“Pulse is 72, blood pressure is 240 milats over 160,” said a familiar voice. “Reticular activating system is showing elevated activity. I think it’s time. Melysu, he’s your patient, do you want to do the honors?”

“He’s your friend, Nick,” another voice said. “Besides, I want to keep an eye on the scans.”

“All right, per standard,” Nick said. “Alex…Alex, can you hear me? If you can…open your eyes.”

Alex was mildly annoyed; he wasn’t sure why Nick was making him wake up, and he didn’t really want to. He felt…off. Numb, maybe. No, not quite right…more like when you wake in the night, but your body doesn’t come with you, and you have that second of sleep paralysis, and everything seems uncanny and wrong.

“He’s processing it,” the woman – Melysu – said.

“Alex, it’s Nick. You’re in the hospital. Open your eyes if you hear me.”

Hospital. Yeah, he was in a hospital. Right, he remembered…being in the hospital. And…and something else. A dream…a strange dream. Dream about dying. But he couldn’t die yet, because Rixie….

His eyes snapped open. Nick was looking down at him, clad in scrubs, face hidden behind a mask. But his eyes crinkled, and he let out a sigh. “Welcome back, Alex.”

“R…r….”

Alex found his speech wasn’t coming along the way he wanted it to. It felt, in fact, like nothing was moving the way he wanted it to. It was like he was trying to pour beer with his left foot – he could sort of feel that he could do it clumsily if he had to, but the results wouldn’t be pretty.

“Don’t try to talk or move yet,” Nick said. “We’re getting some baseline readings. I don’t know if you remember, but you were hurt badly.”

“B…r….”

“I know you want to talk,” Nick said, “but Alex…you need to trust me. It will take a….”

Alex closed his eyes tight, and focused all his energy. He needed to know. Needed to know right now. He put all his will into his voice, and said, “Rix…ee.”

Nick paused, and nodded. “You do remember,” he said. “Rixie’s fine. You saved her life.”

Alex took a deep breath; he knew that Nick told him not to try to move and now that he knew Rixie was okay, he didn’t need to…but he also was mildly embarrassed that he couldn’t wipe his tears of relief away.

But Nick’s eyes were as kind as always, and he said, gently, “That was my reaction too. And Alex…that’s how I’m feeling seeing you awake. Do we have enough of baseline?” he asked, turning back to the other doctor.

“Yes, the interconnections look good. Ischemic injury is confined to the identified areas, we should be able to use the pre-programmed controls, tweaking as necessary.”

“Fantastic news. Okay, Alex,” Nick said, “we’re going to turn on a neural stabilizer. It is going to feel strange at first; it’s going to take over operations for parts of your brain that have been damaged. It’s still not going to be perfect, but it should let you talk and move. You’ll feel it in three…two…one…now.”

The world shifted again, and Alex cocked his head slightly; it wasn’t…a bad feeling, exactly. Indeed, he could feel parts of his body coming online for control again, and that was downright good. But it was not the automatic control that he and everyone else with a typical nervous system is used to; this felt more like he had slipped behind the wheel of a vehicle, and was manning the controls of it.

“You can try to talk now,” Nick said.

“That’s…weird,” Alex said. “Feels like…I’m telling myself what to say, then I’m saying it. Like…on a short delay. Does that make sense?”

“Yes. That’s sort of what you’re doing,” Nick said. “It will get a little better as we work with you.”

“That’s good. You know how much I like talking.”

“I do,” Nick said. “And since you enjoy it, I’ve got a few questions…I want to check your memory. First, basic stuff – recite the alphabet.”

“A-B-C-D-E-F-G….”

“Good. And now the ashaybeth.”

“Ashay-beth-gimmel-gamma-delta-ishay-isha…ishaytan….”

“Perfect. Do you remember where you are? Other than a hospital?”

“Well, you’re here, so it could be you brought me to Avalon…or you came to Jutuneim,” Alex said. “Gonna guess the last one.”

“You are on Jutuneim,” Nick said. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

“There was an assassin,” Alex said. “He had…like…a gun. He was going after Rixie. He also had a knife, and he stabbed me…a lot. But he was going after Rixie.”

