Chapter 17 - Surrender

Martha! Goodness, these smell good." Hannah exclaimed, as she walked into the kitchen where Martha set out a bowl of sweet potatoes on the dining table, a platter of grilled chicken already laid out.

The old woman smiled tenderly at her, then raised her gaze to Jasper who stood behind her.

"Your warrior seems to be holding himself well enough. But I can tell, you can't wait to dig in." Her words amused him, and yet they were true.

"Truer words, Martha, my love haven't been said." He walked to her and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. He didn't understand where his affections for the elderly woman had come from, but they were there. He loved her as his own.

“My warrior.” she whispered, all of what was before her, made Hannah's heart yearn. Yearn for someday when they could all be like this without the Athànatoi. But she would take today, take the now, and be grateful.

Thank you creator. She said in her heart. Then began setting the table.

"Ah Jasper, all this tenderness and care and you're going to make me want to battle our Hannah for you." Hannah grinned.

"Tough luck." Hannah said with a giggle.

"All these beautiful women are fighting for me." And that made everyone laugh.

Yes indeed, thank you creator.

" Well let's all settle down now, let's eat." Martha said, and they did, saying a prayer of thanks as one. And they conversed about everything and nothing, filling their bellies, and filling each other's hearts.

~~~~

"The Athànatoi are merciless." Martha began sometime in the evening. When they all gathered together.

"They don't ever forget grievances. It so has it, they are immortal, passing on judgement of the sins of the father unto the children. Causing so much affliction and trepidation. "

"And now?" Hannah asked.

"Why haven't they just come for me yet and be done with it? Why have they held on so long, waited this much?"

"I think, and this is all guesswork here. I think it's because there is some Athànatoi in your blood," Hannah winced and Martha nodded knowingly.

"They are known for their loyalty, surprisingly, but also I believe it's because you are royalty and they are aware of what is at stake, they expect you to come willingly, zero war, no fight. They know that not giving in the way they want will bring about a war, they'd rather avoid that."

"Well they can't have her, too bad." Jasper said with an oh so deadly calm she had to look at him. He would protect her from this. A man who had only come to deliver a message, who had only wanted to see the king to deliver an important message, was now in love with her, and he would protect her till the end. The thought made her heart roll over, it gave her such great joy, filled her with so much gratitude,but it also brought on such great fear. Not for herself, but for him.

"What if I do give myself over?"

"We aren't discussing that," he started, and then turned to her,

"because it's not happening." He finished with some of that calm, but it was slipping, and the pure white anger he felt was rearing its ugly head with a grin on its face.

"Jasper, we have to know, anything could happen."

"But not that, do you understand? Not that." She stared at him with her mouth opened slightly, and then quickly got her composure.

"Jasper, do you not see? I may have a way to save my people, I–"

"You may be able to save your people, Hannah. But who will save you? And if you did that, you would have saved all but one, because if you did that, if something were to happen to you, who would save me?" They looked at each other before he gave a curt shake of his head and got up, and headed for the door.

Hannah watched him leave before finally turning to Martha, tears running down her cheeks.

"Go after him." Was all she said and it was all Hannah needed to hear, for she got up and did as she was told.

~~~~

She walked outside to the breezy night. She stood for a moment by the door post and was swept away by the sweetness of reminiscence. She took a cleansing breath and walked toward him, and sat beside him on the stairs. And for a while neither of them said anything, both in their thoughts, seeking for ways to enter the thoughts of the other, but they were going to have to knock gently on doors of each other's heart. love asked so little and at times it seemed so great.

"I've lived on my own for some time now," he began, and she listened with great care.

"I have a family in Moline, my parents, two sisters. I love them greatly, and I would never want anything to happen to them. But with you it's different, with you, I have all of me completed, the thought of losing you drives me to the edge, leaves me having to take great efforts to breathe. The thought of losing you, Hannah, I believe is worse than death itself. We all must part with the ones we love someday, I know that, and it hurts like hell just thinking about it. But we also must remember that while we have the ones we love with us, we must love with a love that is sacrificial, it must be endless, it must be timeless, we must love in such a way that we try to not leave room for doubt of that love. And so, Hannah, I couldn't sit back and watch you leave me, knowing I could do something to change that, knowing I could fight to change that." Tears we're running down her face in torrents now. She threw her hands around his neck and he wrapped his hands around her waist.

"Oh Jasper, I've been a fool. Such a fool, forgive me." She said, amidst her sobs. He held her tighter.

"I forgive you, my love. Please just don't think of leaving me this way, I couldn't survive it." And the dams of hearts were unleashed. They stayed that way, with her crying into the nook of his neck and him holding unto her small frame for dear life.

Finally, when her tears subsided she placed her hands on his chest and gently pulled away to look up at him.

"I've been a fool. Love asks that we die to ourselves, that we give ourselves to the ones we love, love makes us belong to the ones who we love. That was once crazy to me, and seemed impossible–"

" Because of that impeccable will of yours?" He teased, and she let out a small laugh.

"Yes, I believe so. but now, Jasper, there's you, and I wasn't thinking when I said what I said in there. I love you Jasper, and I belong to you now. When I said what I said in there, I wasn't thinking of you. It is sorry I am for that." He caressed her cheek with his hand.

"You were thinking of your people." His words weren't criticising, they were gentle, understanding.

And she closed her eyes, not because she wanted to block out his love, but because she wanted to embrace it. His words were true, but they weren't the only truth.

"Yes. I love my people, Jasper." She said, and then opened her eyes, all she met was more understanding, more gentleness, more love.

"But I love you more." She brought a hand to his cheek. "I love my people, but I love you more Jasper, and for you, I will live, for you, I will fight."

That was all he needed to hear, and he kissed her. He kissed her and worlds fell away, the Athànatoi didn't exist, He kissed her and eternity seemed attainable, and the elderly woman who watched them through her living room window wasn't taken notice of.

"Ahh, the language of love." She sighed to herself with a contented smile.