I scream until my voice is raw as I sink my claw deep into my enemy, rending their metallic flesh. They go limp, the frame shutting down. I rip off their head and discard the body, sending it crashing into the ground. The pilot will live to think twice before insinuating that I am his future property.

Two more opponents to go, and I’ve already broken four.

The first of the two enters the field a moment, a tall blue and gold mech. Another challenger for my hand in marriage, another who seeks to cage me. The dueling vows have been said by all combatants of this serialized battle. There is no pageantry or show of honor—just the raw carnage of battle.

They smash against me, attempting to knock me down, but my body, my Bansidhe, is much too strong for that. My legs grind against the ground as I’m pushed back. I bash him away, taking a swipe at him with my claw. The pilot moves well, dodging backwards and unleashing a torrent of laser fire at me. I dance through the beams, the boosters on my back and my legs igniting with each sharp movement.

An alarm blares in the mech. My reactor. It’s running far hotter than it should. I often push myself to the limit, but not in this fight. Dashing forward, I move to end this quickly, spinning through a barrage of fire and grabbing hold of my enemy with all three of my arms. I rip him to pieces and throw him to the ground.

In the brief reprieve I have before my last opponent takes the field, I try to vent the heat from my core, only to find that I cannot. Someone has tampered with my mech—violated my body. A message flashes across my screen.

“If only you had listened, you could have kept your pride. You will lose even that, my dear daughter.”

The message deletes itself as my next opponent appears. This one is not so quick to attack me. Do they know? Continuing would be unwise. A reactor core explosion would put the lives of everyone at the academy at risk.

That stupid, useless old man. How dare he.

“Surrendering, Highness?” my opponent asks over the open coms. “It has been a rather long battle for you. There’s no shame in admitting defeat. You’ve done better than most, but in the end, you’re still a woman.”

“Silence,” I seethe, integrating my mind fully into the Bansidhe. I don’t know what my father has done to prevent me from venting heat, but it doesn’t matter. I am the Bansidhe and every part of me obeys only me. With a metallic hiss, I force open the panels covering my core, exposing the nuclear engine. The surrounding air is superheated, causing a gust of wind to rage across the field.

“You—you’re insane,” he says. “Absolutely mad. You’ll get yourself killed like that.”

“But only I would die,” I say. “And that is a risk I will take. Come then, if you think victory is at hand. I am, after all, just a woman.” With a thud, I step forward, pink plasma dripping out of my core and down my frame.

“No,” he says, dropping to his knees. “I surrender. I—you’re—”

“Pathetic.” Irritated, I burst towards him. I draw my sword, removing his head in the same motion. I kick the frame violently to the ground. “You do not get to speak to me in such a way and then give up. Your pride is fragile.”

VICTORY flashes across the sky along with my name—Gráinne MacAirt.

---

My garden is the one place I know peace. Everyone knows they are forbidden from entering. I’ve not had to punish someone for breaking this one rule, but they are afraid of crossing me all the same. I’m not sure what I would do if someone came into my sanctuary without my permission, but I have thankfully never had to find out. Even the guard who is attached to me like a shadow knows well enough to stay out.

Father has called for me to return to the capital, and I am delaying as long as possible. A few extra relative hours won’t kill him. Piloting always makes me feel depressed and tired, like only a part of me is awake. Tending to my garden helps me feel hale and whole once more.

I make sure my flowers’ roots, and I take care to spray the petals with a fine mist. Pruning the trees takes a bit more effort, but it’s my favorite thing to do. I make no attempt to form them into shapes, only to guide their growth and keep the trees healthy. It’s hard work keeping this much greenery alive on an asteroid academy, but it keeps sane.

The travel time alone to and from the capital will be two weeks in real time. Some of these blooms will already be dead by the time I get back; the thought causes my heart to ache. Experiencing the progressing colors is one of the few joys I have, but this trip to hear my outraged father scold me will ruin that.

My life is a cage I long to break.

---

“I will not lose because you demand it.” My voice is cool and even as I stare into my father’s dead eyes. “I will keep my pride—it matters not how much you wish otherwise.” 

“Gráinne, be reasonable,” mother says. “We only want what’s best for you.”

“No.” Turning my back on them both I say, “you don’t.”

Father rises from his chair; I can hear the ruffling of his robe and the jingles of his gaudy finery. “Gráinne, stop acting like a child. You will marry, these duels be damned.”

My eye twitches. I spend a moment taking a deep breath to try and calm myself. “You would break your own rules then?” I ask, as calmly as I can manage. I know if I get upset, if I show any sign of weakness, he’ll find a way to use it against me. I must remain calm.

“I will close the loophole you created in them, yes,” he says. “You’ve become a fine warrior and have proved your point, but this is more important than pride. Our line must continue. You are our only child.”

I turn to face them. “I am the best. The strongest,” I say firmly. “Only I have truly mastered the Fomorian Framework. That last battle showed it. I won unequivocally even though I was sabotaged. Was that not enough for you?”

He pauses, hesitates even. “Yes,” he admits. “A fine warrior was wrong of me to say. But my point still stands, Gráinne. You must cast aside your pride and marry. If you do not, our line will fall. The houses are already biting at my heels if an heir is not guaranteed.”

I scowl. “Let me pick my own spouse then.” I do not want any of this but, at least if the choice is mine, then I can make the most out of my father’s demands.

He nods. “You’ve more than earned the right, my child. If no man is great enough to overcome the future empress, then so be it.”

I smirk. An opening, perhaps? “My thoughts exactly.”

I look at my mother. It’s a subtle glance. She flashes a quick hand sign, telling me that I’m doing well.

“You have until your twenty-fifth birthday,” he says. “If you have not picked by then, then the highest-ranking duelist will be your fiancée.”

“You’re giving me a month?” I grimace.

“Quite generous, I think,” he replies severely. “He must be of noble birth, that is my only requirement. They may all be useless but at least your husband will come from good stock.”

The word is a slap to my face. Husband. It fills me with irrational rage. I hate the idea of marrying a man. I hate their games. I hate the way they look at me. Even as I grind their pride to dust, they still look upon me as lesser; as nothing more than a trophy. I hate being owned by them. No matter how I might rage against his cage like a feral beast, my father is my keeper. Becoming a wife will only change who keeps me.

My mother flashes me another gesture. She’s saying to take his deal.

“Fine,” I say through my teeth. “By my birthday then.”

Mother claps her hands together. “Marvelous,” she says, her voice exaggerated. An act. “Thank you for seeing reason, my darling.”

Father also looks overjoyed, one of the few times he ever has that look, but even now there is a coldness in those black depths. “Indeed,” he says. “Now you are acting like an adult.”

“You finally gave me a choice, of a sort,” I say. “That is what I asked for to begin with.”

“Perhaps some fault lies with me then.” His tone is insincere and placating. “In any case, the matter is settled.”

I turn on my heel to leave, saying nothing. I wish to be as far from this gaudy, tactless throne room as possible. I want my garden. The guard opens the door, it makes a heavy creaking noise that grates on my ears. I step through, the door closes behind me with a heavy thud. Godsdamnit.

The palace is brightly lit this afternoon. The sun illuminating the halls through large stained-glass windows. My handmaiden waits for me. She’s dressed smartly in a long green dress, her red hair tied up into a neat bun. Her green eyes peer at me with learned perception.

“Mistress,” she says, her voice light and musical. “Shall we go back to the academy?” She smiles. “I’m sure after that conversation you are eager to visit your garden.”

I manage a smile. “You know me well, Aoife. Yes, I would like that very much.”

She nods. “Very well. Your ship is prepared already,” she says, already beginning to walk down the long hallway. “I’m sorry for your frustrations.”

I follow behind. “No need to be. I held out as long as I could. Father has given me a choice now, so at the very least I have some control.”

“But that isn’t enough for you,” she says, as perceptive as ever. “You want freedom.”

“Yes.”

Aoife has been by my side for years now. Her presence is a great comfort to me. We walk along in silence, which is usual. I’m terrible to talk to and I know it. What even is there to say? Nothing around me is mine. My future is laid out in front of me, the path built and carved against my will. Even Aoife is assigned to me.

As empress, I’ll be nothing more than a tool for the man I’m forced to pick. Maybe I could just have them killed and rule on my own, or perhaps I’ll pick someone exceptionally weak and easy to control.

