10 Princess Marci

Pacing his new room, Tyler is lost in thought. He had slept soundly the night before, but it was hard to believe how much has changed in just one day. Magic, war, an underground intergalactic criminal organization that controls his home, princesses trying to marry him to avoid an arranged marriage, he can hardly believe any of it is happening. Then there is Carla.

She came back. For a moment he stood next to her, feeling the warmth of her company. Now, the sun has set on that chapter of his life, again. Tyler can't help but wonder that would be happening if Dani hadn't dragged him to another world.

Tyler frowns. Thinking about not meeting Dani doesn't sit well with him. Yet, even the remote chance of spending another day with Carla seems worth anything to him. A wave of regret washes over him. Regret for missing his second chance with Carla and wishing he hadn't met Dani.

Confusion makes Tyler's head spin, and hunger makes his stomach growl. He collapses on his bed with his hands over his face, sobbing.

At that moment, his door is thrown open. Marci enters in a light blue summer dress. Her blue eyes lock onto Tyler's wetted eyes. Pity doesn't show on her face; rather, she nods as if she understands.

"That foolish Princess has put you through a lot in a single day," she acknowledges. "Should I come back at a better time?"

"No," Tyler blurts out. Wiping away the tears, he sits up. "I mean, I am hungry."

"I had our chefs make something simple. They avoided bread and jelly; I noticed that you thought it was 'gross' when I brought it up yesterday."

"Thank you..."

"That worries you?"

"Oh, I'm just getting used to the whole mind reading thing" Tyler forces a smile. "I appreciate you doing that for me though."

"You are most welcome. I had also planned to ask you a few questions; however, we can have our discussion another time if you would prefer."

"I can talk." Tyler welcomes the distraction. He steadies his breathing and focuses on the girl in front of him.

Marci smiles and waves her hand. The servants delivering food bow and exit the room, leaving Tyler and the princess alone. She strides across the room and sits next to him on the bed, eyes sparkling as they lock with his, a smile spreading across her face, her hand gingerly resting on his.

"Please, tell me everything about the serpents in the forbidden realm."

Recounting the events of the previous evening, leaving out the part where Dani crawled into bed with him, takes Tyler less than a half hour. However, Marci is attentive the entire time. Other than a few nods, clarifying question or two, and sharing the breakfast buffet, she doesn't do anything besides pay attention to Tyler's recollection. By the time he is finished, Tyler wishes he has more to say.

"Thank you," Marci says, squeezing Tyler's hand and standing up. "Unfortunately, I have to go."

"Oh," Tyler whispers, preparing himself to be left alone in inner turmoil.

"If you wanted to accompany me, perhaps I could show you around the Flayrian Castle."

"Are you sure that is okay? After all, I'm a prisoner here, right?"

"I have no reason to believe you are an enemy. Are you telling me that you should be a prisoner?"

"Uhh... no?"

"Then you may do whatever you wish; my invitation still stands."

Tyler thinks for a moment. Going home is probably a bad idea, if he can even find a way to get there. This strange world is a complete mystery to him, and his only other acquaintance is a prisoner here.

"I'll go," Tyler says. He stands up, half expecting to be dragged out of the room by his hand, and follows his new blonde friend through the door.

The Flayrian castle is large and exquisite. Long hallways appear to be made from a single piece of flawless snow-white marble. Columns spaced evenly in every room remind Tyler of buildings in Ancient Greece. Blue accents create decorative patterns across the walls and form falcons that match an emblem on the back of Marci's dress.

Eventually, Marci leads Tyler to a balcony with wrought iron railings and hand-carved marble statues. It overlooks a red-brick road that winds away from the castle to a grid of cobblestone cottages. Extending as far as Tyler can see in every direction, the cottages each have multicolored smoke billowing from their chimney; however, the city is devoid of the colorful smog that swirls about the Qaplurg Capitol City.

"What do you think?" Marci asks, gesturing to the view with one hand.

"It's way less congested than Qaplurg," Tyler admits.

"Yes, they are more of an industrial nation than we are from what I have gathered."

"I see... it's beautiful."

"Thank you, I think so as well. However, we are suffering from this war."

"What do you mean?"

"Qaplurg has vast amounts of natural ores. Fifty years ago, they would process these ores and sell them to us. In turn, our craftsmen would make the metals into tools and finished goods to sell. Being at war with our main supplier crashed our economy."

"I'm sorry to hear that..."

"Don't be, it's getting better since my mother married a prince of Eslenburg."

"Let me guess: that was another another political marriage, right?"

"You are correct. Eslenburg contains the second largest mining operation in the world; however, even with their full support, there isn't enough ore to drive our entire economy. That's why the marriage between myself and Dani was proposed."

"I understand. Ending the war will allow trading between you two again." Tyler pauses and looks over the array of cottages again. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you two meet or think of this idea?"

"It wasn't my idea. I just downloaded the wrong dating app onto my phone and we matched."

