"Rahn, May I have a word?" Kahal asked Rahn once the king and queen exited the room, stopping her from leaving.
"Of course, my lord." She turned to face him.
"Don't start with the formalities now, Rahn. I'd say we're past that, wouldn't you agree?" He said as he took a step towards her to where they were only an arms length apart.
Rahn hesitated but after a moment she spoke softly. "I understand my position, my lord. I do not expect any special treatment."
"Are you saying you wish to forget all of our time together and go back to the way things were before any of this started?" He matched her gentle tone as he looked into her eyes.
Rahn opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it, her eyes scrunching in confusion just slightly.
Kahal clenched his fist at his side, holding himself back from touching her
"I don't understand." Rahn finally said in a whisper. "What are you asking me?"
Kahal took a small step closer. "I can't go back to the way things were. With me being a Lord alone in his study and you being a guard I don't know."
"But that is what we are."
"But I do know you now, Rahn."
"Do you?" She took a slight step back, shaking her head.
"Yes, I think I know you better than anyone. Am I right?"
She shook her head in confusion again. " I don't... I didn't think most of that was real. Was it?" She looked up at him.
"It was real for me. All of it. Even a lot that was written in those letters was real for me."
"It was?"
Kahal took another step closer to where they were almost touching. "Rahn, I must apologize for how I acted in your cabin. I shouldn't have kissed you like that."
Rahn took another step back, looking down. "I know. I understand. You were caught up in the moment, you didn't mean-"
"No." Kahal said firmly and closed the distance between them, cupping her face in his hands. "I wanted to kiss you then and so many other times, just as I want to kiss you now." Rahn gasped and it took all of Kahal's self-restraint to keep from lowering his lips to hers. "It wasn't right of me to kiss you without making sure you knew who it was that was kissing you and making sure you wanted..." he lowered his hands to her shoulders and released a calming breath. "that you wanted me."
Rahn's eyes were wide as she stared up at him, seemingly in shock.
"Dom is still me, Rahn. He is who I am. But I am also Kahal, future king. So it's irresponsible of me to show such interest in a female without asking if I'm someone she would want. All of me."
"Meaning you and all that comes with you." Rahn stated softly.
Kahal sighed as he nodded his head. "But I'm not hiding anything now, Rahn. You've seen both sides of me, you know who I am. I think you also know and understand me better than anyone else. So now I'm asking... hoping... " he cupped her face again. "Rahn, I want you to be my partner."
Rahn gasped again in surprise but quickly shook her head and pulled away from him to stand several steps away. "You couldn't possibly want me as your partner!" She stared at him in shock.
"Why not?" He took a large step towards her as she stepped away from him in response.
She let out a humorless laugh. "You need someone much better than me. I'm no one special."
"Don't say that." He said angrily as he stalked toward her, yet she kept evading him. "You can say you don't want me as a partner, if that is true. It would crush my heart, but I would respect your wishes. But don't you dare think for one moment that you are unworthy."
"Of course I'm unworthy!" Rahn laughed again as she continued stepping away from him. "You have lost your mind if you think I'm someone you could truly want in your life! Let alone someone worthy to be queen!"
"Are you crazy?!" Kahal let out a breath of frustration. "Stand still!" At his angry tone she stopped abruptly and stared at him, but he didn't move to get closer to her.
"You are smart, loyal, and fun. You understand and embrace our duty and responsibilities to our homeland. You keep me on my toes. You are exactly the partner I need to push me to be a better male and a better king. Life with you would be a life full of passion, I'm sure of it."
"And have you not seen yourself over these past months?! All that you have done!" He rubbed his hand over his bald head. "You took a risk to defy Zein and help Ashima, when you knew it's what was right. You knew to trust your gut and help Ashima when she came to you in order to save us. You risked your life to save all of us." He took a slow, small step toward her.
"You kept my sisters-in-law calm during their captivity and got them all to safety, all while just stepping in and giving guards orders without allowing them to question you. When in that room with my brothers it was you who took charge, not allowing who they were to hinder you in the slightest."
She shook her head slightly as if in disbelief but she didn't step away when he took another small step toward her. "I noticed you didn't freeze when Daielle had you on his back, beating you against that tree. You push through fear and doubt and are someone I can rely on when it truly matters."
"I...." Rahn tried to speak but no words would come. Could she believe all he was saying?
