Akila and Leya: Ch. 02

The ride from Til'amin to Armath was long and bumpy but for Leya it was an incredible experience nonetheless. Seeing horizons he never thought he'd see. Long, bright green seagrass waving in the wind like the tides along the shores of Angkar. Elain, huge beasts of burden with downward curling horns and thick black fur, ending their yearly migration through the Ta'kal pass. And sprawling fields of crimson wheat buds being harvested by farmers. But most comforting was the warmth of Akila's back as he rested his cheek upon it. Likewise, Akila noticed an unfamiliar flutter in her belly at the feeling of his hands clasp tightly around her waist. Leya asks question after question about Armath and Akila answers them all, proud to boast of her home city and it's wonder. Describing how you can look in all directions from the top of the Silver Palace spires and not see the end of it. What the Viridian Gardens look like at night when, lit by enchanted lantern lights, floating lemon blossoms fall from the treetops and glow like falling stars. The smells and colors of the great markets food stands filled with spices, fresh fruits and vegetables from all corners of Sumanita and beyond. Leya closes his eyes and tries to picture it all in his mind.

Likewise, Akila asks Leya about himself and he tells her about his favorite place to spend time as a child.

"There was a stream leading to a waterwheel outside of town that powered an old mill. The village used to grow grain, it was much bigger than it is now. But the soil turned sour and most of the peasant farmers had to leave to find work elsewhere so the old grain mill was abandoned. I used to sit by the creek next to it and listen to the teabirds sing to each other. I would try to imagine what kind of song they were singing. Sometimes they would sound melancholy and sad, other times it sounded like a sonnet, or even a ballad about a legendary teabird hero!"

Akila snorts in amusement.

"Every so often the shival stags would join in from the woods, and it would be like a choir. The teabirds would be the tenors and the shival would take up the baritone."

"You certainly have a creative mind Leya, that's for sure." Akila says as she raises her canteen to her lips.

Leya smiles proudly. "Thank you... I'm no Akila Solamin though." Leya puffs his chest out and declares grandly. "Champion of Sumanita! Conqueror of the White Plains! Heir to the Cracked Throne! And Slayer of Kaeden I-...Yeel?... El?..."

"Ylian." Akila helps him. "Are you about done now? I think I liked you better when you were were too timid to make fun of me." Leya laughs and hugs Akila tightly. "Yes, I'm done."

"When I was at the orphanage the gaurdians would all say that just because you don't have a mother or a father doesn't mean you aren't loved, because Sumanita loves you. The Sumanitan earth is your mother, we sow our fields in her soil and she feeds us. We make our homes from her trees and she shelters us. We burn her wood in furnaces made of her clay and are warmed by her." Akila begins reciting the rest of the parable;

"And the Sumanitan sky is our father constantly teaching us lessons. His angry storms teach us to be strong during unexpected adversity and his harsh winters teach us to prepare for what hardships may come in the future. The sun is his fatherly love, smiling down on us giving us life and light. I know it well, Leya. Almost all sumanitans are told that story by their parents growing up."

"Not mine, I don't even remember my parents. I was only a baby when they left me, maybe a year old. Even though all I've ever known is Sumanita, whenever they would tell us that story, I knew I was the exception." Leya squeezes Akila tightly and presses his cheek into her back.

"You are the only person to ever make me feel like I wasn't." Akila reaches her hand behind her and places it on Leyas thigh. Rubbing it comfortingly.

"I'm glad I make you feel that way, Leya."

"How did you get your name anyways?" Akila asks, curiously. "Your parents couldn't have given it to you if they left you so young, and I doubt a Sumanitian gave it to you."

"The gaurdians at the orphanage told me it was written on the side of a crate I was found in, they thought it was as good a name as any, so that's what they called me. I guess it must have been a box of Leya flowers?"

"Tea." Akila corrects him. "The Leya flower makes a highly sought after tea."

"Really?"

"I've never had it so I can't speak to its quality but it's apparently very good. I do know it's hard to acquire though. It only grows in one place in the world so that makes it rare, and that place is in Caelyrion so that made it illicit. Those two qualities made it very profitable to sell to nobles and enthusiasts with more money than sense."

"People buy illegal Caelyrion goods? Isn't that..." Leyas voices drops to a whisper. "... Treasonous?"

"Don't tell Asair that!" Akila laughs and Leya gasps in surprise.

