Eleanor:

Eleanor was relieved when Esther had come and claimed Evereena.

"Remember, Evereena, I want to have a meeting with you tomorrow!" said Eleanor

"OK, I won't forget."

Next, she spoke to Jane and made arrangements for the captured slave.

"This will be difficult since we have to keep him in chains until his Order Lock expires. Not to mention toileting him and forcing him to eat and drink."

Jane rolled her eyes.

"Plenty of parents and even a few grandparents are in the guards; I'm sure we'll manage."

And finally,

Now, to find Lena and the orphans. Probably in their room.

They were. Lena was sitting on the middle mattress, cuddling her two distraught orphans, one on either side. The kids were sniffling, and their eyes were red, with Lena barely keeping the snot under control with a very damp-looking handkerchief.

Actually, Lena's eyes were also red and teary.

"Ah! Eleanor has arrived! Kids, see how she is calm and composed. She knows what she is doing. She'll make it alright - won't you?"

Lena! You lying little girl.

"Of course. I'm the Queen of this country, and if you give me just a little time, I will fix things up. We'll be back to normal before you know it!"

Shit, I don't think they are buying that. I'll have to go all out.

So she sat before Lena, extended her arms, and hugged the two children.

"There there, kids. Things were bad, but I think it is best to sleep right now. You'll all feel so much better tomorrow morning." said Eleanor.

"OK," said Becky, wiping a few errant tears from her cheeks.

Mason appeared to agree by nodding, although he wasn't all that happy.

Now, what to do... I guess I have to leave Lena to it. Damn, I so want to have a heart-to-heart with her. And Lena looks like she wants the same.

"Well, I guess, how about I help Lena tuck you in, and then I retire to my bedroom..."

Becky:

I'm still frightened. What if those horrible slavers come back? Will Lena be able to protect us?

Ding! As Lena's Little Helpers, you can still help her! Demand that Eleanor stays with you for the night.

Yes! Eleanor will be able to protect us! She has already done so.

Both Mason and Becky perked up.

"Lena, the Voice says that Eleanor has to stay the night with us!" said Becky.

"Yes! Yes!" said Mason.

"I know, drag the mattresses all together. I'll sleep on the far side, Mason can sleep next to me, then you can sleep next to Mason, and Eleanor sleeps on the other side," said Becky.

"Good! Good!" said Mason, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Lena smiled broadly and looked at Eleanor.

"Why, that is an excellent idea, from my Little Helpers. Wouldn't you agree?

Eleanor:

Oh, Lena, isn't this too much? I'm the Queen of a country, not a child carer... Actually, I don't want to go to sleep alone tonight.

And, I guess, I don't have much of a country, anyway.

"Why, Becky and Mason, that is an excellent idea. It is most suitable for the Queen of our country. "

"Isn't it, Lena?"

Eleanor smiled sweetly at Lena, who raised her eyebrows and returned the smile.

"It sure is!"

The children were exhausted. So it didn't take all that long before they were under their blankets, gently breathing with a few twitches and grimaces now and then.

The two adults looked at each other with the slightest bit of embarrassment.

Lena's already in her pyjamas. So...

"How about I nip next door, get my pyjamas on, and return?

She returned and sat on the mattress that was to be hers. Lena was on the middle mattress, and the two children easily fit on the remaining one.

There was a long drawn-out silence. Lena fidgeted around and sniffled occasionally while Eleanor sat stiffly, not knowing what to do.

Eventually, Lena couldn't take the stress any more.

"Please, you stupid Queen, just hug me. And turn down that blasted [Emotional Control]! Right now, you look like you're sitting at your office desk, reading the weekly guard roster report!"

Eleanor flinched.

But it hurts too much to do that.

She had a good look at Lena's face.

Yeah, and Lena is also hurting too much.

If I resist, the Voice will start 'encouraging' me.

She took a breath, held it, and dialled back the control by a quarter.

Oh, by the Voice, this does hurt!

Every death of the day came back and slapped her hard. Every slave she had seen trying to murder her guards, trying to murder all of those she cared for, cut into her. She could feel her soul practically bleeding.

