LOUIS AND I sat for hours, side by side skipping through pictures on his button-coated device (which he had called a hologramicator) before the door to his bedroom slid open unexpectedly and Klaru appeared at the threshold accompanied by two Councillors. Once again, she was scowling and I had to wonder if she ever smiled - genuinely. After all, what was there to be mad about? She was fully in charge with a grand plan unfolding so I couldn't help but feel that her constant indignation seemed a little forced and unnecessary. Her hands were on her hips as she tapped her foot impatiently. 

Louis and I exchanged a glance, neither of us with a clue as to what her sudden arrival meant.

Her eyes scanned the interior thoroughly - almost as if she were expecting to find a highly detailed escape plan taped to the wall - before her eyes came to rest on my face. Her yellow irises seemed to burn right into my soul. If looks could kill, I thought. "Human," she chided, taking a small step forward as if to show her superiority. "Come with me. This instant."

I didn't move a muscle, part of me confused and the other scared at the thought of going somewhere with her alone; I'd been down that road before and I knew how it ended. As if I could trust Klaru. Go with her? Where? To do what? Something in the back of my mind told me she was going to try and stick more needles in me to try and satiate that sick pleasure she craved so much at seeing me suffer. Louis had made her promise not to hurt me in anyway so there was a possibility that her intentions weren't quite so cruel. Nevertheless, it didn't tempt me any further to get up and walk away with her. I looked to Louis again, not so much for help but approval. I would only go if he deemed it alright to do so. He knew the woman better than I and what she was capable of. Louis' gaze slowly darted between the three newcomers before back to my face, a solemn expression cast upon his features; he was unsure. 

"Why just Flora?" he inquired, sitting up a little straighter. He lifted his finger off of the hologramicator and the image of a younger Louis smiling widely folded in on itself, disappearing from sight. "Why not me as well?"

"You shall have your turn," Klaru promised. "I wish to speak to you both in private."

"What could you possible want to discuss with me that we haven't already covered?" I urged. There was nothing new she could tell Louis or myself that would be of any interest and I swivelled round in my seat to face her, flicking a strand of hair from my face. "You should know that whatever you tell us individually won't make a difference because as soon as we arrive back here we're just gonna share what you've said."

That seemed to aggravate her, a small triumphant grin creeping on to my lips. Good, be annoyed and understand just how irritating humans can be, I thought to myself. 

"I dare say you are correct." She spoke so coldly I felt a shiver run down my spine. "In that case, I do believe I shall have to reschedule. In an hour you will both be escorted to the dining hall. I suppose you should both eat well to ensure you have a healthy enough appearance for when we land. Wouldn't want the authorities to question why the Prince looks half-starved."

"Maybe because it's the truth?" Louis snapped.

"There shall come a time, Loudrix, where you won't be able to make smarts comebacks," Klaru seethed. I could practically see the smoke billowing from her ears. "And I shall be the one to make sure of that."

Louis stuck out his chin stubbornly and said, "We'll see."

"Yes, we will," she hit back, crossing her arms across her chest. With one final glance around, she repeated, "You will be escorted in an hour's time for edibles. Do try and ... clean yourselves up." Her eyes seemed to linger on me longer than Louis and I just glared at the bítch as she turned on her heel and strutted away, the Councillors slamming the doors shut her behind her. 

Louis and I were silent for a moment, her words sinking in. She had actually found the time to reach inside the bottomless pit that was her heart to find some consideration and feed us properly. How sweet. I wanted to say I was excited to sit down to some 'proper' food but then I remembered that it wouldn't exactly be a roast turkey dinner. Alien delicacies would have to be something I got used to. 

"I don't like this," I said to Louis. "She's up to something."

"Yeah, she sure it," Louis muttered, tapping me on the shoulder. "We don't have a choice though. I'll show you how the shower works."

Shower? My interest was piqued and I could have dropped to my knees and started bawling my eyes out because I had never been so disgustingly filthy in my life. My clothes reeked of sweat and filth and I dreaded to see what my reflection looked like as Louis took my hand and guided me to the door at the other end of the room. With a twist of the golden knob, he tugged me into a lavish en suite which was gorgeously finished with blue walls, a white polished floor and ... no bathtub or shower head in sight. 

"Where's the shower then?" 