Nick squeezed his friend’s hand, and nodded. “And you weren’t going to let that motherfucker get her,” he said.

“He was gonna have to kill me,” Alex said. “And he almost did.”

“Yeah, it was very close. If not for Dr. Pesti being very quick on her feet, it would have been.”

“Right, yeah, she said I had a global stroke, I remember,” Alex said.

“I…did?” Melysu Pesti said.

“When I came in. You said I had…what was it… ‘hypoperfusion?’ Is that a word? Anyhow, I needed blood, you said. And Cortexifan. Guess I got it.”

Nick chuckled, and looked over to Melysu. “How many times have you had a patient drop one of these on you?”

“This is number three,” Pesti said. “And it’s always unnerving.”

“Five for me, and I think it’s pretty amazing, myself,” Nick said. “You really shouldn’t have heard anything given the state of your brain at the time, but people do. Can’t explain it, and I don’t really want to.”

“I saw my parents,” Alex said. “Or maybe it was a dream…they said I’d never be sure, if I woke up.”

Nick blinked. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you went for a whole entire NDE. You never have done things by half. I’m going to need the details later for a case study that will be filed under ‘we still don’t know.’ But between you and me – and it makes me a bad man of science to say this – I tend to believe you did really see your folks. Though that may be just because it means someday, I’ll get to see mine.”

Alex smiled – there was a split-second delay for it to translate onto his face – and said, “I hope I really did too. They seemed happy. I remember that. Now…is Rixie okay? The assassin…he stabbed her with the knife, and that was his last mistake, I hope.”

“He’s still alive, but yeah – he is not doing well.”

“Rixie wasn’t hurt by it, was she? Not seriously? I mean, it was a human knife, I don’t think she was, but….”

“No, she wasn’t. I do want to tell you now, right after I reiterate that Rixie is fine, really, that there was a second assassination attempt by a royal guard, about fifteen minutes later. One of the guards that you hired, I think his name’s Sebb – he blocked the shot with his artificial arm. That shooter’s in custody too.”

“You can give him…all of the Rixie’s as a reward,” Alex said.

“He’s got a brand new arm, and the one female guard on the crew seems really impressed with him, so I think he’s doing okay,” Nick replied.

“Good. He should get a girlfriend out of this, or at least…time with a person of his choice. Now…I know Rix was gonna have to deal with princessing, at least for a bit…but can you call her and….”

“She’s been here almost every minute she’s been awake. She’s literally waiting for us to give her the go-ahead to turn on the holos,” Nick said. “We just needed to make sure some things were okay first. I know she’s gonna want to see you.”

“Good,” Alex said. “But…before she does. Nick…how bad is it gonna be? I don’t…I really don’t want to be a burden on Rixie.”

Nick sighed. “You wouldn’t be even if the damage was worse, you know – Rixie was prepared for anything she had to do, just to have you with her. But really, given everything…you’re in surprisingly good shape. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re gonna be able to jump back into things. Rehab to get you back to close to normal is going to take months. Imperial months. Maybe a full Imperial year.”

“Takes that long to learn how to work these neural things?”

Nick shook his head. “Not that long. You’ll get better with them, we could leave you on them but….we’re not going to keep you on the neural stabilizers forever.”

“Why not?”

“They cause dependency. They’re basically doing part of your thinking for you. You need them to, for now, but..leave them in too long, and they start changing to conform to your personality. And you start changing to conform to their processes.”

Alex nodded. “And that means I end up someone else.”

“Not radically so, not usually, but…sometimes. It’s why they’re only allowed permanently in cases where the person would be profoundly disabled with no hope of recovery. That’s not you. We’ve already begun seeding stem cells, and we’re going to work with you to get your motor control back. I’m not saying you’ll get all the way there, but you can get close…with a lot of hard work. It will take work, though. A lot of it. And it’s not gonna be fun.”

Alex gave Nick a grin. “I’ve been through that, and made it through. And it’s just learning how to move. I won’t be scared of Rixie, like last time I broke my brain. I’ll be able to be with her. That…that will make it easier.”

“Gorram right. And we’ll all be right with you. You’d be right there for any of us. I just want you to be ready for it.”

