Aja packed the last of her things, preparing to visit Earth. For some weeks now she'd been mentally and emotionally bracing herself for this visit, but she found it was necessary.
She needed to break up with Steve.
The idea felt like it was taking sandpaper to her core, scraping away within her. But she'd begun to realize how truly difficult it was to lead Akiridion-5, and especially how much so it was to do it alone. Rebuilding the Council had taught her what to look for in someone to rule beside her, and Steve just... wasn't it.
As much as Aja still cared deeply for him, she was resigned to this. She knew what she needed- what Akiridion needed -Steve couldn't provide. Calm, courage, intelligence- Steve had his share of personal growth and virtues, but he was no King of Akiridion. Aja knew this. Now she had to somehow figure out how to give Steve an honest breakup without breaking him.
She sighed as she activated her personal wormhole to Earth, glancing at Eli to check he was ready. He was planning to join his family for his yearly vacation on Earth and spend some quality time with them while Aja handled her business in Arcadia. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and nodded, and Aja led the way through the glowing vortex.
Before long they found themselves just down the street from Steve's house, Aja pacing nervously.
"Am I doing the right thing?" She fretted for the seventeenth time.
Eli put his hands on her shoulders. "If it's worrying you this much, maybe you should wait until you've had more time to think through it."
Aja shook her head. "No... no, I know I need to. It's not fair to Steve to string him along."
They walked up and knocked, Aja wringing her hands together.
Coach Lawrence opened the door and welcomed Aja in gladly, and called for Steve to come greet his guests.
And thus, the moment Aja had been dreading. She'd practiced this in her mind- she was prepared for a lot. She was ready for Steve to be angry- she was ready for him to sob, or to be so shocked he laughed, or to just look numb.
She wasn't prepared for the quiet, hurt "Oh" she received. She wasn't prepared for how he couldn't look at her, staring blankly past her at the back of the couch, tears welling silently in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she breathed, voice catching in her throat, fingers digging into her own forearms. "I'm so, so sorry, Steve. I swear to you that if I had been born a girl with the freedom to choose anyone in the universe, it would have been you." She swallowed and looked down. "But I don't get to choose. I'll probably end up with some politician I can barely stand long enough to make public appearances with. Seklos and Gaylen, I wish I could choose you instead."
"I know," Steve offered weakly, almost plaintively. He sniffed a bit and swallowed. "I'm- sorry you feel trapped. That you don't get to have what you really want." It wasn't clear whether he meant trapped with her obligations, or trapped with him, and it didn't matter, because Aja promptly burst into tears, and Eli gently led her out before coming back to take care of Steve.
Aja found her way to the empty shell of the Mothership, curled in on herself, tears running freely down her face and core feeling as hollow as her former home.
When she knocked, Krel was almost instantly there- Eli had texted him to warn him. His concerned look deepened when he saw her.
"Sweet Seklos, you really did it," he murmured, pained on her behalf. With his lower two hands he held her upper arms, running his thumbs gently over the fingers that dug into herself so hard her knuckles looked pale. With his other two hands, he gently cupped her face and brushed her tears away, and kissed her forehead as they were replaced.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Douxie and Jim are out. It's quiet as long as you want it to be."
Aja nodded silently, and Krel wrapped her up in a blanket on the couch and held her for a long while, breathing slowly and trying to soothe her somehow. She cried herself out for most of it, breathing jerky and uneven.
Maybe two hours later, after Jim and Douxie had returned and quietly retreated to their rooms (Douxie and Krel had used a combination of magic and technology to add a couple extras), there was a quiet knock at the door.
Krel rubbed Aja's back before getting up to answer it.
Cara stood there, holding a paper bag of takeout. "Douxie texted to ask me to cover for you at rehearsal," she explained. "He told me what's going on, so I brought my go-to breakup food for when my friends are going through it." She held out the bag. "Fried ice cream. Tell your sister I hope she feels better, okay?"
Krel blinked, surprised and touched by the gesture, and pulled Cara into a hug. "Thanks," he said softly.
Cara squeezed him gently. "Of course," she said before she made an egress.
"Who was that?" Aja asked, sniffling, as Krel pulled four takeout containers out of the large paper bag.
"A friend of mine," Krel explained simply. "She said she hopes you feel better."
