Post by *Funny!Love* on Feb 2, 2009 4:36:20 GMT -5
I remember the very first time I actually met the man, although he was just a boy at the time, who would become the love of my life, the love every girl dreams of finding someday, and more.
I was just a little girl, and very shy. I hadn't yet seen eight years pass. Mukeko and Punipuni and some of the other little boys about my age had convinced me to play with them and Kaena, my best friend and the princess of the neighboring tribe. She's always been a bit of a tomboy and liked to play rough, although she never let the boys come anywhere close to hurting me.
My brother, Hauka, and my love and a few other “big boys” were out among the rocks and tidepools close to where we were playing, gathering mussels and clams for us to eat. I pouted when I saw my brother among them, sure he was there to “baby-sit” me, and I wanted to be independent as much as any young child. He saw me too, and I suppose he was probably wondering why he had to be embarrassed by his baby sister being so close to him all the time. Don't get me wrong, we loved each other very much and a lot of the time we even got along. In any case, he really was an ideal big brother. He was protective, very protective...perhaps a bit over-protective?
Mukeko went to pester the bigger boys for a moment and was promptly thrown back over to the sand where we were sitting, watching him. Bored with that, he suggested we all go swimming. I tried to protest, as I couldn't swim very well at the time and I was a little afraid to swim without my mother or father near. It seems I was the only one who felt this way. Punipuni suggested we vote on it, as that would be the fair way to do it, and everyone agreed...or at least didn't complain.
Needless to say, the opposing party won. I was a little frightened but didn't want to be left to play by myself, so I decided to go swimming with them. I made up my mind to stay in a shallow area though, and watched them a bit enviously as they swam a little farther, easily fighting the waves that so roughly rocked my little body back and forth.
I began to feel a little sad paddling around in that little shallow area by myself. I wanted to swim far out like them. Even though I was, technically, swimming with them, it was still lonely and I felt alienated. Without consciously meaning to, I began to swim past my shallow area, little by little getting closer to where my friends were playing, pretending to be dolphins. Before long I became so wrapped up in not letting the waves completely swallow me and trying to be strong like my friends that I suddenly found myself swept away by a rather violent surge.
I was dragged into an undertow. I swam and swam, getting exhausted, having no knowledge of how to handle myself in this situation. I didn't know it at the time, but although I had no luck swimming forward, I was swimming sideways at a steady pace. Soon I found myself being thrust against the rocks that the boys were climbing on. I realized this and decided to try and get their attention. I found I couldn't scream. Every time I tried I was punished by another wave crushing me against the rocks, knocking my breath away. I tried to search for a place to climb but the sadistic waves had worn the side of the rock so that it was too smooth to climb...which was probably just as well, as I didn't have any strength left to climb anyway. I was scared, but too exhausted to cry, and quickly becoming too exhausted to try and find a way to shore. Not knowing what to do, I let my body go limp, hoping the sea would have mercy upon me.
I suddenly felt a strange splash in the ocean beside me, the deliberate kind only a living being can make. Sure it was a shark mistaking me as its prey or a mermaid bent on dragging me down to its home and sacrificing me to its goddess, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and tried to mentally prepare my little mind for a painful death. I felt something wrap firmly around my waist. The shark's jaws, or maybe the mermaid's arms, I thought, but then I realized that either the shark was toothless or the mermaid was a lot more muscular than I'd imagined a mermaid to be. I couldn't help but find this a little intriguing despite my predicament, and sorrowfully wished I could stay alive to ask my mother what she thought about the phenomenon.
Almost without feeling it, I felt my head and shoulders raised above the water. I gasped for breath and looked to see what was carrying me and was shocked to see it was one of the big boys from the mussel-hunting group that had me by the waist and was swimming skillfully with the rhythm of the ocean, using the waves to help him rather than getting slammed against the rocks. Without thinking, I instinctively threw my arms around his neck and clung to him. He held me even tighter than I held him.
Seeing I was conscious enough to render a grip, he quickly slid me onto his back and yelled “Hang onto my neck!” over the noise of the waves. I obeyed (perhaps a little too well) and I felt him making slow but sure progress swimming around the rock and up to the shore. I was a little dizzy and breathless and had I the energy, I would have asked him if he'd ever seen a toothless shark before, or a muscular mermaid.
