Jaisyl

Jaisyl Reh’unn half-listened to her father and mother discussing her behaviour yet again. It was all so… stupid. She was a princess, for crying out loud - her job was to look pretty, smile sweetly, and then get married to someone influential who would proceed to pump her full of suitably strong heirs that could then support her brothers in whatever their branch of the family aimed to accomplish once their father surrendered his throne.

That was the plan, so why did she need to be ‘considerate of her station’ or ‘think on the will of the people’? As far as Jaisyl could see, the people mostly willed for parliament to be obstinate, and her station was all about keeping herself ready for her eventual husband.

She’d not exactly done well today though. Her mother had been trying to get her to read some paper or other on the rights of the other species in the empire, and she’d argued about it. For all the fancy language about them not being an empire any more, the Hoxx and the others bowed to her father who’s title was emperor - that was yet another stupid thing that she couldn’t abide. Why not just say to the galaxy at large “oh yes, we’re an empire again because they begged us to take them back”?

Politics was annoying - which was why she didn’t spend all her time simpering over reporters or businessmen like her other sisters. She’d been quite clear that all she wanted to do was her duty… and okay, yes, be kept in the kind of luxury to which she was accustomed. Father had insisted she accompany her older brother on a trip to visit the homeworlds of the other species a few years prior, and seeing how poor even the spires of Thif were had convinced her that she absolutely had to remain living within a princess’s standards.

So to that end, she had studied everything she thought might be useful in maintaining her eventual husband or his household. Not intimacy though - for starters, she didn’t want her parents thinking she was some kind of pervert even at twenty-two, and secondly because despite the practicality of learning how to organize a household, she hadn’t been able to kill a certain level of romantic dreaming about being swept off her feet by some mighty warrior.

Now they were… She blinked and glanced up from where she had been sewing. Her mother sighed and repeated herself. “Jaisyl, please do pay attention. We have visitors today, important ones. Please ensure you are dressed appropriately and in the throne room at the appointed time.”

The visitor didn’t look important. He lacked horns - a clear sign of a lack of strength, and his skin was monochrome, clearly a sign of the lower classes. Jaisyl bit her lip at that point, eyes flickering to where the spymaster was conspicuously lurking by the absence of attention everyone was paying to a particular pillar. Even the princess had to admit that some of the lower classes were skilled far beyond their station, even if they were monochrome.

Turning her gaze back to the stranger, she took in his consorts. Both were pregnant - one heavily so, one only just showing. That at least indicated some strength on his part, assuming the offspring were his - something she doubted could be true if he was lacking even the small horns she shared with her mother. But then, he wasn’t Tho’unn was he? There had been something her parents had said about hoof-men or something or other… maybe his species showed their strength via hooves? Her eyes glanced down. Nope, perfectly normal feet, no hooves of any kind.

Maybe examining his consorts would give her more clues. One was a Feliax - even she could tell with fox tails that vibrant. The woman seemed cute, and for a moment Jaisyl wondered if she could persuade her father to get her a Feliax handmaid. Those tails did seem so fluffy… The other woman, the extremely pregnant one - she was a Velca. Jaisyl had been tutored by one of those stuffy scientists when she’d been a little girl, and her opinion of the species had not improved since.

Her father was droning on and on in his holding-court voice, and she tuned it out until her name came up. “…wed from this day forth to her imperial highness, Princess Jaisyl Reh’unn. May your guidance, along with the council of your existing consorts aid our daughter...” He… WHAT?!

She was vaguely aware of raising her voice in outcry, of delivering epithets about the jumped up, no-horned male hoof-man or whatever that her father was trying to pair her off with. She’d always known she’d be married for political reasons, but this was really beyond reasonable! Only two things cut through the tirade to impact her thoughts. The first, her mother’s hand practically dragging her from the room at her father’s order. The other, the way in which the cute red-haired Feliax had turned and looked at her - the woman’s face had gone from cheerfully friendly into a look of such utter hatred that it almost stopped Jaisyl’s rant in it’s tracks.

Theodisus gestured for his wife to serve them all tea before he explained his thoughts to Dustin and the others. “As my dear Beautilia has no doubt informed you, obtaining permission from parliament to act will be far easier if I can point to you as a potential in-law. It makes the Durathisian’s threat to you and your world an attack on the royal family, which gives me additional powers and will convince a lot of my backers.”

The man took a sip from the delicate cup his wife had handed him before glancing at his still-sulking daughter. “As far as Jaisyl is concerned…” Theodisus sighed. “My wife and I have tried to get her to see that there is more to being a princess than just sitting around looking pretty. So far, everything we have tried has failed; to that end we agreed that marrying her to someone off-world would be beneficial.”

Meli frowned and leaned forward awkwardly, her bump getting in the way before Dustin was able to move to hand her the tea she was reaching for. “That is as may be your majesty, but you could have just assigned her to us as an ambassadorial consort could you not? Dustin would not have pressed upon her, I am sure Emely’s missive to you would have made that clear. We are also travelling into dangerous places which would have given you cause to deploy your military when we inevitably came under attack.”

The Velca woman paused, sipping the drink before she continued “…that would have fulfilled all your requirements just as efficiently and not put my husband and your daughter in this awkward emotional standoff.”

Theodisus winced at her words, before nodding slowly. “It… would have been more efficient, you are correct chief scientist. However…” his eyes flickered almost imperceptibly to the still-pouting Jaisyl “…I am also a father. Tell me, Dustin - you are about to become one shortly are you not? And not just from your consorts here I understand but also your Vex’ess envoy?”

Dustin nodded hesitantly, at which the emperor smiled. “And as a father, if your child - even when they became an adult - if they asked you to try and do something, would you not do everything in your power to achieve it?”

Jaisyl’s eyes narrowed, her father’s words dragging her out of her sulk. “But father, I’ve never asked you for anything beyond what my position affords!”

The emperor sighed and shook his head. “Yes, you did Jaisyl. Remember - every time we talked about your future, you said you wanted to marry a mighty warrior. Gods above, you even yelled as such in my court not an hour ago!” Turning back to Dustin, the old man’s eyes were tired. “There aren’t exactly many men that I would consider both mighty warriors and suitable matches for my daughter. Being good in combat can often leave men arrogant and aggressive - and for all her bite, Jaisyl is a delicate thing.”

Dustin could see where this was going, even as the emperor continued. “Add in being an off-worlder and someone capable of handling… difficult, or challenging personalities, and I couldn’t risk letting such a ideal match slip away because my dear daughter couldn’t see what was in front of her. I apologize to both of you for forcing the matter - but I’ve read the reports of humans in combat, and Dustin in particular. In every respect, you are far better husband material for Jaisyl than I could have dreamed of finding.”