"Xagrun, I..."
"Shhhh..." he silenced her with another kiss. "I do not wish to deny you your freedom, Ria, even though I do not know how I will rule my kingdom without you anymore."
These were not words Ria had expected to hear. What exactly did he mean? His eyes were full of sadness, and something else...
"Since you have come here, you have shown me things about myself I never knew, and I have begun to question things I always just accepted and took for granted. I was always confident that I was a good ruler, one that my father would have been proud of, but suddenly I am afraid to continue on without you. I can't explain it, what I am feeling, but it is very real, and I feel you are the only one who can help me."
He lay back, releasing a heavy sigh. Ria rolled over onto his chest so she could look into his eyes. "Help you with what?"
His eyes softened as he looked at her, "Become more of the better man you have already helped me to become."
It felt good to hear those words coming from him, but her feelings were not what mattered here. "What about Venna? She is a wonderful princess and will be the perfect wife for a king like you."
He closed his eyes, his face contorted as if her words were knives in his ears. "I don't want to marry the Princess of Haut!" he said emphatically, looking for all the world like a little boy refusing to take out the garbage.
Ria had to swallow a giggle, but at the same time, she worried what would happen if they didn't go through with the planned nuptials. She had no doubt that Venna would happily welcome such a change of plans, but how would her parents take it? Most importantly, how would the Onoatiga take it?
"Stay with me tonight," Xagrun said, interrupting her thoughts.
"But what will..."
"I don't care what anyone thinks, I'm the king, and if I want my concubine to spend the night, then that is what I shall ask her to do."
"Okay," Ria smiled, snuggling against him, and suddenly not minding him calling her his concubine. She liked the way he was using his authority now. One night wouldn't make a difference, surely? After all, once he was married to Venna she would have no more chances like this.
Chapter 13: Diplomatic Relations
Ria woke to an empty bed, occupied only by herself. Not even the raucous dawn chorus had been able to wake her, she had slept so deeply. In fact, she couldn't remember ever having felt so refreshed after a night's sleep since she had stumbled into this crazy situation.
She stretched lazily, remembering the previous night's rhapsodic euphoria, and smiling coquettishly to herself.
Then reality hit.
He had said he didn't want to marry Venna. What if he expressed that sentiment to someone else? She needed to speak with him. Needed to convince him, for the sake of the galaxies and Venna. And himself. Who knew what the Onoatiga were capable of?
She rose quickly, washed up in the en-suite bathroom and dressed, her mind filled with possible conversations with the king and how she could convince him to do the right thing. Diplomacy had to come first, that was just the way life was. Here. Now. In this time and space.
As she headed for the door, it opened to reveal the serious countenance of the very man she sought. "Ah! There you are, Ambassador Ria, just in time for the official first meeting of myself and the princess."
He looked her up and down, realising that she still wore the previous day's dress. "I think it would be best for you to change your attire. I shall meet you on the landing in ten minutes."
"Xagrun, I need to speak..." she began, but he had walked away, and if he heard her, he pretended that he didn't.
Frustration rushed through her. The constantly changing roles she had to play were becoming tiresome, and confusing. With a deep sigh, she composed herself and hurried off to her own room to change.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, she couldn't be sure, she chose a dress of rich purple with a gold embossed pattern, his favourite colours.
Something flickered in his eyes as she met him on the landing. She wanted him to offer her his arm to escort her down the stairs to the meeting room, but he simply nodded and signalled for her to walk ahead of him.
"The others are waiting in the reception lounge where you had your last meeting with the princess, I believe." Again, the clipped terse tones. She would have to add some more lessons to his training in loving a princess, she thought. It was quite sad, actually, the whole scenario. He didn't want to marry Venna; Venna didn't want to marry him, and yet here she was, facilitating this unhappy union.
Doubts about the Onoatiga's motives still weighed heavily on her mind. She wished Xagrun could have postponed the meeting until they could get some more clarity on the matter. Not daring to stop and speak her mind, and her heart, Ria kept walking, wanting time to slow down, even stop for just a while. The gamut of emotions and fears rattling around inside her were threatening to drive her over the edge of sanity.
It was all happening too fast, but she knew there was no way she could stop it anyway, even if she did have more time. Her presence here didn't really change anything. If she had never landed in Xagrun's palace, all this would have happened just as it was happening now.
Xagrun had made huge leaps in progress as a king and a lover, she thought, but some old habits really do die hard. It would be best to just extricate herself, she resolved again, and even as she thought it, she knew she would be separated by light years from a man she loved more than she had ever wanted to love anyone.
How would she handle that? Best to start extricating her heart first, starting now. What with all the time bending in wormholes that NASA still didn't understand, even going back to her own galaxy was a risk. She might find herself in a completely different millennium. She might never be able to make her way back here to see him again.
Ria took a deep breath. Focus, Ria. You're an ambassador and a concubine. Just be those things and let the culture of this galaxy do its thing.
Sombrely, they entered the lounge, Xagrun's hand warm against the small of Ria's back. It felt like a barely perceptible reassurance of his support and rallying behind her. She looked up at him as he came to stand next to her, but his face was stony, and he avoided her eyes.
