Tamporlea (Tamporlea Trilogy, Book 1)

by Tiffany Lovering

  “I know, I’m just scared.”

  “Don’t be. Even if this doesn’t turn out the way we want, everything will be okay.”

  “You better go inside,” she said gesturing to my door.

  “Actually, I am going to go for a walk with Casper.”

  “Please don’t. That Queen…”

  “I’ll escort her,” a man said from behind us.

  Cali nodded and turned to go back to the gold room.

  “Good afternoon Miss Jasmine. I am Mykel and I will be your Guard for this afternoon,” he said lightheartedly. “Where may I escort you and Casper?”

  “To the garden,” I said quietly.

  “Oh,” he said taken aback. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  When we reached the garden, Casper took off running and playing happily. I envied the fact that he had no idea how serious things had become. The garden and gazebo was still decorated with yellow roses and gerbera daisies and there were still hundreds of chairs facing the gazebo. “Mykel, can you stay here for a few minutes? I just want to sit in the gazebo to think for a bit.”

  “Sure thing Miss Jasmine.”

  I took the same seat I was in just an hour ago. I started to cry as I though about how excited I was. I realized just how much I loved Tamporlea and how desperately I wanted to be their Queen.

  I forced myself to think about going back to my mother. Would it be so bad, going to college as planned? I knew my memory would be wiped of Tamporlea’s existence but I wondered if there would be an emptiness left inside. I’d be losing so much. Cali, Tyran, Orion, all people I loved. My kingdom that slipped through my fingers. Even with its flaws, I so wanted it to be mine. How could I let it go?

  I was supposed to campaign for myself, but how could I? As much as I wanted it, Tamporlea was always Lilliana’s destiny, not mine. I couldn’t even be angry at Queen Aella. Somehow, she managed to save my sister. Lilliana never died like my family thought. I hoped she was treated well in Pyrencia.

  I plucked a daisy and a rose from the decorative garland to pack in my bag. Even though I wouldn’t remember Tamporlea, I hoped I would somehow know not to throw these mementos away.

  Casper came to me with a stick in his mouth, ready for a game of fetch. I hugged him and said, “I’m sorry Casper, I’m not in the mood to play.” He whined as he laid his head on my lap and I knew he was feeling my emotions. I cried for a few more minutes before having Mykel escort me back inside.

  The dinner that was to be my celebration dinner was awkward to say the least. No one spoke but Lilliana and I kept stealing glances of each other. I couldn’t believe that my sister was sitting across from me. When I was younger, I used to imagine the moment where my sister and I would meet again. Of course it didn’t play out like this at all. I would imagine that she would be brought to us by nurses from the hospital saying what a horrible mistake was made and Lilliana was brought home by the wrong family. Of course I knew that she had died shortly after we were born but I couldn’t stop daydreaming about having a sister. When I was older, mom would tell me the story of the day we were born and how Lilliana was very sick and had died after two days. She had a picture of Lilliana on our wall from the day she was born. She was so tiny that my dad could put his wedding ring on her like a bracelet. She weighed just over a pound, I wasn’t very big either but I more than doubled her weight. Seeing Lilliana was so surreal and I wondered how my mother would react if she knew that her other daughter was alive and well. I felt so guilty that there wasn’t anything I could do to let my mom know about her.

  Queen Aella ate her dinner like she had done nothing wrong. She wasn’t very liked by anyone in Tamporlea to begin with, and everyone was glaring at her in a way that made me think, if looks could kill. The only reason she was here was so that we could discuss who was actually going to take over as Queen.

  When dinner was over, Orion came to me and said that it was time for mine and Lilliana’s speeches.

  “Have you thought about what you’re going to say?” he asked.

  “Yes. How are things going in there?”

  “It’s hard to tell. Queen Aella is fighting hard for Lilliana of course. We are just sticking to the facts as you requested.”

  “Thank you Orion.”

  He opened the door for me and I took my usual seat in the gold room.

  “Thank you for your prompt return from dinner,” Orion announced once everyone was seated. “I know it’s been a long day. Right now, we will hear from Miss Lilliana and Miss Jasmine with no interruption. Miss Lilliana, you have our attention.”

  “I would like to say thank you for this opportunity to speak.” Her voice was quiet and childlike in comparison to mine. “Since I was old enough to understand, I was told that I would someday be Queen of Tamporlea. I studied your history, learned your traditions and practiced your beliefs. Queen Aella and all of Pyrencia treated me like a princess. They sheltered me from Pyrencia’s own rules to better prepare me for the day I would come to Tamporlea. I dreamed about the day I would finally be here in this beautiful kingdom. I’m not completely sure why there is any question I should be Queen, but I would still like the opportunity to take my rightful place as your Queen. Put me through any tests you want, let me prove to you that my intentions are innocent.

  “To my sister, I would like to say this. I never knew about you until today. My family was always those who lived in Pyrencia and I never questioned it. The only thing I was ever told about my biological family was that I should never doubt that I was loved, but I belonged in a world of magic. What I am asking is for my chance to be what my destiny is. Don’t allow politics to get in the way of what’s right.”

