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vivid-ink · 1 year ago

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"To Know You Again" Chapter 5 - Doubt No More

Pairing: Neteyam x fem!Omatikaya OC

Summary: “Do you remember our last night here? The night before my family left?” The warm, rumbling timbre of Neteyam’s voice washed over her. “Yes,” Naia whispered. How could she forget?... She had replayed the memory of his lips over and over numerous times. One corner of Neteyam’s mouth lifted in a small smile as his eyes tracked over the delicate bridge of her nose and over her steadily flushing cheeks. His gaze stopped to rest on her lips, “You gave me something that night. I think it's time I returned it."

An exploration of what if Neteyam had to leave a girl he was close to behind when his family fled to the reefs to seek refuge. AU - Set 7 years after TWoW, exploring the many emotions and the eventual romantic reunion between Neteyam and his love.

Warnings: Adult content 18+, MDNI Content: Romance, drama, angst, fluff, sexual content, smut, soulmates, bonding. Word Count: 8.9k

Previous Chapter 4 - The Great Mother's Blessing

Leylani watched, alarmed, as Naia disappeared out through the entry flaps of the tsahìk’s hut again, tearing away through the stronghold. The basket of clean linen lay haphazardly on its side on the floor, some of its contents spilling out of its tilted form. She called out in a half-shout, very mindful of the newborn asleep in her arms, “Manaia! What’s wrong? Manaia!”

Her friend had looked a fright. Naia’s eyes had been wide and frantic, as though she had just witnessed something terrible. Her expression had turned even more stricken when she had met Leylani’s gaze, and her face had crumpled before she had snatched her belongings and fled. Something was wrong.

Lithely pushing off the backs of her feet to stand up, Leylani quickly padded back around the wooden partition to return Amiria to her napping mother with a hurried apology. Gathering her long tresses and winding it all atop her head in a knot, she lanced a couple of long hairpins through the updo to make it stay and prepared to run after Naia. Leylani strapped her hunting knife to her hip and was about to step out of the hut when the flaps parted to admit an apprehensive looking Kikuna.

“Did Manaia come back this way?” Kikuna asked, her forehead creased with worry.

Immediately connecting the appearance of this young woman with the disappearance of the other, Leylani remarked in return, “Yes, why?”

Kikuna shifted anxiously on her feet and wrung her hands, “A few of us were chatting by the washing grove. She overheard and looked upset when she left us.”

Clearing her throat and folding her arms impatiently across her bosom, Leylani eyed the young woman acutely, foot tapping tetchily on the floormats, “Well? What happened?”

Kikuna and her gaggle of friends were insipid and notorious gossips. Leylani did not even want to guess what unpleasant comments had been said that had not been meant for Naia’s ears. Likely some distasteful comment about Naia’s plain appearance… or her bland fashion sense… The former of which was untrue, and the latter meant nothing at all in the grand scheme of things, when you considered what a generous and beautiful soul Naia was, even if her tongue was sharp.

“Tupou told me this morning that Neteyam has reclaimed his role as successor.” Kikuna began carefully, “I’m sorry Leylani, I know it’s meant to be all hush-hush still, but everyone is already talking about it. We were just talking amongst ourselves about it. You’d make a strong pair, you and Neteyam.”

Kikuna’s last sentence was delivered with a beseeching smile towards Leylani, as if the compliment would somehow atone for the inappropriate nattering she and her friends had engaged in. The realisation of what Naia had overheard and what she would have surmised was like a dowsing of frigid water over Leylani. Naia would have assumed the worst and worse still, her assumption would have been incorrect based off the gossip.

This was not at all how events were supposed to unfold… Naia was not supposed to find out until Neteyam spoke to her tonight… By Eywa, no one in the wider clan was supposed to know anything yet.

*** FLASHBACK TO EARLIER THAT MORNING ***

“Neteyam, wait!” Leylani speared through the draping flaps of the council shelter, hastening after Neteyam as he strode away. Reaching out, she grasped hold of his wrist and he turned to face her. The disappointment was plain on his face, but the unwavering resolution that reinforced his decision still remained.

“You can’t convince me to change my mind, Leylani. My decision is made.”

“I know, brother. But-” Leylani breathed with an exhalation. However, Neteyam interrupted her before she could continue.

“Then there’s nothing to talk about.” He was about to turn on heel and leave when Leylani firmly took hold of both his hands.

“Hear me out, you didn’t let me speak.” Leylani chided. She squeezed his hands hearteningly, “You would rescind your decision to decline and accept if you could mate Manaia, right? What if she was your tsakarem again?”

Neteyam’s lips parted and his brows furrowed low, reading between the lines of what she was implying, “What are you saying?”

Warmth unfolded in her heart as Leylani licked her lips and prepared to give voice to her own decision. She felt no disappointment, no resentment, because she knew this was her path and was at peace with it, “I’ll step down.”

Astonishment coloured Neteyam’s face and he blinked at her, shaking his head, “I can’t ask this of you.”

“You’re not asking. I’m offering.” Leylani pressed firmly. She graced him with a noble smile then and released one of his hands to press her palm over his heart, “This is right. It is what I must do for my people and for both of you. We’ll make things as they used to be, reinstate the original order of things.”

It appeared her words were still sinking in and Leylani could see him mulling over what they meant. Neteyam murmured, almost to himself, “That’s assuming Naia wants to be tsakarem again. She did give up the role after all.”

