Chapter 12: Free Finese

"No! You know! Princess Lindsay only!"

Lindsay smiled and shrugged as she passed him by, being towed by the little girl. He managed a quick peck.

The dinner passed as Lindsay had thought, with Deneta rattling off at least half a dozen lists of things she liked and explaining what she liked best about each thing, specifically. Lindsay listened intently, trying to remember a couple key things she could use for presents later. Deneta spoke with a polished precision that showed extensive attention had been paid to her diction by her teacher. At her age, it came off like a cute little accent. As if Lindsay hadn't already fallen in love with her at first sight!

After dinner, they played pretend for hours until, finally, the little girl was fighting to keep her eyes open. As Lindsay tucked her into bed, Deneta rubbed her eyes and asked, in her tired little accented tones, "Do you like me?"

Lindsay could have drowned in the love overflowing from her heart. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I like you very much."

"Thank you... Princess Lindsay..." Deneta's voice trailed off as she fell asleep.

Lindsay looked to Rivuk. "She's adorable," she mouthed.

He smiled, took her hand, and led her from the room.

Lindsay turned to him as they closed the door. "Why was she afraid I would hit her?"

Rivuk sighed. "A lanc ago, I let Nylest and her children play with her and my first wife smacked her across the face a few times for not greeting her properly. It left a bad bruise on her cheek."

"She didn't!" Lindsay was horrified. "She was only three!"

"I know. I never brought Nylest back, of course. If I'd known she'd do that, I never would have brought her around. I didn't realize how much Deneta wanted a mother; I didn't think she'd call Nylest 'mommy.'"

"Wait. Nylest slapped her for calling her mommy? What kind of monster is she?!"

"She's not a monster, just arrogant and cruel."

"I'd be so proud if she called me 'mommy,'" Lindsay said.

"I hope one day she will, but it may take some time. She wants a mother more than anything, but she's seen so many of her cousins beaten, neglected, and hated by their mothers I think she's afraid if she has one, she'll be hurt as well. You know how Boz treats his wives and concubines, I'm sure you can imagine how some of their mothers would feel about their children."

Lindsay could. Vividly. If she was pregnant with Boz's child she wouldn't know what to do. She'd like to think she could muster up some love for it, but, more likely, she'd just see it as another potential monster growing inside of her.

She gulped. "How many of them kill themselves?"

"A bigger number than I'd like to say."

Lindsay felt sick. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"I understand. Perhaps some frozen pomo fruit to clear the air?"

Lindsay nodded.

* * *

"Deneta doesn't look anything like you," Lindsay said, scraping the last of the pureed pomo from the bowl.

"No, she gets it all from her mother. She gets too much from her mother."

"What do you mean?" she asked as they walked to Rivuk's room.

"It's just a suspicion. But you remember when you were playing and she screamed that you had become a sheerlac just a moment before you said it?"

"Yes?" Lindsay wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"I think she may be a royal."

"Well yeah, she's the daughter of a prince. Of course she's royal."

"No, that's not what that word means. It's a translation error, I think. I mean, it does mean royal, but I don't think that conveys the word properly. Do you mind if I search your mind to see if I can find a better word?"

"Sure."

He was silent a moment and she felt him in her mind. It was a warm, welcome feeling spreading through her brain.

He returned to himself. "I think, perhaps, the word "overseer" would work better. Only those who are born with mental powers can be called royals. All those born to or related to the royals who do not possess those powers are called nobles. Those who are neither are called commoners. The first prince or princess is required to marry a royal or a first rank noble in the hopes that they might produce royal heirs. First rank members are direct children of royals and often a close relative. In Elihim's case, because my mother produced no royal daughters, he married my uncle's daughter, though he has yet to produce any royal heirs because he doesn't do his duty by her."

"So, wait. You're saying he would have had to marry his sister if she had powers?"

"Yes."

"That's disgusting!" Lindsay cried.

"Not to us. My grandparents were such a union. It's considered our duty. But it's fairly rare for women to be born with the ability, so it's very rare for siblings to be married. But as I was saying; the second prince may marry a second rank noble or a first rank commoner. These would be more like distant cousins and the elite wealthy merchants. While a first prince is only allowed to take one wife unless the union proves fruitless, the second prince is allowed to take many. At last count, Boz has ten and around sixty concubines. It rarely happens that royals are produced from these marriages, and, so far, Boz has fathered none."

"What happens if he does?"

"If he does and Elihim doesn't, he may challenge Elihim for the crown. But, I fear he won't be that patient." Rivuk looked pensive.

The significance of this statement wasn't lost on Lindsay. "You mean you think he's going to kill his brother?"

"He's already tried twice."

"Your family is messed up."

"Yes." Rivuk nodded.

"But you think Deneta has powers?" Lindsay asked.

"Let's just say it's not the first time she's said something before it happened."

"How did she even get powers if it's not supposed to be possible?"

"I didn't think to check until Deneta started showing signs, but I believe her mother, Polithema, was the product of an affair between my Uncle Adir, and her mother, a second level noble married to a first level merchant. It was one time and her husband never knew. I wouldn't have even known if Yasolina hadn't given me the raw footage of a visit he'd made to their arcade. There's a period of time where he disappears and they can't find him for filming and the wife is also conspicuously absent. I believe that is when it happened," he explained.

"So, you accidentally married your first cousin?"

