More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition)

by Barbara G. Tarn

  She grabbed his clean-shaven face and gave him a long kiss that took his breath away. He tasted good. And after the first input, he didn't need anymore prodding to start exploring her with his hands and lips.

  ***

  Rohit was in love. Gaia was not like any woman he was used to – she didn't use makeup or take care of her body like the southern women – but she made him happy. The discovery of the foreign woman's body and mind had him enthralled.

  Sometimes they exercised together in mock duels in an inner courtyard, sometimes they battled under the bedsheets or in the pool of his bath chamber. They didn't talk much, since she didn't have enough of a vocabulary to have long, philosophical conversations with him, but he didn't care.

  He treasured his free time, when he could retire to his room and be with her. She was sweet and sometimes very passionate, but never said "I love you." And she knew the Amrendran words for love, but she didn't use them.

  "You will be married soon," she said. "You will forget me."

  No matter how much he denied it, she laughed it off. She wouldn't stay forever. Not as a guest, not as a lover, not as a concubine.

  "Think present. Don't dream of future."

  "But I don't want you to leave!"

  "When your father finds out, he sends me away."

  "No, he won't!"

  "Yes he will."

  It was sometimes frustrating, but she was probably right. That was probably the reason he hadn't even told Ajay – who had shared all his past adventures and crushes – that he had brought a woman to his bedroom and was mad about her. Well, that and the fact that Ajay was abroad. He could write him a letter, but he didn't know where to send it anyway.

  He was really torn between duty and love. Sometimes he wished to run away with her and hide in the north, but when he mentioned it to her, she laughed.

  "You're too sweet for north," she said tenderly. "And you're prince heir. You can't."

  Probably the fact that she enjoyed his company but didn't love him had much to do with her replies.

  Rohit decided to take what he could in the present and stop daydreaming about a future with the tough foreign warrior woman.

  ***

  Gaia enjoyed Prince Rohit's bed and company, but since Hiro had left she had a lot of free time to ponder. What had brought her to Amrendra. Why she'd stayed.

  Reaching the capital of a neighboring kingdom was a decision she'd made after a vicious spring of battles with her latest mercenary warband. She'd lost count of how many friends had fallen on the battlefield and she had started a quest for peace.

  At eighteen she'd joined her first mercenary commander, after four years of training and fighting for her own village that had been eventually destroyed by raiders. Of her first warband, she still remembered all the faces – mostly young men, but also a couple of other warrior women who'd had enough of being victims.

  When their captain had been killed a few years later, they had disbanded, reforming other groups with other people. Whenever they met in the northern towns where they all went looking for work, they updated each other.

  Some had retired to marry and start a family, buying a piece of land with their earnings. Some had died on the field. One of her lovers had frozen to death on a particularly harsh winter.

  If she looked back at all her fighting years, Gaia had both good and bad memories. But maybe she'd had enough of the bloodshed and now, at thirty-something, she felt old and tired and wondered if she should retire like her first boyfriend who was now the happy father of six.

  Younger warriors were now fighting with the mercenary troops, so she had decided to look up her old companions – the ones who were still alive, that is. And the only one who was still fighting, besides her, was Kenuwee, a half-blood with an almond-eyed father from the Islands Empire and a Gallian mother.

  She couldn't find him, but she knew he had a cousin at the Amrendran court, hence her journey south. She'd met Hiro on the battlefield with Kenuwee, but he was one of those who had retired to start a family – except he'd been unlucky and had lost his wife too soon.

  They'd spent three months dissecting their past lives and Kenuwee's, before Hiro had gone back home. Gaia enjoyed Prince Rohit's attentions, but she also realized the young man was falling in love – something he couldn't really afford.

  So she was thinking of resuming her quest for Kenuwee without waiting for the now impending royal wedding when his former companion-at-arms found her. She was headed for the kitchens – since she wasn't invited at the king's table, she ate with the servants, much like she had done with Hiro – when a maid told her someone had come for Master Hiro, but now wanted to see her.

