by Elin Peer
We had only made it out of earshot from the woman when I said, “I bet that lady who is proposing to make romance books legal was inspired by your speech.”
“Could be.”
“You know what this means, right? The Men of the North series could potentially be shown around the world. This is what Willow has been dreaming about.” My voice was full of excitement. “This would be such a great way to break down prejudice on both sides of the wall. I mean, most Motlanders live too far away from the border to have ever seen an Nman in real life. Seeing the show and getting to learn about my family will be wonderful.”
Jonah wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Just be prepared that not everyone is going to love your dad and Khan. They are hard men with a different set of values than we’re used to. I suspect it’ll be hard to understand what they’re even saying since the censorship will have to cut out all their curse words.”
I frowned. “Yes, that might be a problem. It makes me happy that we’re seeing it in the Northlands.” In an abrupt movement, I stopped and stared at Jonah. “Do you know what I just realized?”
“What?”
“If the Men of the North show becomes a huge success, there’s a chance they will one day tell our love story too.”
Jonah cleared his throat. “I doubt it.”
“Why not?”
“Because from what I heard they were focusing on the mixed couples. You and I were both born in the Motherlands. Besides, I’m not some big scary warrior with hair between my teeth.”
“So what?”
“Isn’t that the theme of the series?”
“You’re probably right, but if you ask me, the real theme should be tolerance and being open-minded to others.”
Jonah pulled me closer. “There’s my sweet pacifist.”
“You really don’t think they would tell our story?”
“It would surprise me if they did. Our story isn’t as dramatic as the others and they have so many different couples to pick from.”
“Yeah, but your point about them only focusing on mixed couples isn’t true. I mean, my parents were both from the Northlands but their love story was still beautiful because they overcame so much as a couple.”
We had reached Jonah’s building and he held the door open for me. “I’m just hoping they’ll make a show about Shelly and Marco. That woman cracks me up.”
“Oh, yes, they should totally tell the story about how she pretended to be a sex-bot. Their story was really sweet because Shelly had a long-time crush on Marco. Did you know that?”
“Na-huh.”
“I wonder what the producers would do if they chose to tell the story of how Willow and Solo got together. You know, because with them playing Magni and Laura, someone else would have to play them.”
We made it into Jonah’s apartment and he went straight for some cold drinks.
“Also, don’t you agree that the theme of their show should be second chances? After all, they were childhood sweethearts.” I dropped my shoes and jacket in the entry and planted myself on the couch. “But seriously, how would you feel if they told our story?”
Bringing me a large glass with orange juice, Jonah shrugged out of his jacket and threw it across a chair. “I don’t see how they can do you justice. Where would they find an actress as gorgeous and sweet as you?”
“Aww.”
“And where would they find an actor with ears as remarkable as mine? I don’t want to be portrayed by someone who has small ears, just saying.”
We laughed and cuddled up together on the sofa, his fingers opening my blouse, his lips planting kisses down my neck.
“About that celebration. How about we do my favorite thing in the whole world?”
My eyes were full of mischief when I teased him. “I’m really not up for solving the world’s problems right now.”
“That’s my second favorite thing.” Jonah bit at my earlobe and whispered, “My number one favorite thing in the world is to make love with you.”
CHAPTER 27
Men of the North
Jonah
Freya beamed like a Christmas light when I saw her on the balcony. Her head kept nodding a little as if she was counting.
“Are you excited?”
Without turning, Freya kept her eyes on the amphitheater below us. “Did Mila tell you we have sold out all five shows? There’s even a waiting list.”
“You have every reason to be proud. This was your idea.”
“Yes and no.” Her head turned. “My dad was furious when he first heard that the Council had withdrawn their approval to show the series in the Motherlands. He always intended to show it here in the Northlands. All I did was come up with the idea to make live events out of it.”
Solo and Willow arrived with Raven and Leo, and were all greeted by Khan and Pearl like Mila and I had been.
“Where’s Magni and Laura?” Solo asked.
Mila rose up on her toes and spoke in a low tone close to his ear. “Dad came up with the idea to sit among the audience. He wants to know what they really think about him in the show.”
“And Laura went with him?”
“Yes, they’re were snickering about their disguises like naughty kids.”
Willow, who stood close enough to have heard Mila’s words, leaned over the railing of the balcony and looked down. “Why didn’t we think of that?” With eagerness she turned to Solo. “Do you think we can still do it?”
“Sorry, but we’ve sold all the tickets.” Freya, who was still by the railing, said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I even made Laura and Magni pay for their two seats.”
“You did?” Mila laughed. “Freya, you’re a true businesswoman, aren’t you?”
She smiled. “I just pointed out that if they wanted to go incognito, they would need tickets to blend in with the rest of the audience.”
“Yeah, but you could have given them the tickets for free?”
“Why? Your parents have more money than most of the people down there. It’s all for charity anyway.”
“Fair point.”
Heaters had been placed on the balcony, making the chilly March air comfortable. “It’s a good thing most of them are wearing thick jackets. It’s going to be cold for them to sit on the stone seats.”
