"Mistress." I greet her.

  "Eros, do you need something?"

  "Yes. I would like to ask for a day off for me and Thalia on her birthday." I say in a voice low enough for only her to hear. The donkey throws dirt to my shoe. I swear Samson's spirit stayed on this cursed donkey. It doesn't like me at all.

  "No. Who will work the compound if you both are gone?"

  "I have help for the day. They will do both our jobs."

  "I don't have pins to pay extra help for a day." She looks at me like I am insane.

  "It is already taken care of." I assure her.

  "You've paid them?" she asks like she doesn't believe me at all. Which would be correct, she doesn't pay us in pins. She enslaves us here paying us in the very food we produce and the shelter we maintain ourselves.

  "Yes."

  "With what money?" she demands.

  "I made a friend at a bakery in town, he lent me a few pins."

  She looks like she doesn't believe me and eyes me with great suspicion. "Will they know what to do? I don't want my animals to suffer because of amateurs."

  "They will be fine. I will show them everything tomorrow, if you agree." I mutter.

  She doesn't answer immediately, and I hide my fists behind me before I grab this fairy and I squash. She wants me to beg her? Does she know she's only heaping her list of sins?

  "She hasn't celebrated her birthday since she got here. I want to take her into town."

  "Fine. But if something goes wrong with my animals, know I will have your human ball sack. Understand, boy?"

  I stifle a protesting growl and nod. It'll all be worth it when my queen smiles. I can't wait to see her in the new dress I bought her and her new shoes.

  I jump out of bed in the morning, knowing she will be up any second now. We have a whole day today and I don't want to waste even a second in this god-forsaken dump. I go to her door which is next to mine, and I push the door softly and I get in. She is just a soft lump under the blanket. I near her and just take in her beauty before she gets up. Gary wakes up but he snuggles back at her feet when he sees me.

  Her round nose and closed almond-shaped eyes. Her full lips that make everything she utters sound like scripture. Her coily hair that always looks like a crown on her beautiful head. Her delicate chocolate-colored skin has no imperfections. I could gaze at her beauty forever and a day. The Goddess knew what she was doing when she gave me this little bird. I lean into her, no longer able to help myself and I place my lips on her forehead. She groans under my touch, and it pleases.

  "Wake up, baby bird," I say gently.

  Her eyes open and my face is so close to hers. I just stare at her up close and I don't retreat. She takes me by surprise as her lips meet mine in a kiss that is too brief for all I need, leaving me craving more. I close my eyes and don't open them immediately. My baser instincts want to claim her now. But I fight those urges. Straightening myself and only when I'm at a safe distance do I open them again. I find her eyeing me with curiosity.

  "You need to get ready," I place the new dress on top of her. "We are going out to celebrate your birthday. All day."

  She eyes the dress and picks it up.

  "For me?" she sounds unsure.

  Pride swells in my chest. "Yes, for you."

  She frowns. "The mistress?"

  "Don't worry about that. I talked to her and our replacements for today should be here any moment. All you need to worry about today is whether your little body will be able to handle all the happiness of the day."

  She chuckles. "I feel like that's a challenge."

  "It is." I back away grinning. "I am going to get ready. We leave when the sun is halfway the mountain." With those words, I leave.

  I run to the river to wash my body. When I finish, I go back to change to new clothes for myself too. Today, we are not slaves, today we are two people who can do whatever they want.

  Our personal carriage is ready just after the clearing next to the compound. My queen will be taken care of today. Just as the sun touches mid-mountain, I knock on her door, holding one rose. A rare flower in this realm and any other but very common in my realm, never mind that I have a garden with the best flowers in all the realms. I will take her to my secret place someday. I hope to watch her paint there soon.

  I shake thoughts of that as I hear her footsteps approach. She opens the door with a sunny smile on her face. The dress is perfect on her. Its yellow color complements her brown skin, and she looks and smells like heaven. Her big hair is out, and she even has a flower atop her head. I don't realize I am not moving or saying anything until she waves a hand in front of me.

  "Hm?" I manage.

  "Say something." She says coyly.

  "You are the most beautiful creature in all the realms, Thalia." I hold her gaze, so she knows what I speak is true. My queen is abundant in beauty, she rivals even Freya, my father's wife who is known as the most beautiful creature who lives.

  Her mouth parts and my body gets stiff everywhere it's not supposed to at this time. I hand her the rose and she gawks at it.

  "Where did you find it?" she takes it like it will disappear if she touches it. She eyes it with interest.

  "There is a merchant who got hold of a few during Odin's parade and he planted a garden. A friend got this one for me. His master is a wealthy elf in the North City."

  She smiles, impressed and she smells the flower. She closes her eyes and I take her in and her eyelashes flutter like she is going to open them but doesn't. She smells the flower again and she emits a moan from her lips that causes her eyes to fly open in embarrassment. I just chuckle and hold my hand to her.

  "Can I take it with? It smells really good." She pleads. But she doesn't know all her wishes are my command today. I nod and she jumps in my arms, and she kisses my lips in another too-brief a kiss. I growl when she backs away. She chuckles when she sees my reaction and this time, she offers me her hand and I take it. I kiss it as we walk to the gate, and leave the compound.

