by Celeste Raye
Chapter 4
Alexis was devastated, to say the least. She was locked up in the king’s quarters with no idea what was going on outside of it. Were the other women, all right? Was Destiney happy, or was she struggling to not have her dignity taken away? She wanted to ask the guard that had been assigned to her a million questions, but beyond announcing his post, he had said nothing else. Alexis got the feeling that he was not into the assignment or excited about her. He could easily be bitter about the fact that he was not one of the men who was afforded a woman. Many of the men did not get one.
The sheer amount of Milisarian knights on the ship had surprised her. What surprised her even more was the fact that they had not promptly landed on the surface of the planet like she had expected. They had gone in the opposite direction. So, whatever the king had planned, the women would all be along for the ride. It was not a good sign for their future, as Alexis knew that the Milisarians were often in battle. What if something happened to the women because of an enemy attack?
Alexis thought back to her time on Earth, and the moment she made the decision to get on that ship to go to the Arkani. She was still a glorified secretary at NASA, knowing that they were never going to allow her to get anywhere in the company, no matter how much she proved herself. She remembered how she had studied women of the past that had done great things and given a presentation. Those who had bothered to pay attention laughed at her. It wasn’t like that anymore: that was basically what they had voiced.
So, the moment she was passing out coffee at a meeting and heard that they needed to put a team of women together for the Arkani, she had volunteered, not just to be one of the women, but also to find the right kind of women that would go willingly. As much as she had disliked many of the women on the flight, she had been involved in hand picking each and every one that was now in danger of being captured by the Milisarians. It made her feel responsible, and it made her wonder if it had been the right decision or just a rash one based on her current unhappiness.
That first night, after they had accepted her as a volunteer, she had gone home to call all of her family. It wasn’t like it was going to affect her too much to be away from them; she had already lived halfway across the country from them for a few years. She had always been an independent sort of woman. Her father’s reaction had been a grunt and a good luck, and her younger sister, Nancy, had simply freaked out. Nancy had always found Alexis to be the uncool big sister that was cramping her style, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
It was her mother’s reaction that had kept her constantly second-guessing her choice until she actually boarded the ship and said goodbye to Earth as it fell far below them.
“Mother, I need to let you know that I have made a decision,” she had begun. “There is a ship that will be leaving in a few months, taking women to the Arkani because they need human wives. I will be one of those women. I don’t think there’s anything left here for me. Nobody takes me seriously, and I think the Arkani will. I can work with them in their labs.” Alexis had rambled on, already sensing a lecture coming from her mother. She was a whole different ball game compared to the rest of the family, which was probably why her parents had divorced when Alexis was still very young. Their personalities just did not mix well.
“I was afraid you might make some rash decision like this one day. You have always gone around making big decisions without thinking of the consequences.” Alexis rolled her eyes at this. It was similar to the conversation they had when Alexis had let her mother know she was going to college to study in the STEM field. It just was not something women did, and her mother had just known, despite Alexis’s passion for everything space and science, that she would fail. She had begged Alexis to consider something else: anything else.
“The consequences could not possibly be any worse than staying here and going nowhere in life. I love what I love, and I am not allowed to do what I love here,” Alexis had tried to explain, defensively.
“You do not know for sure that there is nothing else you would love. You have not even allowed yourself to live but a tiny fraction of life. Come back home and see what you can find out about yourself. You might find a great man here and then discover a new career that you enjoy. I am not saying be me, but see if there is more to you than you think. I am begging you not to fly into space and never come home until you have discovered who you are with your feet on the ground.” Alexis had heard tears in her mother’s voice that evening, and it had made her second guess everything. Her mother had always cared so much for her, and Alexis had been a bit judgmental and cruel when it came to her mother’s choice of lifestyle. They had never understood each other, but that did not mean they didn’t love each other.
“Mom, I just don’t know. I would miss this opportunity, possibly forever, if I just quit and came home.” Alexis had sat down in her recliner and put her head in her hands, just breathing into the phone. It was the first time in a long time that she had ever missed her mother or anything about Wyoming. It had been such a small and isolated place with what she believed to be boring and backward people, but it had still been home for eighteen years of her life. She suddenly longed to see the mountains and the snow one more time before she left.
“I will think about it,” she finally told her mother, afraid that if she said anything more she would just stand still the rest of her life, not moving either direction. She had never gone back to say goodbye either, and now that she was captured on a ship full of uncaring warriors headed into battle, she was beginning to regret everything. What if she never got a chance to tell her mother she was sorry or that she loved her?
Alexis found herself wiping tears away from her eyes and staring at the back of the Milisarian knight that was still guarding a locked door for no reason at all. She had no way to get out and nowhere to go even if she did. They were in space.
Looking down at herself, she knew that she needed to get a grip and clean up. She didn’t know if she would be able to find any clothing around, but it would be nice to at least be given that. She was still in her pajamas of all things. At some point, she would have to speak up, so she decided it might as well be now.
