Princess Grace of Earth

by A K Lambert

  Jon, Mandy, Grace and Krankel crossed the boundary of the security shield that surrounded Harewood Hall and headed into the woods towards the small road that led to Kilballigowen. It was May Day, and Jon’s small town was celebrating the seasonal transition. Jon had cycled over but was now walking back with his friends, his hands in his pockets.

  Grace, as usual, had her arm through his. They strolled along casually, enjoying the warm spring day. The woods were alive with new sights, sounds and smells, Mother Nature well on the way to weaving her magic for yet another year. Mandy was playing with Krankel, though the big dog was more interested in the goings on in the woods that only he could sense. He went racing through the undergrowth after a squirrel and, for now, was gone. Jon could see Mandy pondering. In the past, she would have immediately come to his other arm and slipped hers through, then started some daft conversation on a subject only she could dream up. But she was feeling awkward about doing that, and he could totally understand why.

  The Walkers hadn’t visited since the Christmas holidays, the longest Amanda had been away from Jon and Grace since they had met five years earlier. Jon and Mandy were young adults now, both at senior school, CSEs done and university beckoning, and both dealing with the psychological and physiological changes that came with that territory. Jon’s first meet up with Mandy yesterday had been unnerving. She had changed. Ever since he’d known her he was aware that she was pretty and had an interestingly shaped figure, but now she looked beautiful, and he could only glance covertly at her figure, feeling guilty—afraid she would catch him out. They were both keeping their distance.

  ‘Come and join us, Mandy.’ Jon knew exactly what Grace was doing. Nothing much got past her nowadays. She was very astute to the workings of both he and Mandy. He was aware that she operated on two different levels: her Princess Tauriar level and her Earthly Grace level. He knew her Grace level inside out but was only vaguely aware of what she got up to behind Harewood Hall’s closed doors. ‘Come on,’ she repeated.

  Mandy moved next to Jon, hesitated, then slipped her arm through his. Jon felt a tingle, even though there were two jumpers and one shirt sleeve between them. The feeling slowly wore off, and Mandy finally broke the ice.

  ‘So, O’Malley. Have they finally managed to teach you joined up writing in the sixth form yet?’ Mandy looked across at Grace as she laughed just a bit too loud.

  ‘Oh, I have missed your wit, Miss Walker. And you, Gracie Fields, can watch it too,’ replied Jon, feeling the tension between them easing.

  ‘Grace Kelly, don’t you mind young Jonathan. Princess and all that. And don’t forget to curtsy.’

  Jon looked sternly at the Princess. ‘And it’s year five here in Ireland, six is next year. Both make up the Senior Cycle.’

  ‘And it’s year twelve and thirteen in England, but my school still calls it lower and upper sixth,’ chimed Mandy.

  ‘Why is everything so complicated on this little world?’ laughed Grace. ‘I struggle to understand how you’re not still living in caves.’ She laughed again, and was off with Jon and Mandy in hot pursuit, just like when they were younger.

  ‘Krankel. Save me,’ Grace wailed pathetically, now in complete hysterics.

  A half hour later and the little group had arrived in Jon’s village.

  Jon was explaining about the tradition of decorating bushes in many of the gardens they were passing. ‘It’s called the May Bush. The children decorate a bush, often a hawthorn, with ribbons and tinsel to celebrate May Day.’ He was enjoying a rare occasion of knowing something the girls didn’t.

  ‘Why do they do it?’ asked Mandy.

  ‘Er… I don’t know,’ said Jon, deflated.

  ‘The bush is associated with good luck for the house,’ Grace offered.

  ‘Are you accessing your super-duper database again, your highness?’ asked Jon.

  Grace nodded. ‘Long life, a pretty wife and a candle for the May Bush.’

  Jon looked dejected. ‘Even your Irish accent is better than mine.’

  After a while, Mandy asked, ‘Who are your minders today, Grace?’

  ‘Peter and James. Who would you expect, when the opportunity to sit in the beer garden all day is a distinct possibility.’ She looked off to nowhere in particular, her sensing look. ‘They’re already here. I’ve asked them to keep a low profile, from us at least.’