"That's kind of her," Aja noted, taking one of the containers. She opened it and took the plastic spoon Krel handed her. She raised both eyebrows as she tried it. "Ooh- little brother, you must learn where your friend obtained this 'fried ice cream'-"
Krel smiled a bit, internally making note of that and also to thank Cara again later. "It's good then?"
"Quite. Try it," Aja insisted, gesturing to the other containers. "Be careful, though, the inside is deceptively cold."
Krel got Douxie and Jim, and the four dug into the fried ice cream. At first there was a careful sort of solemnity, but slowly the tension began to ease, if not the pain.
Douxie excused himself after he finished his fried ice cream and left the house.
He'd been thinking about this faceless threat, the unknown danger it posed. He knew Irene- they were close in age, within a few years, and somehow in the vastness of the world they always seemed to find each other. It never seemed to go well, either. Douxie dreaded being forced into a higher-stakes encounter with her where they still didn't get along. While he might not think much of sorcery, a dragon had respected it enough to be a sorceress' familiar; and Douxie hated to admit it to himself, but Merlin had held onto a lot of misperceptions out of pride. Maybe it was time he buried some of the ideas Merlin had left with him.
He knocked on the Halls' door, taking a deep breath. "Here goes... potentially a lot," he mumbled.
A young man, maybe sixteen or seventeen, with a face shape similar to Irene's but slightly wider, opened the door and blinked at Douxie.
"Erm- hello," Douxie greeted him. "I'm here to see Irene-"
The young man turned around and hollered, "YO, IRENE! THERE'S SOME SORT OF GOTH MODEL HERE TO SEE YOU."
There was a sound of a door opening, followed by light, but definite footsteps, quickly making their way to the front. This was accompanied by a feminine voice yelling back, "WHY IS IT GOTH!?"
"Punk, technically," Douxie noted quietly.
"A VERY PUNK GOTH, I DUNNO," the boy yelled.
Irene finally came into view, only a few steps down from the top of the stairs when she decided to speak. "Oh."
Douxie went a little wide-eyed when he saw her. "Oh," he echoed. She was wearing a lavender gown in lightweight, flowing fabric, with a single-sleeve bodice attached to a small purple- and silver-berried wreath around her shoulder that sported a long, flowing cape of a sleeve trailing over her outer arm.
Douxie cleared his throat. "You look lovely," he said. "I uh- I take it you're busy, so I'll make it quick and leave you to it."
As she descended another step, the soft light catching the subtle shimmer of her gown, a slight movement of the skirt revealed a significant slit up one side, teasing a glimpse of her golden skin. Douxie's gaze flickered briefly downward before returning to her face.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice tinged with a distant tone as she fixed him with her sharp blue eyes. It was then that he noticed the edge in her demeanor, the unspoken question lingering between them.
Douxie took another deep breath. "To apologize," he said. "For- everything, over all these years. I'm not sure how, and I know my word isn't enough, but I swear to you I genuinely want to set this- this distance between us in the past."
Irene inhaled sharply, her eyes flickering around the house as she made her way down the rest of the stairs. Aiden quickly trotted past Irene and towards his own room upstairs, the last look on his face being a tense one.
"Why... now?" Irene barely spoke, finally returning her eyes to his.
Douxie huffed a sigh through his nose. "Because I let Merlin's prejudices turn me against you- against all sorcerers -for far, far too long. He's gone, and his pride should go with him. And because with this new threat to Arcadia- I know the cats informed you -I won't let the pride Merlin put in me put my friends or your family in danger."
He held out a glass orb with a small, intricate ship within. "This was a relic of Merlin's. It's a gift- call it my way of trying to close the distance he fed between our kinds of magic."
Irene's pupils constricted, and she levitated the orb with a fluid raising motion of her hand, before lowering it gently to the counter. "This isn't something for me to decide."
Douxie nodded. "That's- that's fair," he said. "I'll get out of your hair then." He paused. "Which- looks great, for the record."
She scoffed. "Well, uh... Thank you," she brought her hands together. "I think." She nearly whispered, still looking over Douxie for any signs of deception.
He gave none, offering a small, awkward smile and quickly leaving, sensing her discomfort with his presence.
The moment the door closed behind him, her eyelids fluttered a bit, her gaze softening, even as she looked down at the sphere.
"Irene, it's time to go now," Vicky called as she flew into the room, dropping lightly on the table to investigate the new object. She raised her eyebrows. "A Camelotian mageship. Where did you get this? I thought they had all been destroyed. This is incredibly valuable."
