by Amber Stuart
I was feeling better about getting married to him already.
“Are you ready for our excursion?” asked Tal.
“Yes,” I said. “Melisse did a wonderful job of helping me dress.”
Melisse nodded at me, her eyes glowing. “I will leave you two together now. Enjoy your outing.”
I followed Tal down yet another corridor. It was going to take me a long time to learn the layout of this place, even though it was more open, I thought. We ended up going outside to where the cars were kept.
“I know these look a lot like cars,” said Tal, “but here we call them hovers.”
“Good to know,” I said. I noted that Tal’s hover was significantly more luxurious in appearance than the one that brought us from the spaceport. The seats looked comfortable, and the outer frame was made with the same sparkling cut glass that the castle was made of. I realized then that it couldn’t be glass, if a hover was made out of it. It was also like a convertible in that it had an open top. I was glad the weather was relatively warm; in the clothes I was wearing, I wasn’t at all protected from the elements.
“Only I get to take this hover because it’s my own which I’ve modified,” said Tal. When we sat down, the hover immediately turned on and its screen asked Tal where he wanted to go. Tal held on to something that looked like a gear shift—the neural input device—and thought of his destination. It instantly appeared on the screen and the hover took off.
I could definitely get used to these, I thought. Compared to the hover, even my hydrogen-cell car from back home was noisy and clunky. As we sped towards a conglomeration of buildings down the hill from the castle, I got to see the Tirik countryside. There was a forest further down from the castle made of enormous plants. Here, the woods didn’t have trees. It looked more like a city of stalks and less like a forest on Earth, because there weren’t so many leaves to make it dense.
Because the hover was so fast, it didn’t take long at all to get to the city. It was a pleasant ride, though, and I wished I could have stayed a bit longer: the way the breeze blew through my dress and long hair was relaxing.
The hover slowed down when we started navigating the city streets. They were laid out in a logical way, but instead of a grid of squares, they formed a grid of triangles. It was extremely disorienting to try and follow the path of the hover because of this, so instead, I tried people-watching and noticing the architecture.
A few particularly fancy looking buildings were created from the same cut glass as the castle, but other buildings were made of what appeared to be different types of wood and stone. I liked the look—it was all very natural, but the interspersing cut glass buildings added an elegant sparkle to the streets.
The Mirrotirik and other alien species who walked the streets also looked amazing. They were elegant and moved deliberately—there wasn’t a trace of clumsiness or wasted movement. I felt suddenly self-conscious. How could I, as a human, compete with them?
But then I remembered that I wasn’t competing. Tal could have had any woman he wanted, even one of his own kind. And he chose me.
“That’s the monument for my grandfather,” said Tal, cutting into my thoughts. “He died a long time ago.”
I looked to where he was pointing and saw what appeared to be an abstract sculpture. It didn’t have any resemblance at all to a Mirrotirik, so I supposed that it was symbolic. But when the hover rounded the corner, I saw that when the light hit it at the right angle, a hologram-like portrait appeared. The Mirrotirik depicted looked stern, like a real politician.
“Did you know him well?” I asked.
“Not really,” said Tal. “I was too young.”
As we continued towards the restaurant, I also noted that there were tons of plants in the city. It almost seemed like the Mirrotirik had found places for the buildings among the plants, rather than the other way around. While there were few of the tall plants that comprised the forest outside the city, when I looked closely at the streets, I could see small plants growing everywhere, even in cracks.
“Here we are,” said Tal.
We stopped in front of the restaurant and the hover zoomed off on its own, seeming to know where it had to go. I couldn’t help but stare after it, marveling at how the people on Earth would react to hear that there were self-parking cars here.
Tal and I went right towards the back of the restaurant. A Mirrotirik attendant allowed us to step into an elevator. I didn’t think the building had looked that tall, but when we stepped out, I saw that we had an incredible view of the city, over which night was falling. The sunset caused all the cut glass buildings to sparkle brilliantly in shades of red and orange.
It turned out we had the whole floor to ourselves. Tal must have set this up beforehand. It was romantic of him, but I was feeling a little nervous at being so alone with him, without the diversion of the other guests at the restaurant.
I couldn’t make any sense of the menu, which seemed to have pictures but no text. It didn’t matter, though, because Tal ordered for me. Since he had done a good job with the rolls back on the ship, I didn’t mind. It was exciting to think that I had another culture’s cuisine to explore.
“So, what do you think of my planet so far?” asked Tal after we had given the table our order.
“It’s nice,” I said. “I like that there are a lot of plants. Everything is pretty.”
“The Mirrotirik do have a highly refined aesthetic sense,” said Tal.
A small robot brought our order. It scooted to the side of our table and easily slid the dishes onto the tabletop. There were two cups of a steaming hot soup as well as something resembling a cross between a salad and a jambalaya.
“This smells great,” I said.
Tal gave me a strange look. “Ah yes, smell,” he said.
Did the Mirrotirik not have a sense of smell? I wondered. They were definitely missing out. I cast around looking for utensils, then realized that Tal had started to demonstrate how to eat the food.
