Chapter 37

  Wes didn’t have a tough time explaining to Phony why he had called for. She understood right away that he had been using her to exact a little payback with her father.

  However, taking the opportunity, Phony asked Wes to do something for her. Phony had asked Wes to venture out of his room. She had become concerned about his antisocial behavior.

  Although Wes had grown accustomed to being around the girls, he still found himself adjusting to the idea of being responsible for so many people in his compound. Knowing that, in the worst-case scenario, those same people could be used to assassinate him. Best case, they would be with him forever, and he would grow quite close to them. With both Mordune, Orthol, and his son now tied to him for the foreseeable future, he found himself growing concerned for the sheer responsibility of it all.

  Up until a couple of months ago, he had been responsible for only making sure his hands were washed before dinner. Marny had taken care of everything else. Sure, he had to work in the fields and keep up on his studies. Wes’s only main concern prior to Marny’s passing was wondering if he would ever have an awakening.

  Now with so many people tied both directly and indirectly to him, Wes found himself paralyzed by the thought of something happening to him. The fear of also paralyzing those around him from the pledges they gave made him want to keep himself isolated from danger, and in turn, living.

  Wes found himself grateful for not having any time before to ponder the situation he now found himself in. Whether Phony knew it or not, she was the exact push he needed.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly.”

  “No problem, not like I had much of a choice,” Phony replied as they exited his room.

  “What you mean?” Wes asked.

  Recalling, Phony explained, “When you called, you said, ‘Phony, I need you to come into my room and call me Honey.’ You left no room for me to have a choice in the matter, which is your right. But you call, and I must come running.”

  A little shocked, Wes asked, “Is the pledge that severe?”

  Shaking her head, Phony replied, “No, but if you were to get hurt after I refused to come, I could face severe consequences.”

  “First, I’m sorry. Still a little unsure how this all works. Maybe you can give me a few pointers about how this works since you were raised as a princess.” Wes teased.

  Smiling, Phony nudged Wes with her elbow playfully. “Maybe next time, don’t make it an order.”

  Wes paused at the door leading to the long hallway. “Example?”

  Phony leaned against the door with her hand. “It’s not a black and white type of thing. The leading research on the topic says that the more ambiguous a request, the more I can define the unimportance of a request. In turn, the less likely the support is to face consequences.”

  “Sorry, wasn’t specific. I was referring more to pledges.” Wes clarified.

  Pushing off the door, Phony shrugged, “I know. The emphasis is still the same. To put it as simply as possible. You own us. We are here to serve at your pleasure, always.” Phony paused in consideration, “Wesley, you have been a rare find for me. I have always been afraid of being ordered to bed to perform my duties in the service of my primary. Short of your lapse in judgment with that stupid ability of yours, you have been a pleasant surprise.”

  Wes cut in, “Sorry again.”

  Waving him off, Phony continued, “Didn’t say that to make you feel guilty. Wanted to highlight that you have not used your superior position to treat me as nothing more than an object. Which is why that day hurt me so bad. I was afraid of being seen as nothing more than an object. But of course, in the following days, you always asked me and Dozel what we thought. Often, allowing yourself to be overruled. Whether that was a conscious decision doesn’t matter. The simple fact that you don’t treat us like a pet is a rare quality, especially with such an imbalance in political power.”

  Phony could see confusion coming from Wes, so she added, “According to Mother, your traits will be the most sought-after commodity in the universe when word leaks out. Again, this is according to her, since I don’t know your traits exactly, but she says you will be able to bargain an entire system away from the other powerful families just for the opportunity of having one of their own to sleep with you. Considering that, speaking for myself, I can’t imagine what they will offer to tie a mistress to you.” Phony trailed off as she said, “Or a wife.”

  Wes had considered most of what Phony had said already, but hearing it from someone else made it easier to swallow. Looking over Phony’s hardened face, he could see she wanted to say more. “What are you worried about?”

  “Being left behind. Only be used as a tool for more of your offspring. Sure, I would essentially be the queen of some planet or system, but after a few millennia, even that would seem the same as a prison. But you will hold all the power; I will have no say if that’s what you want.” Phony was dejected by her own musings at the end of her thoughts.

  Thinking for a moment, Wes sent out a call for Dozel to join them. Dozel exited her personal quarters and hurriedly made her way to Phony and Wes, still standing outside the Hallway door.

  Greeting him with a bow, “Wesley.”

  After arriving, Wes continued as a confused Phony questioned with her eyes, “Dozel, Phony here has brought up some key points of contention for her. Such as me leaving her behind by taking more wives and mistresses. Do you have anything you fear from being tied to me?”

  Dozel looked at Phony. Phony shrugged in embarrassment. “My fear is much the same as hers, but I also worry about any children we have being discriminated against. Of course, I think even that will go as you grow stronger, but a semblance of it will always be there with some people. If I could speak candidly?”

  “I thought you already were,” Wes replied.

  “More or less yes, but I haven’t shared my own personal desires,” Dozel replied.

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  Nodding in understanding, Wes looked at Phony, and they both shrugged together. “Okay, go for it.”

  Dozel's eyes darted back and forth along the ground. “I want to be loved as much as I love someone else. I want to be a jewel in your eyes and the one you lean on when times become difficult. Be the pillar that holds you up on the hard days, and the soft, warm bed you lie your head on every night. I want to believe in you, in us, wholeheartedly.” Finally, looking up from the ground, she clocked the shock across both Phony’s face and Wes's. Her embarrassment slowed her momentum.

  After a few seconds of awkward silence, Phony proclaimed, “Forget what I said, I want that.”

