Misplaced Princess Redux (Closed for FireyIce)

There was no amusement in Dom’s face when she started to laugh at his explanation. He could tell that the laughter was more forced than anything. Under the circumstances, he couldn’t deny why she would use such a defense mechanism. Hell, even her hand being placed on his arm was a simple one. “I’m serious,” he said.

“I know you’re Dusty Carlyle. I know your father is Frank. He’s a doctor. No doubt the same person that would have no problem writing a false birth certificate,” he admitted. Dom opened the door, gently removing Dusty’s hand from his arm as he got out. “Here, let me show you something,” he said while walking over and getting the door for her.

Once she was out, he took off his shirt, exposing his chest. At the same time, he allowed his wings to appear. Along with that, he managed to summon his sword and shield. “I know you’ve seen this crest before. The exact same crest that is on my shield is written in your journal. Hell, you’ve even entered The Void, with last night being the most recent visit,” he told Dusty.

Dusty was beginning to wonder if maybe she had gone from bad to worse. One always saw on tv about some guy stalking some poor unsuspecting woman, only to rape and kill her.

I’m serious. I know you’re Dusty Carlyle. I know your father is Frank. He’s a doctor. No doubt the same person that would have no problem writing a false birth certificate. Here, let me show you something,

Her stomach knotted. If she ran, he could probably catch her easily. And it would just make him mad. He got out of the car and came round, opening the door and helping her out. She was ready to run as he unbuttoned his chest.

Suddenly, these two things opened up, appearing to unfurl from his back. They looked...like...wings? That can't be. They must be some mechanical thing cause people didn't have wings!

She looked again and Dom was holding a sword and shield. What the hell? Are the heavens getting ready to part and a voice from God tell her that she's been sinful?

I know you’ve seen this crest before. The exact same crest that is on my shield is written in your journal. Hell, you’ve even entered The Void, with last night being the most recent visit.

"That crest is my family crest. My dad told me so. It is the Carlyle family crest. And the Void, as you so call it, was a dream that everyone does. Everyone dreams!" She was getting scared and a bit put out by this Dom guy. She turned to walk away. She needed to put some space between them. The guy was cute but a freaky space cadet.

"Look Dom, I really appreciate you stopping Greg from what he and his friends had planned. And if you go to the police, I will back you up all the way that you had to do what you did. But...but...look, I gotta go."

She didn't want to scare him, but she had to get away. She started walking fast, afraid that running would irritate him. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her Dad wasn't her dad? Come on, he would have told her if she was adopted.

Dom listened as he heard Dusty try to explain what she was told growing up. He understood and could somewhat sympathize with the fact that she had been lied to for so long. Without saying anything, he watched as she started to walk away. “I won’t stop you,” Dom told her as he kept her into view. “But, The Void, is a real place, not a state of dreams,” he called out.

While not wanting to lose track of her, and in an effort to somewhat impress or persuade her, he flapped his wings, slowly going into the air. As her back was turned to him, he knew he would have the element of surprise, which he was hoping wouldn’t be too much of a shock as he made his sword and his shield disappears from existence. He flew quickly and swiftly in advance of the direction that she was heading. There was no dramatic impact as he landed since he slowly lowered himself, allowing time for Dusty to realize that he was real and that this wasn’t some kind of ploy. At the same time he continued to make sure there was enough distance between them, to make sure she wasn’t too afraid.

“I know this turn of events is hard for you to comprehend right away,” Dom stated as he tried to look as calm and peaceful as possible. “But I am telling you the truth,” he added as he saw the sun take its time setting over the empty park. “Just let me show you,” he offered as he re-summoned his sword. As he had done so many times, he moved it slowly, cutting a small tear through time and space, revealing the same location that was in Dusty’s dreams. “This is how I’m able to move between worlds. The same place that you go to at times when you sleep,” he told her as he looked deeply into her blue eyes, wondering if she thought that he was completely nuts.

Dusty walked as fast as she dared, hoping that Dom would not be violent to her. None of this was making any sense. One minute she is walking back to her dorm room and suddenly the world goes to shit and guys are dead and she's trying to get away from some crazy that thinks he's a superhero and she's some lost Incan princess! That made just as much sense as...wha...

