Chapter 6: Ice Queen

Dennis was awoken by Xhe tapping on his door.

“Ambassador? I’m sorry to wake you early, but the Polar Regent is here to see you.”

He stumbled out of bed, bleary-eyed.

“The Polar Regent? What does she want?”

“She has not said, and I lack the authority to ask her.”

“Very well, give me a moment to get dressed.”

Dennis flung on a clean suit and his now signature fur tie, then stepped out of his bedroom. The Polar Regent was waiting for him in the marble hallway, her long, fluffy tail waving back and forth idly. She was wearing an even more revealing outfit than was customary for the Elysians, likely due to the heat, little more than an insubstantial top that struggled to contain her impressive bust and a skirt that was tied about her wide hips. The floaty, near transparent fabric was tinted a shade of pink and adorned with decorative pieces of shaped metal that served to conceal her more intimate features.

She had two guards flanking her. They were of the same Polar race, both female, the patterning and coloration of their fur mirroring hers. Unlike the Royal Guards who protected the Patriarch, they wore no combat armor, and they were armed with intimidating, ornate glaives rather than XMRs. It hit Dennis that this planet was not unified like Earth, each region might have a totally different culture and level of technology to the others. Elysia was only a small fragment of a greater whole.

“Is there something I can help you with, Regent?”

“The eclipse will be occurring soon,” she replied. “The Equatorial Borealans will be entering a state of lethargy. To the Polars, the cold is mild and not unlike that of our home territory. We will remain active during this period. I am told that your species does not experience reduced metabolic activity as a response to cold and so you would most likely be confined to the embassy during the winter.”

Dennis nodded, there was nothing to disagree with.

“I have enjoyed your company, Ambassador, and I appreciate your curiosity. With the permission of your handler, I would request that you join me and my entourage for the period of the eclipse. I will return you to the embassy when the primary shines again.”

Dennis glanced at Xhe, she seemed confused, surprised.

“Do you think it’s ok?” he asked.

“Ambassador, you do not require my permission.”

“That’s not what I asked,” he replied.

She thought for a moment, but Xhe seemed to do poorly when put on the spot, she was all about planning and organization.

“While I see no harm in it, this is ... unorthodox. It is true that you would most likely be bored here during the eclipse, but I would be unable to accompany you. I must consult with the Patriarch, please excuse me for a moment.” Xhe walked past the Regent and her guards and entered the office, intending to use the communications device. After a couple of minutes of Dennis smiling meekly at the Regent as she waited patiently, Xhe returned. “You have his permission, should you wish to go.”

Xhe’s attitude was odd, she seemed to be suggesting that he shouldn’t go. Was she being protective of him? He had learned to value her judgment, but being stuck inside the embassy for three days with nothing to do sounded close to torture.

“I do,” he replied finally, and Xhe nodded.

“Excellent.” The Regent clapped her hands together, the sound muffled by her fur. “I think you will find it enlightening, Ambassador.”

Xhe paced, agitated. If there was one person on this entire planet that she didn’t trust, it was the Polar Regent. Well, Tarsas was as xenophobic and uncooperative as they come, but he was overt in his dislike of the Patriarch and his human allies. The Polar Regent was crafty. Unlike the Equatorial Borealans, the people of the pole were cool-headed and slow to act, their anger built over time rather than flaring and being done with. They plotted and schemed, and this visit must be part of some greater plot that wasn’t yet obvious to Xhe. She had not been able to warn Dennis in front of the Regent and her guards, and by visiting the embassy in person rather than calling ahead, the Regent had ensured that Xhe would not express her concerns. To do so before someone of such high rank would be a challenge that would see her viciously attacked. She had made the Patriarch aware of the situation, but he did not seem concerned, was he growing complacent? There was something afoot, and winter was about to arrive. This was the worst time for something like this to happen and the Polar Regent knew it.

