Yuer's POV

As soon Yuer stepped into the main hall, he noticed the increased number of servants as well as the presence of the Palace’s eunuch. The latter was standing below the main seat of honor, back slightly bowed but nothing was particular subservient about his demeanor.

On the guest seats, three men and one woman were dressed in the formal attire of the Temple’s Kumatani: pure white robes with gold tinted tattoos of the Mahatir’s symbol below their right eyes.

The moment they glimpsed him, they bolted to their feet and dashed his way. They collectively fell to their knees, the sound of their bones hitting the wooden flooring reverberated through the spacious main hall. They then proceeded to prostate themselves at Yuer’s feet, kowtowing to him three times. In unison, they greeted him with an almost feverish pitch to their voices, “The Kumatani greet Her Holy Glory’s favorite child. May your most exalted self shine light upon this world and prosper for a thousand-year.”

The servants on the background tactfully kneeled and echoed the same words, “May the Exalted One prosper for a thousand-year.”

The eunuch belatedly repeated, “May the Exalted One prosper for a thousand-year.”

Yuer glanced at him and fought the urge to smirk. It looked like some old hyena couldn’t truly hide its spots. He confidently breezed past the entire kneeling main hall and walked to the consort seat. He took a seat and issued in a firm yet impassive voice, “All rise.”

Everyone rose to their feet and the senior member within the Kumatani stepped closer. He was so thin and short that he oddly reminded Yuer of a certain song bird.

Yuer smiled warmly at him and said, “Speak freely, esteemed guest.”

The senior Kumatani breathed out and proceeded to introduce himself, “This lowly servant of Her Holy Glory is named Cian. For the affair of Exalted One’s bonding ceremony, His most Holiness has designated me as the spokesperson for Temple’s official envoy. Me, my brothers and our sister,” He gestured to the rest of the Kumatani, “have been tasked with the delivery of the ceremonial robes and the tassel crown as per tradition.”

The female Kumatani stepped forward. In her hands, she carried a tray, that wasn’t made of wood but rather pure silver. It was a rare sight. While silver was not as expensive and rare as gold, it was still a precious thing. Atop the tray, which glittered underneath the light of the candles around the hall, a folded set of robes was presented. The fabric of the set was pure white and most resembled silk and yet not. In fact, it looked glossier and smoother than typical Semani silk. Delicate gold threads trimmed the folded hems and sleeves of the robes, breaking the solemnity of the utter white.

The Senior Kumatani began to explain, “We had started the weaving and sewing process as soon as Exalted One came of age four months ago. Each thread of the robes is infused with the Divine Echo of each member of our brethren within the Temple.” Cian beckoned another Kumatani who was carrying a similar silver tray over and said, “This is the tassel crown which is to be conferred to your most exalted self during the ceremony.” 

Yuer and everyone else glanced at the object atop the tray. It was a tassel crown, the kind which was exclusive to the use of the official consorts of the Reznals. However, it differed from the usual design. The headpiece itself was made of the most precious mineral in Sema, yellow gold but instead of being the standard half circular shape, it extended upward in a manner most akin to that of tree branches parting. Among the golden branches, a huge round diamond was engraved. The design resembled the natural scene of a round full moon peeking at the world from among yellow gold branches.

Where there should have been red tassels, four strips of white silk clang to the ends of the gold branches. They were folded atop the tray which meant they were considerable long, likely to reach below one’s chest if worn. As Yuer looked at his ‘tassel’ crown, the first thing that came to his mind was how the already financially strained Temple was able to craft such a thing. This was no mere crown; this was a fortune in solid weight. If one was to sell it, they could buy an entire province with it.

The Tewekaga has truly outdone himself. It appears the Temple is that desperate.

An agreeable smile blossomed across his face as he looked at Cian, “I am truly thankful for all of the Kumatani’s hard work in the making of the robes and in his Holiness’s generosity. The Temple has outdone itself.”

Cian returned his smile with a brighter one and said, “Exalted One is the jewel of the Temple, nothing is too much for his most exalted self.” 

From the corner of his eye, Yuer caught the slight movement of the Palace eunuch who shifted in his place. The smile on the Dasrari youth grew a touch edgier, like a dagger in the process of sharpening itself.

Cian continued, “The delivery has been concluded. The sun will set in another candle-hour. At that time, His most Holiness will send the procession to take Exalted One and his Second Highness into the temple. Before I leave Exalted One, I wish to know if your most exalted self has any specific instruction in regard to the forging of the bonding earring.”