Venna stood in the middle of the room, with her father and mother, the King and Queen of Haut, whom Ria was now seeing for the first time. They also wore veils like Venna's, topped with their royal crowns. A beautiful crown glittered on Venna's head, too, as the obligatory pleasantries were taken care of, with Venna's aide and some guards and the nervous butler in attendance.
"King Xagrun! You are most welcome in our palace and I hope you have enjoyed your stay so far?"
"Yes, I have, but I have come to tell you that I do not wish to marry your daughter, King Holdort of Haut. Not through any fault of hers, nor through that of anyone else, in fact. I simply do not think it is a good match."
Venna's aide fainted, falling into the flabbergasted arms of the nervous butler, who held her up awkwardly, not knowing what else to do. Venna's mother gasped, her clasped hands flying to the place on her veil that covered her mouth. King Holdort was silent, immovable as a rock. Then again, nobody could see what was going on under that veil.
Ria thought she hadn't heard right. She looked at Xagrun, with her mouth open, and then hissed, "What are you doing?"
"However," Xagrun continued, still studiously avoiding Ria's eyes, "I realise that I have no choice. I just wished for you and the princess to be aware of that since I am not one to perpetuate pretences."
A familiar sound entered Ria's realm of consciousness, but it was not one she was expecting in such circumstances. Venna's silver laugh rang like little bells in the room.
"Your Highness, I appreciate your honesty, if not your blunt manner. And I have to admit that I concur. In my honest opinion, I also do not believe that ours is a good match."
The smile in her voice seemed to be slowly thawing the icy atmosphere as her aide gradually came to, and regained her composure, pushing away the p
oor butler who had inadvertently broken her fall.
"Well, dear daughter," King Holdort said, and Ria could have sworn he also sounded amused, "What do you propose we do about this unforeseen circumstance?"
"Well," Venna's voice was thoughtful, "I happen to know of someone who might be a better match for our esteemed royal guest."
Ria wished she could see Venna's face. What was the princess playing at? Where was this going?
King Holdort spoke, "I see this is a situation that requires some privacy. Vorda, butler, guards, please leave us."
The servants obediently obliged, and the Hautian Royal family removed their veils. Ria's heart was in her throat. This was all going horribly wrong. She was failing dismally at her first important official task as Ambassador of Dragona.
Venna came to stand beside her, taking her hand, "I believe Ambassador Ria, also known as Princess Ria of Haut, will be only too happy to exchange vows with King Xagrun."
Ria went cold from head to toe and then blushed bright red, her ears feeling like they were about to catch fire.
"Princess Ria of Haut?" Xagrun was incredulous.
"Well, she is a member of the extended Hautian Royal Family," interjected the Queen.
"But, I don't understand..." Xagrun began.
"Allow me to explain," Venna cut him short, and Ria could see she was getting one major kick out of the whole situation. "As an adopted member of our family, Princess Ria is now considered Hautian royalty and as such, enjoys all the privileges and honour that such a title affords its owner."
"I thought you only did that because..." Xagrun was going to say, "Because she accidentally saw your face and you didn't want to gouge her eyes out," but Venna interrupted him again.
"Because she had shown herself to be so loyal to me by saving me from an angry mob bent on kidnapping me."
The Queen of Haut had begun to beam like a nebula, as she listened to her daughter. "Of course!" she exclaimed, most indecorously for Hautian Royalty, "Then the Onoatiga's wishes will be met and our galaxies will still have diplomatic ties, but Venna will be free to marry whom she wishes! It's the perfect solution!" She rushed over and embraced her daughter ecstatically.
"Now, ladies, let's not get beyond ourselves. The father still has a say in that," King Holdort said, chortling.
Ria was flabbergasted. These aliens were crazy, and, she had to admit, a little more human than what she had ever given them credit for. Something made her look at Xagrun, and he was no longer ignoring her presence. In fact, his eyes were boring into her, his face a mixture of conflicting emotions boiling beneath the mask of haughty coldness.
"Is it true, Ambassador?"
"I don't know," Ria said, truthfully, "I wasn't aware of all the implications of my adoption into the royal family. I trust Venna, though, to tell me the truth."
Xagrun shook his head, "No, I mean..."
"The arrangements have already been made for your wedding, King Xagrun," Venna's father said, expansively, "I am sure a small detail like a change of bride would not cause too much disruption in the final preparations."
"I think we should also bring the date closer," Venna chipped in, "How about tomorrow?" She gave Ria a knowing wink. "Before anyone has a chance to oppose it."
Ria knew she was speaking of the Onoatiga, who might not take too kindly to pseudo-royalty being their link to the ruling planet of the Hautian Galaxy. The enormity of what was happening began to settle on her like a heavy cloak.
There was no denying she had fallen head over heels for the brusque Dragon King, but she also wanted to get back home. Her family would be grieving her by now, probably convinced that she was dead. While she still had breath in her lungs she needed to get back to them and let them know she was okay.
But would she still be able to return back here through the wormhole and live her new life with her new love? It was a question she had no answers for.
"I wish to speak with my ambassador in private," King Xagrun demanded.
