Nohereka

Under the stars

☆•°° If the moon loves you, why worry about the stars? °°•☆

Makhosi had rarely been coming to bed ever since the council meeting, he spent most his days training the warriors and his nights sparing alone, in the forest. He had been on edge ever since he had heard of Zithaka, the man who still remained a mystery to me; I didn’t know who he was and Makhosi’s change in behaviour caused me to pick my words carefully, I didn’t want to be or the receiving side of his harsh words.

I was not sleeping alone today, enough was enough and I was putting my foot down. He was going to get out of his box of isolation and talk to me, these few days left could possibly his last and he wasn’t even spending them with me, his wife. My feet felt the coolness of the slab as I headed towards the forest, the dark night was illuminated by the dim moon; a reminder that there is a balance between the darkness and the light, how there is no light without darkness and no darkness without light, they need each other in order to exist.

“Makhosi,” I called for him as I stumbled in the darkness carefully trying to not to fall to the forest floor. “Where are you?” The darkness seemed to swallow my voice as I tried to call for him; the air was cool and felt refreshing against my bare skin. It seemed pointless trudging through the forest searching for a person who clearly didn’t want to be found, I was about to give up my search for him but that’s when I heard footsteps approaching me.

“Nohereka, why aren’t you in bed?” His baritone voice asked me, it was rough and strained but his tone was gentle as if he didn’t want to upset me.

“Because, you’re not there with me.” I sounded like a stubborn child, my words held something more than just the stubbornness of my voice; it was worry and fear. All the possibilities of this plan going wrong and the fear of losing the only man I had grown to love.

“Go back to bed, Nohereka.” His hot breath fanned my neck causing me to jump with fright before his warm arms wrapped around my waist. His chest was firmly pressed against my back causing me to freeze in his grasp as his face slowly nuzzled the crook of my neck sending shivers down my spine; my legs were weak, threatening to give up on me like goo.

“No, I’m not going anywhere.” My voice trembled as I spoke those words, I felt like a little antelope caught in between a pride of lions. His touch sent a wave of heat coursing through me, devouring every inch of my muscles. I had to fight against the urge of my body, to just listen to his instruction.

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, I could picture amusement swimming in his eyes as he rubbed small circles round my waist, ”My queen, I wasn’t asking you,” His hand firmly gripped my waist before spinning me round so that I was facing him. “I was telling you.”

The authority in his voice made the heat intensify as I leaned into his hold. The world had stopped turning, in this moment the upcoming war, our separation and the rebels inching closer to our land had all vanished, it was just him and I. His plump lips drew closer to mine, teasing my own as he slowly inched closer, gently brushing his lips against mine. “Nohereka, go back to bed.”

It was so soft, it sounded more like a sinfully temptation than an instruction. He couldn’t blame me for not wanting to be a good and obedient wife, when he fell in love with me he knew that it included my stubbornness too. I don’t know how I mustered up the courage to test him, to really see if his venomous bite was as deadly as I was made to believe. “No, Makhosi, I am not going anywhere.” He was silent, I may have won the-

His grip tightened as he pulled me impossibly closer to his chest before he crashed his lips into mine. His softness had now been replaced with a burning passion and hunger that surged through us, it was as if we were one soul split between two bodies, the feeling was indescribable, I didn’t want it to end, the pleasurable bliss that flowed through me was beyond my imagination. Is this what love felt like?
He stopped, he was holding back fighting against the urge of his body. His arms released me, allowing the cold air to embrace me, ‘why had he stopped?’ I couldn’t understand why he was pushing me away, literally and emotionally. I couldn’t take it anymore, I didn’t care that he was a king, he was still a person and he needed to be reminded of his duty as a husband.

“Why are you doing this? Is there something wrong with me, did I do something wrong?” My voice was frantic as frustration was drenched in my words, I wanted to understand and today I would understand, he would have to make me understand.

“Who is Zithaka? Why are you avoiding me? Why Makhosi, tell me I want to know?”

He was silent; he stood two feet from me, his head hanging down with shame. ‘What wasn’t he telling me? A secret, a buried mistake what was it?’ the questions were flooding my mind. I was upset, I was trying to help him but he wasn’t to help him fight whatever this was. I understood what the phrase, “As husband and one you must be and act as one.” It all made sense, his pain was mine just like mine was his.

“You’re hurting me, Makhosi."

It was a soft whisper, but that was all I could say, my words were lost in the sea of my mind that was plagued with every single emotions I was feeling at that moment. He gently gathered up my distraught self in his arms their warmth immediately cocooning me from the cool air.

“Zithaka is my bastard brother; he was banished from this land a long time ago. I love you Nohereka and there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s just I want to protect you from him. Out of all the enemies we have he’s the most dangerous” His voice was monotone void of any emotion, his fear was hidden in the cracks of his words, but I knew he was just trying to make me understand.

“Why?” I asked him, desperately trying to know the full story.

“Because a dangerous man knows he has nothing left to lose, that’s what makes him so dangerous.”

His voice was thick; it was as if he was familiar with the emotion, I couldn’t question him any further, I knew enough to understand.

My arms gently wrapped around his neck before I smashed my lips into his. Tonight was our night, just him and I under the night sky and the stars.

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