Green encased me. “Did I die?“
Ryee laid atop this green coffin. “Ne, my lo— my friend, we live. I have health. Ahstam, did she receive the promised healing? She is cold!”
Green sublimed away. When Ryee’s body nearly touched mine, he slid off. Put his hand next to mine.
Ahstam waved a twinfingered hand between us, and I shivered. “Your minds are linked. My son, you must marry her now.” I worried, but this Ahstam was the one I shared—he recovered and is very well now. One of Pirad’s clones is taking many from Burial Chambers on Zhea~ in He Bae to his lab underneath it. Ahstam, his host, is with them now.
Ryee sobbed. “I dishonored us?”
Kirnonos put our hands together. “Did you think you could share memories in my process and this would not happen? Do not cry. Marry her, and you will be very happy. She needs you to defeat Eriganh. He will not expect the two of you to battle him. All you need is for your Collective to gain strength.”
A blue swirl dropped, and we appeared on a commons. Lavender sand at my—twintoed feet. I gasped.
Ahstam held me up. I know, is a shock, to wake in a new body. You must calm. I see moisture on you.
I sobbed, and my body hurt, it shook so! Yellow made a cloud around me.
Ahstam pulled me into his arms and sat. Bathed me with mud from a puddle near us. It foamed as he lifted a handful.
Ryee fell in the sand. “Eja fae ne! Water!”
“She will not poison, and well for you, also. Kirnonos made you fully Zhee. We can enjoy water, and moist environs ne bring unwell to us. I visited Ea~ and had ne unwell, yet some MarKuans had unwells there.”
Pas wept. “O, I wish I could touch him! This bathing helps him if I—”
A boy, teenaged, hugged him. “Fa, I can bathe him. Watch through me!” He picked Ryee up and jumped into the large puddle with a great splash! Water hit an unseen barrier by Pas and did not get on him. This is Siapa, Pas’ son who died! He is 12.
Pas looked up and giggled. “O, it feels well! Are you well, Ryee?”
Trembling Ryee sat stiffly on the youth’s lap, then reached a hand down to the water. “O, I am a coward—”
Ry’nao took it. “My son, you are not a coward! Anyone warned not to touch water from childhood fears it! Calm from my mind.” He sat in it. Smiled. “Oh, this warmth is very well! Take your mind to your feet.”
Ryee stared at his feet, tightly rolled. Released the tension. His right arm trembled more. “Eja fae ne!” He pressed his lips together. Closed his eyes. Paled. The arm jerked.
I gasped, and sweat dripped into the water.
Another old healer jumped in the puddle. He was nearly as wrinkled as Pas. He touched Ryee’s left temple and hummed. His arm relaxed. “Ahstam. Ea yeo—”
“Be calm, my son. Did you have grave injury, to have shakings?”
Pas wept. “He had injury—”
Ry’nao stared at him and he startled. You must not tell him. What we saw in the Gathering Hall is our secret. “Healer, we can not discuss or Ryee will have severe unwell. Merely heal my son.”
Ahstam’s blue eyes opened impossibly wide. “My liege, I ne saw you!” He held onto Ryee, who leaned against him. The youth also held him up. This Ahstam was another cloned ba.
“Healers, ne this shock. Ry’nao needs ne protocols from you. Only. Diplomats. Eja.” He stared.
I sobbed, but Ahstam hummed. “Be calm, Adia. He is ne unwell. One is sleepy after shakings, and this ground has much olfrehi, so he is like ea fae. Watch. He recovers.”
Ryee blinked, and his hand hit the water. “O, I was foolish, to fear this. Ay, o, Ahstam, heal my maiden!” He paled when he saw me.
“I-I am well, my—” I cannot call him that. But, I knew the Protocols now, and I must follow them. Zheien must, for health, and I am, now. I looked down, with a smile. “I feel only slightly unwell, Ryee. May we marry?”
“Ea vah!” He reached for my hand, and Ahstam helped him. Oh, how he trembled! I shivered, despite the warmth of the water.
Ahstam took him and held him from behind. With his knee, he shoved Ryee’s right leg forward.
Ryee lifted his head. “I can do this, Ahstam, I must!”
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Another Ahstam took me and held me up. I felt weak. I must calm myself. My heart’s triplebeat threatened to break my ribs! This Zheien body feels much more suffering, than my Areonian.
Eanne~ reached for him but Ahstam, another Ahstam, held him. “You are ne a healer, are you? Listen to an old one. He needs these muds to strengthen him, or my healing nae stays, and he has shakings. Ahstam 214 helps him. Ea?”
Ryee’s father sat on his legs. Pas jerked him away from the puddle. “Bae, listen to Ahstam! I am in your mind, I am with you! Ne struggle.”
Struggle? He was limp in the healer’s strong arms around his waist. But, he looked up and his eyes filled.
So did mine.
“Adia Rayaline, Master Scientist, of Areon, I love you! I, Ryonne~, Elder and King of Ye~ and Unified Diplomat for Ry’nao, wish to open this Petition of Marriage Without Courtship, that perils ne take you from me!” His voice broke. “By the Ancient Protocols of Ye~ Zheien Colony and Zhea~, I ask—
My body shuddered, and all the beautiful poetry he planned to recite vanished. “My Love, my Life, how do you answer?” His face whitened. Beautiful golden eyes, open past wide. Fear shook me. He saw couples die when they could not finish the Petition, Courtship or Marriage.
