Elani
From the look in his eyes, Ales needed help. I would be there every step of the way to support him.
“Baby…” I called out to him again.
I needed him to know that I wasn’t gone, and neither was he. I looked at his fists, now bruised, and it pissed me off he was in this state.
“Lani?” He called out to me as if he wasn’t sure if I was there.
“I’m here,” I said to him and reached out to touch his hand to my cheek.
I wanted him to know I wasn’t afraid of him. That day was never going to come not now, not ever. “I love you Ales. You know, that right?”
Ales shut his eyes as if my words hurt him, and then he opened them again looking down at me. When he nodded, I let a breath out.
“I know that, Lani.”
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
He shrugged.
I shook my head. That wasn’t good enough for me.
“No, baby, I need you to tell me you’re okay. I want to hear you say it to me.”
“I don’t know, Lani. My head’s all sorts of messed up right now. I can’t seem to calm my anger down. There’s just so much rage here, and I don’t know where to put it. I can’t get rid of it.”
I circled my arms around his waist and continued to look up at his eyes.
“You don’t need to get rid of it. It is part of you, Ales. It will always be part of who you are. That is what makes you a great warrior. You would have never won as many battles if you didn’t have that rage inside of you.” I removed one hand from around his waist and pointed at his chest. “You are the great warrior, Achilles. No one will ever make you question that, even you, yourself. You are the strongest man and the most loving man I’ve ever encountered. So, what, you didn’t get to kill Cyril? He’s with Hades now, and that isn’t any better. If you ask me, I’m glad you didn’t kill him with your bare hands, because, then, you would never forget it. That rage you speak of has saved you in many instances in your life and you know it!”
I hadn’t meant to yell at him, but my anger got the best of me. I wanted him to know he didn’t have to question his rage or get rid of it. It was what made him Achilles and Ales all into one.
“You will never speak of your rage in that way, do you hear me?” I stabbed his chest with my forefinger. “Your rage has never hindered you from doing what was right or protecting those you love. Your rage was what got us a second chance at love. So, no… NO, Ales, I will not allow you to torture yourself like this. You cut it out right now. Am I understood?”
I was so caught up in the moment I didn’t realize how he was looking at me. I don’t know when he snapped out of the trance he was in, but he did. Now, he was looking at me with pure adoration. He was smiling that 1000-watt smile of his, deepening his dimples and making his green eyes shine. I wanted to look away, but I refused myself that kind of distraction. After a moment, he started to chuckle. Then, his chuckle turned into a pure unadulterated laughter. I just looked at him with a bewildered expression; I wasn’t sure why he was laughing.
“What?” I shouted at him.
That seemed to make him laugh even more, and I rolled my eyes snatching my hands away from his body. I turned to walk away, and he captured me in his arms with them circling my baby bump. He stopped laughing, but I could tell he wanted to laugh even more. I refused to look at him. He kissed my shoulder, then my neck and then my cheek.
“Thank you for that,” he said.
“For what, Ales? All I caught from that was you thought it was funny.” I kissed my teeth.
He kissed my cheek again.
“No, baby. I laughed because someone as small as you was shouting at me and telling me all the right things. I’ve faced many men in battle, but I laughed because I realized I would never want to face you in battle. Never, ever,” he said.
“It’s good you know better,” I said with a smile returning to my face.
I turned to face him with worry in my eyes.
“I know, love, I know…” He began. “I will go and get help. I promise. I want to be here for a long time for our daughter and the other kids that will follow too.”
At this information, I threw my head back and laughed.
“More kids?”
“Yes,” he replied with seriousness displayed all over his face.
“Hmm…” I teased. “It depends on how good you are to me.”
“So, then, it’ll be a whole football team then?” he asked with excitement in his voice.
“Hell no!” I yelled as his boisterous laugh filled the room.
“You just wait, Elani…” he said, pulling me in for a kiss that reminded me of the first time his lips kissed mine.
Still to this day, this man didn’t know what he did to me. He was the epitome of bliss, love, hope, happiness and so much more wrapped into one. No matter what, if I had to be reborn in any other lifetime, I would always want to be with him. He deserved my heart, my soul, and my body and vice versa. No one will ever make me feel the way I feel when I’m with him and he knows it… the cocky bastard.
***
When we finally got home, I told Ales to discard his clothes and I ran up to the bathroom to draw him a bath. I loved Ales’ bear-claw tub he had in the center of the bathroom. I stood there waiting for the hot water to fill up the tub. I was placing some eucalyptus and other essentials in the water as I heard him coming toward the bathroom. He came in as I stirred the water with my hand.
“Come, my liege, let me wash you,” I said to him.
Ales smiled as he came closer and got in the tub. He hissed at the temperature of the water, but after a moment, he relaxed. I shut the water off and turned to leave.
“I’ll be right back. Just relax, okay?” I reassured him as he gave me a strange look.
He didn’t know what I was grabbing, but I brought him the letter his mother left him. When I stepped back in the bathroom, he didn’t say anything. He spotted the letter and the package that came with it. I stopped in front of the tub to face him. I wanted him to read it instead of torturing himself. I knew he was avoiding it. But, for him to move on, he had to read it and see what his mother had to say.
“I won’t make you, Ales, but you need to read it,” I said as I placed the contents over by countertop.
