TWENTY-FOUR HOUR-CYCLES BEFORE THE INVASION OF PLANET GUARDINAS

  THE GRAND JUBILATION

  THE ROYAL HOUSE OF PRONOS

  “URGH… THRACK IT!” DEXIUS CRIED OUT as he went to adjust the collar of his Royal Blue and Gold Uniform.

  While the young warrior looked at his reflection via mirror in his Private Chamber within the Royal House of Pronos entering ‘unpermitted’ was his Guardian Captain and closest friend, Lord-Prince Lanteus Pronos.

  The bronze-skinned, dirty blond haired, and turquoise-eyed Red Guardian Warrior was dressed in his own Royal Uniform, which was Red and Gold to symbolize his Armor Shade.

  “Having a bit of a vexation I see, Dex? Heh, heh, heh,” Lord-Prince Lanteus snickered.

  Looking at Lanteus’s reflection in the mirror, Lieutenant Dexius sighed , “Urgh… I loathe wearing this thracking thing.”

  “Yes. I detest it as well… BUT, as members of the ‘Royal Guardian Unit’, we must adorn them at all…”

  “ROYAL CITY EVENTS. Yes, yes… This, I already know, Lan.”

  “Heh, heh… Here, Dexius. Allow me to lend you a hand.”

  Prince Lanteus then walked over towards Dexius and started to adjust his collar for him.

  “I do not require your assistance, Lanteus,” Dexius said with an irritated look on his face.

  “YES, YOU DO, DEX,” the Lord-Prince smirked. “But we haven’t got long before we are required to join the others out in father’s Royal Court.”

  After a few milli-cycles, Lanteus had Dexius’s collar looking clean, straight, and fresh.

  “There we are. Grand as ever,” the Red Guardian said with a smile.

  Looking back at his reflection, Dexius still had a SOUR expression on his marble-cut, bronze-skinned face.

  With his jet black hair coming down to a curl over the center of his forehead, the Blue Guardian examined his uniform.

  “I truly do hate this garb,” the Blue Guardian stated coldly. “Grand thanks for the assistance though, Captain… Even though it was unwanted.”

  “Captain? Oh, Dex. Come the thrack off it, will you,” Lord-Prince Lanteus asked with his eyes narrowed. “The ONLY TIME that you must address me as your ‘Captain’ is on the battlefield… TIS ALL. Anywhere else, I am your friend… YOUR BROTHER. Understand?”

  “Tis grand to hear you say such things… But we both know that we are really NOT family. Both you and the Lady-Princess Ashanna bear ROYAL BLOOD in your veins whereas, in mine, only flows the blood of a commoner… AN URCHIN.”

  “Raxx… THRACKING RAXX, you speak, Dexius! You mustn’t speak of yourself so poorly. You are not an ‘urchin’. You are a MEMBER of the Royal House Pronos. By living with us for the past TEN CYCLES make you so. Whether you wish to accept it or not, you are a ‘son’ of the Lord-King Luxor like myself… And Lerrick.”

  Lanteus then looked downwards briefly with an expression of grand grief on his face as he thought about his legally deemed DEAD younger brother, Lerrick, who was the fraternal twin of Ashanna.

  At the mere cycle of six, Lord-Prince Lerrick ‘the Lost’ Pronos was abducted from Guardinas by a band of ruthless, bloodthirsty marauders led by the infamous Marauder Captain Qullos Zsolaar for a grand ransom… Which the Lord-King Luxor and Lady-Queen Andridia did pay… Only to have the marauders go back on their word and, instead, send back the SEVERED HEAD of their young son in sickening reply.

  “You are a son of the grand Lord-King Luxor Pronos, Dex,” Lanteus continued after shaking away the tragic thoughts of his murdered brother. “Slayer of Validax Vexas, the Warbringer. Savior of Guardinas. You are like a son to him, Dexius … SO BEST YOU START ACTING LIKE IT.”

  Lowering his brow, Dexius nodded, “Aye.”

  “Come now, brother,” Lanteus then smirked. “The ‘Grand Jubilation Festival’ shall begin shortly.”

  “Must we really go, Lan?” Dexius asked the Red Guardian.

