44. CHAPTER 44

How long had it been since I"d walked these majestic halls? I breathed deep, loving the soft, sweet, woody scent that took me back to when I was a child tearing through the place and running amuck. The feelings of guilt washed over me; this was also a nostalgic feeling. The guilt of leaving my Damma alone at the estate to spend time with my father only crept up during the nights once the adrenaline of being behind these walls wore off. Hunting, martial training, education, and the endless competitiveness of my siblings took up the bulk of my time.

After pushing open the large wooden doors of the stonewall throne room, I walked along the pristine red carpet toward the massive ivory-polished Valisian figure of the first of our house, holding a silver throne perched ahead. The silver-clad soldiers lined the carpet on either side, their pikes and shields by their side, protecting their king as they should.

I stopped at the edge near the first stone step and kneeled. Formalities dangled my nerves; therefore, at most, I would allow a small bow from my crew, whereas my siblings required a full kneel from theirs.

"Good to see you again, son." My father stood and approached, his steps smaller and lighter than I remembered. There was a time when he towered over me, and his steps boomed like the beat of a mighty drum. Now his languid movements betrayed his youthful appearance.

We didn"t grow old in the same manner as other species. No greying hair or flabby, wrinkled skin. But we do eventually feel the weight of our age, become weaker and tired, and sleep longer and longer until one day we don"t wake up, where our hearts beat slowly, and there is no decay.

This differs from a death; a death is considered unnatural and, most times, untimely. The bodies rotted away and turned to dust, the same as any dead thing. We burned them. To live for a thousand years and fall asleep, never to awaken, wasn"t a death. It was the long sleep.

They required no food or drink, nor did they eliminate themselves. They just rested. Poor families held on to these loved ones, keeping them in a cellar or communal home. The middle-class districts paid taxes on the public resting places where their loved ones were sleeping, and the rich kept vaults in their castles.

When my father falls asleep, he will be placed somewhere here, too. I wondered if I would have the same longevity or if it was better to die an unnatural death. I"ve never heard of one sleeper waking up. Did they dream? Were they aware but somehow trapped inside their bodies? Maybe death was better.

If Zai"s cure for the long sleep worked, then perhaps I could ask my Damma when he awakened.

Father leaned on the crystal cane, his blonde hair swooped back and tied with a ribbon.

"Likewise," I said, standing up. Now, I was taller, if only by an inch.

"I see you have yet to return your capital ship. I"m disappointed."

"I sent them home. However, something urgent came up, and the fools returned to me."

"Are you saying your crew, which consists of beta males and outcast females, doesn"t heed your orders? It"s not looking good for you."

"Is it truly so important that I return my ship and disperse my crew?"

He said nothing.

"I ordered my crew to stay behind and protect the human colony. It"s a part of the deal I"m working out with the humans. Is that not why you wanted me to return my ship? To strive for peace? I"m doing that... with my ship."

He remained silent, and I wondered if this was a mistake. In fact, I was becoming increasingly certain of my mistake to return here. "Why were things so terrible between you and my Damma?" Might as well lay all the cards on the table...well, as many as I could before it became truly detrimental.

He now looked at me again. "Why bring up that past? Your Damma has been long asleep."

"There were times you two showed promise. Or maybe it was what I wanted to see."

"Why conjure him so suddenly? Has Xil gotten in that head of yours?"

"Why would Xil be the cause of my questions?" Why the hell did I ask that question when I already knew thew answer? Xil"s spies. "He was an Id"arshar."

"They are no more. After the war, they blended with us to form the hegemony. One body, one voice, one being. Perhaps he could have been one. You could have them onboard your ship. What does it matter? We are all Valisian. Just like humans are all human until they are not, apparently." He sat back down. "Your Damma and I..." My father"s voice trailed off as he gazed out the large window overlooking the palace grounds. "We were very much in love, you know."

I scoffed, finding it hard to believe. Their relationship always seemed so strained and distant from my perspective.

"It"s true," he insisted, turning back to face me. "Before the war between our families began, I was going to marry him. We were promised to each other from a young age."

My eyes widened in surprise. This was news to me.

"But then the fighting started," he continued solemnly. "I was forced to call off the wedding. Still, we saw each other in secret whenever we could."

He let out a heavy sigh, the weight of those memories evident on his face. "After my father was killed, I inherited the throne and the burden of the war. Keeping you and your Damma away from the palace, hidden from the politics and schemes, it was all for your protection. Until I could become powerful enough that none would dare question me."

I listened intently, struggling to process this new information about my parents" past. All those years of distance and separation, it was to keep us safe?

"That"s why I wanted you to live here in the palace," he explained. "You were my firstborn son. I always intended for you to take over as King one day."

I shook my head slowly. "I don"t wish to become King, nor a rebel leader. I will still protect Ashan and his people, but this little adventure has changed me. I believed fighting a war was all I could do, that I was merely a warrior, and when the war ends, there is nothing left. But now I understand the lesson you were trying to teach me. I have something to live for, and I don"t want my children to grow up in some war-torn galaxy."

A small smile played on my father"s lips. "Then Xil is my next best choice, I suppose."

I couldn"t help but chuckle. "Who are you kidding? Xil is the better choice. He"s responsible, level-headed..."

My words were cut off by a deafening explosion that rocked the castle walls. Debris rained down as the ground shook beneath our feet. I instinctively shielded my father as the chaos unfolded around us.