“Baelie!” Remi cried, running over to where she had collapsed. “Baelie!!”

Her sister was wheezing uncontrollably, with her body in a fit of spasms. The lingering smell of honey on her armor made Remi want to lick her from head to toe, but the fresh feelings of terror held her back. Maile was nowhere in sight, as she had started running away at full speed the moment the wasps had even come close to them.

“Maile!” Remi called out to her. “Maile, come back!! It’s ok!”

Whirling around, Remi found Arya. “This place is sick! You train with those things!?” Arya kneeled down next to Baelie, ignoring Remi’s words. Baelie had multiple sting wounds that had pierced her armor like a knife through butter. Her skin was inflamed and swelling, leaking a thick white pus that smelled so terrible, Remi was on the verge of losing her lunch.

“Do not grieve for her. She will survive. And it seems that your sister is stronger than you thought,” Arya said, laying her hand on Baelie’s forehead. “I must say, I am impressed. For a moment there, I glimpsed true courage in her. She’s just full of surprises, isn’t she?” Arya moved quickly around Baelie’s body, examining her.

“To think she actually made it all the way to the honey and back,” Arya muttered. “It’s nearly unbelievable. You have no idea how rare it is that someone makes it back from the honey, alive, on their first encounter. Your sister is a truly remarkable individual.”

“Stop complimenting her and help her!” Remi could barely look at Baelie’s grievous wounds.

“I can help her!” It sounded like the voice of a child that had spoken up.

Remi looked up to find a small girl wearing plain white mage’s robes. She had a soft genuine smile, and big blue eyes that reminded Remi of the tree spirits; straight copper-like hair that shone like the metal itself fell down over her shoulders. The girl knelt down, gently brushing Baelie’s hair behind her ears.

“Lady Aquas,” said Arya, bowing. “Thank you for coming.”

“To think this young girl actually made it all the way to the honey and back,” whispered Aquas. “I can’t believe it, even though I witnessed the whole thing with my own eyes. Just goes to show that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

“Why is everyone making it seem like she should have died?” Remi’s eyes darted from Arya to Aquas.

“What’s done is done,” said Aquas. “She has survived. Nothing else matters now.”

Remi took in the sight of Aquas again. Something about her energy, something about her overall appearance was. . . Blinking twice, Remi forgot what she was thinking about. Looking back at Baelie, she remembered and turned her eyes back to Aquas.

Wait, what just happened?

She could feel a strange numbness in the back of her mind when she focused too hard on the girl. Every time she tried to think about Aquas in any way, shape, or form, her mind would go blank, as though an invisible barrier were protecting her.

“Are you a member of the Force, as well?” This time it was Maile who spoke, who had just walked back over to them.

“I am, indeed, young one,” said Aquas, holding her hands out over Baelie’s twitching body. Upon each and every finger she wore a different ring, copper, brass or silver. Each ring was etched with ancient looking characters that Remi couldn’t transcribe. Yet, even when she tried to focus and remember a single one of the symbols, it just seemed to pass out of her mind and away into nothingness.

Just thinking about you is utterly frustrating! Remi thought. Why is everyone in the Force so weird!? And why does just being around you make my head go all crazy!? How the heck could this little girl have the power to control my thoughts. My thoughts!! She took a few deep breaths, trying to take back control of her own mind.

“Thank you, Aquas,” said Arya. “With you here, I have no fear the princess will recover.”

“Now, young ladies of the castle,” Arya continued. “This is Lady Aquas, Keeper of the Tree Spirits. Don’t let her young looks fool you, she is likely the eldest of everyone in the Force, perhaps with the exception of Lady Glu.”

“Eldest?” Remi mouthed the word with her lips. “She looks even younger than me.”

“How old are you?” Maile asked.

Aquas laughed. “Oh, at this point, I can’t even recall. But I do remember when the Great Trees were just little saplings!”

Remi and Maile’s mouths dropped. “Wait—” Remi began counting the ages of Soria. “That would make you thousands of cycles old . . .” The two of them watched as the position of Aquas’s hands shifted, forming different patterns as she whispered beneath her breath. An energy seemed to grow from nothing, twisting and turning around Baelie’s body, enveloping her in a warm, green aura.

“Isn’t the Empress thousands of cycles old too?” Maile whispered in Remi’s ear.

“Yes, supposedly,” said Remi, holding Aquas in her eyes. “But, I don’t know, I guess I always just felt that maybe that was just a legend, or something . . .”