  Wes and Phony shared a laugh while Dozel bathed in embarrassment. Wes took the two paces over to Dozel and put his hand on her shoulder. “You want to know what I want?” Wes looked at Phony and waved her over with his opposite hand. As soon as she was within his grasp, he placed his hand on her shoulder as well. “I want to live a life without headaches, a life of peaceful misery. The misery of little ones running around annoying me. The misery of a wife telling me to come inside and wash off before dinner. For a long time, I thought I was going to die a farmer, even though I dreamed about the Path I now walk. But even now, I yearn for a simple, comfortable life.” Moving his hands down both their shoulders, Wes took each of their hands. “I’m not so foolish, to think that I am what you dreamed of, Desire for your life. No, I know I am what you call making the most out of a bad situation. Even still, I want you both to be happy. I want us to live happily together. Maybe I should have said it clearly before, but I’m saying it now. Phony, Dozel, I may be required to share the bed of another due to unforeseen circumstances. I may even be required to take a mistress due to a powerful person locking me in their sights. But I’d rather die than take another wife; you are it for me. Marny always told me to find a capable woman, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found two. Two beauties whom I have come to see have good hearts.” Wes got on both knees and offered the same bow that he saw Runar and Coren give before. Holding his head to the ground, Wes continued, “Please forgive my past shameful behavior, and my shameless behavior to come. For all the heartache and misery I am yet to bring you, and for all the times that I will unknowingly make you feel like you are less than. Above all, please accept me for me, the way I accept you for you.”

  Wes held his head to the floor, waiting for a response from the girls. The girls stood in shock at Wes’s words, as well as his undeniable supplication.

  Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Wes looked up. He saw Phony crouching, looking up to Dozel before looking at him. Phony grinned maniacally, “Don’t know how the blue girl feels, but for me, I couldn’t have asked for a better ‘bad situation’.”

  Dozel crouched next to Phony, “I don’t know what to say. I’m both happy and sad.”

  Phony exclaimed, “Sad?”

  Shaking her head, Dozel followed, “I’m sad because if he changes down the road, I will be heartbroken.”

  Laughing aloud, Phony nodded, “I know what you mean.”

  Wes looked to the two as they looked back at him, a little embarrassed. He asked. “I know I got down here, but I don’t know the protocol. Can I just get up myself now, or would that ruin the gesture?”

  The girls each took a hand of Wes and helped him to his feet. While the embarrassment still made Wes' cheeks flush, they all stood in silence for a moment before Phony asked, “You serious about not taking another wife?”

  “Yup, two of you are more than enough trouble.” Wes quipped.

  Sighing to herself, Phony said. “That means I’ll be spending hundreds of years pregnant.”

  Dozel let out a giggle. “Didn’t think of that.”

  “Am I missing something?” Wes asked.

  “Passing on your traits takes priority. The longer we delay, the more other families will push to have you take one of theirs.” Phony pointed out.

  Wes added, “Still not following.”

  Dozel answered, “You may not want to take another, but once your abilities get out. Other families will push to have someone in your line for theirs to mate with. That means our children and our children's children forevermore will be pestered with marriage offers. Since you have no desire to take on more, that leaves our kids and the kids of your mistresses.”

  Phony jumped in, “Don’t forget about the one-off agreements.”

  “Awwe, yes, at the very least you will have some in another line, but we will have to be rather selective on who we align ourselves with,” Dozel said.

  Wes said, “You guys are pretty cavalier with offering me up to other women.”

  Shrugging, Phony replied, “You are the one who has to do it. Why would I interfere?”

  “But didn’t you say something like no woman wants to share their man before?” Wes asked.

  “Oh, of course, I wouldn’t want that. But I’m not some halfwit idiot; our status is the only true currency we have when trading. There are a lot of beautiful women in the universe. And even the most reliable man will eventually stray after enough women throw themselves at him. I’m only making peace with the fact that you will eventually even want to take a mistress or two. Nothing can be done about that, especially with your traits.”

  “Eighteen words total,” Wes added over Party Chat.

  Phony and Dozel’s eyebrows rose in unison.

  Turning to her left, Phony whined, “We’ll be pregnant for thousands of years. It may not be the worst idea to add another wife to save us from all that.”

  Dozel asked over Party Chat, “Eighteen, really?”

  Wes nodded yes.

  Both girls sighed together. With Dozel saying, “Perhaps you may be right, but who will we be able to trust? It's not like we can scour the universe for trust.”

  Phony walked over to the door and leaned on it with her back. “But it took us a while to warm up to each other. Sure, the Training planet helped quicken the process a lot, but it's not like we can replicate that. The good news is we don’t have to do that yet.”

  Wes asked over Party Chat, “Now you guys are saying you want me to have another wife?”

  Phony replied back over chat, “I’m not saying that. But we may have to eventually just to get things going. You don’t understand how petty and brutal powerful families can be.”

  Dozel added over chat, “My suggestion is the sooner the better as well.”

  A perplexed Wes blurted aloud. “Why?”

  “For the simple fact that they will grow with us. The more time we spend with each other, the closer we will hopefully become. Phony knows that if it had not been for the training planet, we would not be okay with each other now. We learned to depend on each other, and in turn learned to appreciate each other's strengths.” Dozel replied over chat.

  Phony looked at Wes and said aloud, “You're not going to like this.”

  “Like what?”

  Phony called out, “Father, come out please.”

  Wes rolled his eyes and looked up to the sky in annoyance.

  “Yes, my dear.” Argyros stepped out of the air next to Wes.