Annual Gala
Avila woke with the sun shining in her eyes. She blinked once and turned over to bury her head under her pillow. She had been up off and on all night, and she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.
She could hear her parents in the next room, getting ready for the annual gala. They were speculating on what King Rougir de Althmear might have to say in his public address. Every year he talked to the people about bills, proposals, and other projects he had planned for the coming year. It was more than just his speech, however. Each year brought people from all over the world into the capital to share ideas, crafts, and art.
Avila had been going to these fairs for more than a decade, which was as far back as she could remember. She couldn’t remember anything before she was thirteen, including her real parents. Most days, it felt as if she had never had any other life.
She finally broke out of her reverie and decided to roll out of bed when she heard her adoptive mother, Lila, call out to her. She slipped a robe on and walked into the combination living-dining room.
“Oh my goodness, will you look at that? It looks like miracles are possible. I thought you were never going to get out of bed.” Lila took the sting out of her words by smiling as she said them.
“Must we go today? I didn’t sleep well, and I—well, I don’t feel like going.” Avila had been looking forward to the extras, but she wasn’t sure she would have the energy to keep up this time.
“Of course we have to go. Don’t you want to see the king?” Lila passed a sly wink to her husband Thomas and added, “I also heard the prince was back from Avier; he might actually be there this year.”
Avila gave a soft sigh, then turned to her mother and said, “Please, you both know we probably won’t see him there. He’s never showed up at the fairs in the past. Why should he now? Besides, even if he did show up, he won’t stay long, and he will be surrounded by so many court followers that most of the common people won’t even get to see him.”
However, she had seen him once. She was fourteen when she saw a boy running through a side street. He was a few years older than she was and looked like any other boy his age, except for how he was dressed, and she didn’t realize he was the prince until four flustered guards and a distraught tutor came and escorted him back to the castle. Later that night, there were rumors that the prince had managed to escape his tutor and climb over the castle walls.
She was startled out of her memories and into the present when Lila said something to her, and Avila had to have her repeat it. “Is your head full of fluff today? Is that why you don’t want to go?” Her mother then put the back of her hand on Avila’s forehead before she continued, “Well, you don’t seem sick. You should be fine for a while, at least. Now, go get ready.”
Avila sighed as she turned and grabbed a piece of toast. She already knew there wasn’t a valid reason for her to get out of going, so she resigned herself to facing the crowds. Hopefully, she would get caught up in the excitement, and her tiredness would go away.
When she walked back into her room, the sun was still shining in through the blinds. It almost made her feel like she was outside. She looked at all the plants she had scattered around the place and wished she could go to the woods at the edge of town instead of the fair. She loved watching the animals, and while she was out there she didn’t feel out of place, as she sometimes did while she was in town.
When she first started school in Arinel, her dark hair, skin, and eyes had stood out among the rest of the children’s light hair and fair skin. She was often left to fend for herself during playtimes and mealtimes. Eventually, they all got used to her and no longer looked the other way when she passed by; she had even been able to make a few friends. To this day, though, there were times when she preferred to be alone.
Tired of thinking of what she didn’t have, she opened her closet and picked out what she would wear that day: a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of tan pants, both of which contrasted with her dark caramel skin. She put them on, then brushed through her thick, wavy hair and deftly put it into a braid that fell to the small of her back. She checked once more in her mirror to ensure that everything was in place, then walked back into the living room, picked up the basket that had been left on the table, and walked out the door with one last sigh.
Avila shook off her feeling of apathy and helped her parents pack the last of their things into the hovercar and get on the way. They made it to the fairgrounds quickly. Since they lived in the capital, they got there early enough to find a good spot to set things up for the picnic. They spent the rest of the morning visiting with family and friends, and a sense of excitement and revelry filled the air.
Avila was sitting on a blanket in the shade waiting for her closest friend, Lissa, who seemed about to burst with excitement when she arrived. “There is so much energy in the air today,” Lissa exclaimed, half out of breath from chasing her baby sister around and trying to get her to sit still for just a few minutes.
As Lissa sat down, she glanced over at Avila and saw the look on her face. She must have mistaken the look for boredom, as she quickly added, “I know there is this much excitement every year, but it always seems new.” When she looked again, she shook her head. “All right, what’s wrong, and I don’t want to hear ‘nothing,’ because you are usually just as excited as I am about all of this.”
Avila could hear the note of concern in her friend’s voice, so she tried to answer as best as she could. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.”
