CHAPTER 9
CADEN
The fountain was beautiful, made out of solid grey stone, and in the middle of it stood a giant statue of a Zatan woman who seemed even taller than the women Caden had been able to glimpse walking through the palace. She was wearing flowing robes, had long loose hair, and held some kind of round receptacle from which the water of the fountain poured.
“Who is she?” Caden asked curiously as they sat together on a bench nestled between two bushes full of bright yellow blooms.
“There is a story,” Xade said. “I can tell you if you wish.”
“Please, I’d love to hear,” Caden said. He didn’t add that mostly he just loved to watch Xade speak and listen to his warm, low voice. He would be captivated by anything the Zatan man said.
“She was a priestess of the fabled floating towers,” Xade began. “Priestess Alona. The legend says that she had one wish: to leave the towers and have a life on land like any other Zatan. However, the head priestess disallowed any priestess from leaving the towers. One was supposed to live their life in the towers and give up what it meant to be Zatan in order to worship the creator. But Alona argued that she could practice her religion from the surface just as well as from the towers. It is a long story, but she escapes from the towers and falls in love on Zata and starts a family. In doing so, she gives up the comfortable life of a priestess and becomes a water bearer.”
“So her wish came true,” Caden said softly.
“Yes,” Xade said. “And because of that, Zatans often come to fountains sculpted in her image to ask for their wishes to come true. Religious Zatans and non-religious Zatans alike.”
“How do I make a wish?” Caden asked, curious about the tradition. “Do I throw in a coin?”
Xade raised an eyebrow at his question. Apparently, this wasn’t an Earth custom the prince was familiar with.
“That’s what humans do to make wishes on Earth,” Caden explained quickly.
“No,” Xade said, shaking his head. “You make your wish and then drink from the fountain. I assure you, the water is very pure,” he added, probably seeing Caden’s expression at the idea.
Caden chuckled, jumping up to his feet. “I’m going to do it,” he said. “Can I say the wish out loud or does it have to be silent?”
“It is traditional to keep the wish to oneself.”
“Okay.” Caden approached the fountain, feeling the cool spray of the water on his face. The water was clear, and he trusted Xade’s promise that it was pure.
Caden stood by the fountain in silence and closed his eyes. He already knew what he wanted to wish for.
I wish to stay with this amazing prince forever and have a beautiful baby. Lots of beautiful babies. A whole family.
He knelt and took a drink of water from his palm. Xade hadn’t been lying; the water tasted so fresh and cold it almost made his teeth hurt. A shiver coursed along his spine, but somehow, that just made the moment all the more magical. Like his wish was truly being heard by someone beside him.
“Thank you, Priestess Alona,” he said before turning back to Xade.
“I will make a wish as well,” Xade said, walking up to the fountain.
Caden watched as the Zatan stood before the fountain, clearly deep in thought, before kneeling and drinking. It defied explanation, but watching Xade do something so seriously and with such practice turned Caden on a little. It felt sacrilegious, but he couldn’t deny how good the prince’s ass looked as he knelt.
“I bet we wished for the same thing,” Caden said as they sat back down. He rested his head against the Zatan man’s firm upper arm.
“I think that is likely,” Xade said. “But remember, do not share your wish.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
They stayed like that for a few minutes in the quiet courtyard before a beeping sound interrupted the calm. Caden sat up with a start, his relaxation broken.
The prince groaned. “Excuse me,” he said, standing and walking a few steps away.
He put out his arm and pressed a button on the armband that Caden had barely noticed before now. A pale hologram appeared of an older man’s face above the armband. If he hadn’t been so annoyed by the interruption of the serene moment, Caden would have been totally impressed by the technology straight out of science fiction.
The man began to speak in a mix of sounds that were completely unfamiliar to Caden. The Zatan language was completely unlike English.
Xade responded in a few short Zatan words before the hologram flickered away. The prince turned back to Caden, an odd expression on his face. Caden could tell that the call had worried him. Xade’s brow was furrowed and his lips were pressed together in concern.
“Is everything okay?”
A moment passed before the prince responded. He seemed distracted. “Ah–no. Well, yes. Do not worry. I must attend a meeting. Now.”
“Really? Now? Oh, okay.” Caden understood that ruling an entire section of a planet must be a difficult job that involved many urgent meetings, but he wished they had more time together. “What should I do? Go back to the hotel for the humans?”
Xade shook his head. “I will not be gone long. You may stay where you like. Here, my chambers. There is also a canteen accessible across the courtyard that you may visit if you are hungry.”
“I think I’ll stay in these gardens for now,” Caden said. “Or maybe go to the canteen a little later. You’ll come find me when you’re done?”
“Yes.” Xade pressed a quick kiss on his lips before striding away. Just as he was about to return to the hallway they had come from, he turned and called to Caden. “If anyone asks, you may tell them that you are my mate.”
A wide grin spread on Caden’s face at his words.
“Okay!” Caden called back, although he didn’t plan to wander or meet any other Zatans. The garden was a peaceful, calm place. The sound of the water soothed his mind which was full of excited thoughts about his future, and he wanted to just have a moment for himself.
Soon, he was alone in the courtyard. He took in a deep breath of the sweet scent of the flowers around him. The palace already felt very lonely without Xade, but he would be back soon, Caden reminded himself.
He just hoped everything was okay. The meeting had sounded serious, whatever it was about.