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 Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:13 pm
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Of all the things she had to deal with as Queen, this was by far the most unexpected. She hadn't even been alive when all of this had gone down and though she had been briefed on the situation, she wasn't sure how she felt about handling a petition to undo something that King Thoth had felt so necessary at the time.. worse still, it highlighted the things she had let slide since becoming Queen. Dwyllodrus and Chunyue had been allowed to stay, surely the least she could do was hear out Yareha Afaer as he tried to convince her he could be trusted in the pride once again.
Visibly pregnant and with a wary guard (who happened to be her father) standing nearby, she stood opposite the returned exile and the lioness he brought back with him, looking them over thoughtfully. They both looked like they belonged here.
"OK, you're here now," she said, "I've been told all about you, but I'm interested to hear your side of the story, Yareha Afaer." |
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:21 pm
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Yareha glanced to Kilua before he began. He'd already explained to her about the circumstances that had led to his exile when he'd mentioned the Mwezi as a potential new home in the wake of the Aka'mleli's disssolution. Still, it couldn't possibly be easy for her to hear this all again. Not to mention the things he'd left out the first time...
Latitare was up in a tree right now, not contributing to the conversation at all. The eagle was a friend, yes, but he couldn't be considered an impartial witness, so the white lion didn't want to make things even more confusing. Sure Latitare would speak for him, but Yareha didn't want to beg. He had his dignity.
"The short version is that I was young and stupid," Yareha told the young Queen. (Great Lion above, she was younger than his children! Young enough to be one of their children!) "The long version is that I had some relationships that were, frankly, more about sex than anything else, and became unreasonably jealous when Laelia started seeing someone else instead. I let my temper get the better of me."
A lot of those words had hurt, coming out of his mouth, but the lion was reasonably certain only being totally honest would help him here. He just hoped that everyone present would appreciate his candor.
Good thing neither Laelia nor Mazin were present. |
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:35 pm
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Kilua wasn't sure what to think. She hadn't thought the trek to the Mwezi'Johari was easy, and she had done her best to get herself prepared for this moment. The moment that she was here, though, all her fears nipped at her heels as she tried to calm her racing heart. Was this really the right choice? To stay with Yareha was obvious, but to return to a place that had cast him out? She didn't know how much of it was really true, or how opinions had changed over the years, but she only hoped that this would go smoothly with the new queen.
The green lioness tried to not stand too close to Yareha. She wanted to seem strong, independent, and capable of making her own choices and voicing those choices. But sweet sky above, she just wanted to lean on him to keep herself from falling over from nerves.
Her violet eyes studied the queen, this Kimondo. She was fairly young, and looking far too pregnant to be comfortable. Was this something so common here, in the Mwezi'Johari? Compared to her own destroyed pride, this place was...fertile.
No. No, she had to keep her mind on task, and not let her mind develop its own gossip for a place that wasn't even home (yet). |
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:43 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:48 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:06 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:18 pm
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Again, Yareha had a reasonable answer.. and despite all of the stories about him and the particularly venomous take her father had (despite being a cub at the time), he did seem like a rather genuine, mature lion. Kimondo was very much the optimistic type, she had gone into this knowing she wanted to give him a second chance. Interviews were formalities in all petitions to join, this one was just.. ah.. complicated.
Kilua's reaction to his answer was encouraging, too. So, smiling, the young queen looked to the lioness at Yareha's side.
"What is Yareha Afaer like with you, Kilua?" she asked. Opinion in the pride in general had died down to a neutral indifference, so much time had passed and so many things had happened since then.. only a few held onto the old grudge, but they tended to be the loudest. Having support would be important for Yareha, but also hearing from someone else that he was a good lion would help reassure Kimondo.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:22 pm
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 11:07 am
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Kilua nodded to the queen, keeping herself focused on the task and hand and not on the fact that Yareha was just a couple feet next to her.
"He made me wait a long time to return to me," she started quietly. "In my homeland, having a bird companion is as common as breathing. I wasn't having much luck getting one, and being related to the ruling family with no avian in sight was painful. He promised to find one for me. Sky above he made me wait, but he brought one to me." She smiled sweetly, remembering when she finally met Laenaera, who wisely kept herself out of this current situation until it was resolved.