"Emperor Asair buys illegal Caelyrion goods?!" He says in a hurried and hushed voice as if an eavesdropper might overhear them on their lonely trail.

"Just the tea, It's his favorite. He always used to say 'Sumanitians brew it better but the Caelyrions grow it better'. I think more Caelyrion tea shipments might have been his ulterior motive for the entire treaty. If nobody had noticed you in that crate you may have been shipped straight to the Silver Palace itself!"

Leya chuckles at the idea and his smile grows wide thinking of the scandelous royal gossip he's being let in on.

"I didn't know the Emperor liked tea that much."

"Emperor Asair is a very spiritual man and tea is at the heart of his spirituality. He believes that when you brew tea you are not just distilling the flavor but the qualities of the plant itself; It's resilience to cold or drought, it's strength, it's beauty. They become a part of you in some way or another when you imbibe it. I never really understood what the old man was on about."

"The old man?" Leya inquires.

"That's what I call Asair."

"And he lets you?!" Leya exclaims in shock, prompting Akila to laugh.

"He doesn't have a choice! I told him I'd stop calling him old man when he stops calling me young lady. Neither of us have relented, stubborn old fool. I think he secretly likes it."

The reality of what's happening hits Leya for the first time as he listens to Akila describe her relationship with Emperor Asair. He's being escorted by Akila Solamin herself to the great city of Armath - to the Silver Palace no less! He almost doesn't believe it's happening, it must be some dream. He looks around, trying to find something unreal, something that would give away this hallucination. That's when he sees it, a wonderous vision in the distance. The walls of Armath rising over the horizon like a mountain from the earth. It's too stunning and magnificent a sight to have come from his imagination, the surreal solidifies reality.

It's something Leya never thought he would see in his life and it strikes him with awe. Giant blocks of whitestone layered in staggered patterns stretch up into the sky for what must be near one hundred meters. The whitestone gleams brightly against the morning sun, vines and moss creep down from the top and up from bottom, like lovers reaching out for each other from a great distance. The huge iron gates are plated in platinum and shine like a mirror, reflecting the rising sun and horizon behind them. It's unquestionably a wonder of the world, the whole city, in fact, is a thing of magnificence.

As they approach the gates a tall valkyrie guard steps up to them. She's wearing a polished iron breastplate and intricately ornate chainmail. All valkyries have their armor fitted precisely to their bodies.

"Who goes? Please present any identification or travelling papers and state your reason for visiting Armath."

Akila flips her hood off and shakes out her hair.

"Oh! Empress Akila!"

"I'm not empress yet, soldier. You're too eager for the old man to die."

"No! of course not! May emperor Asair live forever!" the overly enthused valkrie declares, saluting with brimming patriotism.

"Oh, so you never want me to become empress then, I suppose?"

"N-No my Patra! I- uh, I only meant that, um, I-" Akila laughs boisterously at the flustered Valkyrie.

"Just open the gates, soldier."

"Yes, of course my Patra. Right this way." She gestures to follow her and shouts "Open the Gates!", leading the pair through them into the bustling city of Armath.

Rows of fit, tall Valkyrie soldiers salute them as they trot past.

"You really like to tease people don't you, Akila."

"Yes. But I like to tease you the most." She reaches back and squeezes Leyas butt playfully.

"Akila.... someone will see." Leya nuzzles his face under Akilas arm, hiding it from view.

"You keep poking me in the back with that little thing between your legs and they'll see something a lot more explicit than me squeezing your bottom."

".... Sh-shut up...." Leya says, red-faced and extremely embarrassed.

The city is nothing Leya could ever have imagined. All around him are bustling merchants bringing goods in and out of the city. Domed buildings with stone gargoyles hanging off them looking out over the city and its inhabitants. Spiraling columns and ornate architecture decorated with masterful reliefs of ancient battles and legendary Sumanitian figures. Even the road tiles are carved with intricate patterns.

They trot up the city streets until they reach their destination. The Silver Palace. It's beauty and glory is otherworldly. Like it was transported from some ethereal land to the center of this great and vast city. White spires hundreds of feet tall plated in platinum, silver and gold twist into the sky like a lance thrust into the very heart of the heavens themselves.

