Her Royal Madness

Her Royal Madness Part 16

Juna continued, "Your home planet is called Tanstaafl. It is the wealthiest and most powerful world in a coalition of 82 planetary systems. Your mother was the hereditary ruler of Tanstaafl, which also made her the leader of the parliament controlling the coalition. She was a very powerful woman. As you know, people with a lot of power have a lot of enemies. Your mother was no exception. 

"Hey wait a minute?" Henry said. "Did you say 'Hereditary ruler'? Isn't that like a queen or something?" 

"The word 'Queen' as you know it is a very archaic term. Royalty, as it developed on Earth was usually just a matter of the family that could gather the largest army seizing control of as much territory as possible. We use a much more scientific method. The best bloodlines are chosen through rigorous genetic testing and combined to produce the most capable rulers. Then, when they come of age, each heir is thoroughly screened to ensure they meet the highest standards for intelligence, mental power, compassion, and leadership abilities." 

"Sure sounds like a queen to me. Hey guys, if my real mother is the queen, I guess that means that I'm going to be the king. You may grovel at my feet." 

"Henry! Just what do you mean 'real mother'? Momma and Daddy were the ones who raised us. They're the only REAL parents we've ever had! I don't care what anyone says!" 

"Okay, okay, relax will you. I didn't mean nothing. It's just that they're obviously taking us to the home planet so that I can be screened so I'm ready to sit on the throne when the time comes." 

Juna turned to Henry with the exasperated look that you would give to a puppy that has just piddled on the floor one time too often. "First of all, we don't have a throne. Our rulers don't hold court the way you're thinking of. They're more like administrators or politicians than Earth royalty. Secondly, how could you imagine that you would ever qualify as our leader? You're a male! What an utterly ridiculous idea! No, boy, your sister is the heir." 

Did I mention that sometimes my brother can be the world's biggest jerk? For a brief instant Henry was shocked, then he started grinning. He said "Oh, so she's the princess. Did you hear that guys? Bow in the presence of Her Royal Madness!" Henry dropped to his knees with his hands over his head and bowed so that his nose almost touched the floor. He repeated this motion, chanting, "All hail Her Royal Madness! All hail Her Royal Madness!" Naturally Martin and Nicholas copied him. I didn't know whether to laugh out loud or scream at him. 

Juna, however, had no mixed emotions. With a flick of her hand, all three of them flew up hard against the wall. Their feet dangled inches above the floor. Juna walked up to Henry and looked him directly in the eye, barely controlling her anger. "Listen to me boy! You will use only the most respectful manners when speaking to the Lady Madelaine. And you will learn your place as a male." 

Normally in a situation like this (not that I really considered this a normal situation), I would have asked her to stop, mumbling something like, "It's okay, I really don't mind them." But I wasn't really feeling like myself. Plus, Henry had been really annoying lately. 

I spoke up with an authority I had never had before, "Let them down! I'll take care of this." Juna backed away and the boys dropped to the floor. I knelt down so that my face was inches from Henry's. "Now listen to me big brother. In case you hadn't noticed, things have changed. I'm warning you now to shut up before you make me angry." To make my point, I reached out with my mind and lifted Henry up by the throat. The stone hanging from my neck glowed brighter, feeding me strength and power. 

I looked up at Henry and said softly, "Do I make myself clear?" Henry, who couldn't talk and was having difficulty breathing, nodded. I released him and returned to my seat, barely noticing the anger on his face.