by Orr, Krystal
"I love you," Talliea was whispering against her ear. "I love you more than anything. I love you so much."
Tears falling from her own eyes, though she was unsure of exactly why, Arizira snuggled into Talliea as best she could and replied, "I...I love y-you, too, failira."
Chapter 13: Sojourn
D'jiira stopped upon the shore of the massive lake spreading out before her. In the distance, near the horizon, a mammoth shadow of a mountain sat watch over the surrounding landscape. Around the lake and far to the east, a diverse and numerous amount of trees blocked out her view. Various rocks cobbled along the water's edge and met the gentle lap of the current.
A small inlay of land ran along the right side of the lake and stretched far out in the water. A modest copse of trees were scattered upon the grassy and rocky surface, omnifarious flowers and buds of various shades and colors were easily seen from where D'jiira stood.
She sighed and adjusted the burlap bag resting against her back. The sight before her had not been seen in over twenty years. The mountain, the trees, the lake and the foliage, all had at one time been completely familiar to her. Now, though the scene remained largely unchanged, D'jiira knew it carried memories and a recent history not understood by her.
She bent down near to the water and refilled her water skin. Her dark hair was braided in a single tie that fell down the middle of her back. Age had been kind to her for only a few lines and wrinkles crossed her face and barely a white or gray streak could be spied in her hair.
Her eyes were alert and bright and, according to many, her best feature. They were knowing; understanding; inquisitive. In them, one could see the life of a person whose years had been hard, yet satisfying; sad, yet joyous.
D'jiira had never been a woman to allow anything to pass her by. She had accepted the consequences of falling in love with a mystical Arnira and, equally, had accepted her guilt on leaving the child the two of them had created.
The years following Arizira's birth had been difficult. It had taken D'jiira time to adjust to her new life. Her clan had not asked questions of her. They had accepted her back into their fold and life had continued. Eventually, D'jiira had fallen in love with a woman of her own people. The both of them had been happy for a time.
Until the dreams had started.
The dreams. D'jiira shivered just thinking about them. They had started nearly a year ago. She could not explain them. She could not speak of them. They were less images and more feelings. In them D'jiira had come to understand events happening far, far away from her small corner of the world.
She had come to know that change was coming and that, somehow, her daughter was at the center of that change.
Her daughter. Not one day in twenty seven years had passed that D'jiira had not thought of the young woman. She often wondered if she had kept her mostly Arniran appearance or, as the years had gone by, she had begun showing her Esu heritage. What did she look like? How did she sound? Was she happy? Did she know of D'jiira? Was she a warrior? A healer? A simple tradesmen?
D'jiira wondered if her daughter had any children of her own. Was she in love? Had she experienced something wondrous like her mothers?
Most importantly, how was Arizira at the center of the change she felt was fast approaching? Was she in danger? In harm's way? Did her mixed parentage have something to do with this change?
When the dreams had begun, D'jiira had tried to ignore them. When they had ceased to go away after a week, she had tried to overlook them. After six months of restless nights and sweaty palms, she had finally come to understand that the dreams were not going to stop.
They desired something of her. They'd been trying to get her attention.
Finally, she'd spoken of them to her partner. Words had been exchanged and when D'jiira had expressed a desire to leave, her lover had not been understanding. She did not know of D'jiira's past. She did not know of her daughter. The desire to embark on such a long and uncertain journey, alone, could not reconciled.
The two of them had parted, neither certain of where they stood. D'jiira had packed, said her goodbyes, and left.
Now, months later, she still could not explain her actions or give a rationale account of why she had done what she had done. She missed her partner. The two of them had an easy and mostly uncomplicated existence, but there were things the woman didn't know. Things she didn't understand. D'jiira had known she could not explain them, for they defied even her own perspicacity.
All she had known was that she was going back -- back to a place, not forgotten, but forgiven. A place where she had lost a piece of her self. A place a part of her still walked and breathed and lived. A place with such mixed emotions that the very definition of a conundrum could barely do it justice.
