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The Space Between The Stars (A Corsair/Mim Adventure)

Philip rubbed eyes that felt dry and scratchy from long hours of reading and memorizing. He was a long way from mastering the intricacies of the language - computer training or not, it took weeks of hard work to manage more than an extremely basic comprehension. But Yusra was an excellent teacher, and he felt comfortable with the words he'd learned so far. ""I find I'm not in a mood for extra company," he decided. "Particularly not company that could demand and receive answers we're not yet ready to give." He roteated his neck, unkinking muscles. "We don't know enough to actually tell him anything useful, after all."

The chair squeaked across the floor as he shoved it back. "Should we leave the book here?" he asked, stretching his back. "I know some liibraries have strict rules about such matters, and I would like to be allowed to return." The Princess' response was a wordless gesture, so he marked their place with a strip of paper and tucked the book under his arm. "Very well. I shall endeavor to keep it clean as we dine, then. Shall we?"

-*-

The courtyard was a garden, filled with low, broad-leafed plants of a type he didn't recognize. Water trickled between their roots, simultaneously a practical and artistic way to water them. Heat shimmers danced between the leaves, testament to the power of the blazing white star in the indigo sky. It was, Philip decided, a mercy that the garden also held a gazebo-like structure which served to block the worst of the heat. "Quite remarkable," he observed waiting for Yusra to recline on the abundent cushions before taking a seat of his own. "Gardens on my homeworld are centuries old, tended to by armies of gardeners who work the plants into geometric designs. Nothing like this."

He focused on one of the plants, examining it curiously. "I don't recognize any of these. Are they transplanted from Old Earth, or native to this world?"
 
"The gardens here, likewise, are tended to by gardeners," Yusra replied, lounging on a chaise with a plate filled with food from the communal platter. "Though we have quite a few, I wouldn't characterize them as armies, per se. We prefer to allow the plants here to grow naturally, as they would have in days of old. Our people have had quite enough of being forced into unnatural shapes, we do not intend to impose such torture upon our plants as well."

She watched, amused, as he noticed for the first time plants she had seen all her life; plants any Pleiadan would recognize. Plants that, were there any justice in the universe, he should have known as well. She couldn't imagine that the Hyadean homeworld had the climate to support such diverse and beautiful flora and fauna as they had here. By all accounts, Old Africa had been home to many species that Old Europeans and other Earthlings had found odd. At his question she shrugged.

"Some are transplanted from Old Earth," she admitted, "specifically Old Africa. But there are a great many which are native to our homeplanet as well. And some that have even been hybridized. These, for example," she motioned to a leafy plant with pinkish flowers and strange, dark fruit, "used to be poisonous to eat unless they had been cooked. But some of our botanists a few generations ago crossbred it with a native species with similar DNA. Now?" She plucked it off the plant and popped it into her mouth. "Harmless. Many plants, both native to Old Africa and to our planets across the system, have been hybridized this way. We use science to make poisonous plants edible, to make them grow faster or to be more easily propagated. On Old Earth, Africa was known the world over for their people who starved and went without. Here, we have made sure that nobody goes hungry." She smiled lightly and tilted her head curiously. "Have the Hyadeans made such improvements to their natural wildlife? Or do they manufacture food in factories and keep the plants for decorative purposes only?" Her smile was playful, like one sharing a joke on a third party, inviting him to laugh with her at the mzungu. Of course, it wouldn't do to say so out loud, but she had throughout the day drawn a clear distinction between all other Hyadeans and Prince Philip specifically.
 
“It depends on the foodstuffs in question,” Philip replied, carefully plucking a fruit of his own. “And the world as well. Hydroponic greenhouses are most common for cultivation, though. And it’s often more cost efficient to grow cultured meat than it is to raise livestock.”

He popped the fruit into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, uncertain if he cared for the texture. Soft and creamy, like butter, with an unusual flavor. “Colonies will frequently still raise livestock, of course. It saves a limited infrastructure for more vital tasks. And animals have more used than simply food.”

He considered reaching for another fruit, then decided against it. “The most frequent improvements are in the form of genetic manipulation. Increasing the nutritional value of staple crops, improving the yield, that sort of thing.”
 
