Cataclysm War | Chapter 63: Out in the Open (First Draft)

Friday, August 5, 4 S.E.

Aylar stepped back from Leonidas’ charmingly emotional mother gently, keeping her hand on the woman’s arm as she commented on how beautiful the palace was. As she spoke, Aylar tracked Maryanne Paendrag's features, noting the subtle similarities between the tall-for-a-Terran woman and her son. Leonidas had clearly inherited his mother’s sharp features and elegant nose, but that was about as far as the similarities went.

Kairi, on the other hand, was the woman in miniature.

Aylar didn’t think that observation would go over well, however.

“It is wonderful to meet you, my lady,” she said to Maryanne warmly, her heart racing in her chest. “Leonidas has spoken fondly of you in our time together, especially regarding his childhood.”

The auburn-haired woman blinked at that, glanced at her son, and then smiled in a motherly way at Aylar—made stranger by how youthful she looked. Maryanne Paendrag had the attitude of a matron and the looks of a Terran beauty queen. It was somewhat surreal.

“Oh, he was probably just being kind,” her future mother-in-law, as Terrans called it, said in a pleased tone. “Though, I do have to ask, Aylar—may I call you Aylar? Well, I have to ask, is this proper? What with you being the Queen, and all, I almost wonder if we didn’t breach some sort of protocol.”

Aylar smiled at that, faintly, and shook her head to set the woman at ease, while moving closer again and taking her hand in both of hers to reassure her.

“Aylar is perfectly suitable, yes, and I promise you, my lady, it is no imposition. We would have greeted you in a more intimate venue, but I was speaking with my fiancé about our plans for our joint Coronation, and we did not expect Kairi back so soon. Your daughter is endlessly capable, it seems, against all rational expectation.”

Maryanne smiled tightly after the compliment, and there was a strain to her expression when she did. “Yes,” she said in a voice that sounded faintly tense. “Our daughter is certainly capable, in many ways. We are very proud of her survival these past few terrible years.”

Aylar detected the discomfort her voice hid and reminded herself of what she’d heard about the strained relationship between Kairi and her parents, while nodding to the man in question, who was speaking warmly with his excitable, shorter father. “Did you want to greet him? I do not wish to keep you from your reunion.”

Maryanne blinked at her words, and her resultant smile was far warmer when it came. “No, dear, it’s quite all right,” she said with faint amusement. “Reggie and Ace have always been very close. He’ll make time for me when they’re done. It’s not my first time seeing him, you see, just my first time seeing… well, him like this.”

Her eyes, a far lighter blue than her husband, son, and daughter, roamed the interior of the Throne Room again, and Aylar smiled quietly in understanding.

“He is very capable,” Aylar said in response, shifting her gaze to admire Leonidas for a moment. “Without him, I fear our nation would be in the midst of a civil war at this juncture. Your son has been a miracle for all of us, my lady—me especially.”

Maryanne responded with a smile, and Aylar felt her squeeze her hands with surprising strength, though it was a decidedly maternal gesture. It reminded her of her own mother, for a moment, and she turned back to Maryanne with a fond smile of her own.

“I can see you truly do love him,” Leonidas’ mother said softly, gently drawing Aylar a little away—not unnoticed by her fiancé—and lowering her voice. “I don’t want to be improper, sweetheart, but I want you to know that we’re very glad to meet you, despite the circumstances of the world. It was very kind of you to meet us like this, even with us being ostensibly leaders in a rival faction.”

I cannot afford to offend her. If she wants to believe the Coalition is at parity with Dawnhaven, I need not dispel her optimism so—wait, what?

Aylar blinked at her soon-to-be mother-in-law in surprise and hesitated, not quite immediately registering the second half of her statement, before she felt her cheeks and ears heat in response to her words when they finally clicked.

“L-love him?” she asked, her voice traitorously jumping an octave despite her lowered volume.

“The way you look at him,” Maryanne said simply, glancing between her and Leonidas. “Frankly, I was a little worried you two were rushing into this, but the way he treats you—the way you look at him. Good Lord, it reminds me of how Reggie and I were before we were married. You two look like you’ve discovered sunlight whenever you meet each other's eyes.”

Aylar blinked again at that, panic and alarm racing through her, and her [Heroine’s Will] surged to life to maintain her composure. “Oh, I see,” she said with a careful smile, glancing at Leonidas again, and then looking back to his mother. “Um, yes, we are very fond of one another. He is… he is a uniquely wonderful man. I never thought I’d ever marry a Terran, truth be told, but I—I am not sure I would be able to do this without him, anymore.”

“Ah, you haven’t said it yet,” Maryanne guessed immediately, her blue eyes faintly amused, and flashing with maternal insight. “Don’t fret, dear. I won’t spill the beans. I’m sure Ace is being as stubborn as his forefathers in that regard. Paendrags trend toward being obstinate, a trait both our children inherited. Though, if I may ask, how did this engagement come about?”

Aylar blinked at the statement and the question, and paused as she glanced at Leonidas—trying to find her footing again as her mind raced.