“Sorians are indeed immortal to Time herself,” said Arya. “Although we can be killed. Yet, despite that, it would seem that our true elders are growing increasingly more rare as the ages pass. Hence the reason for your doubt, since in your daily life, you likely only meet sorians who have been alive a few hundred cycles. Also, it is not typical for sorians to speak of their age. Time and numbers,” continued Arya, “are not a fascination of the sorian people. But I can assure you this, Lady Aquas is one of the true elders.”

Aquas then stood and curtsied in a way that made her look even younger than before. She winked at the two of them and flashed them a childlike smile. Remi felt a subtle numbness in her fingertips, of all places, as she met Aquas’s eyes.

“Some even believe that Lady Aquas is a spirit of the Great Tree. One that has taken the form of a girl,” continued Arya. “We try to get her to tell us if that’s true, but she’s always been quite the secretive one.”

Maile’s eyes grew wide as could be. “Really? A spirit of the Great Tree?”

“Ah, people will think what they think,” said Aquas. “And they will say what they say,” she laughed, but Remi couldn’t tell if she was simply brushing off the truth, or evading the topic at hand.

“Nonetheless,” said Arya. “She is our strongest healer. Your sister will be just fine.”

Remi looked at Aquas carefully. A spirit of the Great Tree that has taken the form of a girl . . . is that even possible?

She remembered what the tree spirits were like with Lady Zeila. They did have some sort of calming effect when she had looked at them. But you, thought Remi. You are on a different level than they are, aren’t you?

“Yes, I am.”

It was the voice of Aquas in her own mind.

“Y-You can hear me?” Remi asked in her thoughts, thoroughly bewildered.

Beneath Aquas, the energy had completely enveloped Baelie’s body. Watching, but not being able to hear at all, Remi could see Aquas whispering, as if speaking to the very energy itself that was healing her sister.

“I’m not sure if ‘hear’ is the right word for it. But I can feel what you are thinking. Think of it like another sense, if you will. It is my limit seal, a trait that I was born with and have developed over many cycles.”

“Thousands of cycles?”

“Something like that.”

“Are you really a spirit born of the Great Tree?”

“I live only to find out that very truth.”

“. . . Who are you?”

“The question, your highness, is who are you three?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Only time will tell.”

Before Remi could question it, Baelie’s body began to lift up into the air. She came to a stop about a foot off the ground, and Remi could see the swellings of the infectious wounds fading, the white pus dissipating into the air along with the smell. Leaning down, Remi looked under Baelie to make sure that she was really floating. She ran her hands back and forth underneath her just to be sure.

“Well, that’s not something you see every day,” said Remi.

“Welcome to the Valyti.”

The green energy then slowly dissipated, changing into tiny little crystalline particles of energy that faded away into the passing breeze. Baelie’s body floated back down to the ground, where she finally opened her eyes and sat up immediately.

“Ugh, what happened?” Baelie asked. “And why does my stomach hurt so bad?”

Remi, Maile, Aquas and Arya all smiled.

“Oh Baelie!” Maile squeaked, giving her a hug. “Thank the gods you’re alright!”

Remi looked at Aquas. “Thank you for healing my sister.”

“You are most welcome.”

Aquas placed her hand on Baelie’s cheek. “Next time, stay closer to the members of the Force in this place. But that being said, that was quite spectacular, young master Baelie! You are one of the few in Soria who have survived tasting the honey from a Liquid Sting! And I’m just so relieved that you’re all right.” She ran her fingers through Baelie’s hair, looking lovingly down upon her.

“Ok . . . This is weird,” said Baelie, edging back a bit. “Who are you?”

“Can I just say that you look so cute with your little silver armor!” Aquas exclaimed. “Did you make it yourself? Fantastic job! Absolutely fantastic. You are just the cutest thing, I swear! Can we be friends? We can be friends, right!?”

Baelie’s eyes widened in realization. “Y-You, you’re . . . I mean, you are Lady Aquas?”

Aquas smiled cheerfully, then bowed.

Baelie quickly rearranged herself to a position where she could place her head to the floor.

“I apologize for everything! And I promise never to go close to that tree ever again! Thank you so much for saving me, Lady Aquas! It’s an honor! A true honor!” Baelie’s head was still to the floor.

“Please, my dear, you needn’t bow so—”

“I can’t even have one shade of damned silence, can I!?” A thundering voice echoed through the Valyti. Remi, Maile, and Baelie froze. They did not dare turn even an inch to try and find where the voice had come from. The only sound was that of distant footsteps, moving closer and closer with every passing second, like the ticking of a clock counting down to their imminent end.

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“You need not fear,” said Aquas. “But be on your best behavior. Although Enies is the Vice-Captain, she is every bit as harsh as she seems. Avoid eye-contact, and let this pass swiftly. All will be better that way.”

