by Iaz Grant
Her body had gone limp, and her heart was beating fast. His head was now in the softness of her breasts, and he was able to hear her heartbeats. Her thighs still enveloped his lower body, and it didn't look like she wanted them to change their position soon.
“Zanna?” He whispered.
It seemed like forever before he could hear her whisper.
"Brent," She said. His name on her lips was quite different now. It sounded like more compassion, love…adoration.
“I…I…” Brent realised he had nothing to say. He was so weak and felt as if his heart was going wild with the feeling of love.
“Shuushhhhh," Zanna whispered. She was patting his head with her palm as if he was some child.
Brent smiled and thought about what had happened in the past few minutes. If he hadn’t known better, he had behaved like a child and an adult all at the same time to the woman he was in love with.
He wasn’t complaining.
And he was already closing his eyes. He slept off in her arms after he was sure that she was drifting off to sleep as well.
Brent looked at Zanna in the dim light and caressed her cheeks. She was gloriously naked beside him underneath the sheets. It was midnight already, and he could still feel himself getting hard for her all over again, but he knew she was sated and tired. She had fallen asleep for a while until now and had woken him up when she shifted to adjust her weight.
He smiled up at her and lifted his body to look at her. Brent wondered what would become of them now that The Queen was dead. He wondered how his Zanna was feeling. He knew she never imagined herself to be the queen any day nor anytime soon. They all thought The Queen would rule for millenniums.
He sighed heavily with his thoughts.
"I want us to get married tomorrow," She said abruptly.
Shocked wasn’t enough to express his emotions. For the second time that night, he wondered if he heard her right.
Again, she repeated what she said.
“Let’s get married tomorrow, before The Queen’s funeral rites the day after. That way, we will be crowned as a couple.” She said firmly.
Looking at her closely, he noticed that she was a little bit different; she was looking more like The Queen than the Zanna he knew though not in a bad way; she also looked more mature, more determined and more confidence. He knew it was The Queen's death that surely did it, but was there something else he was missing?
He moved back a little bit to observe her carefully.
“Why now? Why not wait till The Queen is buried? What would the people say?” he flopped about for what to say.
She reached over to the little table beside his bed and withdrew something little from her clothes draped there. She held it out in her palm to him. It was a golden ring, one he knew only The Queen of Sheelah shared with their husbands
“Marry me,” she repeated.
He looked into her eyes and saw the love there, he saw the weight of the crown already and saw the responsibilities she would have to carry, he also saw something else; desperation and secrets maybe. He was sure she would tell it all to him when she was ready and deemed it fit.
He held out his hand to her. Today, Zanna needed him, and he would not let her down.
The Death
93 Years Later
"One of these days, I might have to run off with a young blonde if you keep giving me that potion of yours to drink," Brent said jocularly to Queen Zanna when they were in their private chambers in The Crystal Palace.
"You know you like it, and no blonde would run off with you; they wouldn't want to incur the wrath of The Queen," she retorted smoothly. Pulling off her clothes and joining him on the chaise on which he rested languidly. She wrapped her body around his.
He chuckled at this, making her rumble along with his chest. She soon busied herself with caressing his body. She was proud of herself. His body was still smooth and showed no sign of aging as of yet; thanks to the potion she fed him always. In her quest to prepare a potion to make Queen Alora better 93 years ago, she made some potions that would reverse the effects of aging and prolong life. She never forgot to give it to him every day. And he never stopped complaining that he was getting too young.
"I do like it, it is sweet, and it keeps me around to still see you," He replied
“It would be better if it just makes you immortal, and then I can rest easy knowing we would be together forever," She said.
He knew she would like nothing better. So, he did not tell her what he knew he should. The potion was beginning to have side effects on him; he was gradually starting to forget things. It started in a small way; he might forget how he got to some places or what he was doing there. Some days ago when he saw Zanna and couldn’t remember ever meeting her, he knew he had to do something. He was almost paralyzed when he remembered.
He was glad that the memory was still right there in his head and then, he already started pouring out the potion and taking water instead. Not for anything would he want to forget his Zanna and all that he shared with her. He only wanted to hold on to those memories of them together till he drew his last breath. He knew he was only hastening up his death, but he was long overdue anyway. He just couldn’t pick up the courage to tell her.