Typically, all bonding earrings of the Reznali were made of gold and the choice was mostly concerning the crusted gem. In his previous lifetime, the gem of his bonding earring was the accursed amaranthine which practically sealed his fate and rendered him a wingless bird. In this lifetime, Yuer had no need for precious gems. He beckoned Cian over with a hand and the senior Kumatani walked closer to the consort seat. He eventually stopped few paces away from Yuer. Yuer however beckoned him even closer and Cian whose head was bowed looked up startled, his eyes widened in bewildered uncertainty.

Unlike the Dasrari and the Reznali, who either feared the Alikana-marked or maintained a facade of agreeability with him, the Kumatani sincerely revered him. Their education was deeply entrenched in religious teachings and they viewed him in some manner as the second coming of Zaradate. Therefore, they treated him with utmost respect and sacristy. In that sense, they believed that none of them should ever raise their eyes in his presence or ever attempt to touch him. They regarded themselves as too ‘tainted’ and ‘sallied’ by the physical realm and thus, they had no right to lay their hands upon him whom they believed to be the purest child of the Holy Mother.

Cian’s bewildered expression was the result of such sentiment. Yuer however was unconcerned and stood up. The remaining Kumatani fell to their knees instantly. Cian attempted to do so but Yuer stopped him. He grabbed the thin middle-aged man’s arm before he could kneel. The latter froze at first and then began to shudder at the unexpected touch. This, to him, would likely be the closest thing to a lifetime’s religious experience.

Yuer took the dazed Cian’s hand into his own and under the long sleeves of his dark purple robes; he began to trace certain characters over the older man’s palm. Cian, who still refused to meet Yuer’s eyes, came out of his stupor and furrowed his eyebrows. He appeared to be concentrating on deciphering Yuer’s secret message to him. A moment later, an expression of extreme confusion took over his features but he managed to swiftly smooth his face back into neutrality.

He gave Yuer a small, brief nod and shuffled backward.

The Palace eunuch who was standing by the honor seat, which would naturally be reserved for Ivak, frowned. Yuer glanced at him and smiled faintly.

No one matter how long your neck is, it still won’t be to stretch this far.

Yuer walked down the main hall. The slew of servants followed in his steps like baby chicks in pursuit of their mother hen. The accurate analogy would be a slew of hunting hounds in the pursuit of a slab of meat they couldn’t eat yet. He span toward the Kumatani and offered them a gracious slight bow, just to hammer in how ‘grateful’ he was. The Temple was an essential pawn in his grand plans and he had no issues with humbling himself before them. After all, in Yuer’s eyes, pride was but a mere construct, something built out of nothing. In matters of life and death, there was no such a thing as pride. This was where he and Ivak differed and he was more than willing to fill the gaps that his bonded-to-be couldn’t. 

The Kumatani reacted as expected, clamoring to kneel even lower at his feet. He painted a warm smile across his lips and said, “Sincerely, thank you. Please relay my gratitude to His Holiness. In a candle-hour, I shall be ready.”

 He continued ahead in his path and left the main hall. The Palace eunuch glued himself to his side as they walked, playing the subservient and attentive servant.

Yuer didn’t even glance at him as he asked in a neutral tone, “What is your name?”

“This lowly servant’s name is Ashiad, Exalted One.”

Ashiad. It meant little man in the old Semani tongue. His original master must have had put real thought into naming him.

Yuer smiled, finding the name quite fitting somehow. “Ashiad, do you know what happens to mice that venture too far from their den?”

Ashiad coughed conveniently before answering, “Please Exalted One, enlighten this ignorant servant.”

Yuer chuckled. Ignorant servant? If only I had been as ignorant as you claim to be in my past life. I would have likely lived longer, much longer.

“They get shredded to pieces by local wandering cats and sometimes they even get eaten alive by unexpected crows and owls. In the end by the time they died, they wouldn’t have realized how and why they died. And that is why a prey should always remember that it is prey, lest the mouse grow complacent and believe itself a panther.”

Ashiad visibly froze and halted in his steps. Yuer didn’t wait for him and continued on. An icy grin broke across his face. Had Ashiad seen it, he would have run away as far as he possibly could. Alas, he couldn’t see it and at that very moment in choosing not heed Yuer’s implied warning, he made his gravest mistake.

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Ivak’s POV

When Ivak woke up, he felt somewhat confused and disoriented. For moment, everything in his head seemed hazy and distorted. Soon enough, clarity slowly began to seep into his mind, eliminating the fog that seemed to settle over his most recent memories.

His gingerly lifted his upper body and leaned his back against the headboard of whichever bed he was laying on. He looked up and there was no one in the room except for one young girl who appeared somewhat familiar to him. She appeared to notice his gaze because he turned her slight body fully around to face him and fell down to her knees, “Greeting to his Second Highness.”