"You're so impatient," he huffed, dropping my hand and moving over to the far corner of the room. There was a small raised area near the back of the room with blue tiles and three buttons on the wall - one large, one medium and one small. "This area here," he began, pointing out the blue area, "is the shower area. It's not a shower like yours though, it's more like a ... um, pressure washer."

My eyes widened at his words. You're gonna die, I thought. "Seems terrifying," I voiced, frowning at Loudrix.

"No, it's honestly fine, I - tell you what I'll demonstrate." Before I could ask what he meant, he was tugging his clothes off. 

"Louis!" I cried, looking away to give him some privacy. Sure, I'd seem him in the nude before and it hadn't exactly been awkward but that didn't mean I was desperate to see him naked again any time soon. "I think I'll figure it out myself thanks, I don't need you to strip for me. God."

He paused for a moment and flushed, seemingly aware only then while standing shirtless and with his trousers around his ankles, what he had been doing. I could only laugh as he awkwardly pulled them back up, bending down to retrieve his T-shirt from the floor. 

That's when I noticed how thin he was. It shocked me so much to see how much weight he'd lost in the last few weeks, since we'd first discovered he was being targeted by the Councillors, that my hands came up to cover my mouth in horror. When I'd first met him he'd had just enough meat on him to be considered hunky - now I could see his ribs and spine protruding from under his pale skin. He looked unhealthy, sick even.

"What's wrong?" he asked after focusing on me again, smoothing out the creases in his T-shirt. He flashed me a worried grimace as if he didn't know himself. Was he aware what he looked like? Surely he'd seen how much of an impact the whole thing had had on him? "Flora, what is it?" 

"You..." I started, shaking my head in disbelief.

He stepped over to me and gently pulled my hands away from my mouth, repeating his question again before hugging me close. His embrace eased my worry momentarily but as soon as I wrapped my arms around his back and my fingers made contact with his bony figure I shuddered and pulled away.

"Look at what this has done to you!" I cried, raising my hands to his torso as if to prove my point further. "This has taken a much bigger toll on you that you've let on, Louis! All the pain and worry has made you look ill!This is horrible," I trailed off, looking the other way. I couldn't stand to see him look so weak. Thank God he wasn't emotionally drained.

"Flora, I've always been rather lean," he promised, resting a hand on my shoulder. "And perhaps I decided to start an extreme diet while on Earth and decided not to tell you?" I could tell he was trying to make me laugh and it was unfortunately working - I found myself smiling at his words against my better judgement but it still didn't erase the worry at seeing how much he had deteriorated since first arriving. How had I not noticed it sooner?

"I know what you're doing," I stated, turning and forcing a small smile. "I'm just worried about you."

He scoffed like I'd said the most stupidest thing in the world and took me carefully by the shoulders. "You're worried about me?! Have you seen yourself, Flora? Forget about me right now and let's get you sorted out - you're filthy!"

So he has noticed, I solemnly thought as I hung my head shamefully. He went on to explain how the 'shower' worked, describing how the three buttons triggered different temperatures (which I'd worked out for myself) and that vents would open in the floor to allow the water somewhere to run. He also mentioned not to panic when the water hosed down from a hidden contraption in the ceiling. He gave me a reassuring nod before asking if I would be alright.

"Stay at the door in case I need help?" I asked and he nodded. "Also, is there no shower curtain or something? Do I have to stand in the middle of the room butt naked?"

Louis seemed confused. "Um, yeah? That's what you do in a shower, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but with a little more privacy," I muttered as he left the room. 

After successfully managing to shower and dry myself off without breaking an arm or a leg, I called Louis in for his turn. When he asked how I'd fared after the experience I just told him, 'terrifically.' He just nodded and swirled round to make his way into the bathroom, chuckling at the obvious lie. It had been an experience to say the least. The one time I'd been looking forward to a shower and it had been spoiled by the unfamiliarity of extra-terrestrial gadgets. 

And of course Louis made it look easy; he strolled back into his bedroom not long after, wet-haired and fresh with a triumphant looking grin plastered across his mouth. I must have been in there for a good fifteen minutes compared to him and I could only scowl as he gave me a cheeky thumbs up. He knew how I felt - everything around me was foreign, alien to me just like it was for him when he'd landed on Earth. 

"You'll learn to love it eventually," he promised, ruffling my damp hair.

"We'll see."

