Fifth Interlude - Culminations
I have never been so busy in my life.
Nor has my life ever been so complicated...
I'd spent a little time with Radittsu, that afternoon and evening, just talking, then returned to our suite. Vejiita was startled to see me, but disguised it with a half-smile immediately. I'm pretty certain he would have made some sort of facetious comment about my preferences and Radittsu's talents - but since it was obvious from my scent that the captain had done nothing more than hold and kiss me, he restrained himself. The subject wasn't mentioned. And it was nearly dawn when we finally got to sleep, exhausted and sated.
After a few hours sleep I felt a hand stroking my back.
"Hn.... s'too early...."
"Don't you want to know what the big secret is?"
I turned my head wearily to gaze at him. "Yes. But does it have to be this early?"
"I have a meeting in an hour. I'd like you to be there."
I groaned, but dragged myself awake and up...
My entrance, with the King, caused an audible stir. Vejiita took his place at the head of the table, with me to his left, and raised his hands for silence.
"The Lady Leteetza is to be included in the council."
They weren't happy. They weren't happy at all...
"Sire, I must protest!"
It was Anzu - but Vejiita didn't let him get any further.
"No argument, no discussion. It is my will." He flashed a dangerous smile around the table. "Deal with it."
I think they probably would still have argued, but at that point Zha'haabron entered and took the seat to the King's right, and the council quieted respectfully. I flashed the prince a quick grin behind Vejiita's back, and was rewarded with a brief smile and a wink - and a distinctly annoyed snort from Anzu, who had seen the exchange.
Vejiita glanced around the assembly and nodded.
"Very well. Shall we begin? Anzu, I trust you now have the forecast and computer model...?"
"Uh, it's probably a silly question, but why do you want a Saiyan empire in the first place? It's not like we've run out of space on Vejiitasei or anything."
I'd sat and listened for an hour, with Limau or the prince quietly explaining the more obscure references and details to me. At first I'd been appalled, then intrigued. But I still couldn't see the reason behind it.
The council stared at me as if I'd suddenly grown a second head. Vejiita turned to me, annoyed - then caught himself and smiled.
"Two reasons. Firstly, for defence. Vejiitasei is a rich world - as is R'ren'nkh'ia. Both are poorly defended at present: individually we do not have the resources to construct adequate defences, whereas together we do. Other worlds are forming their own alliances, federations and empires for exactly the same reason. If we do not do so, it's likely we'll be conquered ourselves and become part of someone else's empire - and I will not have that happen."
I nodded. That sounded reasonable.
"Secondly," his eyes gleamed, "I rather like the idea of being the ruler of an empire..."
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. That was pure Vejiita. He cupped my chin in his hand.
"Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, my lord." And it did. Not that I was overly enamoured of the thought of it, but the idea of being vanquished by another race was enough to give me the shivers. "But..." - he frowned at me, anticipating objections, and I smirked - "...why didn't you tell me all this from the start?"
He whirled to stare at Zha'haabron, whose lips were tightly closed in a straight line as he fought back laughter. Crossing his arms across his chest and scowling, the King waited until the prince had regained control of himself, then inclined his head.
"If you say 'I told you so'..."
Zha'haabron shook his head, his voice slightly strained. "I would not dream of doing so."
I touched the King's arm. "So what's my part in all this?"
Vejiita smiled. "To continue what you are already doing, with a slight change of focus. As well as researching the culture, you will now give priority to discovering the military strategies of worlds in which we are interested, and their level of technology. If possible, use what you learn to determine their likely response to both an invitation to join the empire and the threat of invasion."
I gaped. "You're not planning to invade other worlds, are you?"
He regarded me narrowly. "If that were the only way to prevent the invasion of Vejiitasei, what would be your reaction?"
I frowned. "Well obviously, in that case, we'd have to attack."
He nodded. "I'm glad you feel that way. If you can't be whole-heartedly in favour of the plan I will need to find others to replace you - though I would prefer not to. But I require full commitment from everyone involved in the project."
Project - an interesting term for the establishment of an empire! "I'd rather not trust the job to anyone else, my lord." Which was true. After all the time I'd spent synthesising the mass of detail about the worlds I'd already investigated, I knew I'd be the best person for the task - if only because it would take so long for anyone else to train to do it. But I confess there was a certain sneaking pride involved: I didn't want to lose my privileged position...
