Later that evening, after I was certain Momma and Daddy were asleep, I climbed out of bed and took a blanket and pillow Momma had made from a chest. I walked outside toward the raider who was still held down in place on the road. The air was cool, the moon and stars were bright, giving off just enough light to see by. Not that I needed the light. I was so used to sensing things through the stone that I could use the information to tell what was going on in a form of quasi echo location.

I approached the raider carefully, stopping a few feet away. I cleared my throat to get his attention, "Excuse me?"

The man snapped awake and looked around, "Wha? Oh sit… it's you. Stay away from me!"

I put a finger to my lips and quick shooshed him, "Be quiet. You'll wake up Momma and Daddy. I just want to bring you a pillow and a blanket. I know you can't be too comfortable out in the open like this."

"What the hell even are you, kid?" the raider asked.

I moved in and set the pillow to the side so I could unfold the blanket and pull it over him, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Kid, I've seen some weird shit in the Wasteland," the raider was panicking when I moved close to him. "But I ain't never seen anything like what you did. How did you do that?"

I grabbed the pillow and looked down at him, "You really want to know?"

"There's gotta be some kind of explanation," the raider insisted.

"Lift your head up," I said.

"Why? You going to whisper in my ear?" he replied in a defeated chuckle.

I pat the pillow, "No. I'm going to put this pillow down for you."

He stared at me for several moments before lifting his head, "Oh…"

I tucked the pillow under his head and stepped away to sit down a few feet from him, "I guess I could tell you the truth. You won't believe me. And no one else you tell will believe you either. They'll just think you're one more crazy in the Wasteland who's taken one too many huff of chems…"

"Ok, then," he said as he maneuvered his head to get comfortable on the pillow. "Go on and tell me. What are you?"

I looked him straight in the eyes, "I'm an Empress. A dwarf. This is my third life that I know of so far. My first life was nothing special. But in my most recent life, I was reborn as the Princess to a Dwarven kingdom. In that life, I learned to use magic, was blessed by a titan to control stone, and I learned and mastered dozens of other skills like blacksmithing, diplomacy, and even a few other instruments"

The raid looked less than convinced, "Yeah. You're right. Not all that believable."

I shrugged, "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. It's the truth… What's more, I found my spouse from my first life in my second life. I was lucky enough to marry them again…" Just thinking about losing Faren was making me tear up.

"In our first life, my spouse always wanted to die before I did," I explained, my voice cracking slightly. "They didn't want to live a single day without me. And they got their wish… they died two years before I did. Those two years were agony for me. I doubt you know what it's like to spend your life with someone who makes every aspect of your being complete, and then lose them."

"Can't… say I do," the raider said with a tone that suggested he was growing slightly uncomfortable.

"But I found them again… in my next life," I continued, sniffling and trying to maintain my composure. "This time they figured out who I was, and then almost sat back and allowed me to marry someone else. But the person I was going to married died saving me on a battlefield against darkspawn."

"Never heard of no darkspawn," the raider interrupted.

"Think of them like ghouls who can make armor and and weapons, turn others into their own kind," I explained quickly. "But after my fiance died, they told me who they were. I was so happy… We lived for hundreds of years. We fought monsters and gods, and ruled our people justly. But I went to sleep one night and I…" I paused and wiped at my to stop the tears from falling. "I woke up here. In this world. I didn't get to say goodbye… He just either came to bed, or woke up, and found me dead… And now he has to live out the rest of his life without me in a way he never wanted. I left him and I didn't want to and I… I… I…"

I broke down. I couldn't help it as the emotional weight of leaving Faren without me hit home. I'd done my best to not think about it since I was reborn here. I didn't want to think about how upset he would have been. We two halves of a whole and half of him was ripped away without warning. I continued on, but somewhere else… without him. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed, hard and choking on my own sadness.

My reaction to the thoughts and memories must have shifted something in the raider's opinion because his tone became soft, conciliatory and as he asked, "Hey… you alright?"

