Hello everyone! How're you all?
Here Misty comes back with a new two-shot. It's MaxXMariam. After a long time, I'm writing something new for MaxMariam (Oww...I missed writing for MaxMari soo much in these days!) Because, yesterday, it was Mariam's birthday. On that occasion, I'm writing this two-shot. At first, I thought to make it one-shot but then decided to tease you readers a bit with the ending. Though the chapter is small, I think my goal has been fulfilled ;P
Besides, I've written KaiHil, TyHil, TalaJul, RaySal, RayMari in medieval backdrop but it's my first MaxMari medieval. Enjoy! :D
Beneath the widespread branches of the Sakura tree, covered with pink-white flowers and coating the half of the sky, the blonde was waiting, still not getting down from the back of his white horse which was wagging its tail as the rider was stroking its mane, keeping his gazes at the sky. Seeing the white cottony rafts passing by in the vast blue, he was waiting for someone. The floating clouds were leaving in front of his eyes, so were the flowing moments. But the awaited person hadn't reached there yet. She'd been supposed to meet him under this Sakura tree, they both had decided it in their last meeting. Nonetheless, where did she remain?
"Tink tink! Tink tink!"
Quickly, the hyperactive guy shifted his eyes to the way. Through the street of the wild, a black mare scurried, splashing sands to both the sides. On it, there was a kunoichi, wearing gray ninja costumes having red borders. For the caped hood, her hair couldn't be seen. The mask hid her lower face from the rest of the world. Only a pair of emeralds were glistening through the gap of the hood and the mask mysteriously. At the same time, they had some mischief. Clutching the rein tightly with one hand, the girl was coming in his direction. Seeing her, Max's face adopted a huge grin. He got down from his stallion to receive her.
Reaching him, the girl unveiled her face, revealing the pair of navy-blue strands touching her forehead and the long tresses tied into a high-ponytail crossed her waist. Jade eyes again flickered mockingly at the blonde, feeling pity on him for waiting. However, she gave a dramatic bow before him, "I'm extremely sorry, your Highness. Have I made you wait?"
"Nope," Whereas, Max's face was purely illuminated, "I can wait for you till my last day on the earth, princess."
"Sometimes, I feel jealous of you and your patience, you know," Mariam sighed, "Believe me, had I been in your shoes, I would have deafened you with one hundred glorious words by now."
"Hey…." Max gently cupped her face, "You have to learn to wait, Mari. What will you do if you have to wait for me forever?"
"Stop this nonsense, Maxie," Mariam threw her arms around his neck, "Tell me when we will get married."
When Mariam gave the proposal, instead of being happy, all the lights were snatched from the face of the blonde. It darkened, he ceased smiling. Sighing, he bent his head down and turned his head back, leaving the blunette. The shark-princess was worried at his reaction. Whenever she raised the topic of their marriage, Max would make a face and avoid it skillfully. But no, he had to tell her the reason now. Why wasn't he interested to marry her? They were childhood lovers; their fathers were also the best friend of each other. Even the astrologers had also declared that no other girl on the earth could be as perfect as Mariam for Max. Then why?
"Max…." She put a hand on his shoulder, "What happened?"
"Pardon me, Mariam," He sighed, "But I don't think that I can marry you."
"But why?" The blunette cried, "Max, what's your problem with our marriage? Why're you so reluctant? Please, share it with me."
"Mari, believe me," He turned to her, "I really love you a lot. In this world, no other girl would be as loving as you to me. But I-I'm extremely sorry, I cannot marry you. Let alone you, I…I can never get married in my life. Please, don't misunderstand me."
"Max…." She grabbed his shoulders, "Please, mention the reason at least. I won't pressurize you for marrying me but I want to know the cause. Max, we aren't only lovers but also childhood friends. As a friend, I have the right to know about your problem. Please, don't hide it from me."
Max kept staring at his lover without blinking for a few seconds. Then, heaving a sigh, he gave up, "Fine, I'm telling you. You must know about lord Genbu, the black turtle of the north, right?"
"Yes."
"He's our family deity, the supreme lord of Mizuhara clan," Max explained, "Whenever the new Mizuhara king ascends the throne of the kingdom of waves, he has to build a statue of lord Genbu. But when my dad took the throne, he built His statue without any snake-as we all know that the snake is a part of His body. At first, people thought that he did it mistakenly. But when he was asked, he said that the snake was a symbol of evilness, poison and all the negative things. He wanted his clan to be free from the negative energies, that's why he excluded the snake from the idol.
His decision was praised a lot but the sacred snake, the inseparable part of lord Genbu, became much angry with him. She tried to make him understand her worth and her importance but father wasn't ready to worship her with lord Genbu. In her wrath, she cursed him that no lamp would be lit in his clan ever. All his sons would get killed. I, Max Mizuhara, am his third son. My two elder brothers died in their childhood due to snakebites. Now, it's my turn."
