"What did your father want?" I asked when Kijin returned. I was drawing a jujan fruit today. My art had gotten much better as I figured out highlights and shading. It was very different from drawing in the sand.

Kijin closed the door behind himself, strolling over to me. "Just to check in. I've been forgetting to do a few things lately, so he wanted to remind me."

"I see," I murmured, only half paying attention to him as I lightly shaded in a section of the fruit coming to life on my sketch pad. He came over to me, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder while he inspected my artwork. His pinky gently swayed up and down on my neck. I put the pencil down and looked up to see his reaction. "What do you think?"

"I think your art gets lovelier every day." He leaned down to press his forehead against the side of my head. My muscles tightened in resistance to his touch, but I realized it actually felt nice, so I relaxed. Even leaned in a little. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

I hesitated, considering. Even though we saw each other as equals, the rest of the city did not, so when we went for walks, I had to prowl below Kijin like the pet everyone thought I was. At least I didn't need a leash anymore. It would be nice to stretch for a bit. "All right. Where are we going?" I set the pad and pencil aside, standing.

"Let's go to one of the private gardens."

"That sounds lovely." I followed him out, dropping to a prowl when we left the room. We walked around the gardens until we found a secluded section with a bench. We both sat on it, shoulders brushing.

"Arala... I've been thinking about our relationship..." Kijin started uncertainly. I didn't say anything, so he continued. "I was hoping that you might consider a courtship now that we've explored a little. I can't promise you anything, and we'll have to act in secret because no one can know. The Kiavians expect me to marry another Kiavian, but... right now I don't want to marry anyone unless it's you. Not that I want to get married right now. Just... if I had to choose at this moment... I'm sorry, this is a bit clumsy." He chuckled nervously.

I smiled faintly. I would never tell him, but it was kind of cute. "I've enjoyed our time together as well. I... if you asked me to court you, I don't think I would be able to find it in me to say no."

He turned his body to face me, taking my hand. "Well then, Arala, will you allow me to court you?"

My smile blossomed. "Yes, Kijin. I would love that." I leaned forward and gently touched my nose to his for a moment. He looked surprised, but it quickly melted into a beaming smile.

I could look at that forever.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We had many discussions after that about how our relationship would work. He was right, Kiavians wouldn't accept me as queen right now. But I had hope we could change that.

Kijin was gone more often now, attending to his duties as prince. But that made the times we spent together in the evening all the more sweet. We weren't very physical, beyond Kijin lovingly brushing my arm or leaning his head on mine. Sometimes I would tap my nose against his, or he would kiss the side of my head. I still didn't understand that about Kiavians.

Kijin told me he had been speaking with Aqir, which made me happy beyond words. I wasn't sure how I felt about potentially marrying someone who didn't believe in Aqir, I'm not sure Aqir would approve. But talking to him was the first step in faith.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three weeks after we started courting, Kijin and I were sitting on the bed together. I was sketching and he was working on a speech. Only he wasn't writing anything, he was just staring absently at the paper.

"Are you all right?" I finally asked, putting my pencil down and looking at him. "You haven't moved for a while."

He smiled briefly, setting the paper aside. "Just thinking of other things."

"But are you all right?"

"Yes. And no. I have something I wish to discuss with you, but I'm not sure what you'll think." I raised my eyebrows, twisting so my body faced him, silently encouraging my beau to continue. "My father talked with me again, reminding me that I have to marry a princess or noblewoman." My face slipped into a bit of a scowl. "I know we haven't known each other a terribly long time, and this is still the newly-in-love phase, but I don't want to marry anyone except you." He licked his lips. "I won't be able to do that as long as I'm in line to be king. Kiavians will never accept an Ajae as queen, not after all these years. It'll take the prophecy to change that. But if I can't have you as my queen, Arala, I don't want to be king. I've told you I've been speaking to Aqir and I have this deep, gut-wrenching feeling that I need to be with you. I can't shake it. So, I want to run away with you." My lips parted slight as I stared at him in disbelief. "I want to find somewhere for us to be together. If we have to travel from city to city undercover, so be it. If we have to live in the desert, I will gladly do it. I thought that perhaps we could find your family and stay with them, if they will accept me. If you will accept me." He picked up both my hands, looking intensely into my wide eyes.

I stared at him for a long moment. I didn't know what to say. He wants to run away with me. Never in my dreams had I imagined finding a Kiavian prince and running away to the desert with him. I closed my eyes, squeezing his hands. Aqir... is this what you want? He's known you for such a short time he could be misinterpreting. Do you want me to be with Kijin. Do you want me to run away with him? I had rarely felt Aqir's presence directly within me, but I did now, and the answer was unmistakable. Yes.

I opened my eyes, a smile spreading across my face. "Yes, Kijin. I will run away with you."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kijin and I searched for months for my family. Sometimes we lived in the desert, crossing from forest to forest on our nantars. Sometimes, we stayed in Kiavian cities, but under the disguise of quiet travelers.

