Wed to the Alien Prince by C.V. Walter

Chapter 3

It was such a small thing but Kaelin couldn't help but be delighted by the casual manner in which he offered the very sincere apology. Roger, and she was certain that wasn't his real name, had realized his error and apologized for it without having to be prompted or pushed. She'd heard of things like that but had never witnessed anything like it much less had the effort expended on her.

"You are forgiven," she told him, using her best manners. "Would it be absolutely horrible for me to admit to wanting to touch your horns? Would that make me a tease?"

"Yes, but only slightly."

"Well, I apologize for being a tease but I would like to see what they feel like, if it's not going to cause you problems to have them touched publicly," she said. "I don't think I've ever actually felt horns."

"You're welcome to touch them," he said. "I'm certain I can control myself for a few moments."

He leaned forward and she reached up a hand. Her fingers were almost to his horns when her hand began to shake and she pulled it back quickly. He looked up at her, concern obvious on his face, but all she could do was shake her head.

Everything in her body felt like it was shifting and her head felt like it was suddenly not completely there. She blinked hard and it took real effort to open her eyes again.

"Kaelin?" he asked, kneeling next to her. His hand was on her back and it felt nice.

"Sorry," she slurred. "It'll pass. Don't freak out, okay? Catch me-"

Her body started to shake and then she was on the floor with a raging headache and a very concerned Roger staring down at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What was that?"

"I'm tired," she told him with a weary smile. "And my head hurts. Did I hit anything?"

He shook his head. "No, but you started falling out of the chair so I laid you down. Was that the right thing to do?"

"That was perfect," she said. "Thank you. Did something happen to your jacket?"

"You're lying on it," he said. "I wasn't certain if I should be touching you but you were going to hurt your head if-"

"Thank you," she said. "I don't know what would have happened if you'd touched me but the jacket was a good idea. You can have it back in a minute. I'm just going to lay here for a bit."

"I'm not worried about the jacket. I'm worried about you. What happened?"

"I had a seizure. That's when, um, something in my brain misfires and makes the rest of my body do what it did."

The alarm on his face would have made her laugh if her head didn't hurt so bad.

"What makes it do that? I've never heard of such a thing before."

She reached up and touched the birthmark on her face. "It's part of this. I'm on meds to control it but they stop working if I put too much pressure on my system. Mostly if I get too little sleep or too much stress." Her head throbbed harder and she closed her eyes, wincing at the increasing pain.

"Is there anything I can do? You are obviously in pain."

"I have pain killers in my bag and the water will help. I'll have to sit up for those, though, so I'll claim your arm when I can grip it enough to sit."

"Which bag?" he asked.

"The smaller one I was carrying. Lift the flap and the pocket to the right if you're looking at it." She could hear him digging through her carry-on bag and the shake of the bottle when he found it.

"I will lift you," he said, and a strong arm slid behind her back beneath her shoulders and the other around her front to her side. Her head lolled against his shoulder and she found herself sitting in his lap. She hadn't even realized he'd moved until he was adjusting her to a more comfortable position.

"You're really strong," she said, with a tired laugh. "I didn't think anybody could move me like that."

"You are light as a keda," he told her. "A child could have moved you."

"Liar," she smiled. "What's a keda?"

"A small, soft creature from my home. They are known as fierce hunters of very small vermin and will cuddle with their bonded caretaker."

"So, a cat?" she asked.

"Something like one, yes, though there are some distinct differences. Perhaps closer to what you call a fox, yes? Less wild, more fluff, but very like a fox."

"I've never heard of that," she said. "But that's probably because you're an alien. I didn't think aliens would be so nice."

"We're not," he said, pushing the water bottle into her hands. "You will have to tell me how to open this. I do not understand the directions."

"I'll show you," she said, blinking her eyes open. The light made her head hurt but she took the bottle of pills from him. "Push down and turn like this."

She opened the bottle and poured one of the pills out into her hand. Her fingers were shaking when she tried to close it and he took it from her gently. With a little fumbling, he closed the bottle correctly and reached over to put it back in her carry-on.

The water was cold and tasted so good when she swallowed it that she finished the bottle. He took it from her limp fingers when she brought her hand down to her lap and held her close when she sighed and leaned against his chest.

"Is there anything else I can do to help you?" he asked. "I do not like to see you this injured."

"Not injured, just out of it," she said. "Really, I just need to get to my room so I can sleep. I'll be perfectly fine tomorrow once the meds have had a chance to catch up with everything."

"Is that what you just took?"

"No, those are to control the pain. I actually have an implant right here," she said, tapping behind her ear. "The dosing is controlled throughout the day and I just had it adjusted because it takes into account my weight. I've lost so much that we're having to re-do the dosing."

"Is the amount wrong? Did they make it too much? Too little?"

"No," she said. "Roger, I'm fine, truly. The doctors know what they're doing and this has been a thing since I became an adult. It was worse when I was still growing."

