8. A feast
1625 Words
ELI gladly walked towards his Mama. Whatever the good news was it better be good as he was already heartbroken.
“Si, Mama you called for me?” he asked her. They were standing in front of the packhouse at the entrance door.
Sultan Zaman and his Abuelo had already gone up.
He was a bit nervous as his Mama was all smiles.
“Is that how a man who found his mate should react? Cheer up Niño! I have a piece of news. I have talked to Sultan Zaman about you and Danah. He was willing to help you sort things out with her and her parents. In one condition, you should keep his daughter safe and never abandon her side.” His Mama whispered to him. She did not want anyone to hear their conversation but was too excited to discuss it in her office.
“Thanks, Mama. I already asked Danah, if I can court her but she refused. Not until her parents gave their blessing. Such torment. How long do these peace talks last?” he was getting impatient. He already waited long enough. Now, he has to wait a little more.
“Do not fret, I have more good news. I invited her parents to come over here. They will be arriving in two weeks time. Sultan Zaman made sure to deliver the message to them, immediately as we speak.” She was all too supportive of him.
“Really? Does that mean, I won’t wait that long?” He was elated with the news. His Mama really had a way of talking with people. She knows how to sway them to her favor. How he wished he had the same gift.
“Si, Niño. Now stop slouching and be the man I taught you to be. We have guests to entertain and protect.” His Mama Alex then walked towards the packhouse.
He went along humming a delightful tune. He had to endure two more weeks of looking at Danah and just being friendly.
The day passed by without any hiccups. Sultan Zaman introduced each of his family to them. It turned out Pablo was mated to one of his daughters, Fida. She just turned sixteen and had not been betrothed to anyone. Pablo was elated when he found out.
His Mama Alex on the other hand was glad that Pablo found his mate as well. She even told him that she will personally help in arranging their union.
Now, he had to focus more on his predicament.
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IN order to welcome Sultan Zaman properly, Eli and his family prepared a feast in their honor.
His Mama even invited the government officials and King Pat to join the feast. A lot of kalesa started to arrive in front of their house.
The feast was placed in the newly built pavilion near the woods. It had a dome type of ceiling made of glass. The posts were made of wood while the floor was raised from the ground. Kawayan (bamboo) was used for the floor, it had a woven pattern to make it more sturdy which was placed on top of wooden bars.
The sky was full of stars as the table at the center was full of local cuisine. There was a roasted pig, roasted chicken, and the star of the night was roasted turkey.
They knew Muslims did not eat any pork and so they tried to favor a more non-pork food.
“Mmm smells nice. Is that turkey?” Fida asked Danah who just arrived at the Pavillion. Following them was Aliyah, the eldest daughter of Sultan Zaman.
“They did try to please us with a turkey.” Aliyah who was a snob walked towards the chair with her name. She sat there alone while Fida and Danah looked around.
“Danah, look at these fruits. It is so big. My, do you know how it tastes?” Fida asked her.
He just stared at them unable to move forward. He continued to follow Danah with his gaze.
“Hermano, come on. We need to go. Mama Claudia is calling for us already.” Maria dragged him at his elbow together with her mate.
“Let me be. Slow down, will you? It is not ladylike of you.” he scolded her in a low voice so as not to attract attention.
She rolled her eyes at him and continued to walk briskly. He followed her and sat beside Aliyah as his name was beside hers.
“Good evening, señora Aliyah.” He greeted him with a smile. She was now exposing her face. He noticed that Danah and Fida were still using a more covered headdress.
“Good evening, señor Joselito.” She greeted him yet she did not look at him. She was fixated on the food in front of her.
He found it odd that she was not talking to her sister who was beside her. He tried to talk to her in order to know her better. Maybe, he can ask things about Danah when they became friends.
“How was your trip going here?” he started to make some small talk with her.
“It was pleasant and short. I am more accustomed to longer trips.” She answered him. Still focused on the plate in front.
He shrugged. She was hard to talk to. Yet, he could not stop as she was his responsibility the whole time she was in La Punta.
“Ah, I see. So where have you gone to other than La Punta?” he became curious about her and where she went to already. He had traveled before but it was mostly for pack stuff nothing fancy.
“Just somewhere down south. I am not sure what the place is called. Baba (father) brought us there to pray to Allah.” She again dismissed him. Her face showed annoyance.
He gave up and did not ask her. Instead, he looked at Danah thru his spoon. She was standing behind Fida and Aliyah.
He wanted to give her a seat at the table but it might offend the guests. After all, he did not know their tradition. He just stared at her and admired her beauty even if it was covered. She was wearing a satin dress with a cloth that crossed her body. She wore a black cloth for a headdress.
He really needed to know those terms for their attires. He was being eaten by his curiosity about their culture. It was vibrant and foreign to him.
He took a deep breath and began to stand up. He had enough. He could not take it anymore. He would not eat unless she did as well.
“Danah, please join us.” He raised his hand towards his chair and gave it to her. Sultan Zaman was looking at him with a shocked expression.
“How dare you invite her with us?” Aliyah was the one who protested.
He furrowed his brow. “She will be my guest.” He answered her. Then he gestured for the omegas to bring an extra chair.
Murmurs started to cover the Pavillion as the government officials talked to each other. Sultan Zaman just nodded his head in agreement with Eli.
He took the cue and let Danah sat beside him.
“Thank you, Eli. You did not have to do it.”
“Do not worry about anything and just eat. I could not eat when I would see you getting hungry staring at us.” he replied to her. He hoped it would give him some plus points as he wanted to court her.
“Hypocrisy,” Aliyah said under her breath.
“Sister, stop that. Be grateful we have a generous host.” Fida reminded her.
Aliyah then looked at him from top to bottom and smirked. She was too arrogant and snobbish for Eli to care about.
“Thank you, Eli, for taking care of Danah. This feast is nothing we have ever had.” Fida gave him a small smile of appreciation. She already took off the cloth covering her mouth and nose. She looked like her father, but a little more feminine.
“Please eat. The pleasure is all mine.” Eli answered her as he sat between Danah and Aliyah.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, buenas noches. Tonight we celebrate the safe arrival of Sultan Zaman and his family. We welcome you to La Punta and hope your stay will be pleasant. Let’s eat everyone.” Abuelo Vicente, who sat at the kabisera, gave the speech.
He smiled towards Sultan Zaman before he took the first bite. His hand was trembling due to the commotion he made earlier.
In front of him was Pablo who was not eating but instead was drooling over Fida. He tried to tell him to eat but it was of no use. Pablo’s attention was onto Fida only.
He wanted to mind linked him but was afraid someone might see his eyes turn white.
He went back to getting food in front of him when his hand touched Danah’s. Sparks were all over his arms and there was this warmth he could not describe.
He smiled at her and pulled his hand back.
“I am so sorry. I was not looking.” He spoke softly.
Danah did not respond but continued to get some food. She avoided the pork but got almost a little of everything.
“Ahhh, my hand!” Aliyah shouted.
Everyone looked at her. Sultan Zaman even stood up from his seat.
‘This is not good.’ He thought to himself while moving his head side to side.
- Writer
