I do not own Chaotic nor anything related to it. It belongs to TCDigital.

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The Daughter and the Son

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The wagon must be passing through the gates of Al Mipedim, because I can hear trumpets. Look, they say, Prince Osiris has returned.

I briefly wonder who was fulfilling my duties while I was... occupied. It's not like time simply stopped while I was away.

Ugh, my thoughts feel so disjointed right now. I can barely think.

The wagon comes to a stop, and the back flap opens. A soldier, I forget his name, helps me out of the wagon. A throng of soldiers shields me from direct view as we head for the palace, and I'm grateful for it. The people of the city shouldn't have to see the state I'm in. Let them imagine a proud prince returning to his home, not this half-dead creature that I am.

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I'm taken to the bathhouse. I insist that I bathe myself, but my request is denied. Everyone looks afraid that I'm going to keel over at any moment. So now I'm sitting in the heated room of the bathhouse with invisible servants attacking my stench with the oil and the sponges. Off goes the dirt and the sweat. A rough sponge is pressed against my body, and it feels like it's scraping off skin-

-\/-\/-\/-

It feels like it's scraping off skin when Aa'une drags his fingers down my back. Then he grabs my hips and presses the head of his-

-\/-\/-\/-

The servant stumbles back, fully visible and clutching his throat. I must have swung wildly in my panic.

I have to be restrained for the rest of the cleaning.

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I look... somewhat presentable, I guess. I'm no longer filthy, I no longer reek, and with the robe I'm wearing it isn't obvious that I'm a living skeleton. That much is important, because I'm about to see my kids, Hera for the first time in ten solans, and Jupiter for the first time ever. If only I didn't have to have these bodyguards on either side of me around for this particular thing.

Isis leads our children into the room I'm sitting in. Hera looks so much different from the last time I saw her. She's a little over half Isis's height, and her bright red scales now have a crystalline shine to them like her mother's. She's wearing a violet muge's cloak and garment, with the hood pulled down. A pair of small horns jut out from the sides of her head, almost like the kind of cliché horns cartoon devils have.

Jupiter hides behind Isis when he sees me, too quickly for me to get a good look at him, so all I can tell right now is that he too has red scales. Isis turns around and soothes him, saying, "That's your father, Jupiter. Don't you want to see him?

Hera slowly approaches me, confusion on her young face. "Daddy?" she asks.

I can understand her befuddlement. I definitely look completely different from the last time she saw me. She won't be able to recognize me by sight, but there's another way.

When Hera is an arm's length away from me, I reach out and give her nose a light poke.

Hera's hand reaches up and touches her nose. Her eyes widen, and a grin replaces her confused expression. "Daddy! You're home!" Her arms wrap around my chest-

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His arms wrap around my chest from behind and lift me off of the ground. "Running again?" he sneers. "One might think you actually enjoyed the punishment for attempting to escape. Maybe this time I should go hard enough to make you bleed-"

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I'm so glad that Hera is pinning my arms to my sides while she hugs me. I won't ever forgive myself if I accidentally hit her in a panic.

"You're back!" Hera sobs happily as she buries her face in my shoulder. "I knew you'd come back! They kept saying you wouldn't, but I just knew."

"Too tight!" I gasp. I feel like my ribs are about to break.

Hera doesn't hear me, but the bodyguards do. They carefully pry Hera off of me, and I take a much needed breath of air.

"Sorry," Hera mutters.

"It's okay," I wheeze. "Who told you I wasn't coming back?"

"Uncle Mudeenu," Hera says.

...I'll have a few choice words with Mudeenu later.

Isis is still trying to get Jupiter to see me. "Look, your sister likes him. Go and stand next to your sister."

Jupiter's head peeks around Isis, and he slowly walks up to Hera before trying to hide behind her.

Jupiter is a more natural red than Isis and Hera. He has large blue eyes and rough scales, and he has a very deliberate gait when he walks, with none of the clumsiness I expected from an eight solan old Mipedian. His long tail drags on the ground, and the end of his tail is covered in small nubs, the beginning of a set of spikes.

I lean forward and try to look around Hera. "Jupiter?"

Jupiter peeks out and looks at me, then hides behind Hera again.

"I'm not going to bite," I say.

Jupiter slowly steps out from behind Hera. He stands in front of me, staring with wide eyes. He lifts his hand to his mouth and starts to nibble at his claws, and then he rushes back to hide behind his mother again.

Watching Jupiter run from me feels like a punch to the guts. "I... guess he'll need some getting used to me," I mutter.

Hera frowns and makes as if to hug me again, then pauses. She looks worried that she'll hurt me. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves, then spread my arms out in invitation. Hera carefully embraces me-

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Embracing me in his arms, laughing sinisterly as he presses me against his muscular body. Any moment now he's going to thrust-

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I force myself to sit absolutely still while Hera and I hug, but I can't stop my heart from racing.

After a while, one of my guards lightly taps Hera's shoulder. "Your father needs to rest, now. He's been through a lot, and he needs to recover."

"What happened, Daddy?" Hera asks as she steps back.

"Not now, Hera," Isis says as she leads her and Jupiter towards the door-

"Excuse me," an old Mipedian in a tattered blue cloak says, standing at the door. "May I speak with Prince Osiris?"

Jupiter immediately hides behind Isis. Isis stammers, "E-Enre-hep, hello."

One of my bodyguards firmly states, "Prince Osiris will not be seeing-"

I clear my throat, and the Mipedian stops talking. "I'd be delighted to speak with Enre-hep."

The guard says, "Very well, then."

"Alone," I add.

Isis nods and quickly escorts our children out. My guards, however, give me concerned glances. "Your Highness, in your current state-"

"Alone," I repeat.

The guard gives me an exasperated stare. "You must be accompanied by an armed guard at all-"

"Alone." I touch my throat. "Is my voice not working or something?"

"King Theb-sarr's orders." The guard glances at Enre-hep. "We can't leave you alone with this nomad, we can't trust him-"

"I have absolute faith in High Muge Enre-hep," I state.

"High Muge?" The guard chuckles. "You're mistaken-"

I raise my eyebrows. "Then should I say the future High Muge Enre-hep?" I sigh. "Never mind, I guess Enre-hep will have to wait. A pity, I was looking forward to hearing what very important, possibly lifesaving information he had for me, especially considering his unique talents and connections. Indeed, whatever sensitive information he has might help stop the M'arrillian invasion, but if you do insist that he cannot speak to me alone, then I guess he will have to wait while the M'arrillians continue to destroy the lives of innocent creatures everywhere."

The two guards suddenly look very nervous. "I... guess that, since you think so highly of this nomad, we can simply keep watch outside the door."

Oh how I missed being able to make my point like that.

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Enre-hep and I are now alone. We sit across from each other, both silent. At least silent to the naked ear.

{I assumE thaT yoU wisH A guaranteE thaT wE wilL noT bE overhearD?} Enre-hep asks.

You are correct, High Muge.

{thaT iS onE thinG I wisH foR yoU tO clarifY,} Enre-hep thinks as he vocally chuckles, {buT speakinG likE thiS iS awkwarD anD clumsY.} He lifts his hands up. {maY I creatE A betteR placE foR uS tO communicate?}

I fight the urge to recoil from his hands. Yes, Enre-hep. You may.

{maY I usE youR homE oN eartH aS ouR environmenT?}

What's he talking about? Uh, I guess?

The old Mipedian muge presses his fingers to my temples-

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Up next: The One Who Knows

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Like I said before, Chaotic belongs to TCDigital.

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