Match Made in HeVan (5 page)

Ben got back to the Royal Chambers late in the afternoon. He had traveled several thousand miles to settle a border dispute. All he wanted was a long soak in the pools and then a leisurely dinner with his queen. He had waved off all the members of his staff and courtiers who tried to get his attention as he passed through the halls.

It wasn’t until he neared his chambers that he remembered he was going to appoint a royal seamstress and order clothing for the pregnant females of his clan. He ran his hands over his shoulders and neck, trying to loosen the muscles, which had tightened up as the day wore on. He thought how stupid it was that he would have to waste his time on something like clothing.

Groaning, his own thoughts playing over in his mind, he finally understood what Malpha had been trying to explain. He owed his wife an apology. He would speak to her about this issue once again. They would try to come up with a solution that would make everyone happy. Or at least bring peace back to his household.

It took him a few moments to realize that Malpha wasn’t in their chambers. He walked through to her lounge and she wasn’t there, either. Walking back to his own chamber, he saw something glittering on the bed. There on the pillow, was her choker and chains, along with a data crystal.

Plugging in the crystal to the nearest data retrieval station, he watched Malpha’s message.

“I’ve gone to visit BianCa. With the weather becoming so hot, less clothing and lighter fabrics are much more comfortable. BianCa’s country estate is also in a cooler climate zone. While I had plenty in my wardrobe, many of the others did not. We’ve all sequestered ourselves on BianCa’s country estate for some female pampering and bonding where our exposed skin won’t incite unhealthy lust from any weak males with no honor. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to return.”

She blew him a kiss and ended the transmission.

She had a talent for sarcasm and he missed her already. Ten minutes later, when he’d answered the pounding on his door, he was ready to put her over his knee.

When he opened the door, his closest friend and advisor, PetruChio, stood outside the door. He’d been away for several months on a diplomatic mission and had only just returned himself.

“PetruChio! Welcome back, my friend. Come in and we’ll have a drink.”

“Ben, we have a problem.”

“What problem is this?”

“The women have gone.”

“Malpha left me a message that she and her friends had gone to relax and prepare for their coming births,” he told his friend. “Come in, we’ll miss our wives together.”

“You don’t understand. There isn’t a single female in the entire palace or town. From Queen Malpha, down to the smallest girl, they are all gone. There is no one to cook the food. Our sons are begging for their mothers. MarTine can’t find anything, his wife always kept him organized. HarOld is complaining of his aches and pains, his wife and daughter aren’t there to see to his comfort.”

He went on to list chapter and verse the chaos that had ensued because of the women’s absence.

Ben felt like laughing and then shaking his wife. She had set out to teach him a lesson. Perhaps he would teach her one also.

“Have everyone in the palace go to the assembly room. I will speak to them all,” he told his friend, pushing him from the room.

On his way to the assembly hall, he tried to think about what to say. As he made his way up the central aisle, he remembered when he and Malpha had married and started down this same aisle to start their life. Damn, he missed her. He noticed all the children in the audience. Some of the boys were curled up in their seats and others seemed to be running around, their fathers trying to chase them down.

Reaching the dais, he stepped up and turned to face his people.

“Well, gentlemen, we’ve been given a challenge. Our beautiful and heavily pregnant females have decided they need some pampering before giving birth. The weather has grown warmer and the women are feeling the heat. It hasn’t been that long, we all remember how it was. These pregnancies are all happening at one time. It’s likely we’ll have over two billion women, planet wide, going into labor at nearly the same time. When that happens, we are going to have to rise to the challenge. You can consider this a dry run for when it happens. Maybe they expect us to fall on our asses. We’ll have some failures, but I think we, as men, can rise to this challenge. Together, there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish. Are. You. With. Me?”

“Yes,” roared the crowd.

After the cheering died down, he got busy assigning jobs and forming work committees. After he’d eaten a cold dinner that wasn’t very tasty but filled his belly, he went back to his quarters. He wandered around, wishing Malpha was there. He knew what the men were accomplishing here wasn’t what she intended. He was sure she expected the men to fall flat on their faces. But then she came from a planet where females dominated. She probably didn’t have much faith in what males could accomplish. Well, she would soon find out what KowLer men could do.

