by Zara Zenia
Larzukan smiled as he held Felicity’s hand to his lips. “These are the very things I want for our people, Felicity. You have made me happier than I could ever imagine. That is why I must decline your request at this time.
“The final tournament is at hand, and the Choosing for my mate is tomorrow. As of right now, you are leading by a huge margin—in part, because the people blame Floretta and Blancon. If I fight to save them, I could be condemning you, and that I will not do. Please, Felicity, do not go against me in this. I cannot bear the thought of losing you again.”
Felicity had too many thoughts running through her mind and too many emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “For now, Larzukan, I will not force the issue as long as you assure me that they will be safe and cared for while they await judgment. I ask that you delay that judgment as long as possible. Please, Larzukan, give me this.”
Larzukan agreed. He had no desire to see Blancon and Floretta executed. He would not be able to avoid the judgment for long, but he would delay as much as possible for Felicity. He loved her too much to see her in pain.
Later that evening while Larzukan saw to the business of the kingdom, Felicity saw to some business of her own. Her first stop was the most difficult. It was not until she stood bowing before the queen that she truly wondered if this was the right plan.
The queen lifted her hand, indicating that Felicity could rise. “I am impressed, child. I will not ask how you managed to find your way here without being captured. I have watched your progress throughout the tournament. Your ability for adaptation is quite remarkable.
“I doubt, however, that you are here for the simple pleasure of my company or to show off your skills. I have made tea for us. Come sit, and we will talk of important matters.”
Felicity sat slowly at the small table with the queen. “You somehow knew I was coming, didn’t you?”
The queen smiled indulgently. “I would not be queen if I did not know such things. I also know that you will not be so impolite as to ask how I know. We must all have our little secrets now, must we not?”
Felicity nodded her head as she sipped at the tea. “This is very good. Thank you,” Felicity said respectfully.
The queen set her cup down and walked to the large mantle, pulling down a small box. When she sat back down, she set the box down in front of Felicity. “Before your unanticipated departure back to earth, I asked for a private audience with you. This is something completely unheard of for our people, as you will find is the case with most things.”
“You see, Felicity, it was I who worked with Blancon to introduce your file to Larzukan in the first place. Blancon had his own agenda at the time, of course, but I knew his heart and trusted that he would choose correctly in the end, which he has.”
Felicity tried not to look alarmed as the queen continued. “I know the man my son is, Felicity. I know the dreams he has for our people. If I did not agree with the course he has chosen, I would have had him destroyed long ago.”
“Our people need change. They claim adaptation and use the tournaments as proof, but in reality, our people stand still while the world moves around us. Larzukan needs a woman who will secure the dreams he has. You are that woman, Felicity.”
“Now tell me, why have you come to me this evening?” The queen said as she once again sipped her tea.
Felicity folded her hands in front of her. “I am quite sure, my Queen, that you are well aware of why I have come tonight, but I will share in my own words.”
“I come to make a stand for what is right and to force Larzukan’s hand in the matter. I need your help to make what I do public. I know that Larzukan wants what is right, but he lacks the confidence to do what must be done. I must act on my own conscience.”
The queen looked at Felicity questioningly. “So you have come here to ask me to join with you in your treason?”
Without hesitation, Felicity leaned forward, locking eyes with the queen. “Yes. That is what I ask.”
The queen laughed a silvery laugh and opened the box she had set in front of Felicity. “As I said, Felicity, I knew you were the one from the beginning. Besides, I am already scheduled for my continuation ceremony. What more can they do?”
Felicity pulled the key from the box on the table and bowed her head in gratitude. “I will begin tomorrow morning at first light. Please make sure the people can see or all of this will be for nothing.”
“Then let the tournament begin.”
Chapter 16
Felicity
Felicity awoke before the first rays began their ascent. She turned to Larzukan and kissed him awake. “My love, today, the tournament ends and the Choosing begins. I must go prepare myself, but I did not want to leave without kissing you one last time.”
Larzukan pulled her close and kissed her lips. “This will not be the last time, my Felicity. The people are behind you. They will choose correctly.”
Felicity was not so sure that her plan would work, but telling Larzukan at this point was not an option, although she hated deceiving him. She climbed out of bed and dressed quickly and then left without looking back.
By the time she made her way to the holding facility, the sun was beginning to rise. She waited several more minutes and then whispered a quiet prayer that the queen had upheld her end of the bargain.
The one good thing Felicity had going for her was that as a human, no one ever mistook her for anyone else. She walked to the doors of the holding facility with her head raised high. She did not give the guards time to respond as she brushed past.
“The king has requested that I deliver the sentence to the traitors as he does not want to look upon their faces. Stand aside.” Without question, the guards moved out of the way, allowing Felicity into the inner holding cell.
She walked quickly to Blancon’s cell and pulled out the key. She opened the door quietly and ushered him out, putting her hand to his lips. “Trust me!” she said as she brushed past and walked to Floretta’s door. In several minutes, the three stood in the hallway. The prisoners seemed confused.
