Queen's note: Sometimes talking things out, even behind the scenes is needed. Now it's time to take a breath.

Garnets

Chapter Forty Eight:

Sentinels

Valen only hesitated only a moment before rapping his knuckles on the door in front of him. Very aware of who had followed him at a set distance. Waiting for a few moments before Vega opened the door to the royal chambers, with or without permission was up for debate. Looking around, the Argenta man snorted softly at the dim room. There was some light off to his left, what moonlight came from large windows and the odd glow by the bed so Valen could see well enough in the mostly dark.

The man set the tray down on the nearest desk to the big bed, triple checking that there was no meat. Not wanting to upset his charge's poor stomach once she finally woke up. Valen was not all too surprised that the Slayer had claimed this room as his. Not just because he was the Argenta War King, but because of the space to store his assortment of found things.

He always liked to collect small things, but Valen knew it used to be tiny knickknacks. It was a recently developed thing to start collecting people.

….then again.

The Demigod in question was awake and watching a small screen that he set up at the foot of the large bed. Splicing together human and Argenta technology again, it was quietly playing something human made (was that what the planet used to look like? It's seas were blue and green?) as the Slayer was laying down on his back. His left arm behind his head, while the other was wrapped around the bundle against his right side. Lazy glowing blue eyes turning at last to eye Valen.

Valen came over, holding a flask of glowing silver fluid and used the bottle to prod the Slayer with it in the side of the chest. Getting a grunt of displeasure back, and after a moment of no movement Valen prodded harder with the cool energy.

"Up," Valen said in a firm, but low voice so as not to disturb the sleeping and almost hidden human

Frowning deeply, the Slayer carefully unwrapped his arm from the bundle he was protecting. Sitting up and grumbling low in his throat as he glared at Valen until the Slayer almost had that now uncapped bottle shoved in his mouth.

"Drink it." Valen said just as firmly, motioning to the boneless lump now behind the Slayer. "If you want to not hurt her in this new bond, then you need more of the refined Sentinel energy in your system. Just because you can sustain yourself on any and all kinds of energy… or spite alone for that matter. It does not mean I'll have you tainting her new wraith gift."

John gave a low sound that was half growl, half groan. Yet he took the bottle, flask, on his own and to drink at least half in one go. Pausing to take a breath and then finish the rest at a little slower of a pace. The annoyance of being interrupted from his moment of laziness was fading as the new, refined energy was spreading through his gut and chest. Almost as nice as that feeling of being full when someone had faith in him.

Actually, he did feel that right now.

John grinned up at Valen, and after the Argenta man understood that look before scowling. The Demigod's grin turned toothy and wide.

"Don't say anything, bastard king." Valen growled back in a low tone.

Parents were married. John signed then paused as he tried to remember anything else with that tidbit but just grunting in disappointment as nothing came.

Valen let him be as he moved a step over to his right, reaching out to smooth his right hand over Lily's head as the human subconsciously scooted some into the warmer spot John left behind. Finding that she was curled around and snuggling a stolen pillow, with the larger tan plush toy now the pillow. "At least… we have her for a good few centuries now, instead of only a few dozen years…"

Lily was not immortal, but her lifespan would likely be extended to one like the unaltered Argenta's according to Asa.

Would likely never get any taller, but at least Valen would have longer before a heart break. Longer to deepen the attachment too, but who knows? Maybe there might be descendants to take care of someday if Lily felt safe enough.

She could hide in the Slayer's room for however long it was needed until the girl felt safe again now though.

Valen stood up, motioning to the desk. Getting his right hand caught for a moment as the Demigod bled through some energy for Valen to keep staying out of hell. "Just make sure she eats when she wakes, even a little bit. If humans really are descended from us Argenta, I don't want her digestive system shutting down after that large of a wraith gift."

"Mmhm," John made an agreeing sound, trying to get the last slow mouthful of the Sentinel energy out of the bottle. Making a face as that was taken from him, just barely getting the thick liquid.

