--LILLIE--

  “What does banishment mean?” I asked Sable as I sat on my bed. I pulled the blanket draped around my shoulders tightly as I waited for Sable to begin his explanation. In the past, Sable spoke very little of his life on the mountain, but now that he claimed he had done away with his culture, I could scarcely understand his nonchalant demeanor.

  “I cannot return to my colony upon the mountain,” he said while standing shirtless, arms crossed, and beads of water still lingered on his brown skin as water dripped from the ends of his freshly washed hair.

  “Why? Why would they banish you?” I asked.

  “Because I am going against the rites of the Teragane people. We are forbidden from forming relationships with others outside our colony.”

  “Oh, so you’ve been banished because—because of me?”

  “Correct.”

  “Oh!” I clasped my hand over my mouth as my heart began thumping wildly at the thought of being the reason for Sable’s banishment. Tears began to form as I uttered, “I’m so sorry I’ve caused this. I never meant to force you away from your people.”

  “No, it’s not your fault. You never forced anything on me.” Sable moved onto the bed next to me, sitting on his knees while his long, primal feathers of his wings hung over the edge of the bed. “It was my choice. I made the decision a long time ago. I kept coming to the meadow to see you knowing full well of my rebellious act. Do not be sorry, for I regret nothing.”

  “Okay, but I feel terrible for being the one to cause your—“

  “I just said it wasn’t your fault. It was my choice!”

  “Okay! Fine! I still feel guilty!” I jolted my head away as his angered expression began to snarl, and I had already been yelled at by him once that morning. This side of Sable felt totally foreign—like finally discovering the dark side of the moon.

  “I would rather you not feel guilty for my actions, despite your obvious influence,” he said, kind but firm, then moved off the bed, causing me to slightly bounce. He then began pacing around the small room as he continued to explain his actions. “It was always my choice. I knew I was going against my culture. I have always known something like this would happen. I didn’t know how or when, but the Sage you saw today had arrived to instruct me on further training expected of my adult-life-role. I knew they were coming and I was avoiding thinking about it all winter.” Sable stopped pacing, and turned to face me.

  “The Mating-Ritual,” he said dramatically. I frowned as it felt like my heart dropped into a bucket of water.

  So, he did have a role that he was avoiding to fulfill.

  “What is that?” I asked pointlessly and Sable continued pacing around the room. “Is that why you were getting so strong?”

  “You noticed.” Sable smirked as he licked his upper lip, but then his expression turned serious again as he slightly tripped on the pile of blankets he used as a bed.

  “I thought you were training to become a soldier or something. You were pretty inactive, then suddenly, last year, you were—uh—growing and stuff.”

  “I do not exactly know what the Mating-Ritual is since I have evaded the further guidance from the Sage, but, generally, they told me during winter that it was in preparation for my future where I would be paired with a future Teragane mate when I would come of age. I can only assume that the ritual is the pairing of life partners where they are expected to procreate and raise younglings on a different mountain. My parents raised me on this mountain, and left when I reached my tenth year. I was then instructed to abide by solitary living, return to the mountain every day, and continue surviving on a daily basis by methods taught to me by my parents. From what I observed, the Teragane, and Sage only gave out information on a need-to-know basis, and often my world revolved around mysterious methods I was forbidden from knowing. Tonight, the Sage spoke about the history of Teragane, but refused to give further information since they were not allowed to. They refused to tell me anything unless I would return to the colony and live according to their further instructions of what type of life I was expected to live.”

  “Oh, wow.”

  “Henceforth! Upon realization that my life would be constantly controlled by the rigid rules and decided fates of the Teragane Sage, I decided to abandon my culture altogether. Actually, it was you who inspired me to make this bold decision.”

  “What? Me? How?”

  “Remember when you tried climbing the cedar tree and fell on top of me?” He stopped on his heel once again to look at me, his crimson eyes dramatically waiting for my answer as his wings slightly twitched. His voice was no longer of anger, but full of excitement as he spoke like a young man truly with no regrets.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Good, because that was the day my life changed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was the day I decided to devote my life to helping you find happiness!” Sable lunged towards me, leaning against the bed frame with his hands, causing me to startle as he raised his brows and grinned widely, exposing his sharp canine teeth. “I didn’t want to tell you, not at the time, because I didn’t want to disappoint you. I wanted to surprise you! I wanted to wait to grow strong enough so I could fly you wherever you wanted, rescuing you from your miserable life.”

