*He will live… but him brain was…… I can repair his…. mind is… else… entirely…* Benjamin knew only pain, split with small moments, visions of people, and hints of broken conversations. His only respite came in a fleeting doses hot liquid poured to his lips. The back of his fragmented thoughts wandered, but the soothing warmth washed his conscious mind from the subject too swiftly for any real question to form.

  From his bedside, Valtrya set down the lukewarm mug of sedatives, fighting back the urge to succumb to the terror and depression whose icy grip threatened the very spark in her soul. Viola was away. Off in conference with the Ascendancy Monarch, and the Captain of Riooliuu, but nothing is what it had been.

  In the backdrop of desperate victory, her Benjamin had fallen, but not perished, yet. She feared that that decision would be out of her hands in due time. Hirak and Olioorin had been put in a difficult position. Benjamin’s ruined body had revealed its secret to the crew of Riooliuu, pouring his iron blood upon the deck when he collapsed. The violent, instinctual response had been almost instant, and Valtrya had killed two Aquilar with her pistols, Viola claiming a third with her rapier before Hirak was able to halt the mob of seamen believing they were attacking a monster from myth and legend.

  Her Benjamin was to be spared, on account of his feats in saving the monarch of the ascendency. Val and her sister were spared as well. Olioorin had not ordered the attack on Benjamin, so in technicality, the seamen they had slay’n were, by law, mutineers. It did not stop the crew from handling her roughly when they were finally restrained, but the fear in their eyes kept them from any true violation or brutality.

  No, they were “safe” for the moment, protected by the crew’s fear of Benjamin, The Captain, and the sisters’ warrior prowess itself…. But they were no longer free. That much had become perfectly clear when no less than 4 Aquilar soldiers were posted at their door. She, Benjamin, and Viola were confined to their quarters, prisoners inside their own living space, until they returned to the Capital… if not longer.

  Veiran was allowed to treat Benjamin, but the ancient Vin healer knew well the limits of Majik “I can repair his body, but the mind is something else entirely. It is too dangerous… You must trust Benjamin to come back to us. Give it time, just as we must give his body time to complete the healing I’ve begun.”

  The rhythmic thumping of feet alerted her just before the heavy bolt was unlocked. Viola, struggling while clenching her face, was roughly thrown into the room by an Aquilar that Val recognized as the same one who fought through the pirate stronghold alongside herself and Benjamin. Viola hit the ground hard before rounding on her prison guard with extended fangs and a loud, feral, hissing “FUCK YOU!” The Aquilar seamen froze, almost Hurt by the tone until Viola gave him a quick wink. Recognition flashed across his features just as he winked back, “Whore!” he growled exasperatedly and made his own show of slamming the door shut and bolting it.

  The moment the door was secured, all of the theatrics vanished. Viola stopped covering a nonexistent wound from her “interrogation” by Hirak and Orlioorin. She spun to sit next to Benjamin, who was currently unconsciously snoring in the single bed..

  “We have a plan…” Viola whispered to her sister. “Lord Hirak is prepared to go against his uncle. It appears, some remarks he overheard while being tortured have replaced a few of the missing pieces. The ‘Lord Regent’ is responsible for the kidnapping. But….” Val pulled her sister in close before turning to the ragged breathing man next to her, “I know… we need Benjamin.” She turned to kiss the sweat-soaked mop of red hair. “We need him…back.” She stroked Benjamin’s cold sweat-soaked hair through her fingers, “Sister, he shakes.”

  The two women slipped from their clothes before crawling into bed on neither side of Benjamin. They used their own body’s heat to help him regulate his own while he fought to survive. Val curled up against Benjamin’s chest, pulling his head to her shoulder and wrapping his limp arms around her.

  Her Benjamin was so fragile, and in this moment, Val could no longer hold back tears of terrified desperation. “Goddess,” she whispered, “bring him… home.” She whispered through her soft sobs, focusing on pressing into Benjamin in futile hopes of stopping the trembling. Slowly, the world seemed to melt away, and her body began to feel heavy. It pulled at her until she felt herself break away from….

  Valtrya began to panic, she was looking down at her own body, lying motionless next to Benjamin and Viola.. ‘I’m dead, but how… what?… oh goddess, Viola is…”

  “Peace, child.” The new voice pierced her very being, and a glow of searing warmth at her back slowly turned Valtrya from the bed her body was still lying in. A being in a vibrant blazing gown, skin of pure glowing fury stood before her. “You have not perished child. I have heard you.” Valtrya gasped at the implication, lowing her head and refusing to look at the radiant being, “Godess, I…”

  “None of that, child. You are mated to my champion, not just a mere acolyte. Come, let us talk.” Suelin smiled patiently, waiting for Val to meet her gaze again. Valtrya seemed to steel herself, taking a deep breath, and rose with severe eyes and resolute shoulders, “Can you do it?” She asked, her eyes bored into the galactic being’s avatar. “Can you bring My Benjamin back…” the back of her mind wondered at how easily it was for her to speak, but she pushed it away when Suelin hummed pensively, “It is a tall request, my child. Your healer is correct, the mind is a …. Treacherous…. thing to play with. What you know of as Majik is almost entirely based on the known; but he mind of an individual being holds many secrets.” Suelin reached out, raising an eyebrow as Valtrya didn’t so much as flinch at her fiery touch, “My, It appears he has given you more than just your freedom. It has been eons since a Terrestrial has been capable of surviving my touch.” Suelin brushed Valtrya’s skin, leaving the barest of blemishes “Benjamin has given you a great gift, a strength of will, reforged from horror and pain, fit for a celestial. I have use of that gift, my child.”

