HAGAR'S LITTLE HELPER - PART 1

I watch through the view port as the ship makes its final approach toward planet Doom. The hull shudders from its initial contact with the atmosphere, like a ripple of excitement traveling along its metallic spine as it prepares for the final approach.

The craft slips through a thick blanket of gray clouds to reveal the ground below. It’s late evening, and most of the lights in the city nearby have been doused. The terrain slides by beneath my window, dark and evasive, like an image on the edge of my thoughts.

In the distance, the castle beacon is a shimmering point of light showing the way to the landing pad on the roof. As the ship gets closer I spot a familiar figure in worn brown robes with a blue-furred cat sitting at her feet, waiting at the edge of the landing strip. Four soldiers, each with a trio of robots standing behind him, are on Hagar’s right, standing at ease. I don’t see Lotor anywhere. I suppose he’s in bed by now. I imagine ruling the Empire takes a lot out of him, especially when he has to deal with those troublemakers on Arus.

I shrug on my cloak and grab my satchel while waiting for the ramp to unfurl. The soldiers snap to attention when I reach the top of the stairs. I pull my hood down and hold it in place to conceal my face as I start down the steps. I learned to accept my mixed heritage a long time ago. I survived all the childhood teasing about being the little freak with father’s blue skin and mother’s human eyes. But right now I’m already anxious about this trip and I’d rather not endure a gauntlet of stares. Not until tomorrow, when I’ve rested and my mental armor is fully in place.

My attempt to hide my features has only made the soldiers more inquisitive. Their bodies remain rigid but their heads tilt and weave from side to side as they try to appraise what little of me they can see. At the bottom of the ramp a brisk gust of wind decides to satisfy their curiosity by snagging my hood and yanking it from my head. I give a cry of alarm and drop the satchel to wrestle my wind-blown hair back into place, but not before the men can get a good look at me. So much for my little secret. I gather as much regal bearing as I can and ignore the sly glances they exchange with each other as I pass them by.

“Look all you like,” I hear Hagar say from behind me, “but the first to lay a finger on her gets tossed to the robeasts. Count on it. Now go secure the cargo.”

The soldiers promptly head for the ship at a near run. Hagar rests a gnarled hand gently on my arm.

That’s one of the main things you’ll have to watch for while you’re here,” she says. “Wolves lurk at every corner.”

“I doubt I’ll have to worry about it, Hagar. In my experience, I tend to get more stares than offers.”

Hagar gives me a tolerant smile. “Child, this is Castle Doom. There are many generations of offspring that come from soldiers involving themselves with the slaves. A woman with your appearance isn’t as unusual here as you might think.”

A soldier approaches us, carrying my satchel. He’s tall and very handsome. The slight smile on his lips seems truly friendly. There is something in his bearing as he approaches that intrigues me.

“Your Highness, you dropped this.” He holds the satchel out to me. I take it from him. His gloved fingertips brush my hands as he lets go, and I feel my belly flutter.

“Thank you,” I reply softly and clutch the bag to myself. He smiles a little wider, his eyes - golden yellow, the way Drule eyes are supposed to be - almost seeming to glow. I smile back and he bows and retreats without speaking another word. I stare at his back, unable to move from the spot.

Hagar gives a humph of disapproval and starts toward the archway leading into the castle. I start after her and pause in my walk to look back toward the ship. The soldier has reached the cargo ramp and begun to supervise his trio of robots. He looks in my direction and quickly turns away once he realizes I’m studying him as well. A second soldier standing nearby breaks into a grin and gives him a nudge. They have a brief exchange, and the second man walks away laughing.

“Tira, are you coming?” Hagar asks from behind me.

The second soldier takes note of my staring, goes back to his friend and points in my direction, but the first soldier refuses to look. The other man laughs again.

“Tira...?”

“Yes, Hagar.” I hurry to catch up with her and we enter the castle. We travel along in silence for awhile before she speaks again.

“Good-looking fellow, wasn’t he?” She says casually as we walk along.

“Yes, he was.”

“Very polite, too.”

I smile a little. “Mmm-hmm.”