I won’t stop you. But, The Void, is a real place, not a state of dreams.

Dom flew (flew?)past her and turned to face her, landing a safe distance from her. Those things really work? He stayed a safe distance from her and continued to talk to her.

I know this turn of events is hard for you to comprehend right away. But I am telling you the truth. Just let me show you.

Suddenly, the sword appeared in his hand. He waved it in the air, and her mind was confused by what she saw. It looked like he had literally cut open the air itself. Through the slit was something else. It was a view that she had seen before, many times in her dreams. This didn't make sense.

This is how I’m able to move between worlds. The same place that you go to at times when you sleep

She stood there, stunned. These things couldn't happen. Shouldn't happen. Yet, here it was, happening.

"Then who am I? And who are you?"

Dom looked at Dusty and had his sword and shield both disappear into thin air. “Who are you, hm?” he repeated as he spent a moment thinking about how to answer her first question. “You, Dusty, are an enigma, a paradox,” he started as he started to move towards one of the swing sets, giving her a look of wanting to follow him. “Here, you are you. You have a family, friends, lovers and so forth. You are able to forge your own destiny.”

As he took a breath he looked up to the sky, observing the stars. “On your home planet of Thrangar, you are a princess. Though, most of the last few decades have been a challenge for the people of your planet.” He looked at her and watched as he continued to talk, “As for me, my real name is Kytheon. I’m what’s called a Justicar, a guard for the royal family, specifically, your personal guard. I’ve been watching and protecting you for the last five years,” he added while standing up and walking around a little bit.

“As far as who we are as a race, we’re about 95% similar to humans, which is why it was beneficial to hide you here from when you were born. You were born during a time of civil war and unrest, so we hid your birth from everyone and switched watching you ever few years. Though, the last few years, the numbers have dwindled down.” He started to flap his wings a little bit as he stretched. “So, what kind of questions do you have?” Dom inquired as he wanted to make sure she wasn’t getting too flustered with information.

She felt as if she was in a bad movie. She followed him, but still kept her distance in case she needed to run. Not that she could outrun someone who could fly.

"But why didn't my parents say something? I mean, didn't they know? And what about my 'real' parents? Why didn't they come for me? Why now? Why can't I just stay here and be me? I can stay here and then you can go back to your world, wherever it is and be free. Okay?"

This still did not make sense to her. It couldn't make sense.

"Hey, wait, if I'm 95% human, why did nothing show up when I went to the hospital or the doctor? And just what is this 5% non-human bit of me? What makes me different?"

Dom waited for Dusty to finish with her questions before deciding how to answer them. “I’m only a few years older than you,” he started to say, “So I’m not sure to what extent your parents knew or found you before you arrived. I do know that your real parents were murdered. Part of the war was caused do to the family being victims of regicide. Even I don’t know who, if any, in the royal bloodline are still alive.”

He continued to watch her body movements, while at the same time admiring her body. Dom could feel it get a bit cold and walked over to the car. He opened the back door and pulled out a coat. He closed the door and walked back towards Dusty and handed it to her.

“Humans are still learning a lot more with each passing day. Your bloodwork, your injuries, only show so much that they can find. For all intents and purposes on their efforts for research, you don’t show any abnormalities. I was born with genetic splicing, I was given wings. I was destined from birth to have this job, to serve as a protector of the royal family. As far as your abilities,” he started to think, “You can learn to fly, move objects, some other stuff. The other 5% is what helps with your not really getting sick, healing quicker, and so on.”

When he sat back down, he looked saddened as he started to recall certain things. “Right now, the people in power, made it to where anyone who harbors, or who has harbored a member of the royal family is sentenced to death. My wings, being gold with purple tips, show that my status was for serving and protecting you and your family, your highness.” He decided to respond to her request to just be left alone, “You weren’t supposed to find out about any of this until a year from now. The incident back at your dorm, kind of changed that. For that, I’m sorry. If you truly wish for me to leave, then I will,” he offered.

