Erlyn nodded and turned to the worried human male. “Follow me. I will escort you to your seat and let the galley know we are ready for our evening meal.”
Idris ignored the passing newcomers and returned to disciplining his guard. He needed to come to terms with the idea that they may be working with more humans soon.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t cut your hair right now.” Idris crossed his arms, his golden tail curling around his dagger, prepared to strike. “Let it be known, you won’t have a warning next time.”
“I will not allow my past to interfere with my duties.” He shot a glance at the dining table and sighed. “And I will do anything to keep my hair.”
“Diplomat Lian?”
“Yes?”
“Do you wish to press charges against Raizxl?”
He turned toward the human male, watching confusion flood his face. “Do you believe he should be able to keep the length of his hair? Or do you forgive his misunderstanding, as long as he won’t make another mistake?”
“His hair?” He glanced at the three males within the room, eyeing the length of their locks.
“Yes.”
“I beg your pardon, but why would I care about his hair?” Aydin stood and walked up beside him, keeping an eye on the swaying dagger. “Yes, I am still shaken by having a pistol drawn on me, but that doesn’t mean scalping him will fix anything.”
“Let me answer this, Your Highness.” Erlyn stood and joined them, regarding Raizxl with pity. “The Daextru take pride in our hair. Its quality and shine make us desirable to others, but what matters the most is its length. The longer one’s hair is, the more honor they are due.”
Their special guest brought a hand up to his head and slowly combed through his short hair, concern flooding his face. He shot a glance at the rest of the room, cheeks darkening.
Idris suddenly understood the problem.
Humans didn’t have the same standards when it came to honor—or the length of their hair. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever coming across any human males with hair past their ears. They tended to believe longer hair was a female characteristic.
“Raizxl,” Aydin murmured, his saddened voice cutting the silence in the room. “Did you pull your weapon on me because of the length of my hair?” He licked his lips nervously, displaying a vulnerability for the first time since his arrival. “Is that the reason why you didn’t trust me to display my beamblade to the prince?”
Idris knew he should interject, that he should set the record straight, but something held him back. He wanted to hear how Raizxl would reply to the unsettled human.
“I . . .” The emerald-scaled male was lost for words, just like the other two Daextru males in the room. He closed his eyes and shook his head, his tail wrapping itself tightly around his kneeled form. “No. I allowed my past to cloud my judgment, forming prejudices against your species. The shortness of your black hair played a minor role in my decision, but mainly I was trying to protect the prince from an ambush.”
“And you’re supposed to guardme?”
Raizxl shot a pleading glance at Idris, perhaps to save him from his assigned duty or to help him appease the upset diplomat. “If you would still have me.”
“Will the length of my hair be an issue with the rest of the starbase?” Aydin asked, concerned.
“I fear it is a custom ingrained in our society,” Idris interjected, trying to rectify the evening’s meal before it began. “I will send a notice to the starbase to be mindful of human ways, but it may only cause more problems.”
“I understand,” Aydin sighed. “Not only am I shorter than everyone I have come across so far, but my pale skin, short hair, and lack of horns make me stand out as well.”
“Hopefully, once peace settles between us, we can help create bridges between the two species, but until then, we will have to forgive misunderstandings.” Idris shot a glare at Raizxl. “And share any cultural differences that may be a problem.”
“Diplomat Lian, do you want us to assign another guard for you?” Erlyn asked, drawing his tablet.
Aydin knelt in front of Raizxl, offering him his hand. “I am willing to forgive you for what happened today if you will promise not to judge me for the actions of my people—or my buzzed hair. If you can’t handle that, then don’t take my hand. I am not asking you to be my friend, but I want you to know that I am here because I want peace between our people. I am only willing to keep you at my side as my guard because I believe in second chances.” He shrugged. “It’s your choice, but know that whatever you choose, I don’t believe you deserve to have your hair chopped off. This is the first time either of us has met another species—there are bound to be hard feelings and misunderstandings.”
Raizxl shot a shocked glance at the prince, meeting his gaze. Idris nodded, accepting their guest’s offer. Raizxl took Aydin’s hand and gave him a rare smile.
“I will be honored to guard you during your stay.”
