Shadows at the Dawn - Part 28
"Are they going to come mother?"
Queen Serenity looked down at her daughter. Why the girl was so insistent on Zeeda coming to her birthday celebration was beyond her, but she seemed to have her heart set on it.
"I don't know yet dear. People at war generally don't have time for things such as birthday celebrations. Why are you so set on this Serenity?"
"Because - they should be a larger part of us now. Legati Remmus came from their world to become part of ours, what if the reverse happens some day? I want to know more about them."
"If a princess from here were to ever attempt such, she would have to give up a great deal more than just her home. By leaving, she would have to leave her powers behind as well, and a new guardian would have to be chosen. It would not be a simple matter for one of us to live in the void."
"I wasn't thinking of a princess mother - we have more than just that here, though I'm sure they know their duties very well and would not fall or someone quite so easily. But why should they be so separate from us now? King Saturn spends a great deal of time with them, and they're even training the young princess in weapons and whatever else."
"I made a special concession for the family of Saturn. You know as well as I do how much our neighbors fear what may happen because of her. Legati Zeeda and her family are the best bet we have to train the child of Saturn to control her powers. And the two of them are only there as long as Clan Centurious considers it safe. They will be forced to return if the war takes a turn for the worst."
"It still isn't fair though, no more so than with Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. We never get to see any of them."
"Serenity dear, life isn't always fair." She smiled gently. "And the others that we never see have a great duty resting on their shoulders. They stand a constant watch to keep the rest of us safe."
"Still, all the more reason they should be able to attend and have a moment of fun." Her daughter huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.
Queen Serenity quickly stilled the laugh that threatened to burst forth. The princess was always concerned that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as she did. At the age of twelve, it seemed to be her primary goal to make sure everyone around her was always happy. It was a grand goal, and the queen prayed she never lost that part of her personality. Princess Serenity was a treasure even before she was of age to take control of anything.
"Will the representatives from Earth be attending, mother?"
"I am even more unsure about them."
"Why don't they like us? We haven't done anything to them."
"Not all of them dislike us, though I fear a great many of them envy us - no matter our offers to share what we have with them. But I did send an invitation to the Golden Kingdom, and now we must wait and see."
"I would really like to meet the prince."
Serenity gave her daughter a guarded look. While becoming friends with the young prince of Earth would not be such a bad thing, if the two grew attached to each other it would not be as welcomed an event by everyone. But since he was three years older than the princess, nothing would probably happen anyway. Love was such a fickle mistress when one was young.
"We'll just have to wait and see. Now, aren't you supposed to be down on the training grounds with the others?"
"Do I have to? All Mars does is tease me about not being able to do anything yet." The princess pouted, a disgruntled look on her face.
"She means well. That's how she shows her feelings for you. And even though your powers haven't fully awakened, you need to know what your guardians are capable of if you are ever called upon to make use of their talents."
"If you say so. She could find a different way to tell me she likes me."
"Run along now Serenity."
"Yes mother."
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Returning a day earlier than they had been expected, the only thing Zeeda wanted right then was a long soak in a hot bath. But the moment she stepped foot in the house that was apparently not going to happen. Husel and her parents were waiting for her. It was an ambush of the worst kind - including the fragments.
"And just when were you going to tell us?" Zornah demanded.
"Tell you what?" Zeeda asked tiredly. "You weren't home for whatever it is I've done now, so how exactly could I tell you anything?"
"Why did we have to hear it from Lord Afont?" Kalah asked.
"Hear what?" Zeeda fumed. "I've been on patrol for the past two weeks. I fought fragments near Waystation Twelve - with a busted transport pad I'll have you know, so we had to travel the distance between it and Nine on foot. Where we met another small group of fragments. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm dirty. If you all don't tell me what exactly I've done to piss you off right now, I'm going to my rooms. I would also like to mention I haven't seen my husband in over a month, thank you very much."
"Lord Afont told us you were ... Far'Merat." Husel finished in a whisper.
"There is a good possibility that I am a Farshan 'te Meratin - which means beacon of hope by the way. Now, I'm going. You can all yell at me later."
"Zeeda ..."
"Father, don't even try to order me to stay. I'm taking a bath, saying hello to my husband, eating and going to sleep - in whatever order they happen to occur in first. And last time I checked, I could still best you with a blade."
Without a look behind her, Zeeda made her way towards her rooms. When she arrived, a maid had just finished filling the tub for her and left her with a knowing grin and a pile of fresh towels. She made herself a mental note to do something special for the hired help when she was in a better mood. The door opened again a few minutes after she had slipped into the tub, and a growl started before she could see Lienta's head poking into the bath chamber.
"I'm sorry love, I was with Lord Lurent and well ..."
