One Long Night by the Niafi [M]

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She wasn't stupid.  Only drunk. 
And Ibra Koh'lesh was still one od the most perceptive women he might ever know.

So when he attempted to make a fuss over her- she intentionally moved his injured arm in a way that she knew would bring pain. 

When he'd yelp she'd release him and glared daggers into his eyes .

"Then what do you call that mangled mess of your arm?" She poked roughly at his chest.  "And this whole thing.. do you honestly thing you can just get out of my wrath by being eaten by a crocodile!?"

A flash of lightning illuminated her wild espression- making her look like some wicked creature than a Essryni lady.

"You aiming to die a hero!? I don't think so, Faraji! I'm not done making you suffer yet! You have no idea the pain you've caused me these past few years and I.. I.."

Another flash of lightning illuminated her face again- one carved of great grief and sorrow.

And there were tears. She was crying, salty tears running down her cheeks.


Then it began to rain.

[Goldie]

Sure enough the moment she moved his hand, he bit back another scream which came out as a muffled cry deep in his throat. Tears sprang to his eyes and his breath came in gasps. Once she let go, he immediately pulled it protectively to his chest and blinked away the stars that danced before his eyes.

"I don't want to be a martyr, or a hero, I just want to keep you safe. Safe from me, from my mother, from my life." He told her desperately.

"Besides. Dying is a lot more appealing than being forced into a marriage I don't want. A marriage I've never wanted."

And then he felt his own hurt and betrayal that he'd suppressed for five years bubble to the surface, "You left, Ibra! You sent that damned note and then you were gone like you didn't know me. Like you thought I would actually do that to you. Like you don't know my mother. You didn't return any of my letters, I'm not even sure they even reached you." His voice was getting louder as he spoke, as his own pain was finally given a voice.

And then she was crying. The sky was crying with her.

He couldn't take it. It couldn't take any of it!

A few large, aggressive steps was all it took to bridge the gap between them and he grabbed her head with his good arm and kissed her.

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A loud crash of thunder shook- flashing the pair in wicked, wild light.  But the wildness of the growing storm  paled in comparison to the tempest of emotion that shook through the pair. 

Through the anger- the sadness- the tears and the oppression...
The walls came tumbling down and she found herself unable to stop her kisses.

By now the rain began to come down in sheets, soaking the grounds as the threat of a desert flash flood became real. But she didn't care- the one emotion, her piece of her heart  had returned to her like the thundering rush of the storm. And she did not want to let this go.

[Goldie]

Faraji knew what he was doing was wrong. Saanvi was waiting back at his house, at their pre-wedding party, and he was here holding another woman. It didn't matter that it should have been her, what mattered was that it wasn't , and despite everything he didn't want to shame his family, or the family of his betrothed. He needed to make a clean break and then, then he could be here. H shouldn't be here now.

But he was.

Gods, he was here now and he couldn't stop the floodgates. Years of holding back, of suppressing his feelings behind that mask of stone all nobility have to learn to survive - he especially after she'd left.

His good hand wove into her hair and he pulled her close as the rain enveloped them and hid them from view. No one would be out in this. He loved her. He'd never stopped loving her.

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His kisses were more intoxicating than all the alcohol she had, combined. And even the warning flashes of the rain- the cracks of thunder and waters already pooling at their feet...
Even that couldn't pull her away from the flood of emotions.

She couldn't help herself as even her body was drawn to his like the natural allure of magnetism. Hands felt up and down the muscles of his back, before wrapping around him in a desperate embrace.

And between unyielding kisses she'd breath.
And she'd say.. "Make love to me."

And she looked into his eyes, pleading with him that they could share that one intimate moment to make him her's again.

[Goldie]

Oh Hakeshna, no. No, she wasn't asking him that question. He shuddered as memories of their relationship years ago came flooding back and desire made him drunk and stupid. Still he kissed her, pressing into her as much as his injuries would allow, while rediscovering the feel of her.

