The Raspite Prince
Chapter 9

I go through the dresses I've made and find the one that's red and pink. There aren't that many, but they take up a bit of space in Patrick's closet. He made room in his closet for my dresses by moving all his clothes into his dresser, but there's something about having them all out, in view, so I spread them around. When I come out of the bedroom, Sergeant Meldow is putting the breakfast tray down.

"How are you feeling this morning?" She studies me as though she knows what happened, but she doesn't appear afraid either. I don't remember seeing her in the cafeteria last night. I guess she heard, being part of security. After all, she does have personal contact with me, so they must have told her.

"I'm fine, thank you," I say, not really looking at her. I don't like when people stare, especially after what happened. I don't want to see the disapproval in her eyes.

"Here's breakfast. I hope you have a great day." Sergeant Meldow turns and leaves.

I get dressed and eat. I spend most of the morning making a few more dresses. I hear people pass by in the hall as I sit alone. Most speak loudly, allowing me to eavesdrop on their conversations. I don't hear any mentions of last night. They seem to be speaking more of their daily chores and what not. I'm relieved yet still fearful of leaving the room. I just busy myself while I await Patrick's return. I have a longing to see him that I've only felt with my father; however, this is different from that.

I set the two dresses I've made to the side. I made a yellow and another purple. It's so relaxing as my mind seems to wander chaotically through the thoughts of all that is and has gone on in the past several days. I examine each dress to make sure all the seams are secure. I wouldn't want them coming apart in front of Patrick or anyone else for that matter.

The door opens behind me. "You're amazing. I, um, are you ready?"

I turn slightly. Lieutenant Wolf is in his everyday uniform. He has a strange expression on his face.

"Ready for what?" I'm a bit startled. This is the first time he's entered the bedroom without knocking.

"For lunch." He laughs a bit at my shocked look. His eyes scan me.

"Oh yeah, I, uh, I had all but forgotten." I hadn't forgotten, but I thought that he may have had other plans.

"Over there, men," Patrick says as the same men who'd brought in the sewing machine and material carry in an extra chair. They have two trays that smell so delicious they make my stomach growl.

"Thank you," I say to the men.

"Are you so polite all the time?" one asks.

"Yes, even if you're ordered to do this, I'm still grateful."

Patrick nods for them to leave. I suppose he isn't used to manners. He's in command, which means he's the one usually barking the orders.

"You are the luckiest man alive." The other says as they set everything up and leave. I'm confused by his comment, but then return my gaze to Patrick.

"Sorry for that. The guys on this ship seem to be very open with the fact that they find you attractive, smart, and kind." He gestures toward the door as it closes behind them.

"It's okay, although it's very strange. It isn't the worst thing they could do. They could fear me."

"Why would they fear you?" He is so adorable.

"Uh, because of last night at dinner time. I shouldn't have drunk the wine. Please forgive me for, uh, my slip of power and any problems it may have caused." I maneuver to the table, avoiding his glare.

"You have no reason to be sorry, and it didn't cause any problems. Most people are just worried if you're alright, because of how quickly you ran out of there." He pulls my seat out for me, and I sit. Then he pushes me in and takes his own seat.

"I'm not as fragile as I seem." I take my first bite as a sort of way to deter the conversation. "This is delicious," I say once my mouth is cleared of food.

"Our chef is quite talented. I don't know why we even use the imitation food simulator for most meals when he can do things like this." He laughs as though he had some inside joke he isn't sharing.

"After we finish eating and I report back in and everything, I'd like to take you somewhere special. That's if you want to."

My heart pounds. He isn't afraid of me. I feel happy and a little scared at the same time. It means that he's in more danger then those who do fear me, because he won't run away if something goes wrong.

"I would love to. That is if my presence outside won't cause panic." What could be so special on a ship, in the middle of space, designed to carry out diplomatic duties? We finish our meal, exchanging small talk, and as hard as it is, I avoid the subject of my home. He'll tell me as soon as he knows something.

"I'll see you in an hour or so." He wipes his mouth and stands.

"Of course. Will this dress be suitable or should I change?"

