§
After eighty four days in Sky Ocean, when Narses was preparing for the late sunset of the first week of the Month of Summer Storms, less than three weeks after the summer solstice, and roughly six hours after the attack in which I disappeared, three formless [Blood Effigies] emerged from my body.
Sirth and Lhan respectively controlled two, and the third, for the moment, was under Daq’s control.
<Your Highness, you could simply close your eyes and rest, as you did in the past, and fly the third one to Huade yourself,> Fan Li suggested.
“I don’t know why, but I feel like I won’t be able to summon the courage to leave behind the world where my main body is living. It’s going to be bad enough, switching with Daq when the time comes.”
The ancient sage didn’t sigh. Not quite. I could feel her having the urge to do so, though.
So that the Portal System would understand the [Blood Effigies] properly for future reference, we were doing this at her shrine. Technically, I built the Portal System around another Dog Clade spirit beast, making use out of the work I had done to build an Autonomous Reasoning Construct around Little Jia, but she likes the halfling form that she acquired somewhere along the way, and her shrine now resembles a halfling dwelling located close to Little Jia’s shrine.
Those semi-subterranean Tolkienesque ‘holes in the ground’ with nicely-made entrance doors? Halflings in more northerly climates or mountain climates with serious winter weather do use them. Pit houses have useful properties for thrifty halflings to take advantage of. Especially, they save a lot on firewood. But Southern halflings use small, vaguely Asian-style wooden buildings resembling Dorian shrines for venerated objects.
I watched them in [Fairy Sight] flying into the sky and disappearing, one by one, as the little Portal System performed her duty with sparkling eyes. She’s not very talkative, but she seems to really enjoy her work. Lhan and Sirth would portal to the Kasarene Highlands, while Daq went to Narses Castle.
Amelia, in the meantime, was hanging onto my arm and wearing a pout, expressing her very obvious I’m not happy about you leaving, you know? feelings.
“I’ll return as often as I can,” I told her. “And Lydia is looking forward to meeting you. Excited, actually.”
<I’m not excited!> Lydia sniffed. <Intrigued, yes. I’ve never directly interacted with Royalty before. Other than you, that is.>
<Why should that matter to you?> Fan Li wondered. <You come from a democracy.>
<That’s why I’ve never met Royalty before!>
Amelia’s brow wrinkled. “I just don’t really understand it, Tiana. How can she use your body and still be someone else at the same time?”
“She’s me from a different life,” I corrected her. “In the end, she’s just me. It’s just too difficult for my present self to be in more than one place at the same time, so I’ll use a persona from another lifetime to take care of my body while I go back to Huade.”
She continued to look uncertain, but didn’t reply.
<I’ve arrived at the balcony of your room,> Daq stated. <Workmen are repairing the french doors. Why don’t we switch now?>
I bit my lip, then told Amelia, “I’m going to have her take over now. I’ll be back as often as I can.”
I closed my eyes because her pout was beginning to hurt a little.
§
Opening my eyes, I smiled at the princess still gripping my arm. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Your Highness. I’m Lydia.”
Her brow wrinkled more and she leaned in to study my face closely.
I smiled. “I am unsure what you will be able to see. I think I’m perhaps the most similar to Her Highness of all her Incarnations. Perhaps you will be able to see slightly different expressions or such. I learned this language through her, so I’m sure I sound about the same.”
“Lydia,” she echoed, her eyebrows still wrinkled, but now in thought.
I can see why Tiana’s primary impression of her ‘sister’, leaving aside Tiana’s man-like obsession with bosoms, is ‘cute’. Princess Amelia ought to have soured on the world long ago, after everything that has happened to her. It wouldn’t be strange for her to be bitter and jaded, and yet her eyes sparkle and her smile shines without faltering. She doesn’t seem to be capable of losing her brilliance. My current incarnation has had this thought herself, but isn’t this girl more of a fairy than Tiana?
What do I mean but her troubles? Even if she altruistically volunteered for it, she was used as bait to bring a hero into this world, and ever since, she has been pushed and pulled all over the continent due to those who would steal her away in order to hurt him. She has had, in every way, none of the agency of her beloved sister or her brothers, existing solely as an object to tie Ryuu, an unfaithful husband, to this world. A hetaira like me has more power over her own life than this child. And yet, here she is, still sparkling as brightly as in Tiana’s childhood memories.
“It has grown dark,” Immortal Mother noted. “And my daughter’s body must return to the lake soon. Shall we meet in the morning and get to know each other better then?”
Her Highness bit her lower lip slightly, as if unsure whether she could agree with me leaving this place while in control of her sister’s body. But the maids sensed that it was their task to help separate us. Her trio stepped closer, softly suggesting that it was time to head to their lodgings.
The maid whose turn it would be once daylight came again had an additional concern though. “Um… Your Highness Tiana… or rather…”
“Tiana suggested that you call me ‘Lady Lydia’, since you would be uncomfortable calling me entirely without an honorific. I, too, would be uncomfortable with being called ‘Highness’.”
It isn’t strange to me to receive respect, after all. Hetairai are often very highly ranked. Some even claim that the poet Sappho, whom I know to still receives respect in Robert’s time, two and a half millennia later, was almost certainly a member of my profession. Although, her reputation does seem to have accumulated other baggage in his time that confuses me considerably, because I frankly don’t understand that part. I’m certain that the people of her time and her homeland were the same as the people of my time in Athens. We never categorized ourselves or each other according to our sexual activities, except that men would distinguish their roles when with each other.