Knowing how much she sacrificed just to be with him and even to let him live till this moment, he was at a loss for how to ever repay her. Bless The Fates that they were able to have a child together before this. The child he loved with every fibre of his being. He would just die if he forgot her too. The ‘child’ in question came running into the room without knocking; she was a full grown woman.
“Papa, Mama," she said as a way of greeting, coming in already.
She only raised her eyebrows in the position in which they sat. She was already used to such and didn’t bat an eyelash. Queen Zanna shifted an inch away, for the purpose of propriety.
“I would like to travel with my friends to the neighbouring land of Graund. I hear they have excellent herbs there and would love better than to bring some to you, Mama. I promise to be back in a sennight.” She was already running out of breath.
Brent blessed the day this lovely and perfect blend of Sidhe and human was born unto them. She favoured her father more in looks and was an exquisite beauty with a childlike heart. She never saw the fault in people; only the good.
He shared a look with Queen Zanna and sighed. Their daughter, Alova, was a wandering spirit, though; she never strayed from home for too long. She would go with a group of healer and come back with them in not later than a sennight.
“Go in peace, daughter of the crown, do be careful and come back safe, will you?” Brent said.
Alova did a little jig and jumped over to hug him. She blew Zanna a kiss and whirled off. She was gone just like the wind, breezing in and breezing out as she wanted.
Queen Zanna rolled her eyes at her husband. She wondered at the bond between father and daughter. Both were so close that in the last twenty years when The Fates finally answered their prayers and gave Alova unto them, she almost felt like a stranger in her family. Alova would follow her father everywhere, and he indulged her in everything. She favoured her father too in everything except in her penchant for collecting herbs. Her love for her father and that of her father for her was widely known all over the palace and throughout Sheelah. It was as if they were connected somehow.
However, Queen Zanna had no cause to complain; her husband never reduced his care and love for The Queen just because he formed a unique bond with their daughter. More so, she was just simply grateful for having Alova and could not be jealous of her daughter; she and Brent had spent so many years worried that they would have no offspring of their own when she became pregnant. And they had spent a greater portion of her pregnancy worried that it might be a male. When Alova came squealing out, she was the joy of their hearts.
"You indulge her too much, my king," She said.
"And you allow me to do so, my queen," He said lovingly.
S
he raised those brows he loved so much at him.
“Now, where were we before that imp breezed in?” he said, already drawing closer to her.
Queen Zanna giggled with pleasure as he dragged her near and buried his mouth in her mouth. She made the kiss short by drawing back to stare into his eyes. She batted those eyelashes at him for some seconds and began to play with the ropes of her gown.
“You faithful Queen!” Brent exclaimed.
He dragged her closer again and decided to leave the ropes to her. Hell, she could play with it all through the day. Seeing her do so was what he avoided; it sent shivers to his brain and down to his groin area. The Queen was adorably scandalous with those eyelashes and her fingers on her dress.
When he dragged her closer, he had the inkling to play with her dress too, but in another manner. He took the tip of her gown and folded it towards her laps. As expected, her lustful and virtually spotless skin came into view, and he bent to trace kisses on them.
"Beautiful," He commented.
His Queen laughed and patted his head, enjoying whatever he was doing with her.
Brent wondered if mating with her would ever feel any different. It was always like paradise to him and his ecstasy was a song that sent him back in time for the first time that he met Zanna, the princess. She was his Queen now and he wasn't even too old to satisfy her.
“You going to be kissing there all day?” She asked.
Brent laughed. Okay, his Queen might rule with sincerity and honesty, it doesn't mean she wasn't naughty as well. With him, she was her most natural, and she told him everything she wanted, keeping nothing out.
“Well?” Queen Zanna asked impatiently.
He grinned and raised her gown completely up, revelling in the rest of her pure and smooth skin.
“Beautiful.” He reiterated.
This brought a smile on her lips and she looked down at him with adoration.
"I will always love you," She promised.
Brent closed his eyes and let her words consume him. He refused to think about his condition at the moment. He was going to make love to his woman and nothing was going to make him think of anything else.
“Likewise.” He uttered with much gaiety.
He guided her towards the floor and laid himself between her thighs.
