The Land Below our Feet III (Legacy)

REMINDER

Ishtun sat up in bed and carefully slid his legs out of it while stealing a furtive glance towards the two silhouettes resting by him. A muffled curse slipping out of him when he placed a single foot on the hardwood floor, and it creaked.

Wincing, he turned to his side and held his breath, waiting for a few seconds until the slight rustling of blankets that he had just triggered eventually ceased before standing up and blindly feeling his way around the room until he reached the adjacent boudoir, and began dressing up in silence.

-Where the hell do you think you are going now? – Ajora´s hushed voice startled him from behind, and he turned to find her standing there with her hands on her hips.

-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up – He excused himself as he continued buttoning the collar of his emerald shirt – It’s just that Ussi requested a meeting, and I’m running late.

-At this time of the night? – The woman complained – That man has no sense of decency… You’ve barely even slept at all!

-I was told it’s an extremely urgent matter – The olive-skinned man sighed with a hint of concern, taking her cold hands into his and rubbing them fondly – Go back to bed, please… I promise I won’t be too long.

-Fine – She yawned, turning around and tiptoeing her way towards the center of the room where the large bed sat – Just keep it quiet, or you’ll wake him up and I’ll kill you! You know that.

Ishtun´s eyes followed her as she tiredly crawled into bed again. His sight landing on the small bundle lying in the middle, and a smile creeping across his face.

“Marry me”- He had asked her the very same day they had returned to Mavaer right after the war.

“Why?” – Ajora had mumbled, staring at him with a perplexed expression – “I don’t think that sleeping with the King and fighting in his war suffice as desirable qualifications for a royal wife… I am sure there are plenty more suitable options for you to choose from all around”.

“Are you kidding me? Those are the only requirements I could possibly have” – He’d responded, kneeling before her with a confident smirk – “And I don’t care about others, I already know who I want.”

“No” – She had simply replied, leaving him kneeling right then and there – “I will not marry a man I haven’t even dated”.

“So let’s date then!” – He had hurried to say. Recovering from his initial surprise and catching up with her.

And so, they dated.

She wouldn’t make it easy for him at all. Between his royal occupations and her constant merchant trips, they would hardly see each other for the first few months.

There had been a couple of times when he had felt tempted to just buy all her father’s produce himself and get over with the inconvenience. But he knew how important her independence was to her and he didn’t want her to feel trapped or in debt… Also, he didn’t want to act like a total condescending prick.

So, he’d given her the space that she clearly needed, and simply made sure to be there for her instead.

In the end, his patience had paid off, and she had slowly found her way towards him on her own.

In the meantime, he had been proudly watching her blossom, and that alone was enough to bring him immense joy.

The night that she had casually informed him over dinner that she could finally afford to hire some help and that she was delegating most of her heaviest chores had been one of the happiest ones of his life.

Not only because that would mean that they could see each other more frequently at last, but also because he was genuinely impressed with how fast she had managed to accomplish that kind of growth.

It would take him almost another year to finally gather enough courage to pop the question again.

“I thought you would never ask” – She’d simply responded. Playfully patting his shoulder after witnessing him spend five entire minutes nervously babbling about how much he would like her to be his life companion but how he would never try to cut her wings or force her into doing anything she didn’t want.

And that had been that… With those six words, Ajora had made him the happiest man alive.

That day they had kissed, they’d made love… And then they’d married quite fast. With only a handful of guests and a modest celebration that had inevitably made some eyebrows frown.

Thirteen years had passed since that gleeful moment, and Ishtun knew perfectly well that some had been hard.

They had spent the first three years of their marriage suspended in oblivious bliss, simply enjoying each other’s company when they could, and completely absorbed by their own personal projects.

But then, right in the middle of their fourth year as spouses, Ajora´s father died… And everything had gone to crap since then.

He had been ill for a long, long time… But that hadn’t made it any less painful. Not in the very least.

Ishtun could almost hear Ajora´s heart shattering into a million pieces the moment the old man had exhaled the last of his agonizing breaths.

She had closed herself off, the way that he had been fearing she would do. So, once more, he’d taken a step back and stood on her periphery, patiently waiting until she was ready to reach out.

