Chapter 22

Stepping off the imperial ship and onto the D’Arian imperial landing zone was a surreal experience. Once they were within D’Arian airspace, Cain had relayed a message to Xan’s mother that they had recovered the lost heir and would be landing in a matter of hours. Sloan wasn’t sure how she did it, but Xan’s mother, Venu, managed to provide an imperial arrivals party of over one hundred members in that short amount of time.

The cream and blue valley made up the bulk of the landscape with mountainous areas visible in the distance. There were imperial banners carriers, guards, and transports ready to take them to the palace. Sloan was surprised that the Queen Regent didn’t meet them as they arrived. Surprised yet relieved. That gave Sloan some more time to prepare for the meeting.

Yaris was talking their ears off about all the plans she was making now that Xan was back. She was arranging for a clothier to meet them at the palace for Sloan, quickly typing away on her comm pad.

“Yaris, you don’t have to do that. I have my clothes. I’m fine with these.” Sloan tried to dissuade Yaris from making the arrangements.

“You’ll need gowns for all the balls we will be having,” Yaris said, batting her hand at her. “And I don’t think you’ll want to wear your clothes there. We’ll have so much fun. I’ve always wanted a sister.” Yaris squealed in excitement, but Sloan turned to Xan eyes wide in desperation, seeking help.

“Thank you for thinking of a clothier, Yaris. I’m sure Sloan’s beauty will only enhance the beauty of the gowns,” Xan said. Sloan rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. He was not helping at all.

“You will look beautiful, and I can’t wait to see you in them,” Xan said quietly in Sloan’s ear, then gave her a kiss on the shoulder. Well, when he put it like that, how could she resist?

As they entered the third transport in the row of ten, Xan squeezed her hand, attempting to reassure her. Sloan pasted on a smile, as her stomach somersaulted and churned.

***

The convoy of transports sped through the D’Arian countryside on the way into the city where they would finally reunite Xan with his mother and all this would become completely real. The pristine landscape of maintained fields, orderly roads, and gleaming buildings came into view as they got closer and closer to the imperial palace. Sloan’s leg tapped nervously up and down as she reached for her blaster to clean it, which was her way of expelling nervous energy. Remembering that Cain still had her blaster, Sloan instead worked on counting through the correct engine timing of the FTL drive through an asteroid belt.

Xan placed a hand on Sloan’s leg and let his calming energy flow into her. She felt the peace of walking through the palace gardens, laying on the grass with a blanket spread out for a picnic, and climbing a D’Auriel tree to indulge in some of its fruit. Knowing that these were Xan’s memories and how much it meant to him to be able to see these places again, Sloan let herself fall into the comforting glow of the memories to keep her anxiety at bay.

As they passed through the palace entrance, Sloan couldn’t help but gape at the undeniable opulence. To think that Xan had grown up in this place, she was surprised he had survived his captivity. Knowing the strength he must have to be able to adapt to life as a slave, Sloan’s heart ached even more for what he’d lost and the time he couldn’t get back.

The convoy slowed to a stop in front of the grand entrance, and Sloan went to open the door. Cain immediately placed a gentle hand on hers and removed it from the handle.

“Never open the door when you are traveling with a member of the royal family,” he stated before opening the door himself and stepping out to survey the area. The other guards formed a corridor that led to the ornately decorated entrance doors. With a nod, Cain moved out of the way of the transport door and held out his hand to help Sloan out. She placed her hand in his and stepped out into the D’Arian sunshine. It was bright but not hot, and there was a cool breeze that kept things from baking in the heat of the twin suns.

Xan exited the transport and slid his hand into Sloan’s. He moved to help his sister out of the transport, but Xan and Sloan weren’t surprised to find Cain already had his hand out to assist Yaris. Xan’s jaw tightened, and Sloan ran a hand down his arm to calm him. He glanced at her and nodded. She saw his jaw muscles relax as he walked toward the palace doors.

As they made their way past even more guards, servants, and staff of the palace, Sloan fidgeted with her clothes, toying the seams and flicking off stray threads that seemed to be multiplying. They all gave Yaris and Xan small bows as they passed. Everyone was dressed impeccably. All wore azure, gold, and white uniforms of various designs, some more ornate than others, that were tailored and starched to within an inch of their lives.

Her top felt too short, so she tried to tug it down and ensure that no skin was showing. The utility pants she wore to hold any number of items that might be needed seemed to be even more wrinkled than when she got into the transport. Standing among everyone in the courtyard, Sloan fidgeted, sure everyone knew she didn’t truly belong. She thought being in her own clothes would make her feel more comfortable and relaxed. She was wrong. Standing in front of a sea of people all in their best attire only caused that yawning fear of not belonging to become a chasm.

They reached the elaborately adorned doors that Sloan had to crane her neck to see the top of, and she couldn’t help but marvel at the intricate work that had gone into crafting them. They were gold, inlaid with a deep blue stone, set in a dark rich wood that had warm honey-colored accents oozing through it.

