-Why are you telling me these things, Empress?- Aria asked. -I mean...me of all people...I'm a criminal in our peoples' eyes. I'm not the sort of person who should have your confidence.-
Kri'a stood, turning away from Aria and walking across the room, to a small table set against the wall. Several small items sat on this table, one of which was a framed picture. The Empress reached out to this picture, touching her fingers to it. Aria couldn't see what was in the picture from where she was. -Because if we are heading for another civil war, then this war with the humans
must
end, Aria. We cannot fight both at the same time.-
-But how can I help with that?- Aria hissed. -I don't see what any of this has to do with me.-
The Empress picked up the picture, turning back to face Aria. -But it has much more to do with you than you think, Aria.- She paused for a moment, considering. -Well, more specifically, with you and Jack Squier. You see, Aria, most of the reasons this war began had to do with misunderstanding. We are almost fundamentally unable as a people to understand the humans. They are the same way with us. This more than anything is why the war has gone on for as long as it has.- The Empress walked back to her seat, still holding the picture, clasping it against her breast. -But that's not so for you. You're one of the few among us who has been able to see humans as more than enemies, and Jack is one of the few humans who has seen the same quality in us. I need people like you if this war is going to end. I'm telling you all of this to give you encouragement. To give you the strength that you're going to need to overcome the charges against you. I need people who can be examples for how humans and Ailians can live in peace.-
Blinking, Aria had the sudden urge to cry. This was a most unexpected development, to have the Empress speaking so earnestly to her. Other than her sister, nobody had ever voiced this kind of support for her. She was feeling elation, but at the same time she felt a crushing and overwhelming pressure. The Empress was quite literally telling Aria that the fate of the Ascendancy, as they knew it, might depend in part on her. -M'lady...I...I don't know what to say. You don't know what it means to hear you say that to me.-
Kri'a smiled warmly at Aria, and for once it was not the practiced smile of an aristocrat but the genuine smile of a friendly face. -I understand a lot more than you realize, Aria.- She placed the picture she had carried over on the table between them. -You're not the only person who has loved one they should not. I, also, suffered much when I chose my mate.-
Looking down, Aria could now see the picture that the Empress had carried over. When she saw what the picture showed, she was taken aback. The picture was a portrait of two Ailians, standing side by side and holding hands while looking towards the viewer. The one on the left of the portrait was the Empress herself. And the Ailian on the right, clasping her hand and resting her head affectionately on the Empress's shoulder...was Li'ren.
Aria looked up from the picture at the Empress's face, understanding suddenly flooding into her. Kri'a gazed back at her, with that same friendly smile.
-We understand one another a bit better now, I think, Lieutenant,- the Empress said softly. She looked at the picture of herself and Li'ren for a moment, brushing a finger over Li'ren's face in the portrait fondly. Then she stood up, smoothing down the folds of her robes before walking to the door. -Lunch should be served soon, Aria. If you'll follow me to the dining room, we'll wait for Li'ren and Jack Squier to join us.-
-Certainly, Majesty...- Aria stood, glancing down at the portrait one more time before following the Empress.
- 8 -
“Tell me, Jack, what do you think of this place so far?”
Jack looked up at Li'ren, who was walking next to him, though a few steps in front. They were walking down one of the many long hallways in the royal palace, as Li'ren showed him around the expansive residence. Jack frequently had to remind himself that that was really all this place was: the home of the Empress. Of course, that thought didn't detract at all from the magnificence of the palace, not one bit.
So far, Jack had seen far more richness than he'd ever expected to see in his lifetime. He'd never been a museum kind of person, but he knew enough to know that this place probably held more wealth than most any museum on Earth. Li'ren had showed him what she described as the most pleasant areas of the palace. There had been a large, lavish meeting hall with golden columns that ran from floor to ceiling, decorated with nearly wall-height portraits of rulers and nobles, past and present. Li'ren recounted to him the large gatherings and parties which would be held there, with formal dancing that sounded remarkably like what occurred during royal gatherings on old Earth, or on some of the planets in human space, such as Cerelis and the moon colonies of Jupiter, which still had a formal royal structure. Jack had also seen the royal library, a room similar to the one in Aria's home only in that it was a room filled with bookshelves. The palace library was much larger, containing thousands upon thousands of volumes, both paper and electronic. Li'ren had showed him a theater, a living area that contained various sitting rooms and lounges, and finally had taken him outside to view one of the gardens. Now she was leading him on the long walk back to where they had come from.
Jack recalled his first time meeting Li'ren, back when he'd been a prisoner on the way to Lirna from the planet he and Aria had crashed on. Back then, the noblewoman had left a rather ambiguous impression on him. While she had been respectful and calm, she had still been every bit the cold and unsympathetic character that Jack had been taught all Ailians were. Now, though, she was acting very cordial and friendly. He found himself wondering how much of the Li'ren he had seen before was just the face she put on when she was conducting official business, because the Li'ren he was seeing now seemed genuine, more relaxed and natural.
