Tagan's Child

by ammyford1

  “What do you mean we are somewhere in outer space?” His face was feverish with excitement. This was beyond his wildest dreams.

  “Sort of, but there aren’t any aliens or monsters here.” As I said this and thought about what Bazeera and her soldiers were capable of, I wasn’t convinced this was completely true.

  “We are on another planet?” His face was a picture of wonder.

  “Yes, we are in another world in another universe.” I wasn’t sure if that was right but it seemed to explain it adequately enough.

  “But, I can’t remember travelling on a spaceship,” he said, filtering through his memories of how he got here.

  “That’s because you didn’t get here on a spaceship, you entered this world through what’s called a ‘portal’. It’s like stepping through a doorway that transports you millions of miles in little more than an instant.”

  “Is it magic?”

  I suppose to him it was like magic and I certainly didn’t understand how it worked so I couldn’t really offer a better explanation. “Yes, it’s a bit like magic.”

  “That is so cool!” he shrieked.

  “The world we are in is called Ramia.” He was captivated. “And there is something quite special about Ramians,” I continued. “They are a bit different to people back home, they are what we would call super-evolved.” My mind flashed back to all the Ramians I had encountered so far. Despite their innate talents, most had seemed pretty ordinary, except Elaya and Ahran. The now familiar pain pulsed through me as I thought of him and I fought hard to keep my breathing even.

  Toby looked puzzled. How was I going to explain what evolution was to an eight year old? I suddenly felt ill-equipped for this discussion. Keep it simple, I thought to myself.

  “The people here can do things that people at home can’t.”

  “What do you mean, they’ve got superpowers?” Toby asked, unable to believe his good fortune that he had stumbled into some kind of real life, X-Men film.

  “Yes. Well no, not really, they can’t fly or burn holes in doors with their eyes or anything like that, they are just like,” I was about to say, ‘they are just like we are’, but of course Toby and I weren’t the same, he was half Ramian and I was a mere human of the Earth variety. “They are human like me, but they are really good at running and their hearing is very good, they are very strong and rarely get sick, if they hurt themselves they heal very fast.”

  Toby thought about this for a moment. It was as if things started to make more sense to him. “So that’s why I can run faster than all the other boys at school.”

  “Yes, your father was Ramian, which means you are half Ramian.”

  “Epic!” He was absolutely buzzing.

  And now for the truly scary bit.

  “You are not only half Ramian but because your grandfather is the King and your father is no longer alive, you are the next rightful heir to the Dinaran throne.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment. “What, so all this will be mine when I’m older?” he said, looking around in amazement. He had no understanding of how this was going to impact his life, nothing would ever be the same again for him or for me for that matter.

  “This is unreal, it’s like something on telly!” he said jumping up and down.

  I laid a quietening hand on his knee. “Toby, I know this is a lot to take in and it all seems very exciting but it means that you are now a very important person to the King and Queen and that your life is going to change a great deal from now on.”

  Toby sat still and looked at me, some of the excitement draining from his face. “Does it mean we’ve got to move?”

  “I’m not quite sure what it means yet, I still need to have a serious conversation with the King to see where we go from here.”

  “What about Mungo?”

  He was starting to piece together what I was saying and what the implications might be. “I’m sure you will still be able to have Mungo,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure about anything at that moment in time.

  He seemed to relax a little. “I wish mummy was here.”

  Those five words nearly broke my heart in two.

  “I wish she was here too,” I said quietly. Not only did I miss her but it would have been someone to share the enormity of this situation with, not to mention that she probably would have been able to handle it far better than me.

  I tried to push back a curl that had fallen down over his forehead but it stubbornly refused to stay put. “But don’t you worry I’m not going to let anyone force you to do anything. We will take our time to learn about this new world and how we can make this new situation work together,” I said and smiled reassuringly although not quite feeling it myself.

