Aesha held out the beautiful midnight blue dress to Airya. It was a little longer than Aesha’s dress and had rope-like soft braids to cover the shoulders and hold it up. It flowed with no wind and sparkled small silver twinkles as it shifted ever so gently in midair in front of her. Airya moved Hethei off her lap and stood entranced. She grasped the fabric carefully around the edges, feeling its lightness as it teased her by moving away from her hands, not letting her get a good grasp. The silver twinkles running up and down winked at her as Aesha let go of it.

It fell into Airya’s arms.

“I can’t,” Airya said.

“Nonsense. Especially if you’re staying here. Or even in your kingdom. You shouldn’t be dressed like that!” Aesha forced another look of disgust Airya’s way, directed at her rat-skinned tunic. “Also,” Aesha came around and picked up something small out of the bundle of clothing. When she came closer, Airya she saw she held two small heaps that looked just like Aesha’s golden coverings on her feet, but they were silver, "A queen should also protect her feet."

Aesha then turned away so Airya could get dressed in her new clothing. Airya was amazed at how much more comfortable it was and how it didn't scratch her body at all. It was so light and airy that she felt she was walking around with nothing on. The tiny twinkles shimmered off her body with each step, and her silver slippers, that Aesha had called them, gleamed. She was the atmosphere itself. Like she had been taken into her surroundings and was an enchanted spirit roaming the room and down the stairwell, her dress winking in the dark. Hethei seemed to like the dress, too, and played with one of its braided pieces that sat on her shoulder.

They left her tunic on the ground behind them right where she had taken it off. Aesha had said that one of the help would take care of it and that she didn't need it anymore if she was a lot more comfortable and happy in what she was in.

They walked out into the blaring sun with Hethei flying after them. He landed on Airya's shoulder.

“Are you sure you should be roaming around with a prisoner?” Airya asked.

“You don’t look like a prisoner anymore,” Aesha remarked, grabbing ahold of Airya’s wrist without giving her a glance to make her walk faster.

“But what about your brother?”

She heard Aesha let out a laugh, “He is too busy to notice right away.”

“But won’t he be walking around out here with his people also?” Airya asked. She remembered how her dad especially spent most of his time in the village talking and meeting their people’s needs.

“He doesn't give himself time off of duty to really get to know his people. The people may love him on the surface, but he has a hard time relating to people and what they need emotionally and personally. Especially children since he never really got to be one. He only knows the dynamics of Nokia, so he has no deep connections with anyone. And no one really does with him, either. But that’s OK with him. His duty is to his kingdom and his people and to watch over it all like the Brillia did before him. He wants to prove his worth. It isn't to connect with anyone. Well, maybe not until it’s time for him to tie bonds."

But how could he watch over anyone and prove his worth if he wasn’t interacting with his people or kingdom? When Aesha let go of Airya’s wrist, she stopped for a moment and looked around at the bare sandy streets surrounding the pyramids that were half the size of small mountains where the people in the army lived. "Tie bonds?" Airya asked.

Aesha stopped and turned back, noticing that Airya wasn't following her, "Are you coming or not?" she asked, annoyed, "Yes, tie bonds, you know, like find a maten."

"Like marriage?"

"Sure."

"Why do they call it tie bonds?"

Aesha ran her hand into her thick curly hair that haloed around her head, "I'll tell you if you keep walking. We are capable of walking and talking."

Airya started after her at a quick pace.

"They call it tie bonds because when you do the ritual you tie together your destinies."

"What is the ritual?"

"Mensham digs a hole in the sand in front of The Vizen and the two people who wish to tie bonds interlock their hands together and put them in the hole. Then Mensham covers the hole up with the hot sand and they have to stay on the ground together for however long it takes for a snake to go between them over where their hands are joined in the ground. Doing that shows that they are willing to stick together, comfort each other, and face the odds together until the world sees and believes they are meant to be and sends a snake. Mensham watches the whole time and only gives them water four times daily. Sometimes it lasts for days. Sometimes people give up, seeing it as not worth it. For the Brillia born, though, when we decide to marry, we do the same ritual but have to wait until three snakes slither between us and our potential maten. That shows that we can handle three times the stress and obstacles. Not like I ever have to worry about that, though."

