by JK Ensley
“He is a rare find, yes.” Jenevier squeezed his hand. “I knew that at first glance.”
Cherie gasped loudly and clapped her hands. “So… does that mean you’ll do it? Are you going to get married and have lots of babies? Oh, please say you will.”
Duhrias’s cheeks burned crimson, but Jenevier only smiled.
“As great an honor as that would be, I am afraid I cannot hurt him so.” She stared at her handsome Knight until he finally met her gaze. “My recent actions with the soul-eater aside… I am meant to be unbound. Not only do I believe it is part of my destiny, I also swore a vow to my dearest friend… I would join with no man, save him.” She looked then to Cherie. “Tell me. If you are both Spirits, can you travel through the clouds?”
“We may be Spirits, Milady, but we don’t have wings.”
“We can leave this realm,” Duhrias whispered. “If that’s what you’re asking.”
“But… you never have?”
They both shook their heads.
“Never needed to,” Cherie said. “And since the stones won’t glow for us, we never had a way.”
Jenevier sighed. “I am a horribly selfish creature, the worst you will ever meet.” She bumped Duhrias’s knee under the table. “And I do not wish to be parted from either of you. If I ask it, would you return with me to Jinn?”
Cherie clapped again. “You want us to visit your home?”
“I wish to share it with you, yes.”
“Oh, Duhrias, can we? Can we, please?”
He looked to the giddy girl, and then back to his Angel’s pleading pink eyes.
“I suppose we could return here at the changing of the seasons… just to make sure all was well with the river and the forest.”
“That’s a yes!” The happy girl jumped up from the table and started dancing around in circles. “Oh… I’ve got to pack.” She took off up the stairs.
When Jenevier looked back to her sworn Knight’s gorgeous green eyes, she was met with a furrowed brow and a cool glare.
“What are you up to, Empress?”
She sighed, her shoulders drooping forward with the action. “I am not ready to part. Not just yet. It is true that I must return to my people, but my heart is hopelessly attached to you both. I told you true, Dimples. I am an extremely selfish creature.”
*****
She was standing behind the waterfall—arms extended, letting the icy water run freely through her splayed fingers—when her two new friends entered the cave.
“Have you got everything?”
“Yep,” Cherie chirped. “All packed up and ready for an adventure.”
Jenevier smiled and took Duhrias’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
“You have protected me many times already, Dimples. Let’s see if you can hold true to your vow.”
He chuckled. “Lead the way, Milady.”
The Urimtheim glowed brightly, and then… a blinding green flash.
Chapter 27
Jinn
(JINN)
“Have you ever seen anything more enchanting, more magical?”
“No, Milady.” Cherie gasped with awe, reaching out toward a tiny green Dragon. “I come from Out World, a land of magic… and never have I seen the like.”
Jenevier’s eyes positively sparkled. “Tiny wild things are the most beautiful things in the universe. Wouldn’t you agree, Dimples?”
“…Yes,” Duhrias answered absently.
But the awestruck man wasn’t looking at the tiny golden Dragon wrapping its tail about her wrist, chewing on her fingertip. No. The Rogall River Spirit’s gaze was transfixed upon her smiling face—softly glowing from the surrounding Urimtheim—but the enchanting sparkle in her eyes was what had truly taken his breath away.
When they had emerged through the magical portal on Jinn, they had found themselves deep within the Valley of Dragons. There inside a long forgotten cave, they were blessed to find themselves in a Dragon nursery. And not Dragons anywhere near the size and shape of Nilakanta. These were toy-sized, at least the babies were, and they flew about like nightingales.
Jenevier giggled and then grimaced when one got stuck in her hair. “Here now, you feisty little demon. Careful… do not singe my curls, ya wee beastie. Give me a chance. Hey, stop squirming so much. You are only making it worse.”
The miniature Dragon made an odd purring sound, and then grew still, head bowed.
