Last Exile Fan Fiction ❯ Developing Bonds ❯ Bonds ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Developing Bonds

By: A-Z Mk II

Disclaimer: Not mine - just borrowing for a bit.

Rated: NC17/X

Chapter 4: Bond

We're finally doing it! We're flying the Grand Stream together just like our dads did! thought Lavie between holding on to Al, watching her instruments, and yelling to Claus. She knew that in the pilot's cockpit, Claus was fighting the controls with everything he had to keep the ship under any definition of control in the savage currents in the Grand Stream. All around her, she could hear the creak and groan of their van ship's fuselage, and had a fraction of an instant to be thankful to Godwin and the other mechanics for the heavy-duty sub-frame they had come up with. If we had still been using that racing model that we've been shaving weight off of for more than a year, this ship would have folded in half by now!

“Lavie!” came Claus's voice from up front. “I need more throttle!” he screamed back to her. Lavie grabbed the throttle and pushed it the last tiny bit to maximum output. Her eyes on the gauge for the Claudia pressure, she realized that it was firmly in the red, the entire panel vibrating from the strain of fighting the one hundred and sixty knot winds. Thank god I learned how to beef up the resonance chamber from working on those military van ships! she thought fleetingly.

“Engine output maximum! Wind speed one sixty one! Course two o'clock relative!” she screamed back.

“Roger that!” yelled back Claus, both hands on the stick as he strained against the belts that held him in place as he fought the stick and pedals both. This is what dad must have done. he thought, feeling a sense of closeness with his father as he gradually forced the ship onto the heading that Lavie had given him.

Had it been anyone else in the back seat - even Tatiana or Alister - he wouldn't have felt safe enough to try such a crazy thing as flying a van ship through the Grand Stream. No one had ever done it. Even Tatiana had only flown in the Grand Stream on a tether from the Silvana; and that for only two short minutes before her craft had to be reeled back in. All Claus and Lavie had heard from other was of attempts to do it - all of them ending in death or loss of a ship. Even our dads failed. he admitted. But Lavie and I will make it! Even if we have to get out and carry the ship, we will make it! he swore. After all, with Lavie in the backseat, how could he fail?

“Claus!” came the voice of Lavie, “Rain birds! Below and to the left! Follow the current to Disith!” she screamed at the top of her powerful lungs. Claus spotted the birds, who were almost serenely flying through the currents of the Grand Stream as if it were no harder than flying over Norkia on a calm, sunny day.

“Roger that!” came the reply, but it was not Claus's voice. Claus looked around, recognizing that voice. Inverted above his ship was Dio, flying an armed military van ship with the crest of Duke Mad Thane on the side. Claus wondered how the hell Dio had gotten there.

“Dio!” he yelled. “What are you doing here?!” he yelled, his ship bucking away from the larger, twin-engine craft. The Guild heir-apparent gave him a maddened smile behind his Guild flying clothes.

“Why, I'm here to win the race, Immelman!” he replied. Claus wondered what Dio thought was going on. “This time, I'll win!” he promised, the bigger military craft being buffeted away from the sleek silver ship.

“Claus! Ignore him!” screamed Lavie. “Focus on the rain birds!” she directed him. “Claudia pressure one sixteen, air speed one sixty five!”

“You got it, Lavie!” screamed back Claus, moving their ship toward the birds. Suddenly, the white van ship cut across their bow, so close that if Claus hadn't instinctively jammed the stick hard left and stomped on the left pedal, the two ships would have collided. Thrown wildly off course, their ship tumbled through and along several turbulent air currents before Claus managed to gain control of the ship again.

“What is that nutcase thinking?!” screamed Lavie, her arms locked around Al. “Is he trying to kill us?!” she barked. Claus recalled the look on Dio's face as he killed the other Guild `Principals' for the sword that made him the successor to his sister, Delphine.

“He could be trying just that.” he said to himself, shocked. While he wasn't really comfortable with the weird young man, he at least sort-of understood him. At least, I did before that ceremony! he corrected himself. “Lavie! Let's just follow the rain birds and keep an eye out for him! Any idea where they went?” he yelled.

“I don't know…!” she began, her eyes scanning the grey-scale light of the Grand Stream. Her eyes caught a brief flash of white wings. “There! Above us at three o'clock! Heading diagonal to our heading!” she yelled. Claus caught sight of the end of the formation of birds.

“Here we go!” he yelled, pulling back on the stick as hard as he could, his feet stomping on the pedals as he tried to find the correct vector of winds to carry his straining ship to where the white birds rode the currents. Before too long, he had found the same path of currents that the birds were using. “Hey! We got it!” he exclaimed happily to his partner.

“Look out!” came Al's high-pitched voice as tracers slid past the engine cowling of their ship from above and behind them.

“I see you, Immelman!” came the voice of Dio, his mad laughter carrying on the winds. Another burst of fire flew through where the ship had been a moment before. Claus had reacted to the tracers flying toward him instinctively, rolling his ship up and away from the air current. Dio followed him, hosing rounds at them indiscriminately. Dodging the fire from the chasing van ship, it wasn't long before Claus and Lavie had lost all sign of the birds.

They were fortunate that Dio was so reckless with his ammo, as he quickly ran out of ammo. With the main threat from the insane man dissipated, they once more tried to find the rain birds, but had no luck. A couple of times, Dio's ship had come back into view, but the last couple of times, neither Lavie nor Claus saw any signs of anyone on board, which left them to speculate that Dio had fallen out; or perhaps jumped out. Seconds that felt like hours passed as they desperately tried to find the correct heading. Finally, Lavie spoke up.

“I'm sorry, Claus!” she yelled, her voice racked with frustration. “I have no idea where we are or which way we need to go!” Claus knew what that meant. It meant that they were as good as dead. If we can't find Disith, and we can't find the way back to Anatory, we will die here. he thought, unwilling to accept such a thing. We found the way and then Dio came and threw us off course with his stupid games! All we need is a single point of reference, and we can make it! He had absolute faith in Lavie's navigation. “Please, dad, just a tiny bit of help.” he whispered.

“Claus! Heading eleven o'clock low! Target is that bright flash! Go for it!” screamed Lavie. Claus's quick eyes spotted the target. Even before he knew it, his hands and feet were throwing the van ship toward that point. As the glow began to fade, he knew that they had to make it before it vanished again.

“Lavie! I'm using the booster!” he yelled. Behind him, Lavie was already arming the rocket motor. Checking the armed light, she threw both arms over Al and curled her body forward.

“Punch it, Claus!” she screamed, feeling Al wrap her hand around her arms as Claus punched the ignition button on his dash instrument panel.

It felt like someone had smacked them with a huge, wet towel as the motor ignited, easily quadrupling their thrust. Feeling the acceleration from the rocket motor crush down on her, Lavie grunted, tightening her leg and abdominal muscles to keep her blood up in her chest and head, where it was needed. “No way am I going to black out this time!” she swore aloud.

It had been her blacking out that had driven the first wedge between her and Claus - not that Claus blamed her at all. No, it was Tatiana's harsh criticism of her that put a seed of doubt in her mind about her fitness to fly as Claus's navigator. That, combined with the stresses their odd relationship was already under, had led to her stepping down as his navigator for as long as he flew combat missions. She tended to his combat van ship and to their personal van ship, but never again flew a mission with him. Until today. she thought. Today, we fly the Grand Stream!

Lavie wondered what exactly had driven the cold van ship captain to seek her out on the lift of the Silvana. Tatiana and she had a distant, cold understanding that kept them from direct contact unless absolutely necessary. And yet, Tatiana had sought her out and spoken with her, even though it broke their unspoken agreement. Lavie hadn't wanted to hear anything the woman said, but had listened anyway.

The conversation was short, but it had told her a lot without touching on any of the areas directly. She had told her that she and Claus would be flying one of the ships to celebrate the coronation of Queen Sophia. She had also told Lavie that Claus had asked her to fly, with him playing navigator. She had also said that if Lavie chose to go instead of her, all she had to do was tell Claus. Before she left, she had turned back to the silent Lavie and told her that if she should happen to find herself in another situation where Claus was flying high-g maneuvers, she should clench her leg and abdominal muscles as hard as she could to keep from blacking out.

Why she had chosen to break the agreement as she had, Lavie would never know. But because she had, certain things that the young girl had tried hard to ignore had been persistently plaguing her mind. The single greatest thing that picked at her mind was the issue of Claus. She had decided that she had to do something about their frayed relationship, but she had promised herself that it would wait until after they flew the Grand Stream. And what do I get for making that promise to myself? Less than a week later, we fly the Grand Stream!

“Lavie!” came Claus's voice, elated and excited. “Look! We made it!”

Lavie's head came up as she straightened in her seat, allowing Al to straighten as well. First, she realized that the shriek and groan of the airframe was gone, as was the howling winds of the Grand Stream. Secondly, she realized that the hollow roar of the rocket motor booster was silent. And finally, she realized that some cold, wet stuff was steadily coating her flying goggles and the short windscreen in front of her. Rubbing it with her gloved hand, she found that it melted into water.

“What is this stuff?” she wondered. “This…is Disith?” she wondered.

“Yeah, it has to be!” said Claus. The sounds around them began to impinge on their elation. The flash of brilliant light was faded, revealing the red-trimmed Guild ship that had dropped the flower petals at the ceremony in flames and obviously broken. Below that was a huge shape vaguely resembling a ship. And on the deck of that shape was the Silvana. The elation the two had felt vanished.

“Claus, you need to take me to Exile.” said Al confidently. Claus turned to look at her. She was standing, Lavie's arms around her waist to steady her, sending him a calm, steady smile. Peeking around her slim body, Lavie caught his eye as well. Nodding once, he turned back forward, pushing the ship into a dive toward the form below them.

The Guild's power was forever broken when Al unlocked Exile. The strange ship had been the source of the Grand Stream, and when the activated ship emerged from its cocoon, the angry, violent barrier between Disith and Anatory vanished, and the two nations got their first look at each other. It would be fair to say that the release of Exile was the easiest part of their battle.

As the ship majestically floated over the frozen lake that had sheltered its port facilities, the pitiful remnants of the Alliance fleet began to pick up the pieces. Fully three-quarts of the fleet had been sunk, either in the initial battle, the fighting in the Grand Stream, or in the minutes before Al de-activated the automatic defense systems of Exile. Broken and burning husks of Disith, Anatory and Guild ships littered the frozen ground, and from the still-floating Silvana, Sophia had directed the rescue efforts in her capacity as Queen of Anatory, and head of the Anatory-Disith Alliance.

