Royal Hearts (2 page)

Now that they had established the terms were
accurate, she asked, “Elam, do you have any proof of the amount of
hay Qual gathered for you?”

“I do not, Queen Ann. As soon as I told Qual
that the amount of hay was not enough, he took his barrels back so
I have not been able to get a third party to come in and do a
formal review.”

“Well, we will get that review for you now.
Hathor, I need you to go out and check how much hay Qual gathered
together.” She used her magic to produce the paper with her seal on
it and handed it to him.

He took the paper and bowed to her. “As you
wish, my queen.” He then instructed the centaurs to follow him.

Realizing she now had some time to herself,
she stood up and went to the nursery that was adjacent to her and
Hathor’s bedchamber. She would often sneak in special visits during
the day to see her thirteen-month-old daughter, Katherine.

Katherine’s maid jumped up from the rocking
chair and bowed to her. “Good day, Queen Ann.”

“Hi Naomi,” she said with a smile. “How are
things going in here?”

“Wonderful,” the woman replied. “Katherine
has just finished her snack and is now resting in her crib.”

“Oh, then I won’t disturb her.” She softly
crept up to the crib and spied her daughter, sound asleep on the
pink sheets. Her brown curls framed her angelic face. “They always
look innocent when they’re sleeping, don’t they?”

“Indeed, they do.” Naomi giggled. “I think
children are meant to look this way so that we won’t be too hard on
them when they test our patience.”

“I’m glad you’re taking care of her. You do
an excellent job.”

“Why, thank you, Queen Ann.”

“I heard you are expecting a grandchild in a
month.”

“Yes. I am getting more excited every
day.”

“I was thinking that it would be good for you
to take a vacation and go visit your grandchild and your daughter’s
family when the baby is born. Take as much time as you need.”

“That is very generous of you.”

“It’s nothing,” Ann said. “Hathor will take
care of Katherine while you’re away.”

“I will only be gone for two weeks.”

“Will I be able to see pictures of your
grandchild if I send you with a camera?”

“Certainly! I am pleased you asked.”

“I’m interested in your family,” Ann said.
“You’re like a second mother to me.”

Sometimes Ann couldn’t help but think about
her own mother who’d died years ago. It had been especially painful
to be without her when Katherine was born. The birth of a child
seemed to the time when a daughter needed her mother. But she’d
been fortunate, nonetheless. She had Hathor, and his mother had
been there to lend support. Breaking out of her thoughts, she
nodded to Naomi and quietly left the room.

She returned to the throne room and waited
for Hathor and the centaurs to arrive. Ten minutes passed before
Hathor handed her the result of his review.

She glanced up from it, so she could look at
the centaurs. “According to the Razian Laws and Customs book, in
order for Qual to gather six months’ worth of hay, the total amount
of hay must weigh 170 crylos. Hathor measured the hay at 155
crylos. So that equals about 5 months’ worth of hay. There are two
ways we can solve this. Either Qual gets paid for 5 months’ worth
of hay or Qual can go gather one more month’s worth of hay.”

“I will gather one more month’s worth of
hay,” Qual suggested.

“How does that sound?” she asked Elam.

“It sounds good to me,” Elam agreed.

“Good. Hathor will measure the hay when Qual
is done, so come back with the rest of the hay when you are
finished, okay Qual?” she asked.

“I will do as requested,” Qual replied.

She watched as the centaurs left the palace,
seeming to be in a better mood than they had been before.

“Once again, the queen acts wisely,” Hathor
told her, a familiar twinkle in his eye.

She grinned at him. “It helps to have a book
on hand to tell me what to do.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re doing
great.”

“You say that about everything I do,
Hathor.”

“That’s because it’s true.”

He paused as if he wanted to say something
but was afraid to, so she encouraged, “What is it?”

“You’re just so beautiful. I don’t think Raz
ever had a lovelier queen. I was just wondering, before someone
else comes to see you… Can I kiss you?”