"I could say I stole it from the King's castle a thousand years ago, or I could tell you a certain lonely wizard brought it here as a peace offering," Irene muttered, caressing the air around the orb, still refusing to touch it directly. "Both are unlikely– but we both know I'd lose this within a century or two." Irene snickered a little. "We should wait for Mom and Dad to return, right?"
Victoria blinked and batted gently at the orb. "You can trust him, you know."
"Because your brother trusts him?"
Victoria looked at her. "Do you trust me?"
Irene looked at her, a bit shocked. "Of course..."
"I trust my brother," Victoria said firmly, "and my brother has been with Douxie since before he knew Merlin. The old man put him through the ringer to earn the barest traces of respect. Of course Douxie formed himself to his ideals. Merlin was the only parent he had as a teenager. But Merlin never broke the core of who he was, and who he is innately is someone you can trust."
"I suppose you're right." Irene shrugged one shoulder. "We can't judge a child for trying to impress their guardians. Especially a child being raised by someone like him." Irene scrunched her nose, before closing her eyes. "We... We should go."
Victoria nodded and leaped off the table.
***
Aja wanted to take a walk after sundown, and Krel, forgetting Douxie's warning and hoping to cheer her up, agreed immediately.
The duo meandered towards Arcadia square, quietly talking and pointing out spots where they had fond memories- the spot they'd first met Stuart, and then where they'd been exposed to Eli and Toby. Both spots unfortunately reminded Aja of Steve, and she seemed more down.
Krel was scrambling for a distraction, and he found one in the form of a sudden recollection of Douxie's warning- and a strong regret he hadn't recalled it sooner.
Before them, out of an alley, stepped a black-leather armored figure, face shrouded in pure darkness and eyes glowing red.
Krel froze. "Oh... kleb," he hissed. "Aja, we need to go, now."
"Hardly," Aja growled. "I've been needing someone to punch." She pulled her serrator.
"Aja, no," Krel whispered, tone strangled.
The being advanced on them, making an odd, raspy, guttural sound.
Aja didn't get a chance to attack before a rock flew out of nowhere and poned the thing upside the head, knocking it flat on its face.
Cara was standing a few feet behind it. She looked at the Tarron siblings. "Come on, we need to run! Run, go!" She was already moving, running past them.
"I'm not leaving without-" Aja stopped as Cara turned and gave her a blazing death glare.
"Are you an idiot, Your Majesty?" Cara asked sharply. "That thing is so far out of our league- when it recovers, we're screwed, now MOVE."
Aja, shaken by the immediate ferocity of her anger, followed Cara, as Krel was already doing.
She took them several blocks away, to her home, which had a thick magical barrier around it. Once they were within, she relaxed.
"Please forgive my abruptness," Cara bowed to Aja. "I would not have spoken to you thus if it weren't of utmost importance to your safety. You cannot afford recklessness, Your Majesty."
"You are forgiven," Aja said, a smile growing on her face. "That's a voice I never thought I'd hear again."
Cara swallowed, tensing subtly. "I don't follow."
"If I didn't recognize it from your parents, it was from you, lecturing Krel on his lack of defensive impulses– you threw that fluffy little creature at him nearly every day!" Aja rambled.
Krel frowned a bit, utterly confused. "Cara has yet to throw anything at me, fluffy or- otherwise..." he blinked as old memories flooded back. A diminutive Akiridion girl, constantly afraid for his safety- throwing her favorite stuffed animal, Beetzu, at him to try to increase his reflexes. Bright blue eyes, sharp and perceptive... and her name had been–
"Cara Okhrana," Krel realized, voice soft and wavering, eyes growing wide. But- she couldn't be, could she? Lady Cara, noblewoman of house Okhrana, had been murdered thirteen years ago. She'd been torn away from him so young, and yet her companionship had remained engraved deeply in his mind. Surely, if she were alive, he should have recognized her?
Cara squeezed her eyes shut and knelt, putting her fist over her heart- over her core. "My Lieges," she said, voice quiet and almost forced.
Krel sucked in a shaky gasp. He was frozen, briefly, before stepping forward as though in a trance. He dropped to his knees in front of her, looking at her face fixed firmly towards the ground.
Fingers trembling, he gently, ever so gently cupped the jaw of the childhood best friend he thought he'd never see again, tipping her face up to meet his gaze.