Claus and Lavie had flown to the chewed-up Silvana, finding the crew more or less intact. Leaving Al in the personal care of Sophia, Claus and Lavie joined the rescue efforts, scouting ships and downed van ship for survivors, as well as keeping an eye out for any Guild stragglers. Hours slipped past as the two worked tirelessly on the rescue mission. Eventually, though, they had to turn back to the Silvana for a much needed rest.

Landing on the flight deck of the infamous battleship, they were surprised to see the crimson red van ship one preparing to take off to continue the search and rescue, the familiar faces of Tatiana and Alister at the controls. Shutting off their own engine, the two stiffly extracted themselves and jogged over to the side of the warming-up van ship. “Hey! When did you two get back?” called Claus. Tatiana answered for them.

“About six hours ago.” she answered. “Once the Grand Stream vanished, it was a piece of cake to fly here from that last refueling point. All the crewmen followed you back as you raced here, Claus,” she paused, smiling, “though no one could match your speed.” she teased him. Lavie perked up at that news.

“Godwin, Ethan, Gale and Kostabi are back aboard?” she called up. Tatiana nodded.

“Yes. They were immediately put to work repairing the ship and working to get any salvageable van ships flying again to help recover the Alliance personnel before they freeze to death out here.” answered Tatiana.

“Well, we'll grab some food and water and come out and help.” offered Claus, stifling a yawn. Tatiana shook her head.

“You two have done far more than your share, Claus. Get some rest and let us do some of the work, ok?” she asked. Beside him, Lavie was rubbing her gritty eyes.

“If you're sure, I guess we should.” he agreed slowly. “We are kind of tired.” he admitted. Tatiana nodded.

“You do that, then. We'll see you when we get back.” she said, glancing at Alister, who nodded. The twin-engine van ship lifted off smoothly. Claus watched them dip over the edge of the ship and disappear below the railing. Feeling a tug on his sleeve, he turned to see Lavie yawning behind one hand, the other tugging on his sleeve.

“Come on, Claus.” she said. “Let's get Al, then some food, then get some rest.” she suggested. Nodding in agreement, he followed her lead. Oddly, Lavie didn't release his sleeve from her grip. It didn't bother him in the least, but it was kind of odd for her to do that. Moving to the lift, they moved up to the bridge to find Sophia still directing and coordinating the recovery efforts. Al was curled up in the command chair, sound asleep, her ram clutched to her chest.

“Sophia.” said Claus when the woman put the phone she had been talking into down. Turning to the two, she smiled at them. The Queen was obviously tired, but she seemed to be ready to go for several more hours.

“Claus. Lavie. Excellent job, you two.” she said. Claus smiled back at her. “Al fell asleep a few hours ago, but didn't want to leave until you two were back.” she said, inclining her head toward the sleeping girl. “I assume you two are heading for a meal and then bed?” she asked/commanded. Lavie nodded.

“You got that right.” she said, yawning again. “Come on, Claus,” she said, moving toward Al. “Let's get Al and get something to eat before I fall asleep on my feet.” Together, the two collected Al and moved off the bridge, Sophia watching them go. For several moments, the Queen thought about her recent history with them. I hope that they can make it work; they truly do deserve each other. she thought before turning back to the daunting task of managing the bee hive of activity she was now in charge of.

In their cabin, the two carefully situated the sleeping Al on her bunk before swiftly wolfing down the couple of muffins they had taken for their supper, emptying a glass of water each before turning in for the night. As usual, Lavie divested herself of her flight coveralls, while Claus did the same. Unlike usual, however, Lavie also pulled off her thin, worn top and set it aside, leaving her in her panties as she rolled into her bunk.

Across from her, Claus gaped at the sight. “Um, Lavie…?” he whispered to her. She didn't turn to look at him, simply pulling the sheet over herself.

“Night, Claus. Get the light, will you?” she asked, facing the steel wall. Claus did as she asked before settling back in his own cot. Across the tiny cabin from him, Lavie was surprised that her face wasn't lighting the cabin from her fierce blush.

“Claus. Lavie. Al.” said Sophia, seeing the trio enter the dining room on the Silvana. “Did you sleep well?” she asked them, motioning to the table she was at, inviting them to sit and eat with her. Taking their trays of food, they joined her at the table.

The Queen of Anatory was dressed in her grey Vice Captain's uniform, and though she seemed to have gotten some sleep, there were still shadows under her eyes. Claus and Lavie situated their food as they answered her. “Yes, we did. Why didn't someone wake us earlier?” asked Claus. Sophia smiled at him.

“You two have done far more than your share, so the least we can do is let you get some extra sleep.” demurred the Queen. Seeing that Lavie was wearing her coveralls - currently tied around her waist, leaving her in just her worn top, she had an idea. Yes, I think that that is likely the best help I can give them. But, it will have to wait. she realized.

“Well, since we're all rested now, we'll head out as soon as we finish here.” said Lavie. “Al, will you stay with Sophia while Claus and I search for any more survivors?” she asked the girl. Al smiled.

“Sure!” she agreed. She and Sophia got along pretty good, after all. Sophia's gaze flickered past the two for a moment.

“Tatiana, Alister!” she called, only raising her voice slightly, “Join us, please.” she directed. Lavie's face went tight, but she said nothing as the platinum-haired pilot and her best friend settled next to herself and Claus. “So, where are we?” she asked the two. Tatiana answered her question.

“Search grids have all been completed, Vice Captain.” she said crisply. “The bulk of the remaining Alliance fleet has withdrawn to Anatory to tend to the wounded and begin recovery. As for Exile, we can begin whenever you wish, ma'am.” she said.

“What?!” gasped Claus and Lavie in perfect synch. Sophia answered for the pair, who were hungrily digging into their food.

“We have finished the search for survivors and sent most of the fleet back to Anatory, since Disith is still all but completely frozen. Only the Silvana and a couple of support ships remain in this space.” she explained. “We have one more task to perform, and I wanted you two to be a part of it.” she continued.

“And what is it we have left to do?” wondered Lavie.

“We have to explore Exile.” said Tatiana softly. “We all felt that you and Claus should be part of that.” she said quietly. The two exchanged looks.

“More so, we want you to lead the exploration.” said Sophia. “If anyone has the right to do that, it is you and Lavie.” the Queen addressed Claus directly, holding his eyes with her own.

“I want to go, too.” piped up Al, looking between Claus and Lavie. The two met each other's gazes, then nodded.

“Ok. We're in.” said Claus quietly. Sophia nodded.

“Very well. Pick your comrades for the mission. You can begin when you are ready.” she said. The rest of the short meal was eaten in silence. When they were done, Claus and Lavie moved over to a corner of the room, talking quietly. Al managed to work her way between them, the two of them absently hugging her between themselves. In the muted room, every eye was on them. Minutes later, the three moved back toward Sophia. “So, what have you decided?” she asked them.

“Tatiana and Alister in van ship one. No one else.” said Claus quietly. “We'll survey the ship from outside, then move inside.” he said. “Al insists on coming, so she'll fly with us in our ship.” he smiled at the girl, who smiled back.

“Very well. When are you taking off?” asked Sophia, catching the disappointed murmurs from the others in the room; which was pretty much all the Silvana's crew. Claus and Lavie shared a look.

“Right now, if Tatiana and Alister are ready.” said the young man.

“We're ready, Claus.” replied Tatiana immediately. “And thank you.” she added softly. Quietly, the five of them made their way to the flight deck. On the bridge, Sophia glanced at Wina.

“Wina, keep a sharp ear on them.” she said softly. They are very important to us, after all. she left unsaid. Seeing the crimson twin-engine van ship and the single-engine silver ship lift off, she wondered what they would find in the ship.

Exile was huge. It had taken them more than an hour to fly a crisscrossing pattern over the outer hull, looking for anything that might have been important before Al pointed to a flat part that that a huge white-and-black marking, saying that that was a good place to land. The two ships had done so, and Al had quickly led them into the interior. All around them, Claus saw things that were similar to what he had seen in the headquarters of the Guild.

The bridge was immense, and the controls impossible to understand, though it seemed that the ship ran itself. Al had poked around some before leading them off down into the lower and aft sections. During the exploration, they had found rooms, holds and the galley, and there was still more to find. As the group explored some storage areas at the far end of Exile, they got separated, though they could still hear each other.

So, when Tatiana and Alister yelled for Lavie and Claus, they came running, Al in tow. The two girls were standing near the end of the area, where several blocks of the hull material formed a kind of ledge, and above them, was a familiar van ship, wedged tight in the space. Tarnished with age, cracked and beaten by the fight against the Grand Stream, it was nevertheless unmistakably their fathers' van ship. At last, they had found the fathers that the Grand Stream had taken from them a decade ago.

Seeing the emotions flow through the eyes of the two, Alister gently pulled Al to her side. “Al, let's let them have a few moments alone, ok?” she said softly, absently stroking the girl's hair. Tatiana smiled at Al reassuringly.

“It's ok, Al, they just need a moment to themselves, that's all.” she said, taking the girl's hand and gently leading her away from the two, back the way that they had come. “Call us if you need anything.” called back the pilot softly. She did not look back.

Alone with the ship, Claus and Lavie began to climb up to the broken craft. Claus made it first, reaching down to help Lavie up. Steeling themselves, the two peeked over the lip of the cockpits. Since the plane was titled toward the wall, they hadn't seen rather or not there was anything in the ship from the ground. Their eyes could now see that they had, indeed, found their fathers.

“Daddy!” sobbed Lavie, tears spilling from her eyes like a dam had burst. Above her and a bit forward, Claus was crying as well. Lunging over, Lavie clung to Claus with all her strength, her tears soaking his shirt, her sobs echoing through the vast ship.

Claus was looking at the cockpit, his eyes absently noting that the throttle had been to the stops, the Claudia meter fractured from over-revving the engine. His eyes - even through the tears - picked up that the stick was bent, his father's hands still locked to the eagle-head grip. Seeking comfort in the familiar, he knew that if he could see the pedals, Hamilca's feet would be pressed tight to them. Over the top of Lavie's head, he could see that George's hands were still clasping the mission cylinder.

“They kept on trying, Lavie.” he said, his voice rough and uneven, “Right to the very end, they kept on trying.” he soothed her. He felt proud that his father and Lavie's father had never given up. His tears fell onto Lavie's head as he held her tight to himself.

“Vice Captain!” whispered Wina on the bridge of the Silvana, maintaining station beside and slightly above Exile. Sophia stepped over to Wina's station.