"Good. After the meeting you'll spend some time with Anzu and Limau: they'll advise you as to what has already been decided and make suggestions as to where you should start." He turned to face the council. "Now, to the situation on R'ren'nkh'ia." He nodded to Zha'haabron, who smiled around the table and proceeded to explain his recent discovery and its repercussions for the alliance...
It was early evening and I was tired, physically and mentally. Once resigned to the idea of my being a part of the council - Vejiita had been quite serious about that - Lord Anzu and Councillor Limau had spent hours after the meeting bringing me up to date on what had already been decided. It had come as quite a shock to see how advanced the plans were, and how extensively my own research had been woven into them - another example of Vejiita's skill in both taking advantage of any opportunity that presented itself, and his subtle manipulation of others (me, in this case). I'd been allocated my own profile and passwords, and access to the restricted files on the council's intranet. It was all very momentous and I was a little nervous about what I'd got myself into, but I couldn't back out now. I didn't want to. There was an element of excitement mixed with the fear.
"Is there anything else you wish to know at this juncture?"
I stifled a yawn. I'd really taken in about as much as I could for today, but there was just one more thing I wanted to know. "Will I be able to visit any of the empire's worlds?"
Limau considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Once we're sure they're safe, I see no reason why not. After all, part of your duty will be to maintain contact with the diplomatic corps - and, we hope, other institutions - on other worlds: it's only reasonable that you should be part of diplomatic missions. As long as it doesn't interfere with your other duties, of course. We'll need to have his majesty authorise your trips, but we'll certainly recommend it to him."
I grinned, trying to hide my delight. Limau leaned back in his seat, looking satisfied.
"Let's call a halt there. At the moment the council is concentrating on the arrangements for Zha'geekaan's coronation and preparing to render Zha'haabron any assistance he requires when he seizes the throne and establishes himself as High King." He smirked, almost gleefully. "Once that's out of the way we can start on the real work. In the meantime, you won't be required to join us except at official meetings: his majesty will let you know when they're due."
It was a dismissal, and one for which I was grateful. I had a lot to think about.
I arrived at the suite to find that Vejiita had left a message to say he'd organised a training session with Zha'haabron and wouldn't be back until later that night. I was about to take myself into the bathroom for a long cool soak and an hour or so's contemplation when a call came through from Zh'anah: Sheftali had worked herself into a state and was screaming for me. I sighed, wondering how I was actually supposed to fit everything into my day...
One thing I was able to do, and quite quickly and easily, was to organise a much larger suite at a corner of the south wing of the palace for Radittsu and the family: it had four extra bedchambers to accommodate Zh'leet and Gh'veen (who'd had to stay in a nearby separate suite up until now) plus any visitors, three large, sunny - and infant safe - balconies, an absolutely immense sleeping platform that practically filled the master bedchamber, and a specially designed, huge bathing pool. I helped them move in: Ti'aasaan was in raptures.
"Oooh, this is so wonderful!" He beamed around him, garnering answering indulgent smiles from the prince and Radittsu, then prowled around the entire suite, opening doors and checking in cupboards. The babies seemed happy too, scuttling off on hands and knees to explore their new home. Zha'haabron turned to me.
"Thank you. This is ideal."
I shrugged. "You're welcome. It was easy enough to persuade Vejiita that with the alliance, R'ren'nkh'ia-jin will most likely become a permanent feature on Vejiitasei and we really should be prepared. He's having several other suites adapted like this one."
The prince pulled me into a gentle hug, his voice amused. "I'm glad you're on our side. Your fascinating mix of pragmatism and charm can be quite a deadly weapon!"
I laughed, blushing slightly, and hugged back. "You flatter me!"
"No. I'm truly impressed."
He meant it, too. Embarrassed, I changed the subject.
"I've also arranged for our labs to manufacture both your cleansers and our sunscreen in bulk. We don't need to worry about cold season bodysuits right now, but it'd be useful to start thinking about that after the coronation. Or when we have some idea of how many R'ren'nkh'ia-jin we're likely to have onworld for the cold season - assuming that's possible." I frowned. "I expect the council will have some sort of immigration or visiting policy in place by then. That's not my concern, thank the gods!" I gazed up at him, dismayed by a sudden realisation. "When you're High King, you'll have to stay on R'ren'nkh'ia, won't you?"
He nodded, a little sadly. I swallowed to force back sudden tears. "What about Radittsu? And Ti'aasaan and the babies?"
He gestured to a seat, settled himself gracefully into another with his bondmate at his side, then took my hand.
