The corner fireplace crackled with happiness as it went about its business of warming and illuminating a corner of the large library on the third floor of Tamein Palace's west wing.
Ancient books of lore and magik lined the floor-to-ceiling shelves, deadening stray sounds and gave an insulative effect which kept the large room fairly warm even through the cold winter.
Zander sat in the large Master's chair near the heavy desk filled with scrolls and books.
His long slate blue hair was tied back, revealing his handsome face, side-lit by the fireplace. On his finger was the large ring with the carved runes. On his brow was a thin gold band with a centered disc that was also carved with various runes.
The warm light clearly delineating the noble slant of his cheeks and nose, and carved into relief, his strong jawline. His long lashes rested on his cheeks, and his mouth was pursed in a thoughtful pout.
The Tamein Palace cartographer and the jeweler had come and gone. The only ones left in the room were the two scribes and his High Advisor, a thin pale dwarf named Jarvis.
"Would you like to have dinner in the first floor dining hall, or the second floor dining room, Your Royal Highness," Jarvis handed Zander various boxes for him to choose from.
Zander pointed to the white box with dark blue ribbon. "Neither. Bring the food in here--just enough for two people."
"Would you like for me to inform the Princess when it is ready?" He gathered the boxes, and shifted them over to the side of the large desk.
Zander nodded. "See to it that we are not disturbed."
"Yes, Your Royal Highness." Jarvis nodded and left.
The two scribes worked until the wait staff brought dinner up on a rolling table, then they cleared their work off the table and left. The 'no disturb' command also applied to them.
The serving staff placed the clothed table next to the only window in the library and pulled up two chairs. From the Tamein greenhouse came a vase filled with white cymbidium orchids which they placed at the center of the table. Then they placed various covered serveware of the most delectable dishes from the palace cooks, lit the candles, and removed themselves.
It wasn't long before Mira entered the library. Even though it was just a simple dinner with her husband, the handmaids had refused to allow her to meet him in her working brown dress. They fussed over her hair and makeup, pinning amethysts into her hair and in her ears. Then they dressed her in a pale mauve gown and delivered her to the Prince.
Mira hesitated at the doorway. She had never been inside this room before. Her mouth turned up in a mischievous smile as she recalled her previous attempt had been foiled by the Royal Guards outside the door, but then her smile turned into an O of surprise.
The library was huge, but only one section was lit. There was a fire dancing merrily in the corner fireplace, and plenty of silk lanterns hanging from the ceilings so it seemed cozy and warm.
There were white orchids in vases scattered in strategic spaces and places, conjuring up the feeling of a romantic garden.
At the center of the library, on a large table, there were white boxes of varying sizes, wrapped with blue ribbons. And by the large window, a cozy table had been set for two, complete with tablecloth and candles.
Zander rose from his seat and approached her with a deep bow. "I perceive and recognize you, my bride."
Mira blushed. "Ummm----I see you too." she nodded her head in awkward reciprocation. "Is it a holiday? Are we celebrating something?" She looked around, a bit confused.
"Yes. We are celebrating our holiest of holy days. We are celebrating our wedding day."
Mira hesitated. "Is it today?"
Zander laughed. "It can be any day you wish. We write our own romance as we wish it to be."
She blinked. "I thought you said you had created the royal decree and had written my name in your family registry...or something of the sort...a few days ago."
"That was the formalized, legalized aspect of our marriage. This is our wedding. This is the chance when I can present gifts to my bride."
"Oh. I didn't know." She touched her mouth with hesitant fingers. "I didn't prepare any gifts."
"In Ashrya, gifts come from the groom. The bride has already given the gift of herself--her heart, her body, her genealogy, and all her children to her groom. What more can I ask for?"
Myra laughed. "Well lucky me."
"No, my bride. The luck is all mine." He took her hand and led her over to the dining table and seated her. Then, he began to hand feed her with the food that had been prepared for them.
Mira had no idea what she ate. All she could see was this handsome man, wearing a royal crown, dressed in royal robes--and he was feeding her food!!! It was so surreal, she thought it must be a dream.
Once he determined that she could no longer eat, Zander took her to the table that was laden with gifts.
