by Aaron Hicks
Uktesh sighed and said, “Yep, and there’s no way around it. All we can do it ask her to open a door.”
Laurilli propped herself up with her arms and asked, “By ‘ask her to open a door,’ you mean ask her if it’s okay for us to get married early?”
He nodded and said, “Yep.”
Laurilli said, “I think we should wait until after the play to ask. I don’t like how everyone keeps telling you to ‘break a leg.’ Maybe they know something about the Afflicted fight that we don’t. This is the island where the dragons train. And the Beast is a dragon. Maybe on this island the hero loses.” She gasped, “That explains why they asked me if you knew how to fight.”
“Well they’ll be in for a shock. I guess I need to condition back to full strength, but speaking of that we should eat something.”
“Yeah,” she said and stretched on the bed, she arched her back to the point where he could see her ribs clearly. She sighed in relief when something popped in her back, “I’m hungry now, and even more thirsty.”
“If you keep stretching like that I won’t be able to wait until we ask permission. I’ll find a priest and get us hitched today if need be.”
“Oh you mean, don’t stretch like this?” she asked coyly just before she stretched her back again. This time she kept her eyes on him.
Uktesh Rushed passed the corner of the bed and Rushed a second time to her side. Before she could roll away, he hooked one of his arms under her back and one under her knees and lifted her off the bed. She reached behind his head and pulled his mouth to hers. He trailed his mouth along her jaw until he got to her earlobe and gently bit it before moving down her neck to her collarbone. She started to breathe heavily and as he moved across her collarbone with his lips she grabbed his hair and pulled him off her. “Not fair!” Laurilli said breathlessly.
Uktesh was breathing hard and said, “I didn’t even get to finish! I was going to lick up to your chin and then see where we were at that point.”
Laurilli made a disgusted face and asked, “Lick?”
Uktesh nodded in earnest, “Yeah. Before I did it would you have thought me biting your ear would feel good?”
She frowned in thought and after a moment said, “No, I would not have thought that.”
Uktesh nodded and asked, “Was it good?”
“So good! But you need to stop watching people make out on the beach,” Laurilli accused.
Uktesh laughed and said, “I know! Those people called me ‘McCreeperson,’ but I think they were from Arme, and I didn’t really care. I’m done watching for a while, but I’m not even close to being done with all the stuff I saw.”
Laurilli asked, “When did you see this? I’ve been with you almost constantly.”
Uktesh said, “You were showing Esolc and Repus how to run during the first few days here, when I still couldn’t run. Esolc and Repus were running for a while before they saw me standing there with my jaw hanging somewhere near my feet. They yelled at me and left the beach.”
Laurilli laughed and asked, “You mean you weren’t making fun of them?”
Uktesh shook his head and said, “No, I’d just witnessed something private, but on a beach, so I was shocked. They saw me, called me ‘McCreeperson’ and left the beach. I guess I was still replaying what I’d seen in my mind when Esolc and Repus jogged up.”
Laurilli said, “They thought you were making fun of them. I’m ready for food, and you can apologize to them at dinner.”
They left their house and Laurilli locked the door after them. As they walked to the food area, Uktesh was mentally going over what he’d just learned and trying not to be distracted by the memory of how soft Laurilli’s lips felt against his. Heathyr, Esolc, and Repus were still sitting and talking when they arrived. Esolc noticed them first and said, “Well, the practicing heroes return. Was it a successful session?”
Uktesh nodded and said, “Yep. I also learned that you thought I was making fun of you when you were first learning how to jog in the Beletarian style. I wasn’t. I was shocked by something I’d seen other people doing. As I was still new to the island, lots of things were still shocking me. So I just wanted to apologize for any misunderstanding that you may have about it.
Repus said, “No problem. We thought about it and realized that your mind was clearly elsewhere.
Esolc added, “But we enjoyed the break it gave us from endless running.”
Uktesh and Li got food and drinks and rejoined the group. They ate quickly while they tried to ignore the questions about how successful their play practice was. Heathyr brought that to an end when she asked, “Are you three going to be late for rehearsal? We’ve already established that my lines are ‘snarl, growl, and roar.’ Repus is just helping with the set because he wants to be near Leilani, but you three have lines and will be noticed if you’re late.”
