A Royal Engagement (Enchanted Galaxy Series Book 1)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Hathor let go of her and pulled the small book out of his pocket. “I guess we should continue on our way.”

  Ann turned her gaze back to the lion who purred, his soulful eyes searching hers. “I don’t think he wants us to leave.”

  Hathor glanced at him.

  “You know,” she began, “he reminds me of a dog.”

  “A dog?”

  “An animal on Earth. Usually, they’re super friendly and loyal. You’d probably like them.”

  “I probably would since I like this guy right here.” He scratched the lion behind his ears and the lion closed its eyes and purred.

  Yep, this lion was just like a dog. He was a lot bigger with more fur and sharper teeth and claws, but he was like a dog nonetheless. And she had to admit he was persuasive. “Can we stay one more day?” she asked Hathor.

  “I don’t know. We should try to get back to Raz. The Palers are bound to pull another stunt before we arrive there.”

  “They can do that anywhere,” she pointed out. When he still seemed hesitant, she pressed, “Come on. It’s only for one day. And besides, I spent my entire life on Earth. I haven’t checked out any of this neat stuff or met such likable but strange animals,” she motioned to the lion, “before.”

  His face softened. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to stay here one more day.”

  “Oh good!” She hugged him and then hugged the lion. “Don’t get me wrong. Being almost killed is exciting. A bad kind of exciting, but exciting all the same. But I’d like to do something peaceful and fun, even if it’s just for today. You said Palers don’t strike on the same day twice, right?”

  “They take time to strategize between attacks so it takes them a while before they come back.”

  “Great. Then we should be safe for today.” She turned to the lion. “Do you know any interesting places around here to explore?”

  The lion headed off down a winding path before she even finished the sentence.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Hathor said.

  Looking forward to taking a break from all the drama with the Palers, she followed the lion. Hathor quickly caught up to her so they could walk together down the winding path.

  Chapter Six

  Alpha Head I

  Planet: Pale

  Seta watched Omin as he paced around her hospital bed. “How could you let them go like that?” he barked.

  Seta sat up on the bed so she could better meet his accusing gaze. “That Razian Hathor wouldn’t stop stabbing me! And the lion scratched out my eyes. Had I not gotten back here in time, the surgery wouldn’t have corrected my vision and I wouldn’t have healed from my wounds.”

  “I expected better from you.”

  “I almost died!”

  He stopped pacing and glared at her. “Paff could have done a better job than that.”

  “Don’t compare me to Paff. He’s totally incompetent! You were stupid to pick him as your First Commander.”

  Omin struck her. “Don’t you dare call me stupid.”

  She snarled and leapt at him. Digging her fingernails into his neck, she hissed, “How do you like it when someone is doing this to you?”

  “Get off of me right now,” he ordered, trying to pry her off of him.

  How she detested him. Everything he did, he did only for his gain. Never once did he consider what was best for the Palers he ruled over. “You might be an expert planner, but I’m an expert fighter,” she growled, digging her nails deeper into his skin, satisfied when his blue blood seeped down his neck. “How does it feel, Omin?” Then, before he had time to push her off, she bared her sharp teeth at him. “Magic might make me a dragon, but I don’t need it to act like one.”

  She released a blast of blue fire from her mouth. The smell of his rotting flesh filled the room, and his face dripped like wax.

  He threw her across the room. “You’re going to the Great Prison,” he gasped, touching his face.

  She bounced back on her feet and sneered. “You’ll have to catch me first, Omin. I won’t grovel at your feet like Paff did.”

  His eyes narrowing in on her, he put up his hands in an offensive maneuver. “With pleasure.” Then he lunged forward.

  She escaped his attack by jumping up and grabbing the light fixture hanging from the ceiling. She swung back and forth with ease. “You have no idea how long I’ve been practicing my fighting skills.”

  He tried to grab her, but she dodged him and laughed.

  “You really should be careful when picking commanders. They might be more powerful than you are,” she spat.

  “You’re not more powerful than me. No one is more powerful than me!” He tried to grab her again but failed as she continued swinging back and forth. “I made Pale what it is today. I’m the ruler!”

  “We’ll see about that in a minute, won’t we?”

  He sprung up on the bed and crouched down to leap at her, but she jumped off the light fixture and kicked him as hard as she could in the jaw. He flew across the room and landed with a hard smack against the wall. With a groan, he crumpled to the floor and lost consciousness.

  Settling on her feet, she stepped toward him as a nurse showed up. It’d been her intention to kill him, but then she thought the Great Prison was a better punishment. This way, he’d suffer for all the things he’d done. Now that she had the upper hand, she no longer had to follow his orders. And she could think of no better way to repay him for all the grief he’d caused than to put him in the system he put so many others in.

  She turned to the nurse. “I have defeated Omin. By law, that makes me the leader. My first order is for you to send him to the Great Prison.”

  “I will obey, Leader Seta,” the nurse replied as she hurried to push the button to call the prison guards.