“Don’t be taken in by friendly gestures or kind words.” An expression of bitterness crosses her features. “In the end, a trap is still a trap, no matter how appealing the bait is.” She gives a little sigh. “I suppose I can’t blame you for being curious, since you were so isolated during your studies. Not very many young men in the Towers, were there?”

“No, there weren’t. And I hardly had time to socialize with those I did meet.”

“It’s just as well. A student of the magical arts doesn’t need those kind of distractions while developing their skills.”

“But I’m a graduate, and I’m also supposed to be entitled to royal privilege. Can’t I indulge in that sort of distraction now?”

She gives me a sideways glance. “I suppose, if you insist.”

I feel a small flush of warmth invade my cheeks. “Well, it’s not that I insist, but -”

Hagar makes a dismissing wave with her hand. “I know all about those sort of things, child. Believe it or not, I was your age once.”

Somehow I get the feeling that I should change the subject. “When do I get to meet my brother?”

“Tomorrow morning, at breakfast,” she replies. “But don’t be surprised if you find him acting less than civil with you.”

“Why?”

“We’ve lost planet Breve, and now planet Marlowe is attempting to throw off the yoke, as it were. We can’t afford to lose that planet.”

“Why? What’s so special about Marlowe?”

“It’s one of our richest lazon resources. If they manage to break away from our direct control, we’ll lose over twenty percent of our regular supply.”

“Lotor has the planet well-guarded then, doesn’t he?”

Hagar ponders my question. “Yes and no. Cossack is the commander of the forces there.”

“And Cossack is...?”

Hagar smirks. “An ambitious little toad. Literally.”

“Is he competent?”

“On rare occasion. But he’s loyal to a fault, so he’s one of the few that Lotor believes he can trust without question. Your brother isn’t terribly high in most popularity polls, you know. He needs all the friends he can get.”

“Maybe he’s just misunderstood.”

Hagar laughs heartily at my remark. “Tira, Tira, Tira...” She gives her head a slow shake. “Your eyes will open soon enough.”

We arrive at the end of a long hallway with doors on either side. Hagar begins to study the row on our right. Nine doors down she stops and hands me a key. “Here’s your room. Get yourself settled in and I’ll have the rest of your luggage brought.”

“Thank you.” I unlock the door, swing it open and have to take a moment to catch my breath. It’s easily ten times larger than the dormitory I lived in on Kian during my studies. The thick, soft carpeting beneath my feet begs me to walk barefoot on it, so I kick off my shoes just inside the door to comply.

Against the wall on my right is a canopied bed large enough to hold six people. The wall directly opposite is nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows facing the shadowy landscape outside. On the left I notice the corner of a large marble bathtub through a curtained archway. I take a moment to wander around and admire the furnishings.

“This is wonderful!”

Hagar seems amused at my enthusiasm. “Just a guest room, really,” she says. “Not quite fit for a princess, but I suppose it’ll do.”

I sit down on a plush settee against the wall between the bathroom entrance and a cavernous closet. “It suits me just fine. I wasn’t exactly pampered on Kian.”

“That was all done for a reason, child. A spoiled princess is a useless one. Better to view wealth as a novelty than a necessity.”

“Can I at least indulge in the spoils of a bath?”

“Of course. I’ll have servants sent to you.” She starts for the door and pauses. “Be sure and get your rest, because we’ll start to work right after breakfast tomorrow. We’re brewing a very special potion that you’ll need for your first assignment.”

“You mean a real potion, as opposed to all those fake ones we had to make in class?”

“That was done to teach you the proper ways of handling the ingredients, which is often more important than the ingredients themselves.”

“But we never created anything that actually worked! What’s the point of that?”

“The point is the protection of the students. In the old days, when we let the apprentices suffer the consequences of their mistakes, I once saw a fellow melt before my eyes after having an improperly-mixed potion of transformation spilled on him.”

I feel my stomach quiver a little. “Ick.”

Hagar smirks. “Quite.”

“That won’t happen with me, will it?”

