17. It's been well for Lesothia the past months with the sovereignty only becoming greater as they become in their belief with Yah, even with the handling of their system.

So...Things have been well for Morlagon, with him standing by his bedside, thinking on everything that's been well for Lesothia, but...A thought jumps into his mind once he thinks of the wellness of the nation's surrounding him.

For some reason, the other nations of Areanea didn't cross him first, Naminek did. Then remembering the talk he had with Takashi, Morlagon's eyes widen, causing him to stop in his movement as he is taking his necklaces off.

Looking around at the two guards standing at the door, Morlagon takes a deep breath and decides to think on Estenbenyahu's birthday instead of the other nations at the moment. He turns around taking off his robe before the doors burst open.

Logoet comes in the room, greeting the guards before saying to Morlagon, "sorry for the loud entrance...I just came back in here to find a pacifier for Teren." She smiles, " he will not sleep well tonight without it."

As the guards help Logoet look for the pacifier, another guard comes running into the room, breathing heavy, he stops himself while holding a letter in his  outstretched hand.

He bows down and says, "my prince, this letter has been sent to you."

He hands it over to Morlagon, with Morlagon reading the letter carefully as it says: 

"Morlagon, my plan came to fruition...Everything I have told you I have did. 

Standing before the guards and his second wife Logoet, he lifts his head up and says to them, "he has done it, he has become Emperor of Naminek, his ego is being fulfilled. For Takashi's sake, I will take this up in prayer with the sovereign and sovereigness...If will all excuse me."

He turns to Logoet, nodding to her as she holds the pacifier in her hand.

Running down the halls, through the palace courtyard, and then making it into the sovereigns palace, Morlagon speaks to the guards guarding the doors of the main room, "are they inside?"

"Yes, my prince."

"Open the doors."

As they nod and open the doors, Morlagon walks right inside and kneels down before his parents before saying, "I have word from Takashi, I would love for us to pray together about this matter that he has told me."

As Morlagon speaks of what happened between him and Takashi, Maldu immediately takes this up in prayer as Marshogon and Morlagon join her along with the guards, handmaidens, servants, and Sir Trell as well, speaking like they do for all the nations of the world.

........

In Arcillia, Dawn prepares to fall asleep for the night. Similar to back at home, the Arcillian woman of the head village prep Dawn for sleep every night before leaving her alone with Nebin for them both to rest.

Besides the smiles and lively conversations that Dawn kept up with the woman, inside, Dawn was troubled...So troubled that she debated whether or not to bring out her special weed or a quick drink. Since Dawn has overcome both of those things while being married to Nebin for the past two months, Dawn made sure to not let what she read just an hour before get into her head to where she would retort to bad habits.

Once the woman made their leave, Dawn closed the green curtains that seperated the dim litted room from the outside of the tent home, making sure privacy is in place before Nebin arrives for bed.

As he walks in from his late night bath, Dawn, sitting on a wooden chair while placing a scarf around her hair, turns to him saying, "do you mind having a little talk?"

Nebin, standing by the side of the bed, turns his head to Dawn, instantly having a worried look on his face, "is something wrong?"

Dawn tilts her head a little and says, "not necessarily...But" She reaches down and pulls out from under the wooden chair, a letter.

"What's that?" Nebin says with obvious curiosity.

"This is a letter from Prince Morlagon, he sent a flyer here this morning and I read it immediately, and..." Looking directly towards Nebin as if he is the only thing in the room, "it is said that Takashi, the Twilight Warrior I told you about, has taken over the throne of Naminek and is now Emperor."

Nebin's eyes widen as she still speaks, "Nebin...I'm afraid that he still has..." As if hard to let the words out, she blurts out whatever she can, "feelings for me? And that he wants to make me his Empress...Even though I have told him about my marriage to you; he is so stubborn I'm afraid, he will not listen."

"He can't take you from me?" Nebin walks forward to where he kneels before Dawn saying, "I know our love isn't true, I myself still have great feelings for La-Ki, but it is my people's law that are marriage goes well so that no other tribe of ours tries to take the staff from us. I must make a great ruler for my people" He holds her hand, "and that includes my marriage with you."