“What is it, Wina?” she asked quietly. Mutely, Wina held out the headphones to the ship's sonar post. Taking the headphones, Sophia put them on, concentrating on the faint sounds. It took a minute, but she suddenly realized what she was hearing. Swallowing hard, she took the headphones off and handed them back to Wina.

“You heard nothing, Wina.” she said, her voice tight. “Nothing at all. Is that clear?” she ordered the girl, her voice harsh as she fought to control her own emotions. The girl silently saluted her.

Seeing the rest of the bridge crew looking at her, she took a deep breath. Stepping to the speaking tube, she gave her orders to her flight deck and mechanics. “This is the First Officer. Prepare a retrieval crew to recover two heroes, lost in the war with the Guild. That is all.” said the woman, schooling her face to stone. I can see now why Alex was always so closed-off all this time. she thought, the discovery ashen on her tongue. Claus, Lavie, I'm sorry that I can do nothing for you right now. she apologized to the two.

Claus had never really realized that Lavie was so small. All his life, she had seemed large to him. Holding her quivering form in his arms, her tears hot on his chest, he realized that she was smaller that he had thought. Claus himself was not a big man, being of less than average height, but Lavie's head rested beneath his chin, though they were both standing on the floor of Exile, and her frame was unbelievably small in his arms. She's smaller than Tatiana, he realized, shocked, And certainly a lot smaller than Sophia.

What surprised him more than the discovery of how small his Lavie was, was the realization that he wanted - more than anything - to make her happy again. I want to protect her, and make sure that she doesn't cry like this ever again! he vowed. His hand absently stroked her short hair. Gradually, her tears stopped. In the shadows of the shattered van ship that held their fathers, the two wondered what was next for them.

With no sign of Tatiana, Alister or Al near them, they were free to regain their composure, sure that no one who was there would speak of it. Eventually, Lavie spoke up. Her voice rough from her mourning of her father's passing, she asked the question that had to be asked: “What do we do now, Claus?” she wondered. Claus looked down, meeting her gaze.

“We have to finish the mission, Lavie. Our dads would want us to.” he said. “After that, well, we go on. Like we always have. Are you…with me, Lavie?” he asked her. Slowly, the girl nodded.

“I've always been with you, haven't I?” she asked him softly. “I'll always be with you, Claus.” she added quietly, hugging herself to his chest again. Claus wasn't real sure what to do about the emotions he felt, but he did know one thing that he wanted to do; and he had wanted to do it for a long, long time. Gently tilting her head up, Claus kissed Lavie.

The Silvana made the trip back to Anatory easily, the violent winds of the Grand Stream silenced now, the passage calm. Behind them, Exile waited, floating calmly above its berth, waiting for instructions. Since the Alliance had no idea how to operate it, the decision had been made to leave it where it was for the moment, and to seek information that would unlock the controls of the ship.

Before leaving Exile, the mechanics had quietly recovered the battered van ship and the two dead heroes inside, the van ship being laid to rest in the snow and ice of Disith, not too far from the remains of Maestro Delphine's ship. As for the two crewmen, they were placed in Anatory naval caskets and secured for state funerals. Claus and Lavie's van ship was moored as soon as they got back, but the two of them had silently made their way to their cabin and shut the door. Since then, there had been hardly a sign of them. Al reported that they were sitting in there, side by side, talking.

She didn't mention that they were holding hands as they spoke, and she didn't say what they were talking about. Of course, she wasn't able to hear much, because as soon as she came into the cabin, they broke off their conversation and focused on her. At least two of the women on board the ship were very interested in what was going on with the two. It wasn't until they were approaching the capital of Anatory that they emerged from the cabin, far more like their old self than they had been since flying the Grand Stream.

Once the ship was moored to the docks, Sophia ordered the ship to be secured for repairs until further orders. Moving to her cabin, she changed into her court clothes with the help of Tatiana. She had meant to ask Lavie, but the two had cranked up their van ship and stepped out for a small errand while the ship was approaching the docks. Al had gone with them, and Sophia only hoped that they would come back.

As she was dismounting the ship, she heard the familiar sound of their ship, and the slim silver form flitted into the landing grid and the three of them climbed out. Sophia smiled as she saw them move toward her. Motioning the guards back, she saw them stop in front of her. Seeing the expression on Lavie's face, Sophia knew that her plan had to be implemented, if for no more gain than her own amusement. “Our two heroes have returned.” she gently ribbed Claus. “It pleases us to extend to them our most heart-felt thanks, and invite them to stay with us in the Palace.” she officially decreed. Lavie and Claus blinked at each other.

“Ah, thanks, Sophia.” managed Claus, “but we really need to find the leader of the Disith.” he said. Sophia ignored the frowns of the guards and courtiers at his casual address of the Queen.

“Well, we would be happy to escort you to where he is.” said the woman, moving forward again. “Please, follow us.” she said. Behind her, the two glanced at each other, falling into step with Tatiana and Alister, who were just a few steps behind the Queen. Through the still-damaged palace, Sophia led them to the gardens, where she found the old man who lead the Disith.

Hearing them approach, the old man turned to the procession. Smiling, he dipped his head to Sophia. “I am glad to see you return safe, Queen Sophia.” he said. Sophia bowed to him elegantly.

“I am likewise glad to see you still in good health.” she replied. “But please, allow me to introduce you to Claus Valca, and his partner, Lavie Head.” she introduced the two, indicating each in turn. “Their bravery and skill granted us the victory we sought over the Guild.” she explained.

“So young.” breathed the old man, surprised that the ones he had heard rumors about were indeed scarcely more than children. “Well, what can this old man do for you?” he wondered. The two approached him, his four red-coated guards starting to move to block them before he twitched a hand at them, allowing the two to approach him.

“Sir, we have a message for you.” said Claus, offering the man the dented and worn mission cylinder from their fathers' ship. The eyes of the Disith leader flickered to Sophia, who was also surprised to see the battered old tube. “Our fathers couldn't complete the mission, so we have taken it on.” explained the young man.

The old man considered the tube. “I thank you for your devotion, and commend you on your exceptional will to complete the mission.” he said formally. “I would ask a favor of you, young pilots.” he continued. “If I may, I would like for you to hold on to that message until such time as we have gained control of Exile, for only then, will we have won.” he explained. The two glanced at each other, then the tube.

“We'll do it.” came the high, clear voice of Al. Like a shadow, she had been attached to Claus and Lavie the entire time, escaping the notice of Sophia and the old man. The Queen blinked at the young girl.

“Al. So, you were with them the whole time.” she murmured. Al smiled at her.

“Uh huh.” she nodded. “They introduced me to their family.” she added excitedly. Sophia had no idea what that meant.

“I see.” she said. Just then, there was a stir near the far entrance to the gardens, the guards around Sophia tensing as a small figure in red Disith clothing dashed toward the group.

“Grandpa! Grandpa!” came an excited voice, “He's up and about again!” The leader of the Disith turned to Sophia.

“Excuse my grand daughter's enthusiasm, your Majesty.” he apologized for the young girl. When the dark-haired girl stopped in front of the old man, Tatiana and Claus gasped. Hearing the gasps, the girl turned to look at the group from Anatory.

“It's you!” exclaimed Claus, Tatiana, and the girl, all at once.

“Mullin!” called Lavie, seeing the Anatory musketeer making his way along a hallway in the palace compound assigned to recovering soldiers from both sides. Turning, the man smiled as he saw the group approaching him. Lavie and Dunya were in the lead, with Clause and Al close behind. Farther back, Tatiana and Alister were between the lead elements, and the tail of the procession, consisting of Queen Sophia of Anatory, King Scheer of Disith, and their guards.

“Hey, Lavie!” he called, starting to wave, but wincing as his arm passed his waist. Switching arms, he waved to the short girl as she stopped in front of him. “You two made it!” he exclaimed. “Now, we can have that celebratory toast!” he recalled.

“Mullin!” scolded Dunya, grabbing his arm. “You need to rest so you heal!” she directed. Lavie frowned.

“You got hit?” she wondered. Mullin nodded.

“When we captured the Claudia unit on the ship, the Guild people had already started to disengage the unit, so I got impatient and rushed in. One of them hit me right in the survival medals.” he said, his smile oddly excited.

“You jerk!” spat Dunya. “We were supposed to take that door together, but you pushed me down before rushing in yourself!” she accused him angrily. A pained expression crossed his face at that accusation.

“I…just didn't want you to get hit, that's all, Dunya.” he tried to soothe her. “But, like I was saying,” he went on hurriedly, seeing Dunya glower at him, “I went in, and one of them shot me before I could get him. The bullet hit my medals, then went on through.” he said. Lavie was frowning.

“You sound almost happy about that, Mullin.” she noted. Reaching into the large flap pocket of his blue Musketeer coat, Mullin withdrew something, closing his hand around the item.

“I am, Lavie.” he said. “Do you remember when I said that your medal was number twenty, and therefore, the one that guaranteed my survival? Take a look at this, Lavie.” he said, offering her something from his closed hand. Extending her hand, Lavie felt him drop something onto her open palm. Pulling her hand back to look at the item, she saw her survival medal, a torn, jagged dent on the side. “The Guild round hit your medal, and it deflected it enough to save my life, Lavie.” he said quietly. “So, your medal did save my life after all.” he said.

Lavie was thoughtfully fingering the bent and ripped medal. Suddenly, she extended her hand, dropping the medal back into Mullin's surprised grip. “That's good, Mullin.” she said, her expression oddly neutral. “I'm glad you made it.” she added. Turning to look at the Disith girl, she sized her up.

“Oh, let me introduce you all. This is Dunya Sheer.” he said, motioning to the girl clutching his arm in a somewhat possessive manner. “Dunya, these are my friends from one of the ships I served on. Lavie Head, Claus Valca, Alvis Hamilton, Tatiana Wisla and Alister Agrew. The lady behind them is Sophia Forrester, the new Queen of Anatory, but I first met her as Vice Captain of the Silvana.” he completed the introductions.

“I've met the blondes before.” said Dunya. “No hard feelings, hey?” she said to Claus and Tatiana.

“The war's over, so let's forget it, ok?” said Claus. Tatiana nodded. Dunya smiled.

“Good!” she agreed. “I think we can be friends.” she added, looking over the group. By now, the two leaders had joined the others.

“Dunya, is it?” asked Lavie, thinking. “How about you join us for our toast to our survival, then?” she suggested. The Disith girl grinned at Lavie.

“Sounds good.” she agreed. Sophia eased into the conversation.

“I hope that I can talk you into postponing the celebration until this evening.” she said smoothly. “Because right now, there are some matters to attend to, and I hope you will all attend.” she hinted.