  Valtrya met Suelin's gaze for a long moment, catching the Avatars wrist as it retreated, “ohhoh?” Suelin smirked, intrigued by the aggressive movement, “My sister… Whatever you do to me, she survives.” Valtry tightened her grip upon the Avatars wrist, “She… must… live..” Suelin tilted her head, “You believe yourself capable of demands? What of your Benjamin?” She challenged, but Valtrya held firm, “If I am to fall, he must not be alone. I think you know what that would mean for him to lose both of us… what it would bring to this orb.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Suelin’s eyes narrowed, suspecting all too well the terrestrial before her spoke truth, “Very well. I swear that your sister will live as she is,” her free hand snapped out, clasping Valtrya firmly about the back of the head, and Valtrya hissed as she felt the heat for the first time. She was forced to release her hold on the Avatar, but nodded her acceptance, “Focus on your true purpose, Valtrya… and you may yet live.” Suelin pulled Valtrya close, unleashing her glory upon the woman’s soul, and a guttural cry erupted from the Aereseen woman before she was engulfed in a flash of blinding white heat.

  Valtrya felt her very soul set alight, flames ripping at her very being and threatening to ease her from existence. Her cry of pain howled into the pyre’s inferno, Thoughts, memories, and finally her Benjamin started to fade from her mind as if being forcefully ripped from her, and it was too much, her howls of pain morphed into a fire on its own. She used Benjamin as her anchor, latching onto him with her remaining strength, clawing herself back from oblivion, ‘…thats my girl…’ a familiar voice purred into her own mind. Valtrya’s eyes snapped opened, her deep purples ablaze, the violet flames spread quickly across her body, but her eyes stayed locked upon the proud expression of the goddess as their twin infernos dueled. ‘Own it my child. Own it, and live’ Suelin’s lips never moved, releasing her vice grip upon the nape of Valtrya’s neck…

  And she woke up. Her entire body was soaked in a cold sweat. She could feel her sister’s soul connected to her own… she dared not move from her place against….

  For the first time since the fight with the Pirates, Benjamin’s arms shifted on their own. They wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her tightly to himself. She felt his breathing slow from the ragged panting into the familiar strong long breaths. ‘Thank you’ she whispered under her breath, wiggling into perfect comfort against Benjamin’s chest… and slept.

  Benjamin began improving, his eyes regaining their focus and recognition a week later. The three were to remain “prisoners” for the remainder of the voyage back to the capital, but Benjamin needed the time and seclusion. Vi and Val nurtured him over the next month. They could not exercise effectively in the cramped space, but helped hold Benjamin up when he started trying to walk back and forth in their small room.

  It took almost another full month, but Benjamin’s mind finally sharpened. Soon he too was “Hauled off” to “interrogation” regularly. The known reason was to interrogate the iron blood, find out how much of the H’mure empire lives. In truth, it was to plan for their arrival and give Benjamin some room to regain his strength and coordination.

  _____________________________________________________________________________________

  Valtrya lay curled up with her back against the chest of a sleeping Benjamin while her sister was currently being “interrogated”. The two of them were taking turns keeping close to him while he recovered, but she wondered about her experience, unwilling to speak of it to even her sister. Was she still herself, or did she just think she was still Valtrya. She felt the same, but she wondered just what had… *yes, my child, you are different.* Valtrya stiffened, for just a moment, fearing a feedback response from her sister that never came. *fear not, you yet live,* Valtrya tried to ask questions, on only a slight warm amusement returned to her mind. No, she was no longer the same…

  “Capital in sight! A quarter-point a’leeward!!” The baying from the crowsnest stirred Benjamin for a moment, but Valtrya shuddered when she felt him shift, his manhood slipping between her thighs and hardening quickly. He had often awoken with something called “morning wood”, but she knew it was not always a sexual rea…

  Her thoughts were interrupted again when arms slipped around her, pulling her closer to him, and a pair of lips began softly nibbling at the nape of her neck. Her body reacted on instinct, arching her back until she felt his tip press against her womanhood. A shuddering moan escaped Valtrya, as her Benjamin took her for the first time in what felt like ages. Gentle fingertips wandered across her breasts as he sank into her, and Valtrya melted into his touch, gently grinding in slow squeezing circles.

