"Eyah, lunch with your dad, huh?" Fang sat on a padded bench, combing scented oils into her long hair and twisting parts of it into a simple braid.She fastened a few of them behind her ears with gold pins and inspected them in the mirror of the antique vanity Valen had asked to be brought up from storage. "What do you think he wants?"
Valen finished tying the belt of his fresh robes – green and black, with gold thread outlining a design of overlapping squares – and wondered himself.It had only been two days, how much did Matias expect him to have done? "I'm not sure, but if he's calling us this soon he probably has something important to tell us that can't be delivered by courier." Or he's making sure I'm doing what I promised.
"Is this going to be okay?" Fang gestured to her hair and robes. She'd picked Yena's dark wine-red robe with a black underskirt and she'd left her hair down for the most part, in an effort to look more like a Lady Courtesan with the lengths to match her station. She looked wonderful, truth be told, but if he thought about last night and how she'd kissed him, how she'd pushed into his hands and run her fingers through his hair and told him she'd take him seriously, his cock would get hard and he'd get distracted. Definitely not what I need to be thinking about right now.
"Yes, that's fine.It's just lunch, if anything we're overdressed. Which honestly is better, I think." Valen combed his hair with his claws, remembering how Fang's hands felt on his face and ears. She touched me, she kissed me until I couldn't breathe and let me ride her until I couldn't think. He huffed when he realized where his mind was taking him.
"Valen," he turned at the sound of his name in her voice, and Fang put her hand on his arm. "It's going to be okay. Whatever your dad wants, he thinks you can do it."
Valen shook his hair back. "Would that I had your confidence."
"You've got more than you think," Fang said cryptically. Valen sent her a quizzical look, but she busied herself with draping a shimmery black silk shawl around her shoulders and wouldn't meet his eyes. "Ready?"
"As much as I'm going to be." The last time he'd spoken to Matias had been when he'd exposed Tias's incredibly stupid prank, and while the repercussions on Valen's end hadn't been a total disaster he knew by the set of his father's ears that the Dragon Emperor had not been happy with any of it. The Empire had an image to uphold, thousands of years of tradition and prosperity, a rapidly-growing territory and along history of military and economic achievements that set them apart from both the mostly peaceable Dreen and the raucous, upstart Federation of planets occupied by humans. At the moment the Empire had no issue with its neighbors, but Valen was uncomfortably aware of the thin ice upon which he now walked. Valen gathered a short stack of documents and his tablet, tucking them into an inner pocket in his robes.
In Matias's office,the low table before the black marble fireplace groaned under the weight of tray upon tray of cold meats, breads, cheeses, pastries,dips and fruit. A crystal carafe of hot tea sat directly before the flames, filling the air with the scent of herbs. Matias's comfortable work chair sat across from the couch where Fang and Valen were to sit, and to Valen's annoyance Tias also sat across from them on a hard bench with a plate of nibbles in his hand. "I've instructed your brother," Matias informed Valen, "that he's not to say a single word during this appointment, only observe how adults conduct business. Until I can trust him otherwise, I thought it would be agood test of his self-control to have him sit in on these sessions and absorb before he has my permission to contribute."
Valen saw his brother's ears twitch. Serves you well.
Matias directed his attention to Fang, "Lady Lienfang, your appearance has significantly improved since we last met – I was not aware that Kitsara shops carried robes in human sizes."
Fang dipped her head politely, though she kept her eyes down out of respect for the Dragon Emperor. "The Lady Yena's loaned me a few things to wear while my, um, closet comes together."
"I see. Well, I'm certainly pleased that one of my sons involved in this debacle is acting responsibly. Good work, Valen."
Valen froze in reaching for a slice of dark bread. Good work? Did my father just say 'good work' to me? Me? He looked up from the plate of shaved roasted meat, seeking to catch his father's eye, but Matias was assembling a miniature sandwich on a platter in his lap. "I'm sure Valen has made you aware that he's contractually bound to keeping you fed and dressed, but what about his behavior? Has he been treating you well?" Valen watched Fang's face turn that pretty pink color as she sipped on her glass of water, and his tail curled as he remembered just how he'd behaved. His belly burned with fresh fire as he recalled the flood of heat that had poured from him and into her, every built-up emotion from that day and the day before when he'd been afraid to touch her released in a single magnificent cascade of relief. I'm choosing you...
Fang finished drinking and set her glass down. Then as calmly as if she was answering questions about the weather, "Yes, Your Majesty, he's been treating me extremely well. Especially yesterday after he took me to Kitsara," her eyes flicked to his before she looked across the table at Tias, "he made sure I was very well taken care of."
