How Torlinque Became My Lifemate
during my life as the 'Lesia anyway

Part II

My twin brother K'antor (older by a couple of minutes), the weathermancer of our region, usually came to say goodnight to me every night. He had noticed the way Torlinque had been looking at me and deemed it dangerous.

Apparently, that night he had noticed that Torlinque was not in the Hall and asked Kharie'l where he was. I don't know exactly how Kharie'l phrased it, but when K'antor found out we were alone in my room, he was furious and raced up the stairs with Kharie'l on his heels. They burst into the room to find Torlinque in full uniform, brushing my hair, and me, still fully dressed in the gown I'd been wearing all day.

K'antor and I fought. He told me Torlinque shouldn't do that. I rationalized, "What else was I supposed to do? The maids are gone!". etc., etc. Torlinque didn't say a word.

K'antor was very angry. He leaned into Torlinque's face, poked him in the chest, and told Torlinque that pursuing me was pointless. He said I was to be bound to one of our own clan to preserve the bloodline, that he was beneath me and that he had better leave me alone.

Torlinque told him very calmly that he was sure that when the time came, that I would do my duty, but that it was his duty to protect me and serve me however I might need him to, and we had done nothing wrong. K'antor just narrowed his eyes and stormed out. Kharie'l had just wanted to make sure K'antor wasn't going to do anything stupid, and he left when K'antor did.

Torlinque and I had a long talk after they left. We admitted to each other how attracted we were to each other. We talked about how we felt, what was happening inside us. He told me he didn't know what it was either, that this was different from other times in the past when he'd had Lovemates. I told him I'd never had a Lovemate before so I had nothing to compare this to. I was still very young, just grown really, and had lived a very sheltered life. He asked my permission to court me properly, as he did indeed realize the difference in rank. He fully understood that there was no hope of our ever being bound, but we both knew there was no denying the connection that was forming between us. Elves know better than to defy their hearts.

I had a long talk with K'antor the next day. He was my brother and my best friend, the one person who had been in my life every single day of it so far. I told him Torlinque and I were probably falling in love, and that I had given Torlinque permission to court me, but that we both knew it couldn't last, and that Torlinque was OK with that.

In my innocence, I neglected to tell K'antor about the part where Torlinque had told me this was different than just falling in love. Maybe I should have, but as things are right now with both my boys, I'm glad I didn't.

K'antor reminded me about my duty to produce a purebred Kholi'ani heiress, and cautioned me to be careful, that he was concerned I'd get hurt. Torlinque didn't have anywhere near the nasty reputation Kharie'l did. In fact, he had a great reputation for treating all his previous Lovemates very well. As far as either of us had been able to find out through the village grapevine, Torlinque had only had 3 other Lovemates before me when he was very young, all fairly brief relationships by Elven standards, but they all spoke highly of him. They said he hadn't taken a Lovemate at all in the last 80 years or so.

K'antor said it would probably be another century or two, depending on how the war progressed, before I'd need to be bound anyway, so he said allowing Torlinque to court me was probably all right.

So Torlinque courted me. He left me little gifts to find, notes attached with the Adrastai token red ribbon. We sat together at supper in the Hall sometimes. He took me to dinner at his father's house several times (Kharie'l is an excellent cook, believe it or not). We spent a great deal of time walking in the gardens and talking, getting to know each other. We never held hands, and always maintained a respectable distance apart. Torlinque knew that I was young yet, and needed time. He was always a perfect gentleman.

One moonlit evening we were walking together just that way, when he suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me gently into the shadow under a tree. He didn't say a word, just took my chin gently in his fingers and stared all the way down into my heart like he had the first night I dropped my book. Again he stole my breath. Then he kissed me.

Suddenly the world was gone and all I saw was the white fire that is inherent in the Kholi'ani. He was there with me, and I saw our energy patterns, but they were made only of stars.

When he broke the kiss, I found myself breathless and standing as close to him as I could get, leaning full length into his body. Our arms were wrapped tightly around each other. With anyone else I probably would have been embarrassed and pulled away, but not with him. With him it felt Right and Perfect, like I'd belonged there all along. We just stood that way for a minute or two. I stared up at him. His eyes were sparkling and his face was flushed.

We didn't talk about what we'd seen. We knew it hadn't been what other people experience when they kiss, that it had been more, but after it, we held hands when we walked. I told him I should go into the inner sanctum of the Temple and speak to the Goddess about what was happening between us. We agreed we probably shouldn't go any further in our relationship until we knew what She had to say.

On my next regularly scheduled trip into that most holy of places, I spoke to Her of all the People's concerns as I usually did, receiving Her Guidance for them. Lastly I spoke to Her of Torlinque and me. She told me not to fear, that we were supposed to be together and that we would understand in time. She told me exactly what to do next, and when I left Her, I was no longer afraid of what was happening to me, no longer afraid that it was against what I'd always seen as my Path. I saw clearly and knew what I needed to do.

Part III