Family Reunion (79 page)

Her sister was always the
one praised and doted upon by all, even Austeao accepted that it was her sister who would see them in an honorable place with their ruler. Just as Aurelia had been to
her
father, so Ceś alena was to her own, King LuMaden's shining diamond, glowing brightly from within all of his other children.

The light Ashtaphere felt should shine on him, as the eldest son, always seemed to be on his little sister, Esa. Austeao realized the error in her son's thinking and had often tried to persuade him into acceptance. It was not only his sister, the princess he resented, but his brother Catamon as well. He was the only child that was an almost exact replica of King LuMaden.

Unsatisfactory to Ashtaphere was that he took his coloring from his mother. He hated his light skin, dark eyes and black hair. What he felt was his one redeeming characteristic was that he looked the masculine version of Aurelia. He was handsome, yet his chosen preference was to look like his father the king. No matter how good looking he was, he felt it was a curse for his features to be compared to a woman's.

So with eyes of envy, he coveted the looks of his brother Catamon and Ceś alena. Filled with disdain, Ashtaphere hated as well LuMaden's other children because some of them also carried his gold eyes and tawny gold hair.

Suddenly Ceś alena had been taken from the Island. Catamon cried and blamed himself that she was taken by the white men in big ships, when they’d played upon the beach. In her absence, Ashtaphere thought, surely he would gain the light that had shined on Ceś alena.

Instead, almost every conversation or topic that flowed from LuMaden's mouth had been in the mourning of his Esa; Esa this, and my Esa that, on and on about his Esa never seeming to end until in a fit of envious rage, Ashtaphere shouted at his father.

"Esa, Esa, Esa!! Will you never cease to call out her name?!! Must I still stand in the shadow of her!?! A mere weak, woman! A daughter, a girl! Had my sale of her been for naught!? In vain?! For you my father to stand ever and on crying for her, moaning about her?! Can you not see…that there exists for you more children than she! She is gone father!! I wish every utterance of her name be gone with her!!" Ashtaphere's confession had made LuMaden stand and stare in outraged shock. He could not believe that his son had done such a thing, had sold his own sister. Matching his son's rage, LuMaden strode up to him, slapping him soundly across the face three times and then had him banished from the palace with all of his rights stripped from him. No longer would he be recognized or allowed to wear the colors that would link him to his fathers' palace.

It was because of Catamon and Austeao that LuMaden
had not strangled the life out of him. Later, after taking possession of a merchant trader and its crew; who happened by the Island and were dragged before him, LuMaden had spared their lives in exchange that they spread the word of great treasures as reward for the return of the king's daughter, Princess Ceś alena.

Years later, still no word of her whereabouts had come. Growing weary, fearing that he would die before ever knowing the fate of his beloved child, LuMaden took to his bed much to the chagrin of his wife. "Ah'll he eva' wont is a little praise from'yah LuMaden-…" She tried once again in defense of her son.

"Enough of you woman!! I have never denied any of my children! I have given all the same – including him!"

"Not so, an'yah know it!"

"I will not abide treachery in my palace! Even from my own brood! She was his very own blood! He was to watch over her! Instead, he sold my Esa to the very men who would enslave us all! For that, he will never be forgiven! Now out of my face woman, leave me to die in peace!"

"Ther'be no'ting wrong with'yah! Fine – lay'abed!" Tired of the fight, Austeao gave up the useless argument and turned to leave his room when one of the young boys from the village came looking for her. Closing the double ornate doors of brass and ivory inlay, she held a finger to her lips. The boy bowed before her, asking permission to speak. He seemed highly excited for some reason and though in a bad mood, Austeao asked. "Wha'tis it boy?! Speak uv wha'ya will!"

"Ah was sendid ba' Catamon! So'far ancha'd from da' beach, there be a … a big big ship! T'ree uv'dim! 'dey'wave flags wit'colors of LuMaden! Catamon say com' tell dis ta' King LuMaden!" Austeao felt her heart leap as she stared wondering how could this be so, three ships displaying flags with colors of the royal house?

"Has Catamon led his men t'da'beach?"

"Yes!"

"We will keep 'dis from LuMaden 'till we know who'it'tis… go!"

* * *

"Are you nervous?"

"Why would the sight of hundreds of men waiting at the beach with swords, spears and machetes make me nervous? Nooo, does not concern me a bit."

Manny replied, looking back at his wife,
grinning and patting her hand to cover his anxiety. "They will not attack with the flags waving. Once they see me, neither
you n
or our children will come to harm. The colors we wear will tell them all they need to know long before a word of explanation is uttered; any who venture here without them might not have a chance to speak. That is why I insisted that you, Mike, Rory and Joseph wear the sashes I made. They say who and what you are to me, especially your color, it overrides my father's, letting them know that you are my husband. Hope's sarong says she is our daughter, and Joseph's color overrides yours, plainly stating he is her husband." She gave a brief explanation.

"I can see the wisdom in it."

"Good, there's no need in being so nervous, how do I look, has my face filled out to normal?" Lena asked.

"I told you, you look as beautiful as ever."

"Do you think the kids could see a difference in me?"

"No one can tell, stop your worrying. It's over, with no one the wiser. Gaitsu would never consider discussing such a thing."

"I hope not, I wouldn't be able to face anyone if they knew. It was bad enough having the crewmen stare at me so." She worried.

