Dinner had been very quiet that night. King Randor and Duncan talked of kingdom affairs to themselves. Orko was visiting Dree Elle on Trolla, and Teela ate quickly to rush off to a lesson. Adam occasionally peered up at Aryanna who sat across from him. She refused to look at him and only picked at her food with her fork.. Queen Marlena had yet to make an appearance for dinner and Adam was worried. Maybe prying into his mother's past was a bad idea. A deep laugh came from the head of the table and shattered the prince's thoughts. He glanced over to see his father throw his head back and laugh. Duncan was laughing about something as well. Considering all that had happened within the past few weeks, things now seemed to be settling down. Adam and his father had not quarreled in nearly a week. The young prince realized that he had not spent much time in his father's presence and perhaps that was the reason for the peace between them. He desperately wanted to please his father and show him that he did have what it took to become King. Adam looked up again at Aryanna who was moving her food around the plate but not eating very much of it. He gently nudged her foot with his own and she finally looked up at him.
"Hey, are you ok?" she nodded. His gaze dropped to her plate and the barely eaten food.
"Sorry, I'm not very hungry. Cringer, do you want this?" She asked leaning over in her chair. The green tiger eagerly nodded his head and she dumped the food into his dish. "If you'll excuse me." She said to no one in particular. She pushed back her chair, stood and slowly left the room. Adam wiped his mouth with his napkin and watched her go. He tossed the napkin on to the table and stood. He was oblivious to the fact that Duncan and his father had stopped in mid conversation to watch him chase after Aryanna. She was halfway down the corridor when he entered it.
"Aryanna!" he called. She slowly turned. He jogged to her and put a hand on her arm. "What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing. You were fine until we visited my mother this afternoon."
She looked up at him and then slowly began to walk. He matched her pace step by step. "What that Billy fellow told your mother... it... it reminded me of my father."
"I don't understand."
"Nevermind.." She said shaking her head and she began to move away. She looked down as his hand gently gripped her arm. and then up at him.
"Help me understand. Besides, talking with someone usually makes you feel better." She nodded.
"All right. Let's go to the courtyard." She said as she watched a group of people move past them in the corridor.
They walked in silence to the palace courtyard. Aryanna sat beside the fountain and Adam took a seat not far from her. The moons were not yet glowing brightly as they competed with the last light of day that was disappearing over the horizon.
"Your mother's memories helped me to realize that I'm not alone in my struggle to find and follow my own dreams but they also brought back memories and struggles with my father that are not yet resolved. I once told you that your parents were not the only ones to fight and about their child. It's nice to see that your parents have come to some sort of understanding."
"I'd like to think they have." He smiled.
"Unfortunately mine have not."
Adam's smile faded. "I don't understand. I was talking with my mother just the other day and she said that she couldn't believe how good things are for your family. She said that your parents still get along as well as they did when my mother first came to Eternia."
"My parents hide things VERY well. Only a few hours before they found your mother in the center of town they had quarreled. It's the same thing everyday. I awaken to feed the animals and tend to the chores while they fight." She looked down and fidgeted with her long hair.
"What do they fight about?" he asked.
"Everything, nothing."
"Have they always fought?"
"No. The fighting started when my brother became a troublemaker, but escalated when I refused to marry. My father blames my mother for my high strung nature and for not being married. My mother blames my father for me not being married. He blames it back on her. It's an endless cycle."
"They're upset that you aren't married yet?"
"Yes. My younger brother is married with a child on the way and Aryanna is still not married." She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why aren't you married? If you don't mind my asking."
"I haven't found the right man I suppose. I don't want to waste my life by the side of a man I don't love."
"Fair enough. I wouldn't take not being married to heart. There are many people our age who are not married and who are not even thinking of it."
"You aren't married?"
"No." he chuckled. "I'm not. Although my father would like me to start looking for a wife. He lets me know at every available opportunity."
She smiled. "Why do father's have to be that way?"
"Maybe because they want what's best for us."
"Maybe. I just wish they could find a better way to tell us that. My father tried to arrange a marriage for me and the only thing that did was drive us even further apart."
"I'm sorry to hear that. My father is very hard on me because he wants me to be King one day. I guess I can't blame him becoming upset with me. I don't always do what is expected of me."
"No one does all the time. And Should we always do what we are expected to do? Do you want to be King?"
"I have no choice. I was born a prince. I'm air to the throne."
