Chapter 135 Love and Longing
Isla Real.
The women were gathering fresh herbs for the Pegasus, who was the All-Mother, until her daughter was born.
Kerstin: Do you have a name for your Pegasus?
Lupita: No, she is the All-Mother. I do not want to disrespect her. When she is ready to have her daughter, she wants me to be with her. If I understood her intentions correctly.
Kerstin smiled slightly: I have a name for him. Broken Boy. A broken boy for a broken girl.
Lupita placed her basket on the ground and touched the forearm of the girl: You are not broken. It is men who say we are broken when one of them attacks us. The man who treats women like that is the one who is broken. Broken in mind and heart.
The young woman put her basket down on the ground and hugged the older girl: I want to see Yegor. I feel safe with him.
Lupita: I understand. I do not know where Marco is. His family is the only family I have.
Kerstin: You are wrong. You have more family than you think. It does not matter that the queen calls it a secret court, we are family.
They hugged for a few minutes and comforted each other.
The older girl kissed the top of the head of the younger girl, just like her own mother used to do when she was little.
Lupita: We need to find more food. She is always hungry, like women are when they are about to give birth.
Above the sea.
The Pegasus was not a good hunter, not even before he lost an eye. He had failed three times in his attempts to catch fish that jumped out of the water. But his feathers were clean, his mane and tail were short, and his skin was free of the insects that had been causing it to itch for years. The bipedal creatures fed him dried fish and sweet herbs.
The young woman who could understand his thoughts had shouted at the others. The images in her mind were of him as he was at this moment. Not as a Bad Feather. Not as a male rejected from his nest. She had seen something beautiful in him.
The movement was slight, but he perceived it. His wings folded and he fell towards the sea, managing to stabilize himself just as he was very close to the water. A large fish jumped out of the water. He quickly grabbed it and held it by the tail. He flew as fast as he could towards the island. The fish tried to escape. The Pegasus fought against it while flying.
In one wing of the burned-out castle.
Her sisters and daughters called her All-Mother, but she knew it was a lie. She did not have the memories of the All-Mothers from the past. She did not possess the magic of knowing the events of the last days of her life. The last All-Mother existed in the mind of the bipedal being. Her older sister had died physically many suns ago. She did not understand why she had chosen that. Her sister knew how she was going to die. The older, wiser Pegasi always wondered why she did not have a Pegasus nearby to receive her magic and memories.
Perhaps her sister realized that she was not good enough to be the All-Mother. But her daughter would be a true All-Mother.
The sound of wings and the smell of fish interrupted her thoughts. The male was flying with some difficulty, carrying a large fish. She watched him land on the path and run towards the nest that the bipeds had built in the large building.
The male placed the fish in front of her. He had been alone for so long that he could not understand the thoughts of other Pegasi. He turned to continue hunting but stopped when she made a sound he had not forgotten.
She spread one wing and gestured for him to lie down beneath it. Timidly, he entered her nest and lay down beside the matriarch. As her wing covered him, he tried to remember the last time he had felt the warmth of another Pegasus.
In a cabin.
Danilo: Count, are you well?
Esteban: Yes. Are you well? I was worried.
Danilo: Really?
Esteban: Of course. You are not a warrior. They shot arrows at you.
The priest: Yes, I think they were not very close. But yes, I was afraid.
The tall man closed the door and barred it. He walked over to the smaller man and hugged him.
The soldier: It is just you and me, darling.
Danilo buried his face in his chest and burst into tears. The count stroked his hair and whispered words of comfort to him.
The priest: I am sorry. For the lies, for my fear. I am sorry I am not your wife. If I could, I would be a woman for you.
Esteban brought his hands to his face and looked him in the eyes: I do not need you to be a woman or my wife. I need you to be the man I fell in love with.
Danilo: I am trying.
The men embraced for many minutes as their hearts began to heal.
In the cabin of the nobles.
The duke knelt: Your Majesty, I request permission to go and be with my people.
The queen looked at him with sadness and concern: Stand up, please.
Their eyes met and the girl took his hand: I do not know what to say to you about your mother. I never had a mother. I imagine it must be difficult for you.
Wulfhelm: I have known for months that she was going to die. But that does not lessen the sadness. My people need a leader now. And they only have me.
Olivia: I do not want you to leave. I do not want you to be alone like I feel. You have my permission. Please be careful.
The young man gently stroked her hand: I do not want to leave. It is my duty. Sometimes, nobles are bound by obligation to their people.
The Queen: I am still learning the customs of nobility. I hope you can help me from time to time.
Wulfhelm: Of course. When we are together again, I will help you, my queen.
Olivia: I have a question now. If a queen wants to kiss a duke, is it permitted for her to do so?
The young man smiled: Yes.
The girl kissed him shyly, her heart pounding. The young man caressed her cheek and returned the kiss with a little more confidence.
Thirty minutes after their first kiss, the queen saw the duke fly north mounted on his Pegasus.