Alex had a terminal Cancer diagnosis and thought she would die before she got to be the girl she always was inside. That all changes when she's in the wrong place at the right time and gets transported to another world and into the body of a girl. So what if she's not human, she's alive and a girl. Now if only she had her sister with her to navigate this new world and her new responsibilities. Wait, she's here too? The passage of their souls between worlds may have doomed the Earth to apocalypse, but Alex and Michelle won't be there to see it and they have enough problems on their hands.
 

 

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Author's Note: Back to posting after a few rough weeks and taking a week off for my birthday and Labour Day weekend to try to get my mojo back. I was hoping to get a chapter of Apocalypse Dawn done this week, but after not getting much sleep last night and migraines most of the night and day today, it just wasn't happening. I will be getting a chapter ready for next week though, since there's only two or maybe three chapters left of book 2 and I'd really like to finish it before the end of September. Anyway, here's chapter 7 of the rewrite of Alex in Wonderland to tide you all over. Thanks to my readers and to BCTS for giving their support of Transgendered authors and fiction. ~Amethyst.
 

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Chapter 7: New Arrivals

I turned to look at Galan, stunned by what I had just seen through the scope of my new rifle. “What the hell did you do to that bullet?”

“That was one of those special rounds I mentioned,” he said with a grin. “You are familiar with the concept that everything is made up of kida, yes?”

“Yeah, it’s a type of energy, right? Sort of like the potential for magic that exists in everything,” I replied. I had learned a bit about it in the basic books and scrolls for teaching new Healers.

He nodded in response as he continued explaining. “People, animals, plants, rocks, even air; it all contains kida. The enchantment on the bullet was that on impact, it repels all kida within a six-tayr diameter sphere, creating a void. Matter does not want to be empty of kida. So, in the case of the target, all air, wood, water, and anything else in that sphere rushed to the nearest source of kida, which was outside of that six-tayr sphere. The matter in the center of the void pushes out faster than that around it to get to the kida outside since it is further away. As a result, the target tears itself apart as it, the air, and anything else around it in the area of effect push outward toward kida. The momentum that the shattered pieces gain as they rush outward causes it all to ‘explode’ outward, sending it all flying. Afterward, there is a rush of air inward as the displaced kida and air return to fill the void.”

“Umm… wow,” was all I could say. Six tayr was close to six feet. That was a pretty nasty effect.

Galan echoed my thoughts as he suggested, “Please only use those rounds on inanimate targets, Your Highness. Using them on people would be… messy.”

I shuddered at that thought. “Yeah, I think that I want to throw up just thinking about that.”

In all, Galan had come up with four different types of special ammo. The first, of course, was those explosive rounds, which he made appear yellow. The second type, color-coded red, I called fireball rounds, since they would erupt into a ball of flame ten feet in diameter once safely out of range of the person firing the gun. The third type was color-coded white, and I called them blizzard rounds. These expanded and shattered into shards of ice, which spread out like buckshot. Finally, there were the blue tornado rounds, which would create a wind shockwave around the point of impact, spreading out about 20 feet in diameter.

Once he was done explaining the colored bullets and what they did, I asked him, “Have you and Kardis memorized how to make the guns and the ammunition?” He nodded, so I replied, “Good, we’ll burn the plans for them. If we ever need the plans again, I’ll sketch them again then, but I don’t want anyone that I don’t know and trust implicitly being able to recreate these. Also, I don’t want any more of these made unless I personally request them. I want these kept quiet for now.”

“Of course, Princess. I have not let these plans leave my sight, and these three are the only ones that we have made so far, as per your orders.” He pulled the plans in question from his vest pocket and handed them to me. “Let us wrap these weapons up and place them safely in your rooms, and then you can burn the plans at your leisure.”

I nodded as I began to re-wrap my guns in the canvas and handed Jezz a small piece of canvas to do the same with her own. Once I had mine wrapped and had picked them up, I asked Galan, “And what of the other modification I requested? The fail-safe?”

“It is done, Your Highness. That is part of the reason that they took so much energy to enchant, and the reason why I handed the weapons to you both myself,” he answered. “They are linked to the first person, other than me, who touches them. Now, if anyone other than you touches your weapons or anyone but Lady Jezz touches hers, they will self-destruct.”

“I think that was a wise decision, Your Highness,” Patar put in.

