“Great, I caught you before you left for school!” Sithini greeted Aneth as she opened the door. “One official letter of congratulations on that test I set you, and an invitation to apply to join the guild of advanced sciences and alien languages. And a note which says 'sorry no watch-face painting this afternoon', I'll be taking them up to Qnut this afternoon for Dirak's wedding.”

  “Oh, OK. I didn't realise it was so soon.”

  “Nor did he, this time yesterday. But they've finished the house enough to move into it, and being a teacher, Sister-day is the best day of the week for Lenepoli to marry.”

  “And being a sheriff, it doesn't matter much for Dirak?”

  “Some things can't wait, any day of the week, other things can. But you need to get to school.”

  “I do. Thank you for the letter.” Then embarrassed, she added “Your majesty.”

  “I've been looking up my constitutional powers. I don't have many, so you don't need to call me that.”

  “But you do have some.”

  “I do have some authority over those that name me their queen, yes.”

  “Have I just walked into a trap?” Aneth asked.

  “No. But if someone wants to force you in a direction you don't like, tell me.”

  “Father said it was up to me to decide my future. I don't want to upset anyone.”

  “Spoken like a true green. I don't either. But it is sometimes my role to help people reach decisions, and at other times I might have to say, sorry, the needs of the many weigh more heavily than individual concerns. Mother told me she had to once or twice. I hope I don't have to.”

  “Have you told Quif that? I think he wants you to decide about your future.”

  “I'll ask him about that, I guess.”

  “I didn't tell you, Quif,” Sithini said, as they got to the end of the tour and everyone else drifted off in different directions. “Dirak suggests you don't come here if you're aiming for apprentice. Although you're welcome to it you really want to. Apprentices up here don't get government support at the moment, so without a family network it'll get a bit tricky after your ASC.”

  “Oh, so that means I stay at home?”

  “Not necessarily. One option is renting, of course. Or there are other options.”

  “Do I dare ask what they are?

  “Not until you've passed your mastership, no. Unless you want some certainty.”

  “What's wrong with certainty?” he asked, confused.

  “Nothing. I got told not long ago that you were very nervous about asking questions that might lead to it. But I like certainty.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Who told you that?”

  “Does it matter? The real question is, is it true?”

  “I guess it is. I'm certainly very nervous about asking you to make promises you might regret when someone better come along.”

  “Someone better would have to be a pure-bred green watchmaker from Sittin. Therefore, the list of candidates is rather small.”

  “And if I decide I don't want to go beyond an ASC?”

  “Then I'll not be nearly as worried that you might stop making watches. And if you do decide to come up here then I won't be worried about you deciding that Aneth is quite pretty and her name isn't as scary as mine.”

  “Don't be silly, Sithinilakiina, your name isn't scary. Do you mean it when you say you worry about me falling for someone else?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “I didn't know. We agreed not to talk about feelings until I've finished my masterpiece.”

  “Silly decision. Can we change our minds?”

  “I like you a lot, Sithini.”

  “What an amazing coincidence, I like you a lot too.”

  “Urm, you said you like certainty. Would you be happier it I said that I hope to spend a lot of time with you when I've finished my masterpiece?”

  “If that's all you want to promise, Quif, then I'll accept it and treasure it and try to keep warm from its little flame of hope.”

  “I want to promise a lot more, but I don't think loyal subjects are allowed to make personal requests of their queen.”

  “They're not? I didn't know that. Tell you what, how about I order you to not think of me as your queen for a long enough to loosen your tongue? And just when did you decide you were my loyal subject, anyway? I thought you were my friend who glued my feet to the floor in a wonderful joke.”

  “I hope you'll forgive me, majesty.”

  “Quif, I'm me. Practical jokes are a sign of friendship. Don't take that away from me. Please don't try to put me into some cold lonely throne. That is not the sort of certainty I want at all.”

  “I'm too confused about what I can and can't do without getting in trouble,” he said, looking at his feet. The blustery wind was blowing her feathers to tickle his head, sometimes even his crest, which wasn't helping him think either “And then all this about you not having a free choice...”

  “I have a free choice, and you're not going to get in trouble unless you do something really stupid like.. Quif?” she interrupted herself.

  “Yes, Sithini?”

  “It's cold, had you noticed?”

  “Should we go inside and join the others?” He asked from his confused and miserable state. He couldn't ask her to commit herself to him, much as he wanted to. It wasn't right. “Do you want to?” he asked.

  “No. But I thought crests were supposed to get all floppy in the cold.”

  Embarrassed, he took half a step away. “Urm, it's probably something to do with your feathers being blown onto my head. Sorry.”

  “Whatever for? Not being able to control the wind? Come back closer please, it's cold.”

  “I'm sorry for not keeping the proper respectful distance.”

  “Quif, who or what has convinced you that you need to keep your distance from me?”

  “That book you gave me, ages ago. I've been re-reading it”

  “What book?”

  “'Etiquette and manners', it's called.”

  “That was to help you respond to reds like Lanthi and the rest of them up here, Quiff. I don't have talons.”

  “Just tempting feathers that blot out all thoughts but one,” he said, trying to make a joke, but embarrassing himself enormously. “Sorry,” he stuttered, “I shouldn't have said that.”

  “Quif, just stop hinting about your thoughts, and share them with me, will you?”

  “They're not very sane.” Quiff said.

  “Oh good. Mine aren't either. You share yours and then I'll share mine and we can have a good laugh about them when we're older and wiser. So, what is your most insane thought?”

  “Do you insist on me telling you, my queen?”

  “You're not allowed to suggest cutting my feathers off. Otherwise, yes.”

  “Why would I suggest that? Your feathers are lovely.”

  “Even when the wind makes them tickle you?”

  “Will you marry me, Sithinilakiina?”

  “Of course I will, Quif.” After a kiss that turned into a warming hug, with the wind causing more crest-tickling whichever way they stood, they separated, and Sithini asked, “Why do you call that a silly thought?”

  “Today?”

  Sithini laughed. “Yes, that's insane all right. How about you finish that masterpiece first? And I'll finish plumbing the village.”

  “And then?”

  “Then, we need to decide things like where to live.”

  The End of this part of the story.

  There are more stories around other stars.

  So far there isn't one one that talks about the device Sithini made that got her name known in other star systems.

  fiction that comes next, and it might not be more than a short story.

  here