Match Made in HeVan (4 page)

Malpha lay on a reclined lounger in the Queen’s Chambers. She still had trouble walking and sitting. Ben had kept her in bed for nearly two months. The only times he wasn’t inside her were when they were eating or using the cleansing chamber. When she had trouble getting wet, Ben used various oils that were made to enhance arousal. One of them was so strong, only a few drops kept her aroused and wet for hours.

Both of them had lost weight. Now that she was pregnant, the frenzy had eased off. Ben had immediately left her. She understood, he had left all his duties hanging and there was a lot for him to catch up on.

For herself, she spent all her energies trying to build back her strength. She needed her body healthy to carry the child. She sent a long communication to Glynnis and told her to share it with her granddaughters. She told her about the hasty wedding and that she had begun looking for women to send to HeVan. She also gave her a longer description of each of the council members, directing her to specific diaries and memory savers.

Even though she was pregnant, Ben still made love to her often. He said the frenzy was over but it didn’t explain his need. She didn’t think he could have fallen in love with her so quickly. The frenzy was the only reason which made sense as to his behavior, and that is what she believed.

She was lazily watching more history of the KowLer as she ate pieces of fruit and a native dish called dimplos. They were small round balls of bread stuffed with meats and spices and then fried. They were delicious and had quickly become a favorite. She used a short two-pronged utensil to pick up each dimplos or chunk of fruit. She was nodding off for a nap when there was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” she called out.

BianCa, King Ben’s sister, peeked around the door and then entered. She was wearing a cloak that covered her from head to toe. Malpha gave a fleeting thought to the weather before BianCa asked if her attendant or others were around. When Malpha told her they were alone, BianCa let out a breath and took off the cloak. Underneath she was wearing blue jeans and a silk blouse with embroidery around the shoulders.

“Where did you get those pants?” asked Malpha.

“Grace gave them to me. We’re about the same size and she can’t wear them now since her pregnancy is so far advanced. I can just barely get them buttoned myself so I’m wearing them as much as I can while I have the chance. I understand congratulations are in order for you as well?” she added with a giggle.

“I’m so happy to be pregnant. I didn’t think I could take much more pleasure. My body would give up and pass out after about four hours of lovemaking, but when I awoke, he’d still be inside me and we’d just keep on going. How is that normal? I don’t think he could have stopped if the palace caught fire,” she said in an amazed voice.

“Stop bragging. Wedded couples rarely experience the frenzy. There were only one or two hundred cases in the last five years. Since the water was poisoned and no one could get pregnant, those couples gave up and had to be put in stasis until the problem was solved. Otherwise, they would have been in bed for years. Two months is nothing. The longest recorded frenzy was eight and a half months.”

“Oh, Goddess! I would die,” said Malpha, falling back on the cushions.

“They nearly did. It was our great-great grandparents,” BianCa explained. “Of course, their child was a boy so they didn’t have to go through that again.”

Malpha was falling asleep again but BianCa’s words woke her up like a bucketful of cold water.

“What do you mean, they didn’t
have
to go through that again?” she asked, giving her sister-in-law a questioning look.

“No one knows why, but if the babe is a girl, soon after she’s weaned from the breast, the frenzy starts again until the mother is once again pregnant. It’s only after a boy child is born, the frenzy stops and doesn’t return,” BianCa took a small plate and piled it up with some fruit and dimplos, then resumed her seat.

Malpha said nothing; she was in shock. She kept remembering the words of the Seer, Cassandra.

“What’s wrong? Are you ill? Do you want me to call the healer?” BianCa asked.

“Did you happen to meet Cassandra?” Malpha asked in a soft voice.

She pushed herself into a seated position and only winced slightly at the movement. She had to take a deep breath as her chains changed position on her body. After bathing in the morning, Ben had put her choker and chains back on. It was her reminder of who she belonged to. He wanted her to always wear them except when sleeping. Her pregnancy had made her skin highly sensitive. The slightest brush against her nipples caused a rush of heat throughout her body.

BianCa gave her a strange look and then answered, “Yes, she’s a sweet girl.”

“She’s a Seer. It’s not well known because they want to protect her. She had a vision about me soon after we met.”

“Really. What did she see? It was something good, right? She didn’t see a problem?” BianCa asked, getting worried again.

In a perfectly calm and quiet voice, Malpha said, “She told me I would have twelve daughters before I gave Ben a son.”

BianCa opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She worked her jaw up and down a few times and then burst into laughter. She laughed so hard, she nearly fell out of her chair. When she finally subsided, she had to wipe tears from her eyes.