It took me some time to compose myself to the point that I could respond. When I looked at the raider my eyes were read with tears and my nose glistened with the remnants of wiped away mucus, "No. No, I'm not. I'm hundreds of years old, trapped in the body of a child. I've lost my family, friends, and the love of my existence. And all I can do is wait to grow up and live through this life in the Wasteland, wondering if I'll be reborn in some other world again… All I want is to die and find my love again…"

"Kid… Merida, right?" The raider started. "I don't know anything about being reborn, or controlling stone, or anything like that. But… I don't know… All I can tell you is to just accept the hand you're dealt and try and make the most of it. Can't change what happened. Maybe you just need to… I don't know… Maybe just try and live in a way that would make him proud, ya know?"

I sniffled and nodded, wiped at eyes again, "I plan on it. Sorry. I've been trying not to think about it for a while… But, yes, that's precisely what I plan on doing. But I need help. I'm hoping to convince you to help me."

"Help you do what?" he asked.

"I'm going to tame the Wasteland," I said, some conviction coming back to my voice. I stood up and stared out across the ground of Sanctuary. "Others have already started. There's clean water out there. Towns and cities that are starting to gain traction again. There are large factions forming and vying for territory. But their methods are brutal… which is understandable. But they're warring against each other. I want to stop that. I want to stop the need for scavenging and raiding, stop the need to fight over resources."

I turned and looked down at the raider, "If you ever have kids, which world do you want them to live in? One where they'll probably be murdered before they grow, or die of starvation or disease? Or would you prefer that they live in a world where everyone is working together to build things back up again?"

"I guess the second one sounds the best," he replied.

"Exactly," I nodded. "As I grow, my sphere of influence in the stone and radiation grows. Right now, it's about twice the size of Sanctuary. By the time I'm an adult… It will span nearly a third of the planet. I can create stone buildings with my will. Walls, roads… I can provide these things for everyone. But I need people who are willing to do the things I can't do for everyone. Spread the word, help with farming and implementing systems of government, enforcing laws, creating systems for irrigation, clean water, bringing power to every home…"

I turned and moved to sit next to the raider, "I want to give people back their world. I want them to live happy lives. I don't want them to have to fear the radiation anymore. I want them to have a chance to live a life where seeing someone at their door doesn't make them wonder if they're going to be killed for a few vegetables or scrap metal."

The raider looked up at me, his face a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. It looked like he doubted my ability to do what I wanted to do, but had some hesitant hope that I could pull it off, "You really think you can?"

I looked to the side and willed the road to leap into the air and mold itself into the form of a deathclaw, then into a castle, a suit of power armor, then a dragon, then finally letting it return to its original form as a not so subtle display of my abilities, "I have absolutely no doubt. With the right people, and enough faith in my abilities, we can put our nation back on track and become the most powerful country in the world once again."

"You bullet proof?" he asked, the question seeming to come from a quick consideration of what he thought was needed to achieve such a goal.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I don't think so. But I also don't think they will be much of a problem once I can find the right people."

"What kind of people will make you bulletproof?" he chuckled.

"None," I admitted. "But there are people out there with knowledge about mechanics, electrical work, programming, and other sort of information I'll need to learn. And there's someone I need to get in touch with… but they're way out west in Nevada. I don't suppose you know about any courier services, do you?"

"Can't say I do," he said. "At least not any that'll go that far."

"Just one more obstacle to overcome," I sighed. There was silence for a few moments before I looked down at the raider, "You never did tell me your name, you know."

"Huh? Oh… Name's Jeff," he said as if it wasn't all that important.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jeff," I smiled. "I am sorry about your friends. I hope I can convince you to stay and us out. I really do need help to make this happen."

"Hard to believe you need help with what all you can do," he said. "But it makes a difference, I know my way around a bot. Been workin on the assaultrons and Mr. Handy's we got our hands on. Programming them to only attack intruders and the like. I could teach you."

I smiled brightly down at him, "I would appreciate that." I stood and stretched, "I better get back to bed. I need my rest. We can get started tomorrow. There's something on the other side of the lake you might be able to help me with."

"Don't suppose I could convince you to let me up, could I?" Jeff asked. "I'm gonna be sore tomorrow from laying like this."