Alex nodded. “Okay. And Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“If I start dragging my butt…you remind me that right after I woke up, I made you promise to kick it back into gear.”

Nick beamed. “I can tell you, Dr. Pesti, that Alex’s personality appears to have come back perfectly. You can go ahead and signal the holosuite.”

Just outside the holosuite, Rixie was pacing. Pryvani was rocking a sleeping Lexie, and Asteria had fallen asleep on Thyllia. Rixie was okay with that – she wanted to see how Alex was before she brought their daughter back. She knew Asteria was a tough kid – she was their kid, after all – but she wanted to make sure that Alex wouldn’t scare her, and that he was in condition to deal with a daughter who was too young to behave herself perfectly. (It went without saying that she would bring Asteria to him via holos; she absolutely did not trust her daughter not to accidentally rip seven important lines out of Alex.)

Brinn had been waiting with Rixie, waiting for Nick’s signal. She nodded as she received it. “Okay, Rixie, it’s time,” she said. “He’s awake.”

Rixie took a deep breath, and shook her hands, trying to release some of her nervous energy. She knew they said he had a good prognosis, but…but still….

She gathered herself; she had to show strength. She needed Alex to believe that he had her to rely on, no matter what. She would protect him. She would care for him. She would defend him. Just as he had done for her.

She stood up a little straighter, and turned. “All right,” she said, “let’s go.”

It was a remarkably quick journey. Brinn opened the door to the holosuite, and they walked into the hallway, as if they were stepping off the lift. They passed the front desk, where a couple human medical professionals were discussing something or other; they paused, and nodded to Brinn and Rixie as they passed.

Soon enough, they came to a doorway; Rixie took one last steadying breath, and walked in.

“H…hello, beautiful,” Alex said. There was a slight hesitation on his face – and then he lit up in a smile that wasn’t exactly like his usual one. Even knowing this was a normal result of using stabilizers – they were generic, after all – it was slightly jarring, even ignoring the stabilizers that ran the length of his head, from chin to each temple.

But as she walked closer, she could see his eyes, locked on hers. And they were alive, and twinkling, the same as ever.

He was her Alex.

Her stoicism slipped away in an instant, and she burst into tears, and – making sure she was not running over anyone in the process, and careful not to dislodge any IVs or sensors – she rushed to his side, and threw her arms around him, and buried her head in his chest, sobbing.

There was a slight pause, and Alex’s arms came up and around her, a bit mechanically – but still, his arms held her. And he said, “I know I got the worst of the fight, but I didn’t know I looked that bad.”

At that, Rixie laugh-cried, and punched him lightly on his stomach. “Oh Gods, Alex…I was so scared. You…what you did….”

“What I did, you’ve done for me. I’m just not as st…strong as you are,” Alex said. “You’re a better fighter. So you usually don’t get hurt. But y…you did that one time. With…with your throat. And I know…I know….”

“You did not have to even the score,” she said, pulling her head up and looking at him. “You even stole my move,” she said, with a watery smile.

“Huh?”

“You wrote ‘love’ on my hand. In your blood,” Rixie said.

“I did? I…some of it at the end is foggy. But that…does sound like something I’d do. Because you did it for me. I knew, Rix. And I know…I wanted you….”

“Alex, you didn’t have to nearly get yourself killed for me to know,” Rixie said. “I know. I will always know.”

Alex sighed, and closed his eyes. He was sort of getting the hang of basic movements, but he was already dreading getting out of bed – walking wouldn’t be pretty. He concentrated, and moved his arm to stroke her head gently. Okay, it came out more as a pat on the head, but he thought Rixie would get what he was going for.

“The asshole…he told me he’d let me live. If I just let him…let him kill you.”

Rixie blinked at that news, and shook her head. “So you absolutely had to fight to the death at that point. He gave you no choice.”

“Yeah. There is no way I would ever let you get hurt if I could stop it. Did you find the…the gun? It was on the floor. I don’t know what it did….”

“It had a poison in it,” Rixie said. “It’s been tied to at least a dozen murders. We have the inventor in custody. Sort of. She had a neural stabilizer, but it had been hacked…she’d hacked it herself. And ripped it out of her head after her accomplice got caught.”

