Chapter Thirteen

Tommy

Tommy's stomach lurched at the King's words.

"What do you mean?" he asked the royal, heart pounding.

"The Blue Amethyst is the strongest of all Power Jewels. When it attaches with a host, it takes over all energy sources in the body. Over time, there is hardly any disconnect between the Jewel and the Ranger."

Kimberly was shifting from one foot to the other. When Tommy looked to her, he saw something dawn on her face.

"I was told that the reason the last Blue Amethyst Ranger stepped away was because the Jewel was killing her." Kimberly said. She swallowed and looked at the white marble floor.

"I cannot be sure of that. It has been some time since I have seen the original Blue Amethyst Ranger." The King said softly. His eyes were sorrowful. "But it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case."

"But now…" Kim said, looking back up to the King and Queen. "I've taken the Jewel. So the last Ranger...she is safe."

The King's face hardened. "Yes. She is safe from the Jewel now."

Kimberly went on, "When I was in Torin the King and Queen asked me to train their special forces. I spent days in front of hundreds of people teaching them about different weapons and fighting styles."

Tommy frowned. Why would they make her do that?

The King turned to look at his wife. She nodded solemnly and the King turned back to face Kim once again.

"The first several days of taking on the Blue Amethyst can be very harsh on a person. I believe that this 'training' was serving as a distraction while the Jewel began taking over your body."

Kimberly's mouth opened, then closed tight.

"So it was a trick. The entire time she was Torin it was to make sure that the Blue Amethyst took to her to protect the Queen!" Tommy said furiously.

Kimberly's head whipped around. "The Queen?"

There was a silence in the room, even among the other courtiers surrounding them.

Tommy was the one to step forward to meet Kimberly's eyes. Quietly, he said, "The Queen of Torin was the former Blue Amethyst Ranger, Kim. They did all this to protect their Queen."

Kimberly was slowly shaking her head. "No, they didn't tell me that."

"I'm sure they lied a great deal to you, Kimberly." the Queen said sadly.

Kim's face went white and she took an involuntary step backwards. "So I was brought here because they needed someone else for the Jewel...they knew that it would be a death sentence for me. The training, the way they treated me...it was all to get me to take over the power for the Queen."

"No." Tommy argued, "There's a way out of this. You're going to be fine."

Startlingly, no one spoke to back up Tommy's words. He glanced around at the other Rangers, the King, the Queen...none of them would meet his eyes.

"What they needed was time." The King finally explained, "They needed time for the Jewel to take over...so they came up with a valiant task in order to keep you occupied."

Tommy couldn't take his eyes off of Kim. Her pale face, her look of surprise and dismay… it ate at him.

"I didn't feel sick or anything." Kimberly said, more to herself than to the room. "I just remember...I needed to take the Jewel. I wanted it so badly. And when I took it, it felt like it was meant to be."

The King frowned. "That, indeed, is very interesting."

"Do none of the other Jewels behave this way?" Tommy asked the other Rangers.

"The Blue Amethyst is given to the leader of the Power Rangers. It is more powerful than the other Jewels and far more dangerous to possess than any of the others." Brandon said. He looked to his fellow Rangers, who nodded in agreement.

"So...I was given this Jewel to protect the Queen. But that's a double edged sword because now I have the power of the Blue Amethyst and the Orca Zord. They had to at least worry that I might take everything and run." Kimberly said.

"I'm sure they did worry." the King mused.

"It was Rory." Falcon said. "He was the wrench in Holden's plans for protecting the Queen and most likely, gaining a new Power Ranger. No one expected him to...force himself...to do what he did."

The Queen pressed a hand to her mouth while the King looked furious.

"We can discuss those matters in a more private setting." Falcon told them, looking back to where Kimberly stood.

"You are welcome in my Kingdom, Kimberly and Tommy." the King announced to try and turn the conversation. "We will have a room secured for you both and we will make sure you have every comfort."

