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Laughter penetrated the prince's bedroom as he slept. He half
opened his eyes to see Hagar staring at him from the foot of his bed.
"What do you want now, old witch?" he asked in a congested voice. His
head was throbbing from the cold he was suffering from. All he wanted
right now was some sleep.
"Sire, your father has proclaimed a feast day to celebrate your
triumph over Binary One. Or have you forgotten?"
"I have. Now, go away." The door to the prince's bedchambers
closed quietly. Lotor sighed, turned over, and fell back asleep...
For about twenty seconds. Then, a loud banging was heard on the
door. Lotor ignored it, pretending to be too asleep to hear it. He
didn't hear anymore banging for awhile and thought he was finally going to
be left alone. It was then that the door opened and heavy footsteps were
heard inside his room. "Prince Lotor! Why aren't you at the party?"
"GET OUT OF HERE COSSACK!!" Lotor yelled at the stupid Drule.
"Come on your highness," Cossack, obviously drunk, stammered out,
"there's wine and wenches and women and wonderful..."
"Whatever." Lotor sneezed loudly. "I'm not leaving my room.
Now GET OUT!!!!"
"Okay, okay. It's just so weird that...that you, that the guest
of honor, that you Prince Lotor, you..." Lotor reached for his sword belt
hanging near his bed. "Okay, okay! I'm going. I'm going!" Cossack ran
out of the prince's room, fearing that Lotor would follow and gut him.
Lotor sheathed his laser sword and fell back into his pillow.
"That dumb...*Achoo!* Ugghhh..." He couldn't shake this cold. He
couldn't shake the past week. He couldn't forget the sight of his mother
or how he had survived the cold cell by what could only be described as
magic. He should have died; he knew that. Lotor pulled at his newly cut
hair. It seemed normal now. He could have sworn, back then, it had
radiated heat or something.
All the castle was a buzz about the miraculous escape of the
prince. He had gained more fame in one week than he had ever since
reaching Planet Doom. How could he explain what had happened? He didn't
even believe it himself. Maybe Hagar would understand. He would have to
confide in her. His father, on the other hand would think him crazy,
that's for sure.
There was the sound of lighter footsteps in the room. "Oh, for
the love of..." This time, he pulled his sword out and prepared to meet
the interloper on unfriendly terms. "Where are you, young wench? Are you
here to amuse me?" His eyes scanned the room but found no one. "I'll
warn you, I'm not in a playful mood. I'd sooner slice your throat!" He
hoped it would scare her out of his room. Damn that Cossack! He was
trying to cheer him up with one of the pleasure slaves. How could he
possibly concentrate on lust when his body was sick and his mind was
confused.
"You would rather kill me? Shame on you!" Her voice sounded too
mature for a slave girl.
"Who are you? You're not a whore."
"Nice of you to notice. Is that the way you always greet women?"
"Come on! Show yourself! I'm not for games."
"Yet killing is your sport."
"Who are you, my conscience? Killing is my sport?" How dare this
woman mock him? The voice sounded close to a window. The prince pulled
back the curtains to find nothing. He was beginning to feel slightly
uneasy.
"Why don't you listen to your better half, Lotor? Just like your
mother told you to do years ago."
"My mother?" He was very confused now. "How do you know of that?
Did you know her?"
"Of course I knew her," she replied. Just then, the woman
appeared in front of him. She looked sort of human. She looked almost
familiar, even. In her hand was a bottle which held a dark green liquid.
"Hello, I'm your aunt." She uncorked the bottle. Light green fumes
swirled around the prince's form. It smelled of plants, of pine and
herbs. It was intoxicating.
"Oh great!" Lotor couldn't keep his balance. His sword dropped
uselessly to the floor, followed by his body. "Not again."
"Actually," the woman said, bending over the sleeping prince, "I
am your great-aunt."
He could swear he heard birds. He could also smell salt water
traveling on a light breeze. The air was so clean, it seemed alive. The
warm sunlight fell through an open window on Lotor's sleeping form. It
must be a dream, he thought, relishing the sounds, the smells, the feeling
of this world. It was so peaceful. He hated to wake up, but still, he
turned over to get out of his bed.
Or at least tried to. His hands would only move slightly, and his
feet wouldn't move at all. Confused, he opened his eyes and found himself
staring at the woman. "I thought you were a dream," he murmured.
"I am real, child," the woman answered. She moved to the far end
of the room. One thing was certain: this was not his room. Lotor
watched her as she bustled about a small kitchen area. Her hair was long
and black with a few streaks of gray. It rippled like water as she moved
from a cabinet, to a steaming pot, and poured a liquid into a small cup.