"Why not?"

"Because the Brillia-born Queen can't bear any children. Not unless something happened to my brother. And I have no real power either. Whoever tied bonds with me would have even less. The Brillia-born Queen's job is caring for her people because they are her children. If she had children, it’s worried that she would care about them more. It’s asking a lot for a maten to give up having any offspring. Trust me, I have been told," she sputtered.

Airya watched Aesha's face fall. She wondered if she had fallen for someone before, and he had denied her because of that issue.

"It’s just so frustrating because trying to find someone to tie bonds with just in case something happened to Sedeth to make the new line is impossible. At the same time, I must be taught how to rule the kingdom in case something happens too. All this information for no reason and for no use, while showing our people love and compassion. I swear, I have to do more than my brother sometimes," she said as she led them through the small misshaped pyramids where the people lived. There was no one out or around at this time of day. Every pyramid was lifeless and silent.

"Where are all the people?" Airya asked.

"Busy doing their work. Everyone here is busy." Aesha answered.

"Even the children?"

"They are either busy learning or playing," Aesha smiled at that. "Still so much hope and so much freedom. All they have to do is soak up some knowledge, watch their parents to learn their trade, and play. And the best part is that they don't even understand all the freedom that they have. They could leave if they wanted when they got old enough. They could have complete freedom without anything tying them down. They are able to see far-off places. But for some reason, no one ever leaves! I’ll never understand it!" Aesha threw up her hands. They were coming closer to the marketplace now, where people were running all over. Others were standing at their wagons selling things, their voices carrying over the crowds. It looked comical, like everyone knew what they already wanted and needed, so they didn't pay any attention to any other cart except the ones they were running up to.

"This is nothing at all like Ausrine..." Airya mused, "Molok is so peaceful and calm compared to this."

"This is all I have ever known," Aesha said bitterly, stopping right on the outside of all the commotion.

"I'm sorry," Airya looked at her silver slippers next to Aesha's gold, "I can't imagine how hard it must be to stay somewhere and feel trapped. My mom tried to do that to me after I got my gift, but my dad encouraged me to go and use it."

Aesha sighed, "I would give anything to have a gift like that. It’s hard to not go anywhere and not have any real purpose to serve. It’s even harder when your brother is the thing that matters, and you have to sit in the shadow of him, not knowing if one day you will ever matter or be needed. I hope that after he has children and they grow, I can leave Nokia and see the world. I'm hoping that he will let me."

A child started to wail in the middle of everyone on the run. Airya and Aesha looked out into the swirl of bodies and saw a little girl with long dark hair in a tiny yellow dress crying, holding on to what looked like a little doll. Aesha ran to her, diving between the people. She fell to her knees when she got to her. Airya stood back and watched as Aesha caressed the crying girl’s cheek and smiled at her, while playing with the little one's yellow dress. The girl giggled. Aesha picked her up and carried her out of the crowd.

"This is Numa," Aesha said introducing her, "I was telling her how much I love her yellow dress. It’s one of my favorite colors to wear because it brings out my golden eyes," she put emphasis on the word golden and widened her eyes, staring at the girl. She girl giggled again before she set her down. Aesha picked up a stick from the sand and handed it to her before gently guiding her hand to help her make pictures in the sand. They made a sun and some trees together, "I think you need to finish this masterpiece for me. Do you think you can do that Numa?" Aesha asked the little girl.

Numa looked up and beamed. She nodded her head and got to work.

Aesha gently grabbed Airya's elbow and made them step a little away.

"That was one of my favorite things to do when I was younger and a lot of the other kids love it too," she smiled lost in her memories, "That and going to the river for a swim."