"They're dead?" She closed her eyes and sat there for a moment, pain etched on her face. The family she never knew. The loss of the unknown. Did she have any siblings, aunt and uncles, any other relatives? Were they all lost to her? She suddenly felt all alone. She slumped in the swing, feeling hopeless. She didn't even feel the cooling air. When he handed the coat to her, she just held it. Her mind was in a jumble.

"I can learn to fly? In my dreams I fly all the time. Is that why?" She stopped. "How can I get to the Void by dreaming? Every time I dream, am I going there? I don't remember slicing through anything like you did."

She sat there feeling confused.

"So you can't go back. They'll know what you've been doing simply because of your wings and kill you. What will I do if they come for me here? To kill me because of who I am? If you left and they came, they would kill me. What am I supposed to do? What was supposed to happen next year when you told me?"

She looked at him. God, he was so good looking. "Damn, Dom, why couldn't you just be the cute guy whose bones I was gonna jump." She put her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry!"

Dom listened to her questions patiently. Again, he was letting her have some space to think things out. He knew that she was the kind of person who liked to think things out. Once he heard her last comment, he let out a gentle laugh. “Don’t be,” he said as she apologized, “I’ve always admired you being honest and blunt.”

He watched her hold his coat as she looked somewhat confused still. “So, the only thing that would’ve changed is that you would’ve been 21. Just felt like it would’ve been a more appropriate time than now. At least I thought so,” he admitted to Dusty.

“Just like here on Earth, not everyone on Thangar is the same. Some people can access The Void by using magic, some by other means. With you being here, you can subconsciously enter it when you sleep. The normal things that you would expect to change will. The atmosphere will be different, heat and cold will feel different and so many other things,” Dom mentioned while looking over her, making sure she was holding it together as best as she could.

“If I go back, it would be more for who I am, not necessarily due to what I’ve done. Though, the point would be the same. There have been times when individuals have got close to finding where you were. And, yes, I have had to take care of them,” he admitted knowing that it wasn’t going to be as too sugar coated as he knew it sounded. “Again, I’ll do what you request, your highness,” he said as he moved his hand over and wrapped it around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “I know it’s a lot to take in. Please, feel free to ask me as many questions as you would like,” he offered to Dusty as he looked at her lovely face.

"IF you go back? IF?" She had a small panic. "Where would you go otherwise? I mean, is there a glut on places that have people with wings? A Justicar place? And what would I do without you? I mean, I don't know anybody there. I don't know any thing. I don't even have any family that I know of. I just know you. And what if those people that don't like my "family" decide that they don't like me?"

She stopped, sitting there, lost. She wanted to cry, scream, run away, and hide.

"What do I do, Dom? What do I do? I mean, I don't want to get you killed. So, what do I do? I need you, but I don't want anything to happen to you."

And what about her parents? She couldn't just disappear. What would her parents (or at least, the only parents that she actually ever knew) do if she left, just disappeared.

"And your highness? Are you absolutely sure. I mean, you sure that there's not been like a changling, a swapped baby at birth? Maybe there's some test that could be made to make sure I'm who you think I am? I don't feel a bit Royal."

She took a deep breath. "I'm not good at this sort of thing. If it's flirting, I'm good at that. Kissing? I'm really good at that. Making out? I can do that with my eyes closed." She laughed at her unintentional joke. "But being royality? How do you do that? What do I do, Dom?"

“Well, at least you know that you need help,” he said with a slight smile. “Sadly, these are things you are worrying about that I didn’t want you to worry about, what I’ve been spending a bit over 5 years for you to not worry about.” He stood up and stretched his legs, getting more comfortable as they continued to talk at the park.

“As far as what you do,” Dom started to say calmly, “Is trust me. I’ll help you get through this. The first thing that we need to do is help make sure you’re cleared from the whole incident at the dorm. We can talk to the police, tell them that someone came in and helped you, then you got free and ran away, not knowing the outcome.” He had sat back down as he continued to think some. “Perhaps, you’ll be out of school for the rest of the semester and during your recovery time I can teach you. Self-defense and how to be regal, though you have a very high charisma so I’m sure you being viewed as a royal person aren’t as hard as you’d probably think.”