When she didn't continue, Kahal spoke again. "You single handedly convinced an entire group of rebels to abandon their leader and follow you. Heavens above, Rahn, who else could possibly be a better fit by my side as Queen?!" He smiled and took another step to where he was now within arms reach again.
He stared into her eyes a moment before speaking softly. "When I turned the corner and saw you standing confidently in the middle of battle, commanding all of those Qarthans..." he slowly reached up towards her, allowing her time to pull away if she wanted to. When she didn't, he cupped her face again in his hands. "If I didn't already know it before, any doubt in my mind was erased from existence. You are the female I want by my side. As my Queen, as my advisor, as my confidant, as my Life Partner, and as my lover."
When Rahn's mouth opened in a gasp, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. He made himself be gentle in an effort to show her the feeling behind the kiss, even though all he wanted to do was ravish her. His lips gently pressed against hers, not pushing it further.
But when she turned her head upward and placed her hand on his chest while returning the kiss, he held himself back no longer. He leaned down and clasped one of his arms around her lower back while the other hand went to the back of her neck, pulling her tight against him.
Rahn was lost in the feel of him, her desire drowning out the warning bells in her mind. All that seemed to matter in this moment was how right this felt. How right they felt. Together.
Rahn pulled him even closer, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. He growled out his satisfaction before bending to pick her up by her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pushed her back against the nearby wall and moved his mouth to suck and lick every inch of her neck.
"I plan to erase... every single one... of those bad memories." He said against her neck in between kissing her skin, sending shivers through her and causing her to arch away from the wall and against him. "I will make you forget everything until all that's left is me. Us." He continued.
Forget? She thought to herself. She couldn't remember anything, in fact. Had she been fighting this? Why had she been fighting this? She had no idea at this moment.
"Rahn." He whispered her name before taking her lips roughly once more. She let out a whimper of protest when he released her lips and pressed his forehead against hers, both of them panting for breath. "I am already yours in every possible way. Will you agree to be mine?"
Just as he let out the last word, the door opened abruptly. "Kahal, are you still here? Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize... " Thala said as she stared at them in shock.
Rahn and Kahal both were shaken from their single-minded focus from a moment ago and Rahn used the opportunity to push him away from her and stand on her own feet. She took a step away from him and looked at his chest, not daring to meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry, my Lord, I shouldn't have let that happen."
"Rahn, wait. Please." He reached for her, but she turned and fled out the door.
"Wait, I'll go. I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." Thala began but Rahn was already down the hallway. She turned to her son. "I hope I didn't make a mess of things."
Kahal looked at his mother and saw the fear in her eyes. "It is alright mother, you didn't know."
She offered him a slight smile and exhaled, unsure what to say.
"What should I do?" Kahal whispered as he looked down the now empty hallway. "Do I give her time?"
Thala looked up at him. "She is the one your soul chooses?"
Kahal turned and met his mothers eyes with a slight smile. "I have no doubt."
"My Son, I've only met her twice. But with that strong willed female, I have a feeling you'll need to be just as strong willed as she." Thala smiled at her son.
"That's what I've been doing for the past half hour. I don't want to push her away."
"That tactic seemed to be working quite well for you until I showed up and ruined it." Thala chuckled before turning serious again. "Kahal. Sometimes it's the females who appear the most strong and independent who actually need the most love, encouragement and support. She's scared and unsure. Show her she can rely on you to be steadfast."
Kahal turned to look down the hallway again. "Right." He said confidently before he took off and ran down the hallway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sorry, so sorry." Rahn said when she ran into another female in the hall. Her heart was pounding too fast. Her ears were ringing. She couldn't focus.
Kahal wanted her? What could he possibly think she had to offer him?
Every good thing he said about you was true. An inner voice tried to tell her but she quickly shook those thoughts out of her mind.
You're just scared to feel vulnerable. That same inner voice tried to tell her. Afraid to let yourself rely on anyone else.
She shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts as she entered her room. She locked the door behind her and leaned her back against it, attempting to calm her racing heart. But her mind was racing too much, contradicting itself over and over. She slumped down and sat on the floor.
"What?" She said as she heard paper crinkle. She stood and noticed a folded paper that had been slid under her door. She picked it up and unfolded it, quickly reading the contents.
Rahn,
We missed something important. Meet me in the woods as soon as you get this. 3 Lanks southeast past my dwelling. Come alone .
Butok.
Rahn tossed the open letter onto her small desk and ran out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note:
Did you think their worries were over?
What do you think they missed?