Arms trembling, she reached out and held onto Lena with all the desperation of a drowning person holding onto a floating log that was the only thing preventing them from sinking into the deep, dark, predator-filled ocean depths.

She wailed out her heart, and Lena did the same.

After a long time, they both managed to calm down just a little -

"But, don't you dare turn your [Emotional Control] back on to full!" said Lena.

It hurts!

Sigh. "OK, I won't," said Eleanor.

She could feel Lena's body. They were still both shaking, and they were both sweaty. Not to mention all of that snot.

Fortunately, Eleanor had provided for this. She took out two large hankies from her pyjama’s pocket. She handed one over, and they did their best to wipe clean their faces and the worst of the sweat.

They went back to holding each other, but not as tightly.

"As expected, the queen provides for her subjects, even when it's only hankies," said Lena.

"Of course, I am happy to be of service. And I guess you are feeling a bit better now?"

"Ah, yes. All joking aside, I am so relieved to have you here."

"Well, so am I."

There was another silence.

This is getting too much; let's back off a little, shall we?

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"Ah, Lena, with all of our sobbing, how on the Ringworld are your two orphans still soundly sleeping?"

"Oh, that, dear queen; you have no idea how solidly these little kids will sleep once they nod off."

Lena:

I know exactly what you are doing. You're avoiding any deeper discussion about our relationship, aren't you?

Actually, so am I. Let's think about that at some later date.

She looked at Eleanor's face, noting the stress lines about her eyes, the creases around her mouth, and the jerky movements of her eyes.

Without her full [Emotional Control], she really is suffering, isn't she?

"My dear, you can turn your control back on to full."

Instantly, Eleanor's face relaxed, and her agitated breathing levelled out. But they remained in close contact, listening to the kids' soft breathing and the stray sounds outside the door as various night guards went about their patrols.

Eventually, Lena said, "How about we lie down now? We can share the blanket, it is big enough.

So, lying shoulder to shoulder, aware of Eleanor's breathing, she drifted off to sleep.

Of course, she had some horrible dreams. And so did Eleanor.

Eleanor:

She woke on a mattress on the floor of a strange bedroom.

Ah, right.

So she turned her head to the left and saw Lena lying right next to her, eyes opened.

"Hmm," said Lena. "You've still got that annoying [Emotional Control] on full, haven't you?"

Well, of course I do!

But before she could say anything, Lena continued.

"You know, I think it is probably part of our friendship commitment to each other that you try to reduce it a bit when we are in private like this. Otherwise, you will never work through your traumas."

"Look, Lena. You have no idea how much pain I'm blocking here. I can't just drop my control whenever you want me to, you know?"

Eleanor was beginning to get annoyed.

Do I have to put up with this shit? I've just fought off the bloody slavers.

"My dear, I can guess what level of pain you must be going through. Nonetheless, what I say is true. I propose to the Voice that dropping your Control should be part of our commitment. Since, otherwise, how can we have an equal, satisfying relationship, with your Control continually in the road?"

"You can't just ask the Voice to take your side! It doesn't work like..."

Ding! Just a friendly reminder, Eleanor. Because of your permanent commitment to Lena, you do need to work on your pain.

"Oh, fucking hell, the Voice just agreed with you."

Lena smiled broadly. Eleanor wasn't sure how friendly that smile was.

"Fine, fine, I'll drop it the same amount as I did last night."

Lena:

Excellent, the bullshit did work. All thanks to the Misfits, of course.

She watched as creases appeared on Eleanor's face. So she did the only thing she could and hugged her. Practically nose to nose, breasts to breasts, they held each other.

After a while, she said

"Of course, we will have to have another talk when we get some free time. We need to discuss what is going on between us."

Eleanor relaxed and separated a bit.

"Yeah, don't we? After I've gotten my little kingdom sorted out. Also, what the hell is that smell."

Lena giggled.

"My dear Queen. You must have forgotten some facts about looking after little children - not that I blame you.

