“I don’t have time for this,” I bit out, refusing to acknowledge him.

“No, of course not,” he stalked over to the dresser, halting my hand as I reached for more clothes, “Birgitta, she is his daughter. And you left him behind? It all adds up! She’s seven. You left eight years ago. You needed to remove Kiki and Alexi from harm’s way and hide your pregnancy. But why not him? Why not tell him? He would have gone with you. Gods, Birdie, he was head over heels in love with you.”

I huffed a breath, shaking off his hand, “No, Einar, he was infatuated with me…his duty required him to care for me. But his allegiance? His allegiance was always with the Crown. With her.”

“Gods, Birdie, I love you, but you’re daft.”

I gaped at him, mouth hanging open, “Excuse me? Daft?!”

He tilted his head up to the ceiling, “I said what I said. And I’m not playing middle man in this anymore. If either of you want to talk about it, talk to each other. I’m out.”

Throwing my duffel bag at him, I ignored his remarks again, “Please take this downstairs.” He stuck out his tongue at me, and I laughed, forever amazed at his ability to cross from serious to silly in a matter of seconds. A knock at the door startled us, and I called out, “Come in!”

Penelope peeked her head around, “Mommy, Aunt Kiki told me to tell you everyone is outside in the shade waiting.”

I smiled, motioning for her to come in, “Ok, my love, thank you.” Grabbing her and Einar’s hand, I pulled them out into the hallway and down the stairs. My heart pounded audibly as we stepped into the yard, the other guards fully swathed in uniform, standing at attention. Their height loomed over Kiki, but Alexi towered over even them, a considerable feat. We used to tease him and swear he descended from the giants, a former race on our planet. Their natural icy blue hair color was hidden by layers of brown dye, something I figured they’d be happy to stop upon returning home.

Gripping Penelope’s hand tighter, I motioned for everyone to gather and instructed them, “We hold onto one another’s hands. No one is to let go. Penelope,” I glanced to her at my side, and she looked up with a slight terror in her eyes, “you must hold on, ok? It’s a rather long journey.”

She sniffled, “Mommy, can’t you hold me?” I glanced at the others and Einar offered a slight nod of his head.

“Of course, Penelope, I’ll hold you.” I hoisted her onto my hip, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Without free hands, Einar hooked one arm around my waist, squeezing tightly by my side. Kiki did the same, using all her strength to latch onto me. The others formed a circle, joining hands. I waited until we were all connected. Holding Penelope the tightest, I squeezed my eyes shut, conjuring the image of home, something I hid in the deep recess of my mind. Breathing deeply, I summoned my strength, aware of the distance to carry all of us and terrified to mess it up.

“Deep breaths,” Kiki whispered, leaning her head into mine, “it’ll all be ok.”

Swallowing back tears, I nodded, and pictured my home planet. Home, I willed, take us home. Penelope whimpered softly as the beam enveloped us, a roaring sounding in our ears as the force of my powers lifted us up. I gripped her tightly, nuzzling my head into her hair, breathing deeply as my power surged, leaving another scorch mark in the earth. I felt our bodies dematerialize into the source of the transportation, preparing to send us through lightyears. I clung on to Penelope for dear life, praying to the ancient deities who created me our journey would be seamless and quick. We left the atmosphere of Earth like a whisper on the wind and only the sense of our travel remained as our physical presence disappeared.

Our home atmosphere’s impact hit me like a brick and as we rematerialized on entrance, I clutched for my daughter, breathing a sigh of relief feeling her in my arms. My eyes stayed shut, and I whispered words of comfort into Penelope’s ear as my powers aimed for the familiar landing at the entrance of the castle. Once I felt my feet firmly planted on the ground, my eyes slowly opened, and, as the white smoke of our arrival settled, I took in my home for the first time in eight years.

My guards dropped hands and moved to stan protectively at my back, Einar and Rune included, while Kiki and Alexi stayed at my side and Penelope in my arms. She buried her face in my neck and refused to look up. We stood in the courtyard, surrounded by the mazes of gardens I loved wandering as a child. In the distance was a mountain range, the longest range of Clydonia, separating our palace from the other towns in our world. At our back, the waves of the sea crashed, a soothing sound I fell asleep to on a nightly basis. And then in front of us, the castle. Unlike any castle I visited on Earth. Instead of fortified walls with towers shooting up everywhere and a portcullis for a door, this reminded me of the fancier mansions, but built even more ostentatiously. And instead of the size of one mansion, it could fit ten. As a child, I loved it, roaming the halls, getting lost in its majesties, hosting guests, and showing off a bit. But now, it sickened me. Especially as I considered how our wealth affected those we ruled over. The moment I left the security of the palace’s walls, my eyes were opened to the life the other half lived, and how continuing to live the way I did was robbing them of a comfortable existence. I started rebelling shortly thereafter, siphoning off funds to send to people who needed it more. Of course, I had help in my venture. As much as I tried to manage alone, rumors circulated in the palace and people approached me. I hesitated accepting their help, tried pushing them away, but they insisted. But I warned them of the risk. My throat tightened remembering the moment we were found out. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed the tears away. Forgetting my power, they instantly disappeared.

