by Kenna Bardot
I shook my head even as I winced. "No. I want to start this journey with you. The pain feels right, like it's testing to see if I deserve whatever changes I've been blessed with." I cast my eyes around the room, noting how different everything looked, how with the hands on me, everything felt different. I’d thought the same when they’d been inside me, but standing, it highlighted the change even more.
Because it pulsed there - in the air.
"Things are different now and continue to evolve and shift. This feels right, standing and meeting it head on. I will not meet my first day moving out of Sylfedom lying down. I will do it with my chin up." I reached up and patted the arms holding me up.
Ryle tightened his grip, and his golden eyes met mine. "No. You might fall."
I rubbed his arm and patted it softly. "Ryle, please. You can't protect me from everything, but thank you. Shep, you too, please."
Shep gave my hand a squeeze before letting go. I sent him a grateful smile before turning my gaze back towards Ryle. "Ryle Karfi." He sighed and gave my temple a kiss before letting me go. I almost collapsed as the pain of standing upright on my own overwhelmed me, but I gritted my teeth and nodded. "Let's go."
"Can we at least hold your hand or your elbow, Mireyah?" Hollis stepped into my view, holding out his hand. "How do we call you? Kald? Majele? Majele-Kald? Kald-Majele?"
"I'm not very comfortable calling her a Majele," Shep ground out through gritted teeth. "Perhaps she could just be a Kald. Since she's more bronze than blue."
I carefully watched my feet. One step before the other in a great amount of effort, but I chuckled at Shep's jealousy. "I'm pretty blue, Shephard. Majele-Kald sounds logical, actually. Although I wish I could have been a color any of you possess.”
"How about we not talk about it at this moment?" Hollis spoke up beside me with a falsely cheerful smile. Talk about jealousy. I shrugged, which cost me a great deal of pain, but before I could say anything else, we reached the front door and stepped out into the midday sunlight.
Colm stood there in a line with the rest of the Gods who, like me, were tattooed. My Sylfe-Ascended professors, who had helped me in my journey. The journey that had ended with me there, with my five as my Sires. Before any of us could speak, I heard a strangled sound come from the side. I whipped my head towards it and saw blue.
Lathyn stepped forward and from behind him, Colm rubbed at his temple in circles. "Lathyn, I told you waiting wouldn't be a good idea."
"I wanted to say goodbye, Colm. Accept that this was not my match to win." He stepped forward and into my space, and I felt my men stiffen beside me.
I raised a hand to stop them from reacting. I whispered, "Please."
I took one step forward and smiled at Lathyn. "I'm sorry, Lathyn. I wish I hadn’t had to hurt you.”
He nodded and reached out a hand to touch my hair. The part of it that was blue. More muted than his, but still the same tone of blue - Majele blue. "I am happy for you, Mireyah. I meant what I said when I said that I would do my best to make you happy had you somehow ended with me instead. However, I am happy that you got what you most wanted." He closed his eyes as his hand dropped to his side. "But did you really have to have my fucking color?"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" he cut me off with a raised hand as he turned away.
"It's not your fault. I wish you well." He walked off and nodded to Colm and the other teachers. "Colm."
"Lathyn." Colm watched after him and sighed sadly as he did so but the moment he turned to me, any trace of sadness was gone. "Mireyah Kald? Majele? Congratulations. May your path take you towards happiness."
"Thanks, Colm!" I launched myself towards him as best as I could with my rusty-feeling limbs and gave him a tight squeeze around the neck. "I wouldn’t have survived everything so well without you so thank you."
“Sure,” he mumbled, but his arms tightened around me.
I sprang back from him, momentarily forgetting how painful my joints were but being reminded by them barely a moment later. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at my five. "No. Jealousy doesn't feel right at this moment. Not when you all just Sired me."
"You're right." Charolais interjected before Shep could say anything. "Time to go to Demiorgo."
I nodded as I thought of Lysandra. I would likely never see her again, and I wished I could have told her how much I loved and respected her. How much Sylfeshire had been bearable because of her too. I thought of Astraea and how I shared colors with her Oryn and how I was excited to see her Ascend too. Of Theo, hoping I would eventually see him Sired and a God in his own right.
I turned back to Colm for a moment. “Tell Aes and Lys I love them?”
“Of course,” he nodded.
But at that moment, my thoughts were on my men. On the lives we would start together
Hollis walked forward and gave my hand a kiss. "It won't be easy just as our lives haven't been easy."
“That’s okay. I have all of you to see me through.”
Sired is coming in July! Pre-order here!