Something in her was compelling her to find her daughter. It had been begging her to move, to walk, to reunite. For four months, she had traveled in the vast stretch of forest that spanned the north. Her younger days had been left behind her, but still she had moved as a person sure in her direction, sure in her purpose.
She looked out over the lake again and smiled. The sun was high overhead and its rays painted the water with an image of the sky and mountains. Only a few more days, a walk around the water and into the forest that lay opposite it, and she would be back where her heart had left her so very long ago.
She would be near to her child, her daughter. The daughter who, despite either of them knowing it, needed her mother now more than ever.
* * * * *
Talliea cried. Her tears fell against Arizira's neck and into her hair. She could barely breathe.
Her head felt light. Her throat constricted. Her fingers trembled where they gently held Arizira's body close to her. She could feel Arizira's hand in her hair.
The feeling made her smile.
Arizira's breath washed across her ear and the side of her neck. Her breath. She was alive! Her love was alive. Her heart was beating. She breathed. Talliea's sobs turned to ragged bouts of laughter that intermingled with her heartache and despair and clashed with her joy and happiness and relief.
She could not reconcile how Arizira was with her again. She had only begun to process her loss and now she was alive and holding onto her; she was comforting her.
"Love," she whispered as she turned her head so that her lips caressed Arizira's ear. She kissed the sensitive shell and breathed out her emotions. "I love you. I love you. Please..." Another kiss, more tears. "Tell me you are here, love. Tell me I do not dream."
The last of the words were a plea. Talliea's voice was ragged. Her hold on Arizira was frantic. Cynra and Taetylona watched the display with tears in their own eyes.
Arizira swallowed the dryness in her throat. Her shining silver-blue eyes were wide and confused as they looked around the cave. She instantly recognized it as the one that sat overlooking Li'nas Dei.
Light's Way.
She was at Li'nas Dei. Why? What had happened. Why was Talliea crying so? She tried to remember everything. Anything. She struggled to recall what events had led her to be in Talliea's arms again. She had missed her so, so much.
The admission cleared away some of the fog from her mind. She had been separated from Talliea. She remembered. They had each been lost to the other. More images and recollections sped behind her mind's eye. Her recent timeline was spread out before her, some events jumbled, some still shrouded in mystery.
Cynra. Taetylona. Her parents. Her journey to find Talliea. Her pregnancy. Lao'dahn. Bela'luin. Danger. An arrow. Talliea. Tears. Goodbyes. Confessions. Love. Pain.
Talliea. Talliea. Talliea...
Talliea pulled away to look into her eyes. Her smile was bright, yet full of uncertain pain. She held Arizira's face in her hands, her thumbs smoothing over her jaw, cheeks, and lips with tender care.
"Hi," she greeted in shaky tones but with a smile. "Hi, love."
Her voice was barely audible, as if she feared the sound of it would shatter the truth that her love was
with her once again.
In that moment, Arizira broke.
Whatever had happened did not matter at present. All that concerned her was Talliea. They had been away from each other for too long. Each had a story to tell, she knew that much, but for the first time in a long time, she was back where she belonged.
With Talliea.
She noticed the pain that had been ever present without her failira was gone. She no longer felt stretched or torn or less. She felt whole and complete and sane. Her heart beat as it should, its rhythm steady instead of chaotic.
Seeing Talliea's tears, feeling her skin, smelling her hair, and looking upon her beautiful and inspiring face, again caused a happy and relieved sob to erupt from Arizira's throat. Her own smile touched her lips as she untangled her fingers from Talliea's hair and trailed them over her jawbone.
Talliea laughed, turning her face into the caress. "Hi, love," she said again, though her tone was not as strong as before.
"Tah-li, I have missed you," Arizira whispered. Her voice was rough due to her dry throat, but it still managed to sound musical to Talliea's ears. "I have been so lost without you."