Dom sat with Dusty on the swings for a few moments, letting her soak in his idea. “And, I’ll be able to help continue to protect you and let you know if we need to be in a hurry to get back. Right now, I don’t think there’s any lingering threat to someone finding you,” he added while hoping to help lift her spirits as he moved his swing closer to hers, giving her a slight hug.

She closed her eyes listening to his plan. This morning, her only thoughts were finding out more about that cute guy that she had met the night before. And studying for her classes.

Boys and classes. Now there had been a death or two, she found out she was royality. Her life had been a lie. Her parents not her parents? Her real parents dead? People trying to kill her?

He reached over and hugged her. Damn! She found this guy so sexy! Wings and all. She wondered if he was able to have sex. He looked like a gorgeous hunk of a man, he just had wings. Did he have the full package? Sex with an angel, or a Justicar? Wonder what it would be like?

Suddenly, she sat still and blushed. In all the movies she saw, a princess was a Virgin until married. She certainly wasn't that. She closed her eyes. If he was protecting her, had he watched her having sex with Greg? Or with Win? She had lost her virginity to Win. Had he seen that?

She stood up and walked away from him, her face beet red.

Dominic was holding Dusty, comforting and consoling her for a few moments before she seemed to just randomly get up and walk away. “What’s wrong?” he asked with concern as he stood up. As was his habit, he looked around, wondering if someone had been intruding on them. After a few quick glances and scanning the areas, he didn’t see anyone or anything. Even as the light from the day faded away, he was still good at seeing things in the dark.

Realizing there wasn’t anything around; he allowed his wings to fold back in. Dom made his way over to Dusty, looking at her. “Are you alright?” he asked, realizing how stupid of a question it was after it left his mouth.

As he circled around, he noticed her face being bright red. “Princess?” he asked inquisitively, having an idea on why her face was like that. “I want you to be able to trust me, tell me anything, ask me anything,” he reassured her as he slowly put his coat over her body, keeping her warm. With how late it was starting to get and knowing the night was going to be long, he was hoping that they would be heading back soon so she could get the whole mess sorted out.

What’s wrong?

She couldn't answer him. The thought that he had seen her in bed, naked, was such a hot idea. That turned her on. That he might have seen her having sex with a guy? That was different.

He folded his wings in and asked her again.

Are you alright?

He came around to face her, noticing her red face

[i[Princess? I want you to be able to trust me, tell me anything, ask me anything.[/i]

"Look, aren't princesses supposed to be a virgin until married? Something about preserving the integrity of the bloodline? You know I'm not a virgin. Did you watch me? I mean, I'm not sorry I did it. But I certainly didn't know I was being watched."

He was there in front of her. Close enough to kiss, to fall in his arms. She wondered it she kissed him, would he wrap his wings around her? She didn't realize she was standing there staring at him.

She knew she should head back to the dorm before the police started looking for her. But she couldn't get the idea of him standing in the shadows watching her in bed with Win or Greg. Or wondering if the angel or Justicar or whatever he was would be good in bed.

Dominic was listening to what she was asking, though he wasn’t as well versed in her question. He, himself, wasn’t a virgin either, though he also didn’t need to worry about being royalty. “I…am not…entirely sure,” he started to say, “I have only been assigned to you and one other person in the royal bloodline.”

He noticed how close she was to him and that she was staring into his eyes. He noted the slight breeze blowing her long blonde hair around. “As far as your sex life,” he said while trying not to blush, “I’m glad you’re comfortable with it. But, I have never watched you have sex. I’m more concerned about your safety than sex life.”

He gently placed his hands on her shoulders as they continued to talk. He felt her getting a little bit cold from the breeze. “Though I’ve been watching you for the last five years, I never wanted to make it feel as if I had ever violated your privacy like that. And, as far as people knowing or not knowing back on Thrangar, you’ll be their ruler. I don’t see it worrying anyone,” he tried to assure her.

Dusty nodded. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she just wanted to lean into him, let him wrap his arms around her. Let his wings enfold her.

