What happened next shook the room to its foundation.
Rayn’s advocate called the human, Madeline Mariah Pearce, to take the stand. An eerie hush fell over the room, while Rayn exhibited a look of utter shock.
The human glided to the front of the room. Athyna thought she had never seen a female look so poised and ethereally beautiful. Stunning in her attire, the human’s hair was a color that Athyna had never seen on anyone before. It literally glistened, as if it were the shiniest copper. Braided in the Vesturion fashion, it hung down to the small of her back. She was slender and of average height, but her regal bearing made her look much taller. She was attired in the beautiful garment of one to be mated to the Firstborn, and she wore the armbands of such. Her neck was encircled with a beautiful golden torc that held a magnificent topaz symbolic of her bonding to Rayn. The first thought that came to Athyna’s mind was that this female was absolutely perfect for Rayn.
Athyna glanced at Rayn, and she was thoroughly taken aback by the look of adoration on his face. She had never seen a male look at his mate in such a manner. Athyna wanted to shout at the Elders. Could they not see this? One would have to be blind not to notice. She would definitely have words with her father over this.
If the calling of the human were not shocking enough, what happened after that would not be forgotten for many, many years.
The esquire asked for the human to state her name and where she was from. Her voice was melodious when she answered. It shook ever so slightly, but her demeanor didn’t show her anxiety. The esquire then asked what her purpose in the chambers was.
“I am here on behalf of Alexyon Rayn Devvan Rowan Yarrister VII to show the Elders that he, in fact, violated no law or covenant in bringing me to Vesturon. I have proof to show the Council that I, in fact, am of Vesturion blood.”
With that statement, the chambers broke into a cacophony of voices. Rayn, followed by his parents bolted out of their seats, stunned by her statement. Athyna had to commend the human. She stayed seated and remained calm until the noise died down.
The Elder in charge banged on his gavel repeatedly, striving to regain order in the room. After several minutes passed, and everything calmed down, the chief Elder asked the human to approach the bench of the Elders.
Several minutes of whispering between the human, the esquire, and the Elders ensued. Finally, Athyna’s father grudgingly announced that the human had some evidence that showed her to be part Vesturion.
Again, the room broke out in mayhem. Finally, order was restored, and the human was allowed to give her testimony.
She began by speaking of a dream…
The testimony concluded with Maddie showing the Council and all those in the chambers the mark of Vesturon that she bore on her back.
The room instantly became chaotic. A tall grey haired man that was a part of the Council stood up, as did a beautiful older woman in the courtroom. Maddie took one look at them, and immediately, she recognized them as her grandparents.
Her grandfather’s eyes were identical in color to her own. Her grandmother looked like a slightly older version of the woman in her dreams. She smiled at each of them, and she could instantly hear their thoughts.
Maddie wanted to rush into their arms, as she was thrilled to have a connection to them. The Chief Elder interrupted her thoughts when he asked for a short recess for the Council to confer, and he announced that the trial would reconvene in one hour.
Maddie flew off her seat with every intention of landing into Rayn’s arms. In her excitement, she had forgotten she was standing on a platform, and when she went to run to him, she lost her balance. In trying to correct her movements, she only succeeded in gaining momentum, and she barreled directly into the back of the bailiff, catching him off guard. Not having anything to grab onto to prevent his fall, he looked on in horror as he felt himself being propelled precisely into Rowan’s back, who was unaware of the imminent collision. The inevitable domino effect occurred at that point with Rowan tumbling into Therron. In a matter of seconds, the front of the chambers had turned into a pile of arms and legs, with Maddie on top, entangled in everyone’s clothing.
Rykerian stood off to the side shaking his head, wondering how to extract everyone with a semblance of dignity. Unfortunately, it all looked so comical that he found himself shaking with laughter. He was not alone, as everyone that had witnessed the escapade was sharing the moment with him.
Rayn bent down and lifted Maddie in his arms and carried her out of the mêlée. It turned out to be an opportune time for them to steal a few moments together.