Tias squinted at Fang, his heavy forehead wrinkling. With his father sitting right next to him he didn't dare make a sound save for the tinkling of his many earrings and studs, but a veil of suspicion clouded his eyes and his movements slowed as he puzzled out Fang's words and tone. Valen watched, sensing his brother's frustration at not being able to speak and the sudden discomfort of sensing something very wrong with his original plan. Briefly he looked to Valen, and his yellow eyes narrowed further. Valen resisted the twitch in his cheek that threatened to curl his lip into a smile, instead taking a bite of his dark bread and offering his brother a carefully neutral look. This is fun.
Matias finished stacking his sandwich and popped it whole into his mouth. He watched Fang pick from the wide selection on the table and commented, "You like Drass food, then?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," she nodded, selecting a few vegetables from the tray and arranging them on her plate. "It's much better than protein blocks and printed meat."
"Perhaps I should speak with the Minister of Agriculture – if our people are to share colony spaces, it might behoove us as the territory hosts to provide the human population with better options." The Dragon Emperor turned to his heir, "You see, Tias, I have found a fault with the Empire and we are discussing a solution. Notice how I didn't deny that the problem exists or accuse the Lady Lienfang of lying." Tias's ears laid back along his head, submissive as Matias spoke. Valen busied himself with a few bites of fruit and soft cheese so he couldn't laugh. How long he had waited to see Tias brought low! "It's not unheard of for Dragon Emperors to make mistakes or overlook small details, but what makes them effective leaders is their ability to acknowledge their errors and work to resolve them. I am not insulted by the observation, but it is my duty to correct the problem." Valen soaked in the aura of his brother's chagrin as their father spoke to Tias as he would a child. Firemother's ashes, this is too good!
Feeling a nudge at his side Valen switched his attention to Fang, ears raised in question. She glanced at Tias again, then smiled. Looking up, Valen caught his brother's eyes darting away and noticed that Tias's plate of little pieces of bread, cheese and meat were untouched. He's watching us, he knows something's up. Fang reached forward for her glass, and when she sat back she moved closer to Valen's side and touched her shoulder to his arm. Across the table Tias's eyes widened slightly,the slightest change in the set of his ears alerting Valen to the doubt that appeared to be settling in. It was a tiny thing now, but what would happen if he, Valen, took things a little further?
He set his arm out on his thigh, his hand palm-up, and curled his thumb slightly in a beckoning gesture. Then he watched Tias's face slowly twist as Fang set her plate in her lap and brushed her fingers across his open hand. Angling his head at Fang, Valen shot another look at his brother and silently delighted in the way Tias pressed his lips together, the corners of his mouth turning down. The sensation of Fang's hand in his and the look of uncertain dread on his brother's face made Valen's twin hearts quicken. Oh, I like this. I like this very much.
"While we are on the subject," The Dragon Emperor said between bites of cold roast meat wrapped around grilled tubers, "I have a dossier prepared for you, Lady Lienfang." He sat up and reached for a packet on his desk. "These are your new papers, identity records as assembled by my public relations team – my contacts were fortunate to find birth records under the same name, that should make the transition less awkward. Valen, you will assist her in memorizing these until she can read for herself, not her tutor – I've spent quite a lot of kai to pay off the officials in charge of creating and verifying these records, see to it they remain secret."
Fang squeezed Valen's hand, her slim fingers sliding between his, and Valen squeezed back. She bowed her head and accepted the packet. "Thank you, Your Majesty. It'll be... interesting to meet this woman." She indicated the envelope.
"Hngh," Matias nodded. "I will leave the circumstances leading to your meeting my son between the two of you, I don't care what it is so long as you include some believable means for Tias's purchase of your bride-price – including the price of this cover-up, which will becoming out of your account, Tias." Tias flinched and Valen bit the inside of his cheek. You brought this on yourself. "With that out of the way, Valen – have you made your way through the files I sent you?"
Fang squeezed his hand again, but this time it felt supportive instead of fearful. Valen swallowed a mouthful of hearty dark bread topped with yangru-milk cheese and fingerberry preserves. Here it goes. He nodded and let go of Fang's hand, reaching inside his robe for the files he'd brought with him. "Not completely, but I'm most of the way through last year's minutes. I've been reading your notes as well as Tias's," he pulled up a document covered in his father's handwriting.
"Last year only?"
