by C. R Corbin
Now it was a matter of waiting, of attrition. For as tough a ruler as Scoran claimed he was he was a failure in terms of military might. The only reason that he had gotten so far was because of his own brutality and reputation, beyond that he was easily beaten. Our campaign against him had taken quite a while to get started but we were finally making some progress.
And as for my mate?
I knew that it would be a good plan. My goal to come to all the nearby towns to look for a mate was warranted in my mind even if it was a bit time-consuming. I had already searched my own territories and come up short so once i had control of a foothold of Durol's territory I decided to take a look at the women here. It wasn't the only reason that I sought to inspect every town of course, I knew that I had to see what spots could be suitable for different purposes such as establishing bases or airspaces, sometimes I just needed to watch the frontier to get an idea of how the battles were faring, but the mating was one of the main reasons I made it a point to visit as many settlements as I could.
There was only a space of about 6 Morelen years where a Morelen man could find his mate. Any time after that and it was considered taboo in a way. My own mating window had just begun and I was fortunate to have found her since my moon was already confirmed to have no one for me. Perhaps that would have changed in the coming years but I had her now and she was bound to me for life. It is said that when you spot your mate she is the only woman that you could ever fall in love with and I have found that to be a true statement in this case as well.
"So I see you've found her sire. We should celebrate." my assistant, Koil said as he stepped into the room and stood in front of my desk that was currently overlooking the landscape. This moon was rather beautiful. They had said that it resembled earth quite a bit, now I know why the humans spoke so proudly of their homeworld.
"I did." I said with a smirk.
"And is she here?"
"Currently at the medical office getting her vaccinations to get ready to be transported home."
"So I take it you won't be out here touring the towns and participating in battles anymore"
"No."
"Thank the gods. I don't think I could bear another battle with you involved. I might get a heart attack."
"I'm a better warrior than most of the soldiers were. You heard stories about me during the bandit raids on the outskirts of the system already haven't you?" I asked with a tinge of humor in my voice.
In my youth, during my deployment to qualify for the position of prince, of course, I was one of the best fighters that my platoon had ever seen. There were constant news stories playing about the powerful and dashing prince that would charge into battle and take over outposts single-handedly. During my last test when i was pitted against my siblings I won handily. Yet my assistant and my troops still tried to coddle me. It was funny and a bit heartwarming but they had to understand that I was a warrior that was worth my own salt, not some boy to be coddled.
"I have." he muttered with a sheepish smile.
"Ahh the old days...When we take all of this over from Scoran it will be a new era. These people won't have to live in fear anymore."
"Never sir."
"And when I have an heir to grant these lands to it will be marvelous."
"That it will."
"The girl though...She is unwilling." I muttered and got to my feet to walk over to the windows in front of my desk. I was soon joined by Koil who walked alongside me and stopped at the window sill. I leaned forward into the railing while he kept his hands behind his back and looked out amongst the green trees and mighty streams of this world. The black mountainous peaks were dotted with trees and snow, they seemed to stretch on forever and claw the blue sky above. How could her dour nature be bred in such a wondrous place?
"It's lovely." Koil said.
"It is...She says that she doesn't trust me due to me being a part of...well due to my position as a Morelen prince. Life under Scoran hasn't been the easiest."
"And she thinks life under you will be the same?"
"She doesn't' know."
"Oh."
"I think I simply need to give it time and then she'll likely come around to the idea. I have never seen someone so...broken though. I knew that she had wanted to deny me the honor, wanted to turn me away, but something changed. Her need to get away from this place is fueling her want to come with me."
"And you're not satisfied with that?"
"She will become my mate regardless. I have complete confidence that she will come around to the idea and willingly be mine but...I just wished that we did something sooner when I looked at her. We could have taken this place over and saved so many more people from his clutches."
"And we will sire. Under your leadership, I am confident that we will."
I shot him a confident smile while the clouds continued to roll over the horizon. They said that this moon was terraformed with Earthling species primarily due to its resemblance to the human home planet. The blue skies, the pale rocks, streams and oceans, a mirror image of their Eden without any of the peace.
It only fueled my desire to kill Scoran.
He has brought so much devastation, so much evil to this world that I knew that he needed to be slain. The stars wouldn't mourn him, no one would. By all accounts, his planet was a veritable hell, a massive population living under a totalitarian leader that would never think of others during his greedy hunt for more power. I could see the effect that he had on his subjects every time I toured the territories here and spotted his constituents. They all seemed so dead and broken, their wills were completely shattered under him.
He needed to perish.
#
Rebecca
"And that is shot number 30. You should be good to go after this." said the medical doctor that was tending to me. She remained nameless and faceless for that matter considering the white mask that she was wearing. I was already scanned with various machines to confirm that I had no defects or preexisting viruses that could pose a danger to the prince that he hasn't already been inoculated against.