"Cara," he breathed, throat tightening and eyes shining. "My Cara. Is it really...?"
Cara reached under her left sleeve and deactivated a transduction band hidden beneath it. Her facial shape changed little between forms, becoming perhaps slightly sharper and more defined, but this was not what Krel noted first.
House Okhrana had a handful of individuals- "Summoners", they had called them, with an ability to create items like tools or small weapons attached to the undersides of their wrists. It had been unique to their house, and likewise, the Summoners' appearance was unique to them- their surface and hair were always in shades of green, their hair falling in strands like a human's rather than in clumps like other Akiridions', both adaptations to save their energy for their summoning ability.
Cara had been the only Summoner in Aja and Krel's generation; her appearance, that green hue and thin silky hair, were unmistakable.
Krel let out a shaky huff of shock and relief, tears spilling down his face as he pulled her into a fierce hug. "My Lady," he breathed. "My Cara. It is you." He buried his face in her shoulder, holding her tightly to him with all four arms, one hand buried in her hair and cupping the back of her skull, the others curled to cradle one shoulder and her back.
Cara rested her forehead on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, voice breaking. "I'm sorry, My Liege. I- I thought you wouldn't remember me, or if you did that you wouldn't want me back."
"Why would we not want you back?!" Krel demanded.
Cara managed to look at him, something so deeply damaged in her light blue eyes as they filled with weary tears. "Because I failed," she protested. "I failed my family's oath to your House. I couldn't return to Akiridion- I didn't protect you like I should have. I am not worthy to be called Akiridion, let alone Okhrana."
Krel shook his head, running his thumbs along her cheekbones. "You are worthy," he insisted softly. "You came back to me. You've protected us. It doesn't matter to me how long it took."
The expression on her face, the deep and terrible ache, seemed to soothe. She let herself lean into him, tears running sluggishly down her face before Krel's touch whisked them away like fresh air on her skin.
He nuzzled into her hair, holding her for a long minute before pulling back a bit. "Come on," he said softly. "Let's get inside. It's been one heck of a night. May we stay here within your considerable magical defenses until we know that thing is gone for sure? Normally we would never intrude, but..."
"No, yeah, I'd rather you didn't go home with it on the loose," Cara agreed, standing and pulling Krel up with her. "We've got a guest room with a bunk bed and a king size bed, y'all can take your pick."
Krel was about to claim the king size when he saw how tired Aja looked and internally resigned himself to the bunk. "Lead the way," he told Cara quietly, and she led them inside.
***
"So, she's broken up with that Earth boy," Rekalos Perevodchik, one of Aja's new council members, reported as she flopped down in their conference chamber. "What do you think, is she finally preparing to marry someone proper?"
"She'd better," Zekkier Ispolnitel noted. "The list of royal contingency plans if something happens to Aja is dangerously short. House Tarron needs some serious reinforcement."
"Who do you think she'll choose?" Tirza Kryl'ya asked almost conspiratorially, raising one eyebrow and smirking a little. "Maybe your brother, Denar. Kaius is quite the hunk."
Denar Mirotvorets, already silently simmering, spoke upon being addressed. "What is wrong with all of you?" He growled, voice low and dangerous. "She isn't some mindless toy to sit in that throne and expand House Tarron whenever you want her to. She's a person, one who's just sacrificed a very real relationship for the sake of this planet. Show her the proper respect. She will mourn for as long as she needs to, and none of you will interfere, whether she finds someone else quickly or not. Am I understood?"
Everyone around the table fell silent, having the good sense to be properly chagrined.
Denar leaned back in his seat. "Good," he said, firm and calm. "Good."
***
Irene stepped into her room, the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains, casting a tranquil ambiance over the space. She gently closed the door behind her, exhaling a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Setting down the bag of fabric she had brought back from the Sirenlands, Irene moved to the wardrobe, her movements purposeful yet fluid. The young-looking woman checked her phone, seeing that her parents had already gone to bed, and by the silence of the house, Cara and Aiden must have done the same, so she decided to change her plans for bringing up the wizard's visit to another day. As for what she'd do...
She reached for a darker, more discreet ensemble, her fingers trailing over the fabrics with a practiced ease.
As she changed into the outfit, slipping out of the flowing lavender gown and into the sleek, green attire, Irene felt a sense of anticipation mingled with determination. Tonight, much like the last few, she'd search the streets for this strange creature Victoria had told her about.
