[Prologue]    [Chapter 1]   [Chapter 2]    [Chapter 4]    [Chapter 5]    [Chapter 6]    [Chapter 7]    [Chapter 8]   [Chapter 9]    [Chapter 10]    [Chapter 11]    [Chapter 12]    [Chapter 13]    [Chapter 14]    [Chapter 15]    [Chapter 16]    [Chapter 17]    [Chapter 18]    [Chapter 19]    [Chapter 20]    [Chapter 21]    [Chapter 22]    [Chapter 23]    [Chapter 24]    [Chapter 25]    [Chapter 26]    [Chapter 27]    [Chapter 28]    [Chapter 29]    [Chapter 30]    [Epilogue]
   

Chapter 3

Jaron's room, 5 days later. Jaron looked at his family picture for a while. Corina was going through his 'Plan-Pad', again. She was sitting on his bed. Loria sat on a chair and sorted through some pictures.
    "I like the Hospital Ship," Corina told Jaron.
    "What?" he asked, still staring at the photo.
    "I said I like the Hospital Ship."
    The Tyron looked at the young girl and scoffed. "People die in those things you know!"
    She started to cry and ran out of the room. "You didn't have to be so mean!" shouted Loria.
    "No I didn't," he said quietly.
    "Then why did you do that?"
    Jaron kicked a chair over. "You heard what Zana told those reporters! Torture! Slavery! Tyrons used like rodents for medical experiments! And I was just...here!"
    Loria stood up. "Okay calm down! If you were over there, you'd just be another victim! Here you can help and that's what your Dad wanted."
    Jaron sighed and looked out of the window. "And a prince must be raised a prince." ... He looked at the photo of his family. "I guess I should learn how to act like a Tyron too." He walked to a panel of buttons and pressed one that said 'service'. "Yatri, get me a dozen Tyron clothes, all colours." He then stopped pressing the button.

    "I think I'll wear this one!" Jaron called from his dressing compartment. Yatri and Loria were waiting on his bed.
    "I hope he doesn't wear too much black," said a worried Loria.
    "A guy like Jaron wouldn't wear that much of anything," Yatri answered.
    Jaron walked out and the girls immediately stood up.
    "Those Tyron clothes make him look more...Tyron!" Loria thought in a shock. She bit her lip and when she looked up, she found Jaron looking at her strangely.
    "Good tastes are already starting to rise," said Yatri, walking to him. She turned and looked at Loria. "Sure you can get used to your boyfriend wearing a bit of black?"
    "What're you goin' to do now?" Loria asked Jaron.
    "I'll take a trip to the hospital to pick up our new visitor." He turned to Yatri. "Alone," he said sternly, then walked out of his room.

