Chapter 15: Welcome Home
The following morning, Charley awoke at sunrise and felt surprisingly giddy. Tossing the covers back, she went to bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. After that, she brushed out her long hair and quickly braided it back and away from her face, save a few ringlets around her face. She then went to her closet and looked for an outfit to wear for the day. She decided to get back to basics with a comfortable cotton-stretch leggings and a gorgeous light blue cable knit V-neck sweater that came down to her hips. Instead of wearing her cowboy boots, she decided to wear a pair of fully lined fur and suede boots that came up to her mid-calf and were charcoal gray in color.
After checking herself out in the vanity mirror, one last time, to make sure that she looked respectable and fully put together, she placed her hand on the door knob. She hesitated because she heard some commotion that sounded as though it was coming from the front hall. She jumped when she heard a gentle tap on her door and then sighed with relief once she realized that it was Throttle.
"Hey. What's going on?" she inquired as she opened the door and saw Throttle standing in front her, also fully dressed.
"Mom and dad are home" he let out an exasperated sigh as he looked over the railing and saw his father bellowing at several of the staff members about something. He look over beside him and saw that Charley had joined him to watch the escapades.
"Wow. Your mom's beautiful" Charley barely breathed the words out as she watched an elegantly dressed female glide across the floor. She was tall and slender, showing no signs that she had ever had a child. Her long, icy blonde hair was pulled smoothly up and away from her perfectly chiseled features. Her pale blonde fur was smooth and glistened like newly fallen snow. Her almond-shaped, dark emerald green eyes sparkled as the light from the chandelier reflected off of them. To Charley, it appeared that she had a double set of lashes that made her eyes appear incredibly sultry to borderline bedroom type eyes.
"That she is" Throttle murmured with a smile as he admired the way Charley looked at her mom.
"Ah, Throttle, you're awake" his mother acknowledged as she noticed him at the railing standing next to the human female, Charley, that she had heard about through her husband. From what she had been told was that the girl was only after Throttle for his title but, she had a feeling that that was far from the truth.
"Barely. Father makes enough noise to wake the dead" Throttle made the comment as snide and rude as possible.
"You better show me some respect there young man or I'll have that whore of yours tossed out into the garbage where she should be" his father made his dislike of Charley known quickly in order to avoid any confusion on her part.
"Why you sorry piece of..." Throttle was getting ready to race down the stairs but, was held back when Charley placed a soothing hand on his arm. He also noticed that his mother put herself in front his father, acting as a shield between them.
"Throttle. It's okay" Charley whispered as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.
Throttle shook his head in disbelief that Charley was willing to to allow his father to publicly degrade her.
"I'll deal with you later old man" Throttle said as he placed an arm around Charley's shoulders and escorted her down the stairs, using his own body as a shield against his father.
"Is some one going to get my bags or what?" came the shrill tones of an enraged female with a white lace parasol.
"You there! Go fetch my things!" she said as she pointed to the human she had heard so much about. After shaking her parasol, she closed it up to reveal herself.
"You couldn't pay me enough to fetch your things" Charley was taken aback as she stared at the female mouse who appeared to be about her age. She was also very lovely to look at but, her disposition left a lot to be desired. She was about as tall as herself with long thick coal black hair that hung to her waist in luscious waves. Her fur was the color of charcoal with a set of large amber colored eyes, surrounded by a layer of thick dark lashes.
"How dare the help speak to me like that. I'm Princess Carbine" Carbine growled at Charley, hoping to give her the hint that she didn't belong in a palace.
"Oh!" was all Charley could think of to say as she examined Carbine and then looked at Throttle who just shrugged his shoulders.
"What does that mean?" Carbine inquired as she finally noticed that her fiance had his arm around the human. She couldn't the audacity of that female to be so public with her future husband.
"It's an expression. You do have those, don't you?" Charley asked as she arched an eyebrow at Carbine.
"Of course we do. What do you take me for? Some sort of fool?" Carbine was flabbergasted by the way Charley was talking to her.
"Could have fooled me. Now, if you don't mind, Throttle and I were getting ready to have breakfast. Maybe after you get your things put away, you can join us" Charley gave her a sarcastic smiled as she and Throttle walked into the dining room, where Franny waited with their coffee and pancakes.
"How dare she speak or even treat me like that! I'm a princess and she's nothing but a peasant" Carbine lost it at this point as she yelled at the king for Charley's non-blatant disrespect of her.
"Yes Carbine. We know you're a princess. I've been informed that she won't be here much longer and Throttle will be all yours" the king stated as he patted Carbine on the shoulder and immediately ordered the staff to retrieve all of Carbine's things. She had brought everything of hers from her kingdom to theirs in preparation of the wedding.
"I smell pancakes" came the sound of Carbine's uncle as he strode through the door with his suitcase in hand.
"Of course Stoker. Prince Throttle and Miss Charlene are having their breakfast in the dining hall. If you'd like, I'll set out a plate for you" Franny said as she walked out of the dining room and saw Lord Stoker, looking as handsome as ever.
"I would like that very much Miss Franny" Stoker, being charming as always, gently took Franny's hand and kissed the back of it, causing her to blush.
