The Behemoth Treaty

I

The air was alive with music and the sounds of Ivral music. It was a special occasion. The queen had announced a new child, her tenth. But that wasn't the only thing they were celebrating. Not only was the queen now a mother often, but the Behemoth a parent of one and tonight was the night Queen Jurill would announce which of her children would take over her throne when she died.

As was Ivral tradition, the favourite child would take the place of King or Queen when the current King or Queen would pass away. So it was a great night.

The Behemoth, the planet's protector, was a parent and would someday watch its child defend its own planet as all Behemoths did. Princess Zeyengi had been born. And at the stroke of midnight, the destined ruler would be chosen.

The Ivrals, a beautiful race of humanoids with blue skin and unique markings that matched no other's, were happy people and were the galaxy's best writers, residing on planet Xentia. It was a shame the Milky Way had been completely cast aside as a galaxy, or else 'humans' would have shared in the other galaxies' literature. And of course, the Ivrals were proud of each ruler.

Already the Ivrals were placing bets on which child would be chosen.

"I bet it'll be Balily. She's the intelligent one."

"No, you're bsurta. It's going to be Baxuth."

"You're all furmukas! Kackja is destined to be the future queen!"

Far above the streets, in Xentia's palace, was said, the royal family. And in her chambers, wishing she was done at the river with the Behemoth, sat Princess Nyx. Nyx was the 4th child of Queen Jurill. She was technically her siblings' half-sister, as were her eldest siblings, Sparn, Keain, Trejid and Oxilla. Her younger siblings all were her stepfather, Prince Ser, children.

Nyx's skin was a light royal blue and her markings dotted her cheeks like freckles she had seen on other species.

Nyx wasn't keen on the celebration. She had a fondness for Xentia's Behemoth and wanted to weave braids into its mane like she usually did. But she had to come. She already knew Queen Jurill was going to choose her as the next ruler because Ser had 'let it slip'.

Well, he had snuck in whilst maids were making tiny braids twined with gold in Nyx's pixie cut and cheekily told her so, winking and scurrying away before 'the boss lady' found out. So she had to go. She didn't know why her mother was going to choose her. She spent half her time with the Behemoth and the rest of her time reading and replying to letters sent by her people. She was hardly queen material, in her opinion.

There was a rap on her door and Keain strolled in, his boots scuffing the floor, wiping black shoe polish on her carpet. "Favourite sister!" he beamed, and Nyx smiled as he sashayed over, embracing her warmly.

He smelt like sandalwood and those funny musk sticks someone on the planet Kowak had invented. They were his favourite snack, Nyx remembered. When the sticks had first been imported to Xentia, Queen Jurill would hide them in a jar. But somehow they would always find them, and hide under the kitchen table, giggling as they ate them until a maid, butler or Queen Jurill herself found them and shooed them away. "Don't let Neloi hear you say that," Nyx said and Keain laughed.

"Excited for tonight?" he asked and carefully positioned himself behind Nyx to run a little braid beside her first. "Guess what Ser told me?"

"Did he say you were going to be king?" Nyx asked. It would be typical of Ser to give all his children hope, even his stepchildren. He was that kind of dad.

"Nope," Keain said. "He said you were going to be queen. Mum told him last night."

"I don't want to be queen," Nyx said honestly. "I just want to sit and read all day."