  “Miss Jasmine, it’s your turn,” Orion said as Lilliana was taking her seat again.

  I slowly walked to the front of the room and looked at Cali, Orion, Tyran until my eyes finally rested on Lilliana.

  “Lilliana is right.” There was an audible gasp from Cali. “As much as I would love to be your Queen, there are too many things that are questionable. Now that we know that the true heir is alive and well, I am sure that there are even more doubts that I have magical blood. I cannot ignore that, and neither should any of you.

  “I can tell you that I love the kingdom of Tamporlea, and all of its people. Although I will have no memory of Tamporlea, my love for this place runs deep and I am sure there will always be an emptiness inside of me.

  “To my sister, I regret that you will never know your biological family. You were always loved and always thought of. I only hope that you’ll treat my extended family of Tamporlea with as much love and kindness as they have shown me.

  “I am not walking away from my chance at being the Queen of Tamporlea. I could never turn my back on you, but I ask that you to do what is right in your heart. Choose who you know is your rightful Queen. Thank you.”

  As I took my seat, I saw Cali’s tears falling and staining her cheeks and I couldn’t bear to look at anything but the table now. I could still feel Tyran’s stares, just as I did my first night here at dinner. I felt so helpless.

  “Okay, Miss Lilliana, Miss Jasmine. You are excused from this meeting. The rest of you may write your votes down and when you have placed your votes in this box, you may leave. Please do not discuss these meetings with anyone until after the decision is announced in the morning.”

  Queen Aella who had already written Lilliana’s name down, put her paper in the box and quickly left with Lilliana as I followed behind them. I was only halfway to my room before people started filing out of the gold room and Cali quickly caught up to me.

  “Can I get you anything? I could make you some tea if you’d like.” she asked nervously as we sat on my couch.

  “No thanks, I’m fine.”

  “Okay, so do you mind telling me what the hell was going through your head? Why didn’t you ask us to vote for you?”

  “Cali, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t ask you all to vote for me when the
true heir is sitting right in front of us. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “Orion would never allow someone who has been brought up in Pyrencia to be Queen.”

  “Well, it‘s not up to just him, is it?”

  “Not really,” she said honestly.

  “Let’s not talk about this. It’s aggravating.”

  “So tell me what you’re feeling. Are you freaking out over your sister?”

  “It’s awful actually. Part of me just wants to know her, to see what she’s like and stuff but at the same time, I feel like she already hates me.”

  “Well, I don’t think she hates you. I think she’s probably confused like you are. I mean, if what she said was true then she didn’t even know about you until today.”

  “Maybe, I guess she would be confused. I feel so bad for my mom. I mean she has no idea that the daughter that she lost is actually alive and well. Doesn’t she have a right to know?”

  “I suppose she does although, don’t you think it would just hurt her? She’d be so angry that she was cheated out of raising her.”

  “I guess you’re right,” I said. “I just wish I could at least talk to her.”

  “Something tells me Queen Aella wouldn’t let you within two feet of her.”

  “I know it’s awful to say, but I really hate that woman.”

  “Well, you’re not the only one. She really should have been here for Queen Holly’s funeral. Even if they had animosity toward each other, it’s just the respectful thing to do. And then to pull this with Lilliana…I’m sure they’ll make the right choice,” she said. I noticed she didn’t say that the right choice was me. I knew that she cared about me and was honestly hoping they would choose me, but it didn’t sound like she had much hope.

  “Hey, where was King Zane tonight? He wasn’t in the meeting or at dinner.”

  “Probably crawling back to Jarnay with his tail between his legs. He doesn’t like confrontation.”

  “Wow, he’d really just take off like that?”

  “Apparently so.” I thought about that for a minute before she finally spoke again. “I noticed something at dinner tonight,” she said quietly.

  “What’s that?”

  She fiddled with a stray string on her shirt nervously. “I don’t know if I should say anything.”

  “Go ahead,” I urged.

  “Well, I noticed Tyran was staring at you. I don’t think Tyran‘s feelings for you are going away any time soon..”

  I suddenly felt guilty for not telling Cali about Tyran and me kissing, not that we had much time to discuss anything. “Do you think you’re the only one who noticed?” I asked quietly.

  “Jasmine, you can’t be with him.”

  “I know that, but you didn’t answer my question.”

  “I think I was the only one to really pay attention. Most everyone else was staring at you or Lilliana.”

  “Good.”

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  “Well before the crowning ceremony, Tyran and I kissed and we even said we loved each other. But it wasn’t like we were trying to start something, it was more like we were saying goodbye to something that could never be.”

  “Oh Jasmine,” she said sympathetically, “I hope you are able to put him behind you. It would cause way too much trouble, especially if you are our Queen.”

  “I know.”

  “You know, there was a rumor that Queen Holly and Orion had a thing going on. They were together an awful lot and it only seemed natural if you ask me, they had to share everything and were obviously close….maybe you should have Tyran as your assistant. I mean at least then you could try a relationship.”

  This made me laugh loudly. “You are too funny sometimes. First off, what if it didn’t work out between him and me? That would be awkward having to work so closely with him for the rest of my life. Second, I would never deceive the kingdom like that. It’s selfish. And finally, I am convinced more and more that you are who I need by my side.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that you would do something selfish like that. I just meant that if you felt strongly about him, it would be a sure way to at least see what happens.”

