The People’s Prince

Chapter XII

 

It was one of those rare moments in history where seemingly unconnected events combined and built on one another until they demanded the attention of the galaxy’s collective consciousness. What had started out as the mundane annual benevolence ball of the Galaxy Police Force, an event that for decades had been relegated to small blurbs from the news organizations and not even an asterisk on the social calendars of the galaxy’s elite had become an unrivaled spectacle with the entrance of the First Princess of Jurai. Holo-screens in numerous systems hummed to life as news affiliate after news affiliate piggybacked off the lone feed available. The news waves were filled with the vision of a beautiful woman in regal purple, a face not seen live in hundreds of years. And this impromptu play had just a touch of political intrigue to spice up the mix. What could have possibly brought the reclusive First Crowned Princess Aeka Jurai Misaki to the Galaxy Police Ball of all places? But this was only the beginning of the night’s intrigue. Princess Sasami was also in attendance, her hair no longer in the twin ponytails that signified adolescence in Jurai Royal culture. Usually such a changed signified a betrothal, was the same true here?

Queens Funaho and Masaki were glued to the visual monitors aboard their tree ships as they sped toward Galaxy Police Headquarters. Stratagems and plans long in the works to introduce Tenchi Masaki to the galaxy were being undone by this unforeseen occurrence. Queen Funaho did not know whether to laugh or to cry.

“How could I have not seen this happening?” Funaho lamented to her sister queen as she watched Aeka speaking to the dark haired reporter. She glanced over to a monitor showing the estimated time until they reached the station. It would be another half standard hour.

Misaki was taking things much more sedately than the woman next to her. “Well, my guess is you figured Tenchi would never have agreed to such an event.”

 Funaho nodded, she still could not believe he had agreed to go. Of course once he had agreed, it would have been easy for anyone to predict the events that would have followed. “How did Mihoshi convince him?” She wondered aloud.

“Maybe she seduced him.”

Both women turned to each other and laughed out loud. Not that they thought Mihoshi was ugly. It was more a testament to Tenchi being a human rock when it came to sexuality.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Lord Seiryo?” The King of Airi asked of the holoprojection of the Juraian High Priest. “What makes him any different than the other infidels who have set their throne upon the neck of Tsunami?”

 

 

What to do?

 

“How many times must I say the same thing?” the younger woman asked in exasperation. “This is not going to happen. You are no longer a part of my life.”

“But why?” her mother asked plaintively. “I am not asking you or any of your children to convert or influence you at all. I just want to meet my granddaughter. When you are a grandmother you will understand.”

A sheepish look graced Airi’s face for a moment, which was not missed by her mother. “What aren’t you telling me?” the Queen asked.

Despite having had control of the conversation up to this point, Airi could no longer meet her mother’s gaze. “Well, to be perfectly honest… I have both a granddaughter and a grandson,” a dark look crossed her face. “But if either of them calls me grandmother…” she left the rest of the threat unspoken as she shook her fist at an imaginary person.  Remembering to whom she had been speaking to, Airi turned her attention back to the video screen and her mother. The emotion she saw on her mother’s face nearly broke the policewoman’s resolve.

“What?!” the Queen exclaimed. “But I didn’t even know Minaho was married.” A scandalous look crossed the Queen’s face. “Don’t tell me she had them outside of wedlock?” She studied her daughter’s reaction to her question while internalizing her own confused thoughts. ‘Surely, our intelligence network would have learned of Minaho’s pregnancy. How can I now just be learning of this?’

A guilty look again came to Airi’s face and for the first time for as long as she could remember she saw things from her mother’s perspective. When Airi was younger she had felt stifled by the parents and the religion that surrounded everything and everyone around the royal family. She had never been the ardent believer the rest of her family were and had left for the Academy as soon as she was able. It was there, as fate would have it, that she met and fell in love with the Prince of Jurai, Yosho Jurai Masaki. The people of Airi would see the relationship as the darkest of betrayals, as her derision of their beliefs were no secret. Her father, the King, would no doubt think the opposite. This would finally be their chance to interject themselves into the Juraian ruling structure at the highest levels. With her married to the Juraian Crowned Prince, the rulers of Airi would be closer to their goal of freeing Tsunami than they had ever been. Airi had no intention of being her father’s pawn. If it had not been for Seto, who knows what would have become of her and Yosho’s relationship. And her mother, she could still picture her standing beside her father and not saying a word on her daughter’s behalf.

At the time and a long time afterward she had been too angry, too hurt to take note of the sadness in her mother’s eyes. But now, thinking of her own children… it is easy for her to say that she would support them no matter what, but would she really? Had she really? Thinking of the situation with Ryoko and Aeka back on Earth…Wasn’t Yosho manipulating his grandson’s life even now?  Whether or not it would prove to benefit Tenchi in the end, how was it any different than what her parents had attempted to do? What if Tenchi became tired of all the intrigue, calculations and exploitation? What if she became estranged with Tenchi just as she was with her parents? It wasn’t like she could fall back on Aeka or Ryoko to speak on her behalf. No doubt they would not approve of her meddling either. Washu might understand, and she would still have Mihoshi’s good graces, but would they side with her against Tenchi? …Of course not. What if Tenchi prevented her from seeing any of his children? She would never get to see Aeka’s child? Or maybe he would choose Mihoshi? Or Ryoko’s child? By all that was righteous, Sasami’s child could be the cutest baby in existence!