  “Aye, Dex… We must. For, if we do not, then Father shall be grandly angry with us both. You do not wish to infuriate father, do you???”

  “Ugh… Very well then. Lead the way.”

  “Lead, I shall,” Lanteus snickered, causing Dexius to smirk briefly as he followed him out of his Private Chamber.

  _

  “HERE YE! HERE YE! COME GATHER ‘ROUND, YE ONE AND ALL!!!” cried out the Lord-King Luxor Pronos to the HUNDREDS of Guardinian Citizens who inhabited his Royal Court.

  Wearing a white and gold tunic over his HULKING, muscled-frame with his golden, Guardinian ‘G’ sigil crown sitting atop his long, bright stark white haired head, the long-bearded and old Ruler stood up from his Royal Throne.

  Holding out his arms with his golden Scepter in one hand, which was topped with a golden Guardinian ‘G’ Standard, King Luxor called out to his guests, “LEND ME YOUR EARS, MY PEOPLE! ON THIS NIGHT-CYCLE, we celebrate our civilization’s most treasured holiday-cycle! THE GRAND JUBILATION OF PEACE!!!”

  The guests all then applauded and cheered for the Lord-King, who reveled in it.

  After slamming his scepter down on the stone floor beside his throne, the applause abruptly halted.

  Smirking, King Luxor went on to tell, “TWENTY CYCLES AGO, when our world was still young…. And when our people were once known as the nomadic ‘Goondarians’, led by my father, Tribal Chieftain Goondar Pronos, the Crattusian Empire ruled these lands with ZILTIUM FISTS!!!”

  Prince Lanteus and Dexius then entered the court as King Luxor continued, “We lived like SAVAGES in the Barren Outlands with NO HOPE in sight until one night-cycle, SUCH AS THIS VERY ONE, myself, along with six of my fellow BRETHREN, were given a ‘gift’ from the High-Elders themselves… THE PYRAMID OF POWER!!!”

  Just then ,behind the Royal Throne, a massive white banner unraveled from the ceiling.

  Etched upon the red banner was the golden Pyramid of Power.

  The guests all lowered their heads in presence of the Unlimited Power Source tapestry as King Luxor said, “MAY THE HIGH-ELDERS BE FOREVER PRAISED!!!”

  Lowering his head, the Lord-Prince Lanteus respected the Pyramid Tapestry as did Dexius along with the rest of the citizens in the Royal Court.

  After taking a moment to pay their respects to the mysterious, cosmic idol, Prince Lanteus, Dexius, and the citizens all rose their heads back up as did the Lord-King and his beloved wife, the Lady-Queen Andridia.

  “And along with the Pyramid came something even grander,” the King bellowed. “The power of the NOBLE and ALMIGHTY GUARDIAN WARRIORS!!!”

  Another tapestry then dropped beside the Pyramid Banner.

  Etched upon this tapestry were the seven original Guardian Warriors, each bearing different shaded battle-armor-sets.

  White (the first Captain/Leader, who was actually a much younger King Luxor), Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Gold, and Black.

  “With the almighty power of the Guardians,” King Luxor continued. “I, along with my brethren, led our people into what is now known as ‘the Royal City’ and overthrew the accursed Emperor Marxxus Crattius… DESTROYING the Crattusian Empire’s treacherous reign seamlessly in ONE night-cycle!”

  As the Lord-King went on with his ‘annual’ retelling of the Guardian legend, Dexius stood beside Prince Lanteus and the rest of their fellow ‘Guardian Brethren’.

  The other members of the Royal Guardian Unit’s ‘Second Generation’ were Kyo Gragg (the Green Guardian), Etan Lo (the Yellow Guardian), Jotan Harat (the Gold Guardian), Jarros Hellon (the Black Guardian), and Jal Rath (the White Guardian).

  Whilst the Guardians all stood at attention before the King whilst wearing their own individual Royal Uniforms, Dexius rolled his eyes and sighed.

  Noticing this, Prince Lanteus looked down at his adopted brother and snapped in a fierce whisper, “Dexius, show respect!”

  “Grandest apologies, Lan,” Dexius replied in a grunt as he soon straightened himself up, causing the rest of his Guardian Brethren to smirk and snicker at him.