Aesha took off again this time toward a man who seemed distressed in trying to sell some of his robes and clothing at his wagon. Airya didn't know if she should follow, but did anyway. She stood next to the man's wagon as Aesha smiled at him and tried to cheer him up. Airya tried to catch some of the words they were saying, but the marketplace was so loud that she couldn't hear a thing. Instead, she stood there, entranced by all the wonderful colors of pink, purple, and blue and fine cloth everyone was wearing as they ran here and there. Their material they wore followed them, enjoying dancing in their drifts. All of a sudden, there was a shimmer of gold dancing in the streets with all the cloth and people. Airya realized it was Aesha in her gold glimmering dress, holding up some of the man's clothing he was trying to sell. She was dancing with it and showing it to people in the marketplace. She continued to do this until she returned carrying little jewels instead and handed them to the man who grinned. He took the jewels, thanked her precociously, and hugged her.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Aesha came back to her.

"You are amazing and so kind!" Airya yelled over the people as they walked through them all.

"It's my duty!" she yelled back, "I want to keep people calm, inspired, and happy with their busy lives. No one can for me, so I want to do that for my people!"

Airya resisted the temptation to stop and pull her into a hug, but kept walking with her in the lead. She was beginning to love this place and the love and kindness offered by their King and Queen. It warmed her heart and reminded her a little of her parents. She wanted to rule like that one day over her people.

They walked around the marketplace looking for anyone else who seemed the least bit distressed or in need. Hethei puffed out his feathers now and then to remind Airya that he was the one full of frustration. Aesha ran around like a beautiful golden bird this way and that smiling and giving a helping hand here and there. She could tell that everyone loved her and was so thankful for her. She really enjoyed being with their people. Sometimes she would pull a few aside and ask personal questions, which showed Airya that she really did know many of them on a personal level and that she deeply cared about them and their lives and thought of them often. Whenever Aesha saw a child, she would get on their level and bop their nose, touch their cheek, or play with their ear, making sure to tell them to have fun and smile. When they finally walked away from the marketplace, Airya felt like her heart was glowing from all the love she had captured in such a chaotic busy place.

A man was sitting against one of the misshapen pyramids with a group of children around him singing. Aesha ran to them and sat in the back next to a few children who all smiled at her and showed her their small drums. She nodded and pointed back at the man that Airya assumed was Mensham the priest, the one who taught the children. Standing back watching, Airya tapped her foot to the beautiful beat of drums, a small ache in her stomach. She missed the music they used to make back home in the mountains. Mensham never let a smile leave his face as he sang words Airya didn't understand. His blue robes brushed the sand as he swayed back and forth in a chair.

Aesha asked for one of their drums. She then made her own music and got up to dance around. All the other children got up with her and started dancing too. Airya laughed, full of giddiness, a sound she realized had not escaped her in too long. Her shoulder light, she realized that Hethei was perched on an unused instrument on the ground bobbing his head to the music too.

When Mensham cued that the music lesson was done and Aesha went to leave the group, heading back towards Airya, two of the kids ran up behind her and grabbed both of her arms swinging on them, "Can we go swimming with you again in the river today please?" they begged.

She shook her head and smiled, "Maybe tomorrow. Today I have a guest to show around. She is a Queen too," she nodded to Airya and Airya smiled nervously and waved.

They let go of her a little saddened and returned to their friends.

“Ok,” Aesha panted, her cheeks flushed. “Let’s show you where you can stay.”

She grabbed Airya’s wrist, her own hand slick with sweat, and started leading her toward the smaller pyramids near the market. Deep in the middle of the still pointed statues taking the heat from the sky, Aesha led her into one.

It was empty. But furnished.

“This is where I hide out sometimes,” Aesha explained, taking off her slippers before going over to a couch where she fluffed up three vibrant purple pillows and straightened out a thin sheer pink blanket. She then went to a counter with glasses and a glass container of water that she picked up and poured. She brought it over to Airya.

