Liz, Max, Isabel, Michael and Maria
"Okay," Liz was saying. "What do you girls think of this one?"
Maria and Isabel peered at the magazine.
"Ooooooooh!" Maria said. "I love it! Liz! That will look stunning on you!"
"Mmm... I'd go with a tiara rather then a veil, if I were you," Isabel said.
"Why? Because marrying the Semirellian King makes you a Queen?" Maria joked.
"Very funny. I just think a tiara will suit Liz better."
"Now that's something I was wondering about... please excuse me if I'm being insensitive or something, but... if you guys are the royal family... why exactly did you come on the colony ship?" Liz asked. "I mean... I would have thought that royal would have stayed ruling on the homeplanet, or something."
"Welllll..." Isabel began. "It's - you're gonna think it's weird, I'm sure. Sems tend to be very... into monarchy. See, well, according to what I've learnt, whenever Sems establish a new colony, they usually assign a family as royal. Usually they're a favourite family of whichever royal is ruling the place that is sending the colony. If something should happen to any prepicked family - like I think it did with us - then it goes to whichever family has the most kids. Not sure way. Maybe because Sems aren't... aren't as fertile as our Dathrian cousins, giving the royalty to the family with the most kids is a way of ensuring the family will live on. Of course, it isn't as... as cold and light-hearted as all that. There's certain rituals and stuff to cement it and make it all official like and so forth, but that's basically how it works."
"Huh. So there isn't really any royal blood per say?" Maria asked.
"Well, yes and no... You see, the ritual involved kinda... how can I say this? It changes the blood chemistry, I guess you could say. Not enough to do any harm, mind you, but just in such a way to enact certain... stuff... I'm not being very clear, am I? Well, The change made, I gues syou could say, determines the ruler. So when Max dies certain... characterisitics, I guess, will manifest on his heir. It's a little weird, I know. I haven't entirely got my head wrapped around it, but then, I've never actually seen it happen."
"Weird."
"Does that answer your question, Liz?"
"I'd say so," Liz smiled. "Now about this gown -"
Liz was about to continue when Max and Michael came in. Liz pulled the magazine to her chest.
"Ladies?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not allowed to see the wedding gown until the wedding," Liz said firmly.
"That's a magazine."
"Not the point."
"There's a wedding dress on the cover."
"Yes, but that one is sucky."
Max laughed.
"C'mon, Michael, we're obviously not welcome here," he said.
"Hmph, well, I'm not leaving until I've got what I came here for."
"Alrighty then. To the kitchen!"
Max raised one arm in the air, pointing towards the kitchen and he and Michael walked off.
"He's your brother," Maria said.
"Liz is the one who's marrying him," Isabel pointed out. "She has a choice, I don't."
Liz just chuckled.