by Maxi MacNair
“There,” Trella said, taking the cup away and gently guiding Larisa’s hands back to her side. “Now, rest. Let your mind and body process everything.”
The words were a release, and with them, Larisa fell back into unconsciousness.
~
“…Yes, entry code 9854-Theta-A,” Nillana was saying into her wrist, her back to Larisa, who was paused in the threshold to what looked like the central hub of the ship. There was a large screen of glass along one wall, covered in various projections of charts and texts. “Relay to Lord Kallos that we’ve arrived.”
Larisa felt much less groggy than earlier. The throbbing of her head had cleared and after a long moment of simply sitting silently in her bed with the one called Trella observing from afar, she was beginning to accept the possibility of this not being a dream at all. Sounds felt real in her ears, the hull of the ship felt solid beneath her feet, and, if she focused, she could feel her heart beat reliably within her chest. The hazy memory of being told she was here to marry some alien prince left a sickly taste in her mouth, and that too, felt real.
“Yes,” Nillana said. She turned at Larisa’s arrival and smiled. “Your service is appreciated.” She said into her wrist. She tapped the metal bracelet once and let her wrist fall to her side. Larisa noticed then just how slender the woman was, and wondered if all Halpasen women were as thin and whimsical looking as she and Trella.
“I—I’m sorry for interrupting,” Larisa said, the courage she had felt when she first ventured out of the medical bay beginning to fade.
“There is no need for you to apologize,” Nillana said, stopping a few feet away from her. “I’m glad to see you’re awake. Are you feeling better?”
“A little.” Larisa resisted shifting a step back. Although she still felt uneasy, she didn’t want to appear rude. Especially not when these aliens held her future in their hands. She wondered if throwing people out the airlock in science fiction movies was accurate.
“That’s good news. Come, you have impeccable timing.” Nillana put an arm around Larisa and guided her to the massive floor-to-ceiling screen. “We’re arriving.”
“Arriving?”
“Yes,” Nillana said. She tapped her bracelet without looking at it.
The holograms dissipated and in the same instant, the screen turned entirely transparent.
Larisa gasped. A mass of orange and green filled two-thirds of the viewport, spirals of flimsy white clouds gathered near the uppermost pole.
“It’s…beautiful,” Larisa pressed her palms against the glass.
“Welcome to Halpa.”
~
Kallos paced the length of his room, cracking his fingers. He ignored the lone bee that had somehow found its way four stories high to circle the Yllian blossoms sitting in the window. He paid no mind to the bird squawking outside. And he didn’t even notice the pale blue light insistently flashing at his wrist. Instead, his mind tumbled with its own turmoil.
Nillana had contacted him to give word that his bride-to-be had been located and secured, but he hadn’t heard from her since. For the first time in some time, he had grown truly impatient. He wondered at the color of his bride’s hair, at the shimmer in her eyes, and at the shape of her body. And more importantly, he was anxious at the wiring of her mind. Would she adapt to life here on Halpa easily?
Kallos had sent Nillana a brief list of traits he desired in a mate, then left it in her hands. He tried to remember that he couldn’t be too picky. Who he got was who he’d have to marry as there wasn’t enough time to send for another. And yet he worried that they wouldn’t complement each other—that he’d hate her and grow unable to stand her. Or, alternatively, that she would hate and resent him for eternity.
He let out a sound halfway between a sigh and a growl, and slammed his fist into his thigh. What if he couldn’t court her? What if, biologically, she would never be able to find him attractive? He dismayed at the possibility that she would be immune to what most referred to as his “royalty’s charisma”.
Kallos moved to the carved wooden box that rested atop a dresser. He unlocked the golden latch and lifted its lid, somehow hoping that looking upon the gift would settle his nerves. But they were only strained further as his mind jumped to the thought of his new bride rejecting the gift. He had gone through a great deal of effort to commission such an elegant design befitting a new queen, and he had even researched what little they had on record of Earthen art to draw inspiration from. Was all of his effort to go to waste?
His thoughts were interrupted by a beeping at his door. Belatedly, he realized that it had been beeping for some time now.
He stalked up to it, wiping the lines of stress away from his face.
“What is it?”
“A message from Lady Nillana, my lord,” came a voice.
Kallos tapped a panel on the wall and the door slide into the wall. His personal messenger, Dren, stood before him.
“I apologize for calling on you personally,” Dren said, copper eyes falling to Kallos’ chest. “I tried your diss-link, but got no response.”
“I was otherwise occupied.”
“Yes, my lord,” Dren said. “I gathered that, but the message was flagged as priority.”
“Right,” Kallos said, blinking, and finally registering who Dren had said the message was from. “What word do you bring?”
“The New Nova has entered orbit and will be landing shortly. The audience chambers are already being prepped for their arrival.”
Kallos swallowed hard, but kept his expression neutral.
“Thank you, Dren,” Kallos said. “You may go. I will be there shortly. Inform me on my diss-link when they have landed.”
Dren bowed and stepped backwards. The door slid shut.
Kallos spun to his wardrobe and tapped the side of it, springing it open.
