Ignite the Jewel

Chapter III: Recognize

      The trip was quick and Ariana barely noticed it. It was nothing more than a quick flash. In just a blink of an eye, Ariana found herself out of the cramped planet she had spent her whole life in and in a whole new world. The rainy and cloudy skies were gone and had been replaced with beautiful creamy pink skies. The old cramped city was nowhere to be found. All she could see were beautiful intricate mazes of gardens and fountains in all directions she looked. She could not remember a planet like this from any book she had read.
"Wh-What is this place?" She stuttered.
"It's where I live." He replied with a bright grin.
"Wh-Why do you liv- how do you- where are we?" She shouted, her courage completely exhausted.
He chuckled and placed a hand around her shoulder, "We're in the furthest corner of the empire."
"Why are we her-" her voice trailed off, "Is that-"
"Yes, dear." He answered with a chuckle, "Welcome to the Dianada Palace."
The palace towered above her, blocking out the star the planet revolved around. Ariana did not remember when she had started walking. She could not remember how she controlled her legs. Her eyes took in every architectural detail that decorated the long windows. The beautiful white brick was embellished with golden patterns twirling around the statues of different people. Most of whom Ariana could recognize easily. The statues of the past monarchs lined the walls on either side of the huge gates. Each one dressed in the same elaborate gowns and cloaks, covered in all inches with jewels and diamonds and holding their coronation ornaments. "I think you're a fan of the architecture already." The man remarked calmly as they walked past the statues, Ariana's eyes still lingered on them.
"It's so amazing how they can capture such a calm and stoic expression." She answered while she was still a little lost in her own mind, "I don't think it must be been like that in real life."
"It really was like that, dear." With just a click of a button, the gates behind them shut, "Part of being crowned is showing that you'll be calm and rational in the face of danger."
"How do you know that?" She asked as they passed through the beautiful marble hallways, all decorated with golden intricate furniture and beautiful paintings.
"How wouldn't I know that?"
"B-Because knowledge of the past regime is strictly prohibited." She replied nervously.
He laughed, "Dear, I'm forty. I lived through the old regime."
"I hope you don't mind me asking but how do you live here?"
"What do you mean?" He asked although it was clear that he was only pretending to be oblivious to everything.
"I thought this place was lost forever in the final battle."
He shrugged, "That's the whole point."
"Wh-"
"I'll explain everything over dinner." He interrupted.
Ariana could only follow the man through a maze of beautiful marble hallways. She could spot small beautiful statues sitting in carvings in the walls. But she could not stop to look at them. The man was prancing far too fast for her to keep up. "It's so warm in here."
"Yeah. The instillation's been built so perfectly that it's still perfect after more than a decade without maintenance." He replied.
"Sir, I don-"
"Ah there we are." He interrupted quickly as they stopped by two large doors. He placed a hand on the small of her back, "Let's go then, hm? I'm famished."
Ariana could pick up a delicious smell of warm bread and what she could recognize as meat and perhaps some stew. She could no longer hold herself. In fact she would be quite happy to burst in and jump on the food had she not valued her manners above her hunger. She nodded impatiently. The man luckily did not make her wait any longer. He pushed the door open and welcomed her inside.
The first thing Ariana noticed was not the food to her own surprise. She had expected the man to have children and remembered the niece he had mentioned but she did not expect the faces that met her. Instead of two children her own age, she was met with another man and two women. Sure there was a guy close to her own age and a girl who seemed to be a little younger than her but it was the adults who stole her attention first. All three of them bolted to their feet instantly. The worry in the other man's face seemed to have been lifted with just one glance at her face but then in just the span of a few moments he was close to tears.
"You finally found her?" The other man coaxed, forcing himself to hold back tears as he and the two women surrounded her, "Wow..."
Ariana instantly felt uncomfortable. But there was nowhere to back off to. All around her were the four adults, observing every detail of her.
The two men both seemed to be in their early forties to late thirties but the women seemed to be younger. But they looked just as different as one can be. "You look just as beautiful as her." One of the women, a pretty short petite brunette woman with emerald green eyes, commented, touching Ariana's wet hair.
"Now now don't overwhealm the poor girl." The other woman replied.
"Oh. You're right, I'm so sorry if we scared you, dear." The brunette woman said with a polite smile and backed off.
She placed a hand on Ariana's shoulder, "You look exhausted. Why don't you come with me and I'll give you some clean clothes and then we can have dinner?"
"I-uh I-" Ariana stuttered nervously, she looked around at the soft smiles from everyone around her and though they were completely strangers, she found herself feeling safe, "That would be amazing, Ma'am, thank you."
"Please, sweetie, call me Tanya."
"Y-Yeah okay, Tanya." She answered.
Tanya turned her gaze on the little girl who was still sitting in her chair, "Why don't you come and help me find some warm clothes for our guest, Lora?"
The little girl nodded and jumped out of her chair.
