"You'll try to be a brother to him, won't you?"
Keilah
"You said you wanted to come to my room?" Dakkoul asked when they had left her relatives behind.
"I did." Despite everything, she was curious to see where he lived.
"That'd be better for Malek, although not so good for sword fighting."
"Malek? I thought he was a spy that you don't like," she said as she glanced backwards.
Jalen seemed to be almost carrying a puffy faced Malek. Alyssia hovered beside him.
"What's wrong Keilah?" Dakkoul asked softly.
She looked away. They went to his room in silence. It was small and dreary, brightened only by a child's scribbled picture nailed to the wall. Jalen helped Malek stagger through an internal door into another room.
Keilah ordered Alyssia to go and get her sword, then sat down on the only chair. "Why'd you tell me to shut up?"
A corner of Dakkoul's mouth rose. "I'm glad you remembered our signal. Your grandmother would certainly have forbidden any village rites. They insult the way of the Fox. Is that really what you're cross about?"
He was too perceptive, always. Keilah stared at her fingernail. She'd got Alyssia to trim them and dip them in perfume. What could she say? You didn't dance with me? You chose other women over me? How pathetic would that sound? Hadn't she made it clear she would choose the Prince over him?
"It doesn't matter," she said.
Alyssia returned puffing and holding her mother's old sword. Keilah put it on the wooden floor and knelt before it. Dakkoul knelt beside her. She refused to look at him.
Alyssia spoke in place of the village priest. "We now remember Lady Melisane."
"We remember her," Keilah and Dakkoul said.
"I remember," Keilah began, "how she taught me to fight with this sword. I didn't want to but she insisted every lady needed to be able to defend herself."
"I remember." Dakkoul's voice was low. His eyes were on her. He added, "She let me join in and taught me too."
"I remember," Keilah said and unbidden the memory came of her and a much younger Dakkoul laughing and fighting and her mother making the training both fun and serious.
On and on they went swapping reminiscences until Dakkoul went quiet.
"Your turn," she prompted, glancing at him. His lips were pressed together and his eyes seemed shiny.
"I've only got one left," he muttered. Of course he had far fewer memories than she did.
"Go on," she prompted.
"I remember," Dakkoul said hoarsely, "the night a baby slipped too early through my mother's legs for the third time."
Keilah shivered. She remembered too.
"My mother screamed and screamed and my father was away. She wouldn't listen to me. I ran to your mother and she told me to stay with you. I was with you for four nights and when I returned my mother seemed back to her usual self." He cleared his throat. "After that, I always felt your home was my home too."
"I remember. It was."
"I don't have any more memories, but I want to say this. Since coming here, I admire your mother so much more. She left a life of power and luxury because she believed it was wrong. She chose to live in poverty with your father despite the opposition of your family, despite losing everything her childhood taught her to value. It was an honor to have known her."
Keilah felt the tears fall down her cheeks. Her mother was worthy of all of those words, but she was the opposite of her mother. She was embracing life here. She wanted to be Wayvolkan. Did he despise her for that? Was that why he did not seek her out? She choked out a final tribute to her mother and Alyssia said the closing words. The Remembering was finished and the tight ball of grief in her heart loosened.
Dakkoul took her hand in his and sniffed it. "Smells nice," he offered. He paused. He was about to say something. He was going to explain his behavior, about why he never sought her out even when he could have like at the celebration.
"I need your help for something."
Her help. That's all he wanted. The power that came with her position. "What?" Keilah snapped, conscious of an overwhelming disappointment. She snatched her hand away.
Dakkoul's brow wrinkled but he kept talking. "You'll be invited to a dance to commemorate the beginning of the Vixen Trials. I want you to insist I accompany you. If Lord Rustavan says you must rent me, I'll give you the money to pay him. I need to speak to someone there."
One of those women from tonight no doubt. He was using her to meet other women now. He really must see her as a sister. Very well. She'd only consider him as a brother. He had been a part of her family, her only link to the past. For the sake of that she would help him.
"Very well," she said but she did not say it very warmly.
"There's something else I want to tell you." His tone changed. "About Malek. I think he's my brother."
"Impossible," Keilah breathed.
"I thought so too, but he has the bump. He says my father left his mother before he was born."
Keilah felt a sudden rush of excitement. "He has the bump? Show me."
He took her into the adjoining room, a much brighter affair with a carved rocking horse in one corner and a colorful plaited rug on the ground. Malek was laying on a straw pallet a blanket over him. Jalen crouched beside him. As she approached, Jalen stood to attention. Malek tried to get up too but she motioned him down.
"Can I feel it?" she asked and Malek seemed to understand for he lifted his head. She touched the bump and a thrill ran through her. "It's true, it's really true." Now she knew, she could see Malek resembled Dakkoul's father and even Dakkoul. "All those prayers you prayed, they were answered."
"What prayers, my Lady?" Jalen asked.
Dakkoul tried to shush her but she said, "For a sibling. Every night Dakkoul would pray for one."
"Not every night," he mumbled. "I stopped that long ago."
"But you got your prayer," Keilah squealed.
Malek was looking at Dakkoul oddly. "You prayed for a brother, Hattavah? Why would you do that?"
"Because brothers are the best kind of friend a person can have," said Keilah with all the confidence of an only child. "You live life together. You share all good times and the bad and when you fight you have to make up because you're related."
Malek fixed her with an intense gaze. "You actually think that?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "And now you've found each other. Jagur would say it's a miracle."
"Malek has too many brothers already. He certainly doesn't want to claim me."
Keilah's smile faltered. "That can't be true."
Malek shrugged and offered, "You don't want to claim me either Hattavah. You don't like me."
Dakkoul glared at him. "I've always liked you ever since you rescued Pipsqueak from the She-Fox. What I don't like is you following me around."
"Well then," Keilah said brightly, "That won't matter so much now will it? Him following you around will give you a chance to get to know each other. You'll get to make up for lost time."
Dakkoul tried to wave her out of the room but she stood firm.
"I'm so pleased for both of you." Keilah smiled at Malek. He looked back at her incredulously.
Dakkoul saw his face and exploded. "Stop it Keilah. Of course he doesn't want me as a brother. He's ashamed to be related to me."
Keliah shook her head. A relationship with a brother was too precious to dismiss, no matter who they were or what they had done. Dakkoul was exaggerating how bad he was for fear Malek would reject him. She could sort this out. She bent down to Malek and whispered, "You'll try to be a brother to him, won't you?" She put all her heart into her plea.
Malek looked uncomfortable for a second and then his expression cleared. "You think he wants me too?"
"Yes."
Malek grinned suddenly. "I'm thirsty, brother. Can I have a drink?"
Dakkoul gritted his teeth and sent Alyssia off to get him one.
Malek's grin grew into a smile. "I might like this family connection after all."
After that Keilah and Dakkoul played around with the swords. It felt good to thrust and parry with him again. By his light casual manner and the way he'd acted since she'd entered the House, it was obvious their kiss had meant nothing to him except as a testing that somehow she'd failed. He saw her only as a friend. He was looking for love elsewhere.
Keilah let him disarm her sword which clattered to the ground. As he sprang to pick it up, she made a decision. She needed to let him go in her heart. Then she'd be free to pursue her place in Wayvolkan society and the Prince.
Next, Keilah will actually get to meet the Prince. Will he capture her heart?
All comments and votes appreciated. Thank you for continuing to read this.