Chapter Three
(Raya's POV)
"Namaari...so good to see you again." I say, walking up to my former girlfriend with my soon-to-be girlfriend at my side.
"Raya. Likewise. Who's your friend?"
"This is Becky, the actual love of my life."
"Is that so? And what does Becky have to say about the matter?" Namaari says, looking intimidatingly at Becky.
To even my surprise, Becky gets closer to Namaari.
"I am Raya's true love, no matter what anyone says."
Namaari looks past Becky and at me.
"Hiding behind your true love, huh, Raya?"
"I'm not hiding, dep la. I'm just letting Becky speak for herself."
"A wise decision. She seems timid to me, other than speaking up for herself."
"Does she? I hadn't noticed." Becky looks back at me, and I smirk at her.
"If you'll excuse us, Princess Namaari. We have a festival to plan." Becky says, showing respect to Namaari by creating a circle with her hands just below her chin and bowing her head.
"Oh? And what of your and your father's recent absence, Raya? And where did Becky even come from?"
"Oh, from a faraway land far, far away from Kumandra."
"You dodged my first question, dep la."
"I say that it's none of your business where we were."
"Really? And here I thought we were friends."
"We are...but there are some secrets even I don't tell my closest friends."
"I see. Well, good luck with planning the festival. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, Becky."
"Likewise, Namaari."
Namaari walks away, and Becky breathes a sigh of relief.
"That went better than I expected."
"I was just about to say the same thing, pretty girl. Come on, we have a festival to plan, and ceremonial outfits to be made for you."
A few days before the festival, I take Becky out to explore the rest of Heart, since she's barely seen the outside of it. We head to the garden and sit, taking in the beauty of the nature around us, and the beauty of each other.
It's then I realize, I don't want to waste another minute of my life not letting the world know of the love Becky and I have for each other. I know she and I just met, but...I've got the feeling that she's the one...I've said it to her, of course, but I didn't really realize it until just recently.
And, so, I kneel on the ground in front of Becky, taking her hands in my own.
"Raya, what are you doing?" She asks me.
"Becky…that is…Rebekah, how would you like to become Princess Consort of Heart?"
"Are you serious, Raya?"
"I am. I don't want to waste another minute of my life not letting the world know of the love you and I have for each other. Rebekah, will you marry me?"
"Yes, I will, Raya! I will marry you."
We seal our engagement with a kiss.
"I - I don't have a ring for you." I tell her after we break apart.
"I don't care, Raya. I am yours, and you are mine."
"I love you, Becky."
"I love you, too, Raya."
Hand in hand, Becky and I walk inside the palace of Heart, and we approach Ba, who's busy seeing over the cooks' preparation for the festival.
"Ba? Could Becky and I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of course, Raya. Excuse me."
"Of course, Chief Benja."
Ba, Becky and I walk to the edge of the kitchen, which overlooks the valley.
"What's on your mind, dewdrop?" Ba asks me.
"Well, Ba, the thing is..."
"I've never seen you this flustered before. Is everything all right?"
"Yes, Ba. The thing is...I just proposed to Becky."
"Really? Even after just a few days of knowing one another?"
"When you know, you know."
"That's true. I hope you're not planning to get married so soon, though."
I move to speak, but Becky beats me to it.
"Of course not, sir. We both want the festival to be our top priority. Maybe after the festival, Raya and I could start planning our wedding?"
"Spoken like a true resident of Heart, and of Kumandra. I'm proud to call you my future daughter-in-law."
"Thank you, Benja. It means the world to me that you're accepting me into your family."
"Like I've said before, Raya already considers you family, as do I."
Becky smiles softly at Ba, and I do the same.
"I'm honored to be a part of your family."
"I am glad to hear it. Now, tell me, what happened during the proposal?" Ba asks.
Becky and I reenact the proposal, and Ba develops tears in his eyes.
"Ba?"
He clears his throat, a bit embarrassed.
"Don't worry, you two. These are tears of joy, and of love."
