Tie It With a Ribbon

I awoke to the morning sunlight pouring in through the partially open blinds, the rays hitting my eyes as I squinted against them, rolling over and burying my face in Zanzibar’s bare chest. His lips pressed to the top of my head and formed a contented smile as he sighed gently, his arms tightening around me for a moment.

“Good morning,” he mumbled, his voice muffled by the sleep from which he had just awoken.

I mumbled something incomprehensible, stretching my arms carefully before reaching up to meet him for a quick kiss. “What are we doing today?”

He thought silently for a moment. “I hadn’t thought this far ahead,” he admitted sheepishly, smiling despite himself. “I suppose we should first get dressed, so no one walks in unannounced without us being ready.”

“That doesn’t happen here,” I muttered, not counting the instance when Alexandros went against tradition. “But I guess we could. Then what?”

“I know you don’t want to think about it, but we do need to rush over to the Fortress to handle our situation.” An unintentional sneer slipped into his voice, but that hatred had vanished by the time he glanced over to me. “I do not have any burning desire to allow him the honor of so much as catching a single glimpse of you, but I would understand if you would like to accompany me as I discuss his terrible death with the traitor.” I opened my mouth, but he cut me off. “Of course, you could also accompany my sisters to the market or something of that nature.”

I smiled apologetically. “You know as well as I do that I cannot do that.”

He frowned. “I know. But I’m not allowing you within fifty feet of him if you are not armed, Alena.” I frowned. “Please, I’ll feel so much better about allowing you near a monster.”

“Fine,” I murmured, glancing to the door. “I also need to discuss my personal guard with my mother, because I no longer have one.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes, you do. I think I am more than capable, if not more so.”

“Zanzibar—”

“I do not see why you should need a soldier following you everywhere. What would I have to do to become a certified Aquilan soldier? A few promotions, I’m sure, but surely they can make an exception for their King.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit…silly?” I asked him as he glanced around the room, his hand falling onto the nightstand and taking the shirt from the pre-planned outfit.

“I don’t think it’s silly at all. I’m surprised no one has requested it before, because I would think one would feel even safer if they were being protected by someone that truly loves them. Wouldn’t you?” He pulled the shirt on, turning to look at me as I played with my shirt, which I had moved to my lap.

I smiled to myself, following his example. I reached for the flowing skirt, swiveling my body around and placing my feet on the floor. “I would, but not everyone is like me. Tradition sticks around here,” I told him, pulling on the skirt and standing as Zanzibar pushed himself to his feet, now fully clothed.

“Yes, I truly have a one-of-a-kind, don’t I?” he murmured lovingly, stepping up to me and pulling me to his chest. He kissed me gently. “Do I have your permission to inquire about enlisting myself as an Imperial Guard?”

“Royal, Zanzibar—it’s the Royal Guard.” I smiled, and he made a face.

“That’s all well and good, but would you mind giving me your consent?”

“How do you know so much about Aquilan customs?” I asked him, wrapping my arms tightly around him, pressing my ear to his chest and allowing the soothing rhythm to fill my thoughts.

“Studying, and information from spies before they turn sour. Sweetheart, would you mind terribly?”

I shook my head, pulling myself out of his arms and catching his hand. He lifted it to his lips, his gaze causing me to blush even still.

“I love you,” Zanzibar murmured, kissing me one last time as he reached for the door, reluctantly releasing my hand.

“I love you, too,” I told him quickly as the door opened.

We walked past Reginald without a word, careful to put polite distance between us as we descended the stairs. He had been assigned to protect both of us, but I did not doubt that he would glance in a different direction if potential harm were to cross Zanzibar’s path.

“You know something, Alena? Do you really know about your father all that much?” Zanzibar asked as we walked towards the forest, aware of the fact that the market’s crowd seemed to stop and watch—from a safe distance, regrettably—as we passed through the plaza.

“Well, it’s not really uncommon for secrets to be kept between family members.” He shot me a glance. “No, I don’t. Happy?”

His hand swung out and seized mine the second we were out of view of the Aquilans’ delicate eyes. “Of course that does not make me happy.” He kissed my cheek gently, watching our hands as we walked. “How well do you know your mother?”

I sent a sad glance to him, shaking my head. “Hardly at all. Zanzibar, the closest we’ve ever been was when I was in that hospital bed. She’s very…jumpy compared to society standards, because she’s lost so many children. I’m all she has left, so she’s trying to be protective without being overbearing, I think.”

He nodded silently, allowing the sound of snapping twigs to fill the air.

“How is protecting someone you love ever considered to be overbearing?” he asked quietly, stopping suddenly. I tried to continue on, but his hold on my hand caused my body to be jerked backwards. “Alena, tell me you do not think that.” His eyes were hard as he stared at me through such striking eyes.

“Zanzibar, I did not mean you are overbearing at all,” I promised, stepping up to him and gently wrapping my arms around him, tilting my head back until I could see his face. “Forget I said anything so vague, alright?”

He hesitated for a moment before closing his eyes. “Okay.” His eyes opened, and they were no longer clouded with troubling thoughts as a small smile graced his lips, furthering the transition from annoyance to bliss. He kissed me carefully, slipping out of my arms and pulling me towards the edge of the woods. “I certainly hope you consider my protectiveness to be a compliment, because I do not wish to be too unmanageable. Then again, when dealing with a criminal one cannot be too careful.”

“But he wasn’t always a criminal,” I murmured quietly, looking to the clear skies above.

A small sigh filled my ears, and I glanced to the man shaking his head slowly. “And murderers were not always murderers, but does that make them any less dangerous?”

I did not offer a response as we stepped onto his land in complete silence, a silence that seemed to suffocate one if he was not sure to tread lightly.

And as we descended the stairs leading to the dreary dungeons in which an old friend resided, awaiting his death, I was constantly reminded of the differences between my new husband and I, differences that had never been discussed nor acknowledged. I had never paused to consider the possibility that perhaps our two races had split for a reason, and joining the two once more could prove more of a task than I had predicted.

I had jumped blindly into his arms, without the thought of what would happen if he did not catch me, and the plummet was not something for which I was entirely prepared.