CHAPTER NINE.
the damning war: a history.
Two hours prior.MARS WATCHED UNNERVINGLY AS KP and Murphy left the throne room, the doors closing behind them. She watched as Maragos stood from his tall throne, standing just an inch or two taller than her as he gave her a bright, white smile.
" Well, do not look so frightened, Mars Argo. " He called, waving his hand at her as he walked over to a large painting that was hung on the left side of the room, opposite a set of tall glass doors covered by a beautiful sheer curtain. " Come, let's talk like you say. "
Mars kicked herself back into reality, nearly tripping on the rug as she began walking over towards the king. She caught herself and he fortunately wasn't paying attention anyways. She hurriedly flattened her tank top and pulled at her jacket in an attempt to appear more put together while approaching the painting he was staring up at. It was huge, standing floor to ceiling, with a great deal of detailed water painting. Mainly muted colors covered the canvas, depicting a pudgy woman wearing a simple yet classy violet dress, a baby in her arms wrapped in a pale green veil. The woman had deep brown skin, and, unlike Maragos or Ekko, she didn't have any freckles on her face, but rather on her exposed collarbones. Her hair was dark and in tight curls that clung close to her head, and her smile was warm and motherly. The baby was all but swirls of brown, white, and green paint except for the full head of hair on its head and the smallest of facial features.
" Is that Ekko's mom? " Mars asked, looking up at the painting curiously. She blinked quickly when she realized that might've been stepping over a boundary, glancing over the King Maragos with an apologetic expression while hurriedly saying, " I'm sorry, that's none of my- "
" It is, yes. Quite beautiful, aren't they? " Maragos cut her off, his smile never leaving his face, but it did seem to gain a longing as he turned slowly from the painting to Mars. He chuckled quietly, lifting a hand to scratch the minimal beard on his chin as he inferred, " You are an extremely peculiar person, Mars Argo. "
" Oh, uh, " She coughed out a weak response, eyebrows knitted in confusion, " thanks, I guess? "
" It is a compliment, is it not? " He asked, looking at her as if her entire existence puzzled him. She knew she was a Ceren who wasn't all that educated on the other cultures in Andromeda, but she didn't think she seemed that out of the loop. Her father was probably a lot better at this than her. " You shouldn't apologize for your curiosity, even if sometimes it appears to be inappropriate. Curiosity is the gateway to learning and knowledge, above all, is the most valuable thing in the world. "
Mars' look of confusion dropped at that, and she made a sound of agreement, nodding her head as she placed her hands on her sides. She wanted to take his words as a greenlight to ask further questions of Ekko's mom, but she didn't want to make him talk about anything that might be a sad memory, and she also didn't want to derail too far from the important conversation at hand.
However, like the king said, curiosity is the gateway to knowledge.
" Did.. did something happen to them? " Maragos seemed unsurprised to hear that question, his golden smile still on his face as he reminisced.
" Freiya passed away a few years ago, just before your.. " His eyes dropped from her to the floor for a moment, seeing Mars flinch slightly at the mention of her father, then he continued, " She was sick, and our healers did all they could, but she was gone the moment she caught the disease. It's a miracle no one else was infected when visiting them. "
Mars found herself diverting her gaze from him back to the painting, frowning at the story. She had never heard of a disease like that, one that was practically a death sentence as soon as you got it? She didn't want to push any further details on that detail, though. However, it wasn't her that spoke next, rather Maragos kept speaking as he looked back up, sniffling quietly.

YOU ARE READING
Mars Argo & the Silver Wolf [original]
Science FictionWhat remains of the human race has migrated to the planet Ceren of the Andromeda Galaxy following a nuclear war that eradicated all inhabitable places on Earth, living amongst twelve other species of aliens. Several decades into humans - adapted lat...