"I had an injury similar to yours a few cycles ago," Sela informed me as she studied my shoulder. "It healed well, but the muscles and tendons can get tight and lose their strength if you don't start using them again as soon as possible."
"Iunderstand," I said with a nod. "What should Ido to prevent that?"
"I am going to help you with some exercises and stretches to get it loosened up," she smiled, "we will also add some massage therapy to help you with the healing process. We can't do a whole lot until the sutures are removed, but we can get a bit of a head start."
For the next several minutes, Sela showed me a series of stretches, and I did my best to repeat them. The soreness and pain were there, but nothing sharp or unbearable. She seemed pleased at my progress, and it made a question come to my mind.
"Sela, you are really good at this. Why are you not a healer?" She laughed that damn laugh again before she answered me.
"You are too attentive for your own good, Ben," she gently chided. "I was a healer back when there were still men to act as our warriors. When
they were all lost to war, I took it upon myself to pick up the spear to
defend my people. Istill help Talise when I can, though, so I don't lose my abilities."
"That makes a lot of sense," Imused. "I imagine a lot of you had to stop doing what you loved and were trained to do just so you could fight. I hope to make things easier for you."
There was a long silence as she finished up massaging the muscles in my neck and down my back and shoulder blade. Then she moved to my
front and looked me in the face long enough to make me uncomfortable before she spoke.
"I am glad you are here, Ben," she finally said. "Now, let's get you dressed for the ceremony."
She picked up a stack of clothes that had been sitting on the nearby table and laid them out on the bed. They consisted of a platinum pair of breeches and a long vest to match, and that was it.
All I could think about was how much I was going to look like
Aladdin, and I had to fight from bursting out into song. My relationship with Sela was already tumultuous,I didn't need her thinking I was totally bonkers.
I untied the robe and glanced hesitantly at Sela. She apparently had no plans at all to turn her head or leave, so I just dropped the robe where I was and picked up the pants like I got naked in front of beautiful women
every single day. I managed to get those on by myself, but the drawstring was proving a little difficult to maneuver.
Sela calmly walked forward and helped me with the tie without me having to ask. She seemed to betaking her time, though, and more than once let her fingers roam and touch my abdomen. Then she picked up the vest and helped me get into that, and again she wasn't afraid of letting her hands wander.
"Um, ho-how doI look?" Istumbled.
"Very regal, Ben," she replied in a husky voice. "There is some mint and a brush on the table over there for your teeth. Your hair has grown out quite a bit since that morning on the beach, but I like it longer. It has curls."
I reached up to touch my hair and noticed it really had gotten a lot longer. I'd kept it cut super short ever since I enlisted ten years ago, but I could feel my boyhood auburn curls bounce back against the palm of my hand and had to grin. I couldn't believe I'd been on the island for so long.
"Time is getting away from me here," Ichuckled, "I guess I have lost track of it all."
Sela gave me a warm smile and continued fussing over my hair. When she was done,I brushed my teeth and chewed the mint, and I was
careful not to get any stuck in my teeth this time. Soon, all the primping was done, and I was ready to go to this mysterious ceremony.
"I would be honored to be your escort to the ceremony, if you will have me, Ben," Sela whispered as she looked down at her feet.
I held my good arm out for her to take, and she gently laid her arm on mine and held my wrist. It was an unusual move, one I didn't quite
understand, and the puzzlement must have shownin my face.
"Like this," she explained, "neither of us will have to untangle our arms in case we are attacked and need to defend. It is customary amongst all warriors."
"That makes a lot of sense," I said with a nod. "Thank you. Shall we?"
She nodded her head, and we left my room and followed the noise of the crowd to the courtyard of the palace. We passed by a few women who openly stared and whispered, but that was something I was getting used to by now. I was confident there wasn't anything stuck in my teeth, and it
reminded me a lot of the hallways in highschool, but it still made me smile.
