---Suitor---
---Khr’kowan’s perspective---
I walk into my father’s throne room.
He, a boy I don’t recognise and two of the boy’s (presumable) halfsisters are the only ones present.
“Father. I’m here. What have you summoned me for?” I ask, knowing full well.
“Khr’kowan. With you being the one chosen to represent our people to the [Parliament], I felt it more pressing than ever for you to find a broodhusband you can accept, so I made some enquiries.” says my father. He gestures vaguely to where the young man is “This is Kurkhuw of the Nhirmoran Realm, Son of Broodking Howakh of the Nhirmoran Realm and First Woman Vhixho’a of the Horkhan Realm. Based on what his halfsisters and broodfather tell me of him, I believe him to potentially be a good match for you. I requested the Foreigners to fetch him here from Nhirmor, yesterday evening. He arrived this morning. I present him for your consideration, Daughter.”
I look from my father to the boy, sizing him up.
I begin to stride toward him, preparing to administer the test that ¹⁰⁄₁₁ of those who’ve suited for me in the past have failed.
I draw up to loom over the boy, dwarfing him at almost double his height.
His halfsisters shift uncomfortably.
I bend to bring my face a diagonal hand length from his and bare my toothplates before parting them in a ferocious, menacing hiss.
His halfsisters (I can see past his earhorns) start and shout protests but… the boy doesn’t even flinch! He just smiles back at me with no reaction!
No cowering away from me, no attempting to intimidate me in return.
His reaction (or lack thereof) was suspiciously perfect!
I turn to my father and ask “You gave him pointers, Father?”
He gestures negative and answers “I did not, Daughter. Look to his halfsisters for proof.” indicating to the girls.
I turn back to look over the boy’s head.
They’ve relaxed a little but are still clearly on edge, in a way that would be difficult for them to be playacting.
“As I stated, I asked him here specifically due to his supposed suitability for you.” he elaborates.
“Well…” I look down at the boy “…you may consider me favourably impressed so far!”
“Thank you.” he answers, letting me hear his voice for the first time.
He speaks softly… but has rather a deep voice.
It’s not deep enough to make him sound like a woman but he’s closer to halfway there than he is to a man’s normal high pitch!
“May I touch you?” I ask him.
“You’ll have to ask my halfsisters if that’s alright.” he smiles back, nonchalantly.
I look over his head to the women, my expression querying.
After a moment’s hesitation, the larger one gestures a ‘go ahead’ with the fingers of her spear hand.
I stretch down for his hand which he raises to bring into my reach.
I hold him by the wrist and give a flick of my claw against his.
It makes a nice, reverberant *tiiing*. A good sign!
I press the flesh of my palm against his and feel it to be unusually warm for a man.
Encouraging.
I reach my hands to his shoulders to give them a squeeze. Even through his clothing and fur, I can feel they are nice and firm… His armour is not weak.
I briefly give an approving gesture as my hands move to his head.
His skull is solid, his scutes are smooth, his light brown hair is silky.
“May I see your toothplates?” I request.
The bare flesh at the corner of his rich green, main eyes creases in a smile as he draws back his lips to show two solid, smooth, thanatite toothplates.
“Excellent. And your teeth?”
The toothplates retract beneath his lips, baring two rows of sharp teeth, none so much as missing their point.
“Sting me?” I request, holding the flesh of my left palm up to his right fang.
“You’re sure?” he asks, raising his eyebrow and pushing his crescent of auxiliary eyes toward his hairline on that side.
“Wouldn’t have asked otherwise…” I state, not moving my palm.
He gives a conceding gesture before flicking his fangs outward and jabbing the right one into me.
“Agh!” I grunt, withdrawing my hand to examine.
I’m able to see the venom, staining my skin as it spreads outward from the wound.
It’s not the worst sting a suitor has ever given me but it’s up there!
“Your venom is quite potent for a man!” I say, appreciatively.
“I did warn you.” he observes.
“Easy there… Kurkhuw, was it?” I chuckle “Confidence I like! Arrogance I do not!”
“Noted, First Woman.” he smiles, deferently.
