SECRETS OF EXOCLYUS

14: SECRETS OR MYSTERIES

TWO YEARS AGO...

  "Morning sweetie." The voice of Stella's mother sang out as she sauntered into the room in all her glory.

The queen of the Querzant empire, the most beautiful woman to ever grace this palace, was accustomed to waking up at the break of dawn while her daughter felt it better to sleep in, so she groaned at her mother's overflowing excitement.

"Just a few more minutes." She begged but the blanket was yanked off and Stella was forced to sit up and look at the grinning face of her mother. "Why do you torture me?"

"You can't sleep for all of today." Nella stated. "Today is special."

Stella wiped her eyes and tried to recall why today of all days would be of importance but when nothing came to mind she gave Nella a blank stare.

The queen sighed into her palm. "It's the Duren* sand festival. And you're incharge of dealing with it while I make nice with the other royals."

Stella groaned at the responsibilities. She didn't hate the festival, she loved her culture and traditions, this night was when the dunes turned blue for some strange reason.

Nella said it was because the veil between Exoclyus and Perxodial drops a bit and spirits of the ancestors are running across the sands in celebration, others believed a monster beneath the desert was resurfacing only to go back to sleep before the night was over.

Either way it was a beautiful sight.

But it was the organisation that annoyed Stella. She basically had to deal with it for the whole day, get only an hour of rest, then get ready for the event that spans out till sunrise. She would have to interact with some people she didn't like, but there was also the advantage of drinking enough to numb the stress.

"Oh and no drinking." Her mother stated.

Now the event was definitely ruined.

"Mum!" Stella complained.

Nella rolled her eyes. "Oh so overdramatic. You can't drink because you're going to meet a range of our allies and I can't have you pull on chief N'daku's beard again."

"It was one time!"

"It was in the middle of a meeting!"

Stella stopped arguing and got off the bed so she could overlook her kingdom through the wide floor to ceiling window that spanned the west side of her royal room. Temples, homes, and grand towers as far as the eyes could see.

It was truly all a paradise, and tonight it would be even more beautiful.

"Fine." She agreed. "Only till the pleasantries are over."

Nella nodded at her terms. "Not a problem, besides you can drink all you want tomorrow. It is your birthday after all."

*********************************************

The memory ended abruptly as Stella forced herself to wake up. She almost felt a tear forming but she quickly wiped it away and concentrated on her surroundings to take her mind off what she had dreamt about.

Sitting beside her in a chair with his arms crossed and head slumped forward was a sleeping Koma. She expected him to be a snoring man but he was completely silent, almost like he was holding in his breath so he wouldn't wake her up.

She shifted forward on the bed and reached out for his face, then she retracted her hand a bit, but eventually still did it. The stubble of his shaved beard rubbed against her fingers as she moved her hand across his jawline. It was a nice feeling, calming even, until his eyes opened and she was paralysed by that green gaze of his.