Chuckling, she stood up and went over to him.
She took his hands in hers and kissed him. “When you came to get me
from Earth, didn’t you say the king could kiss the queen without
her permission?”

His face turned pink. “I guess when I see you
in your gown and the crown’s on your head, I can’t help but think
you’re the queen—the most important person on Raz—and you chose me,
out of everyone you could have married, to be your king. I still
can’t believe I’m here. With you.”

Laughing, she hugged him. “Good grief,
Hathor, I’m from Earth. You remember Earth. The boring planet in
the boring galaxy where there’s no magic.” She gave him another
kiss. “I might be the queen, but I’ll always be the same person I
was before I came here. I’m just a regular person, like you.”

“You’re the queen.”

“Alright. I’m a regular person who happens to
have been picked for an awesome job. But I did nothing out of the
ordinary to deserve it. If you knew me before this whole queen
thing popped up into my life, you wouldn’t be so shy around
me.”

“I doubt it. You’re incredibly
beautiful.”

Pleased, her smile grew wider. “Okay. I won’t
ever turn down such a great compliment. But Hathor, you’re a great
looking guy. Not only that, but you’re sweet and wonderful. There’s
no one else I want to be with. Whether I was a queen or not, it
wouldn’t matter. So, just think of me as a very beautiful woman who
is just your wife.”

“I’ll try. But it’s hard.”

“At least remember you are allowed to kiss me
without asking first when I’m wearing the crown, okay?”

He nodded and kissed her. “I better see if
anyone else has arrived.”

“Alright.”

He bowed then headed for the doors.

Maybe if they’d met under different
circumstances, he would understand just how human she was, even
when she was wearing the crown.

Chapter Two

Cincinnati, Ohio

Planet: Earth

William was amazed at how little the average
person knew about computers. Installing various hardware components
into the machine was easy. But since so few people felt comfortable
doing it, it gave him a job so he wouldn’t complain. He made a
decent enough wage and had good enough benefits. Too bad his
ex-wife refused to remarry so he could stop paying alimony, but
that was his problem for not marrying better.

Pushing aside his aggravation, he glanced at
the older man as he finished installing the new hard drive. “You’re
all set.” He stood up from the man’s computer desk and reached into
his pocket to pull out the business card his employer gave him. “If
you have any more problems, don’t hesitate to call.”

The man took the card and smiled. “Thanks for
coming all the way out here to fix the computer. It’s hard for me
to leave my shop during business hours.”

“That’s what we’re paid to do.”

After collecting the payment, William went to
his car. He used to drive a brand new Ford Mustang, but after his
divorce, he had to sell the car and move into a cheaper apartment
to satisfy Carol’s materialistic tastes. Judges were obnoxiously
sympathetic toward the women in divorce cases.

He got into his car and slammed the door.
Carol was a big mistake. He didn’t know why he even married her. He
shouldn’t have. He should have gone with Ann to the planet called
Raz that she went to rule. He should have been a king. A king was a
lot better than a computer repairman. Even if he made a decent wage
doing this, he’d be rich if he was a king. Then he’d never want for
anything.

Why didn’t he insist on going with her? Why
had he given up so easily? Those were questions he asked himself
over and over, and he still didn’t know the answers.

He reluctantly started up his car and checked
over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming. He was ready to
pull his car into the street from his parallel parking spot when a
sudden flash caught his eye. Startled, he slammed on the brake.
Something had flown by his car and landed somewhere in the alley
next to the shop he had been in.

Curious, he shifted into reverse and backed
up into his spot. He turned off his ignition and jumped out of the
car.

“Hey! I thought you were going to move,” an
old man complained from his jeep.

“I changed my mind,” William replied, not
caring to discuss the matter with him.

“Great. Now I’ll have to circle the block
again and hope someone else leaves,” the man yelled after him.

William decided to ignore him. He had more
important things to check out. He walked down the vacant alley.
Several dumpsters lined the brick walls, and a few pieces of trash
blew around in the cool breeze.

