You are to bear the heir to the throne, echoed in her head once more.
She pulled away from Mirsux’s grasp, then cupped his face. “Tell me, did you sabotage our ship? Did you have anything to do with our ship’s failure and us being sucked into that wormhole? What is this prophecy your mother speaks of?”
“No, Princess,” he replied in a low tone.
“Don’t lie to me Mirsux, I know I was manipulated. It was all a plan!” she felt the anger spark within her, slowly building into a raging fire. “You were in on it as well!”
“No, believe me Ariella, this was an accident,” he insisted, his voice pleading.
She started to pace the garden, her anger bubbling along with her increased pulse. How could Mirsux betray her? She was such a fool, but no more.
“I don’t trust you, and to think I… I… started to…,” her voice trailed off.
“Love me the way I love you?” He reached for her hand but she pulled away.
“You don’t know what love is. Love does not deceive. You broke my trust, Mirsux. You disappointed me,” her voice cracked, a small sob escaping her.
Now, how was she to get out of this trickery? How would she return to earth? She must find a way to have them annul this marriage. They made her believe that this was all her idea. There must be something she could do to reverse it.
“You have it wrong, my love,” he replied. “Please listen.”
She twirled to face him, her heart thudding heavily with the emotions boiling over inside her. “Why should I trust anything you say?”
“This was not a plan. You were fated to land on this planet, by the powers that be, the Oracle said so.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked in a squeaky voice. She was losing her nerve. All the talk of prophecy and children came flooding back to her.
“You need to calm down and listen,” he said softly, reaching for her hand.
He pulled her towards him and she cursed under her breath at the disloyalty of her body as it responded to his nearness. Traitor! She cursed herself as his heat permeated her and sent a calming sensation through her. Not only that, his touch was the same as always, electrifying and igniting her senses. She tried to fight it, but it was useless.
He placed her hand over his heart and she felt its rapid beat pummel her palm. She pulled her hand away, allowing it to fall to her side, not wanting to be further seduced by him.
“That heart belongs to you,” he said in a sultry tone. He placed a finger under her chin and willed her to meet his eyes. “Look into my eyes and see the truth of what I’m about to tell you.”
“No,” she tried to protest, but he was looking at her with that gleam in his eyes. “Okay,” she replied huskily, only because she wanted to hear about this prophecy they spoke of. At least, that’s what she told herself.
“Your presence is the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy. When moon embraces sun, it emits new light. You are that moon…,” he was looking at her with eyes dripping with desire.
“And you are the sun?” she whispered.
Her heart had not slowed its pace from earlier, and now it was somersaulting and flipping like a gymnast. Though what he was saying to her made little sense, she could not help but feel that there was some truth to it. Since she came to Nabalar, something within her had awakened. A power she never knew existed. Was she fated to be there?
Still, if they knew this, that only meant one thing. “And your parents took advantage of it by refusing to send us home, didn’t they?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“What about you?” she asked, fearing his answer.
He took her hand again, the touch invigorating as usual, and placed it palm down on his bare chest. This time, she did not pull away. There, her palm caught fire and sent a heat coursing through her body. Her woman place began to ache with need of a closer bond. What was more, she could feel his heart beat against her own pulse. Their heartbeats matched perfectly.
“I love you, Earth Princess,” he said. “You feel it as well.” Her knees became weak as he pulled her up against him. “Do you not feel it?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered, though her mind was struggling against all she had learned. “But I must return home.”
“You are now wedded to me, you cannot return to earth.”
Somehow, she knew that. “But you will help me find my father as promised?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll remain here, only on the promise of you and your parents finding my father.”
From her deductions, their ship and shuttle’s failure was an accident due to the Xygor Prince, Julkaz. However, all that happened while on Nabalar was a deliberate plan to keep her there. After the first failed attempt of marrying her off to their son, they set their plan in motion. Everything from that point on was their plot.
“Then forgive what my parents have done. Yes they have manipulated the situation, but only to save our planet,” he said.
“To save Nabalar?” she asked, puzzled.
He looked into her eyes as he spoke. “Our powers have exsiccated with the waning of the royal clan. My parents and I are all that remain. Our people are not capable of continuing the royal lineage. Only the one who can awaken the Z’raschein can fulfill it.”
“And that is I?”
“Yes,” he whispered. “Dear Princess, that is you.”
“I don’t know what to say. So the hawk woman who manipulated me was a part of the plan?”
He hesitated, “I will answer truthfully, if you promise to remain by my side. You are now married to me, a bond that can never be broken.”
“Never mind, your reply has answered my question,” she said with a sigh.
She would have pulled away from him but he pulled her close again. She was wrestling with the truth about her marriage and the deception. She wanted to leave Nabalar, but she wanted also to stay. Her heart had begun to embrace the Nabalar prince. She had begun to love him.
Mirsux pulled her even closer, so much that her breasts pressed into his chest. His lips were closing in and she anticipated his kiss. As they were a breath away, a loud gong sounded from the palace. He held up his head, looking in the direction of the noise. She was disappointed that the kiss did not happen.