Lissa didn’t look entirely convinced, but it was only a moment later that she stood and grabbed Avila’s wrist. “Well, I think I know just what you need to get your energy back. Let’s go.” As they walked past both sets of their parents, Lissa called out to them to let them know they were going to the Gallery and would be back later that afternoon.
The Gallery was in the middle of the large park at the center of the capital city, Arinel. The main building was where the king would give his annual state of affairs speech, but it was surrounded by a giant open-air market. That was the best part, as far as the two girls were concerned, as that was where people from all over the world came to show off whatever they might have to show off. Some were selling foodstuffs, while others sold homemade goods—some of which were excellently made and highly sought after, since the annual fair was the only time they were sold.
The two young women passed these vendors by, as they were focused on finding their favorite place: the impromptu stages set up behind the main building. People from all over would come to the Gallery stages during the fair to put on short plays or play music.
As the girls walked past the musicians, Avila started getting caught up in the moment. It wasn’t long until she was grinning as widely as her friend. The two young women alternated between the slower dances with some of the handsome young men present and the faster-paced music made to get the heart racing.
When they started to run short of breath, they decided to find a seat before the whole place became packed with people looking for a place to hear the king’s speech. They walked back past the stalls of fresh food and had to stop; the smells were too much to pass by this time around. They shared a glass of lemonade and split a handheld pie filled with roast vegetables and rice in a savory sauce. After they finished, they started toward the front of the Gallery again, passing the hawkers without a second glance. Looking might mean stopping, and stopping might mean browsing or buying. Neither one was interested in wasting that much time. They knew they would have more time later for that kind of stuff, and even if they never bought anything, it was fun to look.
When they finally made it inside, they headed for the stairs. The higher they could get, the better their view would be; or at least, it wouldn’t be blocked by standing people on the lower floor. When they got to the third floor, they noticed that the stairs up were no longer barred. Over the last few months, at the king’s request, the city had worked on switching the upper levels from small galleries for the elite to single, large balconies on each of the upper floors. With the advancements in mass teleportation technology, more people from other cities worldwide had attended in the past few years, so the king had decided everyone who could be there should have the opportunity to hear his plans. The change had created plenty of places for everyone to sit for the upcoming fair.
The two girls decided to go to the top. There were a few people up there already, but plenty of seats were still open, especially those near the front. As the girls got closer, they realized why almost no one was sitting up there: there was a section of the railing about fifteen feet wide still missing. Avila had no fear of heights, and of course, if she could do it, then Lissa would also try.
As the girls drew near to the front row, Avila looked over at the magnified image of the stage along the far wall. At first glance, it looked familiar. The seven flags representing each of the Trading Alliance planets were there, but something else caught her eye. There was a new flag there with the others, one she could not remember seeing before but that somehow looked familiar. Its simple design depicted a black dragon and a white dragon intertwined on an azure background. There was a word in an unfamiliar language underneath the dragons, but it felt as if she had known what it meant all her life.
A sense of longing and peace filled her spirit. All she wanted to do was reach out and touch the lovely flag. It felt as if it were only a few steps away. If she could simply close the distance, she would remember what it was that was tickling the back of her brain, and she might finally know a little tranquility. Everything around her blacked out except for the flag; it was the only thing in her line of sight. She started to move forward, but she could feel something pulling her back. She struggled against the force that was holding her and trying to keep her away from her happiness. She finally freed herself and continued to move forward. Then it felt as if she were floating on air. As if there were nothing around her at all. She couldn’t ever remember feeling so content. Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded through her head as she came to an abrupt stop, and then Avila slipped into the comfortable, warm darkness that surrounded her.
----
The first thing Avila became aware of was a word ringing through her mind. It was unfamiliar to her, but after a few moments, she realized she knew what it meant: harmony. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she finally said it aloud. With the silence broken, she began to remember a little of what had happened, including the unusual flag with the unknown word and its strange pull on her. However, she still couldn’t recall where she was or how she got there.
She could hear the voices of her family and Lissa not far off, but they were somewhat muffled. As she tried to open her eyes and lift her head, a sharp pain raced through it, starting at the back before pounding its way to the front. At that point, all she could think about was lying still and praying to the goddess that the pain would subside. Avila then heard the voices receding, but it also sounded like someone was approaching. When she felt someone sit down next to her, she debated whether she should try to open her eyes again. She decided to open them, but she wasn’t going to try to move her head. The sight that greeted her was entirely unexpected. She found herself looking into a pair of sea-green eyes that didn’t belong to anyone she knew.