"Two rooms, please." Kimberly piped up, and Tommy's stomach sank even further.

Before the King could reply, the Queen declared. "Two rooms. Of course."

"Next to each other, if possible." Tommy interjected.

Again, the Queen nodded. Kimberly said nothing.

There were several more minutes of discussion between the former Rangers, the King, and the Queen. Kimberly stayed silent at Tommy's side and he was preparing himself for the conversation the two of them would be having soon. He needed to know what in the world was going on. They couldn't continue on with Kimberly acting this way towards him.

"Please, my guests, follow us out." the King finally said.

The King held out an arm for the Queen, who took it with a smile. Kimberly and Tommy separated so that the royals could walk between them and over the marble and glass flooring. Falcon waved at hand at Tommy, indicating that he and Kimberly follow. Tommy nodded, then began walking behind the royals. Kimberly kept up without a word. After them, Tommy could hear the other Rangers following behind. As they passed, the hundreds of courtiers bowed or curtsied and then remained in the throne room.

Walking side by side, Tommy cast a sidelong glance Kimberly's way. After being told that going home could put her life in danger, she didn't seem tremendously upset. She clearly wasn't happy but he was proud to see that she wasn't falling apart.

The journey from the throne room into a grand atrium was dumbfounding. Beautiful, classic looking paintings were everywhere. No frames or canvas, just painted directly on the walls and the ceilings. Crystalized light fixtures were everywhere, casting shadows along the gorgeous works and seeming to tell ignite the stories being told there. Animals, humans, bloody wars, peace time picnics in simply painted valleys…it was all there. Tommy could have spent hours examining it all.

"This is amazing." Kimberly said beside him, making him jump. Here eyes were cast all around just as his were.

"Yeah. It really is." Tommy replied, his voice soft.

She didn't speak again as they walked further. He missed her voice as much as he missed her hand in his.

The group stopped on the far side of the painted atrium. Tommy looked down and he could see his opaque reflection in the white marble floor. The red of his Ranger Suit looked smudged and his face was barely a pale smear. He could have been anyone in that reflection. It reminded him about what Falcon had said about time running differently here. Was Tommy slowly losing himself to this dimension?

"Are you coming?" Kimberly asked, shaking Tommy from his reverie.

The group had continued on towards a massive white marble hallway lit with blue flamed lanterns. Tommy was still standing in the atrium. He jogged to catch up with Kimberly, who turned and kept walking without catching glances with him.

At the end of the marble hallway was an empty stone platform flanked by several uniformed soldiers.

The King and Queen stepped up onto the gray stone and then turned to face their followers. Without question, Falcon and the other Rangers stepped up, too.

Kimberly hesitated for just a second before stepping onto the platform. Tommy was right behind her, staying close. However she felt about him right now, he wasn't about to step away.

With a jolt, the platform began to rise steadily until the marble hallway disappeared and there was only blue flame from two lanterns along the wall.

"An elevator?" he asked to no one.

"Apparently." Kimberly murmured in response. She still wasn't looking at him. Instead, she had her gaze locked on one of the blue flames on the wall.

It was several minutes of motion on the platform before it slowed to a stop. Before them, tall wooden doors were held open by several more guards. The King and Queen stepped forward and off of the platform followed by the older Rangers, Kimberly, and Tommy.

Mora sighed. "I've missed it here."

"Me too." Glen said cheerfully.

The older Rangers were all grinning ear to ear. Tommy thought they looked so much younger with those smiles on their faces. For a minute, he could imagine what they looked like as teenagers.

The hallway that they had entered was much smaller than what they had seen so far of this castle. It was all made of carved wood, plaster, and stone. It wasn't beautiful like the atrium, but it was clean and well maintained.

When the doors to the platform were closed, the guards set a large beam across to lock them in place. Tommy turned his head to watch the guards gather in front of the doors.