“Kissing has to wait. It’s time to begin the celebrations,” he said. “I saw you needed to breathe. You were holding your breath for too long inside. Breathe easily.”
“Yes,” she replied, taking a few long breaths. “I’m ready.”
When they returned, there were approximately a hundred Nabalarians inside the palace. The food was served on the long intricately carved table that looked like a leaf of the rose tree. Golden goblets decorated with beautiful patterns of what appeared to be hieroglyphs held the drinks. There was music; the sound of stringed instruments played in the background. She was amazed at the sound of a harp and then it switched to what sounded like a cello. As she was getting familiar with the sound, she heard a violin playing. After a few minutes, all three instruments began to play together. It was beautiful.
She strained her neck, trying to see if there were live musicians in the palace. The music reminded her of home, yet it far transcended anything she’d ever heard before. With the melding of the three instruments, it was like heavenly music.
“Is everything to your liking, Ariella?” Mirsux’s voice jolted her.
He was standing within inches of her and she turned to face him. “The music is beautiful. Who plays it?”
He grinned, showing his glowing smile. Her stomach fluttered as she watched his lips pull back from his white even teeth. For a second all she wanted was to feel those lips on hers, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind.
“Come,” he said, still smiling.
He led her to the back of the hall. There was a tiny cubicle there with one Nabalarian in front of a large glass screen. He was touching the screen and music emitted from it. This was yet another one of Naba
lar’s amazing treasures. The sound carried through tiny portals and filled the great hall.
“It’s coming from a computer?” she raised her brows.
Mirsux smiled down at her. “No, no computer. This is the Icriorsi. It is our one and only musical instrument. We have captured the perfect sound in it.”
She looked at the piece of glass and back at her prince. A surrealistic feeling enveloped her and she blinked. This world was too much for her to absorb. Everything was beyond what her mind could decipher. She inhaled deeply, resolving to never being able to fully understand the world of Nabalar. As they walked back to the hall, being relaxed by the music, she smiled.
Mirsux took her in his arms and twirled her around. The closeness created an energy field, of which she swore she could see its glow. With a shake of her head, she thought how silly she was. This was not a movie, it was real. She was real, Mirsux was real, and what was happening was real. She rested her head on his hard shoulder, closed her eyes, listening to the deafening tone of her own heartbeat.
Chapter 9
The wedding celebrations began with the ball on the night of the ceremony. Ariella’s mind could not ease at what she had learned about her role in the life of an entire planet. The morning greeted her with extreme anxiety. Sweat rolled down her back and her stomach churned nervously. She slipped away to the garden in order to think.
Her mind pondered the past two weeks and everything that had occurred. Was this fate at play or was she living in her own nightmares? The only reason that she ended up in space was to find her father and now she was a princess, ordered to bear the heir for a dying royal clan. Without that heir, the planet would die. She did not understand it. What happened to the women of Nabalar? Why couldn’t they bear the royal heir?
As she recalled the party in the palace the night before, other than she and the queen, there were only a few females there. She hadn’t quite noticed until now. After returning from the garden with Mirsux, there were about thirty guests. The females were few. She guessed there to be less than six female guests in all. The only other women she saw were her attendant and a server. All the other servers were male.
Ariella shook her head and wondered what the new day would bring. It was the day after her wedding and reception. She had two more days to ponder what to do about the royal heir. It was expected that she would coalesce with the prince during that time. She had asked him for time, but what if they forced her? What then?
This was not a part of the agreement, or a part of her plans. The agreement was marriage in exchange for his life and help in finding her father. It was all for naught anyway. What she needed was a strategy to free herself of this quagmire.
As she paced the vast expanse of varying colored plants, she pondered on the promise the king and queen made to her. It was obvious that they would not uphold their end of the deal until their wishes were granted.
A guard approached and bowed. Briefly, a flicker of fear caused her chest to tighten, but he kept his head down while he spoke. “Princess, your presence is required for the dawning feast.”
Breakfast, she observed. By the way her stomach was turning over, she was certain that she would not be able to consume the meal. Nevertheless, she allowed the guard to accompany her back to the palace. Once there, he saw her through the main entrance and retreated to his post outside the door.
The king, queen and her husband were standing beside their chairs patiently awaiting her. Her throat constricted and her knees wobbled forward at the thought that she might have displeased them by not being at the table in time. However, as she approached, Heffun smiled brightly and beckoned to the servers to bring the food.
“Welcome, daughter,” Heffun gave a slight bow with a sweet smile.
The queen’s face was serene and at ease. Her eyes sparkled and this threw Ariella off guard. She returned a cheerful smile of her own and bowed to her new parents.
“You are most kind, Mother,” she returned.
“Please, let’s feast and then we continue our celebrations. It is a most splendid diurnal course!”
“Certainly,” king Volnomy added. “Most splendid indeed.”
Mirsux was pleased when Ariella entered and saw the adoration on his parents’ faces. After what happened the previous evening, he was concerned about there being tension. Everything was at ease, except his own mind. He stepped towards his bride to pull her chair up and he felt it. His inner Z’rascheus was increasing in power. He didn’t know how long he would be able to control it. Not having relations with the one who awakened him was beginning to overwhelm him. Still he was willing to wait for her sake.
