The Talamute Prince

Dressed now in clothes that are less than flattering I take a deep breath and step out of the door. I'm relieved to see Darevan waiting as I would be completely lost if he hadn't been.

"You look beautiful." his smile isn't at all hiding his obvious attraction. I play it off trying not to let him get to me. After all, I've been down that road before, I wouldn't be so easily fooled.

"Thank you. I have my things ready and as soon as this dinner is over I will be on my way." I step up to him as he stretches his arm out for me to take. I simply motion for him to lead the way refusing his arm. he lets out a chuckle but turns and heads in the direction we need to go. I look out the window as it begins to turn darker by the second.

"I have told my father that you wish to leave. he will insist you take a few warriors with you." I look at the soft warm glow of the lanterns overhead.

"I don't need an escort Prince Darevan." he glares at me a bit out of the corner of his eye. I can tell he can see right through my facade.

"You have every right to distrust me. with all that you have been through and the losses, you have suffered it is no wonder you are so unsure of the truth." I stop and he takes a few steps forward then stops turning to face me.

"What do you know of my losses?" I can hear a bit of anger in my voice and it somewhat frightens me.

"Forgive me, while you were sleeping Melena told me everything. From your father's death to your mother's betrayal. I saw for myself some of the torture he put you through and I do not blame you one bit if you never trust me. I promise though I will never give you a reason not to trust me, I will never force you to stay nor will I follow if you leave. To serve you any way you choose, that my goddess is all I will ever do." He steps closer to me and my heart races. There is an honesty in his eyes that I've never seen in anyone even my father. I catch my breath as he reaches his arm out to me again. this time I take it.

"You don't have to come with me, I can make it on my own. I would not ever try to enforce something on someone they don't wish to happen so I will not tell you that you have to keep your distance either. Do not feel obligated to defend me when I am the one who puts you in so much danger."

"Even if you aren't our Goddess, I would gladly walk through the rain of a thousand arrows to be at your side." I feel a blush come over my cheeks as we turn the corner to find the staircase I had come up in the first place. We were only on the second floor. I could hear so much commotion coming from below. Happy sounds of cheer and music rang up from the throne room. Darevan stops halfway down the stairs. "If you are determined to go, might I have one more thing from you?" I tilt my head confused for only a moment. Darevan leaned in with his eyes closed but he didn't come the entire way. I paused for a moment. He was asking for a kiss, not demanding it and if I had pushed him away I knew he would be disappointed but he wouldn't have pushed it. I lean up pressing my lips against his expecting a glow to surround us but nothing. Not to say nothing exactly as a tingling sensation grew in the depths of my core, my heart raced and I felt as though I could explode with passion but I quickly pull away.

"We should go, I'm sure that your father is waiting." he smiles as we reach the door. as the curtain opens an overwhelming roar of cheer and praise echoes through the crowded space. tables are set in a huge square around the outside of the room with space for people to move through to get to a slightly smaller square of tables on the inside where the king was sitting with an open chair to either side. Melena, Tosha, and Bowered were off to one side and there were some I didn't recognize to the other side. Darevan lead me to the side Bowerd was on and pulled out the seat. I gladly took it as he sits closer to those I didn't know.

"My people, my family, my friends our Goddess is here to save us. Look at your king, look at what she has done. This is the time and place when our destiny is fulfilled.

"Please, your majesty," I whisper somewhat embarrassed at his announcement.

"Do not be ashamed of who you are." He sits down as everyone cheers for a few moments then goes back to eating and drinking. Dancing breaks out as the uplifting music calls the people to their feet.

"I'm not your goddess." I insist.

"I saw a glimmer of your powers the first time I set foot in your room Laoonica, I knew you were then. I knew before Bowerd or the rest what you are." Darevan isn't so soft-spoken. He seems to make sure I know he still believes I'm Gominia.

"I'm not a goddess, I'm simply a child that fulfills a prophecy spoken decades ago by a wise man of my home planet. It has absolutely nothing to do with your goddess." The king looks at me and smiles.

"Maybe you are both." He says.

"What do you mean?" I ask now a bit louder to make sure I'm heard over the noise in the room.

"When you first saw me in the throne room you stopped an arrow dead in its track, you understood nothing I said. When you saw me again in the dungeon you spoke my language, how did you manage that?" he smiled. I turned to Darevan who's smile stretched its full length across his face.

