Chapter 9

Coming Back

A week and four days later Tyan's ship landed in the palace shipyard.

"Ready?" Tyan asked looking down at Tana.

"What if they don't like me?" Tana murmured.

"They'll love you, gran already loves you and I only described you to her, and mother will adore you, she's always wanted a daughter to fuss over and father loves books and history and things like that, the older and stranger the object the better." Tyan said as he took Tana's hand in his and lead her out of the ship.

The shipyard bustled with activity, cargo and other goods being loaded or unloaded and guests or workers arriving or departing. As Tyan lead Tana through the shipyard to the palace, people curiously eyed the strange looking young woman their prince was escorting into the palace.

"Welcome to you're new home." Tyan whispered as they entered the palace.

"It's beautiful." Tana said in aw as she looked about her as they walked down a long hallway and emerged into a bright sunny room.

"Ty, you're back." a woman in a lavender floor length gown said happily as she got up and hugged him. The woman had amber colored eyes like Tyan's and was shorter than him and the man next to her had the same tan fur as Tyan's, the man wore dark gray senatorial robes and was a little taller than Tyan. "Is this her Ty, oh she's absolutely adorable."

"This is Tana Madine, Tana this is my mother Queen Annora, and my father King Nikalarn." Tyan said, Tana blushed and bowed lightly. "And this is my grandmother Dowager Queen Mother Ledell."

"Madine, that name sounds familiar, Ivan and Katrina Madine wouldn't happen to be your father and motherwould they?" Nikalarn asked as Tyan pulled a chair out for Tana to sit in then sat down beside her.

"Yes, they were my parents, they came to Bothawui when I was eleven on an archeologic dig, they died a few months ago, in a dig at Tantive five." Tana said.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, I remember I spoke to him when he was here, he was a very brilliant man." Nikalarn said.

"How did..." Annora began to ask but caught herself. Tana knew what she was going to ask.

"Pit robbers came to steal valuable artefacts, they were caught and the artefacts they stole returned, but not before they killed my mom and dad, at their funeral a friend who was working at the Tantive five dig came up to me and gave me a necklace that was found near my mother's body, it was one of the artefacts that was stolen, he told me that the university on Tantive five wanted me to have it. The exhibit was opened a month later and a holo-still of my mother and father along with a plaque were put on permanent display in their honor." Tana explained.

"That must have taken quite a bit of courage to attend the opening." Ledell said.

"Longest and saddest four hours of my life, every piece I looked at I could almost picture what they went through that night. When they unveiled the memorial, I broke down right there in the middle of the room in front of everyone. But I try not to think about it anymore, because they died doing what they loved and that was uncovering and understanding the past and recreating its stories." Tana replied.

"You speak like your father did, he spoke with such fire about why he did what he did." Nikalarn said, "He would have been proud to hear you say that."

"That's what uncle Crix says" Tana said, trying to stifle a yawn that was fighting to emerge.

"You must be tired Tana, why don't I show you to your room so you can rest for a little bit." Annora said getting up and leading Tana from the room.