Chapter 1

Sixteen Years Ago

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happyyy…" I froze as I heard a loud crash behind me. I turned around and saw a man lying unconscious beside a very big and strange-looking object. I started running. Then I stopped and looked back at the man. He might need help but mama and papa told me not to trust strangers. But they didn't tell me not to talk to them, did they? I'll just see if he's okay.

"Hello, mister. Mister?" No answer. "Mister! Are you okay, mister?" Still no answer. I walked a little closer and called to him again. No answer. I took the last few steps and shook his shoulder really hard. "Mister, wake up!"

His lips moved. "Hello mister, wake up. Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Yes. You're shouting too loud everybody in the village would have woken up," He said tiredly. He got up and sat.

"My whole body hurts," the man said. He lifted his head and finally looked at me. I gasped. It was the strangest and most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. Purple. I have never seen purple eyes before. His are the deepest purple with flecks of silver and gold.

"Wow, you look really different, mister. Your eyes are so beautiful."

He chuckled. "Thank you, little one. Why are you out here all alone?" He suddenly coughed and I saw some blood running down his nose.

"Are you okay, mister? I should go get my parents."

"No, don't, please. I just need to rest a bit. Then I'll be on my way." He put his hand on his chest and started coughing again. He's turning purple now. "Do you think you can look for my bag, kid? My meds are in there. It must have landed somewhere near here."

"Okay, I'll look for it. Wait just a bit." It took me a while but I finally found his bag.

"Is this it?"

"Yes. Thank you!"

"I have water. Here, you can have this, mister."

"Thanks, kid. What's your name?"

"My name's Virella. How about you?"

"I'm Argon."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Argon. Where are you from? How did you get here? And what's that thing?"

He grinned. "I see you're a curious little kid. Well, I came from a distant land. I came here to visit. I've always wanted to see this place. It's beautiful. And the people are very interesting. I was on my way back home when my ship malfunctioned so I accidentally crashed here."

"Oh, is it very far? How are you going to get back if your ship isn't working?"

"Yeah, that's going to be a big problem. I should go and see what I can do."

He got up and walked towards his ship. I followed. "Can I see too?"

"Yes but don't touch anything."

"Okay." I roamed around and checked every inch of the ship. There were a lot of monitors and buttons in the front. There was a small room with a bed at the back. It was way better than any rooms in our house. There's also an area where a lot of bottles are stored. It all looked so fascinating I wanted to stay on the ship for much longer.

After Mr. Argon was done fixing his ship, he showed me a clip of his travels through what he calls "space". The screen was mostly black but I saw different colored balls - planets he called them. It was all so fascinating. It was already dark when I looked out the window. I hurriedly grabbed my bag and said goodbye to Mr. Argon.

"I need to go now. My parents are probably looking for me.It was nice meeting you, Mr. Argon. I hope I can travel through space too, just like you. Will you be coming back? You should come meet my family!"

"It was my pleasure to meet you, Virella. I sure hope we meet again. For now, I have to go. I will never forget your kindness, kid. Goodbye and take care on your way home."

"You too. Here, take this rose with you. It's the prettiest one I picked so far. I hope you like it," I smiled widely at him.

"Goodbye!", I said for the last time and started on my way home. I stopped for a second and looked up to see Mr. Argon's ship flying through the air.

Present

"You're still talking about that day you met your Mr. Argon? Come on, Virella, you're an adult now. You should know how to differentiate reality from the delusions of a child," my cousin said to me.

"I know what I saw, Via. I was young but not stupid. He was a real person with a real ship! And it looked different from what we have today." I countered.

When I went home that day I met Mr. Argon, I told them about his eyes and the ship and the things I saw in his space travel. But no one believed me. They said I imagined those things from watching movies. I insisted Mr. Argon was real but they just laughed. I never talked about it again. Until today.

There was some news last night about people saying they saw UFOs flying through the sky. I paid it no attention until someone showed a video he took of the object. It was the exact same ship I saw sixteen years ago.

"You're the smartest person I know, Virella. But this is just ridiculous. Don't tell me you believe those people in the news. We've seen countless news stories of people claiming they've seen UFOs or aliens or whatever that is. But none of them are real!"

