~11~
A soft ray of orange light drifted down from the clouds, the Keneenean princess in it's wake, down and down she floated until she rested in Neo's waiting embrace. He stood on the main round limestone slab that led up into the palace. His breathe was heavy and raspy but he had made it back in time to catch her as she came to rest in his arms. Her crystal still upright in it's conscious awareness of the Soul, but once it released her, Ceshca's breath returned instantly. Gasping, her eyes fluttered open. She felt his nearness, the warmth of his embrace, the heat of his breath.
"Ceshca." he whispered gently.
"Neo." she murmured in response, her green eyes fluttered up to look into his, opening her tightly clasped hand the princess revealed a piece of jewelry in the palm of her hand. Glancing at her palm, Neo saw what she had. An intricately crafted earring lay in her hand.
"This earring was my father's gift to my mother, the night that I was concieved." she told him. The piece was stunning. A small hexigon shape with four adjoining pieces that held a small white crystal in the center of it, and set in he center of the white crystal was a fragment of an orange crystal. Three strands of micro crystals hung from the hexigon shaped metal.
"Wow, it's beautiful, just like you." Neo said gently to the princess, looking into her eyes. She gave him a sweet but playful smile. Jones approached them, then hung back as the two engaged in a rather passionate kiss.
"Ceshca! Oh Ceshca are you alright my daughter!" Father exclaimed as he found the two youngsters on his front porch, as it were. Ceshca pulled away from Neo's warm tender embrace and turned to greet her father. Neo was blushing as he met the King's gaze. Ceshca kneeled as her father came closer.
"The Keneenean kingdom is safe my King." she announced.
"Ah Ceshcaclameshcama..." Father rushed to take his daughter up into his embrace. He muttered a string of Keneenean words into his heir's ear then released her. She handed him her mother's earring.
"Now! Let's go to the thrown room to discuss the more important matter." Father said glancing at Neo.
When they had all settled into the thrown room, Father began the discussion. Before Neo or Ceshca could say anything about asking for his blessing on them, the King merely gave it to them openly and honestly.
"What do you plan to do now that your Commander is gone?" Father addressed Jones.
"Well sir, I believe I will take myself and my band of theiving mercinaries back to the surface and swear us all to secrecy." Jones replied respectfully.
"Yes that would be very good Jones. But would you stay to celebrate with I and my people, in honor of you helping save my kingdom?" Father smiled kindly.
"Yes, we would be honored and joyful at staying to celebrate with you, your Majesty." Jones smiled back. After Father dismissed them, Ceshca stole Neo away to her bed chambers before anyone could see fit to stall them for anything.
The couple lay on the princess's bed as they talked.
"What happened?" murmured Ceshca. Neo heard the uncertainty in her voice and saw the trembling in her lithe limbs.
"The Keneenean Soul picked you, it will only accept one of royal blood in order to protect itself and the people. You bonded with it in it's Emerald Shade, the only time that a human can bond with it." Neo began.
"But, what is it?" Ceshca burst with curiosity.
"Your father didn't tell you?"
"No." she returned sadly.
"The Atlantian Heart and the Keneenean Soul are as two conscious entities... the Soul is fueled by the collective feelings of it's people. Just as the Heart is for Atlantis."
"My mother was the first to be selected, over a century ago." the princess exhaled, her voice shook, to Neo she didn't seem to be ignorant as she had led him to believe; then again there was much that his scrolls and books had not been able to teach him.
"Why did you not grow up with the Soul visible to you and the entire city?" he asked gently.
"Father, he buried it, where we found it... Mita(Mee-tah). I mean, mother, she went up into the Soul and did not return... the capital was in chaos as it sank beneath the waves, Mita was chosen to try and keep the city from being swallowed by the sea!" Ceshca finally admitted. Her voice had risen as she spoke, peaking as she broke into uncontrollable sobs at the end. Neo sat up and took the tender woman into his lap, craddling her as she cried, her little body fit so perfectly into his as he then began to gently rock her back and forth. His own eyes glistening with tears as he realized that Ceshca had watched her mother's death because of the Soul, the Entity that Keneena chose to honor and call protector had stolen the former queen from them; it was strange even still that these people also had a strong faith in Ishka or as Neo had grown up calling Him; God.
"The texts that I have read say that your mother perished while giving birth to Veshna." Neo murmured gently.
"Atobea (Ah-tobe-e), Father, he wanted to protect me from having to be the chosen one as well. Praying night and day to Ishka that I would never be forced to make that same sacrifice. It just proves how little history has done my people justice in those scrolls that have been discovered." Ceshca said softly as her tears subsided.
"Ceshca, I didn't know. Please forgive me my love." Neo held her so he could look into her deep green eyes.
