Authors: Emma Taylor
Chapter 3
Upon waking and readying myself for the day there was a note in my dressing room from my mother that stated the time and place for the ‘date’ she set up for me. I was to have breakfast with General Tarsis’ daughter on the veranda. I had met Arielle before at many court gatherings and events. She was attractive, but I couldn’t recall if I had any lasting conversations with her.
Once I was dressed, I crossed the palace to the east gardens and saw Arielle seated at a table set for two. She was looking out at the gardens.
“Well, good morning, Arielle,” I said tentatively. She turned quickly to smile at me, as I approached.
She bowed and said, “Good morning, My Lord. I hope you slept well.”
I smiled at her politely as I remembered that Arielle was the one who was exceptionally well at small talk and not much else. I sat down across from her. A small breakfast was laid out; eggs, fruit, cheeses, bread.
“Your mother tells me that you will soon be taking the crown and stepping in for King Rylen,” she said conversationally and I nodded.
“Yes, but my father isn’t so keen on passing over the crown just yet,” I said without thinking, and Arielle looked at me curiously. I had given too much away. I barely knew her. What if she went gossiping about what I had just told her?
“I, ah…he wants me to marry before I take over the throne,” I murmured, and Arielle smiled at me with a tilt of her head, as if she found the idea amusing.
“That will be a feat indeed. Have you had any luck so far?” she asked and I immediately wondered what she meant by her comment.
“Why would it be a feat?” I asked defensively. Arielle stared at me.
“I only meant…finding a wife, in general, for anyone…would be difficult,” she stuttered. I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I am not anyone. When I am ready to find a wife, I will,” I said. Arielle opened her mouth and closed it, at a loss for words.
“I meant no offense, My Lord,” she said softly. I stood to leave.
“If you will excuse me, I have business to attend to,” I said, and left the veranda and the gardens. I was going to look for my father in the throne room. My mother intercepted me in the courtyard.
“Roderick, I expected you to be at breakfast with Arielle. What are you doing here?” I shook my head and sighed in frustration.
“This isn’t working Mother. Already I am growing tired with the whole business of finding a wife.” I began to pace in front of her and she watched me for a few moments before she spoke again.
“Well Roderick, the females on Avant all see you as their prince and soon to be king. You can get away with almost anything and that is no way to find a wife who is good enough for you. You need someone…someone who does not know you. Who won’t fear you…you need a woman from Earth!”
I looked at my mother as if she were mad, though she looked at me with her bright golden eyes, as if she had truly found the answer.
“Yes, surely a human woman would be able to crack your stoic attitude and see the honorable son I raised, and grow to love him. We studied Earth when it was discovered long ago, Roderick. You know our kind is compatible with theirs.” My mother was giving momentum to her idea and I barely had the words formed in my mind to stop her.
“Mother, you can’t be serious. You would have me go to
Earth
to find a mate?” I finally asked and she nodded resolutely.
“Precisely, let’s go and present the idea to your father to see what he thinks,” she said, and took my hand to drag me into the throne room behind her.
“Rylen, a word.” My mother summed him right off his throne as he conferred with a few of his scholars. He dismissed them and then stood to walk with us into his study just behind the throne room.
“Your son is impossible to pair off with the females on this planet,” she said bluntly, and my father looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. He was as confused as I was increasingly exasperated.
“What do you mean by that Ami?” he asked and she gestured to me as if the answer were obvious.
“I mean he cannot possibly find a suitable wife on this planet, as he is about to become Avant’s ruler. I think he should find a wife on Earth.”
I shook my head, but of course my father was completely useless when it came to his wife and anything she vied for.
“It is a good idea Ami. Should you mate with a human, the offspring would be fully Avantian since our blood is dominant to theirs. A human woman would be able to survive on our planet since our solar systems are nearly identical…it is the perfect solution.”
I groaned as the two began making plans to send me to Earth.
“You will go with one small squadron and it is imperative that you blend in Roderick. Familiarize yourself on the ways of modern Earth on your way to the planet. Come back once you have found the one,” my mother said succinctly. She kissed me on both cheeks and breezed from the room.
“Where did you find her father?” I asked and he chuckled.