  “Okay,” he said a little uncertainly. I leant forward and gave him a hug. It wasn’t the time to tell him that for the time being Halsan was not going to let him out of his sight let alone go back to Earth.

  I sat back feeling relieved. That had gone better than I had expected. “Well done, that was a lot for you to take in. If there is anything that is bothering you, please talk to me, won’t you?”

  He nodded and then paused. “Those people won’t take me away again, will they?”

  I shook my head vehemently. “The King will do everything in his power to protect you. You are safe here.” I hated that he no longer felt that unquestioning sense of security that you feel as a child. I would never forgive Bazeera for what she had done.

  I took a deep breath. “Well, the King and Queen will be wondering where we are, are you ready to go see your grandparents?” I said, more cheerfully than I felt.

  “That just sounds weird,” he said, getting up from the sofa.

  “This whole situation is weird,” I muttered as I followed him with a heavy heart to the door.

  Chapter 23

  Our very own servant escorted us back to the King and Queen, who were waiting for us in the sitting room. Elaya wasn’t there but Ahran was sat talking to his aunt and uncle. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. They stood up on our arrival. Ahran had obviously had a shower and changed his clothes. He wore thigh defining dark jeans and a crisp blue and white shirt, his collar was casually unbuttoned at the throat. His hair looked longer somehow and still looked damp from the shower. The way he was looking at me made me feel light-headed.

  “Ah, there you both are,” the King said. “Would either of you like something to eat?”

  Laid on the table behind us was a huge array pastries, fruit, cold meats, cheeses, every possible breakfast combination you could think of.

  “No, I’m fine,” I replied. “Although I could do with a cup of coffee.” I would have so much preferred a cup of proper English tea.

  Halsan beckoned to a servant who was standing nearby.

  “Can I have something to eat?” Toby asked.

  “Of course my dear.” Leylana was quick to assist him as he made his way over to the table. It was clear to see that she was going to be a devoted grandmother.

  The King sat down and I took a seat at the other end of the sofa to Ahran. “Where is Elaya?” I asked, avoiding any eye contact with him.

  “She went home and asked me to say goodbye to you, she will be back again soon,” replied the King.

  “Oh, okay.” It seemed funny her not being here, it was like the third Musketeer was missing. “So have you told the King about our adventures?” I asked Ahran, trying to keep up the appearance of normality when being near to him was doing funny things to my insides. I had spent virtually every minute of the last four days with him, why suddenly was his presence affecting me so much?

  “Yes, he has been thoroughly debriefed,” he answered. His voice was steady but his eyes blazed into me. His gaze was dissolving my fragile armour and I struggled to look away. The King spoke, unaware of the unsettling effect Ahran was having on me.

  “I’m sorry?” I said, looking back at the King feeling slightly dazed. I hadn’t heard a word of what he had just said.
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  “I’m sorry you had such an ordeal,” he repeated. “It’s not the kind of introduction to our world that I would have liked you to have had,” he continued.

  “I don’t know. I think it’s given me an understanding of your world I probably wouldn’t have got from any sightseeing tour,” I said with a chuckle.

  “That’s what I am worried about,” he laughed.

  I sneaked another look at Ahran. His expression was amused but his blue eyes had darkened irresistibly. I quickly looked away.

  “I have just spent the last half an hour explaining everything to Toby, about Ramia and who he is,” I said, trying to focus on having a lucid conversation with the King. I glanced over at Toby who was picking things off the platters on the table and putting them on the plate that Leylana was dutifully holding for him.

  “He seems to have taken everything on board although I did say to him that you and I need to have a serious discussion about how we take it from here.” Before the King could say anything I ploughed on, it wasn’t a discussion I wanted to have in front of Toby.

