AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Women—females—are more than just their wombs!” Louella shouted over them in frustration.
“But bearing young is their purpose,” one of the priests said. His eyes narrowed. “It’s their most important purpose. It’syourmost important purpose.”
Mastering her temper, Louella exhaled through her nose. “Yes, it is women who bear children. Perpetuation of the species is a biological purpose, but we are more than our biology.”
The priests muttered in confusion.
She challenged them: “Do we not have art? Music? Crafts? Does society not need more than the mere perpetuation of the species?”
“Of course,” one priest scoffed and waved his hand as though she spoke nonsense.
“Of course,” she mimicked in a snide tone. “Women have a lot to offer beyond bearing children, just as men have a lot to offer beyond the begetting of children.”
The Ahn’hudi males responded with silence.
She took a breath to calm herself and tried again. “If you relegate one sex to their biological imperative, then it’s not just or fair orhonorableif you don’t do the same to the other sex. Males rise above their biology and so can andshouldfemales.”
One of the priests rose to his feet, tail lashing. “My lady, you would upend Ahn’hudi culture. Females are to be cherished for their gift of life. You would see them put to hardship and make males irrelevant.”
Louella shook her head. “No, not at all. Men and women … er … males and females should bepartners. Mothersandfathers should be involved in supporting the family and caring for their children.”
“What makes you think Ahn’hudi males do not care for their children?” another priest challenged her.
Louella opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She clamped her jaws shut, realizing she’d applied stereotypes without factual information to back them up. Ahn’hudi culture was not Earth culture … and Earth’s population had many, many cultures ranging from supremely traditional to wildly disruptive. Bowing her head, she took another deep breath and said, “I apologize, sir. I spoke without knowledge.”
“You spoke from presumption,” the priest chided.
“Speak to the empress consort with respect,” Yas’kihn snapped. “My bride means well and has the best interests of Ahn’hudin at heart.”
“I have witnessed the cultural disturbances of Earth,” the priest retorted. “She means to destroy our stability with the fleeting vagaries of human fads.”
“I do not!” Louella shouted, slapping her palm on the table. “I admit that I have much to learn about Ahn’hudin’s culture, but that doesn’t mean I want my new home to become the shithole I left. There’s much to admire in your society, but I donotcondone the oppression of females just because they’re female. We have minds and feelings. We learn and grow, just like any male. We arecomplementaryto males, not subordinate. Therefore, I strongly recommend that we find a way to encompass health care standards for all people on this planet, rather than focus on one small aspect of it.”
“And what would you have us begin with, for we cannot focus on everything at once,” another priest queried in a mild tone.
Louella threw out the first thing that came to mind: “How about cancer?”
The priests frowned.
One asked, “What is cancer?”
Louella ground her molars for a second before the implication of his question permeated her mind. “You mean Ahn’hudin don’t get cancer?”
“If we did, we’d know what it is,” came the logical reply.
Louella closed her eyes as she considered a basic explanation that didn’t require vast scientific knowledge. Opening her eyes, she said, “Cancer is when cells within a body grow uncontrollably. Oftentimes that growth spreads to other parts of the body. It’s frequently fatal.”
“We do not suffer from this disease. Humans do?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s rampant among Earth’s population.”
“Is this a disease that affects both males and females?” the priest inquired.
“There are many types of cancer. Some only males can get, others only females can get, but all humans are at risk.”
“Then the hybrid brides may still be at risk, too,” Yas’kihn said. “We cannot risk their health or well-being. More brides are imported every year, and they are crucial to our survival, as the Ogranox and the Sivuul grow more aggressive and kill more of our people. We must take every care to ensure our females, native or hybrid, are healthy and happy.”
“That meansaskingthem what they want and need,” Louella added with a pointed glare at the males gathered around the table, “andlisteningto their answers and doing your best to accommodate what they want and need.”
