Haner

She was everything we ever dreamed of. The only thing we didn’t know was slowly one by one we were falling for her and in the end, some say it wasn’t worth it.
Others say she was meant to be for him. When she came into our lives, we didn’t expect this to happen. But it did. I can’t hold a grudge against her and him, and neither do my other brothers. We fought over her day to night and night to day. But the one that hardly fought over her ended up winning her heart. We just wished we realized this before. But in the end we were just happy for her anyways. Her name; Anaya Karin Riyo Lee Haner, she was beautiful, maybe even beyond beautiful. And she fell for the youngest one.

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The day is August 15th, 2950. Today is also my five year wedding anniversary.
As I walked back into the City I once had grew up in, memories flew back in mind.

Robert and I had met while he was stationed here. My father decided for me to go along with him to met those who had arrived to the City; I was to be their tour guide, which frankly I didn’t think they needed it.

“Gentlemen, I am Governor Haner you may also know me as General of the military established here. This is my daughter Anaya Haner. She will be your guide for the next two hours or so. I trust you will all show your gratitude towards her and show respect, as if I were the one showing you around. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir. I am Lieutenant Hades of the Naval Forces, you have our word.”

“The famous Hades, Prince of Ozark. Your Highness, you do understand that even though you are part of royalty you are still going to be treated as your rank in the military.”
“Yes sir.”
“Glad you understand that. Now, I am putting my daughter’s life in your hands. Who knows what types of people are lurking around the City.”
Robert was second in command after his uncle along with being the Prince of Ozark; another well preserved city in the Eastern part of what was left of Southern Russia.

“Miss Haner, I glad you decided to be the guide.”
“Actually Lieutenant Hades, it wasn’t my choice, my father made me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
I told the young Prince.

“Robert Hades.”
“Anaya Karin Riyo Lee Moline Haner,”
“What a beautiful name.”
“I’d prefer Karin, but with the military, it’s just Anaya Haner. Also, it’s long as hell.”
“Well, what if I called you Karin and you call me Rob.”
“Alright.”
Once the tour was done, Robert offered to take me home.

“Mother, Lieutenant Hades is here.”
“Good even Lieutenant, Amber Haner”
“Robert Hades at your service.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”
“Of course not, we’re glad to have you.”
After that day, Robert would come see me two days a week. He soon asked my parents permission to see me. They gladly accepted. We dated for three years. I was fifteen at the time, he was eighteen.

Three years later.

“Haner!”
“I’m coming! Damn can’t a person take their time?”
“Yes, but you had two hours to get ready. TWO HOURS!!”
“It’s a female thing sweetheart.”
“I can tell, but can you hurry!”
“I’m done.”
“Wow that female thing is sure worth it, you look beautiful, as always but even more.”
“I’m glad you like it. C’mon shut your mouth and lets go.”
As we arrived at my parent’s house for the formal dinner, my mind started going else where. I always had things that easily distract me from what actually happened around me; offend leading me to say something stupid.

“Mom!”
I yelled causing everyone to look at me, surprisingly I must add.
“Anaya, you made it! And you look dashingly stunning.”
“Aw mom, Rob said the same thing; expect that I was more beautiful.”
“That man loves you hun. “
“Yeah I know mother.”
“So, when is he poppin’ the question?”
“I don’t know mother. For all I know, he might not be the one.”
“Oh shut up you know he is. Anyways, Everyone! Dinner’s ready.”
As we all sat together at the table, everyone’s eyes were on Robert. Everyone expected tonight would be the night.
And everyone was right.

“Mr. Haner Sir, with your permission and with Mrs. Haner’s permission, I would like to ask for your blessing in marriage.”
Everyone looked at my parents, who were smiling their asses off showing that they did give their blessings.

“Anaya Karin Riyo Lee Moline Haner, will you marry me?”
They soon then turned to me.
“Yes!”

Months had passed after the announcement of my engagement. News got out and the press was on it for months on end.
“Governor’s Daughter Marrying Prince of Ozark.”
“Lieutenant Hades and General Haner’s Daughter Are to Marry in August.”
“Anaya: Future Princess of Ozark”

And so on. On the day of the wedding, everything was going as planned. The garden wedding of my dreams was finally about to become real, along with a nightmare. As my father walked me down the pathway, I saw my soon to be husband’s smile, my mother on the first set of chairs crying, my family also either crying or smiling. As he handed me to Robert, he spoke about taking care of me and all those things father’s normally do.

“We are here for the holy binding of these young couple-”
All Robert and I could do was look at each other up until we came to the ‘I Do’s came along.

“Do you Robert Andrew Hades take thee Anaya Karin Riyo Lee Haner as your wedded wife to promise before God, your friends and your families that you will love, comfort, honor and protect your her and be faithful to her as long as you both shall live. To have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

"And do you Anaya Karin Riyo Lee Haner take thee Robert Andrew Hades to be your wedded husband to promise before God, your friends and your families that you will love, comfort, honor and protect your him and be faithful to him as long as you both shall live. To have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“If there’s a reason for these two not to get married, speak now or forever hold your pieces.”
No one stood up.

