by J. M. Page
"No. You look stunning."
Even though he'd already said as much earlier, the validation warmed her inside and out. This dress had required endless fittings and alterations and consultations, all in the name of looking perfect for Bain on their wedding day. But at least he appreciated it. That made it all worth the trouble.
They went down too many stairs to count, occasionally reaching the bottom of one staircase, only to walk down a hallway to another to continue the descent. At last, Bain gestured toward a door and pressed a button that made it open to a very tiny room. No, not a room, an elevator.
"There's been an elevator in this palace all along and we've been trekking up and down stairs?" Lina teased.
Bain shook his head. "It only goes to the basement."
Though she knew he would never steer her wrong, Lina's heart sped up, her stomach doing non-stop somersaults. This was a very remote part of the palace, and they hadn't really passed anyone on the way here. No one knew where she was, and she doubted that Bain had told anyone what he was doing either. The whole thing made her anxious, but she tried to keep her face pleasant. This was her wedding day. Nothing was going to bring her down. Nothing was going to ruin it.
"After you," he said, gesturing to the tiny compartment. Lina swallowed. She'd never really been terribly claustrophobic before coming to Mabnoa. She'd spent a lot of time in Mom's pockets or crawling in tight spaces. But since moving to Mabnoa, with its wide-open spaces and huge palace, she was reluctant to go back into a tiny space. It felt like the walls were all pressing in on her.
Bain stepped in after her and the doors closed. Lina swallowed, reaching for his hand.
"I hope you like what I've done down here. It's been months in the making... You probably could've managed much more quickly, but that kind of defeats the purpose, you know?" He was blabbering, Lina noticed with a wry smile. He was nervous she wouldn't approve. And that fact alone made her resolve to be eternally grateful, no matter what it was.
"I don't know... Since you won't tell me what's going on," she teased. The elevator car began its slow, creaky descent.
"Well, it's a surprise. Can't tell you much without ruining it. But I didn't do it totally alone... Our new friends helped a bit."
Their 'new friends' were the Fibbuns. The queen kept true to her word and listened to the Captain's tale. And at some point, she'd even spoken to Vessa. That had been interesting.
But they'd come to an agreement and took it to their respective populations. It would be years before the Fibbun homeworld would be habitable again, and in the meantime, they were given a small territory on the other side of the planet, where they'd established their own little village among the marshes. And some of the Mabnoans had jumped at the chance to join the ship meandering through space. Soon, if all went well, they would have an open-borders agreement with Vessa's homeworld, Olinda, too.
Of course, none of that came without a period of adjustment. The Fibbuns' way of life was alien to the Mabnoans and vice versa, but eventually they came to understand one another. And the proliferation of personal translators certainly didn't hurt matters. Lina had been up to her eyeballs in manufacturing them for the past year or so. They'd even managed to engineer them small enough to sit comfortably in one's ear, making the translation as seamless as if they understood both languages.
It also helped that the Fibbuns had their own skilled technicians and repair people. They'd been overwhelmed on the ship, leaving it languishing in disrepair while they worked on the device to fix their planet, but things had changed now. For all of them. Besides the constant stream of translators to be made, Lina made frequent trips to the Fibbun ship for major repairs and classes. Soon, they'd know everything she did and there would be no more reason for her to visit the ship. And with so many more able to handle the problems on board, it freed up a number of them to settle on Mabnoa, carving out their own niches in the repair sector. Which Lina appreciated, since her duties seemed to grow exponentially by the day.
But that did leave the question open of what they'd helped her prince with.
The elevator touched down at the bottom of the shaft and the doors slid open slowly, letting in a blast of cool, damp air. Already, Lina's skin prickled with the thought of being underground and away from sunlight and fresh air all over again.
But she trusted Bain. She had to. That's what had gotten them this far.
And as the doors opened completely, Lina's breath left her. The basement was much brighter than she expected, and taller. They were under the massive palace tree now, and overhead, roots tangled together and hung from the ceiling. Glowing orbs of light dangled, bathing the whole space in a warm golden light. It was obvious now where the inspiration for the chandelier in the great hall she admired so much had come from.
The floors were not dirt as she'd expected, but rather a stunning mosaic of the entire planet, green and blue, bright and glittering.
"Come on, it's through here," Bain said, not giving her the time to gawk at the surroundings. For a moment, she'd almost forgotten that she was here to receive a gift.
He pulled her through an archway made of roots to another cavernous room, this one even brighter, set up as some kind of workshop. Her heart stopped.
"You did all this for me?"
"What?" Bain stopped and looked at her, not understanding.
"The workshop... in the palace? So I don't have to go all the way to my old apartment..." she muttered, feeling that she must've misunderstood the gesture. It was a beautiful workspace, with big surfaces to lay things out on, good light, all the tools and gadgets she might possibly need. She couldn't have designed it better herself... Well, other than adding in a window somewhere. But maybe they could find a way to get some natural light in, through a skylight or something...
