by Anna Lewis
With every step he took, they gained a concerned family member following close behind. By the time they reached the room, everyone in the palace was awake and waiting outside for the arrival of the newest Xularese royal family member. The only person outside of medical staff Raven allowed into the room was Tracy. She wanted at least one other human doctor, outside of herself, to assist in the delivery.
Eoch opted to wait outside, with his parents as they all sat together listening intently for the sounds they’d all been waiting months to hear. For the majority of the time, they only heard Raven’s sailor mouth swearing at the fault of her lover for her current state. It made them smile and laugh but also worry with anxiousness when the swearing stopped.
Tracy popped her head out to tell them, “Raven has to be anesthetized so that the baby may be delivered via cesarean. Do not worry, all is going well. She is still awake, but she can’t feel anything at all. Ooh, excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
Just like that, before she could answer any of their questions, Tracy ducked back into the room. Everyone was on pins and needles as they waited for a happy announcement. It came a few hours later, when Tracy emerged with a warm smile on her face and tears in her eyes, “I am happy to tell you all that we welcome a Xularese princess. She is healthy and one of the most beautiful bundles of joy I’ve ever had the privilege to assist in delivering. Dad, she’s asking for you.”
With that Eoch stood from his seat, he kissed his mother on the cheek, gave his father a hug and disappeared behind the doors. The sweet sounds of a crying infant soon filled the halls of the palace of Xulara. There was a new member of the royal family.
Chapter 10
The skies seemed so dim on the morning of Queen Ozhenia’s funeral. While it wasn’t a shock to Raven or the royal family, it was still a moment they weren’t quite ready to accept. The queen, with all of Raven’s treatments and the happiness of her bouncing grandchild around the palace, surpassed all expectations, living a full six years beyond what they predicted. She was strong and she was happy, but when she fell asleep one gracious night, it wasn’t surprising at all when she didn’t wake the next morning.
Even the walls of her chambers seemed to weep as every door creaked, and curtains swayed deliberately in the wind. The only one who didn’t seem sad was the smallest member of the royal family. The Xularese heir skipped through the halls of the palace without a care in the world on that dreary morning with a smile plastered across her face, and a wonderfully joyous song in her heart.
She arrived at the huge doors of King Vohdar’s study. They were always so heavy to her, but today, she had the strength of a thousand vangologdans. They were a ferocious type of beast only found in the jungle ravines of Xulara, and the young princess’s favorite animal. So she pushed the giant doors open enough to squeeze her tiny body through.
“Pan-Paw!” she called out, “KING PAN-PAW!”
It’s what she decided to call him. There was a flurry of traditions that she’d inherited from both of her parents and out of all of them she decided to mix them all together, because she was mixed all together.
“Yes, Avaria,” he sighed with a heaviness in his voice.
Avaria of Xulara, was the spitting image Ozhenia with her lilac skin and flowing silver hair. Her vibrant strands covered the pointed horns that sprung from her scalp and trailed down her neck to her spine. Her violet colored eyes sparkled in the sunlight that tried to peek through passing clouds. She skipped to the beat of her own heart over to the king who embraced her lovingly.
“Don’t be sad, Pan-Paw,” she told him with a mischievous smile on her face. “The queen told me a secret to tell you today.”
“She did?” he could barely keep the tears from streaming down his face. “What did she tell you my lovely Princess?”
“She told me to tell you to cry as much as you want,” she giggled.
“What’s so funny about that?” he eyed her curiously.
“YOU’RE THE KING!” she burst into a fit of giggles. “She told me that you only cried twice in your entire life! And that today would be the third, and she told me to tell you that it’s okay if you did. Even if it was only in front of me. She told me it was okay in front of me because I wouldn’t make you sad like everybody else. I would remind you that…that…that…shoot I almost remembered it all!”
She pushed off the King to pull out a small piece of paper that was folded in her pocket.
“What’s that?” he asked trying to peek at the writing.
