Thursday: 05-19-2033: 6:00 am. Mëduza wakes up to a sharp pain in her abdomen. “What did they put into me?” Her belly glows in the hues of the Others. “What is it, my Queen?” “None of your concern, scum!” She gets up and dresses in her black armor, pressing her belly in flat. Appearing in the throne room, she rallies all her demons to her. “My children!” “Our Queen!” “Kyva’îs’hmírri’hgÿri was a tragedy and so many of your sisters have fallen in Our name. They will be avenged soon! Gather your brethren and draw them here! We will break out and strike against the Hatorris who interfered!” “Yes, our Queen!” The orcs summon all their surviving sisters to Hreikar, drawing hordes of them into the city as her surviving ships draw near Vädi.
6:30 am. I wake up to Xena pressing her nose into my face. “Mlem.” “Mlem.” I sit up and hold her as she purrs. “Good morning, Xena.” “Good morning, Lindsay. Are you ready for school today?” “Yeah. I just wonder if Boris is okay.” “With the escape of the rebels led by his mother-in-law, he is at higher risk, even though he stays to ensure no one else is tormented like he is.” Camilla wakes up and brushes her hair before putting her victory braid in it. “Are you ready for our math test today, Lindsay?” “As ready as I’ll ever be, Camilla.” It’s then that I notice the tattoo on Camilla’s shoulder, drawn by Dowager Hikari. “So how long will it take for her to get them away from there?” “I don’t know. She’s powerful, but she must be careful.” “She must be there because I can only imagine that those twins won’t have anything to do with Rynaerë.” “She said that this is only their second birth and that they were victims of an evil ritual long ago.” “Is it true that they can speak?” “Yes. I heard the baby girl rebuke Rynaerë with her own voice.” Then, my mirror rings. “Good morning, Ma’am.” “I’ve heard news of Mëduza’s forces being reduced to only a few thousand within the city of Hreikar. The outlying suburbs and countryside are preparing an attack to drive out the enemy. Tonight, I want you and your partners to join General Tovalle on board the Harriet Tubman.” “Yes, Ma’am. Consider it done.”
7:00 am. Ares’veron wakes up and screams, waking everyone else in the room. “Master! Hbax virïn’ma?!” A wolf spider’s crushed body is smeared on his chest and hand. “It looks like we have a serious pest problem, Rynaerë!” In a recessed area of the bedroom, tucked away behind a curtain, a still-disguised Hikari sits in a bundle of blankets holding the silver-haired twins. “Hungry.” “Very hungry.” “Come and drink from me, darlings.” Cleaning himself off and standing up, he opens the curtain as the twins begin drinking Hikari’s milk. “You know, I never got your name, woman.” Hikari responds with “Irakih, Master.” “I can’t help but be reminded of someone who looks familiar.” “Senshi Akagi?” “Of course. We first met when she was only eight years old. These scars came from her when she put her nails and teeth on me after I made the mistake of trying to hold her. Ten years later, she married me to protect her younger sister, though I knew better than to try to sleep with her, remembering the pain she inflicted on me.” Hikari notices the faded, thirty-year-old scars all over his body. “She grew to be beautiful, but then she ran off with that wretched human Akira and gave birth to his child in the Blue Forest after he was slain by Rynaeron.” He reaches out his hand to touch Hikari’s belly, only for Syldris to bare her tiny, sharp teeth and hiss at him. “Not your breakfast, wretch!” Ares’veron, having been told of the twins’ powers of speech but never having believed it, staggers back, stunned into silence by her sudden verbal rebuke. Syldris goes back to feeding from Hikari’s breast as Sigûrd finishes and goes back to sleep. Rynaerë attempts to enter Hikari’s area, only for Ares’veron, to her shock, to block her. “I can’t see my own children, Master?” “When I’m done here, you can.” “You were talking about that human scum Senshi, weren’t you, Master?!” “Aww, you’re scared he’s leaving you, ônir’ë?” “Oh, go away, Rynaeron!” Rynaeron leaves the room, laughing as she looks desperately at Ares’veron. “You would never leave me. Would you, Master?” “Now, what makes you think that, Rynaerë?” “That.” She points to Hikari behind the curtain. Looking back at her, slightly irritated by her supposition, he says “Let me reassure you that as soon as the twins no longer need milk, she’ll be gone faster than light. Won’t you, Irakih?” “But you promised that we’d be giving birth forever, Master. And if our children despise me, then we’ll need a wet nurse if we don’t want them to starve.” “When did I promise that, Rynaerë?” “When you sent me that sweet treat after they were born, Master.” “What treat?” Hikari, knowing his back is turned, silently waves her hand and his demeanor changes. “Oh, of course, Rynaerë. I must have forgotten in the heat of battle all those weeks ago. With that in mind, oën’që, why don’t we get to work.” “Oh, yes, Master.” Ares’veron and Rynaerë get on the bed together and a great ruckus fills the room. Syldris, having finished her breakfast, burps and joins her brother in going back to sleep, or trying to. “Yuck!”, she whispers, looking into Hikari’s eyes with disgust.