"Little warrior, Rhoi'i'dat'hzziu will come with me. I need him at my side, to show to the R'ren'nkh'ia-jin that the alliance is solid, that the Saiya-jin will uphold it, that I am protected." He glanced up into the wide dark eyes, smiling slightly. "And because I need him." Radittsu stroked his face gently, then the prince turned back to me.
"Ti'aasaan and the little princes" (I started. That hadn't occurred to me before - but I suppose the babies are princes...) "will stay here. I need to know that they are safe and in the best possible hands. And to that end, I want to ask you if you would be prepared to tutor them. If it does not conflict with your other duties, of course."
I blinked. Royal Nanny to Vejiita's offspring and five zn'hre infants? Could I actually manage that along with everything else I had to do? I frowned.
"My lord, I'll have to think about it."
He nodded. "Of course. If not, perhaps you could suggest someone else who would be able to? Someone you trust?"
"I promise."
But I didn't like the thought of that: I began mentally planning how I could organise my time. A lot of the necessary research was already done, and in any case research was something I could fit in around everything else. I knew I wouldn't have to take primary responsibility for the twins' babies until twenty days or so after their birth: their mother had already brought in two of the family's own attendants to care for the new mothers and offspring for those important first few days. I would have to spend some time with them though, so they got to know my scent and the sound of my voice. Later on I'd have them for most of the time, although help would be available if I needed it (as I was sure I would). I wondered if I could share caring for the princes and Vejiita's offspring with Ti'aasaan - that way I could tutor all of them together, they'd all have the advantage of early socialising with a different species, and both Ti'aasaan and I could have some free time. Albeit mostly at different times. But we'd both still be able to train. And I was sure Zh'leet could be roped in as well if we wanted to train together, as I knew Zha'haabron was hoping... Assuming Zh'leet wasn't going back to R'ren'nkh'ia with Zha'haabron... And quite how I was going to fit Vejiita in amongst all this I couldn't quite work out right now...
Ye gods this was going to get complicated...
I became aware of an expectant silence, and glanced up to see the prince and Radittsu watching me, their expressions amused. I grinned wryly.
"Sorry. Just trying to work out logistics..." I could feel my smile drooping. "I'll miss you."
The big male snorted. "You think you'll have time?" Zha'haabron touched his arm lightly and squeezed my fingers, sympathetically.
" I must stay onworld for a while - it will be difficult enough for the aristocracy to accept a zn'hre as ruler without my compounding the problem by spending time offworld - but it is my eventual intention to appoint a regent to act in my stead, allowing me a measure of freedom." He frowned to himself, glancing at Radittsu. "I could do worse than give the post to Gh'heegonan... Let's explore that thought further, later." He turned back to me.
"The sweeter half of my life is here on Vejiitasei. It is my true home, and I will spend as much time here as my duties allow." He smiled. "And once I am sure R'ren'nkh'ia safe, I would like you to visit. You would find it fascinating."
"I'd love to, my lord!"
"And we'll be in touch, as often as you like." Radittsu grinned. "If you like, I'll even put that bloody earring communicator back in!"
I chuckled. "I'm honoured! But I wouldn't ask that of you. It would be good if we could arrange a regular time for you to call, though. I'd like to make up some sort of diary of the next year or so. After all, we're living in extraordinary times: it'd be good to have some sort of historical document recording everything!"
Zha'haabron nodded. "An excellent idea. We will most certainly organise something mutually convenient."
At that point several palace servitors arrived bearing enormous platters of food, and both mine and Radittsu's stomachs grumbled loudly - much to the hissing amusement of the babies. We settled down to a much-appreciated meal - then, reluctantly, I had to leave them: I was due for an official meeting.
On returning to our suite, afterwards, I found a message from Tamata asking if we could meet. She sounded unsettled, so I delayed my training session with Radittsu for an hour and went to find her.
She was in one of the parks close to the barracks, and hugged me hard on sight, trembling slightly. She dragged me to sit on a mossy bank under a tree, and for a moment there was a fraught silence. Then -
"I'm pregnant."
What is this, some kind of epidemic? somewhat uncharitably passed through my mind. I gazed at her, unsure as to whether she wanted congratulations or commiserations.
"Uh, who's the father?"
She looked indignant. "Kakarotto, of course!"
I sighed. "Right. Are you happy about it? And how did it happen?"