Suddenly, the name of the girl struck him. Sakina: Yuer’s only personal servant. With a face contorted in discomfort, Ivak swept his gaze across the empty room as if looking for someone and eventually asked, “Where is Yuer?”

“Esteemed young master had to leave in order to receive the Kumatani envoys at the main hall.”

 He sighed, “They already came?”

Sakina nodded without rising to her feet, “Yes, Your Highness. They have already delivered the ceremonial robes and the tassel crown for esteemed young master.”

Yes, that was the tradition after all. The Alikana-marked’s tassel crown and ceremonial robes for his bonding were naturally arranged and prepared by the Zaradate Temple. His own robes on the other hand should have been prepared by his maternal clan but since his mother was a shefrin servant and he had no maternal clan to speak of, he simply brought with him his late uncle’s own ceremonial robes which he never wore because he never bonded. Ivak had some of the Kersasi women back home tweak the outfit so that it could fit him. Crowns were only offered by the Palace to Reznals who had landed titles and since Ivak was the named heir of Kersa, his crown would naturally be that of his late uncle’s as well. So in that aspect, he didn’t have to spend silver which he was more than grateful for because his fiefdom was in a dire situation and they need the coin far more than he did.

As his thoughts were straying in all sorts of directions, the doors opened and a slender figure walked in.

It was Yuer. Ivak didn’t know why but he unconsciously found himself straightening his posture and arranging his sleeping tunic.

The Dasrari youth patted his personal servant’s shoulder, leaned over and whispered something to her, something Ivak couldn’t hear. She nodded and tactfully dismissed herself.

Yuer moved closer to the bed and seated himself on it. He faced Ivak and gave him what appeared to be a genuinely warm smile. Ivak’s heartbeat slightly skipped. Since the first time he met this lovely-looking yet mysterious youth, he noticed that he did smile often but his smiles always had an unnatural edge to them. They were often brittle, sharp and cold. They rarely brought warmth along them. In that sense, he smiled and yet he did not and Ivak grew used to it. The smile that he was giving him at the moment felt different and Ivak almost believed it to be a true smile.

Yuer broke the silence first, “How are you feeling?”

Ivak leaned further into the bed’s headboard. He felt somewhat ashamed for getting angry the way he did, “I am better. I apologize for losing my temper and showing you an unsightly side of me.”

Yuer unexpectedly chuckled, the sound light and sweet to Ivak’s ear. “Truly, how unsightly. Was that your worst, Your Highness?”

Ivak bit down the smile that wanted to blossom across his lips after realizing that Yuer was merely teasing him. “Well in a way, it is. I have always had issues reining in my temper sometimes.” He paused for a moment before adding, “It became a little harder after my uncle’s death but it was never as bad as it was today so for that, I apologize.”

The sweet smile on Yuer’s face disappeared and Ivak couldn’t help but mourn its loss. A pondering and somewhat grave expression took over his lovely features instead, pronouncing the snub shape of his nose and the twin dimples on his soft-looking cheeks. Ivak was about to change the subject when Yuer spoke first, “So it wasn’t the first time this happened?”

Regretfully, Ivak nodded. “No, it wasn’t. It happened twice before. The first was when I was young and got lost in the Kersasi wilderness and the second time was after my uncle’s funeral. Both times, I woke up after and realized I had lost consciousness. The other times, I was able to control it and it never accelerated to what it did today.”

Yuer acknowledged his confession with a grave nod and shifted his gaze downward. Ivak watched him think. He was fascinated by his bonded-to-be’s eyes as they grew deeper and darker the longer he pondered something. Sometimes a glint of something would flash through their depths and then it would disappear. His fine brown eyebrows would descend lower over his eyes and knit themselves in concentration. A muscle continuously worked in his jaw. Ivak pressed the outrageous and unexplainable urge to kiss him.

Eventually, Yuer’s expression relaxed to a certain degree. “We cannot talk here but once we reach Kersa, there is a conversation that we must have. I might know the reason behind your unstable temper and I might know a certain solution to stabilize it.”

Ivak was pleasantly surprised. While the issue with his temper hadn’t yet to accelerate to a degree where he had to be worried, today’s incident reminded him that sometimes life could surprise you in the most unpleasant of ways. In most cases, things rarely went as one expected them so maybe it’s safer for him to resolve this issue sooner than later.

He shifted his gaze back to Yuer only to find the latter’s eyes already on him. Their blue depths tingled with an orange hue under the effect of the candlelight and to Ivak; they looked as if they had flame in them: A strange yet an incredibly beautiful pairs of eyes.