With a snort and an eyeroll that even Naia would have been proud of, Leylani retorted, “She gave up the role because she didn’t want to mate Tupou, because Tupou isn’t you. She is still the ideal tsakarem for this clan just as you are the ideal successor. She will go where you go. Manaia will stand by your side, trust me.”

Neteyam huffed out a laugh of delight and he pulled her into a firm embrace. No words were said, but Leylani did not need them to feel his relief and his gladness.

“Come! We must tell them. Before they dismiss for the morning.” Leylani said, tugging on his wrist again and pulling him eagerly back into the meeting shelter.

*** FLASHBACK END ***

The curse that rustled past Leylani’s lips was stifled, but still vulgar enough that Kikuna flinched in surprise. Leylani knew it was unlike herself to use expletives, but sometimes the situation warranted it.

“Tupou should never have told you, and you shouldn’t have gone and told other people!” Leylani moved to take Kikuna’s elbow, leaning closer so she could mutter by the other woman’s ear through gritted teeth.

Kikuna pouted and hissed huffily, “It wasn’t just me Tupou told. He told a few of the other warriors too. And how is it that Manaia doesn’t know? I thought she and Neteyam were close.”

“That is beside the point! Your gossiping has unnecessarily and incorrectly upset Manaia.” Leylani rebuked with pinned ears, her tail swishing crossly from side to side. There was not any way to correct Kikuna’s understanding of the situation without telling her the full truth. Considering what a chatterer Kikuna was, Leylani decided it better to give her the truth rather than leave her to potentially spread more assumptions and lies, “Neteyam’s decision isn’t final yet! He needed tonight to speak to Manaia first before the council formally made their announcement, because he won’t reclaim his position unless Manaia agrees to reclaim hers as tsakarem.”

Kikuna blinked several times as the facts settled in and then she turned to Leylani in shock, “So y-you’re not going to be mated to Neteyam?”

“No! He loves Manaia! But no thanks to you, you’ve now made it seem like he’s abandoned her behind her back!”

Kikuna paled to a lighter shade of blue and she bit her lip, realising the error and the consequence it had wrought upon Manaia. She could only squeak in response, “Oh.”

With an exasperated snarl of frustration, Leylani swept out of the hut in search of Naia. She did not regret how harsh she had been with Kikuna, but another part of her reminded her that the root cause of this situation was not, in fact, Kikuna. Another muted curse left her and she muttered under her breath to herself, “You wait until I get my hands on you, Tupou.”

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Was it possible to go from the happiest you had ever been to the saddest in the space of one day?...

Night had fallen and it was well and truly the heart of eclipse now. Naia knelt at the foot of the Tree of Souls her hands braced against the peeling bark of the trunk as she wept. Even the unbroken flow of the ancestors’ voices through her bond with the Great Mother’s tree did nothing to soothe the upheaval in her heart.

She was well-versed with the symptoms of a panic attack. The revelation of Neteyam’s supposed re-acceptance of his birthright, and betrothal to Leylani by default, had sent Naia into a tailspin of irrational thinking. Her deepest, darkest fears had risen to the surface like a monstrous creature with sharp claws and gnashing teeth, seizing hold of her heart in its unforgiving jaws and terrorising her with her insecurities. Yet, try as she might to combat the crushing senselessness that came with the spell, Naia’s thoughts still swung from pole to pole; idyllic memories of the last few weeks warring with the ugly insecurities dredged up by her panic.

Why didn’t Neteyam say anything about the proposition?... Was that his intention all along? To return to the clan to reclaim his birthright?... But he told you he loved you; he came back for you… Then why did he keep this from you?...

Naia had fled the stronghold earlier that afternoon and her legs had automatically carried her towards the ikran rookery, intent on flying wherever her panicked mind sought to take her. She had reached the flat crag of the rookery before realising that Lortirea would still be weak from laying, so flying was immediately thrown out of the equation. Foolishly, she had let her legs carry her mindlessly and aimlessly down from the floating mountains to the forest floor, where she had continued to run herself to exhaustion.

The acute shaking of her limbs had ceased now at least, as had the painful tingling in her fingers. All that was left now were her sore muscles and scraped palms and knees where she had fallen earlier. Where her mind had reeled with irrational panic before, now it drowned in the unrelenting depths of her despair.

She could not lose Neteyam again… A woeful sob forced its way from her throat. Naia had healed the wound as best she could when his family had first left all those years ago. She had made a reluctant peace with his departure from her life, and convinced herself to be content with her memories and her girlish fantasies. But then he had miraculously returned and he had swept her off her feet with his promise of forever. So, why now had he agreed to mate another woman?...

An image of Leylani swirled into Naia’s mind, all lissom grace and stunning beauty beyond compare… The thought turned into a knife-sharp clench in her chest. Perhaps it’s obvious why, Naia… How could he resist her?... They would make a strikingly attractive pair… you would look mismatched next to Neteyam with your uninspiring plainness…

By Eywa, Naia knew she could not bear to go through life watching them together. Not after sharing what she had with Neteyam these last few weeks. Naia knew the separation would be so much worse this time, knowing what she would be losing; watching him wed Leylani; watching him start a soaia (family) with her; living with them as olo’eyktan and tsahìk... Naia felt sick and she swallowed another painful sob.

Better than Tupou being clan chief, at least… Neteyam had always been a natural leader and the Omatikaya would flourish under his leadership. However, the positive thought was of little consolation to Naia in the present moment. Her heart was selfish and it wanted to wallow in its hurt.

