Chapter 34

Erhan

Crystalline waterfalls fell down to the river in a prism of colors as Erhan’s hand tightly gripped Kleena’s beside the river bank. Pure pink hues splashed into orange and violet swirling currents, wildlife gorging on the large, discombobulated fish.

“It’s beautiful,” Kleena said, biting into a sliver of the turquoise bread roll. “I never even knew this place existed. Back home, we’d call this a drug trip.”

Erhan chuckled, still excited to show her the vast and incalculable universe, protecting her from everything that might harm her.

It might have been their honeymoon, but Erhan just saw it as the start of something greater. Now, he had somebody with whom to share the cosmos.

“This is just the beginning,” Erhan reassured her, looking down at the bulge of her stomach.

We’re going to teach them so much together.

He could feel the water spray from the river splashing up on them as they lay under the maple trees, cuddled up under a blanket. The water here had calming properties—relaxing enough to forget trip itineraries, policy documents, and diplomatic missions. They had been carried away to a moment in time, divorced from their every worry.

Yet the wild sequence of events that had brought them together wouldn’t stop playing in Erhan’s mind.

As he fell asleep under the trees, their leaves rustling together in the cool windy breeze, he remembered their story together. He remembered meeting Kleena for the first time—how striking she was to him for no explicable reason. He remembered the auction house and the series of explosions that had brought them into the city, chasing a child to find safety in a small village.

And he remembered how her nose wrinkled up the first time she’d heard Calla’s proposition, faking a marriage to him to keep her cover.

Erhan heard a loud, roaring noise, and he shook awake suddenly.

“Shh,” Kleena said, standing over him with a piece of spiky fruit. “You were snoring so loudly, you woke yourself up.”

Erhan shook his head.

“How long was I out?”

But as he looked up at the vast emerald sky, which had turned into a deep jade, he had his answer.

“We missed our check-in time,” Kleena said. “I’m sure it’s not a big deal.”

Erhan grumbled.

“But that’s okay,” Kleena continued. “Because I’d rather be with you here, next to the river, than in some stuffy hotel anyway.”

Erhan smirked.

“It was an expensive booking,” he said, “and we could have been attacked.”

Kleena chuckled.

“Even the urosa are too at peace to bother eating us,” she said, gesturing toward the large, round balls of fur that plucked the feather pollus from the banks.

Retrieving their luggage, they found their way back from the river. The more they walked, the more signs they saw of businesses and disgruntled tourists. Erhan could feel Kleena’s apprehension upon seeing the bright and towering neon signs, her steps becoming more hesitant.

Perhaps they should have stayed by the river and lurked in the wilderness their entire honeymoon. Maybe later they could ditch the hotel room and find a nice ocean cabin to escape.

Then as Erhan reached the hotel, he remembered one of the downsides of traveling abroad. The hotel stretched toward the sky, its many windows shimmering with hints of gold and silver, as fireworks went off outside the building.

He held Kleena’s hand tightly, never wanting to let her leave his sight—especially with the nirling she carried, something the criminal underbelly of the planet Yenus wouldn’t understand.

The hotel lobby was a vast indoor arboretum, the leaves golden and falling to the floor slowly. Erhan knew it was just an effect, and the leaves wouldn’t actually start falling for another three months.

“Prince Erhan!”

The hotel clerk pointed as he entered the room, despite Erhan trying to dodge as much attention as possible. He smiled as he approached the front desk, turning his back to the crowd seated at tables, eating their dinners.

The entire room grew focused upon him. He’d thought that, in all of the galaxies, avoiding attention would not be this difficult. But the tentacles affixed to the clerk’s mandible told Erhan he was from Zebbin-5, one of the moons he had saved from the Sideans.

“Hello,” Erhan said, trying not to attract more attention to his already blushing wife. “We’re running a bit late for our reservation. Apologies about that.”

“Oh, no problem at all, Prince Erhan,” the clerk said. “Why didn’t you tell us who you were? If you’d just done that, we could have offered you a solid discount.”

