Chapter 14: The Introduction

Katreena sat in the courtyard garden trying to clear her head. In a few hours, she was to meet the man that her uncle would have her marry. She didn't know much about him other than he was of royal blood, a couple of years younger than her, and a champion archer, as well as fourth in line for his kingdom's throne. If they were to marry he would be first in line for the Bryerstone crown which meant he would be obligated to stay in her kingdom. That was an important consideration in picking her suitor. All she truly hoped was that he was at least a kind man. If she did not like him, she could protest and insist on seeing other worthy suitors, but that would not benefit her. With a child on the way, it would be best to marry quickly and let her new husband assume the child was his.

There was still a chance the origin of the child might be questioned, as there was a possibility it would not have the gifts of the stones.  Only the first eleven kings and their descendants had the ability to use the most powerful stones. For the first couple hundred years, they believed that any offspring of the royal families would carry the blessing of the stones and there were no restrictions to whom they took as mates. With each marriage outside the royal houses, fewer children were born with the gifts. By then there were several branches of the royal families, but it was decided that all future couplings of monarchs should be kept within the families to preserve the gifts. With that decree, the majority of children conceived by kings and queens had the abilities needed to protect their kingdoms. It would not be entirely unexpected if her child didn't have the ability to use the stones; as much as it would be a disappointment. If the child did not resemble her new husband in any way, it might raise questions. Katreena grasped her hands together as they began to tremble under the stress. She tried to force herself to find a positive in her thoughts. The one good thing she considered was the knowledge she could have children after all. Up until then, she thought there was something wrong with her. With good fortune, she might be able to have more children and fulfill her royal duty.

The garden was peaceful and calming. Her nights had been anything but restful since her return, and she was not achieving much sleep. Not just because of the loss of her father and husband, and the fact that she was carrying a stranger's child, but mostly because she kept seeing Roy in her dreams. Each night she would find herself in a strange place and see him from a distance. It was clear to her that they were still sharing dreams. Doing so made it difficult to put him into the past and forget what they had shared. He represented everything she could not have, such as romance, passion, and a real desire for the man by her side. The connection between them was stirring up emotions that she had long ago given up on ever having and were painful to push back down. She wished he was a part of her past, so she could start forgetting, rather than the nightly existence in her dreams.

Exhaustion got the better of her, her eyes became heavy, and she could not help drifting off to sleep under the warm morning suns. She wandered into a dream that was not like the others. It was in an orchard of fruit trees that were quite familiar. The smells of the wildflowers, the sounds of the birds and even the taste of the air was all especially common to her. She felt that she was dreaming her own dream for the first time since she had used the Boto stone on Roy. Up until then her dreams were the one place where she could be truly alone with herself and to have that back was very liberating. Sitting under a large fruit tree, she felt a sense of safety and seclusion that she hadn't known for quite some time. She finally felt that she could let her guard down and just let her emotions come out; and so she did, first a sniffle, then a tear, then a sob, then another and finally she fell into uncontrollable sobbing. It felt good to her to let it all go, just for a moment, to let her sadness, her fears, and her grief out. To let go, just for a moment, and do the thing she dares not do in front of anyone, for she could not tell anyone of why or what had transpired between her and the stranger. As wonderful as it was to release her pain, it was a hollow experience. She was still alone, and she wished she wasn't. What she truly longed for was someone who would hold her while she cried, who would tell her he understood and that he would love her no matter what; someone whom she could trust with both her heart and her soul.

