Assistant for the Alien Prince by Tammy Walsh

Zai

The poor girlwas shaking like a leaf, not that I could blame her.

Encountering a dangerous and hostile gang like that the moment she arrived on a new planet was hardly the kind of first impression I wanted her to have of Cev.

But then again, wasn’t that what the Ev’vat were known for?

As harsh and uncivil people constantly at each other’s throats?

To spill our neighbors’ blood in a fit of mad rage?

Yes.

And who was I to say that stereotype was wrong?

Stereotypes existed for a reason, after all.

Despite our advanced technology and sophisticated systems, we still possessed an animalistic nature that could not be tamed.

It was part of our DNA.

You might as well try to change how the wind blew, how the cold felt on a bitterly damp morning.

The Ev’vat’s temperament couldn’t be changed.

Still, we could give the appearance of change, and that after all, was what Jessica was there to accomplish, wasn’t it?

I reached over for the miniature fridge in the back of the shuttlecraft and took out some sparkling gam.

I opened it and handed it to Jessica.

She shook her head, barely able to even look at me.

“Drink,” I said. “It’ll take the edge off the shock.”

She could barely hold it, her hands were shaking so badly.

She took a sip and seemed to take some comfort in it.

“A little more,” I said.

I held the drink to her lips and tilted it upwards so it dribbled down her throat.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” I said. “You never should have been subjected to that.”

Jessica’s body trembled and I thought she was going to burst into tears.

“It’s all right,” I said. “You can let it out.”

She glanced at me before opening her mouth and her body convulsed.

Rather than tears or vomit, something else spewed from her...

“Those god damn fucking asshole bastards!” she yelled at the top of her voice. “Those motherfucking cunt horse-ramming sods!”

I started at her response and noticed the driver slowly raise the glass that operated as a partition between us.

Jessica leaned back in her seat as if she’d fully purged herself.

I couldn’t help but smile at her outburst.

It was a very Ev’vat way to react.

“Better?” I said.

Jessica sighed and shook her head.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“After what you’ve been through, you can say whatever you like. Here, drink a little more.”

I raised the can to her lips but she turned away from me.

“Coming here was a mistake,” she said. “I never should have accepted this job.”

“Things will get better. Once you reach the palace, you’ll be safe.”

She glared at me before I helped her take another sip of gam.

Each second that passed, she relaxed a little more.

When I raised the drink again, she shook her head and sat up.

“I’m okay,” she said.

I looked her over and was surprised to find she actually was.

I was quietly impressed she could have gone through such an experience and emerge on the other side largely unscathed.

She was tougher than she looked.

She was little more than a hundred and thirty pounds, with a thin waifish appearance.

Her eyes were wide and big, her irises a pleasant green.

She had a long thin face and wore no jewelry or tattoos.

Her dreary brown dress was made from cheap, itchy-looking material.

From her appearance, you never would have taken her for one of the best event organizers on Earth.

I tried to gauge what kind of body she had underneath it, but the dress was so thick and frumpy it was hard to make out any shape at all.

Jessica leaned back and peered out of a shuttlecraft window, watching as the alien—to her—landscape drifted by.

“Why are there so many gangs roaming the streets here? I know Ev’vat are a warrior race but I thought Cev was meant to be safe?”

“It was until the king died. We’ve known many peaceful years under him but once Ev’vat leader is gone, it removes any allegiances the tribes once shared. No one knows what will happen next, especially with Prince Zai to soon take the throne.”

Jessica snorted.

“Prince Zai. This planet is doomed.”

I peered over at her, mildly surprised by her outburst.

After all, she had accepted this job to organize the Royal Pairing Ceremony.

If she didn’t believe he would be a good leader, why was she here?

“The prince might surprise you,” I said. “He might surprise everyone.”

Jessica rolled her head over to look at me.

“Are we talking about the same prince? Prince Zai won’t be a good leader. I’ve known people like him my whole life. He’s self-centered and selfish. His people deserve better.”

She blinked, startled at herself.

Her eyes drifted over my uniform and back up to my face.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult your prince like that. It’s just, I’ve known people like him my whole life and they never change.”

I shook my head.

“It’s fine. We’re aware of his weaknesses.”

Jessica threw back her head and laughed boisterously.

