Celestial Love

by Juli Blood

  “This situation is even more unusual and, unfortunately, this puts more of a burden on you than normal. You’re married to a woman you don’t know, who’s really busy right now and who has very limited experience with this type of intimate relationship. You have to get to know her. The real her and not just who she will be someday. The good news is that you do have a few advantages, the link being one of them. Use it. If I understood Gilbert correctly, it will be at least several days before the ship is ready to launch. Now, I suspect that once you arrive at Saxionias you will be as busy as Kalea, so use this time to work on getting to know her, and building that relationship,” Evan instructed as he rose from his seat and pointed to the door.

  As they entered the corridor he continued, “From this morning’s conversation I’ll assume you feel you have nothing of importance to do here, but I disagree. This is a divinely appointed opportunity for you to gain some much needed ground in your relationship. I suggest thinking of ways to help Kalea relax when she is with you. Pay attention to any feelings that she will be unconsciously sharing with you via the link. If she seems tense or annoyed, ask if she has a moment and share a funny experience or a joke to make her laugh. If she’s frustrated, encourage her to tell you why and express her feelings so she can focus again. You might even contact Queen Nadia and get a list of her favorite foods and see if you can have them served.

  “Oh, and I know for a fact she likes a special candy called milk caramel. They are hard to find and therefore rather expensive, but I saw some in one of the shops here on the space port. I’ll show you and you can surprise her with them whenever you feel she needs it most. I know this might seem like a lot of advice but I get the feeling you could use it.”

  Bryan was listening carefully and saw the wisdom in Evan’s words. However, he still had some concerns that he didn’t feel comfortable voicing. “I see the wisdom in what you’re saying, and I’ll do my best over the next few days.”

  “It’s a start, and right now that’s just what you need. A mission and a plan,” Evan said with a smile.

  A bit surprised that Evan could read him so clearly he smiled and nodded as they made their way into the shopping area of the space port. For the next few hours they browsed the shops and purchased the space port's entire supply of milk caramel. Bryan also sent off a request to Queen Nadia regarding Kalea’s favorite foods, and he added activities as well.

  When they finally decided to eat again, Kalea wasn’t able to get away so they dined in one of the food establishments. Bryan shared more of what his life had been like and why he had agreed to marry Kalea the way he had.

  “So you feel your twin brother can step into your shoes?” Evan asked as they sat enjoying some unusual but delicious desert that he couldn’t even pronounce.

  “Yes, in time. Father is healthy and Mark is more intelligent than he lets on. He will balk at first but when he settles in and realizes there’s no other choice, he’ll do an excellent job.”

  “What will you do?” Evan asked, and he could immediately tell he had hit a sore spot.

  “Honestly, I have no idea and that terrifies me,” Bryan admitted, actually feeling a bit relieved to let it out. “All my life I’ve been preparing for something that now won’t happen. All my skills and training seem useless. Oh, Kalea mentioned that I would be a member of the Advisory Board and I’m sure she’ll ask my advice from time to time and others will try to use me for that very reason but that isn’t a life its…I don’t know I mean it’s part of life but it isn’t a full life.”

  “Not many people get this opportunity,” Evan said taking his last bite.

  “Opportunity?” Bryan questioned, letting his disbelief resonate in that one word.

  “Yes, opportunity,” Evan replied and then leaned forward to explain. “All your life you’ve been told what you would be. You were never given the opportunity to decide for yourself. There are numerous areas of life that you’ve never experienced because it wasn’t to be part of your life. Now it can be, or at least you can consider if you want it to be. You can discover what YOU like and don’t like - based solely on your opinion, and no one else’s. Some things might be similar to what you have already been trained in, while others might be completely opposite, like farming or animal husbandry.” Evan smiled and Bryan laughed at just the thought of himself caring for animals when most of his life he had only ever seen them in holograms.

  As the possibilities began to filter into his mind, Bryan began to realize that Evan was right. He had never considered being anything but King of Saxionias. Now he needed to decide who he was going to be.

  “What about Kalea?” he asked. “What will she expect?”

  “I’m not sure, you’ll have to ask her, but I suspect she would be supportive of most things. You just need to consider her and your future children so as not to put them at risk,” Evan answered.

  “Why would I need to consider the children?” Bryan asked surprised the subject had come up again.

  “One day your marriage will be complete and in the natural course of things you and Kalea will most likely have children,” Evan answered trying not to smirk.

  “Well, yes, but naturally the child rearing will mostly be Kalea’s responsibility, won’t it?” Bryan realized how that sounded and tried again. “I mean I don’t really have any experience with children. Although that does bring up another concern, how long until Kalea becomes queen? I’m sure after she is queen she will have a lot less time for children.” Bryan wondered about the demands on her time that both being queen and being a mother would require.

  “It won’t be easy, but I’m sure you two will work something out. I will admit though, we men do have it easier in that area of life. Oh, we probably shouldn’t, but we do have a tendency to leave most of the child rearing to the mothers and focus more on our careers. Children sure do take up a lot of time.”