Dennis jogged a little to keep up with the Polar Regent as her guards flanked them. They marched through the sandstone city, under the arches and past carved pillars and windowless structures. The secondary star was bright in the sky, obscured by the far more luminous primary, but just about visible to the naked eye. He appraised the Regent, admiring her beauty. He had found the fur jarring at first, but now he appreciated its sheen. It was as white as fresh snow, barring the black leopard spots that patterned it. He longed to stroke it, it looked soft, but he knew that it wasn’t remotely appropriate. She was tall too, larger than the average Borealan, approaching the exaggerated height of the Patriarch. It must be a sign of the eugenic breeding practices that high status in Borealan society always implied. The way that Borealans mated, the dominant genes were quickly propelled to the top of the pyramid. The Polar Regent was well bred, that much was immediately obvious, and she had an odd calmness about her that set Dennis at ease. Something about her body language or her temperament made him less wary of her than the other Borealans, he felt as if she was somebody he could trust.

“Tell me, Ambassador,” the Polar Regent crooned. Her voice was deep and husky, but feminine. She was softly spoken, and her English language skills rivaled those of Xhe. “Do you have winters on Earth?”

“We do indeed, Regent. Our winters last for one quarter of our year and some regions on our planet remain cold all year round, some inhospitably so.”

“That sounds pleasant. On Borealis, my people are confined to the northern pole for the majority of the year. We can only venture into the equatorial territories when the eclipse comes. The heat is almost intolerable to us, you see.”

“I can imagine, you have an impressive coat. It resembles many of our arctic species back on Earth.”

“Oh?” The Regent stopped walking and turned to him, crouching down to eye level. She inadvertently gave him a perfect view down her top, the weight of her heavy breasts straining against the gossamer fabric as it fought to contain them. The twin mounds of quivering flesh were sheathed in a layer of fluffy fur, making them look like a pair of giant throw pillows, Dennis struggling to keep his eyes on her face. She reached out a hand, palm up. There were pads protruding from beneath her white fur, like one might find on a cat or a dog, he assumed so they could grip objects through their insulating coat.

“Do you like my fur?” she asked, smiling warmly. “You can touch it if you want to.”

Dennis reddened, and after a moment of hesitation he reached out a hand and brushed her palm tentatively. She didn’t react, she continued to hold her arm out as if trying to entice a wild animal to draw closer. He touched her palm again, this time delving his fingers deeper into the fur. The fine hair was as soft as velvet, and as his fingertips met the skin beneath, a surprising heat radiated up through his hand. She wasn’t joking, she was roasting under that fur, it trapped a layer of heat below the surface similar to how polar bear fur worked.

“Wow, yeah,” he muttered. “Exactly like our arctic species...”

“You needn’t contain your curiosity, Ambassador,” she chuckled as she stood at full height again. “I respect that quality, I find it is sorely lacking among many of our own people. Exploration is part of your assignment here, after all.”

Dennis nodded, following behind her as she began to walk again.

“So, where are we going ... Regent?” He had almost let slip your majesty, and that was the impression that she gave him. She was so regal and refined in comparison to many of the more brutish Borealans that he had met thus far, radiating an air of sophistication and poise that befitted her station. He reminded himself that she was, in fact, the Matriarch of the polar region. She was a queen if ever there was one, but the title of Regent given to her by the Patriarch was indicative of Elysia’s mastery over the other territories.

“I’m taking you somewhere we can watch the eclipse. You’ve never seen one before, I would imagine.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“There is an observatory in Elysia. It is ancient, useless for actual astronomy in the modern era, but its builders designed it to watch the eclipse in perfect conditions. They believed that the conjunction could tell fortunes or predict crop failures, amongst other such primitive and quaint delusions.”

The city was mostly deserted now as the population steeled itself for winter, barricading themselves inside their dwellings. Every so often a stray Borealan would pass them, stopping for a moment to stare at the odd sight of a foreigner and an alien wandering the streets. The long walk took them outside the boundaries of the city and towards an expanse of empty land covered with some species of native grass, a little more blue in color than anything from Earth. Dennis stopped as he saw a hulking creature in the distance, it seemed to be grazing. It was getting darker as the smaller star passed in front of its primary and the creature’s silhouette stood out menacingly, like a giant cow with wicked, curved horns.

