Prelude to Retribution

Chapter Ten: A Step Upward

Planet: Renda Noth

Location: Royal Palace Rooftop Gardens

Time: Two hours after sunset

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"Come on, Tyaal, I have to head home in the morning," Taleinia said, taking his hand in hers while walking beside him underneath the night sky. "I don't want to waste any time I have left with you."

Veriss looked up at her and smiled. "I feel the same."

Her statuesque figure bathed in the backdrop of a star-filled sky with four of the Paragonis moons shining down gave her the appearance of an angel in the night. To him, she was precisely that: a glorious soul that he was fortunate to have in his life.

Fate brought us together, he silently told himself while admiring her beauty. Hopefully, it will keep us together forever.

"It would be nice," he muttered while remaining lost in his thoughts.

"What would be nice?" Taleinia asked, the slightest hint of a grin on her angelic face. "Tell me, Tyaal."

He reached up and ran his fingers through her long, dark hair. "Just thinking out loud about the future."

"Our future, I hope," she replied, caressing his face. "Such a sweet thought. Isn't it?"

He pulled her close to him. "It is, indeed."

Beneath the celestial jewels shining in the sky, their faces came together. Their emotions swirled between them like a raging river. The universe suddenly disappeared in their embrace as the flood of passion carried them into a dimension where only they existed. Veriss could lose himself in this idyllic paradise forever.

Embraced in her arms in this astonishing realm, nothing could harm him. And for the first time he could remember in his war-torn life, he felt a blanketing sense of serenity when immersed in her unwavering love.

"Tyaal, you know one day we will get to share our story with others," Taleinia whispered while touching the tip of his nose with hers. "What will you tell them about the beginning of our relationship?"

He gave her a quick kiss and smiled. "It will be hard for me to talk about that."

She playfully ran her finger down his face. "The crash? I understand how you feel."

"No, baby," he replied before pressing his lips against hers for a few seconds. "It will be hard to talk about the beginning, especially since I slept through the first month."

Taleinia laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "You are always finding a way to make me laugh, you clown."

He stared into her eyes. "Not bad for a fighter jock, huh?"

"Not bad...," she whispered before engaging in a kiss with him. "...at all."

A giggle erupted from hedges in the rear of the garden. Taleinia and Tyaal turned and smiled in the direction of the laughter. Tyaal pointed to the hedge.

"What's going on over there?" he whispered.

Taleinia rolled her eyes. "It's my sister and her boyfriend, Kyden."

Veriss motioned towards the hedge. "Let's have a little fun with them."

Another burst of giggles echoed across the gardens. Tyaal and Taleinia crept closer to the hedge.

"Woah, Kyden, getting a little rough there, aren't you?" Miriam Marisala's voice said.

"Hey darling, you wanted to go into the bushes, didn't you?" Kyden Jensen responded in a sensual voice. "Come on, don't waste the opportunity."