Mountain Man's Proposal

by Lauren Wood

Kelly stopped and thought about it.

  “Yes,” she replied after a moment, “But by the same token, aren’t I just no fun then? Since you knew I was to be yours?” Zeus’ immediate look of mild offense and hurt feelings struck Kelly – they had just met, but he seemed so invested in her already. She wasn’t used to this sort of treatment, as back on Earth, she was generally expected to hold some sort of a subordinate role to her partner’s whims and interests.

  “Yes, it is true that you and I were paired, but… that does not mean that I knew that you were going to be mine,” he said, “I knew your name. I knew your karyotype. I knew that even though you lived in America, that your family was originally Greek, making my name choice that much easier. I did not know the look of your shining eyes, nor did I know anything about your open mind and adaptable spirit. The bit of surprise made it all the more fun.”

  Kelly struggled for a moment with what to say in response to that. Clearly she would have a lot to learn from the way they did things on Tu’Fal – she was so used to living in a society of go, go, go that she had almost forgotten that it was possible for two people to purely connect and be interested in one another without much of an ulterior motive. Sure, the both of them had a responsibility to preserve their respective species, but beyond that… they didn’t have to like each other to accomplish that. However, here they were, taking walks through gardens floating through intergalactic space and slowly but surely learning the important details about one another. She decided that she didn’t really have anything good to say to that, so she stopped at a somewhat meeker than she would have liked “thank you”, and leaned into Zeus’ side, enjoying the feeling of his strong, capable arm around her and his large hand gripping her shoulder. After a while of looking out of the window at the endless pantheon of stars, Zeus turned to her and said:

  “I should begin walking you back to your cabin. It’s getting a bit late, and even though there’s no night or day cycle while you’re travelling through space, there will be on Tu’Fal, and you’ve got to stay to a schedule to avoid the worst jet lag you’ve ever experienced.”

  Kelly nodded and followed his confident lead through the atrium again and back to her room. After he dropped her off with a respectful kiss on the forehead, she lay in her bed looking at the ceiling. She rolled over and palmed the touch pad that formed her light switch and sighed.

  Everybody I’ve known is gone, or at least I’ve gone from them, but I’m not upset about it. Am I really that petty, to be distracted by a pretty face, or am I really just adaptable as he said?

  She drifted off into a peaceful sleep, deciding that the answer to her question was moot, and comforted herself as she floated into a dream of Zeus’ deep, expressive eyes.

  Chapter 3

  When they finally arrived on Tu’Fal, what awaited Kelly was far more

  beautiful than anything she could have imagined. She obviously didn’t know what to expect going in to landing on an advanced alien planet, but she knew that it’d definitely be a decadent experience. When their craft landed, they exited in quite a comfortable fashion; the ship was large enough and had enough exits that nobody needed to really file out of the ship, and there wasn’t much of a wait. Kelly just had to gather the clothes and toiletries that the Tu’Fallians had provided for her and clear out with the rest of the group.

  Leaving with the group was the most disorienting part of the entire process. That is, until Zeus arrived to lead her into her new life at her side. She felt his presence before she saw him; she guessed it had something to do with the permanent bonding practices that the Tu’Fallians engaged in. She hadn’t been told much of anything about that, but she figured it had to do something with pheromones or vibrations; they seemed far past the base needs of sex appeal and the associated chemicals with their advanced technology and philosophies. However, the ever-present protective and possessive nature of her arranged mate definitely showed her otherwise.

  Her stomach was churning as they approached the door out – since she had been beamed up, essentially, she had never gotten a chance to see what the portals to her tiny world had looked like. They were similar to any other bay doors, with the bright light of their landing area outside shrouding definition around the frame. As humans, Tu’Fallians, and other races she could only hope to name one day left the ship, she could hear cheering and shouting, and could only hope that that cheering and shouting was for a good reason.

  “You have nothing to be worried about,” Zeus said into her ear, leaning over. She was initially startled when he began doing things like that, preempting her need for reassurance or kindness, but she had grown used to it after their month and a half (she estimated) voyage through the stars where they had grown to know each other closely. She squeezed his hand in return to show that she had heard him and believed him, and looked up at him smiling.

  “I would think not given the resources put into this ship, but I have no frame of reference…” she responded.

  “Believe you me,” he said, “You and the others we have brought are of the utmost importance. You’ll see shortly.”

  And so they did.

  Upon the exit of Kelly, Zeus, and the rest of their Earth group (which she had taken was to be representative of classical culture and the beliefs of those times that had given form to the family line that Zeus was from), they too, were greeted by cheers and shouting. Kelly put her hand up to guard her eyes from the light, as she found natural light a bit extreme after her extended stay in artificial light manufactured in the void. When her eyes focused, she found beings that looked incredibly similar to the Tu’Fallians that she had come to know within their on-ship community. They all highly resembled humans – from far away, you would almost say that they were human. However, when you got up close, you noticed the exact perfect proportion of their muscles, the tone that they had, their unmarred skin, and their facial symmetry. They were all literal embodiments of classical beauty, and stood at a height that was slightly taller than you would expect a person to be, though not completely out of the ordinary.

