"Till two hearts beat together, underneath one sun,
One very special moment, can turn a destiny,
And what some would say, could never change,
has changed for you and me…"
- "We Are One" by Westlife
Chapter Three: Restoring the Tie
The next morning…
"What do you need me to do?" Lilandra asked as she took her seat beside Charles' bed again. After the late night that she had had, she had slept much later than she normally did. When she had woken, to the reassuring strength of the bond, Brith'ta had asked for her to go about her morning routine before returning to the healer's wing for the first session.
"I've spent the last few marks varying the power and the stimulus level that the stimulator has been emitting as the first stage of treatment. I checked prior case histories regarding psychic damage, and according to everything that I have read, the changing stimulus should have served as a 'shock' of sorts, to make sure his mind will be focused and aware when we begin the therapy. What I will need for you to do, Empress, is to link with me and then bring me into the rapport you share with Lord Xavier. It will be up to you to help him reconstruct the neural paths again, while I act as a guide and a counselor. The first few sessions will be the hardest, but if this treatment works the way I hope, soon you and he will be able to work without my presence."
"I have never been trained in any kind of healing," Lilandra reminded him.
"I'm aware of that, my Empress. However, once we get past the initial stages and sessions I suspect that a great deal of the treatment will involve the two of you in a very close rapport, along with many personal memories that you would not wish an outsider to see, let alone experience. That is why I am going to assist for the first few sessions, in order to teach both of you what will need to be done."
Lilandra nodded and readied herself as the healer fastened a small device to his wrist before offering her an identical one. "What is this?"
"These first sessions will be the hardest, not only psychically, but also emotionally and mentally, so I want to impose a time limit. I want to spend no more than two marks on the first session – partially to keep either of you from exhausting yourselves again, but also to avoid doing damage by trying to do too much too soon. When the two marks are up, these devices will act like psychic breakers and force the link apart. They won't – they can't – interfere in your lidhje shpirt, only in this secondary rapport."
"Won't Charles be frightened when we are suddenly forced apart?" Lilandra asked. "What I saw last night…he was confused and lost until I was able to convince him I wasn't going to hurt him, until he realized it was me. If the damage is as severe as you say…"
Brith'ta shook his head. "We'll feel a warning tug to let us know that we're getting close to the time limit before we're forced out of the rapport. It will give us enough time to explain to him what is going on if he is as confused as you saw last night." He touched the control to activate the breakers. "Whenever you are ready, Majestrix."
Lilandra nodded and focused her energies before she reached out to link with Brith'ta. To her surprise, his own psychic shields were down and he was waiting with a "hand" stretched out to her. She clasped her "hand" to his and pulled him close to her.
I have a touch of empathic sensing, my Empress, he said with a "smile" that she felt more than saw.
With the healer firmly linked to her psychic self, she changed her focus to Charles and reached out to him, trying to once again establish a rapport with his unconscious mind. Charles. Charles, it is Lilandra. I am here to help you, as I promised.
Who…?
Lilandra, she told him. Reach out to me, beloved.
There was a flash of confusion, followed by recognition. Lilandra.
Yes, Charles. I'm here with one of my healers. We're going to help you piece your neural paths together so that you can heal. She and Brith'ta "manifested" their astral forms inside Charles' mind. His astral form was there as well, hovering, uncertain, as if he was ready to flee at a moment's notice. When he saw her, some of his tension eased, reassured by her presence.
I love you.
And I love you, she replied as she reached out and secured him to her with another temporary link like the one she was maintaining with Brith'ta. With the temporary link in place, she would be able to subconsciously monitor his energy and support him without distracting from what they were doing.
She "felt" Brith'ta moving closer along the link, "introducing" himself to Charles. In a link like this, even though he had no telepathic ability, he was still able to "articulate" because of the way Lilandra was temporarily sharing her powers with him. Lord Xavier, my name is Brith'ta, one of Her Majesty's healers. Your mind has been badly damaged, but I believe that I can help you and Empress Lilandra heal and restore it. Do you understand?
Yes…there was some uncertainty in his reply.
Good. Your neural paths were damaged and your memories disrupted and mixed. This will be a long, often frustrating process, but I pledge you that I will help you see it through to the end. The healer's words were kind, but frank.
Lilandra could feel Charles' hesitation and hurried to reassure him. I'll be with you the whole way, Charles. You won't be alone.
Lilandra.
Brith'ta interjected before she could reply. Lord Xavier…may I call you Charles?
Charles? he echoed back, uncertainly.
Yes. May I forego the formality and call you by your name? It will make these sessions much easier.
Again, Lilandra could sense his hesitation. It's all right, Charles. Brith'ta can be trusted.