Little kids tend to wet their beds. Especially when they are stressed out."

Eleanor jerked, then sat up. She looked over to see that the children were still asleep.

"In that case, I need to get dressed and start, ah, start the day. See you."

Within a few seconds, she was up and out of the room.

Hehe. The mighty Queen, conqueror of four slaver ships, can't handle a wet bed.

Sigh. I suppose I should be started on my day, also.

Eleanor:

After sharing breakfast with Lena plus orphans, Esther, Evereena, Aragon and Jane, Eleanor started her serious meetings for the day.

They started right at breakfast.

"Everyone, before we move on to other matters, can we debrief about what we did yesterday? In particular, let's list our brand-new skills, shall we?

They did. At the end -

"So that's why all speech turned to garble!" said Aragon.

"This is amazing. We are getting all these new abilities, many of them strange ones. All at the same time. Is the Voice of the World deliberately setting us up for something?" said Eleanor.

Lena waved her tail around in perplexity.

"Beats me. But at least I will never again be short of a super-sized spoon to serve soup to my children."

Eleanor softly beat her tail on the floor to get everybody's attention back to her.

"Also, may I suggest keeping our new abilities a secret? Or at least as much of a secret as possible?" said Eleanor.

She offered this suggestion in the mildest tone of voice that she could manage. However, everyone present realised that it was an order. Considering the circumstances, nobody was inclined to disagree.

After breakfast, they all went off. Eleanor grabbed Jane and Aragon and led them to her office.

I had better get a certain matter out of the way first, just to get it over and done with.

"Ah, Jane. Naturally, we'll have more meetings today to change our standard operating procedures, but could you add one detail now?"

"Sure."

"Well," Eleanor smiled her most confident smile, "If there's an emergency and I have to be woken up again at some Voice-forsaken early hour in the morning, just put in the instructions that if I'm not in my own bedroom, I'll be in Lena's."

Jane grinned, and Aragon smothered a laugh.

"Thought so!" said Jane as she made a note.

Eleanor looked at Aragon as he wiped the smile from his face.

The little brat.

"I'm glad to see you've made some recovery from yesterday's shock," she said.

"Ah, yes, m'lady. I, err, talked with Esther. Who, shall we say, delivered some tough love. And, bloody hell, she had the full weight of the Voice of the World behind her."

"Aww, that's nice, Esther is asserting herself. I thoroughly approve. And, I suppose I can add a little more here: last night and this morning, while Lena and I were talking, there were a few places where the Voice also took Lena's side."

"This is all the result of the Misfits' It's all Bullshit rule, I take it?" said Jane.

Eleanor shrugged.

"Guess so. The poor Misfits. Reincarnated in a new world, and they get cut down after barely half a year or so."

There was a moment’s depressed silence.

"Oh, and one more thing, while we are in private like this, can you call me by my name? This m'lady stuff feels a little awkward amongst friends."

"Certainly, Eleanor!" said Jane, "I guess I'll now go to my meeting with the guards."

She got up and looked expectantly at Aragon.

However, he remained sitting.

"Ahh, Eleanor, may I have a private word with you? It won't take long."

Jane swished her tail momentarily but left without a word. The door closed behind her.

Eleanor waited. Aragon shifted in his seat, laid his ears down, and wrapped his tail around his legs. Then he took a deep breath.

"I was the one that killed the old king, your father."

Huh? What? Ah, yes, I suppose that does make sense. After all, he suffered a lot, too, back then.

So, what do I do?

As she was thinking, she could see Aragon getting increasingly nervous. So she made up her mind.

"OK, Aragon. If you could stand up, please?"

Looking puzzled, he stood up next to his chair.

Eleanor got up and went around the table to stand before him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, using them to control the separation between their two bodies. Without touching his body, she leant upward and lightly kissed his cheek. Then she stepped back.

"Thanks. Consider that to be your once-in-a-lifetime kiss and hug from me. We both know how much we suffered, so let's move on, shall we?"

"Ah, yes, thanks, Eleanor."

