He was answering their questions patiently about their stuffed animals, something about not having had one himself. She smiled as he asked Clover about the penguin, with incredulity in his voice about it being a flightless winged being living in a land of ice.
He was doing such a great job, allowing the kids to be “experts” as if he were learning from them. As a teacher, Lily appreciated the natural gift he had with children. Apparently he was skilled at storytelling, too. He continued to be full of surprises.
“And now, children, I shall tell you a story about a young male, much like yourselves, who lived a very long time ago, during the age of great magic and many battles.”
“Ooh, magic!” Brady said.
“Is there a girl in it?” Clover asked.
“Yes there is.” Col said, in that luscious voice with the accent that hinted at far off places. “A very special one. As you shall see. The young male had been born into a tribe of warriors. There were many such tribes during those times, and perhaps none so fierce as the one in which this male lived in.”
Both children were listening raptly, as Col continued.
“ From the time the male was born, there were expectations that he would grow to become a mightyWaryeor.From his time as a mere babe, still in his mother’s arms war chants were sung to him. When he could walk, he was given a small shield of leather and a light wooden sword so that he might learn to always be ready. And when he could hold a weapon, he was trained in the skills of aWaryeor, the very skills that had made his tribe so feared.
HIs father had been aWaryeorof great renown in his youth, and so he trained the boy each day so that he might surpass his father, and his father’s father.
The boy would rise each morning before the sun did, and he would train ceaselessly, with time out only for sustenance or for instruction as his father saw fit. He would train again after the evening repast, until it was time to sleep in the modest quarters he shared with the other boys who trained, the other boys whose fathers also hoped for them to fulfill their purpose as greatWaryeors.
And when the boy slept, it was a deep, exhausted slumber so that his body might knit itself and repair all injuries it had sustained during the day. And in the morning he would rise up with the others and begin again.
The days and nights passed thus, as the boy grew, and became more skilled. He was sustained by his purpose. He dreamed of that day when he would fight for his Queen, the Shining One, the living avatar of their Goddess, She Who Grants Abundance. And he dreamed of the day that he would meet hisDestine.”
Clover’s voice was hushed, almost hesitant to break the spell created by Col’s voice. “What’s aDestine?”
Against the wall, Lily’s eyes were moist. She could almost picture the young boy in Col’s story, never being allowed to show weakness, or to do things for enjoyment rather than a parent’s expectations. A boy brutally molded and shaped into a man in his father’s image. And yet, he still held out hope that he might one day fight for a woman he thought of as a goddess.
The words from that first day they talked in the woods came back to her.How would a male tell a female that he would worship her if she wouldst but allow it?And like that first day, the butterflies fluttered inside her, batting their wings furiously from within. She closed her eyes, letting Col’s voice sweep through her as if it were physically touching her. As if his words were tongues of fire stroking her skin, sliding downwards to where her ovaries were melting with the heat.
“ADestineis the singular female who the male reveres above all else. She is the one, sent by the Goddess as a blessing unto him, to warm his heart, to provide him succor and the fire in his hearth. She is the one to remind him that no matter how formidable aWaryeorhe is, how feared he may be by other males, that underneath his fighting skins and weapons, he is but a male upon whom the Goddess—in the form of hisDestine— finds favor and grants joy.”
Lily opened her eyes, the room was hushed. Brady’s and Clover’s eyes were trained on Col, the soft glow of their lamp lighting the auburn of his hair, the angle of his strong jaw, the curves of his muscles rippling as he shifted his weight on the ottoman.
The little boy was the first to break the silence. “And then what happened?”
“At last the young boy became a man. And there was a fierce battle, where he fought ferociously and with much skill. So much so that the Sorceress Queen, the Shining One, picked him, and six others who she deemed the most worthy of an incredible honor.”
Brady clutched at his stuffed monkey. His lids were already heavy and he yawned. “So he was the best fighter?”
“He was chosen as one of the seven worthyWaryeors.” Col’s voice was quiet. He rose, and pulled the cover up on Brady as the boy settled into a sleeping position.
Clover’s voice was muffled as she too was yawning. “What about theDes—theDestine? Did he meet her?”
Col stood up, ready to go towards Clover, but turned his face towards Lily. Their eyes met.
“Perhaps,” he said. Lily’s breath caught in her throat, as if she would never be able to breathe again. “But that is a story for another night.”
Col bent to tuck in Clover, taking pains to also cover the stuffed penguin as the little girl’s eyes closed. A simple click, and the room was dark, with only the moonlight streaming in through the window, the tiny hint of light from under the bedroom door.
Col stepped over the ottoman easily, and then he was beside Lily. She felt her hand lightly enveloped in his larger one, softly stroking her fingers. The gentleness of the touch, contrasted with the rough pads of his fingers undid her, if there was any resistance left after his words. A pounding in her blood was the only sound she heard before he spoke.
“Walk with me in the night,” he said.
