He could no longer ignore the image of Zoe’s face in his mind. It was evident how disappointed she felt about him leaving. If only they had parted under different circumstances. “Somehow I doubt they’ll let me go back so easily. I may have to stay longer before I can leave again.” The unhappiness of the thought burrowed at him. No, they might not be so lenient on him after he’d been gone for so long. He would have to stick it out and make peace with the Stratons, the Queen especially, before even attempting to go back to Earth.
“She’ll be okay, Evan.” Eva smiled and tightened her hand around his. It took half a minute for him to realize she wasn’t speaking about the Queen, but Zoe.
“I’m going to my room.” He squeezed her hand before standing up and walking the short distance to his private residence. The door closed behind him and the lights dimmed to a bluish-grey as he laid down on the bed, his arms extending up to cradle his head. It had been too long since he had a decent amount of sleep. His body relaxed into the plush bed as his mind drifted off into unconscious sleep.
A brisk knock at the door awoke him from deep sleep, and a second impatient knock followed.
“I’m coming!” he yelled to the intruder. Reluctantly he got up, feeling as though he only had half the amount of sleep his body had wanted. He swung open the door to find a young woman standing behind it, her face impassive. He recognized her as one of the Queen’s ladies. She had the same elegant hairstyle the Queen required of her, a cape of thick, long hair entwined gracefully at the crown of her head, and a full-length purple dress that hugged her body. The Queen certainly had a flair for style.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Sir. The Queen is requesting your presence.”
“Right now?” he asked in disbelief. Part of him wished he could just decline and he could go back to sleep. He knew better.
“If you’ll follow me, Sir,” she invited.
Evan shut the door behind him and followed her out of the common room, through the Throne Room, and towards the grand entryway that lead to the corridor where the Stratons kept residence. Two soldiers opened the doors for them wordlessly and the sight of the Straton’s great common room came into view around him. It was an immaculate display of wealth and power, and was drenched in deep colors that didn’t exist naturally anywhere in Terra. The ceiling vaulted more than a dozen feet in the air with thick concrete columns that stood from top to floor. The room itself had a large open layout with sectionals of seating areas, work stations, and stainless steel accents throughout. It was just the sort of palatial opulence he had seen on Earth; a wealth and grandness that everyone seemed to be working to attain.
The Queen was nowhere to be seen. To his surprise the girl didn’t stop but headed towards the Queen’s private residence.
“Right this way please,” she instructed, leading through the doors as the soldiers opened them. There were others dressed similarly in the room, a few Evan vaguely recognized from earlier times spent in the Queen’s privacy.
The residence, like the room that preceded it, was elegantly decorated and immaculate. The enormous bed would have dominated in the smaller space of his residence, but in hers was proportionate in size. The Queen sat at a vanity on an adjacent wall, undoing the clasp of a necklace before placing it in an ornate black box.
“That will be all, Julia,” she commanded.
The woman in purple left quickly and quietly, shutting the doors behind her. It had been a while since they were alone in a room together, and Evan tried to push those memories from his mind.
“I was wondering when I would see you again,” the Queen confessed. She stood and turned to meet him, looking every bit as regal as he remembered. She wore a turquoise dress with an intricate lace pattern that draped fittingly over her figure, with a cascade of colored fabric falling gracefully to her feet. It swished softly around her as she approached him, quickly closing the space between them.
Objectively he had always found her to be beautiful, but now he saw something he hadn’t recognized before. Large, almond shaped hazel eyes, and a mane of chestnut brown hair that fell in soft curls down her back. For one brief moment he would have sworn it was Zoe’s face staring back at him.
“Something the matter?” she asked with a hint of concern in her face.
“No, nothing,” he denied. He knew it had to be his mind playing a trick or the fresh memories of Zoe mistakenly processed with the old memories of the Queen. He closed and opened his eyes but found the similarities between their faces remained. He felt uneasy and distrustful, though he knew better than to let her see his innermost thoughts. “You look beautiful, my Queen. As always.” He bowed his head ceremoniously in front of her.