It turned out that the plate itself was edible, even though it didn’t look edible at all, so I could break pieces off and use it to scoop up the soup and the jambalaya. Once I figured this out, I had to stop myself from wolfing it down, because it was so damn good. What a relief, I thought. At least the food here was incredible. I wouldn’t starve because I couldn’t eat weird alien meals.
“It seems you like it,” Tal observed.
“It’s delicious,” I said. “I can’t get enough.”
It was a struggle to avoid stuffing my face. As I ate, I realized just how hungry I was. I hadn’t had anything since the meal on the ship.
It didn’t take me long to finish at all. The robot returned and used a clamp-like arm to slide the plates back into it. It then trundled away with a mechanical hum.
Before I could say anything, another Mirrotirik materialized behind us holding two tiny carafes. He set one down in front of me and another in front of Tal. To my surprise, Tal looked extremely concerned. His normally emotionless face looked uncertain.
“This is a typical after-dinner drink,” he explained. “But I’m not sure how it will affect humans.”
“She will be quite fine,” said the waiter. “We have exported some of it to Earth, and the humans there have reacted the same way as us.”
“Are you sure?” asked Tal.
“I am quite sure, Prince,” said the waiter. “We would not serve it to your Princess unless we were certain.”
Tal still didn’t look too thrilled, but he seemed to accept what the waiter was saying. “Well then, thank you for the samples.”
“You’re welcome, Prince. These are the absolute best from our cellars.”
With that, the waiter left. “What is this?” I asked. “Is it like wine?”
“Wine? You mean alcohol?” asked Tal. “It is like that, yes, but it is not alcoholic. However, the juice of the espriss root has a similar effect.”
“That doesn�
��t sound too bad,” I said.
“We all enjoy it, so it’s worth it for you to try. After we’re done here, we can take a walk in the city.”
We took sips of the drink together. It was cool and sweet, not like the blossom dessert that I had disliked. I didn’t feel any sort of effect immediately, but then, I didn’t know what to expect.
After we finished, we left the restaurant. I thought about how it was sweet that he had been worried about me. Of course, it would make him look bad if something happened to me, but still… I liked to think that he was starting to care for me as a partner.
“We’re going to a park that I’ve always liked,” said Tal. “There’s usually a good display of the different colors of zissare flowers.”
A floaty feeling came over me after he said that, and I realized that this was probably what he had meant by the drink having an alcoholic effect. It wasn’t like alcohol at all, though; in fact, I felt like I was more clear-minded and sharp. Colors seemed a little brighter and outlines seemed a little more defined. Looking at all the plants was especially pleasing, as well as the cut glass buildings.
When we got to the park, though, I was amazed. The flowers he had mentioned were in full bloom with rows of different colors. Because the plants were tall and interspersed in the grass, we could walk around in the meadow among them and look at them up close. There were several Mirrotirik and other aliens enjoying the view, including some Mirrotirik children. It was a wonderful sight.
We sat down on the grass, surrounded by colors all around us. Tal put his arm around me and this time, I didn’t stiffen under his touch. I felt relaxed. Maybe it was the drink or maybe it was the setting. Or maybe I really was warming up to him. I was glad. Part of me had been worrying that it wouldn’t happen—in fact, it had been such a long-running anxiety that now that it was lifting, I felt much happier than I had in a long time.
There didn’t seem to be anything to say. If I had broken the silence with anything, the moment would have been ruined. We heard the children laughing and the breeze teasing the plants, making a swishing noise, as well as a cicada-like sound in the distance. It was simultaneously very familiar and very alien.
I turned to look at Tal. He had his typical stern expression on. But when he turned to look at me, it softened. “Isn’t this nice?” he said quietly.
I nodded. I wondered if he was going to kiss me now. It was certainly the right time. Would he even know how to do it? Did the Mirrotirik show affection by kissing?
But he did know. I should have figured that he’d study up on it, considering how much he seemed to know about humans already. He took my chin in his hand and pressed his lips to mine awkwardly, but with a certain confidence that made it perfect. I returned the kiss, running my tongue over his lips.
I had kissed other guys before, but I’d never gone farther. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, though. I had just never had the opportunity. It had never felt right.
Now it did.
But we couldn’t do more than kiss in a public space like this. At least, I was assuming we couldn’t. I had no idea how things worked around here.
I did know that all I had to do was follow Tal’s lead. Now that I was so close to him—closer than I’d ever been before—I could smell him. I didn’t know whether he used any kind of cologne or not, or if that was even a concept his species had. But I did know that I liked how he smelled. It was woodsy and cool, unlike anything else I’d ever smelled.
More than anything, it turned me on, along with the way he was running his hands down my back and holding me close to him.
As quickly as he had kissed me, he pulled away. There was an expression of mild surprise on his face—his eyes wide, his lips open—but it disappeared before I could pin it down. How had this kiss made him feel? Did he feel like he had made the right choice?
