The White Order

" But we are tethered to the story we must tell" - Turning page, Sleeping at last She was aware of her place. Every one had a place here. The Queen who ruled, the servant girls who cleaned, and the dancers who kept the men coming. She knew her place, she knew her role, and she knew her responsibility. But yet here it was, fate's strange twist of the story. Joanne couldn't help staring into the stranger's eyes - dark, vast pools that told of worlds unknown, and places she had never been. As she locked eyes with him while climbing steadily down the pole, she felt a slow, sad pull. And here it was, fate. The Princess of the White Order, meant to inherit the Queen's throne, falling in love. It was unheard of, and impossible. Joanne moved forward, her body betraying her rationale mind to continue dancing. The stranger smiled, and raised his glass to her. She moved forward to the front of the stage, steadily, the shimmery cloth she wore fluttering in the cool air. Around them, the music raged loud and other dancers climbed, swung, performed all sorts of tricks on the dance floor. And there she was, almost near the stranger who was smiling at her invitingly. Almost there, she thought. Almost able to see who he is clearly. Suddenly, the stage white lights flipped on and it became exceedingly bright. The crowd groaned loudly and curses could be heard all-round from the drunk men. Joanne sighed and quickly looked up at the stranger, thinking that she would finally see his face. To her surprise - the stranger was gone. Joanne frowned and squinted - all she could see was his dark, tall frame, rapidly striding towards the exit. Then - a heartbeat - he turned and smiled. She saw him clearly now; the most beautiful stranger she had ever seen. And then in an instant she knew - this was her soulmate. Her blood drained from her face. When the club was finally cleared of everybody, the dancers sighed and climbed down from the stage, grumbling. It was never good when the club closed before the morning. Rish, a sweet warrior from the Southern Lands with dark flowing hair sweeped her fingers through her hair agitedly. "Joanne, what does your mother want now? I don't think that the crowd here had any strange ulterior thoughts tonight. I mean, we have been fighting for so long and so hard, can't we just take a break? Some of us just want to have fun.". The dancers gathered closer, frowning and tapping their feet impatiently. Some heard Rish and nodded. Others merely looked at Joanne, trying to guage the tension in the room. Joanne was still reeling from her connection with the dark stranger. Nearly 21, she was the Princess of the White Order, established by the King a millenial ago. The White Order were a very special group of women. Made up of werewolves, fairies, elves, even humans, the common thing amongst all of them were that they were trained specially to fight crime. The White Order took in women of all backgrounds, and they were taught special skills in order to fight, and keep crime rates low in the kingdom. While celibacy wasn't a must in the White Order, most of the women chose to stay single and had boyfriends rather than husbands. SInce the White Order meant family, they were all sisters here. They helped each other run the strip club, which was actually a joint that masqueraded as a place for the women to sniff out criminials and sneak up on the who's who in the gang wars. There were many strip joints all across the island, but only one existed where the women of the White Order worked. This meant that there were special rules in this club that other clubs didn't have. One of those rules were that none of the patrons here could know that the women here were of the White Order; and so even though The White Order was well-known throughout the kingdom, it remained a very hush-hush secret, so much so that only hardened criminals brought to justice could prove that the ladies of the Order existsed. Of course, usually they didn't survive to tell the tale, so the Order remained to the outside world a mystery. But just like any strip club, the ladies also needed downtime and the last few months had been particularly exhausting. Gang wars were rife as the current King was weak and powerless to rule the Kingdom of Aaori. Joanne's mother, Queen Shoana, had fought long and hard alongside their best warriors, trying to keep peace in the kingdom. Finally, the King had declared a truce; if the gang wars were meant to divide terrority, then so be it. So the kingdom now was in a state of disunity. At best, it was a interlude of peace amidst the chaos. At worst, one need not be a witch to foretell that the King would be overthrown soon, and the best of the best would arise to take over. The most important part of all of this was the succession of the White Order. With the kingdom in disarray, the Order was very much needed to help especially the womenfolk and children who had been displaced by the wars. And yet, what many of the female warriors did not know was this - in the last battle with the gang lords, the Queen had been badly injured. Someone had cast a magical spell that broke through her defences, and as she hid to recovery, seeing no-one but her only daughter Joanne, she worried about passing the throne over quickly. It was important, and she had to do it soon. Joanne thought about all of these as she sat at the stagefront, dangling her legs over. Was Mother going to make the announcement today? And in