by Maia Starr
My wife Samara was pleasant at first, but I did not have a passionate love for her as I did with Noelle. I only knew her for a couple of days before agreeing to marry her. At that point I was so heartbroken that I knew no matter who I married it wouldn't make a difference, it wouldn't fill the void that Noelle had left in my heart. But it wasn't until after we were married that Samara showed me her true colors. She was a ruthless and selfish female. We did not get along at all. But it did not matter. I was the captain, and I was constantly away on missions. It was what I did. So my time with her was very limited anyway.
I landed on the tower catwalk. I folded my wings behind me and walked inside.
“I was summoned? What is it, Ritona?” I asked.
“I have summoned you here on a personal matter,” my friend Commander Ritona said.
“I am listening,” I said to him.
“I have been matched. The human female will be coming to Mooreah next week. I want to marry as soon as she arrives. Therefore, I might need…”
“You need time off from your tower watch command?” I said arching a brow at him.
“Yes, that is exactly it, Gavonn,” he said.
I smiled and patted him on the back. “Congratulations, my friend! I am very happy for you. I am not happy for this human for she does not know what she is getting into, but I am happy for you,” I joked.
“Thank you, Captain; I am very happy. This one is the one; I just know it. I cannot wait for you to meet her,” he said.
As soon as he said it, it brought back memories of my time with my own human female. Her lovely face flashed across my memory.
“Captain?” he asked concerned. My smile had faded, and I had not noticed.
“Yes, Commander,” I said.
“Are you all right? You seem out of sorts suddenly,” he said.
“No, I am fine. I was just thinking of something. But of course, you can have the time off. Just log the time that you need off, and I will approve it,” I said.
“Captain, you are thinking about her, aren't you?” he whispered to me as he leaned in for no one else to hear.
“You know me well, Ritona. Sometimes I cannot help it. But it was a long time ago. Let us not speak of it again. My sincerest congratulations to you. I mean that,” I said smiling at him and shaking his hand.
"Again, thank you, and for the time off. You are a true friend,” he said.
“Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to stretch my wings. I need to get in my practice and exercise drills for the day,” I said. He smiled and nodded, and I walked out of the tower. I stood on the ledge overlooking the vast and beautiful area. But his words only had me thinking about Noelle, and I only knew one way to get the anger out of me. I needed to fly it out of me. I jumped off the tower ledge and flew directly straight down the tower. I kept going until I was very close to the ground and then quickly swooped up, skirting along the ground, practicing a dive like that was good for battle. It was an easy way to lose an enemy, but it took a lot of strength to do.
Chapter 3
Noelle Evergreen
The next day at work, I couldn't concentrate on the meeting, a very important staff meeting. We all sat around the large glass table by the windows that looked out over New York. It was snowing, and from my chair, I could see the snow falling. It was very romantic and beautiful. It only made me sad again. It was then that I knew that Betty leaving was really affecting me. I had only known for less than twenty-four hours, and I was not taking it well. It made sense why she didn't tell me the information earlier.
“What do you think, Noelle?”
I wondered what Betty's Drackon weredragon would be like. Would he be just as tall and attractive as Gavonn?
“Noelle?”
I snapped out of my thoughts. “What? Sorry what was that?” I asked.
“Would you like to head up this project?” my boss asked.
“Sure, maybe. Could you tell me the details one more time before I make a decision?” I said because I had no idea what project she was talking about. I didn't want to say yes to something that I did not know exactly what it was going to be, and how much work I would have to put into it.
“It is for our new line of clothing. We want to use material from the Drackon. They have the best synthetic material. Their derets are made out of it, and we would have opened negotiations to get some of this synthetic cloth to create our new line. We are sending a brand ambassador on a trading ship to the planet Sala to oversee gathering the bolts of cloth. We want you to be that brand ambassador,” she said.
My heart sank to my stomach, and I felt extremely anxious and excited. I could not believe it. This couldn’t be happening. It was everything that I had hoped for!
“Yes, I will do it,” I asked.
“Good. You will be going soon, before Christmas. We want to have the material for the start of the New Year so that we can get right on it. It will be a very quick trip, there and back,” she said.
“Great. I will do it. Just give me the details,” I said.
“I will email them to you,” she said.
The rest of the meeting went by quickly, and I was glad for it. I went to my office and walked back and forth. I could not believe my luck. The planet Sala was a Drackon planet. It was a neighboring planet of Mooreah, and many compared it to the moon and Earth. It was very close, and although it was more of a desolate environment, like Mars, it was a very busy trading post. I had seen it so myself two years before, before the attack happened.
