Disclaimer: Buena Vista. PR. Whatever. This is the final story in this
trilogy. When I wrote it three years ago I had no real intention of
writing anything else, but I've heard from some over the years since to
continue it. If you really want me to, then drop me a line.
Oh, yeah, this story is not set within my "From The Stars" series, but does mention Sharie Triesta here as a matter of courtesy. Here, she's simply Trey's brother and co-ruler of Triforia. No Dryseran war-grew up on earth thingy. So relax, and enjoy.
Shadow's Strength By ZeoViolet Teaser: Another family reunion, and Tar'yn and Divatox search for Tar'yn's father.
"I honestly cannot believe this," whispered Divatox, as she stared at the e- mail message displayed on DECA's console. "I can't believe she actually wants to see me, in person."
Tar'yn leaned over his mother's shoulder, reading the message for himself. "I doubt if Dmitria would lie to you," he assured her. "She is a most honest woman, with a heart the size of this galaxy. If she says she wants to come face-to-face with you, she means it."
Pain twisted in Divatox's heart. "My own twin sister," she whispered softly, her eyes burning with a long-forgotten emotion. "I still find it hard to believe--Dmitiria was my worst enemy of all! She's my twin--I never considerd that we might look alike--and she wears that veil on her face, too. How could I have known she resembles me so--only because Delphine told me so."
"That's normal Inquiris wear," answered Cassie, who had delved into the past of Dmitria's planet once out of curiosity. "It's not compulsory or anything--just the fashion nowadays, as I understand it."
"You could never get me into an outfit like that," answered Divatox, but she smiled over a sniffle. "Gauzy yellow robes aren't my style, and neither is a veil."
"Do you wish to meet her?" asked Cassie. "I am sure she would enjoy meeting her long-lost twin on some place other than a battlefield. Ever since she found out she *had* a twin, she's been looking for you--though knowing her, I can bet she never expected it to be you."
"Trust me, I was the least likely candidate on her mind," answered the former evil space pirate, a well-known frown on her face. "That I don't need to ask to get confirmed. It's kind of obvious, you know." She studied the e-mail. "She is interested in meeting me, and I guess I have little to lose by saying yes, don't I? I didn't think I had family at all-- what a wallop the last couple of weeks have been."
"Then you will?" prodded Tar'yn. "I would not mind seeing her again, too-- it is time I got out more without hiding behind the facade of the Shadow Ranger. That part of my past I am laying to rest."
"You don't want to be a ranger anymore?" asked Divatox, genuinely surprised. "After you and I, uh..." she swallowed hard, "departed, I figured that was the first thing you would do, just to spite me. In a way, I was right--you did become a ranger. You want to give that up?"
"Correction," he realized how that had come out. "I don't want to be known as the Phantom Ranger anymore. I still will morph in case it is ever needed again. But I refuse to go back to that cold, lonely person I was, wandering the universe without a light to warm my heart or soul--Cassie took care of that." He slid over to a blushing Cassie and laid his arm around her.
She only blanched for a moment, quite aware that his mother was watching them, but seeing as Divatox did not seem inclined to object, she sighed and leaned against Tar'yn without further thought.
"You two do seem to be meant for each other," said Divatox sadly, seeing the warmth in Tar'yn's eyes and remembering another man with such vivid green eyes she had once known....and had long since lost. "Just don't make the same stupid mistakes I made in my life...please."
"You are not stupid," Tar'yn was quick to say. "I still don't understand how you and Dmitiria were seperated and you fell into the hands of your evil adoptive parents."
"They didn't tell me," answered Divatox dryly. "And I don't care to know."
"Then we won't speak more about it. I am not sure I want to know, either."
Divatox turned her weary gaze back to the message, her heart fluttering in her breast as she considered what it all could mean. "I will go on one condition," she said softly. "I don't want to go alone--things will be very akward between us as it is. I have tried to kill her more than once, you know. She should hate me eternally for it."
To her surprise, it was Cassie who spoke up first. "I would not mind accompanying you and Tar'yn," she stated softly. "I know Dmitiria well, you know--that is, if you would not consider me an intrusion."
"Oh, no," said Divatox, actually delighted with the prospect. "It might make things easier if we both had a familiar face with us--she doesn't know yours either, my son."
"I will keep out of your way," Cassie promised. "Don't want to be an albatross around your necks."
"A....what?" repeated Tar'yn, then smiled. "Strange words, but I think I know what you are saying. You would never be in the way, not as far as I am concerned."
As if to emphasize this, he leaned over and kissed her quickly before returning to the details of the email with his mother, leaving Cassie aside to contemplate things.
She was frankely amazed at the changes in both mother and son as they whizzed through the days, making up for lost time--and Tar'yn had been so certain he could never love nor forgive her ever again! Already they were very close, and she was truly happy to see the person she loved above all else reignite his relationship with the one person he had ever known he had blood ties to.
And now they were going to have a formal reunion with Divatox's twin, Dmitria. Cassie smiled. No longer did Tar'yn walk the shadows of a world of pain and numbness, and no longer did Divatox wallow in the evil that she had been raised in. Perhaps, for the first time for both of them, the sun had risen over the horizon of thier lives, driving many of the shadows away for good.
It was all Cassie could do not to frown as she considered the last big remaning question in the lives of this mother and son. She knew it was a question that disturbed both, and both would not mind being resolved one day.
It was the question of Tar'yn's father--his identity and his wherabouts.
****
Inquiris was a light, airy world, a bubbling delicate paradise that was home to some of the most beautiful mysteries in the universe--the secret of their world's delicate, and yet amazingly stubborn, beauty was a mystery their scientists forever spent time trying to unlock,and the answer was always out of reach.
Maybe this mystery of their world's light, bubbly beauty was part of their curious, questioning nature. In fact, Cassie would not be surprised if this was the reason the Inquiris's natives tongue was entirely derived of questions.
She smiled to herself, wondering if either Tar'yn or Divatox had known that when she first came to Earth to be the Turbo Ranger's mentor, Dmitria could not even speak standard. She spoke with a translator that spit out the correct english words, but, as all inquiris speech patterns were, all were in the form of questions.
It was not until shortly before Cassie had become the pink Turbo ranger that Dmitria had fully learned Standard--the wonders of Knowledge Infusion-- and it was not until shortly after that she had learned not to phrase every spoken word as questions or a riddle--it tended to drive humans a little batty after awhile. As hard as they tried, neither Tommy's team or TJ's had ever grown to appreciate the riddles and questions speech. Dmitria, sensing this despite the fact nobody said anything--not wanting to hurt her feelings--had willingly struggled to change her speech habits. It was much appreciated.
When the three occupants of the teleporter beams fully materialized outside of the main research dome, Cassie was startled to find herself not having very secure footing. The gravity on Inquiris was much less than earth--no wonder Dmitria had preferred Zordon's tube to her normal humanoid form.
Taking her mind off the more pressing matters for a moment, Cassie took time to admire the beauty around her--every thing, from the birds with huge, colorful feather plumes floating in the breeze, to the trees--she supposed they were trees, anyways--with trunks so delicate they looked like they could snap at any moment. They also came in a startling array of rainbow colors--year-round, most plants, even the leaves, were vivid hues of purple, pink, blue, red, gold, white--you name it, they had it. Some were even translucent, catching the sun's rays in a dazzling prism effect.
As delicate as all this beautiful life around her seemed, from what Cassie had read, they were made of some of the tougher natural material in the universe, woven together in a decpetively delicate pattern that had shocked many an offworlder who had tried to pick some frail blossom or other--and couldn't.
Briefly, Cassie wondered if the natives of Inquiris were as reslient as their plant and animal life.
The natives of Inquiris were, by nature, also multiphasic beings--they could assume a fully solid humanoid shape, like any other person, or they could transform themselves into beings more easily adapted to floating around in the light gravity. Either form was acceptable anywhere, and Cassie supposed Divatox would be grateful for that--for she had no idea how to assume any shape but the humanoid shape she now was in.
Cassie supposed that Tar'yn had no idea either, and perhaps the sight of the many curious, friendly natives flowing around them in their other form unnerved him a bit, for his hand gripped hers tightly.
Cassie held her translator ready. Standard was not widley spoken here, as it was on many other technologically advanced worlds, and she prepared herself to find everything that came out of the translator to be nothing but qestions and riddles.
Divatox wondered why she suddenly felt shy to have her face uncovered when a young man floated up to them, the look in his dark eyes making it obvious he had been expecting them.
Cassie understood why her companions were suddenly unnerved. Their faces were bare. Almost all the Inquiris natives around them wore face veils-- some gauzy and see-through, some not, but it seemed standard wear, making Cassie wonder if she was the only one unbothered by it all.
This young man's apparel was no different.
He had blond hair and was swathed in blue robes--and a blue face veil that fitted over his nose and curved to just under his ears.
"Ah--you are here then?" the words, without preamble, came out of Cassie's translator. "Mind if I bid you welcome to Inquris?"
"Thank you," said Divatox, suddenly feeling a mild sense of Deja Vu and not knowing where it came from. "We are here to see Dmitria."
"Follow me?" he politely gestured his way into the nearby domed building. "Is my name--Jaden-satisfying to you?"
"Uh, yeah," said Tar'yn, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with all the questions. "That's fine, Jaden."
"My form and speech bothers you?" he asked, knowing the answer. "It does this to offworlders, does it not?"
As if he could read their minds, he did not wait for their answer before there was a flash of blue, and he was suddenly bouncing along in full, solid humanoid shape.
"Thank you," said Cassie. "No offense intended--we're just not used to the question-based speech or the floating people because of gravity."
"Would I be rude to take offense of offworlder's discomfort?" Jaden shook his head emphatically.
"I think that means, 'no offense taken'," whispered Tar'yn. "Perhaps in a way, it will be nice to be around Dmitria for another reason--she can speak the way we are used to by now."
"Do you consider Dmitria wise, like us?" Cassie's translator rendered. "And do you consider yourselves fortunate that this is so?"
It was a lucky thing that Cassie had learned how to mentally translate Dmitria's strange speech when she first met her. *I think that means that we are lucky we were landed with someone as wise as Dmitria, no doubt.* She mused to herself.
Finally, Jaden stopped at a chamber door. Without a word, he reached over and pressed a button on the side, so it slid open.
"Will Dmitria grant entrance?" Said Cassie's translator.
"Would I deny it to welcome visitors?" came the reply, and Cassie had to smile at the unusual greeting.
She sensed Divatox suddenly blanch. "Do you want me to enter first?" Cassie thought to ask in a bare whisper.
"Please," whispered Divatox. "I am suddenly....nervous."
"I don't think that Dmitria will destroy you if you enter the room," whispered Cassie. "But I will go first."
Divatox's glance was grateful. Without a word, Jaden bowed and departed, leaving the three lingering in the hall outside the door.
Hesistantly, Cassie ventured through as Dmitria looked up from a....Cassie supposed it was a sofa, to study her from behind her typical yellow veil. Her dark eyes lit up to see a familiar face of a friend.
"Cassie, how nice to see you," she said in perfec standard. "What brings you here?"
"I didn't get a chance to send a message," apologized Cassie, feeling a glad feeling tingle through her to see Dmitria again, safe and sound after the recent war. "I came with your twin and her son, basically."
Above her veil, Cassie noticed Dmitria's eyes widen, and something unreadable enter their dark depths. Cassie was strongly hit with the impression of Divatox's eyes and that of this woman's being identical.
"I see," she said quietly. "You had no trouble getting in, or getting through to other members of my people, any of them?"
"No," said Cassie. "For all his questions, Jaden was easily understandable."
"And Divatox...and her son...they are..." Dmitria stumbled. "I apologize; I am feeling...a bit strange, right now."
"Out in the hall....you wish me to get them?" Cassie thought she could emphasize with Dmitria's uncertainty. The woman had often searched the records for any mention of her long-lost twin, and then to find out she was a henious space pirate....
Dmitria nodded, and for the first time, Cassie saw her transform to a completely humanoid form--a tall, lithe woman who seemed beautiful enough-- what Cassie could tell through the yellow robes and veil, anyway.
Cassie nodded, and ducked her head out into the hall to gesture for Divatox and Tar'yn to enter.
"She wishes to see you," she whispered, seeing the sheer anxiety in Divatox's eyes. "I will remain in the hall, if you like."
"No--stay!" Divatox's face was nearly as white as her gown, and Cassie thought she saw her tremble.
Tar'yn nodded his assent also. "Perhaps it would be less awkward with a person familiar to all of us present," he said in a low tone.
Cassie nodded; feeling a strange flutter in her own stomach as she turned back to the doorway, entering again.
Dmitria rose to her full tall height, studying the figures that came through the doorway.
It had been such a shock when Delphine had contacted her with the news of her twin. At first Dmitria had not wanted to believe it--who wants to find out their closest blood relative is their own worst enemy?
"The genetic scan is positive," Delphine had stated, matter-of-factly. Then she had smiled reassuringly. "While she wants to meet you, Dmitria, she will understand if you don't want to see her--she has said herself she doesn't deserve it. Although I wish you would consent to do so; she is not evil any longer, the purge was wise in choosing who lived and who would be too evil to be destroyed."
Dmitria, her mind swimming, had requested a few days to let it all sink in. Without a word to anyone, she had kept tabs on Divatox for the next couple of days--learning in the process--to her immense shock--that Divatox had reuinted with her son--son?--and that this boy was none other than the Phantom Ranger! Named two names, Shadow most of his life and now known as Tar'yn, this mysterious ranger was her own nephew--half inquris blood, and Dmitria had no doubt that, with his mother's former reputation, the other half was of some vastly different species.
Knowing that mother and son were getting along so well, and of the Phantom Ranger's reputation, was what prompted Dmitria to put aside the last of the doubts tugging at her heart and at least attempt to get to know the sister she had been denied all her life.
For all her life she had felt a part of herself missing, and the feeling had only intensified after she learned of this twin's existence. Now, she hoped to put that missing part to rest at last.
Something strange burned at the back of her throat as she studied the two individuals who stepped silently through the door behind Cassie. One, the boy, had lustrious dark hair that fell charmingly over his forehead. His face turned to her, and she felt a deep shock run through her to see her features in the face of this person's--his only having the addition of a masculine touch because of his gender. The chisled nose, the high cheekbones, the well-formed jaw and mouth--all were hers. Even the hair, to an extent.
It was only his eyes, those piercing green eyes, that were different. Dmitria was not sure she had ever seen eyes that particular odd, deep, and beautiful shade of green before. Nobody she knew had eyes like that--what kind of race could produce such dazzling eyes?
And they spoke strongly of his quiet spirit--the former shadow that had been so strongly affected by Cassie's presence. No wonder she had been drawn to him so!
The woman that stepped hesistantly through was the last of all. Her head was bowed, so her loose dark curls hid her face. She was dressed purely in white and her face was uncovered by a veil.
Strange tingles began to run up Dmitria's spine. Without even seeing this woman's face, she felt something deep within her stir--an old shadow, a memory buried deep within her babyhood experiences before birth--a sense of self and a sense of other, an other that was gone just shortly after she had been born.
It rocketed through Dmitria with a sharp sense of reality, and before the woman could even turn to her, Dmitria had to stifle a gasp of prenatal recognition.
At last, Divatox did turn, and raised her eyes, as if afraid, to meet those of the sister she had never known existed---until recently.
They froze.
Divatox felt as if someone had grabbed her chest and squeezed all the air out of her lungs. Those eyes! Those deep, dark, and fathomless eyes--it was like she were seeing her own eyes set into that of another person!
For in those dark depths she could see herself--and someone that was a total stranger to her. Eyes that burned with the same carefully controlled inner fire that had always kept *her* going, a drive to succeed--and the natural gentleness and serenity that Divatox had herself only recently discovered in herself, a psyche that she had been forced to deny all her life.