  “AFTER THE DOWNFALL OF CRATTIUS’S EMPIRE, our people overtook the planet and made it our own,” King Luxor continued to recount. “Renaming it ‘Guardinas’, in honor of our saviors, we sought to create a newer and better race of people. A race whose SOLE PURPOSE was to provide peace and harmony throughout the Known Universe. We were successful for a term of TEN solar-cycles... UNTIL THE VEXANS CAME.”

  A third banner then dropped beside the other two.

  Etched upon this banner/tapestry was the dark shadow of the long dead FIRST Vexan Lord-Emperor, Validax Vexas.

  With a sour look on his wrinkled, bronze-skinned face, King Luxor explained, “Leading a vile race of BLOODTHIRSTY and DEPRAVED creatures known as ‘the Vexans’ was their dastardly ruler: LORD-EMPEROR VALIDAX VEXAS. Like us, the Vexan home world was also bestowed the Pyramid of Power at one point in time by the High-Elders. After using the Pyramid to revitalize their race and world, the Vexans, with Validax at the head, began to ‘misuse’ its wondrous powers… CAUSING the High-Elders to strip them of it and give it to us. Upon being relinquished of the Pyramid, the Vexans and their home world were thrown into IMMEDIATE TURMOIL.

  “Wanting to save his people and world from the inescapable bounds of extinction, Validax led what was left of his armies on a ‘quest’… A BLOOD-SOAKED WARPATH to reclaim the Pyramid. A warpath which spanned ALL ACROSS THE KNOWN TWENTY-FOUR. They destroyed MUCH in their wake. Tis seemed that nothing could stop the cursed Vexan Horde’s ‘reign of terror’... UNTIL THEY INVADED OUR WORLD.

  “With the powerful MIGHT of the Guardians still in our arsenal, my brethren and I fought back against the Vexan Empire and their monstrous leader. In the end, we managed to DESTROY Validax and drove his leaderless and COWARDLY armies back to their desolated and decrepit home world. Though we were victorious in protecting the Pyramid from the Vexans’ clutches we did take our own marks…. AND TRAGIC LOSSES.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Lowering his brow, King Pronos went on to say in a ‘choked up’ tone as his eyes began to mist with glowing tears, “I… Along with Lieutenant Ambo Raves, who was the original Blue Guardian Warrior, were the LAST TWO remaining Guardian Warriors after the War had ended. I alone should have died with my brethren… But there was a reason why the High-Elders blessed me to keep my life-force flowing within my vessel. That reason was to be your ruler… YOUR LORD-KING!!! And now, for ten MORE cycles, I have brought and instilled PEACE and PROSPERITY to our KINGDOM, our WORLD, and our PEOPLE!!!!!!!”

  A thunderous applause then erupted immediately after the Lord-King’s speech had ended, to which he accepted by raising his hands and Scepter high.

  “But enough with the past,” King Luxor called out after the applause had ended. “NOW, MY PEOPLE… We celebrate our planet’s ‘forever living’ future with this cycle’s TENTH Grand Jubilation Festival! Uniting ALL who dwell upon the FOREVER GRAND and FOREVER PEACEFUL world of Guardinas! LONG LIVE GUARDINAS!!!!!!!”

  Everyone then began to chant ‘Long live Guardinas’ as the Lord-King chanted right along with them.

  The second generation of Guardians all stood side by side still… Clapping their hands together as King Luxor continued to cheer on gloriously after locking lips with Queen Andridia.

  As everyone raved and hollered, entering the Royal Court with a group of her beautiful handmaidens was the long, purple-haired gentle, kind, and INCREDIBLY beautiful Lady-Princess of Guardinas, Ashanna Pronos.

  Catching Dexius’s immediate eye, Princess Ashanna lit up the room like an emb-stick.

  At first glance, the Royal Princess made quite the impression. She wore a long, magenta gown encrusted with several different types of crystals and jewels that were all native to Guardinas.

  The turquoise-eyed Lady-Princess Ashanna then walked into the court elegantly after curtseying to the masses as her handmaidens followed from behind.

  Dexius felt his dual-hearts skip a couple beats as he watched his long time childhood friend enter the court.

