“What!? Alterations? What for?“ he demanded to know, dropping his flatware.
Jarvan looked startled by the ambassador’s exclamation. Turning his head to the small human, he gave him a questioning look. A frown appeared on his forehead.
“How else will you be able to bear a child? Is there any other way the humans developed in the last one hundred years?“ Consort Jarvan looked seriously confused.
Kellan had heard the words- clear and loud-, but still, he thought the consort was pulling a cruel joke on him; of course, he was.
“Oh dear, you signed the contract. Haven’t you read it?” the Phy’vohranian regarded Kellan carefully, a sympathetic smile on his lips.
What the hell was the man talking about? Kellan had never signed anything, so why did the consort mention a contract he’d never caught sight of?
A cold chill ran down his spine. It must have been his father’s doing. Closing his eyes, he hid his face behind his hands.
Well, at least it didn’t sound like they were going to slaughter him. Instead, they were going to use him as a fucking brood mare.
Maybe they truly wanted peace. Was it possible? Hope sparked inside of him.
Sighing, he took his hand away and tried to smile. This might be a good chance for mankind. The war had been going on for far too long now. He would be doing this for the sake of his people, wouldn’t he? He could do that- sacrificing himself for the welfare of his kind. Even if it meant living with aliens and breeding for the rest of his life. Things looked dire for him, anyway.
“We’ve been fighting a long time now. Phy’vohran never wanted this, but our rulers back then had been stubborn men. My husband is more reasonable, still stubborn but not as vengeful as his father. He could have crushed Earth many times now, but he always held back. What sense does it make to wipe out an entire race or enslave them? Too much effort and too little to gain. This solution is much better. Trade is a good thing. It will boost economy. Additionally, it would have been a waste of culture and art. We love your entertainment options. Your movies, books, and music are fascinating- you can use my library if you want! And your old architecture is astounding, and there are still humans who can rebuild such grand buildings, and oh, the art! It would have been a loss. Good thing you offered a real alliance. Tying our houses together will ensure lasting peace. Asking your father to offer you as a candidate too, was the best way to show that this time the humans really mean it. Sartak is eager to meet you, but I told the boy he must wait. You’ll be his kmeran his kmer-partner, a position that should be anything but honored. The boy is really excited about you,” Jarvan chuckled but looked happy and very content with how things had turned out.
This should have been the moment to tell Consort Jarvan, he hadn’t known about all this and had been forced to leave everything behind, but he wasn’t stupid.
It would only prove that the President was a lying, treacherous asshole. It would only bring the Phy’vohranians wrath upon the humans.
He couldn’t tell Jarvan that he’d never offered to be married to his son. It would be close to slapping the consort in his face. He wasn’t rude or foolish enough to do so. Moreover, the royal consort seemed so happy about all this, that Kellan couldn’t shatter the man’s hopes.
He had come to like Jarvan in this short time. The man was kind to him and always smiling. Hell, he even bothered to think about a pillow, smaller flatware, talking about body alteration with him and making sure he ate enough so no harm would come to him during the process. He had even offered Kellan to use his library to read books, listen to music and watch movies- all from Earth!
How could Kellan not like this man? He seemed kinder than his own father.
Samuel would never allow him to use anything he owned.
On top of that, he had thrown away Kellan’s books, because he found old literature ridiculous and reading wasn’t manly, anyway.
So Kellan shut up about being forced to marry the prince. There seemed to be no hostilities towards him, at least not from Consort Jarvan.
Listening to Jarvan speak made him believe it could be true; that peace could be true. He only hoped that both sides were also going to hold up their ends of the bargain in the future.
For all he knew; if it was an honest attempt at making peace, he’d not be the one to screw it.
Kellan would go through with the wedding, maybe even befriend Sartak. Who knew?
“I just thought that…err…I was only going to look after the baby. So... I’ll be altered and artificially…inseminated then? Does it reverse itself or what exactly is going to happen to my body?“ he asked to hide his nervousness and the fact that he had no idea what was written in that damned contract he never signed.