She chuckles at the concern in my voice. “No, there’s no need to worry. I’ve mixed this potion many times before, and I like to think that I know what I’m doing. You’ll be acting as my assistant and you’ll collect the components for me as I need them so I don’t have my attention divided between that and the potion itself. It’ll be a good learning experience.”

“I’m sure it will. What is my first assignment, by the way? How will I use the potion?”

“It involves some important work on planet Arus, but we’ll go over all the details tomorrow. Just relax for now and save your questions for then.” She leaves the room, but Coba remains behind to join me on my cozy seat. I pat his head as he curls up on my lap.

“Perhaps I’ll have a nice kitty like you someday, hmm?” I scratch him behind the ears and he purrs his approval of my attention. A little while later a pair of servant women enter the room. One is a perky-looking redhead with a sparkle in her bright green eyes. The other has black hair and somber blue eyes. They bow deeply, then the raven-haired maid throws a timid glance my way before they hurry into the bathroom. I hear anxious whispering mixed with the splash of running water. Curiosity prompts me to slide Coba gently off of my lap and pad over to peek around the corner of the bathroom doorway.

“Lotor’s sister,” I hear the redhead say as she arranges some towels. “I hope she doesn’t share his personality.”

“They’re both Zarkon’s issue,” the dark-haired girl replies. She tests the temperature of the water and uncorks a vial of bath oil. “What does that tell you?”

“It tells me nothing,” replies the redhead. “Just because Lotor is a devil doesn’t mean that she is.” She drapes a towel on a marble bench beside the tub. “I don’t think she’ll be so bad. She would have started yelling orders at us the moment we came through the door if she was.”

I step through the doorway then and smile at the red-haired girl. “I’m glad to see I meet with your approval.”

She gasps and raises a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. The other girl freezes in place, her face turning pasty white. The only sound is the gurgle of water filling the tub. The fear in their eyes gives me reason to believe they’re expecting a quick trip to the dungeon, or worse.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I assure them. “I’m not going to punish you. I was just being a little nosy, that’s all. It’s a bad habit of mine.”

They exchange glances, but neither one speaks.

“Honestly, your secret is safe with me. Carry on.” I leave the room and return to the settee to wait for my bath to be prepared. The girls’ conversation resumes after a moment, but at a much softer level. I return my attention to studying the room. I could become a spoiled princess very easily in surroundings like this. And to think it’s only for guests. I wonder what a room considered truly princess-worthy looks like.

I walk over to the mattress and test it with a hand. The comforter is thick and inviting. I hop onto the mattress and bounce a few times. Coba pauses in his grooming to watch me.

“Here kitty, want to join me? It’s nice and cozy up here.” I bounce some more and pat the space beside me, but he tires of my performance quickly and wanders around the room to do some exploring instead. I roll onto my stomach, rest my chin in my hands and watch him poke his nose into every shadow he finds.

“I don’t think you’ll catch any mice here. You might have to search the dungeon instead.” I raise my head to gaze out the window. There’s nothing to be seen outside at this time of night; the darkness is so complete that the glass is more like a mirror. Kian wasn’t quite this gloomy. At least there were stars at night to look at.

The dark-haired girl emerges through the bathroom doorway. “Your Highness? Your bath is ready.”

“All right.” I climb off of the bed and start across the carpet, enjoying the feel of it against the soles of my feet. The redhead hurries to the outer door to answer a knock. I pause at the bathroom doorway to see who the visitor is. Maybe it’s that handsome soldier that retrieved my satchel for me. The temptation is great to dismiss the servants and ask him to join me in the bath. That would be very enjoyable.

There are two soldiers standing in the hallway when the door is opened. They aren’t bad looking, but neither of them is the one I want. The first enters with my luggage and the second is bearing a large vase full of brightly-colored flowers.

“A welcoming gift for the princess, courtesy of the King,” he says.

“Really? How nice!” I walk over to take a closer look at the vase. It seems my brother was thinking of me even if he wasn’t there to greet me when I arrived. How sweet of him.

“Some of the petals would look pretty floating on your bath water, princess,” says the redhead. “Shall I do that for you?”

“Yes, please do.”