Once he'd reached an area shallow enough for him walk, he stood, took me off his back and carried me to where I could see my brother and friends anxiously watching for our return. He set me gently on the sand then sat next to me, with my brother sitting on my other side and my friends surrounding me, wailing and asking worried questions. Mukeko's face was tear-stained and he looked as guilty as if he himself had fed me to the waves, and Kaena was simultaneously bawling and beating up anyone unfortunate enough to try to “bother” me, or to appear that that might be their intention. That was the last thing I remember before I coughed up some saltwater and passed out from exhaustion.
Later, as I began to wake up, I became aware of some soft voices speaking in concerned tones. I managed to wake up a little more and found myself in my bed, buried under what must have been six or seven layers of blankets. I barely managed to fight my way out of them, then, peeking around, saw my mother stirring some sort of food in a pot. She looked at me and saw I was awake, and quickly came over to me with relieved expression. She sat on my bed and pulled me into her arms and lap, and I buried my face in her chest and sobbed, overwhelmed and overstimulated by the day's events. After a good five minutes at least of crying into her shoulder and having her comfort me and rub my back, I managed to rub some of the tears out of my eyes and look around to see who the other voices belonged to.
At the foot of my bed I saw my brother and the boy who had saved me, sitting together, talking quietly and glancing at me compassionately every now and then. My mother looked down at me and smiled, seeing I had calmed down a bit. Wiping some stray tears away from my cheeks she said in a loving but authoritative voice, “You owe Akamai a great deal of gratitude, Niu. He saved your life. Not only that, what he did was very dangerous and he could have gotten hurt as well, and you don't even belong to his tribe.” She offered him her own grateful smile.
The boy shook his head and said with a serious expression, “No one owes me anything, my lady. Any princess's life is too special to let anything happen to. Besides, I would've saved a drowning fish, why should I give your beautiful princess any less?” He laughed and smiled at me warmly. I buried my face in my mother's neck bashfully.
“Now, now, Akamai, modesty is an attractive trait, but you have to know when you really do deserve some credit,” my mother scolded him half-teasingly. Gently pulling me a little away from her body so I was forced to look up, she gently prompted me before he could protest further, “Give Akamai your thanks, little one.”
I cuddled back against her body for reassurance and shyly but sincerely mumbled “Th-thank you, big brother...”
“It was my pleasure, Princess Niu,” he told me, then smiled warmly again. I buried my face back in my mother's neck, and was confused when I heard everyone laugh a little.
I heard the door to our hut open and cautiously looked up to see my father towering above my mother and me. He leaned over and gave my mother a kiss on the head, then kissed my cheek. Then, standing up straight, he said to no one in particular, “I heard what happened today. Little Mukeko feels he has disgraced himself for the rest of his life, I hear.” He chuckled and sat down in a seat next to my brother and ruffled his hair affectionately. I felt a little bad for Mukeko. I knew he didn't mean any harm.
My father looked at my rescuer and continued, “We can't thank you enough, Akamai. No amount of gratitude would be enough to repay you. There's not much we can give you as a reward, but rest assured that we will give you all the privileges of a son of mine in this tribe. If you or your tribe ever need help of any sort, we will do all we can to help you. As you probably know, I don't really believe in arranged marriages, but if I did, you'd be engaged to my Niu as we speak,” he added with a laugh. I just looked at him in confusion.
“It really wasn't difficult, my lord. And anybody who was in the same situation and hadn't done the same thing is an inferior being,” the boy tried to assure my father, but was blown off. If my father wanted to treat him as a son, treat him as a son he would, whether it was necessary or not.
My love saw this and laughed a little. “You're too kind,” he said respectfully to my father, then stood up. “I should go home before my tribe begins to think I was eaten by a shark in the process of saving the princess,” he joked, and began to say his goodbyes to my family, who returned them with a bit more emotion than usual. He shook my father's hand, then my brother's, though my brother returned the handshake with a hug that would squeeze the breath out of a whale. My love didn't seem to mind, though. He got to my mother and me last. He gave my mother a respectful hug and kiss on the cheek. My mother hugged him back tightly and affectionately, squishing me a little in the process. I barely noticed.
Then he leaned down and gently took my hand and very delicately kissed it, then, without letting go of my hand, said, “I hope you feel alright now, Princess. If you'd like, when you're a little older, I can show you how to get away from an undertow safely.”