I walked back over to him and began to wash him clean. I didn’t mind the smeared, dried up blood. This wasn’t the first time I cleaned him, but this time it was different. I could feel it was different, and he was different. He was a changed man compared to the Achilles he used to be. I knew what troubled him; even he knew he was now different. I squirted some earth-scented body wash on the loofa, then I began to scrub his body. He didn’t say anything as I moved his body left and right then back and forth. He let me enjoy the moment. I finished with that task and moved to his hair.
I squirted some shampoo in my hand, then I lathered it through his scalp. I applied it and slowly ran my fingers through his scalp, cleaning not only his body but his hair too. He didn’t say anything as he leaned back enjoying the scalp massage. We were in blissful silence and then he broke it by reciting something.
“My son, I begged Zeus to grant me one more favor before I departed. You deserve to know some things I never really said when you were younger. I know you know who I am and where I am from, but I betrayed you by revealing, not just my own, but also your secrets. I regret that every day. Every moment I had to think about it while my soul was wandering all these centuries. I thought about how much I never told you how I loved you. I did everything for you because you were my one true love. You stole my heart when I first saw your little hands and feet. The way your green eyes sparkled while watching me. You showed me true admiration and love no one could ever take from me. I will never…” Ales paused, as if to draw in a breath, and I realized I had stopped massaging his scalp. As I continued to do so, he did too.
“I was never the best mother, but I did the best I could with what I knew. I tried to protect you from pain, but instead, I caused you pain. I wish we got another chance to truly experience being mother and son. I couldn’t wish for another son knowing how perfect you were. I see the love that you have for Alana or Elani… She is perfect for you, just as you are perfect for her. She truly loves you, probably more than I could have ever loved anyone. I want you to know your happiness is all I’ve ever wanted for you. I know the way I’m leaving seems like cowardice, and it is, yet I wasn’t given the choice once more. I am to be returned to the sea of my people. It may be far from you, but I will forever live in your heart. If ever you want to feel my presence, look out at the Aegean Sea. My essence will always recognize the only person I loved. I will forever love you, Achilles. Take the necklace made of your father’s ring and wear it proud, for you are the greatest warrior to ever live… Thetis.”
I didn’t notice I was tearing up until Ales turned around and scooped me up, placing me in the bathtub. I looked at him, but no tears were in his eyes. It was as if he and his mother understood each other more than anyone else. I wrapped my arms around his neck, not caring about his shampooed hair.
“Baby…” was all I could get out before sobbing loudly.
He soothed me as if I was the one the letter was written for, but we both knew why I was crying. I cried for the both of us. I cried for the little boy who finally understood and knew his mother loved him more than any other person in this world. His mother wanted to be loved too, but she was only hurt in return.
Ales kissed my cheek and waited until I settled down.
“You’re crying a lot lately. I don’t like it,” he said.
I chuckled at that.
“It’s the hormones.” I shrugged as he pulled me out of the embrace.
He looked at me for a moment, not saying much but just watching me.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“I am… I really am. I read her letter when Patro gave it to me, and I finally understood why she was like that. I never took time to think about why she was so distant and quiet around everyone except me. She was like that to you too, not because of our different statuses. She was like that because she didn’t know how to properly open up. When she did, it literally killed her. I’ll miss her very much, even more now than before.”
“We could always go to the Aegean Sea to see her. Anytime you want to go, we can.”
“Thank you for that, baby. Thank you for giving me a chance again,” he said as he caressed my cheek.
“I’d give you a thousand chances, if I could.” I turned my head toward the palm of his hand kissing it.
“That is why I would cross oceans for you, my love.”
“Always, my liege, always.”
He smiled at me.
“Now, how about we get this shampoo out of my hair and condition it before you ruin it?”
I threw my head back and laughed. I shook my head as I gestured for us to move to the shower. I discarded my wet clothing as I walked into the stall in front of Ales. I grabbed the detachable shower head turning the water on waiting for him to sit on the bench in the shower, but instead, he kneeled in front of me. I looked down at Ales as he looked up at me. He kissed my belly and shut his eyes.
I didn’t say anything as I rinsed his hair and conditioned it as well. I ran my fingers through it, then rinsed that out too. When I was done, he opened his eyes staring up at me.
“You have made me into a happy man. I could die in peace now.”
“What?” I whispered, not understanding what he was saying by that.
“Not that I’m going to die anytime soon, my love. You’re mine, and I would never give you up to another man; not in this lifetime or any other. You hear me?”
“Yes, my liege.” He kissed my belly again. I felt our baby girl kick for the first time, and I almost jumped. “Did you feel that?” I asked with glee in my words.
He nodded, then chuckled, as he placed his large palm on my belly.
“I love you, Alana-Thea, and I love your mother. I can’t wait for you to be born, so I can take you gun shopping, teach you how to kill—”
“Excuse me!” I screeched.
Ales had the nerve to laugh as if I’d let him teach my daughter how to kill.
“Fine… fine, I’ll teach you how to defend yourself. Maybe, maim them, but definitely no killing.” He took the opportunity to kiss my belly, then stood up towering over me. “I’ll be good to her and you. I promise,” he reiterated.
“I know, my love, I know.”
“I’m ready to spend the rest of our lives together. Are you, Lani?” I smiled at the nickname that warmed my insides up.
“Yes, Ales, I am ready, my liege.” He kissed me so deep that my soul intertwined with his once more. We were not only bound by marriage, love or fate. We were also bound by our souls. He was my soul and I was his.