S2 Chapter 11, When too much makes sense

2027 AC/DC Ao’o

Dawn had spent the last handful of months researching. Anything she could get her hands on concerning the era of Earth-Mars alliance and the laws that followed. Not much had been available in the records room of the palace, so she went to the library in the village. She had practically lived in the records hall, where historians had kept all accounts of history when man returned to intelligence. She rolled her eyes, this world had too many eras. The eras before the great blackout. The era of space travel for the ancient ancestors. The era Of the blackout, some sort of all great war that spanned continents. It was what led the world to the way she knew it, to the post blackout eras.

When Man re-emerged from their underground societies and rebuilt above ground society, when the earth and air became livable again apparently. That was the Post Blackout Era, when the BOC was made of traveling priests whose sole purpose was to serve and care for. A few centuries of that and they came into the height of their power, the BOC Era. Then the Mars colony-with history of its own- reconnected with mother earth and the Mars-Earth alliance began. And then, after a battle of secession, Martians were banished from earth and the Era of Solace came about. 

That one only last two hundred years and in that time the Morrison family became the only kingdom still in direct alliance with the BOC city state. Direct control more like it, Dawn thought to herself. Until about -nearly- fifty years ago when her mother changed the world. Immortality, magic, revolution, separating from the BOC, becoming the first successful Queen of Holy Wood in over four hundred years. She not only separated Holy Wood from the BOC, she dominated the BOC and, using their own greed over the crown , turned their power against them. When it came to the subject of her mother, details suddenly became gray and choppy. She was something that should not have existed on Earth but did. 

 Whatever path Star had gone down, and whatever it was she had accomplished was to the north east, to the Sabbath Lands and Purple Hills. She knew the Silver eyed man her mother so favored was there, somewhere in those hills. She found herself obsessing, quite frankly, over Mars and all her mother had told her. Since she had returned all had calmed within the kingdom and neighboring powers. It was blessed time of peace.

But through the peace, Dawn knew Star wasn’t herself. She had been withdrawn, even from their family and from her normal court hearings and parties. She took to her room mostly, smoking herb and drinking wine. Dawn looked out the windows and saw the sky changing more gold than blue, sunset, time to join the alien mother for dinner. A ritual she and Rosie had started during the winter. Taking dinner in Star’s apartments. 

She set down the papers and scrolls she had been reading, her eyes were sore anyways. Nearing seven months this had gone on. Dawn did not mind in the past, but now Star had to awake once more. Richi had told her of things he heard from Dee about what was happening in the BOC. Mostly just legal delegations and readings for the past half year, but recently they had been complaining of her mother's unwed status. After all, the King had been missing since 1978, not a trace or sight seen of him since. Star had held power as the mother of the heir to the throne. And then became THE queen through conquest. But since immortality, Dawn's claim was trumped seeing that the current monarch would not die naturally.

Her mother's legal standings had always been shaky. As she ascended  the stairs of Ao’o she wondered about sending the Tenac duo out to search the Sabbath lands ahead of her. So she wouldn’t be going in blind. . . . .

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Later. . . 

Light from the torches and candles lit the modest dinner of the royal family. Star was joined by Richi, Dawn and Rosie. The only true family they all had. They table was simple, a private meal. Star had asked for it that way the entire winter, and now most of the spring. Richi and Dawn shared a glance of irritation at her isolation, though they let her be on account of her discovery. Rosie had done most of the talking, they had been taking art lessons at a local studio in the village. They spoke of the common folk and the classes. And then they brought the envelop out. 

“I have news,” they smiled. These were the only people they trusted in their whole existence, besides May too. “I have my first courtship.” They grinned.

Star smiled and exclaimed her joy, Richi nodded in approval and interest. He was keen to know the name of the young man -or lady- who had come to court their Rosie. Dawn was deadly silent and stared at the letter as if willing it to burn. She could if she wanted to but the real test of strength was to hold it back. 

“What is this inquirer’s name?” Richi asked his niece. 

Rosie opened it. “Lindsay Buckin'ham. I’ve only met him a handful of times. He’s coming to to the village soon and wanted to see me.”

“Ah yes,” the great uncle droned. “Lindsay, Duke Buckin'ham’s son. Not an immortal as we but he may become one.”

“And what do we hear of him Richi?” Star asked.

“A good lad thus far. Notable musician is what is said most often. But we leave the picking to the princess.” He gave a small smile, a rare thing he reserve mostly just for Rosie.

“Good! When he arrives we shall greet him and arrange for a chaperoned day they can spend.” She directed talk to Rosie. “Would you like that?”

 “I suppose an outing would be nice,” they were shy by nature.

“Ah a picnic!” Star clapped. “Such an adorable-”

“Excuse me.” Dawn interjected.