One of Naia’s hands flew to clutch the pendant at her throat, the only physical reminder she had that she had not dreamt up the bliss of the last while. Neteyam had given it to her, called her the most beautiful thing in his eyes… Had he lied?... Perhaps you were just a convenient roll-around in the moss while he awaited the council’s decision to reinstate him… She did not want to believe the horrid thought, but her insecurity reared its ugly head once more.

Naia knew that Neteyam had had other women. He was her first, but she was not his by any means. They had not spoken about this specifically, but there was a familiarity and a confidence in the way he touched her that spoke to his sexual experience. The idea had not bothered her before. After all, it had been her own personal preference not to explore intimacy with others. She would not begrudge him the freedom of not doing the same. But maybe she was not as special as he had led her to believe…

Naia sagged on her next sobbing exhale, uncaring that it hurt the scrapes on her palms to trail her hands forlornly down the harsh bark of the tree. Palms flat on the glowing moss, she bent forward to press her forehead against the backs of her hands, her entire form prostrate on the ground. Great Mother, please let this all be a nightmare… let me wake up and realise that none of this is true…

She was shattered both physically and emotionally. She was so tired. There was no way she would make it back to High Camp tonight. Scaling down the mountains and trekking to the Tree of Souls on foot had been a rash endeavour. There was a reason that those who wanted to visit the sacred site made the journey down on the backs of their ikran. Naia would have to spend the night here, and may Eywa protect her, lest any predators decide to make a midnight snack of her.

The pendant around her neck reminded her of its presence again as it clinked gently against the moss with her lurching breaths. She encircled the piece of jewellery in her palm, feeling the smooth texture of its looping pattern against her fingertips.

Lifting her head from the ground to sit upright, Naia unsheathed the dagger at her hip. It did not belong around her neck.

Neteyam had broken his promise, if he had ever meant it at all.

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Leylani had been pacing at the edge of the stronghold overlooking the horizon for the better part of the evening, anxiously awaiting Neteyam’s return. No one had seen Naia since she had bolted earlier that afternoon and the small scout party that Tarsem had deployed just before eclipse had not located her anywhere in the stronghold or in the surrounding forest grounds below the mountains.

Naia’s mother had been disappointed and unimpressed to learn of the misunderstanding, but Ayepni knew her daughter and she knew Naia would not return until she was ready to. Naia had always been very independent and obstinate; she would not be found if she did not want to be. Ayepni had tried to reassure Leylani that Naia would return home when she was ready to, but this did not sit well with Leylani and it was well into the night now.

Leylani chewed on her bottom lip and wrung her hands. She had grown and learned the ways of healing and spiritual leadership alongside Naia since they were children. Naia was as close as a sister to her, and the thought of Naia thinking she had betrayed her trust too was a thorn in her side. Kicking some loose scree about with her foot, Leylani groused to herself again and wished the warriors would hurry up.

The warriors’ patrol party was late returning to base, although Tarsem had indicated this possibility to her. Their assignment today had been to patrol out to the farthest outskirts of Omatikaya territory and it was a decent journey there and back. This was a mission that was routinely done once every moon cycle to survey the land for any unusual activity or threat from neighbouring clans. The danger of the Sky People had been vanquished, but Na’vi were still territorial, and inter-clan relations were not always friendly.

Finally though, the caws and skreiches of returning ikran reverberated through the rocky cavern of the stronghold as the warriors swooped in and up to land. Leylani’s eyes zeroed in on her two targets dismounting from their beasts to her far right. She felt a dichotomy of emotions as she marched up to the pair, her relief at the sight of Neteyam sparring with her quickly firing frustration at the sight of Tupou.

“That frown isn’t a good look on you, Leylani.” Tupou jeered, though his heckle was short-lived when it became apparent in the next instant that the focal point of her frustration was him.

Jabbing him with a finger above the just-healed scar on his pectorals, Leylani spat at Tupou, “You!” She felt no remorse at Tupou’s hiss of pain and continued, “You big-mouthed bastard. If anything untoward has happened to Manaia, it will be on your head!”

The mention of Naia’s name instantly caught Neteyam’s attention and he swivelled away from his ikran to face them, “What’s going on?”

“Tupou has broken the confidence he promised you this morning! He told Kikuna and a few others that you’d accepted the proposition, except he omitted the one crucial detail that your acceptance was still dependent on Manaia’s own reclamation of her own role as tsakarem.” Leylani outed Tupou’s misdemeanour without an ounce of hesitation, and it was the maddest Neteyam had ever seen her, “And now, the entire clan is talking about it and Manaia thinks you have agreed to be betrothed to me!”

Vexed at Leylani’s attack, Tupou griped in return, “So tell her that’s not the case? I don’t see the big deal!”

“I would! Except she heard through the grapevine from Kikuna and her gossip gang and ran off upset! She hasn’t come back since!”

The news sunk in a weight of cold, stony dread into the pit of Neteyam’s stomach. It was a misunderstanding of significant proportions and he turned to glower at Tupou, “You couldn’t wait just one more day for me to discuss this with Naia first? I haven’t technically accepted yet.”

Tupou flung his arms up impatiently and emitted a harsh groan, “It’s as good as done anyway! Manaia will re-accept her old position, we know that! Why didn’t you tell her about the proposition in the first place? If she is your intended, then why did you keep this from her?”

Neteyam’s lips pressed into a thin line and his tail weaved in a low arc behind him. It was a valid point that he could not refute. He should have told her. It would have been the honest thing to do. He had known that keeping this a secret from her was not ideal, but he never envisaged his decision to do so would unravel and come back to bite him in the form of the messy misunderstanding they now found themselves in.

