by J R Stone
“I’m not a monster,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said firmly.
IV
Tzeel woke up a little before sunrise. Sarah was still asleep. He did not want to wake her up; she needed to rest. He walked over to the balcony.
Totkan was beautiful. The valley in which the city had been built was the greenest place he had ever seen. No wonder they had so many enemies. If he were not King of Totkan, he would want the city for himself.
Tzeel saw some peasants on the streets. Like him, they knew the city needed them up early. They played a major role in the city’s organization and prosperity.
Tzeel was respectful toward his people. They were all a vital part of Totkan.
“Good morning,” said Sarah kindly.
Tzeel turned around and saw Sarah standing by the balcony door. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”
“Much better. I’m sure Enoch will confirm that.”
“I hope so.”
The few moments of silence between them were enough to make her feel awkward. There was some tension between them. “I’d like to take a bath, so I’ll go to my room.”
“You can take it here. I’ll wait outside,” he said gently. He would not give Seth the opportunity to steal her for one more day. “I’ll have the servants bring warm water and a clean dress.”
Tzeel walked past her. He felt his body react to the proximity. “Would you have breakfast with me afterwards?” he asked politely.
Sarah could sense some insecurity in his voice; he feared being rejected by her.
“I would like to walk around the city,” she said calmly, not answering his question.
“It’ll be a pleasure to show you around. Let me know when you’re ready.” He left the room aware that she was playing games with him. He smiled. He couldn’t help admiring her cleverness.
He walked to the kitchen and asked some servants to take Sarah some hot water. He also asked them to prepare a bath in another room for himself. He wanted to smell good for her.
Sarah opened the door to the servants. She was anxious to take a bath. Tzeel’s bathtub was huge, probably the largest one she had ever seen, and the view from his room was spectacular. She wanted to enjoy both.
As soon as the servants left, she took her dress off and got into the bathtub. Her wounds still hurt a bit, especially when the water first touched them. But, after a few seconds, Sarah felt all the tense muscles in her body relax.
Unable to control her thoughts, the vision of Tzeel’s kiss filled her mind. It was hard not to think of him. She shook her head in an attempt to send those thoughts away. Nothing would be more unforgivable than falling in love with the man who had threatened her village and shot her twice. She sank her head into the water. Maybe she should have taken a cold bath instead of a warm one.
Tzeel took his bath as quickly as possible. He did not want to leave Sarah waiting. He was afraid Seth would show up and take her to see the city before he had the chance to do so.
Tzeel felt a bit childish for a moment. He wondered what was wrong with him.
Sarah’s overall behavior was unacceptable, but he liked that about her. He liked being challenged. He liked the game. He admitted to himself that he was seduced by her looks, her temper, and her power.
The truth was that he had had many women in his life, but none had made him feel so vulnerable, so dominated, so unstable. He decided not to think about his feelings too much, or he would end up doing something stupid to push her away. And his body wanted her close.
To the surprise of his guards, Tzeel waited for Sarah standing opposite the bedroom door, his back against the wall.
Sarah put on the emerald dress the servants had arranged for her. When she opened the door, she noticed Tzeel lose his breath.
“You look stunning!” he said ardently. He could kiss her right there.
“Thank you,” she said, blushing. “You don’t look bad yourself,” she said jokingly.
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Are you hungry?” she asked, teasing him. “Breakfast?”
“I’d love that.”
His lopsided smile was by far the sexiest smile she had ever seen. “Good, come in,” she said, inviting Tzeel into his own bedroom.
She had asked the servants to bring breakfast. She sat down on a chair, and crossed her legs.
Tzeel looked down. If she continued doing that, he would not be able to control himself. He sat opposite her.
Aware that she was in control of the situation, she picked up a pear and bit it, her eyes fixed on his.
“You’re playing with fire.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said calmly. “Aren’t you having breakfast?”
He smiled, picked up a pear and stood up. “We should leave,” he said firmly.
Sarah got up and walked over to him. “I’ll follow you.”
Tzeel gave a step forward, narrowing the distance between them. They were so close that their noses were an inch away from each other. He gently stroked her face.
Sarah was burning with desire for him. She kept telling herself that she could not feel anything. She could not surrender to his charm. Even if she let him have her, she needed to avoid at any cost giving him her heart. She stepped back. “I’ll go first,” she said as she walked out of the room.
Tzeel followed her down the corridor. He watched her in silence, contemplating the curves in her body and the intense redness of her hair.
She stopped by the open door in the hall and observed the peasants walking on the streets. They looked happy and tranquil.
She turned around and caught Tzeel admiring her. “Shall we go?” she asked.
“Sure.”
They left for a promenade on the streets of Totkan. Sarah could tell that Tzeel was respected and admired by his men and his people. They did not seem to fear him, and seemed comfortable with his presence on the streets. Tzeel seemed relaxed and there was a softness in his gestures and look that Sarah had not noticed before.
“Good morning, Avi!” he said enthusiastically.
“Good morning!” replied a short old man. The man’s face smiled to see Tzeel. “How are you today, son?”