“I have been worried to death all day that I would do something like this. I am such a klutz!” Maddie exclaimed.
“I must admit that it was quite a show!” Rayn couldn’t stop chuckling.
“I guess I should be used to this by now; it seems to happen all the time. But, Rayn, I am so glad to finally be here!”
“Maddie, you are the most beautiful of females. I could barely keep myself from you. I cannot believe this! It is nearly impossible for me to take in,” Rayn breathed in her ear. “Vesturion, huh?”
“I know. I’ve been dying to tell you, but there was no way for me to. That’s why we bonded as we did. It explains so much we didn’t understand before. I only wish my parents had told me all of this. I guess their untimely deaths prevented it, but it could have saved you from being imprisoned.”
“That is irrelevant now that we are together.”
“Do you think the Council will release you?”
“I cannot see that they would have any other choice.”
Their conversation continued with both of them trying to fill each other in on what had been happening. The hour flew by, and soon, the Chief Elder was making the announcement that all charges against Rayn had been dropped in lieu of the revelation of Maddie’s Vesturion lineage.
After the announcement, Maddie grabbed Rayn’s hand and dragged him to her grandparents, Taruk and Lysandra Ballistarius. She threw herself at them, nearly knocking them over, but it was apparent they did not mind it in the least. They were both ecstatic to have their granddaughter, who they had never dreamed of meeting in person, here in the flesh with them.
Neither Maddie nor her grandparents could get the words out of their mouths fast enough. Questions were popping everywhere, making Rayn’s head spin. He finally stepped in and suggested that they meet later that day in a place more suitable for conversation. They all agreed they would gather at the Ballistarius home for refreshments and conversation later that afternoon. In the meantime, Rayn wanted some time alone with Maddie.
He wanted to show her his home, his city, and his favorite places, so Rayn decided to take Maddie on a walking tour of his town.
Maddie felt she had fallen asleep and awakened in fairyland. She could not begin to describe Vesturon. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Rayn was amazed by her newfound ability to detect the additional hues that were so common on Vesturon.
She retold her dream to him in great detail, which was astonishing to Rayn, but at the same time, it made complete and total sense. It certainly explained why they had connected, and now, it all made sense because of her Vesturion bloodlines.
He gave her a quick tour, and Maddie understood why they were all so in love with this place.
Maddie surprised Rayn when she asked to take him somewhere. This puzzled him, since he knew she was fairly unfamiliar with Vesturon. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along until they came to the Academy. They entered the building, and she took him to the wall of trophies that acclaimed his accomplishments.
“Why did you never share any of this with me?” she whispered to him.
“How did you know of this?” he asked her in return.
“Rykerian brought me here before we returned to Earth. Rayn, this is incredible. You are incredible. I wasn’t shocked at your accomplishments. I was shocked that you never shared this with me. Why?”
“It is not important to me,” he answered curtly.
Maddie puzzled over this. His furrowed brow told her that he was bothered by the fact that she knew about it.
“Rayn, I don’t understand. This is incredible. It’s something you should be proud of.”
He was silent for a moment before he responded. “All my life I have been held to a standard of excellence. It was never an option but a requirement. I was reminded of it incessantly, not by my family but by everyone else around me. From the time I was a small child, it was pounded into me that I had to be the best there was. Second or third would never suffice, because I was Firstborn. This applied to every single thing I did, whether it was academics, athletics or a silly hobby. Mind you, much of it came relatively easy for me, but the only thing I ever wanted was to be average, to be treated like everyone else. I didn’t want the accolades. I didn’t even want the recognition. I was pushed and prodded until I was half crazy. When I left the Academy, I vowed never to come back here. I guess you can see my memories of it are not very fond ones,” he confessed.
Rayn finally stopped pacing and looked at Maddie. “I am sorry if I have burst a bubble for you, but it is the way I feel.”
Maddie felt saddened by his explanation.
