HEART-TO-HEART
ZARYA'S POV
"It's Khal and Matilda?" Hali was shocked when I told him about the relationship between my brother and Matilda. "What the hell?"
"Yeah, really."
"Matilda doesn't want to join the Battle Of The Next Beta, but because of my order she was forced to." He circled his right arm on my waist while we were walking in the woods. I just let him bring me to wherever he wanted. No matter where it was, I will go as long as I am with him.
"Then she flirted Khal?" He had a half-smile as if he could remember something in his head.
"What's running in your head?"
"Nothing." He shook his head.
My eyes narrowed as I stared directly into his eyes. "You should tell me everything."
He looked away from me. "Did… matilda tell you about me and her?"
"What about that?" I had something in my head, but I did not want to spell it out. I gasped for air when I observed his mouth opening again.
"Matilda is once my whore."
"What's new? I am once your whore一"
"I never look at you as my whore." His eyes were not on me. He seemed embarrassed at what he revealed to me. "I just… address you as a whore, but I know in myself, you are not… you are always a lady to me, not a garbage who can use when you need and throw when you don't need."
I was speechless after I heard his lines. After a long second of silence, I had the courage to speak up. "How can you say that in a rude way, but sounded like a sweet compliment?"
That was true. Every time he talked, his tone was boastful. His personality as a king was shown in the way he spoke up every syllable. It was like he was always commanding.
"I'm afraid your heart change and your mind bump into the wall and one day… you will say, I don't love you anymore King Water."
I bit my lips as I prevented the loudness of my incoming laugh. When I could not handle it, I burst out laughing, It was not actually funny, but I felt elated every time Hali made me feel I was special to him.
"It's been five years since I didn't see you… did the beat of my heart change for you?" I held him on the hips and leaned my face on his broad chest. "There's no way my love disappear."
"It's a relief." He chuckled a little and then kissed me on my forehead. The wind blew, touching our skin. The night was silent, only the crickets and the male frog finding its mate were the only sound we could hear.
"Wait, where are you bringing me?"
"At the riverside? And then… to a place not so far."
We walked to the middle of the woods, talking about some random things again. Perhaps, telling our stories to each other would not end. He told me about him and Matilda. I managed not to feel jealous. Matilda was part of his past.
As his whore, sometimes they had to become attached to each other. He once like her and she liked her back, the difference was Hali was allergic to that thing. He was too young and so 'shit' that was his actual word. He was an asshole. He thought that Matilda was his first love, not that strong love, but someone who would be admired. However, before he fell deeper into her, he commanded her to move away, focus on her life and be a warrior just like me. Matilda insanely adored him as if he was her world and no one could separate them from each other. She begged for his affection, but Hali would never be Hali, he broke her heart, the reason why Matilda left the kingdom, joined different battles, find herself and once she came back, her love disappeared. She eventually accepted that Hali would never be for her. They became friends.
"Matilda was curious about Khal. She heard about the rumors… the handsome son of Zakan Wixx, that's her reason why she agreed with my order to be with the Battle Of The Beats." Hali continued the stories. Heart to heart. I felt like he was conversing with my soul. "And according to you, they ended up with each other. She deserved that… They deserved one another."
"My brother's planning to marry her."
I wanted to ask him when was his plan to marry me, but of course, I did not spell it out. I had no idea, if we would be a family because he was a king who had duties and I was a Great Beat who had responsibilities, too. I would not surprised that one of these days, Higher King Oswald find a lady for him. That was heartbreaking, however, I should understand that that was the rules of the Elemental Kingdom.
"Good for the both of them." Hali's eyes straightly stare at nowhere. "I told you about my so-not-called love with Matilda. Do you have one… when you were at the Human World?"
I got it, he changed the topic. That would be healthy for us. I should avoid talking about marriage. "I had plenty of crushes, just like a normal teenager, but… no boyfriend. Just fling and flirting."
"Hmmm? Did you kiss?"
"Yes, but no…" I bit my lips as the shyness filled my system. "No touching or-"
"I'm your first. That's understandable." The tone of his voice was like he was proud of himself.
"Yeah?"
"Come here. Hug me compactly." He pulled me so close, even though I could not count how many times we embraced each other on this day.
In the midst of the hug, he spelled out a word that I could not understand at first. "Theron and Talise."
I gazed up at him with my wrinkled forehead. The tears in my eyes were produced when he continued. "I want those names to be the names of our children. Theron when it's a boy and Talise for a woman. For me… it means lovely water." He cupped my cheek. The spark in his eyes was radiating satisfaction. "Can you promise me that?"
I rushed and hugged him so tight. "You have plans for our family."
"I want a family with you, Zarya. I hope the Elemental Kingdom agrees with us and if they don't… no one's gonna stop me."