Forbidden (mxm)

9. My Little Monster (Danail)

   The air is warm. The scent of lavender, lilac and exotic spices fills my nostrils. I know it. It's the fragrance of the spring, coming from the open windows of my room in the northern tower. I can hear the flapping of the curtains in the wind. I'm home. The distant cries of the sea dragons make me smile. We can go and ride them at sunrise. Father will yell and give me and Tar ten whips each when we get back, but it will worth it. 

   I look down at my body. I'm different. My skin is soft and smooth the way it was before I came to the desert. I have no beard and my hair is clean and shiny, no traces of sand and dust in it. My lips are not chapped. I have no scars. Still, I'm not a child. I'm just what I would have been if I hadn't become a desert snake. 

   I would still be the 'little gem' as my twenty nannies called me, only grown up. 'Look at him! Isn't he the most beautiful boy', one of them always chirped and the rest started to giggle. They were all just few years older than me. 'I will wash his hair', the bravest would shout. 'No, you did it yesterday. Now it's my turn,' another would argue.

   But it can't be. I'm not in Eleysan anymore. I'm in the Dessert Kingdom. I'm rough and cruel and no more beautiful and sweet. 

   No, this can't be either. I'm dead. My father killed me. His sword pierced my heart. Maybe, this is the afterlife. God had mercy and sent me back to my childhood, despite the hundreds of people whose lives I ended in battle.

   Everything around me is blurred by bright light and haze in all shades of pink and purple.

   'Forgive me, my love!' The words are barely audible. The voice is as light as the breeze. 'I know you suffer. I can feel your grief."

   I'm looking around but all I can see is colorful glow. I'm as light as a feather. My body floats as a petal, slowly falling to the ground.

   'Who are you?' I scream.

   A low growl makes me open my eyes abruptly. I raise my head from Harda's shoulder. It seems I've placed it directly on his wound in my sleep. I gently pet his head and he calms down, dozing off again. He needs a good rest to recover. The death bats are difficult to kill. You have to chop off their head to be sure. A day or two and he'll be up again. 

   The floating sensation is from the swaying of the ship, silently gliding through the night sky above the desert. I have forgotten how quietly it moves. There isn't a single sound, disturbing the peace. 

   Peace! The war is over. I should be happy. I should be celebrating with my men, but I'm hiding in my cabin, snuggling with a deadly monster instead. All I can think about is my father's sword, aiming at my heart, and two smiling, pink eyes. Was that what Sai wanted from me? To say yes to my own death? To give up my life in the name of the peace? Does he regret, like my father, that the loyal animal saved me? Why would the king prefer me dead rather than signing a treaty? Too many questions. Too little answers.

   I hear a knock at the door and frown. I don't want to see anyone. The door, however, opens before I could answer.

   "Dey, how are you? Is Harda getting better?" mother hesitantly steps inside. 

   Thank God, the ridiculous gown is gone. She's wearing a simple black dress.

   "We'll both be fine soon," I grumble. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

   "You have the right to be angry," she says, ignoring my question. "I'd like to say that the king probably had his reasons to do what he did, but I can't think of anything to justify it. He's just the beast he has always been, too raw, to impulsive."

   "I don't care about his reasons," I retort. "I'm not the one to judge him."

   "I know it sounds unbelievable now," she sighs, "but he loves you in his twisted, cruel way."

   "I want to be alone," I only utter.

   "Dey, you know that tomorrow you'll have to..."

   "Mother, leave!" I growl, but then add softly, "Please! I'll do my duty."

   "Very well then," she heads to the door, but turns around in the frame. "I'm sorry!"

   I gasp and lay back down on the wolf fur, next to Harda. He snorts and stirs in his sleep. He refused to follow the king and crawled in my room after me, barely dragging his paws. 

   My little monster! I smile, remembering the way I called him when I was a child.

   Sai's face, for some reason, appears in my mind at the words. 

   Is he really sorry about the consequences of his demand or it was just a dream? It doesn't matter. The Code requires me to marry one of his sisters tomorrow for the treaty to be in force. I'll take my bride and go back home. I'll probably never see him again. He had the guts to stand against King Dorth. I'll give him that. This beautiful, fragile creature has a force to be reckoned with. This is how I'll remember him, beauty and courage. 

   I lean my head on Harda's soft belly and close my eyes, finally defeated by the exhaustion. 

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A/N

Hello at the end of chapter 9!

Thank you for reading and supporting my new story! ❤❤❤

Was Dey dreaming or Sai somehow made a connection to tell him he was sorry?

Any theories about what will happen at the Desert King palace? 🤔

Share your thoughts, ask questions and criticize, if you think it's necessary.

And don't forget to vote, if you liked the story.

Love: Anny