“Whoa there. You just took a nasty bump to the head, so don’t try to move yet, doctor’s orders. By the way, my name is Galdren.”
Avila realized she was staring, and since she couldn’t turn her head, she simply closed her eyes and tried to reply. “Wh-where am I?” It was a simple question, but it started the pounding in her head again. She felt nausea crawling up her throat, so she clamped her lips together to try and hold it in.
The man must have noticed her wince from the pain, so he got a cold, wet cloth and put it on her head. It helped her focus a little better as he spoke again. “Don’t try talking; you need more rest first, and then we’ll go over what happened. If it helps you relax, you are in my apartment. It’s right down the road from the Gallery. I was the one that caught you, and since my place was closer than any other, we brought you here.” When she opened her eyes again, the look on his face was full of questions he obviously wanted to ask her. She hoped he wouldn’t. She wasn’t sure she was up to answering.
Instead of asking anything, he stood and looked down at her. “Your parents just left. The doctor said you would need rest and quiet, and he didn’t think you should be moved any more than necessary. I told them it would be all right if you stayed here for a couple of days. They will be back later to see you.” He walked to a nearby table, picked up a cup, and brought it back to her. “Here, the doctor left some medicine for the pain in case you woke up before he got back.”
The pain was excruciating when she lifted her head, but she got the medicine down with help. When she lay back, she decided that would be the last time she tried moving for a while. After a few minutes, she noticed she was having a tough time focusing on anything or putting together a coherent thought. As she realized it must have been the medicine that Galdren gave her, she lost consciousness altogether.
----
The young girl was alone, in the dark, and terrified. She could hear noises all around her, but she couldn’t identify them at first. She stuffed her fist in her mouth to stifle a scream when she heard an explosion nearby. That was when she understood what the noises were: gunshots. She was petrified, but she knew she couldn’t stay where she was. If she did, she would be killed. The explosion had been close.
She groped around in the dark until her hand brushed up against a latch. The door to the secret compartment she had been hidden in swung part of the way open, but something blocked it from opening all the way. She pushed with all her might and managed to get it open far enough to squeeze through. The sight of what had been blocking the door made her efforts to keep silent a lost cause. Her scream was shrill as she looked down at her older brother.
He had been shot several times, and part of his left leg was missing. That must have been the explosion she heard. She could feel her vision going dark, but she pinched her arm to force herself to focus. If she fainted now, she would be found and killed like her brother. She loved him, but she couldn’t let his sacrifice be in vain. She turned away from him and started to run without looking back. If she did and saw the look of agony frozen on his face one more time, she would not be able to keep herself from breaking down.
She ran down corridors that should be familiar to her, but she barely knew which way she was going because of the destruction. It seemed everywhere she turned, there was another body. She didn’t bother checking to see who they were. She was afraid it might be someone else she knew, or worse yet, another person she loved.
She ran for what seemed like an eternity. Her legs started to go numb, but she couldn’t stop. Her mind had already gone blank from the devastation around her. Everything and everyone she knew was either dead or gone. As she ran, she started to realize her life would never be the same again. She didn’t have time to think about that now or mourn for the deceased. That would come later, when she knew she was safe; if she could ever be safe again.
She hadn’t heard anything for a while, as she had been running away from the sounds of battle. She stopped for a few minutes to collect her thoughts and catch her breath in a courtyard that was mostly untouched. She had to figure out where she needed to go. Her family had contacts outside of the city that could help her get off the planet. She knew who a few of them were, but no one had thought she would be alone if the time ever came to find them. There was nothing for it, though. There was no way she could stay.
As she got up to leave, she heard a noise behind her. She turned around warily but didn’t see anything. She looked for a minute, then, satisfied nothing was there, headed for the archway to leave. Before she could reach it, a soldier came into the courtyard from the way she had just arrived. There was no use in hiding; he had already seen her. Without even thinking, she started to run. If she could make it out of the courtyard, she might find a place to hide until the soldier passed. She had to survive.
With that last thought, she heard a shot ring out in the silence. She felt a searing pain on the right side of her head, and then she couldn’t seem to stay on her feet. The world started to fade in and out, and her vision grew fuzzy. Her last thought was that her flight had been for nothing, and she was going to die. She heard a shout that seemed like it was worlds away, then she saw a face lean over her. As her eyes drifted shut, all her thoughts faded into darkness.
