The robot alarm was already chirping on the fourth tier.
Lenora hoisted Vivian up as fast as she could.
The ladder dropped down on the other side of the emerging robot.
“Damn it.”
Lenora climbed half way down the ladder below her to evade the robot.
Vivian screamed down at her.
“Len!
Hurry up!
The robot’s going to come out on this level!”
When the robot above Lenora moved past her a few feet she wrenched herself up and lunged for the ladder.
She took the rungs two at a time.
The robot still caught her leg.
Lenora held on to the chain with all strength.
“Fuck!”
“Len, no!”
She used her dangling free leg to kick the chain into the robot’s cylinder head.
It made a spider web crack and the pincher grew weak.
Lenora yanked her leg free.
The robot alarm chirped again.
Lenora positioned herself to hoist up Vivian.
“Kick down the ladder and then touch the statue.
Don’t wait for me.”
The robot popped out and headed for them.
Vivian tried to scamper up, but her arms lost traction.
She slipped back downward.
Lenora pushed her up by her feet.
“Damn it girl!
Do you want to marry Nayjoor?”
This time Vivian gripped the edge and got up.
The robot had closed in enough to block her from the ladder below.
Lenora jumped down toward it and caught a rung in her hand.
Her arm felt nearly pulled from its socket, but she was safe.
“Vivian has won!”
Danfet’s voice boomed over the speakers.
“We have our champion!”
The sound of thudding scepters and cheers erupted all around Lenora.
“Thank God,” she said.
When she looked up she saw Vivian looking down at her sadly.
She hadn’t dropped the ladder.
“Len—there isn’t a ladder on this level.
I don’t know how you’re going to get up.”
Lenora swallowed.
Of course there wasn’t.
Only one of them could win, and that had to be Vivian.
She found it strange how this fact didn’t make her sad.
There was a bittersweet warmth within her.
“I trust your friend has explained the situation to you, Lenora,” Danfet said.
“What are you going to do now?
I assure you, there’s no way for you to win—and you are timed.”
She could throw up the ladder she was on now and maybe Vivian could hold it for her while she climbed up.
The girl probably wasn’t strong enough, and she’d need to disable the robot before even trying.
She fumed.
Why even bother with this train of thought.
She didn’t
want
to win.
She looked up at Vivian again.
Lysanter now stood beside her.
There was great emotion in his auburn eyes.
Seeing him gave her strength.
“I forfeit!”
“Gentlemen—did you hear?
Lenora Winquist has forfeited!”
The arena erupted once again.
She climbed up the ladder.
The robot rolled beside her, but did not grab her.
Dornovonians appeared on the top level to lower a proper ladder to her.
When she climbed up Vivian pulled her into a hug.
“I’m sorry.
You’re okay with this though, aren’t you?”
Lenora soothed her back.
“It’s fine.
All that matters is that you’re free.”
“Look how our Lenora congratulates the winner!” Danfet said.
“What a wonderful sport she is!”
More cheers and thumping.
Lenora stepped over to Lysanter.
He took her hand.
“Please be happy, Lenora.”
A soft smile formed on her lips.
“I think…I kind of am.”
Lysanter embraced her.
She wrapped her arms around his large back and squeezed.
“How sweet!” Danfet said.
“Our Lenora embraces her groom!”
The cheers now turned to whoops and hollers.
Lenora realized Danfet’s voice had gotten more immediate.
She broke from Lysanter to see that he had come out onto the tier with a microphone.
“Gentlemen, I’ve just been told a very angry Lord Nayjoor has rushed his ship off planet Dornovonia.”
The crowd laughed.
Danfet went to Vivian.
“Congratulations on winning the Bride Games!
What are your plans now, Vivian Thurski?”
She wet her lips to attempt the complicated Dak-Hiliah language with her usual slang.
“Um…I want to stay on Dornovonia.
It’s one kick-ass world.”
Danfet laughed.
“I’m sure the Dornovonians will appreciate that when this is aired on their consoles.
Now then, what about marriage one day?
You know, we’re not all as mean as our Lord Nayjoor.”
Vivian made a goofy smile.
“I know.
Maybe.
Maybe one day.”
“Might I interest you in a kindly games organizer who just so happens to reside on planet Dornovonia?”
“You’re too old for me, dude.”
The audience laughed loudly once again.