"Oh... I guess I know how you feel..."

"Dani is interesting. She is able to figure out how to use charm magic to connect everyone in all seven realms, yet her mouth opens before she considers what to say."

"That's true. I don't think she has stopped talking since I've met her."

"Hopefully she has kinder things to say to you than me..."

"Yeah, she seems to be adamant about hating you. In fact, I bet she would marry me right now just to eliminate the possibility of your arranged marriage going though."

"I guess so... but you shouldn't think that." Marci's eyes meet Tyler's. "A girl falling for you quickly isn't impossible; at least, I don't think it is." She blushes and turns back toward the view.

"Thanks..." Tyler pauses, unsure of what to say. "So, I guess you proposed the marriage then?"

"No. My mother is the one who suggested it."

"Sounds like you aren't a fan of the idea."

"Not at all." There is a long pause as the pair gazes toward Flayria with the sun rising to make the landscape shine. "There are alternative solutions though," The Princess adds, breaking the silence.

"Like what?"

"A king with rare creation magic would solve our problems."

"That magic is rare though, right? Where are you going to—wait." Tyler turns to the blonde haired princess with wide eyes. "You too?"

Marci blushes, her flush cheeks add color to her pale skin. Both her hair and skin are radiant in the morning light. "I... I would hate to rush such a thing, but my fear is that if I hesitate to suggest the possibility, I may lose both chances to save my country at once."

"Right, if I married Dani then you wouldn't have an alliance or my magic."

"Contrary to what you are thinking, your magic isn't the only thing about you that I like."

"Thanks, but your kind of asking too much here..."

"The decision doesn't have to be made now. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like to explore Flayria and get to know me. That is, if you want to. I can also arrange for you to be released anywhere within our territory."

"Oh, I appreciate that. I guess I just assumed you would want to know now..."

"I'm... familiar with having that thrust upon you. I am sure that my question has made you uncomfortable. Please, let me know if you would like to return to your room to be alone."

"Being alone would be worse..."

"There is another girl back at your home..."

"Sort of... I forgot you can read minds. The girl back home doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, so you don't have to worry about that..."

"Forgive me for being so presumptuous... I didn't even consider that there might be someone you love." Marci's face darkens, making the entire sunrise feel dimmer.

"Don't worry about it. There was no way you could have known about her. Can I ask you a question though?"

"I owe you that much."

"Why is my magic so special? I mean, could it really save your entire country?"

"Your magic, do you know what it does?"

"Dani told me I can make anything as long as the materials are present. She said it was rare, but my magic seems like a replacement for a factory."

"Goddess no, your magic is so much more than that. Count on that girl to leave out the important details..."

"What did she leave out?"

"Tyler, are you familiar with things like tolerances and clearances?"

"Of course, what does that have to do with my magic?"

"Tolerances and clearances exist because nothing can be made perfectly. No matter how good the craftsmen, he can't make something exactly a given length. Rather, he insures it will be between a maximum and minimum length that will allow the device he is building to still work."

"And?"

"Your powers don't have these limitations. They also do not have to worry about how something will be assembled."

"I guess... is that really a big deal?"

"Yes. Perhaps an example will help: look closely at the castle."

"It looks like it was carved from one solid piece of marble... Everything is immaculate."

"That is what it looks like; however, no piece of marble that big could have been transported and carved with such precision. I was told that this castle was made from ten-foot by six-foot slabs of marble."

"Really? I can't tell where one ends and another begins. What did they use to fill in the seams?"

"There are no seams."

"How is that possible?"

"The first king of Flayria built this castle for his wife, our first queen, using construction magic. Once the materials all arrived, everything you see was built in the same day."

"That's... not... a day?" Tyler turns around to examine a wall: one solid marble sheet stretches from one corner to the other.

"He shouldn't have done it. The effort killed him, literally, but the results are impeccable."

"Right, I heard that could happen... but how does that help you?"

"Have you heard of graphene, diamond, or graphite?"

"Yes, those are allotropes of carbon..."

"We have a lot of carbon in Flayria, but it is mostly graphite. Graphite is a weak material that fetches a low price at the market. However, if someone could process the carbon into large amounts of diamonds we could revive our economy quickly. Graphene is 100 times stronger than steel, but is impossible to make in large quantities through regular production. Our craftsmen could turn that into a whole new market of lightweight tools. Your magic provides limitless opportunities."

As soon as Marci finishes talking, three metal balls fall at the feet of the nearby guards. Exploding into a pink plume of smoke, the balls cause the guards to double over while coughing. They stand up, draw the swords at their hip, and all turn to face Marci and Tyler.

"What is the meaning of this?" Marci asks, eyeing each of the men.

"They no longer take orders from you, Princess," Dani growls, stepping out from the shadows. Her red hair glows like a fire in the sunlight, and she glares at the two on the balcony. "By the way, I heard you propose to my fiancé."

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