She gave me a forced smile, trying to make light of it. "If you need me to tell you how it happened you're not the female I thought you were..." She sighed. "I forgot to take the contraceptive. It was one of those hot nights, I'd just come into heat, he felt passionate, I had no resistance... It was an accident."
"And?"
"And I think I'm happy about it..."
"And is he?"
"He's still stunned."
I fought down a grin. Yes, I could imagine... I gripped her shoulder. "Right. Well, the good side of this is that Baadakku and Sorelya will probably be delighted. Do you want me to ask Radittsu to get in touch with them, let them know?"
She paled. "I don't know..."
"I think it would be a good idea. You should meet them. If you tell them you're my closest friend it'll make things easier for you."
She looked pathetically grateful. "You sure you don't mind?"
I shrugged. "Why would I mind? It's the truth."
She hugged me. "Thanks. Thanks so much."
"Hey, it's all right. Is there anything you need? Are you taking care of yourself? And have you told your CO?"
"No, yes, and not yet - I've only just had it confirmed."
"Want me to come with you?"
She shook her head. "No, s'all right. I'd better do it myself. I can carry on with my duties for a while yet, and she's all right - tough but fair and not too hard to talk to." She smiled at me. "Have I told you how much I love you? You're the best friend anyone could have."
I flushed slightly and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, that goes both ways. You've always been there when I've needed a friend - what sort of friend would I be if I didn't do the same?"
She laughed and hugged me tightly, then stood and hauled me to my feet. She looked much happier.
"I'd better let you get on. I'll see you soon?"
I nodded. "Call me later - we'll set a date for day together, and I'll take you shopping..."
Then there was the first time Radittsu and I first made love...
Ah, the memories.
He wooed me! He took the time to find me unusual things he knew I'd like - uncommon herbs, rare books, a video chip on the more unusual practises of a species I was researching. After training he would bathe me, his hands warm and gentle - but somehow chaste - on my body, through my hair, but not allowing me to reciprocate. We kissed often, affectionately. It was so completely different to Vejiita...
That, of course, was what he was aiming for. He didn't want me to see him as just another Saiyan male: he wanted to be something else, something very special. And he was succeeding!
But he was taking too long. Vejiita had obviously resigned himself to the fact he'd have to share me; I no longer felt any uneasiness in Radittsu's embrace - I was ready. But it looked like I'd have to take the initiative.
We'd arrived back at the suite after a strenuous training session to find that Zha'haabron and Ti'aasaan had taken the babies out for the day, leaving word that they wouldn't be back until the evening. There was a hearty meal waiting for us, as well. I grinned to myself, certain that this was the prince's way of hinting that perhaps now might be a good time...
As usual we ended up in the bath, but this time I resisted when he tried to turn me, grabbing his shoulders so I stayed facing him. He looked startled for a moment, then smiled, slowly.
"Little warrior..."
I covered his mouth with mine, stroking his tongue with mine, straddling his thighs, pressing close to him, feeling his erection heavy and hard against my abdomen. He groaned and wrapped his arms tightly around me, leaning down to bury his face in the crook of my neck (the other side from Vejiita's mark) and suckling at the skin there, not quite biting, sending waves of heat straight to my groin. Then he stood, lifting me with him.
He carried me out to the balcony.
It was a hot, cloudless, drowsy, completely still afternoon. That same spicy-sweet plant from the old suite also twined around the balcony of this new one, sending a shiver of anticipation through me as it blended with his wonderfully musky scent. He sat me on one of the low seats there and disappeared back into the suite, returning minutes later with a double armful of cushions and pillows and a flagon of sweet wine, which he placed on the low table for me to pour. He busied himself arranging the cushions into a comfortable couch on the balcony floor, covering the whole lot with a sleeping fur, soft and sensual to lie on. Then he sat beside me and raised his beaker, silently toasting me. I smiled - and did something I'd been wanting to do for a very long time...
I started at his face, tracing each smooth, clean plane with my fingers, running my hands down the strong column of his neck, and across wide, powerful shoulders, then smoothing down his broad, firm chest, letting my fingertips learn every inch of his warm, responsive body. His eyes closed and he rolled his head back with a sigh, shivering slightly under my touch. I traced the contours of his muscular abdomen and the ridges of his hips - then paused, glancing up. He was watching me, lips slightly parted, barely breathing, his eyes wide and wondering. I smiled and ran the fingers of both hands down the sides of his quivering erection and wrapped my tail around its base. He gasped and reached for me, gripping my shoulders.
"Little warrior, please don't tease."