But now was my chance. I could take this opportunity to find out if Gavonn was still alive. But, how could I? I didn't know what I could do, but I knew I needed to do something. What if he was not on Sala? What if he was on Mooreah? I could not leave it to chance. I could not leave such an important thing simply to hoping that we would cross paths, if he was alive and didn't die in the battle.
But how would I know? If only I could somehow get a message to him. Then I remembered the letter that I wrote the night before. What if I gave it to Betty? I could give it to her, and she could give it to him, if she came across him on Mooreah. She did say that her new husband was a commander, and so was Gavonn. There was a chance. I knew it was a slim chance, but it couldn't hurt.
I decided that I would give it to her. But I was going to add to what I wrote. When I wrote it the night before, it was just to get the thought out of my head and to pretend to be giving him the letter, but now, it could possibly reach him. If it did, then I would tell him where I would be, on Sala, and on what days. I could give him that information and he could meet me. I finally had hope, more hope than I’d ever had before. I smiled a big smile.
I picked up the phone and called Betty.
“Hey, it is Noelle. I absolutely need to see you before you leave,” I said.
“Of course I am going to see you. I am going to have a going away party,” she said.
“Yes, and I will be there for that. But I need to see you in private. It is very important,” I said.
“Okay, just let me know. Anytime before I leave. Just send me a text to make sure that I am available.”
“Okay, great. I will talk to you soon,” I said to her.
I was extremely happy after I hung up the phone. For the first time, I had hope in a very long time. Maybe, once and for all, I would know if he was out there. I spent the rest of the workday concentrating on the materials. I gathered all the research I could on the Drackon synthetics. The derets were the trousers that the male Drackons wore, and were very strong. It was a scuba suit like material that left very little to the imagination when they wore it. It was quite the sight to look at. But now we were going to get access to it. I put my work together and spent time on preparations.
After work, I walked home in the early evening. It was a crisp day. As I passed stores decorated with Christmas cheer, I smiled.
“One hot chocolate please, with extra chocolate,” I said to the kiosk cart on the sidewalk.
“Coming right up,�
� the woman said. She was dressed in red and green plaid, and her cheeks were rosy with the chilled air. Her cheerfulness only made me happier. The world all around me seemed cheerful instead of sad. This was what hope had given me.
“Here you are. Extra chocolate, and it’s very hot,” she said.
“Thank you,” I handed her the money and gave her a smile. Then I walked all the way home with a skip to my step.
When I went home, I took out the letter. I read it again. It was everything that I wanted to say to him. But now I had more to add. I began to write.
I don't know if you are still out there. I don't know if you are alive. I hope that you are. I have thought about only you for the last two years. I tried to find a way to get in touch with you, but with the registry closed down and communications closed, I could not. Once registration re-opened a few months ago, no one would help me find the information that I needed. It was off-limits to me. But now, I am coming to Sala. I have been assigned to go on a short trip to gather materials for my job. These are the days that I will be there, and this is where I will be. If you still love me. If you have been trying to find me the way I have been trying to find you, then please come find me on Sala.
I still love you. Noelle.
Two days later, I had my meeting with Betty. I was nervous. I didn't know how she was going to take my request. Would she think I was absolutely insane? Maybe I was. But I had to do something. I could not let this opportunity pass me by. It was too much of a coincidence that Betty was going to Mooreah, and I was going to Sala. I had to know, once and for all, was he out there?
“I am so nervous about going, but I know that I am doing the right things. In my heart, I know,” she said as she sat across the table from me at the coffee shop. It was one of those independently owned coffee shops with soft couches and plush chairs. Mismatched furniture filled the place. It was a young and hip crowd, but because it was three o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon, there were very few people there. I was glad for it.
I took a drink of the hot coffee with whipped cream and peppermint sprinkles. This wasn't my usual drink, but the closer that Christmas was, the more I liked to treat myself to things like this.
“It is normal to be nervous. I was as well,” I said to her.
“So what is it that you wanted to speak about? You seemed very concerned,” she said.
“Yes, this is going to sound very out there,” I said.
She smiled. “I like it already,” she said.
“I wrote a letter, and I want you to take it with you to Mooreah,” I said.
“What do you mean? I don't follow,” she said.
“I wrote a letter to Gavonn. If you come across him, I want you to give it to him.” I said.
