Part Three: Status
 
 
 “Two years to remove one pesky weed!” The king growls. He slumps in his throne with a momentary expression of relief. Since reporting news of the plant, our soldiers immediately searched through each quadrant of our territory, though its seeds had already spread invasively rooting itself near Gu sh’wah bushes. Warnings were sent to neighboring tribes, though the G’yote spat on us over our concern for a delicate flower.
            Opar crosses his arms. “How can farm boy send out a warning and for two years we’re the ones weeding? Oh King if I may ask, why not have sent the harvesters to venture though the jungle since they seem oh so familiar with foreign vegetation.”
            “The more who know of their capabilities…” my words stammer out by the intimidation of my superiors. “It is best to keep the mortality rate low amongst our tribe.
“It’s an easy murder—one even an irate wife could take advantage of.” Fakusha’s eldest brother jests with a curl of his lip, addressing his comrade’s crumbling marriage in a playful manner.
“It does not explain his knowledge over vegetation foreign to us.”
“I know tribesmen from faraway places…” again my words fumble out.
“Speak up!” The king hollers, slamming his fist on the throne’s arm.
“My mother has had visitors over the years.” I intentionally leave the comment vague in hopes to cut off his hopes of further interrogation.
“Ridwiqu’Mar’s mother has slept with spies.” Opar hisses. “Another reason of the many to distrust him.” My gaze drifts to my toes.
The king raises his hand, silence fills the room. “What is important, is this weed has been eradicated before Fakusha’s betrothed has stepped foot on our territory.” A Yoluku ship arrived not long ago. “Have the women decorate our village, the tenting ceremony shall commence tomorrow at dusk.”
A nimble messenger in cobalt blues rushes into the throne room with a small ornate basket in his arms, interrupting our private meeting. Wide eyes glare at him. He falls to his knees holding the basket over his head towards King Torajamaku and his wife.
Opar peeks into the basket then hands it to the king.
“Our prince wishes to maintain favor with the Aykotah, however—”
“However?” Torajamaku stands.
“Let him finish, dear.” The queen hushes reaching for his hand. The king returns to his throne. “Please continue.”
The messenger swallows, inhales a deep breath then nods. “The prince you wish to marry Lady Fakusha revokes your offer as he is now to be wed to Borreka Gush’yanda of the G’yote tribe.”
“Huan Ni’guaro’s sister? He rejected his opportunity to lead our tribe as king to marry a G’yote? Why?”
“It seems she has offered a larger dowry.” Spears tap his spine. His voice now quavering, “Please, I am only the messenger.” I withhold my smirk, thankful I gave the G’yote shaman the suggestion. That will give Fakusha and me a minimum of three full moons to prevent her next betrothal.
The king stares down into his lap to inspect the gift. “Candles and candied fish?” His brow perks, insulted. “He wishes to subdue my wrath with a small bottle of wine?”
“The finest our island has to offer.” The Yoluku messenger adds watching Opar’s scowl increase.
“Offer this!” Our king chucks the candle against the wall, cracking it through the center without it splitting. “Your people will not be granted access to my daughter’s wedding when the time arises. Leave.”
The messenger nods then scurries out. Our king motions for the soldier next to me to confirm he returns to the boat promptly.
Opar picks the candle off the floor and returns it to the gift basket. Rubbing the deep grooves in his forehead, the king lets out a melodramatic sigh. “Opar gather your troop. You leave tomorrow to alert the other princes.” He notions me to his presence. I bow, though he holds the basket out to me.
“Alert Fakusha of this delay, will you?”
“Yes oh king.”
“And scold her on any enthusiasm the news may bring her.”
“Scold her, oh king?”
“Use your friendly charisma before she plots how to dismiss the next prince I choose.”
 