“You’re plotting,” Aoife says, her tone amused. “Killing your father or your future husband?”

I laugh. “Husband today,” I admit. “It’s such a mess. I’m perfectly capable of ruling without a husband and if a child is so necessary then I can just… get a donor.” I sigh. “It’s not as if that can’t be done.”

“It’s not our way,” Aoife says. “It goes against tradition. A child is to be born from a union of man and woman.”

I grimace. “I am aware,” I tell her. “But maybe some traditions should change. Central, for example, does things very differently than we do.”

“That is almost heresy, Princess,” she replies. “Central is the enemy who stole Earth.”

“I know,” I say. “I am aware of what they did to us in the war, but they aren’t an enemy any longer. Not officially anyway.”

“Hmm,” she says, opening another door that leads out towards the car. “But it doesn’t change that you’re grasping for ways to be free of the burdens of your station. But we all have our parts to play.”

There is sadness in her voice. I know she speaks of herself, too. “We’ll make the best of it, Aoife.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Guards are posted all over the palace entrance, armed to the teeth in power-suits and massive beam cannons that will reduce a person to ash on impact. Aoife walks out ahead of me. The guards give me a respectful nod as I’m led to the car. I step inside and relax back into the leather seat. Tension releases somewhat. One month, huh? It will take a week just to get back to the academy.

Aoife sits next to me, closing the door behind her. She gives instructions to take us to the port. I look out the window, attempting to think of something… anything that might help me out of this.

“I have an idea,” I begin, though the plan is still forming in my mind.

Aoife, calm as ever, looks over to me. “I’m listening.”

I chew on my thumb in frustration. “I’m going to host one last tournament for the potential suitors but open it to all. I’ll even arrange for mechs to be provided if necessary.”

She tilts her head. “Why? Didn’t your father say they had to be of noble birth?”

I smirk. “The last thing he said was I had to pick by my birthday, or the highest-ranking duelist would be my husband. If I do not pick anyone at all, but rather let them fight amongst themselves, I may be able to maneuver someone malleable into that position.” I fold one leg over the over, sitting up straight. “It’s not how I want to go about this, but if I must marry someone, I am going to make sure I can control them. I’m not going to be under the thumb of some useless man.”

Aoife chuckles.

“What?” I ask, making my irritation clear. “It’s not as if I can marry someone I love.”

“I know,” she says. “I was simply musing how much better your life would have been if you were a man rather.”

My nose wrinkles in disgust, an unconscious gesture. “Do not say such things,” I tell her. “Whatever my lot in life must be, I’d never want to be a man. I just want my freedom.”

She nods. “Of course. I meant no offense, Princess,” she says softly.

Aoife only ever calls me that to soothe my temper. I am still irritated, but not so much with her. I sigh. “I know.” I bite my thumb again. “It’s either this stupid idea or I simply run away entirely. Perhaps I can somehow hitch a ride to Central and forget these damn duels.”

She reaches over, putting a hand on my knee, her soft fingers giving me a gentle squeeze. “Do not run, Princess,” she says, her tone severe but still tender. “You may not believe it right now, but your people need you. Think of what you could do for them should you come into power. Marry a useless noble. Sleep with a lowborn man you want.”

My cheeks burn. “Maybe.”

Aoife pulls her hand away. “Are you well, Princess?”

“Yes,” I tell her. “I’m quite alright. Just stressed.”

---

Traveling at near lightspeed for a week is a frustrating experience. Only a few hours will pass for me, but a week for everyone else in real-time. I think about that often when I make little trips like this, how time is relative and flexible. Perhaps I should just hijack my ship and spend a year of relative time at near-light and come back after seven years have passed. My garden would die without anyone to tend to it, and that singular thought puts a damper on my grand escape.

I sigh. It’s not as if my father would die in that time anyhow, unless perhaps he was killed by one of the other houses. That thought amuses me somewhat, but it would also mean war, a war that would cost millions their lives. That I do not want to happen. I lean back in my seat, trying to push away the depressing thoughts. I do not want to be responsible for so many. I want my freedom, but not at that cost.

When I left the capital, it was bright, during the peak hours of the afternoon. Fianna Academy, however, is experiencing the late hours of the evening. The academy is built into an asteroid that orbits at the edge of this solar system; its mass belies belief. I admit to feeling somewhat fond towards Fianna. It’s been my home for four years and where I have planted my treasured garden.

Aoife remains on the capital, informing my mother of my plan. Though she already knows given the time dilation and has likely sent word ahead of me regarding the tournament. A good thing I am to arrive in the evening when fanfare will be at a minimum.

I wish my mother’s public face was not what it was, the quite demure woman who obeys her husband’s every whim. She’s so much stronger than that, and it’s always been a deep source of frustration. I would not be who I am without her, yet she does not speak up for me. I love her, but even now I feel the rising righteous rage bubbling up from my core. As strong as even she is, even as empress, she is still stuck under my father’s thumb.

That will not be my fate. I will not let it be.

With a soft thud the ship pulls into the dock. Besides the pilots and one staff member, I am the only one aboard. I disembark quickly, making my way into the greater part of the station. The hangar is kept in constant low gravity and so I float along in the air, gradually getting heavier as I make my way into the interior of academy. The hangar itself is busy with many comings and going of staff and students. I like being in here, surrounded by the various mechs and ships. The people are so busy they hardly take note of me, not that there is much to take note of. I do not wear finery at school, and my uniform is the same as anyone else’s, a smart buttoned up green tunic, black jacket, black tie, and plain slacks. I get to blend in here, thankfully.

The exit door slides open with a hiss. It clicks shut behind me. A rather large, gruff man stands in my way. Renault, one of the bodyguards kept here to watch over me. I tolerate his presence, just as I tolerate many things in my life.

“Princess,” he says, his voice rough and deep.

“Renault,” I acknowledge him. “Follow behind me as if you’re a ghost. I do not wish to speak.”

He steps aside. He is not Aoife. He does not make me feel safe. The way his eyes linger on me unsettles me, I sometimes wish I could gouge them out and crush them in my hands. I walk past him in a hurry, eager to put distance between us.

The academy grounds are a massive wide-open space filled with grass and trees and people. The ceiling is a false sky far above us, currently showing the stars and the twin moons of the capital. It’s as if I am at the palace looking up from my balcony. I wish it was any other view, any other place in the Milky Way.

My stomach growls. I turn to walk towards the dining hall, a rather large building near the center of campus. Even during the night, students are out and about as they please. Many are enjoying themselves with various activities from dates to studies out in the open or simply reading under the trees. I long to join them but they and my father constantly remind me that I belong to a different world. I’ll just get my food and retreat to my garden. What would I even say to them? It’s been four years since I started attending and even now, I do not have a single friend.

A pair of girls walk on the opposite side of the path from me, walking away from the dining hall. Our eyes meet briefly, and I offer them a smile. Their look drifts over at Renault, who’s walking behind me, and they give me, and him, a wide berth as they pass. I sigh. How am I ever going to make friends with this lumbering idiot behind me? Tonight will be no different, it’ll be another meal alone.

Thud.

It takes me a moment to recover my senses, I wasn’t exactly expecting to run into something or someone impossibly hard on an open path. The impact was enough to nearly knock me off my feet. Irritated, I look up into warm white eyes. They are like freshly fallen snow during a winter storm. A woman, a bit taller than I, and I am not short. Her equally white hair is long, tied back in a neat tail that still reaches the small of her back. It blows in the false breeze, locks of hair dangling delicately over her chiseled face. The irritation fades, my voice stuck in my throat. Who is she?

“Sorry about that,” she says. Her voice is rich, deeper than I expected, and very gentle. The corner of her eyes wrinkle, her lips forming a broad smile that draws my gaze towards the one ‘imperfection’ on her otherwise perfect face, a small mole just under her right eye. “Are you fine?”

“Oh, yes.” Heat rushes to my face, I do my best to maintain my composure, which is not easy. I’ve never seen a more exquisite woman in all my life. “T’was my fault for not paying attention.”

Renault is quick to come up to us, his face stern. He is about to open his stupid mouth before I raise a hand to silence him.

“You’re dismissed,” I tell him firmly. “Do not speak. Just go.”

His eyes burn with anger, but he nods, leaving me with the now very confused looking stranger.

