by Juli Blood
Celestial Love
by
Juli Blood
Celestial Love
© 2014 by Juli A. Blood
ISBN 978-1-47820-887-7
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
All scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Cover Design: The Lynx Design
Dedication
The Lord promises to give us the desires of our hearts in Psalms 37:4-5.
As a teen I thought that meant that He would give me what I wanted. Since then I have learned that it means that God will give me a desire to do His will and then equip me to accomplish it.
Therefore, this book is dedicated to God and all those He has so richly blessed me with including my husband, parents, family and friends.
Celestial Love
“I can’t believe this is the only way!” Bryan said with a sigh as he looked out the window of his shuttle. Saxionias, located below the space station from which he had just launched, grew smaller and smaller until they jumped into hyperspace and it disappeared completely.
For as long as Bryan could remember the people of his world had been searching the galaxies, looking for a solution to their rapidly deteriorating eco system. Centuries of misuse and waste had left the planet on the verge of being completely uninhabitable. Then, almost two years ago, scouts heard about Estar Beta which had recovered from near eco disaster caused by an interplanetary war. Within months a delegation had been sent out and contact established.
Everyone was thrilled when Estar Beta agreed to negotiate. Months of meetings, two survey teams to Saxionias, and one to Estar Beta had led to his life being changed forever.
Crown Prince Bryan Neil Alexandros III, along with weapons and sensor technology, was the price for saving his home world. They would settle for nothing less.
Having heard his sigh, Leo leaned toward the prince and gave his leg a consoling pat. “It isn’t as if you won’t ever see it again, Your Highness. Surely you will visit often, though a thirty-seven hour flight is a bit long. It isn’t impossible, and you never know, it might not be forever. Perhaps you can convince her father to let her join you on Saxionias?”
Leo sounded hopeful and Bryan wished that he didn’t know that it could never be, but he did. Running his fingers through his sandy brown hair Bryan stifled another sigh. Princess Kalea Newland would never live anywhere but Estar Beta and he would be married to her in less than a week.
~
“Princess Kalea, we just received a transmission from Saxionias. Crown Prince Bryan left as scheduled. He should be arriving on the evening of the 12th.”
Captain Walters, dressed in a light beige uniform with charcoal insignia on the shoulder, gave a slight bow. At her nod he turned and headed back down the long open-air corridor leading back to the palace.
Her groom would be here in less than two days.
Again her mind pondered the questions that only time could answer. ‘What is he like? Will we learn to love each other? Is he attractive? Will he think I’m attractive? What will it take to make this work?’ Spinning on her heel she paced back toward the garden. Her lavender sheath dress snapping against her legs as she walked to release the building tension.
‘Oh, Holy One, why have you asked this of me? Why couldn’t I have fallen in love and married one of my own people? And why did you allow them to make that stupid law about marriage by the age of 25?’
Heaving a heavy sigh, Kalea stopped. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a slow breath, releasing it as she opened her eyes and sat down on the nearest bench. Reaching out, she stroked the light yellow petals of the nearest flower, an iris. Nature always soothed her, and with all that had been going on in the last six months she had needed a lot of soothing. Thankfully, the intricate details of the petals reminded her that the Holy One knew every detail of her life and He was in control, even in this, and her peace was restored.
With her head bent to smell the irises, her rich dark hair slipped over her shoulder like a rippling waterfall. The soft dark waves obscuring her view so that she didn’t see her mother coming from the palace.
“Ah! Here you are, Dear. I have been looking for you for nearly thirty minutes. But, I guess that was my own fault for not looking here first,” her mother laughed as she joined Kalea on the bench.
In her bright yellow top and warm brown slacks her mother reminded her of a flower. “Hello, Mother. Did you need me for something?” Kalea asked wondering why her mother hadn’t simply used her AVID to call her. “No dear, if I had truly needed you I would have buzzed you,” Queen Nadia answered off-handedly while straightening a few wisps of her chin length chestnut hair she smiled.
Everyone wore an AVID (Audio Visual Information Device) on their wrist which doubled as a locating device, but the ones for the Royal family were especially encrypted and secured. They could always be in touch with one another and with a very limited number of support staff, as well as accessing the digital information crystals with a simple flick of the wrist.
Only the doctors with the highest security clearance knew about the implanted locator within each of the royals. For added security the location varied on each. Many people suspected that the implanted devices existed but none could confirm it.
Silence was Queen Nadia’s greatest gift, according to her husband, King Douglas. Princess Kalea thought it was more of a unique conversation starter than a desire for quiet. Knowing that her mother wanted to talk, and also knowing the most likely topic, given her mother’s cheerful expression, Kalea let the silence stretch for a moment as she gathered her scattered thoughts and emotions.
“I just received word that Crown Prince Bryan will be here the evening of the 12th.” Princess Kalea jumped into the conversation answering the question she was sure would come as she tucked her long hair behind her ear. “Yes, this makes me a bit nervous, but I am fine. Was there anything else you wished to talk about?” She finished in her usual calm voice.
