by Zara Zenia
“I think it’s time we talked. Is there someplace we can go? I have questions that you need to answer.” Larzukan looked startled for a moment, and then he rose to his feet.
“Come. We will go to the lake. We will have privacy there, and I will answer any questions you have.”
Felicity once again took Larzukan’s arm as he led her to a beautiful courtyard filled with flowers and trees of varieties she had never seen. They walked along a stone pathway through the courtyard and into a clearing with a lake so clear she could see the bottom.
A small bridge spanned across the lake, and that was the place where Larzukan came to a stop. “Before you ask your questions, I would like to say a few things, if you would indulge me?”
Felicity smiled. “Of course, Larzukan.”
He turned to look out across the crystal lake and took a deep breath. “I know that much of this must seem very strange to you. I hope that when you learn the answers to your questions, you will not be so afraid. I want you to know that I would never bring you harm, nor would I allow harm to come to you.
“You are under no obligation to me other than what you choose. Should you decide after our talk that you want nothing more to do with me, then I will make sure you are returned to your home and you will never need to see me again. For my part, I hope that is not the case, for I am very much taken with you and hope that perhaps, in time, you will feel the same for me. Please ask what you will, and I will answer honestly.”
Felicity smiled as she took his hand in hers. “Thank you, Larzukan. Your words mean a great deal to me. Let me start with what I think I know, and you can tell me what I’ve missed.”
Felicity took a moment to sort her thoughts and then began. “We are no longer on Earth—that much I’m sure of. You and your people have done a good job of trying to make it look like I’m still on earth, but you’ve missed some things.
“The most obvious being that Earth only has one moon. The fruit this morning, though amazing, does not grow on our planet, nor the wine, nor the exotic flowers and trees. You were able to disguise my immediate surroundings but not your world.
“That leads me to wonder whether it was an accident or intentional. I believe it was intentional. I think that you are someone who cares a great deal for the land, and you wanted me to see the beauty for what it was, not an illusion. I also think that in some way, you were testing me to see if I could find the holes.
“The things you did change were just a little too perfect. Perfection like that simply doesn't exist on Earth. Even a stalker couldn't find out the things only in my mind. That tells me that you are a species that has the ability to read minds, at the very least, as well as manipulate the things around you, or at least the portrayal of them.
“That leads me to my next point, which is that if you have all of these abilities and you want me for your wife, why not just force me? I’m quite sure that you could, and I probably wouldn’t even be aware that you were doing so.
“The truth is, you must actually care about my happiness more than your own. For that reason, I am willing to stay and hear you out. So how about if you release the image of yourself that you are holding onto and let me see the real you?”
Larzukan stared at Felicity in abject joy. He had hoped beyond hope that she was a smart woman, but she was surpassing even his wildest dreams. She was direct, intelligent, and beautiful. With a smile, he slowly removed the filters he had placed in her mind and allowed her to see the truth she had already discovered with her mind.
Felicity took a small step back and drew in a sharp breath, but other than that, she held her ground. Larzukan’s tall blue form stood before her, exactly as her dream had shown her. He was most certainly not human, although his form was very close. Other than his height and color, he most certainly had all the other features. His smile and his blue eyes were the same, and she found herself staring deeply into them.
Felicity took a step toward him and reached out her hand, placing it on his bare chest. She could feel the rippling muscles under his taut blue skin. “Thank you, Larzukan, for showing me who you really are.”
Larzukan cupped her chin in his slender fingers. "Thank you for showing me who you really are as well, Felicity. If you choose to stay, we can continue to walk and I will tell you of my people and why I have chosen you, or if you choose to leave, I will have you sent back to your home."
Felicity thought about what her life would be like on Earth, married to that abusive man, Lance. She thought about her controlling father who cared more about his money than her happiness. She would miss her friend, Kate, but for the most part, she felt certain that this was where her life was meant to be.
Felicity intertwined her fingers with Larzukan’s. “Let’s walk.”
As they walked, Larzukan shared the history of his people, the planet, and his role in it. He felt alive and open to being able to speak so freely with someone with no expectations. Felicity listened with rapt attention.
"The Tharagan people evolved in much the same way as your species. We are very similar in our makeup and compatibility. Our people do, as you have pointed out, have the ability for mind reading and projection. Some are more capable than others. We are, for the most part, a peaceful people, but we always train to be proficient and ready.
“Many years ago, we were attacked by another planet. They came here seeking our resources and our land. We were at war for hundreds and hundreds of your earth years. My people learned to adapt quickly or die. The second king of that war set up what we call the Choosing. At the age of seven, children in our world are put into training academies. They are taught how to adapt in every way.
“Many children go in with a station already planned, but that does not make them exempt. They must prove that they are capable of the position or they will be replaced. Money, power, family—all mean nothing if the child cannot pass the choosing.
