They zoomed through the fields with high speed since the scenery didn’t change much. Kellan suspected that the slow flight at the beginning had been to show him a bit of Phy’vohran’s nature and beauty.
Soon, a city came into view. Buildings of sandy and pale colors crowded the space between high towers from which guards watched the city and its surroundings from the top.
The glider flew high enough so Kellan could see that most of the houses- the main parts of the city- were arranged neatly around a huge fountain and its place. He saw countless stalls and assumed it was the marketplace.
The main streets were broad lines that left the market, and the alleys were circles which cut through the straight main streets.
Dividing the city into two sections, was a river which had six bridges.
The part of the town on the other side of the river was shaped like a staircase, and on the top stair, the palace sat enthroned behind walls.
The outskirts were clusters of shacks and small houses next to ponds or channels artificially built and connected to the river.
He saw fences around farm animals that were completely foreign to him. People, the size of ants from up here, strolled around, either working or doing their daily shopping, selling their goods or living their lives however they lived it every day.
The citizens seemed to live simple lives, like those he knew from old books and video games about the times before technology.
The whole city’s architecture reminded Kellan of the ancient Moroccan cities, which were now only a memory captured in photographs of ruins, art or books.
The buildings were mostly flat- either with or without tiled roofs in various colors.
Most of them also had a roof-top garden or inner courtyards of some kind, or long balconies either outside or surrounding the courtyard.
Multi-colored awnings could be seen now and then, indicating shops; as well as fabric panels, were spanned between houses that faced each other but were separated by the alleys.
Coniferous trees, palms, palmettos, bushes- all with blossoms or fruits or without any of it- and bright colored flowers seemed to be the flora of this region of the planet.
Still, Kellan had also seen the steppes and rainforest, as well as he knew there were deserts and swamps. All were habitats fit for lizard-like people. Jarvan had told him, that his people didn’t like the cold, so fighting against the human had been a bitch.
Soldiers got grumpy and ill-tempered because the climate made them depressive and sleepy. Nevertheless, the Phy’vohranians had been far superior to the human race. They had their own body armor and weapons. Their build and agility had helped them a lot to cope the discomfort of the cold space since heating the cruisers and gliders too much would have been very costly and a waste of resources.
They reached the shields, and with a nod, the guard waiting for them on the nearest tower signaled one of his officers to pull a lever. Just a second later, the air began to flicker, and the invisible field of protective energy opened wide enough to let the gliders through.
Kellan had seen this on EVE-2, a colony planet inhabited by human pioneers. Alien technology was a sweet thing, and theirs had been developed by Ci’phor, a planet with furry humanoids having far too many arms.
Every species had their own little secret ingredient thrown into the protective shields. The Ci’phorans were a peaceful species of scholars and scientist so the humans could risk to let them know how the shields of EVE-2 worked.
Kellan saw more people on the streets, some of them waved them hello which made him smile.
“I see... your people actually like you. With humans, it is either the feared, respected government or the fucking-rich-ruling-bunch-of-assholes. Thinking about it, it is rather sad,“ he didn’t mention that Alois used to be loved by the people, now was certainly not the time to say such negative things.
Furthermore, Jarvan had mentioned that things in the past shouldn’t have happened when they happened, anyway.
Our rulers back then had been stubborn men.
Those had been the consort’s words and Kellan believed it was a euphemism about the beginning of the war and Alois’s beheading. Still, he felt torn…
Sighing, he looked at the little wyvern that was now curled up on his lap and snored silently. It was the cutest thing he had ever witnessed, at least in Kellan’s opinion.
He knew others wouldn’t find miniature dragons cute or suitable as pets. Well, he didn’t care. Dershra was the sweetest deadly pet in the whole universe and Sartak better agreed to him keeping the little guy because there was no way he would let anyone tell him otherwise. Hell, having a wyvern as a pet was most likely the most Phy’vohranian thing he would ever do.
He sucked at their language. His vocal cords couldn’t even produce most of the sounds that were needed to speak Phy’vohranian. “Dershra” was one of the considerably easier words, but he would still choke on his tongue if he was ever to say that name several times in a row- not fast because slow was definitely hard enough.
“Well, there are always people that dislike you on principle,” Jarvan said, his lips pressed into a thin line.
It didn’t seem like the consort wanted to add more to the topic. Instead, he gave a sad smile.
Suddenly the glider came to a halt. Startled, Kellan looked around and realized that they were in front of the gates of the palace. The walls that kept them outside were carved with little images of lizards and flowers on the upper parts. They actually had small holes in between the gaps of each carving.
The palace was a building not higher than three floors, but it had some towers. Balconies seemed to be a thing here in Phy’vohran’s capital city because there were countless of them- some under a roof and a lot that had the sky as their ceilings.