Talliea nodded, her smile widening. She leaned forward and kissed the side of Arizira's mouth. Taking the cloak that was covering her love's body, she maneuvered it so that it was once again respecting Arizira's modesty.
Arizira moved her legs up beneath the cloak and scooted closer to Talliea. Her embrace was her salvation, her security. Yet, her body still felt stiff and awkward.
"Water," Talliea said. "S-she needs water."
Cynra moved quickly, her joy at seeing Arizira alive and well momentarily forgotten, and fetched one of the water skins from a pack Taetylona had brought. She carried it over to Talliea and handed it to her.
"I am very happy to see you, child," she said in heavy but happy tones to her granddaughter. Arizira nodded, a small smile coming to her eyes.
"As I am you," she replied weakly.
Talliea brought the skin to Arizira's lips and cut off any other words the two of them may have wished to share.
"Here, love," she said. "Drink for me."
Once Arizira's throat was no longer parched, she returned her attention back to Talliea. Talliea's fingers smoothed over her wet lips reverently. Her fingers still shook. Arizira reached up and placed a hand on Talliea's wrist to steady her.
Before she could say anything, Talliea bent down and kissed her. The kiss was not long. It was not heated. It was an embrace of love, one meant to verify that Arizira was real, that she was here. Talliea lightly allowed her tongue to glide across her love's bottom lip before pulling away.
"You are here," she said, resting her head against Arizira's. Mint covered her senses. "You are here."
Arizira, her body resting now fully against Talliea's, nodded and smiled. Her head rested against Talliea's chest and the steady thump, thump seemed to heal her more than anything before. Looking up, she said, "We are together."
Talliea smiled. "We are." She felt a sense of calm overcome her. Her inner turmoil from before disappeared and she felt a sudden surge of confidence and certainty that, oddly, assured her.
Her fingers moved across Arizira's neck. Where they touched, a pleasurable tingling sensation shocked pale skin. Arizira glanced down and noticed an eerie light emanating from Talliea's fingers. The touch felt good. It seemed to enhance her senses, awaken her mind, heal her body.
The nature of the sensation, however, was lost to her. She had never felt what she currently was nor had Talliea ever demonstrated such an ability.
"Failira?" she question as her brow furrowed.
Talliea, eyes still full of happy tears, only smiled down at her. "It will not hurt you. Things are more clear to me now. These powers, these gifts -- with you back, I feel I can control it."
Arizira did not know what Talliea meant. Control what? Powers? Gifts? What had happened? How long had she been away? What was going on?
Cynra watched, overjoyed. Somehow, with Arizira's return, Talliea's abilities were stabilizing. She was no longer consumed by grief. Sorrow no longer riddled her insides. She was completely at peace and by extension, her powers were also.
Arizira was the key. Through her, Talliea was able to wield her powers more efficiently, with greater control. Her love -- their love, was the component that brought order to chaos.
Talliea inhaled deeply and smiled down adoringly at Arizira. Her fingers moved down the column of her neck and spread across her collarbone. The same pleasurable tingling passed between them. Arizira moaned softly and a small gasp left her mouth. She kept her eyes locked with Talliea's.
Tan fingers grazed across her sternum before moving back up her neck and toward her face. They slid across the underside of her chin, dipped into the hollow of her neck, spread across her cheeks and shivered their pleasure along her lips. The touch was not necessarily a sexual one, but it did leave Arizira ,as well as Talliea, feeling rather good.
The shocking sensation that accompanied the touch was unlike anything else Arizira had ever experienced. She felt her fatigue being lifted away. Her aches and pains from lying immobile so long dissipated and the faint pain still lingering in her chest was reduced to nothing but a hazy vapor.
The light that was carried with the embrace glowed across Arizira's body. When Talliea cupped the back of her head and threaded her fingers into silvery-gold hair, Arizira moaned again. The tingling moved throughout her skull and caused her eyes to close. She felt numb, yet more full of life than she had ever been.