“Don’t be afraid,” the Regent said, her tone soothing as if she was talking to a small child. “These are livestock, docile and tame, they won’t hurt you. The observatory is on the other side of the grassland, see?” She pointed a clawed finger, and Dennis saw the domed building in the distance.

“Why is it all the way out here, and not in the city?” he asked.

“Light pollution. Even in the period that the observatory was constructed, it was a problem. Out here there is no artificial light to obscure the eclipse.”

They walked across the field, Dennis skirting the grazing livestock warily. Despite the Regent’s promise that they were tame, they were still very large animals. Even a dairy cow could accidentally trample a human under the right conditions. He stuck close to the Regent as they neared the ancient structure.

It had looked small from far away, but up close it was proven to be very large. The observatory was a wide, squat building with a dome in the roof, built from the same sandstone as the structures in the city. They skirted the edge of the building, circling it to find the entrance. They came across the aged wooden door, and one of the guards stepped forward, pushing it open on its rusted hinges with a piercing creak. She held it open as the group stepped inside.

“I’m amazed that this structure has stood for so long,” the Regent commented, placing her hands on her wide hips and staring around the room. “The masons of old were truly artists.”

The room was a completely open space, ringed by rows of seats carved from the stone like an auditorium or a Roman amphitheater. In the center was a single wooden chair, perched on some kind of rusted gear system. In the curved roof of the dome was a rectangular slot that had been chiseled out of the stonework, covered with a panel of tinted glass through which a beam of starlight penetrated, illuminating the seat in a dull glow like a spotlight.

Dennis walked over to the seat, running his finger along the armrest. It was coated in a layer of fine dust, its once smooth finish now splintered and rough. He crouched to examine the gears beneath it. They extended into the floor, rusted metal teeth interlocking for some purpose that he couldn’t discern.

“What does it do?” he asked, turning back to the Regent. “Does it still work?”

“Here, I’ll show you,” she said as she walked over to join him in the middle of the room. She circled around the far side of the chair and climbed into it, leaning back against the wooden headrest as the assembly creaked ominously. It was angled slightly up, positioned directly below the rectangular slot in the dome. The Regent patted her furry thigh with her hand, watching him expectantly.

“Come Ambassador, sit with me. It only seats one so you’ll have to share.”

He walked around to the front of the chair, and she gripped him under the armpits, lifting him into the air and placing him gently on her lap. She was soft, chubby too. There was muscle underneath, as with all Borealans, but the Polar variety were padded with what must be insulating fat. He didn’t know where to put his hands, and so he gripped the armrests on either side of the chair.

“Hold on,” the Regent whispered, pulling a long lever on the far side of the chair. It tilted back and raised them further off the ground, the ancient gears clanking and crunching as the chair shuddered beneath them. When it came to a stop, it was almost horizontal, and Dennis was having a hard time leaning away from the Regent’s ample chest. “You won’t be able to see from there, come here...”

She wrapped her huge arms around him, pulling him backwards and pressing him against her breasts. Their soft, pliable surface molded around his head and neck as he sank into her cleavage, her chest pressing against his back as though it was a furry beanbag chair. His face reddened, and he tried to focus on the slot, struggling to ignore the mammoth breasts to either side of his head, and the arms crossed across his chest. Her delicate fur tickled the back of his neck and brushed against his cheeks, the white mounds of her bosom filling his peripheral vision.

“The hole in the roof is positioned in just such a way that at this stage of the eclipse, the stars are visible through it,” she said as she pointed up at the window. “Once a day the stars will align with this hole, the fortune tellers of old would check their progress to see what they could discern. The ancients plotted the movement of the stars and the eclipse was an important religious event to them, as it progresses it will move along the length of the slot.” Dennis looked on in wonder as the secondary skirted the edge of the primary, decreasing its luminosity, the tinted glass protecting his eyes from the glare. “As you can see, the secondary star is passing between Borealis and the primary. Its luminosity is much lower, we will experience at least two days of snow, and the surfaces of the lakes will freeze over.”