They left, Aragon to chase after Jane and Eleanor to find Evereena.

Eleanor:

Eleanor and Evereena ended up back in Eleanor's office, where she met with the most important visitors and reviewed her paperwork.

Evereena, who had never seen inside before, looked around with interest.

Yes, I think it is working. Inviting her to my most important office, making her feel a little bit important herself.

But she's still on the verge of crying.

Eleanor dragged another chair to her side of the desk and then guided Evereena into it. Sitting side by side and holding hands, she gingerly started the conversation.

"It's awful about Cassy, isn't it?"

After half an hour of sobbing into Eleanor's arms, Evereena eventually calmed down.

Eleanor stroked Evereena's hair between her ears and lightly flicked her tail around Evereena's back.

Now, on to the essential part.

"I suppose it was after her death that the Voice gave you your [Insta-Death] ability?"

Evereena nodded. "I was so angry and enraged; I just wanted to kill all of the slaves! Especially that blue-collared slave that was ordering them around, but my ability didn't reach that far at the start! But then, he moved closer, and I got him!"

Thank the Voice that at least she has a restricted range.

"That's fine, my dear. Although, perhaps we can talk about the future for a bit..."

"Ah, yes?"

"Remember, just like Jane doesn't use her sword on everybody who annoys her, you must also control your ability. You know, act responsibly with your powers."

Evereena shrunk into herself a little, her ears flattening against her head. "I'm sorry..."

She got another hug from Eleanor.

"Relax, I'm not criticising you. You were critical in helping us win yesterday. And it is a great power you have. Jane tells me that the Voice says you are the only one in all of Felixerra who currently has it. If the slavers attack again, you will be useful to me and our country."

If the slavers attack again, we'll probably end up either dead or enslaved.

But there's no need to be depressing.

"Yes-yes, Eleanor. I promise I'll be careful. Does this mean I shouldn't use mild intimidation against bullies, like I did before?"

"Ah, let me see, what power were you using then?"

"About 15."

"Well, those bullies were overwhelmed but didn't appear damaged. So, if it is a bad case like that, go for it. But only up to 15. And, let's agree, every time you use it, you need to report directly to me, the Queen."

Evereena nodded her head. "Yes, Queen Eleanor."

Asking her to report directly to the Queen. More status to her. And that reminds me-

"Also, when we are alone like this, just call me Eleanor. No need to be formal."

After some more discussion, Eleanor took Evereena back to Esther and returned to her office.

Now I have to call in the treasurer, allocate the finances for the new guard arrangements, and then, yeah, that's right, arrange some funerals.

"Being Queen is really, really great!" she said to the empty room.

The echoes didn't appear to agree with her.

Also, I wonder precisely how loyal the Treasurer is to me. Certainly not to the same degree as my friends. Oh well.

Eleanor: A month after the invasion.

Eleanor was in the castle's banquet hall, a large room. Sometimes, it could be set up for actual banquets. Other times, like now, it was set up for a public meeting. The Queen was standing on a dais, looking out over a motley collection of her guards, friends, and various members of the Manifestorian community. There were also present representatives from Crysteth.

Well, here goes. Tell them the bad news. Which I'm sure they all know, anyway.

"I've decided to be as frank as possible about our prospects.

Basically, we are all stuffed. The Manifestoria and Crysteth communities will be overrun and destroyed when the slavers eventually come around to our little corner of the Ringworld. Maybe the slaver empire will run out of steam eventually, but it won't be soon.

Everybody who wants to is more than welcome to make a run for it. Of course, you will have to run a long way. Crysteth isn't safe either; it will probably be invaded before we are.

Sorry about that.

But you are also welcome to stay if you have nowhere to go. You can enjoy my company and the company of my friends! For what it is worth.

Since, remember, due to my vows, I will be staying here. And some of my friends will, also, due to their vows.

So if you stay, you can help with our country's last-minute defences.

It probably won't achieve much, but we might as well do our best."

At that, Eleanor couldn't think of anything further to say. So she opened the floor to questions. They lasted for hours, but the answers didn't achieve much.