As his eyes stay wide and very truthful to Dawn, she still can't help but think on and on about how she feels for Takashi, or where his rule or their personal relationship could go if her love for him is exposed during this marriage.

"Nebin, I can tell that you love La-Ki with all your heart and wish for her to be your Youine, but I can't say the same for Takashi...I feel for him, but simultaneously I think of how I should move on and leave our relationship back on Southern Island."

"It was only a kiss, wasn't it?" Nebin asks politely.

"It was the most affectionate we have been with each other...But during our training days, we were each others support system before any of our fellow warriors, even when he started going wayward, I still listened to him even then and...I'm still having those feelings now, but I want to block it out and-" Already getting stressed just from speaking about it, Dawn shakes her head and pats her cheek before looking back over to Nebin, saying strongly, "I don't know how long our "marriage" is going to go on when we don't romantically love each other, so far, and I mean this with no harm, you have been my best friend."

Nebin nods his head in understanding before standing back up and turning towards the bed to say, "this is very true for the both of us, but we must continue on for now."

"I'll do what I can Nebin, to keep our marriage looking like real love."

Nebin turns back to her, "maybe I will write a letter back to Prince Morlagon and have him send it to Takashi, just maybe from that, he'll understand that you are already taken."

"He won't care...He knows this marriage is arranged." Dawn looks away again and says softly, "I told him so when we last talked."

Nebin shakes his head before saying with a slight smirk on his face, "so no talking with him?"

Dawn lets out a small smile and proceeds to say, "if you want to meet him? By his handwriting? Otherwise, he already knows about this marriage, like I said...He won't care, he will try to destroy us."

Nebin frowns, "to what? Attack my people over you? He must be insane over you? Just from a kiss and good conversations?"

Dawn stands up, "surely, yes, to him and what he has been through, I helped him through it." Saying this boldy, Dawn hands the letter to Nebin and tells him, "read this yourself, this is from Morlagon, but look at what he says...Marrying me is Takashi's next move, he will find me and...I don't know from then..."

Dawn turns back around, starting to worry again, then Nebin places his hand on her shoulder saying, "It's going to be alright...After all, that plan I had...I finally think it will come to good use...And all of this from Takashi, it will make it worth it."

Dawn turns back to Nebin, speechless, she says "your people are very strict about our marriage, and my family is relying on me to help bring our allyship with Nokinia, if we make a scene about not agreeing with this marriage after two months of being married? That is not going to sit well with any of them."

"But like I said Dawn..." Nebin looks back at her after looking at the letter saying, "it will be worth it. After all, the gathering that is taking place tomorrow we have everybody showing up, including your family, right?"

"Yes, and my brother is coming with his wife and child."

Nebin walks up to Dawn and says while face to face with her, "that is when I'll talk with my parents, then from there I'll try to make things work."

Dawn smiles and pats his shoulder saying, "I believe we can make this work." 

Although the both of them went to sleep, both of them didn't know that Nebin's mother was listening on the other side of the curtain.

...

Now at the gathering, Nebin and Dawn sit with their parents across from them, with Nebin's siblings at his side and Dae, Dusk, and his family, at Dawn's side.

"I feel that our unity is already bringing about good news of both our reigns." Nebin's father goes on as he lifts up his green drink towards Sovereign Marlo, "with this marriage we are experiencing something completely new."

He looks towards his wife, looking in her eyes that are filled with love, he proceeds to say while looking back at everyone, "I married my wife out of love, I knew from when we were children that are love and strength together in battle would bring about a strong rulership."

Dawn notices that Nebin stops eating once hearing his father say this.

"Nebin and Dawn's marriage will bring something even stronger now that we have an ally that will fight with us." He looks towards Dawn with Dawn politely smiling at him, "from a nation that has a warrior of time also."

"Cheers everyone!" Sovereign Marlo shouts, with everyone who is eating with them cheering too. 

Dawn taps Nebin's hand, saying softly to him, "are you okay?"

Nebin briefly looks towards Dawn before he puts his cloth on the table and says aloud, "mother and father, may I speak with you both privately?"

