Chapter Thirteen - Reunion
"This has to be the world's biggest joke."
Adam quirked an eyebrow at Megabyte as the redhead slumped into one of the gilded chairs, tugging the buttons of his short coat free. He plucked at the buttons absently, as if he had been wearing short coats his whole life, and Adam couldn't help but wonder if in the two weeks he'd been in this world, if he had become as comfortable in his surroundings as his friend.
The two young men were alone in Lord Bial's private study; for how long Adam didn't know, but he was glad that they could take these few private minutes. For as long as Hagen was content to smile brightly at one of the servant girls that apparently kept his bed -- and other things -- warm while he was at Elspera Keep, and Stewart in conference with Lord Bial, they could speak freely. So far, however, only Megabyte had done any speaking. Correction, Megabyte had spent the last ten minutes complaining.
"I mean," Megabyte continued to grumble, wiggling free of the restrictive coat, "how come I get stuck married to Jade and you get to be a prince?"
Adam nearly choked on a mouthful of the spiced wine. "Way to look at the big picture, Megabyte."
"I am looking at the big picture. I'm *married.* To *Jade.* How much bigger does the picture have to be?" Megabyte scowled.
"Well, *Marmion,* at least you've had Jade."
That quieted the other. Megabyte shifted in his seat, fidgeting while twin roses of red blossomed in both of his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Adam, I didn't mean -- it's just -- well, it's been so weird."
Weird didn't describe the half of it; Megabyte wasn't the only one experiencing "weird," but Adam wasn't going to remind the other of that little fact. He didn't feel like arguing, or even getting into a lengthy debate over who had been more miserable and confused; his friends were here, they were alive, and for now that would have to be good enough.
Waving his hand to dismiss the topic, Adam settled back into his seat. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to see you guys."
"Yeah, same here."
Adam smiled a bit, "You think you could be a little more enthusiastic?"
"Why don't you try spending two weeks married to Jade and see how enthusiastic you would be?"
Leaning forward, Adam fixed his friend with a probing stare. "Has it really been that bad, Megabyte?"
The other man straightened up, opening his mouth to respond and then, meeting Adam's eyes, promptly snapped his jaw closed and slumped back against the seat. He spent a few moments studying the floor, his boots, and even the fabric of his pants before finally looking up at Adam. "Just because I haven't killed her doesn't mean that I like this arrangement."
It was as close to an admission of acceptance that Adam was going to get and he took what he could. Megabyte would never, ever admit to enjoying having Jade around, but Adam knew his friend well enough to be able to read between the lines. And perhaps enjoyment wasn't the right word, but Megabyte hadn't been alone for the past two weeks, and that had to make some kind of difference, however minute.
"I'm sure that Jade admires your restraint," Adam said in response.
"Whatever," it was Megabyte's turn to change the conversation and dismiss the topic, which he did with a slight shrug and a loud kick of his heel against the leg of his chair. He stretched out, making himself more comfortable, one leg tossed idly over the arm of the chair. "So, now what?"
"Now what?" Adam looked at Megabyte over the rim of his goblet.
"Yeah, what do we do now? You're here and I'm here and Jade's here . . . so, how do we get home?"
"How did we get here?"
"I don't know."
"Exactly."
Megabyte's eyes narrowed. "Way to go with the cryptic, Adam."
"All right, then what do you want me to say, Megabyte? I don't have the answer. I don't know how - or why - we're here. Until I got to the keep today, I wasn't even sure if anyone else was here. For all I knew, I was completely alone in a strange place with strange people and even stranger customs.
[No offense, Megabyte, but I've been more concerned with keeping up appearances than trying to figure anything else. I don't think that the king would take kindly to finding out that I'm an imposter.]
"And why couldn't we call you telepathically?" Megabyte sat up suddenly, nearly splashing his drink down the front of his white linen shirt. Adam didn't know whether he had heard Adam's words and was ignoring them, or was simply following his own thoughts and hadn't heard a word that Adam uttered. "I tried, while we were on the ship, but I couldn't. I could talk to Jade, but we couldn't even sense you."
Adam chose not to take offense at the slight, particularly when Megabyte's words echoed thoughts that Adam himself had entertained. When he first arrived in this world, he thought that he had sensed something - Megabyte and Jade - just beyond the reach of his mind; repeated telepathic scanning and calling had proven futile and he gave it up as wishful thinking, believing that because he thought he saw a glimpse of them on the beach before the black void swallowed him that his mind was playing tricks on him. But they really were here - and had been here - this entire time. And speaking with them telepathically was as easy now as it had been on earth.
Although he hadn't sensed them immediately; however, that could have been because he was no longer trying to.
"This place is . . . different, Megabyte. Maybe the rules here are different."
"What do you mean?"
It was Adam's turn to study the intricacies of the floor tiles and the patterns made by the wrinkles and folds of the material of his breeches. He hadn't thought before he made that observation aloud, and now he was wishing that he had. It was easy to watch his words around Hagen and Stewart, knowing that his life could depend on what was said or not said, but with Megabyte, he forgot himself. And the truth of the matter was he didn't know how much he wanted to tell his friend about the powerful magic of this world; certainly, it was an issue that needed to be discussed, but . . . how much information was too much information, particularly when there was so much that Adam still did not understand.
"Magic."
"Huh?"
"There's magic here, Megabyte. It's real."
"You mean like David Copperfield?"
Adam shook his head. "No, I mean like Merlin. And Gandalf." Even as he said the words, they didn't ring true in Adam's heart; he was pretty certain that what he felt was nothing like what the books described for Merlin and Gandalf. "Or something like that at least."
"Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Merlin?"
He had expected a little bit of incredulity. "Okay, then not Merlin. More like -- Willow on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."
"Uh-huh."
"You're not taking me seriously."
"Are you taking you seriously?"
"Megabyte, do you know what damiar means?" Adam only paused long enough to make sure he had the other's attention. "It means 'priestess-mage' and I've seen a few things that make me believe that they aren't joking or exaggerating when they say that."
"Priestess? Doesn't that kind of mean she can't get married?"
Adam blinked at Megabyte in disbelief, "Have you tried to learn anything about this world the whole time you've been here?"
"Yeah. How to walk on a ship without falling on my face and how to shave with a straight edge without slitting my throat."
Adam opened his mouth to comment, then shook his head with a smile. Until that moment he hadn't realized how much he missed Megabyte and his wisecracks. "Besides that, Megabyte."
"Not exactly. But it wasn't like I could run over to the library and check out a book on Stiborn culture and history. I was on a *boat,* Adam."
"Right." Adam set his drink aside and leaned forward, steepling his fingers together. "Well I did have the opportunity to run over to the library - the Palace has its own." Adam ignored the way Megabyte's eyebrows rose slightly at that announcement, "And I'll tell you one thing, Megabyte, we are not in Kansas anymore."
"No duh."
"Could be worse though. Right now, Stiborn happens to be one of the most powerful kingdoms this side of the Spire Mountains and Eternal Ocean. The only two kingdoms that are even as powerful are Carelle Ichtung to the east and Albarasque. And Albarasque is very soon to be our ally."
"Our ally?"
"For what it's worth, Megabyte, right now we are who everyone thinks we are. You are Lord Marmion Ruele and I'm --" Adam took a breath, he might have been able to play the role, but saying the words was still somewhat difficult, "I'm Prince Adam Aldaric."
"And you're going to marry a priestess mage, which I guess is a lot worse than being married to Jade. At least I know Jade."
"Oh, now you see the positive side."
"Yeah, I guess this is one case where the grass isn't greener on the other side, huh?"
"Megabyte?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut-up."
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