by Aaron Oster
She probably felt guilty for not knowing, and Katherine would need to make sure she knew that it wasn’t her fault. But right now, she needed to gather everyone of importance, and despite her current state, there was no time for rest.
“I’m going to need to ask you a favor,” Katherine said, pushing the woman back.
Bell nodded quickly, and it was clear she was trying to hold back tears, as it would be unprofessional to weep in front of her queen.
“I need you to reach out to Le’vine and Hu Kiln, then go gather Beatrice, Elyssa, and Grace as well. Tell them that we need to meet within the hour, and make sure they know it’s urgent.”
Bell’s face went a bit pale at that. Gathering so many powerful people was not going to be easy. While most of them were already presumably here, getting them to come to a meeting so soon after returning would be asking a lot. This was not to mention that Le’vine had likely gotten the news of her sister-in-law’s death.
She might not even want to come and may have already placed the blame on Katherine for the death of her family. In fact, the entire East might blame them and break off their alliance. But Katherine had given Bell an order, and she was going to do her best to carry it out.
“Is there anything else I can get you in the meanwhile?” Bell asked, stepping back.
“Yes, actually,” Katherine said, looking down at herself. “Would you mind sending someone with some proper clothes and have a tub sent down here so that I can bathe?”
“Will that be all?” Bell asked, taking mental notes.
Katherine was about to say yes but then hesitated for a moment.
“Would you mind asking Grace to come here as soon as she can?” Katherine asked. “I would like to speak to her before I meet with the others.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Bell said, bowing at the waist.
Then, she backed out of the room, leaving Katherine to her peace and quiet, even if it would only last a few minutes more.
57
Grace was sitting in the sickbay as well, though she wasn’t really sure why she was here. Thankfully, they’d provided her with a bath and allowed her to have access to her hair accessories. Lumia lay on the bed next to her, her small body expanding and contracting as she slept. The drake had done a lot of the heavy lifting over the last few days, and she deserved a long rest.
Grace sat on the edge of her bed now, running a comb through her hair and working out the small tangles and knots. After so long of not having a proper bath, it felt really good to be clean, and although she had a constant nagging worry about Morgan in the back of her mind, for the moment, she was as relaxed as she could be.
Katherine and Elyssa were safe, which meant that the alliance would live on, so long as the elves and their allies were made aware of this news. And, since Katherine was alright, Grace was sure that she would launch a search party for Morgan. With the help of a queen, finding him shouldn’t take long at all.
Grace was just picturing what Morgan would have to say about what she’d accomplished, when there was a knock at the door, and a moment later, Bell, the queen’s aide, entered.
“Oh, good. You’re awake,” she said, pausing in the doorway. “There’s going to be a meeting with all of the leadership in about half an hour, but Katherine would like you to come meet with her as soon as you are able.”
Grace, thinking it probably had something to do with Morgan, was on her feet in an instant. She’d been pretty much finished with her hair anyway, and she’d gotten a nice change of clothes after her bath.
“I’m ready to go now,” she said, looking down to Lumia’s sleeping form and wondering if she should wake her.
In the end, she decided to leave the poor drake to her slumber. Grace could always tell her what she needed to know once she woke up.
“Very well, then. If you will follow me,” Bell said, backing out the door.
Grace followed her down the stone corridor, noting the early morning light spilling through. She hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, but she didn’t feel at all tired. It probably had something to do with the battle, chase, and all of the terror that came along with it. She knew she’d be feeling it tonight, but that was fine with her.
They reached a door near the center of the hallway that was flanked on either side by guards, and Bell knocked several times.
“Come in,” Katherine’s voice, muffled by the door, said.
“Go on,” Bell said, backing away.
Grace gave her a grateful nod, then took a deep breath and pushed into the room.
“Bell said that you wanted to see me?” Grace asked as she walked into a room that looked much like the one she’d been in, only with the addition of a large wooden tub at one end.
“You came quickly,” Katherine said, straightening up from where she’d been standing next to the bed.
Grace hadn’t realized that the woman had been changing and was tempted to avert her eyes.
What kind of queen just invites people in while dressed like that? she thought, her cheeks beginning to burn.
Katherine was dressed in just underwear, giving Grace an unobstructed view of her admittedly perfect and near-flawless figure. There were a few red marks here and there, where she’d taken injuries during the battle, but other than that, there were no signs that she’d been on the brink of death just six hours ago.
“I was hoping to hear if you knew anything about Morgan,” she said as Katherine sat back on her bed without continuing to get dressed.
How is anyone that perfect? Grace thought with a small pang of jealousy.
“Not much, I’m afraid,” she said, patting the bed next to her. “But please don’t worry. We already have people searching, and I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”
Grace was loath to go over and sit next to the statuesque woman but did as she was told. Katherine surprised her and pulled her into a tight embrace before she could manage to sit. Grace could feel the soft curves of Katherine’s extremely feminine figure through her clothes, and she found herself wondering if perhaps she might have a thing for women.