  Sable breathed heavily as he stared deeply into my eyes while leaning towards me. My eyes shifted towards his arms, noticing the curves of his muscles as he held himself in an angular position. All this time, he had already planned to help me?

  “So—you were training to get stronger because—“

  “Because I wanted to be strong enough to carry you!” Sable bent his knees, and sat on the floor, and rested his arms on the bed in front of me while I sat with my back against the wall, feeling stiffer than ever. Yet, as his hand drifted over my leg, he began rubbing my ankle while dreamily gazing upon my skin.

  “I know. I never told you my plan,” he said. “That’s why I was so upset when I began telling you about my idea of you abandoning your life in the forest and living in the meadow. I was ready to abandon it all for you and start our life together. I just wanted us to be happy together, living apart from our lives that were only full of burdensome roles neither of us wanted.”

  While his caressing finger felt warm upon my skin, a sense of overwhelming heat flushed my cheeks and I gripped tightly to the blanket over my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t understand your intentions at the time,” I said, attempting to speak past the discomfort piling in my throat. “But, as you can see, running away from my life wouldn’t solve anything, and would only further the hurt in my heart.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t regret anything. I hate how some things progressed, but I am thankful to be here with you. I understand you a lot more now. Your life is a thousand times more interesting than mine, and there is a lot for you here in the city.”

  “Are you still okay with abandoning your life on the mountain?”

  “Are you joking?” Sable looked up at me, his eyebrows narrowing as he paused his petting. “Did you not just hear what I said?”

  “I—I’m just making sure that you’re positive this is what you want.” I pulled the blanket tightly over my shoulders while darting my eyes, feeling absurd with my stupid questions, but absolutely hated the fact that Sable was willing to sacrifice everything he ever knew just to be with me—it just didn’t seem fair for him to be cast from his own people.

  “Of course. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. I want a life of freedom. A life where I can do what I want and desire, not ruled by stupid mysterious traditions that don’t make sense, nor are being willing to be explained in face of my animosity. And, most of all, I want a life with you. I can’t have it up on the mountain, with the Teragane—but—I can have it here in the forest, in the city, with the Tamarine.”

  “Okay.”

  “So, are you asking me this because you are challenging my commitment? Or, do you have doubts?”

  “No. Neither. I don’t doubt you. I just can’t believe all of this has happened. I had no idea that you were battling such conflict within yourself all this time. I just—“ My voice faltered. I often did not like processing through words while they were being spoken. I preferred to deal with my emotions and reactions after I had time to think about what had been said. As Sable’s eyes stared at me while he leaned against the edge of my bed, I felt anxious of how to communicate my own feelings. Never had we both been so open with each other, especially about our future expectations and what we both wanted.

  “What about you?” he asked and placed his chin in the palm of his hand, the other still rubbing my leg.

  “What about me?”

  “Hmph,” he scoffed. “You struggle with speaking directly, don’t you?”

  “Well, it’s not like I—“ I stopped. I wanted to say something passive and aggressive. I wanted to speak in a way I often spoke with others in my life. Rarely were discussions direct and honest. I battled speaking directly because no one liked being direct. Everything was a battle for the most underlying messages as possible. With Sable, it was different. He spoke clear and concise, direct and honest—perhaps it was time I learned to do so as well.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I have observed the way that you speak with your friends and family, with people on the street, and others in the city. Tamarines in general. I don’t understand how indirect conversation can lead to anything productive, but I do understand how difficult it is for you when I am speaking directly. I would prefer if you felt comfortable enough to do the same with me. I don’t like trying to understand underlying messages. I am not good at understanding subtleties.”

  “I do try to speak directly with you. You sometimes don’t speak at all. You often drift off in your own mind.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “I do?” Sable looked up, scrunching his nose as he did so often when thinking about something he would never speak openly about.

  “Yeah, see, right there.”