The day of the festival arrives, and Becky and I are both dressed in our finest, Ba even giving Becky the ring my mother wore when he proposed to her. It's gold with a replica of the dragon gem in the middle, and with clear crystals around it.
"It's beautiful, Benja. I'll wear it with pride."
"I don't doubt you will, sundrop."
Becky wears the finest cloths in purple, while I wear blue.
We go around Heart, with me introducing Becky to Boun, Noi, and Tong.
"It's an honor to meet all of you."
"We are honored as well, Becky. Welcome to Kumandra's Festival Of Light and Harmony." Tong says. Becky nods at him.
"If you'll excuse us, I have some other people I need Becky to meet." I tell our friends.
"Of course. And congratulations on your betrothal." Boun tells us.
"Thank you, Boun." Becky and I say.
"Betrothal?" We hear Namaari ask. The others leave us to have this conversation in private.
"Namaari. Hey. Listen, my father doesn't want us telling too many people, but once they saw the ring on Becky's hand, they just assumed..."
"Don't worry about it. I know how to keep a secret."
"Thank you, Namaari. I hope there are no hard feelings between us." Becky says.
"Of course not. I'll let you get back to the festivities. See you two at the feast later?"
"Yes, you will."
Becky and I head back to the palace, where Ba is waiting for us, so he can announce our betrothal.
"People of Tail, Talon, Spine and Fang. Welcome to Kumandra's Festival Of Light and Harmony. Now, before the feast begins, I have an important announcement to make. My daughter, Raya, Princess Of Heart, is with a woman today, and that woman will always be around, because Raya asked this woman, Rebekah, to marry her, and Rebekah accepted her proposal. Please be courteous and kind to this newcomer, and make her feel at home. That all being said, it's time for the feast to begin. Dig in!"
"Excuse me, pardon me. Am I late?" A familiar voice says, breaking through the din of the crowd.
"Sisu?!" I exclaim.
"Raya, don't look so surprised. You know I was the one who made that portal so you could find your one true love, right? Right?"
Becky, Ba and I signal Sisu to stop talking, but she doesn't listen.
"No? You didn't know that?"
"Sisu, could we talk to you for a moment?"
"Of course, Raya." Sisu laughs awkwardly as she follows Becky and me to a private corner of the room.
"Sisu, what are you talking about? What do you mean you created the portal?" I ask my friend.
"I, well, along with Pranee, Amba, Jagan and Pengu, created a portal to a realm in the distant future."
"We know when and where the portal led to, Sisu. But why would you create a portal?"
"To see where it went!"
"No, no, we get that, but...why?"
Sisu sighs.
"Because, I wanted to see what life would be like in the distant future...but, as soon as you and your ba went through the portal, it closed. It didn't open again until Becky was out of danger."
"Wait, so...Becky was in danger the entire time we were there?"
"Well, yeah. I created the portal to also help you find the love of your life...who happened to be in the distant future."
"But, why? This doesn't make any sense. My parents disowning me, a strange force attacking me...coming here with Raya and Benja? None of it makes any sense." Becky says, sitting down, suddenly dizzy.
"She's got a point, Sisu."
"Just because fate brought you two together, doesn't mean it doesn't make sense."
"That's exactly why it doesn't make sense, Sisu. You guys, and all of this, are from fiction...I shouldn't be here...I want to be, I need to be, but I shouldn't be."
Becky puts her head in her hands.
"What – what if my parents forgot me? What if I never existed in the real world?"
"That actually does make a lot of sense." Sisu says.
"What?!" Becky and I exclaim.
"Think about it. You two, brought together by fate, her parents disowning her? What if...what if this is some alternate reality? Where Becky didn't exist there, where her parents are?"
"Sisu, if I didn't exist there, how would I have been born?" Becky gasps, as if brought back to a memory.
"What is it, baby? Talk to me." I ask, kneeling in front of my betrothed.
"Tong is...Tong is my father."
"What? Honey, you don't look anything like him."