Yes, came Charles' decision after several moments. But there was something…Lilandra couldn't figure out what was wrong. This wasn't the man whom she had supported so that he could bid his children good-bye. Charles had been articulate, if weary then. This time…something just wasn't right.
Thank you, Brith'ta said, his mental voice calm and reassuring. What I would like to work on right now is helping you re-establish full contact with your body, so that you can function on a normal level, with periods of true sleep, not unconsciousness. It is not healthy for you to remain unconscious for so long.
Yes.
Lilandra sent him a warm wave of love using her empathic powers. You can do this, Charles. I so want to see your eyes again, and feel you respond to my touch.
She sensed his fear and hesitation again, and again she reassured him. Help me.
That's why we're here, Charles. To help you, Brith'ta said soothingly. Empress, he will need your help with this.
Of course. What must I do? she asked.
We need to locate his anchor – the link between his mind and his body when he astrally projects. Every person has one; most just don't know how to use it or that it is there. I believe that the anchor being destroyed or deteriorating would explain the dark oblivion you described last night. He would be separated from his body, without a way to restore that damaged link, and if the link was completely severed, there would be no way to help him.
Lilandra "nodded" and, holding Charles and Brith'ta close to her, pulled them further into Charles' mind. At this level, had his mind been intact, she would have been able to see his memories, but there was only tattered fragments that drifted into her awareness and back out, so quickly and ephemeral that they barely registered to her. It was at that moment that she realized what Brith'ta meant when he described Charles' recovery as a "long, frustrating process". When Charles regained consciousness, he would likely be suffering from extreme amnesia. Each of these memory fragments would have to be slowly pieced together and placed back in their appropriate place.
She hid her concern with difficulty and continued to pull them deeply into her lover's mind until she found the anchor that was Charles' psychic link to his body. Although it was purely a psychic link, it manifested to her "eyes" as a long silver cord, normally strong and tightly woven. Now, however, it was frayed and tattered and almost severed in several places. Had it broken completely, as Brith'ta had pointed out, they would never have been able to restore Charles to consciousness – he would have been effectively brain dead, even if his body still breathed.
Charles, this is where you must take over, the healer said after studying the situation. This is your mind – we cannot force healing upon you. Empress Lilandra will channel energy to you, but you must use the energy to repair the anchor that ties your mind to your body.
H-how? More uncertainty, confusion.
Through willpower, Charles. In the mind, everything is about will and desire. Brith'ta suddenly manifested a small glowing ball of light, and then made it disappear just as quickly. Empress, please begin channeling energy to Lord Xavier.
Lilandra reached deep inside herself and pulled. Just as Brith'ta had, she visualized her energy flowing from her to Charles' "hands", where it settled, waiting to be used. But from that point, it just hovered. It was as if Charles didn't know what to do with the energy, which made Lilandra wonder just how badly his mind had been damaged. Could Charles have completely forgotten how to use his telepathy?
During their previous rapports, she had forcibly willed the energy to conform to her desires, bypassing Charles' ability to use and control it. Had she somehow compounded the damage by doing so? She had been so desperate to save him, to keep him from slipping away from her into death that she hadn't stopped to think what her forced rapport was doing to him – and the healers had said that it appeared that any attempt to block or slow the effects of the device would only accelerate the damage.
It appeared that although their bond was keeping him alive, it was adding to the damage that had been sustained. Charles' hesitancy, his one-word answers…he was reacting on instinct and answering the way he thought they wanted to hear.
Healer, he is like a child. He doesn't understand what we want him to do, she said along the link she held with Brith'ta, being careful to keep her words out of Charles' hearing range.
I was afraid this might happen, although I was hoping that it wouldn't, given what you told me about his ability to speak coherently with you when you were in rapport, Brith'ta replied.
What do you mean? Lilandra demanded.
When you first entered the rapport with him on your ship, although the damage was extensive and cascading, something – most likely your bond – was slowing the progression of the damage. That is the only reason that he could have survived so long. But the weapon still acted like taking a mallet to something fragile. There was enough of his mind and memory intact, however, to allow him to speak and act coherently with you. Now, however, the deterioration has progressed to a point where it is beginning to affect even those small fragments. His mind has regressed further, but again, your bond is acting to help him preserve what remains of his mind.
Part of his explanation made sense, but there was still something that didn't. But then why does he still cry out to me? Why does he know me and know that he loves me?
I can only theorize, Empress. It must have something to do with the lidhje shpirt itself. Given how unclear the legends and accounts of the bond are, my only guess is that the bond will not allow him to forget those things – or if he does, they would be the very last things to fade. Although by that point, there would not be enough left of his mind to save, so it would be a rather insignificant detail.
