After the ceremony was over, the main event was moved back to the palace grounds. Everyone was now having a dance in the open space of the royal throne room.

They first did a parade back to the palace with Rehema waving from an open carriage being pulled by horses with her sister and Emperor Chike beside her. She wore her crown proudly and the African people from all different parts came together to bless her.

There were dancers and music players in the parade that rode back to the palace, and the harem followed suit as well, waving to the crowds. Flower petals and charms were thrown in the direction of the pathway to the castle back. Ladies in the audience couldn't help but flirt with the ongoing harem as they pass by.

Rehema was now watching over her throne at the people dancing on the marble floor. She smiled seeing people around her were joyful. All evening lords, ladies, families of government and council officials, townspeople, rich business folks and traders, and powerful families from warriors and armies had been coming up to her giving them her best wishes.

The ball invite was for some of the more elite of the African lands and Chike did a great job capturing that list, but Rehema reminded Chike to slip in a few people that were part of the ordinary, and not just the highest of class. They built their foundations of the African Lands and they mattered too.

Chike held Rehema's hand as he sat next to her on the Emperor's throne chair which was one staircase lower than the Throne of the Empress.

All evening she still hasn't seen Ekon. They didn't see him at the ceremony, parade, and now here. Chike could care less; in fact, it pleased him that Ekon had been humbled. But when they were riding in the parade Chike could sense Rehema was bothered.

"Do not worry," he told her. "Look at all who have come to see you today. Today was a success because of your commitment."

Rehema smiled at him, thankful for his support but she knew deep down Ekon was somewhere feeling embarrassed and betrayed.

Rehema turned her glance back to the people on the floor dancing and having a good time, while Chike was softly rubbing the top of her hand. Rehema looked around to see Esi sitting at the dining table smoking out of her pipe.

Rehema shook her head but continued to look around. She noticed Sang-Chul sitting with his fellow brother Ivan and Apophis and made her way toward them, leaving Chike to be. Ivan first noticed Rehema coming their way and elbowed Sang-chul to get him to notice.

Sang-chul jumped to his attention to find Rehema coming their way, and his eyes widened when he noticed Rehema approaching.

When she stood in front of his table the three men immediately went down on one knee to greet her. In unison, they said, "Greetings to her Majesty, and may the goddesses bless her."

Rehema thanked them telling them to rise and sit back down at their tables. "I hope you all enjoyed the coronation, was the parade fun for you gentlemen?"

Sang-chul nodded giving her a gentle smile.

"Yeah, and man the crowd was definitely not shy at all either," Ivan brought up. He rose his glass of wine to toast a drink to Rehema, and Sang-chul and Apophis followed suit.

"To her excellence, and may she long reign," Ivan said and Rehema chuckled noticing that he was a tad bit drunk and slurring his words. "Why doesn't her Majesty take one of us to dance?" Rehema looked between Apophis and Sang-chul, and Sang-chul stood up and offered himself. "I would love a dance, your majesty."

Rehema cocked her head and took his hand, "of course." She led him to the dance floor and Sang-chul turned around to glance back at his friends. Apophis smiled, while Ivan clapped in a slow manner as a way to cheer him on.

When they got to the dance floor people made space noticing it was her majesty the empress that was making way. People clear the aisle and bent down on a knee to greet her. When they reached the middle section of the dance floor Rehema placed Sang-chul's hands on her hips and they danced steadily rocking, Rehema kept her arms around Sang-chuls shoulders.

"You truly have looked beautiful all day your majesty," Sang-chul stuttered noticing at the moment she was glowing and everyone was watching them.

Rehema kissed his cheek, "Thank you, you looked handsome as well."

Sang-chul knew that he might have been a target now after this in the harem, he managed to score the first dance with the empress on her coronation day, with everyone watching them. He knew Emperor Chike was watching at the moment, and hot-head Imperial Noble Consort Omari Dalli was probably watching too. But Sang-chul didn't care, this was his moment, and he was going to enjoy every second of it. Besides this was probably the most interaction he was going to get from her before she forgot about him again in a month.

While Rehema was dancing with Sang-chul, Esi had a bored face expression plastered on her face, as she sat down at one of the special reserve tables for the royal family facing the throne Rehema and Chike sat, Ekon was supposed to be sitting next to her but it seems he didn't come, which was strange to Esi. The past few days Esi had come to notice Ekon was around Rehema much at all, "what strange timing," Esi thought.

Esi yawned clearing Ekon from her mind and she poured herself another cup of wine. As much as she wanted to dance all that was on her mind was Ajani, Safari, and Master Cagrown. She wished they were here with her. Master Cagrown would be proud, he always saw Rehema as a natural leader even though he never got to train her.

"This little one will make a fine empress one day," Esi remembered Master Cagrown telling her mother about Rehema one day when he stopped by the palace and met her family. Ajani would probably be sitting in a calm and collected manner at the dinning table if he were here and would rather just watch dances, and listen to instrument performances. While Safari would probably be drunk by now and having a full on dance competition on the ball room floor. Esi could not help but chuckle to herself thinking of these things.

When Esi finished pouring her wine someone walking by from behind her bumped into her seat, Esi snapped, "Watch it!" But then Esi noticed a crumbled-up parchment was thrown on her lap.

