Page 81 of Alien Prince’s Fake Bride (The Tentacle Throne #1)

- Umbra -

The next days fly past in a kaleidoscope of faces, names, rooms, land craft, spaceships and Syntric impressions that are sometimes stronger than all the other senses combined.

I suspect that I can’t live without the Syntrix anymore.

If it suddenly vanished, I would survive, but a part of my mind would be hollow and dark, cold and longing.

It’s clear to me that humans were meant to have Syntrix, and the worst thing anyone ever did to Earth may well have been the Phrexz putting a Syntric veil around it.

Mareliux secretly sends out an official order to have the legions report to him any sightings of the flying saucers that abducted Ashlynn.

None of them have seen any such thing, but two of the legions recount old myths about the dracos and their servant species, the Plood.

That sounds just like the myth that Caret’ax talked about before, and it feels so much like a fairy tale that it has to be one.

But it’s a good start that Mareliux is letting me use his resources to look for her.

It keeps the hope alive. I will find her, even if I have to fly to each and every planet myself.

The wedding approaches fast, and the whole palace city fills up with guests and others.

Despite the size of the city, it’s starting to feel really crowded.

I don’t think I’ve realized fully until now what it means to be the capital of a whole galactic empire.

When Mareliux and I go out on a darkened balcony two nights before the ceremony to simply listen, the atmosphere and excitement in the city are electric, even if nobody can see us.

“The people have really needed this,” Mareliux says softly.

“A reason to celebrate good news from Khav. Most of our worlds have thrown out the Vyrpy invaders on their own, with no help from our Imperial legions. Our wedding will be both a Court celebration and a celebration of victory for everyone.”

“How many have come to Khav from other planets?” I ask. “Does anyone know? It’s just, the streets are packed.”

Mareliux bends down to sniff my hair, the way he likes.

“According to the reports on the visuals, there’s now thirty million visitors on Khav.

The legions had to provide tents for about half of them in all the parks and in a wide radius of the fields and forests around the city.

There simply isn’t room for them all in the existing houses.

There’s never been this many visitors on Khav. Never in the history of the Empire.”

My jaw drops. “Thirty million?”

He smirks in the darkness, and one of his tendrils strokes the back of my neck.

“Well, forty. Because we had to bring in ten million legionnaires to keep everyone safe. And of course that’s in addition to all those who live on Khav already.

About twenty million of them are also here now, in the palace. ”

The numbers make me dizzy. “But what will they do? How will they… I mean, there can’t possibly be room for that many inside the temple where we’ll get married.”

“Not sixty million, no. But we’ll make sure everyone sees us.

After the ceremony, you and I will receive the congratulations of the people.

All sixty million will walk past us. The Square of Heroes has room for about one half million at a time.

That’s why the wedding will take place so early in the morning.

I want them all to see us. Nobody will leave the city palace without having had the chance to see their future Empress.

We’ll be standing there all day and well into the evening, with only short breaks for food.

There will be no other reception. Even those who think they are important must walk past our balcony to get our attention.

The people of the Empire are important. I want them to know that.

All of them.” His voice goes thick at the end.

I turn around and embrace him. “Well, you are important to me .”

“I know,” my fiance growls. “And you are the center of my life. You always will be.”

“That’s the idea,” I agree, relaxing into his warmth and slow, strong heartbeat.

“I wish we could have guests from Earth,” he says. “But we’ll invite some of them to our ship when we go there. The wedding will be over, but we might find a reason to arrange other parties.”

- - -

T he ceremony takes longer than on Grefve, but it’s pretty much the same procedure. This time our rings shine bright, but Mareliux doesn’t faint, and neither do I. And swords and knives don’t randomly fly around the room, which is a relief to everyone, most of all me.

This time I’ve opted for a dress more in the Khavgren style, where the traditional wedding color is sky blue for women.

As a nod to my Space Force background, the shoes are black and resemble the ones I wore on Grefve, and the dress has discrete accents with a green camouflage pattern.

