Chapter 7
The evenings seemed to come faster and faster as days went on, and Ren found herself always hidden away in the library. It was the one place Maks didn’t bother to enter, and Garret had a distinct dislike of the “unsavoury scent”, as he put it. But it was a sanctuary to Ren, and now that she had her translator she could get to work on learning how to speak the local language.
“This device inputs words into your mind?” Abetha asked, still unable to understand the technology. She held the small box up, inspecting it curiously.
“Sort of,” laughed Ren, shutting one of her old textbooks. “It helps create keys to translate symbols into my language. Or…our language. Do you know the origin of your language?”
It still confused Ren that the Novaeans were able to speak English but also had their own native tongue. She already knew that the Absolution had crashed with some of Earth’s greatest adventurers, but where did these other words come from? She couldn’t place them in any language she’d studied, and even her translator struggled to create keys. She was relying on herself now, and not the technology.
“It is said that when the carrier crashed on our planet my ancestors met with a prophet, one that only spoke Novaean. He declared that if they wished to stay on this ground then they must learn to speak in his tongue, or perish by the hand of God.” Abetha spoke as if it were the truth, an honest believer. Ren was much more skeptical.
She quickly jotted down a couple more notes on the background of Novae, theorizing that there were actually natives here at one point. But the more she looked into the history the less she could come up with about anyone already living on the planet. If they existed there didn’t seem to be any documentation of it. At least not here.
And since Naomi was considered Maks’s aide-de-camp Ren was on her own for figuring it out.
“If you wish to know more about the history, why not ask the city archivist?” Abetha suggested. “They know all there is to know about Novae and The Beginning.”
Ren took a deep breath, still unable to enter the city after she’d been attacked. It didn’t have just to do with the attack, but more with talking to the people; her anxiety flared at the mere thought of it. What could she say to them?
“Maybe another time,” Ren lied. “I like to try and figure things out the old fashioned way first.”
“Is asking not old fashion on Earth?” Abetha tilted her head and Ren caught the corners of her lips twitch. It would have seemed mocking on anyone else.
“Ah…no,” Ren said. Her fingers drummed along the surface of the book, her chest growing tight at the thought of venturing back into the city. She knew she’d be safe with Sheridan there, but it wasn’t death she feared.
It was interaction.
She sighed, feeling even more pathetic than she had on Earth.
“Do you think your translator would work on the ruins?” Abetha asked.
“Ruins?” Ren questioned, perking right up. “Right, the ones Kian mentioned.”
Abetha smiled, gentle but tight. “Yes. Past the river there are ruins that nobody has been able to decipher. They have been there since long before The Beginning.”
“It’s not in Novaean?”
Abetha shook her head. “It is similar, but the words do not make sense.” She shrugged. “Perhaps they mean nothing.”
Ren stood. “Is it really that dangerous? I mean, with Sheridan there—”
Sheridan appeared from behind a bookshelf. She gave Abetha a hard look, and the girl shrunk back. “The ruins are too far into rebel territory; it would be too dangerous a journey.”
Ren opened her mouth to argue, but someone else came to Sheridan’s defence.
“She’s right you know,” Garret said, appearing from the woodwork, “it’s much too dangerous for the Princess to travel outside the city. Even with a Sotarian—no offence.”
Sheridan pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows slightly. To show such distaste with nary a word, it made Ren jealous. Although she was starting to sense it was actually something else Sheridan had, something she could never attain. The heart of a fighter, Ren thought.
“What are you doing here, Garret?” Ren asked, ignoring his statement. She would find a way to get to the ruins, even if it did take her through rebel territory. There were some things she would begrudgingly put up with on this planet, but being forced away from ancient ruins was not one of them.
Garret gave a tight smile. “We need to speak.”
“You’re speaking,” Sheridan said. Ren saw her eye twitch, a much more subtle way to show how much Sheridan disliked Garret. It was hard to hide Ren’s growing grin; at least she wasn’t the only one that hated the man.
“Well,” Garret went on, “with everything that has been happening, the insurgents and…political organizations that are opposed to your father’s leadership…the Monarchy has come up with a possible solution.”
“Wonderful,” Ren said, “why don’t you go tell Maks?” She waved him towards the door.
“Because it is you the Monarchy asks a favour of.” Garret came further into the library, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the ancient texts. He sat across from Ren, and she was forced to listen. It felt wrong to have him there, like watching a bug fall into a spider’s web, though in this analogy Ren knew she was most likely the bug.
“What does the Monarchy want from me now?” she asked. “They’ve taken my home, my life—what more can they take?”
