Starcrossed

Chapter 17a: Rigel (part 1)

Chapter 17 (part 1)

Rigel (RY-jel): Orion's left foot

Wow. Happy birthday to me.

The second the door shuts behind M and the O'Garas, I shake Grandfather's hand off my shoulder.

"Is this how it's going to be now? I can't even say goodnight to M? Will you homeschool me, too, so I can't see her at all?"

"Of course not, Rigel," my father says. "Nothing needs to change that drastically. Does it?" He directs the question at Allister, which pisses me off even more.

"We can't have the boy interfering with affairs of state. This pairing will go a long way toward reassuring those who question the suitability of a Sovereign raised on Earth."

"Pairing?" I explode. "So much for just friends."

"Precisely what do you have in mind, Allister?" my mother asks before I can continue. She doesn't look happy either. "M—and Sean—are far too young for pairing, as you yourself admitted. Even if they were so inclined."

Allister puts on his usual, superior look. "Not to worry, Ariel. I simply meant what I stated earlier—that the Princess and my nephew will spend time together, as they would have on Mars had Faxon never existed. As our Sovereigns' heirs and their Consorts have always done. Why does this come as such a surprise to everyone?"

I swing around to face my parents and grandfather. "Did you know? That M would be expected to—"

Mom cuts me off again. "We didn't know until tonight, Rigel. Not about Sean. Sovereigns have always been expected to make certain alliances of course, and we did worry that could pose a problem eventually. But Allister never mentioned that his own nephew was the one intended for her. Rather a glaring oversight, I can't help thinking." She narrows her eyes at Allister. I'm glad I'm not the only one pissed at him.

"I didn't want to alarm the Princess or prejudice her against her destined Consort by an injudicious word, and I felt certain that anything I shared with any of you would quickly reach her ears. I wanted to explain the importance of the pairing to her before that could happen."

"You seem to have failed in that goal rather spectacularly, Allister," my grandfather says, the lines in his face deepening with disapproval. "Perhaps had you ever raised children of your own, you might have handled this better."

Allister just waves a hand in the air. "No doubt the O'Garas will soothe any ruffled feelings. I saw more to lose than to gain by waiting. Already, this boy has wormed his way into her affections to an alarming degree."

"Wormed—!" I turn to glare at my grandfather. "I shouldn't have let you stop me."

"Of course we had to stop you, Rigel," my mother says. "Once you calm down, you'll realize why. You may even thank us eventually."

"Thank you for what? For making me stand by while you let these people screw up M's life almost as much as Faxon would have?" Now I'm glaring at all of them.

My grandfather shakes his head at me. "No, Rigel. For preventing you from doing something both you and Emileia would doubtless have regretted for the rest of your lives. Think of the burden you would have placed on her shoulders, along with your own."

He looks into my eyes and makes me really listen to what he's saying. I hate when he does that and I especially hate it now. Because much as I don't want to admit it, I know he's right. I could tell M didn't really want to zap Allister. She felt reluctant, even shocked, when I "suggested" it. After a couple seconds I manage to yank my gaze away from Grandfather's, shrugging rather than admit anything.

"Will one of you please explain what you're talking about?" Allister sounds peevish. "If the boy threatened to harm me in some way, he should surely be evaluated for mental stability before he is allowed near the Princess again."

Grandfather gives Allister one of his patient looks. "Did you hear a threat, Allister?" he asks mildly, like he himself didn't just accuse me of exactly that.

Allister frowns, looking back and forth between my grandfather and my parents. "No, but you all spoke as though—"

"For a moment, I believe Rigel may have been tempted to, ah, demonstrate the strength of the bond he shares with Emileia," my grandfather calmly explains. "The setting seemed inappropriate, however, so we discouraged him from doing so."

"Bonds again! Are all of you so credulous as to buy into what is clearly a teenage fantasy? Or are you merely cognizant of the effect on your family's status, should your grandson form an alliance with the Sovereign? I would hate to think such worldly considerations could sway your judgement on a matter so important to our people."

"Our people!" I blurt out, tired of his posturing. "What about M, and what's good for her? Does that even matter to you?"

"The good of the Sovereign and the good of our people are one and the same," he says, more pompous than ever.

I can't help rolling my eyes. "You can't even think of her as a person, can you? To you, she's just a . . . a chess piece you want to manipulate. But if she's really the Sovereign, she should have final say in pretty much everything, shouldn't she?"

Allister looks down his nose at me like I'm a bug or something—though he has to tilt his head back to do it, since I'm taller than he is. "Eventually, she will. But it is imperative that before she takes up her authority she be thoroughly educated in the intricacies of Nuathan politics and her own duties."

Duties that apparently include her hooking up with Sean.

"So what she wants doesn't matter at all?"

Instead of answering me, he turns to my parents and grandfather. "I've told you repeatedly, the boy has been allowed too much freedom and far too much access to the Princess. If he has convinced her that they share a graell bond, it is likely he means to persuade her to an intimacy she is by no means ready for—if he has not done so already. Such an egregious act could seriously undermine a delicate political situation, as well as centuries of—"

"Allister!" my mother snaps, startling me—and everyone else as well. "It is clear you cannot be expected to share a roof with someone you are determined to mistrust so thoroughly, nor will I stand by any longer while you insult my son. I think it best if you spend the remainder of your time in Jewel elsewhere."

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