“At the end of each year, a tournament is held. The tournament is ever-changing from moment to moment and year to year. It is designed to read our minds for fears, inadequacies, and mental weaknesses. There are many who are beaten by the tournament. Regardless of who you were when you enter training, those who do not survive the tournament do not survive.”
Felicity stopped walking. “What do you mean, they don’t survive? You mean they are killed?”
Larzukan sighed deeply. "Yes. I know this must seem terribly barbaric to you, but it has been the way of our people for a long time now. I do not fully agree with the tournament myself, but it did work. It forced our people to learn, adapt, and grow. At the edge of defeat, the people were able to rally. Each year after the tournament was created, our people grew stronger and more agile in body and in mind.
“The war began turning in our favor. When I was but a young child, my father was killed in the final resistance to that war, and my mother, the queen, succeeded in securing a peaceful treaty with our enemies.”
Felicity looked at the expansive beauty in front of her as they walked. “So, you are the prince then. You will be king?”
Larzukan nodded his head. "Yes. I passed my final Choosing and accepted the throne. In a very short time, my mother will pass from this world and I will be named King of the Tharagan people. I must wed at the time of my ascension in order to promise the people a secure throne.
“The women of my people must go through the same tournament as all the others, but their final Choosing places them with their mates. When this year's Choosing takes place, my wife will be named for me. Due to the rigors of the training, the women of my people are very good at manipulation and saying and doing only what will keep them on top.
“I did not want this for my life or for the future of my people. The war is over, and yet we still live as if we were in battle. I want a woman by my side who will speak her mind and use her spirit and her heart to lead with grace and integrity, not one who will bow at my feet and plot at my back. This is why I sent for you. Of all the women in all the planets I could have
chosen, you were the one I saw with the potential for real strength.”
Felicity was astonished. For Larzukan to view her with such reverence made her heart flutter even faster. He seemed to see to her heart better than anyone in her life ever had. She still felt as if there was something she was missing though. “What are you not telling me, Larzukan?”
He took a deep breath before answering. "The Choosing is a mandate from the people. As king, I must uphold the people's wishes or I will be executed and replaced. They will not accept your place at my side unless you can win them over and win the tournament. Only then will they choose you to be their queen.
“My advisor, Blancon, will train you, and I will help you in any way I can, but in the end, the tournament and the people will decide. Once you agree, there will be no turning back. You will win, or you will die.”
Felicity felt herself shaking even though the temperature outside was warm. She felt Larzukan rubbing his hands against her arms. He did not try to rush her or force an answer from her. He simply waited. Finally, she leaned against him and whispered softly, "To be with you, I will do as I must. I will enter the tournament."
Chapter 5
Larzukan
Larzukan walked Felicity back to her room. “Tomorrow morning, Blancon will come and you will begin your training. You will not have to endure the hardships of most since you are not officially a part of the academy.
“You will be entering as the king’s choice. I suggest you take Blancon’s training to heart, though. Your life could very well depend on it. When training is finished for the day, I will take you to meet the queen, my mother. She is intrigued by you. In the meantime, I would like to give you something."
Felicity smiled. “Gifts already?”
Larzukan laughed at the way her eyes danced. “I would like to touch my mind with yours. It will allow you to reach out to me whenever you desire. As you train with Blancon, your mental agility will grow, but for now, this will let you call to me should you need anything."
Felicity was a little shocked and extremely touched by the offer. "Yes, I would like that very much. What do I need to do?”
“Just open yourself up to me as best you can. I will do the rest.”
Felicity took a deep breath and relaxed. Slowly, her mind began to feel warmth, like the sun on a spring day. Images floated through her mind like pages in a photo album being turned. Then she saw Larzukan’s eyes staring at her as if looking into a mirror.
She could feel her heart racing and her body heating. She felt love and longing, as well as a deep respect and responsibility. Felicity wasn't just seeing Larzukan’s mind. She was seeing into who he was as a person. Suddenly, the sensation was gone and she realized she was panting and sweating.
“Wow,” Felicity whispered as she tried to catch her breath.
Larzukan smiled. “Now you can call to me in your mind and I will hear you.”
Larzukan brushed a kiss across Felicity's forehead. "Get some sleep, my future Queen. Tomorrow will be a tough day. Know that I will be with you, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening."
Felicity waited until the door was closed and then let out an explosive breath. Felicity took a long shower and dressed in the nightclothes laid out for her and then fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.
She was awakened in the morning with the same staff as the day before, with much the same routine. She would have to speak to Larzukan about having other people bathe her.
She was dressed quickly, and when she stepped into her bedroom from the bathroom, she was met by a tall, stern-faced blue man. "You must be Blancon,” Felicity said. She very much wanted to show that she was not a weak human.
“I am. You are Felicity. Today we train. You are ready, yes?”
Felicity was somewhat put off by Blancon’s abruptness but held her head high. "Yes, I am ready. Let's get started."
