“Of course,” I say. To be honest, I’d prefer to get away from all these girls myself. And the poor tiny energy blob they call a pegasus is making me uncomfortable—now that I know it’s a living thing stuck in a cage under questionable circumstances.
But Lady Tiri immediately turns to Lady Irana with a hard look on her beautiful features. “Lady Irana, your little pet is making the Imperial Princess unhappy. Send it away immediately!”
“But it needs to be walked and fed!” The other girl starts to frown.
“Do it some other time.”
“Wait, no!” Manala interrupts with worry. “Please don’t make the little thing suffer even more on my behalf! I am leaving. . . .” And she turns and begins walking swiftly along the gravel path back the way we came from.
I pause and glance at the others. They all watch me with a mixture of curiosity and expectation.
“Do come walk with us, then,” Lady Tiri says oh-so-graciously with an icy smile. “The dear young Imperial Princess is very impressionable, so it is for the best she is not troubled with this silly creature on her morning walk.”
“Maybe next time, thank you, Lady Tiri,” I say. “I should be getting back also.”
“In that case, My Imperial Lady Gwen—may you have a bright day.” And Lady Tiri formally and arrogantly inclines her golden head to me, followed by Lady Hathora and the others, who all echo her courteous words.
I nod to them awkwardly, not quite sure how I’m supposed to respond to these bows—something else to ask Consul Denu—and hurry away from them back along the path.
As I walk, I can practically feel their disdainful gazes following me.
For some reason it sends chills of strange foreboding down my spine.
Chapter 9
I catch up with Manala almost near the entrance to the small courtyard and the main Palace building.
Seeing me, she pauses, and I see that her eyes glisten with moisture.
“Oh no, Manala!” I come up to her quickly and put my hand on her arm. “What’s wrong? I’m so sorry about that poor little pegasus, and the difficult girls back there—”
“They are awful! I hate being around them for so many reasons . . .” Manala says in a soft voice that’s barely holding back tears. “They are always mocking me when they think I don’t know it. And that poor little creature! Lady Irana may not be as cruel as the others but she is ignorant—”
“What are they even doing here?” I say. “Why are they walking in the Palace gardens? Are they allowed here without an invitation?”
Manala passes the back of her hand over her face and takes a deep breath. “Their families are of such high rank that they have permission to enter the Palace grounds and walk in the park and visit the Palace any time they like. It is one of the privileges of nobility.”
“I see.” I bite my lip. “So, does it mean they come here all the time?”
Manala’s expression is sad. “Not on my behalf. They know I am not formally permitted to associate with anyone too closely, including them. But they do come. Mostly it’s because of my brother. So many of them think that it’s a good idea to be regularly seen and noticed by the Imperial Crown Prince. Or their families do—they send them, even force them to come. So they all walk here and laugh and talk loudly, hoping Aeson would notice. Ever since he turned sixteen and reached the age to make his Choice, they’ve been coming here.”
“And has he?” I say carefully. “I mean, has he noticed anyone—in that way?”
Manala sighs and starts walking to the entrance into the Palace, and I walk at her side. As soon as we step in the cool shadowy interior, I take off my dark wraparound shades.
“Aeson is too busy to notice, most of the time,” she says, glancing at me as we approach the small private elevator. “And then he mostly thinks they are foolish and annoying. He did like one girl, but that was a long time ago when he was still in Fleet Cadet School.”
My heart suddenly jolts and begins to pound in my chest. “Oh, really?” I say, while a cold sickening feeling creeps in, and suddenly I am feeling ill. “What happened?”
Manala glances at me. “Nothing. She was unsuitable, according to Father. And Aeson was never supposed to see her or be friends with her after Cadet graduation. Oh—but I am sorry, Gwen, I really shouldn’t be speaking of this—”
“Manala! You can’t just leave me hanging like this! What happened?”
“Leave you hanging—sorry. I don’t understand this phrase.”
I take a deep breath of frustration, and now my pulse is pounding so loudly I can hear it blasting in my temples. “It means, you cannot begin and then not finish a story this important! Please, I want to know about this girl! Who is she?”
