Exiled

Aside from the initial awkwardness, Aunt Kahalê was one of the sweetest women that Zohrane had ever met. After she had taken a bath, Aunt Kahalê lent her a dressing gown (which was way too big and a lot too short, as Aunt Kahalê was half her height and twice her breadth) and bandaged her very sore feet. Once she was all settled in, Aunt Kahalê brought her a bowl of soup and sat down beside her.
“I think you and I need to have a little talk,” Aunt Kahalê smiled.
Zohrane was inhaling the hot, delicious soup. “Okay,” she said in between bites.
“I know who you are,” Aunt Kahalê’s voice lowered, “Princess Zohrane.”
Zohrane almost choked on a carrot. She set the soup aside and he gaze fell to the floor. “How did you know?” she asked quietly.
“Once someone gets a good look at you, it’s really not that hard to tell.”
“Oh…”
“Don’t worry, dear. How about tomorrow I take you to the dressmaker and we’ll outfit you in something a little less obvious.”
“That would be wonderful, but it would mean that I would have to stay in Kahlja.”
“That’s not a problem, dear. It will only be a few days, and you can stay here with Vis and I. Besides, it will give us a little more time to plan your journey. No sense in jumping into a quest all willy-nilly and unprepared.” Aunt Kahalê smiled. “Now, let’s get you to bed.”

Though she tried to protest, Zohrane ended up in Vis’s bed and Vis ended up on the sitting room floor. As she lay awake, staring up into the darkness, she thought of the journey that lay ahead, her life left behind, and how utterly alone she felt.
She heard a tiny tinkle in the darkness, “Nexus?”
“What? OUCH! Damn wall!” A small light flared into existence, and there was Nexus.
“Where have you been?! You can’t just go disappearing like that!”
“Sorry,” Nexus apologized, “fairies don’t travel well on horses. Anyway, I’ve been to see your mother.”
“My mother?” Zohrane’s heart leapt and broke at the same time. “How is she?”
Nexus sighed and settled on the side of the bed. “She’s fallen to pieces. She just sits and cries.”
“Oh,” Zohrane’s heart sank again and broke some more.
“I told her of our plans to go to Arma, though, and she has new faith.” Nexus smiled, “she believes in you. She knows how strong you are.”
Zohrane smiled, too. She felt better knowing that her mother was on her side. She filled Nexus in on the ride with Vis and everything that Aunt Kahalê had said.
Nexus laughed, “Did you expect her to NOT know who you are? It’s not like it’s not completely obvious.”
“Well, if she noticed it right away, then surely Vis has figured it out. But if he has, then why hasn’t he said anything?”
“That conversation,” Nexus sighed, “will take a lot more time than we have right now… Don’t worry about it, though. It’s all okay. Just try to get some sleep.” There was another tinkle and both Nexus and the light were gone.

Zohrane tried to sleep, but everything was so unfamiliar and frightening. Finally, she sighed and got out of the bed. She crept through the house and felt her way into the sitting room (which wasn’t too terribly hard, as all she had to do was follow the sound of Vis’s snores.). She found her way in, knelt next to Vis, and shook him.
“Mmm... I’ll have the beef Wellington,” he mumbled.
Zohrane tried not to laugh, which she found to be quite difficult. When she had successfully quelled her giggles, she shook him again.
“I don’t care if the mouse turns back into a damn potato; I’m not going to ride the carrot up the hill!” Vis grumbled as angrily as someone can grumble something like that in their sleep.
This time Zohrane couldn’t hold it in. She laughed out loud.
Vis’s eyes snapped open, “wha-?”
“Sorry…” she laughed. She took a deep breath and once more suppressed her laughter.
“What’s wrong?” Vis took her hand sleepily.
Zohrane blushed as she remembered the reason she had come to him. “I’m… I’m scared,” she whispered, “can I stay in here with you?”
He smiled, “of course.”
Zohrane crawled under the blanket and cuddled next to Vis. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. Her heart was racing and she thought it may very well explode. The world faded into oblivion; for Zohrane, there was nothing but Vis. His arms, holding her tight, his hot breath, his intoxicating scent. She wasn’t positive, but she thought she might feel some shockwaves. She definitely knew that she had never felt like this before. She felt so safe, so warm, so… dizzy.
She adjusted her position so she could look at Vis’s face. Goddess, he was so perfect. She ran her fingers down his strong jaw, loving the coarseness. Her thumb brushed his perfect lips and she was overcome with desire. She laid her hand on his cheek. “Vis,” she whispered.
Vis opened his eyes. Wow, he had amazing eyes. She couldn’t take it anymore; she gently pressed her lips to his. Okay, now she was sure she was experiencing shockwaves. His tongue pushed into her mouth and he ran his hands up and down her body. Zohrane ached in places and in ways that she didn’t know was possible. Vis’s mouth left hers and she thought she might die. That was, until he started kissing her neck. She let out a soft moan and her fingers tangled in his hair.
Vis fell asleep drunk on kissing Zohrane. Zohrane fell asleep, drunk on being kissed.