I gave him an apologetic expression and shook my head, "Sorry. But I promised Daddy I'd keep you where you are for the night. I'm not going to break my promise. But I'll try and convince Momma and Daddy to let you stay in a bed tomorrow."

Jeff sighed, "That's fair… I guess I'll see you in the mornin, kid."

"Merida," I replied.

"Merida sounds so formal," he said. "Like I'm talking to an old lady."

I smirked at him, "You are."

He chuckled and gave a little nod, "Alright, Merida. Go to bed. I ain't going anywhere."

I wished Jeff a good night then went back into the house. I slipped back into bed and thought about everything I'd admitted to Jeff. I wondered how much he actually believed, and how much he thought I was either making up or exaggerating. He probably thought I was a lunatic. Who wouldn't? Still, it wouldn't matter if he thought I was crazy so long as he believed I could do what I said I could do. Tomorrow would be a good opportunity to show him what I was capable of. I thought about how we could achieve this first step as I drifted off to sleep.

The next day Momma woke me up and called me for breakfast. She had grilled some vegetables, eggs, and mirelurck meat. The mirelurks were easily penned up when I had a hold on my powers, and the colony on the other side of the lake were kept in a large stone pen after I'd pulled them over to Sanctuary. Every day, Daddy would check the pen to see if there were any eggs or newborn mirelurks we could harvest for meat. He was careful about keeping the colony sustainable, so we didn't get eggs and meat every day, but it was often enough that we were able to keep our supplies stocked when Daddy's radstag hunts went well, and with the occasional group of molerats that got too close so that I could catch them.

As we sat at the table, Daddy looked at me, "Merida, how did that raid get a pillow and blanket?"

"I brought it to him last night," I admitted. "I didn't want him to get cold. And I thought if I was nice to him, it would go a long way toward convincing him to help us."

"You shouldn't have gone outside, baby," Momma said. "It's dangerous. Don't do anything like that again."

I sighed and nodded my head, "Yes, ma'am."

"What do you think you'll be doing to convince him to help us?" Daddy asked.

"He's a mechanic," I said as I chomped into my eggs. "I'm going to go to the old robotics disposal ground and see if he can get that combat sentry drone up and running. It'd be amazing if we could use it to defend Sanctuary."

"That's off the island, Merida," Daddy said, shaking his head. "You know we don't want you going off the island."

"I won't be in any danger, Daddy!" I protested. I sense everything around us past the disposal ground. There's nothing around that will attack us. But we can go and get some power armor for you if you want to come along."

"What do you mean?" Daddy asked. "There's power armor over there?"

"Just the exoskeleton," I admitted. "But there's a complete set of T-45 armor in Concord."

"I thought you said there could be raiders in Concord," Daddy countered.

"We could ask Jeff if there are," I offered.

"Jeff?" Daddy asked.

"Who's Jeff?" Momma asked.

I pointed outside where Jeff was still held down, "His name is Jeff."

My parents looked at eachother. Momma shook her head and sighed, Daddy rolled his eyes.

"We'll decide about Concord later, Merida," Daddy said. He tapped his fork on the table a few times as he thought something over. "You and Jeff can try to get the drone up and running."

"Nate!" Mother protested.

Daddy held a hand up, asking for some patience, "I'm going to trust you with this. If there's nothing around, then you should be alright. But if anything comes close, I expect you to come home where it's safe. Do you understand?"

"Nate, you can't be serious," Momma interjected. "She's one year old! And you're going to send her off with some guy who tried to murder us yesterday?"

Daddy looked at Momma and sighed, "Nora, you've seen what she's capable of. She's not the one who's in danger here. We might both be dead already if it wasn't for her. And he's already scared shitless of her. I doubt he's stupid enough to make her angry."

"Nate, please…" Momma asked.

"Momma," I pleaded. "I promise, I won't be in any danger. And I won't go past the disposal grounds. You can even watch us the entire way from the island. Daddy can watch us too. The only time I'll be out of sight is when we climb up to the disposal grounds. If you want, I'll just sit on the rocks while Jeff works on the drone so you can see me the whole time."

