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Eventually, the hour grew late and the Patriarch rose to dismiss his guests as they sipped the same alcoholic beverage that Dennis had so enjoyed with Chaka in the tavern. The guests all wished to say their goodbyes, it seemed as though they had enjoyed his company, all besides Regent Tarsas who was surly and unfriendly. He left first without properly excusing himself. It was clear to Dennis that this was an alliance that Tarsas did not approve of, and he might even be a xenophobe.

The Borealans laughed, shaking his hand one by one in the Earth tradition as he had described it to them, until he reached the Regent of the polar territory. She took his small hand in her giant, furry grip and shook it. Her fur was soft and fleecy, oddly inviting to the touch.

"I have enjoyed your company, Ambassador," she said in rather good English. "I hope that we will meet again soon."

"And I too, Regent. I'm very curious about your territory, I may attempt to arrange a visit."

"You would be welcome. Until next we meet...." Her hand left his, and she strode out of the room, her white coat shining under the electric lights and her puffy tail trailing behind her.

"An exemplary performance, Ambassador," the Patriarch commented as he lumbered over to stand before him. Dennis had to look almost directly up to see his face. "You were the life of the banquet, I knew that it would go down well with the Regents."

"Well, you have interesting friends, Patriarch. I have enjoyed myself, I want to thank you again for including me." Dennis was only half sincere, he had indeed had a great time, but he knew that the real reason for the invitation was so that the Patriarch could score points with the rulers of rival territories. They did seem subservient to him, their title of Regent rather than Patriarch or Matriarch implied that they were merely governing the territory in his stead, rather than ruling as his equals. Tarsas had seemed especially resentful of the demeaning title, but such was life for Borealans. He certainly didn't seem ready or willing to challenge the ruler.

"I hope that you are prepared for the eclipse, Ambassador. I trust that Xhe will help you stock food and ensure that you have warm clothing. Much of the city will shut down over the next few days, many services will not be available."

"I keep hearing about this eclipse, I'm eager to see it. Our planet has eclipses too, but very rarely. It happens when our moon covers our star, their size and distance are such that the moon can cover it almost perfectly. It only lasts for a few minutes, however, not nearly long enough to plunge us into a winter."

"Now that is remarkable," the Patriarch said, laughing heartily. He seemed a little tipsy from the raises the hair. "There are some strange things out there in the galaxy."

Xhe and Dennis said a respectful goodbye to the Patriarch, then descended the stairs past the crimson guards, eventually finding themselves at the door to the embassy.

"A successful evening, I imagine," Xhe commented as she looked down at Dennis.

"Yes, that went about as well as it could have. This is my job, Xhe, this is what I was trained for. It's what I'm good at."

"It shows, Ambassador."

They entered the building and went to their respective rooms, both eager to sleep off their meal.

CHAPTER 6: ICE QUEEN

Dennis was awoken by Xhe tapping on his door.

"Ambassador? I'm sorry to wake you early, but the Polar Regent is here to see you."

He stumbled out of bed, bleary-eyed.

"The Polar Regent? What does she want?"

"She has not said, and I lack the authority to ask her."

"Very well, give me a moment to get dressed."

Dennis flung on a clean suit and his now signature fur tie, then stepped out of his bedroom. The Polar Regent was waiting for him in the marble hallway, her long, fluffy tail waving back and forth idly. She was wearing an even more revealing outfit than was customary for the Elysians, likely due to the heat, little more than an insubstantial top that struggled to contain her impressive bust and a skirt that was tied about her wide hips. The floaty, near transparent fabric was tinted a shade of pink and adorned with decorative pieces of shaped metal that served to conceal her more intimate features.

She had two guards flanking her. They were of the same Polar race, both female, the patterning and coloration of their fur mirroring hers. Unlike the Royal Guards who protected the Patriarch, they wore no combat armor, and they were armed with intimidating, ornate glaives rather than XMRs. It hit Dennis that this planet was not unified like Earth, each region might have a totally different culture and level of technology to the others. Elysia was only a small fragment of a greater whole.

"Is there something I can help you with, Regent?"