My hair is adorned to be discrete without hiding the fact that I don’t have tendrils like the Khavgrens do.

Only Mareliux and Sigise, who is my maid of honor again, know that I’m still carrying the little gun knife.

It’s not that I don’t trust the new guard battalion that Prince Nerox organized in a week, it’s more that I feel confident with a weapon on me.

It’s the first time I see Mareliux wearing clothing on his upper body, but today he’s dressed in his full gala uniform as Supreme Marshal of the Khavgren armed forces.

It shines like bronze armor, but it’s really fabric that’s woven from threads so fine that I can’t tell them apart, even from up close.

It has all kinds of colorful details, and the cut emphasizes his powerful build.

The effect is enhanced by the light blue cape he wears, perfectly matching mine.

In other words, he looks so stunning that I keep catching myself staring at him.

The Emperor is there, sitting on a simple, wooden chair that’s been placed a little to the side. The pontifex is a higher-ranking one than back at the army base, and he wears a taller hat and more elaborate robes. He has a strong voice that echoes through the stone chamber.

The occasion is solemn, but it feels more like a theater than the first time.

The wedding on Grefve was the real one, in the important ways.

It was raw and genuine emotionally, even if no document was signed.

This is more like confirming things that we’ve already done, and that’s perfectly fine.

Our vows are the same as last time, except this time we both mean them fully and we add more emphasis on certain words. I wipe more than one tear.

The temple is full of nobles and officials and ambassadors, all quiet through the ceremony.

When we’re done, we bow to the Emperor, he nods benevolently, and then we walk out.

Outside there’s an elaborate setup made from white stone and dark wood. On top of it are two big sheets of copper-like metal.

We go over and place our hands on one sheet, close to each other. We both send some Syntrix through our hands, making an imprint that serves as our signatures.

When we’ve signed both wedding documents, Mareliux turns. “Witnesses, please. Quaestor Preniat! You were so disappointed last time. Come here and sign!” His voice is hard.

The tension is high as the quaestor shuffles forwards past the other nobles and places his hand on both documents, making a weak, ghostly imprint next to our deep ones.

Two others do the same, and Mareliux lifts both signed documents and holds them up two inches from Preniat’s face. “Is this good enough, Quaestor? Do you agree that this document has been properly signed and that Princess Umbra and I are married?”

“I do,” the quaestor creaks, looking uncomfortable with the attention.

“No, that’s our line,” Mareliux jokes and the crowd of nobles chuckle.

“Very well, Quaestor. Let’s have no more ill will.

The Phrexz is dead and you can still redeem yourself.

Start by giving these on to the House of Nobles.

” He pushes the metal plates into the quaestor’s arms and turns to me.

“Now, my love, my wife, my Soulbound, we’ll meet the real Khavgrens. ”

He takes my hand and we climb straight into a gunship that’s been painted in blue and adorned with our combined crest. The Khavgren don’t use letters as such, but their symbol for Mareliux’s name looks mostly like a circle with wings.

It’s artfully intertwined with my symbol, which is a simple English ‘U’.

The effect is striking and reminds me of an eagle with its talons out, or maybe one of those alien pterodactyls that almost got us on that jungle planet.

It’s a powerful symbol, and the city is full of banners and flags that feature it.

The gunship takes off, flanked by two others.

“Oh, look!” I lean over Mareliux to look out the window.

From this height we have a great view of the millions of people that fill every street and every square of the palace city, only to get a glimpse of us. They wave flags and banners.

The pilot has the good sense to fly low and slow, so that everyone understands that it’s us. I swear the cheers can be heard even inside the heavily armed gunship, over the noise from the engines.

“They’re excited,” Sigise observes, looking out on the other side. “The whole city is absolutely trembling. I can’t recall having heard of even an Emperor’s wedding being celebrated with this kind of passion. But of course we never had a couple like you two.”

