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The car wouldn’t start again, so I had to take the bus to get to work. But for some reason, when I got on it, it looked like the aerial tramway in Tëan Tír. I thought that was odd, but I was in a hurry, so I got on anyway.
Somehow, I ended up at my old high school instead, and fell into a panic because I didn’t know where any of my classes were. But it turned out to be fine, because Mireia found me and brought me to a classroom. Although, even though I wasn’t entirely certain what the subject was, I was pretty sure I needed to turn in my homework. I decided to go back and get it.
Weirdly, my school turned out to be at the top of a tall castle tower, and it took forever to go down the winding stairs. I started worrying about whether I was exerting myself too much while pregnant, but, on the way, I encountered my mom.
She looked younger than she ought to, more like she did when I was a kid. But she gave me a hug, congratulated me on the babies, and told me not to worry about them, because they were going to be fine. She was here to drive me home so I could take care of them.
I had the weird feeling I had forgotten them and left her taking care of them, which was incredibly embarrassing. Then I remembered that I was a girl now, when my mom ought to know me as a guy. I actually folded my arms over my bosom, hoping she wouldn’t notice them. And, given she should know me as a guy, she really should find it strange that I had gotten pregnant, shouldn’t she? She didn’t say a word about that, though. She just led me to her car, which seemed to be some old oversized, gas-guzzling monstrosity from the 1970s, like I remember my grandmother driving when I was a little boy.
We were driving through the country, for some reason, and we kept encountering wet conditions, like everything was freshly rained upon. The forests that we drove through were really lush and green, but before I had a chance to try to figure out where it was, we were driving through the northern grasslands, although they were horribly hilly, to the point of the plains turning into mountains.
Somewhere in the middle of this, I began to recognize that these very Huade-like forests and grasslands had nothing to do with cars or my mom, and there shouldn’t be an Earthlike highway winding through them. I wanted to say so, but for some reason I was walking on my own and didn’t see her anywhere and the highway was just a gravel path now. I grew very stressed over that homework, because I didn’t know how I would deal with it now, lacking a car, and then I became anxious because I had no sword at my side, either, and I seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, where threatening wildlife and nasty monsters were likely to roam.
I stared at the stream running past my feet and started following it, figuring I should go ahead soak when I found a deeper pool in it, before I ran short on water mana. Then I found myself already in the water, which was a bit odd, because I didn’t remember getting undressed, much less finding that pool or getting in.
Later, I grew anxious again, as I thought about how bizarre it was that I would go to a place like this without any weapons at all. I wasn’t in the water anymore, but in my old, pre-revision fairy armor. But I still had no sword on my hip, and continued to worry. I thought about how I should really be carrying Durandal. But as soon as I did so, I suddenly heard his gentle and reassuring voice.
[My Lady, calm yourself. You are in your bed, having a dream. I am near your bedside, in the closet with your armor. If anything threatens you, I will protect you and wake you.]
A few times, I have recognized that I was dreaming, but never in my life before have I had someone else in the dream inform me.
[When past heroes I’ve served had nightmares about being weaponless, I was able to tell them to remember drawing me, and I would be at their side where I belong. Do that, My Lady. And if, as happens in dreams, I disappear again, simply choose to draw me again.]
I drew Durandal and smiled as I felt his reassuring weight in my hand. It had, frankly, been a long time since I had a dream that wasn’t somebody’s Illusory Reality, and I had almost forgotten what it was like. I sheathed him again and resumed my walk.
Sometime after that, a sudden brilliance jarred me awake. I blinked against sunlight coming through the french doors and the great windows on either side of them. Genette had apparently yanked all the curtains open, something she was wont to do back at Mother’s estate in Atianus when I was being bleary-eyed and not getting up.
It filled me with a deep sense of nostalgia that properly should belong to the old Tiana, since Genette has rarely had the opportunity to wake the current me. I still rolled away from the light, as the old Tiana would have done.
“It looks like you’re awake, My Lady,” she noted. “Miss Mireia did predict you would awaken soon. Please let me know when you are ready to dress.”
Then the jarring wrongness brought me to a sitting position.
“Genette! What day is it?”
She looked at me with a wry smirk and said, “The morning of the third day after you were last awake, My Lady.”
So my time and space sense had not been lying to me after all. I had really been asleep for three days and several hours. Genette might have even said the fourth day after I was last awake, but probably Ceria and Melione had told her I’d been up after midnight.
Or she’d heard so, directly. I colored a little at that idea.
Three days of sleep couldn’t be natural. Especially, when I didn’t feel in the least bit like I had overslept. I suspected Rhea, the last one I remembered speaking with before falling asleep. I mean, Ceria had been there too, but we weren’t exactly talking at the time.
I laid my hand over my tummy and checked the twins. Once they grew a bit more, I wouldn’t need to check them, of course. I would be aware of them full-time. Now, though it still took a moment of concentration.
Their auras were bright and strong for how tiny they were. They felt quite healthy.
As I was doing so, Genette asked, “Shall I let your companions know you’re awake? They demanded I let them know as soon as you were up.”