But, when she really thought about it, she’d never felt flustered in the presence of any other, so perhaps Katherine just had that effect on everyone.
“What was that for?” she asked when Katherine pulled back.
“What? Can’t I hug the person who saved my life?” Katherine asked, giving her a coy smile.
Holy shit, Grace thought, her cheeks beginning to color. What the hell is wrong with me?
“Your hair,” Grace said quickly, not really sure what she was saying. “Would you mind if I do it for you?”
Katherine looked a bit surprised, then gave her another smile and rotated on the bed, presenting her with her back.
Damn, even her hair is perfect, Grace thought as she felt the long golden locks, still damp from her bath.
With Katherine’s back turned, it was much easier to have a conversation with her, and as Grace began running a comb through her perfect hair, Katherine began to speak again.
“I thought we were all going to die,” she said, her voice rich and soothing. “We spent twelve days inside that bunker without hearing from anyone. We had no idea what was going on, or if help was even on the way.”
“I guess I should apologize for that,” Grace said, feeling a flush of embarrassment. “Lumia and I flew all the way to City Six so we could fetch Nathan and Garrison Blue. I saw how strong the enemy was and didn’t want to go to the South to get troops that I knew would die. Though, in hindsight, I realize that was a big mistake.”
“Oh?” Katherine asked. “And why would you say that?”
“Because people still died,” Grace answered, pausing in her brushing for a moment as a feeling of shame and regret washed over her.
She’d so strongly believed that she was doing the right thing, only to be berated by Nathan for being so foolish. People would still have died, no matter what she’d done, and, in the end, Hilda had died because of
her foolishness.
“People always die in war,” Katherine said. “And for those of us burdened with the responsibility of those lives, it’s almost impossible not to feel guilty about the choices we make.”
Grace felt her bottom lip begin to tremble, but she bit her cheek to keep her composure. Katherine turned to face her then, and this time, Grace didn’t see the perfect, beautiful woman who’d made her heart race for some strange reason. Instead, she saw someone who understood what she’d been through.
Katherine’s violet eyes shone with compassion and empathy. Unable to help herself, Grace threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around the woman again, clutching her as tightly as she could and fighting for all she was worth to not cry.
“There now, it’s alright,” Katherine soothed, slowly rubbing her back. “You were asked to do something that no one your age should. You had to save an alliance from crumbling and rescue the rulers of three separate countries.
“The choices you made along the way are irrelevant, and the responsibility of your actions falls squarely on my shoulders. After all, had I not been trapped, you would never have had to come looking, and all those men who died would still be alive.”
Grace felt her body tremble, yet she still fought down her tears. Now was not the time to cry. Katherine’s touch was comforting and understanding. It made her feel better about herself and what she’d done, and when Katherine spoke, it was as though the crushing weight of the huge responsibility that had been thrust upon Grace was suddenly gone.
“How do you do it?” she finally asked, pulling back from the woman as her eyes began to water.
“I have many years of practice,” Katherine said, giving her a sad smile. “And before you ask, no, it does not get any easier. I’m sure that’s a lesson Morgan will teach you once we find him.”
“So, you also believe he’s still alive?” Grace asked.
“Of course, I do,” Katherine replied. “I’ve seen people write him off too many times to believe he would be killed so easily. But we’re not talking about him right now. We’re talking about you. I called you in here to thank you for all you’ve done. You’ve done more for the Five Kingdoms and those living within than anyone your age ever has. In fact, you’ve done more than most people, regardless of age,” she said with a chuckle.
“I wanted to thank you personally, and I want you to know that you have my eternal gratitude,” she continued. “And, if there’s anything I can do to repay even a fraction of what you have done for me, tell me, and if it’s within my power, it will be yours.”
Grace thought about that for a moment, wondering if there was anything she really wanted. Once, she might have asked for money, so that her father could be well cared for. Maybe she would have asked for some hair products or maybe nicer clothes. But in her time spent with Morgan, she’d gotten everything she’d ever wanted and more.
Due to her status as a supermage, her father would never have to work another day in his life. She had all of her needs taken care of, so money wasn’t an issue, and although she would have loved a few cores to boost her strength, she knew that rushing would only result in being weaker than she could have been if she had done the proper training.
There was not a single thing that she wanted, but Grace realized that there was something.
“I want to be included,” she finally said, “in whatever it is you’re going to do. I know that there has to be some kind of war you need to stop, and I don’t want to be left behind or pushed to the sidelines. I also want to be able to go along to search for Morgan. He’s done so much for me, and if he’s lost or hurt somewhere, I want to be able to do for him what he’s done for me.
“He’s the closest thing to family I have – aside from my father, that is – and I want to be sure that I’m there when we find him.”
Katherine took Grace’s face in her hand, and for a crazy moment, she thought the queen was going to kiss her. A second later, she did, but on the forehead.
When she pulled back, Grace found that her face was burning red, and embarrassment warred with the odd, fluttery feeling in her stomach.
