A/N: This chapter involves Academy Cadet Petra Sutton, an OC that I introduced in what ended up being chapter twelve of the prompt fills. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to check it out. If not, I did my best to write this chapter so that reading said prompt is not necessary. This one is also OC-heavy–just warning. I have more general stuff coming later.

Rough ages are as follows: Johan at 68, Clara at 49, Astra/Tara/Petra at 16, and Seren at 5; also hanging around is 18yo Lena, 12yo Sterling, and 10yo Maglina.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Tara's Common Love

Creeping carefully, Tara held her skirts in one hand and her classmate's fingers in the other, bringing her into the corridor. The night was red and bright as the teens moved, their feet quickly bringing them to a circular stone stairwell.

"Follow this down as far as it will go; it will open out into a servants' hall, and from there you take the first door to your right—that should bring you to the work entrance," Tara said. She bent down and kissed her classmate's lips, quick and fleeting. "See you at school, Petra."

"See you then; I'm gonna kick your skinny, pasty arse in the fencing exam, just wait," she grinned. After another kiss and a grab at her rear, Petra vanished into the passageway. It had been a risk staying so long, whether it was the weekend or not, and the teens were far from ready to pay the price just yet.

Staring out the window, Tara fixed her eyes on the servants' entrance to the castle until she saw Petra safely outside, golden hair shimmering in the moonlight. She allowed herself a smile and began to walk back to her family's private wing. It was long past when all the others were in bed, making it so that she relaxed once she was in the corridor and approaching her bedchamber. She nearly shouted as she opened her door, however, as she saw Astra—already in her night things and on the settee in the sitting area—arms folded crossly while she watched her sister slink in.

"…and…?" Tara hissed as she closed the door behind her. "What are you here to scold me about this time?"

"You have not told our parents, have you?" Astra asked, though she knew the answer.

"Why should I? It's not like they'd approve or anything," Tara snapped. She pulled a nightdress out of her wardrobe and went behind her changing screen, fuming. "I'd just get taken out of the Academy, or banned from seeing her, and what good would those do? Petra could lose her job cleaning the training hall to boot! I mean, I'm only dating a part-time maid who won't even be here very long because not only is she training for the military, but her father is in it and won't stay after term's end!" She tossed her shoes in frustration, each flying to the other side of the room.

"You are so stubborn," Astra scolded. "This is Kasterborous—we don't have the time or resources to get choosy when it comes to things like who the family soldier is dating, because as long as that soldier is doing her best, things should be fine."

"…but they're going to have a fit, I just know it," Tara insisted. She came out from behind the changing screen in her nightdress, carefully laying her clothes from the day on a chair so that a maid could assess whether the dress needed washing in the morning. Going to her bed, she burrowed under the covers and attempted to ignore her twin's presence, which failed when she was joined in her fabric cocoon.

"This isn't a novel, Tara," Astra frowned. "We read tales of forbidden love and hear horror stories of this scandal and that, but you'd be surprised if you merely talked with our parents."

"Not talking has worked so far; I don't want to ruin it now." Tara rolled over, attempting to signal that the conversation was over.

"You'll ruin it if you keep important things like this behind their backs." Astra hugged her sister from behind and initiated the mental contact. 'You're in love—they'll want to know when their daughter is in love.'

'Their daughter is in love with another woman, when that's one of the last things a society marriage wants.'

'I'm the one who will marry and have to worry about society being fickle about who ends up in my bed, not you. If Lena rises to the governance chair without an heir of her own, it's me that becomes earlessa, so you needn't, nor shouldn't, worry.'

'Thank the stars above you were the one that popped out of Mama first and not me.' Tara held her sister's hand and squeezed it. 'I shouldn't make you keep such secrets.'

'Then don't and talk with Mama and Papa. You are making things worse than they need to be—they've already met her many times when you'd merely have her over to study.'

Tara mumbled sourly and blocked off her mind. Something in her gut told her that her sister was the one living in a novel, one that she wasn't sure she knew the ending to.

The following day at the Academy, Tara and Petra were sitting in the gymnasium, snuggling under the stacked benches and watching a class of younger students being put through an obstacle course. There was no one within an earshot, allowing the teens to talk.

"Astra caught me last night after I saw you out," Tara confessed to her girlfriend.

"What did she say? She's usually so nice…"

"I think she might threaten to tell Mama and Papa soon." She put her nose in Petra's hair and breathed in, the scent of oranges calming her. "It's scaring me—I want us to break up on our terms, not theirs."

"Why are you so afraid of your parents figuring us out?" Petra wondered. "It's not like women being with other women is a bad thing…"

"It's not if you're base or middling born, but highborn people who love both genders don't always have that luxury," Tara said sadly. "My parents only know that you're a friend so far, but not to the point where we're at. It's true that they're letting me make my own way as a soldier, though I don't know if they want me to otherwise live by a lady's rules so that Lena can use my hand in marriage as a political play. I've never really asked them their plans about those things."