"They have no idea what took place, it will soon be forgotten."

Two of his crewmen rowed them to the beach, with Mike, Maria, and their children in the second boat. While Rory, Esteban, Hope, Joseph and Sandra occupied the last one, all staring in wide eyed wonder at the tropical Island that had at one time been Lena's home. The oars sliced through clear blue waves, as they made progress toward the white sandy beach with thick tropical foliage standing high in the background against a bright blue sky, scattered with white clouds. On the beach, standing and waiting was a fierce army of warriors, naked to the waist, brandishing their weapons, ready for the command of their leader.

Catamon stood before his army of men, all wearing only their customary loin cloths of tan cotton, and sandals. Circling their muscular biceps, were bands of gold, also, each man wore one earring of looped gold in his pierced ear the higher their rank, the more gold rings. On Catamon, each linkage extended from his ear until it connected with his nose into the piercing of one nostril. Over his left shoulder was a thick braid of hair with gold thread woven within to the end, left to grow long over his left ear, whereas on the rest of his head, his hair was sheared neat and close. Its texture similar to Lena's, with waves that were smaller and more coarse.

Around his neck, he wore a heavy gold chain with a gold medallion housing a large onyx stone.

His eyes taking in all, Catamon's surprise could not be mistaken
when the first boat landed on the beach, to see standing in clear view a familiar figure, making her presence known. Her sarong and the colors confirmed her identity. Stunned and staring, Catamon's right hand rose and slowly lowered. His men pulled their weapons back to their sides, their faces once holding hostility and warning, cleared to expressions of surprise, some masking their astonishment while others were unable to. As soon as the boat touched upon the sandy beach, Catamon watched her helped from the boat skirt hitched and sandals in hand.

He could only stare.

The presence of the woman, so familiar, made his heart pound, disturbing his breathing. Around her head she wore a gele that completely covered her hair, indicating her lord was in her presence, the color she wore, overriding LuMaden's. Glancing from her, his eyes cut briefly to the large white man accompanying her, who had disembarked following closely behind. Catamon’s expression did nothing to relay the shock he felt at seeing this white man wearing his father's colors as his own overrode them.

Chapter Seventeen

The two stood facing each other in silence, Lena looking up at her older brother, as he stood staring down at the woman he knew to be his little sister. Lena felt her insides tremble waiting for Catamon to respond to her sudden appearance, the only sign of what her presence had suddenly done was the controlled rise and fall of his chest, giving evidence of his turmoil. To see him there, Lena knew that Catamon had finally become the serious warrior he had sworn to become. An outward show of emotion was something he should always keep well in control. Yet Catamon, for once, in all of his painstaking training and devoted rituals that gained his father's approval, wished that he could cast it all to the winds to grab his little sister and weep as he held her to him…his men were watching, so he would not.

He couldn't help but think back and remember himself as a young boy running, screaming and crying along the beach as he watched her being taken away in the small boat as he had hidden from her in their play. Only to be brought out of hiding by her screams for help; to see white men holding her as their prisoner while they rowed away. By the time he'd come to his senses, turning to get help, those that had her and the mighty ship they came on were too far out to sea. Back then, they had been the best of friends, loving each other. They kept nothing from each other and after all the time that had passed, there she stood once again, and he, though his heart hammered, had to maintain the control of a strict and stern leader.

Recovering from the shock, he bowed in greeting to her, his men followed suit, once he rose, they rose as well, standing quiet as Catamon finally spoke, "Princess Ceś alena, you live. All hope had been lost of ever seeing you again. Yet, you've come back to us. It is good to see you and know that you have fared well. Our father has sent many in search of you. This will bring our king great pleasure, to see his Princess has returned."

Lena had not forgotten the way they were expected to conduct themselves before their menials. They were not to display emotions that would make one look soft or caring, to do so would make those of the royal house seem weak to the peasants. Aloofness was a must to maintain the loyalty and respect of the peasants toward those of the royal household. Only within the walls of the palace, and then only when a servant was not present to observe, could they freely express their emotions. Lena could now remember hating this manner of behaviour; twenty-nine years later she was forced to revert back to indifference, when she really wanted to leap and throw her arms around her brother because she was home to see him again. She wanted him to know how much she loved and missed him but she would have to settle for the slight bow he gave her as a greeting.

"It is good to see you again as well my brother. Yes, I am well, as you can see, with the grace of God, I have survived my misfortune and mainly you see, due to this man, my husband, my lord."

Lena returned softly, referring to Manny, who was trying to remain quiet as he observed for the first time his wife's brother and obvious customs. He mirrored Catamon's stolid stance, wondering how someone could maintain such cold indifference when their own sister returned to them after being missing for so long.

Catamon turned his attention to Manny, who stood tall and apparently not in the least bit intimidated by their presence, given that he was a minority among them. Catamon could also read the white man's disapproval with the reception his younger sister was receiving; that touched a cord within Catamon towards him despite his unfortunate color.

"I see that you represent the colors of this man, yet…
he
– stands behind
you
." He observed, while looking at Manny, even though he spoke to his sister. Lena swallowed, feeling her stomach churn, "Yes, I wear his color, he is known by the name Maynard Ramsey Webster." She answered, then remembering her place; she lowered her head and stepped behind Manny.