Galan nodded in agreement. “I would rather we have to build you or Lady Jezz a new weapon than possibly have one of those fall into the hands of our enemies.”

We started heading in the direction of my rooms as we talked and I thought aloud, “We’ll need someplace to put these that only Jezz and I can access. I would hate for Felice, or one of the other servants, to accidentally touch one and trigger the self-destruct.”

Jezz agreed on that. “Ya, true ‘nough. It’d be a good idea t’ keep ‘em ‘way from pryin’ eyes too.”

I thought for a moment. “How about the small storage room, just inside the door to my rooms? You know, the one in the sitting room. I never use that one for anything. It just sits there, mostly empty. Jezz and I could use it as a sort of private armory to keep all of our combat gear.”

“I could enchant the door so that it will only open for you or Lady Jezz,” Galan offered, “though afterward, I will need to rest for a few suns before I can do anything else major.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Galan. After this, you can take a few suns off and relax a bit. I appreciate everything that you’ve been doing, you and Kardis both.”

At this point, we reached my suite, and Patar opened the door for us to enter. Galan gave me one of his jovial smiles. “I think I speak for both Kardis and myself when I say that it is our pleasure to serve you. You will be a fine Queen when the time comes, Your Highness. Perhaps since I have a few suns off, I will go into the city tomorrow. I have been considering taking on an apprentice, and a Diviner friend at the temple of Selune told me of a newly Gifted Zenin boy with great potential as an Enchanter. Since you are trying to prepare for the future, I think that I can do no less.”

I smiled back at him. “Thank you, Galan, I will certainly do my best. Enjoy yourself when you go, and if you need any supplies, get whatever you need; the palace will pay for them.”

“Of course, Your Highness, thank you.” Galan gestured to the storage room door. “If you and Lady Jezz will both please place your hand on the door, then I can enchant it for you.” We both did as he asked, and he began to chant a prayer to Selune as he concentrated on the door. He began to glow with a pale golden light, and sweat started to bead along his brow. I felt a slight tingle, and then he was done chanting, and the glow began to fade. He gave us a tired smile. “Now only the two of you will be able to open this door and access the room.”

I placed a hand gently on the Enchanter’s shoulder. “Thank you, Galan. Please go get some rest, you look tired. I will hopefully talk to you tomorrow evening to find out how your search for an apprentice went.”

“Ya, thank you, Galan, fer all o’ this,” Jezz said, adding her thanks to my own.

After that, Galan left, and we carefully placed the guns in a large cabinet in the now private room. The ammunition was placed in the drawer of the cabinet. There were about two hundred regular rounds, with four spare clips to load them into, then there were eight color-coded clips filled with rounds of the same color, so we could remember which rounds we were using.

It looked like, for now, we both had one clip of each type of special rounds plus one hundred rounds each of normal ammunition. We would be getting more of the regular rounds soon since those were relatively easy for Kardis to reproduce now, but any more special rounds were going to take time. I greatly appreciated the work that Galan and Kardis had put into this little project, and I didn’t want to overwork either of them.

Patar gave us the rest of the afternoon off from any studies, while he and Runne went for a flight to find a quiet and secluded place away from prying eyes for Jezz and me to practice with our new weapons. We wanted to be able to do so in privacy, and there was just too much chance of someone walking into the practice yards and stumbling across us using our new secret weapons. So while Patar and Runne looked for a suitable place, Jezz and I sat and talked on my bed.

The plans for the weapons quickly went into my fireplace and were burned. Truth to tell, I was happy to get out of combat practice for the afternoon, since I wasn’t feeling well and was experiencing some terrible abdominal cramps all morning. I hoped that it was just the flu or something and tried to make sure that my discomfort wasn’t leaking out empathically.

Michelle lazed in the courtyard beside Grayle, settling in for a nice afternoon nap while their Chosen snuggled. She felt another surge of discomfort from Alex and sighed. ~What’s wrong, Sis? You’ve been feeling off all afternoon.~

~I don’t know,~ came Alex’s reply, and her mind voice reflected the discomfort she was in. ~I’ve been wondering if I’m doing the right thing. I mean, I’ve brought guns to a world that still uses swords and spears in war.~