"What the hell are you saying?!" Mariam was horrified, "Hey…nothing will happen to you. Just stay strong."
"Mari, I don't worry for myself," Max managed to give a weak smile, "I have the ability to accept my fate. But…I really have no right to destroy the life of a girl. Specially she becomes the girl whom I love the most in this world, I-I really cannot do it."
"And…." Suddenly, the blunette sniffed, "And you think that not marrying you won't destroy my life? How can you be so selfish, Max? You think that I'll receive less grief if I lose you without marrying you?"
"Mari…." The blonde couldn't look at the emerald eyes of his lover which were tear-streaked, glistening. He'd hardly seen the girl weeping in front of his eyes. That's why, he didn't even know how to comfort her in her crying state. Then again, her tears felt more painful to him than death.
"Max, please, don't leave me," Mariam tightly clasped his hands, doubling her tears, "I…I promise, I'll try my best to protect you from everything. I'll happily accept what fate will store for me. But…I cannot live a life without you. Even if you die after our marriage, I'll get solace only from the fact that I was able to live a few moments with you but….if you die without marrying me and I get married to someone else, I'll never be able to forgive myself. Each day, in the arms of a stranger, I won't be able to live, Max! Please, don't reject me! I'm begging to you!"
Max froze for a minute. Mariam…begged? The rough-and-tough princess of Osaka, feared not only by the subjects of her kingdom but also by her own family members and soldiers in her castle for her image, was craving for his hand? Since when did he become so significant to her? Really, love could do miracles. It was such a magical wand that it ended up showering tears from the pebble-hard eyes of the blunette maiden. Whereas, Max was softer than she. How could he reject her proposal already knowing that he loved her?
"Fine." Deeply breathing, the blonde took her palms into his and stared deeply at her orbs, "I'm ready to marry you, Mariam."
"Thank you so much, Max," Sniffling, the girl gently placed her head on his chest and surrounded him with her arms, "You don't know how much this proposal means to me. I love you so much."
"I love you too, Mari," He hugged her back, sighing and thinking, 'If something happens to me, forgive me after it…'
Since the dawn of the very day, the people of the kingdom were splashing like the waves of any ocean in the yard of the ancient shrine of lord Genbu. The blossoms of Sakura were showering on the ground from the nearby trees. The verdant, fresh leaves were dancing in the gentle, cool rhythm of the airstream. Young maidens were holding hurricane lanterns and colorful paper lamps. Some were sprinkling flower petals upon the invited guests. White geese were swimming across the lake with their yellow young. When they heard the joyful, auspicious reverberations of the trumpets and drums, they stopped and became curious to know what was happening in the age-old shrine.
"Max Mizuhara, the prince of the kingdom of waves," The minister asked, "Do you accept Mariam, the princess of Ebira, as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"
"I do." The groom dressed in green kimono and dark-olive Hakama coat announced, after taking a sharp breath, "According to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."
"Mariam, the princess of Ebira," Now, the priest turned towards the bride, beautified with orange chintz-patterned kimono with red borderlines and golden-ruby accessories from her top to toe, "Do you accept Max Mizuhara, the prince of the kingdom of waves, as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"
"I do." The bride didn't show any sign of hesitation, yet, lowering her face, "According to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."
"Congratulations!" The vicar announced, "Prince Max Mizuhara and princess Mariam, from now onwards, you're husband and wife."
From the transparent barrier of the georgette veil covering her face, the blunette looked at her husband, smiling and flushing. However, the smile plastered on the lips of the blonde wasn't much genuine. He was rather worried. Staring at his newly wedded wife who was cheerful, proud and satisfied, he heaved a deep sigh. He really had no right to destroy her life. What was he going to do? Would her happiness which she'd received just then last forever? While the royal-blue haired girl was having hundreds of colorful dreams keeping her eyes open, her husband couldn't even muster the courage to close his eyes to face the reality, shackled in the chains of black and white. Would the rainbow ever be showered there?
"People of the kingdom of waves!" Taro Mizuhara blurted in pride and utter joy, "Today, we've received another member to our royal clan as well as the new crown-princess and the future empress of your empire! Let me present: Mariam Mizuhara!"
"Hail prince Max Mizuhara!"
"Hail crown-princess Mariam Mizuhara!"
"Hail prince Max Mizuhara!"
"Hail crown-princess Mariam Mizuhara!"
When all the people were jubilating joyfully, there was someone who wasn't satisfied at all with the entire matter. Behind the veil covering her face, she saw everything, lifting it a bit. Still, the fire of vengeance was burning through her veins. She would never let the Mizuhara clan be happy. It was giving sweltering sensations to her heart.
