My heart dropped when I got back to my room and found that Kalli was gone. She noticed and whispered through our connection. Why don’t you just come over to my castle?

I grinned widely as I made my way toward the restroom.

My princess is in another castle!

That house is not a castle! Kalli replied with a giggle.

I chuckled, realizing she didn’t get the joke. It was a little strange to enter Gaia through the bath chamber but I didn’t care. I had a way to return to Kalli’s world after all.

She wasn’t in her bedroom. I could tell through our connection that Kalli was in the throne room with her mother. I arrived just in time to catch the tail end of an argument. “…not allowed to go traipsing off onto some strange planet. To make matters worse, you dragged your sister along.”

“But mother…” Kalli began, using a line that so many children on Earth tried.

It never worked, as it didn’t in this case. “That’ll be enough of that. While you were off with your boyfriend, you missed some important events that took place here on Gaia. As you know, we have been accepting a great number of refugees from all over the world. One of them is perhaps someone you know.”

“Who?” Kalli asked, a nervous look appearing on her face.

“Send them in.” The Queen Mother commanded, standing beside the throne and motioning for Kalli to sit. Then in a quieter yet no less controlling tone, she said, “Take a seat, young lady. You wanted to be the queen. It’s time to learn what that means.”

I smirked at Kalli from the back of the room.

You wanted to be queen?

Kalli scrunched up her nose as she gave me a look of annoyance. No! Mother is still bitter that the castle chose me.

Behind me, the doors swung open, and an entourage strutted into the throne room, stopping in the middle of the room to kneel. Kalli’s expression of shock matched mine as we both recognized Lady Hellquist.

She looked down at Kalli’s feet, unmoving in the sudden silence. Kalli gaped at her for a minute before clearing her voice and saying, “You may rise.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Lady Hellquist began, straightening herself along with the people behind her. “I would like to thank you and the Queen Mother for granting us this audience.”

Kalli glared at her mother momentarily before returning her attention to Lady Hellquist. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm when she spoke, earning her a reproachful look from her mother. “And just what brings us the pleasure of your visit today?”

Lady Hellquist stiffened. “Your Majesty, our private business with you has become public knowledge. As a result…”

I cut her off. “You’re talking about the contract and how you basically sold her, right? Let’s not sugarcoat things here. Be very clear about what you did.”

Celestea motioned to one of the guards standing by the door. I recognized the stocky dwarf. He took one look at me and then looked back at the Queen Mother, shaking his head.

Lady Hellquist cleared her throat. “Very well. Yes, I am speaking of the contract. Your Majesty, as you well know, we entered into that deal as your request and lived up to our end of the bargain. It is hardly fair to…”

Kalli cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I am well aware of how you do business. Is the old man you tried to marry me off to here today?”

Lady Hellquist looked over her shoulder at a bald middle-aged man with a wispy mustache. “He is, Your Majesty.”

Seeing the man that Kalli was betrothed to made my skin bristle.

Do you mind if I turn him into a frog? Or perhaps a newt.

Kalli covered her mouth in embarrassment as a giggle slipped out. No! That would be funny though. What’s a newt?

It’s kind of like a salamander.

She was still confused, so I promised to show her later. Suddenly the bald man spoke. “Your Majesty, I offer my most sincere apology for the way our family treated you regarding the contract. You see, when my wife passed and left me without an heir, we felt you were an ideal solution to the problem. We had no way of knowing you were royalty. I would have given you a good life. Better than that of…”

“A peasant?” I yelled at him. “That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?”

The man looked over his shoulder at me, shaking his head rapidly. “No, My Lord. It was my understanding that she was an orphan. I was going to give her a family. She would have wanted for nothing.”

I had no words, so I looked to Kalli.

Please tell me we can throw him in the dungeon. As a matter of fact, let’s throw them all in there. Or maybe the ring? I can lock them all up in my ring!

Ever so slightly, Kalli shook her head. No need to do all that. I can handle this.

I sighed and answered the man. “The fact that you see her only as an orphan shows me that you were never worthy of Kalli. You’re lucky she’s nicer than I am.”

Then Kalli spoke. “What is it that brings you here today?”

Lady Hellquist continued. “Well, you see, Your Majesty, word of our private business has recently become public and it has had a negative impact on our town. Several of the townsfolk have moved away and we lost the stipend we once received for the orphanage.”

Lady Hellquist froze when Kalli stood suddenly. “You got money for us? Some of the littles died because there was no food. What did you spend the money on?”

“Well, there was rent, and…” Lady Hellquist stammered, cowering before Kalli, who was motioning for the guards.

I had never seen Kalli so mad. With tears in her eyes, she shrieked, “How dare you come in here and ask for favors when your greed caused so many to suffer! I never once hated you, even for my contract. But this…this!”

Kalli stopped talking as she seethed at the noble who was suddenly looking much older to me. Lady Hellquist dropped to her knees, mimicked by the rest of her entourage. “I beg your forgiveness for my selfishness. I know I cannot change my actions in the past, but I do wish to make amends. Tell me what I can do and it will be done.”

