Bituin: Queen of Aourterde

Mahalia

Mahalia

“Start by investigating the lion’s tracks, are they fresh, if so then the lion is not very far.” The little girl touched the ground feeling it, syncing herself with it and allowing it to tell her its stories, the tracks were fresh the lion passed here a mere few minutes ago. She looked up to her father and nodded.

“Now listen to me carefully, I had told you before Lions are not afraid of other animals because they believe that these are their lands and are confident of their position in the food chain. They are the hunters not the hunted.”

“Yes baba” the girl nodded eagerly brushing away her thick red hair from her face to get a clear view of the animal.

“Position yourself, build your confidence make sure you are comfortable for a good shot. Shot placement is important when hunting a lion. They are extremely dangerous when wounded so make sure your first shot counts.”

They walked at a brisk pace on the tracks of the lion and quickly sensed that they were catching up with the magnificent king of beasts. The atmosphere changed, suddenly the air was thicker danger lurking and they knew that the lion knew they were getting closer to him. Then finally they came face to face with the lion.

“Sometimes the lion will start walking in circles and sometimes in a figure eight, this point the hunt becomes extremely dangerous, I need you on high alert. Even though you are the hunter, it will make you feel as if you are being hunted. Do not let it put you down, stand your ground look at straight in the face and challenge it.”

The lion circled its area a few more times before standing its ground looking straight at them meaning that the lion has accepted the challenge.

“You will approach slowly and circle around the lion until you have the wind in your favor and the sun from behind. Get closer,” her father instructed and the little girl took a few more steps, “a few more steps towards the lion and position yourself for a clear shot.”

“Take your aim and wait.”

The little girl squatted down, her left leg firmly on the ground in front of her right leg raised a little at the back. She took a few more breaths to calm herself, today she is the hunter not the hunted.

She raised her spear her father doing the same from behind. She bared her teeth daring the king of the jungle to a fight for its life.

Then the moment happened, the lion leaped at her but she waited, waiting for the perfect time just as it almost reached her she got to her knees sliding underneath it and lunged the deadly spear into its abdomen dragging it through its body making a deep cut. Blood gushed down onto her and her father delivered the final blow onto its head.

The king lay down on the ground bleeding its body bare of life.

“I did it!” She leaped into her father’s arms

“Malikia!!” her mother ran to them hysteric upon seeing them arrive back home, the little girl was completely drenched in blood.

“What happened?! Malik!” she screeched.

“Calm down Hayati it not her blood.” Her father laughed, “Today our girl took down her first lion. The youngest hunter of our clan.” He spun her around lifting her into the air for all to see. He was proud of her they were both proud of the little girl that the world refused to accept.

There was laughter and there was joy. She was happy for the better parts of her years until that faithful night, the night that took everything away from her

“Anné! (Mother)?”

Flames, violet flames roared out of the little straw house licking at its walls and the furniture inside.

“Baba!?” The little girl could hear the screams of her father. He had managed to get her and her mother out rushing back to try and salvage what he could. Why was he not coming back out?

“Annem! Babam!” The cottage was burning, large flames spewing out of the little cottage she once called home.

Her tears soaked the ground she slid down to. There was nothing she could do. She heard the cries of her father, she could smell his flesh burning.

“Malikia get away from there” her mother came running from the bushes. She had gathered food and water that she hid for emergencies not thinking she would ever need it for something like this.

