by Zara Zenia
I narrowed my eyes and cocked an eyebrow as I stared at him. “Admit what?”
Lortnam chomped on the mint candy in his mouth, smacking his lips and making an appalling sound. “That you’re excited.”
“Excited about what?” I asked. I was toying with him.
“Don’t patronize me,” he said and leaned forward. “You know exactly what I mean. You are ready for Ariana to get here.”
I tried to keep my poker face. I interlocked my hands and leaned back against the support rest of my chair.
“What’s it to you if I am?”
Lortnam sighed with exasperation. “Sometimes I wonder how we ever ended up as twins. We are like night and day, you and I.”
I wrinkled my forehead. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t have to keep your barriers up when I’m around.” Lortnam met my gaze and there was respect shimmering in them. “I just want you to be happy.”
His smile was infectious. “Thank you,” I said and returned it.
“And I want to be able to go on double dates,” he said with an exuberant grin.
I groaned. “Don’t start already. She’s not even here yet.”
“Does she like flashy and expensive things?” Lortnam asked. “Is she excited to live in the lap of luxury for a while?”
I shrugged. “How should I know?”
“You are the one who has been talking to her for months.” Lortnam chuckled and hiked his legs up onto my desk. “Has she not mentioned that she’s excited about exploring that tangible aspect of your relationship?”
I grumbled. “Could you please not do that? It’s pine.” I pointed to the surface of the desk and ignored his shrewd question.
“Whatever.” Lortnam looked put out. He stood up and eyed me skeptically.
“What?” It was hard for me not to immediately go on the defensive when he gave me that lecturing look.
“I think you are making a great decision for your future,” he said with a kindhearted smile.
“You do?” I allowed myself to slightly relax.
Lortnam grinned. “Of course!” From what I know about Ariana, she seems like a lovely girl. I can’t wait to meet her in person.”
“You and me both.” I chuckled.
“I hope that she will easily befriend Kelly,” Lortnam mentioned.
“Perhaps,” I said with a shrug. “But let’s not get carried away, shall we? After all, she’s only here for a brief visit.”
Lortnam smirked. “You know that you’ll try to convince her to stay here with you, get to know you better.”
“I will want her to make that decision on her own,” I countered.
“But you admit that you would want her to stay?”
“She hasn’t even gotten here yet,” I said, “but yes, in a perfect world, that would be nice to have that kind of insurance of knowing that she enjoyed my company enough to stay longer.”
“Give yourself some more credit,” he said. “You are a prince for crying out loud.”
“Ariana doesn’t know that,” I said.
Lortnam frowned and then his mouth formed an oval shape of surprise. “How can she not be aware of that? We’ve been here for four years looking for brides. You haven’t told her who you are?”
“It never came up.” I shrugged.
“So, she’s coming here based on merit alone that you have provided her?”
“I didn’t want to tell her until she got here,” I admitted.
“You wanted her to like you for you?” Lortnam smiled. “How diplomatic of you.”
“Just leave it alone,” I said and flickered my gaze at the pen on my desk.
Ariana lived in a cabin in her own little world. She didn’t seem like the materialistic type, but once she got here, I would immediately know whether or not the chemistry fit. I had an internal radar of sorts. I would be able to wager whether she was just using me for my money. In actuality, I wished I never had to show her that I was a wealthy prince. I felt as if it would shift the tide of our relationship, but I had to trust that my brother was right, and that Ariana would like me for me.
“You like this woman,” Lortnam said. “I think it’s time to follow your heart.”
I allowed him a pass and gave him a smile in response. “Perhaps you are right. Time will tell, she arrives tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Lortnam’s eyes widened in surprise. “I can’t believe how level headed you are behaving right now. I would be an utter mess.”
I laughed. “Well, I am in shambles on the inside.”
“You hold it together well,” Lortnam said and gave me a fist bump. “I have to run, but be sure to let me know when she arrives, will you?”
“Of course,” I said and saw him to the door of the office. He could let himself out from there.
When he left, I couldn’t help but realize he was right. I was over the moon, beyond excited for Ariana’s arrival and I didn’t know if I would be able to sleep a wink tonight until she walked through the palace doors tomorrow.
I climbed into a hot shower, hoping that it would clear my head and my wild imagination. I closed my eyes and fantasized about Ariana walking through the door. I couldn’t wait to touch her, to kiss the softness of her full, cherry red lips.
I hoped that she would want to reciprocate. After all, she seemed as eager as I was at the invitation to come here. Surely the romantic aspect of our blossoming relationship was still something to explore.
After a while of letting the hot water run off my back and shoulders, I washed up and climbed out, patting myself dry. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. One might say I was attractive for both human and Trilyian standards. I worked out, I had muscular definition. My eyes were green and piercing. I was deep chested, and one might think a little stocky, but my carved and toned body made up for it. I was solid, with strong features. I knew that I would be a catch to Ariana if she would have me.
I ran a hand through my bronze colored hair and toweled off the remainder of my olive complexion skin.
