by Jake Bible
“We are going to use all of our passion up before I even get you back to my station,” Alexis laughed. “Then what will we have to look forward to?”
“Travel,” Meredith said. “To the primes.”
Alexis pushed up on his elbows and looked at her as she lay her head on his belly, mindful of his wound, and let her hair splash across his skin.
“The primes? Why would we want to visit there?” he asked.
“Because I love the primes,” Meredith said. “The wildness, the freedom. Isn’t your son on the planet? We could visit Alexis at his estate and then tour the rest of Aelon Prime, not to mention the leases you hold on Thraen Prime. I can show you some wondrous sights from my homeland.”
“Homeland,” Alexis said, letting the word roll about his tongue. “Such a strange thing to say since there hasn’t been a royal born on the planet in millennia.”
“Well, maybe one day there will be,” Meredith said. “Our children could be born there. Wouldn’t that be something?”
“Our children?” Alexis asked then smiled. “Yes, our children. I forget how much younger than me you are. You have such an old and wise soul for a woman that hasn’t even seen her thirtieth birthday.”
“You won’t see your next birthday if you ever use the word ‘old’ when describing any part of me again,” Meredith laughed, kissing his soft skin. “With that said, thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated for who I am instead of being perpetually treated like a child.”
“Why anyone would treat you as such is a mystery to me,” Alexis laughed. “Even when you were a child you insisted on being in charge. But then I’m sure that has always threatened your brother, hasn’t it?”
“Dear Helios, you have no idea,” Meredith laughed as she scooted up so her head could rest against Alexis’s shoulder. “I think the imbecile has always thought I would take the station from him, despite the fact that women cannot lay claim to the crown.”
“Such is the way of the system,” Alexis said then cried out as Meredith pinched his nipple.
“What you are supposed to say is that is something you will change on Station Aelon,” Meredith said.
“Change? Change what? The line of succession?” Alexis laughed after swatting her hand away. “No, that is not something I plan on tackling during my reign. The meeting of stewards would eject me out the airlock. They would never allow their daughters to take control of their estates.”
“Then only make it for the crown,” Meredith said. “Damn the stewards. They can let their spoiled sons keep the estates. But I believe any daughters I give you should at least be in consideration of the crown.”
“Hmmmm,” Alexis said. “That would mean Esther would become mistress upon my death. I’m not sure she’s suited for it.”
“Is Alexis?” Meredith asked. “I don’t mean to pry, but there are rumors of his less than regimented upbringing on Aelon Prime.”
“My sister is overseeing his education and making sure he is molded into a proper minor, ready for his duty as master one day,” Alexis replied.
“Yes, of course,” Meredith nodded. “Your sister…”
Alexis sighed. “Ignore the rumors, they are only that.”
“Who else handles Alexis’s schooling?” Meredith asked.
“The men of the estate,” Alexis said. “Specifically my old friend Corbin. At the very least they will teach him how to be a man. Prime men are not known for their coddling of anyone, even the women of the estate. It’s a rough life I have left my son in the care of, but a life that will build character at least.”
“But will it be the right kind of character?” Meredith asked, nuzzling her lips against his neck.
Alexis didn’t try for an answer since he had none to give.
* * *
Nobility, gentry, and even passengers lined the grand promenade that led from the main shuttle bay to the lift that would take the royal party up to the Surface and Castle Quent.
Meredith happily waved to the people that were her new subjects, a broad smile on her face and happy lift to her step. The cheers around her were exuberant and she was amazed at the extravagance of blossom petals and breen boles that were thrown in the air as she passed by. But she was also puzzled by the many passengers that pointed and chattered away, their eyes wide as they saw her dress.
“Did I dress too boldly?” Meredith asked, leaning in close to Alexis as they walked the long, wide passageway. “Why does everyone stare?”
