Chandeera

by Wolf Golan

  She rode in the carriage and stared out at the distant rolling hills, wide open spaces of the croplands stretching as far as the eye could see. Cornigan on her other side slept soundly, as his head bounced lightly, but he didn't wake.

  When they arrived in Bogon, it was a beautiful town nestled in a pinewood forest, back dropped of giant beautiful mountain range. Most of the houses were nicely-built wood paneled homes. The streets were dark wet, fresh dirt roads.

  The Magistrate's Building sat atop a rocky hill and Alex was given her own room as Royalty. They had a fun dinner with Cornigan's uncle Magistrate Guasrik in the mess hall. Alex sat at the long table with Cornigan as it was lined with dignitaries. She tried to enjoy dinner.

  After dinner, Guasrik stood up to announced the Wallow Bird Dance.

  The dignitaries and Nobles gathered on the floor. It was the dance Cornigan taught her some nights ago. It started with the Nobles lining the floors and beginning a graceful changing of hands, swivels that made the dresses fly. It looked fun, so Alex joined immediately when Cornigan gestured her out. She stumbled a few times, but Cornigan relaxed her with his confidence and charm, as they resumed it.

  “Follow me, don't think about it, just flow and watch and copy.” He said gliding her onto the floor and it soon got easier.

  She had now learned the Wallow Bird Dance.

  He swung her and picked her off her feet and spun her around. She saw the other women spinning too and chuckled with joy. She felt like a kid again.

  She got the rhythm and movement and started following the Prince, as she turned into his arms and out. He held her hands gently moving her across the floor.

  As the music died, he did the bend and looked into her eyes.

  The next thing she thought was how hard it was not to get lost in Prince Cornigan's eyes, he was so charming, but she succeeded and kept the relationship a political arrangement.

  They didn't say too much on the ride back, but Alex was finally falling for Prince Cornigan and she had to control herself.

  Alex found Max had not yet arrived from the Battlefields, so she decided to resume her usual activities of sewing socks, bags, cooking, accounting, and assisting Mr. and Mrs. Wang.

  One day, Mrs. Wang needed Alex to go over her books to see why they ran short of fur so suddenly. Alex found a sickness had come over the Pauds in the south and thinned out the herds. The Chandeerans called Sheep Pauds. Alex and Terry wondered at how to fill the empty quota. She reported the sickness to the Palace Scribe and told Terry they make it up in clothing.

  After helping the Terry sow more clothes than usual, Alex decided to visit Jenny in her room in the South Wing. She spent a couple hours with her then made her way to the bedchambers, where she found Max's note and the place a mess. She got ecstatically joyful he was alive and ran down to the city.

  She burst through the tavern doors and glowed with happiness at the sight of him sitting across the room. She ran over, embraced him, and ravished him.

  They were on their way down the city road when their argument occurred, and Alex grew angry and stormed away. She went across the city to the spruce forest by the sea cliffs, and walked up to the edge folding her arms, staring out.

  The ominous sound of the waves calmed her a little. She looked over and got a little nervous at the sheer drop to the crashing waves far below.

  When Lovers quarrel, it doesn't matter if you’re in a New York or Mars or on a planet across the universe, its crappy feelings are just the same.

  She reached down, picked up a rock, threw it into the ocean, and started down into the forest. She pushing her feet across the thick underbrush and bent the branches out of her way until she reached the path back to the city. She ran into a Doon woman walking back to her village. Alex startled her, and she smiled.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello beautiful Lady,” she said bowing her tiny head.

  “Why so sad?” She said with her sweet little smile.

  “Man troubles,” Alex calmly replied with her arms folded.

  “Oh I know how that is.” The Doon woman replied matter-of-factly. Alex smiled at her reaction. “My name is Kilee Gordle Droe. My husband found a stray Praides wondering our village, so he had me lead it back to Densmere Stables.”

  “Oh cool.” Alex said forcing herself to look interested. She had her hands in her pocket, listening, but Kilee could see she was clearly upset.