6:00 pm. We rush through what homework is due tomorrow and taking our true forms, we travel to the White House. “Whew! It’s good to be back here.” “It’s good to see you four again. Three ships: the Harriet Tubman, Silver Guardian, and Lady of Light are cloaked and are leaving the orbit of Jupiter where they’ve been stationed for the past few weeks, guarding the outer solar system and entering hyperspace for the Vädi system. Since the Battle of Kyva’îs’hmírri’hgÿri, Mëduza only has one ship remaining in the orbit of Vädi. As you four know, Hrindyr Äartens Othallasdottir is the rightful Queen of that land, and with the death of her father Agnar, she has only to remove her usurper of a stepmother and destroy the remaining orcs. Her mother, Dowager Queen Othalla is still being hunted by the orcs but is organizing an uprising in her name.” “What about Porrima-Hadar, Ma’am? Isn’t she the one protecting Hrindyr?” “She tells me that she will fight as well, North. You four will apprehend the enemy yourselves by whatever means necessary, preferably alive.” “Well then, I guess Lyral and a few of her friends might have to fill in for us tomorrow at school if we don’t finish this by sunrise here.” “I’ll get Ax to cook us up something for sleep deprivation.” We go back home where Ax gives us something to keep us awake for at least 36 hours and formulate a plan to attack the castle.
On board the Ta’alït’ha, Kønginr Hrindyr is with Porrima-Hadar, and the ship is already in hyperspace heading towards Vädi. “I am very glad as I am finally returning home, Ta’alï’kääni. I will be reunited with my mother and with my people. I also want to find my sister Danya, too.” “I have no doubt that you will find her, Hrindyr. She did escape back in January. She is hiding on Earth with the Immortals.” “Thank the All-Mother.” Hrindyr is wearing thick, red leather armor and ochre war paint on her big, strong body. “I am ready, Ta’alï’kääni.” “One more thing, Hrindyr.” Porrima-Hadar paints a protective sigil onto Hrindyr’s heart to guard against dark magic. “What is this, Ta’alï’kääni?” “I have a feeling that in your home castle lies a danger greater than just Mëduza.”
“What was it that you injected into her, Crawford?” “Just a little surprise I cooked up using the first of my daughter’s eggs which she laid a few years ago, Master.” “Will it emerge soon?” “At this rate, it should emerge within the next 48 hours, Master.” “It’d better be worth it, Crawford. Tell me, Chuck. Will its emergence kill her?” “Given its size and its placement within her womb, it could go in any direction. It could exit through the natural path, or it could tunnel its way out.” “Will it be able to find us, or will someone have to collect it once it’s born, Crawford?” “Someone will have to be there, waiting for it to come out and bring it back here and we’ll have to feed it. A lot.” “What is it exactly, Crawford?” “Something that will take the place of all the orcs and spawns in our army. Something that will give us the Universe.”
Friday: 05-20-2033: 4:00 am. We join the three cloaked ships, which have already arrived at the outer reaches of the Vädi system. “Welcome aboard, Feline.” “Likewise, General.” The disk of Vädi’s moon grows in our view as we draw closer. From behind the moon, we see that lone ship peeking out, whereupon it charges at our formation. “Fire at will!” The Silver Guardian fires at the lone enemy ship, impacting against its shield and shaking it violently.
Silo wipes his brow and again grips the gun turret. “Come on! Get some!” He fires another round at the enemy, possessed with the same fire and wrath that was on full display at Procyon 1. He continues firing and reducing the enemy’s shield strength, forcing them to retreat towards the planet.
“Our last ship is under attack, my Queen!” “Return fire, scum!” They try to return fire, only for their shield to fail, and thus they fall prey to the Silver Guardian’s guns.
