Until than bare with it as it is...Esus let out a soft sigh as she wrapped her slim arms around her legs. She gently tugged the blankets more snug around herself and finally let her body to relax into the softness of the bed. She slowly closed her eyes. She ignored the soft knock on her door. With a flick of her hand, her door locked and Esus heard a muffled grumble. Rolling onto her side, she stared out at the darkness just beyond her window. Her watery glaze fell upon the bright moon and hot tears streaked their way down her flushed cheeks. She could not control all of the emotions that were swirling inside her.
She wish she knew what was happening to her. Her body felt different. Her movements slowly were starting to quicken their pace. She could see farther and clearer in the dark. When she heard that whisper, somehow her Riusu had grown. She felt more power running through her veins. It scared her and confused her even more.
“What is this..?” she whispered into the darkness starring at her hand. She balled her hand into a fist and opened it. Attempting to visually see her Riusu in her body move and sway. There was a loud, knock on her door and the scruffy deep voice of her father vibrated through the door.
“Esus, I am coming in,” he said as he opened the door. He stood in the hallway, hesitating to cross through the doorway into her room. Esus glanced over her shoulder and saw regret painted across his face.
“Papa?” she asked. He paused next to her bed and shuffled his feet uncomfortably than slowly sat down at the end of her bed. His big bulky body making her end of the bed rise a couple inches.
“There have been… some things that I have kept from you and your sister Es,” he said starring at the floor.
“Like what…?” she asked looking surprised. Her father was not the type to lie to them or keep secrets.
“Mates…” he said slowly. Esus’s eyes grew wide in surprise.
“M-mates?” she whispered. As she said the word, she felt the tug on her body pull harder, and her heart beat quickened. Her father rubbed his hands together.
“Yeah, sometimes,” he paused thinking, “No, most times in the cases of the higher class Byari, or the Byari that contain the most Riusu have mates that they were made for,” he said glancing at her.
“Made for? What do you mean?”
Her father’s face scrunched in thought. “The goddess Byatee, the creator of our race, chooses those of us who are worthy enough to hold a lot of Riusu. As you know, the more Riusu you have the more you can control the Liusuke, thus the more powerful you are. Those that are the most powerful are the Liya Neben, you know most of this.” Esus nodded her head, focused on what her father was trying to explain. “Now, those that are powerful enough, or for some reason hold some purpose to Byatee, have the rare cases where they have their intended mates. Most Byari just choose anyone for their mates. But, on rare occasions there are certain Byari that do not get to pick their mates. They are chosen for them by Byatee.”
Esus looked surprised and her face paled even more. “So, you’re telling me that I do not get to the choose the man that I will fall in love with…?” she barely whispered. Her father sighed softly.
“Do not think of it like that Es. Destiny links the two of you together, and Byatee makes perfect matches. You will fall in love with him,” he said.
“But, I do not have a choice!” she said loudly. She was feeling tiny in the small world. Her whole life was planned out already for her and she had no say in the matter. There was nothing she could do to change the fact. She was just a puppet controlled by the hands of fate, written by Byatee herself.
“Esus, listen. If this is really what is happening to you,” he said softly. “It is a blessing. You will have to follow your instincts and go to him. That is all you need to worry about right now,” he said.
Esus thought for a few moments. Than suddenly thought of something, “Were you and mom… real mates?” she asked softly. Her father turned his gaze and looked in straight in the eyes. She got her answer. “So that means mom was a…Liya Neben..?” she suddenly came to the realization. “That makes me…” she said slowly. The conclusion came as a large blow to her. She felt like she could not breath and the room started to spin. She was a Liya Neben. She was part of the most powerful Byari. Her. “Papa… what am I going to do…? Is Azer…” her father quickly interrupted her.
“No, Azer is not,” he said quickly. Another flash of regret spread across his face. “Esus, there is something that you need to know about your sister…” he said slowly. He looked pained as he said it.