Lavie looked around as Sophia ushered her into a large room deeper into the palace. Beside her, Al looked around, curious as well. Behind the two, Tatiana and Alister were likewise looking around the room. “What are we doing here, Sophia?” asked Al. The Queen turned to the four women.

“Tonight, we have a celebratory ball to commemorate the defeat of the Guild. It is also a formal consummation of our relationship with the Disith. As such, it is a formal occasion, and you all must have the appropriate gowns.” she smiled. Al was the only girl who didn't blink in surprise. Instead, the young girl smiled eagerly.

“I get new clothes?” she asked excitedly. Sophia nodded, kneeling in front of the small girl.

“Yes!” she confirmed, grinning at the girl. “You are a member of the noble house of Hamilton, after all.” she suggested. Sorry to use you like this, Al, but I'm sure that you wouldn't mind if you knew what I was planning to do. she apologized silently.

“Now hold on!” protested Lavie. “Why do I need fancy clothes for this get-together?” she protested.

“Alister and I will attend in our uniforms, your Majesty! We are, after all, soldiers of Anatory!” seconded Tatiana. Sophia shook her head.

“You are the heir of house Wisla, Tatiana, and while not a prime family, Alister is a kin of the Alzay family by marriage, back in her grandmother's day.” said Sophia. I suspected that she was of distant nobility, but that inquiry to the Royal Heredity College paid off some unexpected dividends. she thought. Alister blinked.

“I…am a member of Captain Alzay's family?” asked Alister, confused. Sophia nodded.

“Yes, though the connection is by distant marriage. You are, nevertheless, of noble standing.” confirmed Sophia. “Furthermore, you are a third cousin, twice removed, to Vincent.” smiled the woman. “Your long-lost cousin has asked to be your escort for this evening, Alister.” she baited gently.

“O…of course, your Majesty.” breathed Alister. Seeing Tatiana start to open her mouth to try again to keep from being gowned for the gala that evening, Sophia headed her off.

“And no, Tatiana, your military uniform is not the appropriate choice for a royal ball. In social situations, your standing as a member of a noble house takes precedent over your military standing.” said the Queen. All those years of lectures from the Master of Ceremonies on correct social customs pays off yet again. she thought humorously.

“Good thing I'm not noble.” snorted Lavie. “I'll pass on the new outfit, Sophia.” she said. “Besides, Claus and I have some work to do on our ship…” she began to beg off. Sophia fought hard to keep her face unassumingly passive as her bait paid off.

“Lavie!” came Al's voice. “You and Claus have to come to the party!” she protested, grabbing Lavie's hand. “Everyone else will be there!” she reasoned.

“I don't know, Al.” hedged Lavie. “Claus and I aren't really cut out for these fancy parties…” Al pouted.

“But they'll have lots of food, Lavie!” she enticed. Lavie opened her mouth to say something, but Sophia tossed in the first of her gambits.

“Actually, Lavie, Claus is the sole surviving member of the Valca family, and I know that you know that his father was nobility, so it is important that he be there to represent his father and mother.” she offered. Where one goes… she hoped.

Lavie was silent for a moment. “But, I'm not noble.” she said quietly. Sophia tilted her head.

“No. You are correct about that, Lavie.” she agreed evenly. “However,” she continued before anyone could say anything, “you are one of the greatest heroes of the Guild War, and as such, you are fully within your rights to attend.” she explained. Sensing that Lavie was nearly caught, she dropped the final straw. “And as Queen, we ask that you attend with Claus and Al.” she said, speaking in the royal plural. Seeing Al's kitten eyes looking up at her, Lavie sighed.

“Fine!” she agreed. Al hugged her.

“Yay!” celebrated the girl. Tatiana and Alister exchanged looks, knowing that with Lavie having folded, they had no ground left to fight from. Sophia straightened to her full height.

“With that decided, ladies,” she began, “we have little time to get ready for the gala.” she instructed them. Clapping her hands twice, the Queen summoned her dressmakers and seamstresses. As the women were measured and patterned for their new gowns, Lavie had a question for Sophia, who was clearly supervising the small army of attendants with a smug sense of anticipation.

“What about Claus?” she asked irritably, one woman holding her arm out to the side, measuring her arm length, as another measured her modest bust and a third was measuring her waist and hips. Behind her, Alister, Tatiana and Al were getting the same treatment. “Doesn't he have to get dressed up in fancy clothes, too?” she complained.

Sophia smiled at the independent young partner of her lover. “I have asked a trusted friend to see to that.” she demurred. “Don't worry, Lavie,” she assured the girl, “Claus will be ready. But, our mission is to make you ready.” she noted. Lavie quirked an eyebrow at the Queen's words. Seeing that the measurements were done, she beckoned to the head seamstress and whispered in her ear briefly before the servants bowed and moved off.

“While they are putting together the gowns, we need to make ourselves ready.” noted Sophia, glancing at the huge, ornate clock on the wall. “We will barely have time to bathe and prepare before we need to be back for the fittings. And the final preparations on the gowns will leave us barely any time to change before the banquet, so we need to hurry, ladies.” directed the Queen, leading them through another set of doors and down a short hallway to a private bath. Seeing the huge tub, Lavie's eyes got big.

“Why am I here?” wondered Claus as Vincent examined the rack of ornate dress coats. He had found himself talking to the polished Captain when Sophia had skillfully herded the girls off in another direction, and before he knew it, Vincent was helping him select an outfit for the evening's festivities.

“Because, as a noble, you are expected to dress the part and attend the grand ball.” repeated Vincent. He knew what Claus was really asking, of course, but Sophia had told him not to ruin the surprise the woman had planned for the two young heroes. So, he deliberately misunderstood the question. Claus sighed.

“I really think that Lavie and I would be more comfortable with the crew of the Silvana, rather than attending some stiff ball.” he thought aloud. Vincent chuckled.

“You seem to conveniently forget that Sophia is a member of the crew.” he pointed out. “Besides, Tatiana, Alister, Wina, Al and Lavie will be at the ball, so would you rather drink with Godwin, or court the ladies?” he asked him slyly. Claus blushed slightly, recalling the `courting' he had already done with Tatiana and Sophia. Seeing the color on his cheeks, Vincent clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly fashion. “As I thought.” he chuckled.

Lavie tried to keep from grimacing as the young maid trimmed the ends of her hairdo, another doing the same for Al. For her part, the younger girl seemed to be having a hell of a good time. Of course, Al is from a noble house, and she grew up with this kind of thing. I, on the other hand, grew up a lot differently. Briefly, her mind recalled Justina Valca, Claus's mother - and in a manner, her own mother as well. Since her own mother had died hours after giving birth to Lavie, she had never had a mother until Claus and his parents entered her life.

Her father had done ok raising her with the help of some nursemaids and some women he knew, but it was not the same as having an actual `mother'. Although she wasn't my mom, she treated me like I was her daughter. recalled Lavie. Over the years, Justina had started to teach Lavie what she needed to know, but Lavie's education on the feminine arts was halted by the loss of Claus's mother far before she could be said to be adept at them. From then on, it was her and Claus against the world.

Being feminine would not work with our situation, so I changed. she recalled. Her hair - previously worn to her lower back, had been cut short, for ease of care and for safety issues. Her dresses had been discarded for pants and coveralls. Her sweeter side had been buried under her brash exterior and absolute need to make good on the promise the two of them had made over the fresh grave of Claus's mother. And now, I find myself in this situation. she mused.

Looking around, she saw that Tatiana and Alister were just emerging from the bath, drying off with towels handed to them by the waiting Sophia. Lavie's eyes flickered across their naked forms, feeling a sting of jealousy as she noticed their far-more-developed breasts and hips than her own. They're taller than me, too! she realized.

That thought spurred another in the girl. I hope those gowns aren't like Sophia's gowns. I mean, her gowns are pretty, but I don't have the chest to pull off that look; and neither does Al! Maybe Tatiana and Alister do, but not us. A thought occurred to her. What will Claus think of me in a gown? It's been so long since I wore anything but coveralls and flight suits, does he even remember how I look in a dress? Come to think of it, do I even remember how to walk in a dress?!

Sneaking another peek at the Queen of Anatory, who was sitting on the edge of the marble tub, brushing her mid-back-length chestnut hair, she wondered if Claus would even notice her in a gown, given that she would be up against Sophia and Tatiana in what amounted to a showcase of breasts. Glancing down, she frowned slightly at her own compact chest.

“Something wrong, Lavie?” asked Al, watching her with her light grey eyes.

“No, just not used to all this fuss.” deflected the mahogany-haired girl. Al patted her bare knee.

“It's kind of fun, once you get used to it.” the younger girl assured her earnestly. “Kita used to do this every night before bed.” she added. Lavie shrugged.

“Seems like a waste of time.” she offered in response. “Claus and I usually ended up falling asleep while working on our ship.” she gave a soft, fond laugh. “Sleepy Head still falls asleep if I'm not around to keep him awake.” she snickered. Hopefully, he won't fall asleep when he sees me in some fancy outfit. her worries returned.

As Sophia finished brushing her hair, she snuck an assessing look at Lavie. There was no doubt that the girl had less to work with than herself or the other girls, but the Queen was satisfied that she had more than enough to work with. It doesn't really matter what she has, breast-size wise, since Claus loves her as she is. All I need to do is push them together just a little, and they should take care of the rest themselves. she decided. Very firmly, she silenced the voice that insisted that she not pursue this course of action, as it would mean that she and Claus would not have a future together.

Looking a bit farther down from the small but nice breasts, she caught sight of a thin patch of darker red hair at the juncture of the girl's hips. Hardly more than a shadow, it was nevertheless proof of her physical maturity. Sophia's sharp eyes caught sight of some thin, silver scars on her skin. Tatiana told me that Claus has scars on his back and arms, and that he said that Lavie had scars on her as well from their experiments in flying their van ship. Strange, that I never realized that before she said something.

With the bathing and grooming dealt with, the girls donned thin cotton shifts and moved back to the room where the gowns were being set out for fitting. Seeing the amount of cloth waiting for her, Lavie gaped. “How many gowns do you think I'm going to be wearing, Sophia?” she asked, her surprise audible. Sophia laughed softly.

“All that is one gown, Lavie!” she explained humorously. Lavie blinked at her. “Here, let me give you hand.” offered the Queen, stepping over to Lavie and picking up a short, thin, soft shift. “Take off your shift.” said Sophia, seeing Lavie do so. Slipping the other shift on her, Lavie found that it stopped just below her hips, and the front was cut to leave her breasts completely bare. Sophia paused as the seamstress quickly and surely pinned the extra cloth in place. Next, Sophia picked up the slightly-thicker under-bodice and helped Lavie into that. When it was settled, it clung to her from the crests of her hips to just under her breasts, with a flair that cradled her breasts.