“Sorry,” I say. “An overzealous guard. Who are you?” Gods, her pale skin, white hair and snowy eyes give her a striking, uncanny beauty. I struggle to look away. “I don’t recognize you at all.”

“Dia,” she says. “I’m a transfer, so you wouldn’t.”

My lips pull back into as warm a smile as I can manage. It’s rare I get to talk to people like this, and I feel a bit awkward. “It’s nice to meet you, Dia.”

She returns the smile, it’s kind and charming. “A pleasure. You’re Princess Gráinne, right?”

A sigh escapes me. I had hoped she wouldn’t recognize me. Then again, this means she has known who I am from the start, and yet she is still here. Curious. “Yes.”

“Well, sorry again for bumping into you, that was foolish of me,” she says. “Was that guard going to defend you?”

Fear? No, not that but something I can’t put my finger on. She’s taller than Renault even, and if what I felt when I ran into her was of any indication of her strength, I would almost be amused to see her fight him.

“No,” I tell her. “He wouldn’t just attack someone for the crime of running into me, and I am not such a heartless woman as to punish you for it either.”

She smirks. “Oh good,” she says. “I was on my way to get something to eat. Join me?”

My heart skips a beat. Oh, this is stupid, she’s just asking me to a meal. But so easily? Who is this woman. How can she just smirk at me like this? “I’d be happy to,” I manage. My heart races. Perhaps she will be my friend? She bothers to talk to me when others don’t, even knowing who I am. That’s a good start.

“Great,” she says, “I can finally share some good news with my mothers. They did tell me I should try and be social, but it’s been a bit difficult.”

I blink. “What did you say?”

“Did I say something odd?” She tilts her head.

“Mothers? As in more than one?” I blink again.

She nods. “Yes? I have two mothers.”

I stare at her for a long time, processing exactly what she’s saying.

She folds her arms in front of her chest. “Why are you asking?” Her tone is indignant but curious. There’s a flash of rage in her eyes.

I step close to her. “Keep that to yourself,” I whisper forcefully.  “That is a crime.”

She just shrugs. “So?”

“Shut up,” I tell her firmly, taking her by the hand. I yank her behind me towards the dining hall. “Just do not speak of such things! I am going to pretend I heard nothing.”

I release her hand, walking onward. To my surprise she is still following behind me. Her expression is difficult to read but I can feel the disappointment radiating off her.

“I’m sorry.” I sigh. “It’s not something I’m concerned with, but the law says…” 

“I know the laws here” she says, cutting me off. “Let’s rather talk about something else.”

“Right,” I say, hanging my head as we approach the dining hall. “What would you like to eat?”

---

I’ve taken Dia back to my garden where we can eat in peace. Just going to the dining hall was an irritating endeavor. News has of course reached everyone of my birthday tournament, and the concentrated crowd of people in the dining hall muttering about it was exhausting. My garden however is serene, far removed from the other students. Dia is looking around curiously, eyeing the flowers intently.

“You have Earth flowers,” she remarks. “The lilies are beautiful. You have so many colors here, it’s like being in a wild field.”

“How do you know about Earth flowers?” I ask, my brow arching.

“I was born there.” She smiles.

I almost drop my food. “Are you serious?” I walk up to her, getting very much into her personal space. “Tell me everything.”

Dia looks quite taken aback but doesn’t pull away from me. “Well,” she begins. “Well, what is there to say? It’s blue and green all over. The air is clean and the people are kind. It’s a paradise now.”

Earth. Gods, Earth! “Why are you here? I mean at this school if you’re from Earth?”

She rubs the back of her neck. “My mother,” she says, her brows furrow.

“You can talk freely here,” I assure her eagerly.

“Well, my mother is a big researcher, and she travels all over the galaxy,” Dia explains. “We moved not too far from here and they sent me to go to school here because… well I didn’t want to be in Central without them. I know things are a bit weird between Central and Fomorian space, but she’s never really cared about any of that.”

“It’s been a bit better,” I say. “Ever since the Cerberus incident.”

Dia nods. “Yeah, war almost broke out all over.” She sighs, sitting under one of my tall sycamore tree. “I wasn’t born yet obviously but my mothers talk about it a lot. They were there.”

I sit down next to her. “I didn’t think anyone survived,” I admit. “At least that’s not what I learned in my school days.”

She shrugs. “Well, they did,” Dia says. “Mother in particular told me how awful it was to see Cerberus explode and about all the refugees who died on the station.” She frowns again. “Justice was never gotten for the victims.”

I bring my knees up to my chest. “No one knew who was responsible. Central showed remarkable restraint, to my view. Though my schoolbooks didn’t see it that way.”

She chuckles. “Fascinating.” She leans back, taking her hair and flipping it over her shoulder. It’s long enough to reach the ground so she places the end of the tail in her lap. “I’m sure they somehow blamed Central’s ‘ineffectual government’ or something. I don’t know or care what lies they spun to be honest. What’s interesting, is that you don’t see it that way.”

“I’m privy to information others aren’t,” I say. “I know how large and advanced Central’s military is. They may not be able to go to war with the entire rest of the galaxy, but they’d crush any one faction in open war. Maybe two. My father complains about that often, he feels the Fomorians are entitled to Earth.”

Dia laughs, a sardonic, withering sort of laugh. “It’s a miracle the planet is such a paradise now. Took decades, maybe a whole century to clean up the state it was in. Humanity ran it into the ground before Central rose to power.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Earth,” I say, looking at her quite intently. It’s very difficult to tell what she might be thinking, her face is unnervingly stoic. Such a beautiful, fierce face. I blink, looking away to hide the red in my cheeks.

She tilts her head and begins playing with her hair. “Why? I mean, I know a lot of people do but you’re the princess. What do you have to gain by going there?”

It’s a good question, one I take a moment to think about. “Freedom,” I say after a few moments. “Freedom to marry who I want and live on my terms. I wish I hadn’t been born here.” That is perhaps the first time I’ve uttered those words aloud. Reflexive shame rises from my stomach and strangles my heart.

“Aren’t you holding a tournament to get married though?” She continues playing with her snowy hair, twirling a long strand around her finger.

“If you grew up in this part of the galaxy you wouldn’t be asking why,” I say sadly. “The fact that you even are tells me the difference between our worlds. How much kinder yours is.”

“So it’s not your choice?”

“No. It’s just a compromise I made to try to take some control over my life.” I look over at her. Gods, she feels so easy to talk to. Perhaps because where she’s from there are no such thing as princesses. To her, I’m just a normal woman. My heart flutters again. Gods, get ahold of yourself, please.

“That’s awful,” she says, taking a bite of her sandwich. “You’re really not what I expected when we ran into one another.”

A chuckle erupts from within. “Oh? And what did you expect?”

“Well.” She looks at me, staring at me with those almost gleaming white eyes of hers. “You’re a fair bit kinder than I would have expected. No offense.”

My nose wrinkles. “None taken. It’s what everyone thinks about me, and it’s not as if I can blame them. Even when I make my guards leave me alone, no one wants to talk to me. No one I want to talk to me anyway.”

“Who do you want talking to you then?” She takes another bite of her food.

“Not men who want to marry me.” I sigh. “Literally anyone else at this rate, but it’s only them who try to approach me, to court favor. But even that’s stopped. Ever since I got into the cockpit to just take control of some part of my life, they’ve learned to leave me alone.”

Dia frowns. “But the rules changed on you.”

“Yes.” I frown. “He told me I could pick anyone I wanted because I earned that much. But I don’t want to marry any of them. I hate men.”

“Would you marry a woman then?” she asks, letting out a small chuckle.

“W-what? No!” I stammer, sitting upright, backing away from her. “No! That’s…”

“A crime.” Her gaze pierces through me so strongly that I feel naked and exposed.

All I can do is nod, words refusing to leave my lips.

“But you would, if the choice was yours and nothing was holding you back?”

I’m frozen in place. Never has anyone asked me such a question. My heart pounds in my chest. My hands feel suddenly cold. I look into her eyes. Her gaze pierces me completely, no matter how I might try to hide the truth, even from myself. What can I say before such eyes?

“Yes.”

She grimaces. “You should be able to live how you want,” she says, her tone a mixture of sympathy and anger. “It isn’t right that you can’t. Of course, it’s not just you, either. My mothers had to come into the system separately and not disclose their marriage.”