“They would like you to consider some of the men from the village as your future husband,” Garret revealed. Ren’s eyes widened, her mind reeled as she tried to figure out if she had heard him correctly.
She huffed, trying to catch her breath. “Now they want me to give my love away?” she whispered.
Garret laughed. “They want a marriage, not necessarily love.”
Ren and Abetha flinched, while Sheridan remained still. “Marriage is love,” Abetha said. Ren was surprised she was the one to say anything to Garret.
Garret held his palm to her. “You will speak when spoken to, servant.”
“Don’t you d-dare talk to her like that!” yelled Ren. She wished she hadn’t stuttered; it completely gave away how upset she was. “And she is right. I won’t marry anyone just because the Monarchy doesn’t like that their takeover isn’t going well. I assume Kian is one of the candidates?”
“How many times must I tell you that we aren’t taking over?” Garret asked, exasperated. “The former Prime Minister gave up his seat to us. To you and your family. They’ve given you everything you could dream of—all they ask is for you to consider some eligible men from Novae. And yes, Kian happens to be eligible.”
“What good would this do?” Ren questioned.
“It would show the citizens of Novae that one day they will have their own blood as a King,” Garret said. “It will show them that the Monarchy are not looking to do a hostile takeover, and are open to their concerns.”
“I won’t marry anyone just because you choose them,” Ren told him.
“Of course not,” Garret said with a laugh. “They only wish for you to meet with some candidates—the noble bred bachelors of Novae, so to speak.”
Ren folded her hands in front of her, her anger easily subsided. Fighting against the Monarchy wouldn’t do much good, but she still wanted to know. “What did Maks say?”
“He thinks it is a good idea,” Garret said. “It will let the people know we aren’t their enemies.”
Ren soon found herself nodding, and felt like a sell out when she looked to Abetha and Sheridan. Abetha bit her lip, and Ren could see the disappointment and anger in Sheridan’s eyes. Her brow was furrowed, and her hands in fists, though she quickly hid them behind her back. How pathetic Ren must have looked to cave so easily. If Sheridan were in the same position, she’d probably just ignore any advances that came from Garret or the Monarchy, or even Maks himself. But some things Garr
et had said made sense and Ren didn’t exactly have anywhere to run on the planet.
“Only considering,” Ren said. “I don’t plan on getting married or having kids for at least fifteen years.” That still sounded too close for her comfort.
“Only considering,” agreed Garret. He stood, beaming that he’d easily won the argument. “I’ll make the arrangements to start this week.”
His footsteps echoed across the books as he left, leaving a hollow feeling in Ren’s chest. One of the last things she wanted to do was going to happen multiple times, and there wasn’t any way out of it; she’d actually somehow agreed to it.
“Oh,” Garret said, not even turning around to face her, “the citizens are having a festival tonight, in your honour. I suggest you show up in royal attire. Abetha, ensure she is ready.”
“Of course, sir,” Abetha said. Her teeth clicked as her jaw snapped shut, each tooth grinding against its counterpart.
The sound of the door slamming shut behind Garret resonated against Ren’s skin.
“A festival?” Ren asked. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” She shook her head, knowing she should have expected it. With so many secrets about rebels and assassinations, why would they bother telling her about a festival?
“I was not aware until just now, my Lady,” Abetha admitted, fiddling with her hands. “My apologies; I’ve not been into the capital for so long…”
“It isn’t your fault,” Ren said. It’s mine. “I guess you’ll be joining me on these dates, huh?” Ren didn’t have to look at Sheridan to let her know Ren was talking to her.
“As Sotarian I will ensure your safety,” Sheridan replied, “no matter the cost.” The corner of her lips upturned, and Ren hoped those words were true.
Ren tried to chuckle, but it came out more as a wheeze. “How dangerous can they be? The most eligible bachelors of Novae; if this were a couple hundred years ago there would be camera crews everywhere.” Kian wasn’t so bad to talk to either; he was handsome, polite, and seemed to have a common interest in the ruins. Maybe the other Novaeans would be similar. Maybe Ren could convince him that people like Abetha were equal.
“Why?” Abetha asked.
“Oh—to record it,” Ren said.
“Ah, for future records,” she concluded, “that is very clever.”
Ren cleared her throat. “Yeah.” She didn’t have the heart to tell the girl it would have been for the drama and entertainment. She was certain Abetha already thought pretty low of Earth—she didn’t want to make it worse.
Naomi rushed into the library. “There you are,” she called. “I thought I would find you here. Did Garret already talk to you? I told him I wanted to be the one to do it.”
“About the festival or my arranged marriages?” Ren asked, getting snarky with the one person she could. She felt guilty as soon as the words left her mouth, and found she couldn’t look at Naomi easily.
