A/N: OMG I feel soooo bad for letting my motivation for this and all my other fics die out! I'm so so so sorry! There's no excuse guys! Please forgive me! Hopefully you'll give this fic another chance? Pretty please?
She had never enjoyed having the pleasure of being escorted to a room, even if it was so she could rest. Hayden wasn't impressed in the slightest, but she knew deep down that Thel was only doing what he had to in order to keep her safe. So she followed him close through the winding corridors of the keep, marvelling at the carvings and framed paintings and such. It astonished her that he held such a regard for art, knowing that the Sangheili were a species bred for battle. Inside she was smiling though, having discovered a new layer of him.
"I told you to not leave the Keep, and what do you do? You leave the Keep!" He answered for her, the question rhetorical. There was anger in his voice, but that soon faded out. "Please, next time, obey. What would you have done if a helioskrill had found you and targeted you as its prey?"
Hayden was about to question what the term meant, but Thel then continued.
"Vicious predators. They blend into the mountainside, springing on their prey. Hayden..." He paused, turning his head to look at her over his shoulder, her eyes appearing to be glazed over. Opening the door to his own personal quarters, now hers, he showed her in and made her lie down. "I just want to keep you safe."
Sighing as she sat and positioned herself to lay down against the sheets, she inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Why? Is it really so dangerous for me to want to explore my surroundings?"
He glanced to the small gauze patch attached to her forehead. "Apparently so." He retorted, placing his hand on top of hers and gripping it gently.
Hayden looked back up to him and chuckled a little, pulling him closer within his own grip. "You don't need to worry so much Thel. I know how to fight, and I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself. Sure, the heat is a little much, but I guess that's to be expected with three Suns, right?"
If he could smile, Thel knew he would have. He inched closer to her, still sitting at the edge. "Our Suns are named Urs, Fied, and Joori. Many tales have told their origin, and same can be said for both of our satellites... Moons, I believe is what you would call them. They go by Quikost and Suban." He explained, catching her attention once more as her gaze returned to his from the window. It was dusk already. "I will tell you my peoples' stories another night. You should rest, Hayden..."
Giving him a faint smile, she tugged at his arm again. "Lay down..." The woman mumbled, releasing him and fixing her hair so that it stayed bunched up and against her back.
Thel was reluctant to do so. It had been years since he had lain with a woman, but a human? His mind raced and searched for the correct course of action, but found himself completing the task without consent from his mind. "This feels... odd." He replied, as she pressed herself against him. "I meant to ask earlier, but did not want prying ears to hear. Tell me, Hayden...please. What actually happened near the peaks at midday while I was at meeting? What actually happened to you?"
Hayden sighed, twining her fingers around his for the sake of keeping herself busy and her mind from being too stationary. "Don't be upset, alright? I got up the ledge where you found me, and someone came and planned on shooting me. Phantom aircraft, privatized with two Sangheili and a Grunt. So I ran and bolted down the mountain as best I could without risking a long fall and hid in an alcove I thankfully stumbled across. The cut on my leg was from the rocky edge, and I think the cut on my forehead was from when one of my holds broke from the pressure of me trying to climb up. I knew you would be angry, so I didn't say anything at first." She stopped, closing her eyes and yawning. "Forgive me?" She asked weakly.
"Of course, but tomorrow we'll need to begin combat training again... To fight here and wield a weapon, especially a sword, is all about honor, and I have a feeling that you will have many challenges being issued to you within the next month."
Nodding, the woman rested herself against his body and became dead-weight. Thel was right, she was tired. And right now, he was a very comfortable and warm pillow. "You don't have to stay, Thel; just until I fall asleep." She requested, staying propped up on her side.
"As you wish."
Night had fallen. Restless, Thel's eyes opened wide, the pupils becoming a thin slit as his gaze fell to the unconscious woman. Her body felt warm against his, soft too. He had missed the touch of a woman, even if she was not of his own kind. He would need to teach her the art of Sangheili war, and perhaps even the language.
