Protected by the HERO (9 page)

“Um, my luggage…” Freya started to say.

“Somebody will take care of that,” Patrix informed her as she reluctantly followed him. The other soldiers marched behind them wordlessly.

Freya’s hazelnut brown eyes widened as she surveyed her surroundings. They were in the midst of a vast field situated in between tall, castle-like structures seemingly made of steel instead of stone and bricks. Everything looked medieval—in a modern way.

As they walked through the field, Patrix told her that she would be introduced to the king during a formal event that evening. “You will be filling a major position in this kingdom,” he explained. “You have to look your best at all times. You need to impress the king.”

“Okay,” Freya said timidly, not knowing what to expect. She was nervous yet thrilled, constantly telling herself that this was the adventure of a lifetime and a to-die-for opportunity.

In a minute’s time, she was ushered to a grand bedroom styled in a posh, contemporary interior like that of a five-star hotel. Her heart skipped a beat as she imagined living like a sophisticated executive, famous celebrity, or rich business tycoon.
A girl can dream,
she told herself with a grin as she began to feel more excited than tense while scanning her supposed living quarters from the entrance.

“This will be your room only for now while you are resting and being groomed,” Patrix told her.

“Groomed?” Freya asked, puzzled.

“Yes. As I said, you will need to look your best. Your personal assistant Grailey will be here shortly, along with a cook, maid, masseur, hairstylist, and others.”

Oh, my God!
Freya wanted to scream out loud. But of course she was only jumping up and down in her mind, shouting for joy as she imagined herself being pampered by her very own entourage of maids, assistants, stylists, and more—all at her beck and call.

Patrix opened the double doors wider. “Feel free to use all the amenities here. If you need anything, just tell Grailey.”

“Okay,” Freya said, smiling sincerely at him. “Thanks so much, Patrix. I know this isn’t supposed to be part of your job.”

He actually smiled back then. “Just doing my good friend Bonx a favor. Apparently, you gave him the same kind of warm welcome on Earth. He’s like a brother to me.”

“Cool,” Freya commented. She opened her mouth to ask something, but he looked like he was in a hurry to leave so she just opted to say thank you again. Besides, he seemed so much more formal than Bonx. It would probably take some time before she could actually become friends with him, if it was even possible.

After Patrix had left, she eagerly explored her temporary lodging. It truly resembled an upscale penthouse, which made her feel like a princess. It was so far off from her modest apartment and old, rundown studio.

A pang of sadness washed over her as she thought of the studio she had sold just before she’d left. She quickly waved it away, though, knowing that at least she had no more debts to worry about. Besides, she was about to start a new life!
Better to have a fresh start,
she thought, trying to be positive.

She was just checking out the contents of the enormous fridge in the kitchen when she heard the door click. She straightened up and saw a short, chubby woman approach.

“Hi, Ms. Freya,” the woman greeted with a friendly smile. “I’m Grailey.” She was wearing an odd-looking dress made with a material that looked like plastic. But her twinkling eyes and kind expression made Freya instantly warm up to her and even remember her own mother.

After the pleasantries, Grailey clapped her hands and in came her staff. There were seven in all—a cook, a maid, a makeup artist, a wardrobe specialist, a hairstylist, a masseuse, and a nail and skincare expert.

Freya looked in amazement as the cook started to whip up something delicious-smelling in the kitchen and the maid began to clean the already spotless room. She grinned at the rest of the team as they were introduced one by one by Grailey. “Wow!” Freya exclaimed. “Do I look that bad to need such experts to make me look decent?”

Grailey actually laughed. “You look nice, Ms. Freya. But you can’t look just nice when you meet the king. You have to look marvelous and incredibly beautiful like a real queen!”

Freya almost choked. “You’re funny, Grailey. I like you already.”

Grailey led her to the bathroom where she was to be bathed in a special beautifying formula while enjoying the palace’s signature massage by their top-notch in-house masseuse. Freya felt like an actual queen already even without the appearance Grailey said they were aiming for. She couldn’t wait to see how she’d look like when they were finally done with her! In the meantime, she wanted to relish every moment of feeling like royalty before her real work began.

*****

Freya was escorted by a squad of alien soldiers across the hallway leading to the grand ballroom. As they walked, she couldn’t help looking at the mirror-laden walls. She looked as if she’d just come out of a classy fashion magazine! She was wearing a full-lace, cream-colored gown that hugged her figure flatteringly and spread out in soft drapes toward the bottom. Her long brown hair had been gathered into a simple yet stylish French twist, embellished with a cluster of red roses. And her makeup was absolutely gorgeous, instantly making her glow in a natural way while enhancing the beautiful features of her face.

It was actually kind of odd that they had gone to all that trouble with clothes, hair and makeup. But she shrugged it off. Perhaps that was just how a royal event manager was supposed to look on Planet Tryptin.

She was steered into a dark space behind some curtains. Grailey, who had walked with her too, gave her a wink and a smile. “You’ll make a beautiful queen,” the stubby woman whispered joyfully. “Smile!”

Freya was confused, yet she did what she was told. She smiled widely just as the dark, thick curtains in front of her parted to reveal a colossal, magnificent ballroom styled in a luxurious futuristic theme. A spotlight was suddenly on her. The audience, made up of about a thousand people seated around colorful, transparent tables, immediately gasped upon seeing her.

Freya gasped too as her eyes widened in shock. She was standing on what seemed to be a stage while everybody stared at her.

A soft melody began to play. The romantic music filled the entire room. The audience smiled, clapped, and cheered.

Freya smiled at them uncertainly. Before she could even figure out what was going on, she felt a strong, muscular hand take her own hand. She turned to her right and found herself gazing into the eyes of a tall, well-built alien whose ruggedly handsome face was now inches away from hers. She hardly noticed his contemporary kingly ensemble or the glittering crown on his short sandy blonde hair. She was too transfixed by his steely stare and distinct blue-green eyes which seemed to be studying her thoroughly.

