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Enchanted Night	By : EmpressMoonchildOfFantasia Category: M through R > Neverending Story Views: 3814 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The names, people, places, etc of The NES are all owned by the late Michal Ende & Warrnor Bros. Copyright � 1984. I'm just borrowing them for fun. I do not own anything but the plotline of this fic.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Chapter Rating: Hard T/Soft M: [for Slightly 'Naughty Interactions' between Atreyu & The Empress and Suggestive Dark Theme near the beginning of the chapter.]
DISCLAIMER: The names, people, places, etc of The NES are all owned by the late Michal Ende & Warrnor Bros. Copyright © 1984. I'm just borrowing them for fun. I do not own anything but Brijatte, Twyla, Luanna, Lupianya, Jazeminya, the Head Cook and the plotline of this fic.
Someone was watching her.
'Could it be Atreyu?' Moonchild thought. 'No, he's in his own suite, still asleep.' Her logical mind told her practically. 'It's probably part of a dream you're having...'
But something told her this was not the case.
Something told her he was here in her room.
She could sense his presence.
Moonchild moaned softly and stirred in her sleep, feeling warm and snug under her small mountain of satin blankets.
Still, that feeling of being watched was nagging at her subconsciousness.
Moonchild's cheek rubbed itself against her cool silk-encased pillow, her lips slightly parted, as her body stirred itself in her subconscious state of rest.
'If he's not here, then why are you getting the feeling he's right in front of you?'
For some reason this thought probed The Empress's sleep-induced mind to come out of its cozy realm of subconsciousness. Her eyelids twitched, as if they wanted to stay closed. After a moment's hesitation her mind prodded them a second time.
This time her eyelids obeyed-if somewhat reluctantly-and little by little she could feel them opening halfway, then, as if the heavy lure of sleep was too much for them, they slid back to their previous-and preferred-position.
At this, the nagging feeling she was having was the one that was able to convince her eyelids to cooperate, and this time, Moonchild could feel her eyes open all the way.
She blinked, slowly, squeezed her eyes shut to rid themselves of their haziness, then blinked again.
And found herself starting straight into the dark orbs of Atreyu.
Moonchild's body jerked, a small squeak of a yelp escaping her.
"Atreyu!?" she cried in a loud whisper, her mind, still feeling foggy and sleep-induced, struggled to deal with such a shocking incident as this first thing in the morning. She half-rose from her pillow, resting her weight on her arm.
"Surprise." he whispered, a huge grin on his face as he crouched on the floor next to her bed, his handsome face scant inches from her own.
"Atreyu! What-" But she was cut off by a ferocious, demanding kiss that took her breath away."Mmm...Atreyu..." she whispered, her tone, though much quieter this time, was muffled by her mouth being fiercely pressed against his. "What-what are you doing here!?" Now her poor mind, though fully awake, had the added burden of dealing with the shock of being kissed so severely, that in a way it had an element of savagery to it, mere seconds after opening her eyes.
"I thought I'd come surprise you this morning as it is to be our last full day together." He breathlessly whispered, pulling away for a moment, to give his Angelic Empress time to catch her breath.
"Well...well you certainly...certainly did that!" she replied in a hushed tone, her mind still reeling from the shocking sight of finding him crouched on the floor of her bedchamber an hour before the sunrise. She took a deep, jerky breath, still feeling as if he'd robbed it. Which in a way, he had.
"Did you enjoy your surprise?"
"Uh-uh... I just...I just wasn't expecting you to be up so early...least of all...least of all in here... I thought...I thought you were still asleep in your room."
"I couldn't sleep any longer Ogliglewakan, you were on my mind too much."
Moonchild's eyebrows rose for a second and she ducked her head, feeling the oncoming of a blush. "As were you..." She answered in a voice that hinted at the nearly awkward, shy feeling that had unexpectedly come over her at the realization of him being here alone with her in her bedchamber itself.
Not that she minded it. She often had had dreams of awakening to the sight of him beside her, near-or, sinfully better yet, in-her bed.
But to have such a thing ACTUALLY happen... It was risky...improper...scandalous... Not to mention a VERY wickedly sinful thing for a man to do... [according to Cairon and Brijatte]
A subtle wave of fearful guilt washed over her, its brief tide overriding the feeling of shy awkwardness as her lips inadvertently met his in another demanding, savage kiss-though this one was a tad gentler then its predecessor. A soft, wanton moan escaped before she could stop it Part of her-the 'proper, trained part'-told her it was scandalously wrong to allow him to kiss her like this-if at all. But the other part of her wanted it, longed for it.
Moonchild shivered at this startling realization. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined something as wanting, longing for Atreyu's kisses. But she did. She not only longed for and wanted them, she craved them. She CRAVED for his kisses, his touch. Not a MOMENT of a day had gone by since the afternoon after the Ball when she did NOT crave for the touch of his hands on her skin, the touch of his mouth on her body.
Such nerve she had to even THINK of wanting such a thing!
'What in the Name of Fantasia would Cairon and Brijatte think!? What would they DO if they could read these wicked thoughts I have had of Atreyu doing something SO brazenly scandalously sinful as creeping into my room an hour before the crack of dawn!? Never mind the immorally sinful cravings, longings, I've had of him EVERY waking and sleeping moment! HOW would they react if they saw me yielding to the savagery kisses he is giving me!?'
Moonchild's innards quaked.
For she already knew the answers to her questions.
She didn't want to examine visualizations of what could happen. She didn't even want to think about such a scenario right now. She didn't WANT to dwell on the thoughts or reactions of her Head Adviser/Servant and Head Handmaiden at the moment. For one VERY important reason and ONE reason only:
Their wrath.
She knew their wrath-maybe she did not know ALL of it-but she knew it well enough. She knew what would happen if she got caught with Atreyu in ANY kind of 'compromising position.' She knew what would happen to her once they forcibly separated her from her lover and got her alone in a place where no one could see-or hear. She knew what would happen then: They'd unleash their fury on her like never before. They'd unleash the FULL extent of their wrath-of which up to this point, she had thankfully never seen-upon her with NO boundaries OR curbiture.
Oh, yes, she knew their wrath all too well.
And it scared the living hell out of her.
But still, THAT didn't stop The Empress from wanting Atreyu. That underlining fear of WHAT her Head Handmaiden or her Head Adviser/Servant could do to her, to Atreyu, if either one of them-or worse, BOTH of them-caught her and Atreyu in what would be considered 'a sinful AND scandalously illicit affair' did NOT stop her from wanting to be with her warrior. It didn't stop her from wanting, craving, his caress, his kiss, his body, Her love for him kept her coming back for more each and every time they were together. Not even the chastising self-expiations she had been silently giving herself when she was alone in her rooms every night-after her handmaidens had retired for the evening to their rooms [located downstairs in the upper end section of the servant's quarters]-of how wickedly sinful it was of her to be interacting with The Great Warrior in the mannerism she had been for the past five full days-ever since their rendezvous in the Secret Garden the day after the Ball-could keep her away from him. Not even the knowledge that he was 'a mere commoner,' could keep her from accepting his addicting kisses. And not even the all-too-well fact that he was FAR beneath her in station AND class could keep her from his embrace. From his touch.
Oh, yes, she KNEW she was playing a dangerous game with Cairon and Brijatte. And one she'd pay dearly for in the end if they 'won.' [hence, their discovering what she was doing behind their backs]
But each time Atreyu's mouth descended on hers, each time her warrior's hands caressed her body, all this foreboding knowledge she kept in the back of her mind, vanished. Dissappered.
Like the morning mist on a summer's day.
'You shouldn't be doing this... What if Cairon or Brijatte walked in on you?...What if-'
Again, as she always did whenever she succumbed to her warrior's kiss, she fought back the worries, the chastisements, the fears, she fought ALL of it. Pushed such thoughts and emotions towards the back of her mind and left them there till the next time they decided to rear their ugly heads, which, unfortunately for her, was quite often during the course of the day-and night.
"Atreyu...I-"
"You what mitawa cantkiya?" His kisses were becoming more gentle, more seductive, every moment... for each time he gave her a new one, his mouth never left hers-not for a single second.
"I-" Moonchild felt embarrassed at telling him what she wanted to say but considering what her body's 'functions' were hinting to her, it was necessary for her to speak up. "I-my...my bladder...I need to leave you for a moment to 'tend to my bladder'..."
Atreyu grinned against her mouth, then released his claim on her lips. "Toka sni, mitawa hopa wanji, I'll wait for you." He scooted backwards to give her room.
Thankful for the long-sleeved, ankle-length billowing nightgown she'd chosen to keep over her shift last night, Moonchild pushed back the bed's many coverlets, swung her legs over the edge and stood up.
She planted a trembling kiss on top of his head before moving past her lover."I'll be right back." She whispered, hoping he wouldn't catch the hint of nervousness in her voice.
"I'll be right here, don't worry."
'Oh, Gods please don't let my legs go out from under me! Please don't let him notice my legs are shaking!' She begged the Gods and Goddesses as she made her way to the adjourning washroom, thankful for the chance to 'tend to nature' AND to have the chance to get her thoughts in order.
. . . . . . .
A few minutes later Moonchild emerged from the washroom, bladder emptied and all negitive thoughts put back where they belonged, and stopped. She looked around the nearly-darkened bedchamber-it would be awhile yet before the sun rose to bathe her room in its brilliant light-but saw no sign of Atreyu.
'Where could he have gone? He was here a few minutes ago...'
She took a few steps away from the threshold of the washroom's doorway.
Before she could ponder more on the whereabouts of her lover, she felt a pair of strong, lean arms enclose her waist from behind and felt her body being drawn back against a figure hidden in the shadows. She gasped and was on the verge of letting loose a scream when a hand steathfully clapped itself over her open mouth and the soothing, seductive voice of her warrior was in her ear.
"Shh...it's just me Ogliglewakan."
"Oh, Gods! A-" But once again, her startled, mock outrage was silenced as his mouth reclaimed what had been his a few moments ago. Another soft moan was smothered, her head arched up and backwards as she stood on tiptoe to return his kiss. The fingers of her left hand found themselves sliding across his cheek and disappearing into his hair where they became entangled in the long, dark, strands that brushed the tops of his shoulder-blades. "Atreyu..." she breathed, her eyes half-lidded, her breath once again stolen from her as she ended the kiss that was so intoxicating, so full of gentleness and savagery all at once that she nearly ached to have him bestow another and another and another...
No wonder she couldn't get enough of this man.
What Atreyu was doing to her mentally, physically and emotionally was something The Empress KNEW for a FACT would NEVER come from the kind of husband her Head Adviser/Servant and Head Handmaiden wanted -AND DEMANDEDLY EXPECTED-her to marry:
No 'nobleman husband' would TRY to do what this penniless warrior-buffalo hunter was doing to her at this very moment. No 'nobleman husband' would even THINK of such a thing as stimulating her in such a way that she couldn't get enough of 'him', that she wanted and craved 'him' SO much 'he' was on her mind, in her thoughts day and night. No 'nobleman husband' would CONSIDER TRYING to seduce her in such a way that she went to sleep each night dreaming of 'him' doing 'carnally sinful things' to her. All 'her nobleman husband' would do was 'he' would come to her in the middle of the night from a separate bedchamber, shove her nightclothes to her waist and her underdrawers to her ankles,-if 'he' didn't rip them [along with her nightgown and sleeveless shift] off of her to begin with-mount her in such a way that 'his' straddling legs would pin her to the mattress like she was some prized brooding mare 'he'd' won-or bought-at auction and roughly mate with her as if she were nothing more then an outlet for 'his' barbaric lust. This faceless, nameless 'nobleman husband' wouldn't care if 'he' was hurting her. 'He' wouldn't care if 'he' was raping her to the point she was painfully injured 'down there' for days afterwards. It wouldn't matter to 'him' if 'his' hands left black and blue marks on her tender flesh from 'him' handling her body too roughly or from 'him' beating her when she protested. It would make no difference to her 'nobleman husband' if her agonizing screams of pain and terror-muffled or unmuffled-could be heard or not as 'he' ruthlessly used 'that most masculine part' of 'himself'' to brutalize THE MOST private, delicate part of her body. Her tears of physical suffering, fear, and disgust would mean nothing to 'him.' Nor would 'he' heed-let alone take in consideration-her begging pleas for 'him' NOT to molest her body. All she would get in response to her sobbingly begs, pleas or protests would be a hard, stinging slap across the face, discolored bruises on her breasts from 'him' squeezing them too hard and perhaps a black eye or two-IFshe was lucky. If not, she would most likely end up not being able to walk properly for a week from the beatings her body would have to endure for 'being a disobedient wife in the bedchamber.' She would be reminded by her 'nobleman husband' every time 'he' came to her bedchamber at night that 'it was 'his' 'husbandly right' to 'claim her body' as 'he' saw fit'. 'He' would lewdly 'have his way with her' in whatever way 'he' thought appropriate till 'his' seed had taken root and 'he' knew for certain that she was carrying 'his' child within her womb. Then MAYBE she would have nine months of relief from her 'nobleman husband's' leering gaze, 'his' obscene, licentious advances till the child's birth [with PERHAPS three extra months added on top of those nine months she was full with child so her body could have a chance to recover from the excruciating pain and endurances of childbirth-but she wasn't holding her breath on that, she would be lucky if she got ONE extra month added on to the nine months she was heavy and fat with child] Then the whole brutal, agonizing process would start ALL over again.