She was soon moaning in ecstasy within the next few minutes.
Two Weeks Later
Alova was in the best of spirits; she couldn't wait to see her papa and tell him how her journey went. Things were better in the world now, there were so many improvements in the art of healing, and she wanted to share everything she learnt with him. While her mother was a great collector of herbs and brewer of the most potent potions, her father was a great healer who knew the best ways to treat and help an ailing person. She was glad she was able to combine both talents. Some called her the young healer of Sheelah, she knew that with all her travels, she would soon be the best.
She already had a glimpse of her mother holding court but did not intrude. She had a pressing need to see her father. She knew he would be in his private chamber, reading up some old texts he brought from his travels round the world before he met Mama and settled down. He so hated court session and would rather spend the time with his books.
She hurried her steps as she got to the door of the chamber. Something was off, she thought. She couldn’t place her fingers on it but she sensed it as soon as she opened the door. She saw a lump lying in the middle of the bed and knew it was her father. She hurried over to him, denial in her every step.
This could not be happening. He must only be tired, and went over to sleep. She thought to herself.
When she got to him, she went round so she faced him. She took one look at his face and screamed.
Brent Sanders was dead.
The Separation
One Year Later
Queen Zanna was bereaved. She had lost so much in her life that she wondered why The Fates spared her life. She remembered her mother whose corpse was brought home shortly after her coronation as queen. She remembered her beloved grandmother, the one who taught her all she knew about Sheelah and her heritage. Now, Brent was dead for almost a year, and she still felt his absence sorely. She couldn’t even find solace in their daughter.
Since then, her daughter wasn’t the same anymore. She became more wrapped around herself and concentrated on her herbs and healing. It was as if an essential part of her was abruptly cut off. She went on more trips and came back later than usual. One sennight soon became two, two became three. Now, she was gone for more than a month with no news from her.
Queen Zanna was bitter. She should have tried harder with the potion. Maybe if she had tried experimenting more and more, Brent would still be alive today. In the note he left in his drawer in his private chamber, he wrote why he stopped taking the potion. Her husband did not want to forget his family; he would rather die than have lived longer and have his memory wiped off. She understood this perfectly but wished he told her when the symptoms started. At the very least, she would have been with him when he died.
Wiping tears from her face, she corrected herself. No, she would have continued to feed him the potion. She would have wanted to keep him alive, no matter what. And Brent knew this; that was why he didn’t tell her.
She heard the door open and turned to see her attendant she knew it was. The woman curtsied and stood mute.
“Well,” Queen Zanna said impatiently.
“No news yet, my queen.” The lady whispered and left as quietly as she came.
Queen Zanna slumped on her bed. Her daughter had been missing for four sennight sand there was no news of her. It was as if she just vanished from the surface of the earth. She knew Alova was not dead, she would smell it if she was. So, where was she?
She remembered what happened to her own grandmother, Queen Alora, when her daughter left her for the nunnery. She didn’t know where Alova was but it seemed she was destined to the same fate as her grandmother. Only this time, Sheelah might find no saviour.
Remembering how brave Queen Alora was till the very end, Queen Zanna squared her shoulders and wiped her tears. She knew she needed to act fast. She wouldn’t give up, she decided. The Fates had taken so much from her, and it would be a shame if she served them her life and Sheelah to them on a platter of gold. Sheelah was given to her family, and it would not go to ruins in her lifetime. One day, she would find her daughter, she knew. But for now, she needed to be strong.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. And right now, there was no more desperate being than Queen Zanna of Sheelah.
Epilogue: The Discovery
The liquid was clear and viscous in the vias. It stood regally on the table surface as if daring anybody to challenge its authenticity. Queen Zanna couldn’t stop staring at it. This was the reward for more than a century of her hard work. A little accident revealed the answer that eluded her for years. One simple accident was all it took.
Her blood was the answer. She had mistakenly cut herself in her desperation over the potion when she summoned the courage to visit her herbs mixing chamber for the first time since Brent’s death. She was so shaken up by the futility of her work that she cut herself while holding the potion to discard off. She was about to drop the transparent vias on the table and tend her hand when she noticed that the colour of the potion in the liquid was changing when it mixed with a drop of her blood.