  The battle-hardened Guardian warrior was at a loss for words after catching sight of Princess Ashanna’s mesmerizing beauty.

  “SILENCE! SILENCE!!!” King Luxor called out after spotting his only daughter entering his court.

  Everyone soon silenced themselves as the Lord-King continued, “EVERYONE, may I FORMALLY introduce to you all the arrival of my lovely daughter, Ashanna Pronos… THE PRINCESS OF GUARDINAS!!!”

  Clapping had begun once more as Princess Ashanna curtsied to the people a few times more.

  Flashing a ‘million curren smile’ to everyone, the Lady-Princess basked in the applause.

  All the while, Dexius continued to stare at her as if she were a goddess in the walking flesh.

  “Heh, heh… Hey, Captain, your sister is looking rather prendekumous this fine evening-cycle,” Jotan Harat snickered to Prince Lanteus.

  “Mind your words, Jo,” the Red Guardian snapped at Jotan.

  “I do not agree much with the always ‘dim-minded’ Jotan here, but for tonight-cycle… I MUST detest, Cap,” Etan Lo stated. “Your sister is looking prendekumous.”

  “VERY,” Jotan sneered.

  “Hold thy tongue or I shall rip it out of your gob, Jotan!” Dexius snapped at the Gold Guardian.

  “Thrack! Take it easy, Dex,” Jotan replied with widened eyes. “I merely jest.”

  “Keep your ‘jests’ to yourself, Jo,” the Blue Guardian spurted venomously. “I do not find them amusing. NO ONE THRACKING DOES.”

  “ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT,” Prince Lanteus chimed as he stepped in between Dexius and Jotan. “Control thy emotions, brethren. Tis the time for us to prepare for the Jubilation’s Ceremonial Ball.”

  The Red Guardian then led the other Guardians towards the Royal Ballroom as Dexius continued to glare coldly at Jotan.

  _

  Not too long after his opening speech, King Luxor Pronos had led his people out of the Royal Hall and into the palace’s Royal Ballroom.

  ‘Twas there where the annual ‘Grand Jubilation Ceremonial Ball’ was always held.

  Opening the ball with a ‘ceremonial dance’ was Princess Ashanna.

  She stood all by her lonesome at the center of the stone ballroom floor after curtsying to her father, mother, and people.

  The Lady-Princess stood there as everyone watched her from all around.

  The Guardians watched from the Lord-King and Lady-Queen’s side astutely as Princess Ashanna awaited for the music to start playing.

  Amongst the band of Intergalactic Warriors of Peace and Justice, watching the closest was Dexius. He had not broken sight from the Lady-Princess (save for his ‘cold glaring’ at the kroonish Jotan) since her grand entrance back at the Royal Court.

  As everyone continued to watch, Princess Ashanna waited for the first song to start playing.

  King Luxor looked over at the ‘Royal House of Pronos Band’ and nodded.

  This action then signaled the band to start playing the Royal House of Pronos’s official ‘Banner Song’, which was entitled ‘the Ballad of the Guardians’.

  As the ballad started to play, Princess Ashanna closed her eyes.

  She then pulled her arms to herself only to release them a split-milli-cycle later, beginning her solo dance.

  Dexius watched closely still as the Princess began swaying her body to the beautiful music that the Royal House of Pronos Band played.

  While the Princess of Guardinas danced, the Band’s female lead singer sang the ballad of glory, courage, but also sorrow:

  From ash and cinder, we rose…

  From caves and holes, we dwelled…

  For we were nothing but urchins…

  Living our days in ruin… Wanting to be free.

  But we were never meant to be rich…

  We were never meant to be happy...

  We were meant to suffer…

  WE WERE MEANT TO DIE…

  But one night-cycle we were chosen… By those who were oh so right…

  We were given the power…

  Oh, the power, oh, the power…

  TO FIGHT!!!!!!

  The singer then grew silent as the music continued to play on, but more aggressively.

  Princess Ashanna kept her feet moving and body swaying rapidly to the band’s beat while everyone in the Ballroom watched her vigilantly.

  Reaching the point of the ceremony where the sole dancer was to find another partner to join her, Princess Ashanna set her sights over towards the Guardians.