    Jaron walked into the room that Zana was moved to. There were no monitors and Zana wasn't attached to anything.
    "Hi," Jaron had walked in with a nice smile that immediately went when he saw Zana only wearing black. His hair was washed and his skin looked pale yellow. "You look a lot better."
    Zana sat up on his bed, turned to Jaron and giggled. "Hi. And thankyou." He then stood up. Zana shook his head. "You know, Tyrons only wear up to 2 colours," Zana held up 2 fingers as he said this, "in each suit." He put his hand down. "You're wearing-".
    "Red, black 'n' yellow," Jaron finished.
    Zana turned around and pulled out a large, thin, white case and dropped it on the bed. It fell open. He walked inside his dressing cubicle and came out carrying all sorts of black suits. Jaron's eyes and mouth widened.
    "I've never seen so much black.., Telleria will be shocked at you," Jaron told Zana.
    "Well they'll just  have to live with it," said Zana as he walked back inside the cubicle. "I'm in mourning." He came out carrying other black things. "The fact is Jaron," he tucked them into the bottom of the case and zipped it up as he said: "unless anyone's seen a pile of ashes 10 meters high, no one's seen this much black...yet." Zana held the case against his chest and looked at Jaron. "You're taking the sight, that's good."
    "It is?" asked Jaron. He and Zana walked out of the room and turned right, towards the lift.
    "I never liked the Tellen rule saying you should only wear black at a funeral, or a day or two after the funeral...it's stupid," Zana commented while walking along the corridor. Doctors and nurses who passed them stared at Zana and a few patients looking through their doors shook their heads. Zana didn't like this feeling and Jaron sensed it. "I should talk about something else," Zana thought. "I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Loria was."
    "She's known as the 'Warrior Princess' and her favourite animal's the Desert Tiger," told Jaron.
    "Ooh, dangerous." Zana looked at Jaron and grinned. They walked into the lift and Jaron pressed 'G'. "So how did you two come about?" Zana asked.
    "Well," began Jaron, "you dumped me on the palace roof crying, Pella  heard me and took me in. Kane came home from a conference and was surprised to find me in his palace. 2 years later, Loria was born. I actually called Pella and Kane mummy and daddy when I was really small." The lift doors opened and Jaron and Zana walked out into the reception. "3 years ago, me and Loria then fell in love. Wait a minute, how did you know we were dating?"
    "Reporters told me," answered the guy dressed in black.
    There were lots of chattering, but as each Tellen saw Zana's black clothes, they stared. Soon, everyone was staring at him. The two men stopped walking and Zana put his hands to his hips.
    "I know," Zana called out. "I'm breaking your laws but I'm not breaking mine so you'll just have to put up with it! Okay?"
    "Let's get outta here Zana," said Jaron.
    They hurried to the parking lot and got inside the car. Zana dropped the case on the floor.
    "Back to the palace," Jaron ordered. The car started to drive. Jaron turned to Zana. "How old are you anyway?"
    "37," answered Zana.
    "You don't look it."
    "None of us aged that much because we never had the everyday stress that we used to." Zana stared at himself in a mirror.
    "Man you're vain," thought  Jaron. "Zana." Zana turned to him. "D'you know how my parents met?"
    Zana smiled and started to remember when he was in Waya. "I can tell you the story. I was an orphan and grew up in the Main Training Home. It's called that because every Wayan knew how to fight, they also had a rule about honor. Kids with families would go to training centres.
    "Anyway, it was near Takla's 'end-year' festival and I was buying presents for the guardians and my friends. I went down an alley, towards home, when I heard a scream and cries for help. I hid my bundles and ran. When I came out of the alley, I saw a girl with ripped clothes and cuts, blood on her wings too. She was chased by a gang of Knife-Fighters. They were dirty.
    "I got out my forever dagger and hid her behind me. "Leave her alone, what's she ever done to you?!!," I shouted. The gang stopped running and one of them said: "She looked like good meat feather-boy." He did a huge grin. I stood there, ready for anything. Who looked like their leader walked towards me.
    "Some fighter he is," he said to his pals. "I'll have him for myself." That meant he was challenging me. We circled each other for a bit, then we got into a kinda sword fight. Then he tried to stab me and I flipped over. He looked shocked. He tried to stab me again but I blocked it. I kicked him, then kicked him to the ground. With a grin on my face, I raised my 'forever dagger' as if I was going to kill him. He suddenly shouted "Scram!" and they all ran away. I turned to the girl. "You alright?" I asked, she nodded. "What's your name?" "Salra," she answered."
    "You met my Mum before my Dad?" Jaron asked. Zana nodded. "You're an orphan too?"
    He told Jaron: "At least  you know who your parents are, my DNA was traced to people who can't possibly be my parents. I can't seem to find them so I gave up the search years ago.
    "I flew Salra to my quarters at the Home. I laid her on my bed, hid the presents behind a curtain and went next door to knock for Imaya. She answered. "What is it Zana?" "I bought back this girl, Salra, she's hurt  kinda bad," I told her. "Oh, I'll get a robe. I'll be round in a minute." I nodded and she closed the door.
    "I went back to my quarters and got out the First Aid kit that I kept. I laid it open next to my bed and started to carefully strip off Salra's clothes. It was just so that she could be treated, nothing more. I dipped a cloth into a container of water and cleaned her wounds.
    " "So what were you doing there?" I asked her. Salra then explained. "My parents own a management company and I was exploring the main market"-Imaya then came in with the robe-"I never thought  the streets would be so rough." "Welcome to Waya," Imaya said, when she stood next to my bed. She gently put Salra in a sitting position and carefully made sure that her wings fit through the robe slits.
    "When her wings got through, Salra wrapped the robe around herself and shivered. "How can I survive here with gangs everywhere?" Imaya and I looked at each other, then turned back to Salra. "This is a training home," I pointed out. "Yeah, if you come every morning we'll teach ya some defence moves," said Imaya. Salra smiled and said; "I'd like that." We then started to clean up her other cuts. Her parents took her home an hour later.., at least that's what I thought had happened."
    "This is when my parents meet?" Jaron said excitedly.
    Zana chuckled and looked away from Jaron. "They took Salra to the Palace-Wayan that is-and got her a dress before they dined. Your parents told me that they looked at each other across the table, Vanus invited her to his room during dessert so they quietly sneaked out. Then they talked for hours in front of a beautiful sunset," Zana said. He pretended to sound happy, then rolled his eyes.
    Jaron started to realise something. "Zana...you weren't that old when you became a slave. Were you?"
    Zana was looking out of the window and felt Jaron's eyes on him. He slowly turned to face him. Jaron was staring with the widest eyes.
    The white-haired Tyron talked slowly. "I'm afraid that's right Jaron," said Zana sadly. "I was younger than you when Tyrony got attacked."

©Ruth Amy Louise Hüneke 2008