Nikhil(26)

"That is my Ashe bead," he told her in a hushed tone.

"Ashe bead..."

"Yes. It is the only bead I have the power to offer to the female I wish to have my offspring. If she accepts it, she will become my Ashe, my Lady."

"But... then why is everyone addressing me as Ashe then? Why have you called me your Ashe? Why is this," she lifted the bead in her hair, a pine green bead with white swirling in it, "in my hair?"

When Nikhil didn't answer, instead looked uncomfortable, she frowned. "Nikhil?"

"That's my True Mate bead."

"True Mate?"

"Yes."

"Why did you put it on me?"

"I didn't."

"What do you mean you didn't?"

"I cannot give my True Mate bead to a female."

"What?"

"The bead makes that decision."

"The bead... it's alive?" She jerked slightly.

"Not in the way you mean," he quickly reassured her. "It is hard to explain. Suja beads are a reflection of the one wearing them. They absorb their energy and respond accordingly."

"What do you mean?"

Nikhil selected several of his braids and showed them to her. "Do you see how there is a bead at the end of each of these?"

"Yes."

"These are my Elemental beads. They always remain at the bottom of all my braids."

She carefully touched the dark beads, and while they were warm, they didn't seem to respond to her touch the way the one in her hair did. "Alright."

"The beads above them are called Attainment beads. They reflect my accomplishments or milestones that I have achieved in my life. The height of the bead on the braid indicates the worthiness of those accomplishments or milestones."

Mac reached out, taking more of his braids in her hand. Only in the center braid did the beads touch his Elemental beads, and yet there were more beads there and they extended higher than on any other braid.

"These braids are thinner." She caressed the center braids.

"I have been in many battles," he told her quietly. "If it is believed I have performed... well, then I may be awarded more beads. If that happens, the new beads are placed on one of my existing braids. The Elemental beads will then divide, and a new braid will form with the new beads migrating to that braid."

"That... that's amazing."

"It is not this way on your Earth?"

"No. Not even close."

"Then how can you know if you are dealing with someone who is worthy?"

"You have to trust what you see, and your instincts."

"What you see can be manipulated."

"Yes, it can." Mac thought back to one of her only two boyfriends. Derek, who had looked like a nice guy, but turned out to be a total jerk.

"Are you alright?" Nikhil asked.

"Yes. So these can't be manipulated, as you say, or removed?"

"They can, but only for a short period. No more than a day."

"What do you mean?"

"If I wish to thoroughly cleanse my hair, I release my Suja clip, and then I will be able to remove the beads. After I am done, they are replaced."

"How can you remember where they all go?"

"I don't, they do. While I cleanse my hair, the beads will combine. I separate my hair, into that many strands, then place an Elemental bead at the end of each one. They attach themselves, and then I replace my clip and the other beads. Within a day, they will divide and return to their proper position."

"That... that is amazing. Do you do it often?"

"No. Normal cleansing is usually enough as the beads can be moved slightly. It is only if I have been in an intense battle, or there is an important occasion I must attend that I will remove them."

Mac just lay there for several minutes, letting everything he'd said settle in, as her fingers lightly played with his beads. Some were warm, some seemed to glow, others sparkled. But there were a few, mostly the ones on the thinner braids, that were cold and made her think of violence and death. Nikhil's hand reached up and gently pulled her fingers away from them.

"You don't need to touch those," he told her quietly.

"Why do they feel that way when the others don't?"

"As I said those are my Battle beads, some... reflect moments of the battle."

"You have to carry that with you?"

"Every warrior does, whether he wears the Battle beads of it or not."

"I guess that would have to be true, but I hate to think of you carrying all that weight alone."

Nikhil lowered his forehead to hers, feeling his chest tighten at her words. She saw more than the glory the Battle beads represented; she saw what he had to do to wear them, and the burden he would carry for the rest of his existence. Yet he didn't want her to worry. Lifting his head, he reassured her. "I am strong."