Mareliux squeezes my hand and leans in to sniff my hair. “Not since Aderianux and Bavinet, anyway.”

The Syntrix itself is trembling with joy and excitement.

The people of Khav really see this as a victory.

The story of Juriniel’s impostor has been reported all over the Empire, and I’m impressed about how correct and honest it is.

There’s been no attempt to make anyone look better, not even the Emperor.

If anything, the news stories have played down Mareliux’s role in defeating that deadly Phrexz and emphasized the heroism of Sigise, Nerox and Dester Espi.

And mine, I suppose. Although I didn’t feel at all heroic at the time.

But I think it’s a good way to start my marriage with their favorite prince.

“Remarkable,” Nerox says, leaning his head on the window as he looks down. “They must really like both of you. I can understand them loving Umbra, because who wouldn’t. But I suppose they see some good in you too, Mareliux. Maybe you’re not a totally lost cause.”

Mareliux chuckles. “Not as lost as you, certainly. At least I was finally found by Umbra. Who will find you, Nerox the fake Throne-sitter?”

“Oh, nobody will find me,” the young prince says with a grin.

“Because there’s a short distance between being found and being tied down.

I’ll be a happy bachelor prince for as long as I live.

Doing my best to spoil your children every chance I get.

I’ll be their fun and demented uncle! They’ll love me. ”

We land on a secluded ledge of an ancient palace, as white as snow and as elaborately decorated as a wedding cake. I don’t think that’s the intention with that architecture, but the similarity secretly amuses me.

Even here, hidden from everyone, the noise of the waiting crowd is deafening.

Inside the palace the din is dampened by the thick walls, but as we make our way to the side of the building that faces the Square of Heroes, it gradually increases again.

One wall is all windows, and the door to the balcony is flanked by two of the new Calanians.

“They know we’re in here now,” Mareliux says, looking out a window. “Let’s not make them wait.”

Caret’ax pulls a cover off a nearby table, revealing that it’s filled with food and drink.

“Breaks every hour, sir. If you agree. This might not last the whole day. I will replenish whenever I can. I don’t trust this food that was provided by the kitchens.

Again it is my duty to advise against going out on the balcony.

The people can see you perfectly well if you simply stand at the window. That will be much safer.”

Mareliux puts a hand on his bodyguard’s massive shoulder. “Sorry, Caret’ax. They must see us fully. And Umbra will deflect any attack with her sensational Syntric gifts.”

There’s millions of half-crazed aliens out there, and I will be the focus for all of them.

And yet I don’t feel nervous. I feel powerful, like I never have before.

With Mareliux by my side, there’s nothing I can’t do.

I know he’s right. Our Syntrix rings are shining.

Right now, nobody will be able to hurt us.

The millions outside are getting impatient. Now they’ve started chanting.

“ Um-bra! Um-bra! Um-bra!” The windows shake from the rhythmic roar.

“Here, Your Highness,” Sigise says and hands me two earplugs. “You will be in that noise for hours. Better protect your hearing.”

“Thanks.” I insert them, and Mareliux does the same.

It makes no difference for us. We can still communicate with each other wordlessly through the Syntrix, just pure, unguarded emotions sent back and forth like only Soulbound can.

He takes my hand. “They love you. But I loved you first. And I love you the most.”

My knees almost buckle with the force of his love, a Syntric floodwave. Our rings shine bright.

“We will love each other,” I reply in a voice that only barely carries. “Always.”

Caret’ax and Sigise open the doors. We’re almost blown a step back from the intensity of the cheer.

It’s a bone-rattling sound, like ten jet fighters constantly passing directly overhead.

I feel the power through my whole body. The crowd still can’t see us, but they saw the doors open and they know we’re close.

And now, they’re making the stone floor tremble.

“My love,” Mareliux says calmly. “I present to you: the Khavgren Empire.”

I squeeze his warm hand, putting my ring against his and making them shine.

He bends down and kisses me lightly on the lips.

Then we step out on the balcony.