Chapter 4 #2
As we approached the grand dining room, the guard came to a halt and bellowed, “Presenting, the Last Daughter of Domus!”
I nearly choked on my own spit.
“Uh, um, Jane. Just Jane,” I spluttered between uncomfortable coughs.
The king shot an irritated glance in the direction of his wife and rolled his eyes.
“Jane!” the guard boomed, causing me to flinch in response.
Golden light dimly illuminated the grand dining room, casting a heavenly glow across the space.
Behind the king’s chair loomed a robust and ferocious fireplace roaring with life.
The windows to my left were grand and arched, draped with heavy indigo curtains.
Yet, despite the thickness of the fabric, the moonlight still managed to reflect off the queen’s angelic and youthful face.
The guard directed me to a chair beside Glade and across the rectangular wooden table from Jion. I took my seat, utterly mortified, with my head bowed toward my lap.
“Hello, Jane,” Jion kindly greeted from across, a charming smile plastered on his remarkably stunning face.
I managed to return the gesture, but the weight of the royal family’s scrutiny made me feel extremely uncomfortable in my own skin.
“Hi,” I mumbled submissively. I didn’t know what it was about these people, but every instinct within screamed at me to crawl away and hide.
Back home, I was known as a formidable girl, but in their presence, I felt small, weak, helpless, and afraid.
Of course, it didn’t help that they were literal giants compared to me.
Glade only nodded once toward me, then devoured his soup like a Neanderthal. I thought he was a prince?
“It is lovely to see you again.” The queen beamed, glancing at the guard for reassurance before smiling again. “Jane,” she added softly.
“Um, yes, you as well,” I lied, my spoon hesitating over the bowl of soup before me as I contemplated what might be in it.
Glade glanced from the soup to my face before snickering to himself, as if he knew I was questioning the ingredients.
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of food aliens on another planet might eat. But were they really aliens? Sure, they felt like it to me, but they appeared to be humans as well. Their food couldn’t be that dodgy and different. Right?
“Is there something the matter?” the queen asked, her gorgeous crystal-blue eyes darting between Glade and myself with concern.
“No. Thank you,” I replied faintly, though I suddenly felt courageous enough to grab a spoonful of soup and slurp it down. My stomach had been growling with hunger for hours, and I could no longer resist the temptation.
The biological need for survival had officially taken over.
Whatever hesitation I’d felt was unfounded. The vegetables grown here in Britavon were exquisite; this was the best soup I’d ever tasted. Perhaps that was because it had been prepared for literal kings and queens.
I couldn’t help but moan with pleasure, but then I noticed Jion across the table staring at me. His lips were pressed together, suppressing a grin, and I closed my mouth.
“The wedding!” the king exclaimed without missing a beat.
“Last Daughter, you must be greatly honoured to wed such an esteemed and exemplary young man—Prince Jion. You must be wondering, ‘Why the wait?’ I mean, look at him.” The king gestured towards the prince.
“He’s impeccable. But unfortunately, we must make the Seven Sovereign Worlds of the Celestial Concord aware of your presence. Yes, great news.”
Jion cut in, “The Seven Sovereign Worlds are a collective of planets and monarchies united by a peaceful treaty—for the betterment of their subjects, and now, to defeat the Tenebrae.
For centuries, a marriage like this is considered legitimate only if the current king and heir from each world are present.
Each must bring a unique gift, one that blesses the continuation of the treaty for generations to come.
“It will take time for the kings and heirs to reach Ornath,” Jion said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Distances are vast, and not all ships travel at the same pace. Some must traverse the outer systems; others have court ceremonies to conclude before departure. The legitimacy of the marriage is of the utmost importance, and so we wait, as law and tradition demand, until every representative of the Concord is present.”
With the mentioning of the proposed nuptials, a hint of bravery ignited and spread through my veins like wildfire. “What are the Tenebrae?” We couldn’t sit here discussing this so-called wedding while I had no idea why I was expected to sacrifice my freedom.
Glade spat some of his soup onto the table, splashing tiny bits into Jion’s lap. The elder brother roared at him, “Come on!” as he flung his hands into the air in disgust.
The queen’s eyes grew wide as she looked on in horror before addressing me. “We do not discuss such… horrendous matters at the dining table, dear. If you wish for explanations, I encourage you to spend some time in the library or other outposts…”
“Library? You have a library?” I echoed, my enthusiasm bubbling over. I could head there after dinner and begin searching for any information about this world. Perhaps a way off it! But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of history and technology I sought.
Ornath was an entire planet with continents and cities. The knowledge available would be endless. The king had mentioned a prophecy involving me that had been foretold two decades ago. I needed to uncover that information to prove I was not the “Last Daughter” they sought.
“Of course we have a library! In fact, it’s the largest in both physical size and text in all Ornath. I could take you there if you’d like. It’s in town, but we could grab an escort and visit tomorrow,” Jion pleasantly offered.
Glade’s ocean eyes peered up from his soup, gleaming impishly as he focused on his brother. He raised one eyebrow before teasing, “You’re the largest guy I know. Why do you need an escort?”
Jion rolled his identical eyes and snapped, “Perhaps it would make the lady feel more comfortable.” His enormous hands gestured in my direction. “She’s never been to town before. I want her to feel safe.”
“Are you incapable of making her feel safe?” Glade asked, one corner of his lip arched upwards as he repressed a grin.
Jion’s mouth quirked to one side, and his right eyebrow lifted. “Oh, I’m more than capable of making her feel safe, little brother.”
“I think it’s a lovely idea,” the queen chimed in, clapping her hands with delight as Glade chuckled to himself.
“Do as you wish,” the king scoffed as he absentmindedly dug into his meal. “Just don’t start any trouble. I don’t have time to clean up any messes.”
