Page 16 of Ancient Rising
“Can we circle back when I know what you want?”
He nodded.“We can.I want your body when I or you have a need.If you are going to feel pleasure, I want to be with you.I need to be with you.”
She blushed and nodded as he continued.
“I will choose your clothing for formal events and anything special I have in mind.”
“Acceptable.”
“You will travel with me as I am in contact with the other worlds in my system, and they are all eager to see me again.”
“Right.”
“When we have acclimated to each other, I would like three children during the course of our contract.”
“Oh.Well, that is probably doable if we are compatible.”
“I have always wished for a large family.”His voice was shy.
“Large?Oh, you are serious.Three?Over what period?”
“The next two centuries.”
“Oh.That is reasonable.I thought you meant in the next five years.”
He frowned.“For a Hmrain child, that is too soon.You will be depleted.”
“Ah.Okay.I come from what was a big family.We were scattered across the globe and all went out one by one.”
“How big?”
“I was one of eight.”
He blinked.“Oh.”
“Two sets of twins and four singles.All born in a decade.Mom was fine, but Dad did a lot of the childcare, and they were both happy.”
His face was shocked.“That is...”
“Mom and Dad both had large families and wanted to continue the trend.They had chosen careers that would help them support the children, and they planned for us.Celebrations were huge, and the affection was plentiful.Then my parents died, and we scattered around the world.And then the world ended.”She sighed.“So, I had always hoped I would have a big family and start new traditions of my own.”
“What was your family name?I will have the bots carve it into the walls.”
She smiled softly and met his gaze.“Harwin.”
Understanding flared.“Ah.What was your name before?”
“It doesn’t matter.I am Harwin now.”
He nodded.“We will record their names as well.All of them.”
She blinked as tears welled up.She breathed slowly and nodded.“Thank you.”
He continued on with her bond fund, as she would be re-entering the bond state to be legally his responsibility and under his protection.
Harwin nodded and considered the situations she had been in, and Ra and Aten were a safer bet for longevity.She suddenly understood the basic drive to reproduce.It was hope for the next generation.She had been living without hope.Her government was shit, her work situation was shit, and when she thought of her future, it hadn’t formed anything other than a grey wall.Her siblings had tried to start families, but she had no idea if her nieces and nephews had made it off-world with their parents.
She tried to focus on her name and pulled it around her.The possibility of a child had an appeal it never had before.She wanted to put some part of her out into the universe because there was no other person to do it.It was her.She had a chance to create another overlord who would take the memory of her into the future.She wanted to be remembered.She wanted Earth to be remembered.The Harwins needed to be remembered.Another generation might help.