“You’ll be married to the crown prince. There can’t be any confusion about whose child it is; not if it can be avoided. You’ll be put in a tank of regeneration fluid and then given special hormones to make your body grow a uterus of some kind. We Phy’vohranians are either born female, male or kmer. A kmer looks mostly like a male, but with a uterus attached to the rectum a few inches above the prostate. The entrance to the uterus is closed most of the time. It only opens when you react to the male’s sexual pheromones of arousal. They make your body release specific hormones that will cause that entrance to open up so the sperm can wander into the uterus. You’ll have a fertility cycle of some kind. It’s not as bloody and gross as a woman’s period. The blood will be more of a gooey slime- I know, it sounds disgusting! It will come off the uterus and then be excreted from your body like it would do with stool. Only one trip to the toilet and it’s done. No bloody mess lasting about a week. I’m quite happy about that, but sometimes you can have PMS. That, on the other hand, is a bitch,“ Jarvan paused to shudder at the thought, then continued. “The period of fertility shows through an increased sex-drive, but you can drink a tea to prevent pregnancies...that is if you can stomach the stuff. Anyway, it’s an excellent excuse to keep your man in bed for a week- taking care of your urges and stuff. The males can also smell your fertility. I was born kmer, so I don’t know in what way I smell different when fertile, but that sniffing-method is a sure means of birth control. Ah! And no, a human woman can’t have children with a Phy’vohranian, only if altered in some way too, but it messes with her hormones, so it’s not a safe method. Only an altered male can have the children. That’s the reason why it means a lot more to us that you have offered yourself as a spouse. The woman’s egg cell can’t merge with the sperm. In contrast, the altered male will produce eggs of some kind from stem cells. Those will be able to fuse with the Phy’vohranian DNA and create a living being. A born kmer produces real eggs himself and has ovaries. But kmer of any kind do not produce sperm- I, as a born kmer, don’t even have real testicles. You’ll be able to ejaculate, but it will only be a fluid. The thing with born kmer and made kmer is...well, my children also have inherited something from me, but your children won’t be hybrids. They’ll be Phy’vohranian, but sometimes they can have the eyes, hair color or some other features of the altered male. About your other question…that won’t work. There were many tries of artificial insemination with males, but that only works for women. The pheromones and hormones for opening the uterus couldn’t yet be created. Insemination with a needle has never worked so far.”
When Jarvan had finished his explanation, all color was gone from Kellan’s face once more.
Would he have to sleep with the prince?
But he had been told there would be no sex. He wasn’t even into men…or at least he thought he wasn’t.
In fact, he had never been interested in sex; he had never had sex in his life before. Not even awkward fumbling with another person. Of course, he had touched himself, but with nothing particular in mind.
“He’ll be taking me to…bed?“ Kellan asked horrified.
“Of course, my dear. There will be a wedding night at least. You’ll be fertile then because it will be right after the alteration. If you find out, you
don’t like sex with Sartak, you won’t be forced to sleep with him again. He won’t do that. But let me tell you; from what I heard, he is a pretty good lover. Still, if he’s rough with you, tell me and I will kick his balls. Rudeness is no way to behave towards your kmeran. I will check on the two of you in the morning, if you wish me to,” Jarvan had reached over the table to hold Kellan’s hand and squeeze it encouragingly.
So Kellan replied: “Yeah, I would like that.”
He didn’t want to worry Jarvan, so he didn’t tell him, he was freaking out on the inside. Kellan could manage it. He’d sleep with Sartak this one time and then not again. He’d allow his husband to have lovers, even though the thought of it made him sick for some reason.
Swallowing, he turned away to recollect himself. He placed a small smile on his lips and looked back to Jarvan, who released his hands so he could continue to eat.
They didn’t speak for the rest of the meal. Kellan only noticed the doctor, who had been strangely quiet the whole conversation, holding a small device to Kellan’s neck, sometimes pressing it lightly on the skin.
He could swear he felt a little piercing now and then, but he didn’t mind. The doctor presumably ran tests on him, and since Jarvan didn’t intervene, everything was alright.
When Kellan was finished with his food, Jarvan was at his side, patting him on the shoulder.
The consort helped him out of his robes and wrapped him in a towel.
“My, you’re beautiful. I already liked your platinum long curls, dark eyebrows, and thick eyelashes, but your body is so delicately built. Your skin is ridiculously soft and smooth. Mine tends to be rough, especially when I’m fully lizard-skinned. Lizard-skin as a means of protection is useful, but to a lot of other races, it feels weird to the touch. More so the large off-standing scales on the elbows, hands, and sides of the face,” the royal consort said, fussing all over Kellan while he led him to the bathroom.
“The tank and everything is set up in the bathroom. We thought you might want to be more private when undergoing the process and be able to bathe afterward. We will put you into a sound sleep and wake you when the alterations are done,” it was the first thing Dr. Selarney had said and Kellan noticed the well-known chirping in his neither male nor female voice.
Kellan had dealt with Xilitarians many times due to negotiations. It had been weird at first, but after a while, he’d gotten used to it.
It was good to hear the Xilitarian doctor speak; it made him think of the governmental ship; more even of the medical floors. There had been a lot of the blue aliens who took care of injuries; a bunch of them always surveying the health statuses of the soldiers who wore a wristband which took samples of blood every morning, and evening and then analyzed it.
Entering the bathroom, his eyes immediately searched for the tank to find it placed in the middle of the room. It was large enough for Jarvan to fit in, who was about seven feet tall. Kellan knew that Jarvan was one of the smaller Phy’vohranians. It was possible that this was the size of the kmer and women.
Males were about seven feet six.
The tank held a glowing, red liquid. Attached to it, were several large medical devices and tubes with needles coming out of them.
“Those are the monitors, inside there are the vials filled with the hormones. I’ll give you a sedation now, and then you lie down in the tank. There will be an oxygen mask. No need to worry. I’ll be monitoring you and Consort Jarvan will be here too,” with that the doctor gave him an injection.
Soon he felt dizzy. His eyelids grew heavy and he could hear the surrounding murmurs. Hands grasped him, and then something was put on his face before everything got wet and cold.
More needles got attached to his body and then he felt perfectly calm.
