Weeks passed as the clock turned on Earth and Meridian. The autumn leaves fell as grains of sand in the hourglass which stood grandly on a table in Tia's room. She stared at the strange blue sand as it fell from the top compartment to the bottom. Her short blond hair fell across her face as she lay her head on the table.
Any and all sounds were distorted by the solidity of the table. She sighed. She had been so lost these past few weeks. Life on Earth was so great now that she had her friends with her - believing in her and being with her - and yet she was so rooted there in Meridian.
She thought of Bear all the time; having seen him sparked so many memories of him wandering around the gardens of the castle instead of playing or training with Jax and Will. She'd watched him from her balcony for ages. Sometimes she'd go and wander around with him.
Now the memories haunted her. He had moved away to the countryside so he could be with the animals just like he'd always wanted so of course she was happy about that - he was doing what he wanted. But she hardly ever saw him. Those weeks ago when she saw him, talked to him, were stuck in her mind like one of those terrible Earth songs. When you start thinking about people, it all goes wrong, she thought. You start to miss them.
It was the weekend and the gang had taken a couple of days off of looking through records and trying to figure out - well everything. It was all a mess and it couldn't be helped. They were not nearer to solving the dapor attacks because every single man's alibi had checked out so there was no one to have attacked Will and Kara on purpose. Something still wasn't right.
Tia decided to get up and do something instead of mope about the mess they were in. Meanwhile, the Gritians had been making accusations of the Meridians cheating them with stocks; they were to stop any business if nothing was done about it, yet it was obvious from the story the traders bought back that there was nothing amiss on their behalf. It all seemed perfectly unreasonable.
Queen Anna had proposed a diplomatic visit to which the Gritians had refused. They were acting like they wanted to sever all ties with Meridian and the Meridians were not happy about it. There had been a couple of rumoured riots which broke out before the Queen's men could find them, all allegedly led by one man, who seemed to slink away into nothing as soon as any guards appeared and vanish without a trace. He seemed to be only a shadow amongst them, and that worried the Queen immensely.
Tia found herself strolling around the garden of her childhood. She imagined Bear was there with her and they were together again. The grass was cold and prickly beneath her bare feet, the sun was still high in the sky but it was getting near winter. On Earth it was already late October. In Meridian the seasons were milder depending on how far south you went. Tia wanted snow some days, but snow was harsh in Meridian so she wished it away for the sake of her people.
Her people were divided. It was as if some awful demon had taken over their minds and was turning them against each other. It was hardly real to her because she barely saw any of it. She heard glimpses of it from Jax and his father when they came in to the castle. She wanted to see for herself and stop if she could. The people of Meridian were peaceful, and yet, something was wrong.
She wanted to escape the thoughts for at least a little while because the worry of what was going on and what could be going on was driving her insane. It was decided. Tia stalked back to the castle, changed into some Earth jeans - they were very comfortable for riding indeed - and then snuck off to the stables to find a horse. A beautiful beige stallion greeter her as son as she entered. Perfect. Tia saddled him quickly and hopped onto his back.
The village was quiet for the moment, the afternoon rush of work had died away, and the streets were fairly empty. Tia's stallion cantered through quickly, but Tia had enough time to glimpse the divide between her people; an old woman, who was one of the best seamstresses in town and was sometimes commissioned to sew some of the Queen's robes, was being turned away from a man selling fabrics at the market square.
"...why should I sell to you when you support the Queen? She's not good enough to rule and soon all our business will be in shambles!" the man was raising his voice at the old woman. Tia recognised the woman immediately and turned her horse around.
"Excuse me, sir, is there a problem here?" she said sweetly to the man once she got off her horse. The old woman's face lit up when she saw Tia.
"Your Highness... I, um," the man's face turned red and he felt awfully guilty for denying the woman her usual supplies. "Here, Agathe, have a good day." the man handed Agathe a thick green cloth folded in a neat pile, nodded to the princess, and scurried away. Tia turned to the woman.
"Are you okay, Agathe?" she asked.
"Yes, thank you, Princess Tia. May your days be long and happy." Agathe took Tia's hand and bought it to her mouth for a light kiss. It was a grandmotherly gesture and it made Tia's heart swell a little, reminder her of her own sweet grandmother.