*Gods....is Dmitria who I would have been if we had never been seperated? Is this the version of me as a....person of light?*
The thought struck her hard as the proverbial good twin/evil twin duo stared at each other, gauging each other carefully and yet trying desperately to quell their own intense emotions that refused to surface.
Divatox felt something in her heart stir--a feeling she had never before felt, a sense of something she had lost long, long ago in the dark days of a period not granted to her memory--a sense of loss that burned through her like a knife. But looking into those eyes, she felt that burning quenched by a douse of recognition--of finding what she had never been aware she had lost to begin with!
It was a powerful feeling.
The eyes that had deadlocked to hers Dmitria felt herself drowning in. Gone was the crude hatred and vile mannerisms of the Divatox she had known, this woman bore very little resemblance to the space pirate at all. In fact, she looked....she looked.....
As if in a trance, Dmitria reached up and slowly unhooked the fastenings of her face veil. With a maddening lack of speed, she lowered it from her face, so they all saw her features fully for the first time.
The edges of Divatox's vision blurred suddenly. Surely someone had secretly slipped a mirror in front of her eyes--for in the face of her former enemy, she saw herself.
A face absolutely identical to her own.
Dmitria's lithe form stepped forward, the eyes of the twins locked. Divatox could not quite shake the feelings of looking in the mirror as her twin strode closer....and closer, until they were just inches from each other.
The resemblence was shocking. Only two things were different, and they were of little consequence--Dmitria was wearing yellow instead of white, and she had, of late, forcibly straightened her hair. Naturally, it was as curly as the former enemy who stood before her.
Divatox opened her mouth, then shut it. She couldn't talk.
Their eyes never broke contact, each saying what words could not form.
Cassie and Tar'yn, standing aside, could feel the heavy emotion in the air. They remained silent.
It was Dmitria who spoke at last. "You feel it too, then?"
Numbly, Divatox nodded. When Dmitria lifted her hand, fingers outstretched, Divatox slowly copied her, pressing her hand foward until two identical palms touched.
"You are she," whispered Divatox, as if she still couldn't quite believe it. Her heart raced despite all the maddening calm around her. "You are the part of me I was always forced to deny."
"I am that, and I am also not," answerd Dmitria in an even, yet soft, tone. "You are the part of me that I had always sensed missing--can I dare to say that I no longer feel that empty part of myself?"
"Can *I* dare to claim that, also?" Divatox pressed in a breathy whisper. "Dare you accept me into your life--as a friend?"
The last of doubts for Dmitria melted away. "More than that," she breathed. "More than friends--sisters. Is that what you want?"
A strange light flooded Divatox's heart at those words--as if a distant dream, one she had never dreamed even subconsciously, had very abruptly become real.
Just barely, she nodded her head. For the first time, Cassie saw Dmitria smile as she unclasped her hands from her twin's, only to reach out and draw her close.
The look of fulfillment on the faces of both women was priceless.
****
When Dmitria pulled back, her eyes misty, she grinned. "Welcome back to the side of light, Divatox," she said with her quiet serenity.
Her eyes left her twin's and wandered over to Tar'yn.
"I see you brought your son with you. Tar'yn," she mused. "I had no idea my nephew was the mysterious Phantom Ranger who baffled us for so long. It is good to meet you--face-to-face."
He colored slightly. "Honored Dmitria," he said. "It is a pleasure to finally be able to speak freely to you. And an even greater honor to discover we are related by blood."
Dmitria smiled then, a real smile that showed twin rows of white teeth. "Since meeting you when you came to earth those weeks you did, I have listened out for you more. Seems you are an honorable fighter. I am proud to have you as my nephew. There is someone to carry on our line."
"You do not have children?" Cassie blurted out of curiosity, then turned red, mortified, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Such questions were considered extremely personal among the natives of Inquiris, they were not asked until a solid friendship and trust had been formed.
But Dmitria brushed it off, sensing what she might be thinking. "I consider us good enough friends that I don't mind such a question," she alloted. "Besides, you are human, not an Inquiris native. No, I do not have children as yet."
"A pity," Cassie commented. "You'd make a superb mom."
Her former mentor chuckled. "I have not ruled out the possibility as yet. And, as I said, Divatox has already ensured the line will be carried on--I have since discovered that we are the only two children of our parents. They were guardian warriors of our planet, and died in a skirmish."
Divatox let out a long breath, as if she had been holding it for several moments. "Then they were honorable," she breathed. "I am glad to know the....the 'parents' who raised me--if you call it that--were not my blood parents, nor that demented brother of mine my real brother." She shuddered.
"At least they cared enough to raise you," Dmitria reminded her. "Or you would not be standing here now. Are they still alive?"
"I doubt it. Their natures were pure, black evil." Surprisingly, Divatox did not feel much regret concerning them. They had been too cold to do no more than see she had shelter and food. That was about it. Trained her ruthlessly to be a space pirate, and to deny whatever her heart felt-- except for greed. No questions had been asked on what *she* had wanted-- she had been an obedient slave. By the time she had grown up--she had become a permanent part of their circle--not really able to do anything *but* carry on the family tradition.
Considering how she had been--she hardly figured she owed them her life-- for she had not lived at all until Zordon's purge.
Cassie sighed. "It's so nice to see a complete family reunion," she mused. "What are you going to do now, Divatox? Stay here on Inquiris?"
Divatox shifted. "I don't know," she said, a faint smile on her face. "Questions, questions, questions. Might drive me crazy."
Dmitria laughed. "You'll get used to it."
Divatox smiled, then it faded. "There is something else I feel I need to do," she mused softly. "All my life, I swore up and down I would never let a man touch my heart--besides, for countless eons, there was no chance of it." She heaved a sigh. "Only one man came close. He is the one I want to find--Tar'yn's father."
Tar'yn colored to the roots of his hair.
"My father," he whsipered. "You told me that I was the result of a one- night-stand with a total stranger."
"Barely a truth--there was much more to it than that," whispered Divatox shamefully. "He was not some driftor--he was one of my mother's prisoners-- the only person in my life, besides you, that I ever really cared about."
Tar'yn went deadly pale. "Prisoner?" he echoed. "You had....sex with...."
"Oh, no!" Divatox hastened to interrupt him. "The story is much more complicated than my having a fling with one of her prisoners. Your father....I cared for him. I almost went with him--I would have if I could have at the time."
"Is he who you told me he was?" Tar'yn was pale, and his dazzling eyes had a sheen to them that was rarely seen on someone like him.
"He is not a native of Inquiris, I doubt," observed Dmitria. "I have never seen eyes like yours, Tar'yn, on any of our people--we are all either black- eyed or blue-eyed. Certainly not that dazzling shade of green."
His face darkened further with embarassment.
"No, his father was not of Inquiris," said Divatox, her eyes going distant with memory. "He did not tell me his real name--I knew him only as Eshon, the Eltaran drifter."
"Eltaran?" gasped Dmitria with some surprise. "Tar'yn was sired by an Eltaran?"
*Sired? thought Cassie, though she kept the thought to herself. *What a word.*
Divatox nodded. "Yes. His name was Eshon, and it was his eyes that drew me to him that day, after he and a handful of others had been captured....."
*Flash*
A young Divatox, upon her mother's command, closed the door to the prison cell at the bottom of the submarine. The three prisoners, each in their own cell, would stay there until her mother decided to release or destroy them.
"And it will be your duty to make sure they do not escape, and to tend to the arduous task of caring--" here she "hmmped" loudly, "For them. Don't dissappoint me again, my daughter. You must harden yourself! Only when you are completely cold and greedy can you be rich!"
"Yes, Mother," Divatox replied primely, secretly seething at the woman who had raised her--no, that was the wrong word. She only made sure Divatox ate and had a bed to sleep on at night--and by day, ruthlessly drove her to train as a cold, heartless space pirate. Already, the woman was under her mother's thumb totally, almost as cold and cruel as the rest of them. She strove to hide from her mother the one small part of her that she allowed to feel--she allowed herself to dream--something not allowed to a space pirate.
A few hours later, she resolutely stole down to the prisoner bay, opening each door enough to enter and place a tray within reach of each prisoner chained to the wall by unbreakable chains.
Since she was not as hard and cold as the rest of them, she secretly came close enough to make sure the shackles were not overtight and they had room to lie down without hanging there. A small part of her ached to see them in this condition, and she had to strive hard to hide it.
Until she came to the last cell. She unlocked the door and entered, seeing a tall young man sitting on the floor of his cell, with short dark hair and a face that was turned from her.
"I...brought you your meal," she whispered faintly, startled to feel something strange radiating from him. "You are to eat now. My mother wants all the prisoners in good shape."
"Your mother, hm?" he said, his voice low and even. "Do you always do as she says, with no regard to what you wish?"
She had hardly spoken to him, and already he was speaking her mind.
"Do not talk to me like that," she whispered, voice trembling, for some reason. "I am your jailer, and captor, and as such, you must obey me."
He finally turned his face towards her, and she beheld a ruggedly handsome face with strong, finely chisled features.
It was his eyes, though, that stabbed her--piercing green eyes of a shade that she had never before seen. Beautiful, dazzling green eyes that twisted right into her soul.
"You did not answer me," he said evenly in a soft voice. "Do you always do as your mother blindly bids you?"
"I...." their eyes locked, and she felt a ghostly hand reach up and squeeze her throat. Alive with sensations she had never before felt, she put the tray on the floor, shoving it at him. "Do not talk to me like that ever again!"
She whirled and left the room, slamming the heavy metal door behind her.
It was quite a while before she could bring herself to face him again.
****
Over the next few days, though, she found herself lingering in his cell, talking to him, trying to make him comfortable and occupied when she could-- and always drawn by his eyes, his fathomless eyes that seemed to take her control from her.
And the more often she visited him, the more he looked at her, and the more she felt herself drawn to his deep gaze. She never questioned why, but soon, she was coming back as often as she dared.
It was forbidden, they both knew it. She was evasive in her reasons for coming by, and he did not tell her his name or little from his past. Both understood the underlying reason for her visits--but neither dared mention or do anything about it.
Until the silent urges became too much to bear.
****
"You are a wizard," she said softly, almost accusingly, as she stood there, studying him. "You have that look about you. Many Eltarans are known to practice magic."
"And if I do?" he inquired of her calmly.
"Shouldn't you use it to attempt an escape? I would have."
"That just goes to show you know little of magic," he said. "There is much more than incantations when it comes to magic--many other factors I lack at the moment, for example."
"What is your name?" She wondered why she was so intrigued by this man, nothing more than a prisoner. He seared her in a way she had never before felt, his eyes continually holding hers as if reading her very heart and soul....the type she had long since buired in favor of her career as a space pirate.
"And why do you wish to know?" he asked with that maddening calm of his-- was he always so serene? "Why would you care--a self-proclaimed heartless space pirate?"
"Is the question so offensive to you?" she countered. "I thought it was a simple courtesy on Eltare to ask one's name--our genetics scan tells us you are from the planet."
"What would a space pirate know of courtesy?" he breathed. "You may call me Eshon."
"Eshon," she repeated, feeling a strange sensation roll over her tongue as she said the word--shivers running down her spine all the while. "Is that your true name?"
"It is all you need to know. It is all I have been known by for quite some time."
Surprisingly, she could not bring herself to argue, to force his true name out of him.
"Do all of your kind stare as you do?" she breathed, unable to leave. "I feel as if you can see parts of me even I don't know about."
It was a dangerous admission, one her mother had warned her never to say, but she felt she had no control of herself when he looked into her eyes and laid her bare as if her mind barriers did not exist. But after these past days, she felt helpless in the face of this man's piercing gaze.
"Am I doing this?" he asked of her instead. "Or are you simply laying them bare for me?"
"I..." she was dumbfounded, his eyes never leaving hers. "Don't....don't talk to me like that."
"And why not? It is not an untruth. I do not lie."
Desperately, she groped for some way to change the subject. "Do you have family, Eshon?"
"Why do you wish to know?"
"Damnit, Eshon, stop being difficult!" she pleaded, her eyes burning as his gaze became even more intense. "No more evading my questions! I can't think when I am around you!"
"Is it necessary to be on the alert around a simple prisoner?" he queried. Unbidden, his hand reached over and touched hers.
To her own shock, she did not draw away. "I would not hurt you, Divatox," he assured her softly.
"You hurt me?" a smile touched her lips. "Not in your position, I doubt it. But if our situations were reversed?"
"If our situations were reversed, you would never have been my prisoner, and I think you know it. I would rather show you how to fly free, not chain you down like some animal."
His hand rose from hers up to her face, his eyes never leaving hers--and a strange emotion entering them, and she felt an answering call in her own heart, thundering through her whole body--something she could not stop.
"I cannot fly!" she cried through the roar in her ears. "Flying is impossible, Eshon! Life isn't like that!"
"How wrong you are," he murmured, his fingers, as if he could not help it, running over her lips. "I wish I could show you how easy it is to soar, Divatox. Then you would understand."
"How?" she almost whimpered, the intensity in his dazzling green eyes almost commanding her to inch her face ever closer. "How can a prisoner show me how to fly?"
"The answer is in the heart," he breathed, and she could feel the warm breath from his lips against her own. Her heart skyrocketed in rhythm, a dangerous tattoo she could not control.
"It is in my heart, Divatox, despite the fact it should never be--not with one that should be considered my enemy," he breathed. "But it is. Forever lodged, and desperate to soar. The question is--is it in yours?"
"I don't know," she whispered, her eyes burning. "I don't know--my heart is something to be denied. It is too cold. It can never soar."
The admission only seemed to fuel his determination. "Are you sure? Or would you want to find out differently?"
"I....don't know...."
Both his hands were on her face now; cupping her chin and his eyes never leaving hers. "Do you wish to find out?"
"I....how?" she at last breathed, unable to stand his overpowering presence.
He did not need a further invitation. Gently, his hands urged her face closer to his, and she was powerless to do nothing but comply.
Their lips met in a fusing, burning candence, and the floor fell away from beneath her feet.
As if desperate to hold her to him, his arms slid fully about her body, pulling her slender form as close to him as he dared. His mouth on hers gently urged her lips open, and she gasped into his mouth when his tongue softly sought entrance between her soft, pliant lips.
*What is happening to me?* her brain begged her concience as she moaned softly, unable to stop this or control herself. Her heart exploded in her chest at his tender ministrations, struggling to free itself of the fierce chains she had held it there with all her life.
It terrified her. *No! This is not who I am supposed to be! If I feel this way, Mother will not only kill me, she will kill him as well!*
With a ragged gasp, she jerked her mouth from his and tore from his grasp. "Eshon! No! This is not meant to be!"
She scrambled to her feet and backed away from him, but could not tear her tear-filled eyes from his fathomless green ones.
The sudden pain in his eyes echoed her own.
"If you cannot bridge the gap between our vastly different worlds, then I can do nothing to help you, no matter how I feel," his words ached in her own heart. "I know it was possibly foolish to fall in love with you, Divatox, but I will not deny what my own heart says. If you choose do follow that path, then I cannot stop you."
She fumbled for the door, only at the last moment tearing her eyes from his as she pushed the deadbolt. No! It could not happen--for his own safety and hers.
****
She awoke that night sobbing. His eyes haunted her dreams, and she could not forget how, for a few moments, she nearly had soared, as he had promised.
Was this the love she had so often dreamed about? Did it drive her to such heights--and drag her through such pain as she felt now? Or drive her to do dangerous consequences to be in the arms of....of someone she could not deny herself?
For that was what she was doing, her feet slipping silently down the corridors to his cellroom. She no longer cared of the consequences; She had to know--*had* to know the truth, for her own sanity.
He was not asleep, she could tell even when she entered his cell soundlessly. However, in the dim light his green eyes glowed, and she could see the desperation in them as he reached for her, drawing her to him with a ragged half-sob she had not thought him--the cool, even-tempered Eshon--capeable of doing.
