Saxon Andrew: Tommy’s Tale

Rose broke down in tears and didn’t care who saw her. She needed her family and now all of them could see just how important they all were to each other. Tommy looked at his parents over Rose’s shoulder and said, “It’s time to go home.” Tag and Danielle nodded and hugged each other.

Danielle and Rose went out and met a news reporter to address the huge crowd. Danielle told them how Tommy had been brought to Earth eight years earlier to be educated in a normal school. They thanked everyone for the great treatment he had received.”

While Rose and Danielle were outside addressing the crowd, Wes looked at Linda Kay and said, “Would you mind if I come back to see you.”

Linda Kay smiled at him and said, “My heart will break if you don’t.”

Wes’ face broke into a huge smile and Tommy saw that his best friend had found the one for him. “Time to go, Wes.”

Wes hugged Linda Kay and they left to board Rose’s ship.

Tommy saw the castle below him and focused on the present. He saw the crowds outside the castle and wondered why there were so many gathered. He was used to the attention that all members of the Gardner family received whenever they went out into public but this was just more than he would have ever anticipated for this ceremony. He shook his head and thought, “Rose, I’m coming in on the speeder and I’ll be landing on the pad at the central spire.”

Tommy could hear Rose’s laugh in her thought, “Oh Tommy, you’ll never like being the center of attention will you?”

Tommy smiled and said, “No, I guess not.”

“I’ll get Mom and Dad to meet you,” Rose said.

“That would be great, Rose.”

Tommy brought the speeder in and landed it in the center of the pad. He opened the small port and saw Tag and Danielle walking toward him. Tommy got out and his mother embraced him. “Welcome home stranger,” Danielle said. “We expected you an hour ago. Did Atlas slow you up?”

Tommy smiled and said, “You know better. If you look up compulsive punctual in the dictionary you’ll see Atlas’ picture. I just didn’t want to get here too early. You know I don’t want this title.”

Tag looked at his son and said, “Sometimes the time chooses the servant. The very fact you don’t want it makes you the best choice.”

Tommy looked at his father and said, “I’m going to have to ponder what you just said. However, I obviously don’t have the time to do it now.”

Danielle smiled and said, “No, you don’t. Why don’t we go and get this over with. By the way, you are rather handsome tonight in your uniform.”

Tommy thought at Danielle, “Aww Mom, now you’re embarrassing me.” Danielle laughed and took Tommy’s hand and led him down to the main ball room.

The coronation ceremony was really quite simple. Rose touched Tommy on his shoulders with three swords, a Glod long sword, a Cainth short sword, and an Earth fencing sword. He was declared Duke of the Starts Realm and Defender of the Realm. Tommy swore to protect the Realm against all enemies and then stood and turned for the guests to come forward and bow. Tommy suffered the entire time. After the last guest had bowed he was led to the top of the central tower and stood where the gathered crowds could see him. He was announced as Duke Thomas Anglo Gardner, protector of the Realm and the crowd erupted into cheering and celebration.

Tommy stood there mystified at the crowd’s reaction. He felt someone standing next to him and he glanced to his right and saw Tgon-Gee. The huge Glod Prince towered over him and Tommy heard him say, “You wonder why they love you?”

Tommy looked quickly at Tgon-gee and said, “What do you mean love?”

“Tommy, when you left Castle Gardner and went to earth to be educated as an ordinary citizen, you became one of them. You spent eight years and no one knew you were a Gardner. The Realm knows that you have their heart. You’ve lived their life and shared their experiences. They know that your decisions will be wise because of what you did. The Realm loves you and they trust you.”

Tommy looked at the old Glod and thought about what he was saying. He knew in his heart he only wanted the realm to be safe, prosperous, and happy. For himself, he only wanted to help Atlas end his anguish. Then he really looked at the crowds and could tell they were really happy in their celebrations; he could mentally feel their happiness. Just like Wes learned his value when Linda Kay pointed it out to him, he now felt his value to the realm. He looked up at Tgon-gee and said, “Thank you.” Tgon-gee nodded and Tommy turned to the crowd and raised both his arms over his head. The crowd went crazy.

Standing in front of the Castle inside the garden wall, Wes and Linda Kay watched the crowd cheering Tommy. Wes looked at her and said, “Tommy really doesn’t understand how much he means to the citizens of the Realm.”

Linda Kay snuggled under Wes’ arm and said, “He needs a woman to tell him.”

Wes laughed and said, “Like a fourteen year old I knew.”

Linda Kay smiled, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, and said, “Exactly like that.”

Wes looked out at the crowd and thought, “I truly hope Tommy finds his love. If anyone deserves it, he does.” Then the fireworks started and he lost himself as he held her close.”

Danielle and Leila were standing on the balcony observing the crowd and they saw Wes and Linda Kay standing close in the garden below them. Danielle smiled and said, “It seems your son has found the one.”

Leila smiled and said, “She certainly is a remarkable woman.”

Danielle laughed. “The old Special Forces Team said the same thing about you.”

Leila smiled and looked at Danielle, “We’ve had a wonderful life so far, haven’t we?”

Danielle embraced Leila and said, “Yes we have.”

Tommy was sitting in Castle Gardner’s map room the next morning thinking about the previous day when Atlas broke his train of thought, “Tommy the two Algean adolescents have arrived and are looking for you.”

“Thanks, Atlas.” Tommy then pushed a button on the table com and said, “I’m expecting two Algeans. Please bring them to the map room when they arrive.”

The system operator said, “They are here now; I’m sending them up.”

Tommy stared at the maps and thought about the aliens holding Atlas’ brothers captive. The door opened to the map room and two Algeans walked in. They were not tall but Tommy knew that the two had decided not to reach their full height. He had seen adolescents in the sun reach twelve feet in height. They could also assume many different forms. Today they actually assumed the form of a human with two legs and two arms. Where a face would be was a large bloom like a sunflower. The two Algeans walked up to Tommy and the smaller of the two thought, “Good morning, Your Highness. We are pleased to be here for our education.”

Tommy looked at the two and said, “Good morning. Have either of you been given names yet?”

The shorter one again answered, “As you probably know, we don’t receive our names until we return home at the end of our education.”

Tommy knew the answer to what he was about to ask but he was curious to see if they did, “Why is that?”

The taller Algean thought, “Because so many of us are killed during our education that it doesn’t make good sense to waste a good name.”

Tommy smiled and said, “Why do so many die?”

The shorter one said, “Because we let our curiosity put us in circumstances that are often quite dangerous.”

Tommy looked at them and said, “Is that what happened when you destroyed a megaship?”

The two looked at each other and the taller one thought, “Well, sort of, I tried to understand the workings of a black hole reactor and the black hole fell out onto the ship’s deck.” Tommy just stared at the Algean and the obviously nervous plant said, “It took forty five minutes for the ship to be consumed, so everyone escaped successfully.”