She started to lean into ever so briefly before she caught herself and straightened up. With a deep breath, she straightened up and pause, her mind playing over what he had said. There was something important there.

I have only been assigned to you and one other person in the royal bloodline

"Who was the other person? Tell me everything you can about this royal personage."

Dominic continued to look at Dusty, even as she straightened up, her attention caught.

“Almost 20 years ago, your world experienced an uprising. It didn’t come overnight, though it felt like it. For whatever reasons, decided to revolt against the royal family. I was one of the few last Justicars to be created. While you were sent away to live here on Earth, other members of your family were sent everywhere else. Once I was old enough, I was tasked with traveling to the planet Ma’Hal to take over watching your aunt and uncle.” As he talked, he continued to stare at her, almost as if it were through her as he continued telling her his story.

“Where they were at, the planet tended to be harsh at times. During part of its rotation, the day would nearly scorch the surface and the night would freeze it. There were times where we would be talking, hiding from monsters, protecting them. During our talks, they would tell and teach me the history and customs in case anything happened. After what would be a few months here, we were out looking for food when we were ambushed. I did everything I could to try to stop the attacking monsters, but it was too late.”

Dom let go of Dusty and started to walk back to the swing set. “During the last two years before that happened, there were less and less reports. The only thing we could deduce from that was most of the royal family was either in hiding, or worse,” he admitted. “Ma’Hal was an experience that I never want to relive. The bond both your aunt and uncle had made it seems as if they were one person. Even now, I haven’t found anyone to check back with back at Thangar,” Dom added while slowly starting to move the swing back and forth. “What else would you like to know?” he inquired as he looked back at her.

Her posture slumped, defeated. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She weaved for a second before getting a grip on herself and coming to terms with life as she now knew it.

"Dom, I..." she hesitated. "I hope that you don't mind if I continue to call you Dom. At least in private. To me, you're Dom."

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Tell me what I need to do.

He watched as Dusty changed her posture as he slowly allowed his swing to make a small pendulum. “You can call me whatever you want, your highness,” he said with a slight smirk, trying to break the mood while letting her know that it was perfectly fine. At this time, he stopped his lightly swinging and got up, walking back over to Dusty and put the coat she was holding around her.

“The first thing we need to do is make sure we can get everything that just happened tonight cleared with the police. Let the people who love and care for you know that you’re safe. After that, probably have you move back home for a while to make sure you’re still safe and figure out what else needs to be done before you decide to go back to Thangar,” he advised while slightly holding her.

“I saw we start heading back, have you go to the police, tell them what happened and start working from there. Like I said earlier, right now I haven’t seen or heard of any threats from other places towards you so I do think we do have some time and don’t need to be in a huge hurry,” he assured her. “I’ll also think of how we can go back with making it not as hard while leaving the people you know here.”

She walked into the police station. The officer at the front desk looked at her expectantly.

"Can I help you, miss?"

"I need to speak to someone. I was attacked in my dorm room."

The look that he gave her told her he knew just what she was and in no time she was telling the detective the story that she and Dom had agreed upon. She was entering her dorm room when some guys had jumped her. They began asking her a battery of questions, sometimes the same thing several times.

On and on the questions went. She stayed true to the story that she and Dom had woven. After being questioned for quite a while - she wasn't sure just how long it has been - they released her. Her parents had been notified by the college when the crime had first been discovered and they arrived to take her home. She expressed a desire to get away. She was too traumatized by all that happened and didn't know if she could continue her studies at all.

She was released to the care of her parents while the entire incident was investigated. This was another talk she was not look forward to. These were two people that she loved dearly and to have to confront them with the fact that she was "adopted" by them. The glances her father gave her in the rear view mirror on the drive home showed worry and perhaps a bit of fear.

She almost wished for Dom by her side. But she knew that this was something she had to handle herself.

The next few days were hard, with lots of tears and such. But she explained to her parents that when the time came, she must return to her kingdom. It would be up to them to come up with whatever answer needed should anyone ask about her.

Dom and Dusty spent the last few moments going over what would be said before heading back to the car. On the way back to town, they continued to go over the details. At the same time, he made sure that they exchanged phone numbers. Though he could always see her when she was in The Void, there was a better chance of making it to where they could talk more openly and freely.