  As the Princess swayed towards them like a water dancer, the Guardians all stood with their backs straightened and their faces still.

  Dancing past them all like wind, Princess Ashanna soon chose her partner.

  SHE CHOSE DEXIUS.

  Putting out her right hand towards him, the Lady-Princess smiled as the Lord-Guardian looked at her with a shocked expression on his face.

  Prince Lanteus slightly smirked at Dexius, who looked up at him in worried confusion.

  Dexius then looked over at King Luxor, who also smirked at him.

  Queen Andridia, on the other hand, had a sour expression on her face… For she never truly thought much of Dexius (even though she had been forced to be a ‘mother-like’ figure to him, in a way).

  Nodding his head, the Lord-King gave Dexius the ‘hallowed permission’ to dance with his beloved daughter.

  Taking Princess Ashanna’s hand, Dexius gulped as she pulled him out to the center of the dance floor.

  Placing her right hand in Dexius’s left, Princess Ashanna stood straight up as she allowed the Blue Guardian to place his other hand on the left side of her waist.

  She then set her left hand on the back of Dexius’s right shoulder, leaning in close on him.

  Smiling still, Princess Ashanna led an obviously very nervous Dexius in their dance as the band’s singer went on with the song.

  As both Dexius and Princess Ashanna danced with one another at the center of the dance floor in front of all to see, the female singer sang on the second, more aggressively sounding portion of the ballad,

  TO GLORY AND BATTLE, WE ROSE!

  COURAGE AND VICTORY, WE CLAIMED!

  WE WERE THE HEROES OF OUR PEOPLE!

  WE WERE THE PROTECTORS OF OUR WORLD!

  WE WERE NO LONGER MORTAL!

  WE WERE NO LONGER MEN!

  WE WERE GUARDIANS!

  GUARDIANS, WE RISE AND RISE!

  UNITED WE STAND AND DIVIDED WE FALL!!!!!!!

  _

  “Princess? PRINCESS ASHANNA, ARE YOU THERE???” called out Dexius after he had snuck out of the ball and ventured out onto one of the Royal Palace’s Western Verandas.

  With a look of confusion in his glowing eyes, the young soldier crept out to the stone veranda in search of the Lady-Princess, but ultimately found nothing.

  Reaching the veranda’s stone guard railing, Dexius noticed something sitting on top of it.

  Resting on the veranda’s guard railing handrail was a purple ribbon.

  This resembled one of the ribbons that Princess Ashanna had used to hold her hair up.

  Picking up the ribbon, Dexius scrunched his brow in confusion as he looked over the veranda guard rail’s edge.

  Eyes widened now, Dexius looked over the guard rail and cried out, “ASHANNA!!!!!!”

  “BOO!” cried out the Princess from behind, who had secretly snuck up on the manic Blue Guardian Warrior.

  “AGH!” Dexius shrieked in fright, causing Princess Ashanna to giggle profusely.

  “Heh, heh, heh… Well, aren’t you a ‘jumpy’ thing, Dex?” the Princess snickered whilst crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, I see you have found my Hair Ribbon. Thank you, Lord-Guardian.”

  “Ashanna!” Dexius cried out angrily, causing the Princess’s eyes to widen briefly.

  Collecting and (trying) to calm himself, Dexius said in a more poised, yet stern tone, “YOUR HIGHNESS, what do you think you’re doing?”

  “Well, Dex… I was hoping to ‘frighten’ you… And that I accomplished. Ever so grandly. Heh,

  heh…”

  “You almost ceased my life-cycle, you wretch!”

  Princess Ashanna then reared back in surprise before narrowing her glowing eyes at the enraged Guardian Warrior.

  “NOW, LIEUTENANT SOLAS,” the Princess said sternly. “Tis any way to speak to your LADY-PRINCESS???”

  “Urgh… No,” Dexius bitterly replied. “Grandest apologies for my rudeness and ‘ill words’, Your Majesty.”

  “Dexius… I’M THRACKING WITH YOU. Ugh… Oh, Dex. You really must learn to ‘loosen’ up. You mustn’t need to bow to me whenever I am around… OR refer to me by my ‘royal title’ all the time either. When it is just you and I together you shall call me ‘Anna’ … And I shall call you ‘Dex’. Now… DEX, is that understood?”

