Page 3 of I Married A Lizardman

Chapter 2

Olix

Iglared at Molzeg with a disgruntled expression as I prepared to head to the spaceport. The Seer had set me on this crazy path to bond with a foreign mate. I didn’t even want a mate to begin with, not with the countless headaches my people were currently juggling with. But a foreign one?

She looked so strange on the images the agent had sent me. I had seen humans before, but never paid them too much attention. Now, I would be mated to a scaleless female with a skin the color of honey, and head fur the color of turning leaves. How was I even supposed to get aroused by that? Kayog had declared her to be a soft and delicate female but warned me not to be fooled by her weak appearance—she supposedly possessed great internal strength. Time would tell soon enough.

The Seer held my gaze, a mocking smile stretching her scaly lips. According to her, if I supported my human mate, she would drive away the hardships that threatened to destroy our future. Molzeg’s foresight was always accurate. Despite the doubts twisting my insides, a part of me rejoiced at this glimmer of hope. And yet, how could a soft human perform such a feat? Did she possess some sort of ritual magic to summon the thinning herds?

Those never-ending questions tormented me during the long ride to the spaceport on the back of my mraka. This place never ceased to overwhelm my senses. Although we used technology in our village, the amount on display here felt excessive. My head spun from all the giant screens with flashy images, various lights each competing for the patrons’ attention to draw them towards this shop or this service, not to mention all the voices and music overlapping. Why the off-worlders enjoyed such sensory overload made no sense to me.

Nonetheless, my people were being left behind. We needed to catch up, at least to a certain extent. But we couldn’t afford it.

Not unless we sell part of our lands.

I clenched my teeth and silenced the growl that wanted to rise from my throat. The Conglomerate’s tactics had grown increasingly aggressive of late. The Natives Council had met a number of times in recent weeks to answer the growing requests for further developments on our homeworld. While we personally would have rejected them all, we couldn’t deny the other native species sharing this planet with us the right to explore new opportunities. A part of me wished all those off-worlders had kept flying past our planet. Instead of struggling to maintain our way of life, we would be enjoying the peace our ancestors had fought so hard to reclaim.

As always, the spaceport buzzed with activity, various traders and tourists hurrying past me as they headed towards whatever business was calling to them. The display screen indicated the flight from Meterion had landed more than half an hour ago.

I cussed inwardly.

It arrived early. I hadn’t meant for my future mate to stand there idly, feeling abandoned. As I approached the waiting area near the arrivals, my gaze zeroed in on the Temern Agent Kayog and the wisp of a female standing next to him.

I swallowed back the wave of disappointment that washed over me as I seized the opportunity that she hadn’t noticed me yet to study her appearance. She was even smaller and more fragile looking than I expected. A twig would likely be sturdier than this female.

Her features did nothing for me. She had tiny brown eyes framing a narrow nose that looked like someone had pinched it then tried to pull it out of her face before giving up. Her lips had an interesting shape and appeared fairly cushiony and plush. Her ears stood out on each side of her face, their round shape giving them an odd appearance while pieces of jewelry dangled from the earlobes. Her head fur shone under the bright lights of the waiting area and cascaded softly down her narrow shoulders.

Although her features looked strange to me, they were symmetrical enough that she probably qualified as attractive for her people. However, her soft outward appearance reminded me of the skin of a plucked bird. How in the world I would lay with this female was beyond me.

But even as these less than charitable thoughts crossed my mind, I realized she would likely be as turned off by my own appearance. If her reaction was anything like mine, despite having seen my image before, I feared reality would hit her hard. Still, she looked demure and poised in her beige outfit consisting of a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. The size of the leather shoes covering her feet only underlined how tiny they were. Swallowing back a sigh, I made my way towards them.

Kayog was the first to notice my presence. Seeing the smile stretching his beak, the female cast a half-startled, half-panicked look in my general direction. Her eyes widened, and she nervously tucked strands of her head fur behind her ear. Just like I had done with her, my future mate observed me from head to toe, doing an honorable job of hiding her emotions. However, the way she swallowed hard led me to believe she felt intimidated by me.

“There you are!” Kayog exclaimed in greeting.

“Apologies,” I said in a growly tone, connecting gazes with him for a second before turning back to the female. “Your flight was not scheduled to arrive for another 30 minutes. I had meant to already be here to welcome you upon landing.”

“No need to apologize,” she said with a surprisingly pleasant voice. “We are early. But I had good company,” she added, casting a timid smile at the Temern.

Kayog smiled at the female before proceeding to the introductions. “Susan, this is your mate, Olix Nillis, Clan Leader of the Andturian tribe of the Monkoo Valley. Olix, this is your mate Susan Jennings, third daughter of the Jennings House of the Southern Fields of Meterion.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Susan Jennings,” I said, pressing my right palm to my chest and slightly bowing my head in greeting.

“The honor is all mine, Olix Nillis,” she replied with a slight bow of her head as well, her hands clasped before her.

“Well, now that you’ve been introduced, we should proceed to the Chapel for the ceremony,” Kayog said with an enthusiasm only he seemed to feel. “This early arrival actually plays in our favor in that we can conclude all the proceedings and file your contract with the Registrar before it gets too busy around here.”

Feeling awkward, I picked up the small carry-on bag at Susan’s feet and followed the Temern. Susan gave me a grateful smile and tagged along, walking on my right. I’d never felt so completely ill at ease with anyone, let alone a female.

It was a short walk to the Registrar’s Office. As an increasing number of people had been visiting our planet of late, customs and security had increased to control all the comings and goings. As my future mate, Susan’s background check had already been performed by the agency who would also handle all the paperwork. In order for her to move about freely on Xecania, she needed to be made a legal resident. As my wedded wife, she would automatically receive permanent citizenship.

Then again, permanent was relative to the extent that, should she or I decide to put an end to this union within the six-month trial period, her citizenship would be revoked within a week thereafter.

We entered the large room with multiple counters where newcomers had to register and state their business. However, those applicants were still on the secured side of the spaceport with reinforced glass walls dividing the two sections. Thanks to Kayog’s presence, Susan had already been allowed through that section but could not exit the spaceport proper without filing her wedding certificate.

We headed to one of the three small rooms at the back. A human magistrate greeted us, standing behind what resembled an altar. A dozen chairs spread over two rows of six, split in the middle to make room for a passage, were the only other pieces of furniture in the room. Apparently, it could be adorned based on the specifications of couples should they so request it. According to Kayog, Susan had been content with the basic setting. I didn’t know what had motivated such a choice. A part of me wondered if it was in order to minimize expenses—which shamed me—while another feared it expressed her indifference towards the proceedings—which worried me.

“Susan, Olix, this is Magistrate Elena Mongeau,” Kayog said, gesturing at the female behind the altar. “She will officiate your wedding, and I will bear witness. Elena, this is Susan Jennings and Olix Nillis, the betrothed.”

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