Chapter Seven:
Once on the planet, Aikera didn't move to leave the ship. Rommie and Beka stayed behind. After a few minutes of waiting, they looked at each other.
"Plan B?" Beka asked.
"Plan B." Rommie confirmed.
"Plan B? There's a plan b? What are you two doing?" Aikera asked as they picked her up by the arms and dragged her out. Once outside they set her down and they all went to the gate. The head of security greeted them.
"Good Evening," He said, "may I be the first to say welcome and thank you for coming. And it is nice to see you again Princess Aikera." She nodded to him as to say the same back to him. He led the group to the hall and introduced them to the guests already there. Charlemagne invited Aikera and Harper both to sit with him for a bit and chat.
"Its up to you Harper, I can always catch up with him at dinner." Aikera whispered.
"Why me?" he asked.
"Because, I did come here with you. I won't sit up there without you. It's rude to do that." Aikera said. Harper agreed to sit up there for a little while. Her father finally showed up and she looked at Charlemagne pleadingly.
"I'm going to the bathroom to puck." Aikera said. Charlemagne nodded and she dragged Harper with her. Her father meanwhile saw his daughter walk out of the room with Harper. He went and asked Charlemagne about it.
"Where is my daughter going to with that mongrel?" he asked.
"That mongrel as you so elegantly put it is part of Captain Hunt's crew." Elsbett said.
"He is? Doesn't look it from here. But still were is she off to?"
"She is seeing if our daughter is ready." Elsbett said before her husband could answer. King Darien nodded and mingled about with the other guests.
As Harper and Aikera were walking from the bathroom they heard a baby's cry. Aikera followed the sound and Harper followed her. When they entered the room where the baby was the nurse looked at them suspiciously.
"Who are you, ma'am?" she asked.
"Princess Aikera. May I try to calm her down?" Aikera said. The nurse nodded handing the child over. She immediately became quiet. "Does she need to go to her parents?"
"Yes. But they have asked me to bring her out." She said.
Aikera knew that the nurse was hired help and not a slave. Aikera nearly killed Charlemagne for getting a slave that he began paying them or giving them room and board and regular meals for their work.
"How about this, you tell them that I have her and I'll carry her out. We'll go with you to the door, won't we Harper?"
"That would be wonderful." The nurse said bowing.
They walked to the hall and stopped at the door so the nurse could tell the king and queen that Aikera had their daughter then left. Charlemagne waved her and Harper over. As Aikera was handing the princess to Elsbett, King Darien came over to them.
"Daughter, what took you so long?" Her father asked. "It doesn't take that long to get the princess does it?"
Aikera looked at Charlemagne then at Elsbett. They gave her the 'we had to tell him something' look that they knew all to well. She smiled and played along.
"We got turned around going to the room, father." Aikera said walking over to her seat. By this time, Harper was already sitting down.
"Why is there a commoner sitting with royalty?" Darien asked getting mad. Dylan and the rest of his crew headed over by this time.
"You are such a messed up king." Aikera told her father walking away. She went outside to clear her head. Harper followed quickly.
"Anything wrong here?" Tyr asked. King Darien looked at Tyr with hatred and distaste. By this time, Dylan and the rest of the crew were gathered around the throne area.
"And Mr. Harper is Captain Hunt's engineer. He is quite good." Elsbett said explaining who Harper was. She then stood and followed the princess and Harper. Once outside Elsbett watched the interaction between the two young people.
"Aikera please stop." Harper pleaded.
"Why?" Aikera asked angrily as she turned to face Harper. The look he saw in her eyes made him want to cry. It was a look of loneliness, abandonment, and emptiness.
Harper scratched the back of his head then started, "Yes your father insulted me but I'm not upset. I'm used to worse things from people like Tyr."
"But you shouldn't be treated like you're the… the… the-"
"Scum of the universe?" Harper asked.
"You're right Princess he shouldn't be treated like that." Elsbett said approaching them, "And you shouldn't be treated like that either Princess."
"I hate being stereotyped. People think 'Oh she's a princess she gets away with everything.' I hate it all the time." Aikera said sitting down on a bench. Harper sat next to her.
"And we both know how civil and proper you can be when not forced but give your dad some ease. He had to raise you differently then when you lived here with your mom." The Queen said turning and heading back inside. She ran into Tyr and Beka.
"What's happened?" Tyr asked referring to Aikera and Harper.
"She's upset with her father—again." Elsbett said returning to the dance. She noticed her husband dancing with Trance. She smiled and returned to her set.
"I didn't do it." Harper said when he noticed Beka and Tyr approach.