“No,” I say softly, averting my gaze. “It’s not right. How long are the three of you here for?”

“A year,” she says. “Enough for me to finish my degree. This academy is well known for its piloting program. Almost as good as the one on Mars.”

“Wait, Dia, are you a mech pilot?” I ask, my heart pounding again.

“Yes,” she says. “I’m probably the best.”

I smirk. “In the whole galaxy? The best in Central? Come now, you can’t make that claim. I don’t think you’re even the best in this school.”

She chuckles and leans forward, pressing her face close to mine. “The best.”

I pull away, regarding her carefully. The way she looks at me, the confidence she exudes reminds me of a wolf. Even if she is just boasting, there is an opportunity here I would be foolish to pass up. “Fight for me in the tournament.”

“No!” She says, pulling back now. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to fight to be your wife.”

Wife. The word sends a thrill down my spine. Gods what a joy it would be to have a wife. “You don’t have to marry me so much as just save me from getting married.”

She breathes out a heavy sigh. “No,” she says. “I’m here to do my studies and go back home where I belong. I’m not getting caught up in this.”

“Dia, please.” I turn to face her fully. My mind is spinning. This might be my only chance to escape these hellish circumstances. I can almost feel the freedom on the tips of my fingers. My pride, my honor, my position don’t matter to me. I just want my freedom. “Please! I’m begging you.”

“And why would I do that?” she asks me, her voice now has an edge to it. “I have no interest in the sort of politics that go on in this system. Besides it’s a crime for two women to get married here, so what good would it do? Should I just steal you away and cause an incident?” She smirks.

Godsdamnit that smirk is a deadly weapon. I avert my gaze again, attempting in vain to keep hold of my composure. “My father’s last words were that if I could not choose by my birthday, I’d be forced to marry be the highest-ranking duelist. If you win and we get married right away before anyone can stop us the law will be binding. He might be so furious he banishes me himself and then I’ll be truly free. Divorce me after if you want.”

“Or he will try to kill me for being a part of this insanity.” She sighs again, leaning against the tree. “Would they even let me participate? It’s not as if I’m a citizen.”

That is an irksome point she’s made, because no, my father wouldn’t allow it. Damnit. I look her up and down, my brows furrowing. She’s so tall. So broad. I’m getting distracted. “What if we falsified your identity and you pretended to be a man?”

“No!” She says fervently. “Absolutely not. I would actually rather die.”

“Just for entering!” I explain. “Not forever. I don’t want a husband anyway, even a pretend one I know is a woman. I hate the word.”

That gets a small chuckle out of her. She crosses her arms over her chest. “You might be as gay as me,” she says.

My cheeks flush again. What is that supposed to mean?

“I suppose my name is sort of a man’s name anyway,” she muses. “I guess we could just say nothing at all and let people assume, but I’m not outright calling myself a man.”

“Fair. Dia isn’t a man’s name though,” I say, confused. “How do you mean?”

“It’s a nickname,” she explains. “My name is Diarmuid.”

“It’s a good name. Not a man’s name on you.” I manage to smile, feeling my heart calm again. “Though, I am curious why your mothers would name you that.” I shift closer to her.

“They liked the name, and I was born with parts that might make one think I was a boy,” she says, her tone almost amused. “Some people like me change their names to something they feel suits them better, but Diarmuid still feels like me. Dia is cute, too.”

“It is cute, but I don’t think I understand why they’d think you were a boy.” I furrow my brows. “Unless… oh.” I fight against the urge to look down at her waist, it’s not as if I would be able to notice anything while she wears her uniform slacks anyway.

Dia laughs mirthfully. “That’s correct,” she says, chuckling still. “It’s sort of cute how naïve you are.”

“Shut up.” I look down at my feet, trying to hide my pout. I don’t even want to pout and yet I cannot help myself. Stupid woman. I close my eyes, refocusing myself. I ponder the implications of what she’s just told me: She was born a boy, but is now a woman? I’ve never heard of such a thing in my life, but I cannot deny the evidence right in front of me. “Central must be a very good place if you were able to be yourself in this way.” I rest my chin on my knees. “Gods, there must be so many people like you who’ve wanted to do the same, but they can’t… not here. Not with the way the houses govern.” The thought makes me sick to my stomach.

“Need to,” she says, her voice mournful. “It’s not a want.” She sighs, takes a long look at me and turns slightly to face me more fully. “It’s funny, growing up it never occurred to me that I wasn’t a girl. But there came a point when my mothers had to have a talk with me because I was getting older and my body was going to change. It was then I realized that I could be a boy. They asked what I wanted but idea of being a man was repulsive to me. I just wasn’t a boy. My mother explained she’s the same as me, and that was that.” Dia smiles warmly then, resting her head against the tree.

I can’t help but stare at her, raking my eyes along her features. For the first time, she seems sort of vulnerable and soft. Seeing her like this gives me a feral, primal urge to bite that I quickly shove down. “I cannot even imagine anything like that happening in this sector.”

“It does,” she replies, lifting her head to look at me. “There are people among the Fomorians who are just like me. We’re everywhere.”

“I feel very foolish,” I admit, looking away again.

“You didn’t know.” She shrugs. “It makes me angry, but I’m not angry with you.”

Her words offer slight relief but I still can’t help the feeling in the pit of my stomach. “There’s so much I would change if I could. Before I ran into you, my best plan for the future was to marry some impotent useless man who I could control, but even if I managed that, not all the power rests in the hands of the emperor.” I take a moment to gather myself in a vain attempt to keep composure. “The other houses hold considerable sway and we’re so entrenched in our traditions that I’d probably be killed if I tried to change anything.” Tears form in my eyes. “I want to fix things because I know it’s wrong. I know people in other sectors and especially Central live so much better. I’m not blind.” A decade’s worth of frustrations can’t be held back. The tears roll down my face. Not even with my mother can I speak as freely as I can right now. I choke back a sob. “I just don’t want to die… I haven’t even lived yet.” 

Suddenly she’s right there next to me, her face just inches from mine. “I’ll fight for you, Princess.” She reaches towards my face, wiping away my tears.

I’m taken aback, frozen. No one has ever touched me like that before, not a soul. I stare at her, my eyes drawn to the spot right under her eye. I feel like I could get lost in those snowy white eyes of hers, drown in them even. The fear and rage in my heart seems to wash away when I look at her. “Oh?”

“Yes, but I want something in return.”

“Anything.”

“You doubted my abilities earlier,” she says, her tone low, almost a purr in my ear. “So, I’d like to see just how good you are in the cockpit.”

I suck in a breath, my stomach flutters. “I-um.” My mouth feels impossibly dry, my hands shake. “Why are you changing your mind?”

She grins. “You asked me to save your life,” she says. “That sort of request does something to a girl. It almost feels like when I’m piloting. There’s no room for hesitation, or else you miss your opportunity for victory.”

Instinctively, I get even closer but keep my eyes fixed on hers. “You sound like me,” I say. “Alright. If you agree to fight on my behalf, then we can spar one another. I want to test your skills besides. You could be a liar who is worthless to me.” I smirk.

“Taking me out for a test ride?” she says, keeping her grin. “Good. You’re smart.”

I blush again, gods I must look like a fool. She is relentless. “Your skills,” I say tersely. “Your skills and that is all. Meet me at the mech launch bay at noon in three days. I’ll make arrangements that it’s an exhibition match, introducing a new challenger ahead of the tournament.”

She thinks on this a moment, scratching her jaw. Her lovely, lovely jaw. “You say that like you expect to win our bout and want me to put on a show.”

“I’ve never lost,” I tell her. “So no, despite your boasting, I don’t expect to lose to you. But I don’t need you to be better than me. Just better than all of them.”

“I’ll win,” she says, standing up. Her long hair flowing behind her as she looks down at me.

I rise to meet her gaze, my eyes narrowed. “What makes you so sure of that?” I do not care for being looked down on like this, even though I enjoy looking up at her.

“Because you asked me to save your life.” She steps closer, her breath practically on my face. “So, my enemy isn’t all those men, or even your father. My enemy is your gilded cage.”

She leans forward, her lips almost on mine. I feel paralyzed, unable to speak or move, trapped by her overwhelming intensity. Her hand reaches out to cup my chin.

“I always destroy my enemies, Princess.”