"Forget what privileges or rights you were born to. Do YOU want to be King?"
"I don't understand what this has do with anything."
"You were born a prince and one day you will be King. You have a steady path laid in front of you that you are expected to follow. But who says that we have to stay on the path if that path does not lead us to happiness? My father believes my path leads me to be a wife to the man of his choice, to have children and to work at home and to be silent, but that path doesn't lead to happiness for me at least not complete happiness. It leads to suffering and aggravation."
"You don't want to marry and have children?" This surprised Adam.
"I do, but I need to live my life first. And I hope to find someone who understands me and the way I work. I don't want to marry someone my father tosses my way. I want to have children and teach them to be true to themselves like your mother told us today."
"And your father doesn't want you to be true to yourself. He's trying to suffocate you with his wants."
"Yes! He wants me to be a good quiet little wife who stays home and cooks and cleans, but I want to go out and educate people." She stopped her rant and smiled. "I would love to be a teacher. Teaching people about the world and about what you can do in it. Eternia is changing. It's not the quiet planet it was years ago. It's becoming more fast pace with the introduction of machines and technology. Not everyone has to sit idly by. Some of us want to see the world and find our place in it."
"It's nice to want to find our place in the world but it's also important to remember where we have come from and what our roots are. I've heard of other dimensions that have let machines run their lives and they have become mindless individuals. We need to keep our traditions going strong."
"Yes we do. But we also need to grow a little if the path laid out for us is not what we want. Your own mother looks like she has had her fair share of struggles just to become an astronaut because she is a woman. How is what I want no different than what she wanted? I'm a woman who is trying to make my life better."
Adam smiled at this. "I wish I were as enthusiastic about my future as you are."
"Why aren't you? And just for the record I'm more annoyed then enthusiastic."
"I know that I will be King one day, but I just feel as if there is so much I have not done yet. I certainly want to marry before I become king and to learn as much as possible about ruling a Kingdom before I sit in the big chair. A piece of me strongly believes that becoming king will destroy the freedom I enjoy so much now. Another piece of me tells me I need to grow up and start making a difference in Eternia."
"Are you afraid to be King?"
"I don't think so. I think I might just be afraid of adding more responsibility to my shoulders. My plate is pretty full as it is."
"Life isn't easy is it?"
"No it's not." Adam replied blowing at a stray lock of hair that had fallen into his face.
"Just when we think that we've figured everything out, things come crashing down and we're just where we started off."
"That's the way life goes, I guess."
"Yeah." She replied softly. By now the moons were glowing brightly and there was only a faint trace of daylight on the horizon. The stars were beginning to appear and the night was warm with a slight breeze.
"I hope that my mother is all right. She said she was coming to dinner and she didn't show."
"I hope she is ok as well."
"I wanted so badly to know about her future and her world that I didn't stop to think that there might be a reason she never wanted to share it with me." Adam told her lowering his head.
"But as you said to me just a short while ago, talking with someone usually makes you feel better. It's difficult to deal with things that have hurt you, but once you sort everything out you feel better. I know that I feel much better then how I felt at dinner thanks to you. I'm willing to bet your mother will feel better once this is over."
"I hope so."
"It seems to me that she had a lot of opposition in her life that she hasn't dealt with in years and that's bothering her. I don't know the extent of her opposition and I don't know if this is the best idea, but maybe you should talk with your father. In a conversation see what he knows about your mothers past if anything. You might not be the only one left in the dark."
"Actually that's a very good idea. Maybe talking about my mother will help ease the tension between my father and I. It's worth a try. Thank you."
"Thank you, for listening."
"My pleasure. My mother thinks very highly of you, did you know that?"
"But she barely knows me."
"She knows that you are the daughter of two of her closest friends. She says that you are very intelligent, you have a wonderful sense of humor. You're polite and kind. A little shy."
"I'll have to thank her for the compliments." They sat in companionable silence for a short while. "Do you ever leave the palace? Or do you stay here all the time?"
"I leave the palace on occasion. Sometimes I travel to other kingdoms for affairs that my father can't make. Sometimes I go to the Evergreen forest to fish or sleep which Teela and my father do not like."
"The prince of Eternia does need some down time too."
"Yeah." He said dreamily. "This is your first time at a palace right?"
"Yes. It's amazing. So much to do and see. Noteran is a very small town set in the mountains. Not much to do there but escape to the wilderness with a good book."