"I – I was abandoned...as a young infant. Brought up by Tong and his wife...turned to stone until..."
"The Awakening." Sisu finishes for her.
Becky nods, with tears in her eyes.
"This is all too much..." She tells us.
"Then why didn't Tong recognize you? Did he abandon you, too? He's all gruff and mean-looking, but he's got a good heart. He wouldn't abandon you." I say.
"Maybe...maybe because it just clicked for me, perhaps it just clicked for him?"
"Excuse me. Pardon me, need to get through." That gruff voice I've come to love peeks through the crowd.
Tong.
"I'm sorry, Raya, but could I speak with your betrothed for a moment?"
"That's up to her, Tong."
"Of course. I – I'll be right back."
Becky lets Tong lead her to the edge of the room, where they won't be overheard.
(Becky's POV)
"I know that a lot has changed in the past eight years, but...you were stone until two years ago. My wife and I adopted you when you were an infant. We found you on the side of the road, in an alley, in a box filled with blankets. You had the moniker of Rebekah...we knew you were not a part of Kumandra, yet we still took you in."
I gasp again...and I remember...my first steps...not towards the father I thought I knew, but towards Tong. Dancing with Tong with my feet on his. Playing with my baby brother.
"I – I remember you. I remember everything. You, Tong, are my father!"
"It's so good to see you again, my daughter." Slowly, and ever-so-gently, Tong wraps me up in an embrace.
"Oh, toi...this changes everything. The parents I thought I knew..."
"Um, about your former parents..." Tong says sheepishly.
"Yes?" I ask.
"They abandoned you because...because they couldn't take care of you. They couldn't afford to. We found you in an alley, and there was a mysterious portal, and I saw the Druun nearby...and we saw that it had opened a portal to your home world, and your former parents, they just dropped you off in a box. My wife – your mother and I were just walking along the village in Spine...when we heard a baby cry – you cry.
"We rushed over to you, and, though you did not look like anyone in Kumandra, we knew we had to take you in. We grew to love you as our own daughter. But then the Druun came over Spine, and the rest of Kumandra, when you were 23. I rushed to protect you, along with your mother and brother, but I could not."
"Tong...Father, you did everything you could to protect us."
"You don't blame me for the Druun taking over?"
"Of course not. Just like I don't blame Raya or Namaari."
"Did I just hear my name?" Raya asks, walking over to us.
"Father, this is Raya...my betrothed."
"Though we've met before, Raya, seeing you and my daughter both in a new light...it makes me one of the happiest people alive."
"I'm glad you think so, Tong."
"Wait a second...does that mean Sisu was lying about the portal thing?"
"Yeah, sorry about that, Becks. I was just trying to protect you from the truth. But I shouldn't have, knowing Tong is a great father." Sisu says, walking up to us.
"And I'd love to get to know my daughter much better...and I'm sure she'd like to do the same about me – and the rest of our family."
"Of course, Father." I pause before asking Sisu another question.
"Sisu? Does this mean I was never attacked?"
"Well...actually, no. The thing is...the portal that you and Raya went through was from an alternate reality, where you were never abandoned as an infant...and you were attacked...though I can't say who you were attacked by."
"So...that really happened. I was turned to stone when I was 23, but an alternate version of myself was in another world...and the two of us merged once I came here?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"But won't that, like, rip a hole somewhere?"
"Dragons don't make mistakes with portal magic. We may not be perfect, but we do perfect our portal making."
"I see."
"Wait a second...you were attacked?" Father asks me.
I look down, ashamed.
"There's no need to be ashamed, my daughter. What happened was not your fault." Father says, placing a hand on my shoulder and leaning down his head to look me in the eyes.
Tears well in my eyes, and I all but throw myself at my father. He kneels down to reach my height, and lets me sob into his shoulder.
"Your former parents may have abandoned you, but I never will. Raya, take good care of my daughter. It's all I ask."
"Of course, Tong."
The four of us soon rejoin the festivities, but there's a different feeling in the air as we celebrate the festival.