "Rafer and Dad are trying to bring the crib here so she can sleep with us tonight; Rafer doesn't want little Aimee out of his sight." In an after thought I added: "It's weird, you know, I never thought I would be a mom. But I've been waiting for her for months… and now she is here." I rubbed my cheek against Aimee's, shejust stired a little but didn't wake up. "And I love her so much. How can you love so much someone you just meet?"

"I don't think that's a question meat to be answered." Marit said with a smile and I settled for that.

----

End of Chapter Eleven.

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Notes:

I love this new feature where you can export and correct your already sumited chapters!!!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and for pointing out that babies don't giggle when they are so little, I was on a sugar low when I was writting that.

I think Rafer is going to be a great dad.

Just for you to know, Aimee's full name is Aimee Nicole (like Merle's mom), it total they will have three kids: Aimee, a boy, name yet to be desided, and little Dana...

I think I'll put two more chapters and call it quits ;)

Okay, thought you would like to know how long is left of this story

And if you got any suggestions for boy's names let me know ;)

Peace, out!

Alex.