Banished

I don’t think I could have imagined what could have resulted when I fell in love. For many, love is something worth celebrating, something encouraged, and most crave it. You would think that when my parents found out I was ready to marry someone I loved, they would’ve been ecstatic.

My parents are the rulers of a planet named Zebor, a bountiful, gorgeous planet. It has many different terrains and for the most part it's peaceful. My position of being princess comes with the stipulation that I must get married to the most eligible bachelor. One who would be fit for the next king. This is something I have dreaded for most of my life, I want to marry for love. In my culture, this is seen as the most absurd thing, my people are more logical than emotional.

Our kind are medium in stature, with long pointed ears, long tails and a wide variety of skin colors. My father was red, my mother blue which resulted in me being born in a light purple shade.

Their marriage was arranged, and they have grown fond of each other but I really can’t say they fell in love. They tell me I’m being irrational, that for the good of the kingdom I have to just be arranged to someone. Call me a dreamer, but I have much bigger aspirations for my future.

“O’Nari? Are you even listening?” My mother brought me out of my thoughts. I snap back to reality, looking upon the man that was in front of me.

“Pardon me, what did you say?” I ask with a tight smile. The bachelor looked offended, of course, but repeated how lovely he found me. I thanked him and turned to my mother’s ear.

“I’m so tired, we’ve been at this all day, can’t we be done yet?”

“Darling please. We have to get this done somehow.” She replied. I groaned, mostly to myself and impatiently waited through the rest of the bachelors who were in line to meet me. They’re all boring, either other Zeborian noblemen, neighboring planet’s finest men and even a rival kingdom’s prince.

“Thank you all for coming. We will be in contact as soon as a decision is made.” Mother chirped as she dragged me into my chambers.

“You are insufferable.” Mother screeched at me once the door was closed. She started to go off on another one of her rants, how I’m putting the kingdom at jeopardy, how my father will also have a talk with me about my behavior. It’s all just noise at this point. Once she was red in the face from all the yelling, she stormed out and slammed the door shut. I immediately took this as my opportunity to leave. I changed out of my dress into some comfortable tunic and pants. I threw a rope from my window and leaped out. Catching the rope with my tail as I slid down to my feet. The faster I can get to the forest, the faster I can get to him.

The excitement bubbled in my stomach, I can already feel a grin creeping to my face. A fresh cool breeze follows me as I trek through the thick yellow plants and trees. Once I see the makeshift camping site, I knew I had made it.

“O’Nari!” My name sounds like a symphony from his lips.

I run and jump into the arms of the love of my life, Joshua. Who just so happens to be a human from Earth. His skin is pale, much paler than I’ve seen. His hair black, and his eyes were a mix of blue and green.

The humans came to Zebor about 3 years ago. Joshua is a scientist, looking for different plants that he and the others could take back to Earth since it is slowly dying. They are here with my father’s blessing that they cannot make themselves known to the citizens here. Humans are able to breathe on this planet with the help of a special fruit that grows in the forest. My mother absolutely despises humans, she keeps telling my father to have them banished to the dunes of Lomari, the deadliest desert in all of Zebor. If the creatures don’t kill you, the heat will.

“I’ve missed you so much.” I exclaimed as Joshua stole a kiss from me. He smiles widely, and my tail coils around him tighter. The way we fell in love was mostly by how different he was than any other man here. He’s patient with me, explaining what he can about his knowledge of the plants of Earth and the difference of the ones from here. He has always been kind and open to me teaching him about the things he doesn’t know. Unlike the many Zeborian men who choose to ignore or talk over me, Joshua really listens. Which is strange for a creature with such small ears. He tells me that the reasons why he fell in love with me was because of my nurturing personality, the way I am with the different creatures around his camp and how I have taken care of him countless times he’s been sick from some of the plants here. I have never felt the feeling of love before, but I can confidently say that with Joshua, I know what it is now.

“I was telling the others that I think after 2 years, we finally found the cure for the sickness that’s plaguing the earth. We’re going to have to leave the planet within the next couple of days to make a serum.” Joshua said solemnly. My face fell, I landed back on my feet and looked up at him with a frown.

“So, we only have a couple more days to be together?” I could feel hot tears try to escape my eyes, but I swallowed them down.

“Yes. But I had an idea. Come with me.” He said.

“W-what? “ My eyes widened at his remark. Joshua slowly got down on one knee, pulling out a ring woven from grass with a flower on it.

“I want you to come with me, and marry me.” Joshua said with a smile. My heart nearly leaped out of my chest, I threw myself around him once again in an embrace.

“I will marry you!”

As those words left my mouth, I heard hundreds of arrows take aim at the camp. The other humans began to gasp in horror. I leaped up, helping Joshua from the ground just in time to see my mother and father in full view. I gulped, my heart beginning to race.

“I knew that one day you would disgrace our entire bloodline, but to think you’d do it by falling in love with a human? This is unacceptable.” My mother spat with a poisonous expression.

“I let you on our planet, take from our resources, and this is the way you repay me? By proposing marriage to my daughter? You are terribly mistaken if you think that we were going to let you leave with our plants and O’Nari.” My father said.

In a flash, guards were butchering the other humans left and right. Horrifying screams could be heard from miles away as the 11 human scientists lost their lives. My mother grabbed me, and my father walked to Joshua.

“No, NO! What are you going to do? Leave him alone!” I cried as my mother put arm restraints on me.

“Your highness, please reconsider. I love your daughter, I will do anything for-” A blood curdling scream escaped me. A loud slash echoed throughout the trees, and with a thud Joshua’s decapitated head fell to the ground. His lifeless body followed, my father flicked his blade clean and walked back to me. I was thrashing around in my mother's grip, so much so that the arm restraints broke and I jumped to my love’s body. Sobs escaped me, I cradled his body and screamed in anguish.

“O’Nari, you have forsaken your birthright the second you attached yourself to a human. You are cut off from the royal family and are hereby banished to the dunes of Lomari, for the rest of your days.” Were the last words my mother has ever said to me.

Guards grabbed me, taking me to the edge of the desert. No food, no clothing, nothing to suggest I should survive. The air is thick, sandflies are pecking at my exposed skin. The heat is starting to make me delirious. The tears that I cried evaporated almost immediately. This is how I will be made an example of, all for truly loving a human. Engulfed in the desert's parched silence, I was nothing but another grain of sand in the wind.