“More tea sir?”

Alex adjusted his cape and raised his glass to the large spout that hovered in the air above him. “Of course, Princess Star. I would love some.” The spout tipped slightly and Alex waited a few seconds for his cup to be “filled.” Never mind that a single drop of actual liquid from the kettle his daughter wielded would over flow it.

“Thank you.” Alex said politely, and pretended to sip from his empty cup. “So what did you think of Folkvangr Station, sweetheart?”

“Oh it was so cool!” Alex’s young daughter gushed. “They had hologames and fun rides and a zoo. I got to see a whale, Daddy!”

“You did huh?” Alex smiled at Asteria’s enthusiasm.

“Yup.” Asteria nodded. “And we saw one of the people who work there get to swim with it.”

“Very cool.”

Alex was about to ask the little girl another question when a soft knock at the door behind him interrupted him. He turned around to find Prince Antero standing in the doorway to Asteria’s room.

“Mr. Carey.” Antero nodded. “Your son let me in.”

“Prince Antero, Nice to see you.” Alex stood and waved him inside. “Come in, please. I suppose you’re here to brief me on the wedding customs.”

Antero stepped inside. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when Asteria jumped to her feet. She gazed at Antero with wide eyes. “You’re a real prince?” She asked excitedly.

“Well yes, I suppose I am.” Antero replied, bemused.

“Pleased to meet you, your highness.” Asteria responded, bending into a curtsey that was only a little awkward. Alex, meanwhile, was biting his lip to keep from laughing.

Antero smiled and extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you as well, my lady.”

“Would you like some tea?” Asteria asked, offering him a pink plastic cup.

Antero blinked, but knew better than to snub such a generous offer. Instead, he knelt at the small table and accepted the cup with both hands. “Thank you very much, Lady Asteria.”

Alex discreetly wiped a tear from his eye; although even he wasn’t entirely sure whether it was from pride or amusement.

“Now, Alex.” Antero began. “I’m sure you’re aware of the tradition to tame an animal to ride…”

“Don’t worry about that part, Prince Antero.” Alex grinned. “I have the situation well in hand.”

“You do?” Antero replied, his eyebrows rising with surprise. “I… you know, I’m not even going to ask because I’d hate to spoil the surprise for myself.”

“Wise decision.” Alex chuckled.

“Instead, let’s talk about your attire. First, you’re going to need a veska.”

“That’s the cape… right?” Alex asked.

Antero grinned. “Yes, the cape. Luckily, Pryvani has her herd of vashanas. I’m sure she has a shedding foal we can steal a bit of wool from.”

“I’ll be sure to ask her.”

“What’s wool Daddy?” Asteria asked curiously.

“Well, on Earth wool is curly fur that you shave off of some kinds of animals, which people make clothes from.”

“And it is much the same for a vashana’s wool.” Antero added. “Only in this case it is the fur that the animal is born with, which it sheds as it gets older. We collect it from our herds and, like humans, we make clothes from it.”

“Oh ok.” Asteria nodded, her curiosity having been sated for the moment.

“What about a kaedo?” Antero asked, turning back to face Alex again.

Alex’s brow furrowed as he tried to recall the word from his research. “A what?”

Antero bit his lip as he mentally sifted through the English he’d picked up from his brother in law to find an equivalent term.

“I… I believe you call them ‘skirts’?”

Alex probably would have spit out his tea, had it not been imaginary.

“What?!”

Antero was taken aback by his sudden outburst. “Ah… Perhaps I have chosen the wrong term…”

“I hope so… skirts are generally worn by women. I’m not sure I have the legs to pull the look off.”

“One moment.” Antero dug his pad out of a pocket and typed something out on a screen. After a few seconds, he turned the device towards Alex and showed him the picture.

And… well, it was a skirt. Sort of.

The pictured garment looked to be made out of pleated leather, about knee length. Some of the examples had metal studs punched into the hem or waistband.

“Hmm…” Antero muttered. “I don’t see a similar word for this other than skirt.”

“Try ‘Kilt’.” Alex suggested.

Antero typed the word into his pad. He read through the definition and nodded. “Yes. That seems to be closer to what I have in mind.”

“Well…” Alex sighed. “I have never worn a kilt before, but ‘when in Rome’. Or… Scotland… as the case may be…”

“I think you’ll look very nice in that dress, Daddy.” Asteria piped up enthusiastically.

“Thanks sweetheart.” Alex sighed, rubbing his forehead.

*.*.*

Rixie adjusted the towel wrapped around her body self-consciously. She was standing outside Pryvani’s sauna room. With a sigh she pushed open the door and walked into the cloud of steam that permeated the room.

