Chapter Eighteen — Part 5

“What’s going on here?” I said.

“Your clothes were destroyed in the explosion. With a formal ceremony to attend, what little you’re wearing just won’t do.” The woman with the ruby crown answered.

I looked down at myself, then back up at the Lady. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, and her body a pear shaped epitome of grace and balance. Her skin was white as ice; her eyes were black as pitch.

“I don’t seem to have any clothes at all.”

“How very observant of you.” Her voice was so absent of emotion that I had no way of knowing if she was being sarcastic or not.

“Just what is this function?”

“I’m the Duchess Maizo, head seamstress of the eminent King Lotus. By order of the King, you’re to choose a suitor.”

My jaw dropped. “What?” I exclaimed, pushing one of the Elfin maidens aside to face the Duchess straight on. “I’m no subject of the laws of the Elves. I follow no king.” Nobody was going to put me through another one of those formal ceremonies, if I had any say in the matter.

“I’m sorry that you feel this way.” She snapped her fingers, and the tailors finished their measurements. “But the choice, in this instance isn’t yours, and because of recent events, you’re now subject to the King’s will.”

My head dropped. “And who filed the paperwork making me an Elfin citizen.”

“No paperwork was filed.” The woman put a hand on my bare shoulder, spun me around, studying my body. “A request was made of the King, and he granted it.”

“Who made this request?” I asked.

The woman said nothing. Within twenty minutes, a full uniform had been crafted and tailored, specifically to my needs. The white silk blouse looked more feminine than my other uniform. Upon close inspection in the mirror, I realized that my human form had matured a little. The pants, made of black and baggy cotton, accented the silk well. My soft suede shoes were the exact same shade as the pants. Once dressed, King Lotus entered from the left corridor, his lightly pigmented skin and ancient looking eyes glistening with pride.

“You truly are beautiful, aren’t you?” He turned me full circle, “A dashing and beautiful pirate.”

“Thank you, sir.” I said. “Now can you please tell me why I’ve been brought here. I may be an Elfin citizen, but it’ll be a dark day in Otherspace before I bow to you.”

“Nobody’s asking you to, dear.” He said, chuckling. “By Goddess, an Elf hasn’t bowed to his King in nearly seven centuries. I officially outlawed it at my coronation, three decades ago.”

“So what’s all this news about me having to choose a husband?” I asked.

“Guess I’d better fill you in.” He took me to a set of chairs and we both sat down. “At the last Choosing, while you were busy eating countless trays of food, in what I guess was an attempt to burst your stomach and thus commit suicide, your mother and father approached me with a request. It seemed odd at the time, but I’m respecting the request made to me. Your mother asked me that if they should die, would I please take you as one of my daughters.

“At first I thought of refusing. I told her I would think about it, and give her an answer when the ceremony was closing. A King having a pirate for a daughter is practically unheard of, and I hardly knew what kind of pirate you were. When you jumped between the bride and groom, ready to lay down your life for both of them, my decision was made.

“Due to the proximity of the Scandivat colony, our time’s limited. We have to combine three formal occasions into one. You’re an Elfin Princess now, and must be ceremonially linked to me as a daughter. As is tradition, Elfin Princesses choose their life’s mate at sixteen. You are now sixteen, as your mother indicated your birth date in our discussions at my daughter’s time of choosing. Of course, supplies are limited, we won’t have nearly as much food for you in this ceremony.”

I blushed. “I was upset is all.”

“The final ceremony’s your wedding,” King Lotus said, sounding excited.

“Hold it. Stop the star cruiser, and check with the navigator. What did you just say?”

“You’re sixteen, it’s time to choose a life’s mate.” King Lotus, crossed his arms, as if defensive.

“I really don’t know anybody well enough to marry them.” I insisted, trying not to look like I was pouting.

“That’s my concern, not yours. I’ve spared too much time for you already, and I’ve other matters to attend to. It’ll become apparent as the hours commence and the celebration begins.” King Lotus rose, squeezed my hand affectionately, and started to leave.

“Answer one question. I know you figured out my parents were dead. That didn’t take a genius, it was probably transmitted all over the galaxy by the Lenitians as they popped open the bottle of bubbly and celebrated their victory. But why is this going on now, in the middle of a war for the survival of the Human Race?”

“Your parents made a request, and I’m seeing to its fulfillment. The ceremony will be three hours long. May you enjoy it as much as I did at your age.”

After he left, I paced back and forth. “Why me?” I grumbled. “First I’m an angel, then a human, I became pirate, now I’m supposed to be an Elfin Princess.”

“It isn’t too difficult, dear.” The Duchess said.

“Yeah,” Uruza said, from behind me. “If I can pull it off, anybody can.”

“You know, you looked a lot older than sixteen when I saw you.”

“Elves mature quickly, and then don’t age for a long time. It’s hereditary.” Uruza said.

“Where’s Fluff?”

She smiled. “Men aren’t allowed in the woman’s sewing room. He’s roaming around. It’s a pity you missed the wedding. I’d hoped, after you saved our lives, that you’d stick around long enough to be invited.”

“Things are weighing a little heavy right now.” I said.

She led me into the ballroom. I took a moment to take a good look around the room. Pillars of stone rose up to a ceiling I would have to use my wings to touch, and the floor was of the blackest polished basalt. Besides the tapestries, the room held little appeal for me. I looked at one, with a knight whose eyes were like a cat’s. He looked a lot like a new young friend of mine, only this knight was much older and wrestling with an angel. Despite the dark symbolism, the tapestry seemed playful.

“That’s the Knight Wheaton, last of the Paladin Elves. He wrestled an angel for thirty days straight to gain the knowledge of Transcendence for my people, and grant us the right to leave Earth and start our life on Isastan. Some say he’s the Champion of the Elves, some believe he championed for the future of the humans. It just depends on who you’re talking to.” Uruza explained.

“Thirty days? If I were the angel it would have been over a lot quicker.” I looked closely at the angel in question. “But it had to be Wisdom.”

Always the prankster, Wisdom wouldn’t give anything up without the situation becoming in some way ludicrous. I felt myself about to cry. For the first time ever, Uruza expressed something akin to a human emotion.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. “A hero shouldn’t cry.”

“I’m not a hero yet.” I said, trying not to sob. “It’s just that everybody I care about is gone.”

“Heroine, pirate, Princess, and angel. Someday even more. Be proud of your actions.”

I looked away from the tapestry. “Let’s get these festivities under way.”

Uruza slammed her hand onto my back. “Come sister, let’s go into the pack of wolves and tame them.”

I tried to fathom the Elfin phrase, but the picture it created terrified me, so I put it aside. It took me very little time to realize that Elves, as a culture and a race, could be harsh. As I stood there, it finally sunk into my head that my parents were dead. Captain Reed, my only remaining friend, was a prisoner of his own people. Prince Wastik had seen to it that every person I ever cared about was either dead or dead to me.

Yet in the middle of all that turmoil, King Lotus became my father. Arranging my mate, my marriage, and giving me a new family, King Lotus knew full well that when the ceremony was over, I’d have to leave, with or without my husband. MY duty was obvious. I would have to infiltrate the Scandivats’ colony again, and put an end to their attack on Earth. And that would mean leaving everything King Lotus had given me behind. The Elves, I tell you, are harsh. But sometimes harsh is a good thing.

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