  “Which brings me back to how much time do we have - I mean until Kalea is queen?” Bryan asked again, realizing he kept getting redirected on this question but really needing an answer.

  “No one knows exactly. There are several factors. One is if any of the members of the Royal Council should suddenly die. It wouldn’t matter which one because to keep the balance, each family must be represented in their generation – Kalea and the others of her generation would step in at that point. The second factor would be the mental capacity of each of the members of the Royal Council. If one should begin to fail, again the power would shift to Kalea’s generation. There’s also the readiness of Kalea’s generation to assume power. For example if they were but children, other laws come in to play. Thankfully, that isn’t the case. Personally, I think Kalea is mature enough and ready but I’m not so sure about the others. But then I’ve been gone a while.

  “I think the important thing to remember here is that the Holy One is in control. Kalea may become queen tomorrow or in twenty years but whenever it is, it will be the right time,” Evan said with confidence.

  “Of course, it just seems such an important event and I know so little about it. On Saxionias, I would have had the option of assuming the throne when I reached 35 years of age or I could wait until my Father died. It was mostly dependent on us, whereas with Kalea, I just didn’t know and no one really wanted to talk about it.”

  Standing Evan said, “That’s because you asked Douglas.”

  “How did you know?” Bryan asked a bit surprised.

  “Because Douglas had the unfortunate experience of taking the throne after our Mother died unexpectedly. He was only 30 and hadn’t planned on being king until he was much older. There were a lot of things he still wanted to do, but didn’t get the opportunity to. He never likes to think of how the crown will be passed to Kalea. He doesn’t want her to have to wear it too soon - simply because he wants her to chase her dreams.”

  They were silent for a few moments as they walked, and Bryan didn’t even notice that they were headed back to his suite until they had almost arrived and he
saw Kyle standing guard. Looking to Evan, Bryan asked, “Is it getting late?”

  “Not really, but I need to finish up a few things in my own quarters and I thought you might want time alone to think,” Evan answered with a shrug.

  “Yes,” Bryan said reflectively. “I think that’s just what I need. Thank you for your company and advice today.” Reaching out, he shook hands with Evan and then watched him turn and walk away.

  Entering his room, Bryan found his Bible and got comfortable in a nearby chair. Searching the scriptures, he did something he had only really done once before – seek the Lord’s will for his life. Last time, he was led to give up the life he expected in order to save his home world. Now, he was looking for the next step.

  “Lord all my life I just assumed that it was Your will for me to be King of Saxionias. I never asked and I’m ashamed of that. Please Lord, show me what Your will is. You showed me that I was to be Kalea’s husband and I obeyed. Now please show me what You want me to do from here?” Bryan earnestly whispered. Several hours later Bryan hadn’t physically moved but he knew he had traveled a great deal in his heart. Searching, he called upon the Lord to forgive him of his sins and to remove any obstacles in his spirit that hindered their relationship. He felt exposed but also cleansed.

  No immediate answer came but he was filled with a sense of peace. Peace that assured him that God had a plan for his life and in time it would be made plain. He also felt the true importance of getting to know Kalea and the challenge of winning her heart. Taking another moment to intentionally leave the outcome in the Lord’s hands, he began working on a plan. Unwrapping and savoring one of the milk caramels, he decided he needed to ask Evan if he knew how to contact the confectioner so he could place a standing order.

  19

  Kalea needed a break. The logistics of this situation were completely out of hand. Although she needed the crew her father had sent, she couldn’t house any of them on the ship until Gilbert and Benjamin finished with the security measures. Finding enough housing had been challenging but now as more supplies arrived they had to find secure storage on the space port for them also.

  This morning they had discussed the situation at length and Gilbert felt that by the day after tomorrow he would have enough security in place to allow the new crew aboard. All supplies would have to be checked repeatedly before being allowed on board. Gilbert insisted that Danielson, Jackson and Pierce be the ones to do the checking. That left Franklin and Kalea’s new “assistant” Beth sharing the responsibility of shadowing her.

  Since the first transport of crewmen arrived Gilbert and Benjamin had been working practically nonstop. Franklin had also been spending as much time as possible talking with the crew after Beth traded shifts with him.

  “Franklin why are you so tired?” Kalea asked as she left the shuttle bay.

  Silence filled the space as she waited for him to finish yawing before he could answer. Lowering his hand from his mouth he said, “I’ve been verifying the identities of each crew member that has arrived so far. I’ve also been catching up on the news.” Franklin answered.

  Kalea was silent for a moment and then said, “When you are certain they are who they say they are, let me know. I’ll have them move supplies to the proper storage areas aboard ship. The rest can wait until the remainder of the security measures are in effect.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” Franklin answered.

  Part of her was thankful that they all cared so much. Another part was very frustrated that everything was taking so much longer than expected. They had been here for three days and the crew for two. The space port had no more available housing until they could move the crew aboard ship and the port commander was expressing his concern, which she thankfully only knew about second hand as Gilbert had provided Uncle Evan with an opportunity to help by having him be their contact liaison. If she wasn’t mistaken Uncle Evan was more than happy to help. He seemed to actually be having fun keeping the man away from the ship.