“Khr’kowan… If you’re hoping to become my broodhusband, you should call me by name.”
He gestures affirmative and says “Noted, Khr’kowan…”
Clearly, the favourability of requesting him to call me by name was lost on neither him nor my father (whose face I can see, in my periphery, twist into an expression of light mirth.)
“Alright, Kurkhuw… I’d like to continue this suit but I have duties to attend to around the city, today. If you wish to shadow me, feel free to do so, just be aware that I will frequently need to break from our conversation to talk to others. If you would prefer, we may continue at a later time?”
Clearly pleased, the boy answers “I would happily accept a tour of your city from you, Khr’kowan. May my halfsisters chaperone me?”
“Of course!” I scoff “Just so long as they tell me their names and don’t get in anyone’s way.”
I look to the girls.
The larger one states “Karrh.”
The smaller one “Mha’ih.”
“Feel free to accompany me and your brother, Karrh and Mha’ih.” I bid them before turning to stride away.
The boy jogs to bring himself to my right side.
I walk a little slower than my normal unaccompanied pace… but not much.
If he fails to keep up, asks me to slow down or complains that I’m going too quickly for him, it will be a mark against him.
As the two of us step out of the palace, his halfsisters following at enough of a distance to allow some measure of privacy, I ask “So, Kurkhuw… how did you feel when you got the invitation to come here and meet me?” mirthfully.
He takes a moment to formulate before answering “I… was surprised, to be sure, but… also very pleased to be afforded the opportunity to court such a fine woman.”
I laugh “I bet you’ve said that to every woman you’ve courted(!)”
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I see him gesture negative and answer “Actually, this is my first suit.”
“Oh… interesting… I did notice you were a little young… I had assumed you’d never had a broodwife before but you’ve never even suited for one? How old are you, Kurkhuw?”
“I’m [45].” he states, simply.
Damn… He’s barely older than me!
I give him a moment to start apologising for his youth or justifying his maturity.
He doesn’t.
I’m liking this boy more and more!
“Alright then… What is it that makes you think I’m such a ‘fine woman’, Kurkhuw?” I smirk.
“Well, besides the evidence of my eyes(?)… I’ve heard stories of your military prowess since I was a boy… but also your magnanimity… I was particularly impressed by the Mercy at K’rnath!”
“Oh you were, were you?… You don’t think I was a little soft on them? That was the first [year] of my generalship and I remember many saying that I was clearly too tender for it after that rebellion… I fought more than a few duels with women who’d called me a ‘shaved man’ or similar insults!”
He gestures negative and expands “Quite the opposite! By defeating K’rnath you had made the point that Khawekhan law was not to be violated, Khawekhan sovereignty not to be flouted… By doing so without levying so much as a single nonKhawekhan troop, only taking those who actively volunteered from other realms, you made the point that Khawekh is powerful enough in its own right to answer challenges to its authority… By doing so across a continent, only aided by Wokhash’s fleet to transport you there, you made the point that lack of proximity to Khawekh does not mean Khawekh is unable to enforce its laws… And, by only ordering a single execution (that of the rebellious First Woman), you showed Khawekh not to be the brutally unjust oppressors that the rebels claimed!… Of course, if you had massacred every woman in K’rnath and forbade the women of every other realm from taking K’rnathan broodhusbands, Khawekh would have never needed to fear another K’rnathan Rising but would have had to fear rebellions from other realms!”
I smile and give an appreciative gesture “I’m glad you see it my way, boy!”
He beams.
“Just excuse me a moment…” I say, turning from him to the large tent at my left.
I knock on the post at the right of the door and announce myself “First Woman Khr’kowan… please make yourselves decent, boys! I’m doing my rounds!”
There’s a lot of rustling for the next moments before a voice says “Come in, First Woman.”
I push the curtain aside and step in.
Before me is a half finished tentcloth, pinned between posts on the ground.
Around it are a few dozen boys who (thankfully) all have their spinnerets covered.
I address my halfuncle “Mvhokh, just dropping in… Anything to report?”