Yusra nodded as he explained the way they grew meat. "That I can agree with," she admitted. "But keeping livestock is rooted in tradition here. In some tribes, how many cattle one had denoted wealth and status. In some of the colonies and many of the rural places that can still hold true, so I'm afraid we still raise and slaughter our meat the old-fashioned way."

Philip didn't seem to know quite what to make of the ackee fruit. Well, some things were an acquired taste, and she supposed the texture could be off-putting if he wasn't used to it. She watched him consider his options as he filled his plate. Slowly, thoughtfully she chewed as she watched him.

"Enough about agriculture," she said abruptly with a dismissive gesture. "We've all our lives to talk economics and agriculture. Tell me more about yourself." She smiled charmingly before taking a bite. "If we're to spend this much time together, I would like to know you much more intimately. As it is I know that you are humble, that you have a deep and abiding sense of duty, are intellectually curious, and by your own admission would die for me." She quirked an eyebrow for only a moment. She wouldn't mention his brother again; John had already come between them multiple times this afternoon. "Tell me about you, as a person. Your favorite foods, your worst nightmares, what you wanted to be when you grew up instead of a prince." She fixed him with a look. "Don't try to deny it. We all wanted to be something. There was a period of time, when I was ten or so, that I wanted nothing more than to drive a forklift. Adjatay swore he would learn ballet." She laughed, crinkling her nose briefly as she did so. "Today I've gotten to know and to like Prince Philip; show me Philip the man. After all..." She gestured first to her own balcony, then to the balcony across the courtyard. "We are to be neighbors."
 
The thought of getting to know the princess more intimately aroused certain thoughts that he quickly suppressed, as they could lead nowhere but to trouble. He was certain that she knew this, given the stress she’d placed on the word. She was testing him, clearly. “What did I want to be when I grew up..?” he repeated thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the table.

Then he sat back with a grin. “I wanted to be a moa,” he laughed. “An extinct species of giant predatory birds from Old Earth.” His eyes focused into the middle distance as he remembered. “I’d stomp around the summer palace, cawing ferociously and chasing John, who’d shriek and laugh and fight back with wooden swords.” He shook his head fondly at the memory. “We’d rope the palace guards in as well. They were always good enough to let me eat them,”

Still smiling, he sipped his water. “Absurd good times. But I must know; why a forklift?”
 
Yusra laughed a genuine, delighted sort of laugh when Philip announced that he wanted to be a moa when he grew up. "A moa?" She laughed again before taking a sip of water as she listened to him recall their childhood adventures. "Well, I must say I misjudged you indeed! If I were going to be a bird it would most certainly be a cassowary. Still, I'm sure you were the most ferocious flightless giant the Hyades has ever seen. The poor guards! I hope you paid their widows the customary 'eaten by a moa' stipend befitting their heroism."

Then he turned the question back on her. Why a forklift? She smiled and sat back. "Well, like I said I was maybe ten. So this was after I had realized the physical impossibilities of being a shark and then the religious impossibilities of being a nun, but just before the archaeologist phase. I think this probably led into the archaeologist phase, actually." Another sip of water as Yusra thought back to exactly why she had wanted to drive a forklift. "They were building something downtown, I forget what it was now. But Father had taken us down to watch. Adjatay had said something about someone being just a servant, so we were learning a lesson about how everyone is important. How everyone contributes, and how with out the 'just-a's' we would have nothing at all. So the foreman found some hardhats for us and we toured the construction site. Adjatay and Okot were enamored of the destructive stuff, of course: wrecking balls, dynamite, jackhammers, all the loud things. But I saw the forklift picking up all of these massive things that no man could carry on his own, pallets that would have taken them ages to unload and move somewhere else and slow everything to a stop. The way I saw it, everyone had their role but the forklift was the most helpful; it was helping the work go faster, making it easier for everyone else to do their jobs quickly and safely. I liked that it helped; all I ever wanted to do was help my people. So what better way than as a forklift-driving, construction-working princess building things for her people?" She smiled a little. "Of course, it helps that the forklift driver was also very handsome, and I was just starting to reach that age where I noticed boys." The smile grew wider and she chuckled.

