Who is this guy? I would almost do anything to answer this question. But I have no intention of accepting this offer. Even if curiosity threatens to kill me.
***
The warrior - guard or whatever he may be, slowly I wonder if this is his only secret, or what follows, maybe I am right in my assumption and therefore he is keeping his name from me - settles into the chair opposite me. His laughter only fades when he too takes a sip of the juice.
"Who are you?" I silently ask, while I scrutinize him over my glass. His brown eyes do the same to me, curious. What could be going through his mind? I wonder.
Slowly he sets the glass down, but keeps it in his hand, never taking his eyes off me. "You really want to see your mother?" he inquires of me.
I nod without a trace of doubt. My mother means a lot to me, so I simply want to know how she is. The uncertainty is more tormenting than the thought that she might be doing poorly there.
"You know our ruler is supposed to hate her."
Again, I nod, lowering my head sadly. I heard about it from her tonight, what she's supposed to have done.
"It might well be that seeing your mother causes you even more grief," he says, and I feel his gaze on me as he speaks.
I've long known how right he is, yet his words still hurt me. So much so that I have to fight back the tears welling up inside me.
I place my glass on the table and look at him. Even though I hold back my tears, it's clear how much his words are affecting me.
He seems surprised by it.
"Do you have any idea how tormenting it is for me not to know how she's doing?"
I look at him for a while, then lower my gaze.
What does he want from me? Should I back out now that I have the only chance to see her?
"The biggest problem will be that the flight is not exactly short," he says with a sigh.
As my gaze lifts, I see his head resting on the table. Concern is evident in his eyes, which are fixed on me.
I don't know why he looks concerned, or what the problem is with the flight.
"If we leave now, we won't be back here until tomorrow evening at the earliest," he continues. I still don't understand what he means. "So either you come up with a nice and, above all, believable excuse, or you accept a certain offer."
Now I just look at him, confused. Something that makes him start to laugh.
"Well, we don't usually allow our guests to have family visits," he explains to me. "At least not those who are housed in a very specific area of the station. When you come back, you can't tell them that you just visited your mother."
I nod in understanding.
"How about you just stay here?" the dark-haired man calls out. He spreads his arms wide and laughs at me. "I would offer you my room."
"Oh, you'd give me your room?" A smile flickers across my lips. He managed to distract me from what lies ahead of me, at least momentarily. Still, I don't think it'll be a pleasant trip. At least not until I know how my mother is doing.
"Meaning, you'd swap rooms with me," I add.
He starts to laugh.
"Probably not."
A nice smile forms on his lips, which surely would have melted many a woman's heart. Even I would normally have a crush on him despite the age difference. After all, he does look damn good. But this moment isn't normal. Maybe for him, but not for me.
"I could accommodate you in my room."
Even though he looks good and is being nice to me in this moment, I shake my head.
"Why not?" He seems genuinely surprised by my answer. "I'm a great guy and there are some women who would gladly accept the offer. A little girl like you should feel flattered."
There's so much arrogance in his voice that it surprises me greatly. I didn't expect that from him. Yet his self-assured grin makes me reconsider my opinion of him.
"Sharing a room with you would be even more dreadful than accepting the offer of this so highly regarded emperor here," I snap my reply at him and turn my gaze away from him, feeling sulky.
His hand reaches for the glass. In one gulp, he empties it. "Come with me," the dark-haired man orders me, placing the glass on the table and heading for the room exit.
I jump up from the chair to follow him.