The simmer of unease in Neteyam’s gut began to bubble and froth with more intensity while he absorbed the full consequence of how Naia would have interpreted the situation. Eywa, she probably thought he had deserted her for Leylani…

Leylani shook her head at the misfortune of it all. She took hold of Neteyam’s elbow and gave it a pressing squeeze, “Do you know where she might have gone? She looked distraught. I hate that she has the wrong idea about all this.”

Thinking immediately of the grotto, Neteyam nodded, hoping that he was right, “I think so.”

“Tarsem said that if you don’t find her soon then he will dispatch another round of scouts. He wants to know she is safe.”

“Got it. I’ll come find you at your family’s shelter if we need to keep looking, but if you don’t hear from me then everything is alright.”

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Hindsight was always 20/20 and regret almost always came hand in hand with it.

The night-time winds during the darkest part of eclipse were bitterly cold and Neteyam wished he had brought his flying shawl with him. In his haste to find Naia, the thought had not even occurred to him. He squinted down at the forest floor below through the whipping airstreams, searching for any sign of her. He was weary after his day’s work and even Tompa’s own fatigue was palpable through their bond as they flew. However, Neteyam’s concern for her safety far outweighed his tiredness.

None of this would have happened if he had been honest and open with Naia from the beginning.

The commlink in his ear beeped as yet another one of the other scouts reported they had searched and cleared their assigned area with no sighting of Naia. They had cleared High Camp, cleared the surrounding floating mountaintops and were now searching the forest floor in a gradually widening radius as Naia’s whereabouts continued to elude them.

Neteyam cursed under his breath. Where are you, Naia?... He would not rest until he found her. By Leylani’s accounts, Naia had been missing for hours now and though she had never been the reckless sort, part of him worried she might have done something rash in her upset.

To say that Neteyam’s heart had plummeted earlier when he had gone first to their grotto was an understatement. He had expected to find Naia there, but he had arrived to find the space vacant and cold. The rumpled nest of blankets had been as they had left it the previous night and not even a single ember glowed in the makeshift hearth. He had not been able to scent her in the vicinity and it was evident that she had not even set foot in the place that evening.

He had scurried to her family’s shelter next, in case he had missed her on her return home. However, he had been greeted by the apprehensive eyes of Naia’s parents, Ayepni and Tulut, their anxious expressions confirmation enough that Naia was not there either.

“Manaia has never missed last meal.” Ayepni had declared, and her worry had been tangible then, “No matter how angry or upset she is, Naia always comes home to eat. And then she might disappear again to go sulk wherever she goes, but she has never missed a meal like this.”

If it had not been for the dismal circumstances, Neteyam would have laughed. Naia did like her food. But this uncharacteristic departure from her routine was yet another stone on the already weighty pile of stones in the pit of his belly. Where was she?

The commlink beeped in his ear again followed by the rustle of static. The line connected and then disconnected several times, punctuated by harsh crackles and scratches like the person using it was fumbling around, inexperienced with the commlink device around their neck.

“Ah, hello? Can anyone hear me?” The voice was awkward, feminine and hesitant.

Neteyam’s fingers flew to the link at his throat, pressing the button to speak, “Leylani, go ahead. What is it?”

“I’ve found her! She’s at Vitrautral! I haven’t landed, but she appears alright, just praying.”

Balmy relief washed over Neteyam at Leylani’s words and he took a deep inhale before letting his breath rush out of him in a gust. He responded, “Copy that. I’m on my way there now.” The Tree of Souls was not far from where he was currently, it was just a bit farther out west.

Urging Tompa to bank left toward their targeted destination, Neteyam spotted Leylani departing on her own ikran in the distance. He let out an echoing ululation and returned her wave as she turned to depart for home. Leylani had insisted on joining the scout party and after Naia’s parents and himself, she was probably the next most concerned person. Neteyam had always held Leylani in high regard, both as a healer as well as a friend, but he had a newfound level of respect for her after what she had done today. Her unselfishness was truly admirable.

The dazzling vision of the sacred tree illuminated the luxuriant forest around it and Neteyam slowed on Tompa to circle the site. He spotted Naia within moments, knelt on one side of the tree’s mammoth trunk. The hallowed tree was positioned in the centre of a series of rocky escarpments which surrounded it on all sides, making it look as if it was situated within a natural geological bowl of glowing flora.

Making his descent, Tompa alighted elegantly on one of the scarps and the beast let out a low whine at the sight of Naia, who turned her head briefly in acknowledgement but remained stooped over where she was knelt. Patting Tompa’s neck in gratitude and murmuring his appreciation, Neteyam slid off his familiar’s back and carefully made his way down the steep scarp towards Naia.

Breaking into a jog once he reached flat ground, his eyes automatically scanned Naia for any sign of injury as he approached. She turned her head to face him and Neteyam’s heart squeezed in his chest.

Physically she was unharmed, but emotionally she looked broken.

Neteyam could smell the anguish pouring off her in the scent of her dried perspiration. The usually neat braids of her hair were windswept and little tendrils stuck out around her forehead and ears. Her nose was wet, her cheeks tracked with tears and her eyes were red-rimmed. Even the usually bright glimmer of the tanhì that freckled her all over were dimmed, the bioluminescent spots all flickering weakly like dying stars against the rich sapphire of her skin.