"There is an adjacent private lounge over there," Venna indicated, an impish smile still dancing all over her face. Evidently, she found great enjoyment in playing Ria's matchmaker.
The Dragon King grabbed Ria's hand and all but dragged her to the gilt doors at the end of the room. Once out of sight of the others, he rounded on her. "Is it true, Ria?" His face was only inches from hers, his eyes blazing with intensity.
"I told you, I only know what Venna told me, what she told us!" she felt herself coming close to tears. Why was he being so insistent? She didn't understand.
"No, not that," he stepped back, as if he suddenly realised something and said more gently, "Is it true that you would be happy to exchange vows with me?" His eyes were filled with question marks as if he believed he could never win her heart.
"Oh," Ria said, colouring again, "Yes, I would, but..."
"You're ripping my heart out, Ria Gallagher!" he turned away from her in frustration.
"It's just that, I miss my home, my family..."
"Your boyfriend, too, no doubt." Xagrun's voice was bitter.
"Well..."
"Don't bother." He had moved away to the window and was staring out at the gardens as if trying to gather himself.
Something snapped in Ria and she shot across the room, grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her. "Do you love me, Xagrun?" she demanded, tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.
His stared at her, his eyes alive with a thousand different emotions, and then he kissed her, his hands raking through her hair and lifting her face to his. Pressing her close to his body he spoke into her ear, in a voice hoarse with emotion. "I love you, Ria Gallagher. I want you to be my queen."
Ria drew back, wanting to look into his eyes. They were shimmering more golden than she had ever seen them do before, and they confirmed beyond a doubt that he had spoken from his heart.
"I love you, too, Xagrun."
"But you miss your family, I get it," he sounded resigned as he looked away.
"If I could just let them know I'm okay..."
"Would they let you return and marry an ill-mannered dragon king in some galaxy far, far away, where they'll probably never see you again?"
"I don't know." She had to admit, he had a point. After having lost her once, would her family give her up again? "I also don't know if I'll actually be able to get back, not only to this space but this time."
She knew he understood. Everybody knew wormholes were unpredictable.
Xagrun turned back to the window, releasing Ria, but keeping one arm around her as if he was afraid she would run off. "I will have Dr Nirda and her team step up their wormhole research so that we can find a way for you to get home safely. I can see it means much to you."
Thanking him didn't seem the appropriate thing to do, as much as she wanted to. He was not merely doing her a favour, he was making a sacrifice, willingly, for her.
He was putting her happiness, her desires before his own. He could have ordered her to marry him. He could have forced her to stay - she was at his mercy as it was.
And yet he had chosen not to. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it, almost reverently. An ache of longing filled her. She did want to be his queen, she didn't want to leave. Her heart was torn in two.
Ria wrapped her arms around Xagrun again, and leaned against his chest, hearing his heart throbbing in his chest, like a great African drum. He kissed the top of her head. "We must go tell the others what we have decided."
"Wait. What have we decided?" Ria lifted her face to his.
"You will go home to your Earth and I will be betrothed in a loveless marriage to Princess Venna and pine my days away because I will never be able to get you out of my mind."
"Who said we decided that?" Ria asked, teasingly, walking her fingers up his chest as she came to stand in front of him.
"I thought..."
"Ah, you thought, King Xagrun. I see you need more lessons in loving a princess." She smiled coyly, "You thought, but
you didn't ask."
"Ask what?"
"Now then, your Highness! Must I spell it out for you?"
He looked at her, his scales shimmering gold and black as heartache and passion fought for eminence.
"Ria Gallagher," he said slowly, finally catching on, "Will you be my queen?"
"Hmmm..." Ria looked away, wanting to make him sweat, wanting him to really want her, to feel the intense pull that she felt. "Would that include marrying you?" She was being deliberately obtuse, and he knew it.
"Marrying me would be the chief requirement," he said, his voice low, his eyes glowing.
"Well, then, my answer is..."
She stood on her toes, bringing her mouth close to his ear, and whispered, "Yes!"
He kissed her on her neck, clasping her tightly to his chest.
Suddenly they became aware of rasping breaths in the room that were certainly not their own. They could only belong to...
"The Onoatiga!" Ria whispered loudly.
Xagrun turned to face them, still holding her with one arm firmly around her shoulders. There were eight of them. How or when the other six had got there, was a mystery.
A tense silence ensued, Xagrun was fully aware that one did not speak to Onatiga unless spoken to. But they weren't providing any clarity about their presence. As the staring contest dragged on, Ria looked up at her king. His face was calm, almost serene as he waited for the mysterious beings to speak.
Whatever happened, she had full confidence that he would handle it. Somehow, these dictatorial beings were losing their grip on their puppet king.
Chapter 14: Royal Rebellion
"We have been told you refuse to marry Venna of Haut." The raspy voice of the nearest Onoatiga cut through the atmosphere.
Ria felt Xagrun's arm tighten around her shoulders. This was exactly what she had feared, but something inside her kept her resolute. By Xagrun's body language she could tell he no longer intended to be shunted around by these cyborg bullies. He decided to call their bluff.
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