Storm Princess

by M. Garnet

  Perhaps there were many individuals beyond my father's influence or needs who did work to support their families and enjoyed their work. I never had a chance to come in contact with these beings and it probably was best for all.

  I went back further to where there were large plants climbing out of the dirt and over each other. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

  He turned and placed his hips against the planting box to look at me. "I am working."

  I had to laugh. "No I mean, what are you doing here with the seeds and plants and everything on top of this mountain?"

  Now he laughed and I liked the sincere sound. "As a gardener, I volunteered to help the planet recover from the war." He turned and walked past me to some even larger plants. "We are helping to bring this plateau back up to full growth. The damage done here was like having damage done to us personally. There were trees taken out that had lived here for eons. There were animals that had learned to survive our strongest storms, but were wiped out by fire from the sky, by beings that didn't think about any type of life."

  He moved some pieces with leaves that were hanging down. "I would do this for free, but the Heir has ordered us all to be paid hazard pay because we must be up here to watch for damage when the big storms come in. It gives me extra to send over to mom."

  He nodded out at the entrance. "The winds are picking up. I should help you back to your entrance."

  "Sure, thank you."

  It was obvious that he was made for this world, this top of the mountain as he helped me get to my entrance.

  "Can I come up and see your gardens again? I have so much to learn about this world and the moons. I have a feeling you could help me better than all the available scans."

  "Of course, Mistress."

  Chapter Eight

  Set woke me up to tell me I had an appointment with the Queen. She was so excited she was dancing around, taking things out and putting them away.

  I guess she was trying to decide what I should wear, so I just sat and drank my hot chocolate. I had no feelings at all. I had met so many Royals as my father paraded me out, that even this important one was just another being wearing a crown.

  It took Set two long periods to get me dressed and my hair up. At last, Set called in Marshall Bower and I went out to find I had a complete troop escort again. It seemed that they wanted to send a message to my father that no one was going to get close to me again. Unfortunately, it also meant I felt like a prisoner.

  I expected to turn and go to the Queen's double doors, but evidently the meeting was set for several floors below. The hall that they took us to had nothing but military people on it.

  Everyone left me as I was shown into a room. It was comfortable, with a sitting group in front of the open wall looking out at the ocean. The rest of the room looked like an office with a large desk, chairs, and floating information screens.

  The woman behind the screens stood up and came around with her hand out. Again I had to readjust my bias thoughts, as this lovely woman was so different from the Royals I had met in the past.

  First, she was dressed in slacks and a blouse. They were comfortable clothes even though the material had to be expensive. There was no jewelry and her long hair was in a tie at her neck to fall down her back.

  I looked away quickly as I realized her hair was the same color as his. He got his hair from her and that meant he got his eyes from his two mythical fathers.

  I listened to her firm voice. "When we are alone, I'm Lorelei and I want to call you Mikla. I think we have something in common, that we both got adopted by this planet. Come and let's set by the window."

  I followed her and the curved couch was comfortable. The short table in front contained small pieces of food and warm drinks.

  I was amazed as I sat and listened to this woman while she shared with me her life. By this time, I had done a lot of research on GigasVnee and learned several items that I knew had drawn my father toward this world.

  It was an unbelievably wealthy world, perhaps the wealthiest in our known universe. It held the creation on a power source that everyone needed. It had a creature of two males called the Twinned Dissnue that might be a strange weapon. Their son the firstborn of this Queen had saved this world from an attack from numerous worlds that had joined together in a war.

  I was fascinated with the Queen's story of how she came to this world and now ruled it. She told me that she had been trained as a peacekeeper on her world. They hadn't progressed to space travel and when word came through of a space ship landing at a water bottling plant; her group had assumed it was a hoax.

  In the small war that had taken place with her group and more from her planet and the spaceship commanded by Bleak, some of Bleak's troops had been injured or killed.

  In retribution, Bleak took prisoners to sell on a slave station. Loralei was among the prisoners and due to some unusual circumstances she ended up as a slave to Bleak and then also to Leant.

  I listened to Loralei’s voice as she reminisced. "Some would call it fate; others would say some far-seeing God had taken a hand in our future. Who knows what our destiny is as I now sit on this precious world full of hard-working honest beings that call me their Queen."

  Then she got a sad look on her face as she told about the change in her two husbands and the fact that they were gone.

  "So Princess, you have come here to be my son's first wife, but it is in name only. What does that do for your future?" my Lady, I hope to get to know this new home. Perhaps I will even get to know your son also."

  The Queen gave me a long look with her brown eyes. "You know he has a large amount of concubines that he doesn't touch?"

  I looked out at the ocean. "I know I have a lot to learn, about you and this world and the Heir. I don't even know the exact age of the Heir." I held my breath to wait for more words from the Queen.