No, her Atreyu was NOTHING like the future, nameless, faceless man Cairon and Brijatte wanted her to wed. Even now, when his kisses were savage, demanding and fierce, he ALWAYS took mental notes of how she responded to them. If she liked them in this new way he was giving them to her in the darkness of the hour before the dawn of a new day or if she preferred them to be soft, gentle, featherlight,-with just a whispering hint of desperate ferocity added to them-like they always had been since that fateful moment when their lips touched one another for the first time in their lives on the evening of the Ball.
'Atreyu...'
As if he could hear her thoughts, as if he could hear her mind whisper his name, his head dipped down to hers, his lips meeting her own in a kiss that was part whisper, part savage. In the second she responded to this kiss, Moonchild felt one arm leave her waist to lay itself along the backs of her knees. A second later she felt her feet leave the bedchamber floor as she was being lifted into her warrior's arms, as easily as if she were no heavier then a half-grown wolf cub. Instantly the hand in his hair tightened its grip while her free one rose to take hold of his upper arm. With his lips constantly gliding over hers she felt him move forward a few feet to the right of the washroom's doorway, turn sideways, then felt his body fall into a siting position with her on his lap. From the tight space she could feel their bodies were in, Moonchild guessed they were somewhat squished in an armchair that had the same inward curvatures of its back and armrests and the same stiff material as the one in the living room section of his suite-the only differences between the two was that this chair they were in was covered in a dark-cream colored fabric with silvery-grey swirly patterns stitched into it rather then a patternless earthy tan.
"Híŋháŋni hopa wanji."
"Híŋháŋni mitawa hopa akicita. I wastelake niye:..."
"I wastelake niye iyota Ogliglewakan," came the whispered response seconds before the tip of his tongue flickered across the upper outline of her delectable, kiss-swollen mouth.
'Skuye Maka...I cannot enough of her...' Atreyu thought as he felt The Empress respond instantaneously to the flickering teasingness of his tongue. He pulled her closer to him, despite the fact they couldn't get any closer then they already were due to the cramped confounds of the armchair. But he wasn't complaining and neither was she. All that mattered was that they were together, holding each other, sharing sweet, passion-filled kisses of love. His hand smoothed away sleep-tousled strands of hair from her beautiful cherubic face, his mouth and teeth tugging gently at her bottom lip before letting his tongue dance across the swollen, satiny skin.
Apparently his impulsive idea of sneaking into her bedchamber by way of the secret passageway and crouching next to her bedside before she awoke was a good one. So was the impulsive idea of coming up from behind when she came out of the washroom. For now she was cozily cramped with him in this armchair, the skirt of her billowy nightgown hanging down in delicate folds over his legs.
Although if he had his way, if she was 'completely' his, in body as well as in heart and spirit, he would've carried her back to bed, stripped both their bodies of their clothing and made love to His Empress before breakfast. [and this would have been AFTER he would have made love to her three times over the night before]
But he knew he couldn't 'have her completely'- at least not for a few more months. As MUCH as he wanted her, as badly as his loins ached for her, Atreyu was determined NOT to let himself be thoroughly consumed by his carnal desire for His Empress BEFORE BOTH of them were ready to 'cross that last and MOST forbidden line.' For now, he was content with allowing his hands and mouth to explore the upper part of her tiny, slender body-making certain that his hands went down NO further then her slim waist, slender hips and that adorable little arse.
'Although there HAVE been times in the past day or so where I've WANTED to go beyond 'those borders, those 'boundaries' I've set for myself'. There HAVE been times as of late where I've been SEVERELY TEMPTED to touch her in 'places' forbidden to BOTH of us...'
Just the reoccurring thought of WHAT he wanted to do to The Empress made the fabric of his loose ozoges start to tighten as 'that male part of him' began to respond to his amorous cogitations.
Atreyu leaned his head against the back of the armchair, pursing his lips and closing his eyes, as he felt the front of his ozoges tighten still further with his ever-growing arousal.
'Oh, Tunkasilas, I don't know how much longer I can keep from restraining myself...'
He sucked in a quiet, groaning hiss as he felt the underside of Moonchild's arse inadvertently graze his swelling 'male part' as she shifted her lower body so she could be closer still to him.
'Skuye mahpiyas Iwalob, Moonchild. if you ONLY had ANY idea of what you're doing to me...'
He shut his eyes tighter as he felt his hips inconspicuously begin to move against the underside of her arse. He let out a half-whimper, half-moan, his arms tightening their hold on her upper body, clutching her to him, afraid she'd fade away like she'd done so many times in his dreams...
But this was no dream.
She was here and as real as could be. He could feel her warm body against him, could feel her lips softly plant kisses alongside the right column of his throat experimentally, shyly, mimicking what he had done to her so many times over the course of these already-past five days. His chest muscles felt tight, as did his ozoges, with the increasing swelling and hardening of his male member. He blinked back tears, the sensation from his nearly-fully awakened arousal was starting to become painful, the fragile cords of his control were beginning to feel the strain. Any minute now they would begin to fray apart, little by little, one by one. He had to do something before he reached that point.
He could think of only one thing.
"Moonchild..." he croaked in a hoarse whisper, his exhalations were coming out as rough pants as he struggled to maintain hold of what little control he had left over his desires before it was too late. "I need-" he swallowed, it was becoming difficult to think clearly AND keep control of his nether region. "I need you to do what you did during our first full day in the Secret Garden...when you 'relieved' me of 'my discomfort' below my waist. Do you...do you remember?...Do you remember what you did then?"
"Yes...I do..." came the softness of her quiet voice from the side of his throat. She paused, "Do...do you need me to repeat the same process?"
"I think...I think so...I...I mean...hau, canlwaste..." His voice was starting to become as strained as his ozoges.
Without another word, without moving her face from the side of his throat, without even asking WHY he needed to have her repeat the magickal wordless spell she'd done once before, Moonchild placed her palm a few inches above his groin, closed her eyes and concentrated.
As it had happened before, Atreyu felt the gentle wave of energy flowing from the center of her palm, through her fingertips to the area just above his groin. Once again, this invisible surge of warmth, this soothing energy, traveled through his groin, below his waist where it once again encased his half-engorged 'male part' with its healing magick. And, as it had happened before, Atreyu felt that painful, aching sensation gradually leave him as 'that male part of him' slowly diminished until he could feel the tightness in his ozoges no more.
"Better?" She quirried, gently kissing away beads of sweat that had appareled on his forehead.
"Hau, Pilamayaye mitawa Ogliglewakan." He rasped, kissing the tip of her nose in gratitude.
"Do...do you need anything?" she asked, tentatively, peering at him with a mixtured look of concern and...something else... Remorse over letting their passions nearly get out of hand? Ineptness over her lack of carnal knowledge and what she should do when it came to intimately fondling one's mate? Could it be self-consciousness? Or was it something else entirely? Atreyu was puzzled by the look in her eyes, the expression on her face. There WAS something there...he was sure of it. But what 'it' was exactly, he did not know. And he was too respectful of His Empress to ask. If she wanted to tell him, she would, in time. But he could sense now was not the time nor the place. But oh, yes, there was defiantly something there hidden in the depths of her azure eyes. He could see it, he could feel it.
'What are you thinking mitawa Ogliglewakan?' he wondered. "What is lurking there in the depths of those beautiful eyes of yours?'
"Do you need anything?" she repeated softly, "Tea? Toast? A bath perhaps?" She blushed at the last question.
"Not a bath, but a shower would certainly help."
Yes, a shower definitely sounded like a good idea-a nice cold shower-though he hated the prospect of having to leave her so soon.
She nodded and slowly slid off his lap.
Atreyu immediately felt empty without her cuddled against him. It was like the lack of her body left him-and his lap-with a gnawing hollow feeling that wouldn't quit till she was in his arms again.
"I think...I think I'll take a shower too." she said softly, gazing at him with that odd look on her face and in her eyes.
"Good idea." He slowly got to his feet and looked down at her, wondering what on Maka would cause her to have such a strange look in her eyes. It was one he'd never seen before. It...it was almost as if she were battling, wrestling with some inner conflictions deep inside her soul. But there was also a look in those eyes that told him, begged him not to interfere, to not question her. For some reason he could not make out, there were conflicting emotions behind her eyes. Or were they thoughts?...Could they even be something that was deeply troubling her on the inside and, for reasons unknown, she didn't want it divulged? Atreyu did not know what ANY of it could be nor could he decipher the strangely odd look he was seeing in her eyes and on her beautifully cherub-like face. Whatever 'this something' was, it was obvious The Empress wanted to sort 'it' out on her own.
And he would respect her silent plea to not interfere or question her about whatever it was that she was internally battling or wrestling with. If she chose to keep certain things or thoughts to herself, then that was rightfully her decision to make-even if he didn't agree with it. Although, personally, Atreyu didn't like it when Moonchild became unforthcoming all of a sudden. It bothered him whenever she would become withdrawn like this-when they both could clearly see in her eyes-or on her face-that there were 'unsettling things' she was dealing with and, for reasons unknown, she flat-out refused to share these 'things' with him. It disturbed him at times to know that for some reason or the other she wouldn't open up to him, wholeheartedly, the VERY darkest, deepest part of her soul. But still, he loved her as an individual enough to give her space and time if that was what she wanted and needed. And Atreyu knew, as he always had known, that if she needed his help or advice, she would come to him.
Until that time came, until she genuinely felt it was time for him to know whatever it was that was lurking in those deep, dark and beautiful eyes, whatever it was she was keeping locked away in the very bottom of her soul, he would wait for her.
Even if it took her years and years to come to him, to open up THAT part of her soul to him, he would wait. Patiently.
He would wait till the day he died if he had to.
But for now, he would do what His Empress was silently asking of him: He would back off. He would 'let it be'-whatever 'it' was. He would, as she silently, beggingly, requested:, 'drop the matter' and 'let it go'.
So, out of loving respect for His Empress, he did as he was told.
He did not override her decision [even though part of him wanted to]-because he loved her.
His fingers rested on her cheek for a moment as they drank each other in. Then he bent down and gently kissed her on the lips.
He felt her shudder as if she was holding back tears as she softly kissed him back.
"I'll see you near 'our little hidden alcove' in a half hour." He said softly.
"I'll be there..." Her voice sounded choked as she spoke.
"I wastelake niye canteskuye. I wastelake niye very very much."
"I know. I wastelake niye too Atreyu... I always have." He couldn't tell, for it was still nearly dark in the room, but for a moment, Atreyu thought he could see tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes.
He kissed her one last time, his lps lingering on hers for a long moment.
Then he left, heading back towards his room using the secret passageway The Empress's seven handmaidens had so lovingly and creatively thought up.