3
Waking up was a hard thing to do, but Jarvan was stubbornly shaking his arm. He gave him a grumpy moan and had no intentions of opening his eyes; that was when Jarvan started to shout at him. With all the quiet peace gone, he frowned and eventually decided to wake up so he could look into the consort’s broadly smiling face.
“We’ll arrive in a day. Make yourself pretty, my dear. There will be an excessive feast. It will be the wedding of the year! And then I’ll be your kmera-in-law and eventually, I’ll be the grand or ri-kmera to your child. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I love babies, but I don’t have the nerves to raise one again. Your child, I can give back to you. But don’t fret, my dear. Of course, I’ll help you. I’m quite an expert with babies, if I do say so myself,” Jarvan spoke too fast for Kellan’s sleepy brain, but he got the idea of what was said, so he nodded.
Yawning, he wanted to get up, but noticed, he was lying in the bathtub. The water was nice and warm. The steam had a flowery scent to it, which Kellan quite liked. Leaning back, he ran his hand through his hair to find foam in it. Irritated, he stared at his hand.
“Oh! I started to wash that red sticky stuff out of it. You smelled like…well, nothing good. But now it should be fine,” Jarvan gently caressed Kellan’s cheek, making him think of his mother.
When Jarvan ran a thumb across his cheek to wipe away a tear, he felt his face blush. How embarrassing! He couldn’t be starting to cry in front of his kmera-in-law. He would only think him a crybaby. Kellan shifted to get Jarvan’s hand off of his face.
“Oh dear. Don’t do that. Let me take care of you. It’s okay,” Jarvan said and leaned over to him to place a kiss on his cheek, which made him cry even harder.
He had missed such gentle gestures- a tiny kiss on his face, a gentle caress of his cheek, a little hug here and there.
His mother had left him far too early, he now realized.
His brothers loved him, but they were too manly to show their affection towards their little brother very often. So they’d from time to time punch his arm, or ruffle his hair to show they liked him. His father had never been anything but cold towards him. He didn’t even know if the man was capable of a smile- at least not for him.
“I found the letter, darling. I didn’t mean to read it, but it was lying on the floor and I…well. This place your mom speaks of…I hope it will be with us. I hope my son will make you happy. To me, you’re already family. It breaks my heart to know she left you with your father. He appears to have a stern and not so loving character. Forgive my boldness. I shouldn’t have said that,” Jarvan wanted to get to his feet and leave the room, but Kellan wouldn’t have that.
“Please stay, kmera,” was all he said, his voice sounding overly exhausted.
Jarvan smiled sheepishly and settled back on the floor, not even bothering to wipe away the tear that had escaped his eye when Kellan had called him kmera.
“I do like your Earthean food and I guessed you couldn’t stomach most of our Phy’vohranian delicacies. Even I don’t like thinking about what it is made of most of the times. I’d be constantly throwing up, and Leylos would think I’m pregnant again and start fussing and annoying me all day long. He can be quite clingy. But when things get ugly, he runs…I mean…regarding birth and all. He fainted dead on the spot when I gave birth to Sartak. From then on, he used to be the first to bolt out of the room as soon as I feel like the baby wants out. Good thing I’m not planning on a few more of them. Leylos wanted ten, so I told him he should get altered and sleep with my brother. He hasn’t mentioned more children after that,” Jarvan gave Kellan a roguish smirk.
How could Kellan have thought, he wouldn’t be able to like his new family?
At least Jarvan was nothing like he imagined a Phy’vohranian would be. The only ones he had briefly met were during encounters in the governmental ship’s hallways after the forces had made captives or when they got executed.
The ones in the hallway had been growling and snarling, showing their teeth to Kellan or making obscene gestures, threatening to rape him if they ever got free.
It always had been short glances at the fully lizard-skinned and scaled men and women. When he had seen them in the pits, he ha
dn’t paid much attention…his mind had been focusing on…other things. He had been younger back then and terrified by the strange-looking humanoids and their violent and savage behavior. It had downright shocked him.
He had thought Alois a madman for even trying to negotiate peace with those brutes. He had adored the old President; loved him to pieces just after listening to some old stories about his diplomatic policies. He would have been the grandpa he would always look up to, but that one action, he considered the most stupid thing to do. He had questioned Alois’s sanity after hearing from his father why Alois had been killed.
Kellan hadn’t been by far the only one to do so.
After the Phy’vohranians had returned the dead body to the humans, Samuel had eventually been made the President of Earth.
Kellan was a diplomat; always seeking for a solution that didn’t involve slaughter. The way the Phy’vohranians had treated Alois, had been a crippling blow to Kellan’s placidity whenever it came to the lizard-men.
They had become his most hated enemies.
When Phy’vohran had given Earth one last chance, he hadn’t believed it. Now he wasn’t so sure about it anymore.
Meeting Jarvan had changed his mind, and he hoped more Phy’vohranians acted like him. Jarvan didn’t seem a bit hostile or barbaric as he imagined the aliens to be or as the captives had been.
He became grievously aware of the fact that he had wronged those people by making up his mind without knowing them. Hopefully, Jarvan wasn’t the shining bright exception.
The Golden Heart: Alliance Book One (Alliance Series 1) Page 3
