by Melanie Ray
Then again, maybe he's changed? Ezra's reasoned. It's been awhile since they'd been kids, maybe he'd loosened up?
"Muin married Zaria?! She's not even 300 yet. That girl has no idea what she just did," Yed bellowed through the door.
Never mind that thought. Ezra groaned, if he was upset when Xiam told him about Muin, he wasn't going to be tickled pink at what she did. She heard Xiam switch conversation subject, asking him why he was here.
“Work. I’ve been assigned to someone in the area and I bet you know her.”
Oh no. Her, was it really her?
“Ezra?” Xiam's voice groaned. “Well, normally she’d be thrilled to see you, but now isn’t a good time, something bad happened.
Gee, thanks Xiam, spill it all, Ezra thought angrily.
"How so?" Yed's voice sounded curious. "Is everything alright?"
That's it, she couldn't let Xiam tell him. Ezra came from behind the door and appeared in front of Yed. "Xiam, who is it?" She faked dumbness, not knowing quite how to act yet.
"Can't you tell who it is?" Xiam smiled at her. "It's Yed."
"Hi." Yed smiled. "I’ve got great news, I've been appointed to protect you. Yeah, got all the paperwork out of the way myself."
Ezra didn't look comfortable as she shifted her feet and rubbed her left elbow. "I guess so." Oh geez, that was lame.
"Sorry about her bashfulness, your timing's just off." Xiam hid his hand beside his mouth and spoke softly to Yed. "You already missed out."
Ezra gawked at her brother as he said that and ducked quickly back inside. Couldn't she tell him in her own way before her brother blubbered it out?
She headed to the kitchen to fix a sandwich, she had to keep her hands busy.
"Ezra?" Yed's voice came from behind her. No doubt Xiam invited him inside, did he tell him too?
"I don't have room. I mean, prepared. I don’t have a room prepared." Ezra cursed herself as she heard her jumbled words.
"I'll help." Yed went over closer to her. "You okay Ezzy?"
"Fine." Ezra lied.
"Liar." Yed leaned against her table. "Come on, I’m not clueless. Did it have to do with what Xiam said? It's okay, everyone slips up every now and then. You learn from your mistakes. If you never make any, what do you learn from?"
Ezra looked at Yed oddly. This was no mere mistake; this was huge. She had been taught so many times what to do with males pursuing her that he should be showing great disappointment in her. “I still don't remember what happened." She moved away from the table. "I was in Vallencio's waiting for someone and then the next thing I know I'm in an alleyway and-" She stopped her sentence right there not wanting to say anything more.
"...It happens Ezra." Yed spoke in a soft tone.
"It shouldn't have," Ezra said, glancing briefly at Yed. She wished he would just yell, but he had chosen to be sensitive? Knowing him, he would probably wait until she felt more at ease, and then let her have it. Yed was a great guy and easy to get along with for those who knew him, but he was blunt and uncaring to those he didn’t know or felt cross with. "I've been taking pills to keep me in check every year. I never missed one, and it shouldn't have gotten out of hand. Why did they mess up and why wouldn't I remember? I mean, I’m sorry, I...ugh.”
"It's fine, I deal with it all the time." Yed smiled at her. "Don't worry! Now that I'm here, whatever happened, it won't ever happen again."
"Just the timing." Ezra looked over at Yed. "You don't think that maybe the King had-"
"The King's got way more important things on his mind!" Yed quickly interrupted for some reason. "What would one thing like this accomplish? It's fine, okay? It was a mistake, move on."
Ezra didn’t agree. "He brought some others around before." She looked over at Yed and asked the biggest question she needed to know. "What if the guy at the restaurant had no corrupted lineage? What if I was setup?"
"Don't think that way." Yed waved it off. “The King would never do that, it was an accident! Chances are you’ll never see this guy again, and you can work on getting past this.”
Ezra nodded. "I hope you're right." She scratched her forehead not knowing what she’d do if she saw the guy walking down the street. “That dark green jacket and those clothes and that voice.” She covered her eyes for a moment. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”
"You know it’s been forever since I’ve seen little Muin. What do you say we go see her and meet-" Yed had interrupted her sentence. “That guy.”