Erhan smiled meekly.

“Do you remember who I am?” the clerk asked, his mouth opening to reveal a large, toothy maw.

Erhan turned to Kleena, expecting to see extreme frustration in her face. But she actually appeared amused by this development.

So Erhan decided he’d play along.

“I’m sorry,” Erhan said. “I don’t.”

“Dinnel,” the clerk said, as though it might offer Erhan a hint. “That’s my name.”

Erhan grimaced, not sure what to say. He’d saved many people, and even more knew who he was.

“I’ve cleaned up a little bit since you saw me last,” Dinnel said. “And it’s been several years too, so I’m older. My species ages incredibly fast.”

“Oh, just stop teasing us,” Kleena interjected, surprising Erhan. “Who are you, Dinnel?”

Dinnel smiled. “Is this your new wife? She’s a keeper.”

Erhan nodded. “On that, we agree.”

And he looked fondly back at Kleena. He’d been so stressed out about showing her a good time that he forgot how lucky he was, if only for a moment.

“You saved us from slavers and the coup, and then your king offered us a temporary place to stay in your palace,” Dinnel said. “But I was just a child back then. I think I annoyed the hell out of you.”

Realization dawned on Erhan suddenly.

“Were you the one who kept poking my tail with that little sword thing?”

Dinnel laughed, something, which despite the context, proved slightly unsettling. The Zebbes were often discriminated against for their monstrous-like appearances, their many rows of teeth and lashing tentacles driving people to consider them monsters. This had historically been used to justify much of the mistreatment they had faced, despite their being one of the oldest races in the universe.

“Sorry about that again,” Dinnel still chuckled.

“Please don’t apologize,” Erhan replied. “You were just a child. There is nothing to forgive.”

Erhan finished typing on the interface, as the screen showed their reservation, marked “free of charge.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I offered you an exception for your service to the universe,” Dinnel said. “Your stay is free, on us.”

Erhan could feel the frustration boiling up suddenly. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the gesture. He just knew that businesses such as these depended on them, and their room was one of the priciest in the entire building.

“I couldn’t possibly impose,” Erhan countered.

But Dinnel shook his head. “It’s already been done,” Dinnel said. “Think nothing of it.”

Erhan didn’t want to minimize the appreciation he felt. But his family could have easily afforded the room.

Amusingly, he wondered if his family’s vast wealth might have been due in part to instances like this, where services were discounted or made free in return for others’ appreciation.

As much as he tried to hide it, Erhan knew that Dinnel could see his discomfort.

“If you want to do anything at all for me in return, not as a bribe,” Dinnel said suddenly, “you could bring us up to your king during the peace talks. I know your king is considering lightening the tariffs imposed on the Sideans.”

It didn’t feel at all like an equivalent exchange. Erhan almost wanted to bite back in retort. But as he looked at Dinnel, and then remembered the conflict from years back, he couldn’t help also remembering his sympathy.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Erhan replied, taking the room code from Dinnel before approaching the elevator.

Buttons of every conceivable color dotted the display. Not only could this elevator shoot up toward the many levels of this hotel, but the pink buttons designated teleportation transport while the red were basement levels.

“I guess I never realized how much you’ve done for the universe,” Kleena said suddenly as the elevator doors slammed shut.

Erhan had no idea how to reply, instead embracing Kleena as he brought her closer.

“Just doing my part,” Erhan said. “You know, at one point, the strike team was just a way to distract myself from princely duties. Sometimes, even I forget everything we did together.”

Kleena smiled.

Choose a destination , the elevator commanded. First floor, lobby. Second floor, gardens…

The elevator continued, listing off every floor in the hotel and even some not in the hotel.

“But of all my victories—all the people we’ve saved, all the wars we’ve stopped…”

Erhan brought Kleena in, kissing her deeply as the elevator doors opened. Erhan didn’t care who knew how much he loved this woman.

“I’m proudest of you, Kleena.”

And he looked down once more at the bulge in her stomach, wondering what else the universe had in store for them—where they’d go next… together.