"Do I open them?" She reached out and touched a flat square box.
"They are yours to open."
"Help me?"
He nodded and took the square box she was holding in her hand. "I'm glad you picked up this one first, because this is one of the most important gifts. Open." He handed it back to her.
With nervous trembling fingers, Mira pulled the ribbon off and opened the top. Ensconced in black velvet was a gold band that looked like the one Zander wore on his forehead.
She gasped. "What is this?"
"This is your crown." He took it from the box and slowly, with reverence, placed the crown on her brow. "It is part of the matching set, of which I have the other."
"Oh wow." she reached up with shaking fingers to touch the band. "I can't believe I have my very own Princess crown!"
"No, no," Zander wagged a finger. "This is not a Princess crown." He laughed at her crestfallen face. "This is the crown of a Queen."
"What?" Mira scratched her head. "But I'm not a queen. To be a queen, don't I have to marry a--a king?"
"That would be the order of events, yes." He nodded.
"Are you….are you a--"
"King? Yes, I am."
"Then...what about your Father? I'm sorry. I'm really confused."
Zander pulled a chair and sat her on his lap. "It is a bit complex, but I will tell you the truth about everything." He interlaced his fingers with hers and brought them to his lips. "Do you remember the tale of the famous fight between my Father and King Horacio Zaravan of Topaz?"
"Yes."
"The tale speaks of a legendary fight between forces of Fire and Ice. After twenty days, Ice wins the fight, drives Fire back to the southern reaches, and wins the Princess Bride."
"Yes. I remember thinking what an amazing and romantic tale it was!"
"Well the truth was not quite that amazing, nor was it that romantic." He sighed. "The truth is, it wasn't just King Horacio Zaravan who was badly injured. My father was also on the brink of death that day."
Mira gasped. "Oh my…how did that happen?"
"You have been with me long enough to know we get our powers from absorbing the energies of the universe."
"Yes. I have often seen you cultivate in the sun."
"We cultivate to build up the store of power within ourselves. There is no shortcut to cultivation, there are no easy paths, and there is no special way. Everyone must go through the path, endure the process using their own strengths, mental energies, and will. Everyone must collect and store their energies, because this is the seat of all the power of the Universe."
Mira leaned her cheek against his chest. "I understand."
"As we cultivate, we gain different levels, and it is those levels that dictate how much power we are able to retain. The higher our level, the more power we are able to absorb and reserve. That store of power is not infinite. We each have our own limits, and we each know what our limits are." Zander paused, and took a deep breath.
"King Horacio Zaravan of Topaz had reached his limit, and in order to keep himself from being destroyed, he conceded, and withdrew. Father won because he did not concede the fight, but what no one knew, not even my mother at that time, was that he had drained himself down to nothing, even before King Horacio Zaravan capitulated."
"But he still won." She murmured into his chest.
Zander shook his head with a mournful laugh. "Technically, Father lost, but because King Horacio Zaravan left so quickly due to his serious wounds, he did not know that Father was close to death."
He touched her face with tenderness. "And so, my bride, the most powerful wizard of Ashrya used up everything he had to win the love of his life, and ended up losing all his powers. Do you understand what it means to be a wizard who can no longer use his powers? It is like...being an angel who has had his wings hacked from his shoulders."
Mira felt tears spring from her eyes. "And what of your mother?"
"Mother did not know until she had made the journey to the Northern Realm to join her new husband. There, she was faced with a mortally wounded wizard who was basically a cripple, insofar as magik was concerned."
"And she stayed with him."
"Yes. Mother is also a high level wizard, so she spent the next few years trying to find a way to cure him, all the while desperately hiding the fact that he was no longer able to protect the Northern Realm or Jade Kingdom."
"Was she successful?"
"No. But she was successful at one thing."
"What was that?"
"She gave birth to me and my three sisters." He smiled. "Understand that the only criteria to hold the throne for the Northern Realm, as well as Jade Kingdom, is the amount of power that a person is able to command."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, my dear wife, that at the time of my birth, I was already more powerful than my own poor broken, drained Father. I was already King Zander Tamein of the Northern Realm, right out of the womb."