She takes the vase from the soldier. He seems a little dismayed as he and his friend leave the room. Coba wanders out into the hall with them. I quietly wish him good luck with his mouse hunt as the redhead shuts the door. I follow her into the bathroom and the dark-haired girl stands by to take my clothes as I undress. I wrap myself up in a robe and sit on the bench near the tub to have my hair pinned up for the bath. The redhead scatters petals from a lovely pink rose on the water’s surface.

“So, do either of you happen to have any stories to share?”

They exchange glances, then I get the silent treatment again.

“Oh, come on now. I’m sure you both know some interesting gossip.”

The redhead affects an air of innocence. “Gossip, princess? What sort of gossip?”

“I’m curious about what Lotor’s been up to lately. Is he still chasing after the princess of Arus?”

She smiles as if at a secret joke. “As much as ever, Your Highness, and Captain Keith of the Voltron Force has continued to keep her safely out of his reach. It’s been that way since I was brought here, and that was two years ago.” She gets a dreamy expression on her face. “I think Princess Allura should marry that Keith fellow. She’ll never find another as devoted as he is.”

The dark-haired girl tucks a final comb into place, then she goes to place my clothes in a basket just inside the door. “You’d better not ever voice that opinion within the King’s earshot, or you’ll be fed to a robeast!”

“I’m not a blonde,” she retorts. “I’ll never be within the King’s earshot.”

I stand up and slip out of my robe to ease into the steaming, scented water. “He only likes blondes?” I drag my hand across the surface of the water and watch the petals drift about.

“Mostly,” replies the redhead, “unless the girl happens to be an exceptional - ouch!” She snatches her hand back from the flowers suddenly and sucks on her palm. The other girl hurries over to see what happened. “Darah, what did you do?”

“I got stuck by a thorn,” Darah replies. She pulls her hand away to study it. “It burns - that’s very odd...”

“I’ll bet it’s Black Krey. The sap from those burns if it gets on your skin.”

“But I don’t see anything like that in the arrangement.” Darah studies the flowers carefully. “And why would anyone want Black Krey in a bouquet in the first...place...” An instant later she faints. The vase falls off her lap and shatters on the floor. I move to the edge of the tub to look as the second girl hurries to check on her fallen friend. Suddenly she shrieks and skips backward a few steps, her eyes huge. I lean out further to see what she’s so frightened of.

A scorpion is crawling away from the spilled flowers and across the tiles. I stand up from the water and grab my robe, wrapping it around me as I step out of the tub and kneel by the fallen girl.

“Keep away from the scorpion,” I tell the other servant, “I’ll get it in a moment.”

The advice isn’t necessary. She’s backed against the far wall with a hand clasped to her mouth, looking like she’s afraid to even breathe. I grasp the focus charm hanging around my neck and search Darah’s hand to locate the site of the sting. Once I find it I speak the words for negating poison as I press a thumb over the puncture. The wound begins to glow soft blue, and I watch the energy travel along her skin, showing its progress through her arm and toward her heart. It’s a good thing for her the venom acts slowly. I get to my feet and turn to the terrified girl flattened against the wall.

“We need to put her on my bed to rest. It takes a little while for the magic to run its full course.”

She remains right where she is, gaping at me as if she hasn’t heard a word I’ve said. I give her a frown and rest my hands on my hips. “You - what is your name?”

“Xerina,” she replies as she casts a frightened look at the scorpion.

“Well, Xerina, I can’t carry her all by myself. Now come on and lend a hand here.” I lean over to help sit Darah upright and Xerina finally gets brave enough to help me lift her off of the floor and out of the bathroom. We place her on the bed and I sit on the edge for a moment to catch my breath. Xerina glances at her friend.

“So what do we do now, Your Highness?”

I get to my feet and nod in the direction of the bathroom. “I intend to finish my bath, that’s what.”

“But...” She points a trembling finger toward the doorway. “It’s still in there.”

“I said I’d take care of it, remember? Wait here.” I return to the bathroom and pause at the threshold to look for our unwelcome guest. It’s headed for the corner where the bathtub meets the wall, but after several failed attempts to scale the polished marble it realizes there’s no escape that way and doubles back toward the flowers.