                                ***
 
The waves thrash onto the shore along the beach residing next to the fiery mountains. “Were you sent to distract me as the tribeswomen decorate the village?” Fakusha overlooks the azure waters. “I find it doubtful Father would spare you the day for us to trek here. It still boggles my mind you work for him.”
            I smirk. “Everyone works for the king.”
            “You know what I meant, silly.” She punches my arm while straddled over a driftwood log. I sit on the ground below, watching wave after wave crash into the sand then retreat.
            “You will not meet your betrothed tomorrow. He gave you this in hopes to compensate for the heartache. It seems he has fallen for another maiden, one far more lady-like than a feisty princess who deems it appropriate to beat her guards.”
            She rolls her eyes, lashes fluttering to the falling sun. “Can we open the basket now?” I snigger handing it over.
            “Oooh! Is this for me? Cheers good friend.” She holds the bottle high. “To not marrying strangers!” She pops open the bottle and chugs.
            “Whoa!” I spin to rip the bottle from her grip. “Your father would be furious if I let you drink this all to yourself.” I take a swig of the nutty brew. She nabs the bottle back so I snatch a handful of the candied fish, finding the flavor overly appealing.
            Pausing from the bottle, she nibbles at the fish then spits it out.
            “I thought you liked candied fish.”
            “This is Yoluku candied fish.”
            “So?”
            “It’s a delicacy nobles eat to provoke a mood.” She chugs more wine. I swear, that woman drinks like her brothers. “How do you not know this?”
            “Harvester’s son.”
            “Still… your mom’s as educated as our witch doctor on these matters. Was this prince from the Yoluku tribe?”
            “You know I am not permitted to admit anything on who you will or no longer will marry.”
            Fakusha slides off the log to offer me the bottle. She lays her head on my lap to stare up into the early stars. “It’s a strange present nonetheless.” Holding up the candle she tinkers with the broken seam.
            Watching her, my lips rest on the smooth glass edge of the bottle. “Don’t. I need to fix it.”
            “It’s wax, you can mend it just as easily if I…” The candle snaps in half. She holds her nose to it enjoying its fragrance. She lifts it to me for a sniff. Pleasant, sure. We swap bottle for candle when I notice the stiff wick.
            I smell the candle again, the scent familiar. Fakusha holds her palm for my dagger. I hand it over without a second thought, studying the candle further. She breaks off a dry twig from the driftwood.
            “I’ve only seen these in flowers yellow and orange.” She removes a flint stone from her travel pouch to light the useable half of the candle. My eyes widen to the burning stem pinched between her finger tips. I catch her wrist and blow it out.
            We’re nose to nose when footsteps shift the sand above us.
            My gaze travels beyond her loose braids to the fully armored soldier confidently striding towards us with a wicked glint to his stoic face. A thick coil of rope hangs off his broad shoulder. From day one he’s been scheming to remove me and here’s his chance wafting in front of him like roasted boar meat on a golden platter.
            “Greetings Opaaar. Wish to join usss?” she offers holding her near empty bottle up high.
            His lips twitch upward.
            “Aren’t you supposed to be gathering your troop for tomorrow’s sailing?” I ask.
            Opar flicks the dirt from his nails. “We’re packed and ready.”
            “Don’t you have a wife?” I hiss. Spending many hours by the king’s side rather than hers, then to head off for a long journey, he should cherish what short moments are offered. “What are you doing here?”
            He plants himself on the log above us. I sit back, though Fakusha unaware of the tension lifts the basket to him offering the final scrap of candied fish. His feet dangle between us, like an unwanted chaperone he spaces us apart. “My apologies, did I spoil the mood?”
            Fakusha guffaws. “You’d assume so, but Ridwiqu’Mar likes his head on his body.”
            “I do.” Ripping the bottle from her hand, I offer the remaining drips in hopes it would help him unwind. “Wine?”
            He shakes his head. “My father said he saw you two running off to the bushes up to no good, and well… he was correct.” His glare drops to Fakusha whose gaze can barely focus on the braids she’s fiddling with. “Strong wine, it seems.”
            I gulp. “Unfortunately so.” Scratching my scalp I offer, “There’s nothing I could do that could delay this report, is there?”
            Opar hops off the log and motions me to the open sandy expanse. “What’s that game you two used to play? King-Guard?”
            “King and Protector.”
            “Hmm. Yes. She would shout commands from the tree tops and you would hit the bushes with your measly little stick.” He tosses me the rope.
            “You wish to play King and Protector with us? We’re um… seems inappropriate given our age.” The imaginative game is meant for young children. Normally there would be two sides. One person would be the king who is held hostage, the rest or in our case, just me would be the loyal army. The two sides would fight until the king is saved or has escaped on their own. Fakusha and I would just pretend we had opposition, or half way in I’d pretend I defeated the hoards and was able to finally rescue her.
            Fakusha slaps my back. “Oh Ridwiqu’Mar, it will be fun. Tie me up! Tie me up!” I do so cautiously. “Oh come on. You can make it tighter. Don’t go easy on me.”
            Opar unsheathes his sword. “Your game seemed redundant without a formidable enemy. The king is impressed by your swordsmanship. I am not, you are schmoozing him to increase your ranks while seducing his daughter behind his back.”
            I join Opar in the expanse, balancing the pommel in the palm of my hand. Violent waves wash out the jungle sounds. “Why can’t you appreciate my skill?” Why can’t he assess me in public? Throwing my sword in the air, I catch it by the hilt. He charges with a powerful two handed swing.
            “You shouldn’t be a soldier.” My weapon is jostled from the forceful impact. Push and pull, metal scrapes metal. Skill aside, owning a dull overworked weapon holds a heavy disadvantage. A few more weighty impacts and the handle could split apart. “You’re a harvester’s son. That’s who you are. This life was never meant for you. Lady Fakusha shouldn’t know your name. You’re born from infidelity. Go back to the fields, farm boy.”