Before they reached the doors, they were swung open by another set of guards stationed inside. As they made their way to what Sloan assumed was the throne room, she thought that even her boots were a nuisance. Where everyone else’s shoes clicked on the gleaming marble floors, Sloan’s squeaked with each and every step. Sloan’s steps slowed enough that Xan glanced back, rubbed her hand, and smiled at her. She let out a deep breath. She wanted to head to the transport and then back to her ship.

“I can’t wait for you to meet my mother. She will love you.” Xan drew her closer as they continued their walk to meet Xan’s mother—the Queen Regent. The sinking feeling in her stomach told Sloan that might not be true.

The throne room was as impressive as one would expect. There was a raised platform that held two thrones, designated for the king and queen. They were as sumptuous as everything else in the palace, but it was the woman who stood on the platform that drew all the attention from everyone who entered the room.

Yaris rushed forward. “Mother, can you believe it? We’ve found Xan!” she said, bouncing with excitement.

Xan’s mother gave Xan and Sloan an assess stare before swiveling to her daughter and giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I was informed that there was news of Xan’s reappearance. I received the message only a short while ago,” she said, eyes calculating as she tried to unravel the mystery of Xan’s reappearance.

“Mother, why are you acting like this? It’s Xan.” Yaris attempted to drag her mother toward him. Xan stood beside Sloan, stock still as he took in the entire scene. Neither one seemed to want to be the first to move. It was Cain who acted first and brought the comm pad to Xan’s mother.

“Your Highness, I present to you the biometric results from our scans of Xandru Alerix D’Arian,” he said, handing the pad to her.

Xan’s mother broke eye contact with Xan and glanced down at the pad. She surveyed the results before returning the pad to Cain. She stepped off the platform and walked toward them. The only indication that Xan was anything less than collected at that moment was the tightening of his hand around Sloan’s. It felt as if he were crushing her hand, but Sloan bit her lip, not wanting to interfere in whatever was happening.

Xan’s mother finally stood in front of Xan and brought her hands out to either side of his face.

“Is it true? Are you my Xandru?” She had tears in her eyes, and her breath came out in short gasps. As she touched his face, visions pulsed from her into Xan and to Sloan by their connected hands. Sloan saw Xan’s mother holding him as a newborn, while Xan’s mother gazed up at what could only be his father. Then she saw her rocking him as an infant, chasing him as a toddler, and playing with him in their gardens. Tears poured down her face, and peering at Xan, he was equally moved.

The next set of visions came from Xan. She could tell because he peered up at his mother as she rocked him to sleep, tucked him in bed, and chased him in the gardens. That seemed to be what finally broke her as she flung herself into Xan’s arms and broke into sobs.

“I thought you were lost to me forever, my son. My sweet boy,” she gasped tearfully, squeezing Xan even tighter in her embrace. Sloan let go of his hand so he could bring both up to hold his mother against him.

“Please don’t cry, Mother, I know how you hate to mess your makeup,” Xan said. She let out a watery laugh.

“I can’t believe it. After all these years, I had given up hope. So many times, I thought I saw you over the years only to be heartbroken when it wasn’t you. I never thought I would see the day,” she said.

“I often felt the same way, too, Mother. I spent so long believing that you had all died that it was often hard for me to go on.”

“Where were you? Where have you been?” she said, her voice croaking with emotion.

“That is a long story, Mother, and I will tell it to you, but I have to tell you that the reason I’m here today is solely because of this woman beside me.” Xan gestured to Sloan. Xan’s mother turned to her, eyes wide with surprise, as if she was only now noticing that Sloan had been standing there the whole time.

“Mother, Queen Regent, Venu Xevian D’Arian, I present to you Sloan of Earth, Captain of the Arrow, one of the fastest ships in this sector,” Xan said proudly as he placed his hand on Sloan’s back and presented her to his mother. Venu didn’t seem to know how to take this and stood in front of Sloan with a curious look on her face. Sloan extended her hand, and Venu hesitated.

“Mother, Sloan is the reason I’m here. She found me and freed me from enslavement. She fought for me and is an important person in my life. I owe her my life as a debt,” he said, squeezing her hand.

“Well, then, I guess it is an honor to have you here, Captain Sloan. I, and the people of D’Arian, thank you for returning my son and our future king to us,” she said, taking hold of Sloan’s hand and giving Sloan a slight head bow. “It was kind of you to ensure that my son made his way back to D’Arian without any further issues. I hope that accompanying him hasn’t caused you any undue schedule setbacks. We would be more than happy to provide you with a reward for all your hard work in returning Xan to his family and his people.”

“Mother, Sloan isn’t only the person who freed me. She is the woman I love, and she will be my future queen,” Xan said proudly. He knew his mother would love Sloan as much as he did once she got to know her. Although the way the polite smile slid off her face, Xan wasn’t sure if he should have saved that bit of knowledge for another time.

“Oh, really?” she said.