When Tommy turned back, there was a line of new people facing their group. There were men and women all dressed in the same uniforms of pants, shirt, and tall boots. The prevailing color scheme was navy blue and a pale yellow which corresponded nicely for the uniforms themselves.

"Please escort our guests to their rooms." The Queen announced to the servants.

"Yes, Your Majesty." the whole group said in unison. It sounded a little creepy to Tommy.

"We will see you later this evening for dinner." The King said to the Rangers, Tommy, and Kimberly. "As for how you spend your day, please rest. As for anything you may need, please do not hesitate to ask. You are our guests here."

With a nod to the servants, the King and Queen continued on by. The servants all bowed as the royals walked through, then turned back to the rest of the group.

All the Rangers except Falcon walked forward to follow an individual servant down the hallway.

"Get your strength up and rest." Falcon said with a smile. "There will be a feast in our honor later this evening, so you have something to look forward to."

After everything that had happened so far, Tommy felt that a feast seemed like quite a minor plus side to their situation.

This must have shown on Tommy's face because Falcon's smile fell.

"We're going to get this all sorted out." he said, placing one hand on Tommy's shoulder and the other on Kim's.

"Yeah. Thanks." Kimberly replied, brushing Falcon's hand off.

Falcon was about to say something more but he sighed and turned away from them to follow a servant down the long hallway.

There were only two servants left when Kimberly and Tommy stepped forward.

"Please follow us, Lady and Lord." the two said together.

Tommy grimaced. "Lead on." he said.

Kimberly and Tommy had, in fact, been given rooms right next to each other. It gave Tommy a small comfort knowing that she would be so close to him.

Kimberly's room came up first and her servant held open a door for Kimberly to step inside. Before Tommy could say a word, the servant shut the door behind them and he was alone with the servant assigned to him.

Tommy swallowed. This was it. He would get settled in his room and then he would go next door and finally confront Kim on what the heck was going on. They had hours left between now and dinner, so they would have time.

Tommy followed the servant into his own room and then began thinking of what he was going to say.

Kimberly

Another nice room. Another closet full of clothes. Kimberly had traded one kingdom for another with the same outcome: she was stuck.

When the King had explained the powers of the Blue Amethyst Jewel, Kimberly was slowly feeling worse and worse. If it was true that her connection to the Jewel could kill her, than she had to...had to what? Do what the Queen of Torin did and sentence someone else to die instead?

For a horrible second, that sounded like a great idea. But Kimberly knew that she couldn't do it. There had to be some other way where no one else got hurt.

She was pacing her new room, which was just as nice as her other rooms in Torin had been. Yet, the rooms may as well be prison cells. Placing her helmet on a side table, she continued her pacing and thinking.

A knock on the door made Kim jump.

"Who-" her voice squeaked and then she cleared her throat to go on, "Who is it?"

"It's me. It's Tommy."

Kimberly sighed. She was going to have to deal with Tommy eventually. She really didn't want to have this conversation, but what choice did she have?

"Come in." she finally said, wrapping her arms around her chest to hold in the ache she felt in her heart.

The door opened with the aid of a servant and Tommy stepped into the room. Once the door closed, the space felt much smaller than it had felt before.

"Hi." Kimberly said.

"Hey." he replied, "How...how are you holding up?"

She shrugged. "As good as I can be."

The two stood there in silence for a time, not looking at each other. Would Tommy begin or did she have to broach the topic of their relationship first?

"I-" Kim began.

"Kim-" Tommy said at the same time.

They both stopped. Tommy had a small smile on his face. Kim was trying not to show how nauseous she was feeling.

Finally, Tommy decided to carry on. "Kim, I need to know what's going on with you. Ever since we found each other again you've been acting...I don't know...strange. Like you don't remember me. What happened since you were brought here?"

"More like kidnapped and forced here." Kimberly said through gritted teeth.

Tommy nodded in agreement. "Right."

His patience was world renowned among his friends and students. Tommy would wait her out forever if he had to just to get the answers he was looking for.