But this was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

He pulled his lips away and let his forehead press against hers while taking deep, steadying breaths to chase away the passion that threatened to blind him.

"Ibra...I can't...not like this." She was drunk, he was hurt, and he needed to break things off with Saanvi.

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She felt her swelling heart tear apart again at the rejection- a flash of lightning illuminating her form. He'd see her grief, the pain.. even the anger.

But the waters were now tugging at their ankles and threatening to rise further. A storm in the desert could be deadly.

But she didn't care. It hurt too much.

And he was right there.

She felt as if the world was grieving with her. The rain.. the storm...

But she didn't pull away from him. She was past running away now.

"Then I guess this is it, then."

Their final goodbye. 

[Goldie]

"Stop it." But this time his words were forceful, demanding, instead of spoken in supplication. He gripped her chin with his hand and leaned in for another passionate, firm kiss like a wanderer in the desert who had just found the first hint of water. He let the rain and the feel of her wash over him as they both tugged him - warred with him.

"This is only the end if you want it to be," he pulled back to say, "But I don't want this to be the end. Don't make the same mistake again. Don't run away."

And he kissed her again, this time letting her completely consume him to the point it was painful to pull away, and he shuddered. Gods he wanted to say yes.

"It's only ever been you, Ibra. It's always been you."

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Her eyes still shone, red with tears as she looked into his eyes again.  Then she grabbed a hold of his face, cupped hands catching wild rain waters as they splashed against his cheeks and she kissed him, and kissed him fierce.

"I didn't return this affection to simply burn it up in the trash." She held his eyes, and the fierceness that made her Ibra Koh'lesh shone through.

"But it's been five years, Faraji..."

[Goldie]

"Then we have a lot to talk about." He replied flatly, as if the very mention of how many years they'd been estranged was the most insignificant thing in the world.

"But first, we need to get you home." He glanced at the sky and then back at her. Both of them were drenched, which was lucky for him as it had already washed the blood from his clothes, but it also showed every curve of her body as her clothes clung to her.

"Can you...ah..." he pointed to the sky.

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Ibra just looked at him and began to feel deflated.  Though as the storm waters swelled, she felt the current pull at them both, dangerously.

She didn't even hear the last statement he said, before she suddenly exclaimed about feeling sick- then  doubled over to vomit into the raging waters. 

[Goldie]

Faraji was not one for vulgarity, but as the waters continued to rise and now Ibra's condition deteriorating, he couldn't help the string of curses that flew from his tongue. She wasn't going to be of any help and they needed to move now before the flash flood swept them away.

And it was getting to the point of imminent danger far faster than he would have liked.

Hakeshna help them, what could he even do? He knew his arm wouldn't support her, they weren't close to any places of refuge, not terribly far from his home but also too far to be of any help.

The horse was their only hope, and even that was slim. How long could he withstand the waters as they began to move in earnest?

It didn't really matter at this point. Faraji grabbed Ibra and forcefully put her foot in the stirrup to get her up. "Let's go. Up you get." He encouraged, not wholly certain he'd be able to climb up himself at this point, but he had to get her there at least.

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As he did so, she caught his hand and turned to him. Her grip tightened. 

"This time I think you should be joining me for this ride?" She asked, though it was almost a threat. "Get on. Come on." 

She wasn't going anywhere without him.

[Goldie]

He nodded. He wasn't about to send her off alone if they could both get on the horse and survive the flood - he wasn't a fool and she wasn't going to be rid of him that easily.

"Of course. Up!" Once he was certain she was securely on his back, he placed his own foot in the stirrup and attempted to hoist himself up. It was a challenge. His dead arm was in the way and he struggled to find his balance without being able to firmly hold onto the reins.

Attempt one and he was back in the water which was now up past his shins. He needed to go faster. The water was rising and the production was wasting time.