“It’s just dating,” Naomi said. “No need to jump into bed with them unless you want to.” She winked, and Abetha blushed. “Now come on, Maks is letting me have a bit of time off to help you pick a dress.”
“I don’t have any dresses here,” Ren argued, “none of my things have come from Earth yet.” She was starting to think they never would, either.
“You don’t have any there, either,” Naomi quipped. “I’ve had some specially made by the Monarchy. So hurry up, I have to help Elian after this and I suspect he will be much more frustrating than you.”
Ren stood like a puppet to Naomi’s words. Sheridan watched her, and she felt like Sheridan was judging her for doing what she didn’t want to do. But Sheridan was still too unreadable—only she knew whatever she truly thought of Ren.
In Ren’s room Naomi had already laid out three dresses, each more extravagant than the last. All in silver, they were embroidered with gems of diamond and jade, and looked as if they might shatter should anyone touch them.
“I can’t wear those,” Ren declared. She felt like they were breaking under her gaze alone.
“Why not?” questioned Naomi. “They’re gorgeous and were made just for you. Perfect measurements.”
“They have diamonds in them,” Ren said. “Wait, why do you have my—”
“They are very beautiful,” Abetha breathed, staring at the gowns with starry eyes. Judging from what everyone on Novae wore, Ren imagined that these dresses were something Abetha had never seen before. They were bright and beautiful, completely contrast to the muted colours of Novae.
“The festival is for you and your family,” Naomi argued, “don’t you want to look nice?”
“Nice?” Ren repeated. “Yes. This doesn’t say nice though, this says…I’m—”
“Royalty?” Naomi finished wistfully.
“Vain,” Ren corrected with a sigh. “I’m going to have to choose one, aren’t I?”
“You’ll have to act like you’re a Princess sooner or later. Just be glad Garret doesn’t think you need lessons in manners like he does Elian.”
Ren snickered. “Everyone thinks Elian needs lessons in manners. I feel so bad for Ross.” She looked to Abetha. “Is he enjoying my brother? He must be half mad by now.”
Abetha smiled knowingly. “Ross has been very busy since your brothers arrival.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Ren approached the dresses. Naomi pointed at the one on the right and said, “I think this one would suit you very well. The jade will bring out the green in your eyes.”
Eyeing the dress, Ren decided she didn’t want to even try it on. She grabbed the one in the middle, the most plain of them all, and made her choice. “I’ll go with this one.”
Naomi cocked an eyebrow. “Of course you will. Go on then, put it on.”
Hurrying behind the divider, Ren listened as the women began to ooh and aww over the remaining dresses. Of course there was one voice missing, a voice that despite never talking Ren could easily pinpoint in a crowded room. Sheridan. Before even taking her shirt off, Ren poked her head around the divider and found her Sotarian standing by the door. She waved her hand to get Sheridan’s attention.
When Sheridan turned she raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
Ren asked, “Are you going to wear a dress?”
Sheridan’s eyebrows shot higher. “No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m Sotarian,” Sheridan answered, her words quick and sarcastic. For a moment her eyes widened and she glanced towards Abetha and Naomi, but both of them were still ogling the dresses.
Ren smiled. “You can say what you want, you know. I don’t mind.” She shrugged, enjoying the brief moment of seeing the real Sheridan. She’d known the attitude was there, but it didn’t come out much. Not unless Sheridan’s strength was questioned, at least.
“Are you done already?” Naomi asked, turning.
“Oh, no,” Ren replied. “Just a second.” Dashing back behind the divider, Ren put on the dress.
“I’m sure you will be stunning in such a beautiful dress,” Abetha said.
“Are you going to wear one?” Ren asked. There was no way Sheridan was going to slip into one of them, but Abetha might.
“Oh, I should not,” she declined. “I am your—assistant, it would not be right.”
“Do you want to wear a dress?” Naomi asked, taking the words right from Ren’s mouth.
Abetha must have nodded, because Ren never heard her say anything.
Naomi said, “Then we will find you a dress.”
The door opened and shut, and Ren took this as her chance to get a perspective on her dress. There was no mirror for her behind the divider so she needed to see the one on her vanity.
“What do you think?” Ren asked Abetha. “It feels like way too much for a festival.”
But instead of finding her assistant in her room, Ren found only Sheridan. She stared at Ren, eyes a little wider than normal, and remained silen
t. Ren stared back at Sheridan until she found the will to blink, and asked, “Where’s Abetha?”
Sheridan tore her eyes away from the dress and met Ren’s gaze. “You will attract a lot of attention in that,” she said, “Kian will enjoy it.”