“It was never my bubble to burst, and I didn’t intend for this to upset you Rayn. When Rykerian brought me here, he did it so that I could have a deeper understanding of you. I guess he thought it would be my only chance to see this, and Rayn, he did it with such pride. I was astounded by your achievements because you never let on about this. I understand why you feel this way, but you must know that not anyone could do what you’ve done here. You are phenomenal, and if you don’t care about it, that’s fine. I’ll just be proud of it for you!”
While she spoke, she had sidled up next to him and placed her hand on his arm. She stood up on her toes and embraced him.
“Rayn, I couldn’t be more proud of anyone than I am of you. You are extraordinary. I am sorry though that your years here were so intense.” She looked into his amazing emerald eyes and saw a depth of emotion she hadn’t seen before.
“Maddie, I...”
She placed her fingers on his lips and said, “Sshh. You don’t have to say anything. I understand.”
His arms went around her as he pulled her into his embrace.
They stood together briefly, and he said, “Come.”
Rayn escorted her down a beautiful street until it came to a glorious structure, resembling an opulent French chateau.
“Welcome to your new home, Maddie. This is the house where I grew up, and where you shall live as well.”
“Um Rayn, this isn’t a house. It’s a palace!”
She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the imposing structure.
“I mean, come on! It’s a palace; a ginormous palace! You never mentioned anything about living in a palace!”
Maddie’s mouth had become dry as a bone, making swallowing difficult. Plus, the added problem of a lump the size of a grapefruit didn’t help either.
“I’ve never been anywhere…I mean…I thought your home in the mountains was really special. But this looks like the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Holy cow! It’s so fancy! And big! This is
not
what I was expecting.” Her agitation became apparent, as she started fidgeting and rambling.
He shook his head saying, “Maddie, I cannot believe what I’m hearing.”
He turned her to face him, took her chin in his hand, and tilted her head up to his.
His face was a mere inches from hers as he continued, “You, courageous girl, went into the chambers today and calmly faced a huge group of austere and fierce Vesturions without any qualms. And now you’re letting a pile of stone get the best of you. Where is that warrior I glimpsed earlier?”
“Shivering in her boots, that’s where she is. This is so imposing. A little warning might have been a bit helpful! And now I also have to face your parents, who, by the way, probably hate me.”
“Maddie, for all of my father’s imperious demeanor and the dissension he and I had over this, he truly was bound by his obligations for which I cannot blame him. He is, however, a man with deep feelings of love and honor for his family. I hope you will come to know him as such. And this, as I just said, is just an edifice. What makes this a great place is the people that live here. It has always been a home filled with love. Come. Let me show you,” he said as he held out his hand for her.
As Rayn led the way, Maddie decided to put on her brave face. After all, it was only a ‘pile of stone.’
Yeah, right!
They entered the palace and were immediately greeted by servants. Rayn showed them great respect, even hugged some of the women.
The palace was nothing short of magnificent. There were marble floors throughout dotted in thick hand-stitched Aubusson styled rugs. The walls were adorned with massive oil paintings, exquisite murals, or richly woven tapestries. Maddie had never seen anything like it, except in books and museums. She felt like she was visiting Versailles or something similar.
“Are there informal rooms like where you watch TV and stuff?” she asked.
“Oh, yes, but not exactly TV. Our entertainment is a bit different here. I’ll show you another time. You are going to love it, Maddie! Come, let me give you a tour.”
His excitement was contagious as Maddie felt herself getting excited about seeing it all.
The main floor contained all the formal gathering rooms—the ballroom, dining room, etc.
“This is where all the formal entertaining takes place. The back houses a massive kitchen, and that wing,” he pointed to the right, “contains the gallery with all the valuable art pieces that have been collected over the centuries. The second, third and fourth floors house the private residences of my family.”
Rayn took her through every room so that she could inspect everything, and she was in awe. The rooms were filled with priceless pieces of art and sculptures. Everything literally made Maddie’s head swim. She had never been in the presence of such opulence, and she was almost afraid to even sit anywhere.