Page 17 of Saved By My Alien Husband
16
HAVEN
A t Mavel's words, my body tensed. Were we stuck on Earth? No, I wouldn't let that happen.
Delphine’s face drained of color, her chest moving quickly with panicked breaths. I slipped my arms from around her and kissed the top of her head. We had to get moving, and fast. This was not the time to panic, but I certainly understood the inclination.
I took her hand firmly, and we followed Mavel out of the garden before any gardeners overheard.
Once we were in the elevator, I pressed, “How did this happen?”
Mavel explained with a calm and clear voice. He was used to giving me bad news. “Breaking through the atmosphere on our landing and the effect of the sun bands have weakened the hull, so when an object struck from the outside, a small crack spread. We have already patched it and started reinforcing the exterior. The ship is safe now, but enough fuel leaked that we have to cut our time on Earth by a week to reach the next planet in time.”
Good. We weren’t stranded. But this changed things.
“What about the other domes?” Delphine asked, and I could feel her tension ease just a bit.
“We need to leave for them tonight,” Mavel continued. “King Candor said each dome would have only one day to join us or they’ll be left behind. If we keep that fast pace, we’ll be able to reach the refueling planet.”
An accelerated plan could easily spark panic in the remaining domes. I turned to Mavel. “Does Michael know yet?”
Mavel nodded. “King Candor just went to the dome to tell him. Michael had left after the speech. He’s asking him to sound an alarm and have everyone board immediately.”
The elevator doors opened with a ding. “What needs to happen to accelerate things here?”
Mavel sighed. “Sleeping arrangements. The ship has been creating rooms, but people aren’t moving out of their spaces quickly enough, which means the ship can’t reconfigure as fast as we need.”
Knowing my wife would want an explanation of that, I caught her eye. “Remember how the ship can rearrange rooms to make more efficient use of space?”
She nodded.
“It only works if people get their things out in time so it can reshape the space. This relies on the cooperation of those already occupying the space.” Not everyone would like that disturbance, but it was necessary. And some of our people may need help doing so, if they had many items or an impairment that would make it harder to carry their things.
She winced, clearly picturing the disruption. “I can see how that would be a problem.”
We reached the planning room, and I spotted several of my father's advisors deep in discussion, their voices low and intense.
“How many rooms are left?” I asked Mavel, but a voice from across the room answered, “Half.”
That wasn't good.
Before I could reply, Delphine spoke up, catching everyone’s attention. “Are the current plans considering one room per person? On Earth, most people are used to sharing rooms, especially the children. Families don't stay together after a certain age, but sharing in general isn't odd for us. We can adjust to that here, at least temporarily. If we double up, having only half the space is fine and gives the Eldrin time to complete the rearrangements.”
A murmur of surprise ran through the room. Some Eldrin didn’t seem thrilled at the idea, particularly of unmarried people sharing space. “It’s simply not done,” one said with a pinched expression.
Delphine gave a patient smile, catching on to some differences between us and adjusting. “We can arrange rooms based on the opposite of their usual attractions. This is, only for those who aren’t in relationships. I know it’s unusual in your culture, but on Earth, people often date before marriage. This will be something we’ll have to compromise on as we come together.”
The grumbling softened as they considered her logic. After some debate and encouragement on my part, it was agreed, more so because it was impossible to resolve the problem in a few hours rather than understanding the human point of view.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy for either culture to adjust. For most humans, casual relationships were common; it took me some time to get used to that when I first met Delphine. When a few advisors glanced at Delphine a little too intently, I realized they were likely considering her own past. She stiffened, feeling their stares. My large eyes narrowed in on them with a glare, noting their names.
When they turned their backs at my look, I turned to Mavel and nodded to him. He nodded back, understanding my meaning. Watch them.
Delphine shifted uneasily beside me, whispering, “I might have messed up.”
I leaned in, catching her words. “What makes you think that?”
She shot me a look, as if saying don't be an idiot.
“I practically admitted humans ‘mess around’ before marriage—and I was one of them. That’s not exactly future queen behavior,” she said.
“Maybe not to them,” I replied, tugging her closer. “But they’ll adjust. All that matters is you are only mine now. That is indisputable. It didn't mean marriage to you with everyone that came prior, so you were free to choose me.”
“I did choose you,” she whispered, a warm sincerity in her voice that I could feel down to my core.
“They’ll get over it,” I assured her, brushing a soft kiss across her forehead. As we turned back to the task at hand, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at how she’d stepped up to help bridge our worlds. Our first human-Eldrin conflict, and we'd handled it together. She stepped in and answered without waiting for approval. My princess was strong, a natural leader, and now she had the chance to prove it.