Avaria snatched it away so he couldn’t look. “It’s a secret Pan-Paw. Only I’m allowed to look. I gots instructions for Mom and Dad too! But she says that I would remind you that in all of your tough days, I’m allowed to see your softness, and in all of your hard days, I’m allowed to see you weak. She will be with you forever and ever until the next time you meet. You see Pan-Paw?! She’s gone now, but not for long. We’re all going to see her again. You just wait and see!”
With that, the little princess kissed her grandfather on the cheek and skipped out of the room. Avaria didn’t wait for the king to respond, she didn’t wait for him to pester her with questions, she only followed the directions of the letter she was given on the day her grandmother passed away.
The next stop she made was Guarin, the queen’s most tenured servant, and her oldest friend. He too was upset, but he didn’t hide his tears like the King. She bounced into his room just the same as she did down the halls.
“SIR GUARIN OF XULARA!” she announced getting his full attention.
“Oh please, Princess Avaria not so loud,” he told her calmly wiping his tears away.
“Stop crying!” she commanded. “I have words for you too!”
She put the piece of paper with her grandfather’s notes away and fumbled through some others before she found the one she was looking for. She unfolded it and was about to read from it when he asked her, “Is that the letter from the envelope I gave you last week?”
“Yes it is, now hush and listen! Guarin, my sweet Guarin. You were never a servant to me but you served as my friend for longer than I could ever recall. Please know that if you wish to stay in the palace, this place is as much your home as it was mine. I know that you will be stubborn and protest, so don’t. Be a friend and adviser to young Avaria and help her become the queen you helped me to be. I love you forever my dearest friend. And stop crying, we shall all meet again.”
The note itself only caused Guarin to crumble into a blubbering mess. Avaria sighed and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to hand to him. All the little six-year-old could do was shake her head and pat him on the back to console him. “Man, the queen was right about you. She told me to bring this for your tears and boy do you need it! Buck up, Guarin. That’s what Earth Nana tells me and everybody else when they’re down in the dumps. The dumps, oh those Earthlings and their sayings. I love you too Guarin, and I do hope you stay and help me be queen. I want to be all knowing just like her. Okay, I got to go to my parents now. She told me to talk to them last. It’s going to be okay, Guarin. You’ll see.”
She skipped out of the room and down the halls once again. Now she was singing loudly with happiness, making her way toward the room where her parents slept. She pushed the doors open, without a knock, without a word, took off running and leapt into the air.
Just like every other time, Eoch sat up and grabbed her out of the air. She landed with a thud on his chest.
“Avaria, you’re getting too big for that,” he chuckled. “Besides you have to be careful with mom in her condition.”
“She’s not in a condition, Dad, she’s pregnant,” she told him with an eye roll.
He nodded as Raven stretched and yawned before sitting up to kiss her daughter on the forehead and her husband on the lips. A heavy sigh escaped her. “I wish I could say this is a good morning, but I dread the day ahead. I don’t know if I have the strength to get through this.”
“Oh no!” Avaria cried out. “Don’t sa
y that! You have the most important job today!”
Eoch and Raven looked at each other puzzled. Avaria stood up to gather the last of the letters from her pocket. Standing in front of them, she read her letter, the final words of Queen Ozhenia. “To my darling son, Prince of Xulara, Eoch my love. I charge you with caring for the king. He will try to grow rigid and stern but with your strength and the love of your wife and children he will continue to be the leader I know and love him to be. Be patient with him, and do not leave when he shouts. He will be angry. He will be sad, but let him cry in silence and then rejoice in front of all. You will be king one day soon and it is empathy and compassion that will allow you to be just as great as your father.”
