Starborne

Chapter 9

Stefin looked... good in his ritual clothing.

Oh stop lying to yourself, Holly. He looks absolutely perfect.

The Prince was dressed in a white linen tunic and pants; as I drew closer I saw fine gold embroidery lining the cuffs and edges. The fabric pulled tight against his torso as he moved, and I caught myself shamelessly ogling the outline of his muscular frame. I would have been embarrassed at the warmth that flooded my cheeks at the sight of him, but I had already resigned myself to the full bodied crush my addled brain had felt fit to apply to the Cynabarrian.

Stefin was standing with a group of tall people, who all shared his light hair and eyes. I knew from their resemblance that they must be the rest of the royal family, and couldn't help but be intrigued by their dynamic.

There were three girls: one younger, and two who were identical from their coppery curls to the prominent dimples on their cheeks. One of the twins had an animated expression and was chattering excitedly to her sister, who seemed less than amused by her required presence in the room. I looked back to Stefin in time to see him good naturedly ruffle the head of a younger boy, who looked up at him with adoration in his eyes.

I took my place among the rest of the Cynabarrians; we were arranged in arena-like seating around a central platform where the Royals sat. There were several isolated boxes that I assumed would be filled by high-ranking members of the King's court. A rudimentary survey found Melora seated properly and smug in the box closest to the Royal platform. She was looking at Stefin with undisguised interest, and I started to feel sick knowing that in a few short minutes I would have to watch the two of them embrace on stage, ecstatic to have found their one true love.

"Mind if I take a seat?" I turned to face the deep voice to my left, and smiled.

"Groff! Akara! Of course you can sit, where is Koryn?" I moved one seat to my right, and my two friends slipped into the row after me.

"His father works in the city. He is sitting with him now, you can see them over by the platform." Akara waved somewhere to our left, and I picked out Koryn's stern huff back as he rejected her enthusiasm for the event.

"Watch this," Akara giggled, and blew a chaste kiss over in Koryn's direction. His face grew bright red, and he quickly turned away towards the man who sat next to him.

"So evil, Akara," I teased, "Koryn doesn't flirt." I put on an exaggerated tone to mimic Koryn's typical exasperation.

"Oh, just get matched already," Groff chimed in, "I'll organize it myself if it gets you two to admit the obvious."

This time it was Akara's turn to blush deeply, and she mumbled something about stupid small villages and needless gossip.

I laughed heartily at her embarrassment, as a true friend must, and leaned towards Groff.

"Is it just me, or does Akara look... excited?" I teased, and she threw up her hands in mock exasperation.

"Humans don't get a say, Holly. Your time in space has made you unable to read social cues!" She countered with mirth, and I shrugged good naturedly.

"And what's your excuse, Akara?" Groff came to my defense. "Is it just a purposeful ignorance of the way Koryn makes you want to -"

"Ooookay." I shut down the end of his last comment. "Enough of that. Something is going on down at the platform."

Groff continued to badger Akara, and without thinking I laid my hand on his thigh in an effort to get him to shut up and pay attention. Just a second too late I realized my mistake, he let out a low hiss as we came in contact, and suddenly sat up rigidly. Akara's eyes widened as she looked between us, and I quickly threw my hands up to my face.