Just vageuly, before his lips crushed hers, she heard him whisper, "My love," a sound that was to linger on her ears for many a year to come.
"I love you, Eshon," she whispered in angony against his lips. "I can't deny it. Make me soar--show me how to fly. Please."
As he crushed her to him, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of her nightgown, she knew he would do just that.
The rest of the night slid away into the delicious, forbidden dream it would have to remain to be.
****
She certainly could not have him stay as her mother's prisoner. Him or the other two prisoners. She would stand to let her mother sell them to a slave-trade post like she planned. She had to free them, soon.
"I will tell you the encryption codes," she whispered to them. "And the tracking systems will meet with a little accident. Since she figures you can't escape, your ship is unguarded; you will have a clear path to it. You will all be able to escape."
"You must come with me," Eshon pleaded, running his fingers through her hair, as if desperate to keep the contact. "I can't leave you here." His green eyes were bright with tears. "You are my heart, Divatox. Without you, I am nothing."
"I feel the same way," she quivered. "I will never love another, I will make sure of that. But I am too deeply ensnared in this world, Eshon. I could never leave it, no matter how I might want it. If I left with you, Mother would not stop until she found us and murdered us. What would that get us? She's ruthless, and she knows me too well. At least this way, you will live."
"No chance at all?"
"No. I've seen her do this before to those who escaped. I don't need to repeat the gory details. Gods, Eshon, this isn't fair!" she sobbed, tears flowing freely down her face as his lips found hers. "I love you. I never thought I could love. You taught me to soar. But never again can I fly free, even after tasting the forbidden."
"You are capeable of so much more!" he protested softly, his own tears mixing with hers.
"Perhaps," she conceded. "But we would be dead before we could discover how much more. This is meant to be, Eshon. She will likely discover who it is who let you go, but by that time, she can't do much about it. I won't forget you."
"Nor I you," he quivered, as he kissed her one last time. "Good bye, my love."
****
"They're gone!" shrieked Divatox's mother as she paced the bridge angrily. "They could never have gotten away--what a time for the tracking systems to break down! Get them running again!"
But by the time they scrambled to obey her, it was too late. The prisoners were gone, and with them Divatox's last chance to change to who she truly was. She had done it for the safety of the one person she had ever felt love for; the one person who had made her feel--and she was certain, as the ice of evil reclaimed her heart, that she would never feel again. Eshon had taken that ability with him when he escaped.
When she started getting sick, and a month later, discovered she was pregnant, only then did her mother discover who had helped the prisoners escape. Even Divatox had to admit her timely pregnancy with a halfbreed child made it kind of obvious.
"It was *you*!!!" Her mother screamed at her daughter, slapping her to the floor while her brother Havok looked on, amused. "That bastard child you carry is half-eltaran. You were having an affair with that Eltaran prisoner--who else would have helped them escape?"
"It's too late now," said Divatox maliciously, laughing and no longer caring what her mother did to her. "They are long gone. You would never find them."
"That is true, damn it!" hissed her mother. "And that leaves the question of what do do with your unwanted brat. You have shamed me, Divatox, greatly shamed me, cavorting with prisoners way below you on the scale of society."
"As if *you* have never taken the idyllic tumble with others besides father!" she sharply retorted. "Did you know I knew about that? How do you have room to talk!"
"They were richer than simple prisoners, too!" snapped her mother. "Your father does the same thing, like I really care if he sleeps around. It's the way things are when it's only done for a fun time. So I guess I can't fault you a good tumble every now and then, but for pity's sake, girl, do it with the high and mighty. Don't let the so-called heart of yours get involved. Sex means nothing. That of itself isn't the issue--but your brat is. It will be a burden to you. Better get rid of it."
"No!" Divatox crossed her hands over her abdomen in a protective instinct. "I will have this baby, train him or her to be one of us. You claim you want more of us anyways to help. Well, you just got a free chance to have one."
"*You* train the brat? I hardly think so," snorted her mother. "You are too soft as it is. He or she will be so namby-pamby it'll be useless to us."
"Oh, I am not anymore," Divatox laughed coldly. "Not anymore."
For she was now doubly certain that Eshon, when he left, had taken her ability to feel with her. For all she felt after that was ice.
She truly no longer cared.
And when her son was born, some months later, with nothing of his features to remind her of his father to her relief--until she looked into his eyes, and saw their dazzling green shade. She knew then that, while she might love him, she could never show it. Not when those eyes had belong to a person who had taken her heart with him when he left. This baby was only a shadow of the man she had loved, so that was the common name she gave him: Shadow. So strong was her desire for this name, it was only an afterthought that she gave him the secret name of Tar'yn.
*Flash*
By now Divatox was sobbing on her son's shoulder as she finished spilling the story. His eyes weren't dry, either.
"I had no idea..." stammered Tar'yn. "You *loved* my father. I was not the result of a cold liason after all?"
"Most certainly not," Divatox quivered, dragging her sleeve across her face in a futile effort to stop her tears. "You were the product of love, Tar'yn, it is time you knew that. If he is alive..." her lips curved into a smile, "then it is time Eshon met his son."
Cassie, too, was wiping her eyes. "You don't know many personal details of this Eshon, do you?" she asked daringly.
"Not too much," quivered Divatox. "Eshon was either an alias, nickname, or shortening of his real name. I don't know his last name. I believe he was a wizard or sage of some sort, I could tell that right off. And his eyes were unmistakable. I think he has a sister. But this was eons ago. He could be dust in his grave by now. He was an Eltaran drifter, that was quite true--it's not the safest occupation in the universe."
Dmitria was thinking. "Since I was so closely associated with Eltare during the war, even before, I have easy access to their records," she mused. "If I could have your genetic record, Tar'yn, I could cross- reference it with what is left of the genetic library. Some of it was destroyed during the war, so we might not come up with anything. And I could also cross-reference it with the handful of Eltaran refugee camps that are scatterd around--there's one on Phaedos, one near Auqitar, another new one on Triforia. It won't take long to cross reference the first few, but if that comes up fruitless, you will have to pay a personal visit to Triforia to obtain their files. Triforia is a private world, you know-- Trey and his sister Sharie represent people who dislike sharing private details of their medical history with outsiders without reason, you know."
"I'll do it," said Tar'yn immediately. "I have wanted to meet my father for a long, long time." He felt Cassie squeeze his hand. "And now I have a real chance."
As Dmitria had promised, it did not take long to do the cross-referencing, but everywhere came up negative.
"The only place we haven't checked is Triforia," said Dmitria about an hour later. "Either his file is missing, your father is still drifting and is probably even unaware of the war his homeworld went rhough, or he is by some miracle on Triforia. You will have to go there to obtain permission. If you like, I'll send a message to Trey telling him to expect your arrival. He will be happy to help you, especially considering the circumstances."
****
"Welcome to Triforia," said Trey, stepping out of the shadows as soon as the teleportation beam released all three occupants. "I got Dmitria's message, and I will help you in any way I can."
"Thank you," said Cassie. "Tommy told me about you. He was right, too, I can tell."
"Tommy is a good friend," said Trey, smiling at her warmly. "Now, what is the specific purpose of your visit?"
Tar'yn did not beat around the bush. "I am looking for my father."
Trey raised an eyebrow. "Your father? Who is your father?"
"He might be among the Eltaran refugees in the refugee city you have set up on the southern continent," said Cassie when Tar'yn blushed.
"I only knew him as Eshon," said Divatox. "He gave me no other name, and I have no way of knowing if it was his true one or not."
"That is why we came," said Cassie. "Divatox and Tar'yn would like your permission to explore your medical genetic records of these people--if you have them--and try and look for Eshon among the Eltaran popluation. May we search?"
He nodded his head, as informal a ruler as Cassie had ever seen. "But of course. You are free to visit where you must, and go where you must. My sister and I have both worked hard to give the Eltarans a home here, but she has worked on a more personal basis with the individual eltarans than I have--she knows them much better than me. Might I refer you to her?"
Cassie nodded.
****
"I would love to help you," said the young Triforian girl who came into view. "What do you require?"
Cassie studied her for a moment--she looked like Trey, but the golden curls and purple eyes made her seem much more innoncent than her brother--much younger. But not as young as her eighteen years implied.
"We need to cross-reference the genetic codes," answered Cassie. "See if we can come up with a family match. Then determine if Tar'yn's father is among the crowd."
"Divatox's son, hm?" Sharie mused, as she studied the boy and his mother. "Welcome to the side of light, Divatox. I am glad you are deciding to persue this matter--finding loved ones is rewarding, so I have heard."
She studied Tar'yn, and her eyes suddenly widened. "Your eyes," she breathed suddenly, staring at him in shocked surprise. "Do your eyes come from your mother or your father?"
"My father."
"I think that can help me narrow the search right there," she said unexpectedly. "There are two siblings among the Eltarans with just that eye color--and they are the only ones. I will run the genetic scans-- perhaps you are at least related to them."
****
A few minutes later, the computer printed out the results.
"I don't believe this," Sharie breathed. "You have a positive match, Tar'yn. Your Eltaran bloodline comes from the D'Taran family of Eltare. Those individuals I spoke to you about? They are from that very family-- among the last."
Tar'yn's chest felt tight. "Could either of those be my father?"
"Only one. The other is his sister."
"Eshon told me he had a sister," supplied Divatox hopefully.
Sharie paused. "Would this Eshon have any idea he has a son from you, Divatox?"
"No. I...loved him..." She stumbled. "I sent him away from my mother--he was her prisoner--to save his life. Long before I knew I was with child."
She was grateful when Sharie did not overpress her for the painful details, only nodding in silent comprehension and no shadow of condemning feeling appearing in her eyes or manner.
"How old are you, Tar'yn?"
He told her, and she bit her lip. "It is within the correct age range," she mused. "The man I am thinking of is a couple of centuries older than that. Probably around your age, Divatox. If he isn't your father, then he is a relative and certainly knew him."
"What are their names?" asked Tar'yn, trying to hide a sense of growing impatience.
"The sister is Elsha. The brother is Endihashon. Eshon is a plausible nickname." She studied Tar'yn's eyes. "Your eyes are so much like his-- but his are so sad, as if he lost something so long ago he knew he could never get back. Would you like me to help arrange something?"
"Is it possible? What's he like? Is he well?" Tar'yn suddenly stumbled the questions.
Sharie held up her hand to stop the flow of words. "Whoa, there. He's fine. He's a young man still, I guess, in Eltaran terms. His eyes are sad, I don't know why. He used to be a drifter. No wife or kids that he's told me about. Refuses to fall in love, but he's a kind enough man when I speak to him. He's a friend, actually. You will like him."
Divatox was very, very pale. "Can we see him first, without him seeing us? I want to see if it is him. If he isn't, then...."
"Then I won't expose you to him, if that is what you want, if he is not the man you are looking for. But he's from the family line that matches your genetic sequence, Tar'yn--he is related closely still, one way or another."
"Maybe," allowed Tar'yn softly. "I want to see him. Then I'll decide."
****
The central commune area of the recently-built refugee city was bright, fresh, and clean. Everything around them looked like a normal city for anyone's standards--a silent tip of the hat, Cassie mused, to the warm hospitality of Triforian nature.
"Is this a temporary settlement?" asked Cassie, looking around here. "It sure looks like permanent structures."
"Has to be, to house five thousand refugees. This settlement's been used before for this purpose--it's been refurbished recently, that's why it looks so new. No refugee has to enjoy a lower standard of living than the rest of us because they are in flight from evil," Sharie explained, as if it were natural. "It will be open to the Eltarans as long as they need it."
The commune area was, at this time of day, nearly empty of traffic. A few people sat here and there on the benches, or at eating tables in small cafes. But otherwise, it was deserted.
Sharie quickly pulled her new friends around a corner. "They're here," she whispered softly to them. "Over there, on the bench near the park entrance. See them?"
"Where?" Divatox felt as if her legs went to jelly as she stood on her toes, craning her neck to look around the corner where Sharie was indicating. When her eyes settled on the pair Sharie had indicated, she stopped breathing.
"Is it him?" Sharie whispered as she was nearly squashed, for Tar'yn was pressing on her as he attempted to look around the corner also. "Hey, not so hard!"
"Sorry," Tar'yn whispered, while Divatox found herself unable to say anything.
For the image she saw was reverberating so sharply though the years, for a few moments, the last several eons ceased to exist. Her heart gave a painful lurch, and by the time she pulled herself back, tears were running down her face--tears of sheer agony.
"I suppose that answers my question," Sharie whispered, seeing this. "So that is your Eshon. Would you like me to introduce you?"
"I...." Divatox struggled to find the words to say something, as Tar'yn again struggled to see the person who was his father, and getting a clear image of him for the first time.
He didn't look much like him, and almost scoffed for a second, until he saw the man's eyes for himself.
He felt a similar blow in his stomach. For at last, he was seeing eyes that were clearly like his own. Something strange that had been sitting heavily on his chest suddenly lifted, and he drew a deeper breath than he could ever recall taking before.
*That is him,* Cassie heard echoing longingly in her mind. *Not only do my eyes tell me, so, but....here, too.* His hand inadvertently covered his heart for a moment.
*Good.* Cassie smiled in satisfaction. *That is the way it should be.*
"Can you talk to him first?" squeaked Divatox in a hoarse whisper. "At least make him approachable. I....don't know what to say to him."
"If you want me to start him talking, I will try," the young Triforian Princess conceded. "But when I give the indication, you had better come out and face him for yourselves."
****
Discreetly, The trio that had come from Inquiris followed behind Sharie as they made their way towards the couple on the bench. The two did not notice, for brother and sister seemed to be actively engaged in some sort of conversation or other.
Finally, Sharie pushed them behind the large gates to the park entrance, and approached the pair alone.
It was Elsha who noticed her first. "Hello, Sharie," she greeted, waving her over with one hand as her other tucked her dark hair out of her face. Her green eyes sparkled with a gentle, humorous nature. "Nice to see you today. What brings you here? I thought you were working on that terraforming lunar project or something."
"I am helping some friends," Sharie answered as she settled in beside them. "Actually, though, I came to talk to you, Endihashon."
"Me?" the man seemed surprised. "What brings you here, then?"
"Have you been keeping up on current events around the local portion of the universe, Endihashon?" she queried to her friend. "Do you know what has happened to some of those evil after Zordon's wave? Those that survived?"
A puzzled frown crossed his face. "Some," he said. "Why?"
"What do you know?"
He looked puzzled at her unusual line of questioning. "Well, Zedd and Rita survived. That's easy, they attacked this planet at the last, remember? Gasket, Archarina, Sprockett, Master Vile, even Astronema. There could be some others."
Sharie drew a deep breath. "There were indeed others. Espeically someone from the space pirate commune. I have been contacted about attempting to locate you, *Eshon*, because she has been looking for you since Zordon's purge removed all traces of evil from her heart. She claims to have once known you eons ago."
Eshon had gone shockingly white at the way she said his nickname. "What are you saying?"
Sharie stood up, gesturing behind her back. "Come out here, Divatox."
Before anybody even moved, a soundless gasp issured from Eshon's throat. Just feet away, behind the park entrance, a woman in white stepped forward, her bowed head full of dark curls hiding her face.
Hand over his heart, Eshon rose from the bench.
The woman lifted her face, smiling faintly, her dark eyes glittering with suppressed tears. "Hello, Eshon."
Eshon's hand moved from his heart to his mouth. No air could get into his lungs, he was too shocked. The vision of the woman before him cut sharply through the years, reverberating so strongly that, for a discreet moment, he could clearly make a connection.
Dazzling green eyes met bottomless dark ones, catching them in a vortex of time where only both existed.