Ren furrowed her brow. “I don’t care what Kian thinks of it; he wears a cape. Where’re Abetha and Naomi?”
Sheridan smirked. “They said they were getting dresses from the Advisors closet.” She stuck her nose in the air, running her tongue over her teeth as she debated something. Crossing her arms, she shook her head and let her hair fall over her shoulder. “You’re unique.”
That didn’t sound like a compliment. “Pardon?”
“You don’t ask for what you want, and you expect others to know what you want without telling them,” Sheridan said. “And you do things you don’t want to do, yet fight for what others want, even if you don’t know how.” Sheridan shrugged. “Unique.”
Wrinkling her nose, Ren thought a moment about what to say. “I try to think about the consequences first.”
Sheridan looked away first, her eyes lowering to the floor. “You won’t always have time to think, Princess.”
Ren took a deep breath, her chest puffing up. She was ready to give Sheridan a piece of her mind, but as she opened her mouth she heard Naomi’s voice drifting from down the hall. Starting an argument now with Maks’s right hand so close probably wasn’t the best idea. And now that she took another minute to think about what Sheridan had just admitted to her, she wasn’t sure what to think.
“What did you mean?” Ren asked.
An arched brow was the only response from Sheridan.
“About the dress attracting attention.”
Sheridan’s eyes drifted down the dress lazily. “I meant you look like what you are.”
Ren squinted at her. Another insult? She wanted to get the sweat off her palms but not on the dress, and ended up clasping them together. Her heart was starting to beat in her throat again.
Soon the voices were closer, and there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Ren called.
Naomi and Abetha returned, arms filled with dresses, each of them beautiful but not flashy. Naomi said, “I thought we could have a little fashion show.”
“Do I get to wear one of those?” Ren asked hopefully. As much as she liked the high waist and flowing train, it was still too flashy. She'd never be able to fit in with the Novaeans wearing so much silver; she looked like she belonged at one of the Monarchy's balls instead.
“That one looks spectacular on you,” Naomi said, dodging Ren’s questions and dashing all her hopes of wearing another dress. “These beauties are for Abetha. Here,”—she tossed the dresses on the bed next to the others and picked out a light blue sundress—“this will look lovely on you.”
Abetha patted her shirt, hands shaking after putting down her pile of dresses. “It would not be proper,” she argued. “I will be there to assist my Lady, not participate in the dancing or games.”
Ren chewed on her lower lip at the thought of dancing and games, though the archeologist inside of her was curious about the development of Novaean culture. How different was it from Earth?
“I don't mind,” Ren said, watching as Abetha eyed the blue dress. “If you want I can give you some time off while I...dance.” She tried to mask a groan and looked away, pretending to inspect herself in the vanity mirror.
“You can too,” Ren told Sheridan, meeting her reflected eyes.
She didn't say anything, and Ren took that as her promising to stay by Ren’s side the entire night. In a way it made her feel better, despite Sheridan’s demeanour and earlier comments.
Ren stroked her hand down the dress, wondering what her father might think of it. Sometimes she thought he saw anything feminine as a weakness, living in the old days when being a woman meant you were weak. Ren didn't understand it, considering Naomi was his second in command. She eyed Naomi's plain black pants and shirt, wondering if she altered her apparel to please Maks.
“Where did you get all these?” Ren asked.
“I knew they wouldn't give you much to choose from,” Naomi said, “so I brought some of my own things in case. We're about the same size.”
“You're five inches taller though.”
“Well, they'll obviously need to be hemmed.” Naomi grinned.
“Knock knock,” a voice echoed from outside. Ren looked to the open door to find Elian poking his head in, his eyes immediately going to her dress. His nose wrinkled.
“Not a word,” Ren ordered with a glare.
“I was going to say you look nice,” he countered. His eyes moved to Naomi, purposely drifting past Abetha as if she or Sheridan weren't even in the room. Ren thought it was odd, considering how he’d always blushed around her before. “You wanted me to try something on?”
“Right,” Naomi said, turning to the bed to grab the bag off the canopy rail. Ren hadn’t even noticed it before, her eyes too drawn to the dresses. “You need to wear this; it's traditional Novaean attire with just a hint of Monarchy.” She unzipped the bag to reveal a silver suit, similar to what Ren had seen some of the men wearing when they'd first arrived.
“That's a hint?” Elian questioned, taking in all the silver.
“Just change,” Naomi ordered. Abetha looked uncomfortable with Naomi's familiarity, and Ren was certain she would be getting questions about it later.
Elian rolled his eyes dramatically, and Ren snickered as he headed behind the divider.