"I'll hurt you later, after I take care of them and Lord Afont. And ... after I get a kiss."
Lienta took a few hesitant steps towards her. The last time she had been angry like this with that particular glint in her eye, he had ended up in the pool.
"Oh, stop that. I'm not going to ruin my bath by dragging you into the tub - clothed or otherwise."
"Oh really? That's a fine way to greet me after we haven't seen each other in how long now?" Lienta leered at her.
"There's only enough room for one." Zeeda replied, though the tub could easily hold three adults - if they liked being very close to each other.
"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard."
"Well, get in the tub or leave the room. Either way, close the door at least."
"Alas love, I have already bathed for today," Lienta replied, leaning in for a quick kiss. "But I shall leave you for a moment. And when you're done in here, I'll have food waiting."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful. I'm not sure I can handle dinner with the family tonight." Zeeda closed her eyes with a sigh.
"I'm sure I can convince them we deserve some time alone."
"You might have a time of it with mother, she seems to be on the war path at the moment."
"I'll manage."
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Masy had been a step ahead of him when he arrived in the kitchen. A fully laden tray was waiting for him, and she soon sent him on his way, trailed by a maid with a small keg of ale. So far, Lienta had managed to avoid being detected by anyone else in the house, but that victory was short lived as Zornah caught him entering the hall leading to his rooms. He slowed his pace, but did not come to a full stop.
"Lienta ..."
"Zornah - mother - please. I haven't seen my wife in a long time, and we'd both appreciate some time alone together."
"You two can't stay in those rooms forever," Zorah called out after his retreating form, more than a hint of humor in her voice.
"We're certainly going to try for as long as possible," he yelled back towards her.
Making sure the main door to their suite of rooms was securely locked, Lienta set to work getting the table set for them to eat.
"So, no trouble with the family then?" Zeeda said as she stepped out of the bath chamber.
"Your mother tried to ..." Lienta looked up and lost all the thoughts currently in his head.
"You've seen me in a towel before," Zeeda teased.
"And I was surrounded by legions of scruffy looking men for about a month."
"So, you just missed looking at females then?" Zeeda moved closer.
"Just one in particular." Sometimes he really hated how good she looked with wet hair.
"Oh really?"
"D-diner is ready."
"Food can wait."
Their lips met, and the towel slid forgotten to the floor.
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"Father, being called a Far'Merat doesn't change me. It would be nice if everyone knew the actual meaning of the word and not what some stupid misguided historian wrote in a common text however many generations ago."
"Zeeda, how can you be so sure about things?"
"Lord Afont was sure, and what he gave me just ... feels ... right. You read the scroll of Brual, surely you must see."
"It was the writings of a man who'd lost his wife - how do we know it's not just some tale he made up to make himself feel better?"
"If you were going to write something to tell future generations about mother, would you make up silly stories about her?" Zeeda sighed. "By already assuming I could even create one of these soul barriers, we resign ourselves to an early defeat. I don't believe in that, we can still come out of this intact."
"Perhaps being a beacon of hope is more than just base survival."
"I don't want to do it - it scares me - but if it truly came down to it in the end, I wouldn't hesitate. We're not just fighting for ourselves, we're fighting to protect a people that haven't known war and suffering like this in thousands of years. That to me is almost more important than protecting what we have here."
"So protecting people you don't really know, and that certainly don't know you is more important than your closer neighbors?"
"That is not what she meant and you know it," Zornah snapped. "None of us like to fight, but it is a part of us. Queen Serenity's mother fought long and hard to establish what we know of them now - many peoples united in peace. An entire generation of their children are growing up knowing nothing but joy and happiness, something we've never known. I myself would give my life for that."
"Thank you mother." Zeeda turned back to her father. "If you don't believe me and what you've read then talk to Lord Afont. He told me himself he would do everything he could to give me a different end - because of you. Because you were proud of me the day I was born."
Kalah sat looking between the two women that meant more to him than anything else. Zornah was his sole reason for living, only magnified by the children they shared. Indeed he had been proud and filled with a joy beyond words the day Zeeda had come into the world. It had not mattered she had been a girl - she had come out with a head full of short red hair, and that had meant more than anyone had ever known. A piece of Zornah would continue on after she passed, that is what his daughter had meant to him, a continuation of everything he held most dear. But with current events, and the bomb Afont had dropped on them, it may not come to pass.
"Father, I found the texts in the library that called the Far'Merat demon spawn - callers of destruction. For four months, I fought with that within myself, almost to the point of driving away my husband. To know that it's so much more than that, to know what the other women did ... I can't really put it into words. But I have something they didn't. I have a reason to keep living, both here and millions of miles away. Lord Afont said that may very well make all the difference in the universe."
"I still don't have to like the whole idea at all. I will never like it."
"I know, and I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