  Gaia headed for the servant's quarters and her heart filled with joy at the sight of the tall, dark-haired man waiting in the courtyard. He was even clean-shaven for a change.

  "Kenuwee!" She greeted him with a broad grin. "If you're looking for your cousin, you're late!"

  "So I've heard," he replied with a smile. "And what are you doing here?"

  "Giving lessons to the prince heir, what else," she answered, stopping in front of him and putting her hands behind her back to stop her urge to throw her arms around his neck.

  "Really? Lessons in what?" he teased.

  "Whatever Hiro couldn't teach him." Gaia chuckled. "He's gorgeous, by the way, and has class..."

  "And wealth and a throne waiting for him... So you're becoming a concubine?"

  "No way! I was actually getting ready to leave."

  "And where will you go next?" Kenuwee crossed his arms on his chest and stared at her, skeptical.

  She shrugged and gulped down the sudden lump in her throat.

  "I've been thinking of going back north. I wanted to find you – but since you're here... anywhere is fine. Suggestions?"

  Kenuwee pondered, then shook his head. "Not really, no. I'm kind of sick of fighting."

  Gods bless you! So am I!

  Suddenly her hands whipped out from behind her back and grabbed his head. She pulled him closer and kissed him. That felt good. She should have done it years ago.

  "What was that for?" he asked, puzzled and not as breathless as Rohit had been the first time.

  "Mm... missed you, Ke," she admitted, still holding his face. "How about spending next winter together in front of a fireplace?"

  Kenuwee took her in his arms and held her tight. "You sure it's a good idea?"

  Gaia nodded as a smile blossomed on her face.

  ***

  Rohit couldn't find Gaia when he retired to sleep. Her things were still in his room, but she wasn't. He went to bed, a little worried, hoping she'd join him during the night.

  But dawn came and his bed was still empty. He rose and went to call his personal servant.

  "Have you seen Gaia?"

  "He left for dinner, as usual," the man said with a deep bow.

  Still in his night caftan, Rohit headed for the kitchens where only a cook and his assistant were already up. They hadn't seen Gaia the night before.

  The servants' quarters were a little more lively than the palace at that early hour, and the prince's sudden visit threw most into confusion. Finally a shy maid told him about the visitor looking for Master Hiro who had retired in the teacher's former room with Gaia.

  Frowning, Rohit thanked her and reached the still bed-less room. Gaia and the stranger lay on the carpet in each other's arms. Both had warrior senses, though, because they both jerked awake when he opened the door.

  "Oh, it's you." Gaia dropped her knife. "What time is it?" She squinted at the light from the narrow window.

  "Morning," Rohit said through clenched teeth.

  "Sorry." She yawned. "Fell asleep. On the floor. Now I hurt everywhere." She stretched before grabbing her tunic and covering herself. "Can I get my things in your room?" she asked, rising to put on her breeches.

  "Who is he?" Rohit asked coldly, barely glancing at the man with her.

  "Hiro's wretched cousin." She repeate
d the teacher's words with some effort. "Kenuwee. Prince Rohit."

  The other man bowed his head, but didn't say anything. Maybe he didn't speak Amrendran.

  Rohit didn't care. He kept staring at Gaia. So the day had come. She would leave. She refused the honor of staying with him.

  "If I beat you in a duel, will you stay?" he asked somberly.

  She stared at him, puzzled. "Why? You know I beat you."

  He repressed a sigh. She was right.

  "Come and get your things."

  Gaia said something to Hiro's cousin, then followed Rohit back to his room. She grabbed her things, then turned to look at him, her expression serious.

  "Rohit, you marry in two days. Forget me."

  "But I can't!" He hugged her and squeezed her. He didn't want to let her go. "I love you, I want you to stay!"

  "You are prince heir," she answered gravely. "You do your duty."

  Rohit wanted to cry. He let her go and turned his back on her. "Go!" he screamed, desperate. "Just go!" He sobbed once, then managed to control himself.

  When he turned to look, she was gone.

  ***

  Ajay came back for Rohit's wedding. He hadn't completed the tour, but since he'd found Nisha of Rajendra suitable, he'd seen no need to continue his journey.

