Chapter Forty-Eight: Making Amends

That night, Dirkan and Shalila's room.

Tayla was sitting in Dirkan's lap; she had shamefacedly asked him
for forgiveness, and Dirkan had held her close and told her that it was all
right. He also asked for her forgiveness in being so rash that first time when
she and Ridikar had been alone together. The old Namek warrior was trying to
remain calm, even after Shalila had told him what Ridikar had tried to do to
Tayla. Dirkan swore that he would gut Ridikar from stem to sternum with his
sword for what he had done to Tayla.

Tayla had apologized to Bajal, Gorna, and Cletos for the way she had
spoken to them earlier. Bajal had ruffled the girl's hair and told her not to
worry about it, and Alora, who had been with him, said she had to admire anyone
who had the nerve to stand up to her husband like that. Bajal laughed in the
end, and told his youngest sister that he admired her spirit. (Tayla, on
Shalila's orders, had wisely not told him yet about Ridikar's trying to rape
her, both females fearing that Bajal would murder the Calmagian heir before
Ridikar was brought to justice.)

Gorna had quietly forgiven her, and she had said to Tayla that she
was as much to blame. She told her youngest sibling that she wanted to speak to
her further later, and for the first time in the twelve years that she had been
living, Tayla did not dread being alone in a conversation with her imposing
elder sister.

As for Cletos, he had morosely forgiven her, but he was in such a
reflective, depressed mood that Gorna had advised Tayla that it was best to
leave him alone for now. Gorna privately thought that Tayla's shouting at
Cletos about neglecting his children was exactly what their brother had needed.
Gorna had been seriously thinking of taking Petalia and Dedron away from Cletos;
she thought that Dedron needed a good dose of discipline.

"I didn't mean to cause so much trouble," Tayla told them again for
the tenth time.

Dirkan smoothed the girl's hair. "We know, sweetheart, we know.
Ridikar will not get away with what he tried to do to you, I promise you that.
Leading you on like he did, every time I think about it, I just want to turn him
into rubble!"

"I-I trusted him, Dirkan, he seemed so nice and charming," Tayla
whispered.

Shalila smoothed Tayla's hair. "Heavy hangs the head that last
night wore the crown," she quoted quietly from an Earth expression. "My dear,
don't let this experience discourage you from having suitors later on when
you're older. Most young men are not like Ridikar."

Tayla looked up at Nama. "How's Caline doing? May I go see her, please, before
I go to bed?"

Shalila patted Tayla's shoulder. "For about an hour will be fine.
Caline is with Gracina and Gorna on the balcony of the conservatory, dandelion.
Lektron is out patrolling the corridors with Bajal." Most of the Astorians and
Calmagians in the castle were awake and patrolling the castle and surrounding
area for any signs of Frieza's men.

"Is Alberm going to be punished for what he did to Caline?" Tayla
asked softly. Alberm and Reccor had been arrested for treason, and both of them
were in the dungeons of the Magan castle. If they were found to be guilty, both
of them would be executed, and Shalila would not speak for Reccor. Reccor's
treachery was too hard to bear for all of the older Astorians, who has trusted
him fully, and none of them would speak for Reccor either, not even the normally
peaceful Raakon. Shalila, Dirkan, and Gorna were ashamed and embarrassed for
not knowing or even being aware of Reccor's connection to Frieza.

Shalila said slowly, "He will be punished for treason, and for
trying to murder Caline, but there have been no other charges." She chewed on
her lower lip.

"He won't be punished for beating and raping her?" Tayla asked.

Shalila looked ashamed. "He has not been charged with that, child,
although her grandfather does know about it. Sadly, raping or beating your wife
is not considered a crime under Calmagian law." She drew Tayla's head to her
and continued, trying to brighten her voice, "But Dirkan and I are working to
obtain Caline a divorce from her husband; your Uncle Kitchator may allow it, not
wanting his granddaughter to be married to a traitor like Alberm."

"I hate Alberm for what he did to Caline!" Tayla suddenly cried
passionately. "I almost wish I had killed him!" Both Shalila and Dirkan were
surprised by this outburst, for Tayla was not normally violent by nature.

Shalila looked into her granddaughter's angry dark eyes. "No,
Tayla, you must always try to prevent killing whenever possible, and let justice
do its work. True warriors are fighters, dandelion, not executioners or
killers. Alberm deserves to pay heavily for what he has done, yes, but it would
have been wrong to kill him without at least a trial. I understand your anger
at him, but killing him in cold blood would not have made you any better than
him. You did the right thing by just fighting to protect Caline. Killing is
the last resort for the true warrior, believe it or not. It is too easy to
become addicted to bloodshed, and it must never happen to you. I know that is
not like you, Tayla. Dirkan and I have been in your shoes before, and there
have been times when we had let our anger get so out of control that we had both
killed unnecessarily. It is not something that we are proud of."

