by C. R Corbin
"So this is really going to happen huh?" I asked myself.
Alright here goes.
I walked out the door to see him standing there in his regal garb. It was a large black overcoat with a royal blue undershirt, his horns were polished and those golden horns of his seem to shine as he looked at me. He was sitting at the table and his assistant, Koil, was standing right next to him. I arrived near the edge of the table and sat down while he smiled at me and inclined his head to direct Koil to turn on the menus. Out of the table, a couple of holograms sprung up that listed the various food items as well as a little box to type in your special request.
"Anything that you would like my lady." he said as he bowed. "With some restrictions since we don't have every ingredient, of course."
"Well I..." I muttered as I stared at the menu.
"Ethera flank with green salad." Kreux mumbled while he pressed the hologram and signaled his choice. I was still stuck on that screw with my mouth hanging open.
There was so many...options.
I had a hard time adapting science for the longest time I had only eaten rations that were handed out by Scoran's men since the rest of the food was needed for the war effort. Things like oatmeal and stale bread were the standard for a while and now...there was so much more. I was practically salivating as I stared at the options that I could understand. There was a whole Morelen menu that I didn't want to touch just yet. I eventually made my choice by selecting something that I hadn't had in a while.
Spaghetti.
The holograms lower and cease before Koil leaves us and I am left in the presence of the prince. I looked over at him while he sat there with his hands folded on top of the table. He looked over at me and I looked around for anything to seemingly preoccupy myself with but it wasn't worth it. I didn't want to admit it, but I was nervous, he could do anything that he wanted and I had no power over him. Who's to say that he wouldn't toss me out at any moment?
"How are you feeling?" he asks with the same affectionate golden eyes that he rested on me during our first meeting.
"As well as I can be I suppose. It's certainly a step up from my home." I replied.
"Something's bothering you." he observed and I frowned at his observation. So he really could read me no matter what I did.
"Yeah."
"Is it about the mating? The war? What is it? You can tell me whatever you wish and I shall remedy it ...Well, almost anything." he chuckled while gazing at his fists.
"I....It's just been so long since I've lived like this. I have to admit it's quite a change for the days that I spent back on Durol. We had rations instead of...this."
"I can see why that would be a change."
"Not only that but...I don't know. I hope you don't take this the wrong way but-"
"You don't' trust me just yet."
"Yeah."
"I understand why. I'm not out of touch and daft as many of these rulers are. A hurricane storms into your town and takes you away with only the thin promise that you'll be taken care of and that your family will be cared for. You should understand the difference between Scoran and I, however. I assume that you have met him right?" he probes and I nodded in response.
"Then you should know of his brutality, of his cruelty. I know that you are uneasy but you will see that I am not such a man soon enough. A prince conducted himself with power, with grace, not with the crude brutality that he values."
"I don't have a guarantee of that."
"Yes you don't. But then what choice do you have in the matter?
"Would you have dragged me with you if I really didn't want to go? The only reason I went as easily as I did was because I knew all attempts to struggle would have been futile and...there's a chance that you aren't as malevolent as he is." I admitted with a pained expression. "So what would you have done?"
"What I would have done would be to take you...no matter what you did. I only have one mate in the galaxy and since I saw you I knew that you were going to be the one. There is no other one out there for me so I didn't have a choice. If you're not familiar with Morelen mating then that's how it works, eternal monogamy." he explained as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
"You seem really nonchalant about this entire process. Almost as if you know that i'm going to fall into your hands." I said while narrowing my eyes. "Don't I give you any cause for concern? I mean you talk about this whole mating procedure and how you will claim, protect, and serve me to the best of your ability and yet when I express my unwillingness you seem so...unperturbed." I admitted while keeping my eyes on him, his hands specifically
The thought ran through my mind once. The idea that I would have to die in order to prevent myself from being claimed by a Morelen prince based on the sheer brutality of most of the stories that have been relayed to me. I didn't want to risk the chance that I would be paired up with a prince that was much more evil than I was anticipating...but that plan quickly died as soon as I set my eyes on her. I didn't want to run from him...something set me at ease.
Sure his majesty and his power were all incredibly intimidating in a way, but I knew immediately that his power wasn't exactly going to be used to harm me, strangely enough. Perhaps this was all part of the mating bond, to charm a woman before she even realized it, I would hope it was.
But before he can answer my question the meals are brought in.
"Surprised?" he asked while my eyes widened at the fact that the food was brought in so quickly, I nodded.
"Yeah. I am actually. That was...wow." I explained as the food was set out in front of me.
Curls of pasta were gently placed onto porcelain plates. Streaks of red sauce, cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, and meat are run through the pasta and over the gentle white porcelain plate. It looked like something I would have seen on a video on the interplanetary web, a video detailing some sort of luxurious Earth food.