When they finally got back to town, Dom pulled the car up a few blocks away from her campus and headed back home to relax for the better part of the night. As he pulled in, he started to head to bed, trying to remember the last time when he had actually gone asleep at night.

The following morning Dom sent a text to Dusty making sure that she was alright. He had also mentioned to know when she was going to talk to her “parents” in case he needed to be there to help her out. Once he sent the text, he headed out to The Void to go back to Thrangar to see if any threats loomed. He figured it would be a while before he would need to go back and decided to look a bit longer, making some curious and vague inquiries about the current state of affairs with the planet.

After getting back from his trip, he checked his phone to see if there was any response. He figured that he would give her a few days to reply back, on her terms. Until then, Dom just sat back, relaxed, and tried to make sure everything was going well.

The last week and a few days had been horrible. Her Mom in particular took the knowledge hard. Apparently, Mom's baby had died at birth, and Mom was in a bad place for several weeks afterwards. Then along comes a baby, in need of being hidden, and her Father thought that the baby could be hidden, in plain sight as the "baby" that his wife had had.

So Dusty and her Mom were the innocents.

She got the text from Dom, but couldn't bring herself to answer. Not just yet. Her world was slowly tearing apart and she didn't know if at the end what would be left. Who was she really? Her father did not know what her real name was. That would be a question for Dom.

She finally heard from the detectives. Greg and Harry were dead. Sam was paralyzed on one side. Sam just remembered some Kung fu guy thundering in. Sounded a lot like the guy that Duke described. Duke and Sam both told the same story. Greg was mad cause Dusty had dumped him instead of doing a threesome and her ex-boyfriend was determined to gang bang Dusty as punishment. The guys had been up for it. Dusty assured them that she didn't know who the man was and she would not continue college there, if at all.

It was a sunny morning when she finally picked up her phone. The text she sent was simple.

"It's done."

Over the course of the following week and a half, Dom continued to do his routine like any other time. During the day he was resting, when he got up, he would go run errands and once Dusty fell asleep, he would go into The Void and see how everything was going.

During one of his normal trips, he had decided to spend some more time in Thrangar. As he arrived, he made sure to blend in. With the amount of time he was starting to frequent his home planet, he looked for a small hiding spot for where he could hide some of his stuff. He figured that if it was isolated enough, he wouldn’t draw so much attention to himself. Once he finished changing into some robes, he wandered the streets listening to conversations that ranged from common issues to hearing some people arguing about the current political state.

When he had spent some time listening, he did notice that there was never any mention of the royal family. Dom decided to look into the matter a bit and found someone who looked as if he were a beggar. He walked over to him and pulled out some silver coins. “How would you like this?” he inquired. As the man looked up to him, Dom added the simple stipulation, “All you need to do is go to the center of the town and yell ‘all hail the royal family’, alright?” With that, the man took the money and started to head over to the main area.

As Dom stood back and looked with other people in the crowd, he watched as the beggar started to yell. It seemed as though the guards were quick to jump and stop him by using force. This caused more strife in the crowd as people were starting to talk a little bit about the royal family and how they would change the current state.

When he made his way back to The Void one day, he realized that Dusty had woken up and sent him a text. He returned back to Earth and looked at his phone, seeing the simplistic message that had a huge ripple effect for the both of them. He decided to get changed into something nice; specifically a polo shirt and a pair of dress pants, as he responded that he would be over shortly. Though there was a small commute from his place to Dusty’s, he began to think of what to say when he got there.

Dominic pulled up and got out. As he made his way to the door, he knock on it several times waiting for a response. By the amount of vehicles, he figured everyone was home. It was a moment later when he saw Dusty’s father answer the door. “Mr. Carlyle,” Dom started to say, “I’m Dominic Salvatore. I believe you’ve been told about me from your daughter?” he inquired as he noted what the inside looked like.

“Yes, she told us about you. Thank you for saving her,” he added as he stepped aside so that Dom could get in.