At the gates of the palace Akila hops off the horse and takes leya by the hand, directing him to swing his leg over until he is sitting side saddle. She reaches under his legs with one arm and behind his back with the other and lifts him up off the horse. She holds him for a moment in her arms and they look into each other's eyes until Leya notices the rows of gaurds all around them watching intently and looks away. Akila places him down and he winces and rubs his bottom.

"My butt is sore. That was a really long ride"

Akila takes a step forward, pressing her hips and flaccid package up against him and reaches behind to grab a handful of his buttocks.

"Oh Leya.... You have no idea how sore your butt can get." She insinuates as her fingers squeeze firmly. Leya feels a surge of blood rush to his loins and he clasps his hands over his crotch to hide the meagre bulge. As Leya makes his characteristic pout Akila notices that he has a swollen lip, she pulls his bottom lip down with her thumb to inspect it closer.

"What happened here?" She asks.

"Oh, I bit my lip on the ride here. It was a little bumpy. It's not a big deal."

"Let's see if I can make it feel better..." Akila leans in and kisses him softly.

"Better?"

Leyas lips curl into a coy smile.

"Much." He responds.

"Miss Solamin!" A stern voice calls out from the palace gates interrupting their moment and a man makes his way down the palace steps. He is a lean sinewy man, tall and dark. He floats down the steps like a spectre. His black robes trailing behind him. His face is wisened and austere, his eyes are piercing and resolved. He has a thin, long nose which adds to the sense that he is looking down it at everybody around him.

"A'peris! You're looking glum, as usual."

"I have good reason to be." He looks down at leya, as if noticing him for the first time and lets out a quiet sigh.

"And who is your... guest here, today?" He asks snidely.

"This is Leya, he's from a small village west of here. He helped me with my quest as a matter of fact."

"Hello..." Leya nervously greets A'peris, who doesn't aknowledge him at all.

"That's very nice. I would like to talk to you privately if you will. Your friend can wait in the lobby."

"I was actually hoping to show Leya around a bit. I wanted to take him up the east spire and show him the view of-"

"- With all due respect, my Patra. This is an urgent matter."

Although it's a subtle difference to most, Akila can easily tell when A'peris is being his regular unamused self and when he is serious, and this time is the latter. Akila nods at A'peris and then turns to Leya and places a hand on his shoulder.

"One of these gaurds will escort you into the palace." An intimidating Valkyrie soldiers grabs Leya by the arm and firmly directs him to follow her. Akila grabs his other arm before he is escorted away and pulls him in towards her. She kisses his cheek until it is flushed and glowing. "I'll meet you in there soon."

"Okay...." Leya responds, trusting but nervous.

Once alone in a room together A'peris turns to Akila and drops his professional, practiced mannerism.

"What were you thinking?! You nearly left the empire in shambles!" A'peris chides Akila sternly.

"Left the empire in shambles? I think your being a bit dramatic A'peris. I just went to capture some harmless Caelyrion terrorists, they weren't much healthier or better trained than peasent soldiers." Akila downplays the gravity of what occured outside of Til'amin.

"What would we do if something had happened and you did not return? For the first time in centuries we would have been left without an heir to the Cracked Throne."

"Then the old man would just pick somebody else to become heir, somebody more fit for it than me, at least. Maybe you, even!" she nudges A'peris on shoulder, jokingly.

"No, Akila, he would not." A dour look crosses his face. "During a feast with several Caelyrion dignitaries, the one you were supposed to attend before you ran off on your manhunt, Emperor Asair had a fit and fell to the ground clutching his chest."

Akilas eyes snap open wide and her posture changes from relaxed to tense in an instant.

"What?! Is he okay!? What happened?! Tell me he's still alive, A'peris!" Akila asks with panicked concern.

"He is but his condition is poor. The healers say it was his heart, it seized on him. His heartbeat has been weak and unsteady since then. It only gets worse by the day. They are doing all they can but.... I'm sorry, Akila. It is only a matter of time."

"How much time?!"

"Weeks. Maybe months."

Concern and confusion swirl in Akilas expression.

"I...I need to see him!"

"Wait! Akila!" A'peris tries to stop her to no avail, she rushes past him

She runs down the palace corridors until she reaches his chamber. Two Valkyrie's cross their spears infront of the door.

"Halt!"

Akila stares them down scornfully. They nearly do a double take when they see who they are standing in the way of.

"I-I'm sorry, my Patra! But there are to be no visitors for emperor Asair at the moment. N-no exceptions."