He went into her lounge and sat down; he could smell her here. He lay down where he often watched her when she wanted to relax. In a moment, he decided the lounge wasn’t so comfortable, after all. There was something poking him in the hip. He reached down under the pillow and found something with his fingers. Pulling it out and looking at it, he recognized it as Malpha’s gold bracelet. It was also a DRD. He knew Malpha used it to study up on KowLer culture. He played with it until he figured out how to open up the unit.

He started scrolling through the data Malpha had been viewing. He was amazed at the number of items she’d accessed from the historical databanks. There wasn’t one area of KowLer culture and history she had bypassed. He had the DRD list the files in the order she had accessed them. Fashion was at the beginning. Then she had moved on to health, pregnancy…well, it made sense. There was also information on education, nutrition and other areas involving childrearing. She had accessed genealogies and the familial histories of each of the clans. If she had actually digested this much information, she’d know more than him by now.

It wasn’t possible. Even if she viewed records all day long, every day for several hours, she couldn’t have digested this much information. He started looking for any files she may have generated on her own and stumbled across a gold-mine. He opened up a file called war statistics and found a sub-file titled
suicide
. What he read there appalled him, he had trouble believing the data. Getting up, he went to his chamber and accessed his own data system.

Speaking his commands into the system, he was shocked to see the data was correct. In multiple times during their history, the rights of females had been restricted to an even greater degree. Each period of restriction saw a dramatic rise in the suicides and attempted suicides of women.

After some more searching, he found a record called learning interface. When he accessed the file, a message opened up. It was an instructional video.

“In order to speed cognitive analysis and retention of information, use the following instructions to interface the databases chosen with the nano-patch connection…”

Well, it explained how she had learned so much so fast. He decided to copy her learning program and show himself everything she had seen in the order she had accessed it. He could go to sleep and the information would still be pouring into his subconscious. Over time, he would be able to access it like any other memory. At least, that’s what the instructions had told him. He put the bracelet on his wrist and went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Miles away, in an estate crammed to the rafters with women of all shapes and sizes, BianCa and Malpha talked quietly as they finally prepared to go to sleep. They were sharing a room. Thors hadn’t been too pleased about leaving his wife but he understood what they were trying to accomplish and he supported them. Because he was the duke, all the other men had agreed to the plan. They had grumbled a bit at having to do women’s work but Thors had rallied them and they were determined to show their superiority over the women, they believed that as men they would easily do the simple jobs women were given.

“We have an uphill battle ahead of us, Malpha,” said BianCa as she got into the bed and arranged the pillows for maximum comfort.

Malpha climbed into the other side of the huge bed. She preferred the smaller bed she shared with her husband, but knowing the size of BianCa’s husband, she understood the need for such a large bed.

“We’ll start the conclave tomorrow and break the women up into groups. Hopefully, some of the dreams and wishes of the younger women will be given a chance to develop,” Malpha said.

“You don’t think it will make it worse? I mean, they’re hardly likely to achieve those dreams themselves,” BianCa said in a sleepy voice.

“They will remember their disappointment at not being able to pursue their goals. It will encourage them to help us achieve those goals for their children and grandchildren. We’re not going to effect change in a short period of time. I expect it will take a minimum of five generations, but likely, it will take longer. For a complete change, I expect it will take two or three hundred years,” Malpha answered, plumping up her own pillow. She missed her husband wrapped around her.

“Why?”

“Because the way things are now needs to become ancient history for changes to be completely accepted. People will need to believe themselves to be the enlightened modern thinkers, as opposed to the old traditionalists. This type of belief only comes with the passage of many, many years.”

BianCa turned to look at Malpha, “I wish I could be alive to see it.”

Malpha didn’t answer. BianCa’s comment had reminded her of the shorter lifespan of the KowLer. She had stopped her life-lengthening gene treatments but she would still live for another two hundred years quite easily. She would have to make sure her husband’s health remained good and that he lived as long as she. Since Thors’ life was also extended, BianCa would need to be treated. Plotting to have her new friends with her as long as possible, she drifted into sleep. Her last thought before sleep took her was wondering if Ben had found her DRD bracelet where she had put it.