            I boot him a step back, though like Fakusha his stance is firm. Glimpses of steel breeze by my limbs. Soft clinks of my weapon dodge most the strikes. Experience and talent aside, I refuse to lose in Fakusha’s presence.
            “Are you jealous I’ve caught the king’s attention?” I pivot, deflecting a stab forcing his blade’s direction to the sky. I must be careful; he could slam his meaty head into mine if I leave myself exposed for an extended moment. “Or is this because you’re second, and you’ll always be second. There is no promotion for you. There never will be. Even if the king died, you will never rule. Joroar, your father perhaps but…”
            A pungent scent chokes out my breath—Poison.
            He kicks me to the ground. I roll in the sand dodging his painted blade. Recognizing the coating in the moonlight, the malodorous sap is deadly.
            My jaw drops, my glance to Fakusha is brief. Clutching sand in my free hand, I bare my teeth, and charge him for a lethal strike.
            Even if the king dies, as long as the queen lives, whomever Fakusha marries remains eligible for the Aykotah throne. Technically, the queen could remarry and have more daughters, but if her only daughter were to die...
Opar came to confirm her mortality. How easy it would be for him to murder her, then sail off at dawn.
            He grins.
            “Wow! Great acting! This is fun.” Fakusha cheers, very drunk. She doesn’t even try to untie her own ropes.
            “The late king Xund’Mar was my uncle. Tribes feared us under his rule. The Miroregos throw their riches to the wind and our village suffers.”
            “The village was in ruin upon Torajamaku’s arrival. His charity has lifted our spirits. Your uncle was a tyrant!” I growl, releasing the sand into his face. He picks at his eyes, while wavering his weapon with half the control. How dare he attack her? She is our tribe’s only hope to prosper.
            A faulty swing on his part provides me the opportunity to disarm him. The sword flings towards the sea as I strike him to the ground.
How dare he attack my…
            With my sword at his throat, I motion Fakusha to me. She wobbles and hops—trips, laughs, then scoots close enough for me to untie the rope while keeping the threat at bay. “Since our king is gracious enough to allow a harvester’s son such as myself to fight for him, perhaps he will show mercy to your betrayal.”
            “He may favor you over his sons, but I am his personal guard.” The gift was presented to the king.
            Repulsed, I shake my head tying him with the ropes, creating a tight leash to drag him back home. “One who paid a messenger for false report?”
Unfortunately I focus most my attention to assisting Fakusha through the rough jungle trail. She trips over few roots, complains about being sore, to then sing offensively loud. Our hostage is not threatened in the least, mocking us—primarily me the whole journey back to the village.
            “Heavy speculations considering the Yoluku prince did send their rejection.”
            “Perhaps.” However, they would not bother with a gift at all would they? The candle, wine and fish, it would create a mood not for the king’s daughter but the king himself. The fumes would poison him and whoever he lit the candle for. Since he is a faithful man, the queen would fall too. “Though Keyla’s candle making skills are nearly as reputable as her…” I clear my throat.  “She is popular among merchants.”
            Opar ignores me.
            “And your sister has been engaged to whom? For how many years?” I tug at the rope. “The Wek’Wek prince rejected the offer to become king of the Aykotah through Lady Fakusha, when he could have a more patsy consort. Why, Opar?”
            “I am but a loyal son.”
            “And a greedy fool.”
            We approach the throne room at dawn. Fakusha drapes her arms over my shoulders, collapsing on my back.
            The king raises a brow. “Opar?” Why aren’t you on the docks? Why is my daughter drunk? Why are you bundled in rope being dragged on a leash? With the bewildered look on his face, he shows uncertainty to where his interrogation should begin.
            “I caught these two—”
            “You caught nothing.” He turns to me, shifting his weight from one arm of his throne to the other. “Explain.” Opar opens his mouth. Torajamaku lifts his hand, “Ridwiqu’Mar, explain.”
            “Joroar tries to overthrow you.”
            The king’s brows rise. He motions me to continue.
“That white flower is common on the islands of the Wek’Wek, Wu’Wu Suoluangah, and Shi’queteih people. Joroar is second in line to the throne with his blood ties to the late king Xund’Mar. I noticed, I mean… the arrival of that weed corresponds to his daughter’s engagement to the Wek’Wek prince. They remain unmarried after three years of this announcement. His niece, an expert candle maker was the creator of yesterday’s gift containing none other than…”
“Those flowers.”
“Yes, oh king. Her little brother insisted on giving Fakusha bouquet after bouquet. At first his infatuation seemed innocent, though he always seemed to pick the wrong blossoms. Opar here, challenged me to a duel and well, you are aware of the result. However, he carried this rope and his blade was poisoned.”
“Foolish.”
“Indeed, oh king.”
“And my daughter’s state?”
“Uh… yes. The wine was safe for consumption. The Yoluku fish too… the present given to you and your wife.”
            He scowls following my insinuation. “Not the worst assassination attempt, I suppose.” Opar’s eyes drift to the floor boards, accepting his fate. The king glances to the wall in the direction of the bedroom chambers. “It is a good day to be alive.”
I nod in agreement.
The king grins, his attention tilts to Fakusha. Her eyes fight to remain open. “Take her to her mat, will you, Ridwiqu’Mar?” I nod following command. “With haste, you’re needed at the dock.”
I toss the rope end to Torajamaku. My eyes widen comprehending his unspoken praise. Opar’s position is mine. I’m… I’m the king’s guard?
Bound yet silent, Opar grimaces.
The king scratches his beard, shifting his gaze between us two, “I can’t have second best by my side, now can I?” He stomps on the rope as I piggyback his daughter to her chamber.
            Softly I place her down. She grips my armor as I pry her stiff fingers free, her lips brush my cheekbone. I blink, somehow stunned more by her action than her Father’s words. Fakusha may never remember this moment, but I’ll cherish it forever. My body floods with heat, returning promptly to serve the king.
               END