“Your welcome,” Dom replied as he saw Dusty and her mom show up into the room. “Do you have any questions for me, or about your daughter for that matter?” Dom asked while waiting to be seated, hoping he could make the situation a bit more normal.

Dusty heard the doorbell and knew that Dom was here. Her Mom gave an "oh" and started to tear up.

Her hand quickly clutched her Mom's and she hugged her. "Mom, don't worry. We'll talk to him.

The murmur of voices told her that it was indeed Dom. She and Mom entered and she felt her heart beat faster. Damn! He sure was good looking.

Your welcome. Do you have any questions for me, or about your daughter for that matter?

Her father was blunt and to the point.

"Mr. Salvatore, it's important that you understand. I don't care who birthed her, who supplied the DNA, Dusty is our daughter. We nursed her through the croup, skint knees, measles, growing pains, puberty and more than one broken heart. She may be of royal blood, but she is still our baby. If there comes a time when she wants to come home, or we need her home, then we expect that you will make sure she gets here safely. And we expect you to keep her safe. If something happens to her, I expect you to die protecting her from danger."

Her Dad wasn't being congenial. He was being blunt and to the point, the doctor in him coming out as if he were giving Dom some uncomfortable bad news. She watched Dom. He didn't back down, nor did he lose the smile. He had probably expected all of this.

Her Mom stepped forward. The red eyes and fingers that worried with a Kleenex told him that very recently her Mom had been crying.

"Mr. Salvatore, though my husband knew something of this, Dusty and I have had to adjust to the truth. The facts are that Dusty is my daughter. I love her dearly and in a heartbeat, would give my life for her. There always comes a time where, as a parent, you expect your child to grow up and marry, move away and start a family. Not move to God know where and rule a kingdom."

"We do appreciate your rescue of her from Greg and what he had planned. He had seemed like a nice young man. Please continue to protect her."

Dusty kept quiet through all this. This was their chance to speak their minds. Her mom was taking all this a lot harder than her dad.

Dom stood there, listening to Dusty’s father tell him what he thought. There was no hiding that he was very direct and to the point. It was a bit of a relief to know that with him. As he stood there listening to the requests and demands from both parents, he didn’t give any ground, though he was as polite as he could be. He waited until her father had finished speaking, yet, before he could respond, he heard Dusty’s mother chime in with her two cents.

Once Dusty’s parents finished speaking, he took a small yet long breath. Before he said anything he started to take off his polo, showing several scars that he had received over the years. “Please, allow me to formally introduce myself,” he started as he allowed his wings to form and come out. “As I told your daughter, my true name is Kytheon, Justicar to the royal family, guardian of the princess.” He had his ceremonial armor appear just as he had done for Dusty at the park. Though he didn’t have any weapons appear. “Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle, you are correct when you mention that you are her parents and that she is your daughter. I have seen so many people on this planet exist from outside of their genetics together. I have been here for five years, I’ve seen how much you love and care for her.”

He made sure that he had enough room to not damage or knock anything over during the course of walking around. “My sole purpose has been, and will be, to continue to protect the princess with my life, no matter what the cost. As of right now,” he continued to say, “There isn’t any huge threat to her. Right now there is just some discourse and disdain back on our world. I would like to spend the next several months teaching her, training her. She will rule, it will just be a matter of knowing how she will before I take her there. For the time being, I would like to just offer up the ruse of us being a couple to avoid suspicion, if anyone should expect it. And, when everything is set, we will go back to the planet of Thrangar, where I will make sure she will get to still visit and talk to you,” he offered knowing that he had to appeal to their wishes and emotions. Even as he said it, he did think it was a bit strange to ask permission for him to act as her “boyfriend”, though he thought it was in the best interest.

As he finished speaking, he had his armor and wings go away as he picked up his shirt and started to put it back on. “When the time comes, and I do take her with me, I welcome you to conjure up whatever story you would be most comfortable with. That is my only request,” he said sincerely as he waited to see what was going to happen next. He slowly started to make his way over towards Dusty as he continued to wait for an answer. There was a lot of tension in the room and there was no denying that it was necessary. “As of right now, I’d like to get started on our training, your highness,” he said as he looked at Dusty’s blue eyes.