...31...
TAME THE BEAST
The smell of freshly cut oranges wafted into her nostrils.
The sharp pleasant aroma jarred her awake from her slumber because she was hungry.
She sat up in bed, staring around the faintly lit room.
It was somewhere near dawn, most probably the hour that was before predawn.
The faint smell grew thicker, causing her to look around, looking for the oranges.
Had Hyeera hung an orange scented pouch in the room that she knew nothing about?
As she was pondering over this, a cold whoosh of air swept over her.
And the soft scent thickened immensely, seeming as if it were right under her nose.
Her legs took her out of the huge round bed of its own accord, allowing her to scout the room.
She looked around it with the slight fear and rushing adrenaline that was quick to claim her.
Was it a female assassin?
After all what the beast had said to her the day before, she was bound to feel scared at such occurrence.
Her heart constricted as it registered a familiar pain.
It was the fear of having to die.
'Greetings to The Doomed Rose,' a voice echoed in the bedroom.
Her eyes widened instantly, and she turned around the room with a startled expression.
She did not know exactly which direction to turn to for it came from all directions.
'Who is there?' she snapped impatiently.
Was someone doing this on purpose in order to scare her?
She hated silly games.
'It is only I Your esteemed grace,' the voice answered her.
What the hell?
Esteemed grace?
Was that she?
Mayhap she was dreaming or hallucinating!
She took the initiative to pinch herself. She held in a small cry of pain for it hurt. She had pinched herself too hard.
'Who are you?' she demanded. 'I command you to show yourself.'
'I fear that you shall be met with disappointment Your esteemed grace for I have no form whatsoever,' was the voice's simple reply.
'Form or not, reveal yourself to me and state the reason for your appearance,' she ordered.
Her fear was gone now.
Whatever this was meant her no harm, at all.
She was very sure of that, fully convinced now.
'If Your Esteemed Grace insist, then I have no choice but to do as you command,' it replied her.
'I insist,' she insisted.
'Very well Your Esteemed Grace, I shall do so for you.'
Her mouth fell open in awe, her jaw hanging loosely as what began to morph before her.
A soft reddish orange light began to gradually shine in the bedroom, circumvent.
It was a soft coloured glow that brought with it some kind of sweet other worldly warmth.
A deep and sudden feeling of déjà vu claimed her in passing.
'Wow! Is this it?" She said with a curious light in her eyes.
"Yes, Your Esteemed Grace," was the reply that she got.
"You have no form whatsoever, really?' she questioned whatever it was at its appearance.
'Yes Your Esteemed Grace. This is the only form that I possess, this beautiful light."
"Wow," she said, covering her mouth with her palms.
She had never seen anything like this in her entire life.
"My form is trapped in a place far back,' it gently explained to her.
'Oh, to whatever that is,' she mumbled, not wanting to get confused one bit by this amazing phenomenon.
She already had a lot to think about.
There was no need to add this to her ever growing list.
She didn't like stress.
She was just a girl.
'I come in divine peace Your Esteemed Grace,' the voice began to say once again.
"I can see that," she said.
'I bear a message for your incomplete form.'
It was then that she discerned the voice as feminine.
'What message may that be ye without a name and form?' she asked.
There was a soft laughter and the light glowed brighter alongside the lovely sound.
It sounded like music and looked like beauty to her.
The gestures were in a certain symphony that titillated her.
'My name is Quei Your Esteemed Grace. I am here as a guide."
She raised her brows at the mention of the name.
"Quei?" She repeated.
"This is not our first meeting but I doubt you remember or will remember anytime soon."
She raised a questioning brow.
"Well, not my fault, that is because your mate is a stubborn adamant mule who I cannot manipulate."
Confusion painted her different shades of colour from its palette.
Mate?
She had a mate?
A stubborn mate at that?
"That demon has a hearty place in hell for binding you to the ignorance you awakened with,' the voice revealed angrily.
Demon?
Was Quei on drugs?
'By my mate you mean?' she asked Quei, a little bit discombobulated.
'I am in no position to answer that Your Esteemed Grace,' was its reply. 'Now I shall dutifully deliver my message to you.'
She rolled her eyes.
