Except, it wasn’t the clothes.
They escorted me through a grand foyer that glittered with light from hundreds of crystals that hung from at least ten chandeliers. There were small, ornamental trees with bright orange and yellow leaves growing inside. I squinted up, way up, to see the back portion of the four-story ceiling was open, the roof of the building retracted to let the warm, butter-yellow sunlight shine down on the trees. Their black bark sparkled as if the bark itself was run through with veins of shimmering copper. I’d never seen anything like it.
I must have stopped walking because Addan and General Niemini both halted and looked back at me.
Close your mouth, Paige. Don’t stare. I snapped my mouth shut and hurried to catch up.
They led me down a corridor lined with what I assumed were family portraits and floor to ceiling murals displaying outdoor scenes painted in vivid color. The floor was smooth as glass, different colored sections inlaid with more of the strange writing I was coming to associate with this planet.
Everything was too beautiful to be real. If I could have gotten where we were going without stepping on it, I would have. Walking on it with my rubber soled, toilet-water-industrial-cleaner-dirt-soaked shoes felt wrong.
General Niemini came to a halt in front of a set of double doors twice my height and nodded to the two guards standing at attention on either side. These doors were made of black wood streaked with shimmering copper, inlaid with intricately flowing branches and leaves.
Without a word, one of the guards opened the door. General Niemini entered first. Addan held out his arm, indicating I should follow. I did and he fell into step behind me. A shiver of apprehension raced down my spine when the door closed with a quiet click of a lock that sounded like thunder in my ears.
Three women—aliens—holy shit, I was an alien!—turned to face us. I did not need to ask to know these were his mother and his sisters. The resemblance was uncanny.
All three had long, shimmering white hair like Addan and bright blue eyes. They wore what I assumed were gowns, but when they moved, I realized the bottom halves of the gowns were split in two so they could walk freely. Their gowns were different colors, Addan’s mother wearing a pale, shimmering silver lined with a gray so dark it looked almost black. I could totally see Audrey Hepburn wearing the high collar and fancy cuffs on her wrist. His sisters wore rich burgundy decorated with gold embroidery and a vibrant, bright blue accented with a darker, midnight blue lines that made her eyes appear ethereal. Their clothing made me feel even more like I was living inside a fairytale with queens, armored knights on white horses, wizards and dragons. The ladies were what humans would consider classically beautiful, if a bit on the curvy side. Like me.
Just like my resemblance to my mother in the portrait Addan had shown me. Seeing her face—my face—on a decades old portrait had been a real sucker punch to my gut. I’d never looked like anyone in my adopted family; never knew where I got my laugh, my mannerisms, or my curvy hips. Seeing my real mother’s portrait had settled something inside me I’d given up ever soothing. I knew where I came from, who I took after, the reason my hair was curly and red and my eyes pale green. I had answers I never, ever thought I would have. I belonged somewhere. Had a past. History.
A shocking, out-of-this-world, alien history. As crazy as it all seemed, part of me was glad. Most of me was freaking the fuck out, but part of me– the lonely little girl who wondered why my mommy and daddy didn’t want me, wondered what was wrong with me, wondered what I’d done wrong? –she was oddly silent. Content.
Addan’s mother rushed forward, hands extended, practically shoving General Niemini out of her way.
8
Paige
“Welcome, Princess. Welcome!”Tears clogged her voice as Addan’s mother grabbed me and wrapped me in a hug so tight I couldn’t breathe. “The Creator has been kind to bring you back to us! Addan tells us you have been in hiding on a planet called Earth?” She stepped back, looked at me, sobbed and yanked me against her. “I’m Fiona. Oh, how I loved your mother. You look just like her. So beautiful.”
I hugged her back, a bit awkwardly, unsure of how much to squeeze or where to put my hands. This wasn’t exactly what I’d expected. I’d expected to meet a regal, reserved lady who spoke to Addan about politics and war and strategy. Not be mauled in a crying, squeezing, mom-hug.
I’d never had a hug like this back home. An I’m-so-happy-to-see-you hug. No one had ever been so happy to meet me that they cried.
If she didn’t stop, I was going to burst into tears and embarrass myself.
Desperate, I looked to Addan for help.
“Mother. Don’t you think you should introduce our guest to my sisters?”
“Of course. Of course.” She released me and I took a deep breath, forced a smile on my face that I was not feeling as his sisters, both probably a few years older than me, gawked at me. Guess my Trus-T-Kleen shirt wasn’t what they were expecting. “Princess, may I present my daughters, Catriona—” The silvery haired beauty wearing the burgundy dress bowed. “And Sorcha.” The stunning sister in blue bowed in turn.
“Nice to meet you.”
A deep voice echoed from the far side of the room. “Princess, I am Kaisin, Fiona’s Resonant and father to these three. Welcome to our home.”
How had I failed to notice the large, muscular man who had been sitting in an oversized chair next to what looked like a faux fire? Or maybe the fire was real. I didn’t know. It burned with blue and orange flames, but I wasn’t close enough to feel any heat. Like Addan, he was handsome. Huge. Muscled. He wore a uniform nearly identical to General Niemini’s, but all black. No gray. Was that because he was the lord of the house rather than a soldier? Why did Addan wear blue? What did all these colors mean? I had no idea. Kaisin was built like a damn tank, just like his son. He moved silently as he came forward to bow before me and I knew, like Addan, this man would be a very dangerous enemy.
“I—Nice to meet you.” I bowed a little, not sure if I was supposed to bow or nod my head or what.
And what was a Resonant? Was that what they called their husbands? Maybe that stupid translator thing the needle on Earth shoved into my skull wasn’t working properly.
“Come, Princess. Sit with us and we will discuss your future.” Fiona hooked her arm with mine and led me to the seating area where she’d been waiting with her daughters. There were twolarge sofas, each long enough to seat at least six or seven people, as well as multiple chairs all facing the center of the room. They all sat and looked at me expectantly. I wrung my hands in front of me, sure my smile looked more like a grimace. “I’m sorry. I’m just too anxious to sit down right now.” They all stood at once. With a sigh, I shook my head. “No. Please. Sit. I just need to move around a little.”
Slowly, they each resumed their seat in turn, Addan last. I wanted to go curl up on his lap and let him hold me. That’s what I wanted. But that’s not what I was going to get.
Addan’s father cleared his throat and looked from his wife to General Niemini. “So, how are we going to remove Queen Alienor from the throne without starting a civil war?”