Airya took it. It was warm to the point it could have been called hot. But when she put it to her dry lips and the liquid worked its way down what felt like her cracking throat, she found it refreshing.

Airya then noticed that Aesha had gone.

Did she really leave her here all alone already?

About to make her way over to the couch, there was the small crunch of sand under her feet, so she stopped and went back to the opening of the outside and slid her slippers to place them there. Hethei flew off her to land on one of the arms on the couch before hopping down to check out the rug. When she walked across the remarkable yellow and orange rug with swirls and symbols woven in-between, she took in the cool softness of it brushing on the bottoms of her feet.

Before she could reach the couch, Aesha made her way back in.

“I have food coming for us. Something way better than rats,” Aesha said slipping her slippers off again and running past Airya to jump on the couch. When she landed, she straightened herself, throwing her shoulders back and dissolving the teasing look on her face as if she was embarrassed. “You will stay here. I want to approach Sedeth tomorrow. Tell him that I had left this world. I want you by my side when I do it.”

Airya could feel the need for Aesha to prove herself to her brother beating off of the Queen creating a heat between them.

“But why?”

Wouldn’t Airya be locked up again if he knew she had escaped, especially if he knew that Airya had taken Aesha somewhere else?

“He won’t believe me otherwise,” she said waving Airya off before straightening another pillow. “And you are pardoned. I don’t care what he says.”

Airya was sure that he wouldn’t like that and she barely knew him.

Was she willing to risk him and his wrath? She could just leave. Aesha would have no chance on following her, but the problem was that she hadn’t given up on wanting the Shackled Eye. She needed to find her people.

“Only if I can get the Shackled Eye of Brillia.”

Aesha rolled her eyes, “Not that again. Do you even know how it was made?”

Airya shook her head. She didn’t care how it was made, she wanted to use it to find her people, so she could be one step closer to bringing them back. She didn’t even fully care how it got her there.

“The god Brillia, the god who started the line with golden eyes like our own, fell in love. Like they always seem to do, except for my brother,” Aesha gave an irritated sigh. “Brillia had two children. A son and then a daughter with his most cherished love while he was out helping build villages in our world. One day a man accidentally started a rock slide, killing many people including her. Brillia was furious and tore out one of his own eyes ‘because the beauty of Brillia’s world had gone away', and embedded it in a shackle. He permanently put it on the man and had it take that man to the place where the souls of the people he had killed were trapped. He eventually died there, someone set the souls free or something later on, and when they found the skeleton of the man, they found the shackle still on him. It made its way back to us because of the stories and the golden eye, but the permanent weld Brillia had made on it was broken. We had a craftsmen study it and fix it so that it can now be taken on and off.”

Before Airya could ask any questions, a few children with bright curious eyes made their way into the small pyramid with trays filled with food. They didn’t look shy at all. They stood proud and tall as they smiled at their queen.

“This is great,” Aesha exclaimed standing up and taking the trays from the children’s hands. She handed Airya a silver tray and set the other two on the couch. She got on her knees and rustled the girl’s hair who was in between the two boys before kissing her forehead. Pulling out of her dress coins that were spun of gold, Aesha handed each of them one and closed their fists around them. Then she led them back to the opening to let them go.

“Ok!” Aesha spun around. She came over to Airya, picked up the two metal trays and set them gently on the rug before plopping down. Airya had to hold tight to the platter of food and try to balance it to keep the yellow liquid on hers from spilling out from its little black bowl. “We have lizards, fish, tree seeds, and russlen milk. Also, my favorite! Flower petals off the high cacti fully bloomed!”

Airya didn’t know where to look on her tray that held liquid and long strands of something that looked like meat. But Aesha took the tray from her and set it in her own lap before she had to make any decisions on her own.

Aesha held up one of the long strands of meat, “A lizard is pretty close to a rat. Maybe you and your bird should try that first. But a warning,” Aesha gave Airya a wink, “This might make you never want to eat rats again.”