Danfet feigned being wounded.
“Oh!
What bitter heartbreak!”
He walked over to Lenora who now stood huddled against Lysanter’s side.
“Lenora, what are your thoughts on losing today?”
She considered.
“I’m happy that Vivian won.
That was the most important thing.”
“Now you must marry Lord Lysanter.
What do you think of that?”
She looked at him.
“There are worse fates.”
The crowd cheered and thudded.
“I just wish—”
The audience grew silent again.
“—that I could be a better woman for him.”
Lysanter steered the microphone to his mouth.
“My wish is for Lenora to see her own worth.
She is the best woman for me.
I don’t want anyone else.”
He looked down at her.
“I love you.”
Lenora’s lips parted.
She felt a dizzying warmth in her middle.
Danfet waited for the crowd’s cheers to die down once again.
“The viceroy of Dornovonia professes his love for Lenora!
My dear—what do you think of this immense revelation?”
Lenora placed her hand on Lysanter’s cheek and leaned up to kiss him.
He cradled her in his arms.
Their lips sealed sweetly together while Danfet continued blathering.
“Fantastic!
I can think of no greater parting image than this!
Until next year, my friends!
Farewell from the Bride Games!”
***Epilogue***
Lysanter and Lenora sat together at an intimate breakfast table in their shared quarters.
She wore a sweeping nightgown and robe.
Lysanter wore his loose sleeping pants.
Hester entered through his private door.
He bowed his head to both of them.
“I regret to inform you that Vivian did not return home last night.”
“Oh my God.”
Lysanter took her hand.
“She’s safe Lenora.
Crime on Dornovonia is practically nonexistent.”
“I’m not worried about her safety.
I’m worried about her waking up married.
Who did she go out with last night?
Hazifet?”
“I think it was Flenor,” Lysanter said, “the roboticist.”
Hester lifted his small finger.
“It was Malkideen, master.
One of the soldiers from the base.”
Lenora stirred her food.
“That’s a new one.”
There was a knock at the door followed by Vivian peeking in.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Lenora said.
Vivian slithered in.
Her eyes were red-rimmed.
“Yeah, I just thought I’d let you know I’m okay.
We were coasting all over the place in his hover car and before you knew it, it was morning.”
“You know if you sleep with one of these Dak-Hiliah it’s a marriage rite,” Lenora said.
Vivian grinned.
“We didn’t go all the way.”
Lysanter cleared his throat.
Lenora threw a packet of seasoning at her.
“Get out of here!”
She giggled and zipped out.
Hester bowed and also took his leave.
Lenora sighed.
“I feel like I’m her mother.”
“Vivian’s capable of taking care of herself.
She’s able to be reckless here with little chance of consequences.”
He wiped his mouth on a napkin.
“But speaking of motherhood—you’re due for your first pregnancy test.”
She blinked.
“Really?
Already?”
Lysanter stood.
“Lenora, the way we’ve been going at it these last two weeks, I’d be surprised if you
weren’t
pregnant.”
She stood with a dubious expression.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised either.
I wasn’t thinking about it.
Can I really handle being a mother?”
Lysanter moved beside her and wrapped her in his arm.
“You live on a planet full of nannies.
Of course you can handle it.”
He kissed her forehead.
A short while later they stood in the administrative building infirmary for a Dornovonia technician to test a drop of blood from her finger.
The short female’s tool sounded with three cheerful notes.
“Yep.
She’s pregnant alright.”
“Oh my God.”
“Lenora, that’s wonderful,” Lysanter said.
The tech moved to the other side of the room with her specimen.
“Is it?” Lenora said.
“I was just trying to keep things together between me and you.
Now there’s a child involved.”
“A child means you have no choice but to stop running.
It’s the best thing for you.
For us.”
She gave him a forlorn look.
“Is it still a struggle for you to be with me, Lenora?”
She shook her head slowly.
“It…never was.”
He smiled.
“I just feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I trust you—I just don’t trust myself.”
“I trust you, Lenora.”
He kissed her hand.
“There’s no challenge that you and I can’t surmount together.
You know I love you.”
“I…”
Lysanter’s brow rose.
“…love you, too.”
He pulled her up and squeezed her.
Then he kissed her.
Lenora held tightly to him.
Deep down she knew he was right.
They would manage—come what may.
This was where she was meant to be.
***
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