. . . . . . . .
Moonchild felt better when she arrived at the place close by the small alcove, of which the Royal Gardener had craftily directed them to five full days ago, to meet up with her warrior a half an hour later. They hadn't been back to this 'hiding place' since then for before parting at her doors to her suite that first full day after the Ball, both Atreyu and Moonchild had agreed NOT to return to the 'alcove' UNTIL their second-to-last full morning-opting to use other 'hiding places' in and around the Gardens instead. [They were directed to these other 'hiding places', discreetly of course, by different 'supporting' members of the Royal Staff] As for whatever conflicting emotions Moonchild had been struggling with over WHAT she had been doing with Atreyu that morning in her bedchambers in terms of indecency compared to WHAT she had been taught about immorality [along with HOW she should be conducting herself in a 'proper, moral, way that is befitting of an Empress' whenever she found herself in the presence of a male] by Cairon and Brijatte had long been washed away down the drain during her shower.
Now she stood in the Royal Gardens, shifting nervously from foot to foot as she waited impatiently for her lover to arrive. It had only been thirty minutes since she had last seen her warrior and ALREADY she was missing him! The Empress's fingers twitched as they subtly twisted and untwisted both sides of the skirt of the unadorned royal purple dress she wore. This simple dress, which had been woven out of the lightest crushed velvet possible, was partially covered by a cloak that was a shade or two lighter then the attire underneath it. A few strands of chestnut and dark-gold, of which Jesmandala had expertly twisted into a soft half-braid, kept the sides of her hair off of her cherubic face while the remainder of her hair flowed elegantly down her back and past her arse. When at long last she saw the handsome figure of Atreyu striding towards her in the early-morning light of dawn it was as if the dark worrisome feelings she had been transiently wrestling with had never existed. Finally the glow she usually wore in her eyes, which had not been present since last night due to the fearful worries she had earlier about Cairon and Brijatte's wrath AND her conflicting emotions over what her heart and body wanted versus what her Head Adviser/Servant and Head Handmaiden expected of her, had returned to brighten her eyes and lighten her heart as if the MERE sight of her warrior-lover could chase away any and ALL troublesome feelings that were distressing her at ANY time of the day OR night..
The Empress could barely restrain herself as she held in an inaudible gasp as she marveled over how strikingly drop-dead gorgeous Atreyu was as he came nearer and nearer to her in long, easy lopes, comfortably dressed in a light-materialed oglezigzica he surely must've woven himself out of the soft hair of the buffalo he'd hunted. Her breath caught and she felt a strange heated liquidy sensation pool itself in the pit of her stomach as she caught sight of how the buttery-softness of his leather hunskas molded themselves to his long legs and how the snug material faintly outlined the lean roundness of his backside. She also noticed how that instead of wearing his customary ankle-length boots, he'd chosen to slip his feet in a soft pair of hamikcekas. As for his hair, it was softly tied at the nape of his neck with a thin strip of leather while only the frontal and the side sections had been left alone to gracefully frame his beautifully high cheekboned face.
'Oh...My...Gods!...' Moonchild thought, feeling as though she was going to swoon just from the way his breathtaking appearance was making her insides feel weak with desirous longing. 'No WONDER the females in his tribe-and the tribes they trade and interact with-find themselves falling for him! Dear Gods and Goddesses! ANY woman would be proud to have someone like HIM at her side! And just think...' her mind told her in jealous triumph, 'he's yours...All Yours... Every BIT of him is yours for the taking-and claiming-'when the time is right'. Humm...' she pondered to herself , a slow, catlike smile naughtily spreading itself across her face, 'I wonder if all those other females know he has eyes ONLY for me... If so, then they must be seething with covetousness at the fact THEY can't have him AND I can... If not, then I don't know WHAT they must feel. All I DO know is that whatever it is must not be good...'
"And just WHAT are you smiling about mitawa cikala igmu?" Atreyu teasingly greeted her as he pulled His Empress into his embrace.
"Oh, nothing..." she casually replied, trying to play off the fact that she was on the verge of smiling like a Cheshire cat.
"Oh, come on now..." he urged in her ear in that soft, sultry tone that sent chills throughout her body while taking her by the arm and gently dragging her into the alcove then steadily, seductively, backing her up against the stone wall and lowering his face to hers. "what is it that nahmalay cikala igmutaka of mine is thinking about hummm?"
She purringly moaned in response, unable to answer him for his mouth had caught hers in a searing kiss. Her whole body quivered as she found her lips obeying his silent command as he coaxed them apart in one swift motion. That unfamiliar, sinful sensation of strangely hot liquid pooled in the pit of her stomach increased the moment his tongue enticingly worked its way inside and found its dance partner, made Moonchild cling to her warrior-lover in such a wanton way, that for a split second it boggled her mind. She wasn't supposed to act like this! But yet here she was, wantonly clinging to her forbidden lover, accepting his devilishly sensual kisses like they were some addictivly deluctible sweet she had been forbiddon to eat. For a moment she was tempted to skip breakfast and just have her warrior for her meal instead.
'Oh, My Gods!...' The shocked 'Cairon-trained' part of her conscience horrifyingly gasped, 'Where did THAT thought come from!? This isn't like you! This isn't like you AT ALL! STOP! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING ACTING LIKE THIS!? THIS IS NO WAY FOR AN EMPRESS TO BEHAVE! GET AWAY FROM HIM THIS INSTANT! YOU SHOULD BE MORTIFIED AT YOUR ENGAGEMENT IN SUCH WICKED, SINFUL, IMMORAL BEHAVIOR! HAVE YOU NO SHAME!? NO!' the 'other' part of her conscience-the part that was brazingly HONEST with herself-shouted back to the 'part of her conscience' that Cairon [with the help of Brijatte] had trained SO well over the centuries, 'I WILL NOT STOP! I WILL NOT 'GET AWAY FROM HIM'! DON'T YOU GET IT!? I LOVE HIM! I LOVE HIM! I DON'T CARE IF MY IMMORTAL SOUL IS IN DANGER! I LOVE HIM! AND I WILL NOT TRADE HIM FOR ANYONE ELSE IN ALL OF FANTASIA! SO GO AWAY! GO BACK TO YOUR CORNER AND STAY THERE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!'
At these shouting parting silent words, the 'Cairon-trained' part of her conscience slithered back into its hiding place and spoke no more.
'You've won this round.' Moonchild told herself as she savored a second helping of a morning indulgence of her lover's mouth, 'But 'that part of your conscience' WILL be back later on today. Mark my word. Make no mistake. 'It' WILL RETURN to rear 'Its' ugly head and fill your heart and mind with doubts, fears, worries and conflictions once again... That is what 'It' has been 'trained' to do. 'It' has been 'trained' to fill your soul, your heart, your mind with all those 'hell-and-damnation beliefs that have been hammered into you for as long as you can remember. 'It' has been 'trained' to keep you from disobeying the two people who have spent their lives molding and shaping you into 'The Perfect 'Little Girl.' ' The Delicate, Demure, Unquestioningly Obedient China Doll.' The Saintlike, Pious, Innocent and Chaste Anchoress Nun.' they WANT, EXPECT, AND DEMAND you to be. 'It' has been 'trained' to keep you from 'breaking free' and being TRUE TO YOURSELF, 'It' has been 'trained' to keep you from becoming the woman you are MEANT TO BECOME instead of staying the child 'They' and Everyone Else in Fantasia WANT you to be.'
The purring moans of The Empress slowly turned into soft growls of pleasure as she felt Atreyu's hands greedily grasp both halves of her arse. She felt her feet leave a few inches off the ground as she was lifted upwards just enough so that their waists were at equal level. She felt herself turn prettily red and heard herself faintly gasp in shocked wonderment at the feeling of the clear-cut evidence of his arousal, now partially awakened from its slumber, as it firmly pressed itself against 'a certain forbiddon place' below her waist. Instinctively she squeezed her legs together, praying they wouldn't give in to such a wicked temptation as to WHAT they WANTED to do-what nature INTENDED for them to do... She leaned back against the stone wall and uttered a very soft "oh..." as she felt her upper body arch and her head fall to one side while her lover's hands cupped her arse in such a way that he was able to keep her from sliding out of his grasp to the ground in a lustful heap as she had done when they had been coming back from their very first 'passionate tryst' in the Secret Garden. It was at that time they'd slipped in here and found themselves sinfully locked in one another's embrace [and her in his lap] for the fourth time that day.
'How many MORE times will we find ourselves yielding to sinful, carnal temptation today?' she wondered, feeling-and enjoying-the damp heat of his mouth suck and give little licks to the exposed side of her throat. 'How many MORE times this day will YOU find yourself surrendering to 'things' YOU KNOW are forbiddon to you? How often will YOU allow this man to put his hands, his mouth on your body before the day is through? But then again...HOW long will it be before YOU can resist no more? HOW long will it be before YOU give your body to him 'completely'? HOW long will it be before YOU find yourself committing the MOST heinous act of carnal sin? HOW much more can YOU take before you willingly give him the ONE thing that is supposed to be 'rightfully claimed' by your future 'nobleman husband'-a 'nobleman husband' that Cairon and Brijatte will NO doubt hand-pick and force you to marry-hours after you have unwillingly taken upon your marriage vows? HOW much longer before YOU surrender your virginity to this warrior, this man who is a part of you, this ONE person who KNOWS and LOVES you for EXACTLY the person YOU are inside and NOT for the royal title you hold? HOW-'
But her musings were clouded by the act of her turning her head to face her warrior, by the act of her seeking and offering her OWN series of intoxicating kisses. The soft, excited, feral growl coming from the throat of her lover made Moonchild forget ALL that she'd been wondering about. She let her mind go 'somewhere else' as he accepted her offered kisses just as greedily as his hands were clasping, softly scraping and massaging her arse. It was then that she noticed that those hands had stayed away from her breasts, just as they had done earlier that morning.
'Maybe he's saving it for later...' she thought, feeling her heart flutter as it remembered how the VERY touch of her warrior's hands made her feel unfamiliarly tingly and hot from the inside out each time they cupped her petite breasts that were subtly hidden from his view by the bodices of her dresses and gowns. Her toes tightly curled at the sheer rememberace of how his fingers unexpectedly sent jolts of electricity through her veins every time they wickedly fondled her erect nipples through the thin fabric of her spring and summer garments. She sighed under her breath then weakly moaned as his hands lowered her gently back to the ground, then slyly slid up her arse, glided along her back, skimmed past the nape of her neck and framed her face as their open-mouthed kisses they had measured [exactly WHEN their kisses had resumed their sinful melding, she had NO idea] became slower,...softer,...longer,...more lingering... She felt the pressure from that half-hardened 'male part of him' abate as he moved back a few short inches while her arms stayed looped around his neck. [exactly WHEN she'd put them there she didn't know THAT either]
After a long while, their kisses crawled to a stop and their fused, engaged mouths parted.
Moonchild's eyes remained closed in blissfulness as she ran the tip of her tongue along her swollen, dry and parched lips. She looked like a little cat savoring the last lingering bite of its meal.
At least that's how Atreyu saw it.
"Híŋháŋni mitawa Igmutaka," he whispered, placing a tender kiss to her forehead, "Mitawa Skuye Hopa Ogliglewakan..." he murmured, his lips still faintly against her temple, still savoring the sweet and tangy taste of her skin.
"Híŋháŋni to you too, mitawa cantkiya...' The Empress whispered, her eyes half-opening as she gazed softly up at the man she loved, adored, craved and cherished. "I wastelake niye:."
"Na I wastelake niye:" he replied with a smile as he kissed the tip of her nose.
'Are you ready for breakfast?" he asked in a murmuring tone, gazing at his Angel with SO much love in his eyes.
"Mmmm... I thought I already had it..." she lazily teased.
"Oh you!... " He quietly laughed, rubbing his nose with her playfully, "You are TOO funny-and cute, do you know that?" he softly teased right back at her as he captured her mouth once more. He couldn't resist it. She [and her mouth] were just too tempting.
"Pilamayaye..." she murmured as she gave in to his 'capture.'
