Aaron, upon Aira’s insistence, made his way to Kieran’s private study one afternoon to find out how far he had gone with his love confession. It had been five days since Aaron had spoken with him, and hoped he’d already confessed.
He hadn’t.
“It’s been five days, Kieran!” a stressed out Aaron declared as he stood before his elder brother’s desk. “What have you been doing with Elena if not telling her how much you love her?”
Kieran avoided Aaron’s gaze all the while as his fingers toyed with a piece of string on his desk. “Dancing,” he murmured. “We’re concluding the rehearsal soon. Two more practices and we’re through.”
“And congratulations on making it before the Summer Festival,” said Aaron, half-heartedly. “But Kieran, your engagement is in six days. You’re running out of time. It would be better to know how she feels before you put that ring on her finger.”
Kieran ran a hand down his face. “I know. I know, but…”
“But what?” Aaron didn’t mean to sound impatient, but he had a feeling his brother was stalling. He just could not figure out why.
“I just can’t,” Kieran said and pushed his hair back from his face. “I just can’t do it.”
Aaron was in disbelief. Now way what he thought was happening, was happening. No way he was chickening out so soon.
“Are you seriously afraid of confessing your love?” Aaron asked.
“I am not afraid,” Kieran rebutted quickly, meeting his gaze for the first time since their interaction.
Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and gave his brother a pointed look.
“Okay, maybe just a little,” Kieran admitted.
Aaron groaned. “Kieran!”
“What do you expect, Aaron? This is my first love confession. Of course, I’m going to be a bit woozy.” Frustration seeped into Kieran’s voice. “Pardon me for failing to live up to your expectation of being brave in whatever situation!”
He had most probably woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
“Don’t beat yourself about it,” Aaron said, meaning to offer some encouragement.
“One emotion has conquered me, Aaron. One.” Kieran raged on. “I, General Kieran Hammedatha, have lost my speech as well as my guts because of one confession. I’m a bloody coward.”
“Oh no, don’t say that,” Aaron pretended to provide comfort, but the lack of enthusiasm and conviction in his voice must have given him away because Kieran gave him a deadly glare.
When their mother said people in love were generally happy and in good moods, she must have meant to exclude Kieran out of the whole lot.
The doors opened and Josh waltzed in. He stood next to Aaron and said to Kieran, “Here to remind you about the Guard’s meeting later this evening.”
Aaron had thought Kieran was irritable before, but had not put into account that it could get worse so quickly and so easily. He literally sensed the dark aura emitted from him.
“And why must I go to that?” Kieran inquired, shifting his glare to Josh.
Josh was clearly confused by the question. “Because you always do? You’re the Chair.”
“So?”
Okay. Something was up.
“So you have to come. It’s mandatory,” Joshua replied, slowly, still perplexed as to why he had to review Kieran’s duties to him.
“Elena’s coming over here soon. Must I attend that meeting?”
Aaron thus put two and two together. Elena. Of course.
“The Captains all expect you to be there to listen to the reports and discuss a few contentious matt-”
“Can’t they do that without me?”
“It is your responsibility as General.”
“I do not need to be reminded, but thank you.”
At that moment, Josh turned to Aaron, and the look of disbelief on his face read, ‘You’re hearing this too, right?’
Aaron shrugged his shoulders in response. He’d dealt with a grumbling Kieran before, but not with a grumbling Kieran whose complaint was about his duty.
“Joshua, why don’t you do it?” Kieran asked, propping his elbows on the desk and intertwining his fingers. “You can take my place as Chair today.”
Josh sucked in his bottom lip and released it. “Kieran, you know I would, but The Code says I can only do that if you’ve got an unavoidable emergency and-”
“And courting my future wife does not fall under that category, correct?”
Aaron exchanged glances with Josh.
Well.
Kieran wore a sickly sweet smile. “Both of you, please leave.”
Aaron could tell that Josh wanted to tell Kieran to come to the meeting, but rather chose to keep his mouth shut. Likewise, Aaron wanted to remind Kieran to confess to Elena by the end of the final dance rehearsal, but chose to keep his mouth shut.
Both of them retreated from the study in profound silence.
**
Kieran was downright irritated, and he didn’t understand it.
