SWNOVELS Chapter 26
"This is beautiful." I say holding up some white lace and as I dug farther in I found some solid white, a beige color, and a few other white materials that would work perfectly. I can imagine so many different things in my head as I dig trying to figure out how to make the perfect dress.
"I can't wait to see what you come up with. I will have to let Sergeant Meldow take over. After we get all this back to the room I will have her temporarily, I have stuff I need to attend to." He says from behind the pile of cloth that I keep shoving into his hands. He finally drops it. He begins to shift some stuff around in boxes as to allow for one to be freed up so he could shove the stuff into a box making it easier to carry. "I guess if that is everything you need then we better get on or way back to the room."
"Do you have anywhere else you can stay till the wedding tomorrow?" I ask as we collect my things and head back to the elevator. He of course is carrying the box.
"Why is that?" He asks with a hint of pouting in his voice.
"It is a common practice for the bride and groom, not to see each other until the time of the wedding. Or it is on my planet I am not sure about yours?" I say looking at him and he smiles at me as I reach out and push the elevator waiting for it to come to our floor.
"I do not want to but if this is what is best for us to do then I can go stay in the med bay or the captain's office either one. I will have to see to everything getting arranged and stuff." I look at him I could not believe how anxious he is. It is cute I can't help it I smile and relax a bit at the idea of him being just as nervous as me.
"Yes I don't know how I am going to be able to sleep tonight without you in the next room." I say. He smiles at me. He sits the box down and pages Sergeant Meldow to come to our room as we head up in the elevator, I figure she would take over for him within an hour or so.
"On my way Lieutenant Wolf. And congratulations sir." She confirmed the request. Then we stood silently for a moment. Neither of us seem prepared for what is to come.
"Well I guess by tomorrow we will be married. I can't wait to call you misses Wolf." I haven't thought about such a thing as a name change. On my planet most people in my standing weren't given last names only one name and a title. I have heard of the peasants doing such things, but I did not realize that other cultures had done the same. I look at him he is smiling, yet at the same time there seems to be something else in his eyes. I am not sure what it is and I don't want to push the matter. I know he is nervous and worried so I figure it is a combination of both.
"I guess I never thought of it that way. I know that had my people not been killed that you would have become king there. As it stands with my father's death had my mother lived she would be allowed to stay at the palace but because she was only queen by marriage she would have had to remarry prior to me taking the throne or once I was to be wed she would lose her queen ship." I am just trying to ease my mind but it seems to really strike Patrick's interest.
"Really, how does that work?" He asks as we reach our floor and we walk into the room together. He set the box down on the floor to the side of the room and looks at me.
"My uncle would most likely take the throne if neither of us were wed in such time. You have to be blood in order to sit on the throne, or if you are female married at least once to sit on the throne as blood widow." I say as he follows me to the couch and we sit down.
"Blood Widow?" he looked at me funny. I guess this term was used only on my planet.
"If I married you and you died I was related to the king and descended from the blood line of kings so I would be able to keep the throne without remarrying." He nods as though he understands.
"So your uncle would be who takes the throne if neither of you were remarried?" I don't see why it is relevant but perhaps he is just trying to relax himself and this helped get his mind off of it.
"My uncle is much like my father a kind and strong man who would have been better suited to rule in my father's absence." I miss my people my father, my mother, and everything. But at the same time I have never felt so free to choose for myself. Our conversation is ended when Sergeant Meldow enters the room.
"Sir." Patrick stands up and they step out the main door for a moment. I don't hear what they are saying but I am not really paying attention. I walk over to the window and open the blind, for the life of me I don't know why he keeps it shut. I could see a planet up close, but it seems as though we are passing it. All the planets look almost the same from this view. Sergeant Meldow comes in the room alone, I guess Patrick left. He must have been ready to get everything together for tomorrow. I look at Meldow and then back out the window. I can't believe that I am really going through with this. I just keep thinking about my father, about the dream. I don't know what he was trying to warn me about.
"Is there anything I can get for you princess?" Meldow asks as she walks over to my side looking out as well.
