[prp] The Queen of Hearts

[wuthering gee]

Many moons had come and gone since that fateful night when he'd first been introduced to the lady of his heart. She had come to him in a vision, which was one of the perks that accompanied being the son of a Goddess, and Naeem had looked far and wide for her ever since. He had been to the Kizingo'zaa before, when he was young, and he'd met an endearing little cub who'd been in love with the ocean. He had visited the Dawn Walkers, and there he'd met a little girl and, through the power of imagination, had helped her rescue a kidnapped princess. So far, Naeem had not been fortunate enough to find the lady of his heart, but he could not say that his adventures were fruitless. No, they weren't fruitless at all.

They had been, each in their own special kind of way, memories that he would be able to keep with him and treasure forever. If his future love had not been so elusive, he would not have made so many friends and so, the way Naeem saw it, he owed her. A big dreamer with an even bigger heart, the young adolescent was, like any male would be, proud of the strength and the agility his newfound size had granted him. He could travel farther faster and, with his age had come an experience- he was pleased to note that he didn't not always get lost so easily anymore. Also, he was no longer frightened to be alone at night.

And night it was. It was with a daring smile and a mischievous spirit that the youth with the pink mane found himself approaching the Kizingo'Zaa pride lands once more, mindful of the ocean and an urge to dip his toes in the coolness of the waves. He sighed happily to himself, almost fully-grown paws leaving indentations in the sand behind him as he walked, and stared out at the water that beat against the shore. It was very dark. The glow of the moon and stars were inhibited by a collection of dark grey clouds that hung overhead.

It smelled like rain.  

[OP-Yuna]

The previous rains had left Eglantine's flower patch dampened, but glistening in the moonlight. The smell in the air said that there was sure to be more rain. Her flowers were happy for that, because the salty ocean water was not good for them. 'It chokes us!' they'd sing.
This had always been her most favorite place in the pride's lands - the incline between forest and ocean where the countless pink flowers bloomed amongst kudzu vines. The kudzu was a destructive plant which took over and choked anything in its path, but the flowers had proven more resilient and cunning. They'd even taught Eglantine to sing.

"hmmm~" The pale lioness hummed as she strolled carefully along them on the more level part of the incline.
"Dream little blossoms dream. Sleep soundly under my feet and the moonlight. Dream of light and rain, stave off the pain of salt and brine,...and bring to me he who is mine!"

Eglantine sang with no knowledge that anyone was around to hear - anyone but her flowers anyway. With a careful paw she reached up to one of the flowers - it's petals closed, and with water beads gathered, ready to drop. With a toe she caught the drip and smiled.  

[wuthering gee]

This was not the first time he had heard a lady sing. Naeem's ears perked as they caught the familiar sound, although it belonged to an undoubtedly different voice, and he turned his head in the direction of the performer. Her fur was pale and bright. She stood out in the dark like a beam of light in a cave. For awhile, he just watched her, with a curious expression on his young face. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about her was strikingly familiar- and it wasn't just the fact that she was singing.

Aside from his mother, who was a Goddess, Naeem had never spoken to a fully grown lioness and something about her made him pause. She was strikingly beautiful. His heart gave a little flip-flop and he took a couple careful steps towards her, but stopped in his tracks when his paw found a stick and in snapped in two with a resounding crack.

Uncertain, and very aware of the fact that he was no longer an adorable youngster who might appeal to lionesses with mothering tendencies, Naeem stood up a little straighter and puffed out his chest; attempting, vainly, to make himself seem more manly. She was a pretty lady and he was an outsider. It was important that she liked him. He just didn't know how to go about inspiring the right impression.  

[OP-Yuna]

She stopped and tensed when she heard the crack. Wide blue eyes looked in the direction of the sound before she hopped up the slight hill and behind a tree, where she peeked out.
"Who goes there?" she asked, face bearing a demure expression.

Eglantine was not long into adulthood, and still retained a very youthful nature, however she had always acted every bit like a damsel, although thankfully she'd never been in distress.  

[wuthering gee]

Every bit the charmer, bearing a heart of gold and valiancy in the face of any damsel, Naeem had no intentions of bringing Eglantine distress. He was every bit as surprised when she darted behind the tree as she clearly was to see him. A little confused, but glad that she had not growled at him, Naeem approached her slowly, keeping his chest puffed out and big the entire way.

"My name is Naeem," he forced his voice to go lower than it actually was, and sounded quite ridiculous. "I am a… strong… and… powerful lion whose on a very worthy quest."

With the exception of the latter, which was not a lie at all, Naeem was not exactly being dishonest. As the son of the Goddess of Truth, he was naturally an honest soul. He was simply exaggerating a little to make himself more impressive. Bending the truth wasn't the same thing as breaking it.

Nevermind that Eglantine could probably definitely tell he was neither very strong nor very powerful. Athletic and wiry, with promise, maybe- but he wasn't filled out in the slightest.  

