Chapter Eight:
"I know Harper, calm down. Aikera will you take a walk with me please." Beka asked. Aikera got up and followed Beka around the garden.
"So, how long have you known our friend Charlemagne? He seems to have quite a liking for you." Beka said.
"I've known him my whole life. He's only six months older then I." Aikera replied playing with the edge of her dress sleeve. They walked some more and talked about how she chose to be a doctor. They approached Tyr and Harper, both men stood up and looked at them questioning. Aikera shook her head no at Tyr.
"There you are. I see you four decided to party out here without me." Charlemagne said from the door to the ballroom. The group looked at him.
"Then crash our party properly." Aikera said with a grin.
"I would but you know I have this huge table of guests, who just happen to be hungry, waiting on you four and I." The Archduke replied. The group went in and joined the dinner table.
"Have you named your daughter yet?" Aikera asked Elsbett.
"Aikera!" Harper said, "You don't ask them something like that."
"It's quite alright Mr. Harper. She is a member of the family here." Charlemagne said, "The workers here listen to her more then me. And no we are leaving the naming up to you."
Aikera smiled, "Thank you. And no the workers don't listen to me, they receive advice from me."
"Don't listen to her, she doesn't know how much influence she is. Everyone around here loves her." Elsbett said. "And there's no rush with her name your father is signing the charter tomorrow morning then is leaving." Aikera nodded her head curtly.
As the dinner was winding down Aikera was fighting to stay awake. Charlemagne noticed it and smiled. Beka and Tyr caught his look and looked at Aikera with a smile. Harper looked at Aikera and made a move to get up.
"Mr. Harper would you mind taking her up? She looks like she hasn't slept in a month." Charlemagne said.
"Actually she hasn't slept in two weeks." Beka said picking up her glass.
"I'll have someone show you up." Charlemagne told Harper. Charlemagne followed Harper out of the room after Harper had Aikera in his arms. As he was following a maid up the stairs Aikera shifted a little.
"But mommy I don't like pink. It's a girly color." Aikera mumbled in her sleep. Harper shook his head slightly and entered her room. He set her on the bed after the maid turned the quilts down. Aikera wrapped her arms tighter around Harper's neck.
"Come on Aikera, let go please." Harper whispered.
"Please stay." Aikera said opening her eyes.
"I'll just be in the bed on the opposite wall." Harper said. Aikera pulled him closer to her.
"Just lay down with her." Tyr said from the door. Harper looked at him quickly.
"And have everyone think something happened?" Harper asked.
"She trusts you. She has trusted you quicker then she trusted me. Be happy about that." Tyr said closing the door and going to his room.
Harper lay down with Aikera and she curled up next to him going to sleep, Harper soon followed. Beka was waiting for Tyr at his door. Tyr wasn't expecting her to still be awake.
"Yes?" Tyr asked Beka.
"Why do you and Aikera fight like siblings?" Beka asked. She was still in her dress from the ball.
"I watched after her for a year and a half, she hates me for something that wasn't my doing." Tyr said.
"You looked after her?" Beka asked.
"She stowed away onto my ship. Her father knew she was with me after I contacted him. She ended up in a coma." Tyr said.
"You put her into a coma?" Beka asked slightly raising her voice.
"I'll explain it in due time, now go to sleep." Tyr said shooing Beka away. Beka went without complaint, she was tired. Charlemagne came up to check on Aikera.
"How is she?" He asked Tyr.
"Asleep since Harper laid her down." Tyr said.
"Good I hope she feels better in the morning." Charlemagne said nodding his head to Tyr then left.
Aikera woke with a start. It took her a moment to get her bearing. She looked at the clock and saw that it was in the middle of the night. She climbed out of bed careful not to wake Harper. She wandered the halls and ended up at her father's room. She wasn't all that surprised to be there.
She entered and her father looked at her. She stared back for a few moments until he broke the silence.
"This is something I wasn't expecting." He said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I came to talk to you." Aikera said still staying near the open door.
"For what? The only time you talk to me is when you insult me, yell, scream and tell me how much you hate me." He said back raising his voice slightly.
"I came to apologize for that and for being rebellious and doing everything against your wishes." Aikera said looking down.
"And you think that'll make everything alright and we'll become a perfect family? Well it doesn't and we won't ever be the perfect family." He yelled getting closer to her.
"Fine! Then don't accept it. I don't even know why I came to apologize. I wish I hadn't." Aikera yelled back. She went to leave when he grabbed her arm hard and pulled her back into the room. "Let go of me!" She yelled.
"Why?" He asked loudly and threw her against the opposite wall. She fell to the floor.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Aikera asked getting onto her knees.
"You're just- you wouldn't understand." Her father said frustrated as he kicked her in the stomach hard making her fall back down. "And you're an undisciplined person and a waste of breath." He continued.
Aikera stood up and charged at her father. He grabbed her arm spun her around and released her causing her to run into the wall. After she hit the wall, she fell to the floor hitting her headfirst. She blacked out and her father looked at her with fear in his eyes.
Trance and Beka ran into the room with Tyr, Dylan, Charlemagne and the palace guards behind them. Harper entered a moment after them.
"What happened in here?" Charlemagne asked King Darren.
"I didn't mean to hurt her." He replied finally meeting everyone's angry glares. Trance and Beka were at Aikera's side and whispering to each other.
"You shall remain under guard and will be escorted to the charter signing and to your ship in the morning. Is that understood?" Charlemagne asked. King Darren could only nod. Trance picked Aikera up and began walking out with Beka behind her. Tyr stopped her as everyone else filed out.
"Stay and talk to him. Get any information out of him." Tyr said.
"Why won't you?" Beka asked.
"Aikera doesn't want to be queen. Besides she's not ready to be one yet." Tyr said subtly hinting he would kill the king. He walked away and Beka sighed then entered the room.
"Why?" Was all Beka could ask.
"It's a long complicated story." Darren said sitting on the bed.
"Yea but almost killing her isn't that complicated to understand." Beka said, "You were willing to kill her because you're pissed at her? I wish I could do that to everyone who has pissed me off. Do you even realize what she's done the last two weeks?" Darren shook his head no. "She took care of my engineer because he got sick on your planet, she hasn't slept that much, and she could careless about her health over my crews health. Aikera didn't even know us and she helped Trance, Dylan and Harper. "
King Darren sat on the edge of his bed. He was emotional and didn't know how to handle it.
"She was so rebellious towards me. She blamed me for her mothers death."
"I can understand why she ran away, you beat her so much." Beka said going to the door as Tyr came in. "Have fun Tyr." Beka then left and went to see Aikera.
"You're lucky. Your daughter tried to bond with you and you pushed her away, again. I would love to bond with her again, but you ruined that and I have to start from the beginning again. She didn't kill you because you're the king and she isn't ready to be queen. She respects you only as the king not a father." Tyr said leaving the room. He went to where they were treating Aikera.
Rommie approached Tyr; "We need your help with Aikera."