Elsha, too, could only stare, but she knew she was excluded from their notice. She was one of the few who knew that once, Eshon and the so-called terrible Divatox had once been lovers--for a single night. He had returned from that encounter eons ago, hopelessly in love and almost as hopelessly heartbroken. Such a strong encounter had ruined him for loving any other woman, although she could hardly blame him--such a bond was the nature of Eltarans.
She shifted, just slightly. Now here she was again. Elsha had no doubt that this was the Divatox that her Eshon had seen--the good side of her that she had been forced to bury. Zordon's purge had restored it fully to her, and by the way she was looking at Eshon, the bond they had formed those eons ago still existed--forged in one night of burning passion. Wow!
"*Please* tell me I am not dreaming," Divatox heard him vaguely whisper over the roar of her ears. She saw his eyes burn with tears.
"I am real," she answered, her heart thudding painfully. "A--are you?"
He advanced on her, as if in a trance. "If this is a dream," he breathed, "When I awaken, I will not live long. I can't go through such a real seperation again."
"I was not sure you would care," she choked, overwhelmed by his nearness. Dreams couldn't do that--could they? "I had to force you to leave--"
"Not care?" he ground out, his eyes not merely burning now, but on fire. Tenatively, he cupped her chin in his hand, as if he was afraid to touch her, lest she melt away.
She was solid--very, very real.
"Not care?" he repeated. "It went beyond so much more than that, back then Divatox! You stole my heart and my ability to care when I was forced to flee from your side, lest we both be killed by that mother of yours. You have them still. Is that what you wanted to hear? Why did you come back, seeking me after so long?"
"I had to," she whimpered."I have things I must tell you--but I hope you still care now, too."
"Are you married, Divatox? Anyone else of that sort in your life?" he demanded out of the blue, his eyes desperately searching hers for something.. She blinked in surprise, shaking her head. What did he--
Any thought was abruptly cut off when his other hand raised up, now both hands framing her face. Before she could react, he tilted her face upwards and pressed his lips down on hers--hard.
She froze for a split second, completely stunned. Her heart had already been beating wildly, now it began to hammer so hard in her chest she was sure it was going to break free of it's confines. Surges of pure emotion drowned her senses, a desperate sense of need and longing overpowering it all. Of her own will, she unfroze and let her arms slip around his neck; he in turn crushed her to him as tightly as he could without cutting off her air supply--all in a desperate bid to hold onto her and this time-- never, ever let go!
Tar'yn made a choking sound, and his hand flew to his mouth to stifle any noise that might have escaped. His other hand, holding Cassie's, clamped hers hard, and her own mind reverberated his stunned confusion.
*I had hoped they could meet and get along,* she heard his shocked voice in her mind. *I certainly did not expect this! He doesn't even know I exist yet!*
*Does it bother you?*
*Hardly! I just hope it doesn't change when he realizes he has a son!*
It was then Cassie realized that what was playing out--two star-crossed lovers reuniting--had been a fantasy for Tar'yn when he was younger, and now, to his considerable surprise, it was playing out right before his eyes.
It was only when their lungs were bursting did Eshon reluctantly break his lips from hers. A breeze blowing made them vaguely aware that both their faces were damp; neither cared a whit.
"Now do you understand my feelings?" he whispered. "I still love you. I give thanks that you are not a dream--no dream can react or feel like that." A faint smile crossed his lips. "Gods, Divatox, tell me you still feel the same way, too. Don't, I beg of you, turn me out of your life again after appearing so suddenly again to me."
"I love you!" she choked, dizzy with overwhelming emotion. "Damnit, Eshon, it is I who should be begging *you* not to walk out of my life. Especially considering the way I was. I am free of the constraints of evil, now--I had hoped to find you to at least settle things between us--and to relate something important."
"I don't want you to leave my side!" he insisted, catching her hand and holding it to his breast. She could feel the wild thudding beneath her fingertips--a surging candence keeping time with her own skyrocketing pulse. "My heart's finally beating again for the first time in such a long time--is it possible for us? At all?"
Hot tears ran down her face again. He still wanted her? After all that had transpired? "It is," she whispered. "If you are willing to accept a few things that are different."
"Anything!" he promised, sweeping her close and neither caring. "Anything at all--as long as I can have you back--for good."
"I hope that is true, Eshon." he could detect a very real murmer in her voice. "I wish that I had been able to track you better after I made you escape. What happened, what I discovered, aftwerards, you should have known about then--but you must know now."
"What?" It was said softly. Aside, Sharie and Elsha exchanged smiles, both glad to see the distant, unreachable Endihashon finally glow with life once more.
"I did not get a chance to tell you....I was..." Divatox stopped, unable to get the words out. Finally, she managed, "Tar'yn."
"Who?" Eshon questioned, then all words died in his throat as two more people emerged from behind the park gate.
The first was a beautiful girl dressed in pink, he clearly recognized her as one of Earth's ledgendary rangers. By the hand, though, she pulled a boy with wavy-curly dark hair--and Divatox's face.
"Oh....Gods..." the few words in his mouth died completely when the boy's face was fully revealed, and clear green eyes, exactly like his own, stared back at him.
"What I did not know at the time," Divatox found her tongue, just barely. "I was pregnant...with your son."
"My....son?" Eshon could not believe his eyes or his ears. His son? This boy--created out of just one night of passion? This was...his son?
It *was* unmistakable that he belonged to Divatox, that he could tell right off--her face and hair were etched onto his, only more firmly chisled. But....*his*, as well? Only his dazzling green eyes gave any evidence of this fact, but with eyes like that, it was enough to convince Eshon that it was true.
"This is your son," whispered Divatox, watching him carefully, hoping against hope he would not turn away. "His name is Tar'yn."
"Tar'yn," Eshon echoed, reality slowly sinking in. "He....I have a son...."
A faint nod came from the boy. "Yes, I am your son. I knew the instant I saw you that my mother's words were true."
His initial surprise fading away, acceptance of the fact slowly replaced it. "My son," he whispered, two sets of identical green eyes locking. "I can't believe this, but it is real, isn't it? I never thought I would have a child with anybody."
"Nor did I dream I would meet my real father," answered Tar'yn, the soft overtones of his voice jolting Cassie, standing nearby, with something new....the overtones strongly echoed Eshon's.
"Come closer, boy," Eshon requested. "This is the first time I have learned I had a son, you understand--I would like to see you better. Come out of the shadows."
Tar'yn obeyed, stepping fully out into broad daylight. Elsha sported a big grin on her pretty face as she got up, also wanting to see this surprise nephew she hadn't known existed until now.
"He's a handsome boy, Eshon!" she could not help but remark approvingly. Tar'yn colored, but could not help but instantly like this forward, friendly woman. He quickly understood that this was her nature, unlike her quiet brother.
"When were you born?" asked Eshon gently, hoping that Tar'yn would not take the question the wrong way. He was well-built, and his eyes were clear--a sure sign of a good character.
Tar'yn whispered the date.
"Six months after I left," breathed Eshon. "Uh, Divatox, you know I never knew where you were from. I'd hate to think he was born premature or anything."
"I recently discovered I was from Inquiris, Eshon," she answered, glad he did not seem to be denying his son. Her eyes sparkled this relief. "And their pregnancies are six months along. He was born on time."
His eyes glowed with approval. "My son," he breathed. "I am....glad to meet you, Tar'yn. I hope you forgive my earlier surprise."
"Nothing to forgive." Tar'yn smiled. "I have looked for you for a long time. Once Mother was cleared by Zordon's purge and we were reunited, we doubled our search."
Something didn't sound right to Eshon. He held up his hand. "Wait a minute. Reunited? Don't tell me he grew up seperate from you, Divatox."
She fidgeted, her face ducking in shame. "Your son is much stronger of character than I am, Eshon," she whispered. "I raised him, but to follow in my footsteps. However, when he was a couple of centuries old, he saw the light and had the courage to do what I could not do. He left to join the side of light, and for many melennia, I had no knowledge of what had happened to him."
"What *did* happen to you?" Eshon was truly surprised.
"Ever hear of the Phantom Ranger?" Eshon nodded at Divatox's inquiry. "Well, he was part of that silent order of Eltaran voyagers. Many a time I faced my own son on the battlefield and did not know it. Gods, when I think about that...." Divatox turned away, awaiting judgment by Eshon.
"I wrestled with myself for some time to seek her out after the purge," said Tar'yn quietly. "For we had never been close. But...after seeing her, and understanding that she had cared all along, I knew I could give her another chance. Gods, she doesn't know yet how much I had missed her."
Without another word, he reached out to his mother and firmly turned her back to face them both. She could not look either of them in the eyes.
"Listen, mother," he said quietly. "It's in the past, you are no longer that monster trapped in the web of evil you were rasied in. You arent that person any more, so put it behind you. I did, surely you can."
"After all I have done?" she whispered. "I never dreamed I would meet Eshon again, Tar'yn. I count my blessings every day that I had *you* back, and we could start over again like a mother and son truly should be. Eshon...."
"Divatox, please trust me," he pleaded softly, his eyes burning bright green embers as he turned her to face him. "I love you. Even when you were ensnared in the evil that you grew up in, I could still see the light in you. It was hell being seperated from you, I have not lived since....it was merely survival. I *won't* let you go again." His arms slid around her, and she sighed and sagged against him as he continued.
"We have a son," he intoned softly. "And he turned out to be someone I can truly be proud of. Even if he had followed in your footsteps and had merely been purged, I am not so unfeeling that I could not care." He gently urged her gaze to his. "If you will let me, my love, I want to be at your side for the rest of our days. And," his green gaze turned to his son. "And if you permit it, Tar'yn, I would love getting to know you, as well."
Tar'yn nodded, his eyes bright. "I never dreamed this day would come when I could face you, and you accept me, but I am grateful," he said. "And I can tell you are a wonderful person. I look forward to getting to know you better, Eshon."
"Eshon?" squeaked Divatox. "Truly?"
Eshon nodded emphatically. "How could you *or* I have it any other way?"
"Oh, Eshon!" she cried, lunging forward into his arms. He caught her hand held her close, clasping her to his heart where she belonged.
When she pulled away, Eshon smiled and reached out a hand for his son's. Tar'yn didn't even hesistate, he accepted his father's hand, and the other, his mother's. The family circle stood, complete at last, and the feeling of peace permeated the commune area.
Elsha, Sharie, and Cassie all exchanged satisfied smiles. At long last, the last of their bruised hearts were on the mend, and it was a satisfying feeling.
****
"Eshon?" asked Tar'yn, finally releasing his hands from those of his parents. "There is someone else I would introduce you to. Cassie?"
Cassie blinked, surprised to hear her name. She came forward when Tar'yn beckoned to her.
"Eshon, this is Cassie, the..."
"The pink lightstar ranger," finished Eshon, grinning at their twin expressions of surprise. "Yes, I know. News of your adventures travels far and wide, child."
Cassie blushed, but compled when Tar'yn reached for her hand. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her so she leaned back against the solid wall of his chest. His chin rested on top of her midnight hair as he grinned to his father. "Cassie is not only the pink lightstar ranger, she is the woman I love," he informed quietly. "She saved me from an eternal world of shadows."
Cassie blushed an even brighter pink, but held onto Tar'yn even tighter.
Eshon only smiled, approvingly. "Then hold onto her tight, son," he said gruffly. "Don't, whatever you do, let her get away from you."
"I would not dream of letting him go," Cassie spoke up before Tar'yn could.
"And I won't let you, either," he responded, turning her around in his arms and kissing her briefly. "Not when it was your light that drove the shadows of my own past away."
Elsha smiled behind her hand. Love, it was so grandeur....
****
"Where do you plan to go?" asked Sharie as everyone got up to leave.
By this time, Eshon had heard most of the story behind Tar'yn, Divatox herself, and Cassie, so he understood when Divatox said, "I recieved an offer from Dmitria to live with her on Inquiris," she said softly. "But wherever you want to go, Eshon, I will go also."
"There's the refugee base here on Triforia," he answered, "And if my family home wasn't destroyed on Eltare, that could also be used. Or I will follow you to Inquiris. I would not dream of keeping you from the sister you have never known of until recently--especially the mighty Dmitria."
"I also would not want to seperate you from your sister," said Divatox, giving Elsha a courtesoy nod. "Seems to me you two are close."
"Eshon's dragged me from pillar to post when I've stayed with him," answered Elsha with a smile. "And I have also lived on my own. I was even a Power Ranger for a time, a couple of melennia ago. I am so used to both situations it's no biggie. I'm the independent sort."
"Triforia's open to you, whenever you wish it," Sharie interjected quietly.
"I think," mused Eshon, "That this is a situation that can be decided later. Right now," he smiled down at Divatox, who's eyes sparkled. "I think we have some catching up to do."
****
Sharie Triesta was about to slip quietly away when she was intercepted by Cassie.
"I almost forgot," said Cassie quickly, "We didn't even thank you for helping us locate Eshon! Thank you, for all your help. It was all worth it to see Divatox and Tar'yn happy."
"It is no problem," Sharie said quietly, with a smile. Her purple eyes sparkled in understandaing. "Love...I would not dream of standing in the way of it, if I see possiblities. Trey will deny it, but he knows it was my matchmaking that brought him and Delphine together."
"Him and Delphine?" grinned Cassie. "Wow. What a match. Tommy told me splintering is no problem for your people anymore."
"No. And thank goodness, or Trey would be very unhappy without Delphine."
"Hope to see you again sometime," said Cassie as Sharie turned to leave.
"Oh, you will, I have little doubt," said the Triforian unexpectedly. "Trey and I have been discussing contacting you about rebuilding our defenses and the lives of some planets around here. I do think we will meet again."
"Good," Cassie grinned, liking Sharie immensely. "Are you single, Sharie?"
She caught the Triforian girl by surprise. "Well....I guess so," she admitted. "Why?"
"Because I am tired of prodding Carlos about getting a date. You seem his type, you know..."
Sharie smirked.
"I have been guilty of playing matchmaker myself," said Cassie with a grin. "Sorry. Can't blame me."
"Don't worry about it. We'll see about your Carlos when the time comes." Sharie laughed. "Goodnight, Cassie."
"Goodnight."
****
"I used to dream of the proverbial happy endings in fairy tales," Cassie mused as Tar'yn held her that night as they stared at the stars from the Megaship. "I always wondered if it could happen in real life. Do you think it can, Tar'yn?"
"Let me put it this way," he turned her around to face him. "Many tales seem to start spinning on stories of darkness and dispair, where the shadows of the world and the heart are many, the joys few. Then the love of the hero or heroine's life shows up and changes that person's world forever. Even if they try to resist, in the end, the love is too powerful to deny." He leaned down and kissed her, feeling her shiver from his touch. "Is what we share a fairy tale?" he breathed against her lips.
"In a way, I could see it like that," she answered against his mouth, feeling him kiss her again. "When we realized we loved each other, and could be together--I felt all the shadows being extinguished by a fiery light that allows no room for darkness. That happens in a lot of fairytales near the end. Except that this is reality. Is that how you feel?"
"You are my fairy princess," he mused, tucking her hair out of her face so he could kiss her harder. "Does happily ever after sound good to you?"
"We'll work on it," she laughed as he dropped tiny kisses on her face, his hands working their way around her boy. "No matter what happens in the future, or what dangers, as long as we love each other, it will always be happily ever after."
****
The three moons of Triforia glowed brightly that night. Safe in the arms of someone she had never again expected to be with, Divatox stared up at the sky.
"The stars are so bright tonight...and so high up," she mused. "All my life they seemed to be so cold. Now....they aren't distant at all."
"To be easily reached?" asked Eshon, kissing the top of her head. "Think you can soar for them again? Think we both can?"
Divatox turned to face him. "The instant I saw you again, I knew the answer to that," she informed him, her eyes stinging with tears of sheer joy. "We won't only soar, Eshon, we'll fly. And never, ever agian come back down."
