The Talamute Prince

"What is that?" two large curtains blew inward from the opposite side of the room. There was a familiar scent in the air as they sway back and forth.

It gave away a small portion of what was back there.

"It's the surprise. Just a small gesture to welcome you home. My mother asked me what to do for you and this is something I thought you would love. Why don't you go check it out."? He Motions his head and hand to them. I squint a bit, but I slowly make my way over to the break in the curtains. I glance back seeing my new maids still perfectly posed with their heads bowed standing at the foot of my bed behind him. I take a breath in; the fragrance tickled my nose with hints of home; Boorivia not this place. Reaching my hands to the white fabric then pull the curtains to the side stepping out onto a balcony. Its wider towards the castle and stretches out to a point. All around the edges of the balcony are planter boxes with Booravian flowers, trees, and bushes.

"Patrick, I don't know what to say." It's amazing to see so much of my home in such a small space. My own little garden and through the happiness of having this, the realization that I'll never see home again hits me.

"So, you like it then?" He asks coming out behind me. I turn with tears coming from my eyes. I don't attempt to hide them.

"Like it, I love it. Thank you." He moves in close to me placing his arm straight to the small of my back.

"It is good to see a real smile on your face my love. I hope to keep it there." He says placing his other hand on my cheek leaning in for a kiss. I submit to him and desperately try to search for the feelings that where once there as I close my eyes. I search deep inside me only to find myself thinking about the black haired Talamute. I feel passion grow with in me as my mind plays out the image of him kissing me instead of Patrick. Once I realize what is happening, I pull out of the kiss with Patrick and look down at my feet torn.

"Patrick I..." he interrupts me. I'm not sure even what I was going to say to him.

"It's okay I get it you still want to be mad at me. It's okay really, be mad please. If you're mad at least I know you still care. Now, I know there is hope." He kisses me on the forehead as I continue to stare down. How could I tell him that he was not the one I was kissing that way? How was I so infatuated with a man I never even met? I would not fall so easily again, not like I had for Patrick. I refuse to be tricked again.

"How high up is this?" I want nothing more than to distract him from the kiss. To entertain myself away from foolish ideas about this purple stranger. The thought of him being Patrick's favorite color made me stifle a laugh.

"This is the highest point in the city, but not quite the highest point on this planet. Look." He directs my attention to the right side of the balcony. I walk to the edge thinking that I must be on one of the spikes I had seen from the ground.

"Is that mountains?" The view is amazing. In the distance I can see snow covered ridges rising into the clouds and fading from view.

"Yes, and the coldest place on this planet. The peek over looks by quite a bit. The funny thing is that as we move over the surface our city stays the same amount of feet from the tallest part of that area."

"What?" I twist my eyebrows trying to understand him.

"If we are over water, we are six thousand meters over its surface, but if we travel over a wooded area, we would be that plus the height of the tallest tree above the ground. It's designed to keep us from damaging anything as well as keeping everything away from us."

"Oh, so we will be at different heights all the time?"

"Yes. We also avoid the mountain range as much as possible. There isn't a lot of breathable air up there and we only engage out shields for space travel to conserve power usage and such."

"Oh, it's beautiful." I look out to the distance seeing a large bird heading toward up.

"They tend to avoid the city. Those things can do so much damage." He is standing beside me as I watch the white of the snow in the back grown make the colorful flying creature stand out vibrantly.

"How does it do damage?"

"When we first came to this planet a few tried to land on our city. It might not look it from here but it's huge. That flying monstrosity is large enough to carry at least three full grown men on its back. The damn things grounded us."

"Is that when your fight with the Talamute started?" He has my full attention now. His green eyes hint at excitement.

"My grandfather was arrested by my father for acts or war on his own people. My father wanted to trade with others to create a more sustainable way of life. Under my grandfather's rule people were treated like expendable tools to be used up and tossed away. The way our society works now is his doing. Unfortunately, my grandfather made a lot of enemies on mission for power. My father found this place and we hoovered over the ground for years." I really didn't expect all this information pouring out of him. I just wanted to know why the air and surface were enemies.

"Were you alive in all this?"

"No. It's our history and it's kinda drilled into us."

"So why aren't you and the Talamute friends. You've had two generations to try and form an alliance."

