Although Tommy has been nearly consumed by a longing for home, he acknowledges that there is one important stop that must be made before they continue onward to L'Manberg. The group left behind the diplomats and their guards in Chromia when they went to Rivendell, partially to guarantee that a proper treaty was written up under dutiful eyes and partially to limit how many non-elves were going to Rivendell. These humans, however, cannot be left in Chromia. Tommy knows that the elves will be accommodating since they earned the right to visit the elven capital, but Tommy would rather not test their affinity for humanity so early on in their gradually improving relationship.

It would have been easy enough to stop for a few moments to collect the diplomats from the inn, but Scott wished to stay for a moment longer to reveal his identity to Crow and Mia, his faithful attendants from his youth that came to Chromia after Scott ran away from Alfheim. False agreed to wait for him, and she gave the excuse that she wanted to make sure the airship was stocked with plenty of emergency supplies. Scott's appearance made it easier to acquire these goods.

Tommy stands in the observatory room that everyone enters into when they walk through the only entrance of the airship's hull. He stands between two of the seats, looking out of the window. In the distance, he sees False effortlessly carrying heavy boxes into different stacks that require two, sometimes three, people to carry for everyone else. Scott is surrounded by elves that wish to bathe in the aura of their prince. The closest to him are Crow and Mia, obviously. Crow wears a somber expression, and Mia's face barely emotes. The only reason Tommy knows they missed Scott was because of how tightly they grip his cloak, as if tethering the elven witch to the ground.

It is a heartfelt scene, but it only serves to make Tommy feel even worse. His heart seizes with misery as he remembers his brothers. The image of Wilbur and Techno's faces in Tommy's mind leads him to thinking about his mother and father. After going through the motions of missing his entire family, Tommy remembers other individuals that he left behind in the capital that his heart yearns to see one more time. He wants to show Sam how much progress he's made with the Art of the Golden Tempest. He wants to ask Kara a dozen questions, and he wants to encourage Shelby to continue her research now that taboo knowledge isn't as heavily protected anymore. He wants to spend more time with Tubbo, reminding the boy that they are best friends. Tommy wants to tell Drista everything that he's learned, and maybe he wants to talk about the world they both came from together since Drista must understand him in a way no one else can.

And it isn't just people Tommy wants to see again. For as grand as the palace is, it is Tommy's home. He wants to train or walk in the gardens again. He wants to run through the halls as if the wind itself could not catch him. He wants to sit in his classroom or the library with dozens of books open around him. He wants to visit the stables to ride his noble steed around the imperial lands. He wants to see how L'Manberg is faring after the initiative that brought many of its impoverished to the eastern lands for work. While these places are cold because of the weather, they are given new warmth when Tommy remembers everything that has taken place in these locations. Not even the traumatic events will lead Tommy to turn away from the setting of his childhood.

"Star! Please, come with me!" Jimmy declares, bursting through Tommy's thoughts like the sun peeking between clouds. Jimmy rushes over, and he grabs onto Tommy's hand. He pulls the prince along without waiting for a response. Tommy could tear his hand away. He could tell one of his guards to punish Jimmy on imperial grounds. He could, but he doesn't because Jimmy is hard to refuse and even harder to hate. Tommy does not wish for him to get in trouble even if he isn't acting properly. Jimmy will have to attend etiquette classes if he wants to join False at the newly established ministry, or whatever position these monster-hunters will be given, but for now, Tommy allows Jimmy to pull him through the open door of the airship and down the ladder to the ground.

Despite being a prince of a human empire and a mechanical doll with canary wings, they are given very little attention by the elves as they pass through the crowds. Tommy glances at them, however, watching their bright smiles and tearing eyes gaze upon the prince they assumed abandoned them or worse, died. Even with the aura of a witch, Scott is treated like a savior amongst the elves. Tommy is a little curious about the story behind the elven prince, but he knows that he can get the story another time. He has to build a little more rapport with Scott first, and seeing how tightly Jimmy is holding Tommy's hand, the blonde assumes it won't be too difficult if he acquires this friendship through other avenues.

