Chapter 29 TAMARA

Yashul Planet was similar to Mars. It was red and hot. It always had sandstorm going on. There were about half a billion population of human and other races living on it. Most of Yashul was a prison. Political Prisoners from all over the thirteen galaxies were sent in the prison facilities. Yashul made a perfect place for those criminals.

Because of its harsh climate, the only survival was possible in the underground. Prison break meant suicide. Yashul was an iron fortress.

Taiba was similar. Survival was not possible because of the toxicity of the planet, making people live only inside the pocket dimensions. The time-lapse from the outside world also made things worse. It became a place where political criminals are exiled.

Apart from Prisons, there were many Slave trading agencies. One was where Tamara and the air hostesses were taken to. The place was far from their imagination.

It was much better with separate compartments for living, many people, men, women, children of different races, lived in those compartments. They were not being mistreated in any way. The living condition was good, hygiene and everything on the human rights list ticked except for privacy. The compartments were clean but had a large glass door-cum-wall on one side. So everything was visible from outside.

The people even looked healthier. Most of them were being trained to do various works. It looked more like skill training agency than a slave-trading business.

Tamara went inside her assigned compartment along with Ruth and Brad. She sat down on the bed.

The place was much cleaner with all the necessary amenities provided in the compartment. The room was not locked. They were free to move around. They can go anywhere they wanted within the habitat. Only they did not have the freedom to leave the place.

A man and the slave trader were standing outside her compartment. She could not hear what they were talking about.

She clenched her fist. They were a commodity. If the shelves were good looking, it does not mean the products will not be sold. They were for sale. She was irked as she thought about her fate.

"Agatha. I finally found you,"

The compartment door opened and the man spoke to her. Tamara did not reply.

"Agatha it is me. Arthur. Remember we used to play together," The man continued.

"What are you planning to do? I am not going anywhere,"

"Agatha?"

"Who are you talking to? There is no Agatha here,"

"You. You are Agatha. Princess Agatha. Don't you remember me?"

"Wait," The trader interrupted the man and asked Tamara, "What is your name?"

"Tamara Jones,"

"Do you have any memory of getting lost when you were a child?"

"No,"

Her memory was blurry after the plane crash. She could not remember some parts of her life but she remembers her childhood, her maiden name and even her ancestors' name. She can not get wrong with that.

"I think she is telling the truth. She also has two children. She is just a lookalike,"

The trader said to the man.

"Impossible. The traits are so much similar. How can I believe it is not her?"

"We can do a genetic match. If you have a sample, we can do it right away,"

"No need. I will do it myself. I will take her with me. Also the children,"

"As you wish. We can discuss the cost in my office."

Without her approval, she was sold off. It was good that at least Brad and Ruth get to stay with her. She only pretended to be strong. She was frightened. She had no idea what could happen to them. She just wanted to protect her daughter at any cost.

Very soon they were forced to get on the ship, taking them to a far off-planet. They were put to sleep when they got on the spaceship. When she opened her eyes, they had already reached the planet.

In front of her was a castle. It looked like something out of fairy tales. Inside there were horses and knights. It was a stark contrast from the spaceship they had been in. A woman who looked like a maid led her to a room. It was lavish with an aristocratic vibe. The things in the room looked expensive.

Ruth looked around everywhere. She had never seen such a place before. Brad was also mesmerized by the marvel of the place.

With the two children, she almost forgets she was captive. The maid gave them clothes to wear. She then left.

As soon as the maid left, Tamara tossed the clothes and looked out of the window. There was a view of a small city. In a distance, over a hill, was a magnificent castle. It was much more extravagant than the one they were in. It looked like somewhere the kings and queens would reside. Tamara thought back to what the man had said before. He had called her Princess Agatha. If he thinks that she was royalty, he should not be mistreating them. Or it was worse. They could be hostages. Tamara felt suffocated thinking that she could get embroiled in a political drama.

"My lady, His Excellency has asked for your presence. If you have changed, I will lead you to his office."

"…Not yet." 'The man must be high ranking noble to get such addressing form. Anyway I do not want to meet him'

She plumped down on the bed. Ruth had washed and was trying to get into the dress. Brad had already fallen asleep.

She helped Ruth with the dress. After dressing up, she looked like a princess. Ruth twirled around the room in her dress.

"Mom, why did that man brought us here. Where is Dad?"

And the question she dreaded came to her. Ruth was intelligent. She would not make excessive demands or ask too many questions. She could always perceive when things were not going well. She had waited a long time to ask the question.

"Your dad is back in that village. He will soon come to take us back."

"Back. To that village. I do not want to go there. They send us on that ship. Then that strange man brought us here. Are we slaves, Mom? What does it mean by a slave?"

Ruth threw a barrage of questions. All the questions she was holding back were out. She probably had many more. Tamara herself did not know the answers. How could she answer her?

Many days went by. Nothing happened to them. Tamara did not meet the man either.

She would always send the maid off. The man did not come barging at her. They ate and drank in peace. She was also allowed to move around the castle but not out of the castle.

After many days of saying no, Tamara finally agreed to meet the man. They were not allowed to leave anyway. And the man did not look like he would do bad things to her.

She still did not trust him. Being betrayed once, she could not help but be suspicious.

"What do you want?"

Tamara went straight to the purpose without minding any manners as she burst into the man's office.

"My name is Duke Arthur Rothfeler. I have been looking for Princess Agatha Rothfeler for ages. She is 1st in line to the throne. But I found you who has an uncanny resemblance to her."

"And what does it have to do with me."

"It has everything to do with you as you are her great-grandchild"

"…"

"I matched your genetic material with what we had of Agatha. You turned out to be her successor. It is so weird. It had been only 35 years, and we have a great-grandchild and two great-great-grandchildren. Do you know how shocked I was to find that out?"

Tamara found the surname familiar. Agatha Rothfeler, that indeed was her great-grandmother's name. She was her mother's maternal grandmother. She had seen her name and picture in their family documents.

She was much more baffled to hear that name from a man from a different planet. Does that mean her maternal great grandmother was an alien? Does that make her half-alien? And what is he talking about 35 years?

"Ok. I get it. So, my great grandmother was a princess. What does it have to do with her?"

"…The current king has been exiled. There has been no one on the throne for almost 30 years. The only heir passed away leaving few great-grandchildren behind. Do you know what it means?"

"No,"

"It means you are the legal heir to the throne. Your children have the proper right on the throne. Do you get it? This kingdom…."

He sighed and continued," I know this must be sudden but you have some responsibility to take."

"…." 'Here, it comes'

Tamara had nothing to do with the royalty. She did not even know the basic etiquettes of the royalty, and he was asking her to take the royal throne. He speaks like he was disciplining a runaway child. 'You need to take responsibility'. What responsibility? She did not even know this place existed.

"What if I do not agree?"

"You think you have a choice? Even if you run away from this place, other people would recognise you. That's how similar you look to her. And do not forget there are other noble families and they won't be so kind to you as I am."

Tamara knew he was trying to scare her. She wasn't someone who could be taken advantage of. He was trying to take advantage of her.

It was likely the scenario where a naïve ruler was controlled by the ministers of the state. She won't have any chance of running away. He will likely be holding Ruth and Brad as hostages.

If she tries to act smart, he will clip her wings. If she acts according to him, he will control her and do everything from the shadows.

They could survive if they act according to him. It wasn't much difficult. The kingdom had nothing to do with her. She can run away with the kids when she gets a chance to.