What he was describing was so horrible, that Lilandra would have shivered if she had been in her own body. What can I do for him?
I do not know, Empress. Again, I can only theorize. I've never seen a case like this before, even though I have treated other forms of psychic and physical damage. I believe that, for today, if we can find a way to help him heal this weakened link, he will regain consciousness and he will be able to communicate with us. Because there is no physical damage to his brain, if we can find a way to help restore his neural paths, he will start to become the man you remember. With patience, we should be able to help him heal. Had there been physical damage to his mind in addition to the psychic damage, I do not know if we could have found a way to help him.
Lilandra looked over at Charles, who still looked lost and confused by the energy that he was "holding". She wanted to weep at the emotions that she could sense coming from him. He was so bewildered…nothing like the confident, passionate, loving man that he had been when they had first met. He had stood up to his step-brother so bravely then, trying to protect her, and nearly died as a result. He had defied her when she had tried to take Jean Grey away because the Phoenix had been too strong, too dangerous, and his gambit had succeeded. There was such power and passion in him, no matter how tightly he leashed it, but now he was a broken shell of himself.
With time, love, and patience – assuming that Brith'ta was correct – what was broken could be mended. She had not come this far to give up on him now. Instinctively, she stepped forward, placed her "hands" over his and deepened the rapport between them so that she could show him what to do, guiding him in molding the power to his will, showing him how to use it to strengthen and reinforce the tie between his mind and his body. He fumbled with it at first, but she continued to teach him what she wanted him to do, and he slowly caught on.
That's very good, Charles! I am very proud of you! she told him, sensing his confidence increase under her praise. She released his hands and stepped back slightly, but continued to channel the energy to him now that he had caught on to what he needed to do.
Lilandra!
I'm still with you Charles, she assured him, sending a reassuring burst of love to him that was designed to warm him and comfort him. Now that he had the understanding of how to repair the worst of the damage to his mind, he was moving more quickly now, strengthening the mental tie between his body and his mind. The tattered and weakened places were slowly coming back together with the combined forces of Lilandra's and Charles' powers – and she was glad to see it. Any bit of progress brought her hope that the Charles she knew and loved would be restored to her.
Just as he finished reinforcing the final place on the tie, Lilandra felt a small shudder along the links she was holding. She turned her attention to Brith'ta. Was that the warning for the psychic breakers?
Yes. We need to pull out of his mind, the healer replied, before he turned to Charles. Charles, the Empress and I are going to leave now, but we'll be back soon. With the progress you've made, you should be able to wake up now, and you should be stronger.
Lilandra could sense that Charles was uncertain about the healer's words, but even she could tell that there was a difference now that they had affected some healing. He didn't seem to be quite as uncertain or afraid as he had been, and he seemed more aware of where he was and what was going on.
Of course, he wasn't completely back to his old self yet. Lilandra? His tone was uncertain as he said it.
It will be all right, Charles. I'll see you soon, Lilandra reassured him. I look forward to seeing your beautiful eyes again.
Gently, she released the link that she had with Charles, allowing his subconscious to drift back to a level that wasn't so deep. There was still work to be done, but at least they had made a start. She "rose" out of Charles' deepest unconscious mind with Brith'ta, reaching a shallower state of awareness just as the breakers activated and sent a jolt that broke the link and sent both of them back to their own minds.
Lilandra opened her eyes and blinked twice as she focused on Brith'ta. "Did it work?"
"That was a good first session, Majestrix," the healer confirmed. "We'll have to see what impact it had on his physical condition." He rose slowly to his feet to avoid the dizziness that could come from such a deep psychic rapport. As a telepath herself, Lilandra was more used to the sensation that could arise from such intensive use of psychic powers, so as she rose to her feet, she was able to move directly to Charles' side, leaning over to touch his cheek with no dizziness afflicting her.
The healer moved to the monitors and studied the readouts closely, tapping in several commands to compare them with the readouts from the night before. There was an intense look on his face as he raised a finger and traced it over the screen, interpreting what he saw in some fashion that made no sense to Lilandra, since she had no healer training. "Healer?"
"I do believe that it worked," Brith'ta said after another few moments of studying the monitors. "His life signs show a marked improvement, and he's definitely stabilized. I see no reason why we shouldn't attempt to wake him."
Lilandra's heart beat a little faster at the thought that Charles might wake up, able to speak to her in his rich, deep baritone, able to touch her gently, but with the passion that she knew he was capable of. She loved him so much, and seeing him so still like this was painful. She watched closely as Brith'ta leaned over the bed and touched Charles' shoulder.