When we finally found my forest, I knew it at once. I cried with pure joy as I walked through the sweet sandy forest of my childhood. It was almost just like I had left it. I headed directly toward where my clutch had been located when I had been taken, Kijin holding my hand tightly.

My ears picked up the sound of someone else slipping through the forest. I halted, my heart beginning to crash against my chest as I tried to locate the sound. Kijin was silent, waiting to see what I would do.

I squeezed his hand and dashed forward, jerking him along behind me. "Hello?" I said, running towards whomever was nearby. I almost ran into the Ajae, who wasn't as far off as I had thought. "Higiren," I breathed, beginning to smile. He was one of our older members of the clutch. His brown tail and ears were fading as he grew older, indeed, he was more faded than I remembered, but it was still sweet, gentle Higiren.

I had frightened him a little when I broke through the forest, but even more so now that I had shown myself as a white Ajae alongside a Kiavian. I wasn't sure if he even recognized me. "Kiavian!" he shouted, turning tail. "Everyone run!"

"No, wait!" I called after him. I glanced at Kijin. "Stay close." I didn't want him to scare everyone else, but I didn't want him to be alone here. I dashed after Higiren, hoping he was leading me to everyone else. "Higiren! It's me, Arala! Lokato and Areeze's daughter!" It didn't take long for us to find the village. I stopped short, staring at all the Ajae who were looking back at me. They must have heard my shouting because they weren't running as Higiren had urged. My eyes roamed the clutch until I found the white I was looking for. My parents were completely frozen. My eyes filled with tears as I took a small step closer. "Mama... Papa..."

"Arala?" my mother whispered, her own blue eyes tearing up.

My father's gaze shifted to Kijin, trembling a little. "Did he bring you here to capture the rest of us?"

I glanced at Kijin as well, and then at my parents. "No. He let me go. Papa, I'm home. Home to stay." I let the tears burst out of my eyes and ran into the arms of my parents. My tail wrapped around my mother's as I rubbed my head against my father. I could hear them both crying as the rest of the clutch cheered joyfully.

I allowed myself to cry and hug my parents for several fractions, then I pulled back and held my hand out to Kijin. He walked over, taking my hand as he watched my family almost as warily as they were watching him. "This is Kijin. It's all a very long story, but the short of it is, he brought me home and I love him." I knew that it would be a shock to them, and that perhaps now wasn't the best time to tell them, but they had to learn sometime.

They were speechless, as was the rest of my clutch. "We... have a lot to talk about," said my father. So we did. Everyone sat in the center of the village, on that familiar sand, surrounded by the forest that I had so longed to see again.

I explained how I had been taken and given to Kijin. How long it had taken for us to learn to understand each other. How we fell in love. How we escaped. How we had become affianced while we travelled the desert. I left out a few details, they didn't need to know right now how awful everything had been in the beginning, or that Kijin had tried to take me before we were mated. I needed them to understand that he was past everything before they ever found out.

Kijin stayed quiet most of the time, simply holding my hand, or resting his arm across my shoulder as I spoke. He didn't understand Ajae yet, so he patiently watched everything around him. The other Ajae were looking at us strangely, confused how we could be so close despite being so different. I didn't need them to understand our love though, I just needed them to learn to accept it.

At the end of my story, my parents stood. I jumped up as well and Kijin copied me. "You brought our daughter home," my father said gravely. "You may be a Kiavian, but you have proven yourself a friend. I welcome you to my clutch and my family." He lowered his head slightly.

Kijin inclined his head, princely training taking over. I elbowed him slightly as I translated, and he dropped the arch look to his face, bowing his head deeper than my father had. "Thank you, Lokato. I swear to always be a friend to this clutch."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kijin and I were married a month after my return. The marriage was blessed by Aqir by sending a rain shower on our wedding day even though it was before the rainy season had begun. Two seasons later, the impossible happened.

We had a child.

I didn't know Ajae and Kiavians could have children together. I was sure it was usually undesirable on both sides. But we were so similar in build that there was no reason it couldn't be possible. We were both ecstatic when we realized I was pregnant. And terrified. But I felt so at peace about it that I knew it was a part of Aqir's plan.

Then the baby arrived. A wonderful little boy with sandy hair and blue eyes. He looked like an Ajae, with a white tail and ears, but he had Kiavian fangs.

After his birth, Kijin and I both received dreams that instructed us to name the child Zqir. I was a bit hesitant to tell the clutch, but no one protested. Not one. It was acknowledged as a sign from Aqir himself.

It wasn't until years later that we realized something we should have guessed long before.

He was a royal of mingled blood.

He was in a position to take a throne.

He was connected to the Ajae.

This was the beginning of the prophecy. 

And that's the end of it! Thank you so much for reading my story! This one is my pride and joy on Wattpad right now. Follow me for more stories!

Stay happy!

~AJ.