Once Upon a Child of the Stars

Fourteen- Run

Kaedian was a very sweet boy, and quite the chatterbox once I got him passed the fact that I was Dyspherian royalty. 

He began by taking me outside and showing me the castle grounds. The whole area of course was the same dark rocks and dark sands. There were very few plants and that sparked my curiosity. 

"If there are no plants, where do you get the fruits and vegetables?" I ask Kaedian. 

"Oh we import a lot of our food. There are few sources of meat here as well, making it so we have to ship in loads of food to our people here," he answers, a permanent smile on his lips. 

"Ah. Do you get some from Dyspheria?" I question. He gives me a nod. 

"Most in fact, it is one of the most plentiful planets around, making it the easiest to get supplies from," he states. 

We walk around the large dark stone castle, but there is not much to soothe the eye from the black and gray colors that cover the dark planet. 

"Do you ever wish this place had some more color?" I ask and he gives a chuckle as we stroll down a black stone path. 

"I suppose it would be nice to have some color in the scenery. Living here my whole life means I have never seen different in person. I can not say I miss color because I have never seen color in nature," he explains. 

"You should see Dyspheria. The colors are so vibrant and magical," I say, a smile rising to my lips as I think of my home planet. 

"Perhaps I will visit someday," Kaedian states. 

"Is there anything exciting to do around here?" I ask. 

"I could show you a rock field. Some people take walks and climb the rock formations there," he suggests. 

As soon as he said the word climb I was in. I have always loved climbing, but I stopped climbing the castle once the incident with Raegar happened. I still adored the pass time though. 

"I would love to!" I say with excitement. Kaedian gives a chuckle and nods. 

"Very well, then. To the rock fields it is," he says. 

He points in the direction of the rock fields and even from here I can see the massive formations. We walk side by side across the black and gray colored ground. Once in a while the rocks underfoot would crunch as we made our way across the dark landscape. 

I look up to the sky and notice the strange orange clouds and reddish sky. I assume it must have to do with gasses in the atmosphere, but I make a mental note to ask why it is colored as such later. 

We travel over to the rock fields, which was a shorter distance than I expected. To my surprise, there were people who looked to be of teenage ages out on the rocks and hanging out. Honestly if that were a choice as a hangout location back on Dyspheria, I too would spend my days there. 

"What do you think, Miss Luminara?" Kaedian asks. 

"It is amazing, Kaedian! These rocks are massive!" I say, the sight almost taking my breath away. As I walk up to one giant rock, I notice something about it. It is not just black, but it sparkles somehow. It looks to be covered in silvery glitter, and the sight makes my mouth fall open slightly. 

"It sparkles," I say softly as I run my hand across the rock. 

"Indeed. Its micro minerals inside the black stone that cause it to sparkle that way," Kaedian explains. 

"So we can climb the rocks?" I ask. 

"Yes, come I will show you the best area for the climbing rocks as well as the stone trail," he says with a smile as he gestures for me to follow him.