"Thank you. If you ever have any troubles, please know you can always come to me or my mother." And with that the two went their separate ways. Tia got back on her horse and smiled as they rode into the distance.
The quaint little cattle farm soon came into view. It was just as it was those few weeks ago. They arrived quickly at the gate. Bear had been waiting for them for a while - he had seen them coming from a long way away. He smiled as Tia hopped down from her horse and led him inside the gate to meet Bear.
"Your Highness, what a pleasant surprise." Bear said. He offered to take Tia's horse and led her inside the farm. She already felt a bit better.
"I hope I am not intruding, Bear." she said. Her face was lit up with happiness, Bear noted and he felt his own content at seeing Tia.
"Of course not, there is all the time in the world for you." he tried to cut himself short before he said anything embarrassing but it was far too late.
"I'm only a princess, I don't think I deserve anything like that." she laughed.
"It is not the case with due respect, you Highness, you are first and foremost my friend." Bear led them toward a small table under a wooden awning. It was a sweet place - just a few chairs and it was hidden from the rest of the farm.
Why couldn't it always be so peaceful?
The two sat down, a freshly made pot of tea between them and talked for a long time about this and that. It was a strange thing; a sort of reunion of long lost friends. Tia had been so busy for the past couple of weeks; the Earth responsibilities were getting to her, as well as the unsolved mystery attacks. She wanted as much as anyone to find the culprit and see what it's all about. It was going to be her kingdom someday, after all. Yet, she needed this break, this relief of just relaxing.
"So is Earth really that great?" Bear asked. Tia nodded, then made a face.
"I guess it has its faults too though, the people there are not as peaceful as the majority of Meridians. They fight many wars, and most of them are meaningless slaughter." she said.
"I suppose all wards are quite meaningless, the most we fight about here is for the freedom and lives of the people. Who's in power and who is not. Perhaps we are not so different to the Earthlings, though we do not kill as many people in the wars. What about the new guardians, what are they like?"
"Oh, they're the best!" Tia grinned. "When I first went to Earth it was really difficult to adjust, especially because I only knew Will, but I started to hang out with them, and they are sweet and understanding so it made everything much easier." Bear tried to contain his slight annoyance to the mention of Will; this was his time with Tia, and even when he wasn't here, Will somehow weaselled his way into a conversation.
"I'm glad to hear it, they seemed nice when I met them." Bear sipped his tea, unsure whether to ask or not. "Are you...happy on Earth?" he attempted. Perhaps it was his fear of the answer; what if Tia loved it so much she renounced the throne and went to live on Earth full time? What would he do then? He didn't want to let her go now that fate had bought them together again.
"Sure, but it doesn't matter what universe I'm in, it's really who I'm with and what I'm doing. I like Earth, but I will always love Meridian more." Good answer, Bear thought, but instead of saying anything, he smiled.
"Are you happy, Bear?" Tia's eyes met his across the table and held him for a few golden moments. He had green eyes, dark and rooted in the leaves of tress like the forests behind the farm. He was an embodiment of wilderness, of the earth. It was something he had inherited from his grandmother Cornelia.
"Yes. Being out here is..." better than being at home with a family which doesn't respect me, Bear thought. "Freedom. I get to work with the animals all day, outside in the fresh air. I feel like I'm a part of the landscape, the ancient spirits of the land; balanced and real." he thought about waking up every morning and just walking around as the dawn made the world come to life once again. The sunlight spreading through the hills around the farm and making everything brand-new. It was a little haven that was all his. Not his brother's. Not Will's.
"I wish I could get away sometimes. The palace is great, but there's a guard around every corner. I feel as if someone is watching me all the time."
"There's hardly anyone around here for miles, you are always welcome, your Highness." Bear suggested.
"Please, Bear, call me Tia. 'Your Highness' is so not us." Tia laughed lightly. Her last word echoed in Beat's mind. Us. It was nothing clearly, but he clung on to that tiny bit of hope. It could happen, he thought.
"Of course, as you wish, Tia." Her name on his lips felt right.
Who knew there was so much in a name?