  Dexius nodded in reply.

  “Grand!” the Lady-Princess gleefully erupted.

  “Prin… I mean, Anna,” Dexius fumbled. “Why did you require my presence out here away from the Jubilation after our dance was finished? What is this ‘grand importance’ that you wish to speak to me about?”

  Princess Ashanna’s grin suddenly faded from her bronze-skinned face as she then looked downward with her glowing eyes. She then walked over to the veranda’s barrier edge as Dexius watched her with concern lingered heavily in his eyes.

  “Ashanna… What is it?” the Blue Guardian asked sternly.

  Looking out across the western half of the Royal City, Princess Ashanna said, “Tis peaceful… The City. Tis so peaceful, Dex. Especially in the evening-cycle....”

  Looking back at the Lieutenant once more, the Lady-Princess asked, “Have you ever taken a moment to just stop and look at?”

  “When I get the time,” Dexius replied with his brow lowered. “But that is something that I seem to never have enough of.”

  “Do any of us?”

  “ASHANNA, WHAT IS WRONG??? Why do you speak so… strangely?”

  “I feel like something is coming…. SOMETHING TERRIBLE.”

  “Something coming? TERRIBLE??? What do you mean, Anna?”

  “Recently, I’ve been having dreams… AND NIGHTMARES,” Princess Ashanna nervously revealed.

  “What are they about? These… Nightmares. What do they entail?”

  “They usually begin with a normal morning-cycle. The sun is shining brightly overhead, and the skies are as purple as ever. Everything seems so perfect, so peaceful…. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, the sunlight fades and the skies darken. THEN SUDDENLY, emerging from the darkened clouds looming high above the Royal City… ARE THOUSANDS of ‘strange looking astro-crafts’. They look like none that I have ever seen before and piloting them are dark and TWISTED ‘shadowy beings’.”

  “What happens next?” Dexius asked curiously with his brow now lowered.

  “That’s the terrible part, Dexius,” Princess Ashanna stated in a saddened tone. “They start KILLING everyone in sight… AND DESTROY THE ROYAL CITY.”

  The Lieutenant's eyes then widened as the Lady-Princess continued, “I know not the reason why they do this… But they just keep ‘reigning terror’ upon us… MERCILESSLY.”

  “And where are ‘we’ when all of this happens, Anna? Where are the Guardians?”

  “Dead. All of you… ARE DEAD.”

  The Blue Guardian now stood in a state of brief shock as the Lady-Princess wiped away her glowing tears to quickly say, “Grandest apologies, Dex. I shouldn’t be telling you this. Ugh… By the High-Elders, how thracking KROONISH does this all sound to you?”

  “Tis not ‘kroonish’, Anna,” Dexius replied whilst shaking his head from side to side. “Not at all.”

  Placing his left hand over Princess Ashanna’s right, Dexius looked her directly in the eyes and said, “They are only ‘dreams’, Anna… MAKE BELIEVE. Nothing more than that.”

  Realizing that he had placed his hand atop the Royal Lady-Princess’s, Dexius quickly ripped his own away and said whilst bowing, “GRANDEST APOLOGIES, YOUR MAJESTY! I did not mean to--”

  “TIS FINE, DEX… Tis fine,” Princess Ashanna said with a warm grin.

  “Oh. Uh… Well, alright. So, is there anything else that you wish to speak with me about, Anna?”

  “No, Dex. That shall be all… For this night-cycle.”

  “Understood. I bid thee a ‘grand evening-cycle’ then… Your Highness.”

  Princess Ashanna nodded to the Blue Guardian as he nodded back before turning away to return to the Ceremonial Ball.

  “DEXIUS…”

  “Yes, Anna?”

  “Do you really believe all shall be well? PEACE, I mean. Shall it last???”

  “Well, to be entirely honest with you, Anna… I do not quite know. I cannot foresee the future… BUT I can still retain hope.”

  “Hope?”

  “Aye, my Princess… Hope. Because sometimes, hope is the only thing that we have to keep ourselves going.”