We enter the elevator. Manala widens her eyes with understanding, and suddenly touches my arm reassuringly. “Oh, Gwen, you don’t have to worry about her. She is gone—she is dead. And my brother Aeson chose you.”
“Oh . . .” I say. A mixture of guilty relief and sorrow washes throughout me. And then it occurs to me, what if he chose me only because that other girl is dead? Does he love her still?
How can I compete with a ghost?
Oh my lord, now I am feeling so crazy-nuts-insane that I need to talk to Aeson right now or I will explode!
Apparently I am standing frozen in the elevator with all these tornado thoughts running through my head, because Manala calls my name then has to repeat it twice, before I hear her.
“We are here, Gwen,” she says, looking at me worriedly now. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head and trying to smile, as we step out of the elevator, but my smile is forced. Yes, this is another example of me letting my imagination run wild. I need to shut it down already! Enough, Gwen, you paranoid fool, I tell myself.
And then I ask Manala, “That . . . that girl he liked, what was her name?”
Manala sighs and tugs at her own dress in frustration. “I really should not have said anything!”
“I’m glad you did!”
“All right, but please don’t ask Aeson about her! It—it hurts him too much. Her name was Elikara Vekahat. She was a good friend.”
“I—”
I stand looking at her, terribly conflicted. What is happening to me, suddenly? My temples are pounding, there’s a rock in the pit of my stomach, and my hands feel cold and clammy. Am I having a panic attack? Why?
Why am I having this intense overblown reaction to something that is old history?
The girl is dead.
Aeson chose me.
And poor Manala does not deserve the stress of this additional worry. But I can’t make false promises to her, because this is just how my mind works—I can’t rest now until I know more.
I take a deep breath and reach out to Manala, gently take her hand, pressing it with my clammy fingers. “I am so sorry—I’d love to promise you this, Manala, but I just can’t. I need to ask him. . . . But—but I will be very gentle in the way I do it! This I can promise! I could never hurt Aeson!”
Manala makes a small whimper noise. Then she inhales deeply also and squeezes my hand back.
“It should be okay, really,” I continue, watching her intense expression. “There are some things that need to be said and shared early on, in a relationship. I realize it’s probably ridiculous of me to worry. It’s just that—I’m kind of new to this serious lifelong commitment thing—”
It occurs to me even as I say it, some of this is indeed my weird way of dealing with the fact that Aeson is now permanently committed to me, and I to him. It’s going to be an adjustment process as we both reconcile our pasts—whatever secrets they might contain. Yeah, I am in a very vulnerable place right now, emotionally. . . .
“I think I understand . . .” Manala whispers in that moment. “But—I still said too much, and now, because of me, you are worried needlessly, just because I say these things—”
“Oh no, no! It’s okay, really! If anything, I am the on
e being an idiot!” I try to reassure her, while my heart continues racing with the troubling thoughts about this girl—this Elikara Vekahat. And then something else strikes me. . . .
“Wait, Vekahat?” I say. “As in, Xelio Vekahat?”
Manala immediately glances at me nervously. “You know Xelio?”
“Of course! He was one of my Qualification Combat Instructors back on Earth, and then I got to know him better during the journey here. I even went out on a date with him during a zero gravity dance. A very interesting guy!” And an involuntary little smile comes to my lips at the memory.
“Oh . . .” Manala suddenly looks away. “Yes, he is very interesting. And yes, Elikara was his cousin. They all went to Fleet School together.”
“I see.” It occurs to me, why do things seem to get even more complicated, the more I find out? Xelio’s cousin is Aeson’s old flame? I need to know more before I lose my mind. . . .
We walk through a small corridor to the informal private entrance leading to the Imperial Crown Prince’s Quarters—the one that leads directly to his workroom chamber.
Manala passes her hand over a tiny, ornate, keyless entry pad on the wall, and it seems to register her identity—I have no idea how. Atlantean fingerprint scanner of some sort? The door opens and we emerge in the workroom.
