Starbound: A Starstruck Novel (12 page)

We stopped for lunch halfway, at a cute little village called Horseleap that Sean said was about the same size as Bailerealta. Mrs. O’Gara took over the driving after that, and after another hour or so we turned off the highway onto a smaller road. Then, half an hour later, an even smaller road, then another. Abruptly, the landscape changed from green to gray.
 

“Wow! It’s…like another planet.” I gazed wide-eyed at the wide expanses of stone stretching as far as I could see, obscured in places by patches of mist.

“The Burren.” Sean said. “We told you about it, remember? Nothing can grow here, obviously, so no one ever built here. Kind of cool, though, huh?”

I nodded wordlessly.

“Bailerealta isn’t far now,” Mrs. O’Gara said over her shoulder. “It’s at the edge of the Burren, so
Duchas
rarely wander in by accident. Which was the idea, when it was first founded back in the fifteen hundreds.”

Ten minutes later she turned onto a dirt track that looked more like a cow path than a road—just a pair of parallel ruts with a strip of weedy rock in between. We slowly wound our way up and over a barren crag and on the far side the green returned, first in patches, then suddenly all around us. At the same time, the mist thickened into real fog, making it hard to see very far ahead.

“There.” Sean pointed.
 

I squinted and saw rooftops in the near distance, poking up above the fog. As we got closer, they resolved into a collection of one- and two-story, mostly stone houses, some thatched, some tiled.
Thatch? Really?
Although this village supposedly housed nearly four hundred technologically-advanced
Echtrans
, so far it looked a lot like Horseleap. In other words, impossibly quaint.

Suddenly, a man sauntered out of the mist onto the road in front of us. Mrs. O’Gara stopped and rolled down the window.

“Lost, are ye?” the man called out in a thick Irish brogue.

“Nay, we’re here for the star gazing,” she called back, like it was some kind of password. “How are you, Cory?”

Now the man broke into a big smile and hurried forward. Like most
Echtrans
, he was way more handsome than average, with wavy red-brown hair and a strong jaw. “Ah, it’s you, then, Lili! I dinna recognize ye from afar. So, do you be bringin’—” He broke off, peering into the back of the car, his eyes wide.

“Yes, she’s here. You may as well go spread the word.”

He took a hasty step back, bowed in my direction, fist over heart, then, with another grin and a touch of his finger to his forehead, he turned and loped into the village.

“I feared there’d be no bringing you in quietly, Excellency.” Mrs. O sighed, slowly driving forward again. “You’d best brace yourself.”

“Um, brace myself? For what?”

“You’ll see.” Sean and Molly spoke at the same time, sounding amused rather than apprehensive.

Rigel’s anxiety nearly matched my own, but he tried to reassure me.
Don’t worry.
Probably just some ceremony or something.

We reached a fork and turned right. Abruptly, the fog thinned to reveal the whole village, spread out around us. People began pouring into the street from all sides—men, women and children, many of them waving red and green banners.
 

I shrank back against my seat. “What…what do they want?”

“You, dear.” Mrs. O’Gara stopped the car and turned around with a smile. “I’d have warned you, but thought it might make you nervous. This first-ever visit of their Sovereign is nearly as much cause for celebration as when we got the news you were alive last fall.”

More and more people crowded into the street, laughing and cheering, until I was sure every single one of Bailerealta’s four hundred inhabitants must be out there. When they started chanting, I was even more freaked out.
 

“
Faoda byo Thiarna Emileia! Faoda byo Thiarna Emileia!
”

“This is crazy!”

“They’re happy, that’s all,” Mrs. O’Gara assured me. “Just smile and wave and try to enjoy yourself. Come now, don’t be shy. It means so much to everyone.”

I swallowed. “All right, but everybody stay close, okay? My Martian isn’t very good yet.”
 

Molly laughed. “Don’t worry, M, everybody speaks English. Even the Irish accents are mostly out of habit, for show. They’re just shouting—”

“Long live Sovereign Emileia. Yeah, I got that much.” I steeled myself for the role I had to play, knowing Mars would likely be even worse. “Okay, let’s do this.”
 

Sean climbed out, then held out a hand to me. Taking a deep breath, I put my hand into his, resolutely ignoring that little tingle.
Stay close, okay?
I repeated to Rigel, as much to reassure him that the hand-holding didn’t mean anything as because his nearness gave me courage.