Thanks for reading Ridwiqu'Mar's story. You will be able to find him and the character's mentioned in The Aykotah Daughter. 

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                     Part Two: Advancement
 
 
 
“How does a farm boy like you end up joining us selected few?” Opar says with furrowed brows or brow. His excessive hair and the thick muscle ahead his eyes are intimidating. He and Fakusha’s eldest brother are traditionalists, never speaking a word to me instead giving me a limited range of growls and grunts.
            However, I envy his position—the king’s guard, no everything about this cold glaring man I covet, a life by the king’s side and his advisor for all things military. His father, Joroar is next in line to the Aykotah throne.
            Musicians exuberantly play as guests sing and dance to their melodies. Festive powders and paints are thrown at the G’yote royals to promote passion and blessings. The fire is stoked for flames taller than me.
            “Especially after that stunt you played.” Fakusha’s eldest brother adds. “Her secrets should not be kept from the king—”
            “Since you have delayed our search for a new ruler, Torajamaku was furious, yet you gain promotion after promotion.” Opar adds. “Why are you here, dirt digger?”
            I bite my lip. My armor still seems loose after mornings training and evenings assisting with the fields. My brother’s muscles aren’t quite developed yet for the task, yet mine seem overworked. I don’t know. Why am I at the new G’yote king’s wedding?
            “Opar!” The Aykotah queen hisses. “Smile, be happy for Huan Ni’guaro and his new wife.”
            Aykotah do not share the same enthusiasm, though he masks it well with a stoic expression. “A G’yote queen…” Opar mumbles. “Oh king, not that I should question your motives, for I am sure there is valid reasoning to why you attend, but why is he here?” His head jerks to my direction.
            “Wives.” Fakusha’s eldest brother blurts glancing over the dancing crowd to his grinning brothers. “Huan Ni’guaro has many sisters.”
            The king’s lip curls upward. He too faces the crowd. Motioning me to him, he snags my borrowed cloak with a strong grip of my shoulder. “Perhaps not wives, but husbands for you know who.”
            I gulp.
            “You are her closest friend, are you not?”
            My startled eyes quiver from his commanding glare.
            “We could meet each prince individually through formal invitation, or send them a friendly greeting tonight.” He chuckles, “And maybe find you a wife.”
            “Me?”
            “It was a joke. A tribal princess would not marry a harvester’s son like you, though with your swordsmanship skills you show promise under my reign.” He strokes his chin, “A servant perhaps, but the G’yote people are garbage. You may as well cling with one from our tribe.”
            “Oh king, did you just… give me marital advice?”
            “You’ll grow to be a good man, Ridwiqu’Mar. I wouldn’t allow you near my daughter’s presence if you were as distasteful as…” he clears his throat while G’yote tribesmen pass us by.
            Our queen winks to her husband, inviting him to a dance.
“I value your insight. Weed the uninspiring princes out for me will you?” I raise my brow perplexed by my role. “Find us a prince which appropriates with her trait.”
I scratch my scalp, baffled. Do I truly believe there is a man among this crowd that would make Fakusha a better husband than I? Hush, Ridwiqu’Mar, you should not hold such arrogance. She is royal, you are not!
In the distance, our shaman speaks shoulder to shoulder with the G’yote’s facing me. Through the smoke and tunes before us, their voices seem inaudible.
            Fakusha’s brother bumps into me. “Matchmaker huh?”
            Opar crosses his arms. Veins bulge through the knotted muscle. “Don’t mess up.”
            I shake my head. “Never.” One failure and I am back to mulching the earth for the rest of my life. Avoiding them, I enter the dancing crowd wishing for Fakusha’s presence.
            “Look at that soldier.” A maiden snickers to her a friend. “Me… oh no. I can’t.” She glances back. Friendly, I wave. She covers her mouth giggling. “Fine. It’s a fluke he noticed. I mean he’s Aykotah so there’s no chance he will ever want—”
            “Go already!” Her friend nudges pushing her into my chest.
            She makes amusing accompaniment while I scope the guests.
            A scrawny tribesman dark as midnight in elaborate gown swings his arms for the crowd’s attention with a roulougri in his right hand. Very few have the patience to learn the complex windpipe instrument. His comrade snickers next to him with a drum slung around his hip.
            Huan Ni’guaro lifts his hand from his betrothed’s hip, stepping away from a passionate spit-swap from her—awfully jovial for a man whose father died less than a season ago. “What is it brother?”
            Brother? That runt is a prince? Though he may hold a year or two above me, his figure is dainty. The maiden rests her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arm around my back. I grip my sword’s hilt as precaution. Never trust the enemy.
            “Ah-hem.” A wide grin spreads to both cheeks. “For you and your new wife… a song of everlasting love, suiting for a marriage. For this one woman you will cherish for…” I snicker from his crackling voice.
            Huan Ni’guaro’s eyebrow twitches with a foul expression of irritation. “One verse, Ni’guah guah.”
            His comrade rolls his eyes drumming the hide with two cushioned mallets. This Ni’guah guah lifts the roulougri to his lips. A few notes in, the instrument squeaks like his voice. A darkened blush fills his cheek. He tries again, though it appears he needs more practice.
            Having enough, Huan Ni’guaro walks over rips it out from his hands and snaps a pipe off the instrument, throwing it all into the fire. Close enough, I hear his whisper, “You’re an embarrassment.” The prince rushes to retrieve it. Nothing about this runt says ‘War-lord’, especially if he can’t defend his honor. Here I thought I was pathetic.
            The maiden next to me gapes at the man over my shoulder. Another prince, by the symbols scarred on his chest, I recognize him from the Heir’Kurmaka tribe. Though his people worship demons, he holds the attributes my king looks for.
            He pinches Ni’guah guah’s robe then points to our king, mortifying the runt with embarrassment. I grin craftily pondering Fakusha’s reaction if I were to recommended this runt as her betrothed.
            Torajamaku approaches them first.
“Why is the Aykotah king...” My dance partner plays with her necklace ogling the charmer next to my king.
“Our king seeks a prince for his daughter. Who in this crowd would you choose?” My eyes travel to the Wek’Wek prince conversing with Yoluku and Wu’Wu Suoluangah royals. She shakes her head at my suggestion. “Why not him?” I ask. The maiden’s attention remains fixed on the thick arms of the Heir’Kurmaka prince.
            “Haven’t you heard? He’s engaged to one of your Aykotah.”
            “He is?” I raise my brow. “Who?”
            Pointing to Opar she replies, “His sister.”
 