The hours that followed were the most gruesome and terrifying that Felicity had ever encountered, and Blancon was relentless. The room she was led into initially had nothing in it except bare walls and a floor. Slowly, the room transformed itself into what looked to be an obstacle course.
Without giving her the time to try and figure out what was going on, Blancon clapped his hands together loudly. "Go! You must run the course through until completion."
Wanting very much to prove herself worthy, Felicity took off at a sprint. At first, the course looked like a simple obstacle course. It was only one room, after all, she thought to herself. How hard could it be?
Felicity learned very quickly just how wrong she was. Each time she finished an obstacle, another took its place. The harder she ran, the longer the course became. When she felt she could not possibly go any further, she heard a noise behind her. She turned to see a large creature running toward her with teeth bared. She screamed for Blancon, but he did not answer.
Felicity looked around, searching for him, but she could not find him. All she saw was a maze and the huge beast running for her. With only seconds left before the creature had her in his grip, Felicity sprinted off into the maze, hoping to lose the creature. As she bounded through the maze, other sounds and sights began to intrude upon her mind.
A light filtered through, and Felicity was certain she had found the way out, and yet the closer she got to the light, the further away it became. She heard voices calling to her and the beast snarling behind her. At the end of her endurance, Felicity realized that if she couldn't figure her way out of this maze, she was going to die. Maybe this wasn't training at all. Maybe this was the real tournament.
Felicity turned the corner and found herself at a dead end. There was nowhere to go, no more turns left to make. She started back the way she had come, only to find herself face to face with the enormous beast blocking her only way out. Felicity stopped with her back against the far wall, as far from the beast as she could get. All around her was the maze, too thick to get through, and nowhere to turn.
"Enough of this," Felicity screamed at the beast. "If you want me, come and get me."
The beast growled low with drool slipping from the corners of his mouth. The beast lunged forward, and just as he reached her, Felicity jumped to the side, grabbing the beast’s fur and pulling herself up on top of the thing. The beast beneath her began bucking wildly like a bull, but Felicity held fast to the fur in her hand and squeezed her thighs around the beast’s middle with all her might.
"Stop that!" she shouted in her mind. "Get me out of here and I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll be sitting right here on your back and we'll see which one can last the longest."
Suddenly, the beast beneath her disappeared, as did the maze around her. Once again, Felicity was standing in the center of a bare room. Blancon stood against the far wall with a stern expression on his face. Felicity walked toward him, her anger building with each step.
“What the hell was that? Was this all just some kind of illusion, some game?” Blancon clapped his hands together again, and a pool of water emerged in front of her.
“Dip your hand in the water. Feel its coolness. Tell me if you believe the water to be real.” Felicity slowly bent and ran her finger through the water. She cupped some in her hands and watched it slowly drip down.
“I assure you, Miss Felicity, that if you submerge yourself in this water and do not come up for air, you will drown. The tournament adapts, and you must adapt faster if you wish to live.
“Today was just a small taste of what the real tournament will look like. The parameters were set so that I could watch and control if needed. This was training. If this were the real tournament, something so simple would not have worked. You would be dead, and there would be no one to step in for you.
“Tomorrow will be more difficult, and the next day more so. The Tharagan women have been training for most of their childhoods. Some of them will die during the tournament. Others will barely make it and be given a post in the city where they can be useful.
“For you, neither of
those is enough. You must win, and you must do so against those who have trained for many years. If you expect me to be kind, I will not be. My duty is to the king. He has charged me with this task, and I will see to it that he is not disappointed in the outcome. Come, my King wishes you to be presented to his mother, the queen. You must be cleaned first.”
Felicity was doing her best to slow her racing heart and mind as she followed Blancon down the hall and back to her room, where she was greeted once again by the female servants. As Blancon turned to go, Felicity instinctively called after him.
“Thank you for training me, Blancon. I will not fail you or our king.”
Blancon stopped in his tracks and bowed his head slightly. It was the first sign she had seen from him that gave her hope. She would take it.
Larzukan met Felicity at the door to her room shortly after Blancon left and took her arm. “You look beautiful tonight, Felicity. How was training?”
Felicity smiled despite herself. “Thank you for the compliment. Training was intense.”
Larzukan waited for her to elaborate, but when she didn’t, he continued. “My mother is looking forward to meeting you. We will have a very small meal, and we will share wine together, then she will sleep. It is almost her time to pass on into the next world, and she tires early these days.”
Felicity found herself feeling nervous. Meeting someone's mother was always taxing to begin with, but meeting the queen of an alien race and her future mother-in-law had her knees trembling. Larzukan noticed and rubbed his hand comfortingly on her back.
“Do not worry. She will love you as I do. Just be yourself and be honest with her if she asks any questions. She has ways of knowing when people are lying.”
Larzukan opened the door at the end of the hallway, extending his hand to allow Felicity in first. With all the talk of passing into the next life, Felicity had anticipated an old woman on death’s doorstep. She was not prepared for the beautiful woman in front of her.