“Rixie!” Empress Rajenlif smiled and beckoned the Hoplite woman closer. “Come sit here in front of me.”

Rixie smiled and crossed the room to sit on the bench in front of Rajenlif. They weren’t alone in the room; also in attendance were Princess Vallero, Pryvani and Thyllia.

Pryvani leaned back against the wall and stretched her arms above her head. “This is definitely one tradition of your people that I heartily approve of, your Majesty.”

“Mm yes.” Rajenlif responded serenely. “One of the first things I did after marrying Tiernan was to renovate the steam room in the Palace to something a little more in keeping with Jotunn traditions.”

They passed several minutes in silence as the five women relaxed in the humid environment.

“Rixie…” Rajenlif suddenly said, breaking the stillness. “I appreciate that among the Hoplites you felt the need to assert your own identity, but have you ever considered putting your hair into something a little more traditional for the wedding?”

Rixie blinked and looked over her shoulder. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Well, Jotunn usually only wear one or two braids at the side of their faces. The rest is left loose” Rajenlif explained.

Rixie fingered one of her braids. “I… I guess I never really thought about it. I always figured if I was going to get grief for a braid, I might as well go all out.”

“Yes but… if you’ll allow me?” Rajenlif asked, tentatively gripping one of Rixie’s braids between her fingers.

Rixie stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed. “I… okay. I could try it.”

The Empress smiled and, one by one, began to undo all of the braids, carefully combing her fingers through Rixie’s long dark hair as she did so.

Despite her initial trepidation, Rixie started to relax and enjoy the sensation of Rajenlif’s fingers gently running through her hair. After a while, the Empress began idly humming to herself and Rixie began to wonder if this was what having a mother was like.

“Thyllia…” Rajenlif’s soft voice intruded on Rixie’s thoughts. “I must tell you that I recently found time to catch a performance of The Last of Night’s Stars and I was really impressed with the actor who played Avidian. I think he was a good casting choice for you.”

“Oh well… I don’t really have much to do with the productions themselves. I just front the money.” Thyllia smiled in a self-deprecating way. “I really think they list me as ‘producer’ to try and placate me.”

“That’s not what I heard.” Rajenlif replied as she untwined another of Rixie’s plaits. “I spoke to the young man after the performance and he told me that you recommended him for the part.”

“I might have dropped a hint or two.” Thyllia admitted. “I saw him as a support actor in a few other productions and felt he was ready for a lead role. So I suppose in a way… I mean, I did make a suggestion to the director about him.”

“You have a good eye for talent, my dear.” Rajenlif told her. She had finished undoing all of Rixie’s braids and was now deftly weaving a small lock of hair on either side of Rixie’s head back into a proper Jotunn braid.

Rixie closed her eyes and zoned out on their conversation. Their words became a pleasant drone in the back of her mind as the Empress continued to deftly manipulate her hair. Rixie drifted, almost on the edge of being asleep, for what might have been a few minutes or perhaps hours.

“There we are. All finished.”

Rixie snapped back to consciousness with a start. She sat forward and shook her head experimentally. Her hair felt unusually light and she felt the unfamiliar sensation of a curtain of hair against her back.

“I think it suits you, dear.” Pryvani commented.

“Yeah. It’s different, but it looks good too.” Thyllia added.

“I’ll have to take a look next time I pass a mirror.” Rixie replied. “That you, your majesty.”

“Not at all.” Rajenlif said with a smile.

Rixie shook her head again. Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the chronometer in the corner of the room.

“Oh… is that the time?” She gasped, standing up. “We have to go pick up Alex’s family from Valhalla soon. I’ll see you all soon.”

She cinched her towel tighter around her body and left the room quickly, a gust of cold air blowing in behind her.

The four remaining women sat in silence for a moment.

“So Thyllia…” Rajenlif said, turning to the aforementioned young woman with a sly grin. “Now that she’s gone… why don’t you tell me all about that charming young man you’re involved with?”

Thyllia blushed a deep red that had nothing to do with the humidity in the room. “Oh… uh…”

*.*.*.*

“Now docking with Valhalla on terminal Ishay-Gama eighty-eight.” A pleasant sounding female voice spoke over the PA system.

Emily’s stomach twisted from excitement. Space. They were in space! Not only that, but they weren’t even in their home solar system anymore. They’d managed to travel just under one hundred and forty light years in only a few days. Amazing!