“Baba! We can’t leave without him Anne no, Baba! Baba! Baba!” she little girl cried out as her mother dragged her away.

~~~

I woke up startled, my clothes attached to me due to my excessive sweating. I sighed heavily realizing it was just a dream.

The nightmares have started again, sleep escaped me once more so I made my way out to the garden deciding to sit on the few stairs and watch the stars.

I remember the little girl, the one with white skin pure as light.

The girl with large round eyes filled with the whitest part of the ocean, so clear they were almost transparent. Yes I remember her, her long waves of hair that burnt bright red, waving to the trees and much to her dismay brushing the branches as she ran. It was always the main attraction.

The girl with the brightest smile, the sound of her laughter awakened the forest, her mother would tell her.

“Baba!” She giggled. Running towards her father with the game she caught for the night. Her father, was a tall bulky man, the handsomest with black hair that fell in curls till his ears he was a big man with the purest heart. Her mother was a short woman, the girl always loved how her mother’s dark stresses flowed with ease not tangled and red like hers.

Joy that is what the girl had known for the longest of time. How could she not, she had her peace, she had parents that loved her despite everyone claiming her to be a cursed child.

It seems like a long time ago, so long ago that I had forgotten that that little girl was once me.

--

“Why are your eyes so white?” Akio asked me.

“My mother once told me I was kissed in the eyes by the night’s last rays, the last moonlight.” I laughed at the ridiculousness of the lie. “But that was not true, I was almost burnt alive by my people because I was born with blue eyes, just like the sky. Red hair like the deadly flames of fire, skin as white as milk. I didn’t know, for a long time I did not understand why we lived so far from other people, we lived in the wild hunting and fishing for food instead of going to the market, trading and drinking with the people.

“My father was not of my mother’s people. He came from the people with golden skin and hair that looked coarse and curled till his ears but still so soft to the touch. My mother had soft skin like cocoa, dark and smooth. It did not make sense to them it did not make sense to me either, why would two people who look like them have a child that looked like me unless the child was a demon child a cursed child.”

“You are not-“

“I know but I do understand them, they were simple people. Surrounded by small houses made of straw and lots of vast naked lands with no knowledge of a world outside.”

The memories came flooding back the days when my father would teach me to fish, or catch prey or plant new crops. He taught me to skin the prey and my mother would teach how to make cloths, weapons and whatever else we could from the remains of the animals. She taught me the different herbs which ones were for cooking and which to use only as medicine. I was young so there was plenty to be taught and plenty that my mind could not grasp but whatever my mind could absorb it did and it kept it till date.

“Sometimes I wish I could see them again, I wish I could tell them how much their knowledge has helped me become the best. Other times I wish I could go back and kill those villagers who burnt my father in our home and wounded my mother to her death.”

Akio held my hands his thumbs brushing slow circles on my skin, “Mahalia – “

“No don’t say it I already know Akio. Revenge is not the answer it never is. I will focus on the fact that my parents are now stars in the sky watching over me laughing and smiling at each other and finally being at peace. I will not kill for revenge my parents would not like that.”

He got onto his knees in front of me, he places his forehead onto mine and we stayed that way for a long time.

We then laid down watching the night sky through our secret cave silently.

“Bituin” He whispered

I looked at him confused, he smiled.

“I had once met little girl, from the east of our lands. She had the brightest smile, her smile seemed to bring light, I do not exaggerate” he defended himself when I chuckled at him.

“She was a miracle child born to parents who were told they can never conceive but her mother one day made a wish upon a falling star. And the next day she found out that she was with child, so they named the child Bituin. The child only ever lived for not more than a decade then returned to the sky to keep watch” I glanced at him trying to wonder what he was thinking about for him to tell me this.

I turned to face the sky and I saw a falling star, the star was beautiful, perhaps it was the night or the story she now knew but there was a different glimmer in the star that fell “the man says every time a star falls he can feel the presence of his lost child, Bituin comes home to visit until the day she can take them with her.”

“That’s beautiful” I said to him.

~~~~~~~~

I felt someone cover me with a blanket. Jedidiah sat on the top step his legs on my sides. He pulled me closer to him and hugged me from behind nuzzling his face inside my hair then kissing my face till I started laughing.

“Stop, oh heavens Jedi-“

“And how can I stop when the sound of your laughter is truly the most beautiful sound in the entire world. No no let me correct myself it is the second most beautiful sound.”

“And what’s the first?”

“The mourns that come out of you when we make love and the screams that you release when I turn you around and smack your beh-“

“Jedidiah! “ I gasped and quickly covered his mouth with my hands hoping no guards are walking around in the garden listening to him talk to openly. He bit my hand hard making me yelp.

Laughing he brought me closer to him wrapping his around me and covering my face with kisses.

“Now tell me, are the nightmares back again?” I nodded turning away from him. He brought me closer to him hugging me through the blankets.

“Can I say something that would possibly make me sound like a really horrible person?” Jedidiah’s voice rang through my silence bringing me back to the present. I raised my eyebrow at him but urged him to go on.

“I am actually glad that Akio was forced to marry his brother’s pregnant betrothed. Listen to me first. I know he is condemned to a life of misery and nobody deserves that but if he wasn’t forced to marry Arial then he definitely would have married you. The chemistry between you two was undeniable everybody who saw you two together could see it and feel it. There was always sparks. Sparks that you never had with me no matter how many times I tried to make you notice me.

“You would hide my training gear” I said turning to look at him. “You also used to throw stones at me while I meditated. You humiliated me in front of my masters which made me have to work ten times more to prove myself. You turned every moment that we would meet into feeble arguments there was no way I could not notice you and trust me I tried, plenty of times.”

“But you became the friend I needed when Akio had to take over the South and I was left alone. You fought for me like nobody ever had” I caressed his cheek.

“And that friendship became love and here we are today. I’m married to the only woman I have ever loved. It a blessing to love and be loved back. I consider myself honored by the heavens and the stars to be loved by you, Mahalia, I mean it with every part of me.”

We sat in silence basking in the affection we held for each other. I loved him and perhaps things would truly have been different had Akio not been forced into a marriage he never wanted but I am happy with the way life worked itself out and I could not imagine myself with anyone else but him.

“We should go back in my Queen, the temperatures are dropping.”

“I shall follow you in in a minute. I would like to stay out for a little while longer.”

“Okay, I will wait for you inside then.” He kissed my cheek before leaving.

I took a deep breath closing my eyes. Things are beginning to fall into place again I have a man that loves me and an entire kingdom willing to support me. One loss does not mean the end of everything, I still have love. I smiled at the thought of Jedidiah and Annatalia when I opened my eyes and saw a shooting star.

“Bituin” I smiled watching the star fall feeling light again.

There is still hope.