Esolc said, “We still have some time, but we should start heading that way.”
Uktesh quickly finished the food on his plate and drank the rest of his berry juice, before he gathered up his and Laurilli’s plates and cups and put them in the dirty dish bin for the staff to clean.
They walked across the pool area and along the path for a few minutes in comfortable silence. Soon they reached the entrance to the amphitheater where the play would be held. As they walked down the steps toward the stage they saw topless men and women running around building the set and setting up mirrors around candles to add light without adding heat.
Laurilli stayed with Uktesh and he felt his face begin to heat as he remembered the conversation they’d had at breakfast. His eyes began to search the sky for anything in order to not look at the women who were right in front of him.
Leilani walked up to him and said, “I heard ya had a surprise during yar swim.”
“Yeah, it was quite exciting, but remind me to tell you about the time Laurilli and I tried to steal the honey from a hive of humming bees. Even though we ended up getting the honey I don’t think anyone would consider us victorious in our endeavor.”
Leilani asked Laurilli, “Seriously he stole honey from humming bees? I didn’t think dat was possible.”
Laurilli said, “Oh it’s possible, it just is not possible to do it without injury.”
Leilani said expectantly, “We probably have some time befare da director shows up. Tell me as much of da story as ya can befare he shows up.”
Laurilli almost visibly switched into a story-telling mode, “Okay, to understand why we were trying to attempt this you first have to understand that where we come from we had a business we created called ‘Laurilli and Uktesh’s Heroes for Hire.’”
Uktesh interjected, “‘Uktesh and Laurilli’s Heroes for Hire.’”
Leilani asked, “Like what ya do here right?”
Laurilli nodded and continued, “Back then, though, pretty much all we did was job’s that other people didn’t want, as long as we agreed to the price. Later we added that we had to make sure the person asking truly didn’t need what they wanted us to get rid of.”
Leilani asked, “What do ya mean by dat?”
Uktesh cut in, “Sometimes people thought they had one problem, when they really had two, and the problem they were noticing was suppressing the second more annoying problem.” Uktesh saw by her blank stare that she didn’t get it so he added, “Like once a lady asked us to get rid of a lickmutt cause she kept finding it in her house. Now, we didn’t kill it, cause lickmutts are essentially the sweetest Afflicted animal ever created.”
Laurilli interjected, “Puff puffs.”
Uktesh mock glared at her, “Okay puff puffs, which are basically balls of soft fur, are the sweetest Afflicted animal.” He turned to Leilani, “this lickmutt, however, had been eating a colony of fire ants, because while the oil on the fire ant burn us they’re basically a healthy drug for lickmutts. The fire ants had made their home under the ladies house. After we removed the lickmutt she woke one night to find herself covered in fire ants. She then rehired us
to get the lickmutt back and now she happily owns it as a pet.” Uktesh thought about the length of his reply and said, “To give a long explanation of a short question.”
Laurilli frowned, not pleased that her storytelling had been interrupted. “Once both conditions were met we would do as they asked. It’s kind of like how we have it here, except instead of a board where people posted jobs, people would come to us personally and ask. You see our, village is much smaller than this community and the amount of jobs that we had were never too overwhelming for the two of us. Here, however, if we were to try to speak to people individually about the jobs they requested, it would take too long to talk to everyone.”
“So we had just finished a job a few days prior and were practicing our sword fighting behind our house when a woman came to our door. She was twenty-two and unmarried, which where we are from is fairly old to still be unwed. She told us that her fiancée had been courting her since she was sixteen and her parents had agreed to allow the union but his parents had forbidden him to marry her. She said that her fiancée loved her truly and had argued for weeks with his parents until finally they agreed that if she was able to bring them a jar of humming-bee honey they would allow him to marry her.”