Both Aquas and Arya lowered themselves to a knee beside the girls.

“She sounds really angry . . . are you sure it’s going to be ok?”

“You need not worry. But do not, under any circumstances, disrespect her. She has a foul temper.”

“Is it asking for too much? To be here, in our own private training grounds, and expect a little peace, quiet, and respect?” Remi could tell that the distance between them had closed considerably, but still, she hadn’t the courage to look up at the Vice-Captain. She could feel the fury in her voice.

“I’m scared,” whimpered Maile, and Remi took her hand. “It’ll be alright, Maile, I promise.”

“Yet, here I find myself confused,” Enies said, her voice closer than ever. “Apparently, there are three princesses who feel as if they are above everything and everyone else. Running around this place as if it were their damn playground!” The entire Valyti went dead silent. Even the wind seemed to die down. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard, and it was clear that even her footsteps were fuming.

“I wanna go home, Remi! Please!” Maile begged. Remi could feel Maile trembling and wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulder. Thinking of Maile crying, Remi gritted her teeth, suddenly angry that she was forced to cower on the ground like some scared pup.

“It’ll be all right, Maile,” Remi whispered. “We’ll be able to go home soon. Promise.”

The sound of footsteps stopped just in front of them. Peeking up, Remi could only make out the shadowed curvature of the woman’s body, well-conditioned and muscular, with traces of light revealing only the faintest glimpses of her visage.

Feeling her anger fuel her courage, Remi found her eyes creeping upward. They crept their way up Enies’s legs, over which she was wearing snow-white leggings stained by a little blood. A half-cloak fell elegantly from her waist, which coifed out behind her as though carried by the wind.

Above her waist, Remi was shocked to find Enies completely bare, wearing nothing at all. Her stomach was toned like carved wood, her forearms sinewy and taut, and her bandaged and bloody hands were crossed before her chest. Remi tried not to gasp aloud as she looked upon the outer curves of the woman’s breasts, hardly sheltered by the crossing of her arms. Unable to find the courage needed to look at her face, Remi could only see the fire-red color of her long-straight hair.

“You gonna keep staring at me all day like you want to bed me?” Enies sneered.

Remi’s eyes shot back to the ground. This lady is freaking crazy!

Enies took a deep puff of her wooden pipe. “Frozen in fear, are we? And not the other day I was wondering if such a thing could even exist. Why don’t you stand up and show some damn respect to your superior? And maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll take you somewhere dark and damp to take out my frustration and anger on you pathetic excuse for a woman, before I toss you off that damned cliff over there.” She let out a strong sigh and arched her neck to the side. “Can’t believe I have to deal with this shit.”

“There is no need to be so rude, Lady Enies! They are the daughters of the Empress, after all!” Aquas exclaimed in a fit of astonishment. “Please, calm yourself, Vice-Captain.”

“Did I not just say you should stand and show some respect?” Enies snapped, blatantly ignoring Aquas. “Get to it already!”

Remi, Maile, and Baelie quickly stumbled to their feet and saluted.

Remi cringed, not knowing whether it would be ruder to keep her eyes closed or open them. Inwardly, she pleaded with Aquas, the last thing she wanted was to further incite Enies’s anger. Yet, a small piece of her that still held that ember of courage was grateful for Aquas saying something.

Enies finally looked at Aquas. “And as for you, oh, ancient one,” she growled. “You have no place speaking to me when you have not been addressed. Do not ever question my nature when I deal with my subjects.”

Subjects? Remi thought, her pride getting the better of her. She dropped her salute. Baelie nudged her in the side. She still didn’t raise it, feeling her inner rebel flare to life. Beside them, Maile had her eyes shut tight, and her salute held high.

“Lady Enies, they are not your—”

Aquas suddenly reeled back in pain, grasping at her head. She fell to one knee. Out of her robes sprung a hidden tree spirit, its eyes glowing like blue flame. Remi watched in astonishment as the creature’s size quickly changed, and it grew before her eyes. Before she knew it, the tree spirit had become a larger, more menacing version of its former self, its teeth bared as it growled at Enies. Its eyes changed from blue to dark red, and three black stripes took form on it, running from the back of its neck all the way down to its tail.

“What did I tell you about messing around in my head?” Enies cracked. “And if you don’t call off your over-sized kitten spirit, I can promise you that you’ll be burying something you love in the cold ground tonight.”

“Calm yourself, Sano,” Aquas said, placing her hand on the tree spirit, which now stood nearly her own height even on all four legs. But something had changed in Aquas’s voice. It was darker. Colder than before. Remi could see a glint of red in her eyes, and in the middle of Aquas’s forehead, a tiny diamond shaped ruby had taken form. It soon faded from Aquas’s forehead, and her eyes returned to normal. Sano reluctantly turned away from Enies and ran its head under Aquas’s hand.

