caressed his back.
“Uh, Ellie…?”
“Hush, this will only take a moment.”
Suddenly, Jake was there.›Hi, Man! I’m back!‹
“Jake!” he yelled aloud. Ellie still held tight to him.
›Don’t move, you idiot. I’m not all the way in yet.‹
›Are you back to stay?‹
›If you’ll have me.‹
›I’ll have you. Welcome home. It didn’t work out with Ellie?‹
›Does she look unhappy?‹
›No. I’m surprised you’d leave, though.‹
›She wants to be the one to tell you.‹
“Tell me what?” he spoke aloud, leaning back to get a better look at Ellie.
“Jake had another child,” she offered softly. “Her name is Cassandra.”
Mike’s mouth dropped open. “Is it working?”
“Hmm,” Ellie murmured. “She’s wonderful. And intelligent. And my second best friend.”
“She hasn’t taken my place, then?”
Ellie just leaned into him, squeezing harder. “And now you’re leaving me again.”
“Sorry. I’d rather stay. Should I send Reba by herself?”
“No. The two of you have to go. Your mission is critical. I am not inclined to die twice at the hands of the Chessori. By the way, Celine also fissioned. She is back with Reba, and Otis has a Rider of his own.”
›Okay, Mike. I’m in.‹
Mike suddenly felt whole again. He stepped away from Ellie and closed his eyes.›Welcome home, my friend.‹
›Home sweet home, and it’s all mine again, finally. I have to stop having offspring that stick around.‹
›I think she needed the extra help. Is she really all better?‹
›No, but Cassandra has things well in hand.‹
Mike felt Ellie’s hands go around his waist. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him from inches away, her eyes his whole world.
“Has Jake told you what’s coming next?”
“Uh, no.”
She put her arms around his neck, stood on her toes, and kissed him on the lips, a long, warm, inviting kiss. “I’m what’s next, if you’ll have me,” she breathed, leaning back slightly, still staring into his eyes.
Mike blinked, then closed his eyes. “Not fair. You Tested me. You know how I feel.”
“I do know.” She stepped away slightly and unbuttoned a button on her blouse, then another, revealing the soft swell of a breast. Her eyes took on a distant look, a sweet look.
“Wait, Ellie,” he said, taking her back into his arms.
She smiled. “You cannot command the Queen. And my realm desperately needs to restore the Chosen. There’s only one way to do that. Must I beg?”
“Never,” he said. “But I’m selfish. I want all of you, not just a part of you.”
“What part of me have I not offered?”
“The part that calls you the Queen of All Space and me a man from an emerging world. You told me once that the Chosen do not marry for love.”
Her gaze hardened. “They don’t carry Riders or enter ships nets, either. I know your customs. Test my commitment.”
He stared long into her eyes, then lowered himself to one knee. “I love you, Ellie. Will you marry me?”
She sunk down to both knees in front of him, taking both of his hands in her own, very focused. “Remember the words of the Leaf People?”
“How could I forget?”
“Say them.”
Looking into her eyes, he repeated the words from Val’s story. “The Knight will stand with you. Lean on him, love him if you will, but hear him well, for he holds the keys. Your talents are nothing without the keys.”
She nodded. “The Leaf People were right, Michael. My talents are nothing without the keys.”
She looked at his hands, separating them and feeling them, rubbing her fingers across them possessively. “These are the hands of the man of dirt. The dirt of your ancestors has sifted through these fingers. So, too, have the stars of our realm. These hands have fought for me, they have held me, and when I fell to the gleason’s knife, they literally held the keys to a kingdom.”
She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them, staring into his eyes. “I am Queen, and I rule, but when it comes to our love, I kneel before you. I am your woman, you are my man. I love you, Michael, and yes, I will marry you in accordance with your customs.”
“Uh, we’re talking about a few hundred more years here, Ellie.”
“We’re talking about a lifetime, however long that is. My heart is settled on this score, so don’t try to weasel your way out of it. The decree is already drawn up. You just have to add your signature to mine.”
“You planned this?”
Her eyes sparkled. “I’ve been planning it for a long time.”
“I had visions of trumpets and thousands of people. I’ve been scared to death to ask.”
A wizened look came to her face. “Once, that would have been the process. We’re building anew from the ashes. I am Queen, and I intend to make some changes. Now will you come to me?”
As they walked arm in arm toward the dining room the next morning, he asked her, “Does this mean I’m no longer First Knight?”
“You’ve always been more than First Knight, Michael. You’re the Knight. Never forget. Until this crisis is over, the Empire needs a First Knight more than it needs a king. I don’t see how you can be First Knight when you’re King, but I want you to continue as First Knight. And when the time comes, you’ll have a say in who your replacement will be.”
Mike stopped dead in his tracks, looking straight ahead. “Stop this about ‘King.’ I’m no king. I think the official title is ‘consort,’ is it not?”
She took his arm possessively and continued down the hallway. “Sorry, Michael, it doesn’t work that way here. You’re now officially King. You rule beside me.”
He pulled her to a stop. “You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking, or that we can keep it a secret or something. Please.”
“Sorry, King Michael. Or is it King Carver?” She thought a moment, a mischievous look in her eyes, and said, “I guess King works well enough all by itself.”
“You’re just having fun with me.”
She took his arm and turned him to face herself, serious all of a sudden. “Michael, you are King. And you are my husband, I am your wife. Got it?”
“But you’re the Queen of All Space.”
“Then you’re King of all Space. Accept it, Michael. You might be a man from an emerging world, but never forget: you were called. You hold the keys, and my Talents are nothing without the keys. What can be more kingly than that?”
She reached a hand up to caress his cheek. “Be a king, Michael. It’s your Empire now, too. Our Empire needs us, both of us.”
Later that very day, Mike, Reba, Alexis, and Mildred, along with Jessie and four Guardians left for Earth. The Empire could not afford a honeymoon for its King and Queen at the moment. Resolve and Joline lifted off together
