As is not uncommon, two classmates sat at a techou shop in Bozedami, working on a class project.

“I never should have left this class until my third year,” Siru said. “Whole class is first-years.”

“Should I be insulted?” her partner asked.

“No, no, when you’re in your first year, you’re still fired up and trying to impress. By third year, you’re just grinding it out, and fourth year you’re mostly looking for jobs or for your grad school. So you’re all ready-to-go, I’m just trying to check Early Imperial Exploratory History off the list.”

“Hey, now, be fair; I’m also just checking this off the list. I’m studying pre-med, history has never really excited me. Only took this class because it ends with the evacuation of Earth in 1088.”

“Yeah, I can see how you’d be interested in that,” Siru said. “Has to hit close to home.”

The young man shrugged. “I mean, yes and no. Earth is cool, I guess, but…well, it’s my dad’s home, but for me, it’s always been where dad was from, and by the way, don’t talk about your dad, he’s a secret, so…yeah.”

“At least your dad was around,” Siru said. “Mine was cheating on my mom with Aud. Who he’s married, by the way.”

“No way! I remember my grandma saying that your grandma would never let a commoner in the family.”

Siru chuckled. “It’s weird hearing the Empress referred to as a grandma.”

“Well, she is. Gonna be a great-grandma by next year, I’d bet; Kaleva and Snjolaug are planning to have kids pretty much immediately.”

“So are your parents threatening to set you up with anyone yet, Ulee?”

Prince Ulysses leaned back and smiled. “Not yet. Mom and mummy aren’t sure that they want to arrange marriages for us, and dad is leaning against it; they have all promised the three of us that they won’t force us to carry through with a marriage. And, I mean, mom and mummy was an arranged marriage, dad was sort of an accidental partner, but they all are pretty happy. They do work out sometimes.”

“Oh, definitely. How did your dad end up with them?”

“Long story. But they all agree that he managed to keep my mothers together after everything with Vasha happened. I mean, mom’s sister was abusing humans, mummy didn’t take that well.”

“And your dad did?”

“You know humans, they’re pragmatists. You know humans pretty well, in fact, how’s Aleks?”

Siru’s smile faded. “It’s going really well.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“No, it…is. That’s the problem. It’s going really, really well. And it can’t. My mom wouldn’t care, but my dad, my grandma….”

“Gorram bigots. Sorry, I know, shouldn’t say that, but –”

“No, go ahead, if it was up to my grandma you wouldn’t exist, you have every right to think that’s semshaka, I do. I’m not sure of what scares me more, whether I have to go tell them I’m in love with a human…or losing Aleks, and not getting the chance.”

Ulee nodded, and said, “So, does Aleks know how you feel?”

Siru sighed. “I…know he knows I love him, but I haven’t told him how much I love him, because…if I have to lose him, I’d rather he think I was just a jerk who didn’t care enough. I don’t want him to think that he could win me back. And I’m not saying he couldn’t but that…that ends up with Dad and Aud. And it doesn’t end well.”

“Well, if it comes down to it and you need to appeal to royalty to tell Lady Aljansen to knock it off, I have three generations of Throden-ColVanoses who’d be happy to jump in.”

“I appreciate it, Ulee. I do. Thanks. Now, I may be a third-year, but I can’t afford a terrible grade in this class, so let’s get back to work.”

* * *

Rixie nodded along as Pryvani finished telling her about her mother, saying nothing. She felt very much like she had at the end of the ’02 Tribute, except more tired, more worn out, and less triumphant.

“She said she didn’t want her life upended, and goodness, I can sympathize,” Pryvani said. “But she did want you to know.”

“She’d figured it out? Who I was?” Rixie asked.

“Yes. And given what she knew of your background, it makes sense. It’s fortunate that the universe of people who knew who you were and who your parents were was very small, your life has been too interesting to hide your identity from them.”

“Right,” Rixie said. “Okay. So. What’s her padcode?”

“Pardon me?”

“Look,” Rixie said, “I know that my meeting with the House of Throden and ColVanos is going to have to be formally arranged and I’m gonna have to show up in dress uniform and there will be protocol up the wazoo, and I’m exhausted just thinking about it. But my mother is just a normal person who owns a campground, and that means that I can just pick up my pad and place a call. I’m gonna call the camp and ask for her otherwise, or maybe swipe the Galatea and fly there, so just give me her code and I’ll call her directly.”

Pryvani frowned, and leaned forward. “I will give you the padcode, but I think that perhaps you should wait a bit to call her.”

