Tie It With a Ribbon

He sent one last fleeting glance to me before leaving Camille and I alone in the lobby.

“Okay, what happened between you two?” she asked suggestively, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” I mumbled, looking down. “Why would you think something happened?”

“Don’t give me that, Alena,” she begged, shaking her head in a reprimanding manner. “Why is he looking at you like that? He usually looks at you like you’re the most gorgeous thing on earth, but now it’s like he’s looking at you like you’re beautiful and the only woman he could ever love—Oh, my God. That’s it!”

“What’s it?” I asked nervously, glancing around awkwardly.

“He told you he loves you!” she told me, her voice a hissing whisper. “Oh, this is just too—Wow! So what happened?”

“I—He just said it… I didn’t really have time to react, because my mother walked in, and I had to stuff him in the closet. So now…it’s kind of awkward,” I admitted regrettably, sighing. “But I suppose we need to focus on what’s happening right now. So… What’s happening right now?”

She listened for a moment, pressing her ear to the large set of double-doors. “Right now he’s telling them about you and how much he loves you. He is so hopelessly in love right now,” she murmured, listening silently for a moment. “You’re going to have to walk in there soon, when these doors open. And then I’m going to sneak into the crowd through the back way. Tell me something, Alena. If your mother hadn’t walked in, would you have said it back?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Everything is just happening so fast, I—I don’t know what to think.” I took in a deep breath. “But I know we’re going to talk about it soon.”

“You better find out soon, because I don’t want him getting hurt. I love him, Alena, and I just hope you will, too.”

I nodded, taking in a deep breath as the doors swung open. Camille was gone in an instant, and I carefully stepped onto the small stage. Zanzibar reached out and caught my hand, pulling me carefully over to him. I gawked at the huge crowd standing before us, and he smiled.

“You live in a flock, my love, and yet this startles you?” he teased, not caring who heard his joke at my expense.

“Do forgive me,” I muttered sarcastically, making a face at him.

“Isn’t she wonderful?” he asked, tapping my nose gently. “And that is why I love her so dearly.”

I blushed like mad, not able to break my eyes from his intense gaze as he kissed my hand again, his chest rising and falling with the deep breaths he took, his shirt revealing every muscle he had and every breath he took.

“So, so dearly,” he murmured, releasing my hand suddenly and turning to glance to the crowd for a second. “I only hope you’ll come to love her as well, because we all want the same thing: peace. My little Alena wants that more than anything in the world, and I thank her for that, or we would have never met.”

He reached out and caught my chin, kissing me gently for a moment, his breaths quickening until he pulled away, forcing himself to look away from me. I hesitantly grabbed his hand, feeling the world start to sway as all eyes fell onto me. Camille had been right about the crowd focusing on me just as much as Zanzibar did.

“Alena, I know you came here not fully understanding what was going to happen or what was expected of you, but you were brave and came anyway. You listened to my plea even after you were forbidden to even consider it, and you were compassionate enough to give up your own time so that I could get to know you and you could get to know me. I thank Merit and the skies in which you love to fly for the chance I’ve been given at complete happiness. With you, I have found companionship and love. You’ve made me the luckiest man alive, and I only hope you think yourself to be a lucky woman.”

“The luckiest,” I promised, smiling quietly as he slipped a ring out of his pocket.

It was made of swirled platinum, silver, and gold, and the band cradled a crystal-clear sapphire. Foreign words were engraved on the band, and I smiled blindly as he slipped it onto my finger, knowing that I surely trusted him beyond anything else in the world. He already wore the same ring, only thicker and fitted for a man’s hand, on his ring finger.

I clutched the talon wrapped around my neck, and he pulled me down to kneel with him.

“I love you,” he whispered, his eyes betraying his anxiety.

“I love you, too, Zanzibar,” I murmured, smiling gently.

He slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding, relaxing visibly as he pulled me to my feet. “Queen Alena Giovanni, your people,” he pronounced loudly, smiling to me as I smiled absentmindedly to his people—my people.