---

She doesn’t pull away from my touch, but she does look at me defiantly with those big violet eyes of hers. The breeze catches her scent, assailing my nose with vanilla and cherry blossoms. It’s an intoxicating smell. Grudgingly I remove my hand, pulling away entirely and straightening up.

She casts her gaze towards the ground, her obsidian falling in front of her face. “We’ll see about that,” she says.

I step past her. “See you tomorrow, Princess.”

“Tomorrow? Our duel is not for three days.” She turns to face me.

I look back, my eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you before then.” I flash her a small smile, stuffing my hands into my jacket pockets.

“Gráinne,” she says, her voice light but firm, demanding even. “Call me Gráinne.”

“As you wish.” I walk out of her garden, a smile on my face.

Step one complete.

There is a part of me that feels awful for misleading her, but I’m just not sure she can be trusted yet. Mother’s tip to infiltrate the academy and get close to the princess was right. I hadn’t expected her to be so earnest though. It makes what I have to do both easier but also that much harder, I don’t want to hurt her in the process. I’m tempted to look back towards the garden but I fight off the urge and keep walking. She really is easy to talk to. How many times did I almost slip up just then? Too many.

Getting back to my dorm is a mission in and of itself, this station being a massive city in space. I estimate that some four million people are living here at any given time between students, faculty, and the defense force that protects it. Even more will be here in the next few days thanks to Gráinne’s tournament. It’s ridiculous to me that the succession of a government could even be decided this way, but it is what it is. No wonder the people of this sector suffer so much. It’s rotten from the top down.

Unable to resist any longer, I look back though the garden is long out of view. My gaze lingers for a moment. It’s late now and most everyone is asleep. Is this the right thing? Should I go back, tell her this was all a mistake and go about this another way?

My enemy is your gilded cage.

I recall the touch of her skin against the tips of my fingers and the look in those eyes of hers. I recall the choked back sob, that was the moment I decided to help her. As I walk, I think of the vids I’ve seen of her duels up until now, how hard she’s fought. She reminds me a lot of the people I’ve helped across the galaxy. People stuck in situations beyond their control, desperate for a way out. Before now, I had thought she piloted for pride or to maneuver against her father. It had not occurred to me that she felt just as helpless as the lowest of the low. I’m so sick of putting worthless bandages on gaping, infected wounds. I want to help all of them.

I want to help her.

The real question is: is her resolve stronger than her fear? I just don’t want to die… I haven’t even lived yet. Her words make my heart ache. I can understand where she is coming from, she’s not like me. She is a warrior, but she fights only for herself. It’s all she can conceive of. Will she fight for others? Maybe.

Twenty minutes later I walk into my room, exhausted from a stressful day of classes and just that whole meeting with the princess.

With Gráinne. Like I’ve done every night before sleeping, I sweep the room for bugs, just in case. Nothing. I sit at my desk, pulling up an old vid of one of Gráinne’s duels. If I’m going to fight her in three days, I should do homework on how she pilots. I’ve looked at this vid before, but I haven’t studied it with the intention of fighting her.

It’s three vs one. Her mech, the Bansidhe, is the largest on the field. It’s about the same size as mine though it’s difficult to tell from just a vid. The frame itself is gorgeous, platinum with pink trim, three arms, one being a massive, wicked claw, and long plantigrade legs. It’s a bulky frame yet maintains an elegant silhouette. The face is humanoid with glowing pink eyes. Cute. After meeting Gráinne, I can understand her design choices, I find them quite endearing.

The three mechs by comparison are rather ugly and menacing. Gunmetal grey with a single glowing red eye. They have an industrial look to them that I can’t stand, with stumpy looking digitigrade legs and four arms that have various weapons from blades to energy rifles. A pilot’s mech should express who they are, but these three are all uniform in appearance. They look like they were built by M.E.T.A Industries, the corpo state near the galaxy’s core.

The vid is taken from several flying drones surrounding the battle arena, there are no physical spectators. Her enemies dash forward in unison, chainsaw energy axes revving as they close in. Those weapons are deadly, capable of slicing through armor like butter. Gráinne, however, is very fast, her movements fluid and uncanny for a mech. The result of the Fomorian Framework, allowing her to integrate directly with her mech.

The others are slow in contrast, their movements mechanical and stiff. She dodges them easily, dancing between them with effortless grace. The massive claw reaches out, sweeping across the field, pink plasma jettisoning out from exhaust ports as it clamps around one of the mechs. The arm squeezes tight, instantly crushing the enemy frame, rendering the mech disabled.

There is a shift in the air when that happens. I can almost see the fear in the movements of the other two mechs, they hadn’t expected one of them to fall so quickly or easily. Not surprising, the difference between a pilot who is connected to their frame and one who is not is astronomical. They never really stood a chance to begin with. Maybe if she faced ten of them, they could have won. Maybe. In an instant another has their legs and head cut off with two swift, graceful strokes from her green energy blade.

The final enemy overheats their systems in a desperate attempt to snatch victory, electricity sparking from the reactor core. Gráinne rushes forward, her movements feral. Pink plasma erupts from her back and claw, she burns with an awesome power. The two crash into one another but Gráinne easily overpowers the industrial mech, smashing it onto the ground, grinding her clawed hand into the frame until it crumples.

She stops short of total destruction, but only just, sparing the pilot a grisly death. All the pilots would live to fight another day as killing one another in these duels is forbidden. To prevent accidents, weapons are powered down dramatically. What might the Bansidhe be capable of in a real fight I wonder? How much more feral would she become if her life was on the line? I intend to find out.

An enlightening use of my time. I close the vid, leaning back into my chair. She’s at least as aggressive as I am, capable of direct interface with her mech, and determined beyond belief to win at all costs. It won’t be an easy duel to win. I don’t need you to be better than me. Just better than all of them. I smirk. Princess, the one I most need to destroy is you.

Sighing, I pull out my com, select my mother and dial. She picks up almost instantly.

“Dia!” She exclaims and then calls out for my other mom. “Maeve, come over here, she’s on the line.”

A moment later mom appears, her face warm. She smiles at me. “It’s a bit late to call, don’t you think?” she asks.

“Well, I thought you’d like to know I made contact with the princess, and it’s my professional opinion that we were very wrong about a few things.”

“Oh?” mother asks, arching her brow. “That’s surprising, I’m rarely wrong.”

I smile. “She wants out of this place. I’m pretty sure if I suggested she just escape to Central with me, she’d take me up on the offer.”

They both furrow their brows. “That is a bit unexpected,” mom says. She lifts up her energy drink with her cyber-arm, tapping her metal finger against the metal can. Tink, tink, tink as she thinks. “What else did you learn? Would she be willing to help you or us?”

“Unsure right now. She asked me to fight on her behalf in an upcoming tournament. We know she’s so far defied her father’s will to be married off, but he’s changed the rules on her last moment. Her birthday is in three weeks. She must either pick a man to marry or according to her father the ‘highest-ranking’ duelist will be chosen for her.”

Both of my parents grimace in disgust. “That’s awful,” mother says. “No one in this place is treated well, eh?” She shakes her head. “Okay, so where do you fit in? Wait… Dia, no.”

“She asked me to save her life,” I say. “I said yes. She wants me to fight, win and marry her legally before anyone finds out I’m a woman. Her thinking is that she’ll be banished for such defiance.”

Mom sighs. “Dia, you hear how insane that is, right?” she chuckles. “The plan was to get close to the princess to see what our options were, not marry her.”

“It’s just a legal thing,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “I want to do it because at the very least, I can get her out of this situation, and it might trigger a huge conflict among the ruling houses. The way I see it, I’d be helping her and accomplishing at least part of my goal at the same time.”

Mother chews her inner lip, the gears turning in her head. “It’s a lot more personal risk to take on than we intended,” she muses. “I mean it was always risky, but this puts you in direct line of fire even if they never discover your real intentions.”

“I know,” I say. “There is already a lot of tensions if the rumors are accurate, and they are probably underselling the issues. Gráinne’s refusal to marry has caused a ton of problems, and you know why I’m here. I don’t want to leave this place standing when I leave.”

“Are we calling her by name now?” mother asks. “Dia.”

“She asked me to,” I say defensively. “I think this is the best idea for now. I have three weeks to really feel out the situation, and if I think it won’t work I’ll just refuse.”

