Finding Stardust

Ah, future wife. He admitted that he still could not familiarize himself with those words. He actually considered himself too young to get married. And that girl ... she must be even younger.

The only reason he came here, traveling as far as 6 light-months away from home, was to fulfill the request of his grandfather, King Rhemus. He was indeed the appointed crown prince, but his position was not secure without the support from their colonies. And the most important support he must get was from Princess Arreya"s homeland.

Arreya"s daughter would play an important role in determining who would be the next ruler of Akkadia. She was just as important as Arreya. That was why it was crucial for Therius to marry this girl.

Therius actually felt fortunate because his people got this information first before his two cousins did. Maybe now that he disappeared for such a long time, they would start to suspect something.

He would not be surprised that later when he returned to Akkadia, they knew he would bring a bride with him. It would create an uproar, he was sure of it. He could even imagine how it would roll out.

For Therius, this marriage was a political decision. However, he was not a heartless man who saw the girl as a mere tool.

He really hoped that what happened between his uncle and Princess Arreya would not happen to him.

"Other men will be happy to meet their future wife... yet somehow you don"t seem excited." Xion teased Therius while sitting next to him with his drink. He downed his wine, then patted his best friend"s shoulder. His tone became serious when he added his words of consolation. "You"re a good man, Therius. The girl you are going to marry is one lucky princess."

***

Emma and Haoran got off the s.h.i.+p excitedly. Their faces were filled with admiration and awe toward their surroundings. Their s.h.i.+p landed and parked inside a transparent dome-like hangar. They could see the s.p.a.ce above them adorned with billions of stars.

"Welcome home, Princess Emma." They could hear AWA greeted them, but they couldn"t see anyone.

"AWA ...?" Emma walked toward the hangar door, which immediately slid to the side automatically.

She had hoped to see an Android in the form of a woman in her 30"s as she saw on the screen earlier, but no one seemed to come for them.

"AWA, where are you?" asked Emma again.

"I am here, Princess. I am the central computer that controls the whole home system. I have no physical form. You can speak to me anytime and anywhere you are in the vicinity," AWA said.

"Oh ..." Only then did Emma realize that AWA deliberately appeared on the screen as a woman in her 30"s so that Emma wouldn"t be startled to see a computer talking to her. "I understand. Can you give us a tour around this place? It"s been a long time. I think the last time I was here was over a dozen years ago."

"With pleasure. Right now, you are in the hangar. This is where we park your s.h.i.+p. You can follow this hallway to enter the main house. There you can rest and do various activities. I will have some robot servants to prepare some drinks and a meal for you. Next to the main house, there is a control station that maintains the life support systems in here."

"Is the capsule my parents brought here still around?" Emma asked curiously.

"Yes. The capsule is stored not far from here and camouflaged to avoid detection from Earth"s satellites."

"Oh, I see ..." Emma told Haoran what she had heard from AWA while pulling the young man"s hand to walk out of the hangar into the main house. They just realized how they could walk and breathe without problems, just like when they were on Earth.

Emma a.s.sumed the control station that maintained the life support system mentioned earlier by AWA was adjusting gravity and oxygen for them.

"This place is amazing," Haoran said many times. He kept looking up through the transparent dome and admired the view above them. For an astronomy enthusiast like himself, this experience was a dream come true.

They arrived at a large door at the end of the hangar. Before they wondered how to open it, the door had slid sideways and gave them access to enter.

Emma and Haoran walked forward and found a large room with a well-appointed interior. There was a relaxing sofa there with soft rugs and other furniture that looked luxurious. The room was obviously designed by someone with great taste.

"On your right, there is a kitchen, library, and study. On your left, there are two bedrooms for you to rest in. Would you like to rest now, Princess?"

"Thank you, AWA. I"m still not tired. Can we talk? There are so many things I"d like to know from you ..." Emma said quickly. She sat on the sofa with Haoran and looked around. "I want to know what really happened to my father and mother. Why did they leave Akkadia? I need to know as much information as possible, so I can find them."

"Princess Arreya and General Kaos.h.i.+n Stardust left Akkadia because they loved each other and wanted to get married. Princess Arreya was already engaged to Crown Prince Darius. General Stardust would be considered a traitor if he took Princess Arreya away from her future husband."

"I don"t understand why my mother had to marry the crown prince. Isn"t she a princess? Why did she have to marry a man she didn"t love?" asked Emma. "Can you tell me what happened from the beginning so I can understand better?"

"Princess Arreya was a hostage in Akkadia. The Akkadian kingdom has 5 colonies under it. The five countries send the kings" sons and daughters to the capital of Akkadia to be hostages to secure their parents" loyalty. As long as their parents obeyed King Rhemus, their children would be treated well. Princess Arreya was chosen by Prince Darius to be his future wife when they were little. She was appointed the crown princess for political reasons. However, when Princess Arreya entered the academy, she met with Kaos.h.i.+n Stardust, and they fell in love. The rest, you already know what happened."

Emma was pensive. Now she understood why her mother was forced to marry the crown prince. As it turned out, Princess Arreya did not even come from Akkadia, but another land that was colonized by the kingdom.

She could imagine how angry Prince Darius was when he learned that his future wife eloped with another man. Aside from being angry, he must feel insulted.

Did he send people to chase Kaos.h.i.+n and Arreya all the way to Earth because of this incident?