“That’s…weird,” Alex said.

“It’s like I said,” Nick said. “It affects your though patterns. Hers was a lot more complex than yours – and hacked to do higher-level thought processing. She’s actually in the neurorecovery ward here; Rixie knows more about what happens next for her than I do.”

“They’re analyzing her stabilizer,” Rixie said. “And plugged in a new one to question her. It’s…kind of a disaster, but the Imperators have an ident and they’ve been back-tracing her movements. Seems like she and her human partner were a team. And a good one – nobody picked up on it until Aleks Odusi, and nobody stopped them until you did.”

“Wish someone else could’ve been the hero,” Alex said. “And who’s Alex…Alex something? I didn’t know there was another Alex out there in the Empire.”

“He’s an Avalonian law student who’s dating Lady Aljansen.”

“Thought she was a bigot. And married.”

“No, sorry…Lady Siru Aljansen.” Alex cocked his head, and Rixie laughed. “You weren’t out that long. Dronung Rajenlif cleaned house.”

“Awesome. So are you still a princess, or did you duck that?”

Rixie straightened up a bit. “Do you remember your crazy suggestion on the way here? About me playing Throdr?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, shouldn’t have thrown that curve at you. You were stressed enough.”

“It’s exactly what I’m going to do. So congratulations, Prince Alexander, future Jofur-Consort of Jotnarherath.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “Oh, Rix,” he said. “I am an idiot. If you did that for me, out of, like, honoring…honoring my memory….”

“No, it has to be done,” Rixie said, firmly. “This…all of this. What happened to you, especially, but…I can fix things so two hundred years from now, nobody’s going through this.”

Alex smiled, and it was a bit closer to the cockeyed grin that he usually gave his wife. “You do your duty, Rix. You always have. You always will. I’m lucky as hell that you chose me.”

“I’m lucky as Hadia that you were glad to be chosen,” Rixie said. “Now…I don’t want to overwhelm you with stuff. Nick, Brinn, how many restrictions are we dealing with?”

“Alex will need to get sleep within the next hour or two,” Nick said.

“I’ve been sleeping for…how many days?”

“Two-and-a-half Titan ones,” Rixie said.

“Yeah,” Alex said. “I should be well-rested.”

“You just drained all the blood out of your brain,” Nick said.

“All right…fair point,” Alex said. “But….”

Brinn, Rixie, and Nick all looked at Alex. Finally, he sighed. “I was going to come up…up with a great argument that I could stay up, but I remembered that you two are doctors and Rixie will tell me to listen to you both, and even if I didn’t, you could slip sleeping medicine into my IV, so…fine.”

“A wise tactical retreat,” Rixie said. “But if it’s okay…I thought Alex would like to see his daughter.”

Alex smiled wide. “Yes. I would like to see Starry. She’s here already?”

“Pryvani moved basically all of Tayas Mons here,” Nick said. “You had to expect that.”

“I mean, I just woke up, but yeah, that makes sense,” Alex said. “I know Rix could get Asteria, but…Brinn? Would you mind…I thought I was gonna lose Rixie. I….”

He awkwardly raised his right hand to his face, to wipe away the tears that were flowing freely. “I was scared I was gonna lose you. I don’t want you to leave yet.”

Rixie helped him wipe the tears, and said, “I’m not going anywhere, Alex. Not ever.”

* * *

A few hours later, Alex was back asleep, and Rixie and her suddenly larger entourage had headed back to the palace. Rixie had called ahead to Rajenlif; she’d wanted to put off one duty until she knew Alex was okay. She still didn’t feel up to it, entirely, but she understood the necessity of it. And so she was checking herself out in the mirror, examining the fit of a new Jotnar-influenced outfit, the design a gift from Tapp to the future sovereign of her husband and son. (Rixie would never believe it, and Tapp would never admit it, but Tapp had always liked designing for Rixie; her muscular frame lent itself to some of Tapp’s more interesting ideas. Of course, Rixie knew that Tapp would do what she usually did with gifted designs for Pryvani – she would put it up for sale tomorrow. But neither Pryvani nor Rixie begrudged her that; Tapp was a very shrewd businesswoman.)