I had experienced the way that human women had fawned all over me in order to secure at date with me, but they weren’t the ones I wanted. Maybe my brother’s ability to have twin intuition was right. Perhaps it really was Ariana who I had been saving my time and energy for all along.
I got dressed and walked out onto the balcony of my palace that overlooked the entire city of Baltimore. There were thousands of yellow twinkling lights that stretched across the horizon as far as the eye could see.
Baltimore was entirely different from Norna, the continent that Lortnam and I ruled over with co-leadership roles. Baltimore was a bigger scale city than we had on Norna. Norna was also considered to be a slightly more rural area than the urban structure of Baltimore. There was far less vehicle traffic as well on Norna.
I took pride in my roots and in my native land. Norna was the most resource-rich of all the continents that my brother’s and I looked after. Since I had an eye for trade and treaty, I made sure that we were always supplemented with losses and producing the finest items that could be put on the market as far as farming and agriculture was concerned.
I was in charge of the big picture stuff, Lortnam did day to day aspects of local government as well as the running of the Cultural Center here on Earth.
Nobody thought we would be able to balance the power, but we had surprised all of our family and friends by completely molding ourselves into the roles. We worked better than ever together.
Most of my skill sets had to do with internal resource management and I was better at the organized leadership than Lortnam, but he was still able to accomplish the stern and thoughtful leadership role when it was often needed. I took pride in the fact that we were both motivated and ambitious, and I knew that we were clever enough to get the tasks done to govern our continent.
Lortnam was more of a thinker than a fighter though. I had a hostile streak to me, and I could get fired up about things. I was able to negotia
te with outsiders better than Lortnam because he didn’t have as much of a threatening demeanor. Not that I tried to intimidate people on the spot, but when it was necessary, I got the job done.
Not to mention, Lortnam didn’t have as much of a zesty appeal with the community. When it came to social interactions, I was the better one to be the voice for our people.
One thing was certain, both Lortnam and I respected and loved the citizens of Norna, and we would do anything to keep them safe and flourishing as a community. That was the biggest reason we were here on Earth in the first place. We had to start somewhere at making Norna a lavish and prosperous continent to live for our people.
I thought about my brother Lortnam’s new wife Kelly. Their romance had been something of a whirlwind. She was a couple years older than Lortnam and I who were twenty-one.
I was surprised at how quickly things escalated between Lortnam and Kelly, but he certainly seemed happy, so who was I to counter his love? Kelly was in some ways the polar opposite of Lortnam.
She was smart. She was witty. She had been a licensed private investigator before they met. My brother had those personality characteristics too, but Kelly wasn’t as content with the bare minimum like Lortnam. She got bored easily. I sometimes worried that she would be a bit too sparky for Lortnam to handle, but so far, he was holding his own and seemed over the moon in love with her.
I wondered how she would get along with Ariana, hoping that the pair would hit it off and become friends. My brother Lortnam and I were normally in constant communication, so it was important that whoever I ended up with be able to get along and keep the peace with my other family members. Whether that be extended or related by marriage or anything of the sort, it was still an important aspect to me.
I got into bed and pulled the covers around my body, submerging myself in somewhat of a cocoon. But it was no use. I couldn’t sleep a wink. I was too excited. Nervous energy of anticipation swirled through my mind.
My thoughts were going at about a hundred miles an hour inside my head. I smiled as I pictured Ariana walking around the palace, drinking everything in. I hoped she would be impressed.
She didn’t seem to be bothered with materialistic things in life, which was definitely a plus in my book. I wanted a woman who was down to Earth. I wanted a woman who would be willing to stand by my side and be a beautiful princess for the Trilyian race to adore.
I hoped that over time, Ariana would be up to the challenge. She seemed a bit soft spoken and shy, but I was hoping that she would bloom when she got here and saw what else life had to offer her.
I was excited that she was willing to go outside her comfort zone. She had been cooped up in her cabin without access to people other than by technology for far too long. It was time for her to go out there and experience what the world had to offer.
Besides, she was a poet. I knew that she could enjoy a wealth of creative exposure here in Baltimore with me.
I wished I could get to sleep. I rolled over. I tossed and turned, twisting myself into the sheets. I exhaled a heavy sigh and closed my eyes, refusing to open them again until I was able to drift off to sleep somehow.
After a while of picturing Ariana’s smiling face nuzzled up next to mine, my mind finally succumbed to slumber. I was out like a light, at least for a little while.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of talking downstairs. I quickly threw on some clothes and jogged down to the kitchen where I found my team of advisors and my assistant, Vas Fokor, standing around the table.
They wore serious expressions on their faces and Vas frowned beneath his wire rimmed spectacles.
“Good morning,” I said vibrantly as I smiled and cast them all a wave, entering the kitchen.
“Oh…” Vas trailed off regrettably. He pushed his glasses up his nose. “You… haven’t heard I suppose?”
I stopped and spun around to give him an inspecting glance. “Heard what?”
