Arranged

by Spears, Jessica

  At that moment, he wanted to kill Shea, slowly and painfully. Preferably, he wanted to strangle every breath out of her until she could no longer speak her poisonous lies. He took a deep breath as he walked her to his Ou'tani. "The dance you are learning...is a traditional dance done at...weddings." he answered, telling her bits and pieces of the truth, leaving out enough not to scare her.

  How could he explain that the very dance she was learning was the traditional Vidarian dance of the Bride? The dance was only danced by the bride at the wedding, it was meant to catch the eye of the groom along with proving herself strong enough to take on the responsibilities of a wife. Alison would be his bride, therefore she would dance for him.

  No other royal wedding had happened this way. When the girls were taken from the surface, they were married, skipping many traditions, from lack of preparation and training. The fact that Alison was almost fluent in the dance meant their bond would be unique from all the others. The thought excited him. He, however, pulled himself from his thoughts of her dancing and back to the situation that Shea had purposely created.

  Alison was silent for a moment and he was sure that he was found out. He steeled himself for her rage, but she didn't yell. "So, I'm going to be dancing at a wedding?"

  He helped her onto the Ou'tani and silently thanked the powers at be that she hadn't fully caught onto the implications of the dance.

  "Yes." he answered, urging the beast forward.

  "Why would they want a human to dance at a wedding."

  Qwinn frowned at her comment. "Why wouldn't they? You are a great dancer."

  She was silent for a moment and he wished he could see her face. When she didn't answer, he let the subject drop, wondering exactly where he had planned to take her in the first place. Suddenly an idea hit him and he turned the animal in the opposite direction, urging it faster. Alison gripped the saddle they were on tighter and he laughed, urging it even faster. She cried out slightly. After a moment, she became accustomed to the speed and put her arms out; trying to catch the wind as they galloped. Qwinn laughed and settled his hands on her waist, making sure she was secure and didn't fall.

  Alison stilled for a moment but relaxed, enjoying the thrill of speed. Sooner than he would have liked, they had reached the edge of the forest, and Alison's smile was gone. "What are we doing here?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Don't worry, this part of the forest is always deserted." he reassured her, helping her down so that they could take it on foot from there on.

  He tied his Ou'tani and took her hand. Her big eyes took in her surroundings with a mixture of fear and wonder. The trees in the forest were huge and the moss and vines hanging from them glowed with a warm green light. He led her through them, following a path that she probably couldn't see in the dark with her human eyes.

  She stuck close to him, stepping where he stepped, moving how he moved. Soon they were climbing up the side of the cavern, the stonewall jutting out in certain places that made it manageable to climb. The climb was steep and at places seemed like a cliff wall. He moved slowly so that she could easily follow his foot and hand holds. Soon they were high enough that they could see over all of Vidar. When he reached the ledge of the cave they were headed for, he offered his hand to her, pulling her up the last few feet.

  She turned and admired the view with awe. "Your kingdom is beautiful," she gasped, sitting along the ledge and letting her feet dangle off the side.

  He joined her and looked out over his land. Their land. They could see the town through the trees, then past them the large wall that kept the forest out and his people safe. The forest stretched on for miles. When the elders had expanded the cavern, they had made sure that his people would always have enough room to grow. Once the Torin were out of the picture, he would make sure Alison had a proper place to live and explore to her heart's content. Soon, this would be her kingdom also. Perhaps he should ask for her hand? He turned to speak then noticed the sad smile on her lips.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

  She shook her head and looked down at her hands. "I miss the sun," she said softly. "I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me...I just wish there were a way I could see it again."

  Qwinn fought the guilt that was threatening to rise in him. Instead he stood, offering his hand. "Come with me, I may not be able to give you the sun, but I can give you many other things that the surface has never seen."

  She stood, searching his eyes with hope and uncertainty. He began to pull her towards the cave when she froze. "We're not going in there, are we?"

  "I'm going to show you something that not many Vidarian's know about." They entered the pitch-black, open gaping hole of the cave mouth and walked through for a few minutes before Qwinn took a sharp turn and parted a wall of moss to expose a secret tunnel. The only way that Alison could see this was because the moss glowed.

  He pulled her through, keeping a hold of her hand. He could tell that she was unsure about this, but curious. They walked in darkness for a moment and her grip on his hand tightened. He pulled her closer, his arm going around her waist to make sure that the uneven ground didn't trip her.

  The smell of her was beginning to intoxicate him when they finally reached the end of the dark tunnel. He parted another wall of moss; they were deep in the cave now. He pulled her through into another cavern. This one had a low ceiling, at least for him, who was a head taller than she was. He watched with satisfaction as she looked around in stunned silence.

  The walls of the cavern glittered, even more than the room of the baths at the palace. It almost looked as though the walls were shimmering and moving. The movement was due to the reflection of the pools below. There were many pools, some as small as puddles, others as large as a pond, each held their own color. The pool closest to the entrance was a beautiful glowing shell pink that smelled of flowers. Alison walked slowly toward it and dipped her toe it, smiling as the ripples turned the pool blue. Once the water settled, it turned back to pink. She dipped her toe again with a smile. Qwinn came up beside her, "I come here when I need to escape for a while."