"Unfortunately, my brothers weren't as good sports as yours," Yusra added with a sigh and a shrug. "Okot was fifteen, Adjatay nineteen...I was ten. They weren't exactly interested in playing with their kid sister, and who can blame them? Between learning to rule the empire, chasing girls, and fighting, I was hardly their priority. The most I ever managed to rope them into was building a fort." She laughed a little as the memory came to her. "Adjatay made the mistake of being the one to leave to go get us some snacks. After we'd gotten the food up on the little pulley-platform Okot and I staged a coup and pelted him with water balloons. Okot isn't always...well...Okot. Sometimes he removes the broomstick. Only for an hour or two at a time, though. I think he'd lose his structural integrity if he left it out any longer."

Yusra leaned back on her settee and popped another bite of food into her mouth, her eyes tracing over Philip's form. "What about now?" she asked after a brief silence. "If you could run away and have no one notice, if you could do anything in the cosmos except be a prince...what would you do?" She held up a finger. "No politics at all, that's cheating."
 
"Anything at all, except be a prince?" Philip chuckled. "I would want to be an explorer." He toyed with one of the fruits, trying to decide if he wanted to eat it. "The novels and histories of space exploration I read as a child made it sound terribly exciting. So much so that, I believe, a great deal of it was fictionalized or entirely fictional." A smile. "Purple-skinned warrior women just waiting for a True Son of Old Earth to teach them the true meaning of the human concept of 'love'." Now he chuckled. "Quite exciting, particularly once I entered puberty. I suspect my father the King would not have approved."

Rolling the fruit on his plate, he settled back and stared off into space. "But the thrill of it would still be there, I believe. Even as an adult. The opportunity to be the first human to feel the warmth of a new star, to walk the surface of a world that has never felt the tread of human feet." Looking up, he caught Yusra's eye and offered a quick, wicked smile. "Perhaps meet a purple-skinned warrior woman? What's life without dreams, after all?"

With a shrug, he popped the fruit into his mouth. Able to anticipate the unusual texture and flavor, he was better prepared to enjoy the experience. "Sadly, even the bar sinister of royalty have their lives established for them. Don't get me wrong," he added with a quick smile, "I do care for John, and I would die for him. Or kill for him." Another quick smile. "In fact, I have already had occasion to do that very thing for him. And I am certainly not bemoaning my lot in life: 'oh, woe is me, I live in luxury as a scion of the royal house' is a lament hardly worth making. But... it would be nice to have the choice to be my own man, at least."

He ate a third of the fruits, still debating the merits of the thing. "But, enough of me. I'll ask the same question of you, Princess: what would you do, if you had your freedom to do anything you wished except be a member of the nobility?"
 
Yusra leaned back and followed his gaze to the sky, then smiled at the thought of discovering a race of purple-skinned warrior women. "A man can only hope," she laughed. "Sometimes I wonder, though, if there are even stars left to discover. Humanity has spread out so far and wide among the stars, and so many have worlds that are already occupied by the alien races. You would have to go far indeed. An interstellar Magellan."

When Philip lamented having his course already plotted for him, Yusra shook her head and waved a hand. "You don't need to tell me," she commiserated. "A whisper away from the throne, never to touch it...eternally waiting in the wings, in the shadows of our brothers, just in case. We cannot come to the throne except through tragedy, but neither are we free to live our lives as we please. Forever just...hovering in doorways. Living for someone else." She sighed at the canopy hanging over them as it stirred in a warm, early evening breeze. "The luxury is decent recompense, but I've always wondered what it might be like to live my life in some...definite role; to be either queen or not. Not the third-choice-backup." Yusra shook her head again. "I believe the Old Earth saying is 'you're preaching to the choir.'"

But then he turned the question back on her. She frowned in thought, actually having to consider it for a moment. She would be queen; she had decided upon it years ago and not questioned it since, only adjusted her plans to fit the political moment. But if she weren't queen...?