It has been a while since humanity left their home planet and during that time we have discovered several new recipes but the primary method of colonization for humanity was to terraform a planet instead of finding one with a compatible biosphere. That way we didn't need a variety of vaccines and quarantines, that way the biosphere could be shared between planets.
And thus our food expanded but it also stayed the same in a lot of ways. People were still eating things that they were eating 2000 years ago during the 21st century.
"Ahhh, this is my favorite," said Kreux as a large slab of meat as well as a mountain of vegetables was set down in front of him. Morelens were stronger and much tougher than humans physically so it only made sense that he needed the calories to keep up.
On the first bite of my food I practically fell in love. I was so hungry that I didn't even hesitate to take a bite, I hadn't had a decent meal since the attack started.
The slight sweetness and tangy flavors blended beautifully with the savory and salty bits. I shut my eyes and let out an unintentional moan that made the prince chuckle while he continued to practically saw his way through his food. He was eating in a relatively clean manner but the pace that he was putting one was...it was impressive.
"Good?" he asked and I nodded.
"Really good!" I exclaimed.
I finish my meal and am even given seconds which was something that I haven't had in a while. No matter what happened I still had those damn curves so I didn't care, I wanted a meal in my belly after such a long time of eating oatmeal and dried fruits. After that was all done and our plates were taken away I was offered a tour of the ship by the prince.
I accepted.
I will confess that my unease around him had been decreased by the sheer enormity of the luxuries that he has at his disposal and nothing more. It may seem vain but ever since I have left the moon my idea of what life is, has...been drastically expanded.
He first leads me through the hall of the ships and points out all the attractions such as a personal VR system to preoccupy
myself with. Apparently, it could transport me to a variety of environments and even had an assortment of games. It didn't take the form of a headset like most traditional ones did, it was instead a single room with a set of buttons that could be pressed to activate the function and seemingly transport me to another world.
There was the kitchen where all the chef's prepared our meals and that was quite impressive as well. There were large stacks of fridges that contained a litany of food items, the chefs were a small team of about 10 but they got the job done and seemed to be on good terms with the prince at least. He takes me down to the deck and to the control room, they tell him of the reports from the troops on the frontline and how Scoran was launching a counter-attack. The prince doesn't seem to fret at this news and simply nods his head while I fidgeted with nervousness.
"Don't worry. My men will not let them expand anymore. The only place he can go now is down." the prince reassured me in reference to Scoran. "I will be there personally to make sure he pays the price for his atrocities."
I was a bit taken aback by how...ordinary he seemed. There were no outstanding psychological clues that made me think that he was crueler than his counterpart. He was treating me well thus far and I hoped to inform Emily of it as soon as I had the time to talk to her this morning.
We passed and stopped in the observation deck which was a large circular room with an assortment of chairs. There were holographic projectors located around the room, near the chairs, where reports could be displayed and the interplanetary web could be viewed. We simply stood near the large glass window and looked out at the stars. He pointed out Durol which was quite a ways away near a large gas giant.
"It's...beautiful." I said.
The shape of my home seemed to shine in a way that didn't give any indication that it was a horribly torn warzone that should have been avoided no matter the cost. It gave me the impression that it was a lovely thing, an innocent piece of rock that floated amongst the stars and would drift there forever. My hands quivered while I watched it drift along the backdrop of darkness, it seemed to simply meander there against the massive blue gas giant that was only referred to as Jeru.
"And there is Scoran's planet. There's Dephai." he said and pointed towards this dot in the distance.
He lifts his hand and manipulates the holographic field for a bit to zoom in on the planet in the distance. Once it gets closer I could see that it was this red dot. A multitude of holographic images popped up alongside it to describe just what sort of paint it was.
It got its red shade from the variety of grasses on there. The land itself was exemplified by the number of deserts and grasslands that were on there. There were several massive cities as well as a couple of smaller towns here and there and there were no massive bodies of water to speak of.
"So this is where he is..." I muttered to myself. I had only seen photos and images of Dephai but I had never gotten the chance to learn that much about it. The stream of information into our town was quite limited as a result of his rule, likely to discourage any dissent.
"When I first arrived and took Monowa as my own he was furious. He had wanted that planet for quite a while but the king had always forbade him from taking it for himself. Thus he began to take potshots at me, attacking my scouting ships, trying to drag me into some sort of conflict. I wasn't a fool. I knew that a newly minted prince with an infant army couldn't hope to match him so I bided my time and mounted my own forces until one-day ...he simply invaded Durol and tried to launch a full-blown assault." said the prince while I sit there and nodded dumbly in understanding. The details had never quite been told to me, I had always presumed that both of them were responsible. I knew that I had to read up on this conflict and I didn't want to take Kreux's word for it but...some part of me believed him.
"We began our operations last year and now...we made this much progress. With just a bit more time, I know we can defeat him." he said as he wistfully eyed the screen in front of him. I gazed at the holograms and the collection of pictures that described Dephai...I wanted a piece of it. I wanted to march there myself and fight the bastard to make him pay...I don't know if i would have been given the chance to but that was what I needed.