Yes, he was definitely upset about being unable to express his love to Elena but he didn’t think it would make him irritable with everyone and everything else. Everyone just seemed to expect him to do something, yet all he wanted was to do nothing at all.
Couldn’t he just live in the moment with her without having to struggle to tell her something he couldn’t? It was enough that he felt that devotion for her, enough that she was with him, that she would always be with him – always be his. He’d never had the desire to tell her he loved her until it was suggested to him.
As for the meeting.
Kieran groaned and stood up from his chair. He really didn’t want to attend the meeting. He would have, if Elena wasn’t coming over. Except she was. And he preferred to lock himself up in the study with her just so he could avoid attending it.
He walked to one of the bookshelves and studied the books there for a while.
Would he read to her when she arrived? Or would she wish to take a stroll?
“Boo!”
Kieran flinched, startled, and whizzed around just as Elena burst into a fit of giggles. His heart and spirit energy relaxed at the sight of her.
“You should really consider becoming a soldier,” he said. “That phantom style of yours will get dozens killed.”
“I think I am okay with managing to scare the bravest of them all,” Elena said and gave him a big toothy smile. She had braided a few random locks of her hair and placed tiny white and blue flowers in them. Her dress was lavender with long sleeves; wide and low-hanging at the elbows. “I heard you are having a Guard’s meeting later.”
The reminder made him frown, and he let out a growl.
“You sound like a bear,” she commented. “After ignoring all my warnings, you are finally turning into one.”
“I can’t help it. I’m agitated,” Kieran gritted out. “Why must I go to each and every meeting? I bet you Josh can handle it all just fine without me. But no, I must be present as Chair. I’ve sat at that chair so many times that one of these days, I’ll just become one with it. Call me Chairman, won’t you?”
“Alright, who are you and what have you done with General Kieran?” Elena quipped amidst chuckles. “The Kieran I know never grumbles about work.”
“I don’t know, it’s just-” Kieran shrugged. “Sometimes I get tired. I know I have to do it, but it doesn’t make it any lighter to deal with. Everyone always expects me to be there to take charge. To be on top of things. Look over and supervise all the reports and missions, even those I am not part of. To control what cannot be controlled. I will still do it, but I could do without the reminder of my responsibility if only for a little while. Now you tell me, Elena. What do you expect of me?”
Elena pursed her lips. “I’m sorry to tell you this, General, but I do have expectations of you. Why wouldn’t I, as your betrothed and future wife?”
Kieran wondered what they were. To be a present husband and father?
“I expect you to come and complain to me, just like this,” Elena continued, and reached for his hand, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. “I expect you to let me give you hugs or a head massage when you are frustrated, and a shoulder massage when you are tired. Conclusively, I expect you to let me take care of you. I might even spoil you if you ask nicely.”
She tipped her chin up and gave him a toothy beam – the kind kids gave when they expected goodies from adults.
So he did the most reasonable thing an adult would do; he pinched her cheeks.
“You are too cute.” His heart had swelled so much, he was almost certain it would burst. “It’s no wonder I luh-” His tongue froze, and so did his mind.
Her blue eyes were wide with anticipation of what he was to say.
But he couldn’t say it.
“I like your braids,” he concluded, retracting his hands.
She furrowed her eyebrows. “It is no wonder you like my braids?”
“Mm-hm.” He nodded. “I’ve always wanted to have my hair braided.”
She gasped, and her eyes sparkled like gem stones. “I can do that for you!”
She was so gullible.
“Can you?” he requested, with a small smile.
She nodded, eager and excited. “To be honest, I have always wanted to play in your hair. It is so thick and luscious!”
Did she just compliment his physical appearance?
His smile morphed into a goofy one at the thought. She never complimented his looks – apart from his ears, which definitely didn’t count.
“You like my hair?” He made a tiny hair flip and wiggled his eyebrows. “What other part of me do you like?” He bit his lip and nudged her with his arm. “Huh?”
She simply ignored him.
Instead, she took his hand and led him to the chaise. She sat on one end, and made him lie on his back for the rest of the chaise’s length, with his head in her lap. She angled his head to face away from her so she could braid the side of his head.