"And that's the way it wil always be," he promised her, just before his mouth claimed hers. "We shall fly--to the stars and beyond."
Oh, yeah, this story is not set within my "From The Stars" series, but does mention Sharie Triesta here as a matter of courtesy. Here, she's simply Trey's brother and co-ruler of Triforia. No Dryseran war-grew up on earth thingy. So relax, and enjoy.
Shadow's Strength By ZeoViolet Teaser: Another family reunion, and Tar'yn and Divatox search for Tar'yn's father.
"I honestly cannot believe this," whispered Divatox, as she stared at the e- mail message displayed on DECA's console. "I can't believe she actually wants to see me, in person."
Tar'yn leaned over his mother's shoulder, reading the message for himself. "I doubt if Dmitria would lie to you," he assured her. "She is a most honest woman, with a heart the size of this galaxy. If she says she wants to come face-to-face with you, she means it."
Pain twisted in Divatox's heart. "My own twin sister," she whispered softly, her eyes burning with a long-forgotten emotion. "I still find it hard to believe--Dmitiria was my worst enemy of all! She's my twin--I never considerd that we might look alike--and she wears that veil on her face, too. How could I have known she resembles me so--only because Delphine told me so."
"That's normal Inquiris wear," answered Cassie, who had delved into the past of Dmitria's planet once out of curiosity. "It's not compulsory or anything--just the fashion nowadays, as I understand it."
"You could never get me into an outfit like that," answered Divatox, but she smiled over a sniffle. "Gauzy yellow robes aren't my style, and neither is a veil."
"Do you wish to meet her?" asked Cassie. "I am sure she would enjoy meeting her long-lost twin on some place other than a battlefield. Ever since she found out she *had* a twin, she's been looking for you--though knowing her, I can bet she never expected it to be you."
"Trust me, I was the least likely candidate on her mind," answered the former evil space pirate, a well-known frown on her face. "That I don't need to ask to get confirmed. It's kind of obvious, you know." She studied the e-mail. "She is interested in meeting me, and I guess I have little to lose by saying yes, don't I? I didn't think I had family at all-- what a wallop the last couple of weeks have been."
"Then you will?" prodded Tar'yn. "I would not mind seeing her again, too-- it is time I got out more without hiding behind the facade of the Shadow Ranger. That part of my past I am laying to rest."
"You don't want to be a ranger anymore?" asked Divatox, genuinely surprised. "After you and I, uh..." she swallowed hard, "departed, I figured that was the first thing you would do, just to spite me. In a way, I was right--you did become a ranger. You want to give that up?"
"Correction," he realized how that had come out. "I don't want to be known as the Phantom Ranger anymore. I still will morph in case it is ever needed again. But I refuse to go back to that cold, lonely person I was, wandering the universe without a light to warm my heart or soul--Cassie took care of that." He slid over to a blushing Cassie and laid his arm around her.
She only blanched for a moment, quite aware that his mother was watching them, but seeing as Divatox did not seem inclined to object, she sighed and leaned against Tar'yn without further thought.
"You two do seem to be meant for each other," said Divatox sadly, seeing the warmth in Tar'yn's eyes and remembering another man with such vivid green eyes she had once known....and had long since lost. "Just don't make the same stupid mistakes I made in my life...please."
"You are not stupid," Tar'yn was quick to say. "I still don't understand how you and Dmitiria were seperated and you fell into the hands of your evil adoptive parents."
"They didn't tell me," answered Divatox dryly. "And I don't care to know."
"Then we won't speak more about it. I am not sure I want to know, either."
Divatox turned her weary gaze back to the message, her heart fluttering in her breast as she considered what it all could mean. "I will go on one condition," she said softly. "I don't want to go alone--things will be very akward between us as it is. I have tried to kill her more than once, you know. She should hate me eternally for it."
To her surprise, it was Cassie who spoke up first. "I would not mind accompanying you and Tar'yn," she stated softly. "I know Dmitiria well, you know--that is, if you would not consider me an intrusion."
"Oh, no," said Divatox, actually delighted with the prospect. "It might make things easier if we both had a familiar face with us--she doesn't know yours either, my son."
"I will keep out of your way," Cassie promised. "Don't want to be an albatross around your necks."
"A....what?" repeated Tar'yn, then smiled. "Strange words, but I think I know what you are saying. You would never be in the way, not as far as I am concerned."
As if to emphasize this, he leaned over and kissed her quickly before returning to the details of the email with his mother, leaving Cassie aside to contemplate things.
She was frankely amazed at the changes in both mother and son as they whizzed through the days, making up for lost time--and Tar'yn had been so certain he could never love nor forgive her ever again! Already they were very close, and she was truly happy to see the person she loved above all else reignite his relationship with the one person he had ever known he had blood ties to.
And now they were going to have a formal reunion with Divatox's twin, Dmitria. Cassie smiled. No longer did Tar'yn walk the shadows of a world of pain and numbness, and no longer did Divatox wallow in the evil that she had been raised in. Perhaps, for the first time for both of them, the sun had risen over the horizon of thier lives, driving many of the shadows away for good.
It was all Cassie could do not to frown as she considered the last big remaning question in the lives of this mother and son. She knew it was a question that disturbed both, and both would not mind being resolved one day.
It was the question of Tar'yn's father--his identity and his wherabouts.
****
Inquiris was a light, airy world, a bubbling delicate paradise that was home to some of the most beautiful mysteries in the universe--the secret of their world's delicate, and yet amazingly stubborn, beauty was a mystery their scientists forever spent time trying to unlock,and the answer was always out of reach.
Maybe this mystery of their world's light, bubbly beauty was part of their curious, questioning nature. In fact, Cassie would not be surprised if this was the reason the Inquiris's natives tongue was entirely derived of questions.
She smiled to herself, wondering if either Tar'yn or Divatox had known that when she first came to Earth to be the Turbo Ranger's mentor, Dmitria could not even speak standard. She spoke with a translator that spit out the correct english words, but, as all inquiris speech patterns were, all were in the form of questions.
It was not until shortly before Cassie had become the pink Turbo ranger that Dmitria had fully learned Standard--the wonders of Knowledge Infusion-- and it was not until shortly after that she had learned not to phrase every spoken word as questions or a riddle--it tended to drive humans a little batty after awhile. As hard as they tried, neither Tommy's team or TJ's had ever grown to appreciate the riddles and questions speech. Dmitria, sensing this despite the fact nobody said anything--not wanting to hurt her feelings--had willingly struggled to change her speech habits. It was much appreciated.
When the three occupants of the teleporter beams fully materialized outside of the main research dome, Cassie was startled to find herself not having very secure footing. The gravity on Inquiris was much less than earth--no wonder Dmitria had preferred Zordon's tube to her normal humanoid form.
Taking her mind off the more pressing matters for a moment, Cassie took time to admire the beauty around her--every thing, from the birds with huge, colorful feather plumes floating in the breeze, to the trees--she supposed they were trees, anyways--with trunks so delicate they looked like they could snap at any moment. They also came in a startling array of rainbow colors--year-round, most plants, even the leaves, were vivid hues of purple, pink, blue, red, gold, white--you name it, they had it. Some were even translucent, catching the sun's rays in a dazzling prism effect.
As delicate as all this beautiful life around her seemed, from what Cassie had read, they were made of some of the tougher natural material in the universe, woven together in a decpetively delicate pattern that had shocked many an offworlder who had tried to pick some frail blossom or other--and couldn't.
Briefly, Cassie wondered if the natives of Inquiris were as reslient as their plant and animal life.
The natives of Inquiris were, by nature, also multiphasic beings--they could assume a fully solid humanoid shape, like any other person, or they could transform themselves into beings more easily adapted to floating around in the light gravity. Either form was acceptable anywhere, and Cassie supposed Divatox would be grateful for that--for she had no idea how to assume any shape but the humanoid shape she now was in.
Cassie supposed that Tar'yn had no idea either, and perhaps the sight of the many curious, friendly natives flowing around them in their other form unnerved him a bit, for his hand gripped hers tightly.
Cassie held her translator ready. Standard was not widley spoken here, as it was on many other technologically advanced worlds, and she prepared herself to find everything that came out of the translator to be nothing but qestions and riddles.
Divatox wondered why she suddenly felt shy to have her face uncovered when a young man floated up to them, the look in his dark eyes making it obvious he had been expecting them.
Cassie understood why her companions were suddenly unnerved. Their faces were bare. Almost all the Inquiris natives around them wore face veils-- some gauzy and see-through, some not, but it seemed standard wear, making Cassie wonder if she was the only one unbothered by it all.
This young man's apparel was no different.
He had blond hair and was swathed in blue robes--and a blue face veil that fitted over his nose and curved to just under his ears.
"Ah--you are here then?" the words, without preamble, came out of Cassie's translator. "Mind if I bid you welcome to Inquris?"
"Thank you," said Divatox, suddenly feeling a mild sense of Deja Vu and not knowing where it came from. "We are here to see Dmitria."
"Follow me?" he politely gestured his way into the nearby domed building. "Is my name--Jaden-satisfying to you?"
"Uh, yeah," said Tar'yn, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with all the questions. "That's fine, Jaden."
"My form and speech bothers you?" he asked, knowing the answer. "It does this to offworlders, does it not?"
As if he could read their minds, he did not wait for their answer before there was a flash of blue, and he was suddenly bouncing along in full, solid humanoid shape.
"Thank you," said Cassie. "No offense intended--we're just not used to the question-based speech or the floating people because of gravity."
"Would I be rude to take offense of offworlder's discomfort?" Jaden shook his head emphatically.
"I think that means, 'no offense taken'," whispered Tar'yn. "Perhaps in a way, it will be nice to be around Dmitria for another reason--she can speak the way we are used to by now."
"Do you consider Dmitria wise, like us?" Cassie's translator rendered. "And do you consider yourselves fortunate that this is so?"
It was a lucky thing that Cassie had learned how to mentally translate Dmitria's strange speech when she first met her. *I think that means that we are lucky we were landed with someone as wise as Dmitria, no doubt.* She mused to herself.
Finally, Jaden stopped at a chamber door. Without a word, he reached over and pressed a button on the side, so it slid open.
"Will Dmitria grant entrance?" Said Cassie's translator.
"Would I deny it to welcome visitors?" came the reply, and Cassie had to smile at the unusual greeting.
She sensed Divatox suddenly blanch. "Do you want me to enter first?" Cassie thought to ask in a bare whisper.
"Please," whispered Divatox. "I am suddenly....nervous."
"I don't think that Dmitria will destroy you if you enter the room," whispered Cassie. "But I will go first."
Divatox's glance was grateful. Without a word, Jaden bowed and departed, leaving the three lingering in the hall outside the door.
Hesistantly, Cassie ventured through as Dmitria looked up from a....Cassie supposed it was a sofa, to study her from behind her typical yellow veil. Her dark eyes lit up to see a familiar face of a friend.
"Cassie, how nice to see you," she said in perfec standard. "What brings you here?"
"I didn't get a chance to send a message," apologized Cassie, feeling a glad feeling tingle through her to see Dmitria again, safe and sound after the recent war. "I came with your twin and her son, basically."
Above her veil, Cassie noticed Dmitria's eyes widen, and something unreadable enter their dark depths. Cassie was strongly hit with the impression of Divatox's eyes and that of this woman's being identical.
"I see," she said quietly. "You had no trouble getting in, or getting through to other members of my people, any of them?"
"No," said Cassie. "For all his questions, Jaden was easily understandable."
"And Divatox...and her son...they are..." Dmitria stumbled. "I apologize; I am feeling...a bit strange, right now."
"Out in the hall....you wish me to get them?" Cassie thought she could emphasize with Dmitria's uncertainty. The woman had often searched the records for any mention of her long-lost twin, and then to find out she was a henious space pirate....
Dmitria nodded, and for the first time, Cassie saw her transform to a completely humanoid form--a tall, lithe woman who seemed beautiful enough-- what Cassie could tell through the yellow robes and veil, anyway.
Cassie nodded, and ducked her head out into the hall to gesture for Divatox and Tar'yn to enter.
"She wishes to see you," she whispered, seeing the sheer anxiety in Divatox's eyes. "I will remain in the hall, if you like."
"No--stay!" Divatox's face was nearly as white as her gown, and Cassie thought she saw her tremble.
Tar'yn nodded his assent also. "Perhaps it would be less awkward with a person familiar to all of us present," he said in a low tone.
Cassie nodded; feeling a strange flutter in her own stomach as she turned back to the doorway, entering again.
Dmitria rose to her full tall height, studying the figures that came through the doorway.
It had been such a shock when Delphine had contacted her with the news of her twin. At first Dmitria had not wanted to believe it--who wants to find out their closest blood relative is their own worst enemy?
"The genetic scan is positive," Delphine had stated, matter-of-factly. Then she had smiled reassuringly. "While she wants to meet you, Dmitria, she will understand if you don't want to see her--she has said herself she doesn't deserve it. Although I wish you would consent to do so; she is not evil any longer, the purge was wise in choosing who lived and who would be too evil to be destroyed."
Dmitria, her mind swimming, had requested a few days to let it all sink in. Without a word to anyone, she had kept tabs on Divatox for the next couple of days--learning in the process--to her immense shock--that Divatox had reuinted with her son--son?--and that this boy was none other than the Phantom Ranger! Named two names, Shadow most of his life and now known as Tar'yn, this mysterious ranger was her own nephew--half inquris blood, and Dmitria had no doubt that, with his mother's former reputation, the other half was of some vastly different species.
Knowing that mother and son were getting along so well, and of the Phantom Ranger's reputation, was what prompted Dmitria to put aside the last of the doubts tugging at her heart and at least attempt to get to know the sister she had been denied all her life.
For all her life she had felt a part of herself missing, and the feeling had only intensified after she learned of this twin's existence. Now, she hoped to put that missing part to rest at last.
Something strange burned at the back of her throat as she studied the two individuals who stepped silently through the door behind Cassie. One, the boy, had lustrious dark hair that fell charmingly over his forehead. His face turned to her, and she felt a deep shock run through her to see her features in the face of this person's--his only having the addition of a masculine touch because of his gender. The chisled nose, the high cheekbones, the well-formed jaw and mouth--all were hers. Even the hair, to an extent.
It was only his eyes, those piercing green eyes, that were different. Dmitria was not sure she had ever seen eyes that particular odd, deep, and beautiful shade of green before. Nobody she knew had eyes like that--what kind of race could produce such dazzling eyes?
And they spoke strongly of his quiet spirit--the former shadow that had been so strongly affected by Cassie's presence. No wonder she had been drawn to him so!
The woman that stepped hesistantly through was the last of all. Her head was bowed, so her loose dark curls hid her face. She was dressed purely in white and her face was uncovered by a veil.
Strange tingles began to run up Dmitria's spine. Without even seeing this woman's face, she felt something deep within her stir--an old shadow, a memory buried deep within her babyhood experiences before birth--a sense of self and a sense of other, an other that was gone just shortly after she had been born.
It rocketed through Dmitria with a sharp sense of reality, and before the woman could even turn to her, Dmitria had to stifle a gasp of prenatal recognition.
At last, Divatox did turn, and raised her eyes, as if afraid, to meet those of the sister she had never known existed---until recently.
They froze.
Divatox felt as if someone had grabbed her chest and squeezed all the air out of her lungs. Those eyes! Those deep, dark, and fathomless eyes--it was like she were seeing her own eyes set into that of another person!
For in those dark depths she could see herself--and someone that was a total stranger to her. Eyes that burned with the same carefully controlled inner fire that had always kept *her* going, a drive to succeed--and the natural gentleness and serenity that Divatox had herself only recently discovered in herself, a psyche that she had been forced to deny all her life.