Talliea leaned over her again and brushed her lips across Arizira’s forehead. A small kiss landed on each of her eyes before Talliea pulled away and the power faded between them.
"Remarkable," Taetylona muttered, her attention rapt and without distraction.
"Beautiful," commented Cynra, a happy smile on her old and worn face.
Arizira opened her eyes slowly and released a shaky breath. Her entire body seemed to hum and her vision was slightly distorted. Talliea stared down at her happily.
"H-how did you...how did you do that?"
Talliea smiled. She playfully moved a single finger down the slope of Arizira's nose. The sensation was brief, the tingling less pronounced, but the effect was the same.
"Magic, love. The same magic that brought you back to me, that created the life you carry now inside of you."
Arizira stopped all action. Her hand moved down her body and landed on her abdomen. How did Talliea know of their baby? Was she okay? Had what happened to Arizira somehow placed their child in jeopardy?
"Is she..."
"She is fine," Talliea reassured her. Her hand settled on top of Arizira's.
"You are...aware of her?"
Again, Talliea nodded. The smile on her face never left. "Cynra told me, but I can feel the baby now."
A single tear rolled down Arizira's cheek. "Does this news make you happy?" she asked.
Licking her lips and feeling her own tears sting her eyes, Talliea laughed and nodded emphatically. "Yes, Ahmanae, this makes me unbelievably happy. A baby..." her fingers wrapped around Arizira's as the two women stared at one another.
"We have much to discuss," Arizira said as the sudden depth of their reality hit her. Many things were different between them now. Different, yet still the same. Better. Enriched.
"We do," Talliea agreed, her tone indicating that she felt no rush.
Cynra and Taetylona shared a quiet look. As one, they gathered one of the packs resting against the wall next to them and silently made their departure. Their roles were far from over. Each of them still had much to talk about with both Talliea and Arizira, but at present all the younger women needed was each other.
They needed to talk first. They needed to be able to express themselves without an audience. Each had matters to discuss with the other: Their time apart, their child, the war, Talliea's powers, Arizira's heritage.
All of these and more needed to be spoken of before Cynra and Taety
lona imparted anything further. So, with one last look at the two happy and oblivious women, they took their leave and allowed the sense of peace Talliea had generated to reside in their hearts.
There was time for everything else...
...Later.
Chapter 14: The Bond
"I am glad they left us alone," Talliea said some time later when she noticed Cynra's and Taetylona's absence.
Arizira wrapped the cloak over her body tighter about herself and smiled. "They will be back, but I am glad to have this time with you."
Smiling herself, Talliea slowly backed away from Arizira. She ensured the other woman was able to sit up on her own and moved to examine the contents of the leather packs that had been left behind. Arizira, though feeling better, was still weary and slightly sore in her joints. She rested her weight against one arm and used the other to keep the thin cloak wrapped over herself.
"I feel as if my mind dreams," Arizira said, watching Talliea remove a variety of foodstuffs from the packs. "So much is still unclear to me, but being able to look at you..."
Talliea stopped in her task and glanced up to meet Arizira's eyes. "I know," she said simply. "Yet I feel as if I have just woken from a nightmare. The places I went when I thought you lost to me..." Tears formed around the corners of Talliea's brown eyes and she shook her head to clear her mind. "They were very dark places, Ari."
Arizira felt her breath catch at the words. She wondered what horrors Talliea had been forced to face alone and what could have been so bad as to lead her to such unforgiving places. There were still gaps in her memory, bits and pieces that still eluded her and brought her confusion and aggravation.
She needed to know what had happened. How had Cynra and Taetylona found them? What had happened to Bela'luin and her other sisters? How much time had passed between her memories?
Talliea made a sound of surprise and triumph before walking back over to where she sat. In her hands, various types of food, both wrapped in cloth and in small clay containers, were held. She sat down next to Arizira and laid out the items between the two of them.