Kimberly couldn't take it any longer. Her anger at her circumstances and what she saw of Tommy and Katherine was bubbling over. The last thing she wanted was to explode, but…

She did.

"You know what, how could you, Tommy?" she yelled, stomping forward to get into his face.

Tommy was frowning, shaking his head. "How could I what? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, really? How's Katherine, Tommy? How's your new relationship?" Kimberly shouted. To her dismay, tears began to form in her eyes.

"Katherine?" Tommy asked, acting completely bewildered.

"Don't act stupid! I saw you with her! Holding hands, kissing, dancing! How long has it been going on for, Tommy?" She was full on sobbing now.

"Kim, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Tommy shouted back, "There's nothing going on between me and Katherine! It's impossible that you could have seen those things because they didn't happen."

"I know what I saw!" Kimberly cried.

Tommy's fierce expression turned terribly sad. "Kimberly, I would never cheat on you. Ever. It kills me that you think I could be capable of doing it. And Katherine...she's a friend and a teammate. Nothing more."

"I know what I saw." she repeated, her voice shaking with her sobs.

Tommy breathed a heavy sigh through his nose. "Tell me everything. How did you see these images of me and Katherine?"

Kimberly sniffled. She thought about walking through the empty hallways at the fortress with Rory. The dark stone and bioluminescence, the wet floors and the door with many locks.

And the pool in the center of the floor that showed her everything she asked to see.

With calming breaths in between sniffs and sighs, Kimberly explained everything that happened and what she saw. She told Tommy about seeing her parents having a party and how happy they looked. She told him about watching Katherine's face light up when Tommy appeared to ask her out.

It was like letting loose a cascade of emotions from within. Talking about this with Tommy somehow made her feel...better.

"Kimberly, none of that makes sense." Tommy said slowly, "Mainly because none of it ever happened."

"But, my parents…"

"Kim, your parents have been beyond the moon scared since you went missing. They've organized searches, they've passed out flyers with your face on them, they've gone on the news...the last thing they are thinking about right now is having a party."

Kimberly's mouth opened to speak, but then she closed it.

Tommy stepped closer to her. They shared uneven breaths. For the first time since they had reunited, they stared into each other's eyes.

"Kim, did it ever dawn on you that what Rory showed you could be lies?" Tommy whispered.

No. It hadn't. Everything in that vision pool had looked so real. How could it have been fabricated? Was it truly possible?

"I do have one thing to confess." Tommy said and Kimberly froze. "No, no...it's alright. But I just wanted to let you know that around the time that you went missing, I received a letter in your handwriting that said you had found someone new. That you were breaking up with me."

Kimberly's eyebrows shot up. "I never wrote a letter like that. I never found someone new."

"Yeah, I know that. I didn't at first but I know that now. I think that we've both been had. Someone out there wanted to tear us apart. But...I don't think they've won."

Tommy reached out to take Kimberly's hand in his own. With a slight tug, he pulled her forward so he could wrap his arms around her.

The feeling of his arms, his scent that was so familiar… Kimberly began to cry all over again.

Tommy placed a hand on the back of her head and cradled it against his shoulder. "Shh, it's ok. We've found each other again and we're going to be ok."

"Y-you don't know th-that." Kimberly hiccuped through her sobs.

"I know that we have each other. That's all we need. The rest is easy." Kimberly could feel the smile on his face against the top of her head.

Kim snorted. "Yeah. There's just a Jewel that can kill me and we're standing in the middle of a war. No biggie."

Tommy sighed. "Yeah, we'll get to those things, too."

Kimberly swallowed the lump in her throat. "I've missed you. I'm sorry that I didn't trust in you."

"I don't blame you for a second. I would have thought the same thing had I seen images of it happening. But at the end of the day, I think it's safe to say that Rory is not someone who can be trusted."

Kimberly nodded into Tommy's shoulder. "You're right."