This kiss they shared lasted longer then they planned...
But, subsequently, knowing they'd better stop now before 'things got heated up' again AND before their stomachs started whining to be fed like a pair of impatient two-year olds, they breathlessly disengaged from one another and slipped out from their hiding place, doing their best to look as inconspicuous as possible [in case 'a certain pair of someones' happened to be staring down into the Royal Gardens from a high-and-far-off window of the Tower] as they wandered through the deserted Gardens to the gazebo for a VERY light breakfast before their morning run. [both had sent messages to the Head Cook the night before requesting a VERY light meal, saying they planned to 'master the obsticale course and run a few laps following another walk while their breakfasts digested and that they did not want a pair of upset tummies from eating a big, heavy meal beforehand to hamper their hard daily morning exersise]
. . . . . . .
While they sat relaxedly in their chairs across from each other at their little rounded table in the gazebo, feasting on fruit, milk, tea and the Fantasian version of VERY light and buttery croissants, Atreyu again asked Moonchild what she had been thinking about when he'd met up with her at the hidden alcove.
"And don't tell me it was 'Nothing' Ogliglewakan! I saw that naughty smile creeping across your face and that wicked gleam in your eyes! Now tell me 'what that was all about!' I want to know, canlwaste!"
Moonchild, who had been drinking her usual fare of black peppermint tea, blushed so hard that she had trouble swallowing her mouthful of black, hot liquid. She put her mug down and looked over across the little round table at her lover, who was relaxedly leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, a teasing glint in his almond eyes, and a playful smirk on his handsome features. "It-I-" she blushed and took another swallow of tea, wincing as the tea nearly burned her tongue. She laughed shakily and shook her head, feeling incredibly conscience-strickened at her earlier thoughts and knew she would have to do silent repentance for those few wicked jealous musings she had allowed herself to dwell on moments before her warrior arrived [along with her usual silent repentance for whatever carnal sins she had committed today-through thoughts or actions] that night at bedtime. "I-I just couldn't help thinking-wondering, I mean-if the females in your tribe or...or even...even the females from the tribes you associate and trade with know you won't give them a second glance-or-or thought because...because you...you only have eyes for me..." She ducked her head and grasped her mug tightly in both hands and took a third large gulp of tea, not caring if her tongue DID become numb from the hot liquid she was consuming. "I'm sorry..." she hurriedly apologized. "It-it's stupid of me to be thinking things like that...Like...like I'm jealous or something..." She drained her mug in one final gulp, forcing back a hiccup as she poured herself a second round with shaking hands and a lowered gaze.
"Are you jealous?" he asked casually, raising an eyebrow. She had her head bowed so low she didn't see the playful smirk grow slowly into a grin of possessive triumph.
"I-I don-don't know..." she stammered, not even waiting for her tea to cool this time, but gulping it down in large quantities, feeling her tongue go numb, her mouth and throat burn and her eyes water from the VERY hot drink she was rapidly chugging down as if it were shots of human whiskey. "Should-should I be?" she asked, feeling herself trembling like a leaf. "I-I mean, isn't it wrong to be jealous of someone?"
"It can be." he quipped, "but in your case it isn't."
"W-Why is that?" Her hands gripped the sides of her mug harder in an vainless effort to stop their trembling.
Atreyu leaned far over the table and with one hand, gently removed the mug from her grasp. Using the very tips of his fingers he raised her head so she was forced to look into his eyes. "Because it's natural to feel a twinge of jealousy about your mate every now and then," he softly answered, "just as long as you don't let that jealousy get the better of you, I believe it is all right to wonder if 'your competitors' know for certain whether your mate is already emotionally claimed for or not."
"A-And...and...do...do they?" Moonchild softly asked, feeling a tightness in her chest. "DO they know I have already emotionally claimed you for myself?..."
"I suspect some do. I can feel their gazes of simmering jealousy boring into me as I pass by. But there's no need to worry mitawa cikala igmu, I've ALREADY made it PLAINLY CLEAR that I am NOT interested in ANY of them. That mitawa cante belongs to someone else." He ran the tip of his finger along her trembling lips, "And that someone is YOU mitawa Ogliglewakan. YOU have had claim of mitawa cante from the VERY beginning... Even if you didn't know it at the time."
"No..." she breathed, "I didn't know it then... But I do now." She pressed a feathery kiss to his fingertip then drew back and watched as Atreyu settled himself back in his seat.
"Pilamayaye for telling me of your thoughts Ogliglewakan." He softly told her. "It makes me proud to know mitawa Igmutaka wants me for herself. That it lights a fire within her at the VERY thought of ANY other female trying to lay claim to what belongs to her."
"I would NEVER let my jealousies be openly known though." she commented in response to his statement.
Atreyu smiled. "You are wise to do that. Some wiyapi aren't They'd rather let their jealousies eat away at them till they are SO consumed with raging envy and covetousness of NOT being able to HAVE the mate they want, that it gets to the point where their hearts and souls become poisoned with hate."
"You sound like as if you know from experience."
The Great Warrior shrugged. "No, not from personal experience Plamaye Tunkasilas." His face took on a dark expression. "But I saw it happen to one of mitawa tiblos a few omkas ago. The wínyan, whom was from a neighboring oyate, who wanted him was furious when mitawa tiblo told her another had already lay claim to his heart and that he intended to marry her. She was SO jealous she went as far as to try to poison his intended ipahte. It didn't help matters that this jealous wínyan who was after mitawa tiblo had already been promised to another wicasa from her own oyate. She HERSELF had already agreed to this proposed okiciyuze two omkas before when the akicita who wanted to claim her for his tawicu came seeking her permission to owayasu her. She gave it and the wicasa spoke to this wínyan's akowapa and informed him he wanted to go through the rituals of owayasuwata-luta shina and all. Her akowapa then asked his cuwitka if this is what she wanted and she said haa. So the wicasa started to go through the tribal ritual of bringing the wínyan gifts:-small handmade trinkets he'd painstakingly carved and created all on his own and shinas and woyute and other things he had made and gathered himself-each time he came to see her to PROVE to her akowapa and her tiwahe that he WAS a good provider and COULD provide well for and take care of this wínyan. He and the wínyan spent hours wrapped up or even hidden under the traditional luta owayasuwata shina talking and holding one another and kissing and getting to know one another on a deeper level. Then one day the wínyan's betrothal went away on a long hunting trip and it was while he was away that some of my people, mitawa tiblo, among them, came to this wínyan's oyate to do some trading. The moment the wínyan saw mitawa tiblo, she wanted him for herself. When her akicita came home from the wanasapiolep a few days later she told him she didn't want to marry him after all. The akicita was hurt and shocked and angry that she could do this to him. He asked her why and she boldly told him that she'd met a wicasa whom she thought 'could do better.' The akicita asked who this wicasa was. She told him the name of mitawa tiblo and that he was from Ki Tatanka Oyate un ki Tanka Oblaye:. So the akicita came to mitawa oyate and asked to speak to mitawa tiblo. Which he did. The akicita asked mitawa tiblo if it was true that he was interested in the wínyan this akicita wanted to higato. Mitawa tiblo denied it and told the visiting akicita that he knew nothing about these claims this akicita's wínyan was making. He then went on to tell the akicita he was already claimed emotionally by someone else and that he was going to speak to her akowapa soon in order to start the owayasuwata ritual. The akicita from the other oyate then informed him that he'd better come with him to his oyate and clear up the matter with the wínyan he himself was woyuspe. So the next day they went to the neighboring oyate and it was there that mitawa tiblo told the wínyan he didn't know what she was talking about. He told her he wasn't interested in her at all-even though she'd flirted with him when he'd come to her oyate days earlier to partake in some trading. She didn't seem to notice that all her flirtations had gone unnoticed and ignored-and that it was cruel of her to break a marital promise to this good akicita who loved her and wanted her for his tawicu. But she didn't care. She was spoiled and mean and wanted whatever AND WHOMEVER she wanted. She begged her akowapa to dissolve the okiciyuze agreement anyways."
"Did he?"
Atreyu grinned wryly. "Nope. Her akowapa made her keep her promise to the akicita she'd been woyuspe and they married a omka later."
"Is she happy, even a little?"
Atreyu shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe. All I can say is that I feel sorry for the poor wicasa who married her. From what mitawa tiblo's told me, he said that she looked and sounded like a viper."
Moonchild shook her head. "I'm sorry your brother had to go through that."
"Me too. I've never seen him SO pissed and embarrassed in my life. But at least HE'S happily married now and has been for the past few omkas. And..." he went on with a huge grin on his face, "I am happy to say that I'm the proud leksi of six-three hokilas and three wiciyadanas."
The Empress smiled herself. "So that would make me an aunt..." she said softly.
Atreyu's wry smile softened as did his eyes. "Hau, mitawa Ogliglewakan, It WOULD make you an tuawia... Even if you AREN'T mitawa tawicu just yet, you would STILL be considered ki tuawiaun mitawa tuzayas na tonskayas. Because in the eyes of mitawa oyate you ARE Tiwahe."
"I know." she whispered, tears sparkling her eyes. "I know I am. And I thank them, and you, mitawa akicita, for making me part of your tribe."
"You've ALWAYS been one of us Ogliglewakan." The Great Warrior said in a hushed tone, his gaze never leaving the face of The Empress. "You always have. From the VERY moment I brought you to meet mitawa oyate you've blended in as if you've always had been there..."
The Empress stared down into her half-full mug of tea for a long time. She looked as if she was deep in thought. "Atreyu?" she asked, raising her head to stare at her warrior and her lover. "Can I ask you something?"
"Hau, mitawa Igmutaka. What is it?"
The Empress's fingers lightly scraped the side of her mug, thinking deeply as she tried to sort out her thoughts and HOW she wanted to say them. "The night-the night of the Ball..." she found herself stammering as the words tumbled out of her mouth, for all of a sudden she was filled with an intense curiosity. "Were-were you jealous-jealous then? Of-Of the men Cairon was force-forcing me to dan-dance w-with I mean."
Atreyu's eyes softened even more. He reached back over the little rounded table and gently touched The Empress's cheek with the back of one hand. "Hiya mitawa cantkiya/" His voice was as tender and full of understanding as was his eyes. "What I felt that night wasn't jealousy at all. It was rage. You remember WHY I was so pissed that night don't you?"
She nodded.
"I want you to know Moonchild," Atreyu went on after a long hesitation, still continuing to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand while his beautiful almond eyes darkened with the fierce love and devotion he had for His Empress, "that I will NEVER be jealous of the men who come to see you. For I KNOW and I know YOU know that they will NEVER be able to TRULY claim you as their own. For we BOTH have already lain claim to one another's cantes long, long ago. Besides," he added as a sudden afterthought. "Fate was-AND IS-the one that had a MAJOR hand in leading us to one another. And we BOTH understand,-to one degree or another-that if Fate has a hand in guiding you TO something OR someone It KNOWS you are destined to do OR be with along the journey down your life's path, it is FOOLISH to try to fight OR change it. Personally, I think this is ESPECIALLY true after WHAT we've learned from your handmaidens us four nights ago"
"I know it is and I agree with you My Atreyu. I really do. And I DON'T WANT anyone else." Moonchild's small hand clung to the fingers now resting on her cheek. "I waat YOU and ONLY you My Atreyu."
"You have me Ogliglewakan, you have me."
Two tears trickled down each side of Moonchild's cheeks as she pressed a fevored kiss to her warrior's palm.
Atreyu got up from where he was sitting, came around the little table, and put his arms around her. She pressed her cheek into his stomach and silently wept for a few minutes until her tears were no more.
"Pilamayaye My Atreyu." She sniffled, pulling away from him. "I needed that."
Atreyu bent down and kissed the top of her head. "I know you did cantkiya, I know you did."
Moonchild gave him a weak smile as she returned to her breakfast and he returned to his seat across from her and picked up where he'd left off on his own breakfast.
She was still sniffling and drying her eyes with her napkin when Atreyu caught sight of a little black kitten creeping up to the table.