“I’m fine. Let me introduce you to Sarah.” Tzeel had known Avi all his life. The old man had been his tutor for years. He had taught Tzeel how to swing the sword and how to use a shield. They had always been close, and Tzeel felt comfortable around him.
“Good morning, young lady!” said Avi politely. “Gorgeous!” he remarked to Tzeel, pointing at Sarah.
“She certainly is,” said Tzeel smiling. He would be lucky to have such a beautiful and powerful queen. He would be even luckier if she remained wonderful but gave her powers over to him.
Sarah was not bothered by the comments. She was polite, as her mother had taught her to be. “Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling to the old man. She gazed admiringly at Tzeel. It was hard to believe that this man had threatened her village. Now, he was relaxed, friendly, cheerful, and kind. An entirely different man.
“How are the crops?” Tzeel asked.
“Fantastic! We’ve been blessed again this month,” said Avi.
“I’m glad to hear that, Avi. Have a great day!” said Tzeel, touching the man’s shoulder.
“You too. And don’t you dare lose a woman like that!” said Avi, winking at Tzeel.
“I won’t,” he whispered jokingly.
“I’m not your property, you know?” said Sarah trying to hide a smile.
“I know. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be mine,” he said charmingly.
“You are arrogant, aren’t you?” she asked playfully.
“I wouldn’t call myself arrogant.”
“What would you call yourself?”
“Realistic.”
Before Sarah could retort, an old lady yelled “Tzeel!”.
“Adara!” He waved at her. “She’s quite the talker,” he murmured to Sarah. “Just letting you know,�
�� he winked.
Sarah was incredulous at Tzeel’s behavior. They walked over to Adara, and he introduced the two ladies.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” said Sarah gently.
“Oh, she’s polite! Nice to meet you,” said Adara, touching Sarah’s hand. Suddenly, Adara gave a step back. She seemed scared.
“Are you okay?” asked Tzeel worriedly.
“Yes, sure,” replied Adara quickly. “I just didn’t expect her to be a witch.” She doubted Tzeel needed more witches and wizards to serve him.
“How did you…?” asked Sarah frowning.
“Your energy. There’s too much energy in your touch,” said Adara. “Luckily for the sake of us all, I see goodness in your eyes. In the wrong hands, so much power would only cause misery and destruction,” she added, glancing at Tzeel. She did not doubt his character, but she knew only too well the vipers that surrounded him. “Anyway, I’m glad you found yourself a good woman, Tzeel.”
“People can’t help picturing us together. There’s nothing I can do,” said Tzeel smiling to Sarah.
“We’re not together,” said Sarah politely.
“You will be. I see it in your eyes. It’s just a matter of time. When you marry him, please send Uno and the others away. They are despicable!” said Adara seriously.
“Adara…” he said harshly.
“What? I don’t know how you put up with them. I’ve already told you that. You’re such a good man, Tzeel, but unfortunately, you are surrounded by horrible people,” said Adara somberly.
Sarah was shocked. Never in her life had she seen a peasant talk to a ruler like that. She had seen men be killed for less.
Seeing Sarah’s astonishment, Adara apologized. “I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, so I apologize for my behavior. I’d love to have you both for lunch if you’d be kind enough to give me that honor,” said Adara looking Tzeel in the eye.
“It’ll be our pleasure,” said Tzeel gently.
None of that looked real. Nowhere did a king sit down with his peasants to eat. Sarah waited for Adara to walk into the house and asked, “What’s going on here?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll just take that? I mean, no torturing, murdering, maybe a light punishment?”
“What?” he asked incredulously.
“Aren’t you going to do anything about her behavior?”
“No, why should I? Because she spoke her mind? I don’t punish my people for that. In Totkan, we only punish murderers, rapists, and thieves. I can assure you she’s none of those. You can relax,” he said calmly. He could tell that Sarah was perplexed. “Oh, I see. You still picture me as a monster. A tyrant, perhaps?” he said bitterly. “You’ll find out that I’m neither of those.” He walked into the woman’s house.
Unsatisfied by his explanation and intrigued by his behavior, Sarah considered the possibility that he might have carefully planned who to introduce her to and what they would say so that he could pretend to be a decent man.
As she would not get any answers by staying outside, she made her way into Adara’s house.
It was a very modest residence. Tzeel was helping Adara set the table, which made Sarah’s confusion grow even more.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked politely.
“Yes, you can sit and enjoy the meal,” said Adara with a warm smile. “Tzeel, you can sit too.”
Adara sat on a chair next to Sarah. She wanted to know more about the witch.
“Tell me, where are you from, Sarah?”
“I’m from the South,” said Sarah, unwilling to share her story.
“Where in the South?” insisted Adara.
“A very small village near Minar,” she lied.
Adara looked suspiciously at Sarah. She knew the area of Minar well. “I didn’t know there were villages close to Minar. I always thought the city was isolated,” said Adara.
“It’s a tiny, hidden place,” Sarah added, trying not to give herself away.
“I see. And how did you end up here?” asked Adara.