  Her mouth drops to the ground when she sees our carriage for the day. Not the fanciest, but for the poor, most of them will never even climb into one until they die. We stroll to the town, chatting and laughing. She has her arm hooked around mine the whole way and it makes me feel like the most powerful god in the universe.

  When we get to the town center, we park and head to the bakery. Gerol has since earned himself a promotion and he is no longer mixer, but he is the packer and distributor. He fills in orders for delivery around the village and neighboring villages and even as far as North City. He greets us with a bow. It confuses Thalia because she isn't used to people bowing for her, and even though Gerol is in character, he can't help himself at the presence of his queen.

  I clear my throat before he forgets completely why he's here.

  "Sir, ma'am, great to see you on this wonderful day. I hear it's your birthday?"

  "Yes," she beams at him, and I want to punch him in the face. He clears his throat seeing my reaction. He smooths his expression to a neutral one and he says, "I hope you see many more. Your parcels are ready. Should I get the staff to pack them for you while they are at it?"

  I nod. He snaps his hands, and three elves rush out with four closed baskets and cloths and the last struggles with the canvas I got her to paint on. Where we are going, I know she will want to paint.

  She looks with barely restrained curiosity. I think mostly how I was able to do all this as a slave. But I know these are the last few moments we have. Soon we have to return, and she has to uproot her whole life again. I want to give her a great birthday while she still likes me. Because when she finds out who I am, I don't know how long it may take for her to even look at me again.

  Even though I hate the fact that she has come to be accustomed to a face that isn't mine, but seeing her relaxed has been worth the deception.

  She bounces lightly on her heel as her excitement almost gets the better of her and I know it's time for us to leave.

  I give Gerol a look and he knows what I mean. "Well, enjoy your day you crazy kids and again, my queen, happy birthday."

  She arches her eyebrow, but she doesn't say anything about his blunder. She turns and I narrow my eyes at him before I turn. The idiot sends a shrug my way before he grins.

  We make our way out of the town, and we head to the direction where I'm taking her. The peak of the valley of a thousand waterfalls. The sun is at its peak and directly above us when we finally arrive there.

  She gets off the carriage and I secure the carriage before I join her from behind and I hold her as we both take in the majesty of my ancestors' creation.

  I Am Yours

  Thalia

  I miss when I throw the grape in his mouth, and I laugh.

  "You are missing all of them on purpose. If I didn't know better, I'd say you want me to starve, baby bird."

  My heart skips another beat when he calls me the nickname he's picked out for me.

  "Your mouth is just too small." I retort.

  He sighs as he picks a grape and I widen my mouth, ready for the sweet juicy fruit. He throws and I catch it with my mouth, and I lift my hands up high in a mini celebration. He smiles and shakes his head at my childish behavior.

  Then he frowns as he looks at my face. "You have something on your face, let me get it." He pulls me to his lap, and I wait eagerly for him to wipe me of the crumb on my face. He darts his tongue out instead and licks the corner of my mouth. I lean into him when he pulls away. I swallow and look away, embarrassed at my wantonism.

  I look back in his eyes and there is nothing but affection and acceptance. I hold his face with one of my hands and he closes his eyes, as if he's relishing the feel of me on him. He links his forehead with mine, and I close my eyes too and we communicate something that can never be expressed with words.

  We stay in the moment for a long time. Both of us feeling the cogs of our relationship turning. From a friendship to something more, something more we both want. Something the both of us can no longer deny.

  When he finally pulls away, he kisses my forehead, and I don't move from his lap. We stay there feeding each other and watching the small waterfalls as they gush into the valley, making the whole scene feel like it's alive and moving. I may be at odds with the gods at the moment, but even I can admit the majesty of their hands.

  After a while, I get up and go to the canvas Eros got for me. I set the easel away from him, so he doesn't see what I am painting. He thinks I'm painting the god's creation on my left, but I am painting another of the god's creation but on my right. He sits leaning on the tree as he alternates between watching the scene and watching me. And I alternate between watching him and pretending I'm watching the scene. I don't want to give away what I'm painting.

  As I paint, I realize I am the happiest I have ever been. Even with every horrible thing that has happened to me, I found my better day. Eros dug me out of the grave, and he gave me new life. A future.

  I am no longer running away from confronting the past because of him. He helped me start healing. His presence in my life has given me the push I need to move forward; to fly. And fly to newer and higher heights; to better things.

  I have never been as loved as I am with Eros. Everything inside of me says yes. There is no hesitation. No moment where I get enough of him, or I feel unsure. No time when it feels wrong. More of him is what I always need. Always more. And maybe I am ready to give him the rest of me.

  The culture isn't as strict here like back in our realm where individuals will have to be married to connect at all levels, so I think I am ready for him to take all of me. I am ready to be his. And if the past has taught me anything, it’s to value the present and never leave happiness for another day.

  When the sun is low, after some time working on this painting, he wakes up from his nap. Luckily, I am putting its finishing touches. He rises to his feet, and he comes to me like he aims to devour me whole. My insides tighten as I feel tingles in my private garden.