Suddenly she heard a voice say "It's you." Looking up she saw Roy. Her seclusion lost and unable to reign in her emotions she jumped up and ran. The orchard became a forest, and she ran as fast as she could in a dream. As she ran around a tree, she tripped and fell. The shock of falling woke her, and she found herself on the ground in the garden. No one was around to have seen her fall off the bench, and she was grateful for that. Wiping her eyes, she collected herself as she got to her feet. It was nearing mid-day, and she had much to do to prepare for the evening's introduction. Taking a deep breath, she put her hand on her belly and thought about the life growing inside. Her duty was clear. Wiping one last tear away she headed back to her room to dress for the evening.

~~~

Later that evening Katreena entered the formal dining hall. The long twenty-foot table was set for about fourteen people. In attendance were her uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Edenwild, who were her cousins from her mother's side, the king and queen of New Wall, some of their advisors and their nephew Aradorn the Duke of New Wall.  The Duke was the one they brought to meet Katreena. He was a tall, handsome man with a shy smile and sweet light brown eyes that she found especially appealing. As she stepped into the room, the royal clerk announced her and everyone stood in respect. She nodded, and everyone, except the Duke, sat back down. He crossed the room, bowed to her, took her hand and formally escorted her to her seat. He then took the seat next to hers, and they waited in silence. No one spoke until both Kings did.

King Wholdorn, as the host, spoke first. Rising to his feet, he held out his wine goblet and took a drink. That began the formalities, and everyone turned their attention to him as he addressed the room. "It is a great honor to have our brothers and sisters from the great land of New Wall with us this evening. Our Princess Katreena has been looking forward to meeting you all and..." at the last moment he decided to reword what he was going to say. "And as a healer in the greatest traditions of our people, she has decided to put her people's protection before the pain of her own heart. Which is why I took great care to seek out a man whom I knew to be worthy of such a pure heart. I believe I have found such a man in Duke Aradorn.  We have known Aradorn since he was a boy. From the age of eight, he would join his father and I on the great fall hunt. One such trip when he was ...oh fourteen I believe, the hunt had not gone that well. Our supplies were running thin, and yet when he met some children on the roadside who were hungry, he gave them the last of his food without thinking twice about it. In all of my years, I have only known two other people who had such overwhelming compassion for others; our dear departed Queen Philissa and her daughter, Princess Katreena.  My deepest hope is that the two of you find in each other what everyone in this room sees in both of you."  He then took his seat to let King Rysom speak.

"Katreena, I have not seen you since you were quite small. The duties of a King can steal ones time so quickly that we miss many things that we wished we had not, such as the childhoods of the children of those who are most important to us. I knew your parents very well. When my kingdom was overwhelmed with a great illness and my own daughter was lost, it was your mother who came to us and saved all who could be saved. She not only saved us but gave us new life. Her spirit touched us all in a way that is still with us to this day. We have always been in her debt, so we now have the opportunity to give something back to her people and to the daughter that is her successor in every way." he then paused and raised his glass. "It is an honor."

Queen Alison lifted the lid off a glass jar releasing two small white and bluebirds, a symbol of a blessing on new beginnings and which also signified the beginning of the meal. It was a tradition for the first meeting meal dating back hundreds of years.

Duke Aradorn sat straight in his chair as he had been raised to do, but his shifting clued Katreena in on how out of his element he was.  She rather enjoyed the fact that he wasn't as stiff as most in the royal families.  Unexpectedly he turned to Katreena and said: "I know that formality has its place, but the truth is these formal occasions often make me uncomfortable."

"Me too," said Katreena, keeping her voice down as not to be heard by others. "So tell me, good Sir, what do you prefer?"

He thought about his answer for a moment and then said "I enjoy many things. A good hunt, music, art, literature, but what I mostly concern myself with at this moment is the truth."

"Truth?" she asked.

"To be able to look someone in the eye and know that their word means what they say."

"And why do you feel the need to share this with me?"

"Because we are both creatures of duty. If there is to be a marriage, it will come from that before anything else. I do hope that as we get to know each other, that over time a love will grow, but I ask you to reserve the word "Love" for when it comes from your heart, rather than pretend it to please those around you."

"I see," Katreena said with a smile. "It is true that I cannot be in love with a man that I just met, but I can say with all honesty that you have earned my respect. For any relationship, I believe that is a good place to start." She smiled and looked away in a shy manner because she felt herself blushing. The Duke was something of a pleasant surprise. He was more than just charming but had a genuinely kind spirit and wisdom that seemed a little beyond his years.

They continued to talk throughout the seven-course meal to the great pleasure of both royal families. They shared stories of their youth, opinions about politics and even shared a few jokes. At any other occasion it would be considered rude to exclude the other guests from any conversation at the meal table, but at an introduction meal for two royals, it was considered a desirable outcome. At the conclusion of the meal, Katreena and the Duke went for a walk in the garden alone to continue their conversation. As they reached the middle of the garden, a couple of luminescent insects fluttered by them.