  “I think we all need to take a bit of time to get over what we’ve just been through before we make any plans for the future.” Royalty or not, I wanted Halsan to be clear that he was not going to be calling all the shots where Toby was concerned. He was our priority; we had to do what was in his best interest in spite of what we might prefer. Unfortunately, I quickly realised that I was going to be the only one who would lose out. I was also painfully aware there was no possible way I could compete with the King and Queen in terms of the lifestyle they could offer him. I groaned inwardly as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

  “Yes of course my dear, I couldn’t agree with you more.” If he was a little taken aback by my forthrightness he didn’t show it.

  “Do you think he would like it if we were to show you both around today, perhaps take you to the lake for a swim and a picnic; start to get to know each other?” he asked awkwardly.

  I smiled to myself, pleased he had taken my hint and at least was asking my permission. He had probably never had to ask anyone’s permission in his life. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Toby?”

  The King looked at his grandson doubtfully. I couldn’t help but be amused by his hesitation, he was out of his comfort zone and he had no idea how to handle the novel role of grandfather. He commanded the respect of his subjects and ruled his kingdom with authority but when it came to his eight year old grandson it was clear he didn’t have a clue how to play it.

  “Toby, Halsan was asking what you would like to do today,” I said, paving the way for the King. I nodded towards Halsan encouraging him to continue.

  He took my cue. “Toby, would you like to go for a swim in the lake and have a picnic…with us?”

  “Yeah, cool,” Toby replied. He had sat down on one of the armchairs with his plate on his lap and was tucking into his food. I was about to remind him of his manners and point out that he should be sat up at the table but Leylana was stood with her head cocked to one side smiling a contented smile, no one else seemed to mind his casualness. He was obviously going to get away with blue murder.

  His response pleased the King and he visibly relaxed. Leylana looked like all her Christmases had come at once. “Good, I’ll make the necessary arrangements.” Halsan spoke to one of the servants who disappeared to do as he had been instructed.

  “Will you be joining us Ahran?” the King asked.

  I hoped Ahran might bow out of the day’s planned activities and return to his own matters. The thought that I would have to spend the day with him and keep a safe distance was problematic to say the least. As casually as I could, I looked at Ahran and waited for his response. Childishly I crossed my fingers behind my back. Please say no.

  “I am afraid I’ve got some business to attend to.”

  I let out the breath I had been holding but at the same time felt a crushing disappointment. I uncrossed my fingers. He looked at me, and I tried to keep my expression neutral.

  “Oh do join us Ahran, you could do with some down time, it will be fun,” Leylana lobbied.

  Ahran hesitated, he was still looking at me. “Okay, why not,” he said, changing his mind.

  Damn it! The day promised to be somewhat of a bittersweet ordeal.

  “That settles it, we’ll leave in a couple of hours,” Leylana said beaming and almost clapping her hands together in excitement.

  “If you’ll excuse me my Lord, Aunt Ley,” Ahran said, nodding his head towards his aunt and uncle, “in that case I shall go and make some phone calls.”

  I exhaled as he left the room. The charge between us was almost palpable I wondered if anyone else could feel it. I thought back to Galius’s house and the moments we had spent together before he had left to rescue Toby. I had experienced the full force of our attraction to one another, it was mind blowing and addictive. How on earth was I going to fight it?

  I finished my coffee. “I’m going back to my room to try and get some sleep. I didn’t sleep very well on the plane. Toby, are you coming?” I had to get away, and build a more infallible protective shell. I knew one thing for sure, the more time I spent with Ahran the harder it was going to be to walk away.

  “Can I have a look around the palace Auntie Sophie? I’ve never been in a palace before.”

  “I’ll show you around if you’d like that,” the King offered eagerly. In spite of my reservations about what the future might hold for me, where Toby was concerned, I couldn’t help but feel heartened that he finally had doting grandparents.

  “Yes, okay then,” I replied. I was reluctant to let him out of my sight but knew he needed to start to build a relationship with his grandfather.

  “Have you got a coat of arms?” Toby asked excitedly.

  The King chuckled. “As a matter of fact we do.”

