As far as Jovan was concerned, the night of the winter solstice could have lasted for all eternity. And he had a feeling that Jagoda felt the same way. She sat beside him as they watched the full moon slowly cross the night sky. The cold summit air did not bother them one bit. They sat beside each other and spoke of their families and their past. Jovan revealed a little more of his past to her, and fell in awe and bafflement when Jagoda mentioned her family.
"So You mean to tell me that You do not share a birthday with Your sisters?" Jovan asked the question to be sure he heard Jagoda correctly.
"Yes," she replied as she nestled into his shoulder.
"But You are triplets?" He asked, even more confused.
"Yes." She replied and sighed.
"How is that possible?" He knew his mind felt as if it was in a haze caused by their endless kisses that night, but what she told him seemed odd even for him.
"I was born on a night much like this one. It was a calm winter solstice. With a full moon. Cloudless. Filled with more stars than my father could count. But I was born after the midpoint of the night, toward the morning hours just before the night bows down to the first signs of the coming rays of the sun. My father used to tell me that the part of the night I was born is always the darkest and most silent part of it. So, as soon as I was born, the dawn had come to illuminate the morning sky, and the air filled with sounds of life waking up from a night's sleep. My sisters, Zora and Zoja, were born in the evening part of the day before the winter solstice, when the evening gave into the darkness of the night. That is why we do not share the date of being born into this world. That is why we do not share similar names. And that is why we do not share the same kind of a heart nor desire to lead our people with justice and honor," Jagoda explained and felt Jovan's arms wrap more securely around her.
"Ahh. That makes more sense. From what I've heard, those born on seasonal solstices possess skills bestowed upon them by Fate and virtues of nature," Jovan smiled.
"Do You think so?" Jagoda asked as she looked up at him.
"You bet. You are a perfect example of that. Small but mighty," he clicked his tongue.
"You're lucky Your charm is more appealing than Your ill-timed sense of humor," she tried to tickle him but fell short of her goal because Jovan turned and hissed when he felt the pain in his shoulder again.
"I'm fine. Just... don't mention it to the warriors in the camp. I have a reputation to maintain," he tried to smile.
"I would not worry about it. They consider You to be braver and more skilled than Blagun, and that says a lot about You," Jagoda patted his hand.
"That guy has a great potential of commanding his own legion one day. And there isn't a thread of greed in him", Jovan said more to himself than to her.
"Blagun's father was a dear friend of my father, and one of my father's most trusted Beys. He was an honorable leader of his tribe. They lost their lives within weeks of each other," Jagoda said in a sad tone of voice.
"Why doesn't that surprise me? There was a time when people came together to fight for a common cause, not against one another." Jovan sighed and brought her closer to him.
"My father would have liked You. He believed in the power of righteousness and in the good will of the people. I grew up listening to the stories and tales he told us of the olden days, from the times of Our great ancestor Ertuğrul Gazi, the father of the great Osman I. The ideas that they passed on through the generations still live in the hearts of those who believe in the future of Our Empire." Jagoda paused for a moment.
"Your voice changes when You speak like a leader." Jovan meant it as a compliment, but Jagoda tensed up in his arms.
"I may have good intentions, I may hope to unite Our people again, but good intentions only go so far." She grew quiet again.
"May I ask You a question?" He looked down and into her eyes.
"Of course, You may," she narrowed her eyebrows.
"Why did You mention Ertuğrul Gazi? He lived over a hundred years into the past," he asked.
"Ertuğrul Gazi was an ancestor to Our great Sultan Murad I, who was my father's dear friend. You see, my father spent many years at the palace as one of the Sultan's advisors before he received the position of the Beylerbey of Rumelia. I visited the Sultan's palace quite often. I loved to listen to the tales my father and the Sultan told about Ertuğrul. About his ideas. About his bravery. And about his unwavered will against the challenges and vices of those who fought against him. Ertuğrul never surrendered. He never gave up. He believed in his purpose with his whole heart. He passed away many years before I was born, but I had always felt his spirit within the walls of the palace. That's why I kept returning there whenever I could," Jagoda sighed.
"You carry a name that holds the power of its ancestry within it." Jovan brought his hand up, and cupped Jagoda's face in it as delicately as he could.
"It loses its meaning because I doubt myself," she whispered as the tears began to form somewhere deep in her heart.
"The power You hold within You is something that You have to accept first, before You can wield it," Jovan said with so much conviction that he began to believe in it himself. He smiled to himself as he recalled the words Bojana told him before they left her hut.
"You speak with so much wisdom in Your words," Jagoda smiled faintly at him. "How will I find the courage to believe in myself when I have to face my own sisters?"
"That, my dear, is something You have to figure out on Your own. Neither I, nor anyone else, can tell You how to do it. You have to feel it to believe it. But once You do, no one will be able to stop You." Jovan whispered and kissed her again.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say You were practicing sword fighting the way You kissed each other," Anil barged in on the two of them, unashamed and proud of himself.
"You sure know how to make an entrance," Jovan hissed through his teeth since Anil startled him as much as he startled Jagoda.
"That is one of my greatest virtues. So is keeping secrets." Anil announced proudly. "Now, I would suggest for Us all to return back to the caves before Kinga turns over every rock looking for You two. She had been quite ill-tempered in the last few hours.
"Was she really that mad because we disappeared?" Jovan asked.
"Unimaginably so," Anil grinned as he ran a hand down the length of his beard.
"Great!" Jovan exclaimed with satisfaction and patted Anil's back so hard that the man took an involuntary step forward and coughed up excess air from his lungs.
"Let us return inside, then. Thank You, Anil. And thank You, Jovan. You have truly made it a birthday I shall never forget," Jagoda raised her hand and caressed Jovan's cheek before they made their way back inside.
"Neither will I," Anil smirked happily to himself and followed their lead...
YOU ARE READING
THE TIDES OF TIME
Romance⚔️ "Being born and raised to respect life and its rules, Jovan Galanis made something of himself. He was ambitious, outgoing, disciplined, and righteous to his very core. His parents died when he was a young boy, and having been raised by his Macedo...