"…then ask them." Petra stretched her neck up and gently kissed her chin. "Better late than never."

"Considering last week, it's already too late unless I somehow hide a vial of blood on my person for my wedding night." She hid her face in her hands and whimpered. "I'm ruined and I've ruined my whole family while at it—people like us, who want more choice with who we love, with the misfortune of being highborn play chaste lords and ladies until after they've been shoved off on someone society sees acceptable."

"If you need to, come with me and my parents when we leave for Croydon at term's end," Petra offered. "We don't have that long in school yet—only a year and a half—and you can enlist with me in the King's Guard. With your grades, there's no way they'd turn down your transfer and probably even put you in service early. We won't have to break up."

"It's a generous offer, but I want to be in the Border Forces," Tara said resignedly. She dragged her hands down her face and glanced over at her girlfriend. "The only reason I even have a mother, let alone Maggie and Seren, is because of the Border Forces, not to mention how many times Papa could have let an enemy soldier claim his life if it were not for the loyalty of his troops. I'm going to be there, for my sister; Lena needs to have someone to count on."

"But does that someone have to be you?"

Tara thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Yes; Lena needs me on the field as much as she needs Astra in court. We've been training our whole lives for this… it's what I want. I could have backed out ages ago but I never did…"

"…and it'd be a waste to back out now," Petra finished. She exhaled heavily and rested her head on Tara's shoulder. "Gallifreyans are so bloody stubborn."

"…but admit it, you love stubborn," Tara grinned. "Gets you all hot and bothered." With the wall against her back, she held onto her girlfriend a bit tighter.

'Tonight.'

That evening, after everyone had gone to their respective rooms for the night, Tara decided to take the plunge. Still in her day clothes, she crept out of her room and made the short walk down the corridor to her parents' chambers. They often were not in bed until late, meaning the lights from inside clearly shone underneath the door. She hesitated, yet knocked anyhow, knowing that the worst she was bothering was tea with her youngest siblings.

"Mama? Papa? May I come in please?"

Her father opened the door, concern on his face. "Are you alright, starlet?"

"Yes, I…" She trailed off, averting her gaze towards the painting on the corridor wall, only to snap out of it when the Marquis placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come in, Tara. Talk with us."

"Okay."

She allowed him to gently pull her into the chamber, towards the sitting area where her mother and youngest brother were already having tea for the night. The Marchioness recognized the look on her daughter's face and affectionately stroked Seren's hair.

"Mama and Papa need to speak with Tara alone about her studies—I'm sorry I'd forgotten. You'll have to go have Maglina put you to bed tonight," she said.

"Oh, okay," the little boy agreed sleepily. He went over to his sister and gave her legs a hug before she sat down. "You in trouble, Tara?"

"Nope—I'm at perfect marks," she assured him. "I need to report to Mama and Papa how I've been getting perfect marks."

"That's good; see you tomorrow." Seren then went over to the nursery, the door closing just as the Marquis sat down next to his wife, their daughter across from them.

"Something tells me this isn't about your studies," the Marchioness frowned in concern. "Tea?"

"No thank you," Tara replied. She had her hands folded in her lap, with which she fiddled nervously. "It's just… I have something to confess… about Petra…"

"Cadet Sutton is your paramour; we know," the Marquis said plainly. He sipped at his tea while he watched his daughter's eyes grow wide. It was not the reaction she had expected of him, and she was shocked. "The only thing we want to know is how long she's going to be so, since I understand her father is due in for a transfer soon."

"We… uh… we were…" the teen panicked.

"Did you think we'd be cross with you?" the Marchioness wondered. Tara nodded silently, not knowing what to say. "We have six children, Tara, and you're not even the eldest. If one of you younger ones decide that they're not going to have a society marriage, then there's nothing we can do about that. Even if Cadet Sutton was Lena's paramour, we can't be cross; we would need to start investigating the possibility of a political match for her, but nothing more. If it's no concern for the smallfolk whom their children bed and wed, then it's no concern of ours."

"Thank the gods," Tara exhaled, leaning back into the couch with tears in her eyes. "I was afraid you'd want me to shove her away and play the fool until I could wed a proper gentleman. She's not even staying until Spring."

"Starlet, how much have I told you about Lady Melody?" the Marquis asked, placing his cup back on the tea tray. His daughter looked at him to find he was hunched forward, elbows on his knees and hands folded to support his chin.

"You and her were in love, so much so that her death nearly killed you like it did Lord Grandfather and Serdar Williams," she recalled. "Why?"

