Pridelands was a kingdom that believed in the monogamy of marriage. He believed it too, but Asya… She had never been sure; even though she saw for herself many times that her father was devoted to no other lioness in the pride but her mother, the Queen.

In the days that followed her and Aricin’s agreement she thought seeing him around the pride, and her, would be awkward. It was, but she never admitted so. While she believed they had made the right choice something had told her no, they hadn’t. When she and Aricin would settle down in their chambers to sleep images haunted her. She would see her father and he would tell her that he was concerned about the decision she had made. Whenever she woke up she told herself that her mind was playing tricks on her. But every time she and Aricin left to look after the kingdom, something inside her ached.

She’d learned of her ‘mate’s’ behavior from her father, and though Aricin acted arrogant and cocky from time to time it never bothered her. She never scolded him. He’s been stripped of his Pridelander royalty and has adopted Jangwa’s she would tell herself whenever she sat beside him under the stars at night. What he has left… I can’t take that from him.

They would never speak, they would barely look at each other but when the pride was around they had to act like mates.

What had her father been thinking? Did he even think his idea through? Didn’t he understand the consequences of his actions or how it would affect her and Aricin? What of his own father, the Pridelands King?

Pain shot up her body again. Her head hurt and she tried to make a noise. Aricin was still in the chamber. She could sense it and his scent seemed to be everywhere. It was strange and surprisingly comforting. She tried to move but couldn’t. With what small bit of strength she had, she used it to sigh in pain. Then she felt something on her paw. It felt like…

She struggled to concentrate. Her whole body was dampened with sweat. She was cold and trembled and shook. Then she felt something on her side. Was it Aricin? What was he doing? If she could open her eyes and see for herself she would. Problem was, she couldn’t and she was left to guess. She heard movement but felt nothing on her side. If Aricin had been there, at her side only a moment ago he wasn’t now. Disappointment, mixed with pain, surrounded her. Had he left? She found herself wishing he hadn’t, if he had.

She felt herself sink deeper into the fever. The pain was overwhelming but what really bothering her was the vulnerability, helplessness. Why? She had never suffered like this in her life, never knew anyone else that had. And where was Aricin?

An ear flickered. His scent lingered. Her heart beat. He was still here and he was… She tried to sniff. Where was – Something touched her shoulder… a paw. Was it Aricin’s? Was he between her and the wall? She tried to move and succeeded, but only a little. Was Aricin here because he wanted to be or out of obligation to her mother? If Asya knew her mother she would demand Aricin be with her. He was King, but she, Tosca, was the mother of the Queen and she could be feisty if she wanted to be. Asya never heard her mother raise her voice or shout commands to anyone unless she had to. It would have been a sight for Asya to see if Tosca scolded for Aricin before he came to see her.

How long he’d been in the chamber with her she didn’t know. He would have left after spending only a few minutes but he hadn’t. Why? He would have stayed for a short while to please her mother, not for this long period of time, however long it was. Had he stayed all this time because… She squeezed her eyes tighter closed. No. It was impossible. They liked and cared for each other as friends, not as the mates their pride was expecting of them! She smelled his scent, felt the touch of his paw on her own. In spite of the cold she felt all around her, warmth filled her when his paw came into contact with her shoulder.

In her sickly state she found herself wanting to hear his voice. His paw moved along her shoulder gently. She shuddered not in fear but in slight relaxation. Then she heard his voice.

“Asya…” He spoke her name softly and gently. She couldn’t recall if he had done so before. He continued. “It was so hard for me to rely on my family for anything, including the chance to prove myself to them that I could rule the Pridelands.”

What? He’s telling me about his family… his past?

There was a pause. “Of course,” Aricin continued, “I didn’t make it easy, but I feel like my father ruled me out to not be his successor the day I was born.”

She swallowed hard. He had never told her this before. Then, he had no reason to. And she had never asked about his family or what they were like. She had feared doing so would in some manner, bring them close. She wanted to avoid that, he did too. They’d had an agreement so why was he – What he said next caused her to tense, not that she wasn’t tense enough, but he didn’t know that.

“I find myself envious of the relationship you had with your siblings and parents.” She heard him chuckle. “I know that must sound crazy coming from me.”

Yeah, it does, she thought.

“And I feel like I’m wasting my words because you’re unable to reply.”

She swallowed again, not knowing he had done the same. If she could reply what would she say?

“Oh Asya, I am so sorry you’re like this.”

That sounded like regret and was it pain she heard in his voice… true sorrow over her condition? He didn’t speak after that. He laid his head on her side. She heard the pounding of his heart and her own. Their hearts were beating as one. What’s happening to him? She wanted to ask, but she was still unable to open her mouth to speak.

“Asya,” he started again, “I promise I’m going to be here with you until you’re well.”

No, her mind screamed. Spirits above, no, he can’t! He’s not thinking clearly. He’s only saying this because I’m sick. Once I’m well everything will be back to normal. We’ll go on as if nothing happened. We have to. We made an agreement! But from her ‘mate’s’ words it sounded as though he was breaking said agreement. However long he’d been here he obviously used that time to think on their so-called relationship and marriage.

“…the pride… everyone is fine,” he continued. “They’re worried about you, of course, but your mother is assuring them you’ll be okay. Your sister Themba is patrolling with the young lions. All is well with… with our kingdom.”

So he made sure everything went on, that the duties of each pride member was performed while he stayed with her. If she could cry she would. Aricin… why… He didn’t speak anymore after that and the chamber was shrouded in silence. She wanted to wake, to speak to Aricin but her body was completely numb. She had to wonder what possessed him to stay, let alone tell her things about his family, or just that little bit. Whatever he suffered in his old pride must have been bad enough that his father sent him here. But King Chaka didn’t just send his second son here so he could be a King, he sent him here to get rid of him. What kind of father did that to his own son?

She knew that Aricin was cocky and arrogant, but she also knew that he did have feelings, that he had a heart. Wasn’t him being here with her in her sickness enough to prove that? What about the words he’d said, the sorrow he spoke when he said that he was sorry to see her so ill? Emotions welled within her when he said that and she believed that he meant what he said. His life in the Pridelands didn’t sound like an easy one, compared to hers here in Jangwa.

They had talked but only about the kingdom and the pride. They never spoke of their lives before Aricin came. It was too risky, the possibility of either one of them or both of them developing feelings for each other far too strong. It was a possibility they stayed away from for good reason.

Asya was sick and she hated it. She wasn’t dying, her heart still beat. Thoughts churned through her mind. Was this punishment from the spirits because of her and Aricin’s agreement to stay mates for the sake of their prides yet take other partners? How could that be? Her grandfather… Now that she had time to really think about it she and Aricin and never really bonded over anything. They’d feared getting close, in spite of their agreement. Neither one had anyone they could really count on.

Hadn’t her parents counted on each other, leaned on each other for support and encouragement? She and Aricin were nothing like her mother and father, who were partners in everything; she and her ‘mate’ were not. What good did that do the realm? The pride believed that they loved each other, but in truth they didn’t. They refused to.

Her mind rattled, her heart pounded, and she could still sense that Aricin was in the chamber. He was still there and not just to satisfy her mother who would surely scold him if he wasn’t. He was there with her because he wanted to be. And she wanted him to remain with her; she didn’t want to go through this sickness and the recovery alone. She would recover, she wanted to. She wasn’t going to leave Aricin to rule Jangwa alone. It was her kingdom just as much as it was his, but neither of them were capable rulers without the other. Hadn’t her mother taken care of