                        ***
 
“Where were you!” Fakusha shoves me with both palms, furious. I catch myself on the mossy tree behind me in this thick lush jungle. Stars line the sky. Neither of us should be here alone far beyond curfew. Yet here we are catching up for lost time. Between training and harvesting a bountiful crop, it seems I see less of my friend and more a royal in recent days.
            “Serving the king, Lady Fakusha.”
            She groans. “Don’t Lady Fakusha me, Ridwiqu’Mar. Serving my father in what capacity, huh? How could you go to the wedding I couldn’t. It’s not fair. You get to travel, meet foreign women, consume wine, and I’m trapped here cleaning after my baby brother.”
            I lean up against the tree exhausted. She called for this meeting, I could use the rest. Threatening to leave I pat my yawn.
            “It’s all your fault, you know. If you had tied that basket shut, I would have been free to join the celebration…”
            Before she can finish that thought I interject, “Your brother was towering over me. I barely had a moment to scrub my pits.”
            “Anyone can tower you, runt.” She plunks her fist over my head to remind me of our height difference.
            “Hey, finding you a prince that won’t break his neck to look way up at you will be a challenge.”
            “Finding a prince?”
            “Nope. I said nothing!” I press my hand over my mouth.
            “Ridwiqu’Mar!” She slides her fist down and makes another to prop on her hips. “I don’t want to get married. I’m going to be king remember? You will be my soldier.”
            I shrug. “Well I am a soldier, so…”
Wandering off a few steps, she peeks through the bush to the moonlit waters. “It’s just… if I were to marry a stranger. We’ll have to kiss.”
            I press both hands now over my lips acting out a violent gag. Her kissing another man? No. I won’t have it. Fakusha rolls her eyes at me, unimpressed.
            “Grow up. Aren’t you old enough to be attracted by girls? Shouldn’t kissing be interesting to you now?” Her eyes widen with a snap of her fingers. “You have kissed other girls…”
            I snigger, rubbing at my nose faking my confidence, though the answer is just once and it was odd.
“I should be… what if…” Pivoting on her heel, her approach is slow. One, two, three steps and we’re a hair apart.
“Lady Fakusha?”
“Don’t Lady Fakusha me.”
“You’re right. You’re not much of a lady.”
She growls, smacking my chest. I grip her wrist, meeting her gaze with hooded eyes. “I’d be an embarrassment to the tribe if I were to fail at such a task… and you being my closest friend and all…”
“Closest…” I murmur, my heart racing, pounding violently against my chest. Her fingernails tap my leather armor. You’re the reason I train. I dreamt of serving the king to be closer to you. Is it terrible to share a lifetime in want, hungry yet never satisfied?
“Yes! Great! If you do not mind—as friends of course… helping each other, yes? Yes,” she says with a glint of determination in her eyes. “Two friends helping each other out. Perhaps, this skill could persuade our future partners. No one will have to know, because we’re simply doing each other a favor…” rambling with such enthusiasm her words loop.
“For us to kiss?” I clarify, bewildered by her enthusiasm.
“Platonically, of course.”
“Fakusha?” Each word to follow my voice softens. Should she worry whether a man will wish to kiss her or not? I doubt so.
“Yes?”
“You are beautiful.” Suddenly the cool evening air seems searing hot like the midday’s sun.
“I know.” She rolls her eyes as-matter-of-fact.
“And… this is what you truly wish from me?”
“Could you kiss me?”
“Could I or should I?” We need to clarify this before I’m caught in the act and exiled to a distant island. I swallow, the saliva thick down my throat, my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth. She stares down to my hand. I release her wrist.
“I’ll make it quick.”
A smirk curls up my cheek. “Of course you would.” I shake my head. “Nothing comes out of haste, my…” I clear my throat. “…friend.” A platonic kiss? Is there such a thing? Though, if she declines one of true intent and tattles to her father, it’s off the island for me.
She snuffs hot air onto my face. “Fine. I’m going to kiss now, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Frantically she rubs her sweaty palms on the sides of her multi-fringed skirt, looking away.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
She picks a blade of grass off my armor. “Aren’t you supposed to close your eyes… first?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never kissed a princess before, let alone one who acts entitled to kiss my mouth albeit completely forbidden to do so.” Silence boy, you’ll ruin this moment.
“Well I’m going to kiss you on the mouth.”
“Do it.”
She squints. “Okay! I’m going to kiss you now.”
“I’m waiting.”
Fakusha tilts, eyes slit at mine, biting back a growl. Is this it? Are we going to become each other’s secret, betraying the next king all for the sake of love? It would not be fair on behalf of our people, however, when have they been fair to me? No prince will understand her like I, here in this moment, friends… almost more.
Her breath is warm as my cheeks. I brace my hands on the top of her hips, soft—womanly. It won’t be long before men will desire her womb.
The tip of her nose scrapes mine sensitive against the new metal, though I refuse to complain. Bitter cold skin taps mine. I part my lips then…
“Lady Fakusha?” calls the distant voice. “Lady Fakusha, are you there?”
Our eyes widen. She pushes off me then darts deeper into the woods. My back pounds into the tree once again.
“Ridwiqu’Mar?” a fellow soldier asks, “Were you just with… was that… have you seen Lady Fakusha?”
He holds a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. I squint. “Stay away from her. You know the law.”
“I uh… yes, only a friendly gesture.”
“Like your wagers on who can disrobe her first?” I rest my hand on my sword. “Try again and I’ll dismember you.” His face pales. Perfect, he understands. “Goodnight.”
With a nod, he drops the flowers and scurries off to the village. I sigh with relief, wiping the clammy sweat beading off my forehead then squat down to inspect the flowers, all various blossoms in white though one peaks my interest.
Three cones per stem, safe to smell yet toxic to burn. I twirl the stem between my fingertips. Often this bloom is mistaken for its golden ancestor used as an active ingredient in perfumes. However this variety is not native to this island, so how could he have found them? I pocket them for safe keeping—for the king.