“What?” she asked suddenly fearful. The room came to a halt and all her focus was on the thought of something bad happening to her sister.
“You will have to leave soon,” he said changing the subject quickly. He could not bare to put that burden on his daughter yet. “You and Azer will leave tomorrow night,” he said sadly.
Esus looked down at her blankets and was silent. They remained that way for more than a couple minutes before Esus spoke. “I won’t be coming back will I…?” she asked softly.
“Of course you will,” he said looking at her with a smile. “One day, you will make your way back to your old man,” he said as he opened his arms for a hug. She quickly went into her father’s arms hugging him tightly. “You have been blessed Es, do not think of it as a burden,” he whispered soft into her ear. Esus held back tears as she nodded her head. He let go of her and looked into her eyes sadly. He kissed the top of her head softly than stood up and left her room without another word. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair idly as her thoughts started to swirl in her mind again. Until, she heard her sister’s feet padder against the hard-wood floor towards her room. She entered Esus’s room excitedly and plopped down next to Esus.
“So we are going on an adventure!” she said throwing her hands up. Esus eyed her carefully.
“Yeah…” she said.
“Are you not at least a little bit excited? We get to travel, see the world Esus,” Azer said laying back on her bed. Her body hung off the side of bed and she looked out the window upside-down. “We don’t have to stay in this small village forever. We get to escape…” she said softly.
Esus slightly smiled thinking about seeing the rest of the world. The sister’s had only been out of their village once. “Maybe it won’t be so bad,” she said. Her heart started to beat faster and her cheeks tingled with a small blush when she thought of the man she would soon meet. Soon, I will find you… she whispered in her mind. The statement seemed to put her body at ease. She no longer felt the gentle tug that wanted her to move forward. Her body relaxed more into the blankets and she curled up with her pillow.
The next morning, Esus woke to the sun just rising over the horizon. She yawned and shuddered in the morning cold as she threw her blankets off. She quickly grabbed her cloths and began to dress. Esus sleepily brushed her hair pulling it back into a low ponytail and made her way downstairs. When she reached the kitchen she saw that Azer was already up and making breakfast.
“You are up early,” Esus said sluggishly. Azer glanced over she shoulder and smiled.
“I just thought I would make everyone food this morning. Making all of Papa’s favorite breakfast foods,” she said smiling brighter.
Esus yawned again and sat down at the table laying her head on top it closing her eyes. She listened to the morning noises that erupted through out the house. Azer’s clangs and scraps floated through the kitchen. Her father’s humming outside came through the window, as he attended to their livestock and small garden. The morning birds chirped happily and flew across the sky. The small jingles and chimes from the small crystal wind chime her father made for her blew softly in the breeze. She smiled listening to all the sounds, taking it all in. She smelt Azer’s cooking and slowly opened her eyes.
“I will miss this,” she said.
“We were destined for something bigger than all of this Es,” Azer replied not missing a beat in her cooking.
“Were we? I could live here like this for the rest of my life,” Esus said keeping her head on top the table.
“So you are telling me that you have not felt the small tug on your consciousness telling you that you are bored here, that there is something waiting for you out there? Something whispering your name?” Azer asked softly. Esus thought about it. She had not told any one about that feeling, not even her sister.
“How do you know that…?” she asked lifting her head and starring at her sister’s back. She watched her sister shrug, not turn around.
“Because I have felt it too,” she finally responded after a few moments. Esus frowned and folded her arms back on top the table and laid her head against them lost in thought.
“Though I think I have figured out what I am suppose to do,” she whispered. Esus thought she had missed what Azer said. Slowly the words started to register in her mind, her father walked into the kitchen singing a loud tune. He paused smiling at his girls and took a seat at the table next to Esus.
“Good morning girls!” he said loudly. Esus winced slightly and burrowed her head deeper into her arms. “Tis a great morning. Beautiful weather we are having,” he said happily. Azer laughed and started to set the table for the three of them. He avoided talking about them leaving later that day.