“Excuse me, Milisarian,” Alexis said, sitting up so she could get his attention. She had no idea what his name could be, but it wasn’t like anyone else was in the room. He turned around looking annoyed.
“My name is Nabvan. I suppose I am not going to be able to escape talking with you if I am going to be doing this for as long as you are on this ship. What can I help you with?” The question came out both like he was bored and like he was being condescending. Alexis glared at him with her own annoyance.
“Do you expect me to say this is a walk in the park for me?” Alexis asked, her feathers more than ruffled by this ridiculous guard of hers. “I have been captured and locked up, left alone in the room of some Milisarian King with you as my keeper. So, excuse me, Nabvan, if I would like to ask if there is any way I could get clean clothes and some food. I don’t want to stay in my pajamas the rest of my life, however long and miserable it may be.” Alexis’s voice came out strong and angry. She hardly recognized the sound of it. She had not heard that side of her being asserted in years after the oppression she had undergone at the hands of all those men at NASA. She was not about to let this Nabvan make her feel the same way.
Nabvan looked her over for a moment as if he was trying to discover something about her, but then he nodded. “I was told to take care of you, so I guess those things are within my power,” he told her. “But if I end up having to leave the room for those things, you would have to behave. I don’t need you running off and disturbing the other men and their women on the ship. I can’t imagine what sort of task the king would give me after that.”
“I just want to get clean,” she said. “I know that there is nowhere for me to go in this ship. We’re in space.”
Nabvan walked over to her and offered one of his four hands. She stared at it for a moment. “I don’
t have any spikes on my skin or something, if that is what you are thinking. I was going to show you to the washroom and tell you how to use everything so you could get clean.” He looked annoyed and bored yet again, but Alexis took his hand and said nothing rude. It was nice of him in his position to offer something like that. She had no idea what the rules were for women the king locked up in his room.
He took her through the massive space through a door that led to a bathroom of sorts. It was not quite like the bathrooms on Earth, but some things were at least recognizable. He showed her how to use their version of a shower and how to dry off. They had special air vents that would do it for her. “I will be back soon with clothes and food.” Nabvan turned around to leave, but Alexis wanted to ask one more question that she felt a need to have an answer to.
“When can I expect the king to come back?” she asked sheepishly. Nabvan turned around with a sigh, and she wondered if he even knew the answer.
“King Shene is a very busy Milisarian. He has some business to attend to with some colonies we have conquered as well as other concubines throughout the ship that he often entertains. You would be the main one right now, since you are in his room, but I cannot tell you for sure when he will come to be with you. This king is nontraditional for the Milisarians. I cannot predict him even though I have worked right under him for much of my adult life.”
His answer intrigued Alexis but did not make her feel any better. It meant that King Shene would easily throw her away, and her life would be useless after he was done with her. If there were ever an opening for a way out, she would have to take it. But she had to learn more first. “Thanks,” was all she answered before shutting the door and stripping off her pajamas.
Chapter 5
Alexis surveyed herself in the mirror that covered most of the wall in the bathroom. She wondered if it was there because King Shene was quite vain and enjoyed looking at himself. The dress she had on was not unlike the other clothing that had been brought for her to wear. Nabvan had explained that each outfit had come from one of the other concubines onboard that the king was with, which made Alexis feel slightly sick to her stomach. If she ever did end up having relations with this man, she would be sharing his body with at least five others, if not more. That is a number she guessed from how much clothing was brought to her.
This dress was one of the simplest and fit her the best. She dreaded the days she would have to put on the ones that were too large or too small. This one was made of leather and came to her knees. The material was warm and soft, a natural brown. It covered her pretty well compared to some of the others, but she could tell that the king preferred his women to show off their many attractive parts, whatever species they were. How had she been unlucky enough to be chosen by the Milisarian king instead of just by a regular man? Surely the other men did not treat women this way. If they did, she could not imagine how some of the weaker women were handling their new life, locked up in a room all day until their new mate felt like making a visit.
Alexis came out of the room, feeling grateful that at least Nabvan had been willing to get her clothing and food. She was not sure what the Milisarians ate, but the smell of the food that sat underneath a tray by the large bed she had laid on for an indefinite amount of time smelled appetizing. But maybe that was only because she was extremely hungry.
Nabvan was back to his original post, though, it seemed like he was holding some food in his hand, trying to eat it standing up. “Why don’t you sit down and eat with me?” Alexis offered. She really should not have been nice to a man who was helping keep her captive, but she was beginning to see that he was not thrilled about his post at all. She did not know what the punishment for him would be if he decided not to do what he was told, but she didn’t think it would be anything he would want to face. It wasn’t like he was tying her up or torturing her. He was just standing there. Hopefully, there was nothing like Stockholm’s going on with her. It hadn’t been long enough for that.
