A small, sad smile played on her lips, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She leaned closer, her curiosity shining through her somber mood.“How about we start with this…” She sighed.“Tell me about your family. Are they waiting for you on your home planet?”
I leaned back slightly, considering her question.“My parents are royal guards for our king and queen. They never leave their side, always at their Majesties’ service.”I paused for a moment, my thoughts drifting.“Even in times of peace. My sister, she’s mated to a Krukken prince, living on another planet with his pod.”
Her eyes widened with interest.“A Krukken?”she echoed.“Are they like the mythical creatures we humans have, the Kraken? Giant sea monsters with tentacles?”
I nodded.“The Krukken are similar to my kind—part humanoid, part tentacled sea creature.”
The corner of her lips tugged into a smile.“That’s fascinating. But, Ky’rn, don’t you find it…unusual? Two beings from different species being together?”
I shook my head.“Love is love,”I replied earnestly.“When you spend your life on spy missions and battlefields, whom you choose to love doesn’t matter so much.”
Her eyes softened.“That sounds amazing,”she replied wistfully.
Nostalgia washed over me as I remembered my home planet, its vast oceans, and the city that lay deep beneath its waves. The talk of family, especially my sister, brought a soft warmth to my chest.
“Isla, why do you ask about inter-species unions?” I probed gently, sensing her hesitation.
“It’s…complicated,”Isla admitted, her voice soft, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on my hand.“It’s just…humans can be so resistant to change, to things they don’t understand. Here, on Earth, it’s not always easy for two people of different races—let alone species—to be together. It’s easier now than it used to be, but still our older generations can be stuck in their ways. The idea of two beings from different worlds coming together will be taboo on Earth. There’s so much fear—so much prejudice—that it may take generations to come to terms.”
I tilted my head, considering her words.“Why is that? Is it not the same essence of life, the same heartbeats, the same feelings that drive every living being? If people in a relationship care for each other and want to be together, why stand against it? How would our relationship hinder their lives?”
She took a deep breath, her fingers playing with the hem of her gown, her eyes looking up at the fabric as if searching for answers.“I think…it’s the fear of the unknown. The fear that something might change us or challenge our beliefs. The cultures, the norms, the expectations. It’s all so…limited. Hearing about your world, how accepting you are…it’s hard to believe that it can be that easy.”
I moved closer, the water gently shifting with me.“My world isn’t perfect, Isla. We’ve had our own battles, our own differences to overcome. But change is inevitable, is it not? Planets evolve, species evolve, feelings evolve. Holding on to old prejudices seems…counterproductive.”
She looked down, her fingers now tracing the water’s edge, causing gentle ripples.“You make it sound so simple. But yes, you’re right. Change is constant. I guess people fear they’ll lose themselves in it.”
I gazed into her eyes, lost in their depths, as a question burned within me.“What do you fear?”
Her response was almost immediate, as if she had been holding onto this fear, waiting for someone to ask.“Drowning,”she confessed, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.“But,”she added quickly,“I don’t have to worry about that if I’m around you.”
A tender smile curled on my lips.“Never,”I assured her.“I could breathe for the both of us, if necessary.”
She looked touched but a shadow of sadness crossed her features.“I hope it never becomes necessary. Tomorrow, you’ll be free to go home and reunite with your family and your people.”
I held her gaze, my hearts pounding in my chest.“Tomorrow doesn’t have to be a goodbye,”I whispered, my voice laced with hope.“You can come with me.”
For a moment, excitement danced in her eyes, but then she seemed to pull back, her expression conflicted.“I can’t.”She shook her head slowly.“It can never be, Ky’rn. We could never be.”
My hearts stilled, and I frowned, my brows pinching.“Why?”I demanded, unable to hide the urgency in my voice.
“Because I have a duty,”she started, her voice carrying the weight of her conviction.“A duty I can’t run from, Ky’rn. I’ve accepted it. It’s the only way to stop my grandfather.”
Desperation welled up inside me, and I pressed her further.“Isla, what would prevent you from coming with me? I’m a decorated commander. I have the money and power to care for and protect you. You don’t have to stay on Earth.”
She shifted, lifting her gown enough to dip her legs into the water. I moved closer, slipping between her legs, my hands gently holding onto her, my gaze locked with hers.“Please, tell me,”I begged, desperation seeping into my voice.“Tell me why you can’t be with me.”
She sighed, and in that sigh, I heard the weight of her past, her burdens, and her unspoken pain.“My mother was a genius,”she began, her voice soft but laced with sorrow.“She was the leading scientist responsible for engineering the next generation of plastic-eating algae, helping make our oceans cleaner. She was also working on eliminating other harmful chemicals in waste runoff. My father was well-respected too; he was a politician who fought tirelessly for my mother’s cause, securing Earth’s future for generations to come. When they died, they left me no instructions, only a legacy to protect.”
My hearts ached for her, understanding the profound loss she had suffered.“Isla, what does that have to do with our relationship?”I implored, unable to comprehend how her family’s legacy could be a barrier to our being together.
“Everything,”she replied, her voice heavy with resignation.“I’m the heir to my family’s highly respected and influential legacy, which includes our business. But, unfortunately, there’s no spare.”
I furrowed my brow, puzzled.“What do you mean?”
“An heir and a spare,” she explained, with a shrug. “Typically, the rules of succession only matter to royals. But families with a legacy and old money tend to follow them to prevent their family line from dying out. Unfortunately, my grandparents only had my mother, and my mother only had me. Both generations too busy with their careers, and they didn’t want to add to the overpopulation of our planet when they were working on saving it.”
“But how does that stop us from being together?”I sighed, pressing my forehead against hers.“Why do you believe that we could never be? Am I not good enough? Is it because of our differences? Because I am not human?”