“The evergreen jungles, the fish, the spider. Everything here has evolved to endure the cold,” Dennis mused. “The strict mother raises disciplined children.”

“Good! You picked that old adage up?” Dennis nodded, and the Regent held him closer, pressing him into her warm, soft body. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered to him. “I think we’re going to get along well, you and I...”

Dennis stayed in her comfortable embrace as they sat and watched the first stage of the eclipse. The Regent’s breathing was hypnotic, and her body was like a living bed, her downy fur and squishy fat layer relaxing him and making his eyes heavy. He fell asleep at some point, nestled in her warm cleavage.

Dennis awoke to the Regent chuckling and gently shaking him.

“Wake up little human, we must leave now. You’ve been asleep for a while. I didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful.” She pushed the lever, and the seat rumbled, returning to its original position. It was remarkable that the rusted machinery still worked. Dennis hopped off her lap on to the floor, stumbling a little under the high gravity. He was embarrassed that he had fallen asleep on the Regent, it was hardly becoming of a dignitary.

“Your face is red,” she chuckled, her bosom shaking with the motion. “I don’t think you’re angry, it must be embarrassment.”

“I-I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you,” Dennis stammered. “You’re just very...”

“Comfortable?” the Regent suggested, her radiant smile turning sly as Dennis’ cheeks burned. “Come now Ambassador, we must get back to the city before the cold starts to set in. If you find me so comfortable, you may hold my hand if you wish.” She extended her arm towards him in invitation, but after a moment of hesitation, he marched towards the door alone.

“We’d best get going then!”

The Regent’s eyes lingered on him, the gears in her head turning.

Dennis, the Regent, and her guards made their way back to the city across the grassland. The temperature had not started to drop in earnest yet, but it was getting darker. The livestock had begun to huddle in response to the low light, they didn’t seem to need shelter and simply clumped in a pile like emperor penguins. Dennis could sense it in the air, the environment was changing. Everything was shutting down, switching off, going to sleep. Even Dennis was affected by the change in luminosity, sending signals to his brain that night had fallen and that he should feel tired. The Regent walked beside him, her long, white tail waving back and forth as she rolled her hips.

“So is it always dark and cold at the pole?” Dennis asked.

“All year round, yes. Not this dark, but we do get less light than the equatorial territories.”

“Is life there hard?”

The Regent seemed taken aback by his question, and she had to think for a moment, glancing at him with her ice-blue eyes.

“I suppose so. We’re used to it. Here the food sources are abundant. Fish laze in the lakes, grazing beasts roam free, and food grows in the jungles at random. At the poles the fauna is larger and more aggressive due to the cold, few edible plants grow there and the fish hide beneath the ice, perfectly adapted to the darkness and freezing temperatures. Hunting is more dangerous, fishing and growing grain requires ingenuity and careful forethought.”

She spat ingenuity as if it were an insult, was she implying that the Equatorial Borealans had it easy? What icy hell must her people live in if the heat of Elysia was desirable in comparison?

“If you don’t mind my asking, Regent, why do you remain there?”

“My people have lived in the Polar territory for a very long time, long enough to diverge into a distinct race. We are adapted to the cold, we can no longer live comfortably in the deserts. Our insulating fur and blubber would cook us alive. Perhaps if we had starships like Elysia, we could relocate somewhere more hospitable. Alas, we lack the means of the Patriarch.”

They arrived back at the city limits, and their feet met the slabs of hard stone that lined its streets, Borealan claws clicking on the rock as they walked.

“Where are we going now, back to the embassy?” Dennis asked. They had already seen the eclipse, was there somewhere else in the city that she wanted to take him?

“No, you will sleep at my residence for the duration of the eclipse.” It sounded more like a command than a suggestion, but Dennis didn’t mind. Anything to get out of the embassy for a while.

“Your residence? Do you own property here?”

“Yes, as the Regent of the Polar territory I have a few privileges, one of which is the right to own property in Elysia. I stay here during the eclipse when I am able to travel.”