"When we were young, we learned of our engagement," he explained. The Marchioness placed her hand on his back, silently letting him know she was there for him. "At first we thought it was a joke, since my papa and her mama were jokesters, but as time went on, we realized it was serious. She and I didn't want to go into a marriage feeling like sister and brother, so we began courting when we were a little older than Sterling is now."

"…but what does…?"

"By the time we were within a year of marriage, our love had grown to the point where we had laid with one another countless times; no platform, no vows, nothing except our own devotion and lust for one another clouding our better judgement." The Marquis watched Tara's eyes—oh so like her mother's—flick back and forth from parent to parent. "I don't know how far you and Cadet Sutton have gone, but I am not a fool. You have taken her to bed, just as I did with Melody long ago, except you're in a position to where you will not be ruined by missing maiden's blood, because you are not heir to the march and earldom." He straightened his back and took his wife's hand, enveloping it in both of his. "We cannot condemn you, starlet… only tell you to be careful until you are out of the Academy. No more bedding paramours in this castle after Cadet Sutton leaves, until the reason you are home is because you are not deployed. The two of you can continue on, but once she leaves that's it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Tara affirmed, her voice small and weak. She looked at her father awkwardly as he sat there with her mother as his emotional brace. "I've never read anything that said there were whispers of scandal about you and Lady Melody—you hid it well."

"How else did your papa know about the blood trick for our first wedding night?" the Marchioness posed. "No, no, we didn't consummate on the night we first wed, and no, you are not bastards because of it, as has been accused in the past. We renewed our vows, which is an acceptable thing to do, and then consummated. Between your father with Lady Melody, and me with Sir Daniel before I fell in love with your father and he Lady Martha, there's little ground for us to stand on when it comes to chastising you. Are you happy with Cadet Sutton?"

"Yeah, I am," Tara replied. "We'll be sad when she leaves next term, but we have to be used to being broken up short-notice if we're going to survive being transferred and deployed in different directions than the person who we're with. We'll write, but… her aim is the King's Guard and mine is to defend our borders—there's no way we could be together in the end. Even if we were, she's… average and won't live as long as me. I'd be in a Gallifreyan relationship after she passes anyhow, and most widows in those still mourn for their beloved for a long time, if what I've seen in the city is correct. I don't want to be miserable my whole life with who I have or don't have in my bed."

"Well, we want you to be happy, starlet, whether that means forging an alliance through a society marriage, having a common marriage where you could get passed over politically and inheritance-wise if someone was cruel enough, or not marrying at all," the Marquis stated. "Your brothers and sisters all seem eager enough to play by highborn rules when it comes to love and issue, so I doubt anyone will see what you're doing and bat an eye."

"…but only after I'm revealed and in the military," she added.

"That's correct," her father smiled. He stood and opened his arms, an action his daughter understood completely as she went to her feet and entered his embrace. She began to weep as she felt his arms around her, a hand keeping her head against his chest and an arm holding her shoulders steady. "We all have roles to play, and so far you are doing brilliantly as one of the six stars in my sky."

"…but I broke your trust," Tara sobbed. "I took a paramour without consulting you and Mama—I lied about the relationship…"

"…as if you'd think that would make a difference," the Marquis murmured. He kissed his daughter's crown and shushed her gently, holding her at arm's length. "Make us proud—that's all we ask."

"Your papa is right; there is nothing we'd love more than for you to do your best in life," the Marchioness continued. "Just because Grandpapa tried to play by high society's rules doesn't mean I want to force you to do so as well and be an open secret. No child of ours is a secret."

"Thanks," the teen sniffled. The three then sat together and talked some more, until Tara began to yawn and it was decided that they all turn in for the night. Once the cadet was back in her room, it was all she could do to flop onto her bed, not even changing out of her uniform. A weight had lifted from her shoulders—she truly was free.

The following morning, Petra was placing things in her locker when she felt a familiar pair of hands grab her from behind. She turned and saw Tara, who was grinning madly, looking as if she'd slept better than she had in ages.

"What's up with you?" she giggled. She paused to digest the look on her girlfriend's face and her eyes went wide in horror. "You aren't considering my offer from yesterday, are you?"

"Nope, not at all," Tara replied. She leaned in and whispered lowly in her ear. "I talked to Mama and Papa—they already knew, and are perfectly fine with it. They were actually encouraging about everything."

"Really…?"

"Really." The two then began to kiss, only to be interrupted by a tap to Tara's shoulder. Standing there was one of their teachers, with a look on his face that screamed "knock it off".

"Ladies, if you're not in my room in five minutes, there will be consequences," he warned gently. "We're here to learn, not snog."

"How about learning how to snog?" Tara offered.

"Enough with the cheek—get a move on," their teacher said.

"Okay, okay, relax, Johan; we'll be there."

"For the last time, it's Professor Benton," he corrected before walking off. The two teens giggled at one another before rushing to get their stuff together—everything was great.