Wings of Arian (31 page)

“Why?” He demanded lurching forward, “Why don’t you deserve it?”

“Because, I can’t… I mean I’m not ready to…” she stopped and buried her head into her knees.

He knelt beside her, “Because you can’t tell me that you love me?” A sob racked her body. “It’s ok, Kiora.” She felt his hand tentative on her back. “I am willing to wait until you are ready.”

Kiora squeezed her eyes even tighter, “Why?” Her voice was muffled from being shoved into her knees.

“Because.” He spoke with gut wrenching intensity “You are worth waiting for.”

She jumped up as if she had been jolted with a bolt of lightning and ran to the other side of the room, her chest heaving. “No,” she pointed at him. “No, I am not, Emane. I am dangerous, I hurt everyone I love.”

“You do not.”

“Yes I do! And I hurt you. I see it!” He started to shake his head in objection “Don’t try to tell me I don’t!” she practically screamed, her voice bouncing around the tiny room. “I feel it every time something happens that puts me in danger. It hurts you!” She covered her mouth with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. Her chest rose and fell as if she had been running for days. Trying to calm herself she lowered her hands slowly to her side, “And now I am hurting you again.” Shaking her head she whispered, “I can’t bear it!”

Pushing himself to his feet he walked towards her, slowly, his eyes fixed on hers. Reaching down he grabbed both her hands, pulling them up between them. “Will you please come sit so we can talk without yelling at each other?” His eyes entranced her, calm edging in around her for the first time since she had ran. She nodded.

Smiling her pulled her towards the fire, walking backwards, as if her knew that taking his eyes off her would shatter any semblance of calm she had managed to grasp onto.

She sniffled dropping back down in front of the fire. “When did you become the calm talking type?”

He shrugged. “One of us has got to, and I’m giving you a break. No promises though as to next time,” he said throwing one arm casually over his knee, “you might have to take over.”

She wanted to kick him for being so stinking charming.

“Kiora,” he said, “if we are going to be honest with each other. Yes, it hurts me when you are in danger. Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t feel the same way, loving me or not?”

“Yes, it would hurt me,” she reluctantly agreed.

“Look, I know that it will be hard for me to watch you hurting, or to know that you are in danger. But the other options,” he looked back to her, “will hurt me more.”

“What other options?”

“I could leave,” he said abruptly, “Go back to the castle. Move on with my princely duties.” She felt a stab of fear at the thought of him leaving. “Or,” he shrugged, “we could go back to being just the Solus and her Protector. But if I did that, if I
chose
that...” he trailed off.

“Emane, how can you sit here and pour your soul out to me when I can’t even…” she dropped her eyes in shame. She tried to will the words out of her mouth but she couldn’t do it.

“Hey.” He grabbed her chin and pulled it up, ‘Look at me.” She met his eyes. “I would rather wait a hundred years to hear you say those words, and know that you mean them, rather than hear them now and never really know.”

“That’s not fair to you,” she whispered.

“It is. When I hear those words I will know that you mean them. I will wait, Kiora.” He tilted his head to the side, “You are the only girl I have ever met that I would wait for.” A smile played across his lips as he ran his finger gently across her cheek. “And I would wait a lifetime.”

The blissful burn that ran through her whenever he touched her was there, but the nagging fear that had been stabbing at her heart came blurting out of her mouth. “What If I don’t have a lifetime Emane?” she said, turning her head away. “What if I don’t make it out of this war?”

He grabbed her, pulling her into his chest with a groan.” You are worried that your dying would hurt me?”

She kept her head buried in his chest while nodding emphatically.

“Oh, Kiora,” he held her tighter, and she pressed into him reveling in the comfort he offered. “What about you, aren’t you worried about yourself?”

“No.”

“Why not?” he asked, gently pushing her back to look at her.

“Because for the first time in my life things feel right, I feel like myself,” she spoke slowly, coming to the realization as she said it herself. Looking abruptly up at him she blinked. “I would rather live as who I am and risk dying, than spend my whole life living a lie.”

“Will you allow me the same privilege?” said Emane. Kiora furrowed her eyebrows. Reaching out, Emane tucked her hair behind her ears. “Pretending that I don’t love you would be forcing me to live a lie. And I have lived enough lies.”