“Yes,” Queen Nadia answered. “Do you plan to have the wedding out here in the garden or inside the sanctuary?”
Smiling Kalea answered, “It will be in the sanctuary. We will be having a traditional wedding and that includes not attending the reception. Alexis is handling all the details and, since you are unaware of the plans, I had better check with her to make sure everything is progressing properly.” A slight hint of frustration slipped into her voice toward the end as she rose from the bench and turned to bid her mother farewell.
“I’m sure everything is fine. Alexis is great at arranging all these things. She just forgets that others might also be interested in the details. As sisters-in-law go, she seems to be the only one that has truly gotten close to you,” Queen Nadia added as she gently pulled Kalea back to the bench.
“It helps that she and Randolph live so close. Rose Lynn and Gilbert should be arriving first thing tomorrow from Space Port 15. They say they’re happy, but I can’t imagine living so far out that it takes almost a day in hyperspace to get home.”
“Well, Gilbert always was more interested in stars than anything else. I certainly am glad he wasn’t the Crown Prince. He would have hated staying here and ruling instead of being out among the stars.”
Princess Kalea laughed at the thought of her oldest brother staying on the planet for more than a long weekend. He had left for space at 13 after convincing their father that he could study as well, if
not better, in space than he could here at the palace. After his first trip into orbit there was no bringing him home. He traveled from space port to space port learning all he could. When he was old enough and looking for the woman of his dreams, he found Rose Lynn. She had been born and raised in space and had no yearning to live on Estar Beta; they were married within the year.
“I know this is hard for you, dear.” Queen Nadia said after a moment. “I also know that you didn’t make this decision lightly. I will admit, at first, your conditions seemed a little odd. I am pleased to say that the wisdom of them has finally become clear to me. That alone, shows me that you made the right decision and though no marriage is perfect, I’m certain one day this one will be wonderful.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Princess Kalea smiled as she hugged her mother then leaned back and took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she rose and said, “I have much to do, but thank you again for finding me. I enjoy your input. I love you. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Queen Nadia waved as her daughter quickly made for the nearest entrance. “Holy One, thank You for giving us such a wonderful daughter. Please be with her in all that is to come, and please be with all those traveling to the wedding from both near and far. Thank you. Amen.” Glancing around, Queen Nadia smiled and said, with a touch of a giggle, “In three days my baby will be married! Somehow, it still doesn’t seem possible.”
~
“Alexis!” Princess Kalea called as she saw her sister-in-law dart out into the hallway. Tall, at nearly five eleven, Alexis was willowy thin and always seemed stunning. Hearing Kalea she turned and waited, “Yes Kalea?”
Kalea stopped, took a long blink to accompany her sigh and said, “I was just talking with Mother in the garden, and she didn’t know anything about the wedding plans. Why is that?”
“Oh, well you see, Mother was to meet with me yesterday afternoon and then she got called away and I haven’t had time to track her down again, what with everything else. Oh! I just got word that he will be here on the evening of the 12th. So is the wedding on the 12th, 13th or 14th?” Alexis asked as she ran out of breath.
“All right, thank you for explaining the situation with Mother and, yes, I also received word that he will be here on the 12th. However, the med techs must examine him first, so the wedding can’t be until the 14th. Did you have other things you needed to ask me?” Kalea asked when she realized how little they had discussed things after she had first given the task of preparing everything for the wedding to Alexis. Her sister-in-law loved to plan a party or any social function and Kalea was more than happy to let her.
“Yes, actually, I have several questions. Do you have time, now, to answer some of them?” Alexis asked with a slightly pleading look in her eyes.
“I have about 40 minutes before I am scheduled to be at the Med Lab for my check-up. So, do you want to walk and talk or sit for a few minutes?” Kalea offered.
“Let’s sit in the Rose Arbor, it’s about half-way between the Med Lab and the kitchen, which is where I was headed.” Alexis answered as she turned down the hall that led toward the Arbor. Once outside, she flicked her wrist and activated her AVID with her right hand while combating the wind’s effect on her peach colored floral skirt with her left.
“Fine. Now, what questions do you have?” Kalea asked as she followed Alexis down the path.
“Well, first of all, do you want a traditional cloth screen or the image scrambler for the ceremony?” Alexis asked with her left hand now poised to highlight which ever option Kalea chose.
“The traditional cloth screen for the ceremony, and the image scrambler for later,” Kalea answered.
“Later?” Alexis’ eyebrows rose with the question.
“Don’t worry about it, just stay focused on the wedding,” Kalea answered in an effort to get the conversation back on track.
“Right. Cloth screen.” Alexis quickly tapped that option and then continued, “Very well, now, how do you want to seat the guests?”
“Well, since Crown Prince Bryan’s family is unable to attend, you had better seat everyone evenly, placing any guests who disagree in the back of the balcony,” Kalea answered dryly.