“You mean Zaria?" Ezra forgave his interruption, even welcomed the subject change. "He's not such a bad guy."
"She's not even 300." Yed mumbled and half glared at a wall. Ezra knew him well enough to know what was going on his mind. Muin should have been at least 400 before pursuing any kind of partnership with a male, let alone marriage. “She’s way too young.”
"Xiam is only a few years older." Ezra stood up for her sister.
"Yeah but that's different. He's male, he can't be bagged." Yed disagreed. "How old is this guy who has no respect for the age tradition?"
Ezra sighed. "Muin's not the same little girl you used to know Yed, she grew up just like I did."
"Oh, I hope not," Yed winced.
"Not with so much boy trouble," Ezra chuckled. At a young age Ezra had a strong pheromone scent which attracted trouble from her whole block. Her sister had been fortunate to be blessed with weaker attractants. "She did grow up though and Zaria's a real nice guy. You'll probably like him if you give him a chance."
"Yeah," Yed muttered. Ezra didn’t believe him. "She still shouldn't have married anyone so young, and how old is he again?"
Ezra rolled her eyes, oh she almost got away with it. "A little older."
”Fine, I’ll meet him but first, let's head over to Xiam's!" Yed grinned. "Last time he wrote he was interested in a female, did he get her?"
Not that word again, damn it. Ezra bit her lip gently, then smoothed her tongue over it. The word ‘female’ was used by Protectors and sometimes by true gentlemen. It was more polite than even the word lady or madam, however, Ezra never had good experiences with that word. “Yes Xiam did, but please don’t call me female. I hate the word female.” She crossed her arms. “Just call us women or ladies, please?”
Yed nodded, his expression filled with confusion, most would be. “Is there a reason?”
Ezra watched Yed’s questioning look, but she refused to answer. She moved slightly, realizing she had brought herself into an uncomfortable territory. “I’d rather not talk about it.” Ezra insisted. “Just...can we please go?”
Knowing Yed wanted to pry, she didn’t know if he would back down. Watching him place his hands in his pockets, she knew he didn’t care enough to make a big deal. “Okay, let’s go.”
Ezra and Yed walked out of the house. Ezra glanced over at Muin’s house for a moment. Her sister’s plumgrass was dying and there was only one dead tree standing in her green home’s yard. Muin was never one for gardening and it seemed Zaria never would be either. She continued to walk along the winding sidewalk toward her brother’s midnight blue home. His plumgrass stood gorgeously, but needed a trim. Iri had a talent for gardening and his house was always beautiful. Her own house had nothing but plumblu grass that was still brown in spots and two small bushes. Oh, to have half of her sister-in-law’s talent. She knocked on Xiam's golden front door and waited until it was answered.
“Hello Iri.” Ezra gestured to Yed. “I brought our old friend over." Ezra caught Yed’s forehead pimpled in sweat and watched as he rubbed his arm across.
Had his vest made him too warm?
Iridescent smiled at Yed. "You know, you look kind of familiar. I don't know, I can't place my finger on it." She shrugged her shoulders. "It'll come to me though. Xiam, your friend has arrived!"
Chapter 5
LIKE A COMFY RAGGED SWEATER
Yed smiled and listened to Xiam, doing his best not to let his feelings show through his expression. He had been so careful when he came, he dye
d his hair the common black so he wouldn't be easily detected, and even changed his voice tone with a special lozenge called a mucus pill. He thought he'd be in the clear, but maybe he wasn't.
"...so after that started to really take off, someone recommended coming out here instead. It was a big risk, but our restaurant couldn't grow and get more customers without it." Xiam smiled at Yed. "It’s called Vallencio's."
"Vallencio's," Yed nervously chuckled. "Good name." You idiot, you picked Ezra up in Xiam's own restaurant.
"Yeah, you can come see it soon." Xiam smiled encouragingly. "Iri waitresses there to help out when we run short and she's really good at it. She always has a knack for remembering even the smallest details about our customers and she's never got an order wrong."
"Thanks." Iri smiled at Xiam and gave him a kiss.
Xiam smiled as he watched her walk away. "Small compliments gets you loads when you're married."
"No need to paint a picture," Yed said with certainty, as he tried to concentrate on his friend’s words, and not on the fact that he broke his Protector’s vow right outside his restaurant. “Really.”