"I'll be honest, I hadn't considered it," Yusra finally admitted, turning on her side to look at him. "I was going to be a forklift operator, then an archaeologist, then a librarian...then a librarian-archaeologist. And then...?" She shrugged. "Then I resigned myself to being a princess. I don't know what happened." She thought for a few more moments. "I think a librarian-archaeologist might be out of the question, though," she admitted, working through it out loud. "One travels the universe, the other stays in one place; bit of a conflict there. And I want to help my people, I know that much. Maybe I would be a teacher." The princess rolled the thought around for a few moments. "Not the classical sort of teacher, the one who stands in front of a class full of children and teaches them their alphabet and algebra. I would teach them useful things. Practical things. How to plant enough to feed their family, and how to take down someone bigger or stronger than them. How to repair a malfunctioning warp coil, and get help if you're stuck somewhere you don't speak the language. Things like that." She nodded, as though confirming the decision to herself, then returned her gaze to Philip. "I would teach practical things, and not only to children. I would teach them to anyone willing to learn." Then, with a coy smile, she added, "Although, I certainly wouldn't object to accompanying you on occasional adventures to the undiscovered land of purple-skinned warriors. Maybe I could teach them a few things, too."
 
Philip frowned at her final words. They cut a little too close to home, a little too close to thoughts that he could not permit himself to express. He had a duty, after all. To hi king and to his brother. But what about myself? "Were things different," he allowed, "perhaps our hypothetical purple-skinned warriors would be willing to learn to repair a malfunctioning warp coil. And I suspect knowing how to get help from them would be useful, as I doubt they speak any language we know." He leaned back with a sigh, and consumed the last of the fruit he'd picked. "Sadly, idle fancies and daydreams are things for children. And we are not children, Princess, for all the appeal of such games."

He smiled at the maudlin tone in his words, then stretched his arms high above his head. "Or perhaps I simply need exercise, after long hours of studying a new language and history. Would it please you to take a walk, Princess? I should love to see more of this city, and it would be good for you to be seen. After all, I have no doubts that rumor of the assassination attempt has leaked out - even if only to those who intended to see you dead." This time, his smile was more genuine. "And few things fluster men who hire assassins more than seeing their would-be victim alive and well. It makes them wonder what we know."

Wood scraped as he pushed his chair back and rose. "But really, I want to see more of this magnificent city of yours. It would be nice to wander streets where my skin does not single me out as an outsider."
 
Yusra sniggered. "I did not mean that I would teach them how to repair a warp coil," she corrected with a mischievous smirk.

"Sadly, idle fancies and daydreams are things for children," Philip sighed. "and we are not children, Princess, for all the appeal of such games."

His smile was sad, as was hers. "Perhaps," she conceded, "but I find it a bit of a relief sometimes to shrug off the mantle of 'grown-up' to indulge in such fancies. You are too serious, my prince, and you take your position far too seriously. Admirable though your commitment to duty is, I fear it will be the death of your joy."

"Or perhaps I simply need exercise, after long hours of studying a new language and history," he said with a stretch. He invited her on a walk, suggesting that it would be good for her to be seen in order to dispel rumors and reassure her people.

Yusra smiled and nodded. "I do enjoy flustering my enemies," she joked, then stood as he did. "Once it is safe and we know more about the situation, I shall take you dancing. For now, however..." She looked up to the sky, now a deep blue shot with gold as the sun finally began to set. "I shall show you the beauty of my city, and what lies beyond."

Outside the palace walls, the streets were still busy. She walked arm-in-arm with Philip, assuring those who asked her that she was quite alright, making sure to mention that Philip had in fact saved her life at one point. The admission chafed, but of more concern was planting the thought in her people's minds and hearts that Philip would make a fitting king, or at the very least King Consort. It seemed to be working; those who asked and conversed with her in rapid familiar Betelgeusean mentioned how fine a man he was, how good a protector, how lucky she was to have been betrothed to such a man. The only time she mentioned John was when she gently corrected that she was, in fact, betrothed to Philip's brother, who was more the stereotypical Hyadean. At this women clucked their tongues before nudging her suggestively, and men simply shook their heads and shared a sympathetic look. As they continued through the streets, Yusra continued to address her people by name. She introduced Philip as though to family members; she gossiped with the women; she argued politics with the men, who speculated on the identity of the would-be assasin of that afternoon; she played games with the children.

For all she had professed to John to dislike children, she was good with them. She played football and Ayo and tag, and at one point was cajoled into a game of tinikling, at which she excelled, dancing nimbly between the bamboo poles. The clappers' hands were blurs by the time her foot got caught and she stumbled out with a laugh, staggering into Philip and catching herself on his shoulders. There were cries of protests when she insisted they had to leave, but by then mothers were beginning to call their children in anyway. Finally, they moved on. Yusra guided Philip to the quieter outskirts of the city, which were mostly residential, then pulled him off of the road onto a dirt path.