"When the birds grounded us, they came to us to check us out but there were language barriers, and so much more. About a week before the engines were fixed and the city was ready to fly again several women were taken from the city. My father's armies searched for them. When they found the women the Talamute had..." He grew silent as if he were stuck.

"What had they done?"

"The women were never the same when they came back. Including my aunt who had been taken. She and several others were pregnant. The little one in there is one of their children."

"So, you're cruel to her because she's one of the Talamute?" He glared at me then took a deep breath.

"No. She doesn't like her place in our society. Her mother was a maid and she will be to like it or not. She is very stubborn and tends to get in a bunch of trouble but because she is my cousins' best friend. I keep getting her out of trouble."

"You have a cousin that's half Talamute?"

"Yes, but she is kept in a part of the castle only family and her friend may enter. Being the product of an abduction isn't exactly the most thrilling of things to be. She doesn't like people very much and the fact that she got the purple skin instead of tan she stands out."

"Will I get to meet her?"

"We'll see. She grew up kinda like you only she chose to be isolated after she was harassed for being different. Maybe you can communicate with her some other way first, then we can introduce you."

"Your majesty." A guard popped his head through the curtain.

"Yes captain?" Patrick stands straight like the guard as soon as the man interrupts.

"I have my report." Patrick nods and the guard ducks back through the curtain.

"I better go see to my duties." I grip his elbow and we step back into the bedroom together. I try to take in the brief but overloaded history lesson. As hard as I try, I can't tell the small one is half anything else.

"These three ladies will be at your side constantly. I have also posted some guards at your door just in case. We wouldn't want any more surprise visits from our neighbors below. I couldn't imagine what will happen if one of them tries to attack you my love."

"It could be extremely catastrophic."

"You know that's not what I meant. I fear for your safety, not mine. I've seen how much you can hold back to protect the innocent. If they came how would you stop them? I know you wouldn't use your powers for fear of losing control." The assassin may have failed at killing me, but everyone around me was left in the silence of death. I made a vow to myself to never let it happen again.

"Will I be allowed to leave my room?" The guard had left the room and my maids had started moving about the room trying to find something to do.

"Of course not. Please, by all means' feel free to explore, but until the Talamute who infiltrated the walls for our arrival are captured I want someone with you at all times." I let out a sigh and pull out of his arm that he had placed around me upon our reentrance.

"Perhaps it would be better If I just stayed put for now." I the steps up to my bed and sit on the side. It feels like a poufy cloud is resting beneath me.

"This is your home, Laoonica. Once I'm sure you're safe I'll let you roam anywhere all alone. I promise. This is just temporary my love."

"Of course. I think I would like to take a nap now."

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe and happy. You're not a prisoner here, I wish you could see that."

"A cage made of gold is still a prison no matter how much you polish it up."

"I do have to be going." He bows his head and leaves. He must not have wanted to argue or didn't have time as he had more pressing issues to attend to.

"Is there anything I can get for you your majesty?" The older of the ladies asks as I stand back up and walk back to the curtains.

"No." I step out onto the balcony and up to the point of the outward spike. Griping the rail as I look out at the sun slowly moving across the bluish green sky. Sadly, the bird is long gone. I stare into the distance lost inside my own head.

Things are so different here yet, still the same as they were at home. The difference being I didn't feel loved or protected here. I had never felt trapped, scared, or unsure of anything with my father's ever watchful eyes.

Glancing down I can see the treetops. I stand wondering about him, about this man I was drawn to. Was it just the fact he was new like Patrick had been, or something else? My father's ghost said there was something I needed from this place. I wasn't going to find any answers standing way up here.

For now, I'll focus on simply holding my powers in. The city is huge and so many people, I'm not sure I could bare that many souls on my conscience. I will keep him in the back of my mind as I try to move forward and gain control of my powers. I wonder if there is another way to control them other than finding another being to give myself to. I didn't much care for the idea of being tied to someone for all eternity. Now that I had a taste for new things I wanted to see so much more. My mind raced with questions of what was to come and none of them seemed to be happy other than the thought of our living all the people who kept her here. I close my eyes and imagine Patrick growing old and on his death bed as I remain young and beautiful. Then the moment he passes I'll be free to set out on my own. Perhaps I could even learn to fight so that I wouldn't have to use my powers to defend myself. Sadly, I have a gut feeling Patrick has no intentions of releasing me even after his death.