Chapter 51: Chapter 51

She walked into her room with her shoulder shagging in pain but whenever she remembered that her parents were there, talking things out or her father begging for mercy which she knew he would, a smile would come over her face. She suddenly remembered the girl she had given to Lorcán on the war day and thought, maybe she could use that as an excuse to speak to him.

She walked to the bathroom, took her bath and while she walked out with her baby bump slightly showing through her towel, Aranya felt as someone held her from behind, well maybe it wasn’t just someone, it was the man she loved. Because with a thousand hands all over her body, she was certain she would know how his touch felt like. She felt but didn’t want to show that she knew it was him.

“Who’s this?!” She spoke through gritted teeth as she tried to get herself out of his hold. “Do you have a death wish?” Oh, how she badly wanted to turn around and give him the biggest of all hugs.

Lorcán leaned toward her ear and she could feel her hair straightening, “I know you know it’s me, Aranya. I've missed you, let me hold you for a few minutes then we can talk things out.” She melted under his hold, feeling as he warmly brought her closer to his face, the remains of water in her body sticking to his shirt.

She slowly felt as he wrapped his hand around her stomach and fondled it lovingly, “It’s still alive.” He whispered and rested his head on her shoulder, she smiled and placed her hand on top of his. And no matter how much she wanted to stop herself from crying, she did. She had missed him terribly, and here he is, coming back to her as if nothing had happened. Even though she wanted to give him a hard time for not listening to her that time and trying to harm her, deep down she knew he had all reasons to do what he did. And for the words he had said, they were justifiable.

Slowly, after some time, Aranya turned to look at him and he wrapped his hand around her waist and brought her closer to his body. “We can’t do this. I mean, we can't be like this.” She had to pull up her inner power to continue with what she wanted to say. Just because he had snuck his way to her room and had held her tightly as if nothing had happened didn’t mean that nothing had happened. And it also didn’t mean that he had forgiven her. He might be here to tell her that he would be leaving Belrynna and she should make sure that he never saw her again.

She surged in a deep breath to make herself ready, “I’ve been wanting to ask you, where’s that girl? How's she feeling?”

“Lisa? She has recovered, she showed me to your room.” He smiled, and she realized it had been forever since the last time she saw him smile.

“I've missed you.” As much as she wanted to control herself, she couldn’t. She pulled him into her body and hugged him as tightly as she had never hugged him before. And with a muffled voice, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Lorcán. For what my parents did, for my mistakes, everything.”

He lifted her up from his chest and before he spoke, he kissed her forehead. He lowered down to the tip of her nose and then lightly pecked her lips. Even though it was aching him to kiss her as hungrily as he had been craving to, but he knew this conversation was something they could never run away from. They would have to have it.

“We’ve spoken with your father, Aranya.” The way he had referred to him as her father hadn’t slipped away from her ears. He regarded him with respect and she wanted to cry so bad. She didn’t know how she had become a lachrymose, if she could remember, crying had been among the things she hardly ever now. But now, a day hardly went by without her shedding some tears. Maybe it was the pregnancy.

“And? Did he ask for your forgiveness?” She was reluctant when she asked, because she didn’t want to remind him that the right way for it to happen is for her father to ask for his forgiveness.

He lightly pinched her neck, “Of course he did. We spoke man to man, he asked for forgiveness and told me about how much his baby girl loves me. He told me about the baby and all the tears you’ve shed, I wanted to run to you at the moment.”

She chuckled and tears clouded her eyes. “Why didn’t you do that?”

“I had to wait until tonight, suddenly I was feeling respectful towards him.” She smiled and he kissed her on the lips, “Your mother came too earlier in the day.”

“What? Betla met you? And you’re still alive?” She touched his arm and his chest to make sure that he indeed was alive. Even though she hadn't forgotten that she had once brought him back to life for her, but Aranya thought that Betla could hate no one apart from her.

He threw his head back and laughed before he guided her to the vanity stood and made her to sit. He began to help her in getting ready while he spoke. “She brought me back to life before, so I thanked her. So she apologized about Dûsan and how she had tried to make you kill me in Zinambra. And of course, she threatened me about you.”