Jimmy keeps pulling Tommy along until they reach the forest. The evergreens are packed so tightly together that it almost feels like Tommy is stepping into the night despite the midmorning sun hanging low in the sky in the distance. Patches of this sunlight are able to pierce through the canopy, creating patterns of light and shadow across the thick undergrowth. Their boots crunch the plants. Animals roam or dart depending on their position on the food chain all around the hybrids, adding to the noises all around them.

As they move deeper into the forest, Tommy prepares himself for some sort of attack. He finds it difficult to believe that Jimmy would try to assassinate Tommy or lead him into a trap, but Tommy knows that he can't blindly trust someone no matter how happy and innocent they appear to be. Tommy should be able to trust Jimmy since False trusts him, but Tommy saw that look in Jimmy's eyes when they were discussing the hybrid's past. There was some point in his life that Jimmy wanted revenge, and the expression in his marble blue eyes clearly shows Tommy how strong Jimmy's resolve was. Tommy doesn't know if the imperial family was ever part of that revenge plot, but if it was, Tommy has no doubt Jimmy could turn back to his ill-mannered ways to put the grief and guilt over his siblings to rest alongside their bodies.

Jimmy finally stops. He squeezes Tommy's hand as he turns around. Tommy's eyes dart around for signs of disturbance, wondering if he's going to be ambushed or if there is a physical trap he should step into. Tommy prepares his magic as he does this, and the hand currently free from Jimmy's grip goes behind his back to grab his spear, the one gifted to him by Scar before the fight with Leviathan. Even with a pair of gloves on, Tommy can feel the spear radiating warmth.

"We're going flying!" Jimmy proclaims. His wings flare out like the backlight behind a superhero in those comics Tommy never actually read but saw in passing in his old world. The smile Jimmy wears is exactly like those superheroes, too, filled with confidence and hope like someone ready to save the day no matter who the villain is. Although Jimmy calls himself a sheriff, he carries the air of a noble knight around him, like the ones from fairytale books, not the ones in real life.

"While the offer is appreciated, I would rather not," Tommy says softly, pulling his hand out of Jimmy's grip. Tommy turns around to return to the airship. Jimmy makes a flustered noise as he dances around Tommy's body, spinning out in front of the prince. Tommy raises an eyebrow as Jimmy straightens himself.

"Star, it is extremely unhealthy for avians to remain grounded," Jimmy explains, his voice as frantic as his wings are. Tommy snorts at the display, and Jimmy continues without having heard. "Additionally, when Hetta comes back, you should prove to her that you can still keep up with her."

Jimmy must be desperate if he has uttered Hetta's name this early in the argument. Unfortunately, it was the right call. At the mention of his elemental, Tommy feels his heart drop from his chest to his stomach. He has been unable to look at his wings because of the memories, but a new memory rises in Tommy's mind. Hetta wanted to fly with him. She helped him learn how to fly. After learning how to care for wings from Jimmy, she would help Deo preen them with a bright smile on her face. Jimmy is right. When Hetta comes back, Tommy wants to fly with her. After a proper scolding, they are going to fly hand-in-hand no matter what.

Tommy closes his eyes as he releases the Origin magic. His ears pop as the wings spread out behind him. Tommy blinks his eyes open. Jimmy is staring at Tommy's wings with an open, warm light in his marble eyes. He clasps his metal hands over his chest with a bright smile on his artificial face. Looking at it now, Tommy feels the tiniest buds of guilt spring in his stomach for every doubting such an honest soul. Even if Jimmy came to hate Tommy one day, the prince has little doubt Jimmy would be upfront about it. His eyes would tell Tommy only moments before his mouth would.

Jimmy flaps his wings, lifting into the air. Tommy takes a deep breath. He shakes his limbs to get rid of the nerves. His wings spread out, and driven by instinct, they flap once to lift him into the air. Tommy feels his stomach drop as he rises into the air. Tommy fears that he will start falling, but he manages to remain airborne. Despite his mind's reluctance, his Origin magic knows how to float through and around his body, maintaining the proper body temperature and orientation.