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“Mommy?” Penelope’s voice jolted me back to reality. I smiled at her and looked down, “Yes, my love?”

“Is it over?” she asked, referring to our travel.

I pursed my lips, “Yes, it’s over. Would you like to see our home?”

She nodded, and I set her down, holding onto one hand as she turned to survey her new surroundings. Her mouth hung open as we moved in a circle, taking it all in, from the mountains to the sea to the palace. Einar and Rune kept their swaths of cloth on their head, and I caught their eyes as they stood side by side, watching my daughter’s reaction carefully. Einar winked but Rune stared, an unreadable expression on his face. I smiled tightly, and he bowed his head before turning his attention to my daughter…our daughter. My heart squeezed in my chest, the first moment I allowed myself to acknowledge the truth. I hoped he never asked why she looked so similar to him, but I was kidding myself.. The shape of their mouths, their full apple cheeks, and the tan of their skin, so unlike my own. Einar was right. The only resemblance my daughter and I shared was our flaming red curly hair. I had bow-shaped lips with a long face and the palest skin. I hated how I lied to her for so long, telling a story of how her father died before she was born. On top of all the other lies I heaped onto her since the moment she started asking questions.

“Will I make friends here?” her voice was so soft, it broke my heart. I kneeled down to meet her at eye-level and took her hands to my heart, “Yes, my love, I promise. For a little bit, it may be only a few of us.” Her face fell, and I reassured her, “Until we get settled, ok?” Kiki kneeled next to me, “PJ, we have so much exploring to do in this castle,” she pointed behind her, “did you know, me and Uncle Alexi grew up here with your mommy?”

Penelope’s mouth turned up and her eyes widened with excitement, “Really?”

“Yes! Your Uncle Alexi knows all the best hiding spots. I bet we could convince him to play hide and seek…want to?” She nodded enthusiastically, and I threw her a grateful smile, mouthing thank you. She dipped her head, stood up, and took my daughter’s hand in hers. Turning to my guards, I instructed, “Will some of you please escort my daughter, Lady Kikana, Lord Alexi, and her Royal Highness, Penelope through the gardens while they play a game?” The guards stood at attention, and Einar shouted out names of those to follow, leaving only him, Rune, and one other guard standing behind me.

I stepped towards the castle but stopped as I looked down at my outfit, furrowing my brows. Still in my exercise clothes from the morning run and covered in blue blood from reviving my best friend, I closed my eyes, imagining a more regal outfit to enter the palace. A favorite dress of mine took form in my mind. I doubted it still existed, but I pictured it. Dark blue all over, like the night sky of our planet a few moments after the sun sets. Its full skirt floated right above the ground with a tight pearl embroidered bodice and short cap sleeves. And the crown I wore with it one night. A diadem dotted with pearls and diamonds flanking a larger stone sitting in the center. I opened my eyes as someone gasped but looking down, I saw why. The dress in my vision appeared on my body, exactly as I remembered it. I smiled, my first genuine smile since my daughter ran into my arms. This dress brought back precious memories I buried so deep. Turning around to face my retinue, I was met by curious expressions, at least on the two faces not hidden by their uniform. Both of them looked as though they’d just seen a ghost.

“What?” I asked, my voice slightly raised by nerves. The one guard in full uniform only bowed deeply. Rune said nothing as Einar walked to me, hooking a hand under my elbow and pulling me towards the castle. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You realize you dematerialized your outfit and there were quite a few long moments before your other outfit rematerialized?!” I stopped dead in my tracks, the others halting a few steps behind us, “Are you fucking kidding me? So you all just saw me very naked?” I wanted to scream. Instead, my face turned a shade of red almost matching my hair.

“Let’s go,” was all he said, but I shook off his arm as he tried to steer me to the castle again.

“What am I walking into, Einar? We have no plan. How do we even find the council and my friends in the first place?”

“Birgitta, you are the ruler. So you are going to walk into your home and demand the council show you to your friends, presumably in your dungeons.”

I closed the space between us, and grabbed a handful of his uniform, pulling him down to me, “You say the council has garnered more power, enough so to have a problem with me appointing you as advisor. And now you’re telling me to pretend as though you said nothing and walk in there owning the place?”

He smirked, “Exactly. Own it, Your Highness.” Shaking off my hold on him, he bowed deeply and stepped back. I breathed through my nose and out through my mouth, calming my wildly beating heart. Own it, I thought, own my birthright. I brought a finger to my lips, remembering a trick I learned long ago. Staring at the castle door, I held out my hands. Widening my fingers, I wiggled them then released the energy stored deep inside. The door of the castle blew wide open, and my eyes widened. Biting my lip, rapt with anticipation, I guided my power to my feet, allowing the tendrils to lift me up off the ground and carrying me over the gravel of the courtyard. Rune, Einar and the other guard kept pace, as I heard the pieces of Clydonia crunch under their feet. Levitating through the doorway, the remains of the door under my feet, I cleared my throat and called back to Einar, “Guard, announce my presence.”