Aranya burst into a peal of laughter, she knew the threat would come. But it was a miracle that Betla had met him and even apologized to him. “What did she say?” She asked with a hint of laughter at the end of her words.

He laughed along with her before he shook his head, “It was about you, but I'm in no position to say a word about it.”

“What about Keres and Desdemona?” She asked out of mere curiosity because she didn’t want to ask the King, but maybe Lorcán could have an idea.

“I heard the soldier that trooped into Belrynna were brought in with the help of Xanth and they first made sure they were freed before they began to carry out the operation.”

Aranya sighed before she flipped her hair away from her shoulder, “I pray she finds her happiness.” She had a good heart, he thought and kept silent because he didn’t want to hurt her with the conversation.

He helped her into a night dress and after they stood by the bed, she stared at him with nothing but lust in her eyes that he softly smiled and pecked the top of her nose. “I sometimes wonder if it was the same eyes that flash fire whenever you’re angry, Aranya. Your eyes are so beautiful that I get drowned in them whenever I stare too hard.”

She smiled and leaned forward to merge their lips. She felt the way he eased under her touch, how it felt as if he had been waiting for that single movement from her before he unleashed the lion in him. He cupped her face into his hands and kissed her passionately until she doubted how the hell did they survive while being estranged with each other. He softly broke their lips to have a breather and she stared at him with a lustful smile. “I love you,” they whispered in unison before Lorcán gently placed her on the bed and the gown that had just been worn got turned off with just a single swift of his fingers.

•

She ran after the little girl that kept squealing while she ran, “Kenna, I told you to stop running, didn't I? A princess shouldn’t be seen running!”

Kenna turned to look at her with a mischievous smile on her lips, “That’s what you always say, but you always run towards your Dad and Mom whenever you see them, don’t you? Aren’t you a princess as well?” Could someone take care of that girl for her even if it’s for day?!

The girl ran into King Bhaltair’s chamber as she squealed her lungs out, “Kenna?!” She sighed exhaustedly and Lorcán wrapped his hands around her shoulder and kissed the side of her face. They mostly live in Elfnour since after they got married, mostly visited Belrynna whenever Aranya missed her parents-whom had also miraculously gotten married, which would forever be a mystery to Aranya how Betla agreed-which was almost after every few days.

Elfnour was beginning to go back to the kingdom it used to be, as he wandered around the world in search of every elf he saw to take him back home. It was grooming into a beautiful kingdom and Aranya loved and adored how hard he was working for his heritage.

“Can we leave her with them for at least a month? She’s stressing me out.” She whined softly and rested her head on his shoulder, he was about to argue when she pouted her lips and gave him her best puppy face, “Please, Lorcán.” He sighed exasperatedly and instantly, she knew she had won.

They walked into the palace with beautiful smiles on their faces and like Kenna accused, Aranya ran toward them and threw herself on them while she giggled, “I’ve missed you!”

Kenna turned to look at Lorcán and she winked at him while they laughed. He lifted her up and whispered something into her ears, which she lovingly giggled at and when Aranya looked up at them, she realized this was the life she had always wanted. Not revenge, not hatred. But forgiveness, love and lots of laughter.

She turned to look at both her parents that were staring at her with a proud smile and pointed at her ears, they knew what she meant so they burst out laughing while Kenna ran toward her and latched onto her laps as Betla and Bhaltair whispered into her ears, “We’re expecting a pup and a cub, how amazing does that sound!” No!!! She screamed and rushed toward Lorcán.

“Lorcán, they’re having some new babies!” She whined, “Will they be tired of me?” He laughed and warmly hugged her to his chest while he whispered into her ear, “Of course not, and even if they do, I'll always be here, okay? And this reminds me, why don't we make another baby too?” She whined and lightly punched his chest. Realizing that whatever she did, whatever life threw at her, she would choose to live this way over and over again. With these set of people, no matter how painful it may seem. Her life had been so rough and full of bitterness that she had never imagined she could find this light, this love and happiness. Life gave her a new chance, and it was worth every ounce of hardship she had gone through.

THE END.