  SHE STUDIED HIM FOR A MOMENT THOUGHTFULLY BEFORE TURNING back to the water and moving to another puddle, this one a bright yellow. When she touched it, it didn't change until the water settled again, turning it a slight green. Almost immediately, she went to the next pool, dipping her toe in the warm water and turning the dark blue pool into a shimmer of gold. As she hurried to another, Qwinn's reflexes kicked into gear and he grabbed her away before she dipped her toe in. When she looked at him in confusion, he explained, "Don't touch the red pools...trust me."

  She looked again at the puddle she had almost touched. The red water seemed to have steam coming from it. She shuddered and nodded, asking no questions as she carefully avoided it.

  She eventually wandered to the large pool, which was the color of green scales that shimmered with the ceiling light. She bent and touched a finger to the water, the whole pool turning beautiful lavender. She laughed as a warm tingle raced up her arm. Suddenly she heard a scuffle of rocks but before she could realize what was happening, Qwinn had dove into the pool, causing a huge splash to form and soak her.

  She screamed in surprise and when he surfaced with a wicked grin on his face, without hesitation, she splashed him. He went under again and disappeared below the surface, popping up a few inches from her face. She fell back in surprise and held out her arm to protect her face as he threatened to splash her again, instead of splash, he grabbed her out-held arm and pulled her in with him. She screamed before she hit the water and went under.

  When she surfaced, he was laughing. She growled playfully and threw a handful of warm lavender water at him as she tried to get out. He grabbed her again, pulling her farther into the pool. "Naliya tells me you are a good swimmer," he commented.

  She turned to him, "I am."

  "Prove it," he dared her. "Touch the bottom of the pool."

  She looked down into the wat
er; the lavender was shimmery but cloudy enough that she couldn't see past her waist. He waited, the challenge in the air. Before anything else could be said, she sucked in a deep breath, flipped and went under.

  Qwinn was surprised, but waited patiently for her to resurface. She hadn't bothered to ask him how deep the pool was before she dove.

  Bubbles popped at the surface where she had been and the more time went by, the more anxious he became. When the bubbles stopped appearing he wasted no time in diving in, determined to save her.

  He found her about seven feet from the surface, struggling to swim back up. It was obvious that she had run out of air and was running out of energy; he was surprised she had swum that far. Immediately, he wrapped an arm around her waist and began to swim for the surface with his free arm. With his strength, they reached the surface within seconds. She coughed as they breached the water, and gulped in air greedily. He kept a hold of her, brushing her wet hair from her face as she breathed.

  After she had calmed enough to focus, she looked up, realizing just how close they were. He marveled at how her cheeks colored because of him. For a moment, he felt proud. He smiled kindly at her, still keeping his grip, holding them both up in the water easily. "All of these years I have not managed to touch the bottom and I can hold my breath for ten minutes."

  Her eyes grew wide then she hit him hard on the arm. "You should have told me!" She eyed the water wearily.

  He laughed deeply, tucking a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "To be honest, I didn't think you would do it."

  Her breath stilled at his touch.

  In an instant, his eyes dropped to her soft mouth. He had been dreaming of kissing her since she had arrived in Vidar, now that the opportunity presented itself, he wondered if he should take it or if he would be taking advantage of her. She swallowed hard as she waited. He wondered if she would be repulsed if he kissed her. She licked her lips, her green eyes staring up at him with a mixture of fear and excitement. His heart raced. He was almost certain she was thinking the same thing he was.

  Before he could stop himself, he cupped her cheek and guided her face closer. Her eyelids fluttered closed and her smell filled his nostrils. She smelt like honey and cinnamon. When his lips touched hers, time froze. For a moment, the only two beings in the entire world were them. Everything was right. He pulled her in tighter, his lips gently exploring hers. She was so soft against him. To his surprise, she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. He was certain that she could feel his heart trying to burst from his ribcage and if he concentrated enough, he could feel hers hammering against his chest where she was pressed.

  Their kiss lasted an eternity, yet only seconds. When she pulled back shyly, lowering her eyes and turning as red as a rose, he could still feel her lips warm against his. For a long moment, he wasn't even able to find his voice, he had never experienced a kiss like that before. He found that not only did he want another, but also he was still holding her very closely.

  Reining in on his desire for another taste, he slowly released her. It must have been the hardest thing he'd ever done.

  His body screamed in objection as he only now lightly held her arm, leading her through the water and to the shore.

  She climbed out and sat on the shore, not quite able to meet his eye. He sat next to her on, studying her and trying desperately to see into her mind. His lips still tingled and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into another embrace then he realized that he might have done exactly what he had feared. He had scared her off, "Look...I didn't mean to take advantage of you...if I've made you uncomfortable−"

  She shook her head, silencing him. Her eyes touched his for a moment, shyly, before retreating once more. "Why did you kiss me?"

  He blinked in surprise. Wasn't it obvious that he cared for her? Perhaps, just like him, she needed to hear the words. "I care for you."