They walked a while longer, Dennis was becoming tired, and his joints were starting to ache from the strain of so much hiking in the high gravity. He hoped that the six months before permanent damage calculation took into account this much walking. The Regent stopped before a large structure, made from the same sandstone as the surrounding buildings. She pushed open the door, and as he entered behind her, Dennis noticed that much of the roof was open to the air. Some sections of the building were contained, but the small courtyard in the center had no roof or dome. Pillars of white marble ringed the space, helping to support the roof on the insulated sections and giving everything a very Greco-Roman vibe. The floor was littered with flowering plants and long, padded couches that resembled chaise longues. Of course, a Polar Borealan would not fear the winter, it might even be downright balmy compared to what they were used to back home. The whole scene looked like the palace of some Arabian prince, all it was missing were wandering peacocks and elaborate fountains.

“Impressive,” he muttered, gazing at the shining marble and the fine fabric that decorated the walls in the familiar Borealan style.

“My home away from home. You look tired, Ambassador. Come, sit with me.”

She sat on one of the long couches, padded with blue satin or maybe silk cushions. He walked over to her, and she helped him up, taking his hand and guiding him into the seat beside her. He sat next to her in silence for a while as the guards hovered by the entrance. The stars in the sky had moved a little closer together, but he wasn’t feeling the chill yet, it must be too early. The Regent shuffled backwards, leaning upright against the cushioned headrest of the long couch.

The Regent surprised him, sneaking a hand around his midsection and dragging him closer to her. He pressed up against her padded thigh, her flesh spilling around him with the consistency of wet clay. Her entire body was sheathed in that inviting layer of insulating fat, filling out her feminine figure in ways that seemed almost designed to draw the male gaze. The considerable weight of her breast leaned on him through the flimsy fabric of her top, cascading over his shoulder and pressing against his cheek. The delicate fur tickled his nose as he breathed in her scent. She smelled like perfume or shampoo, the flowery fragrance masking a deeper and more musky aroma that he found oddly enticing. She was so warm and soft, whenever he was near her, he just wanted to let himself sink into her and fall asleep.

“I hope you don’t mind, Ambassador. I have studied human culture, I have read that you find physical contact reassuring and intimate. I do want us to have an intimate relationship.”

“Not at all, Regent. I ... don’t mind. Might I ask where you learned English? You don’t look military.”

She smiled at him, her blue eyes reflecting the glow of the eclipse. He felt her arm move, the soft fur sliding against his body and her large, padded hand coming to rest near his thigh.

“I’ll let you in on a secret, Ambassador,” she whispered to him. Her lips were close enough to his ear that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin. “I have more than a passing interest in humans and their affairs. Ever since the Coalition made contact with Borealis and the Patriarch began to trade with your kind, I have pondered the implications. What it means for Borealis, what it means for my people. The Patriarch has been able to acquire technology that puts him at, what some would say, is an unfair and unnatural advantage. He has used his great influence and considerable wealth to build a relationship with Earth while excluding the other territories. The technology has not spread beyond Elysia, he is like a selfish kitten, he won’t share his toys.”

Dennis felt her long, fluffy tail slide across his legs, resting in his lap like a furry snake. Unlike the thin tails of the Elysians, this one was covered in puffy fur to give it the appearance of a gigantic feather duster.

“And so I studied human culture, human language. I took a great interest in learning all that I could about these short, industrious aliens so that one day I might meet one, and offer him a deal that he couldn’t refuse.”

Dennis turned his head and looked up at her, confused.

“What are you implying, Regent?”

“Just think of it, the Patriarch’s growing fleet languishes in orbit, fully functional spacecraft that the Equatorial simpletons have no idea how to properly maintain or even pilot. They rot in space when even one such ship could offer my people a new beginning, a chance to leave this brutal planet and find somewhere better to live. Our overspecialization is our prison, we are confined to the pole where we must live out our lives in the bleak tundras. When I put in a request to lease one of the ships, the Patriarch did not even respond. When I confronted him about purchasing one of the vessels, even at an extortionate interest rate, he would not agree. He sees the Coalition and thinks that the secret to power is fleets, he seeks to keep that power from us for fear that we will use it to overthrow him. But all we want is the freedom to choose our home. There are hundreds of planets and moons out there, thousands, millions. Surely one of them could serve as a more suitable home for my people?”

