Chapter 13

Raylon

‘King’s palace’

‘Five Kingdoms’

I lay in bed, my eyes closed, my mind drifting. It had been so long since I had time to do this. To let my mind out into the Galaxy, and to dream of a life I could have lived.

My brother was hosting a grand ball in the palace today, to celebrate the death of a star.

A massive supernova would take place tonight. The whole kingdom would be watching. Our ships were almost in place to transmit the image of this marvel of nature.

I hated these parties, with hundreds of fake people gathered in a large room, staring at me, talking in hushed voices.

I wished there wasn’t a need for me to go, but as the prince, and the king’s right hand, I had no choice.

I rolled myself out of bed and went to the window, looking out at the lake behind the palace. It was a stunning clear blue pool—beautiful and deadly.

The waters were filled with a flesh-eating creature. There were thousands of these tiny blue insects, no bigger than a button, on the bottom of the lake, waiting for prey to fall in.

Tomlee insisted that my brother feed them once a week, to ensure their survival. She argued that despite being ugly and dangerous they did not deserve to go extinct.

Everything has a purpose, she said, even things we see as monsters. Such a wise young girl.

I stretched my body and went to my bathroom. A large pool of murky water waited in the middle of the room for me.

I stripped off my clothes and descended the stairs into the hot pool. I submerged myself completely, and when I came back up, I wiped my eyes and looked down at my body.

Three scars, running parallel to the ones on my face, cut deep into my chest from my shoulder to my hip. I shook my head and lay on the surface, floating, my eyes closed.

***

As the sun began to set, and the evening crept in, hundreds of people gathered in the hall. I stood on the balcony, three floors above the entrance and watched them.

It was quiet up here. I knew I would have to go down soon, but for now, I waited and watched.

I pulled on the collar of my royal robes, the ones my brother insisted I wear to these ridiculous gatherings and counted the hours until it would be acceptable for me to leave.

The sound of gentle footsteps behind me made me turn to find Laylar coming onto the balcony.

She looked stunning in a blue dress, her fair skin glowing, her long dark hair flowing down her back, her deep brown eyes filled with light.

“Laylar, you are a vision,” I said. She smiled shyly and came to stand next to me.

“You look fine yourself, Uncle. These royal robes suit you,” she smiled, knowing that I hated wearing them.

I laughed and turned back to the edge of the platform. Laylar leaned over the edge, too, and stared at me.

“What is it, Laylar?” I asked without looking at her.

“Promise me you will dance with me tonight. Like you did when I was a child,” she said.

I let out a sigh. “You know how much I hate dancing. But, for you, I would steal all the stars from the sky. If my niece wishes to dance, then I cannot refuse her.

“Will Rein be here tonight?” I asked.

She shifted in her spot, and said, “Yes. But I cannot dance with him. Not in front of everyone.”

I straightened and looked at her. “You will need to tell your father soon. The longer you wait, the more danger you place upon his shoulders.”

“I know. I also know what my father will say. Please, let me be happy for just a little longer. I will tell him, but not tonight.”

“Very well. Then let us get this ball over and done with.”

I held out my arm for her to link hers with mine. I escorted her to the entrance of the Hall and called for my mask as we got close.

I left Laylar with her sisters, next to the throne, and went to find my brother. I wanted him to see that I was present and dressed as requested.

That way, when I sneak off later, he will not be angry at me for not attending.

I found him standing with the other royals, on the elegant patio, just outside the main doors to the Hall. His guards were around him, deep in conversation.

I approached slowly, so not to interrupt, and waited. Zasrus saw me in the corner of his eye and called me over. I pulled in a long breath and went over.

“Prince Raylon, good to see you,” one of the other fathers of the royal families said.

I nodded my thanks and gestured for my brother to walk with me. He excused himself, and we stepped away.

“As you see, brother, I am here, I am dressed, and I have even promised Laylar a dance. But I will not stay all night. You know how I feel about these things.”

My brother laughed and grabbed my shoulder. “Try to have fun, Raylon,” he said. “This is a party. Drink, talk, and dance, before you are too old to do so.”

“I would rather wage another war than spend all night pretending to enjoy myself in the company of all these people,” I said. He laughed at that.

A guard came up to us and said, “Forgive me, My King, Lord Raylon, our ships have reached the sun. They say there is a Ful ship in the area.

“Would you like me to command them to destroy it like we did the others?”

My brother nodded, but I spoke before he could start another war. “No. They are far from our borders, and one warship against four would not be a fair fight,” I said.

“It is not a warship, my lord. It is a scholar’s ship. They are small, and not equipped to fight.

“I believe they are there to watch the supernova, like we are,” the guard said, bowing his head.

Zasrus let out a long sigh and lifted his glass to his lips. After his drink, he said, “Leave them be. But make sure they are not seen on the transmission.

“I do not want my guests to feel uncomfortable at the sight of them.” The guard nodded quickly and scurried off.

To me, my brother said, “The Fuls seem to be everywhere. We have had peace for over a year now.

“But I feel like every time we leave the borders they are there, invading the universe like a virus.”

He was drunk. My brother never spoke like this, unless he had a drink in him. I should have said something to him, but he was the king, and a grown man. He made his own decisions.

I left my brother outside, speaking to the other royals again, and went to find Laylar. The sooner we got this dance over with, the sooner I could start plotting my escape.

I found her, with her sisters, laughing at something Laylar had said. I stepped up behind her, grabbed her hand, and spun her around into my arms in the center of the room.

She squealed with surprise, but it turned into a laugh when she realized who it was. I pulled her into me, and we swayed to the music.

“For someone who hates dancing, you do it very well, Uncle.”

I leaned in to speak into her ear. “Just because I do not like to do something does not mean I should not possess the skill to do it.”

“You never know when it will come in handy,” I said and spun her out, still gripping her hand.

When she came back in, she said, “My sisters will be jealous. I fear you have started something that you must finish. You cannot show favor for me and not the others.”

“Then I fear I will not leave this dreaded ball for the rest of the night,” I replied. “Once your sisters begin, they will beg to dance all evening.”

“Would that be so bad, Uncle?” she asked, and I twirled her out and pulled her back in again.

“No, it would not.”