Nebin's father then says while losing his smile, "Privacy? This better not be a bad thing?" Then his wife, Hajenee, says with a wave of her hand, "it's fine, whatever you want to talk about" She stands up, "I'm all ears."

Nebin stands up and says to his father, "is it okay?" 

Youn Cartector says to his son, "let's go then." He looks at the Nokinian family, "we'll be back."

They acknowledge their leave while Nebin nods his head at Dawn, as if assuring her what he is about to do.

While they walk away, Sovereign Marlo and Sovereigness Suna start talking amongst themselves as Suna says with slight concern as they watch the people partying and dancing like maniacs in Nokinian eyes, "the Arcillians sure know how to make a simple supper like a wild party."

They all look over as Dawn says to her, "you get used to it; I was forced too." Dawn eyes her mother as Suna continues to eat, realizing just then what Dawn meant by that. 

As Dawn suddenly feels uneasy about all of this, she says to Dusk, "I'm going to go tinkle."

 Dusk laughs a little, "tinkle? Did you learn that word from the Arcillians?"

She snickers, "from Southern Island."  She taps his head, "I'll be quick."  

She walks over towards the tents, where she sees Nebin and his parents talking, but...Listening in, Dawn leans back against one of the trees surrounding the area and listens to the strong words she's hearing.

"You both married out of love? Why is it that your children can't? Why am I not allowed too? I am old enough to make my choice, and I will make that choice!"

"You stop right now" Hajenee angrily budges in on Nebin's words, "I heard everything you and the princess were saying last night just from a simple question I was willing to ask, but...Nevermind that. You will not ruin our new alliance with the Nokinians, you know what we are joining them for so don't ruin this for us! Unless you want to face the consequences like your sister and brother before you!"

Dawn, in shock from what she is hearing, keeps listening in as Cartector starts speaking, in an angry tone of voice as well, "keep your mouth silent! You try to speak anything about this to our people and the Nokinians, they will want you killed!"

"Them killing me is least of my problems." Hearing footsteps coming her way from behind her, Dawn instantly turns around, fixing her dress to make it look like she had come backing from peeing. She turns and sees three of the village woman ready to accompany her back to the table. "Are you well, Youine?"

"Yes, walk with me back?"

They all nod and proceed to do as Dawn says, with Dawn looking back towards the forest where she heard them talking.

Back over at the table, Dawn sits down as the women make their way to the people that are partying around them. Dusk whispers to Dawn saying, "you look troubled?"

"That's not good that it's noticeable..." The both of them look over to Nebin and his parents making their way back to the table, but, neither of them look happy, especially Nebin, who is clearly murmuring on about something, that is until his parents sit down and he still stands up.

"Uh Nebin, is everything okay-?"

"No, it's not okay, it never has been!" Turning away from Dawn, looking back over to his parents, he starts pointing at them and starts screaming at them, causing the large crowd of people to react and Sovereign Marlo and Sovereigness Suna to look around, with their guards coming over to them just in case a fight starts.

Dawn stands up as Dusk stands up, standing right behind his wife and child while Dae tries her best to finish her food.

"What is happening here?!" Sovereign Marlo says, clearly confused.

Nebin shouts at his parents, "you two got to marry for love, but I'm the one who is forced into marriage?? I will gladly marry La-Ki, she is the woman I grew up with and truly love!"

Stepping out from the crowd, La-Ki steps forward, standing with awe in her eyes. She kneels down, "Youn Nebin, I cannot marry you, not with the warrior Youine Dawn in that place beside you."

Dawn walks over to the woman, saying to her, "stand up."

The woman looks up at the enchanting Dawn and says, "Youine?"

"You will marry Nebin, because this marriage between him and I isn't as valid as you all think, this arranged marriage is for something bigger." Dawn faces Nebin's parents, "they want something of ours" Pointing at them, now feeling anger building up inside of her, "they want something of my home kingdom, and I'm not going to be the bait."

Everybody looks in shock, then Nebin's father steps forward and says, "well then...Looks like we will have to end all of this the hard way..."