A Summer Of Missing Princesses

“Oh? So I’m number 6?” EpicCourage asks for clarification.

“Yeah, and who knows where number 7 might be? Is she on this planet as well?” I wonder out loud.

“As far as I know, no,” EpicCourage says.

“...I do happen to know of one more princess...” Wisdom announces from the top of the fountain.

She jumps down and lands perfectly.

“Ooh! What is she like? Is she nice like you guys?!” Aleena asks.

“...She’s long gone...” Wisdom says.

“Well, that’s helpful. Any princesses that are still living?” I ask.

“No, no, I think you’ve misunderstood what I said. What I really mean is that her entire galaxy has been missing for quite some time now,” Wisdom says.

“So...she’s dead?” I ask.

“No! She’s still alive! She was born many years after her galaxy vanished!” Wisdom yells.

“How do you know, then?” I ask.

“Rumors on the wind... Look, us vampires sometimes know things other species don’t,” Wisdom says.

“You’re a vampire?” EpicCourage asks.

“Yep,” Wisdom says.

“Oh. Okay,” EpicCourage says and shrugs her shoulders.

“As the story goes, a long time ago, the galaxy known as Enetrer-1 existed peacefully within reach of Vampiro, which was also, at the time, in a different location than it is now... However, a very old and very large star nearby died and turned into a super massive black hole! While the force of the conversion pushed Vampiro away, it ended up drawing Enetrer-1 in. We have not seen it to this day, but occasionally, we get strange signals from where the galaxy once was...” Wisdom says.

“Okay, she’s dead then. You said earlier that all matter inside a black hole is crushed up so tiny it is as though it never existed,” I say.

“Yes, I did say that. Thanks. But you fail to recall I also said black holes could be portals to other parts of the universe,” Wisdom says.

“Which you said was merely a theory,” I argue back.

“But, what if it is true and there is a princess in there that needs our help?” Wisdom asks.

“Well, guess we’ll die,” I say, playfully.

“NO!” Wisdom yells.

“Hey, I was only joking,” I say.

“So you guys are actually going to try to fly a spaceship into a black hole?” EpicCourage asks and glances at Epsilon.

“Sounds epic to me. Maybe you should join them,” Epsilon says and bursts out laughing.

“Gosh, Epsilon! Why do you want me dead?!” EpicCourage asks.

“I don’t. Why would I?” Epsilon asks.

“Because you seem eager for me to get crushed by a black hole,” EpicCourage says.

“Actually, I got them a high pressure forcefield, so, we should be able to make it through safely... If it is a portal, that is,” Wisdom says.

“And if it’s not?” I ask.

“Eh, we’ll be stuck traveling on and on forever,” Wisdom says.

Princess Aleena screams and falls over in fear. Epsilon laughs.

“Cool!” Epsilon says.

“EPSILON!” EpicCourage yells.

Everyone watches as EpicCourage wrestles with her brother.

“Oh, can I join?” Sìneag asks, watching excitedly.

“It’s best not to interfere...” Theta says.

“Okay, enough! Get off of Epsilon!” a slightly older looking version of Epsilon cries out.

“I thought you didn’t want to be in charge?” EpicCourage asks and lets go of Epsilon.

“Well, you’re hurting our brother,” the older looking Epsilon says.

“Why do you all look so much alike?” Aleena asks from the floor.

“We are siblings, so I guess it’s only natural,” the older Epsilon says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Must be tiresome having that many siblings,” Korallee says.

“Yes,” EpicCourage, Epsilon, and Theta all say at the same time.

“Okay, you know what? I’m leaving. Epsilon, you are not in charge,” EpicCourage says.

“Wha-! But, EpicCourage!” Epsilon whines.

“Beta is in charge,” EpicCourage says, pointing to the older Epsilon.

“Aw, come on!” Epsilon whines.

“I thought you wanted me to go to the black hole?” EpicCourage asks.

“Yeah, but I wanted to be in charge...” Epsilon mumbles under his breath.

We exit the castle after Prince Mu hugs us all goodbye, especially EpicCourage as it has been a long time since he last seen her.

“Oh! I know something you need to know!” Wisdom says, suddenly to EpicCourage.

“And what is that?” EpicCourage asks.

Right away, I already can tell that Wisdom is about to bring up the lack of landing gear.

“Our spaceship lacks landing gear. And also it is parked very very far away!” Wisdom announces.

“Oh, really? Where is it?” EpicCourage asks.

“We landed it near the Rat People’s kingdom,” Mór says.

“Oh no, do you think we’ll see that one crazy rat again?” Korallee asks.

“Hey, it’s possible,” Mór replies.

“Oh the Ratuspoli! You came from that direction? Well, I do suppose it is the quickest way here from that end of the planet...but you must have encountered the Crachatanapoli!” EpicCourage says.

“We sure did,” Korallee says.

“Yeah... They are not very nice...” EpicCourage says.

We make the long trip back to the spaceship and by the time we finally arrive, everybody is exhausted. It is nighttime now as the sun has set. Because of this, Wisdom is able to take the spacesuit off.

“Oh, green hair? Nice!” EpicCourage says.