Will Ridwiqu'Mar follow Torajamaku's orders or his heart?
Find out in the final segment of his story in "Part Three: Status"

                      Part One: Impressions
 
 
“Aaaaaaugh!” The cry echoes across the azure waters on this blistering hot day. It’s too late to back down. Forget the stoic expression I held seconds ago, my comrades mock me now.
            Miroreka Fakusha teases me with a snigger, her face adorned with jewels.
            The earlobes were fine. Oh how I’ve been horribly misinformed the wall between my nostrils would be indifferent. I glare up to her older brothers, particularly the one who pierced me.
            “You’re not going to impress anyone if you cry like a baby.” he says cleaning his needle in the ocean.
            “I could always return the favor.” I growl back waving my scrimshaw dagger.
            “I’ll pass.” His gaze travels to the young ladies nursing their firstborns under the jungle shade. It’s a beautiful day, one worth halting obligations for. “I’m not in that pool anymore, remember?”
His sister wanders off to dote over the babes, though her hips have a natural sway—unforgivable for me to admire, since she is the king’s only daughter destined to become the incarnate representation of the Aykotah. That prince, whoever he will be will be granted dominion over our tribe, meanwhile I’m at the lowest rank in the Aykotah social class. I’m about as despised as a barren woman in a tribe that adorns fertility.
“You on the other hand, Ridwiqu’Mar should consider finding a… naaah. Start flirting.” He turns to his brothers, “He needs to stop bantering with my sister before the tribesmen start accusing him of being her personally assigned eunuch.”
I choke on my spit.
He pauses to watch Keyla stride along the beach towards the merchants with a basket full of candles. “Hmm. What about her?”
I raise my brow not giving her a consideration. My mind, no my heart is already set, throwing all caution to the wind, when Fakusha became more than a girl who used to push me into the mud or play ‘warriors’ with me with sticks we’d fashion into swords. She has this dream that instead of marrying a foreign prince, she will forgo the role of queen and rule the tribe instead. That she would become king of the Aykotah, and riling her up brings the sparkle to her eyes.
Only I would be exiled if I ever showed interest in courting her. Being the only daughter to King Mirorego Torajamaku, marrying within this tribe is forbidden, let alone a harvester’s son—like me. I am a pureblood Aykotah unless I abandon my allegiance. Plus, my siblings’ paternal history varies.
Keyla flicks her long braids behind her ear in a dramatic motion inviting men to gawk. Perhaps the Miroregos suggest Keyla because rumors claim she lack piety and the chances of me settling with a woman with her virtue in tact is unlikely. Her father’s lineage does holds merit since her uncle Joroar is second in line to the throne. If I were to successfully pursue her, there is a chance our child could follow my dreams and serve the king—Fakusha’s future consort. I shake my head to clear the daunting thought.
“Really? She’s staring your way.”
“Hmm?”
“Keyla.” He clarifies the ‘she’ as if I didn’t clue in.
Fakusha’s second eldest brother gives me a shove. “Ridwiqu’Mar, one of these days you’re going to have to stop pretending you’re a soldier and settle down. Sure, sure you spend all your time hanging around a girl, but Fakusha isn’t any help when it comes to women, or competition. You’re never going to prove to the maidens of our village your worth if your feeding our sister’s ego from the treetops.”
I squint. We haven’t played ‘King and Protector’ in those forts for a full year now.
Another brother interjects, “Besides she needs to spend more time with the ladies to become one.” He winks at his wife. She blows him a kiss back which he catches with pride. “No prince is going to want her with a farm boy shadowing her.”
“Farm boy?” I repeat back. “Say that again at blade-point.”
“Why do you even spend time with her?” Galukush, her younger brother adds. And here I thought they appreciated my friendship. “How are you… still?”
I hop off the driftwood log and hold my hand out for a sword to borrow. The brother I challenged unsheathes his. We stand two arm lengths away from each other. “Your mother required healing after Fakusha’s birth, so she summoned my mother to nurse her… then we became playmates… so the story goes on. I keep her out of trouble, don’t I?”