“My apologies, Lady Enies,” Aquas bowed. “I was out of place.”

“Next time, I’ll snap that little beast’s neck,” mused Enies. “Now, where was I?”

Enies turned back to the sisters, taking another long drag of her pipe. She carefully observed that only two of the sisters were still saluting. Placing her hand under Remi’s chin, she lifted it until Remi opened her eyes, meeting the gaze of Enies for the first time. A chill ran down the length of her spine.

“Daughters of the Empress, was it? Don’t make me laugh. You have no royal blood. You are adopted, and only because the Empress has a soft spot for the young and orphaned.”

“Sorry we couldn’t be more to your liking,” Remi said through clenched teeth.

Baelie looked at her sister with widened eyes, begging her, without speaking, to let it go.

“That’s a start, at least.” Enies took another drag of her pipe. “If you keep on apologizing for your dirt blood, I might just be able to, perhaps, one day, ignore your existence. One can only hope.”

Remi’s eyes flashed angrily. “Maybe if you apologize for being a jerk, I’ll be able to ignore the fact that you feel like you’re the center of the cosmos.” A jolt of fear ran through her. The words had just come out without her thinking.

Enies bit down on the wood of her pipe. A strong, uncomfortable silence swept across them. Remi immediately felt a strong pang of panic as her heartbeat pounded in her chest. The look in Enies’s eyes was of such contempt that her hands began to sweat. Then, Enies raised the back of her hand, and slapped Remi straight across the cheek. Hard.

Maile began to cry softly at her side, but Remi held strong. She tried with all her might not to cry, but couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. She stood there, trembling before Enies, and with all that she was, she did not take her eyes away from the Vice-Captain’s. She would not cower in fear. Baelie closed her eyes, holding her salute.

Arya took a step forward but stopped upon hearing Enies’s voice.

“You don’t have to like the way I am, Arya,” said Enies. “But until one defeats me, or I am killed in battle, I am the acting Vice-Captain of the Force. You will respect my command and the means by which I act. So wipe that pathetic expression of empathy off your face before I drive it so hard into the stone that your closest family member wouldn’t so much as glance at you ever again. Now, kneel before your Vice-Captain.”

Remi could feel her tears dripping onto her hands, which were balled into little fists of stone. Behind them, she could just barely hear faint chuckling, and she knew it to be Theresa. Frustration struck her heart like a bolt of lightning. Helpless. She was completely and totally helpless. Her fists, unable to clench tighter, did not avail her weeping spirit.

Arya reluctantly dropped to one knee, bowing. It was then that Remi realized the true nature of the Force. Arya, who was one of the strongest sorians she had ever met, was being forced to kneel before Enies, and all because she was simply of a higher rank. No questions asked. It didn’t matter what was right or wrong.

“Did I say, ‘kneel’?” Enies asked. “What I meant was, ‘place that forehead of yours on the floor.’”

One of Arya’s hands curled into a fist, but the soft hand of Aquas on her shoulder calmed her. A very long moment passed as Arya came to two knees, then placed her palms and forehead on the cold, stone floor.

“Now, that’s more like it,” Enies laughed. “You see, girls? It doesn’t make a difference if you are princesses in this place. This is my realm. And you are standing right in the center of it. So get used to it.”

All the while, Baelie avoided looking at Remi by focusing on Enies’s hair. It was scarlet red in color, with two long black hairpins pinning up a little bit of her hair, each with the head of a dragon.

Remi found what was left of her courage and eyed Enies. “Why are we even here? What do you want with us?”

“What do I want with you? What does anyone want with you? Nothing, that’s what. You three are like watching pity take the form of the living. You make some feel better about themselves, but really do nothing at all for the world. I don’t know what our Captain is thinking these days, but she must be going soft in her old age.”

Arya went stiff at the cold words directed towards their Captain.

Enies continued. “What can three spoiled princesses do to help us? This is a waste of my time. ‘Have them guard the Relic Room,’ she says.” She placed a hand on the back of her neck, shaking her head. “Utter blasphemy. Complete and utter blasphemy.”

Enies turned to face the few members of the Force that were there with them. Arya and Aquas were silent, though Remi could tell that at least it felt as if they were on their side. Theresa, however, seemed to be having the time of her life, her face as smug as could be.

“What is the Force becoming?” Enies asked. “Last I checked, we weren’t a damn charity event!”