“Regent ... your argument is fair,” Dennis replied. “If I could help you, I would, but this is beyond me. I don’t have the authority or the influence to get you ships, the Patriarch is buying from independent traders, and he’s paying well. Those same traders would sell to you too if you could afford their prices.”

Her grip on him tightened, her soft fur pressing into his face as she held him, almost in a headlock now.

“Why would the UN send you if you had no authority? How would you gain such a powerful position without connections?” She glared at him, her icy eyes piercing through him. Her expression softened abruptly, and a warm smile returned to her lips. Dennis was wary now and was beginning to regret ignoring Xhe’s obvious apprehension.

“Little Ambassador ... I do believe that your loyalties lie with the Patriarch and with Elysia. But what can he offer you that I cannot? Perhaps I should give you a taste of how I reward those loyal to me.”

Her gentle grip suddenly became as hard as iron. She closed her large paws around him, lifting him and placing him between her long legs, his back resting against her belly and her cleavage cushioning his head. She barked an order to her guards and the two females lay down their glaives, trotting over to kneel beside the couch, one to either side of him. With her left hand the Regent trapped his arms at his sides, and with the right she caressed his face, running her dull claws lightly over his cheek. The warmth of her soft body permeated him, and he felt his resistance waning as her hot breath blew through his hair. She was so damned comfortable, it was like being hugged by a giant teddy bear. He eyed the two guards warily and tried to remain calm. This wasn’t his first rodeo with a Borealan.

“What did that miserly fool offer you? All the meat you desire? Your own embassy? The company of that plain secretary? You will find that the people of the frozen pole are the warmest of all the Borealans, the most welcoming.” She leaned her head down, her furry cheek pressing against his own, and used her free hand to angle his face towards her. “Defect, Ambassador. Come back to the Polar territory with me, and you will have anything you desire. Let me show you...”

Her puffy lips parted, and she pressed them against his, holding his face steady in her silky hand. Her embrace was warm and gentle, the tapered tip of her smooth organ working its way past his lips to tease him with slow and placating strokes. He melted into her embrace as her tongue drew shapes on his inner cheeks, tickling his palate, painting inside his head with all the practiced skill of an artist’s brush. The perfume that he had smelled earlier now filled his nose, an underlying, heady musk setting his senses ablaze. She moaned softly as she kissed him, the sounds driving his growing erection to full height, making it throb painfully as it battled against the fabric of his pants. This was different from the way that Chaka had kissed him, she had been aggressive and wanton, selfish and uncaring. This kiss was slow and considerate, so tender. He felt like he was being kissed by a lover, his heart thawing like the ice that carpeted her frozen home.

She released him and smiled with satisfaction as he relaxed into her fur, his eyelids drooping. Nobody had ever kissed him like that before, it was ... intoxicating. It numbed his mind.

“Shame on the Patriarch, only giving you a single servant. His lack of hospitality embarrasses us all.” She hissed something in her native tongue, and the two guards reached towards Dennis, attempting to pull his pants down. He became alarmed and started to struggle, but the Regent held him firmly in her grip. “They won’t hurt you, we aren’t brutish and violent like our southern cousins. We are a more refined, a more civilized people.”

The two guards succeeded in removing his clothing and his erection bounced free, almost hitting one of them in the face. The Regent chuckled, the low sound echoing in the courtyard, and lowered her hand towards his member. She reached out her index finger and tentatively pressed her spongy pad against the tip of his penis, wetting it with the bead of excitement that was already welling and making a slow circle. Dennis gasped, turning his face away and into one of her breasts, as if not being able to see it would somehow lessen the sensation.

She gripped the shaft, her downy, fuzzy fur creating an odd texture against his skin. It felt like someone wearing a furry glove. She pumped up and down lazily, letting her velvety coat tease him. Dennis groaned, trying to buck his hips, but she held him still in her one-armed embrace. He felt her lips brush his ear and she whispered to him softly, her tone low and suggestive.