Yuer started in an eerily strong and firm voice that betrayed his slight and slender form, “Before when you asked me of what Jarak had done me. I denied it but now, I don’t wish to lie to you any longer. For you to understand the extremes that I will have to go through in the future, you have to understand where my grievances come from. He did hurt that way and in many other ways and I intend to make him pay tenfold for it but Jarak is not an easy opponent and he won’t be our only opponent. His birth mother, the Rezna and his sire, the Rezas, will stand in our way and attempt to protect him at all costs. There will be times where you and I will argue and disagree on things. There will be times when you will doubt me and believe me cruel and sinister. There will be times where I will grow frustrated with you and wish to leave you. But it doesn’t matter because we will always end up compromising. I will concede to you every now and then and you will do me the same.” He paused for a moment, his heated gaze grew softer as he took my hand into his own, “What I want the most however is your trust, Ivak. I want us to be partners, confidantes, friends who can trust and reply upon one another. Is that possible?”

Ivak swallowed. His heart thumped madly against his chest, he didn’t understand why but something about Yuer’s eyes and about this very moment that felt oddly momentous, like a start of something greater than himself. In hushed voice, he found himself answering, “Yes.” An instance later, he repeated with a firmer and louder voice, “Yes. It is possible.”

A vulnerable ring clang to Yuer’s voice as he spoke, “I want you to promise me you will always be honest with me. I want you to promise me there will be no lies between us. The bond which holds us together, whether the ugly part of it or the good, it has to always remain true. Can you promise me so?”

Ivak tightened his hand around Yuer’s and leaned over, bringing his forehead against the young youth’s. His other hand gently carded itself into Yuer’s brown strands pulling his head closer. Ivak’s lips were but a breath away from Yuer’s. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed his bonded-to-be in; taking in his soft yet rich scent into his lungs. To his nose, Yuer smelled of rain after a long, terrible drought. He smelled of a cool summer night after the unbearable heat of the day. He smelled like hope and Ivak wished he could bottle his scent up and carry it on his own body.

His own voice sounded oddly gravelly to his own ears as he heard himself say, “I promise you upon the soul of the mother I never met, upon the soul of the man who raised me, upon my honor and the souls of all the departed and the living Kersasi, I shall always remain true to you and if my promise is to ever be broken, may the three evil sisters; hunger, cold and death claim my soul.”

He opened his eyes and run his hand over Yuer’s beautiful features, caressing the skin of his face. Yuer allowed so therefore Ivak took his time, imprinting every little detail into memory. He then leaned over and placed a soft kiss upon each of the younger youth’s closed eyelids. He murmured, “My sweetness. Can I call you so?”

Yuer smiled, and Ivak could feel the uplift of his faintly rosy lips against his palm. His eyes were unconsciously drawn to them and a surge of heat coursed through his body at the sight of them. He swallowed down the desire and mentally chastised himself. It was too soon and he wouldn’t dare take what wasn’t freely and openly given to him. So instead, he planted a swift and chaste kiss on one of Yuer’s dimples and pulled back.

A layer of pink graced Yuer’s cheeks as he whispered to him, “Your sweetness? It is sickeningly sappy. Why would you choose such an embarrassing endearment?”

Ivak replied through a lopsided smirk, “I remember when I first met you at the bookstore; you told me that you were venomous and that other than your face, there was nothing sweet about you. I personally believe otherwise so yes, I would call you sweetness until one day, you might be convinced of it.”

Yuer’s eyes widened. His soft lips parted, lifted by a fragile, genuine smile, “Alright, since we have to fool others around us, I won’t mind it.”

A spontaneous laugh tumbled out of Ivak’s mouth. It was a free and genuine sound that warmed his chest, “I am truly a fortunate man.”

Yuer rose to his feet, tacking a stray strand behind his ear. His eyes wouldn’t quite meet Ivak’s but his voice remained clear and steady, “We have only one candle-hour before the Kumatani come. I will take Sakina to ready me. Have the twins help you.”

As he span to leave, Ivak replied, “Yes, as my sweetness wishes.”

Yuer froze for a moment and turned around. His nose was adorably screwed up and his eyes were narrowed. Their glare however, held neither anger nor malice. “I see where this is going.”

Ivak kept his mouth shut, his lips tightly pursed to keep him from smiling. “You allowed me to call you so? Have you not? You can’t take back a promise you already made, can you?”

Yuer’s eyes narrowed further as he said, “hmm, I see.” He snorted through slightly twitching lips which visibly struggled to contain their mirth and left. His slender figure disappeared behind the doors far too quickly for Ivak’s likening.

The Kersasi Reznal’s eyes remained on the spot where Yuer once stood. The sight of the younger’s fragile and precious smile remained in his mind while his lingering scent continued to tease Ivak’s senses even as he was dressing up for the bonding ceremony.

What a peculiar feeling. Ivak thought to himself.