Naia did not rise to greet him and she held his gaze only for a few moments before her chin dropped to her chest again. The points of her ears turned down and her tail lay limp by her side. “Congratulations,” She croaked bitterly, her gaze still trained on her folded hands in her lap.

Shaking his head and feeling the sharp edge of regret cutting into his soul again, Neteyam’s voice was measured when he spoke to begin his explanation, “Naia, there’s been a huge misunderstanding-”

“About us? Yes, there has. One of us has made a grave misjudgement of the other.” Naia interrupted with a snap, immediately defensive.

“I’ve made a huge error in judgement, and I’m sorry. I should’ve told you so you wouldn’t get the wrong idea, so that you knew where I stood about us.” Neteyam continued, calmy disregarding her interruption.

Naia had spent hours in solitude now, stewing away with only her tumultuous emotions for company. She had alternated between praying to the Great Mother for guidance in the despairing situation she found herself in and begging her to take the pain in her soul away. Her hurt and her anger had warred, battling each other for control, swinging back and forth between bouts of tears and bouts of resentment.

However, now that Neteyam stood in her presence her ire was winning and dominating. She did not need to hear his apology for what he had done; for the woman he had chosen over her. She did not want to hear it. Her ire flared and it mixed with her burning shame. To think that she had pledged her everything to this man, let him fill her with dreamy promises, and he had so easily cast it all aside.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Naia’s tone was harsh and her big eyes were full of accusation as she glared up at him. Her face twisted into a grimace and a spurt of rage pushed her to her feet before him, “I trusted you. I let you in and let you cajole me with your sweet words, and all for nothing!”

Neteyam blinked and he took an involuntary step backward in bewilderment. Confusion bloomed within him as he regarded Naia who stood there with wild eyes and clenched fists. What was she talking about? Her chest was heaving with her breaths and tears were pooling in her eyes. She looked on the brink of a breakdown.

“Naia, what are you talking about?”

Neteyam reached for her arm and Naia exploded in a violent hiss, twisting out of his reach, “Don’t touch me! You lied! You didn’t have to say all those things! You didn’t have to make me feel special if you didn’t mean any of it!” Naia’s words rushed from her in a torrential stream, her emotions running high on the fuel of insecurity she had stoked to a fever pitch in the hours leading up to this moment. Feeling vulnerable, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders, her screams fizzling to whimpers now as she began to cry, “You told me you loved me. I let you touch me.”

Horror dawned upon Neteyam when he realised that they were not at all on the same page about the grave error of judgement they were speaking about. They were not even heading in the same direction. He was referring to his own misjudgement of keeping her in the dark about the proposition. She was apparently referring to her own error of judgement and that error was loving him. She was still rooted firmly in her belief that he had betrayed her.

Neteyam watched, momentarily dumbfounded, as Naia wept openly now. His nose twitched and he detected hints of her various emotions, all eddying around in a negative mixture that tainted her unique and sweet scent with a sour tinge. By Eywa, he understood then that she had spent most of the day and night steeping in the unbalanced state he now found her in. She was distraught and she was not thinking rationally.

His arms ached to reach out to her, but he had to be careful. He did not want to distress her further. He needed her to hear him out, “Yawntu (beloved), listen to me, please. It’s not what you think-”

But Neteyam’s words ground to a sudden halt when Naia’s arms shifted, lowering to hug herself about her waist and leaving her bare neck open to his view. His soul-gift was no longer around her neck.

A spear of panic shot through Neteyam and he gasped, “Naia, where’s the necklet I gave you?”

With a petulant sniff, Naia murmured, “Probably at the bottom the river I threw it into.”

The words were a dagger in Neteyam’s heart and his expression turned pained. His pain was followed by an unbidden surge of anger that flashed hotly through him and it manifested itself as a rancorous snarl.

Naia’s wrath spiked and she hissed in return. How dare he be upset with her?

In truth, she knew her words were a lie. The necklet lay tucked in the safety of her sling bag, but she had lied to spite him. She wanted him to hurt too. She had sliced the cord of the necklet from her neck with her dagger earlier amid her sadness, but she had not been able to fling it away. The soft part of her heart that would always yearn for him had convinced her to keep it; it was the only reminder she possessed of her time with him.

But as always, Naia’s wrath made her tongue sharp and she hurled yet another pointed barb at Neteyam, “Why? Were you hoping I’d return it to you so you can give it to Leylani now?”

The roar that tore from Neteyam’s throat was full of raw emotion; a potent fusion of his pain, frustration and regret, and Naia flinched violently at the sound.

Neteyam could see how the misunderstanding had occurred, and he acknowledged that his decision to hide the proposition from Naia had contributed to it. But what hurt him the most was the fact that she had been so quick to condemn him. She had not even waited to speak to him, to clarify, before jumping to the worst possible conclusion of his character. After everything they had shared in recent weeks, she still doubted his love for her.

“Woman! I swore my love to you not even two days ago!” Neteyam boomed, “Why do you-”

Naia interrupted once more and her voice rose to meet his, “Then why did you accept the council’s proposition and agree to mate Leylani? You didn’t even tell me about the proposition and you’ve known for weeks!”

“I know and I should’ve told you-”

“How can you expect me to believe you and trust you-”

“Naia, let me explain myself!”

“-when you kept this from me-”

“MANAIA, BE QUIET! STOP INTERRUPTING ME!”

Naia recoiled at his bellow and her mouth snapped shut in fright. Neteyam had never raised his voice like that with her. Ever. She could not recall a single incident even when they were younger of him losing his temper. She knew she could be argumentative and sarcastic, but he had always been calm and collected with her. At most he had become a little snippy, but he had never shouted at her like that.