“Will you?” mother asks, her eyes giving me their all-knowing piercing look. “Will you really, Dia?”

“Yes. If I think it won’t work.”

She squints at me. “You need to get out.”

“No.” I fold my leg over the other and lean forward. As much as my mother is squinting at me, I squint right back. “I’m confident enough in my skills, and that I can do what I’ve said I’ll do.”

Mom looks over at her wife. “V,” she says. “Give her a chance?”

“Look at her, Maeve,” she says, pointing right at me. “We’ve seen photos of this princess and Dia is hopeless. She’s going to do something rash because there is a girl that needs saving.”

“A girl who is at least a good a pilot as me,” I retort. “Well, she looked pretty good on vid. I’ll find out for sure in three days when we have an exhibition match.”

“See?! She’s already planning on a date with this woman.” Mother shakes her head.

“V, my darling…”

“Don’t you ‘my darling’ me,” mother says firmly. She sighs. “Damnit, we wouldn’t even be here if I could find that bitch. The Fomorians are the only lead we have on where she ran off to. Twenty-five years and I’m nowhere close to her.”

“Mother,” I say, keeping my tone even but firm. “I am here because I want to be. Because I’m so sick of being a merc pilot running around the galaxy like a chicken with my head cut off, helping people but solving nothing. I’m here to rip this place apart, and you just so happen to be helping me. I love you, but don’t act like this isn’t my choice.” I take a deep breath, relaxing my jaw and letting the tension out. “Also, I am not hopeless.”

They exchange long glances with one another. Mother just nods at me, a small smile on her lips.

“Anyway, I have some news regarding your goals. The Fomorians are using some form of the Tuatha OS, but it’s not as clean as what you built. It’s been kept under wraps, but from what I’ve been able to gather it involved a lot of unethical human experiments. I’ll send you my notes, but it’s… it’s disgusting.”

“Well, they sure as shit didn’t do it all on their own,” she mutters. “I still can’t believe she sold the Fomorians the OS.” Mother seethes, mom wraps an arm around her. She leans into the embrace. “Alright,” she says after a moment, somewhat soothed. “Check in once a week. If I think you’ve become stupid and fallen in love with this woman, I’m going to bitch and moan until you come home.”

“I’m not going to fall in love with someone in three weeks.”

---

There she is. Her soft black hair neatly tied up and pinned to the back of her head. Class begins shortly, but she’s sitting by herself, the other students avoiding her like she’s down with a plague. She looks so lonely. The bodyguard fellow is in the corner of the room just watching her. It’s disturbing, really. I go to sit next to her.

She looks surprised that anyone has approached her at all, her face brightening up considerably when she recognizes me. The bodyguard makes a move toward us, and using some sort of sixth sense, Gráinne turns to glare at him. He’s cowed by the look alone and he steps back into his corner. I smile at her.

“Morning,” I say.

“Dia.” Her voice is stiff and formal. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise.” My smile turns into a smirk. I’m acutely aware now of all the eyes on the two of us, but that somehow just makes this whole game of mine a lot more fun. It’s difficult not to be amused by these people, and I enjoy shattering their sense of pageantry. “Are you well this morning?” I say, my tone as formal as hers.

“Perfectly well,” she says. “Perhaps even better than that now. I didn’t realize you took this class.”

I smile. “Well, you wouldn’t. You’ve only just come back to the academy last night. Frankly, I’m surprised you’re even in class, what with the big tournament for your birthday that needs planning.”

She narrows her eyes at me. Others around us begin murmuring and whispering among themselves. “The tournament is being arranged as we speak. How my birthday is to be celebrated is… up in the air.”

“Hopefully, you will have cause for genuine celebration, what with your potential marriage afterwards.” My lips pull back into a teasing grin.

She glares at me, the kind of glare that I can’t help but grin wider at. It’s adorable.

“Watch yourself.”

“I’m not like the rest of them,” I say, visibly pointing to the rest of the class. “You don’t and can’t scare me, Princess. Besides, I’m only teasing. You’ll have something good to celebrate, I promise.”

She smiles faintly, turning away to focus on class.

Unfortunately for me, several people in the room are muttering angrily, looking at me with twisted snarls. Gráinne, I have sympathy for after our conversation, but with the way my words have caused the others to shoot me hateful glares, I find it very difficult to care what any of them think.

“Watch your mouth when you speak to her,” a man says, approaching me and putting his leg up on the desk. “Filthy commoner.”

“Bres!” Gráinne snaps. “Leave her be.”

“I’m not a commoner,” I say, my voice relaxed. I watch him closely in case he decides to get violent. “Just not from around here and I don’t care that she’s the imperial princess. She’s just Gráinne to me.”

Out of the corner of my eye I see her cheeks become slightly red. Cute. The man however pulls away, a look of abject horror in his eyes.

“How dare you.”

“Whatever. Where I’m from, people are treated like people and not tools or trophies. Which is what she is to you, right? All the dueling is for her hand in marriage. Even this tournament in a few weeks. You’re disgusting. The whole thing is disgusting.”

That gets him to take a swing at me. The movement is so wide and overexaggerated he’s almost in slow motion. I duck out of the way, slip around to his side, and slam my fist into his ribs. He crumples. Gráinne has almost no reaction besides gripping the desk in front of her so tightly I wonder if the wood will break.

Maybe I’m pushing this a little too far, but I just can’t stay any of this. It makes my blood boil. “You’re too slow,” I tell the man who is currently writhing on the floor in pain. “Go to a doctor. I think one of your ribs cracked.”

“Dia,” Gráinne says. “I do not need or want you to speak for me. I am perfectly capable of doing so on my own.”

I sit back down. “Fair. Just the more I think about what’s going on around here the angrier I get. Should I rather not care at all?”

The man’s friends come to collect him. Unlike him, they leave us alone. The bodyguard guy looks a bit disappointed but has otherwise stayed in his corner. Gráinne looks at me, she chews on her inner lip.

“I’m not saying that,” she finally says. “I’m merely of the opinion that none of these men are worthy of me. Not a single one has proven their worth.” She looks over to Bres. “I’ve seen nothing to change my mind.”

The man’s rage evaporates and he looks away in shame. He shoves his friends away and stomps off, clutching his side as he does so. I turn to look back at her with an arched brow.

“You don’t understand our ways,” she says pointedly. “You are an outsider, so I will forgive you the way you speak to me. I am not easily offended by a lack of formality.” She stands up then. “This is my friend, Dia, from Central.”

More murmurs and looks of surprise from the people in class. I lift my brow. What is she up to?

“As a guest here, you will all treat her with the utmost respect and show her your best face. If she speaks of how things are where she is from, do not be so easily brought to rage. Are you ashamed of our ways?”

They shake their heads.

“Good. Now, I believe the class bell has already rung. Please, professor, begin.”

The older man looks quite shocked he was addressed at all. “R-right! Of course.”

She sits down, looks at me and leans in close, her violet eyes burning with wild rage. “Do not ever do that again.” Her voice is a quiet dagger.

I knit my brows together, and whisper back, just loud enough for her to hear. “If you win our duel, I’ll do exactly as you say. Until then, I will do as I have always done… what I want to do.” I pull away, turning to pay attention to the professor.

Gráinne fumes in silence. Sorry, Princess, but I’m not the type to be cowed by this insanity. Destroying something like this isn’t just something one does with acts of violence. It starts by standing in defiance of what is wrong. She wields her power and authority over the others, that much I’ve seen, but she’s still a prisoner. She knows it too. If you can’t break your cage, Princess, then I will.

Class goes by in a blur, the bell sounding once it’s over. The students stand and file out of the class in an orderly fashion. I move to stand but Gráinne grabs my sleeve. I turn to look, seeing those two big violet eyes again. They seem to look right through me, defiance on the surface but deep vulnerability underneath.

“Eat lunch with me,” she says.

I smirk.

“Please?”

“That would be nice,” I say. “Dining hall or your garden?”

“Garden.” She lets go of my sleeve, her eyes flitting over to her bodyguard still hanging about.

I smile warmly at her. “Shall we then?”

She nods. I reach out a hand towards her. She looks surprised but gingerly takes hold of me. It’s difficult to tell, but I see the hint of a smile as she helps herself up. We walk together out of class, going down the long stark halls. Fianna Academy is a beautiful place ‘outside’ with the grass and trees, but the buildings are sterile and lifeless. The architecture here is straight and angular, not the more organic and circular designs that have become popular in Central Space. There is no color or joy in these buildings. A pang of homesickness. How many years has it been now? Three? Maybe four.