Like glue
.
And I know—it’s all just for show.
But I still sensed that tiny twinge of jealousy that never completely disappeared these days.
 

The second I stepped out, the crowd exploded in cheers. Fighting the urge to dive back into the car, I pasted a smile on my face—probably not a convincing one—and waved. They cheered even louder. I tried not to shiver visibly in the cold, damp breeze off the North Sea.

“What now?” I asked out of the corner of my mouth, trying not to let my smile escape. I was starting to feel stupid, just standing there waving like a mechanical doll.

As if in answer, a tall, dark-haired woman stepped forward and the crowd quieted to an excited murmur.

“Welcome, Excellency! I am Liana MacMurrough,
Meara
, ah, Mayor of Bailerealta. Please let me express how very honored we are to have you here. I’m sure you—all of you—are tired after your long journey. May I show you to your lodgings?”

It took me a second to realize it was on me to respond. “Thank you. Yes, that…that would be wonderful. I’m, um, very glad to be here.” Then, raising my voice a little, “Thank you all! I feel very welcome.”

More cheers. My smile became more genuine, their enthusiasm warming me. All these people, total strangers, really
were
overjoyed I was here, as bizarre and overwhelming as that seemed.
 

Just as I thought that, I saw, near the back of the crowd, the two Royals from our flight, deep in conversation with a tall, blonde woman and another man. None of them were cheering. Okay, maybe
everybody
wasn’t overjoyed.

I see them,
Rigel thought before I could frame my vague concern into mental words.
More ambitious Royals who aren’t thrilled with the idea of another Sovereign, I’m guessing. I’ll keep an eye on them.

Thanks.
I turned back to the mayor, who was gesturing toward the first two-story house on the right, which boasted a slate roof and gorgeous lead-mullioned windows. I assumed it was what passed for a hotel here, or maybe a bed and breakfast. We had a few of those in Jewel.

The crowd now lined both sides of the street, occasional cheers still breaking out as we walked the short distance while Cory, the man who’d first greeted us, drove the car around back to unload our bags. We were nearly to the front door when a little girl, maybe four years old, ran up to me.

“Princess, this is for you,” she said with an adorable lisping Irish lilt. “I made it.” She held up a piece of paper with a crayon drawing that looked vaguely like a girl wearing a crown.

Ridiculously touched, I took the drawing. “Thank you so much. This is beautiful! Is that me?”

She nodded, grinning, and a woman, her face as red as her hair, rushed up.
 

“Oh, Excellency, my apologies! I was fussing with my two others and Ginny clear got away from me before I kenned it. I do hope she hasn’t—”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I broke in quickly. “Ginny just wanted to give me a present.” I displayed the drawing. “It was really sweet of her.”

The mother’s eyes went wide. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before bowing to me with the Martian fist-over-heart salute and backing away, dragging little Ginny by the hand.

“That was very gracious, Excellency,” Mayor Liana murmured, unlocking the front door.

Gracious? Had they expected me to be offended? “I thought it was sweet,” I repeated, confused.
 

Liana just smiled, then opened the door and stepped back so we could enter. I was clearly expected to go first so, after a second’s hesitation, I did.
 

“I hope this will be suitable?”

The house was as charming inside as out, the short entryway opening into a cozy parlor with overstuffed chairs and a sofa. I caught a glimpse of a huge kitchen beyond that.

“It’s beautiful! Are our rooms upstairs?” A wave of fatigue suddenly hit me.

Liana stepped inside and closed the door, muting the boisterous crowd outside. “Four bedrooms are upstairs, yes, with another two on this level. The largest has been made up specially for you, Excellency, but of course you may choose whichever room appeals most.”

“Are we the only ones staying here?”

“Of course.” She seemed startled. “This house has been set aside for you and your companions. I know it’s not much, but it’s the biggest we have. Normally Mrs. Cleary runs it as a bed and breakfast, but she would never ask you to share a roof with strangers. She’ll come in to cook for you, but she and her family will sleep elsewhere while you are here.”

I glanced at the O’Garas, but none of them looked surprised at all. “But…they shouldn’t have to leave their own house. Should they?”

