Prompter: Anonymous

Prompt: Possible SASBB prompt? For one of the girls (maybe Astra?) - "You are my new best friend and we are spending almost all our time together because I have a friend who isn't related to me now except my parents have completely misinterpreted everything and think that we're trying to hide a relationship and wow this is going to be awkward since we all live in the same castle" (With an optional - "Huh, turns out my parents were on to something there")

Originally posted: 7 November 2015

Notes: 2622 words; I did genuinely think about Astra with this, but I do think the whole scenario works leagues better with Tara, because reasons, so at least it's one of the twins; starts when Tara [and Astra] is nearly sixteen and ends after her birthday; as far as the others, it's Johan at 68, Daniel at 51, Clara at 49, Martha at 47, Lena at 18, Sterling at 12, Maglina and Oriana at 10, and Seren at 5; some content may get edited into a future chapter, which I do genuinely hope because there's plenty of good material here, and this is not a full chapter only because it's so kids-heavy with little parental reaction (whereas with the Sterling/Oriana chapter there was at least some fun Marquis-Marchioness-Sir Daniel arguing; Johan and Clara just sort of shrug this one off)

For Tara Smith, the world was at her feet. One of the top students in her class at the Gallifreyan Academy, she was a star of the Officer's Program and the envy of many. She was talented both physically and mentally, with true natural ability to lead her fellow Kasterborsians into battle with safety and victory in mind. Everyone in her class started from the bottom, but she had scraped and clawed and studied her way to the top, and not a damn thing was going to stop her.

Tara Salvia of Gallifrey, on the other hand, was bored out of her mind. Weekends and evenings were often filled with studying and practicing, both for her and her siblings. She'd help them out without a problem, and sometimes working with her younger brothers and sister gave her the know-how when it came to helping younger students at the Academy, making things all the better for Tara Smith. It was still Tara Salvia of Gallifrey that was the most bored, however, and it drove her up the walls.

It was a rainy afternoon one weekend when she woke in her sister's bedchamber with Astra curled up next to her on the mattress. The twins had a bad habit of napping together, particularly when neither of their parents were around to scold them for acting more five than fifteen, and that day was no exception. Lena had been put in charge of the castle while their mother went to the capital for a bit of business and their father off to knock swords with Cyberans, leaving their children in the care of themselves and their tutor. Sir Daniel and his lady wife Martha had the younger three at their cottage, making it so that neither of the twins, nor the earlessa, had to worry for their siblings' wellbeing.

Tara sat up and glanced out the window—still pouring rain. She touched a finger to her sister's brow and projected a thought. Restless. Wander. Back soon. Astra murmured something into her pillow, though it was clearly understood. See you later. With that Tara left, silently closing the door behind her. The rest of the castle was still sluggish as well, meaning that most of the corridors the young woman walked down were quiet and peaceful. It was one of the rains off the distant sea, which usually brought weather that was only good for sleeping, shutting down Gallifrey for sometimes days at a stretch.

Making her way into the private training hall, Tara went and took a mock sword from the rack and began to swing it around despite being in a dress and heeled shoes. She did not mind the dresses and finery she wore at home compared to her Academy breeches, but she knew that delicateness could often get in the way of one's duty to serve and protect, meaning that constantly working on her balance was key. Lena and Astra were fairly competent in their own regards, though Tara knew she had to be the one who was flawless. There would be a day when she would have to attend an official function as Lady Tara Salvia and would have no time to change into Officer Tara Smith. She maneuvered through a series of dummies that were still leftover from her siblings' training session the day before, hitting and dodging the imaginary enemies for all they were worth.

The door to the hall opened and shut, allowing another person access to the facility. A quick look showed the young lady that it was only a servant, weighed down with a broom, mop, and bucket. "Do you need me to leave?" she asked, continuing her regimen. "If it makes it easier on you, I can always do this later."

"Tara…? Tara Smith…? Is that you…?"

She froze, her entire body trembling in actual fear. Tara slowly brought her sword down to her side and turned around, seeing that the servant was one of her Academy classmates, a recent transfer to Gallifrey at that.

"Petra, what are you doing here?" she asked. There was no point in trying to deny it—she still had her hair pinned up from when she went to school last and the bruise gained from sparring earlier in the week.

"It's a part-time job," the other teen said. "Not a lot of them open up to students, and when I saw that there was one, I jumped on it." She stared at her classmate, decked in a noble's finery, thoroughly confused. "I knew you lived in the castle, but why are you dressed like a lady?"