  Instead, she surprised me as she reached over and took my chin gently in her hand. She turned my face to look at me carefully. "Oh my sweet child, don't love my son, his heart is held by another. Whenever you sit by his side as the First Wife, you will see a female in equal position on his right hand, his consort."

  I jerked back. "It is too late, my lady."

  The Queen sat back with a deep sigh. "I know the heartbreak of love that is impossible."

  There was no conversation for a while as we both just stared at the ocean. I wished that the window were open so we could feel the wind and hear the waves below.

  At last, the Queen spoke. "Do you wish out of the contract? I am sure we can work something out with your father to repay him in Threads to break the agreement. Everyone wants Threads."

  I decided my next statement needed to be said, as I looked at her. "No, it is better here in the prison I have created than one of my father's."

  "Yes, I understand. There was a time that my husbands would have returned me to my world. As a woman of Earth, as a female now of this world, I understand. If I can be of help, let me know. I understand my son is trying to protect you from your father's spies."

  I nodded at her words. "Yes, I thought he had expelled all those who my father had sent with me, but evidently there were others who found some way to infiltrate this world. My father is not a very nice person, believe me, I hid under his desk enough times to learn of his many deceits."

  I saw her smile as she spoke. "I will help you with the ceremony. I have found such events to be very trying, as there are so many off-worlders who feel they have to attend, in order to prove they are friends or hope to be friends." These were such soft words from a lovely lady that I now had to face—my marriage ceremony.

  I now found out that among the practical clothing in this strange world, there were special confining Royal Robes. It seems within the native residents of GigasVnee, there were some traditions as to what a groom and bride wore when they came together to join in a contract of life commitment.

  On many different worlds and with many different languages there were many names for
this commitment. With my father's people, it was called marriage and the same term was used on GigasVnee. I had found that the word had a lot of different meanings to the beings that took that pledge in varied ceremonies.

  Did you know that there were some beings that took the commitment so serious that the pledge involved for both was for life? They never loved another while their marriage mate was alive. What an amazing concept.

  While I was surrounded by beings arranged by the Queen, that were measuring and sewing, I was busy on a floating screen studying the history of this planet. I wanted to know the traditions of the ones I now lived among.

  There was nothing within the stories of these strong beings who grew on this world called the storm planet, that would help my situation.

  I was bored with all this material and watching Set bouncing around as she determined what gold or gems to use. I needed to visit my gardener. I quickly changed, told Set and Bower I was just going up to the plateau, and didn't want company.

  Chapter Nine

  I reached the upper plateau and was shocked. The weather was beautiful. There was a soft breeze coming in from the ocean with only the clean smell of the sea on its soft touch. The sun was showing intermittingly between soft white fluffy clouds.

  I looked around and everything was green and growing with new leaves and long stems. There was something alive and existing more that I had ever felt in any other world I had stood upon.

  I took a few steps and then saw something even more amazing, it was a small flower. Never in my short life with all the exotic items thrust on me as the First Daughter of the King of the Questes Consortium, had I ever seen a real flower in its natural state.

  I went down on a knee and put my hands around it to stop it from moving in the soft wind. I leaned close to examine its velvety five petals of the palest pink color and I had to remind myself to breath.

  "There is nothing as beautiful as what nature creates."

  I looked up at what would seem to be a giant from my position. It was just Coro the gardener.

  "Come, let me show you something." Coro turned and led her into what started out as black stumps that were being covered by green crawling plants.

  Slowly, the stumps were larger with broken pieces clinging. At last, there were stumps taller than Coro and there were limbs with green leaves. These leaves were large like the tops of tables and spread out right now to collect the rays of the suns.

  "Look, Coro, the trees are coming back. They have found a way to live."

  Coro reached up and pulled carefully at a leaf and stem. "Yes, I am going to trim these older trees to make sure they are still here for the next generations to come. I want the younger children on this planet to know that there are still the ancient trees up here to look after us and accept the blessings from the Twins and the stars."

  On the way back I thanked Coro for sharing with me.

  "Mr. Gardener, this is the only place where I find freedom." I looked around as we headed for my entrance.

  Coro looked at me. "Perhaps it is the way you dress. Up here you should wear the heavy coveralls like I do. To meet the workers below, you should wear their same clothes. Have they not shown you where the depot is at yet? You are allowed to draw whatever you need."

  As they stopped in front of my funny gated cave way, I watched him hunting through his pockets. He finally brought out a small leather folder and from it, pulled a yellow tag.

  "Present this at the depot to get clothes for topside and also for gardening. You will have to find you own way to get other garments, but I am sure a smart female like you can find what you need, Princess." With a short bow, he turned and walked toward a stump.

  I watched him as he pulled something carefully and then moved on to another stump. I turned and went down the cave entrance to the city built entirely within a mountain.

  It took me two full passages for me to seek information from Set and Bower and the marriage robe workers to figure out what it would take for me to get additional outfits for traveling among the people of this city.