I twisted to kiss the back of one hand. "You were the one who wanted to take it slow."
"I still do." He stood suddenly and lifted me, lying me down on the makeshift bed, reaching back to place the wine within reach, then settling himself beside me. For a moment he rested his chin against his fist, just gazing down. Then he laid a hand on my cheek, and very slowly stroked his way downwards - doing to me what I'd done to him. I lay very still, my eyes closed, relishing every moment, every touch, every shiver that ran through me.
My eyes snapped open and I jerked as his mouth closed over my nipple, nipping lightly before circling it with his tongue. I buried my hands in his mane and simply melted against him as he licked his way oh so slowly down my abdomen to my groin.
I groaned as I felt his tongue caress those hidden folds of flesh, shuddering as for endless moments he sucked and licked at that sensitive little nub, then replacing his mouth with his fingers and the tip of his tail as he moved back up to look into my face.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, all the time his fingers stroking and kneading and pressing into me in a kind of delicious torture. "How do you want me?"
And for probably the first time ever I simply wanted a male's weight on me and in me. I gripped his buttocks and pulled him closer. He smiled and rolled onto me, rubbing the tip of his shaft against me as I squirmed - then slowly but powerfully pushed into me...
I gasped and held my breath as he filled me and filled me. It was almost painful. He's so big!
He buried himself in me and paused, letting me get used to the feeling for a moment, then I wrapped my legs around his waist as he began to thrust, twisting down to nip at my neck and shoulder, growling very softly.
The sheer pleasure of achieved desire had me climaxing very quickly, moaning in disappointment. I'd so wanted to last.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"Why?" He murmured. "I'm flattered."
He rolled over, pulling me on top of him, and wormed a hand down between our bodies to my groin - where large, skilled fingers very quickly had me growing hot again. I tugged at him, trying to roll us over, and he complied, ramming into me harder as I caressed his tail and sank my nails into his buttocks to urge him on. And we came together, breathlessly, holding each other blindly as I felt him pulse and throb within me, our every nerve singing with exhilaration.
When I came back to myself, he'd shifted so we were lying on our sides. He was still hard inside me, rocking very slightly against my hips, his eyes half-closed, smiling lazy-happily into my gaze. I sighed and stretched up to kiss him, slowly, thoroughly, relishing the heat of his mouth, the warm smoky taste of him. He held me tightly, trembling - and began to move again...
We both came twice more - the final time with a strength and ferocity I had never imagined - before I finally, reluctantly admitted defeat. I was beginning to ache from being stretched, and despite the lubricant of his semen I was growing sore from the friction. He *felt* it and gently let go, allowing himself to relax and slide out of me, pulling me on top of his warm, powerful body and sighing happily.
*Little warrior...*
I nestled against his broad chest and nipped at his collarbone, licked at the hollow of his throat, speechless. And *speechless* but *humming* with contentment.
Yes, it had been worth the wait.
Surprisingly - well, it surprised me at any rate, to start with - we didn't actually make love very often. But when we did...
How fortunate can one person be? Exciting, enlivening sex whenever I wanted it with Vejiita; rapturous, transcendent loving every time we both needed it with Radittsu.
His first love would always be his beloved bondmate, and even if I could I'd never try to replace the prince. But gods, I was going to miss him...
And then, of course, there was that amazing, unexpected and very enlightening proposal...
Zha'haabron was in a meeting with the King, and Radittsu had volunteered to look after the babies for a couple of hours while Ti'aasaan had a break. I returned to the suite with the captain after training, grinning at the little zn'hre as I entered. He smiled up at me, then regarded Radittsu, his head on one side. I assume there was some sort of telepathic communication, since the big male's eyes widened hugely as he glanced at me, then shrugged, one eyebrow raised. Ti'aasaan swung his attention back to me as Radittsu - not without difficulty - gathered the babies together and into his arms, moving to the balcony and flashing us both a positively evil grin...
"See you later." He took off without another word, leaving me staring after him, nonplussed. Ti'aasaan laid a hand on my arm.
"Leteetza?"
I turned to him enquiringly. He smiled - and laid a hand on my breast.
"I was wondering... Would you make love with me?"
My jaw dropped. "...what...?"
"I'm curious."
I was speechless. He inclined his head. "Have I asked something I shouldn't have?"
"Uh, no... well, not really. Not with me, anyway. Uh, let me think about this for a minute."
He nodded cheerfully and reached for a cool drink. I watched him, wondering if all zn'hre were as graceful...