"Rascal!" Franny jokingly scoffed as she showed Stoker to the dining hall and then went to get him a plate of pancakes.
"My my my. Who's this lovely creature?" Stoker couldn't believe his eyes. He had never seen a human before and was now graced with the presence of a lovely red-haired green eyed beauty.
"Charlene. This is Lord Stoker. Princess Carbine's uncle. Stoker. This is Miss Charlene" Throttle had no issues with introducing Charley to Stoker, due to the fact that Stoker was much older than her and he would never say anything to hurt her feelings.
"Pleasure is all mine, Miss Charlene" Stoker grasped her and then kissed the back of her hand.
"Likewise Lord Stoker" she had to admit, he was very charming and handsome for an older mouse. He was about the same height as Throttle with dark, sandy colored fur and a very long, slightly darker ponytail that reached to the middle of his back. He even sported some scruffy sideburns. In her examination of him, she noticed that his tail was actually metal and not flesh.
"Just call me Stoker. Everyone else does" he said as he took a seat at the head of the table.
"Then you can call me Charley" she smiled as she took a sip of her coffee and saw that Franny was happily humming a tune as she brought Stoker a big stack of pancakes.
"Cool. Works for me" Stoker was extremely delighted that he had decided to make this trip. He got to see his favorite girl, Franny, and he actually got to meet Charley, the human girl who was creating quite a stir in the palace.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Charley inquired, her curiosity was aroused.
"Sure but, didn't you already just ask one?" Stoker chuckled as he shoveled the pancakes into his mouth. He had specially made this trip to see Franny, eat her cooking, and ask her a question.
"Yes but, I have another one. If you don;t mind me asking, what happened to your tail?" Charley had to know because, it amazed her at how he was able to control it.
"War did this gorgeous. I was one of the original leaders of the Freedom Fighters, which now Throttle is their leader. I doubt I could have picked a better fighter than him. Anyway, I was captured and, like Throttle and his friends, I was awake when they cut off my tail and attempted to brainwash me. Not one of my better days but, I escaped with the help of Modo's nephew, Rimfire. He's a good kid with a big heart, just like his uncle" Stoker told his tale with a smile.
"Wow. That's amazing" Charley knew that whatever stories she had about her time in Mars, no one would believe her.
"Now that I've answered your question, you can answer one of mine. How did a human from Gaia end up in Mars?" Stoker said as he placed an elbow on the table and placed his chin on top of the back of his fingers.
"Now that's a story and half. I'll give you the shortened version. It was not by choice. I was attending prom and my date and I had differing opinions on being a gentleman. So, instead of hailing a cab to take me home, I decided to cut through the park. I was drugged and kidnapped. From what Throttle has told me is that I was at a slave compound for the past four years. It didn't feel like it. It felt longer. So, the last day I was there, Throttle and his crew blew the compound up and rescued all of us. I had gotten very sick and spent several days on board in sick bay trying to recover. Throttle thought it was better for me to finish my recovery here and after Christmas, he's taking me back to my parents" Charley smiled at the thought of being able to see her mom and dad again.
"You look like a fighter?" Stoker knew it was more of a question due to the fact that he saw a couple of old lash marks along the back of her neck.
"Let's just say, I attempted to escape many times. There were even times that I want them to kill me just to ease the suffering but, I want them also to know that I wasn't going down without a fight. So, you are correct in your assessment" Charley still had nightmares about what that Plutarkian scum bag had done to her and all the things he said to her.
"She's also leaving out the part where she took a shovel and beat the shit out of a Plutarkian. That was awesome!" Throttle laughed as he took a big gulp of his coffee and then looked at Charley, loving the fact that she smiled at him.
"Really!? He must have had it coming" Stoker exclaimed.
"Actually, he did" Charley agreed recalling how good it felt to get her revenge for herself and any other female he had done that to.
"If you ever make her mad, dude, I'm not handing her a shovel" Stoker joked as he slapped Throttle on the back.
"Thank you...I think" Throttle looked over at Stoker, knowing he had more to say.
"You're welcome. I'm just going to hand her a pitch fork" Stoker chuckled as as he looked over at Throttle, whose expression was one of shock.
"Oh, so I'm going to be on the receiving end of this joke. Great" Throttle could only chuckle, sarcastically, as he gave Stoker a double thumbs up.
"It's so good to hear laughter in the palace" came the soft sound of Throttle's mother as she entered into the room.
"Your highness" Charley immediately stood up and curtsied to the queen.
"You must be Miss Charlene. I've heard many things about you but, I wish to form my own opinion and not listen to idle gossip" the queen was taken aback by how lovely the human girl truly was up close. She could see why her son was so smitten with her and she hoped that it wasn't just because she was lovely to look at.
"Yes. I am. Thank you" Charley just hoped that she was able to pass the queen's judgment far better the the king's.
"You're welcome. Please, have a seat and fill me in on everything that has been going on since you arrived deary. I want to know your story from you" the queen said as she sat down in the chair right next to Charley's and watched she sat down and turned to face her. She was looking forward to learning and understanding more about the human girl who had created quite a stir among the palace and who seemed to stir her son's heart as well.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to let me know and I will address them in the upcoming chapters. Many Cyber Hugs to all readers and reviewers.