“No, you cover it up. You kiss her...”
The older brother clears his throat then waves the sword around.
“I was going to say feet.” Galukush shakes his head at his older brother, though he’s ready to duel.
“This is the part where you wager with Keyla that if you win, she brings you—just you… dinner on the docks tonight.” I snort.
“You dare not go easy on me, I thought you Miroregos were a dignified bunch.” My sword may point to the second eldest, but with that jest I threaten all nine sons. I counter his intimidations with my own tricks, practicing the weight of the blade by flipping it through the air and controllably around my limbs. “Fight me and if you lose, Fakusha and I will call you farm boy.”
They laugh. “If you win? I’m one of father’s greatest soldiers. Need I remind you, you are but a little boy? How old are you, ten?” Fourteen. “If you can defeat me, I’ll hint to Father myself that you should lead in our next battle.”
Fakusha returns taking a seat by her younger brother. “Careful you’re dripping everywhere Ridwiqu’Mar. His wife would have a fit if she has to wash blood out of his clothing.” She taps her chin. “On that subject, why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”
I shrug. “It’s a hot day.”
She pinches her top. The indigo fabrics embroidered with intricate detail, a garment my kin could never afford.
“How are you not sweating in that robe?”
“It’s a shirt.”
“If it covers your knees it’s a robe.”
“It doesn’t explain why you’re not wearing a shirt.”
“Well Lady Fakusha, I’ve been tilling the earth all morning not prancing around the village.”
“Prancing?” Her dark glare catches my opponent’s attention. “Get him!” she commands. My eyes widen, but I grip the hilt in time to defend the startling blow.
Metal scrapes metal. Her brother has the advantage on weight, like her he is strong, so I do what I always do when dueling with Fakusha: dodge, deflect, defeat.
Again our swords clink, after a crafty pivot under his free arm. He lifts his monstrous leg to boot my gut, but I somersault around him again, spring to my feet with the given momentum, and tap my sword’s tip on his leather armor between his shoulder blades.
“Beginner’s luck,” he hisses as he drops his sword in the sand to surrender. “I’ll talk to Father.” His tone glum, I suppose so if an enthusiastic amateur beat him at his own game.
A deep voice carries over the beach. “No need.” Their father, King Torajamaku crosses his arms with a smug glint in his eyes. The shaman and a two soldiers trail him. “Young Ridwiqu’Mar, is it?”
“Yes, I am he.” I bow immediately. No, that is not enough! I fall to my face, sand sticks to my bare stomach. He nods, then returns to the village core.
Composing myself, Fakusha whips her arms around me in a tight hug.
“Hey, why’d you pick his side?” I ask Fakusha returning the sword.
“I did no such thing.”
I cross my arms, unimpressed.
“You don’t need the encouragement,” she says elbowing her glum brother. “How’s your mother? She um… how many moons until her baby comes?”
I raise my brow noticing her lengthy skirt on a hot day like this. “Two full moons roughly. She’s definitely showing in her final season.”
Fakusha bites her lip. “Hmm. Yes.” Picking at her braids, her brothers decide to wander off, most likely assuming we’re going to chat about girly topics. They are correct.
“You will have to find another person to borrow from or find a new solution soon.”
She grunts. “I know.” Retying the leather bands around her ankles, she asks, “Could you bring them tonight?”
I nod. “I will place the basket by the other offerings in the throne room as usual.” Since my mother is with child, she has no need for the extra cloth. For Fakusha, using her own would attract the attention she seeks to avoid.
She nods back. “Thank you.”
Though she pivots, I catch her wrist. “You can’t keep this a secret much longer. The tribe will catch on through your omission. If not this, they’ll note the other changes to your body.”
“I’ll tie my torso wrap tighter,” I gulp. One day that action will bring more attention than divert it, though I seal my lips to prevent a stinging backhanded slap. “Flowing fabrics to distract from any oncoming matronly shape, I’ll find ways…”
“They will find you a prince, nonetheless Lady Fakusha. You are to be our queen. You will be forced to marry and that man will demand an heir—whether or not he knows now it is a possibility.”
She rolls her eyes, “Don’t remind me.”
 
