“No one will think that!” He took my hands in his and looked deep into my eyes. “You are my mate, Angie, and it doesn’t matter that your skin is not green, that your teeth are blunt, and your hair is yellow.”
I laughed. “My teeth are blunt... Yeah, that’s the problem!”
“Please say yes. You will ride the sacred kova in a sheer, golden dress, and you will be the most beautiful woman the kingdom has ever seen.”
I blushed. “Well, when you put it like that... Then, yes. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you!” He kissed me passionately, and I relaxed in his arms. “I love you,” he whispered against my lips.
“I love you too, even when you put me in these complicated situations.”
“There’s nothing complicated about it. You just have to... go out there and be your beautiful self.”
“I think I can do that.”
We finished our breakfast, and I retreated to the library, while Thev went to give the queen the good news.
On my way to the tower, I passed by one of the big, green cows that liked to graze in the palace gardens. I approached it slowly, and she raised her head to greet me. She tilted her head, and I scratched her behind the ear.
“Kova,” I whispered. “I might as well call you by your sacred name.”
The animal mooed, and that made it even harder for me to not think of it as just a green cow. I laughed and patted her on the back.
Later, as I finally climbed the spiral staircase up to the library, I stopped to gaze through one of the small windows. I could see the forest that surrounded us, and the houses of the Zokunians neatly tucked between the trees. The trees were huge here, their crowns aiming for the sky. The city was built in perfect harmony with the forest. In the distance, I could see the mountains.
This was my home.
Thev’rar was my home.
I was the luckiest girl alive.
THE END