“So Mara’s studying under the wing of Lord Marvin,” Elena said.
“He finally accepted her?” Kieran responded. “That’s wonderful.”
“She’s very excited.”
“Lord Marvin is a great justice of the Court,” said Kieran. “If she learns from him, no doubt she’ll be the best lady justice. She’s already clever and passionate as it is.”
“I wish her all the best,” said Elena, and Kieran sensed a bit of worry in her voice. “I hope they do not give her a hard time.”
He understood her sentiment. Mara was setting off to be the first female justice in Rievelt, and no doubt the path would be a rocky one of hard work and prejudice.
“Your sister is a panther. She will just pounce if anyone tries to drag her down,” Kieran assured her and closed his eyes. He heard her laugh lightly and he smiled. The feel of her fingers in his hair was soothing. Too soothing.
They talked some more about the court system and Elena was telling him about one of her uncle’s trials when a drowsiness overcame him. He was asleep before he knew it.
Elena let him sleep. She admired the cornrow braids she had plaited in his hair, and feeling artistic, she decided to pluck some flowers from her own hair and plant them in his new hairstyle to pass the time.
At one point, he stirred in his sleep only to turn his head face up, but he did not awaken. She smiled at how peaceful and adorable he looked asleep.
A long while later, once the evening rays had started to peek in through the windows, the maid Sophie walked into the study.
“Pardon me, my lady,” she said softly when she noticed Kieran sleeping in Elena’s lap. “It’s just that the captains have all arrived for the Guard’s meeting and they await The General.”
“Oh, yes.” Elena nodded and placed her palm on Kieran’s forehead. “Kieran, wake up.”
He must have been a light sleeper because his eyes peeled open right then.
She smiled at him. “It is time for your meeting.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Already?”
He leaned up into a sitting position, then swung his feet to the floor and stood up. “I suppose I should get going then.” He smiled down at Elena. “Thanks for the nap. If the meeting takes forever, Ray, Aira or Aaron will escort you home. Just pick one.”
Elena nodded.
With that, he marched out of the study.
Sophie looked at Elena with an inquisitive look on her face. “You let him go just like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he’s gone to attend the meeting with-” Sophie gestured to her white bonnet with her hands. “-flowers in his hair.”
Elena’s smile dropped and she gasped, only then realizing what she had done. She gave Sophie and innocent smile and squeaked out, “Oops.”
**
Because of his earlier encounter with Kieran, Joshua was uncertain as to whether he would show up for the Guard’s meeting. If he did show up, he would either be irritable or do whatever it took to wrap it up as soon as possible.
But when Kieran walked into the meeting chamber with half his head in cornrow braids that had been decorated with blue and white flora, Joshua discovered another possibility – insanity.
His brother had come to the meeting when he’d gone bonkers.
No doubt the rest of the captains thought the same with the way they openly gawked at him.
Kieran took his seat at the head of the table and actually smiled at the men. “How’s everybody doing? Good? Alright then, let’s get this meeting started then, shall we?”
Joshua thought both his eyes and ears were being deceived. This was definitely a different Kieran from earlier that day, and not even a normal Kieran. It was a chirpy Kieran.
Come to think of it, he did look like a bloody cockatoo.
As Joshua always sat to Kieran’s right, he was able to lean in and talk to him in private.
“What’s up with the hair?” Joshua inquired.
“What do you mean?” Kieran looked confused before his features relaxed then lit up again. “Oh. Elena was playing in it earlier. I fell asleep and forgot all about it.”
Joshua tried to process the new surprising piece of information. “You had a nap?”
Kieran stopped having naps when he became General. He could never fall asleep during the day no matter how tired he was.
“Quiet, so we can proceed,” Kieran shushed him without looking at him. “I’ll settle the hair issue after the meeting.”
Joshua was astonished. Kieran was taking naps and getting his hair braided. He never let their mother or Aaron braid it, and yet he let Elena; more so with the flora décor.
Joshua leaned back in his seat and motioned to the other captains a gesture that meant, “Don’t ask.”
Being in love was insanity. Total insanity.
Author’s note.
Next update shall be on either Friday or Sunday, depending on when I have time. Toodles!
I honestly dunno why I'm running out of chatter.