Freya gave a me a quick glance before throwing a nod to the area next to the scene where Nmen were lining up to buy beers and snacks. “Don’t worry, my mom and I made sure that there are cushions and blankets for sale.”
Taking a closer look, I saw plenty of audience members sitting on colorful cushions.
“The cushions even come with a small note encouraging people to donate them to charity after use. That way we can resell them at a discount next week and make even more money for the community homes.
“Hey, Councilman.” Leo joined us and held out his glass to mine. “Cheers!”
Clinking my glass against his, I took a large gulp of the amber-colored beer.
“We’re all ready for your celebrity love fest at the tournament. Magni made me responsible for the safety.”
With a grunt, Solo crossed his arms next to me but that only got him an eye roll from Leo, who sighed.
“Don’t give me any more shit about it.”
“What’s the problem?”
“It’s just that when Magni was indisposed after the accident, Solo took over as Commander, and now that Magni is back, Solo has to get used to not being in charge anymore. He’s pissed that Magni didn’t ask him to be in charge of the security for all the celebrities.”
Mila placed her hand on Solo’s forearm. “But I thought Magni explained to you why you can’t be responsible for the safety.”
“No, he didn’t.”
Mila threw a small nod to the large screen below us. “It’s because of the show. You’re playing Magni and he’s convinced that will make you the biggest star in that series. He said that you can’t be security when you’re going to be plenty busy with your own fans.”
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Solo’s brow rose up. “He’s joking, right?”
“You never know.”
“I hope Magni is right.” Willow swung her hair back. “I’ve dreamed about being a movie star since I was a little kid.”
Solo looked troubled by the thought and dipped his head close to Willow’s. “Why did we say yes to this again?”
Below us, the lights were turned down, spotlights lit up the stage, and music began playing. The audience hurried to find their seats while I searched their faces to see if I could spot Magni and Laura.
“It’s beginning.” Freya moved her chair all the way to the railing, which could be lowered for events. Leaning forward she placed her arms on top of it.
A stylish-looking man came out on-stage and waited for the white noise of the audience to die down before he spoke: “Welcome to the world premiere of the first episode of Men of the North.”
Wild cheers broke out.
“Before we begin the show, let me introduce you to the director, Neil Bauer, who will tell us about the production of this magnificent series.” A man came onstage looking a bit intimidated.
“Neil, you were the man who came up with the idea to tell the story of how the integration began between us and the Motherlands. Why did you feel it was important to share that story with the world?”
Neil’s eyes were darting around. “I can’t take credit for getting the idea. I came on board after the initial concept was already created, but when the idea was presented to me, I jumped on the chance to be part of the project.”
“The show is called Men of the North. Why not call it The Motherlands or The Border Wall?”
“I believe it was because the show was supposed to air in the Motherlands and to most people there, the Northlands is an almost mythological place surrounded by a sense of mystery.”
“How did you know where to begin the story?”
“You’ll see in a minute that we chose to start the story when Christina crossed the border to the Northlands. It’s really a defining moment in our shared history. Alexander Boulder wasn’t expecting a woman when he came to pick up an archeologist from the Motherlands. Imagine if he had sent Christina back home. Chances are that it would still be illegal to talk about you Nmen in the Motherlands.”
The presenter waited for the audience to stop booing before asking his next question.
“Talking about bans, how do you feel about the Council banning your show from being aired in the Motherlands?”
“We’re all very disappointed about it.” Neil scratched his wrist. “When we received the funds to produce the series, we never imagined that the Council would regret their approval.”
“Why did they?”
“Because it was impossible to tell this story and avoid any sort of violence and kissing.”
The audience gave loud applause to that comment. The presenter laughed when he turned to them and hyped them up further. “What do you think? Are you ready to see what only we free men of the North are allowed to see?”
Loud shouts confirmed that.
“After we’ve seen the first episode, we’ll have a talk with Christina and Alexander Boulder, who will answer questions from you lucky audience members. And after that you’re all invited to witness the wedding of two lucky people who found each other through the Matching Program. But for now, enjoy the show.”
Another round of applause broke out as the presenter and the director walked off the stage.
I sat transfixed and watched how Christina and Alexander met and fell in love. I laughed at some of their misunderstandings, and I reflected on the clash in culture that was portrayed so accurately.
Mila sat next to me, our fingers entwined, and her thumb caressing the back of my hand. Solo, who was playing Magni in the movie, had me on the edge of my seat in the scene where he found out that Laura had left to go to the Motherlands. The fit of rage, of despair, that was portrayed in the movie was so convincing, and now that I’d found love myself, I could relate to the pain of losing it.
Leaning against me, Mila whispered, “They make my dad look much worse than he is.”
“Or maybe you’ve had a good influence on him and he’s a different man today because of it.”
She smiled and returned to watching the show, where secrets that we never knew came out. When it was over, I heard Mila ask Raven, who sat on her other side, “Did you know that your parents planned to free Athena?”