The two Imperial Aides are still here, working at their consoles and talking loudly. I can hear snatches of “. . . Earth girl . . .” and “. . . he did look at her too, that one time . . .” and “. . . no way, he did not . . !”
The moment they see us, it’s instant silence. Gennio gets up to bow, and Anu follows his lead with less enthusiasm. They both look only briefly at Manala but stare at me.
“Hey, guys,” I say with a rueful smile. “Talking about me? It’s okay, I get it. Carry on, I don’t mind. . . . You have to get it out of your system.”
I purposefully turn to Manala and head to the long sofa, motioning for her to follow. We sit next to each other, and I say. “Now, about those girls in the gardens outside. . . .”
“Yes?” she says, with some reservation. I can tell she is trying very hard to not say too much again after what she blurted out to me earlier about Elikara.
“Are any of them—I mean, should I be worried about any one of them, as far as Aeson is concerned? You said they come here for him.”
Manala bites her lip, in thought. “Actually, I think they came here today for you—to see you and to decide who you are, what kind of person. . . . Because Lady Tiri would normally walk later in the day or evening, in order to run into Aeson who tends to be around then. But this early, they were all here to find out about you.”
“Great,” I say bitterly.
“Lady Tiri,” Manala says, looking at me intently again. “She is the one who was supposed to be Aeson’s Choice for a Bride. My Father encouraged her above all other matches, because of her family Fuorai which is very prominent and powerful, very old and rich. So Lady Tiri got invited here more than anyone else, in addition to all the usual Palace visits. She was certain that Aeson would choose her, and so were we all.”
Manala pauses, taking a deep breath. “I was—I was not looking forward to having her as my sister-in-law. And Gwen—I am so happy to have you instead! You are different from them, you are my friend!” And then she reaches out and puts her arms around me in a gentle innocent hug.
My heart melts. I hug the girl back, patting her shoulders softly. “I’m very happy too,” I say with a smile. “I like having you as a sister-in-law! And I think once you meet my own sister Gracie, you will be pleased to have another friend!”
And now, the moment I think of Gracie, I start getting worried again, this time thinking about what Aeson is doing now, and whether he is making arrangements to bring my family here.
Wherever he is, I can’t wait for him to return!
The afternoon goes by very slowly and quickly at the same time. At some point Manala encourages me to take a nap. “Aeson said I must make sure you rest in the middle of the day, because of our gravity. Or your body will be under too much stress. I promise, I’ll see you later tonight!”
And so I return to my own bedroom while Manala leaves to her own Quarters located on yet another Palace floor, where, she tells me, she needs to take care of things including making sure her cat Khemji is fed properly.
Anu and Gennio continue to do their work very quietly, because I barely hear them from my adjacent bedroom, even after I lie down casually on top of the fine bedspread and close my eyes. The strange exhaustion kicks in immediately and I am once again asleep very soon, instead of being plagued by stressful thoughts.
Next thing I know, there’s a gentle knock on my door and I hear Aeson’s voice.
“Gwen . . . may I come in?”
I open my eyes and bolt up to a sitting position, because that’s just what the sound of his voice does to me, makes my heart go into overdrive. . . . I blink and see that the nature of the light has changed—earlier in the day, even though the shades were drawn over the star-shaped window, you could still see the seeping glare of Hel at the edges of the curtain fabric. But now it’s soft, and the white brightness is missing. I realize it’s early twilight. How long have I been asleep?
“Just a minute!” I exclaim in a groggy voice, jumping up and immediately feeling the strange unnatural exhaustion hit me, going all the way through to the bones—yes, it’s the dratted Atlantean gravity, and I am really feeling it now.
“Take your time,” he says softly through the door. “My Mother is here, and so is the dea meal.”
“Oh!” I say, quickly patting my hair down and then rush to the bathroom to make myself decent. A couple of minutes later, I open the bedroom door, and peek into the workroom.