  "What have you bee—" he stops dead when he comes into view of my painting. His lips parted slightly as he takes in the portrait.

  "Is that a halo on my head?" he is amused.

  "So what I think you are a heavenly body to me?" I say and he arches an eyebrow as if to will me to give him the real explanation. "Okay, it's a crown. How I see you. Your light shines on me and gives me life."

  "So, you are the bed of flowers?"

  I nod. He holds me from behind and rests his chin on top of my head as we both look at my handiwork.

  "You tricked me, I thought I would get a beautiful, free painting of the waterfalls." I hear the amusement in his voice

  "What are you going to do about it?" I challenge.

  He scoops me up and throws me in the bed of cushions and he tickles me until I cry then he kisses my tears. Another notch into intimacy. When he emerges, his eyes are no longer green but the color of fire, a fiery orange. I take his face in my hands and stare at his orbs. Utterly fascinated by them. Maybe he has some magic in him after all, a distant ancestor perhaps. I pull him in a kiss, and we stay in the kiss until the sun goes down.

  Our carriage enters the town gates, and all the merchants and shop owners are closing shop. We leave the things for his friend at the bakery then we take the carriage back, which I am glad. I wasn't ready to walk all the way back to the compound. I am tucked under his underarm and we are snuggled to each other as the carriage nears the compound.

  I have decided what I want. I am nervous but I know it’s what I want.

  As the carriage nears the clearing where we will leave it, I say, "Is it possible for us to spend the night at the cave tonight?"

  "Is that what you want, little bird?"

  "Yes." I answer simply.

  "Then we'll go."

  After we come to a stop, he gets off and secures the horse and carriage before he comes get me. He leaves our things in the carriage saying he will get them in the morning. Then he picks me up and carries me up the mountain.

  "I can walk, you know."

  "But I want to carry you. It's still your birthday." His voice is full of softness, and I snuggle to his body for more of his warmth, and I allow him to take care of me.

  I think back to the day. The most perfect day in my whole life. Eros always knows the things I want without even saying them to him. His dedication to my happiness is akin to something of reverence. It matters to him. It's like we are in tune with each other at every level.

  I relax in his strong arms, and I listen to his steady heartbeat. The heartbeat of the man that I love.

  I start thinking about our future. When we make it back home, I'd have to meet his family. He hasn't told me much about them and I always neglected to ask because I couldn't speak of my own past, hardly seemed fair to probe and I was hoping he would offer the information. But now that there is a future for us, that is different. I have to know the family I will be part of.

  "Tell me about your siblings," I say when we enter the cave. The moon is out tonight so it’s not pitch black.

  "I have many siblings. My father is married, but he also used to have concubines, my mother was one of them." He starts, setting me down on the cushions before he goes to the lamps, and he lights both on either side. I watch him work with efficiency like he always does.

  "One of my older brothers is a chatter box ladies’ man. He thinks he is a gift to all women kind. But he has a big heart and is a fair man." He smiles, which makes me smile too. "My other brother is a thief." He chuckles. I raise my eyebrow, why does being brothers with a thief please him? "He once stole an ancient scroll from a wealthy man's vault and sold it back to him for a million pins." He comes and lays next to me. He has a wide smile on his face.

  "That is immoral!" I get on top of him, resting my form on him, and I elevate my head with my elbows and look down at him.

  "To his credit, he gave the money to the man's bastard child he had with one of the slaves he almost killed." His face changes to being of fondness.

  "That was generous of him. All the million pins?"

  "Uh huh. Then I have a sister." He pauses, his eyes shining fondly. "She is very beautiful, but she hates that she is beautiful. She is incredibly intelligent and a recluse. Our father used every way he could to get her to leave her library and interact with others. Asked how is she supposed to be courted and married if no one can see her." He smiles, shaking his head. "But she refuses. She isn't interested. She has always wanted to be a scholar, but you know how our society is." I see sadness flash in his face, and I run my fingers on his jawline, feeling his heartbeat getting faster.

  Leaning closer, I stare at his face, running my fingers on every inch of his face. Trying to study his edges and the feel of him.

  He takes my face in his hands and he crashes his lips in mine in a demanding kiss. He sucks my lips expertly and I follow his lead. His tongue pushes into my mouth, and I receive him gladly. In one swift motion he has me pinned on my back and he settles on top of me. We are closer than we've ever been and my body aches for him. For more.

  I stroke the back of his neck and he growls in my mouth. I moan in response as I am taken even higher, my need intensifying.

  His lips find my neck and he kisses me gently at first then he sucks me harder. I am all moans and need. I widen my legs so he settles in better, and I feel his hard length grazing my center through our clothing.

  He pulls away suddenly, panting. I make a sound of protest. His eyes are a mix of his usual green, but the orange is seeping in, the combination even more mesmerizing and I can't tear my eyes from him.

  "If we don't stop now, baby bird, I will take you and I don't think y—"

  "Take me." I interrupt him.

  His lips part as if not believing what I just said.

  "I belong to you. I want to hold nothing from you. I am yours." I move my hands over his skin, feeling, caressing. I start pulling him to me. He resists at first but then he lowers himself slowly.