Jimmy makes a happy, bird-like noise as he soars higher into the sky. Tommy struggles to keep up with Jimmy, but he manages to keep the canary in sight as he breaks through the canopy to the blue sky above. Tommy looks around. He wants to bury himself in this sky, especially when something about the midmorning sun falling across his wings makes Tommy feel less homesick. Although L'Manberg is Tommy's childhood, the sky will always have a place for avians like Tommy. If he can't find refuge anywhere else, the peerless blue will accept him with open arms. Tommy struggles to understand how any avian could walk on the ground when they have all of this, unless Tommy is unique among his hybrid kin. He figures none of them have ever met the goddess of the sky. Though, XD's words still linger in Tommy's mind...

"Prince!" Jimmy calls out. Tommy shakes his head. He comes back to himself to find Jimmy several feet ahead and above Tommy. As soon as Tommy grows acquainted with the high altitude, Tommy follows the canary farther towards the horizon. Tommy's fingers slide through the clouds, surprised by the texture. Jimmy shoots through the clouds in a way that makes Tommy giggle helplessly at him. Jimmy gestures to a nearby cloud, and Tommy finds the courage to zip through it with as much reckless abandon as Jimmy. It is fun, though Tommy cannot pinpoint why. The exhilaration certainly livens Tommy up, but maybe it's the sky itself seeping into Tommy's broken cracks.

Jimmy stops, looking somewhere behind Tommy. The prince turns around. Tommy expected to see a flock of normal birds or even the airship leaving prematurely. He did not think he would see a young man with bright purple wings flying right at them. Tommy wants to drop right out of the sky, but his instincts keep him airborne to protect him from the fall damage.  Jimmy makes another one of his bird noises as he rushes closer, but Andor reaches Tommy before Jimmy does. Andor's face is lit up with excitement as he grabs onto both of Tommy's hands, holding them up between their chests. "You're an avian! I know you always wanted to be one!"

Tommy was actually hoping that he wouldn't be an avian to save him the trouble of being too similar to Theseus and giving the nobility a reason to push for his succession. Tommy has never once given a voice to a desire regarding becoming an avian. If he did somewhere so long ago in his youth that he can no longer remember saying it, Andor was never there. Andor has been in Niflheim until a couple of days, maybe a few weeks, ago. Yet Andor speaks with such genuine happiness and conviction that Tommy doesn't believe Andor is lying. Rather, Tommy finds himself asking to confirm, "Are you talking about Zero?"

The name causes Andor's mood to dampen immediately. Andor releases Tommy's hands, pushing back a foot or two. Andor puts his hands over his chest. He bites his lip, hard enough to draw blood. Andor doesn't seem to notice the thin crimson rivulet as he murmurs, "I've made a mistake."

"Wait! I want to know more. What do you know about Zero? Please, you have to tell me!" Tommy begs, reaching out for Andor's hands again. He is allowed to take them. Andor continues to wear a faltering look, and Jimmy is well within earshot. This isn't the time or place for a conversation like this, but Tommy can't be bothered to land to talk about Zero. Tommy wants to know right now. He needs to know, and he feels safer asking with the sky's winds capturing their words before anyone can eavesdrop.

"I did not know Zero that well. I only met him once when I went to visit my great grandmother. Her name was Kikoku Akemi," Andor says slowly. He refuses to look Tommy in the eyes. He looks at Tommy's chest instead, right where Tommy's heart is beating. With the intensity of Andor's gaze, Tommy almost fears that the man will rip Tommy's heart right out of his chest. The 'almost' is the key word because Tommy can tell that Andor isn't looking at Tommy at all. He is looking elsewhere, perhaps backwards in time, to a memory, either of Zero or his great grandmother or of them both.

"Kikoku? I thought that was the name of a sword," Jimmy tilts his head to the side, positively bird-like in disposition as well as physicality and voicebox. Jimmy glances over at Tommy, "Ah, it's a pretty famous sword in the west, Star. They say it has the ability to slay any foe, even gods."