“I’m not sure why she thought I needed four-centiunit soles,” Rixie said.

“It’s not about needing them,” Pryvani said. “You are imposing in flats, my dear. This heightens it.”

“The most imposing people I know are a lot shorter than I am,” Rixie said, frowning. “That includes you, boss.”

“I’m not certain ‘boss’ is appropriate, you know,” Pryvani said.

Rixie turned to look over her shoulder. “Are you firing me again?”

“No, no…but I do want to be respectful of your office.”

Rixie snorted, and waited for Pryvani to tack on the very subtle punchline, one which would show she was well aware that she was still in charge…but the punchline didn’t come.

“Oh,” Rixie said. “Look…seriously. I intend to continue to work for you, just as Vallero has continued to work with Boundless Fountain over the years. As for respecting my office, Pryvani…I know you well enough to know that you will never slip up in public.”

“True, I won’t,” Pryvani said. “But I don’t want you to do so, either. If you refer to me as ‘boss’…that will not be received well, I don’t think.”

Rixie paused, and turned to face Pryvani. “No, you’re right. It wouldn’t. But….”

Rixie twisted a braid around a finger nervously. “I just…Pryvani…I started calling you ‘boss’ about a week after I started working for you, twenty-six years ago. And for the past twenty-five….”

Pryvani nodded, and smiled. “Rixie, I know that you have meant ‘boss’ partially in jest. Not because you don’t respect me as your employer – you do, and you have been truly loyal and excellent in your work. But because…that loyalty is not based on your paycheck. You are not an employee. You are a partner.”

“Hardly. If I am, I’m a very junior partner.”

“Not at all. You are my closest, most trusted advisor. And my closest, most trusted friend. I know that ‘boss’ is a term of endearment. But you needn’t use it. Rixie…you need do nothing more to endear me to you.”

Rixie nodded. “I know. I just…don’t want our friendship to change. I know, some things will. For one thing…Alex is going to demand a lot of my time. I may need to take advantage of some time off. And….”

“And you will, because Alex must be your priority,” Pryvani said. “And I gorram well will fire you if you don’t take the time you need to help him. As for our friendship…of course it will change. It has changed quite a bit over the years, since I first spent some time playing with my toy soldier.”

Rixie blushed, and Pryvani chuckled. “Rixie, our friendship will grow and change, as all things do. It will deepen and blossom, and in twenty years, it may go places we have never expected. And that is marvelous. I am very much looking forward to it. Because whatever it looks like in twenty years…it will be stronger and truer than it is even now.”

Pryvani gave Rixie a very slight, very real smile, and Rixie returned it. “Okay…you’re right. As always. I just….”

“You worry that you are in danger of losing the love of those around you. I know. You won’t, Rixie. Ever.”

Rixie nodded, and said, “So any advice for me?”

“Don’t pretend to be a ditzy heiress,” Pryvani said, “that’s just rude.”

Rixie burst out laughing. “I won’t do it because I can’t pull it off. Now, I could always channel my Tannith Ley.”

“No, you want people to like you, I think,” Prvyani said, grinning. “And the most important thing there is to be yourself. I’m sure Rajenlif will have advice on topics to avoid, but you are capable of recognizing a trap if one’s about to be sprung. And reporters will show you deference; I expect this interview, especially, to be on the fawning side. But if it isn’t…Iron Maiden knows how to duck a question.”

Rixie sighed, nodded, and said, “Okay. Let’s see what Aunt Raja says. And…Pryvani?”

“Yes?”

“If I offer Alex a chance at playing soldier, as a reward down the line, would you be game?”

Pryvani laughed, an honest, true laugh. “Rixie, I do believe both Zhan and I would enjoy that.”

“Good,” Rixie said, with a smirk. “It’s a date.”

The two walked out of Rixie’s room and down the corridor to another room, where Rixie’s father, mother, daughter-in-law, and aunt waited.

A couple staff members had already deployed lighting, and they had removed chairs and a table in preparation. “High-born Rajenlif, mom, dad, Thyllia…hello,” Rixie said, pausing and bowing.