Adjusting the collar of her jacket and securing her silver, ivy-vined charm bracelet around her wrist, Irene paused for a moment, her gaze drifting to the small, intricate ship within the glass orb on her bedside table. A reminder of the events earlier in the day, of Douxie's unexpected visit and the words they had exchanged.
Closing her eyes briefly, Irene drew in a steadying breath, centering herself before stepping out into the night. With each step she took, she felt more and more ridiculous, even as Victoria flew overhead. She knew this wasn't something the dragons would make up for amusement, but the worry of such started to plague her mind. Why hadn't she noticed anything paranormal? Not even a werewolf within earshot!
Perhaps that was Irene's first sign to worry. She could almost always feel a sense of magic in the air, good, bad, or neither. But she felt a weird, icy emptiness instead. Barrenness- nothing. She started focusing on her other senses when she started thinking about Douxie again. When she'd made her way down the stairs, she'd done everything but make eye contact with him, but she could feel his on her... she felt that same feeling again.
Only a second later, Victoria spoke to Irene's mind. "I'm afraid we're no longer alone on the search."
Irene looked around, eyes narrowed, and spotted a second dragon descending to join them. He was about the same size as Victoria, and wore glasses. He nodded to Victoria before landing on the ground in front of Irene.
"Irene Hall, I presume," he introduced himself, nodding respectfully to her. "A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. My sister has talked about you for centuries. It's about time we met properly; I am Archie."
"I can see the resemblance," Irene said with a respectful nod. "Though, I wasn't expecting the glasses."
"Bad eyesight," Archie explained simply.
"Ah. That'd do it," Irene noted distractedly as Douxie came closer.
"Irene," he greeted her, calm and cautious. "We didn't mean to disturb you."
"Nor did I," Irene replied, her tone and demeanor noticeably calmer than it was before.
"We'll head in the other direction," Douxie offered, immediately assuming she wanted him gone. "Come on, Archie."
"What are you doing out here?" Irene asked quickly, once again fidgeting with her fingers, "It's... a very quiet night."
"Exactly the type of night to be out," Douxie said. "Danger lurks in the woods when the birds fall silent."
"Quite right," Irene nodded a little, studying the stones beneath their feet as she voiced her next thought. "Do you remember me?"
Douxie nodded. "I couldn't forget," he said quietly. "Even if I wanted to."
"Oh," Irene's eyes flinched, momentarily lost in a memory's vision. "Well, me too. To say the least." She paused again before straightening up, "There isn't much I can do– right now, that is. I've tried looking for this creature for a few nights now without luck, but I don't want to go against my parents' wishes. I guess what I'm saying is... maybe?"
Douxie looked at Archie. "To all things there is a time," he said. "Mine may have been off. I apologize if it is. I can leave you be, just say the word."
Again, Irene pondered, sharing a look with Victoria as she did. A couple of awkward seconds later, she replied, "I'll come to you when I know."
Douxie nodded, then hesitated before adding, "Can your sister hold her own? Magically?"
Irene cocked her head a little, "Well enough... if she needs it, she has ways she's used to contact me or Vicky. Why?"
"Because we don't know yet if magic will make her a target, or if it will be necessary for defense," Douxie said. "She's begun spending time with my friend Krel. He's- odd in his own right. He might be targeted too."
"You think they're targeting supernaturals?"
"I don't know for certain," Douxie said, "but supernaturals would pose the biggest threat against whatever they're after. It makes sense we'd attract their attention more easily." He shook his head. "But I suppose it doesn't matter much if we can't even find them."
"What if they're not even hostile?" Irene wondered, even as her mind shivered and shrank away at the lack of singing in the trees.
A similar shudder visibly passed through Douxie. "You haven't met one," he said, voice low and tinged with fear. "You haven't felt one. There was this... this pure, terrible feeling of darkness- and heat, like a wildfire in the distance. Its presence felt like if hostility were a physical sensation."
Irene took a deep breath as Douxie spoke, with only a hint of widened eyes at his description. "... delightful."
Douxie chuckled. "Well, I believe I've overstayed my welcome. Adieu, milady." He bowed slightly before taking his leave, Archie weaving around Victoria before following him.
Irene watched him go, then looked at Victoria. "I'm going to have to do something about that, aren't I?"
Victoria nodded.
Irene sighed. "This just keeps getting better and better."