Earth

“Just think of all the good it could do.” I had no wish to make Chika my enemy, but I also wasn’t ready to give up. If I could learn how to treat water to prevent the unholy fever, everything would change. “We could prevent so much suffering.”

“Only to cause much more in the long run. Believe me, I thought about this for years. It’s a harsh thing to say, but the unholy fever is a good thing.”

“Don’t let the priesthood hear you say that.”

“Of course not. I don’t have a death wish, but while they would persecute me for saying it aloud, silently, they would agree. The unholy fever makes vitafelars important, which in turn makes the goddess of life important. Without the unholy fever, citizens might turn to the worship of other gods.”

I hadn’t considered that, but she was right. There were still temples to the other gods in villages around the empire, but they were all subservient to the central temple, and their adherents weren’t completely happy with that. Weakening the importance of the goddess of life could lead to religious civil war. I was beginning to see where Chika was coming from, but she wasn’t done explaining.

“The temple isn’t the only institution that benefits, either. The empire itself relies on vitafelars to remain united. It respects the local customs of its constituent cities, to a degree, but that is made easier by the fact that their cultures are all centered around the fruit. Minstrels sing its praises, poets devote lengthy tracts to it, and couples are bound in marriage by eating one together. In fact, just about every ceremony, in every culture, involves vitafelars. What do you think would happen if they became inessential overnight?”

“It’s not like people will stop wedding just because they don’t need to eat vitafelars anymore. The actual details of the ceremonies are relatively unimportant.”

“Unimportant to you, but not to most! You don’t understand the dreariness of daily commoner life. Festivals are often the only thing they have to look forward to. It doesn’t just bring them joy, it gives them a sense of purpose, and it unites them, not just to each other, but to those who came before. These things need to change slowly, naturally, over time, so that the differences cannot be noticed by any single generation. I don’t know the words for social fabric in this language, but surely you understand. Without something to bring them together, the people will separate, and chaos will replace society.”

“Perhaps I don’t understand how commoners live, but I am very familiar with their resistance to change, and I am practiced at soothing their worries and convincing them to enact my policies. As you say, taking their culture from them would cause problems, but not if we replaced it with another. Perhaps if we used aspects of Earth’s culture as a—”

“No!” She slammed her fists down onto the table with such force that it caused me to flinch.

“But isn’t that what you wanted? To live and to be courted according to Earth customs? You could have that.”

“That would only make things worse. You have no idea what Earth is like.”

“Only because you are so hesitant to speak of it.”

“How could I possibly? Earth is so different. You wouldn’t believe me if I tried.”

We would be at an impasse if we couldn’t communicate openly, so I reached across the table and placed a reassuring hand over hers. “I don’t think you’re lying. This is obviously important to you. Maybe I won’t believe everything, but I trust you.”

“I’ve lied to you before.”

“And I you. We’re humans, and humans lie sometimes, but I would not be seeking your hand in marriage if I viewed you with suspicion. You saved my life. If you want me to keep your secret, I will, no matter how dire the consequences, but I would like to know why.”

She didn’t try to pull her hand away. She left it on the table, my own holding it, as she spoke.

“The people of Earth are not any better or smarter than the people of this world, but we know more things, and because of that, we act differently. Imagine how war must have been like before the invention of the bow and arrow. The soldiers of that time were no worse than today’s soldiers, but they fought differently. Does that make sense?”

Nodding, I allowed her to continue. The revelation that Earth was another world, and not a country, was not surprising to me at that time, but only because I had no notion of what a planet was. My “world” was the line of countries that ran from east to west, and I assumed she meant that Earth lie far to the north or south.

“Because we hold so much knowledge, we are like gods who rule over the world. The things I do that seem like magic to you are commonplace on Earth. We built machines to allow us to soar through the air, even as far away as the Moon. We constructed… human-made stars, which fly in the sky, and which relay messages. Anyone on Earth can speak with anyone else, no matter how far away they are. We even invented ways to coax crops from unproductive soil. Earth’s population is nearly eight billion, but we produce enough food to feed everyone.”

“Eight billion?! The Empire’s is barely eight million.”

“And Earth is much larger than the Empire, because vitafelars aren’t needed there. They don’t even grow there, but there doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. Disease, war, and even famine still exist. Even though we produce enough food for everyone, we can’t distribute it well enough. I once heard that ten percent of the population doesn’t get enough food.”

“Only ten percent? That’s much better than any other country I know of.”

“Yes, but ten percent of eight billion is eight-hundred million. The unholy fever prevents the population from growing too large. It prevents humans from straying too far from the equator, where vitafellars don’t grow. If I told you how to cure it, the population could one day rival Earth’s, and I would be responsible for bringing billions into the world. I would be responsible for their suffering.”

I could understand her dilemma, but I didn’t quite agree. Certainly, there were those who came to regret ever being born, but most were thankful for their lives, even among the commoners.

At least, I hoped they were.

Still, she obviously felt strongly about this, so rather than opposing her, I tried a different approach. “Someone else will eventually figure it out, and when they do, they might not be as conscientious as you are. Society will collapse, as you predicted. Would it not be better for us to guide it through thoughtful planning?”

“Too many people on Earth suffered from that exact delusion. It’s hubris to believe you can impose your values on another culture like that, and I will not repeat that particular mistake. If someone else discovers the secret, at least it will be someone from this world. As an outsider, it’s not my place to interfere.”

“But you’re not an outsider. The Empire is your home now.”

“No, I…” Chika turned to look away from me, but I could plainly see the pain and conflict in her expression. There was more that she was holding back, I sensed, but before I could ask her about it, Lord Gwendar came running towards us through the garden.

“Lord Thelian! Lady Chika! We’ve been summoned to the castle. Drakarnor marches towards the capital with a great army.”