"The sword was named after my great grandmother. She was an acclaimed blacksmith. Zero was her student for a while. Although it was said that he left because he wanted to go on an adventure, the one day I was there to visit, I could tell that they hadn't left on the best of terms. They still cared about each other, I think, but there was a lot that had... or maybe hadn't been said that soured the relationship. Of course, I say all of this in hindsight. I was too young at the time to fully understand what was going on between them. All I remember is what my grandfather told me about Zero," Andor continues, nodding slowly. Tommy feels a pang in his heart. The grandfather Andor is mentioning must have been Spark, the man Tommy saw in his memory of his the past spurred on by the detoxification session.

"Was Zero a bad person?" Tommy asks the question that has been lingering with him for a long time.

Andor's eyes widen with surprise. He immediately shakes his head. "No, no, Zero was a good person. He was one of the best, I would say. But Zero wanted to save the world. When an entire world is at stake, every decision comes with their own consequences. Zero chose his path, and he stuck with it to the end no matter what anyone thought of him. He might not have been pure, but he was, at least, righteous."

"Of course, he was! I wouldn't have agreed with him if I didn't believe in Zero!" Jimmy adds merrily.

Tommy and Andor both turn to Jimmy with a confused expression. Jimmy scratches his jaw with a sheepish look. "Sorry. Ever since I've met you, Star, I've known as an Oracle that I agreed with you about something important in the past. I'm guessing now that the person I was agreeing with was Zero, not you."

Tommy is a little confused about the whole situation, but he's learned something valuable, at least. "So, Zero really was alive before Ianite was killed. I thought..."

Tommy thought this vision was fake. He was hoping, maybe a little, that it was because the alternative that Zero lost everyone he ever loved is a little too depressing for Tommy, who knows he will share a fate with his previous incarnation. But Andor nods solemnly, and Tommy knows that the vision was real. He really was friends with Ianite and Spark, and maybe other archons and gods and aeons, too. "We should leave it at that, your highness. In the meantime, maybe we should enjoy flying together."

"Yes! I get to fly with a new friend—" Jimmy takes Andor's hand, then he takes Tommy's hand. "—and an old one!"

Tommy is less enthused than Jimmy, but he can't exactly stop the canary from pulling him and Andor along with him. Jimmy releases their hands, but the three of them remain together like a flock riding the aerial currents. They make a weird flock. A canary, an elytrian, and whatever Tommy is. Regardless, they find a rhythm with each other. Tommy begins to enjoy himself, and a smile creeps onto his face without him having to coax it there.

Unfortunately, they must stop eventually. It ends when Andor looks behind him towards the airship and Chromia in the distance. "Martha is calling for me. We're departing soon."

Tommy doesn't know how Andor knows that unless he shares some magical connection with his aunt that allows them to communicate across long-distances. Tommy wonders where he can get his hands on that kind of magic as Jimmy pipes up, "Yeah, we should go right now. We don't want to miss what happens next!"

The three of them start heading back. Jimmy and Andor immediately go to the airship, unafraid to show off their wings. Tommy, on the other hand, descends into the canopy far enough away that no one would have seen him. He maneuvers through the branches, careful not to cut himself or his clothes. When he gets to the part of the trees without any reaching branches, he finds a figure standing out among the trees with a red cloak over his orange and black ensemble. Tommy frowns when he notices Deo, and the knight stares up at Tommy with a knowing smirk on his face. Deo lifts a hand up. Tommy takes it as he lands on the ground in front of Deo.

"I like seeing your wings," Deo remarks, using his chin to point at the feathery appendages spreading from Tommy's back.

Tommy rolls his eyes, doing his best not to even look at them as they weigh down his back. "What are you doing here?"

"Your highness, I am certain this humble servant does not need to remind you that you are a prince and it is my duty to guard you," Deo fakes innocence and servitude, even going so far to kiss the back of Tommy's hand like a real knight would do to their lord.

"How did you—" Tommy cuts himself off from asking how Deo knew where he was at. Tommy reaches into the pocket of his jacket. He pulls out the hourglass. The metal reflects what little light manages to make it to the forest floor. Tommy holds the hourglass between his index and thumb, raising it up to peer at Deo through the curved glass. "Is this how you found me?"