"The eclipse will be occurring soon," she replied. "The Equatorial Borealans will be entering a state of lethargy. To the Polars, the cold is mild and not unlike that of our home territory. We will remain active during this period. I am told that your species does not experience reduced metabolic activity as a response to cold and so you would most likely be confined to the embassy during the winter."

Dennis nodded, there was nothing to disagree with.

"I have enjoyed your company, Ambassador, and I appreciate your curiosity. With the permission of your handler, I would request that you join me and my entourage for the period of the eclipse. I will return you to the embassy when the primary shines again."

Dennis glanced at Xhe, she seemed confused, surprised.

"Do you think it's ok?" he asked.

"Ambassador, you do not require my permission."

"That's not what I asked," he replied.

She thought for a moment, but Xhe seemed to do poorly when put on the spot, she was all about planning and organization.

"While I see no harm in it, this is...unorthodox. It is true that you would most likely be bored here during the eclipse, but I would be unable to accompany you. I must consult with the Patriarch, please excuse me for a moment." Xhe walked past the Regent and her guards and entered the office, intending to use the communications device. After a couple of minutes of Dennis smiling meekly at the Regent as she waited patiently, Xhe returned. "You have his permission, should you wish to go."

Xhe's attitude was odd, she seemed to be suggesting that he shouldn't go. Was she being protective of him? He had learned to value her judgment, but being stuck inside the embassy for three days with nothing to do sounded close to torture.

"I do," he replied finally, and Xhe nodded.

"Excellent." The Regent clapped her hands together, the sound muffled by her fur. "I think you will find it enlightening, Ambassador."

***

Xhe paced, agitated. If there was one person on this entire planet that she didn't trust, it was the Polar Regent. Well, Tarsas was as xenophobic and uncooperative as they come, but he was overt in his dislike of the Patriarch and his human allies. The Polar Regent was crafty. Unlike the Equatorial Borealans, the people of the pole were cool-headed and slow to act, their anger built over time rather than flaring and being done with. They plotted and schemed, and this visit must be part of some greater plot that wasn't yet obvious to Xhe. She had not been able to warn Dennis in front of the Regent and her guards, and by visiting the embassy in person rather than calling ahead, the Regent had ensured that Xhe would not express her concerns. To do so before someone of such high rank would be a challenge that would see her viciously attacked. She had made the Patriarch aware of the situation, but he did not seem concerned, was he growing complacent? There was something afoot, and winter was about to arrive. This was the worst time for something like this to happen and the Polar Regent knew it.

***

Dennis jogged a little to keep up with the Polar Regent as her guards flanked them. They marched through the sandstone city, under the arches and past carved pillars and windowless structures. The secondary star was bright in the sky, obscured by the far more luminous primary, but just about visible to the naked eye. He appraised the Regent, admiring her beauty. He had found the fur jarring at first, but now he appreciated its sheen. It was as white as fresh snow, barring the black leopard spots that patterned it. He longed to stroke it, it looked soft, but he knew that it wasn't remotely appropriate. She was tall too, larger than the average Borealan, approaching the exaggerated height of the Patriarch. It must be a sign of the eugenic breeding practices that high status in Borealan society always implied. The way that Borealans mated, the dominant genes were quickly propelled to the top of the pyramid. The Polar Regent was well bred, that much was immediately obvious, and she had an odd calmness about her that set Dennis at ease. Something about her body language or her temperament made him less wary of her than the other Borealans, he felt as if she was somebody he could trust.

"Tell me, Ambassador," the Polar Regent crooned. Her voice was deep and husky, but feminine. She was softly spoken, and her English language skills rivaled those of Xhe. "Do you have winters on Earth?"

"We do indeed, Regent. Our winters last for one quarter of our year and some regions on our planet remain cold all year round, some inhospitably so."

"That sounds pleasant. On Borealis, my people are confined to the northern pole for the majority of the year. We can only venture into the equatorial territories when the eclipse comes. The heat is almost intolerable to us, you see."

"I can imagine, you have an impressive coat. It resembles many of our arctic species back on Earth."

