Four Colonies: Fall Of Saranina

12

Lian POV

"Ashanti, we don't have to go through with this. I can wait. Halo and I know how important it is for you to be with your father right now." I said. "No. No. Life is too short. Gross, I know but it's true and I wouldn't want to wait a single second to be with the person I love and I wouldn't want that for anyone else. Not even Tana."

"Don't make me cry." I sniffled. "So, let's get you married so the Yarashi men's club can say goodbye to their brother properly." Ashanti said. "You ready?" Joanna walked in and asked. "Yeah." I breathed.

I walked down the isle with my father by my side. I saw Halo shed a tear. I wiped it away when I reached him.

I look out at the crowd. At Joanna with the Esterians and at Ashanti with the Yarashi. At Istaria and my father. Then I look at Halo and smile.

Joanna POV

After the wedding, I saw Ashanti trying to sneak out. "Where are you going?" I stopped her. "Don't ask me that." She said. "You couldn't wait for them to cut the cake before committing the murder of hundreds of men?"

"Men who put a knife in my father. Men who abused Tyrell." She stated. "Two men who you have more than avenged." I told her. "You're right. I can wait until I get a slice of cake."

I watch her walk back to Halo and congratulate him with a smile on her face. I fix my jaw and go back the Esterians.

When Lian gets a moment alone I pull her aside. "This wedding is perfect. I'm almost jealous of yours, who knew Ashanti could pull all this together in such a short amount of time." Lian says. "You'd be surprised of what she can do in such a short amount of time."

"Was that a sex joke?" Lian asked. "What, no. Forget it. Listen, something is wrong with Ashanti."

"Yeah, there's an knife in Jarrul's stomach and she's forcing her mother to eat." Lian reminds me. "She is going to wipe Saranina off the map."

"Good. Why are you so against that?" Lian asked. "How are you okay with that?" I replied. "It's not Isteria and I didn't put a knife in her father. If you ask me Saranina wanted to be destroyed." Then she walked away from me to join her husband.

Tana POV

Alright time to negotiate with a murderous female warrior. She should be here any second and I have the men responsible kneeling with bags over their heads at the gate.

Hopefully, she'll accept this instead of murdering every man in Saranina. We waited for hours at the gate. I would've left but if she showed up and we weren't there my plan would've failed.

She didn't show up that night or the next morning. She didn't show up that whole week. I rode to Yarashi on my horse while the rogue Saraninans trailed behind.

We were brought to the center of the colony.

Ashanti POV

"You drugged me?!" I yelled at Joanna. "You gave me no choice." She snapped back. "I'm late. I have to go but we'll talk about this when I get back."

"You're not going anywhere." She grabbed me. "Get your hands off of me." I snatched my arm away from her. "You need to listen to me, you chose violence." She said and something in me popped. I held her throat and pushed her against the wall. "This is my peace."

"This is?" She breathed and I let her go realizing what I had done. She coughed. "What would your father think?" She asked. "Would he say this was peace?" She asked. "You look at him and you tell me what I did wasn't peaceful."

"Rest, Ashanti. Just for a little bit and I promise you that everything will be fine. I promise. I'm only asking for a few days." Joanna begged. "I can't." I felt the cry in my throat and the tears welling up in my eyes. "You can. Just be with me for a few days."

I nodded. "Yes?" Joanna questioned. "Okay." I agreed and she hugged me. I fell apart in her arms. "I'm so tired." I cried. "I got you."

The first three nights I woke up from nightmares. I watched my father and I held his hand hoping that he'd squeeze back and when I was done crying, I'd walk to Tyrell's house and we'd talk.

They tortured him. Starved him and beat him. Joanna says I chose violence but my father would disagree. Tyrell would disagree.

The forth night, Joanna stayed up with me. I remember feeling guilty because she made me smile. Not a laugh, a smile. Something so simple and I felt like I deserved die for doing it. "Do I make you happy?" She asked. "Very happy, yes." I answered. "It's okay to be happy. I love that I make happy. Your smile warms my heart."

"Do you think Tyrell gets happy?" I ask her. "He gets to see you every night, I'm sure that makes him happy." She said. "Do you want to meet him?"

"Yes." Together we walk to Tyrell's house.

Joanna POV

Watching Ashanti with Tyrell was different. Not a bad different. It was like watching a mother care for a child. Ashanti treated each Yarashi like their own independent person but, she treated them like her blood. It's neat getting to see that side of her. A kind of vulnerable outsiders like myself don't get the privilege of.

No matter how tired she is, she's there for them. They are a part of her. I understand why she's going to great lengths to protect them. She feels like she failed them and now she's working to rebuild their trust in her.

She's being so hard on herself. The Yarashi have forgiven her. The only person she's trying to win over is herself and I hate to see it.