  Eventually, they reached the village green. The May Day festivities were centred there. The Green was just under an acre of lush green grass at the fork of the three roads into and out of the town centre. The roads, closed for the celebration, were now the route for wandering families and townsfolk. Around the Green were two public houses, the local church, a village hall next to the church, three shops—a post office, a newsagent and grocery store,—and some residential dwellings. Centred splendidly in the largest of the three grassy sections was an inspiring Maypole. Normally only associated with more major towns, Kilballigowen’s Maypole was the pride and joy of its three thousand residents. Later in the day the customary dance involving men and women joining hands to form a large circle would commence. An individual dancer would weave through the ring, collecting other dancers on the way, representing a winding serpent.

  In every direction something was happening. Cake making and flower arranging competitions. Stalls galore offering games to be played, food to be bought, soft drinks of every colour of the rainbow to be drunk. Tables and chairs outside of each pub were vying for customers. Even the front gardens of the houses facing the fair had tables and chairs, and bunting and May Bushes. It was the one day of the year when their residents could act like landed gentry.

  They stood for a while, wondering where to go first. Everything looked so inviting. The moment they stepped onto the grass though, there was a perceptible hush from everyone around them.

  Royalty had arrived. A celebrity was amongst them. The quiet was only broken by delighted whispers. Then, two children ran over towards them, shouting excitedly...

  * * *

  ‘Krankel!’

  The children put their arms around the big dog, then stepped back and stroked him. Soon there was a throng of folk around Krankel, young and old, all speaking to him and wanting to pat him.

  When Grace had first taken the giant dog into the town a couple of years back, he had become a celebrity. A freak of nature, they had all thought, but a fabulous one. His friendly disposition, to humans and other animals alike, had endeared him to everyone. Grace and Peter had taken him to the primary school a while back at the request of the teachers. There had nearly been a riot in the secondary school when they found out Krankel was visiting the younger children. A hastily arranged visit was made to the high school the following day. He had even made the local newspaper.

  The Vercetians didn’t mind this attentiveness, in fact, they welcomed it. It diverted attention from them. To the locals, Harewood Hall was the home of Krankel. And some other people lived there too.

  Grace spent the next half hour touring the fair so that everyone could meet Krankel. Jon and Mandy tagged along behind.

  ‘Can you tell if Grace is communicating with the giant hairball?’ Jon asked Mandy, making sure Grace could hear.

  ‘I can’t tell,’ she replied. ‘Unless she’s directly communicating with me I don’t hear her at all.’

  ‘I bet she’s telling the hairy beanbag to stop milking the attention from his adoring public.’

  Grace didn’t respond or even appear to have heard anything, but a moment later Krankel turned to Jon with a hurt look on his face.

  Eventually, interest in the big dog waned, allowing them to visit the garden of the Red Lion Public House. Peter and James were at a bench-style table, so they joined them.

  James went to the bar to order some soft drinks for them, leaving Jon and Peter to start digging at each other.

  ‘Tough job you pair have today,’ was Jon’s opening salvo.

  ‘Sure is,’ replied Peter. ‘Much harder than cycling w
ith you.’

  ‘That’s because you’re always so far behind me,’ said Jon.

  ‘Well, at least James and I aren’t playing second fiddle to a dog today,’ Peter laughed.

  ‘Well some things don’t change,’ said Mandy in mock exasperation. ‘The biking boys still bickering.’

  ‘Oh, Mandy. They’re getting worse. Drives us all crazy.’ Grace looked up at the sky.

  ‘Haven’t you girls anything better to do than interrupting us? Especially when I’m totally outsmarting bike-boy here,’ said Peter.

  James returned with a tray full of drinks. ‘There we go. Have I missed anything?’

  ‘NO,’ the girls replied in unison.

  ‘How are you enjoying lecturing at the University, James? Mandy asked. ‘You’ve been there a while now.’

  ‘Six months,’ he agreed, ‘and loving it. With Grace at University and no one to tutor, it’s an ideal solution.’

  ‘He just can’t bear to be away from me,’ said Grace.