About fifteen minutes later there was a knock at the door and Norkar entered with that stony expression he often wore. This time he was alone, so as soon as he shut the doors he marched over to us and instantly began reciting what he had heard the other Councillors and Klaru herself talking about throughout the day. He only conveyed the rumours he'd overheard but the more I thought about it I realised that he was probably right. 

"She's planning to tell us everything?" Louis repeated, sounding rather unsure at Norkar's words.

The Councillor nodded, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "I'm here to escort you to the dining hall but I thought I'd leave earlier to make it clear as to what she has in mind. I have heard nothing of her grand scheme yet, it seems that the princess has decided to keep it solely to herself. I do believe she had intended to tell the Earthling alone so as to make you unaware of any future events, my prince."

"Why would she do that? She seemed thrilled at the idea of telling us what was going to happen," I pointed out.

Louis looked to me over his shoulder and said, "It would be to stop me doing something stupid in retaliation. If you alone were to know what tricks she had up her sleeve, I would not be able to act irrationally when first hearing them because she knows I would never let anything happen to you. Perhaps she thinks that if we were to both know, we would come up with some sort of way to humiliate her and throw it back in her face?"

"Like rebel against her," I finalised. "Well, why would she change her mind and agree to see us both of she's so scared of a possible retaliation?"

Norkar cleared his throat. "I believe the lady would like to make it one-hundred percent clear that if either of you do anything to foil her plans, there shall be consequences. Severe consequences."

No shit, I wanted to say but the time wasn't right. I preferred to keep my arrogant comments for Klaru because it was so amusing to see her with her knickers in a twist. The mere thought of that back-stabbing woman made my teeth grit. To go from hearing Louis' never ending praise about her to then meeting her for the real person she was had been the biggest surprise during my time in the alien world. To begin with, when she had been nothing but a sweet wife-to-be, I'd thought first meeting her would be after helping Louis return home, where she'd hug me and thank me and then reward me with some sort of medal. I certainly didn't imagine I'd be stuck as her prisoner and as the only source of blackmail against the prince himself.

"I really hate that woman," I found myself saying aloud. 

Louis just laughed and nodded. "As do I, Flora. But we must see this through until we get to Junito. With any luck, when we return there everything shall be alright."

"Apart from the fact she wants you dead," I reminded him and he just shrugged as if his life were unimportant.

"She can't kill me now that everyone at home knows I'm alive," he promised, patting my shoulder gently. "To be honest, I think she'd rather keep me alive because I have such an amazing personality."

"You're right there."

"If I may interrupt," Norkar spoke suddenly, his eyes darting between us, "I believe we should be preparing to head on over. If we keep the lady waiting any longer all three of us may be killed."

With that we left, Louis and I still wearing our dirty clothes and wondering what kind of hell Klaru was about to reign down on us. I wouldn't have been surprised if she were about to announce my execution right there on the dining table. 

Norkar walked behind us in silence with a hand resting on each of our shoulders, his grip just tight enough to remind us that while we were together as a trio, he was the boss. It wasn't an awkward silence, more like a safety silence - he had confided in us that it would be best for no contact outside a safe room to occur in case of detection. The last thing we needed was to lose our only source of help. But is he on our side? I was still in two minds about whether to trust him or not. Louis and I hadn't discussed the matter further but I knew he felt the exact same way. The Councillor led us down the white corridor leading away from the ship's main door, swerving to the left before announcing the next right was the correct way. 

We ended up standing before two large gold doors, much like the ones to Louis' room. On either side were two Councillors standing guard, shining that brilliantly evil colour of scarlet. I had to double-take when passing the one on the left - the woman I'd slapped earlier. She seemed to glare at me just as much as I to her, something I had been expecting whenever we'd have the misfortune of bumping into each other again. 

"Stop your glaring," Louis scolded, flashing a grin at her. That seemed to irk her further for she turned her head and looked the other way. I just snorted and turned to face the door as the two of them opened it for us. 

Inside was beautiful - a vast silver and white room with a high, intricately-detailed ceiling. The carvings almost  resembled a scene from one of those Italian Renaissance paintings though very different in what was featured; Junites among several interesting looking creatures which I could only assume were the animals of Junito. It made me wonder what the Junites thought of art - did they have such a thing? Were there painters and builders and others who were known for a talent? Besides the heavily detailed ceiling, the room itself was pretty bland. There was a long table situated up the centre of the floor while several others had been stacked off to the side. At the top of the table sat Klaru. 

