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Ardol tried not to scowl. “Her name is Jade, and she’s amazing. She’s loving and smart—a little snarky, Father, but I find that she complements me so well. Her hair is the most glorious shade of red, and she has spots, too! Freckles, that is. She’s so graceful, and she’s incredibly beautiful and practical. I—”
“I asked if she was fertile. The other things don’t matter to the Lord Apparent.”
“Yes. She’s fertile, and we want to have a family one day. Not immediately, but soon. I’m sorry, I haven’t even asked—the outbreak in the eastern area of our district?”
“It was quelled, thank goodness. The Archlord lifted the quarantine as only two cases emerged and they were both in the same house—a quarry transporter carried it home to his two daughters who only recently had their first heats. They are both twelve. I checked.”
“Wh-what? Why would you check on their ages?”
“Your brothers, of course. I know they’re lineage is far beneath ours, but with eleven other sons to marry off, I may have to make sacrifices.”
Ardol found himself wanting to argue with his father. What should it matter that the young Queens were the daughters of a quarry transporter? Without transporters, their family would have no credits rolling in. And what about love? And wasn’t it quite perverted of his father to already see cubs as potential brides?
And yet three weeks ago, he would have been joining his father in his disgust that they were being forced to consider lower-class females.
“You’ve gone quiet.”
“I was... wondering how my young sisters fare?”
“Fine, as far as I know. I won’t see them for four more cycles. I’ve sent them to stay with your uncle and his surviving wives and cubs, and they’ve joined the academy there. There are only three fully staffed Queen schools left on the planet, and that’s the nearest one.”
“Oh. So Jade won’t meet them? Can’t they come home to meet her? We arrive early next cycle.”
“Actually, Ardol, I want you to come home now.”
“What? Father, my contract—”
“Not for the rest of the galactic year, but just for a few weeks. You see, the Archlord of our planet is facing some opposition. And you know that your uncle will support me and so will several other District Lords—not Craddix, of course, but I make it at least six, and several more could be persuaded. I intend to announce my bid for the position at the Interdistrict Council of Regents next week. Now, naturally, that will cause our district some concern.” Ardol’s father leaned back in his chair and smoothed a paw over a wayward tuft of fur. “Even though the elections aren’t until the new intergalactic year, they’ll doubtless start fretting about who will run the district if I’m elected as Archlord. With your next six brothers at academy and the little ones still in school and underage, I’ll need to show that our district will be in good paws. Who better to take the reins than my eldest heir, the Lord Apparent, a King with a new bride and a cub on the way? A King who’s held a career and worked with a diverse population, including Canids and Leonids!”
“Jade’s not pregnant yet, Father. And I—”
“And humans. We must play up the human angle. You see, Craddix made some rather unflattering remarks about me yesterday during the Archlord’s financial committee meeting. Claimed I was too old-fashioned and set in my ways, a rigid traditionalist who was going to bankrupt our district! Of course, Craddix is out there, welcoming anything Felid into his district, holding biomed summits, and requesting visits from delegates from the Sirius Federation to discuss the Canid variants of Queen Fever...” Ardol’s father trailed off with a scowl.
Ardol bit his tongue. He recalled his father’s recent comments about Canids and Avians.
Craddix is right. And when I’m ruler, I’ll change the way Rekiwe welcomes its visitors. Jade and I will change things for the better.
“I can see you’re considering your words carefully, my son. Good! Prudent. I admit, I was caught out at the botanical improvements gala a few cycles ago, and some upstart media commentator overheard my thoughts about the Avian Alliance’s Prime Minister. Now, you were still betrothed to Cala back then, so I was able to use that to quiet the whole matter. Surely I wouldn’t allow you to marry into such an Avian-loving family if I really objected to them.”
“No. Surely not. But, Father, I’m working.”
“That job is only a political pawn, and you know it. It shows you have skills, that you’re ‘one of the people.’ Make arrangements for time off. Say your father needs your support. It’s true. They won’t dare to argue with me unless they want to lose docking privileges on Leopardine-One.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Of course I can do that! The transportation minister is in my botanical arts league. I gave him some of my prize ornamental lilygrass seedlings, and he owes me a favor or two. It’s not as if I’m asking him to outlaw all Leonid ships, just the Comet Hopper.”
“Comet Stalker, Father. The name is the Comet Stalker, and Captain Rupex is a fine and honorable King with a crew who... with a crew who treats me like family.” Better than my own family. “I will ask for emergency leave, but it’s a long journey. We’re at the very tip of the Lynxian System, and I don’t have a shuttle that’ll travel to Leopardine-One without refueling and docking. I’ll have to make arrangements to borrow a shuttle and see if a mining freighter to Lynx-One will take us there, and then I can perform a hyper jump to the Leopardine System. Jade should probably stay here, even though it’ll be a painful separation. That’s a rough and tumble sort of travel, sleeping on a shuttle on a mithrium mining freighter.” She’ll be safer here, happier here with the crew or sleeping over with Claude and Griselda.
“Nonsense. I want the press to see you with a human—for now. Now, your second Queen, Ardol... Well, I’ll talk to you about that later.”
“Yes. Much, much later.” Like never. “Well, I’ll ask her and see—”
“She promised to hear and obey, did she not?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then she will hear your orders and obey them. She’s from the Sapien System, which is a burning trash heap by all accounts. She’ll be pleased to travel with her husband to his homeland and be paraded around in jewels and fine robes.” The elder Leopardine’s eyes were narrow, and his voice was cold. The meaning was clear. Jade did not have an opinion. His word was law. If the District Lord said she was enjoying herself, that was the truth—because he wouldn’t accept any other answer.
