Mortok

by C. R Corbin

  "That would be lovely." he nodded and the prince returned the gesture before continuing across the walkway with me in hand.

  "That was nice of you." I said.

  "I always toss in a bonus when someone has a baby. Just seems like the right thing to do." he muttered as he pushed open the set of stone doors in front of us.

  The air suddenly got a bit colder and he takes a turn around the left corner as soon as we get through the doorway. We arrive at a balcony space that overlooks what seems like the entire valley. In the valley were various houses stacked up upon one another in large stacks of steel and wood. I gazed at him as he rested his hands on the frosted railing, the stone peaks seem to sway as the snow fluttered down onto the black back of this world. I gazed upon all of it in awe, I have never been to such a place.

  "Wondrous isn't it? I couldn't believe it myself when I built this castle. Apparently, this section wasn't supposed to be built but I suppose the builders just did it as a gift..." he remarked.

  "This room wasn't supposed to exist?" I asked.

  "No, no...it wasn't." he muttered and gazed upon me with a look of warmth and...affection.

  I soon returned the gesture.

  "When you told me I had three weeks and since there's only one left ...I don't know. I am eternally grateful for everything that you've done but I don't have an answer yet." I stated and he raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly.

  "That's quite alright, take the time you need. Hell you could tell me on the last day if you want to." he replied and I pursed my lips, trying to figure out away to change the subject.

  "Yeah ...Whew it's a bit chilly, isn't it? Don-" I began but he raised his hand and nodded.

  "I got it covered." he said and pressed one of the stone panels. Soon a glass dome runs itself over the balcony to block the cold air from creeping in and heaters on the ground began to blow their hot air out. I relax on the stone bench that was beneath me and he soon joins me.

  "You have just about everything don't you?" I asked and he laughed in response.

  "If you would like to refer to it as such then...sure. Some men have far more power though...like my father. All of these mates, planets, stars all of it at his disposal. None of us will ever reach that level of power of course and...sometimes I feel as if I don't want to." he states while the snow begins to cling to the glass dome before sliding off harmlessly in the form of water droplets.

  "You have something far better than that. I can see it." I remarked and glanced over at him, he raised an eyebrow.

  "And that would be?" he asked.

  "Your heart."

  He seemed to pause for a moment. His breathing grew still and his hands remained pinned to his knees before his eyes softened and he nodded. He glances out amongst the lands and at the various towns and cities in the valleys, particularly the one at the base of the mountain, the one that was neighboring the castle, Hirdua.

  "Don't you have to tend to paperwork or something like that? Go to meetings?" I asked him and he shook his head.

  "Not for the time that you're here. I like to get involved but usually, duties are relegated to the assistant of the monarch, in this case, Otono. Regardless, I like to still get involved when I can but since this is the mating period I get a small break." he stated and sighed while resting his elbows on his knees. I could see the white light of the planet shine onto his deep blue skin, the way the rays pierced the clouds and fell across his face to illuminate those sun-like eyes, that rough and spiked bundle of black hair, those ebony horns...he looked heavenly.

  During the next few moments, I caught myself focusing on what he had said. Since he was only on this break because of my presence then what did that mean if I didn't want to stay with him? What does it mean if I rejected him? Would he be shamed? Punished? What are the possibilities of the repercussions?

  "What if I reject you by the end of all of this?" I asked him. He flinched but kept his composure.

  "Don't concern yourself with it." he stated.

  "Bu-"

  "Don't." he left it there and I didn't dare to ask him again. Judging by how he reacted I assumed that the consequences wouldn't be that lovely.

  We stay there for a while, enjoying the view while various assistants bring our meals and some treats. I indulged myself with the small crackers that were somewhat sweet and gooey upon being bitten, they were apparently called miosads, a treat that was crafted from a root plant that grew on the sides of the mountains. There were more teas, of course, crafted from the grasses and trees that could be found on the planet of Morel as well as treats from various other locations.

  "Your siblings. You keep in contact with any of them?" I asked him and he paused thoughtfully while taking a bite out of one of the miosads.

  "Erm. Only for trade deals. We aren't that close you see? It's such a large family that I haven't really gotten the chance to grow close to any of them so...no. In fact, we are trained to almost hate each other in most circumstances so there's that." he muttered while taking a sip of his tea.

  "Oh...I couldn't imagine being like that. My siblings are pretty tight-knit, even if I hate some of them I know that they know me like the back of their hand. Does it ever bother you how distant everyone is? Like you're kind of alone?"

  "No...It hasn't. This is my fate. A powerful prince does not feel self-pity or drown in his own sorrow. He must be strong, in order to take what he wants and in order to seize this cosmos' resources he must remain strong."

  I kept silent for the select few moments while his words sunk into me like hot knives into butter. Strength, power, when these words came from his mouth they seemed to be rather misplaced, as if he only halfheartedly believed in their importance. There was no denying his sphere of influence in both of these arenas, he was indeed an impressive warrior and the power of Geran could only be denied by a fool but somehow I could sense that he was still rather unsatisfied despite the magnitude of his accomplishments.