Esi stood up bewildered and looked around, but it was too late to see who had given her the small crumbled-up note. They had already disappeared among the crowd of dancers on the ballroom floor.

Esi sat back down bewildered and decided to read the note. The minute she read the message her eyes widened, and she bolted out of her seat and ran out of the throne and ballroom, down the corridors, to the otherside of the palace where her bedroom was. When she entered her bedroom there was a wave of cool silence and a dark tall shadow near the largest window across from her bed. It was leaning against the glass stained window.

"A..Ajan...Ajani..." Esi said in belief.

Ajani had his back faced toward her and was staring out of the massive window in her room. He was wearing a hooded cape, making it hard to truly see him. But she could just sense it truly was Ajani. His signature dark red hair was poking out from the hoody. Esi moved slowly toward him.

"Ajani...where have you...how did you manage to even sneak in without a guard noticing you..." Esi was just at loss for words.

"I have to say I am truly impressed," he said with a sigh. "Earlier today that coronation would have made your mother proud and my mother boiling."

Esi bit her lip, "How did you know the coronation was today?"

"I might be late on news from time to time, but this is something I can't ignore when its news spread throughout the entire African lands, well throughout of Pangaea overall. Hell it was much tougher to sneak in palace grounds then usual today," his voice was laid back and cool as she remembered. But somehow, he sounded more mature, it was the opposite compared to how cheery and upbeat Safari's voice was.

"You realize she will kill you if she founds out, you're here," Esi muttered, she quickly went to make sure her door was locked.

"Yes, I'm fond of the reputation your sister has created in her head of me," Ajani scoffed and he turned around. He still looked the same, handsome, tribal neck tattoo, striking red hair and eyes, battle-ready at any given moment.

Esi put her hands on her hips, "What are you doing here, seriously..."

"I wanted to see you, and what's wrong with wanting to come to congratulate the new empress and settle old differences aside."

Esi rolled her eyes, knowing that he was being sarcastic. Those differences were probably never going to be set aside. "Where are Master Cagrown and Safari, I expected them to come more than you."

"How should I know, I don't speak to either of those buffoons," Ajani stated.

Esi was surprised, "You mean to tell me this entire time you were gone, you were not in contact with them."

"I was not," Ajani replied simply.

Esi was taken aback.

"Cagrown is probably with Safari though, those two could possibly be still training together."

"How many places have you gone, have you traveled outside of the African Lands?" Esi asked, moving to now sit on the edge of her bed.

Ajani chuckled, "Wouldn't you like to know? Maybe to give a clue to her majesty where a wanted criminal from your mothers wanted list, has been up too."

Esi balled her fists, "I'm not your toy!" She snapped. "You think you can just disappear and then pop up whenever you want and leave me clueless about where we stand."

Ajani crossed his arms, with his usual stern look painted on his face. "I need my own self-discovery. One without you or Safari or Master Cagrown pulling on my strings of this false idea of..."

Esi felt her stomach curl from what she thought he was going to say next till he stopped. "Ajani please," she said taking his hands and moving him to her bed. It had been almost two years since she has last seen him. Esi wished things didn't take such a heavy turn a couple of years ago from his mother's imprisonment and defeat to his clan declining, and the breaking point fall of his clan. This strained what they had once as children and strained the team as well.

All Ajani ever chased now is strength and to be stronger, and to be nothing like the weak man he called his father. But with Esi's mother dead and Rehema as the new empress who was he going to use this newfound strength on? Who was he planning on toppling?

"Rehema is empress now, we can fix things, not everything has to be a toxic cycle of no return," Esi went on. "My sister is stern on the legacy she wants to leave, and I truly believe she wants to rule fairly and just. I know some things can never go back to how it once was but we can still repair ground bases."

Ajani chuckled, "You always were good at making the most complex things sound easy."

Esi sighed clearly he had enough hearing about her sister and solutions, "If you are here to see me then, what do you want from me? You must have come here to get something from me since you are a man of purpose."

Ajani's eyes trailed on Esi's beautiful embroidered pattern gown and how it was tailored to her body perfectly. He hated how no matter how hard he tried to distance himself from Master Cagrown, Safari, the African lands, and Esi, he still had a yearning for her, and her spefically. Even during random moments of his travels, she was a thought that lingered the most.

"I did come for something, something only you can give me out of all the magical wonders of Pangaea." His weapons holder dropped to the ground, and Esi kicked off her high platforms, her heart was racing, and her mind dropped all of the toxic mess that between her family and Ajani's clan. She felt his hand reach for his back, and he made his move to her.

Ajani allowed her to straddle him on her bed, and Esi couldn't help but smile. As much as he was a pain, she couldn't lie, she wanted this too.

Esi lightly pulled down the hoodie of the cape he was wearing to fully see him.

"I really missed you; you know..." She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her. She gave a quick peck of a kiss on his nose. Ajani said nothing and made his way for a kiss, a kiss that then deepened further and further till Esi was laid back on her bed with Ajani supporting himself on top of her.

Esi felt Ajani's hand start to travel up her bare leg, lifting her dress, and removing her undergarments.

"The door is locked, correct?" He asked to be sure. Which Esi nodded before he buried his face in between her legs.