ReEmergent -Guardians of Vesturon [4] (27 page)

It was a sad one, how his mother died and left him to be raised by his father, who had quickly abandoned him. Jurek was then used by all of his relatives, since he was the true king. They did all sorts of terrible things to him from kidnapping and hiding him, to using him and telling him lies. Finally, he ended up in the custody of his aunt, his mother’s sister, who was the only one who ever showed him any love. Unfortunately, he was only a very young man when she died. Most considered Jurek to be harsh and unbending. The truth was, he simply didn’t let anyone break through the barriers he had erected. It was too dangerous for him and he didn’t dare allow himself any chance of ever being hurt again. He’d suffered way too much at too early of an age, which had left him battered and scarred.

Xarrid had guessed some of his story, though he never mentioned it. He knew Jurek must’ve had a difficult time at one point in his life. The signs were everywhere. But the two of them, after their initial distrust, had become very close. Xarrid was the brother Jurek never had.

After they’d walked for about ten minutes, they reached a clearing to find some stone benches next to a small stream.

“
Deep inside, you must be a hopeless romantic,” Xarrid joked.

Jurek’s head swung around to him, Xarrid could barely follow it. “Why do you say that?” he asked, his eyes turning black.

“
I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that...well, hell, look at this place. It looks like a setting for one of those romance novels.”

Jurek’s eyes narrowed and then he smirked at Xarrid. “Yeah, and now that you know it’s here, I imagine you and Saylan won’t waste any time visiting this place. By the way, how are things in that department?”

“
Bloody hell! I can’t believe you just asked me that!”

“
Well, since you Vesturions are so damn green, I was wondering if you might be needing a few, um, pointers?”

For the first time since Jurek had known him, he had the pleasure of witnessing Xarrid’s face explode into scarlet flames. He reached out his hand and touched his cheek.

“
Well, thank the gods for that.”

Xarrid jumped back and yelled, “What the hell are you doing?”

“
Just double checking to make sure you aren’t in a total meltdown here.”

Xarrid was so thunderstruck he couldn’t speak. Jurek, loving every minute of it, started laughing his butt off. “That’s what you get for trying to poke fun at me. Always remember, I’ll get you back twice as bad.”

“
Did you mean all that?”

“
All what?”

“
You know? The comment about the pointers.”

That brought another round of laugher. “Hell no.” Then Jurek noticed Xarrid staring at him, his face stone still and dead serious.

“
What is it? Do you
need
advice?”

“
She’s insatiable,” he blurted out.

Now it was Jurek’s turn to stare. “Just what exactly do you mean?”

“
We could literally do it all the time and I don’t think it would be enough.”

“
It’s her brain, trying to create new memories of the two of you. At least that’s my guess. Do you not like it?”

Xarrid closed his eyes and clenched his fists. “I love it more than anything. But it worries me that it’s not normal.”

“
Does she like it?”

“
I think so. She says so.”

“
Does she...do you make her...”

“
Bloody hell! Yes, I do! I can’t believe you asked me that, damn it! We’re friends and all but...”

“
Hold your horses man. I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just trying to assess if there was something wrong with what went on between the two of you.” Jurek thought Xarrid resembled one of those marble statues that were everywhere in the palace on Vesturon. His body was so rigid and tense; Jurek knew if he fell, he would shatter into a million pieces.

“
Well, there isn’t, unless you call wanting it constantly, something wrong.”

“
You’re the envy of many men.”

Xarrid shot him a look of confusion.

Jurek smirked and asked, “You really don’t know, do you?”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Let me put it to you this way.
You have an amazing woman who is crazy about you and wants to show you her love in the most special way she knows
. There are many people that will never see that in their lives. Xarrid, for what it’s worth, enjoy the hell out of it and do the same for her.”

“
I suppose you’re right. Enough of this. Are you going to tell me why you brought me out here?”

Jurek let Xarrid know he should stay here for a while. Saylan needed to be away from all things that would remind her of any unpleasant memories. He thought it best for her mind to be in a place of peace and harmony and the sanctuary had all what she might need. What he didn’t tell Xarrid is he would assign a guard to watch over her, even in their most private moments. Saylan would never be left alone. He had two trusted female servants that would see to her well being. They would call to him if they suspected anything was amiss.

“
You shall have anything and everything you could possibly want here. If you think she needs to see Julian, I would be more than happy to bring him here so he could examine her.”

“
Do you think that’s necessary?”

“
No, because I did a scan of her myself and I truly think she will be fine. But I can arrange it if it’ll put your mind at ease. Just say the word. The main thing is that she gets rest every day. I can come to help with that every afternoon or early evening, whichever you prefer.”

“
How long before she’ll be ready to leave?”

“
I’d say several weeks.”

Xarrid nodded. “Are you ever going to tell me where this place is?”

“
No.”

“
Never?”

“
Never.”

Rowan was scolding Rayn and Rykerian for acting like such fools. He was sorely tired of all the bickering between them. Yes, Rayn had some valid points, as did Rykerian. But had they faced what Xarrid had, Rowan would’ve been curious to see how they would’ve reacted. He chuckled to himself, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

Rayn asked disdainfully, “May I ask what you find so humorous, Father?”

“
You may. I am simply curious to know something. Actually, I want you both to answer this for me. Had it been Maddie or January that had been treated so inhumanely by the Xanthians, how would you two have reacted? And do me a favor, think very hard about your answer before speaking.”

The two large men were squirming in their chairs in less than a minute. Rykerian, for his part, had gotten quite red-faced. Rayn’s face had a beautiful sheen on it, caused by the sweat that had started seeping out of his pores.