“The news? About Ariana?” Vas looked squeamish. His face was ashen as if all the color had drained from it.
“What about her?” My voice was high and shrill. I took a guarded step toward him and my other advisors who fidgeted and shifted their weight uncomfortably.
“Her flight…” Vas began, seemingly reluctant to tell me whatever terrible event had occurred. “Her plane was hijacked midair and she was kidnapped from the plane.”
“What?” I shook my head.
I heard ringing in my ears. This couldn’t be happening. My rising hopes were suddenly dashed, crashing around me like a torrential downpour.
I continued to shake my head in denial. “No.”
“I’m sorry, Jinurak.” His voice was laced with empathy. “We are doing all we can to determine what happened and where we might be able to locate her.”
“I need to sit down,” I said numbly, feeling blank inside. I felt like my knees were going to buckle and give out from under me.
I felt like I was drowning in a current pushing me downward into a black abyss of nothingness. My dear Ariana. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted her to be with me until she had slipped through my fingers. There had to be a way to get her back. I would have to bring in my team of advisors and experts to help me. There was no time to waste. Ariana was out there somewhere, and she needed me.
Chapter 4
Ariana
I woke up in an unfamiliar bed with a groggy sense of delirium. The last thing I remembered was being on a plane. The sheets of the bed were pulled up to my chin and I was tucked beneath the sheets almost like a cocoon. I peered around me with exercised caution and curiosity. I was in an all-white room aside from one striking feature.
The four poster bed had fiery red drapery around them, but they were open and tied to the posts, not shrouded around me like a cloak.
“Hello?” My voice sounded unrecognizable to myself.
I tossed the sheets off my body. I glanced down and realized that I was wearing a long silk dress that was soft to the touch but resembled more of a pajama ensemble rather than an elegant gown.
“Jinurak?” Was I at the hotel room? This place didn’t look like a hotel room.
My mind felt muddy. It was almost as if I was living in a concrete, consistent dream. My body felt heavy and it was almost as if I was draped in a fog or a mental stupor of some sort.
I was surprisingly calm, even though I couldn’t identify any of my surroundings as being something I’d ever seen before.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. An instantaneously sharp pain seared through my head as soon as I jumped to a standing position. Then I experienced a massive headrush that made me reel back with dizziness.
I felt a little woozy. I tumbled backward but gripped the side of one of the bed posters for support in order to prevent my knees from buckling.
“Jinurak?” I called out to the seemingly empty room.
Where was he? More importantly, why couldn’t I remember getting off the plane, or for that matter, seeing the plane land in the first place?
I regained my balance and shuffled over to the window. The curtains were drawn, but when I pulled them back, I gasped.
I was shocked at what I saw on the ground below. The green grass was vibrant, almost surreal in color as if I was trapped in an oil painting and seeing a drawing displayed in front of me.
Something about this place was unsettling as if it wasn’t reality, but I couldn’t place the reasoning behind why I felt that way. There seemed to be a spiky row of hedging around an ironed bared gate surrounding the property.
There was a tree line off in the distance that stretched off to the horizon. The area appeared extremely rural which further deepened my confusion. Baltimore was in a major metropolitan city with tons of traffic.
Where were all the people, buildings and streets?
“Something isn’t right here,” I said out loud and frowned.
Had Jinurak lied to me to get me to come to meet him? Was I baited? My stomach drop
ped and I suddenly felt queasy. I clutched my stomach and hobbled over to the bed where I immediately plopped down to keep my head from spinning.
What was wrong with me? Why did I feel groggy like I was in some kind of sleepy haze?
Was I simply having an intense dream that was difficult to wake up from? I pinched the sensitive skin behind my wrist. I felt a needle of brief pain and winced in response, but I remained on the bed.
“Well, I guess you aren’t dreaming, Ariana.” I exhaled sharply and looked around. The door to the bedroom was closed.
I stood up and wandered over to the door and grasped the knob. I didn’t know what to expect to find on the other side of this door, but I sincerely hoped that it wouldn’t be as peculiar as what the outside world looked like.
Maybe Jinurak just lived on a farm in the outskirts of Baltimore, perhaps the suburbs. Something about the situation still didn’t sit well with me, and I had a difficult time convincing myself that I was in a hotel out the outer perimeters of Baltimore. Since Jinurak had yet to present himself, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that he might be here anyway.
I opened the door with a swift and jerky movement, surprised that it yielded so easily. Part of me was expecting it to be locked. If I was in fact dreaming, even though I’d pinched myself, then there were apparently no rules when it came to the concoctions of my imaginative subconscious.
I peered out into the hallway. I was curious, but I wasn’t brave enough yet to venture out any further and see what else there was to be exposed in this elusive dreamy state of mine.
“Hello?” I asked of the silence in a soft voice, but nothing was returned. There appeared to be no one around.
I took cautions steps down the hall in my bare feet and flowing gown. I crept down the hallway, following a beam of natural light that I assumed was coming from a window that I just couldn’t see yet.