I looked to Kreux who had his arms folded and was focusing on the screens with a fair bit of intensity himself. He must have felt incredibly slighted when his claims to the territory were challenged in such a fashion. Everything that has been done so far has given me the impression that he was a much better man than I had thought he was.
So I thought that I would try my luck one more time.
"I want to make another deal with you." I said confidently as I started up the courage that was meandering in my stomach.
And to my surprise, he doesn't express anything but mild curiosity.
"And that is?"
#
Rebecca
We had wandered downwards to the lower levels of the ship where he would be teaching me how to fire a gun and how to use melee weapons. Apparently, he wasn't entirely keen on having me fight but he decided that I should at least know how to defend myself.
"I don't want you getting on the battlefield with him but I will teach you what I know if it would please you. I can teach you how to fire a gun, how to fight, but the rest is something that you will have to leave for me. I cannot risk my mate in a battle." he said solemnly as I stand there with the rifle in my hand, a target in the distance.
"This is a standard Morelen blaster. It's extremely common and you should be able to find it wherever you go." he said as he heaved the large hunk of black metal in his hand before handing it to me.
It looked to me like a collection of grey and black tubes that were pieced together to form something akin to a gun. He first points out the barrel which he warns me of and began to show me the safety, the trigger, all of the necessary settings that I would need to know. Before we continue he quizzes me on each and every part of the weapon.
Before I realize it, time has run out and I am led back to his room.
I was surprisingly docile during the entire process. I would have thought that I would have been a bit more aggressive or bitter but there was none of that. I simply went along with whatever he said and commanded me to do and...I felt comfortable. There was something about him that put me at ease, I couldn't quite place it but my concerns weren't stifled under the weight of fear as they had been in the past.
When it came time for bed he surprised me as well.
"I can't." I said.
"Just sleep there. I'll be fine." he had insisted.
"It's your bed."
"And you're my mate. I should keep you happy. Stay there."
I tried to argue with him some more but he insisted that I sleep there instead of on the couch. To my surprise he simply slips away after getting me to stay on the bed and leaves the room, bidding me goodnight and informing me of the buttons to press should I need to call him or one of the servants. He was in the other room apparently and was directly on call if I wished to have him there. He departs and I am left in the darkness with one thing on my mind.
I wanted to call home.
I flick my wrist and call out the commands to have the interface activate and soon a series of holograms were in front of me. I stared at the panels and commanded that they be shown in English, soon after that I commanded that the current time for my home on Durol to be shown.
It was 10 at night. I knew that Emily always slept late anyways and Durol was a bit bigger than Earth so the days were longer. I could call her if I wished.
And as soon as she picked up she nearly jumped for joy.
"Are you alive?" was the first thing that she asked me and I laughed at her attempt at humor.
"Very much so."
"How...how is it? Is he treating you well? Everyone here has been dying to hear from you."
"I should say the same. How is life under the new troops?"
"Much better than I woul
d have ever expected. We have actual translators now! We actually had food last night! Burgers! It's been so long since I've had a meal that wasn't just gruel and sugar!" she cheered and I smiled. I had chosen rightly after all...the prince did keep his word in the end.
"Burgers huh? They really brought food in?"
"Yeah and a whole lot more! They unblocked most of the sights on the internet so we can see them now! Everyone's been reading up on how the war has been going and well...I think we're in for a bright future if things stay the way they are."
"So you're impressed i take it.
"You're not? Thus far this is way better than what we had about two weeks ago."
"He's been treating me nice too but...I don't know if it's just a show or not."
"I don't think Scoran has ever tried to put on a show like this...I don't see any reason why he would be putting on a show from you. I've been reading up on him and he doesn't exactly have the same laundry list of controversies that Scoran has. Did you know he's a decorated war hero that single handedly took out a bandit outpost on the external planets? The guy's basically revered as a legend."
"Is he?...I have to read up on it myself."
"Yeah well it's getting late and you sound kind of tired so we'll talk later I guess. I'll give you a call if anything comes up." she said and I nodded before the machine shut down and I was left in the dark once again.
I shut my eyes and laid back on the collection of furs and foams on top of this stack of stone plates as I easily fell asleep. This was a change from the stacks of clothes that I was sleeping on before, a change from the gruel and the fearful stares.
This was what hope felt like and I only had one man to thank for it.
Him.
As I shut my eyes, all I can think about are those rippling muscles on his body. He had walked around all day covered by that gown of his but I caught hints of his power at various points. When he ate his dinner he took the coat off to reveal that undershirt of his, a loose-fitting white shirt with no sleeves that emphasized all of his muscles. His bulging biceps, his wide back, his rippling chest, and abdomen. He looked as if he could overpower me at any moment and force me to feel what he wanted me to feel.