'Oh, how cute!" he thought, smiling to himself as he watched this adorable little ball of black fur with golden eyes tiptoe its way towards his side of the table on wee little paws. 'Perfect timing too. This'll make mitawa Ogliglewakan smile and feel all better in no time! Tunkasilas slolyes she needs it at the moment.'
Within minutes the kitten had reached him and had started rubbing itself against his ankles, purring and pawing incessantly at his lower leg with its itty-bitty claws until Atreyu finally paused in his eating to see what the kitten wanted.
With his eyes still on Moonchild, he bent over sideways and affectionately scratched the kitten around the ears and under the chin, thinking that was what it came for-some loving attention. As he went on scratching the kitten under the chin, Atreyu was surprisingly startled to feel a ribbon around its neck-and pinned to this ribbon, a carefully concealed note. Carefully, Atreyu untied the ribbon at the back of the kitten's neck with the hand he was using to give the kitten some love and straightened up, both the note and ribbon in hand. Curious, he unfolded the note-which had been folded several times over to become as small as possible so it could not be seen against the black fur of the kitten. He scanned it, his eyebrows rising in surprise before he let the hand holding the note disappear back under the table. Discreetly he leaned over sideways so that his upper body was half-hidden from view and tapped Moonchild on the knee before passing her the note under the tablecloth. Startled, she took it and quickly read it herself before her body felt itself relaxing and she found herself breaking into a grin that put Atreyu at ease. His heart lightened to see his Angel smiling again.
"It's from Twyla!..." she whispered excitedly.
"What does it say?"
"I thought you read it!" She cocked an eyebrow at him
"I did but I still want to you to read it aloud."
"It appears," she read in a loud whisper, leaning over so only Atreyu could hear her, [despite the fact no one else but the kitten was around] "that my Head Handmaiden and Head Adviser/Servant are DOUBLY swamped today..." Her grin grew wider. "SO swamped in fact they will NOT 'be able to interfere with 'our plans' at all'."
"What does that mean?" Atreyu breathed back, his nerves excitedly on edge.
"It means My Atreyu...that we have ALL of today, ALL of tonight, AND ALL of tomorrow morning to spend together...with NO interference from 'you-know-whos' ..." She was grinning so widely her cheeks hurt.
"Are you serious!?" Atreyu couldn't believe his ears-or his luck
"Yes!..." she squealed in another loud whisper. She eagerly went back to her breakfast, feeling elated and lighter then she had been in several minutes.
Atreyu shook his head in bemused amazement, unable to believe their good fortune.
The kitten meanwhile, had hopped up on Atreyu's lap and had snuggled down to enjoy the warm place it had found, purring loudly. Atreyu and Moonchild grinned at each other as he slipped the kitten morals of food off his plate [mainly bits of croissant]-which the kitten eagerly accepted, licking his fingers with its rough little tongue after every bite it was hand-fed.
"You're going to spoil that cat." The Empress teased her warrior.
""I know. And in case you've forgotten, mitawa Igmutaka, I happen to LOVE igmus. They're SO much easier to take care of then sukas."
"And THAT'S one of the things I love MOST about you My Atreyu. You're a 'cat fan'-as Bastian would say-as I am." Moonchild teasingly remarked to her warrior, reaching under the table and giving the adorable little ball of warm black fur some morals of bread as well.
"I like ALL wamakaskas-just like you do Ogliglewakan-but igmusna sukawakas are among my top favorites."
"Mine too." She laughed and squealed with delight as she felt a wee set of jaws lovingly naw and lick her fingers with its sharp little teeth and its rough little tonge.
Once the couple had finished eating [and sneakily feeding the kitten at the same time] and tidying up their dishes, Moonchild wrote a quick note to Twyla informing her that she and Atreyu had received her message. Folding both her response and Twyla's message several times over, The Empress reattached the note to the ribbon and retied it around the kitten neck-making triple sure it could not be seen by anyone who might come in view of the kitten.
After receiving several more pets, cuddles, and kisses from both Atreyu and Moonchild, the kitten was then carried by The Empress Herself to the bushes behind the gazebo [where the kitten had emerged from in the first place] where it was placed gently in the bushes shadows, Within seconds of its release the kitten scampered off, vanishing into the leafy undercover of the bushes as it made its way back to the Royal Kitchens and Twyla.
"Ready for a light walk before we break into our heavy morning exercise Ogliglewakan?"
Moonchild grinned "Haa I am!"
Atreyu jerked his head in the direction of the long winding path that would eventually lead them to the maze where the obstacle course was in, his own grin wider then The Empress's. "Let's go then!"
. . . . . . .
About mid-morning, Atreyu and The Empress returned to one of the entrances to the Royal Gardens, both of them hot, sweaty and out of breath from running laps though the maze and tackling the obsticale course for four hours.
"Oh, Tunkasilas, Moonchild!" Atreyu gasped, panting as he braced himself on a curved white stone wall with one hand, his dark hair faintly damp with sweat. "You beat me again!" He turned around and leaned with his back against the wall he had been bracing himself on. With both hands he pushed wettish, sticky strands of hair out of his eyes and off his high cheekbones. "For someone so small, you sure can run fast!"
The Empress giggled as she caught her own breath after racing her warrior from the obstacle-coursed maze all the way back to where they were now. "I'm...I'm sorry...I got...I got carried...carried away..." She brushed her own damp strands off her delicately rounded shoulders, then gathered her hair in one hand and lifted it a few inches off her neck so her moisture-laden nape could get some cool air. "Be...Besides,..." she pointed out, still slightly panting herself, "You...You beat...beat me the first...first time we raced against...raced against each other this...this morning in...in the maze and then...and then again the third time. So I'd say...I'd say we're even..."
Atreyu thought about this. "You're...you're right Ogliglewakan. We...we ARE even..." He ran his hot palms down his sweaty face, then looked over in the direction of a wooden door a few feet away.
Moonchild followed his gaze and together, they both caught a glimpse of Jaz's shadowy profile protectively watching them from a corner of the barely-cracked-open door. When their eyes caught the onyx-eyed handmaiden's the couple looked at each other and grinned widely as the former jerked her head toward a wide oak tree near the door from where she was standing. Seeing that she'd caught the eyes of Her Empress and Atreyu, the raven-haired, onyx-eyed handmaiden grinned to herself as she slipped back into the shadows-while all the while keeping a vigil eye over the landscape 'just in case'-as Atreyu and Moonchild nimbly darted behind the MOST secluded part of the oak tree.
Unable to restrain himself ANY longer, Atreyu pulled The Empress of Fantasia fiercely up against him, instantly silencing any words she might have been planning to speak by swiftly claiming her mouth in a hungry kiss, his deft fingers curling themselves in the slightly moist strands of her long hair as he tenderly cupped the back of her head. "I'll see you back here in one hour?..." he breathlessly asked in a VERY inaudible whisper as his mouth possessed hers with a simmering lustfulness he could barely contain.
"Yes...mitawa akicita...in one hour..."
"Don't be late wastelakapi. I don't think I can bear to be away from you any longer then necessary..."
"Do not worry My Atreyu...I'll be here...I promise..."
"I wastelake niye..." his mouth claimed hers in yet another hungry kiss. Atreyu didn't even know HOW he was going to get through the next hour while they each bathed [or showered] and changed into MUCH cooler garments. He didn't think he could stand the separation for ANY longer then the sixty minutes his Angel would be out of his arms. [and in his mind the weeks he was away from her and alone in his tiyobleca at home, situated amongnst his beloved tribe, was near torture] It was BAD enough that his body was ALREADY aching with suppressed desire for His Empress as it was.
"I know mitawa wastelakapi..." she whispered back-her voice was even softer then his now-against his lips, her hands tenderly cradling his face as she returned his kiss with an equal amount of hunger, "I wastelake niye iyota...Take care mitawa Koi...I'll see you right back here at this tree in an hour..."
Choking back a whimpering groan of longing, Moonchild then forced herself to break away from the man she loved and dashed through the now-open doorway before she could turn around and throw herself back into the arms of her lover.
With a sad, understanding look in her dark eyes, Jazeminya silently closed the door and, with a gentle hand on Moonchild's small waist, escorted Her Empress up the nurmerous staircases and down the endless hallways to her suite of rooms.
With an expression of agonizing longing in his dark eyes, Atreyu stood, where his beloved Empress had left him under the oak tree, for a few moments longer before he went to another door located not too far away where he too, began to half-heartedly yet stealthfully make his way up to his own suite.
As soon as she entered her bedchamber Moonchild, with the assistance of her handmaidens, swiftly removed her morning garb before hopping into the large circular tub where she hurriedly bathed herself. Stepping out of the tub not even fifteen minutes later, she toweled herself dry while two of her handmaidens, Lupianya and Luanna, dried her feet and hair with another pair of towels. Doning a flannel dressing gown, The Empress emerged from her washroom and went through her bedchamber into the secondary room of her suite where she settled herself upon a backless, armless cushioned bench that was upholstered in exceptionally smooth satin-of which the color was of a dark sliver rather then ivory-white-that had been drawn up in front of a cheery fire by Lupianya while her mistress bathed. It was here that Moonchild sat and relaxed as her hair was dried some more before it was delicately combed out until the fine strands were as smooth as silk.
Deciding to leave her hair completely loose for the rest of the day, Moonchild's eyes brightened as Jaz presented her with a sleeveless shift and matching underdrawers so dark of a navy-blue they would have looked ebony in the shadows. The Empress blushed as Jaz informed her this was what she should wear under her dress that afternoon.
"Remember, you're going swimming today." she reminded Her Empress with a wink.
This made The Empress blush harder as the impact of Jazeminya's words hit her.
For it was ONLY THEN that Moonchild remembered that THIS WAS the day she and Atreyu had agreed to go swimming in the cave they'd found on their first afternoon in the Secret Garden. Though her seven handmaidens did NOT know the EXACT location of WHERE Atreyu and their mistress planned to be the rest of this day, they DID know the couple had decided on having another picnic along with a swim. Whether the swim would take place before or after their picnic, such information had NOT been disclosed to Jazeminya nor to her six other 'supporting' handmaidens. For both The Empress and Atreyu had chosen to wait and see how they felt once they were safely hidden inside their Secret Garden.
Trying to hide her nervousness The Empress nodded and shakily rose from her seat where she removed her dressing gown and allowed Jazeminya to help her step into the paper-thin, close-fitting knee-length underdrawers that were edged in navy-blue lace. Trembling, she raised her arms above her head and let her handmaiden slide the plain cotter shift over her head and down her slender frame where the hem of her shift came to rest six inches past her kneecaps.
Sensing the reason for Her Empress's nervousness Jazeminya smiled understandingly into Moonchild's face as her expert hands smoothed away any wrinkles that might have manifested as the garment had been drawn over The Empress's head and down her body. "It's going to be all right. " she reassured her mistress. "Just let whatever happens, happen."
"I KNOW it's only a swim-something we have done many, many times before..." Moonchild replied, twisting her hands together as she tried to explain her emotions. "But still...this time...it's different...we're NOT 'just very best friends' anymore...we're MORE then that...MUCH more..."
"I know, and it's all right to feel this way Moonchild." Jazeminya covered her mistress's trembling hands with her own. "You are in a WHOLE new stage of your relationship with Atreyu now. And what seemed like everyday normal activities before has now taken on a whole new meaning-"
"It just seems...I don't know..." Moonchild looked away, her gaze held a far-off look as she heaved a sigh, "...almost sinful now...going for a swim with him I mean..."
"But it's not. In spite of ALL of what Cairon and Brijatte implore on you, My Empress, there is NO shame in going swimming with your very best male friend. "
"But he's MORE then a very best friend to me now Jazeminya! You know that!" The Empress's arms came up to embrace herself, as she bit her lower lip, fighting back the urge to wail. "It's...it's...like...like he's my lover in a way..." she whispered...
"I know...I know...and that's all right too."
"Oh, Gods, if 'they' KNEW...if 'they' EVER catch us..."
