The Golden Desires (14 page)

"Yes!
With all my heart."

"And
Isabella, do you still feel the same? Do you wish for this?"

"Yes,
Elder Rhys. I very much do."

"Very
well. I approve of the two of you being a match but we need to get the approval
of your parents, Isabella, and of the other ancients. I will speak to my equals
this evening in the privacy of the temple. But shall we go and see your mother
and father now, Isabella? Do you agree to this?"

"Yes,
Elder Rhys."

The
three of them walked to where Isabella's father and mother would be for the
evening, and her parents welcomed them into their home with looks of curiosity
on their faces.

"Tomas.
Crisiana. I have come here with Isabella and our new friend, Trent, to speak to
you of their wish to become paired," the ancient said and immediately
heard a gasp from Isabella's mother. "It may come as a shock since
Trent
has only been with us a short time, but I have witnessed them together and I
give my blessing to the pairing. I believe they are meant to be together … that
they were always driven to find one another."

Isabella
saw her mother and father look at each other, sharing language with looks that
only they could decipher.

"If
you believe that then we give our blessing also, Elder Rhys, if it is truly
what our daughter desires. Isabella, is this what you wish for?"

"Yes,
Father. I very much do."

"Very
well then," said the ancient, standing to leave once more. "I shall
take my leave now and I shall consult with the ancients this evening. Trent,
Isabella, come and see me after you have eaten tomorrow morning and I shall let
you know then what has been decided."

"Thank
you, Elder Rhys," four voices said as he made his way toward the door.

"I
will walk with you,"
Trent
said and looked back to Isabella before giving
her a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I will see you in the
morning?"

She
nodded at him and with a nod to each of her parents, he was then gone, into the
night.

"Isabella,
are you sure about this?" Crisiana asked her daughter, with one major
subject of concern present in her mind. "I had always thought you would
pair with
Adrian
."

"Yes,
I know. And
Adrian
did mention it to me once before, but I do not
feel the same way about him as I do about
Trent
. I wish for
Adrian
to always be my friend, but I cannot think of him
in the way that I feel I
should
think of the person I pair with."

Both
parents walked up to her and held her in an embrace.

"Then
you have our blessing, Daughter. It is long past time that you did so and
started your own family."

~~~~~

The
next morning Isabella went to breakfast and was pleased to see
Adrian
there. Sitting down next to him, Isabella received a brilliant smile from him
in response to seeing her.

"Are
you well, Isabella? It seems like I hardly ever see you at the present time."

"Yes,
Adrian
, I am well. I wish to speak to you though," she said and
immediately had his attention. "I … I have asked the ancients to consider
… to consider allowing Trent and I to pair."

Adrian
was taken aback, not sure he had heard right, and
Isabella knew that his silence alone was an indication of how shocked he was.

"I
do not understand, Isabella. You have just met him. How can you wish to pair
with him so soon, when you and I have known each other all our lives? I
thought…"

Adrian
was silent once more and the two of them looked
at each other with sadness mirroring in their eyes.

"You
do not esteem me as much as I esteem you," he said all of a sudden and she
felt her emotions react strongly at his words.

She
could not think of anything to say to him, and soon he stood up and walked away
from her, no more words said.

Before
Isabella stood up herself, she was confronted by Kat sitting down beside her.

"You
have hurt him, Isabella, but I cannot be angry or sad about that as I have
wished for him to not want to pair with you, so he might notice me. Perhaps now
he shall."

Isabella
looked at the young woman beside her and felt such sadness for her to have said
such a thing.

"Kat,
I believe
Adrian
esteemed you greatly long before now. If he has
not shown you affection yet do not think it is due to me. It is most likely
that he is simply unaware how you feel. Go to him and tell him. Make sure that
he listens - sometimes he needs to be told something several times before he
really hears it. But tell him and make him listen, and he will come to you
happily, I am sure."

Kat
looked at the beautiful woman beside her, with her mane of flowing red hair. It
was no wonder that she had not one but two men wishing to pair with her, she
thought. How it must be to have someone want to pair with you, she murmured to
herself inside the peacefulness of her mind.

Isabella
had no more words to say to the young woman, so stood up, washed her dish and
immediately walked to the temple. Stopping first outside
Trent
's
door, she knocked quietly but did not hear any answer, so knocked slightly more
loudly. Eventually she heard movement on the other side of the door, and then
it opened and revealed a tousled
Trent
looking very sheepish.

"Is
it morning already? I am still finding that I am so tired in the
mornings," he said as he quietly padded back to his bed and climbed under
the covers.

Isabella
closed the door and came to sit on his bed, looking down at him. Covered as he
was, when she looked at him she thought he looked like a young child, not the
mature man that he was.

She
leaned down to kiss him and he eagerly accepted - the taste of her fulfilling
him so much when they kissed.

"
Trent
,
are you sure you wish for this? For us to be paired? If you have doubt we do
not have to…"

"Isabella,
I wish for nothing more than to pair with you and start our life
together."

Isabella
then found herself being kissed once more and was soon lying on top of him,
along the length of him, as he held her tight. The friction that came from her
moving as she kissed him, produced the familiar feeling of sexual arousal in
him, and he quickly nudged her off him to stop the effect being too noticeable.

"I
am eager to pair with you, and to do that we must go and talk to Elder Rhys
this morning, to see what the ancients have decided, must we not?" he
asked and she climbed off him, smiling at his enthusiasm.

Aware
that he was now not in a relaxed state, he fondly smiled at her.

"Turn
around Isabella. You do not get to see all of my body until we are
paired," he laughed softly at her and heard her giggle as she presented
her back to him.

Slowly
he climbed out and dressed, glad to see his arousal disappearing again. He did
not know what she knew about sex but he would go forwards in that assuming it
was something they as a people did not talk about, and only found their way in
on the evening of the pairing.