“Your Imperial Highness,” Pryvani added, “and hello again, Well-born Kullervo and Ms. Skamøld. And hi, sis.”

“Rixie, in the palace, you only need to greet me by title when you first enter, and during active events. I am your aunt, and you are my successor; in Jotnarherath, only I, Tiernan, your father, and the Kuthi rank higher in order of precedence.”

Rixie noted that Rajenlif had not offered similar dispensation to Pryvani. It felt weird, being higher in precedence than Pryvani. Then again…she thought her aunt would agree that this was all a polite fiction; they all knew who was the most powerful of the people in the room.

“I…will have a great deal of protocol to learn,” Rixie sighed. “I know the Aement and Tannhauser protocols very well, thanks to my work for Lady Tarsuss; I am somewhat familiar with Jotnar ones, but obviously, I need to work on it.”

“Yes, but the good news is that you will have an expert to help you; Lady Tarsuss, you offered to help my family in any way you could. If I may impose upon you, I would ask that you please help Princess Hyrikken to learn the Jotnar protocols. If any Aementi knows them, it is you.”

“I am honored by your request, High-born Rajenlif,” Pryvani said, “and it is no imposition; your niece is my friend and colleague, and I am glad to help her however I can. After all, she and her husband have helped me immensely through the years.”

“I…am sorry, mom,” Rixie said, turning to Vwokhu. “I know…I didn’t want to upset your life, and I’ve done that. It’s not fair to you.”

Vwokhu smiled, and pulled Rixie in for a tight hug. “Oh, Riksa…I will be okay. I would have traded anything to have you know me and not hate me. Anything but your brother and my husband. And they are fine. Besides, having had the chance to talk with Thyllia…I think she may have found a way to preserve Hyrikkenwuode.”

“Oh?” Rixie asked, turning to Thyllia.

“It’s really Daz’s venture,” Thyllia said. “Zakrov Resort Holdings has been building up their Deep Nature line. Vwokhu and Akwe’s camp fits right into the portfolio – a small, relatively rustic camp in a pristine area.”

“Akwe and I could run it until we retire,” Vwokhu said, “and then they would find people to come in and run it the way it’s run now. Live on the land, keep it simple. And most important – not turn it into a resort.”

“The whole point of these is for people who want to visit, say, an unspoiled asteroid and see what it would be like to live in a mining camp, or on the kind of land-water border area that the Dunnermac might set up a new colony,” Thyllia added. “Darkstar has discussed maybe including some in-cabin entertainment to placate a kid who’s bored, but Daz thinks there’s a real market for people who want to experience life away from civilization.”

“That would be perfect,” Rixie said. “And Daz is right. I just worry that the Zakrov tie will make it expensive….”

“No, no, these are….”

“Daz has truly adopted the ethos of our family,” Rajenlif said, interrupting Thyllia. “She is not opposed to making money, but she wants to build something positive with it. It is good to have places where people can remember how things were long ago, before today’s technology made life easy. That is why the Palace of the Three Shaars is surrounded by forest – because Dronungs are not supposed to forget that this whole world was forest, and our ancestors carved our home out of it tree by tree. Those who live in the city now, they are not better or worse than those who bult them, but they should not forget that our civilization was built. And they should remind themselves, from time to time.”

“Vwokhu helped tend this wilderness,” Kullervo said. “She knows.”

Vwokhu coughed. “Well, I haven’t…been on the grounds since…well….”

“I know,” Rajenlif said. “Your mother helped to keep these lands wild. And you have helped to keep part of Sininentavas wild. Those are greater contributions than I have made to our people, I think; they are certainly greater than my mother’s. Vwokhu, you should never have been sent away. You should never have had to beg for the chance to have Rixie. Kullervo, you should never have had to defy our mother, and demand that Vwokhu’s choice be honored. And Rixie,” Rajenlif said, turning to her niece, “you should have been Princess Hyrikken, daughter of Kullervo and Vwokhu, your existence known throughout Jotnarherath. You should have been the cause for joy that you were. My mother forgot that the Jotnar are not a refined people. We know how babies are made, and we know that things do not always follow the plans that are laid out. That is not a cause for shame; that is simply a fact. You are my successor; I know you plan to lead our people only briefly. But when you lead…never forget the mistakes your grandmother and your aunt made. Be better than we were.”