"She learned our language the first time I touched the side of her face. She absorbs dialects. I don't know any cursed beings that would be granted so many gifts." The glare in my eyes must have disturbed him a bit as his smile lessened when I turned his way.

"Gifts don't kill innocent people." The king holds up his hand to interrupt.

"If your destructive side could be controlled it too could be seen as a gift. You see there is no light without darkness, no good without evil, and no life without death. Yet inside you exist both creation and destruction in one being. No mere mortal could hold onto such power without being something more. Perhaps my child you are the answer to your prophecy and ours." I take his words in examine each one inside my head.

"What is your prophecy, my king?" I ask.

"From another time and place far from this planet drifting through space in our greatest hour of need, the Goddess Gomania will return to bring peace. You see our people use to scatter the reaches of this planet and trade amongst our kind to survive. Always finding ways of peace over war knowing the true value of all life, but these Raspites don't seem to care. They have wiped out entire villages with their weapons. Huge devices dropped from the sky exploding everything in its path and the toxic sludge that spews from it kills what they haven't already destroyed." I look over to Melena who bows her head in shame.

"I'm truly sorry for my family's actions." She says softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for my love," Bowerd says placing his large hand on the opposite side of her face as he kissed her head gently on the side closest to him.

"We know that they do not all think the same but how do we stop just the one without hurting those who would abandon their king in a second?" Darevan reassuring her as well.

"I will help prepare your warriors for the tactics my brother will use. I will make up for what he has done." She runs her hand down the back of Tasha's head. A fearful look in her eyes as she knows better than most at this table what King Patrick was capable of.

"I am not your Goddess. I wish that I was but there isn't anything I can do to help and I fear if I try I would do more damage than good." My thought drifts back to all those who have already suffered due to my lack of control. To all those Patrick had punished because of not having control over my powers either. There was but one course of action left for me and I needed desperately to keep moving.

"I think you will find there is more to you than meets the eye my dearest Gomania that you have inside you more than the capability to have control. But I understand such doubts that may have been put into your head by those not understanding of who you were born to be." Was it a king thing, a father thing, or just the way people felt they needed to speak to me, but it seemed everyone spoke in riddles? Even this king seemed to dance around the truth.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," I reply knowing the expression on my face was that of confusion and frustration.

"Nor will you until you're ready to my dear." I shake my head and take a bite of the delicious-smelling food. I sit in silence as I take a few more bites. Conversations around us take over for a moment as I sit anxious ready to jump from the table and head toward the direction that pulls inside me.

"I hope you will forgive me, your majesty," I break the silence at our end of the table, "but I can't stay. There is something I need to find out there and I'm sure it is the answer to everything." He smiles and holds his glass up to me. I lift mine in return and he clings the two together.

"I understand your journey isn't over quite yet. Please take my son with you for protection." Darevan smiles and stares at me. My mind is taken away for a moment to the feel of his lips pressed against mine but I quickly recompose myself hopefully he didn't see the hint of desire hid in the corner of my eyes.

"I don't need protection, nor will I force someone to go along on what might be a journey more dangerous than facing Patrick." The king chuckles.

"Trust me Laoonica you aren't forcing him to do anything. He hasn't stopped talking about you since he first saw you getting off the ship. Making him stay here would be greater torture for him." Darevan's grin hasn't faded.

"It is my destiny to serve you any way you see fit Laoonica." There's a yearning in the way he looks at me. If anything he would be a distraction.

"I don't need an escort." I reiterate. "I will leave tonight, after the meal. The sooner I begin my journey, the more likely I will be able to complete it before Patrick..." I stop mid-sentence not wanting to imagine the things that monster was capable of.

"Please wait until first light goddess, after all, it might be closer to then when the festivities end anyway. Besides I have sent several scouts out with messages of praise of your arrival and several chiefs will be arriving soon." The king is trying to delay me.

"Your Majesty, I must get moving. Forgive me but I have to find this soon. I've been waiting for longer than you would think to find answers and control." I place the food back on my plate and stand. Before I can even take a step I'm whisked away by one of the people who were dancing nearby.

"Oh um please, I..." Before I finish I am pulled to another person. "Please I must..." again I can't get my sentence out before being passed again and again until I find myself face to face with Darevan. At that point, no one else attempts to interrupt. I look deep into his eyes and for a second I feel as though I was meant to be there. I'm lost in the moment as we twirl together in rhythm to the drums and instruments playing loudly in the background.