He scanned the area, trying to remember what
he’d seen flying in here. Unfortunately, the thing had moved so
fast, it was hard to do. A rat scurried away from one of the
dumpsters, and his eyebrows rose in interest. He walked over to the
dumpster and saw a newly-formed hole in the side of it. The hole
was just big enough for him to put his hand into. He tried not to
gag as he reached into it. Fooling around with garbage wasn’t his
idea of a good time, but he had to know what he saw. His arm
accidentally brushed the edge of the hole.

“Ouch!” he screamed, yanking his arm out.

His gaze went to the large welt already
forming on his skin. It stung. There was no denying that, but his
curiosity got the best of him. He had to know what zoomed by
him.

He gingerly put his arm back through the
hole, careful not to touch the edges of the hole this time. His
fingers touched something made of steel. Too late did he think it
might be best to put something on his hand to protect it, in case
the object was just as hot as the edge of the hole. But there was
no need for concern. The object was surprisingly cool to the touch.
He grabbed it and pulled it out.

It was no bigger than a cell phone. He
studied the object, wondering what in the world it could be. Its
blue buttons seemed to glow in the dark-gray steel casing. He
didn’t recall seeing anything like it before, and he kept
up-to-date on technological developments.

Well, he would take this thing home and see
what he could do with it. Perhaps he could hook it up to his
computer and find out how it worked.

Decision made, he left the alley and headed
back to work, eager for his shift to be over.

***

Outside the Royal Palace

Planet: Raz

Ann and Hathor decided to take Katherine in a
stroller after their evening meal. Ann loved these moments when she
didn’t have to worry about tending to her duties. As much as she
enjoyed her role as queen, she enjoyed her role as wife and mother
even more.

And that was exactly what she was thinking as
she pushed Katherine’s stroller into the garden behind the palace.
A variety of flowers sent a sweet aroma through the air. Even after
living here for two years, Ann was still amazed at how it was
spring all year round.

As she pushed the stroller by some daisies,
Katherine giggled and reached out to touch them. Since Hathor bent
down to pick one up, Ann stopped and watched him hand it to
Katherine. The girl squealed in delight and grabbed it.

“You know she’s going to try to eat it,” Ann
mused.

“Yeah, but for a few moments she’ll behave.”
He winked.

Sure enough, Katherine brought the daisy up
to her mouth. He gently took it from her. When she started to cry
in protest, he weaved the stem through her curls so that the daisy
stayed in her hair. She seemed content with this, so they continued
their walk.

“You’re a good father,” she told him. “It’s
nice to watch you and Katherine together.”

He beamed at her words. “I’m the luckiest man
in all the galaxies.” After a moment, he asked, “Do you miss
Earth?”

“Not as much as I used to. It was hard at
first. Being here, so far from everything I grew up with. But I got
used to being here. It’s home. And now when I think of Earth, I
don’t miss it. I think of the good memories, but it’s with a
thankfulness that I had the chance to live there.”

“I still can’t imagine what there is to like
about Earth. Except for you.”

Amused, she rolled her eyes. “I know. Earth
is boring to you, but I assure you, it does have its good
points.”

He didn’t seem convinced, but then, he never
did.

“It’s alright. If I had grown up here,
surrounded by magic, I’d probably think the same thing,” she
said.

“So you don’t regret leaving?”

“No.” She stopped walking and slipped her arm
around his waist. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d come to
Raz. Though it would be nice if I could skip the whole Palers
wanting to kill us thing.”

He chuckled and hugged her. “Come on. It was
an adventure.”

She rolled her eyes. “Thankfully, nothing
like that has happened since. And God willing, it never will.” She
kissed him then continued their walk.

***

Cincinnati, Ohio

Planet: Earth

William’s mind was so preoccupied with the
strange device he’d found earlier that day that he could barely
concentrate at work. He nearly ran through two red lights on his
way home. He used all of his energy to not speed more than five
over the speed limit. He had enough speeding tickets as it was, and
he knew the cops in this area kept a close watch on how fast people
drove through here. He also knew they wouldn’t pull him over for
doing five over. They were more interested in the serious
speeders.