It troubled him how much she had to learn, and the only question he kept asking himself over and over again was if he was capable of doing all of those things. She would need proper clothing too, if she were blend with the State and its inhabitants.
Looking to the craggy window, light was beginning to appear on the horizon. However, the hours were still early. He would have to start teaching her today.
Exhaling, a small growl accompanying the breath, Hayden began to stir and extend her limbs outward. Thel glanced over to her, fascinated, and she looked over her shoulder to see him staring. "What?" She yawned. "Something wrong?"
"Good morning, Hayden." She spoke. "This will be a busy day, I believe. Ready yourself. I will leave you and be in the Commons. Find me there."
Hayden blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, hearing him get up and leave the room. Arching her arms back and craning her neck, she sat up to see two of the three suns in the sky. "I wonder why it's bothering him so much..." She whispered to herself, changing her gaze to the door of the ensuite. She wanted a shower right now, but low and behold, that was denied as two Sangheili entered the room, females to boot. She watched them intently as a third, a male stepped forward, wearing a more... traditional sort of garb. It reminded her of images she saw some time ago, from an era long gone from Humans. What was it called? She asked herself. Kihara? Kimosha? Kimono? I think that's it... Yeah, a kimono. Talk about ancient...
"Lady Hayden, we are here to prepare you as best we can while Lord 'Vadam makes further preparations." The male spoke, the females carrying several robes in their arms. "He has requested that you be fitted for a formal dress as part of your introduction to the High Council. May we?"
Hayden's eyes surveyed the three Elites, her gaze wavering as she nodded to them, the women taking her behind a false wall and undressing her from her robes. One woman began to wrap a thick layer of gauze over her bare chest, forcing her breasts against her body, subduing their appearance. That was something had noticed earlier. Neither of them have breasts...
"Please let us know how uncomfortable you are, Milady." One of them said. She was shorter than the other, but wore a bright red dress with several golden flowers decorating the sleeves that matched a pretty headdress decorated with tiny beads. "Your anatomy is different to us; we only do this to make you more... appealing to them High Council."
"I understand." She told them, allowing them to finish. "This is... new to me."
"Understandable." The male spoke. "Soa and Haro are good at what they do. They have made robes for several in our State, including Lord 'Vadam himself."Hayden shot him a small glance, he sensed. "Forgive me. I am S'osa. How is it coming along?"
Hayden stretched her arms out as the under layer was held out behind her, and the shorter woman, Soa, wrapped the fabric around her, tying the small drawstrings on the back of it into tiny knots. It was a bright dress, burgundy in color with small flowers decorating the lower left side of it. The taller of the women, Haro, she guessed, brought out the top layer, a gorgeous fabric made from what shined like silk and flowed over her skin smoothly. The edges were the same burgundy of the dress she already wore, while the main body was dark as night, though decorated with small white and pink flowers. They had both directed her to hold it closed, the left of the collar overlapping the right as a broad pink sash was tied around her waist to hold it closed.
Hayden pulled her hair out from the neck of the dress, letting it fall naturally against her back. A cough or two, getting used to the feeling of having her chest compressed and her breasts made to be practically non-existant, the two females brought her from the false wall and let her stand before S'osa, who nodded with approval. "It will do. The color flatters you and your human skin. Lord 'Vadam will be pleased."
A sigh erupted from her without any realization, and she stifled a grin. "I wonder what he'd say if he saw me like this... Who'd ever thought I'd be dressed up so gaudy?" Hayden asked herself, earning a chuckle from Soa as she followed Haro and S'osa out of the room.
"Lord 'Vadam truly has taken an interest in you. You should appreciate his choice. There are many of us that would be his mate."
The remark puzzled Hayden as she left the room, and the heavy oak door closed. His mate...
Well, Here's chapter three. Four will be up in a day or two, and five already has begun. Dont ask why I've suddenly gotten back into writing. I really don't know. But I did go back and read through both The Origin of Life and FOA and BOOM! inspiration returned to me!
Also, for where I dragged Hayden's dress from, here you are: www .cosmates .jp /shop/images/products/fpf/CT00079N_big .jpg (just remember to remove the spaces!)