that instance, the stranger's dark eyes flashed across her memory. Strong guilt waved over her ; how could she think of matters like this when more important things were at hand? A loud clear voice rung across the stage. "Dancers, please leave. Joanne, your mother wants you now." This was Heana, the Head Maiden who took care of all the dancers in the strip club. Heana was also mother's right hand woman. She was fierce, and loyal. Even if she had any idea that Queen Shona was injured, she kept her opinions to herself. The dancers left the stage, headed for the locker rooms, grumbling. Heana came from backstage and beckoned for Joanne to follow. Normally sombre and calm by nature, Heana seemed a little more anxious than usual. Joanna asked worriedly, looking around to see that other dancers were gone. "What is it Heana? Is my mother poorly?" Heana looked around and shushed her, motioning her to follow. They stepped into the backstage, which looked like any normal dance club - full of clothes and props, ready for the dancers to grab for that day's performance. Then waving her hands in an arc, Heana opened the door to the Order. The air around them became cooler and time seemed to paused. Then it was there, a white curtain with the emblem of the Order on it. This was the door to their Kingdom, a magical space built by the Royal Magicians for them. Joanne and Heana stepped through the curtain into a lush, beautiful landscape. Here, it was always sunny and the sound of merry springs could be heard. Harp music tinkled in the background. All the women in the Kingdom stayed here, but only Heana and the Queen could open the door. This was meant to be a safe space for all the women who chose to join the Order. Time and space existed differently here. One could just think, and be at the place instantly. In no time, they reached the bedroom of the Queen. Queen Shoana laid on a lush, comfortable bed. She was very pale,and her white-blond hair seemed too much for her shrinking frame. Joanne had an impulse to ask the Royal Nurse to cut it out off. It hurt to see her mother so weak. Shoana smiled, and dismissed Heana with a wave. The warrior bowed, and in a blink, was gone. "Sit down, my love." Joanne moved closer and held the Queen's hand. "Mother, what is it? Should I close the strip club and spend time with you?" "Joanne, no. I just need you to listen to me. I have something very important to tell you." Tears brimmed in Joanne's eyes. She knew what was coming. She breathed deeply, willing herself to accept the news to come. "Joanne, I know you're a brave warrior. I know I will leave the Kingdom in good hands. I have taught you everything I know, and I have found the best help for you. If I am gone, Heana will be here to help you. Do not worry." The Queen smiled, and placed a hand on Joanne's cheek. "But my dear, there is something I haven't told you. And after I tell you the truth, I have to beg you - please. It is still your choice to accept the throne. But please, I know I am selfish, but Joanne, I want you to be happy." The Queen coughed raspily, and Joanne quickly moved to grab the bell, to signal for help. Shoana gently laid her hand over the bell. "Joanne, let me tell you what it is first. I am dying, and I need you to take my place quickly. But my dear, here is what you need to know. Once you become Queen of the White Order, you cannot fall in love ever. You lose your soulmate connection instantly. The old King had to put this condition on us because he was afraid that one day, the White Order may lose its purpose if the Queen was married." Joanne gasped, but she shook her head - "Mother, no. The White Order depends on me, I will -" The Queen gripped her hand tigher. "Joanne, listen to me. You were given to me as a little girl, but I raised you like my own. This has always been the way of the White Order. You are my daughter, and I want the best for you. I saw it in the future today. You have met your soulmate. Joanne, I want you to leave the White Order. Seek your happiness." Joanne jumped up from the bed. "No! Mother. What are you saying?" The Queen closed her eyes and laid back on the bed. " My dear girl. Your soulmate is very special. My powers are weak, and I can't tell what is going to happen. But I know what ever you choose, you'll make the best decision for yourself. That's all I want. It is selfish, but as a mother, I rather see you happy. The Kingdom under Duncan (the current King) is in total chaos. The White Order cannot hold off what is happening. I don't know once I die, whether you can continue to fight for peace. I want to know that you are happy when I am gone." The Queen breathed heavily. "Please, Joanne. I don't have long left. Promise me you'll choose your own happiness. Find the dark stranger." Joanne felt her heart beating faster and faster. For all her life, she had trained to take over the throne. She was raised to be a Warrior, fulfilling her destiny. She knew how to hunt for criminals, and lure them to sleep with a magic potion. Leave the White Order and seek love? Joanne felt the air around her shivering and pulsating. The Queen was trying to send her back to the real world, the very last bit of her strength used to send her only daughter away. "Mother, no, please I-" The Queen opened her eyes and spoke sadly. "Joanne, please, go. Do as I asked." With that she closed her eyes for the last time. The Magical Kingdom became a hazy blur and Joanne started falling through space-time again...