"Let me show you my favorite spot in the whole city," she insisted.

It was, technically, outside the city. They climbed a tall hill, following a stream, zigzagging up its face. Near the top, the stream's source could be seen bubbling from a small opening in the hillside. It trickled down the face of the hill and naturally pooled where the hill flattened temporarily before continuing its downward plunge. Yusra smiled as she walked carefully around the shallow edge, leading Philip by the hand.

"The stream is fed by an underground spring," she told him, gesturing to a nearby lamp post before maneuvering him into the right position. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows about it, but it seems people come up here seldom enough that it's a good place to be alone. There." With a grin, she moved out of his way.

The city spread below them, the sunset painting the low buildings with a warm golden light. The palace loomed in the middle distance, perched on its hill overlooking its people like a shepherd watching his flock. Behind it the sky was a deep blue shot through with pink, gold, and purple. Yusra sighed in contentment as she stood next to Philip, ankle-deep in spring water, looking over her home.

"They call me Warden of the Eastern Milky Way," she said, "and so I am. I will protect my people--all of my people--and advocate for what is best for them. But this..." She gestured out to the city. "This is my true home. This is my heart. I could never leave it, not forever."

Despite the setting sun, the weather was still hot and humid, a hallmark of the stifling Kambugudhan summers. They didn't have four seasons so much as a searing wet season, and a slightly cooler, slightly less-wet season. The air clung to their skin and clothes, even in the growing dark. Without preamble, Yusra untied her sarong and stood fully naked in front of Philip. She lingered there, carefully folding the cloth and bending over to set it down upon a rock with exaggerated care, before wading deeper into the cool water and sitting on a rocky ledge. The water only just covered her breasts. As the sun continued to set, solar lights flickered on in the streets below, and homes were lit with a warm glow. So, too, did the lone lamp post by the side of the pool flicker on, bathing them in a warm glow powered by the light from their searing sun. Yusra gestured to the water by her side.

"Join me," she said with an inviting smile, then arched an eyebrow playfully. "Come on. Before I splash you, hey? I know how hot it is here, and it must be worse for someone who grew up circling a red sun. This pool is on the north side of the hill; the water is always cooler than the air. It'll feel good." She jerked her head and playfully flicked a little water in Philip's direction. "Surely cooling off isn't in conflict with your duties, hm?"
 
Was this going too far?

Philip tried to find a tactful way to avert his eyes as Yusra stripped down, but she clearly knew what he was doing. Clearly. Because she lingered over the act far longer than was necessary. Nor was it easier to deal with the fact of her nudity when she finally entered the pool, because the glittering surface merely accentuated the swell of her breasts and her half-concealed body. And because of the playful challenge in her voice as she invited - dared - him to join her.

For a moment he let his eyes drift to the city lights beyond, glittering like jewels in a dusk that was far darker than he was accustomed to experiencing. He hesitated, common sense screaming that it was not a good idea to bathe naked with your own brother’s attractive fiancée. Especially if said fiancée was also half of a political marriage intended to bring peace to two warring nations.

Even as he told himself that, he began unbuttoning the jacket of his semi-formal uniform. “I don’t believe it is,” he agreed with a small smile. “Particularly since, even at sunset, this world is much hotter than I find comfortable.”

Folding his uniform was a more complex operation than her sarong, and he ended up simply draping it over a boulder. He kept his baldric in his hand as he stepped into the water, laying the scabbarded sword and holstered pistol within easy reach as he settled down on the ledge. “This is nice,” he agreed, leaning back against the stone. “Cool, but not cold.” He stared out over the city, and smiled. “And I can see why you would not want to leave it, not forever. I feel the same about my own home.”

His fingers stirred the water absently. “And I would like to show you that home,” he said thoughtlessly, before realizing what he’d said. “John and I share an estate,” he added. “One overlooking an agricultural habitat. It’s… flatter than around here, but it feels like you can see forever across the fields and canals.” A small laugh. “You would like it, I think.”
 
Yusra did not avert her eyes as Philip undressed. In fact, as he turned to drape his uniform over a bolder she tilted her head.