Second time, he didn't give enough force to his muscles and fell short.

Last time. It had to work this time.

This time he was able to extend his leg fully and went to swing the other over the geldings back, when the bite from the crocodile twinged and his muscles spasmed. He couldn't catch hold of the reins and he fell back first into the water with a cry and disappeared from view.

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"Faraji! No!"

Light exploded from the gemstones lining her wrists and she reached out with raw need into the very air, into the very storm itself to force the storm winds to obey her- ripping them from their vicious cycled track and channeling it through her body, then gemstones so much that the raw power itself made her cry out and cry blood-

And then with the ferocity of the storm she tore the winds clean into and through the raging waters before them and parted the very flood waters that roared and rushed all around them.
And she kept at it, unrelenting as the waters bubbled and parted in a froth of anger before her then rushed away- clearing the lands in her wake as she turned in hopes to see Faraji now free of the water. Or had it been too late?

[Goldie]

The water wasn't so high that he'd be swept away, not yet, but it was just high enough that it covered him completely; filled his nose, his ears, his open mouth. And then his back smacked onto the ground and he saw stars. His lungs emptied of air and if Ibra hadn't channeled her stones, he might have taken a big, final breath of debris filled water.

As it stood, the water parted around him and he was able to roll on his side and cough up the water that had managed to enter. Rough, full bodies coughs that sent tears from his eyes to mingle with the rain and the flood.

He pushed himself to his knees, letting the last of it to leave his lungs, and then stumbled to his feet and managed to find the horse again.

To find Ibra.

Adrenaline helped him pull himself exhausted up onto the horse behind Ibra.

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Her body was tense as she forced the winds to obey. She felt herself straining, losing her grip.

But then he was on the horse and she collapsed back into him, arms shaking.

"We.. we need to go now.. i.. I can't..can't keep controlling the winds.."

Blood was seeping from her eyes and nose. She almost dropped the reins.

[Goldie]

He ignored the pain from his shoulder by as he wrapped his arms around her and took the reins. His head was pounding, but the fear that coursed through when he felt her shaking and spotted the blood on her face was enough to numb everything.

"Hold on." He kissed the top of her head and pressed his heals into the gelding's flanks. The horse obeyed almost immediately and Faraji moved as quickly as he dared towards Ibra's home.

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As she felt the horse gallop away, her vision began to fade. She clung onto him, body shaking. 

"Just keep.. keep riding I..."

The lights in the gems went out. Her eyes rolled back as she fell limply into his arms- while the blade of winds were drawn back into the storm clouds and the wild waters they held back suddenly rushed forward. 

[Goldie]

For the second time this night, the eldest and heir of the Achebe family, who was usually so poised and composed, found himself letting out a string of curses in multiple languages - he was fluent in six. The knee high waters rushed around them and the horse began to whinny nervously.

Faraji tried to console him, to keep him calm, all the while forcing down complete and utter terror. They were stuck. The storm would continue and the waters would rise. Hakeshna save them...

He continued to maneuver the horse towards her home, but he knew they wouldn't make it. It was too far!

He made a split second decision, deciding their lives were more important than reputations, and turned back towards his estates. They were much closer and he was certain his mother had already sent out the search parties to ensure her precious son's safety.

So they rode. The rains continued almost out of spite, but the walls came into view and they didn't fall.

A shout went up and the gates opened - his home was on top of a hill so the waters weren't nearly as high here, though that wouldn't last for long.

"My Lord!!" He heard the familiar voices of his home calling to him, and then they were inside and being pulled from the horse before half dragged, half carried into the front door. The guests were still there, none daring to venture out during a storm of this caliber, and as such his return, with the unconscious Ibra, was well noted by each and every person present.

"Take care of her, please." Faraji demanded of one of his more trusted guards, "A room, healers, anything she needs."

Then he was climbing the stairs where his mother, his father, and Saanvi waited, clinging to one another with fear.