Boxed Set: Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood: [The 12 book 1st adventure + the series prequel]

by Robert Iannone

  Ven’trrr had hoped the girl would understand the incredible significance of this new discovery and how disruptive her own little project would be to the ongoing research.

  Apparently he failed.

  Without arguing which would simply waste more of his precious time, he said, “As you command.”

  Chapter 2

  Duke of Bo’ring and Duchess of Prim

  “Wow!” hissed the sea serpent.

  “Are you completely out of your mind?” demanded the dragon.

  Rose’Alynnia gave T’eel a warm smile and Kl’air a smug smirk.

  “Are you ready to lose? I’ve picked out a simply divine dress for you to wear. The color will match your eyes perfectly. Of course, we’ll have to let out a little in the waist seeing that you’re a tad larger than I am.”

  “H’sssss”.

  “Shut up you slimy sea snake,” growled the dragon. “Rose you can’t just slip on a pair of pretty wings and fly. You’re going to kill yourself.”

  “Ohhh, how sweet. Are you really so worried about your Princess?”

  “NO. I’m worried that your father is going to pluck my feathers, roast me over a fire and eat me.”

  “Touching.”

  “Have you tried them out?” asked T’eel.

  “I’m about to. Let’s go to the Rock Garden. The wall there isn’t so high and we can roll some of the stones together to make it easier for me to get on top.”

  And with that began a ten-minute, very animated three way argument between a human, a sea serpent and a dragon. The Princess was waving her hands and yelling, Kl’air was flapping her wings furiously and squawking and T’eel was slapping her tail so hard it was making loud thwacks against the floor.

  “STOP”. Rose had her hands on her hips; a sure sign that she had had as much bickering as she would tolerate. The other girls knew her well enough to do as she commanded. “No more jibber-jabber. I’m doing this thing. I have every intention of being the first human to fly from Q’umulus. Heck, I have every intention of being the first human to fly.”

  “But . . .”

  “No buts, Kl’air. However, I’m not as stupid as you two think I am. When I jump off, I want you to follow me. If I get into trouble, I expect you to swoop in and grab me in those hideously big feet of yours and save my sorry self. Okay?”

  That made the other two feel much better.

  Then after a few seconds, it made Kl’air feel really, really bad. She might just lose this bet. What was she thinking? How could she have ever dared her friend to do anything? Rose’Alynnia just hated to lose and she was so darned smart she could always figure a way to beat the odds.

  Then the dragon thought of herself in a dress and she began to cry. She would be so mortified . . . the laughing stock of every dragon living or dead.

  “What’s wrong with you?” asked T’eel.

  “Hey, big bird . . .”

  Kl’air couldn’t even look at the Princess.

  “Hey . . . I’ve decided that you won’t have to wear a dress.” Sometimes Rose showed signs of what a really amazing Queen she might one day become.

  The dragon looked up – more than half expecting the Princess to be joking. “Really?”

  “Really. I figure if I have to count on you to save my life if this all goes wrong, I should make sure you still love me.” She extended her arms to her friend.

  Kl’air walked over and hugged Rose – her enormous wings completely enfolding the human.

  When they finished, Rose’Alynnia’s eyes lit up with her usual mischief. “However, if I do make it down, I will have my prize.”

  “What prize?” asked Kl’air suspiciously.

  “I will command that . . .” and she paused for dramatic effect “. . . T’eel wear a hat of my choosing for a week.”

  “WHAT? ME?”

  “Absolutely. As my Feminion, you gave me bad advice. So the punishment will fall on your head, so to speak.”

  The serpent flopped down as if she had been struck dead, and Rose and Kl’air almost wet themselves laughing.

  *****

  “Hello, father.”

  “Daughter.”

  “You wanted to see me.”

  “I did.”

  Rose waited but M’earth just stared.

  “Father?”

  “How was your morning?”

  “My morning?”

  “Yes, your morning.”

  “It was exhilarating.”

  “Why so?”

  She was about to make up some story until she realized that her father already knew what she had done. “I think perhaps you know.”

  “Do I?”

  “Father, it was amazing. I’m the first human to fly.”

  “And if the wings failed?”

  “Kl’air flew along side of me just in case.”

  “Very clever.”

  “I thought so.”

  “Well, I think someone as clever as you, as brave as you, deserves a special reward.”

  Rose smiled. ‘This is going very well’ she thought. Then she realized it was going too well. Time to change the subject then leave. “Father, have you talked to Ven’trrr recently. He’s made an amazing discovery…”

  “I’m sending you away” interrupted her father.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Your mother and I give up. Someday you will be Queen of this world yet you do not understand what that requires.”

  “Of course I do.”

  “No, my dearest child. You think it means acting like a spoiled princess. What you fail to appreciate is that it is a full time job even now. You must spend your time preparing. You do not.”

  “I study.”

  “There is so much more to learn than from books.”

  “Like what?”

  “You will see. Tomorrow morning you will leave for the Duke of Bo’ring.”

  Horrified, Rose blurted “WHAT?”