"Where's the crew?" Louis demanded as soon as the doors shut behind us. He shrugged off Norkar's grip and marched up to where Klaru was sitting at the top of the table. In an instant, he slammed his hands down on the table beside where Klaru sat and the bitch didn't even bat an eyelash. 

"If you're quite finished, Loudrix, then I would like you to be seated. And you, Earthling." 

It took me a moment to realise she was talking to me so I marched right on over to where Louis was and sat opposite him so the three of us sat in a triangular formation. I would have sat next to Louis if I hadn't been so intrigued to his expressions as she spoke to us about whatever the hell it was she wanted to speak about. We were clueless still as Norkar retreated to the door and asked, "Is there anything you would like before I leave, my lady?"

"That will be all. Leave us," she commanded. 

The echo of the large doors closing seemed to bounce around the room for ever after Norkar had left us all alone. Klaru didn't say a word to begin with, like she were waiting for one of us to break the ice. Louis and I exchanged a few glances from time to time, silently debating whether or not to cave; she had been the one to call the meeting and therefore she should be the rightful one to begin the conversation. If a conversation was all that was happening. 

Klaru moved like a panther; steady, graceful and absolutely fearless. It struck me as odd considering she had been brave enough to lock herself in a room with the two people who hated her the most. Part of me wondered what would happen if I were to lift the knife from the table and stab her. Would the Councillors come rushing in from all directions and force a Striking Blade through my heart? Most likely, said the voice in my head. I wouldn't chance such a foolish manoeuvre and especially when Louis' life was in my hands just as much as mine was in his. 

With a clear of the throat, and a slow almost elegant sip from her glass, she finally cut the silence. "You're probably wondering why you're both here."

"As opposed to just I alone?" I asked.

"Yeah," Louis added. 

With a glare at us both, she continued. As usual she spoke in that sickly-sweet manner that would make you want to vomit. "Oh, my dear friends, don't be smart with me or there shall be severe consequences. Not just for the one who irks me the most, but the other too. You are both playing on the same team and I wouldn't want to have to deal out punishments only a few days away from Junito."

"Punishments?" I scoffed, unable to help myself despite her threat. "Haven't you punished us enough as it is?"

"I second Flora's remark," Louis concluded. He flashed me a small grin; it meant, I'm always going to back you up. 

Klaru inhaled so sharply I heard the air whistle through her nostrils. Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair and I saw her hands slowly ball into fists on the table. "You have both been summoned today because I am going to tell you both exactly what is going to happen when we land the Mothership. Recite to me what you are aware of thus far," she demanded, turning to Louis first.

He sat slouched slightly in his seat like the whole meeting were a game. If only it was. "You are holding myself - the crowned Prince of Junito - and my dearest friend captive with the intention of using us as pawns for your almighty plan of one day ruling Junito. Though, what you think is working will not in the end. Why? Because it has already become known back on Junito that I am very safe and well ... so therefore leaving Flora and I very interested in what exactly you intend to do with us when the ship lands."

I then continued with: "Though both of us are keeping in mind that if Louis does anything  to disobey you - I die. And vice-versa though there really isn't anything I could do to foil your grand scheme because I have absolutely no clue about anything on this ship and Louis' life is more valuable than mine so it's not like you're going to kill him. Most likely you'll punish him in some way by hurting me because you know of our friendship."

"Your friendship is the most important thing in making my plan work. It's not something you can fake or play - you either genuinely get along with somebody or you do not. It is clear to me that you both possess strong feelings for one another. Which is why I am telling you both right now that you are correct. You are right about me hurting you if the other is to purposely disobey me or try to act against me in even the slightest manner." Klaru stood to her feet lithely, as if she were preparing to pounce. Her arms were raised and she unexpectedly clapped her hands twice. Seconds later a door opened and several of Louis' crew were wheeling in trays of food. 

The only time I get to dine with a prince and princess - right when I'm being held captive and wondering if it will be my last meal. Brilliant.

I wanted to enjoy the food more than I did but considering the unfortunate and scary circumstances, I could barely manage half a plate without feeling my stomach churn unpleasantly. Whatever the hell the sticky red meat had been - it had been damn tasty. I'd have to ask Louis when we returned to his room what it was.