“Yes, sir,” the two brothers replied in unison, snickering at one another as if they were mere boys trapped in grown men’s bodies.
All the interactions I had experienced thus far felt so normal, so human.
It was baffling to say the least. When I envisioned aliens, I imagined funny little green men with high-pitched, sing-song voices, not people from different worlds who seemed so established and civilized.
These beings had an entire culture and a language.
A language…
“How come you’re all able to speak English?” I wondered aloud. How could they know one of the thousands of languages spoken on a planet billions of light years away?
To my surprise, the entire table erupted in laughter. As I glanced around, I could see the family was genuinely amused by my question. I felt my body sink deeper into the wood of my seat, a wave of regret washing over me like a dunk in icy water.
Glade leaned toward me, grinning ear to ear and nearly whispered, “Did you meet two little…beings…at any point during your journey?”
The memory of a pristinely clean and white room fluttered across my mind, accompanied by the faces of Deadre and Deanik. “The children?”
“No,” Glade asserted. “They are not children at all. Those strange little humanoids are ancient beings from a world that no longer exists. They must be older than anything here on Ornath.” He peeked around the room for confirmation, receiving nods from his family.
“They only appear as children because their species’ bodies don’t age past a certain point, but they possess the minds of elders. ”
A world that no longer exists, like Domus.
“When you were, um…” He hesitated. “When you were greeted aboard one of our travelling vessels, the twins were tasked with preparing you for survival on Ornath.”
Prepare me for survival? What the fuck did that mean? Then it hit me. I might not have recalled much from my less-than-adequate high school education, but I knew the basic principle that Earthlings could not survive on other planets. That was basic biology and astrophysics.
A planet must have two things to support life: water and sunlight.
Even so, the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere and gravity of the mass would vary based on the planet’s location relative to its sun and other orbiting objects.
Having grown up on Earth, I was completely accustomed to its elements.
How could I be breathing air on a foreign planet?
How was I not freezing or burning to death?
“The twins possess abilities that are rare among humanoid beings. They can harvest and use Source Light to manipulate and alter the biology and mind of any living thing. They were instructed to change yours so you may breathe our air and speak our language,” Glade explained, as if this information was even remotely plausible.
My bottom lip fell slightly as my jaw went slack with shock. “Does that mean I can’t ever return to Earth?” I asked delicately, though I was afraid of what the answer might be.
For the first time since we met, Glade’s eyes softened, and his rugged demeanour faded. He held my gaze, his expression sincere. “Of course you can, Jane.”
“But you will not!” the king interrupted. “You and Jion will be married within two months, and you are to remain here for the rest of your days to fulfill the prophecy.”
A terrifying feeling swelled inside as each of the king’s words landed.
Yes, Jion was incredibly handsome. He was ridiculously tall, his body swollen with muscles, and his skin had a golden tan that resembled that of a sun-kissed surfer.
His short, side-swept golden-blond hair looked so soft that I wished I could run my fingers through it. Better yet, he even seemed kind.
But I didn’t know him. I didn’t know any of them.
Jion nodded slowly, his gaze focused on his lap, as if he were battling the same internal struggle. I wondered how he felt about the arranged marriage, if he shared my discomfort or accepted his duty as the prince without question.
“We are unsure how the union of our two worlds may defeat the Tenebrae. But in preparation, we must ensure that both of you can protect yourselves. Last Daughter of Domus, are you able to carry a sword?” the king voiced, as if this were something I would have learned throughout my days on Earth.
My jaw dropped at the thought of wielding any kind of weapon. The only time I’d even seen a sword was during a sixth-grade field trip to the city’s museum, and that blade had been ancient.
Struggling to find the words to express just how inept I was with any weapon, I stuttered, “I, um, no, I cannot.”
The king breathed in one heavy breath as a scowl of disappointment etched across his face. “Are you trained in any form of physical combat? Any harnessing of Light?”
For a few years, I had boxed with a friend at the community centre, both of us training with hopes of never being beaten bloody again.
We spent hours learning proper techniques, conditioning our bodies to land blow after blow.
But gaining strength was a struggle when you were barely eating enough to survive.
“I can box a little bit,” I admitted, awkwardly lifting my hands into fists in front of my chest.
The family before me stared as if I had sprouted another head atop my shoulders.
“Erm, I mean, I can fight, using my hands, that is,” I corrected quickly.
“Ah,” the king muttered, dismay still lingering in his voice. “Nevertheless, you are now in the company of Ornath’s most skilled swordsman and fighter: Glade, the Captain of the Castle Guard.” He gestured toward his son. “He will train you henceforth.”
Within seconds, Glade’s relaxed leaning posture stiffened as he sat straighter in his chair, the weight of his new responsibility dawning on him. “Father, you can’t be serious.”
“I agree with Glade,” Jion intervened, his tone earnest. “I shall be the one to train Ms. Jane. As her betrothed, it would be an honour to assist in any way I can to ensure the prosperity of Ornath.”
“Perfect!” Glade blurted, his hands stretching out towards Jion, his eyes bulging as he addressed his father.
“Nonsense!” the king retorted, his voice cutting through the room like a blade.
“Jion, you have much bigger responsibilities as my heir, especially with the war raging against the Tenebrae growing closer and closer to home. Glade, train the damn girl, for Goddess’ sake.
I don’t want to hear another word about it. ”
Jion dipped his chin in frustration, accepting his father’s command. Meanwhile, Glade shoved his chair back. The screeching sound painfully echoed in my ears as he stormed out of the dining room.
The king, seemingly unfazed by Glade’s outburst, turned his attention back to me. “You start tomorrow.”