Aja was sitting quietly looking at the big book of wedding ideas Ajay had put together, and waiting for him to say something about how she was putting all of it on hold until a later time. She was half expecting him to yell or to be upset, but when he spoke, his voice was that of concern.
"Aja, why do you seem so uninterested in your wedding?"
"It’s a wedding, Ajay. One day out of many." Aja said setting the book aside. "I have never cared fer big fancy parties, nor do I like being overly emotional in public." she looked at Ajay seriously. "I love Padriq. I don't need a big fancy dress or a room full of people to make that any more real for me. This stuff," she motioned to the table. "It's lovely. But it's not me and Padriq. This is for you and the kingdom. And I'm happy to do that for you." Aja smiled at him warmly. "To let you throw the big fancy wedding and do the big brother thing."
"But it's your wedding."
"I have all I want already. I have Padriq." Aja smiled easily. "The rest of this..." she trailed off looking around at the various bits on the table. "it’s just ...show."
"If you don't.."
"Halt O Kingly one." Aja said amused. "Fer you. When da time comes, I will do the big thing. The dress, the cake, the pageantry...all of it." she got up and fussed with straightening his jacket and then took Ajay"s hand. She looked up into her brothers eyes. "I"d have to imagine if Edward and Delilah were here." she closed her own eyes for a moment when she mentioned their names then went ahead with speaking. "there would probably be a lot more fussing, but yeah, this is also what they would want. So. We do this...cause it's what they would've wanted."
"You don't have to."
"Oh. This I know." she grinned as she patted his lapels down lightly. "Ya think ya could honestly make me do any of this if I truly didn't want to?"
"No."
"Right." she smiled at him. "But yer gonna owe me soooo huge." she teased as she returned to the chair she had abandoned.
"And what do ya want?"
"Nuffin at da moment." Aja gave him a smile. "I really do have all that I want."
"How do you do that?" Ajay asked her taking a chair near her. "You accept just so many things without question. It’s something I've always admired about you."
"Is there any other choice?" she answered Ajay smoothly. "We get dealt cards, we have to play the hand we have."
"Aja, " Ajay started and then he stopped. "Nevermind. I keep thinking that somehow, you should be different. That you should want more. That you should be like other people." he leaned back in the chair. "I think you are amazing just the way you are."
"As I think of you the same way." she smiled at him. "I've always thought you were amazing."
"How is that?"
"You"ve lived such a life. You also lost mom and dad. But you got the worse end of that..." Aja smiled sadly. "you remember them. Me, I never knew them. You did. And you've lived with such a tremendous loss."
"I don"t know which one of us is worse off in their death." Ajay said as he leaned on his arms on the table. "I've always thought it was you."
"We both suffer with their passing." she leaned on his arm. "But to know her voice or the way he smiled, or a million little things...to know that and to never see it again..." she hugged his arm. "I would think it would be so very hard on you."
"But I do see those things, now. You have her spirit. I see his eyes when I look in the mirror." he smiled softly. "We are pieces of them. They still remain through us."
"See? I didn't know that." Aja looked at him. "You did. Hence why I admire you so much. You've lived through so much." she paused. "People ask sometimes....where I find the strength to deal with the things in mah life." she squeezed his arm. "I've gotten a lot of dat, from you."
The siblings sat quietly for a long moment, then Ajay started to pack up the wedding stuff on the table. "So all of this will be ready when you are, Aja. Just say the word and we'll get it going again."
"Thank you, Ajay." She kissed his cheek and helped him carefully pack away the wedding stuff for a day sometime in the future that couldn"t be predicted right now. That was just fine with Aja.
"Aja, why do you seem so uninterested in your wedding?"
"It’s a wedding, Ajay. One day out of many." Aja said setting the book aside. "I have never cared fer big fancy parties, nor do I like being overly emotional in public." she looked at Ajay seriously. "I love Padriq. I don't need a big fancy dress or a room full of people to make that any more real for me. This stuff," she motioned to the table. "It's lovely. But it's not me and Padriq. This is for you and the kingdom. And I'm happy to do that for you." Aja smiled at him warmly. "To let you throw the big fancy wedding and do the big brother thing."
"But it's your wedding."
"I have all I want already. I have Padriq." Aja smiled easily. "The rest of this..." she trailed off looking around at the various bits on the table. "it’s just ...show."
"If you don't.."
"Halt O Kingly one." Aja said amused. "Fer you. When da time comes, I will do the big thing. The dress, the cake, the pageantry...all of it." she got up and fussed with straightening his jacket and then took Ajay"s hand. She looked up into her brothers eyes. "I"d have to imagine if Edward and Delilah were here." she closed her own eyes for a moment when she mentioned their names then went ahead with speaking. "there would probably be a lot more fussing, but yeah, this is also what they would want. So. We do this...cause it's what they would've wanted."
"You don't have to."
"Oh. This I know." she grinned as she patted his lapels down lightly. "Ya think ya could honestly make me do any of this if I truly didn't want to?"
"No."
"Right." she smiled at him. "But yer gonna owe me soooo huge." she teased as she returned to the chair she had abandoned.
"And what do ya want?"
"Nuffin at da moment." Aja gave him a smile. "I really do have all that I want."
"How do you do that?" Ajay asked her taking a chair near her. "You accept just so many things without question. It’s something I've always admired about you."
"Is there any other choice?" she answered Ajay smoothly. "We get dealt cards, we have to play the hand we have."
"Aja, " Ajay started and then he stopped. "Nevermind. I keep thinking that somehow, you should be different. That you should want more. That you should be like other people." he leaned back in the chair. "I think you are amazing just the way you are."
"As I think of you the same way." she smiled at him. "I've always thought you were amazing."
"How is that?"
"You"ve lived such a life. You also lost mom and dad. But you got the worse end of that..." Aja smiled sadly. "you remember them. Me, I never knew them. You did. And you've lived with such a tremendous loss."
"I don"t know which one of us is worse off in their death." Ajay said as he leaned on his arms on the table. "I've always thought it was you."
"We both suffer with their passing." she leaned on his arm. "But to know her voice or the way he smiled, or a million little things...to know that and to never see it again..." she hugged his arm. "I would think it would be so very hard on you."
"But I do see those things, now. You have her spirit. I see his eyes when I look in the mirror." he smiled softly. "We are pieces of them. They still remain through us."
"See? I didn't know that." Aja looked at him. "You did. Hence why I admire you so much. You've lived through so much." she paused. "People ask sometimes....where I find the strength to deal with the things in mah life." she squeezed his arm. "I've gotten a lot of dat, from you."
The siblings sat quietly for a long moment, then Ajay started to pack up the wedding stuff on the table. "So all of this will be ready when you are, Aja. Just say the word and we'll get it going again."
"Thank you, Ajay." She kissed his cheek and helped him carefully pack away the wedding stuff for a day sometime in the future that couldn"t be predicted right now. That was just fine with Aja.