Leave it to Nillana to give warning only at the last minute, Kallos thought with a frown. And he began to shift through the wardrobe for something fitting for the occasion.
~
Larisa followed Nillana through the corridors of the Halpasen royal palace. She wasn’t so keen on meeting this “Lord Kallos”, and as much as it freaked her out, she was grateful that someone—perhaps Trella—had taken the liberty of bathing her while she was unconscious. Even in her own company, she wasn’t fond of smelling poorly.
Larisa tried not to stare at any of the other Halpasen they passed, but she couldn’t help but notice the looks they gave her. She was a short and pudgy human amongst a species of the tall, slim, and elegant. She was glad she had at least been given something more suitable to wear than her yoga clothes or that nightgown. The embroidered hem of her long dress grazed the floor as she walked. The long sleeves were itchy, and the bust was a bit too tight, but the golden belt cinched at her waist and showcased her hourglass shape raised her confidence. Even though she was traversing the halls of an alien palace, and even though she actually still wore her running shoes.
Nillana paused at a tall door flanked by two guards.
“Your betrothed is behind these doors,” she said. “You’ll meet him now.”
Larisa took a deep breath, Nillana watching her carefully with her large violet eyes. They unnerved her a little. Getting the sense that these aliens weren’t too quick to anger though she went ahead and finally asked the question that was on her mind as kindly as possible.
“What if I don’t want to… get married?” Larisa dug her thumbnail into her index finger. What she really wanted to say was, “you need to take me back right now, cause there is no way I’m marrying an alien.”
A look of seriousness though descended on Nillana’s face that Larisa hadn’t seen before. “You will get married,” Nillana said. “He cannot ascend to the throne without a queen, and he refuses to take one of our own. He needs you. And you will need him.”
“I—”
“Go,” Nillana said, tapping the door with the back of her hand. It slide open with a hiss. “Do not
waste his time, mine, or yours.”
She put a hand on Larisa’s back, guiding her inside the chamber.
It was a long chamber, reminding Larisa of the interior of a church with its punctuating columns, decorative banners, arching walls, and high ceilings. There was a large, curved window along the back wall, backlighting the figure who stood in front of it.
“Nillana,” the figure’s voice boomed. There was a smile in the voice, visually masked by shadow.
“Brother,” Nillana greeted him back. “Meet Larisa Cathaway.”
The figure stepped forward, descending a few steps and bringing his features to light.
Sea-green eyes looked out from iridescent, honey-olive skin. His jawline was sharp, but the slope of his nose gentle. His ears, adorned in dangling silver, curved up to a fine point from between tuffs of platinum hair. He stood a good few feet taller than her, and the broadness of his chest was exemplified by the shoulder pads built into his outfit of draping sheets of black and emerald green.
“Larisa,” he said, his voice like a spring breeze. “It is my absolute pleasure to meet you at last. I am Kallos Nyh’jas, prince of Halpa. I trust my sister treated you well?”
“As well as could be expected, I suppose, considering I was abducted,” Larisa said before she could correct herself. As captivating as he was, her tongue moved faster than her brain. “I mean—” She stuttered.
Larisa, you idiot, she scolded herself.
Kallos smiled and held up a hand.
“I can understand that,” he said. “I take no offense.”
He regarded her for a long moment, the silence sending shivers up Larisa’s arms regardless of the warm humidity in the air.
“Nillana has brought me a true beauty,” he said. “Both externally—and from what I see now, internally. I am pleased.”
Larisa blushed.
“I am glad you approve of her,” Nillana said. “I did spend some time searching for the right one.”
Larisa looked from Kallos to Nillana, and back again.
“You searched for me?” Larisa said.
“Well, yes,” Kallos said with a kind smile and sparkling eyes. “Not just any human would do as my bride and queen.”
“I—”
“Come, let me show you to your chambers,” he said, taking her hand. His skin felt like soft leather against hers. “They are your own private chambers, of course. Only after the wedding will we share a suite.”
Larisa tore her hand from him, her stomach twisting.
“Wait, wait,” she said, stepping backwards. “I don’t want to get married. I want to go home. Back to Earth. I don’t belong here.”
Kallos’ eyes darkened.
“Of course you belong here,” he said, stepping towards her. He retook her hand and knelt before her. “You will be my queen, Larisa. And I, your king.”
The gesture made her heart quicken, but she pulled away again, this time taking several steps back.
“I—I don’t think you understand. I’m human, you’re, whatever you guys call yourself...Halpasen. I belong on Earth. I don’t want to be royalty. I can’t—I can barely manage leading my own life, let alone an entire planet.”
“I don’t think you understand, Larisa,” Kallos stood and straightened his posture. He looked down at her with an expression swirling with anger, sorrow, and confusion. “I sent for you, and only you. Together we will rule Halpa. Together. Planetary origins matter not.”
Larisa stared at his feet, finding them much easier to look at than the painful emotions that consumed his face.
“Come,” he said. “We will get you settled in. You will feel better once you relax. I will call for food and drink to be delivered to you.”
Larisa shook her head, still avoiding his gaze.
Kallos fumed, but Nillana stepped to Larisa’s side.