*Gods....is Dmitria who I would have been if we had never been seperated? Is this the version of me as a....person of light?*
The thought struck her hard as the proverbial good twin/evil twin duo stared at each other, gauging each other carefully and yet trying desperately to quell their own intense emotions that refused to surface.
Divatox felt something in her heart stir--a feeling she had never before felt, a sense of something she had lost long, long ago in the dark days of a period not granted to her memory--a sense of loss that burned through her like a knife. But looking into those eyes, she felt that burning quenched by a douse of recognition--of finding what she had never been aware she had lost to begin with!
It was a powerful feeling.
The eyes that had deadlocked to hers Dmitria felt herself drowning in. Gone was the crude hatred and vile mannerisms of the Divatox she had known, this woman bore very little resemblance to the space pirate at all. In fact, she looked....she looked.....
As if in a trance, Dmitria reached up and slowly unhooked the fastenings of her face veil. With a maddening lack of speed, she lowered it from her face, so they all saw her features fully for the first time.
The edges of Divatox's vision blurred suddenly. Surely someone had secretly slipped a mirror in front of her eyes--for in the face of her former enemy, she saw herself.
A face absolutely identical to her own.
Dmitria's lithe form stepped forward, the eyes of the twins locked. Divatox could not quite shake the feelings of looking in the mirror as her twin strode closer....and closer, until they were just inches from each other.
The resemblence was shocking. Only two things were different, and they were of little consequence--Dmitria was wearing yellow instead of white, and she had, of late, forcibly straightened her hair. Naturally, it was as curly as the former enemy who stood before her.
Divatox opened her mouth, then shut it. She couldn't talk.
Their eyes never broke contact, each saying what words could not form.
Cassie and Tar'yn, standing aside, could feel the heavy emotion in the air. They remained silent.
It was Dmitria who spoke at last. "You feel it too, then?"
Numbly, Divatox nodded. When Dmitria lifted her hand, fingers outstretched, Divatox slowly copied her, pressing her hand foward until two identical palms touched.
"You are she," whispered Divatox, as if she still couldn't quite believe it. Her heart raced despite all the maddening calm around her. "You are the part of me I was always forced to deny."
"I am that, and I am also not," answerd Dmitria in an even, yet soft, tone. "You are the part of me that I had always sensed missing--can I dare to say that I no longer feel that empty part of myself?"
"Can *I* dare to claim that, also?" Divatox pressed in a breathy whisper. "Dare you accept me into your life--as a friend?"
The last of doubts for Dmitria melted away. "More than that," she breathed. "More than friends--sisters. Is that what you want?"
A strange light flooded Divatox's heart at those words--as if a distant dream, one she had never dreamed even subconsciously, had very abruptly become real.
Just barely, she nodded her head. For the first time, Cassie saw Dmitria smile as she unclasped her hands from her twin's, only to reach out and draw her close.
The look of fulfillment on the faces of both women was priceless.
****
When Dmitria pulled back, her eyes misty, she grinned. "Welcome back to the side of light, Divatox," she said with her quiet serenity.
Her eyes left her twin's and wandered over to Tar'yn.
"I see you brought your son with you. Tar'yn," she mused. "I had no idea my nephew was the mysterious Phantom Ranger who baffled us for so long. It is good to meet you--face-to-face."
He colored slightly. "Honored Dmitria," he said. "It is a pleasure to finally be able to speak freely to you. And an even greater honor to discover we are related by blood."
Dmitria smiled then, a real smile that showed twin rows of white teeth. "Since meeting you when you came to earth those weeks you did, I have listened out for you more. Seems you are an honorable fighter. I am proud to have you as my nephew. There is someone to carry on our line."
"You do not have children?" Cassie blurted out of curiosity, then turned red, mortified, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Such questions were considered extremely personal among the natives of Inquiris, they were not asked until a solid friendship and trust had been formed.
But Dmitria brushed it off, sensing what she might be thinking. "I consider us good enough friends that I don't mind such a question," she alloted. "Besides, you are human, not an Inquiris native. No, I do not have children as yet."
"A pity," Cassie commented. "You'd make a superb mom."
Her former mentor chuckled. "I have not ruled out the possibility as yet. And, as I said, Divatox has already ensured the line will be carried on--I have since discovered that we are the only two children of our parents. They were guardian warriors of our planet, and died in a skirmish."
Divatox let out a long breath, as if she had been holding it for several moments. "Then they were honorable," she breathed. "I am glad to know the....the 'parents' who raised me--if you call it that--were not my blood parents, nor that demented brother of mine my real brother." She shuddered.
"At least they cared enough to raise you," Dmitria reminded her. "Or you would not be standing here now. Are they still alive?"
"I doubt it. Their natures were pure, black evil." Surprisingly, Divatox did not feel much regret concerning them. They had been too cold to do no more than see she had shelter and food. That was about it. Trained her ruthlessly to be a space pirate, and to deny whatever her heart felt-- except for greed. No questions had been asked on what *she* had wanted-- she had been an obedient slave. By the time she had grown up--she had become a permanent part of their circle--not really able to do anything *but* carry on the family tradition.
Considering how she had been--she hardly figured she owed them her life-- for she had not lived at all until Zordon's purge.
Cassie sighed. "It's so nice to see a complete family reunion," she mused. "What are you going to do now, Divatox? Stay here on Inquiris?"
Divatox shifted. "I don't know," she said, a faint smile on her face. "Questions, questions, questions. Might drive me crazy."
Dmitria laughed. "You'll get used to it."
Divatox smiled, then it faded. "There is something else I feel I need to do," she mused softly. "All my life, I swore up and down I would never let a man touch my heart--besides, for countless eons, there was no chance of it." She heaved a sigh. "Only one man came close. He is the one I want to find--Tar'yn's father."
Tar'yn colored to the roots of his hair.
"My father," he whsipered. "You told me that I was the result of a one- night-stand with a total stranger."
"Barely a truth--there was much more to it than that," whispered Divatox shamefully. "He was not some driftor--he was one of my mother's prisoners-- the only person in my life, besides you, that I ever really cared about."
Tar'yn went deadly pale. "Prisoner?" he echoed. "You had....sex with...."
"Oh, no!" Divatox hastened to interrupt him. "The story is much more complicated than my having a fling with one of her prisoners. Your father....I cared for him. I almost went with him--I would have if I could have at the time."
"Is he who you told me he was?" Tar'yn was pale, and his dazzling eyes had a sheen to them that was rarely seen on someone like him.
"He is not a native of Inquiris, I doubt," observed Dmitria. "I have never seen eyes like yours, Tar'yn, on any of our people--we are all either black- eyed or blue-eyed. Certainly not that dazzling shade of green."
His face darkened further with embarassment.
"No, his father was not of Inquiris," said Divatox, her eyes going distant with memory. "He did not tell me his real name--I knew him only as Eshon, the Eltaran drifter."
"Eltaran?" gasped Dmitria with some surprise. "Tar'yn was sired by an Eltaran?"
*Sired? thought Cassie, though she kept the thought to herself. *What a word.*
Divatox nodded. "Yes. His name was Eshon, and it was his eyes that drew me to him that day, after he and a handful of others had been captured....."
*Flash*
A young Divatox, upon her mother's command, closed the door to the prison cell at the bottom of the submarine. The three prisoners, each in their own cell, would stay there until her mother decided to release or destroy them.
"And it will be your duty to make sure they do not escape, and to tend to the arduous task of caring--" here she "hmmped" loudly, "For them. Don't dissappoint me again, my daughter. You must harden yourself! Only when you are completely cold and greedy can you be rich!"
"Yes, Mother," Divatox replied primely, secretly seething at the woman who had raised her--no, that was the wrong word. She only made sure Divatox ate and had a bed to sleep on at night--and by day, ruthlessly drove her to train as a cold, heartless space pirate. Already, the woman was under her mother's thumb totally, almost as cold and cruel as the rest of them. She strove to hide from her mother the one small part of her that she allowed to feel--she allowed herself to dream--something not allowed to a space pirate.
A few hours later, she resolutely stole down to the prisoner bay, opening each door enough to enter and place a tray within reach of each prisoner chained to the wall by unbreakable chains.
Since she was not as hard and cold as the rest of them, she secretly came close enough to make sure the shackles were not overtight and they had room to lie down without hanging there. A small part of her ached to see them in this condition, and she had to strive hard to hide it.
Until she came to the last cell. She unlocked the door and entered, seeing a tall young man sitting on the floor of his cell, with short dark hair and a face that was turned from her.
"I...brought you your meal," she whispered faintly, startled to feel something strange radiating from him. "You are to eat now. My mother wants all the prisoners in good shape."
"Your mother, hm?" he said, his voice low and even. "Do you always do as she says, with no regard to what you wish?"
She had hardly spoken to him, and already he was speaking her mind.
"Do not talk to me like that," she whispered, voice trembling, for some reason. "I am your jailer, and captor, and as such, you must obey me."
He finally turned his face towards her, and she beheld a ruggedly handsome face with strong, finely chisled features.
It was his eyes, though, that stabbed her--piercing green eyes of a shade that she had never before seen. Beautiful, dazzling green eyes that twisted right into her soul.
"You did not answer me," he said evenly in a soft voice. "Do you always do as your mother blindly bids you?"
"I...." their eyes locked, and she felt a ghostly hand reach up and squeeze her throat. Alive with sensations she had never before felt, she put the tray on the floor, shoving it at him. "Do not talk to me like that ever again!"
She whirled and left the room, slamming the heavy metal door behind her.
It was quite a while before she could bring herself to face him again.
****
Over the next few days, though, she found herself lingering in his cell, talking to him, trying to make him comfortable and occupied when she could-- and always drawn by his eyes, his fathomless eyes that seemed to take her control from her.
And the more often she visited him, the more he looked at her, and the more she felt herself drawn to his deep gaze. She never questioned why, but soon, she was coming back as often as she dared.
It was forbidden, they both knew it. She was evasive in her reasons for coming by, and he did not tell her his name or little from his past. Both understood the underlying reason for her visits--but neither dared mention or do anything about it.
Until the silent urges became too much to bear.
****
"You are a wizard," she said softly, almost accusingly, as she stood there, studying him. "You have that look about you. Many Eltarans are known to practice magic."
"And if I do?" he inquired of her calmly.
"Shouldn't you use it to attempt an escape? I would have."
"That just goes to show you know little of magic," he said. "There is much more than incantations when it comes to magic--many other factors I lack at the moment, for example."
"What is your name?" She wondered why she was so intrigued by this man, nothing more than a prisoner. He seared her in a way she had never before felt, his eyes continually holding hers as if reading her very heart and soul....the type she had long since buired in favor of her career as a space pirate.
"And why do you wish to know?" he asked with that maddening calm of his-- was he always so serene? "Why would you care--a self-proclaimed heartless space pirate?"
"Is the question so offensive to you?" she countered. "I thought it was a simple courtesy on Eltare to ask one's name--our genetics scan tells us you are from the planet."
"What would a space pirate know of courtesy?" he breathed. "You may call me Eshon."
"Eshon," she repeated, feeling a strange sensation roll over her tongue as she said the word--shivers running down her spine all the while. "Is that your true name?"
"It is all you need to know. It is all I have been known by for quite some time."
Surprisingly, she could not bring herself to argue, to force his true name out of him.
"Do all of your kind stare as you do?" she breathed, unable to leave. "I feel as if you can see parts of me even I don't know about."
It was a dangerous admission, one her mother had warned her never to say, but she felt she had no control of herself when he looked into her eyes and laid her bare as if her mind barriers did not exist. But after these past days, she felt helpless in the face of this man's piercing gaze.
"Am I doing this?" he asked of her instead. "Or are you simply laying them bare for me?"
"I..." she was dumbfounded, his eyes never leaving hers. "Don't....don't talk to me like that."
"And why not? It is not an untruth. I do not lie."
Desperately, she groped for some way to change the subject. "Do you have family, Eshon?"
"Why do you wish to know?"
"Damnit, Eshon, stop being difficult!" she pleaded, her eyes burning as his gaze became even more intense. "No more evading my questions! I can't think when I am around you!"
"Is it necessary to be on the alert around a simple prisoner?" he queried. Unbidden, his hand reached over and touched hers.
To her own shock, she did not draw away. "I would not hurt you, Divatox," he assured her softly.
"You hurt me?" a smile touched her lips. "Not in your position, I doubt it. But if our situations were reversed?"
"If our situations were reversed, you would never have been my prisoner, and I think you know it. I would rather show you how to fly free, not chain you down like some animal."
His hand rose from hers up to her face, his eyes never leaving hers--and a strange emotion entering them, and she felt an answering call in her own heart, thundering through her whole body--something she could not stop.
"I cannot fly!" she cried through the roar in her ears. "Flying is impossible, Eshon! Life isn't like that!"
"How wrong you are," he murmured, his fingers, as if he could not help it, running over her lips. "I wish I could show you how easy it is to soar, Divatox. Then you would understand."
"How?" she almost whimpered, the intensity in his dazzling green eyes almost commanding her to inch her face ever closer. "How can a prisoner show me how to fly?"
"The answer is in the heart," he breathed, and she could feel the warm breath from his lips against her own. Her heart skyrocketed in rhythm, a dangerous tattoo she could not control.
"It is in my heart, Divatox, despite the fact it should never be--not with one that should be considered my enemy," he breathed. "But it is. Forever lodged, and desperate to soar. The question is--is it in yours?"
"I don't know," she whispered, her eyes burning. "I don't know--my heart is something to be denied. It is too cold. It can never soar."
The admission only seemed to fuel his determination. "Are you sure? Or would you want to find out differently?"
"I....don't know...."
Both his hands were on her face now; cupping her chin and his eyes never leaving hers. "Do you wish to find out?"
"I....how?" she at last breathed, unable to stand his overpowering presence.
He did not need a further invitation. Gently, his hands urged her face closer to his, and she was powerless to do nothing but comply.
Their lips met in a fusing, burning candence, and the floor fell away from beneath her feet.
As if desperate to hold her to him, his arms slid fully about her body, pulling her slender form as close to him as he dared. His mouth on hers gently urged her lips open, and she gasped into his mouth when his tongue softly sought entrance between her soft, pliant lips.
*What is happening to me?* her brain begged her concience as she moaned softly, unable to stop this or control herself. Her heart exploded in her chest at his tender ministrations, struggling to free itself of the fierce chains she had held it there with all her life.
It terrified her. *No! This is not who I am supposed to be! If I feel this way, Mother will not only kill me, she will kill him as well!*
With a ragged gasp, she jerked her mouth from his and tore from his grasp. "Eshon! No! This is not meant to be!"
She scrambled to her feet and backed away from him, but could not tear her tear-filled eyes from his fathomless green ones.
The sudden pain in his eyes echoed her own.
"If you cannot bridge the gap between our vastly different worlds, then I can do nothing to help you, no matter how I feel," his words ached in her own heart. "I know it was possibly foolish to fall in love with you, Divatox, but I will not deny what my own heart says. If you choose do follow that path, then I cannot stop you."
She fumbled for the door, only at the last moment tearing her eyes from his as she pushed the deadbolt. No! It could not happen--for his own safety and hers.
****
She awoke that night sobbing. His eyes haunted her dreams, and she could not forget how, for a few moments, she nearly had soared, as he had promised.
Was this the love she had so often dreamed about? Did it drive her to such heights--and drag her through such pain as she felt now? Or drive her to do dangerous consequences to be in the arms of....of someone she could not deny herself?
For that was what she was doing, her feet slipping silently down the corridors to his cellroom. She no longer cared of the consequences; She had to know--*had* to know the truth, for her own sanity.
He was not asleep, she could tell even when she entered his cell soundlessly. However, in the dim light his green eyes glowed, and she could see the desperation in them as he reached for her, drawing her to him with a ragged half-sob she had not thought him--the cool, even-tempered Eshon--capeable of doing.