Michelle snorted dismissively at that, causing Grayle to lazily open her eyes and look in her direction before closing them once again. ~Sure, they use swords and spears here, but they also have magic. Some of those Thaumaturges can do things way more powerful than fire bullets. You’re just evening the playing field for yourself and Jezz, since it’s not like Grayle and I have offensive powers. You’re taking great pains to make sure these don’t become widely used, and you’ve had them created using magic, so it’s not like you’ve created something they couldn’t have on their own. It’s no different than an Enchanter giving someone a wand that shoots lightning or something. You know from your lessons that that has been done before for rulers with no Gift, or no offensive Gifts, in war.~

She could practically feel her former twin sigh as she responded, ~I guess you’re right, but I feel like I’m bringing destruction to these people.~

~You are doing your best to prepare to protect these people. It’s your right and responsibility as their future leader. If the empire finds a way to get their army here, they will not stop until we’re all dead or enslaved. You have to start preparing now, so we’re ready when that time comes.~ She felt another stab of discomfort from the Zenin princess, who was once her twin. ~Okay, what is wrong? It’s not just the whole gun thing.~

~I’m just not feeling very well today, Sis. Between that, the guns, and being in charge of the castle while my parents are in Draden, I’m a bit moody,~ Alex responded.

A thought suddenly popped into Michelle’s head. She almost felt sorry for Alex, but her twin had wanted to be a woman, so she’d have to take the bad along with the good. ~Hmm... emotional and not feeling well? Umm… Alex, are there any symptoms? You seem pretty uncomfortable, and you’re pouring an awful lot of your concentration into controlling your empathy so nobody finds out.~

~Maybe it’s just something I ate,~ Alex suggested. ~I started feeling a bit nauseous and tired after breakfast this morning, and I’ve been getting the worst cramps.~

Michelle tried not to laugh, since she really shouldn’t find her Chosen’s discomfort so amusing. Instead, she clamped down on that urge and asked, ~Any other symptoms? Tenderness or bloating or anything?~

She could feel Alex’s embarrassment at the response. ~Yeah, I guess I feel kind of bloated, and my breasts are feeling a bit tender and sensitive, even my bra is bothering them.~ Then she felt the eureka moment in Alex’s brain as she put two and two together. ~You don’t mean that I’m…~

Michelle interrupted that thought, as she could feel her Chosen start to panic a bit. ~Yes, I think you’re starting your period, so get used to it. You’re a girl now, and this is a part of being female. Welcome to the club. So you had better talk to Jezz and find out how women here in the Greylands deal with their monthly visitor, because I have no idea. Maybe you should invent a magical equivalent to the tampon next.~ The last was a joke, but Alex wasn’t laughing. ~Honestly, though, you and Jezz are Healers; they must have something in your studies to help with this.~

Alex was quiet for several moments since her attention was elsewhere. The next thought to pop into Michelle’s mind from Alex was, ~Ewwwwww!!! This is so gross!~ Michelle just allowed herself a good laugh and went to sleep.

“Now that we got ya all cleaned up ‘Lex, ‘tis time t’ take care o’ yer flow,“ Jezz said, handing me a square of rough loiku cloth. Then, along the center from almost one end to another, she spread out a bluish moss. “This is brae moss,” she explained, as she finished spreading it out and folded both ends over the middle. “Tis very good at absorbin’ blood an’ the like.” She then helped me to situate the makeshift pad in place, and I got dressed in new clothes, putting my now-stained panties and tights in the hamper.

I had just come out of the bathroom to join her when Jezz handed me something white. “Vilae root right?” I asked. I remembered from our lessons that the root of the fern-like plant was used as a painkiller.

“Ya,” Jezz replied, “it should help wit’ the crampin’ an’ discomfort. If ya get t’ feelin’ nauseous try not t’ be eatin’ anythin’ too rich.”

After that was all settled, Jezz and I, armed with baskets, took a trip toward the city with a dozen guards as our protection. We didn’t enter the city, though, but instead stopped at an outcropping of yalk trees by the lakeshore, near where the nest breaking had been just over two sevensuns ago. Brae moss only grew on yalk trees, and Jezz thought that I might need a supply of it for the next several suns. Once our baskets were full, we returned to the palace and picked a small supply of vilae root, as well as some corrune pollen from the garden in case I had trouble sleeping.

We took dinner in my suite that night and spent most of the evening cuddling on my bed, with Chrissy draped over us both and snuggling. Jezz was really sweet and helped me through that first night, and if nothing else, at least the evening was good practice for controlling my empathy. It was also a good excuse to just hold one another and spend some time talking about everyday things, not related to my duties as Princess or the looming threat of war sometime in the future. We talked about what we were learning, how our Drakans were growing, and how we were going to make a cozy home for them both on the plot of land behind the palace.

