by Jade Waltz
“That won’t be necessary.” Raizxl lowered his head in shame. “But may I ask one thing?”
Idris flicked his hand toward him. “Go on.”
Raizxl raised his gaze from the ground to Idris, his face devoid of emotion. “Why me?”
“The truth?”
“Please.”
“I chose you because you are one of our best guards. Your intimidatingly large stature, paired with your broody nature, will deter anyone from trying to harm the diplomat.” He sighed, hoping the broken male didn’t ruin their chances at peace before they even started negotiating. Idris was glad Erlyn took the initiative to escort the human diplomat, so he could rest and change in private before the welcome dinner. “I hoped the loss of your mate—may her star shine upon you—wouldn’t affect your ability to tend to your duties and responsibilities. If we are to succeed in ending this war, we will need as many allies as possible.”
“But Sire—”
“No, Raizxl,” Idris snarled. “I have seen your bloodshed in battle. First, you were resistant to the command to disable rather than destroy their fighter ships, and now you dare pull a weapon on a diplomat? A diplomat? They—like our overseers—were trained for battles with their tongues, not their hands. That is what warriors are for; guarding those who support us.”
“But why was I pulled from Princess Ushyaz’s fleet?”
“Because I asked my sister to allow me to keep you behind, to place you in charge of protecting our future.” He leaned over and picked up his dagger, twirling it in his hands as he studied the male. “I hoped giving you such a vital responsibility would force you to empathize with the species we may work alongside with in the future. I don’t dare try to imagine what you must feel every day since the loss of your starmate, but you must learn to put your anger aside in order to move forward.” Idris stood and sheathed his dagger, feeling the need to move. The fractured look in Raizxl’s silver eyes sent an unnerving shiver through him. He never wanted to go through what his soldier felt to this day. “I know this is harsh, but you both joined the military and rose up in the fleet’s ranks as pilots, knowing that one or both of you may not return from battle. Or, Stars, that the war may never end in your lifetimes.”
He began to pace before them as he tried to piece together a tactical way to explain himself. While he had learned the basics of overseeing an army, his dream had always been to be the one to end the war. It was this drive that helped him excel as a pilot.
He was glad that he had gotten away from all of the distractions at home. The fact that he didn’t need to bind himself to a female in order to preserve the royal bloodline gave him the freedom to work unimpeded. Love and war did not mix.
Raizxl was proof of that. One of the many victims left to grieve alone as they tried to pick up the pieces of their lives. For Raizxl, his duty was to the crown, serving the very war that took his starmate.
“The Stars must be shining on us by sending only Diplomat Lian. I have a feeling if there were more humans on board, your appalling behavior would have caused larger problems.”
He stopped before the commander’s bowed form and peered down at the male. “Commander Ajexk, you are dismissed. Please update me with any news of my sister’s status on the front line. I am hoping to hear from Dzenshju soon, too.” He stepped aside, his tail swaying restlessly. “You may go and resume your duties. I will check in with you between my meetings when possible.”
The dark-scaled male stood up and bowed. “Understood, Sire.”
Idris watched him leave before turning his attention back to Raizxl.
“I asked you to be Diplomat Lian’s guard because I know your distrust of the humans will keep you focused on his every action. Your reputation will prevent others from giving him trouble, yet your belief in fulfilling your duty will make sure no harm will come to our honored guest.”
He growled as he ran his hand through his hair, annoyed by his own lack of tact. Witnessing Raizxl pull a blaster pistol upon the lone human male had nearly stopped his heart. Idris refused to think about what could have happened if he had shot the diplomat right then. There would have been no other chance of peace between their races—not after another round of diplomatic talks ended in bloodshed.
“It won’t happen again, Sire—”
The sounds of the war room’s door opening drew both males’ attention.
Erlyn paused in the threshold. Standing beside him was the male who had been the root of all the day’s dilemma.
Erlyn looked suddenly alert as he took in the seriousness of the display before him. It was rare for Idris to discipline anyone, and whenever he did, Erlyn was always by his side, observant, and taking notes.
“Did we arrive at a bad time?” Erlyn asked, his gaze flicking between Idris’s sheathed dagger and Raizxl’s knelt form. “Should I give Diplomat Lian a guided tour until you’re ready?”
“No. There is no need.” Idris raised his hand to the dining table before them, welcoming them inside. “I was almost finished.”
Erlyn nodded and turned to the worried human male. “Follow me. I will escort you to your seat and let the galley know we are ready for our evening meal.”
Idris ignored the passing newcomers and returned to disciplining his guard. He needed to come to terms with the idea that they may be working with more humans soon.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t cut your hair right now.” Idris crossed his arms, his golden tail curling around his dagger, prepared to strike. “Let it be known, you won’t have a warning next time.”
“I will not allow my past to interfere with my duties.” He shot a glance at the dining table and sighed. “And I will do anything to keep my hair.”
“Diplomat Lian?”
“Yes?”
“Do you wish to press charges against Raizxl?”