  Like being in my father's residence, I needed to find a way to lose my trooper guards without raising any alarms. Set was no problem as she stayed in the apartment. The troopers wouldn't miss me if I were at an appointment. With the marriage on the horizon, there were a lot of appointments. But Bower took his job seriously.

  He would come into my appointment rooms and stand with his back turned to wait patiently until someone went through the latest underwear a bride should have for my ceremony.

  Due to this elaborate ceremony, I was to have five changes of formal outfits, from the inside out. Yuck. The celebration was to take place over an entire five passages of daylight and night.

  I just had to figure out how to use all of this moving around and all of these people along with all the appointments to do what I use to do at my father's home.

  I had several things working for me. I had my mother's beauty, my father's brains, and my own inquisitive need to know that I called being nosy. I would find a way to be free on this planet, in this city cave, and to know these people.

  I started out by playing by the rules. I had Marshall Bower take me to the Depot. It was easy to find since it took in the entire third floor. I walked off the lift and into a noisy child's heaven. As far as I could see, in all directions were things. Yes, things.

  There were several young males and females at a large desk at the entry. They were set back to allow individuals and loads to move past them with ease. In fact, Bower and I had to step aside to allow a male who was pushing a large floater full of unknown items to move out into the hallway.

  I showed a smiling young female the tag from the gardener and she checked her systems info by running the tag through a scan.

  "Welcome, Mistress. Here is a tag that will take you to the location you need. Just put it into an available floater after you have taken a seat. You can contact us again through the floater if you have additional questions."

  Riding on a two-seat floater with a large carrying area in back was fun, as I soon found out I could control the contraption. The speed had a control, yet it was fun to go as fast as the floater would allow, past the shelves, hangers, and displays.

  It would respond to my hand to turn and dodge around boxes and take another aisle. I could spend long periods of daylight and darkness in here, just speeding around on one of these floaters.

  I stopped fast as I realized I had flashed past jewels. I went into reverse and began to look at gems in all colors. There were displays of gems in settings.

  "Princess, these are not real. But I am sure if you ask, the Heir will get you what you want in the real gems." Bower was also looking at the displays; looking a little relieved that I had stopped driving so recklessly.

  I decided to be nice to Bower and let the floater take over and go to the location where Gardener Clothing could be found. I saw the proud sign indicating that these packages were on the long rows in front of me. Wow, I loved this planet. That thought brought someone else to my mind. I loved another. I actually gasped at the pain.

  "Are you all right, Princess? We can leave and do this another time?" It was Bower, concerned about my distress.

  I didn't want to talk, afraid my tears would fall. I waved my hand at him and got out of the floater. I walked with my back to the Marshall, hoping I could get my emotions under control. I thought only a moment and then remembered I was my father's oldest child.

  Besides, I wanted to find the clothes to let me spend more time topside. I wanted to lose myself in the mountain and let it speak to me and help me understand this world. I wanted Coro to teach me about the plant life and show me the wildlife that may have survived.

  I needed Bower's help in finding the right sizes and found out that gardener clothing was meant to fit loose. I was told that I should wear other protective clothing under the pull-up coverall. I would also need good soft foot covers for inside the heavy boots and gloves, two different types. There
was a soft rubbery type for under the heavy protective outer style.

  There were all types of head covers including helmets, but I let Bower make the choice. He picked out a soft full head cover with glasses in case of a storm and a small cap to just keep my hair out of the way. I loved the cap and wore it immediately.

  "Bower, do you have topside gear?"

  He was settling my stuff on the floater and smiled at me. "All military personnel have topside gear, not any like this. It is like battle gear that protects us from deep heavy storms. If a warrior were to land on topside in normal heavy space suits they would be knocked down by our storms. Our topside suits help hold us to the mountain."

  I thought about this information. I wasn't surprised that the beings living on this planet would create topside protective outfits that would fit them for their storm world. They had been tough individuals to even survive and develop. As a result, they were a source to be reckoned with. I wasn't surprised that they won a war against so many that had tried to cut them off from the rest of the universe.

  I smiled as I let Marshall Bower drive us out of the area and down to a larger elevator. This one was inside and we couldn't see the different floors, just a number on a panel announcing where we were at on each level.

  As we moved upward I casually asked more of Bower. "If I wanted some more items from that big area, could I go back?"

  "Of course. After all, you are the Princess."

  I nodded. "But do I need a ticket like the gardener gave me to get something special?"

  Bower laughed as the elevator stopped and we drove off. "That ticket only helps for fast retrieval. You can tell one of the workers what you want and they will guide you."

  I kept my innocent smile on my face.

  Chapter Ten

  I ate a good breakfast that Set enjoyed making for the both of us. I loved the hot chocolate drink, as it was something I had not tasted until coming to this world. Set told me it was something the Queen introduced to this world.