“So very gracious,” Liana whispered to Mrs. O’Gara, looking almost awed.
 

Mrs. O just nodded, smiling at me in a motherly sort of way.
 

“Believe me, Excellency, the Clearys are extremely honored to have you in their home,” Liana assured me. “It will give them a story to tell for generations. But no one would think it proper for them to remain while you’re here.”

Just one more example of the weirdness of being the Princess. I still felt guilty about displacing the Clearys, but I didn’t want to say anything else that might delay a nap.

A tapping on the door woke me a couple of hours later. “Yes?”
 

Mrs. O’Gara cracked the door open. “I’m sorry to wake you, dear, but if you nap too long you’ll never sleep tonight. And we’ve all been invited to a dinner in your honor.”

“A dinner?”

“More of a festival, I imagine. The whole town will likely be there. You’ll be wanting to change, I’m thinking?”

I looked down at the rumpled t-shirt I hadn’t even bothered to take off before passing out. “Um, definitely. Do I have time for a shower?”

“Of course. We’ll all be in the parlor.”

She left and I glanced around at a room so nice I suspected it was Mr. and Mrs. Cleary’s own bedroom. I’d been too tired to notice more than the soft mattress earlier.
 

After a quick shower, I put on a purple paisley dress Bri had given me last year and grabbed my nice jacket, hoping I wouldn’t freeze. If the whole town was coming, the festival must be outside, but my parka seemed too informal for the guest of honor. When I joined the others downstairs, I saw Sean and Molly had spiffed up, too, Sean in a well-cut suit and Molly in a shimmery, long-sleeved blue dress. Smoothing the creases in my skirt, I suddenly felt underdressed after all.

“Don’t worry.” Mr. O’Gara correctly interpreted my renewed nervousness. “This won’t be as…intense as your greeting when we arrived. People have had time to calm down a bit.”

Rigel came in and I turned to him for more reassurance. And immediately did a double-take, my eyes widening. Instead of the shirt and slacks I’d expected, he was encased in a form-fitting navy blue body suit with a brown leather strap crossing his chest from left shoulder to right hip, where a small holster protruded from his wide leather belt. Sleek black pants went from waist to mid-thigh, with the navy body suit continuing underneath, outlining his perfect calves.
 

It was all I could do not to fan myself in appreciation. He’d always looked impossibly fine in his tight-fitting football uniform, but this was over-the-top
hot!

Wow! I like!
Then, out loud, “So…what’s with the new outfit?”
 

Rigel gave an embarrassed shrug. “Now we’re in Bailerealta, I’m supposed to wear the official Bodyguard uniform. Do I look as ridiculous as I feel?”

“Ridiculous?” Ridiculously
sexy
, maybe. “Um, no. Definitely not.”

Molly shook her head in agreement while Sean scowled. I couldn’t seem to stop staring.

Did you get a good a nap?
Rigel’s question snapped me out of my ogling.

Yeah. Am I the only one who crashed like that?
How embarrassing. “I, uh, guess we should get going, huh?”
 

The sea breeze made me shiver as we walked, despite the hotness that was Rigel just behind my right shoulder. Sean was on my left, as protocol demanded. The village was roughly circular, the main road one big loop with a town square in the middle, footpaths radiating out from the center like spokes. As we approached I heard a clamor of voices, verifying that we’d be outside.
Brr
. If it wouldn’t upset Rigel, I’d ask Sean to use his omni to warm us all up.

The moment we reached the edge of the big square, at least fifty yards on a side, cheers broke out. And I was suddenly as comfortable as if
Sean
had read my mind. Startled, I glanced up at him. “Did you do that?”

He grinned down at me, his teeth flashing white in the dusk as he shook his head. “The square is climate-controlled. And see how the fog is above and around us but not at ground level inside the village? Makes Bailerealta almost impossible to spot from the air or sea.”

I glanced up, and sure enough, the sky was obscured by low clouds. Cool! I shrugged out of my jacket, only then noticing that no one but Rigel and I had bothered wearing one.
 

They might have told us,
he thought sourly, taking my jacket to carry along with his own.
 

I glanced at Sean, half expecting him to object, but he and Molly were already being greeted by about a dozen teenagers, obviously friends from when they’d lived here. They both seemed totally at ease—unlike me.