" 'They' won't! And even by some slim chance that DOES happen, We'll be right here to support you AND Atreyu! Remember My Empress, you have people who are ready to do whatever it takes to keep you two together! No matter what the consequences will be on our part!"
All Moonchild could do was nod.
"Now come My Empress, let's finish getting you ready."
Tlhough her nerves were not quite quelled, Moonchild followed Jazeminya over to where a set of three different dresses were lain out for her choosing.
. . . . . . .
Atreyu, with his hair now free of the scrap of leather he'd used earlier, and wearing a VERY lightweight sleeveless ógle, lightweight uzogis, [with an even lighter pair of uzogis he'd cut off four inches below the knee-thus creating a pair of long maheluzoges-years ago to go swimming in, underneath] and the same hamikcekas he'd worn that morning, was relaxaitedly leaning against the oak tree he'd been hiding behind with His Empress not too long ago with his feet casually crossed at the ankles patiently waiting for Moonchild when she emerged from the entrance where'd he'd seen her leave him an hour ago. Pushing himself off from where he was learning against the trunk he strolled over and put a loving arm around her shoulder while unabashedly kissing the top of her head. She smiled softly up at him, shifting the bag containing a change of underdrawers, another sleeveless shift, and a pair of big fluffy towels to dry off with that was slung over one slender shoulder.
"Hau, Hopa. Are you ready to go?"
Moonchild blushed and hid her face against his arm. "Haa, I am, My Atreyu. We just need to go pick up our lunch and then we can be on our way."
A concerned frown flickered across Atreyu's mouth. "Are you toka sni Ogliglewakan? You seem a little perturbed right now."
Her blush deepened and she sighed. "You're right, My Atreyu. I AM a little perturbed." she admitted. Even as she said this, Moonchild somehow managed to reach deep inside and find the strength to temporarily overcome her anxiousness. She lifted her head from where she'd shyly hidden it against Atreyu's arm and gazed up into the ever-so-loving and tender face of her warrior-lover. "But it's nothing to be concerned of." she firmly reassured him. [while at the same time she was hoping to reassure herself]
"Are you sure?..."
A soft smile lightened up her beautiful cherubic face. "Haa, mitawa akicita. I'll be all right." She patted his hand. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine... Now come on, let's go get our lunch."
A gentle smile replaced the worrisome frown that had momentarily been on his lips. "I love it when you mix my language into your sentences."
"I know you do, " there was a teasing gleam in her eyes. "that's why I do it."
Moonchild waited while Atreyu bent down and picked up his own buffalo-hide shoulder-bag off the ground and slipped it over one shoulder. [his bag too contained a change of clothes-if needed-and two tasinas-one of which he often used when he went swimming whenever he was back at home] "I'd race you Ogliglewakan but it's too hot to run. don't you think?"
"Good Gods Atreyu! Don't EVEN think or TALK about running in this weather!" Moonchild fanned herself with one hand. "Gods, it's hot! We certainly picked a good day to go swimming..." She fanned herself harder, "It must be close to ninety-five degrees out here! Why is it so hot all of a sudden!? It wasn't THIS hot yesterday!"
"Because bloketu is right around the corner mitawa cantkiya. It is the time when the days grow longer and hotter."
"Whew! I didn't think it'd come up this fast!"
Atreyu smiled down at His Empress. "Where I come from it gets MUCH hotter this time of year Moonchild. Already it's five degrees hotter in the Plains then it was a month ago."
Moonchild almost felt faint from hearing this.
"Oh, My Gods!..." she leaned against her warrior to keep her knees from buckling. "How in Fantasia do you stand it!?"
One hand slipped under her hair to tenderly wipe away the perspiration dampening the nape of her neck. "By going swimming more often and staying in the shady coolness of our tiyoblecas." His fingers smoothed away a few strands of hair already sticking to her shoulders and upper back. "You've been there at this time of year a few times, remember?"
"Yes, but it wasn't as hot during those visits!"
"That's because we chose to go before the heat wave stated up."
"Oh, right, I forgot all about that..."
As they made their way to the Royal Kitchens Atreyu tried to help cool Moonchild down by using his right hand to bring cool air to her flushed face. But there was NO cool air to be found. After a few more furtle attempts they both gave up and stood for a few minutes at a time in what patches of shade they could find along the pathway. Even though this slowed them down a bit neither of them minded.
At last they reached the back Kitchen door and it was Atreyu who knocked this time. Within seconds Twyla appeared, with the Head Cook just behind her. Both of them were smiling broadly and the Head Cook enthaticly gestured for the couple to step inside.
"Come, come, you simply MUST come in out of that wrenched heat! BOTH of you this minute!"
Atreyu and Moonchild exchanged bewildered looks, both of them trying to hold back their laughter.
The Head Cook was NOT amused.
"I FAIL to see the humor in this you two!" She stood behind the half-elf with both hands on her wide hips, her lips pursed. "Now I INSIST the pair of you GET IN HERE before EITHER one of you pass out from the heat!"
Wisely the couple did as they were told and stepped inside the coolness of the Kitchens.
"That's better!" The Head Cook said, closing the door behind all four of them. "Now, come sit down and rest while Twyla and I finish putting your lunch togeather. We are almost done."
Atreyu and The Empress took seats on a pair of sturdy wooden stools at a smooth, clean, rustic-looking table, grateful to be out of the torrid heat for a little while. The Head Cook placed two plain tall glasses and a half-full pitcher of lemonade [something Bastian taught her how to make years ago] with lots of pieces of ice floating in it in front of them before filling their glasses full to the brim of the cool, sweetly-sour liquid.
"Drink up my children. You look like you need it."
Atreyu and Moonchild gratefully emptied their glasses in no time then each accepted a refill from the Head Cook.
"This is good." Moonchild commented, already halfway through her second glass. "I mean, this is REALLY good..." She unabashedly guzzled the rest in less then two seconds and poured herself a third helping.
The Head Cook smiled, "There's plenty more where that came from My Empress."
"I can see why humans enjoy this stuff. " Atreyu added,-he, on the other hand was already halfway down his third glassful-"It's delicious."
A burp unexpectedly escaped from The Empress and she turned beet-red. She could feel her eyes watering as she smothered a round of giggles with her hand. "Excuse me, I didn't mean for that to happen." Two tears of mirth trickled down her flaming cheeks.
Both the Head Cook and Atreyu smiled.
"It's perfectly normal for you to do that in such a casual setting as this My Empress." the Head Cook replied. She gives Her Empress's tummy a loving pat. "And I don't give a dragon's ass IF that Head Adviser/Servant and Head Handmaiden of yours tell you otherwise. If you need to let 'such inappropriate bodily noises' emerge from your system, so let them! 'Tis better for such things to leave your body on the spur of the moment rather then give yourself uncomfortable grief holding them in 'till a proper time later'!"
A huge sigh of relief made The Empress's shoulders relax. "Oh, thank you my friend! I thought you were going to reprimand me for sure!"
The Head Cook's hands were back on her hips, her hazel eyes flashing."Now Moonchild, in ALL my years as Head Cook of this Tower have I EVER reprimanded you for such trivial things?"
"No..."
"Well, I'm sure as hell not about to start now! Goddess knows Brijatte and Cairon give you ENOUGH lectures on trivials as it is!"
"You don't need to tell me that..." The Empress muttered as Atreyu looked on. Even though he was unaware of exactly HOW such lectures were doled out, the Great Warrior was perceptive enough to sense these lectures wore down The Empress of Fantasia's self-esteem. For whenever Cairon or Brijatte concluded such reprimanding lectures and had dismissed her from their presence-or from either of their offices-he could see the WHOLE demeanor of The Empress change dramatically. She'd go from being light-hearted, self-confident, and upbeat to being miserably unsure of herself. Sometimes it took a few hours, but with loving, encouraging words from either himself or one or more of her seven handmaidens, she was usually able to come back around to her normally self-assured, strong-willed self.
Atreyu shook his head as he drank his lemonade.
It sickened him to even remember such incidences.
But for His Empress's sake he quickly forced such memories from emerging to replay in his mind. This was their last full day together before he was to head home. And he was NOT about to let such dark thoughts ruin it.
Not if he could help it.
After a half-hour had passed, both Atreyu and The Empress felt cooled off from the inside out. Both Twyla and the Head Cook had finished putting together and packing their lunch and all four of them were once again standing in the open doorway of the Kitchens.
"Here you are my children." The Head Cook said, handing Atreyu the picnic basket. She then secretly passed over a small bag full of shelled acorns and other assorted nuts to Moonchild [who slipped it into a dress pocket] before giving each of them a hug, "Enjoy your day together." She was about to turn to go back into the Kitchens when she remembered something, "Oh!, I almost forgot! Where would you like to have supper My Empress?"
Atreyu and Moonchild looked at each other for a long moment then turned to face the Head Cook again.
"Well..." Moonchild whispered hesitantly, "If you don't mind...We'd...we'd like to have it in my suite..." her gaze lowered meekly and her cheeks flushed with shy embarrassment as she answered the Head Cook's inquiry.
A knowing smile softened the Head Cook's eyes.
"Of course, Your Highness. I understand... Just let one of your seven handmaidens know when you two are hungry for your supper and I'll have it brought up to your suite." She gave Her Empress a light kiss on the cheek, then took Atreyu's hand and patted it. "It would ONLY seem right for you two to have total privacy as you partake in your last dinner for this month..." A wistful, nostalgic expression crossed her gaze. "Ahh...How I remember the nights when I was young...when my late husband and I did such things... We'd wait till we put the children to bed and then indulge in a wonderfully romantic dinner and quality time with each other till morning..." A wicked gleam flashed across the sentimental look she wore. ..."And I DO mean 'quality time'..." She gave the pair before her a non-subtle wink before leaving their presence.
Both Atreyu and The Empress had a hard time imagining this robust woman with her rolling-pin arms, wide-girthed waistline and big hips EVER indulging in 'quality time' with a husband...
It was all they could do to keep from breaking out into giggles.
Twyla, seeing them both on the verge of hysterical laughter, quickly distracted the couple. "I'll keep an eye out for your bird Moonchild, so we'll know when to expect your return."
"All right Twy." The Empress bent down and gave the half-elf a kiss on the cheek. "We should be back around twilight or shortly thereafter at the very latest."
"Be good Taksi." Atreyu ruffled the top of the half-elf's head with an affectionate hand, "Don't get into too much trouble." He teased.
Twyla burst into giggles herself as she twisted away from his brotherly gesture and words "I won't Atreyu!. Have a great afternoon. I'll see you when you get back!"
"See you tonight my 'little sister'." The Empress said as Twyla skipped off to do her kitchen chores.
Twyla only glanced up, nodded, and waved with one hand as she stood over a rubbish-bin peeling potatoes with a small knife. She was too busy to respond.
Moonchild smiled as she closed the door to the Royal Kitchens.
Carrying their laden picnic basket between them-The Empress insisted on helping to carry it at least part of the way-Atreyu and Moonchild made their way through the Royal Gardens, navigate their way through the maze and within no time at all were back in the safety of their Secret Garden...
. . . . . . .
A squeaking sound reached their ears as they way down the main path of the Secret Garden.
Atreyu and Moonchild looked around, startled for a moment, then broke into delighted grins as they saw a VERY familiar figure poking its head out of a tree-trunk hole.
"Oh there you are!" Moonchild exclaimed, laughing at the excited, expectant look on the baby squirrel's face. "You recognized us?"
The baby squirrel squeaked and nodded, chittering happily as it bounced up and down, impatient for its new friends to approach its home.
Not wanting to drive the squirrel even MORE crazy with anticipation both Atreyu and Moonchild rapidly approved the hole and crouched down so they were at eye-level with the squirrel.
"Hau, little guy!" Atreyu greeted in a loud whisper, reaching out and scratching the baby squirrel under the chin, "How you doin'?"
The squirrel let out such an excited squeak, Atreyu and The Empress nearly jumped.
"How do you KNOW if its a boy or a girl!?" Moonchild whispered in her lover's ear.
Atreyu gave his 'lioness' an indignant look. "Belive me, Ogliglewakan, I KNOW." He then kissed her quickly when he saw the hurt look in her eyes. "I'm sorry cantkiya, I shouldn't have spoken to you in that tone."