Mëduza sees the fireball in the sky, as do her orcs, many of whom begin to flee Hreikar in despair, only to be slaughtered by mounted Vädish warriors, led by a resurgent Othalla Freydisdottir. “Tear them apart!” The old Queen charges forth on the back of a large wolf-like beast, tearing several orcs limb from limb with a sword and the jaws of her mount. Behind her, many men and women, some armed with spears and swords, others with common farm tools stream through the city’s northern gatehouse where Hreikar’s inhabitants join them, and like a glede caught between the hammer and the anvil, the orcs are caught between Othalla’s cavalry and the guns of Hreikar. Mëduza abandons her troops and retreats into the Castle where her personal shuttle waits. She then feels an immense pain in her abdomen and slumps down on the ground just short of the door to her shuttle. “Going somewhere, Mëduza?!” She lifts her gaze to see Charles Crawford blocking her way. “Yõ qi saa’w’ma! It was you who did this to me!” “Now you are no longer necessary, elf!” Brandishing a knife, he lunges at her abdomen, making a small laceration in her belly close to where she was wounded in January, prompting her to drag herself into her shuttle where she slams the door in his face, and he flees.
Sigûrd and Syldris wake up, a foul smell issuing from their hinds. Hikari gets up and takes them to the bathroom where she changes their diapers. Following behind her, Rynaerë holds the long chains. “Do you think he is mighty, Irakih?” “Does the mistress refer to Lord Ares’veron?” “Of course I do, Irakih. Are you enamored of him?” “How could I be worthy of his presence, let alone his affections, Mistress? Doesn’t he only want your embrace?” “He seems fascinated by you, or at least by your figure, as he always is with Taniri women.” Ares’veron, woken up by their conversation, approaches behind Hikari and rubs her shoulders. “Am I interrupting something?” “Good morning, Master. I just bathed the children.” “Are they hungry?” “No, Master. They’ll go back to sleep soon.” “Good. Then maybe we could take a walk around the grounds for a while, Irakih.” “Of course.” Rynaerë’s expression drops as the wet nurse puts the babies back to bed. She can only follow the twins in returning to the bedroom, scowling and flushed red as Ares’veron puts his arm around Hikari, leading her downstairs. He is then hit by a powerful scent. “Rock salt.” “Where, Master?” “From the great hall. I must have left some meat to cure a few years ago and now the container is a bit worn down. But that is nothing compared to your fragrance, Irakih. From the moment that Crawford brought you in, I knew you were something else.” “In what way, Master?” “For starters, I haven’t yet heard you whining and screeching about everything.” Then, they are interrupted by a loud commotion as a group of orcs rush into the great hall, terrified as though they’d seen a ghost. “What’s all this noise, then, scum?!” “It’s her!” “Who?! Who’s her?!” “The old Empress!” “She’s returned!” “Where?!” One orc points out a window. Looking out that window and seeing nothing out of the ordinary and getting very annoyed, he defenestrates the orc and bares his teeth at the others, snarling, “Get you gone, scum!” The orcs run away and Ares’veron calms down and turns to face Hikari. “With all that out of the way, will you follow me outside, Irakih?” “Of course, Master.” He teleports them both outside into the courtyard. The dawn is tentatively peeking up from the eastern horizon, giving the sky a dim orange-green hue. “It’s almost dawn, Master.” “Now that I think of it, I thought that Senshi was special. But you, Irakih, are something Other than what I was expecting from a wet nurse.” “I heard tales of your might and I wish only to serve you, Master.” “Kiss me, Irakih. Begin your service to me in earnest.” Knowing the risk, Hikari kisses him, putting her hands on his back, a soft silver glow emitting from them and creating a mark where they meet, a mark of influence. It then starts raining, with lightning illuminating the sky in the west. “You can really make one feel so high, Irakih. Let’s go back inside. I’ll be rather busy, so you just continue looking after the children.” “Yes, Master.” He brings her back inside and she returns to her bed where Sigûrd and Syldris are sleeping peacefully. Sitting up from the bed, Rynaerë violently shakes the chains and wakes the babies, with their crying echoing through the whole upstairs. “Stop it, you’re scaring them, Rynaerë!” “They’re mine to scare, while you’re just a slave! My slave as much as you are his!” Ares’veron, drawn by the racket, returns to the bedroom to see Rynaerë roughing up Hikari and the children, to which he reacts by opening the window and throwing Rynaerë out into the storm where she lands, screaming, in a large puddle of muddy water. Having just walked in and witnessed this, Rynaeron loudly bursts out laughing and pokes his head out the window to look down on his sister. “Having fun, aren’t we, ônir’ë?!” At this, she stands back up and scowls at her brother and her master before turning her attention to the dying body of the orc that had been defenestrated earlier and tearing it limb from limb in a fit of rage. Closing the window, Ares’veron turns to face Hikari and he notices a small gash on her cheek where Rynaerë dug her jagged thumbnail into her during their fight. “Hold still, Irakih.” He rubs her cheek and heals her of the wound as she calms the children back to sleep. “Come to bed, Irakih. Come with me and get to know a real man.” She climbs into his bed and kisses him once again, taking hold of his messy hair as he puts his arms around her and tries to get on top. Then, he goes completely limp and silent, except for his loud snoring as his lips fall off of hers. “There are only dreams, for such unworthy men as you, Ares’veron Bangômari.” She rolls him over and off of her and returns to sleep with the children, knowing that he’ll be asleep for a long while.
