William
“It’s none stop,” Samantha said.
“Dozens of worlds,” Zoe said quickly.
“I just wish they would pick somewhere else. They block off all the best eating food. I have to get stuff delivered, and it costs twice as much,” Anders complained.
“Oh shut up,” Zoe said. “Do you ever think of anything besides food?”
“Of course I do,” Anders said seriously. “Sometimes I think about drinks as well,” he said with a sheepish grin.
William was forced to laugh, and Zoe looked like she was ready to throw something at Anders.
“Sometimes I think about you” Anders went on. “Alot in fact. Sometimes at school, sometimes during a game of Siege, and sometimes at home, and in bed, most definably in bed.
“Stop is,” Zoe said sharply but her tone said herself. She walked across the room and kissed Anders lightly on the lips.
“I thin about you all the time,” Anders said again.
“More than food?” Zoe asked.
“Almost,” Anders replied quickly and recieced a quick slap. “What? Would you rather I lied?”
“Sometimes,” Zoe told him.
“You two are cute and all, but you realize that these protests have been going on for weeks right?” Samantha commented. “This might just be starting on Karthmere, but worlds like the Eight Systems have already seen some protests turn violent.”
“I know,” Zoe said. They had all heard it before. It was all Samantha had been able to talk about for days.
William tried to listen to it all, but the true was that he didn’t understand the new laws which had heavily affected those worlds were large populations of Furse. Worlds like Karthmere, but he didn’t view himself as Furse, like most. His ancestors were from Furse Space, his mother was, and his father had even spent some of his youth in Furse Space, but William saw himself as Dralan. His ancestors had settled on Karthmere with the first Lord Karth almost three hundred years ago.
William tried to stay informed about the events of the Commonwealth, his father would often ask him his option, and he would get that cold silent stare when he did not know enough about a subject. That was likely why Samantha and his father could along so well. She loved politics, and her, and their Furse heritage.
“Relax,” William finally said. “We can’t change any of it, and there is no point getting worked up about things we can’t change,” he continued, and shrugged. “I’d rather focus on what we can change, what we can enjoy.” He regretted that as soon as he looked at Samantha, and her look was tenfold worse than his father’s.
“Relax?” Samantha asked him, and William realized everyone had stopped, but neither Anders or Zoe looked at him, and he knew he stepped in it again.
“I didn’t…” William began but was cut off.
“You didn’t mean to sound stupid?” Samantha snapped. “The protests will turn violent here as well. Just wait and see. King Oswald’s new laws will push the Commonwealth closer to civil war than every before,” she said. “Don’t know what else to expect from that murdering bastard.”
William didn’t say anything, but he knew what she meant. Rumors had surrouned the death of his older brother after his murder, although most rumors claimed that his mother had his step brother killed so her son could claim the kingship. That was long ago, before WIlliam’s own birth, and there was always rumors. Even about his own father, and he refused to believe half of them.
