For the Throne - 5. Adar's Tale

Adar sat on the floor of Posh’s room holding him. At some point the dark-haired man had fallen asleep, but Adar didn’t want to let him go. Posh was his connection to Jayden and because of the laws and responsibilities governing mirror brothers, they were now married, but he didn’t know when or if Posh would accept him.

Once the whole truth was known he doubted if the young Alteran Lord would even speak to him. He had decided back on Va’terra that it didn’t matter whether or not Posh accepted him as his spouse, he would find a way to stay by his side simply because it was the right thing to do. After all you didn’t pick the journey’s the goddess sent you on, she picked you.

Half expecting Posh to be a rich brat who was only working as a Transporter on a whim, he was surprised when he’d had him put on the mask. His pain at losing Jayden mirrored his own and his heart was pure. It was proven by the amazing golden light of responsibility spreading through his gentle indigo aura in waves. He could see why Jayden had broken all protocol and married him.

He’d watched the video that Jayden had made for Posh and cursed his mirror brother’s image when it was over. There was so much left unsaid. But being mad at the dead was pointless and even in life he’d never been able to stay angry at his gentle Jayden for long.

Mirror brothers because they had been born to the same father on the same day; they had been raised in completely different households. Adar was one of eight children, three boys and five girls, born to the House Sol, where Jayden had been the only child of the House Lunar.

Adar’s mother had been a stickler for tradition and rules and even though he was the youngest, he had been held accountable for all his actions and expected to follow the strict training and discipline of a Prince of Va’terra.

Jayden’s mother felt that as a gift from the Goddess in the autumn of her life, whatever his mirror brother wanted he got.

As Va’tarran Princes they had attended military school and become scholars and warriors together. When they were seven, Jayden had dragged Adar home with him. He had been mortified when the moment he had walked into Jayden’s house his impulsive brother had removed his mask and then stole Adar’s off his head. In a maddening game of keep away, he’d run through his house until Adar had broke out in tears. Jayden had promptly given it back and asked why he was so upset.

“I can’t tell if you are talking from your heart without it,” Adar had said, repeating the line his mother had drummed into his head as he put his mask back on. In his house, the only time you removed your mask was when you were going to bed or bathing.

Jayden had laughed at him causing him to become furious. Adar had moved to leave when Jayden had stopped him by grabbing his own mask and slipping it on. “I will never lie to you and I will always speak to you from my heart. This mask isn’t going to make it more real. You are my only friend and my mirror brother, why would I want to hurt you?” It had taken a while, but eventually Jayden’s house became one of the few places that Adar didn’t wear his mask.

Adar had always known he would wind up in the Military and follow the traditional path of a Prince. Jayden, on the other hand, had chosen to become a Priest after Military school was over. Adar had once asked him why he’d decided to serve the Goddess over serving his king. Jayden laughed and then explained, “I think the King needs all the help he can from the Goddess, don’t you?”

When the king selected Jayden to go to Altera, Adar had begged to be allowed to either take his place or go with him. It had appeared that his pleas had worked, until his mother had come forward and petitioned the King to keep him home. He had been mortified that her fear of other nations and cultures had allowed her to keep all of her children in Va’terra while Jayden’s mother had graciously allowed the king to take her only child. He had moved in with Jayden’s mother afterward, using his duties of being Jayden’s mirror brother to put space between his irrational mother and himself.

The next time he saw Jayden was when he had returned to Va’terra with Duchess Pashta to petition the King to allow him to marry Posh. Because it was a royal marriage, documents and treaties had be signed even though Jayden’s lineage was being kept from everyone on Altera except the Duchess and her son the Duke.

“How can you marry one of them?” demanded Adar, mortified after hearing the news. “If something happens to you I would end up with a husband with the goddess know how many other spouses. How many husbands does that heathen Duchess have?”

“I have four,” answered Pashta for herself as she walked into the room. Adar was surprised. He had been told that Altera was a backwards planet with no culture. Duchess Pashta stood in front of him wearing her regalia and a pale golden mask that had been fashioned specifically for her. Looking at her through his mask, he could see her simple nobility and passion. “All of my current husbands are for treaty purposes only. I have not had a true spouse since Posh and Ashe’s father passed away seventeen years ago, regardless of rumors to the contrary.”

“My apologies Milady,” said Adar bowing, embarrassed at his indiscretion.

“There is nothing to forgive,” said Pashta she said waving an elegantly gloved hand. “Jayden has explained some of what it means to have a mirror brother and if I understand it correctly should something happen to him you will find yourself in a marriage you didn’t ask for? Please know though, that Posh is not like most Alterans. He has this strange notion of marriage being about love and happiness.” She smiled at Adar patiently. Her bright blue eyes glowed in contrast to the gilded mask covering the upper half of her face. “You will never find him with multitudes of spouses.”

