“The guest rooms are down this hall.” Rhionne led her friends up a flight of stairs into the East wing of the Palace, and down a corridor lined with doorways. It looked to her friends like they’d entered a very lavish hotel.

“Wow…” Aezhay muttered peeking into the room. “That bathroom looks bigger than my whole bedroom back home.”

“It’s all yours, if you want it.” Rhionne said with a grin.

Aezhay’s eyes widened in shock and she hesitated, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. After a moment a grin of childlike delight grew on her face and she ducked into the room with a delighted yell.

“Well, don’t just stand there.” Rhionne chuckled. “Take your pick!”

The hallway thundered with the excited footsteps of a half a dozen young women as they all hurried to pick out their bedrooms.

*.*.*.*

After showing her friends to their guest rooms, Rhionne retired to her own bedroom to unpack her things and freshen up a little before dinner was served.

She was just about to lie down on the bed for a bit when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.” She called out, sure that it would be Reevah coming to check on her.

It wasn’t Reevah. Instead, a young woman entered. She was a bit shorter than Rhionne, with long brown hair and eyes the same color as Rhionne’s own.

“You’re back!” The girl cried out, before rushing into the room and nearly dive tackling Rhionne onto the bed. “It’s been so boring around here without you!”

“I’ve missed you quite a bit as well, Vallero.” Rhionne giggled and drew her sister into a tight embrace. “How’s life been here at the palace?”

“I told you, boring.” The teenager huffed, flopping onto Rhionne’s bed. “I’ve been stuck here doing nothing but schoolwork since you left to go to a university.”

“Ah well, in a few years you’ll be off to school yourself. Then you’ll get to have exciting adventures like doing nothing but schoolwork.” Rhionne laughed.

Vallero giggled. “I can’t wait.” She sat down on the bed next to her sister. “I know you just got here, but I want to hear everything that happened to you. So, spill!”

Rhionne smiled and shook her head ruefully. She supposed she couldn’t really blame her sister, as she had distinct memories of bugging her older brother Antero in the same manner whenever he came back on break from school.

So, putting all thoughts of a quick nap out of her mind, the princess sat down next to her younger sister and prepared for the barrage of questions.

*.*.*

“Come in.”

Tiernan ColVanos looked up from his desk as the knock on his door echoed through his small palatial office. After a moment, the door opened and Reevah Tam entered silently. The young hoplite woman stepped forward until she was in front of Tiernan’s desk, where she sketched a salute to both Tiernan and Rajenlif. The Empress was seated beside her husband.

Tiernan stood and returned the salute, before indicating that Reevah should seat herself in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.

“Report, Centurium.” Tiernan tented his fingers and leaned forward, his eyes never leaving his daughter’s bodyguard.

“Nothing untoward has occurred, your majesty.” Reevah reported. “Your daughter is excelling at her studies and other than a few normal excursions with her housemates-all of which I accompanied her on as per protocol- she spends most of her time at home studying.”

“In other words, she hasn’t gotten herself into any trouble?” The Empress interjected with a smirk.

“That’s correct, your majesty.” Reevah agreed, nodding her head.

“And that situation you discussed with me earlier?” Tiernan asked, raising his eyebrow inquisitively.

Reevah shook her head. “I don’t believe that will be an issue, going forward. Rhionne apparently told the… young man… of her betrothal and any… romantic activities between them have apparently ceased.”

Tiernan let out a breath and nodded. “Good, that’s a relief. One of the reasons Rajenlif and I have made a point about informing our children of their arrangements is to keep any emotional attachments from being formed.”

Reevah nodded. “That seems wise, sir.”

Tiernan leaned back in his chair. “I’m glad things have been working out so well for her. Thank you for your report, Centurium. You are dismissed.”

“Aye sir.” Reevah stood back from the desk and saluted again, before turning smartly and exiting the office.

*.*.*

Rhionne led her friends into the smaller more intimate dining room that her family took their meals in when it would be inappropriate to use the full sized banquet hall. Of course, smaller in this case was a relative term. It was a far cry from the kitchen table that Aezhay’s family usually ate their meals at, for example.

The table in the center of the room was set for eight, with each place setting consisting of a silvery metal platter and glass.

Pierce expected to see the eighteen utensils that he associated with “upper class” dining from Earth. Surprisingly, each setting only had a single utensil: a long curved object that reminded him of a pair of tongs.

However, to say that Pierce was nervous was something of an understatement. He could count the settings on the table as easily as anyone, and it was obvious that there was no place available for either himself or Shaar. He glanced over at Rhionne, who had stopped short in front of the table. The look on her face told him that she, too, could see the issue in front of them.

The door to the dining room opened again, and Rajenlif and Tiernan entered, followed closely by Rhionne’s younger sister.

“Good evening everyone.” Tiernan greeted, a smile gracing his features. “I trust that your accommodations are satisfactory?”