  Distracted by her thoughts of Franklin and the crew she was nearly to their suite before she noticed Bryan trying to share with her.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

  ‘Listening.’

  ‘Listening to what?’ Kalea wondered.

  ‘You. I was wondering how you were doing but I didn’t want to interrupt?’ Bryan explained.

  ‘So what did you hear?’ she asked, curious as to how he would interpret what he might be sensing.

  ‘Frustration seems to be the primary feeling.’

  ‘I’d say you’re listening skills are very good.’

  ‘So what do you do when you’re frustrated?’ Bryan asked.

  Unconsciously she stopped in the hallway for a moment to think of an answer. Franklin glanced around and then just waited. ‘At home I have a few different activities that help, but I’m not sure what I’ll do here. The workout I normally do would require my full security detail and they are all very busy. I don’t want to take them away from all the other important things they are doing. I don’t know enough about the space port to know what else would be available,’ Kalea answered as she resumed walking and entered their suite. Bryan was sitting in the same chair he’d eaten breakfast in and Kalea wondered what he’d done all day.

  “So at home what other types of things do you do?” Bryan asked aloud now that he could see her.

  Kalea glanced around and noted that none of their security detail where actually in the suite. Franklin must have decided the area was secure. “It depends on my mood. Sometimes I fly off in my shuttle and just race across the sky. I’ve been known to practice my self-defense skills or just walk the garden until the Holy One can reach past my emotions and restore my peace. Other times I take a long soak in a hot bath. Unfortunately, today is more of a self-defense day but I don’t have anywhere to practice.”

  Bryan smiled as he stood, “I saw the perfect place today while I explored the space port.” Taking in her outfit he continued, “You might want to change into something more comfortable.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Do you trust me?” Bryan asked, and Kalea could feel the double meaning behind his words.

  “I’m learning to,” she answered honestly as she slipped into her room to change.

  Minutes later Bryan led them out the door and toward the main commerce area of the space port – with their faithful shadows in tow.

  “Will talking about it help?” Bryan asked as they walked.

  “Not right now,” Kalea answered. “I don’t really want to think about it anymore today.”

  “Are you hungry? We could get something to eat first or…later.”

  “Later.”

  With that short answer Bryan stopped asking questions and wondered how she would respond to their destination. She might think it was too childish but he secretly hoped she’d love it.

  “Since you said you would normally workout or do self-defense training I thought this might be a good compromise,” Bryan said as he stopped before a youth activity center. Seeing her puzzled expression he explained. “They have a holographic target range. You can set the target type, skill level and weapon of your choice. I’m told it’s very realistic.”

  Kalea smiled. She had done this with friends several times at University and loved it, though she never mentioned it to her family, and hoped her security detail hadn’t either. “Sounds fun; I could stand to blow something up right now.”

  Smiling, they both went in and paid to play. Bryan learned that they could play either as a team or against one another. “Which would you prefer?” he asked Kalea.

  “How about we play independently first and then once I get the feel for it we can play as a team?”

  “Sure, that sounds fine,” Bryan said as he turned back to the attendant who nodded and set up the cubicles.

  Bryan entered the black one and Kalea chose the red. They were side by side and Bryan was glad. The attendant then handed him his weapon of choice, an imi
tation Smith & Wesson Revolver. He hadn’t thought the weapons would be this archaic but since all the “weapons of choice” were from that era he didn’t complain. After thinking about it for a moment he wondered if the reason for it was because they didn’t want children playing with the more modern weapons as it might lead to firearm violence and an unhealthy view of the very real danger weapons pose.

  Sliding the helmet on, Bryan was soon lost in the game. He was disappointed in his performance at first but soon adjusted to the limitations of the ancient weapon. By the end of the second game he felt confident that he wouldn’t embarrass himself in front of Kalea.

  When it was time to compete together their helmets worked as two-way communicators. They didn’t need it but decided to use it anyway. Kalea let Bryan take point, and together they worked their way through the virtual jungle looking for enemy forces. It wasn’t long until Bryan realized that Kalea not only had played this game before, she was really good at it too.

  After the game he said, “You didn’t mention that you’d done this before,” hinting that she should have.

  “It’s been a while, and I didn’t want you to have high expectations. Like I said, I just wanted to blow something up,” Kalea said with a shrug as if it wasn’t important.

  “Did you ever train with more modern weapons?” Bryan asked casually as they returned to their suite for dinner, having decided to eat in.

  “Yes,” Kalea said softly and then via the link. ‘We don’t talk about it but we are all trained in every aspect of self-defense, firearms and other weapons starting in our early teens. Remember, in my culture violence is considered failure. Ideally, I would never need to know how to physically defend myself but my family knows how far from the ideal reality really is, even if we don’t openly acknowledge it.’