Five years later, a transport carrying Mission Group 12 was destroyed on Outpost 20. Jayden was gone and although there was not a body to cremate on a pyre, Pashta had returned to Va’terra to attend his funeral. It had been raining during the ceremony as if even the Goddess was crying at Jayden’s passing.

Pashta and the King had been cloistered in talks of state and politics for days after, but before she left she stopped to see him. “I’m surprised you’re not dropping off your son,” Adar had said bitterly. He didn’t mean to sound harsh, it was just so hard to believe that the unthinkable had actually happened. Jayden was gone.

“He doesn’t know,” she said quietly. All he could read was sadness and grief from her mask. “Jayden asked me to give this to you,” she said handing him two video crystals. Turning to leave, she stopped and grabbed the hand she had just put the crystals in. “If the only reason you would assume the role of Posh’s husband is tradition, don’t. He’ll never accept you for that. My son has never been one to do something just because it is expected of him.”

After she left, he put the video crystal marked for him into the player. Jayden appeared on the screen without his mask. He was older and his dark red hair hung in ringlets around his face trailing down to his shoulders. Almost a twin image to Adar himself, his mirror brother looked serious but there was something content about his demeanor as if he had accomplished something significant. The room he sat in was decorated in gold and burgundy and a large four poster bed sat behind him. Nothing about the room was Va’terran and Adar suddenly realized exactly what Jayden had given up when he left.

“Adar if you are watching this then my mission on Outpost 20 has failed. I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean to leave you like this.”

“The King will get you caught up on what you need to know about the Imperial Alliance. But there is more. And this is my only chance to tell you what I know.”

“The Imperials have been conducting biological experiments. They have developed a bacterial disease so virulent that they are able to decimate a whole planet’s population without ever lifting a finger. The bacteria mutates to being benign after it’s hundredth breading cycle which is approximately two Va’terran months, allowing the planet to be habitable after that. We didn’t have solid proof until now.”

“I am using my Missionary status to meet up with a defector who is giving me the locations of the Bio-plants and the formula for an inoculation against the disease. So far they have been limited by how far the bacteria will travel since it can’t be frozen or kept in stasis to transport. In order to be an effective weapon the Imperials would have to control a SpaceCenter less than a months space travel from their target. At this time because of Altera is a neutral planet and Outpost 20 doesn’t have a major SpaceCenter, the Dead Zone and Va’terra are safe. If Altera falls, no one will be safe.”

“I can’t emphasize enough that the safety of the Duchery on Altera is key to keeping the Imperials at bay. There are those mere steps from the throne that would happily hand the planet over to the Imperial Alliance for a chance at a little rank and fame and if Altera changes alliance, Outpost 20 will follow since Homeworld, the closest neutral planet, doesn’t have the ability to protect them.”

“I am going to scribe the information I get from the defector into my crown. You will need to locate it and link with it to get the information to stop the Imperials. I have tuned it to Posh so he will have to be wearing it in order for you to get the information.”

“I have dumped so much on your shoulders my brother. Please forgive me, but I have one more thing to ask of you. The other video is for Posh. Please make sure he gets it.” Tears gleamed in Jayden’s eyes on the video screen. “Tell my mother that I love her and thank her for allowing me to become the man I am. Thank you for being my mirror brother Adar, I love you. Be kind to Posh he holds my heart and give him time. He doesn’t know any of this, nothing about me being a Prince of Va’terra or you being my mirror brother and what that means. He’ll not accept any of it easily. Good bye my brother, I’ll see you in the Goddess’s garden.”

Although Adar has started preparations immediately after seeing the video it had taken almost six months to leave Va’tarra and once in flight it took another four months to reach Outpost 20, simply to find out that they could not land there without permits that would take the better part of a Va’terran year to get. A call from Pashta had resolved all of his issues. Posh was working as a Transport pilot and as a Viscount of Altera he could go to Outpost 20 without having to go through the lengthy permit process. The key would be finding out how to get him to go there.

Pashta had joked, “Money might get him there.”

Adar had chosen to take her seriously. After a short call to Jayden’s mother, he had the funds. The money was Jayden’s inheritance and since he had been an only child, she had been trying to figure out how she could get it to Posh. The only thing she had asked for was a chance to finally meet her son’s husband.

He wished he could take Posh to a safe place and dump him there until everything was over, maybe take him back to Va’terra and leave him with Jayden’s mother. But that was not Posh’s fate and it didn’t take a temple seer to see that the ebony-haired man was destined for greatness. Adjusting his position against the bed behind him, he laid his head back, pulling Posh even closer to him. He shut his eyes. It seemed to take forever, but sleep finally claimed him.