“What are you doing?” Floretta asked cautiously.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m breaking you out.”
Blancon grabbed her arm. “Felicity, you’ll be killed. We knew what we were doing and must accept the punishment.”
Felicity pulled away as she scanned the outer hall. “The punishment is wrong, and I will not let you be killed on my behalf. Now stay behind me. I told you I have a plan.”
Floretta shrugged her shoulders but did as she was told. Blancon thought they had both lost their minds, but he, too, stayed behind Felicity. She tossed several loud firecrackers out the door, and when the guards ran to investigate, she snuck the two out.
For the next hour, the three twisted and turned down side roads and in between houses until finally coming out right behind the arena.
“What are we doing here?” Floretta asked.
“We’re adapting to the tournament, Floretta. I thought you were good at this game.”
After several moments of silence, Floretta finally smiled. Felicity walked resolutely into the center of the arena with Blancon and Floretta walking slowly behind. A loud collective gasp filled the air as the thousands gathered for the Choosing saw the three.
If the queen had done her job, everyone had watched the prison breakout followed by a complete cutoff of anything related to the tournament. Now the view was back on, and the only thing the people could see was the three in the middle of the arena. All other tournament feeds were suspended.
“This year’s Choosing is going to be a little different!” Felicity announced, forcing the crowd into silence. No one wanted to miss a sound. “Up until now, the people have chosen the future and the very livelihood of others by way of popularity in the tournament. Hundreds upon thousands have died because they were found unworthy to exist within society.”
“In a planet recovering from war, you have decided that the enemy will not be responsible for kill
ing you off. Instead, you will kill each other. I came here to your planet in the hope of finding a people whose love extends beyond death.”
“In coming here, I have found several people willing to fight to change life for your people for the better. People willing to stop the killing and live in true peace. I have found those who have chosen the destiny of their own lives. Two of those people stand with me here and now. You would choose for them to die for standing up for what they believe in.
“Another of those people who fights for you is your king, Larzukan. Yet you would choose a wife for your king based on popularity instead of love or honor. You have a chosen a king to lead you, and yet you do not allow him to choose for himself.
“Each of you has something to offer, a place in your own society. You speak of adaptation and survival, but you have not learned growth. You must all learn to adapt now for reasons other than survival. You must learn to adapt for the pleasure of bettering yourself and your society.
“You must decide this day, now and forever. You can continue to allow others to choose your life for you, or you can stand for freedom and choose a life for yourself. I choose to stand by Larzukan’s side as he leads our people to freedom because I love him and I honor him.
“I choose to rule as your queen because I know that I will constantly keep that love for you in my heart. I choose to let these two brave souls in front of me live because they have courage and honor that are worth fighting for—and dying for, if I must.”
Felicity grew silent as she saw the crowd part and Larzukan step into the arena. She had played every hand she had and he was the last piece. She was counting on his love for her to force him to stand by her side, and she was counting on the people’s love for him to break tradition. If she were wrong, they would all die for treason.
Larzukan walked forward his face blank of all emotion. As he stepped beside Felicity, he pulled her close and kissed her. When he pulled away, he held her hand and raised it high into the air.
“I choose Felicity to be my mate and my queen because she has proven to be best suited for me and for the people. Blancon and Floretta are to be released and all charges against them are forgiven. From this day forward, the Choosing will be a time of rejoicing and celebration, not a time of fear and death.”
“As a people, you must now make your final choice for all time. Choose!”
The slow rumble of voices coming together rose above the arena as thousands upon thousands stood to their feet proclaiming freedom. The chant slowly turned to one word being cheered over and over again from every corner of the planet. “Felicity! Felicity! Felicity!”
Several days later, Felicity and Larzukan stood together amidst a throng of people as they celebrated their official betrothal. With their newly found liberation, everyone wanted to have a hand in the wedding preparations.
So far, Felicity had received hundreds of offers and suggestions as to her dress, the flowers, the cake, the colors, and the decorations. All in all, Felicity was starting to feel as though she wanted to elope. She couldn’t fault the people though. For the first time, they were truly experiencing what it meant to have a future for themselves.
Chutan had chosen to stay on as one of Felicity’s personal aides and was more than helpful in filling Felicity in on the rituals of Tharagan weddings. As far as after the wedding was concerned, the rituals were familiar to Earth’s receptions. The ceremony itself, however, involved a great deal more than a traditional Earth wedding. Felicity had spent hours upon hours so far going over every detail. She did not want to humiliate herself or Larzukan by messing up the wedding ceremony.
As Felicity pondered yet again over the long speech she was required to give, Larzukan slipped up behind her, kissing her neck softly.
“I hear you have been fretting more than usual, my love, and I have come to relieve your stress for the day.”
Felicity laughed softly as she put her speech down and turned to face her betrothed.
“And just how do you plan to relieve my stress?”
