The Wonder of Dedication - Legends of the Veil Blog Post
My next blog post for "Legends of the Veil" or "Curse of the Fallen" is live!
I took my husband’s hand, holding it tight as I raised onto my tiptoes to kiss him. “Hold on tight.”
“Okay,” he said, returning the kiss. I knew that Minotauros wasn’t a big fan of teleportation— it wasn’t for everyone and could definitely have some negative side effects for those who didn’t do it a lot. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have another option in the middle of the least populated state in India.
My arms whipped around us, conjuring a cocoon of storm clouds, flashing with lighting. With one, big flash, the clouds dissipated around us, revealing the surprise I had been waiting to give my husband all day. The Taj Mahal was a gorgeous sight, especially at night. It was the evening after the full moon, so the alabaster wonder of the world was still glowing in the night, but there weren’t any night-viewing crowds to contend with.
My husband and I had taken a massive step that day—we had stepped out into the world of mortals. We didn’t hide or try to pretend like we weren’t what we were. The reception from the citizens of Itanagar had been better than even my wildest dreams could’ve hoped for. We were not ostracized or harassed or chased out of town with torches and pitchforks. We were welcomed with open arms, smiles, and even deference. It was perfect.
As perfect as the day was, we were both exhausted from all the attention we were getting, positive as it was. We needed to have a night to ourselves. It was our honeymoon after all, and I had been planning a trip to the Taj Mahal since we decided to come to India. That night was the night to do it. To celebrate the first step of my husband’s new purpose as well as to celebrate our union in matrimony, and the daughter who was on her way to us.
Once Minotauros felt that our feet were back on solid ground, he opened his eyes, taking in the sight around us. He managed to break through his own stunned silence to say, “It’s gorgeous, Morgan.” I grinned with joy, knowing I had given the love of my life such joy.
The setting was only part of my surprise. With a flick of my wrist, I conjured a picnic blanket, laid perfectly across the grass near the long pond that reflected the architecture. I set the bag of left-overs from the Golden Crown down on the blanket. “Shall we enjoy our desert?” I was so thankful to the owner for giving us so many Gulab Jamun—sweet, fried dumplings.
“We shall indeed,” Minotauros said, smiling.
I eased myself to the ground gently, not wanting to disturb or hurt the baby as I sat on the blanket. “I’m so afraid of hurting the baby.” I used to be so reckless with my body when it was just mine. But now that I was sharing it with my daughter, I couldn’t just throw myself around willy nilly.
Minotauros sat down next to me, resting his hand on my stomach. Baba Pasiphae had kicked earlier that day before we had gotten to Itanagar, but now she was still. She must’ve been just as tired from the day’s events as we were.
“She’s proud of you,” I told Minotauros as I rested my hand over his.
“For what?”
“For what you did today.” That same pride flowed through me. I watched him as he met the people of Itanagar. I watched him place his hands on so many people, “blessing” them to the best of his ability. They all looked so happy, as did he. I couldn’t help but tell my child, “Look on, little one. This wonderful man is your father”.
Minotauros grinned down at my stomach. “I hope I can continue to make her proud.” She wasn’t even here yet, but Mintoauros and I were already so in love with our child. Her timing may have been a little inconvenient—the moment I found out I was pregnant, all the legends were forced to change our plans for Kane. But who would tell a blessing to come back later or that it wasn’t a good time for them yet?
I picked up one of the fried dumplings and pressed it to my husband’s lips. “You will. I know you will.”
Minotaurous opened his mouth, allowing me to feed him the dessert. “Delicious,” he mused through his chewing.
I brought my fingers to my mouth, licking them clean of the rose-flavored syrup that coated the pastries. I couldn’t help but moan at the deliciousness; it was heavenly. But of course, I couldn’t just lick my fingers without giving my husband that hungry look that told him everything I was thinking. I’m sure the way I curled my tongue around my fingers also helped to clue him into what I was thinking, after all, we were on our honeymoon.
“Mmmm,” my husband hummed, looking up at me. I returned his look with a grin down at him. “You’re gorgeous,” he breathed.
A blush rose to my cheeks. No matter how many times he said it—or said anything that made me feel his love for me, I couldn’t help but blush. For all the horrible things that I had done in my life, I must have done something to deserve such a wonderful, devoted man who loved me so much. And we both must have done wonderful things to deserve the little blessing that was growing stronger in my womb every day. I couldn’t wait for us both to meet her for the first time. And if what Mama had told me was true, that wait wouldn’t be long.
“So, Deva,” I teased. “What’s the plan?”
He simply said, “Today is all yours.”
“Good.” I took Minotauros’ face in my hands, gently caressing his cheeks as I leaned down to kiss him. One day, I would do what that architect of the Taj Mahal did, and I would show Minotauros the wonder of my dedication to him.
Original Blog Post
https://curseofthefallen.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/wonder-of-dedication/