5:00 am. “They’ve pushed the orcs back to the castle! It’s time to arrest the False Queen!” The four of us go down to the surface of Vädi and appear at the Castle gates, which are already knocked off their frames. We rush inside just as a small craft begins to take off from beneath the Castle. “She’s getting away!” “Not this time!” I telekinetically pull the shuttle down to the ground and exhaust her fuel, forcing her to land. Sidera pops the door open and pulls Mëduza out, the latter as limp as a dehydrated child and in considerable pain. “You’ll all suffer for what has been done to me!” Taking a pair of magnetic bands, I put them on her wrists and we carry her out of the city to a shuttle parked outside the walls where she is strapped to a bed and taken up on board the Harriet Tubman. The remaining orcs are destroyed and Queen Mother Othalla raises the Vädish flag and the Royal Standard of House Äartens at the top of the Castle. A golden window opens and behind Porrima-Hadar, Hrindyr Äartens Othallasdottir, the rightful Queen of Vädi, steps onto the surface for the first time in nearly three years. “You’re home now, Your Majesty. Look who’s there.” The Queen notices her mother in front of their Castle. “Mut?!” “Hrindyr!” Othalla dismounts from her giant war beast and runs to embrace her daughter. “Hail Hrindyr, Vädiskønginr!” “Hail Hrindyr, Vädiskønginr!” Othalla takes a long look at the High Queen. “Thank you, Ta’alï’kääni, for taking care of her for me.” “You’re welcome, Freydisdottir.” “Well, I think we should be heading home and off to school now. We’ll be back tomorrow morning.” “Goodbye, Ar’mõri’toli’i!” “Farewell, Your Majesties. It’s been an honor!” We go home and get ready for school, which goes by easily.
5:00 pm. Porrima-Hadar, knowing that Mëduza’s been defeated, makes another golden window. “Where are you going, Ta’alï’kääni?” “I must inform Queen Ti’amat and bring her here. Hopefully, she can get through to her.”
Mëduza is restrained to a bed in the infirmary of the UNS Harriet Tubman. “Mother! Agnar! I want my army!” All the while, the creature inside her is growing stronger.