“She fell from the heavens my boy; she fell from the heavens. Do not worry you will find your star. She will catch your notice and you won’t be able to look away. That is how you know you have found the one.” My father gave me that one piece of advice before he put a call in to the palace guard general to gather a small team to travel with me to Earth.
Chapter 4
My father sent me with four of his own guards. The journey to Earth was quicker than I expected as my father had endorsed space travel and research in the last decade of his reign. I had learned enough about the humans to be able to blend in and behave as they do. Once we landed well out of sight, I figured that we would travel to a bigger city and there I would start my search.
The ship landed in an abandoned tundra and the cloaking system was enabled after we disembarked. I held a transporter device in my hand and all five of us stepped within its range. I had jotted down the coordinates to a place called New York City and quickly punched it in. In a flash of light and within the blink of an eye, the small handheld device transported us all to an abandoned alley. Just beyond the long stretch of paralleled buildings was the street and I saw many people walking by.
“Earth seems like a crowded place,” one of the guards to my left, Kato, spoke up. I nodded.
“That was the point. Lots of people, better chance to find a wife,” I said.
“It seems crowded because our planet is larger my lord. More space for everyone to spread out,” another guard, Ragnor said.
I left the alley, flanked by the four guards.
“We must find a place to purchase appropriate clothing,” I said. We were all dressed in attire from Avant. Yes, we had pants, shirts, and pullovers but the style was distinctly different from what the people on Earth wore. The people we passed all looked at us strangely. I couldn’t help but notice there were many who bore unnecessary weight. The season was cold, apparently, as many of the humans wore heavy clothing and coats, though I scarcely felt the cold. It wasn’t as severe as the winters on Avant. Or even the fall.
“Everyone here is so…short,” grunted Paxton, one of the other guards.
“Yes, but the women are pleasing to behold. You should not have trouble finding a mate here my lord,” said Renley, the fourth guard.
“I hope not. I do not want to be on this planet any longer than two weeks,” I murmured. Kota stopped a man to ask where the nearest clothing shop might be. He gave us stuttered directions and we soon found the shop called Armani. I was quite certain I knew an Armani, who was in my mother’s personal guard. Or perhaps his name was Armand.
When we walked into the perfumed shop, we were instantly spotted and helped by an effeminate man, who went in ‘the back’ for clothing that would fit us.
“You all are lucky. We were just about to ship these extra plus sizes to the Burlington Factory,” the man that helped us spoke rapidly, as I pulled the proper monetary notes out to pay him.
“Are those gold bricks?” he asked with a gasp. I realized I had not converted the actual gold bricks I had into currency for this planet.
“Ah…would you by any chance know of the nearest place I can convert currency?” I asked. A man in a full suit stepped around the effeminate one.
“Yes, but since you all are wearing the clothing already, I’d say at least half of you must stay here until you get the proper money to pay for the clothes,” he said, with a no-nonsense smile.
“Of course, just point me in the right direction and I will return shortly,” I said tightly and tried to temper my annoyance. This human had no idea who I was. I could cut him down and wipe his memory and the other ones in less time than it took to change clothes.
“There’s a Citi bank just around the corner.” The man gave me directions and I took Paxton with me while the rest stayed.
My encounter at the bank was even stranger than the one at the clothing store. So many forms and clearances had to be filled out before I could simply trade the gold for ‘money’ as they called it. Paxton had to forge many things in order for us to raise as little attention as possible.
We went back to the Armani store and paid for the clothing then we were on our way to find a place to stay for the two weeks. Afterwards, I would officially start my search.
Chapter 5
I came across a rather grand hotel to reside in. They had a presidential suite quite fit for a prince. There was a bar and many places to eat in the hotel. I figured that one of those venues would be the perfect place to start looking for a wife.
I dressed in a new set of Armani clothing, a blue ‘turtleneck sweater’ as the sales man called it and dark denim pants with grey loafers. The bar was opulent as was everything else about the Plaza Hotel. The people inside behaved regally and I felt oddly as if I were in the palace court hall back home.
“Hey.” I glanced up at a smiling spirit tend, she was dressed in a uniform and looking at me as if she were to ‘come on to me’ as Kaden would say. Earth was very strange indeed, if servants did not adhere to their stations.