“Aww… are you pouting?” She finally freed him. “Now there, that’s much better, is it not?” It nuzzled her cheek in response. “I apologize for scolding you before, little one. Do you think you will be able to forgive me one day?”
The tiny golden Dragon quickly licked the tip of her nose before making a nest on her shoulder, curling into a ball against her neck.
Jenevier smiled. “I will take that as a yes, wee Dragon.” She chuckled and then sighed. “Ahh… Nilakanta, do they not speak to me because they are but babes? Have they not yet learned to speak?”
No, Naga. These tiny creatures are not Dragons. Least, not in the way you are thinking. They are more like… annoying little insects.
“You are being too harsh, Brother. They are nothing like insects.”
No… I chose the wrong word. The Dragon paused, thinking. I suppose you could equate them more along the lines of… a Pixie, perhaps.
“A Dragon Pixie?” She laughed. “I quite like the sound of that. I think I shall keep him.”
Nilakanta snorted. I had no doubt that you would.
“Are you jealous?”
Of a bug? Hmpft… Yes, Naga, you guessed it. The great Nilakanta is jealous of a tiny flying pest. However do you manage to do it?
Jenevier giggled. “Nice sarcasm, Brother.”
And you as well, tiny Guardian.
“Do you always do that—speak to the Dragon on your back?”
Jenevier looked into Cherie’s big, innocent eyes. “Yes, sweet Cherry Blossom, always.”
“He talks to her as well,” Duhrias added.
“What?” Cherie’s eyes grew even wider. “How do you know? Can you hear him?”
“I cannot, no.” Duhrias continued to stare as the giggling Empress played with her new golden friend. “She told me he was a real Dragon. They blended for the battle on Earth. And… I watched him save her life.”
Jenevier looked at him then, returning his admiring smile.
“So…” Cherie lightly touched Nilakanta’s striking profile there upon Jenevier’s chest. “Are you gonna unblend or something? I mean, now that you’re back home.”
“I am not certain.” She giggled softly when the sleeping little Dragon Pixie lazily wrapped its extremely long tail around her neck. “I have no idea how to go about doing that. But I trust Nilakanta. If he says we separate, then we separate. Until then, I will carry the honor of my dearest friend upon my back. And when the time comes, he will swap the privilege with me.”
Well spoken, Kagi Naga. He sort of laughed. Tell me, Empress. Am I mistaken, or have you grown up just a little in these past few days?
Her smile faded, yet she did not frown… not entirely.
“Aye, Brother, that I have. Growth is a painful thing, is it not?”
The kind you do is, Naga, yes. Yet it is extraordinarily beautiful as well.
“Beautiful… I wonder…” She paused. “Alas, I should be counted as fool if the last few years had not managed to age me somewhat.”
They did not age you, Little Fire. They matured you.
“Yes, matured. It is as you say.” She felt the burn of coming tears. “Bidding farewell to your heart… watching as bitter flames remove all trace of it… accidentally causing another war through my own arrogance… and losing my ridiculous heart yet again at the same time…”
All these things are true, little one—Varick, Finnean, even Ahriman. Yet Vittorio is not lost to you, sweet Empress. I do not believe even his death could cause such a thing.
“God forbid I be forced to live through tha
t hell.” A single tear trickled down her cheek. “Even so, we can never be.” She drew in a shaky breath. “My only living husband… he crumbled while I held him, while I finally forgave him. Yet there are those whom I will never have such a chance with, never be able to touch, never be able to tell I’m sorry. Yes, the icing on my growth cake—my darkest brother… Vybius. That is one soul I shall never see again. Not in this life or the next.”
And why does that sadden you, Kagi Naga? You should mark that down as one of your greatest accomplishments.
“I know, Dragon. I know. Alas, that blessing was not achieved through my strength, no. It was achieved through his and his alone. I am saddened by my weakness in his regard, how my vile heart is torn over the loss of him. I should be celebrating my freedom from his dark obsession. But…”
Nilakanta waited a few heartbeats before he finished her words. But his unsurpassed gallantry in the end… it was dazzling.