Rixie bowed her head, and raised it again, looking Rajenlif square in the eye. “You did not fail me. Nor did my grandmother, nor did either of you, mom and dad. As you said, Aunt Raja, we know that things do not always follow the plans that are laid out. Had I not been given to the Hoplites, I would not have been an Imperator; had I not been an Imperator, I would not have been on Titan Station to save my husband and those who were captured alongside him. Perhaps someone else would have been, and perhaps things would have worked out…but I would not have met Alex. I may not have followed the easy path…but my path led me to him, and to Ryan, and to Asteria. And to you, Thyllia, and Lexie. Speaking of which, Asteria and Lexie….”

“They’re being taken care of by our staff,” Rajenlif said, with a smile. “There is always a Royal Nanny on staff, even if there are no children living in the palace; I want to encourage my children to bring their children to visit, and their children’s children. And my nieces and nephews, for that matter.”

“It is a bit out of the way if you need a babysitter for the night,” Kullervo said, “but if you’re visiting for a couple weeks – and you probably will be now and again – it’s good to know they’re there. And Gáktu, Dávgen, and Raja all love Biejash – he’s fantastic with kids, I’m sure Asteria is having fun – and he won’t forget to look in on Lexie when she wakes up, Thyllia.”

“Honestly, I can use the break,” Thyllia said. “I’m just glad…I was really worried there that Lexie wouldn’t be able to remember her grandfather. Alex is….he’s…he….”

“Alex Carey is as fine a person as I know,” Pryvani said. “And he is not healthy yet, and will need a great deal of help to get there. Rixie, every credit I have is at your disposal; anyone Nick wants to bring in to consult, any treatment you’d like to try, everything the Tarsuss family has will be used to help him. Because Lexie gorram well needs to know Alex Carey. And I need him to be around for a long time.”

“I do not have the money that Lady Tarsuss does,” Kullervo said. “But he saved your life. I owe him…everything.”

“As do I,” Vwokhu said.

“And needless to say,” Rajenlif concluded, “Alex saved the future Dronung; the Jotnar people are in his debt. Anything he needs is yours.”

Rixie swallowed hard. “I am immensely grateful,” she said. “And when you get a chance to see Alex, he will tell you to knock it off, and spend your money on people that need it,” she added, with a grin. “What I will ask, of all of you, is just…it will be difficult. When I call you because Alex hasn’t made any progress for weeks and we’re scared, just please…let me vent. So I can go back in and help him again the next day.”

“Always,” Vwokhu said.

“Absolutely,” Pryvani said. “And the same offer extends to him; he can drop by to express his frustration at any time, and I will be glad to listen.”

“I know,” Rixie said. “What we’ll need, more than anything…is love and support.”

Vwokhu walked over, and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. “You have many years of back payments on our love and support, Riksa. We will pay out as much as we can.”

Kullervo put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, and said, “And we will never pay in full. But we will try.”

Rixie wiped a tear from her eye, and said, “Thank you.” Breaking the hug, she turned back to the Dronung. “Aunt Raja, is there anything I need to know for this interview?”

“And as we will be going after her,” Vwokhu said, “anything that Kullervo and I should know?”

“First, Gudda Nieadlgisl has cleared topics with me,” Rajenlif replied. “He’s anxious about getting on my good side after interviewing Aud. He doesn’t have to be, he’s a fair reporter and he didn’t do anything wrong, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take advantage of it. Rixie, he won’t try to get into anything arcane or weird about Jotnar governance, so if you can demonstrate a secondary-school understanding of government, you’ll do fine. He’s also promised not to dig deeply into any silly or questionable rumors about Lady Tarsuss, though I suspect that is out of respect for Lady Tarsuss.”

“I have no idea what that could mean,” Pryvani said, “but I’m sure I appreciate that he isn’t going to make anything up about me.”

Rajenlif gave Pryvani a sardonic smile, and continued. “Kullervo, Vwokhu, I want you to know, he will ask about Kullervo being too old. Kullervo, please do tell him that part of your year away was as punishment for that; it is the truth, after all.”