He stares for a moment. "You look absolutely beautiful; it'll do just fine." With that he kisses the back of my hand and turns to leave. He talks to the guards, but I can't make out what's being said.

I take the next few minutes to finish my meal. I let the guards know I'm finished so the trays can be taken away. I don't go back to sewing however. Instead, I pick up a book from the shelf and settle in to read it. Some silly action book, with a strong and brave prince rescuing a helpless princess trapped in a tower. I find most of it somewhat funny. Rescuing me from a tower would be certain death to any who tried. I still enjoy reading it. It gives my mind a vacation from reality. It doesn't seem to take that long for Patrick to return. I'm only a fourth of the way through the book when he comes through the door.

"That was one of my favorites when I was a kid," he says.

I glance at him but remain silent as I finish the page I'm reading.

"It seems awful silly. I don't know any real situations that would actually fit this story line." I fold the corner of the page.

"Well, I found it very stimulating. I always wanted to rescue a princess and have her fall head over heels in love with me, and I with her." His eyes indicate he means me. I'm not the one who will need rescuing if things go badly. I'm more than capable of killing and destroying anything that's threatening me. Besides, I want to be locked in a tower, so to speak, away from everyone.

"Absolute nonsense. A real princess is trained to take care of herself." I place the book back on the shelf and face him again.

"Just because you can do it yourself, doesn't mean you have to. Isn't it nice to simply have someone willing to do it for you?" He slowly walks toward me.

I smile. "I suppose it is." I can't help but blush with the way those green eyes of his pierce right through me.

"Are you ready to go?" He holds up his arm for me to take his elbow.

"I'm ready. So where are we going?" I take his arm, and we leave the room.

"It's a surprise." He smiles even bigger as we get on the elevator, and this time we go up instead of down. "You know people are starting to talk," he says after a few moments of silence.

"About what?" I ask, afraid of the answer.

"They're saying that we're more than just friends."

I let out a small sigh of relief.

"They say that we make a good couple." He looks at me with a grin on his face.

"I don't know what to say to that." I'm relieved that it isn't that I'm dangerous, but I'm not sure that all this love stuff is appropriate, given everything else. Including everything that I've managed to keep hidden about myself. I do like him more than a little, but I can't let it distract me from my mission.

"I was hoping that maybe we could be more after last night. The kiss was, um, well, I..." The door to the elevator opens into a large room full of trees and flowers. It's beautiful.

"What is this place?" I release his arm and walk in without hesitation. It is some sort of garden, but I had no idea they'd have one on a spaceship.

"It's the ship's greenhouse. We take plants from the planets we visit. Some are for medical reasons, some for food, and others just for their beauty."

I walk slightly ahead of him. As I turn back, he's staring at me with a new expression I haven't seen from him before.

"This flower is from my planet," I say as we reach a small blue plant with multiple small yellow flowers branching from a single stem. He watches as I lean in and smell it. The scent takes me home for a second to my own garden. I quickly move away from it to avoid letting my emotions get the better of me.

"It's used in medicine for headaches," he says as we continue walking. "It was a gift from your father when our people visited your planet all those years ago."

I'm surprised by his knowledge of the flower's purpose. I gently run my hands through several other flowers and plants, mixing their fragrances into the air as we move.

"What's this one?" I walk toward a somewhat withered looking plant at the end of the first row. I'm desperately trying to avoid what Patrick had said in the elevator.

"It's supposed to be a flowering tree. On the planet we got it from, it was used to lower intense fevers, but we can't get it to grow correctly."

I caress its leaves. Within a few seconds, it springs to life and grows taller. The blue flowers blossom before our eyes. Patrick gazes at it and then at me with amazement.

"It's one of the few things I have some control over. I loved being in the gardens at home. I loved helping the flowers and things grow. It's a strange power. I don't really understand its use to the fullest, but it brings me joy when I use it."

Patrick comes up behind me and turns me around to face him. He looks into my eyes and before I can say or do anything, he kisses me. The passion is intense. I feel my body starting to glow, but he doesn't pull away. I try to push away from him in fear, but I can't because my mind seems to be confused if I truly want to or not.

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