“I now declare you Husband and Wife, you may kiss the bride.”
That’s where the dream was shattered, as soon as Robert was about to kiss me, there was a gun shot. As everyone was screaming and darting to the floor, I saw blood, thinking I was shot I checked for wounds, only to hear one of the bridesmaid screaming in horror. There before me laid my husband, dead from a gun shot to the heart. Instantly, I screamed at the sight before me.

“No Robert!”
“Someone, get a paramedic here!”
Orders were being shouted everywhere, security guards started checking the place. My father was at my side trying to pull me away from my husband’s body.

“Anaya, please c’mon, we need to get you out of here.”
“No! Leave me alone. Robert, Robert!”
“Anaya, come!”
“No! It’s just a bad dream, he’s not dead!”
“Anaya he is!”
Somehow, he managed to get me away from the body. Days passed, and it seemed unreal. The press constantly asked questions,

“Who did it?”
“Why?”
“Is Mrs. Hades alright? Does she have anything to say?”
I had spent my days locked in my room until Robert’s funeral came. I sat there without one single emotion written on my face. Not once did I cry at the wake or the burial. I looked at the tomb; written across it was his name, day of birth, and death; nothing more, nothing less.

That was five years ago. I kept walking through the streets, remembering my childhood, how it was before when the City was first build. Anglii was the only well preserved city in what you would call ‘New’ England after the nuclear war in 2037. For nine-hundred thirteen years the entire world had become a military government expect for a few places where it had turned into monarch days again. Most people that lived in those places thought it would be awful, because of the history that they knew of from the early monarch days in the 1000s, surprisingly it was different, one of those places being Ozark. The survivors of the war build new cities only a few remained from the ones build before the war. Anglii and Ozark were out of range from nuclear zone, but not cities around it, unfortunately due to the chemicals; they also reached the grounds of the city. Nine-hundred years had passed since then and yet we lived under military control, some would think the old government would be restored, others simply never thought about restoring it. A few years after the war there was a voting between the countries, republics, military, the monarchs and any other possible governments that were formed, all voting to restore the old governments again or to have just two. Many argued that if the old ones were to be restored later on in history our future generations would have to deal with another war ending human race for good, we would be bond to repeating history if we had our own separate organizations. Majority voted for two; Military and Monarch, winning by three or four votes. But then again, the military had always had control since the war began.

As I recalled everything that happened and what I was told about our damn historical events, I saw my childhood friends. But knowing they wouldn’t recognize me, I kept walking by.

“Miss you have to go to the base to register,”
“It’s Mrs. Hades.”
I corrected the young boy that looked no more then nine-teen.

“I thought I recognized you, I’ll take it from here Private.”
“Yes sir.”
He saluted the man.

“Anaya, long time no see.”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
“I knew you wouldn’t remember me. I’m Major Armstrong, Alex Valentine Armstrong.”

“Farther reference please.”
“You and my brother were in the same school together.”
“Major I went to three difference schools; Primary, Secondary or Universal Education, state one.”
“Primary and Secondary,”
I thought back to my younger school days, trying to remember a young boy by the surname of Armstrong

“His name would be?”
“Jason Kamal Armstrong. You also know my brothers, Mark Mendez and Andrew Jeremiah Armstrong.”
“Of course, how could I have forgotten the Armstrong brothers? How have you been?”
Having grown up with the four brothers of the Armstrong, I was shamed of not remembering their faces or names

“Busting our asses off in the fucking military,”
“You mention you are Major, what are your brothers’ ranks?”
“Well, Mark’s Wing Commander in the Air Force, Andrew is Commander in the Naval Forces, and Jason’s Lieutenant in the Marines.”
“Wow, they’ve all made it so far.”
I still had pictured all four as young men who were working in their career then from being full time military men.

“Yes. What about yourself Haner?”
“As you already know, I was married for a prior of two seconds before my husband was shot and killed. I lived in isolation. My mother died a year after my husband’s death. My father married the whore he had an affair with when my mother was alive a few days ago making me want to leave even more.”
“Interesting life style you have been living.”
“Interesting, Major I beg your pardon,”
“Alex, please just call me Alex.”
He corrected me while laughing.

“Alex, it’s far from interesting.”
“I bet, anyways Anaya you still need to register at the base.”
“I already have.”
“Then would you like to join me to dinner at my house?”
“Sure, I’d love too.”

As Alex and I walked towards his home, he told me about what had happened five years since I had last been here.
“I hope you enjoy the cooking of four handsome young men.”
“Major, I hate to break it to you….”
“ALEX!!!”
“I’m sorry Anaya; you’ll have to hold on to that thought.”

I didn’t know what I was to get myself into. Not when I saw these four again. From the last time I was around, all four of them had a thing for me. The one who had it more was Mark. The other three just wanted me as a past time, and I, I also wanted to have fun. Not in the most sexual way, I just wanted someone I could call my boyfriend. Expect my father never accepted it, he wanted me to be involve with someone from the military not from a Monarchy. Even though they were from Monarch parts, I still loved to hang out with these boys, even Alex, being the oldest one. I grew up with Jason who was a year older then I was; Andrew was two years and Mark three. I loved him, he just didn’t know. My childhood love was right in front of me and he had no clue I loved him, at all.