"Curious," she said with a playful smile as he turned around. "I see no sign of the broomstick John mentioned." She laughed and splashed him gently as he stepped into the water, leaving his weapons within easy reach. It was less a splash and more a gentle pushing of the water toward him to wet his chest as he waded in.

"This is nice," he agreed, leaning back against the stone. "Cool, but not cold."

The princess nudged him. "Told you." Reaching up, she unwrapped her doek and carefully folded it and set it near his weapons, revealing close-cropped hair, then took a deep breath before ducking under the water. Ten long seconds passed before she emerged, rubbing water from her eyes. "Mmm much better!"

"And I can see why you would not want to leave it, not forever," Philip said. "I feel the same about my home." His fingers stirred the water absently. "And I would like to show you that home."

He added quickly that he shared an estate with his brother...but surely an estate would be big enough that they could avoid him most of the time. Yusra nodded as he described it, opining that she would like it.

"I might have to wear a parka," she joked, "but I would like that very much." Casually she sat back on the ledge, close to him, and leaned her back lightly against his shoulder as they looked out over the hillside. "We will have to come to some sort of arrangement, you and I," she said after some thought. "Half of our time here, and half on your world. I would say we go during your summers, but that's hardly fair to you, is it?" She looked over her shoulder and up at him. "I hear your brother's people snowshoe wherever they go for most of the year." She smiled; another joke. More, certainly, than she had ever allowed for John. Gradually she relaxed against Philip's shoulder. "Perhaps you could teach me."
 
The feel of her bare skin against his, even though it was just her back against his shoulder, was electric. He felt himself hardening at the contact, and desperately looked for something - anything - to distract him. “The prevalence of snowshoeing,” he said gravely, “is vastly exaggerated. I have done it before, as part of my military training, and I certainly could teach you.” Think about something else. Anything else. “I’d recommend a short trip for your first time, though. It wearies the legs far more than you might expect.”

Damnit. Talking about snowshoeing was not distracting enough. Either that, or Yusra was too distracting. Normally he was quite good at controlling and directing a conversation, but not right now. Not with a beautiful naked woman (John’s fiancée) leaning against him. “Uhm, but I think you’re right. Six months here and six months there would one fair to us-to you or John, I mean.” He cleared his throat, grateful that his dark skin hid his flushed cheeks. Or did it? She would be far more experienced with dark-skinned faces. “Or to the united subjects of the realm. Perhaps alternate years would be better?”

He focused on the city, trying to will his erecting down. “What sort of winter activities do your people have? For that matter, what is winter like here?”
 
"I'd recommend a short trip for your first time, though. It wearies the legs far more than you might expect."

Yusra smirked mischievously. "Oh, I don't know. My legs are stronger than you might imagine."

His discomfort hadn't escaped her, but neither was he moving away. Philip's voice strained as he searched for casual conversation. It was...cute. Her people might not necessarily need a strong king when they had her, and in fact perhaps someone whose will she could easily mould might be better for the empire in the long run anyway. When he started talking about how they might break up visitation between their home nations, Yusra turned and draped an arm behind him, along the edge of the pool. The side of her breast brushed against his bicep, and she wondered whether he knew how hard he was blushing.

"Alternate years, perhaps," she conceded, "or else you're likely to melt into a puddle." She laughed. "Or otherwise, I'll freeze." Philip didn't look at her, but focused his gaze on the skyline of the city and asked her about winter activities. She shrugged. "We don't have winter and summer so much as we have wet and dry seasons. Right now we are toward the end of the dry season." She motioned out toward the savanna outside the city, with its tall grasses and scraggly trees. "Rain comes only two or three times a month, and we rely more on drought-resistant crops and imports from other planets in our empire. Soon, rain won't stop for days at a time. Often, children build little boats out of cardboard and try to paddle them down the streets during particularly heavy rains; they'll see who can get farthest before the cardboard soaks through and they're left swimming." She smiled. "My personal best was a minute and a half." She leaned ever-so-slightly closer, her breast pressing a little more to his arm. "Do you swim? Swimming is one of our primary sports during the rainy season."
 
