Chapter 64: Claiming His Pas d’Armes

I knocked on Kalani’s door. I was aware that she had showered, dressed, and was sitting at the built-in table, writing in her journal.

She opened the door a crack, and seeing it was me, swung it wide open.

“Why, good morning, Michael. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Good morning, Your Majesty. And the pleasure is all mine. Every time I see you,” I replied.

“Haven’t I asked you to stop with the titles, Michael? Especially when it’s just us. I don’t want to have to use your full title every time we meet,” Kalani said with some exasperation.

“My full title?” I asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yes, Your Highness. That’s what the ceremony up on the mountain was about.”

“Oh. You mean the deal with the sword?” I asked.

“That, too,” Kalani said with a smile.

I scanned, but her feelings were more native than normal. That’s what I called it, whenever I tried to scan Mikeya or Ileana and found their thoughts were in their native tongue. I can sense emotions, and the thoughts that are associated with them. But understanding the thoughts only works if I understand the language.

I had learned several Tapatoan words. Mostly the words for ‘yes’, ‘more’, and ‘do-not-stop-where-you-go’ (the literal translation). But it would take more time to learn enough to really understand their language. So, I knew she was feeling alone, maybe not so much lonely as...

“She’s horny?” the thought hit me suddenly!

She looked at me, blushing slightly. A smile crossed her lips and a twinkle appeared in her eyes.

“What’s the matter, Michael? Cannot queens get ... urges ... too?” she thought in English this time. She must have sensed my thoughts.

I have noticed, that the women I am the closest to emotionally, can all do that. The Old One had just laughed at me when I asked him if there was a way to prevent it.

“Of course. It’s just that when I asked you about it Sunday night, at the cabin, you didn’t seem to want to talk of it,” I said out loud.

“As I told you then, it is difficult for me,” she said with resignation. “Because I haven’t had very much experience,” she quickly thought to herself. “If only I were not the Queen, I would certainly be well practiced by now!”

Sunday night, when the topic had first come up, I had scanned her. Between her thoughts and emotions, I was able to discern that Kalani had gone a long time without male companionship. But I also sensed the smoldering embers of desire burning deep within.

“So that’s where Ileana gets it from!” I thought as I recognized the similarity of the emotions.

Mikeya enjoyed sex. The newness of it, coupled with her normal teenage hormones, had made it a satisfying experience. But she was more motivated to fulfill her duties as Heir. Mikeya would be a good mother, and a good queen.

Where Mikeya had enjoyed sex, Ileana, on the other hand, had LOVED sex.

Her passions and desires ran deep. Yet, she also loved the touching, kissing, and cuddling as well. Any intimate contact was immediately absorbed. Urgently! Almost as if she must grab it before it got away.

And she was in a hurry, rushing to experience as much as she could, as fast as she could. I could tell that she cherished deeply, as well. Protecting her new experiences, as if they must last her a lifetime.

That was the similarity I sensed in Kalani.

“Oh no!” Kalani thought as she again felt my thoughts.

I just looked at her, awaiting an explanation for her sudden exclamation. Her emotions were jumbled and her thoughts darted back and forth between English, French, and her native Tapatoan. Her turmoil showed on her face.

Finally, she flashed me a brave smile, as if she were facing a very unpleasant task. Drawing a breath, she paused again, then let it out with a sigh and said, “I was feeling ... sorrow, for Ileana.”

“Why would you feel sorry for Ileana?” I asked.

“Ah ... I heard you. I didn’t mean to, but I could hear your thoughts,” she looked at me to see if that angered me. No one on Tapato had ever been allowed to accidentally hear the thoughts of the gods before.

I laughed, as I told her, “Join the club. Why should you be any different from the others?”

” Les autres?” she thought in French now, but didn’t ask out loud.

“Yes, Kalani, the others. You see, for some reason, all of the women I love, can hear my thoughts,” I explained to her. “It’s one of my weaknesses,” I grinned.

“Loves? ... les femmes qu’il aime? ... He did say loves, didn’t he?” she asked herself, bouncing from English to French and back in a single sentence. Kalani was looking at me with eyes like a small puppy, wondering if she’s going to be acknowledged by her master today.

Looking down at her desk now, she asked, tentatively, “Can Ileana ... ah ... hear your thoughts as well?”.

“Oh yes! Even before the ceremony, she was picking up on them,” I replied.

“Do you love her?” Kalani’s words came out in a rush.

“I love many women, Kalani. Each in their own way. But to answer your question, yes, I love Ileana and I hope she feels something for me as well.”

“Oh she does! The girls talked of nothing else to me all day yesterday. It was Michael this, and Michael that! They spent hours telling me about all the things you taught them,” Kalani blushed slightly as she remembered.

“And you were envious of them, oui?” she asked herself silently.

However, I could hear her thoughts. But I remained silent. I had a hunch that she was not finished.

“Oh Michael! If I could have but one wish for her, it would be that she would not have to spend her life in a gilded cage,” she said softly. “Like me,” she thought sorrowfully to herself.

I heard that too, but again did not respond. Instead, I changed the subject.

“You started to tell me about the sword and my titles?” I asked. I was realizing that it truly hurt me to see her sad. Deep in my heart, I had come to admire and respect this most regal woman. And her sorrows caused me anguish, for her. “I guess if I didn’t love her, it wouldn’t hurt so badly,” I reasoned to myself.

“The ceremony of the... Oh! Did he just say he loves me? ... Ikeechee-lama-sola-muda-pocoma...” (Those are the sounds Kalani thought. There is no way I could have spelled the words, even if I had understood them. Ileana told me later it could have been ‘I am late for something’ or, more likely, ‘I am too old for something’).

“I’m sorry. I was saying that the ceremony on the mountain was mostly a traditional fertility ceremony. What you witnessed inside the tent though, has not been done in a very long time,” she said. “Not since my own ceremony!” she added as a private thought.