“Why? I’ve been waiting fifty gorram years!” Rixie exploded, leaping to her feet. “Fifty years since I last laid eyes on my mom. Do you know how long that would be if I was human? Three hundred twenty-five years! It’s a long frakking time! Why shouldn’t I call my mom right now, say hello? Why?”

Pryvani simply looked at Rixie; she didn’t have to say anything. They knew each other well enough.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m yelling at you,” Rixie said.

“Because this is a great deal to take in, and you have had to take it in,” Pryvani said. “If you need to yell at me more, please, do so.”

Rixie sank wearily back into the chair. “I need to yell at someone, but not you.”

“Alex, perhaps?”

Rixie chuckled. “I’m trying not to. He’s been walking on eggshells the last few days, and it’s not his fault. He’s been…well, he’s been Alex, and if I didn’t have him through this….”

Rixie sat forward. “I want to talk to her. Just…say hello. You said she was just fifteen when she had me.”

“That is 98 years for a human,” Pryvani said, dryly.

Rixie snorted. “Okay, I deserved that. But seriously…I may not love having been left with the Hoplites, and I may not be happy with the Throdens for doing it. But I do not blame her.”

“Very well. I’ll send you her code. Just…don’t rush into it. Give yourself a few minutes, or a few days. When you are ready, call her. But only when you are ready.”

“Thank you,” Rixie said. “I…really do mean it. Thank you. As hard as this has been…I wouldn’t know any of this if not for you.”

“You have helped me out of a problem with family once or twice. I am simply glad to be able to return the favor.”

Rixie smiled. For a moment. Then frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Pryvani asked. Rixie chuckled.

“I just…I have no idea what to say to her. Or Kullervo, but that, at least…I know Rajenlif, a bit. That will help. But….”

“But this is introducing yourself to your mother. No, I don’t know how one does that. But I do know someone who has some experience in the matter.”

“You know someone else who had a secret mother?”

“No. Not a secret mother.”

* * *

Thyllia stared at her sister and mother-in-law. “Okay,” she said, “let me get this straight. You’re a princess.”

“I really hope not,” Rixie said.

“I don’t think you have a choice. I mean, you can keep it secret, but you’re still Prince Kullervo’s daughter. The rules on titles are the same as for the Imperial royal family, right?” she asked Pryvani.

“That is correct,” Pryvani said. “At least insofar as princes and princesses go.”

Thyllia let out a sigh of relief. “Well, at least Ryan and I dodged the bullet.”

Rixie smirked. “You’re still Lady Carey.”

“At least it isn’t Lady Fand. So your mom is normal?”

“Yes, darling,” Pryvani said. “And she is the reason Rixie wanted to talk with you.”

“I want to call her,” Rixie said. “Talk to her. But…I’m not sure where to begin. When you broke the news to Lord Theracy…how did you approach that?”

“I just kind of…did,” Thyllia said. “I asked a few questions, but in the end…I mean, I was able to break the news in bits and chunks, talk about Syon…being Syon. Aiopr caught it first, and Ciseusi was right behind. Of course, this is different, in that – Vwokhu, you said?”

“Right,” Rixie said.

“So Ryan’s grandma is Vwokhu. Okay. Just…mental notes. Anyhow, she knows you’re her daughter. So if you call, she’s going to know who you are and why you’re calling. And it will probably be awkward and weird and you’ll both feel strange about it, probably even after the call is over. I still feel weird about being Pevrom Theracy’s daughter and I’ve known it for a decade, and Ciseusi has known it for months now, and I think he still thinks it’s weird. But…Rixie, I’m pretty sure that if Ryan could give his birth mom a call, and talk to her, it would be weird and awkward. But I know he’d do anything to make that call. And I know, this is different, but…not that different. Both of them did what they had to do to keep their kids safe, and get them to someone who would help them grow up to be amazing people. So it’ll be weird, but…that’s okay.”

Rixie walked over and sat down on the couch next to her daughter-in-law, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I have told you before, and I will tell you again, but Ryan is lucky to have you. My grandchildren will be lucky to have you. And Alex and I are lucky to have you.”

Thyllia leaned her head against Rixie’s. “I’m lucky to have you guys as in-laws. I could have done much worse. I mean, technically, Ryan’s mother-in-law is Syon.”

“I should think that was more than a technicality,” Pryvani said, but Thyllia grinned.

“I know you’re my sister, but you’re also Ryan’s mother-in-law. Syon gets nothing. My baby may know someday that they’re descended from her, but she will never be their grandmother.”

