Chapter One
The Emerald City
Rhoda sat on the veranda of the Emerald Palace. She lived on a planet called Vandaxa. It was a lush, fertile place. The planet had been discovered when the "last" surviving Children of the Doom Tree, Alan and Ann, had been looking for a planet to settle on. Not only had they found the perfect place, but they found more survivors. Many more…
A city was built. This city, where Rhoda now lived, was called the Emerald City, for the stones that were used to build it resembled giant emeralds.
Rhoda was a beautiful young girl. She was nineteen and had long raven-black hair that flowed past her waist. Rhoda lived in the Emerald Palace with her fiancé, Fiore. Fiore was the son of the king of the Emerald City. Fiore was a year older than Rhoda. He, too, had long hair, but it stopped just above his waist. His hair was teal blue, as was common in boys. Rhoda loved him very much and she longed for the day that she and Fiore could finally be married. According to law, a woman could not marry until she was at least twenty. Rhoda had just recently turned nineteen and only had one more year to go before she became marrying age.
Rhoda's pet wolf, Rontu, lay at her feet, sleeping soundly. Rhoda reached down and stroked his glossy black fur. He was a Vandaxian wolf, so he was much larger than an earth wolf. His head reached up past Rhoda's waist. When he wasn't playing or sleeping, he was with Rhoda. No one could pry him away from Rhoda's side.
Rontu's ears lifted. He opened his fox-like yellow eyes and sniffed the air. A friendly and familiar smell met him. He barked happily and jumped to his feet. "Rontu?" Rhoda said, wondering what he was up to.
Rontu trotted to the doorway leading back into the palace. Fiore came out onto the veranda. Rontu yipped like a happy pup and licked Fiore's hand. "Hey, boy," Fiore said, petting the top of Rontu's head. He looked at Rhoda and smiled. "I figured I would find you out here."
Rhoda smiled sweetly. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. "Seeing you makes me happier, Fiore," Rhoda replied.
"My father is holding a wedding banquet for my older brother," Fiore said, "He said we were to attend."
Rhoda nodded. "I will need to change my dress," she said. She looked down at the brown leather dress she was wearing. "Take your time," Fiore replied. Then, he turned and left. Rontu barked happily at the thought of the royal scrapes he would be able to steal. He licked his muzzle at the thought.
Rhoda smiled and left the veranda. Rontu trotted along beside her. He looked up at her with big eyes.
Just then, another wolf came running over to Rontu. This was Bianca, Fiore's pet wolf. Bianca looked like a walking skeleton, but that was how her breed was supposed to be that skinny. She was white, with shimmering blue eyes that would remind anyone of sapphires. Because she had no fat on her body whatsoever, she could outrun any cheetah on earth. Bianca was Rontu's mate.
Bianca licked Rontu's cheek. He yipped and playfully pawed at her. Rhoda laughed and looked at Sky's round belly. She was seven months pregnant, so the pups would be arriving in the next few months.
Rontu barked at Rhoda. "Go on and play," she said, "I'll meet you two in the banquet hall."
Rontu and Bianca sped off toward the kitchen. Rhoda guessed that they were going to go beg Cook for scrapes. She chuckled to herself and continued on toward her room.
As she walked on, she ran into Nuka. Nuka was the eldest son of Alan and Ann. He looked nothing like his parents. He had red hair and red eyes.
"Hello, Rhoda," he said. "Hello, Nuka," replied Rhoda.
He bowed. "Were you invited to the banquet?" Nuka asked. "Yes, were you?" replied Rhoda. Nuka shook his head. "No, I'm serving the food along with the other servants."
"Fiore and I were invited by the king," Rhoda said. Nuka frowned. "Ah," he said, "You're going with your fiancé…"
His voice slipped when he said fiancé. Rhoda bit her lip. "Well…I-I guess I should go…"
She quickly passed him and continued on her way. She stopped outside a wooden door and opened it. Her room was made of stone that looked like sapphire. The floor was made of wood. Rhoda's bed was covered with fine silks and linens of many colors. Rontu's bed was made of large baskets woven together with rawhide rope. This rope was tempting for Rontu, who loved to gnaw at them when he was feeling sad or depressed. This was a problem, for rawhide stretches when wet. Ever since Bianca came into his life, Rontu had no need to gnaw at the ropes.
Rhoda entered her room and shut the door. Rontu was sleeping on her bed, lying in a ray of sunshine. Rhoda's room was on the west side of the palace, so the sun always shone brightly in the afternoon.
Rhoda picked up a dress that was lying on her dresser. It was blue and had a golden hem. Rhoda put it on and admired herself in the mirror. Rhoda looked through her jewelry box and pulled out a pair of sapphire earrings. Next, she put on a necklace with a charm made of pure emerald hanging from it. Rhoda looked down at the ring she was wearing. It was the engagement ring that Fiore had given her. It was gold with a beautiful, glittering diamond.
Rhoda admired the ring for a minute and then started for the door. Rontu immediately jumped up and stood at her side. He stayed right beside her all the way to the banquet hall.
If you liked this chapter, keep reading. Just a fact, if you've read my story Dragon Song, then you should recognize the name Rontu. This story takes place AFTER Dragon Song did. You'll figure out why I'm telling you this. Rhoda is MY character. I made her up. Rontu and Bianca are my characters too. If you're wondering why the wolves are named what they are, Rontu's name means 'fox eyes' and Bianca's name means 'white'.
The Fiore mentioned in this story is the sctual Fiore from the Sailor Moon R Movie