"Sounds like the life to me."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be. I like the palace much better then Noteran."
"Really? Why is that?"
"Everyone here is open minded. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in a big city. I'm a country girl. So far I like what I see here. The people are kind and interesting."
"You're more then welcome to stay here as long as you like."
"Thank you. I borrowed a book from the library that I'd like to finish. I'll see you tomorrow."
"All Right. Good night."
"Good night and thanks again for listening."
"Anytime."
"Hey, are you ok?" she nodded. His gaze dropped to her plate and the barely eaten food.
"Sorry, I'm not very hungry. Cringer, do you want this?" She asked leaning over in her chair. The green tiger eagerly nodded his head and she dumped the food into his dish. "If you'll excuse me." She said to no one in particular. She pushed back her chair, stood and slowly left the room. Adam wiped his mouth with his napkin and watched her go. He tossed the napkin on to the table and stood. He was oblivious to the fact that Duncan and his father had stopped in mid conversation to watch him chase after Aryanna. She was halfway down the corridor when he entered it.
"Aryanna!" he called. She slowly turned. He jogged to her and put a hand on her arm. "What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing. You were fine until we visited my mother this afternoon."
She looked up at him and then slowly began to walk. He matched her pace step by step. "What that Billy fellow told your mother... it... it reminded me of my father."
"I don't understand."
"Nevermind.." She said shaking her head and she began to move away. She looked down as his hand gently gripped her arm. and then up at him.
"Help me understand. Besides, talking with someone usually makes you feel better." She nodded.
"All right. Let's go to the courtyard." She said as she watched a group of people move past them in the corridor.
They walked in silence to the palace courtyard. Aryanna sat beside the fountain and Adam took a seat not far from her. The moons were not yet glowing brightly as they competed with the last light of day that was disappearing over the horizon.
"Your mother's memories helped me to realize that I'm not alone in my struggle to find and follow my own dreams but they also brought back memories and struggles with my father that are not yet resolved. I once told you that your parents were not the only ones to fight and about their child. It's nice to see that your parents have come to some sort of understanding."
"I'd like to think they have." He smiled.
"Unfortunately mine have not."
Adam's smile faded. "I don't understand. I was talking with my mother just the other day and she said that she couldn't believe how good things are for your family. She said that your parents still get along as well as they did when my mother first came to Eternia."
"My parents hide things VERY well. Only a few hours before they found your mother in the center of town they had quarreled. It's the same thing everyday. I awaken to feed the animals and tend to the chores while they fight." She looked down and fidgeted with her long hair.
"What do they fight about?" he asked.
"Everything, nothing."
"Have they always fought?"
"No. The fighting started when my brother became a troublemaker, but escalated when I refused to marry. My father blames my mother for my high strung nature and for not being married. My mother blames my father for me not being married. He blames it back on her. It's an endless cycle."
"They're upset that you aren't married yet?"
"Yes. My younger brother is married with a child on the way and Aryanna is still not married." She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why aren't you married? If you don't mind my asking."
"I haven't found the right man I suppose. I don't want to waste my life by the side of a man I don't love."
"Fair enough. I wouldn't take not being married to heart. There are many people our age who are not married and who are not even thinking of it."
"You aren't married?"
"No." he chuckled. "I'm not. Although my father would like me to start looking for a wife. He lets me know at every available opportunity."
She smiled. "Why do father's have to be that way?"
"Maybe because they want what's best for us."
"Maybe. I just wish they could find a better way to tell us that. My father tried to arrange a marriage for me and the only thing that did was drive us even further apart."
"I'm sorry to hear that. My father is very hard on me because he wants me to be King one day. I guess I can't blame him becoming upset with me. I don't always do what is expected of me."
"No one does all the time. And Should we always do what we are expected to do? Do you want to be King?"
"I have no choice. I was born a prince. I'm air to the throne."
"Forget what privileges or rights you were born to. Do YOU want to be King?"
"I don't understand what this has do with anything."
"You were born a prince and one day you will be King. You have a steady path laid in front of you that you are expected to follow. But who says that we have to stay on the path if that path does not lead us to happiness? My father believes my path leads me to be a wife to the man of his choice, to have children and to work at home and to be silent, but that path doesn't lead to happiness for me at least not complete happiness. It leads to suffering and aggravation."