"Maybe I truly didn't want to kill him," Tayla admitted, "but I
don't think that he could ever suffer enough for what he did to Caline."

"I agree with that statement," Dirkan said quietly. He turned to
Tayla and gently guided her off his lap. "Tayla, if you want to see Caline
before you go to bed, better do so now; you've already been up too late as it
is."

"Yes, Dirkan," Tayla responded. She kissed both him and her Nama on
their cheeks and whispered goodnight to each of them. They kissed her back, and
Tayla left their room.

Shalila and Dirkan finally allowed themselves to worry about
Frieza's minions coming for Tayla. They had deliberately stayed on the topic of
Caline and Alberm, so that Tayla would not dwell on the Elite minions from
Frieza coming to take her away. "Why doesn't Frieza leave us alone?" Shalila
asked, a bit despairingly.

Dirkan said tiredly, "Frieza won't give up until our people are
destroyed. It amazes me that he is still after Tayla. Reccor must have told
him about Tayla's abilities as a warrior. First those Saiyan brats, and now
Frieza's other Elite officers. You and I have fought against Jaden and Zarbon
before, and we had a hard time defeating them the last time. I still can
remember Jaden turning some of our fighters into glass. If we had not distracted
her long enough for Kami Orchida and Toria to reverse the attack, those fighters
would have perished. And that time when Zarbon had turned into that hideous
green monster-ugh! I saw him in my nightmares for weeks after he had fled
Chloe."

"And yet, Jaden had freed the Meatians; that puzzles me, for I
thought that she was completely heartless. Yet, she can't be entirely cruel, if
she allowed Steak and his children to escape without an ulterior motive. I wish
there was some way to reason with her and this friend of hers, Chestra," Shalila
spoke, trying to press on this last bit of hope.

"We can't trust anyone who works for Frieza," Dirkan told his wife sternly.

"Jaden could have been peeved at Frieza for something and just released the
Meatians to spite him. We can't be sure of her or anyone who works with her.
We must do all we can to protect our people and Tayla, even if it means
destroying her and her comrades. Speaking of which, the CRP officers who took
them prisoner probably had them executed by now."

"I hope so--almost," Shalila said sadly. "It's such a pity that
someone like Jaden would choose to work for Frieza, but it can't be helped. We
better go train then, Dirkan."

But Dirkan noticed how tired his mate was, and he insisted that they
both get a few hours of sleep, and Shalila reluctantly acquiesced.





The balcony of the castle conservatory

Gracina and Gorna were having tea in the red and white conservatory
after a few hours of intense training and conditioning with each other. It had
been an interesting sparring match because the two sisters did not spar with
each other often, and the match had come out even. Caline was sleeping, with
her fair head in Gracina's lap. Gracina and Gorna were tired as well, but they
insisted to each other that they would stay awake and patrol the castle.

Tayla crept into the conservatory. Gracina smiled slowly at her.
"Tayla, you don't have to sneak in here, you know, although you probably should
be in bed by now." Tayla sat down next to Gracina on the green couch where her
sister and Caline were. Gracina put her slender arm around Tayla, as she looked
down at Caline.

Tayla looked at Caline, peacefully sleeping. "Will she be okay? Do
you think we can take her back home with us?"

Gracina looked down fondly at Caline again. "I wish we could,
Tayla, but she already has a family here."

"They are not taking care of her like they should, especially if
they made her marry a bastard like Alberm," Tayla declared vociferously.

"Tayla!" Gracina and Gorna both exclaimed at Tayla's using a
forbidden word. They both secretly agreed with her, however.

"Well, he is one," Tayla insisted, "Gorna said so herself."

"Tayla, I am-" Gorna was about to say that she was an adult, and
that she could say whatever she pleased, but she decided then and there that she
would not tell Tayla to do something that she would not do herself. "Never
mind, Tayla, but don't use that word around anyone else, understand?"

Tayla nodded, still in shock that Gorna was behaving decently
towards her. She was still uncertain how to deal with this new side of Gorna;
at least with the old Gorna, she had known exactly what to expect. But since
Gorna was extending the olive branch towards her of her own accord, Tayla would
accept it.

Gracina gathered Caline in her arms. "I better put her to bed.
Lektron will be up for hours still, so I will put her to bed with me until he
returns. She'll feel safer there than in her own quarters."

"Don't become too attached to her," Gorna warned her blond sister.
"Remember that she is not your child. She still has a father."

Gracina was about to say what she thought about Prince Amitar,
Caline and Ridikar's father, but decided against it. She was too tired to say
something about the indifferent way Amitar had reacted to the news of Alberm
beating and raping Caline. Amitar did think that Alberm went too far in
attempting to kill his daughter, but he said nothing to comfort his daughter, or
even promise to protect her. The cold, indifferent prince merely said that he
would find Caline a new husband, and he shushed Caline's protests about not
wanting a new spouse. Gracina hid her fury at Caline's father, although by the
time Amitar had left, both she and Lektron, who had been with her, had wanted to
strangle him. Neither one of them thought highly of the future king of Calmag.
Gracina pitied Caline and the other women that had to live on Calmag.