As if she cared.
'Whatever,' she said in disappointment.
Oh yes, she did care.
'Anyways, I am all ears,' she told Quei, wondering what sort of message it was.
Her curiosity piqued even more and the orange light began to change slowly.
It went from orange to a pretty swirl of shiny pinkish oxblood.
It bloomed, burgeoning into a far stronger intensity.
'The strength of your sword and the power of your fist. The bounty of your wits and the sizzle of your wrath. The emerald of your eyes and the oxblood of your hair. The silver in your blood and the dragon in you."
There was a small pause.
"Act while the iron is hot! Take a bull by the horn! Teach a hawk not to fly! Tame the beast!"
The pinkish oxblood light began to slowly morph into its earlier orange colour.
She stared at it, confused.
Was that the message?
'What does that even mean?' she asked after a few minutes of trying to comprehend the message.
'That Your Esteemed Grace is for you to decipher,' was the answer Quei gave to her.
How was she supposed to understand all that gibberish?
'Really?' she asked.
'Yes Your Esteemed Grace. Now I have to leave,' she said as the orange light began to dim significantly.
'Wait! But...' she began as the light dematerialized.
She sighed exasperatedly as it was gone in a blink.
She slowly sat herself down on the round bed, staring at nothing in particular, just perplexed.
There was a reason and a meaning to this message.
But, could she decipher the meaning behind it?
The bedroom door opened then, instantly distracting her from her train of thoughts.
'My Lady,' the intruder said.
She recognized the voice as Vura's.
'Are you alright My Lady?' Xiera said coming up behind her.
Both were kind of panting and she wondered what had actually ticked them off at this time.
Wait, had they also noticed and seen Quei?
'Is anything the matter?' she asked both of them in a concerned tone.
'We heard you shout?' Xiera said to her mistress, sounding unsure.
'Oh!' she said. 'It was only just a bad dream, a nightmare,' she assured them with a small smile.
Both of them nodded in understanding.
'Anyways, I will just go back to sleep,' she told them, climbing into bed as she did so.
'Alright My Lady,' Vura said.
'Have a good night rest without nightmares My Lady,' Xiera wished her.
'Thank you,' she said in return, 'and you too do the same.'
They went out, leaving her alone in the bedroom and shutting the bedroom door behind them.
She sighed, staring up at the ceiling, trying so hard to decipher the message that Quei had brought her.
Meanwhile, the Emperor and his entourage had finally arrived at their destination.
After a proper welcome from their host, they were shown to their allocated quarters.
He sighed as he tried to settle into the given guest suite.
It was not giving for he was so used to his back home.
His eyes went to Peter, his butler who had followed him.
He was currently quietly inspecting the bedroom.
The door opened and he turned around to see Cora.
She came to meet him in the receiving part of the suite.
That was the part which serves as the living room area.
He spared her a sideways glance when she hesitated.
She noticed his eyes on her and chose to speak then.
'My Lord,' she said.
'What is it Cora?' he asked her.
She cleared her throat and then drew a folded paper from her inner pockets which she held out to him.
He stared from her and then to the paper quizzically.
'It is this My Lord. I have no idea if I should give it to you or not,' she explained to him in an emotionless tone.
He said nothing for a while, only staring at her.
'Are you finally professing your love to me warrior Cora?' he asked her in a teasing voice.
She shook her head at him with a confident stance.
'No I am not ready to do that yet My Lord and not in such a way either," she began.
His eyes widened.
"I must do it in a way that I actually guarantee will make me win your heart instantly."
He stared at her a little bit stunned with raised brows.
"Don't you agree My Lord?' she ended with a grin.
She couldn't mean that.
He had only been joking.
He didn't know that she did actually like him.
What was this?
Her lips drew into an amused smile at the lost look on his face.
'The look on your face is priceless My Lord,' she said with a smirk.
He didn't even know when he let out a sigh of relief.
'It is not nice to tease someone. But, to tease a tease? That's what is better.'
He knew then that she was only pulling his legs.
He chuckled.
'Oh Cora! Or are you Vura? Did I bring Vura by mistake?' he said jocosely. 'You hardly make such kind of jokes.