“Extremely, your majesty.” Tylum responded with a respectful nod of the head, which almost dislodged Pierce from his perch on her shoulder.

“Yeah they’re real nice.” Aezhay muttered politely, though she shifted awkwardly, unsure how to navigate the palace protocol.

“Very good.” Rajenlif nodded graciously. “Now, shall we see what the kitchen staff has prepared for us this evening?”

“Wait just a moment.” Rhionne nodded towards the table. “It appears that there isn’t enough room at that table for all of us.”

Tiernan’s eyebrows rose and he looked over at the table, confused. “I’m not sure what you mean, Rhionne, there seems to be enough places set for everybody.”

“No, there are two places missing.” The princess informed her father archly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Rhionne…” Pierce cleared his throat self-consciously. “Rhionne it’s not…”

Tiernan’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“There are eight places set, but there are ten people here to partake of the meal.” Rhionne snapped. “I realize my human friends are small, but they will still need a place to sit at dinner.”

The muscles in Tiernan’s jaws tightened and he glanced over at his wife.

“Apologies to your… friends, dear.” Rajenlif interjected before her husband could speak. “I’m afraid we miscounted the number of guests you had brought home with you. We can have places set for them in a moment. Vallero, dear, will you go have a word with the kitchen staff and see if they can accommodate our smaller guests?”

“Of course…” Vallero muttered, looking like she didn’t quite understand what had just happened. “I’m sure they’ll be able to print out some smaller place settings. It should only take a few minutes.”

There was a tense atmosphere for the next few minutes as they all waited for the princess to return. However, eventually Vallero reentered the dining room carrying a small table, two chairs and miniature replicas of the dishes the Titans were using.

It took only a moment to set a place for Shaar and Pierce on the table between Tylum and Myona. Rhionne smiled triumphantly as she and the other Titans sat down in their places at the table.

She was sure the matter was far from settled, but knew her parents would be civil until the meal was over, at least.

After that, well, she would just have to wait and see.

*.*.*

On the other side of the planet, Daz was also having an uncomfortable dinner with family. Vasha had graciously allowed Daz a few hours to herself to wind down from her journey home. But of course her sister had insisted that Daz arrive promptly for dinner. Daz, personally, would have gladly skipped the meal altogether but she knew that doing so would only cause her more grief in the long run.

So, with her stomach sinking, Daz threw on some vaguely suitable clothes, and headed down to dinner.

Vasha had chosen for them to take the meal in the large dining hall. The table in the center was normally big enough to seat eight people, but Vasha sat at one end and Daz, of course, sat at the other.

“Daz, my dear. I absolutely love the dress you have on.” Vasha told her sister as the younger Zakrov sat at the table and waited for servants to bring in their meal.

“Thank you.” Daz muttered quietly, inwardly wincing because of course her sister would like the dress. She had picked it out.

“How are your studies going?” Vasha asked, taking a sip of her drink.

“Um… good.” Daz muttered. “I haven’t gotten my complete marks just yet, but I did well on my finals.”

“Good!” Vasha enthused. “I hope you enjoyed the classes, my dear, because I’m afraid I won’t be allowing you to return to that program after your break is over.”

“Excuse me!?” Daz snapped. Vasha’s declaration had startled her enough that her carefully constructed mask had slipped, if only for a moment.

Vasha’s eyes glinted. “Daz… sister. You can’t possibly be surprised by this. I was willing to indulge this silly little fantasy you have of being a pilot of all things for a while, but enough is enough. You’re an adult now, and what’s more you have an obligation to the family.”

“So, what, you’re telling me I need to drop out of school?” Daz felt like the room was spinning around her.

“Certainly not, dear.” Vasha chuckled, as if her sister were a child throwing an amusing little temper tantrum. “Of course you’re going to need an education. But, from this point on you’ll be studying worthwhile topics. Subjects that are befitting a person of your stature and breeding. We’re Zakrovs, dear. And being a member of our family carries certain responsibilities. We do, after all, have a business to run.

“The hotels?!” Daz snapped angrily. “You have plenty of people to help with the hotels. You don’t need me, and what’s more you don’t really want me either, do you?”

Vasha smirked and shook her head. Her completely calm demeanor only served to enrage her sister further. “Daz, it’s not just the hotels. It’s time to put away the toys of youth and step up to shoulder the obligations that come with the privileges we as Zakrovs possess.”

Daz snorted ruefully. Somehow, she was pretty certain that her sister wasn’t talking about helping those less fortunate than they were.

“But there will be time enough to talk about that later, meanwhile our food is getting cold. Shall we?”

Daz shook her head and stood from the table. “Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore.”

She stormed from the hall, suddenly no longer caring what the consequences would be.

Vasha watched her sister leave impassively. The small smirk tugging at her lips the only emotion she showed at her sister’s actions.

*.*.*.*

“Rhionne, do you mind if your mother and I have a word with you?”