"Oh?" The Regent stopped walking and turned to him, crouching down to eye level. She inadvertently gave him a perfect view down her top, the weight of her heavy breasts straining against the gossamer fabric as it fought to contain them. The twin mounds of quivering flesh were sheathed in a layer of fluffy fur, making them look like a pair of giant throw pillows, Dennis struggling to keep his eyes on her face. She reached out a hand, palm up. There were pads protruding from beneath her white fur, like one might find on a cat or a dog, he assumed so they could grip objects through their insulating coat.

"Do you like my fur?" she asked, smiling warmly. "You can touch it if you want to."

Dennis reddened, and after a moment of hesitation he reached out a hand and brushed her palm tentatively. She didn't react, she continued to hold her arm out as if trying to entice a wild animal to draw closer. He touched her palm again, this time delving his fingers deeper into the fur. The fine hair was as soft as velvet, and as his fingertips met the skin beneath, a surprising heat radiated up through his hand. She wasn't joking, she was roasting under that fur, it trapped a layer of heat below the surface similar to how polar bear fur worked.

"Wow, yeah," he muttered. "Exactly like our arctic species..."

"You needn't contain your curiosity, Ambassador," she chuckled as she stood at full height again. "I respect that quality, I find it is sorely lacking among many of our own people. Exploration is part of your assignment here, after all."

Dennis nodded, following behind her as she began to walk again.

"So, where are we going...Regent?" He had almost let slip your majesty, and that was the impression that she gave him. She was so regal and refined in comparison to many of the more brutish Borealans that he had met thus far, radiating an air of sophistication and poise that befitted her station. He reminded himself that she was, in fact, the Matriarch of the polar region. She was a queen if ever there was one, but the title of Regent given to her by the Patriarch was indicative of Elysia's mastery over the other territories.

"I'm taking you somewhere we can watch the eclipse. You've never seen one before, I would imagine."

"No, I haven't."

"There is an observatory in Elysia. It is ancient, useless for actual astronomy in the modern era, but its builders designed it to watch the eclipse in perfect conditions. They believed that the conjunction could tell fortunes or predict crop failures, amongst other such primitive and quaint delusions."

The city was mostly deserted now as the population steeled itself for winter, barricading themselves inside their dwellings. Every so often a stray Borealan would pass them, stopping for a moment to stare at the odd sight of a foreigner and an alien wandering the streets. The long walk took them outside the boundaries of the city and towards an expanse of empty land covered with some species of native grass, a little more blue in color than anything from Earth. Dennis stopped as he saw a hulking creature in the distance, it seemed to be grazing. It was getting darker as the smaller star passed in front of its primary and the creature's silhouette stood out menacingly, like a giant cow with wicked, curved horns.

"Don't be afraid," the Regent said, her tone soothing as if she was talking to a small child. "These are livestock, docile and tame, they won't hurt you. The observatory is on the other side of the grassland, see?" She pointed a clawed finger, and Dennis saw the domed building in the distance.

"Why is it all the way out here, and not in the city?" he asked.

"Light pollution. Even in the period that the observatory was constructed, it was a problem. Out here there is no artificial light to obscure the eclipse."

They walked across the field, Dennis skirting the grazing livestock warily. Despite the Regent's promise that they were tame, they were still very large animals. Even a dairy cow could accidentally trample a human under the right conditions. He stuck close to the Regent as they neared the ancient structure.

It had looked small from far away, but up close it was proven to be very large. The observatory was a wide, squat building with a dome in the roof, built from the same sandstone as the structures in the city. They skirted the edge of the building, circling it to find the entrance. They came across the aged wooden door, and one of the guards stepped forward, pushing it open on its rusted hinges with a piercing creak. She held it open as the group stepped inside.

"I'm amazed that this structure has stood for so long," the Regent commented, placing her hands on her wide hips and staring around the room. "The masons of old were truly artists."

The room was a completely open space, ringed by rows of seats carved from the stone like an auditorium or a Roman amphitheater. In the center was a single wooden chair, perched on some kind of rusted gear system. In the curved roof of the dome was a rectangular slot that had been chiseled out of the stonework, covered with a panel of tinted glass through which a beam of starlight penetrated, illuminating the seat in a dull glow like a spotlight.