  “What?”

  “Right now—I say something, then you look away, scrunch your nose, and continue thinking to yourself for like five minutes without any follow up!”

  “Oh.” His eyes returned upon mine as he straightened up, releasing his hand from my ankle as a slight redness increased upon his brown cheeks. “I—I had no idea.”

  Laughter began to roll from my mouth as my shoulders bounced, and I shook my head at the attempt to clearly communicate while discovering more about each other—like the dark side of the moon finally coming to full light.

  Suddenly, a loud banging against my door alarmed us and Sable ran to the door. He opened it, revealing the face of my disgruntled father.

  “That’s enough! I cannot sleep with your laughing and shouting!” my father yelled. “Some people have early responsibilities. If I hear another sound from this room, I will force you out for sure this time.”

  “My apologies, Bene. We will be quiet,” Sable said, then my father stomped back to his room, slamming the door. Sable quietly closed my door and turned to look at me. “Oops.”

  “Perhaps we should get some sleep—it’s been a long day,” I said as I lay upon my side and stretched my legs across the bed. “We can talk more tomorrow. But this was good. I’m glad we can finally openly discuss things. Glad to know that you weren’t training to be a soldier to be sent somewhere far away.”

  “Me too,” he said, then began arranging the blankets on the floor where he usually slept. “I look forward to continuing our conversation. I have a lot to think about tonight.”

  “Yeah, me too. Sometimes I need to think before I can thoroughly discuss my thoughts.”

  “Hey—I am the same.” Sable laid on top of his little nest, and rested his head on his arms. I adjusted my bed for sleeping, but turned and looked at Sable who was already drifting off to sleep. I slipped over, and kneeled down, and he twisted his neck as his eyes widened.

  “I love you,” I said softly and leaned down, planting a kiss upon his lips while he grabbed the back of my head and partook in reciprocating affection. It wasn’t a long kiss, but enough as I moved my head back with a smile, and Sable licked his lusciously plump lips.

  “I love you, too,” he whispered, and asked if he could kiss me again in the morning.

  ***

  I woke up earlier than usual the next morning. I rolled over, glancing up at the small window in my room, realizing that it was still the early hours of the morning. I looked over at Sable sleeping on the floor. He lay in a slightly curled position, his wings covering him like a blanket. I tossed around, trying to feel comfortable enough to fall back asleep, but the previous days adventures lingered within my mind.

  I thought about all the things Sable had told me, how he abandoned his Teragane culture completely, and became banished, never allowed to see or interact with the Teragane people of the isolated colony of Hira. I knew that he did not want me to blame myself, but I could not help but feel slightly responsible for causing him to be separated from his own kind. I looked over at him and watched his body rise and fall with his steady breathing.

  Well, he did say it was his choice.

  I jolted out of my bed, feeling restless and decided to get up. I undressed from my night clothes and put on a blouse and skirt, and then I quietly crept past Sable’s sleeping figure, and entered the kitchen, preparing the fire to warm the tea kettle and start breakfast. I sighed heavily, wondering how in the world I was going to live a life with Sable, especially now that I was all he had.

  He was banished from his life for me—was I really worth it? What did I even have to offer besides my love and affection? We were sleeping in my room of my parent’s house, but for how long would that last for? What kind of life could a Teragane have in the city of Tamarines? I already struggled finding my place—where does he fit in?

  “You’re up early,” my father said from behind as I was stirring the porridge. “That’s good. It’s about time you return to your routine.”

  “Good morning,” I said. He grunted, then went to the storage room to retrieve a packed lunch my mother had already prepared. I simply stared at the fire, avoiding further contact.

  “It’s time you get back to your life,” my father said, standing next to me after he retrieved his items. “Sable must return where he has come from, and you must return to your life. I allowed him to stay during your recovery, but you are obviously well enough to work again, and he must leave.”

  “I’m not going back to the mine, if that is what you mean,” I said while avoiding his eyes, and I maneuvered the pot of finished porridge away from the open flames. “And Sable is staying with me from now on.” He grunted with disdain, but I held my voice firm.

  “You do not have a choice. That is where you belong, where you have worked hard. Taffy is still offering a position. As for that boy—you cannot think for a moment I would allow him to stay here long-term.”