"Charles? Lord Xavier, can you hear me?" he called. "It's time to wake up."
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and Lilandra found herself holding her breath, wondering if Charles really had improved, if he was strong enough to regain consciousness and come back to her. Then she saw him twitch slightly, and his eyelids flutter, which was more movement than he'd made in a full day.
"Charles? Beloved?" Lilandra tried, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. "Wake up, Charles. Please."
More movement in his face, and this time Lilandra also felt a weak, answering squeeze in her hand. She raised his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles gently, while her other hand found his brow and brushed across the smooth, pale skin. He was so different from her people – but that only made him even more attractive to her. It wasn't just his outward appearance that was so different and attractive, but the kindness and wisdom of his mind and spirit that attracted her.
"Keep trying, Empress. He's responding to you more than he was to me." Brith'ta glanced at the readouts on the monitor again. "His life signs are still improving. If we can get him fully awake, we'll get the most accurate readings on his condition."
Encouraged by the healer's words, she continued to call out to him, squeezing his hand, touching his cheek, calling his name repeatedly, and finally leaning down to kiss his lips. As she pulled away, she was rewarded with the sight of his eyes opening slightly, then closing again. His eyelids fluttered for a moment, as if he was struggling for control over them.
"Charles? You can do it." Open your eyes love. I'm right here, waiting for you.
His blue eyes flickered open again, blinked once, and then stayed open as he focused on her face.
"Charles?" she breathed, hardly daring to hope that they might have succeeded in bringing him back to a level of awareness where he was no longer constrained by his damaged mind.
"L-lil-" he croaked slightly, before he coughed.
"It is all right, Lord Xavier," Brith'ta held out a cup of water. "Just relax. We are glad to see you awake." He slid an arm carefully beneath Charles' shoulders and raised him up enough that Charles could swallow without choking. "Easy, my lord," the healer soothed as he carefully tipped the water into Charles' mouth.
Lilandra watched as he drank, swallowed, and coughed again. When the healer lowered him back to the pillow, his blue eyes locked on hers. "L-Lilandra?"
Brith'ta stepped back and Lilandra picked up his hand and raised it to her cheek. "Yes, Charles. I'm here, just liked I promised you I'd be. How are you feeling?"
He blinked slowly, as if he was considering his answer. "Tired. Where - ?"
She brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. "You're on Aerie, my home world. Do you remember what happened?"
He started to respond, but then an alarmed look crossed his face. "No." Panic filled his blue eyes, which was a look that she had never seen on him before. Always before, he had been calm and collected, no matter what chaos was going on around him.
"It's all right, Charles," Lilandra hastened to reassure him, wanting to remove that panic from his eyes.
"Lord Xavier, my name is Brith'ta, one of Her Majesty's healers. Do you remember me?"
Charles studied him for a moment, and then slowly nodded. "I – I think so, yes."
"At my Empress's request, I have been attending to you since yesterday when she brought you to us," Brith'ta said. The healer set the water on a nearby table where it was accessible but out of the way. "You were attacked on your world and nearly died. We've managed to stabilize your condition. However, it seems that one of the side effects of the device that was used against you was memory loss."
The panic, which had begun to ebb, returned in full force. Lilandra didn't give him a chance to say anything, as she quickly touched his cheek to focus his gaze on her. "Calm down, beloved. Try to relax. Everything will be all right. My people have treatments that will help to restore your memories. We will be able to help you, but it will take time. I'll be standing beside you the whole way. I promise."
Uncertainty clouded Charles' eyes, warring with hope. "You're sure?"
Both Lilandra and Brith'ta nodded. "Yes," the healer said. "The Empress is correct. Restoring memories is simple, and since you are a telepath, it will be easier than if you weren't. It will be long process, for your mind was badly damaged, but the actual technique will not be difficult for either of you to learn."
Charles nodded slowly, the hope overriding the uncertainty. "I – I don't remember much, except my name…and Lilandra."
"There is a good reason for that Charles, but you will know and remember everything in time," Lilandra said softly. "I promise you, beloved. I am just glad that you are awake and out of danger." She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Are you hungry, love?"
"No, just confused," Charles said.
"For now, Lord Xavier, I think it would be best if you got some rest," Brith'ta said. "Tomorrow we will begin trying to piece together your memories." The healer turned back to the computer and began to enter a series of commands. "The best thing for you at the moment is sleep – true sleep. It will help you to restore more of your strength for the therapy." He tapped one more button, and then turned to Lilandra. "Empress, may I speak to you alone for a moment?"