“Lady Lydia,” the maid repeated with a nod. “It would have been my turn tomorrow, so what shall I do?”
I smiled as gently as I could at her, since I feared I might look predatory otherwise. “You shall visit me in the same manner for the same reason. I need you to help me take care of Her Highness’s body for her.”
Amelia, who had yet to let go of my arm, giggled and began, “You know…”
It was rude, but I interrupted her anyway. “Your Highness, I promised Princess Tiana that I would not allow you to feed me. She is also uncomfortable with other things.”
“Awww….”
§
Now that I was here, I honestly wasn’t sure how or where I should manifest my presence. Staying immaterial, I worked my way through my suite, which was full of workers and maids trying to restore it in the aftermath of the fight with the rakshasa, then explored the Castle, inspecting the damage that had been done. It wasn’t as devastating as I feared, but it was certainly bad. We would be doing repairs for months.
Eventually, I located Mireia and my husband in his suite. And that’s where I now floated, wondering what to do.
I mean, obviously, I wasn’t voyeuristically watching them do something naughty, because they wouldn’t be, anyway. Perhaps if I stayed away a few more hours, they might have done it. We’re youngsters, after all. Mireia and I, in Earth terms, are eighteen year olds, and Rod would be twenty. They’d need comfort if I didn’t show up soon, and well, frankly, that’s the sort of comfort that those our age take.
So I certainly needed to show up soon! Mireia was fidgeting at the table, staring at a cup of tea she wasn’t drinking. Rod was in his easy chair, staring at a report he was clearly not reading.
It wouldn’t be much of a show if I did wait and watch them, anyway. In this form, I’m not really ‘seeing’. I was sensing them through [Fairy Sense]. Or [Spirit Sense], as Lhan and Sen call it.
Why oh why had I not asked Immortal Mother to relay the news that I was coming through Rhea? I totally forgot that she wasn’t necessarily plugged into the current goings-on in Sky Ocean. She had no contact there, and she wasn’t in Fan Li’s ‘Tea House’, watching us like before. So I forgot Mireia wasn’t aware I was coming.
But Mireia? I know for a fact that she did let you know I was alright! Trust your goddess a little more than this! Stop worrying so much!
Letting out the mental, immaterial-form equivalent of a sigh, I carefully focused my spiritual voice on my pink-haired Servant.
<Mireia, I’m about to appear. Tell Rod so he won’t freak out.>
“Mistress?” she squeaked, causing Rod to jolt.
Then he frowned. “You aren’t supposed to call her that.”
She dimpled, then told him, “I just heard Ti! She said she’s going to appear! Do you mean right here, My Lady?”
<That’s right.>
For my effigy image, I have three ‘outfits’. I have the Juvenile Elder garment, a plain white thigh-length backless sundress, I have the Tia Mona outfit, and I have a replica of a dinner gown in one of Mother’s more modest designs which Fan Li whipped up for me just now. I could also borrow the clothing from one of the other female Incarnations, the way I borrowed the Tia Mona outfit from Lhan.
Or I could just show up naked. I needed a naked version so I could wear real clothing.
I’m sure that Mireia would be tickled if I did that, but maids were currently standing by, here in my husband’s sitting room, so I went with the dinner gown, the one outfit that wouldn’t scandalize the maids .
“Ti!” she cried out, and threw herself at me.
Good thing I didn’t use [Blood Presence]! That could have been dangerous! She would have gone sailing right through me!
I returned her hug and then began patting her on the back as her glee turned into sobs of relief.
“I’ve been so worried!” she bawled.
Rod maintained a composed manner, but he wasn’t moving slowly as he joined and quietly wrapped his arms around both of us. I could tell he wanted to hug me just as much, but he also needed to reassure Mireia, so he hugged us both.
“That was crazy, you know?!” she demanded.
“I had to fight, Mir,” I told her. “That creature was also after you two, not just me.”
“But…”
“There was literally no choice!” I told her firmly. “He would attack us no matter what, and nobody else present could fight him! And I’m here now, Mir! I’m alright! It’s okay now!”
She wanted to keep arguing, but she had no words and just burst into a bawling mess and buried her head in my shoulder again.
“Ti…” Rod started, then frowned, showing he also didn’t know what to say.
“I’m okay, and the babies are okay. I’ve had some very good caretakers looking after me.”
“Exactly where did you go?” he asked. “You just disappeared in front of us!”
I glanced at the maids, then said, “Let me explain in private. We have a lot to talk about. My suite is full of workmen, so I guess I’m sleeping here anyway. Let’s talk in the bedroom.”
He looked like he had mixed emotions. Dissatisfied by my stalling tactic but happy I would be staying the night?
Her face still muffled by my shoulder, Mireia declared, “I’m feeding you tonight.”
“Mir?” I asked, confused.
She pulled her head back and glared at me. “No arguments!”
It was such a weird shift of tone. I very nearly giggled at her puppy-like fighting eyes, but I rose above the impulse.
“That will make you feel better?” I asked.
“Yes!”
I glanced at my husband, then tousled Mireia’s hair. “Fine.”
