immediately run off to inform the authorities. Instead she appeared genuinely sympathetic and caring. Why was Eladria so surprised and taken aback by that?
“Why did you run away?” the woman asked.
Eladria shook her head and looked down to ground.
“Things must have been very tough in order for you to do that,” the woman said, her voice soft and gentle. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Eladria answered.
“It's not all right, though. Were you having problems at home?”
“You could say that...”
“Why don’t you tell me about it? It might help.”
Eladria shook her head. “Believe me, it won’t.” She didn’t want to have this conversation. She didn’t want to open up to anyone, she just wanted to be on her way and find somewhere safe and secluded until she could figure out her next move.
“Where do you live?” the woman enquired.
“It doesn’t matter,” the girl responded.
“Okay,” the stranger nodded. “My name’s Jelandra. What’s yours?”
“I really have to be going,” Eladria said.
She was about slip past the stranger and leave when something she said stopped her in her tracks. “I was just a little older than you the last time I ran away. It was just after my parents died.”
Eladria turned round and looked up at her. There was a sadness in her eyes as the woman continued. “I just wanted to escape, I suppose. Escape the pain I was feeling, the hurt and the grief…and even the memories.”
There was a silence before Eladria hesitantly asked: “And did you?”
Jelandra shook her head slowly. “No. You can try. You can run as far and as fast as you can, but ultimately you can’t escape yourself, or the pain that you’re feeling. As hard as it is, you eventually have no choice but to face it and deal with it.”
“My mother’s gone,” Eladria blurted. “They’ve searched for her, but they’re on the verge of giving up. My father seems to think she isn’t coming back.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Because she’s still alive, I know she is. And if my father won’t continue searching for her, then I will.”
“You really believe you can do that on your own?”
“I don’t know,” Eladria admitted. “I can try...”
“Can you? Can you really?” Jelandra took a step forward and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Eladria felt an instant yearning for the warmth of her mother’s touch, for her comforting embrace and her soft, soothing voice.
“How old are you?” Jelandra asked.
“Seven,” Eladria answered, her eyes fixed on the ground.
“You’re so young,” Jelandra said. “You can’t do this on your own. You shouldn’t even be out in these streets alone. It’s only a matter of time before someone reports you to the authorities. And then there’s your father. He must be looking for you. He must be extremely worried about you...”
“But if I’m gone, maybe it’ll force him to keep searching. Keep searching for me…and for her. I can’t believe he was thinking about giving up.”
“Maybe you misunderstood him?” Jelandra suggested. “If I was in his position and I’d lost my life’s love, I’d never stop searching, and I doubt your father would either. It’s possible he’s simply preparing himself for the worst, while hoping for the best.”
“I don’t know,” Eladria admitted, wiping a teardrop off her cheek.
“Maybe not, but you must know that he needs you and you need him,” the stranger continued, her soft and melodious voice soothing Eladria’s aching heart. “Life hurts. Our parents spend the best part of our childhood trying to conceal that fact from us. They try to protect us from the pain, comforting us when we fall and graze our knees and keeping us safe from danger and harm. But there comes a time when something happens beyond their control, something so painful that there's nothing they can do to hide us from the pain. That's what's happened to you now…and even so, your father is still there for you, and you can get through this together.”
Eladria considered this and shook her head. “But I can’t go back. I’m not ready...”
“Then how long do you intend to wander these streets? And what will it achieve?” There was a pause before she continued. “I understand the impulse to run away, to get as far from your problems as you can. But as I learned when I was your age, it doesn’t work. You have to be strong and face them head on.”
“I can’t.” Eladria shook her head.
“You can, because you’re not alone,” Jelandra assured her, embracing her warmly. Overcome by emotion, Eladria melted into her arms; in the back of her mind marveling at just how comfortable she felt with this woman, a complete stranger. It was though she’d somehow known her for years.
“You need to go back home,” Jelandra continued, her words neither stern nor authoritarian, but compassionate and knowing. “You need to be with your father. You’re lucky you still have someone who loves and cares for you. When my family died, I had no one and nothing. But you do, and you always will...”
Eladria knew that she was right. She drew back and dried her eyes with the side of her hand. Running and hiding was pointless, because it was only a matter of time before her father’s men found her. And with security likely tightened at the transport stations, it would be virtually impossible for her to slip through undetected. Her grand and ambitious plan of escaping to the planet had been flawed from the start, born of desperation with little regard for practicality.
Jelandra smiled down at her. “Are you ready to go back?” she asked.
Eladria nodded.
“Do you want me to escort you to the palace?”
“The palace?” Eladria looked up, startled. “How--how did you know?”
“I recognized you the moment I laid eyes on you, your Highness,” Jelandra admitted with a respectful bow of her head.
“Why didn’t you say?”
“Because if you knew I recognized you, you’d probably have run off straight away.”
That was true. The girl shifted awkwardly and decided that she would appreciate Jelandra’s company as she returned to the palace. Jelandra reached down to take the girl’s hand and together they made their way down the lane, across the bricks, and back onto the main street.
“Where do you live?” Eladria asked, looking up at her new friend in curiosity.
“Oh, I live in the city. I have for a number of years now,” Jelandra answered.
“What happened to your family?”
“It’s a long story,” came the answer. “And not something I find easy to talk about. It was a long time ago and I’ve had to move on with my life. In time, I came to find new friends and a new family.”
Little more was said about it. Eladria explained that the military was searching for her and that she’d rather return to the palace of her own accord than under military escort. Jelandra understood and together they made their way through the east quadrant, always on the lookout for the military officers, of which there were many. They frequently had to dive out of sight, stopping behind buildings until the search parties were past. Eladria felt a strange bond with her new friend, and when it eventually came time to part, she found herself reluctant to say goodbye.
They’d made it to the central plaza and now stood behind a grove of trees, looking up at the palace complex. Armed officers patrolled the border of the palace—at least twice as many as usual—pacing up and down the front gates, electro-pulse rifles slung over their shoulders. The moment Eladria left the plaza parkland she’d be spotted and taken back into the palace.
The princess looked up at her friend. “I suppose I’d better go now,” she sighed.
Jelandra nodded and smiled.
“Will I see you again?”
“I’m certain you will…”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re very welcome.” Jelandra reached out and embraced her. “I know what it’
s like to be lost, alone and in pain. That’s why I know it gets easier, Princess. Whether they find your mother or not—and I pray that they will—you will get through this.”
Eladria nodded as she withdrew and looked down at Tanos, who was sniffing the ground around the trees. “Let’s go, Tanos. The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
With one last farewell, the princess took her leave. She marched past the dense, blossom-covered trees and climbed over the fence separating the plaza parkland from the courtyard at the periphery of the palace. She was immediately spotted by the palace guards. As two of the guards started toward her, she turned and looked behind her to see if Jelandra was still watching. There was no sign of her. She must have quickly slipped away. But Eladria caught sight of that lone bird again, circling above the plaza. For a brief moment the girl wondered if it had followed her all the way from the east quadrant, although she knew that was unlikely. The bird nevertheless let out a celebratory-sounding squawk as it flew off into the distance. It was almost as though it was happy that she’d made it back home.
As the palace guards approached, the man at the forefront called her by name, his manner forthright but gentle. With a polite nod, he told her that he would escort her into the palace and said how relieved her father would be to see her again. Eladria nodded and followed as he led her through the gates and into the grounds of the palace. His colleague used a handheld communication device to inform Central Command that the princess had been found.
Eladria was taken to the main entrance of the palace, through the grand glass