Aesha took the cooked lizard and leaned over Airya to hold the meat up to Hethei who was on the couch near her shoulder. It reminded Airya of her young friends before everything had changed and how close they all had allowed themselves to be with each other when it came to personal space. Airya could smell a sweet scent that reminded her of mornings at her favorite place when the trees effused a smell welcoming the sunrise. It was coming off Aesha. Hethei took the lizard, gobbled it down, and then rubbed his beak against Aesha’s hand, giving thanks.

Airya smiled, "It looks like he likes you even after you had thrown him and knocked him out."

Aesha laughed out loud and then smiled back before picking up another piece of meat and leaning over Airya to feed him again. Her smile was charming, especially when it was mixed with her laughter. Then Aesha pulled back and held up one for Airya. Airya was almost tempted to open her mouth and let the lizard fall in by Aesha’s hand, but quickly realized how inappropriate that would be. It wasn’t like she was a child anymore hanging out with her friends, she was with a queen.

Airya took the piece of meat and held it up in front of her face not knowing if she was supposed to slide the whole chunk into her mouth or take a bite. She decided to open her mouth, lift her head back, and drop it in. She began chewing instantly, ready to get it over with because she did not like someone watching her eat. The spark of flavor interrupted her bashfulness though when a tang on her tongue grew thicker and heavier from whatever the meat must have been cooked in.

“Better than rats cooked by a boiling river, right?”

She was right. It was a lot better. But even though the boiling river did not give the rats any flavor, they still had a pure lightness that tasted like home.

Airya could tell that Aesha enjoyed sharing experiences with others. It was a shame that she was not allowed to leave and experience new things on her own. “Try the drink next,” Aesha urged.

Aesha was the one who held up the drink to Airya’s mouth and let her take a sip. It was salty, smooth, and fulfilling. Then Aesha leaned down and grabbed a pink flower that she held while waiting for Airya to open her hand. When she did, Aesha put the flower in her palm. It stayed upright and was warm as if it were still alive, waiting to nourish her.

Airya took one hand and slowly pulled one of the soft petals away from the whole bud, watching as the bright pink slowly faded down the petal to white as it let go from its stem. She brought it to her mouth, smelling dense sweetness, before putting it in her mouth and chewing it slowly. It was thicker and meatier than the swalak she was used to and tasted so much fuller and sickly sweet. She looked up to Aesha who was smiling at her.

"So? Thoughts?"

Airya smiled after a swallow, "It tastes sweet."

“See. I told you it’s the best! A queen would know,” Aesha abruptly got up, grabbing all three trays. With a certain quality of expertise, she balanced them all, walking to set them on the counter that had the glasses of water. “I’ll leave these here for you in the morning. Like I said. I’ll be here for you then so we can approach my brother.”

Airya stretched out her legs trying not to yawn. It had been a long day and her body was noticing that the couch was much more comfortable than her bed at home. It let her sink a little into it as she lifted her feet off the ground before putting them back on the equally inviting rug. The thought of sleeping away from her Kingdom made her feel a little off. She had never slept somewhere else before. But after being around so many people, the thought of going back and being completely alone in her world overwhelmed her and made her lungs turn to a frosted dew that would not let her breathe.

Aesha turned and looked at her. She was afraid that it was because she noticed that Airya was having trouble catching her breath, but then Airya noticed a desperation in her lost gaze that told Airya that she could not leave her. She needed a friend to help fight for her right to be herself and be free. A friend like Airya’s dad was to her.

Her breathing through the weight in her lungs came a little easier as she settled into her decision and glided her hand over a silk purple pillow that was almost like gliding her palm over nothing at all.

“I will be here,” she whispered.

Aesha didn’t have to say thank you, Airya could tell how thankful she was by how she stepped once toward Airya with a relieved smile arriving on her face. But then she stopped, stepped back, and gave Airya a stout wave before dashing out of the small pyramid.

Airya was sure that Aesha had been about to hug her.