  A soft grunt escaped her Benjamin with every flex of her womanhood, and she felt the nips and kisses on her neck continue in rythm to her movements. Moments stretched on in perfect bliss until Valtrya felt Benjamin begin to shudder. She almost stopped, fearful that she had hurt him, until she felt his arms coil around her tightly, and she felt him drive deeply into her as his manhood began to twitch frantically. Her own climax shuddered to life as he poured himself into her, holding her against himself until they both finished.

  No words were shared, but Benjamin didn’t bother trying to withdraw from Val, choosing to hold her tightly to himself and kiss on her neck and back. Val was in heaven, unthinking, and uncaring about the world about her, and an excited humm radiated from her chest when she felt him swell inside her a second time. Val redoubled her grinding circles, relishing Benjamin’s reaction until Viola was returned to their quarters.

  Viola arrived with a smirk, fully aware of what was happening in her absence, and disrobed quickly. She leaned over the two and kissed Benjamin on the neck fiercely, “feeling better, are we?” She cooed to him. Val gave an extra squeeze that prompted a guttural grunt in response as Benjamin almost filled Val a second time. “May I?” Vi whispered, and Valtrya rolled her hips one last time before trading places with Viola.

  Benjamin rolled to his back as Viola straddled him, driving herself down upon him with purpose before leaning over his chest to hiss her way up his neck. Her lips met his, and she rose off of him until the tip of his manhood was barely contained before slowly dropping back down. She arched her back, bouncing on him while driving her breasts to his mouth.

  His lips found their purchase, and her rythm faltered before resuming. He did not last long, and Viola was forced to bite her lip in quiet orgasm when he began to twitch violently inside her, trying to hold off his own climax. Viola knew he was there, and she drove his full length into herself, grinding her hips to his. Benjamin leaned up to her, latching onto her neck with his lips and bucked uncontrollably against her as he came. She sat upright, sinking her full weight against his hips and grinding her own ecstasy against his. Valtrya leaned over. Kissing Ben fiercely until he was finished.

  The three of them collapsed upon the bed just before three heavy thumps hammered their door, “we make landfall in 3 hours! Be prepared in 2!” Was all the accompanying gruff voice started before stomping off. Viola simply leaned over her Benjamin, “feeling better,” Benjamin whispered in confirmation, pulling Viola to one side and capturing Valtrya with the other arm. He pulled them close to his chest, “I don’t deserve you.” He murmured before his voice gained a serious tone, “Are we ready for this?”

  Viola nodded, “Everything is ready, but we cannot know how the Royal guard is going to react. We risk another civil war.” Benjamin grunted and acknowledged before noticing Valtrya’s worried expression, “Hey, what is it?” Val wanted to speak, but she found that she didn't have the words. She chose only to kiss him deeply and cuddle into him, “ok, ok.” Long used to Val’s nonverbal communication, He simply rubbed her on her back, tracing little designs across her flanks, “well, It is best we prepare… but maybe in an hour” he whispered, relaxing into Vi and Val’s embrace.

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  Lord Regent Quiiruu stepped out of his third meeting of the day, the Oligarchy was deep in talks to renegotiate the latest rounds of trade negotiations. Their ambassador had clearly been ordered to investigate the Ascendancy’s highly elevated Iron purchases of late and were holding the claim of supply shortages over his head as their chosen tactic. Of course, he had seen completely through their ploy and was countering with a reduction in price for preserved sea goods, and merchant vessel exports. The exchange had been perfected over the last two months, and his advisors were quietly taking the temperature of the public for a more… permanent solution to the situation that was the missing head of state. Hopefully, that situation would re…

  A heavy thud caused Quiiruu to turn towards the veranda doors, meeting the gaze of an ecstatic-looking court courier, and the smell of fish, tar, and timber betrayed him. “My Lord!! My Lord! They’ve Arrived!!! They’ve returned!!!” Quiiruu raised a single hand, halting the excitable man in his tracks, “Halt! Now, from the top, Mr….” The Young Aquilar panted heavily for several seconds, “Iruque, my Lord.” Quiiruu sighed heavily, “Very well, master Iruque. Who has arrived, or returned, or whatever.”

  The young Aquilar Courier nodded frantically, “My Lord, a Ship approaches. Lookouts make her as Riooliuu.” Quiiruu waved a paw impatiently for Iruque to continue, “She flies the Royal standard. Lord Hirak has returned!” a wave of ice-cold seawater poured itself down Quiiruu’s spine, causing him to stiffen visibly, “My Lord?”

  “That’s… Excellent news!” Quiiruu bellowed, showing a toothy if forced smile, “Quickly, summon the royal guard, and the Capital’s headmaster. We must prepare for Our Lords Arrival!” Irique flashed a quick bow and sprinted away. Quiiruu let his smile fade into a grim expression, ‘Yes, summon the royal guard indeed. Prepare, we must.’