Rise of A Queen: Aster's Story

Chapter 7

Aster finished her makeup and put on her black flats. She felt a little guilty for ignoring Lyra last night. After her shower, she found her room empty and went to bed without looking for her wife. She had intended to spend the evening and this morning with Lyra, kind of as a show of emotional support, since today will be so hard for Lyra. However, she really couldn't handle it emotionally. She needed time to mope around and come to terms that she would have to figure this out on her own. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't ready to emotionally support a wife she had married less than a week ago, was it? Aster glanced in the mirror one last time, giving herself a smug look as if to say, hell no. "Okay time to get this over with," she said to herself as she walked out the door to find Lyra.

The funeral was a small private ceremony with only Aster, Lyra, the council, and about 20 other important people from the Canis Station. Afterward, the entire station would be in mourning for a week. That meant everyone would wear black, there would be no celebrations scheduled, and every door would be adorned with a wreath of white flowers. Once the week was over, Aster and Lyra would officially be announced to the station as the reigning Queens of the Canis People. Aster would not be announcing a third member of their monarchy until Rigel arrived and they had hashed out the details of their relationship. They were now seated at a very formal lunch, following the funeral ceremony. Aster was deep in thought and let Lyra guide the conversation. She knew she should be a much better hostess, but the lunch was very awkward to her in general, and it seemed even more so since she didn't have much to say about the departed. Everyone present was simply acquaintances with Aster, so she didn't feel like she could offer much comfort in this situation. Unfortunately, someone interrupted her thoughts, "Tell me your highness, have you had a chance to visit the districts yet? I admit there is a lot on your plate, but I think that you would be pleased if you took the time to see what exactly you're working on. It was a hard decision for our people to leave the motherland, but over the past 450 years at this station, we have made a place to be very proud of." Aster didn't know which district representative she was speaking to, but giving a little smile, she took Lyra's hand and gave it a small squeeze before giving her answer, "Yes I have had a chance to see a little of the station. My wife gave me a very nice tour yesterday. I am looking forward to seeing more of the districts soon. Tell me, where would you suggest I visit?" Aster let the representative take over the conversations again and just zoned out again as he droned on about the districts. Finally, the meal was over, and she could take her leave with Lyra. As everyone entered the parlor for drinks, she pulled her wife aside, whispering next to her ear, "are you ready to leave? It wouldn't be rude for us to leave them to their drinks while you go to rest." Pulling back, she kept her hand on Lyra's shoulder, giving it a slight rub for comfort. Lyra gave her a small smile. "Yes, I am ready to get out of here, take my shoes off, and relax. I can't handle any more small talk and fake smiles" Aster nodded and pulled Lyra to her side, wrapping her arm around her waist. "Ladies and gentlemen, my wife and I greatly appreciate your presence with us today, saying goodbye to King Cassiel was much easier with your support. I encourage you to take your time and enjoy an afternoon drink. If you don't mind, Queen Lyra and I will be stepping out to rest. It has been a draining afternoon for my wife." She gave a deep bow at the hip to her guest, as Lyra gave a small bow of her head. Their guest returned the reverence and continued their conversation as they left the room. Aster walked to her big double doors with her arm still around Lyra but was surprised when she quietly pulled away to go to her door. However, she didn't say anything as she went to her sitting area alone. Perhaps it was best that they took some time to themselves. They both had a lot on their minds and probably weren't the best company at the moment.

Aster spent the evening in a pair of plaid pajama pants and an oversized tee with a cup of vanilla latte and a stack of files. What she wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry and reminisce and just let it all go, but she wouldn't let that happen. She had completely forgotten that Rigel was supposed to call her until she heard her notification. Jumping up, she ran to grab her communicator and tapped "answer". Immediately, Rigel was projected in front of her. She was standing near her bed with watery eyes and a big stupid grin on her face. "Hey," she whispered. Rigel gave her a big smile in return, "Hey beautiful. What's with the tears? Don't tell me they're mistreating you over there." he half-joked. Aster gave a little laugh and it felt good to not only hear and see him but to feel some of her tension melt away and laugh. Just the familiar comfort of talking to him made her feel better. She shook her head, her short curls bobbing with her movement, "No it's not that. I am missing you and I just feel overwhelmed. There is so much that I need to learn and a lot of responsibility I take on. Plus, I still have a merchant company, and I'm not willing to give that up. I'm so worried about us like I'm f*****g married to someone else." She threw one arm out in the direction of Lyra's room as she spoke, "how is that going to change things between you and me? Will you still want to be with me? Our whole lives changed in the blink of an eye. For what? For someone else's benefit? Gosh, I'm so damn stupid! What did I do?" She finished her rant and waited for something, anything from Rigel. She didn't notice she was holding her breath until he started speaking. He tilted his head, his dark hair falling over his shoulder, "Aster you are the strongest person I know, you will handle this. A year from now you will be looking back and laughing at how worried you were. You don't need me, but I'm glad that you want me by your side. I love you so much. Don't ever doubt that I would choose you. I want to be by your side no matter what happens. We will have a lot of things to figure out between us, and yes, our relationship will change now that I have to share you with someone else. However, we will be okay. My place always has been and always will be by your side." Aster let out her breath and sat on her bed. She felt better but she still craved his presence, "okay, I get it. No more self-doubt." She gave a little pout, "hurry up and finish your run. I need you here. I wish you were here in this bed with me." Rigel was the one to laugh this time. With a little smirk he asked, "oh yeah, tell me what you want me to do when I get there?" Aster propped her communicator up on the side table, her hand sliding down to her pajama pants. "Well there is this entire suite that needs to be broken in, then we can move onto your suite." She gave him a little evil grin as she slid her pants down and off. "First I want your hands here, then I want your mouth here...."