"You don't want to marry and have children?" This surprised Adam.
"I do, but I need to live my life first. And I hope to find someone who understands me and the way I work. I don't want to marry someone my father tosses my way. I want to have children and teach them to be true to themselves like your mother told us today."
"And your father doesn't want you to be true to yourself. He's trying to suffocate you with his wants."
"Yes! He wants me to be a good quiet little wife who stays home and cooks and cleans, but I want to go out and educate people." She stopped her rant and smiled. "I would love to be a teacher. Teaching people about the world and about what you can do in it. Eternia is changing. It's not the quiet planet it was years ago. It's becoming more fast pace with the introduction of machines and technology. Not everyone has to sit idly by. Some of us want to see the world and find our place in it."
"It's nice to want to find our place in the world but it's also important to remember where we have come from and what our roots are. I've heard of other dimensions that have let machines run their lives and they have become mindless individuals. We need to keep our traditions going strong."
"Yes we do. But we also need to grow a little if the path laid out for us is not what we want. Your own mother looks like she has had her fair share of struggles just to become an astronaut because she is a woman. How is what I want no different than what she wanted? I'm a woman who is trying to make my life better."
Adam smiled at this. "I wish I were as enthusiastic about my future as you are."
"Why aren't you? And just for the record I'm more annoyed then enthusiastic."
"I know that I will be King one day, but I just feel as if there is so much I have not done yet. I certainly want to marry before I become king and to learn as much as possible about ruling a Kingdom before I sit in the big chair. A piece of me strongly believes that becoming king will destroy the freedom I enjoy so much now. Another piece of me tells me I need to grow up and start making a difference in Eternia."
"Are you afraid to be King?"
"I don't think so. I think I might just be afraid of adding more responsibility to my shoulders. My plate is pretty full as it is."
"Life isn't easy is it?"
"No it's not." Adam replied blowing at a stray lock of hair that had fallen into his face.
"Just when we think that we've figured everything out, things come crashing down and we're just where we started off."
"That's the way life goes, I guess."
"Yeah." She replied softly. By now the moons were glowing brightly and there was only a faint trace of daylight on the horizon. The stars were beginning to appear and the night was warm with a slight breeze.
"I hope that my mother is all right. She said she was coming to dinner and she didn't show."
"I hope she is ok as well."
"I wanted so badly to know about her future and her world that I didn't stop to think that there might be a reason she never wanted to share it with me." Adam told her lowering his head.
"But as you said to me just a short while ago, talking with someone usually makes you feel better. It's difficult to deal with things that have hurt you, but once you sort everything out you feel better. I know that I feel much better then how I felt at dinner thanks to you. I'm willing to bet your mother will feel better once this is over."
"I hope so."
"It seems to me that she had a lot of opposition in her life that she hasn't dealt with in years and that's bothering her. I don't know the extent of her opposition and I don't know if this is the best idea, but maybe you should talk with your father. In a conversation see what he knows about your mothers past if anything. You might not be the only one left in the dark."
"Actually that's a very good idea. Maybe talking about my mother will help ease the tension between my father and I. It's worth a try. Thank you."
"Thank you, for listening."
"My pleasure. My mother thinks very highly of you, did you know that?"
"But she barely knows me."
"She knows that you are the daughter of two of her closest friends. She says that you are very intelligent, you have a wonderful sense of humor. You're polite and kind. A little shy."
"I'll have to thank her for the compliments." They sat in companionable silence for a short while. "Do you ever leave the palace? Or do you stay here all the time?"
"I leave the palace on occasion. Sometimes I travel to other kingdoms for affairs that my father can't make. Sometimes I go to the Evergreen forest to fish or sleep which Teela and my father do not like."
"The prince of Eternia does need some down time too."
"Yeah." He said dreamily. "This is your first time at a palace right?"
"Yes. It's amazing. So much to do and see. Noteran is a very small town set in the mountains. Not much to do there but escape to the wilderness with a good book."
"Sounds like the life to me."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be. I like the palace much better then Noteran."
"Really? Why is that?"
"Everyone here is open minded. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in a big city. I'm a country girl. So far I like what I see here. The people are kind and interesting."
"You're more then welcome to stay here as long as you like."
"Thank you. I borrowed a book from the library that I'd like to finish. I'll see you tomorrow."
"All Right. Good night."
"Good night and thanks again for listening."
"Anytime."