Larzukan smiled as he kissed her lips tenderly, and then he kissed her again a little more forcefully, and then again with even greater passion as his hands pulled her tightly to him.
“That will work,” Felicity said breathlessly as Larzukan began undoing her straps. Before long, they were a tangle of naked bodies as they renewed their passion for one another. Felicity took the length of him inside her as she wrapped his legs around his waist.
“You know, on Earth, it’s not proper to have sex before the wedding,” Felicity whispered as she moaned against his shoulders.
Larzukan pushed deeper into her as his hands gripped her bottom. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that we’re not on Earth right now.”
“I think we should make this the last time before the wedding,” Felicity replied breathlessly.
Larzukan took her breast between his lips, sucking gently as he continued to push deeper into her. “I guess I’ll have to make the most of it, then, if this is the last time until the wedding. Thank goodness it’s only four days away.”
Felicity moved her body in time with his as she lost herself to the pleasure and the feel of him. Her heart was filled with love and happiness, and she wanted nothing more than to express that love with him physically.
Her body convulsed time after time as he brought her to new heights of sexual pleasure. There were times when she felt she was so happy she was losing her mind. Well into the night, they made love in ways Felicity had never before imagined.
By the time they finally fell asleep in each other’s arms, Felicity was so filled up with him that wetness covered her legs and her womanhood. She was more content than ever in her life.
Chapter 17
Larzukan
The morning of the wedding, Felicity awoke with her nerves a wreck. She was certain that she was going to forget everything and make a mess of the whole thing. Larzukan had not been permitted to see her until the wedding, and Chutan had been forced to call in reinforcements.
Kate and Floretta shuffled in to find Felicity a complete wreck. They took one look at each other and quickly came to her, each taking a hand and forcing her to sit.
“What is all this?” Kate asked, looking at the near-total destruction of the room. “I haven’t seen you this nervous since the time you wrecked your dad’s car coming home from that party you weren’t supposed to be at.”
Floretta raised an eyebrow but chose not to respond. “My Queen, why have you pulled all your clothes out?”
Felicity grew agitated. “It’s my wedding day, Floretta, and I have nothing to wear. And I have asked you to please stop calling me Queen. I have a name—use it.”
Kate pulled Felicity to her feet. “Okay, Felicity. We’re going to go take a nice hot bath now. You don’t need anything to wear because Floretta has your dress all prepared for you, remember?”
Felicity shook her head as the two women treated her like she had lost her mind. “I don’t want that dress!” Felicity yelled as she was manhandled into the tub.
As Chutan washed Felicity’s hair, Floretta came and sat down. “Don’t worry, my Queen. Your dress will be here shortly. The people have come up with a wonderful design that will work with your body to make you look Tharagan. Larzukan has made it a gift for you.”
“Floretta, I don’t want to look Tharagan on my wedding day. I want to look like me. I want my husband to see me, not some random woman he’s never seen before. It’s bad enough that I have to try and remember this horribly long speech, and then the song, and the dance, and the position of the hands.
“Then there’s the position and acknowledgment of the guards, the introduction of the queen, the passing of the crown, and the naming of successors. All I want is to go up there looking like me. Is that too much to ask?”
Floretta shared a look with Kate and the two left without another word. “Can you do anything about this?” Kate asked after the door to the bathroom had been closed.
Floretta thought about it for several moments. “I believe so, but I will have to do so immediately. I don’t think we should tell Larzukan about this. From what I hear, Blancon is having similar problems.”
Kate laughed softly. “We’d better hurry up and get these two married before their nerves wreck the kingdom.”
Floretta left quickly, and Kate went back in to try and calm down her best friend.
Larzukan stood impatiently outside the door to the ceremony chamber. “Shouldn’t we have started by now?” he asked Blancon.
“No, my King, we still have several minutes. Do not worry, my King. Felicity will not leave you at the altar.”
Larzukan paced back and forth. “I am not worried about that, Blancon. I just want this to be over with already. I would have been just as happy to wed in private. All of this ceremony is making me feel very unwell in my stomach.”
Blancon placed a hand on Larzukan’s shoulder. “Do not worry, my friend. The ceremony will be over soon enough, and then you will have your whole life together.”
Several minutes later, the bell rang out from the chamber and Larzukan took a deep breath as he strode forward through the door. Blancon came behind carrying the king’s crown. When they reached the front, Larzukan turned and bowed to the 1,000 people packed into the chamber, not to mention the rest of the world that was watching the ceremony live.
“I accept the role of king unto the people and ask to be presented with my bride,” Larzukan announced loudly.
A second bell rang out and the opposite door opened. Floretta and Kate stepped through, each carrying a signet ring. When they stepped aside, the crowd took in a collective gasp and Larzukan’s breath caught in his throat.
Felicity strode forward looking every bit human. Her white dress flowed out behind her in wave upon wave of perfection. Her hair flowed back, covered with a beautiful array of flowers woven in. As she took her place beside Larzukan, she turned and bowed toward the people.