“Yes, Brother… dazzling.” She sighed. “Much thanks is due that damn soul-eater, and many apologies as well. That, Nilakanta, is one thing I will never be able to accomplish.”
As it should be.
“Yes… as it should be.”
Jenevier flinched when her sworn Knight gently brushed away her tears.
“Apologies.” She blushed and then cleared her throat. “I forgot myself there for a moment.” She stood and dusted off her skirt. “Come, friends. There is much I wish to show you and many I wish you to meet.”
“Yay!” Cherie cheered as she jumped up, causing the Dragon Pixies to buzz about them. “I so love meeting new people,” she said as she happily skipped out the cave’s entrance.
“After you, Milady,” Duhrias said with a bow, worry furrowing his handsome brow.
“Do not frown, Dimples. I am well,” she whispered. “I am home. I am happy. Yes… I am blessedly well, Brother.”
*****
They spent days upon their journey—walking to the palace from the Valley of Dragons.
The rest of that first day, they spent in the company of her beloved Dragons—laughing and exploring. Jenevier even suggested they spend the night in her secret valley home, which they happily did.
That night, whilst basking in the comforting hot springs, bathed in perfect moonlight, she told them all she could remember of her life in that realm. She told them how she had first been brought to Jinn, the painfully unexpected birth of her twins, and the horrible part about Musashi… the night she had fled the palace. Even though knots twisted in her belly when she began the dark tale, by the end, she was smiling. It was only a tiny smile, yes, but at least it wasn’t tears.
Is that the first time you have willingly told that story, Naga?
It is the first time I have ever told it, willingly or not. All who know it either read it in my mind, or bore witness to my torn flesh.
Nilakanta’s warm humming filled her. I am glad you broke your silence, little one. It was a much-needed confession. I can already feel a change within you, a healing.
As do I, Brother. As do I.
Sunrise the next day brought with it a delicious smell that filled the cavernous hidden home.
Duhrias yawned. “Mmm… smells like Cherie is up and raring to go.”
Jenevier didn’t even get angry when the large, emerald-eyed River Spirit tossed their covers aside, letting the morning chill settle over them.
“Come on, Empress. Rise and shine. You certainly don’t want to miss out on Cherie’s miso soup.”
She smiled sleepily. “I am right behind you, Brother.”
Her tiny golden Dragon Pixie grumbled and squirmed in his sleep when Duhrias gently touched him.
“What will you call him, Milady?”
Jenevier barely opened her eyes, trying to focus on the tiny shimmering creature. She sat up and rubbed her forehead.
“I’m not sure,” she yawned through her words.
After rolling her head from side to side, Jenevier arched her back and then stretched out her arms.
The popping of her shoulders caused her new miniature friend to stir. When he opened his sleepy golden eyes and realized she was no longer lying upon their shared pillow, he made a frustrated twittering noise and immediately flew to her shoulder.
“Here now. What’s all the fuss about?” She chuckled through her words. “Time to rise and shine, little one. We have a fun-filled journey ahead of us today.”
She lightly ran her fingers across his tiny scales and smiled. The miniature Dragon’s twittering turned into soft purrs as it resumed its normal spot upon her shoulder, wrapping its cool tail around her neck.
“I believe I shall call him Takehiro.” She touched his head and the purring increased. She smiled. “Do you like it then? Very well, Takehiro it is. But I’ll just call you Taka for short.”
Ridiculous, Nilakanta grumbled. Naming a bug. And such a noble name at that.
Jenevier continued to smile as she followed Duhrias into the buzzing kitchen.
Cherie was humming happily when she turned toward them. “I hope you’re hungry. I’ve made tons.”
Jenevier had stopped in her tracks, staring fixedly at the vase of flawless blue roses in the center of the table.
“Wh-where did you find those?”
Cherie followed her gaze to the enticing, magical flowers.
“Oh, I didn’t find them,” she said happily. “They were just sitting there when I woke up. I am the Spirit of the forest, and never have I seen their equal. The most beautiful roses under heaven, I should say.”