She shook her head and smiled wryly. And to think, she had her goofball brother to thank for it all. Tears welled in her eyes and threatened to fall but she blinked them away before they could. She had Alex back. This was a happy thing, not a reason to cry about.

“Zeno’s Paradox is now docked and ready for disembarkation.” The announcer spoke again over the P.A. system. Most of the passengers stood and began to unload their luggage, but Emily and her family stayed where they were seated content to wait for the crowd to disperse.

After about twenty minutes, they found themselves the only people left in the passenger compartment. At the front of the room, a small door opened and a handsome man who appeared to be just on the precipice of middle age entered.

He was tall, though not as tall as Emily’s wife, with a tan complexion and short-cropped black hair. He smiled when he saw their group and his black eyes shone with merriment.

He’s got Alex’s smile. Emily thought fondly. The young man may not be her brother’s biological son, but all the same she’d recognize that look anywhere.

“Aunt Emily!” Ryan Alexander Carey, former Captain of the transport ship Zeno’s Paradox, strode into the room and pulled her into a hug before she realized what was going on.

“Easy there kiddo!” She gasped. “I know it doesn’t mean much out here, but back on Earth I am over a century old!”

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Ryan chuckled sheepishly. “Hello Aunt Julia.”

Julia smiled and leaned down to hug the shorter man.

“Good to see you.” She replied happily. Ryan greeted each of his cousins in turn.

“All right, we should get going. Mom and dad are waiting out in the docking area. I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit my old ship.” Ryan laughed, hiking his aunt’s bag onto his shoulder.

The group quickly disembarked from the ship. Every crewmember was hastily saluting Ryan as he rushed past, but the young man didn’t really seem to notice.

“Well, I hope you all enjoyed your first interstellar flight.” He said over his shoulder

“Are you kidding?” Ryan’s cousin Katniss exclaimed brushing her long blonde hair away from her face. “I still can’t believe we just did that. Amazing!”

“It was very nice.” Her sister added. “But I am glad we made it okay.”

“You watch too many old sci-fi movies Alexis.” Their brother teased. “I bet you were just waiting for the warp core breach or the alien invaders or something.

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Jordan.”

“Well, not to worry. The Paradox is as safe a ship as ever cruised the stars.” Ryan assured them with a grin. They stepped out of the disembarkation chute and onto the docking area. Ryan quickly spotted a pair of figures making their way towards them.

“Ah, here come Mom and Dad.”

Emily saw Alex and his pretty fiancé making their way towards them. Emily couldn’t help but smile when she noticed Rixie carrying a small child in her arms.

Next thing she knew, she was enveloped in Alex’s arms and practically being lifted off the ground.

“Alex, leave your poor sister alone!” Rixie admonished. She looked different from the last time they’d seen her, but Emily couldn’t quite place why.

“Sorry, I’m just so excited to see everybody.” Alex gushed.

“I see where your son gets it.” Emily muttered wryly.

Another round of greetings commenced, but Emily couldn’t take her eyes off the green-eyed little girl who was watching everything in front of her with quiet fascination.

“So who’s this?” Emily asked, bending down to get a closer look.

“This is our little girl, Asteria Lemm.” Alex beamed with pride as he gently stroked his daughter’s hair. “We thought it would be best to introduce you to her at proportionate size so…”

“So she doesn’t think we’re a bunch of dolls later?” Julia snorted wryly.

“Oh no.” Ryan said with a grin. “She’s actually pretty good with human sized people. It’s just she has to be able to recognize you first.”

“Right.” Emily replied, a sardonic smile appearing on her face as she rolled her eyes.

Ryan took his sister from Rixie and cradled her in his arm “These are your aunts Emily and Julia. And those are your cousins Kat, Alexis and Jordan. Can you say ‘hi’?”

In response the girl buried her face in her brother’s shoulder.

“Hm, guess not.” Ryan chuckled. “She’s usually not so shy.”

“She needs a nap is what it is.” Rixie sighed, taking the little girl back from her son. “But never mind that for now. You all must be exhausted from your trip. Come on, let’s get you settled in and we can show you the compound.”

“And the city!” Ryan added.

“And then Rixie’s.” Alex enthused. “Just wait until you try the chicken wings.”

“Chicken wings?” Emily’s eyes narrowed. “Are you using Mom’s old recipe?”

“Gee Dad… You told me you invented the recipe yourself.” Ryan said, sarcasm practically dripping from every word.

“Well, I did… In a way.” Alex defended. “Some of the local spices are different from what we could get at the grocery store back on Earth. I had to improvise a bit.”

“Improvise.” Ryan snorted. “Sure.”