All eyes looked to her. 

“Do I not have a say?”

Richi pat his lips with his napkin and cleared his throat. “Of course you do. However, the BOC is complaining and conspiring again, I think it best to show them we are still in control of ourselves and the throne. They are bothering about your mother, we don't need them complaining about you and Rosie as well. Especially about marriage.”

“Why would that matter anymore? We're immortal.” Rosie asked.

"And by law, as children of the last ruling family, we are not obligated to wed." Dawn said.

"No, but your mother is."

"So what does this have to do with Rosie if they are complaining about mother?"

“If only it were easy to answer that,” he said. “I think it best to at least allow Rosie to chose her suitor. So they know we know what they are up to. If we look busy we buy time.” He shot a glance at Star. 

She was worried endlessly about time. 

His answer had been gentle enough in Rosie’s presence, they tried not to bring up too much of the political bullshit they had to battle with. Rosie understood, but seemed unalarmed, just as he had hoped. Though the situation was much more dire than his explanation. Dawn in turn could not argue, she knew as well that Richi was trying to cover for Star, distract the BOC. They had tried before to force Star to remarry, she had refused and another war had almost started. They had not brought it up in over twenty years. But she was not surprised that they did now. 

After a few more moments of silent eating, Dawn excluded, the Sun Princess rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She would argue when Rosie was away. 

“Fine, tomorrow, Lindsay comes to court.”

Star grinned to herself, she loved winning battles. Though she and Richi's conversation earlier, before dinner, had been much more serious. A flash in her mind brought the argument to the forefront of her thoughts. 

“They are demanding it again.”

“Let them whine and complain.”

“This is serious now.”

“Its not really.”

“You know damn well why it is.”

Richi stared her down with his heavy colored eyes of dark violet. Star fought back with her golden honey orbs. So different, yet more alike and more as family than they both realized. Especially now.

“Since you became immortal, the matter of session was halted and complicated. They want you to either name your heir and retire or remarry.”

After a beat she said, “I cannot remarry, Jim is not dead.”

“He is! By Gods Star he vanished after Dawn was born. He’s gone.”

“No, Jim wouldn’t leave like that forever.”

“Murdered.” A suggestion.

“No.” Persistent.

“Stop it.” He said with a firm tone. 

She sighed. She had always believed he was alive somewhere, he couldn’t just Die. Alone. Far from home. But many others did not share her faith and optimism in the last Lizard King. Forty eight years was a long time to wait.

“Do they have candidates?”

“Not yet.”

“Then we have time. I will search and we will reach a stalemate. I suspect they will give me a time limit on when to decide this all.” Her heart sank a little at her own words. It was a betrayal to Jim. She was silent for a moment, but he heard her silence.

“I know its about more than Jim. Your prophetic tale.”

“I have no bastard sons Richi. The next ruler is not here.”

“And why not Dawn? She is more than capable.”

“She and I know that she is meant for something bigger than Holy Wood.” She turned away and lit a joint. “The prophecy says if anyone other than the Bastard King sits on the throne after me, only blood will reign.” 

“And you believe it?”

Smoke drifted thick around her, her eyes seemed to glow like embers. “As sure as I know I was broken down into light particles and transported through a bridge of energy to another planet.” She stood up and held the top of her chair with a hard grip. “What about our lives harkens back to the Era of Man? Back before the magic? You read the records, they were advanced in some ways but lacked the powers we harness today Because of their Blackout. That world was what they referred to as normal, and this life? This era? MY Era, is not normal, there is nothing normal about it. So yes, I believe.”

“Alright,” he growled. “So lets say your prophet is true. Where will she go? What will you do?”

“I can never return to Mars, there is no home for me.”

“Well of course not. This is your home,” he said in a clipped and near angry tone. 

“The witch said my daughters would rule red sands. I may not go back,” she looked up at the red orb in the sky. “But Others may. You of all people Richi, come now. Why do You want me to marry so badly?”

He gave her a look that said ‘you’re an idiot.’ “Do you really want me to say?”

She shook her head. 

“Dawn and Rosie are exempt from arranged marriages, they were born Morrison. You were married into the Morrisons. And with what we know now you should be doing what you can to protect yourself. Take a husband, one you can tame, please them to save yourself."

She phased back into the current reality and listened to Rosie speak about this Lindsay man. Apparently she already met him through a few art classes. He seemed kind and respectable. But Star was always distracted lately, everything was starting to make sense, and it was tearing her apart. She wished she didn’t feel so alone, and wished she could have taken Ziggy with her. Or Lazarus as he was supposedly called. Across space he was possibly dead, dying or suffering because of her. For all her speak of never returning she was lying; once. She would return once more for a purpose.