  “I know. It’s okay. I’ll forget about this thing eventually. He also told me he was my Seer. Actually he said he took over as my Seer so apparently I had two?”

  “I cannot believe he told you that! You are not supposed to know anything about that until you are crowned!”

  “Well, Cali, I wasn’t supposed to know about the Sacred Space until I was crowned either,” I gently reminded her.

  She sighed and said, “Well, that’s true.”

  “He told me that he’s loved me since he took over as my Seer.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s possible. It would also explain why Tyran wouldn’t let Queen Holly marry him off.”

  My stomach twisted and I felt tears in my eyes. “Cali, I think I’m getting sleepy. Do you mind if we talk tomorrow?”

  “Sure,” she said, knowing I was just needing to be alone.

  When she left, I allowed myself to break down. Between my sister, missing my mom, Tyran and the Queen situation, my emotions were obviously on overload and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I cried for over an hour, just feeling sorry for myself. At seventeen years old I shouldn’t have to deal with any of this, but the reality is that I had to. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and take the braid out of my hair. I looked like a complete mess, my eyes were red and swollen, my face was splotchy and it looked like I had aged twenty years since I had arrived at Tamporlea. It was hard to believe I had only been here a two weeks and that my entire life had completely changed in the same amount of time.

  I sat on my bed, yanking the brush through my knotted hair. I thought about what Lilliana was doing and wondered if she was asleep yet. It was just past 10 o’clock so I doubted that she was. As awful as I felt my situation was, she was in an even worse position. She had never met our father before he died, my mother meant nothing to her while she was my world. She never knew how loved she was even after everyone thought she was dead. She had to be confused. If there was one wish I could have granted, it would be that we could just go back to my house and explain everything to my mother.

  Then I realized neither Lilliana nor I were locked into this world. No one had taken the crown yet and technically we were free to go if we wanted to. More than likely, I wasn’t going to be voted Tamporlea’s Queen. What was the point in staying these last few hours just to be let down? I was determined to convince Lilliana to come with me. As much as I wanted to be Queen, that wasn’t going to be possible. I wanted to know my sister, and I wanted her to know our mother. That was the right thing to do now. I had to convince her of that tonight and set out as soon as possible.

  I wasn’t for sure how to get back to home, but I could follow a compass quite well and knew that Orion and I hiked northeast the entire time. I haphazardly packed what little I had taken out of my bag, threw my hair up in a bun and went to the couch. I had to carefully and quickly think out this plan. I would leave my bag and Casper here and pick it up with Lilliana on the way out the door. I would go to Lilliana and plead with her to go home with me. Somehow I would convince her that no matter what she was told by anyone in Pyrencia, she had a real family that loved her and missed her. Once she was convinced, we would pack her bag and we would leave. I felt guilty for not saying goodbye to anyone, especially for leaving Cali without an explanation. She had been so kind to me and she didn’t deserve me leaving her the way I was. I couldn’t even bare to think about leaving Tyran, but then again leaving was probably best in this situation. My heart ached at the thought.

  I could only hope that Queen Aella wasn’t standing guard over Lilliana. It was the only real hope I had of getting to my sister. Once I thought through what needed to be done, I decided to hurry to Lilliana’s room. I opened my door and slid out. I turned around to shut the door as quietly as I could and listened for any p
ossible voices or footsteps. When I heard none, I tiptoed as fast as I could.

  “And where exactly are you going?” I heard from behind me, stopping me in my tracks.

  Chapter 12

  No Doubts

  I wasn’t expecting Tyran to be outside my door, I hadn’t seen him when I peeked around the corner. However, I shouldn’t be surprised, he always seemed to know what I was going to do before I did it. He took a few steps toward me waiting for me to respond to his question.

  “Tyran, I…”

  “Oh Jasmine,” he sighed, “she’s gone.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Lilliana, she left with the Queen about a half hour ago.”

  “Where did they go? Are they coming back?” I asked anxiously.

  “I don’t know where they went, but I know they aren’t coming back. Come on, let’s go back to your room,” he suggested.

  “No,” I said, obviously disappointed. “I think I’d like to be alone if you don’t mind.”

  Tyran nodded in understanding and moved to the side so I could go past him and into my room. I closed the door behind me and sat on the couch, exhausted from disappointment. The sudden energy I had felt while packing my bag had drained from my body. I thought about leaving by myself. This whole situation was getting crazier by the minute and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be a part of it anymore. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. When leaving was about uniting my sister with my mom, it had a true purpose but now it would just be cowardly. There was a quiet knock on my door and as I made my way to the door, they knocked a little louder. I opened the door, expecting to see Tyran or even Cali but was surprised by Orion standing in front of me.

  “Miss Jasmine, I’m sorry to disturb you.”

  “You’re not. Come on in,” I said trying to hold in my emotions.

  He looked at my packed bag that was by the door but didn’t mention it as he took a seat on the sofa.

  “Can I get you some tea or something?” I asked.