Aliens: My Alien, Daeus

Chapter Twenty

Edited: 5-21-24

Daeus' POV

"The Council welcomes you, Knight Daeus and your division." King Royce of the Wasp Kingdom stood forward from the four kings and greeted us with guarded, burnt orange eyes. His red-orange fur was almost bare of any markings and as he scanned over my division, I could tell that he was matching the similarities between myself and King Harlem, my father. None of them would be too stupid or oblivious to recognize me as Harlem's son and I was sure my father would have to face consequences after this meeting that he's been avoiding my whole life.

As my division bowed to the kings, I stayed upright, watching each king. King Lulua of the Bee Kingdom and his yellowish red fur and heavy markings was passive as he observed me. King Maur of the Yellowjacket Kingdom had a curious look on his face and his dark, red fur was covered in bright pink dye. King Royce met my eyes one last time and nodded his head in acceptance of my status - a customary instinctual greeting our kind has been unable to get rid of. My father on the other hand - with his fur the same shade as mine - held his glare as he stood beside King Royce, the dissapointment on his face clear for everyone to see.

"You are here today to present evidence that a human can be tamed and kept as a pet or a Bond. Prince Ceasur of the Hornet Kingdom and Knight Niler, Hornet Kingdom's lead science division, presented us with your case two weeks ago." King Royce looked to both sides of the room as the 32 Ekhad that made up the head science groups of the four kingdoms. Niler's division was on the left side. "We have given you two weeks at the request of your mate for you to study your alleged bonded human. Your time is up and you must now present what you have discovered."

King Lulua stepped up next to King Royce and stared down at us. "You must understand that what you are wanting to establish goes against your Kingdom's views on the humans. Presenting this now will banish you and your mate from ever entering the Hornet Kingdom again."

My heart felt like it stopped and my grip on Void tightened. When he squirmed, I loosened my hold, but my body was still tense. Yupo and I would be banished? This has never been discussed through any of us! I was about to protest, to defend myself, but King Lulua went on.

"As accomplices to your crime, you will no longer be in contact with mated pair Mint and Unit, who will be transferred immediately to the Hornet Kingdom castle in order to find an open division. You, Daeus Hornet, will no longer be able to be in a division and after this meeting, you will be officially banned from the Hornet Kingdom." King Lulua looked like he could care less and it felt like my whole world was shattering. I didn't commit a crime! Sure my wishes and pledge went against my King, but it wasn't this serious of an offense! Mint and Unit have been a part of my life since I could remember! They couldn't just be stripped away from me like that!

"With all due respect, King Lulua," I started, trying not to falter as dismay and dread tried to crush me under their weight. "May I ask what crime I have committed to result in this punishment?" I dipped my head down and tilted it to the side, showing my respect and submission to the King. I couldn't believe they would let this happen. One's division was one's family and they were just going to separate us like this?! I wanted someone else to lash out, to stand up, but with the multitudes of guards, the kings themselves and most possibly no wanting to make the punishment worse, no one did. Not even Unit, who normally voiced his opinions very loudly, said anything as four guards escorted him and Mint from the room. The grand doors closed behind them with a loud clang and Void jumped at the sound, his hands gripping onto my arm tightly.

I could hear my father growl, but I ignored him. King Lulua stared at me as if he'd rather be elsewhere, but nodded his head. "As Ekhad law goes, the wishes of the king are the wishes of the whole. It isn't usually a severe punishment if one breaks this law as everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, but you are an illegal prince and with King Harlem's wishes as your King and your father, your crime is one step below punishment by fire." King Lulua looked at my father with discontempt, but otherwise seemed unbothered that my father had no heart. "Luckily, King Maur of the Yellowjacket Kingdom has offered you and your mate refuge in his kingdom."

No wonder he'd been watching me with curiosity. It wasn't often that Ekhad's switched their home kingdom. But that still didn't explain why my father thought so lowly of me? He was the one who had an illegal child, he was the one who raised me alongside my mother. He's so ready to dispose of me that one small setback to his plans and he's jumping on the occassion to send me away?

Knowing when it was time to be silent, I didn't say anything and only nodded. Yupo entwined her tail with mine, but it did little to ease my aching heart. I may have been a dissapointment to my father, but . . . Hornet Kingdom was my home. Mint and Unit were my family and I was going to be separated from them. If this meeting didn't go in my favor tonight, I'd loose another whole part of me to the greed and power of the kings that no one is prepared to loose.

"May we start the real meeting now?" King Harlem spoke, his voice sharp with aggression. His tail flicked back and forth and his front paw scuffed the marble floor. King Royce gave my father a look I couldn't decifer, but nodded.

"For the past few months we've been on debate whether humans have superior intelligent or not. Like many have mistaken the Ekhad for mere animals because of our appearance, we do not wish to make the same mistake for other races and species. There is evidence of a higher form of thought in humans that most animal species do not have. Humans seem to have a form of self-knowing, well developed civilizations and cultures. They utilize tools to make life easier and have knowledge of medicines and diseases." King Royce watched me as he spoke and I noticed that the science divisions were all listening intently. They were not to take part of the meeting, but their research was valuable information, therefore they were permitted to be here.

"Does that not make them fit to be recognized as one of the many races of superior beings in the world?" King Royce looked at his fellow kings before back to me, giving me the go ahead to make my pledge.

Carefully, I set Void on the floor in front of me, making sure to keep ahold of the leash and him, but he had himself pressed against my legs, visibly shaking. "As you can see, my bond has adapted well to a tamed life. He seeks me for safety and comfort and has no reservations about the harness or collar. He's done well with training and in a familiar environment, enjoys his time with me and my mate. You say humans are developed, but no developed sentient would be able to willfully submit to a tamed life style."

Coming to my rescue, Niler left his spot and walked to my side as if he had all the time in the world. The way he took his time to reach me in the center of the room clearly agitated the kings, but I smirked when he gave me a small smile. "As first science division to see Daeus' bond, I've been able to understand that despite his previous habitations and lifestyle, the human race clearly value emotions more than they do society and governments. With the research conducted back at Earth during these two weeks, Nubus and I have been able to study the humans in depth. If caught at the right age, a human will tame easier and leave behind the judgements and harsh realities of living in a human-ran society. After several studies, I've learned that while humans do have some form of intelligence, it is not greater than ours, but extremely less. Due to the state of their home planet and themselves, it would be wise to classify them as an animal. Kept in large groups, humans can be aggressive, judgemental, and violent towards others that don't have their same emotional standings. Kept in singular families or groups of close families, humans are much more docile and forgiving. Daeus' bond is proof enough that even Taurikie is in favor of humans being animals and low on the intelligent scale which we very much value."

My father's anger towards Niler's words permeated the air and Void wrapped his wings around himself in fear. Stepping to the front of the stage, King Harlem stared down at my bond with hatred burning in his eyes. "Then there is only one thing left to do." He growled out. Even King Royce didn't want anything to do with the wrath that was my father. "If what Knight Niler says is true and the bond that Daeus holds was given by Taurikie, one test can prove it all."

Everything froze. It was like time was frozen still as my father hesitated to say what I'd dreaded the most. "Let us conduct the Taurikie Test."