“Inside are more of them. The one circling the inner courtyard is actually just rooms without walls to separate them and the garden”, Jarvan said as if he could read Kellan’s mind and then continued. “Behind the palace is the royal courtyard with lots of palms, trees and flowers, birds, lizard-likes, courtiers, and court ladies. It has a gigantic fountain with statues and all that, tons of benches. Everything is paved with diamond-studded floor tiles, except for the green areas and the water basins with water-plants and little swimming lizards. There are countless small waterfalls because some basins are arranged like stairs. And let’s not forget the water channels, that are literally everywhere. Watch where you step! Even in the front yard are two huge water-basins on the right and on the left side from the grand entrance arch of the palace. They’re fed by some underground water pipes and connect with the two channels going into the palace and now and then there will be basins on the floor at the walls- don’t put your fingers or feet in it! That stuff is all connected and I have lost track of what goes where. My sons used to put in a water-lizard with a camera on its back and make it travel the whole channel- and basin system. That poor thing- I gave it to one of the councilors. He has a house with even more ponds, basins, and channels, but no children to annoy his animals.”
A thoughtful frown appeared on the consort’s face and then it grew into a smile when the gate opened to reveal four people- two men and two children- waiting for them at the entrance arch. The walls, which were painted with puce and golden vines and swirls, strange symbols, and ornaments, had a sandy color. The doors behind the arch stood wide open, welcoming people to the palace.
In general, the palace seemed to be all balconies, arcs and more arcs- balconies with archways and arches to carry the weight of the ceiling or roofs. Arches everywhere!
The windows- those were arcs too- had no glass at all. At most, they had thin, transparent curtains that could be layered to cover what was inside.
That thing looked very much like a crossover of old oriental and Mediterranean Earth. Kellan only now became aware that even the people wore oriental clothing- long robes, tunics and wrapped clothes; all colorful and embroidered with ornaments, vines, and animals, beads, and jewe
ls.
How had he not noticed it sooner?
The whole place was so ridiculously a resemblance of oriental Earth; he should have actually noticed that a lot earlier.
Now, in his head, he had images of men with monkeys on their shoulders and princesses with tigers and caravans, flying carpets and other silly things he once had heard of in old tales.
Yep, he was stupid now. Kellan should get those strange images out of his head before he met the rest of the royal family. Only the most brainless things would escape his mouth and he wanted to leave a good impression on the king and his sons; especially his husband, with whom he would be spending the rest of his life from now on.
The glider stopped and the doors hissed open.
Biting his lip nervously, he rose from his seat and followed behind Jarvan. The consort gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his fingers for a moment before he exited the glider.
Stepping outside, he felt a wall of heat crash against him.
Damn, was it hot on this planet!
He hadn’t realized it earlier, but now on full display to the sun, he could clearly feel it. He grimaced and was happy he had almost white hair- black would be killing him now.
Jarvan led the way, and with every step, his golden robe fluttered around his legs.
The kmer wore no trousers underneath, but high-laced sandals. The consort acted so confident in his thin robe which had slits on the arms and revealed a lot of his chest.
Kellan wasn’t sure if he could ever pull it off to wear such scandalizing clothes. Men on Earth didn’t wear such robes that looked more like dresses held together by belts or fabric wraps around the waist.
Hell, even the high-collared robes and coats Kellan liked to wear, had been- in his father’s opinion- too unmanly, right up to womanly. On the other hand, Kellan had looked either stupid or laughable in men’s clothing- just like a little girl stealing from her papa’s wardrobe. Well, maybe he could pull off wearing “dresses” quite nicely.
Closing in on them, Kellan saw an older Phy’vohranian man - well he wasn’t old at all but looked by far wiser and mature than the other tall man. He wore a gold brocade robe with floral patterns and black trousers tucked into brown boots.
His low neckline revealed the edges of a yellow tunic and a golden-brown muscled chest. His eyes were of a piercing green while his hair was brown with red reflections. He was a head taller than the still tall, but leaner man beside him who had hazelnut-brown hair and the same golden eyes as the consort.
Kellan smiled when he noticed that he wore a vibrant pink silk robe with a golden belt and lipstick of the same color.
Two young boys were jumping up and down in excitement, while Jarvan’s smile grew even bigger what shouldn’t have been possible. Kellan could easily imagine them being the whirlwinds of the palace. They had the same shade of blond hair like Jarvan and the green eyes of the older Phy’vohranian, who probably was the King.
So Kellan figured the young man in the pink robe had to be Sartak. He seemed nice and not hostile at all from what he could see right now.
Relaxing his shoulders, he tried to keep pace with Jarvan, who now began to run towards King Leylos, who scooped him off his feet and spun him around.
Setting his husband back on the ground, he leaned in and stole a gentle kiss. Jarvan laughed and then turned to his children to greet them. The young man wanted to hug him when the two boys, who were clearly twins, pressed forward and jumped on Jarvan, who struggled not to fall over.
When Kellan joined them a few seconds later, he noticed the curious glance of the older prince. He tugged his robe in his fists and looked Kellan up and down before he smiled.
That was good, right?
He cleared his throat as silently as he could and turned to the king to bow low in front of him.
“It is an honor to make your Majesty’s acquaintance, King Leylos of Phy’vohran”, he spoke with his ambassador’s voice- all polite and humble.