                             ***
 
“You have been summoned by the king to the throne room.” The voice belongs to Fakusha’s eldest brother, his command coming from the bottom doorstep to my mother’s home. I pause from carving a bone hilt.
            “May I wash up first?” My dark skin is plastered in golden mud and diced leaves stick to my ankles.
            He nods. “Make it quick.”
            I shake my head entering the hut. After a brief scrub, I rush to tie on my formal wear, though it is generations old and lacks the frivolity most tribesmen are privileged with. In a hurry, I stuff the closed basket with my mother’s bandages, the ones Fakusha has been borrowing for the last two seasons.
            “An offering?” He scrutinizes the container from afar.
            “Supplies for Fakusha’s latest project,” I smirk, latest scheme is more like it. “Might as well make one less trip, yes?”
            He squints, lacking humor. He’s never liked me, probably because I’m too relaxed around the royal family. Perhaps he believes I will indulge in this privilege.
            Arriving at the throne room, I place the basket among other offerings. Some contain clean linens, fresh fruits, and fine gems. Fakusha watches my delivery, though her mother grabs her elbow before she can casually saunter to the table of goods.
            “Young Ridwiqu’Mar,” The king says approaching his throne. “Interesting.” He taps his nose referring to my recent piercing. I bow my head in gratitude then kneel in front of him. The shaman stands to his right side, the witch doctor to his left. He strokes his braided chin adorned with beads. His torso like a boulder displays wounds from various battles and wars. His fingers tap the arm of his throne decorated with the bones of men who have crossed royals in the past.
            Remaining members of Fakusha’s family sit with the elders to the right, with the soldiers to the left. Freestanding torches are lit by a servant.
            “Your father is harvester, correct?”
            “Yes, oh king.”
            “You wield a blade that combats the training of a prince. How so? Who taught you?”
            “I’m self-taught, oh king. I watch from afar, prepared for battle in a moment’s notice. I envy his position.” I bite my lip staring at his son’s blanched face. “Though, he was a worthy opponent. Indeed I was challenged by his skill.” Not really, his strength perhaps but if he exerted more of that strength he could be formidable.
            From the corner of my eye, Fakusha sweats profusely. Constantly she scans the basket though her mother forces her to remain by her side. A spot of blood hits the floor by her heels.
            The king scratches his beard. He prizes it. I would too if I held such growth. “Your mother was Fakusha’s wet-nurse, yes?”
            “Yes oh king.”
            “Though you are entering manhood, you still remain in my sole daughter’s presence.” He crosses his arms. Muscles bulge. His sons mirror the action. I bow my head.
However young footprints wander playfully around the gifts. The king’s youngest son, apparently skipping his early bedtime sneaks through the baskets picking out snacks for himself.
            Fakusha whispers in her mother’s ear to bring attention to her baby brother, though the queen ignores her daughter’s concern allowing him to explore.
            A grin curls up Torajamaku’s cheek. “And so you will spend more time with her.” Stifled laughter creeps among the crowd. I raise an eyebrow.
A servant prompts me to stand, taking my measurements.
“From now on you must address her by her position in society. You will train with the others at dawn…”
My jaw drops, speechless. Am I dreaming? The king wishes for me to join his throng? I’ll have my own sword, a real one—not carved branches, and armored cuffs, not make-believe ones from discarded fabrics.
Fakusha’s baby brother flips the basket upside down. All its contents fall on the boarded floor.
Mother’s bandages!
He doesn’t care, placing the basket on his head like an oversized helmet and holding the lid like a breastplate, but Fakusha and I are mortified.
The king twists to peer behind his throne. “That is the basket you brought?”
“Yes oh King.”
He glares at Fakusha.
His wife partially lifts her skirt to reveal a thin trail of blood down her calf.
The king clears his throat. “I see you have been attending to my daughter’s recent needs.” He squints. “Recent?” I gulp, unsure whether it should be I or Fakusha who should answer that question. “Assembly excused. I must speak with my rebellious offspring in private.” Wow. Forget child or daughter, but offspring? Ouch.
I mouth, “I’m sorry” to her as I’m forcibly escorted out of the building. Used leather armor is shoved into my chest. The force nearly topples me over. My eyes drift to my armor… my own armor! I’m a soldier!

How long will the king's impression on Ridwiqu'Mar last?
Stay tuned for "Part Two: Advancement"