Chapter 4: Another Listener Joins

Paul’s attention to Leda’s tale was interrupted by the sounds of someone coming down the hall. He turned and looked behind him, surprised to Elara coming down the corridor to him. Using this opportunity, Paul studied his youngest sister-in-law.

Out of Lita’s five daughter, Elara was the only one not married. There had been several promising romances over the years, Paul remembered. However, Elara would suddenly lose interest in the current beau.

The first examples of this flightiness from the usually practical Elara concerned her family. After the pattern presented itself time and time again, everyone decided that Elara hadn’t found “the one” just yet and speculation calmed somewhat. However, as Elara’s thirtieth birthday neared, the speculation resumed on Elara’s relationships or the current lack thereof.

The last serious relationship had been with one of the residents in training at the hospital of the Jovian capital. While Elara officially served the castle’s medical needs primarily, she would often aid the hospital with the more serious cases. When everyone believed that Elara had finally found her mate, she suddenly ended the relationship with the young doctor without explanation. Heartbroken, he had returned to Earth to the hospital in Crystal Tokyo.

The castle healer smiled at her brother-in-law as she approached. The fine lines around Elara’s hazel eyes spoke of her approaching birthday. However, the lively gleam in those eyes and her curly, dark brown hair added a hint of youth to the compassionate woman.

Once she was close enough, Elara gazed past Paul’s shoulder to the scene inside Thebe’s bedroom. She studied the touching scene for a few moments, noticing the great love Leda held for Thebe. When she did turn her attention back to Paul, her eyes sparkled.

“Aren’t you a little old to be eavesdropping outside a young girl’s door?” Elara whispered, her smile broadening when she noticed Paul’s slight blush.

“Aren’t you suppose to be in bed, Elara?” Paul countered, regaining his composure.

“One could ask the same of you,” she retorted, enjoying the little tic-for-tac with the prince. However, her face soon grew serious. “What has you outside Thebe’s door?”

“Leda’s bedtime story,” Paul replied honestly, his voice still a faint whisper.

“Which story is that?” Elara asked, her curiosity piqued.

“The story of Cignus, about her father and the downfall.”

“I never realized that she knew all the details,” Elara mused in amazement.

“Well, she knows plenty of details, no matter where she got them,” Paul said, facing the crack in the doorway.

Suppressing the urge to giggle at the idea of the Prince of Jupiter lingering outside a bedroom to hear a bedtime story, Elara whispered in his ear one last time. “I think I will join you.”

* * * * *

Leda paused in her story to study the face of her niece. The girl’s face spoke of joyful exuberance even in sleep, Leda noted with a smile. Thebe had the outgoing and somewhat aggressive personality of her mother, Caitlyn. However, this trait was tempered by the almost irresistible charm of her father, Alexander.

The princess sighed softly. She and Paul had been discussing the issue of succession, due to some pressure from Crystal Tokyo and the memories of Lita’s death. How would everyone react if she and Paul announced Thebe, not one of Leda’s sisters or another niece or nephew, as heir?

Maybe she was borrowing trouble, Leda thought as she smiled down at her niece once more. However, if they decide that Thebe should be their heir, Thebe’s training should begin within a couple of years. Could she possibly convince Caitlyn to send Thebe to Crystal Tokyo for two years as part of the training?

With some effort, Leda pushed the thoughts from her mind. She would not make that decision tonight, especially not alone, without Paul’s input. She studied Thebe some more, wanting ensuring that her niece was truly asleep.

Leda smiled as one and then two gray eyes opened and looked at her sheepishly. “I thought you were asleep, young lady,” Leda chided somewhat seriously.

“I wanted to hear the end of the story, Aunt Leda,” Thebe answered, her reddening cheeks indicating her growing embarrassment. “What happens next? How does Amalthea become the Child of Darkness?”

“This really isn’t a very happy story,” Leda commented. “Maybe I shouldn’t have started it. Some of this isn’t appropriate, especially considering that I haven’t asked the Guardians for permission to retell this. If Dido, Cassandra, or even Iphigenia was to ever find out about this, I would never hear the end of it,” Leda lamented, sighing melodramatically.

However, she was truly concerned about offending the Guardians, most especially Dido and Scylla, with this retelling. While Iphigenia had not expressly forbade her to repeat what she had learned from the Guardian of History, Leda was certain that Iphigenia was concerned about what would happen if the details of Dido’s feelings for Leda’s father and Scylla’s betrayal became public knowledge.

“I won’t tell, Aunt Leda. I promise I won’t breathe a word about this. You can’t stop it now. I would never go to sleep, trying to figure out the ending. Please.”

Thebe’s eyes pleaded with Leda. Seeing Leda soften slightly, Thebe continued. “Did Dido ever tell Adonis that she loved him?”

Leda gave a rueful smile, as she thought about the story’s ending. It really wasn’t a very happy tale. ‘And it’s making a dreadful bedtime story,’ Leda thought to herself, but she knew that she would have to finish it.

“Well, you’ll have to wait and see,” Leda said, not missing the look of triumph and delight in Thebe’s face. “Let’s see where was I. Oh, yes, I remember.

“Cassandra had kept her promise to Scylla and not reported Amalthea’s comments to the king. Both Scylla and Dido kept careful watch over Amalthea and Adonis for signs of either becoming the Child of Darkness. However, a year and a half after the Guardian’s meeting, there had been nothing additional to report.

“That is, until Scylla discovered Werla’s and Amalthea’s plans. . .”