The palace was just as luxurious as all the books depicted and far more beautiful than anything her imagination could have ever conjured up. Tanya and Lora led her through the gorgeous palace. Gorgeous fountains decorated with golden roses, doors were open to beautiful libraries, offices, studies, computer rooms, planning rooms, sitting rooms and galleries and many other places that she could not recognize from the books she had stolen about the palace and the regime. Ariana found herself only following them in silence for she was too occupied being awed by the marvelous crystals, jewels and embellishments that she had seen perhaps once in her daydreams. They lead her up a wed staircase that coiled around the wall, two magnificent chandeliers of jewels spiraled down in the center and glittered in the light. "I hope you didn't get too startled, dear." Tanya said as she lead her into a bedroom.
"I'm gonna be honest, Ma'am, I'm a little nervous." Ariana replied completely honestly.
Tanya chuckled as she went to a dressing room in the back, "Yes, I can imagine it must be quite strange for you."
Ariana took her chance to look around the room. The bedroom alone was almost as large as the entire shack she had grown up in. Except it was far cozier and warmer than anywhere she had ever been in.
Lora set some white slippers and sat on the bed. When she smiled, Ariana noticed the striking resemblance she had with Tanya. They had the same clear dark chocolate skin and long shiny brown hair. They had beauty and a healthy complexion that Ariana had not seen in anyone. "Are you the girl Mom and Dad have been looking for?" Lora asked.
"M-Me?"
But before the child could answer, Tanya returned clutching clothes in her hands.
"There we are." Tanya said quickly, cutting Lora off, "They're Charlene's clothes but I think they'll fit you. You're about the same height."
"Do you want to take a bath?" Lora suggested, "The bubbles are always so amazing."
"Yes, you can take a bath after dinner if you'd like." Tanya laid the clothes out on the bed, "Let's get you cleaned up before the food gets cold."
"Ma- Tanya-"
Tanya gave her a comforting smile, "Just get comfortable, dear. I promise you're safe here."
"I know... its just that-"
"Don't be scared of us." She laughed, "I know it must be hard for a thirteen year old girl to just come home with a random man to a bunch of random strangers. But the last thing we'd ever do is hurt you, I promise."
"Tanya, I think this is more than just trying to help a random child you found on the streets. I think you've been... looking for me?"
Ariana expected her to be shocked or even offended but she was not. Instead Tanya seemed rather pleased and even a little relieved.
"You've got the wit too. I'm glad." She sighed and took Lora's hand, "We'll talk about it all over dinner. I'll let you change in private. We're waiting for you downstairs, dear, alright?"
Ariana knew that she should have been scared and concerned. After all she was stuck in an unknown planet with people whose names she did not even know yet. But despite that, she felt safe and warm in a place that was far cozier than she could have ever dreamed of and more luxury than she wanted. Perhaps it was not as bad as she had initially thought. As she peeled off her soaked and worn out clothes, she was no freezing and quivering the way she had gotten used to every time she changed. It was warm in the room. The clothes were a little too wide for her narrow waist but the fabric was unlike anything she had every touched. It was soft, rich and Ariana could easily see that it was more expensive than anything everyone in the empire could ever dream of affording. Everyone except the ruling regime that was. She washed her face with warm water and a luxury her mother had never allowed her to enjoy.
Soap.
All of them were already seated around the table. The only seat left for her was the one at the end of the table."You look better already." The man who had brought her there remarked with a grin.
"Th-Thank you, sir." Ariana answered politely.
Tanya pointed at the chair with a smile, "Take a seat, sweetie, don't be shy."
Ariana felt all their eyes follow her as she sat down in the chair. It was intimidating to move a muscle with those eyes on her and they themselves seemed to noticed that.
"Eat whatever you like, dear."
"Thank you."
Ariana did not need much convincing. There was enough food to have supplied any restaurant she bad seen back home. Except the food tasted better than anything she had seen back home. She could not catch up with her demanding stomach. All conscious awareness of her manners was put on hold until she could fill up the stomach that had stayed empty for as long as she could remember. But once her hunger was quelled and she could gather pieces of her mind, she finally stopped chugging and looked up. She dreaded the judgmental looks she expected to see from her hosts but to her own shock, she was met with nothing. They were all eating calmly, neither one of them looking at her.
"Did you like the food, sweetie?" Tanya asked as she took a sip of the rich red wine.
"It was amazing, Tanya, I can't thank you enough."
"Don't say that, sweetie, I didn't do anything." She looked around the table, "Now that you're feeling better, I think it's time for proper introductions, don't you think so, Frank?"
The man who had originally brought her there was the first to speak up.
"You may be a little shocked at first." He said with a nervous chuckle, "My name is Vladmir Bareford."
Shocked? Why would she be? She had never heard that name before.
At least that was what she thought at first. "Vladmir Bareford?" She tasted the name, repeating it under her breath until the feeling of familiarity grew into clear facts. Now it made sense why she had thought they all looked so familiar! She did know them! "You've already been introduced to my wife, Tanya, and my daughter, Lora." He continued before her shocked voice could muster up anything to say, "That's my brother, Frank, his wife, Charlene, and their son, Jason."
Ariana squinted her eyes, now was her turn to stare and observe them all. Slowly, the picture finally came together. Though they looked much older and wrinkled than the photos she had seen, she could recognize them all.
"Y-You're Franklin Bareford?"