"That's because I… am… a lady," she replied, each word more painful to say than the last. Lying would put her in even greater trouble, and she was panicking about what else she could say. "You don't know because you're from Croydon, but…"

"Does anyone know?" Petra wondered.

"Not really," Tara replied, shaking her head. "Only the Headmistress knows officially. The servants that know don't say anything because I want to do this by myself, and other than that it's my family, the Coal-on-the-Hills, and… you."

"Wow… that's… I can barely believe it," Petra marveled. "Everyone's told me that the local rulers are an odd bunch when it comes to how they raise their kids, but…"

"Not a word of this to anyone, do you hear me?" Tara demanded. "Don't go spreading this at school, or I'll make sure no one believes you."

"Don't worry; I'm not like that," Perta chuckled. Her classmate was being incredibly defensive, and if she learned anything about diffusing situations, it was that laughter usually worked. "Besides, I'm leaving at the end of next term, remember?"

Oh yes, that's right—her father's appointment to the Kasterborsian Border Forces was only to last until the end of the year. "Thank you; I appreciate it."

"Go ahead and talk to me any time about it," Petra said. "I know it's tough—there was a serdar's son in Chiswick who attended the Academy and it was rough on him. You aren't taking shortcuts despite the fact you could if you wanted… anyone who wouldn't keep your secret isn't worth keeping around."

"Yeah… I… um…" Tara bit her lower lip, unsure how to continue after being shown such a kindness. "I'll leave you to your work then. See you at school?"

"Of course," Petra agreed. Tara then rushed to put the practice sword back on the rack and exited the room, nervousness gripping her for the first time since she started the Academy.

She was done for.

That night at dinner, Tara stayed quiet as she picked at her food. The Coal-on-the-Hills and her elder sisters noticed, but said nothing so as to not draw attention to it. Instead the conversation was focused on the younger children and how much mischief they were getting into. Maglina and Oriana had decided to teach Seren how to make mud pies earlier in the day, much to Lady Martha's amusement and Sir Daniel's horror, and they even pelted Sterling with them, as evidenced by the bits of dried mud still in his hair. They kept on as normal, not making a fuss, because if there was anything Tara disliked it was being fussed over.

It took until late that night, when she was lying in bed still wide awake, for anyone to do anything about her mood. Astra walked into her bedchamber and slipped between the sheets, hugging her twin from behind, making sure their hands touched.

'What's the matter?' she asked wordlessly, using the silent method their father had taught them. They were careful about their gift, only using it when the situation called for ultimate discretion.

'A classmate caught me in the training hall earlier. She promised she won't tell, but I'm scared. I don't get scared… this isn't me. I don't know what to do.'

'Having another student at the Academy who knows your situation might be a good thing,' Astra reasoned. 'If she promised, then it would be her that's ruined if she told, not you.'

'It still makes me uneasy,' Tara replied. 'She leaves after next term; Dad's a high-ranking officer in the King's army. He gets transferred often.'

'Then get to know her now. You're very lonely, Tara. It hurts to see you so alone.'

'I knew I'd be alone the moment I set foot in the Academy.'

'That doesn't mean you have to remain alone.' Astra hugged her sister a little tighter, frowning at the red night that bled through the room. 'Please do me a favor: try being her friend, even if it only lasts until Seren's birthday.'

Musing on that, it took Tara more than a moment to reply. 'Okay, I will.'

'Good, now let's sleep.'

"Hey Petra, got a minute?"

The teen turned around to see Tara standing in the school corridor. Classes had just ended for the day and their fellow students were all itching to get home for the day.

"What's going on?"

"I was wondering: since we both have jobs up at the castle, would you like to study together? There's that big exam coming up, and it always helps to study with someone else."

Petra saw how nervous her classmate was and tried giving her a smile. "Of course; think maybe we can get permission from the Family to use their training hall when it's not in use? I'm almost positive I could use some practice on my sword footwork, but there's no one at home to spar with."

"I'm sure we can weasel our way in there somehow," Tara grinned, feeling much better. "Meet you by the school doors in ten? I have to see Professor Benton about some underclassman he wants me to tutor during free period."

"See you there," she replied.

The girls parted and ten minutes later they were together again, walking up towards Castle Gallifrey. After being nodded through the front gate by the guards, Tara led Petra up to her family's private wing, where they found Astra lording over her own schoolwork in the children's study.

"Uh, Astra? This is my friend from school, Petra," Tara explained. "Petra, this is my twin sister Astra."