  "What of you? What do you believe you were placed in this world to do?" he asked and I flinched.

  Well, I never really thought about it.

  "I....I never thought that I was going to amount to much. Perhaps I would get a degree and grow rich enough to own some land and a house so you'll have to excuse me if this talk of being a prince is so alien." I started while the thin rays of light dart through the clouds and fall onto my cheek. The sun was setting now and those white rays fell over the horizon that made them shine a shade of purple. His skin almost looked grey in this current setting.

  "As for my own dreams then...I wanted the freedom to do what I pleased. Growing up on Islani meant most women are simply prepped to be paired up with you. If I had gotten out of this end of the deal then I would have ventured and found what I have wanted to do. Probably something in computers or engineering, I always had a knack for it."

  He pauses for a moment while his eyes scan the horizon, searching those sun-kissed rocks for an answer that didn't exist in this realm. His hands wander over to me and enclose themselves over mine while I can only blush. I don't resist and he takes note while gazing over at me, I only smile back while I felt his fingers teasing mine.

  Was this really happening?

  It all started with the physical attraction which had begun on the first day, much to my shock. I knew that he was handsome but I didn't know that the effect would be that strong. By god, he was muscular, powerful, intelligent, and arrogant. Yet that arrogance had proven to be a non-factor and even a bit of a turn on if I had to say. Then came the mental attraction which is something that I hadn't been expecting.

  Each time that I set eyes on him this fire that was brewing in my heart grew even more intense than the last. I could feel my heart booming inside of my chest when I gaze upon him, this man that I had misjudged grievously was beginning to wrap my mind around his finger and I didn't want to stop him. During the last few days, he has shown himself to be kind, considerate, and much more dep
thful than I could have ever thought that he would be.

  To say that I was now at a loss would be an understatement. I wanted to return home and go about my way but due to all of my years of living on Islani and being surrounded by these women had crushed any sense of direction that I had. I wanted to go on my own and find opportunity for myself in this world as a thinker or something like that but...I had never had a concrete idea of wrap myself around, only a vague direction and inclination that had arisen from the void

  And now I had him.

  For the first time in years, I felt like I had something to base myself on. These ideas of science and engineering had manifested at a young age but the passion never presented itself. Here the passion was palpable I could feel it on my cheek and I wanted to cling onto it no matter what. Perhaps I could have found my passion had I ventured outwards but ...did I really want to take that risk and attempt to find myself out there in the cold, dark void?

  Each of my sisters had directives besides the prince, I had focused my entire life solely on rejecting this entire inquiry and thought that I would have found myself in a rebellion against these very ideals I had never thought of what I would do after. Silly I know.

  "Now...I suppose we should head back for dinner. It is getting late." he muttered and gets to his feet. His blue cloak clings to him as the small ripples of fabric brushed over his arms and his back, That regal and authoritative gaze of his settles on mine and we lock hands before returning to the castle.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Mortok

  "And then he does this. See how he just turns the knife around and cuts the guys face like that?" she asked me and I nodded.

  "Yeah...." I muttered. Human entertainment sure was fascinating when it needed to be.

  "Something bothering you?" she asked while we sat on the bed, right next to each other I might add. I could tell my plan was going to work, I had supreme confidence that she had changed her mind and thus I wasn't panicking one bit since the deadline was about a week away.

  Now it was merely a waiting game.

  I shake my head and shut my eyes for but a moment while she turned down the volume on the TV and crawls over to me. She begins stroking my face while I swatted her hands away with an annoyed expression.

  "Come on you can tell me." she teased and I only growled in response.

  "No." I said and turned rather childishly. I inwardly grinned at the game that we were playing.

  "Come on you can tell me anything." she said and rested her hand on my shoulder to begin to push me back and forth. I only laughed and tried to push her away when I ended up getting on top of her.

  "I got you now." I growled and she smiled and spread her legs to wrap them around mine.

  I took note of the action and noticed her blush soon after.

  There were a few days left before the deadline and in my mind, she had all but accepted my offer. Perhaps this was the final step, she would finally give into me and I would have her for all of time...this was it. I leaned in and rested my head against her's, my forehead rubbed her brown locks and she sighed softly.

  "What are we doing?" she asked me and I smiled while running my hands along hers.

  "This was my plan all along don't you remember?" I asked her with a proud smile.

  "It feels right...I just never thought that...I would be good enough." she says and I stop her in her tracks with my voice.

  "Don't' say that. You are more than good. You are my mate and I would never have any other woman besides you." I almost growled in frustration before getting off of her and allowing her to sit up beside me.

  "I....I feel like I'm losing who I am. All my life I've dedicated myself to not being chosen and to leaving but I never really put much thought into what I would do if I had...been chosen as I was. I don't know what to do now..." she states.

  "What do you want to do?" I asked.

  "Well...my heart is telling me yes and ...you've utterly and totally convinced me and I feel like such a fool since you've defeated me...But I know that this is what I want now and I'm not afraid so...." she said and grabbed my hand, drawing me closer and closer to her so that my lips were inching towards her but then...