Before long, we made it to one of the curtained doorways that led to the courtyard. Icould see a dais had been set up just beyond the curtains,
and a table and straw thatched chairs were atop the raised platform. The sun
was close to setting, and several torches had been lit on the terrace. I could smell all kinds of different foods and flowers in the air and hear the
excitement in the voices from all over. I had a feeling this was the first celebration they'd thrown in a very longtime, and I found myself very happy to be involved, even if I didn't know what the hell was going on.
"This is where I leave you, Ben," Sela began, "the queen will join
you here in just a few moments." Then she smiled and disappeared through the curtains.
I stood there for a little while not knowing what to do. The foyer was pretty much empty, and I didn't even have people staring at me to worry
about. Just when I didn't think I could stand there any more, I heard my name being called.
I looked up to see the queen enter the room, and my jaw hit my chest.
She was gorgeous, as usual, but there was something exceptional
about her tonight. She wore a sapphire blue wrap, and it was tied at one
shoulder and left the other one bare. It was adorned with small pearls along the neckline and dragged the floor behind her. Her silver hair was mostly
down, and just the front was pulled back into intricate braids woven into her crown. The thing that made her most beautiful, though, was the smile on
her face when she saw me. I could tellshe was genuinely happy with my presence, and that made her even more amazing.
"Your Majesty," I said as I bowed my head, "you look even more beautiful than I could ever have imagined."
Her twinkling laughter lit up my whole world, and I found myself willing to do anything to hear that sound again.
"Thank you, Ben," Nerissa said with a beatific smile. "You look quite handsome yourself. You also seem to be mending well. I am so glad to see that."
"I am, indeed, my Queen. I owe it all to your team of healers for taking extra good care of me."
"They are incredibly good at what they do," she replied.
I was hoping to flirt with her a little more and maybe get a hint of what was about to happen, but she cut me off before I could even get
started.
"Tonight is about a lot of things, Ben," she began. "We are here to celebrate our victory, most definitely, but we are also here to celebrate you and what that means to our village."
I started to say thank you and that it wasn't necessary and that I was honored and all of that good mannered shit you are supposed to say, but the queen stopped me from talking again.
"I know what you are going to say, and yes, you do deserve it," she laughed, "but I have to say this so we can make an entrance. There will be an announcement later you may not understand, but I will explain it to you fully later on tonight. Please understand it is our custom and our tradition. I ask you as part of our village to just go along with the moment, all the while knowing I will explain it all in detail very soon.
Istared at her for a moment and wondered what the hell I'd gotten myself into. She just gave me a pleading look, and it was one I certainly couldn't deny, at least not on this woman.
"Of course, Nerissa," I assured her. "You can count on me to do as you ask."
She placed one of her hands on each side of my face and brought me down to meet her lips. She kissed me softly, but soundly, and managed to stir up all the blood in my system. Then she pulled away and took my arm just like Sela had earlier.
"Let's get this started," she said as a smile lit up her face.
We walked through the curtain and took the steps up to the dais. The crowd of village women scattered throughout the courtyard greeted us with a deafening roar, and it took several minutes for the noise to diedown. The table on the stage was adorned with all sorts of flowers, beeswax candles,
and an assortment of fruits and coconuts. There were two of the straw
chairs in the middle that sat a little higher than the other four on the
platform. To one side, a healing Isla and Sela stood in front of the chairs, on the other side, Talise and Mira, and they all cheered and smiled along with the rest of the women at our appearance.
Soon, the queen held her hand up for the noise to quiet down. "May Olukun make your currents swift," Nerissa said.
"May Oshun bless the tides that be," the village replied.
"There is much to be said tonight, much to celebrate, but let us feast and drink first!" Nerissa announced to another uproar of applause.
I pulled out the queen's chair, and she sat and directed me to follow suit. After I took my seat, the four women at the table did, and then the rest of the village sat spread out before us in the courtyard of the palace. Some of them were at the tables set up for the occasion, and some of them chose to sit on blankets scattered here and there. There was a lot of back and forth between the tables and the blankets, and I figured it wasn't a status thing, just a way of life for them. They all seemed to mingle back and forth
between the tables and the blankets, happy and without prejudice.
"You look very good tonight, Ben," said Talise, who was seated to my right. "Careen and Sela both report you are healing very well."