“P’tono ilei lethiusae,” I say to it, and it freezes in place. I walk over to pick it up by the tail and examine it closer. It’s definitely a rock scorpion, judging by the markings. I walk out into the bedroom and set it on the vanity beside the bed. Xerina gives a muffled squeal from behind her hand.

“Princess, you shouldn’t handle that, that - thing.”

“Don’t worry, it’s harmless for now. Go get me a glass jar with a lid, and punch holes in the lid.”

“Your Highness...?”

“Do as I say. I need something to put it in before the spell wears off and it starts moving again.”

She looks incredulous. “You’re going to keep it?”

“For a little while. I need some answers.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” She hurries off to do my bidding, returning a few minutes later with the jar. I drop my new pet into it and screw the lid on firmly. The spell wears off a moment later, and the scorpion begins to scurry back and forth. I look around at Xerina.

“Do you have any idea of who might be behind this?”

She shakes her head. “We see and hear a lot of what goes on in the castle, Your Highness, but neither of us knew about your arrival until Hagar sent us here, and we weren’t expecting anything to be sent to your room. Normally we’re told about such things in advance in case it’s something we need to prepare further, like when a meal is delivered or some such thing like that.”

“What about the soldier who brought the flowers? Is he known to run errands for Lotor?”

“Yes, from time to time, but there are others too. He doesn’t stand out in my mind for any reason.”

“All right.” I tap the glass and the scorpion stabs at the spot where my finger is touching. I doubt either of the girls knew about it. Darah was handling the flowers too casually, and Xerina is absolutely terrified of it. I don’t think she could have kept very calm if she’d known it was there. The flowers look to be imported, so it could have been an unexpected stowaway. Creatures like this wind up in all sorts of shipments more often than the cargo handlers care for.

On the other hand, if it was put there on purpose, then someone did it with the intention of killing me. If I’d handled the flowers, I would have assumed being stabbed by a thorn, just like Darah did, and gone about my business. By the time anyone realized what happened the venom would have done its work. But if the scorpion was deliberately put there, who did it?

Darah finally begins to show signs of life. She stirs groggily and sits up with a soft moan. Xerina relates the full story of what happened to her. She looks over at me.

“You saved my life,” she says with awe in her voice.

“And why shouldn’t I have?”

She looks down at her hand. “King Lotor probably wouldn’t have bothered.”

“My brother is that heartless?”

Darah doesn’t answer. Xerina looks at the floor.

“Is that honestly what you think? Tell me the truth.”

“There’s no thinking about it,” Xerina says. “He’s that pitiless. Anyone who’s familiar with him knows it, unless you’ve been living in some far corner of the galaxy.”

I smile a little. “Close, but not quite. I’ll admit that I’ve heard some unpleasant rumors about him, but I want to see how he is for myself before I make any judgments.”

“He’s much worse than anything you’ve probably heard,” Darah says.

“Let’s discuss this by the tub. I want to finish my bath while the water’s still warm.”

They follow me into the bathroom. Darah cleans up the debris from the floor because Xerina is afraid to go anywhere near the flowers. The two of them gather around afterward as I soak, and I get a thorough list of all the mischief my brother’s been up to during his reign on Doom and before, back when he was just a prince. I find myself becoming alternately angry and disgusted, especially when I learn of the cruelty suffered by the princess of Pollux at his hands. After a while both of them run out of stories to tell and they fall into an uneasy silence.

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking, aren’t you? That he could have put the scorpion in the flowers?”

Your Highness, if I may,” Xerina begins cautiously. “I recall a piece of wisdom in a story my grandfather told me. Once there was a farmer that owned exactly one hundred hens, and one day when he went to collect eggs, he noticed that one them was missing. However, he didn’t say a word to anyone, not even to his own wife and children. Three days later his brother came by to visit, as was his custom to do. He asked the farmer if he found out who’d stolen his chicken yet, and the farmer replied, ‘Not until now.’. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Not really. I didn’t make human moral tales a part of my studies.”