  “Would you like some tea?” Kilee asked smiling.

  “Sure,” Alex answered. Kilee gestured onward as she walked into the woods.

  Prince Cornigan had shown Alex the Doon village before and it fascinated her, a village of small people buried in the trees. Alex passed little brick houses, but the rest were wooden. They were either covered with tree branches or inside trees. There were even homes perched on oak branches and Alex loved those ones. Kilee had one of the brick houses, as she entered it.

  Alex smiled in amusement as she realized she had to crawl in. She bent down, crawled, and made her way into the living room. She could barely stand, so she decided to sit cross-legged. She was at eye level with Kilee and her husband came out from the kitchen.

  “This is my husband Bwol.”

  “Nice to meet you Bwol Gordle Doe,” Alex smiled with eyes glistening, her troubles and Max forgotten.

  Kilee handed her a little cup.

  She took it and sipped it and kept smiling.

  The visit to the Doons cheered her up so much that she wasn't upset with Max when he said he would be moving to the North Platform. She actually liked the idea of a break.

  Then came the Mid-Winter Ball.

  Alex wanted to go with Max but found out he refused. She sat on her bed and fought the tears all evening. The ball started, she got over it, and took out the red satin dress and slipped into it. She had Daegwa tie her back up and put on the nice necklace and hairpin Cornigan placed on her bed earlier. Daegwa then called for the best Hairdresser in the Kingdom.

  The Hairdresser came to the bedchambers and whipped Alex's hair up into a beautiful due.

  Alex hugged Daegwa and the Hairdresser and started to the Great Hall.

  The Great Hall was decorated and filled with Baelyins and Creatures dressed in the nicest outfits, a giant three-sided table faced an orchestra at the end of the Great Hall.

  Alex spotted the crew at the far-left end and started down the stairs to them when all their eyes came on her with wonder and glow. She knew she had done a great job. She came down and sat by Jenny Chang and liked her green silk dress and corset as well.

  “Hi,” she said to everyone.

  “Alex you're a vision!” David said staring in astonishment. It was the first time Alex had impressed him and she liked it. David raised his glass to Alex and the crew did too.

  “To our Cinderella, Alexandra Parks.”

  Alex sunk her head blushing as they all toasted her.

  After they finished, she raised her drink to them too.

  “And to you all for being there and being strong, I love you too.” She raised her glass.

  “Beautiful inside and out,” David said looking around.

  Alex chuckled at the comment with happiness.

  The King gave a Welcome Speech and started the dinner. They ate for a while then came another announcement.

  “Now for the Wallow Bird Dance!” Noble Jant said out loud.

  The orchestra began.

  Alex turned and took a drink of her wine, nervous. She had a feeling Cornigan would ask her to dance. A few moments later, she her worse fears came true. She felt a tap at her shoulders. She looked up to see Cornigan standing above her with a hand extended.

  Alex thought he looked handsome in his crimson suit with a dark blue sash, the Dens'mere Crest pinned on the upper section.

  “They are awaiting us to start it.” He said with his hand extended.

  She looked around and everyone had smiles of expectations, then slowly took his hand.

  Cornigan led her to the mi
ddle as she got nervous again, but again, his eyes relaxed her, as he led her into the graceful dance. The entire Great Hall watched in silence, as they moved about with the music, the rest of the dignitaries joined, and the orchestra got louder.

  The dance and dinner was a fairytale come true for Alexandra Parks.

  Alex socialized with her crew and talked to Jenny Chang and J.T., when Prince Cornigan came to her again.

  “Alexandra? Would you accompany me?” The Prince said with his arm extended. Some of the crew looked on him a little bothered, because they saw him intruding on Max's woman. To save face, nobody said anything.

  “Sure,” she said wiping her mouth, a little bugged.