“Twelve! That means you’ll have the frenzy at least thirteen times!”

“I realize that. I’m considering breast feeding my daughters for longer than normal,” she said, causing BianCa to go off in another peal of laughter.

She was still laughing when Ben and BianCa’s husband, Thors, entered the room. They both smiled to see BianCa so happy. It had been a long time since she had any happiness in her life and she deserved it.

Malpha had risen at their entry. Thors gave her a bow and walked over to his wife. Ben pulled Malpha close and gave her a quick but thorough kiss. He ran his finger down her face, and her throat to the middle chain, slipping his finger underneath, ran it along the gems, pulling it slightly. Malpha gave a small shudder, which Ben noticed and smiled. It was as if he had just stroked her clit. Giving her another kiss, he turned and guided her back to the couch and helped her to settle on the soft cushions.

“Would you like to share your happiness, BianCa? What made you laugh so?” Ben asked, taking a seat by his wife.

He immediately offered her a choice piece of fruit. He liked the way the juices stained her lips red. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he put one arm around her and used his hand to touch her face. He couldn’t stop himself from touching and stroking her whenever she was near.

“Oh, Malpha was just giving me some news,” BianCa said with a blush.

She was still a little reticent around her brother. He had loosened up in the past four months, since the Nephilim had visited, but he could still be pompous at the oddest times.

“Malpha?” he asked, turning to her and lifting an eyebrow.

“BianCa explained how the frenzy works and I told her the Nephilim Seer foresaw that I would give you multiple female children before giving you a son,” she said, giving him a look.

He reached up with his hand and toyed with the chain nearest him.

“Multiple female children?” he asked, his eyes growing heated.

“Twelve!” blurted BianCa. “She said you’d have twelve daughters before a son was born.” Then she started giggling all over again.

Malpha gave him a speaking look before reaching over for another piece of fruit. Thors, who had trouble following the exchange, asked his wife in a low voice for an explanation. She promised to tell him later.

“Thors and I came to see if you wanted to go for a walk in the gardens but I see that BianCa is not dressed for it. So we’ll leave you to chat and the two of us will go over the design on a new interplanetary ship we’re building,” Ben said, getting to his feet.

BianCa made a face at his back before kissing her husband and sending him on his way.

“What did he mean when he said you weren’t dressed properly?” Malpha asked as she gingerly lay back down.

“It’s not the custom for KowLer women to wear pants. Children and young women are different. But married women are supposed to wear dresses all the time so their husbands can have easy access to their property. At least, that’s how my mother explained it to me. Thors doesn’t care what I wear. If he wants access, he undresses me.”

She waved a hand at her face in a fanning motion. “In fact, I can verify that pants can give a husband some wicked ideas,” she added, remembering one occasion when he’d bent her over a table and dropped her pants to her knees. She hadn’t been able to widen her legs very far and so she’d been very tight. She squeezed her legs together at the memory of that interlude.

“The method of distributing clothing was explained to me when I arrived. The Seer also said it would be me and my daughters who changed things on KowLer. I chose clothing as my first battle in this war.”

“War?” BianCa asked, her eyes growing wide.

“Yes, although there won’t be any bloodshed in this war. Instead, we will have to use other arguments and persuasions. It’s the main reason I’ve been studying the history of your world. Did you know that every time the ruling king has become more restrictive in the laws regarding women, the suicide rates have increased?” she asked.

“Truly?”

“Yes, and there is more. It is important I provide a great deal of factual evidence to your brother if there is the slightest hope of anything changing.”

“Twelve daughters should help, too. He won’t want to put his children through what I went through. He was against my marriage and would have prevented it if he could have. I think you are correct. He changed quite a bit after his time with Addie and Grace. But you will have the biggest impact on him,” said BianCa.

“I intend to wear him down. Like water dropping on a stone, I will not give up until every KowLer woman has the same rights as any man.”

BianCa could see she meant it. Since it was known, at least amongst the proctors and others in the higher echelons of the government, that Malpha had been queen over her own planet for nearly a thousand years, they had some respect for her.

“The other thing I’d like to offer the women of KowLer, is the choice of taking a husband here, and being under his thumb all her life or emigrating to HeVan and being the one in charge of their House instead.”

“I thought of it myself. The problem is, the majority of our women are uneducated, especially those who live in rural communities. Then there is the problem of the women. Many of them will be scared of change. Many are happy as they are and will speak out against you,” BianCa explained.

