The Happy Couple (Tag: Alidia and Rahim) rated M

Nahusha quickly pulled her into the cave, out of the wind. After setting her down in the far back, he set to work on making a fire. This was where he could use a shortcut. Saying a magic word, the firewood sparked to life. They were sure to get warm now.
"That should do it." he muttered as he snuggled beside her.

Emma smiled as she rubbed her hands together and placed them by the fire.
"Thanks..." She blushed when he snuggled with her.
She looked at his eyes with hers and they sparkled.
"Ummm...Nahusha....I have something I need to tell you..." she leaned forward a bit shyly.

Meanwhile at the castle, Dani noticed that Emma was gone and she told the king and he knew. "Guards....Capture them...bring them alive..."

"Oh? And what's that?" Nahusha asked her. He gave his friend his full attention. What could she have to tell him?

Emma was debating. To tell or not. She wanted to tell him how she felt with him near but she couldnt. "Ummm...this is the cave that I used to hide from my previous masters..." Dang it, she couldnt tell him. She held her head down in shame and embarrassment.

"Oh. I am so sorry for the way you were treated. I've gotten a taste of that with the king, because he wants to use me as a weapon of war against my own race. That's why I was locked up instead of killed like my adoptive mother." Nahusha said to her, the memories still fresh in his mind.

Emma held her head up when he said about the loss of his mother. "I...I... I am so sorry...." she held his hands but she placed her hand that was free on his heart. She closed her eyes "You miss her very much and you are afraid that you won't feel anything again..." Her eyes glowed. "I will be here for you Nahusha...always..." she said as her eyes were back to normal.

Meanwhile the guards were looking everywhere for them.

"I hope so, Emma. I hope that once we find your uncle's circus, we can track down my family as well. And I wouldn't mind getting a change of clothes too. I cannot tell you how much I hate these rags." Nahusha replied, attempting to make the situation humorous.

Emma weakly chuckled at the rag joke. She had been in rags all her life. "Yea..rags..." she said. "Nahusha tell me a story..." what he didnt know was she was going to plant a kiss when he started telling her the story.

"A story. Let's see. I think I know of one. My favorite story is about the disfigured artist, who found compassion in a dancer. She saw his brilliant mind and helped to make his art shine." Nahusha started telling his story.

Well...here goes nothing Emma thought. She kissed him before he said mind. She felt like she was flying. She pulled back. "Nahusha...sorry its that..." she started to say.

"Sorry for what? Emma, are you...are you trying to tell me that you like me? Or is it love you're feeling?" Nahusha asked. He secretly hoped that she was leaning towards the latter.

Emma blushed. "I think I am in love with you...and the kiss was a spare at the moment and..." the fire was glowing brightly and Emma was speechless

The guards were looking everywhere and they found 2 sets of footprints.

A warm smile spread over his face. His lonely heart seemed to melt as he pulled her into a hug. His body seemed to tremble as he held on to her.
"I love you as well, Emma. You are the first person I can remember who treated me like a person. Like an equal. I will never forget that." Nahusha explained, joyfully.

Emma smiled as she returned the hug but she felt him tremble, "Nahusha...I will do everything in power to keep you safe and ..." she couldnt say anything else but she looked at him and kissed him cause thats what her words trying to say. She wrapped her hands around his neck; the fire was dying down.

"I'm glad that you love me, my dear Emma. And I promise you that if you continue to come with me, you will not be treated like a slave anymore. I want you to have a good life." Nahusha promised her.

"M...me having the good life?" Emma stuttered out of shock. "I do..." she smiled. Then she had a chill. "We need to leave now..." she took his hands and guided him to a tunnel which had a slide that would lead them to a forest. "We are almost there..."

The guards arrived that the cave and found out they just missed them. "We need to find them.." Dani said.

Nahusha squealed with excitement as they slide down that tunnel. He kept his hand around hers as they travelled through the forest. It was a more pleasant journey than the one through the mountains. He sent her numerous loving smiles to show that he really cared.

Where is it... Emma wondered and then she saw it, the tree. She let go of her beloveds hands as she chanted the magical phase. "Enchanted circus come alive..its me Emma..." Then a force field opened and she smiled as she took her beloveds hands and took him inside and the force field close. Emma looked around and everything was in ruins and charcoaled. She ran to her uncles tent and saw everything was normal.

"Well. And here I thought I knew about magic." Nahusha mumbled, impressed. He followed Emma, hoping to meet her uncle.

Emma giggled. "Uncle...Uncle Shawn..." Emma gasped when the cauldron in the middle of the tent glowed and showed her uncle's face. "Emma if youre seeing this I am gone...and your powers are in full bloom...all you need is here in the tent...Love you....and be careful...danger is all around.." Emma started to cry "Uncle Shawn..." her knees gave out on her. "No...."

Nahusha stood there, numb by shock. He had no idea of what happened here. But he did know that Emma needed him right now. The Cihpromorhtna peacock knelt beside her and wrapped her in an embrace.
"Emma, I'm so sorry for what happened. I know we were both hoping your uncle could help us." As he was speaking, Nahusha heard something else. Other voices.
"What happened here, Rajasi?" a female voice asked.
"I don't know, Sharma. I just don't know." a male voice answered.

Emma forgot that the potion had worn out once they reached the circus. She just took in the embrace and cried. And she gasped when she heard two voices and they sounded familiar from a far off memory but Emma couldnt place it.

Nahusha peaked outside to see who it was. He was surprised to find two Cihpromorhtna peafowl out there, a peacock and peahen. The peacock seemed alert and wary, but the peahen looked tired and lifeless. Or she was until she looked toward where Nahusha stood. She gasped and rushed toward him, staring at him like he was the most amazing thing in the world. For his own part, he felt self-conscious under her scrutiny.
"My child! My beautiful son! I can believe we both lived to see this day." the peahen, Sharma, exclaimed as she hugged him. A face from his earliest memories became clear in his head as her mate, Rajasi, joined them.
"Mother? Father?" he asked in shock. They both nodded their heads, overwhelming joy on their faces.

Emma was so upset that she stayed where she was. First mom...dad...Hannah now uncle Shawn.. she wrapped herself in a ball, singing her mom's lullaby.

"We came here to visit Shawn. Imagine our surprise when we found this place in ruins. But we didn't expect to find our son here. How did you get out here in the first place?" Rajasi asked.
"I had some help from Shawn's niece, Emma. I promised her a better life, Father." Nahusha began to say.
"She is welcome to come with us. We help run a country farther south where humans and our kind live together. She will be an honored guest at our castle there." Sharma suggested.
"Castle?" the younger peacock asked his parents.
"Yes, son. Your mother and I are a Duchess and Duke." his father replied.
"Come, let's get Emma and return to our caravan. We don't want to be caught by any of Cassius' men." his mother said as she went inside Shawn's tent.