Finding Time

Chapter 12 - Nova

That night, after her duties had been done, Nova fell into a deep sleep. The darkness in her mind turned to light and all of a sudden, she was in a castle on a cliff overlooking a deserted valley. She was looking out the balcony watching as an approaching army crossed and assessed how to reach her. It would take them a long time, but they were catapulting fireballs up to her castle. Her own soldiers got in their planes, for they had more advanced technology than she, to drop bombs on the rebels.

Something felt wrong though. She felt incredibly evil. As she looked out on those that fell to the blasts, watching the young men and women fall, she realized that she felt no pain. Nova felt entitled looking upon their deaths, feeling a protective pride in her heart to erase her fear. People dropped dead like flies.

Nova thrashed around in her bed until she awoke.

She continued with her duties like she always did and no longer saw her stepmom. Everyday she would get a chance to pass by the Great Hall when nobody else would have the chance to notice her. When she got there, she would study the faces in the painting.

Each night, her dreams got more intense.

A bearded, tall king with an angry scowl appeared in her dream, whom had dozens of concubines. He came to her castle one day to talk about an alliance.

"Queen Ashanti's empire grows stronger and stronger everyday. It would do you best to join in an alliance with the Morakai Empire before."

Queen Nova laughed.

"King Moraki, I would be unable to form an alliance with you. The men run around your kingdom drunk and dangling prostitutes. Your cities ignore the poor that die around you, and the income gap between the wealthy and the poor grow each day. I'm also led to believe that there are many women in your harem that are young girls" said Nova.

King Moraki's face flustered with embarrassment and anger.

"I think you'll find that if you hold on too tightly to your pride that your kingdom will turn against you" he raged.

"Guards, make him leave."

Nova's guards immediately raised their spears at King Moraki.

The next night, Nova had a new dream. In it, she found herself being enveloped in the arms of another man. His skin was dark brown, his hair twisted and his chocolate brown eyes stared at hers.

He swept the hair off her face.

"I'm afraid that if I leave here again, this will be the last time I see you" he said. He kissed Nova's forehead and then stared back at her. "You're so beautiful. It's hard to leave you. When I touch you like this," he said, tracing the curve of her hips, "You immediately feel relaxed. Making you relaxed makes me feel so happy."

She kissed him. They rolled around in the sheets until finally, she climbed on top of him, straddling him.

"Zaoru" she exclaimed, as they both came.

Afterwards, she stood up as he slept. Naked, she walked to the balcony of her room to look down on her glittering cliff-top kingdom.

She looked at the star where Prince Zaoru lived - Sirius. By the time he would come back to her, Zaoru would be ten years older. He had obligations to his kingdom to find a suitable heir from his family to the throne of the Sirians since it was such a beautiful and prosperous empire to protect from the Ashanti.

When Nova woke, she was sad. She could not see Zaoru. When she ran the painting that morning, in spite of her duties to greet the Queen before she rose, she was frantic and hysterical. She nearly tripped her stepmom Silvia, who was running to get ingredients from the kitchen.