Last Holiday on Terra

6

I stood tall and proud at the edge of the water naked as a jaybird when a woman with a raised brow approached me with a large towel and I chuckled as I took it from her hands and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, mother."

"Mmm."

"Where's father? I assumed he'd be here to greet me since my...mishap?"

"Your father is quite vexed, Rowan. He will see you shortly."

"Ohhh."

"That's all you've to say? Ohhh?"

"Your Grace...?"

I looked over to the water and noted a very large gelatinous-looking creature floating to the surface. It was of course Az floating in an aquatic form that he likes to take on...no one messes with him or me whenever I am in his company. It was as if he was broadcasting his thoughts to all of us who were standing on the surface.

"You cannot protect him Azreal," she replied and turned to head toward a set of closed doors.

I saw him next standing beside me. I looked into his eyes. "Thanks for trying."

"I will talk to him."

I shook my head. "No, don't bother. If he's so angry that he's not here to greet me, then well, I'll just have to deal with whatever is coming to me."

"As you wish, my Prince."

"They needed those supplies though," I said to no one in particular.

"Yes, they did," Az replied.

A small inter-palace transport car took us quickly through the expanse of the palace and within minutes, we were rounding the corner to where Cee and my chambers were located.

I was escorted to my chamber door where the guards stood outside the door. I nodded at them and entered my rooms and closed the doors behind me. I looked toward a small table and noted that a small snack of wine, bread, fruit and cheese had been placed there, awaiting my attention...I simply didn't have the time, although I was tempted because I was famished. Still, I swiped a piece of cheese and popped it into my mouth and continued on.

I headed toward a smaller personal room where my bed is and my clothing was located and changed into my formal military uniform. If I had to stand before my father, I had to look the part of the first born of the King, so I always made sure that I had a uniform always prepared..complete with all the shiny medals of platinum, titanium, silver and gold. The door to my private room flew open and Cee ran in to greet me. I felt his arms circle my waist.

"I'm glad you're home," he said quietly.

"I am too. What have you been up to? Have you been behaving?" I noticed that he had also grabbed a bit of the cheese as I moved to close the door.

He nodded. "Mmhmm!"

But of course he had been. He'd seen me get into all kinds of trouble, only for Az to get me out of it, usually. "Good. Studying hard? Working with the weapons masters?"

He nodded again. "Yes, Rowan. I am learning about dodge and parry."

"Wait till you learn about the light weapons...they're lots of fun!"

"I want to learn about the sound weapons," he whined.

"You're too little. Your inner ear hasn't fully grown in yet. You'll end up deaf and you'll die..."

I watched his dark eyes get large and tear-up quickly and I knelt down before him.

"Hey, I'm kidding. Those weapons are outlawed on the planet. You have to wait until you're assigned to a ship."

"I hope it's your ship."

"Nah. You'll captain your own ship one day and we can team up and beat up the bad guys!"

He brightened up quickly. "That will be fun!"

I tousled his dark hair. "Yes it will."

He sat on my bed and quietly watched me finish my preparations for my meeting with father. All too soon. we heard a knock at the door. It was a tiny-sounding knock and I looked toward my brother with a raised brow. He merely shrugged his shoulders.

I quickly moved across the room and reached above a large dresser and removed a light weapon and heard Cee gasp. I held my finger to my lips and switched the weapon to my free hand and then opened the door.

It was my Princess. Alieria. I sighed hard and opened the door wider. "I wasn't expecting you."

We both watched her skip in and somersault onto my bed and then, I watched her tackle my brother. She looked up at me while she had him in a non-lethal choke hold. "You're in big trouble," she said.

"So I heard," I replied as I closed the door. I approached them and watched as Cee tried to squirm out of her hold. "Don't hurt him, Allie."

"She's not hurting me," he grunted, his normally pale face now quite red.

"Allie, let him go."

"Can you breathe," she asked.

"Yes," he grunted again.

"Then no. I will not let him go."

"I am your crowned Prince and I command you...you will release him...or..."

"Or what," she asked sweetly.

"I'll inform father."

"You already have enough to inform him of, don't you?"

"I expect he knows all he needs to know by now. You're stalling. Let him go! He's starting to turn blue!"

She craned her neck to look at his face and grimaced. "Oh. Sorry Cee."

I watched my brother struggle to breathe and he nodded. "Is alright," he coughed.

I looked in the mirror and adjusted my uniform trousers and reached for my jacket just as we heard another knock.

"I'll get it," Allie announced and I rolled my eyes and looked to my brother as I shook my head.

She opened the door and took a peculiar stance as if she were prepared to pounce. Fortunately, it was Az, come to escort me to my father.

"Ah, Princess! Your stance is admirable!"

She stood as tall as she could and moved to the side to let him in, a smug look on her face. "I know," she said.

"The appropriate response is, 'thank you, Councilor Azreal'," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I hope you don't get executed," she said smartly. Cee gasped as a look of pure terror played across his delicate features.

"You mean, excommunicated, don't you, Princess," Az asked, still smiling at her and nodding his head ever so slightly.

"Oh. Well...Umm. Yes."

"Let us hope it doesn't come to that."

"I don't want to rule," Cee whined.

"That makes two of us," I said under my breath.

"Better get a move on, Rowan. Let's not keep your father waiting."

I slipped into my jacket and buttoned it up, then ran my fingers through my still damp hair. I looked into the mirror and grimaced. "It'll have to do."

"You look quite regal, Rowan," Cee said. "Like a royal soldier should."

I shifted my stance and smiled at his reflection and winked my eye. "Let's get this over with," I said sighing.

Within minutes, another small inter-palace transport car had dropped us off at the royal hall where my father was waiting. Why this couldn't be done in his council chamber was beyond me. I must have really pissed him off.