  "Haughty Prem is marrying the blind princess," he informed Rohit with a snigger.

  Rohit didn't react. His cousin's chatter didn't really register with him as he prepared for the ceremony.

  And then the priest blessed him and his bride.

  Rohit closed his eyes under the shower of petals, but couldn't smile. He was now a married man, but he was heartbroken.

  "What's with you?" Ajay asked him as they lay on the cushions during the wedding banquet. "She's pretty, she's nice, I'm sure you'll both be very happy!"

  Rohit sighed. "Ever been in love, Ajay?" he asked sourly.

  "Hundreds of times!" Ajay chuckled. "And so were you. So what? Just because you're married, you think women will start refusing you?"

  "That's not what I mean." Rohit lowered his eyes. "I mean true love, Ajay," he whispered.

  Ajay's smile faded away as he slowly realized what was wrong with his cousin.

  "You fell in love?" he asked, now worried. "For real? Who?"

  "The northern warrior. Gaia."

  "What?" Ajay almost screamed in outrage.

  "A warrior woman," Rohit continued, looking him in the eyes.

  "You mean... Gaia was a woman?" Ajay asked, incredulous.

  Rohit nodded. "The so-called squire slept in my bed. But then Master Hiro's cousin came... and stole her from me."

  Tears blurred his view, but he gulped them down and quickly dried them with his hand. Enough crying for that woman.

  Ajay was speechless. But after Rohit confided him of his secret love, he was very helpful. Ajay admitted he'd had a broken heart too once,

  "Someone who fell for you," he said with a rueful smile. "I know, it hurts. But you'll get over it."

  Rohit took a deep breath and stared at his bride.

  "Of course. I'm prince heir. I do my duty," he whispered.

  He wondered where Gaia was. Probably back home with her new lover. Who knew if she'd end up marrying him.

  "I'm not marrying material," she'd said.

  Laxmi smiled shyly at him and he decided his mourning must end. He smiled back at his bride, thinking the Lakeshian princess was a much better match for him than a wild northern warrior woman. In this, at least, maybe doing his duty wasn't so bad after all.

  The Jesters

  Harish and Kartik reached Jevina, capital of Lakeshi, and mingled in the crowd feeling safe at last. There were so many people here, it would be impossible for Master Zahin to ever find them.

  Kartik had left his gypsy tribe to join Master Zahin's itinerant circus as juggler and knife-thrower a decade ago. Over the years, he'd learned to play a stringed instrument (now sold) and sing decently.

  The itinerant jesters had five closed wagons for family, animals, and props, and Kartik had shared one with the unmarried young men – which included teen Harish, a nimble acrobat who could walk on a tightrope or dance like a wild fire. Being a pretty boy with unusual gray eyes, Master Zahin often offered Harish's body to whoever was interested for a fee.

  After ten years of watching the use and abuse of younger member's bodies, Kartik had decided he'd had enough. Harish was too meek to call Master Zahin a "bloody pimp", so Kartik had acted on his behalf, dragging him away from the camp.

  The pair had traveled on foot, stopping only to eat or sleep, but now they felt they could finally rest properly. Because they didn't have any money, they either had to sell their props – Kartik's throwing knives or Harish's juggling implements – or put on a show to gather a few coins.

  "We can juggle and do some gymnastic," Harish suggested. "Or I can be your target boy."

  Kartik usually used one of the girls as target, he'd never used Harish. He stared surprised at the young man, who smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

  "I can stand still," Harish insisted. "Your knives never touch anyone."

  "I brought you here to keep you safe," Kartik said, frowning with worry. Throwing knives at Harish felt wrong. He could name his feelings for Harish now, even if he'd never said it out loud. He loved Harish with all his being, but he'd never touch him, knowing how much abuse Harish had been through.

  "I am safe with you," Harish replied. His trust was overwhelming.

  Kartik couldn't believe Harish had actually followed him away from the slavery of Master Zahin. It had taken Kartik a few months to discover that not all members of the circus were free. Harish was an orphan – Master Zahin had bought him, and trained him as an acrobat, so he was more a slave than a family member.