"Oh! Well, you're welcome to use it of course. If you want to make it your own, feel free, but that's not the gift."
"It's not?"
Bain shook his head, grinning from ear to ear now. He looked like his face might just break in half with the way he was grinning. "Nope. That's over here."
He pulled her over to the far side of the workshop where there was a large cloth covering something.
"It really was a collaboration on many sides. I just had the idea... I don't think I could have managed it without a lot of help," he said, back to babbling. Lina rested a hand on his arm, her heart in her throat.
"I'm sure I'm going to love whatever it is," she said. And she would. She already did. Just the amount of effort and worry he put into this made her love it — and him — so much more.
Bain nodded and took a deep breath, gripping the cloth and yanking it down.
Lina prepared herself for a big surprise, but the reality was a little disappointing. It was a machine of some kind, about the same height as her and twice as wide. It almost looked like a doorway without a door, but it also looked like...
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked, her voice breaking. It looked remarkably like the matter transporter Mom had designed. With a few modifications, of course. But there was no mistaking the silhouette.
"Um... Not exactly," he said, flipping a switch on the side of the machine. It whirred to life, lights flashing in a rainbow of colors. "After our trip through, I didn't think either of us were eager to travel that way again... And I certainly wouldn't want to subject anyone else to it, but there was some merit in the idea... We just had to remove the 'matter' part of the transporter."
Lina frowned, her forehead creasing. "What are you saying? Are we going somewhere?" The only somewhere she could possibly imagine wanting to go right now was back to Earth. But Bain had a point. She really didn't want to travel through the transporter again. Besides, it was her wedding day, she couldn't just run off to another planet, even for a short visit. Not to mention how terrible she'd feel when she came back. She'd be bedridden for another week.
It just wasn't worth the sacrifice. Not today, at least.
"No, we're not
going anywhere," Bain said, still not answering her. He moved to a computer off to the side and typed something in, looking over his shoulder furtively. "Just wait for it."
She waited for a minute and nothing changed, the portal still swirling colors though it didn't seem to be sucking anything into it like she remembered. Her hair didn't rustle, the papers in the room didn't move. What had they changed? And to what end?
"Uh... Bain?" she called over the buzz of machinery. Maybe it wasn't going to work. Maybe he'd run into a snag and didn't want to say so since this was supposed to be his wedding gift to her. But she could only imagine a pregnant and irate Suriah stomping through the palace looking for her.
Before Bain could answer, the portal turned from bright white-blue to a welcoming fuchsia. Lina's breath stuck in her throat and Bain turned, his expression full of glee as he held up one finger. Just give it a minute, he was saying
And then, slowly, something began to come from the portal. First a foot, then an ankle, a whole leg, followed by another. Piece by piece, a person appeared, but not just any person.
"Mom!" Lina cried, running up to the portal before she was fully formed. She went to wrap her in a hug before realizing that she wasn't really there. Or, she was, but her matter wasn't. The version of her mother standing before her was just a projection, but one that smiled at her with the same warm smile she'd come to associate with love and home and all those good feelings.
Bain rocked on his heels and interjected. "We couldn't actually bring her here... She'd never fit in the palace, but we talked about it at length and decided this was the closest we could get. The transporters are linked, letting her essentially be in two places at once. Her body on Earth is in a sleep-like trance and her mind is projected here... What am I saying, you probably understand this stuff better than I do. I just did what the smart people told me to."
"So you're really here?" Lina asked the Mom-projection, her throat tightening. She'd thought it was a recording or something. Not her mom actually visiting from the other side of the galaxy.
Mom nodded. "You didn't think I'd miss my little girl's wedding, did you?"
"I didn't know something like this was even possible!" she cried. She didn't expect to be worried about bursting into tears before the ceremony, but she was getting dangerously close.
"I wouldn't have thought of it myself, either. But this young man of yours is cleverer than he gives himself credit for. I worked out the calculations, but the concept was all his. And don't let him tell you he didn't do the hard work, either. Probably just doesn't want to risk being put to work in your workshop," she said, grinning.
Bain scuffed his toes, the tips of his ears turning red as he looked down at the ground. "I just wanted you to have the best wedding day."
"I can't believe you did all of this for me," she said, tears brimming in her eyes. She launched herself at him and hugged him tight until the tears leaked out and wet his shoulder. She pulled back horrified, brushing them away. "Oh god, Surie's going to kill me if that leaves a mark."
Bain chuckled and pulled her close again, refusing to let her pull away. "I'm not scared of her."
"Even pregnant?"
"Well..."
Lina looked up to find him grinning and shoved him playfully, laughing.
"So you're happy? You like the gift?"
"Of course!"
"I told you not to worry," Mom said from behind them.
"How much have you two been talking?" It seemed to Lina that the pair had been scheming for quite some time.