Now he was awake and hungry, so to say. The only thing left was the raw Argent plasma, and as tempting as that was to get… John would have to stand up.

He slowly rolled back into his bed. Both making sure not to lay on the other one there, as well as turning to find where he had left the sleeping bundle that was his human.

"Has that territorial-ness calmed down?" Valen asked, not leaving just yet. Watching as the Demigod winced. "You best reassure her that you are not going to keep the girl as a pet or slave."

"Mmm…" the Slayer, John, winced again as he carefully hugged the smaller human to his chest. Even with his back to the Argenta man, Valen could recognize the guilty body language clearly.

I don't want to loose. John finally signed, carefully rolling into his back again to do so, keeping Lily against his side once more in her thankfully deep sleep. Looking up at his once mentor from the bed. Why did small flower trust monsters like me?

Valen blinked in surprise before moving to sit down on the edge of the bed. Near the other's hip to be able to watch the signing hands better. He had to think for a moment. "It's not the same, but similar I think, to how you gravitated to the orphans on Sentinel Prime, and Argent D'nur before it fell. You somehow showed that unwavering will to help. Lily in this case, I think, was taken from a living nightmare of her home by you."

Valen looked up, remembering his own much younger son shivering and hiding between himself and his wife after seeing a real skirmish in person for the first time. Not even what could happen after and during the first wave of a hell invasion. "Somehow you have become, or provided that needed stability young lives need. Like when you brought Rai, Asa and others to the Sentinel Keeps after that first invasion from Hell."

Is wraith right? John asked, finally admitting what was bothering him. Remembering Valen's own words of warning about the Kahn Maykr.

"Do you intend to hurt her?" Valen asked.

John shook his head, reflexively holding the smaller human tighter to his side for a fraction of a second. Pausing to partly let go and make sure she was not hurt as Lily moved under the shielding blanket. She sighed only after settling back into sleep once her back was pressed against John's side. Laying on that pillow and reaching out to bliny grasp his right forearm, pulling it back around her subconsciously.

The Demigod gave a soft whine, looking between the bundle that was Lily and up at Valen. Torn before signing with one hand. Why cute?

"Because she's small and young." Valen chuckled, he shook his head, watching the interaction he was seeing. How gentle the other was trying to be, and then sighed. "At times it seems like you were a father once as well, my Lord."

The Slayer stilled, as if confused at the statement. Looking back up at Valen with eerie blue eyes.

"In a way I suppose you were the closest thing to a parent to the strays you always found and brought back to the Keeps." Valen was focusing on the sleeping lump that was Lily. "You should ask her about the day hell invaded. I think that might help with some explanations… but it's not a story for me to tell."

"Mmm…hm?" John looked confused, then worried as he focused on Lily. Realizing he did not know anything but the very basics of her story before meeting the girl. She mostly talked about things with her family and life well before the hell invasion.

"Let her rest well," Valen said softly as he finally got up and turned to leave, "We'll have more of the Fortress up and going by tonight. It'll be safe to bring the humans out of stasis in the next few days."

Valen could not help looking back once at the main door. Seeing how his king was slowly, carefully moving to pull Lily back against himself and rested a hand on her back and neck to feel the girl's heartbeat again.

It almost reminded Valen of the first time he had seen the Slayer being calm and still on Argent D'nur. Back when his wife was still alive and the master caretaker of the Wintherin hatching grounds. She had brought this strange outlander to the nests on her own. When Valen had found them, the then apprentice Slayer was happily sitting in the nest of one of the meanest, unbound Wintherin females that only seemed to mostly like Valen's wife, as if he belonged there. If anything that big Wintherin was curled around both in and on the nest and crooning the hatching song.

The Slayer then had been so absorbed in helping Valen's wife with the hatching eggs that he smiled for the first time. Even not caring about getting the egg fluids on himself, or how it triggered the adult Wintherin to groom the human. Helping to carefully break out a struggling hatching with the thicker shell.