Raven shook her head. “No, and I don’t get why my dad didn’t destroy the cameras in his room when Khan admitted to the surveillance. They made it look like my dad was afraid of Khan.”
Pearl was on the balcony too and she spoke up. “Everyone was afraid of Khan. He wasn’t as even-tempered as he is now.”
“Are you talking about me?” Khan, who had been in conversation with Leo, turned to us.
“We were just talking about how you’ve mellowed out with age,” Mila explained.
“Or maybe it’s Pearl’s influence that’s made you a better version of yourself,” I suggested and received a sweet smile from Pearl.
Freya, being loyal to her dad, muttered, “There was never anything wrong with my dad to begin with.”
I tilted my head from side to side. “Except it sounds lonely to have everyone be afraid of you.”
“He wasn’t lonely, Jonah. My dad always had Magni, and people respected him.”
Mila supported me. “Sure, but what Jonah is trying to say is that fear-based respect isn’t nearly as satisfying as love-based admiration.”
Khan raised his brow at me. “And how would you know that, Councilman? I doubt anyone has ever respected you out of fear.”
“I hope not.”
“You’ll have to excuse us, Khan has a wedding to perform on stage.” Pearl touched Khan’s arm and gestured that they had to leave.
Mila moved in her seat. “I wish they hadn’t ended the episode on a cliffhanger like that. I know it sounds silly because we’ve heard the story many times, but I want to see what happens next. I want to see my parents get together and now I have to wait another week.”
On stage, the presenter had returned with Raven’s parents, Alexander and Christina, who were now taking questions from the audience.
I smiled as Christina made everyone laugh when she talked about her first impression of Alexander. “I’d never experienced such a rude and crude person. And for him to have the nerve to call me a girl was the greatest insult in my life. Of course that was only the beginning, and I’ve since learned to appreciate the direct and unapologetic style of communication that you Nmen use.”
After the questions, the presenter asked everyone to rise for Lord Khan, who then entered the stage.
“Did you enjoy the first episode of the series?” Khan asked the audience, who stamped their feet in response. “It’s human nature to always look ahead and see what we don’t have yet, but tonight we got to look back and realize how far we’ve come already.
“Back in 2437 when Christina first crossed into our country, we had around one hundred women. Weddings happened only once or twice a year and some years, we had no weddings at all. Do you remember that?” Again, the audience responded with nods and sounds of agreement.
“Allow me to share a fun fact with you. Up until I became ruler there had been less than one thousand weddings in the Northlands. And that’s if you count the entire span of four hundred years. In the fifteen years that I’ve ruled the Northlands, we have had close to six hundred thousand weddings.” Khan paused and let that number sink in. “In that same time span, we’ve gone from having one hundred women to almost nine hundred thousand women and girls among us.” Spreading out his arms, Khan looked like he was on top of the world. “You asked to find love and I delivered.”
Another round of applause and whistling broke out and had me smiling.
“Some of you are scared of what this means for our culture, and you fear that the women will take over like they did in the Motherlands. I guarantee th
at won’t happen while I’m your leader, but our culture isn’t a static thing and any society evolves and changes in an organic way. While we celebrate the influx of women, it’s also inevitable that it will change us, just like it’s inevitable that the many Nmen in the Motherlands will change them. Today, the Men of the North series is banned for anyone on the other side of the border to see, but next week the Council is voting to ease the rules of censorship. I predict that someday Motlanders will succeed in demanding the same freedom that we Nmen take for granted. In fact, the recent protests around the world give us hope that we have inspired a desire for more.
“I’d like to present to you the man who has become the face of that rebellion. Jonah Cervici, will you stand up and show yourself?” Khan pointed to me and I stood up on the balcony, waving my hand to the audience.
“Jonah has become a figurehead for a movement of freedom seekers in the Motherlands.” The audience whistled and stamped their feet again and it made my ears grow red from all the attention. Sitting back down, I listened as Khan continued.
“I’m sure that we can expect to see great things from him, especially now that he’ll be marrying my niece, Mila Aurelius, right here on stage next week.”
Khan had already made the announcement days ago, but still there were men among the audience who booed. Mila squeezed my hand and gave me an apologetic look, like she was sorry for their behavior.
On the stage, Khan held up his hands. “I understand your frustration. Many of you were looking forward to Mila’s bridal tournament, but I stand by my words that the tournament will still happen. The winner will still get the prize money, and we’ll invite women from the Matching Program to attend. It’s a new format, but if you are willing to adapt, you’ll find that it’s an improvement. One of the new things that will happen is the chance to meet and talk to a number of my friends in person. Hunter Hercules has returned to play soccer with his old team and will be there with his talented wife Emanuela. The two of them will show off their impressive skills with a ball. The celebrated genius Shelly Summers and the world-famous singer Salma Rose are coming, and so is dancer and actress Willow Darlington, whom you just saw as Laura in the show. You’ll also get to meet Councilman Jonah Cervici, who is bringing his single sister, Anne.”