Avaria took a breath and turned directly to Raven, “My dearest Raven. What I leave for you is my legacy to uphold. It sounds like a heavy burden indeed, but with the help of Eoch and Vohdar you will do just fine. Avaria will make a wonderful queen so long as you continue to love my son and our traditions. Find strength on this day for you will have to deliver the tribute of my passing as I know my husband will be too emotional to do so as eloquently as the inhabitants of Xulara need him to. I cherish the day you came onto our planet and into our lives, for you have given us this bundle of joy in our princess. Please use her joy and don’t be sad. We shall all meet again someday. And know that because I was connected to him, I am connected to her, I am connected to you. With all of my love, hope, and wisdom, I bid you my loves farewell for now.”
With hugs and tears all around, Avaria, Eoch, and Raven celebrated the life of their matriarch. Family, friends, and beings from all over the galaxy looked on as Raven gave an inspired tribute to Queen Ozhenia with her little princess’s hand wrapped around her own, and her prince and the king behind her. They all knew that in time their hearts would heal and love would be bright and clear all over Xulara once again.
THE END
Special Bonus Full Length Stories
As a way to say “thank you” for downloading this book, we have included 11 special bonus full length novellas and short stories. Happy reading!
= Bonus Book 1 of 11 =
Playing Their Game
Shelby Stuart stepped into the pristine, marble foyer of Archer Enterprises, took a deep breath and crossed her fingers that her boss, Jackson Archer, would be in a good mood that day. Sometimes Jackson was a dazzling charmer, sometimes he was in a dark temper. When you worked for the world’s most handsome billionaire, you never knew what you were going to get.
People milled around Shelby as they waited for the elevator, some greeting her, some avoiding her. She didn’t really mind that people kept their distance. As Jackson Archer’s personal assistant and senior member of his personal staff, she thought it best to keep the rest of the company at arm’s length.
“I don’t trust any of them, Shelby,” Jackson had said to her on more than one occasion after a board meeting or stockholder conference. Jackson had inherited Archer Enterprises after his father’s death only a year ago, and it was obvious that some of the senior staff had a deep-seated resentment toward the boy who seemed to have usurped their places.
Not that anyone would dare call Jackson Archer a “boy.” Shelby was positive that if you opened the dictionary and looked in the M section, she would find a picture of Jackson right next to the definition of the word “man.” Sometimes, Jackson was too attractive to be believed.
Shelby glanced across the lobby of Archer Enterprises, to the enormous painting of Jackson that hung behind the security desk. From his position on the wall, Jackson’s smiling, oil-painted doppelganger seemed to inspect everyone who walked beneath him, and he clearly found them all wanting. His grin was broad and white, his clear blue eyes sparkled, but there was a hint of disdain in his expression that the artist couldn’t seem to avoid.
Perhaps that natural disdain is what sparked an intense dislike of Jackson among his peers. The upper-echelon of billionaires in America was a bit like a fraternity: everyone knew each other, and everyone knew each other’s business. But Jackson remained apart from all that. None of the other men—old white men, for the most part—were particularly cordial to Jackson. He tended to get the cold shoulder when he arrived at social events.
Which reminds me, Shelby thought, glancing down at the gold embossed invitation clutched in her manicured hands. He’s going to hate this.
The card had arrived weeks ago, an exclusive invitation to a charity gala at the Central Opera, a centuries-old institution in New York City and one of the chicest non-profit boards in town. Jackson had waved Shelby off, agreeing to attend but insisting that Shelby take care of the details.
As Shelby responded to the invite in the outer-office, Jackson had been entertaining the Greek ambassador’s daughter in his inner-office. Shelby rolled her eyes as the sound of the Greek girl’s laughter tinkled through the firmly closed door, but still wrote down “Alecta Eliopoulous” as Jackson’s plus one to the gala.
That turned out to be a mistake, because the next day, Jackson was out with another heiress, Ana Estes, treating her to a picnic on his private yacht. It looked to Shelby like Anna was in and Alecta was out, so she’d contacted the Opera and changed the name of Jackson’s plus one. Turns out, Shelby had moved too quickly yet again.