Momma stared at me and I watched as her expression was one of fear. She still wasn't used to me being the way I was. She wanted desperately to see a little helpless girl where she saw a mature, capable individual. She still saw me as her baby. I understood how she must have felt, trying to come to terms with her child not needing her. It was something she wrestled with. I truly felt sorry for her.

Her expression changed to resignation, "Alright, Merida. But we'll be watching the entire time. The moment something happens where you know I'd tell you to come back, you'd better head right back. Am I clear?"

My smile must have beamed because I saw a little happiness return to her face as I shouted excitedly, "Yes, ma'am! I promise!"

I hurried and gobbled down my breakfast then hopped out of my chair and had Momma fill the plate with food for Jeff. She at least saw the wisdom in allowing him to have a full stomach before we left for the disposal yard. I skipped out of the house and down the road to where Jeff was still being held down.

Jeff groaned as he watched me approach, "Please tell me I can get up now."

I nodded and smiled as I allowed the stone to release him, "You sure can! And I brought you breakfast! Grilled vegetables, mirelurk meat, and eggs!" I offered Jeff the plate as he sat up and stretched.

Jeff sat up slowly, twisting and stretching out his muscles, "Thanks. I don't even want to think about how bad I'd be hurting if you didn't bring me that pillow."

"You're welcome," I smiled as he took the plate. "Once you're done with that, we're going to head over to the disposal yard. Since you're a mechanic, I figured we could repair a sentry drone and bring it back home to help defend the place."

Jeff was scarfing down the food quickly, "A sentry bot, huh? What kind?"

"It's a prototype," I answered. "Mark four, I think."

"Mark four, huh?" he hummed as he finished his breakfast. "Not bad. It'll do the job, for sure."

"I thought so! Let me go give Momma the dishes and grab Daddy's tools," I smiled. "I'll be right back!" I turned and ran back into the house.

I handed Momma the dishes and Daddy helped me gather up the tools. They both walked me back outside. As heavy as the tool bag should have been, I found that I didn't have that much trouble carrying it beyond how large it was compared to me. That was a little weird but I dismissed the curiosity as we approached Jeff who was stretching himself out still.

"So, did Merida tell you what she wanted to do today?" Daddy asked Jeff while crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Jeff nodded. "We're taking a walk over to a disposal yard to fix up a sentry bot, right?"

Daddy nodded, "That's right. It's on the other side of the lake so we'll be able to watch the entire time."

"Guess you're still worried that I'll try something, huh?" Jeff sighed. "I get that. But… look… the kid's a goddam monster. I'd have a better chance diddling a deathclaw than trying anything with her."

"Really? Watch what you say around her!" Momma said.

Jeff raised his hands up in front of him defensively, "My bad. It's hard to think of her as a kid after yesterday."

"I got the tools," I smiled and lifted the bag up for Jeff to take.

Jeff took the bag from me and paused as he tested the weight of the bag before looking down at me, "How did you… Nevermind. We ready to go?"

"I made a lunch for you two," Momma said as he gave Jeff a small pack of food.

"Thanks, lady," he smirked as he took the pack.

"My name's Nora," Momma corrected him.

"Yeah. Nora. Right," Jeff sighed. He looked down at me, "You ready to go pipsqueak?"

"Ready!" I said excitedly.

"Be safe, baby," Momma said.

"Bring us back something nice," Daddy chuckled.

Jeff and I made our way to the bridge where Codsworth was waiting. Jess placed me in the compartment on Codsworth's back that Daddy had made for me.

"This your first time off your little island, Pipsqueak?" Jeff asked.

"Sir!" Codsworth interjected. "I would appreciate it if you addressed the little lady as Merida. She's quite insistent on being called by her name."

"Geez, you too?" Jeff huffed. "Anyway… Ever gotten to get off the island before?"

"Just once, " I replied as I pointed to the bronze statue of a minuteman while we passed it. "I showed Daddy where a stash of guns were nearby. He's probably watching you through the rifle's scope right about now."

Jeff seemed to stiffen up a bit at the thought, "Speaking of which… Why do you even bother calling them 'Mommy' and 'Daddy'? If they're not your real parents, and you're as old as you say you are… Seems kinda weird."