“Is it true, Porrima-Hadar, that my firstborn has been defeated at Vädi?” “It is, Xirangi. I witnessed it myself and aided Hrindyr’s return to her rightful place as Queen.” Ti’amat, her tail swishing and her cheeks flushing purple, stands up from her arboreal throne and melts into the greater Queen’s arms. “Poor baby.” “She’s not poor and she’s certainly not a baby, Marë.” A young 19-year-old woman with a tail, and massive wings floats down from the upper levels of the palace. “Certainly not after we just finished rebuilding here because of the destruction she caused.” “Come, now, Inanna, say ix’qõ to Ta’alï’kääni Porrima-Hadar.” “Good evening, Ta’alï’kääni. I happened to overhear this lovely conversation, but after what she did to our people and our family, I only wish to express that I have no desire to ever see her again, whether dead or alive.” The Princess points to a painting of the late M’wë’huri’on Marduk and walks away, her long raven hair and gown flowing in the westerly wind of Olnaï’xiranga. “I fear that her love for our people is only matched by her hatred for her sister.” “I am not surprised by her decision not to see her sister, Xirangi.” “I suppose even I can’t blame her for holding a grudge.” Ti’amat follows her daughter. “You don’t have to see your sister, Inanna, if you don’t want to, but I only ask that you not be consumed by hatred. I will be going to Vädi to ask her to submit to a trial and to offer a formal apology to the rightful Queen and her people.” “Give my wishes to the rightful Queen, Marë.” “Very well, fëâr’zuë. I’ll be back soon. Have a good night.” “Goodnight, Marë.” Inanna takes flight over the palace as the Suns dip towards the western horizon. Ti’amat follows Porrima-Hadar through a golden window to the Castle on Vädi, where Hrindyr is sitting with her mother and with General Tovalle. “Good evening, Your Majesties, General.” “Who is this, Ta’alï’kääni?” “Ëi saa’x Ti’amat Nākistan, Tigris’hâlor’ë. I have come to see my daughter and to offer a formal apology to the people of Vädi for all the terrible things she did, usurping the place of the rightful Hâlor’ë least among them.” “There is nothing for which the Queen of Tigris needs to seek forgiveness from Us or our people. We ask only that she be given grace from within as well as without.” “Hgí’do, Xirangi’i.” “Hgí’w dimao, Xirangi. Would you like something to eat?” “I will admit that I am a little bit hungry.” They give her some food and a seat at their table. Many of the Vädish people notice Queen Ti’amat’s triangular nose and long tail. “She looks a bit like the Ta’alï’kääni, but more like us.” “She’s the False Queen’s mother?” “She’s too beautiful to have birthed such a monster.” Behind her seat, a tiny sapling grows rapidly since the sunlight’s return. After finishing her meal, the Elf-Queen of the West walks around the castle grounds healing the plant life, which had withered greatly while Vädi was under Mëduza’s control. With the gentle touch of the Elf-Queen, the gardens which had been planted by Hrindyr’s grandmother, Queen Brynhilde, began to thrive again. “Hgí’do, Xirangi.” “I think it’s the least I can do for you and your people, Xirangi.”
“When will it be ready, Crawford?” “Only 24 hours left at most, Master.” “And I presume that until then, you’re not going to tell me what it is exactly?” “Trust me, Master. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what’s been cooking inside that brat’s womb for the past two months.” “How fast will it reach its full size and strength?” “If all goes well, in only half the time it’s taking to emerge, Master.”
Saturday: 05-21-2033: 7:00 am. Shuttles from the three ships land on the tilled plains outside Hreikar, distributing food and medicine to the locals. “How is she, General? Is she fit to be tried by both Tolimana and Vädi?” “Last I heard, Your Majesty, she was sedated and restrained to a bed in my ship’s medical wing. There is something else.” “What, General?” “The scans indicate that an organism is growing inside her abdomen; but we can’t tell if it’s the same species as her.” “There was no rumor of a pregnancy, General.” “She likely wanted to keep it secret to avoid appearing weak in front of her army.” “True, Your Majesty. I don’t know when she’ll be fit enough to be tried, but I have no doubt about either the verdict or the sentence.” “Quite right, General. However, there is the matter of Queen Ti’amat.” “Her mother. Yes. I know that this must be hard for her to come to terms with.” “She must have been thinking about this prospect for the better part of the past three years now, Your Majesty.” “Even so, one could never truly be at peace with their own flesh and blood being possibly sentenced to death, even if such a sentence is just in the eyes of the wider Galaxy.” “Where is the Queen, General?” “Your daughter is getting set up in her room in the castle.” “I mean, the other Queen, General.” “Queen Ti’amat is on board the UNS Harriet Tubman, trying to see if she can convince her to stand trial, though I don’t see what good it could do.” “I suspect that she’s doing it more for her own closure, General.” “Perhaps you’re right, Your Majesty.”