"Pleasure to meet you," Astra said pleasantly. She shook Petra's hand and rang the bell for tea—three times to give notice on their numbers. "Please, sit down."

"Wow… I don't think I've met identical twins before." She looked between the sisters, observing their similarities and differences. "Does anyone ever mix the two of you up? I think it would be difficult at a glance if your hair was the same length."

"On occasion, but it was worse when we were younger," Tara said. "I thought you've lived pretty much everywhere, but you've never met identical twins?"

"Yes and no; I've run into identical twins, but none that I've sat down and really talked with. Mostly it's just a classroom relationship, never being invited into a home."

"Well, any friend of Tara's is welcome," Astra guaranteed.

Tea came and the teens began to work on their studies. They stayed there for hours without incident, until the Marchioness came into the study, having returned early from her trip to the capital.

"…and who might you be?" she asked, taken aback. Tara nearly choked on her biscuit while Petra stood at attention, saluting respectfully.

"Academy Cadet Petra Sutton, milady," she replied. "I attend classes with Lady Tara and have a temporary part-time job cleaning in the training hall and armory."

"Alright, alright, calm down," the Marchioness said. "I take it you invited her over, Tara?"

"Yes, Mama," the teen said, embarrassed. "Petra is trustworthy."

"Good; now are you staying for dinner?"

"No milady; Mum and Dad expect me home." The clock in the corner then began to chime, making Petra curse under her breath. "Actually, I'm late. Please excuse me." She gathered up her things and stuffed them in her bag. "See you tomorrow, Tara."

"Bye Petra!" she called out after her. Once their visitor was out of earshot, the Marchioness stared her daughter down, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"Not that I'm cross, but how long has this been going on?"

"Today was the first day she came over; she only first found me out over the weekend," Tara admitted. "I can still see her, yeah?"

"Of course you can, if you're sure you've got a friend in Miss Sutton," her mother replied. She examined her daughter, the gears in her brain turning. "Was she here as a study partner?"

"Yeah…? What else would she be here for?"

"Just checking." The Marchioness then left the room, determined to go fetch her youngest three from their tutor's cottage before it was time for dinner. She knew how soldiers were, and if that was how her daughter skewed, then so be it. All it would take is a bit of time for Tara to realize it herself and that was fine.

The weeks passed, turned into months, and Petra began to spend more and more time at Tara's side. She would come to the castle, clean as her job instructed, and then dash off to wherever her friend was waiting for her. Oftentimes they would sit and study, having tea while sitting next to one another at a table or on a settee, but other times they would wander the grounds, spar, explore the castle, and even go around the city together. They became virtually inseparable, not wanting to see the day when Petra had to move away again.

They were sparring in the training hall one frigid day in late autumn when it happened. A school-wide grappling tournament was going to happen before term's end and both of them wanted to be ready. Tara pinned Petra down, cackling in triumph.

"Gotcha," she gloated. Petra pushed her off and the two sat on the mat, giggling at one another.

"So then that's thirteen to seven," she counted. "For us being in different weight classes I'd say that's pretty good."

"Slender muscles," Tara bragged. She glanced over at her friend, silently comparing the two of them. Although Petra was slightly shorter than she was, she had enough extra power on her to nudge her into a higher class. They were both breathing hard and soaked in sweat, the workout having been a good one for them both.

Suddenly, Tara swallowed hard and her face went red. A feeling low in her gut was pulling, nagging, and urging her to move closer to her companion. Instead she hugged her knees and tried to focus on something else to no avail.

"Tara, are you alright?" Petra wondered.

"Yeah… um… yeah… I'm fine," she lied.

"No, you're not. Are you hurt?" Stars, she moved closer to Tara, close enough that she could smell her; sweat and soap and fresh, sweet bread. "Are you okay?"

"I, um…" She looked down and saw Petra's hand next to her. Tara hesitated before lacing their fingers together, her stomach leaping in nerves. "Is… um… this okay?"

Petra locked her gaze with Tara's, leaning slightly closer. "I move in less than a month; do you really want to go there? It'd be short… can you handle that?"

"…yeah. Can you?"

"I haven't lived in a single place more than two years since I was small—of course." She moved in closer, their noses touching.

That was all Tara needed. She closed the gap and kissed her, pulling her in until their chests were pressed together. They kissed and grasped and giggled, holding one another tight.

"Hey," Tara whispered, barely able to breathe.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to spend the night?"

Petra grinned and stole another kiss before giving her answer. "Yes."