They reached Anita’s apartments without further incident. Anita gave the guard on the doors clear instructions not to disturb them and closed the doors.
This was the first time Akna had ever seen inside an Arnorin noble’s personal living space. It was huge. She knew the palace was big, and she’d seen many of the large rooms in it, but somehow she had expected personal quarters to be...not small, she supposed, but not so big. Something bigger than the guest room she was staying in, but not much. This room was six or more of Akna’s rooms put together.
Only then did she realise this was just the sitting area. There was no bed or wardrobe. Anita’s use of the term apartments was plural for a reason. This was only one of several rooms. Multiple doors led from it to other areas.
With a nod, Akna walked over to her.
Akna shrugged. “This should be fine.” She sat on the rug and crossed her legs. With the fire burning nearby, it was warm like Anita had suggested, and much more comfortable than most other places in the palace. “I don’t really know a lot about meditating. The priests in Ninifin encourage meditation, but I never really took to it. All I know is what I read yesterday recommended a floor instead of a chair. But the rug is nice.”
Akna stifled a laugh. “Do you need any help?”
Akna couldn’t contain her laughter any longer.
It took Akna a moment to get her laughter under control. “You want me to wear one of those?”
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Akna opened her eyes. “Your religion isn’t the only one, you know?”
Akna shook her head. “Never mind.” She held back the desire to admonish Anita, remembering how much she had thought she’d known about the world when she first left Ninifin and how wrong she’d been about most of it. It was kind of endearing to see the same na?veté in someone else.
Grant me strength, Ninussa,
Strength of body and mind,
Grant me strength to protect the Queen
And those under my charge.
Grant me strength.
It didn’t take long to go through all the prayers she knew, and there were still dozens of beads left on the necklace. So she went back to the first and repeated them all. Staying focused and concentrated was a lot harder than Felit?a made it look. Felit?a meditated every day and made it look like a breeze—except, of course, when the Staff was bothering her, but that was different. Felit?a managed to ignore all the other distractions that Akna found she just couldn’t. The crackle of the fire. Anita shifting positions and patting her skirts down. Anita lightly clearing her throat. The warmth of the fire against Akna’s skin. The tickling of the hairs of the rug on her legs. All the kinds of things she had been trained to pay attention to, so she could be alert to dangers. How was she supposed to ignore them now?
As Akna thought about it, that was what she’d been taught years ago. It was nice of the images to give her advice and remind her of that—nice of her own mind, she supposed.
Chica walked up to her. For a change, her face didn’t explode. Instead, she looked at Akna with sad eyes. Akna couldn’t say exactly where they were. She was still sitting on the fur rug. She could feel it. Yet Chica had walked up to her and their heads were...not level, but at exactly the difference they were always at when standing due to Akna’s three extra inches of height.
Akna blinked several times—except she never opened her eyes. “But that...I mean… That was Felit?a. She said—”
“I’m right here, Akna.” Her face had gone back to normal. “In front of you. Can’t you see me?”
Akna ran towards her, threw her arms around her. “I’ve missed you, Chica.” She grabbed the back of Chica’s head and kissed her, pulled her in tight, drew in the scent of her.
Anita stared wide-eyed. “It’s not that I don’t want to...or that I’m not interested. Just...you could give me warning. Do you always kiss so...so violently?”