He kissed me gently before leading me off of the stage, taking my hand tightly in his and weaving through the crowd, which had spilled into the lobby. We walked out into the marketplace, which was already filling with people.

“What are we doing?” I asked quietly, wrapping my arms around his waist as we walked. His arm hung loosely around my shoulders.

“We have a few hours until sunset, so I thought you wouldn’t object to spending some time seeing what the Den’s marketplace has to offer a woman of your standing,” he told me, kissing me gently. “I must say that I do love home, because I do not have to think about what I’m doing, like I have to do at the Nest. Again, I apologize for the scene I caused.”

I shook my head, resting against him as he guided me effortlessly through hundreds of people who—surprisingly—left us alone as we talked privately.

“Don’t be. You warned me that you’re an idiot,” I teased, glancing over as we passed a stand that caught my eye. Zanzibar stopped automatically, leading me over to it. “What are you doing?”

“What do you like?” he asked, looking at the artisan’s jewelry.

“This is ridiculous.” I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away, but he refused to budge. “Alexandros bought me a bracelet once, and I can’t even recall what I did with it. I don’t want to lose a gift from you.”

“Don’t be silly. I won’t allow you to lose it. Now tell me what you liked.”

“Oh, hello, my King!” the man cried happily, smiling. “What does my Queen like?”

I bit my lip, glancing over to Zanzibar sadly.

“Now you have to allow me to buy you something. You simply cannot pass up this talented man’s work after ogling it for ten minutes,” he told me, kissing my cheek softly.

I shook my head at him, smiling as I saw a brilliant watch with the same ancient language as was on my ring. “I want that, sweetheart.”

“But it’s much too big for you,” he lectured me, but I shook my head. He smiled, pointing to it and purchasing it from the man who thanked him gracefully. “Love, here you are.”

I grinned, taking it and wrapping it around his wrist. “And there you go.”

He smiled. “You are absolutely absurd, but I love that about you.” He kissed me softly, leading me away from the stand and through the rest of the marketplace.

We talked to nearly everyone in the market, and I met so many new people. By the time we were finished, the sun had set. Zanzibar excused us from a conversation with a young couple, and he led me back into the Den and down the hallway. He stopped suddenly, standing in front of his bedroom door.

“Alena, I love you so very much,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing the bend between my neck and shoulder.

“I love you, too,” I mumbled, my arms sneaking around his neck.

He glanced to me, smiling as he kissed my lips gently, but it became deeper as time passed.

“Alena,” he breathed, kissing my lips quickly as he spoke. “Do you, perhaps, think that, maybe, you could, possibly, stay here for the night?”

I pulled back, staring at him for a moment. “Zanzibar—”

“I know it was a stupid question. I just wanted to spend the night with my Queen, and—”

“I haven’t said no just yet,” I reminded him, pressing my ear to his chest. His heart was beating feverishly, and his breaths were shallow. “We just better hope no one checks my bedroom tonight.”

He smiled, opening the door and leading me inside, kicking the door closed behind him.

“You can borrow one of my shirts to sleep in,” he told me, hurrying into his closet and throwing one of his white, button-up shirts at me.

I fumbled with the straps of my dress, managing to slip out of the crisscrossing top only to find that I was stuck with my arms in the air.

“Uh, Zanzibar,” I called, my voice muffled with silk. “I’m stuck!”

I heard him chuckle softly to himself, and then he was standing behind me. One of his hands fell to my left hip, and the other worked to unzip the back of my dress.

“Okay, now turn around,” I told him, holding up the dress.

“Oh, my blushing bride,” he muttered, throwing his hands over his eyes.

I hurried to exchange the dress for the shirt, and I leaped under the covers. “Okay!”

He peeked through his fingers, smiling. “God, I love you, my ridiculous Alena,” he teased, tossing away his shirt and crawling into bed beside me. I smiled as he scooted towards me, so his chest was pressed to my back. He threw an arm over my waist, his hand pressed flat to my stomach and his face nestled into my hair. “Alena,” he mumbled quietly into my neck, but I was already asleep.