  Disaster strikes.

  "AH!" she yelped as a rumble runs its way through the castle and I felt the ground give way beneath us. I yell and hold onto her as the rocks begin to clamor against the boulders off to the side. I grip the bed frame and pray that we would survive this fall.

  We drop for a few seconds but they feel like an eternity. My eyes locked with hers and I could see the tears begin to stream out of her eyes. All of the scenarios run their way through my mind, her death, my death, none of them are appealing.

  But I had to try and hope that we would make it out of this....

  And all of those visions fade the moment we strike the ground.

  #

  Mortok

  When I opened my eyes, my arms are still wrapped around her but there are bits of rock all over the place. Her breathing patterns are somewhat ragged and I glanced over her to see if she had any injuries. It looked as if she had none but there could have been internal damage.

  I ease myself off of the bed which was somehow still intact despite what had happened. It has completely lost its elasticity and getting off is something of a challenge but I eventually do and manage to balance around until I find the panel that I was looking for. It creates an opening on the metal plate that we had landed on. I tense my hands around the rock and climb down into the room. I felt a sharp pain consume the back of my mind for an instant before being followed by a dull headache, I decided to ignore it until I could get her down here into the bunker. There was also a sharp pain that shot through my leg when I stood up when I worked through it, likely a fracture, I had to work through it though.

  This was the prince's chamber, something that had been built to ensure the safe escape of the monarch in the event an attack occurred. Perhaps this was one of those cases. Traditionally I would have taken the elevator down here or the stone climbing pathway but this was it.

  There was an emergency computer mainframe in the corner that was fitted with monitors, maps, microphones, everything that I would need to monitor the base and command my troops. There was emergency food, medical supplies, water, everything that was necessary was here. There were some luxuries although I suppose that we wouldn't be using them, things like books, video logs.

  "Ohhhh." I heard from above, she had apparently awoken. I climbed upwards and took her from the bed and walked towards the gap. I wondered how I was going to get her down but I eventually decided that I could probably hold her with one arm while I climbed down and I was right. Moments later I was on my feet, helping her over to the small bed that we had down here when it struck me.

  The vicious headache.

  My vision grew blurry and I stumbled around for a bit while gasping in an attempt to recover. I set her down on the edge of the bed and fall backward, hitting my head against the stone which causes me to yelp in pain.

  "What is happening?" I asked myself as I get to my feet, It felt like a force was compressing around my brain, all of this pressure was making it hard to think straight. Every noise that ensued was deafening, I don't even know where I was in relevance to everything else in the room.

  "Mortok...Ohhhh." she moaned and I nodded as I looked over at the noise. I winced as her voice rumbled out but I had to take it, I had to survive for her sake.

  "Julie..." I grumbled and tried to step forward but nearly fell again. I make my way to the bed and laid beside her, sighing softly as I shut my eyes and tried to regain my bearings.

  "What happened? Was there an attack?" she asked.

  "I don't know what happened...Are you hurt?" I asked. I could see nothing but blackness in an attempt to avoid the sensory overload I wanted to focus on her voice and her voice only. It was apparently working out because I hadn't nearly died of the stress and pain yet. I kn
ew that I needed to probably rest and possibly get my hands on the medical kit but to try to reach it now would be a serious task.

  "I think I busted a rib or something ...It kind of hurts..." she groaned and I grimaced.

  Great so there were two people with serious injuries now.

  "Hold on...I can...Ahhh!" I yelled as I got up and fell forward, my sense of direction was completely destroyed.

  "I can get it...you look to be in even worse shape than I am..." she said and I shook my head...

  "Stay down." I said and tried to stand but fell over once again, nearly hitting my head this time. She growled and pulled me onto the bed.

  "You need to rest...Ahhh." she winced while little words echoed out. She instinctively grabbed her abdomen and walked over to that green tin that I had directed her towards.

  I can hear her rummaging through it and cried out as the sounds echoed through my mind. They felt like needles pricking my brain over and over again, I could barely think while she runs her hands through that container. She apparently dragged out these large plastic tins that were apparently filled with medical supplies. She didn't know how to use any of it, however, and neither did I.

  "How do you use this stuff?" She asked me in a hesitant voice...I can only grimace as I looked towards the computer, the combined light and noise would probably give me a heart attack but I suppose we had to use it.

  "Kruba!" I called out and the computer flashed on, it began to utter commands in Morelen and I winced as the light flashed onto my body. I glanced over at Julie who was looking at the computer and back at me in a confused manner.

  "What do I do?" she asked, the darkness was quickly enclosing around me....

  "Mortok please!"

  Then the darkness swept over me with its complete magnitude and I can only shiver as I faded into unconsciousness.

  #

  Mortok

  I vaguely remember my body being hoisted upwards by something or someone and being taken somewhere. I could feel the cold air sweep over my body and tickle the beads of sweat that were on my forehead before I was laid down again. Light shines over my eyes and I winced for about a moment while pain shoots through me but through it all, I heard Julie's voice and was reassured. Her voice was that light that guided me, that held me in place while I recovered.