Feeling Sophia hold the bodice snuggly to her, she realized that the seamstress was doubtlessly tucking more pins into her new clothes. A moment later, Sophia reached around and slipped her hand into the front of the bodice, gently lifting and situating Lavie's breasts in the bodice's cups. Other than a startled inhale of air, Lavie made no reaction. Looking down, she saw that with the formed support of the bodice, her breasts looked a lot bigger and more noticeable. “Wow!” she breathed, color touching her cheeks. Feeling a soft squeeze on her shoulder, she guiltily looked up to see Sophia smiling at her.

“Almost there, Lavie.” said the Queen. Picking up the base gown, she helped Lavie wiggle into the gown, which covered the small girl from her ankles to barely above her nipples, two wide, soft bands crossing over the points of her shoulders, leaving her shoulders bare. More pins were inserted and there were tugs and adjustments before Sophia reached for the outer gown. Looking at the ivory-colored gown, trimmed in deep, rich blue, Lavie sucked in a breath.

“Beautiful, is it not?” asked Sophia before she settled the gown over Lavie. If seeing her in this doesn't get him thinking along the lines of girlfriend, nothing will! gloated Sophia, helping the seamstress mark the changes that needed to be made. Once she made sure that the gown's body was properly fitted, Sophia once more adjusted the position of Lavie's breasts, making sure that the lace-edged gown accented the curve of Lavie's breasts, keeping the girl's nipples barely below the lace edge of the outer gown. Seeing the seamstress nod, Sophia stepped back, turning Lavie to show her her reflection in the large mirror.

Lavie didn't recognize herself. That's…that's me?! she wondered, shocked. The tomboy mechanic and navigator was gone. In her place was a beautiful young girl in a regal gown. And she's stacked! realized the girl, seeing her all-but-bare breast showcased in the deep neckline of the gown. “Incredible.” breathed the girl. Sophia smiled at her.

“You look beautiful, Lavie.” she said softly - and honestly. For another few minutes, the two just looked at Lavie's reflection in the mirror. Finally, Sophia helped Lavie gingerly take off the gowns and undergarments so the seamstresses could sew it all together. Donning her simple, thin shift from the bath, Lavie saw that Tatiana, Alister and Al were finishing their own fittings.

Tatiana's gown was a rich, deep green color, trimmed in silver accents. Beside her, Alister's gown was a midnight blue, with white trim. Both gowns - like Lavie's and Sophia's gowns - showed off their breasts. Glancing down, she saw Al inspecting her new gown. The small girl was decked out in a rich purple gown with crimson highlights. Her gown was like the others, with a deep neckline, though it stopped significantly higher on Al's chest than the other gowns did. The faint beginnings of Al's breasts could be seen, but only through a layer of gauzy lace. Still, the girl seemed happy with the outfit, and Lavie admitted that she looked extremely cute in it.

“Do you think that Claus will like this, Lavie?” wondered the girl. Lavie smiled.

“I'm sure he will, Al.” she assured her young charge.

“Good! I know he'll like your gown, too, Lavie!” replied Al confidently.

“I'm glad one of us is sure.” murmured Lavie. Sophia glanced at the clock.

“We have barely enough time to get ready before the gowns are finished, ladies, so let's finish getting prepared.” she noted. Lavie frowned.

“What do you mean, finish getting ready?” she wondered. Sophia smiled at her.

“We have to put our hair up, select our accessories, and find the right perfume.” elaborated Sophia, indicating that they should go into the room on the opposite side of the room that lead to the baths.

Entering the room, the girls began to select the right hair ornaments, jewelry, slippers and perfume for the evening. As Lavie carefully sniffed various perfumes, she suddenly gasped. Sophia and the other girls looked over at her. “Something wrong, Lavie?” wondered Sophia.

“No! It's just this one smells like…” she paused, her expression thoughtful.

“Like what?” wondered Al, sniffing the perfume. “It smells nice.” she noted. Lavie didn't seem to hear her, though. This scent! It's the one that Justina wore! she realized. That scent was familiar to her, and brought back good memories for her. It also brought back some less pleasant ones. It's also the scent I caught on Claus's uniform the evening of the day that Sophia left the ship. Does that mean…? Minutely shaking her head to rid herself of the speculation, she set the small bottle back down on the table.

“It smells good, but I don't know if I like it.” she said, more to herself than to anyone. Sophia bit her tongue to keep from saying that it was her favorite. Lavie doesn't need to know that. she reasoned. Reaching past the girl, she selected an even-smaller bottle from the back of the assortment.

“I think this one would be best.” murmured Sophia. Lavie cautiously sniffed at it, finding it to have a light, floral scent, though it seemed an odd scent to her. Seeing Lavie's look, Sophia nodded encouragement. With a small shrug, Lavie touched the glass wand to her neck. Yes, the perfume of the Heart's Love orchid is definitely the right choice for what I have in mind for you, Lavie. thought the Queen.

Claus tugged at the collar of his dress clothes, wondering what was keeping the girls. Unused to such stiff clothes, he found himself wondering why he couldn't just wear his coveralls or even the uniform he had borrowed while on the Silvana. “What's keeping Lavie and the others?” he wondered aloud.

To his surprise, he got an answer immediately. “Women like to make an entrance, Claus. Trust me, it'll be worth it!” Vincent assured the young man. Next to Claus, the former Captain of the Urbonis - sunk in the final battle against the Guild - waited patiently for the women to arrive. A little farther down the hallway were the doors to the grand dining hall, where the banquet was ready. Already, there were perhaps half the guests in the hall, waiting only on the arrival of the royal parties.

Not ten minutes earlier, the two had greeted Mullin Shetland and Dunya Scheer as they passed the two on the way to the banquet hall, the young Disith girl in a simple, but beautiful dress, and Mullin wearing his clean and pressed Musketeer uniform, complete with the repaired survival medals - the one from Lavie hanging at the bottom, proudly displayed. With Dunya's hair drawn back into a fancy hairdo, Claus had realized for the first time that the Disith had ears that bore noticeable points at the tips. Not extreme as the ancient illustrations of elves, but distinct, nonetheless.

Before Mullin and Dunya had come by, Claus and Vincent had greeted some of the crew of the Silvana as they passed on their way to the banquet hall. The mechanics were having a party on the ship, as were most of the enlisted-ranked crew. The officers and those from noble families were more or less expected to attend a royal ball. Claus took comfort in the knowledge that he would have some familiar people to talk to.

“Sorry if we kept you gentlemen waiting.” came a teasing voice from behind the pair. Turning, the two men gaped at the five women. Gowned and turned out for the celebration, the group of women literally took the men's' abilities to speak away. Claus's eyes went first to Lavie, and were stuck there for a while before moving on to drink in Sophia, Tatiana, Alister and Al. Vincent recovered first, stepping forward smartly and bowing gracefully to Sophia.

“Your Majesty, if I may say so, you are ravishingly beautiful, as are your ladies.” he offered. Claus was still gaping at the drastic transformation of Lavie. Sophia had to fight not to giggle and dance as she saw the impact that Lavie's outfit had on Claus. Instead, she responded to Vincent's veiled advance.

“We thank you for your compliment, Captain Alzay.” she responded. “Your cousin was surprised to discover her relationship to you.” she noted. Vincent smiled at Alister.

“As was I.” he replied. “Alister, I look forward to escorting you tonight.” he said to her. The navigator blushed slightly.

“Thank you, Captain Alzay.” she replied. Stepping to his side, she tucked her arm under his, her hand resting on his elbow. Tatiana smiled at Alister. In front of the platinum-haired girl, Lavie was beginning to fidget under Claus's awe-struck gaze. Finally, she had had enough.

“Well, don't just stand there, Claus!” she barked at him. “Are we going to eat or what?” Having heard this bickering between them before, the other girls hid their smiles. Shaking himself free of his frozen trance, Claus nodded at her.

“Sure, Lavie.” he said, moving toward her. Awkwardly, he offered her his arm, and she took it as she had seen Alister take Vincent's arm. On his other side, he felt Al attach herself to his free arm. Glancing back, he noticed that Sophia and Tatiana didn't seem to have escorts.

“Sophia, what about you and Tatiana?” he wondered.

“I'm fine, Claus.” assured Tatiana. Or rather, I will have to be, since Lavie got to you first. she silently amended.

“Queen Sophia, may I have the honor of accompanying you for this evening?” came a deep, firm voice. Turning, the others saw the leader of the Disith approach. Behind him were two of his senior-most adjutants. Sophia inclined her head, stepping to his side and touching her hand to his elbow.

“We thank you for courtesy, King Scheer.” she accepted graciously. Glancing at the two men with him, he selected one.

“This is fleet commander Turne, one of my most decorated men. May I be so forward as to ask if Lady Wisla would allow him to be her escort for the evening?” he asked the young van ship captain. Blinking, Tatiana bowed her head.

“I thank his majesty for the consideration.” she accepted. With the party now having their escorts, the group moved toward the doors to the banquet hall.

Claus carried a nearly asleep Al in his arms as Lavie lead him to the rooms that Sophia had set aside for them. Lavie was not entirely steady on her feet, since somehow, she had ended up with a drink with some alcohol in it. She had only drunk about half of it before she realized it, but that half had done some damage. Right now, she was sort-of explaining that Sophia had put them up in a room since their house was gone and the Silvana was under repair.

Stopping in front of a door, Lavie peered at it for a moment then glanced at Claus. “This is the one. I think.” she said. Claus nodded, shifting Al slightly.

“Ok.” he said. Lavie opened the door and the three entered, swiftly finding the switch for the lights. When the multi-bulb chandelier came on, they found themselves looking at the biggest, most ornate bedroom they had ever seen. Not even the few rooms of the Duke of Mad Thane's house had been this big or ornate. The bed alone was nearly as big as their hanger had been back in Norkia. The sight sobered Lavie up several degrees.

“Wow.” she breathed, eyes big. Claus slowly made his way to the bed and set Al down, the girl stirring slightly. Looking around, he saw Lavie standing just inside the doorway, frozen in place. Moving back toward her, he closed the door behind her. Turning back to her, he touched her bare shoulder.

“Lavie?” he asked her. Blinking, she turned to look at him.

“I'm fine. Just…never mind.” she said, shaking her head slightly. “Let's get some sleep, Sleepy Head.” she smiled at him. Claus smiled back.