“I do swim,” Philip answered, trying to use the skyline to distract himself from her presence against him. “82% of Nova Tilden’s surface area is water, after all. Those who don’t have access to the oceans can still find lakes or swimming pools to use.” Thinking about it made him relax, just a little. “I’m not likely to break any records, but I certainly won’t drown if I find myself in the water.”

He hesitated and then, cupping his hand, he swept water up and over his shoulder. It was cool on his bare skin, but the chill was worth the startled spluttering noise Yusra made. “As you can see!” he laughed, breaking away and lunging across the pool. It really wasn’t enough room to make an escape from the retaliation that was sure to follow, but it bought enough space to preemptively escalate.

“Water fighting was more my speed,” he called, raising his voice over the sound of splashing as he swept more water at her. Then he hurled himself left to avoid an incoming wave, spraying more water by kicking wildly. “And serene contemplation bores me.”
 
"I'm not likely to break any records, but I certainly won't drown if I find myself in the water."

Yusra shrugged. "Well then, perhaps I shall have to teach you how to swim better. I prefer a bit of healthy compet--" A splash of water hit her in the face, leaving her spluttering in surprise. After the initial shock she grinned and came after him. She brought one arm sweeping from her shoulder across the surface of the water, sending a wave after him.

"Water fighting was more my speed," Philip called across the pool.

"Oh so it's war you want, is it my prince?" Yusra called back, grinning and laughing unreservedly as he swept her with more water. "This act of aggression will not go unanswered!"

"And serene contemplation bores me," he added, hurling himself left and kicking more water up.

The princess retaliated with kicking of her own, gripping the edge of the pool to remain in place. "Well then, you are already more interesting than any Hyadean I've ever met." The only other Hyadean she'd ever met was, of course, his brother. One fist came down, sending a cone of spray across the pool. "A scholar and a warrior...if you hadn't just declared war upon me," the heel of her hand sent more water flying his direction, "perhaps we could pass our days in close companionship." Yusra shielded herself with her arms from retaliation, but notably didn't return fire. She waited for a pause in Philip's attacks, grinned mischievously, and disappeared underwater.

It didn't take much to cross the pool; it was hardly eight feet across, after all. Her thighs scraped lightly against the gravel at the bottom as she pulled herself along with her fingers. Finally her hands found Philip's ankles, then his thighs, his ribs. Her body moved smoothly against his as she crawled her way up him, still grinning when her head finally broke the surface. Her hands rested on his shoulders...

Yusra leaned all of her weight onto his shoulders, hard and suddenly, dunking him under the water with a laugh.
 
He barely had time to catch his breath before Yusra's weight bore him under the water, and then the world dissolved into churning bubbles and muted sound and weightlessness. Windmilling his arms to slow his downward progress, he twisted and managed to find his footing once more. Then he shot upward, hands and chest slipping over slick skin as he pushed her aside. Water sluiced aside as he broke the surface. exhaling loudly and drawing a deep breath. "Minx!" he roared, laughing. "Treacherous minx! You'll pay for that!"

She dove again as he spun, and his eyes darted back and forth as he hunted for her in the darkness. This game, he reflected, was a whole lot easier with John. Or with Dani, the few times she unwound enough to have fun. Their pale skins would have stood out in the shadows of the pool. But Yusra most certainly did not. Where was...

An explosion of water behind him was his only warning, and he twisted and lept. The act didn't spare him a dunking, but it did make the dunking he received much more controllable as Yusra crashed into his side and they both went down below the water This time, though, he was able to get an arm around her, and then his other arm as he rose and dragged her squirming up and out of the water. "Your turn!" he shouted, lifting her bodily and tossing her. Water fountained up as she hit and he dove after her, tackling her as she surfaced. He caught his weight on his forearms as they struck the edge of the pool, avoiding crushing her but still pinning her between warm stone and his own body. "Do you yield?" he laughed.

Staring down at her, the world seemed to contract to just the two of them. His only awareness was the water lapping over his skin, and the slick, strong body pressed against his. This is a mistake, he thought. But, at this moment? He wasn't sure he cared. "Do you?"
 
