Crash Landing

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*Mae*

"Please, help move this along now, my people! We work as a collective unit, not as a singular being, yes?"

From afar, I watched with the hint of a blossoming smile as Zaxton ordered the community of Palace guards that he assembled on such short notice around the Palace Grounds, the guards fully clothed as they were making quick work of the heavy lifting for the reconstructed metal objects for the Calypso Number Two but Zaxton was currently shirtless and I could see his skin glistening with sweat even from this far away.

It was a hot day on the Zubine planet, and yes I was finally able to pronounce the name correctly after Zion corrected me more then half a dozen times before going on a grumbling fit about how my "little human brain" couldn't comprehend the complexities of their language to himself, and while almost all of the hard workers were still fully clothed, since it was a bit of indecent exposure for them to undress themselves in front of royalty, I was perfectly fine with admiring Zaxton from afar as I leaned against the balcony terrace belonging to our wing of the Palace.

That's right.

I said wing.

As in, we were no longer sleeping in the servant's quarters, which I never had a problem with to begin with but that's beside the point here.

As in, Casimir had somehow convinced Zaxton to contemplate taking over the throne as the rightful ruler of the Kingdom. I wasn't sure how he did it but the big oaf of a man must have been convincing enough to make the love of my life say that he would look into possibly reclaiming the throne as his own.

Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against Zaxton reclaiming the throne as the rightful ruler but I was also a bit worried about that kind of power.

To know that something as simply as having authority over everybody and everything could go to his head and make him turn into a fucking lunatic who went around assaulting individuals much like his younger brother, Zephyr, previously did made my stomach churn and acid bubble up with anxiety.

But there was something major separating Zaxton from his malevolent blood sibling.

That something was that I trusted him.

I trusted him with my life.

I trusted him before I even knew him that well.

I trusted him to get me to safety and to look out for me when I didn't know I even needed looking out for.

I trusted him and then…I learned to love him.

Learned to love somebody that wasn't biologically related to me.

Learned to understand that I could feel something as strong and as intense of emotions that Zaxton gave me.

That I wasn't unlovable or a freak.

That I could be as gentle and as soft as I was the rough and tough badass as I still consider myself to be on occasion.

I said occasion here because I couldn't actively be as badass-y as I wanted to be all the time.

Not for right now, that is.

Right now, I had to be cautious of people, of life, of my life.

And the life that was slowly being created inside of me.

My hand reached down to softly palm the swell of my belly beneath the exotic ribbon of silk that Casimir had the servants twist and turn into a gown for me and the baby growing inside of me.

I had told him that it was too much, too expensive for somebody of my stature and I would never be able to repay him for his kindness and generosity.

Don't worry, I still haven't forgotten about the fact that he did act less than civil towards my arrival when we first met but I have put it in the past.