Sarah immediately looked at Tzeel.
“I took her from her village,” he said calmly, unashamed. He started eating as if nothing important was happening. He was still upset that Sarah thought he was a monster. At least he did not kill anyone when abducting her.
Adara stared at Sarah, who kept her eyes down, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.
Sarah started eating. With any luck, Adara would choose a different topic to talk about.
“Have you visited the city garden?” asked Adara changing the subject.
“Not yet. Tzeel will take me there today,” she said, smiling at him. Maybe a more fragile attitude would benefit her.
There was a mix of sweetness and bitterness in her smile that made Tzeel lose his will to smile. “I will.”
“You’ll love it!” said Adara, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. She wanted to change the serious mood she had created with her questions. “Totkan has the most beautiful garden you’ve ever seen,” said Adara.
“I can’t wait,” murmured Sarah, apparently no longer interested in talking.
“How’s your grandson?” he asked. He did not want Adara to feel uncomfortable.
“He’s almost seventeen now. He can’t wait to join your army.”
“Whenever he’s ready, it will be a pleasure to have him fighting with us,” replied Tzeel sincerely. It was always good to have a new soldier, full of vigor and enthusiasm.
“Seth said he’ll be ready soon,” said Adara excitedly.
“No one better than Seth to know it.” His brother was certainly the best general he had ever known. He was determined, ingenious, respected by his men, and feared by his enemies.
Tzeel finished having lunch as quickly as he could. The food was delicious, but it was clear that Sarah did not want to stay there anymore. “Thanks for lunch, Adara. It was great as usual,” he said.
“My pleasure! Come visit me more often,” she said, holding his face with both hands. “Tell Seth to come. I miss him too.”
“I have already told you to come live with us in the palace,” he said, hugging her.
“I will when those snakes you have there leave,” she said bitterly.
Tzeel kissed Adara’s forehead and looked at Sarah. He hoped she would say goodbye.
“Thanks for lunch. It was delicious,” said Sarah politely. She needed to find out the origin of so much intimacy between Tzeel and the lady.
“I’m sorry if I said anything that hurt your feelings. I just wanted to know more about the woman who stole my boy’s heart,” said Adara sweetly.
“I still own my heart,” he joked.
“You keep telling yourself that,” said Adara as she opened the door for them to leave.
Sarah left the house first. She was bothered by everything: the questions, the affection, the lies. “You should let her know that you do not have a heart to be stolen,” she said aggressively.
“Where did that come from?”
“You’re kidding me, right? What’s going on here? Everyone loves you? Do you really want me to believe that? You’re nice to everyone, you respect everyone…” she said sarcastically. “But you went to my village and had one of your men nearly rape my mother! You put my people on their knees and threatened to burn them alive! Who the hell are you?” she screamed. Everyone around was looking at them. Sarah felt even more uncomfortable.
Tzeel was furious. He had to control himself not to yell back at her. “You know nothing about me. I don’t have to put up a show to prove you anything. And just so you know, no one was going to rape your mother. I do not condone rape! We had to push things a bit so you would come out. Of course, by then, I had no idea you were a murderer. Had I known it, instead of risking my men’s lives, I would have set your house on fire so that you would leave in flames,” he said between his teeth. “You can walk yourself to the garden. I’m done here.”
Tzeel
turned around and left Sarah alone. She watched him go up the main street toward the palace. Hearing that she was a murderer devastated her. She wondered if her mother would use that same word to describe her.
Tzeel was near the palace entrance when a child ran to him. The boy was probably around eight years old. Tzeel kneeled so that he could look the boy in the eyes while talking to him.
Sarah looked down. Perhaps she had been unfair to him. She walked as fast as she could to Tzeel. When the boy left, she touched Tzeel’s arm.
“I apologize. Show me the garden,” she said sweetly.
Tzeel wanted to be mad at her for a while more, but he could not. Her eyes begged for forgiveness and he wanted to give it to her. “Come with me,” he said gently.
She was relieved that he had accepted her apology. She did not want to push him away.
They did not say a word on their way to the garden. Instead of talking, Sarah kept repeating to herself several times, like a mantra, that he was evil.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Sarah just nodded. When they turned right at the corner, Sarah saw the most splendid garden she had ever seen. Never had she seen so many colors in just one place. She was speechless.
“You can go in,” he said.
Sarah wanted to look at him, but it seemed an offense to such a sacred place to take her eyes off it. She slowly walked in. The smell was wonderful and she could hear the birds singing.
She walked to a bench near a huge tree in the middle of the garden. She needed to sit down and rest a little. Her shoulders hurt. She looked at him.
He knew she was inviting him to sit beside her, but he wanted her to say it. He stood by the tree and stared at her.
Aware of his desires, she asked, “Please, sit.”
He did not hesitate and sat down beside her. She could barely distinguish his smell from the perfume of the flowers. They both smelled divine. She looked at him.
“I expected your people to have a different behavior towards you,” she remarked.
“I bet. After all, you see me as a monster, I know.”
“You shot me twice!”
“I wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t done so. You know that, Sarah.”
