"What are your terms," Aria asked. She figured it was a safe question. "Will my people be safe?"
"As long as your people abide by my rules, no harm will come to them," he said, still looking at Aria.
"And those are...?"
"Come, let us discuss my terms in private," he said.
Everyone stayed quiet. Aria gets up, deciding that she'd better take the king's offer and at least hear him out before deciding anything.
"Aria..." Ben said while he grabbed her hand. "It's not safe for us to be separated."
"Aria's a big girl, Ben. She can take care of herself," Mara said as she narrowed her eyes at him.
Aria pulled her hand from his grasp and walked towards the king, unaware of how she should proceed.
"Come, walk with me," he said and walked out of the door, not even giving her a chance to respond. She looked back at Grace, whose face gave nothing away, before turning and giving her friends what she hoped was a reassuring nod.
She followed him out the doors, the cold floor of the palace draining all the heat from her body.
He slows down enough for her to catch up. When she did, he looked at her bare feet.
"Where are your shoes," he asked.
"I-I don't have any," Aria said.
"That's unfortunate. The palace can get pretty cold, especially at night," he said with a shrug.
"Yeah, I've noticed that," Aria said dryly.
They walked in silence for a little while before Aria summoned the courage to speak up again.
"W-what are you going to do with my people and me," she asked.
"I'm not really sure yet," he said with another shrug. "Like I said...I wasn't expecting a bunch of children."
"We're not children. Most of us are 18, myself included. And we've survived this long. I think that proves that we can be an asset," she said, getting angry at his cavalier attitude regarding the future of her and her friends.
"Is that so? I'm not really sure about that. Based on what I've heard, the only thing you've done is manage not to get killed.”
Okay, now she was definitely pissed.
"You have no idea what we've been through. If you did, you'd understand that it's basically a miracle that we have all survived," Aria said, a little more sharply than she intended. She remembered her conversation with Grace about watching her tone before adding, "I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you. I-I-" she stammered.
He just looked at her.
"So what are your terms," she asked, hoping he was still willing to take them in. The thought surprised her. She wasn't sure when she'd decided that she actually wanted to stay, but from what she'd seen so far, this place was better than where they had been.
"Simple enough. You and your people stay here, abide by my rules. Do as I say. Join our kingdom. Become part of my community as I see fit."
"What do you mean, part of the community as you see fit?"
"Well, whoever stays has to earn their keep. I won't allow your people to stay here if they don't work for me. In some way or another," he said.
They were still strolling through the palace.
"I'm sorry...I'm just a little taken aback," Aria said, after realizing she'd been silent for a few minutes. "This is not what I, or my people, for that matter, were expecting."
"And what is it that you were expecting, exactly?"
"The-the way the others talk about this place...they made it seem as if..." she didn't really know what to say.
"Ah, yes. The others," he said.
"Can you promise that...that my people will be safe?"
"I've told you, Aria. Your people will come to no harm, as long as they do not cause me, or my people, any trouble."
"Is that it? Are those the terms?"
"Well, there is one more thing," he said, smirking at her.
"What is it," she asked, a little afraid to hear the answer.
"I'd like to seal this alliance between our people with a marriage," he said.
"A-a marriage," she asked, a little shocked.
"Yes, a marriage."
"Between who?"
"Well, myself, obviously. And the leader of your people."
"The-the leader of....of my people," Aria asked, shocked.
"Yes, Aria. You," he said slowly like she might not be comprehending the situation.
She didn't know what to say. This was the last thing she was expecting to hear.
"I understand this may come as somewhat of a shock to you. Perhaps you are promised to another, or perhaps you wish not to marry at all. In any case, those are my terms. I will not rush you. So think it over. Talk to your people and give me your answer in the morning," he said. And then, he called for a guard.
"I'll have my guard escort you back to your people and then back to the dungeons. I know it's not the best place, but seeing as you haven't made up your mind about my offer and I still don't really know you, it is in my best interest to keep you down there."
And he said it all so casually, he might as well have been talking about the weather. Or politics. But then again, it seemed as if marriage was just politics here.
He left without another word.
The guards escort her back to her people. They wait until they're back in the dungeons to ask her about what the king had said.
She waited for them to settle down before addressing the group as a whole. She told them about the king's terms, about becoming part of his community. Staying in his kingdom.
"Wait, that's it? His only conditions are for us to listen to him? Abide by his rules," Martinez asked. "That sounds...too good to be true. I mean, we all want to stay, Aria, at least I think we all do. It’s not like we have a home to go back to anyway.”
A few people nod in agreement.
They were right. They had been sent to the surface because their home was no longer sustainable. And Earth was