“Sure, Lavie.” he agreed, beginning to get the fancy coat off. It had been mildly uncomfortable on him all evening and he was glad to be rid of it. Glancing over at Lavie, he saw her struggling with her gown.

“Claus, a little help here?” she hinted. Stepping over to her, he began to help her with the knots and fasteners. This is exactly like Sophia's gowns. he realized. In fairly short order, Lavie was able to wiggle out of her outer gown, leaving her in the inner gown, which swiftly landed on top of her outer gown. Her bodice was next, leaving her in just her thin, sheer shift. Moving over to the bed, Lavie managed to work Al out of her outer gown and inner gown before tucking the girl under the sheets. Turning back the sheets on the other side of the bed, she yawned before turning to look at Claus, who was staring at her. “What?” she wondered.

“Nothing, Lavie.” managed Claus, swallowing with some difficulty. Shrugging, Lavie tugged of the shift, leaving her dressed in only her panties. Looking back to Claus, she saw he was still staring at her. “Hurry up, Claus!” she ordered him. The sound of her voice broke his trance, and he swiftly finished getting undressed, stopping at his shorts as usual. Turning off the light, he made his way to the large bed by the faint lights of the stars, admitted by the huge windows on either side of the bed.

Following the edge of the bed, he ran into Lavie, who was still standing at the edge of the bed. “Sorry, Lavie.” he offered her. He felt her nudge him into bed, and as he moved toward the center of the bed, he could feel her follow after him. When he reached the warm form of Al, he settled in, surprised to feel Lavie settle against him.

“Ah, Lavie?” he asked her nervously. Her nearly-naked body rested tight against his own, causing certain parts of him to react. Hearing an indistinct sound that was her reply, tried to think of a way to ask her what he wanted to ask her, only to run out of courage. “You looked really pretty, Lavie. In that gown, I mean.” he said instead.

Lavie's reaction caught him off guard. Feeling her lean up and into him, he met her lips squarely, the smaller girl kissing him clumsily, but with clear desire and purpose. “Thanks, Claus.” she whispered before resting her head on his chest, her arm snaking over his chest. “G'night.” she said through another yawn. Claus had his arm around her shoulders, holding her to him firmly before he realized what he was doing.

As he drifted off to sleep, he realized that his early musings in the desert with Tatiana could now be answered. Lavie feels even better than Tatiana when I hold her like this! he realized, smiling happily as he fell asleep with his girls. During the night, Al shifted so she was curled up to his other side. None of the three noticed when - on two separate occasions - someone peeked into the room to check on them. All three slept soundly, warm and comfortable in the sense of safety that only close physical contact could create.

Lavie opened her eyes, blinking some in the early-morning glow admitted by the windows. Scratching her head for a moment, she slowly recalled the events of the night before. That wasn't a bad party. she admitted. Al had run into the daughter of the Duke of Mad Thane, whom she had apparently made fast friends with, and had spent a fair chunk of the time with her, though Lavie couldn't tell if she or Claus ever managed to evade her watchful eye. Of course, I spent all night with Claus, so maybe she was just obsessing over him, as usual. she considered before discarding the notion. Lavie knew that Al obsessed over them both.

And let's not forget that Al wasn't the only one watching us. frowned Lavie. During the course of the three or so hours that had been mingling with the other guests - neither of them felt the slightest inclination to attempt to dance - they had been the subject of a lot of attention. Lavie had found herself being approached by total strangers who wanted to talk to her, or dance with her, or do god-knew what else with her, while Claus had been approached by a never-ending stream of young daughters of noble houses; and in a few cases, by their mothers.

Lavie had found herself irritated by the women approaching Claus, and had gone out of her way to make sure that none of them got Claus away from her side. And while it was something of a novelty to have men coming up to her and addressing her as `Lady Head', she could have sworn that Claus was giving the guys suspicious looks. That would be so out of character for him, though! she mused. All through the party, though, the only ones who managed to get Claus away from her for any amount of time was Tatiana, Sophia and Alister, while she only left his side with Mullin, Ethan - who was apparently a Squire to the court - and in one case, Vincent.

“Like a couple.” breathed the girl, realizing that their behavior the night before was exactly the same as the behavior of the couples they had seen in Norkia. Last night, she thought with shocking clarity, she and Claus had turned a corner in their relationship. Both of us acted on instinct, and that instinctive behavior was the same in both of us! We…think of each other as… she became aware of a warm, firm band around her back, and even as she realized that it was Claus's arm, she became aware of her own position. Snuggled into his side, one of her legs over his own, her arm across his chest, naked save for her panties. Lavie's cheeks turned red, but she made no move to separate from Claus.

Looking across Claus's oblivious form, she spotted the peacefully sleeping face of Al. The young girl was tucked firmly against Claus on the opposite side from Lavie, and the position of her body indicated that she had most likely wrapped her own arms around Claus's arm. Lavie smiled slightly, absently running her hand over Claus's bare chest and stomach. Her thoughts were suddenly side tracked when she felt a hard bulge in his shorts. Lavie froze as she realized what it had to be.

As they learned to fly together, she and Claus had usually slept together in the big bed in the master bedroom of their house. Over the years, she and he had found themselves changing. And those changes began to change how they saw each other. When they were forced to move to Norkia, Lavie had taken the chance to separate their beds for reasons that even she wasn't sure about.

Now, the main reason was right in her hand. In my hand?! What am I doing?! she wondered, shocked to find that she had absently wrapped her hand around his hard member. It feels good… she thought, not releasing it. It feels a lot bigger than it usually looks. she realized.

She had seen Claus naked on a number of occasions, and had had plenty of opportunities to memorize all that she saw. And she had memorized every detail. In the past few years, she had found herself dreaming of Claus, and those memorized surveys served her well. Now, he had her hand on one of the main issues that had caused them so much grief in the last few months.

We turned a corner in our relationship, thought the girl, but can we turn the corner physically? she wondered. Taking a breath, she carefully explored her prize. All too well did she remember the morning on the Silvana, when she had planned to do something not too dissimilar, but got cold feet following her self-critique in the mirror. Can I make the change in our physical relationship? Am I that brave? she wondered, slipping her hand under his shorts. I…think I am. she decided, feeling the hard, yet silky-smooth appendage in her work-roughened hands.

“Lavie?” came Al's sleepy voice. Snatching her hand back from her exploration of Claus, Lavie guiltily glanced at Al, who was rubbing her eyes.

“Uh, morning, Al.” managed Lavie. Al sat up, stretching her arms. Looking at Lavie, she frowned.

“Are you sick, Lavie?” she asked.

“No!” denied Lavie. Al gave her a skeptical look.

“Your face is red, Lavie.” she noted. “Are you sure you're ok?” wondered the girl. Lavie nodded vigorously.

“Sure am!” she said, hastily getting out of bed. “It just got warm under the covers, that's all!” she deflected. A knock on the door startled the two. Claus slept on.

“Lavie? Are you awake?” came a familiar voice. Lavie crossed to the door and peeked out.

“Yeah. Come on in.” said the girl, stepping aside so Sophia could step into the room. In the Queen's arms were the pair's daily wear.

“Morning, Sophia!” chimed in Al, getting out of bed, leaving Claus sound asleep. “Claus is still asleep.” she noted. Sophia grinned at the two girls.

“Yes, so I see. You certainly weren't kidding about his love of sleep.” she said to Lavie.

“Yeah, he sleeps like a log.” she agreed, taking her thin, worn top from Sophia and wiggling into it before reaching for her coveralls. “Thanks for the change of clothes.” she said. “That gown was pretty and all, but I don't think that I'd care to wear it every day.” she noted. Sophia inclined her head.

“I can relate to that. I am much more comfortable in my uniform than in my gown.” said the woman. Al quickly managed to get her own somewhat rumpled gown off and slipped into her daily wear as well. Looking at Al, Sophia smiled at her. “Al, what do you say to getting some breakfast?” she asked the girl. Al smiled.

“I'd love to, Sophia.” she said. The Queen glanced at Claus, still sleeping soundly.

“How long do you think it will be before Claus wakes up, Lavie?” asked the Queen. Lavie snorted.

“All day if someone doesn't wake him.” she said, though her lips were curved into a smile. Sophia hummed.

“Then, could I ask that you join me for breakfast, Lavie?” asked the woman. “I would like to speak with you privately, if I might.” she said. Lavie sent her a sharp look.

“Tatiana!” called Claus, waving to the short-haired woman as she made her way down the halls of the palace. Turning to look for the person who called her name, she smiled, seeing Claus. The young man jogged up to her and came to a stop in front of her.

“Morning, Claus.” said the woman, barely resisting the urge to hug him. And then kiss him, and then find a private place, and then…! she mentally shook herself to derail that thought before it got going too strongly. The two fell into step with each other as they walked toward the entrance of the palace. “So, what brings you in search of me?” she asked. Hopefully sex! she silently wished.

“I was wondering if you knew what Sophia was planning.” said the young man. Tatiana shook her head.

“Sorry. She hasn't really said anything, but I heard some rumors that the Silvana is going to be shipping out soon to return to Exile. Apparently, the chief engineer thinks he can figure out the controls since we got all that information from the Guild headquarters last week.” she said. Claus remembered that flight. The mission had been to fly into the headquarters of the Guild and retrieve whatever information they could about Exile.

Since it had been billed as a combat mission, Sophia had not asked Claus to fly it, knowing that Lavie wouldn't fly a combat mission. Even so, Claus had asked to go along, since he wanted to see if anything could be learned about the fate of Dio and Luciola. Lavie had unexpectedly said that if they weren't expected to fight, she would fly navigator for Claus. So, in the end, four armed military van ships and three cruisers confronted the Guild at their base. To nearly everyone's surprise, the headquarters of the Guild was in disarray, with hardly a Guild member of any type left there. With Claus leading them, they passes all sorts of signs of severe fighting, and found a lot of signs of dead people, but no bodies. What few white-dressed Guild members were spotted ran from the group.

In the end, Claus had led them to what had been the chambers of the Maestro Delphine, where they had found some useful information about Exile, though it was mostly legends and tall tales. Still, having recovered what they could, the group had moved back to the van ships, and returned to the capital. A week later, Claus was wondering what had become of the information.

“So, she's sending the Silvana back to Exile, then?” he asked Tatiana. The girl shrugged.

“So they say.” she said easily. “Are you going back, too?” she wondered.

“Too?” parroted Claus. Tatiana nodded.