  Alex stood up, bowed to everyone, and left the Great Hall with the Prince. Prince Cornigan led her to the south wall overlooking the ocean, where they watched the distant waves. They saw a couple ships anchored at the mouth of the cove.

  “I should get going now.” She said straightening out her dress. “Thank you fora great night.”

  Cornigan reached over and kissed her and she broke away quickly.

  “NO!”

  He reached again, and she found herself less resentful, as she locked lips with him, but it didn't take long before she broke away again.

  “No I said! I'm not doing this. I'm sorry Your Majesty, but please let me go!”

  He let her go.

  “Stay with me here and be my wife, we’ll rule Chandeera together.” He said to her. “I love you and want you more than anything. If I don't have you, I shall die.”

  His eyes grew sad as he pleaded.

  “Oh grow up. Man up. You're the future King of this world, act like it!” She snapped.

  She straightened her dress and stormed away.

  She got to the bedchambers, quickly took off her dress, and put her hair down. She thought of her family, her prim mother, hardworking father, and her scrawny little brother, and also missed her Tsimshian People.

  She put on her earth clothes and walked out to the North Platform.

  She found Max sitting on the roof of the small Stonehouse staring up at the stars. She loved him so much in that moment and wanted to kiss him passionately, so she climbed up to do it. They made out under the giant moon, and it would be a night she would never forget. Days later, Max would leave to Trelindria with Queen Ainera and she would be alone again.

  Alex was excited to learn about the Shards and the Quest.

  She wanted to assist.

  After Max left with the Queen, she made her way down to the barn and saw Dallas. She wanted to know how she could help.

  “Well, we have everything under control here.” Dallas said looking around with her dark goggles on her head.

  “Sorry Alex, there's not a lot I got for you girl.”

  “It's fine.” Alex said trying to hide her disappointment.

  “Good luck.” She said squeezing her shoulders as she left the barn.

  Chapter 25

  As the days went by Alex Parks kept busy and made it a goal to avoid Prince Cornigan.

  She was pissed.

  She slept with Jenny in her room on the southside of the castle. Jenny was more than glad to offer her bed and they were like two little girls at a slumber party, it lasted for days.

  On another night at the bed chambers, Alex popped open another bottle of wine, leaned against the bed, and thought about the past events.

  Alex would walk down to the Wangs and have breakfast with them almost every morning. Afterwards, she started on embroideries and walked back and forth to the market square to sell her clothes. She helped the Wangs haul their clothes to the market and manned their stall occasionally.

  Jenny spent her days bartending, working with historic documents at the Grand Library, and had even gone out fishing a couple of times with Ryan.

  Alex and Jenny would cook for the crew in the evenings and sometimes Ryan would join. A rumor circulated that he was having a romance with a cute peasant girl in the North Section.

  With Dallas, when she wasn't repairing the ship or extracting methane, she helped Paedrin with his lab work. Alex saw her painting sometimes and found out she helped the farmers divide and disseminate seeds for planting the crop fields. Dallas is awesome, Alex thought.

  One night, Alex climbed the stairway and saw Prince Cornigan making his way down. Oh shit, she thought. She paused then continued but bowing gently at him trying to pass. He stopped, and she squeezed her eyes in frustration.

  “My lady Alex, it's been a long time. Where have you been lately?” He asked.

  She reopened her eyes and turned to him.

  “Yes, I've been under-the-weather as we say on my planet.” She said trying to sound funny and pretending to cough.

  “I'm sick.”

  “Well would you accompany me to Densmere Square? I will announce my new Goals for our world?”

  “With my great respect my Prince, I should like to say `No'.”

  She bowed trying to sound like a medieval person.

  “Come with me Alex,” he said extending his hand. She felt disenchantment shoot through her body and a bit of anger, as she sneered at him.

  “Please leave me alone!”

  “This is the last time, I promise.”

  She stared at him for a few moments, then, reluctantly took his hand.