“Noelle, I thought you said you did not know if he was even alive,” she said putting her hand on top of mine in support.
“I don't. I don't know that you would see him at all if he were alive. But there's a chance, isn't there? There has to be,” I said.
“I suppose there is no harm in taking a letter with me. But I can't guarantee anything. There are thousands of weredragons on Mooreah and Sala,” she said.
“Yes, but he was a high-ranking commander. So he is not someone that would just be lost among the many, and your new husband is also a warrior, is he not?” I said.
“Yes, that is true. Okay, Noelle. I will take this letter with me. If I come across him or someone that knows him or knows of him, I will try my best to find a way to see him and get it to him. But you have to promise me something,” she said.
“What is that?” I asked.
“You have to promise that once I leave you will not hang everything on this letter. You will move on with your life. I don't want you sitting here forever hoping that he somehow gets the letter and will show up one day. I want you to continue to enjoy life. Meet other men,” she said.
I smiled. I didn't want to tell her that I was going to Sala. I did not want to tell her that I had asked him to meet me there. I knew there was a chance that she could break the seal on the letter and read it, but that usually wasn't her style. She was very trusting. But I did not want her to think she was part of some sort of meeting that could have me feeling disappointed if he did not show while I was on Sala for business. That might stop her from doing it all together, so I kept that fact to myself.
“I promise, Betty. After you leave and take my letter with you to Mooreah, it does not matter if you never find him; I will move on with my life and open my heart to others,” I said.
“Good. I will drink to that,” she said picking up her coffee cup and holding it to mine. I bumped my cup against hers.
Chapter 4
Captain Gavonn Viox
“This is not enough for me. I expected more of you when I married you,” my wife Samara shouted at me in our kitchen.
“What do you want? I can never seem to satisfy you,” I said feeling annoyed and angry. I always felt this way with her and knew that marrying her was a mistake.
“Why are you not a general? You are only a captain. You should be a general by now. It is embarrassing for me. A Drackon in my position needs a husband and and an equally high position,” she said.
“I am working on it, Samara. When I met you, I was a commander; I have been promoted to captain. These things take time. I have no doubt in my skills that I will be a general one day,” I said.
“I do doubt your skills. This is not enough. You need to try harder. You need to be talking to the right officials and leaders in order for them to promote you,” she said.
“No, that is not what I want. I do not want to be promoted based on favors. I want to be promoted based on my skills. I will earn the position honestly,” I said.
“Are you not going to be late?” I said trying to get her out of my sight.
“I am going. We will talk about this when I return from Sala. You must do more, Gavonn. I can't go on like this.” Then she walked out and left.
I was relieved when she was gone. Samara was a beautiful Drackon. She was the daughter of a high-ranking official. But because of that, she had a grown-up spoiled and bossy. I had married her because it was my father's dying wish. Last year, he was on his deathbed, and he wanted to see me wed to a Drackon female. He arranged this marriage being the friend of Samara's father. I only agreed to it to make my father happy. At the moment, it seemed like the right thing to do: the honorable thing. But now, a year later, I regretted it. We did not get along at all. There was no romance between us. There was no passion at all. She was more of a boss that dictated what she wanted me to be in order to make her look good. It was frustrating. I did not love her. There was only one that I had loved, but she was gone. Now, this was what I was stuck with.
I was glad that she was going to Sala in order to conduct some business. I needed some time away from her. She was driving me mad. I had a lot of work to do; with Ritona taking time off to receive his human female bride on the incoming ship today, I had double the responsibilities to make sure that his replacement was doing just as well as Ritona did.
There was a knock at my door. I opened it, surprised to see Ritona standing there.
“Ritona? What are you doing? Are you all right?” I said.
“No, I am not,” he said.
"What is it?” I asked concerned. “Are you not supposed to be down at the port to receive your human female wife when she arrives on the ship?” I asked.
“Yes, she arrives within the hour. I am nervous,” he said.
“Nervous? You? I have seen you face a battleship head on and not be nervous,” I said arching a brow at him.
“Yes, but that is different. I am used to battle. I am good at battle. I am not used to human females. I have spent very little time with them; even the ones that live here I have not had the pleasure of spending too much time with them,” he said.
“Because the husbands would not let you,” I said playfully.
“What if she does not like me? What if I have to re
turn her to Earth because she hates me?” he asked.
“If she hates you, that won't be any different than my own current marriage,” I said.