“Look about you,” Alexis said. “Station Aelon is not known for its fashion sense. Despite providing some of the highest quality breen to the stations in the System, our tailors and designers have yet to match the sensibilities of Thraen, Ploerv, or even Klaerv. We are but simple folk, her in Aelon.”
“Simple yet dangerous,” Meredith replied. “Everyone knows that picking a fight with Station Aelon is not the wisest choice.”
“Do they?” Alexis smiled, feigning humility. “I didn’t know.”
“Oh, shut up,” Meredith said as she swatted his arm. “You know you are the tough guys in the System. It is whispered in parlors all about Station Thraen that you have weapons at your disposal that none of the other stations possess. Is it true?”
“Perhaps,” Alexis said. “But how about less talk of fighting and more talk of loving? I’m certainly ready to retire to Quent and get lost in her lusciousness for at least a week.”
“Only a week?” Meredith smiled, giving him a peck on the cheek which resulted in several rounds of loud cheers from the crowd. “I have lusciousness to last much longer than that.”
“Unfortunately, Stolt has only given me a week’s reprieve from the duties of master,” Alexis sighed. “Not that I expect him to wait even that long before interrupting us.”
“Well, if he does interrupt then he better knock first,” Meredith laughed. “Or he’ll get an eyeful of some of the private duties a master must see to.”
“Mmmm, I can hardly wait,” Alexis grinned.
* * *
Meredith looked about the quarters, a forced smile on her face.
“Do you approve?” Alexis asked.
“It’s quaint,” she replied.
“You mean, it’s Quent,” Alexis joked then saw the lack of enthusiasm that was his new bride’s response. “Sorry. Like I said, simple folk, including our lodgings.”
“Is the castle safe?” Meredith asked as she traced her finger along a long crack in the wall. “The place looks as if it will crumble with a hard sneeze. I don’t dare wonder what will happen if you take me to bed. Will the structure implode around us?”
“My father spent most of his life trying to redesign and rebuild Station Aelon,” Alexis said. “Yet he barely spent a moment’s thought on the royal lodgings.”
“I can see,” Meredith said then shook her head and smiled. “I apologize, Alexis, I’m being rude. Wherever we are together will be fine for me. We could live in the swamps of Aelon Prime and I would be content.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Alexis laughed. “You’d be miserable.”
“But you would be miserable right there with me, yes?” she asked. She began to undo a lace at her shoulder, but the knot was too snug. “Where are my ladies? I may need help with this.”
“I have sent your ladies away,” Alexis said. “We have the entire floor to ourselves. That way I can show you all the rooms without worry of being overheard.”
“All the rooms?” Meredith smiled. “How many are we talking about?”
“I can never quite recall,” Alexis said as he walked over and helped his wife with the knot that vexed her. “We’ll have to count them one by one as we go.”
“So our adventure begins at home, does it? And then when do we go down to the planet and visit the primes?”
“Are you that anxious to leave Station Aelon already?” Alexis freed the knot then began on the other shoulder, in a hurry to get Meredith free of the elaborate dress she wore. “Can we make plans for that after our week of b
liss?”
“We will plan during the week,” Meredith said. “I will lie upon the bed, wrapped up in your arms, while we decide where exactly we will travel. I’ve never seen Flaen Prime and I hear it has incredible geysers of hot steam that erupt like clockwork. Wouldn’t that be fun to see?”
“You realize that I will have to run all plans by Steward Stolt, right?” Alexis sighed. “A master and mistress cannot just visit another station’s prime without there being an immense amount of bureaucratic fuss.”
“Oh, I know,” Meredith replied as the dress was finally freed from her shoulders and she was able to push it down over her chest, her hips, her legs. “But a mistress can wish, yes?”
“Yes,” Alexis said. “A mistress can always wish, and a master can always try to grant those wishes.”
“I like the way you think, husband,” Meredith said as she sauntered over towards the bed. “Can you guess what I’m thinking right now?”
“I have an idea,” Alexis said, following her over.