He turned toward the human male, watching confusion flood his face. “Do you believe he should be able to keep the length of his hair? Or do you forgive his misunderstanding, as long as he won’t make another mistake?”
“His hair?” He glanced at the three males within the room, eyeing the length of their locks.
“Yes.”
“I beg your pardon, but why would I care about his hair?” Aydin stood and walked up beside him, keeping an eye on the swaying dagger. “Yes, I am still shaken by having a pistol drawn on me, but that doesn’t mean scalping him will fix anything.”
“Let me answer this, Your Highness.” Erlyn stood and joined them, regarding Raizxl with pity. “The Daextru take pride in our hair. Its quality and shine make us desirable to others, but what matters the most is its length. The longer one’s hair is, the more honor they are due.”
Their special guest brought a hand up to his head and slowly combed through his short hair, concern flooding his face. He shot a glance at the rest of the room, cheeks darkening.
Idris suddenly understood the problem.
Humans didn’t have the same standards when it came to honor—or the length of their hair. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever coming across any human males with hair past their ears. They tended to believe longer hair was a female characteristic.
“Raizxl,” Aydin murmured, his saddened voice cutting the silence in the room. “Did you pull your weapon on me because of the length of my hair?” He licked his lips nervously, displaying a vulnerability for the first time since his arrival. “Is that the reason why you didn’t trust me to display my beamblade to the prince?”
Idris knew he should interject, that he should set the record straight, but something held him back. He wanted to hear how Raizxl would reply to the unsettled human.
“I . . .” The emerald-scaled male was lost for words, just like the other two Daextru males in the room. He closed his eyes and shook his head, his tail wrapping itself tightly around his kneeled form. “No. I allowed my past to cloud my judgment, forming prejudices against your species. The shortness of your black hair played a minor role in my decision, but mainly I was trying to
protect the prince from an ambush.”
“And you’re supposed to guard me?”
Raizxl shot a pleading glance at Idris, perhaps to save him from his assigned duty or to help him appease the upset diplomat. “If you would still have me.”
“Will the length of my hair be an issue with the rest of the starbase?” Aydin asked, concerned.
“I fear it is a custom ingrained in our society,” Idris interjected, trying to rectify the evening’s meal before it began. “I will send a notice to the starbase to be mindful of human ways, but it may only cause more problems.”
“I understand,” Aydin sighed. “Not only am I shorter than everyone I have come across so far, but my pale skin, short hair, and lack of horns make me stand out as well.”
“Hopefully, once peace settles between us, we can help create bridges between the two species, but until then, we will have to forgive misunderstandings.” Idris shot a glare at Raizxl. “And share any cultural differences that may be a problem.”
“Diplomat Lian, do you want us to assign another guard for you?” Erlyn asked, drawing his tablet.
Aydin knelt in front of Raizxl, offering him his hand. “I am willing to forgive you for what happened today if you will promise not to judge me for the actions of my people—or my buzzed hair. If you can’t handle that, then don’t take my hand. I am not asking you to be my friend, but I want you to know that I am here because I want peace between our people. I am only willing to keep you at my side as my guard because I believe in second chances.” He shrugged. “It’s your choice, but know that whatever you choose, I don’t believe you deserve to have your hair chopped off. This is the first time either of us has met another species—there are bound to be hard feelings and misunderstandings.”
Raizxl shot a shocked glance at the prince, meeting his gaze. Idris nodded, accepting their guest’s offer. Raizxl took Aydin’s hand and gave him a rare smile.
“I will be honored to guard you during your stay.”
Jaiya stepped outside her quarters’ door, unsurprised to see Raizxl stoically standing guard.
Last night’s dinner had been anti-climactic. She was pretty sure the prince didn’t want the conversation to dive too deeply into the events of the day. They mainly ate as they discussed their favorite dishes and drinks.
It was nice to take a breather from acting as a diplomat and be treated as a person, even though she could tell they were trying their damnedest to get in her good graces.
“What’s today’s plan, Raizxl?”
His eyes roamed her uniform and cape. She knew he was searching for any signs of hidden weapons, but didn’t voice her train of thought, not wanting to start off another day on a bad foot.
He nodded as if he approved of her attire, which confirmed her suspicions.
“Your itinerary for this visit states there will be four more days of meetings, in which you will discuss peace between our people. On the morning of the seventh day, the senior representative of the Cosmic Trinity Alliance will arrive here to sign the peace treaty in place of your federation’s governor,” he explained as they made their way to the floor’s lift.
“And once it’s official, I will travel back with them.”
They nodded to the two guards standing watch and entered the lift.
When the doors closed, Raizxl turned to her, appearing as if he was about to tell her a secret.
“I want to thank you for not asking for my hair to be cut.”
She glanced at the long golden hair that lay elegantly upon his shoulders. It moved like liquid gold, flowing over a body of emeralds.
It would be a crime to ruin his appearance.
“To be honest, I still don’t understand the importance of the length of a Daextru’s hair,” she admitted.