"Well, look at that." said the Duke. "I knew you had glow creatures here, but I had never seen any before.  What do you call them again?"

"Butterflies," Katreena said and realized the moment she said it that she used an oddly strange word.

"Butta..." he tried to wrap his tongue around such an odd sounding word.

"I mean Lonecas," she said correcting herself.

"Yes, that's it.  They are beautiful, as are your eyes," he bit his tongue as he said that.  It was too familiar of a statement and could be considered out of line on a formal first meeting.  He knew it the moment he said it and hoped she wasn't too offended.

Katreena got serious as she took control of the conversation. "Aradorn, please know that I find you to be a very charming and honorable man. Plus you seem to be wise and fair. Because of that, I believe that you will be an excellent King for my people and a good father to the children we will hopefully have.  I will tell my uncle that I believe this and that we should marry soon. However, it has only been weeks since my husband's death so I would ask you to refrain from flattery for now."

"Certainly, I understand," he said taking a step back and correcting his posture to show he was observing all the proprieties.  "Would you be agreeable to a spring wedding?"

Katreena took his hand and looked into his eyes. "You are a sweet and wonderful man. I'm sure we will be very happy together. I believe a wedding before the summer planting would be lovely." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. It was then her who was disregarding proprieties, but she felt it important that she show him that his company was enjoyable. "I hear that you are a talented hunter," she said to change the subject to something lighter.

"To hear my father talk I'm the greatest bowman in the land," he said with a chuckle, "but the reality is I miss more often than I hit the beast.  I would never survive if I had to live off my hunting skills,"

"Well, fortunately, we don't have to worry about that," she said laughing along with him. "What kind of games do you enjoy?" They continued their stroll through the garden keeping to the path but going further away from the castle to have some amount of privacy from their families who were watching from the balcony.

"I'm fond of Jorinaner and Chert; and you?"

"Oh, I quite enjoy Poker." The word Poker came out in perfect English. She was stunned by the sound coming out of her own voice.

"Perk-er?  What kind of game is that?"

"A type of card game," she answered still surprised that she knew everything there was to know about an alien game.

"Really.  I do enjoy card games.  How do you play?"

Katreena was extremely unsettled by the rush of memories and knowledge from Roy. She knew she needed to excuse herself before she lost control of her words. Putting on a smile, she said. "Perhaps we can revisit that later. It's been a long day for both of us, and I do have duties to attend to in the morning. If you can stay another day, I would very much like to show you around the township."

"I would like that as well," he said.

"Wonderful.  Please join us tomorrow for the midday meal and we will spend the rest of the day together," she said, then kissed him on the cheek and walked back into the castle.

Once she was out of his sight, she ran to her room, took out a key and opened the chest where she kept the Boto Stone. Deep in the center of it, she could see a faint blue glow, precisely what she didn't want to see. When not in direct contact with anyone the crystal should be completely cold and dark. Rushing over to one of her bookshelves, she found an old book that had the teachings of healers in it from over the centuries. She flipped through it until she found references to the Boto Stone. From an entry made over 300 years earlier, a healer wrote of using the Boto stone to heal her husband of a great illness.  She also conceived a child shortly after using the stone on her husband, which she believed magnified the bonding effect of the stone.   The healer wrote that after using the Boto Stone she and her husband started to share the same dreams. Then her husband started quoting passages from books that she had read, but that he had never looked at before. She also wrote about an exchange of emotions. Healers had always been of royal descent, and like Katreena this healer had been married to a man of royal blood arranged by her family. She concluded that it happened because he was of Royal blood and had the power to use other crystals which caused a two-way connection. The healer's notes also told that before she healed her husband, their relationship was a polite one, but after they shared the experience of the Boto Stone, they changed. They became a part of each other, understood each other better, cared for each other more, and developed a love that lasted for the remainder of their days. The entry below that was written in a shaky hand as if by someone very old. It read "My dearest husband has died. I knew his pain each and every day. His spirit was strong, but his body grew weak with age and time. He passed on in his sleep last night, and we said our final farewells in our dream. I awoke to find my soul cut in half, my heart empty and the boto stone dark for the first time in 57 years. Through it, I gave my love, the last of my life. I know as I close my eyes again it will be for the last time."

Katreena closed the book and didn't know what to do.   She was merging with a man from another world, carrying his child and about to announce her engagement to Duke Aradorn. Lying back on her bed she closed her eyes and wished she could sleep and worry about all of it later. Then she bolted up remembering that it was in her dreams that she kept seeing Roy. Opening the book again she searched for anything that would help free her from the curse.