  A slow smile spread across Seta’s face. At long last, she had defeated him. She’d waited for the right moment, and it finally came. She might not have defeated Hathor today, but she had defeated Omin. And for now, that was good enough.

  ***

  Planet: Forestaria

  Hathor followed Ann through the path until they came to the edge of a cliff. The lion stopped and looked expectantly at them.

  With a shake of his head, Hathor rubbed the silky mane. “I hate to tell you this, but I don’t read minds. You’re going to have to show us what you want.”

  “Well, if he wants us to take a leap off this cliff, I’m not doing it,” Ann replied. “I don’t care if the trees down there are as soft as mushrooms. I might be adventurous, but I’m not that adventurous.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not either.” He turned to the lion. “We don’t fly and I’m pretty sure you don’t either, so what do you have in mind?”

  The lion found a vine that extended from the cliff they were on to the cliff across the great chasm. With surprising grace for a large animal, he walked on the vine, which was sturdier than it looked. When he made it to the other cliff, he roared for them to follow.

  “Oh, he can’t be serious,” Ann argued. “I’m not going to walk on that thin vine.”

  “He did it,” Hathor replied.

  “He’s not a typical lion. He’s probably built to handle things like a squirrel does. But I’m from Earth, and I know my limitations.”

  “Well then…” Hathor scanned the area and found a vine hanging from a nearby tree. He walked over to it and tested it. Though it didn’t look like much, it was strong. “What about swinging across? This thing is long enough to get you there.”

  She bit her lower lip in the most adorable way. “I don’t know.”

  “What if I do it with you?”

  “Are you sure it can hold two people?”

  “Yep.” He tugged on the vine. “It’s secure.”

  She glanced at the other side, still not seeming convinced.

  “Did you want an adventure or not?” he asked, a light teasing tone in his voice.

  “Yes.”

  “Then come on over. I won’t let you fall.”
>
  After a moment, she headed in his direction. He fought the urge to smile. She was cute. It was clear she desperately wanted to venture out and explore new things, but the risks involved were holding her back. And who could blame her? She was born and raised on Earth where nothing interesting ever happened. She probably spent all her time sitting in her apartment or in class or something equally boring. He couldn’t imagine how awful her life had been up to this point.

  When she reached him, he held the vine out to her. “You grab it first, and then I’ll get on.”

  She scanned the area again then turned her gaze back to the vine the lion had walked across. “I’ve never swung on a vine before.”

  “There’s a first time for everything.”

  With a nod, she took hold of the vine. “Okay. What’s the best way to do this?”

  “Grab on with both hands and wrap your legs around it.”

  She obeyed and looked over at him. “Now what?”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go across yourself?”

  “It looks dangerous.”

  “The vine is safe. It’ll get you over there.”

  “I’d feel better if you went with me.”

  “Alright.”

  It wasn’t until he wrapped his arms around her so he could hold onto the vine that it occurred to him how intimate the action was. He wasn’t sure if she picked up on it or not. Granted, soon they’d be married and being this close would come with it, but he hadn’t ever embraced a woman before. And this wasn’t just any woman. This was the next queen—the most important person on Raz.

  “Are we ready?” she asked.

  He cleared his throat and nodded. “Here we go.”

  Forcing his attention back to the cliff on the other side, he pushed off the ledge then quickly wrapped his legs around hers as they glided across the air. Their trip across the chasm was a smooth one, and he’d been on other vines before, though this one was a lot better since it gave him an excuse to hold her. She was nice and soft. He’d be happy to fly through the whole forest with her all day if it was possible. But of course, he wouldn’t tell her that.

  They reached the other side, and he grabbed onto another vine so they wouldn’t go back from where they came. He got off first and helped her down before he let go of the vine.

  “What’d you think?” he asked. “Did you enjoy it?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “You don’t know yet?”

  “I’ll let you know when my hands stop shaking.”

  He couldn’t help but smile. “You wanted an adventure.”

  “Yeah I know, but I didn’t think the lion was going to take us all the way across a great big hole in the ground.” She gestured to the chasm then shivered and quickly stepped away from it.

  “Well, that just goes to show you that you never know what you’ll get when you ask for something.” The lion came over to them, and Hathor petted him. “I wonder what other surprises he has in mind for us.”

  The lion roared and headed down another path.

  Grinning at her, he waved her toward the path. “Ready to find out?”

  She took a deep breath. “I think so.”

  “It’ll be fine. The lion won’t take us anywhere dangerous.”

  “You’re right.” As they started following the lion, she added, “I guess that was just a little bit fun back there. It was like going on a carnival ride.”

  “A carnival ride?”

  “Yeah. There were things that could spin you around really fast or take you high up in the air.”

  “Sounds dangerous,” he teased.

  “Not really. The rides were safe. Well, unless there was something faulty with it and it fell apart.” She grimaced. “Never mind. I don’t want to think about it.”

  Laughing, he rubbed her back. “Like I said, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure you don’t fall off anything, whether it’s a vine or something else. I’ll keep you safe from harm.”