Mirsux saw Ariella seated and pulled up next to her, his heat was more intense than she recalled and it distracted her. She could feel the energy flow between them and it caused her to want to draw closer to him. Telepathically, she believed, he sensed her need and adjoined their chairs.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, her heart thundering beneath her ribs.
He smiled. His eyes glowed and his crown radiated a light. She’d seen it the night before but was not certain until this moment. It stimulated her pulses to race along with the clamoring of her heart. Her eyes dropped to his lips and she recalled their last kiss and the one they should have had before the reception. She’d yearned for it all night but he was busy dancing with her and holding her close.
The night had been magical. Her senses were heightened and Mirsux never left her side until the party ended. By that time, she had been exhausted and completely out of her mind. She also thought that she was drunk. The drink from the golden goblet gave her a heady sensation, she recalled. What was more, her body quickened with each touch from her husband. They’d danced and everything around them faded. He’d held her close enough that she could feel the rhythm of his heart matched with hers.
“Juice?” Mirsux was handing her a glass of the orange liquid, which she had come to appreciate.
“Thank you,” she said, coming back to the present.
As she took the glass, their hands brushed. She knew her pulse betrayed her because she could feel it flutter at the base of her throat. Mirsux leaned in, their faces inches apart. He reached up and brushed her cheek with the tip of his finger. His breath was hot on her face, kindling the fire within her.
“You are radiant, Princess,” he whispered.
She cleared a lump from her throat to whisper, “And so are you.”
“Your food is getting cold,” he softly added.
“Huh?”
The attention he bestowed on her titillated her senses and caused her thoughts to divert from her food. She hadn’t even taken note of what was spread in front of her. She took the glass he’d handed her and sipped the now familiar liquid which tasted like earth’s orange juice. The fruit was larger and much sweeter than that of earth. She came to know its name as the Dagloriac.
She completed her meal while contemplating her situation. It was time to find her father. The longer she delayed the hunt for him, the more danger he could be facing. She had no inkling how to proceed; therefore, she was at the mercy of her newly-acquired royal family.
“Mirsux,” she addressed her husband. He turned to her, his eyes glazed over (glazed over means expressionless, unfocussed or glassy. Is that your intention?). “When will we commence searching for my father?”
“We will discuss it after the celebrations,” Heffun answered for him, apparently hearing her question.
She looked up at the Queen and back at Mirsux. He looked sharply at his mother who returned a cutting stare. Ariella pushed her plate away and was ready to stand when he took her hand.
“Soon, my love,” he reassured her.
She knew he was trying to appease her, but a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She knew they were not keen on what they’d promised, but at the very least, they could show some effort. Two more days of these celebrations and she would return to the subject.
“Time to present the wedding gifts,” H
effun announced as she arose from the table.
The king followed and beckoned them to come forth. When they reached the podium, the queen called for one of the attendants who disappeared and returned with a small carved wooden box. The markings on it were of what looked to be a sun and a moon. At least, that’s how Ariella interpreted the carvings.
Heffun opened the box and turned it towards her. “This is your gift, precious one.”
Ariella’s breath caught at the beauty of what was inside. She had no clue what it was. Although, if she could describe it, she would compare it to a diamond. The jewel had the rounded smoothness of a sphere the size of a golf ball. She was almost afraid to touch it but they all looked at her expectantly. She reached a finger and touched the surface of the stone.
In shock, she withdrew her hand as an orange glow appeared in the center, which vanished when she retracted her hand. She peered at the jewel. In the epicenter was a tiny particle much like a flickering ember. Intrigued, she touched it once more and the particle illuminated.
“What is it?” she breathed, looking up at her queen.
“This is the Diainspar of Luminosity, only reserved for the one who will return life to our planet.”
The queen held the box out for her to take. Delicately, she held and gazed at it for some time. The longer she scrutinized it the more she felt bonded with it. She could see how brilliant it became at her touch. She was entirely entranced by her gift so she did not notice when the king lifted a sword.
“This Ysark Saber is yours alone, my son,” Volnomy’s voice was grave.
Ariella tore her eyes away from the stone to look upon the sword. On the pommel was wedged another Diainspar of Luminosity. It looked to be an exact replica of hers, with a similar flickering center, except the one in the sword was smaller. The blade and guard were of gleaming gold, but the fuller was of another kind of material. She could not say whether it was diamond or crystal. She smiled as Mirsux reached out to take it.
As his hand closed around the grip, the Diainspar flared from the center and a fire alit within. She had expected that. What she did not expect was the glare that emitted from the fuller in the center of the blade. She stepped back, startled at the radiance, which temporarily rendered her blind. She blinked several times to regain her sight and brought her free hand over her face. When she chanced a look at the king and queen, they were shielding their eyes from it. She peaked through her fingers at Mirsux and her mouth fell open when she witnessed the flow of light coming from his core as he held the blade upward.
Awakening: The Prince of Nabalar (The Princes of Uvieroein Book 1) Page 9