10-23-2016, 12:07 AM
Akkadian
"Awk-ay-dee-Uhn"
She gestured for him to join her on the ground. He hesitated, unsure if it was wise to be so close to her, but eventually relented and lowered himself next to her. He listened close as she spoke, carefully keeping a little distance between them.
She remembered home and family, only faint memories. She smiled at him, but he looked away as she pointed out their differences and that she'd noted they weren't at all related. Of course she would, she was intelligent and observant.
She told him she'd wondered why he cared for her though it was clear they were not family, and then asked him. She wanted to know why she meant so much to him, why he cared so much. He wasn't sure he could tell her. He wasn't even sure he really understood half of it. No, she wasn't family, not by blood. But she was family to him regardless. He would always have a loyalty to her.
And then she asked a harder question; who was she. What she was really asking was where did she come from, where did she belong. How had she ended up there with the Queen, raised by the same family that had taken him in too. Did she realize he was not their child either?
He nearly missed her next words, but the intimate phrase snatched his attention immediately. Anam ami. Soul love. In their culture it could mean different things. It could simply mean "I cherish you" from mother to daughter, or "I will protect you" from brother to sister. But from her, it meant something else to his ears. Something she'd said to him as a child and he'd immediately scolded her for it. It had been a reference to the unbreakable bond between mates, a rare bond even their parents hadn't had together though they loved each other dearly.
He was on his feet before he knew it, jerking himself to standing and towering over her as he had that day. He wasn't angry, but he had to correct her again.
No, Jord. You mustn't say that. You cannot possibly understand the meaning of what you say. I told you before not to say it, do you remember that? It is sacred. It is not meant for us. he said, shaking his head slowly. It was imperative she understand the fault in the words. And never say them again, not to him, not to anyone.
He fell silent, considering how to continue. She wanted to know who she was. How could he even begin to explain it?
You... You are a princess. he said quietly, his eyes downcast and muscles stiff. It wasn't enough, he knew. He needed to explain why he shouldn't be allowed to touch her, brother or not.
I was not born from our King and Queen. I was found as a child and taken in, a bastard left for death. He said it without emotion. He really didn't care about his own background, only wished to make it clear his reasons for keeping his distance from her, a true princess unrecognized as such in these foreign lands.
She remembered home and family, only faint memories. She smiled at him, but he looked away as she pointed out their differences and that she'd noted they weren't at all related. Of course she would, she was intelligent and observant.
She told him she'd wondered why he cared for her though it was clear they were not family, and then asked him. She wanted to know why she meant so much to him, why he cared so much. He wasn't sure he could tell her. He wasn't even sure he really understood half of it. No, she wasn't family, not by blood. But she was family to him regardless. He would always have a loyalty to her.
And then she asked a harder question; who was she. What she was really asking was where did she come from, where did she belong. How had she ended up there with the Queen, raised by the same family that had taken him in too. Did she realize he was not their child either?
He nearly missed her next words, but the intimate phrase snatched his attention immediately. Anam ami. Soul love. In their culture it could mean different things. It could simply mean "I cherish you" from mother to daughter, or "I will protect you" from brother to sister. But from her, it meant something else to his ears. Something she'd said to him as a child and he'd immediately scolded her for it. It had been a reference to the unbreakable bond between mates, a rare bond even their parents hadn't had together though they loved each other dearly.
He was on his feet before he knew it, jerking himself to standing and towering over her as he had that day. He wasn't angry, but he had to correct her again.
No, Jord. You mustn't say that. You cannot possibly understand the meaning of what you say. I told you before not to say it, do you remember that? It is sacred. It is not meant for us. he said, shaking his head slowly. It was imperative she understand the fault in the words. And never say them again, not to him, not to anyone.
He fell silent, considering how to continue. She wanted to know who she was. How could he even begin to explain it?
You... You are a princess. he said quietly, his eyes downcast and muscles stiff. It wasn't enough, he knew. He needed to explain why he shouldn't be allowed to touch her, brother or not.
I was not born from our King and Queen. I was found as a child and taken in, a bastard left for death. He said it without emotion. He really didn't care about his own background, only wished to make it clear his reasons for keeping his distance from her, a true princess unrecognized as such in these foreign lands.