  They continued down the winding path and soon came upon a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a group of trees that formed a semi-circle where monkeys were swinging from one tree to another. The lion settled down and looked over at them, indicating that he expected them to sit down, too.

  “I think we’re supposed to watch the monkeys,” Hathor said and gestured for her to sit.

  After she sat down, he settled beside her and turned his attention to the monkeys, wondering what the lion found so fascinating about them. Then it occurred to him that the monkeys were swinging in a pattern.

  “I think they’re swinging in time to the music,” Hathor said as he studied their movements.

  A moment passed before she turned her gaze to him. “You’re right. It’s like they’re putting on a show. I wonder if they do this all the time.”

  “I don’t know. I studied up on a lot of planets, but I didn’t learn the details about the planets outside my galaxy.”

  “Just how many planets are there?”

  “We aren’t sure. Some develop from time to time and others perish. It’s hard to keep track of all of them.”

  “So, what is Raz like?”

  He thought over the map the Great Magician had showed everyone the day he announced who’d be the next queen. “It’s like Earth in the respect that it has blue water, green grass, and a yellow sun. Actually, Raz has two suns. There are mountains, valleys, forests, islands, and meadows. We don’t have deserts though.”

  “Oh.”

  He studied her expression. “You sound disappointed.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, glancing at the monkeys as they continued their rhythmic swinging on the branches. “I guess with all the other stuff I’ve seen since I left Earth, I was thinking Raz would be more spectacular.”

  He considered that she might not like Raz when she got there. He could certainly understand why she was tired of Earth. Any place without some kind of magic wouldn’t hold his interest. Maybe that was the angle to give her. Then she’d know there was something to look forward to. “Raz might be similar to Earth in how it looks, but there’s magic on it. I don’t know what you’d like to do as the queen, but you can ride a unicorn, go to an island where the water changes color depending on your mood, or take a nap in a canopy up in the trees. You won’t get bored.”

  “So, will I be spending most of my time on Raz?”

  “Yes. It’s not often the queen is required to leave the planet, though you can always leave if you ever want to. My mother took a couple vacations on other worlds.”

  She nodded. “I guess it’s pretty neat to be able to go anywhere. I wouldn’t mind going to an island where the water changes color or sleeping in the trees, but I don’t think I’ll ever ride a unicorn.”

  “Did you think you were ever going to pet a lion?”

  “Well…no.”

  “Then you don’t know if you’ll ride a unicorn in the future.”

  “Point taken, but I have no plans on doing it.”

  “Fair enough.” He smiled. “I think you’ll have to be on Raz to truly appreciate the differences between it and Earth.”

  She returned his smile. “You’re probably right.”

  His face warmed with pleasure, and he quickly turned his gaze back to the monkeys.

  Chapter Seven

  Planet: Forestaria

  That night as Ann slept, she dreamt of William...

  She was seventeen again, an age she wished she could remain forever. She stood in the park where she and William used to frequently visit before she moved to Florida. And in her dream, she waited for him.

  She strolled around the perimeter of the pond where ducks swam. Her gaze went to the playground where children were laughing and playing. Her lips turned up. She used to play here when she was in elementary school, and watching them brought memories of her past to her, warming her as she recalled her mother pushing her in the swing or reading at a table nearby while she went on other playground equipment.

>   Finding a vacant wooden bench, she sat down and inhaled the warm spring air, noting the scent of the nearby flowers.

  “There you are.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw William who was holding a red rose out to her. “For my queen.”

  Letting out an uneasy chuckle, she accepted the rose. “Your queen?”

  “Sure.” He sat next to her and shot her the smile that always made her weak in the knees. “You’re the most important person in my life. Why shouldn’t I call you a queen?”

  “Well, that’s very kind of you.” She gestured to the rose. “I’ll hang it upside down so that when it dries out, I can keep it forever.”

  They spent a couple moments in silence before he leaned toward her. “Why didn’t we stay together?”

  It was a question she had often asked herself. “I don’t know. I guess the strain of a long distance relationship was too much for you, so you decided to date other people.”

  “That was a mistake.”

  “Was it?”

  “Yes. You know it never worked with any of the others, but it would have worked with you if we’d just stayed together.” His arm went around her shoulders, reminding her of how things used to be…when he loved her. “We have a second chance.”

  “No, no we don’t,” she replied, forcing the words out even as she had to blink back her tears. “What’s done is done. And what we had is in the past.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way. You’re going to be the queen of Raz. You heard what Hathor said. You can turn back the hands of time. Go back to this time and take me to Raz so I can marry you.”

  “I can’t. I have to marry Hathor.”

  “But you don’t have to stay married to him. Once you have a daughter, you can divorce him and marry me.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I like to think that marriage is forever.”

  “Is it really a marriage when you don’t have a choice?”

  Looking at the rose in her hands, she sighed. “Of course it is. The circumstances that make the marriage possible don’t count.”