Chapter 153: Kalani and the Story of the Ring

Saturday, June 19, 1971

I woke up to the feel of her fingers on my cock. She was trying to get me hard again.

“I think you wore me out,” I told her without opening my eyes.

“No, please don’t tell me that!” Kalani said desperately.

“Kalani?” I thought as my eyes sprang open. “What happened to Anna?”

Sure enough, it was Kalani. Anna must have worn me out more than I thought. She had been like a mad woman, first having me take her on her hands and knees, doggy style, and then on her back with her knees pulled to her chest, riding me to two more orgasms, before I finally filled her with my cum.

“You don’t have any idea how much I missed you, Michael,” Kalani told me. “I’ve been waiting to be with you ever since I arrived yesterday. But you have been so busy.”

“I didn’t mean to ignore you,” I told her. “I missed you, too.”

“And now, Anna’s worn you out,” she pouted. “You’re no good to me like that.”

“Let me grab a quick shower and we’ll go get a bite to eat, then we can come back here and see if I can’t make you happy,” I suggested.

“We don’t have to leave. I brought you some lunch. I was hoping to make love to you before, though,” she said. “And then again, after lunch.”

“You really are a horny little minx, aren’t you?” I teased.

“Like I said, I missed you. Why don’t you get your shower and I’ll go warm up the soup,” she said.

My lunch was on the table when I finished my shower. Kalani sat with me while I ate, talking about my travels after she left. I spent a long time telling her how I met Abby and Deedee, and then the three sisters. I told her about Tommy, but it turns out that Tommy had already filled her in on how we met.

“He spent most of his time on Tapato with Mikeya. But we talked a lot on the plane. He seems like a nice young man,” she said. “I’m not sure I should tell you this, but Tommy is terapi’kai, ah ... with Mikeya.”

“Terapi’kia?” I asked, not understanding the word.

“Loosely translated, it means ‘love from afar’,” she said.

“So, Tommy is smitten with Mikeya,” I mused. “How does Mikeya feel about it?”

“You know Mikeya. She’s so wrapped up in what’s happening for Tapato right now, she’s hardly noticed him, I think,” Kalani said. “You’ll have to do your thing to find out what she feels.”

I made a mental note to see if Tommy wanted to go back to Tapato to escort Mikeya when she comes next week for the state dinner.

I told Kalani about getting arrested and meeting Izzy and then Hanna, and then Kathy Lynn and Sunny. She told me about Tapato and everything they were doing to get ready to formally receive their official diplomatic mission in late August.

“Secretary of State Rogers is coming personally to open our consulate,” she informed me. “As a member of the royal court, you’ll be expected to be there, too.”

“School starts the first of September, but I’ll work it out,” I said. “Is it okay for all of us to come next month?” I explained why as I filled her in on the three Haitian sisters. We also discussed Tapato offering them citizenship. Kalani said she would talk with them, but didn’t think it would be a problem.

Soon, my soup and sandwiches were history. I held open my arms to her and she settled on my lap, hugging her naked breasts to my chest as we kissed.

I took her right there on the kitchen table, and then again on the couch in the small living room, before ending up in the bedroom. This time, I was the one who left her sleeping, as I grabbed my fourth shower of the day. I was sitting on the front porch swing when she came out, her damp hair still wrapped in a towel. I patted the seat beside me.

“You know, this has to be the craziest thing I’ve ever done. Essentially, I’m giving up my crown for a teenaged lover,” she said.

I hadn’t realized that she was giving up her crown for me, and I told her so. “I don’t want to take you away from Tapato. Especially if they need you there.”

“I don’t really think they need me that bad. Not as badly as I need you,” she replied. “Besides, Mikeya will do a wonderful job. I honestly believe she was born to be a queen. The role fits her like a glove.”

“So you’re okay with our ... unique relationship?”

“My mother says that I should sacrifice myself for the crown, but my daughters both told me to follow my heart. And my heart belongs to a young man who I think is the most wonderful man I have ever met,” she said as she caressed my arm. “Besides, plural marriages are common on Tapato. Although I’ve never heard of a man having quite this many wives.”

“How many is ‘this many’?” I asked.

“Well, let’s see ... there’s Mikeya and Ileana, and then Abby, and Adriana, and Grace, and that little Hanna. Those are the ones I’ve talked to,” she said. “Oh! And the young girl from the other world, Narvenia. They said that she is going to marry you as well. When you all come to Tapato.”

“Michael?” Vickie thought to me.

“Yes?”

“Catherine says that Mr. Newman is picking up the Rowena at four o’clock. We need to be packed and ready to leave the ranch in an hour,” Vickie informed me.

“We’re taking the train?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Dawn says there’s a siding right in the village. Apparently, it’s not used very much anymore. Catherine called Mr. Newman and he knew right where it was. It’s supposed to take a couple of hours to get there, but Catherine said that when we leave the reservation, we’re headed for New York, so you’ll need to get packed.” Vickie said.