Queen Malpha and Duchess BianCa approached the ballroom at her country estate. They both hoped this experiment would be a success, and the women weren’t so locked into their current roles, they couldn’t broaden them. They decided BianCa would speak first.

“Welcome, everyone. I apologize for the crowding. We have plans to make everyone more comfortable. My housekeeper is looking for volunteers. If you’re willing to stretch your skills a little, it would be appreciated. Now, our new queen also has some things to say,” she said, in introduction.

Stepping back, she took a seat while Malpha stepped forward.

Many of the women had never seen the queen before, and here she was, in the same room with them. Tall and graceful, her hair falling down to her knees, with two braids in front of her ears. She was wearing a long, flowing gown with bell sleeves and a skirt flaring out along the floor as she walked. A gold sash hung down, accentuating her hips. The embroidery along the neck, sleeves and hem, proclaimed her royal status.

“I also welcome you to this conclave of women. This is an unprecedented time for the KowLer. After five long years without babes to rock in our arms, we’ve now been blessed with the gift of life that only we, as women, can bring forth into the world. We’re also being faced with what is probably the biggest challenge of our generation and the KowLer people. There are billions of pregnant women amongst the KowLer, all of whom will likely be giving birth within days of each other. The care of those women and their new infants will fall on us. You unmarried younger women will be our biggest support. We appreciate you putting your own futures on hold to give us that assistance.”

She took a moment to let those words sink in. She’d been running a planet for hundreds of years. However, this speech held more meaning because these truly were her people now.

“Taking care of so many infants, the strain on our resources is going to be a tremendous task, but I know we can accomplish it together. Our husbands love us and take wonderful care of us. They will have no problem taking care of our older children and households while we take this breath before our labors begin,” she appreciated the laughter flowing through the room.

“In addition to the volunteers BianCa requested to make our stay more comfortable, I’d like us to form groups to discuss ways in which to make the coming years as happy and successful as possible for us all. If you have ideas, they need to be shared. This is a safe place to voice any and all your thoughts. There is no bad idea here. We have a huge job ahead of us. I know we can do it as long as we work together.”

After pumping up the crowd, she told them the rooms in which various topics would be covered and invited them to mingle and become friends. She wanted them to develop the power of sisterhood. She had encouraged friendships with the wives of her husband’s chief courtiers and advisors. Malpha knew she couldn’t be everywhere at once, so she had asked Thors to put recording devices in each of the meeting rooms and around the estate. She would do whatever she could to inspire them. When she was able, to also make dreams come true. The first revealing situation was the group of women and girls who volunteered to increase the comfort of their fellow women. Little did they know they would be asked to take on jobs normally held by men; it would be interesting to see how they did.

Across the border at the KowLer Palace, the men were struggling to keep things together. The administration of the clan had nearly ground to a halt as fathers spent time with their sons. Many of the more mischievous boys had begun the day with pranks, raids on the kitchens for forbidden treats, and running through the hallways. This was a pastime their mothers had frowned upon.

By the afternoon, the boys who had filled their stomachs with sweets were sick. Few of the men had experience with sick children. Some of the men petitioned the king to call back their wives. Ben had a hard time convincing them to stick it out. The loudest protester was old RubEn, a crony who had been a close advisor to Ben’s father.

“Ben, surely you’re not going to allow this rebellion to continue? Your palace is in chaos and the government has nearly ground to a halt. All this so a bunch of women can lounge around and complain about swollen ankles? They were blessed with the ability to make life. They should not be allowed to complain. They should keep quiet and endure it.”

“RubEn, you were one of my father’s wisest advisors. I’m surprised you don’t support the women relaxing a little before their labors begin in earnest. The babes will be all the healthier for it,” Ben cajoled.

“You are right, Sire. This old man doesn’t like change. After all the upheaval with LucenTio’s treachery, the discovery of why the women couldn’t become pregnant, then finding a cure, I was looking forward to a long rest. Now we have this new problem,” he said with a heavy sigh.