Lilandra looked at him in surprise. "Of course." She squeezed Charles' hand before she rose to her feet and followed the healer further down the hallway, out of Charles' earshot. With his memories so scattered, the chances that he would remember how to use his telepathy enough to overhear them was minimal – but that was something else they would have to work on as well. So much of who her beloved was, was bound up in his powers and his choices in how and when he used them. She would help him to learn his powers and his control again, for she could not imagine him without them.
When the healer stopped and turned back to face her, she didn't hesitate. "What is wrong that you could not speak in front of my mik shpirt?"
"Empress, I am quite pleased to see that he has such awareness and precise speech, especially after what we saw in the rapport, but I feel I must caution you. We have stabilized his life signs for now, but the effects of the weapon were designed to be cascading. It is entirely possible that his current condition will worsen again – we simply don't know yet. Whoever created the weapon did not have enough understanding of the mind, especially considering that your mik shprit was a telepath. Without knowing if he intended to kill Lord Xavier, and without knowing the exact specifications of what the device was designed to do, we have no way of predicting how long the cascading effects will last, especially since there was no way to predict that your lidhje shprit would be able to slow the effects and keep him alive."
"So Charles is not out of danger?" Lilandra asked, feeling a touch of alarm.
"Physical danger? For the moment, yes, he is. But the weapon attacked the link between his mind and body, which was what imperiled his life. It is possible that the weapon's energy could continue to do so, and continue to erode the work that was done today. We'll simply have to keep him under observation for a few days. If nothing happens, we can probably release him to his own suite at that time."
"I would rather move him into my own suite," Lilandra said.
"Of course, Empress," Brith'ta bowed. "You may sit with him, but try to encourage him to get some rest. I know he just woke up, but sleep – true sleep, and not the unconscious state he was in before – is the best thing for him right now. And if you will excuse me, I require some rest myself. I've programmed the computer to alert me if his condition worsens, and one of my assistants has been notified to check on him later."
"Thank you for everything that you have done, healer," Lilandra replied softly.
Brith'ta bowed and quietly left the room as she turned and made her way back to Charles' side. He had been watching them, though she was fairly sure that they had been out of hearing range. She sat down in the chair that had – for the moment – become a permanent fixture at the side of the bed. "Is something wrong, Charles?"
"What is wrong with me really, Lilandra?" Charles blue eyes were bleakly serious. "No healer would need to speak out of earshot if there wasn't more to what you have said."
"Nothing is wrong, Charles. Everything that I have told you is true. You were attacked and nearly killed, but you're starting to recover. Your memories are going to be scattered for a time, but that's all."
Charles shook his head against the pillow. "Why do I remember you, but I cannot remember anything else? If my memories are as confused as you say…"
"You and I share a very special link, Charles. In a way, we're always together even when we are apart. That's why you remember me. I cannot explain the full extent of the link to you until you have more understanding of what your powers are and who you are."
"I don't like not knowing."
Before she could respond, a slight cough from behind her caught her attention. She turned to see Araki standing at a respectful distance. "Yes?"
"Your pardon, Empress, but the Grand Council is beginning to convene."
She sighed. "Very well, Araki." She turned back to Charles. "I know it is hard beloved. But I will be with you every step of the way. Right now you need to rest." She reached out and picked up his hand. "I have to leave for a short time to meet with my Council, but I'll be back as soon as we adjourn." She leaned down to kiss his brow. "I love you, Charles."
He waited until she pulled back so that he could look her in the eyes. "I love you, Lilandra."
"Get some rest if you can," she whispered. "Dim lights." In response to her command, the lights lowered to an adequate level for sleeping, without extinguishing all the way. Then she rose to her feet and left the bedside to follow Araki, feeling Charles' eyes on her the whole way. She had a Council meeting to prepare for…but all she wanted was to stay by the side of the man she loved. Once again, she had to be Empress Majestrix, when all she wanted was to be Lilandra.
A larger boy with reddish-orange hair stood over him. "Let's get something straight. We're not brothers, we're stepbrothers! And I intend to step on you every chance I get!"
Flash
"Magnus, you've brought me here, the next move is yours." He was floating in midair, while an inferno raged around him, facing a man dressed in flamboyant purple and silver. Somehow, he knew the man, and he felt sorrow for him – and anger.
"The years have been kind to you, Charles."
Flash
"You are a fool, Sinister. The most powerful mutants on Earth will hunt you down to avenge Charles Xavier!" The same man now stood at his side, facing down another, this one garbed all in black and purple, with the visage of a terrible monster, a creature out of a nightmare.
Flash
"I've always wondered why you were such a mutant lover, Xavier. Xavier, the great peacemaker, friend of poor, misunderstood mutants. Could Charles Xavier be a stinking mutant too?"
