Desert Lily

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Kaisen

After Lily told me about her past, she passed out from the exhaustion of it all so I carried her up to our bed. Night time had already fallen over the town but I couldn't care what time it was as long as I could hold Lily in my arms. Softly smiling, I pulled off my shirt before getting into the bed while pulling Lily into my arms as she breathed a sigh of relief in her sleep. Just listening to her soft breathing lured me into slumber as my eyes slowly closed. 

It felt like I had just closed my eyes when I heard someone calling me. "Young man?" The woman's soft voice called out as something warm covered my face before I slowly opened my eyes. A soft golden orange sky with fluffy clouds greeted me as I tried to comprehend where I was. Slowly sitting up, I looked around at the field full of different flowers, some I've seen and haven't seen before. 

"Where am I?" I asked myself while slowly standing to my feet as a soft wind blew past me.

"In my safe haven." The same voice spoke as I quickly looked around for the source before she laughed. "I'm over her, young man." She laughed as I quickly turned to see an older, shorter version of Lily standing before me as I frowned in confusion. Had I gone into the future somehow?

"Lily?" I asked as the lady looked at me in surprise before smiling and shaking her head. "Then, who are you and where are we?" 

"I'm her mother and from the looks of it, you must be my son in law that she's been gushing about?" She asked as I looked at her in surprise as amusement filled her dark brown eyes. "I don't want to butcher your name but it is Kaisen, right?" She watched me carefully as I nodded before she pulled me into a hug. "I'm so glad to finally meet you!" She happily squealed as I hugged her back with a smile on my face. She was so welcoming.

"Nice to meet you, Lily's mom." I smiled down at her as she shook her head.

"You can call me mama. We're now family after all." Her smile grew wider as she radiated with happiness. "So, tell me Kaisen, what brought you here to my haven? Has something happened?" She asked with slight worry on her face as I shook my head before explaining the tidbits of what happened after Lily woke up. "That's my girl! As reckless as that spell was, I'm proud of her. I guess that's why I haven't been seeing her lately." She hummed while crossing her arms over her chest. 

"I've been taking care of her to make sure that she regains her strength and power back." I explained as she eyed me carefully before frowning.

"There seems to be something else to it. What exactly are you hiding, Kaisen?" She inquired as I scratched the back of my neck.

"I wanted to wait until she gained back her strength to start the process of the sacred ritual. I haven't told her that yet, but I plan on telling her soon since she's growing stronger each day." I confessed as she tilted her head in confusion like her daughter did. "Ah, a sacred ritual is the process of joining two mates together. There's eight tribes on my planet and each has a different sacred ritual that they must perform to become one." 

"Oh! Like getting married!" She beamed with excitement as I slowly nodded in confusion. "Humans and other creatures on our planet get married to the person they love as a vow. But, not all marriages last and sometimes it ends in a disaster." She frowned for a second before looking up at me with this unreadable expression on her face. "Just promise me that you'll never hurt her. She's already been through so much. They all have. All because I couldn't be brave and left their father sooner." She frowned as I pulled her into a hug.

"From how much Lily talked about you, I don't think she ever saw you in a bad light. She always told me how strong and sweet you were. She admired you no matter what happened." I explained as she sighed against me before patting my back. "Lily loves you dearly even to this day."

"My pumpkin was always like that." She quietly laughed before pulling back to look at me. "Has she made friends in your tribe? She was always a distant child when it came to making friends." 

"She's made plenty of friends who care about her. My dad and my sister absolutely love her. They're more than ready for Lily to officially join our family to the point that they keep urging me to go on ahead and start it." I laughed as she looked on curiously. 

"I'm glad she has you and your family." She smiled before finally voicing her questions. "What goes on with this sacred ritual? You aren't sacrificing my daughter to your many gods and goddesses?" She looked appalled at the thought of it as I quickly shook my head.

"No no, of course not." I laughed as she squinted her eyes in suspicion while I sat down in the flowers again. She looked at me for a second before sitting down across from me with her legs crossed. "It'll be just Lily and me going on an adventure where we'll go through trials on our path to becoming one. If we can't pass those obstacles, we must take our time coming up with a solution. If that fails as well, we must leave and re-evaluate our relationship." I explained as she nodded in understanding.

"It's kind of like marriage but we just walk down the aisles, say our vows, exchange rings then kiss. Sometimes we experience the obstacles before marriage but most of the time, they don't show up until after you're married. By then, it's either too late or you're diving into the honeymoon phase." She shrugged as I softly smiled at her.

"If we were to get past all of the obstacles thrown at us, we would complete the joining and be bonded for life. And though we don't have actual rings, we're blessed with a mark by the gods and goddesses on our ring finger." I explained as she looked at me with a shocked expression clear on her face.

"It doesn't ever come off?" She asked flabbergasted as I shook my head. "What happens if one of you dies?" She added on as I shrugged unsure of it. 

"When we thought my mom was dead, my dad's mark never faded. It was odd but it's normal for your mark to not fade until many seasons have passed." I explained as she hummed for a second before nodding in understanding. "Just recently, we found out that she was still alive and I also got another sibling." I smiled as she softly smiled back at me. We sat there in blissful silence before I finally voiced the question that's been bothering me. "I don't want to come off rude but why was your mate so intent on hurting you and your family? Why did he go through with killing innocent lives?" I asked, my anger quickly boiling over the thought of the stress he put them through. Lily's mom looked at me for a second before humming in thought.

"Some people are just born evil and are good at hiding that from others. He was one of those people who saw himself as a God, you could say. So, when I took the kids and left, he grew angry." She explained while leaning back on her hands while staring up at the sky. "When I flew back to my hometown to bury my mother, I knew what it'd be like since nothing really changed. Too many people were on his side that they turned a blind eye to everything he did. I can remember very clearly what he told me when I went back. He told me that if he couldn't have me, nobody could before I broke his arm and fled. I was so scared of what he'd do to us that we stayed on high alert for six years straight. And when we finally let our guards down, he went and did that. I'm sure one of my own workers helped him out but I always blamed myself for the death and trauma of my children." She sighed as I leaned forward and touched her shoulder with my hand.

"You couldn't have known that was going to happen. You and Lily always blame yourselves but nobody could've known. You've both done the best you could." I smiled at her as she quietly nodded while wiping at her tears.

"I think I can rest easier knowing that my pumpkin has somebody like you by her side. Thank you so much, Kaisen." She smiled back up at me before holding my hand. "May many blessings fill your marriage." She added while small flowers appeared to be falling from the sky. "Come visit me again, my son." She gently let go of my hand as the haven around us began to grow brighter.

"I will!"