My nightwear seemed awfully fresh for three days of use. Actually, I didn’t feel like I hadn’t bathed in ages, either. I wasn’t short of Water at all. Had someone carried me into the bath while I was sleeping, then dressed me?
I could prove the part about dressing me. I hadn’t been wearing anything when I was last awake, since Ceria had not let me keep my yukata. Someone definitely put this garment on me while I was asleep.
Regardless, it wasn’t appropriate for the daytime.
“I should dress first,” I told her.
She nodded. “At once, My Lady. Would you like Atian or Dorian fashion today?”
The qipao had been a bit restrictive, and the older-fashioned kimonos weren’t any better, but it was going to be a day dress if I said ‘Atian’, and those are the epitome of ‘restrictive’. I really was going to have to work on my raiment skills.
“Dorian”, I said. “Modern Dorian, not traditional.”
Another nod. “Yes, My Lady.”
Now that I was the Lady of the Castle, I had a five-maid team dressing me instead of just Genette and a chambermaid assistant. And my ‘companions’ (by which she had meant four certain Servants) came crashing into my dressing room while the maids were still putting on my underwear, meaning a very thin dudou and equally light bloomers, so it became incredibly crowded.
I had to press each of my Servants away immediately following their hugs. Not only because the space was so cramped, but it was embarrassing to be embraced in front of the maids.
Wait. Four?
“How did you get here so soon?” I demanded of Chiara once the other three had gotten their hugs in. I was still holding her at arm’s length as I asked this.
The last I knew, or rather, the last Sirth knew, Chiara had been traveling on foot westward through the Oserian Highlands, bound for Lower Pendor. This was far too soon to finish that journey.
“You threw us into a panic when you disappeared so suddenly!” she retorted, with wide eyes. “One minute you were with us, then you just vanished! Naturally, Lady Serera contacted the castle when that happened, and we heard about what happened to you!”
Chiara, Dilorè and Ryuu of course know that Sirth and I are the same. But she hadn’t answered my question.
“That doesn’t explain…”
She cut me off, saying, “Those creatures were mostly searching to the east, thanks to decoys that Matthias sent out, so we decided to risk it. We were far enough west.”
“You should not have taken that risk with my airmen! They’re just pilots, not adventurers or fairy knights!”
“They heard about another demon attack and insisted on taking the shortest route home,” Serera answered from the door. “They were quite adamant. Don’t look down on your soldiers or their commitment to defending their nation, Your Highness.”
I frowned, because I still objected but I couldn’t completely disagree. Still… “It was the responsibility of their commander to overrule them.”
“That would be Sir Balad, not me,” she answered drily. “And he considered doing so, but declined. Frankly, it was unanimous that we would come by the shortest route.”
“She’s awake?” Rod’s voice came from the sitting room.
“Your Highness, she is not presentable!” quoth a panicking maid.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” declared Dilorè, looking into the room over Serera’s shoulder. She disappeared to go intercept the idiot.
I rolled my eyes, then told Genette, “My yukata, please.”
With a twinkle in her eyes, she slipped the requested garment over my arms, tied the obi and diligently snugged the collar so that no peek of red silk from my dudou showed. It was a weird cultural mix to my eye, mixing Chinese and Japanese, but it was all Dorian, so it was fine.
Once dressed, I went out to my salon, where Rod was waiting impatiently.
“Good morning, Your Royal Highness,” I greeted him in Dorian.
He instantly frowned, looked like he wanted to retort something, then caught hold of his temper and nodded.
“It’s good to see you up, Ti,” he replied. “How’s your condition?”
“I am perfectly well, Your Highness,” I answered, maintaining etiquette because of all the outside ears in the room. “I was quite shocked to find out how long I was asleep, but it has been quite restorative.”
He chewed his lip, then gave a short, jerky nod. “You wouldn’t wake up for anything, but Mir insisted that you were okay.”
I nodded my agreement. “I’m fine, as you can see, and so are the babies.”
While I patted my tummy to the word ‘babies’, his brow twitched. He was going to criticize my decision any moment now, and complain about putting them in danger.
Instead, he stated, “Your prisoner is in the holding cell downstairs. Your… Servants have been keeping an eye on her. We have anti-demon measures in place, but Mir has assured me she is being cooperative. I understand that there is a concern about feeding her. She is receiving normal mortal food, but Balad says she should need live prey at some point.”
That was a problem, of course, although I was hopeful that prey did not need to be human.
“Hellspawn are not properly demons, Your Highness,” I noted. “They don’t have the same requirements. It’s probable that a living farm animal will be sufficient, if that time should come.”
I didn’t know that for a fact though. I would have to have a chat with Shindzha to find out.
Now, time for the complaints about my behavior?
“I’ve asked to have our people interrogate her, but Mir insisted we wait for you,” Rod added.
I glanced over at Mireia. “Thanks. That was the right decision.”
“I was pretty sure it was,” she answered, pink head bobbing.
He pressed his lips together and gave a brief nod as well. He had more on his mind, so was he going to finally broach the subject?
“I’m sure you’re hungry,” he noted. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can finish dressing for breakfast. And I need to have them spread the word that you’re okay.”
With that, he departed, leaving me blinking in surprise.