“I'm going as the ship's van ship captain.” said the girl. “While the chief engineer is figuring out the controls, we will still need to keep an eye out for any Guild stragglers who might want to take revenge for what we did to them.” The two paused in the bright sunlight to let their eyes adjust. Tatiana looked over at Claus. “We could use a van ship to carry materials and correspondence from Disith to Anatory.” noted the girl, her heart beating faster. “Would…you consider crewing in that capacity?” asked the girl.

“Tatiana, I…” began Claus, but the girl cut him off.

“Most of the crew are staying on. All the mechanics and deck officers are staying, and the cook and wait staff are staying. We even have some Disith filling in for injured or transferring posts. Mullin will be on board as the head of the Musketeer company, along with that Disith girl, Dunya.” She paused. “It…we would miss you and Lavie and Al if you weren't there.” said the girl quietly.

“I don't know if Lavie would want to go on the Silvana again, Tatiana.” said the young man. “Has anyone said anything to her about it?” he wondered.

“Well, I think it's a good idea!” came the voice of the girl in question. “This palace life is driving me crazy, and besides, there isn't much to do here.” said the girl, stepping around one of the columns behind the two.

“Lavie!” breathed Claus. His short partner smiled back at him, her coveralls tied around her waist, leaving her in just her small top. “Are you sure?” he asked her. She nodded.

“Yep! We belong in the skies, Claus.” she said. “Now come on; we have to get our ship loaded and provisioned for the mission, so let's get moving!” she directed him.

Claus blinked when Lavie pushed open the door to the door to the cabin he and the girls would be sharing while the Silvana was stationed beside Exile. Instead of the tiny, four-bunk cabin they had had before, they were looking at the cabin that had been Sophia's while she was the Vice Captain of the vessel. Inside the cabin, the narrow single bed had been doubled. Looking around for other changes, he found that the small table was gone, and in it's place was a small, but comfortable folding cot.

“Surprised?” asked Lavie, smiling at him. “With Vincent taking over the Captain's cabin, Sophia gave us her old cabin.” said the girl, a faint blush on her cheeks as she recalled the talk that Sophia had had with her. “She said that with three of us in a cabin, it was more practical to put us in here than to waste a crew berth.”

“I guess that you and Al will be in the bed…” began Claus. Lavie shook her head once more.

“No. You and I are in the bed, since the cot is Al's size.” said the girl, not able to make eye contact with her oldest and most important partner. Glancing at Al, he saw her smiling warmly.

“I like the cot.” said the girl. “Sophia had the mattress made just for me.” she added. Claus managed to swallow with only minor difficulty. Lavie experimentally sat on the bed. While it was not nearly as plush as the one that they had shared in the palace, it was more comfortable than their beds in Norkia had been.

A knock came from the door, drawing their attention to the doorway, where Tatiana and Alister stood. “Tatiana,” replied Claus, “what are you doing up here?” he wondered. Tatiana smiled.

“Actually, Alis and I are your neighbors. We've been assigned to the deck officer's quarters, next door.” she said, tilting her head. “But we came by to ask you and Lavie to come with us. Captain Alzay is holding the first mission briefing, and would like for you two to attend.” said the van ship captain. Claus and Lavie looked at Al as one.

“I'll be fine!” assured the girl, smiling brightly. “I'm going to go see if the cook needs any help.” she announced, scurrying out the door as quick as a flash. Shaking his head, Claus met Lavie's eyes as they moved to follow the pair to the briefing.

It was odd to see Vincent in the Captain's chair, and Claus could tell that the man was vaguely uncomfortable in the chair as well. Sophia had appointed him Captain for the time being, but everyone knew that it wasn't a permanent posting. With her duties as Queen making it impractical to Captain the mission herself, she had chosen the most loyal and capable man she knew for the job: her friend from military school, Vincent Alzay. The fact that he and Alex had been good friends was another mark in his favor, as far as the Queen was concerned. Wina was at her station, and the helmsman and gunnery chief were at their posts as the meeting came to order, the Silvana already half-way to where Exile waited for them.

Tatiana and Alister stood beside Claus and Lavie, with Mullen Shetland beside Lavie, and the Disith officer beside him. With a third of the crew made up of some of Disith's finest and most seasoned soldiers, it was both prudent and politically necessary to have a Disith officer in the high command structure. The chief engineer of the ship, the Dagobera defector from the Guild, next to the Disith officer, Vincent got to business.

“I am acting Captain for this ship for the duration of our mission. My name is Vincent Alzay, and our mission comes directly from Queen Sophia, as head of the Alliance. We are going to find the means to control Exile, and insure that any Guild factions that might remain do not interfere with our use of Exile.

“While I have not worked with any of you directly, your presence here means that you have proven yourselves time and again as honorable and trustworthy. I will expect everyone to perform their duties to the best of their abilities, is that clear?” he asked the group at large. When they all nodded, he finished his introductory remarks and moved into the plans for executing the mission.

Claus yawned as he and Lavie entered their cabin. It had been five days since they started, and they had found that they had a lot to do during the days, flying both their van ship and a heavy transport, carrying workers, provisions, tools and reports to and from Exile several times a day as the chief engineer steady worked on the puzzle that was Exile. Tomorrow, the first status report for Sophia would be hand-delivered by the pair to the Queen at the Capital.

The distance involved was significant, and it meant that they would be gone for two days; one to the capital, spend the night there, then fly back to the ship the next day. The pair had plans to head out before first light, and they would get back after dark on the second day, but when Vincent offered to assigned a second set of pilots to the task, Lavie had refused, saying that she and Claus could do it on their own. Besides, the two of them would not fly combat missions, and all the other crews were assigned to combat patrols in the area around the two ships. Besides, their silver ship was the fastest one in all of Norkia, boasted the girl.

Five days had allowed him to get used to Lavie's new bedtime routine. In addition to sleeping together in a single bed again, Lavie had taken to wearing just her panties to bed. At first, Claus had found it hard to get sleep, but five days had allowed him to regain the old comfort of sleeping with Lavie. Truthfully, I really like sleeping with her. When I hold her, it feels so good. he thought, glancing at her to see her dropping her small top to the foot of the bed before pushing her coveralls off her slim form. Glancing over at the cot, he saw that it was empty.

“Where's Al?” he wondered. Lavie turned back the bed as she answered.

“Since we have to get going so early tomorrow morning, she decided to stay with Tatiana and Alister while we're away.” said the girl, peeking at Claus before slipping into bed. Tossing his own coveralls onto the foot of their bed, he yawned as he glanced at Lavie, seeing her nod from beneath the sheets of the bed. Throwing the switch, he plunged the room into darkness. With familiarity born of practice, he made his way to the bed, finding that Lavie was holding the sheets open for him.

Slipping into bed with her, he felt her snuggled up to him. Settling his arms around her small form, he started to get comfortable. Her arm slipped across his chest, and one of her legs hooked over his own, her knee rubbing carefully against his shorts-clad groin. His dick went from semi-erect to hard nearly instantly.

“Claus.” came her voice, surprisingly soft and low. “I want to ask you something.” she said.

“Sure, Lavie.” he agreed instantly. He heard her suck in a large breath.

“Claus, I want to move our relationship forward, but before I do, I want to ask you if you…” she paused. Against his chest, he felt her face grow warm.

“If I what, Lavie?” he wondered, instinctively hugging her closer to himself.

“If…you like me…like that.” said the girl, pressing her face to his chest. Claus frowned.

“Of course I like you, Lavie!” he assured her. “I've always liked you.” he reminded her. Lavie shivered in his arms.

“Claus, I need to know that you mean that like I want you to mean that.” she said, her voice tight and strained. “I need to know…that you like me like you like Tatiana.” Her words forced a gasp from his lips. “I…want you to like me as a woman, Claus.” she finished, finding saying that to be the second hardest thing she had ever done; the hardest thing she had ever done was decide that she wanted to make their relationship into that kind of relationship.

“Lavie…how…when did…?” sputtered Claus. Lavie was still in his arms.

“I think I knew since that first day back from the desert.” said Lavie. “But, only a few weeks ago did I know for a fact about you two.” said the girl. “I…want you to be mine, Claus. I need you to be mine.” she begged. “But I can't force you to love me like that, Claus, so before we make a mistake, I have to know…” she couldn't go on.

Claus carefully cupped her face in his hands and brought her face up to his. “Lavie, all our lives, it has been us. After our parents died, we were still together. We learned to pilot our ship together. We started flying messenger duty together. We built out house in Norkia together. I don't want to be without you - ever.” he said. “I want to see you happy, Lavie.” he added, softly kissing her. “Together.” he said as the kiss broke.

Lavie took one of his hands in one of her own, and slid it down her side to her hip. For a moment, Claus wasn't sure what she was doing until it hit him like a sledgehammer: Lavie was totally naked. Her panties were missing, leaving her naked. His dick throbbed at that revelation. “Lavie!” he breathed.

“Together.” she whispered, moving her hand off his and to his dick, which was tenting his shorts. Sucking in a quick breath, her hand closed on his shaft, feeling a tingle race through her. Deliberately, she began to explore it, fascinated by the feel of it. It feels so thick! she marveled. Can I really get him in me? she worried. Not that a thing like worry would stop her; Lavie was stubborn, and once she had set her mind to something, nothing short of death would stop her.

Groaning softly as he felt her hand on his dick, Claus immediately began to explore Lavie's bare form, starting with her firm, shapely ass cheeks simply because that was where his hands were at the moment. Gently massaging them, he reveled in their firmness and curves. While he was perfectly content to fondle her ass, he swiftly moved on to more enticing areas of her body. Moving her onto her back, he worked his fingers between her thighs, glad that he had learned a lot from his experience with Sophia and Tatiana. Instinctively, Lavie's legs eased open, her hand never leaving his shaft.

Lavie felt his hands move from her ass to guide her onto her back, Claus moving over her, his hand making its way to her tingling sex. When his fingertip brushed her lips, she spread her legs without a single thought, craving more of his touch. Speaking of touch… she realized, fumbling with his shorts for a moment before finding the waistband of them. Hooking her fingers into his shorts, she impatiently tugged at them, trying to get them off him; the better to explore his hard member, of course. In her zeal, she inadvertently snagged his hard dick with a finger, causing him to hiss in pain. “Claus?” she panted.

“Be gentle, Lavie.” he begged her, the pain swiftly fading due to his arousal. Deciding that some issue should be dealt with before going any further, he pulled his damp fingers from her sex and helped her get his shorts off. With them out of the way, he returned to his exploration of Lavie, rubbing her vaginal lips for a few moments before easing a finger into her virginal sheath. A high, breathless squeal came from the girl as his thumb carefully caressed her clit.