"I forgive you mitawa Koi"
"Will you let me make it up to you canteskuye?"
"Of course I will-later on tonight." She answered with a tone of shy sensuality hidden somewhere in her voice.
Atreyu grinned and tenderly kissed the tip of her nose. "Pilamayaye mitawa Igmutaka"
While this conversation was taking place the baby squirrel had hopped out of the hole it lived in straight onto Atreyu's now-opened hand and was squeaking excitedly as it began running around on the Great Warrior's palm like it was on the verge of piddling on itself.
"What are YOU so excited about!?" he laughed at the adorable sight of the squirrel running and hopping in circles nonstop in his outstretched hand.
The squirrel momentarily stopped and cocked its head, looking expectantly at the giant whose palm he or she was using as a playground.
"Ohhh!...you remembered our promise to you didn't you?" Moonchild cooed.
The squirrel nodded and let out a loud, joyful squeak.
"All right, all right," The Empress laughed, reaching into her dress pocket. "here you go..."
She withdrew her hand from her pocket and brought out a closed fist.
The baby squirrel turned towards her and began hopping up and down like it was on a miniature human trampoline.
"Ahhh-aahh!" The Empress admonished in a firmly, loving tone, pulling back her closed fist and holding up a lone finger to the squirrel. "You may NOT see what I have for you UNTIL you have settled down and are behaving yourself!"
Atreyu nearly became misty-eyed as he smiled to himself.
"She's going to make a great mother someday...' he thought wistfully as he watched the scene between The Empress and this baby squirrel unfold before him.
The Great Warrior's heart nearly lurched with aching longing at the thought of Moonchild doing the same thing she was doing now to one of their children.
'Oh Tunkasilas,...if ONLY such a thing was possible!' his heart cried as he watched how the squirrel immediately stopped running madly around and sat quietly still in the center of his palm making not a peep as it looked up at The Empress with large round eyes full of its own longing.
"That's good." Moonchild patted the top of the now-obedient squirrel's head with her unfisted hand. "You're being VERY good for me and your uncle."
For a moment Atreyu thought she'd said "and your father..." then he remembered she was speaking to a baby squirrel and NOT to a toddler son or daughter she had given him. This realization made the lurching ache in his heart increase by leaps and bounds. He forced himself to give a sincere smile and hoped his Angel couldn't see the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.
He hastily cleared his throat and rapidly blinked several times as he hurriedly cleared away the feeling of aching longing before it could reveal itself on his face.
"Hau," He croakily agreed, "You're behaving very well for your-" It was on the tip of his tongue to say "for your mother and me" then he had to remind himself a SECOND time that they were interacting with a baby animal and NOT a two or three-year old that had been conceived and born out of their love, "- for your aunt and me."Atreyu managed to finish his sentence without letting his tone waver even though he KNEW Moonchild could hear the quivery raspiness in his voice.
Moonchild gave her warrior a quizzical glance but said nothing.
Instead she returned her attention to the baby squirrel who was behaving so well in his hand.
"All right," she repeated, smiling down at the wee creature as if it were her own son or daughter. Atreyu inconspicuously had to shake his head to rearrange the vision that was in front of him. For the THIRD time in less then two minutes he'd thought he'd seen Moonchild interacting with a little child-a beautiful little child-who had hair as dark as his own and eyes that were almost the same shade as his... Except the eyes of this child could have been SO dark of a blue they were nearly onyx [in the virtually realistic visions he'd had just seen now flash before him of a daughter] OR they could have been an unusual shade of dark moss-green... [IF those virtually realistic visions he was seeing before him were those of a son whom looked to be a year younger then the visions of the little girl he'd seen flash before his eyes a second ago. Atreyu heard from his uncle, whom had been his late birth mother's twin brother, that both his father and his grandfather had had moss-green eyes...] "Here you are..." Moonchild opened her closed fist to reveal a small pile of acorns already shelled and halved.
The squirrel nearly went bonkers.
It bounded forward and nearly leaped into the air giving The Empress a series of kisses with its itty-bitty tongue as it landed in the pile of nuts in her open palm.
This brought Atreyu back to reality in no time.
His shoulders shook as he started laughing at the cute sight of the baby squirrel grabbing four halves of a pair of acorns and stuffing ALL of them in his wee cheeks at once. It kept stuffing more and more pre-halved and shelled acorns into its mouth until its cheeks bugled out SO far they looked to be bigger then the baby squirrels face!
Now Moonchild and Atreyu were howling with laughter at the HILARIOUS sight of this squirrel whose cheeks looked as if they'd been blown up with those things humans called a tire-pump. [whatever THAT was] Tears were squirting out of both the eyes of the Great Warrior AND The Empress and were streaming down their faces as they laughed harder and harder till they were in SUCH roaring hysterics they were nearly hyperventilating.
"Oh, Tunkasilas, oh, Tunkasilas..." Atreyu was doubled over clutching both his stomach and his sides, "oh fucking Tunkasilas! Would you-WOULD YOU CANLWASTE tell that squirrel to-to stop-STOP stuffing his face and swallow what he already has in his mouth before he-he-kills-KILLS US from-from laughter!?..." He wheezed as he nearly went sprawling face-down on the dirt pathway. One hand was clutching fistfuls of dirt while the other was fully opened and was pounding the ground. Poor Atreyu COULDN'T stop laughing. The image of the overly-expanded cheeks of the baby squirrel kept replaying itself in his mind's eye so that EVERY time he tried to catch his breath ANOTHER squeal of uncontrollable laughter spilled forth to render him helpless and left him barely able to breathe OR speak. There was HARDLY a minute that had passed by where the noises that could be heard coming from the Great Warrior had sounded like guttered choked tears from crying but in reality they turned out to be hysterical pent-up wheezes of mirth bursting forth.
The combined sight of her lover AND the squirrel in her hand made Moonchild laugh JUST as hard as Atreyu. Only SHE had to brace her free hand against the trunk of the tree to keep herself upright so that she wouldn't drop the poor creature that had set off SUCH a comical scene.
"Oh, My Gods!" The Empress snorted to Atreyu between bouts of howling snickers "You should see yourself! You look SO funny right now!"
The sound of The Empress snorting with laughter ONLY intensified Atreyu's laughter. She was SO cutely ADORABLE when she snorted [something that drove Cairon and Brijatte UP THE WALL with fury] that the Great Warrior couldn't get enough of it once she started.
As for her comment, it make him turn redder then ever from embarrassment. He KNEW he must look absolutely ridiculous doubled over laughing like a human-world hyena. He DIDN'T NEED to see it for himself in his mind's eye. For a horrifying moment Atreyu thought all this out-of-control laughter was going to make him piss himself-and THAT was the LAST thing he needed. It was EMBARRASSING ENOUGH to know HOW comical he must look at the moment. HE DIDN'T NEED his bladder exploding as a result of this laughter on TOP of it.
It was THIS very thought that brought Atreyu's laughing fit of hysterics under control.
Coughing, he was able to sit up and wipe his streaming eyes as the last bits of cachinnation receded away. He was grinning SO hard both his high cheekbones were hurting.
"I think-" he sniffed as he could feel himself calming down enough to talk without laughing himself to near-tears, "I think you should-should put the rest of whatever is in that bag into the hole so-so that its contents can-can be-be shared with the rest of this squirrels family."
Oh Gods, he had a killing headache from laughing so hard...
"I'll do that. Good idea, Pilamayaye Atreyu." The Empress replied. She gave the little squirrel she was holding a kiss, placed it gently back in its home, brought out the bag from her pocket, and emptied the remainder of the acorns and other assorted nuts she'd requested from the Head Cook into the baby squirrel's hole. "There you go." she said to the baby squirrel and its mother whom had ventured over to see what all the commotion was about. "Now MAKE SURE your baby shares this with you and your other children." she instructed the mother.
The mother squirrel gave a squeak of gratitude then turned to her baby and gave a series of short authoritative squeaks as though sternly reminding it to heed the instructions of this nice lady giantess.
Atreyu barely heard this exchange between The Empress and the two squirrels. He was too busy rubbing his pounding temple with his fingers-but wasn't having much luck at getting rid of the pounding drum feeling in his head. He made a mental note to ask his Angel if she could rub his temple for him once they'd settled down at their undecided picnic area.
The thought of her soothing hands on his aching forehead was starting to make him feel better already...
"Ready to move on?"
Atreyu looked up to find his Angel had risen to her feet. "Oh, hau...hau I am...."
"You don't look so well... Is it the heat?"
Atreyu shook his head then grimaced. "Hiya: I just have a splitting headache..." He winced again and brought his fingers back to his forehead.
"Aww..." She bent down and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry." Atreyu felt her arms wrap around him in a compassionate hug."Do you want me to take care of it once we pick out a picnic spot and sit down?"
"Would you?" Atreyu was SO relived he felt like crying. "That would be great..."
"Of course I would! I'm your very best friend and now your lover. It's my JOB to take care of you when you're not feeling well." Then her expression grew solemn. "You never HAD anyone to take care of you before did you?" she asked softly, a look of sad compassion coming into her eyes.
"Not really. I've basically had to take care of myself since I was ten. It's part of our custom."
"For both males and females?" she asked quietly.
"Hau. But more for the males. Both genders are treated equally but it is the hokilas who are expected to live on their own once they turn ten years of age. It is the early lessons we learn in our training in how to become a wicasa, a keen hunter and a proud akicita. We HAVE to learn WHAT it takes to be a good provider and helper to our future wives and teachers to our children."
They began to walk away from the tree, still hearing the faint sounds of nuts being doled out, crunched and eaten by the baby squirrel and its family.
"Are girls expected to live on their own at the same age?"
"Hiya. Their real training for adulthood doesn't start till they reach puberty-around twelve or thirteen. And even then they don't live on their own full-time. They can live in their own tiyoblecas two weeks out of each wyawapi-with another takuya of course in case a koskalaka decides to take a 'particular interest' in this wiciyadanas, whom would now be considered a wikoskalaka in the eyes of mitawa oyate if they see she is living part-time in her own wyawapi, If this happens the koskalaka has to then seek AND receive the permissions of both the wikoskalaka and her akowapa before he can be alone with her-until they reach marriageable age-which is to be NO younger then sixteen."
"And they learn everything that the boys do right?"
"Hau. Both wiciyadanas and hokilas are taught how to wanasapiolep, hoga, gather sus na wahcaoju, owoju and harvest yagmis-we share a communal owojuso we can have enough watotos to eat during the times of teha ptanyetu na iyuha un waniyetu when the buffalo are too far away for us to hunt and the makol pejles have not yet begun to bring forth their new bounties of sus as they do during the wetu na bloketu-, identify wamakaska cakus, spaya, sapesna, kayege or weave, mend na yujaja hayakes, tashinaptes na shinas, tiglagha,-which means 'set up home'-both literately and figuratively, do domestics, weave psawognakas and make clay pottery, and everything else one needs to know in order to be a good hunter or huntress, hignaku or tawicu and a wicasa or a wínyan."
"I see..." Moonchild was fascinated by all this. She always HAD been-from the very day Atreyu left her side after the Nothing.
They stopped in front of the Tree-Tunnel.
"I think we should picnic near the cave." Moonchild suggested after a long silence. She could tell Atreyu was in too much pain to talk much right now.
"Good idea. That way we won't have to walk as far if we get hungry."
The Empress took his hand. "Come on canteskuye:," she offered softly, "let me lead the way. You're not feeling well at the moment."
"Pilamaye Ogliglewakan. My head's aching too much to think much right now."
Moonchild gave her warrior a compassionate smile and lead him through the Tree-Tunnel.
There was a gentle silence between them before Moonchild stopped ten feet away from the cave's entrance.
"Here's a nice spot." she said quietly so as to not make her lover's headache worse then it already was.
Atreyu looked around, smiled in agreement, nodded and then winced. His head was still killing him but it wasn't as bad as it had been fifteen minutes ago.
