It was a clear and sweet day for a walkabout. Surya's hair glinted in the sunlight as she walked slowly down the street lined with her subjects and had a smile for each one, and a touch for other's. Bending down to kiss a small child, she accepted the flowers the mother pressed in her hand gratefully.

"Goddess! Goddess!" people shouted, each wanting attention from her. Surya smiled and waved at the crowds, the skirts of her white dress flowing behind her like a pale wave.

Eyes.

Surya felt the burn of a gaze and whirled around. Who was looking at her? She knew she was being silly, since there was thousands of people here on the dusty street and they were all staring at her. But this was different. She felt a tingle in her blood, as if there was someone near that she knew very well.

Turning again, her eyes locked with a pair of dark, drowning orbs and Surya felt her stomach bottom out. He was a solider, this man she knew at first glance. This was a man she had never seen before, but she knew right then…she was fated to meet him.

Spinning around, she faced her advisor, Alexis and said quietly, "I will meet the new soldiers now."

He nodded, leading her way over to the line of men. One by one, she went down the line, shaking their hands, sharing a joke with some, letting them know she would not be a cruel ruler. Finally, her fingers were clasped, and she looked up into the face of the man she was already half in love with. He gazed deep into her eyes, his mouth curving in a slight half smile.

"Goddess," he greeted respectfully, and she stared up at him, her knees oddly weak.

"And what is your name?" she asked, meaning to sound imperious, but it came out in a breathless rush.

"Shahla, Highness," he said, and then lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a hot kiss to her palm. People who could see this exchange, gasped in shock. It was unpardonable to kiss a Queen anywhere but on her feet. They wondered what would happen to this solider, who would surely be at the least, thrown in prison.

Surya panted a little as Shahla's mouth left her hand and his eyes met hers. She felt dizzy, confused and most of all…she felt beautiful. Just from the way his stare caressed her. "I am pleased to meet you, Shahla," she said softly, "I wish you much success in my army."

"The pleasure is all mine, Goddess," he murmured, and she moved on, still aware of his dark stare on her as she finished her walkabout and turned to Alexis.

"I want to see that Shahla again," she said almost inaudibly to him. "Have him brought to my room this evening."

"Surya!" Alexis exclaimed, forgetting himself for a moment and calling her by her given name. "You cannot-"

"I cannot?" she repeated. "I am the Queen of this realm. I can do what I wish."

He looked at his young Majesty for a moment and then lowered his voice to speak candidly to her. "Goddess, you do realize you are opening yourself up for a large amount of criticism with this action. If you take this Shahla…as a…lover, the people will not understand."

"Alexis," she began firmly, "I have to find my happiness. Simply because I am a Queen should I be denied a normal existence? It is a modern time…people will not be shocked. I want to have love, like everyone else. Please…have him in my rooms this eve."

He sighed and touched her shoulder. "It will be done, Surya. I am sorry you have not had more of a normal life."

"One cannot miss what one has never had," she said sadly, smiling slightly at him and leaving him to enter the Palace.

~~~ Surya stood on her balcony, overlooking Cerridwen pensively. She wondered if she had made the right decision, being so impulsive and ordering this Shahla to her rooms. What if he didn't even want to come? What if he already had a lover? What if she fell in love with him but he did not with her?

Worrying these problems over and over in her mind, she was startled when a husky voice said from behind her, "You called for me, Goddess?"

Turning slowly, she stared at him, ran her eyes over his dark hair and eyes, his milky skin, the long muscular line of his body clad in black pants and a black open necked shirt. He bowed to her, and she nodded shakily. "Thank you for coming," she murmured, and he inclined his head.

"I didn't think I had a choice?"

She blushed and looked down. "Oh…you would not have come…given the choice?"

She felt a finger tipping her chin upwards, and she drowned in the darkness of his gaze as he whispered, " I would have come for I have been in love with you…since the first moment I saw you in the sunlight. I saw you, and I loved you."

"Why?" she asked in a small voice.

"Because you are vulnerable Queen. I could see your heart. I want to protect you," he brushed her lips with his lightly and she whimpered at the brief contact. "More than anything in the world I want to keep you safe."

Surya sighed and leaned into him, felt his lips melt into hers sweetly, softly, with passion she had never known. Sliding her hands up his chest, she ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck as the kiss deepened, and finally they broke apart, gasping at their desire for each other. "I have something I must tell you," he muttered against her swollen mouth, and she smiled, kissing him again.

"You can tell me anything, Shahla."

"I am a Shapeshifter," he said bluntly and she opened her mouth, but no sound came out, her eyes widening with shock and then fear. He hastened to reassure her. "I am cursed with a soul, adora. Most Shapeshifters cannot feel, they have no conscience, no remorse for what they do. But the witch that lives in the woods, Badria, she cursed me with a soul. I can feel…I do not kill anymore. I would never hurt you, or kill any living thing again."

She absorbed all he had said, her brow furrowed with concentration. She didn't doubt that he was being truthful, instinctively sensing that he was not the type to lie. "Well, then, Shahla, I suppose this will be our secret," she said calmly, and kissed him.

He smiled, taking her in his strong arms and burying his face in her hair. "Do you love me?"

"What?" she asked, a little startled by his blunt question, which she wasn't sure she wanted to answer. It was so revealing, that response.

"Do you?" he asked hoarsely and she tilted her head back.

"I love you," she finally uttered, truthfully and without restraint. Feeling a drop of water on her face, she looked up and realized it was starting to rain. As the heavens opened up, the drops became heavier, and she laughed, opening her mouth to catch some on her tongue.

Shahla's hands tightened on her waist, and she looked down at herself, realizing the fabric of her dress was clinging damply to her skin, outlining every inch of flesh. Dizzy suddenly, she stepped back, swaying as he grabbed her and ravished her mouth with his own. Carrying her through to the bedroom, he removed her dress and made love to her with devastating gentleness and passion, taking care because it was her first time.

In his arms, she knew heaven. He tasted like the rain and her hair was wet and everything was desperate and hungry and hot. She knew his body like her own. It was as if they had been making love for centuries. Flushed and trembling, she lay in his arms later, the night sky winking at them from the open windows. "Do you have a strange feeling, adora, like we have done this before?" he asked her softly, his hands caressing her hair.

"Yes, I do," she responded, not surprised that he felt it as well. Whatever it was between them was powerful. "What is it you call me? Adora?"

"It means 'adored one'," he answered, and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Sleep."

"I don't want to…" she murmured against his chest, running her hands over his warm flesh. "This day has been so perfect."

"Sleep, adora," he said quietly, stroking her back with tender hands. "We have all the tomorrows time will allow."

END.