"This time it is real, I'm telling you."

"Oh, whatever. Let's just eat, shall we?" She placed a cup in front of me and poured hot chocolate. "Enough of this talk. I want to know all about the party you were at last night. Are we finally going to meet your boyfriend?"

I sighed. "No, Via. I don't have a boyfriend. I already have so many oppas I wouldn't need another boyfriend," I said with a serious face.

"Yeah, me too." We both laughed.

We were talking about new must-watch Korean dramas on Netflix right now when Marco, my brother, burst through the kitchen door.

"Guys, have you seen the news?!"

"What about it?" I asked.

"Quick, come on! This is just unbelievable!" He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

"We just received news from our team in Italy that another group of UFOs, now confirmed as alien spaceships, have landed in Rome. The president has called for an emergency meeting to discuss defense strategies and evacuation plans. As of this time, at least 10 cities are reported to have alien military formation."

I turned to Via and Marco, both looking shocked. "I told you so," I said. "I knew it was real!" I plopped down on the sofa and covered my face. "Oh my God, it was real! And it seems like Mr. Argon's not just the only one who'd like a visit. What's gonna happen?"

Marco, still not over his shock, said, "We're going to die. They're going to kill us all."

"Don't be so extreme. I don't think it would be in their best interest to kill everyone. They are not familiar with this planet. If they're going after our resources, they would need local people to show them everything. And it would not be economical to get rid of billions of people. It's just a waste of time and resources," I tried to convince them. "But why exactly are they here?"

"I hope you're right, V. I hope you're right." Via uttered.

Three days later, the US military initiated an attack. The other countries followed suit. We were glued to the sofa listening to the news, afraid of what's going to happen next.

A week passed and the attacks still continued. Strangely, only one person was confirmed dead during the attacks and it was due to an accident. The aliens merely set up a defensive perimeter and did not employ any counter-attacks. On the twelfth day, the US announced that it is trying to establish communication with the aliens to determine what their intentions are.

"Why not do that before attacking?" I muttered exasperatedly to myself.

On the fourteenth day, the US declared they have successfully communicated with the aliens and both parties have reached an agreement. Further details of this agreement would be announced in a few days.

I turned the TV off, grabbed my car keys and drove to the grocery store. Everywhere, people are talking about the aliens. Our country is not one of the countries where the aliens have landed. So we are not directly affected by the attacks. But most are afraid of the uncertainty while some are excited to finally be witnessing extraterrestrial contact. I feel both but I'm mostly curious. Why are they here? Is Mr. Argon with them? Why now after all these years?

After I was done with the groceries, I stopped by my best friend's house. I wanted to make sure Ari's okay as she was living by herself. After a quick catch up, I said my goodbyes. It's not good to be out late as crimes have gone up since the alien landings. "Call me if something happens, okay? You know you can always stay at our house if you want to," I reminded her.

When I got back to the house, I almost believed I was delusional like Via said. Because right there at our family table sits the US president and his bodyguards.

"Hello, Virella." The US president stood up and offered his hand.

"Hello Pres. Stoller." I shook his hand. Um, what's going on?" I looked at my parents and Marco sitting at the table.

"Don't be afraid. We're here to discuss with you something really important. As you might know, we have talked to the aliens. And we're here to seek your help."

"How exactly can I help?" I asked, confused.

"Come sit, please." One of Pres. Stoller's bodyguards pulled out a chair for me. I sat at the head table and waited for an answer.

"It has come to our attention that you had contact with an alien named Mr. Argon when you were a child," the president said. "Mr. Argon is a member of the reigning monarch of Vanhalshem, their planet. More specifically, he is the current king."

"Mr. Argon's a king?" I gasped. "Yes, I met him. But what's that got to do with the alien talks?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Argon is very sick. They've been trying really hard to find a cure for him. I've been told that you gave him a rose before he left?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't know how they did it but he had it preserved. That is, until two months ago, when he thought he was finally going to die that he opened the glass dome. He said it reminded him of his brief visit here on Earth. He would have wanted to see it for the last time. The next morning, ironically, he said he felt so much better. His doctors were baffled so they tried to determine what caused this sudden change. They discovered that the rose had something to do with it. I didn't really get how but they said it had a chemical reaction to a medicine they recently developed which partially cured Mr. Argon. He is not out of danger yet. So the doctors want to do further research on roses. They're aiming to make a medicine out of it to fully cure Mr. Argon."