'Enjoy as much as you can, the Mizhurians,' She grinned wickedly, 'Because it is going to end tonight. By hook or crook!'
The chamber was large, at the top of the ten-storied building which literally didn't have any hole or window for protection so that any snake couldn't climb up to the room. The gigantic paintings of ancient Japanese deities were beautifying the walls of the room, fulfilling the absence of the windows. Camelias, tiger-lilies, Sakura and the flowers of different breeds were there-being garlands on the barriers and bouquets in the silver vases kept on the round tables near the bed. Fragrant candles snatched all the darkness from the compartment, it didn't need the outer moonshine anymore. Through a secret tiny hole, the air was coming in. Cologne, festoons, tapers-everything made the environment intoxicated.
On the bed, the royal blue-haired girl was resting her head on the chest of her newly wedded husband, stroking the straps of his kimono robe. In his warmth, her eyes were getting closed. Max encircled her shoulders and pulled her closer as she snuggled with him under the green velvet blanket. The fingers of the blonde travelled through her silky tresses, covered under the red georgette veil embroidered with trinkets. Bit by bit, Max removed the veil and threw it on the ground at which the blunette blushed heavily, trying to hide herself in his chest. Cupping her chin, he raised it and dove in her jade pools, trying to find their bottoms.
"Mari…." His breaths felt warm against her nostrils, lips and chin, "Finally, we're each other's."
"Hmm…." She whispered, "You have no idea how long I was waiting for this night…"
"Since it's arrived…." The gap between two pairs of lips decreased a bit, "Let's not waste it by talking…."
Mariam lidded her eyes again, so did her groom. Getting down from her tresses, his fingers headed towards the straps of her gown and played with them, getting tangled with one another. Very smoothly, his lips landed on hers just like a bird lands on the ground from the sky. Her lips weren't as soft as his but they had a unique taste-just like sweet-sour orange juice. Mariam's body got goosebumps; hormones rose. She could never have imagined that her naïve lover could muster so much masculinity in his body. But she wasn't a person to give up. Enabling her tongue, she tried to dominate which she won eventually. Sensing his defeat, the half-American tried to push her on the bed, getting rid of her lips. Right then:
"Ouch!"
Gasping, Mariam looked at her husband whose sapphire eyes became widened in sudden pain. He collapsed on the bed without any warning and gritted his teeth. The blunette squeezed his face and asked, "Max? What happened? Are you okay?"
"Don't know…." He tried to speak somehow, "Felt something…..stinging my right ankle…"
Reaching his right ankle, Mariam discovered two small pits-resembling a snakebite. She hurriedly grabbed her veil from the floor and tied it up, a tad distant from the wound. They were in the topmost level of the mansion. Mariam couldn't guess how to descend from the room with her husband. She screamed to call the maids and servants but nobody came there. Everyone was sleeping, forgetting their duties. Strangely, no one among them was awake as if someone had sprinkled sleeping powder over all of them at the same time. She caught the view of a slim snaketail leaving through a petite hole at the wall-floor junction.
Then again, the girl looked at the face of her groom. He was turning blue. She had tied a knot but the poison was so fast that it had already spread all over his body. He was struggling to keep his eyes open, they felt heavy. Shuddering violently, he clutched the bedsheet, feeling a volcano passing through his veins. Mariam quickly rushed to him and held his hand, massaging it to keep warm.
"Max…" She desperately shrieked, "Nothing will happen to you! You'll be fine, Max….just keep awake! I-I won't let anything happen to you, please…just keep your eyes open for the sake of lord Genbu! I beg to you Max, don't leave me!"
"Mari…." He feebly uttered, "I..I'm sorry…but it's my fate…"
"No!" The blunette protested.
"Try….to understand…." He was going inaudible, "I'm lucky….to get a….wife like you…."
His eyelids finally thumped on his eyeballs, forever. Mariam froze, the arctic palm of her husband fell on the bed from her knuckles. She watched the bluish skin of the cheerful, hyperactive blonde and froth coming out from his mouth. There was no pulse. The body where she'd been searching for warmth lost all of it. On his forehead, three or four droplets of perspiration gathered, portraying how badly he'd struggled to live, not to leave his newly wedded bride forever. The eyebrows of the blunette twitched. She somehow held his head on her lap and shook it, having a faint, useless belief that he would wake up, opening his eyes…
No response…..
"MAAAAAAXXXXXX!"
The tear-choked scream of the estranged, unfortunate bride echoed in all the tower, pervading its barriers and reaching the external air, making it heavier…
See, even a sweet bubbly character like Max isn't safe from Misty's venomous hands *Sighs*
There there, I must have told you that it would be a two-shot, right? Besides, miracles do happen in this world. So dear readers, you can still have hope :)
Do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care and stay safe :D
-Misty ^_^