"Ant?" I turn from the window and I see the most beautiful face in my life, and she's mine.
"Good morning." I say. Smiling she extends her hand to me, so walking back to the bed I take it and she pulls me back on to it. Jahní gets up on to her knees warping her arms around my neck pressing her body to mine. "Hey, if you keep that up I won't hold myself in check.
She laughs lightly. "You Don't have to hold back at all." The fire is still burning in her eyes and the heat builds up in me again. Though this time its slightly different as we join our bodies together. The passion is no less than before. Only it's more tender, loving and less wild than last night.
We lie together in each others arms afterwards, as I can remember she was pure and I was so rough with her. I couldn't control myself and I kind of feel bad, but she was out of control as well. I look at this ring on my hand, and somehow this had something to do with it.
Jahní stirs and lifts her head "Is everything alright?" she asks.
"Well." I say. "I want to ask you to forgive me for being so... out of control and that being your
first time." She puts her finger on my mouth smiling.
"I should have been more careful. I did not realize how passionate you are." She closes her eyes thinking. "You are fire Ant burning hot and I felt that in my entire body, so I also was lost in your flame." She puts her head back on my chest. She plays with the small hairs there and I start to play with her hair.
"Jahní, what exactly lead to your Mother's death?" I ask, and I feel her tense up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask about that."
She lifts her head up looking at me she smiles faintly. "No it's fine, you have the right to know everything about me and my family."
She shifts her weight around and props her elbow on the bed resting her head on her hand. She looks of towards the window. "My Mother was born on a farming world known as Green Seven. The Farmer cast is the lowest in our society, though it is extremely important for our very survival."
"You have roots to farmers? So do I." She smiles.
"More things that we have in common." She says."I resemble her the most they say, but she was an extraordinary beauty. Her name was Mahalí-loha. She speaks in a sad nostalgic tone that makes my heart ache for her loss.
"Lahí was still a babe in arms when it happened, but as I was saying." She continues on her Mother's life. "Her family held and still holds a position of prominence on Green Seven, and she lived a comfortable life neither lacking nor wanting for anything."
My family was good financially, because of my Father, he set up a few different things in case he didn't make it back from a mission. "Do you have any contact with your family members there?"
"Yes I do, but not as much as I should." She sits up taking my hand. "Once my Father was angry, and he said that my Mother was dreaming with the dead."
"What did he mean by that?" That's something strange to say about the one you supposedly love.
"My Mother was promised to marry another, but when my Father was crown Prince he made an inspection visit of Green Seven." She stays very silent pensively reflecting the story that she knows by heart. "From the moment he laid eyes on her he desired her." She laughs softly. "He forced the situation and the promise was broken; she loved the man, whom she'd grown up with her entire life."
I see. "So, your Father caused a great disruption for both families. What was your Mothers reaction to him?" She closes her eyes in pain.
"She hated him from that moment." I look down; I can only imagine what her Mother felt. "From my earliest memory I can remember them fighting. Not yelling or carrying on in that manner, but the animosity was ever present."
Shaking my head at this; it's no wonder Jahní's Mother and then Jahní herself chose to be here instead of the Capitol. "Ok, I can understand how she felt, but that was not reason enough to kill herself." Something must've happened to push her over the edge.
"We Majah-tu can be very cruel when we feel threatened, or if we know that someone or something is attempting to hurt ours." she squeezes my hand tightly. "My Father had the childhood love of my Mother's murdered, out of jealousy." She continues to hold on tightly to my hand. "He kept it... secret for years the mysterious disappearance of that Man."
'But between the Heaven and the Earth there are no secrets." She puts her free hand over her heart, and bows her head. "A trusted guard that befriended my Mother did her bidding and between the two of them they caused the truth to surface."
I rub my chin feeling the stubble there, and I didn't think that they could have so much corruption here. Now I see what she meant to forgive their imperfections that one time. "What did your Mother do when she found out the truth?"
"She went into a rage and almost killed my Father, but instead she chose to jump out one of the palace windows from the highest tower." A tear rolls down her cheek. "Before she did she told me how much she loved us and that we should be strong, for our sakes. I was there when it happened. Lahí has no memory of her and Zahn, he refuses to speak of her." She turns to me throwing her arms around me. "You must be very careful from this point on!" She cries out.