She turned her head to the side, and her hair shifted. There, Lotor saw
emerge a pointed ear.
"You," Lotor started, but couldn't find the words. What was this?
Another hallucination? Why was it happening again?
"I?" she asked.
Lotor tried again: "You look like a human. Yet, your ears..."
"Are pointed. I know." She returned to the side of his bed with
the cup of liquid. It smelled like honey.
"Elf?" he guessed.
uot;That's right. I'm an elf." She took a sip of the honey-liquid.
Lotor began to laugh: "And I'm completely insane! HAGAR!!"
Lotor yelled at the top of his lungs, "FATHER!! Anyone! Someone, PLEASE
wake me up!!!"
"Stop this foolishness, boy! You'll only wear out your voice
screaming for people who are not here."
"Listen, lady..."
"Oh please, Lotor, call me Aunt Mari."
"Where am I? Untie me at once, woman!" His hands and feet were
wrapped in vines. Lotor tugged at the living bonds, which wouldn't give
to any of his efforts. He was sure he could break a measly vine. But,
these would not even tear.
The woman did not answer. She just sat down on a small stool next
to the prince. She took a long drink from her wooden cup and stared out
the window.
"Did you not hear me, woman?" he snapped. She said nothing.
Sighing, Lotor decided to humor her: "Did you not hear me....Aunt Mari?"
he asked.
"Of course I heard you, Lotor. And if you didn't have such a
wretched attitude, I would have answered you before." She set the cup
down on the window sill and looked Lotor square in the eyes. "You are my
nephew, but you are also in my home. While you are here, you will treat
your dear aunt with respect. Do I make myself clear?"
"I would just like to ask..."
"DO I make myself CLEAR?"
"Yes. Yes, Aunt Mari, perfectly clear."
"Good." Satisfied for the moment, Aunt Mari sat back down. She
now wished she had gotten to him earlier. She may have to go to drastic
measures to teach this boy the proper way to live. Her niece, Lotor's
mother, didn't have time to teach him in her living years, and it didn't
help that the boy was sent to that horrid training school.
"Aunt Mari?" Lotor dared to ask. She did look a little like his
mother and him. She had a similar face; it was just older and slightly
wrinkled. Her hair, though black, had the same widow's peak.
"Yes, Lotor?"
"May I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Lotor."
"Why did you knock me unconscious, bring me here (wherever this
is), and tie me up?"
Aunt Mari smiled at her nephew. "For your own well being, Lotor,"
she answered.
"Well, that explains everything," Lotor grumbled under his breath.
* * *
While the boys were having the party of the century, Hagar
wandered the empty corridors. She had just left Prince Lotor's room; he
seemed too ill to attend that disgusting party anyway, so she didn't try
to persuade him. These feast days were actually the days she enjoyed the
most. She had freedom to explore any part of the castle without running
into those foolish warriors or slaves. She could install new spying
crystals in the quarters of those she did not trust and others who were
likely to cause trouble against the monarchy. Blackmail was a good friend
of hers, and it helped her gain favor with Zarkon.
Something distracted her as she hid crystals in Captain Untor's
rooms. Hagar knew she felt a strange presence in the castle. It seemed
like a gateway of some sort was being opened by some foreign magical
being. She had not felt a presence like this before, at least not in a
while. Perhaps she had run into a creature like this in her younger years,
its magical signature did seem slightly familiar. Either way, she was
intrigued by her find.
Upon reaching her laboratory, she pulled out her cursed map of the
castle and surrounding buildings. She poured her magic powers into the
map to activate its tracking spell. Then, she concentrated all her
efforts to mimic the signal the other being was using. If the signal she
provided was accurate enough, the map would hone in on the exact spot
where the gateway was located. Then, she could report her findings to
King Zarkon.
Her signal was complete. The tracking spell now went to work,
scouring the map's surface in search of the gateway. Soon, a small light
appeared on the cursed map. It moved from the dungeon, to the next level,
to the next...then, it stayed on one level and moved through the
corridors. The light grew brighter and began to emit a high-pitched
whine as it centered in on its target. Finally, the light stopped in a
room and turned bright red, indicating the source. "Gotcha!!" Hagar
declared. She checked the map. Her ancient face paled under the years of
wrinkles and leathery skin. "Prince Lotor's chambers?" she questioned in
disbelief. She rushed to find the king.
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