"So, did you reach the highest caliber class like you wanted? Are you an A?" Xiam asked him as Ezra and Iridescent went out for some fresh air. "I mean are you really appointed to Ezra just like that? Usually all the paperwork takes a year."
"Yes I am, yes I did and I helped file it myself," Yed said with vigor.
"Well good, anyone else and Ezra would just tell them to take a hike again." Xiam smiled. "You know, it's kind of weird talking face to face after all these years. Just think, I was only a kid back then!"
Yed chuckled. "Yeah, you were all still kids."
"So we're you," Xiam reminded him.
Yed shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, this day and age it's hard to say when being a kid ends and adult begins anymore." Yeah, look at Muin. Married at 300!
"I know." Xiam fiddled his thumbs. "You’re close to King Sheward, right? Well with all this fuss they cause with Ezra, I’ve been thinking. Do you think the waryes are going to pull another attack one day? I mean, a really big one?" He looked away for a moment. “There’s nothing to stop them.”
Yed stared over at a nearby pot. In truth, he expected more than a small attack, but waryes’ were not a topic they needed to talk about right now. Instead, he kept staring at a pot. What is that? It wasn’t a plant, looked more like a statue made up to look like a plant. It was a lighter shade of neon green, bright but not blinding. In the sunshine where it was placed it sparkled like glitter. Detailed carvings of leaves were imprinted upon it, so it must have been a stone or a mineral carved into a plant. He would have not paid so much attention, if it had not given him creepy vibes. “Xiam, what is that thing over there?”
Xiam turned to look at the pot. “It’s inhibitor, only carved into a plant. Inhibitors are really all the rage right now, didn’t you know?”
“Get rid of it.” Yed turned to Xiam with a serious expression. “Those belong in the ground, they aren’t decoration. They shouldn’t be mined, they should be left alone and revered from afar.” He noted the concern on Xiam’s face but wouldn’t address the matter further.
Inhibitor was a mineral that grew in vast amounts on top of mountains and was specific to their planet Pagnia only. It had been scientifically proven to have a relaxing effect on their kind, and even history experts speculated that before inhibitors warno’s did exist, but purely in an animalistic form with little knowledge. What that so-called scientific community refused to address though, was why waryes’ civilizations had been built upon those structures. “Don’t mess with what you don’t know. Promise me you’ll get rid of that thing?”
“I’ll ask Iri about it,” Xiam answered. “She spent money on it, not me.”
"Xiam! We've got news!" A jumpy voice broke in.
Yed turned around and saw Muin standing in the doorway, bouncing up and down. She was far from the cute little girl playing with blocks he remembered. Her outfit was outrageous, pink and neon orange flowers on a black background, with ridiculous green neon shoes. She wore a jacket of metallic blue, and nothing about her matched except that every color clashed. About everything always clashed with her bright sunshine hair.
"Ah, ah! Less bouncy Muin." A warno next to her demanded. His appearance was boring standing right beside Muin. A plain pair of brown pants, a plain beige shirt and a dumb blue jacket. He couldn’t be more bland if he tried.
"Less bouncy?" Yed stood up and held a solid stance next to the boring warno. This must have been the predator who took advantage of Muin. “Why are you commanding Muin around, is that what you do in your home?”
Muin's mouth grew wide. "Only one guy talks like that. Yed?”
Yed nodded. "Good to see you Muiny, how-?"
Muin bolted right for him and gave him a hug. "Oh, I missed you! And you stopped writing-why'd you stop writing like that-you’re a jerk!”
"Ah, ah." The boring warno quickly tried to pull her off. "Muin honey, please don't do that right now."
"What? Don't hug me?" Yed was trying to keep the peaceful laws of marriage in his head. "You must be...Zaria."
"Guilty."
He was tall, almost as tall as him and his blue eyes screamed of distrust. He tried to look hip by wearing a jacket but didn’t pull it off successfully. No
way, this guy was no one that should have been with Muin, they were polar opposites. "I bet you are guilty." Yed practically snarled as he looked at the guy.
"Whoah, easy." Ezra butted in . “No hurting anyone in the house.”
“Well I can take it outside.” Yed smiled at her a bit too cheerful. “I wouldn’t dream of ruining Xiam’s floor.”