5:00 pm. “She’s awake now, Xirangi.” “Good. I will see her now.” Ti’amat enters the room in the ship’s medical bay and approaches her daughter, restrained to the bed. “Mëduza?” “Hbax?!” “You have nothing to say to your mother, Mëduza?” “The Ar’vëla’hâlor’ë is my mother! Not some weeping, leaf-brained old fool!” Mëduza winces in pain as her abdomen cramps up. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you in pain?” “A worm! A most perfidious sorcerer attacked me on Tanir II!” “Hvûr? Hzín?” “The Ar’vëla’hâlor’ë shall be victorious! She shall rule over all of space and time!” “Mëduza. I ask that you submit yourself for trial by the Vädish and collective Tolimani authorities to be tried for your crimes against the Galaxy.” Mëduza breaks out cackling at the very idea of submitting herself for trial. “Nothing has changed, has it, Ti’amat Nākistan?! I will never submit for trial, not even if my belly tears open!” Crazed, Mëduza looks up at the ceiling, laughing like a maniac. “Why did you do these things, Mëduza?! Why did you turn on our people?! Our family?! Your father, he loved you so much!” “That was his mistake! And so is it yours!” Utterly crushed inside, Ti’amat turns away, only wanting to cry as Mëduza continues laughing at her mother, only for her mocking and jeering to turn into hacking and pained screeching, prompting the Queen to face her again. “Mëduza?! Hbax qi saa’t?!” A bulge builds in her lower abdomen, convulsing as Mëduza begins thrashing around in pain. “Doctor!” The ship’s chief medical officer rushes into the room. “Something’s happening to her! Something’s inside my daughter!” An entire medical team rushes in to attempt to stabilize the prisoner. “I swear, by the empty expanse of all the void, that I shall never cease to serve the Dark Queen, the Darkness, the Herald of the Horror, the Slave of the Inanis, the Mother of Shadows, and the Dark Tree!” Upon her uttering that last syllable, the bulge in Mëduza’s abdomen abruptly rushes up towards her chest and bursts out, spraying everyone in that room with sweltering black fire and sending a few pieces of her ribs flying through the air. Anyone within a few feet of her receives horrible burns. The Queen screams in horror and faints as Mëduza Vix’eri, the False Queen of Vädi, the Traitor to all Tolimana, the Regicide of Qô, and the favorite of Sahra Etraxia, breathes her last. “What in goodness’ name is that?!” The creature which had been growing inside her now resembles a serpentine reptile with membranous wings and a hideous face. One of the aides tries to tackle the animal as it climbs out of Mëduza’s body cavity, only for it to spit its black fire into his face and fly off out the door and into the corridor. “Get it!” “Don’t let it get away!” Despite her burns, the chief medical officer makes a brief call to the Bridge.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s been a containment breach in the medical bay on deck 5. The prisoner is dead and multiple burn injuries are present!”
“What about the Queen?! I heard she was in there!”
The doctor looks over at the unconscious Queen, seeing no burns or other injuries on her. “She fainted when the creature burned its way out. It doesn’t look like she’s hurt.”
“Creature?! What creature?!” Then, an unholy screeching echoes over the ship’s intercom, terrifying the entire crew. “We’re going on lockdown! Find that thing and kill it before anyone else gets hurt!”
Chuck appears on board in a supply closet on the ship’s lowest deck, waving a chunk of orc-flesh out the open door, at which the little dragon flies into his arms and he disappears with it just as a patrol approaches the area.
General Tovalle’s pager goes off. “Tovalle?” “There’s been an incident, Ma’am!” “What?” Hrindyr and Othalla’s curiosity is piqued. “Colonel, what’s going on?!” “The prisoner, Mëduza, is dead. That organism that we found inside her just blasted its way out and she died. Several nurses and the chief medical officer suffered third degree burns, but Queen Ti’amat is fine, just fainted. We’re still in lockdown, looking for it.” “What was inside her, General?” “I don’t know, Your Majesties, but it’s no baby.”
11:00 pm. “Are you certain, Colonel?” “Yes, Ma’am. We’ve checked every square inch of this tub once for every star in the sky. It’s not here anymore.” “Which means that someone helped that creature escape. For all we know, someone could’ve been hiding out on board and waiting for it to come out and find them. How’s the Queen?” “She’s physically okay, but she’s inconsolable.” “Naturally.” Hrindyr’s face betrays a mix of trepidation and guilt. “What’s wrong, Your Majesty?” “Surely Queen Ti’amat doesn’t deserve that?” “Of course not, Your Majesty. No one deserves to see their child die right in front of them.”
In another part of the ship’s medical wing, the Queen of Tigris lies sedated and blanketed in a bed much like the one Mëduza died in. Though she is still asleep, she twitches and makes pained faces, curling up into a ball with the end of her long tail coming to rest near her head as she buries her nose in her pillow, wanting only for her pain, nearly three years in the making, to be worth something.
Previous Episode: Battle of the Nine Blue Suns.
Next Episode: House of the Weaver.
