"Sonai misaagh ta Dai Stial!" (My respects to The Chosen!)
The woman takes a belt-low bow, touching the floor with one hand and gripping Sai's emerald tunic with the other to place a kiss on the golden hem.
"Thirty years of waiting are nothing for the honor bestowed, to see the one person whom the whole world has been waiting for millennia," she adds.
"The honor is all mine!" my prince courtly responds, gesturing her to rise. "The First is no less powerful and respected."
The woman smiles and it makes all the hairs on my body bristle. What kind of a person is that? I'm totally creeped out and I dare say, I'm not one to get nervous or frightened easily.
Her movements resemble those of a snake. She isn't walking, but rather slithering soundlessly towards me across the room. Even her low, quiet voice is like hissing. She's so beautiful that it makes the vibes she's giving out even more dangerous, as if she can bewilder you and lure you to jump willingly into the abyss. Her flawless, onyx skin is covered in mysterious signs in bright colors. Many, waist-long braids are swinging with every move she makes. I can feel her eyes almost piercing my skin. They are brown, so dark that it is impossible to distinguish the pupils from the irises, like two deep, mesmerizing wells, full of secrets.
"Congratulations on your engagement, Your Highness!" she purrs, pinning her gaze on my face. I start squirming like a child under the heavy stare of their teacher. "You won the greatest prize of all. I heard that our merciful lord is not very happy about it, though." She turns her eyes to King Dorth who is looking at her suspiciously. His lips are pursed in a thin line. His expression is something between horror and annoyance. The First starts to snicker at his obvious unwillingness to be involved in the conversation.
"Thank you, High Keeper!" I bow my head slightly, respecting her rank. "We are all grateful to your people for protecting us from the monsters. I want to express my personal gratitude that you have agreed to travel such a great distance to enlighten us of the current situation at The Portal."
"Hmm," she puts her hand on my shoulder and shakes her head in deep thought, mumbling more to herself than to me, "You really are The Follower. I wasn't sure. I needed to see it with my own eyes. I had the suspicions even back then, but I was too young to understand it. I knew deep inside of me that it is going to be you one day."
She strokes my cheek with her warm fingers and her smile is now sweet. She looks like someone who has just found a long lost friend. Her voice becomes gentle, "You've changed, Little Gem, but you hair is still like silk."
"How did you call me?" I breathe out, stunned at the sudden realization that these beautiful eyes and the soft touch are so familiar.
"Are you surprised, Dey?" she chuckles. "What did you expect? You are the most beautiful boy in the world."
"Nanny Uyani," I whisper. "It was you who came up with that nick name. You always was the one to wash my hair. Oh, my God! You've become The First!"
"I've always been The First, Little Gem," she giggles. "I was just waiting to become eighteen to take my position."
I'm suddenly wondering how I didn't recognize the pretty girl from my childhood right away. She hasn't changed much, but this emanation of danger and mystery that surrounds her, has overwhelmed me and blinded me for a while.
"I'm so happy to see you!" I utter, fighting the tears. My arms wrap around her sylphlike waist in a hug. "But how? Only relatives of the royal couple can be nannies."
"Shhh," she puts a finger on her lips. "There are many things you don't know, my little prince. Many things about you were kept a secret. The time will come and all will be revealed."
"We are not here to dig in the past," father interrupts her. "Let's hear why you didn't do your job properly and one of the monsters has crept all the way to the grass land."
"Polite, as always," The First chuckles, lightly bowing to the king. "The answer, Your Majesty, is very simple. They are too many. My people are a limited number. We can keep the portal closed when the forces are even. They push from inside out and we push back. Those who are more, though, generate stronger magic. I feel a force much greater than before and it is increasing by the second."
"How much time do we have?" Sai approaches. The atmosphere in the huge, dark, marble hall is heavy. I take his hand and squeeze it encouragingly. This is the question that bothers us all. King Unufrail, Queen Salia, mother and Arxia come closer too. We are all looking intently at the woman who will announce the fate of an entire continent. Even my father's arrogant expression has changed to a worried one.
"Not more than a year," she says quietly, turning to Arx. "What do you think, child? Do the prophets agree?"
"One year," the prinx nods. "No more, no less."
"Did you foresee salvation, dear?" Queen Ayria hesitantly asks.
"My father did," is Arx's answer.
__________________________________________
Photo 209281094 © Mikedesign |Dreamstime.com
A/N
Hello at the end of chapter 32!
Thank you for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤
We have a new mystery to be solved 😏
How do you think a keeper could become a nanny of the prince?
Why did she suspect that Dey will become The Follower even when he was very young?
And what doesn't King Dorth want to be revealed? 🤔
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
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Forbidden (mxm)
FantasyHis red lips are glistening, the bottom one bitten between his pearly white teeth. His silky hair is hiding his delicate chest, but leaves the enticing smoothness of his back uncovered. His elegant, gentle hands are slightly shaking, squeezing the h...