“You are a wonderful and selfless girl. I can see why Morgan thinks so highly of you. And, not to worry, you won’t be left out of the upcoming meeting, and I’m sure you’ll be reunited with Morgan, perhaps even sooner than you might think.”
Grace gave her an uncertain smile, her eyes looking anywhere but at Katherine’s face, and they landed back on her hair. It was already perfect, just like the woman herself, but Grace grabbed onto that lifeline as soon as she saw it.
“Let me finish your hair,” she said quickly. “You are meeting with important people soon, right? You wouldn’t want it to be messy.”
Katherine gave her a smile that said she knew her hair wasn’t messy, but she turned, presenting her back once again anyway. Grace gratefully began working on it, wondering what the hell was going on with her. She hoped that once she found Morgan, he would have the answers.
She didn’t have to wait quite so long, though. After Grace was done with her hair, Katherine rose to put on her dress, and Bell came in to help her pull it tight.
As Katherine was examining her appearance in a mirror that had been brought in for that purpose – and Grace was examining her shapely backside – Bell looked down at her with something approaching pity.
“Don’t worry about it too much,” she said, giving the girl a wink. “I’m straight as an arrow when it comes to whom I find attractive. But Katherine tends to have that effect on most everyone.”
Grace was mortified that Bell had caught her staring, but still couldn’t help herself from asking.
“I never felt like this with her before, and I’ve met her loads of times.”
“But none of those times really felt this intimate,” Bell said, still with that same, understanding smile. “Don’t worry. It’ll wear off in time.”
“Completely?” Grace asked, hopeful.
“I don’t think anyone ever really gets over a woman like Katherine,” Bell said with a sigh.
Morgan did, Grace thought, though she didn’t say so out loud.
If she, someone who knew she liked boys, could feel herself blushing in the presence of a woman like Katherine, then it must be infinitely harder for Morgan, especially seeing as he was a man. Her father had given her many speeches to watch out for them before she’d left, saying that boys just had a harder time controlling themselves around pretty girls. It wasn’t their fault, he’d said. It was just the way they were built. Grace had never really seen herself as pretty, but she’d taken his lessons to heart.
So, if she was having such a hard time around Katherine, Morgan must have had a much harder time. Yet when they interacted, Morgan seemed to be able to brush her off without any trouble. She’d even seen the way Katherine threw herself at him sometimes, and Grace knew that if Katherine had tried that with her – not that she would – she probably wouldn’t be able to resist.
Morgan will definitely have an answer, she thought as the door opened again, and Le’vine, the queen of her own kingdom, strode in.
Shaking herself, Grace dismissed the thought from her mind. There was an important meeting about to start, and she needed to be focused and present the entire time. There was a lot at stake here, and Grace would be damned if she allowed such a petty distraction to cloud her thoughts.
58
Morgan squared his shoulders as he worked his jaw from side to side. The punch that had caught him had been a powerful one, but there hadn’t been anything else behind it aside from brute force. The Beast King had had the surprise and momentum on his side, but that only meant that when he’d come in for the attack, he’d suffered from that very same momentum when Morgan had punched in return.
The two of them circled one another slowly, waiting for even the slightest move on the other’s part.
Morgan knew that this was no ordinary opponent he was facing. In essence, he was fighting himself, only a version
who could draw out his full potential. Once, this might have worried him. Now, though, Morgan relished the challenge. This would indeed be the ultimate test to prove his worthiness to advance.
This was a test of strength and skill against a version of himself that was supposed to be perfect. Well, perfect as far as combat was concerned, anyway.
When the next attack came, Morgan was ready. The Beats King launched, speeding through the air, forgoing any skills and striking forward with a straight punch. Morgan’s hand flashed up, slapping the blow aside and returning with an elbow of his own. The Beast King’s open palm slammed into the elbow near the beginning of its trajectory, stopping it in place, leaving the two of them just inches apart.
Morgan’s knee came up sharply, and the Beast King pulled his own across, knocking Morgan’s to the side. His hand moved to grab the back of Morgan’s head, and he returned in kind. Fighting this close was risky, but they were the same person, which meant that their weaknesses were well-known to one another.
Morgan had always preferred striking to grappling, which was why the Beast King had chosen this tactic. On the flip side, this could also work against the Beast King, because as uncomfortable as Morgan was with grappling, he was exactly the same.
Morgan’s hand seized the Beast King’s shoulder, and the Beast King grabbed his. They began struggling, moving back and forth and trying to gain the upper hand. This wasn’t about pure strength, as they were evenly matched. This was a contest of skill, reflexes, and balance.
Break your opponent’s base, and the advantage quickly became yours. Fall, and you would quickly lose. Keeping in constant contact would also prevent teleporting away to escape, and while Morgan might have done something else, this was about as even a fight as he could hope for.
Morgan tried to pull back, leaning on the Beast King’s shoulder with his weight, while the Beast King tried pulling in the opposite direction. Morgan leaned a bit harder, and the Beast King released his grip, ducking under and taking Morgan’s back. Morgan responded by twisting with an elbow aimed for his opponent’s jaw, which the Beast King blocked by raising his hand.