He gives an exasperated sigh “Well, nothing much… but we never got the silktax from the Port District which was supposed to come in this morning!… Whemorh was about to head down there for it but…”
I gesture negative and smile “I’ll make enquiries for you…” remapping my route in my head to take me to the Port District earlier than I was planning “…Anything else?”
“No, I think that’s… Hey, who’s your friend?” Mvhokh asks, leaning around me to look out of the open door.
“A suitor.” I answer.
Surprised, he asks “A suitor?… Well, it must be going well if you haven’t already scared him back to his home realm(!)”
Embarrassing chatter starts among the boys around the room.
“Yes… well… don’t give the game away, hmmm?” I answer, under my breath.
Mirthfully, he gestures an affirmative.
I back out of the Spinnery and turn back to the boy accompanying me.
If he heard my halfuncle’s embarrassing observation, he’s doing a good job of not showing it…
He follows me as I begin walking back the way we came, heading for the Port.
“So… you like military history, do you Kurkhuw?” I query as we pass his sisters and turn down the head of the portward road.
“Very much.” he answers, not making apology for the unmanliness of such an interest.
I smile appreciatively and ask “Who’s your favourite figure?”
He thinks for a moment before answering “It’s close… but I think I’d have to give that to your mother… You’re my second favourite…”
I laugh “Apologies that my mother isn’t around for you to court, boy(!)”
For the first time, I see him fluster a little as he responds “Oh… I… err… you’re…”
I hold a hand up and laugh “A jest, Kurkhuw!… I take no offence at coming second to such a woman as her!”
“Al…right?” he answers, hesitantly.
It’s good to see that his sangfroid isn’t indicative of some kind of emotional issue, at least(!)
“So… what’s your opinion on the Foreigners?” I ask him.
“The individuals I’ve met or the concept of being contacted by star people?” he clarifies.
“Both.” I smile, giving a slightly flirtatious flex of my fangs.
He takes a moment to think before responding “The ones I’ve met seem nice enough but are definitely very strange, both to look at and to talk to!… I… won’t lie, the concept of becoming part of their community in the stars is… 4 parts thrilling, 7 parts terrifying!”
“Good answer!” I say, approvingly, before adding “You know that, if I were to accept you as my broodhusband, you’d have to come to the stars with me, right? You know that that’s why my father is suddenly so keen to find me a match I’ll accept?… He’s hoping a man will temper my less temperate aspects(!)”
“Yes, well… not being a broodking, I would have to relocate to Khawekh if you weren’t going to the stars.”
I cock an eyebrow and query “You’re comparing moving to Khawekh to travelling halfway across the [galaxy]?”
All the attractive qualities in the Weaver’s Creation wouldn’t be enough to redeem a man if he were that dullwitted!
“No! No!” he hurriedly corrects “I know the latter will represent a far greater adjustment for me… I only meant that, either way, my life would be entering a new chapter and I would rarely if ever get to travel back to Nhirmor again.”
“And you’d be happy with that?”
“I would.” he states, decisively.
I wobble my head, musing, before asking “You know… given that I’m the representative to the [Galactic] Union’s [Parliament]… it will probably be a while before I’m ready to give my life up to motherhood, right?”
“I had assumed… I’m quite willing to wait.” he answers.
“You’d wait… [11 years] if it took that long?” I smirk.
“For a woman like you? Yes.”
I feel a thrill.
Weaver! Where’s this charming boy been all my life!?
[700km] North in a realm I’ve never had cause to visit? A poor excuse(!)
“*ahem*… So… Kurkhuw… If you were trying to convince me not to accept you… what’s the first thing you’d tell me about yourself?… And be honest! None of that reframing positive traits as if they were negative that suitors do! Women see right through that!”
He thinks for a moment before saying “To any other woman, I would probably give my unmasculine interests or my youth… but… I’m sensing that those aren’t exactly as offputting to you as they would be to most… So… to you, I’d saaaaay…?”
He considers for a few long moments.
He excitedly holds up a hand in realisation before saying “I’m a snarky knowitall and, on that account, not particularly well liked by people in general for the lack of respect they perceive me to be showing them!”
I burst into giggles.
He frowns “What?… You asked for my worst trait!”