{Love?} She thought to herself quietly. {He said he didn’t. Leonidas isn’t a liar, but if his mother thinks… No! Stop that, Aylar, you’ll drive yourself mad!}

“We, ah, we needed to be wed, you see, due to circumstances beyond our control—not that I don’t want to be! I assure you, my lady, I am very happy to be engaged to Leonidas, but we… that is, we had to push things along a little faster than either of us was really prepared for. He had to be my intended to represent me in the Right of Challenge.”

Maryanne smiled at her wryly when Aylar hurried to explain, and the beautiful Terran matriarch winked at her.

“It’s quite all right. Call me, Mary, darling. Just Mary. I understood the circumstances in broad strokes, thanks to what Kairi said earlier, but you just filled in some gaps. I take it you knew one another prior to the engagement for some time, at least?”

“We traveled together,” Aylar confirmed, almost feeling as if she were justifying it, strangely enough. “A-and we spent considerable time together in the weeks he’s been in Dawnhaven. I watched him from a short distance for a while, you see—not watched! Not—that is, I didn’t spy on him, I just…”

Aylar trailed off with a mortified blush, poise kept afloat only by her [Heroine’s Will], and Maryanne relieved her momentary worry with another warm smile.

“Love is not bound by the constraints of time, Aylar. It’s about sincerity and connection. If you think my silly son is right for you, I have no doubt you’re right. You seem like a very capable young woman.”

Aylar felt her heart warm at that, and she squeezed Maryanne’s hands briefly in thanks.

“Thank you, Mary. I… I can safely say that there is no man in this world or any other I’d rather be with,” Aylar said with a certainty that she felt in her bones. “Leonidas makes me feel safe and treasured, more than anything else in the world, and that is worth more than anything else to me. He’s my best friend, in a lot of ways, at least when it comes to men.”

Maryanne nodded to that, as if it made perfect sense.

“That is what marriage is about, Aylar: connection, safety, and friendship. It all builds up from there. The boys will never quite understand a woman like another woman, true enough, but if you find that connection, you must never let it go. I, ah, wonder if you’d humor me when I ask how you plan to undertake the ceremony? I assume you must have customs from your, er, homeland.”

Aylar smiled at that, finally able to regain even footing, and fixed her gaze on Mary with sincere pleasure. “We will be wed in the Terran manner, using Christian rites, specifically. Even if the Laws of the Realm are not wholly addressed by them, it was important to Leonidas, and it’s important to me, too. I do not share his beliefs, but I find your cultures terribly fascinating, and—”

“Oh, wonderful!” Mary said abruptly, squeezing her hand enthusiastically. “Just wonderful, Aylar. Perfect! Oh, I can’t wait.”

“Mom, you’re being loud,” Leonidas said abruptly, before Aylar could do more than laugh at the woman’s excitement, and drew both their attentions. Mary glanced at her once more, a final fond look, and then stepped forward and stepped into her son’s waiting arms—promptly bursting into tears when she did.

Well, Aylar said with a faint smile as Leonidas’ father stepped over to her with a boyish grin, I suppose she did mind the lack of acknowledgement, at least a little. What a strong woman.

*

Leonidas led the way into Aylar’s new sitting room, opening the door and standing back so she, Kairi, and his parents could enter before he closed it behind them. Aylar flashed him a warm, adoring smile when he did, and he returned it with one of his own, enjoying the way her eyes seemed to twinkle with mischievous thoughts when they met his.

The reunion with his parents hadn’t been quite what he’d expected, but Kairi had delivered on her promise, and he glanced at his taciturn sister in silent thanks when she flopped herself unceremoniously onto one of Aylar’s sofas. The auburn-haired Deathdancer gave him an eyeroll in response, but smiled faintly as she kicked off her boots and spread out happily on the cream furniture.

His parents, meanwhile, were looking around the luxurious circular room with no small amount of impressed awe. After his mother had berated him for only sending a single letter to inform them he was alive, and no more, Leonidas had managed to convince them to be led away for a more private discourse.

The half-dozen dignitaries that had come with his parents had been promised a more formal introduction later by Aylar, wielding the full force of her charm and charisma, and had seemed more than happy to be led away for refreshments while the future King caught up with his parents.

“Is this where the two of you will host people in the future?” Reginald asked as Leonidas stepped into the room. “This is quite fancy, son. Your future bride is loaded.”

“Dad!” Leonidas said, as Aylar laughed in her musical, enchanting way—capturing the gazes of both his parents as she did.

“It’s quite all right, dearest,” Aylar said warmly to his objection, and gestured his parents to the sofa opposite Kairi’s. “To answer your question, Reginald, no. Leonidas will have the King’s apartments while I make my home in the Queen’s. That way, things will not be unnecessarily awkward when he is dealing with the others.”

“Others?” Maryanne asked with a blink, settling herself down on the couch beside his father.

Leonidas opened his mouth to firmly head off that line of discourse, only for Kairi to cut in ruthlessly.

“Yeah, his other wives,” his sister said with a viciously triumphant glance at him. “Ace already has another one waiting in the wings, in fact.”

Both of Leonidas’ parents froze at that, and then as one, stared at Kairi, and then promptly turned to stare more intently at Leonidas with unveiled fury.