Three weeks after burying her father’s remains, she had unexpectedly entered their chamber wearing nothing but a translucent robe.

Without a warning, she’d jumped over him, barely giving him any time to react, and she hadn’t stopped until she’d left him dry.

“I think it is time we had a child” – She had casually announced that evening as she lazily rested on his chest, drawing tingly circles down his tanned skin.

And so, they had started trying… A lot!

Yet, Ishtun´s initial excitement had soon turned into a growing concern as time started passing and nothing would happen… Not because he craved to be a father that much, but because he noticed how anxious it made his wife, and how the stacking months of incertitude were slowly beginning to take their ruthless toll on her.

The hopeful thoughts that he had sheltered at first had started gradually vanishing with every uneventful cycle while he realized with crescent panic that the whole situation was not helping her healing process one bit. Instead, it was having the exact opposite effect.

Seeing the disillusion embedded in her sad eyes every time she bled again had been truly heartbreaking. Ishtun remembered thinking that it was the most unbearable thing back then, but little did he know that the worst was yet to come.

Because as excruciating as having zero results had been, nothing would compare to the harrowing sensation of getting one at last, only for it to be taken away from them after just a few weeks.

“We can try again” – He had murmured sheepishly once her laments had turned into a faint weep. And he would almost wish that he hadn’t throughout the following years.

Four miscarriages and a stillborn child later, the woman he loved had practically turned into a lifeless husk, and he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Just let me leave” – She had told him one day in a dispassionate voice as they sat together on the terrace, watching the sun set over the hills.

“Is that what you really want?” – He had finally replied after a long silent while, feeling his heart throb inside his dry mouth – “Where would you go?”

“I don’t know” – Ajora had shrugged off with indifference, taking his hand into hers – “Don’t worry about that, it is irrelevant. What matters here is that you need an heir, and I am incapable of giving you one”.

“I don’t need a goddamn heir! All I need is to have my wife back!” – He had cried out, squeezing her palm with frustration, but still letting out a relieved exhale when he confirmed that at least she hadn’t stopped loving him.

“And what happens if you die? – She had worriedly asked him – “Who will take your place if you don’t have one?”

“That’s easy”- He’d confidently replied, pecking her forehead and winking playfully at her – “You will… I trust you with my life and I trust you with my death. It’s as simple as that”.

“And what if I’m dead too, mister simplistic?” – Ajora had slightly chuckled, patting his chest and nodding pointedly at him with renewed purpose – “What happens then? Have you thought about that?”

“Then the council will take over” – Ishtun had calmly stated – “And they will eventually appoint someone… It won’t be the first time it happens, nor will it be the last.

He paused, gently grabbing her by the shoulders and looking intently into her eyes.

“I married you because I love you, Ajora, not because I wanted to keep my lineage alive. If it dies with me, then so be it… Now, can we please stop talking about death and resume living our lives?”.

And somehow, they had... After all the sorrow and heartache, they had managed to survive.

Not only that, but she had also resurged with reinvigorated strengths. Inspired by Teranha´s chatter, she began pouring her efforts and channeling all her attention into this new project of hers: training an all-women Mavaerian taskforce. Which had turned out to be a brilliant addition to their army… One that she was undeniably very proud of.

Then one day, just when he thought they had finally left it all behind, it had happened. And he had been absolutely terrified.

He’d spent the first few months holding his breath and bracing himself for the worst. But time had flown by without any incidents, and just as he had relaxed enough to enjoy the growing stages of that adorable bump, his son Imohen had been born.

They’d named him after his late father, and then they had swiftly been sucked into a void of chaotic days and sleepless nights.

So many years had been spent worrying about getting pregnant and staying that way, that they never even stopped to consider what parenting really entailed…

And it was brutal! So, much that it almost ended up tearing their marriage apart.

But ten months later, they had miraculously stayed alive, and now they were finally beginning to see the light.

With a distracted smile, Ishtun grabbed his hatchet and headed to the door, glancing towards the sleeping bundles once more.

They were the living reminder of everything that was worth fighting for in his land, and if Ussi had summoned them all again after all this time, that could only mean one thing... They would have to fight.