"He is kindhearted, makes terrible jokes, and has helped me deal with a horrible transition in my life. He is the best thing that has happened to me, your highness."
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 12:21 pm
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Kimondo listened to Kilua speak, not showing the interest she actually had at the statement about the birds. She'd been informed of the relationship the pride had with some of the local birds and that Yareha's case had been one of the few times they'd been called upon for assistance. She wondered if that bird had stayed with him all this time, and what that meant about his character.
She also picked up on the fact that Kilua suggested she was royalty. It shouldn't have made a difference, but it did soften Kimondo's opinion that much more. It seemed she and Kilua had a fair bit in common, like they could have been friends if they weren't meeting quite like this. That was one enduring downside of being in charge, it was nearly impossible to make friends now.
"You know that even with my approval, this won't be easy," she said, turning back to Yareha, "I'm sure many have moved on, and compared to more recent events you'll seem tame, but those who still feel strongly about what you've done in the past won't be easily won over."
The former-guard lurking behind the queen, almost certainly glaring suspiciously at the whole meeting, for example. And Vesper only had any strong feelings because he was protective of his daughter, and the friend whose family could be forced to deal with something they had long put out of their minds. But Kimondo was confident even they would all have to admit things were different now.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:02 am
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"If there's anything I've learned since I was last here, it's that nothing is ever easy," Yareha told the young Queen fervently. He'd never even dreamed how complicated his life could be in those days when the biggest problem he'd had was concealing the fact that he had a lot of sex with lionesses other than Laelia. However, at the wise words of Facio, he'd put those days behind him and had long since resolved to never, ever, look at another lioness but Kilua.
The white lion wondered if he'd been blushing visibly at his mate's words. The fact that she thought so well of him was...humbling. Truly, he didn't deserve her but he would spend every day and night of his life trying to be worthy of her. And he couldn't imagine returning to his old home without her. If it wasn't for Kilua, he probably wouldn't have considered it, but this was the best place he knew of, outside what had been the Aka'mleli, to make a safe and secure home.
For her, he'd endure the looks, the stares, the words, the reactions, everything. Even his too-gossipy-for-her-own-good sister. What mattered was Kilua's happiness.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:35 am
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:16 pm
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It might mean another headache for her in the long run, she sincerely hoped that neither Laelia nor Mazin would come to shout at her for giving him another chance.. but even that concern was not necessarily based in reality. They were hardly a troublesome couple. But, faced with a physical threat or the reminder of one..
She would deal with that if it became a problem.
"Alright," Kimondo said, "I'm willing to give you another chance, Yareha Afaer. We'll let the Great Lion decide what happens next."
The Queen shifted her focus to Kilua, smiling kindly. Yareha's birth class wouldn't matter if these two were truly in love, how he was welcomed back home would be determined by his mate. Perhaps it was most fitting this way.
"Has he told you what is involved when outsiders join the pride?" she asked, "There is a chance that we will find the Great Lion is not watching over you. If that happens, the pride will take full responsibility for your safety and well-being, but you will become a slave. We are not as harsh here and some outside prides are, our slaves are not to be mistreated but they are encouraged to work hard to earn their keep and their share in the collective protection of the pride."
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:22 pm
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"Thank you, Queen Kimondo," the white lion said quietly, bowing his head. Against all odds, she was allowing him to return and remain, and he couldn't have asked for more.
Then, of course, she turned to Kimondo with a light explanation of some of the classes. Yareha himself had been born into the Lower-Middle class, but it was entirely possible that Kilua could wake up underneath the new moon, making them both slaves. The lion's lips twisted wryly at the thought. It would be fitting if the Great Lion sought to punish him for his past transgressions in this way. Unfair to Kilua, maybe, but Yareha promised himself that if that happened, he would be everything she could want in a mate.
Besides, Unyezi had been King before he'd been a Slave. If he could do it, so could Yareha.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:29 pm
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