“I don’t think it’s a problem. As men, we’ve become complacent and have taken our women for granted. They are more than children for us to control and care for. They have as much intelligence as we do. I’ve been doing some research. Malpha left me some files to peruse. Some changes will need to be made. I’ll need your assistance to pass some new laws through the Assembly. Are you with me?” he asked.

“Of course, Sire, always,” the old man said, before he excused himself.

From the grumbling under his breath, Ben knew he’d have an uphill battle to truly win over the old misogynist. He chuckled, thinking of Malpha matching wits with RubEn. It would be a debate people would pay to see. He would put his money on Malpha.

By the end of the first week, both the men and the women had gotten things under control. A period of satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment went through both groups. BianCa’s country estate was like a small village, set deep in the countryside. It still had almost no communication with the larger city where the clan’s main palace was located. Word of the women’s retreat had spread, as Malpha had known it would. While several other clans were also encouraging their pregnant females to rest, few women had sequestered themselves from their husbands.

Malpha, being the intelligent woman that she was, knew there were still factions loyal to the old duke. So she had taken some security precautions. Those precautions were rewarded during the third week of conclave, when a small group of fanatics attempted to attack the estate, but they were quickly routed. Thors led a small group of loyal men to intercept and arrest them before they got close enough for the women to even know they were there. Malpha and Thors had expected some type of attack.

Malpha had debated whether or not to inform Ben about it, and decided he needed to know. She needed to trust him with the information. In the evening, she used the only communication equipment on the estate to contact her husband. Besides, she missed his voice.

Ben was tired. He missed his wife, and he had an entirely new appreciation for the work women did. The longer they were gone, the harder and easier it became. There was a reason why there were two sexes and he wanted
his
opposite sex with him. He was surprised when his personal communications station chimed late in the evening. He was even more surprised to see Malpha on the view screen.

“Malpha, are you calling to let me know you’re ready to come home?” he asked.

“As much as I miss you, we’re not ready. Within three months, roughly two billion babies are going to be born. We need to have a plan in place for when they arrive,” she explained.

“We’ve been working on the issue here as well. I look forward to comparing notes,” he said.

“I look forward to that also, but it’s not why I called. A faction still loyal to Duke LucenTio attempted an attack on the estate today. They were easily routed even before any of the women here could be made aware of the situation and become alarmed. I felt you should be kept informed,” she said in a calm voice.

“What? How in the hell did that happen? I want you and the rest of the women on the next shuttle back here!” he shouted.

“Ben, I knew something like this was bound to happen. We put a plan in place to make sure all the women would remain safe. I can assure you we are all fine and will remain fine. Thors has our protection well in hand,” she said, cutting through his tirade.

“Are you saying you knew some people would attack and you did not tell me?” he asked in a quiet, deadly voice.

“I presumed something like this would happen when word got out that a large group of women, including the Duchess of Clan LucenTio and the Queen of KowLer, were in one place at one time. It was practically an invitation. Of course, I put a plan in motion to make sure nothing happened. I didn’t know for certain something would happen. I just wanted to be prepared for any eventuality. These are my people now, too. Ben, you know I would never put your sister or your child in danger,” she explained clearly.

Ben didn’t say anything in response. He tried to get himself under control. He’d had a sudden revelation and was in shock.

I love her
! Nothing can happen to her!

“I will be contacting Thors immediately to ensure the estate is completely protected. If I’m not satisfied with the security arrangements, your women’s retreat will come to an end,” he said.

Malpha knew Ben was stressed, so she let him do whatever he wanted to do in order to feel in control. They talked for a little longer and then ended their communication.

Ben was having a hard time with the fact that he loved his wife and she wasn’t there for him to hold. He wanted her back in his arms and his bed, where she belonged. He went looking for her DRD. He’d completed the historical files she’d reviewed. Now he was going through all the files she had put together. Obviously, she had a long list of items she wanted to persuade him on, and fashion was the least of them. Her mind was endlessly fascinating, he wasn’t surprised to find out she was more intuitive than he was.

He placed a communication to Thors and discovered all the details of the attack. He was mollified to learn how easily the enemy had been routed. Thors promised to send him visual recordings of the entire event. In the morning, he’d go to work on getting his wife back where she belonged—in his bed.