CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
The princess woke to the same feeling of emptiness she felt every morning. It took her a long time before she could even roll over onto her side. For a while, what could have been hours, she just lay on her back staring at the ceiling. She wasn't even thinking about her situation, she was long past that. She was just staring. Eventually she rolled and looked at Mongo.
"Good morning, my lady," he said.
"I've been awake for hours," she said.
"Fifty minutes," said Mongo.
"Oh," she said. "It's hard to tell."
"Not for me, my lady," he said.
"Of course not," she said.
"What do you plan to do today, my lady?" he said.
"There is nothing to do," she said, with marked finality.
"Never true, my lady," said Mongo.
"Don't you ever get bored?" she asked, almost snapping at him again.
"No," he said. "I have a vivid imagination."
"Well good for you!" she said. "I'm bored and I hate life. Is that what you want to hear?"
"I never like hearing that, my lady, but I know it's the truth..."
"And don't tell me how I'm better off than other people, okay? I KNOW."
"I was not going to tell you that, my lady," said Mongo. She rolled back onto her back. "Is it something you think about, my lady? Do you feel guitly for your life of relative priveldge?"
"Why should I? One can't help the life they are born into," she said.
"No, my lady, but you are a good person," said Mongo.
"I'm not a person at all! I'm nothing...nothing but this. Nothing but a girl in her bedroom, the same four walls day after day, the same view...will things ever change?"
"I do not know, my lady," said Mongo, truthfully.
"Well, you wouldn't, you're not even human!" she said.
"That is true," he said and she felt guilt again.
"I didn't mean that's a bad thing...just that you may not understand the human politics on this planet...or maybe you do...you probably do."
"I believe I understand them fairly well," he said.
"Want to have sex?" she said out of nowhere and it was so jarring that Mongo almost showed a visible sign of reaction.
"My lady, it is not permitted for our species to fornicate," he pointed out.
"Ridiculous, racist law!" she said, with passion. It was true that when she had been young she had agreed with the law banning sexual relations between humans and vringons, but she had been a silly girl then who had never even met vringons. Knowing Mongo the way she did she could see how long the law was. "Lots of people break it, you know."
"I'm sure they do, but the law is the law," he said.
"I want to go outside then," she said.
"My lady, at the moment that is impossible, as you know. The enemy has agents even in your father's own court..."
"WELL I WANT TO DO SOMETHING!" she wailed. "Sorry," she added, quickly, angry at herself.
"We could play chess again," he said.
"How about a vringon game?" she asked.
"There are none here," he said.
"But it's said that you play verbal games."
"In our own tongue," he said.
"Well...teach me how to speak your language then!"
He paused to consider this. "Humans do no normally learn our language..."
"It's seen as pointless by most," she said. "But not by me. I want to learn and there's no law against it. So teach me. Please."
"As you wish, my lady," he said, and couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was then that Mongo began to feel worried. He really was growing attracted to the princess.
His mission could be in danger.
"Good morning, my lady," he said.
"I've been awake for hours," she said.
"Fifty minutes," said Mongo.
"Oh," she said. "It's hard to tell."
"Not for me, my lady," he said.
"Of course not," she said.
"What do you plan to do today, my lady?" he said.
"There is nothing to do," she said, with marked finality.
"Never true, my lady," said Mongo.
"Don't you ever get bored?" she asked, almost snapping at him again.
"No," he said. "I have a vivid imagination."
"Well good for you!" she said. "I'm bored and I hate life. Is that what you want to hear?"
"I never like hearing that, my lady, but I know it's the truth..."
"And don't tell me how I'm better off than other people, okay? I KNOW."
"I was not going to tell you that, my lady," said Mongo. She rolled back onto her back. "Is it something you think about, my lady? Do you feel guitly for your life of relative priveldge?"
"Why should I? One can't help the life they are born into," she said.
"No, my lady, but you are a good person," said Mongo.
"I'm not a person at all! I'm nothing...nothing but this. Nothing but a girl in her bedroom, the same four walls day after day, the same view...will things ever change?"
"I do not know, my lady," said Mongo, truthfully.
"Well, you wouldn't, you're not even human!" she said.
"That is true," he said and she felt guilt again.
"I didn't mean that's a bad thing...just that you may not understand the human politics on this planet...or maybe you do...you probably do."
"I believe I understand them fairly well," he said.
"Want to have sex?" she said out of nowhere and it was so jarring that Mongo almost showed a visible sign of reaction.
"My lady, it is not permitted for our species to fornicate," he pointed out.
"Ridiculous, racist law!" she said, with passion. It was true that when she had been young she had agreed with the law banning sexual relations between humans and vringons, but she had been a silly girl then who had never even met vringons. Knowing Mongo the way she did she could see how long the law was. "Lots of people break it, you know."
"I'm sure they do, but the law is the law," he said.
"I want to go outside then," she said.
"My lady, at the moment that is impossible, as you know. The enemy has agents even in your father's own court..."
"WELL I WANT TO DO SOMETHING!" she wailed. "Sorry," she added, quickly, angry at herself.
"We could play chess again," he said.
"How about a vringon game?" she asked.
"There are none here," he said.
"But it's said that you play verbal games."
"In our own tongue," he said.
"Well...teach me how to speak your language then!"
He paused to consider this. "Humans do no normally learn our language..."
"It's seen as pointless by most," she said. "But not by me. I want to learn and there's no law against it. So teach me. Please."
"As you wish, my lady," he said, and couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was then that Mongo began to feel worried. He really was growing attracted to the princess.
His mission could be in danger.