“I would complain about you making me a grandmother prematurely,” Pryvani said, “but I agree; the cause of denying our mother that honor is worth the sacrifice.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help,” Thyllia said.

“No, you were a big help,” Rixie said. “Really. Now, it goes without saying….”

“I kept a secret that could embarrass the Royal Family for years,” Thyllia said. “Honestly, it feels good to do it again. Normal. And I won’t tell Ryan until you get a chance – he should hear it from you. Just try not to get yourself named Dronung; I don’t want to be a princess.”

“Now, Tee, I know my son and you very well, and I know his nickname for you,” Rixie said. “I don’t think you have a choice.”

* * *

“Are you okay, dear?” Akwe asked.

“Yes, yes. I am,” Vwokhu said, as her husband sat down beside her on the sofa. “It’s just been…an eventful day.”

“Why? You only have received calls from Lady Tarsuss, Prince Kullervo, and the Dronung Herself. A fairly typical day, I would think.”

Vwokhu smiled at her husband. “At least none of them were yelling at me. Kullervo was…well, he’s matured quite a bit in fifty years, but so have I, I suppose. He was apologetic. And the Dronung…I’m still not sure how to read her, but I think she’s going to be reasonable about it. She just reminded me to please not run out and tell the netsites about this; I told her that was the last thing I wanted, and I think she was relieved by that. She said she’ll contact Lady Tarsuss and try to make….

Vwokhu’s pad chimed, and she fought the impulse to chuck it across the room; she didn’t really think she could handle another call, and unless it was one she had to take….

“Otna preserve me,” she muttered, as she saw the identification.

This was one she had to take.

“Akka…I…I need to….”

Akwe saw the identification too; he squeezed her shoulder, and said, “I will be in the bedroom. I love you.”

Vwokhu’s finger trembled, as she pressed the button to accept the call.

The woman on the other end of the line opened her mouth, and closed it. And opened it again, and took a deep breath…and closed it again. Finally, she said, “Uh….”

“Hello Riksa,” Vwokhu said, softly.

“Hello. It’s…it’s Rixie, actually, but….”

“No, it isn’t. I mean, it is, I know, but…it’s Riksa. That was your birth name. Well…that’s your nickname. I told that to the Hoplite who took you, but…well, it’s Jotnar, and I’m not surprised it got a little changed in translation. You are Rixie now, I know, and I wouldn’t have you change that….”

“Riksa,” Rixie said, turning it over; it didn’t sound completely wrong, at least. “I…I’m not usually this tongue-tied. I usually talk a lot. But…I’m trying to do this in Jotnar, and I’m always self-conscious about it. I tested fluent, but I was never sure that was true….”

“I can speak in Archavian if you prefer,” Vwokhu said. “But your Jotnar is fine. Much better than I feared it might be. I asked them to have you take the language, to tell you of your heritage…I hoped you’d at least learn enough that you would be comfortable if you visited Jotnarherath. I didn’t…how long have you worn braids?”

Rixie smiled; her mother had inadvertently caused her a lot of heartache. Knowing that she was Jotnar had been both a blessing and a curse, and for a long time, it had felt like more of a curse. But then…looking back, she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“Kids weren’t always great about me being Jotunn. So I decided, when I was about ten, that whenever they’d say something obnoxious about it, I’d put in another braid. I stopped when I ran out of hair to braid, but…eventually, they stopped being obnoxious about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Vwokhu said. “I didn’t mean….”

“No,” Rixie said. “I am Jotunn. This whole thing started because I wanted to know where I came from. Well…I come from Jotnarherath. I’ve been proud of that, and I’m still proud of it.”

There was a brief silence, before Vwokhu said, “Riksa, I always wanted to tell you how sorry I was that I gave you up. I don’t…I wouldn’t have been a good mother, not at fifteen. But still…I know that you must have thought that there was nobody out there in all the universe who cared about you. But even when all I knew about you was that you were with the Hoplites…I still cared. I always hoped that I would get to tell you that. I don’t know whether you can forgive me or not, but I wanted you to know that I loved you, my darling baby girl, and I always have.”

Rixie wiped a tear away. “I’m not…going to say it was always easy. Or that…or that I didn’t….”

She sighed. “I don’t know what relationship we end up having after this. I know there’s all the stuff with the Royals that’s going to be…all the stuff with the Royals. But….”

Rixie took a deep breath. “It did feel, sometimes, like I was alone. And when I found out that my parents had been alive, not killed in a shuttle crash, it felt like I had been betrayed. Maybe I was, but I don’t think I was betrayed by you.”