“You mean of the palace?” Jack asked, finally responding to her question.
Li'ren stopped, turning to face Jack, with a smile on her face. Her tail twitched in silent amusement, and she clasped her hands in front of her. “Well, yes, but I meant in a more general sense. What do you think of our planet?”
Jack had to fight back a snort of sardonic laughter. “Oh, well, to be honest I haven't seen that much of it,” he said. “What I have seen hasn't been that welcoming. I've seen the military base at which I was brought on this planet in handcuffs, and got a beating from a soldier there. I've seen a slave market, where I was stripped down and felt up by a dealer, and then locked in a dungeon. And I've been at Aria's home for about the last month where, while I was more at ease there than anywhere else, a few of my own people somehow got in and tried to kill all of us.”
“A fair point you have. Not the impression Her Majesty would prefer our species to give to guests...”
“As for the palace itself...well...” Jack searched for the right way to say what he felt. “It is very luxurious, and what I've seen is really beautiful. But it doesn't seem very homelike.”
“Not homelike?” Li'ren repeated. She appeared thoughtful for a few moments, considering his words. “I suppose I can understand the opinion of one who is not used to such opulence. But I assure you, the more private areas of the palace are very 'homelike', indeed. As one who has lived here for nearly ten years, I must say I feel quite at home.”
Jack shrugged, looking around the hall that they were currently standing in. Like most of the rest of the palace, it was decorated in white stone and gold. He doubted that all of the money he'd ever made in his life would be enough to buy more than a few inches of the hallway. “I guess if I got used to being here, it wouldn't be so bad.” He felt his face warm as he realized what he'd just said. “Sorry, I...I didn't mean to say bad, I meant...”
“It's quite alright, Jack!” Li'ren said, laughing at his discomfort. The tips of her ears turned forward, in what Jack knew was an expression of good humor. “I realize this is a lot for you to take in. You probably did not expect to be given a grand tour of the Ailian royal palace by a noblewoman.”
“You're absolutely right about that,” Jack agreed. He shook his head ruefully, looking down at his feet. “Two months ago, if someone had told me I'd be here, in the situation that I'm in, in the way that I got here...I'd have given myself a concussion trying to smack myself awake from the crazy dream I'd be sure I was having.” That generated another laugh from Li'ren. “I guess what I meant to say was that I wouldn't personally feel at home. Honestly, I can't see how anyone would, really.”
Li'ren's smile softened a little, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Well...It is what is inside the palace, and not the palace itself, that makes it feel like home.” She opened her eyes again, and Jack thought he saw a little something there that hadn't been there before. But what it was, he couldn't exactly say. “We will continue, yes?”
“Fine.” They started walking again, heading down the hallway back towards the center of the palace. “So, you've really lived here for ten years?”
“A little over ten years, but correct.”
“And how long have you known the Empress?”
“For the same amount of time.” Li'ren reached out to brush a tall flowering plant standing on the floor in an ornate pot. “My mother was a noblewoman, as am I. When I was younger, my mother received a diplomatic posting here on Lirna, and her duties required that she reside at the palace. I accompanied her, to serve as her assistant. I met Kri'a during my first week here. I was fifteen then, and she was thirty. She was not the Empress then, of course, her mother was.”
Jack looked sidelong at her, studiously avoiding the gaze of another Ailian walking the opposite direction. “Does your mother still work here?”
“No, when Kri'a's mother died and she took the throne, my mother returned home.”
“But you stayed.” They paused for a minute as another Ailian emerged from a side door, spotting Li'ren and coming over. Jack waited patiently as the two of them exchanged a few hushed words, and Li'ren seemed to be giving instructions. This wasn't the first time he'd witnessed such an encounter during the tour. When the exchange was complete, the other person bowed to her and walked away, and they continued their journey through the hallway. “You seem kind of important around here, Li'ren.”
“I am the Consort of the Empress,” Li'ren replied simply.
Jack nodded. “Yes, you used that title before, in the letter that you sent to Aria. But I don't quite know what that means. I assumed you were an assistant of some kind, like an adviser.”
“Not...precisely. It's so much more than that. I am both of those things, but I am also a confidant, a companion.” Li'ren smiled, looking over at Jack. “We are much more than simple friends, she and I.”
For a moment, Jack failed to put two and two together, but then his eyes widened and he felt a sudden sense of realization. “You mean you're the Empress's wife?”
Li'ren chuckled. “We would not use such a term in our culture. We mate for life, but we do not have an institution of marriage, not exactly as you humans do. But, yes, for all intents and purposes that is what I am. Kri'a and I have been together...well, as long as we have known each other, really.”
“Sorry if I seem shocked, I just didn't...I mean, well...I didn't know that was a thing here.”
“Oh, forgive me if I gave that impression. I know something of human culture, and I assure you that same-sex relationships are nowhere near as common in the Ascendancy.” Her voice lowered to little more than a murmur. “Nor are they quite as well accepted.” Jack thought he could sense a hint of bitterness to her tone.
