Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
*** LYDIA ***
C urled up in Hesher's embrace, Lydia slept until sunrise.
Upon awakening, she had stared at his handsome face finally relaxed in peaceful slumber.
The deep lines of worry were absent from his brow, and the hard edge of his lips had softened.
She wondered what he looked like beneath the well-kept beard but decided it didn't matter.
The beard suited him and set him apart from the other weredragons.
It would make him visible to her in a crowd.
Someone shouted his name, and he became instantly alert, jumping up to shelter her from the eyes of the intruder. He stood naked and unabashed in all his glory as he confronted the soldier. "Why are you shouting as if to wake the dead? Can I not have peace for even one night?"
"I am sorry for the intrusion, sir. I have orders from the king.
He wants an immediate audience with you and the ship's captain.
She was not in her quarters and the second-in-command says he is concerned that she has become lost or harmed.
" The soldier blushed from head to toe because he could see the bared leg covered in a cast peeking from behind the boulder.
The nude body of his commander made the situation quite clear .
"She is safe," Hesher replied. "I will see that she obeys the king's summons. Tell him we will be there soon. I do not feel the need to remind you of your duty. You know what is required."
The commander was correct. The soldier was well aware that he must be discreet. He would never betray Hesher by spreading the knowledge of his whereabouts or the facts of what he had been doing. It would remain locked in corner of his mind, never to see the light of day.
"The king will have to be patient. I say we have need of showers, clean clothes, and a meal before we face him.
We do not need his interference in our personal battles.
Our own confusion is more than enough. I will leave you at your ship to make yourself presentable and return for you after I do the same.
He will guess at what has occurred, but he will not have proof, nor will he ask for it.
" Hesher, the lover, was gone, and the tough commander had taken his place.
"I'll go to the ship on my own and then meet you at the palace. It will be faster if we split apart," Lydia reasoned.
"No, you are my responsibility now. I will not allow circumstances to keep me from following through on my duty to see you safely to your quarters, not even for the king. I would be remiss as a gentleman if I did not obey my conscience."
Lydia held back her smile. He had a terrible way with words, but she understood that this was his way of admitting his feelings for her ran deeper than just sex.
King Acer was freshly dressed for the meeting, though there were dark circles under his eyes, giving proof that he had not slept.
He was not alone. Hesher had expected Maxxus and was not disappointed, but the elders of Talonia were also back.
Their faces were grim, yet when the king began to speak, they did not interrupt.
"You took long enough to get here, Hesher.
It seems your definition of soon does not match with mine.
I should not complain. It gave the queen time to convince me not to show my disheveled appearance to so many in my kingdom.
You may thank her for my clean clothes and sweet scent.
Ah, yes, I am rambling. I tend to do that when exhaustion is mixed with anxiety.
I will focus now. I have come to a decision.
It does not ease my anxiety. In fact, it raises it to a whole new level.
I have discussed it with the elders and Maxxus.
No one is happy about it. However, they agree with my reasoning. "
He stopped speaking for so long that Hesher was afraid he had gone somewhere else in his tired mind.
He was just about to say something to bring the king back when he started to talk once more.
"I have been rude and that does not suit me. Good morning, Captain. I hope you and your crew are healing nicely. I am told that your crew and my citizens are working in harmony to repair your ship. They promise it will be functional within a week’s time.
Daer reports that your casts will be gone by the time you reach your home.
That is good news as well. I am sure they are cumbersome.
Kelan listened in to his executives on Earth.
Nothing has changed. Humans remain the dominant species and are holding their own against the enemy.
I had hoped for a miracle, but it was not to be.
They have found no weapon that matches dragon fire. "
Hesher was becoming anxious and worried. He had never seen the king in such a state. His rambling and disjointed speech was concerning, yet no one else seemed to notice. Maxxus was calm and appeared almost bored. The elders fidgeted in their chairs. They clearly wanted to leave.
King Acer sighed and announced, "I have put it off long enough.
I can feel your frustration, Hesher. Part of me does not want the words spoken aloud.
Once said, I cannot take them back. My mind wishes to deny that this situation exists, but it does.
Why my last decision has to be such a confusing, difficult one I do not know.
It will change Talonia forever. Future generations will not know the anonymity our ancestors enjoyed.
That part was always out of my hands. We have been discovered, removed from the box we were hidden in, and we cannot be put back inside.
We have outgrown it. No matter how many vows the humans make, someone will slip and tell our secret.
Or maybe the ships recordings will have picked up more than was imagined.
Either way, Earth will know of weredragons.
They can imagine us as enemies or we can prove we are allies.
For our children, I choose an alliance. Captain Valor, you may inform Earth that help is coming.
Do not let them shoot us down, thinking we are another attacker.
Hesher, gather the weredragons and get them ready for another war.
This one will be as in the days of our ancestors. Dragon fire will prevail."
Lydia bowed to the king. Tears were in her eyes as she said, "Thank you, King Acer.
Those words can't describe how much gratitude and respect I feel.
You have made the most difficult choice I could ever imagine.
I don't know that I could have done it given the same information.
You are courageous and an excellent leader.
I know you love your people and this perfect planet.
Its beauty and peace are testament to how well you and your ancestors have ruled.
That you would risk it all to aid Earth is proof of Talonia's goodness.
You humble me with your kindness and honor.
Maxxus, you have some big shoes to fill.
I hope you have studied your king's ways and found them as unselfish as I do.