~My concern is mostly for Grayle,~ I said at one point. ~She won’t be able to fly, and soon she will be too big to leave the courtyard. The only way on or off the part of the island behind the castle is by water or air.~

~Worry not,~ Grayle herself interjected. ~I won’t be able to fly, but all Drakans, except for Stone Drakans, can swim, and we Earth Drakans float pretty well. I shall be able to come and go as I please. You are right about my size, though, and Michelle is bigger than I am. We will need to move soon.~

~Alex, how do you plan to get out there to spend time with Michelle?~ Jezz asked. ~You would have to take a boat around since there are no doors at the rear of the palace. The only entrance is the main gates to the bridge.~

I sighed deeply. ~I hadn’t thought of that. I can’t fly, and the palace walls would give even a Zenin trouble to climb, plus any sort of door or gate back there would be a security risk. I hate to ask Galan for anything else right now, but we may need to get his advice on this once he’s had a few suns’ rest.~

Michelle’s voice slipped into the conversation. ~Okay, we know where we’re going to be living, and that Alex will need a way to get there. So what are we going to need out there? I don’t really think we’d need much, except someplace to sleep where we won’t get rained on or snowed on.~

~I’ll be talking with Patar about getting a work crew to build a comfortable place for you both to sleep with a roof,~ I replied. ~Basically, a large stable-like affair against the palace wall. We’ll fill it with hay, or whatever is comfortable for you both. There’s a stand of yalk trees back there, which would be nice for shade in the summer.~

Jezz nodded beside me, her head bobbing on my shoulder as she added her own thoughts. ~I was thinking that we could also plant some vilae, padith, and all the other plants we’ll need back there in a garden since there’s plenty of space. Grayle can keep them healthy, and help them grow, and we’ll have plenty of materials for our Healing. The palace garden has plenty for Larane and Trevas to use, but having us learning now as well will be stretching those plants thin. We will also want to be prepared in case of war.~

~That’s a good idea,~ I thought back. ~Michelle, Grayle, can you girls think of anything you’ll be needing out there? We’ll work out a way to have your food brought to you both until you’re old enough to hunt on your own.~

~As long as we have food and shelter covered, I think we’ll be fine,~ Grayle responded after some thought.

Michelle seemed to agree with her. ~So long as I have food, shelter, and you, then I’ll be happy, Alex.~

The next few days were long ones. Not only did I have to do my regular studies and combat training while my period was making me miserable, but I was also putting things in motion for Grayle and Michelle’s new home and holding court. There were land disputes to settle, yet more nobles hoping to match me with their children, requests for aid from some farmers whose fields and homes were flooded when the Yalze River overflowed during spring runoff from the mountains, and there was a nest of Drakan eggs due to hatch any time. Patar was mostly overseeing the construction of Michelle’s and Grayle’s new home, and though he had found a good place for target practice, we just didn’t have the time for a flight there and back to get any practice in.

Galan, meanwhile, had found the Zenin boy whom he had been told about, and Tarn had been more than happy to become his new apprentice. The pair were discussing ways to make it easier for me to get outside to spend time with Michelle, and thought that they might have a few ideas for me. Tarn was a tall, lanky Zenin with blond hair, amber eyes, and beige fur with small black rosettes. He was also a bit shy, and I thought the poor boy was going to have a heart attack when he met me for the first time. Like Jezz, he was from a small village out in the sticks, and he had only come into the city to visit the temple of Selune on his Giftsun. He had never expected to have a strong Gift in anything, let alone become an apprentice to the Royal Enchanter.

I was finally relaxing in a nice hot bath on the afternoon of the fourth day of my period. Between the cramps and my sore muscles from combat practice, the hot water felt heavenly. I was just beginning to relax when I heard Felice’s distinctive knock on my bathroom door. With a sigh, I called out, “Come in, Felice.”

My maid entered the bathroom and gave a quick curtsy. “Sorry to interrupt your bath, Your Highness. Sir Patar sent me to tell you that the Drakan eggs are moving. They should be hatching within a candlemark or so.”

I groaned, “I’ll be right out. I suppose that you have an appropriate outfit laid out for me?”

She nodded in response. “Yes, Your Highness, I will help you to prepare. I sent Kiryn to help Lady Jezz.” Then she stepped out to let me dry off.

