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“Are you going to try to stop us from helping them?” I brace myself for his answer.
“I don’t have the power to do that.” He peers down at me without moving his head. “Will you and Oberon make me stop my experiments?”
“Yes,” I say unequivocally. “You’re a sadist, Father. I don’t know where that comes from, but I hope I didn’t inherit your insanity or your cruelty.”
“I’m not insane and helping the humans is a mistake you’ll come to regret. You never quite see the full picture, Emily. What do you think the humans will do once they’re allowed to live their lives unimpeded?”
“I don’t know. Finally find a reason to live again?” My sarcasm isn’t lost on my father.
“Fear and my experiments have been keeping their population low. If you give them everything they want, they’ll rebel against you. That’s their nature. They’ll see you as the enemy and try to take this planet from you, killing all of us in the process. They’re animals, Emily. Why can’t you see them for what they truly are?”
The dance ends and my father walks away, leaving me on the dance floor to ponder the truth of his outburst. Oberon comes to my aid, taking me in his arms in time for the next dance.
“That looked like a heated conversation,” he says. “What did your father say?”
“That if we help the humans, they’ll turn against us. Do you think he’s right?”
“Yes and no. Any intelligent being doesn’t want to be shackled. Your father has done that through fear. We need to go to them with an olive branch, not a whip. It may take time, but we can achieve peace and share this planet through civilized means.”
“I don’t know if they’ll ever be able to forget what my father did to them.”
“They’ll never forget, but they may forgive. Your father sees humanity as being selfish when they are more like us than he realizes. No one wants to live in fear. There may be factions from time to time who try to cause trouble, but we’ll simply have to learn how to quell those few so that the majority has a say. We can do this, Emily. Trust me. I know we can.”
“I love you.” It’s the first time I’ve said those three words aloud to him. Oberon is his usual self by not missing a beat.
“I love you too.” He smiles at me. “I’ve never actually said that to a woman and meant it before. It’s kind of refreshing.”
“Oh? Have you said it to many a fair maiden to get her into your bed?”
“I’d rather not answer that question. You may decide to take your words back.”
“Never. I only say what I feel, and I thought you should know that I love you.”
Oberon groans in frustration. “Can we leave this party early? I would much rather have you in my arms naked right now.”
I laugh. “Not just yet. We have to give my mother this night. She’ll be sorely disappointed if we leave now. Another hour or two should suffice. I think you can last that long.”
“Only for the woman I love would I go through this torture,” he declares dramatically.
“I think you’ll survive.”
As we continue to dance around the room, I notice two people missing from the party.
“Where did Iris and Uri get off to?” I ask.
“They had some things to do. We’ll see them later.”
And that’s all I get. He doesn’t say anything else on the matter.
I decide not to push it. If they’re planning a surprise for us, I would rather enjoy it untainted.
Two hours later, my mother finally gives us an out of the reception by saying we need to get ready for the bedding ceremony. The excuse for our departure isn’t exactly ideal, but it is a relief to be able to leave.
“Come, my dear,” my mother says, looping her arm with mine. “Let’s get you ready for the ceremony. Oberon, I assume you can handle things on your end.”
“Yes,” he says with slight bow of his head in her direction. He winks at me. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Why do I feel like the two of you are up to something?” I ask as we make our way to my room.