The lift doors opened, and they exited. Raizxl led her down crowded hallways, hovering close to her side, ready to defend—or perhaps even attack—her at a moment’s notice. The passersby watched them advance to the war room, studying every inch of her.
Placing his hand on the wall display, he opened the door.
Prince Idris and his assistant Erlyn were already sitting inside when they entered. They both paused their conversation and stood, bowing their heads. Jaiya watched as Raizxl replied with his own bow, and she quickly followed suit.
“I hope you slept well, Diplomat Aydin. I have asked for snacks to be delivered throughout our meeting so we can focus on the task at hand.” He gestured to the variety of refreshments spread out along the center of the table. Tablets sat in front of both males and the empty spot prepared for her. “Do you have any questions?”
“I have been wondering since I returned to my quarters last night,” she replied as she sat down between both males “why the length of your hair is indicative of honor in your species.”
Idris shot her a gentle smile. “It is an ancient custom; the length of someone’s hair determines their status within the society. The royal family has the longest hair—down to our tails. How we take care of our hair shows our people how we will care for them. If we fail them, we are disgraced and will have our hair trimmed short, depending on the severity of our offense. The tradition states that by the time our hair touches the base of our tails once more, we will have gained our people’s forgiveness.”
“Anyone outside the royal family can only have their hair reach to mid-back, and it can never touch their tail’s base,” Erlyn interjected. “Most of our society keeps its hair at the standard length, but those who do not have recently done something disgraceful. The shorter their hair, the less honorable they are.”
“So that is how anyone can determine the trustworthiness of someone they just met,” Jaiya muttered as realization dawned on her.
“Exactly—which is why cutting someone’s hair is a serious punishment.” Idris leaned forward and shot a glance at the war room’s closed door. “I want to personally thank you for letting Raizxl keep his length last night. I was pleasantly surprised that you gave him a second chance.”
“If I allowed you to punish him, it would lead to more harm than good.”
Jaiya grabbed the drink in front of her, taking a sip to quench her sudden thirst. Something about her reaction to the proximity of this male, who had tried to kill her on the battlefield, confused her. He was easily the prettiest male aboard the starbase—and yes, she used the term ‘pretty,’ for there was no other way to describe how the Daextru shone in the light.
Their scaled skin shimmered like living gems, and the contrast of their larger scales which protected their most sensitive parts only added to that beauty. Every Daextru had a unique set of horns and metallic coloration. She hadn’t seen two who matched yet, even though she assumed family members had to share similar characteristics.
Perhaps in another lifetime, when she wasn’t disguised as her twin brother and trying to end a war, she could have toyed with the idea of pursuing a relationship with him.
But she couldn’t waste time wondering about such silly things, like whether he was as skilled in the bedroom as he was a pilot.
No, she had to keep the gorgeous male at arm’s length; she could not risk ruining her plan to return a hero.
Bringing honor back to her family’s name was her goal, not daydreaming about an alien prince.
“Those are wise words,” Erlyn muttered, yanking her attention back to the conversation.
“They are the truth.” Jaiya set the glass down and grabbed her tablet as she tried to ignore the prince’s unwavering gaze upon her. “Let’s not waste anyone’s time and get to the root of this meeting.”
“Which is?” Idris asked, turning on his tablet.
“What do my people have to offer you? Or rather, which of our resources is so important, it would propel you to fight a decades-long war with us?”
Jaiya didn’t miss how the prince flinched from the bluntness of her question.
“How can you not know?”
“You shot our representative’s ship before
it was able to return home,” she growled. “How would we know what was discussed between our species twenty-five years ago? The last communications we received from the mission were from a diplomatic assistant’s private messaging with the admiral at the time.”
“Watch your next words carefully, diplomat,” Idris hissed, tensing in his chair. “We did not shoot your transport. Someone sabotaged the vessel, making it self-destruct.”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Jaiya growled, forcing herself not to give in to his intimidation. “As soon as they warped into Hawking’s star system, a ship was waiting for them and shot them down before we had any chance to react.”
Prince Idris turned to his assistant. “I want you to bring up any record of ships dispatched within the time frame of that mission. If there are any system readings, I want those also.” He returned his attention to Jaiya, his hardened gaze turning his teal eyes to sapphires. “I swear to you, my people believed someone within your federation didn’t want peace between our species and started the war on purpose.”
“And am I supposed to blindly accept your records as proof? How do I know they haven’t been doctored?”
“Why would we start a war with the only species that has access to the resource we need and don’t need it themselves?”
“And what do we have that you need?”
“You have seen it already, in your quarters,” Erlyn explained. “In all three-star systems governed by the Cosmic Trinity Alliance, there is at least one planet containing Aeolian Arkose sand—maybe even more. It is a kind of black or green volcanic iron-based sand. Our star systems don’t have enough reserves to support our population, and all other species whose planets do, need the sand as much as us.”
“Your species was the first we have come across who were willing to trade,” Idris breathed. “We would never break a trade deal with the CTA, especially since we were already battling a war on the other side of our territory.”