Chapter 2: Freedom
Mary stood in front of her maiden, Tarah in her cell. Tarah was the maiden that placed the
"Mary I swear I had no idea about the poison. I would never." Tarah said on the verge of tears.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Mary said trying to be strong.
"I…I don't even know what that stuff was, it wasn't from this planet. An alien substance it can't have come from here. Someone from another race did this." Tarah said.
"The awoken?" Mary said.
"Possibly. I'm not sure, what reasons would they have to harm you?"
"The fallen?"
"I don—"
"The cabal!?" Mary said growing tense.
Mary's two personal guards interrupted.
"Your majesty, your mother sent an urgent calling for you." One guard said looking at his IMD. "We must go at once."
"Very well." Mary said.
Klarissa walked fast towards her daughter.
"The marriage has been put on hold." Klarissa said flustered. "The prince was frightened by the assassination attempt and is reconsidering. We must find a way to convince them otherwise."
Mary was taken aback.
"I almost died! And still the marriage is all you can think of?!" Mary said tearing up. "No, 'Are you alright honey?', no hug, no measures taken for my protection. My safety should be on the top of your list."
"Mary of course I—" Klarissa started.
"No. From now on I will choose my fate. I will take measures for my protection." Mary said turning to her guards.
"You're both fired." Mary said. "Please leave the kingdom immediately."
"What the hell do you think you're doing you stupid girl!?" Klarissa shouted as the guards bowed and left.
"I am the queen! You cannot speak to me that way. I am not some pawn in your game for power! You cannot choose my protection because you obviously have poor choice. So I will choose my guards. I only need one, the traveller who saved my life today." Mary said gesturing to the message courier to come over.
"What? You mean the savage wasteland wanderer as opposed to trained royal guards?"
"The royal guards are not in possession of the technology and knowledge that he does about the foreign threats I am facing."
"Then as a kingdom we'll order him to find more of those silly helmets and equip the guards with them."
"They still wouldn't know how to use them. He has something they don't. Experience of the world outside these walls and at this point in time, the outside world wants me dead. He knows my enemies. He will protect me." Mary said as her mother's mouth hung open. "Courier, deliver this official order to the man they call Damon He'ral. Tell him I order him to be my guard as a server of our realm."
Damon loaded the boxes of supplies on his ship in the guardian tower before a courier from the kingdom reached him.
"Damon He'ral?"
"Yeah that's me." Damon said as he stopped loading the boxes.
"Our queen Mary Vanderkin II delivered a royal order for you to come and reside in the west quarters of the kingdom. You will then start your position as her personal guard for life until you are relieved. This order comes from the queen herself."
"Uhhh no thanks." Damon said as he started loading the supplies again.
"I'm sorry, this is a royal order it is not optional." The courier said. "Refusal will lead to life in prison or death if the queen sees fit."
"If you say so but I don't see the queen following me to Mars for a quest of assassination." Damon joked.
"I—" The courier said. "Expect officers to come for your detainment, an army if necessary. You will be punished."
"See you then." Damon smiled.
"He refused?" Mary said to the courier. "Yes my lady."
"Did he not seem eager to protect me?" She said.
"No, he claims to be leaving for Mars. Surely a lie, Mars is too dangerous at this point in time."
"Mars?" Mary said trying not to smile. The thought of red sand excited her to no end. "That's amazing, have you been?"
"Uhh, no. No I haven't my queen. Shall I have the traitor arrested?"
"No. I will convince him myself."
"My queen this man is dangerous and traitorous. For all we know he was the assassin. We can find another more suitable guard for you."
"How dare you! The man saved my life. I owe my life to him and we all owe the kingdom's survival to him."
"I apologise…"
"You are dismissed."
"Sir He'ral." Mary said bowing to Damon as he sat on the boxes in his ship. "I want to deliver my thanks. I owe you my life. The kingdom wants to reward you for your bravery."
Mary handed him a gold casing with a black and crimson valour award made of obsidian. It was one of the highest awards in the kingdom's military. Damon took the badge and leaned side to side looking behind and around her. Mary looked around as well confused.
"Th-There must be some sort of mistake your highness." He said.
"What, what is it?" Mary said.
"I was told an army would be brought for my arrest not a young girl." He said holding back a chuckle.
"You know, you could be thrown away to rot for much less than what you've said to me and my subjects. Does your disrespect know no limits?" Mary said.
"I'm sorry, Mary is it? What can I help you with?" Damon said trying to be less rude.
"I haven't been called Mary by anyone other than my mother in years."
"I'm sorry for that too then. I'll shut my mouth." Damon said scratching the back of his head.