Dennis walked over to the seat, running his finger along the armrest. It was coated in a layer of fine dust, its once smooth finish now splintered and rough. He crouched to examine the gears beneath it. They extended into the floor, rusted metal teeth interlocking for some purpose that he couldn't discern.

"What does it do?" he asked, turning back to the Regent. "Does it still work?"

"Here, I'll show you," she said as she walked over to join him in the middle of the room. She circled around the far side of the chair and climbed into it, leaning back against the wooden headrest as the assembly creaked ominously. It was angled slightly up, positioned directly below the rectangular slot in the dome. The Regent patted her furry thigh with her hand, watching him expectantly.

"Come Ambassador, sit with me. It only seats one so you'll have to share."

He walked around to the front of the chair, and she gripped him under the armpits, lifting him into the air and placing him gently on her lap. She was soft, chubby too. There was muscle underneath, as with all Borealans, but the Polar variety were padded with what must be insulating fat. He didn't know where to put his hands, and so he gripped the armrests on either side of the chair.

"Hold on," the Regent whispered, pulling a long lever on the far side of the chair. It tilted back and raised them further off the ground, the ancient gears clanking and crunching as the chair shuddered beneath them. When it came to a stop, it was almost horizontal, and Dennis was having a hard time leaning away from the Regent's ample chest. "You won't be able to see from there, come here..."

She wrapped her huge arms around him, pulling him backwards and pressing him against her breasts. Their soft, pliable surface molded around his head and neck as he sank into her cleavage, her chest pressing against his back as though it was a furry beanbag chair. His face reddened, and he tried to focus on the slot, struggling to ignore the mammoth breasts to either side of his head, and the arms crossed across his chest. Her delicate fur tickled the back of his neck and brushed against his cheeks, the white mounds of her bosom filling his peripheral vision.

"The hole in the roof is positioned in just such a way that at this stage of the eclipse, the stars are visible through it," she said as she pointed up at the window. "Once a day the stars will align with this hole, the fortune tellers of old would check their progress to see what they could discern. The ancients plotted the movement of the stars and the eclipse was an important religious event to them, as it progresses it will move along the length of the slot." Dennis looked on in wonder as the secondary skirted the edge of the primary, decreasing its luminosity, the tinted glass protecting his eyes from the glare. "As you can see, the secondary star is passing between Borealis and the primary. Its luminosity is much lower, we will experience at least two days of snow, and the surfaces of the lakes will freeze over."

"The evergreen jungles, the fish, the spider. Everything here has evolved to endure the cold," Dennis mused. "The strict mother raises disciplined children."

"Good! You picked that old adage up?" Dennis nodded, and the Regent held him closer, pressing him into her warm, soft body. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered to him. "I think we're going to get along well, you and I..."

Dennis stayed in her comfortable embrace as they sat and watched the first stage of the eclipse. The Regent's breathing was hypnotic, and her body was like a living bed, her downy fur and squishy fat layer relaxing him and making his eyes heavy. He fell asleep at some point, nestled in her warm cleavage.

***

Dennis awoke to the Regent chuckling and gently shaking him.

"Wake up little human, we must leave now. You've been asleep for a while. I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful." She pushed the lever, and the seat rumbled, returning to its original position. It was remarkable that the rusted machinery still worked. Dennis hopped off her lap on to the floor, stumbling a little under the high gravity. He was embarrassed that he had fallen asleep on the Regent, it was hardly becoming of a dignitary.

"Your face is red," she chuckled, her bosom shaking with the motion. "I don't think you're angry, it must be embarrassment."

"I-I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," Dennis stammered. "You're just very..."

"Comfortable?" the Regent suggested, her radiant smile turning sly as Dennis' cheeks burned. "Come now Ambassador, we must get back to the city before the cold starts to set in. If you find me so comfortable, you may hold my hand if you wish." She extended her arm towards him in invitation, but after a moment of hesitation, he marched towards the door alone.

"We'd best get going then!"