During the meal, Klaru was the only one who spoke to us, neither of us to her. She made small talk, discussing how interesting it was to finally be able to feel like a true leader and how wonderful it was to be able to have the Royal's chambers to sleep in.

"That is my parents room!" Louis had shouted, infuriated with her. He'd slammed his fork on the table so hard it bounced right out his hand and clattered to the floor. "How dare you?! Who the fúck do you think you are?!"

Damn, you're hot when you're mad, I found myself thinking.

Klaru sat unfazed yet again. "I am a royal, yes? Therefore I get to sleep in a royal lounge."

"A chamber for a king and queen," Louis sneered, leaning forward so his face was inches from hers. She could most likely feel his breath on her face. "You are in no way even worthy of such a title."

A frown, tilt of the head, giggle, smile and then a kiss. In that order. Louis clearly hadn't been expecting it, neither had I but Klaru sat cackling away as Louis sat there stunned, turning to look to me for help. But what could I do? How do you help someone when you have no clue what the problem is that you're trying to solve? She'd kissed him and ... nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

She was manipulative, desperate to get in our heads. Had she kissed him to throw him off, to distract him from something? Maybe to get to me because she thought our friendship was perhaps more than just platonic? Whatever the reason, she'd earned a stunned Louis and even more baffled me.

Trying to ease the awkwardness for Louis but also piss her off at the same time, I chipped in. "Stealing a kiss from your superior? Dick move."

She stood up so fast I jumped. "I am not inferior! I am not!" she shrieked, slamming her hands on the table like Louis had earlier. "We are both royals! And royals are all the same rank!"

"No, they're not!" Louis yelled. I'd never heard him shout so loudly before and it took me by surprise for a moment. Suddenly the evil Louis from my dream flashed before me and I shuddered as I watched him shout at Klaru, the things he'd said to me echoing around in my mind. "You're the most inferior Junite in existence! You have the audacity to call yourself a royal when all you do is squander your title for a rank that shall never be yours! You cannot just take what you want. You love. You trust. And you always earn. You do not just get handed things."

I just sat for five minutes and listened to the pair of them bickering. Normally I would have stepped in with some sort of witty comment but this was their fight - they were both the royals after all and they were arguing about the crown. Obviously I was on Louis' side and we all knew it. I just kept it to myself as the shouting got louder and louder. At one point, the kitchen staff were brave enough to stick their heads through the door to listen. 

And that's when I saw her. Bu.

Louis and Klaru were forgotten when I saw the crew member, my curiosity getting the better of me as I pondered whether going to speak to her was a good idea. Probably not and especially  when I wanted to know about Jason. It appeared that Klaru had no idea about his place on the ship and I wanted to keep it that way. As soon as Bu's shaven head turned and saw me sitting at the table her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. She cautiously waved at me and gave me a thumbs up. I couldn't make up my mind if that meant Jason was OK or if I was doing a good job sitting in silence. I just smiled back and returned the hand gesture, hoping to God that it meant Jason was alive and well.

"You were never fit to be king anyway!" Klaru yelled at Louis, narrowing her eyes into slits. "You were just going to be off on pathetic missions all the time and leave the kingdom defenceless because you are so far up your own backside to see what truly matters!"

"And you think that you would be a wise queen?" Louis retorted, chuckling at the thought. "Hell, the entire planet would die on your first day in throne." 

"I hardly think so. If anything, it would thrive with the fact that the Queen knows what she's actually doing. You do not know what will benefit our people anymore than you know just what her kind are capable of!" She jutted a finger in my direction to stress her point. Louis looked to me as if he wondered how dangerous I could be and it hurt my feelings more than it should have. Was he actually considering that she was right? Sure, humans could be evil but not every single person. I wasn't a violent person, not unless I needed to be, so for her to sit there and judge me based on my entire species wasn't just. 

"If you took the time to know her, you would realise how foolish you sound right now," Louis spat. "You cannot judge a person before you get to know them, nor can you determine what sort of person they are based on a majority of race."

"Oh, but you can. Do you not remember the stories we were told as children? The wars, the poverty, the complete lack of equality! How can you be interested in a planet so full of scum!"

"Jesus Christ, the last War was about seventy years ago!" I cried, joining them both in standing. "Yes, we're not perfect but we're fucking working on things like poverty and equality. Hell, these things take time you stupid bitch! Not every problem can be fixed with the push of a button."