“Oh no, don’t bow. We will be family come nightfall. And even so, I must be the one honored to meet you, since you have offered us such a fine marriage. I was even more delighted to hear, you are an ambassador. I’m glad you’re not a war-hungry man,“ the king himself bowed for Kellan, who blushed uncomfortably.
Again there was the talk about him offering to be married. He would have sighed if it hadn’t been inappropriate at the moment. So he waited for the introduction.
“Anyway, you’ve already met my darling, Royal Consort Jarvan. He’s wonderful, don’t you think?” Leylos looked more than just proud and heavily in love, but Jarvan rolled his eyes and poked the king in his side.
“Go on, you charmer. You know, that never got you anywhere with me,” he said and then turned to Kellan to add, “He knows exactly, but he sure will never learn.”
“That is because I love to praise everything about you,” the king grinned and then cleared his throat.
Kellan smiled coyly but said nothing about the matter.
“So…let us go on with the introductions then. I am glad to acquaint you with my sons. The two jittery boys are the twin- princes Barkor and Gorotas. And this beautiful, ethereal being is my son, Prince Kohtah…he has a thing for vibrant colors and makeup. I have a feeling, he gets prettier and prettier by each day,“ each of them bowed in front of Kellan while the King said their names.
At first, Kellan was startled but soon realized, that his betrothed Sartak wasn’t here. Disappointment washed over him, but he managed to not let his smile slip.
“It is a custom that the couple to be married doesn’t meet until they stand before the priest. Sartak is running up the walls, but he knows better than being a brat. You will meet him soon, Prince Kellan Harrison. The president is your people’s king, right? That does make you a prince as well as my sons,” Leylos explained, giving him a questioning look when he finished speaking.
“Yes, the Earthean President is a chosen ruler, the King of Earth. His family was voted on the throne long ago, so to say,” Kellan agreed while thinking a lot of nasty things about his father being some kind of king.
Humans loved their terms that implied democracy. They truly loved their illusions of having a say in the political area. The president was an absolutistic ruler; some even called their system a dictatorship. Kellan knew they were right, but he wouldn’t admit that in front of people who he didn’t know well enough.
So, this Prince in a pink robe wasn’t Sartak and he wouldn’t see him until tonight, which made him even more nervous.
He would have liked to talk to him, but there was no way to do so. Maybe he could ask the king to delay their wedding, but then he remembered that it was mostly political. They’d think he was a pathetic child, and that was a thing Kellan didn’t want, so he kept his mouth closed and went on smiling.
Smiling was a skill he had perfected in the course of the years he spent on the governmental ship, then on Voxus- a planet which was crowded with universities, schools and colleges- and lastly on his travels.
Guilt washed over him, but then he remembered, that he wasn’t the one to blame.
He had saved the people, but the smell of smoke still lingered in his conscience.
Hastily, he shoved those memories aside. Now was not the time to think about such dark and horrific moments- moments that still haunted his dreams sometimes. It wasn’t as often now, then when it had been still a fresh memory, but it was often enough to make him desperate with guilt.
Kellan stepped forward and trembled when something hit the hollow of his knee and started to rattle at his robe. Frowning, he looked down and found Dershra clinging on to the expensive fabric. Dershra chirped an apology but didn’t stop to crawl up.
Turning his eyes and biting his lip to suppress a laugh, Kellan snatched him from his robe and held him in his arm. Dershra made a purring sound when he started to scratch the little wyvern under its chin.
“Who is my little dearie? Yes, you are. So be a good boy and don’t tear up my ro
bes, yes?“ Kellan spoke with his pet and Dershra gave a loud chirp as a promise.
The ambassador fondled his head and lifted the canary-sized wyvern up to his face.
Of course, Dershra chirped again and leaned in to lick Kellan’s nose, making the young man burst into laughter. Kellan kissed Dershra’s spiky head when he noticed someone clearing his voice in front of him.
Blushing, he realized, that he had forgotten about the king and the royal family.
Wide-eyed, he turned his gaze back to the big Phy’vohranian.
“My apologies, your Majesty,“ he hurried to say and bowed as low as he could.
The king chuckled and shook his head smilingly.
“You already adjusted to living on Phy’vohran I see. I take it, my eldest will be fighting over your affection against a wyvern,” Leylos laughed, gave Kellan and his pet a broad smile and humorously added. “I knew something like this would happen the moment he came through the throne room doors with a big monstrosity of a wyvern following him.”
Kellan blushed again. Hell, it seemed like his face would be non-stop reddish if he stayed here. He should consider powdering his face blank white because the others might get the idea, his natural face color was a light tone of red.
“Now, now, let’s go inside and show Kellan to a guest room, so he can freshen up, before our small lunch. I also bet he is tired right now,“ Jarvan remarked before addressing Kellan. “And you my dear, you’ll be living in Sartak’s quarters after the wedding. There will be rooms just for you, but the bed you’ll share with my son.”
Kellan swallowed and nodded hastily. All of them followed the consort inside, while he noticed Kohtah took his time in doing so until he walked side by side with Kellan.
“Hello. I’ll visit you later,” he whispered.
The Golden Heart: Alliance Book One (Alliance Series 1) Page 5
