|
Nulkon
Nulkon grinned at the daughter and winked. Shaki blushed and flashed frightened eyes in her parents’ direction. He just raised his eyebrows a few times before winking again and heading off to work. He scowled as soon as he turned his face from the girl, chafing under his responsibilities. He was nineteen years old and would much rather be anywhere than out in the fields. He would most prefer to be hiding in the hay with Shaki, or any other willing young lady to be truthful. He grinned as he thought of the last day off they’d had. Their families had looked for them all day. “Nulkon! Get to work son!” called Konik, his father. He scowled again, digging his hoe into the ripe soil and uprooting the weeds popping up around the wheat. He really hated this. He dreamed of being a dragonrider, to be honest. Then he could shorten his horrid name and just be N’kon, rather than Nulkon which sounded like some sort of numbskull. But he bent his back to the task at hand and worked diligently through the day. Perhaps he would get a reward for his hard work tonight. Shaki blushed from several feet away when she caught him looking at her. Yes, he would get a reward tonight. The next day went on much the same, except that rather than spend his evening with his family he and Shaki’s brother, Koshi, headed to the nearby Hold to spend the evening with some buddies of theirs. He and Koshi didn’t get along very well, but they shared the same group of friends and were forced to be civil to each other. As soon as they walked through the door of the room their friends always met in they headed for opposite sides of it, staying that way all night until it was time to go home. “Hey Nulk!” called Prondo, obviously in high spirits tonight. “Glad you could make it. Come over here and tell us of your latest conquests!” Nulkon scowled at the use of his nickname but pushed it from his face with a wide grin as he joined his buddies. “I don’t like to brag...” “Pshaw, you can’t fool us. We know how you spend your evenings and we know you like to tell about them too. Come on, now tell us. Who’s the newest conquest?” Nulkon glanced across the room where Koshi was watching him with a dangerous scowl on his face. He opened his mouth, but thought better of what he’d intended to say and instead shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so, out of respect for present company I’ll have to withhold the information from you all this time.” Koshi nodded his head and his scowl lessened momentarily. Then Nulkon caught the eye of a comely redhead in the corner and smiled at her. Koshi was again scowling, his bad opinion of the young man renewed. Nulkon took no noticed of it however. He was too busy smiling at the redhead, his smile widening as she blushed and smiled in return. Late that night when Nulkon and Koshi were on the way home neither said a word for quite some time. They walked on in silence until finally Koshi almost snarled as he asked Nulkon if his night had been enjoyable. “Quite,” Nulkon replied with a grin, tucking his hands in his pockets and swaggering a bit. “You disappeared for a while. I assume you were getting to know that redhead better, right? What was her name?” “You expect me to remember that?” said Nulkon cockily. The next thing he knew he was flat on his back, his jaw stinging from the blow Koshi had landed across it. He got to feet groggily and shook his head to clear it. Then he glared at Koshi. “What’s your problem, man?” “You!” yelled Koshi, anger burning in his eyes. “You’re my problem! Can’t you see that Shaki’s falling in love with you? And this is how you treat her! Going out with your buds and finding a thrill to satisfy you for the evening. How can you do this to her?” “Whoa, hold on there, buddy,” said Nulkon, a little confused. “Shaki’s not in love with me. She knows we’re just having fun.” “You’re wrong, Nulkon, dead wrong. Haven’t you noticed the way she looks at you? Well I have, and she’s in love. I just want to know what’s going to happen when she tells you she’s pregnant,” Koshi snapped his mouth shut fast and started to stride away but Nulkon had to hear the rest of this now. He dashed after the young man, grabbing his arm and swinging him around. “Shaki’s pregnant?” “No, I didn’t mean to imply that,” said Koshi, a little too quickly. “She is,” said Nulkon, staring at the ground in disbelief. “Shards!” “Exactly what I suspected you’d say. So let’s hear it, Nulk,” said Koshi, sneering the young man’s nickname, “what are you going to do? Run off and find someone else? I don’t think your parents, or mine will allow that to happen.” Nulkon didn’t rise to the bait. He was too shocked, and appalled. The girl had told him she was careful and now he’d have to accuse her of being deceitful. That was it that was his way out. He’d accuse her of being deceitful and refuse to accept the baby as his. He knew it was though. Her brother was right, Shaki wasn’t the kind to be deceitful and he’d been fooling himself to think she wasn’t falling in love with him. “Shards!” He strode off toward the house then, leaving Koshi to follow or not. He wanted to be alone and having the young man scowling at him was the last thing he needed right now. How was he going to get out of this? Continue... |