She was livid, her flaring nostrils alone were conclusive proof. She hit the table once again and demanded we both sit down or she'd call for the both of us to be put in separate rooms and punished. My dream of missing fingers came to mind and I was the first one to sit down, Louis following closely after. Klaru remained on her feet however, glaring back and forth between us.

"I am sick of the both of you thinking you have a chance of beating me. This is already over for you both! There is no choice for you but to follow me and my rules! This is my time! Neither of you shall take that from me, no matter how hard you try. You are outnumbered, I have the crew and their loyalty, I have the Council and their mutual wish to see you perish, Loudrix. This is all for me. Us, the good of Junito. Can't you see I am doing the planet a favour?!" Her shrill voice pierced my ears and I had to look away so I could roll my eyes. She was delusional, psychotic. If she thought killing the heir to the throne was going to erase the curiosity of an outside world, she was wrong. 

"You're crazy," Louis finally said. He sounded tired, the arguing having finally taken a toll on him. It must have been frustrating trying to talk sense into a total nut-job. "I'm done arguing with you, Klaru. Do what you want with me, I don't care anymore."

My heart broke at his words. Was he giving up? Had he finally come to the conclusion that there was nothing more to be done and Klaru was going to have it all in the end? I kept my mouth shut despite wanting to desperately shout out how he couldn't do such a thing, he couldn't give up on his dreams, his ambitions, the future of Junito and his life. If he surrendered to her, it would all be over and there was no going back.

Klaru took a deep breath and sat back down, looking to Louis as she asked, "Are you calling an immediate surrender?"

I looked to Louis frantically. I wanted to say so many things to him - I wanted to tell him no, he couldn't and that no matter what, he should keep fighting for what is right. I'd never heard him speak of giving up. That there was a slight chance of rebelling, yes, but not giving up completely. That was quitters talk and Prince Loudrix was not a quitter. Not in my eyes.

"I-" Louis began but I cut him off.

"You told me you would change nothing." I sat stiffly in my seat, my voice trembling. I didn't want him to see me cry again but my eyes were already tearing up. I couldn't see him quit and I sure as hell couldn't see him die. "You said you'd change nothing about this adventure despite how life-threatening."

A moment of silence washed over us as he absorbed my words. Something flickered behind his eyes - realisation that I was right and the mere thought of surrender was foolish? I certainly hoped so. He sat back in his seat, running his hands over his face as he determined. 

"I do not have all day-" Klaru started.

"No." 

"What?" Klaru snapped.

"I said no. I'm not surrendering anything, Klaru. I am here to listen to what you have to say so I suggest you get on with it."

"To what I have to say?" she wondered aloud, confusion clouding her features for a moment. "Ah, yes."

"I want no more arguments from here on out. We may be your captives but without our cooperation, you're ruined. So if you listen to us as much as we do to you, this will work much better."

"Alright then," she finally agreed, nodding curtly. Perhaps she wasn't as stupid as I'd thought? "I'll cooperate as long as you do - both of you." She sent me a sharp look and I just nodded, going along with Louis' words. "However, I'd advise you to get used to the arguing, Loudrix, because there shall be much more of it to come after the wedding."

Louis frowned. "Wedding? What wedding?"

"That's why I called upon you both this evening. I'm telling you that I've finally decided on what shall occur when we return home. As you so kindly pointed out earlier, Loudrix, everyone back home is aware of your current status. You are safe and alive. But what they don't know is that you invited me along to the trip as an early wedding present."

"But there is to be no wedding," Louis spoke slowly, shaking his head. "Why would I ever even consider marrying you after all of this?"

"Two reasons. One; you and I have been betrothed for years, and despite what you know about me and my true intentions, nobody else does. Therefore they expect a wedding back home and soon. Two; if you do not marry me and grant me access to the throne I will kill her as soon as the ship lands."

Louis' eyes darted to me, his fingers tapping his chin thoughtfully. "If you kill her then you have no leverage. Flora is the only reason I'm willing to go along with your plan so far."

Klaru raised a brow. "And what of your crew, Loudrix? If your human friend is gone, I will move onto your crew. You are not as tough as you make out, my prince. If anyone were to be hurt because of your poor decisions,  you'd never forgive yourself."