  “I do have a choice. It may look unconventional, but that doesn’t matter to me. Not now, especially after what has happened. Even under Taffy’s position, my life will still be meaningless in light of the greed the ores produce.” I looked over at my father, and raised my chin. “As for Sable, he—he doesn’t have anywhere else to go. But, I will help him find a place, but you can show him a little kindness until we—he—can find a secure home.”

  “He’s a Teragane—don’t lie about him not having a place to live.”

  “But it’s true. They banished him since he saved us in the mines!” My voice echoed in the room as my father tapped his side while looking away. “Please—because of his interaction with us—us Tamarines, his people banished him and he cannot go back. So, please, father. Let him stay with me until I can find a place for him to live. He works hard, does whatever mother tells him, and we will find a way to provide for our family. Please. He—he means so much to me and I owe him my life.”

  “You met him a long time ago, didn’t you?” I lowered my head, and grabbed my arm, but nodded as tears formed within my eyes. “If I was a cruel man, I would have already called the Keepers.”

  “Father.” I jerked my head up, but he grunted while raising a hand.

  “If he is to stay in the city, he needs to find a job. You both do. And, have him stay somewhere else. It’s indecent for him sleeping in your room.”

  “Oh father!” I lunged forward while wrapping my arms around him, and he grunted softly as he patted the back of my head. “Thank you.” He pushed me away, stating that he needed to leave for work, and said he that would be happy to inform Taffy that I was returning soon, causing my heart to sink once again.

  “I’ll find something else. I’m never going back,” I said firmly, which made him turn sour again.

  “Then Sable needs to leave by tonight,” he said, then stomped out of the kitchen.

  Or what?

  As if the reality of my disposition wasn’t enough, the thought of turning Sable out of the house while he had nowhere else to go caused my heart to ache. How could I do that?

  I returned to my room with a bowl of porridge, finding Sable still fast asleep on the floor, and I sat on my bed while quietly eating my breakfast only on accounts of evading further nausea as my stomach lurched with agony about my situation. While my sweet Teragane slumbered on the floor, unaware of my father’s lingering cruelty, I thought extensively about Sable’s original intentions of encouraging me to abandon my life in Cedrus City and live in the trees.

  Naturally, I thought that he was crazy to suggest such a concept. However, as I thought about the taxes, status of class, and life being dependent on a secure wage, I wondered if living free in the meadow, dependent only on what food I could forage and what fish Sable could catch, would be enough to live happily. Then again, where would we sleep? What about the winters? What about my friends? Could I abandon it all and turn to living a primitive life with the banished Teragane?

  Sable moved, breathing in heavily as his eyes flickered open. He slowly moved upward, stretching his back as he extended his wings in a cat-like stretch. He then moved onto his knees, and bobbed his head lazily, stretching his neck. As his eyes caught glimpse of my woken stature, he slowly grinned.

  “Good morning,” he said with a deep, growling voice.

  “Hey you. Sleep well?” I replied.

  “Of course.”

  “Are you hungry? There’s porridge.”

  “Not yet.” He stretched his arms upward, and his wings vibrated as they rustled back to a folding position. I could not imagine sleeping on the floor for so many weeks, but he never complained. If we lived in the meadow, we would be without bed—without proper furniture. Maybe he could live primitively, but could I?

  “Be right back,” he said, then left my room, assumingely to use the chamber pot.

  What about clothes? What about medicine if we get sick? What if the Teragane Sage found us and—

  I plopped onto my side and slammed my fist against the cushion, wishing life could be easy just for once. What if something were to happen to us and we had to crawl back and beg for my parent’s kindness? Would my father then, once again, attempt to manipulate me into the mines? He was already using Sable’s existence as leverage. To what extent would he go to remove Sable from our house?

  I hardly could imagine him bringing the Keepers into his predicament, knowing how much of a mess those men create. Then again…

  Sable entered my room with a bowl heaping of porridge, and happily sat on the edge of the bed and began eating quickly.