I hold her tightly. I can feel her emotions and the desperation in her heart. "Don't worry and don't cry; I'm not going anywhere my sweetheart." Her fear is genuine. She knows what might await us when we get back in a couple of days, that's a reason to be ready at the Embassy for anything. NO! I said I would only focus on Jahní when I agreed to this trip.
She raises her head averting her gaze from me. "I'm sorry. I know that among your people you and you crew are part of the warrior elite, and a women should not cry for their warriors..."
I lift her chin and we look into each others eyes; I touch her face ever so lightly, gently running my fingers from her cheek down to her neck and she shivers. I keep going igniting the fire once more till we are laying tired once more. I don't want this to change, but I'm aware that things can go wrong and so is she.
**************************************************************
For four days we don't leave the room; just pulling in the trays of food to eat and leaving them by the door when we finish. No one attempts to enter the room. They're very respectful of Jahní, which is evident when we do finally emerge the staff simply bow and act normally in our presence, but I catch a couple of the girls chatting among themselves and studying me.
One of the girls that seems to be Jahní's age is speaking to her and looking at the pledge ring on Jahní's hand. That girl looks at me with wide eyed wonder, so she must be the one confidant that she has here.
By the end of the day all the girls are looking at me like some... I don't know what! but wherever I go the looks I receive are full of speculation and curiosity. I find Jahní in the palace library reading an exact copy of the book of prophesy. I sit across the table from her and she lifts her eyes for just a second then back down to the book. "What did you tell these girls?"
She has a mischievous gleam in her eye when she glances at me. "Nothing really, it's just that they are shocked at how many days we spent in the room." Really.
I have some doubt of her statement. "Aren't any of them pledged to their man, that they seem so shocked?"
"Majah-tu males are... very restrained and how do you say it?" she pauses for a second. "Oh yes uptight, so they don't make a public display of their prowess in the bed room."
I don't get it. Public display? Prowess? "What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"Most Majah-tu couples are together after pledging a day or so, and that is how it is. But the girls want to know if all human men are this full of fire." She looks back down at the book. A hell so that's whats going on here!
"I have to know what you told them." she smiles at me and puts the book down looking me straight in the eye.
"I told them that you have so much fire, as to light the night all by your self." She says to me and I sit back scratching my head.
"What exactly dose that mean?"
"Well, that is a polite way of say that you are very passionate in the ways of love without telling them anything else." Good Lord now I'm going to be self conscious every time one of them looks at me. "Don't worry Ant, this will only build your legend but they know that we are pledged."
Kohan-to slams the tray hard on the table catching me by surprise, and I just look at him and I can see the disgust on his face. He doesn't like me at all, especially after those four days tucked away with Jahní. "Kohan-to, why did you do that?" Jahní asks upset.
"My apologies Princess, but I think the animalistic company you keep is inappropriate. Especially for someone of your status and this one who has none." Man he pulled no punches!
She stands up and can see the anger in her face. "Kohan-to, you will refrain from using such derogatory speak when you refer to Antonio, is that clear!" the old Majah-tu looks at her defiantly, but thats when Jahní puts her foot down! "You serve here at my pleasure Kohan-to and you still breath because of the years of service you provided, for my Mother specifically!" He blinks with fear now on his face.
He bows low and says something in their language and she stiffens. Jahní moved so fast that I almost missed it entirely. In one swift deft motion a blade flashes and Kohan-to's head rolls on to the floor. I get up shocked at what she did! "Why?" I kneel at his side, but there's nothing to be done for him.
She turns. "He threatened you." I look at her in disbelief. She looks at me and there are tears on her face. "He said he would kill you the first chance he got, for a beast like you should not be allowed to touch me." She tilts her head sadly studying his decapitated head. "No one will harm you Ant. not even my closest friends will lay finger on you."
I look back down at the body once more, and I see in his left hand a long slender blade. Was that meant for me? I look up at Jahní and I'm amazed the she even noticed it.
"It's a Kahdir, an assassin's tool." I sit stunned, not at her actions than to my own inability to see it coming. Jahní just saved my bacon. "We must return back to Majah Prime, as soon as we are ready."
"Right." I hesitate for second. "What will happen now?"
She looks down. "I have defied the King and pledge myself to an off worlder. What do you think will happen?"
I don't want to think what will happen. But I'm a soldier, and living in harms way is the path we choose. "Lets go then."