"Long enough," Mom answered.
"The hardest part was getting in touch in the first place."
"But he remembered that I still had your wreckage in my lab," Mom continued.
"And Goblak told me how to remotely access the ship's communicator."
"It was no small feat to work that tiny thing," Mom grumbled. "But once he turned it on, it never stopped that infernal beeping, so I had to figure it out. Thought I might have more alien visitors at my doorstep any day. But I remembered you telling me they weren't anything to be afraid of."
"And once we were able to talk, we established a dedicated line of communication that was more convenient for us both," Bain said. "Which, you'll be able to use any time."
Lina grinned. "You mean we can keep in touch all the time?"
"You can even use the transporter whenever you like. It works both ways," Bain said proudly.
"This is the best present you could have given me," she said, hugging him again. "Wait... Does Surie know about the extra guest?"
Bain nodded. "There's even a place for your mother in the ceremony. I'm amazed she's been able to keep the secret."
"That guard is good for her," Lina joked.
Bain pulled a face, but nodded. In any other circumstances, there might have been some hubbub about not one, but both royals marrying below their station. But everyone had already decided that Lina should be with the prince, even before either of them had really decided on it, so that battle never even had to be fought. And as far as Suriah was concerned... no one even dreamed of telling her she couldn't have exactly what she wanted. But her new husband was a good compliment to her. He tempered her wilder side and expressed caution where she was reckless.
"Do we have time for a little tour before the ceremony?" Mom asked.
"Of course!" said Lina. She'd let that totally slip her mind and now she couldn't stop thinking of all the things she wanted to show Mom. The great hall with its twisting staircases and grand chandelier, the glittering iridescent stained glass in the throne room, the view from the top of her tower, where she could see the leafy treetops for miles around. She didn't know where to start.
"I probably shouldn't join you," Bain said. "It was one thing to give you your present before the ceremony, but if we're seen walking about arm in arm, I'm sure we'll get scolded."
"You're probably right," Lina laughed, wrinkling her nose. "But don't think I don't have a present for you, too," she added, wagging a finger at him. Though now his present seemed lackluster compared to the gift of having her mom at her wedding — not to mention in her life again for good. The ship she'd worked on with the Fibbuns was shiny and equipped with all the latest technology. Nothing like the cobbled-together rust trap they'd left Mabnoa in. And even fancier than the little speeder the Captain had given them. It was a ship fit for the future king and she hoped that Bain would enjoy traveling in it — even if they did bicker about who would do the driving.
"Come on," she said, reaching for Mom's hand. Her fingers slipped right through the projection and she shook her head at herself. "There's so much I want to show you!"
"Have fun," Bain said, pulling her in for a quick kiss. "Just don't be late," he murmured into her temple.
She shook her head. "I wouldn't dream of it."
There was a lot of this that she wouldn't have ever dreamed of. Being here, finding these people, finding this home amongst them. It was surreal. It seemed impossible. To be surrounded by the people she loved on this special day was more than she could have ever asked for. It was the perfect way to start their new life together. And that was the best part of all: it was only the start.
And they lived Happily Ever After…
Find a preview of my new series Once Upon an Uprising at the end of this book!
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Preview of Once Upon an Uprising
Zinnia
I've learned a few things in my
short time in Sanctuary.
One: Humans aren't as safe here as they want to think.
If they were, I wouldn't be creeping down a frigid hallway, watching my own breath puff up around me while trying to hunt down a rogue machine.
That’s another thing I’ve learned. Machines like the cold. It keeps them from overheating. It's one of the only ways you can tell them apart from the rest of us. If you don't know better they blend right in.
Blending in is what makes them so dangerous. We can never pretend to be like them, but they're always getting better at imitating us. One day, there won't be any of us left.
That's if they have their way.
Not my way. My way involves tracking them down and letting my emp handle them. The little gun shaking in my hand is my only defense against machines. One shot of its electromagnetic pulse and the thing will be disabled. For a little while. Long enough for me to get in and disarm it permanently. Then it's on to find another.
Yeah, it's a lot of work for one person, and I've only taken down a couple in the months I’ve been here, but it's better than nothing. It's all I know how to do and I have to do something.
I stop at his — its — door and take one hand off the emp, wiping a sweaty palm on my pants. The threadbare fabric full of holes isn't much help, but I can't afford to miss because of a slippery grip.
The lockpick card slides into the underside of the keypad by the door and I work on steadying my breathing while it does its work. Hopefully the thing will already be in sleepmode. It'll just be in, disabled, and out, without anyone the wiser.
The keypad beeps, the lock disengages, and the door opens just enough for—
A huge mass slams into me and I'm thrown to the ground, skidding across the hallway as something streaks past me in a blur. My joints complain with every movement as I pick myself off the floor, already imagining the patchwork of bruises I'll have tomorrow.