“Then perhaps you should put that idea into practice,” she responded as her undergarments were removed and tossed across the room. “You’re going to have to get those trousers off first, though.”
“Of course, my lady,” Alexis said as he took a deep bow. “I live to serve.”
“We’ll see about that,” Meredith said. “Words are good, but actions are much, much better.”
She drew back the comforter and climbed into bed, pulling the bedding up to her chest, but not over. Alexis kicked his trousers off and hurried to her, jumping onto the bed like a teenager and not the middle-aged monarch that he was.
Chapter Eight
The two towheaded children dashed between the furniture, dodging comfy looking breen chairs, climbing over the long lounges and couches that were spread throughout the wide, open room. They laughed and called to one another, playfully taunting and teasing as they traded positions on who was being chased and who was doing the chasing.
“Thomas! Eliza!” Meredith called as she walked into the room. “There you two are! I have been calling on the intercom for ten minutes now! Lunch is ready!”
“Yes, Mother,” the siblings replied.
“We’ll be right there,” Thomas said, the older at six years.
“I want juice!” Eliza stated, her hands on her five year old hips. “Lots of juice!’
“Come eat lunch and you’ll—” Meredith started then stopped when she turned and saw the state of the intercom console on the wall.
Wires and polybreen plastic littered the floor, having fallen from the gaping hole in the wall where all of the components should have been.
“What happened here?” Meredith asked, her voice low and menacing. “I expect an answer this very second!”
Eliza looked from her mother to the hole in the wall to her older brother, then burst out crying. Meredith rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her son.
“Explain,” she demanded.
“We were just playing,” Thomas said. “I told her not to throw it, but she did and then I ducked and it hit the intercom and then it broke and all the pieces feel to the ground and we didn’t say anything because we wanted to keep playing and then we forgot and now you’re here yelling at us and Eliza is crying and I have to go pee.”
Meredith struggled not to smile. She kept her lips firmly pressed together until she had it under control.
“And what did your sister throw at you that could break hard polybreen?”
Thomas glanced over towards the corner of the large room and Meredith followed his gaze.
“Oh, Thomas! No! Do you have any idea how angry your father will be over this?”
“Angry over what?” Alexis asked as he walked into the room, his breen environmental suit covered in dirt and pollen. “What did my little devils do this time?”
“Alexis,” Meredith frowned. “Look at you. You are tracking that in everywhere.”
“It’s the prime, dear,” Alexis smiled. “This is where we get to be dirty and nasty and not worry about decorum.”
“I could give a grendt’s ass about decorum,” Meredith said. The children snickered at her use of “ass”, but she held up a finger and they quieted instantly. “I care about having you track mud all over the compound. As you have said, this is the prime, and not only do we have to deal with dirty and nasty, we have to clean it up ourselves.”
“You have four servants, the children each have one, I have six, and that doesn’t even count the kitchen staff or maintenance crews,” Alexis frowned. “You shouldn’t be cleaning anything up yourself.”
“Easy for you to say,” Meredith scowled. “You’re used to this place. On the Thraen Prime estate, the compound is kept spotless at all times. Just because we were planetside never meant we sacrificed comfort or hygiene. You and I need to sit down and talk about some changes that need to be made.”
“You’ve never complained before,” Alexis replied, eyeing his wife. “What’s different this time?”
“Nothing,” Meredith said. “This is the third time we’ve come down from the station since we’ve been married and it is time to civilize this place.”
“Ugh. Civilize?” Alexis the younger said as he walked into the room and stood next to his father.
At twenty years old, he was a couple of inches taller than his father, but not quite as broad. The same fair looks, but with a dangerous twinkle of mischief in his eyes, Minor Alexis had been turning heads for years. Rumors quickly spread of his less than discrete exploits amongst the miners’ daughters on the lease holdings on Thraen Prime. There were also a few rumors that said exploits may have been made up to hide certain dalliances that the nobility and gentry preferred not to speak of.