  “I had a dream,” he said in between bites, and I turned onto my side while eyeing his movements, realizing he hadn’t given me a kiss that morning—oh, what my parents would think if they knew we were already advancing in our relationship.

  No wonder they want him out.

  “Yeah? About?” I asked.

  “I was forced to live on the mountain. You were forced to return to the mine.”

  “Sounds more like a nightmare—like the reality in which we are currently facing.”

  “Yes. It wasn’t pleasant. But, in the end, we both broke free from those things, and came together to live on a lake.”

  “A lake?”

  “Yeah. It was strange. But, sometimes dreams can be that way, right?”

  “I guess.” I stared up at the wooden ceiling and Sable scarfed up the remainder of his breakfast, then placed the bowl onto the ground. He then lay next to me rather stiffly, allowing his wings to hang over the edge, and placed his hand on my stomach as he attempted to cuddle. I turned with my back to him, allowing him to scoot closer and cradle me, and he nudged his lips behind my ear.

  “It was only a dream,” he whispered, possibly more to himself than to me.

  “I know,” I replied. “Even so, my father reminded me of my position in the mine.”

  “In which you replied?”

  “I’m never going back.”

  “In which he said?”

  “Sable needs to find a job and find another place to live.” His hand upon my stomach flinched, and then he tapped his fingers as he deeply sighed. I slowly turned my head, and he shifted his head in order to look into my eyes.

  “Okay.” I narrowed my eyes, and opened my mouth to retort, but he continued in a low voice. “I don’t understand how things work here, but I’m willing to learn. However—do I really need to find somewhere else to live?”

  “I think we can try to bide more time. Maybe you can try smoking with my father. He might be more keen to get to know you if you smoke with him.”

  “I can do that.”

  “As for a job, I’m still trying to figure something out. But, I’m sure we will find something.” Sable moved his face down, kissing my lips, but then rested his head next to mine again as he nudged closer to me with his whole body.

  “We will figure it out together. Just tell me what you need or what else I can do. I’m strong—maybe there’s a job that needs my strength?” I scoffed, knowing exactly what my father would suggest, and I pressed the palm of my hand against my forehead. I then looked up at the ceiling again, suddenly realizing the cobwebs were gone, and all the hanging plants collecting dust had been arranged in order of its kind. My room was cleaner than usual now that Sable had spent his idle time cleaning up after me, and I felt utterly helpless how little I had to offer to him as he swept himself into my life without a second thought of what changes would happen to him in the world of Tamarines.

  “I can always be a fishmonger—for real, this time,” he said, and I blinked rapidly, wondering if selling fish would be sustainable for us.

  “Well—we could sell fish at the market—maybe other plants from the forest,” I said, and Sable nudged his head behind mine. I began to wiggle from my crowded laying position as thoughts went swirling through my head, and Sable gently moved aside, but then suddenly fell over the edge with a loud thud, causing his wings to extend out, and the bowls of porridge knocked over.

  “Maybe your bed is too small,” Sable said while sitting up and grinning, and I spun onto my stomach and kicked my feet up behind me while resting my chin under the palm of my hand.

  “Yup. But, hey, maybe we can make this work after all,” I said, thinking about what it meant to run a market stall. “If we sell fish, we might be able to make a steady income because it’s rare in Cedrus City. And, if you can catch fresh fish everyday, people might actually keep coming to us.”

  “And then we can make money to buy a house?” Sable’s innocent smile caused me to giggle, but suddenly the concept of all that implied of dealing with money, taxes, housing caused my smile to fade. He shifted onto his knees on the floor, and lay his arms against the edge of the bed, moving his face close to mine.

  “Then we can also buy a bed big enough for both of us,” he said with a grin while nudging my cheek with his nose.

  “Oh, Sable,” I muttered while turning my face away. “If only it were that simple. Actually—what do Teraganes sleep on?”

  “A stone bed with animal pelts.”

  “What?” I twisted my neck and Sable pecked my lips, and I stretched my neck away. “No wonder you don’t mind sleeping on the ground.”

  “Well—where else would I sleep?”

  “So—you’d rather sleep on a cushion?”

  “I’d rather sleep next to you. So, let’s start selling fish so we can buy that house and bed.”

  Oh Sable.