Alexis flipped her auburn hair back over her shoulder with her left as she giggled using the underhand keyboard display to type her notes with her right. Easily picturing the faces of the few distant family members who were likely to make such a fuss. “Now, decorations, do you have a preference?”
“Definitely! I want something simple and elegant. I want the flowers in shades of red and white. Potted flowers and plants, nothing fake and nothing that will die,” Kalea answered emphatically.
“So, no cut flower arrangements and no holograms of any kind?” Alexis double checked.
Kalea nodded and sat down in the shade of the Rose Arbor they had just entered.
Alexis also sat down as she asked, “Since you want the cloth screen I’m assuming you will want the more traditional music?”
“Yes, that we did discuss earlier and I already sent you the approved song list. Didn’t you get it?” Kalea asked.
“Oh, that’s right I did. Sorry. Umm. I guess that just leaves the question of the dress. You did remember to order your dress in time didn’t you?” Near panic laced this question as Alexis’ eyes widened with fear.
“Yes, I ordered the dress, and if everything goes quickly at the Med Lab I should even make it to my last fitting this evening. Please, relax Alexis,” Kalea said as she reached out and touched her knee. “I know it may not seem as if I am very interested in the wedding but the truth is I am. After all, it is the only wedding I will ever have and I do want it to be beautiful.
“It’s simply that with all the other things that are going on and needing my attention, I just can’t do everything. I gave the planning over to you because I know that you love this kind of thing and are very good at it. I also knew that you wouldn’t try to force your ideas and opinions on me.
“The reception, however, is a completely different topic,” Kalea’s voice seemed to be hiding a giggle. Raising her hands she said. “I won’t be there and you can do whatever you think is appropriate as long as you don’t offend Mother, Father or Crown Prince Bryan’s staff.”
Giggles escaped Alexis more easily than Princess Kalea, and so it was with a broad smile and sparkling green eyes that she said, “Oh great! So instead of the traditional dinner, ballroom dancing, and lively music, we could show recordings of when you were young and have strange foods from the space stations and things like that?” Alexis barely got it all out before laughing so hard she couldn’t speak.
“Um, I would skip the recordings of my childhood but, if you want, I guess space rations are fine. Ooh! I know! You can give Gilbert the platform and the star charts and he can talk for days about the wonders of space.” Now they were both laughing so hard they couldn’t stop the tears from slipping down their cheeks.
“May I ask, what is so funny?” They both spun toward the sound of the voice near the entrance of the Rose Arbor. Prince Randolph, with his classic tall, dark, and handsome looks had paused in the entry.
“Randy!” Alexis almost shouted when she saw him suddenly standing there. “What are you doing sneaking around out here?” she demanded as she quickly checked her hair and made sure it hadn’t frizzed in the humidity.
“First of all I wasn’t sneaking. I’m just coming back to the palace from further in the garden. Secondly, you still haven’t answered my question about what was so funny,” Randolph answered with a smile and a wink at his younger sister, Kalea, who was still smiling, yet trying to look innocent.
“You scared me so bad that I…I don’t remember,” Alexis answered. Her chin raised in determination as she dared her husband to argue with her.
“Very well then, perhaps you can tell me, Kalea?” Randolph, dressed in casual slacks and navy blue shirt both showing smudges of dirt, moved into the Arbor and sat down between the ladies as he wrapped his arm around Alexis’s
shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.
Just then Princess Kalea’s AVID buzzed. “I would love to Randy, but I need to go. Buzz me later, Alexis, if you have any other questions.” Kalea dropped a quick kiss on her brother’s’ cheek as she rose and then smiled as she answered and turned to go.
“Saved by the buzz,” Randolph snickered as he turned his gaze back to Alexis. “So how are plans coming for the wedding?” he asked as he kissed her cheek and started working his way toward her ear.
“Randy, stop it!” Alexis half-heartedly pulled away only to be pulled more securely into her husband’s embrace.
“You sure don’t like answering questions today do you?” Randy teased, just before he started nibbling her neck.
“What?” Alexis asked in a very distracted voice. “Oh, questions well…uh I can’t seem to…uh…” Not being able to articulate, Alexis just turned her head and kissed him back so passionately that Randolph forgot the questions too.
~
“Sorry I’m late. Alexis and I were discussing the wedding. So what tests do we need to do today?” Kalea asked, deciding to get straight to the point.
“No apology necessary, Your Highness, we understand your busy schedule. This visit is more of a formality than anything else since you had your yearly exam only a month ago.” Dr. Wingate, dressed in light green medical scrubs gave off a grandfatherly air even though he was just beginning his fifties, with more salt than pepper in his hair and an extra 40 pounds. He smiled as he continued. “I thought that, with all the stress lately, it might be good to see how you are doing.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I’m fine,” Kalea answered.
“Yes, well, let me just run a few scans and ask you a few questions then you can be on your way.” With a smile Dr. Wingate motioned for her to lie down on the exam table and she complied.
“Now then,” he began, “how have you been sleeping?”
“Fine.”
“About how many hours a night would that be?” he asked again.
