by P. S. Power
Holding her head as she sat in her room, in the nice chair that she'd made appear for things like this, she nodded. It was a pain in the rear, but they had to do something. At least the King did. Still, some visitors might not be awful.
"We can do that. Do you want me to set that up?" She still wasn't getting why he'd been hinting at it, instead of asking.
"Oh! Would you? That would be perfect. Sooner might be better, if it can be arranged? I know that both you and Alice Orange are busy people after all, and I can only beg your aid."
"Right, right. Let me get to that then. I'll try to get back to you with word in a few days?" She didn't want to promise more than that, since visiting would have a lot to do with schedules and things along those lines. Stuff that was only important to other people.
Alice didn't answer her communications device.
Gerent did.
"Fleet Admiral's line, how may I assist you today?"
Tiera blinked, having not heard his voice in a long time.
"By coming to visit? I know that you don't want to see Trice right now, which is foolish, by the way, but I miss you. If Tor and Tim don't come around soon, I think they're going to die. Both of them. We've been feeding them, with needles. You'll have to see it. Can you and Alice come anyway? King Richard wants people to come, and visit with Alphonse. Some that might have met him before would be good for that. I mean if you have anyone like that around?" She waited for her adopted brother to tell her no, since he really didn't want to see any of them, especially if Trice was going to be there.
"I'll do that. I can put something together I think. We'll need a fleet wide call though and it's probably going to take a bit. Things have been slow lately, since the Ancients died. For Space Fleet I mean. Mainly going to Harmony with colonists. I have to admit I'm reconsidering that for myself. The thing there..." He got up and spoke to someone, saying words that sounded suspiciously like him asking several others if he could have the room to himself. "Well, I love Trice. I guess that's clear enough. I know she doesn't feel the same way, and that hurts, so I stayed here. The idea of looking at her, knowing that nothing I do will ever be enough... You probably can't get that at all, can you?"
"Not personally. But I can see what you mean anyway. That really would be hard. I hate to pretend to be all grown up or anything, but facing her is the best way. Even if it ends in tears. As long as they're not mine I mean. That would be bad, but I feel fine about the whole thing, so you should do it. Talk to her and let her know why you can't be near her. That way she won't go around being all gloomy any time your name is mentioned. Before you ask, yes, she really does. With the whole Tor and Timon thing going on too... I bet she'd be glad for you to visit."
It took a bit more work, but he agreed to come himself, along with Alice. Still he asked for three days to set it up. That would mean that she and Ali would have time to get a full meal menu up. That she found that exciting simply showed how truly bored she really was, didn't it?
It took a bit to get back in touch with the King, since he didn't have his own communications device. That meant bothering Ridley Dens, who was only happy enough to help. He mentioned it several times in fact.
Finally Tiera chuckled.
"Ah, so, you want a favor from me? Gold and jewels? Free space voyages? Um... work with me here, I'm running out of things you might want from me."
He cleared his throat, primly but couldn't keep his voice from giving him away instantly. "Would I do anything like that? It would be an abuse of power and position!"
"True. Good to know you wouldn't do that."
"However..."
"Yes, Baron Dens?"
"Oh, call me Ridley please, since I'm trying to work up the nerve to ask you out on a date, or, well, not just an outing, since I know that you can't come here. I could come to you, if you want?"
She looked at the device, and wondered if he was particularly ugly or something, not having a face to go with the name. Not even an age.
"Well... why not? You could come up for dinner tonight? We're keeping roughly the same time as in the Capital, more or less, so that would work. I'll have to call someone to help you get here, but... sure!" Did that sound desperate? Did she care?
That meant getting with Sara, since she was the only person that commonly went to and from Goddess of the Moon, and Earth. It didn't take that long, so she managed a good five hour long fight with Kolb, who was at least as bored as she was, and pushed her harder each day. Not that he hit harder, but he used more and more skill each time. His corrections, all with words, were brutally exacting too. Again, each day he made more minor improvements to her technique. That particular day they fought with staves, swords and shield on shield.
It changed constantly. Once, without even being ironic, they'd fought with pieces of fruit. Apples to be exact. She was still slightly terrified of that particular piece of vegetation now.
On the way out she mentioned the visitors coming, but he merely nodded, as if it were completely normal.
"I'll see that I'm around for a shift then. Unless Ali is taking the duty?" She'd worked her way up to second mate, which Tiera hadn't even known was a real thing. She still had to help make the food though.
Tiera wasn't stupid, and got that Ridley wasn't coming to have a secret "meeting" with her. After all, she didn't even know if he looked like a toad or not. That meant, given everything, he probably wanted a good and safe place to send a communication to his boss. Smythe of Westend.
Still, she had company coming, so picked up her room, which had... Nothing in it, except a whole lot of magical devices made to look like pretty pieces of jewelry with rubies, sapphires and lots of gold. She tidied that, and then made herself look as nice as possible, getting into a real dress instead of student browns and actually brushing her hair. It wasn't hard, but she had four inches now, or so. It didn't look great, being a little too even, but she didn't have anything to trim it with and lacked the skill anyway.