“Weaknesses? That’s putting it mildly! Drinking, partying, taking drugs… His behavior’s legendary! I remember growing up and seeing his exploits in the news.”

“That was a long time ago.”

Jessica turned quiet and nodded.

“Yes, I suppose it was. It’s been a while since he was in the news. At least, for the same bad boy stories.”

She frowned with thought.

“Thinking about it, didn’t he disappear a few years ago? And only reappeared recently, when his father was on his deathbed?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t anyone know where he went?”

“No one but him.”

Jessica shrugged.

“Probably some party planet somewhere.”

I smiled.

“It wasn’t a party planet. Whatever that is. The prince might not be perfect but he’s the only leader we have now. Without him, we’d be at each other’s throats and no one would be safe.”

“Safe?” Jessica said shortly. “Do you call what almost happened to me earlier safe?”

“The Ev’vat are always a little aggressive between the funeral and coronation ceremonies. In the past, the passage of power hasn’t always been easy. Or predictable. Besides, isn’t that why you’re here? To organize the Royal Pairing Ceremony?”

Jessica returned to staring out the window.

“Don’t remind me. Don’t worry. I’ll do my best. I’m here to organize the event and ensure it goes off without a hitch. What happens after that is up to you and your people.”

A shadow passed over us as we approached one of the palace’s many entrances.

The wall around the palace was a truly formidable structure.

Tall and unyielding, it had never been breached and was meant to signify the strength of the royal family behind it.

A bastion of strength and safety.

But with the king dead and the tribes at each other’s throats and vying for position, the royal family was going to have a hell of a time getting them to unite together, especially with a crown prince who had never taken his duties seriously.

The palace guards waved us through and when the shuttlecraft drew to a stop, a pair of guards opened the doors and bowed as we exited.

I carried Jessica’s luggage and met her on the other side.

A servant took the suitcase from me.

“If you’ll follow me,” the servant said.

Jessica hesitated and turned to me.

“Well, I suppose this is goodbye.”

She seemed sad and I was surprised she felt that way.

I wished I could have told her I would be seeing her again—and soon—but we’d spent too much time together for me to tell her the truth now.

I performed a bow.

“I hope your stay is better than your arrival.”

“I hope so too,” she said. “Though I’m not sure it will be.”

She chuckled and we shared a quiet moment in each other’s presence.

Just her looking at me, and me looking at her.

She smiled faintly and it was the first time I saw the true beauty she possessed.

It was her smile.

It was big and bold and brightened up every aspect of her features.

The curl of her lips warmed her smooth cheeks and her eyes sparkled and danced like sparring planets around a single sun.

Her lips, I noticed, were plump and soft, the color of ripe pak.

Earlier, her features had been firm, tense, and strained—for obvious reasons.

A flicker of an errant thought caught me by surprise.

I wondered what it would feel like to press my lips against hers, to feel the soft warmth of her body in my arms.

Would she resist me?

Or would she let me have my way with her any way I pleased?

The servant cleared his throat.

“Shall we head inside?”

“Yes,” Jessica said. “Of course. Let’s go.”

She turned and followed the servant inside.

I tried once more to appraise her figure, but once again, was unable to identify the kind of body she might conceal beneath that thick brown dress.

She disappeared inside and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

Jessica was strange and unusual, there was no question about that.

I checked the coast was clear before issued Computer with a command:

“Deactivate holo-collar.”

Although I noticed no difference, those looking at me would have noticed a flicker in my appearance as the disguise melted away.

First, the pre-programmed face I’d chosen, then the palace guard outfit.

I no longer wore the trappings of a palace guard but my usual shirt rolled up to the elbows and the glittering jewelry I wore on each finger.

Of course, no one knew my appearance as the crown prince was as much of a disguise as the one the holo-collar projected, and they didn’t need to.

I approached the entrance and the servants immediately dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves before me.

I entered the palace, my home, and marched down the long hallways that bore the frozen portraits of my deceased ancestors.

For years, I’d ignored them and the judgmental look in their eyes, as if they somehow knew I was a fraud and didn’t deserve the titles I’d been born with.

When my father was so loved, how could I ever hope to live up to his memory?

It was only after my hiatus off-planet that I realized the portraits didn’t really peer out through time in a judging way.

They were posing for a portrait and wanted to project an aura of strength and stability.

They were far too consumed with themselves and their egos to care much about what their descendants might do.