Rivuk nodded. "I believe so. But I've not taken Deneta to the Temple of the Immortal to have it confirmed."

"Why not?"

"Because, if they confirm she's a royal, she'll be married to my brother, Elihim, immediately."

"She's six!" Lindsay cried.

"That likely means something on Earth. I'm guessing Earth years are shorter than lancs. But that doesn't matter. In another lanc she'll be able to produce heirs, and, as a royal, she'll be expected to - especially with no other heirs."

"But she'll still be a little kid!" Lindsay was livid. She wanted to puke.

Rivuk held her arms. "I know. Understand, I have no intention of marrying my daughter off to either of my brothers."

Vomit rose in her throat. Either?! "Boz could get in on this?"

"She'll be married to the first prince, whoever that is."

She could imagine Elihim waiting until Deneta was at least old enough to reproduce, which was disgusting enough, but Boz? He wouldn't wait at all.

"And I won't let that happen." he continued. "For now, I can continue to conceal her powers. If it came to it, I would run away with her."

"Where would you go?" Lindsay looked up into Rivuk's eyes.

He sighed. "I don't know. I could fly over the oceans, see if there are any lands beyond Kirith. Or..." he trailed off, falling into his desk chair.

"Or what?"

"Or I could beg for asylum from the Bona Serat Corsar and let them take our wings."

"He wouldn't want your wings!" Lindsay cried.

"It's not a matter of wanting. You can't live in the forest with wings. It's too dense," he said. "And the mountain would be too cramped. They'd atrophy and become infected from lack of use."

"But you can't mutilate yourselves. Your wings are beautiful!"

"So were Carak's. And, in the woods, they were a liability that nearly got him killed."

She didn't have an argument for that. He was right. "But why stay at all, then? If you don't have wings, why not go to Earth using the portal?"

Rivuk held up his hands. "Our six-fingers aren't the only physiological difference between us. If she got sick, how would I explain it?"

Lindsay was silent. She sat down on the floor next to his chair, resting her head against his thigh.

He stroked her hair. "I love that you care for her so much, even though you've only just met her."

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. "She's my daughter, Rivuk."

He gently pulled her up to him and kissed her. Sliding down until his knees were on the floor, he kissed her again. She let him lay her back and remove her pants and panties.

"I love you," he said.

For the first time, she could really feel it. His love for her filled her mind, flowing through to her body, all the way to her toes. It took her breath away. He entered her, body and mind. In the plane of her mind, he held her naked body in their bed.

She felt him taking in her thoughts and memories. She wanted him to have them as she took on his. Not all. She avoided some. The ones he didn't want her to see, and the ones she knew would trouble her. She saw the horrors and held him even more tightly in her mind as her real body rocked under him, her legs resting on his shoulders.

It wasn't a screaming orgasm, or even more than one. It was just a slow-building warmth that gently filled her until her breathing quickened and her moans grew louder. She felt him cum. They held each other in both planes for quite some time.

"You know," Rivuk finally said, pressing his brow to hers. "I should get to that paperwork, if we're going to make you your own unit, Captain Lindsay Weaver."

Captain. Not Queen or Princess. It always sounded right. Every time the announcer said it over the loudspeaker as they ran out for their volleyball match - "Under the command of Captain Lindsay Weaver" - it made her stomach flutter. Captain Lindsay Weaver of the Southeastern Forces, her title in the Bonat army. Now she'd be Captain Lindsay Weaver of the Birds of Paradise Unit.

Another kiss and he was off to his desk, going through form after form as she watched. She knelt before him and undid his pants, freeing his tessect. She began to suck him gently. Enough to stimulate, not enough to bring him over the edge. Every so often he'd run his fingers through her hair.

"You can sleep if you want. This is going to take a while longer," he said. "Your jaw must be getting tired."

"No, I'm fine," she answered, "unless you want me to stop."

He shook his head; she went back to sucking.

Another half an hour passed. By now her jaw really was sore, but she didn't want to stop. It felt nice to know he was enjoying it.

He placed a final piece of paper on the pile. "Finished!" he said. He looked down at her with a lusty glint in his eye. "Now it's your turn."

He scooped her up in his arms and lay her on the bed. Picking up her legs he pulled her onto him as he stood at the edge of the bed.

"I'm not going to go easy on you after that," he said, still grinning.

"You'd better not," she replied. "I worked hard for this."

She felt him slam into her, pushing all the way to her cervix, there was no easing his cock deeper. "OHHHH!" she moaned, suddenly panting as he began pounding into her. "Oh God! Oh God! OH GOD!" her cries grew louder as she stared at the ceiling, wide-eyed.

"OHHHhhhhOHHHHHH!" she screamed as the first waves of the powerful orgasm rushed over her. She felt his strong arms holding her legs, the only thing anchoring her body into place. Blinding ecstasy. She didn't know for how long. She came back to herself as he was letting her legs fall back onto the bed.

"Already?" she asked.

"We do need to sleep sometime," he answered.

She got up to her knees and pulled him down with her, rolling around the bed with him, kissing him passionately despite the painful ache in her jaw.

"Fine, once more," he conceded with a smile.

She straddled his cock, riding it hard as he rubbed her clit, screaming his name into the night as perspiration rolled down her brow. Finally, she felt him cum and she collapsed onto his chest. She fell asleep as he rubbed her shoulders and kissed her forehead dozens of times.