All that was left for me to do was to accompany him.
I sighed as I thought about my reasoning behind the decision. After all, it seems as if he could get me what I wanted and it was safer than staying where I was. Yet the idea of joining a Morelen prince just seemed wrong on a moral level. I had to remind myself that he and Scoran were not the same person in order to coax me out of wanting to simply run away.
This was for the best, that's what I had to keep telling myself.
I would ask him for some concessions of course. I wasn't a fool that would merely be flung into his arms without another word to challenge him in any way. I wanted an assurance that I would get to contact my sister and get to observe how he ran things on the moon. I wasn't going to give him what he wanted willingly, I had to put up a fight but I got the impression that he wasn't going to force himself on me like an animal.
But then again...What was the mating bond like?
"Doctor?" I asked the physician attending me.
"My name is Mepha."
"Right Dr. Mepha. I have a question."
"And does this have something pertaining with your mating bond with the prince? I can tell that you aren't totally excited over it, well excited as you can be, of course." she remarked and I nodded in response.
"I...it does have to do with him actually." I muttered and she smiled.
"Well then what is it? Are you familiar with the process my lady?" she inquired in a polite tone, I hadn't heard that kind of warmth in someone's voice in years so it was a bit of a shock for me to hear that kind of sound coming from her.
"What does it entail?" I asked.
The only portion of her that I could see was her red eyes that seemed to bore into me when I asked the question. She was grinning beneath that mask of her's, I could tell based on the ripples in the fabric.
"I know it depends on the
prince and some aren't so nice but...I just want to know my responsibilities."
"Responsibilities huh? Well, I suppose I should tell you that you are expected to bear children for him and are expected to stay with him for life...beyond that, there isn't a solid plan that details what he should be doing." she explained.
"Is he a good prince at least?" I asked her and she laughed.
"I have known the prince since he was a child and I was a newly graduated medical practitioner. All of these wrinkles near my eyes and the flaws on my horns should tell you what you need to know about my age already. I know my testimony is likely biased and that you won't pay much heed to it but understand that the prince...he's a good man. He is certainly unlike Scoran in my view." she chuckles while placing her tools back into their compartments.
"So he's a good ruler?" I asked.
"Yes...He takes care of his people, he doesn't hand out unnecessarily cruel punishments...he's benevolent, in my view at least. You will come to understand his own nature soon enough and I am certain that he is not the kind of man that would force himself on you or do anything of the sort. I have a hard time picturing him doing anything that Scoran has done, in fact." she explained.
"I see."
"But you shall soon find out for yourself, won't you? Why listen to the words of this old doctor when you have the man himself to tell you who he truly is? He's new on the galactic scene but he will have the impact of a colossus."
I was tempted to ask her about the strange...feelings that I was experiencing when I first saw him. The flushed face and the quivering, I simply presumed that was all due to the fact that I was nervous in front of him. I quickly dismissed those thoughts and my mind soon wandered to Scoran and the life that I left behind. I had to trust in this man to keep them safe and there was still a fair bit of resentment on my part regarding the Morelens.
But this was the only hope that I have had in a while and I would be damned if I gave it up.
#
Kreux
She arrives in the chambers moments after I came back. I had received word from Mepha over the radio that her examination was done and that she would be escorted back. My security duty had also informed me that it was safe to take off at the moment so I ordered them to do so, after all, she had already told me that she had done all that she had wanted to do here. There was nothing for her to collect which I doubted but then again...this place must hold a lot of bad memories for her.
"Hello." I spoke from my seat.
My room had two floors. On the first floor was a small pool, a dining table, and a door that led to the bathroom. I had already ordered that human utensils and implements be brought in to my home in Monowa and here as well. It was all in an effort to make her feel comfortable, to make her feel at ease.
On the second floor, after a spiraling flight of stairs at least, was my bed, a desk for work along with a computer installed near the desk, a large window to view the exterior of the ship with a curtain to give privacy if needed, and a couch with an entertainment system installed.
I had seen the homes that they had on Durol, they were incredibly sparse compared to this and I knew that she would be impressed.
"Wow..." she said upon entering.
I knew it.
"Could I get you anything? This is the last time we will be on this moon for a while so if you want to get anything from your home you should go now." i said as I walked downstairs and took a seat at the dining table while gazing at her. She still stood in the doorway in that white shirt and those tan shorts with scuffed up boots.
I could see beyond that, however.