  “You will spend time with him and the Duchess, then with E’ssss and S’eeee. After that it will be with Queen F’Aerianne who will then assign you to one of her Royal Families to complete your studies.”

  “For how long?”

  “I have set no time limit. It depends on you and how well you apply yourself to the task at hand. My guess is that one or two years should suffice.”

  “NO.”

  “Yes. You will, of course, come home and visit with your parents. And at that time, you may see your two friends. But only them. Otherwise, they will be commanded to leave you alone.”

  The Princess turned white but she had no intention of giving her father the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She would do that when she was alone in her room.

  *****

  As she prepared to leave, there was a knock at her bedroom door. “Come” she said.

  It was an Imperial Sentinel. “Princess, the King asked me to deliver this note” and he handed her an envelope, bowed then left.

  Hoping it was the reprieve she had been expecting; she tore it open and read the message in her father’s familiar handwriting:

  Rose – everyone has been instructed to think of you as if you were their daughter and not mine. Expect no Royal treatment and act accordingly. For the next year or two, I will not intervene in any of your affairs.

  You are about to start your most difficult challenge. Make me proud. I love you – always have, always will.

  She wanted to scream . . . or at least throw something. But she didn’t.

  Her father was right – as usual. She would be Queen one day and she needed to be ready. Ruling Humans, Dragons and Sea Serpents probably wasn’t as easy as M’earth made it appear.

  And wisely using the infinite power of the Crystal Egg was an awesome responsibility.

  Deep down inside she knew that she wasn’t anywhere near prepared for her future. So making herself into a Queen-in-Waiting was going to be her greatest dare.

  And she hated to lose.

  But she just loved being a spoiled princes
s. It was so much fun.

  This was going to be hard. Really, really hard.

  *****

  “Welcome to Se’rene, Rose.”

  It was like a splash of cold water to hear her addressed like that. The Nobles of Aerianna always called her Your Highness or Princess Rose’Alynnia. Only her parents and closest friends called her Rose.

  “Sir” she answered in way of acknowledgement and turning to the Duchess, she nodded and said, “Madame.”

  The Duke and his wife were well along in years. They had no children of their own so it was odd that her father had chosen them to start her education. They lived in a smallish castle far out in the country. The name they had given it – Se’rene – was totally appropriate. What few neighbors they had were many miles away. Rolling hills, a thick wood and a meandering river were all that you could see from the highest vantage point in the tallest spire.

  They were in a sitting room pleasantly furnished but certainly small and unassuming compared to anything back home. Rose felt herself begin to panic at the prospect of spending any length of time in this place and with these people.

  It was the Duchess who gave her a small measure of comfort. “My dear child, I am sure you are wondering how long you will be forced to endure the company of my husband and me. Though that is ultimately up to you, what we have to impart can be readily learned in a month perhaps two.”

  “Really?” She hadn’t meant to sound so hopeful.

  “Your first lesson is never to respond to a statement with the word ‘really’.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “When you are Queen, it would be unseemly to question the veracity of a loyal subject in that way. If you doubt the statement, you would simply ask the speaker to explain his or her rational behind it. Then you would decide whether the person spoke truly or was misleading you either overtly or through ignorance.”

  Rose sat there dumbfounded. As the seconds ticked by and no one spoke, she finally said, “Aren’t you making much to do about nothing?”

  “Your second lesson is to never use contractions. A Queen will not take shortcuts – either with her decision making process or the words she chooses to use.”

  Again the seconds ticked by. And the only thing Rose could think of saying was “Oh, my gosh!”

  “Indeed.”

  *****

  “Good morning, Rose. I hope you slept well.”

  “I did, your Grace. Thank you for asking.” Already the Duchess’s lessons were beginning to take hold.

  “Tell me, my dear, have you ever held a sword?”

  Startled by the question, the girl blurted “What?” – then quickly corrected herself. “No, your Grace. I have never had occasion to do so.”

  “Today I will teach you the basics of swordsmanship.”

  Again she was about to blurt “What?” but caught herself. “I would very much appreciate learning at the hands of a well-known sword master. However, if I may, I do question the need for such skills.”

  “As well you should. Aerianna has no wars thanks to King M’earth and the Crystal Egg. However, swordsmanship is a time-honored custom and I believe we must allow for tradition even as we move forward and transform society in new ways. Do you agree?”

  “I haven’t . . . excuse me; I have not considered the value of tradition as perhaps I should have. I will give it some thought. In the meantime, we should not waste this beautiful morning. I would be honored to be taught by you.”

  *****

  Much to Rose’s surprise, the days raced by as did the weeks. Her disdain for the Duke and Duchess turned quickly to friendship then to love as a niece to a favorite aunt and uncle.

  The Duchess continued to correct her speech as well as her way of thinking and behaving. At first, it was strange and tedious but it soon began to intrigue her in ways she would never had thought possible. The more she practiced what she was taught the more she began to think of herself as a princess. And that was weird. She was born a princess, she had the rank of princess and she had the spoils that go along with being princess. But it wasn’t until now that she actually felt that she deserved that title and the privileges and responsibilities that went with it.