In the end she had to go and see if anyone else would help her with it at all.
That caused her to end up on the bridge, where Alphonse was watching Tor and Timon pretty well, and they seemed to both have fresh bags of food, or nutrient solution, as she thought it was called. Ali was actually in the Captain chair, and Trice sat next to her, talking softly. It sounded like it was about what kind of businesses they could start, when they got to Harmony.
Tiera waved at her hair, looking at Trice. "Can you cut hair at all?"
She clapped, and looked at Ali. "Yep, that's a great idea! If they don't have anyone. Even if they do, we could both do that, if you aren't too busy building all the time? Tiera, you could too. Or... Well, no, that might be beneath the dignity of the Queen." She snapped her fingers and tried not to smile at all. "I know, you can work in the Whore House. That's a fitting place for a person like that. We can get you and Alphonse little rooms right next to each other. It will be fun."
"Oh, you know all about working in a house like that?" She managed not to sound too catty at least, and Trice actually just tilted her head instead of taking offense.
"I've done it. It was actually a useful experience. I can't say it was all good, but I learned a lot. About people. I already knew about sex."
Ali kept her eyes forward and didn't even glance around, since she was working. She did speak though.
"I've... worked the streets. It wasn't all the time. I just got so hungry, that I was willing to do anything. It was better than what father did to us. Even when they beat me and took the coin back." There was a dead tone to the words, and no tears came. Tiera wanted to run to her and make it right, somehow, but it was too late for that. It had been, for almost her entire life.
Then the attractive blonde girl waved a hand at Trice.
"Anyway, I think she was trying to ask if you can cut hair, here. Is that right?"
"Exactly, I have a date coming. Ridley Dens? He's probably actually just coming to use the Goddess as a platform to message Smythe o
f Westend, but he definitely made it sound like he was planning to have sex. Really, he was a bit heavy handed about it, but still, I could have begged off, if I needed to."
Her curly haired friend stood and stretched, her breasts pushing against the brown tunic she wore.
"Ah, hence the nice dress. It's so different that I kind of wondered if we were being invaded by Princesses suddenly. Ridley will love it. We should go with short hair again. Shorter I mean. Doing Tor's sister will be almost as good for him, I'm sure. He never managed to get Tor into bed though, I hear. From Ridley. He asked me for tips, but growing lady parts wasn't all that helpful to him."
Ali giggled, which was unprofessional of her. It got Trice and Tiera to both smile anyway.
"Yeah, me too. I mean that he asked me for tips. My best one was to ask Tor to join the two of us, but he kind of put Ridley off. He really just isn't into men that way. It's a shame. That would be interesting to watch."
Alphonse made a slightly disgruntled noise, one that she understood now, she thought. It was a deflection. A way to separate himself from all that he could never have with Tor.
"Hey, stop talking about my grandfather that way. He's right here you know." It wasn't really funny or anything, but they all laughed. They pretty much had to, because after all these months, there was nothing left to do, otherwise.
Trice and Alphonse had taken to handing them both activated healing amulets for a few minutes each day, just hoping that it wouldn't harm the work, if that was possible. Timon was still doing it and Tor was too. She could tell that much. What she couldn't figure out was if it was working at all or not.
She stopped and smiled at the tall red headed man, whose clean face was charmingly happy at the moment. Not perfectly so, which showed around the eyes, when she searched for it.
"You're correct of course. Of course it would be good if he'd wake up and say that himself..."
She felt bad about saying it, but that was just true. They were both failing, Timon and Tor, and if something didn't change soon, they'd die. Right in front of her eyes. While she stood by, helpless, and weak.
Walking over to them, Tiera laid her right palm on Tim's cheek.
The sense of focus was total. So much so that he almost wasn't anything else now. Not inside at least. There was only the single thought, and lines of intent going out from him, passing through space without doing that in any real way. If she stood between the two, nothing would happen at all. They wouldn't even notice her.
Then she spun and looked at Tor, who was just as serene and unmoving. It was horrifying, after all this time. Too much for her to bear at all.
It was all overwhelming for a moment, so she leaned in, and yelled at her brother, knowing that it wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't have done much if it had just been her sitting there working, and he was so much deeper than she'd ever been it wasn't even the same thing.
"Wake up you idiot! Wake up now or you're both going to die!" Then she slapped him. It did nothing, but the Prince moved on her, holding his arms out, for a hug.
She buried her face in his chest and started to sob. "I just can't do this anymore. Watching them like this, day after day... I think it's too late."
There was a silence to the room and a hand on her sleeve. It was barely a tug, but when she turned she saw that Timon had it.
"Ack." It wasn't articulate, but she held him anyway. He tried again. Saying about the same thing. Trice got him some water, which meant that only a minute later he could speak. After a fashion.
"Healing amulet?" That was what Trice thought he said anyway.
They got him one, and he held it for a long time before doing anything else. Then, not able to stand, he gestured at Tor again.
"Slap him again. I felt that. It means he can too."