I looked back to the island where Momma and Daddy were, "Well, they are my parents. Momma did give birth to me. I'm their child. My mind, or soul, or… whatever, is just… older. Aware of my past lives. I'm really not sure how to explain that part properly. And since I am their child, and it's what they want me to call them, it's really the least I can do for them. I don't mind it."

"Doesn't make you kind of," Jeff snickered, "childish?"

"One thing I've learned after two lifetimes is that sometimes it's nice to be a child sometimes," I smiled at him. "It's not like I'm pretending to be something I'm not. Even Codsworth doesn't believe me."

"Nonsense, miss Merida!" Codsworth chimed in. "Of course I believe you. Why, I just adore your wondrous tales of you as the dwarven princess in the fantasy world of Thedas! Truly remarkable storytelling!"

I shook my head at Jeff, giving him a deadpan look. He seemed to understand. Codsworth was just playing along.

"So why haven't you activated this sentry bot yet?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know how without its code," I answered. "But if you know bots, you can probably get around that. Right?"

"Maybe," Jeff said. "If it has a fusion core, we can definitely get it up and running. Depending on the programming, it might take a little longer, but it depends on how bad it's damaged."

We came to the cliffside that led to the disposal yard soon enough. We could have just gone around the large hill where there was a road which led to the disposal yard, but that would have taken us out of Momma and Daddy's line of sight. So the cliff was the only option.

"Well, this is gonna be a hell of a climb," Jeff complained.

"Who's climbing?" I laughed. "Watch this."

I reached out with my will to mold the cliffside. The stone reshaped itself into a smooth ramp that led up to the disposal yard. I even made sure that it was wide enough for the sentry bot to come down if we could get it working.

"Well done, Lady Merida!"Codsworth praised me. "Another marvelous use of your gifts!"

Jeff just stared at the display of power, "Damn Pip-... Merida. Does anyone ever get used to seeing you do that?"

"Daddy sort of has," I said. "Momma not so much. My spouse did in my last life. He had similar abilities, but not as strong."

"And you said you're only going to get stronger?" he asked as we started going up to the disposal yard.

"Well, more like the area I'll be able to control will grow," I clarified. "I've been testing different uses, though. I'm starting to learn some new tricks, but I haven't mastered them yet so I don't use them a lot."

"Maybe I can help with that, young miss," Codsworth offered. "It's always a pleasure to assist in your development."

"I might take you up on that, Codsworth," I smiled.

We reached the top of the stone ramp where the disposal yard was.

I pointed at the sentry bot that stood like a silent sentinel in the middle of the yard, "There it is!"

"Huh… You weren't kidding," Jeff laughed. "You ready to get to work?"

"I can't," I sighed. "I promised Momma I'd stay here on the rocks while you work so they could see me."

"You can't exactly learn anything if you just sit over here," he replied as he looked at the sentry bot.

"I told you, I don't break my promises," I said as I turned Codsworth to face the island and waved at Momma who was currently watching.

Jeff set the tool bag and lunch pack down, "Well, why don't you drag the thing over here? I figure you can do that, right? Just grab with your… stony power or whatever and pull it over where they can see."

I looked over at Jeff and laughed, "Oh my gosh, why didn't I think of that? I guess I was just too focused on being allowed off the island that I'd accepted sitting here and waiting."

I reached out with the stone and wrapped it around the bot's thick leg tracks, then pulled it over to the cliffside while expanding the area we were on so Jeff would have room to work.

Looking down at my work I grinned at Jeff, "How's that?"

"Pretty good!" Jeff nodded in approval. "You ready to get to work?"

"Let's do it!" I shouted as I hopped out of Codsworth's saddle.

I knew the tools Jeff was working with, but I had absolutely no clue what he was doing. He was a decent teacher. As he checked the sentry bot over, he would point out how the mechanisms worked. I didn't understand everything right away, but I got the general gist of it. It took a few hours just to check the bot's physical state. Once Jeff was satisfied that it was in decent enough shape to operate, he started looking through its computing systems. This was one area I was vaguely familiar with.