"Okay. And what's my role in all of this? We can give them what they want so they don't attack us, can't we?"

"Yes, we can. But that does not guarantee that they don't wipe us all out when they got what they wanted. And that's where you come in, Virella. We have agreed that at least one of the members of their royal family must remain here indefinitely to ensure that they do not attack us. They accepted but they also demanded that one of us go back with them to Vanhalshem as assurance that we will honor our end of the deal. As archaic as it sounds, we are begging you to agree to marry their crown prince." He looked at me hopefully.

I snorted. "You're joking, right?"

"Sadly, no." He looked at me pitifully.

What? It took me a few minutes to take it all in. I couldn't say anything. To say I'm shocked is an understatement. Marriage? Me, a perfectly ordinary girl, to marry an alien? Tell me this is just a dream.

Another minute of total silence passed. Finally, the president said, "Say something, Virella. I know this is a huge thing to ask of you. But you are our only hope. They are far advanced in military equipment and weapons than us. We have no chance of surviving if they decide to attack us all. Mr. Argon trusts you, that's why you're the one he requested his son marry."

"But- but I will have to go with them, Mr. President. I will leave my family behind. Am I even going to see my family again if I decide to marry the prince? Did he even agree to an arranged marriage? This sounds ridiculous!" I am starting to be hysterical. My eyes are watering. I can't breathe. "I need some air. Could you excuse me for a moment, please?"

"Sure, Virella. Get some rest first. Think about it and let me know your decision. I'm sorry that you had to shoulder this big responsibility at your age."

I just nodded and turned my back. I ran out the back door and nervously paced back and forth. "Is this for real? What am I going to do? If I marry him, will I get to see my family again? My nieces?" What will happen to them if the aliens attacked us? To countless other families? It's too much to ask of me but what can I do? I have to do this if I wish to save them.

"Virella?" My mother called. I turned around and looked at her face. Papa and Marco are there too. "Virella, dear, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. They can't force you to marry. We can't lose you." Mama cried. "Peter, what are we going to do? We can't give them our daughter!" Mama's face is getting redder by the minute. My mother can't handle stress well. She's going to pass out. Papa and Marco are crying now too.

"Hush, my dear. It's going to be alright. We'll talk to the president and beg him to look for other solutions. We won't lose our daughter, I promise."

Seeing them like this broke my heart. I'd rather face the possibility of not seeing them again than knowing they might get killed. It will destroy me. I hugged them and cried silently. I can do this. "Ma, pa, Marco. I'll do it."

"What? Don't! You're our baby. You can't possibly expect us to put you in danger!"

"You won't. Mr. Argon's a kind man. I don't know him that well but I can tell he's a good person. He won't harm me or let anyone harm me. Besides, I'm going to be a part of their family. They can't possibly harm me. They also won't risk that as we have one of theirs. More importantly, they need our resources."

"Oh god, Peter. My baby!" Mother clung to Papa and cried hysterically.

"Don't be sad, Ma. I will still see you. I'm sure they'll allow that." I tried to reassure them. Father and Marco didn't say anything but I know they understood.

I talked to the president and conveyed my decision. "I will do it."

He sighed and nodded. He shook my hand and patted my shoulder. "We can't tell you enough how sorry and grateful we are for your sacrifice. Know that we will always have your back. We have made it clear to the Vanhals that you should in no way be subjected to any harm. We also pledge that your family will be taken care of. We will provide them support - financial or otherwise - for the rest of their lives. You need not worry about that. Again, thank you very much for your help, Virella."

The president and his men left after briefing me on the upcoming marriage and other arrangements. The crown prince and I will marry next week. We'll fly to Vanhalshem the day after. The Vanhals agreed to two other people accompanying me. I could bring one friend or family and the other will be appointed by the government.