“I’ll tell you what you can do…”. I began.

Kalli gave me a look and I immediately shut up. Walking slowly up to Lady Hellquist, she knelt beside the woman. “If you truly mean that, then you will do what I am about to suggest. I want you to surrender your land and your title. Come to Celestea as a refugee and find yourself a place among my people. This will make life better for your town and those who wish to stay. While you will become the peasant you seem to hate, I can guarantee you that they will treat you better than you ever treated us.”

I was proud of Kalli. Lady Hellquist had no choice but to either accept the deal or go back home with her tail tucked between her legs. Kalli turned to give me a weak smile, feeling my emotions. The experience was bittersweet for her. While Lady Hellquist was given the opportunity to be humbled, all Kalli could think about was a small child’s lifeless body that she helped bury.

Finally, A young boy climbed to his feet and spoke. “I cannot speak for the rest of the family but I plan to accept your generous offer.”

Kalli forced a neutral expression on her face as she replied. “Very well. How are you related to the Hellquists?”

“My name is Magnus.” The boy said with a bow, moving closer to Lady Hellquist. “This is my mother. I was supposed to marry you. They didn’t ask me either.”

Kalli stared at the kid. “I’ve never seen you before.”

Magnus sighed wistfully. “They shipped me off to boarding school when I was old enough. I only returned when the school kicked me out.”

I laughed at the kid, a little jealous that he was engaged to Kalli. “What did you do to get kicked out?”

Magnus threw his head back and sighed. “The contract. Everything it touched is tainted. Once the headmaster discovered what my mother did, they expelled me immediately. You might say we are pariahs now. She will never admit it but you are doing us a favor by giving us asylum.”

Lady Hellquist glared at her son but said nothing. Radiating annoyance, Kalli spoke to Lady Hellquist. “What is your answer?

She looked over her shoulder helplessly at her brother and another man who I assumed to be her husband. “Well, I couldn’t possibly make such an important decision without having a conference with the entire family. Would it be possible to give us a letter granting us a temporary pardon so that we can survive while we come to a decision?”

“Hah!” Kalli laughed. “The last thing I will ever do is exchange any documents with you ever again. Be gone and do not return unless you are prepared to accept my offer.”

The guards took that as a cue and surrounded the Hellquists, urging them toward the door. Kalli held up a hand, stopping them. “Wait! Magnus may stay if he wishes.”

I don’t like him!

Kalli turned sad eyes on me. He’s just another victim in all of this.

He was engaged to marry you!

She stuck her tongue out at me. Not really. That was his mother’s doing. You can’t be jealous of a little. I won’t allow it. Besides, you know I love you, right?

I was forced to smile, unable to resist the warmth she sent through our connection. Kalli was right and it was my job to comfort her after the trauma she just endured.

I know. I’m sorry.

Kalli smiled weakly and returned to the throne. The guards were just closing the doors when there was a ruckus in the halls. “Wait! I must speak to the queen. It’s of vital importance. Or Lord Melvin. I hear that the Emperor has returned!”

I recognized the voice. “Hey! That’s Guinny’s dad. Let him in.”

As the doors swung open I suddenly realized I didn’t know the man’s name.

Name

Gulliver

Class

Miner

Level

1

Affection Level

Determined

He marched into the throne room like he owned the place. Then he turned and stomped over to me. “You made a promise to me, m’boy! I mean no disrespect but I expect you to honor it.”

I stared at him, trying to remember our conversation. Then it dawned on me. Kalli and I both spoke at the same time. “Guinny!”

He nodded emphatically. “Not just her. Everyone from Hudholm was relocated to who knows where. Nobody seems to know where. Please find her!”

Meanwhile, in Poland…

TGB HEADQUARTERS

A group of men and women in business suits sat around a table. In the middle of the table was a tablet propped up on a stand. From the tablet, a voice spoke. “Give me an update. Where are we at on the artificial portal project?”

A bespectacled woman looked down at a clipboard and replied. “We believe we have sufficient mana to test the device. Several locations have been chosen but I personally think the Biolowieza Primeval Forest to be the most ideal location. It is just remote enough to not arouse suspicion while also meeting the parameters you set for the experiment.”

There was silence for a minute. The members of the council were used to waiting for the tablet to respond. The administrator was a busy man after all. “Very good. What is the next step?”

The woman hesitated, looking across the table for support before speaking. “Well, sir, all we need is your approval and we will begin transporting equipment on site. We have already extracted mana from the prisoners, so there will not be any delay in that regard.”

“Enough mana for how many attempts?” The voice queried.

The woman looked helplessly at the others, all of whom averted their eyes. “Well, one attempt, sir. We only have enough mana to try this one time.”

“Well then.” The voice replied coldly. “You had better not fail then. You have my permission to proceed with the experiment.”