I pulled myself to my feet and slipped out of the bath, suddenly glad that I hadn’t gotten my hair wet. I quickly shook out my fur to get most of the water out before toweling myself dry. Then I put on my panties and slipped in a brae moss pad that I had prepared beforehand. With that taken care of, I left my hot bath behind to go join Felice in my bedroom.

Unsurprisingly, we were going fully formal, and we started with a corset. As bad as they are to wear under normal circumstances, they are ten times worse when you’re feeling bloated and having cramps. Then there were bloomers, a crinoline, and silk stockings. The dress itself was a long hunter green affair with a cream-colored chemise and a burgundy and gold bodice. White silk gloves and burgundy-colored boots with a four-inch heel completed the outfit.

Once I was properly attired, Felice brushed out my hair and put it up in an elaborate hairstyle that I could never hope to replicate on my own, before placing my tiara on. As soon as I was ready to go, I sent a mental nudge to Chrissy, who leaped off the bed and climbed up me to wrap herself around my neck like a white fur stole. Now that I was presentable, I left my rooms for the main courtyard where Jezz and Patar waited with Runne.

Jezz was dressed in a similar style to me, and Patar was dressed in his usual garb made from Runne’s scaly shed skin. Patar and I quickly climbed onto Runne’s back and got securely belted in, which I assure you was not an easy task in my current state of dress. Jezz would fly across the lake under her own power to where the nest was and promised to meet us there as I was getting strapped in. Soon we were up in the air, and I was once again enjoying the feeling of flying.

The flight was far too brief for my liking. I had been enjoying it so much that I had, for a time, almost forgotten my discomfort. Once I had both feet on the ground again, though, it all came back to me. Jezz had no sooner landed beside us than Patar half-dragged us both to some padded benches that had been placed near the nest so that we could see the whole nest breaking. My seat was fairly comfortable, but it did little to alleviate my discomfort, especially since Duchess Yanesse and Countess Nikola apparently intended to use this event to go on endlessly about the wonderful qualities of their respective sons.

Nikola was in the process of regaling me with a story of how her son Halan had found a rare book on his travels in the Great Sands. He had gotten the book from a Human trader who was fleeing the empire after charges of sympathizing with non-humans. The book itself was over three hundred passes old, and was the account of a prophet who had lived on Earth and was one of the last to travel to the Greylands through the gate that had once connected our two worlds.

Needless to say, I was intrigued. Even though I had forsaken my homeworld to embrace my new home and held no desire to return to Earth, it would be interesting to know why the gate had stopped working. I turned to smile at her as I said, “I would like to read this book if possible. Could you have Halan come to the palace tomorrow with it?”

Nikola gave Yanesse a smug smile before turning her smiling face to me. “Of course, Your Highness.”

We didn’t get to speak anymore on the topic, though, as the Flame Drakan who sat at the nest had chosen that moment to place the first egg on the ground. It was a small nest, only four eggs overall, and the first Chosen picked from the crowd was a pale human girl with fiery red hair. Ironically, her new charge was a Frost Drakan. The next pair was a white-furred Jiquar girl and a bright gold Storm Drakan, followed by a brown-haired Zenin boy with grey fur, who was matched with a light blue Water Drakan.

Nobody was expecting the last pair, though. A Rokin with gold scales was pulled out of the gathered crowd, where he was selling something in wineskins. He looked as scared as I was when I got yanked out of the crowd, but he consented and was paired with a crimson Flame Drakan. I knew a little about the Rokin from my studies. They are a reptilian race that prefers hotter temperatures, live in the Great Sands, and supposedly hardly ever leave their desert home.

Once the baby Drakans were done feeding, I arranged for Patar to have my retinue meet them all at the same time. The nobles all gave quick congratulations to each pair before going off to tend to whatever business they had been summoned from for the breaking. As for me, I waited until the nobles were all finished before walking up to the four pairs to speak with them.

“Congratulations to all of you. I’m Princess Alexis, and this is Jezz and Patar. I’m pretty sure that I know exactly how you’re all feeling right now. Jezz and I were in the same boat a few sevensuns ago.” There were a few knowing laughs at that. “Why don’t you all introduce yourselves, and tell me a bit about you before we go break that nest apart?”