Theresa whistled, then walked over next to Baelie. “The little fat one here thinks she was summoned to become the next Vice-Captain.” She slapped a hand on Baelie’s shoulder. “Didn’t you?”

Oh, no, Remi thought. No, no, no, no.

Beside her, Baelie was trembling, but Remi knew that it wasn’t out of fear. Baelie was seldom one to be frightened of something. This had been Baelie’s one chance to do something real for the Force, and here she was, meeting the worst Vice-Captain that Remi could have ever imagined.

“I promise I can succeed in the task!” Baelie exclaimed so suddenly that it took everyone by surprise. All went silent as Baelie breathed heavily. She was still quivering, but she held the sorian salute so resolutely that Remi felt proud of her younger sister for not cowering.

“Summoned to become the Vice-Captain?” Enies echoed. She began to laugh. It was cruel and sharp and seemed to skin away what was left of Baelie’s dream. Tears began to well up in Baelie’s eyes, though she did her best not to let any fall.

“Is that what you think you were summoned here for? I think I’ve made a mistake! You are not just living forms of pity; it seems that you were also born for the pure entertainment of others! Now, let’s see.” Enies walked over to Baelie, surveying her.

“Please, Lady Enies—” Baelie struggled through the tears. “Just give me a chance.”

“A chance? A chance!? I am sorry to crush your ridiculous little dreams,” Enies said, wiping away one of Baelie’s tears. “But the truth is, you were not called here to become the next Vice-Captain. You will never become the Vice-Captain. You will never be anything other than what you are, and what you are is a fat, useless piece of—”

“Shut up!” Remi tried to shout, but her voice came out weak and feeble.

Enies, however, did not stop. “How could someone like you ever become the Vice-Captain? You are pathetic, weighty as could be, and weak beyond the might of even a fly. One look at the Liquid Sting and you flew before it, gorging yourself upon it as though you had no respect for where you are, and who you stand before. You are not capable of accomplishing even the simplest of tasks, and if it were up to me, you would never have been summoned here in the first place. Why don’t you try losing some weight, you fat little honey ball?”

Remi could not control herself any longer. “I swear if you don’t stop, I’m going to—”

“Shut up, Remi!” Baelie cried, stopping her mid-sentence. “Please, just shut up . . .”

Arya and Aquas lowered their eyes as Baelie continued holding her salute.

“I’m sorry for offending you, Lady Enies. I meant no disrespect—I—”

“You meant no disrespect when you thought you were coming here to take over as Vice-Captain?”

“Lady Enies, you go too far,” Arya said, anger tinting the edges of her words. “The Empress will not be pleased with how you have treated her daughters, and neither will the Captain.”

Enies turned to face her, and the look in her eyes was murderous.

“What the hell did you just say to me?”

Arya went silent, but she held Enies eyes with her own.

Remi felt hopelessly helpless, and wanted nothing more than to scream at Enies for all the terrible things she had said to Baelie, but there was nothing to be done. She would only end up hurting Baelie even more. Nothing could take back the damage that had just happened. Remi cringed, wishing she had been strong enough to know how to make Enies shut up, strong enough to protect her sister. She cursed her own weakness. To her side, Maile stood, shaking with her eyes still pinched shut, wishing she were back in her bed, tucked beneath the safety of her warm blankets.

Enies walked up to Arya until she was standing just before her. She gazed at her, and then at Aquas, then spoke with careful words. “The Empress will not learn of this, ever. That is a direct order and one that you cannot break by past oath. As for the three sisters, if they are to speak one word of this, the fat one will be shunned from our eyes forever, eternally earning the disrespect of the Force. And lastly, but most importantly, I’ve decided that the answer to the request of the Captain, is no. The princesses will be given no mission from the Force on this day.”

Arya and Aquas’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even Theresa scoffed.

Enies continued. “Scylla must be losing her edge to think that these three should be given the task of guarding the Relic Room. An age-old honor, bestowed upon these fools? What of Lithael and Rakaella? Are they not more worthy of the honor? What is this ridiculous world coming to!? This time, I’m making the call. Does anyone here have a gods be damned problem with that!?”

Silence spread about the open space like a creeping plague, and even though Arya and Aquas clearly rejected the order by the looks of pure fury in their eyes, no one spoke. How could they? The Force was truly survival of the fittest, and it seemed that the world they lived in was completely separate from reality. The eerie silence continued, devouring the last bits of bravery and hope, until the tyrannical voice of Enies prevailed over all.

That was until a different voice, one that pierced and shattered the veil of dead silence left by Enies, spoke out defiantly from afar, rekindling lost hope, and causing all in the Valyti to turn and look back at the young woman who walked bravely towards them.

“I do.”