“Hello…” I said cautiously. I had not yet become completely comfortable with the accent spoken on this planet. It was strange that on Avant we spoke the same language as the one called English on Earth, but with different dialect.
“What can I get for you?” she smiled at me again flirtatiously and I opened my mouth to speak the name of an Avantian spirit.
“The strongest drink you have please,” I said and she nodded. She was not exactly unappealing to look at, but she was plain and not what I was looking for in a mate. She did not catch my attention in the slightest. Not to mention that she tended bar.
“I’ll have that right up for ya,” she said, and turned to get a glass and choose from the plethora of bottles on display.
“So, what are you having? Vodka, rum, or something stronger?” The smooth voice came from behind my shoulder and I watched as a woman dressed in a floor-length gown sat in the empty seat next to me. She had long mahogany hair that spilled over her shoulders and beautiful features. Her eyes though, were as dark as night and she looked at me almost predatorily.
“I do not know yet, I will see when I’m served,” I said. She chuckled.
“You like surprises then?” she asked. I shrugged.
“Not necessarily. I do enjoy a strong drink though,” I said.
“I’m sorry, I think I got your drink. Is this yours? Something strong right?” Another woman came up on my other side. I turned in her direction. My spirit tend was still pondering which drink to pour me. I opened my mouth to tell her that she was mistaken, but the elegantly dressed woman on my other side cut in before I could say anything.
“You need to work on it hun. There are only two bartenders at this bar and the other one is all the way down there. Now if you’ll excuse us, we were talking,” she said, and I looked at her in surprise. The females on Earth were certainly bold. But that could be overwhelming. Before another woman could interject, I stood up and made to leave.
“Excuse me bartender, it appears I won’t be needing that drink. If you’ll excuse me ladies,” I said as politely as possible, and walked away from the bar. I quickly exited the hotel for some air and saw a park just across the street. There I would be able to collect my thoughts. The night grew more peaceful once in the park and there was less people around.
“Oh shit.” My head whipped around at the sound of a woman’s soft voice cursing. Just a way down the lane was a woman bending over to pick up some things of hers that had fallen. I found myself walking towards her to help and bending at her feet to pick up her leather purse.
“Hey I’ve got it.” She spoke almost angrily but trailed off as she looked up at me.
I was at a loss for words when I took her in. She was taller than the average human female. She could pass for a true Avantian. She wore form-fitting pants and a form-fitting sweater that showed her curves and figure well. Her skin was sun-kissed and she had long hair that fell to her waist in a tousled, curly black mane. Her eyes were a deep blue and I felt as if I could look into them forever. She had breathtaking features; a soft feminine jaw, high cheekbones, slightly cleft in her chin, a graceful slope of a nose, and softly arched brows. Her full pink lips gave me the urge to press mine against them.
“Uh…thanks…ah, um…but I’ve got it,” she stuttered. Her soft voice naturally sultry and I let go of her bag.
“I am Roderick,” I said. She tilted her head at me. I had spoken as I would on Avant. No doubt my accent was nearly unintelligible to her.
“I’m Isabella…” she said. I glanced down at the ground and picked up the rest of her belongings and handed them to her. “Thank you,” she said again. I stared at her. It was Isabella I wanted as a wife, I was sure of it.
“You are welcome,” I replied in a more human dialect.
“You…you have a really interesting accent. Where are you from?” she asked. I spoke without thinking.
“I am from Avant,” I said, and then hoped she would not think of me as odd for speaking of a place she likely had no knowledge of.
“Is that a city somewhere?” she asked and I nodded quickly.
“Sure, yes,” I said. She smiled at me, as if she thought me odd. Her smile stole my breath. She had dimples on both cheeks. She was most certainly my star. She was perfect.
“O—okay, well it was nice meeting you Roderick…and thanks for helping with my purse,” she said softly. I inclined my head in acknowledgement.
“I was hoping…that maybe you would like to have a meal with me?” I asked her cautiously, and she nodded tentatively and smiled.
“Sure, yes I’d like to…have a meal with you,” she replied.
“Good then…should we exchange information?” I asked her.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” she said and I felt hopeful that I would be able to bring her back to Avant with me soon.