“But what If I don’t ever...”

“Say you love me?” he finished for her. “Do you have feelings for me?”

“Of course Emane, I...”

“Then I have to believe the rest will come.”

She looked at him eyes wide with wonder. “You’re really ok with this, waiting for me?”

“On one condition. You have to stop feeling guilty when I worry about you.”

She let out a long deep breath, stop feeling guilty. He might as well have asked her to bring him the moon. “I will try.”

“It’s only natural, Kiora, that I would worry about you whether love is involved or not.” He pulled her to her feet. “Come on, we need to get ready. We have a celebration to attend tonight and I was told we needed to dress appropriately.” Looking down at her he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Alright?”

She nodded slowly, “Alright.”

Chapter Eighteen

THE CELEBRATION

WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT their room there were two human-ish looking things waiting by Kiora’s door. One was tall and much too skinny— her skin was more yellow than tan, and green hair jutted out in all directions, which almost distracted from the fact that she had four arms, with six or seven fingers on each hand. Her companion had pointy ears and enormous eyes; they were pools of the darkest blue surrounded by long black eyelashes that rested on her cheeks. Kiora noticed that the longer she and Emane stayed here, the less the Shifters tried to appear human.

“Hello?” Kiora said nervously, unsure of why they were waiting at her door.

The two bowed and the one with large eyes spoke, “Eleana asked that we help prepare you for the celebration this evening. I am Muriel, and this is Sabina,” she said, pointing to the one with the extra arms.

“Um, I’m sure I will be fine… I just need… uh…” she looked back to Emane for assistance.

“Thank you so much!” Emane gushed, smirking at Kiora. “I am sure she can use all the help you two can offer.”

Kiora glared at him. With a smile, he put his hand in the small of her back and gently pushed her into the room.

“I will pick you up when it is time.” He backed out with a devilishly impish grin and closed the door. She would kill him later, she decided.

The two girls circled her clicking their tongues, “You are filthy, my Lady,” Muriel said, her long eyelashes batting disapprovingly.

“I know.”
Crawling around in a cave sobbing usually does that
, she thought.

They started pulling her clothes off despite her objections and pitched her in the tub. Kiora felt like a two year old. She sat there fuming to herself and thinking of what she was going to do to Emane when the two ‘helpers’ were done. The Shifters scrubbed and combed, pulled and clipped. They cleaned and buffed each fingernail and toenail and scrubbed her ears until she was sure they were bright red.

“What kind of celebration is this anyway?” Kiora asked through watery eyes as Sabina tore through the tangles in her hair with four combs at once.

“You do not know my lady?” Muriel cooed in surprise.

“We haven’t been told much… ouch!”

“It is a celebration for the magic that was bestowed upon Prince Emane. We honor not only Emane for learning how to use it, but also the mountain for giving it freely to him.”

“What does this celebration entail?” she asked Sabina as the girl used three of her four arms to pull her out of the tub as though she weighed nothing.

Muriel thankfully wrapped a towel around her. “It will be grand!” she giggled. “They have been preparing for two days!”

“And we,” Sabina giggled, “have been busy too… making you
this
.” She picked up a dress that was draped across the bed. Kiora gasped, it was beautiful. Through all the scrubbing, combing and buffing she hadn’t noticed it was there. She had thought that the dresses Eleana had sent her for the dinners were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, but this one…it put the others to shame.

She fingered the fabric, “You made this?” she asked in awe.

“Let’s make sure it fits,” Muriel urged. Sabina giggled as if the thought that it wouldn’t fit was ridiculous.

They slid it over her head and laced up the back. It hugged tightly where it should and flared out beautifully at the waist. It had been made to perfection, not one inch of fabric was there that was not needed. Muriel and Sabina both cooed softly in appreciation.

Kiora smoothed the silken folds that surrounded her. The bottom of the dress looked to be the exact color of green as the band of magic wrapped around Emane’s arm. As the dress caught the light from the chandeliers, it shone as if it had a thousand pieces of cut diamond embedded throughout the fabric. The bodice glinted with crystals that shown with all the colors of the rainbow. The top reminded her very much of Arturo’s wings, it had a high collar on the back which was lined with the same green as the bottom of the dress. The front was open, with a scooped neck that accentuated her collarbones. She looked in the mirror and was taken aback.