“This was a task that they knew she could not fulfill; however, they had not yet heard of our Heroes for Hire business, so while they were smugly congratulating themselves she was walking from her village over to ours. She told us that her parents-in-law to be owned a humming-bee hive, but she hadn’t been able to figure out how to get the honey from the bees. Her task was to get a jar of honey from her future parents-in-law’s honeycomb.”
Leilani said, “Dat’s awful ta do dat ta yer own son much less, ta a woman dat he loves.”
“Right,” Uktesh said. “That’s why we agreed to do this for her, but first we had to discuss payment. Her family didn’t have a lot of money and they were only able to grow enough food for themselves. They didn’t even own anything valuable. So when we asked her what she was going to offer for payment she told us that if we did this for her not only could we take as much honey as we wanted, but she would also name her first child after either myself or Laurilli. We were pretty foolish at the time, and to be honest still are, but we thought that was a great deal.”
Suddenly Holyt, the director of the play, cried out, “Everyone gather around!”
Holyt owed the resort where the group lived. He was exceedingly rich but did not seem to hoard his money. His way of sharing it was by being generous with his staff. For his guests he put on extravagant plays and other types of entertainment, like the bonfire scheduled for that night. He was not a native of the Isle de Tramonto, but he had married into a family with a good-sized bit of land and started the resort. Then he started buying more land. Uktesh guessed that he was somewhere in his seventies, but even still he was in good shape from all the swimming that he enjoyed doing. He was nearly six feet tall and had thinning gray hair, but but his eyes still held laughter and intelligence.
“To be continued,” Uktesh said.
“I guess it will be” Leilani replied.
“Okay everyone, today we are going to be rehearsing Act Two, Scene Three. This is the most important scene of the play. It’s the scene where Rankanto, played by our talented Uktesh, is going off to fight the dragon!”
The crowd responded with a cheer that Uktesh found ominous. Perhaps, here, at the home of the dragons he was the villain and the dragon would win in the end.
Laurilli, Leilani, and Curiel took their spots on stage and Holyt said, “Action!”
Offstage, Uktesh hit a block of wood against a post twice, as if he were knocking on their door, but loud enough that could be heard at the back of the theater.
Curiel said, “Who goes d’ere!”
Uktesh said, “I, Renkanto, am here to beseech thee for thy daughter’s fair hand in marriage!”
Laurilli ran next to Curiel and said, “Father, pray let him in from the cold of the night! Our hearth is warm and there is a foul chill about the air this night.”
Curiel said, “Very well, get thee inside, befare I change my mind!”
Uktesh hurried onstage and rushed to Laurilli, “Jemysha, my love, I’ve come for thee!”
Laurilli said, “I waited for thee, though thou took long to arrive.”
Uktesh said, “I had to fight and distinguish myself or thy father would not have agreed for thee to be mine.” Uktesh looked out to where the audience would be and said with conspirity, “It took longer than I expected!”
Curiel said, “Thou hast completed thy second task, but thy third task will be da greatest!”
Uktesh put his hand to his sword, and shouted, “Thou hast lied again! Thou first spake, kill me the Grundle that doth threaten my home. I did so and, then thou said, that my name was unknown and that I must become known throughout the land for mighty deeds in war, which I have done. Forsooth I say one more task and be done, or feel the bite of mine sword!”
“I have but one last task for thee, ta slay da dragon dat threatens all of da realm.”
Uktesh scowled at Curiel and said, “Thou jest too much! None can fight that foul beast and live!”
Curiel sneered at Uktesh, “Thou wishest for my daughter, fairest in the land, with a voice akin to an angels, and a mind as sharp as thine own sword. She be three kinds of beautiful, so three tasks thou must complete!”
Uktesh took Laurilli’s hands in his own, “Fie, but I cannot live without thee, my Jemysha. Thou art truly the greatest jewel to be found. If I am to live without thee, then I say the cold embrace of Death himself would be preferable!”
Curiel said, “Thou hast decided ta face da Beast for mine daughter’s hand in marriage?”
“I have. I will slay the Beast and prove my worth to thee and thine kin,” Uktesh said and stood to his full height and took three steps away from Laurilli to look Curiel in the eyes, but more importantly to be the right distance for what he and Laurilli had practiced.