The programming in the terminals and robots were mostly ROM inspired systems. The operating systems were fairly basic while using a BIOS style operating system. Figuring out the way to command certain actions, or access different menus, was relatively easy. Now, granted, anyone who could do that in the Wasteland was treated like a king since they had a valuable skill. In my first life, however, it was an archaic system and a niche skill set that anyone could learn. In the end, I ended up asking questions about the specific coding language just for clarification. Jeff was more of a mechanic than he was familiar with the coding. It was early afternoon by the time we were ready to start the thing up.

"Now all we need is a fusion core," Jeff wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You could check the trailer in the yard," I suggested. "There might be one in there."

"Good idea," he said and took a drink of water, then stood up. "I'll be right back."

While Jeff went to look for a fusion core that I knew would be in there, I walked over to the fence to look in the yard. I grinned as I found what I was looking for. I looked over at Codsworth, "Hey Codsworth! Would you mind grabbing something for me?"

Codsworth floated over, "Of course, Miss! What would you like me to get?"

I pointed to the hood of one of the cars, "There's a Fat Man and a Mini-Nuke over there. Could you grab them so we can bring them back for Daddy? He'll know how to use it."

"Those are very dangerous weapons, Lady Merida," Codsworth said as he hovered around the fence to carefully pick up the Mini-Nuke and its launcher. "You're right to bring it to your father. I'm sure he'll appreciate how responsible you were when you saw it."

Jeff returned before Codsworth, tossing a fusion core up into the air, "Good news! There was a spare fusion core in a box in that trailer. Found something else you might like."

"Oh?" I asked. "What's that?"

Jeff pulled a magazine from his back pocket and handed it to me, "This. Thought you might like to read it."

I took the magazine and looked at it, giving a little laugh, "Hot Rodder magazine! This is great!"

"Glad you like it," Jeff laughed. "You ready to test this baby out?"

I grinned at him and nodded, "Fire away!"

Jeff moved around to the back of the sentry bot and opened up an armored panel. He twisted the fusion core into its slot then pounded it into place with a quick thump of his fist. As the sentry bot came online, he closed the panel and took a few steps back.

Red light poured within the sentry bot's faceplate as it activated. There were several mechanical sound clicking and chirping throughout its casing as its systems engaged. After a moment, its robot voice announced, "Powering up. All systems online. Priority one: defend primary target designated Merida. Priority two: defend primary target's family; designated Momma / Nora, and Daddy / Nate. Priority three: defend designated perimeter; designated Sanctuary. Alert. Alert. Unit and primary target are outside of Sanctuary."

The massive robot turned and scanned me with its sensors, "Primary target acquired. Merida confirmed. Please follow this unit back to the designated perimeter of Sanctuary."

I couldn't help but laugh and look at Jeff, "You did it!"

Codsworth scooped me up and set me inside the carrier seat, "Here you go, Lady Merida. We are prepared to return home."

The sentry robot took a few moments to confirm that Codsworth was going to carry me back, "Mobile transportation for primary Merida approved. Proceeding to return to designated perimeter."

Jeff kept up with Codsworth as the sentry bot escorted us home, "Been a while since I was able to work on something like this."

I looked over at Jeff curiously, "I can't help but notice that you didn't put yourself as one of the people the sentry bot needed to protect. Why didn't you do that?"

Jeff shrugged with a smile, "I figured it would go a long way to showing I have no intention on trying anything. If I do, I don't have to worry about you, your dad, and the Mr. Handy. I'll also have to worry about the sentry bot."

"That makes sense, I guess," I said and pulled the magazine up to look it over.

When we got back to Sanctuary, the sentry bot began to map out the island. Jeff and I reported back to Momma and Daddy. I told them how Jeff had programmed the sentry to defend us and not him. The gesture seemed to go a good way with both of them. Over the next few months, Jeff was gradually accepted by my parents and was given free reign over where he wanted to go. I was also allowed to explore further out from the island. We grabbed the power armor exoskeleton that was near the disposal yard, and made plans to push into Concord to scavenge for supplies soon.