Jenevier only smiled. “I could not agree more. They are my favorite.”
Naga?
Worry not, Dragon. I am fine. No, I am better than fine. I am happy.
As you say, tiny Guardian. And… I believe he loves you too much.
“Yes… I know,” she whispered.
They chuckled and chatted throughout the delicious meal, continuing on their journey only after all the food and tea was long gone.
Taka seemed to love the tea. She fed him bits of her omelet until he was well and truly stuffed.
Nilakanta snorted. Pfft… ridiculous.
Jenevier only smiled.
“There is one place we have to visit along our way.” Jenevier took Cherie’s hand in hers. “A proper tour of Jinn simply is not complete without meeting the honorable Iga people.”
As they neared the magical Shinobi village, Jenevier told her new friends about the war her dark husband had wrought, and all that came with it—her Dragon guardianship, her ethereal blades, her new name, the death of Emperor Musashi, and then the loss of her precious Varick. Just as they made it to the bordering wall, she finished her tale with how these noble people had named her their Empress that same day.
“Your life has been truly astounding,” Cherie whispered.
Duhrias nodded. “Yes… Blessed and cursed equally, it seems.”
She half chuckled. “You ain’t kidding, Brother.”
All of that… and not a single tear. I am truly glad to see it, Kagi Naga. And I am unduly honored to be able to feel the change within you.
As am I, Brother. As am I.
*****
“Empress Naga.” Seizo bowed low before her. “Had I known you would be returning for me, I would have stayed my heart and waited for your confession.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “I take it you have grown much wiser in matters of the heart since last we met, Lord Seizo.”
“Indeed I have, Your Highness.”
Two young girls ran up to the smiling Shinobi Elder, each owning the rare lavender eyes of their handsome father. The smaller of the two wrapped her arms around his leg, locking him in a possessive vise. The older girl half hid behind her now laughing father.
“My heart has been healed in your regard, Brother.”
Seizo accepted her proffered forearm.
Jenevier smiled devilishly. “And I am also filled with a wicked sense of justice.”
His brow furrowed. “Justice,
Milady? In what?”
“I have met every lovely maid within your clan, good Seizo.” She looked then to his daughters. “And I can safely say, in rare beauty… they have no equal.”
The mighty Shinobi’s smile was positively beaming. “You speak truth, Your Highness. Even if I were not their father, I would wholeheartedly agree with your words.”
“Would you now?” A knowing smile turned up one corner of her mouth. “Then tell me this. When you were close to their age, Brother, what would your thoughts have been—concerning a maid blessed such as they are?”
Jenevier couldn’t help but giggle when the charming ninja’s eyes went wide with realization.
“And now you know from whence comes my wicked sense of justice, Lord Seizo. My aunt called it, paying for your raising.” She winked at him then.
Seizo swallowed hard, but she took note of how he immediately grasped their young hands in his, squeezing them gently.
You are an evil Angel, little Naga.
She chuckled. “Not evil, Brother… inspirational. Yes, that’s it, inspirational. I only called to mind what parenthood is often blinded to. And… those two beautiful little girls could ask for no greater protector or defender than is their loving father.”
Yes. Alas, if they should ever find one who wishes to own their heart… He paused.
“Then he will have to prove himself a warrior without equal—pure of mind, noble of heart, humble enough to fear Lord Seizo, yet wise enough to win a rare maid.”
As it should be.
“Yes, Brother. As it should be.”
Goemon ran toward her, but halted his steps when he took note of the strangers flanking his Empress.
“What stays your greeting, little brother?” She smiled. “Come. I wish you to meet my new friends.” Jenevier linked her arm with Duhrias’s as she spoke. “This gorgeous man to my right is the embodied Spirit of the Rogall River on layer eight. He saved me, Goemon. More than once, I might add. A sell-sword when we met, he now stands as my one and only sworn Knight—sheath to my might.”
