Shedding The Armour | A Kanej Fanfiction

chapter six - captivated

Hearing quiet footsteps outside, Inej listened carefully. The repetitive yet, almost silent thump thumps were familiar to her; she knew them as well as her own heartbeat, as well as the back of her hand.

Inej's voice softly lilted in question, wondering if he was truly outside and if so, thankful that he had finally arrived, "Kaz?" The worry that had been biting at her was now slowly subsiding. She settled between them on the sofa once again.

Her parents didn't hear her quiet almost inaudible question and she didn't tell them that he was outside either.

Inej didn't push him to come inside. She knew that he would come inside in his own time. However her parents had spent the past week telling her of their travels, however dampened the effect of seeing new places without their daughter was.

Interrupting the swirl of her inner thoughts, her mother said, "Meja. We saw the inside of King Nikolai's palace." Her mother breathed out in awe, remembering the lavishness and opulence of it.

"It was so beautiful. Everywhere the king had added his stylish flair: from the long, draping, gold curtains to the intricately designed tiles on the floor; we were astounded by it."

Looking mischievously at his daughter, her father added, "Very true. There were also many portraits of the King himself and his family, adorned by gold frames."

Catching on, her mother grinned, "Oh yes, his portraits were so handsome." Gently nudging her daughter, she teased her,"What do you think meja?"

A rosy blossom bloomed across her cheeks, she had always found King Nikolai beautiful whenever she had seen him briefly during her travels but it had always been an attraction to his outer beauty, his external glow. However, she only had one place in her heart for men and unfortunately for others, Kaz had fully occupied it. Also, she didn't think she could handle King Nikolai's so-called sarcastic yet charming attitude, she had enough of that in the Barrel, Jesper's attitude was one too many in a lifetime, however much she loved him.

"Inej. Inej. Inej." Her mother's voice grew louder and louder as she waved a hand in front of her face, disrupting her flow of inner thoughts. "So you do find the King handsome then."

Inej stayed quiet. Maybe they wouldn't figure it out. Maybe? Hopefully? Her mother had a way of sniffing out the truth from her child like all Suli mothers. And true to the fact, her mother narrowed her eyes. "There is someone else, isn't there? Hmmmm... What do you think Anoush? Do you think our young zheji has found a night to her day, a star to her moon, a piece to complete her puzzle?"

"Of course, Kiara. Just look at our daughter, she looks completely captivated by her thoughts. She was never like this when she was younger. Someone seems to have captured her heart entirely."

Giving a tight-lipped smile, Inej simply looked down and clasped her hands tightly. However close and dear her parents were to her, she wasn't comfortable yet, telling them about Kaz, how she felt about him, if she was even sure of what emotions arose when she thought about him.

"But of course, meri chaand, if you need some more time before you can tell us, that's absolutely fine. Your comfort in telling us matters most. If you don't feel comfortable in telling us, then "

As ever, both her mother and her father understood that she needed some time before she could tell them exactly how she felt and about whom. It would take a while, but she'd get there and she'd introduce him to them properly.

The emotions that threatened to arise at the prospect of Kaz meeting her parents as her, what boyfriend, that sounded preposterous and childish to her. As her friend didn't really capture the intensity of her feelings, how she knew that she could always metaphorically lean on his shoulder for support, how he had and always would be a safe haven from the hazards in the Barrel, how his overprotectiveness came into play whenever he felt she was in danger, physically or emotionally with the tide of emotions engulfing her into a never ending despair. She knew he would always be there for her and she knew that he knew he could always rely on her for support and advice as he had done many times in the past. The only way she could describe his place in her life was to say that he was her family, her home. His problems were hers and hers were his. They shared joys and sorrows with each other. That missing part of her went away when she was with him. And although it sounded ridiculous to others, in a way, somehow, it almost felt like Wylan had become their child, hers and Kaz's. Along the way, they had both emotionally adopted him, ensuring that he was safe at all times as it felt like their responsibility to do so.