“Mom, Dad, hold on a min—”

“LEONIDAS ACHILLES ROMULUS PAENDRAG!” his mother said, her voice elevated in rage. “You absolutely pigheaded young man! Is this what you learned in that other world?! ADULTERY?!”

“We taught you better than this, son,” Reginald added on grimly, using his disappointed Dad face. “We raised you better than this, and what about this beautiful woman you’ve promised to marry? What about her feelings?”

Leonidas turned to Aylar, who was staring at his parents in a mix of shock and quiet amusement, and he sighed heavily as he walked over toward her, putting his hands on her shoulders from behind and eliciting another soft, musical laugh from his future bride as she reached up to squeeze one of his hands.

“Well,” he said as his parents looked between them, their anger momentarily replaced by bewilderment, “given it was her idea…”

His mother and father froze again at that, and their eyes immediately fixed on Aylar, who dipped her head in affirmation. “He is correct. While I will never accept being second to any other,” the Queen began firmly, “there are traditions among my people that demand a robust Royal bloodline. Leonidas and I have discussed this at length, in fact, along with his Mentor—and the other woman in question, my closest friend, Synthra. She and I have agreed to share the duty of marriage.”

Maryanne and Reginald paled at that, and his father sagged back against the couch while his mother buried her face in her hands.

“But… but marriage is between two people,” Reginald said, looking between them uncomprehendingly. “Two!”

“I understand this may be a shock to you both,” Aylar said with an empathy and grace that Leonidas was endlessly thankful for. God knew he didn’t want to try to explain it. “You should also know that Leonidas was very, very against the idea himself—to the point of nearly storming out of Dawnhaven in protest.”

Well, that’s an exaggeration. Mostly.

“However,” Aylar said as his parents looked at him with a strange mix of anger and alternating pride, and then turned back to the Queen. “The needs of the Kingdom come before our individual worries. On Altera, this is not merely normal; it is required. Longevity is held very sacred among my people, and while I understand it defies Terran norms, this is a concession Leonidas has been forced to make, for the good of the Realm’s future stability.”

Leonidas nodded, and followed on before anyone else could speak.

“I know it’s weird,” he said to his parents honestly, “and I’m still not really comfortable with the whole thing, but I’d be lying if I said my feelings for Aylar and Synthra weren’t genuine—different, truthfully, in how I view each one of them, but they are genuine. I don’t know how it’s all going to work, but we’ve had some… insights… thanks to things we’ve been through, and with the two of them, at least, I think it’ll be okay. I trust them to help me, and I trust myself to care for them both.”

Maryanne and Reginald hesitated at that, and it was his mother who spoke first.

“But won’t that put a strain on your relationship, sweetheart?” she asked, looking specifically at Aylar. “Sharing a single man, it… Won’t that be hard? On all of you, I mean.”

Aylar smiled at that and shook her head slightly, blonde hair bouncing.

“No, Mary. Leonidas will be a King, and I know he would never put me second, nor allow Synthra—or anyone else in time—to be treated as lesser. Your son, if I may say so, is a very big-hearted man. He has taken this sacrifice in stride with commendable dedication to ensuring the health of everyone involved—emotionally and otherwise.”

Kairi scoffed quietly at that and folded her arms.

“Yeah, big sacrifice when he has to undertake the burdensome duty of nailing the two most beautiful women on the planet,” his sister said skeptically, to which Aylar—against all reason—smiled at her warmly.

“That is very kind of you, Kairi. Thank you,” the Queen said, momentarily freezing his sibling mid-stare, and then making her throw her arms upward in disbelief and surrender.

“Forget it, Parental Units,” Kairi said in a defeated response. “These Alterans are all mad. If Ace doesn’t get jiggy with at least two women at once, they’ll see him as impotent—and if he only marries two, they’ll think he’s downright addled. This is so normal for them that the very mention of the concept of monogamy among High Nobles and Royalty makes them look at you like you’re demented.”

Reginald and Maryanne were silent as they processed that news, and Leonidas saw his parents exchange a troubled glance before turning toward him.

“Does that mean we should expect another wedding, soon?” Reginald asked, glancing between Leonidas and Aylar uncertainly.

Leonidas hesitated at that and then looked down at Aylar.

“Uh…”

Aylar, seemingly sensing his uncertainty, squeezed his hand and then smiled disarmingly at his parents. Miraculously, they seemed to soften somewhat when she did. It was like Aylar had already charmed and won them over, which, given she’d managed to make Kairi like her, didn’t surprise him at all.

His future bride had a knack with people.

“No,” the Queen said to them calmly, her cheeks only faintly heating as she continued. “Not until—until the Realm is stabilized, at the least.”

That’s code for pregnancy, Leonidas recognized immediately, feeling his cheeks heat up. Thank god she framed it delicately.

In the stunned silence that followed, it was Kairi who spoke.

“So, hey, timeout—does that mean I’m allowed to have multiple boyf—”

For the first time since the incursion, Leonidas and his Parents were perfectly in sync when they unilaterally said “No!” with such force that his sister threw up her hands in surrender.

“Jesus,” she said with a grumble, “it was just a question.”

And at that, once again, his wife-to-be could only laugh.