"No I have what I need to make my dress I just need to get started." I look at her and she look back. I walk over to the box and dug through getting everything laid out and ready to cut. I walk into the room and pulled the sewing machine back out of the room as this job would be way too big to do in the bedroom. "Is there something you want to say?" She had helped me pull everything out and I could tell by her expression something was on the tip of her tongue.
"Yes, I just wanted to let you know that I am so happy for you and Pat... Lieutenant Wolf. He is a really good man and I know he will do whatever it takes to make you happy." She says.
"You seem very fond of Patrick." I say looking at her, it is the first time I could see a slight resemblance, I must be really stress at this point. He had told me he had sisters and now I was trying to put them all on this ship in my tired state of mind. I shrug it off.
"I know you have to be really nervous right now, but I know him very well as a friend and as a commanding officer. You should relax, and try to enjoy the fact that he will make sure you're taken care of." I look at her and smile. She is being nice to me after the first time I had met her I thought she didn't like me but I guess she was warming up to me, or she had been ordered to be nice. Either way I quite enjoy her company at the moment.
"Thank you. I guess I better get started on the dress. I really don't have a whole lot of time and I would like to get the biggest part of it done before diner." I stand up and grab the basket with the string, scissors and other supplies including chalk to mark all the cuts I have to make beforehand. Meldow actually came in quite handy as she helps me cut out all the pieces after they were measured out. My mind drifts off into a dazed like state which is a bit of a relief after everything that have happened today. Sewing always helps me relax, yet at the same time it seems to make me a bit sad in remembrance of my home.
I start on the main part of the dress. I take the solid white and cut it into triangular pieces. I did the same with the cream color making it slightly shorter than the white and cover that all the way down with the lace sewing the pieces together. Then I sew the pieces together to create the skirt. The bust of the dress isn't as complicated but still takes some time as I make an altering pattern of the cream and white then covered it with lace as well. By the time it is time for dinner I have the top and bottom complete but not joined together.
"Can I ask how long you have known Patrick?" She laughs a little choking on her drink.
"Why?" She asks looking at me with curiosity.
"Well I um, I am not sure how to say this without sounding completely crazy but..." I start looking over at her from the table as she pushes buttons on the computers screen to order our meal.
"Go ahead I am sure it can't be crazier then you being able to blow stuff up with your mind." She smiles.
"Well in my dreams I spoke with my father and he said that he was hiding something from me. I thought that if you have known him for a while perhaps you could tell me." I say putting aside the pieces of the dress in order to make room for us to eat without getting anything on my hard work. I sit nervously unsure what to expect.
"Well in truth my whole life. What exactly did your father say he was hiding?" She asks as she took a seat on the couch. I look at her and took a deep breath. I am not sure she will understand but I start talking anyway. I tell her the entire dream that I had the night before. She looks at me and listens intently without interrupting.
"So you see I was just wondering if you knew maybe what he was hiding." She doesn't seem phased by the idea of me speaking to the dead, but she set very quietly for a moment after I finish speaking. I look at her as she seems deep in thought.
"Patrick, he is my older brother, I am the second little sister. I have been married for two years now so of course according to our customs you wouldn't have realized it with my name being different. It's why I am so happy that he finally found someone to love. He is a good man. He was the one who took care of us when we were growing up because our dad was always too busy to handle us. My mother played her part but it was mostly Patrick that did all the stuff our father should have and I want him to have all the happiness he deserves." I look at her for a moment as I can't believe that I have been right about the resemblance and because maybe I shouldn't have told her all of that. She is his little sister then how will I trust she will not spill everything to him.
"I had no idea you were related." I say looking at her. What do I do now? I will definitely not get any answers from anyone on this ship.
"I guess it's because when we are working he looks at me as though I am one of his charges, but when it comes to any family issues he is always the first to try and help." She says I look at her for a moment. Then there is a knock at the door and she got up to answer it. I heard some whispering then "Princess dinner is here." I keep looking at her for the first time I notice she has some of the same facial features as Patrick. I walk over to the door as I try to study her reaction to everything I have said. Well that is until I got over to the door and peeked out.