Jackson had a steady stream of dates that week, and Shelby eventually grew exhausted trying to keep up with which woman would be attending the Opera gala with him. Finally, she told the nice, slightly frazzled woman who was coordinating the benefit to just leave the place card for dinner seating blank and that she’d let them know on the day of the gala. Between now and then, Jackson could switch dates dozens of times.
It was now the day of the gala, and Shelby desperately hoped that Jackson had finally decided which dazzling socialite or heiress would be decorating his arm at that evening’s soiree. She promised, swore, that she’d give the gala organizers a name by noon. And it would look simply scandalous if Jackson showed up at the event and his date’s place card was simply blank.
The press would have a field day with that one.
The elevator dinged and Shelby stepped in, nodding politely to the elevator operator. The operator was a hold-over from Jackson’s father’s days of running the business. Although hospitality personnel went out of vogue sometime in the mid-1980’s, Jackson’s father insisted that his buildings and businesses maintained a level of old-fashioned hospitality and charm. Jackson, for all his arrogance and self-absorption, adhered to this peculiar aesthetic of his father’s.
“How are you today, Ms. Stuart?” inquired Perkins, the elderly operator, nodding his chin deferentially.
“I’m quite well, Perkins,” Shelby replied, following the pattern of social nicety. “Thank you for asking.”
They fell into a comfortable silence as the elevator sped up dozens of floors to Shelby’s destination: the Archer penthouse.
The mirrored walls of the elevator showed Perkins looking down at his own hands, so Shelby stole a moment to inspect her own reflection. A sleek, polished executive assistant looked back at her: curly black hair pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, bright green eyes peering through dark-rimmed glasses, a tailored black dress clung to her curves and a dreadfully expensive pair of black and white high heels finished off the look.
While some of her critics on the Archer Enterprises board might judge Shelby for her youth—she was only thirty-two years old—they couldn’t find fault in her appearance. She was every inch the capable, put together young businesswoman. Too bad her business involved babysitting the CEO.
“Shelby!” Jackson crowed as she stepped off the elevator. He was seated at her desk, feet propped up on the rich mahogany surface. She secretly wondered if he’d waited for the elevator to arrive before adopting the position. His pose was calculated in its casualness.
“Mr. Archer,” she replied. “How are you this morning?”
Jackson slid his feet off her desk, looking a bit irritated that she hadn’t called
him out on his bad behavior. “Everything’s terrible, Shelby,” he pouted, pursing his delicate lips in frustration. “Those additional Archer Enterprises shares are hitting the market sometime this week and if we don’t snatch them up, we’re fucked. Excuse my language.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir,” she responded, stepping around him to drop her brown leather briefcase at her desk. Although he no longer had his feet propped up, he was still in her chair. “What can I do to help?”
Jackson’s bright blue eyes lit up. “I knew you could help, Shelby,” he said. “Could you please contact the Opera gala people—”
Shelby did her best not to roll her eyes, but couldn’t completely resist. Of course, even in the middle of a stock acquisition emergency, Jackson would be in a last-minute panic about the gala. He’d done his best to ignore Shelby every time she’d mentioned it and it wasn’t until now, the very last possible second, that he’d decided to give the benefit his attention.
“Of course, Mr. Archer,” Shelby told him, cutting him off. “I’ll be happy to provide them with the name of your guest.”
A slow, almost tentative grin slid over Jackson’s face, his blue eyes twinkling apologetically. “Actually, Shelby, I need to talk to you about that.”
Shelby raised one dark, perfectly groomed eyebrow. “What exactly do you mean, Mr. Archer?” she replied, her voice impossibly cool. When Jackson Archer started to turn on his boyish charm, she knew she was in dangerous water. Jackson’s charm was his deadliest weapon.
“I don’t exactly have a date for the evening,” Jackson admitted, his grin widening enough to show off his dimples. The dimples were the last line of defense in the Jackson Archer charm strategy. He must need a big favor if he was breaking out the dimples.
Shelby sighed. “But you’ve been seeing so, so many women, Mr. Archer.”