Mary smiled. "You aren't afraid of an army yet you seem very embarrassed after disrespecting a young girl."
Damon laughed a little to himself not expecting a smile from the queen. He realised that was the first time she had smiled in the time he had been there.
"I need your protection." Mary said. "I know ordering won't work so I am asking as the leader of the earth."
"I can't, I'm heading off to another planet in…" Damon looked at his watch. "2 and a half hours."
'Yes, Mars I heard. But could you travel to distant planets knowing you let the human race's leader die. The foreign alien assassins will attack me again and I will die. We know nothing of their murder or combat tactics. You do."
"Guilt won't work either. I'm sorry. I really am." Damon said crossing his arms.
"I can tell it is working. You're arms are now crossed. You changed from and open to a closed posture. This guarded pose is an attempt from your stressed conscience to cut yourself off from me emotionally and make it easier to refuse. How can you leave your queen to die?" Mary said.
Damon looked down at his crossed arms.
"You're not my queen. You may think you are but my only obligations are to the stars and earth. Not those that believe they own the people on it and try and order people around."
"I understand." Mary said kneeling down. "Then I ask you. Neigh; I beg you as a friend and my guardian angel to help me, please. I don't want to die yet. I want to live."
Damon looked away and uncrossed his arms. He looked her in the eyes and stayed silent.
Mary stared welling up in tears.
"Please. Then…Then take me with you. Take me with you on your ship, on your adventures."
"The stars are no place for a royal."
"Then teach me how to be a survivor. Tell me how to survive these threats."
"You have a kingdom to run."
"It was never really mine to run. My mother surely misses the taste of control. She will take care of things while I'm gone." Mary said standing up moving closer. "You may be able to deny a queen but since the moment you saved me you became my guardian. You are now responsible."
"As your guardian I will be executed for kidnapping a queen."
"I will vouch for you. And you don't fear death or prison, you fear having my death on your conscience. Either way I'll be in danger of these threats. Taking me with you and learning from you is the best way for me to stay alive."
"That's true….Go pack your things and meet me here in an hour." Damon said turning around.
"YAY!" Mary screeched tackling him with a hug from behind. "Thank you, thank you! But I have one more favour to ask you."
Damon walked with Tarah out into the city.
"Why did you help me escape?" Tarah said shivering.
"Order's from your highness. Put these on, they'll disguise you." Damon said handing her a hood and parka jacket. "Take this glimmer get a hot meal and stay in a hotel on the city edges away from crowds. Mary says a girl she trusts will deliver more glimmer for you to live there in peace for the next 3 years. Find a job and—"
"How do you know it wasn't me? How do you know you can trust me?" Tarah said confused.
"I don't. But Mary believes you didn't do it and I trust her judgement with people. Which leads me to my next point. If I ever do find out it was you. If I realise you had even a small part in the attempt to take Mary's life then I will come back from the heavens. I'll come back from the stars to kill you, whether you've changed or not. If you try and take her life again I won't not be so generous. I will make you suffer. Am I clear?" Damon said.
Tarah nodded looking down.
Mary came down in a baggy gown hauling 2 bags with the help of her two other maidens. The bags were filled to the brim with clothes that were both easily bigger than the girls carrying them.
"You can't take all this." Damon said.
"Yes I can." Mary said. "And don't complain. One bag is filled with glimmer from the treasury and food from the kitchen for our trip. We'll be rich."
"Thank you my queen. Thank you Mary." Tarah said.
Mary hugged her tightly. "Stay safe and out of sight of the kingdom. I'll be back in a few years."
Tarah nodded before hugging the other two girls and waving walking into the city.
"Stay safe Mary." One of her maidens said.
"I will. I'll be back soon and I'll talk to you each week in secret over the IMD." Mary said hugging both of them.
"Keep her safe." The other girl said to Damon before walking away waving.
"Have you left some sort of a goodbye?" Damon said.
"I left a data-pad of goodbye recordings for my kingdom and earth. Don't worry I clearly stated this wasn't a kidnapping and it was completely of my will."
"That doesn't matter. Hostages are always forced to say that. They'll think you're under duress so we'll be chased either way. You ready to leave?"
"Yes." Mary nodded.
"Take in the city one last time it will be a while before you're back."
"I've seen this view a thousand times. I'm ready for new ones."
"Then let's go."
Mary loaded her bags onto the ship as its engines started.
The ship left the tower hangar.
Mary sat in her room on the ship. It had one bed but she liked it. No royal guards always watching her. No mother. No stress. She smiled looking out her window
'Freedom' Mary thought to herself.