“I will see her to her chambers,” Nillana said. “She is tired from the journey. We must remember that Earth is not a spacefaring planet. Adjusting to culture shock will take time.”
“Very well,” he said with a heavy, frustrated sigh. “Take her, then.”
Nillana grabbed Larisa’s arm and Larisa allowed the woman to lead her out of the room. Larisa turned, just before the doors closed, to see Kallos with his back to them and facing the window.
The walk to Larisa’s private chambers was short. Nillana showed Larisa inside and pointed out a few sections of wall and pieces of furniture that she could command by touch: the window could be controlled like the viewport in Nillana’s ship, and the bed would unfold from the wall. Lights, temperature, and airflow were voice activated, and on a panel next to the bed, a holo projector could be accessed.
When Nillana turned to leave, Larisa didn’t say a word. Nillana paused, then turned slowly to face her.
“You would do well to remember that Kallos is not just a prince,” Nillana said. “He is also my brother. I will see him happy, and you will be the one to make him so. You will please him. You will marry him. And you will be his queen.”
As soon as Nillan left the room, Larisa fell to the floor and cried.
~
“He requests your presence in the palace gardens,” the messenger at her door said.
Something had been beeping in Larisa’s room for the past ten minutes, but she hadn’t been able to discern what. It seemed that eventually, they figured it was better to contact her in person.
“I don’t know where that is,” Larisa said.
“Senna has been tasked to show you,” he said, indicating to a woman at his side.
Larisa looked over at her newly acquired handmaid.
“She will also guide you in selecting proper attire,” he said, turning to leave.
“Wait—right now?” Larisa said.
“Yes.”
The door slid shut behind him.
“Come,” Senna said, activating the wardrobe. “Let us find something flattering for this rendezvous.”
“I suppose just staying in tonight isn’t an option?” Larisa sighed.
Senna chuckled. “One does not simply decline the request of a lord.”
“I’m beginning to get that feeling.”
“Here, try this one on.”
Larisa took the silver dress from her and held it up to the light. There was a charcoal pattern on the front that reminded her of Celtic knots, and a similar design snaking the hems.
“Is there something that isn’t low cut and sleeveless?” Larisa said.
“Sleeves are too formal,” Senna said. “I am not sure how it is back on Earth, but here, the shoulders and neck are sensual places. It is attractive to display them.”
“I don’t really look good without sleeves.”
“Sure you do. Come, try it on. I don’t know if you realize this, but your body type is not something we see here on Halpa. I wish I had your shape myself. It’s just so healthy and voluptuous.”
Senna helped Larisa into the dress and buttoned it up at the back.
“Here,” Senna said, handing her a pair of heeled sandals. “We created a wardrobe for you to fit you in a pleasing manner, but we have been having problems with the shoes. You have tiny feet compared to us, but these should fit.”
Larisa slipped into them. She was surprised, given what Senna had said, that the alien footwear fit perfectly.
“You look stunning,” Senna said. She tapped the edge of the window and the glass turned into a mirror.
Larisa stared at her reflection. She couldn’t help but notice how the black in the dress matched her dark hair, and how the dress hugged her curves. She had to admit that she didn’t look half-bad.
“Normally I would attend to your hair as well, but I am afraid we don’t have much time. Lord Kallos is already waiting for you.”
“Fine,” Larisa said, combing her hair with her fingers. “Let’s get this over with. I imagine he’s the one I need to convince to take me home anyway.”
Larisa’s first glimpse of the gardens came from above. O
ne of the corridors they passed through bordered an open atrium that looked down on a large, glass dome. The glass was frosted, but shades of greens and browns pushed through. They descended to the entrance floor in a cylindrical elevator made entirely of glass. Larisa looked out at the dome in silent awe. She had seen interior gardens before, but none as large as this and surrounded by glass. She wondered to what degree the atmosphere was controlled inside, and if it housed local species or those from other planets. She thought about asking Senna about it, but decided against it as the elevator stopped and the door opened.
Senna led the way around a corner to an arched doorway in the dome, which opened at their approach. Warm air rushed out at them.
“I will wait for you out here,” she said. “In case you do not remember the way back to your room.”
“What if this takes a while?” Larisa frowned. “You don’t have to just stand here.”
“It is my duty to serve you. I can walk around and otherwise keep busy. I am certain I can run a few errands before you are finished.”
Larisa was about to protest but was cut off.
“Now, go on. You should not keep Lord Kallos waiting.” Senna patted her on the shoulder.
Larisa took a steadying breath and stepped into the dome. A few steps on the cobblestone floor and the door closed behind her. But she didn’t look back, her attention swept away by the alien fauna before her.
Trees with spiralling trunks stretched far and tall, their canopies a mixture of green and violet; from beds of soil sprung vibrant ferns and broadleaved plants collecting water in their hollows; and flowers as large as her hand hung from trees or curled out from shrubs.
She breathed deeply, momentarily forgetting why she was here and simply absorbing the scents and sights. She ambled along the path, running her hand over the bark of trees and fingertips gently grazing petals. It was quiet in the garden. No chatter common in public parks, just serenity. It was a strange sensation, given the stress-induced headaches she had on-and-off the past two days on Halpa.