'Even if no one can tell us apart My Lord, you will be able to do so without any hassle I tell you."
He believed her.
"Besides, I have learnt to be so emotionless from you My Lord.'
'Maybe you are right."
He shrugged.
"But what is with this letter if it isn't one of Love? I don't also exactly remember asking you to write me a written report on anything,' he said.
'It might be a love letter, considering who it is from,' she murmured.
'And tell me, who is it from? Who sent it to me?' he inquired curiously.
'Mayhap you should receive it first My Lord,' she persuaded him, stepping forward.
He took it from her hands.
That intricate familiar fragrance of fresh wild roses hit him quite hard.
Rose.
'It is from the lady,' he said. 'It is from Lady Rose right?' he asked her although he was a hundred percent sure of it.
'Yes it is from the Lady My Lord. She gave it to me at the last moment and asked me to take care of you,' she divulged to him.
His face lit up radiantly.
'She actually did? I didn't expect that,' he murmured opening the letter by unfolding the paper.
That familiar scent of roses intensified as he did so.
And he found himself inhaling it subconsciously.
He stared down at the words that she had neatly scribbled across the plain paper.
It read:
Beast, I don't know how far away you may go.
I also have no idea when you shall return to your empire.
I say this because I am a little worried despite the fact that mayhap I do hate you.
But, I do not also want harm to come to you.
Be careful and also be well.
Mine.
He was smiling when he looked up from the paper.
That woman, she had a really funny way of expressing her feelings, her heart's content.
He handed the letter back to Cora. 'I trust you to keep it well Cora,' he told her. She collected it with a nod at his instructions.
'Yes I will My Lord,' she said.
'Is there anything else that needs my attention?' he asked her.
She shook her head in the negative.
'Then, you can leave if you want,' he told her, dismissing her with a slight wave of his palms.
She bowed slightly in obeisance and then left.
'I am done with inspecting the suite My Lord,' Peter said, coming into the living room area and distracting him from his thoughts of Lady Rose.
He turned to his right hand man.
'Alright,' was his only reply.
'Shall I assist you in undressing My Lord?' he asked his master.
He nodded in reply to the question.
'Let us go then to the dressing room My Lord.'
He walked to the dressing room with Peter leading the way.
He had already unpacked all of his master's things in the assigned dressing room.
The butler assisted him in undressing.
Then, he took a long cold soak in the bathtub which wasn't nearly as large as the one in his quarters back at home.
But, he didn't blame his host.
Their country was much smaller than Linamine, far far smaller and they depended only on what they generated.
They had no external relations whatever, including trades.
How they survived continued to fascinate him to no end for it was not an easy feat.
He was damn sure of that.
When he was done with his bath, he stepped out of the bathtub naked.
He towel dried himself and went into his dressing room.
Peter had already left, knowing that his master didn't like being dressed at all.
He reached for the bottle of rose oil that Cora had brought him.
Though they didn't smell half as good as Lady Rose, they fairly soothed his demon.
It was better than nothing, and still better than aching when she wasn't close by.
He applied the oil to his skin generously, his dark skin glowing in return of the gesture.
After he was done with doing so, he slid into one of his many night trousers.
He didn't bother with a shirt because he knew that it was going to be a rather hot night.
He combed his hair and elegantly walked out of the dressing room.
He met Cora there, hanging up scented pouches, rose scented ones.
He smiled as he watched her do so.
This his aide, she hated to see him suffer.
Mayhap she truly did love him.
'You are done My Lord,' she said as she turned to look at him, hanging the last of the pouches.
He nodded in reply.
'Then have a good rest My Lord.'
'Thank you Cora,' he told her. 'And make sure to sleep in the bedroom that Peter provides you.'
'I will do that My Lord.'
'You will?'
The warrior nodded with a smile and left the bedroom after a small bow.
He knew that she would still fall asleep at his bedroom door.
There was nothing he could do to stop her from doing so.
Therefore, he climbed into bed and tried to sleep.
He fell asleep thinking of Lady Rose and her wonderful smile.
...OmaPhinaPhire
GLOSSARY
* The hour before predawn: This is between the hours of four and five in the morning.