May you follow unerringly in his footsteps. "
Maxxus gave her a curt nod. He was aware of his king's selfless leadership and his usually well-thought-out decisions.
He had shown haste only in one instance, and Hesher had disobeyed that command to the king's relief.
He admired King Acer's manner of rulership, but he had ideas of his own: newer, fresher, younger.
He would agree to an alliance with Earth because at the moment it was the best scenario.
However, he would not trust them to hold up their end of the bargain.
Skepticism was an innate part of him, as deeply embedded as his alter ego.
They were abruptly dismissed, for the king had reached the limit of his strength.
Resigning himself to Talonia's fate, he would seek respite in his quarters and hopefully sleep.
The decision was made, announced, and agreed upon.
He had to let the repercussions happen and release his anxiety.
A flight to preserve Talonia as it had always been was what he required .
Lydia walked next to a solemn Hesher. Questions burned inside her and she couldn't hold them in.
"As commander, I suppose you will be leading the soldiers to Earth?
What happens after it's all over? Will you leave and forget about me?
Will I ever see you again? Do you consider last night a mistake? "
"The same questions are devouring my brain, and I have no answers to most of them.
Yes, I will lead my men in battle. I do not ask of them what I am unwilling to do.
As I told you, I have no one here to consider, so I do not fear death.
Last night was no mistake. I knew exactly what I was doing.
As to the rest, I cannot foresee an easy answer.
A friend told me to enjoy the time we have and the pain I would later endure would be worth it.
He did not take his own advice, so I do not consider his words as a solution.
I cannot forget you, and I am too stubborn to let you go.
I have marked you as mine. If you have the same feelings, we will make the decision as one, after Earth is saved.
You have the same rights as I do in this relationship.
We are equal, and I will honor that until the day I die. "
"Do all Talonian males believe that way? Do you give your women equality in all choices?"
"We may argue with them or try to sway their choices, but yes, we give them that equality," Hesher replied.
"Are there female soldiers? I haven't seen any."
"We have some. They are few. Occupations are their choice, and most do not care for battle training.
We also have males who are not soldiers.
I will not say that they are never looked down upon or teased, for that would be a lie.
We are not a perfect people. We are stubborn, opinionated, and often fight among ourselves.
Kelan can attest to that. Have him tell you the story of what occurred when he brought Michelle here.
We make mistakes and disobey orders. Do not imagine us as a utopian society. "
"I don't. Everyone has flaws. But I find honor and honesty in those I've met, including Maxxus.
He is distrustful of us, yet he has never tried to hide it, and he hasn't lied.
I can never forget your world and certainly not you.
I am proud and relieved to learn that you've marked me as yours.
I want that. Thank you too, for disregarding your friend's advice.
I wish we had all the answers now. However, I'm willing to wait.
Don't hide your feelings or concerns from me and I will do the same for you.
Together we will work this out," Lydia promised.
"Meet me at our boulder tonight. I cannot sleep without you near me. You have woven your way into my soul. I need you as I do the soothing touch of the waterfalls and the energy of the volcanoes. It is disconcerting and humbling," Hesher admitted.
"I won't tell anyone. You will remain the strong, dependable shoulder that your people lean on. We both have announcements to make, so go. I'll see you tonight."
Lydia had more on her mind than her relationship with Hesher.
An alliance with Earth sounded simple in theory, yet it wouldn't be.
One hundred souls, lost in space, surrounded by weredragons had mixed emotions as to whether they could be trusted.
How would billions of citizens who had never been in space and seen its wonders react to the sight of dragons?
Some might see them as the saviors they were: the leaders of each country for sure.
Others would cower in fear, and still more would want to hunt them as prey.
Defeating the aliens who already threatened Earth would only be the beginning.
An alliance meant weredragons would live among them, in every country.
How would they be treated? Earth had just begun to see all humans as equals.
Had they learned enough to give equality to a different species?
Not everyone, for there were others, like Marcus, who refused to give equality to others even when the law demanded it.
The Talonian weredragons would not bow down to anyone.
She knew that for a fact. If they were treated as a lesser species, then the gloves would come off and they would fight for their rights.
The king had made a decision that would not just affect Talonia.
It would actually affect the entire universe.
An alliance between two planets would bring about others.
Some would join Earth and Talonia, but some would join forces against them.
It was inevitable. Ripple effects caused by a crash landing that no one had foreseen or could control.
Then again, if her ship hadn't crashed here, would Earth be taken over by aliens?
Was it fate that had brought her here at this point in time or a larger hand that wanted this alliance?
What or who had sent the asteroid slamming into the ship unnoticed in a space empty of debris or asteroid fields?
How had it hit at just the right spot to send them into hyperdrive?
How had she and Marcus managed to maneuver the ship away from the city and why had it been at the convenient time when all the homes they hit were empty?
Was it really coincidence or divine intervention?
Her mind blown by such ideas, Lydia found herself wandering aimlessly in the wrong direction.
She felt the spray of the waterfall before she realized where she was.
The deepest blue she had ever seen tumbled down the mountain and pooled at her feet.
The spray cooled her face and body, inviting her to sit and just breathe.
She dangled her one good leg in the water and skimmed her fingers in it as well.
At first, her disruption of the pool sent ripples away from her.
Then they turned on themselves and came back.
A strange calm came over her. Ripples could go both ways the water seemed to be telling her.
Earth needed Talonia now, but someday Talonia would need Earth once more.
An alliance wouldn't be easy, but it was necessary for both worlds to survive.