“
Just as I thought. Your reactions alone are worth more than a thousand words. And yet you are so quick to condemn your brother’s actions. Makes one wonder, doesn’t it?”

“
That doesn’t excuse the way he underhandedly set it all up!” Rayn argued defiantly.

“
That’s right!” Rykerian joined in.

Rowan’s emerald green eyes turned to ice as his eyes bored into those of his sons’. To each of their credits, they unflinchingly stared back, rigid and unyielding.

“
Your ineptitude and unwillingness to see the truth, as it is, blatantly laid out before you, is disheartening to me,” Rowan said, directing his comment to Rayn. As the oldest, he was the one who had the most responsibility. “Somewhere along the way, I have failed to teach you the most important lesson of all and that is to
see
what is before you. You are only seeing what you
want
to see.”

Rayn stared back at his father with a troubled and confused look on his face.

“
Rykerian, explain it to him.”

“
Father, I don’t know what...”

“
You bloody fool. Tell him what you felt when January had been taken from you. Tell him how helpless you felt. Tell him!”

Rykerian did. Every word that fell from his lips came from his soul and they were dripping in anguish about the time January had been taken by Jurek. Of course, Jurek would never have hurt her, but Rykerian didn’t know it at the time. When he was finished, his fingers were wrapped so tightly around the arms of the chair, one of them snapped off in his hand. Squeezing his eyes shut, he shuddered with the memory of that time a few years back, when he thought he had lost her forever.

“
You thought you’d lost Maddie once,” Rowan began in a low voice, “but you didn’t. She was safe, unharmed and not being brutally raped by a bunch of damn Xanthians every day. She didn’t have a piece of machinery in her brain, taking it over, rendering her incapable of her free will. Think about that now Rayn and what your brother went through. Put your petty arrogance aside.”

“
It’s not arrogance!” Rayn objected.

“
Yes, it is,” Rowan grated. “It’s arrogance for what you think should be and not what things are,” he slammed his hands down on the table. “Sharra is right. The dissension in this family has gone on long enough and I won’t stand for it any longer. She will marry Zander in the manner in which they choose. Xarrid and Saylan can come and go as they please and I don’t give a damn who knows how many Xanthians were slaughtered. In my opinion, the only mistake we made was not slaughtering them all. Now get out of here and act like the sons I thought I had raised and not some whiny faced pains in the asses.”

********

An hour later, Sharra and Zander were informed by her parents that they could be married whenever they chose, if it suited Zander’s family.

The young couple looked at each other and Sharra giggled. They decided to have the private ceremony, as they discussed, the next night.

“
What about Xarrid and Saylan?” Zander asked.

“
Let’s check with Jurek and see what he thinks.”

Later that day, when Jurek returned, they told him about their plans and he groaned. It wasn’t so much that he was against the marriage. In fact, it was the opposite. He wanted them to get married. But now he was back to being an errand boy. If they only knew the King of the Praestani was their gopher, they would all die.

“
I’ll go to the sanctuary and see if they want to be here. Are you okay if they don’t come? You realize that Saylan is having difficulties, right?”

“
Yes, and we both want what’s best for her.”

Jurek nodded and flashed out again.

“
It’s a good thing he has unlimited flashing capabilities.”

Zander laughed at her, wondering if she understood what flashing meant in other societies.

********

Xarrid was in the pool when Jurek arrived. It had always been his favorite place here...the pristine water, the tumbling waterfall and the sweet smelling flowers. When he heard that familiar popping sound, he glanced up and said, “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

“
I have news. Your sister is getting married tomorrow and wants to know if you can come. They understand if you can’t.”

Xarrid first grinned and then laughed. “I can’t believe it.”

“
What you really won’t believe is it was your father that put a stop to it all. Said he was tired of the discord in the family, or something like that.”

“
Is that a fact?”

“
From what I was told. Anyway, do you think Saylan would be up to it? You could come right back here.”

“
I’ll check. I need to see if she’s up yet. She’ll never sleep tonight.”

“
Yeah, she will. Remember, she hasn’t slept in days.”

Xarrid got out of the pond and dried off as they walked to the house. On the way, Jurek filled him in on everything that happened on Vesturon. By the time they reached the house, Saylan was searching for Xarrid. Finding him, she walked up to him and hugged him.

After seeing she was fine, they discussed the upcoming wedding and made plans to go the next evening. Saylan was a bit worried, but Jurek said he’d be there and if anything happened, he’d take care of things. That eased her mind somewhat and his little power session seemed to have helped already.

********

Both Zander’s and Sharra’s families were present for the private ceremony that took place on the back terrace of the palace. It had been jokingly deemed as the secret wedding site, as that’s where they all had gotten united. Sharra looked gorgeous, dressed in the traditional Vesturion white tunic, similar to what Saylan wore, with a few changes. Sharra’s was much more elaborate. Her tunic, had tiny beads sewn into the silky fabric and it sparkled as the light caught it. She wore the jewel encrusted belt that bore the Yarrister family crest and Zander knew there would never be another woman who could match her in beauty. He was the luckiest man that ever lived, that she had fallen in love with him.

For Sharra’s part, she wanted to dash straight into Zander’s arms, kiss the hell out of him and skip the after ceremony celebration that was planned. Unfortunately, she clung to her father’s arm as they walked down the path to Zander and Rowan handed Sharra off to her soon to be husband.

The minister soon pronounced them husband and wife. Before they kissed, Zander surprised Sharra by turning to her and telling her something in front of all those present. “Sharra, I had given up hope of ever finding my one true soul mate, but the day you tripped and fell into my life, was truly the day my life began.” Then he took her into his arms and kissed her as everyone clapped.