  As for her time with the old Duke, it was inspirational. She quickly mastered the techniques of a sword master, though it would be years of long, hard practice before she could become as proficient as her teacher.

  But she was also learning about integrity, honor and loyalty. These were concepts for which she was obviously familiar. But their meanings were completely different for a Princess or a Queen then it was for one of their subjects.

  She was both inspired and humbled by the knowledge.

  Ten weeks after she had arrived, Rose was again with the Duke and Duchess in the same sitting room as on that first day. They normally shared a cool drink and fruit while discussing the day’s lessons late each afternoon. So this gathering was like every other.

  “Rose, what do you think of our little Se’rene?” asked the old Duke.

  “Sir, at first I was horrified that I would have to spend any length of time so far from what I considered civilization. How very wrong I was. It was a rash conclusion without basis in fact. And though happily I did not share those thoughts with you, I wish to apologize. Se’rene is the most marvelous castle in the most stunning setting in all of Aerianna. I do thank you for sharing it with me.”

  “I thought as much. It is so very special. I would be terribly disappointed if . . .” but he didn’t finish. In a rare show of emotion that shocked Rose, he took out a handkerchief and dabbed his eyes.

  “Your Highness . . .”

  Much like her reaction on that first day, the use of her former title hit her like an electric shock. She turned to the Duchess, her eyes showing puzzlement. But she answered as she should “Yes, your Grace?”

  “My husband and I have no family and quite frankly we are too old to live by ourselves so far from medical care. We have sold Se’rene.”

  “Oh, no. You mustn’t,” she said slipping into the use of a contraction. “I’ll . . .”

  Two contractions were the limit of what the Duchess could tolerate. “I believe you meant to say ‘must not’ and ‘I will’, did you not?” Her eyes were twinkling and she smiled warmly.

  Rose dropped her head then lifted it with a bright smile lighting her face. “Your Grace, you must not sell your wonderful home. I will use what little influence I may have with the King to work out different arrangements that will meet your needs. You must stay at Se’rene. If I could, I would command it.”

  This time the old Duke answered, “Your Highness, your father has invited the Duchess and me to live at his palace on Q’umulus. It is a great honor he is bestowing on us and we are very grateful.”

  Rose exhaled, relieved that her two friends would be taken care of. “But what of Se’rene?”

  “That I cannot tell you” but the sly grin on his face said differently.

  “There is one more thing, your Highness,” added the Duchess.

  “Yes?”

  “Today was your last day under our tutelage. You have learned well and we, your humble subjects, are most pleased that one day you will rule Aerianna.”

  They both bowed formally. Then the old Duke added with a pretend stern look “. . . but Rose, for the love of all that is holy, keep your guard up before you parry.” Then he walked over to the young girl and hugged her fiercely. This time he didn’t try to hide his tears.

  Chapter 3

  E’ssss and S’eeee, the Royal Sea Serpents

  They actually didn’t sit on thrones; that would be more than a little uncomfortable. And though they could stay out of water for weeks if necessary, one wouldn’t expect the King and Queen of the Sea Serpents to endure discomfort just for the sake of visiting humans or dragons.

  So they lounged in the shallow end of a pool of emerald green water – sufficiently deep to support their weight but shallow enough for their head and neck to be ex
posed. Oddly, there was an impressive throne made of crystals of a variety of dazzling colors at the edge of the pool. That was reserved for M’earth if and when the good King chose to visit.

  Rose’Alynnia had arrived ten minutes earlier. In the not too distant past, she would have been appalled to be kept waiting and angry enough to make an unpleasant scene. Now she simply waited patiently.

  Finally, a serpent made his way to an enormous seashell mounted on a coral base and blew a twenty-five note tune signaling that the Royal couple was ready to receive guests. The hall became respectfully quiet.

  “Your Majesties,” curtsied Rose.

  “Child, do you know your reputation amongst the Serpents?” E’ssss was well known for his direct (and some would say undiplomatic) approach to troublesome issues. And his problem today (and for some time to come) was this Human.

  Rose was about to say something flip like ‘she’s cute as button, as brave as a dragon and as smart as a serpent” but decided that was probably not the right approach. She settled for a modest “No I don’t . . . um . . . do not.” Then she hurriedly added “Sir.”

  Before her husband could answer his own question, the more kindly Queen said, “You are loved as King M’earth’s daughter but . . .” she paused for a moment then finished with “not well liked.”

  “Oh”. That hurt. She had always assumed she was everyone’s favorite princess.

  “Someday you will rule Aerianna,” continued E’ssss. “With the power of the Crystal Egg, the goodwill of the Serpents is not required. We would do as you command but only reluctantly. Do you truly wish to go down in the annals of this world as Rose’Alynnia, the Unloved Queen?”

  She fought back her tears; she simply could never let anyone see her cry. Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions she managed to say, “I would rather forfeit the crown than to be unloved by my people. I would not deserve to be your Queen.”

  “Well said, my dear,” answered S’eeee. “I do look forward to our days together,” she added with a smile. It was not hard to guess that the young girl was humiliated but was showing extraordinary courage in standing there, head held high, accepting her chastisement with as much grace as she could muster.