Shaking his head, Valen said, "I started at the beginning of the plans, to get an idea of how the colony project has evolved. I thought it would be wiser to start at the beginning than to step in halfway." His father raised a cup of tea to his lips and drank slowly, nodding. "I've had to cross-reference some of the terms, but the texts you sent are helping me understand the overall picture – Baishin was selected because it has the resources to support a colony, fresh water and good soil, stable weather patterns and a predictable cycle of seasons. In other words, similar enough to the humans' preferred environments as well as ours to be tolerable. The only major unresolved issue is where to begin settlement." Valen pulled his tablet out and pulled up a diagram of Baishin. The planet resembled Anun in some ways and Earth in others – the polar climes largely snowy or mountainous, the continents scattered with extensive waterways or large seas. About half of these were fresh water, and the larger salt seas occupied a semi-uniform band around the equator. Plenty of land mass for terrestrial farming, one of his father's notes stated, and more than enough fresh water for civilian use.
"So far, no one has stated specifically where to start building, and I'm not sure either. I'd like to talk to a civil engineer or experienced developer and run some of this by them, ask what they look for in a site and at least have one or two places I could recommend to the Federation–" His father raised his hand and Valen stopped talking.
"I will arrange it, on the condition that you finish the reading and report back to me when you have. As far as the Federation, I can't promise you access to any of their officials but if you can show me a decent proposal draft I can use my connections to suggest such a meeting. Yes, Lady Lienfang?"
Valen looked to her, surprised. She sat with an expression that suggested she had something to say: her dark brown eyes wide, her mouth tight and one hand up with one finger outstretched. "Um, sorry if I'm not supposed to speak..."
Matias inclined his huge head graciously, chains in his horns whispering as they swung forward. "On matters that affect your people, your opinion has merit. You are the expert here."
"Oh, well, um..." she gave Valen a nervous look, and he urged her on with a small nod. Remembering that Tias was there too, he extended his hand once again and offered his palm for her comfort. Fang's eyes flickered to Tias and the Dragon Emperor before she set her fingers across his; her hand trembled as she spoke but her voice was steady. "So, um, I've lived in a couple of colonies, both in space and on planets, and while stations are safe and you don't have to deal with weather, a lot of people – humans, I mean – talk more about moving to colonies that look nice. I think you'd get people to come for the colony and decide to stay if you pick a spot that has good scenery."
Glancing back to check their reactions Valen wasn't surprised to see his brother roll his eyes. Matias, on the other hand, gave Fang a careful look and considered her words for some time before he said, "Civilization does benefit greatly from a certain level of aesthetic appeal, and natural beauty contributes to higher morale and feelings of attachment. Here on Anun, our ancestors found the rugged landscapes and epic scale of its mountain ranges attractive as well as more easily defensible. Yes, I think that should be a factor in considering potential sites. I appreciate your insight, Lady Lienfang."
Fang ducked her head and she squeezed Valen's fingers again. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Her hand's trembling eased, and Valen watched her release a silent breath. She's just as nervous as I am, but she handled that beautifully. He heard a crunch, and raised his eyes to see Tias biting into a pastry with more force and teeth than were really necessary –Tias's high, broad nose-bridge wrinkled deeply between his heavy brows, his craggy forehead creased and his golden-yellow eyes narrowed at Fang. Valen glanced to his father but Matias was busy pouring himself another cup of tea, and he caught Fang's eye as she touched a napkin to her lips. A slow smile crept across her pink mouth, partially hidden by the napkin, then she busied herself with selecting a few pieces of fruit. Something brushed his leg and he found a small, pale hand on his knee. He watched Fang used small tongs to transfer a piece of fruit to her mouth, a drop of pink juice escaping to her chin. In a flash of inspiration Valen swiped it away and licked his thumb, turning when he heard a sharp breath from across the table.
Tias sat frozen, an enormous bite taken out of the pastry in his hand, his eyes moving quickly between Valen and Fang. His long, red,leaf-shaped ears quivered uncertainly, and his tail swished silently under the bench. The hand holding his plate was a tight fist on the stoneware, knuckles pink between the rough scales where skin strained against bone. A crumb dropped from the forgotten pastry in his hand and landed on Tias's spotless black robes, but the First Prince didn't seem to notice – he stared at Fang, doubt and mild horror clashing just behind his eyes. When his eyes switched back to Valen again, Valen raised his chin slowly and met his brother's gaze; he allowed the tiniest curl to touch the far edge of his mouth, imagining the sound of a tiny nagging voice starting to whisper in the back of his mind. Valen could barely resist the smirk tugging at his lips now, and settled for pressing them together to contain his glee. Eyah, not so funny when it's you, is it Tias?