"You still have it," Deo murmurs, more to himself than Tommy.

"Do not be so surprised. I would obviously want to separate myself from my fate," Tommy says self-consciously as he puts the hourglass away. He has been using it as some sort of talisman ever since he received it. Although he can tell there are no special properties about the hourglass, he has given it importance in his own mind.

"That's true. Together, we're going to conquer our fates," Deo says with the assuredness of a general leading their troops to battle.

"Break them," Tommy adds. Deo's confidence is infectious, and for the first time in years, Tommy feels hopeful.

Deo's expression distorts. He steps forward to wrap a cloak around Tommy's shoulders. Underneath his breath, he murmurs, "Hide your wings."

Tommy does so without question, but he does begin wondering why Deo said that. Tommy gets his answer a moment later when he hears someone moving towards them. Tommy leans around Deo to find Jack struggling to walk through the underbrush. For a split second, only noticeable because of how dark the forest is, Jack's eyes are glowing the same shade as his tattoos, visible even with his jacket over them. When Jack looks up from where he's been carefully monitoring his footsteps, the glow vanishes as if it were never there in the first place. Jack looks normal, if a little annoyed, as he stops moving through the underbrush. He moves a hand through his thin hair as he says, "Dame Niki is ready to depart when His Highness is."

"I'm ready," Tommy says as he puts the hourglass away. He struggles a little with the underbrush as he tries to avoid concealed holes or animals waiting to strike. Deo and Jack walk behind Tommy, prepared to protect him at a moment's notice. Tommy places his hand on a tree, but draws his hand back when he feels something odd. There are charred marks on the tree. The longer Tommy stares, the more he realizes the marks are in the shape of a hand. And this isn't the only tree. A couple of them have handprints made from flames, each tree creating a vaguely defined path.

"What are you doing?" Deo asks.

"You can't ask your master that," Jack hisses, trying to teach Deo a little bit of imperial etiquette.

Tommy doesn't answer or reprimand Deo, nor does he encourage Jack. Tommy keeps walking without looking back. The handprints must be an elven tradition. While Tommy might not understand it, he is in no place to question it as a human and a foreign prince.

False is standing at the entrance of the airship. She leans against the threshold with her arms crossed over her chest. She raises an eyebrow at the trio as they climb up the ladder to meet her. Loudly, she says, "You three are the last to come."

Quietly and directly to Tommy, she asks, "Are you feeling better?"

"I am," Tommy confirms. Between the precious moments in the sky and the confidence Deo inspired in Tommy, the blonde feels better than he has in weeks, not including his impromptu birthday party or the festival before the Tainted Zero illusion attacked. Orion's remedy comes close, but it has not readily given Tommy this much simple happiness.

Tommy enters the airship first. Deo and Jack follow Tommy, and False brings up the rear to close the door. She seals it tightly. Only natural light illuminates the observatory room as False brushes past them, heading for one of the adjoining hallways. She calls over her shoulder as she moves, "I'll be in the cockpit with Jimmy, Scott, and Joey if anyone needs me. The journey back should take a couple of days, give or take depending on the weather."

False completely disappears into the darkness of the hallway. As soon as her footsteps become inaudible, Tommy looks at Jack. "Find everyone in my personal retinue appropriate lodging and set-up the rooms as you see fit."

"By your orders," Jack says, placing a hand on his chest in a formal salute. He darts off immediately as the ever-dutiful knight.

"What are my orders?" Deo asks, crossing his arms over his chest, creating a contrast between Tommy's two knights. Tommy wonders if he should take action to bridge the gap or if it will naturally fill as the two strive to keep Tommy safe.

"Go take a nap or meditate or something. Whatever lets you have a vision," Tommy says, hoping that Deo will have one about Zero. He knows it's probably too much to ask for. Visionaries rarely get to pick what kind of visions they have, and Tommy doesn't know the temporal range of the visions. He just knows that he needs more information about the man he used to be. Tommy suspects it will help him figure out everything else about the world that used to be.

Deo snaps his fingers, "Actually, I got a vision recently."

