Once Upon a Child of the Stars

Thirteen- Arrival at Hellian

A week has passed since I accepted my father's proposal that I go along with him to Hellian to meet with King Xavian, and today is the day we make our voyage to the dark planet.

My stomach turns within itself as we grow closer and closer to the planet. My father, Uncle Zor and I are the only ones to go as we wish this to be as simple as possible. I hope nothing goes awry and that everyone can get along smoothly now that almost a decade has passed.

I sit in the back seat of the ship, my father and uncle in the front talking among themselves about the plan once we arrive on Hellian which will be occurring within the next ten minutes.

"Lumi? Buckle up back there, we will be landing shortly," my father calls back to me.

"Yes father," I call back before strapping myself into the seat.

I take a deep breathe, hold it for a second, and release it. I can feel the anxiety building up within my chest and stomach as we begin descending onto Hellian.

I look out the small round window on the side of the ship to see the planet is indeed dark and looking like a place your parents would tell scary stories about. I cannot exaggerate when I say it looks to be all rocks, tall, sharp and only shades of gray and black.

I notice the landscape getting closer and finally a civilization comes into view, the only civilization as a matter of fact. It matches the landscape in color, but it is clear the structures are handmade. All of the buildings are made of the dark stone that covers the lands of Hellian.

The most magnificent black castle on a hilltop comes into view and my jaw drops. It looks like something an evil witch would live in in a human fairy tale. Tall pointed peaks, many dark windows and clearly a ton of rooms. It is the darkest, most stunning building I have ever laid my eyes on.

The ship begins to slow down and my father yells for me to brace myself as we land. I feel the ship hit the ground, shaking and trembling about before it finally settles. I hear clicks of seat belts from up front and my father and Uncle Zor are finally in sight.

"You good, kid?" Uncle Zor asks.

"Always love a good landing," I say as I undo my own seat belt and stand with my father and uncle.

"An escort should be waiting for us. Come," my father says as he motions for the door. The door opens and a ramp takes us down to the black stone ground.

I look down at my own attire and notice I seem to match the landscape in my black leather jacket and tight fitting black pants, my boots complementing in the same color. I fix my silky black hair and sigh heavily thinking of everything causing my anxiety.

"King Xenophon! Welcome to the planet and kingdom of Hellian!" a cheerful voice calls.

My eyes leave the ground to see a boy around my age standing proudly in front of us. He wears a dark blue dress suit and his brown hair is slightly spiked up. His smile is warm and it contrasts with his dark purple eyes. He is not as tall as my father, but certainly taller than myself.

"Thank you for your warm welcome. This is my daughter and the future dragon queen of Dyspheria, Luminara, and this is my brother Prince Zor," my father introduces us, motioning to us as he goes.

"It is an honor to meet you both," the boy bows. "My name is Kaedian. I will be your guide and servant for your stay here. Anything you need, just ask!" the young man speaks, his smile warm and radiant.

"Thank you again, Kaedian. I am assuming you know where we are supposed to be going right now?" Zor asks. Kaedian nods and motions for us to follow.

"Come with me, the King wishes to see you before I take you to your rooms," Kaedian says.

We do as he instructs and follow him into the tall black castle. The doors are of course huge and Kaedian pushes them open to reveal the main throne room. The interior is grand, colored with silvers and blacks. My eyes travel to the large, black throne chairs that sit above a small staircase on a landing. There sits the man I have dreaded meeting for a week again now, possibly even the entire decade it has been since we had last seen one another.

"King Xavian," my father speaks, bowing his head politely. I quickly straighten myself up and keep my eyes down, careful not to make eye contact with the man on the throne. Somehow, I feel that though I avoid looking at him, he does not do the same.

"King Xenophon," Xavian says before I hear footsteps approaching.

"You have grown to a fine man, King Xavian," my father states. My eyes move up slightly to see that Xavian's eyes are still on me.

"Thank you, sir. You too look well," Xavian says and I hear a bit of cockiness in his tone. "Lord Zor," I hear Xavian speak to my uncle. Then, footsteps make their way in front of me. My eyes can no longer stay focused on the ground and are forced upwards to see Xavian's dark purple eyes staring through me.

I look at him briefly and it is quite noticable that he has gotten even better looking. His features sharpened into masculinity, his eyes deeper and darker. His darkest brown hair is shoulder length and slicked back at the top. His lips look plumper and his nose has matured.

"Princess Luminara," he addresses me, and to protect myself from saying anything embarrassing I simply nod in respect. A smirk appears on his face before his eyes flash a crimson red at me. This takes me back a bit and my breath gets caught in my throat. He simply chuckles and moves back to his place in front of my father.

"I am very happy to have you here. I hope we can come to an agreement on the matters which you are here for and I also wish you a lovely stay at my palace. I'm sure you will be seeing my family around more than myself but make yourselves at home. Kaedian will show you to your rooms now," Xavian states before turning on his heels and taking his leave.

"Come. This way to the guest rooms," Kaedian says. We all nod and follow him once more, this time through dark stone hallways gently lit. Eventually we come to a hall of doors and Kaedian turns and faces us.

"All these rooms are identical, just take your pick," Kaedian says with his smile.

"Thank you, Kaedian. I think I shall take a rest after our travels," my father says and Kaedian nods as my father goes into his room.

"I agree. Thank you for the hospitality," Zor says before turning and going into one of the rooms.

"And you, Princess Luminara?" Kaedian asks turning to me.

"Just Luminara will do. I think would like to look around a bit. Would you accompany me?" I ask with a smile.

"I would love to!" he responds with a bit too much excitement that causes my lips to curl into a small smile. I hope this stay wont be as bad as I anticipated.