Charles woke with a start, his heart pounding and the words and images he had seen and heard still echoing in his mind. Who were these people? Under what setting? Were they friends or enemies?
He had fallen asleep shortly after Lilandra had left, wanting to have the strength to be awake to talk to her when she returned. He had spent a few fruitless minutes trying to remember something – how he had met her, when they had fallen in love, anything – for that was the only thing he was certain of. But all he knew for sure was that her name was Lilandra and that he loved her.
Who am I? They keep calling me Charles – but who am I? And why does this feel so familiar? Have I lost my memory before? he wondered to himself. What kind of a person am I? I must be a good person, to have the love of a woman like Lilandra – but why do I not remember any of it?
He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on a memory, anything that would help him remember who he was – but with no luck. Every time a thought drifted close, it slipped away before he could focus on it.
I can do this! he thought, frustrated and angry. This should not be as hard as it seemed. The memories must be there! Surely I can come up with one memory!
Lilandra…she seemed to be the key. Somehow, he could remember her when he could remember nothing else; so perhaps that would be the key to restoring his lost memories. Whatever she meant by the two of them having a "link", he knew that if he could just learn what she meant, it would help him to remember the rest.
All right. I'm going to concentrate just on Lilandra, try to find the memory of how we first met. If I focus just on one thing at a time…
"Lilandra, how can you do this? The X-Men were your friends!"
"You are my friends! I owe you my throne and my life, but I must act!" Lilandra turned and ascended the step that led to her throne, which put her above his eye level, in a position of superiority. This was not the soft, gentle woman he loved so passionately. This was the Shi'ar Majestrix, a ruler of implacable strength and power. "Phoenix must be destroyed!"
A woman with brilliant red hair and green eyes moved closer to him, hovering at his shoulder in fear.
He opened his eyes. Phoenix…who is Phoenix? And who are the X-Men? At least they were names, another avenue to explore, another link to the past that might be a key to uncovering the rest. But he still wanted to know about Lilandra. He closed his eyes again, concentrating on Lilandra, picturing her beautiful face in his mind, hearing her sweetly accented voice.
"I am fire, and life incarnate! Now and forever more, I AM PHOENIX!" the woman with the brilliant red hair proclaimed as she rose out of the water in and aura of light, fire, and power.
Again, he opened his eyes. Phoenix again…why does everything keep coming back to Phoenix? Who is she? And what does she have to do with how I know Lilandra?
The Grand Council Chamber…
"…according to the last report from Captain Eluke, the raiders have been pushed back, but he expects that they'll either move to a new territory or wait until his star cruiser leaves before they resume their tricks." The representative's eyes were bright with frustration as he spoke through the insta-link's viewing orb.
"The raiders grow bolder with each new season," Samédàr, one of the Lords on her Council added. "Something must be done!"
Lilandra mustered all the calm that she could. They had already discussed the four issues that Araki and Oracle felt were the most critical, and just when she'd been about to adjourn the session, word had come that Captain Eluke had routed a pirate attack on one of the outlying worlds of her Empire. "Something will be done, my Lord Samédàr, Representative Vtra. I will dispatch the Imperial Guard immediately, to join Eluke and help to capture these pirates."
This was one of the times when she wished that she was not required to be the Majestrix. She had to remain firm and in control. She had come to realize, on the day she was crowned, that in order to carry out her duties, she would have to become three people in one – the Empress Lilandra, kind and wise, able to lead her people with a caring hand; the Shi'ar Majestrix, always strong, refusing to never yield or retreat, no matter the odds; and the woman Lilandra, the part of her that could be herself, the one who loved Charles Xavier with all her heart and soul, the one who specifically wanted nothing more than to remain with him and live in peace, free from the concerns of being Empress.
"The pirates are as slippery as Grotonvo mud-worms," the representative spat. "What good can the Imperial Guard do?'
"They will be able to bring additional firepower –" Lilandra began, before she trailed off as a powerful memory rose from her mind.
"It's all right Moira…" Charles replied in answer to the door chime.
A sudden crash, a small explosion a moment later, and a hulking man in red armor stepped through the hole in the wall. "The name's Juggernaut, little brother!" The massive monster stepped forward and she felt herself lifted up. "And you must be Lilandra!"
Lilandra gasped as the vision released her so suddenly. She remembered being grabbed and held by that brute so tightly that her breath had been stolen. It was one of the few moments in her life that she had felt completely helpless.