  I left Toby to take the royal tour and headed back to my room as the fingers of exhaustion began to creep up my spine. Judging by the way Ahran had looked at me earlier his feelings hadn’t changed and I no longer had the excuse of Toby’s rescue to deter his advances. Deep down I wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and listen to his reassurances that we could make it work but I wasn’t going to let my heart rule this decision. I didn’t belong in Ramia and I’m pretty sure he didn’t want to live on Earth and lose everything he had worked so hard for. Nothing could come of us and it was better that I stopped it before it went any further.

  I slipped off my trousers and blouse and climbed into bed, I was going to need all my strength if I was going to survive the day with my heart intact.

  *****

  I came to, slightly disorientated. Where was I? Was Toby safe? Where was Ahran? And then it came flooding back. We were all safe and about to spend the rest of the day at the beach. I turned over and shoved my head under the pillow groaning. After a couple hours of sleep I didn’t feel any more able to cope with the day ahead.

  I crawled out of bed and heard a knock at the door. I slipped on a robe and padded through to the lounge to see who it was. I stole a nervous glance at my reflection in the mirror as I made my way through. My makeup was smudged and my hair looked like a ball of candy floss. My pulse quickened at the thought of it being Ahran. I pulled the door open a crack. I breathed a sigh of relief, it was our servant from earlier waiting patiently.

  “The King and Queen will be ready to leave in twenty minutes,” she said and inclined her head slightly.

  “Thank you, I won’t be long.”

  She nodded and left.

  Feeling a little flustered, I went back into my bedroom. Outside, the sun was blazing and I looked through the wardrobe for something cool. After trying on several outfits at least twice I settled for a pretty halter neck sundress. Time was ticking on and my hands shook as I chose a bikini out of a selection of five in one of the drawers. I was cross with myself for feeling as nervous as a teenager on a first date. It was not a date especially when I had resolved to walk away. It was j
ust one more day I had to get through and then Ahran would go back to his farm. I put on the bikini and slipped the dress over my head before hurriedly brushing my hair and re-doing make-up. I selected sandals that matched the dress. I grabbed a pair of sunglasses and took one last look in the mirror, giving myself a weak smile. Be strong Sophie.

  I joined the royal party waiting in the entrance hall.

  “Did you manage to have a rest?” Leylana asked.

  “Yes thanks, I did.” There was no sign of Ahran. I should have felt relieved but all I felt was slightly panicky that he wasn’t there. Had he changed his mind? I stopped myself from looking over Leylana’s shoulder to see if he was on his way. In the time it had taken for me to walk from my room to the entrance hall I had settled it in my mind that I couldn’t avoid spending a day with him and so should at least make the most of it. I had reasoned that I could torture myself all day about my inevitable departure from his life or I could have my fill of his company and use it as another opportunity to build a memory to add to those I had already filed away for the long, lonely days ahead of me. I willed my tears to stay put. I should have been pleased I didn’t have to spend the day with him. It would make things a whole lot easier.

  “Is everyone ready?” Halsan asked.

  We all nodded our agreement but I couldn’t help another quick glance down the corridor.

  “Have you had a nice time Toby?” I asked, trying to take my mind off Ahran’s absence. We made our way down the steps at the front of the palace. Three sleek cars with blackened windows and a top of the range, sporty looking Jaguar, the likes of which I had only ever seen on Top Gear, were waiting on the driveway. I couldn’t quite understand why we needed four cars.

  “Yeah, it’s been brill, there’s a pool and tennis courts and loads of stuff to do here,” Toby replied enthusiastically. I sighed quietly. He was never going to want to go home.

  I was totally unprepared for seeing Ahran appear at the top of the steps. I had convinced myself that he wasn’t coming and had let my defences down. He still wore the dark coloured jeans he’d had on earlier but he’d changed into a torso hugging white t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned khaki, short sleeved shirt. He looked relaxed and upbeat as he jogged down the steps towards us. My stomach clenched.