I trembled, and great clouds of yellow nearly hid him! “I, Adia Rayaline, Master Scientist of Areon,” to him alone, I added ‘and One of Prophecy,’ “I love you, Ryonne~—” Oh, I sobbed. Because Oeket attacked him, he has shakings now! Sight faded!
Ahstam sang. Maiden, give his full title or Zhea~ shall ne record your Petition! For your life, recite!
Ryee gasped.
I wheezed, and the Ahstam who held me startled. “Ryonne~, King and Elder—” again, a wheeze, “of Ye~ and Unified—” another shudder. I must finish! With all my strength, I pressed, and voice whispered. “Diplomat to Ry’nao. I love you and wish—” I was aware of minds, hundreds, thousands of minds’, fear that I would collapse and die in this Petition! My lips moved. “to mar-ry you.”
The old healer ran with me. A bed. Nine posts. Beautiful. Softness. Ryee held me. “Ahstam?”
“I can ne stay. Hold her.” He vanished through the wallportal.
I saw figures on a table. People of Ye~, all 2500 of them. I knew all. Ryee’s held my hand. We wore the formals. Mine, a beautiful purple dress with jewels around cuffs and the hem of the long dress, anklelength. His mind changed it to redviolet as he wore, his family color, now mine. My figure now wore it. It had a low sound like bells of Kleideu during a festival. Oh, it exhilarated me to hear colors!
I made this Weddingtable for us. Does she please you, my love?
I had no strength to nod my head. With exquisite care, he pulled me into his leiwege, that bendable mattress. “Why can Ahstam ne stay with us?” He sobbed. “He thinks you are to die! O, Ay, ne leave me! Do they need you so in that World of Spirit?”
Tenderly, he arranged every hair of mine on the part holding my head up. A wave, and he bathed me with a great bowl of ea fae. Washed all my tears away with it. Stroked it on my hair, my head and lifted it. When his hand caressed the back of my head, I giggled.
He laid next to me and hugged me. I folded my arms around him. Breath filled me.
Ryee hummed. Giggled. Bells rang! Low ones. High ones. All of it made me laugh! Strength filled me! I traced this delight of harmonies to my love’s chest, which shuddered! At first I felt fear, but his merry face, the bright orange color of it, he is well! Then, my chest shuddered, and harmonies! Beautiful!
Outside our chamber, I felt Ahstam’s relief, and that of Pas. They expected this bell choir, a sign that we are well. A marriEDs secret!
We enjoyed harmonies, long, and hummed with them. Gradually, they faded. Ryee bathed my arms in ea fae. “O, my love, are you well?”
“Ea! You are my master healer!” We kissed one another’s foreheads and cheeks many times, and rubbed the backs of the heads. This brought more giggles until we grew sleepy. I wondered what my parents did, in privacy. Not as much delight as this!
Ryee shuddered. He knew, from reports of his diplomats. “Must I learn—”
I laughed. “Feel what I feel! Does my body wish for more than this gift, this wondrous gift that you gave to me? Ne, my love, my heart sings with the thousand voices!”
He shuddered again. “Ay, I wish ne to change you! You sound Zheien, ne Areonian as your mind’s voice.”
“But, the Protocols shame me—”
“Then the Protocols are wrong—”
I sighed. “I will try to talk as I once did. Ryee, I am Zheien now. Must I ignore what—”
“And how will your fa speak of these changes? O, I am wicked, that I wished them!” He sobbed.
I held him. Kissed his dark curls. “Love, I wanted these changes, and I must be strong to face—him. Can I be brave?” I sobbed.
“O, every time I leave for a mission, I tremble. I worry if my skills are enough. Sometimes they are, and sometimes, ne. Ry’nao is mortal. We shall do our best, and if ne enough, we must try again. I think you shall be successful, Love. Ne these doubts. You must believe that you can, and now I can help you. You are brave, to work with ANW!”
“I worried, every time I mixed, that it would explode, and it did!”
“Ah, but you mixed sets again. Bravery is ne lack of fear, she is acts despite fear.”
His mind helped me calm. Our palace sat on the lavender sands. Our people filled this space and enjoyed the sands. And, Eanne~, ne, Fa now, ran to meet his friend, King Theaspaura, who met us outside the Alb System. Pirad shortened our travel so much, that we are hours from Alb Seer?
They appeared the same age but the King of Fhiah is older. Theaspaura had silver curls, brighter and longer than his, broader shoulders, and a shiny green formal. He wore a redviolet sash from left shoulder to hip, but Fa had slightly more pins than he.
The kings embraced. “O, Ean, I missed you. Are your bae and sae well?”
Ahstam’s face oranged, but he smiled. “Eae, they are very well. Feel you his mind? Ryonne~, you must both sleep soon. Ne think to rise before your sleep.” Pirad plans to wake Theaspaura’s wife, and many members of Master Healer Lut’s family!
“Why? I wished to witness because Fa declares our Wedding Festival—”
“Liege, will you wait until tomorrow to declare it?”
Fa laughed. “I shall wait.”
They spoke long, but we felt sleepy. I hugged my husband and we prayed our gratitude.