"Majestrix?" Araki was at her side, a steadying hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"
Lilandra blinked several times, before she took a deep breath. She looked out at her Council, many of whom looked worried and puzzled. "I apologize. As I was saying, sending the Imperial Guard in will provide Captain Eluke with additional firepower and resources to pursue and track the pirates. I will consult with Gladiator tonight and they will be sent out to Captain Eluke's position tomorrow. I would expect that with their assistance, the Captain should be able to detain the raiders within one standard week…"
"Lilandra! Arin'nn Haelar!" Charles yelled from his position in Beast's arms. "I have invoked the ancient challenge. You cannot refuse!"
Deep despair washed over her as she realized what her beloved had done. Now everything had been made worse. Charles didn't understand what he had just done, since he had no knowledge of what the ancient challenge of the Shi'ar meant, nor what it would cost him. "You have no understanding of what you have done. You have only compounded the tragedy!"
"Empress?"
Lilandra shook off the memory flash again, only to find that her eyes were filled with tears – tears that she hadn't dared to share at the original time of that conversation, but had wanted to nonetheless. Where were these memory flashes coming from? And why now? Lilandra rarely devoted the energy to dwelling on her past, her time was too precious to allow it. When she did dwell on what had been, it had always been Charles who had been her focus – wistfulness for what could have been, had they not been who they were, or at least, had she not been the only possible royal heir when her brother had gone mad.
"Empress Lilandra?"
She blinked again before she focused on her Council, the members of whom were staring at her with concern and wariness. She had never been so easily distracted during a Council session before. Why is this happening to me? She cleared her throat, somewhat self-consciously. "I believe that we have covered everything of greatest importance for the time being. I hereby declare this Council adjourned."
As one, her Council rose to their feet along with her, waiting respectfully as she turned and left the Council chamber with Araki, Oracle, and Gladiator following her. She did not speak until they were well away from the Council chamber. "Gladiator, assemble a team from among the Imperial Guard stationed on Aerie and the central worlds and deploy them to Eluke's aid."
"Yes, Empress."
Lilandra moved through the hallways of her palace, towards the healers' wing, her advisors trailing her. She didn't know what was causing those flashes, but she suspected that it had something to do with Charles and their link.
"Do not worry, Lilandra. The X-Men will help you safeguard the Crystal."
A low humming noise filled the air. "A ship! It is my brother!" she cried, her eyes going to the skies, looking for her brother's Imperial War Cruiser.
Charles closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them and took her hand to reassure her. "It's not your brother, Lilandra. They are friends."
Lilandra staggered and was forced to brace herself against the wall as the memory released her from it's grasp. Before her advisors could say anything she held up her hand. "I am well. I believe that something is going on with the lidhje shpirt."
She recovered her balance and continued down the corridor towards where she had left Charles. They were only a few corridors away, but the memory fragments were becoming more and more emotionally tense, as well as more powerful. She knew somewhat of the lidhje shpirt, having studied it upon her return to Aerie after stopping her brother's mad plan – but she didn't remember ever reading about memory flashbacks traveling down the bond to affect both members so randomly.
She entered the ward and strode down the middle to where Charles was resting, his eyes closed. There was no sign of Brith'ta or his assistants.
"Charles?"
Her lover opened his eyes immediately. "Lilandra?" He reached out his hand towards her.
"What are you doing?" she asked as she reached his side. "You are supposed to be resting, beloved." She took his hand. The moment that she did, a jolt went through her as her mind joined with Charles' – completely out of her control.
"Are you out there?" Charles was seated in his hover chair at a window, gazing out at the night sky as he probed psychically for the source of what had been troubling him for many weeks. "I fear you, but somehow I sense you may be the answer to my loneliness."
"Are you out there?" The quiet question reached her mind, filling her with hope. She had seen his face so many times recently, but never had any understanding of who he was, or why she was seeing him. She had to reach out to him though, because somehow she knew he was the only one who could help her safeguard the Crystal.
Mustering all of her strength and psychic energy, she lanced out a powerful psychic probe along the tentative link that had formed as a result of the previous probes that she had sent. Somehow, she had to get him to reach out to her, to complete the connection that they had begun to forge.
"Aaaah!" Charles screamed as the probe penetrated his mind with such force – and in the wake of the probe came an image of a helmeted figure reaching out to him. "You are driving me insane! But I must…not…fight you!" He stretched out a "hand" and "felt" it taken.
There! The link was complete! She knew where to find him and what his name was, and even how to speak his language thanks to the knowledge that she had been given by the completion of the link. She tapped in a set of coordinates. "Navigator, send me down immediately!"
A flash of light heralded the end of the probe. Charles was slumped in his chair and groaned softly. He opened his eyes and looked up to see the figure from his delusions standing in front of him for only a moment before it crumpled to the ground. "Who are you?"
"My name is…Lilandra," she replied, removing her helmet as she rose to her feet. There was something special about this man – he was so much more than he seemed to be.
