DIVA: Royals #2

deucexm deucexm at gmail.com
Thu Apr 13 23:19:24 PDT 2017


Finally finished this one tonight (this morning, technically, it's 1 AM now).  
Life is being something of a bear recently but I'm trying to write to distract 
myself from other things.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not; but here is a thing.

Royals: A DiVerse Alpha Chronicle
by Colin Stokes

02

The Prince and Princess advanced across the golden floor as the temple neared its
full separation from mundane reality.  The statue of Lady Desire shimmered, golden
sparks flickering around it and falling upwards as the two children approached.

"So how long do we have to wait?" Princess Vanessa asked, hands on her hips as she
came to a stop and looked up at the statue with a little gleam in her eyes.

Prince Jack pursed his lips thoughtfully.  "It's supposed to happen as soon as
everything turns gold, or so I've heard," he replied, glancing over his shoulder. 
The archway was now filled with an impenetrable golden mist, so for better or for
worse they were on their own now.  He turned back to the statue, and saw the hammer
and orb suddenly pulse with a turbulent light so fierce he had to shut his eyes.

"Oh?  My goodness."

The voice was rich and deep and sweet, and when Jack could see again - when
everything came back into focus - he saw its owner: a living copy of the statue,
minus the hammer and orb.  But where the statue was lifeless gilded stone, the Lady
Desire was radiant in her liveliness, her long and flowing hair a brilliantly
burning gold which almost hurt to look at.  Her eyes... Jack had seen sapphires
before, but never a blue so warm and bright, even brighter when set against her
deep tan, the very mirror of his own skin tone.

"Such strong desires for ones so young," the Lady continued with that lovely voice
of hers, a sparkle in her eyes and a warm smile upon her lips as she looked at the
two royals.  "If you open your hearts to me, and speak plainly of your wishes, we
shall see what can be done."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated briefly.  "But my Lady Desire, can
you not simply read the desires of our hearts as easily as we would read a slate?"

"I could.  But it is not for /me/ that I ask these things of you, dearest child,"
the Lady admonished gently, still smiling.  "And please - just 'Miranda' will do."

The Prince looked over at his sister, who gave him a cheerful fist to the shoulder
as encouragement.  He nodded, took a deep breath, and began.

"La- er, Miranda, I come before you as Prince Jack, heir to the Stardust Throne,
and with me my sister Princess Vanessa, likewise heiress to the Throne.  My heart
is heavy within me, for I have a burden that weighs upon me - and I desire release
from it, in a way that would be beneficial to all.  I would ask of you this favor."

Miranda laughed softly, and made a little gesture with her right hand - and a
glowing white orb popped into existence above it, and pulsed a deep bass note,
levitating all three of them off the floor.  "So /formal/," she teased with that
warm smile of hers.  "But nevertheless, I do hear you.  Let's sit, first, and then
you can tell me of your troubles."

The bass note cut off, and they dropped back to the floor - which was now covered
with wonderfully soft cushions, far more pleasant to land on than bare stone and
starsteel.  As she reclined, Miranda adjusted her white robe - a fair copy of the
children's simple clothing, though without the accompanying sandals and jewelry -
and waited for the Prince to continue.

"It's about the title of Prince," Jack began a little hesitantly, resting his hands
on his lap.  "Well - less the title than the abilities it confers.  Truth be told,
I've never had the desire to be, um, 'rad' - it's just not /me/, you know?  But if
that's what's expected - what's /needed/ of me, I'd do it," he quickly added.  "I
just hoped that I could somehow transfer that part of it to Vanessa since it suits
her far better than me."

Miranda smiled lightly, and made a little 'hmm~'.  "And what say you, Princess?"

"Oh my gosh you have no /idea/ how much I would dig being the rad one," Vanessa
blurted, like a spring that had been suddenly released.  "I mean I already kind of
am but obviously if I had the kind of power that the Prince has I would be, like,
Rad Princess V or something awesome like that!  But the Princess doesn't have any
power like that so I don't have anything to give my big brother so it's not really
a fair trade which is why I was kind of concerned about all this in the first place
BUT-" and she finally took a breath "-I figure you're the only one who can help us
out of a jam like this."

The Lady Desire exhaled quietly and closed her eyes for just a moment, the air
seeming to... crystallize for a moment.  Everything sharpened, time slowed down,
and Jack and Vanessa could hear their hearts beating loudly in the sudden, heavy
silence cast over them.

And then Miranda opened her eyes, and the moment passed.  "I can help you, but you
may not like the answer," she began.  Then she smiled.  "Or you may.  The pathways
of the future are countless, and it is not for me to see them all."

"If there is a way, Miranda, I would hear it," Jack returned hopefully.

"The Prince must be Rad," she stated firmly.  "The title and the power cannot be
separated, for undoing that would undo the magicks that lie at the heart of the
Stardust Throne.  And I trust you do not seek such a course."

"Absolutely not," the Prince and Princess replied in unison, horrified.

"Oh, good!  I was hoping it wasn't going to come to that.  You have very /strong/
desires, you see, and - you know what, let's just move on," Miranda finished with a
little giggle, before adopting a bit more serious expression.  "The two of you are
more special than you realize; even if you laid aside your title and power, dear
child, your sister could not claim it without first abandoning her own.  And there
must never be a void in the Royal Lineage.  Therefore-"

"Wait, I have powers too?  That's the first I've heard of it," Vanessa interjected.

Jack squinted a little, the wheels in his mind turning.  "That's because Mother
knew they wouldn't suit you, I suppose," he murmured.  "But if I can't just give up
my position, if someone has to..."  He trailed off, his eyes widening.  "... /Oh/."

Vanessa lightly pinched her brother's ear.  "Finish your sentences!  Seriously!"

"Owww!  Okay, okay!  It's just... Miranda, correct me if I'm wrong," Jack began a
bit hesitantly, rubbing his ear a little, "but you're saying in order to relinquish
my powers, I'll need to, um... trade places with my sister."

"Precisely."  Miranda smiled.  "She would become the Prince from then on, and you,
the Princess."

Vanessa stared at her brother, first shocked, then thoughtful.

Jack looked over at his sister, then back to the Lady Desire.  "You can /do/ that?"

Miranda laughed softly.  "And far more besides!  But Jack, dear child, the question 
is not whether I /can/, but whether I /should/.  You are the Prince; that has been
your fate, your /destiny/, since birth.  Diverting from this course may bring you
trials, even ill fortune; is your heart truly set on this path?"

"If it means a better life for my sister, I think it's a fair trade," Jack replied
after a brief pause.  "And we can always help each other out, right, Vanessa?"

"Absolutely!" the Princess returned with a bright smile.  "As long as you're okay
with all this stuff, I don't have any problems either.  And for what it's worth,
I'm pretty sure you're gonna be better at Princess-ing than me!"

The Lady Desire beamed cheerily.  "Well then, let's get started without delay!" 
She picked up her orb from the cushions and gave it a kiss - and with a pulse of
sound-beyond-sound that felt as though it would crush the breath out of the Prince
and Princess, the golden temple shuddered, fading into a featureless white void.

And they fell, and continued to fall...

---

Postscript: If you didn't know that this is actually a precursor to another in-
work story called Star Princess Jack, well, now you know /why/ that is.  Next 
issue: less talking and more fate-meddling!  (Probably still lots of talking.)

- C.S.


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