“In other words, the farmer kept silent and let the criminal confess his crime. If you say nothing to anyone about the scorpion, then the first one to mention it to you will either be directly involved, or if not they’ll know who is. It might not be King Lotor at all.”

“Ah, now I see what you mean. Perhaps you’re right.”

“So you really don’t need that thing around to get the answers you want, do you? Can we be rid of it now?”

I smile at her. “I won’t make you handle the jar, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She looks relieved. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

I settle back against the wall of the tub. “All right, then. We’ll worry about this mess tomorrow. No one here will mention the missing chicken, right?”

They both nod in assent, and I smile grimly to myself. Breakfast this morning should be an interesting affair.

“What is she doing here, old witch? What are you up to?” Lotor plants his hands on his hips and glares at me as he waits for an answer. I knew this was coming. I just didn’t realize he would be angry enough about it to call me to the carpet at this time of morning. I sigh inwardly and put on my friendliest face.

“She’s my apprentice, Lotor. She’s finally completed her magical studies and I had her brought here so she can assist me with whatever tasks you have for me to do.”

“Why her? Of all the people in the universe you could have chosen to aid you, why did it have to be her? You know she has a valid claim to the throne because father publicly declared she was his.”

“He did? Funny, I don’t quite remember that.”

“Odd that you would forget when you had a hand in it. You’re the one who persuaded him to spare her from the Pit of Skulls in the first place.” He runs a hand over his long, white hair and frowns at nothing in particular. “You’ve pulled some dirty tricks behind my back before, but this one tops the list.”

“This is not a dirty trick, Lotor, and it’s not being done behind your back, either. I told you when she was due to arrive three months ago. What are you so upset about?”

“What do you think I’m upset about? Any one of father’s old generals could view her as access to the throne, seek her out to marry her and then come gunning for me.”

“That’s not even remotely possible. First of all, Tira is not the type to be forced into something she doesn’t want, and I doubt any of those scarred old men would appeal to her. Secondly, the only one of Zarkon’s former commanders that poses any threat to you at all is Xeldar of Thross, and the bounty on his head is so large that he won’t dare show his face within our borders. Rumor has it that he’s taken up pirating somewhere in Queen Merla’s territory.”

“Merla. There’s another problem. Can you imagine what sort of trouble Merla could stir up if she allied with Tira?”

“If Merla wanted to make trouble for you she would insist on doing it herself, and she would have done it a long time ago. You know how much she despises you for your betraying her.”

“She was no innocent, Hagar. She got what she had coming.”

“I won’t deny that. But Tira is an entirely different case. She’s actually excited about the idea of meeting you, and she’s looking forward to chatting with you at breakfast tomorrow.”

Lotor is incredulous. “Chat? You think I’m going to sit and have a pleasant chat with her? What would you have us talk about, the weather on Doom?”

“Lotor,” I reply as calmly as I can, “she simply wants an opportunity to become better acquainted with what remains of her family.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “And the reason I should care is...?”

“You should care because she actually possesses a sense of loyalty toward you. You ought to encourage that bond instead of making such an issue out of it.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t make an issue of, old witch. She’s not in this castle because I wanted her here.”

I sigh heavily. “All right, then I’ll send her back to Kian and let her stay there until I actually need her help. Will that make you happy?”

“There’s only one thing that would make me happy right about now.”

“I know, but that one thing is still very safe on Arus and I’m not going to be able to put my current plans for capturing her in motion if you don’t let me have an extra pair of hands to work with.”

He gives me a look of mild surprise, frowns, turns thoughtful, frowns again. “All right, fine. Play your damned games.”

“And she’ll remain unharmed while she’s here - I have your word?”

“Yes, yes, of course. You have it. But only as long as she remembers her place and keeps her nose out of my affairs.” He scowls and pads off to his room. I wait until I hear the slam of his bedroom door before I turn to leave. I doubt he’ll ever accept his sister, no matter how nice she tries to be to him. She needs to see that for herself. It will be a bitter lesson for her to learn, but it must be learned all the same. I shrug to myself and return to my own room.

Breakfast this morning should be interesting.

To Hagar's Little Helper: Part 2