That one had started so small but had ended up bigger than her mother, and only let the Slayer ride her.

This here and now was alike, but more in his eyes.

Valen turned away as his king started to hum. Hoping this was a good sign of things that could come. He exited and found that Mila was still standing in the hall waiting faithfully despite all that she now knew. She glanced behind Valen, catching that familiar sound of the Slayer's 'voice' despite it being a good decade or two from her point of view since hearing that.

Mila turned and followed at Valen's back as they left the area of the Fortress. Before they were in the command area the Captain spoke up.

"Lord Valen, I have a strange question."

"Yes Sentinel?" Valen moved to glance back, but it was his blind side, showing the trust he was putting in Mila.

"Is Lady Lily… our King's heir?" Captain Mila almost hesitated to ask but made herself ask it clearly.

Valen chuckled, looking at the last of the supplies in the main hall. "It certainly seems like that does it not?"

"Has he said anything to you about it?" Mila was controlling her expression as she thought.

"Not to me one way or another." Valen shook his head, "I only know Lily came from earth, had a mother and an adopted father. Possibly he was like our Lord, some sort of human fighter class they both came from, before he stayed in hell."

"That adopted father was given the honor of being the Slayer's new crucible."

"Yes, he is." Valen paused to look at an open box. It looked like small, tiny clothes. Infant wraps that were easy and simple to get on and off but also so brightly colorful. Telling of more peaceful times the humans had to indulge in the effort for such bright dyes for little ones. He picked up the box that seemed to have the most clothes in the size of that survivor's children that was saved the same day they killed the Wretched.

Mila found another box to take to Medical, following behind the slightly shorter Commander.

…Betrayer?

Almost six hours of talking with Valen, Vega and the other Argenta the day before. Mila was not so sure she could do anything else then what Valen had done. Gods, she was not at all fully confident that her king would not sacrifice them all in a similar way. Mila now knew the Slayer would kill a wraith to protect what he considered as his, after so much seemed to have been stripped of him. The Argenta, and now his original race were well over half gone in just a few months.

"There is a chance Lady Lily is not his heir." Mila stated, not asked as she was working out things in her head.

"By blood? Yes, a high one he is not her sire." Valen noted, starting down stairs with the very light but awkward box-bin.

"It's not impossible." Mila noted, giving the other some space to get down some steps before following.

"...no. I suppose not, but unlikely." Valen sighed.

"Yet Lady Lily does not react negatively to our Lord's… unique sort of power." Mila said, wondering why the Atlan, Vega was not speaking up. "Even though it helps, his energy hurts. I can see you've been given some just now, you're breathing harder than normal."

Valen stopped on the stairs. Seeming to just realize this fact as well. He was well just to that odd, sometimes quite painful energy of the Slayer that Valen barely reacted to it now.

Lily never reacted but to relax.

Was it a normal human reaction?

"Like the Wraith Mothers that would give their gifts to mortal heirs…" Mila considered as she walked down the stairs around Valen. "I wonder if it's unconscious. If not by blood then something a Primordial creature does without thinking about it, to make an heir of someone they connect to?"

"It's impossible to tell, we are immortal now, you and I, Mila. But even our people did not fully understand the Divinity Machine." Valen was finally able to see the Sentinel Captain as she paced him on his left side.

"...it would be useful to our Slayer King back on Sentinel Prime, or other Argenta colonies that survived the Maykr's culling of our race… That he has an heir, is it not?"

Valen almost tripped on the last step. Stopping once more, thinking of the risks to Lily if that spread too far-

…and the possible small army's worth of trained Night Sentinels still ready to follow the Slayer to hell…

"We will not lie about this."

"There's no need to lie when the Truth is so... compelling to make one wonder."

REviews!

XFireStoneX: Mwahaha, hey, it makes sense even being a shorter chapter! and its still a more or less 'empty' gorgon egg