Ir swept me off my feet and ran into the garden! I giggled the whole way. Ten joined us and picked a basket of fruit, topped off with a white flower that smelled heavenly.
Biehshah trees are not like Earth trees. A lot more variety in colors, especially in the trunks, and textures. Seasons differ on Biehshah: there are 6. Four roughly correspond to Earthan seasons, though Biehshah trees have different leaves and are both taller and shorter than Earthan trees. The other two seasons are like they were in Rainbow: cool and warm. In the cool season, variety of flowers isn't as much. In the warm season, there's a warm breeze scented with flowers, because there are so many, and all different kinds. Our garden had scents in succession on each breeze, sweet, spicy, sour, bitter, and savory. Some were awful. But none of them lasted more than a second.
In the center of the Leheren garden was a beautifully-carved table with tiles that told the story of our love. Scenes of that horrible place, where Ir got hurt but signed a treaty to save millions of lives.
Noka, Ir's best friend, painted the tiles. "Adia, Queen Of Ye~, showed me my future. I saw how Kia saved Jot because Tenadu showed me. I felt Kia's healing on Adia's Ship when her Gift became active." His yellow eyes sparkled. Like Ir, he had silver hair, but waves of curls to his collar. All of them wore green, sparkly robes like Pirad's, except traders wore blue traders' robes over them and healers like Ten had cobalt blue robes with pins for healing achievements. Traders had pins and ribbons decorating their robes.
"I introduced you telepathically through my Diplomatic Link and your healing saved him despite injuries, while you sat in Rainbow." Noka's yellow eyes opened wide. "Because of our futures and your ability, Kia, we have our wonderful colony! We are free to live as we please, with rules that allow even the most injured, the Excluded, and the most ill of all of us to live here and enjoy all that every prov of Biehshah has to offer! And we live with Zheien, the most pleasant species of the Thirteen!
"Because of you, Ir, Garat allowed Gen and I to remain in our positions as Stationed Diplomats Of Fhiah. Today we sat with King Thesapaura and First Prince Theapet and designed Zheien namesigns! They taught us to play Oae Pae! We can openly enjoy Zheien festivals because we moved our houses here. Because you befriended First Prince Goes, Garat cannot interfere without losing MarKuan trade! Fifth Prince Goes signed a treaty in Fhiah establishing Alb Trade with our colony.
"Garat married and stepped down from the Biehshah Council! We are all here to enjoy your Marriage Celebration!" Biehshah climbed trees and passed down transparent fruits shaped like surreal pears in pink and blue. Other shapes of fruit lined baskets in geometric patterns.
Tenadu held up a white flower. "Today, let us celebrate all our marriages! Ir, recite your Courtship Petition, and we will all join in it. Some of us are opening courtships, and some will marry today. Pirad woke my wife, Susunanae, so I will also celebrate!" His bright blue eyes looked even larger than they were.
Ir smiled, big! Fixed his brown eyes on mine and they had golden flecks in them. "Now, Cesarae, I open our Courtship!" His voice made bell harmonies. Biehshah around us hummed, and Bisillips clicked out rhythms. We didn't have anything like this in Rainbow!
"Our love is like sunshine, that rings bells in the sand, quiet harmonies that rise like thunder in the beat of our hearts!" Ir's skin rang like a bell choir as I took his hand and we did a dance that made bell harmonies in the sand's rustle. "Your eyes, blue as the ocean." His heart beat made bell rhythms, echoed by everyone around us!
Couples danced to the rhythms and sang.
"Your hand, soft as night's whispers on the breeze." He tapped out rhythms on the back of my hand. I sang with them and harmonies built my orchestration.
"Your breath that carries the scent of flowers to my weary mind. I love you, Kia, my cesarae, my heart leans toward the path you walk, the walk that I follow, along paths of flowers that scent lingers, after you. Your voice sings, and my weary mind sings with you, songs of joy, of peace, of hope! The echoes of your songs rest in my heard, and my mind has rest in sleep of peaceful dreams.
"Will you walk with me in this path, the path of hopes, away from pains?"
I felt such emotion, I sang it! "Yes, my cesarae, love of my heart, love that caresses, that binds us in ribbons of our love, I will forever remain tied in the soft ribbons as we pass through life, my love! I will walk with you, in courtship, and also in marriage, and our children shall sing with us!"
As I sang, my body changed, and I became a mauve-skinned Biehshah with bright blue eyes! I recloned myself Biehshah!
Ten brought a huge, white, trumpet-shaped bloom larger than his head, filled with sap. "King Theaspaura negotiated Tirimna for all of us! We have five large trees of them now."
We drank a Tirimna bloom, and the sweet syrup made us giggle, it was so good.
"Fahnaramannhaie penchu, ramannhaie senchu, perrrach, perrach, mienahamhu. Rrasthemmie fhiahchu, rrasthemmie niachu, panponpahmanie hhrrastmenu. Children, you are married. Sing, and let us share your happiness!" Tenadu spoke to all of us who got married.
We all sang, and it was Biehshah poetry.
Then we ate all sorts of fruits, drank treat drinks for married folks, and sang together. People gave each other gifts of special candies.
Ir and I shared each other's memories. I learned things about when they sat on the Councils on the 5th Level, many thousands of years ago. Ir is 3800 years old as a Biehshah, but he is many thousands of years older as a Bisillip. We shared all of those memories.
He watched the birth of Pirad in Kirnonos' Lab. Most of Kirnonos' clones went back to Bisillipia, but Pirad and Taredias Gupa stayed to help Kirnonos. Pirad sent clones of himself to Bisillipia and to terraform worlds for a colony. Because of his work, Biehshah came to be. Llsam, a friend of his, terraformed Areon and brought Earthans to it while collecting specimens of plants and animals.
Other friends did research with Aryllan scientists. Kirnonos made Elshar friends and met with Aryllans about starting the Alliance, though he didn't participate in the final negotiations. His Elshar and Aryllan friends did.
I learned enough about Bisillipia's government to make me sick. They put all of their enemies into slavery. They refused to give up slavery, fearing loss of their power. So the government of Bisillipia, including King Nonosuan, Leader Suan's father, lost them membership in all five councils because they refused to give up slavery. Suan led all the Elders who wanted to become Biehshah here to escape slavery by the hands of his father! But, Bisillipia just did give it up because Elshar did and threatened to exclude them from the Alliance!
Ir led me home and we laid on our bed. He spouted all manner of romantic poetry, then we made love.
Before I went to sleep, I realized I didn't have birth control running. We both want children, but I didn't want to fight intergalactic war pregnant.
And, I am! All my emotions made me sick, my joy, my fears, all of my worries, everything!
YOU ARE READING
Kia's Biehshah Gift
Science FictionKia's getting a lawsuit when Irdaktin offers to pay for her co-worker's damage at her workplace. He shows her a future where her healing skills save him and his Biehshah Colony. Garat, Minister Of Leheren, threatens rulers hosting Biehshah Colony. N...