I shook the red-haired girl’s hand first, and I could feel her excitement over meeting me and getting Chosen. She nodded and spoke up, “I’m Lannah, and this here is Snow.” It wasn’t a terribly original name for a Frost Drakan, but at least it was easy to remember. “I just turned eighteen passes old.” Then she added with a blush, “Actually, my birthsun is the same as yours, Your Highness. I’m a Dabbler too; I have a strong Diviner Gift and a small Shifter Gift. “

I smiled at her. “It sounds like we have a lot in common, Lannah. Any idea what your Gifts are specifically?”

She nodded, quickly replying, “Long-range telepathy. It’s troublesome to learn to control; I keep picking up thoughts from all over the place, and I often forget to keep myself from projecting my own thoughts. My Shifter Gift is pretty small; I can only seem to change my coloring.” She demonstrated this by turning her red hair white and her green eyes a pale blue.

“I know how you feel with the telepathy, though mine is only touch-based.” Then I giggled. “I think that’s a good look for you. Did you have any plans for yourself and your new Drakan?”

She blushed at my comment but quickly nodded. “I heard that a lot of Drakans and their Chosen serve the royal family as scouts, guards, and such. I was hoping that my skills might be useful for something like that.”

I nodded and smiled at that. “I think that I can find a use for you, Lannah, if you still want to serve the royal family?” Then I placed a hand on Patar’s shoulder to ask privately, ~Is she trustworthy?~

He quickly sent back, ~They all are, Princess. I had the Diviners for this lot using their precognitive gifts to find, not only good matches for the Drakans but also people who would be useful to you and serve you loyally.~

Meanwhile, Lannah was eagerly nodding as she replied, “Yes, Your Highness!”

“Great!” I said with a grin, “You’re in.” Then I turned to the white Jiquar and shook one of her four large hands, “And how about you? Tell me about yourself.”

The young bearlike woman who had at least a foot on me in height swallowed nervously, patting her Drakan lovingly. “I’m Rozia, Your Highness, and this is Thorza. I’m nineteen passes old and I’m a very minor Thaumaturge. Before I was chosen, I was training to become one of the palace guards. Thorza and I would be happy to serve you in any way we can.”

“I’m sure that you both will serve me well. I’m happy to have you,” I responded as I took the Zenin’s hand next. “And you are?”

He didn’t look much older than I was, had a dreamy look in his amber eyes, and the light blue Water Drakan beside him had to give him a head bump before he sputtered, “Yes, Your Highness! I’m Jonth, and this pretty girl is Xuth. I’m afraid that my Gift is a small one. I’m supposedly a Wind Walker, but I haven’t had much luck controlling the weather. I can only seem to make the wind blow.”

“It’s not what we have, Jonth, it’s how we use it,” I said, giving him an encouraging smile before inquiring, “How about your plans?”

“We had no specific plans, Your Highness.” He looked to Xuth for a brief instant and nodded before adding, “Xuth and I will gladly do whatever task you put us to.”

I nodded and smiled as I replied, “And I’m sure you’ll both do it well.” I then turned my attention to the Rokin and shook his hand. One of his kind had never been Chosen before; indeed, it was rare for them to leave their desert home in the first place. “And now we have you. I sense that there’s a story here.”

“Yesss, Princesss,” he replied. “I am Irric, and thisss isss Forte. I am twenty-one passssesss old. I wasss a powerful Zenin Shifter and five tenthsss ago I tried shifting into a Rokin while traveling through the Great Ssssandsss. I figured that I would be more comfortable that way. Then I got sssick. I wasss found and nursssed back to health by sssome Rokin, but I found that I wasss ssstuck like thisss. Now, like Lannah, I can only change my coloring.” He demonstrated this by changing his scales to a red that matched Forte’s. “I didn’t fit in there with the Rokin, ssso I thought I would return home and try to make a living as a trader or sssomething. I came to the nessst breaking hoping to sssell sssome of the prickleberry brandy that I got in the desert.”

“I could probably use you as a desert scout,” I said thoughtfully, “you’d blend right in, and both you and Forte can take the heat easily enough. That is, if you want the job. You and Forte can go off and live in the desert if you want; it’s your lives to live.”

“We would be happy to ssserve you, Your Highnesss,” he said, giving a slight bow.