She kissed Tayla goodnight and nodded to Gorna, and then she left the room
carrying Caline in her arms. Tayla had wished that Gracina could have stayed
longer, but Gracina had looked like she could use some sleep. She was now alone
with Gorna.

Gorna was struggling for words, which was unusual for her, since she
was one of the most outspoken princesses in the Clan of Chloe. What did you say
to a sister that you had cruelly neglected for so long? How did you say that
you're sorry? How did you ask for forgiveness? Tayla watched Gorna's mouth
twitch nervously, as she herself was trying to think of words to say to her
elder sister.

Finally Gorna said some of the hardest words that she ever had to
say, "T-Tayla, will you ever forgive me for the way that I have treated you all
this time? I was wrong; I admit that I was wrong about you. You never gave me
cause for how I behaved towards you. If you ever fought back with me, I
probably deserved it."

Tayla herself was now wrestling for words. She too, was one of the
most outspoken princesses in the Clan of Chloe, but not as much as Gorna. "I
never wanted to hurt you, Gorna, truly I didn't," she began slowly. "I just
wanted you to love me, and I never understood why you seemed so cold towards
me."

"I was jealous of you," Gorna admitted quietly. "I've had to fight
all of my life to make people love and respect me, and you seem to do it so
effortlessly. Everyone is always saying how sweet and kind and brave you are,
while they regard me with contempt behind my back. There were times when I had
disliked you, but I had never truly hated you; I realize that now. No one had
ever petted me or adored me the way that they do you, except for Granpappa; he
always doted on me. But that is not your fault, Tayla, and you must not feel
bad about the way that others and I have viewed me. You deserve all the love
and affection that others give you; you seem to have such a way with people.
Don't feel guilty about the good things that come to you, just don't ever take
it for granted."

Tayla was quiet for a few moments, taking time to digest Gorna's
words. She knew that Gorna was not lying to her, for all Gorna's faults, she
was no liar. Finally, lacking the right words at her young age, she walked up
to Gorna and hugged her for the first time ever in their lives. She pressed her
cheek against Gorna's shoulder, hoping that Gorna would not reject her or push
her away.

Gorna was shocked that Tayla would embrace her of her own accord,
but she overcame it and put her arms around her youngest sibling. They held
each other like that for what seemed to be hours, and then finally Gorna kissed
her forehead gravely and said silently, "You should go to bed now. Goodnight,
Tayla." Before she released her sister, she whispered, "Thanken" which was
Astorian for "thank you."

"Welcomen," Tayla whispered back solemnly, saying the Astorian word
for "you're welcome".

She brought Gorna's hand to her dark hair, which was not only could be a gesture
of trust, but one of forgiveness as well. She and Gorna no longer needed words
to tell each other that all was now forgiven, and that a new relationship would
form. She kissed Gorna's cheek, whispered goodnight, and she left the
conservatory. Gorna sat there in the room alone for a few minutes, quiet,
reflective, and grateful.





The next morning in the castle control room.

Captain Qatar had word from Lieutenant Balboun that the prisoners
had been executed, and for the safety of the Calmagians, all of them had been
destroyed. Qatar told Balboun that was fine, and he was sure the king would be
pleased to know that Frieza's minions under the CRP care had been destroyed.

The control room was space age, with many computers, gadgets,
screens and radars. A message crackled on the intercom now, "Captain Qatar?
This is Lieutenant Saychelle."

"Qatar speaking."

"Captain, Calmag has been invaded! I repeat Calmag has been
invaded! In the Southern hemisphere, the cities and villages of Rendor,
Halston, Kaldor, Javalon, Hensley, and Squaremon have had their citizens all
brutally murdered! The entire planet is almost under attack, Captain!
Casualties are high, sir, and they continue to climb rapidly. I have three
fighter jets following the invaders now. One of the invaders has been described
as a Sistrai warrior, and the other is a large pink, spiky-headed monster of an
unknown species. They have been blasting our cities and villages from the sky,
sir, with ki blasts. In Rendor, sir, many of the citizens have been turned into
diamond statues, and the dead citizens have seemed to die of some sort of
poisoning. My men are scouting that city for survivors, sir. I have a young
girl with me, sir, and her name is Zilly Fedamare. She says that the same
invaders had molested her and killed her father and brothers. Her village of
Javalon seems to have been utterly destroyed."

At that moment, a short, massive man with black hair and green eyes
entered the room. All of the soldiers in the room stood up and saluted him, for
he was the most important man of the CRP officers, General Norbrook.

"General," Captain Qatar spoke up quickly. "Frieza's forces have
invaded Calmag in the Southern hemisphere."

General Norbrook cursed loudly. This was just what he wanted for
breakfast.