Neteyam saw Naia wince and knew he had scared her. Her wide eyes were wary as she watched him. His first instinct was to apologise for his outburst and the words were poised on his lips, but he withheld them, and the frustrated part of him quipped that she deserved it. Interrupting was a bad habit of Naia’s; always had been for as long as he could remember.

Breathing deeply, Neteyam squared his shoulders and fixed Naia with a firm look, “You always do this, interrupt people when they’re trying to speak. Stop it. I’m going to speak now and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt me until I say I’m finished.”

Still stunned, Naia gave a meek nod in agreement.

Neteyam trusted her answer, but to be safe, he decided he get the short and sharp facts out of the way first, “I’m not betrothed to Leylani. I haven’t fully accepted the council’s proposition to reclaim my birthright. Tupou is over-eager to step down and he should never have said anything to Kikuna or anyone else this morning. He only gave her half the story.”

He paused and raised a cautionary brow when Naia’s lips parted to say something, but she kept her word and she pressed her mouth closed again.

“Tarsem came to me with the proposition three weeks ago, soon after I returned to the clan.” Neteyam continued in an even tone, starting his explanation from the beginning, “I declined outright, because even back then I knew it was you I wanted.”

Naia’s ears perked up at his words and a green shoot of tenderness sprouted through the black anxiety that blanketed her heart. Although the urge to ask questions was strong, Naia made a conscious effort to just listen to Neteyam as he explained the council events of the last few weeks to her. He described how his grandmother had convinced him to make a counter-proposal to the clan council, that he would reclaim his birthright if he was not obligated to mate Leylani. He explained how the council had taken the last two weeks to deliberate and had ruled this morning to deny him his request because they wanted tradition upheld.

“I didn’t tell you about the proposition because I was afraid.” Neteyam admitted, and his gaze was sincere, “I was afraid, at first, of scaring you away with how deeply I felt for you if you knew I was banking the entire situation on being able to be with you. And then after we became close, I was afraid you’d pull away and push me to accept for the greater good of the clan.”

Naia looked dubious, but remained silent like she had promised. She briefly mused to herself that Neteyam clearly thought her much more altruistic than she actually was. She would not have pushed him away romantically to force him to reclaim his position for the greater good. After so many years of pining and after the bliss of loving him for real, she knew she would have been selfish.

It was a bold move considering the taut situation, but Neteyam had seen Naia’s eyes softening as she listened and he reached out gently to pry her wrists from around her waist. He was met with little resistance from her and he pulled her towards him to wind her arms around his narrow waist, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should’ve been open about it and none of this would’ve happened. And maybe if Tupou had shut up like he was supposed to too.”

“So why did Tupou tell Kikuna you accepted?” The words were out of Naia’s mouth before she could stop them, but it was because she sensed a lull in Neteyam’s flow of words as he was getting distracted running the knuckles of one hand over her cheek, and Naia wanted to know the rest of the story.

“Because Leylani stepped down this morning.” Neteyam breathed and Naia gave a sharp intake of breath at his words. He leaned down to kiss one corner of her mouth and then tilted his head the opposite way to kiss the other corner, “I told the council I would reclaim my birthright subject to the condition that you reclaimed your position as tsakarem.”

Naia pulled back a little to better regard him. Reclaim her position as tsakarem? The sentiment shocked her. She looked up into the face of the man she knew she would follow anywhere and give anything for. Her words eluded her though and she did not know what to say.

Neteyam filled the silence, “Only if you wish to. I’ll only reclaim my birthright if you will be the tsahìk at my side when I become olo’eyktan. But if you don’t wish to take that path then that’s fine too. I’m yours either way. You are what I came home for.”

A sudden and overwhelming shame overcame Naia and she felt rotten. With the actual truth of the situation now laid out before her, she perceived her irrationality and recognised how her inner demons had caused her to spiral into overreaction. She had assumed the absolute worst without giving him a chance to speak for himself.

Neteyam had apologised for his lapse in judgement. It was her turn now.

Pulling her hands away from his hips to cover her face when the burn of her shame forced fresh tears from her eyes, Naia whispered wetly, “Oh Great Mother, I’ve been so stupid today. I should’ve known better. I know you better. I’m so sorry, Neteyam.”

Hushing her softly, Neteyam enveloped her smaller frame in his strong arms and rubbed his cheek soothingly against her hair while she cried noisily into the crook of his neck. He felt her arms snake out from between their bodies to clutch at his back, her fingers digging with pressure into his skin, as if she was trying to press herself even closer to him. He noticed her body trembling slightly and he murmured by her ear, “Are you cold?”

Naia fought to control her hitching sobs and she shook her head, stuttering, “N-No. My muscles are j-just fatigued.”

Yet another realisation dawned on Neteyam and he remembered Naia’s ikran was out of action currently. Eyes widening in disbelief, he queried, “Did you make your way here on foot?”

“Yes.” Her response was barely a whisper.

Prying her gently away from his torso and stepping back to inspect Naia again from head to toe, Neteyam discovered her scraped palms and grazed knees. Her shins and calves were also littered with scratches and thin cuts from where, he presumed, the surrounding vegetation had whipped and snagged against her legs as she ran.

Neteyam cursed low under his breath, crushing her to his chest again and berating her softly by her ear, “You’re so stupid sometimes, Naia. It’s dangerous coming all this way on foot! You’ve hurt yourself.”