“Okay. Thanks,” I told her. “Tell Catherine that Kalani and I will be there in a few minutes.”

I felt sad that we were leaving the ranch. I love it here.

“I guess it’s time to visit the Omugi,” I told Kalani.

Kalani kissed me one more time as we started back down the path to the Lodge. Then taking my hand in hers, we walked side by side, each lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking about meeting the Omugi tonight.

“Do you happen to have your crown with you?” I asked Kalani suddenly.

“I always travel with one of them,” she told me.

“One of them?” I asked. “You mean you have more than one?”

“Of course, silly!” she laughed at me. “I have my everyday crown, and I have my travel crown, and a fancier one for when I hold court. Then there’s the ceremonial crown that I use for special events. It’s the hardest one to wear because it’s the heaviest.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to wear one tonight, when we visit with the Omugi.”

“Okay. Do you have a reason, or is it just for show?” Kalani asked.

“The Omugi are a very old and very spiritual tribe. Like Tapato, they are a matriarchal society and I think they will recognize your royalty as honoring them,” I replied.

“If I wear mine, are you going to wear yours, as well?” she asked, teasingly.

“Mine?” I asked, surprised. I wasn’t aware I had one.

“Yes, Michael,” she said with mock exasperation. “You have several crowns. When you are on Tapato, you will have an everyday crown. It’s the same one you wore in the ceremony up on the mountain. You’ll also have a ceremonial crown for special events, such as the state dinner. A’komi is bringing it. I hope they have it ready in time.”

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that crown, and the ring and the other items I wore that day,” I said, referring to the stuff I wore for the ceremony up on the mountain.

Kalani stopped suddenly. She was looking down, avoiding my eyes, as if she was trying to decide something. Finally, Kalani looked at me, and drawing a deep breath, she began to confess.

“The crown you wore for the ceremony on the mountain belonged to the very first Protector. As did the gauntlets, and the ring. You are the first person, Michael, in over three centuries to wear them. As you can imagine, they have a very significant meaning for us, and have never been out of the royal possession. In fact, your ceremony was the first time they have ever left Tapato.”

I remembered how Kalani had stalled the ceremony a couple of days. Supposedly, it was to allow her mother to come from Tapato. Now, I realized, the real reason was that she was waiting on the sacred artifacts to arrive. I just didn’t understand why.

“What about the sword?” I asked.

“You mean the ceremonial dagger you wore?” she asked. “It is very old. Close to two hundred years old.”

“I meant the sword, Kalani. The one you had me swear an oath I didn’t understand on,” I told her.

“That sword also belonged to the first Protector,” Kalani told me, volunteering nothing else. However, I suspected more.

“Tell me, why was it important to bring these sacred pieces here? For that ceremony?” I asked.

“Remember, my prince, you are also the Pele Solakanali, and as such, they belong to you,” Kalani told me solemnly.

“Me? Why do they belong to me?” I asked as we passed the Pavilion.

Kalani stopped and looked at me. I could tell she wasn’t sure if she wanted to answer my question. I felt myself becoming intrigued. I knew it would do no good to scan her; the majority of her thoughts were in her native language. So, I waited.

Finally, she said, “We are an old people, Michael. And the sword’s history goes back to the beginning of our time and the very first of our people who lived on Tapato. Part of my responsibility as queen, is to pass those stories of our beginning on to the heir. I began telling them to Mikeya and Ileana when they were young. As did my mother before me. The stories have been passed from mother to daughter for many generations.”

Kalani stopped, hesitating. I nodded for her to continue.

“Many, many years ago, so the story goes, a strange young man was washed ashore, wearing those items. He claimed that his ship, a mighty ship, had been lost at sea, and he had floated on an unusual piece of his ship for many days before being washed ashore on Tapato. He was just at death’s door when Tejuan-li, who was the first queen, found him on the beach and nursed the strange young man back to health.

“He appeared to look like us, but he was not Tapatoan. After questioning him at length, they determined that he was not from one of the neighboring islands, sent to spy on us. I think it was the scars. It was said that he had many scars on his body and he claimed he had received them while fighting off large dogs that were bigger than a man. He told many other wild tales of his journeys, most were not believed,” Kalani told me. “But since he was judged not to be an enemy, he was allowed to stay.”

I recognized that the story she was repeating had been repeated many times through the years, and figured that it had likely grown with the telling.

“At that time, the Challenge, which was the contest I told you of earlier, was held each year after the pearl harvest was through, usually in December. When the time came, the strange young man begged the queen to be allowed to compete. He won, of course, and became her unofficial protector. Each year after that, he defended his role, until finally, no one would even challenge him. When that happened, Tejuan-li made him the official Protector and a member of the royal family.”