Gráinne walks next to me, her back straight, pride in each stride. She’s a far cry away from the woman I saw in the garden last night. An act. Seeing it fills me with even more rage. Everything about this place makes me angry. I link my arm with hers. She glances up at me in surprise but doesn’t pull away. Immediately others glance in our direction, they begin to whisper. I can’t quite make out what they are saying but the tone indicates they think this is something scandalous.

We make our way outside into the courtyard. Several stone paths branch out from here. She takes the lead, pulling me behind. I smile. I don’t mind being dragged around a bit. In fact, I rather enjoy just looking at her. She visibly relaxes with each step, the act melting away the longer our arms are linked.

The walk to the dining hall is rather quick and uneventful. I order a simple noodle soup and bread. The food at the station is not very flavorful, but it is nutritious I suppose. It’s a bit irritating, really. So much money and resources were spent on making this place look nice to live in, but actually staying here exposes the cracks in the façade.

Gráinne leads us out after we’ve gotten our food. It’s the same path as last night. I frown and almost want to encourage her to rather stay in the hall. A pair of girls I recognize from seeing in passing approach us, stopping us along the path. Now that I think about it, I have seen them a lot over the past week.

“Sorry,” one of them says, stopping just in front of us. “I had a question for you.” She looks at me.

“Sure,” I say. “What’s up?”

They exchange nervous glances. “Right, yeah. I’m Layla and this is Quinn. We’re from engineering, and I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t have anyone listed to be on your mechanic team.”

“Yeah! Well, being new I don’t really know anyone yet to have asked.” I beam at them.

Layla grins. “Would you let us be on your team then? No one else wants to consider us.”

“Oh?” Gráinne asks, a brow arched. “Do they doubt you?”

“Yes,” they both say.

Quinn casts an unsure look over to Gráinne before looking back towards me. “We’re top of our class but none of the other pilots want us to touch their mechs. So, we thought maybe since you’re the only other woman who pilots who doesn’t have a team that you would be interested.”

“Have you two been following me?” I ask.

They nod awkwardly.

“Sure,” I say. “I could use the help, truth be told. I’m going to be in the tournament after all.”

Gráinne has a panicked look but says nothing. The two girls look at one another in delight, not really paying attention to the implications of what I said.

“Amazing! I’m glad we finally had the nerve to come up to you,” Layla says. “When we saw what you did earlier, it made us think maybe you were really nice.”

“Cracking a guy’s rib?” I furrow my brows. “That’s sort of the opposite of nice, no?”

Quinn chuckles. “We’re here on scholarship,” she says, “and they… well, some of the rich students have threatened to get them revoked before. It’s hard feeling like we can’t ever speak out. But you just… you just did. It was awesome.”

“I see. Well, then I’m glad,” I say. “I really wish I had something witty to say, but I’m actually starving. I’ll send you both the specs of the Phantom Queen later.”

The two of them smile in delight. “You won’t regret it,” Layla says.

They are about to leave but then Gráinne clears her throat. The two women freeze.

“Would you like to have lunch with us?” she asks softly.

They blink in surprise, exchange another nervous look before nodding. “Um… sure?”

“You can say no,” she replies. “I won’t be offended.”

They both shake their heads rather fervently. “No! It’s just surprising is all,” Layla says. “We just always see you alone. We’d love to, right Quinn?”

She looks a bit more unsure of the situation. “S-sure!”

“Okay,” Gráinne says, her voice gentle and vulnerable. “Let’s go and sit then, I know Dia is hungry.”

“How thoughtful.” I grin, taking the lead back from Gráinne, heading back into the dining hall.

The four of us sit together at a table in the back of the hall. More glances from various people but significantly less hostile overall. I turn my head only to see an actual smile on the princess’ face now. Good. She deserves to smile.

Looking at her now, like this, I realize I would do anything to make sure she keeps on having reasons to be like this. Mom was right, I didn’t come here for this, but Gráinne has become all the more reason to smash this place to dust. ‘I haven’t even lived yet.’  Her words eat at me.

This is probably going to get me killed, but I’m going to make sure she gets to live every day. I don’t care about the cost, or the risk. To give her reasons to smile, I will burn hotter than the stars and consume this broken world. Then she and everybody else will get to smile.

“Dia?” She asks. “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” I tell her, coming out from my own head. “Just thinking about a few things is all.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“It’s difficult to articulate,” I say. “But it comes down to being happy that I met you.”

She smiles, a subtle flush in her cheeks. “Me too.” 

---

Dia has become a fixture in my life over the last two days. I roll over in bed, reveling in how she is consuming my every thought. She is in every one of my classes, eats lunch with me, and spends the evenings with me in my garden. I’ve dismissed Renault entirely, telling him that Dia is more than enough protection. He resisted the order at first but acquiesced in the end. I almost feel normal, like any other student who goes to Fianna. I’ve even made two new friends in Quinn and Layla.

I’ve never been happier in my life. I wonder if I have ever been happy. I’ve felt safe at times, with certain people, like Aoife. I’m content in the sense that my needs are met. But I cannot recall a time in my life where I was eager to fall asleep and just as eager to get out of bed at the break of day.

Not until her.

I wonder as I lay here, just how does she make me feel? Joyful, yes. Safe? No. Being honest with myself, that woman does not make me feel safe. There are hidden intentions in her words and behind her eyes. Her eyes. They burn like a star. But just like a star, I worry that her radiance is blinding me to some darker truth.

My enemy is your gilded cage. Those words have been swimming in my mind since she uttered them. What did she mean by what? Why would she say that? I sigh, exasperated. That woman is so stubborn, too. She takes any and all chances to annoy me and poke fun at my position in public. Then again, that’s why I have friends now. Layla and Quinn shared with me how they thought I was terrifying before, but not now.

Not since her.

She’s a whirlwind. An all-consuming tornado in my life that has pulled me in completely. Maybe that’s what she meant. Maybe that’s why she insists on treating me like normal, even at the expense of the honor my station demands. Is that a way of fighting for me? Maybe. I want to believe that, but there is just something about her that I cannot trust. Perhaps I should just confront her. I was so quick to ask for her help that I never bothered to really interrogate her about her intentions. What if she is just like the others after all?

That night I felt so safe, so secure as we spoke. It only changed when I convinced her to fight for me… no that’s not true… it’s when she challenged me. When she stood up and put her hand on my chin. A shiver goes up my spine, recalling the way she looked at me. The way she spoke to me, her lips almost touching mine. The way she wiped away my tears. That is when I knew something had changed, when I felt both joy and fear.

Tomorrow is the exhibition match, though only Layla and Quinn know Dia is the one I’m to fight. Rumors have spread of a new challenger. The others have just assumed it is some man I wish to put in his place.

I suppose I have built up something of a reputation for doing that.

A smirk crosses my face. There is a part of me that wants to throw caution to the wind, but first I need to see what Dia is made of. I want… no, I desperately need her to be as powerful as I am. By myself, as strong as I am, I cannot change anything. But if she is as I pray she is, then perhaps I do not have to flee my home. Perhaps I can convince her to stay at my side, to fight with me. She makes her distaste for how things are quite clear. Perhaps our strength together will be enough to bring change.

Hope fills my heart. Hope. How long has it been? Perhaps like joy, it’s never been something in my life. Joy. Hope. Friendship. Those are the things she has brought to my life. I sigh. I need to confront her, that much is clear. Tomorrow. The stakes for the duel. That is what I will put on the line for if I win. To know her intentions.

To know her.

Yes, that is what I will do. If I win, I’ll demand she tell me everything about her. After all, she said she’d do what I tell her if I won. I close my eyes, a smile on my lips.

Sunlight pours into my room. Birds chirp outside my window. I slowly lift my head and rub the sleep from my eyes. I’m surprised I was able to sleep at all but full glad am I that I managed. Forcing myself out of bed, I head to my closet. At least picking out my outfit for the day is easy. I slip into the underclothes of my flightsuit and then the suit itself. It seals to me automatically, gently compressing my muscles. I tie up my hair, pinning it back.