Rhionne glanced over at her group of friends as they left the dining hall and bit back a sigh. She shouldn’t be surprised; and she wasn’t, not really. She had called her father out, in public. It had been necessary, and Rhionne would have done so again in a second but… well, now it was time to reap the consequences.

Still, she would face them as an adult.

“Of course, Father.” She said nodding her head respectively. Tiernan’s expression didn’t change, but Rhionne could see pride in her mother’s eyes.

Rhionne followed her parents into a small, private antechamber. It was basically a sitting room where generations ago the ruling party and their close confidants would discuss crucial matters over drinks. Nowadays, her mother mostly used it to store her hunting equipment.

“Have a seat.” Her father commanded as soon as the door was shut behind them.

“Thank you, I’d rather stand.” Rhionne responded. Her voice was tight, but she endeavored to remain polite. There was no point in antagonizing her father further.

“Suit yourself.” Her father’s voice rumbled as he stood behind the desk. “Now, would you care to explain your behavior earlier this evening?”

Rhionne glared at her father defiantly. “What’s to explain? You were incredibly rude to exclude our guests like that.”

“Rhionne!” Her mother scolded.

“No!” Rhionne snapped. “It was wrong and I won’t apologize for saying so.”

“You embarrass me and your mother in public and now you won’t even apologize for it?” Tiernan growled. “Is this how we raised you?”

“You raised me to fight for what is right!” Rhionne responded hotly. “And the way we treat humans is far from right, father. I embarrassed you? You embarrassed me!”

“You bring animals to my dinner table and act as if I’ve snubbed a person.”

“They are people Father!” Rhionne snarled. “They think and feel and dream just the same as any Titan, or any Dunnermac or Ler!”

“That’s absurd!” Tiernan sighed. “We’ve observed humans for centuries. I won’t deny that they are intelligent, certainly moreso than a takara or a klipkaer. And yes, they are sentient. But it’s a dim sentience, Rhionne. There’s a reason that we classify them differently than other intelligent species, because there’s a limit to how far they can reach.”

“The only thing that the sentience classification system shows us is how arrogant we Titans can be!” Rhionne spat at her father irritated that he could be so blind.

“Rhionne, please.” Her mother tried to interject, but Rhionne was having none of it.

“The only limit humans have are ones that we have imposed on them, father.” Rhionne continued, ignoring her mother. “I have learned more about actual human culture- or should I say cultures- in a mere few weeks by just talking to a human than I could have in an entire zoology course at a university. Mostly because I was willing to actually listen to what humans had to say!”

Tiernan blinked, suddenly caught off guard. “What… what are you talking about?”

“Pierce, the male human who ostensibly belongs to Tylum. He was born on Earth, lived there up until a few months ago, father. In a country that they call Canada. I’ve spoken to him, I’ve discussed things with him, and I’ve listened to him. They… they aren’t what we think they are. They’re so much more than that.”

Tiernan looked troubled. “He’s from Earth? But… But that’s illegal.”

“That’s irrelevant right now. Tylum didn’t break any laws, but Pierce is here all the same. Listen to what I’m telling you father. Humans from Earth are not primitive little cave dwellers. They’ve formed nations, with governments every bit as sophisticated as our own. They make art and music, the same as we do.” Rhionne turned to face the Empress. “Pierce is a gifted artist, mother. You’d enjoy his work, I think.”

Rajenlif raised an eyebrow, intrigued, but didn’t comment.

“Well, perhaps humans from Earth… Perhaps they are different. but those that live in the Empire… Surely…” Tiernan began.

“The other human, the woman.” Rhionne cut in, shaking her head. “Her name is Shaar. She was born, right here in the Empire, and within only a few months she has been taught to read, although she had already begun to teach herself how to do so before we met her. In addition to that, Myona has been showing her how to code holographic programs.”

The Empress gasped in surprise.

Rhionne nodded and pressed her advantage. “Her work is crude, and primitive, and lacks sophistication; but that’s because she’s a novice, not because she’s stupid or unskilled.”

Tiernan shook his head, and rubbed his temple. “I don’t understand. Rhionne, what you’re saying makes no sense. The humans in our empire… they’ve shown-”

“They’ve shown what we’ve trained them to show, father.” Rhionne said quietly. “They act how we tell them to act, because how else could they survive? They can’t show us their true selves because we don’t want to see it. They can’t show us what we refuse to look for.”

Rajenlif stepped forward and placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Tiernan.” She spoke quietly. “What harm could it do to listen? If things are as we have believed, then there has been no harm done… but if she’s right…”

Tiernan swallowed. “If she’s right, we have all committed a terrible sin.”

“It would be a worse sin to continue blindly on, despite knowing better.” Rhionne finished, taking her father’s hand in her own. “Please, father… just listen to him.”

Tiernan leaned against the desk, suddenly feeling as if an entire galaxy had fallen onto his shoulders. But, he nodded.

“I…I will do as you ask, Rhionne.” He finally said. “I must.”