The Quest for Normania #1: The Door of Andrios

28. Chilly Reunion

Cassandra was a little put off by the fact that she had been forgotten, but in the end, all turned out well. It's not like anybody would forget about her forever. Whether he admitted it or not, Norin's first thought would be Ayesha's well-being. Besides, Teresa would never forget, not intentionally.

"I almost forgot, too, you know," the older woman's quiet voice broke through her thoughts.

"Well, I did, too. About you, I mean." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I could easily have contacted you through the bond if only I remembered to. I was too consumed about seeing my chamber again."

Teresa's eyebrows went up. "You landed there? No wonder you had to jump to get out!"

Cassandra nodded. "The door must've opened just then, in mid-air, and swallowed me up. And since I wasn't thinking anything at all except you..." She smiled. "I landed here, at the right spot. Beside you."

"Oh Cass," murmured the older woman and leaned to embrace her again.

The others decided this was the moment to turn away and leave them alone; they walked towards the entrance of the cave. Norin slept in Ayesha's lap, while Mithra took up guard duty with Cecil. Lawrence and Agatha sat leaning against a wall, whispering and trying to go to sleep.

Teresa lifted her head and sat up, got off her kham. "You don't want all that rock and stone to make your back uncomfortable, do you, your highness?"

Cassandra chuckled and took her extended hand to right herself. "You're right." She used her other hand to caress the older woman's cheek. "You're always right. I'm so glad I met you when I did, Teresa. With all the drama going on around us, you're the rock to keep me steady on my feet." She paused. "Or my buttocks, as the case may be."

She leaned into the caress and closed her eyes. "I'm glad to have met you, too, Cassandra. What would I do without you, my knight in shining armour?"

"Better than what we're doing, I'd wager."

Teresa opened her eyes and gazed at her so seriously, the smile forming on her face froze. "I'm really enjoying this constant adventuring, Cassandra. I really am. I'm not as delicate a thing as you think I am. Yes, I am delicate. Yes, I like to be at peace with everything and everybody. But I also fight when I need to protect somebody! Just like you!"

Cassandra's eyes widened in surprise—this was the first time Teresa ever raised her voice. She blinked, unable to say anything.

Teresa sighed and lowered her voice, "I'm sorry. It's just that –"

Cassandra put a hand to cover her mouth, block her next words. "I know. I understand now." She uncovered her kham's mouth and cupped it over the chin. "Will you do me a favour again?"

Teresa smiled knowingly and nodded. She put her arms on Cassandra's shoulders and drew forward slowly, building the heat between them to the point that it beat the chilliness of the weather outside and the draft that blew at them. Slowly, Teresa's lips met Cassandra's and they locked in a kiss that spoke more than their emotional verbal conversations could ever reveal.

Agatha couldn't help but notice the sweet kiss the two women shared as the sky outside the cave turned pink.

She turned to Mithra. "Is homosexuality common here? How are you not... shocked? Revolted?"

Mithra shrugged. "I suppose gender is a different concept here than what you're used to in Earth. In Ahala, most of the countries don't mind when two men or two women get married. Only one or two kingdoms in Normania have a legal objection against it."

"What's Normania?"

"A vast land in Ahala that was once an empire. It was broken away after a war two hundred years ago with many chieftains raising to claim lands at different regions. Cassandra here is from one such kingdom and is actually a eurin – I mean, a princess. But she wants to unite all of Normania again with the Sinhalas at the head."

Agatha had too many questions to ask, but she decided it was best to just nod and ignore them. She would understand as she went along, wouldn't she?

One thing she knew, though, was that Sinhala meant Ayesha's family. She looked towards where she sat on the edge of the cave entrance, staring unmoving at Norin's sleeping face. For a second, she wondered if the princess had gone asleep, too, but realised that wasn't the case—Ayesha's eyes were wide open.

Ayesha's gaze was fixed on Norin's agitated one, but her mind was somewhere else, filled with winter snow, cloudy skies, and the air tainted with smoke and death. People were running around in sheer fright, away from the source of it all—a powerful sorceress. Herself. One more decision, one more wrong could cause an entire world to collapse –

Norin gasped, breaking her out of the dream he was having and unconsciously passing on to her. She shook her head, clearing it of all the nightmares. He had enough strength in him to sit up and turn to look at her distressed face.

He whispered, just for her to hear, "Oh dear, I did that to you, didn't I?" He took her hand in his own. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it."

She shook her head, trying to put on her best smile for his sake. "It isn't your fault you're a seer." Her voice also came out in the same tones as his had. "It's all right. If not a vision, you'd probably share my nightmare!" She snorted, her smile fading. "Either way, you would be having a disturbed sleep. I just wish..." She blinked in surprise at her own words and let her voice trail away.

He leaned closer, over their joined hands. "What do you wish for?"

She sighed, reluctant to answer, but she had to get it out of her system. "I just wish... I could do something to ease the pain."

She was even more surprised when he merely shrugged. "Yes, well, what can you do? Honestly, I felt the same way sharing your dreams and nightmares, but I cannot think of a single thing to do to ease your pain."

"About that... Do you know we're forming some sort of a bond? Do you think it's a Sanguinus fratus?"

He shook his head. "I mean, I know there's a bond between us. But no, it's not a Sanguine bond. Mithra has been my childhood partner, so she's become my Sanguine. With you..." He sighed, not ready to admit it to himself. "It's different. Not Sanguine."

She heard his thoughts and viewed the images accompanied with them. The disappointment that stabbed her chest as she heard his words quickly turned to sorrow for him.

"I'm sorry about that," she whispered, barely audibly. "You can take as much time as you want."

He nodded. "Thank you. Do you..." His voice trailed away. "Never mind."

"No, I do mind. Tell me."

Norin looked at her and realised he couldn't keep a lot of secrets from her. If he didn't speak them aloud, he could spill them in his thoughts.

She chuckled. "That's right!"

He sighed and gave in. "Would you look for a way to block your thoughts from passing to me at any point?"

She had to think about this a little. "No, I don't think there ever should be a time I need that. I mean, look how it worked out when I was away and you had to find me and bring me back." The sun was rising steadily in the sky now, though the air was still chilly. "I don't want to be in a disadvantage when that happens."

"At."

"What?"

"'At a disadvantage'."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."