“Your father did not betray you either. Your grandmother, Hirera…well, one is not to attack the dead. But I spoke with Kullervo earlier today…he wants to meet you for the same reason I wanted to meet you. He feels like he failed you, and I do too, because we did. I am just grateful that despite that, you have grown to be a proud woman with a good family. That you overcame our failure.”

Rixie looked at the woman on the pad, and nodded. “I hope…I hope we can find a time to meet in person. I would like you to get the chance to meet your granddaughter, and if he gets leave, your grandson. I know, he is adopted, but….”

“Some people view adoption as something less than a full bond,” Vwokhu said. “I do not. And Lord Carey…you must be very proud of him.”

“I am. Very,” Rixie said. “And in the next few months…you may meet your great-grandchild.”

Vwokhu rubbed her eyes. “That would be wonderful. And you…you will have to meet your brother, and your niece and nephew. We do not…we do not have to plan this today. I can hardly think, so much has happened, but….”

“That would be amazing,” Rixie said. “I would…I would love to meet you all. I don’t know…like I said, I don’t know what our relationship will end up being, but….”

“We can be friends,” Vwokhu said. “I hope, at least, we can be friends.”

“Yes,” Rixie said. “Yes, I think we can. I…I’ll call back in the next day or two, if that’s okay. And if you want to call, you have my number.”

“So I do. Call anytime. I…I love you, Riksa. And I don’t say that to have you repeat it back. You don’t know me. I hope you will feel that someday. But Otna’s sake…I do love you.”

As at the start of the conversation, Rixie found herself unable to talk, but this time, for a very different reason. “I…I can’t say that yet. But thank you, and…I hope that I get to know you well enough that I can say that back to you and mean it. I really do.”

Vwokhu’s tears began to flow in earnest. “That…nothing, nothing you could say to me would mean more to me that what you just did. Give my love to your husband, and your children. And I will talk to you soon.”

Vwokhu leaned back on her sofa and cried. Her husband, hearing the conversation at an end and her sobbing, came out of the bedroom.

“Are you okay? Whatever she said….”

“She said…she said she hoped she could…she hoped someday she could say she loved me,” Vwokhu said.

“I’m sorry, Vwokhie, that’s….”

“That’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever heard!” Vwokhu said. “She doesn’t hate me. She doesn’t know me. She can’t love me yet. But she wants to. Akka…my baby girl wants to love me.”

Akwe smiled, and grasped her hands. “Well. She will just need to meet you then. Because you are very easy to love.”

* * *

Rixie stared at the black screen of her pad. A moment earlier, the space had been occupied by the image of her mother

Her mother.

It felt weird to think that. It was weird. It hadn’t been that long ago she hadn’t had any family besides the one she’d made for herself and now… now she had family members coming out of the woodwork. Siblings! She had siblings!

And a mother. A mother who had said she’d loved her.

Despite her best efforts, Rixie felt her eyes tearing up. When her mother had said those words, it had been so hard not to say them back… because if she was honest with herself, Rixie was pretty sure she did love her mother.

That’s not to say that Rixie wasn’t still angry, of course. She was. But love and anger are not mutually exclusive. But she did not hate her mother. That much she knew. Even so, Rixie wasn’t ready to actually say the words. She wanted to make sure she did love her mother, and not just the idea of her mother.

She remembered how it had felt to have Rajenlif fussing over the details of Rixie’s wedding. The Empress braiding her hair. She wanted that feeling again so badly.

A small hand on her knee made her jump a little. Startled, she looked down into the concerned gaze of her daughter.

“Mommy sad?” Asteria asked softly.

Rixie smiled. And wiped her eyes. “No, Starry. Mommy’s not sad.”

“Mommy crying.” Her daughter insisted.

“Yes I know.” Rixie laughed as she bent down to scoop the toddler into her lap. “But these are happy tears. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Asteria said as she leaned back against Rixie’s chest.

“Sorry Rixie.” A small voice panted from the doorway right before Alex stumbled into the room. “I turned around for a second and she disappeared on me.”

“It’s okay.” Rixie laughed. “I was done with my call anyway.”

“And…” Alex’s expression turned a little wary. “How did that call go…?”

“Well enough.” Rixie assured him, as she gently rocked their daughter in her lap. “We’re still sort of feeling things out, but I think things are going to turn out pretty well.”

“Well good.” Alex sighed as he crossed the room towards them. “One down one to go.”

“You just had to remind me.” Rixie muttered, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.