  Through their laughing and cheering, they threw offerings upon those disembarking. There were glittering, iridescent flower blossoms that found themselves getting stuck in Kelly’s hair as she walked arm in arm with her own personal lifeboat through this alien world as inspired cries in languages innumerable erupted around the landing party.

  Tu’Fal’s saviors, their seed banks, had arrived planetside again, and the fate of this species was decided for the better because of it.

  Kelly was curious as to where they were headed to, but knew better than to try to ask amongst all the din. Instead, she held her head up high and continued to walk proudly with Zeus in the procession of chosen ones. As she walked, she could only hope that wherever their destination from disembarking was just as opulent and shining as the simple procession through the large, flat, paved landing area.

  Her mind wandered as they walked. There wasn’t much interesting in the way of scenery, but the finery that the myriad of residents wore and offered to them was enough to keep her occupied. Colors she had never thought of assaulted her vision as she caught glimpses of a skirt here or a flower there, and other colors still made themselves known, but avoided her definition when she focused on one thing or another. When she looked down to examine the lot they were walking through, she noticed that even the pavement glittered in the light that was able to find its way through their shadows. The streets were literally lined with gold, it would appear. She hoped it wasn’t actually pyrite.

  Soon, their parade took a left turn, then a right, and another left. They passed through glass walls that were similar to the invisible and indestructible doors that were on many of the rooms in the space cruiser, but on a grander scale. Once inside, the light dimmed, though the glass was untinted. It was enough to see without straining, and what she found was just as beautiful as the glimpse of the outside surroundings that she was able to gather.

  Everywhere she turned, things s
parkled and shined. There was something in everything that naturally occurred on Tu’Fal that made it glimmer in the light and radiate knowledge and a long, proud tradition – longer and prouder than anything any race on Earth could have imagined or hoped for. Once they were inside, the crowds began to thin and disperse around them. They were going somewhere that the general public wasn’t necessarily allowed, it seemed, and that was probably for the better. After all, they needed to hear what was going to happen next. It wasn’t like they could just be turned loose to do what they pleased without meeting the authority that had brought them there.

  The shining silver and glass corridor they had been walking through suddenly ended with a large audience floor. At the far end of the floor stood a raised dais with a half circle table. At the table sat eleven figures, though none of them could be properly made out. They all seemed to be invisible, but for the shimmer that their form left on where they were located. When one of them turned to talk to another or cough silently while they awaited their explorers and refugees to be in their places. It was almost as if their pure will made an imprint upon the physical world so they could communicate with the masses, and stopped there. She looked up at Zeus to ask a question, but thought better of actually opening her mouth immediately. He was staring intently at the dais and the figures seated at the table, eyes full of reverence. She assumed these were the leaders of their society, the ones who saved her and the other chosen members of the human race. It was probably uncouth to speak in their audience without being spoken to, she assumed.

  “You have all been brought here to preserve the life spirit and force of all of the reaches of the cosmos.”

  The voice that she and the others in their party heard was not just one voice, but all eleven. The many voices that were one did not have any that stood out as being male or female among them. Instead, all were simultaneously both genders and neither. Nor was this statement actually audible – it seemed to resonate within Kelly’s bones, originating from within her own eardrums, though she knew it was external in nature.

  “From this point on, you are residents of Tu’Fal. Your planets have been destroyed by natural phenomena, but we took an interest in your species and your flora and fauna long before this was even to be known. When it was, we took steps to save your peoples. In return, we ask only for partnership; truly loving partnership.”

  There was a pause as they all took time to process what was being said to them. There was an impression in the air that what was being communicated was the absolute truth – if there was any doubt in anybody’s mind of their planet being gone, it was now eliminated.

  “Within the next week on our planet, you will all undergo the bonding ritual of our people in order to integrate into our society if you so choose,” the voices continued, “Though if you choose not to, you will certainly find a place among us here as well, though we will regret that you have chosen to forsake your debt. Whether or not you asked for it is moot – on your own planet, there were many circumstances that you had no choice in, but accepted anyways for one reason or another. We have every confidence, however, that we chose correctly, and that those among you will understand the significance of your position not only here, but among your celestial neighbors.”

  An air of awe and of heavy acceptance flowed through the crowd. Their new lives were waiting for them, they were at the threshold – all they had to do was reach out and take their destiny.

  “Now, go. For those of you who have a long way to travel from the capitol, there is transport waiting. Your partners will take good care of you, we are sure. You have the full week to make your decisions, though we sincerely hope that this week will be filled with festivity and fulfillment for all who have arrived to our home.”