God, she's so slick! marveled Claus, feeling her pussy go from damp to flooded in mere moments. Moving over her fully, he slowly lowered his lips to her small, shapely breasts, capturing a hard nipple between his lips as he began to lick and suckle on them. Under him, Lavie writhed in pleasure. Claus felt her hand wiggle between their bodies to seize his throbbing dick.

Lavie felt her hands close on his penis and was surprised to find the tip slick and wet. Is that normal? she wondered. Sex education had not been covered in her upbringing to any reasonable level, after all. Experimenting, she found that the slick, hot liquid made it far easer to stroke his length, and from the sounds she was hearing, he liked the feeling of her hands on his member. Working in such close quarters with him, she found that her hands were bumping into Claus's hand, which was ravaging her sex with exceptional skill. In do so, her juices were covering both her hand and his dick. So, Lavie realized, this is to make it easer for him to put his thing in me. That realization prompted a spasm from her untouched sex.

Feeling Lavie shudder under him, Claus pulled his lips from her nipples to check on her. “Lavie? Are you alright?” he asked her, breathing fast. Lavie was slick with sweat, her body trembling at his touch.

“Claus,” she breathed. Twitching her hips, she sought to bring his hard length to her dripping entrance. “Now, Claus.” she begged, trying once more to get his tip to her entrance. Claus felt a small spurt of pre-cum jet from his tip at the tone of her voice.

“Yes, Lavie.” he agreed lustfully, shifting to get into position over her small, tight body. After a moment spent positioning her legs better, he eased forward, feeling his tip meet her soft, wet entrance. It surprised him to find that the wide, thick tip of his dick completely covered her entrance. I know she's small, but this is something else. he realized, experimentally pushing forward, finding himself unable to sink into her as easily as he did with the larger Tatiana and Sophia. Can I get in her without hurting her? he worried. “Lavie,” he breathed hoarsely, “see if you can open yourself up some.” he asked her.

“W…what?” wondered Lavie. Claus had learned that Tatiana found his initial entrance easier if she spread her lower lips to allow him an easier start. With that in mind, he thought that it might help Lavie.

“Can you…spread yourself down…there.” he tried to explain. Lavie, panting and horny, didn't exactly follow him.

“Spread?” she wondered. What does he mean, `spread myself'?! she tried to understand his remarks. It's not like I'm made of putty! she thought, frustrated.

“Your lips,” grunted Claus, pressing forward again, but finding no penetration, “but down there, instead of your mouth.” he tried again. Lavie suddenly understood. I do have lips down there! Maybe he means… thought and action were simultaneous with her, one of her hand worming it's way down to her pussy, finding Claus's wide, spongy tip covering her entrance.

When he felt her fingertips graze his sensitive tip, he pulled back, giving her room to work with her soaked sex. Lavie gently spread herself open as wide as she could. “Like that?” she asked, holding her lips spread wide. Eagerly, Claus moved back forward, his tip meeting slick, hot Lavie sex. Even with her lips held open, his tip forced her fingers wider.

Claus felt the difference immediately. With her lips held wide open, Lavie's copious juices were free to lube his tip as it settled into position at her entrance. Pushing forward, he could feel his tip begin to force her opening to stretch to allow him entrance into her. Lavie whimpered, her arms wrapping around his chest, holding him tightly to her chest. Finding that he needed more leverage, Claus pushed his arms under her shoulder blades and got a grip on her shoulders before pushing forward again.

His attention was shattered by her poorly-silenced whimper of pain. “Lavie? Does it hurt?” he asked her. Lavie slowly nodded her head. “Do you…should we…stop?” he asked apprehensively. Slowly, Lavie shook her head.

“No, Claus.” said the girl. “I…can handle it.” she said softly, her grip strength increasing. Sophia said that it might hurt the first few times, but she promised that it would be worth it! recalled Lavie. And if Tatiana can do it, so can I! she vowed. Claus's voice sidetracked her thoughts.

“I don't want to hurt you, Lavie.” he said quietly, brushing a half-formed tear from her eye with the back of one of his fingers. “I would never hurt you willingly, Lavie.” he assured her.

“I want to do this, Claus.” insisted Lavie. “Let's keep trying and see what happens.” she suggested. Silently, Claus pushed forward again, feeling his tip force itself deeper into Lavie's hot, wet sheath. A soft hiss came from the girl, but she made no move to halt the festivities. Claus wondered if he should stop, but couldn't deny that this was something he very much wanted. Pausing, he pushed forward again, a bit more of his tip gaining entrance into her.

With his concentration on Lavie, and her concentration on ignoring the pain and focusing on the building pleasure, neither of them realized that it took nearly a quarter hour before Claus's tip finally popped completely inside her, the unexpected penetration triggering a small orgasm for Lavie, finally dislodging the dominant pain and allowing pleasure to gain the upper hand. Both teens gasped when they realized that the thickest part of him was now inside her.

I can't believe he's in me! marveled the girl. I feel like I'm about to burst down there, but it is so hot, and hard, inside me that I don't want him to take it out. Breathing deeply, she experimentally twitched her hips, feeling his member rub against her over-stretched passage. Oh, god! That feels so good! Bit by bit, she wiggled her hips side to side, encasing him deeper and deeper into her pussy. Neither of them realized that in the initial penetration, what was left of her hymen had been destroyed. Eventually, one of Claus's shallow thrusts butted his tip into her cervix, marking the end of his journey.

Silently, the two held still, tremors running through them as they simply enjoyed each other and the new bond they shared. Eventually, though, their surging hormones forced them to action, Claus beginning to pump into her, gradually gaining speed and strength. Lavie had another orgasm from the knowledge that the tight, throbbing movement in her most sensitive and intimate area was Claus. Before either of them knew it, Claus could no longer maintain his control, and flooded Lavie's already-overflowing sex with his cum.

As gently as he could, Claus withdrew his softening member from her vice-like sex, pausing to kiss her before moving off her and lying down beside her. Weakly, Lavie managed to get herself over to his side and put her head on his shoulder. No words were necessary as they both surrendered to a well-deserved rest; fortunate, one might say, since neither had the strength to speak just then.

Lavie winced as she hoisted herself over the lip of their van ship before dawn the next morning. Her entire groin was sore and extremely tender. Though she slept good, she had found that she was almost too tender to move. Fortunately for her, she had received some unexpected - but welcome - help from someone she had never expected it from. Early that morning, she had been gently shaken awake by Tatiana Wisla.

Helping the girl out of bed - and Claus's warm, protective embrace - Tatiana had silently helped Lavie to the shower room, where the older girl had turned on a shower as hot as Lavie could stand it, having Lavie let the nearly-scalding hot water wash over her hips. After a half hour, the pain was but a persistent throb. Tatiana had quietly warned Lavie to brace herself before steadily turned the water to ice cold.

When the two had finished up nearly an hour later, Lavie was ready to fly, her groin only protesting when forced to move excessively or when she clenched certain muscles. It had occurred to her to ask Tatiana why she was helping her, and when she did, Tatiana had just given her a mildly guilty smile, telling her that she had felt almost the same way after her first time. In the kitchen, Lavie had found Alister and Al finishing up breakfast for the two, Alister holding out a cup of tea to Lavie.

The tea, Alister explained after Al went to wake up Claus, was an old herbal mix that would make her feel better and heal quicker. Lavie had wondered what she meant by the `heal quicker' part, but didn't want to sound like a kid by asking her about it. A few minutes later, Al reported that Claus was showering, and would be in soon to eat breakfast. Lavie had sat to start eating, finding to her irritation that she would find sitting to be a delicate proposal for a while.

Now, an hour before sunrise, the two were about to take off to deliver the report to Queen Sophia, and she was wondering how hard it would be on her to ride for nearly an entire day in the van ship seat with her sex so tender. Seeing the way that Claus swung into the cockpit, she felt a moment of jealously over his seeming lack of consequences from the night before; but only for a moment. Smiling, she settled into her seat carefully, finding that the smooth-running van ship actually felt better than the seats in the cafeteria.

“Be careful, you two!” called Al, waving to them from the deck of the ship. Beside her were Alister and Tatiana.

“We'll be looking for you when you get back!” called Tatiana.

“Don't worry - Al's in good hands!” assured Alister. The shorter girl smiled up at the navigator of Tatiana's ship.

“We'll be back tomorrow evening! Promise!” assured Lavie, giving the group a thumbs up. Seeing Godwin signal that they were ready to launch, Claus glanced back at Lavie.

“Ready, Lavie?” he asked her. Lavie smiled back warmly as she blew him a kiss.

“Let's go, Claus!” she yelled happily.

Lavie watched the trackless sky flow past their speeding van ship. Her mind was not on navigation at the moment, since Claus knew the way by heart. In the two months since we first became lovers, I think that we have never been closer. she thought. If Sophia's plan succeeds, we are going to have a lot to do, and only a few of our friends to count on; at least, for the first few years. She shook her head, marveling at the plans of the Queen.

Exile will take us to a planet where we can start over, without the guild, without the war, without the limited water of Prestor. We will be starting over from nothing, but I don't feel anything but excitement. Maybe it's because of the group we'll be with, but most likely, it is because Claus is going to be with me. Looking at her gloved hand, she knew that under the glove, she bore the sign of their new relationship. “The situation with Tatiana will work itself out.” she whispered to herself.

“What?” called back Claus. Lavie bit her lip gently.

“I said, Exile is ready to go! Are you ready, too, Claus?” she yelled back. Claus nodded.

“I'd go anywhere with you, Lavie!” he replied. Lavie smiled and gave him a thumbs-up gesture before returning her gaze to the blue, blue sky.

Up here, in our dad's skies, each other is all we ever needed. she reflected. And now, we have each other on the ground, too. she thought happily. Well, Dad, you were right about a better world. she thought to her father. “A better world with Claus.” she murmured. Ahead of them, Exile came into view, the alien-looking ship preparing to spread its wings and carry them home to a world they had never seen. A world where we can be together forever. smiled Lavie.

End

Notes: Hmm. This one mutated as well. The chop file is crammed full, and it looks like I will have to do something about those remnants. Why end it here? Because this carried the story to the point I had initially laid out. It's a good arc, though I realized only half-way through that I should have taken a different approach with three elements, but by then, it was too late. For those who wonder at my selection of snapshots, I chose the four most influential girls who have developing bonds with Claus through the anime. There are others, but these four held the greatest developmental influence over him. The chop file will spawn a different kind of story about LE - much as has happened with my RahXephon fics.