[OP-Yuna]

Eglantine scrunched up her nose a bit. Strong and powerful? He didn't look much younger than her, but he really didn't look either of those very much. In the future though maybe...

"A quest you say?" She asked, still standing where she had fled to, but more the the side of the tree rather than behind it. "My name is Eglantine."  

[wuthering gee]

"Yes," Naeem informed her with a toss of his head and his adolescent mane that was meant to look impressive, "a quest- for the lady of my heart. She is my one and only love. I saw her in a dream. We are meant to find each other and live happily ever after."

"It is nice to meet you, Eglantine," the young lion smiled charmingly at the slightly older lady, "You are very beautiful. Did you know that?"

He imagined that she did. It was likely that many men had told her so. She was so lovely that he found it hard to believe otherwise.  

[OP-Yuna]

"Why thank you. The flowers tell me that I am, but not in the way that they are. I know not whether to be offended of complemented. But to hear it from another of my own kind is reassuring." There was a slight smile on her face.

"I take it your quest has not been totally successful?"  

[wuthering gee]

She had a lovely way of speaking. Naeem listened to Eglantine with a wistful smile on his face and was, momentarily, swept away on the pretty wind her words had painted. Unfortunately for him, the things she'd said didn't lead him very far and Naeem found himself crashing back to earth far sooner than he would have otherwise liked.

"I think I'm getting closer," he smiled meaningfully at the older lioness. Something about her was strikingly familiar and, until moments ago, Naeem hadn't quite been able to put his finger on it. But he was relatively certain he knew the answer now.

"What else do the flowers tell you?"  

[OP-Yuna]

Eglantine watched the stranger closely, as she did with anyone she didn't know. She was a cautious little damsel who didn't look to fall in to trouble if she could spot it before hand and avoid it.
"They tell me many things. They are mostly concerned for their own well being, and tell me that they do not appreciate being used as bedding or being stepped on because they are vain and do not look pretty when they are flattened."
She spoke this very adamantly, as if she were their defender.  

[wuthering gee]

Trouble wasn't something that Naeem looked for. It wasn't something that he avoided either. He was an adventurous and mischievous spirit, who liked to have fun and enjoyed a good game. These things often walked hand in hand with trouble, and that was okay. It was worth it.

"That's very sad," his voice was conversational, agreeable. Everything about his posture and his expression suggested that he wanted Eglantine to like him. "I will have to be more careful about where I step now. Clearly, these flowers mean a lot to you."

Therefore, they meant a lot to him.

Naeem's heart soared, and he licked his lips as it hit him. A vision; another flash of his future, with this lady as his heart. The previously unfocused image had morphed into a vision of Eglantine, and he positively ached to tell her.

So he did.

"Its you," he informed her with a breathless smile, "You are the lady of my dreams, and my future lover."

He hoped that his bold language would make him seem more grown up. It was worth a try.  

[OP-Yuna]

Eglantine blinked a few times, and her mouth gaped like a fish before she finally managed; "Excuse me?" A paw lifted to her chest. "Don't you think that is a little....presumptuous of you?"

What did this guy think he would gain by just...coming out like that!? Really! That was not how one went about obtaining a lady!  

[wuthering gee]

All it took was was her mouth to fall open, and Naeem instantly knew he'd said the wrong thing. Mentally back-pedalling, upset with himself for upsetting her, but not quite understanding how he had upset her, the pink maned adolescent blanched visibly and scrambled to fix his mistake.

"Uh-

He fidgeted helplessly. "Was it presumptuous of me?"

If she said it was, he would believe it to be so!

"Is that a bad thing? I'm sorry if it is." Then, he looked her in the eye, "but I am not a liar, dear lady, and that is what I have seen."

His visions weren't something he'd ever explained to anyone before. He wasn't sure how to go about it.  

[OP-Yuna]

"Seen!? How can you see something that hasn't happened?" Eglantine did not understand, "If you wish to win a lady, you do not just announce such things! You must first court her!" There was a firm nod that followed.  

[wuthering gee]

This was awkward. Naeem was not accustomed to feeling so unfamiliar with himself and his purpose. At long last he had found his heart, and she was not being very cooperative. If he'd been a more cynical soul, he might have been irritated- annoyed, even.

As it was, however, Naeem rose to the challenge like a knight.

"My mother is the goddess of Truth," he explained honestly, "I see things. Future things, and you are in my future."

The young lion took a deep breath and then continued, "I think it may be like the way the flowers speak to you. I see, instead of hear."

Lately, he'd begun to listen as well. This was his second visit to the Kizingo'zaa pridelands, and Naeem was growing more and more aware of a whisper at the back of his head.

"I will court you, then," he informed her graciously. Then, he paused and inclined his head in her direction. "How do I court you?"