Another jolt threw her out of the link, and instinctively she pulled her hand away from Charles'. She brought her hand to her chest, gasping for breath that didn't seem to want to come for a moment. The emotional and mental shock staggered her again as she tried to regain control.
Hands touched her shoulders and she numbly allowed them to steer her into a seat. It took all of her willpower just to try to absorb what had happened in that moment when she and Charles had joined hands.
"Empress? Empress Lilandra? Can you hear me?" Hands took hers, rubbing them firmly, trying to bring her back to awareness of what was going on around her. She blinked, and then blinked again as the world slowly came back into focus. Brith'ta was kneeling on the floor at her feet, and it was his hands that were rubbing hers.
"Y-yes." She freed one hand and slowly raised it to her temple. She was still feeling distant and dizzy, but the immediate shock of the connection was fading and allowing her to focus more closely on her surroundings. Now that she was able to draw a complete breath, it was easier as well. "W-what was that?"
"What did you see?" Brith'ta asked gently as he released her hand and stood up, moving to the side and retrieving a small device which he began to pass over her head.
"The – when we met – when the lidhje shpirt formed." She shook her head slightly and instantly regretted it as white light filled her vision and her head throbbed in agony. After a moment, it cleared, although the throbbing didn't end. She looked over at Charles, who was several beds away, being tended to by one of the other healers. "It wasn't just remembering what happened – every detail, every emotion, every sensation was there, as if I was reliving it." She looked over at Charles. "Is Charles all right?"
Brith'ta nodded. "He received more of a psychic jolt than you did, most likely because his telepathic shields have also been disrupted by the weapon's energy blast. Your shields were still up, so the jolt you received was not as severe."
She looked closely at the healer. "Why is this happening? I've been experiencing memory flashes for several minutes – they kept interrupting my focus during the Grand Council session."
"I believe that Lord Xavier was merely trying to remember, to try to prod some of his memories to return on their own – but his telepathic powers are not under his control at the moment, and when combined with the link that the two of you share, what fragments he could recall were sent back along the bond to you, because he had no way to stop it."
Lilandra nodded. She still felt somewhat dazed by the telepathic assault, even though it had not been intended as such. It did serve to drive home the fact that her telepathic shields – while normally more than strong enough to guard her mind – were not strong enough to block the bond she shared with Charles, especially while his powers were unchecked and free to respond in unpredictable ways.
She started to rise, but Brith'ta blocked her path.
"Empress, please rest for a moment. You received an intense psychic shock, shields or not – you need to rest. I promise, your mik shpirt is quite well, just shaken. He's not hurt, and this incident doesn't seem to have caused any damage." The healer steered her back to the bed and gently forced her to sit down. "It is quite apparent that your bond with Lord Xavier does not answer to the normal rules regarding a telepathic link – nor, so far as I can tell, the rules for a lidhje shpirt as the old legends speak of."
Lilandra looked over at Charles, who was nodding in answer to a quiet question posed by the healer attending to him. "Was it the bond that caused this?"
"I do not know, Empress. So little is known about this type of bond, and there is no record of what could happen if one of the bonded pair loses his memory as Lord Xavier has. There is no way to predict how his powerful mind might respond under the influence of the bond."
"I must see to it that he learns how to control his powers again," Lilandra said. "His mind is too powerful – that much has been proven quite clearly, and his powers cannot be allowed to remain unchecked while we try to recover his memory."
"Teaching him control will also help to restore his memory, Empress," Brith'ta said. "He knows the control, he had it once before. As he relearns the use of his powers, many of those fragmented bits of memory may restore themselves under the influence of the new teachings."
"Then that is where we shall begin," Lilandra said firmly. "Anything that will help to restore his memory and strengthen our bond can only be a good thing." She would have to work on strengthening her own shields while she worked with Charles. She was pleased that the bond was so strong, but at the same time she could not afford for it to become a liability, as it almost had with her Council that day. But Charles could relearn the control, and then the bond would not be able to influence her unconsciously without both of them invoking it. At least, she hoped that would be the case. There were good reasons why she had not spoken of the bond to him in more than just the vaguest of terms before now – good reasons why she had never called their link by its ancient name. There were ramifications that she could not predict, and she had hoped to limit the bond's influence on them until the day that they could be together and she could speak freely of it with him.
It appeared that that day would come sooner that she had planned on. But if that was what was meant to be – then so be it.
Author's Note: To my two reviewers, I am terribly sorry about the lateness of this update. Other stories, and real life problems kept my from devoting my time to this one, but I am going to continue it until it is done, no matter how long it takes! I hope that you will continue to read and leave me reviews to encourage me!