Curiel said, “Thou hast mine blessing in dis, shouldst thou defeat da Beast thy wish will be granted.”
Laurilli stepped forward as he stepped toward her. He swung her across his body and held her in his arms. She linked her arms behind his head as she kissed him. He lost himself in her embrace, only remembering the play when she tapped his neck with her fingers. He lifted her up and Laurilli said breathlessly, “Fare thee well mine love. May the love we share guide and protect thee,” Both her hands held his face as she kissed him again.
Uktesh had to swallow before he could say, “With this kiss I know that no arrow will pierce my armor, nor sword my skin, nor fear my heart. I will come back for thee. Wait for me. I will come for thee.”
“I will always wait for thee,” Laurilli said.
That was the end of the scene, but the curtain didn’t drop and no one said a word. When Uktesh looked out he saw that everyone had stopped working or memorizing lines. Some people had stopped eating mid-bite of a sandwich. They stared at Uktesh and Laurilli until Holyt stood up and started clapping. Soon everyone was clapping, whistling, and cheering. Holyt walked up to the stage and said, “Now! That was a kiss that surely could stop arrows! I pronounce this scene,” he paused for effect, “perfect!” He raise a finger and circled it quickly above his head once and shouted, “Next scene! Act Three, Scene One! Tell me my dragon’s ready!”
People rushed up to congratulate Uktesh and Laurilli and change the scenery. Uktesh took a seat and Laurilli joined him as the stage was changed from a home to a cave. Laurilli took his hand and said, “I think we shocked them.”
Uktesh said, “You were amazing! I was probably just going to keep kissing you, but you were able to remember the play, and your lines!”
Laurilli said, “Well I would guess that neither of us know how long that kiss truly was, but I would also guess neither too long, nor too short.”
Heathyr, partially dressed as the dragon came over and said, “I’m now thinking about our sleeping arrangem
ents and that they probably need to change.”
Laurilli said, “But you’re wise enough to know that telling us we can’t do something would probably make us want to do it,” she laughed, “pun not intended, all the more. Plus you probably don’t want to show that you distrust Uktesh’s word that much.” Heathyr put on the rest of her costume with a growl that could’ve been for Laurilli or practice in being a dragon.
Uktesh said, “I don’t think you should’ve said the trust thing. You may have gone too far in your manipulation.”
Laurilli nodded, and said, “You’re probably right.” She snuggled against him and said, “My fiancée is so nice, and sensitive, and observant and I think I’m going to have to fight off these island girls with a stick.”
Uktesh mumbled, “Or just start dressing like them.” He felt her freeze against him so he laughed and said, “I’m kidding, only kidding, I don’t want anyone but me seeing your-” he cleared his throat, “you with their style of clothing.”
“Nice save,” Li mumbled sarcastically into his chest. He knew that she had again earned her nickname, as he knew she was lying. That it had been a very poor save.
Act Three, Scene One didn’t have either of them in it so they sat back and enjoyed the show. When Holyt called for the next scene Pamfilo reminded him gently of the bonfire. Holyt called an end to the rehearsal and Uktesh muttered, “Again, the fight with the dragon is skipped.” Once Repus, Leilani, Esolc, Pamfilo, and Heathyr joined Uktesh and Laurilli and they left to go to the bonfire on the beach.
Uktesh saw a large pile of wood stacked in a cone. The resort staff had already begun the process of setting it ablaze when they found a long log that had enough room for all seven of them.
Guy was talking frantically to one of the staff setting up the bonfire. He noticed them and headed their way, “’Ave you seen my wife?”
Uktesh said, “Guy? No? We thought we’d see you and Annabeth here?”
Guy said, “She wanted to explore, but I am not as young as I once was. I walked with ‘er to ze shops, but after several ‘ours of shopping I was too tired to continue. She wanted to explore more, so I told ‘er I would take ze bags back to our ‘ouse, and wait for ‘er to return. Zat was ‘ours ago. I came ‘ere to see if she would ‘ere, but alas she is not”