  Since Kartik always treated him like a younger brother, the scrawny teen had grown very attached to him. They slept very close at night, but Harish stiffened whenever someone touched him with lust. Kartik made sure his desire was always under control when they were close.

  "Are you sure?" Kartik stopped to look Harish in the eyes.

  The crowd moved around them, not leaving much room for setting up a show. Someone pushed Harish against him and his heart jumped. Harish regained his balance and stared at him again.

  "I'm sure," he said with a nod.

  Kartik sighed and looked around.

  "Let's find a square and see if we can set up a stage."

  The street they were on ended in a big square, but it was market day and stalls were everywhere. Merchants screamed their goods and customers crowded the best stalls. Finding a spot to set up a street show seemed impossible.

  "Look!" Harish pointed at red balls dancing in the air. A juggler had found a place to perform on the other side of the square.

  Kartik grabbed Harish's hand and led him through the crowd. Kartik thought Harish was perfect, including his minor physical imperfection. Harish's right hand had an extra half-finger, in addition to the five normal ones, but the malformation didn't hinder his hand movements. It was just weird to look at and some people were repelled by it.

  The corner of the square had a small stage for street performers. The juggler had finished his number and bowed to the cheering audience. Kartik saw a group of other performers waiting on the side of the stage and headed there.

  "We would like to go on next, so we can gather a few coins to buy some food," he told the waiting men. "We won't be long. We are hungry."

  "What do you do?" one asked, glaring at them.

  Since a juggler was already on stage, Kartik didn't hesitate. "I am a knife-thrower. My target boy is an acrobat, but he won't perform until I feed him. Really, we won't be long."

  The men grunted and muttered, but when the juggler came off the stage, they signaled Kartik to go on. Harish followed him on the wooden stage and took a prop table, putting it against the wall as target background while Kartik introduced himself and his "aide".

  Ignoring the snorts and scoffs
– and his empty belly's rumblings – Kartik turned to look at Harish who positioned himself against the improvised board and flashed an encouraging smile at him.

  Kartik took a deep breath and opened his travel pack to get the throwing knives. He cleared his mind and focused on the target, framing him with a quick succession of throws. The crowd cheered and threw a few coins.

  Kartik recovered the knives and Harish made a headstand against the board, opening his legs so Kartik could plant a V of knives between them. He didn't flinch – not even when the last knife stabbed the wood over his crotch.

  Warmer applause and more coins reached the stage as Harish did a somersault to get back on his feet. Kartik smiled at the crowd and bowed deeply. They had enough for a meal; they could step down now and come back for another turn later. He thanked the crowd and picked up the coins while Harish gathered the knives and put them back in the travel pouch.

  They bowed and left the stage, thanking their fellow performers for the opportunity. One grumpily pointed them to a tavern in another corner of the square and they thanked him again.

  "I'm so hungry!" Harish said as they crossed the square towards the tavern.

  "You were so brave," Kartik said.

  "I knew your hand wouldn't miss even if you're starving," Harish replied with a grin. "And thank you for sparing my jewels, although Master Zahin would have been happy if you'd emasculated me."

  "He's wanted to emasculate you since your voice changed," Kartik said with contempt.

  "He'd have done it already if women hadn't started requesting me," Harish said with a shrug.

  "Because you put some meat on your bones and turned out to be a strikingly handsome young man," Kartik replied, staring fondly at him.

  "If you say so." Harish flashed his sheepish smile, then they entered the tavern and a waft of mixed food smells struck them. Their bellies rumbled in unison as they stopped to adapt to the dark interior. They exchanged a glance at the sound and burst out laughing.

  "Can I help you?" A wary innkeeper glared at them.

  "Yes! Food for two," Kartik said. "And can you recommend a cheap place where we could rent a room?"

  ***

  Harish woke up at the sounds of the busy town. The room he shared with Kartik opened on Jevina's main square, next to the royal palace, and it was rarely a peaceful place. Only during the wee hours of the night did silence linger.