Yusra laughed aloud as Philip surfaced, hurling accusations of treachery and promises of retribution. He spun to come after her but she dove, pressing her body again against the gravel at the bottom. It was dark, even with her eyes accustomed to it, and she could only barely make out his legs in the little bit of starlight that reached beneath the water. Resisting the urge to release some of the air she was holding, lest it give away her position, she carefully swam around him before bursting up out of the water. She aimed for his shoulders again, but this time he knew it was coming; instead she crashed into his side and wound up below the surface alongside him. She twisted and kicked to try and disengage, but he was too quick. One arm went around her torso, the other as they surfaced around her thighs.

"Your turn!" He shouted, lifting her bodily.

"How dare you--!" She cut herself off with a squawk as he tossed her. She hit the surface on her side, sending a spray of water and leaving her twisting onto her back so that she could get her feet under her. The princess surfaced just in time to catch a tackle, taking her cackling to the edge of the pool.

"Do you yield?" Philip laughed, pinning her between the stone of the side and his own body. Their grins both faded slowly as he stared down at her, pressing against her. "Do you?"

She pressed her naked flesh against his, resting one hand on his shoulder and the other lightly on his ribs. "Never, my prince," she said softly. "Domination must be won." Her eyes flicked to his lips briefly as she leaned ever-so-slightly forward. Throne or no, plans or no, she realized in this moment that she might actually be able to like Prince Philip.
 
Slowly, Philip leaned forward as well. Slowly, but not hesitantly. "I don't recall speaking of domination," he breathed. His face was so close to hers that he could feel the heat of her skin against his. Her breath tickled his lips and chin, sending a pleasant tingle skittering over his chest and arms. What he was contemplating was, he knew, madness. Much as he knew that there was no love in the coming union of John and Yusra, he also knew that it was essential for interstellar politics. Necessary to end the war between their nations, and allow them to lead an alliance in facing whatever threat was coming out of the core. His brother and this Princess might someday find love, or a measure of happiness at least, but that was unnecessary for an arranged marriage. All that mattered was that it took place. "Just of yielding."

He molded himself against her, pulling her sleek body against his. His lips crossed the final gap between them as his arms slid around her body, feeling the patterns that had been engraved in her flesh. His kiss was soft, gentle, and he trembled with the effort of keeping it so. What he wanted was to plunder her, to leave her gasping and breathless and eager for more. But, for all that he was a bastard, he was also a gentleman. And a Hyeadean gentleman obtained consent.

"Do you yield?" he murmured, shifting so that his thigh parted her legs. He moved slightly, letting her feel his hard length pressing against her hip. His hands slid down her back and pushed between the smooth stone edge of the pool and the firm globes of her rump. "Or is it still war between us?' He rolled his hips, letting her feel him sliding against her skin. "I warn you, Princess: when I make war, I expect to win."
 
Yusra's chest heaved as they leaned forward, pressed against each other, and Philip spoke of yielding. "Would my yielding not necessarily mean your domination?" Her voice was low and husky.

Philip's kiss was slow and gentle. Yusra leaned into it, savoring it; she had rarely had a kiss so tender. Time spent with her paramours was usually wild and reckless, sometimes even rageful or hateful if it was someone like Gatimu. But this was different. She could feel the prince restraining himself, holding himself to standards that were...well, gentlemanly was really the only word for it. Despite her station she wasn't quite used to men kissing her in a gentlemanly fashion; usually they were too scared, or otherwise very aggressive in trying to prove themselves. Her fingertips pressed against his ribs and drew him closer even as he did the same.

"You kiss by the book," she teased warmly, then inhaled sharply when he parted her legs with his thigh and demanded again to know whether she would yield. Philip pressed his length against her hip, hard and insistent. His hands slid down her back and gripped her rear while he pressed her back against the stone edge of the pool. She pressed against his thigh, grinding gently. "I have never yielded, my prince," she warned, "and I don't intend to start now."

"I warn you, Princess: when I make war, I expect to win." He rolled his hips, sliding himself against her and drawing shivers even as he raised goosebumps despite the warm air.

"Who ever said anything about making war?" she purred, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Yusra smirked and leaned in. "This is supposed to be a time for peace, sah? I'm far more interested in how you make love." She closed the gap between them again, kissing him slightly more forcefully than he had kissed her, but still not with the full intensity either of them craved. This play at propriety was...refreshing. "Tell me, Philip," she murmured, her lips still brushing his, "how exactly would you win this supposed war?"
 
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