Just vageuly, before his lips crushed hers, she heard him whisper, "My love," a sound that was to linger on her ears for many a year to come.
"I love you, Eshon," she whispered in angony against his lips. "I can't deny it. Make me soar--show me how to fly. Please."
As he crushed her to him, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of her nightgown, she knew he would do just that.
The rest of the night slid away into the delicious, forbidden dream it would have to remain to be.
****
She certainly could not have him stay as her mother's prisoner. Him or the other two prisoners. She would stand to let her mother sell them to a slave-trade post like she planned. She had to free them, soon.
"I will tell you the encryption codes," she whispered to them. "And the tracking systems will meet with a little accident. Since she figures you can't escape, your ship is unguarded; you will have a clear path to it. You will all be able to escape."
"You must come with me," Eshon pleaded, running his fingers through her hair, as if desperate to keep the contact. "I can't leave you here." His green eyes were bright with tears. "You are my heart, Divatox. Without you, I am nothing."
"I feel the same way," she quivered. "I will never love another, I will make sure of that. But I am too deeply ensnared in this world, Eshon. I could never leave it, no matter how I might want it. If I left with you, Mother would not stop until she found us and murdered us. What would that get us? She's ruthless, and she knows me too well. At least this way, you will live."
"No chance at all?"
"No. I've seen her do this before to those who escaped. I don't need to repeat the gory details. Gods, Eshon, this isn't fair!" she sobbed, tears flowing freely down her face as his lips found hers. "I love you. I never thought I could love. You taught me to soar. But never again can I fly free, even after tasting the forbidden."
"You are capeable of so much more!" he protested softly, his own tears mixing with hers.
"Perhaps," she conceded. "But we would be dead before we could discover how much more. This is meant to be, Eshon. She will likely discover who it is who let you go, but by that time, she can't do much about it. I won't forget you."
"Nor I you," he quivered, as he kissed her one last time. "Good bye, my love."
****
"They're gone!" shrieked Divatox's mother as she paced the bridge angrily. "They could never have gotten away--what a time for the tracking systems to break down! Get them running again!"
But by the time they scrambled to obey her, it was too late. The prisoners were gone, and with them Divatox's last chance to change to who she truly was. She had done it for the safety of the one person she had ever felt love for; the one person who had made her feel--and she was certain, as the ice of evil reclaimed her heart, that she would never feel again. Eshon had taken that ability with him when he escaped.
When she started getting sick, and a month later, discovered she was pregnant, only then did her mother discover who had helped the prisoners escape. Even Divatox had to admit her timely pregnancy with a halfbreed child made it kind of obvious.
"It was *you*!!!" Her mother screamed at her daughter, slapping her to the floor while her brother Havok looked on, amused. "That bastard child you carry is half-eltaran. You were having an affair with that Eltaran prisoner--who else would have helped them escape?"
"It's too late now," said Divatox maliciously, laughing and no longer caring what her mother did to her. "They are long gone. You would never find them."
"That is true, damn it!" hissed her mother. "And that leaves the question of what do do with your unwanted brat. You have shamed me, Divatox, greatly shamed me, cavorting with prisoners way below you on the scale of society."
"As if *you* have never taken the idyllic tumble with others besides father!" she sharply retorted. "Did you know I knew about that? How do you have room to talk!"
"They were richer than simple prisoners, too!" snapped her mother. "Your father does the same thing, like I really care if he sleeps around. It's the way things are when it's only done for a fun time. So I guess I can't fault you a good tumble every now and then, but for pity's sake, girl, do it with the high and mighty. Don't let the so-called heart of yours get involved. Sex means nothing. That of itself isn't the issue--but your brat is. It will be a burden to you. Better get rid of it."
"No!" Divatox crossed her hands over her abdomen in a protective instinct. "I will have this baby, train him or her to be one of us. You claim you want more of us anyways to help. Well, you just got a free chance to have one."
"*You* train the brat? I hardly think so," snorted her mother. "You are too soft as it is. He or she will be so namby-pamby it'll be useless to us."
"Oh, I am not anymore," Divatox laughed coldly. "Not anymore."
For she was now doubly certain that Eshon, when he left, had taken her ability to feel with her. For all she felt after that was ice.
She truly no longer cared.
And when her son was born, some months later, with nothing of his features to remind her of his father to her relief--until she looked into his eyes, and saw their dazzling green shade. She knew then that, while she might love him, she could never show it. Not when those eyes had belong to a person who had taken her heart with him when he left. This baby was only a shadow of the man she had loved, so that was the common name she gave him: Shadow. So strong was her desire for this name, it was only an afterthought that she gave him the secret name of Tar'yn.
*Flash*
By now Divatox was sobbing on her son's shoulder as she finished spilling the story. His eyes weren't dry, either.
"I had no idea..." stammered Tar'yn. "You *loved* my father. I was not the result of a cold liason after all?"
"Most certainly not," Divatox quivered, dragging her sleeve across her face in a futile effort to stop her tears. "You were the product of love, Tar'yn, it is time you knew that. If he is alive..." her lips curved into a smile, "then it is time Eshon met his son."
Cassie, too, was wiping her eyes. "You don't know many personal details of this Eshon, do you?" she asked daringly.
"Not too much," quivered Divatox. "Eshon was either an alias, nickname, or shortening of his real name. I don't know his last name. I believe he was a wizard or sage of some sort, I could tell that right off. And his eyes were unmistakable. I think he has a sister. But this was eons ago. He could be dust in his grave by now. He was an Eltaran drifter, that was quite true--it's not the safest occupation in the universe."
Dmitria was thinking. "Since I was so closely associated with Eltare during the war, even before, I have easy access to their records," she mused. "If I could have your genetic record, Tar'yn, I could cross- reference it with what is left of the genetic library. Some of it was destroyed during the war, so we might not come up with anything. And I could also cross-reference it with the handful of Eltaran refugee camps that are scatterd around--there's one on Phaedos, one near Auqitar, another new one on Triforia. It won't take long to cross reference the first few, but if that comes up fruitless, you will have to pay a personal visit to Triforia to obtain their files. Triforia is a private world, you know-- Trey and his sister Sharie represent people who dislike sharing private details of their medical history with outsiders without reason, you know."
"I'll do it," said Tar'yn immediately. "I have wanted to meet my father for a long, long time." He felt Cassie squeeze his hand. "And now I have a real chance."
As Dmitria had promised, it did not take long to do the cross-referencing, but everywhere came up negative.
"The only place we haven't checked is Triforia," said Dmitria about an hour later. "Either his file is missing, your father is still drifting and is probably even unaware of the war his homeworld went rhough, or he is by some miracle on Triforia. You will have to go there to obtain permission. If you like, I'll send a message to Trey telling him to expect your arrival. He will be happy to help you, especially considering the circumstances."
****
"Welcome to Triforia," said Trey, stepping out of the shadows as soon as the teleportation beam released all three occupants. "I got Dmitria's message, and I will help you in any way I can."
"Thank you," said Cassie. "Tommy told me about you. He was right, too, I can tell."
"Tommy is a good friend," said Trey, smiling at her warmly. "Now, what is the specific purpose of your visit?"
Tar'yn did not beat around the bush. "I am looking for my father."
Trey raised an eyebrow. "Your father? Who is your father?"
"He might be among the Eltaran refugees in the refugee city you have set up on the southern continent," said Cassie when Tar'yn blushed.
"I only knew him as Eshon," said Divatox. "He gave me no other name, and I have no way of knowing if it was his true one or not."
"That is why we came," said Cassie. "Divatox and Tar'yn would like your permission to explore your medical genetic records of these people--if you have them--and try and look for Eshon among the Eltaran popluation. May we search?"
He nodded his head, as informal a ruler as Cassie had ever seen. "But of course. You are free to visit where you must, and go where you must. My sister and I have both worked hard to give the Eltarans a home here, but she has worked on a more personal basis with the individual eltarans than I have--she knows them much better than me. Might I refer you to her?"
Cassie nodded.
****
"I would love to help you," said the young Triforian girl who came into view. "What do you require?"
Cassie studied her for a moment--she looked like Trey, but the golden curls and purple eyes made her seem much more innoncent than her brother--much younger. But not as young as her eighteen years implied.
"We need to cross-reference the genetic codes," answered Cassie. "See if we can come up with a family match. Then determine if Tar'yn's father is among the crowd."
"Divatox's son, hm?" Sharie mused, as she studied the boy and his mother. "Welcome to the side of light, Divatox. I am glad you are deciding to persue this matter--finding loved ones is rewarding, so I have heard."
She studied Tar'yn, and her eyes suddenly widened. "Your eyes," she breathed suddenly, staring at him in shocked surprise. "Do your eyes come from your mother or your father?"
"My father."
"I think that can help me narrow the search right there," she said unexpectedly. "There are two siblings among the Eltarans with just that eye color--and they are the only ones. I will run the genetic scans-- perhaps you are at least related to them."
****
A few minutes later, the computer printed out the results.
"I don't believe this," Sharie breathed. "You have a positive match, Tar'yn. Your Eltaran bloodline comes from the D'Taran family of Eltare. Those individuals I spoke to you about? They are from that very family-- among the last."
Tar'yn's chest felt tight. "Could either of those be my father?"
"Only one. The other is his sister."
"Eshon told me he had a sister," supplied Divatox hopefully.
Sharie paused. "Would this Eshon have any idea he has a son from you, Divatox?"
"No. I...loved him..." She stumbled. "I sent him away from my mother--he was her prisoner--to save his life. Long before I knew I was with child."
She was grateful when Sharie did not overpress her for the painful details, only nodding in silent comprehension and no shadow of condemning feeling appearing in her eyes or manner.
"How old are you, Tar'yn?"
He told her, and she bit her lip. "It is within the correct age range," she mused. "The man I am thinking of is a couple of centuries older than that. Probably around your age, Divatox. If he isn't your father, then he is a relative and certainly knew him."
"What are their names?" asked Tar'yn, trying to hide a sense of growing impatience.
"The sister is Elsha. The brother is Endihashon. Eshon is a plausible nickname." She studied Tar'yn's eyes. "Your eyes are so much like his-- but his are so sad, as if he lost something so long ago he knew he could never get back. Would you like me to help arrange something?"
"Is it possible? What's he like? Is he well?" Tar'yn suddenly stumbled the questions.
Sharie held up her hand to stop the flow of words. "Whoa, there. He's fine. He's a young man still, I guess, in Eltaran terms. His eyes are sad, I don't know why. He used to be a drifter. No wife or kids that he's told me about. Refuses to fall in love, but he's a kind enough man when I speak to him. He's a friend, actually. You will like him."
Divatox was very, very pale. "Can we see him first, without him seeing us? I want to see if it is him. If he isn't, then...."
"Then I won't expose you to him, if that is what you want, if he is not the man you are looking for. But he's from the family line that matches your genetic sequence, Tar'yn--he is related closely still, one way or another."
"Maybe," allowed Tar'yn softly. "I want to see him. Then I'll decide."
****
The central commune area of the recently-built refugee city was bright, fresh, and clean. Everything around them looked like a normal city for anyone's standards--a silent tip of the hat, Cassie mused, to the warm hospitality of Triforian nature.
"Is this a temporary settlement?" asked Cassie, looking around here. "It sure looks like permanent structures."
"Has to be, to house five thousand refugees. This settlement's been used before for this purpose--it's been refurbished recently, that's why it looks so new. No refugee has to enjoy a lower standard of living than the rest of us because they are in flight from evil," Sharie explained, as if it were natural. "It will be open to the Eltarans as long as they need it."
The commune area was, at this time of day, nearly empty of traffic. A few people sat here and there on the benches, or at eating tables in small cafes. But otherwise, it was deserted.
Sharie quickly pulled her new friends around a corner. "They're here," she whispered softly to them. "Over there, on the bench near the park entrance. See them?"
"Where?" Divatox felt as if her legs went to jelly as she stood on her toes, craning her neck to look around the corner where Sharie was indicating. When her eyes settled on the pair Sharie had indicated, she stopped breathing.
"Is it him?" Sharie whispered as she was nearly squashed, for Tar'yn was pressing on her as he attempted to look around the corner also. "Hey, not so hard!"
"Sorry," Tar'yn whispered, while Divatox found herself unable to say anything.
For the image she saw was reverberating so sharply though the years, for a few moments, the last several eons ceased to exist. Her heart gave a painful lurch, and by the time she pulled herself back, tears were running down her face--tears of sheer agony.
"I suppose that answers my question," Sharie whispered, seeing this. "So that is your Eshon. Would you like me to introduce you?"
"I...." Divatox struggled to find the words to say something, as Tar'yn again struggled to see the person who was his father, and getting a clear image of him for the first time.
He didn't look much like him, and almost scoffed for a second, until he saw the man's eyes for himself.
He felt a similar blow in his stomach. For at last, he was seeing eyes that were clearly like his own. Something strange that had been sitting heavily on his chest suddenly lifted, and he drew a deeper breath than he could ever recall taking before.
*That is him,* Cassie heard echoing longingly in her mind. *Not only do my eyes tell me, so, but....here, too.* His hand inadvertently covered his heart for a moment.
*Good.* Cassie smiled in satisfaction. *That is the way it should be.*
"Can you talk to him first?" squeaked Divatox in a hoarse whisper. "At least make him approachable. I....don't know what to say to him."
"If you want me to start him talking, I will try," the young Triforian Princess conceded. "But when I give the indication, you had better come out and face him for yourselves."
****
Discreetly, The trio that had come from Inquiris followed behind Sharie as they made their way towards the couple on the bench. The two did not notice, for brother and sister seemed to be actively engaged in some sort of conversation or other.
Finally, Sharie pushed them behind the large gates to the park entrance, and approached the pair alone.
It was Elsha who noticed her first. "Hello, Sharie," she greeted, waving her over with one hand as her other tucked her dark hair out of her face. Her green eyes sparkled with a gentle, humorous nature. "Nice to see you today. What brings you here? I thought you were working on that terraforming lunar project or something."
"I am helping some friends," Sharie answered as she settled in beside them. "Actually, though, I came to talk to you, Endihashon."
"Me?" the man seemed surprised. "What brings you here, then?"
"Have you been keeping up on current events around the local portion of the universe, Endihashon?" she queried to her friend. "Do you know what has happened to some of those evil after Zordon's wave? Those that survived?"
A puzzled frown crossed his face. "Some," he said. "Why?"
"What do you know?"
He looked puzzled at her unusual line of questioning. "Well, Zedd and Rita survived. That's easy, they attacked this planet at the last, remember? Gasket, Archarina, Sprockett, Master Vile, even Astronema. There could be some others."
Sharie drew a deep breath. "There were indeed others. Espeically someone from the space pirate commune. I have been contacted about attempting to locate you, *Eshon*, because she has been looking for you since Zordon's purge removed all traces of evil from her heart. She claims to have once known you eons ago."
Eshon had gone shockingly white at the way she said his nickname. "What are you saying?"
Sharie stood up, gesturing behind her back. "Come out here, Divatox."
Before anybody even moved, a soundless gasp issured from Eshon's throat. Just feet away, behind the park entrance, a woman in white stepped forward, her bowed head full of dark curls hiding her face.
Hand over his heart, Eshon rose from the bench.
The woman lifted her face, smiling faintly, her dark eyes glittering with suppressed tears. "Hello, Eshon."
Eshon's hand moved from his heart to his mouth. No air could get into his lungs, he was too shocked. The vision of the woman before him cut sharply through the years, reverberating so strongly that, for a discreet moment, he could clearly make a connection.
Dazzling green eyes met bottomless dark ones, catching them in a vortex of time where only both existed.
Elsha, too, could only stare, but she knew she was excluded from their notice. She was one of the few who knew that once, Eshon and the so-called terrible Divatox had once been lovers--for a single night. He had returned from that encounter eons ago, hopelessly in love and almost as hopelessly heartbroken. Such a strong encounter had ruined him for loving any other woman, although she could hardly blame him--such a bond was the nature of Eltarans.