  With that, the voices were gone, as were the shimmers that had represented them. Though the leaders of the wondrous society were never truly seen by any of the humans present in that chamber that day, their presence was certainly made known, and made a strong, lasting impression on each of them. After a few brief moments of letting their communication sink in, humans and Tu’Fallians began to turn to one another to make their game plan. Zeus and Kelly were no different, though they were one of the first pairs to exit through the doors past the dais.

  “Do we need the transport?” Kelly asked.

  “No, I live here in the capitol,” Zeus responded. “We could easily walk to where you will be staying from here, though it will take a significant amount of time. Instead, I propose we walk out of here, then past the maglev cruiser bays, and out into the city, where we should show you a few blocks on foot before getting a ride to your new home,” he finished with a smile.

  My new home, Kelly thought. She liked the sound of that. She had no idea how affluent Zeus was on this planet, or if affluence was even a thing in this society, but she just knew that it would be just as beautiful as the rest of what this advanced species had shown her. She also knew that a soul as patient, intuitive, and understanding as Zeus’ could not stand to live in a place that wasn’t as beautiful as he was either. She smiled at him for the millionth time and took his hand as she walked through those back doors with him at her side, ready to start her new life.

  Chapter 4

  It was clear after Kelly’s first night on Tu’Fal that they would be going through with the bonding ritual after all. There wasn’t ever any real doubt in her mind, but after seeing the space that she would be sharing with Zeus should they follow through with the path laid out for them, she knew that it was the right decision. She always thought that the place that someone lived was a direct reflection of who they were as a person, and she could tell that she had met a kindred spirit upon seeing his abode. The entryway, like every other on Tu’Fal, appeared to be made of glass. She had initially been put off, asking how he dealt with his neighbors being able to just peer in his front door, and he laughed. He then explained that they obscured any sort of living and intelligent forms that were behind the glass – humans, Tu’Fallians, any sort of pets they might have in the future, would be able to walk in front of the door and remain unseen. After passing through it, she was met with a main room filled with a golden light and covered in huge cushions and plants potted in marble containers. The rest of the home was just as opulent – it tickled her to know that her new bathroom came equipped with a claw foot bathtub like she had always wanted and a four-poster bed with a deep red plush comforter like she had dreamed about as a girl.

  “It’s perfect,” she had said, breathless.

  “I changed some things up before we left to get you,” Zeus said, “Those in power who had been keeping track of you, making sure you were still stable enough to come here, had let me know some of the things that had been lurking around in your mind. I didn’t want anything too personal – you know me and surprises – but I figured I could make a dream or two come true to make you feel more at home.”

  Upon hearing this, Kelly’s heart melted. The gold light in his home showed what she had come to infer about his character – he truly did have a heart of gold. Why else would a far advanced, desirable male from another PLANET take steps to make her feel comfortable without even meeting her? After getting her meager assortment of belongings put away in the closet, they spent the rest of the day and night wandering around their home with Zeus showing her the ins and outs of his courtyard, which was so heavily foliated that it formed its own small maze in the middle of their residence. It was a paradise in the middle of paradise. She took the opportunity of having her own kitchen again to show him some recipes from Earth, as they (not so) surprisingly had ingredients from her own planet at her disposal.

  As the sun began to creep up into the sky, however, Kelly made moves to break the remaining sheet of ice that was between the two of them. Though they had taken great steps to come to know each other, they had not yet even kissed. She leaned her head up at Zeus’ and moved to do so. It shocked her when he backed up with urgency.

  “Any sort of intimate physical conta
ct before the bonding ritual will go directly against everything that I am,” he said quickly in response to her hurt eyes and body language, “It will set off chain reactions that I cannot stop, and can leave our relationship permanently damaged.”

  “How? I just want to show you –“

  Zeus stopped her from going any further.

  “If you are serious, then we will undertake the ritual today, in the eyes of the public and in the eyes of my genetic code, what my species is. Will you have that?”

  Without having any idea of what that entailed or had in store for her, Kelly quickly accepted. She was fully ready to embrace her new life on this alien planet with the alien masters of the universe who so tenderly cultivated and protected the life that they encountered.

  Though they slept late into the morning, immediately upon waking, Zeus urged her to get ready to leave the house. It did not matter what she wore, he said, as the temple guardians would be taking care of attire and other aesthetic needs when they arrived. Kelly nodded and threw on one of the shift dresses that was dispensed to her. Knowing she was about to get done up in what she could only assume was Tu’Fallian formal attire, she couldn’t wait to get rid of the uniform looking clothes provided to her in favor of things she would pick out herself.

  They took their own transport down to the temple – when Kelly saw it, she could barely stop herself from laughing despite the intensity and importance of the event. It looked almost exactly like the Parthenon.

  Fitting, she thought. Once inside, she was rushed away from Zeus by women who covered their eyes with their palms, though there were eyes painted on the backs of their hands that seemed to guide them through the halls.

  Oracle worshippers, she thought, smiling. Her regalia change was a whirlwind event. When she was able to look in the mirror that was given to her, she could only assume that she looked like Aphrodite – or at least would to the only man that mattered.