Her eyes glowed with a newfound light as she looked amongst my luxuries, that shade of deep blue lit up and seemingly became lighter, there were sparks of electricity that were harbored in those orbs and it simply took my breath away to look at them. Her long brown hair was neatly tied back into a bun, which was quite different from the mess that it was earlier. Poor girl seemed like she hadn't been able to have decent living conditions in a while.
"Are you alright?" I asked and she seemed to snap out of her daze at that question.
"Oh yes, i'm fine ...I want to make a deal with you." she said confidently with her back straight while I sighed.
I knew that this would be coming up.
I got up for my seat and held my hands behind me while I walked up to her front and stared at her. She stands there with her hands at her side as she tries to collect her bearings. She calms herself after a few more moments and is finally able to speak and give me her demands.
"I want to make a request before you...do whatever you want to do to me." she said.
I grunted in affirmation.
"I want to be able to contact my family whenever I want, I want your word that you will guard my town...and I want your word that you will help me get revenge against Scoran. Do that for me and I will be your mate for as long as you like." she stated without a hit of hesitation while I smiled confidently.
"Do you have your sisters contact code?" I asked and she proceeded to tell me while I looked to the side and barked at a command to turn the computer on.
The hologram flashes and I watched as the interface began to input the number into the device. Soon a screen appears with her sister's face and the two proceed to have their word with one another. I suppose that Rebecca was a bit shocked that I had done it that quickly.
"Are you alright Becca? He isn't hurting you is he?" asked her sister while Rebecca shook her head.
"No, I just wanted to call to make sure that I can. I'll speak to you later alright? We have to depart now and...well i'll call you later in private." said Rebecca, the two said their goodbyes and the hologram disappears, leaving Rebecca in the same spot that she was. She glances at me and grants me a small smile, the first that I have ever seen from her.
"Thank you." she muttered.
"Rest assured. The rest of your requests will be taken care of in time...I will not let Scoran go unpunished for what he has done. My men and I will make sure of that." I declared.
"So...what now then? We made the deal so aren't you going to do what you want?" she asked.
"Your requests aren't over with."
"I know but usually doesn't' the prince simply force himself onto the girl? I thought that that was what I was brought here for."
"Only if you are willing." I said and she pauses.
She wasn't.
"Now that that matter is cleared up...Would you like something to eat?" I asked her.
Her eyes seemed to light up a bit and a small grin spread across her face. I knew that she hasn't been able to experience luxury in such a long while and I was glad to have provided such joy to my mate. My only regret was that I didn't come to save her sooner but I was here now and I know that she would be mine, I would have her no matter what and I could tell that I had already taken the first step towards having her. Her smile, the glint in her eyes, that was all that I wanted to see.
I had complete confidence that she would be convinced soon enough.
CHAPTER FOUR
Rebecca
My first impression of what a Morelen prince was could be summed up in a few words. I thought that they were cruel, bitter, angry men that cared for nothing but their own powers.
I never thought that something like this could happen.
I stood in the bathroom after waking from for what seemed to be about an hour of sleep. Instead of hours they used feros, instead of minutes deros were used, of course, there were differences between those units of time as well but they were close approximations. They still used years but those were in terms of the Morelen planet and not in terms of Earth.
Had I been wrong all along?
I was still a bit suspicious over the entire thing. I knew that I couldn't entirely trust this man just yet and that he might still be hiding something from me. He could turn out to be really cruel later and I hated how he just came and demanded that h
e would take me instead of taking a more...gentle approach.
But then again living under Scoran lowered my standards quite a bit.
I could see it in the way these princes acted, they thought that the universe belongs to them, as if it was their birthright and no one else could do anything about it. I hated that attitude and the way he said he would "claim me" like I was his property. I realize that he didn't exactly mean it like that but it was still...I still felt like a pawn.
"Are you ready to come out for dinner?" he called out.
"Ummm not yet." I called out meekly.
I take a look at myself in the mirror and wondered how a man could ever love this. These ample curves and this long brown hair, those blue eyes that were as cold as space itself. I never thought that I was the looker back home, I never had a man before and they usually didn't pay attention to me all things considered.
So why did he choose me?
I had wanted to do some reading on Morelen culture and practices but I didn't find the time in between him taking me to dinner and talking to me. He tried to ask me some questions but I only offered one-word responses in return while I sat there and mulled over my situation. I wasn't as broken as I thought that I would be, there was finally a way off of this moon and out of the clutches of Scoran at least.
Kreux was a powerful warrior, he could keep me safe, couldn't he?
I run my fingers through my hair and stared at the various items around the room. There were toiletries that I was familiar with for the most part including a toilet which was a commonality which I would have expected. How else was a bipedal humanoid supposed to use the bathroom? It almost seems as if all of this had been prepared for me. I swear living in fear of your rulers for that many years made you suspicious of anything that would be done in your benefit.