  Shock and joy fought for dominance on her face. She laughed nervously and hid her face beneath a curtain of hair. Qwinn cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. He didn't like that she was so insecure with herself. "I like you," he repeated

  She blushed but didn't look away. He had never felt this nervous or alive, not even when he'd battled enemies. Her lip quivered slightly and as he held her face he could feel her pulse jumping. "I-I care for you too."

  Relief washed over him so violently that he literally let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. She smiled, impulsively throwing her arms around him and hugging him, burying her face in his shoulder. He laughed and held her close, realizing that he might actually be able to get away with asking for her hand in marriage without her ever knowing otherwise.

  After a moment of lingering, they pulled themselves out of the water and headed for the mouth of the cave. Qwinn kept a hold of her hand, but this time was different. He was aware of her touch even more than before, if that were even possible. They walked in compatible silence through the moss and out to the mouth of the cave with the breath taking view of the glowing city.

  Through the Alimbra in the ceiling of the cavern, Qwinn could see that the sun was beginning to rise. Alison covered a yawn as she waited for him to begin the climb down. As the adrenaline of his confession and her revelation was leaving him, he realized that he too was tired. "Perhaps we should camp here?"

  Alison looked around skeptically and he smiled. "Wait here," he said as he hurried back into the cave.

  He followed the cave back, but instead of turning into the wall of moss, he turned the opposite direction, where there was a nook in the wall, just big enough to keep a travel bag. Qwinn came here to get away and often stayed the morning, so he was well prepared. He carried the travel bag with him back to the mouth of the cave. Alison was sitting along the edge of the cave floor, dangling her feet over the side of the cliff. He put the bag down, fishing out a blanket and wrapping it around her wet shoulders.

  She accepted it thankfully and wrapped it tighter around her shoulders. He felt like a fool for forgetting how fragile humans were, she was still wet and it was chilly. "I'll find wood for a fire," he said, as he began to climb down.

  "Please be careful."

  He smiled up at her as he climbed quickly. He didn't want to leave her alone for too long, not because he didn't trust her, but because he wanted to protect her. He also wanted to know what was going on in her mind, they hadn't spoke since their confessions and he was growing anxious. Yet, from her kiss, he was still flying high. She cared for him, which was one-step closer to loving him. He gathered wood, looking for things that were dry and weren't damp from the ground.

  Though it never rained in Vidar, the energy from Ahanu made the crops grow, it was almost as if the water came up from the ground. Finding dry wood would be difficult. He hurried through the forest, not spending too much time in one spot or another. When he had gathered enough logs, he hurried back to the cave. It was awkward to climb with only one hand, but he managed well.

  When he reached the cave at first he didn't see Alison. For a moment, fear raced through him, turning his blood cold, and then he spotted her, in the shadows. She was curled in a ball beneath the blanket, already asleep. He smiled softly as he hurriedly built a fire, close enough to her so that she could be warmer but not burnt.

  When the flame was acceptable, he sat against the cave wall, never far from Alison. As the fire crackled, he watched her for a moment; she seemed so content.

  As the sun rose and the light revealed Vidar, he looked out across his kingdom and hoped beyond all hope that Alison was ready to rule by his side because in less than a week, she would be his queen.

  ALISON WOKE IN A CONFUSED FOG. That fog lifted when she realized that she was resting her head on Qwinn's lap, who was resting his head back against the cave wall, breathing deeply with sleep. She slowly lifted sat up, looking around to find that they were indeed still in the cave. She smiled to herself as she remembered the pleasant discovery they'd made the night before. He cared for her. Again, her heart s
kipped at the mere thought.

  After a moment, her eyes fell to the few red embers of what was once a fire. She shivered in the evening cool. The sun was setting, she could tell through the bubble in the ceiling of the cavern. As she looked around, she noticed a small pile of wood. Moving slowly, so as not to wake him, she crawled to the pile and added a few logs to the fire. She had never done this before; the servants had always taken care of the fires in the house, so she mimicked them and hoped she was doing it right. She bent down, quite unladylike, and blew gently on the coals.

  To her relief, the logs caught fire and a wave of warmth washed over her. She scooted as close as she dare and soaked in the heat, grateful to find her clothes fully dried from her swim.

  "You must be hungry," a groggy voice sounded, causing her to jump. She had tried to be quiet. He smiled at her and she fought the urge to blush, which was useless. The blush heated her cheeks anyway.

  "We should leave, before they send a search party for us," he said, chuckling slightly but making no move to get up. Instead, he simply watched her over the flames of the fire. She wrapped the blanket more around herself.

  "How did you find this place?" she asked, filling the silence.

  He looked around the cave. "When we were first...exiled down here, we had to search for ground that we could use to farm. I was much younger, however, my father allowed me to help with the search for good soil. The forest on the north side of the city is mostly uninhabited by anything dangerous. Why? We don't know. That's just the way it is." He ran a hand through his dreads, continuing with the story. "While I was searching, I found a few nooks in the rock that could serve for foot holes." His dark eyes met Alison's as he smiled. "Needless to say the search bored me, so I climbed. Adalia, followed, though I didn't know it at the time. I reached the cave and followed it back. There was nothing spectacular about it. Just a cave." His eyes lit more with the fire. His excitement was contagious.