He smiled kindly at me, squeezed my fingers softly, then carefully let go of my hand. I stared at him wide-eyed, a bit shocked, then shyly snuggled close to my mother as we all watched him walk away with muted footsteps.
I was just a little girl, and very shy. I hadn't yet seen eight years pass. Mukeko and Punipuni and some of the other little boys about my age had convinced me to play with them and Kaena, my best friend and the princess of the neighboring tribe. She's always been a bit of a tomboy and liked to play rough, although she never let the boys come anywhere close to hurting me.
My brother, Hauka, and my love and a few other “big boys” were out among the rocks and tidepools close to where we were playing, gathering mussels and clams for us to eat. I pouted when I saw my brother among them, sure he was there to “baby-sit” me, and I wanted to be independent as much as any young child. He saw me too, and I suppose he was probably wondering why he had to be embarrassed by his baby sister being so close to him all the time. Don't get me wrong, we loved each other very much and a lot of the time we even got along. In any case, he really was an ideal big brother. He was protective, very protective...perhaps a bit over-protective?
Mukeko went to pester the bigger boys for a moment and was promptly thrown back over to the sand where we were sitting, watching him. Bored with that, he suggested we all go swimming. I tried to protest, as I couldn't swim very well at the time and I was a little afraid to swim without my mother or father near. It seems I was the only one who felt this way. Punipuni suggested we vote on it, as that would be the fair way to do it, and everyone agreed...or at least didn't complain.
Needless to say, the opposing party won. I was a little frightened but didn't want to be left to play by myself, so I decided to go swimming with them. I made up my mind to stay in a shallow area though, and watched them a bit enviously as they swam a little farther, easily fighting the waves that so roughly rocked my little body back and forth.
I began to feel a little sad paddling around in that little shallow area by myself. I wanted to swim far out like them. Even though I was, technically, swimming with them, it was still lonely and I felt alienated. Without consciously meaning to, I began to swim past my shallow area, little by little getting closer to where my friends were playing, pretending to be dolphins. Before long I became so wrapped up in not letting the waves completely swallow me and trying to be strong like my friends that I suddenly found myself swept away by a rather violent surge.
I was dragged into an undertow. I swam and swam, getting exhausted, having no knowledge of how to handle myself in this situation. I didn't know it at the time, but although I had no luck swimming forward, I was swimming sideways at a steady pace. Soon I found myself being thrust against the rocks that the boys were climbing on. I realized this and decided to try and get their attention. I found I couldn't scream. Every time I tried I was punished by another wave crushing me against the rocks, knocking my breath away. I tried to search for a place to climb but the sadistic waves had worn the side of the rock so that it was too smooth to climb...which was probably just as well, as I didn't have any strength left to climb anyway. I was scared, but too exhausted to cry, and quickly becoming too exhausted to try and find a way to shore. Not knowing what to do, I let my body go limp, hoping the sea would have mercy upon me.
I suddenly felt a strange splash in the ocean beside me, the deliberate kind only a living being can make. Sure it was a shark mistaking me as its prey or a mermaid bent on dragging me down to its home and sacrificing me to its goddess, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and tried to mentally prepare my little mind for a painful death. I felt something wrap firmly around my waist. The shark's jaws, or maybe the mermaid's arms, I thought, but then I realized that either the shark was toothless or the mermaid was a lot more muscular than I'd imagined a mermaid to be. I couldn't help but find this a little intriguing despite my predicament, and sorrowfully wished I could stay alive to ask my mother what she thought about the phenomenon.
Almost without feeling it, I felt my head and shoulders raised above the water. I gasped for breath and looked to see what was carrying me and was shocked to see it was one of the big boys from the mussel-hunting group that had me by the waist and was swimming skillfully with the rhythm of the ocean, using the waves to help him rather than getting slammed against the rocks. Without thinking, I instinctively threw my arms around his neck and clung to him. He held me even tighter than I held him.
Seeing I was conscious enough to render a grip, he quickly slid me onto his back and yelled “Hang onto my neck!” over the noise of the waves. I obeyed (perhaps a little too well) and I felt him making slow but sure progress swimming around the rock and up to the shore. I was a little dizzy and breathless and had I the energy, I would have asked him if he'd ever seen a toothless shark before, or a muscular mermaid.