“Civilizing the prime would be like trying to pump air into space,” Minor Alexis laughed. “You can try all you like, but you’ll never get anywhere.”
“You are supposed to be on a cutter to The Way Prime,” Alexis the senior growled. “You know how dangerous it is for the station to be left without a regent in place.”
“Cousin Stolt is up there running things,” Minor Alexis said. “Don’t you trust Cousin Stolt to handle the affairs of the crown while you are gone?”
Alexis and Meredith shared a quick glance that Minor Alexis didn’t catch.
“I trust you to handle the affairs of the crown,” Alexis responded. “That is why I appointed you regent and you were supposed to be on a shuttle rocketing up to Station Aelon! If you miss your window then it will be at least another week before you can leave!”
“Then it’s another week,” Minor Alexis shrugged. “I hate it up in the orbiting death trap, anyway. I much prefer the land down here with all the wide open spaces, huge breen fields, vast seas, and dark, scary mines.”
He leaned down and wiggled his fingers at his half-siblings, making them giggle. Then he stood and clapped his father on the shoulder.
“Plus, I want you to meet my dearest friend,” Minor Alexis said. “Gannot? Where are you, brother?”
“Sorry,” a young man said as he hurried into the room, a slice of pie in his hands and berry juice running down his chin. He wasn’t as tall as Minor Alexis, but he was obviously muscular and athletic. Dressed in a bright yellow tunic with trousers that seemed to be made of multi-colored patches instead of whole cloth, the young man obviously cared about his dress much more than he cared about his eating habits. “Found myself to be a little peckish and swung by the galley. Are these your parents?”
“They are,” Minor Alexis said, wiping the juice from Gannot’s chin and licking his finger. “This is my father, Master of Station Aelon, Alexis the First.”
“An honor, sire,” Gannot said, taking an exaggerated bow. “I have heard nothing but wonderful things about you.”
“Have you?” Alexis replied. “Because I have heard nothing about you.”
“Ally? Have you not informed your father of all the adventures we’ve had over the years?” Gannot asked, his face co
ntorted with mock pain. “And to think I have called you brother for this long and it has meant nothing.”
“Oh, shush,” Minor Alexis said. He turned back to his father. “I’ve told you about Gannot. Remember when I crashed the skids on Thraen Prime last fall? That was me and Gannot. Oh, and the time I was caught playing a joke on the gatekeepers here in the compound? Us again.”
“Such an amazing joke that was going to be,” Gannot sighed. “We spent two weeks planning it. Had half the staff in on it.”
“Which is why we were found out,” Minor Alexis said. “Too many fingers in the pie.”
“I do love pie.” Gannot smiled, his teeth and lips dark purple. “Don’t you, sire?”
Alexis glared at the brash young man that stood before him, pie juice once again escaping his lips to find its way onto his chin. Minor Alexis started to reach for it, but Alexis the senior slapped the young man’s hand away.
“I do love pie, Gannot,” Alexis growled. “But I know the proper time and place to eat it.”
“Ouch,” Gannot laughed. “I know a reprimand when I hear one. Helios knows I’ve had enough of them in my short, fun-filled life.”
“A life that could end up much shorter if you are not careful, you Thraenish bas—”
“I’m Mistress Meredith,” Meredith said, interrupting and stepping between her husband and the brash youth. “Also, Minoress of Thraen. It is good to see another Thraenish face again. What sector of the station are you from?”
“Me, your highness?” Gannot asked as he took the mistress’s hand and kissed it gently. “Oh, I’m from the prime. Born and raised on the planet. My father is the steward assigned to the lease holdings. I’m sort of a hybrid, if you will. I’m Thraenish, but technically, while Aelon holds the leases on that part of Thraen Prime, I am also Aelish. A man with two stations.”
“Your father is Steward DuChaer?” Alexis asked, surprised by the revelation. “I would think you a miner’s son with the way you act.”