Many of their secret histories were worse than my own.

The words Jessica had said about me were not a shock.

They were what the people thought too.

Prince Zai lived beyond even his means.

The day he took the throne would be a dark day in our history.

He cares for no one and nothing, only himself.

I couldn’t blame them.

I had done those things.

I had been running from something, but it wasn’t until I ran away and looked back that I realized what it’d been the entire time.

I needed to prove to them they could rely on me as a fair and just leader.

That was why the Royal Pairing Ceremony was so important.

It would show the people I could unite them the same way my father had.

It was a heavy mantle to wear but I was ready for it.

At least, I hope I am.

The servants dropped to their knees even if they were carrying something.

I’d tried to change the rules but as crown prince, I had little power.

My power only came once I chose a mate and united with one of the daughters of the powerful tribes.

The Leknin, Keyell, and Ezal.

There were other tribes—many others—but they were the true power beyond the palace walls.

One would be my fated mate.

The only question was, which one?

As I approached,the palace guards lowered their eyes and opened the doors to my father’s study.

No, not my father’s—mine now.

Although the throne room was where the king would meet powerful guests and discuss important matters, his study was where the day-to-day running of the kingdom happened.

Sitting behind the desk sat the Queen, my mother.

Small for an Ev’vat, she nonetheless had the ability to dominate any space she entered.

She was graceful but ruled with an iron will.

She finished scribbling a message on a tablet before looking up and watching me approach.

I fell into the chair on the other side of the desk and melted into it.

“Well?” she asked. “How is she?”

I considered my response carefully.

“Competent.”

“She’d better be. The Royal Pairing Ceremony must go off without a hitch or we might find ourselves in a war as the other tribe leaders scramble for power.”

“She’ll do the job,” I said. “And I think she’ll do it well.”

My mother gave me a curt nod before bending over the documents and setting to scribbling her signature over them again.

“I’m signing the invitations now,” she said. “To think you’ll soon be married to one of them.”

Mom was as sly and cunning as they came.

Although she occupied an unofficial title within my father’s counsel, she was one of the sharpest minds at his disposal.

And his most loyal.

My father never made a final decision without consulting with her first.

“You need to select the right partner,” Mother said. “Someone smart and with a keen political mind. I won’t always be there to help you.”

I smiled, drifted over to her, and wrapped my arms about her shoulders.

“You’re still young,” I said. “You’ve got plenty of years in you yet.”

“We thought the same thing about your father,” Mom said. “He was always strong. It seemed like he was never going to succumb to death or disease.”

And in the end, he succumbed to both.

Mother turned in her chair to look up at me.

“I want you to have what your father and I had. A strong marriage leads to strong leadership. The people will love you if you allow yourself to love your queen.”

I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

“I know. And at the ceremony, I’ll find her. One of the tribes’ daughters. We’ll dance and I’ll feel the same spark with her that you felt with father.”

Mom smiled, though it seemed distant with thought.

“Yes. You will. I know it.”

Then she turned back to the stack of invitations and set to signing them.

“Now, leave me in peace. There’s a ceremony to organize.”

“I thought that was what we hired Jessica for?”

“It is. But some things require a more personal touch.”

I took her hand and kissed it.

“I’m going to get changed and ready for dinner.”

I crossed the room and reached for the door.

“One more thing,” Mom said, calling out and not looking up from her work. “Is she pretty?”

“Who?”

“Jessica.”

I hesitated a little too long.

But seriously, how was I meant to answer?

That I hadn’t decided yet until I saw her body?

That she was too harsh for my liking?

Or that I was still mesmerized by her smile and couldn’t get it out of my mind?

“She’s... fine,” I said noncommittally.

“I hope so. You’ll be spending a lot of time with her and I specifically requested someone homey. I know that’s not exactly your... style.”

I snorted and shook my head.

Typical of mother to think three steps ahead.

“She’s homey all right,” I said, thinking of her frumpy dress.

“Make sure to keep a close eye on her,” Mother said. “We don’t want her falling under one of the tribe’s spells.”

I tugged the door open and headed down the endless hallways, the servants dropping like flies in my wake.

None of them would have dared to look up into my face.

None of them would have seen the spark in my eye.

Or the quirk on my lips.

I intended on keeping an eye on Jessica all right.

Both eyes.