I gave them all a warm smile. “Great, you four will be trained to be mine and Jezz’s personal guards. Once trained, you’ll accompany us when needed and do whatever other tasks I assign. Until then, with the help of your Warders, you will take care of your new Drakans and build yourselves homes on land that I will deed to you on the lakeshore. At three candlemarks after high sun, you will come to the palace to train in hand-to-hand and weapons combat with Jezz and me, under Patar’s watchful eye.”

All four responded with, “Yes, Your Highness!”

I just smiled at their eagerness. “Good, now go break down that nest, so I can start a fire and we can eat.”

Jezz and I would have helped the four break down the nest if we could have, but it was a tradition that only the Chosen and their new Drakans complete that task. Still, the four went about their task quickly, and soon I was holding a torch and lighting the remains in the place of my absent mother. Then the party started, and we sat down to enjoy the feast. Jezz, Patar, and I all sat with the new pairs as we ate and got to know them a bit.

Overall, they all gave me a good feeling, and it seemed like Patar’s Diviners had chosen well. I started to relax, and resent Patar's idea of choosing personal guards from the breaking less and less, especially after Irric started passing around those wineskins of brandy; that stuff had a kick. I must not have been focusing well on my empathy, because even Chrissy seemed to have a good buzz going. We were all pleasantly tipsy, and the new Draklings were all slumbering peacefully when Jezz and I bid the others goodnight and flew back to the palace with Patar.

The next morning, I awoke with a bit of a hangover. My head was killing me, but luckily, it seemed like my period was over. I decided that I could live with a hangover since I almost felt human, or rather Zenin, again. After I was dressed and fed, I was surprised by a visit from Patar before Jezz and I could head down to our Healing lessons with Larane. “Good morning, Princess, and you as well, Jezz. I came to let you know that Countess Nikola has sent word that her son Halan will arrive at the palace after lunch to speak with you. Also, I have decided on a change of schedule for this morning.”

I nodded as I gave Chrissy a gentle scratching. “Okay, what’s the change in plans, Patar?”

He grinned at us. “We are going out to have a real-world survival lesson and to get you girls some target practice with those new weapons. I found a cave that we can use for now in Therune Forest on the north side of the lake. We will only practice with the smaller models for now, until we can figure out a way for you to slip out unnoticed with the larger one.”

Jezz and I quickly went to our armory and buckled on our sword belts, then we wrapped our pistols, spare clips, and all the regular ammunition we had in pieces of canvas. Once that was done, and the door to the armory was shut again, we followed Patar down to the courtyard and placed our bundles in the pouches attached to Runne’s flight harness. Soon, we were flying over the lake and then the forest, where Runne landed close to the mouth of a large cave.

We spent a few candlemarks in the forest, with Patar showing us what mushrooms and berries were safe to eat, how to gather nuts, how to stay warm without a fire, and what tracks belonged to which animals and how fresh they were. It was a learning experience for both of us, and I was enjoying both it and the natural beauty of the forest. My new home really was breathtaking in places, and I counted myself lucky to be the one with whom Visanee had traded places. I still felt somewhat responsible for her death, though, and silently promised myself that I would be the best leader that I could be to her people, my people.

We did have one close call. At one point, a reptilian creature about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, with spines on its back and tusks as long as my arm, burst through the brush. It was chasing a small black and brown cat-like creature with a long, fluffy tail and large floppy ears. The smaller creature all but dove into Jezz’s arms as the larger one halted at the sight of us, particularly Runne and Patar. I don’t think it was used to seeing creatures as large as, or larger than itself, and I could feel a little fear coming from it. I focused on it and tried to fan the flames of that fear. I think it worked because the creature turned and ran like hell.

Jezz was trying to comfort the shaking ball of fur, even as I used my empathy to try to calm down Chrissy, who was scared enough to form a vice grip on my throat. As Jezz was petting the small creature, she made cooing sounds at it before finally speaking. “Poor thing is terrified, that kranth must ha’ been hungry t’ chase a neetay. It wouldn’t ha’ been much o’ a meal fer it.”

Patar nodded in agreement. “Hopefully, with Runne here, it will not come back. Let us get back to the cave and get your shooting practice in.”

We did just that. Patar had put some small targets along the back wall of the cave and had hung some kida lamps to give us enough light to work with while we practiced and improved our aim. We ended up using most of the rounds we brought with us, and by the end of it, we were both getting much more consistent with our aim. The neetay had stuck close to Jezz the whole time and, as Patar and I climbed back aboard Runne for the flight back to the palace, Jezz took to the air and headed there herself with her new pet in her arms.