“Yes.”
“And if I refuse?”
“We all die.”
“I would welcome that.”
“I know.”
The two sat in silence for an hour. Finally, the young woman looked up and said, “I will agree to help if you can tell me why.”
“I know why.” The young woman flinched and stared at Danielle. “I just worked it out a few hours ago but I’m not certain if I tell you that you will agree to go.”
“What if I promise to go if you convince me you really know?”
“Would you keep your promise if it made you feel like you were betraying all of those you love?”
The young woman looked down and thought for a moment, “I will keep my promise if for no other reason than to understand why I have been made to suffer. I think I would be forgiven by my loved ones for that reason.”
“You were forced to wait for love.”
The young woman turned angry. “Now you’re being cruel.”
“No, I’m not. You made an error as a child and didn’t know it then or even now. You assumed something to be true that wasn’t and as a result you remained incomplete.”
“Just what error did I make?”
“You assumed your husband was your match.”
The young woman stood and yelled, “Get out.”
“Not before I finish. Sit down and listen; I told you that you wouldn’t like it. If you want to know why then shut up and listen.” The young woman sat back down.
“Why should I?”
“Because I love you more than you know.”
The young woman started crying and Danielle moved next to her and put her arm around her shoulders. “You were wrong. You could hear him as a child so you assumed he was the one. But think about it. He never helped you in your work. He never helped you make decisions. He never had an impact on what decisions you made. I know you loved him, but he was not your match.”
“What proof do you have?”
“A ship is waiting for you to come and bring it to life. Only you can do it and the ship knew that it could not come to life until now. You had to live until this moment for it to happen. That is why you never died when all of those you loved did. You were born for this moment in time. You came into existence with the life span necessary to arrive now when you’re needed most.”
“I didn’t want to live without my family.”
“That was your second mistake. You haven’t really tasted love yet. You cared for your family but not to the level you deserved.”
“What are you saying?”
“Your match is waiting for you. He is more than you could ever hope for and I am so afraid that your bitterness will blind you to what he offers. He has been suffering his whole life waiting for you to come and he believes that his life will always be one empty day after another. He is really more resigned to sorrow as a daily meal than you are. He even questions if he is deserving of happiness. He thinks he must have made a terrible mistake in his youth for which he is now being punished.”
“I don’t know if I believe you.”
“Then do one thing for me and I’ll never ask anything of you again.”
“What?”
“Come with me and just look at him. I’m not asking you to speak with him or have any contact. Just look at him.”
“Let me think about it.”
“Ok. I’m sorry I broke my promise about leaving you alone.”
“Just go,” and the young woman started to cry.
Danielle teleported away and went to her room and cried herself to sleep.
Three days later she heard, “I’ve thought about what you asked.”
“Yes.”
“Where can I see him?”
“How about in Colony Park on the bench in front of Admiral Dorg’s tomb?”
“When?”
“We’ll be there today at noon.”
Danielle heard nothing else.
Danielle went to the map room and found Matt looking thorough family histories. “Matt, may I ask a favor.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
The crew member chosen for the last ship; I would like to meet him.”
“Ok, I’ll set it up.” Matt turned back to his work.
“Now, Matt.”
Matt looked up and felt something. He hit his com, “Captain Christopher Andrews, please report to the coordinates on your com immediately.”
Matt stared at Danielle but she said nothing. A silver field appeared and a young man stepped out of it. He bowed, “How may I be of service, Your Grace?”
Matt said, “This is Queen Danielle. She wishes to talk with you.”
The young man turned to Danielle and said, “I’m at your service, Your Majesty.”
“Come sit beside me, Captain.”
Chris went over and sat down beside Danielle and she pressed her bracelet and both of them disappeared. “What the Torg,” Matt yelled. “What’s going on? Tag, where did Danielle just go with Captain Andrews?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Can you contact her?”
Matt waited a moment and then heard, “No. I can’t! What’s going on?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well find her!”
Matt punched his com and began issuing orders.
Danielle and Chris appeared next to a bench in Colony Park and Chris looked at the tomb of Dorg-Ross. He sighed heavily and then sat down with Danielle. “You had an ancestor killed by the Cainth?”
“Yes, I did. It seems my family has always been around during difficult times for the Realm.”
“And they have always responded with bravery.”
Chris smiled, “Yes, we have.”
“Why are you so sad?”
Chris looked at Danielle and wondered how she knew. He hid his emotions quite well. He hung his head and said, “I honestly don’t know, Your Majesty. I just feel that something is missing from inside me and nothing I’ve done has changed the feeling.”
“Perhaps you need to find a wife?”
Chris raised his head and looked Danielle in the eye, “No one has ever generated any interest in me. It’s almost like the part of me that could love is missing. I see everyone else find happiness with someone but it seems that I am denied those feelings. They just don’t exist in me.”
“Maybe you haven’t met the right person?”
“Your Majesty, if she exists I pray she will come and remove my misery. I am of the belief that she doesn’t exist.”
The young woman sat across the park and mentally listened in to the conversation. She felt a kindred spirit in the young man. She even thought he was suffering more than she was. She was too far away to really see him so she stood and moved a little closer.