I’ve never really considered how revealing the flightsuit is, but right now as I stare down at myself, I am intensely aware of how the skintight, white nanocarbon material leaves little to the imagination. I can’t help but wonder what she might think of me. Heat rushes to my face.

What am I going to think of her? Oh gods.

I just won’t look at her. I’ll go right to my mech, get inside and finish final calibrations before the match. From there, I’ll go right to the dueling arena, and I just won’t have to see her at all. Perfection.

Knock, knock.

The sound makes me jump out of my skin. I sigh, calming myself down. Who would be calling on me at this hour of the morning? “Yes?”

“I brought breakfast!” Comes her voice. “Can’t have a duel on an empty stomach.”

“Dia?! Gods what are you doing here?”

“Didn’t I just say?” She laughs. “Can I come in?”

“Open.”

The door opens at my vocal command. My breath catches in my throat looking at her. Her hair is likewise pinned back, and like me she’s in a flightsuit. Hers is black, a striking appearance against her alabaster skin and snow-white hair.

My mouth goes dry. I stare at her. I don’t know where to look. At her hard and chiseled stomach? Or her arms that look like they could fold me in half? Oh, gods her breasts.

I turn around completely, unable to bear the sight of her.

“Cute,” she says through a smirk.

“I am not cute,” I tell her.

A chuckle, rich and joyful. “Of course you are.” She steps inside, the door closing shut with an audible click. “In fact, you’re adorable.”

“Shut up.” I fold my arms over my chest, turning back to look at her. I focus very, very hard to only look at her in the eye, but even that feels overwhelming. Gods her eyes. That little mole right under her right eye in particular drives me insane. I turn around again. “I can’t look at you.”

She laughs. “Cute,” she says again. “Very cute.”

“Did anyone see you come here?” I ask, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Not sure, I didn’t really care to pay attention.” She shrugs. “Let people see me come up.”

“Dia! I don’t want people to see you in a suit and know you’re the one I’m to duel today.” Stubborn woman!

“Speaking of that,” she says, setting down the breakfast. “I’ve been thinking about your question. The stakes of the match. I know what I want.”

“Me too,” I say, “But you go first.”

She’s silent for a moment. “No. You first. I want to hear what you have to say.”

“Very well.” I turn to try to look at her. It’s a bit easier this time. “If I win, I want you to tell me everything about you. I’m not a fool, I know you’re hiding something.”

She smiles. “I am.”

Her words sting. Did I want her to deny it? No. I’m just surprised by her bold honesty. The moment passes, and appreciation takes hold. “Good. I’ll get your secrets after I win.” I manage to smile at the thought.

“Well,” she says as she begins plating up the food. She’s brought pancakes with fresh berries. “I am actually going to tell you now. I think… I think I can trust you, and I think we may want similar things.”

There’s that hope again, deep in my chest. “That sort of cheapens my victory, but I’ll allow an early surrender.”

She rolls her eyes. “Here,” she says, handing me the plate. “I cooked these.”

“Thank you,” I say softly. I take a bite with a bit of syrup, whipped cream, and a strawberry. It’s light, fluffy, rich, and altogether delicious. “Dia! You can cook.”

She smirks. “I know. I couldn’t stand what's been served here, and we both need actual food for a proper duel.” She takes a bite of her own food and lets out a sigh of contentment.

“Okay, stop stalling,” I say, taking a seat on a chair in the living area of my quarters. “What are you going to tell me that you can trust me with now?”

Dia hesitates. She looks frightened. I wasn’t sure anything could frighten her. What could she possibly have to say that makes her feel like this?

She takes a deep breath. “Gráinne,” she says my name sweetly, which makes me all the more concerned. “If I win today, I want you to help me burn this whole empire to the ground.”

I laugh. “Dia, be serious.” I wave a dismissive hand. “What do you want?”

She steps closer to me, her body eclipsing my own. She cups my face, just like that night in the garden, lifting my gaze to meet hers.

“I want to burn this empire to the ground,” she repeats, her tone deadly serious. “I want to free people like Layla and Quinn. I want to shatter your cage.”

Oh gods, she means it. I try to pull away, fear and horror gripping tightly at my chest, but she holds my face so gently with the tips of her fingers. Her touch is so light, yet I feel unable to escape her all-consuming gaze. Do I even want to?

“I need you, Gráinne,” she whispers. “I need you to throw aside your fears, and risk it all and join with me. I’ll prove that you can.”

I swallow hard. Gods, I want to say yes. I want to scream it out and throw myself into her arms. “Dia, I…”

Suddenly her lips are on mine. Her arms pull me in close, my body pushes in. I take hold of her hair, grasping at it like a lifeline. This is my first kiss; what a glorious, nightmarish kiss it is. I shove her against a counter. She looks surprised but before she can say anything I smash my lips back against hers until we’re both bruised. She picks me up, and I wrap my legs around her, keeping my lips locked against hers until I’m left breathless.

In a twisted way this is all I was dreaming of, all I wanted.

But not like this.

“Dia,” I say, pulling my face away from hers. “Put me down.”

She does so. I gulp as I try to gather my senses. “What do you mean burn this empire down?”

“Was I unclear?” she asks, wiping away a bit of blood from her lip. “I’m saying I want your help in ripping apart the Fomorian Armory. No more empire. No more noble houses. No more serfs. No more princess.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to wrap my mind around what she is saying. “Even if you could, which you can’t, do you know how many people would die in the process? How can you say this?”

“People are already dying,” she retorts, brushing her hand along my face. “I’ve paid close attention to you these past few days, listened to your dreams of the future, how you might fix things. But are you considering that this empire has already murdered more people than you could possibly imagine?"

I hesitate, my mouth goes dry again. “But…”

“In the last decade alone,” she says, her voice on the verge of rage. “Thanks to your father agreeing to relax safety measures for profit, five million people per year have died in mines and factories. That’s more than all the people on this station every single year.” She laughs then but it’s not a mirthful laugh, it’s one filled with righteous indignation. “Pirate bands are not only allowed to flourish but are often on the payroll of the noble houses to go and kill workers trying take collective action. Do you know how many people I’ve saved from just pirates, Gráinne?”

I shake my head, my hands go numb. I know she is right, but I am just one person in a sea of monsters.

“Too many and it keeps happening. Trillions of people live in this sector and the scale of death is unimaginable. I’ve seen the suffering up close. I’ll do whatever it takes to put a stop to it. It would be a lot easier if you helped me. If I could convince you to fight for the least among you.”

“I don’t need to be convinced to fight for them,” I say, practically hissing at Dia. “But there’s fighting for them and then there is this insanity. Open revolution would… it would be a devastating, catastrophic loss of life.” I turn my back towards her. “But you’re right to say there is already so much death.”

“Help me to stop it all,” she pleads. “Because I can’t just go back to Central and live a normal life knowing this is happening, and I can’t keep just focusing on small issues that don’t really fix anything.”

“This is really why you’ve come here.” I hold my hands in front of my chest, pressing the tips of my fingers against one another, the pressure is soothing.

“Yes.” She puts a hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t know you before and thought the struggle of succession would suit my goals. I didn’t expect to like you so much. I want to save you, too.”

I lean against her. Her words bring me a measure of comfort. “Save me, huh?” I fold my arms over my chest. “This is what you meant by my cage. I understand now.”

Now I feel safe.

Her arms coil around me, pulling me back into her chest. When was the last time I was simply held? I try to reach back into my memories for such a moment, but only early memories of my mother come to mind. Have I ever been held by another person? I fall back into the embrace, tears falling down my cheeks.

“I’m the best, but there’s a lot more to tearing down an empire than just being a good pilot and fighting the good fight. I need your help. Your people need real change, not tiny improvements that will be done away with in a generation or two. Please… help me.”

“Show me then,” I tell her, the strength returning to my voice. “Show me how powerful you really are, and then I’ll consider your proposal. I won’t entertain this if you can’t even match me in battle.” I reluctantly pull away from her, my heart aching with step. “Dia, you must win, but I will not hold back. Bring your all to bear against me for that’s what it’ll take. If you don’t…” I turn to face her, tears still streaming down my face. “If you don’t, I will have no choice but to kill you.”

“So I’m to treat you as my enemy?”

“Yes,” I say, lifting my chin up to gaze into her wintery eyes.

Her jaw sets, her eyes narrow. “Then I’m going to utterly destroy you, Princess.”

Please.