"Now you sit down and let me take care of everything." Moonchild said stubbornly. "You need to rest and relax so your head will feel better."
Atreyu opened his mouth to protest, saw the determined look on her face then wisely closed it. She was right. He DID need to sit down and relax for a little while.
Gratefully, he sank down to the grass and let out a quiet groan. Despite the soothing shower he'd taken, part of his muscles were STILL sore from that morning's workout.
He watched with one hand dangling over an upraised, bended knee as Moonchild set down their picnic basket, opened it and spread out the same flannel blanket they'd used five full days ago. When it was smooth and free of wrinkles she sat down cross-legged and patted the space in front of her. "Come." She whispered. "Lay down and let me take care of you."
Giving his 'lioness' a weak smile he crawled over to her, looking like a worn-out panther after an unsuccessful hunt, turned over so his back was facing her, and lay down so that his head was resting in her lap. Her small soft hands began to smooth away strands of hair off his face then started stroking his forehead in light, soothing caresses. Atreyu sighed and let his eyes close at the soothing touch of her loving hands. "Mmmm...that feels good... Pilamayaye Ogliglewakan..."
"Shhhh...don't talk... just rest..."
Atreyu smiled and surrendered himself to the gentle, healing touch of her delicate hands.
"Are you hungry?" came her soft voice after fifteen minutes of silence had passed.
Atreyu shook his head slowly. His headache was beginning to wane. "Hiya. Not at the moment. Maybe later...after our swim..."
The mention of their upcoming swim started a flurry of butterflies in Moonchild's stomach. But she did not let this show outwardly. All she did was continue stroking and massaging the head of her lover. She smiled to herself, blushing a little as she did so. He looked like a big drowsy cat sprawled out on the ground laying here with his head in her lap ready to take a nap at any moment. She didn't mind if that happened... It would prolong their swim for just a bit longer. Not that she wasn't looking forward to it. She was looking forward to their swim VERY much. But it was just as Jazeminya had said: she was in a WHOLE new stage of her relationship with Atreyu now. And what seemed like everyday normal activities before had now taken on a whole new meaning.
She was looking forward to seeing where this new stage of their relationship was going to take them.
Even if that 'Carion-influanced' part of her conscience wasn't.
The Empress closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and went on stroking her 'panther's head, lost in her own world of nervous thoughts and anxious emotions that were all mixed in with the excited anticipation of today's swim in the hot springs...
. . . . . . . . . .
It was about an hour or two later when Atreyu no longer felt the aching pounding in his forehead. He had been laying with his head in The Empress's lap dozing in the hot late morning sun as the soothing touch of her hands melted away the aches and pains he'd been having in his head after the hilarious scene with the baby squirrel a little while ago.
He opened his eyes to find his 'lioness' gazing down at him with a pair of loving eyes and a soft smile painted across her lips.
"Hi." she whispered. "Feeling better?"
"Hau, I do. Pilamayaye."
"That's good to hear."
Atreyu looked around the glade where the cave was and for a moment he expected to hear the distant sound of children's laughter... For a fleeting moment he expected to see three children coming in their direction: a girl and two boys. The girl and one of the boys-who seemed to look nearly identical to his sister except for the color of the hair and eyes-looked to be about the same age, which was about three. The other one, the one whose hand was being held by the rambunctious-looking little girl with dark hair and eyes, looked to be no older then one-and-a-half, maybe two at the most. Atreyu sighed contentedly and rested the side of his head against Moonchild's stomach. And just for a moment-just for the briefest moment-he-thought he could feel the gentle swell of her abdomen and hear the faint heartbeat of a fourth child who was yet to be born...
Then the moment passed and there was silence.
No sound of children's laughter, no faint thump, thump of their fourth unborn child's heartbeat beating faintly somewhere inside The Empress's abdomen and close to his ear. No distant pounding of toddler feet running towards them as two boys and a girl rushed to their parents to enjoy the contents of the picnic basket with them...
Just silence. Just utter and complete silence.
They were alone, the two of them. It was only him and His Empress who were enjoying this beautiful-even if it was overly hot-late spring/early summer's day here in this tranquil glade of the Secret Garden.
There was nobody else around but them and the small animals who lived here in their private haven.
There was no feeling of the gentle swell of her softly rounded stomach as new life gradually grew within The Empress of Fantasia. No sign of a rambunctious-looking little girl holding tightly onto her little brother's hand while a little boy who looked to be her twin [her twin!? Atreyu's heart practically stopped from shock at the possibility. But then again... his mother and uncle WERE paternal twins. So why shouldn't he be able to have.... His breath caught in his throat and his heart started up again. 'It COULD be a possibility you know...' his mind told him, 'after all there IS a fifty-fifty chance of you having twins if one of your parents was a twin him or herself...' ] running behind them trying to catch up...
Nothing.
No children.
At least not for now...
Atreyu smiled again.
There MAY be no children accompanying them on their picnic on this day. But some day...there might be...
"What are you smiling about?"
Atreyu sat up and looked at the 'child'-woman he loved, wanted to marry and have children with. "Oh, nothing much." he said, leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips. "Just thinking about how much I wastelake niye that's all."
And more... He was thinking about SO much more... He was thinking about the life they could have if 'two certain people' would leave them be. He was thinking about the children they would have-the beautiful children who would no doubt be fun, brave and who would be born out of NOTHING LESS then the eternal love their parents had for each other. Although that little girl he kept having flashes of looked to be SO full of fearlessness that that fearlessness the little girl seemed to have about her looked to be teetering more towards being on the verge of recklessness then actual bravery. From THIS insight ALONE, there was NO doubt in Atreyu's mind that this little girl looked as if she was going to be a handful-a loving handful but a handful nonetheless-for him and The Empress of Fantasia.
But Atreyu did not voice this to His Empress.
At least not for now.
In time he would share these thoughts with her. These hopes and dreams that were SO vividly real they looked like visions he had for them.
Yes, in time he would share these beautiful images he had seen in his mind this day.
But until then he'd keep them for himself. For they'd be something to hold onto when he was alone at night in his bedroom here at the Tower or even in his tiyobleca back home. These precious visions of the future would help keep him sane-at least he hoped they would-during those long, lonely nights when he didn't have His Empress to hold in his arms, to make love to and to worship with his mouth and hands as she slept peacefully next to him, naked as he was after a long and exciting [or non-exciting depending on what happened] day here at the Ivory Tower or at their home among his people in the Great Plains.
Till then he'd hold on to his visions and his dreams of His Empress Moonchild and the life he imagined having with her IF Cairon and Brijatte would be kind enough to set her free and release her from their chains. From the gilded cage they locked her up in. From this cold yet stunningly beautiful bejeweled prison with its flawless ivory walls. From the endless hours of 'menial royal work' that wore her out SO much there were times she looked on the verge of keeling over from WAY too many long days of back-to-back-to-back harrowing tasks she was instructed to flawlessly do on an EXTREMELY strict schedule with NOTHING to go on but a lack of proper sleep. Atreyu hoped that one day Cairon and Brijatte would find it in their hearts to release his Moonchild from the wearisome menial royal work she HATED SO much-for ALL it did was, in the end, ONLY made her appear to ALL who came to see Their 'Childlike' Empress as delicate in the mind as she appeared to be in the body.
But Atreyu wasn't holding out much hope for this.
In fact he wasn't holding out ANY hope of Cairon and Brijatte EVER having a pair of open hearts and enough authentic parental love to go ahead and WILLINGLY give Moonchild her freedom.
'She could DO so much more...She could BE so much more...If 'They' would ONLY let her... And you KNOW she's MEANT to be MORE then 'just an Empress...'She's meant to be nitawa Wiccon-Hasanni, nitawa nagihasanni...More importantly then that, she's meant to be nitawa tawicu...ki ina un nitawa wakaåheœa...'
But Atreyu knew Cairon and Brijatte would NEVER let Moonchild go. They would NEVER let her be free.
Not without a MAJOR confronting fight.
'And possibly some kind of retribution to The Empress thereafter...' his mind fearfully added. As this thought ran though his mind Atreyu nearly shuddered. But he shook it off. He didn't want to let Moonchild know he was worried about ANYTHING.
Not today of ALL days. Not on the last full day of his visit with his beloved Empress. The visit that changed everything.
"Are you ready to go for a swim?" He asked after slowly ending his kiss. Tunkasilas knew HE needed to go for a swim. A swim would undoubtedly put his mind at ease enough to where he could enjoy His Empress the WAY he WANTED to.
"Yes." she whispered. "I'm ready."
For a fleeting moment Atreyu thought he'd heard a trace of nervousness in her voice. But then again he'd been hearing a LOT of things that weren't there in the past half-hour.
Atreyu stood up and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go then." he repeated the same line he did that morning after breakfast-only now his tone was much softer and held no trace of challangingness in it. He picked up their bags containing their change of clothing and towels and easily hoisted them up off the ground and slung them over his shoulder.
Working hard to hide her trembling, Moonchild took his hand and got to her feet.
She allowed her warrior to then lead her forward to the entrance to the cave and into its sparkling darkness.
Author's Note: If anyone is curious or interested, here are the translations for Atreyu's native language.
Toka sni, mitawa hopa wanji [All right my beautiful one]
'Skuye mahpiyas Iwalob [Sweet heavens Above]
Hau, Pilamayaye mitawa Ogliglewakan [Yes, Thank you, my Angel]
oglezigzica [sweater]
hunskas [leggings]
hamikcekas [moccasins]
mitawa cikala igmu [my little cat]
nahmalay cikala igmutaka [sneaky little lioness]
Híŋháŋni mitawa Igmutaka [Good Morning my Lioness]
Mitawa Skuye Hopa Ogliglewakan [My Sweet Beautiful Angel]
Híŋháŋni mitawa cantkiya [Good Morning my love]
Na wastelake niye [and love you]
mitawa cante [my heart]
wiyapi [women]
Plamaye Tunkasilas [Thank Gods]
mitawa tiblo [my older brother]
wínyan [woman]
omkas [years]
wicasa [man]
akicita [warrior]
ipahte [bride]
okiciyuze [marriage]
owayasu [court-a female]
cuwitka [Daughter]
haa [yes {female version}-it can also be used to say "hello or hi"]
owayasuwata [courtship]
luta shina [red blanket-a blanket that is used in traditional Native American courtship/courting]
woyuspe [Courting]
luta owayasuwatashina [red courtship blanket]
oyate [Tribe-it can also mean people]
woyute [food]
hayapis [clothes]
akowapa [father]
tiwahe [Family]
wanasapiolep [hunt]
Ki Tatanka Oyate un ki Tanka Oblaye [The Buffalo Nation of the Great Plains]
higato [Marry]
leksi [Uncle]
hokilas [Boys]
wiciyadanas [Girls]
tuawia [Aunt]
ki tuawiaun mitawa tuzayas na tonskayas: [the aunt of my nieces and nephews]
mitawa oyate [my people]
Hiya mitawa cantkiya [No, my love]
mitawa cante [my heart]
igmus [cats]
sukas [dogs]
Wamakaskas [Animals]
igmusna sukawakas: [cats and horses]
wastelakapi [beloved]
tiyobleca [tent]
bloketu [summer]
wyawapi [month]
hignaku [husband]
Taksi [Little Sister]
hoga[fish]
owoju [garden]
sus na wahcaoju [seeds and plants]
yagmis [crops]
watotos [vegetables]
teha ptanyetu na iyuha un waniyetu [late fall and all of winter]
makol pejl [prairie grass]
sus [seeds]
wetu na bloketu [spring and summer]
wamakaska cakus [animal tracks]
sapesna [clean]
spaya [cook]
kayege [sew]
yujaja hayakes, tashinaptes na shinas [and wash clothes, buffalo robes and blankets]
psawognakas [baskets]
takuya [Relative]
wikoskalaka [young woman]
koskalaka [young man]
nitawa Wiccon-Hasanni [your Life-Mate]
nitawa nagihasanni [your soulmate]
nitawa tawicu [your wife]
ki ina un nitawa wakaåheœa [the mother of your children]
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Enchanted Night