“It is why we must move slowly. Glynnis told me of an ancient civilization on Earth. They believed small feet were the mark of a lady. For generations, young girls had the bones in their feet broken and bound in tight wrappings, which were removed and rebound daily throughout their growing years. In effect, they crippled their female children. Millions of women suffered this painful process because it was all they knew. When the government changed their beliefs, they outlawed the foot binding. It took nearly three hundred years to stop the practice all through that country,” she said.

“That sounds horrible. At least we don’t do anything like that here,” said BianCa.

“No, what the KowLer do is much more insidious. They make the women believe they are unworthy and aren’t as smart. They are children to be taken care of,” Malpha stated.

“Well, you have my willingness to help. How shall we start?” BianCa asked.

“I am going to change into a pair of pants and then the two of us are going to take a stroll in the garden,” Malpha told her.

Later that night, Malpha and Ben were lying in the tangled sheets of the bed. After a moment, Ben got up and came back with some damp cloths. He cleaned up his wife and then put away the toys he’d been using on her. Finally, he released the restraints that held her in place for his sensual pleasures. Pulling her in to his arms, he waited for their hearts to calm.

“May I have some water?” she asked.

Without responding, he got up and walked over to where a pitcher of water and some glasses sat on a tray. Turning back to the bed, he saw the wince Malpha failed to hide as she moved into a more comfortable position.

He took a closer look at her body, worried they had overdone the passion. Her muscles were obviously stiff.

“You need to tell me if you aren’t comfortable or if you’re experiencing even the slightest pain. What we do here in our bedchamber is meant to bring only pleasure.”

Taking the glass from his hand, she drank half of the contents down before speaking. “You’ve never hurt me. My body is only a little fatigued. I’ve been using muscles in unfamiliar ways. I thought I was in good physical condition, but I guess I need more endurance.”

“I haven’t taken good enough care of you. You need a massage with healing lotions. You’re bruised and it is unacceptable. Nothing should mar your perfect skin or cause you the slightest discomfort,” he said in a worried tone.

He went over to a cupboard and took out a small unguent jar.

“Come. Roll over onto your stomach. This oil is very special. It will heal your bruising and make you more comfortable. You should have said something earlier. I saw you in the garden with BianCa and you could hardly walk.”

“You needn’t have so much pride in that fact,” she said, rolling over and causing him to smile. He began with her feet, massaging each toe.

“I heard you dismissed the royal seamstress and offered to send her to HeVan. Would you care to explain your action?” It was one of the many things he’d learned after his two months of frenzy. In another month, the women would be looking to procure new clothes for the hot season and they wouldn’t be able to.

“She is a strong woman who has been unhappy for a long time. She had dreams of a family, which were never realized. She had dreams of a profession and was forced into one of the few allowed women on KowLer. Because of her unhappiness, she became harsh with those around her and more people became unhappy,” she mumbled into the pillow. Ben had progressed to her ankles.

“Do you think she will be happy on HeVan?”

“She will have her
Ankida
to boss around and see to her every need. She will be given medical care and it will allow her to have children. If she stayed here, it would never happen,” she said on a sigh.

Ben continued the massage in silence. He had reached her thighs and it took all of his concentration to rub the unguent into her skin to heal rather than to arouse. His queen needed rest. After a while, he knew he needed another distraction so he started talking again.

“Are you planning a revolution?” he asked, half-jokingly. He knew his wife could be a formidable woman. She hadn’t done anything in the months since she arrived but he had kept her occupied. He wanted to be her lover, not her opponent. However, he was the king, the law, and she had to respect that.

“I vowed never to lie to you and I won’t. No, I’m not planning a war of blood and casualties. I am planning to persuade you to make changes, for the sake of our unborn daughters and all the other women of KowLer.”

He didn’t say anything in response. He needed to think on her words. She had said she intended to persuade him. He knew what type of persuasion he would prefer but instead of letting his mind dwell there, he kneaded her buttocks. He thought that even with persuasion, he would still make decisions based on his own judgment. Her persuasions would not have him make decisions he wouldn’t have made anyway.

As he moved over all of the muscles in her ass, thighs and groin, he decided to test her. “What is the first thing you would like to persuade me to change?” he asked.

Malpha didn’t answer him—she’d fallen asleep.

He continued his massage anyway, he didn’t want her to wake up in the morning with sore muscles. Before going to sleep, he left word that breakfast should be left in the Queen’s Lounge and they were not to be disturbed until they left their chambers.

When they were having their leisurely meal the next morning, he was happy to see her movements were once again fluid with no hints of pain. She had not yet donned her choker and chains, but he did not chastise her, as the gown she wore was more transparent than it was opaque. He kept his lust under control and resumed his questioning of the night before.