Kullervo nodded. “And though the statute of limitations has run out…I have considered, and I will let him know that I am not opposed to further sanction, if the Jotnardiggi wishes to lift restriction on prosecution in my case.”

“That’s ridiculous! We were…both very willing,” Vwokhu said.

“No, I agree, brother,” Rajenlif said. “First, the Jotnarherath will not lift that restriction; if anything, this has spurred some discussion about expanding the age gap to three years instead of two. Second, showing contrition, even at this distance, is important. It shows that you are in fact contrite, and I know you to be.”

“Even so,” Vwokhu said, “when he asks, I’ll tell him that I have no hard feelings, and never did. Not toward Kullervo.”

“That is kind of you,” Rajenlif said. “Also, do be aware…he may ask about mother.”

Kullervo sighed. “I will bite my tongue.”

“Absolutely not,” Rajenlif said. “When I am dead, let my descendants speak honestly about my mistakes. That is how we improve. You should use official language, Kullo – Vwokhu, you can speak your mind – but if you wish to criticize her, do so. When I am next interviewed, I intend to. She was wrong.

“And Vwokhu – and this goes for you too, Rixie – my advice is to be who you are. You are fine people, with good families and a fine legacy. If, in being yourself, you say something impolitic or awkward for the House of Throden and ColVanos, well…we have thrust you both into an awkward position. We will not be upset if you inadvertently return the favor.”

“I just need to remember not to drop into Iron Maiden mode,” Rixie said. “Though it’s tempting to turn my voice to that register for the interview. Alex would appreciate it.”

“I’ll bet you ten thousand credits that he mentions it when he sees the interview,” Pryvani said.

“Not taking a sure loser, Pryvani,” Rixie said, with a wink.

Azhborn Niearn entered the room at that moment, and cleared her throat. “High-born Rajenlif, Well-born Hyrikken; Mr. Nieadlgisl is here.”

Rajenlif nodded. “Very well. He can come back in ten minutes. I need to attend to just one more thing,” she said, walking over to a table and pulling something out of a box. “Ordinarily, you do not need to wear this, except on state occasions. But for your introduction to your people, I think it appropriate. Now, this is my selection for you; there are about a dozen others that you could choose from, and after tonight, if you prefer another one, you may…but this one has meaning.”

She handed Rixie a tiara, an old one, made of brass and bronze, with an inset of three simple stones. “This was first made for Crown Princess Rajenlif, the future eleventh Rajenlif, when she was fourteen years old,” said the Dronung. “She had become crown princess by accident; her uncle, the third Hegri, had died a few years earlier. Some say that it was because of a broken heart, after the death of his wife and their infant daughter in the space of a few months. The eleventh Rajenlif gave this to her daughter, the twelfth Rajenlif; she, too became Dronung by accident, her older brother Ilmarinen having died honorably in the Drazari Conflict. Though both Rajenlifs became Dronung through accident, both were excellent leaders, who navigated the Drazari Conflict and reunification with the Empire with skill and grace.”

Rajenlif sighed, and said, “That is not the only reason that I selected this, however. You see, the noble son of the eleventh Rajenlif, the brother of the twelfth, was Ilmarinen Aljansen Throden. His father, the third Lord Skorsjad Aljansen, Jofur Consort Skorsjad, is your eleventh-great-grandfather…and the eighth-great-grandfather of the second Lady Siru Aljansen, through his youngest daughter, the eighth Lady Luviisa Aljansen, Princess Luviisa.”

Rajenlif handed Rixie the tiara. “The stain on the House of Aljansen is grave, but it is not indelible. And with time, all things can be washed clean. What binds us together is stronger than what divides us.”

Rixie nodded, and took the tiara. “My friend, and my daughter-in-law…their mother is a traitor. But her crimes are her own. From everything I’ve heard, Siru Aljansen is a patriot, like Pryvani and Thyllia.” She carefully placed it into her hair, and at Pryvani’s signal, bent down a bit so her friend could help fasten it in place. “Let us punish the traitors. But their families are victims; we should seek no vengeance against them.”

Rajenlif nodded as Rixie straightened again, and smiled. “Spoken like a Dronung.”