Klaru knew she was right for Louis' eyes narrowed at her. He was stumped, as was I. "So you're trying to extort a wedding out of me just to give you an open door to the throne? You think I'd allow that?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, because if not, she dies."

I should have been more afraid than I was but for some reason I trusted Louis with all my being and I knew he'd never put me in harms way.  Klaru was cunning and she knew it too. Sadly.

"Do you really expect us to get married and live a long happy life? You can't possibly be that demented." Louis chuckled loudly, shaking his head with a disbelieving smile. "You assume wrong, dear."

"Then she dies if you do not follow through with my plans. It will go like so - land on Junito, be welcomed arm-in-arm by the public where you shall unexpectedly drop to a knee and propose, officially announcing we are to be married shortly after. From there on out, the kingdom shall rejoice in a week long celebration. Then and only then, once we are wed, shall I let your pet go."

"I'm not a pet," I snapped. "And you guys propose like we do? Interesting."

Klaru ignored me. "Do we have an agreement? You carry out the part of the happy husband and I the wife, all the while your human can reside in your quarters as to not raise any ruckus. Wouldn't want anybody to see her or else everything would go down hill."

"How can I be certain you shall not harm her?" Louis questioned. "I need your word."

"My word is all yours, my prince.  As long as I have yours." She smiled sweetly, too sweetly, like she had another trick up her sleeve. It was like she wasn't telling us something, something key to the whole scheme she was ever so pleased with. I didn't ask though because I was sick and tired of the bickering. I just wanted to go home at this point, having seen Junito or not.

Truthfully, I was missing home. Finally I was able to truly sympathise with Louis and how he must have felt during his time away from home. He had missed his family and friends dearly and the little things like the food and his bed. I was beginning to feel the same way, wishing for nothing more than a cup of tea and the comfort of my own home. Clean clothes was what I longed for most. 

"Can I ask something completely out of subject?" I butted in just as Klaru was about to go off on a rant about how she would make a great queen - again. "Can I please have some clean clothes? I don't care what they are, just something that doesn't smell of alcohol, sweat and mud."

Louis and Klaru just looked at me in silence and for the first time, she said something that wasn't insulting or pompous. "Of course. It shall be arranged right after dinner."

"Thank you," I whispered, rubbing my eyes in hopes of stirring myself a little. It felt like hours we'd been sitting there and I was beginning to feel weary, most likely from all the fighting and my lack of appetite. I knew I'd grow to love the Junite menu but things were all to hectic for me to sit and enjoy my meal.

"You have a deal as long you do not harm anyone I love," Louis spoke all of a sudden. "I will agree to the marriage, follow your rules and conditions if you follow mine. A bargain only works if both are willing to commit."

"I am very well aware of that," Klaru said. "As long as I end up on the throne, you by my side in reluctance or acceptance, I do not care. We shall rule Junito side by side and you shall end this dream of bringing human communications into our home."

"All of this," Louis began in a hushed tone, "just to make sure my research goes no further? All of this so you can be Queen and not allow my team and I to open the possibilities to our people." He shook his head. "Fine."

"You agree?" Klaru pondered verification. 

With a moment of slight hesitation and a look in my direction, he said, "I do."

"Excellent, then we're done here," Klaru concluded. "Pleasure doing business with you, Loudrix. And I just want you to know that you're doing your people an enormous favour."

Louis stood from his seat and leaned closer so their faces were almost touching. I wondered if she'd try and kiss him again but she seemed a little surprised at his bold movement. Klaru thought she'd had the last word. "If you think my marrying you is doing anyone but yourself a favour, then you are very wrong. It shall benefit nobody but yourself and your own twisted delusions."

And with that, he turned and walked away from the table towards the golden doors, stopping once to hold his hand out towards me. I was quick to leave my chair and rush to his side, glancing at Klaru one last time before Norkar was escorting us back to Louis' room.

She raised her glass to me before the doors closed, her yellow eyes haunting me even as I fell asleep.

Thank you all for reading, as usual! I can't even begin to thank you for your support in the comments of last chapter concerning my dad and his condition. Thank you so much.

Also, I'm going to be entering Alien into the Watty Awards again this year, so I'll keep you posted on that if you wanna help! 

Space joke: What did the alien say to the cow? I'm going to mootilate you!

Cazza