Tommy's eyes widen. Deo leans forward, looking around as if someone is eavesdropping. He cups one hand over his mouth and whispers directly into Tommy's ear, "Your highness will fart in his sleep soon."

Tommy hits Deo in the chest. The knight lifts his hands up in a display of innocence that is made worthless by the way he is laughing wholeheartedly. Deo takes a couple of steps backwards to get out of range, but he keeps going until he's off to follow Tommy's orders without giving the prince any more false hope or trouble.

Tommy ventures deeper into the airship of his own accord. He wanders through the many hallways until he finds a slightly ajar door with a light shining inside. Tommy peeks his head into the room. It looks like a study. Niki is sitting at the desk, hunched over papers with a quill in her hands. She is carefully writing through the papers, but she notices someone entering the room as Tommy nudges the door for more space. She sets her quill down, ignoring the slight smear this creates. She stands up, putting a hand on her chest in a knight's salute. "Your highness, Prince Theseus, Star of the Empire."

She is getting back into the habit of saying his full title. In a couple of days, everyone is going to be addressing Tommy like that. In a couple of days, everything is going to return to the way it was before Tommy left for this trip. Tommy doesn't know how he feels about this yet, but he waves his hand to allow Niki to sit back down. "At ease. What are you doing, Dame Niki?"

"As the person in charge of the expedition, it is my duty to fill out the paperwork for the tsar," Niki explains as she returns to her seat. She keeps her focus partially on Tommy as she picks her quill back up. She takes a deep breath, going back to copying down the events of the expedition onto the parchment.

Tommy steps deeper into the room, passively looking over the books and knickknacks on the shelves standing vigil beside the doorway. Since this was False's personal airship, Tommy imagines these objects belong to her. According to the story, these must have been hers when she was still human. Tommy wonders if anything is that different between her human and lich selves. "I do not envy you."

Niki snorts politely. "Forgive me, your highness, but I imagine this is not entirely unlike the paperwork you dealt with when managing L'Manberg."

"You should know since you helped me with most of it," Tommy remarks, remembering those days of accepting Wilbur's responsibilities after his death. The years are fuzzy, but Tommy supposes that he actually did things in those days.

"Your highness should not discredit yourself. You did a lot of good for L'Manberg all on your own without mine or her serenity, Marchioness Corvus," Niki reminds him with a faint smile playing on her lips.

Tommy doesn't want to talk about the good he did for L'Manberg. It makes his wings feel heavier and the secret in his chest squeezes around his heart. Tommy plops down in one of the chairs in front of the desk across from Niki. She glances up at him, her lips parting to argue about their arrangement. Tommy's look must change her mind because she glances just past Tommy. "Does your highness wish for me to schedule a hair cutting appointment when we return?"

"I don't hate my long hair," Tommy notes, lifting up a strand of it. He should take care of it better, he knows, but maybe growing it out will give him an opportunity to. "Why would you schedule it, anyway?"

"I believe that my official position is to take care of my prince's needs and protect him from any harm. While I did take a Knight's Oath, his highness does not have any other maids," Niki remarks. She was Tommy's only maid for a long time. There are others that will clean Tommy's room or the rooms he spends any amount of time in, but Niki is the one that takes care of him personally.

"Ah, I apologize," Tommy says slowly. While he knows that a prince should never apologize, he feels more than a little bad about thrusting so much responsibility onto Niki. Though, he isn't too regretful. Tommy despises being waited upon. Plus, too many servants would make him similar to Theseus and it would limit what he's allowed to do. Niki is lenient with his whims, and Tommy knows that other servants might not be.

"Your highness does not need to feel apologetic towards this servant. Even if Sir Jack and Time were to quit today, this servant would stand beside your highness," Niki swears, looking up momentarily from her paperwork. She gives Tommy a smile. Tommy can only wonder if Niki would keep that promise as he's being executed.