~~~~~

Finally
they sat before the ancient, and were greeted by a smile which made both of
them hopeful of the news.

"The
council of ancients was unanimous. If the two of you still wish to, we will
grant you permission to pair. What say you?"

"Yes,
thank you," Isabella and Trent both replied, making them laugh together.

"We
have established a home for you to live in, and we can have the pairing
ceremony as soon as you wish. When shall it be? We do not need to prepare as it
is an evening of speaking as a community."

"As
soon as possible, Elder Rhys, please,"
Trent
said as he reached
over and took Isabella's in his. "If Isabella agrees?"

"Yes!
Oh yes, please Elder Rhys. Tonight?" she asked and the ancient burst out
laughing, but maintained a look of friendliness and humour on his face.

"Of
course. I understand you have had to wait much longer than others know you
have, and I can see the fire in each of you for one another. Come with me now
and see your new home, and after the ceremony and your night in the pairing
chamber, it shall be yours."

~~~~~

Trent
and Isabella walked hand in hand through the village as they followed the
ancient. All homes were similar so there was no need to inspect, but they did
out of respect, and gave their thanks and appreciation before leaving once more.

"Isabella,
go and speak to your parents and tell them to be ready tonight to give you
away.
Trent
, I would like you to come with me back to the
temple so we can talk."

The
two young lovers hugged before parting, both eager to get on with the evening.

~~~~~

"Tonight?
Why such a rush, Daughter?" Isabella's mother asked her, with a hint of
panic in her voice.

"Mother,
do you not wish for me to pair with
Trent
? Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"No
… no, Isabella, you just took me by surprise. We do not know this man, but we
trust in the judgement of you and the ancients. We will be ready tonight. Of
course we will."

Isabella
threw her arms around her mother and held her.

"Thank
you. I will make you proud, helping to build the population of the village."

"That
is very good of you, Daughter. But make sure also that you are simply happy
with him. It is for the rest of your life. You must be certain."

"I
am, Mother. I am."

~~~~~

"Please
sit with me, young traveller," Elder Rhys said as they entered a small
chamber in the temple. "I wish to talk to you about pairing in our
village."

Trent
briefly felt like he was a teenager again, about
to get 'the sex talk' from his father, but then realized this was not the same
thing at all.

"Our
village has stood here for more than 5,000 years. As you know, the land
survives by golden source that runs through veins under this entire area. But
this village is also kept alive by doing what we can to maintain peace and
harmony, and part of that is ensuring that men and women are paired correctly.
When we pair, we pair for life. Therefore I firstly want to make sure that you
have noticed other women in this village, and you still see Isabella as the one
- the
only
one - that you wish to be with."

Trent
was stunned but respected the question.

"Yes,
Isabella is the only woman I wish to love and have as my partner for the rest
of my life."

"Good.
Now tonight the ceremony will comprise much talking on my part, and after you
are paired you will be led to the pairing chamber, where you will stay for the
whole night. It is during that time that you are expected to join, in the hope
that a child will begin to grow in Isabella's belly."

Trent
nodded.

"Of
course."

"Go
now then,
Trent
. Rest and prepare yourself, and I shall send
Isabella to come and get you when the time is right."

With
that,
Trent
removed himself and walked to the pool. Seeing
no-one around and feeling the warmth of the sun on the area, he removed his
shoes and socks, and his shirt, and waded into the pool in his pants, in case
modesty might later be needed.

In
the water he lay on his back and floated, looking up at the sky from there. The
blend of the warmth of the water, the sound of the waterfall nearby, the
freshness of the air that he breathed, and the beauty of the sky above him, all
contributed to him appreciating once again the fact that he had just wanted to
get some peace and solitude when he had left the city, and yet here he was, in
paradise.

He
closed his eyes and relaxed, continuing to float and feel like he was
meditating, when he heard her voice.

"I
see you are being more modest now that other people can see you," Isabella
teased him as she watched him, and she saw him give her a brilliant smile.

"I
do not wish to shock anyone," he said, teasing her back, and she laughed
in return. "Will you come in?" he dared to ask and he watched as she
removed her shoes and waded in, wearing the simple green slip dress that she
had on.

As
she waded toward him, he put his feet down and stood on the pool floor. She
walked into his arms so confidently that he was amazed at the realization that
they had known each other for such a short time.