  He asked her to put on a nice dress before meeting him at the carriage, because they were going to speak to all of Densmere. She walked to her bed chambers, put on a red silk dress, quickly fixed her hair a little, and put on a gold hairpin. Alex was angry and had started to dislike Cornigan. What feeling she had for him had now faded.

  She came out the entrance and started down the stairwell. He led her into a carriage where they rode to the Square. She folded her arms and stared out the window, upset. When she had to, she forced a fake smile for him and acted like she was enjoying herself.

  They got to the Square, where Cornigan led her to the stage and made his speech. His speech was to rally the Baeylins behind him with the war on Kraakon and his uncle Luthrick. He spoke with a loud voice:

  When I am King, I will make you all equal under the sky.

  When I am King, I will ensure our home is better. I shall bring an Age of Peace!

  The crowds cheered in the hundreds, maybe even thousands, as all the city and all the farmers from the croplands had shown up. They ate every word he said.

  One thing stands in our way!

  He said glancing about the crowd.

  Kraakon and Luthrick!

  `Boos' came from the crowd.

  I will defeat them. I promise you my people. I will defeat them!

  He took out his sword and pointed it up to the air.

  Now stand with me!

  The crowds roared with applause and cheers.

  Alex stood by him and saw the people of Chandeera cheering and clapping.

  It was glorious.

  Prince Cornigan grabbed her suddenly, bent her over, and kissed her. She wanted to push him off, but not in front of all Chandeera, so she didn’t. However, this was him crossing the line for the last time. She tensed up in resistance and the Prince felt it, so he slowly detached himself looking into her eyes.

  “You really love Max don't you?” He whispered. T

  The seas of yells faintly heard from behind.

  “Yes, I do.” She whispered,“ with all my heart.”

  She looked him in the eyes, “so please leave me alone.”

  “I can never be with a woman who doesn't love me in return. I will leave you be from this day onward Alexandra.” He whispered.

  He smiled at her, and in his smile, she saw Goodbye and she knew he meant it. It was a little sad but good. He lifted her back up and stood her on her feet.

  They faced the crowd.

  Alex saw Max fighting with Knights below the stage. Alex had never seen him that angry before. The memory of it haunted her and even snapped her out of the memory trance.

  She got up off the floor, p
ut the wine on the dresser, and collapsed on the bed.

  The next morning, she awoke to knocks at the door. She mumbled as she slowly sat up shifting her head around with bushy hair.

  The knocks continued.

  She looked over at the door then rubbed her forehead. Her hair was a mess, so she padded it down. The knocks continued.

  “Hold on!” She yelled in anger.

  She walked over to the door and yelled: “Cornigan if that's you! I’m going to punch you!”

  “It's not Cornigan, its King Laedin and the Queen.” Lae'din's voice sounded.

  “Oh shit!” She said.

  She quickly padded her hair down and tucked her shirt in her pants.

  “Just a moment my King!” she jerked her head around looking for her mirror. She remembered her small mirror on the shelf and sprung to it and grabbed it. She looked into it fixing her hair. She padded it down more until it looked decent enough.

  She walked to the door, felt her tight black sweater for any wrinkles, and put on a formal demeanor, as she slowly opened the door.

  King Laedin and Queen Ainera stood smiling at her.

  “May we come in?” He asked humbly.

  “Sure of course my King,” she said bowing and stepping aside.

  They walked in as Alex kept her head bowed.

  They stood before her and shifted their heads around examining the room.

  “Good quarter my lady,” King Lae'din said looking at the room.

  “We did well picking this room for you.”

  “Yes I must say.” Queen Ainera added, examining it too.

  “Thank you Your Highnesses,” Alex replied, still bowed.

  King Laedin turned to Alex.

  “We've searched the entire city, croplands, and have sent word to the Raidins and they've kept a watch a watch for Max in Werzuck, but we've found no trace of him.” King Lae'din said disappointed.

  Alex sunk her head, fighting sincere tears of sadness and frustration.

  “I've banished Prince Cornigan for half a Moon Cycle.” Laedin added.