A'peris catches up to Akila and places his hand on her shoulder, huffing and puffing.

"Akila, *huff* he is In a very fragile state right now. *huff* you can see him soon. *huff* Once the doctors are satisfied he is rested enough for visitors." Akilas shoulders slump and she relents.

"Fine."

"Now," A'peris regains his practiced mannerism, and his breath. "About that young Caelyrion you have brought back with you."

"Leya? What about him?" A'peris eyes the two Valkyries next to them suspiciously and guides Leya around the corner to a more secluded location.

"You two seem to have a... relationship of sorts?"

"What of it?" Akila responds incredulously.

A'peris' demeanor is once again broken.

"He's not a puppy, Akila!" He rebukes. "You can't just bring him to the Silver Palace because he followed you home!"

"I wouldn't be so sure... I was thinking of putting a leash on him." Akila smiles devilishly and rubs her chin in consideration.

"I'm surprised at you Akila..." A'peris shakes his head in disbelief. "I haven't known you to be so niave before."

Akila understands what he is getting at and addresses the issue directly.

"They are not our enemies anymore A'peris. They are only our neighbors now, and is it not Sumanitian to invite your neighbors into your home to share a meal with?"

A'peris takes a deep breath and speaks with a calm precision.

"This war has gone on for so long there is an entire generation of people who have known nothing else. You know this as well as anyone, Akila. The hatred and mistrust between our two peoples will heal. But it will heal slowly. If the people see The Champion of Sumanita, their Queen, Akila Solamin spoiling and doting on a Caelyrion peasant?"

"He's not really Caelyrion, A'peris. He's a war orphan, he grew up in Sumanita."

"They will not see it that way, Akila." Taking out a locket from his breast pocket and polishing it with a handkerchief.

"Some would, like myself, see it as a symbol of the newfound racial peace and unity between our peoples." A'peris looks back up at her from his locket.

"But most, Akila, would see it as a betrayal. Treasonous, even. This Caelyrion gets to drink wine and eat grapes in the Silver Palace while they are left to deal with the economic and emotional toll this war has dealt to them? You would turn the winds of peace against us and stoke the flames of hatred with them. You will be the empress soon Akila, you must put away your personal desires, even your needs, for the good of the nation and the people. It must end."

Akila considers A'peris' words for a long time before letting out a long and defeated sigh.

"Alright, but he truly did help me, A'peris. I will not see him cast out into the slums to be eaten up by the city."

"I will see to it that he is taken care of, Akila."

"A room and board."

"Of, course." A'peris replies.

"Somehwere safe! Nowhere he's going to be harrased by people for his race."

"Yes, yes."

"And a generous stipend-"

"Akila! I will take care of it. He will be fine. I'll send my valet to find him comfortable lodgings and respectable work immediately. Do not concern yourself with this further, leave it to me. This is my job after all, you have more important things to attend to."

"Alright, I'm going to say goodbye to him. It will only take a minute."

A'peris nods genially and calls for his valet to inform him of his duty beforing leaving them to find Leya.

They walk back to the lobby of the Silver Palace and find Leya completely absorbed in his surroundings. Smiling brightly, his eyes dart around the room. Taking in the frescos, architecture and ornamental filigree adorning the extravagant palace walls. Most notable is the floor, made from some kind of mirrored surface. The domed roof is covered with the same mirrored finish. The two surfaces reflect each other infinitely and give the illusion of standing in the empty space of some endless dimensional crossroad.

Leya notices Akila walking down the hall towards him and his attention is immediately stolen from his surroundings by a more beguiling beauty than the Silver Palace.

"When I was at the orphanage, I never imagined I would live to see something so stunning. It's hard to beleive a thing so beautiful could exist. It almost hurts the eye to look at." Leya says to Akila as she nears him.

"Yes, the Palace is quite something. You never really get used to it." Akila responds, looking around at their surroundings. Leyas gaze stays fixated on Akila.

"Oh, right. The palace is very pretty too..." Leya quips sweetly. Akila would normally be all over Leya for such out of character playfulness. But knowing she is going to have to rebuff him, it is instead, a painful compliment to take.

"Listen, Leya... Come here." Leya unquestionably obeys her command and walks closer, looking at her expectantly.

"I've really enjoyed These last few days we've spent together, Leya."