The gentle scolding only caused Naia to cry harder, “I thought I’d lost you again. I just needed to get away! I don’t know what I’d do if I had to live the rest of my life seeing you with Leylani!”

One of Neteyam’s hands cupped the back of Naia’s head against his shoulder and his other hand ran in warm strokes up and down her back, “How many times have I told you I love you? Why did you automatically think the worst of me, and Leylani too, huh?”

Naia winced a little at the recognition that she had also wronged Leylani. Sweet, sincere Leylani who was like a sister to her. By Eywa, she had been such a fool today. She did not know what to say. All she could do was repeatedly murmur wet apologies against Neteyam’s skin while she sobbed.

They stood together for a period and they remained enfolded in their standing embrace. Naia’s hitching sobs soon petered out and her breaths gradually steadied to the calming rhythm of Neteyam’s heartbeat. All the while Neteyam pacified her with whispered reassurances and gentle kisses pressed to the crown of her head.

Sniffling, Naia thought to herself that he was being too good to her. She felt undeserving of every hushed phrase and every small kiss he graced her with. Feeling much calmer now than she had since the afternoon, she snorted cynically, “You should be scolding me more. This feels like you’re rewarding my bad behaviour.”

A deep breath was pulled into Neteyam’s lungs, his muscular chest expanding beneath Naia’s cheek before it deflated again in a long sigh. Neteyam’s voice was hurt when he spoke, “I can’t believe you threw away the necklet.”

Biting her lip hard, Naia mentally smacked herself. With a grimace, she lifted her head to meet Neteyam’s pained eyes and squeaked, “I lied.”

“What?”

“I lied. I didn’t throw it away.” Naia admitted in a clearer voice, “I cut it off but I couldn’t bear to get rid of it, so I kept it. It’s in my bag.” She gingerly stepped away and moved to her bag, making a face when her thigh muscles screamed in protest as she crouched to fish the necklet out.

Cupping it preciously in her palms, she stood and presented it to Neteyam, shamefaced. The looping pendant and pearlescent beads were all intact and only the woven cord of it had been defiled where Naia had sliced it free of her neck.

Neteyam shook his head and rolled his eyes. He wanted to be angry with her, but he had never been the sort to hold a grudge and he forgave easily. Especially when it came to Naia. One look at her tear-stained face and beseeching gold eyes and his annoyance just fizzled out of him. He sighed once more, “I can make a new cord for it. And when I do put it round your neck again, it’s never coming off. Ever.”

“Sorry,” Naia peeped, her lower lip wobbling a little, “I’m sorry for overreacting and being stupid today.” Enclosing the necklet in her hands, she pressed a kiss to her closed fists. She returned to nestle it safely inside her bag again, not wanting to drop any of the beads or lose any.

“We don’t have this tradition in the Omatikaya, but the Metkayina have a ritual where everyone creates a gift for their intended mate. A gift from the soul that you present to the person you want to spend eternity with.” Neteyam said, watching as Naia’s face flushed deeply and her expression turned hangdog when she approached him again, “The necklet is my soul-gift to you. I don’t want you doubting what I feel for you anymore.”

Swallowing through an uncomfortably dry throat, Naia nodded, “I know, I just- I believe you, I do- but you can have anyone you want, so why-”

Neteyam heard and saw Naia struggle to express herself. It was unlike her in that she had always been quick-witted and well-spoken, but her self-doubt was plain as she stumbled over her words. No, he was not having anymore of this. If she could not truly comprehend through his words and actions how much he loved her, then he was going to have to show her that there was no doubt in his mind.

Closing the space between them, Neteyam silenced her stammering lips with a quick but fervent kiss before pulling away to declare, “I see you and I love you, Manaia te Txewì Ayepni’ite. Say you’ll be mine?”

The word ‘yes’ was just about to fall from Naia’s lips, but it was impeded by an abrupt gasp when she realised Neteyam had reached behind him to bring his neural queue forward from over his shoulder. The well of emotion inside Naia swelled almost to bursting point when perceived the true significance of what he was asking.

He was not simply asking her to commit to him exclusively. He wanted to bond with her, to mate her for life and beyond…

Neteyam added, “I’m sure of this. I want nothing more in this world. Your decision around whether you want to reclaim the role of tsakarem is irrelevant. Be mine, Naia, now and always?”

Naia’s heart sang for joy, the explosion of love in its depths a welcome reprieve from the icy ache that had besieged it for most of the past day. She felt the involuntary sting of tears in her eyes as her elation overwhelmed her. Thank you for this blessing, Great Mother…

Naia was unable to suppress the choked sob that slipped from her and she forced her vocal chords to work past the lump in her throat, “Yes, I love you. Of course I’ll be yours.” The dazzling smile she received in return was an image of him that would be forever imprinted into the core of her memories.

Reaching back to trail her hand down the thick braid of her own queue, Naia brought it between them to mirror his previous action. She felt Neteyam’s free hand come up to cradle her jaw, his warm fingers caressing her cheek. She placed one of her hands over the back of his and leant into the warmth of his palm. He leaned downward and she instinctively tilted her head up to his face, but it was not their lips that met this time.

Neteyam gently stopped to rest his forehead against Naia’s. They were so close that the swell of her breasts pressed against his ribs and their thighs brushed where he had one of his legs positioned between hers. Nothing existed but him and Naia in that moment, just the beautiful stillness of two souls about to be united in the presence of Eywa.

Slowly but surely, the knuckles of their hands met, bringing their neural queues together. The delicately curling tendrils of their queues interlaced with each other’s, twining into a radiant rope of blessed union. Tsaheylu.

