I looked at Cev, and his skin glowed yellow! Mine glowed a peachy color. Ry'nao and Peshana glowed red! Our eyes glowed more than our bodies, and that made me laugh. "We all look like those toy robots with the lights in their eyes!"

Ry'nao laughed, and levitated himself. "Ah, but they can't do this! This is better than pastry fights, Cev!"

My husband got up there and waved up a fake light saber. "The battle of the Emperors! Cevitron versus Ray-no!"

The former emperor laughed too hard to wave his saber, and Cev kept passing his through him, which apparently tickled! "I shall bisect all of your angles with my geometry ray!"

But, Ry'nao recovered and blocked his saber. "Ah, but I shall send rays to my power source, and light you up like a Christmas tree!"

"I shall do it first!" A wave, and Ry'nao had colored lights all over his skin.

"Aaugh! You infected me with the Glows! Now my wife shall laugh at me when I try to recite poetry!"

"O, but poetry is the cure. Recite some. Then you will turn from evil."

Ry'nao folded his arms like the bad Emperor in Danger Service.

"O, you defeated me and I repent!

My evil bend of mind is spent!

Now I shall spend all my days

Persuading my wife to change her ways!"

Peshana floated up there and spun him around.

"What, change my ways when I am good?

I do things well as a good wife should!

I feed you when you come in starving,

And tend your enemies after your torturing!

I even clean up all the mess.

Come and help me, that's what's best!"

Then, she put out her hand and abruptly stopped him.

With an exaggerated groan, he grabbed his head.

"Which one of you said that to me?

I will be good as you want me to be."

Then, in air, he did a graceful dance with a flurry of toe-drumming. Those four-toed feet tapped out a rhythm on an unseen floor.

His wife danced, too, then she seemed to notice us watching and covered her face! But, she laughed.

"Ah, lovely Peshana, you learned a lot in class today!"

She giggled.

-- from Emperor's Wife, an unpublished story. The first chapter of Sara, Master Of Links is in 100 Days On Earth and is a rewrite of Emperor's Wife.