Chapter 5

David stood motionless for a moment before he realized the person below him was talking to him. He reached down and took the proffered book and glanced at it briefly. It looked as if it was written in an alien language. Putting the book aside he looked at the woman kneeling on the ground. He knew he had to respond somehow.

"Uh, could you repeat my choices," he asked.

When he realized what he said he wanted to smack himself, but then to his surprise the young woman responded.

"The choices are limitless, though I would recommend that you begin training and perhaps a history lesson is in order. Unfortunately there isn't much time before it happens here. Regardless of what you decide it is my life's duty to abide your wishes."

"Well, uh, aside from that stuff, you called me Prince. Are you sure you have the right person," he asked.

"Without a doubt; you are the one that opened the book, and the one that I have bonded with."

David felt an overwhelming urge to sit down. He simply couldn't cope with all these things at once. He thought about his dad for a moment and wondered what he would say.

"Ok, so let's get started. Apparently I am at a disadvantage here since you seem to know me, but I do not know you. Perhaps you could enlighten me with your name. Also please tell me what the whole flash of light from the book was about."

Without her eyes leaving the ground she replied, "Prince, I do not yet have a name until you decide upon it for me. As far as the flash of light, it was simply my separate parts coming together again. The orbs you thoughtfully collected were my body, mind and soul. I regret that I could only entrust my body and mind to you in the form of the choker. Only one living being can pass through a space/time portal at a time without risking death"

"Ok, hold up just a moment. This is too much to absorb at one time, and would you please stand up? I am getting a little bit self conscious here."

Before the last word left his lips she was standing at attention before him. She appeared to be the same height as him but had blood red eyes. He had never seen red eyes before except for someone with contacts.

"Alright, just so you know my name is David, not Prince. I don't know what I am going to do about your name just yet. Why don't you think about it for a bit and let me know what you want to be called."

He stopped speaking at this point because it looked like despite however much training this girl had, she was about to break down and cry. He felt like he had just slapped her.

"What's the matter? I can tell you are upset by something I said. Please tell me."

"Prince back on our home planet to call a Master by their given name meant that there was no connection between a construct and that person. The naming ritual as well is a sacred thing to my people."

David ran his fingers across the messy spikes in his hair and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know any of this stuff. If it makes you happy you can call me whatever you want. I don't understand the Prince reference though. Are you trying to say I am royalty? I promise I will try and think up a name for you as well, but please one thing at a time."

She smiled briefly and then her face went blank. He didn't know what to make of this young woman but he knew that standing out in the field like this certainly wasn't being very productive. He motioned for her to follow him and they walked towards the town. He kept stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye. It looked like the clothing she was wearing was made of the same silvery material as his choker had been. The only difference was the color.

Then it struck him. The color wasn't black at all, in fact upon closer inspection she almost seemed to blend into the background behind her. He opened his mouth to say something but clamped it shut again. He would need to 'think before he speaks', as his mother always told him. He realized that through all his musing she had been speaking to him, so he raised his hand to stop her.

"I am sorry you will have to forgive me, I was in a bit of a daze there. Could you repeat what you were saying to me?"

"Certainly my Prince, I only said that you are that last known living heir to the throne. I would inform you of the name of your race but no Construct has ever been graced with that privilege. The day you were sent through the portal it was believed that the fall of our planet was complete so it is possible that King is the more appropriate title."

David was taken aback by the woman he walked with. If what he was hearing was correct then he was an alien descended from royalty from another planet and she was sent to protect him. He thought about that for a moment and decided to ask.

"You said that you were here to protect me right?"

She nodded to him.

"Well then, what exactly are you here to protect me from? I seem pretty safe and sound at the moment."

Her face remained passive as she said, "To answer that question I would need to give you the backstory of our two races and how things came to be. Otherwise my answer will not make much sense. He nodded to let her start talking.

"My Prince, the race of people known as Constructs were created by your race. The Masters have existed for as far back as the early beginnings of the universe. Over the millennia they had started to evolve from people that are much like the ones on this planet today. At some point during their existence they stopped aging. I don't mean that they never died, because a sudden serious accident could and has killed Masters before. Once they reach a certain age they simply stop. It perplexed them that even though they had studied themselves for so long, they could not figure out how to give this benefit to others."

David nodded his head to her, taking it all in. To him it sounded like his people were at least benevolent to other races, if they had cared enough to try and help others become nearly immortal.

"It was around this time that the Constructs were created. We were made in the image of our Masters. The difference being that we have an incredibly short lifespan. This was done to help speed up our evolution. This did not sit well with some of the Constructs. Instead of them being grateful for being given life they were angered that they weren't given enough of it." Her pace had never faltered during their walk back towards the city but she became silent as soon as they neared the convenient store.

David walked up to the payphone and put in his change. He called up his father and explained where he was and only mentioned that he had 'rescued a young woman' and his father simply laughed. His dad said he would be down to get him but it would take a bit to get there.

David hung up the phone and smiled at her. She gave him a strange look for a moment then became passive again.

"Is there something on your mind," he asked.

"Yes my Prince, I was merely wondering as to why you insist on closing your eye? I wasn't even aware it was possible for the Masters to do so, but it is not my place to question you Prince. "

"I am not sure why it even opened in the first place except I was really angry at the time. I was hoping you could tell me."

"Well my Prince, I can only advise you to read the book of life that you have in your pack. Perhaps me not awakening properly when we landed here caused some unforeseen problems? Every Master is given a book of life at their birth. Masters tend to develop their own powers and some never develop any except for the ability to initiate a contract with a Construct. The book's purpose is unknown to me."

"What exactly is a contract? How do you go about doing that?"

"Prince, you have already made a contract with me. It is what keeps me alive to this day as the life of a Construct is measured in what your planet has marked as years. When a Master deems a Construct worthy they are offered a contract which lets them bond with their Master until the Master dies. I was offered to you as an infant to become your royal bodyguard. The circumstances surrounding a royal bodyguard are different than a normal Construct/Master relationship."