“Malpha, my love, what is the first item on your agenda of persuasion?” he asked.

It took her a moment to answer. She felt a rush of emotion at his casual endearment. “Clothing. What an individual chooses to wear should be a matter of their own choice. They should not be limited to only having replacement clothing on a set schedule.”

“By wearing clothing that covers their bodies, our women are protected,” he answered.

“In what way does this give them protection? If anything, it gives the transgressor easier access,” she retorted, remembering BianCa’s words of the day before.

“Women should not use their bodies to tempt men. It leads to trouble. I don’t believe anyone is prevented from getting new clothes whenever they feel the need. Your information must be incorrect.”

Malpha explained about the choosing of fabrics and designs and how the clothing had been allotted. It was difficult for her to keep her temper in check. It was vital that she had the king on her side. This first step was very important to her.

“Ben, are the KowLer males so weak and dishonorable the sight of a beautiful form causes them to lose all reason? How a female or male dresses has no connection to morality,” she stated.

“We wear a traditional dress that has been the same for hundreds of years. I think if people wanted a change, they would have made one,” he said.

Malpha stood and went to fetch her DRD. “I have something to show you.”

She turned on the unit and showed him a selection of historical clothing. She didn’t bother to mention the various eras represented, as that wasn’t the point.

“The mode of dress has changed plenty in times past. Is this really such a world-changing idea? I’m not asking that we tell the people what to wear or to wear something different. I’m only asking that we allow them the freedom to make choices of their own. Your people are not such children that we need to dress them; there are more important concerns.”

“I do not restrict them,” he said, though her arguments were good.

He was having trouble with his own position and it was making him angry. He remembered his words to his sister yesterday; she had been hurt by them. But he had said those words because he didn’t want BianCa held up to ridicule. No, he must not give in on this issue. Things needed to stay the way they were.

“I will think on your words. But do not expect me to change my mind. Things are fine the way they are. This is KowLer, not HeVan. You cannot expect us to change our culture to suit you. Next, you will be putting yourself above me.”

He knew his mouth had taken off and words he didn’t mean were spouting from it, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Go and put on your chains. I want you to remain in your rooms today. Don’t go out without my leave,” he added, getting up and walking away.

He needed to think and being distracted by his beautiful wife did not help him to think clearly. He wanted to take her back to his chamber and bed her until she lost consciousness again. But the frenzy had passed for now. She was pregnant with his babe and she needed her rest. He quickly dressed, sighing as he left.

Malpha lay back on the cushions, shocked and hurt. The hurt lasted for a short time only. She had been around for a long time and she knew how emotional men could be. Growing was a painful process. She would have to prepare herself to take more of his harsh words as he became enlightened. She sighed, men were such children sometimes. It was a good thing they had so many good qualities. Rising from her own chair, she went to take a bath.

Over the next two months, she made no further attempt to persuade her husband. But she did arrange for him to come across various illustrations of what his outdated policies had wrought. The most prominent was the fact that because she had not appointed a new royal seamstress, no new fabrics had been approved and distributed; no new clothing had been manufactured.

With nearly all of the female population pregnant, due to Addie’s influence, those pregnancies were advancing to the point their clothing no longer fit. More and more women were remaining home and not venturing out. They didn’t have clothes that hid their growing bust lines and bellies. Malpha spent time visiting and exploring the palace and throughout the nearby towns. She developed friendships with all the wives amongst her husband’s chief courtiers.

Finally, three months after their conversation on the subject, Ben confronted her.

“What did you do? Did you tell the women not to procure clothing on purpose?” he demanded to know.

“I did nothing,” she said.

It was the truth. By doing nothing, this situation had come about. She had been on KowLer for five months now. She was three months pregnant, BianCa was a little over four months pregnant, but the rest of the pregnant women were heading into their seventh month and their rapidly expanding figures made new clothing critical.

“Then why haven’t our females purchased the necessary clothing for their…their…” he stuttered, making a rounding gesture with his hands in front of himself.

“There are no shops for them to purchase garments. There are no fabrics available to sew garments. They have not been allowed by your law to do anything else but wait. If they act against the law, they risk reprisals and punishment. It’s easier for them to remain at home.”

“Why aren’t there fabrics and shops?” he practically yelled.

Malpha told him again about the only way a female could get clothing and of the limited choices.

“I will order garments made for everyone immediately. This was your failure, Malpha. You should have chosen a royal seamstress. Now I will have to do this for you,” he said, leaving the room.

That was when Malpha realized she would have to take more drastic measures. She went to the communicator and contacted BianCa.