Another Listener Joins Paul’s attention to Leda’s tale was interrupted by the sounds of someone coming down the hall. He turned and looked behind him, surprised to Elara coming down the corridor to him. Using this opportunity, Paul studied his youngest sister-in-law. Out of Lita’s five daughter, Elara was the only one not married. There had been several promising romances over the years, Paul remembered. However, Elara would suddenly lose interest in the current beau. The first examples of this flightiness from the usually practical Elara concerned her family. After the pattern presented itself time and time again, everyone decided that Elara hadn’t found “the one” just yet and speculation calmed somewhat. However, as Elara’s thirtieth birthday neared, the speculation resumed on Elara’s relationships or the current lack thereof. The last serious relationship had been with one of the residents in training at the hospital of the Jovian capital. While Elara officially served the castle’s medical needs primarily, she would often aid the hospital with the more serious cases. When everyone believed that Elara had finally found her mate, she suddenly ended the relationship with the young doctor without explanation. Heartbroken, he had returned to Earth to the hospital in Crystal Tokyo. The castle healer smiled at her brother-in-law as she approached. The fine lines around Elara’s hazel eyes spoke of her approaching birthday. However, the lively gleam in those eyes and her curly, dark brown hair added a hint of youth to the compassionate woman. Once she was close enough, Elara gazed past Paul’s shoulder to the scene inside Thebe’s bedroom. She studied the touching scene for a few moments, noticing the great love Leda held for Thebe. When she did turn her attention back to Paul, her eyes sparkled. “Aren’t you a little old to be eavesdropping outside a young girl’s door?” Elara whispered, her smile broadening when she noticed Paul’s slight blush. “Aren’t you suppose to be in bed, Elara?” Paul countered, regaining his composure. “One could ask the same of you,” she retorted, enjoying the little tic-for-tac with the prince. However, her face soon grew serious. “What has you outside Thebe’s door?” “Leda’s bedtime story,” Paul replied honestly, his voice still a faint whisper. “Which story is that?” Elara asked, her curiosity piqued. “The story of Cignus, about her father and the downfall.” “I never realized that she knew all the details,” Elara mused in amazement. “Well, she knows plenty of details, no matter where she got them,” Paul said, facing the crack in the doorway. Suppressing the urge to giggle at the idea of the Prince of Jupiter lingering outside a bedroom to hear a bedtime story, Elara whispered in his ear one last time. “I think I will join you.” * * * * * Leda paused in her story to study the face of her niece. The girl’s face spoke of joyful exuberance even in sleep, Leda noted with a smile. Thebe had the outgoing and somewhat aggressive personality of her mother, Caitlyn. However, this trait was tempered by the almost irresistible charm of her father, Alexander. The princess sighed softly. She and Paul had been discussing the issue of succession, due to some pressure from Crystal Tokyo and the memories of Lita’s death. How would everyone react if she and Paul announced Thebe, not one of Leda’s sisters or another niece or nephew, as heir? Maybe she was borrowing trouble, Leda thought as she smiled down at her niece once more. However, if they decide that Thebe should be their heir, Thebe’s training should begin within a couple of years. Could she possibly convince Caitlyn to send Thebe to Crystal Tokyo for two years as part of the training? With some effort, Leda pushed the thoughts from her mind. She would not make that decision tonight, especially not alone, without Paul’s input. She studied Thebe some more, wanting ensuring that her niece was truly asleep. Leda smiled as one and then two gray eyes opened and looked at her sheepishly. “I thought you were asleep, young lady,” Leda chided somewhat seriously. “I wanted to hear the end of the story, Aunt Leda,” Thebe answered, her reddening cheeks indicating her growing embarrassment. “What happens next? How does Amalthea become the Child of Darkness?” “This really isn’t a very happy story,” Leda commented. “Maybe I shouldn’t have started it. Some of this isn’t appropriate, especially considering that I haven’t asked the Guardians for permission to retell this. If Dido, Cassandra, or even Iphigenia was to ever find out about this, I would never hear the end of it,” Leda lamented, sighing melodramatically. However, she was truly concerned about offending the Guardians, most especially Dido and Scylla, with this retelling. While Iphigenia had not expressly forbade her to repeat what she had learned from the Guardian of History, Leda was certain that Iphigenia was concerned about what would happen if the details of Dido’s feelings for Leda’s father and Scylla’s betrayal became public knowledge. “I won’t tell, Aunt Leda. I promise I won’t breathe a word about this. You can’t stop it now. I would never go to sleep, trying to figure out the ending. Please.” Thebe’s eyes pleaded with Leda. Seeing Leda soften slightly, Thebe continued. “Did Dido ever tell Adonis that she loved him?” Leda gave a rueful smile, as she thought about the story’s ending. It really wasn’t a very happy tale. ‘And it’s making a dreadful bedtime story,’ Leda thought to herself, but she knew that she would have to finish it. “Well, you’ll have to wait and see,” Leda said, not missing the look of triumph and delight in Thebe’s face. “Let’s see where was I. Oh, yes, I remember. “Cassandra had kept her promise to Scylla and not reported Amalthea’s comments to the king. Both Scylla and Dido kept careful watch over Amalthea and Adonis for signs of either becoming the Child of Darkness. However, a year and a half after the Guardian’s meeting, there had been nothing additional to report. “That is, until Scylla discovered Werla’s and Amalthea’s plans. . .”


Chapter 5: Warning Signs Jupiter's Gone