Niki must mistake his concentration for hunger because she slides the plate that was on her desk over to him. There is a rather humble sandwich on it, but Tommy has eaten plenty of Niki's simple meals when he overseeing L'Manberg. Niki's food is always delectable and efficient to make and eat. They also remind Tommy of simpler times, removing him from his position as prince in a way that he enjoys immensely. Niki has long-since stopped trying to get Tommy to eat elaborate feasts when he only wants a quiet dish from her. Even though he wasn't staring at her desk because he was hungry, he takes the sandwich, eating it slowly to savor each bite.

Silence stretches between them as Tommy eats and Niki works. It reminds Tommy of those nights they spent burning the midnight oil in Tommy's classroom that became his unofficial office. He can still see the way the ink stained his fingertips. He can smell the scented candles that Niki would light as soon as the moon was high in the sky, mainly because she couldn't see the moonlight as clearly as Tommy could. Jack would stand outside like a diligent guard, sometimes coughing. He was often the one who would tell Niki and Tommy that it was far too late to work, and there are more times than Tommy cares to admit that either Niki or Jack had to carry Tommy back to his chambers.

"I do not resent you," Niki says, breaking the silence. Tommy blinks, back-tracking to make sure he heard Niki correctly. When he thinks he did, he makes a humming noise at Niki. She has set her quill down, staring intently at the desk. She is completely frozen, save for her strangely emotionless voice. "As impudent as this may sound, there was a time when I did resent his highness. This was when I first met you. But after watching you collapse with grief, I saw a reflection of myself from when my father committed suicide. All I wanted to do was comfort you, and by doing that all these years, I have come to respect and love you. You are my prince, the master I swore undying loyalty to."

"I knew all of this already," Tommy reminds Niki. He knows from The Ender Prince as much as he knows from her words. He knows from all the years they've been together. He knows from the gradual change in the look in Niki's eyes.

Niki nods, releasing a breath out of her nose. "I thought I did, too. But there is going to come a day when you learn something and look at me differently. Rather, you are going to wonder why I don't look at you differently. I just want you to know that I've made my choice and carry no regrets about it."

"I don't like it when people do not simply tell me the truth," Tommy coldly replies, glaring at her. He hates this game of figuring things out: using pronouns to hide identities and being purposefully vague. Tommy gets enough of it from the strange, inhuman beings that force their way into his life. He doesn't need this from the people he trusts, too.

"I understand more than you know, your highness. It's because I have been in your position before that I am forcing myself to remain quiet. I made a terrible decision once because I grew impatient. I lost someone dear to me because of that choice," Niki replies, sorrow evident in her tone. She sighs suddenly, leaning her head back against her chair with her eyes falling shut. "Your highness should wait for more information before acting. My father took his own life without even considering what the Antarctic Empire could do for Drywaters. I don't want to lose my prince, so I am trying to find a middle ground between saying too much and saying nothing."

Tommy doesn't want to, but he understands what Niki is talking about. He sighs, finishing his sandwich. With nothing in his hands, he wraps them around himself. "You aren't going to lose me."

"I will do everything in my power not to, but no matter what happens, I will continue to be your loyal servant."

—

"Why do you hate his highness so much?" Ranboo asks, latching onto Niki's arm to keep her from moving away from him. She turns to glare at him, scrutinizing his appearance. Ranboo seizes up under an intense stare, but as Theseus' servant, he is made from sterner stuff.

"Your question is as meaningless as our existences are in his highness' eyes," Niki hisses, growing closer to Ranboo's face. She looks directly into his eyes. It's intentional because Ranboo knows he's told her that he hates making eye contact with people. She grabs onto his chin, maintaining eye contact even as Ranboo feels like he's going to puke. "There are so many answers to your question. We do not have time to list them all. Since you asked me such a stupid question and wasted my time, allow me to pose a question myself: why do you like his highness so much?"

"I don't—"

"Do not lie to me," Niki does not scream. Her voice is quiet and almost monotone. But Ranboo feels as if a monster is howling right in his face as Niki's grip tightens. "You resent his highness. You fear his highness. You may even wish his highness dead in the depths of the night. But I am not blind nor am I a fool. No matter how much you hate his highness, you love him just as much. You respect him. You look up at him like some cowardly child. So, tell me, Enderian, why do you like his highness so much?"