“*hehehehehe*… I did! I just…*hehehehehe*… I wasn’t expecting you to be so pleased about it!” I respond, breathlessly.
I mostly recover myself and smirk “If your worst trait is genuinely being a moderately unlikeable knowitall… I think I can get past it(!)”
---Howakh’s perspective---
I sit, just to the right of Aghogh’s throne pedestal, listening to him speak.
In truth, I’m struggling to listen to him speak…
My mind is occupied with worry and doubt about the suiting in progress right now.
When he asked me to tell him of eligible men of my realm, I almost didn’t mention Kurkhuw!
Only after he enumerated traits he thought his daughter would find appealing did I hesitantly bring up the boy!
I had assumed that his… challenging personality would see him end his days as a terminal bachelor! The idea that the most eligible woman in the world might have any interest in him beggars belief!
I’m wondering if, perhaps, the [Emperor] might be becoming a little senile, at such an advanced age, when I hear him ask me a question.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, might I ask you to repeat that?” I say, apologetically.
He smiles “You seem a little distracted, [Lord] Howakh? It’s about the suiting?”
I gesture an affirmative and answer “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You doubt that a boy meeting the criteria I gave you would be appealing to a woman like Khr’kowan, don’t you?” he discerns.
“I do, Your Majesty… It’s just… my domain has many more suitable…”
“Father!” hails a loud, woman’s voice from the antechamber, just ahead of a towering physical specimen of womanhood.
Khr’kowan approaches with my son at her right and flicks her attention to me.
“[Lord] Howakh! Good! You’re here!” she grins (terrifyingly) from halfway across the room.
The gigantic woman draws up to only a man’s length away from me.
“How much?” she asks.
“I’m… sorry?” I respond.
“For Kurkhuw?… What dowry are you asking?”
“Dowry?” I ask, flabbergasted.
“Yes… I like him, I want him and I’m taking him!… So, how much do you want?”
I’m speechless for a few seconds before I manage to stammer “F-f-for a match such a-as this?… I would happily forego a dowry!”
“That doesn’t work, Father… If you don’t take a dowry then the marriage isn’t legally binding… You could demand me back at any time.” says my son, insufferably reminding me of laws I helped to write as if he had been there… and as if I ever would demand his return!
“Right… Of course!… Erm… What would you say to… [4.5m2] of silk?” I ask, naming a ludicrously low price.
The woman gives an enthusiastic affirmative before her hands move to her shoulders and begin unfastening her cape.
She pulls the fine garment (easily more than what I asked) from her hindbody, leaving it mantled in only a single layer, and wraps it into a bundle which she then pushes towards me.
“This will do?” she asks.
I give a hesitant affirmative gesture and I hold out my hands for it, still disbelieving that my son can have charmed this woman so much that she wasn’t even willing to wait for silk to be brought and gave me the cape from her back instead!
“Apologies, [Lord] Howakh… as I am without sight, I must ask you to verbally confirm that you have accepted the dowry for your son’s removal from the Nhirmoran Realm and have no objection to his union to First Woman Khr’kowan?” smirks the [Emperor].
“I… have accepted the dowry and… have no objection to the union.” I answer, dazed.
He gives a satisfied acknowledgement before turning to his daughter and asking “First Woman Khr’kowan of the Khawekhan Realm, Daughter of myself and First Woman Kvehak of the Wokhashan Realm, do you accept this man to be your broodhusband? To protect him? To provide for him? To be both his shield and his spear and, when the time comes, to give your life for his children?”
“I do.” grins the woman.
“And you, Sir Kurkhuw of the Nhirmoran Realm, Son of Broodking Howakh of the Nhirmoran Realm and First Woman Vhixho’a of the Horkhan Realm, do you accept this woman to be your broodwife? To comfort her? To council her? To be her teacher of the past, her advisor on the present and her prognosticator of the future and, when the time comes, to care for her children and teach them of the woman their mother was?”
“I do.” accepts my son, his tone shockingly neutral, as if he’s pleased… but without a hint of the gratitude he owes for being in such a position!
“Then, by my power as Broodking of this realm and master of all others, I pronounce you married!” smiles the old man.