"Human doctors, maybe, but what if I knew a doctor who could fix you? Could make it all better?"

She stilled. "I don't need to be fixed," she told him. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"I don't know much about humans but you cannot tell me that your brain causing your body to spasm uncontrollably when you're tired is normal for humans? And only when you're tired because you have an implant that keeps you from doing so randomly throughout the day," Roger shook his head. "No, that is not right."

"It's not normal," she told him. "But it's part of having this birthmark. Sturge-Weber is a genetic disorder and not everybody has seizures but it's a part of me, it's a part of who I am, and I'm not ashamed of it."

"I did not say you should be ashamed of it, I said you could stop having seizures. Maybe see better. There is so much in this world to see and you are missing it. What if I know someone who can fix that?"

Kaelin shook her head. "I said there's nothing wrong with me and I meant it. I don't want to be fixed; I want to be allowed to live my life the way I think is best for me."

"I would not stop that for the world," he told her. "I would just give you more of it."

"It's not something you can give me," she told him. "It's something I'm doing and you can live with my decisions or without me."

Roger sighed and she felt his chest heave under her. "Already the thought of living without you makes me ache. It is strange to think this way, right? That, no matter how you came to be here, holding you like this is right?"

"A little strange," Kaelin agreed. "But it feels right for me, too. Why is that?"

"If you were one of my people, I would talk to you about the wonders of recognition and that it's not just a physical bond but a spiritual one. I do not know how your people view matters of the soul."

"Varies by person and religion. For some people it varies based on the time of the day, year or month."

"So much variety," he said, his voice filled with awe. "And you do not fight over these differences?"

"Of course we do," she told him. "It's not the most common cause of conflict but it is at the root of many of them."

"And you allow this?"

"How would you stop it?" she asked, then held up a hand. "No, wait, let me start over. Attempts to stop it in the past have got not just bad but catastrophic. It works in small places for short amounts of time but the resulting violence and bloodshed often ends up engulfing large parts of the world. Trying to force people to all think the same way and believe the same thing always ends badly and there's always someone who says 'We'll do it better. This time we'll get it right'."

"And they don't," he said quietly. "Because to force that kind of change on some people would mean killing them."

"And everyone they love and everyone who agrees with them," Kaelin agreed. "It always starts with the desire to end the causes of the last conflict that caused so many people's suffering and ends with causing more suffering."

"So it's best to just let them be, continue believing what they believe, and learn to get along," Roger said. He leaned his cheek against her hair. "You are so wise, Kaelin."

She snorted. "Hardly. Anyone who pays attention would notice this. I just had occasion to apply it to my personal life."

"Ah, but you took the lesson and used it. Not everyone is able to do that."

"There was a lot of pain and suffering before I did," she said. "Coming to terms with myself helped. It was a hard-fought battle of wills but eventually, I gave in and stopped punishing myself for being different and thinking differently."

He stroked the back of his fingers down her cheek and she shivered. The lightest touch set off fireworks under her skin and she savored the feeling. Whatever this was, she was going to enjoy it until it went away.

A pair of boots clomped up to them and stopped next to her. Aidan crouched down and looked at her. "Why are you on the floor?" he asked.

"She fell-"

"I had a seizure," she told him. "And Roger caught me when I was falling out of my chair. He saved me from a concussion but I'm not really well enough to stand up yet."

"Are you alright?" Aidan asked. "The last time we talked, you'd gotten the seizures under control."

"I'm fine," she said with a tired smile. "I've just been awake for too long. If you found someone working the front desk, I need to head up to my room and get some sleep."

"Um, no, nobody at the front desk," he said. "And sir, I mean, Roger, needs to get up because we're about to have visitors of the kind we were trying to avoid. To the point that I think they've distracted the hotel staff."

"That does create a problem," Roger said. "Tell the others, I'll make sure Kaelin gets to somewhere she can lay down."

"I'm not sure-"

"I'll take care of her, Aidan. I promise."

"Fine," Aidan said, standing.

"Aidan, help me stand up first," Kaelin asked. "This is such an awkward place to struggle, I could use the hand."

He leaned down and gripped her forearm just below the elbow. She grabbed hold of his and put her other arm on his bicep, bending her knees and digging in her heels so she was basically levered out of Roger's lap. Aidan held her steady until she found her balance then Roger was behind her with his hands on her sides.

The pressure from his fingers sank into her and she relaxed into him. Even if he wasn't touching her skin, she could feel his heat, and it grounded her.

"You okay?" Aidan asked, studying her face.

"I'm fine," she told him. "Go do what you need to. It sounds important."

"It-" Aidan stopped and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded.

With a frown, he turned on his heel and moved with purpose towards where the biggest group was gathered.

"I have a very important question to ask you," Roger said, leaning close to her ear.

"Oh?" She said, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"I promised Aidan I'd take you somewhere you could lay down but I was wondering if you'd like to see the ship?"