“Will you need a spacesuit...?” I ask.

“No, I think I should be fine...” EpicCourage says.

“I’m tired...” Aleena says.

“Me too! And my feet hurt! And my legs!” Sìneag complains.

“Well, you two can sleep in the ship,” Wisdom says.

Despite being in pain (yes, still, and especially now since how the Falenpoli treated me), I’m surprisingly not that tired. The excitement of another new adventure surges through me, keeping me awake.

“I really hope Beta can manage the castle on his own. He is older than I am...” EpicCourage says, taking a seat in the spaceship.

“You don’t think Epsilon will take over, do you?” I ask.

The door to the spaceship closes and all of us aside from Wisdom and EpicCourage put our spacesuits on.

“Oh, gosh! I certainly hope not! Epsilon would make for the worst king to ever rule the Canenpoli!” EpicCourage says, “I can just imagine it now... Epsilon on the throne receiving hourly massages as his own siblings feed him... He’d be a fat king, I imagine. If he had his way, so many civilians would be starving to death.”

“Then it is a good thing they have you,” Wisdom says from up front, “My oldest sister is pretty messed up as well... I am concerned for how my own kingdom will fair under her rule if something should happen to my mother and father...”

“Surely she can’t be as bad as Epsilon!” EpicCourage exclaims.

In the back of the ship, Aleena and Sìneag are huddled up fast asleep.

“Her name is literally Power,” Wisdom says.

“Oh, dang!” EpicCourage exclaims.

“Hang on tight, everybody! We’re getting ready for take off!” Wisdom announces.

“Looks like we’re ready for takeoff!” Korallee calls out, checking the windows to make sure nothing is in the way.

“Then we’re off!” Wisdom announces.

Once again, the spaceship powers on and speeds along at a high speed until lifting off the ground, heading straight into the sky.

“Wow...” EpicCourage says, staring out the window, “This is an amazing view...”

“I know, right?!” Wisdom asks, grinning, “This is where the fun begins.”

“Which way to the black hole?” Mór asks, curiously.

“I’m going to guess it’s that way? I don’t know,” Korallee says, pointing out her window.

I go to look out the window the direction Korallee is pointing. I don’t know what to expect. I guess a hole? But all of space is dark aside from where the stars are, so how would I know for sure? Wisdom shakes her head.

“You know how I know the black hole isn’t over there?” Wisdom asks.

“How?” Korallee asks.

Wisdom swivels her head around again to look at us.

“There are too many star clusters in that direction. While there may possibly be a small black hole that way, it is more likely the one we are looking for is this other way,” Wisdom says.

When I turn to look out the other window, I find that, in the distance, there is a section of space that is entirely black. Stars and planets surround the area, but the center is entirely dark. For some reason, looking at this area gives me chills. It’s so unnatural, and yet, it is natural.

“So, we just head that way...” Wisdom says, casually piloting the spaceship around a space rock we just almost crashed into without realizing it.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this...” I say.

“Me too...but if it does work...” Mór says.

“...then we can save another life...” Korallee says.

As we are talking, we are getting closer and closer to the darkness. Surrounding the darkness, much to my surprise, is a ring of orange light that appears to be swirling around the hole. The spaceship shudders and Wisdom grins like a maniac.

“Oh! Oh! Here we go! We are entering the gravitational pull of the black hole!” Wisdom announces.

“Oh gosh I am scared! Do we really have to go in there?!” EpicCourage asks, shaking.

“Yep! Here, let me speed things up a bit...” Wisdom says.

She flips a few switches and suddenly, the spaceship begin moving even faster.

“Forcefield up! We are approaching the point of no return! Welcome to the event horizon!” Wisdom announces.

“Huh? This seems fine,” I say.

The girls in the back are starting to wake up. They yawn, stretch, and then burst out screaming.

“Hey! It’s okay! I think...” I say.

“Hah hah hah... To us on the inside of the ship, nothing is wrong! On the outside, however, we’re burning to a crisp, lost forever!” Wisdom says.

“You monster!” I say, teasingly.

“Oh, trust me, I know...” Wisdom says with a wink.

Everything goes completely pitch black and I can no longer see. Not even my own hand in front of my face can be seen. I open my mouth to speak, but not a word comes out. I try to scream, but not a sound comes from me. I cannot hear anything either. Everyone else is silent as well. I can feel my heart beating, so I know I must still be alive.

The darkness and silence seems to continue on forever as we seem to sit completely still inside the void. My head pounds and my mind is racing. Have I gone mad? Are we all doomed to be lost forever inside the black hole?

I don’t know how much time passes, but in a flash, light returns and the ship rattles aggressively.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” I hear the girls around me screaming.

Wisdom, however, is laughing like a maniac.

“WE DID IT, GIRLS! WE CROSSED THE HORIZON!” Wisdom shrieks.

Glancing out the window, I see a huge ball of white light behind us. It is so bright that my eyes burn. Wisdom doesn’t seem to be effected by this, despite her reaction to passing a star.

“That was terrible!” I yell.

“I seriously thought that was the end...” Korallee says.

“I’m glad that’s over. I was so scared!” Aleena says, trembling.