When he pulled me closer to him, I had my answer. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed—not only with pleasure, but with relief.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tal
Kissing Maia had been better than I could have hoped. She was delicious and intoxicating. I had wanted to go further, but I stopped myself. I remembered how jittery she had been when I first touched her, and besides, we had been in a public place. A prince kissing his new bride was an appropriate sight, but nothing more than that. I still had to remember that I was royalty.
A pit formed in my stomach as I looked at my screen and realized that the coronation was imminent. It was to be held tomorrow. I didn’t have any say in the proceedings because it was all up to my parents. The whole point of finding Maia was so that the coronation could happen, even if it felt like developing my relationship with her was the most important thing in my life.
I shook my head. How had this change come over me? Part of me was still itching to get out into space in my ship and join my companions, defending the colonies. But when I thought about spending time with Maia or showing her something new, it was as if my brain decided that that was more important. I had received some pings from my friends, asking how things were going with her. I could tell that they were anxious to have me back on the field with them.
When we got back from the park, the espriss root drink had worn off a bit and we were tired. Melisse appeared to take Maia back to her room and I went to mine. I was to become king the very next day. I had had a nice little reprieve when I went to fetch Maia, but now it was all happening for real. My mind boggled.
I had been exhausted as well, and I went to sleep easily. Within two hours, I would wake and have to get ready for the day’s proceedings. But for now, I could rest. I closed my eyes, registering a small note of surprise at the thought that I was glad I would have Maia at my side during the ceremony.
“Taliskirrik, Prince of Virrim, ascend to your throne!”
The announcer’s voice rang out over the amphitheater as I stepped towards my parents, Maia right behind me. With graceful, deliberate movements, they stood up, symbolically giving us their seats. Then, they walked around behind the seats and Maia and I sat in their place.
I glanced at Maia. She had a nervous but adorable smile on her face. She looked beautiful in the purple and green robes that draped over her form, embroidered with gold thread, gold feathers, and sparkling stones. The ceremonial garments were heavy, and the stones made them clink when we moved, making them distinct from anything we would normally wear.
An officiant walked up to us, plodding up the steps of the amphitheater. Below us, important Mirrotirik officials lined the rows, while the general population stood in the pit. It was totally backwards from the amphitheaters Maia had described on Earth, where the most important people were in the pit.
“You are now joined as the King and Queen of Virrim,” said the officiant, touching our heads with a gold staff. His lined, wrinkled face was solemn and patient, which wasn’t how I was feeling at all. Even though the ceremony was concise, it was terribly elaborate by typical Mirrotirik standards. I could tell the audience was getting impatient already; their attention wasn’t fully on us. I could not blame them.
“We pledge to rule our region of Virrim to the best of our ability,” said Maia and I in unison.
“Then you are fit for the throne,” said the officiant, his pale blue robes swirling around his feet in the breeze. “The coronation is complete.”
I had already warned Maia that neither of us would get a crown—decorating our bodies with heavy metal objects wasn’t the Mirrotirik way. Now, we were free to file out, following my parents to an exit at the top of the steps. A chatter arose among the populace as they got ready to leave.
“I’m so glad that was short,” said Maia. “A coronation on Earth could take hours.”
“Hours?” I was stunned. “But that’s a waste of time. You could be eating or lounging.”
She shrugged. “It’s pretty dumb, but it’s what’s considered traditional.”
Now, we were free to have some time toge
ther in private. I was excited to bed her, though I wasn’t deluded that we would do it immediately. She was still getting used to my touch, and I didn’t want to rush her. I knew she would not have appreciated the comparison, but from my experience training animals, I knew that I would have to go at her own pace.
Throughout the ceremony, she had maintained the same calm, certain demeanor that was becoming her signature. I was unsure of how to read her emotions beyond this. I remembered what Iskirr had told me about romance, and I’d done some reading on it myself from human texts. But there was no way to force her to tell me what she was thinking. I was extremely curious.
At least, I could tell that she was becoming more comfortable around me. After the kiss in the park, I hadn’t had the opportunity to kiss her again. But I had tried to touch her briefly and she had responded well. It was slow going, but I felt optimistic.
“What do you want to do now?” I asked.
“Don’t you have official business to attend to, or something?” she asked.
“No,” I replied. “I am free until our dinner.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “I’d like to change out of this gown into something lighter. Then maybe we can explore the city further.”
“Excellent. I’ll change as well.”
We parted ways and I went back to my room to have my servant help me out of the coronation gown. I would most likely never wear it again; it was far too heavy and elaborate for typical use. Maybe if Maia and I had a child, and he or she had a coronation, I could wear it again.
It was nice to look to the future.
My servant, Selmine, had just finished attaching my sash when my screen started pulsing a bright green color, indicating that someone was trying to call me. I touched the neural input on the side.
“Prince—or King, should I say—it is such a relief to see you,” said Skraykirr, one of our generals. My region’s army had recently been deployed to help protect one of our colonies on the planet Saltar 7. We were constantly battling for control over it against another colonizing species, the Guruthun. They were a difficult enemy, and we had lost many soldiers over the years. Some were even wondering whether Saltar 7 was worth it.