“Excuse me?”
“It is nothing. Forgive me. I speak far too freely, especially with a human.” Li'ren rearranged her face into a polite smile. “We should hurry along. I am sure Her Majesty is-...Oh!”
Li'ren stumbled slightly as someone emerged from a side hall, right into her path, and collided with her legs. As the smaller figure stumbled to the floor and dropped a bundle of flowers that she was carrying, Jack could see that it was a very young human female, wearing clothing that was rich in appearance though she did wear a slave collar around her neck. Li'ren knelt on the floor, putting a hand on the girl.
“I'm...I'm sorry, mistress...,” the slave mumbled, as she quickly began to gather up the spilled flowers. “I was hurrying to put these out, and...and I wasn't looking where I was going...” She seemed near to tears.
“It's quite all right, little one,” Li'ren said kindly. She waited patiently for the girl to finish cleaning up, and then she helped her to her feet. “You are still new here. You will get used to finding your way, yes?”
“Yes, mistress.” The girl looked up then, and as Jack saw her face he felt a sudden shock of recognition.
“Brooke?” Jack asked, looking carefully at her. He had only gotten a brief look at the girl before, when they were locked up together in the dungeon of the slave market, but it was unmistakably her.
“Jack?” Brooke said, her own eyes going as wide as saucers. “What are you doing here?”
Li'ren looked between the two of them. “You know each other?”
“Sort of,” Jack said. He looked down at Brooke, smiling a bit at the petite, dark-skinned lass. “We met at the slave market, right before Aria picked me up. You're looking a lot better now than you did before, Brooke.”
Brooke looked at Jack, and then at Li'ren, then back at Jack. “Th-Thanks.” She was clearly confused as to what Jack was doing walking around with the Ailian, but she seemed too afraid to ask any questions in front of Li'ren.
“Well...,” Li'ren said thoughtfully. “Would you like a few minutes to talk? I believe you were just saying something about the only humans you'd seen so far trying to kill you, yes?”
“Oh, but...mistress,” Brooke said anxiously, “the head maid said I needed to have these flowers set out right away, or she'd...”
Li'ren hushed Brooke with a raised hand. “I will see to that. We have plenty of flowers in this palace, little one. I don't think one bunch will be missed for very long.” She put a hand on Brooke's back, urging her towards Jack. “You may take a short break.” With that, Li'ren retreated a distance down the hall, leaving Jack and Brooke to themselves.
When they were alone, Jack leaned against the wall, looking down at Brooke. “It's nice to see you again, Brooke. How have you been?”
“About the same as always,” the younger girl replied. She looked down the hall at Li'ren, still seeming unsure of what was going on. “What are you doing here? I thought somebody bought you. I didn't know you were here in the palace, too.”
“I wasn't until this morning,” Jack said. “You remember that Ailian I told you about before? Aria? She was the one who...well, bought me, I guess you could say. I'm only here because she was invited to meet the Empress.”
“Oh.”
“But anyway, what are
you
doing here? I thought that dealer was going to keep you down in that hole.”
Brooke finally managed a small smile. “She did. I mean, she was. But I started acting like I was behaving, and she brought me back up to the regular market.” The young teen shrugged. “I was going to try to look for a chance to escape, but before I could try someone bought me. I wound up here.”
Jack looked back at Li'ren, then lowered his voice. “Too bad. I had a feeling you would have got away this time.”
“It's actually not so bad,” Brooke admitted, shrugging again. “Nobody beats me here. Nobody is really nice, but they don't go out of their way to make me miserable. Some of my owners have been really unpleasant.”
“I wish there was something I could do for you.”
“Me too.” Brooke clutched the flowers tightly, looking at the floor. Then she looked back up. “I need to go. I know mistress said she would make sure I didn't get in trouble, but the faster I get done with my duties, the better. But I'm glad I saw you.” She turned away with a whirl of her long black hair, hurrying down the hall.
Jack watched her go. He felt distinctly sorry for the young girl, though he was at least happy that she had found a mistress who would treat her a good deal better than her past owners had. He silently wished Brooke all the best, and hoped that maybe he'd get the chance to see her again one day.
A hand on his shoulder roused him from his pity. “Finished?” Li'ren asked him.
He nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I almost forgot what it was like to talk to a friendly human.”
Li'ren gave him an understanding look. “Friends are always a precious thing to have. Come. Her Majesty will be waiting for us.”
******
The Empress and Aria were already seated when Li'ren and Jack entered the palace's private dining room. In contrast with most of what Jack had seen in the royal residence so far, this room was quite small and intimate. A rectangular table made of a rich, mahogany-colored wood sat in the room, with four high-backed chairs arranged around it, two on each of the long sides of the table so that they were facing each other. A brilliant bouquet of red, yellow, and purple flowers sat in a vase in the center of the table. As had been done at Aria's home, someone had set up cushions in one of the chairs so that Jack wouldn't be inconvenienced by his height. Again, he felt rather like the child sitting at the grown-ups' table for the first time.