“Oh, but we have to cross through again to get home,” Wisdom says.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Aleena and Sìneag screech.

“I’m just thinking about how disappointed Epsilon will be when I return,” EpicCourage says.

“We’re just going to move along down to Enetrer-1...And the planet of interest is Drayzeen,” Wisdom says.

The sky is filled with beautiful stars and planets that likely have never been seen by anyone on Earth before. Some barely seem to move and others appear to be spinning rapidly. Despite the stunning beauty, a part of me longs to be back home. I want to see Fairwood again.

“Where’s Drayzeen...” Wisdom wonders out loud, “It should be around here somewhere...”

“Do you know where exactly it should be?” Mór asks.

“Y-Yeah...” Wisdom says, gulping nervously.

“Then can’t you just fly to it?” Mór asks, raising an eyebrow.

“About that...” Wisdom says.

“You DON’T know where it is?” Mór asks.

“It should be here but it isn’t. It moved,” Wisdom says.

“Maybe it’s that planet over there lingering threateningly close to that star?” Korallee suggests.

“Oh, that’s cute!” Wisdom says, stamping her foot in frustration.

“I bet I can fly us over there,” Korallee says.

“Or I can,” EpicCourage says.

“Okay, I guess we can let the other alien fly,” Korallee says.

“Alien, what? No, you guys are the aliens,” EpicCourage says with a giggle.

“Just fly us over there and lower the ship...” Wisdom says, “Did we put landing gear on before we left?”

“Hah hah...” EpicCourage says.

Wisdom slams her face into the wheel aggressively.

“Oh yuck, I guess you’ll have to drop the ship again...” Sìneag grumbles.

“I suppose so... I’ll probably burn, though...” Wisdom says, peeling her face off of the wheel.

Wisdom gets up and EpicCourage takes her place, turning the ship the correct direction.

“I bet the people will be nice!” Aleena pipes in.

“...yeah, I’m kind of hoping to not get tortured again...” I say.

“Well, as on any planet, there are good people and there are bad people...” Wisdom says.

“I guess you’re right,” I respond.

Wisdom curls up on a chair as we approach the new planet. Compared to the last few planets, Drayzeen looks very dry. In fact, I don’t see any oceans.

“Where’s the water?” I ask.

“Well, you see... When a planet is too close to the sun, not even the atmosphere can prevent water from being lost. Over time, all the water evaporates and the land becomes barren,” Wisdom says, “It is a terrible fate and you’d hate to be on one of those planets.”

“Aw man... If only we could do something to help them...” Aleena says, crying.

“Hey, it’s alright, Aleena... Don’t cry...” I say, but I’m actually concerned as well.

“Hmmm... This looks like a good spot to land...” EpicCourage says out loud.

“Okay, lower the ship, I’ll help when we get closer to the surface,” Wisdom says.

“Wow, that’s a lot of yellow...” Mór says.

The view of the surface below us appears to be a golden yellow mass.

“Is that flowers?” Sìneag asks, looking very interested.

“No, I don’t think so...” Korallee says.

As soon as we get closer to the land, Wisdom jumps out of the ship again and attempts to slow are descent.

“You think we’ll instal landing gear this time?” Aleena asks.

“Maybe...” I respond.

Knowing us, we’ll likely forget again.

“Oh! That’s grass!” Sìneag says, “Ew. Grass should be green, not yellow...”

“I think it looks fine,” Korallee comments.

“Then you have no sense of style!” Sìneag says, pouting.

KER-CHUNK! We have landed on the surface of Drayzeen in what appears to be a field of golden yellow grass. The sun beams down harshly. Wisdom crawls back into the spaceship.

“OH MY GOSH IT IS LITERALLY BURNING OUT THERE!” Wisdom shrieks, “HOW IN THE HECK IS THIS PLANET STILL INHABITABLE?!”

“I would ask the same about your planet that seems to always be dark and cold,” I say.

“Hmmm... I guess you have a point...” Wisdom says.

“Here, you can borrow my spacesuit again,” I say, taking my spacesuit off.

“Thanks,” Wisdom says.

“Where exactly are we?” I ask.

“Uh... Well, we are on Planet Drayzeen in the Enetrer-1 galaxy...” Wisdom says, putting my spacesuit on herself.

“Yes, I know that much...” I say.

“...hmmm... Well, this is likely not the right kingdom,” Wisdom says.

“Oh great, so we’re going to be walking again?” I ask.

“Oh! Do not worry! Drayzeen is a tiny planet! Which is probably why it is unstable and getting pulled in by its host star... We will get where we need to be relatively quickly,” Wisdom says.

“Which is...?” I ask.

The other princesses get out of their spacesuits and hop into the grass surrounding the ship.

“If I remember correctly, the kingdom we are searching for is called Fairrest Kingdom,” Wisdom says, “I wonder if they may have changed the name or borders since, though.”

“That’s great...” I say with a sigh.

“Aw man! We’re totally lost!” Sìneag wails.

“Cheer up, Sìneag, I’m sure we’ll be fine...” Aleena says.

“WE ARE LOST!” Sìneag wails again.