“I’m on the job. I really shouldn’t,” he told her with little conviction, setting his plate down on the metal table that she assumed the king used for meals. She followed him and sat her own meal down across from him, getting into her seat. It was also cold and metal, but it would have to do. “But I guess you’re not going to tell on me.” It was the first sign of humanity she had seen from Nabvan. She could certainly get used to it if they were going to be stuck together for a long time.
“Can you tell me what’s on my plate? Is any of it even comparable to human food?” Alexis asked, looking at her plate in confusion. Nabvan openly laughed at her, which sounded strange coming from his mouth. It was a delightful laugh, not something she had expected to come out of the mouth of the Milisarian who had been so unhelpful and stoic before.
He began to point out the proteins and the starches for her and even their versions of vegetables. There was something that tasted a lot like broccoli and potatoes there, and the meat at least resembled pork. It was no five-star meal back on Earth, but it was not horrible. That was one thing she had not been looking forward to with the Arkani: the nutritional paste they all ate. It saved a lot of time, but it tasted horrid and kept them thin. She had tried to train herself to eat it before leaving, but it had been a struggle.
Alexis began to enjoy the meal and the time flew by, even though she had no way to know what time it was. She had no expectations of seeing the king anytime soon and went to bed when she felt tired, feeling calmer than when she was first thrown into the room.
Alexis found herself rudely awakened several hours later by the noise of the door opening and two men talking in her room instead of just one. She didn’t move an inch; she just opened her eyes to see that Nabvan and the king were standing profile to her and discussing something. Her ears were not awake yet, and she tried to tune them in. She only got the last bit, an order for Nabvan to leave the room. She did not like the way the king gave the order and worried about what was going to happen next. She sat up on the bed, no longer feeling the need to hide her alertness and found her eyes meeting with none other than King Shene’s.
His eyes were dark and not at all friendly, and his jaw was still set in that angry but powerful stance. How could a man like this expect to be appreciated by women when there was no feeling or care there? When they knew they were one of many and meant nothing other than a time occupier?
“I hope the accommodations and the servant I have given you have suited you,” King Shene spoke in his deep tone. Alexis wanted to openly scoff at the word servant. She didn’t know much about Nabvan, but she knew he was no servant. He had barely served her anyway. She was too afraid of the unknown when it came to King Shene, though. She did not know what he might do if she offended him too much.
“I suppose they are alright,” Alexis answered meekly, her blonde hair falling over one side of her face. She went to push it away, but King Shene reached over and did it for her. It should have been a sweet gesture, something she would have expected a crush or a first date to do, but with him, it was rough and rude. It felt more like a show of ownership than something nice.
“You are stunningly beautiful, even beyond what I am used to seeing in a human woman. It makes me proud that I was able to find you to help us further our race. I hope you are happy with the knowledge that you are doing a great thing,” King Shene said as if giving some kind of speech for a crowd. Did he not know how to have a one on one conversation? If so, he was a terrible leader, at least in her opinion.
He touched her face again, caressing it with his rough hand before bringing up another hand to hold her head there. Alexis was stunned as he pulled her in for a kiss while his other two hands snaked up her back. It felt disgusting, and she tried to push him off of her, screaming into his mouth to make him stop.
“It’s bad enough that you took us out of space and brought us here,” she said breathlessly when he finally let her go. She ignored his anger, fueling her tirade with some of her own. “But now, you’re going
to force yourself on me? You have left me alone in here for a long time and expect me to be pliable. We are not in love, we are not married, and I am not ready to submit myself to you. I do not care if I am a captive and must get used to the Milisarian way of life; my body is still my own. I only give it to a man who cares for me. You do not even know me, nor I you.”
She hoped that he would understand, that there was some form of mercy or empathy inside of this powerful king, but the look on his face told her she was dead wrong.
“I am the king of the Milisarian Knights. You should be bowing at my feet for keeping you from having to marry one of the weakest races in the universe. Here, your body will be wanted. You can have lovely things. Now, submit to me, or face the consequences. I will not be so kind just because you are so beautiful,” he warned, but Alexis was not going to let her body be defiled like that. If she had sex, it would be by choice.
Alexis shook her head, bracing herself for what would come next. It began with a slap against her face that she knew would leave bruising for some time. Her jaw and lip were already beginning to swell, and her ear was ringing. “Three days with nothing but one meal a day to sustain you. Then, we will see what you say to me,” he told her before storming off. She could hear him in a rage outside the door, calling for more guards to watch her. Alexis wondered, as she gripped her swollen and pained face, if she would even get to see Nabvan again.
All of the pride she had mustered since getting on the ship was gone again in a split second as she curled into a ball and began to cry. She cried for herself, and she cried for her mother back home when she found out that the ship was empty upon reaching the Arkani. What would her family think? How long would it be before they declared her legally dead? How long would it be until she wished she were dead? Alexis knew it would not be long if the punishments and the push for her body continued.