Aeson is standing there, looking at me with a smile. He is still wearing the same clothes from this morning but does not appear tired. Instead he looks animated, almost feverish with energy, and there is an intense light in his eyes the moment he sees me.
“Aeson!” I take a step toward him, and everything inside me melts with warmth. Meanwhile a hopelessly goofy smile widens my mouth at the sight of him. In that moment I’m certain I look like a lovesick dork. “You’re back! I’ve missed you. . . .”
“And I missed you!” he says, with a fierce, wonderful light in his eyes.
I’m about to take his hand, but suddenly hold myself back in embarrassment, because in that moment I recall we’re not alone. I note that Devora Kassiopei is seated comfortably on the sofa where Manala and I had sat earlier. Meanwhile, Gennio and Anu are gone, and instead a serving table has been brought in, and several very discreet servants are setting up an informal meal for us, right here.
The Archaeona Imperatris looks much more relaxed than she had been earlier this morning. She is wearing a different outfit, a dark plum-colored jacket with long sleeves and flowing pants embroidered in intricate patterns of gold. Her copper hair is in a sleek updo, and long earrings cascade in delicate chains down to her elegant swan-neck. She is a truly beautiful woman.
“Did you have a good rest, Gwen?” the Imperatris asks me in her calm pleasant voice.
“Oh yes, thank you!” I say with some embarrassment, glancing from her to Aeson. “I am so sorry if I kept you waiting! I did not know you were here!”
“I let you sleep for as long as possible, but it was getting dark.” Aeson watches me with amusement. “Normally dea meal is at fourth hour, but, seeing how well you look, I think it did you some good.”
At his close scrutiny I blush a little. “What time is it now?”
“A little after sixth hour.”
“Oh no . . .” I put my hand to my cheek. “Next time, just wake me up! I am not so groggy normally!”
“I know,” he says. “It’s the gravity.”
Meanwhile, Devora Kassiopei motions to me with her hand. “Come, my dear,” she says. “Sit here with me while they arrange our meal. Let me look at you.”
I approach my future mot
her-in-law shyly, and then sit down, perching on the edge of the sofa, right next to her. A gentle faint aroma of a heavenly floral scent comes to me, like a delicate echo. The perfume fits her elegance.
“Gwen,” she says to me softly. “You are wonderful. Turn to me, so I can see you better. Your face—it is so clear and genuine. And your eyes—such a lovely pale blue color. And an even lovelier expression in them.”
The Imperatris glances up at her son who stands looking at us. “Aeson, I am very pleased. You chose better than I could ever dream. Gwen will be a true and worthy Consort for you.”
At her words I blush. Meanwhile Aeson’s face transforms with wonder, and he looks at his mother with such pure affection that I feel a swell of joy on his behalf.
“Thank you, Mother. I treasure your words,” he says after a pause. “I believe you will come to love Gwen as much as I do.”
The Imperatris smiles and her eyes are glistening with moisture. “I already do.”
I honestly don’t even know the kind of amazing feeling that overcomes me at that point. This kindness, this acceptance—in contrast to what took place earlier this morning at the Imperator’s eos bread—it makes me want to bawl too, but I take a deep breath and control myself.
Devora Kassiopei returns her attention to me, and continues to examine me closely. She gently takes both my hands, holding them briefly in her own, turns them over to look at my palms. “Your hands are good and capable,” she says with a smile, while I marvel at the warmth of her own elegant fingers.
The Imperatris looks into my eyes and then raises one hand to brush stray wisps of my hair from my forehead. Her hand lingers, and her delicate fingers run through my hair, stroking me kindly. “Soft and rich brown like the tea I like to drink,” she says. “Very lovely color. . . . Now, I can only imagine how you grew up on Earth, dear child. Tell me about you, your family, your parents, what things you like. Tell me all about yourself.”
“Oh,” I say. “Well, my family is in Vermont now—which is the United States of America, and we moved there from California when Mom got sick. There’s my Mom and Dad—Margot and Charles Lark—and my older brother George, who all still remain there—but Aeson says he will make sure to save them—”
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