So she did.
Chapter thirteen
To be exact, Tiera lightly hit her brother's cheeks for a while, and shook him. Not all that hard. It didn't do much, she realized, as she made a solid effort to focus and touch his field. It was all just so... Unified. Locked into being a single thing. Perfect in a way that human beings simply were never meant to be. Searching out that part of himself which didn't belong inside and removing it, except that it was done now. It had been, most likely, for some time.
That meant Tor's mind was deeply, and purely, searching for any hint of things that weren't there anymore.
It was still impressive, though, naturally, also just like a stupid head. Who kept on working like that when the job was over?
Only a moron.
That's who.
The thought surprised her, because, while it was hers, it was also his. The strength of his field was influencing her. Making her respond and react like he would.
Only, Tiera wasn't that silly.
Standing back she thought for a few moments, and realized what was most important to her brother, in the whole world. What was behind everything he did. It was insightful, but also surprised her, because it came with a whole lot of other things. Deep ones that poured from the very heart of the people around her. She felt... connected to them all. Like they were a part of her, nearly. It was an illusion, being from Tor, but she still knew them all, in ways she hadn't even a moment before.
For instance, Timon was driven by a fear that he wasn't as good as Tor. Or, she realized, even her. As if that made any sense. Everything he did was still an attempt to show everyone that he wasn't some little shadow of his brother, but his own person. It wasn't needed, she knew, or even good. It got things done, but it also left Tim in pain far too often.
Kolb was driven by rote. He'd been designed and trained to be a warrior, and couldn't let go of that at all now. It was, in a real way, the heart of who he was and always had been. Time had shown him how to let go of war, however. That's what drove him in all things. More than she'd ever thought about, really. Being a warrior.
Ali lived her whole life in fear. Of everything. It wasn't that she lacked bravery, but the horrors she'd seen left her constantly aware that they could happen again. Her outer self was always pleasant and calm, but her inner life was constant turmoil and pain. Even standing there, feeling hopeful that Tor was about to wake up, the girl half expected Kolb, or even Tiera, to lock her away, and do horrible things to her. Powerful people did things like that, and no one could stop them.
The Prince, Alphonse, he was led by love. Not just of Tor either, which shocked her a bit. He loved all of them, if in different ways. If it came to it, he would have protected any of them with his life. He felt that most strongly for Tor, naturally, but Timon too. Tiera felt a bit of surprise again, when she realized that. She'd slept with the man after all, and he felt more for her little brother... But in the end, he knew that his responsibility to the people of Noram was the single most important thing. That was the love that guided him most.
She looked around and let her eyes settle on Trice, who looked back at her, in a very controlled fashion. There was a blank spot in her head, as she fought to try and not be read, but in that moment it didn't matter. Her thoughts weren't what Tiera had been paying attention to, and her inner self spilled out instantly. Totally. As filtered through someone else. That being Tor, more or less.
She was...
Duty. It wasn't a thing that Tiera had known about the woman at all. She'd always seemed so... Mean, really. Artificially polite at times, but not good. Or kind. That was because she wasn't. Her entire life had made her into a singular thing. She was her duty. As much as Tor was his work. Or Kolb was a warrior. She had a job to do, and she'd get it done, even if it killed her. Even if it broke her heart.
Tiera liked her a little bit better then. It wasn't that the woman had changed at all, just that she was more understandable. She'd been the one that was set to kill Tor, because others had figured out that she was the only one with a real chance to make it happen, if it became needed. Her or Alphonse. But he was loving, and she would do what she was told. Even if that meant cutting out her own heart to see i
t accomplished. It made a very big difference, really.
That left her, and Tor, and for half a moment she almost managed to avoid the part about herself. That kind of introspection was always painful, wasn't it? Her older brother was simple enough. He protected people. He worked.
That was his key, and she could use it to get him to wake up, she knew. He knew that too, but at the moment was too busy to apply it. So he needed her.
She started to move, but his thoughts, intertwined with her own, gave her a different perspective, even as she fought to ignore it all. She saw herself through his eyes and...
Well, she expected to see a monster, or a fool, but what came wasn't that at all. She was, in a very real way, what she thought she was. Anger, and pain. Sorrow, at least for now, and vengeance. That her brother saw that in her too was something she would have guessed. What was unexpected was that, after a fashion, he respected that about her. He understood that someone had to stand up for people, even after the wrongs had been committed, or they'd just happen again.
To his mind, that was her job. Her place in the world.
He stood in front of the crowd, shielding them against harm, and she stood behind them, to make certain that, when he failed, the enemy wouldn't leave unscathed.
It was a raw thing though. Her brother loved her, and understood her, but really, he didn't like her at all. She was just too different than he was. His heart was innocent, and while damaged by the world, it was in one piece. She was just a mess of colors to him. Mainly rage red, and without a lot of hope.
Tor really didn't expect her to live very long.
The strange thing there was that Timon did. It wasn't a soft thing either. Her little brother grimaced at her and managed to shake his head a little, as they locked fields, becoming one, in a very real way.