“Thank you,” she whispered, “it’s beautiful.”

They giggled again. “Come, sit, my lady, we must make the rest of you match your dress.”

By the time they had finished, Kiora could barely recognize herself. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in tiny ringlets. They had managed to place little crystals throughout the curls so that when she moved they caught the light. Kiora had never worn makeup a day in her life, there was no need as she never went anywhere. But now she had soft red lips and lilac purple shadow to offset her fiery green eyes. Her lashes were black and looked longer than she had known they were. She stared at the stranger in the mirror, worried that she might disappear if she blinked.

The two Shapeshifters gathered their things.

“Thank you, you two have done a wonderful job.”

Their eyes suddenly became very serious. “My Lady, is it true that you are powerful enough to defeat Dralazar?” Sabina asked.

Kiora felt the air being sucked out of her. She tried to swallow her discomfort. “I will be.”

They both bowed. “We will fight with you, my Lady,” Muriel added.

“Thank you,” she said, humbled by their support. “And I will fight with you.”

They bowed again and left the room. Turning to look in the mirror again, she contemplated if the face she saw looking back at her would be strong enough for the journey ahead.

“Oh Ki-O-ra!” Emane’s voice sung as he swung the door open. “I see you entourage has left. I thought I would just—” He stopped dead in his tracks his mouth dropping at her reflection in the mirror.

She turned to Emane, smoothing her dress, nervous to meet his eyes. “How did the ‘entourage’ do?”

He took one step forward before stopping again. “You look... a..amazing,” he stuttered. “This dress is amazing,” she said as she moved the skirt from side to side.

“No, not the dress,
you
.” He swallowed hard. “Um, do you remember when we were in Arian’s cave and I told you of the girl I was engaged to?”

How could I forget
, she thought sourly, “The most beautiful girl you’d ever seen,” she said dryly. “I remember.”

The Prince nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off her. “Yes, that one. You are more beautiful than she ever was. I want you to know that.”

Embarrassed, she asked hurriedly, “And what about you, are you going in that?””

He looked down at the robe he had wrapped around him. “No. I don’t think I would be able to walk next to you if I went in this.”

She giggled. “Oh I don’t know, you do look rather handsome.”

“Give me a few minutes,” he said shifting from one foot to the other, his eyes still trailing over her. “I will be back to get you.”

He ran back to his own room, leaving Kiora to contemplate what the girls had asked her. She looked back into the mirror.

“Am I strong enough? To defeat Dralazar?” she asked out loud. Her reflection stared back at her without an answer, looking as lost as she felt. She had to believe that she could. If not, then why continue?

She was lost in thought as Emane came back into the room. Now it was her turn to lose her breath. She looked in the mirror back at him. He was in a full suit that looked as if it had been sewn onto him. His body was lean and muscular. The green cape he wore matched her dress and reminded her of the first time she had seen him, with his royal cape on. But now instead of haughty coldness, his eyes were full of warmth. His stance was still proud, his shoulders filling out his suit nicely, but it no longer smacked of arrogance.

Stopping behind her he caught her eye in the mirror, offering his elbow, “Shall we?”

She smiled “Of course.” Standing in a swish of fabric, she linked her arm though his.

They walked arm in arm down the corridor listening to the celebration drifting up through the center of the colony.

When they entered the main hall, Kiora could not stop herself from laughing out loud. The party was in full swing. The Shapeshifters did not need costumes or fancy clothes. Instead they shifted their bodies to match the occasion. And the color! Before them was a sea of Shifters, each taking their artistic liberty with their form of choice. Hair, feathers and fur were in a fantastical array. Bright and brilliant birds flew around the room, green and blue dogs ran by and a giant with hot pink hair pounded his feet to the music a little too hard causing the floor to rumble. What looked like Guardians zipped around the room leaving rays of color following behind them, twisting and turning in the air. It was joyous and fun and the most amazing thing she had ever seen.