Chapter 7: Student Instructors (6)

~7.6~

*****

“This has got to be the most awkward situation I’ve ever witnessed...” Liliana and her sister were watching from the next table. Kye, Alethea, Doran, and Michelle were sitting together eating pizza, but only three of the four had taken a slice. Alethea was staring daggers at Doran. “Those three are completely oblivious of the stares. How is the Princess not reacting to it?”

“Lily, this is a dangerous situation. There is no peaceful outcome. Just look at the look on Alethea’s face. She’s...”

The two faced each other. “A monster!”

“That spell is just one of many you’ve created, right?” Doran asked.

“Yeah, I’ve invented a few. I uh... stumbled upon one a week ago before the attack purely by accident. I washed something with magic and Allison happened to be there. She made me name it and said she’d record it in the Archive. Its name is Waschen.”

“You created a utility spell, too? Nice.”

“And now, after the battle... there’s a whole slew of spells under my name.” She glanced over at the pink-haired girl.

“Hey, you’re the one that went overboard.”

“I showcased several spells and a skill. Detonation, True Binding, Bands of Light, Absorption Chain, Singularity Core, Motion Canceler, Temporal Barrier, and the big one: Heaven’s Fall. And the skill, Aether Drive.”

“You really went overboard,” Doran said.

Alethea snickered.

“What’s up?” Doran asked.

“You say that as if you’re familiar with those spells.” Alethea was still glaring daggers at Doran.

“Huh?” Doran and Michelle exchanged glances. Doran was confused, and Michelle only smirked. “Yeah?” He looked at Kye.

“Maya, love, I told you who they are, and they both know who we are.”

Alethea stopped right away and went, “Oh.”

Kye pulled the pendant out from her top that had Maya’s name on it. She flipped the pendant around and it showed two more names, belonging to Adele and Adara.

“You’re still wearing that?” Michelle said. She waved a hand and removed the concealment on herself and Doran. “I guess we don’t need the concealment. It hardly matters with you anyway, Eli.”

“Heh.”

The look in Alethea’s eyes quickly changed back to Doran. She was looking into Doran’s eyes intently. It wasn’t surprise, shock, happiness, or joy. It wasn’t anger, sadness, pity, or remorse. It was empathy.

“Y-yes?” Doran said.

Alethea jumped up, ran around the table, and hugged Doran. “Oh, love, I’m so sorry!”

“Wow...” Michelle mumbled. “What’s got her so-?”

“Michelle.” Kye shook her head and glanced at Liliana, who knew exactly what Kye wanted.

Michelle raised an eyebrow, but soon heard Liliana’s voice. “Michelle, will you accept telepathic communication with Princess?”

Michelle turned to Liliana and mentally replied, “Always.”

A moment later, Liliana expanded the spell. “You’re connected.”

“What’s up, Kye?”

“Alethea was born male.”

“Oh my god, her too? What the hell?” Michelle turned and eyed Alethea. “I would have never guessed. She’s been on meds for a long time, hasn’t she?”

“Yes. She had it very bad when she was young, even up to about twelve years old, then her boobs started growing.”

“Adele gets sick daily. Like, physically sick. She throws up every night.”

“What? Why is she still... not transitioning?”

“I’ve been trying to get her to start for years, but... it’s complicated.”

“Will you fill me in later?”

“Of course.”

*****

After they finished eating, Michelle traded private call numbers with Kye and Alethea.

“Soooo...”

Kye and Alethea exchanged glances. ““What’s up?””

“You two have been together for a while, huh?”

Alethea giggled. “Since we were eight.”

“I’m a little jealous,” Michelle said. “Adele and I were born together, so we’ve had each other, but it would’ve been nice if the four of us could’ve gotten together sooner.” She sighed. “Damn this world’s shtick about restricted noble upbringings.”

“Adara was over the moon when we met the first day of the academy,” Doran said with a female mental voice. “When she told me who you are, I was pretty excited myself.”

“Oh, nice, your mental voice sounds like Adele,” Kye commented. Doran smiled.

“I’m so glad we’re all together again!” Alethea was probably the most excited. “It’s been so long since the four of us were together!” She eyed Doran. “But Adele! Why haven’t you transitioned yet?”

Doran sighed, and Michelle explained everything. The nightly sick sessions, the desire to have a child, and a few other things.

“But, Adele! It’s going to be way harder to transition now!”

Doran cleared her throat before speaking up out loud, and with a clearly female voice that was indistinguishable from her mental voice. “It’s okay, really.” She smiled. “I did at least take medications that prevented some changes, specifically my voice, face, and basic body structure. This world has quite the advanced medical technology. Given that the Atlantis Empire is a whopping ten million years old means there’s so much here that we’ve never seen in most worlds. It’s crazy. My medications excluded my reproductive parts, as intended.”

“So you’ve avoided the major masculine changes from male puberty.” Alethea sighed in relief. “You took the same path as me, reproduction-wise. But why put yourself through this? You are presenting male and haven’t even started the feminization medication. Wait...” She thought about it for a moment. “You didn’t fully go through male puberty and your dysphoria is still bad enough that you physically get sick every night?”

Kye exchanged glances with Michelle, who pleaded with her eyes. Kye nodded. “Adele, start taking the medication. Your core reason for not doing this is to be sure you can sire an heir? You can still do that after a full medical transition, apart from bottom surgery. You’re putting yourself through this hell for no good reason!”

Doran buried her head in her hands for a moment, then looked up at each of them. “Perhaps there is another reason.”

“Wh-what?” Michelle was taken aback enough to stutter in a voice call.

“Not everyone is as supportive about the heir to the throne transitioning,” Doran said. “Adara, I’m sorry I kept this from you. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Excuse me?” Michelle was furious. “Who the hell is behind this?”

Doran sighed and continued. “I spoke with our mothers and Lord Drangan about the issues. They wouldn’t tell me who among Realm 3’s nobility is against having a transgender sovereign, but there is apparently a large enough section of them that being openly transgender would be problematic.”

Kye and Alethea were just as furious as Michelle.

Unacceptable.

Alethea began furiously typing up a message on her NeuraPhone. “And sent.”

Doran narrowed her eyes. “Sent?”

A moment later, all four of them received the same message. Doran’s eyes widened as she read it. “Maya...”

Alethea stood up with one foot on her seat and a fist pumped in the air. “The adopted daughter of the Empress of Atlantis is transgender! I will not stand for this! Any among nobility that would pressure a royal into a very personal decision is in the wrong. Especially a decision as personal as their very identity. I will charge straight into Drachenheim myself if I have to!”

She lowered the hand in the air and pointed at Doran. The look in her eyes was one that would not accept refusal.

“Start taking the medication. To use gender as a political tool... it’s ridiculous. Gender has no effect on one’s ability to rule. There have been kings and queens of this empire. My mother has been reigning empress for ten million years. Before her was my grandfather, and his mother before him. Any who are against the idea of a ruler being transgender... they are not fit to govern anyone. They can be replaced!” She shook her head. “To pressure the royal family of Drachenheim into this is beyond unacceptable. What in the world was the Dragon Queen thinking to even humor this?”

“Please don’t blame my mother,” Doran said. “She, Draenara, and Drangan are all fighting the nobility that are against it. They’re trying to win without using force. I’ve agreed to delay transitioning until they’ve won, or until the symptoms become too severe for daily life.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I can handle it until they win.”

*****

Revision: 12-4-2023