  James gave her a false smile, ‘Too true, your Royalness.’

  A small Lhasa Apso at the next table was yapping away at everybody and everything pulling on its bright pink leash. Everyone at Jon’s table was starting to find it hard to ignore to the noisy little mutt.

  Jon and Peter had moved on to cycling and were planning their next bike ride.

  ‘We may get a couple of hours in later if we get back in time.’ Peter said.

  But Jon was right next to the dog. ‘Sorry Peter, what did you say?’

  He looked at the dog, somewhat frustrated, then at his owners, an elderly couple. The little canine was obviously their pride and joy, but did appear to be hard work. They were chastising her—Dotty —in the gentlest of manners, smiling apologetically to everyone around them. Jon turned back, feeling sorry for them. For a moment he caught Grace looking straight at Krankel. He’d seen that look before. They were communicating.

  ‘Look at me, look at me, I’m their dog, I’m their dog.

  Look at me, I’m their dog, look at me, I’m their dog.

  I’m their dog, look at me, I’m their dog, look at me.’

  Dotty, the young Lhasa Apso, turned back to her owners, who smiled at her and told her she was being a clever girl and to carry on. That’s what she thought they said, so she did.

  ‘I’m their dog, look at me, I’m their dog, I’m their dog.

  Aren’t I cute, yes I am, aren’t I cute, yes I am.

  Look at me, I’m their dog, look at me, I’m their dog.’

  There are lots of owners around today, thought Dotty, I must tell them all.

  ‘I’m their dog, look at me, I’m their dog, I’m their dog.

  Aren’t I cute, yes I am, aren’t I cute, yes I am.

  What a day, yes it is, what a day, yes it is.’

  There’s a big dog over there. I must tell him too.

  ‘Look at me, look at me, I’m their dog, I’m their dog.

  Look at me, I’m their dog, aren’t I cute, I’m their dog.

  What a day, look at me, aren’t I cute, I’m their dog’

  The big dog padded over to her. ‘Why shout at everyone, little friend?’

  ‘That’s what owners want, big dog,’ Dotty explained.

  ‘I’m their dog, look at me, I’m their dog, I’m their dog.

  Look at me, look at me, I’m...’

  ‘QUIET!’

  Dotty stopped, her eyes wide and she asked, ‘Why, big dog?’

  ‘Because, little lady, your owners aren’t clever. That’s not what they want. Instructions bad.’

  ‘What do they want?’

  ‘To stop telling everyone you’re their dog, not tell them you’re pretty, not make them look at you. They want you to show them.

  ‘Don’t shout. Show what a gorgeous lady you are. Show your beautiful fur, long and wavy. Know you’re their dog by the broad smiles that light up faces when you’re there. Get everyone to look at you, show grace, poise and beauty.’

  Krankel leant closer to the little dog and whispered, ‘Show, don’t tell,’ and padded back to Grace and the others.

  * * *

  They were all mesmerised by the exchange between Krankel and the little Lhasa, consisting of one giant bark by the big dog that caused everyone in the garden to look around. Jon was desperate to pay a visit, so excused himself and popped indoors to the toilet. When he returned, all was quiet. The little dog was now parading back and forth in front of his owners, as though she was in Cruft’s show ring,. Two young children who were earlier admiring Krankel from afar now sat cross legged watching the little dog, while her owners sat back, feeling suddenly very proud of Dotty.

  Grace, Mandy and Jon finished their drinks and returned to the fair, with Krankel adopting his lord of the manor persona again.

  An hour later, after watching the Maypole dancing, they were walking back to the manor house, discussing the fallout from the discovery of a missing message globe the year before.

  ‘Are you going to move out, Grace? asked Mandy.

  ‘Do you need to move out,’ Jon said, ‘could be the question.’

  ‘Contingency plans are in place,’ Grace replied. ‘Another two properties are being viewed. One in Cork and another country residence in the north of County Kerry.’ She looked at Mandy. ‘Your parents are invaluable, as usual.’