The profound strength of their bond rocked them, their eyelids clamping shut and their mouths going slack for several moments while their hearts, minds and souls aligned. It was ecstasy like neither of them had ever known. Their hearts began to beat in time in their chests and a rush of emotion and sensation forged between them in a neural bridge.

Blinking several times, Naia’s eyes refocused on the physical image of Neteyam before her and she pulled her eyeline up to meet his. His eyes were a little watery, but a beaming smile was stretched across his face and Naia felt a surge of adoration reach her through their bond. Then, even though his lips did not move, she heard him clear as a bell in her mind. You’re so beautiful, my Naia.

An image of herself flowed through to her and it was surreal how she was looking at Neteyam with her eyes, but she also saw herself through his eyes. There were no words used to describe her, just his emotions and fragments of bright things and happy memories that he associated with her. She saw herself as he saw her and she was beautiful. Naia laughed, the sound pealing through the gently blowing leaf-strands of the Tree of Souls and Neteyam took her in his arms to kiss her passionately.

The neural bond between them was pure and harmonious, but there was another rising urge beneath their mutual flow of emotion that was beginning to engulf them. They were united mind and soul, and all that was left now to seal their bond for life was the simultaneous joining of their bodies.

Naia’s cool hands clutched at Neteyam’s shoulders and she pressed her torso tight against his, uncaring if the position meant her head and neck were craned almost all the way back to reach his face. She needed to be as close to him as possible, wanted him to be one with her body and soul. Neteyam had one arm looped firmly around her waist and its twin supported the back of her head while they lost themselves in the heat of their kiss.

It was as if they were entranced in a pleasurable daze, each fully aware of their own actions but also equally aware of the other’s. Time had ceased to pass, both entirely spellbound by the present moment they were sharing. There was no hesitation as they curled around each other on the mossy ground, arms and limbs tangling tight when they finally coupled their bodies in an intimate embrace.

The erotic pleasure was immense.

Their bond had forged between them an endless feedback loop. Naia experienced every single pulse and stroke of Neteyam’s pleasure as he moved within her, and likewise, Neteyam’s own rapture was heightened by the gratifying fullness and deep pleasure that Naia felt of him filling her. Every gasp and every moan; every kiss, every lick and stroke of hands and tongues was amplified, and all the while the depth their love was an over-arching certitude within their bond. When the crest of their pleasure eventually consumed them, it was overwhelming and experienced together at the same time.

Neteyam’s breaths were ragged by Naia’s ear, his body shuddering still through the aftershocks of their climax. He shifted and was about to raise his upper body onto his palms to roll away when Naia whimpered and clutched him to her. She looped her arms around his shoulders and hooked her ankles behind his lower back. He sensed her thoughts; she wanted to keep them joined.

I’m crushing you. Neteyam protested through their bond.

Roll us over. Came Naia’s drowsy response.

Neteyam carefully and gently rolled them onto his back and the manoeuvre was a success. They remained pleasurably fused and Naia grinned in carnal satisfaction where her cheek was pressed to his chest.

Physically, Neteyam chuckled and he sent a thought to her. We have eternity to do this now, yawntu.

Pressing a small kiss to his pectoral, Naia snuggled down against him. She had an answer for him now, had made her decision. Inhaling the musky scent of him through her nose, she sent him her answer. Yes.

Lethargic now after their coupling, Neteyam did not catch on and Naia giggled as his somnolence fed through to her through their connection. Cheekily, she poked him in the ribs, which earned her a jump and the sensation of sudden alertness at her action. She clarified this time. Yes I’ll be your tsakarem.

Naia felt a burst of approval from him and she felt him smooth his hot hands down her naked back, down until he cupped her bottom on both sides. He squeezed the soft flesh there and swivelled his hips, eliciting a sensual gasp from Naia when she discovered he was hardening inside her again. Evidently Neteyam was very pleased by her decision.

Pushing off his chest to sit upright, Naia let her weight sink down to take his entire length within her and a carnal moan purred from the man beneath her. She shot him a coquettish grin and raked her gaze slowly over the musculature of his torso, appreciating every solid line and ridge.

Neteyam was her mate now. He was hers forever. Naia could hardly believe it. All her girlish hopes and distant dreams during the years they were parted seemed so far away now in the face of the truth they would now live as one heart and one soul.

The sentiment was echoed by Neteyam and their mutual joy at being mated coursed between them in a brilliant blaze of heat. They made their vows to each other, the spirit of Eywa guiding their words as they were shared in perfect unison:

From now, you are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. What Eywa has made one shall never be parted; day or night, near or far, in sickness or in health. I give you my life and my love, even when the day arises and the Great Mother calls you home, I will remain yours thereafter, until such time they Eywa calls me home to be reunited with you again forevermore.

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Author’s Note: Wheeeeee! Our two lovebirds have mated! Bring out the sugar, wine and the fluffies to celebrate!

This was supposed to be last chapter, but I’ve decided there will be a short epilogue that will be uploaded as the next chapter.

I’ve got some lovely fluffy ideas for the epilogue, but what would you all like to see? I’m happy to take requests, though I can’t guarantee I’ll use your idea(s) as it will depend on whether it fits with my vision of Neteyam and Naia. The epilogue will be set in the near future.

Share your thoughts and emotions with me, my lovelies. Throw me your epilogue requests. <3

Thank you again, as always, for all your support, comments and kudos. Writing for you all is such a JOY.

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