Somewhere from the back of the stage, she heard a resounding voice announce the arrival of the man standing in front of her, holding her hand. “Let us all welcome, King Zaino!”

Freya freaked out as she realized that he was actually the king of the entire planet. In her peripheral vision, she saw the audience standing up and bowing respectfully. She bent her knees to start curtsying, but was taken aback when he brought her hand to his lips and planted a soft, gentle kiss on her skin. Her heartbeat began to race.
What the hell was he doing?!

Out of nowhere, somebody came to place something on her head. She caught a glimpse of the shimmering crown in silver and gold right before it was pinned to her hair. “What are you doing?” she hissed to the woman who simply ignored her and walked away when her task was done.

The announcer’s voice bounced off the walls, saying, “Hail our new queen—Queen Freya!”

I must be dreaming,
Freya thought in panic as King Zaino took her hand and led her to the front of the stage to face the crowd. They all clapped and cheered for them. Silver confetti rained down from the ceiling while upbeat music came on. Everybody broke into a dance, moving to the beat and looking as if they were celebrating.

This is a nightmare!
Freya cried out in silence. But when she turned to the handsome king beside her, she thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Or perhaps there was some sort of explanation to it. 

Zaino turned to her and frowned when he saw her expression. He tugged on her hand and led her toward the back where it was dark and quiet. “What’s wrong, Queen Freya?” he asked.

“What kind of joke is this?” Freya demanded in a confused, annoyed tone.

Zaino looked confused too. “I thought you had been briefed by Patrix.”

“He didn’t mention I had to pretend to be some sort of queen!” Freya said, anger rising to the surface. “What I’ve been told is that I’m supposed to take the job of Events Manager in the palace.”

He cocked his head and gave her a puzzled look. “We have no such vacancy. We do have a team in charge of events like this, but the positions are all filled.”

“I’ve got to get back to my planet,” Freya declared then.

The king’s face scrunched up. “No,” he said firmly. “You’re not going anywhere. The wedding rites are done and you have been sealed the new queen of Tryptin. You can’t just leave.”

“What the—? I didn’t sign up for this!” Freya protested, her voice rising. “

He put a finger to her lips and for some reason, that tiny gesture made her heart start pounding. “Shut up and keep quiet,” he hissed furiously. “You’ll still get paid, anyway.”

“I don’t care!” Freya said, beginning to get hysterical. “I can leave if I want to. I don’t want to be your queen or whoever’s queen.”

Zaino sneered at her. “It’s too late for that. And besides, how will you leave? Jump off the planet and fly back to Earth?”

Freya kept quiet then, knowing that she couldn’t argue with that. However, she knew that it wasn’t right. She could not marry anybody just like that, not even a king!

“It’s already done,” Zaino said in a more hushed and calm tone, as if he’d read her mind. “I think Patrix set it up so I could remain king and he could stay on too as a head warrior. He knew that a human queen would likely make people believe in me again.”

At that very moment, Freya wanted nothing more than to strangle Patrix. She didn’t completely understand his reasons and did not give a damn about the seeming politics that the king was talking about. All she knew was that she’d gotten married without her consent and it was definitely wrong.

*****

“I’m going to kill your husband!” Freya hissed to Lia as they talked through the interplanetary video chat system that Grailey had showed her. At least she had been given an electronic tablet that could actually connect to the Earth’s Internet.

Clad in the comfortable pajamas she had brought along, Freya was curled up on the couch beside the large window that looked out to a stunning private pool and garden. It was the morning after her so-called wedding, and the radiant rays of the sun were streaming into the grandiose bedroom of the king that she had actually slept in. Thankfully, he had not spent the night.

Lia gave her an apologetic look, combined with guilt and apprehension. “I’m so sorry, Freya, but he didn’t know either. He actually lost his temper at Patrix for covering up the truth about that job.”

Freya sighed. “Yeah, I know it’s not really Bonx’s fault… I’m just so confused and scared of what all this could mean for me.”

“I would be too if I were in your place,” Lia said. “But hey, maybe it won’t be so bad. Bonx says King Zaino may seem arrogant at times but he’s got a kind heart. Apparently, he has done a lot of good things for the planet. Besides, I‘ve seen his picture. My gosh, he is sooo good-looking!”

Seeing Lia’s expression made Freya giggle. “Well, okay, he is definitely gorgeous.”

Lia grinned. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll actually fall for him.”

“No way!” Freya replied. “This is purely business. And honestly, I don’t think we’ll get along.”

“Don’t speak too soon, Queen Freya!” Lia joked.

“Ha-ha!” Freya said sarcastically.

“So what happened last night, by the way? Where is he?” Lia suddenly wanted to know, her face showing eagerness and curiosity. “You’re in his room, right? Did you sleep on his bed too?”

“Yes, I did,” Freya said. “Can you believe there’s no other bed in this huge room? Well, at least he wasn’t here. I think he had to attend to some emergency. I don’t really know.”

“But what about later tonight?”

“That’s what I’m worried about!” Freya admitted, feeling her panic beginning to rise again. “Well, I’m definitely setting rules. He can’t touch me.”

Lia laughed. “You go, girl! Let queens rule over kings!”

They both laughed then, making Freya feel at least a little bit better. They talked some more, and then Freya showed her the enormous, lavishly decorated room that had its own pool and garden right outside. It was double the size of the room in which she had been groomed for the marriage.

“Wow!” Lia remarked after the video tour. “You should just enjoy your stay, salary, and status while you can. At least once in your life, you get to live as a real queen! In just a year, you’ll be able to save up a lot and then come back here.”