  Grace went quiet for a while, contemplating. Jon looked at Mandy. They both knew she had something on her mind and waited until she continued. ‘You can imagine how much we talk about our situation here on Earth. Before we left our home, Prime was told by the High Council they would have perfected a way of contacting us after a couple of years. Telepathy spanning the galaxy. Unbelievable, I know, but that is the power of our minds—yours as well as ours. Message globes have too high a risk of interception. We all want to go home. It’s been nearly five years, without any contact from Preenasette.’ She looked away.

  ‘Have we lost the war?’ she said finally.

  The shock on Mandy’s face was plain to see. ‘Surely not.’

  Grace turned and stared straight into Mandy’s eyes. ‘The possibility exists. That’s why we were sent off world in the first place. We may not have a home to return to.’ She shuddered at the thought of it.

  Jon put his arm around her and held her close. ‘But the war has lasted for hundreds of years. The status quo between both nations… you said so yourself. Two countries equal in nearly every way. The tables just can’t turn against you that fast, Grace. Verceti hasn’t lost the war. More likely your High Council hasn’t found a way to contact you. Spanning the galaxy is not exactly child’s play, is it.’

  Grace appeared to lose her composure. ‘Maybe they’ve forgotten us.’

  Jon had never seen her like this; she had always seemed so upbeat about everything life had to throw at her. She looked up from Jon to Mandy, and her face blanched. ‘Well, maybe just out of sight, out of mind.’ She started sobbing. Jon was struggling to decide how to comfort her and looked pleadingly to Mandy for help.

  She put her arm around Grace, letting Jon step back. ‘Grace. This isn’t like you.’ She used her other hand to lift the Princess’s face towards her and softened her tone. ‘What is really troubling you?’

  Krankel, sensing his mistress’s angst, stood by her side resting his head against her. She stroked his eyes and ears gently.

  ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately, but I keep doubting myself. I’m being taught to be a future leader of my country. I’m being mentally and physically trained to perfection—or as perfect as a Vercetian can be. But I’m not. I don’t even think I’m worthy of the Princess title.’ She looked from Mandy to Jon and back again, her holographically altered eyes full of moisture, just as any human eyes would be.

  ‘You’re too hard on yourself,’ Jon said, a softness to his Irish accent the others had never heard before. ‘Think of all the beautiful things you can do.’ A gentle smile spread across his face. ‘Look, you can talk to a giant wa
lking furball.’

  Grace was staring at Jon forlornly, the Earthling that she had come to think of as a brother, seeing his crooked smile and unkempt hair and dazzling eyes. She felt pitiful and wanted to be pathetic, but he wasn’t going to let her. Neither of them were going to let her. She forced a smile, weak to start off with, then broadening, until she was trying to avoid beaming from cheek to cheek. She laughed a little, so did Mandy. Jon joined in, and the three of them stood, deep in the woods, holding each other and giggling like children.

  Jon and Mandy spent the next half hour reminding Grace of all the great things she was capable of, trying to repair her broken confidence. They were making painfully slow progress through the woods, but then, there was no reason to rush. Peter and James were no doubt close by, and probably moaning that they would never get home at this rate. They entered the grounds of Harewood Hall and were near the lake when Grace surprised them by making her excuses to leave.

  ‘Peter and James have something important to discuss with me. They’re three hundred metres to our left. You two make your way back. See you later. Come on Krankel.’ And they were off. After about thirty yards Grace turned back and shouted, ‘Watch out for that hole in front of you!’ And then she was gone.

  ‘Very subtle,’ said Mandy.

  ‘What?’

  Mandy pointed at the hole that had upended her bicycle, the day they had met.

  ‘Oh, that.’ Jon knew exactly what Grace was doing, but thought it safest to pretend he didn’t. ‘Why would she do that?’

  ‘You can’t fool me, O’Malley, just like neither of us can fool Grace.’ She smiled wryly at him. ‘She’s been in our heads since we were children. She knows what we’re both thinking before we do. And she’s sensed confusion from both of us since my return.’

  Jon knew Mandy had sussed him and decided to see where this was going. ‘She’s sensed we have feelings for each other that we don’t understand.’