He looked down. “I was born today. Antomias’ Earthan wife is beautiful, and I am sad that nae of her clones wished to marry me! I have to repent much, because I wish for her. My mind reaches because I have memory of my mind linking to hers. At times I feel I can nae live without her, but this is wrong!”
Karl hugged him. “You’re not, like, thinking about killing yourself, are you? In my future, I wanted to die so I got into drugs. I figured nobody would miss me. Ella was better off—”
“No, I wasn’t! There was so much I wanted to talk to you about, after you were gone. After—Jo and Rose—” I sobbed.
Antomias, 2nd Prince, put his arms around both of us. We had a good cry. Then, Karl took all the repaired stuff to my sisters. There was plenty for Allison, too! And, things of mine. All of us cried, but we talked. Even Allison. When she mispronounced things, Karl didn’t say a word. He thanked her for talking! Just like her speech therapist asked all of us to do.
Karl cried. “I don’t want him to die! I don’t want any of ‘em to die! I can’t stand to lose any more brothers!”
Second Prince Antomias smiled at him. “O, we will nae die! But, 4th Prince Ba is happy without marriage. He wishes to go on missions, and feels that if he had wife, he fears to take her and fears for her mental health, to wait for him to return. 3rd Prince Ba will choose another name soon, eae, Ba?” He nodded. “He stays in our home to help with our Reign, as I will.
“Becky has COVID and she is unwell, so my ba must stay by her until she is more well. She sleeps and her healer feels she recovers well. Becky has two roommates who are dear friends. One of them, Bedelia, also saw her future and married Jos Keil, Diplomat Of Esta Faho. The other, Elsie, nae saw her future. But, she wishes to meet many before dating one.” He sighed.
“Did you get a wife?”
“I met one who came to our ship because a friend gave her a terminal. She is Abigail, and promised me that she will have cloned sisters. Perhaps one will choose me. I am much affected by her, but she already loves one, for she saw herself married. She told me to have hope, and so I do.” He gave this dreamy smile.
And, a lady came over. “Uh, hi. Are you the one I advised to wait for my clone? I’m her. Wow, this is awkward!”
Antomias put Karl down. “Will you be well?”
“Dude! I’m fine. Got my homies with me!” He smiled at Jason and two other boys. They smiled back and they waved up a basketball court in a room!
Then the prince and the lady went to a padded bench against the wall.
Antomias, 3rd prince went with the boys to play basketball.
“When can we meet the real prince? I mean, the First Prince.” Jo blushed.
A holo came up of him and a voice said, “Antomias, 1st Prince Of Esta Faho, is in privacy with his new wife, Becky, 1st Princess Of Esta Faho. Speak, and I leave a holo for him.”
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She got very red in the face. “Oh, I don’t want to bother him. His brothers are very nice, and I can wait. She’ll probably be jealous! Don’t tell them I called, okay? I don’t want the royalty of Esta Faho to be mad at me.”
“They will nae have anger towards you. Konaris or Farleikon can explain well.”
Farley put her on his lap. She just looked annoyed. “Ejis! I am very sorry, Josephine.”
“It’s Jo. What’ll they do?”
“Jo, they will worry over your discomfort! Nae on our world angers because one worries for his welfare! He will nae think you wish to dishonor him, or pursue him, and I know you will nae. Fear nae that he thinks badly of you.”
“Your culture’s so different! What will we have to do to fit in?” She picked at her cuticles. Most of her ribbons were falling out, and he tied them back into her long, dark hair as he talked to her.
“O, many Elshars asked of me because they feared to ask of our liege, or Tom! Fully a third of us are Elshars and they appear much like you. Their customs vary widely, for they come from many different Elshar colonies. All of them worry, and we tell them, act as you please, as long as your acts nae harm one.”
“That’s it? But Ella acts differently than she did before she saw those memories, and she speaks other languages! Will we have to learn your language? Is it hard?” Poor Jo took French and barely passed. None of us could help her with it. She hated listening to tapes and wouldn’t practice. That was last year, then we lost Millie and she just gave up. They suggested she stop with the Gifted Program. She dropped her classes at GSU, classes she made straight A’s in.
“O, you may have a tutor if you wish to learn, but we speak your language. There is a colony called Areon that came from Earth and they speak Areonian. This is very similar to what we speak now as your native English.” He smiled. “I already trade with Areonians, so I speak it, but I learned it in two days to travel to Areon with Fa, as a boy. I was 12, as you are, Rose.”
She looked sad. “You must be really smart, to learn a whole language in two days!” One hand twisted a lock of her blond hair. She quit trying on her Gifted Program, too, when Millie died.
“O, I worked as diplomat, and we oft must learn large amounts in a short time. Nae think you must do so. You may have a tutor, and he will learn from you those things which interest you, and how much learning you may bear in a day. We are nae structured as your ‘public school’ with things you must study. Later, if you wish to take classes from Sigan Mas, eae, you must learn as they require, and our tutors can prepare you for this. But our colony is new to you, and already, I see that all of you have upsets oft. I think Pas will wish for you to rest much as you accustom to our newness.”
“Rest? But I have to get up to speed, so people won’t think I’m stupid!” Jo picked tangles out of her brown locks. She brushes her hair so roughly, it keeps split ends, and frizz. Her cuticles are always a mess from her picking at ‘em, like Rose. Her brown eyes are one of her great laments in her tragical life!
“Be calm, Jo. Nae wishes you to have these worries! We worry for your happiness.”
“That’ll never happen. I want to be happy, but I can’t—do it. Daddy says if I could just stick to something long enough, I might be happy working. Mama says I give up too easily. Everything’s just—too hard.”
“Then, perhaps you nae have enough activities to try, that one pleases.”
“I wanted to learn how to make jewelry, but it’s too expensive to try that! Daddy was mad that I brought it up.” She lowered her voice at the last, but Daddy heard.
“Honey, I want to try to do better. Maybe they have something I can do that I can make more money, and you can try it. You need something that pleases you.”