She shifted, just slightly. Now here she was again. Elsha had no doubt that this was the Divatox that her Eshon had seen--the good side of her that she had been forced to bury. Zordon's purge had restored it fully to her, and by the way she was looking at Eshon, the bond they had formed those eons ago still existed--forged in one night of burning passion. Wow!
"*Please* tell me I am not dreaming," Divatox heard him vaguely whisper over the roar of her ears. She saw his eyes burn with tears.
"I am real," she answered, her heart thudding painfully. "A--are you?"
He advanced on her, as if in a trance. "If this is a dream," he breathed, "When I awaken, I will not live long. I can't go through such a real seperation again."
"I was not sure you would care," she choked, overwhelmed by his nearness. Dreams couldn't do that--could they? "I had to force you to leave--"
"Not care?" he ground out, his eyes not merely burning now, but on fire. Tenatively, he cupped her chin in his hand, as if he was afraid to touch her, lest she melt away.
She was solid--very, very real.
"Not care?" he repeated. "It went beyond so much more than that, back then Divatox! You stole my heart and my ability to care when I was forced to flee from your side, lest we both be killed by that mother of yours. You have them still. Is that what you wanted to hear? Why did you come back, seeking me after so long?"
"I had to," she whimpered."I have things I must tell you--but I hope you still care now, too."
"Are you married, Divatox? Anyone else of that sort in your life?" he demanded out of the blue, his eyes desperately searching hers for something.. She blinked in surprise, shaking her head. What did he--
Any thought was abruptly cut off when his other hand raised up, now both hands framing her face. Before she could react, he tilted her face upwards and pressed his lips down on hers--hard.
She froze for a split second, completely stunned. Her heart had already been beating wildly, now it began to hammer so hard in her chest she was sure it was going to break free of it's confines. Surges of pure emotion drowned her senses, a desperate sense of need and longing overpowering it all. Of her own will, she unfroze and let her arms slip around his neck; he in turn crushed her to him as tightly as he could without cutting off her air supply--all in a desperate bid to hold onto her and this time-- never, ever let go!
Tar'yn made a choking sound, and his hand flew to his mouth to stifle any noise that might have escaped. His other hand, holding Cassie's, clamped hers hard, and her own mind reverberated his stunned confusion.
*I had hoped they could meet and get along,* she heard his shocked voice in her mind. *I certainly did not expect this! He doesn't even know I exist yet!*
*Does it bother you?*
*Hardly! I just hope it doesn't change when he realizes he has a son!*
It was then Cassie realized that what was playing out--two star-crossed lovers reuniting--had been a fantasy for Tar'yn when he was younger, and now, to his considerable surprise, it was playing out right before his eyes.
It was only when their lungs were bursting did Eshon reluctantly break his lips from hers. A breeze blowing made them vaguely aware that both their faces were damp; neither cared a whit.
"Now do you understand my feelings?" he whispered. "I still love you. I give thanks that you are not a dream--no dream can react or feel like that." A faint smile crossed his lips. "Gods, Divatox, tell me you still feel the same way, too. Don't, I beg of you, turn me out of your life again after appearing so suddenly again to me."
"I love you!" she choked, dizzy with overwhelming emotion. "Damnit, Eshon, it is I who should be begging *you* not to walk out of my life. Especially considering the way I was. I am free of the constraints of evil, now--I had hoped to find you to at least settle things between us--and to relate something important."
"I don't want you to leave my side!" he insisted, catching her hand and holding it to his breast. She could feel the wild thudding beneath her fingertips--a surging candence keeping time with her own skyrocketing pulse. "My heart's finally beating again for the first time in such a long time--is it possible for us? At all?"
Hot tears ran down her face again. He still wanted her? After all that had transpired? "It is," she whispered. "If you are willing to accept a few things that are different."
"Anything!" he promised, sweeping her close and neither caring. "Anything at all--as long as I can have you back--for good."
"I hope that is true, Eshon." he could detect a very real murmer in her voice. "I wish that I had been able to track you better after I made you escape. What happened, what I discovered, aftwerards, you should have known about then--but you must know now."
"What?" It was said softly. Aside, Sharie and Elsha exchanged smiles, both glad to see the distant, unreachable Endihashon finally glow with life once more.
"I did not get a chance to tell you....I was..." Divatox stopped, unable to get the words out. Finally, she managed, "Tar'yn."
"Who?" Eshon questioned, then all words died in his throat as two more people emerged from behind the park gate.
The first was a beautiful girl dressed in pink, he clearly recognized her as one of Earth's ledgendary rangers. By the hand, though, she pulled a boy with wavy-curly dark hair--and Divatox's face.
"Oh....Gods..." the few words in his mouth died completely when the boy's face was fully revealed, and clear green eyes, exactly like his own, stared back at him.
"What I did not know at the time," Divatox found her tongue, just barely. "I was pregnant...with your son."
"My....son?" Eshon could not believe his eyes or his ears. His son? This boy--created out of just one night of passion? This was...his son?
It *was* unmistakable that he belonged to Divatox, that he could tell right off--her face and hair were etched onto his, only more firmly chisled. But....*his*, as well? Only his dazzling green eyes gave any evidence of this fact, but with eyes like that, it was enough to convince Eshon that it was true.
"This is your son," whispered Divatox, watching him carefully, hoping against hope he would not turn away. "His name is Tar'yn."
"Tar'yn," Eshon echoed, reality slowly sinking in. "He....I have a son...."
A faint nod came from the boy. "Yes, I am your son. I knew the instant I saw you that my mother's words were true."
His initial surprise fading away, acceptance of the fact slowly replaced it. "My son," he whispered, two sets of identical green eyes locking. "I can't believe this, but it is real, isn't it? I never thought I would have a child with anybody."
"Nor did I dream I would meet my real father," answered Tar'yn, the soft overtones of his voice jolting Cassie, standing nearby, with something new....the overtones strongly echoed Eshon's.
"Come closer, boy," Eshon requested. "This is the first time I have learned I had a son, you understand--I would like to see you better. Come out of the shadows."
Tar'yn obeyed, stepping fully out into broad daylight. Elsha sported a big grin on her pretty face as she got up, also wanting to see this surprise nephew she hadn't known existed until now.
"He's a handsome boy, Eshon!" she could not help but remark approvingly. Tar'yn colored, but could not help but instantly like this forward, friendly woman. He quickly understood that this was her nature, unlike her quiet brother.
"When were you born?" asked Eshon gently, hoping that Tar'yn would not take the question the wrong way. He was well-built, and his eyes were clear--a sure sign of a good character.
Tar'yn whispered the date.
"Six months after I left," breathed Eshon. "Uh, Divatox, you know I never knew where you were from. I'd hate to think he was born premature or anything."
"I recently discovered I was from Inquiris, Eshon," she answered, glad he did not seem to be denying his son. Her eyes sparkled this relief. "And their pregnancies are six months along. He was born on time."
His eyes glowed with approval. "My son," he breathed. "I am....glad to meet you, Tar'yn. I hope you forgive my earlier surprise."
"Nothing to forgive." Tar'yn smiled. "I have looked for you for a long time. Once Mother was cleared by Zordon's purge and we were reunited, we doubled our search."
Something didn't sound right to Eshon. He held up his hand. "Wait a minute. Reunited? Don't tell me he grew up seperate from you, Divatox."
She fidgeted, her face ducking in shame. "Your son is much stronger of character than I am, Eshon," she whispered. "I raised him, but to follow in my footsteps. However, when he was a couple of centuries old, he saw the light and had the courage to do what I could not do. He left to join the side of light, and for many melennia, I had no knowledge of what had happened to him."
"What *did* happen to you?" Eshon was truly surprised.
"Ever hear of the Phantom Ranger?" Eshon nodded at Divatox's inquiry. "Well, he was part of that silent order of Eltaran voyagers. Many a time I faced my own son on the battlefield and did not know it. Gods, when I think about that...." Divatox turned away, awaiting judgment by Eshon.
"I wrestled with myself for some time to seek her out after the purge," said Tar'yn quietly. "For we had never been close. But...after seeing her, and understanding that she had cared all along, I knew I could give her another chance. Gods, she doesn't know yet how much I had missed her."
Without another word, he reached out to his mother and firmly turned her back to face them both. She could not look either of them in the eyes.
"Listen, mother," he said quietly. "It's in the past, you are no longer that monster trapped in the web of evil you were rasied in. You arent that person any more, so put it behind you. I did, surely you can."
"After all I have done?" she whispered. "I never dreamed I would meet Eshon again, Tar'yn. I count my blessings every day that I had *you* back, and we could start over again like a mother and son truly should be. Eshon...."
"Divatox, please trust me," he pleaded softly, his eyes burning bright green embers as he turned her to face him. "I love you. Even when you were ensnared in the evil that you grew up in, I could still see the light in you. It was hell being seperated from you, I have not lived since....it was merely survival. I *won't* let you go again." His arms slid around her, and she sighed and sagged against him as he continued.
"We have a son," he intoned softly. "And he turned out to be someone I can truly be proud of. Even if he had followed in your footsteps and had merely been purged, I am not so unfeeling that I could not care." He gently urged her gaze to his. "If you will let me, my love, I want to be at your side for the rest of our days. And," his green gaze turned to his son. "And if you permit it, Tar'yn, I would love getting to know you, as well."
Tar'yn nodded, his eyes bright. "I never dreamed this day would come when I could face you, and you accept me, but I am grateful," he said. "And I can tell you are a wonderful person. I look forward to getting to know you better, Eshon."
"Eshon?" squeaked Divatox. "Truly?"
Eshon nodded emphatically. "How could you *or* I have it any other way?"
"Oh, Eshon!" she cried, lunging forward into his arms. He caught her hand held her close, clasping her to his heart where she belonged.
When she pulled away, Eshon smiled and reached out a hand for his son's. Tar'yn didn't even hesistate, he accepted his father's hand, and the other, his mother's. The family circle stood, complete at last, and the feeling of peace permeated the commune area.
Elsha, Sharie, and Cassie all exchanged satisfied smiles. At long last, the last of their bruised hearts were on the mend, and it was a satisfying feeling.
****
"Eshon?" asked Tar'yn, finally releasing his hands from those of his parents. "There is someone else I would introduce you to. Cassie?"
Cassie blinked, surprised to hear her name. She came forward when Tar'yn beckoned to her.
"Eshon, this is Cassie, the..."
"The pink lightstar ranger," finished Eshon, grinning at their twin expressions of surprise. "Yes, I know. News of your adventures travels far and wide, child."
Cassie blushed, but compled when Tar'yn reached for her hand. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her so she leaned back against the solid wall of his chest. His chin rested on top of her midnight hair as he grinned to his father. "Cassie is not only the pink lightstar ranger, she is the woman I love," he informed quietly. "She saved me from an eternal world of shadows."
Cassie blushed an even brighter pink, but held onto Tar'yn even tighter.
Eshon only smiled, approvingly. "Then hold onto her tight, son," he said gruffly. "Don't, whatever you do, let her get away from you."
"I would not dream of letting him go," Cassie spoke up before Tar'yn could.
"And I won't let you, either," he responded, turning her around in his arms and kissing her briefly. "Not when it was your light that drove the shadows of my own past away."
Elsha smiled behind her hand. Love, it was so grandeur....
****
"Where do you plan to go?" asked Sharie as everyone got up to leave.
By this time, Eshon had heard most of the story behind Tar'yn, Divatox herself, and Cassie, so he understood when Divatox said, "I recieved an offer from Dmitria to live with her on Inquiris," she said softly. "But wherever you want to go, Eshon, I will go also."
"There's the refugee base here on Triforia," he answered, "And if my family home wasn't destroyed on Eltare, that could also be used. Or I will follow you to Inquiris. I would not dream of keeping you from the sister you have never known of until recently--especially the mighty Dmitria."
"I also would not want to seperate you from your sister," said Divatox, giving Elsha a courtesoy nod. "Seems to me you two are close."
"Eshon's dragged me from pillar to post when I've stayed with him," answered Elsha with a smile. "And I have also lived on my own. I was even a Power Ranger for a time, a couple of melennia ago. I am so used to both situations it's no biggie. I'm the independent sort."
"Triforia's open to you, whenever you wish it," Sharie interjected quietly.
"I think," mused Eshon, "That this is a situation that can be decided later. Right now," he smiled down at Divatox, who's eyes sparkled. "I think we have some catching up to do."
****
Sharie Triesta was about to slip quietly away when she was intercepted by Cassie.
"I almost forgot," said Cassie quickly, "We didn't even thank you for helping us locate Eshon! Thank you, for all your help. It was all worth it to see Divatox and Tar'yn happy."
"It is no problem," Sharie said quietly, with a smile. Her purple eyes sparkled in understandaing. "Love...I would not dream of standing in the way of it, if I see possiblities. Trey will deny it, but he knows it was my matchmaking that brought him and Delphine together."
"Him and Delphine?" grinned Cassie. "Wow. What a match. Tommy told me splintering is no problem for your people anymore."
"No. And thank goodness, or Trey would be very unhappy without Delphine."
"Hope to see you again sometime," said Cassie as Sharie turned to leave.
"Oh, you will, I have little doubt," said the Triforian unexpectedly. "Trey and I have been discussing contacting you about rebuilding our defenses and the lives of some planets around here. I do think we will meet again."
"Good," Cassie grinned, liking Sharie immensely. "Are you single, Sharie?"
She caught the Triforian girl by surprise. "Well....I guess so," she admitted. "Why?"
"Because I am tired of prodding Carlos about getting a date. You seem his type, you know..."
Sharie smirked.
"I have been guilty of playing matchmaker myself," said Cassie with a grin. "Sorry. Can't blame me."
"Don't worry about it. We'll see about your Carlos when the time comes." Sharie laughed. "Goodnight, Cassie."
"Goodnight."
****
"I used to dream of the proverbial happy endings in fairy tales," Cassie mused as Tar'yn held her that night as they stared at the stars from the Megaship. "I always wondered if it could happen in real life. Do you think it can, Tar'yn?"
"Let me put it this way," he turned her around to face him. "Many tales seem to start spinning on stories of darkness and dispair, where the shadows of the world and the heart are many, the joys few. Then the love of the hero or heroine's life shows up and changes that person's world forever. Even if they try to resist, in the end, the love is too powerful to deny." He leaned down and kissed her, feeling her shiver from his touch. "Is what we share a fairy tale?" he breathed against her lips.
"In a way, I could see it like that," she answered against his mouth, feeling him kiss her again. "When we realized we loved each other, and could be together--I felt all the shadows being extinguished by a fiery light that allows no room for darkness. That happens in a lot of fairytales near the end. Except that this is reality. Is that how you feel?"
"You are my fairy princess," he mused, tucking her hair out of her face so he could kiss her harder. "Does happily ever after sound good to you?"
"We'll work on it," she laughed as he dropped tiny kisses on her face, his hands working their way around her boy. "No matter what happens in the future, or what dangers, as long as we love each other, it will always be happily ever after."
****
The three moons of Triforia glowed brightly that night. Safe in the arms of someone she had never again expected to be with, Divatox stared up at the sky.
"The stars are so bright tonight...and so high up," she mused. "All my life they seemed to be so cold. Now....they aren't distant at all."
"To be easily reached?" asked Eshon, kissing the top of her head. "Think you can soar for them again? Think we both can?"
Divatox turned to face him. "The instant I saw you again, I knew the answer to that," she informed him, her eyes stinging with tears of sheer joy. "We won't only soar, Eshon, we'll fly. And never, ever agian come back down."
"And that's the way it wil always be," he promised her, just before his mouth claimed hers. "We shall fly--to the stars and beyond."
