Plethora Unraveled

Chapter 30: My Beautiful Chevalier

Liam

Plethora Summer 2032

It's been a fairly normal day in Daylana, Waldemar's Grand Mansion. Queen Lovely summons Natalie, Gavin, Ethan, Michael, Drew, Adrienne, and me to join her on a walk. Queen Lovely, when especially lonely, loves to leave our mansion grounds to walk the lands of Adira. She often requests different plethorians to accompany her. The quiet walks are just as peaceful for us as they are for her. I'm glad that she chose Adrienne and myself to join her today. We walk behind the group holding hands, looking at the beauty of the land, and enjoying the midday suns.

We walk with her until we reach the top of a normally deserted hill that faces Majestic Waterfalls. The appealing sounds smells, and colors of the flowers, trees, and the water crashing against the rocks create a serene atmosphere.

Lovely gestures for us to quietly fly into a large tree that sits high above the waterfall on the west side and observe our surroundings.

A few Chevaliers stand near the top of the waterfall while a few others stand on the banks of the waterfall. At the top of the waterfall, I recognize King Johan, Queen Olivia, Idora, and arrogant Prince Nicholas standing among a few Droids. Jolee and River are the only two plethorians I recognize among the five that stand on the banks of the waterfall.

We stand quietly on the huge tree branch and watch. A breath-taking petite young Chevalier with long deep auburn curls appears, being escorted by two droids. Queen Olivia whispers something into the young girl's ear as she looks down at the falls.

My heart palpates.

She's absolutely exquisite.

She's mine, I know it. She is my next wife, regardless of her being a Chevalier.

She's the one.

She's who I've unknowingly been pinning after, confusing my affections for her toward Queen Lovely.

She grabs thick stands of her beautiful long flowing hair and pulls them behind her ears, revealing more of her magnificent facial features. Drawn to her and almost now unaware of my surroundings, I move down the tree branch to get closer but am stopped by an invisible force. Staring at her makes me feel peaceful and unwilling to fight against the invisible force. Without looking back, I know that it's Lovely who is keeping me in place.

"Lovely what are they doing?" Gavin asks.

"They are baptizing her into temporary immortality."

Fully aware of their conversation, I step back from the invisible force and wrap my arm around the tree trunk. My eyes stay focused on my beauty.

"But she's so young. It's illegal to baptize someone so young. She cannot be over fourteen. Surely, she hasn't gone through the proper training."

"Gavin you are correct. She is being baptized prematurely."

"Why?"

"To protect her from possible things to come. This way she'll have a chance of survival."

"Lovely, what things to come?" Michael asks.

At this I turn and look at Lovely, she places her index finger over her lips hushing Michael. He gives her a questioning look. Knowing that she would not respond my attention refocus on my love as she steps closer to the edge of the waterfall. I know that she must go through this process as we all have but if she's hurt or appears to be hurt, I'll fly over and help her without a second thought.

"Are we here to kill her before she jumps into the falls?" Gavin asks.

Letting go of the tree trunk, my body tenses, and my fist ball up, anyone who dares to touch her will have to deal with my wrath.

"No," Lovely simply replies.

I'm more than thrilled that we're not here to harm her. Leaders or not, I'll break their throats if any of them attempt to lay one finger on her.

"Lovely, how is this possible? I thought all plethorians were baptized by now. How can there still yet be unbaptized plethorians?" Ethan asks.

"She's the last Plethorian to be baptized," Lovely replies.

"But how my Queen?" Ethan asks, his voice showing signs of frustration.

"Her mother couldn't participate in the Great Suffux for reasons known only to her," Lovely explains.

The Great Suffux was ordained by our leaders to end child destruction. Before my birth Waldemar and Chevalier families kidnapped and murdered babies and small children; for war, revenge, and worst simple amusement. To end the crimes against children the leaders from both families created The Suffux Law allowed certain handpicked women to give birth before the age of twenty-one. At twenty-one years of age, all women were given hysterectomies. All female babies born after the full integration of the law received hysterectomies on their second day of life. From what I've heard some babies died as a result of the process, even with the immediate healing by our healers. Our generation, of many firsts, is the first generation on Plethora who will not bare any children.

And she is the last child of our generation to get baptized into temporary immortality.

"I knew of no pregnancy. Who is her mother?" Gavin asks.

"It does not matter."

"Why doesn't it matter Lovely?"

"Her mother is dead now."

"Queen Lovely, we have to kill her," Gavin says.

Gavin's statement causes us all to look at Lovely. Lovely, simply shakes her head no and like me she seems unable to take her eyes off the young Chevalier. She points in her direction. We look on as the Chevalier girl dives into the waterfall. Lovely's face shines with pride; it's strange watching her as she watches my beautiful Chevalier with so much pride as if she personally knows her.