Once he'd reached an area shallow enough for him walk, he stood, took me off his back and carried me to where I could see my brother and friends anxiously watching for our return. He set me gently on the sand then sat next to me, with my brother sitting on my other side and my friends surrounding me, wailing and asking worried questions. Mukeko's face was tear-stained and he looked as guilty as if he himself had fed me to the waves, and Kaena was simultaneously bawling and beating up anyone unfortunate enough to try to “bother” me, or to appear that that might be their intention. That was the last thing I remember before I coughed up some saltwater and passed out from exhaustion.
Later, as I began to wake up, I became aware of some soft voices speaking in concerned tones. I managed to wake up a little more and found myself in my bed, buried under what must have been six or seven layers of blankets. I barely managed to fight my way out of them, then, peeking around, saw my mother stirring some sort of food in a pot. She looked at me and saw I was awake, and quickly came over to me with relieved expression. She sat on my bed and pulled me into her arms and lap, and I buried my face in her chest and sobbed, overwhelmed and overstimulated by the day's events. After a good five minutes at least of crying into her shoulder and having her comfort me and rub my back, I managed to rub some of the tears out of my eyes and look around to see who the other voices belonged to.
At the foot of my bed I saw my brother and the boy who had saved me, sitting together, talking quietly and glancing at me compassionately every now and then. My mother looked down at me and smiled, seeing I had calmed down a bit. Wiping some stray tears away from my cheeks she said in a loving but authoritative voice, “You owe Akamai a great deal of gratitude, Niu. He saved your life. Not only that, what he did was very dangerous and he could have gotten hurt as well, and you don't even belong to his tribe.” She offered him her own grateful smile.
The boy shook his head and said with a serious expression, “No one owes me anything, my lady. Any princess's life is too special to let anything happen to. Besides, I would've saved a drowning fish, why should I give your beautiful princess any less?” He laughed and smiled at me warmly. I buried my face in my mother's neck bashfully.
“Now, now, Akamai, modesty is an attractive trait, but you have to know when you really do deserve some credit,” my mother scolded him half-teasingly. Gently pulling me a little away from her body so I was forced to look up, she gently prompted me before he could protest further, “Give Akamai your thanks, little one.”
I cuddled back against her body for reassurance and shyly but sincerely mumbled “Th-thank you, big brother...”
“It was my pleasure, Princess Niu,” he told me, then smiled warmly again. I buried my face back in my mother's neck, and was confused when I heard everyone laugh a little.
I heard the door to our hut open and cautiously looked up to see my father towering above my mother and me. He leaned over and gave my mother a kiss on the head, then kissed my cheek. Then, standing up straight, he said to no one in particular, “I heard what happened today. Little Mukeko feels he has disgraced himself for the rest of his life, I hear.” He chuckled and sat down in a seat next to my brother and ruffled his hair affectionately. I felt a little bad for Mukeko. I knew he didn't mean any harm.
My father looked at my rescuer and continued, “We can't thank you enough, Akamai. No amount of gratitude would be enough to repay you. There's not much we can give you as a reward, but rest assured that we will give you all the privileges of a son of mine in this tribe. If you or your tribe ever need help of any sort, we will do all we can to help you. As you probably know, I don't really believe in arranged marriages, but if I did, you'd be engaged to my Niu as we speak,” he added with a laugh. I just looked at him in confusion.
“It really wasn't difficult, my lord. And anybody who was in the same situation and hadn't done the same thing is an inferior being,” the boy tried to assure my father, but was blown off. If my father wanted to treat him as a son, treat him as a son he would, whether it was necessary or not.
My love saw this and laughed a little. “You're too kind,” he said respectfully to my father, then stood up. “I should go home before my tribe begins to think I was eaten by a shark in the process of saving the princess,” he joked, and began to say his goodbyes to my family, who returned them with a bit more emotion than usual. He shook my father's hand, then my brother's, though my brother returned the handshake with a hug that would squeeze the breath out of a whale. My love didn't seem to mind, though. He got to my mother and me last. He gave my mother a respectful hug and kiss on the cheek. My mother hugged him back tightly and affectionately, squishing me a little in the process. I barely noticed.
Then he leaned down and gently took my hand and very delicately kissed it, then, without letting go of my hand, said, “I hope you feel alright now, Princess. If you'd like, when you're a little older, I can show you how to get away from an undertow safely.”
He smiled kindly at me, squeezed my fingers softly, then carefully let go of my hand. I stared at him wide-eyed, a bit shocked, then shyly snuggled close to my mother as we all watched him walk away with muted footsteps.