“I will go into the village and ask the old woman, Gisli, to come help you around the house,” Azer said setting his plate down in front of him.
“I can take care of myself,” he grumbled.
“Papa there is a difference between being able to, and doing so. She will make sure you are eating enough and help with the house chores,” Esus said. She laughed softly watching her father mumble under his breath about being able to feed himself.
—
Esus watched out the window, seeing her sister’s retreating form ride into town on one of their horses. She sighed softly and placed her head in her hand leaning her elbow against the window seal. Her eyes watched the puffy white clouds float carelessly in the bright blue sky. Her head was starting to ache. There was a very dull fuzzy sound that kept passing through her mind. At first, she thought she was hearing something from outside, but quickly came to the conclusion that no one else could hear it. Sometimes she thought it was a voice talking to her. Though, she could not understand it, or hear it clearly. Her eyes followed a certain cloud that was in the shape of a tree, than another one that looked like shape of a bed. Her mind wondered thinking about her mate than she quickly flushed, pushed away from the window. Her whole face burned hot and she attempted to push away the not so innocent thoughts that were running through her mind.
She glanced around, hoping her father had not seen what just occurred, and she quickly walked out of the front room and went outside. She walked straight for the barn, needing something to distract her. She decided to make preparations to her horse, Chiaro, for their departure. Her and her sister would take their horses and travel to Redding, the countries capital. Where Esus knew she would met with the man that was chosen to be her mate. She blushed again deeply at the thought of her mate and quickly shook her head walking towards her horse. She smiled when she saw him poke his head out from behind his gate and greet her.
She gently rubbed his nose and grabbed a carrot for him. “Ready to travel?” she asked him smiling. She made sure his saddle and everything was packed ready to go. When she was finished she sat down in his stall against a stack of hay and watched him eat his oats. “Better enjoy the stable buddy, you won’t see one for a little while,” she said softly.
“Esus?!” she heard her father yell into the barn.
“Yeah Papa?” she called back. “I am in Chiaro’s stall.” She heard her father walked towards her and she stood up stretching. “Is Azer back from town yet?” she asked climbing over the gate.
“Why don’t you just open the gate?” he asked laughing.
“Because I like to climb over it,” she said stubbornly. “You ask me that every time.”
“Yes, she is back. She is ready to go, she already has your bags outside waiting to packed onto the saddles,” he said gesturing towards the house. Esus sighed sadly. She hooked Chiaro’s lead rope and walked him outside with her father.
“About time you came out,” Azer said attempting to lift a heavy bag onto her horse’s saddle. Their father walked calmly over to her and lifted it up with ease, setting it in place and tying it down. “Thanks Papa,” she said slightly out of breath. She quickly launched herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, than kisses his cheek saying goodbye. He than walked over to Esus and helped her load her things onto Chiaro. He remained silent while doing so, making Esus uneasy.
“Papa?” she asked quietly. “How did you know it was her, when you found mother?” she whispered. He slowly looked down at his daughter, than laughed softly.
“You will know Es,” he said. He hugged her and lifted her up into her saddle. He patted her leg saying, “Be safe and remember to keep your daggers on you girls. You know how to use them properly so don’t let ‘em go to waste.”
“We know Papa,” they said together.
“Also, don’t forget to cook your food properly, and not to leave the fire burning while you slee-“ he continued but was cut off by Azer.
“We know Papa, don’t worry. We are not little kids anymore. You taught us how to take care of ourselves,” she smiled warmly at her father. He looked distressed, like he was about to not let them leave.
“Well,” he grumbled, “You know to put up your concealments around humans if anything happens. Don’t forget that at least. Not all human’s are like those from this area,” he warned softly. Esus nodded her head feeling numb. She was about to leave her home. The place where Azer and herself grew up. She glanced around their home one last time before gathering up the courage to edge her horse forward.
“Goodbye Papa,” she whispered softly to him. He nodded his head in goodbye and watched his two girls ride off down the road.