I was tempted. I was more than tempted: I was also extremely curious myself...
Well, Radittsu wouldn't mind - he'd made that obvious. Zha'haabron didn't know the meaning of the word jealousy, and I suspected that neither did Ti'aasaan. And as for Vejiita - I'm not sure quite what he'd make of it. Probably best to leave him out of the equation altogether. I sighed.
"Very well."
"Oh good!" He beamed and pulled off his bodysuit, and sat cross-legged on the bed waiting for me to remove mine, already erect. And surprisingly large for such a small being. Perhaps all zn'hre were... As I lay on my back he ran his eyes up and down my body - then moved to straddle my thighs.
I watched, a little nervously, as he cupped my breasts in cool hands, stroking my nipples with his thumbs and grinning as I gasped, squirming slightly. I reached for his erection - then paused, and moved my fingers lower, gently rubbing at that little protrusion I'd heard so much about. He froze, his eyes closed, hissing in delight, then caught my hands, stilling them.
"Please, not yet. I want to see you first."
Startled, I rested my hands beside me on the bed and let his fingers explore my body, shivering when he touched a sensitive area, gasping at his unfamiliar coldness. Finally he found my own little nub, caressing it gently as I moaned and shifted under him...
Then he sat back, frowning slightly. I could almost see the calculations scrolling through his mind.
He grinned and slid off me, pulling me onto my knees.
"What are we doing?"
He stroked my cheek gently and twinkled at me. "Something I think we'll both enjoy!"
He moved to kneel behind me, then carefully pushed me onto my hands and knees. I shuddered as he entered me - ye gods it was cold! - then gasped as he pushed me down to lie on the bed, my legs somewhat uncomfortably stretched behind him as he curled his hips upwards. Bringing both sensitive little organs to rub deliciously against each other as he began to move inside me...
I thought I was going to explode. I clenched my hands tightly in the sheet and crossed my ankles behind his back as he gripped my hips tightly and moved faster.
My mind went blank as cold fire curled through me as we came, simultaneously, my inner muscles clenching tightly as he filled me with an oddly soothing coldness. I collapsed, panting, on to the bed as he slumped forwards, his sigh warm on my back, kissing between my shoulderblades. We lay for a little while, trying to get our breath back, then he rolled to lie beside me.
"Are you all right?"
I turned my head to grin at him. "All right is putting it mildly!" I frowned slightly.
"Ti'aasaan, do yourself a favour. Don't do that with any other female but me, and don't tell anyone about it. Apart from family, I mean."
He looked puzzled. "Why?"
I shifted forwards and kissed his nose. "Because if any other females get to know what you can do, they'll be queuing up to make love to you - or the prince. You won't be able to step outside without falling over them."
He thought about this for a moment, finally coming to the conclusion that maybe I did have a point, and beamed at me.
"Very well. I certainly don't want to cause my Ssii'irin any problems. But does that mean we can do it again?"
I laughed in delight and hugged him hard. "Of course. But I don't want to make a habit of it - it'll spoil me for anyone else!"
He chuckled. "Oh. Very well... Shall we bathe now?"
And as it happened we did do it again, many times. Well, the two zn'hre couldn't make love without conceiving (although Zh'leet still wasn't too certain about the prince's ability to host, he was certainly able to sire, and they didn't want to take any chances - not yet, anyway), which meant that the burden of keeping both of them happy fell to Radittsu. And while he wasn't complaining, sometimes it did get a bit much for him...
And having a male, a female, and two hermaphrodites in bed together led to some extremely interesting combinations...
And now there's only three days until high summer, ten days until Zha'geekaan's coronation and Zha'haabron's challenge to his sire. There's the most amazing, excited tension in the palace and in the council, a feverish sense of anticipation, like being poised on the brink of an irreversible step forwards. The twins are due to give birth any time - we now know that Sheftali is carrying twins herself (about which she's not at all happy!). The little princes are beginning to walk, and Zha'haabron has started trying to encourage them to fly - he's asked me to continue in his absence, since Ti'aasaan is still very unsteady in the air, although his ability and self-confidence are growing all the time. Radittsu and I have spent a little extra time together, loving, talking, touching. And I'm so proud of my King: Vejiita has never felt so powerful, so much in control of destiny. It's a good time to be alive.
No, I've never been so busy in my life.
Nor did I ever think I could be so gloriously, joyously happy.
© 2001 May 10th Joules Taylor
Here ends the first of the Alliance Chronicles