Ezra wouldn't go for it. "Hey Muin, how are you?"
"I'm- I'm!" Muin tapped her foot, apparently wanting to jump up and down. "I'm gonna be a mommy!"
Xiam tried to smile. Ezra grinned from ear to ear. Yed just stared as if he heard something wrong.
"I'm gonna be a real mommy," She said as she hugged Ezra gently. "Can you believe it?"
Xiam chuckled nervously. "You're gonna be a mommy?"
Muin just grinned and gave him a hug.
"A mommy." Yed gave a cutting glare toward Zaria. Mommy and a widow.
"Yed? Say something," Muin demanded. "Come on."
"You're...having a baby." Yed couldn’t say anything else without causing unruly things to happen. Predator. Who would do something like that with someone so young. Instead he imagined different things that could accidentally happen to Zaria. Branches fall unexpectedly sometimes.
Muin frowned. "Okay? Is that it? I haven’t seen you in forever and that’s all you have to say?"
"Oh, he's happy I'm sure, he’s just a little startled." Xiam shook Zaria's hand. "Congratulations."
"Yeah, congrats," Yed growled at Zaria as he looked at the offensive warno closely. A little older than Muin, his butt, he was at least as old as him! "Congrats on stealing Muin before she's even 300 and impregnating her. Great news, you know that borders on illegal?" Ezra and Muin gawked at him, but he didn’t care.
Zaria didn't back down though. "Who exactly are you?"
Friends call me Yed," Yed stated. "You can call me Protector Yeducavich Smilliat. Don't forget even a syllable, predator."
"Did I wrong you in some way Protector Yeducavich Smilliat?" Zaria asked confused.
Yed tried to keep his temper down but he couldn’t get past it. Muin was almost like his little sister and she had been taken in by a predatory male. She should have been older, he should have been someone willing to wait until 400. Birthing too young was risky, anyone worthy of Muin should have waited for kids. She'd need extra attention now during birth, the chance of complications would go up by at least 10 percent. "If I was here, you never would have even talked to her."
"Yes he would have." Muin grabbed Zaria's arm. "Because I would have gone behind your back Protector Yeducavich," she said defiantly. "Come on Zaria, let's go."
Yed just watched in horror as they left. "What did she just say to me?"
"She's not the same little girl," Xiam reminded him. "That’s the reason Zaria got her Yed, she wanted to get caught by him."
Ezra crossed her arms, appearing anything but pleased with him. "They're married and they are having children, accept it and move on. Not every guy is a predator no matter what you think. Everyone gets married, and everyone moves on.”
"She's her own woman." Xiam gestured over at Ezra. "At least you have one of them who obeyed you." He smiled, until he remembered. "I mean, the best she could?"
Yed didn't say anything for a while. It was nice to come back and see his childhood friends. They had been so close for so long, he would almost call them family, but the reason he was there did not escape his mind. He would never let anyone else get close enough to Ezra to hurt her again. Getting the King to make a deal wasn’t easy, but he put his career on the line for it, as well as his life. If he ever revealed what the King had done he would be charged with treason. No need to get worried, so far she’s been fine. As long as there were no lasting consequences he could keep the secret for the rest of his life. He looked back at Ezra and remembered what Xiam just said previously. "Ezra, could we go back and clean a place for me? I don’t want to wait until nighttime before I can get settled."
As he thought Ezra was eager to get out. "I'll see you Xiam."
Ezra and Yed went home, and talked about old times as they cleaned up a spare room. They shared some laughs and a simple supper Yed somehow managed to choke down before getting ready for the night.
“That’s tidy enough,” Ezra remarked as she brought down the sheets over the bedspread. Having Yed in her life again felt odd, but comforting at the same time. She didn’t need him for physical strength, she knew how to take care of herself in that convention, but having her pal come back at such a crucial time made her feel more confident.
There was a serious drawback to this, however. When Yed kept everyone away, it was literal. Besides her brother and her sister, he’d watch her like a hawk around everyone and everything. She remembered how disturbing it had been at first, someone always watching every move whenever a boy appeared. She had an unquenchable hatred for him for a whole year when he first lived with them. Who had the right to choose to whom or when she talked?